Summer Love and Pond life?

Well well well...the rain finally stopped for a day and the sun came out...just look at the difference from last weekend (see previous post) to this weekend, instead of bouncing rain on the garden table we had a little tea party set up...Mmmm the summery smell of a BBQ...just lovely...and you can not beat Pyrex for outdoor eating, this stuff is so strong... of course there was a big helping of knitting thrown into the pot...
as we sat and enjoyed the garden, the children and I were not alone...
My youngest one was delighted to be picking some of the strawberries that he had planted earlier on in the summer (one of the few plants not to have got washed away) all ready to chop for the fruit salad...
and on a day spent pottering around the garden it would not be complete without our free range bunny Archie and the guinea pigs (no photo's of them as they stayed in the shade)...
In fact the day was just so exciting we never really had time to change out of our PJs before the playing started...

At the start of the summer the children and I dug out a hole and sunk into it a big bucket to make a little child friendly pond, later we collected some tadpoles and slowly the the little bucket is starting to blend into the garden and fill with wildlife...just look at this fine fellow, so nearly there, soon he will be hoping off to make his own way in the world...
I added in a little solar powered fountain so when we are in the garden we can listen to the lovely sound of water tinkling away...
Looks like Archie likes it...
Now I did say the pond is coming to life and I have been looking through some of my nature books to be able to name the various insects and swimmers we are finding...this one has me stumped...it is attached to the wood in the pond (the wood is to help the frogs get in and out) its got some of the what looks like eggs submerged in water and some out of water...it iridescent and I have no idea what is gestating in this gloppy shimmering stuff...
I am guessing it will be some kind of fly...any ideas??? I started a search on the net and gave up after the various descriptions of Alien styled creatures...

So there you have it, at long last a peek into my life on a summer's day. How I love summer. My life is just hectic at the moment, nothing major just lots of end of school year stuff and the usual Mommy things. I am however also trying to work out my new lap top...another reason for the slowness in my postings, I am getting there and I am sure with in a week or so I will be up to speed...also I am on a 'FINISH THE WORK s IN PROGRESS' mission, so I am free for the summer holidays...I am getting there and I will be back to craft blogging on my next post, thanks for bearing with me. Off to sports day now...lets hope the rain stays off, those clouds are looking a little angry!!! Have a great day.

Rainy afternoon...craft time...

Another rainy afternoon, now I know I should be a bit fed up with all the rain we are getting at the moment, Hey it is the British summer time after all. When it rains this hard I feel it gives me just the excuse I need to ignore the gardening (unless I take up underwater gardening) and to just simple NOT DO the housework because that would make me just plain boring...no, a rainy afternoon is just the thing I need to get on with some guilt free crafting time... Its the end of the school year and I am caught up in a flurry of school trips, PTA events (baking cakes)! and end of term productions...Drama, Violin, Choir, the list goes on. I am so enjoying seeing the fruit of all the years work, also a little sad that the first school year for my little one is nearly over. I was in his classroom today (helping with a school activity) as the teacher ran through the itinerary with the children I looked around at the lack of personality to their cosy class room, the things that made this class room theirs...their name badges, the words of the year, the home corner, reading corner and of course all their fabulous art work...all areas now clear and I presume put in bags for them to bring home on the last day of term...
So whilst the rain came down later in the day and I found myself sitting at the kitchen table planning the weeks baking I thought I would add a bit of colour to the cakes I was needing to bake. So I popped into my craft cupboard and pulled out a few favourites...
After punching many, many perfect circles...with a little bit of sticky tape and a few colourful plastic (hygienic) sticks...
...there you have it, little flag style toppers suitable for the best sand castles or to decorate cakes with...
So the baking begins and the list is a long one, the cakes are made first so I can nibble on them whilst I cook...

TIP... if you bake a lot of cakes and like me, you get a bit fed up making butter icing...make it in large batches (as long as your butter is well in its best before date) and store it in plastic boxes (similar to the ones you get at take aways) and keep them in the fridge. Take them out a good hour before baking to soften the icing and if desired you can mix in colour or flavour (vanilla, almond etc...). The children like helping me with the batches as we usually end up with a Kitchen like a Christmas snow scene.

