Hello my friends. Wednesday already – I can’t quite get my head around that!! The days are rushing past this year.

My desk this week – which is the reason you are all here – has moved around the house, garden, and into the village! I have managed to complete another blanket for Uganda – knitted by friends I have simply crocheted it together.

I have also been making lots of soup. We have a special event at church all week and are serving lunches each day – so I volunteered…

One lot made for Wednesday – sweet potato and parsnip – and a saucepan ready to make carrot and ginger for Thursday!

Just occasionally I have had time to put the odd piece in a jigsaw –

And as you can see, I’ve hit the really difficult bit – so progress has slowed down considerably!

Part of my family visited over the weekend in order to help out with some jobs in the house – they managed, by working just about every hour available, to finish putting cupboards in the garage, fit a new garden shed roof, take all the rubbish to the council recycling centre, empty the greenhouse in preparation for it to come down, and plant hundreds of bulbs on John’s grave. Not bad for a weekend! I am really grateful to them. It seemed my only task was to keep feeding the troops!

I’ve made a few cards for the hotel, and have been asked by someone involved with a different mission we support at church, if I will make cards for them to sell. I’m going to be busy! If you are wondering why I m wittering on about my workdesks… well, pop over to Julia – http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/ and discover a whole new world. Best group of friends going!

So that’s me this week folks. I’ll be late getting round to visiting everyone this week because I am having a birthday and disappearing for a day!

Take care. God bless.

Margaret

Hello my friends. You find me all on my own again now. Shaz is safely tucked up in America with her friend there. Despite flying almost into the hurricane zone she arrived safe but tired after a 20 hour day! It was good having her stay here – we were able to visit Anglesey last Thursday – a place she had never been to before – and have lunch out and some fun in a craft shop. Then it was an early night ready for an early start for Manchester airport.

And now, after seemingly ages, my workdesk has seen some action. This morning I had a bit of a card fest – managed 8 altogether before lunch was cooked!

A little bit of fun with some papers (from Shazsilverwolf), washi tape, ribbons, wax and gems.

So my desk now looks somewhat busier – at last!

Some ink sponges, duflex images I found in a store and thought they would be useful, glue, scissors, the finished cards, and a pile of Christmas card bits awaiting use. The cutting mat sits empty – expectantly awaiting tomorrow when I hope I shall have a little more time to do some art work.

Thank you to everyone who gave me such lovely ATCs, tags, purses, teddies, koalas, chocolate, peel-off sheets, card fronts ready to make into new cards, that I came home with from the crop. I have finally managed to unpack everything – it’s all gorgeous, and I am already using some of the pieces you gave me Shaz and Neet.

So that’s me this week, folks. I did actually manage to visit all last week’s WOYWWers – finished the last few Monday evening! I’ll endeavour to get around a little earlier this week.

Take care. God bless.

Margaret

Hello my friends. Trusting this finds you well on this gloriously sunny morning (well, it is gloriously sunny here on the North Wales coast). What a week. You find me writing this at 9am this morning, having driven 400 miles in the past two days, having sorted the crop on Saturday, having our special crop guest to stay here in my home, and having Mr and Mrs D to stay for a night… You see, when Mr D realised it was the crop, and Chris was definite she wished to be with us all, he immediately asked me if there was anything he could do, any little job in the house… I asked him if he fancied having some fun and putting in a new sink into the garage (he’s a VERY handy man to know!) – simply swapping the old for the new… He grasped the opportunity full on, and arrived Thursday teatime. Within minutes he was in the garage (hadn’t even eaten his meal!) looking, turning off, sorting, emptying the old sink cupboards. So this week – it’s HIS desk I’m showing!

This was what I had asked him if it was possible to do for me. By the time we arrived home on the Saturday after the crop…

Not only did I have a new sink – the washing machine was in place, and a set of drawers….

but also three more cupboards and another set of drawers! Bless you, thanks Mr D!!!!!

Of course… what it now means is that I have an incredible amount of sorting and putting away to do…

But that must wait and in the meantime be walked around… because there was SO much to do this week.

Firstly, to the crop itself. You have all seen the most gorgeous photos on LLJ’s site – but…

Left to right – Jo(Twiglet), Christine (Bishopsmate), Annie(Wipso), Shaz (in Oz), Jan(LLJ), Chris(PearshapedChris), Neet, Shaz(silverwolf), Sarah Brennan, Heather, moi, Chris(Mrs D) Elizabeth(silver scrapper).

The whole noisy, crazy, fun-filled, beautiful group. You are wonderful! Your generosity was so precious. Your help much appreciated, thank you. Your love and welcome to all the newbies, wonderful.

