Wednesday 31 December 2014

GOSH... and PHEW...

.... LAST day of 2014 and LAST post of the year....  I know we say it every year ... but where did that time go?

We continued our Christmas celebrations with a day spent with Adam (son) and family xx

 



 

...... among the many games there was a box of "EASY" modelling balloons!! Have you ever tried them? DO NOT believe the "easy" part of the description!!.. efforts (including MUCH concentration!.... not sure WHAT is being created here !!)..



went from not too bad..


to AWFUL..


.....was fun though xx Monday evening we had lots of silly fun at the Panto .. Jack and the beanstalk .. and this morning I finished the year by taking Sam to the vet for his annual booster ... AH! Back to reality with a crash xx

Hope 2015 is a good one and brings lots of laughter and fun for us all... see you Next Year x

Diane x

Saturday 27 December 2014

DID YOU ...

... all have a wonderful time on Christmas day? I DO hope so xx I spent the day at the bungalow with my mum and dad ..


they are getting frailer and so every Christmas with them both is a time to be treasured x

I joined in Chooky's Secrete Santa swap once more ... and just look....



.....this is the FABULOUS and BEAUTIFUL runner I received from Maria ( www.maria-lifeontheblock.blogspot.com ) xx It was sat on the side table while we had dinner yesterday (Boxing Day) .. and is now in the centre of the big table in the kitchen x... LOVE it x So much work went into it .. I'm VERY happy x I heard from my partner as well .. and she is HAPPY with her parcel xx Good swap x

You may remember I had another parcel from Australia .. from Sue ( www.kiwikidspage.blogspot.com ) .. she and her husband stopped off to see me while visiting family here in the UK in the summer x WELL...


these fun little fellas are on my ....... beautiful table cloth x Mum and dad came to me for Boxing day .. and  we had it on the table during dinner ..


this was BEFORE the table began to groan and the cloth disappear!!!.. I feel very blessed that these lovely ladies took time to make me such beautiful presents x

The flowers that you can see on the table are from the family in NSW .. so we had Australian thoughts all over dinner x


We ended the day with a Skype session with Sally and Blair (only 2.5 hours! ..  they had been visiting with Blair's family  and had been driving for about 12 hours over their Boxing day! .. so even more precious to us that they got up at 06.00 ! xx )..so wonderful that technology allows us to SEE as well as talk to them x THEN when we came out for me to take then home .. it was snowing!.. no big deal to many of you .. BUT it almost NEVER snows here in our corner of Cheshire ! xx.. was just enough to look like Christmas with out making it dangerous to drive xx .. gone this am .. thank goodness just frosty .. suits me much better x

Diane x

Tuesday 23 December 2014

THE GOOD THING...

... about being on Grandma duty is ....

 I got to see the final part of The Hobbit... mmmm Peter Jackson obviously read a DIFFERENT book to me!!... we enjoyed it never the less xx lol x

ALL the food shopping is done x

The presents are wrapped..

MOST of the baking is done ..


AND the icing on the cake to day was the Postman bringing me my last Christmas Swap Block of the year...

 

.. and a lovely calendar ...all the way from NSW x

Best bit has been spending time and having help with everything from my slaves ...OOPS! Grandsons xx

If I don't get the chance ...Hope everyone has a wonderful time over the Christmas holidays xx

Diane x

Wednesday 17 December 2014

THIS MORNING...

... I managed to make the LAST block in Erin's B-O-T-M.........


it took some fiddling around to keep those HSQ in the right order xx..

 

...... this evening I came home .. and had hardly shut the front door when there was a knock... my neighbour had taken in a parcel for me... mm not expecting a parcel .. let alone an international one!

Inside was the most wonderful card and presents...

 

it is from Sue .. www.kiwikidspage.BlogSpot.com  .. you may remember she and her husband visited me earlier this year when she was visiting the UK xx.... I'm feeling very lucky and happy at the moment xx

Diane x

Tuesday 16 December 2014

I am doing my best...

  .... to catch up with the photos for.....   Alsha's Space: Week 47 of 52 Weeks Word Photo Challenge ..... this week there are THREE words !!

FIRST is .... HANDY.. well .. for me it is HANDY that I have more than one of these...


!!! it fell off the tree and was claimed by Sam before I could catch it!! I have replaced it with ..


SSSHHHHHH !James will never know!.. THIS..


is Sam to-night!.. not speaking to me!

SECOND word is ...YARN... I went and found my basket of knitting yarns ...


been added to with left overs from the Christmas knitting x

THIRD and final word is .. CHIP... I was going to post a picture of some chips .. but ate them!!... so here ...


is what happened to my favourite BIG cup to-day xx Will have to find another one now xx

AND... not to be left out !!.. THIS is how Gus looks to-night ..


one relaxed dog xx

Diane xx 

Monday 15 December 2014

DO YOU THINK...

... it is because of Christmas ... OR .. is Blogger just being its usual awkward self?!!

When I log on I either get the ..."you not following any blogs at present" .. message.. I can off course ADD as many as I want .. whenever I want!

OR... it lets me see 3-4 blogs .. then ... THIS PAGE CANNOT BE DISPLAYED .. pops up!!

OR.. it lets me comment on 2-3 ... then refuses to let me join in any more !!

NOW I am informed that Blogger has re-instated the word (or number!!) verification that I removed eons ago!!

OK.. rant over .. smiley face back on ...

It is CHRISTMAS after all xx

Diane x

Saturday 13 December 2014

AFTER A COUPLE OF...

... intense days the Christmas present shopping is ....

..........DONE!!

Thank goodness x I have ONE item to come in the post .. some items are in the process of being sewn or knitted ... and will be done in time ... but its all sorted   xxx   Happy dance xx

Nothing is wrapped of course .. but hey.. plenty of time for that  !

SO... to-day I managed a little sewing xx The last postcard of the Congleton swap is ... do your own thing .. My partner this time like modern and abstract .. and wears a lot of pink .. so with that in mind .....THIS..


is in the post x

Off for a brew xx

Diane x

Friday 12 December 2014

LAST NIGHT...

... I donned my Christmas jumper.. (and my sparkly Santa hat!!)

collected my card..(YES!! managed to make it yesterday!! lol )...

Remembered to take my present .. £3.00 only to be spent  was the challenge..(re-cycled bag from last year .. NO cost xx lol )


and off I went to the Sandbach Sew and Sews Christmas party xx There was food.. (of course)..


some folks (Jane !!) just HAVE to re-arrange xx..


There were lots of entries for the challenge ...




the ladies did SO well esp. as many are beginners ... these are some of my favourites..




This MY present ... MY card ...and the challenge piece I won and brought home ..

 
 
 
 

WELL! That's my social life for this year xx OH! Except that I got the tickets for our visit to ...


YA xx Hope you are having fun in your corner of the world xx

I MUST now concentrate and get some (!) Christmas shopping done xx

Diane x

OH! OH!I forgot ... these are the trees the ladies made last month ..


didn't they do well x


Wednesday 10 December 2014

MY FRIEND...

... the Postman came to-day xx He brought me my November postcard...


reverse applique x Lovely isn't it?

The post also brought me my Christmas Bag Swap parcel from Cindy in the USA .... my beautiful bag.....


has goodies for me ..


and even some for the boys ...


I'm a VERY happy and lucky swapper xx ... boys are pretty happy too x

Diane x