Saturday Night in...

Saturday night...its funny how Saturday night always feels like a special night, a night throughout my life that has always been the night to do the things I like best.  As a child it was being allowed to stay up late and watch telly with my Mommy, my head resting on her knees as she would wind my hair around her hand.  As a teenager it was the night I was allowed out, to meet up with friends and listen to music and talk about boys.  As a young women it was a night for going out dancing after spending an obscene amount of time getting ready...Then as a married women it was the evening for dinner parties...then came along the babies and it was kind of lost in the blurr that is nursing and nappies.  Suddenly this time passes without you even being aware of it, your babies are old enough now that they do not need you for their every move.  SO I am back to making Saturday evening a nice night, if not indeed special.  So after lots of cuddles and silly stories at bedtime with my children, I wait till they are both asleep and I take a moment to watch their beautiful faces relax and they enter a deep state of sleep, my Angels...  The house is quiet, its just me... after a tidy up and a couple of chores I pour myself a glass of nice wine, I potter in the kitchen and put some food on for supper and whilst that simmers away I sit on the side of the kitchen unit and pick up my knitting...
Scarf knitting, easy, mindless knitting whilst listening to good music and just relaxing in my home.  Its warm in my kitchen and with the snow freezing on the road and hills outside I feel cosy and safe. The gentle aroma from my burning candles fills the air with the smell of spring.
I settle down to eat my supper, my company being the latest Country Living magazine, which when it pops through my letter box I still get that thrill... Lately though I have been a little disappointed with the contents, not so this month, thankfully it was not filled with red roses and hearts, there are only so many of these I can handle, no it was page after page of goodness...an article on working from the home with pictures to inspire, beautiful photographs of Acers (my favourite outdoor plants) Vintage fashion...every single item of clothing I would wear, fabulous pictures of the Cotswold's a place I spent a lot of time in when I lived in Oxfordshire... and of course lovely homes to poke around in.  I am also really enjoying the month by month account with Elisabeth Luard, when I first read about this lady I was slightly disappointed as it just did not interest me, how wrong I was, I have loved following her lifestyle and the amazing food she cooks and her whole ethos of bringing the family in on every part. If I am lucky enough to be a grandmother one day I hope I am like her...

Talking of food, well I cooked Mushroom Stroganoff, out of a need to use up too many mushrooms that seem to have accumulated unused in my fridge.. it hit the spot nicely...
Once the dishes were cleared away I sat at the table and looked at my children art work,  flicked through my sons Marvel comic and thought... I can draw like that... OK I had ago and maybe I need to admit defeat or practice a little more... It was a nice treat to sit and draw something without a purpose and to use my children's NEW pens...
So the evening is getting on now, I move into my livingroom, a room I only really use in the late evening, I am a kitchen kind of girl, I  settle myself down and I cast on a my new project...
Whilst I snuggle down to watch a couple of movies...This movie is a favourite of mine, I have lost count of the times I have watched it, yes it is very loosely based on the book, you do have to look hard for the similarities, its a beautiful film with a most superb soundtrack...At times it just takes my breath away with its sadness... 

SO the bewitching hour is close at hand and its time to close the house down and retire to bed... yes Saturday nights are special, they change with each year of my life... for now though I am happy with the free time it gives me to potter around my home, cooking, knitting, sewing, drawing and watching movies... yes its a peaceful evening... I wish you an enjoyable weekend and an even better week to come...

Music I am listening to... She's only Happy in the Sun by Ben Harper

Music my children are enjoying...Fake Tales of San Fransisco by Artic Monkeys

Both tracks came by a very special couple as a gift to me, a couple who love music as much as me, I asked if they would mind putting some tracks together for me for my ipod and I got 4 fabulous Cd's of very beautiful music that so suits my present mood and these two tracks in particular have caught our imagination...

Sunrise on a new month....

What can I say... I watched the sun rise, an awesome sunrise at that, on the start of a new month.  I can not tell you how relieved I am that January is over.  Now I know we still have a while of winter left, this is OK, this month holds the promise of a half term holiday with my children and possibly if we are really lucky... a few signs to lift my weary soul that spring is finally on its way...The weekend brought many things to the 'Suzie Sews' household... Time with friends and family, sharing all things good in life.  Projects got finished...
... another winter hat
... fabric was drooled over, you know that great time whilst you are planning your next project and you try different colours together and different textures... yes lots of ideas going around my head, all with the summer season in mind, thoughts of outdoor eating and time spent on beaches and under trees... picnic rugs and place mates that hold cutlery etc... yes lots of ideas...
The next BIG knitting project was decided upon. I love the easy shape to this jacket, its meant to be knitted in the Eco wool, but as a colourful person I do not think I could do this amount of knitting in such a neural, although beautiful, colour... so I have opted for... 
...GREEN!!!

So with the new month upon us and I am managing to get on top of things now, I hopefully will be back to blogging on a regular basis, I thank you for the comments and emails whilst I have been some what lacking in this department... I do have a week off line later in the month, in the meantime I am trying to get back into my little blog world and starting to catch up with some of my favourite blogs...

Thank you for bearing with me...  OK on with 'making'... what are you up to?

Duvet Days....

Duvet days... yes I am all in favour of these, pull the covers over your head and ignore the fact that the world is turning and right outside the very heart of your home life carriers on... whilst you snuggle up and stay in your PJs all day...Yes... of late I have been a typical cancerian and retreated into my shell... is it the month? the grey winter days? is it my mood? is it that I seem to have lost my place in my own world? Possibly a mixture of them all, so when the littlest family member is poorly and he needs to stay at home and be looked after... Well I have peace in my heart and we hunker down for a day of cuddles, crafting and general niceness... Snuggling in our big bed, surrounded by all the things we like to do... quilts for keeping us cosy, teddies for company, books for reading, knitting for Mommy and of course some snacks to keep the hunger at bay...
To be fair eventually you have to get up so after some serious splashing around, its on with a fresh pair of PJs and down to the kitchen...
...various crafty goodness keeps us going for a happy hour or two... new pens in yummy colours, lots pictures to be turned into thank you cards from the children are made, even a little bit of youtube time whilst Mommy sorts out the next project...
A little sewing, bean bags (or in this case, adukie bags) a fun little project that even a five year old can do with supervision... little squares of fabric (any size) a little felt and some Mommy and babe time at the sewing machine...
As the illness seems to be hanging around and we are all generally a little under the weather, lots of healthy food is getting served to keep our vitamin c levels up... which all helps to keep us happy and playful...
Yes a nice day... a much needed day to reconnect with the very core of family life, just moving through the day slowly, peacefully and with love...
Yes I lost my groove and I am indeed working hard to regain it, as I take the odd peek into blogland I see I am not alone, I guess with all the outside influences it is actually a hard month for many, credit crunch, poor weather and coughs and colds... I personally feel I need to really spend some quality time with my babies and I have a half term to look forward to... I am already starting to put the craft box together so we can hunker down and spend quality time just chilling out, lots of outdoor walks, wellies on and of course camera in hand... just a few more days now and this month will be over.  I walked to school in the sunshine yesterday and for the first time in what seems like a life time ago, I felt the warmth from the sun, blueish skies and I heard bird song... not long to go now until the season changes...

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