Twin Blankets - Ta Dah!!

How are you?  FINALLY, I have taken photos of the blankets I crocheted for my brother-in-law's newborn twin girls.  I'm really pleased with them, what do you think?

I apologise that the photos aren't great - I'm really no good at photography!

The squares that I made were a combination of 2 patterns:  Sunshine Day Baby Afghan and Sunburst Granny Square - I found it easier doing the first 2 rounds using the Sunburst Granny Square pattern then the 3rd and 4th rounds using Alicia Paulson's pattern.

They took me about 6 months to make (although we did move house etc in between!) but I'm really proud of them - my brother and sister-in-law also loved them, so it was definitely worth it!

When I started them we didn't know whether the twins were going to be girls/boys/one of each so I decided to use purple, yellow, pink and blue for the sunbursts and then the squares were finished with beige for one blanket and pale grey for the other.  I then did edging in the pink, purple and yellow to make them a bit more "girly" when they were born.  I like that they are quite colourful without being over-the-top.

I did enjoy making these blankets but am really pleased to be able to get on with something different now.  At the moment I'm catching up on all of the squares that form the throw from The Art of Crochet magazine, which I'm really enjoying as every square is completely different so I'm learning new stitches and techniques as I go!

xxx

30

I'm sorry but I still haven't got any photos to add to my blog!  Things have been crazy here over the past week as my brother-in-law's twins arrived 6 weeks early, which was not expected!  Gorgeous girls - Paige Hope and Eden Grace.  Paige weighed 4lbs exactly and Eden weighed 3lbs 15oz.  Both are still in the special care baby unit but have been able to be transferred out of their incubators and they're doing really well.  I have finished their blankets off so am hoping to photograph the finished articles before I give them away!!!

On top of that we had our dishwasher AND washing machine go wrong this weekend so we've been busy trying to clear up the water leaks etc - fun fun fun!!!

Changing the subject somewhat though, I turn the big 3-0 today.  How did that happen?!!!  Time goes so quickly.  So perhaps I'm supposed to officially become a "grown-up" today?  ;-)

I hope everybody is doing well.  I'll be back with photos soon (fingers crossed!)

We're Here!

Hello everybody!  I hope that you are all keeping well.

This is going to be another quick one today, I'm afraid.  We're here!  We're settling very nicely into our new home up here in South Yorkshire.  Of course we still have boxes to unpack but on the whole we're done.  We have a MASSIVE garden, which I really can't wait to make a start on when the weather gets a bit warmer.  Freya is going to LOVE all of the extra space come the Summer (especially seeing as the previous occupiers have left their big trampoline in the garden!)  We are so close to the town centre and have walked there and back a few times.  We have a HUGE park around the corner where Freya can "weeeeeeee" while on the swings.  All in all, things are going well.

I have even had some time to catch up on my crochet projects that have been on the go for a few months.  I don't know whether I mentioned before, but Hubby's brother and sister-in-law are expecting their first babies in December - non-identical twins!  We're all sooo excited.  I have been crocheting each twin a blanket, which I have really enjoyed but have also been a little bit frustrated with as I have had to be quite careful with the colours I've chosen as we don't know whether they're going to come out blue or pink!

Speaking of which, we have had our 22 week scan and, unlike my brother-in-law, we were very keen to find out what we are having.........................................it's ANOTHER GIRL!!!!!  We're really pleased.  I think Hubby would have liked a boy, just for balance, but he's still pleased nonetheless.  On a completely practical level, it means that we don't have to rush out to buy loads of new clothes! ;-)

Anyway, I hope to come back soon with some photos of my crochet and also perhaps a few of the house.  Until then, take care.

xxx

Eleven Days

Hello All!  How are you?

Just a very quick update today.  We have found a house and we are set to move in on Thursday 7th October!!  The move is going to take 2 days, so we vacate our current house on Wednesday 6th October.  We have spent the past few days emptying our loft and taking stuff to the tip or to local charity shops.  We now have to start boxing everything up - we only have 11 days to do it!!

I'm so excited as I feel that this is the start of a brand new chapter for us.  I hope that our lives will change for the better, especially with so much to look forward to, including another new addition in February!!

I'll come back with an update when I can, although I doubt that will be before we move.

Take Care.

xxx

Sorry

Hi there.  I'm so sorry that I haven't posted for an age.  Things have been a bit busy here recently.  Thank you all for your lovely messages on my announcement of baby number 2, they were really appreciated.

Just a quick update really.....

We have accepted an offer on our house and will be looking at houses this weekend.  At the moment we're aiming for a move the first week of October, but we'll have to see what happens.  With that in mind, I had better get my butt in gear and continue with sorting out the 7 years of rubbish that we've accumulated!!!

