Saturday 31 December 2016

Happy New Year

May your year be just what you want it to be
May you achieve all you set out to do. 
Let problems all go walkies
Far away from you.

May happiness surround you
With family and friends
May 2017 be the year of
Luck that never ends.

May health and peace be with you
All throughout the year,
Surround yourself with laughter
And banish all the tears.

To all my bloggy readers
Regularly calling here
I send to you this greeting - 

Have a Wonderful New Year!


Wednesday 28 December 2016

Feeling flat

Feeling a little bit flat after all the festivities? So are DD's presents. Being the owner of 3 cats and 2 rats means quite a lot of work. What better than to sit down with a cup of something for a well deserved rest. Meet the family coasters. First there's the cats - 2 short hair and 1 long hair.





Then there is the rat family - flat of course so they can balance your cuppa.


The flat cats are called butt coasters for obvious reasons and their pattern can be found here, while the flat rats' pattern is here.

Hope they don't find the cups too hot!

xx


Saturday 24 December 2016

Y and Z are for ...

YZ men


Oh, and X is for …

xx

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Friday 23 December 2016

W is for ...

Winter

Oh the weather outside is frightful.




I am linking with Julie over at KCsCourt.

xx

Thursday 22 December 2016

V is for ...

Very close now

Hope you are all ready if you are celebrating the big day. If you are not celebrating - it's very close to being over and everyone can get back to normal, whatever normal is.



I am linking with Julie over at KCsCourt.

xx

Wednesday 21 December 2016

U is for ...

Ule log day


Oh, sorry, spelt that wrong - it should be Yule Log Day!


I am linking with Julie over at KCsCourt.

xx

PS Grr, my hospital stay has been postponed until the New Year! (Government initiative for freeing up beds over the Christmas period.) Moan over.

xx

Tuesday 20 December 2016

T is for ...

Time


Time to stop planning, fretting and organising. Just enjoy the season. If something's been forgotten or isn't quite as it should be - so be it. Live for today.

Here's Steve Seagull saying hello on the other side of the
loft window. Hi, Steve, Merry Christmas! 




I am linking with Julie over at KCsCourt.

xx

PS The rest of my posts have been scheduled as I'm off to hospital over Christmas. Thank you for all your comments and visits. Take care.

Monday 19 December 2016

S is for ...

Song associated with the Christmas season

Which one is going around in your head today?



I am linking with Julie over at KCsCourt.

xx

Sunday 18 December 2016

R is for ...

Right present for the right person

What present would you like for Christmas?

Not likely to get: my choice - everybody living peacefully on this planet
Might get: my choice - some great big hugs when I least expect them

I am linking with Julie over at KCsCourt.

xx

Saturday 17 December 2016

Q is for ...

Quiet

Let's just sit and think awhile about how lucky we are this year.

I am linking with Julie over at KCsCourt.

xx

Friday 16 December 2016

P is for ...

Post


Are they posted? Are you an early poster or a late one? Do you wait until you receive a card before you send one or don't you send any at all? Most of my cards are everlasting cards now. I make card and send, the recipient sends it back the next year. We keep swopping cards each year so no new ones need to be bought. Once the card is full of greetings then I retire it and make a new one. They are all reminders of friends and family.



I am linking with Julie over at KCsCourt.

xx

Thursday 15 December 2016

O is for ...

Order


My Christmas book has the run down to Christmas in some sort of order - buy tree, put up decorations, post cards etc. but isn't there always something that we forget. Now what have I not remembered for this year, I wonder!



I am linking with Julie over at KCsCourt.

xx

Wednesday 14 December 2016

N is for ...

Nativity

I've crocheted quite a few Nativity sets parts of which can be seen in these posts with the complete set here. I hope you enjoy listening to the carols.


I am linking with Julie over at KCsCourt.

xx

PS I seem to be getting quite a few visitors from Russia. Hello and welcome.

xx

Tuesday 13 December 2016

M is for ...

Making

What have you 'made' for Christmas this year. Here's my list.

*
cake
presents
wrapping
Advent calendar
lots and lots of mess
*
*
*
cards
labels

I am linking with Julie over at KCsCourt.

xx

Monday 12 December 2016

L is for ...

Lights

I spent an age untangling the lights for the Christmas tree this year, only to realise that I'd bought some new ones from Ikea which weren't tangled at all!


Large, light and lovely.


The untangled lights are now wrapped round a large cardboard tube ready for use another year.

I am linking with Julie over at KCsCourt.

xx


Sunday 11 December 2016

K is for ...

Kitchen

I've not done a kitchen window post for a while so here's the window …

I've mislaid my camera so here are pics from Decembers past.











I am linking with Julie over at KCsCourt.

xx

Saturday 10 December 2016

J is for ...

Jingle Bells

I display these jingly bells in a white bowl for a simple centrepiece.



I am linking with Julie over at KCsCourt.

xx

Friday 9 December 2016

I is for ...

Ivy


Very pretty but very invasive.

I am linking with Julie over at KCsCourt.

xx

Thursday 8 December 2016

H is for ...

Holly

This picture was taken one year when it snowed.

We chopped an overlarge holly tree down the year before last but it refuses to be beaten and is growing again in the same place.

I am linking with Julie over at KCsCourt.

xx

Wednesday 7 December 2016

G is for ...

Gold

Is it a gold theme or a silver theme this year - or perhaps a little bit of everything?




