Bargains, snow and xmas spirit!

To begin with, I apologise for the absolutely rubbish photos. lol. The two of my bargains anyway. I couldn't be bothered dragging out the tripod, so the blurriness is the result of my stupid shaky hands. We went to a little sale at Little D's pre-school to raise money for Famine Relief for Orphans in Malawi. The first pic is a Spiderman suit Little D spotted as soon as we got in the door and fell in love with. lol. It was only £1! And the two balls of red wool only cost me 20p! Fingerless gloves here I come!! We also scored 10 Charlie and Lola books, brand new, one with free stickers for 50p. That was for all of them! I plan on wrapping them up as part of Little D's Xmas.
This is one of two gorgeous hessian Santa sacks we got for 50p each! Because there were only 2 and not 3, one for each of the boys, I plan on stuffing them with newspaper or something and using them to decorate around the living room. Little D and I have already sneaked in a little Santa snow globe and a small set of led Rudolph lights. :-) I really want to put up my decorations this weekend, but trying to be sensible and wait until next weekend.
This is the reason for all the Xmas spirit! Little D has decided that as it's snowing, it must be Xmas. And I don't disagree to be honest. It certainly feels like it! We're all enjoying spending time together, it's still going to be a very tight time money wise. But family fun good food, and quality time will be in abundance! Next the plan is to make lots of paper snowflakes with the kids, and string them up, I might just keep sneaking in little decorations until next weekend. OH thinks I'm crazy. lol. Little D is currently running around in his bargain spidey suit, thrilled to bits with it. Nothing like a happy child to put a smile on your face.

Sal. X

My very own "Black Dog". Although, this one doesn't cause nearly as much problems!! Have been in a wee bit of a depression episode. Brought on by stress no doubt, (I stress myself out about silly things) but seem to be at the tail end of it now. Thankfully!

Unfortunately, OH was away for 4 days while I was on a downer. And I got myself into a selfish state. I felt like, still feel like, truth be told, everyone else gets the best bits of my family and I'm left with the crap. Sounds awful doesn't it?! It's just, Grandma, Nana, Sisters, they all get to take the kids out and have fun with them, OH was away with his Mam and Sis, to a concert, and night out, cinema, he had a ball! I'm not pissed off because he was having fun while I was sat at home, I'm not quite that selfish! But that we don't get to do these things together often enough. Or with the kids. Yes money is incredibly tight, but I feel like we're neglecting our relationship. I can count on one hand the times we've been out together. And we've been together almost 5 years!
This is/was my dream house. We thought we actually had a chance of getting it, it would have been so perfect for us. But it was not meant to be. I was heartbroken. I love this house!
My friend has just moved away. Not far really, and I knew her living locally was temporary, but I only helped her move yesterday and I'm missing her and the kids already. It was lovely to have someone close by I could actually talk to! I'll get used to it again i suppose. Just still feeling a little sorry for myself really. Still no further forward with the housing situation, I'm finding it a little ridiculous to be honest. It does stress me out a lot all of us being cramped in here. It tends to come in waves. I can cope with it usually, but when the kids are getting narky with each other, and Little D thinks he doesn't have to go to the toilet as he's still in our room, which to him means he's still a baby. That's when it gets to me.

On the plus side.... There was a craft afternoon at the school this weekend, to raise funds for the dance they school puts on to say goodbye to the P7 class before they leave for high school. We had a fun time, just me and the kids, as OH wasn't home until evening. We made tea light holders, (well, the kids basically covered them in glue and stuck tissue paper all over) they're cute! Some window ornaments of Santa, a robin and a snowman, some of those black scratchy art things, but pre punched out shapes. And Little D decorated a canvas bag each for Grandma and Nana with hand prints. He made a Scooby Doo one for himself first though! And I brought home some stocking making kits for the kids to do nearer Xmas. Should be fun!

I still have lots of sewing to be getting on with! An absolute pile of it! Also, OH has been helping someone out with pc issues recently, they've just opened a shop and asked if I'd be interested in doing some crafts to sell in the shop! So I'm excited but also nervous about that. I don't think my bags are good enough to sell in a shop really, but they've asked about jewelry too, they just want "local crafts" so I'll have to have a play and see what I can come up with. Fingers crossed.

Sal. X

The C word...

So, Christmas time is creeping up on us yet again, it's almost a year since I started this blog, when i began, I never dreamt I'd get anywhere near 19 followers! I'm thrilled! Thank you to you all for reading, and especially for persevering when i don't post for a while. Life here is still pretty "up in the air" at the moment I'm afraid, no further on the health or housing fronts. I have a wee idea about the housing bit, but don't want to jinx it so I'm keeping quiet for the time being.

I love Christmas! I really do, but I love it, the way it used to be, before it turned into a commercial nightmare! So for the last couple years we have been trying to bring it back down to real Christmas, not the religious aspect, as we don't believe in it. But the family aspect. It should be about the thought and love someone has put in, not the amount of money they spent. So as such, my Christmas shopping is pretty much done! Only bought things the kids will wear, or use a lot! Like a guitar gig bag for my eldest, something he both needed and will use regularly. The kids are happy enough with the arrangement. They already have games consoles, OH and I have put ourselves into debt previous years to make sure of it. But the older boys have said many times that it's the fun we have and the quality time we have together as a family that make the happy memories for them, not the toys that will lie in their cupboard til next Christmas. So again this year, it's all about one or two thoughtful and useful gifts, lots of homemade gifts, including sweets and cookies, and family time. I cant wait!
If i get my dream, this is the kind of scene awaiting us next Christmas! Fingers crossed!

