WOYWW606
Hello my friends. So, firstly – a VERY belated Happy Christmas and New Year! I trust this finds you well and looking to new things in 2021. Secondly – thank you SO very much for all the beautiful cards you sent to me – all made with care and love! They are great, and safely stowed. I have again been AWOL! Life was just a little difficult for a couple of weeks, and I just felt I couldn’t concentrate on writing my blog or visiting everyone. However, things have straightened themselves out somewhat, and exciting things have been happening here on the North Wales coast. The first thing was a WhatSapp family call on Christmas Day when my eldest grand daughter announced she was engaged and hopes to marry her lovely young man in September – life steps up a few gears at that announcement – as many of you will testify. The next thing to happen was for me to pluck up the courage and actually buy that new computer! No – I’m not yet using it fully. I need my grandson to walk and talk me through various things!! Then tomorrow (Wednesday) my 2nd grandchild achieves his 18th birthday! It’s all go up here, never a dull moment.
But – has anything been happening on my desk, I hear you ask…
Not a great deal, is the answer. This bit of the desk remains fairly empty. You see before you an empty cutting mat, a brown bag which had parcels in it; photo of my family at my parents Emerald wedding anniversary – an awful long time ago – the little girl in the blue dress has just got engaged!!, and a photo of my family taken about three years ago. The lovely caligraphy, Shaz in Oz did for me; half of a picture of a sheep, painted by grandchild number 4; The back of what looks like a picture frame – and is, in fact, a lovely photo frame thingy which was my family’s Christmas present to me. They filled it up with hundreds of pictures, some of which I have never seen before. The rest of the desk is deliberately out of sight. It sits about 6inches deep in clutter – all of which needs sorting!
But I haven’t been completely idle. I have done a jigsaw – which had pieces missing. So I selected various parts of the picture, removed some of the pieces and have saved them for the front of cards. I have sat in the evenings knitting a sweater – from the neck downwards, and in the round. Never done one quite like this before – but I’m nearly there now, and am on the second sleeve. Soon be able to model it for you.
Then my younger daughter asked would I be willing to do a large cross stitch picture and make it into an Advent Calendar for her daughter’s first married Christmas. Well… I’ve made a start…
I know – not much to show yet. It is actually in the centre of the fabric, I have just rolled a lot of the lower fabric round the bar so I am working nearer to myself! You can see how long that piece of Aida has been in my stash by the fold marks!!! I didn’t want to press it until the work is done, though. just in case you can’t immediately guess what the finished picture will look like…
The Stoney Creek picture will have a large vacant space around it, where I will stitch the numbers and curtain rings. Beth and Sam can then attach sweets to each numbered ring. I have so far purely achieved the underskirt of the girl in the green coat! But I did only start this week, and couldn’t do any on Monday as the light was so appalling (My excuse which I am sticking to!)
So, that’s life here in Wales – not much else going on around me, as we are still in total lockdown yet again, but then, so is the whole of Britain. I trust you are managing to find lots to do and occupy your fingers and minds. How my heart goes out to the nurses, doctors, surgeons who are continually on the front line – dealing constantly with such severe illness, and so many deaths. They must be exhausted, physically and mentally facing such pressures each day.
Take care each one of you. Stick to the rules. God bless you all.
Margaret
Good to see you back Margaret – Happy New Year. Good news about your granddaughter’s engagement. That will be a beautiful gift when it’s finished. Stay safe and Happy WOYWW. Sarah #3
Great to see you, again and glad all is ok. Happy New Year. Congrats to your grand daughter. the advent will be beautiful when finished! a way to go….. I am still working so yes, finding plenty to keep me busy! take care, stay safe. Helen #4
Happy WOYWDW
Great to see you and glad all is okay, It is lovely when things like engagements happen, and really brighten your day, Congratulation you your granddaughter and her other half, That advent calendar will be lovely when finished,
Take care and stay safe,
What wonderful news Margaret, that’s exactly the thing needed to lift the spirits!! I’m glad you’re keeping safe and well in these crazy times. That cross stitch looks like it’s the start of a big journey, good luck! That’s so annoying about the jigsaw missing pieces, I know it’s only a small problem but it really irritates me when that happens.
