Show and Tell...

I can only apologise for my unintentional blog break... I lost my groove there for a while, the snowy days and blue skies changed into grey wet and generally damp January days, I missed the children and generally felt a bit like the weather... GREY!!!So in order to chase the 'greys' away I have been reconnecting with the creative need and finally getting some stuff done.  So I picked up my knitting bag and I got a little busy whilst curling up in the evenings with a glass of rich red wine, the fire on and clacked away my needles in time to my music...
As usual I am unable to stay faithful to one item of knitting, so in the knitting bag I have a few projects on the go, a beautiful easy knit sweater for my littlest one... 
A little hat to match my RED winter coat...
and a completed hat, the same as mine but a little smaller, for a special little person...
Its always a good feeling when you complete something.
As my name suggested I am Suzie Sews, so with a birthday of one of my friends coming up and pennies being a little short after the Christmas madness I made my friend a gift, a totally useless but rather cute little fabric book and a matching pincushion in adorable Amy Butler and Moda Fabric...
My children and I are doing a little baking together after school, to get them started you just can not go wrong with pizza... so after binding the ingredients together...
we split up the dough and kneaded it for a good fifteen minutes...
We each choose our own toppings and then once cooked we sat down to enjoy the goodness of our efforts...
Comforting food to chase away the misery of the month...

On a personal note, I am sticking to new years resolutions and along with everyone else my looking after myself better in 2009 resolution is actually coming along quite well.  With my swimming two to three times a week, and walking to school I have just joined a Nia class, I was a little unsure it would suit me, a friend of mine was taking the class so along with a couple of other friends I went along, I have to say it was great fun and very addictive... if you like dance and yoga I would definitely suggest you give it ago, if your a little self conscious, stand at the back of you class until you feel comfortable.

Have a great weekend and once again I apologise for my little blog break, but as you can see, 'stuff' is getting done...

The Sewing Room...

So is it just me or is January just whipping by?  Not that I am complaining, I have found this month hard of recent years, but with the snowy days and the bright blue skies I am finding my new rhythm quite easily...  I miss my children now they are back in school, those lazy morning, all three of us having cuddles in the morning in our big bed, with books and sketch pads all within easy reach and of course the breakfast crumbs... yes you only find them when you pull the covers over your head the next evening ready to snuggle down to snooze only to have to leap out of bed and brush the crumbs away... or is this just my family?So I thought a New Years Resolution to tidy up my sewing room was a good thing to do... and true to my word, I accomplished it... 
OK I was rather inspired by my new cupboard to store my fabric in, it has meant that I lost my comfy sofa but it does provide me with a lot of eye candy and for that I will not complain, no in fact I am positively in love with my new cupboard...
I thought it only fair to share with you the whole picture... In typical sewing room fashion, storage is the key, lots of baskets filled with yarns, fabric and a bookshelf that groans under the weight of the books filled with inspiration...
...a little silliness on the window ledge, (can you see the January snow through the window)? something to make you smile when its raining outside and you need every help you can find to brighten up the grey winter days...
... and of course the sewing table itself... a right angled set up of two tables to enable cutting out and sewing to be accomplished with ease...
...all around the room are corners filled with jars and all things pretty...
...not to mention little handmade goodies from my fellow blogging friends...
...and talking of handmade, I had to share with you the most thoughtful Christmas present of 2008.  From my very good friend, my fellow sewer and of course knitter... no ordinary knitter... this is the girl that taught me to knit...  my cave dwelling, scuba diving, white water rafting friend who knits to relax... yer she is cool... 
OK I was naughty, I actually opened it before Christmas and it filled me with joy and felt like a warm hug from a special person... when someone knows you this well...
... you know you have a true friend.   

So with such a nice place to sit and work... I am sure 2009 will be full of creativity... I have made a good start and I will 'show and tell' soon...  Have a great weekend...

Please note.... if you click on to any of the pictures they will enlarge for greater detail...

Music I am listening to...  Sharlreen Spiteri Melody  such a good album I bought it last week and have played it back to back...  singing all the words at the top of my voice in the car ... STOP and It was you ...yes a super CD every track a winner.  Every song takes me back to a little club I used to go to pre children... cool live music, small cramped dance floor, so smoky you could not see the other side of the room... Yes a good CD indeed.

