2015 - An Explanation

So in the whole of 2015, I wrote 11 blog posts - less than one a month.

A lot has changed in this last year, and some things still are, and I think always might, remain the same. I'm still ill, barely any progress has been made this year into why I'm ill. I'd like to say I'm surprised but as a pessimist I'm not, however I am trying to be positive that 2016 might be the year they fix me!

Dave is still the same, it's nice having someone so reliable. I doubt he'll ever change, and I'm OK with that.

We're still in the cottage, but our Landlord has changed. The house was put up for sale in the Summer and lucky for us, another Landlord bought it and is happy for us to stay. Something I'm very glad of as I really hate moving house.

The time I have spent crafting this year has taken a dip, which has probably then impacted on my blogging because I had less content. The main reason for this is because I started a new job. At the end of August I finally left the call centre after 3 years! I've gone back to working in a Letting Agents which is what I did during the University holidays. Going back to full time has been hard, but I won't deny its been nice to bring home a normal wage again! I don't have the time to crochet at work like I did at the call centre, and I've then been coming home and having no energy to do anything except eat my dinner and go to bed.

So one of my goals for this coming year is to get back on track with my crafting, especially as I never have to work a Sunday any more so could potentially dedicate the entire day to crafting (and laundry because its never ending). I have the added incentive of the lovely posh camera Dave bought me for Christmas and the portable light studio to photograph all the things I make. This is proof, once again, that Dave knows me better than I'll ever know myself and that's why he's so good at gift giving. I'd also like to finally get my Etsy shop up and running, but I'm trying not to be too optimistic!

To anyone who may have stumbled upon this post, I wish you the happiest of New Years, and I hope that you accomplish everything you set out to do!

xx

How to add Fluff!

As I've mentioned in the previous post about the sheep I've been making (will from now on will be referred to as "Brians"), my inspiration came from Stephanie's (at All About Ami) Lambert pattern but with one main difference....

I HATE FLUFFY WOOL

I don't like working with it, I tried, I promise! its just so fiddly, it makes it so hard to see the stitches, which meant the numbers of stitches didn't always add up like they were meant to. So frustrating!

So I had to find a way to ensure Brian was still fluffy and sheep like without using fluffy wool that would make me want to tear my hair out!

TaDa!

So here's how I made him fluffy, just using normal Aran Yarn.

The cream coloured parts of the sheep are ALL crocheted back loop only (BLO)

This leaves us with an extra layer on the outside that we can work on.

I didn't want the waves on the sheep to be too tight but I still wanted to have a bit of curl to it, so I attached the yarn into the first stitch, chained 3, skipped 1 stitch and then did one sc in the next stitch.

Then I just continued it all the way round in spirals. Just make sure that you are only attaching your stitches to the main body of the sheep and not to the other rows of fluff otherwise you won't get the desired textured effect.

At this point it looks like a flower from the top :)

And here's how it turned out

Now I'm not going to lie, this is time consuming, and not exactly necessary for the item to be finished. It's just a nice finishing touch to make Brian look more sheep-y. Plus he is amazingly snuggly - always a bonus in my book!

What do you think?

Hope you all have a lovely day :)
xx

Brian the Sheep!

Brian the sheep, (named by Dave because he thought he looked like Brian from the "Go Compare" adverts) is the biggest amigurumi I've ever made. I know that usually amigurumi are small but I've found that people seem to like to order things that are more standard cuddly toy size.

Brian was a (very belated by the time I finished) Mother's Day present for my lovely mum. She has always been very encouraging of my crocheting. More so since I've moved into my own house and no longer leave bits of yarn all over her carpet!

I had a go at making Stephanie at All About Ami's Lambert pattern, The only fluffy yarn I had was purple (didn't like working with it at all) and my sheep ended up looking like a lion/monkey hybrid.

Slightly disheartened I decided to use the Stephanie's pattern as a basis to make a larger sheep and so Brian was made.