During the day some friends from church dropped in to see us. Denise…

Seen here with Chris. Denise has been several times to Uganda, and was able to talk with folk about where their gifts went, how money was spent, the reaction of the children upon receiving their bags and dolls. She LOVED it with you all, and is seriously anxious to get back to crafting!

And Kevin (YES!! that Kevin) and his wife Camilla…

Seen here with Shaz in Oz. Camilla is also very crafty, and wanted to drop off some stamping up catalogues – but chickened out when she saw how wonderfully you all managed without them…

So, that was Saturday. Sunday Shaz, Christine, PJ and I all went off to church, then Monday Shaz and I set off on a drive to Lincolnshire. One of here relations was part of the Dambuster squadron in the second world war and was on the memorial in a village called Woodhall Spa. She also had an elderly friend who lived near there. So, it was all organised – she would spend the night with her friend, and I would spend the night with Chris(Mrs D) – you see I hadn’t seen her for a whole 24hours!!! It proved to be a very emotional time for Shaz, but she was thrilled to do it all.

Shaz with her relative!

The memorial.

But then we had one last surprise for her!! Chris had been in touch with Angela of Felix the crafty cat… and we all got together in Chris’s new home in Lincolnshire for lunch. What a lovely lady Angela is! We had a whole shed load of fun at lunch and each received a dragon’s eye as a gift – Sorry, Angela, haven’t had time to photograph it yet.

Margaret, Chris, Shaz, Angela.

Then Shaz and I drove home over the moors to Wales. Goodness, the reservoirs are dry!! Hardly any water in them at all.

So, absolutely no work on my desk this week. I have lots of wonderful, generous gifts from everyone on Saturday – and they are still in the bag. I am sorry I haven’t had the time to really study what you all gave me – but I will… just as soon as the week is over. If anyone at the crop didn’t get an ATC from me – PLEASE tell me – you should have – and I seem to have more than I should have left over! It has been a tremendous time having Shaz stay with me – but we may well take the rest of the week a little easier as Shaz’s flight leaves Manchester VERY early on Friday.

So, that’s me this week folks. You take care. God bless.

Margaret

Hello my friends. The last WOYWW post before the crop. I think the current head count is 14, plus lots of hubbys coming along, so there will be lots of noise, chat, laughter, fun, cake, tea, coffee, cake, lunch – and did I mention cake? Before I show you my delightfully messy desk, let me give the crop folks some hints about getting to me… The church car park is not big – but, with (to use Julia’s phrase from last year) economical parking, there will be room for everyone. I realise that you will see “reserved” on one or two spaces – but that’s ok on this Saturday – you can ignore that. Fill all the diagonal spaces, then double park. If there is anyone else in the car park, they know about our group, and will come ask to be let out! Of course, we will insist they stay and talk to us, make a card, do some dumfing or whatever…. When you have parked, go round the back of the building and find the door, ring the bell, and we will let you in. The door that leads into the carpark has a bell, but it doesn’t matter how hard we try, we can’t get it to work! So please don’t stand there ringing that one… we won’t know you have arrived. If you arrive before 10, that’s fine – I’ll be there getting lunch organised and can let you in early. Most of you have been before, so will remember how to get to us – but if you haven’t… www.emmanuel-llandudno.org will find our church website, and the address and postcode are in there on the “How to find us” page – I checked yesterday, and the interactive google map isn’t working properly (something else for me to see to), but you can see the place quite clearly. Looking forward to greeting you. Travel safely.

So, my desk this week…

I have been in full Christmas card production mode today – and succeeded in making 16 cards before the doorbell rang! Needless to say, I didn’t get back up here to my nice space until now. So, on the desk – some paper scraps from the pad I have been using as backing for the cards, a lovely pile of finished cards, embossing powder, inks, tray, handcream, ink dusters, once again my blade hasn’t been covered – naughty me! – the handle of a pair of scissors, a box of peel-offs, some Thomas Kinkade images ready for whenever I have the opportunity to come back up here, card blanks, envelopes, card for backing the images. Right at the front there is the centre of a finished roll of DST – unable to be put into the waste bin for recycling, it is awaiting a trip to a different bin!

By the way – Kevin thinks you are all wonderful! He thinks, having done so much work on my blog over the past weeks, that this is terrific group; that all are such good friends; and that the support given is huge and beautiful. He reckoned he sat in tears over some of your comments when my John died!

So that’s me this week folks. Running round in small ever-decreasing circles preparing for about four different events in the next four days. It will all be done! All will be ready when you arrive. There is still plenty of room if you want to join us – just let me know, and I’ll cook you some lunch.

Take care folks. God bless you.

Margaret