The Gingerbread house...

Happy New year and may I take this opportunity to wish you all the very best for 2009 and may it be filled with lots of love,  peace, health, happiness and of course creativity...So the New Years Resolutions are still just jotted down notes in my journal and will soon be an actual list.  I checked up on last years resolutions and I had a success rate of about 75%.  If I may say so myself I thought I did pretty well.  Some will be carried forward, some are no longer appropriate for me anymore and some... well... just unrealistic.  
Two years ago one of my resolutions was to start my Suzie Sews blog and maintain it for a year, so on to year three and here I still am, still wittering, still taking pictures of everything and still sewing and knitting up a storm.  I however do not feel still, no life moves and changes, it shifts in all sorts of directions and the ability to move and grow with it are an ever demanding part of life.  Each day that passes I am grateful for so much, I love the things that life teaches me and I love the creativity of my spirit.  I draw inspiration and strength from my ability to use my hands creatively.
So dare we imagine what the New Year holds for us all.  One of the things I believe in is to enjoy the moment.  Motherhood has taught me to slow down, stop the rushing and just open my eyes and see the beauty around me and take joy in the simple pleasures that surround me on a day to day basis.
Its fabulous when we make an effort and we do something out of the ordinary, but what about the ordinary, why should it be so dull?  If you promise yourself one thing this New Year, try and see the goodness in your everyday life.  The sun coming up in the morning, the first show of spring, the delicious food you eat, a successful sewing project...  a smile from a stranger... the list is endless... one of those special moments for me was the last day of the holidays...
The children and I had been invited to a friends for dinner, our kitchen cupboards needed to be restocked after the holiday period so we had no food to take... after a rummage through the kitchen I remembered that we had not done the Gingerbread House... so two excited children and I have to admit.. me too... got sticky and messy and spent a very happy couple of hours putting together our master piece of a house to take along with us as a Hostess Gift... the best part... watching four giddy children smash it to pieces at the end of their meal and eat it all up...

So after a rather sparse time on the making front, I feel inspired, the sewing room is all tidy (with a gorgeous new cupboard to store my fabric in) and ready to spring into action and that is the place I am going to right now...  Wishing you all the very best for the 2009...

Today I bring you the colour GREEN...

So the Christmas cheer is all over and the newness of another year is about to begin... This time of year brings with it great thoughtfulness, thinking about the past year and looking forward to the new... A time for reflection, New Years Resolutions to be made (and broken) plus making fresh plans for the future...I am grateful for many things and I feel blessed to have two very special little people to share the future with.  How lucky are we... 
This Christmas has been so different from previous years, dealing with the changes within our household which have rocked it to its very core, but with love in our hearts and hope in our dreams we will march forward into this New Year... I do not know what it will hold and there is anticipation and a kind of nervous excitement about it...
Green is my favourite colour and as I look at the last weeks photographs this colour keeps popping up... to me green says... New, Hope, Spring, Beauty, Freshness and most of all Simplicity... I guess that's why I like it and its no surprise then I am drawn to take pictures subconsciously of this colour...
From the food I eat, the colour I paint my toenails and snap shots from a New Years Eve Walk with my children through the woods... yes green is everywhere... even in the depths of winter... 
I will reflect and I will plan... but for the meantime I wish you and the people you love a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR.  May it be filled with Love, Peace, happiness and Good Health.

I thank each and everyone of you who have taken the time to read my blog, or simply pop in and out to look at the pictures, to those that have taken trouble to leave a comment or two and to those who I am pleased  to say through my blog have become my friends.  I thank you from my heart.

It was the night before Christmas...

It was the night before Christmas and all the little people are asleep dreaming of the day to come...This is my moment, I sit in a quite house after all the noise and excitement of friends and family who called to say hello at this special time of year...  I sit (2.00am) in the house, the lights twinkling, a glass of champagne in hand, a time for reflection and a time to look forward to the promise of all to come and to think of friends I can not be with... The Santa snow is by the fire, the mince pie has been eaten as is the carrot for the reindeer and the glass of milk is half empty now... the shinning glitter and oats are scattered by the front door...  the tree is pretty with all its kitch shimmer and history...
...yes its a special moment, a time to think of the true meaning of Christmas, people in situations beyond their control, wars, famine and all things not right with the world, a time for me to count my blessing and welcome the Christmas Day in to my home with open arms...
The morning brings with it chaos, excitement and the biggest of smiles on beautiful little faces, yes its a special time, a time for family and all that we love and cherish... so I send out to you good wishes, blessings and a moment to be caught up in the magic that is Christmas... 

