Happy birthday Donny

Today is my hubbys birthday so I just wanted to wish him a happy birthday have a wonderful day Donny xxx

New year greetings .

I hope everyones new year is off to a wonderful start, ours is going pretty good so far, our christmas was hectic but a whole lot of fun :-)) lots of parties and always seemed to have a housefull lol!! For the first time this christmas i had some stitchy gifts and i am so pleased with them it makes a big chamge for me and i was chuffed to bits :-)) I have added the charts to my to do pile all kitted up but i have to be honest i do have a whole lot to get through before i can even get started on these, I have never had a stand before so I am looking foward to giving it a try i am only ised to using my hoop so its all new!!! I had a few dancing games for xmas on the ps3 too and i am so looking foward to having a good go on them, get me up and moving and get some of this weight off lol at least i onkly put a few pounds on over xmas so its not too bad i guess. At least this year we havent been covered in snow either so its been a bit warmer which is great, I hope you are all enjoying the holidays xxx

Happy new year!!!

I hope you all enjoy your evening. We are having a street party shared between three houses tonight its gonna be hectic lol!!! Stay warm and stay safe xxxx

Merry christmas!!!

I would just like to send a warm christmas wish out to all my wonderful friends on here please have a happy and safe holidays. See you all in 2012!!!!

My latest christmassy finishes :-))

I have acually been busy stitching this month, my hubby is insisting that its because ive run out of ps3 games to play lolz if thats the case I wont be stitching for a good while once I get my xmas pressies hehehe. But I at least made all my boys their xmas cards which I am very proud of :-)) Im just so so happy with the way they have turned out and I was so glad to hear that they were liked too. It gets difficault sometimes to work out what to make for others so i just decided to make what I liked because afterall I have to work on them and i have to look at them too haha. I have even dusted off the ones I have made and have had made for me the last few years and hung them up to as I thought why not its not like most people display christmassy stuff all year well with the exception of me and my dragon dreams santas dragon hanging in my hallway. Its so big and took me so long to do it I dont see why i shouldnt have it hanging on display all year round. I have been so busy running around trying to get christmas all sorted out and finally I am done with the presant buying and I have all my cards made written and ready to mail out. And I have been busy trying out new recipies too which has been a lot of fun and the boys have deffinatly enjoyed being taste testers :-))

Its almost here!!!

Well its almost that time of year again :-)) A time for fun filled by the spirit of the season. Its started a little earlier than usual at our home as we put up our decorations last friday night where as they would usually go up tomorrow night on our carnival night. This year as i am so on top of things and our christmas is almost nearly all wrapped up i decided we could have it brought into the house just a little earlier :-))) Ive been busy working on my christmas cards the last few days while snuggled up watching christmas movies and trying to get over the chest infection i have managed to pick up somewhere but luckily this one isnt too bad i am managing to cope with out taking any meds for it so far but it really does slow me down a bit. I am hoping to finish getting the rest of my decorations up today if the time allows that is lol being busy is hard work you know!!! How are you all getting on with your christmas stitching??? And how are you getting along with your shopping??? The shopping centers by me seem to be getting busier and busier as the weeks are flying by its crazy as it seems to just speed up so much the older you get lol.

Halloween treats!!!!

This week i have been very spoilt and feel very lucky :-)) I recieved my halloween sxchange parcel from Annabella on the smo board and i loved it very much its always the exchange i look foward to most every year. It always amazes me the very different things you recieve from different countries and how everyone celebrates these things in their own ways :-)) I always look foward to sending and recieving this exchange and this year is even more special as it will be the first one ive been home in three years i know i keep saying it but i cant help myself im just so excited!!!!!!! I would love to hear how you all celebrate your halloweens if you do because i do realise that not everyone is as crazy about these holidays as i am :-)))

I was also lucky enought to recived this wonderful package full of halloween charts from Lynda its fantastic!!!! you can never have too many halloween charts i think and most of these i had never even seen which is a real bonus. Thankyou both for helping make my halloween great this year :-))))))

Been making chrsitmas cards again :-))

Here they are for you all to see :-)))

A new finish

Here is my lastest finish its from this years halloween sdition of the jcs magazine i thought it looked cute so i stitched it up :-) I used my fabbie and dmc and six strand sweets.

