Blog Neglect

The week before last I started my new job - woohoo!

but it really really threw all my routine out of whack, so I been neglecting all my blogigng activities of the writing and reading kind.

I've got a lot of posts to catch up on...

yep - that's 989 blog posts to be reading!

I'm on a catching up mission now.

One of the main reasons my new job has really knocked my routine is becasue I've been so so tired when I've got home for the evening - it a good way, because its all from learning new things which is really a good thing.

My spare time has mostly been spent in a half asleep state for the past couple of weeks, but I'm back in a normal routine now.

I have spent some time reading - its my go to hobby when looking for something that's not brain and I read some books to relax, so I have a read a couple of the past couple of weeks.
I've finished A Feast for Crows by George R R Martin 
Also I've finished Heart Sick by Chelsea Cain, and Summer of Love by Katie Fforde.
Three very different books, but I really enjoyed all of them.  I've started Cottage by the Sea by Ciji Ware which I'm enjoying too!

I'm hoping that everyone has had as enjoyable couple of weeks as I have!

Too tired for photos...

...my brain is too full up to concentrate on them!

I started my new job today, adn my brain is overloaded!!! I didn't really do any of my proper work, but the company I've joined have a really good induction program which last for a couple of weeks. So today I've been doing HR, Health and Safety stuff and meeting lots of people - I was pleased to see that everyone has name plates on their desks which will be a huge help while I learn everyones names.

Today has reminded me how tiring learning new things is, but also how much I love learning.

What have you been learning recently?

Tiramasu Sundaes

On Wednesday night me and Tim spent the whole evening watching a lot of episodes of How I Met Your Mother - again!  I think its taken us three weeks to watch 4 seasons of it. Its legendary.

After tea Tim decided that he wanted something sweet to eat, and we don't keep sweet stuff in the house (otherwise I eat it far to quickly). So he decided to nip to the shop and came back with all of this!!!!

which was (minus the raspberry sauce) then turned into this!

It was delicious but I had a major sugar rush afterwards.

Last day at the office

On Monday I start my new job at a new company. I had my last day at my old job today.

I left feeling a mixture of sadness and excitement.

It's become tradition that people leaving take in some home baked goodies so I went with Chocolate Brownies - the went down well - this is all thats left of a full tin!

I've got a full craft day ahead of me tomorrow, I'm hoping to finished a quilt that I started months ago and get started on a lap quilt for my nan. Sunday is going to be a relaxing day preparing for my new job!

What has everyone got planned for their weekends?

Not an early night...

I was planning on one, as I'm working hard at my day job handing over my work to the guy who will cover for me after my last day there on friday! (I'm excited and nervous all at the same time about starting my new job on monday!) Who'd have thought that thinking was so tiring!


So after a trip to Costco to buy chocolate brownie making supplies to take to work for my last day, I've been spending my evening reading blogs.


There is a give away on Wild Olive





Some brilliant links on mylifeasateacup





I particularly love the whole book on a page link to Spineless Classics - I really really 'need' one of these!
I know its early, but I will be dropping some major hints to my husband for one of these for Christmas!!

The most exciting are the ComicCon posts on A Tale of 2 Monkeys - I love Comic Con!!! Every year I love catching up on the goings on and its great to read stuff from the point of view of a non-press person :)

I can't over emphasise how much I reallly really really really really want to go to ComicCon!!!!!! I would love to come visit America and my ideal would be to go to ComicCon as well!! Would love it!

Comments

I've been trying my hardest to comment on several blogs, and unless there is an option to put name and URL its just doesn't work!
I've managed to post a couple of comments using Open ID, and attempted using my google account but it just keeps circling to the login page! I'm hunting for a solution on line but not coming up with much - its driving me crazy!!

A Little Thank you...

to you lovely people who are following me :) 
I'm really having fun starting my blog, and over the next few weeks I'm hoping to gradually make some changes to make it a bit less 'template' and a bit more 'me'.
I hope you're enjoying reading me, and you'll like what changes I hope to make (the hope is due to my lack of technical computer-y skills which I'm trying to remedy)

I'm off to bed now, I wish everyone one a good night x

A Wild Olive giveaway!

One of my favourite blogs has a giveaway at the moment!

The wonderful Mollie of Wild Olive blog has created some very sweet cupcake magnets and a mini painting too and is giving these away amongst other things...

Why not head over to check out her blog and enter too?

( and check out her yummy shop! I could easily buy one of everything off here!! I'm making a start on doing that in fact and slowly building my collection of Wild Olive embroidery patterns!)

Lazy Sunday

After a busy day out yesterday, I've had a lazy sunday!

One of Tim's mates has been round for the day so they've been playing geeky games. I sometimes play a board game with them, but instead I've spent my day reading blogs and stitching.

I've added a whole lot of blogs to my feeds mostly from bloggers that are also completing 30 days of lists.

Blogs are so inspiring, I'll share some of my favourites new finds over the next few days!

I've been stitiching today and I've completed a set of sewing accessories, here they are...

A pin cushion, a needle book and a scissor keeper!

I came up with the patterns as I stitched and I've really pleased with how they turned out, let me know what you think?

I hope everyone had good weekends x

Day Trip

Tim planned a day trip for us which took us to Stratford-upon Avon which is the birthplace of William Shakespeare.

This morning, we went to the pub just down the road from us and had a Full English Breakfast - it was a bit more like brunch because we didn't eat 4pm after that!

