That Friday feeling!

Which is not like the Crunchie advert: I'm so excited, instead it's more like I am so tired! It's been a long week, I am feeling like I want to hibernate! It is freezing with the wind chill, and all I keep thinking of is my warm bed and my book! But no! Children need ferrying here there everywhere and most demanding of all, they need feeding!

I am planning on a Chilli con Carne with tacos and rice for tonight which will warm me up just nicely! Then I can think of bed....

Books, books, books!

I am still striving to read as many books as I can possibly squeeze in my free time! I have a secret goal to read a book a month this year but I know that come September I may be inundated with other vital reading material! Anyhow, I have finished my book for February which I thoroughly enjoyed: The Woman in Black. This book came into our home because of first daughter reading it at school, but she unfortunately didn't read at home. I, however did and was utterly captivated by it. I feel that now, I can watch the new film of it with a clear conscience. I hate watching the film first, it spoils a good book. We recently watched the trailers at the cinema, and I had to close my eyes and ears when Cloud Atlas came on! This is a book which I have wanted to read since it came out but just never got round to it. Now that a film has been made I am determined to read it. It is now on my bedside table, waiting for me to have some time....

Isn't it funny how books come into our lives? I have always been fascinated by how we pick and choose books to read at particular moments in our lives that just seem to fit! I have also been very interested in the random but coincidental elements that tie works together. I remember when I was very new to the blogging world and was an avid follower of Lucy from Attic24 ( which I still am!) and reading about her devastating post about the unexpected death of a fellow blogger. Today when I arrived home, a little book was waiting for me, sent very kindly by Nikki, from Life at Holly Cottage as part of her giveaway! After a little bit of perusal, I realised that the author was the very same blogger that Lucy and others were mourning in Blogland some years ago. I feel especially honoured to own her book and moreover, I feel that this is exactly what I need in my life at the moment. We need to slow down a tad and take time to enjoy our time at the weekends together, instead of trying to fill them with tedious jobs! Don't get me wrong we surely need to work on the house at weekends as we both work, but we could spend it much more wisely. So a very big thank-you to Nikki for your greatly appreciated, thoughtful gift that will influence my family for the better!

Day fifty, a little bit of a result!

It took me longer than I had hoped, was more fiddly than I expected but turned out better than I anticipated! My first cushion cover is finished! Only another five to go. I feel a real sense of achievement here because of the curves, the zip, and the huge amount of piping! It's not perfect but I am happy! The others will be easier, I hope!

Day forty eight, sealed pot update!

Been a rather good week this week, probably because I have also spent a lot of money. My purse got emptied quite often into the pot as well as a lump sum £40. I hope that I will be able to continue with this kind of scrimping, because come December we will have enough to treat ourselves to a European destination. I am still on the look out for a good deal on the Lake District! I can't decided whether to go for an Easter trip or wait until the summer, although we will probably be flat out with decorating! On the other hand we may just need a break by then!

The cushion covers are coming along slowly. I hope to have one done by tomorrow, better get on with it. Here's a sneak peek!

Day forty six - voila, ta dah, finished!

All before lunch, mother number two and I celebrated the finishing of the slip cover. I will let the pictures do the talking.....
From the blank canvas of a naked sofa to the grand adornment of the finished article. Now I have to crack on with covering the cushions.

Day forty five - much of the sameness, sewing sewing and more sewing!

I can't say that today stood out from any of the previous three days! Man, I didn't think that this project would be that intense! We have spent days deliberating, pinning, sewing in some cases unpicking and then resewing, but slowly, and surely a new sofa is being reconstructed in my living room. We have reached the final stage: the trim around the bottom. We have sewn little peekaboo pieces in a contrasting colour which hopefully will look delightful! Today, I started mt day with a lovely much deserved breakfast (see picture)

I did a quick reccie and I am hopeful that I have enough fabric to do one side of each cushion in patchwork with the sides too. I am not sure what I am going to do on the other side though! I will have to cross that bridge when I arrive there.......

Day forty four - a one word Wednesday.

Chaos!

Day forty three, progress and all hands on deck!

Well, it was a rather productive day, despite a lot of coffee and cakes and lunches and tea and biscuits that were consumed. We began with the long task of sewing strips together to cut down into double squares and then adding longer strips and then cutting down again to make three squares in a row. That was quite laborious but once I had my mum and sister on board they took off. Then my mum number two arrived and we tackled the big slip cover and despite the little progress yesterday, today we can reveal a sneak peek into what it will look like.....

It took us a while to get those tricksy arms right but we got there in the end! At one point we had three sewing machines going, a lot of natter but also a lot of hard work! I can't express my heartfelt thanks to my lovely mums and sister who took time out of their busy lives to help with my big, mad, project! They are superstars!

Tonight I might try to a bit of prep work in anticipation for tomorrow!