I have also been working on ths smo halloween sal heres my start also done on my fabbie :-) I have been using dmc so far but i did use krenick glow in the dark on the ghost too so it will come to life in the night time :-)Im looking foward to halloween this year it will be the first time in three years i will be home with all my family after Leon has finished with his kickboxing so we are going to be having a party over the weekend cant wait!!!!!!

September Update.

September has been a difficault month filled with both happy and sad times but every new month that comes our way holds dofferent challenges for us all to deal with. Leon has gone back to school this month and started on his GCSES he was given all the subjects he choose which made him a very happy boy :-) i hope he keeps his head down in school this year and concentrates on hios work and not girls lol. We hope you do well this year babe.

Jake has started college and so far is loving being out of school and in a different place school was never easy for Jake and im hoping that he will thrive in a new enviroment and he makes new friends.

I had to come to terms this month with coming face to face with my mothers mother which i have not done in over 5 years as well had a falling out. My father called and told me that she had bee taken ill on holidays nad had had a brain anirsym. I was torn with what to do and how i should be feeling about it all after everything that had happened in the past but i did decide to go to the hospital and visit with her. I have since been to see her since she has been home and made sure both my boys have been to visit her too but if im honest im not sure what happens next, Everything has changed so much in my life im still really not sure what to do for the best with this situation at all.

We also lost a close family friend this month to brain cancer. Mike was only 51 and it has hit Leon very hard as he was quite close to him. Its the first funeral i have ever had to take my son too even though he has had a few people die in his life time at only 14 now im not sure he even totally understands exactly what death means apart from that person just dissapears from your life and you never see them again. But at least he is now prepared for the fact that noone is here for ever and death is a big part of life too.

I have to say i am a long way behind on my crafts and stitching i do have a finish but i cannot show you as it is for the smo halloween exchange once it arrives in the usa i will post i promise :-)) I have been busy trying to get the garden sorted before winter oh and i have decorated my room so i guess thats kept me real busy this month.

August update

Well this has been a very fun filled month!! We have had day trips out weve been to Cardiff and tenby. Ive gotten to neet one of my stitchy friends too its the first time ive ever gone out to meet someone ive meet off the internet but im really glad i did because Hanna is great!!! here we are on the beach at tenby. Its just great getting to put a face next to a person whom you have been talking to for years via email i look foward to meeting more of my stitchy friends this way too :-)) Donny and I have also celebrated our 16 year wedding anniversary this month after being together for more of our lives than we have been apart its woth remebering just what a marriage means and how great it is to have a person in your life for so long I love you Donny xxx :-))). Our fur baby also turned 14 this month hes still going strong bless him!!! Even though he is on meds for his heart and anti=inflamitories for his athritas he still is a big part of our family and still fill of beans!!! sometimes i think he forgets just how old he is mind!!!! So happy birthday Bud!!!! Jake got his GCSE results this month too and we are just so so proud of him he got 5bs and 5cs enough to secure him his place in college and he will start his courses in september for maths and ict he was going to do physics to but has now changed his mind to do geography we hope he enjoys a new start and does just as well in his alevels. We are so proud of you Jake!!!

happy birthday Jake!!!!