I wrote out a basic pattern which was altered several times while I was making it. I didn't actually intend for him to end up so big (he is about 14 inches tall now he's finished!) but by the time I realised I was too far in.

My mum loved him and he has pride of place on top of a unit in their living room.

I've mentioned before that I crochet at work, and many people saw parts of Brian in the making so once he was actually finished he was taken on a tour round the office for people to see.

I will admit I did have another reason to make Brian, he was a trial run. I have several work friends who have relatives who are having children this year (the year of the sheep) and have ordered sheep off me as gifts. One the same size of Brian and one is smaller with a pink face because they know the baby is a little girl (not sure what the feminine version of Brian is? Brianita?).

Lots of happy sheep crocheting to come!

Hope you all have a lovely weekend

xxx

BEDM - Day 3 - Self Care Sunday

I, like probably the majority of people, don't take as much care of myself as I should. I'm reluctant to spend money on things that I feel are unnecessary or frivolous, even though I'd happily spend the money on something equally frivolous for Dave. I think its because when we buy things for other people its easier to justify; passing it off as a gift, or thinking, they deserve to be treated.

Luckily I have people who buy me the things I would never buy myself. At Christmas my friend Bekki treated me to some lovely Soap and Glory products, and told me she had bought them because she knew it was something I would never buy myself, and she's right. Then on mornings when I'm not running late, I can take the time to "treat myself" and even though its something small I feel it sets me up for the rest of the day.

Today was a nice day, spent with my in-laws meeting Dave's brother new girlfriend. She's lovely but much to Dave's mothers horror, she (like me) isn't really interested in having children. I think she feels left out as her younger sister already has 2 grandchildren and another on the way.

It's nice having another "outsider" in the group after it being just me for the last 6 years, although its hard finding a table to seat 7 people while out for tea.

On that note I'm going to sign off and pester Dave until he makes me a brew...

Hope everyone had a lovely Sunday

xx

BEDM - Day 2 - Adventure

As a child I loved Winnie the Pooh, a love that has stayed with me into my adult life and when I saw the theme for today's post he once again came stumbling into my mind.

An adventure doesn't have to be something huge. The definition is:

 An unusual and exiting or daring experience.

It can be an adventure even if its something that everyone else does, as long as its new to you.

It can be an adventure even if no one else thinks it is, as long as its exciting to you.

When I went off to Uni it was an adventure.

When Dave and I moved in together it was an adventure.

The first time someone ordered something crocheted from me, it was an adventure.

Maybe not to everyone but it was to me.

I feel we spend too much tome worrying about what other people think. My mum doesn't understand that at our age (24) me and Dave are happier to sit in on a Friday night, me crocheting and him playing computer games, she thinks we're boring. In fact we enjoy it far more than we would going out. We do enjoy going out occasionally, but spending money that could be spent elsewhere and getting blind drunk every weekend doesn't appeal to us anymore. Maybe that makes us odd, but we're happy. We're happy strolling along and having our own little non-conventional adventures.

Which led me back to my favourite bear. When I was 6, the film "Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin" was released. In this film Christopher Robin goes to school and the toys mis-interpret the note and think he has been taken to "Skull" and proceed on a grand adventure to save him. At the end of the day Christopher Robin explains where he has actually been, and although he wasn't part of the "grand" adventure he has had one of his won; as his first day at school.

It's not as big but it's an adventure all the same.

Not all of us can be Pooh Bears, some of us are Christopher Robins. And that's OK.

It also gave rise to one of my favourite inspirational quotes, Christopher Robin was clearly wise beyond his years:

"If ever there is a tomorrow when we're not together, there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart, I'll always be with you"

Wishing you all a weekend full of adventures

xx

BEDM - Day One - Introduce yourself

So true to form, just like last year I am a day later with the first Blog Every Day in May post. Although last year it slipped my mind and this year I was doing the very important job of dying my hair (it was so long overdue).

