Catching a moments peace and quiet!

Rose has gone down for her morning nap so I'm catching this opportunity to have a little 'me' time on the laptop without her trying to join in!

I'm also enjoying a coffee in my new cup and saucer which was one of my Christmas presents from Mum. Isn't it gorgeous!? I'm trying to be good with food at the moment as somehow I managed to put on 5.5lb's over Christmas! Of course I know how I put it on... by eating an awful lot of food and quite a few Bailey's! So anyway, I'm back on the Slimming World wagon for the new year. 

I've finished one of my WIP's for 2011, this is my new headband. I wear my hair up in a bun quite often but then I can't wear a hat when I go outside so I thought this would be a nice thing to make. I found the pattern here on Ravelry and it was actually really simple. Cables always looked so complicated to me before but now that I understand what the instructions are telling me to do, it's not that difficult at all. I've worn it alot so far as the yarn is so amazingly soft, it's called Miski from Mirasol and is 100% baby llama.

(Sorry about the cheesy grin picture... it's Really hard to take a photo showing me wearing the headband when no one else is home!)

I've almost finished Rose's cardigan, I took this photo a couple of days ago and am now in the process of threading in the yarn ends and sewing on the buttons! :-) It's such a sweet little cardigan and fits her perfectly, so it'll be lovely for her to be able to wear it right away.

Okay, she's still sleeping so I'm going to dash and try to finish it off now. It would be lovely if today was one of those day's where she has an exra long sleep!

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Our Christmas 2011

I have so many posts in draft form at the moment with all the photo's but not very much writing. I've not really felt much like sitting down to write my blog in the evenings since getting back from Dorset and then when I do feel like writing in the day, Rose has other ideas!

She's going through quite a clingy phase at the moment, if there are other people around she'll be straight over playing with them as I think she gets a little bored of me! But if it's just us in the house she just wants to constantly be sitting on or (more realistically) climbing all over me. This wouldnt be a problem usually but if I'm trying to get 5 minutes on the laptop and sit up to the desk, she has now taken to bashing the keys as hard as she can with her little podgy hands. She has one of those baby toy latops but apparently my boring black one is wayyy more fun!

Anyway, here are a few pics of us at Christmas. (I've stolen a few photo's from my cousin, thanks Jose!)

Lettie loved the hexagon blanket, thank goodness! I knew it was a nice blanket but after the Many hours working on it... I did start to doubt whether I liked all of the colours together but now I feel much more confident that it did look really nice. I've taken some photo's of it laid out on our bed to show it off a bit better but they are in another draft post so I will have to get organised and get that posted on here.

As far as I can tell Rose enjoyed her first Christmas, she really didn't realise that it was a special kind of day but she definitely enjoyed all of the attention and cuddles she got from everyone in the family whilst we were down. Maybe that's why she's being clingy at the moment... hhmm...

She was spoilt with lovely presents from everyone, we need to get going on those Thank you cards!

She got an a whole big sack of presents from her Nana, she was a very lucky girl although it was much more fun for me opening up all of the presents.. Rose helped with a couple and then kind of lost interest!

Thanks Mum x

All in all it was quite an eventful Christmas, my Great-great grandad got a little too merry in the pub whilst going for his annual drink with the other men in the family, he was the happiest I've ever seen him! But then Ray went next door to find that he had taken a tumble after waking from his nap, he ended up with a big black eye and had hurt his head so couldn't make it to our Christmas dinner. It felt very strange not to have him there with us, luckily we always have a Boxing day meal so he was able to make it to that. It was almost like another Christmas day, except Mum had had to travel back to Cornwall for work which was a shame.

I got some Amazing gifts which I'm completely chuffed with but I'll have to take some photo's of them and tell you about them another day as I don't want make this post too long and boring! 

This is one of the little gifts I made for Mum that I couldn't show you before, do you like it?

Right, off to my bed now. Hopefully I'll have a chance to come on here again tomorrow as I have lots to show you.

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It's nearly that time of year again!

The cake is done!

I may have a million other things to do on my list, but at least the cake can be ticked off!

It's the first Christmas cake I've ever made and I'm pretty chuffed with it. :-) The icing looks a lot smoother than on Ray's birthday cake which I'm really happy about, although it's Definitely not perfect!