What are your favourite parts of Christmas? Any traditions you have every year?

Sal. X

Such is life.

Happy Halloween! Ours was a bit of a wash out truth be told, we only had two sets of guisers at the door, and when my friend and I took our 3 yr old's out for their first ever guising, hardly anyone even opened their doors! Miserable people. Never mind, I've sent OH off with a bag full of goodies for everyone at work. So they'll be happy at least.

Hopefully our bonfire night will be better, we plan on having a little BBQ at a friends, and letting off some small child friendly fireworks. Baked potato's in the BBQ, sausages in buns, and maybe some soup. Lovely!
How funky is this pumpkin?! OH carved it, it's a geek related thing. lol. Trollface. I think it's fab looking. It's his first ever pumpkin carving, he put a lot of effort into it, I think it paid off!
OH's lovely picture taking skills. lol! Open cupboards, overflowing craft boxes, the lot! He couldn't work my camera very well, so we didn't get a lot of photos. And Little D was hyper so wouldn't stay still for many either.
A very bedraggled but happy little vampire.

How was your Halloween? Lots of fun I hope?!

Sal. X

Apologies.

It seems I've neglected my blog for quite a while now. I've had a lot going on, then I really didn't want to post anything that would sound like whingeing, so I avoided it. We have had good news though, my scan results came back clear! No space occupying lesions, so no tumours, which is great! Just have to wait (seemingly forever) for a neurology appointment to see what is wrong with me. Myself and Little D took off to my Mum's at the weekend, the bigger boys were away to the big city with their Father, so we went to the seaside to visit Nana. I haven't captured the vibrant depth of colour in that heather unfortunately, it was getting quite dark.
Mum's geraniums are still going strong though! Beautiful. We had a lovely day, discovered a bush of what I think may be some kind of crab apple, I came home with a bowlful, not to eat, just because they smell lovely! Quite citrus and bergamot scented. Very Autumnal. I did upload a pic of rosehips, but it seems to have disappeared for some reason...

I shall hopefully be back soon with crafty pictures, I have so many projects in my head, I've been rather lax on the sewing/knitting/crafting front. I had packed my sewing machine away behind the sofa, after rearranging the furniture (again!), But I had to drag it out to alter Mam's dogs new coat. So it's staying out until I have completed some ideas I have. I got some cute fabric free with a magazine, So I'm looking forward to using that!

Christmas this year is going to be extremely tight! We were relying on a contract to come through, which hasn't and won't until after the new year. But having talked to the kids about it, they seem quite happy that although we won't have much in material things this year, we will be able to spend lots of time together and do fun crafty things. In fact, when I'm finished this I'll be getting ready to make some Halloween monsters with Little D. I'll need to set up the tripod before we start. I'm afraid any photo's I take without it at the moment are pretty rubbish, my shaking is making them all blurred. But a bonus of it is, if the camera is on a tripod, I have my hands free to get into the painting and general fun! So it's all good!

Scans, Sisters and a little something....

I'm really excited today. Life is good. My ct scan appointment came in really fast, which is great because for me, waiting is torture! I have no patience whatsoever.

The lovely Sue from Our New Life in the Country is sending me a little something for suggesting names for her beautiful new piggy! I was close to the name she chose. Have a look! They're all gorgeous girls! Sue does an amazing job of caring for them, the chickens, all her home grown veggies, and lavender, preserving their produce and farmers markets on top of all that! Busy lady!
This is the dreaded machine they'll be slotting me into tomorrow. But actually, it doesn't seem that bad! The only bit I'm dreading is the injection of dye. I hate needles! But even that hasn't dampened my mood. After the scan, I'm heading to the big city to spend some much needed quality time with... All three of my little sisters! I can't wait! They're like my first thee kids. And i don't see them nearly as often as I'd like to. On top of that, myself and my baby sister are having a joint birthday party, as she turns 21 and I'll be 30! I'm totally comfortable with turning 30, not at all comfortable with my baby turning 21 though!

My birthday present to myself is going to be a tattoo. Celtic script that says "my sisters, my children" In Scottish Gaelic. So i have that to look forward to also! It is a significant tattoo for me and for my sisters. I think it's perfect. I have a few tattoos, and they all have significant meaning. I wouldn't have them otherwise.

I hope everyone else's summer is going as well as mine, if not better! I'll post when I'm back from the big city. Can't wait to see what Sue sends me!! Take care.

Sal. X

Rainy Day's and Mondays.

Well, it's Monday, and it's pi$$ing it down rain. I've just been to the park with the dogs, (yep, adopted another one, not husky tho) Little D and Partner. Older boys are at my folks for the week. And despite having many reasons to be blue, I'm not! I'm feeling pretty damn good! I had an eye specialist appointment last week, they've discovered something in my head is causing pressure. Either some kind of head blood pressure type thing or a tumour. So I'm waiting for an appointment for a cat scan to come in now. I freaked out to begin with, thought the worst and gut reaction, "Oh my god the kids!" But i soon calmed down, I'm staying positive, even if it is a tumour, and even if it is cancerous, these things can be treated. No point in me getting myself in a state when there's nothing i can do about it anyway.