WOW doesnt time fly???????????? I can hardly believe that my oldest boy is sixteen today sixteen!!!! Hes changed so much in the last year. Hes grown up so much and has a lovely girlfriend who i think is great :-)) She spends quite a lot of time here with us so its lovely to have another girl around for a change. Just wanted to say we love you Jake and hope you have a fantastic day enjoy Harry potter xxxxx

June update

Where is this year going??? June already!!! It just seems to be flying by its hard to believe that it will be christmas again in just 6 months time,,,,Life here has been busy this last few months but jake has finally finished his GCSEs and left school now we just have the wait to see how well hes done and if he will get the place in college that he wants in september. Leon has a new intrest he has gone fishing mad at the momment and its lovely to se him truley happy in his hobby for a change :-)) when he said in the kitchen this week that he is just so happy to not be lickboxing anymore i had to agree with him we are no longer under any pressure in anyway and its been fantastic to be able to go back to being me. So what about me?? what have i been upto...well to be honest not that much when it comes to stitching or crafting. I have been working on my head but slowly the sasme with my enchanting lair i will show you lol this is my haed a little more done but not much as you can see but i will get there eventually i keep telling myself haha. And this is my enchanting lair a little progress made on her wings but tahst about all. I have found myself encrossed with my ps3 playing burnout paradise and little big planet in the weeek and singstar, beatles rockband and band hero on the weekend with the boys thats when we havent all gone over to our friends for the evening having fun :-)) But saying that i really have got into zumba on the ps3 too and i am loving beging to keep fit all over again i dont think ive ever done a work out so intense and i always feel fantastic afterwards :-))

If any of you have a ps3 please feel free to add me my user name is starydreamer. Well one more thing to share with you all before i head into the garden to try and do a little stitching as it acually apears to remember that it is summer here after all lol I found there wonderful earrings in a local store in the week arent they great!! I just lovethem what a find :-)) Take care of yourselves xxxx

Sad day

30 years ago today you and you were gone for ever mam. I dont remember much being just 6 years old and in my grandparents that day home from school ill when my gan walked a=in and told me that my mammy had gone to be with the angels in heaven leaving me and my three year old sister with just a daddy. I remember thinking from that day on that I didnt like god why did he have to take my mammy??? But being older now i realise it was proberly much better for her. Truth is I only ever remember her battling the cancer not even being able to walk or talk towards the end or having any hair when it had gotten to her brain as i now know. But when your six you need your mammy.

School was hard especially around mothers day when the primary school i went to insisted on me making a card when i had no mammy to give it to and that was just the start, Growing up with my grandparents with my father living next door it was hard. I was bullied throughout my school years because of this. The hand me down clothes we used to get from family i never minded but other children can be so cruel. I found it difficault to talk to my gran about things she was so much older and though the times changed from when my mother was small we were brought up with the same rules which again made us different from other kids. I remember i was 14 when i had my first pair of jeans as they werent for girls and i wasnt allowed them i had to save the little pocket money i had and buy them myself. Silly little things i know.

It was even harder when i had my first son, especially as he was a special care baby. I was never sure if i was cut out to be a mam when i hadnt really had one myself . Every mothersday was a struggle for me thinking of what you had missed out on with me and my sister and every year i see my sons grow that year older i am so happy to still be here with them knowing i am lucky enough to have that. I try so hard to give them everything i know you would of given us love, time, attention and try to make them as good and polite as i possibly can . I just really wish you were here with us to see this and i hope that where ever you are i am making you proud love you mam xxxxx

Easter baking :-)

Here is my easter cake :-))) I love it!!! so pretty and sooo cute!!! Whats everyones plans for this easter?? I can see most of mine being spent in the garden :-))) xxx

Spring??? Its more like summer!!!