Knit therapy...a work in progress

Knit therapy, it is indeed a work in progress, it is constantly ongoing with moments of pure high when you finish a garment...but it is so much more than that, the excitement of planning your next project, the visit to the yarn shop, fondling the yarn and getting just the right one and leaving with your little bag of goodness...It is indeed therapy for the sole. Then you have the hours of knitting time, time in front of the telly, sitting under a tree in the garden or (and I have been known) to even knit in the bath. When you equate the cost per hour, knitting is a cheap hobby, yes the yarn seems expensive at first, think of the hours of enjoyment you get as apposed to a drink in the pub in an evening...a couple of glasses of wine and your already on to the price of two luxury skeins of yarn. Maybe if your really flush you could even treat yourself to the two!!!
I have wanted to knit all my life, I learnt to crochet a chain by my cousin (we sadly lost her to cancer last year) when I was a small girl, I knitted squares, just squares...I could not do anything else, I think they all ended up in the bin, my Mom was never much for keeping things for sentimental purposes. Through my travels in life a few people have offered to teach me to knit but it never happened then one day a couple of years ago a friend (that would be you Caroline) actually sat down with me and taught me to read a pattern and by the end of the first session I had been taught to psso!!! (I have blogged about this previous) I rushed off the next day to buy the yarn for the pattern I had been given to work on. The shop assistant must have known I was so innocent to the world of knitting as she sold me a completely inappropriate yarn...not to be put off I worked on this project till it was finished...
It was big and bulky and very thick not really suitable for the babe I had made it for, I had rib stitches when I should have had moss and visa versa, the buttons did not fasten up straight and the general look was a little, well odd! Still I learnt so much from that piece of knitting and through this knitting my acquaintance with the teacher grew from just another Mom friend to a great friendship and we carried on our knitting time for a couple of years until a move made it impossible for us to continue, still we see each other a few times a year, time gets focused on our knitting and we chat via the phone about our projects and yarn and all things wool related.
Knitting has become part of my everyday being, I knit pretty much everyday, I have a project in most rooms, yes I would love to be a 'faithful to one project' kind of knitter, no I have lots on the go at one time. Socks when I am in the car for those few minutes before schools out, a huge messy basket by my chair in the living room with my big projects in, a knitting bag for knitting night and a pile by my bed of yarn I just like to look at when I slip into sleep or pick up and knit a few rows when my youngest once again can not sleep and needs to climb into my bed for a few hours, once I am awake I can get back to sleep easily so a few rows always helps.
Yes knitting has changed my life, what could be nicer than to sit and pass through your hands a beautiful natural wool and with every stitch you knit with love a garment for your children to wear. I look at the sweaters, bags and scarfs not to mention the endless mittens on string I knit and I remember so much about the place I knitted them in, the age of the children and it triggers off a whole trip down memory lane, a living photograph. Some remind me of happy times of sitting in the garden by the pond whilst the frogs make their merry noise whilst sipping a cool glass of something summery. Sometimes the memories are so sad, when I knitted a sweater by the side of my fathers bed as I watched him, day after day, slip away from me, helpless to do anything about it. Yes these are the memories of life and my knitting keeps them alive for me. For my children I keep a knitting journal of my knitting, photos of my projects and a few words that will help them to understand the importance and the need to make things by hand.

Today I was reading the book Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson, one paragraph really stood out for me...Wrapping Knitted Gifts:One of the simplest ways to present a handmade gift is wrapped-without a box-in tissue paper that compliments the gift. It does not mater if the tissue is wrinkled, or if the corners are not perfectly square. To tie the package with yarn leftover from the project and to make a gift tag by stamping the recipient's name on a pretty piece of paper. I think this wrapping has a sweet, imperfect feeling just like so many hand made gifts.

Photographs: 1)Finished this week, felted handbag knitted in Noro 2) Debbie Bliss knitted sweater for my youngest with a sail post motif knitted on the front (WIP) 3) The socks...whoops I have dropped a stitch and I need to buy a tiny crochet hook to pick up the dropped stitch several rows down caused by watching Hero's on the telly. 4) The basket by my chair...just too much going on here 5) My favourite knit made a few summers ago and still in use, a ducks patter, my first pattern and I was overjoyed with it especially as it was my little ones favourite thing to wear. Also his night time bear that gets a new sweater made with the odds and ends of the yarn of my youngest ones latest sweater so they each have the same clothes.

4th July...

It is with warm wishes I wish any one who is American a very Happy 4th July...