I hope that everyone is well here in Blogland.  I will hopefully come back with another update soon.

xxx

Big News part 2

Hello!  How are you all?  I hope you're well.

First of all I would like to Thank You for your lovely and encouraging comments following my last post about moving.  There's no update - no new viewers for the house and therefore no real point in looking at properties up North yet.  I hope that we're not waiting for months and months and months before we sell our house as I think I worry about having second thoughts the longer time goes on!

Anyway, this isn't going to be a very long post today.  I wanted to come back and share our other Big News installment with you..............






We're expecting another baby!

We've known for what seems like an age but we finally had our 12 week scan this week and everything was fine so we feel comfortable announcing it now.  All being well, baby #2 will arrive around 4th February 2011.  We're really excited - I told you we don't do things by halves!  Moving across the country AND having a baby........madness!!

xxx

Big Changes Afoot.......

Oh my goodness!  Where have I been?  I have neglected my little blog of late, for which I can only apologise.  How are you?  Keeping well, I hope?

I mentioned in my last post that there was lots to catch up on and this is definitely true.  I think this will be in the form of a couple of posts - hey, at least I can rack up my blog post numbers ;-)

Firstly, I'll get the chick update out of the way - they have now been given back to their rightful owner.  Phil (acting "mum") was ever so distressed and spent a whole day looking for her babies and crying for them, which upset my Mother-In-Law a little - she's very attached to all of her animals so doesn't like to see them unhappy.  When they were taken "home" it was established that all three of the little chicks are actually male, so it looks like the breeder is going to sell them as he has no need for more cockerels.  We found this such a shame when we found out as it felt a bit like all of the hard work was unappreciated - the breeder declared that they were "no good" when they arrived back (I suppose that's the difference between people who keep animals as pets and those who have them as their livelihood).  Oh well, not really much that can be done now!

Anyway, on to part 1 of the "big news".  After much deliberation we have decided to move house.  Our house is officially on the market, which is VERY scary stuff!  This is our first house and we've lived here for seven years so, although we feel it's definitely time for a change, it's a very daunting prospect.  A prospect made even more daunting by the fact that we're not staying local.  Oh no, we're not ones to do things by halves, we're actually packing up and moving to the other side of the country (nearly!) - South Yorkshire.  Hubby's brother and wife live up there and his parents are also selling up to "retire" in a more rural location.  We talked and talked and talked about it and decided to go for it.  We don't want to have to pull Freya out of school in a few years time so why not do it now?  We have nothing particularly holding us in Kent, especially if the In-Laws are also moving away.

We're really excited about it, although also very apprehensive as it means starting again completely - new home, new job etc.  Hubby is especially looking forward to a fresh start - even though I am extremely concerned that all of this is going to add to his already high stress  levels, he insists that this is just what he needs.  I hope so.  I hope we're doing the right thing.

I wonder has anybody else done something similar?  I would love to hear your stories - please make me feel better about such a major upheaval with very few plans for the future?!!!

I'll come back with "big news part 2" soon.

xxx

Hello!

Hi!  I hope that you're all well?  I'm sorry that I haven't posted for a while now - things have been a bit mental here of late, of which I will fill you in another time.

For now though, I wanted to come back with a little Chick update.  Here are some photos we took today:

Excuse the pictures - these were the best we could get!!  They have grown soooo much and are soooo confident (and cheeky!).  From Day 1 they were more interested in their "mum's" food than the chick feed and they have thrived on all of the vegetables etc that they have been getting.  They have managed to escape their coop overnight a couple of times as well (they are shut up inside a hutch overnight but have managed to get out of a hole in that and were found running around the coop! - luckily the coops are all enclosed and are fox-proof!)  The minute you open the door to the coop they're running around your feet, kicking up the dust all over you.  They certainly are not shy little babies!

I'm not sure whether there is a definite date yet for when they will join lots of other chickens at the "farm" but they're coming up to a month old now, so I can't imagine it will be much longer before they are taken.  I will feel ever so sorry for Phil then as she has taken care of these little babes so well over the past couple of months and continues to watch over them even now.  I suppose this is nature though - one day my little baby will fly the coop and I'm sure that I will be at a loss when that time comes too.

Anyway, I promise to come back soon to fill you in on what's been going on around here lately.

Thanks for stopping by.

xxx

Thank You

This is just a very quick post to Thank You all soooo much for the lovely comments you left on my blog yesterday.  Hubby and I were both really touched.