I came across a picture of a cake with holly leaves on in the Cath Kidston magazine and decided to use that for inspiration. I Love the cake bunting and bought it from Jooles at Sew Sweet Violet a while ago, I'm so glad to be finally able to use it.

I had Sarah from Shabby chic Sarah around for lunch on Monday, it was a really lovely day and so great to see her again. The weather was really awful so we stayed indoors chatting with cups of tea, whilst she helped me thread in about a thousand ends on the hexagon blanket for my auntie's Christmas present. Thank you Sarah!

I've actually finished the blanket now but if I hadn't had help with those ends I think I'd be stressing out right now trying to get it all done!!

We agreed to make one another a Christmas gift each and Sarah made me this pretty apron out of vintage fabrics, isn't it it gorgeous!? Perfect for those baking day's..!

She also made a gift for Rose which was a really lovely thought, isn't 'Ellie' (as I seemed to have named her) the sweetest elephant you ever saw?! I Love the dungarees and Rose has been fascinated with her since she got her on Monday... her nose is getting a good old chewing anyway!

Thank you so so much xXx

I probably won't get a chance to blog again before we go to Dorset on Friday, so if I don't get a chance to say it nearer the time... 'Merry Christmas everybody!'

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(PS- I have been receiving some really lovely gifts in my Advent swap from Jo, I especially enjoyed all of the chocolate goodies today! I'm afraid I've just been far too disorganised to take photo's of the gifts to put up here, I'm ever so grateful for the gifts though. Thanks Jo xxx)

It's been a little like Santa's workshop around here lately!

I'm sorry it's been a little while since my last post, I've just been so busy trying to get everyone's presents finished for Christmas! Kind of annoyingly, most of the people that I've made things for read my blog so I can't show you everything that I've made quite yet.

This is the cushion cover that I've made for my Nan...

I'm so happy with it, it's the first Dresden plate that I've ever made and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to do! I think the cutting out part of the process would have been much faster if I had a proper plastic template to work from, but I made do with a cardboard version. This is the tutorial that I worked from.

I'm attempting to complete my hexagon blanket for my auntie as I know she loves it (she already knows that this is what she's getting by the way!) but at this rate I'll still be crocheting the border/sewing in the ends on our way back to Dorset on Christmas eve!

I love this blanket but kind of hate it at the same time... I think it's because of all the colour changes which make completing each and every hexagon pretty monotonous. Oh, and all those ends that I'm reallllyy dreading having to have to sew in... help!

I'm actually really looking forward to it having a new home! I'll take a load of photo's to go on here of course before handing it over, but it feels like I'm sort of clearing a big space in my head ready for other projects that I really want to do. Does that make any sense??

Things are a bit financially difficult here at the moment and I was wondering about Adsense.. does anyone use it on their blogs? And how does it actually work?

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Brrrrr.... it's a bit nippy out there isn't it!!

Isn't it cold outside now!

Rose and I walked into town to get a few Christmas bits and it was freezing! It must definitely be winter now, surely...

When we got back, after lunch I attempted to sit down and get on with some Christmas presents.

But as usual, a little somebody came straight over wanting to play! She can be so happy playing with some of her toys and then as Soon as I sit down, she's right next to me crying out for attention... not that she already get's attention allll day long or anything!

The end result: No knitting, cuddles with baby instead. Not that I mind realllyy! :-)

We've had a break-through today, we've mastered walking along with the Vtech walker toy. The furniture is getting a good bashing though!

Right, I'm going to go and attempt some knitting again... wish me luck!

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We're braving the Christmas tree!

Well... the decorations are up and it looks like Christmas in our house!

I was desperate to get the tree decorated and I thought that if I just put it up, Rose would have more time to get used to it being there and she might just leave it alone...

I tied the tree from the back onto our staircase banister which has made the tree quite sturdy, but actually she doesn't really seem that interested in it. She pulled on the baubles a couple of times yesterday but today she hasn't shown a blind bit of interest. Thank goodness for that!

 

This was my advent gift from Cupcake Jo for day one, a Gorgeous crocheted cupcake.

Isn't it scrummy!? :-) The tiny beads just make it perfect.

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