Happy New Year

I can't believe that here we are on the brink of a new year.  I've barely gotten used to the last one. I have had a lovely Christmas with all my children here for Christmas day - the best Christmas gift. I thought I would share a little saying that my Nan told us as children,

Your future lies before you like a blank white sheet of snow, 

be careful how you tread it, for every mark will show.

So without further ado let's go make some footprints.  

Happy New Year to one and all.

May it be everything that you hope for and more. 

Until next year...

It's the simple things...

Eating Christmas tree shaped crumpets!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

I'll be back before Christmas I'm sure, but I wanted to make sure that everyone in Blogland is wished Season's greetings. Thank you for all the lovely comments that I have been receiving lately. Also thank you to my new followers.  I'm really, really thrilled that I am not talking to myself!
I have popped over to the Lego website to make my card. Link to card making is here. I had always wanted to be a Barbie girl, well actually a Sindy girl on account of her darker hair. Age and food have taken their toll and I'm wider around the girth than Barbie will ever be so I'm keeping it real as a Lego person!

Dear Mandy

Dear Mandy, I really appreciate you visiting my blog and taking the time to comment. Merry Christmas to you too.

My very last swap of the year!

The very last swap that I am blogging about this year is the Christmas decoration swap. It was organised by Ladybird Diaries and my swap partner was Dorothy. I hadn't met Dorothy before so it was lovely to make a new friend. This is what she made me...

there is such a lot of work that has been put into it and has all the things that I love about Christmas - the colours red, green and gold, polka dots, holly, sparkle...

Unlike myself it even looks good from behind!

I was going to show you what I have made for Dorothy but she shows you on her blog here  and she does it so much better than I could.

 

Ps. A quick update on my previous post, yes said knickers have indeed been most uncomfortable ALL DAY. It is of no consolation that they match my bra.

Knickers!

In my defence it was dark last night. Mr Cymreag had gone to bed early because 'you are not watching more of that Kirstie are you?'

'Yes. Yes I am.'

So once I'd finished watching that Kirstie I went to bed and to save waking husband I put my pjs on in the dark.

On awakening this morning I realised that they were on back to front. Now I don't know whether I am coming or going...

And to top it all I am in a desperate pants situation. I'm left with only the horrible ones shoved into the furthest corner of my knicker drawer. I know just by looking at them are they are going to be un-comfy. Goodness knows if I bend down quickly it could all end very horribly. You know the sort of pants that I mean.

Anyway I suppose it will take my mind off the fact that I have done NOTHING towards Christmas. I didn't even complete the Pre-Christmas clean before the tree goes up. If truth be told I'm not really sure I completed it last year either...

At least we know what we will have for Christmas dinner. He is still parading around the field like King Turkey. I do hope that he doesn't have plans for the 26th!

I'll be back later with my very very last swap of the year.

It's time!

The day has finally arrived when we are allowed to open the gifts that we have received as part of the Santa Sack Swap 2013.

There were a mass of gifts...

These are all the gifts once they were opened...

A Christmas scented candle called Jingle Bells...

A book to store all of my recipes...

 A full pinny which is gorgeous. I do like a nice pinny to cook in ...

 Two tea towels which hopefully will get used by someone else...

 Some hand knitted fingerless gloves - leaves my fingers free for using my new phone...

Beautiful appliqued and patchwork  place mat...

A button hanging - on my tree at the moment...

 

 Some Christmas cake wraps...

 some cake stencils...

 paper straws...

 yummy fruit creams...

And 0f course the beautifully made patchwork and applique bag which is going to go everywhere with me...

 

Thank you so very much Melanie for my lovely, lovely gifts. I have been truly blessed with being paired with a wonderfully skilled needlewoman.

Clearly Santa thought that I have been good this year because there was no coal! 

 

Thank you Cheryll for organising this amazing swap.

I can't show what I sent to Melanie yet as I don't know that she has opened her gifts!

Thank you

Thank you for your kind wishes but please don't think I did the last post to get sympathy.  Oh no Siree! I always say to my children 'laugh even if your bum is on fire!' Which quite frankly it is at the moment...

Is it me or is it hot here?

As you will know if you have caught up with my blog recently my blood pressure is well, a tad on the high side shall we say. My last appointment with the Dr saw my medication doubled to reduce it. It was coming down nicely, still high but nonetheless moving in the right direction.  Then I started with a band of rash around my middle. It looked like shingles after consulting with the fountain of all knowledge commonly  known as Dr Google. Except unlike shingles it continued to spread and spread. Before I knew it, from my midriff (which I'm not kidding is considerable) upwards, I looked like I'd been boiled alive. My skin is burning hot, bright red and bumpy. So not shingles at all but an allergic reaction to my new bp meds. Happy days! So if you wonder where I am, I'll be itching and not stitching...

