Friday 27 October 2017

This week's smiles....week 243

Here we are at yet another week's round up of smiles....and trust me when I say I've had lots this week.

First I must thank those who linked up their smiles from last week....our numbers are few but it's always worth seeing what's making our friends smile.

And now my smiles for this week.....


As most of you know I celebrated my 60th birthday this week and this is the banner my daughter and her hubby made to hang up for my party...the photo isn't very clear but there are ten of my favourite black and white photos of me as a child on it so it's very special to me.


Here's a collage of some of the pics taken at my party......I'm one very proud Mum and Nanny.  Just check out that amazing cake my daughter in law made for me....isn't it gorgeous?

This is a photo of a very special friend who was able to join me at my party....we have known each other 56 years having started school together at Minsterley Primary.
She moved schools half way through primary school when her parents moved house but we both passed our 11+ at aged 10 years and started grammar school together in the same class at the Priory Girls School.
She left school at the end of year 5 and I stayed on to do A levels.
Without knowing we both applied to go nursing and were accepted into the same intake, shared a room in the nurses home and did our three years nursing together.
We had our families together and have remained best friends throughout.....and all that without mobile phones to keep in contact with each other!
She celebrates her 60th birthday 5 days after me so we are close in very many ways.....Happy birthday Dawn for Saturday. xxxxx

My other smiles for this week are...



Look at the sad state of Milly's little brown dog toy.....she managed to chew her way through the new cover I'd made and pull his stuffing out.....all over the living room floor!!



Ta da! yes I know I'm mad but she can still smell her fav toy through the new cover and I have one happy little friend so it's worth my efforts.



And here's the proof....I will do my best to keep her little toy going for her.  She loves to shake it like a rat and throw it around the room herself so life just wouldn't be the same without it...and she's worth it.

There you go.  Some of my smiles for this week.  It's the fancy dress party tonight for my son's 30th so you may well see a few more pics next week.
Hugs,
Annie x

Wednesday 25 October 2017

WOYWW....

It's been a week of partying and celebrations here for me.... My 60th was on Monday and it's my son Mark's 30th birthday today.  I've been spoilt rotten and we still have a 80s/90s fancy dress party for my son to come yet.

I had party with all my family and many of my close friends last Sunday tea time and I was made to feel very special....many thanks to all who sent me cards and birthday messages.  I'm sharing the gorgeous oil painting my hubby had done for me of a certain little special friend of mine....simply because I love it and know many of you will appreciate the talent of the artist....he's a local artist called Andy McIntyre of McIntyre Studios and I must say he is one very talented man.  He's not only got a perfect likeness but he's managed to get her character into the painting....


I'm also sharing the gorgeous flowers my youngest daughter and her hubby sent me....because they are just too gorgeous to keep them all to myself....they are just all my fav colours.


There's not a lot on my desk this week because as you can imagine I've not had a lot of time for sewing but.....


I did make these new design tooth fairy pillows on Monday as a special request and have already sold two of them and....


...having had a visit from two very special little brownies yesterday I will be sewing their badges on today.

So there you go....I've shown you mine now if you leave me a little comment to say you've called by I will do my best to pop over to see what you've been up to this week.
Hugs,
Annie x

Friday 20 October 2017

This week's smiles....week 242

Hello all. As you noticed I was missing last week but you seem to have managed very well without me....Thanks for keeping the smiles going folks.

Well this week I'm just going to share a collage of my snaps from last week on the Island of Rhodes and I have a rather rude funny to add at the end so please don't scroll down if you're easily offended.


As you can see we had lots to smile about....the sun shone, the sea was the bluest of blues and the Greek people were so lovely....certainly a very special way to celebrate my 60th birthday that's up and coming next Monday 23rd.....and I still have a party to come with all my wonderful family and closest friends at the weekend.

Now onto my rather rude bit.....You will be aware of the Greeks and their statues I'm sure.  Well this postcard of Satyrus, a Greek architect in the 4th century caught my eye on one of the tourist shop stands for some reason!....I can't imagine how he did his job looking like that!




I sent the pic to our youngest daughter as a giggle while we were in a restaurant looking at what we fancied for tea and I said we had spotted Stifado on the menu but was pleased to see it was just beef stew!
Her reply came back....Oh yes I can see the dumplings!

I hope this makes you giggle too but I will apologise to anyone offended and say.......you were warned :-)

Please leave me a little comment so I know you've called called in and if you can then please link to your own smiles below.
Have a great week....I know I will :-)
Hugs,
Annie x

Wednesday 18 October 2017

WOYWW.....

Well folks I'm back.....I wonder if you missed me? 

This was my view last week......


Coffee time in Rhodes....stunning view eh?  My hubby and I were away enjoying a wonderful week together near Rhodes to celebrate my up and coming big birthday.....what a beautiful island it was too.  It was hotter over there than usual for them and even reached over 30 degrees several of the days.....and my biggest achievement of all was that nearly every day I swam 10 lengths of the swimming pool having not swam for the last 12 years following my knee replacement....wahooooooo.