Besides, I've had fab news too, a friend i had been really worried about is moving closer to me. As in the next street! Our kids are only 5months apart and dote on each other, and she has a lovely 7 month old baby i can steal for baby hugs. I can't wait! They move in on Wednesday! I have given another dog a home, he's a lovely little lurcher, red collie x. Beautiful lad, and he's getting my old lurcher fit again so she'll be with us longer. I just came in soaked to the skin, after running around with the dogs in a fabulous summer shower! I love the rain! I have a lot to be happy about and thankful for. So no matter what this turns out to be, we'll deal with it as a family and then I'll beat it. Problem solved. I'm a stubborn little sh*t!

So, it may well be rainy, and it may well be Monday. But to me, it's a magic Monday!

Sal. X

Bags

I finally got around to taking photo's of a few of the bags I've made. please excuse the crappy lighting, poor composition etc. It's been really dull all day and pretty much impossible to take decent pics. This first one is recycled from a jeans leg, and a funky 70's tablecloth I rescued from my Mum. There had been paint spilled on it at some point, but still plenty usable fabric for me! I love the purple and pink combo!
This one is a bahoochie bag. As in made out of the bahoochie (backside) of a pair of jeans. And the strap is hand knitted from the lovely wool I won from Hardup Hester.
This one is another bahoochie bag, made from school trousers, but with an added flap, I got a full metre and a half of this fabric from a charity shop for £4! Bargain or what?
Yet another bahoochie bag, this time with an added scarf, from a favourite top of mine which was unwearable now. the strap is a lovely bit of embroidered cotton, taken from a recycled skirt, the rest of which was used in lining other bags.
I guess this is a half bahoochie bag. lol. The jeans had ripped in such a place they were unwearable and unusable as a full bahoochie so I cut it in half. Strap is from the leg of another pair.

I have a few more too, since i didn't sell any at the car show. Bit of a disappointment, but there was a car boot too so I think people were really looking for cheap and cheerful. Maybe I'm charging too much. I don't know. £15 for the biggest bags that took the most time, £8-10 for medium sized ones, and £5 for the smaller ones. Is that too much?

I still had a lovely day, there were more dogs than cars there so I was in my element. Looking into fostering a husky now. Met a lovely Lady there who has started a husky rescue. there are so many of the poor lambs dumped in dog pounds because people take them on without understanding the breed. Hopefully I can help out and my own dog (who is missing canine company) will benefit too.

School holidays have started here, so the kids are enjoying their time off. In two weeks time I'm going to my Mum's for the weekend alone, for a folk festival. I can't wait! Been looking forward to it for ages! So my next project is to make a carrying bag for my whistle, and if I get ambitious maybe a better one for my bodhran too. So plenty to keep me busy! I want to do some little travel tissue holders too. Look much nicer in my handbags than scruffy packets.

I hope everyone had a good weekend. I'm still shattered from the weekend, so I'm off to have a nice bubble bath then bed. Early night will do me good.

Sal. X

Oh crap!

Yes. Now is the time to panic.. I've only just realised the car show I'm meant to have a stall at is this weekend! And to add to that, i haven't actually booked a stall! Duh! Have emailed both the lady I'm meant to be going with and the lady who is running it to see if sh can fit me in, if there's time to send my payment, or if i can pay it when i get there. Hopefully they'll get back to me soon, I'll need to get my ass in gear and get more bags made! I thought i had ages yet!

The kids last day at school before the summer holidays is Friday. Hadn't realised that was so close either.

My memory and organisational skills really leave a lot to be desired! On top of that I'm meant to be organising a family reunion type thing, and possibly a joint birthday party for me and my baby sister. Dunno how I'm going to get it all done! I'll start as always, with trying to get this house tidied up, at last if that's done I'll have time and space for sewing later. In theory anyway. lol. And I'll have to get Little D out to play while the sun is shining. He may be really nice to me and have a nap if i can tire him out enough! Fingers crossed.

Sal. X

Hmmm.

It's been a strange few days I've had. Just generally unsettled. Unsettled weather, unsettled mind. Have had dramas with a local dog who had previously bitten Big D, it has now bitten one of his school chums. Still waiting to hear what's happening with that.

OH had his last day at work today. Well, kind of. He was on a jobcentre scheme. He didn't get the extension we'd hoped for, but has made himself indispensable. As it's a charity he's working at, he's going to continue to volunteer while they wait for a big contract to be confirmed then employ him fully. Unfortunately it means we'll be back on minimum amount of money and all the fuss involved in sorting out benefits again. Hopefully it won't be for long.

Possibly going to my Mums tomorrow, but unsure as we had a slight argument last night. So that's up in the air too. If not, I think I'll go for a walk and try to find some nice scenes to take photos of.

Seems like all I've done this week is washing. I could happily never look at another odd sock ever again! I think they're breeding in the washing bin! Well, I'm going to go and fold yet more washing, and OH promised me a bottle of wine tonight so after the washing I'm going to relax with a lovely glass of rose (with a strawberry in) and a book.

TGIF!

