A sneak preview of my secret project!

Gosh is it time to say hello to you all again! Yes, it is!  Thank you for your comments since last friday, I have enjoyed reading them so much. It seems that generally we women are all singing from the same page! What was very interesting was how  many of you agreed with me that these days women can certainly have it all..... ...... children, careers...........Oh yes they can! ....And they can also have all the housework too, all the shopping, all the responsibility of sorting out everybodys birthdays, christmasses, organising holidays, school holidays, ironing and luandry chores, clothes shopping, lunchboxes,...... do I need to go on?  because they generally do so much more than this list...and  mostly alone.  Yes, they certainly do have it all these days!  Hmmmm! Equality!  What a laaarf!

Here is my drawing/painting from last week, a bit more finished off, gosh she looks relaxed and peaceful!

 She has had more layers of paint now and looks a bit clearer. Here is a preview of something to do with my secret project too! This one has only just been very lightly started, so it is only as yet in the first stages!

Click on the pic to see it better, if you like. Next week it will look so much clearer! The little girl really does have a body to go with that head... honest!  It looks a bit squashed too, and is not at all in real life!

Well, I dont' know about you, but I have been out in the garden this week, making the most of this glorious weather.

Even though I am at home all day, I find it hard to keep up with all I have to do, and while I am outside, I am thinking of all the chores and pressing matters (like my secret project!) that I should be getting on with in the house, but while I am in the house I am thinking.. gosh that garden needs doing... and that garden is 150ft long! However I spend time busying myself  I am always thinking that I should be doing something else!


We had a lovely BBQ on Sunday, it was wonderful getting to eat al fresco again after that long and cold winter!

It was seriously yummy folks!

This week I was very lucky, TheGirl sent me this lovely award! Tis pretty I think! Thank you so much! xxx Please go and visit her.. she is just so wonderful and interesting, and has a brilliant slant on things... I love her humour!

This award is for looking on the bright side.  Crikey!  I really do try to do just that as often as I can! Now I really hate choosing people, so I won't (well I will!) , because last time I did I  just spent ages worrying about all the lovely bloggy friends that I didn't choose!  But two people in particular do pop to mind when thinking of someone who despite life throwing manure at them, keeps smiling regardless! I admire this lady  greatly, so I will award this award to Tracey . Not only does she keep herself going, she cheers us often with her wonderful and funny nature! She is one of lifes fighters! Go and see for yourself! I appreciate her humour, as I too use humour to help me get through lifes trials..

Heres to all the mushrooms amongst us... you know who you are!.... Kept in the dark , and every now and then someone comes and throws s**t  at you!

One of my cross stitch designs, note ... she is sat on a mushroom! Ha ha!

The other Mushroom, ooops I mean bloggy friend is Mummymad, she certainly has had her fair share of mushroom food being thrown at her! But she carries on regardless, and where, a lot of people would crumble to the ground in despair, she picks her self up and may I say too, that she is a jolly good Mum too!  Go and pay this fabulus lady a visit!

To all the other mushrooms out there, carry on, stay focused, don't drown in your own tears!
The rules of this award are to list 10 things which make me happy, but I would just be repeating myself! Also to list 5 trivia facts about me so!.....

1:   I have to wear this darn sleeve every day for ever!  But the funny part is that occasionally while trying to get the damned thing on (it is elasticated, but stiff!) I punch myself in the face! It hurts. OUCH! What did you do that for.. I ask myself!

 I was going to show my other arm for comparison purposes, but figured out I needed it to hold the camera! DUH!  It is now 30% bigger than my right arm, an improvement of 10%, but If I don't wear it, it will expand to giganticous proportions! I do sometimes wonder what would happen if all the lymph fluid suddenly left my arm, would I suddenly have a huge head, or foot or something?!!!

2:  Once when I was little, My Dad took me to work with him on a trawler (he was an engineer and it was in Canada). He left me in the room with all the controls (first mistake!) and told me not to touch anything (second mistake!). Hmmmm I wonder what this button does???? It was the fog horn! Oh dear, he was not pleased!

3:  I apologise to lamp posts when I bump into them, and I apologise to people when they bump into me!

4:  I love buddhism, and have been on a retreat, and got many books on this philoshophy. I try to live in this simple, but difficult way of this thinking, and constantly question my thinking and way of looking at life. I truly believe I can alter the way I view events in life and therefore learn to accept all with grace. But at the moment I think I need to read those books again and do some serious meditating, as I am starting to have murderous thoughts towards Aunty chaos! Maybe this is my latest test in life!  :o)

5: I get goosebumps watching the red arrows, fireworks and thunder and lightening. They all make me quite tearful and emotional!

Also I really must thank Jaqueline  , she send me a gorgeous token of friendship through the post this week! Isn't she such a kind lady! Thank you my friend! xxx

Look at the Owl!  Thank you!

What will you all be doing this weekend I wonder? It is mine and George's 24th (say it quick!) anniversary on Sunday, so we shall be doing something lovely I should think, whether it is a meal out, or in, there will definitely be food and some vino involved! Heres to the man I met in a car park 26 years ago! ( A funny tale, too long for now, and maybe a tad inexplicable!)   Raise your glasses ladies to my lovely husband George! To a man who actually does help out round the house and cooks like a michelin star chef! Oh yes! He does!

 The poor, long suffering George! Thank you blorb for putting up with me all these years!

Have a happy weekend all you sweetpeas!

Suzie xxx :)

Brown paper packages tied up with string from Lissy Lou! Happy Birthday Ro!!!

