Accepting the changes and challenges of my new life... I have moved.
Friday, 16 July 2010
Moving Home...Changing my life
Posted by Suzie Sews At DOTTY RED at 03:36 3 comments
Labels: Endings
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
Why do you blog?
Why do you blog. Recent events have made me ask myself this question. I started reading blogs a number of years ago. I wanted to join in but being insecure and worrying about my dyslexia I believed I couldn't do it. I had a cancer scare, I carried it on my own, I watched three people pass away from this illness and I started to think about my own children, how would they would remember me and all we did together. Soon the urge to join in and feel like I belonged someplace overtook my insecurities and before I knew it I was blogging. Recording all the nice bits in my life, happy times with my children, what we did, a record of our holidays and quality times. Like most of us in blogland we keep away from the rubbish in our lives choosing to record only the positive. I had a place to store my pictures which improved my skills. I became more focused on my creative side and found that people would commission work, I was asked to write for two local magazines. A lot has come out of my blog.
Posted by Suzie Sews At DOTTY RED at 07:03 40 comments
Labels: sadness
Wednesday, 20 January 2010
Atishoo...atishoo...sorry a bit snuffly here. I guess that's why a few days of none blogging has just slipped me by. Shhhhhhh don't tell anyone but I quite like being a little off colour. Shhhhhhh!!!! No seriously, obviously I dislike being ill immensely, but when I am still with it but just need to cosy up with hot drinks, vitamin c and a some paracetamol. Well the excuse to stay indoors and not do housework, well it sits well with my creative spirit...Before the 'snots' got a big hold of me I had my day at the crochet work shop with the lovely Sarah (From Rowan). This lady has the patience of a saint and before you knew it a table of learners (after munching into muffins and warming endless cups of coffee) sat with smiles on their faces, well actually a few with tongues poking out of their mouth in pure concentration, all happily hooking away. Yes a fabulous day, and yes I feel able to say that one of my New Years Resolutions to learn to crochet properly can now be ticked off.
So with a poorly house hold I found myself a little corner, put my feet up, put on radio 4, and clicked away for a good few hours.
With the snow starting to melt and the pools of water collating all over the place I am wearing my winter woollies less, but my hat (made last February) has been worn most days on the school walk. So good for bad hair days. When I spotted a lush colour of the same yarn I popped it in my shopping bag and rushed it home to start the process off again, who knows maybe next winter this might be my most worn winter hat!!!
When my babes had been safely ensconced into school I still had the excuse of feeling poorly which again gave me the excuse to venture into my sewing room rather than deal with the mounting laundry. Easy projects though, not complicated as I didn't want to hurt my head. Ermmmmm, that would be cushions then...
Two new cushions for my child's bedroom and a big sloppy cushion for sitting up in bed at night reading or maybe a little knitting.
Now what else is an easy project but with a little more bite to it, Oh yes a couple of PJ bags for my boys. Don't you just hate the way that in the evening you can not find your children's PJs or the book/comic they are reading? Or is this just my babes? Anyway a couple of simple bags that can be slung over the bedsteads and keep their bedtime stuff together in one place, I hope, seemed like a good thing to me.
Not a very flowing post this... in fact I am all over the place, but that's how my passed week has been. A little bit of this and a little bit of that...On the 'little' front my youngest has been asking me for a weeks now to make his bedtime bunny some clothes, I confess, I did not jump to the request...untill...he said he wanted the bunny dressed in girls clothes because she is a pretty girlie bunny.
So as a mother of two boys, blue, green, red and at a push a little pinch of apricot is about as colourful as they get. So to play about with pink...BLISS!!! Maybe I went a little too far, this is for the little boy who thinks he is Indiana Jones.
NO, if your going to do something you must do it as you think is right, What could be more girlie than a ballerina. Out with the tulle and the pretties of my ribbons, beautiful pink yarn...
One little white bunny transformed into a pretty ballerina. Bunny was received with delight, oh but she now sits by his bed. On asking why bunny doesn't get a cuddle anymore, "oh she is much too pretty for that now Mommy." You win some you lose some I guess....
Posted by Suzie Sews At DOTTY RED at 05:36 9 comments
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
Work in progress...
So things are getting done around here, quietly and almost organically. Slowly, slowly throughout the day the sewing and knitting and even a little bit of hooking are creeping into all the areas of my day, just a few minutes here and there. Instead of rushing around and worrying about things I have no control over, that time is being replaced by something constructive, tactile and most of all calming... the joy of making things...
The winter warmer jacket is on its way and I am loving the colour of the yarn, its a nice easy knit and quick too. As I sit for a few minutes amongst the chaos of toys and laundry waiting to be done, I cross my legs and knit a couple of rows...
When the chores are done and the children are snuggled up fast asleep at the end of their day, I creep happily into my sewing room with a tray of tea and play...
Felt and buttons, just small happy little object of fun and colour, to chase away the winter blues...
The quilt has now been quilted (folded to show back and front). I whizzed through this in a few hours, methodical and almost hypnotic, straight quilted lines in opposite direction of the jelly roll quilt fabric. Creative Mom Podcast on the ipod to keep me company, how I love this women's voice and her choice of music always sits well with me. If you have not listened to here before I really recommend you do. Little sound bites from here children is a lovely personal touch and remind me of my own two boys.