I'm going to use this opportunity to re-introduce myself for anyone new who might stumble upon my crafty ramblings. My name is Charlotte, I'm 24 and I live in Crewe, its in the most Southern part of Cheshire which makes it (just) in the North West. I live with my long-term (and long-suffering) boyfriend Dave.We live in a little Victorian Cottage, which I love but it is a listed building which means no double glazing (I'm so glad summer is on its way!).

The majority of posts you'll find on my blog are about my crocheting endeavours, with  some chunks of baking and a sprinkling of my everyday life. My big passion is amigurumi, I think it's because there are no limits, you can make anything you can think of, and for someone who isn't very exciting generally,  (I'm in no way shape of form a risk taker) its nice to have an outlet.

My family and friends are all very supportive of my craft, a lot of my custom orders come through Dave and his work colleagues. In contrast to this I am very harsh on myself regarding my craft and any little mistake I find myself focusing on. This is something I am trying (and sometimes failing) to do better with.

Onto something that I haven't really shared before but may help to explain my sporadic posting. I am sick. At the moment I'm still undergoing diagnostic tests, and if they come back (in many many months time) as what the Drs are thinking, its not something that can be easily cured, and possibly something that I'll live with for the rest of my life. It's a horrible thought that I might be in this much pain forever but I'm trying not to assume the worst until every other option is exhausted.

In the mean time I am going to carry on the best I can, small steps are better than none at all.

I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend, I can't wait to read the other BEDM posts!

xx

Just because I <3 pink and dinosaurs

Cupcake Giveaway

I hope you’re all having a lovely Easter! I can’t believe a quarter of the year has gone already. This post is about the crochet cupcake giveaway currently taking place on my Instagram. Below are just the technical bits to cover the outline of the giveaway.

Cake Details

·         The cupcakes are crocheted with double knitting yarn, in a smoke and pet free environment. They are filled with standard toy stuffing.

·         The eyes on the cupcakes are safety eyes but these are not recommended for children. If requested, felt eyes can be sewn on instead.

·         Cupcakes are just under 3 inches tall and just under 1.5 inches wide.

·         Cupcakes are made up of a cake base (usually light brown but you can request a different colour) and then 2 colours for the top (one for the main base and one for the icing “swirl”) and these are up to you.

·         If you would like a zombie/bunny cake you can request one (if you do not state a colour for the bunny ears they will be white).

Competition Details

·         The giveaway is limited to residents of the UK only (due to postage)

·         The giveaway will run from the time the photo was posted on Instagram ( 12:00 05/04/2015) until 12noon on Sunday 11^th April 2015. Any entries after this will not be included.

·         Entry is limited to one per Instagram account.

·         There will be 3 cupcakes to win, so 3 winners will be picked using a random number generator.

·         Winners will be contacted via Instagram on Sunday 11^th April 2015, if one of the winners fails to provide the details needed to send the cupcake within 1 week (18/04/2015) another winner will be chosen at random.

·         Cupcakes will be posted to the address provided as soon as possible by second class royal mail post (this also depends on how quick a response I receive following the winners announcement).

·         To enter the giveaway you need to follow me on Instagram (handle @craftycharlotte) and share the giveaway photo (ensure to include the hashtag #ccgiveaway so I can find the photos), if only one of these is done your entry will be disregarded.

Any questions please contact me, either on here or on Instagram.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend

xx

Christmas 2014

This should have probably been posted a few days ago but I’ve been living in an Internet nightmare. I hope everyone had a lovely time, Christmas day always feels really busy now that I live away from home. We stay at our house on Christmas eve and have the morning to ourselves, then we went to Dave’s parents for presents and Christmas dinner, and then we went to my parents for our second Christmas dinner and the third and final gift exchange. Dave was very insistent on getting his 2 Christmas dinners, even though he was too full to eat that much at my parents!

