A week away, Leibster Award and the best laid plans of mice and men

A Week Away

Its been two weeks now since my blog was updated, and I have missed updating it and catching up with blogs from fellow bloggers. Also I had no stitching and no internet, apart from what access I had on my mobile phone and trying to catch up on emails with it was slow and laborious.  For the first week, we all went away in the motorhome which everybody enjoyed.....especially our dog Evie.   However, unlike previous weeks where we had warm sunny weather, it had turned cold and wet again.  Leaving Steve to get the heating working, whilst I got the water heater to work, we kept hitting problems.  After half an hour of Steve moaning and groaning about he wanted to take said motorhome to the nearest garage dealer and trade it in, I realised MY mistake.......I had forgotten to put the gas on!  After that it was a warm and cosy inside along with lovely hot water from the tap.  The only downside when we returned was the amount of washing I had to get through which still meant no stitching.

Leibster Award

After my last post I was so thrilled to find I had been nominated for a Leibster Blog Award by Debbie at http://lavender2debbie.blogspot.ca/ and from Linda M at http://stitchinginsurburbia.blogspot.com.  Searching the internet I discovered that the aim of the Liebster Blog is to recognise exceptional up-and-coming blogs for those with 200 or fewer followers.  However, what makes it special is the recognition a fellow blogger has given your blog.

When receiving this award there are four conditions:

1 – Choose five up-and-coming blogs (with fewer than 200 followers) to pass on the award.

2 – Show thanks to the blogger who passed on the award by linking back to them.

3 – Post the award on your blog, list five bloggers you are giving the award to with their site links and leave a comment so they are aware.

4 – Share five random pieces about yourself that people do not know about you.

I would like to say a big thank you to Debbie and Linda for this recognition, both are fellow stitchers and their stitching is exceptional and well worth a look.

Fellow bloggers to nominate

http://lynscreations.blogspot.com  

http://midgescraftycorner.blogspot.co.uk/

http://nansneedleworknotions.blogspot.co.uk/

http://nataliebwilson.blogspot.co.uk/

http://talesfrommyneedle.blogspot.co.uk/

Five Random things about me

1 – I was a single parent to my son, until I met and married Steve.

2 – I am left handed, yet throw things with my right.

3 – I learnt French for two years in evening school before studying for my Social Work degree.

4 – I love watching who dunnit murder mysteries.

5 – I still live in the same street I was born (apart from a year living on a holiday camp with Steve and 6 months in rented accommodation......in the next road).

The best laid plans of mice and men...

Often go awry.  After a final completion of my cushion for our friend Michelle who got a promotion at work, I started on another design for a new baby with the plans to printing off the design and starting the stitching last night......until we had a missing young person, or a person who needed to be returned to us after saying he was staying at premises which had been deemed as inappropriate.  After a several hour standoff where it was constant telephone calls to and from the local authority and police, the said young person returned home (accompanied by the local police) at about 2 am this morning.  So, my plans to get the next one stitched up was scuppered due to all the telephone calls to his local authority and the police.  Unfortunately this not only resulted in a very late or early morning, and being woken early by a 6 year old staying with us, it also meant writing up a report for the social worker today, along with the inevitable telephone calls tomorrow with the new working week.   Oh well, I suppose there is always next weekend.  

The final piece



One good thing (if it could be thought of as good)  was it gave me time to have a look at a book I borrowed from our local library which shows how to stitch over 200 decorative stitches including embroidery and needlepoint.   For any body who is interested its called Stitch Step-by-Step by Maggi Gordon and Ellie Vance and I will add a book review page on my blog of it. 

Finally, with regards to my current WIP, it is continuing slowly.  After completing all of the black stitching on page 4 of the chart its now confetti time which takes the longest.

                                     

On this note I bid all my readers old and new happy stitching.