Let them eat cake...

Can you feel it? Are you getting that tinkling feeling? Can you hear the sounds? Its so close now... Yes, as I am caught up in the preparation for the Christmas season, all around me are the signs that its now just days away.  I hear carols in the shops, I can smell Mulled Wine in the village pub, there is glitter stuck under my nails, glue on my skirt and sugar icing on my nose...Yes it is a busy time indeed, and a less intense time in our blogging  community as all the preparation gets done ready to sit back, kick your shoes off and enjoy the delights of the season and share in the show and tell.  Lots of preparing for the various events taking place in the village and school, an opportunity to be involved in your little peoples world.  Cake baking, cutting, colouring and generally making a mess is all on the cards for today and indeed this weekend...
Some  time spent in the company of people we love, and in the 'Suzie Sews Household' that usually means sharing food...
Warm, cosy, heart warming meals to chase the chills away...
So what ever you are doing this weekend, the weekend before it all begins... I wish you peace and some creative time, taking in all the colours, sounds and smells of the coming season.
Next week, I will be settling down to some serious Christmas making.... buttons and glue sticks at the ready...

Have a good weekend...

Car Portraits and stashing up...

When I first started to read blogs about three years ago, there was a real pattern to the way our community would blog, I liked it, it was a routine, it became familiar and each day I would look forward to the different theme of that particular time. One of the photographic inspirational headings was 'Car Portraits' various snaps taken in the car,  now if you have little ones you will understand this heading, because a lot of time is spent in the car when your babes are young. It might be taking them to the park, or a play date.  Maybe your just driving around in desperation of getting your baby to sleep, yer I guess most of us have done that, I used to take my knitting with me and a flask, I would pull up in a nice spot once babe was asleep and have some creative time.  The thought of taking pictures and portraits of those snatched moments in the car when your rushing, not thinking about taking pictures, well I found it appealing.  So I have been doing this, but not of me, of the babes, which is why I have not shared it before. Today though I was sitting in the car, having had my morning swim and I was just flicking through the pictures on my camera from the weekend... Click... One self portrait... 
The power of a picture is quite amazing.  It was the Harrogate Twisted Thread show this weekend and for the last five years I have attended, this year was the first year that I was recognised.  So that little square inch of a picture of me really must look like me if someone I have never met can say "Are you Suzie Sews?"  It was nice, I had that 'community' feel, a group of people who would never normally meet say "Hi" and open up a whole new friendship, yes it was nice...

So as this was a stocking up stashing event for me, I knew what I needed and I went straight for the goodies.  Buttons...
Some fun Japanese fabric...
Stocking up on Boden fabric from my favorite fabric supplier...
Being the Boden girl that I am!
I bought the new Knitting kit that's just hitting the UK market... its a present so I can not share to much more at this stage...
Of course I bought some sock yarn, and within an hour of getting home I got it on the needles...
So with all this shopping, selling and chatting... my little feet needed a rest and what could be better than a moment or two with a pair of the most beautiful feet in the world...

I hope you all had a good weekend and I look forward to catching up with some of my favorite blogs in the coming week, I think its a busy time all round with the plans of Thanks Giving and Christmas getting in full swing, I peeked back to this time last year on my blog and I wrote about it being a quite time then, funny how these patterns are formed...

A mixed bag....