HUgs LLJ 14 xx
Hello my friend. It’s good to see you joining in the fun this week. I hate it when there’s pieces missing in a jigsaw but what a great way to make use of it. I think we have done about 6 jigsaws over the lockdown. The last one we did was really hard but we persevered and finished it. The one we are doing is much nicer so much more pleasurable. As you can imagine I’ve always got plenty to keep my fingers busy…just got to feel up to doing it sometimes lol.
Stay well and safe and enjoy all the lovely positive news with your family.
Hugs,
Annie x #11
What lovely news, an engagement and an 18th – as Jan says it’s just what is needed to lift the spirits. I love the cross stitch picture, it’s beautiful and will make a wonderful advent calender for many years – a real heirloom.
I hope you have a good week, stay safe and well,
Diana xx #25
What a lot of lovely news! I’m really looking forward to seeing how the cross stitch picture/advent calendar turns out… Look after yourself, and good luck with the new computer!
Happy WOYWW
Morti #20
Your advent calendar sounds lovely! I could totally imagine the finished item from that tiny swatch you posted (ha ha NOT!) Missing jigsaw pieces are a huge pain – I always check the hoover bag when that happens. Still sounds like you have lots of lovely news to look forward to so not all bad 😀
Happy WOYWW, with a late start
Mary Anne (1)
Hello Margaret and lovely to hear you have such wonderful news to share!! Something to look forward to for sure. Well done you for being able to do cross stitch – I had to give up years ago as it strains my eyes too much. I’m sure you’ll have that new pc all sussed out and be raring to go! Happy WOYWW, stay well, stay safe, love n hugs Cindy #14 xx
Hi! a wedding to look forward to ~ That will be exciting! That advent calendar will be beautiful, I can’t wait to see it coming together. What a nice keepsake that will make. Enjoy your week! Love, Karen #30
Great to see you back Margaret, and Happy New Year. Sorry to hear you had some difficult weeks. Life can be quite overwhelming at the moment, and it is particularly difficult when you can’t have the usual contact with your family. Wonderful news though- a wedding to plan and prepare for. How exciting for you all! Congrats too, on the new computer. And I look forward to seeing the progress of the cross stitch advent calendar. Lots to keep you busy until you are able to be out and about on your travels again. Have a lovely week Heather xx #18
What a lovely news, a wedding in September. I hope the world will be ‘back to normal’ by then as young people celebrate love and life! I also stop by to see how you’re doing, I assume you are not ill ’cause you wrote this blogpost, started a cross-stitch piece and you sound healthy and well, thank god! Stay safe. Big hug-from-a-distance! Marit #31
Oye Margaret, you are a busy lady!! I had to take a breather after reading your post! LOL Seriously though it sounds like you have some wonderful things coming around the bend. And congrats all around to the grands! I know that must be very special to you to see the generations moving forward and being blessed! Stay safe and healthy Margaret! Felicia, #33
I am sure that when the time comes around for the wedding she will be able to celebrate as you all wish. I don’t think things are going to get back to what we knew as normal but am sure that things will be so much better – they have to surely. Great news anyway.
Oh wow, the advent looks like it is huge., its going to be one heck of a lot of cross stitch – a family heirloom for her for the future. What a legacy to leave.
Blessings, Neet 17 xx
ps I don’t leave spaces, it looks that way because everything is on y desk – believe me there will be no space left at the end.
Glad to see you! And that you are doing well.
Hope the advent calendar goes smoothly! I used to have a frame like yours when I did cross stitch years ago.
Have a great week!
Carol N #29
Pleased you’re back and doing well. The frame looks familiar but not used one for a very long time. I should feel guilty really as I have aloft full of sewing stuff but when I finished teaching I just felt that I needed a change but it all needs sorting really. I look forward to seeing it as it progresses. Take care and have a lovely creative week, Angela x23x
So lovely to ‘see’ you back on here again, and full of such lovely news as well. I look forward to seeing the cross stitch progress over time. It’s such a lovely image. Happy WOYWW. Take care and stay safe. With love & God Bless, Caro xxx (#13)
So lovely to hear from you Margaret.
I’m very impressed at your stitching skills, there’s no way I would even attempt a task like that. Well done.
We have relations in Wales that would normally travel up to us for Boxing Day, but obviously it didn’t happen this year.
Still it matters not as long as we all stay safe and come out the other side.
Take care
Lynn xxx 16
A lovely post, Margaret, and many congratulations to your granddaughter! How exciting for you all. I love the idea of using parts of a jigsaw to make a card – what a great use of it when pieces are missing. Very imaginative.
