Arrrggh!

My sewing today didn't quite go according to plan....

Most of us like to share our sewing successes on our blogs but after spending nearly three hours in my sewing room I don't have anything to share other than a little quiz...

Which did I use more today?

A) my sewing machine

Or

B) my seam ripper

I've fallen out completely with both things and all I seem to have to show for today's efforts are four unfinished zippered bags and a floor full of cotton threads. 

I did the only thing possible in their situation and left everything where it was and walked out, locking the door behind me. 

Tomorrow is another day. 

It's Oh So Quiet........

I've just realised that this blog title could mean two different things, it was supposed to mean that the house is so quiet today for the first time in nearly four weeks as Tomas has gone back to school after a long Easter break but it could also represent my silence over the past four weeks as well.

I never seem to be able to keep up with my blog reading and posting during the holidays and despite this break being a truly relaxing one there still hasn't been much time for sewing and blogging. 

So what have we been up to then?

There have been lazy mornings (and afternoons), days out and days in, mooching and pottering and generally just...well being. We have managed to do quite a bit of gardening, tackling some of the unruly parts of the garden. Tomas has been a super helper, carrying bucket after bucket of branches, twigs and leaves down to the bonfire which he enjoys just as much as his Dad and older brother. What is it about boys and fires or is it just my boys? Although I have to say I do love a good burn up too. 

Fast forward to yesterday and despite knowing four weeks ago I needed to sew labels into Tomas' new hat and blazer I still only remembered at 10pm last night! Please tell me it's not just me who does that? 

Do you think us crafty types are the same as when you have a builder in the family, we do everyone else jobs and never get round to our own.

Today I have enjoyed playing with fabric and a couple of hours sewing. I also had two fabric parcels drop through the letterbox which is always a great way to get your creative juices flowing. I recently read a blog post about how to buy fabric (not that I need any help in that department) and it was saying about thinking about your purchases and only buying what you need (so you don't end up with huge stash -oops too late for me!) and making sure the fabrics matched or could be matched with what you already have. As you can see my first delivery was a rather eclectic mix! The only fabric I did NEED in this pile was the flamingo fabric and I did buy a bit more than I needed. The others were just because....

The second fabric delivery was more in keeping with what the blogger was talking about. 

These were bought to make an apron as part of a swap. 

Are you good when it comes to fabric and yarn or are you like me and find it a bit of a struggle not to add a few more FQ's (or metres) into your shopping basket? 

March Round Up

April has arrived and I know I seem to say this all the time but where are the days going!

Edited : I started writing this on the 1st with every intention of pressing publish but that just hasn't happened. I was also going to take part in Amy's Five on Friday but I think it will have to be next week now!

Anyhoo...

I hope you all had an wonderful Easter weekend. March was a busy month with two birthdays, a baptism and the start of the Easter holidays as well as a couple of swaps and me finally trying to get on top of sorting out my huge fabric stash.

I've just realised that I never posted about the winner of my birthday giveaway, the winner was one of my Facebook followers, sorry lovely blogland ladies.

I also didn't share with you some of the birthday gifts I received.

Maria sent me this wonderful surprise parcel, I thought it was my stationery swap parcel but it was indeed a birthday surprise parcel full to bursting with goodies, as well as a thank card and hanging heart for some tea cups I had sent to Maria and her daughter. 

And at the school gates I received parcels from two of my crafty mum friends, beautiful fabrics and a stunning pot holder, that I can't possibly put pots on so I've hung it up in my sewing room.

Not long after my birthday it was Tomas' turn.

 I had a wonderful time looking through old photos and seeing how much he has changed over the past eight years.

There were lots of presents to open 

and as you can see there was a bit of a Lego Star Wars theme this year!

He shared a brilliant birthday rugby themed party with a friend from school where the boys enjoyed nearly two hours of running around the park playing tag rugby in the mud. 

With Easter being so early this year it wasn't long before the Easter holidays arrived. Easter weekend was a special one for our daughter as she was baptised at her church along with a few other church members. Her journey to becoming a Christian has been a fairly short one, about 2 years, but it has been her own decision and we as a family enjoyed sharing this special celebration with her. I have been to christenings before but never a baptism and a full submersion baptism too. Rachel read her testimony beautifully and we were told the water was quite warm!

The Easter weekend weather here in Essex was a bit hit and miss, Maundy Thursday was a rainy day and night and with an Easter Egg hunt to go to on Good Friday things weren't looking good, but we woke to brilliant sunshine and had a wonderful time at Hylands Park finding paper eggs to exchange for chocolate ones, meeting the Easter Bunny and catching up with friends. 

We usually have our own little Easter Egg Hunt in the garden too over the Easter weekend but again the weather was a bit wet and windy so we left it until the sun came out on Tuesday. Tomas enjoyed looking for the eggs so much that we hid them again several times for him to find, with one less chocolate egg each time!

He even let me do some finding too.

The weather then stayed warm and dry the next day too which meant that we could open the windows and hang out the washing for the first time this year. There's something good about throwing open the windows and letting the outside in on a lovely spring day. It also meant that we could get on with some gardening. There is always so much to do in the garden and I am easily sidetracked by different corners of the garden but I stuck to one bed and a little tidying up. I had my little helper too and he did a grand job of collecting leaves.

This is the bed we chose to tackle, it was created a few years ago when we did the path but we havent done anything with it, but the bushes had got too big and the ivy had crept in from the hedge boundary and was overtaking the bushes. so it was time to get busy.

The ivy gets everywhere you don't want it too in the garden and strangles the life out of the trees and bushes. I had already pulled a lot out of this bed during the autumn. But there was still some tangled right in at the base of these bushes.

We also removed some tree stump stools that I had on the path, the termites had got to them and they were rotting and crumbly. The only one that uses them is the squirrel so it was time for them to go. I think I will replace them with a nice metal bench. It's a nice spot in the summer to sit and read under the shade of the trees.

If you have any good tips on keeping the ivy at bay or any plants or shrubs that would grow in this little shady spot let please let me know.

You can't do a bit of gardening without having a bonfire can you!

Everyone likes to join in when we have a bonfire and it didn't take long for this lot to disappear!

Well I think that's March well and truly rounded up, thank you if you reached the bottom of this post, it sort of grew and grew as I was writing it and I still haven't shared any of my Easter makes or swaps with you yet. 

There's always tomorrow.....