Its a mixed bag today and what could be nicer than starting off the day with a little thank you gift,  a wonderful bag of beautiful chunky yarn, how lucky am I?  Mmmmmm just lovely 100% wool and a gorgeous shade of baby blue...I am thinking a nice cosy throw knitted on great big needles to cuddle up with over the Christmas holidays.Now that is my plan of what to knit and I actually promised you completed projects, so on with some silly knitting... cute little felted hearts... a free pattern from the talented Mochimochiland, yes free! You just print it off and knit, I made them over breakfast with my little ones chatting away about their day to come... The eyes are optional, but kind of make me smile!
Talking of hearts a little knitted mobile for a new baby... I had no heart pattern at this stage and I was trying my hand at designing my own pattern, it needs a little work, but the end result is rustic and that's the look I wanted...
So on to sewing... I am being inspired by this new party skirt, just far to pretty to hang in the darkness of a wardrobe, it is in my sewing room, it is just the most beautiful fabric, it makes a wonderful swishing sound when you move in it and it is guaranteed to make any girl feel like a princess...  
I seem to be making more clothes now than bags, maybe its seasonal? Funny how these patterns of creating  go.  With all the rain we have at present a fabric bag is far from practical. Whilst I am limiting my fabric buying at present (saving up for a blow out at the Harrogate show) I have made a small purchase... I went to IKEA for a new table cloth, I was uninspired by the selection but spotted this fabric, I think it will jolly up breakfast time a treat and with a clear plastic cover over it, I can relax around the children and their creative endeavours.
I have been playing about with some Christmas gift ideas, I am planning on backing a couple of journals for some friends that will appreciate this kind of gift...  this tree idea is appealing, its not perfected yet but its fun playing with the idea... seasonal trees... 
Summer Tree... Autumnal Tree... (click on to picture for greater detail) 
Ideally  a silk painted  landscape for the backing fabric would be stunning, in reality time will not allow this.
A couple more blocks for the quilt have been finished, some applique and a block which involved a protractor... I have not used one of these since my school days and even then I had no idea what to do with it, suddenly it all comes together...
Its also a chance to raid the button stash.  The green Amy Butler fabric is by far one of my favorite designs, the colour is perfect, its my favourite colour!
A mixed bag of things today and no flow at all, I have yet to find my Winter groove and I am so not feeling it yet... I am trying, maybe trying just too hard... the cooking is no longer summer foods, its been replaced with stews, chunky crusty bread, soups and for the children they seem to want warm rich flavours.  
With the onset of the dark evenings, the outdoor play is no more after school, instead we are having to think about what we want to do, some nights we just chill out and others we...well, make a mess!!! 
But with some smile inducing results...
Ah I have always had a secret passion for play dough, the colour, texture and smell... 
SO how to escape this winter funk that I find myself in, looking around the house and my garden I am reminded  that summer is a long time off, how I long to stand on the beach, to listen to the movement and power of the sea, to feel the grains of sand scratching at my skin, the wind making my eyes stream with tears and the smell of fire burning in the evening light... this is what I do when I need inner strength.  BUT, with the sea so far away and prospect of cold wet winter days ahead, whats a girl to do?
Time to move on, and look at the positive.  The rich, lush  shades of red that mark the coming of the  holiday season, its that in between time, Winter is here and the festivities are just around the corner, right now however they all seem so far away. I received my first Christmas card today, the calender already has a few parties dated in  and I am well and truly involved in the Christmas planning at school, but just now the only bit of this promise is a room in my home, a room every spring I want to paint yellow and every winter I am pleased I have not... I love the reflection of the light in the glass of the picture and you can just make out the horizon of hills that can be viewed from the window.  Yes it feels like a transitional period... a time of change, in a short period of time Christmas cheer will be all around us... 

Fear and Light...

SO after a week on being at home with my poorly babes I was kind of suffering from cabin fever, its been a week filled with lots of issues and at times I have felt a little overwhelmed and sometimes that I was positively 'not in control' of the situation... without any free time to knit or sew, my ways to a) have some form of work b) to relax and sooth the soul.  Well things felt a little claustrophobic.  I needed to get out...Well I took things in hand and went for the old 'feel alive' technique.  All my life I have had a fear of dams, I know how I got it so its a real fear. Today I confronted that fear head on... well maybe not quite as bravely as that sounds.  On a windy and somewhat chilly day a walk was taken and instead of just passing the dam as I have done many times, I walked over it.  Not only that... when I got to the bit in the middle, the place the water rushes under you and then down the long drop of concrete, I tried three times until I stood and looked over... No I leaned over... The heart raced, the chill was taken over by a burning feeling, my breath quickened, my chest heaved with anxiety, I felt nauseous..  BUT I DID IT!!! Hurrah!
Today (I am usually away on Saturday so its all out of routine at present) on going through this months batch of pictures I noticed a lot of them centred around the light, that special light you only get at this time of year, I have talked about it before, its soft, mellow and it shines with it all those little sparkly particles of dust...
So one day I was cutting out a pattern and the light was blazing down on my work area Click...