Beach hut dreaming...

My whole life I have felt the need to 'nest' to make a place my own. It can be any place just so long as I make it mine. Even as a child I would rearrange my bedroom every week. I think its a need in me to put roots down. As an adopted child I have no roots, I do not know where I came from, the hospital I was born or indeed any family history. So the need in me to dream of a little home I call 'my own' is a strong one. I think my desire for a beach hut is all part of this... So many pictures of my week away and some fabulous memories of time spent with my babes, as I go through the photo's the beach huts seem to feature a lot. What is it about these little buildings, often in some disarray, they pull at my heart strings and I imagine decorating them with Cath Kidston fabrics and collecting lovely vintage treasures to fill it with and a beach hut would not be complete without a set of miss matching Tupperware...
A place to brew the perfect cuppa on a hot day, for a sleeping babe to enjoy their slumber away from the mid day rays, to change out of your swimsuit with style rather than fumbling under a towel that inevitably drops at the crucial moment revealing you 'bum' to all the beach...
Of course this being the UK we have to factor in a good dose of rain throughout the summer...so a place to throw everything in when the heavens open, never mind the tea a huge mug of hot chocolate topped off with marshmallows to put a smile on the children's faces...can not you not just imagine yourself there?
To watch the sun rise and set, to build a campfire in the late evening so you can BBQ the sausages to fill those hungry tummies after a day of splashing and digging, a place to curl up in whilst the sand itches your cooling skin as the day light fades...
Yes this is what a beach hut is all about...but it is just a dream, in reality this is the closest we get, sheltering from a cloud burst..hey a girl can dream...can't I???

(one of these beach huts was up for sale at the small cost of offers over £70,000)

WIP update for my next post...and so many of them!!!

Birthday giveaway winner is...

Thanks so much guys for leaving so many thoughtful Birthday wishes...I can assure you it was a great birthday, despite all the issues that I usually carry around with me on my birthday (see last years birthday post). This was a great way to celebrate...I have just had so much fun over the last two weeks...the highlight being a surprise night out, well I thought I was going out for a pizza...only the taxi was a limo and it did not take me to the pizza place but to a restaurant. When it pulled up and the door was opened for me and my glass of champagne was taken from me...I got all giddy when I saw some of my special friends in the window with big cheesy smiles on their faces... Yep...I had been got! You know I can not tell you much about the night as I was just too giddy to take it all in...OK maybe the bubbly had something to do with it. It was very special for me to share my birthday with so many lovely people, how blessed I am to have such special, wonderful and caring friends...There was me feeling all sorry for myself that no one cared...Ha who feels silly now? That would be ME!!!

The reason for no blogging this past week is I took the children off school and we went for a whole week by the beach...we packed up our wet suits and body boards, lots of towels and pic nic goodies and headed for the surf...in reality it actually rained quite a few days, but we would hide under a beach hut for shelter and eat ice cream. Anyway lots of photos to go through and a huge amount of knitting took place in the evenings when the children had gone to sleep and I would pour a glass of chilled wine and curl up on the sun lounger on my balcony and watch the waves whilst the sun went down...Oh bliss...For now though its time to return to reality, unpack and sort all the 'stuff' out. Then its on with living the 'Suzie Sews' life a year older and wiser with some very special memories!!!

As for the giveaway I am so pleased to announce the winner is the lovely Louise from Home is Where the Heart is...drop me an email with your address Louise and I will send out the goodies as soon as possible. Once again I thank you all for your lovely wishes it made my birthday even more special and I thank you for that...

Birthday giveaway!!!!

In tradition of giving rather than receiving on your birthday I am going to have a little giveaway. Just a few of the little things that I make regularly, A 'Suzie Sews' patchwork pin cushion, a set of pegs, great for pinning up special pictures or even just for keeping your socks in pairs and my latest little venture...one of the hair clips from my current order... All you have to do is leave a comment over the next week and I shall draw the winner and announce the name next week...Good luck...See you in a week when I shall be older and wiser:-)

A Bird in the hand...