I was spoilt (as I am most years), my big present from Dave this year was tickets to see Miss Saigon in London on my birthday in a  few weeks, and then my birthday present is hotel/transport etc while we’re there. I think its made a little bit more exciting by the fact that we will be spending one of the nights with our friends Liza and Leon, we also get to meet their Hamster Winston. I have loved Miss Saigon since I first saw it almost ten years ago. Its lovely and tragic and the songs are just so darn catchy!

He also bought me this crochet book which looks quite standard but is actually amazing, I may review it in a future blog post, it has pretty much every crochet stitch ever invented, as well as patterns so you can try out all the new stitches you’ve learnt. I couldn’t help myself and have already started a new project from it; I found something that my friend Bekki (whose birthday is 2 days after mine) will love and I just so happened to have the perfect wool for it in my stash. Can’t wait to share it when its done!

My sister got me a Carebear onesie, its Gloomy bear and even comes with a grumpy face on the hood. Since receiving it I have worn it a lot and I am starting to wonder how I lived without one. I think its great and I love being able to crochet without my arms getting cold!

My mum and dad really spoilt me this year; as well as the standard bits (nail varnish, pyjamas, socks) they bought me…

I will post a better photo soon!

…my own sewing machine! Not going to lie I did squeal a bit when I opened it, it was a complete surprise. Dave gave them the idea, I've borrowed his sisters one for a bit but its exciting to finally have one of my own. I can’t wait to make lots of lovely things with it and have already been roped into some alterations (it’s inevitable in a family of short people).

I had to go to work on boxing day, we were all scheduled to work either boxing day or new years day.I went in armed with lots of crocheting expecting it to be a quiet day, and it was the exact opposite. There was a constant queue of calls over my whole shift, although I do think it sometimes makes the day go quicker.

  I am looking forward to 2015, I’ve had a horrible last year and unfortunately I think I brought my family and friends down a bit with me. So I intend to spend the coming year (trying to be) optimistic. I haven’t made any resolutions but I have made a list of things I would like to have achieved by the end of 2015. I’ve tried to make them all achievable even if I don’t get any better in the next year, but crossing my fingers I do.

Wishing you all the best for the New Year xx

Blog Pondering

I've been very lax with my blogging lately. I have had some genuine reasons; being in hospital for a week threw almost all parts of my life out of balance. Even small insignificant things like having to throw away lots of food that didn't get eaten because I wasn't there to cook and Dave was at the hospital with me until late in the evenings so wasn't eating properly, washing backed up, crafting came to a grinding halt while I was there and my blog was the furthest thing from my mind.

Over the last two years I have gotten sicker and sicker and I feel like things are slipping through my fingers. The once meticulously organised me has slowly descended into chaos.

 I hate it.

I feel like I have so little control over my life at the minute. Tomorrow I may wake up and feel only slightly nauseous and be able to have breakfast or I might spend the majority of my morning dry heaving in the bathroom. I might be in minimal pain meaning that my painkillers will do their job, or I may be in crippling agony that no amount of pills will touch.

No matter how I feel I will try to push past it and go to work for the few hours I can manage; I've had the comments from my colleagues, about how lucky I am to finish early every day, to not have to come in before midday. 

It makes me feel like screaming.

I would gladly let them take my place. No. I don't mean that, I wouldn't wish this existence on anyone. That's what it feels like, not a life just existing. I'm now getting to the point where I'm starting to have to seriously consider the fact that I may not get better. Ever. If that's the case then something has to change because I can't carry on like this. 

Which brings me back to my blog (its been a bit long winded). I have to seriously think about whether I want to continue, my blog deserves a lot more care and attention than I've been giving it. I'm not under any illusions that there are loads of people out there who will be reading it, but its still a thing, a project I've been working on, and it deserves the same attention as any project. 

I've given it a lot of thought, and I'm not willing to give up on this just yet. The craft blogging community is large and so welcoming. It's something that I am proud to be part of it. I have met some wonderful people, and I have enjoyed sharing my crafting. So I vow to me much more organised; it may not kick in until the new year but I promise I will.

