Well, no luck with a sewing machine for Miss Lucy. I think she will just have to use mine, supervised, until she is a little older and can get one of her own. She is pretty philosophical about it all though and not too dissapointed.
Some excellent news for her though - she passed her Grade 2 Ballet Exam with a Distinction! She was so pleased because she thought she had made some mistakes. Yes, I'm a proud mummy :-)
Not long now until the end of my course (thank goodness). I'm at the stage where I just want to be finished so I can relax a bit and get all those jobs done around the house - and have a holiday! We plan to rent a cottage for a week in the Oban area sometime in June, so fingers crossed for some good weather.
Thursday, 24 April 2008
Monday, 14 April 2008
New Sewing Machine
Excitement! Miss Lucy has her own sewing machine! I took her to the shop on Saturday on the pretense of 'having a look' at machines. I had already done a bit of research and planned to get her one if she liked it. Anyway, she did, and we got this dinky little model by Janome. It's quite basic, (not suitable for heavyweight materials), has three straight and three zig zag stitches and sews a treat! It only weighs 5lbs and the speed is quite slow compared to a full size machine, so it is ideal for a child to use - much less scary. Miss L was absolutely thrilled and said 'thank you' 100 times (precisely!).
Unfortunately when we got home and tried it out, something was wrong with it and it kept jamming. Poor Lucy, she was all ready to get sewing. I took it back to the shop this morning and got a brand new replacement. I made the man try it out in the shop, just to make sure it was working okay (it was some distance away and I wasn't planning another visit!). Everything was fine this time, and now it's sitting waiting for Miss L to come home from school and use it.
** Have just had to edit this post to say that the flippin' new machine isn't working either now.. grrrrr! It just keeps jamming and all the thread is getting trapped down in the bobbin area. I've tried all the usual stuff re adjusting tension, re-threading etc, but it's still doing it (and it looks like the plastic bobbin casing is moving around too much). I will have to take it back again and look for something else for Miss L :-(
Not one to be put off by the lack of a functioning machine, Miss L whipped up a lovely needlecase for me by hand.
Cute, isn't it? I was also rather pleased to note that she seems to be following the same traits as her mother - namely, take up all available space with fabric, thread, scissors etc and work in a tiny square in the midst of it all! Must be in the genes...
Saturday, 12 April 2008
spontaneous crafting
Yay! We made some stuff! Yesterday Miss L and Mr A decided it was time to make felt balls. As this involved clearing the dining room table, I was less than eager. However, the little darlings did the job themselves (and admirably, too) so I had to join in, didn't I? I admit it was good fun, despite the fact it has been so long since I did any hand felting myself, that I kept forgetting what I was supposed to be doing. I got there in the end and made a long narrowish piece of green felt that I'm planning to use for a bag of some kind, some time in the future (most likely decorated with felt flowers, I think). Miss L and Mr A made copious amounts of felt balls and Miss L made a really big one which was quite impressive. I didn't take any photos unfortunately, but if anything happens to the green felt, I will.
I hope you are all enjoying this spring(ish) weather. So far today we have had several types of weather including hail stones! Surely it will improve soon, won't it?...
I hope you are all enjoying this spring(ish) weather. So far today we have had several types of weather including hail stones! Surely it will improve soon, won't it?...
Monday, 7 April 2008
Busy Bees
The children are off school at the moment (this is the second week of the holidays) and we've been out and about a bit. Last week the weather was rather nice and even quite warm on a couple of days, so we took full advantage. Just as well, as today is bloomin' miserable - cold and wet, and it looks set to continue that way for most of the week.
So, we went for walks along the coastal path...
Visited Dunkeld (again)...
The River Tay was really fast and high. I was terrified someone was going to run too fast and fall in it!
The tall trees were as gorgeous as ever.
The wee hooses were as cute as ever.
We also visited the Loch of the Lowes to see the Ospreys (they had just arrived a couple of days before our visit) - fantastic! It was really sunny and pretty warm - see Pup's shadow? - so we had a picnic lunch outside.