Wow it seems like we have stepped straight from winter into summer...what happened to spring???? not that im complaining one little bit its beautiful and we already have the pool up and weve had quite a few bbqs to make up from all those years we have been too busy before to make time for ourselves :-))) We had a wonderful time last night out in the garden until almost 1am!!! thats how warm it was next to fire anyways lol. And Jakes girlfriend came over for the bbq it was really a good night. I love to spent time with my boys and i have missed it so so much the last few summers they are growing far too fast these days i have to make the most of it xxxx

Getting prepared

I cant believe how quickly a year has passed even though it wasnt a shock that the letter arrived in the post two weeks ago because i knew it was coming again. Its time for my yearly breast screening again and im dreading it. Not so much in the fact that i dont want to have it because that would be silly its the sensable thing to do then if i do get anything at least they will detect it early and hopefully that means i would recover. Im doing it for my boys i could of said no but i decided maybe its for the best just so i know whats what. I just really hate having it done its just so uncomfortable because im not exactly small in that area theres a lot of boob to get squashed into that machine but at least this year i am prepared for what they are going to do to me not like last year. My husbands been on the edge since the letter arrived and i know hes not going to be able to relax until the results come back hopefully clear again. Me im ok theres no point in worrything about these things i just wish he would relax a little. Anyway enough of that talk... Ive had a little bit of time and i have put a few stitches in on my fairy a quarter of the chart is now done so i am getting somewhere at least according to the paper anyway lol ill let you be the judge of it :-))). Weve had more lovely weather so ive been working like a mad person getting the front garden under control we have crazy paving under some of the hedges and i hate it!!! Takes so much time to do who ever thought that was a good idea has a lot of explaining to do i can tell you!!!! But the weathers changed and its raining and cold after getting a shade browner in the garden on sunday just wish it would its mind up and decide if its spring or not then we would know where we are isnt it :-))).

Smells like yum!!!!

Just thought i would share that i am baking strawberry,banana and white chocolate chip muffins!!! And even though i dont like banana or white chocolate they smell lovely :-)))))

aaahhhh the weekend :-))

Wow where did march go??? Seems like it had only just began and now we are already into april. I must be getting older because the time seems to be spining by very fast these days. We have been having terrible weather the last few days rain and gale force winds which shock my greenhouse so badly that all my plants feel and ive lost them all i have to start all over once i buy new seeds :-( and we had quite a big thunderstorm last night too. I havent done much in the way of anything this week the bruising has come out on the ankle i fell onto and now the other one is black after coping with being used more than usual it obviously still isnt right and i still havent heard anything about my mri results so im still non the wiser really there. I have sat this afternoon and made some cards for all occasions just for something crafty to do for a change. Its been a little while and i did need to make cards for my stepmum for her birthday and mothers day tomorrow. You can see the other cards i made here I also have been working on my enchanting lair wip here she is this didnt take too long to do while i sat and watched some tv i was quite impressed how much i managed for me in just a few hours lol. Ive got myself addicted to ratchet and clank a crack in time on the ps3 and have spent over 14hours in the last two days on it i know i know its shocking!!!!!! but im really enjoying it and well with sore ankles i have to rest them right???? hehehe. Well i guess id better go make a start on food i dont want to be on my feet all evening cooking i want to do something fun :-))))) xxx

Having a busy week

Well the sun has been shining brightly here all week and its been over 20c so its been more like summer than the start of spring. So weve been busy busy chopping down trees and cutting back brambles. Painting fences and the shed and side gate. Cleaning down the floors with a power washer. It was all going really really well untill i was loading the care on thursday morning when i somehow managed to fall in my front garden while walking back from loading up the branches into the back of my car :-((. I have only managed to twist my good ankle and bruise my left hip too. Oh sometimes i wonder how i get by with all the accidents i have i really do. But saying that i am walking much better on it this morning so hopefully thats a good sign. One a lighter note as you can see i kinda got my greenhouse!!!! We went up to morrisions on monday afternoon to get a few bits and pieces and they were selling these on sale for �15.00 ok its not the biggest one in the world but its great and i love it!!! Its the perfect start for me to get me doing more gardening this summer :-))). There always seems like theres so so much to do and because i totally necklegted it all last year there is twice as much as usually so ahhh well i guess i will get there in the end. The only downside is the decorating has still been put on hold but i will get back to that on the days i cant do the garden. It was so lovely here yesterday we managed to have a bbq in the garden last night too. It was fantastic to soend a few hours with my boys just messing about and having a laugh it seems like forever since we had the last one but this one will be the first of very many this year. And when my wine has finished brew ing next week im so looking foward to drinking it on my patio and relaxing :-) Hope you all have a great weekend xxxxx