I am linking with Julie over at KCsCourt.

xx

Tuesday 6 December 2016

F is for ...

Fir cones


I have a large glass cylinder full which stays out all year round.

I am linking with Julie over at KCsCourt.

xx

Monday 5 December 2016

E is for ...

Evergreen

The wreath is on the front door.


I am linking with Julie over at KCsCourt.

xx

Sunday 4 December 2016

D is for ...

Dressing gown


Let's have a Christmas themed dressing gown for December.

I am linking with Julie over at KCsCourt.

xx

Saturday 3 December 2016

C is for ...

Cracker


No more bought crackers for me. These are the last lot. I shall make my own from now on.

I am linking with Julie over at KCsCourt.

xx

Friday 2 December 2016

B is for ...

Baubles


Now which baubles shall I chose this year?

I am linking with Julie over at KCsCourt.

xx

PS The link to my crochet angel is in this post and more can be seen if you type 'angel' in my search box to see last year's Advent Calendar.

xx

Thursday 1 December 2016

A is for ...

Angel


I am linking with Julie over at KCsCourt.

xx

Friday 25 November 2016

All wrapped up

I started wrapping presents today. Most of my Christmas wrapping paper has been used and I've not bought any more as I use material bags to 'wrap' the family presents. This bag was made from an old shiny gold top. All I did was sew the bottom up.


Fill with presents then just tie the shoulder straps together. Other bags have been made from clothing or material in shiny, Christmassy colours.


This year I tried something different and wrapped some presents up in a scarf - shiny and Christmassy of course. The recipient has a present on the outside as well as the inside. The scarves are bought very cheaply from the CS.


This scarf wrapped present is adorned with festive tassels and decorations.


Only a few more presents to wrap now and another task is ticked off the list.

xx





Thursday 24 November 2016

Cheers!

Grr! I'm having trouble with the new Blogger. I only had a blank screen when I opened a new post so I tried a different browser. Now I can get to start a post but I can't put the cursor above my first picture. I've had to cut and paste to get it down below. Grr! Anyone else having problems? Rant over now back to the post.

My present to DD's partner is a Beer Advent calendar. I've purchased 24 bottles and I've just finished the numbered hats to top them with. The hats are made out of those Christmas cards that hang around for years and years in the Christmas card box. I'm sure you know the ones I mean.


I've put them to good use now. Just half or nearly half a circle bent round to form a cone and a natty little decoration on the top. This next one is a portrait size card fringed at the top and selotaped to make a tube.
 
 
 Grr! I still can't move the cursor down by the pictures.

Here's one that looks like a crown. The bottom is decorated with some stick on santas.


 On this one I cut round the picture to make the top.
 

I did 4 of each design.
 

Tops all done now, beer bought - just a crate to find before the 1st.
 

xx

Grr!

Cheers!

Sunday 20 November 2016

Questions

1. What was the 'best bit' of yesterday?
2. What was the most exciting thing you did?
3. What was the most boring thing you did?
4. What was your 'good deed' for the day?
5. Did you achieve what you set out to achieve?

Aren't I being nosey! One day tends to blur into another sometimes and the days and weeks rush by. Nothing seems to stand out much and life can be pretty hum drum at times. But is it? Some activities must stand out above others. Here are my answers to the above. They aren't sensational as life isn't most of the time.

1. I had candles lit around the bath. O.K. so they were the battery lights as we don't use real candles but the lights were low and the candles flickered - very relaxing.
2. Ah, exciting. Well exciting for me. I tried out a new chicken casserole recipe that popped up on Facebook last week. It was good but very same-ish so I will add my own embellishments to make it more interesting next time.
3. I brush the kitchen floor every day but it takes me a while to dustpan the crumbs up at the end of sweeping. I will avoid it because it's so boring. It gets done eventually.
4. Always do at least one good deed a day - good girl guide style. I called in at the CS and gave them a bit of help for about half an hour. No trouble as I was passing. (Plus I had a nosey round the shop for any bargains.)
5. Yes, I did - all my list was crossed off, not that it was very long in the first place. Saturdays are put things away days so all that was done and hobbies pursued.

xx

Thursday 17 November 2016

Open when ...

One of my presents I've made this Christmas are some 'Open when …' letters for one of the family. They've taken quite a long time to put together as I had to write 18 different letters which corresponded to 18 different items. The items are trivial but mean quite a lot. Each letter and item are put into an envelope to be opened at certain times during the year.


For instance -

Open when …
you are missing me.

Open when …
you need peace.

Open when …
you're happy.

Open when …
you're down.


The recipient lives quite far away so I've included - 

Open when …
it's your birthday.

Open when …
it's your Anniversary.



The first card to be opened is the Open Now envelope which explains the whole process and lists all the sentences on the envelopes. Here's part of my letter.

"Dear ……, Your present this year is a box of letters. What? Why write letters when we can Face Time or send each other messages and texts? There's even a telephone we can use. Well these letters are for certain times in your life to help, guide or encourage you. If you read the envelopes you will be able to see those times…….."


Only the Open Now and the Open when … it's Christmas envelopes are to be opened on Christmas Day.

I've enjoyed putting these small notes together and decorating all the envelopes. I do hope the person who receives these will enjoy reading them.

xx


Wednesday 16 November 2016

Solving problems

I like brown and he likes white.
Who's to say who's wrong or right?
Think a bit and use your loaf,
Then bake some bread that's a bit of both!



xx