March round up ...

At the end of  February round up I stated that:

[in March] We have lots planned this month on all fronts so it will certainly be a busy one.

It must have been a commentator's curse because one of us after another was ill and most things had to be cancelled!  My daughter was writing to her pen pal just after Easter and asked the question 'What have we done since I last wrote?' .... we thought long and hard and really the answer was we've been at home ill and trying to get better.

 

I completed all my Bee commitments at the start of the month and they included a cowboy for Jane in the Stash Bee:

 

Two blocks made by strip piecing various colour combinations for Julie in the Bee Together Mini Bee for Siblings Together:

 

I was Queen Bee in Hive 5 of the Bee Hive and requested the Spinwheel Block in dark grey, light grey, dark pink, light pink and white.  My second practice block looked like this:

 

 

My first practice block did not look like this but still looked nice!  It was wonderful getting such lovely happy mail landing on my door mat and I now have quite a collection of wonderful blocks which look like this:

 

 

There was some other making of bits and pieces but for the first time ever I lost my enthusiasm for sewing and one day, when I did make it into the studio to sew something, I really didn't enjoy it - shock horror!  Luckily that has now passed and I am creating once more!

 

On the Home Ed front there were trips to various Shakespeare Birthplace properties, Spanish, ice skating and Science Club.  They also participate in a FB Home Ed Art Academy where each Monday a new challenge is set.  At the beginning of March was World Book Day and the art challenge was to create something from a favourite book.

 

Miss M's drawing was of Maddie Hatter (the Mad Hatter's daughter) from Ever After High ...

and Miss C's picture was of Esme from Amazing Esme!

 

There was also a traditional Easter Bonnet competition which they were very keen to enter ...

 

Even the Lego play reflected our state of health with this state of the art ambulance, which needed the dog in it at all times because 'dogs make people better Mum'!

 

Reading in March involved recommendations from other people's blogs, children's books and some easy read chick lit ...

 

 

 

 

 

So here's to a healthy April - fingers crossed - and it will certainly be busy for me because my husband, at rather short notice, is heading back to New Zealand for 3 1/2 weeks.  We have a lot to get sorted before he leaves in 6 days time and then I have my usual Home Ed commitments plus my Malvern Show quilt entries.  In fact it has just made me tired thinking about it all!! x

 

My kind of birthday ....

Today is my birthday - hip hip hooray!!  Yesterday a card came through the post and I assumed it was a birthday card when in fact it was a card from the lady whose quilt I recently returned after longarming it.  This is what she had to say:

 

"I would like to thank you so much for the lovely quilting you have done for me on my applique quilt. In particular the additional spirals on the sunflowers and the extra detail on the leaves. I am sure ...... will be most thrilled when they receive the quilt ....."

 

The quilt in question can be seen over here.  What a fantastic birthday present to get!

 

The morning started with presents .... lots of handmade ones and my youngest daughter made us all pancakes.  It doesn't get any better than that.

 

I thought my daughter had bought this set but when I asked her where she had got it from she told me she had made it and just put it in an old package she had!

 

 

I am just blown away by their creativity sometimes .... and all this made in secret without me knowing about any of it!  My eldest daughter is cooking dinner tonight and I don't have to do any clearing up - bliss!!

 

 

 

I have also had time in my studio and am well on my way to finishing my Rainbow Mini quilt for an IG swap.  Hopefully it will be a finish tomorrow for Finish it up Friday and there will also be a giveaway announced. xx

January ....

.... went quickly! 

 

- the first week was spent blatantly ignoring the fact it was a New Year.  I wanted to slow down this year and not over commit, either creatively, mentally or on the Home Education front. 

Whoops - this was spotted on 04 January!

 - the second week was spent organising and feeling like I was playing catch up!

 - the third week contained a big decision on the part of my youngest daughter, which had the capacity to totally change the life we lead.  It left me in limbo for a while but once the decision was made I could breathe again and continue.  Our life is not about to be changed drastically for which I am truly thankful.