After the Tim drove us to S-u-A which is only just over an hour away.

The last time that I went was about 15 years ago with school! This time we didn't go into any of the visitors centres, which I'd like to go back and do at some point, so we spent the day wandering around the town.

We saw a street artist taking a bow

Tim spotted some blackbirds while I was shopping for ribbon.

Olde Worlde houses.

Walking throught town there is a jester statue.

The walking out of town we ended up visiting this church which is the place where Shakespeare is buried.

We walked back down towards town which was along the river and stopped for our picnic.

This is the main monument to Shakespeare which is in very close the Royal Shakespeare Company Theatre which is right on the river.

Close by we saw these lovely flowers, and a bumble bee collecting pollen

and here is the theatre which is on the river also!

I had the best day I've had in ages :)

Scary spider!!

Last night while we were watching a lot of episodes of How I Met Your Mother the biggest spider wandered across the lounge floor.

It was so huge we saw it in the dark and then Tim proceeded to trap me in the bathroom by placing the spider right outside the door - I was very freaked out!

I hope this isn't scary (Tims finger is there for scale!)

Tim set the spider free on the green in front of the house!!! eek!

30 Days of List - September Edition!

A few days ago I joined the 30 Days of Lists September edition :)

Tomorrow I plan to have a hunt in my craft stash to make a book to write my lists up in.

I've got plenty of scrapbook papers so I'll find something pretty amongst them!

Here is the link and I've added a funky button to my side bar (I'm quite impressed I worked out how to do this!!)

Coffee, Pizza & Cinema

I had a nice evening out yesterday with my friend from work, having a catch-up about goings on and enjoying yummy AMT coffee J

By the time that I got home I just wanted to slob out and watch tv, which is a rarity for me as I’m usually worried about wasting time so need to be doing ‘something’ all the time.

It was nice just to have a quick catch up on the blogs I read then to switch my brain off!

Tonight me and Tim are going out for with his brother and sister-in-law for to the Cinema to see Captain America – yey!

I’m very excited about watching this film, but not as much as my husband who is going a bit mental about it. I always know how excited about a film he is by how many reviews and trailers etc he watches: - the more excited he is the less he watches / reads occasionally to the point where he doesn’t even like looking at stills of the film!

I’ve got to say this has kind of got me a little bit because I’ve started to do the same now – I do find that it’s that little bit more exciting because then the whole film is completely brand new, rather than there being a lot of stuff that you’ve already seen or had glimpses of!

And even better for my double date tonight we are going for Pizza before the cinema – yey!

Shopping Spree!

Over the weekend and tonight, I've had a crafty shoppng spree.  I love buying supplies as much as I love crafting, there is nothng better than a massive crafty stash!

As part of my crafty purchases I had a couple of very late Christmas in July purchases. Every year I have tonnes of ideas for handmade items, but end up leaving it too late to actually make them. This year I'm on a handmade christmas mission.

For my Nanna I'm going to be making a lap quilt which will help to keep her toasty warm through the winter.
I bought a Moda Luna Notte Charm Pack for this, which I'm planning on making up into fairly simple blocks becasue of the busy patterns.
In the store I got this from they had some lovely soft fleecy material which has a kind of polka dot texture, I'm going to head back once I've made the topper as I want some of that to back it.

My next purchase was a bit sneaky! Its christmas in July but for me! This fabric is so adorable I 'needed' to get some. This is from Red Roosters Fabrics 'Winterberry Lane' Range, I really want the
I'm going to make a throw cushion with this, at the moment I'm planning to fussy cut some panels from the snowman fabric and embellish them with some embroidery then border this with the snowflake fabric.
That may well change once I start sewing!

This next one was brought a couple weeks ago when I was visiting my Mum. This a Makower fabric, but I'm not sure what range as the panel was pre cut. This is destined to be festive drinks coasters!

Next we have mini jam jars (they are around an inch and a half tall)! When I spotted these in Cost-co I put them in the shopping trolley then came up with a crafty planm to justify buying them. Tim didn't take much convincing that he needs to eat all the jam so that I can have the jars (he started this weekend by having some on Rich Tea biscuits, which didn't look very tasty really). I think that there are 24 jars in total and for only £2.99 I thought that was a bargain addition to my craft stash with free jam included ;-)
Some of these are destined to hold cupcake decorations as part of a baking kit for my friend and her children. I'm not sure about the others yet, but I think they'll make pretty packaging for anything small enought to fit.

This last one isn't crafty, but it's a christmas present for my Mum - a very pretty cake slice form Portmeirion pottery. They have a very sweet cake stand that goes with it so I will be buying that at some point ready for christmas.

New-to-me Craft Store

On Saturday,  my main partner-in-craft, Kathryn, suggested a trip to a craft store that she found out about which is about a 30 minute drive from her house. Not one to refuse a trip to a new crafty place, we headed over and found a treasure of a place, which is where I brought the Moda Charm pack and Winterberry Lane fabric from.

The store is called Heaths Country Store and has a big range of fabric and yarns - there was so much that I could of bought but I was restrained.

My Dad

Today would have been my Dads 62nd birthday, so I wanted to say a Happy Birthday to him x x

He passed away very suddenly 15 years ago, and I miss him loads.

My memories and other peoples memories of him always inspire me and I wish I was old enought to get to know him as a person as well as my Dad x x