Look at the pretty lady that arrived in the post for me this week, just what I needed to chase away the effects of all those Glitches. Is she not just the sweetest little thing? the workmanship is just superb. Her name is 'Poppet' and she now lives above my work station in my sewing room. She came from the very talented hands of Pink Petal Designs...I Thank You Sarah... I have a little extra company at home at the moment, my wee one is running a fever and is spending his time in the day tucked under a much loved and now slightly worn out looking (because of the amount of love and cuddles it gets) quilt. You just can not beat a homemade quilt to cover yourself up in when your feeling poorly. At night, well that's a different story, he spends his nights climbing all over me, so this Mommy is rather tired and the lack of sleep is seriously starting to show now...
So today I will be getting lots of cuddles in with my little one. The weekend was full of lots going on, we have just finished eating all the cakes, on Sunday we discovered a bird in our garden that could not fly, I phoned round various places and I was instructed to take our bird to the local Bird Sanctuary... Once we had got her out of her hiding place I picked her up and put her into a pet basket and off we went for a drive of discovery...Sat Nav decided not to work and I had no idea how to get to the sanctuary, an hour later and having asked five people the way we took in our bird, I was worried due to the amount of time we had taken. I am pleased to report that they thought she would pull through...
The boys and I got treated to a tour around the place, which was a lovely way to spend the afternoon. That evening my older child was singing in a choir to raise money for our local hospice, it was a sell out and the children sang lovely, they ended the concert by singing 'World in Union' which was very moving considering what is happening in this world and to hear the children sing the meaningful words. I had a big treat this week, as a birthday gift from one of my friends (I hit a big birthday next week but the less said about that the better) I was taken to the theatre, I have not been to the theatre for ages and I had forgotten how much I enjoy it. It was a great night and the play itself was just Fab.


With all the stuff that's going on I have not picked my needles up this week so its no wounder I am a little twitchy...I need to get some sewing and knitting time, maybe later today...I am working on an order so that should push me a little, little Yo Yo hair slides...



Now ages ago, pre computer glitches I was tagged by the lovely Miss Sew N Sew...I enjoy reading these tag answers as I think you can find out a lot about the blogger so I thought it was about time I answered the Tag...(Go and check out her blog she has just returned from a great holiday, she has some lovely pictures to share)...







1) What was I doing ten years ago?I had just got married and was living a life which evolved around my career, yes I was a career girl, I was also into entertaining friends by cooking huge dinners. I was busy setting up home and adjusting to sharing after living a life of Independence. We starting to think about having a family but at this stage all that 'trying' was just good fun!!! I was a serious drinker and into having a serious good time BUT I also worked seriously hard too...Oh how things have changed!!!
2)What are 5 things in your to do list today? Just Five??? Well everyday is different...1)I have some house work to get on...ironing, bed changing that sort of thing. 2) A birthday cake to bake for someone. 3) An order to work on. 4) Mow the lawn and then plant up some seedling with the children. 5) Find out how the bird we rescued at the weekend is getting on at the bird sanctuary. Then again I might just be cuddling my sick babe!!!
3)Snacks I enjoy:Chocolate, Avocados, Pistachio nuts, Olives, More Chocolate
4)Things I would do if I was a billionaire Of course I would make the donations that would help people less fortune than myself. Live by the Sea and have my own beach hut.Own a fab shop, a mix of yarn and fabric and all things in between. A place to relax in and meet up with people for a coffee whilst you poke through all the delights on offer.Take my children to see my soul mate and her family in Australia.To stop worrying about not being able to provide for my children, saying this they still would not get everything they want, but I would know I could take them on holiday, eat good food and provide the education they require as they move through life and set them up as they enter their adult life.
5) Places I have lived inParis/France. Crete. Rhodes. Spain. United Kingdom-in the UK I have moved around a lot, saying that I have never really settled until I had my children and have now been in the same place for a number of years.
6) Jobs I have had I qualified as a florist and spent quite a few years in this industry, sadly it was so poorly paid I couldn't pay my bills, so I up and went off to see the world and worked my way round a few countries working for a holiday company as a Holiday Rep, I returned to the UK and worked at a luxury Health Spa then I fell in to training and recruitment...LONG HOURS but GREAT PAY, it suited my lifestyle at the time. I also spent a short time working as a Veterinary Manager...this was a great job I spent a lot of time just cuddling little puppies...As a child I always had little jobs to earn pocket money...I sold homemade perfume to neighbours when I was a wee girl, I also spent time helping in a library, a florist as a Saturday Girl and a garden centre. Throughout my adult life I have also volunteered for charity work...I am a big believer in the community and being part off it and helping...basically you get out of this world what you put in...
7) Six peeps I want to know more about:-
I am so rubbish at this bit, I am reminded of the dreaded chain letter as a child, so rather than state names I give you an open invitation, if you have not done this please feel free to consider yourself tagged by me...See Miss Sew N Sews blog for the rules...