Till then,

Day forty two but Day One of the Big project!

I had a few jobs to do in the morning before I could really knuckle down to some hard sewing work! My mother number two came over to help me in the afternoon and despite us spending quite a few hours ripping seams, cutting out pieces and contemplating our next move ( we did this one a lot!) we don't have an awful lot to show just yet. However we both feel very positive about our next move tomorrow.



In the morning I will have my mum and sister round to have their input in this project. I think we will concentrate on the patchwork pillows until mum no.2 can come over to continue with the loose cover! Sorted! So now I need to provide the sustenance for my family, oh a women's work is never done!

Till tomorrow with a hopefully much more detailed account of proceedings!
Cheers!

Day forty one ~ Spring in my step.

I have been very busy over the last few days. The end of term culminated in a trip to see the S.S. Great Britain, with a class full of little ones who literally gasped when they saw the majestic, magnificent and massive ship. It was lovely to see their little faces light up when they could spot the features that they have been learning about. Oh I love my work. This week I have noticed the mornings getting lighter earlier and honestly quite breathtakingly beautiful. I have also noticed the green shoots making a brave effort to force the winter away. The colour of spring is slowly starting to bud all around me, but unfortunately not in my little patch of garden, which makes me quite sad. But I know that next year will be different with a little bit of luck the majority of the house will be done and then I can focus on the garden in the autumn, filling it with spring bulbs.

This week I have a poorly girl at home and an energy filled boy who, like the dog will need some rigorous exercise! I have my Big Project to start and hopefully finish. I have sliced up the fabric into 5" strips and tomorrow I plan to stitch and slice, and stitch and slice......

Till tomorrow, hopefully with a progress update...

Day thirty seven, a day of reassessing.

Today I was thinking about how different my life will be in just over six months time. I have endured a long journey to get where I am today and it is not over by any means, it's only just beginning really!

I know that the next year will be incredibly hard for all of us as a family. I will be working away from home more than my hubby, which none of us are used to. I therefore need to become (miraculously) organised and prepared for every and any eventuality. This will be particularly hard for me who has had countless years of being able to flit like the wind! This does make me sad because it is a chapter of my mothering life that is coming to an end. But on the other hand it fills me with excitement too because at long last I am beginning my career that I have been dreaming about since my first born was a baby!

I am going to be on a quest to be super organised, but to also not lose the spontaneity of times past. I'd also like to be frugal but not a penny pincher, I would like to be much more green but not to the point of my husband leaving home! Life's little balances that I will have to find!
Let's see what journey 2013 brings me! I hope to chart the trials and triumphs of my momentous year!

Day thirty six, a doodle Tuesday

Day thirty five, fabric, fabric!

I spent a rather enjoyable evening watching the Prof. and his wonders of life. I thought that the octopus was fascinating and I don't think I could have sat as calmly as he did on that boat with the huge alligator watching him.
Whilst I was watching, I was also multi-tasking and ironing all our clothes for this week as well as my stash of fabric. Ooh, I can't wait to get started on this project! I have lots to do yet, but I am worried that I won't have enough to cover all 12 sides of my cushions!
Oh well there's only my way to find out, start cutting, sewing and then panicking!

Till the morrow,

Day thirty four- sealed pot Sunday update!

Well it's been quite a productive weekend, with a whole outfit secured for the impending wedding and some scrimping and saving going into the pot too! I managed to put £40 in after a generous cash back, whilst also scraping about £6 in change from the washing machine, bedside table and car drawer.

It's also been a bit of an expensive weekend with my car tyre costing £70 because of a nail penetrating the whole tyre! Oops! Oh well I will have to scrimp on the shopping budget this month!

I am off now to sort out some fabric, ready for my Big project! Oooooooo!

Till the next time

Day thirty three -- thankful for the kindness of strangers!

I took my little sister and little daughter shopping for their shoes that they will wear on the Big wedding day that is drawing ever so closer! We trundled the forty odd miles to the nearest decent city to traipse the shops flat for shoes and my dress. We were successful on all accounts even finding some calico for my Big Sofa Project too. We stopped off at a supermarket to buy a spot of lunch and when returning to the car I noticed that my rear tyre was nearly flat! After a phone call home, husband informed me I need to put some air into the tyres! After a lot of faffing around, I asked someone to help. He very kindly suggested to help me change the wheel. So in a supermarket petrol garage a complete stranger helped me to get home safely, for which I am ever so grateful.

Thank goodness for some people's kindness and generosity! It was an act which my stranger friend felt he passed on as he told me that, just last week, someone kindly helped his daughter change her flat tyre. So in the coming days I shall too seek an opportunity to pass on that act of kindness, which probably will not be an offer to change a tyre of any sort! I am positively useless with that! Obviously!

Well till the next time,