Reading materials.

I've been so busy with this........

I didn't get any time for these.......
Mind you, it's not all bad, my creative abilities are managing to creep out here and there!
It will all be over soon and I can get back to the fun stuff. Speaking of fun stuff I'll be doing the draw from my 401 post on Thursday evening UK time. If you didn't enter yet go leave me a comment on this post to be in with a chance of winning one of my bags.

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Countdowns......

21 days to Hunneys exam!

22 days to my exam

25 days till we leave

39 days till we get married.

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Gratitude's

1) Meeting folks for lunch today.

2) I can read my mags on the bus.

3) ££s waiting to become $NZs

I stitched!!

I finally got a chance to do a little stitching! You know why don't you? Guess who couldn't bloody sleep! I sat up in my chair, all wrapped up in lovely warm quilts and sewed my little heart out.

Just a little peep at what I managed to stitch, this is my SSCS, the main design is now done, I just have to get the label done too. Maybe later today.

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I'm taking a break from the sewing at the moment while I make a pan of soup, yep! It's pumpkin soup! A very simple recipe.

Fry an onion in a big pan, just enough to soften it.

Chuck in any left over veggies you find in the fridge.

Some stewed pumpkin and any bits and pieces of frozen veggies you have lurking in the freezer.

add curry powder, cumin and chilli to taste. Bubble until all the veggies are soft, allow it to cool and whiz. Save until tomorrow, when it will taste even better or reheat and serve with crusty rolls today.

I didn't have much lurking in the fridge as I made soup last weekend too, but I did find some sorry looking sweet potatoes and some frozen celery so I chucked them in.

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I've had quite a few new to me people commenting on my last post, that's lovely, I like to meet new people. Of course there are some regulars there too. There is still time to enter my give away, you just have to comment on my post 401. I'm hoping to go out today and get a couple of special additions to the prize, something Manx! I'll take a photo of the whole bundle before it leaves me.

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Well if I want to sew some more today I had better get on and do a little of the domestic stuff and some home work too! I'll be back soon I hope.

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Gratitude's

1) A night out with friends.

2) Planning a night in with friends.

3) A moment to sew.

401

The draw is now closed. The winner was Emily.

How remiss of me. This is my four hundred and first post!! I should have celebrated last time. I seem to remember suggesting a give away by means of celebration. I even made a little bag.

I'm sure if I hunt about I'll find something to put inside it too, can't send an empty bag!

I'll do a draw on Thursday 1st of October. Only one entry per person, but you can tell others about it if you like, it's fun to find and visit new blogs. Just leave me a comment on this post and I'll include you. Please ensure that I can reply to your comment. Non bloggers, email me privately if you like, my email is in my profile. Lurkers! You are included too but you have to let me know you are there. ;-)

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I feel like I've done nothing for days, well I've done plenty, but nothing which requires a needle, mores the pity. When I get done with this here puter today that's what I'll be doing though, curling up on the sofa with some sewing and maybe just a few moments sat at my machine. Bliss. I think I deserve it after yesterday.

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Yesterday was my replacement day in Warrington. I had one of those can't sleep nights on Tuesday and got up again just after 2am! I made scones, for the whole class. Yummy. I'd played about a bit with the pumpkin bread recipe and made lovely sweet pumpkin scones. I'll be doing that again. The day itself was long but good. I do enjoy getting together with the other girls and one bloke. We are learning a lot from each other as well as the facilitator. I managed to do some homework in the airport, I had 3 hours to wait for my flight! Hunney collected me and we got home here at about 9.30pm. Needless to say I was in bed by 10.05pm and I think I was asleep before I even hit the pillow. I slept in until about 9.00 am this morning. Phew. I have more reading to do and four essays to write before I go back on 21st October, just days before we leave for NZ! I have a short exam and also get to do a presentation! That is done, well the PPS is made I just need to rehearse and get a couple of hand outs prepared.

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Another count down to add to the list! LOL

26 days until my exam!

30 days till we leave for NZ

44 days until I marry my Hunney

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My needles are calling me. I'm going to play.

