Crazylady82

Monday Madness...

Hey there people, well today I am feeling a little worse for wear due to the fact one of my bestest buddies came to see me yesterday and decided we should go to the pub which I have to say was a very cool plan as when we arrived at said pub we were delighted to find a jazz band playing and this made me doubly happy and smiley as I am hoping to book them for my approaching wedding :) So HAPPY! I have been searching everywhere and just couldn't find what I was looking for and then there they were, not very often I achieve anything by going to the pub other than a hangover :S

 

So I have been yarn shopping again, I realised that I needed more balls and colours for my super, duper huge ripply blanket. It is so nice to have a real reason to buy wool, means the fella can't moan too much about the expense!!! It has been a lovely day, We left the kiddies with my fabulous fella and my friend and I went for lunch and a yummy coffee and cake mmmm. I always find shopping with girlfriends much more enjoyable and boy did we giggle like teenagers hehe...do we ever really grow up? I think there will always be a big kid in me and I am going to let it out at every opportunity I get.

  My ripply is coming along nicely and is a real pleasure to crochet, working the colours and getting in as many happy hooky hours as possible is what I am living for at the moment. It is so much FUN! I LOVE IT. I can't put into words my total obsession and passion for this project, I feel if I get any happier I will actually burst. 

I am sooo in love with my ever expanding yarn collection and sometimes just sit admiring it thinking about all the lovely things that it is going to be turned into and all the smiles it is going to put on peoples faces when they are given woolly gifts. It does make me realise though that I am fast running out of room and have to slow down the purchasing... I am going now to get hooky and have a lovely peaceful family evening watching films and eating popcorn YAY! xxxxx

mmmmmm...crumble

This morning was one of those mornings when I just didn't want to leave the sanctuary of my bed. The sun was peeking through the gaps in the almost closed curtains and my squishy pillows were the perfect cushions for my head. Contentment wasn't the word, the fella brought a lovely cup of tea in for me in my sweet strawberry mug and the baby was happily talking away to himself at the bottom of the bed, it could have been a Sunday morning in Summer. Of course though it wasn't and no matter how much I want it the weekend(and start of Easter break) isn't here yet so I had to leave my lovely den of calm to start what was going to be a really happy, cheerful day.

I recently decided that the old sofas which we decided to keep until bug is big enough not to use them as dinner plates or drawing pads needed a bit of TLC. So I took a simple(very reasonably priced) blanket and decided to use it as a throw, I added to that some lovely(again very reasonably priced) cushions and hey presto a much happier looking sofa. Snag was as I only had one blanket the other sofa(we have two) was looking rather sad in comparison so today we went on a throw hunt. As the fella had his day off today I dragged him along as well with the promise of a full breakfast when we reached town(way to a mans heart and all that hehe!).

Well as usual with me and shopping for a particular item I get a little bit sidetracked with all the other nice things that catch my eye and my pennies are always a little bit depleted when I eventually reach my target...

My friends Birthday is fast approaching and we both collect limited bears and who can resist cuddling teddies??? I love it and may even have to buy another to frame.

I absolutely LOVE these things, slippers that go on like socks!!!...just right for keeping my little bugs toes all cosy and warm

Now these things are purposeful(well a little) I saw the bag last week and fell in love with it, I think anyone that grew up with Quentin Blake can't resist his cool and childlike work. I have the idea that even though it is meant for carry books it's compact size is perfect for carrying my crochet projects around, the blanket was a steal at £1 yes £1 I HAD to have it obviously I mean who could just walk past with all that spotty goodness calling out to be loved??? The cake tins I have admired in many different styles and in many different shops but couldn't at present justify the expense when we are moving but I had to make an exception for these as they were reduced to just £5 for the pair, and I don't know if you have noticed but the tablecloth which it is all comfortably sitting on is also a new household addition and again a BARGAIN at just £3.50! These things(and their prices) have made me very smiley, happy and pleased as punch with myself. So pleased was I with all my bargain hunting that I totally forgot to take a photo of the throw and cushions which were the reason we went out in the first place!!!

Today was also baking day, something which is vitally more important that shopping(hmmm maybe not) but it is very important and I am very pleased with all I achieved in one afternoon...