Have a great day and all that it holds may it be filled with love and much cherished memories for the future...

Happy happy Christmas from the Suzie Sews household...

A baby is born....

Yes there is nothing like the birth of a baby to remind us what this time of year is all about.Welcome to the world little one... may you be safe, happy, loved and healthy.  My friend delivered her baby in to the very heart of the family home, a quick and easy birth surrounded by love and peace.  Three little sisters happy and eager to have another girl to join in their play times.  Mommy doing well and baby nursing happily... All is good.
...yes a baby at this time of year is a special thing... with both my pregnancies I loved being HUGE at Christmas, attending nativity plays and singing songs about a baby in a manger would have me with my hand on my belly and smiling away feeling fabulous...

Oh and not that you can see much off it, I knitted the little pink cardigan... oh to knit in pink and something just so small... ADORABLE!!!

Its the Winter Solstice today... May it mark the prospect of lighter, warmer days and time spent outside with our loved ones...

Listening to... James Morrison (this man is so beautiful) click on to his name for link

The Pieces don't fit anymore/Wonderful world/ Broken Strings

The blurr that is Christmas....

One week to go... its all a blurr... I am so not in the Christmas vibe this year.  All around me are the beautiful colours of the season, rich variegated green and lush shades of cherry red, my home is scented with evocative smells of  cinnamon and spices, mulled wines simmers in the pan and children's laughter fills the house... It can only be Christmas...Caught up in the whirlwind of shows, concerts, parties and time spent with special friends, singing carols in the cold wintry air with dragon breath escaping from my mouth as I snuggle up to my little ones to keep warm, twinkling lights everywhere and at the end of the day curling up in front of the fire and waking up a couple of hours later... yes it is Christmas...
The tree is decked out in all its 'kitch' glory, years and years worth of Christmas history and some new trinkets in the making... a mish mash of colour and every bit of it put together with the help of excited children.
Its a time for comfort food and baking, stews and casseroles to warm the soul and endless cakes and cookies for the children's party activities...
So much baking has been done this Christmas and every tray of delight has been received by happy faces...
But something has to give, its not all perfect, with things in the process of change here, I have had to give up the many hours I would normally spend in my sewing room, it makes me a little sad I admit, but I give myself a break and know there is always next year... so to fulfill the creative daily need to make something with my hands... I have been doing little projects. Sometimes with the children and sometimes just for me.  The button wreaths have made a comeback this year, and I have been using all my red and green gingham buttons... many little gifts of this nature have been made... the shopping is now done and the wrapping may begin...

What ever the stage you are at with your Christmas plans I wish you peace, health and happiness...  and a bit more time!!!

A child after my own heart....

Wondering around our blogging community I see lots of plans getting made, lots of excitement and everyone blogging a little less as their busy lives, at this time of year, take us away from what we do...There is a lot happening at the Suzie Sews Household, and some days its good and others not so good, on the not so good days we will be found pulling on our woolly jumpers, scarf, hat and mitts as we head outside and at the moment the 'outside' is just breath taking...
I feel very lucky to live in the place I call HOME, going for walks right from the front door and so much history in the area it seeps out of the brick work of the houses.  Walking through the woods, past ponds and lakes you can really feel the passing of time and a true sense of belonging and worth...
Yes there has been a lot of walking of late, blowing away the cob webs, feeling the chill on your skin, enjoying the light despite there being no power from the suns rays, all day it stays white, crisp, white, clean and FRESH...
Mean while back in the cosy warmth... we are going through a lot of our things at the moment and we are all finding things that take us back to a different time.  I captured this moment... a special moment for Mommy... A child after my own heart.  As my son found my Dads camera, an old one, not a digital... it was played with for hours, with comments from him that showed his joy of holding a camera with weight, that clicks and moulds into your hands... Yes I could relate to this moment, a time when I used to steel moments looking at my dads camera's, holding them and enjoying the gentle joy that taking pictures holds for me now...

