From my back door this morning ...

This is what it looks like outside ;o) We have big black/grey clouds which are blowing briskly across the sky

No rain yet, and long may it last!

Two kittens starting to explore the outside world. We are letting them go out during the day but they stay in at night (for now).

Bellatrix deciding where she might want to go this morning (Mac had already gone!)

Spot the kitten ;o)

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And having procrastinated long enough, time to go and get on with the sewing. Sandwiching it together is probably my least favourite part of the quilt making process. I didn't do it last night so time to do it today! What are you doing today? Anything interesting? Any craft projects?

xx

Thursday in a nutshell

This morning when I came downstairs I found this on my laptop! If you click to enlarge the photo you'll see they were for me from my son, Hugh! It's the first time he's ever done something like this for no reason and that makes them even more special. When I thanked them and asked why he'd bought them he said he'd seen them and knew I liked them so he bought them for me. What a great way to start the day (though I will just add that the packet is still sealed, if I open them they'd soon be finished!) Emily came down ready for school but I could hear her voice sounded a bit hoarse. When she tried to eat breakfast she started coughing and said it felt like something was blocking her throat. I felt her glands and they were swollen and she said when she tried to swallow her throat hurt. She also had a headache and the cough hasn't gone away.

I kept her off school and she spent most of the day in bed. And yes, I did leave her and go and have a coffee but she was happy for me to go and Hugh was here if she needed anything ;) She's still not feeling right and, after speaking to a few people and hearing they've had the same thing, I have a feeling she may not be back at school tomorrow either.

A photo of the kittens, just because they're cute! They're sitting on the step here watching Emily take their bowls to put food in them! ;o)

This afternoon/evening I went to Emily's parents evening. She had done well with getting appointments at regular intervals and I actually finished slightly ahead of time after being able to see some teachers before my slot because they were between appointments. All I can really say is I'm a very proud Mum! The teachers all gave glowing reports and are more than happy with the work Emily's producing. In some subjects she's already reached her target grade for the end of Year 9 (she's in Year 8) and they are expecting her to do very well. I also found out tonight that her English teacher has put her name forward as Key Stage 3 Pupil of the Month! (Key Stage 3 is Years 7 - 9) Well done Emily, we're so proud of you!

And finally, a photo of Cloud who looks a bit like a naughty schoolgirl! When I took her to the vets last week I was told if she started licking herself again, to put a shirt over the area she's been licking so she can't infect it again. This morning we noticed she had started to lick it and Emily said she'd find a shirt for her. When I got home, this is what she was wearing ;o) - I had to take a photo lol!

xx

Lovely weather!

We've had really grey wet weather virtually all day today :( but it has been good weather for staying at home more. I got my washing and ironing done first thing, worked out my food for today and have been pointing it as I go. The weight watchers habits do come back quickly :) but I think what's shocked me more is how much I've obviously been picking and not even realising I was doing it. I've stopped myself today and I'm not hungry, it's purely habit! I've had my usual cereal and light soya milk for breakfast; a kiwi fruit mid morning; jacket potato with tuna and extra light mayo and salad for lunch; plums this afternoon and tonight low fat sausages, pasta, arrabiata sauce with extra vegetables and the rest of the salad from lunch. It's a lot to eat in a day but all counted for and with a couple of points left over.

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Cloud and I went for a walk along Forest Way just before lunch but I forgot to take my camera with me. Though to be honest, it was miserable and I probably wouldn't have taken many photos in the rain. Unfortunately, with Cloud being a little white dog and close to the ground, she came home with a wonderfully muddy tummy! She didn't enjoy being put in her cage to dry off a bit or the brushing she got later to try and get some of the mud out of her fur. I guess that's the downside of going for walks in this weather!

This afternoon I have finished sewing the quilt top together. I'm hoping to get it sandwiched with the wadding and backing fabric tonight so that I can start the quilting tomorrow after my coffee morning.

Won't be much more happening today and I need to go and get started making the dinner. Have a good evening.

xx

Sewing and other randoms

I have spent most of the afternoon sewing. When I'm quilting one of the things I find most important is to iron often. I sew the squares into rows first and then the ironing begins. As I'm ready to sew rows together, I iron the seams of joining rows in opposite directions so there isn't too much bulk. After sewing the first two rows together I iron again, add another row, iron again and so it goes on until all the rows are joined.

I have now reached the stage where all the rows are joined and it's time to cut the borders to size. As I'm not always happy with squaring my quilts, I am busy reading my quilting go to book (Rotary Magic by Nancy Johnson-Srebro). I love the colour combination in this little quilt, it's so fresh and light. I'm so glad my SIL likes it too!

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While sewing this afternoon I had my iPod on shuffle for background music. This evening I was listening to Michael Buble - I do like his voice! I love mellow music - Jason Mraz, Joshua Radin and Jack Johnson to name a few. A couple of days ago I was looking for my Savage Garden CD and found a few other older CDs that I've added to my iPod as well. Now really showing my age, I added some John Denver, R.E.M, Wilson Phillips and Chris de Burgh. I can't listen to all of it but there are still some songs that I really like. What sort of music do you like listening to and are there any oldies that you still enjoy?

Sag Aloo with added onions and peppers (dinner last night)

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My healthy eating hasn't been going as well as I had hoped and I have decided to go back to doing the Weight Watchers plan. At least then I know I can still have a little of what I like so long as I count the points. I'm starting on the points tomorrow and because I've done WW before, I'm hoping it'll soon feel normal again. I've also realised I need to write out a menu plan for myself; not just what I'm going to have for dinner but what I'm going to have for lunch too. My breakfast is generally the same; Special K, fruit and light soya milk. If I have the menu written out I'm more likely to stick to it.

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After Jon woke me just before 5am this morning to say he was on his way to work I didn't go back to sleep until about 5.30 and then my alarm went off at 6! I should have just got up at 5 - now I'm feeling really tired and think I'm going to have an early night.

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More sewing tomorrow - hoping to get the quilt top finished and sandwiched together so I can start on the actual quilting. Have you got plans for tomorrow?

xx