I'm also hoping to be much more organised with the rest of my life...I'll keep you posted on that one

Have a wonderful weekend xx

Amigurumi vs "mindless crochet"

Anyone who has had a little nosey on my blog will know how much I love amigurumi. Its quick, uses simple stitches and they're adorable.

Although I love it amigurumi can sometimes be quite stressful, because its not constantly the same pattern each row it requires a fair amount of attention. Sometimes after a long day at work I like to do what I call "mindless crochet", things like blankets and clothing.

This is not to say that this type of crochet doesn't require skill or concentration. I often find these projects more difficult, especially when it comes to putting them together. However they tend to have big chunks in the middle where the same pattern row is repeated over and over again. I think its quite therapeutic really.

Both these are actually for Baby Harvey, I make a lot more amigurumi than I do anything else. However I am looking forward to starting my first project using a pattern chart. One of Dave's colleagues wants a butterfly pillow, I'll keep you updated on my progress

Take Care xx

Liebster Award

I know I've been quiet again lately but for once I actually have a good reason! I have been away on holiday and only returned to the UK in the early hours. A few days before I went I was nominated for a Liebster award by Jenny over at Pretty Column, not only do I love reading her blog, but we're friends on most social media and she's lovely!

Here are the questions she asked:

Why did you start writing your blog?
I started my blog because I was hoping to find some like minded people. Being a 23 year old avid crocheter I sometimes feel that I am portrayed as being a bit odd or old before my time.

What have you learnt since you began your blog?
Since starting my blog I have realised just how many talented crafty people there are in the world and how different we all are even though we all share similar passions.

What is your favourite craft?
My favourite craft is crochet, partly because of how versatile it is but also because it reminds me of my Yaya and makes me feel closer to her.

What is your favourite season in the year and why?
My favourite season is Autumn. I love wellies, and jumpers, and crunchy leaves and coming home and having a nice cup of tea to warm up.

Will you share some of your favourite blogs with us?
I've popped down some of the big and little blogs that I like to follow:

Pretty Column - Jenny seems to master every craft she puts her hand to and shares the things she finds on Pintrest and makes them into "ideas lists". Her most recent post has an amazing penguin cushion.

All about Ami - Stephanie's crocheting is amazing, I can't think of another word for it. It's also lovely to see post about her family and their adventures. Anyone who has seen my Instagram knows how much I love the elephant pattern that came from her blog.

Sally's Baking Addiction - Sally is a baking goddess! Some of the things she has created will blow your mind! Due to my baking ban (enforced by Dave) I haven't tried my and at too many but now that its been lifted I will be trying lots! I made her flour less peanut butter brownie cookies and couldn't believe how good the tasted for something that took so little time to whip up. My next baking project is her recipe for skinny double chocolate muffins. I'll share a post when I'm done.

Wild Olive - Mollie comes up with the cutest little embroidery patterns. We seem to share the mentality that everything looks better if you give it a little smiley face. She also has a picture that she turns into a wallpaper that you can download for your phone, which I have done with a couple. She hasn't posted Septembers yet but for August it was this adorable little Beluga Whale

Dainty and Ivory - Hannah's blog is varied which I love, there are bits on crafts, beauty and food. She also arranges a craft swap every month. This month is my first time taking place so expect to see a post on my blog about that soon. Here are some of Hannah's posts about previous craft swaps.

Beak up Crafts - Kate is like Jenny in that she seems to be able to craft anything! I love that she posts about how much she crafted herself for her wedding. She also started up the crafty august # on Instagram which I started but couldn't finish as did no crafting on holiday!

Water Painted Dreams - Hayley's blog is another one that seems to cover lots of different areas. Like myself she has an interest in Science and her dog is adorable.

Amy's Attic - I love Amy's sewing blogs, she also mentions that she is going to start crocheting soon so am keeping my eye on her blog!