Giveaway on its way....

Feeling creative...

Guess what...the computer has been down again...so its been a little slow around here on the posting front...let me assure you the frustration of it all is getting the better of me....saying that though it has meant that the free time has been spent catching up on the sewing and a little knitting... Remember this post right at the end, the photo of the two fabrics, the possibilities ended up being my summer bag, which is already getting plenty of use, the little flower just finishes it off and means I can co-ordinate the bag with any jacket by unpinning the flower off the bag and wearing it on my jacket...
It has been madness around here, the various failings continue, all silly little things but enough to rock the boat a little. This weekend it was the local Summer fair, usually I work in the craft room, as I had no babysitter for the children this year I chose to put my own kids first and go as a participant with them. I have volunteered in the craft room for nearly five years now so I was feeling a little odd about it all and not involved, so I put together a craft activity, a pile from my stash of card making. Also I agreed to bake lots for the cake stall...

So I dragged the children shopping for the baking goodies then I spend an evening baking. My older one asked me why I do this? We had a chat and I said 'You should be pleased that Mommy does this to help out the community that you are part off' I thought this would be a good example for him, his reply 'I do like it Mommy, but it means you do not play with us' Let me tell you this upset me. I was late arriving to the fair because of another 'Suzie Sews household glitch' plus I had a good old chat with my mate on the other side of the world which did cheer me up a little...
I ran into the fair to the cake stand and I was greated in complete innocence to the comment of 'Oh no not more cakes'...Yes by this stage I wish I had played with my children. Still for supper we had a few of our cakes for pudding and though I say so myself..very tasty and it made the children very happy.

SO its all going on and not all the way I wish. Its got to the stage that its laughable...I consoled myself this week with catching up on a little patchwork (see pictures) I even labeled all my blocks so I now know how many blocks I have to get done, just over half way through it now...

With the glitches on the computer I am still so behind I have a great Tag to follow up on and just some emails to return and ofcourse some blog reading...I will get round to it, please bear with me and thank you for your supportive comments and emails. Hopefully next week normality will resume...Normality...who am I kidding!!!

Land and Sea/Sea and Land... (off topic)

OK we are good to go...well actually we are only just getting there but getting there we are!!!The computer man has got me online again although the system is S...L...O...W...I had some loses but so far it looks like most of the photos are OK...(Note to myself...do a back up). Thank you for your support and lovely comments whilst I have been offline I truly appreciate them. So as I was saying before my computer failed me...
Indulge me if you will while I reminisce about my holiday... The coastline we go to on a regular basis is just beautiful the mixture between land and sea is stunning especially at this time of year...The holiday was filled with lots of outdoor activity, from long and sometimes quite risky walks along cliff edges...
To early evening frolics on deserted beaches...You just can not beat the wind in your hair, the cooling feel of the sea spray and the sand between your tippy toes...
Things got built, made and dug out...
The boys hard at work digging up their very own replica of Venice including the lagoon and all the canals...all dug out by hand...Now this is a rare picture of the three of us, most of the time it is just the three of us so I am very rarely in a picture with my children, it was only after looking at this picture a couple of times I realised I was in it to...if only a shadow of my usual self...
When the sun gets a little to much we retreat to out beach nest for a little Hot Chocolate, some knitting and maybe a few tunes! Whilst I am quite happy to play on a beach all day, balance is a good thing so we headed slightly in land and ventured to a little bit of Eden...Through the gate...

to admire the views...
to follow the tracks...
and take a peek at things found...
Last but not least...you can not pay a visit to a farm with out a play in the hey loft...Woosh see that child go...
As for the usual Suzie Sews projects...so many on the go at the moment and so much other stuff keeps getting in the way...currently knitting three projects, sewing four different things, still working on the garden (although nearly finished now) as for the house...well lets just say I have never been house proud...Much to my Moms horror...maybe this is the reason she always makes excuses up not to visit us!!! The house is getting a little bit of a face lift, but it has taken four weeks to paint the hall and stairs!!! I need to find my Summer Rhythm soon...More on that another day...