These are rhubarb, apple and strawberry crumble filling and rhubarb, apple and blackberry filling. I love making crumble and freezing it and on a busy, flustered day taking it out heating it up pouring on pints of hot custard and letting all the sweet, fruity goodness make all the stress and mess fade into the background mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

I made a lemon cake the other day to share with friends and I thought I went overboard a little but it went down so well that I was given direct instructions to produce another for our get together tomorrow, a very nice compliment if you ask me...now all I have to do is add the lemon curd filling and lemon icing mmmm... 

and finally I had some crumble mix left over so little bit of syrup, spice, some oats and raisins later and hey presto! Cookies and these little morsels are DELICIOUS I am telling you the scales are going to hate me the next time I stand on them but for the pleasure of these delights it is totally worth it ;)

And that really concludes my Thursday. I am all settled now and ready to sit and relax with my usual evening indulgence my little hook and my beautiful yarn. So I wish you a peaceful and blessed night and hope your Thursday was just as wonderful. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx   

Smiley times

I often here the phrase 'In my day' or the phrase 'why, when we were your age' and these are usually expressions used when referring to the amount of hard work done by our Mothers/Grandmothers generations. They remind us that they never had modern technology to 'do the work for them' but on reflection I have come to the conclusion that the modern Mother has the same if not(dare I say it) more work to do. Granted they did not have the revolutionary aids which we today take for granted but they didn't have school projects!!! You know what I mean when you plan your evening, a home cooked meal, some baking, reading and playing and your children with smiles on their innocent little faces inform you that they need the Taj Mahal, Mona Lisa or maybe even the town they live in brought to life with the materials you own in the small craft box at the end of their bed! Well todays gem was the obligatory Easter bonnet and an Easter garden! Well thankfully we do have freezers so I could grab something I had frozen last week to heat whilst I frantically try to 'help' create something decent whilst my baby cries and my older boys between cutting paper and smearing glue all over themselves chase the cat with a random piece of ribbon they have discovered! It was exhausting but I hope you will agree well worth the mess and hassle...

Easter Bonnet still wet, fresh, gloopy glue in view hehe...

 BAAAAAAA...

Easter garden??? I mean what does a garden look like at Easter??? I wanted Daffs but J was too lazy to make them...

Drying out getting ready to take to school in the morrow. 

So that was my afternoon and early evening taken care of and I must say it really did wear me out what with dinner and baby to deal with as well but we had fun and that is most definitely the main thing and I don't take advantage of any moments I can spend having fun with my fellas. So after such an eventful time I needed some me time and with kids in bed and all the dutiful housewife duties complete it is time to take out the yarn and have some hooky fun...

Yes that is right I am embarking on some ripply fun YAY! And it is courtesy of Lucy at Attic24. So I am going to continue to snuggle into my fluffiest blanket with a cuppa and my hook and yarn :) Night friends x 

Busy bee...buzzzzzz

Well I finally got out. Woke up yesterday and knew it was going to be a good day...I had a feeling in my bones if you will! We decided that we would make the most of the day as it has been so long since we all went out for the day so it was off on a train ride yay! The weather wasn't all that it could have been but who cares when just 2 stops away is the beautiful little town of Abergavenny or Y Fenni(Welsh).

These were on our walk from the station to the town centre. Abergavenny is a great place for shopping for little nik naks and pretty things which are my absolute FAVE!  I have to say that I originally went out with my purse bulging(it is a tiny purse) with yarn pennies but no sooner had we stepped foot into the town I was uncharacteristically distracted by the pull of the gorgeous, delightful, happy, happy, happy stores...

These places make me so happy my heart totally skips into my throat as we walk into them. I literally start to bounce on my heels and clap my hands with glee and that is me containing most of my excitement. 

 

One of Abergavennys lovely little gems is Caboodles and I treated myself to a lovely jug which I immediately put away for the new home. Unfortunately one thing we couldn't find was a yarn store and my poor purse was less of a bulge which meant that we were back on the train to another town to find some which of course we did and it has made me so happy.

 

But back to today and in case you haven't noticed Spring is here!!! The rain is pouring and the daffodils are at last blooming all around. The harsh(but fun) snowy winter meant that they have been a bit confused as to when to wake up but now they have and I am so pleased. We also saw some very cute lambs jumping in the fields yesterday and I don't think you can get much more 'Springy' than that ;). 

 

Flowers, I think are essential in the home. They perk me up do much walking into a room and seeing them smiling at me like old friends so as well as daffs I treated myself to some roses. I know that seems very strange but they caught my eye and I wanted them so I treated myself. 

I have been baking today as well. I made a large lemon drizzle cake for a fund raising meeting some of my girlfriends and I are having tomorrow and had some left over mixture and as it is nearly Easter I thought that the boys might like some little cupcake treats... 

Well I am off now as I am exhausted, bug is asleep and I have some crochet to catch up on(I also have some lovely things to share with y'all soon but they will have to wait as eyes are sleepy). TTFN xxxx

Cabin Fever

 Wow! I am ready to get out now, being stuck indoors for this long is just unbearable, I need some fresh air and something different to look at. The picture above is my window sill currently after having plants and flowers bestowed upon me on Mothers day. I love the little water can planter and the little blue bells it holds. I am pleased to say that I am almost better(this is said with everything crossed) and it will not be too long before I can once again pursue the things that interest me. Bug and I have had a relaxing day, the older monsters have been taken to the Roald Dahl museum which I am totally envious of! Hopefully their Father will take some cool pics for me to share I really hope so as I really want to see what it is like.