So today is housework day, laundry, changing the sheets and generally putting stuff in its rightful place...Later this afternoon before the school run, its an hour in the kitchen making another batch of cakes, I have my eye on a banana, chocolate and crystallised ginger cake recipe I would like to try. I even bought old bananas (35p for 10) at the supermarket as bananas don't sit around much in this house, so to make banana cakes sounds like a good idea to me...it also means a chance to warm up in the kitchen, trying not to put the heating on in the day but its sooooooooooo chilly just now.
Posted by Suzie Sews At DOTTY RED at 03:21 13 comments
Labels: homemaking.
Sunday, 10 January 2010
Housebound
Still housebound here, I actually managed to get the car out, only to drive up the road and nearly miss a car swerve into the side of me. So the car has remained a good walk away from the house (I live on a hill and there are no cars driving down my road). I managed a food shop, so the fridge is full and stocked up on cake making goodness and of course extra Hot Chocolate and marshmallows. Keeping me warm in my sewing is is my quilt work, nothing like managing a big quilt to keep the legs warm whilst in my sewing room, its so chilly that it shows your breath as 'dragons breath' as it escapes your warm body into the cold air. I am hunkering down in the kitchen most of the time. My kitchen is a haven of warmth and love, it really is the heart of this family home. Its big enough to hold a big old pine table with a miss match of chairs around it, I religiously change the oil cloth cover monthly, this makes me happy. It has a small sofa in the corner that the children cuddle up on with cushions and quilts to keep them toasty. The floor is big enough for a train track to be laid out on and of course the kitchens the place all the food is prepared...
So my pile of books (see last post) sit on my kitchen table, and slowly I am devouring each book. It would only be right that I sit down with a cup of something warming and some sweet treat to help me in my reading.
Over the last few days I have made various cakes and cookies from the Hummingbird bakery cook book has each one has turned out fabulous and scrumptious...
My favourite so far being the marshmallow cup cakes... delightful
So the view from my kitchen window is still rather white, its so cold here and many layers are needed to keep warm, last night while I sat by the fire, I pulled out from my wool stash the biggest chunkiest yarn I could find and started on a winter warmer jacket on HUGE needles.
Thursday, 7 January 2010
and it just kept snowing...
Happy New Year.Sad farewell to all the Christmas magic and the sparkling lights...
all boxed away nice and safe...
and yet it just keeps snowing...
So what a better way to accept the cold than to curl up with masses of BOOK inspiration (Thank you Santa, I must have been a very good girl last year)...
with bundles of fabric and lots of other sewing goodness, you will find me in front of my fire, mug of hot Chocolate (and maybe a nip of Brandy in there at bedtime) drooling over my books with a head full of the years sewing plans...
Tuesday, 29 December 2009
The Suzie Sews HOME at Christmas...
Wishing you all the very best for the New year celebrations, I hope you find the time to live in the moment, also reflect a little on your year and dream about the hopes of the new decade to come.
Handmade Christmas...
Family hands...
Bauble Christmas tree...
Sweet Christmas tree (made by my children)...
Christmas morning...
Baby its cold outside...
Snow Balls...
Knitted mittens...
Bunny love...
Getting the Christmas dinner to the home...
Santa's letters...
Decorating the home...
popcorn...
left over decorations put to use...
crochet trees being blocked...
From the Kitchen...
Christmas gifts...
Baking...
Adding sparkle (very Kirstie)!!!
Gifts from my kitchen...
Posted by Suzie Sews At DOTTY RED at 02:12 17 comments
Labels: Christmas, corner of my home
Monday, 21 December 2009
Back on line....Snowed in.....
I can not tell you how pleased I am to be back on line, its kinda lonely being a stay at home Mom and the computer is very much a life line for my sanity. So to be without it, no fault of my own, has pushed me a little to the edge...My eldest child is now sharing my Mac computer with me as he is in his final year of primary and has lots of computer work to be doing, sadly the lack of computer has had some repercussions with his school work ... anyway here I am, a few days to Christmas with no posts of all the Christmas making and activities, yes sad I know... Its been a difficult few weeks for various reasons and I thank you for your personal emails. They have meant so much to me and kept me smiling through.
Posted by Suzie Sews At DOTTY RED at 11:13 7 comments
Labels: Christmas
Saturday, 12 December 2009
Missing
JUST A QUICK POP IN TO SAY I AM OFF LINE, BIG PROBLEMS WITH AOL. WAITING, FOR DAYS NOW, TO BE BACK ON LINE. WISHING YOU ALL THE BEST AND HOPE TO BE BACK SOON.
Posted by Suzie Sews At DOTTY RED at 06:45 2 comments
Labels: PROBLEMS
Monday, 30 November 2009
December December full of Christmas Cheer
The moon is full and there is a nip in the air that can't be ignored. The wonderful smell of wood smoke fills the senses as all the fires start to be lit. The first of December is near.Busy little fingers are making, baking, sewing, knitting and getting busy with a hook, my days play along to the hum of my sewing machine. Yes its that time when this Mommy gets too busy to blog as I am so busy making for the big day. Wanted to pop in and say hello and wish you a Happy December. A lot is going on in the Suzie Sews household, some good and some not so good, but presents and decorations are busy underway, my calender is filling up by the hour, school concerts, appointments and all things BUSY!!! Its the time of year when the house comes alive, people popping in to say hello and being warmed by a glass of mulled wine.
Posted by Suzie Sews At DOTTY RED at 14:48 11 comments
Labels: christamas, cooking knitting baking, hooking, sewing