Sal. X

In the Summertime

I am sitting out in the garden with Little D, A in the middle and his friend have just come in from school. So the relative peace is now shattered. Lol. Odd weather, it's warm, but over clouded so we're not seeing much of the sun. Still, it's nice to sit out in the warmth without having to worry about my sun allergy raising it's ugly head. Speaking of ugly heads, if you're not keen on spiders now would be a good time to look away! I have a slight phobia of them, but not nearly as bad as i used to be. The one in the pic above, I found while watering plants at my Mums at the weekend. She's a Nursery Web Spider. And that white ball she's carrying is a sac full of her eggs. When they hatch she'll Spin a nursery room for them to keep them safe. How sweet! There are some really devoted Mum's in the animal/insect world. There are a crow family living in the trees at the back of my Mums garden, I got some beautiful feathers but unfortunately they didn't cooperate for photos. And there was too much going on in the garden to expect them to. Ah well, another day.
This one was in my Mums garage, so big for a house spider I thought he was a wolf spider, but on closer inspection of the photos, he's just a big house spider. More likely to be a she.
Mister black bird here, was trying to entice some worms. Amazing to watch. Mrs Blackbird had a go afterwards too, but she's not as brave as her hubby and wouldn't pose. I could watch nature happening around me all day, although not much of it is brave enough to get near with Little D and daft dog on the go.

It's feeling more like summer now, I never feel summery until the solstice is here. So now let the summer commence! I'm hoping for many more BBQ's, trips to the beach, fun at Nana's, (what the kids call my Mum) Camping out, picnic's, and taking lots of photo's! I'm hoping to get more sewing done, but in the heat it's a nightmare dragging the sewing machine and everything out. I don't have room for a sewing space just for me, so it's all dragged out to the dining table, which is used every day. It seems a lot of effort when it's hot. But i hope I'll find my motivation and mojo soon. Have so many ideas floating around my head.

What are your hopes, dreams, plans for the summer?

Sal. X

Feeling more positive!

Yesterday I was feeling really low. As if it wasn't obvious! With all my health issues culminating and feeling like I just couldn't win, everything got on top of me and I cracked just a little. I chased kids outside and upstairs then I cried my eyes out. Called my Mum, she calmed me down. Afterwards I felt incredibly embarrassed as always.

But today, my wonderful OH has taken the day off work to give me a little break, he has taken Little D for a walk. I spoke to a dentist online, I now have a plan of action and feel as if I can and Iam doing something to help myself.

I didn't get any sewing done last night. I was too drained after the crying. I did get some fabric samples in the post today though, I plan on making some personalised bunting for a friends baby who was born recently. It'll make a nice change making something pink and girly. I really need to be getting on with some more bags too.

My Mum and sister have insisted I take some time out with them, by the sea this weekend. So I'm looking forward to that. Home on Sunday to spoil OH for Fathers day. I might make some of the oat cookies he and my Dad like so much for them both.

Anyway, best go. I'm going to take full advantage of Little D being out of the house and get some cleaning done.

Pain.

Right now, this is about all that's keeping me relatively cheerful. I can't wait for season three to start!

We had a fab BBQ at the weekend, a (very) belated birthday celebration for OH. He had a lovely night, we both even tried fire breathing! Brilliant fun!

On the downside, i clench my jaw in my sleep. I have done since i was pregnant with Big D. My teeth pretty much started crumbling when i was first pregnant and haven't stopped since, so I've had 12 years of pain from toothache. And i am terrified of the dentist. So I'll only go if i can't function through the pain, even then it's panic attacks all the way and usually vomiting.

In the last month I've broken 2 teeth in my sleep. At the weekend one of my front teeth literally snapped off at the gum line. And i swallowed it. So now, I'm in more pain than usual, and have an upset stomach. Don't know if it's through the pain or if the teeth are doing it. And of course Little D is playing up something chronic because he knows I'm not well.

It's impossible to get a dentist here. I've been on a waiting list for every dentist within a 50 mile radius for 2 and a half years and still no joy. I can't face going to the emergency dentist to get treatment because the rummaging around they'd have to do to get what's left of the tooth out would affect me too badly. So I'm trying to get an appointment with my doc to see if she can refer me to the hospital to have it out under sedation or something.

I'm only 29 but for the last 12 years if someone had said to me, "I'll pull out all your teeth and give you dentures." I'd cry and hug them! I've had enough of the constant pain. Along with my other various health problems, it's just getting me down a little too much.

I'm sorry for being such a moaning myrtle. Just feeling really low. Plan on doing some sewing tonight. That'll cheer me up. :-)

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend, and your Monday wasn't too harsh.

Sal. X

Duh!

I was so tired last night I completely forgot to take any pics of the cakes I baked. Numpty. Weather hasn't improved any. And the forecast for the weekend has changed, it's meant to be raining now! Not a happy bunny. Tomorrow on the other hand is supposed to be sunny. Hmm, we'll see. What happened to summer I ask you?! I plan to go out and wash down the wee patio table and chairs as they're quite grubby, get Little D to help. Anything involving water and he's happy.

Still really tired, I had another bad night. Dreams again, and again I can't remember a thing. It must just be subconscious fears, stresses whatever breaking through I guess. I'm thinking a bottle of wine may help on Friday night! lol.