What is your favourite Disney film?
My favourite Disney film is Dumbo, elephants are my favourite animal, but I also feel there is an important message. Being different isn't always a bad thing, sometimes it can lead to something wonderful!

What makes you happiest in the world?
I'm a very easy person to please. My ideal evening is sitting in the living room under a blanket, crocheting, while me and Dave watch something on TV. I'm also quite close to my immediate family. Saturday nights are usually spent at my parents house, some degree of this might be because that's where the pets are haha.

What have you made or done in the last year that you have been most proud of?

This year I have started branching out with my crochet and designing my own patterns. It's moving slowly and I feel like I'm leaving myself open to judgement. Gaining more confidence with it though.

If you could pass any advice to someone - a stranger, a loved one,anyone - what would it be?
If you are lucky enough to find something that you love and makes you happy, don't let anyone stop you. You'll only regret in the long term the time you wasted listening to someone else.

Marvel or DC? 
Marvel but I am basing this just on the films.I really enjoyed the Avengers films,I like that I feel I know all the characters from their own films before they all come together.

What do you do to escape?
I tend to use music to escape, whether classical when I want to be alone with my thoughts, or using happy music to cheer me up after a bad day at work

Here are my 11 questions:

Which craft have you seen which you would love to try?

Was there a specific person that inspires you to start crafting?

Have you ever had any crafting disasters?

What's your favourite thing to cook/bake?

What's your favourite ever film?

Who is your favourite character from a novel?

Do you like where you live or do you have aspirations to move elsewhere?

If you could only live for one more day, would you choose to relive a day from your past or choose a random day from the future?

Favourite ice cream?

If you could live one day in the life of someone else, who would you choose and why?

Any goals set to be completed by this time next year?

And here are my nominees:

Crafty Mama

Owl in the teacup

Cupcake Mama

Kat Sighs

Amy's Attic

Don't feel pressurised to take part, its just for fun. If you want to carry this on there are a few rules:

You need to link back to the person who nominated you
You must answer all the questions
You must come up with 11 questions to ask your nominees
You must nominate 5-11 blogs with less than 200 followers


Have a lovely day x

Weekend Roundup

Thought I'd do a little post to sum up my weekend, I've seen a few other blogs with similar posts on so thought I would give it a go. The post I put up yesterday was actually finished Friday evening but finished very late and I decided I wanted another proof read before I posted it on Saturday morning. This was following my first day back at work! I was on an 11am-8pm shift which most people agree is the worst shift to work but I was just so happy to get out of the house and see other people! We got home and Dave had his friend round playing computer games so I jumped into blogging and re-doing my template and before I knew it, it was technically Saturday!

My weekends are usually split into 2 types. The ones I work and the ones I get to have a life haha. When I work I don't tend to do much except come home afterwards and chill but on our weekends off (me and Dave have the same after much effort) we follow pretty much the same routine. On a Saturday morning, Dave gets up early (leaving me in bed) and goes for his horse riding lesson with his sister. I normally get up when he gets home around 10 and we spend the day doing things around the house and having a bit of a relax. What this actually means is that Dave relaxes and usually at some point naps while I have a whole list of things to do including making sure all the work clothes are washed and sorting out meals and shopping lists for the following week. Since being off sick my organisation has gone to pot and it really frustrates me. Dave was very confused the other day when I threw a stop and stomped round the house because something in the fridge that could have been frozen had gone past its "use by" date (crazy I know!). So to stop any future strops and as I am back at work I am jumping back on the food organising horse.

What I cook each week depends a lot on what shifts we're working. If I'm not getting home until 8:30 at night I don't want something that's going to take 40 minutes to prepare. The weekly planner that's in the photo I absolutely love! Its like a big notepad where each page is a week so you can plan in everything you need to do. Once I've filled it in it gets blu tacked to my kitchen door for easy viewing.