Buds new hididng place

My dog is terrified of the hoover always has been. Ive had to move my kitchen table into my living room for Donny and when i was hoovering the other day i turned around and this is where he was lmao!!!! So cute i just had to share :-)))))))))))))))))))))))

What Ive been upto :-)

Well truth be told since finishing my last dragon dreams design i havent really put much in way of needle to fabric. I have made a start on the head design. I choose a freebie to begin with just to see if i have the patience to really do it and the small piece that i have done seemed to take me a few hours so for me this is going to be a very long project i think. Can you tell what it is yet???? I very much doubt it haha. I did however pull out an ols wip this morning and do some backstitching on it ooohhhhhh how i detest backstitching i really really hate it i do wonder sometimes if i just pick the patterns with the most in it just to agrivate myself!!!! I really do believe it is the reason why this piece hardly gets picked up with me just because there is just so much of it!!!!! Any winge over lol the dragon seems to be comeing along beautifully even if a little slowly so i should just stop winging about it :-) Ive also started to plant my seeds ready for the summer this morning too. I really really need a greenhouse i would love to have one but i guess i will just have to see how far i can stretch myself there. But for now at least they are on my kitchen windowsill what i have [planted so far anyway i still have loads left but not enough space!!! There tomaotes, chillis, courgets, peppers, spices, some flowers and more i cant remember now lol how useless am i!!! And as i started to clear out the winter from the garden yesterday I have alot of old stuff to go down to the local recycling place once i have finished my coffee now. I dont want to see it built up this summer i want my garden to be a lovely place to go out and sit. As last year i was way to involved in other things i had no time to enjoy it but this year i will have plenty and im really starting to look foward to it. Weve been so lucky this last few weeks the sun has been beautiful and its been warm enough to walk around in a tshirt untill teatime when its been really cold and foggy most nights too just a reminder i think that its not even spring yet. Hope everyones having a lovely week xxxx

Happy birthday Leon!!!!

Oh my where does all the time go!!! It flashes past so quickly these days I can hardly believe i have 14 and 15 year old boys!!!! Long gone is my chance for a cuddle and a story but still it is nice to see them turning into young men :-). I made this card for Jake to gtive to Leon as he is a mad Man utd support unfortunitly lol!!! Its just with me being a Cheksea supported and his Dad being a Liverpool supporter it does get heated around our house sometimes lol. Well I hardly seen anything of Leon today. He went to the local lazer zone that has opened in town with a big collection of his friends and Jake and his girlfriend then he went off to town whil i was home baking his cake and preparing a home made from scratch Indian meal for his birthday meal. We had turkey birianni, beef vindaloo, garlic and ciorriander narn breads and onion bahgis all made from scratch!!! It took a few hours but was well worth it :-) And what did he do them for the rest of the evening??? Went upto his room and spent it all on the internet. Cant say i wasnt a little dissapointed but like Donny said they are growing up and i guess there is nothing i can do about that. So i just played the new game that Donny got for me on the ps3 for a few hours to try and unwind after a long day cooking and i did enjoy myself which is strange because im not a big gaming person unless its a singing game lol. Well anyway happy birthday Leon im glad you enjoyed your day babe xxxx

Having a ball :-))

I just wanted to drop by and show everyone im still alive :-))) Ive hardly had time to look at my computer the last few weeks. I have had one very busy husband and a living room thats looked like a production line all of last week just to try help out a friend but thankfully its back to normal now and ive decided to leave my table in the living room too as we seem to be using much more as a family to eat together than we ever did the whole time its been in the kitchen which is fantatsic.