 I did achieve something I am very proud of today and that is I crocheted my first flowers and my first little star YAY! I am so happy about. I have also found another yarn shop which has made my heart almost burst with happiness, unfortunately they are closed until the 20th April but that just gives me time to save up the pennies so I can go crazy in there guilt free...

 

Well I am off to enjoy this lovely brew in my favourite Cath Kidston mug and a slice and a slither of this totally yummy Madeira cake mmmmmm mini 5 min heaven break :)

Fiddle Sticks!

Well with all the good intentions in the world this was meant to be a blog about Mothers day(I know that it falls later in the year in the States x) and the wonderful things it brings if you are lucky enough to have Children and partners that take notice and make effort which this year I was, but not had opportunity to upload the pics from that day. I also wanted to share with you the wonderful news on my eldest lad who achieved his first Taekwondo belt on Mothers day but again pics! Seems that I have not only got tonsillitis but have also caught the Swine Flu...And I must say it totally sucks :( not been able to do any of my favourite things since the weekend including crochet and eating!!! How devastating is that? The kids have been shipped out tonight to various family members for their own sanity rather than mine, I am not the happiest or most responsible person right now which doesn't go well with 8, 6, and 1 year old boys. I have been given the always exciting task of sleeping something I will do as much of as possible whilst cuddling up to my old faithful Mr Brown.

On a brighter note I did take some pics last weekend of a fabulous display the kids from the local schools put on through the town centre, we just happened upon this parade and didn't have time to take in all the information of what it was about but I got the gist that it was to showcase their wonderful team efforts and you will see by the photos they deserved all the praise they received



     x

This guy was most definitely my favourite.

Aren't they cool? I am sure my other half took some pics too I just haven't found them yet but if I do I will be sure to share them. So I am off to cuddle and snooze and think of when I can crochet again bye xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hectic

Well I did plan on writing a few days ago about great yarn and days out but things don't always go to plan. I went out last Thursday as I had been told about a wonderful craft store a few miles away. So we went on the train to seek out said store and I must say it was fabulous, My other half treated me to a substantial amount of beautiful yarn and I in turn treated him to a video game! It was a lovely day until we got home to discover our boiler had exploded and caused all kinds of damage to the flat below us(we live in a converted house with 2 flats). I was so shocked at first but luckily when I assessed our property it was just a few wet blankets and because we have insurance on the boiler and pipes it was no big deal to get it fixed thankfully. 

So after all that we really didn't need a poorly bug but that is exactly what we got. Tonsillitis. Unfortunately I am very prone to it myself and caught it immediately so I sit here writing this is lots of pain and a very swollen throat. Luckily bug seems to be over the worst of it now which is a blessing but I am rather sad as it seems I wont be able to make it to my biggest mans first Taekwondo grading tomorrow.

In other news I did want to share my latest crochet project with you and I am delighted to say I completed it a few days ago and am now working on a bag to match :)

this is my little bugs blanket, my first joining granny squares. 

Some of my new yarn. I was like a kid a sweet shop, couldn't take the smile off my face when I walked out with several bags, definitely enough to keep me going for a few weeks :)

Once I have finished the bag I plan on making some girly blankets for my nieces which I am really quite excited about. I suppose I had better get on so that I have more pics to share. TTFN x    

Hello again...

Right well as promised I am writing again. My little bug and I are currently enjoying some Beethoven whilst Mummy has a nice brew and a little rest ;) I don't know how successful I will be at keeping this up as I am a sufferer of bipolar and have 3 children which in turn take up a lot of my time but I think it is important to take 5 every now and then to have a bit of self time. Today I went to the doctors(a regular occurrence) and was given some advice on weight loss as I need to lose a substantial amount of weight to help with my health(and also I am getting married in August and want to be a bit slimmer for it!)I have also been referred for physio which is fab news, anyway that all seems terribly dull. I wanted to share some pictures I took the other day whilst taking the boys to school as I think they are really lovely. I soon want to start sharing my new hobby crochet with everyone but first I will finish my latest project and take some pictures of it. Anyway here are a couple of stunning pictures that I hope to have blown up and put in my new kitchen...

  

Well Hi there...

Well hello there people. I am not really what to say here, I suppose the first blog is always the most difficult to write as you are in fact just babbling to yourself. I decided to start a blog as I get so much pleasure from reading everybody elses. I love to get crafty as often as possible and I would love to share it all with the wonderful like minded people here on the tinternet! So I know this is not much of a great opening speech but it is late and I will surely blog some more in the morrow and waffle on about myself much, much more x
My first image on my first blog is a picture I took whilst enjoying some me time whilst my little bug was napping x