There is a woodpecker in this picture, honest, but my new camera (which I HATE) doesn't take a good pic I'm afraid.
And a red squirrel here... (taken from behind glass)
Watching the Ospreys on their nest.
Miss Lucy tucking a leaf into Mr Adam's glasses. He is a bit of a Johnny Kingdom fan and wants a hat with feathers on it, but a leaf was the next best thing. We had a great time at the wildlife reserve and these two just love it!
If you are interested, you can watch the Ospreys live at
http://www.thewebbroadcastingcorporation.com/swt/swt.php I could watch them for hours. It's a great way to avoid studying ;-)
That trip to see the Ospreys had started out rather badly. That morning we discovered Miss Lucy's backpack was missing - in it was her inhaler and my camera. We had been bowling the day before and were pretty certain it had been left there. We phoned them and they didn't have it but I though we'd go and leave our details with the manager etc in case it turned up. Well, I did all that and then we headed North. About 10 miles up the road, the manager of the Bowlplex phoned - they had the bag after all - it had been locked away but no one had written it down as being found! So, back we went and got the bag - I was SO relieved to get the camera back (with all the children's pictures on it), that I promptly hugged the manager and burst into tears! Talk about embarrassed. (Incidentally, the manager was gorgeous, and he smelled nice, and he called me darling....sigh...) I'm not going to be able to set foot in that place undisguised for quite a while.
We were back at the wildlife reserve on Saturday with mum. She was pleased to get out into the wilds after her hip op 8 weeks ago - she was getting stir crazy for a while! We also went to Pitlochry (there was some nice bunting in a shop there Sarah - not as nice as yours, though) and Aberfeldy - nice day again, but very very cold.
Oh, yes - I've dug some trenches for my potatoes. Hurrah! But I haven't put them in yet (because Miss Lucy fell into a trench, then Mr Adam fell in smelly compost water, and I had to throw them into the bath, and then - it snowed).
I'm still plodding away on the OU course, least said about that the better I think. It's so hard to get things done when the children are off school and it's just so nice to spend time with them. Next week I had better get Really Busy. As for anything creative, I've done nothing at all for months and months. Maybe in the Summer hols, eh? ;-)
So, we went for walks along the coastal path...
Visited Dunkeld (again)...
The River Tay was really fast and high. I was terrified someone was going to run too fast and fall in it!
The tall trees were as gorgeous as ever.
The wee hooses were as cute as ever.
We also visited the Loch of the Lowes to see the Ospreys (they had just arrived a couple of days before our visit) - fantastic! It was really sunny and pretty warm - see Pup's shadow? - so we had a picnic lunch outside.
There is a woodpecker in this picture, honest, but my new camera (which I HATE) doesn't take a good pic I'm afraid.
And a red squirrel here... (taken from behind glass)
Watching the Ospreys on their nest.
Miss Lucy tucking a leaf into Mr Adam's glasses. He is a bit of a Johnny Kingdom fan and wants a hat with feathers on it, but a leaf was the next best thing. We had a great time at the wildlife reserve and these two just love it!
If you are interested, you can watch the Ospreys live at
http://www.thewebbroadcastingcorporation.com/swt/swt.php I could watch them for hours. It's a great way to avoid studying ;-)
That trip to see the Ospreys had started out rather badly. That morning we discovered Miss Lucy's backpack was missing - in it was her inhaler and my camera. We had been bowling the day before and were pretty certain it had been left there. We phoned them and they didn't have it but I though we'd go and leave our details with the manager etc in case it turned up. Well, I did all that and then we headed North. About 10 miles up the road, the manager of the Bowlplex phoned - they had the bag after all - it had been locked away but no one had written it down as being found! So, back we went and got the bag - I was SO relieved to get the camera back (with all the children's pictures on it), that I promptly hugged the manager and burst into tears! Talk about embarrassed. (Incidentally, the manager was gorgeous, and he smelled nice, and he called me darling....sigh...) I'm not going to be able to set foot in that place undisguised for quite a while.