I look down and see my feet pressed together as I maneuver around the floor trying to cut out the pattern, basking in the sunlight with my homemade socks on for warmth Click...
I move around the house with the camera in hand wondering from room to room, each room offering a different intensity of light... My clothes rail, a rail of clothes waiting to be put away. Click...
My favourite necklace of the moment and my trusty thumb ring. Sitting in the place I had taken them off the day before.  I am not in to gold or diamonds and I do not wear rings much, instead I love bold 'kookie' jewelery and for rings, well its my thumb ring or a large chunky dress ring and its a sign of the return of good weather when I get my toe ring back on. Click...  (I am so loving the shadow).  

So before the light fades into winter greyness, take a moment, look around and see if you can see the special rays and may they shine on you and not show up your dust!

Its a quieter week in the house, so I have been listening to Razorlight...Wire (The lead singer looks like someone I know and I could sure look in his eyes all day) and Cold Play...Violet Hill (I have clear memories of when I first heard this song)

The children have been dancing to Kanye West Love Lock Down-on those moments when the Calpol has had an effect.

We have all enjoyed a bop to Madonna Give it to me-I have grown up with this women.

If you can not link direct, they are all on YouTube.

We have all been watching the trailer for Oktapodi  

OK enough pondering on life. Back to show and tell (WIP) next week.  

The Dawn of a NEW day..

The Dawn of a New Day, after all the rain and grey grey days of late today I was greeted by the sun rising over the hills that surround my home.  Today is different, its fitting that the sun rises so tear inducingly (is there such a word?) beautifully.

We still have a poorly household, both the wee ones are curled up sleeping off temperatures. So very little time has been spent in my sewing room, actually none!  I have not even picked up my knitting...although for some reason I have been picking up a pencil and doodling, not done that for a while.  Reading, yes reading is what I am doing now whilst being Nurse Suzie rather than Suzie Sews.

So with little on the 'making' front to show and tell I am sharing with you the photo selection from the Kitchen Poetry group.  Inspired by the ever creative Simple Sparrow.  Her inspiration being that so much of life takes place in the kitchen, family life, cooking, sharing spending time with friends... sounds familiar so as the kitchen table really is the nerve centre to this home I thought I would join in.  Go check out Toni's work her photography is astounding as is her sons, I often think of how proud she must be of her son...I wonder did she inspire his photography or did he inspire hers? Not that it matters as the results from both are so wonderful on the eye...

(This picture was taken this morning, and I mean in the morning, something silly like 4-5am, it is part of the Kitchen Poetry as I have a lovely cosy sofa in the corner of my kitchen the same one that my little one is fast asleep on right now)
So whilst there are lots of pictures in this post, lets have some words...Periwinkle gave me a blogging award and a tag called 7 things...So in answer to the questions here are my replies...
Things I would like to do before I die...

Well as I want find a cure for cancer or stop a war happening so I guess I need to think a little smaller...

... Watch my children grow up in to happy healthy well balanced people

... Improve my education

... Go and spend time with my friend in Australia

... Live by the sea, in a house overlooking the sea with a balcony to watch the sunrise and sunset

... Scuba dive

... learn the guitar or piano

... find the confidence again that I had in my twenties

7 Things I do now

... Mothering

... Take photographs

... Being creative with various mediums

... Spending to much time on my computer

... I think way to much about things

... Work in the community and support a Charity with my time

... Cook, or does No 3 come under that title? OK in that case I dance around the kitchen, seriously... when I am on my own or with the kids the music is turned up and I dance like no one is watching...
7 Things I can not do

... I can not play a musical instrument

... I can not sing, this fact does not stop me singing.

... Organize, no just no good at it, I was once  super efficient, I then had babies and that place in my brain that does the sorting just ceased to exist

... I can not whistle with my fingers, this never stops being impressive to me when I see someone do this

... Ride a bike

... Cook rice... it always ends up like pudding!

... Park the car

7 Things that attract me to the opposite sex-Oh thats a personal one!!!

... HANDS... I do not have to even think about this one.  Hands say so much about a person, hands show love, kindness, lifestyle and even anger.  The gentle soft touch of your child's hand in your hand, the sensual touch of your lover, hands that heal and hands that nurture.  (I look at my own hands as I type this, my hands say I am an outdoors kind of girl, they have worked hard, they are caring hands, I have scars on my left hand, nails I wish I had the time and inclination to look after) Yes hands say so much and are extremely attractive to me.

... Laughter, someone that can laugh in the face of most things is someone that can cope with life.