Just as I started baking last night my cooker started playing up, oven wouldn't turn on. So it looks like we're going to either have a bill for having it fixed, or a new one soon. Such is life I guess.

Well, off back to the grindstone I go. Pointless tidying that Little D is going to come behind me and undo. lol.

Sal. X

A couple of pics i took at my folks place at the weekend. My baby brother! lol. Might as well be, Charlie is Mam and Dad's pooch, absolute darling of a dog! He's a Springer X Collie, Looks a little like a pointer as he's clipped short. He hates his fur long. Such a personality!This is a macro shot of a bush in my Mam's garden, beautiful blossoms! Not a clue what type of plant it is at all. But it's lovely.
My wonderful OH ordered me a bigger sized tripod, and it was delivered yesterday, when the rain was lashing down, so i couldn't get out to try it out. Hoping to give it a practice run today. Had a pretty bleh couple of days, not sure why, I'm blaming hormones as ever! Woke up after terrible dreams last night and this morning, so I'm quite tired. Don't remember the dreams, but going by the shaking and sweating, I'm relieved.

We're hoping to have a BBQ this weekend, will be at MIL's Friday, for her birthday. OH refurbished a laptop for her prezzie, I'm sure she'll be thrilled with it! I plan on making her a cute tartan heart to hang up too, had fabric cut out for it and she commented that she liked it. Quick and easy but a sweet gift. Having a small garden table and chairs set picked up tonight, I got them from a nice lady on Freegle. So that sorts out the seating for the BBQ.

Tonight I have a big chocolate cake to bake ice and decorate for someone's retirement at OH's work. And some cupcakes too. I'm going to make honey cupcakes with lemon icing. they'll be a refreshing alternative to the richness of the chocolate cake. So that'll keep me busy. Hopefully get the tartan heart done too. And maybe some more tissue covers. One of my Son's Teachers has requested a bag so I need to get that done too. I have two baby girls to make things for and no girly fabric! So I need to remedy that. Won't make it into town this week though so it'll have to wait until next week.

I need to go do some dreaded housework now so that I have a tidy workspace for later.

Hope every one's having a good day!

Sal. X

Happy Snapper!

Finally! My camera arrived this morning! Absolutely thrilled with it! I just wanted a simple point and shoot, but that I could get clear, decent photos from and maybe learn with to do macro etc. I got exactly what I wanted! Little D hasn't been cooperative with posing at all today. But I can't blame him, he must be sick of me following him around trying to snap a pic! lol.

The dopey old dog Tara on the other hand, was more than willing to be photographed! lol. Loving the daft expression on her face here!
This was him huffing and ruining what I thought would be a funky shot of him taken between the branches of the Rowan Tree. Evidently, he thought different! Such is a life with a toddler I suppose.
My first ever attempt at a Macro shot! I thought it turned out pretty well, but I'm biased as I love Peony Roses. What do you think? I love the vibrancy of the colour!

I think Little D was also pretty disappointed because all the creepy crawlies we could find to take pics of were a small brown slug, and a beaten up moth that was hiding in his parasol. I was stung by an ant that found it's way up my t.shirt, no photo I'm afraid. I squished it in the process of removing it. I'm allergic to ant stings, so it burned like a ******!!! Might have more luck tomorrow. I intend heading into the woods to see if i can find more willing victims models.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

Sal. X

AARRGGHH!!!!!

I am (not so) patiently waiting for this camera to be delivered. According to the tracking status it's in the van, out of the van, in the van out of the van, and now for the last 3 hours has been scanned in the couriers depot very hour! Grrr!

Yesterday i spent all day dealing with whingeing kids, A in the middle had picked up some kind of bug and had an awful headache so he was off school. Then I had a phone call from lanky D's high school and he was being sent home too! Trying to make Little D leave his brothers alone was a challenge to say the least! He thought they were home early to play with him.

I'm still waiting for a refund of over £100 because of mix ups with the camera(s) and shopping, so pretty brassic at the mo. I'd love to do some sewing and chill out but my machine was stacked into the shed for the party and now I cant get to it. (not that I'd get peace to sew anyway, lol)

I'm frustrated and hacked off. Nothing new there then you say! lol. But I am finished ranting now. Sorry. I'll cheer up by thinking of all the lovely photo's I'll be able to take when my camera is delivered. (I've even bought and charged spare batteries in advance!) The rest of today will involve housework, most likely bad tempered housework. But at least it'll get done.

Hopefully I'll be back soon, with some half decent photos!

Birthday Parties, and a new camera! (hopefully soon)

Hello! I've sadly neglected my poor blog yet again. Been very busy with kids birthday parties, pathetic attempts at gardening, much cursing at the death of my camera, you get the idea. Been kinda non stop around here the last while.

Life is good though, my wonderful OH has ordered a new and spiffy camera for me, which comes with memory card, tripod etc so i shall be photographing everything in sight! Can't wait! Had dramas getting it ordered properly, useless customer services grrr! Resulting in two lots of cash being taken and it'll take a while to go back into the bank which has left us pretty skint. And me pretty hacked off that the best kids party I've done so far I have no photo's of to show off! *sigh*

I do have photo's of Little D's party at his grandmas though, so I'll post them soon. I had a mega allergy outbreak as a result of being out in the sun. Covered in hives! Not a good look let me tell you! Kids thought it was hilarious. "You look like an alien from Star Wars Mum!" Such lovely kids. lol.