We were back at the wildlife reserve on Saturday with mum. She was pleased to get out into the wilds after her hip op 8 weeks ago - she was getting stir crazy for a while! We also went to Pitlochry (there was some nice bunting in a shop there Sarah - not as nice as yours, though) and Aberfeldy - nice day again, but very very cold.
Oh, yes - I've dug some trenches for my potatoes. Hurrah! But I haven't put them in yet (because Miss Lucy fell into a trench, then Mr Adam fell in smelly compost water, and I had to throw them into the bath, and then - it snowed).
I'm still plodding away on the OU course, least said about that the better I think. It's so hard to get things done when the children are off school and it's just so nice to spend time with them. Next week I had better get Really Busy. As for anything creative, I've done nothing at all for months and months. Maybe in the Summer hols, eh? ;-)
Thursday, 6 March 2008
Catch Up Time
Despite my best intentions to do so, I've not managed to keep up with my blogging yet again. Still playing catch up I'm afraid. Last night however, I bashed my foot on the bottom of the bed and ended up in A&E this morning. Thankfully nothing is broken, but I've been forced to rest up and do nothing much but watch telly and post on my blog - yay!
Nasty foot picture (I hate feet, and I suspect I'm not the only one, so it's rather evil of me to post this don't you think? mwahahahahahaha).
Moving hastily onwards... I'm still plodding on with the course and have just completed the third assignment (poetry - difficult but brilliant) and now I'm onto 'life writing'. Not long till June when I will be finished and can spend time doing all the things I want to do now but can't - like spend more time with the kids! Speaking of my little darlings, they gave me a very nice birthday last month and excelled themselves on Mother's Day as well - some most delicious gingerbread ladies were made and some sweet little cupcakes too. Aren't they lovely (the cupcakes and the children!)
And now, an unashamedly gratuitous picture of my new mug from Starbucks. I have a bit of a Starbucks mug obsession I'm afraid. This one is called 'Field of Dreams' for those who are er, interested in that sort of thing.
Now, just because I'm not doing anything creative in the household, doesn't mean there's nothing going on. On Valentines Day Miss Lucy whips out this hand made creation, complete with googly eyes and felt heart, that she has secretly made for the object of her affections (I'd better not say his name out loud, sshhh). How wonderful is that little teddy, and imagine her beavering away in her bedroom of an evening stitching him together with love - aahhhhhh...
Now that I've been virtuous and done some blogging, I'm off to get some studying done. How joyful - can't you tell that I'm a natural learner - so disciplined, so studious......
Nasty foot picture (I hate feet, and I suspect I'm not the only one, so it's rather evil of me to post this don't you think? mwahahahahahaha).
Moving hastily onwards... I'm still plodding on with the course and have just completed the third assignment (poetry - difficult but brilliant) and now I'm onto 'life writing'. Not long till June when I will be finished and can spend time doing all the things I want to do now but can't - like spend more time with the kids! Speaking of my little darlings, they gave me a very nice birthday last month and excelled themselves on Mother's Day as well - some most delicious gingerbread ladies were made and some sweet little cupcakes too. Aren't they lovely (the cupcakes and the children!)
And now, an unashamedly gratuitous picture of my new mug from Starbucks. I have a bit of a Starbucks mug obsession I'm afraid. This one is called 'Field of Dreams' for those who are er, interested in that sort of thing.
Now, just because I'm not doing anything creative in the household, doesn't mean there's nothing going on. On Valentines Day Miss Lucy whips out this hand made creation, complete with googly eyes and felt heart, that she has secretly made for the object of her affections (I'd better not say his name out loud, sshhh). How wonderful is that little teddy, and imagine her beavering away in her bedroom of an evening stitching him together with love - aahhhhhh...
Now that I've been virtuous and done some blogging, I'm off to get some studying done. How joyful - can't you tell that I'm a natural learner - so disciplined, so studious......