1,3,5,7,9.

So there I was yesterday, swotting away, doing my homework. I have nine booklets to read, all about resource and supply! Exciting stuff huh? So, I've read four of them and I pick up number five, halfway through and making good time, I'm really pleased with myself.

I read the first page of number five, turn over and......... That doesn't make sense, what happened there? Investigation reveals that I have pages 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9!!

A total of four books have been made like that.

I contacted the course facilitator who was already having a bad day and made her day worse.

Needless to say my essay on Resources didn't get done. But my essay on Data Protection did. There were only five booklets for that and they were all complete. It was a bit of a change of direction for my poor little brain though. LOL

Gotta go, late for work.

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Gratitude's

1) Fax machines. (I have the missing pages already)

2) Time to do a few stitches this morning.

3) I live VERY close to my work.

Here's Jonny!!

As I said the other day, my DS is home for a few days.

Look what he bought me!
DS Joe wanted in on it too!
Hunney had to help as well.

It weighed in at nearly 4 stone / 54.5 pounds / 24.7 kilos!!

Guess what I was doing today? No home work, no sewing, no cleaning, no ironing! Instead I stewed all that pumpkin and made up loads of pumpkin bread and pumpkin soup for the freezer. There is very little room for anything else in my freezer.

I need your Pumpkin recipes please ladies.

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Gratitude's

1) Help to tackle the beast!

2) A freezer

3) 34 and 48!! ;-)

Catching up on sleep.

My trip away to Warrington on Wednesday was exhausting. I believe that was the most tiring of all, I was too tired to do anything but sleep yesterday, I did my shift at work then came home and slept, I cooked dinner, then after a little TV watching I had an early night. I was up at 07.35 this morning, so I think I must have caught up.

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I have a few things happening, but it's all stuff for sitting in front of the TV, my Secret Santa project is still at the work in hand stage, I have my cross stitch out again, but that's for TV time. My knitting is also best done in front of the TV, it's growing slowly.

So today, in a effort to spend a little time with my sewing machine, I've pulled out my denim circles. I'll spend a little time playing with them, I'm itching to start adding the lovely batik pieces I've collected.

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Back to the mundane world. For my course I have lots of reading to do and four pieces of homework to complete. I had better do some of that today too. On the final day, next month, I have to sit a short exam, which is worth only 30% of the final mark and give a 5 - 10 minute power point presentation. I have the power point work all done, I just need to write and rehearse what I will prattle on about, obviously I have a few basics noted down, or I wouldn't have been able to put the power point together. I have enjoyed the course, the people I'm working with are a great group and fun to be with, we have learned a lot from each other. I shall miss them.

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Back to the fun stuff...........

In 36 days Hunney and I leave for our trip to New Zealand. Boy am I ready for it, we are both sooooooooooo, looking forward to a chance to relax and have some fun. Oh yes, that means it's fifty days until our wedding! We finally arranged a date. Saturday 7th November. While we are in NZ we will also travel around a little. Hunney did show me around last time we were there, but it felt a little like a whistle stop tour! LOL This time I'm hoping to move at a slower pace, Shiree and I have suggested a get together in Dunedin, which would be great, I have visited the town before, we visited with a friend of Hunneys, for an afternoon and evening, slept in a motel, then left early next morning, this time I'd like to look around, I believe there are some very good quilty shops in town. ;-) Last time we were there I took loads and loads of pictures and I plan to do the same again. We will have computer access so I plan to continue blogging while we are there.

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If I'm going to have time for homework and sewing today before I go to work, I had better get off this thing.

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Gratitude's

1) My boy is home from sea.

2) The course is nearly finished.

3) The countdown is getting shorter.

SSCS Peeps.

A quick peep at my mornings efforts so far. Chookyblue reminded me that once my partner has my package she will be lurking on my blog! So I had better be careful not to give away too much.

No harm in showing the label though! LOL This is all ready for me to stitch, as usual it's hand written.

And I also have some hand drawn designs. These are the only flowers I know how to draw!
I'm off to play.

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Gratitude's

1) Among the Gum Trees. (See previous post)

2) A morning off work.