The weather here has been so warm and sunny really unusual for this time of the year, in fact it was so nice on sunday the boys spent most of the day at the local beach. It was lovely for Leon because if he was still doing his kickboxing he would of spent the whole day at a competition and missed out on the fresh air and freedom. It doesnt seem like he is missing it one little bit which is making me wonder if he really was enjoying it towards the end so maybe its for be best he left when he did even though it wasnt his decision really. Its just a shame he fell so badly on his face when he was out i had a big shock when he came home sunday evening and seen the mess on it i really am hoping it looks better by his birthday on saturday hard to believe my baby is going to be 14 years old!!!!! And with Jake going for an interview in the local college this afternoon too i am beging to wonder where all the time has gone.....

Well even though my life has been upside down i have managed to finish the dragons dream design. I used dmc,carries creations and krenick and although the photo doesnt shoe it too well it really does sparkle!! And of course i did use my own fabric :-) And i have also started on a haed freebie just to see if i can really manage one before i spend money out on one lol will post some pics later in the week. I also want to try getting my seeds planted for the garden at sometime very soon too as it is beging to look like spring but then again it could be just a false alarm so i will have to be careful!!!

I guess this frog is just a bit much for me.

I always knew people liked to tell you how much they disliked frogging I myself hate the fact youve done one stitch out of place and if you cant just alter the pattern a little you just know you arae going to have a whole lot of ripping and tearing out maybe hours and hours of work you have done. Well this dragon dreams hs so far ben a nightmare this little frog has been frogged so many times i have lost count and obne time i even thought about giving up on him i really really did!!!! But i am detirmimed to try get him finished this weekend.

Ive had no time for him really this week as i have made the most of the bright warm sunny weather we have been getting all week even though it has been so cold and frosty every night and morning to make a start on getting the garden sorted and the shed tided. The shed is now done and the garden...yeah well... thats gonna take a while lol. But at least its beeen started right....

Ive also been busy making more headbands I dont know where i fit the time into do everything somedays lol. Donny and me made home made from scratch onion bajhis and garlic and corriander nann breads lst nite they were so yummy we have decided we are going to try make a vindallo from scratch next weekend :-) Well better get some wrok done i guess as Jake has a sleep over tonite xxx

Happy Saint Davids Day

To all my Welsh friends xxxxxx

What a wild weekend....

Donnys old school friend has been home visiting this weekend and he always seems to end up crashing at ours when hes down. He arrived at our house just after 10.30pm on friday night and before we knew it we had been sat in the kitchen chatting and Jake was telling me it was 3.20am!!!! I had to tell Jake to get off the ps3 s he was still playing greenday rockband and yell upto Leon to get off facebook!!! Typical not one of them decided to tell me what time it waas which was pretty sneaky if you ask me mind lmao. I guess its true what they say time really does fly when you are having fun.

We didnt see Alan then until sunday evening when he came back so we did have a quiterish night on saturday well earlier Leon and i were playinbg singstar for a few hours. Alan also stayed on monday night and i went off to bed earlier and left the boys to catch up and returned back to manchester on the train this morning its always fun to have him over but im always so so tired for days afterwards!!!! It does Donny good though to have a real friend over it helps lift his spirts especially after everything that went on the end of last year when we discovered what we did about certain people who only aid we were friends to get what they could from us but ah well true friends are the ones who make you smile and drive you mad at the same time and those who you do fall out with then laugh about how silly your arguement had been xxxx

Busy days again :-))

Firstly i would like to stay a big thankyou to Nicky for my wonderful birthday presant you never forget me on my birthday and christmas I love it so much thankyou so much huni lots of love xxxxx

I dont know if anyone remembers that i used to make sweat head bands for the kickboxing class i used to attend...well ive been approached by different club in the last few weeks and asked to make some for them and i was more than happy to do it as even though it totally does my head in when im sat there doing it i relly love the way they turn out when they are finished tke look for yourself and see what you think... I wil admit it does cut into my stitching time but im sure i will pick that back up very very soon xx