I always tend to put things like this and the calenders where Dave can see them but I really don't think he pays any attention at all.

I also did some more work on the dinosaur pattern. The pattern I made form enlarging someone else's pattern really wasn't working, it just didn't look right so I have gone back to the drawing board and started my own pattern from scratch. I'll keep you guys posted on how it turns out.

Yesterday evening was spent how we spend a lot of our Saturday nights - round my parents. We all get along really well so its not a chore to go round and see them haha. We only live about a 5 minute drive away from my parents because we live in the same town so we see quite a lot of them. We had fish and chips for tea which was really good as mum and dad have an amazing chippy near their house (its won awards and everything!). My dad spent part of his evening in the garden putting up the outdoor wall clock we got him for his birthday on Monday. He loves his garden and he loves clocks so seemed like the perfect present. 

We then fired up Netflix and watched "Jackie Brown" me and Dave watched it not too long ago but its a good film so we didn't mind it being on again. Dad and Dave tried to keep a tally on how often Samuel L Jackson said "mother f*cker" but I think they lost count because its a lot. Dave loves Samuel L Jackson and there are 2 canvases of him up in our house!

I was bored yesterday afternoon so decided to put my hair up into a beehive (as you do). When I asked Dave what I thought about it, he said he preferred it down. Dave actually likes my hair its natural colour (really dark brown), long and straight. I think its really boring! I personally liked the beehive and it may be making an appearance at work, I tend to wear my hair up because I wear a headset and have a problems with hair being pressed over my ears.

My mum gave me a lipstick while I was there saying that she liked it when she had bought it but now thought it was dark. When she first gave it to me I thought she was crazy. My mum has much darker skin than me because she is Greek (I guess this makes me 1/2 Greek but you wouldn't know by how pale I am) and my initial thought was that if it was too dark for her then there was no way it would suit me. I tried it on and it actually looks quite nice. Its No.7 Moisture Drench in Plum Beautiful. I normally stick to red and pick lipstick, so may have to branch out into more purple tones.

I also returned with this little guy, some of you might remember him from a previous blog.

I've got him back to add some custom touches including a button and the initial of the person he belongs to, just to make him extra special.

On Sundays that we don't work Dave has 2 band practises. One very early in the morning with his Dad and then one in the evening with some friends he went to school with. He again leaves before I'm properly awake and then I potter round the house doing bits and pieces, today this meant re-organising my medicine box, because I have so many tablets (I've mentioned before that I'm not very well) and if they aren't all put in properly I can't get the lid on.

As I had a bit more time, I decided to do the cutting out for my next sewing project. The sewing machine I have borrowed has been sat doing nothing for far too long. I really want to make clothes but I'm not feeling brave enough yet so have decided to make a mole teddy. I bought a Minicraft kit ages ago and hand sewed the original teddy. Before I did it I made a template of the pieces so I could make another one. I'm using an old pair of trousers just to get some practise in with the machine. 

Sunday Afternoons of weekends off are spent at the in-laws house in Sandbach, a small village about 6 miles away where Dave grew up and where we met. I refer to them as my in-laws even though me and Dave aren't married because they mean a lot to me and if I refer to them as "Dave's parents" it feels like I'm trying to emphasise the point that they are his a not mine.

We have Sunday tea with them and then I stay while Dave goes off to his other band practise in Sandbach. I'm lucky that I get on really well with my mother and sister in law so just sit and chat with them for a few hours before Dave comes back and we go home. Sometimes I help Leanne out with her homework, she's 14 and I have technically done it all before but sometimes I have to really sit and think about it! On days when she has done her homework we crochet, its nice to have someone else that I see who can do it too, although she's far to judgemental of her own work (I feel I may be being a bit hypocritical here!).

This afternoon I got to play with this lovely little kitten. She's getting so big and mischievous! 

Now I'm home and to round off my weekend a lovely soak in the bath with my favourite bubblebath

Have a lovely week xx