Wednesday, 20 February 2008
Yay! I'm in Gryffindor
be sorted @ nimbo.net
Congratulations on making Gryffindor!
Basically, you're brave, daring, chivalrous, and pretty much.. an all around good person. Of course, some see you as a goodie-two-shoes. But hey, it's true! You're really good at winning, and normally always come out as the hero. Everybody likes you.. except, maybe, the Slytherins. You're too perfect. No, really.. You're too perfect. It's annoying to watch you win, repeatedly. Oh well. Be proud anyway.
Gryffindors to Remember:
Harry Potter
Ron Weasley
The whole Weasley family
Hermione Granger
Albus Dumbledore
Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Hi Folks
Hi folks. Sorry to have neglected my blogging friends for so long, and thanks to Lynette for giving me a gentle nudge in the direction of my blog (thanks Lynette!).
The reason I haven't been around is that I've just been really busy with my OU course work, that, and the general everyday stuff that gets in the way of blogland. My course is going fine and I'm two assignments down and working on the third one - poetry. Poetry is bloomin' hard. You'd think all you had to do was lock yourself away in some old garret somewhere, all wretched and starving (yea, right) and wait for inspiration to strike. Not so. Even if you do get some divine (or otherwise) inspiration and manage to write a poetic offering, you then have to take into account things like imagery, rhyme, rhythm, metre, feet (yes, really) and so on. It's practically mathematical - and I don't do maths! Never mind, poetry will soon be over and then it's back to 'writing' again - this is generally when my imagination deserts me. So, as you can see, it's all going swimmingly :-)
Other than that, I've nothing exciting to report. Miss Lucy and Mister Adam are fine - Mr Adam has just recently had his 7th birthday - a fine time was had by all. Never again will I have more than one little boy in the house at the same time. We had four and it was all very, very NOISY. Not only that, but they would rather sword fight than play Pass the Parcel! Can you imagine?
What else? Hmm, well mum is in hospital after having a hip operation (shhh, don't tell her I told, she will kill me) yesterday morning and is doing very well. Amazing really - last night she was paler than pale and a little woozy and sore and this afternoon she was sitting up in bed looking much healthier and wearing her lipstick. Apparently, some of the medical staff are rather dishy...
Well, that's about all my news for now. My laptop is about to run out of power (Yes, that's my new laptop!!!) so I must fly before everything disappears from this post. I will try to post more regularly and keep in touch more. I hope you are all well and being wonderfully creative!
The reason I haven't been around is that I've just been really busy with my OU course work, that, and the general everyday stuff that gets in the way of blogland. My course is going fine and I'm two assignments down and working on the third one - poetry. Poetry is bloomin' hard. You'd think all you had to do was lock yourself away in some old garret somewhere, all wretched and starving (yea, right) and wait for inspiration to strike. Not so. Even if you do get some divine (or otherwise) inspiration and manage to write a poetic offering, you then have to take into account things like imagery, rhyme, rhythm, metre, feet (yes, really) and so on. It's practically mathematical - and I don't do maths! Never mind, poetry will soon be over and then it's back to 'writing' again - this is generally when my imagination deserts me. So, as you can see, it's all going swimmingly :-)
Other than that, I've nothing exciting to report. Miss Lucy and Mister Adam are fine - Mr Adam has just recently had his 7th birthday - a fine time was had by all. Never again will I have more than one little boy in the house at the same time. We had four and it was all very, very NOISY. Not only that, but they would rather sword fight than play Pass the Parcel! Can you imagine?
What else? Hmm, well mum is in hospital after having a hip operation (shhh, don't tell her I told, she will kill me) yesterday morning and is doing very well. Amazing really - last night she was paler than pale and a little woozy and sore and this afternoon she was sitting up in bed looking much healthier and wearing her lipstick. Apparently, some of the medical staff are rather dishy...
Well, that's about all my news for now. My laptop is about to run out of power (Yes, that's my new laptop!!!) so I must fly before everything disappears from this post. I will try to post more regularly and keep in touch more. I hope you are all well and being wonderfully creative!
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