... Height,  it says strength, power and oh so much more.

... Sensitivity, I have yet to find this in the opposite sex.

... Ability to cook.

... Smell, sounds kind of weird but we all have our own smell, not out of a bottle-our own smell, I believe its one of the things that draws us subconsciously to a person.  It has to be a clean smell mind!!!

... They look a bit different.  Character, people I find attractive.... Christopher Eccleston, he makes my toes curl I can watch any film with him in it.  Luca from ER. Con O'Neil.  Jamie Oliver. Jack Black his humour and kind eyes. Bill Granger, its a lifestyle kinda thing.
7 Things I say

... I love you (I say this to my children over and over again)

... OK Hun

... Can I get you something to eat... I have a need to feed people when they visit me

... numpty dumpty

... OH Man

... cool

... hey Guys

The last three make me sound like I am a hippy!
7 Celebrates that I admire

... Jamie Oliver, I love his enthusiasm

... I am not really into celebs so this is a hard one!!!
7  Favourite foods

... avocados

... pistachio nuts

... chocolate (Thornton's cheap Coffee creams above all)

... fish and chips on a cold windy day at the sea side

... homemade pancakes with the children on a Sunday morning 

... Crem Brulee

... Baklava

... an extra one as its not strictly food...A Margarita with a salted glass, it has to be a salted glass... I have so many funny stories around this drink!

And that is the lot, now I should pass this on to seven people , I am late doing this and quite a few people have already done it, if you have not and want a go, please feel free to consider yourself tagged by me. 

So after all that thought and typing, time for a coffee oh and maybe a Bagel.

It all stops...

No matter how busy you are or what you have on the list to do, they all STOP when one of the babes are poorly.On Saturday I had my sewing course, I left the house with my sewing machine and all my textiles with a bounce in my step, although I have to admit that I still feel a little guilty about doing something for myself.  I said goodbye to my wee ones with big kisses and hugs all round, they had their swimmers on as they were off to a trip to the swimming pool later that day then a run in the park ...  So off I went t0 the once a month bit of 'ME' time, the time I am me, with no other title, no one else to look after and think about except what I am going to be working on, five hours with nothing to think about except my sewing...
It was a great day and very productive, I worked on four different blocks all with pleasing results.  I had that feeling, that little flicker that something was not right...I guess its a mother's instinct, I returned to a poorly little chap and a grumpy older child because swimming had not taken place.  I was cross I had not been called home especially when I was told when my poorly babe was in the throws of a high temperature he called out for me, heart breaking stuff... So the sewing remains in the place it was dropped when I came through the door, no blogging, no emails looked at or replied to, in fact very little was done including very little sleep.  Curling up on the sofa under quilts and reading stories are what we are about today. So forgive me my absence but the babes come first and I will  be back as soon as we are all back to being healthy...

Giveaway winner is....

The winner of the Autumn Break Giveaway is...The lovely Beverly who pens the beautiful Blog, Tea Time and Roses.  Well done Beverly, if you email direct with your address I will pop them in the post to you.  
So I mentioned in my holiday post that I wanted to share with you a little shop I found whilst away.  I took a couple of snaps so I could share with you the interior and you too can go Ahhhh and Ohhhh.
I actually spent most of my holiday pennies in this shop, even my babes enjoyed poking around the shop.  The really good thing was you could browse without interruption, you know what its like, you go into a lovely shop and you feel eyes on you and just do not feel comfortable enough to shop... which is what your there for! Not here you could browse and shop away...
The funny thing about this shop is I have been to the town previously on other weekends away and gone into the building but had no idea that this haven was there.  Its in the beautiful Yorkshire Market town of Pickering, just a short walk away from our cottage, its actually a Newsagents shop.  I nipped in hopping the 'now available on  the high street' Yarn Forward Magazine would be sold here...
When I was looking around a door caught my eye with a lovely wreath on it...so I ventured through the door and found all this loveliness... Its a great little shop and with an Internet shop too I feel I will never struggle to buy gifts either for my friends or myself...Go check it out and say Hi from me... Made And Found Market Place, Pickering. 

So just a quick post today, off to my knitting group and I also need to take my photo for Kitchen Poetry which is being hosted by the lovely Simple Sparrow...I am running mine through my Suzie Sews Flickr account.