SO this afternoon is the Nativity play, always a special moment in the season, and tonight the Christmas tree and all the lights and shiny 'kitchness' of our Christmas unfolds....

OK off to make another button wreath...going through glue sticks at an alarming rate...

I wish you the joy of the season...

Paper chains......

So its here, the Christmas music is singing out, people are smiling and saying hello, its a happy time (for most) and the season of good will is up on us... All around me the plans and preparation of the season are in full flow...
With the recent snow, we have spent a lot of time at home due to the village school being closed and when we were not out enjoying all the delights the snow has to offer, well we spent some time warming up our frozen fingers and toes sitting around the kitchen table.  We are on the count down now to Christmas, we have three advent calenders on the go ranging from bought-put it together yourself and of course a hand made one...  The dark Christmas mornings are forming a pattern,  we all snuggle down under the quilts in a sleepy haze, then we get up to open the advent calenders, breakfast is the time we discuss the day ahead before its full swing into action to start the day... Its a comfortable groove and I kinda like these dark cosy mornings...
So with all this special time together we have been creating a good old fashioned mess in the kitchen...from making our own decorations to baking some delicious yummy treats...
of course the time at the table would not be complete without the traditional jug of Hot Chocolate to really warm us up...
...sitting amongst the mess of activity...
Yes its been a time to be together, to enjoy each others company and just chill...before the craziness of Christmas takes over and we start to run all over the place with nativities, choir, music shows, parties and sharing our time with special people...

Take a moment to enjoy this time, slow it down a little and hug your loved ones...

A winters tale...

Baby its cold outside...I was pulled out of bed yesterday by my two very excited little people...Mommy its snowed...So before it was 7.30am we pulled our boots and mittens on over our PJs and in the dark a snow man was built... We rushed around to get ready for school, as the car was snowed in, it was a crunchy, chilly walk to school.I remembered to throw my point and shot camera in my pocket so took a few snaps whilst I tried to miss being hit by snowballs. So this was our walk to school and back again as school was closed...So it was a day spent playing in the snow with warm up breaks of Hot Chocolate and marshmallows another play and then settling down to a movie with some popcorn, the blinds shut as we pretended to be at the pictures...One last play in the snow before bedtime then a deep hot bubbly bath to warm up our bodies before we curled up for a bedtime story. Happy children!
So a distinct lack of blogging from me at present, I thank you for the personal emails, a lot is changing around here at the moment, it is a huge transitional period for my family, I thank you for staying around and I apologise for the infrequent posting... with this change I find myself reflecting, listening to a whole different selection of music, and having good and not so good days. I guess I am changing also, maybe its just the next stage in life...I have a lot of planning and thinking and re thinking to do. The most important thing to me through it all is stability... My children ground me, they keep life flowing, moving on and seeing things through their eyes makes the world we live in an amazing place...So today at breakfast I was reading through a few story books for them and I came across this poem that I had squirrelled away in one of the books a while ago...it moved me to tears...I shall share it with you...
Before I was a Mom. I made hot meals. I had unstained clothing. I had quite conversations on the phone.

Before I was a Mom. I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got out of bed. I brushed my hair and teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom. I cleaned my house everyday. I never tripped over toys or forgot words to lullabies. Before I was a Mom. I didn't worry whether the plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom. I had never been puked on, pooped on, sat on, chewed on, peed on or pinched by tiny fingers.

Before I was a Mom. I had complete control of my mind, my thoughts, my body,and my life. I slept at night.
Before I was a Mom. I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried so hard. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a child sleeping.

Before I was a Mom. I never held a baby sleeping just because I did not want to put them down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could effect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone this much.

I never knew I would LOVE being a MOM.
Before I was a Mom I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between Mother and Child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Mom. I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every ten minutes to make sure all was OK. I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the fulfilment and satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a MOM.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I just have the poem, I do not even know who wrote it or how I came to have kept it... But it sums up my emotions about being a MOM. I promise some usual 'Suzie Sews' stuff soon, its a work in process at the moment...

Photographs.... various pictures of snow and children throughout the snowy day, and of course Archie the bunny who loved the company of the children playing...