We didn't do anything out of the ordinary for our Anniversary yesterday but we did treat ourselves to a chinese take-away, which was yummy!  I started to feel ill not long after dinner (I don't think the two were connected!) so I was in bed by 9pm - what an exciting life I lead ;-)

Anyway, a HUGE Thank You again for your well-wishes.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend - we have the in-laws over for dinner and football tomorrow night.  We're very big England fans in this family!  It's become quite an event to get together for the England matches during the World Cup and Euro tournaments.  Good luck to our boys.  (Sorry if you're not football/England fans!)

xxx

10 / 4

On 10th June 2000 my husband and I first met face-to-face.  We had been speaking to eachother over the phone every day for the previous 6 months through our jobs (I worked for an Insurance Broker and Lee worked for one of the Insurance Companies that we dealt with).  Our work phone-calls progressed to exchange of personal phone numbers and email addresses and finally one day we decided to meet up in person.  As I lived in Sandhurst, Berkshire and Lee lived in Gravesend, Kent we decided to meet eachother "halfway" in London (outside his office).

We had a lovely day together and the instant attraction that we'd had over the phone intensified in "real-life", but things were complicated as I already had a boyfriend at the time.  However, when Lee dropped me off at the train station to make my journey home that afternoon I seized the moment and kissed him (before jumping out of the car and running into the station!). 

There were many a complication over the few months that followed but we finally got together in the September.  We got engaged in the December and Lee moved to Berkshire to live with me at my parents' house early in 2001.

6 years to the day after we met in person we were exchanging vows at Hempstead House in Sittingbourne.  It was a beautiful day, a full-on heat-wave and I will always remember how perfect our wedding day was.

Today, 10th June 2010, it is the 10th Anniversary of the day we met and our 4th Wedding Anniversary.  It is fair to say that the past 4 years haven't gone smoothly and that it was touch and go as to whether we would actually make it, but I truly believe that this has made us stronger as a couple.  I can honestly say that I love Lee more today than I ever have.  He is the most generous, kind and loving man you could meet and he has given me the most perfect daughter in the world. 

Since having Freya my outlook on life has changed, as you would expect I suppose, and I no longer take my marriage for granted and am trying to enjoy spending as much time with my gorgeous husband as I can.  I know that our life is not perfect, far from it in fact, but as long as we have eachother and our little family is happy and healthy then I believe that we will cope with anything that comes our way.

Happy Anniversary Lee, I love you.

xxx

Chooks

Hello All!  I hope you are all well?
There has been much excitement at my Mother-in-Law's house over the past week or so (mainly just me and her getting excited but still!).  The reason for this excitement?  Babies!!!!

A friend of MIL's who breeds chickens asked if MIL's broody chicken would sit on 6 fertilised eggs that were not being sat on by any of his chickens.  After 4 weeks we have 3 baby chicks out of 6 eggs.  They're now about a week old and they now have started to grow their little wings - can you see in the photo?  Sooo cute!!!!

We have no idea what breed they are but they're cute black fluffy things with white bottoms!!

Clever Phil (short for Philimena) for keeping them so warm.  She loves them to bits, but unfortunately they have to go back to their rightful home in about 6 weeks time :-(

The chickens are ever so fascinating to watch.  Freya loves them and is not scared of them at all.  In fact, today she put a finger through the fence and we weren't quick enough to stop her.  One of the chickens thought it was food and gave her a little peck.  Freya wasn't phased one bit, she just crouched down to the chicken's eye-level, pointed at it with the other hand and gave her a good telling off!!!!!

MIL has 4 hens and a rooster.  Phil and Florence live in one side of the coop while these 3 live in the other side:

There are 2 that look like this....Molly and Polly (I haven't a clue which is which!)

and this one is Hickory. 

Molly, Polly and Hickory were only hatched before Christmas so it's been amazing to see how much they've grown and changed.  They are all very tame and like their daily cuddles (?!).  Hickory has now got his crowing down to a "t" - he can also impersonate the dogs quite well too!!!!

Anyway, enough rambling about the chickens.  I'm off to do some more crochet before bed.

Have a lovely evening.

xxx

SIBOL

Hi there

Just a quick one....

You may or may not have heard about Mrs Twins' project - crochet blankets for the elderly.  After having been a quiet observer for the past couple of months I decided that I wanted to use my new-found-granny-blanket-square-skill and make a contribution to this wonderful project.

I have done a short post on the SIBOL website today.  If anyone else is interested in taking part in this project then all of the information you need is on the site.  Sue is a really lovely lady and I'm sure would happily welcome any new contributors!

xxx 

Blanket Reveal

Hello!  I hope you're all enjoying your Bank Holiday Weekend (UK)?

You may remember that I have been crocheting a blanket for Freya.  Well, I have finally finished it - YAY!!!!

Considering I had never crocheted anything before starting this blanket I am really pleased with it.  It is far from being perfect - I've since heard of blocking and think that this blanket would have definitely benefited as it's a bit wonky in places!  Having said that, Hubby keeps telling me that the fact that it's not perfect makes it more special as it's more "handmade".  Bless him, he knows how to make me feel better!!

Anyway, here are some photos that I took this morning........