Hello everyone! I know I keep saying it, but thank you so much for all your lovely comments, I really do appreciate the time taken by all of you lovlies to leave them! It still amazes me that people come here every week and read my gibberings!

Latest update! I have just recieved this lovely award from Michela at Little Secrets from my garden! Thank you so much Michela, how kind you are! Go and look at her blog, it is lovely as she is too!

 The Splash Award is given to "alluring, amusing, inspiring, bewitching, and impressive blogs"

The rules are:
1. Post the award on your blog
2. Nominate up to 9 blogs
3. Let your nominees know they've won!
4. Link back to the person who gave it to you!
I'd like to pass the award on to the following fab blogs:

Mary poppins
The Linen Shelf
Vanilla Ivy
Blueberry heart
Little Eve
Florence and Mary
Created by Kylie
Tracey's- crafty scraps


Henhouse
KC's Court
Miz mollye  - shezadoozy


Ok thats eleven! Really want everyone to have one, so come on everyone, pick it up and take it!



 Talking about thanks. A huge thank you to Lissy Lou ( and the two little boys). I recently won her giveaway, and it arrived this week! So, so exciting to get a parcel through the post. As I gazed at the parcel in my hands I thought of Lissy carefully packing  and wrapping. Lissy going and posting it. I imagine her local post office. I imagine her day, her life, how the world is for her.  This parcel that already , before I have even opened it, has connected me to this lovely thoughtful lady in another part of the country whom I have never met in person.  May I tell you it cheered my heart!  Do you know what? On the brown paper parcel, Lissy had written...Brown paper packages tied up with string! Isn't that lovely? I thought to myself, isn't this just so special.  Wonderful! Go and visit her, she is lovely!

Inside I found these lovely little framed prints ( And yes I do agree Lissy Lou, they would look lovely painted white!).....

And this charming pot bear candle snuffler, which unbeknown to Lissy is just so right, as I had a similar one that belonged to my Dad, which got broken, so It reminds me of him!.......

These lovely incense sticks, complete with tiny holder, which are gorgeous.......

A very lovely and very handy (for me!) needlecase in red (love red! still haven't got over looking down at my new red shoes when I was a child! Bumping into lamp posts!!  Red still makes me happy!),  thank you Lissy Lou for placing two lovely pins in it too!!!......

A bookmark. Now Lissy, how did you know that I had just started reading a very thick book. Just the ticket!.....

Some Emma Bridgewater tissues! How timely! I have had a stinking cold all week, I don't know what I have, but it is not nice. This is the second week! I have been poorly, and so there is only two tissues left to photograph! I held these back, so I could show both sides! What a martyr!!!

So Lissy Lou, thank you so much, I loved your parcel and goodies. You have warmed my heart with your kindness!


I don't know about all of you, but I do enjoy receiving gifts, I do! But, I so, so, so love giving even more!   Especially hand made gifts! Obviously, I hope that my home made goodies don't look like something made in Blue Peter! One thing for sure though is that each stitch I make is filled with love, care and thoughts for the person who will receive it. I am saddened by the commercialism and materialisticness of Christmas these days and more and more I am of the mind that handmade gifts should make a serious comeback!

                     Found this on the internet, so funny I thought!

We seem to live in a world where it is how much money something costs rather than the thought that has gone into it. Down with materialism, thats what I say! Now where did I put my sandwich board and soap box!!!

One of the many many films which I enjoy to watch is Little women.

 I love all the versions of it including the latest one with Susan Sarandon. I had the book when I was a child, and a couple of years ago I was taken by my husband George to see it at the Grand Theatre. Our poor son Tom came along too, and pulled faces all the way through, but secretly I think he liked it!!!

What a heart warming tale full of selfless giving and simple living. It reflects a time when people were happy to receive a hand embroidered hankerchief and appreciated the love and care which went into the making of it too. A world where people gave their time and care to each other, and there wasn't a price tag on everything! Oh, I do realise that it is a rose coloured spectacled view of the good old days, but if only it were just a little bit more like?! Perhaps I have been watching too many old movies. But I love them!

                       It's a Wonderful Life! What a wonderful thought!

 Years ago, there was a program on the telly called Crackerjack. I watched it when we were in this country. One of the prizes, perhaps the main prize even, was a Crackerjack pencil and the booby prize was a cabbage!

 Can you see the boy on the left holding a cabbage!!! I jest you not!

Can you imagine children's reactions these days to getting such a prize!! (What the....!)  I used to dream about winning a Crackerjack pencil!!! I can but dream!

Well with Christmas sneaking up on us, I find myself yet again dreaming of not only a white Christmas, but one with some good old fashioned values. One where we can all get excited about the small things as if we had never seen them before! A jolly cosy Christmas by the fire admiring our hand sewn hankerchiefs, tea cosys, tray cloths and goodies.  Personally if I got hand embroidered goodies at Crimbo I would be in heaven!

Handmade....it really does touch my heart!

I am very excited about next weeks post! It will be on thursday the 22nd, and its the Cath Kidston party! Come and join the fun, click the picture below for more details at Lissy Lou's blog! As Lissy says It can be CK inspired and you don't need to have the real Mccoy!

Click here to find out about the CK party at Lissy Lou's

 
As I sit here looking out of the window my Owl tree is rapidly snowing leaves!  I will go to the front door and take a snap!

Before I go!  I have posted on a thursday this week, because I want to say happy birthday to a friend, who I know will read this, but is having difficulty posting a comment at the moment!

So......HAPPY BIRTHDAY RO!!!!    Hope you have a wonderful day!

                                            SO true hey Ro!!!!



Until next time all of you, I wish you all many blessings and love!

Suzie. xxx :0) With a poorly red sore nose!