Not very much craftiness going on I'm afraid, I haven't had the time or the energy to be honest. I plan on making some cute bunting for some babies who have been born recently. With rag quilted letters spelling out their names. All girly babies so I'll need to go and buy some pink fabrics. Looking forward to that. And have organised to get to the show in July so I have that to prepare for too. Decent photo's to follow! (as soon as my camera gets here!)

But right now I'm exhausted, the heat has floored me. So I think I'll go have a nice cool drink and relax. May even sit outside now that there's a nice cool breeze. I hope everyone's weekend went well and you're all enjoying the beautiful weather! I will as long as I remember my antihistamines and sun hat!

Sal. X

Craft Fair.

Well, the craft fair was a bit of a wash out. The pic is my table, i know there's not much on there, nor is it displayed very well, but it was the best i could do at the time. There weren't very many people coming in to be honest, and a few other stall holders actually said it was one of the worst ones they'd ever been to! But i enjoyed it all the same, i met new people, some very talented people! Some really beautiful crafts, i'm afraid i didn't get a chance to take photo's of other stalls. Quite angry with myself as there really were some lovely things. Not least the local chocolate factory's stall! Lovely dark chocolate covered coffee beans kept me going all day! I'll be back with better pics of my bags, and cute little tissue holders. Any ideas on how to effectively and prettily display bags would be much appreciated!

Bracelets, Birthday's, And Boll***s!

This is a bracelet I made yesterday while Little D had his nap. The pearls are reclaimed from an old necklace my Mam gave me, hearts were in the bargain bucket at the craft shop and the other beads and charms i had already. I used purple tigertail.
This one is a birthday present for my sister in law. Again, reclaimed pearls, also the amethyst beads, Hematite stars from my bead stash, and the seed beads. charm and extension chain also from stash. I made matching earrings, but forgot to photograph them.

I'm still trying to get more done for the craft fair, just over a week to go and i still have lots of bags to make. My eyesight isn't cooperating though. Waiting for a hospital appointment. Just hope i can get enough done for the fair. I shouldn't need too much it's only a small one, 11 stalls all in. But it's been well advertised. So i want to be as prepared as i can. So just doing little bits whenever i get a spare minute really. Anaemia is slowing me down too. I sound like such a whinge!! Apart from all that crap, life is good. It really is. I have a night out with my lovely man to look forward to in the evening after the craft fair. No bowling this time thankfully! lol. Got a gorgeous little picnic table with built in benches and a parasol for Little D's birthday on the 21st. OH's birthday is this saturday, but we won't be celebrating til Sunday as his little Sis is having a joint party with her friend that day, so we'll be at that. But he doesn't mind waiting. So a busy week or so coming up, but looks like it'll be fun!

Sal. X

Jazmeister Central.

Hiya folks, i'm shamelessly plugging a fellow blogger today, also family. Jaz needs support with getting his dream job,the world has conspired against him and he cannot achieve this without help, whether it's tweeting, a link in a blog, a couple of quid. any support is appreciated, he's a very talented lad, and if you're into gaming at all, you may already have heard of him. So if any of you could find the time to re post about him, facebook, twitter, blogger, whatever, raise awareness in any way or even contribute a £ or two, it would be amazingly generous of you! At the least, give his blog a look. It's very well written and if you have any kids into gaming, they'll love it!

Jazmeister Central!

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Sal. X

Mega Bargains!!!

Just a quick post peeps, mega busy with kids, bags, knitting funky bag straps with wool won from the lovely Hardup Hester I was in town today for coffee with my Mam, and charity shop scouring to find fabric to recycle into bag linings. And get this... I found two lovely Candlewick bedspreads for £1.29 each!!! I couldn't believe it! I've loved them since i was a kid. Are they back in vogue yet? lol. I don't care, i love the shabby chicness they have. A lovely purple one (my fav colour) and a pink one with the fluffy patterns on. As I type, I've already washed the purple beauty and dried it, and am wrapped up in it with the cat vying for lap space with the laptop. Life is good! I'm easily pleased! Also got mega bargainous fabric, sarongs. So I'm set for at least a few more bags, will post pics when i get time. Hope everyone has a fab weekend! Take care.

Sal. X

Potty Training.

Not had much time or energy for blogging i'm afraid. My almost 3 year old Little D has finally decided he wants to go in the toilet! Guess i should have called this post toilet training, I have bought potty's with all three of my boys, but none of them have ever used one. Not so much as a christening drip! They all preferred the toilet. Saves time I guess. No major accidents so far, so i'm thrilled as is Little D. He's loving the whole thing, including flushing and washing his hands. Fingers crossed it continues to go so well. I hope everyone is well, and i'll be back soon with pictures of some more makes for the craft fair.

Sal. X

Meme/Award thingy and Jewelery!

Wow! I am gobsmacked and thrilled! My first ever award, meme thingy! I got it from the lovely Sue over at Smiffy's blog. I think I'm meant to tell you all 7 things about myself I'd rather people not know. Lol. This could be horrific! (kidding).