So I'm back to normal routine this week now.  Of course our little Milly had a week in our favourite kennels while we were away and was really spoilt by the girls at Whitley Crest....thanks for looking after her so well.  She has done a lot of sleeping since she came home and as normal hasn't really left my side but Monday she did this....



If I'm busy sewing and she is in need of a cuddle she often jumps on my knee but this was the first time she then went a step further and decided to lye on my desk by the side of my sewing machine.....what a cutie eh?

My other desk shot for this week shows you the lovely sparkly fabrics I'm playing with this week.....my baby boy is 30 next week [where did that time go?] and he has an 80/90s fancy dress themed party planned for the weekend after so I've been working on my outfit!!....well you just have to go for it don't you?
I wont promise to share a pic with you but I have a feeling my family might!!


So there you go.  I've shown you mine so now show me yours and if you leave me a little comment so I know you've called in I will do my best to pay you a return visit ASAP.  Have a fun week.
Hugs,
Annie x

Friday 6 October 2017

This week's smiles.....week 241

Before I have a round up of my week I must say many thanks to the regular few who link up each week....I really love seeing what has made you smile so please keep up the good work girls.

Now onto my smiles for the week. Wow what a week it has been since I was here last.  You will have seen the photos I shared on the post below of the wonderful weekend we had in Llandudno last weekend.....I don't think we stopped smiling for the whole weekend.  What a fab group of really special people.  Joining in each week with the WOYWW group on a Wednesday has really made some wonderful friendships throughout the world.  Without it I wouldn't have met all those folk and there would be so many less smiles in my life....as they say it's not a dress rehearsal so live every day.....I intend doing just that.

Since getting back I really think I've suffered post crop blues because I've struggled to be creative in what little time I've had spare but thankfully there's not been so much spare time because....
  • Monday was spent catching up on housework, washing the clothes from the weekend etc etc in between my customers
  • Tuesday morning 8.30 the lady arrived to give Milly her trim....photos at the end of this post.
  • Tuesday afternoon was spent looking after little Theo and what a little gem he is.....he's taken his first proper steps Wednesday night  :-)
  • Wednesday I spent sewing for another new customer.....it was alterations to a wedding outfit for his elderly mum to wear so it was pretty special....I didn't meet the lady concerned so just hope it all fits.
  • Wednesday evening we popped round delivering a card and pressies to that much older sister of mine who's birthday was yesterday 5th October.....I hope she had a lovely day.
  • Yesterday morning saw me whizzing round hoovering etc before really enjoying a good catch up with a life long friend....she and her hubby introduced me to my hubby many moons ago so she has a lot to answer for  :-)  We don't see each other often because we both lead busy lives now but she's one of those friends who when you're with it's as though you were with her only yesterday....I'm sure you know what I mean.
As you can see I fill my days with smiles.  I make every day count and never fail to make someone else smile during each day. My pics for this week are before and after pics of little Milly....she was such a good girl having her hair cut.

Before....
And after....

She's so proud of her new hair cut and looks more like a puppy now :-)  I wonder if she feels younger too....maybe I should try it?  My BIG birthday is looming at the end of the month so maybe I should shave my head and see how it feels.  I will be making memories next week so may be missing  but hopefully there will be lots of smiles to share the week after.  Hope you all have lots to smile about too.
Hugs,
Annie x

Wednesday 4 October 2017

WOYWW...

Firstly of course it's my 'Didn't we have a lovely day, the day we went to Bangor'.....well, it was actually Llandudno and it was for the weekend and lovely was an understatement. It was a really special weekend spent with just the best of people.....what a lovely group we belong to.


Friday night Margaret very kindly invited us with a few others for dinner.....and very yummy it was too.....Thank you Margaret for making us feel so very welcome.



Here are all the lovely girls at the crop on Saturday..

Back row, [L-R] .... Jan, Eva, Elizabeth, Me, Sarah, Neet, Julia 
Front row, [L-R] .... Dolores, Christine, Margaret, Chris, Anne
 
It was sooooo lovely to meet people I feel I have known for years and to hear the dialects from all round the UK and beyond. 
 
 
I took my dumfing machine and those that wanted to had a little go on it...what lovely results they achieved too.....I have a feeling Dolores may have already bought herself a dumfer.  :-)
 
 
 
 
 
That much older sister of mine, Jo and Maxine her daughter didn't come to the crop but they did send one of Maxine's little pictures to go in the raffle and Dolores was the lucky winner....here she is holding it up so I can share a pic with Jo and Max.
 
What a lovely weekend eh?  I will be back  :-)

Now, as I'm here to share my desk, I'd better put a pic here of it in all it's glory....I've stood back and taken a couple of long shots today so you can all have a good snoop and even stay for a little play if you want to.....

 I really love my sewing room....it's such a lovely light room to work in and on sunny days I open the door at the end to enjoy the garden too. As you can see I have a little friend who likes to keep me company and as she had her hair cut yesterday she's looking rather pleased with herself.

I hope you have enjoyed my show and tell today.  Please leave me a little comment and I will do my best to pay you a return visit as soon as I can.
Hugs,
Annie x