 

- the fourth week was feeling like we had a rhythm to our days, including creating, home ed and home cooking aswell as our activities.  It also contained what would have been my Dad's birthday.  It's been just over 2 years since he died and whilst the old saying that time heals is true it still takes a lots of time and there's still a wound no matter how long has passed.

 

Creatively it involved a workshop with Gillian Travis (to be blogged about soon!), the start of three Bees I am involved in, handmade birthday presents - made by me and my daughters, the start of the Farm Girl Vintage blocks, Project Linus quilts and organisation and lots of planning .....

 

Home Ed wise it contained Oceania, illuminated letters, hibernation, healthy eating, the Periodic Table and what elements a body needs, ice skating lessons for the girls and a return to ice skating for me - after a break of over 30 years!, stop animation workshops, lots of art and cooking and 1905-7!!!

 

Baked by Cassia, aged 9 - it was a Christmas for my Mum and it was delicious!!

Christmas Spiced Nuts - recipe from Deliciously Ella

Homemade Nutella - recipe from Deliciously Ella

 

 

Made by Cassia!

 

I have read a mixture of books, adult, children's and teen, recommendations from my daughter and my mum and random ones from the library shelf!

 

I feel like I am in 2016 and look forward to welcoming in February tomorrow! xx

 

 

 

 

 

The puffin has landed!

At the beginning of the year I taught some classes to children from a Home Educator's group - my children included.  The brief was for an appliqued bird.  Miss M chose a puffin and drew the design initially which was transferred to fabric using applique with bond a web.

 

It got to an almost finished stage and then it was left on the shelf.  No amount of encouragement, motivation or support (or nagging!) from me would get her to finish it.  It languished there for 7 months until the annual Flower Show came round.  Miss M was never sure what she was going to turn it into but decided to enter it into the show as a picture in the Something You Have Made category.

She was delighted to win First Prize in that category!!  But the frame had come off the wall and needed to be put back on the wall with the original picture in.  In the end she decided she would like it as  wall hanging but didn't want to do anything else on it herself.  Cue Mum!

A little bit of binding later and it was all done - finally!!  It is now hanging on her bedroom wall and she is justifiably rather pleased with herself!

 

This is another project to be ticked off my rather long list for the Finish Along 2015 Q4 over at On the Windy Side. x

A January round up ....

I love seeing other bloggers monthly reviews so thought I would do the same.

Sewing

Working, and finishing, a quilt for Miss C; cutting some donated fabric samples to be made into a charity quilt; playing with different forms of appliqué to make birds for a childrens workshop.

Hooking

Reading

Whilst I have always been an avid reader joining up to the 26 Books Challenge has inspired me to try different books this month.  Here are January's books - some of which will tick off certain categories.

Creating - in lots of different media

Lego buildings constructed at a Lego Electricity Workshop for our local Home Ed group

Miss M's first quilt finished and in use - only took 5 years to complete!

I picked up this book in a bag of book son Freecycle and it really captured the girls' imagination.  This was Miss M's first attempt and it was then given as a birthday present.

Spontaneous creativity for their toys!

And finally meet Fred!  We didn't get much snow this January but when we had our 'biggest' fall Miss C was straight out there, in the pitch black, making a snowman.  As you can see by the picture he had already started to melt by the time I deemed it sensible to go out!

Home Educating

All our regular groups and clubs started up again after the Christmas holidays and it's been lovely catching up with friends and their families.  On the home front we have joined a great FB group called Passport Around the World Ideas and have started swapping postcards and flat travellers.  I also signed up to Postcrossing and have loved getting postcards through the door.  So far I have sent to Ukraine, Germany, Russia, China, Netherlands, Belarus, Taiwan and USA and received from Germany, Norway, USA, Ukraine, Japan and Germany.  The most wonderful little package arrived from Japan containing two postcards depicting a local temple and festival along with little key chain figurines and some origami figures.  Check out the origami ET below! xx

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