Happy WOYWW and God bless,
Shoshi x #28
I hate those first few stitches! This will be your project for 2021. Have a great week. Angela #10
Great news and again, great to have you back! You’ll have a hate love relationship with your new computer! I had one for Christmas. It’s much faster than my old (steam driven ) one and it has a silver keyboard with lights…can’t see the flipping keys! So typing can be a bit slow, as I have to go back and sort out all the misstooks! Stay safe, keep Crafting! Happy WOYWW ((Lyn)) 21
Congratulations Margaret for your family news! It’s a lovely project for them!
Take care, stay safe and happy WOYWW!
Hugs
Lynnecrafts 5
Oh my that’s some cross stitch to do!
Christmas you said….what’s the odds?
Do so hope you achieve your goal there.
Thanks for the visit BJ#6
Thanks for your visit, Margaret. I am very pleased that the wool cones survived the journey in that box! I always buy yarn in bulk if possible because it’s cheaper in the long run, and also I have always got plenty of colours in my stash for any projects I might want to do. Thank you for your good wishes over my hospital shinanigans. I am thrilled with my new blender which is getting used several times a day. I just need to sort out the problem with the original one now, and the company are being very slow with each move unfortunately.
Happy WOYWW and God bless,
Shoshi x #28
HI Margaret, what a fabulous treasure that will be for them when you finish all the stitching, it looks HUGE 🙂 ~Stacy #36
Congratulations on all the good news!
That embroidery will be a real treasure!
Happy WOYWW,!
Susan #26
HI Margaret, happy new year to you too, I’m glad you’ve had some positive news to get 2021 off to a good start and I’m sure the new PC will be another positive once you get your head around it, it’s always a bit of a trial getting used to new tech but worth it in the end! Good luck with the cross stitch, that’s a mammoth project but what a wonderful gift it will make. Have a great week. Annie C #34
Hi Margaret! glad to hear you are out of a “funk”, I know what that’s like. Family is everything! We are now in our 3rd lockdown, each supposedly more severe than the last, but there are so many “exceptions” it hardly seems worth it. We haven’t yet done the lockdown we did in March when it was all new. So many complainers now, who feel they are “hard done by” and that the government is “out to get them”. They think “freedom” is a right, not a privilege. But no one has the right to put others in danger of getting sick. We all seem to have forgotten AIDs and how people were jailed for spreading it on purpose. Here we have fines, but it doesn’t seem to be doing much. Even one of our local elected officials says he won’t follow the lockdown rules! Anyway, we do our best to stay away and stay home.
What a great idea regarding your puzzle with missing pieces! And a wedding to look forward to in September – that’s when my DD got married! The advent calendar will be a treasured family heirloom when you are done – and you have the entire year to finish it!
I loved “The Hundred Year Old Man…”. There’s another book that is also just as fun if you can get your hands on it “The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules” by Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg, apparently book 1 of a series called the “League of Pensioners”. I’ll have to find the rest of the series! Thanks for your earlier visit, have a great week! Lindart # 35
Sorry I’m late. Gosh, that cross stitch!! a what a task, what a feat! It will be a wonderful present, a new heirloom for them to start their Christmas traditions. Love the idea, and yes, light is an issue here too, this week has been wet and gloomy and very difficult to to motivate myself to get fresh air! Great idea with the puzzle. I’ve got Bart doing one to see if it’s complete, it’s an absolute b7*&#£@ so will bear in mind that you need it for good light days. Mind you at this rate, it will be spring before we can get it finished! Well done on the new computer, it’s a scarey purchase to make without a child standing next to you! Such great engagement happy news, I know we talked about it, but want to reiterate my congrats and excitement!
Glad you are back have missed you. Thank you for the lovely Christmas card. Like the sound of the advent calendar. You are so lucky to have such a big loving family – only my daughter and me these days but she is waiting to complete the move to Spain any day now. Sorry I am late replying but Wednesdays and Thursday are so busy for me these days. Better late than never. Ani
Hi Margaret, I’m glad it’s not just me that’s struggling a bit at this time. Sometimes keeping up with blogging and comments just seems too difficult. I keep having to give myself a stern talking to. Good luck with the cross-stitch – you’ve got plenty of time and the daylight hours are getting longer. Hugs, Elizabeth x #32