1/ I am terrified of becoming an alcoholic, but i still drink alcohol. Having a glass of Shiraz as i write this.

2/ I was brought up catholic, and as a result ended up hating religion and the hypocrisy that goes with it, I'm kind of pagan/satanist.

3/ I used to run around naked in the rain. (not confident enough in my own skin or i still would)

4/ I love to argue with people online! My very geeky OH Say's I'm a troll! lol

5/ I am a wannabe domestic goddess. It never goes to plan, house stays an overcrowded tip. But i try.

6/ I have predictive dreams. Always have, i woke up and knew when my Grandad had a stroke, i knew when my Nana died, etc etc.

7/ A lot of the time, i have more time for animals than people.

So there you go! That's it. Not as bad as i thought really. So now i think i tag 7 other people?

Crystal Jigsaw

Livi's Little Bubble

Foxs Lane

Raglan Guld

Tracey's crafty~scraps

The Diary of a Frugal Family

....A MeRmAiDs PuRsE.......

I look forward to seeing what these ladies responses are!

This is a handbag charm I've made to go along with the bags I'm making for the craft fair next month. First attempt, so any comments or constructive criticism greatly appreciated.
I LOVE the little frog bead on this bracelet i made, as soon as i saw him i had to put him on something! The start are hematite, the big beads all lampwork. Beautiful.
Another bracelet. I've also done some earrings, and very simple necklaces so far, with bone hearts, some with wings. Just getting familiar with the tools and beads for now. Let me know what you think. Good or bad, i gotta learn! So, back to the Shiraz i guess, there's some chocolate with my name on it too! Good times!

Take care everyone! xxx

I feel sick!!!

I've just booked a table at a local craft fair in May. I've never done it before and i have social phobia! Stupid non? Grab the bull by the horns i say! Woo hoo! (Help, I'm going to vomit!)

Unsettled

This first pic is the unusual fungus that is taking over a bush at the bottom of my garden. Unexpected find while i was tidying up. I thought it was quite pretty to look at, intricate, a perfect example of nature in my tiny garden where even grass refuses to grow, before we moved in here some numpty buried tins of paint in the meagre topsoil, so that up until now, the only things resilient enough to grow on the mud patch were two bushes and weeds. So the fungus makes a nice change.
These are the eggs Little D painted while his big brother A was at school painting his. I had the big jar from Xmas, a bargain find in a charity shop bought to put sweets in, the pretty cloth in the bottom i got in poundland, they have all sorts with nice cheerful designs. Much better to wipe down worktops with in my opinion, bring a bit of spring brightness to the kitchen too.
And finally, my cheery tablecloth! And beautiful and pungent lilies my lovely man brought me home for our 4yr anniversary. The hurricane lamp was another charity shop find. I love candles, and flowers. Although these lilies have been a lot of work! They look funny as I've cut all the stamen off. the pollen not only stains everything it touches but is also very poisonous to cats. So the lilies have been moved around a lot, to make sure they're always out of the kitties reach. I'm still enjoying them though. Beautiful!

I've had an odd evening, found out via my sister that over the weekend, two people we know have died. Very unexpectedly. One had only just gotten married last weekend. So tragic. So I'm feeling kind of shell shocked to be honest. Just feels so surreal. My heart is breaking for the families involved.

So, I think I'll do the original post i had planned later in the week. I hope every one's weekend went well, and everyone enjoyed their Easter celebrations. I'm off to catch up on some blog reading now, I've missed so much. Take care!

Sal. X

Apologies.

I have been going around the twist lately. (nothing new there) Our rotten weather here interfered with my Internet access. I only have a mobile dongle and apparently the snow broke the transmitter Aeriel up here. So i have been sans interwebs. Hence no blog posts, I aim to remedy this later today, with a proper post. Lol. Hopefully. I have spent the time constructively, painting eggs with Little D, clearing the garden, (finding a huge fungi at the bottom of the garden in the process) I have yet to find any time or energy to do some sewing, I am lacking inspiration and motivation which really isn't helping. But i will get there. I have a lot i want to get done, spring cleaning and organisation, and by the time i get some of these things done i have no energy left for luxuries such as crafting. The crochet has fallen by the wayside, as i discovered i was doing it wrong. Ha! Typical, but I'll start over and try to find the rhythm again, with the right stitches this time. Anyway, enough whingeing, back later, with a photo of the weird fungi hopefully, if it brightens up.

Birthday Boy!

No photos this time I'm afraid, haven't stopped long enough to take any today. It's my middle boy A's birthday, he turned 11 today, so i have been keeping busy, cleaning, doing washing and baking, and will have to do it all over again on Saturday as he's having a wee party, nothing big, my folks and a friend or two, little nephew. Still, should be a fun day. The birthday boy had fun so far, he got the game he wanted, (he loves games consoles) And his big and little brothers got him a cute award mug for being the best farter! Lol. Too true. He can really clear a room! So now, they've all had dinner, stuffed themselves silly with cake of every kind and i still have a dishwasher to load and more washing to sort. *sigh*

I got to go to town on my own this week! I had an emergency. Little D broke my specs, since I can't see a thing without them, it had to be a one hour service. They all had a good laugh at my frankenspecs, my lenses in fiance's frames. I also found a lovely table cloth in spring colours, a hurricane lamp in a charity shop. So it was a good day. My table looks lovely and sunny now. Very cheerful. I shall be back, most likely on Saturday, after all the fun and games. With photo's of my lovely tablecloth before the kids spill anything on it!