Let Christmas begin...

We put our tree up on the first day of December - it's the law! So we begin to feel a little Christmassy. However Christmas for us starts when we've watched the pantomime. Oh yes it does! We always book tickets for the signed performance because it helps No 4.  Last year's Peter Pan wasn't quite so good - I think it was to do with Captain Hook in very tight lycra tights and we were sitting just a tad too close to the stage for comfort.  Captain Hook thought he looked good, I didn't quite agree.  Anyway I have recovered enough to go back and we thoroughly enjoyed this year's Cinderella and there were no old men in lycra! Phew!

Countdown to the last swaps of the year

I finally managed to post my parcel to the lovely Dorothy today. I have received a gorgeous gift from her already which I will blog about when I know that she has received mine. It was organised by Ladybird diaries.

 The other swap that I have taken part in is the Christmas cracker swap. This was organised by Tracy at Mad about bags. I was partnered with Ellie. Once we had emailed each other a few times we realised that we live within meeting distance.  And there it was. A plan. Today was our meeting date and the time was two o'clock. It could have easily gone wrong because I was inside and Ellie was outside but it was soon sorted. After what seemed like five minutes it was three o'clock! We had been there talking like old friends for an hour! Thant will not surprise many people who know me...

This is the cracker that Ellie gave me...

and this is the one that I gave her...

The cracker was packed with all sorts of goodies. Ribbons, sequins, chocolate. Sadly the chocolate just didn't make it!

Some beautiful silver earrings which I'm wearing now as I type. Can you see them? And the way they catch the light?

Some Cosmos. They will be so pretty and cheerful in the garden. 

A gorgeous little felt heart that Ellie has made from her own felt. On my tree at the moment but it won't go away with the decorations. I shall keep it out for all to see!

Christmas Sewing Bee

Did you catch the programme last night? I watched it this morning.  Much less formal than the actual competition and it was lovely to catch up with some of my favourite contestants. Some nice ideas for Christmas. It's still on iplayer

Christmas wreath TA-DA!

Last January I started knitting a wreath and I blogged about it here. I got off to a great start and then kind of put it away with the Christmas decorations and there it stayed until it was time to get them out again. I was quite enthusiastic as I completed the final leaves but then I had to knit the berries. Although there is not much to them they just felt like a real chore! Being made to sit still has certainly allowed me to indulge in some berry making. With each berry I got more and more excited until finally Ta-da! It is finished!

Santa Sack Swap 2013

 



Now that I know that Melanie has received her swap parcel (above)  I feel I can blog about the parcel that she sent me...

We have both taken part in the Santa Sack Swap Thank you to Cheryll for organising such a great swap. Now we have to wait for the grand opening date! I can hardly wait!

Guess what's happening again?

So much for blogging a bit more know that I am not at work. A bad head has prevented me from using my laptop, one of the side effects of my high blood pressure.  I'm not going to lie I have been scared, good health is something on the whole that I have been lucky with, so it came as a big shock when my bp was so very very high. The look of shock on my Dr's face was enough to know how serious the situation was. Anyway said bp is slowly reducing and because tomorrow my tablets are being doubled then it should come down further. I will be off work next week too so a long Christmas break for me. Hopefully I'll feel well enough to do something useful.

I received a text tonight from my lovely friend saying that Yarndale 2014 is HAPPENING! I allowed myself to get a little excited! Maybe you will be too!

header unashamedly taken from the Yarndale website

Going up

I haven't been feeling 'quite right' for a little while. I was sent home today with what I thought was a urine infection. Luckily my local surgery could see me this afternoon.  They discovered blood in my urine which is now being treated with antibiotics. I also had my blood pressure checked. My bp was taken seven or eight times in total because it was too high to register.  When it did eventually register it was 224/113 which is a tad on the high side to say the very least. I have already started on tablets to bring it down and more tests have been arranged.  I have no choice but to take it easy. Maybe I'll blog a little more!

A close encounter with King Kong

Couldn't resist!

Happy Birthday to me!

A birthday breakfast with my gorgeous No 4 makes me smile! 

Happy birthday no 4

I can't believe that my baby is 15 today. I am so proud of the way that she deals with her deafness and of course her gingerness ;-)