I'm so glad to have finished this project as I've been itching to get on with something else - unfortunately I'm not one of these people who can have lots of different things on the go at once!!!

Anyway, I hope that you have a lovely rest of day.

xxx

You're never too young to start crafting!

Hello!  Did you all have a good weekend?  We had glorious weather and had a lovely barbeque with Hubby's parents yesterday for MIL's birthday.

We decided yesterday that, as we were out in the garden, we'd give Freya some paper and crayons to draw with.  To be honest, I didn't think she'd be too interested as she generally isn't too fussed with things that require her to sit still for more than 30 seconds!!!  How wrong I was!!

She LOVED drawing and she literally sat there for hours yesterday afternoon scribbling away while we all took it in turns to draw with her.  In fact, she loved it so much that she threw a strop this morning because I wasn't putting her up at the table fast enough to get to her crayons and paper!!

Pad of A3 coloured paper: 99p

Box of 60 assorted wax crayons: 99p

Having peace and quiet AND your daughter's smiley face: Priceless

Hmmm, methinks maybe I need to invest in an oilcloth tablecloth though!

I hope you have beautiful sunshine where you are.  Apparently we're due some rain tomorrow here so we'd better make the most of it today!

xxx

Garden Update

Hi All!

I hope that everyone is having a lovely week.  We've had amazingly hot weather over the past few days and it promises to be even hotter over the weekend.  I did manage to get out in the garden and put all of my plants and bulbs out.  I took some photos, would you like to see?

First of all, this is what my little greenhouse looked like before I started:

I bought a few plants at the plant fair last weekend, as I mentioned before:

There were 5 Alpines and 2 different types of Nemesia Aromatica (I think!).  The Alpines are now in a low blue pot outside our back door:

I did an awful lot of tidying up - our trellis needed replacing as it had broken in the strong winds.

Before

After

I tidied the borders (you may not be able to notice THAT much of a difference in my pictures, but believe me when I tell you that they look SO MUCH BETTER!)

Before

After

Before

After

As I said earlier, I also had lots of bulbs to plant, some of which went into pots:

All in all, I'm very pleased with my progress.  All that we need to do now is to mow the lawn in preparation for a barbeque that we're planning for Sunday afternoon as it's my Mother-in-Law's birthday.  It will be the first barbeque we've done since before Freya was born - wish us luck!!!!

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend and that the weather is nice wherever you are.

xxx

Ps.  Is anybody else having problems with Blogger when trying to insert pictures into your post?!!  Each time I try it puts the picture right at the beginning of the post and no matter how much deleting I do, there's still a HUGE gap before my post begins.  :-(

Medway Plant Fair

Hi there!  I hope you're all having a lovely weekend.  The weather here in Kent was gorgeous yesterday and we took advantage of the sunshine by visiting the Medway Plant Fair in Rainham.  We went on a family outing with Hubby's parents to have a wander around the small fair where local nurseries were selling their wares.  The beautiful plants were lovely in their displays.

While MIL and I were looking at the displays Freya was dragging her Gramps around everywhere and loving the freedom (well, she was on her reins but she doesn't mind them, especially seeing as the alternative is being sat in her buggy!)

We did buy a few plants but I haven't photographed them yet.  We spent the rest of the afternoon yesterday trying to tidy up our garden, which was in a bit of a state!!  The wind had blown the bamboo screening down so it was only being held on by a few screws and we needed to trim the grass that was a foot long in places!!  Hubby had re-seeded the lawn as there were many patches that had been churned up by the dogs but of course the grass that was already there continued to grow while we kept off the rest!!  I really wish I'd taken "before" photos yesterday to show you just how much we'd accomplished.

The plan today is for me to plant my new plants and those that have been sitting in my little greenhouse for a while.  I'll take some photos and will come back and update you on my progress!

In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend - I hope the sun's shining where you are.

xxx

Garden Pretties

Hello!  I hope you had a lovely Bank Holiday Weekend (UK) - apart from the rain, obviously!

I thought I'd show you some bargains that I picked up in Morrisons yesterday on my Mother-in-Law's recommendation.

Pretty tealight holders:

 Made of glass with wire and bead handles.  Here's a couple of close-ups...

They're currently half price in our local Morrisons........50p each!!  An absolute bargain!

While I was there I also picked up a couple of handmade glass citronella candles....

.....there were loads of colours to choose from and these were only £1 each.

Now to get our garden summer-ready so we can use these lovelies!!

xxx

Blanket Progress

As promised I've taken a few photos of the progress I'm making with my crochet blanket.  I've decided that I am going to add one more round of granny squares and then finish it off.  It will then go into Freya's bedroom and I can start on something else (yippee!!!)....

Have a lovely weekend.  I am looking forward to spending more time with my cheeky monkey!

xxx