P.M.A.

This is the beautiful candle holder all my boys got me for Mothers Day. This whole post is in the wrong order as for some reason i cant make sense of how to get the photo's to go in the order they're meant to! Will have to ask Mr Computer Genius when he gets home. lol.
I feel as if I've done nothing but moan and complain the last while, so I decided I need a bit of P.M.A. Positive Mental Attitude! The lovely sun yesterday helped no end, Little D and I made a tent in the garden and spent most of the day out there. Old dopey dog loved it too. I drank coffee and took photos, none of which are very good as neither Little D or Tara the dopey dog were in the mood for posing for the camera, but hey ho, we still had fun. Especially when the makeshift tent kept threatening to blow away!

The plan for today is make a different type of tent with a clothes horse, do loads more washing, (it never ends!) Possibly bake some cakes as the weather is supposed to turn wet again later today. And all the usual cleaning and tidying malarkey. I'm going to sit in the sun and look through the Wilkinsons catalogue while Little D plays in his tent. Then get as much of the chores done as I can when he has his nap. Hope you're all having a lovely sunny day. I think we all need after the winter we've had. Nothing as cheery as some lovely warm spring sunshine! P.M.A. people!!

Damn it! I'm jinxed!

So, i got to the gig I'd been sooooo looking forward to, my lovely sister and one of fiance's workmates I'd brainwashed came with, we ended up 2 hours early, to find the Band weren't playing! Needless to say, i was pretty hacked off. Luckily Ted Christopher was playing, so we still got to hear some good live music. I was so embarrassed and disappointed though. Never mind, then shopping for my mothers day presents was left til the last minute so lovely fiance and kids spent an absolute fortune on the most pathetic flowers i have ever seen most of which are dead already, and a lot had no heads! Add to that the very expensive but vile wine, and an unexpected (due to hormone imbalance) visit from my monthlies, and it wasn't exactly my ideal weekend. *sigh*

But on the plus side, i got to see a friend i haven't seen for ages, met a friend from America, got breakfast in bed from the kiddies, beautiful bought and home made cards, a huge banner my eldest made on the PC, Quesidilla made for dinner, and a beautiful candle holder. I did sulk because they were all doing their own things all day, i had hoped we'd spend the day having family time. I guess we'll just have to be better organised next year. I feel like an ungrateful whinge, i just hoped for more. Had some bad financial news which gutted me. Then find out that it was a mistake and we're not as far up the creek as we thought. Hormones have made it all seem much worse than it actually is.

It's been a beautiful sunny day here which cheered me up no end, cold, but sunny. Have had every window in the house open all day. Lovely fresh breeze. had visits from my favourite ravens, they always make me smile. Such clever birds.

My plan is to go into town and get some lovely (cheap) flowers, plants, and cheerful happy tat to cheer myself up. lol.

My last trip into town was eventful. Little D chose balloons for me and my mum for mothers day, mum got a lovely heart shaped balloon with pretty flowers and little lady bugs on it, i thought i had one around the same size but teddy shaped... No, it's a cute tatty teddy balloon, the same height as Little D!! He ended up screaming because he thought the damn thing was gonna pop! We got it home safe and well, (thanks to my sis who gave us a lift) And it now floats in a corner of the living room terrifying the cats!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mothers Day. I'll leave you with a pic of cheeky Ravens.

Sunshine at last!

Well, we finally made it into town yesterday. Not the fabulous day I had anticipated, Little D has been playing up something chronic. Not going to go into to why here, too complicated and emotionally draining. But, i am not giving up. We're going back on Friday. No pictures I'm afraid, didn't get a chance, but let me tell you, i'll be more careful in the pet shop in future! Explaining two tortoises mating to a 2yr old aint fun! So they were wrestling. Little D had to be bribed with cake to leave the pet shop. He would have had all the tortoises and all the fish home with him.

We had a walk to the park today, the rest of the village beautiful sunshine, not a speck of snow or ice to be seen, we even spotted some crocuses on the way there. But we get to the park, and there are still mounds of snow the ploughs have left, and the play bark is frozen solid! The cold didn't help my back at all, but the fresh air and sunshine did both of us good. Hoping for another lovely day like this on Friday.

The little angel is now having a nap, tired out after all the fun of the park and feeding the poor cold birds when we got home, he gets quite worried about them being cold and hungry, so we make sure to feed them every day.

Bleh!

It's official. I have had enough of this damn snow! It ruined the planned day into town as the schools were closed. Had three bored kids who are also sick of the snow, at home all day. But, on the plus side, i am going to see one of my favourite bands ever in less than two weeks!!!

Albannach!! I am so excited, it's ridiculous! They are a phenomenal tribal Scottish drumming band! Brilliant! So primal and energetic! Sure it wont help my poor back any, as you cant help but throw yourself around when their music is playing. The rhythm takes over. It's all good! Just trying to round up a few people to go, Even if i have to go alone, i am not missing it! Been waiting to see these guys live for years! Bonus is, it's free to get in! Part of a tour they're doing for American fans. So many photo's will follow. i can't wait!!!!