3) 39 days.

Exciting Stuff.

Click HERE to see what's going on.

A very clever and generous group of ladies.

They are having give away's too.

It's all work, work, work.

I feel like I've done nothing but work, work, work this last couple of weeks. I've had very little time for the fun things. Hunney did help me to move my armchair and my cross stitch frame and daylight lamp into the sitting room, I'm hoping to spend a little time stitching. The lamp will be useful when I do my stitchery too.

I have my morning off tomorrow, I'm hoping to get a little further along with the SSCS. I keep changing my mind about what I want to make for that! LOL Is this normal? I've started two things already and gone off them. I suppose if I get a couple of bits finished I can then chose the best one when the time comes.

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Do you remember that my day of training was cancelled last month? Well this month I have two days, which means twice as much homework. EEK!

I'm going to go sew a little.

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I'm getting close to my 400th post. Look out for a give away. Assuming I find time that is.

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Gratitude's

1) Late shifts.

2) Time to sew.

3) Quick and easy dinners.

Not Much Happening.

There really isn't much going on in my world at the moment. Well, not much but work! This week in a change to my usual routine I've got three days in the office, not my usual office either, I have three days in the Ramsey office. That should give me plenty of time to catch up on some paperwork.

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So, here's a peep at the flowers Hunney bought last week. The peachy coloured lilies have gone, but these beautiful Christmas Lilies have now opened up.

Yes, for the sharp eyed among you, I have removed the anthers, though they look odd without them, I hate all that pollen.

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I've done a little work on my SSCS, but I'm not showing, sorry. Instead have a look at my knitting. It's grown a little.
Not a very good picture I'm afraid, it's still a little dark and murky here so I had to use the flash. That's my news, like I said, not much to report really.

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Gratitude's

1) We collected our wedding rings. :-) :-) :-)

2) Flowers from my Hunney

3) A cosy quilt on my bed.

Christmas is coming.

I made a start on my SSCS gift, but no pictures yet, sorry.

This year as a part of the swap we also have to make a Christmas ornament, something suitable to hang on a tree. Thinking about that led me to thinking about not only the swap, but also gifts for others. This morning I went digging about in my drawer and pulled out all my Christmas fabrics.

I also had a dig about in my scraps box and pulled out any likely looking scraps too. I've got something planned, whirling around in my head, now I just need to let it out. Time to play.
As well as Christmas gifts and swaps I've also made a start on some knitting. DS Joe is getting a new jumper. He is growing so fast!
He loves the Aran style, so I've set off on a very simple sweater for him, no fancy cables this time, just a fancy rib. The way the weather is here I figure the sooner it is finished the better.

That's it really, that's all my news. I'm off to play.

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Gratitude's

1) 50 more sleeps to NZ

2) Inspiration everywhere.

3) A sunny day.

Finished.

What to do with rainy days. Stay home and go on PS3 of course.

Meanwhile on the other side of the room. It seemed to take an age to close up the binding, but I got it done, before they were starving and I had to cook for them. LOL
We could have slept under 'Welsh Jellies' last night, but we didn't. I just need to make and attach the label today, then it's done.

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Thank you Andrea for your generous give away, I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of using fabrics which I would probably never have bought myself. Even getting all that fabric through my poor little machine was an enjoyable experience. I did think about getting a bit fancy with some of the quilting, but in the end I stuck to straight lines, lots and lots of straight lines. LOL Maybe if I make another quilt as large as this one I'll go back to the quilt as you go method, then some fancy quilting may be possible. If you remember I did get a bit adventurous with the Fans quilt, another beauty born of a give away! Going back through my blog hunting for the pictures of the Fan quilt, I realised that it is actually a little bit bigger than Welsh Jellies! In fact, this is the fourth double bed sized quilt I've made!

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Time now for some small projects again. I want to make a start on my Secret Santa items. I've been to lurk on my partners blog and have some ideas. I will be showing some hints as I go along, I'm fairly sure she doesn't read my blog and she certainly doesn't know that I'm making goodies for her, so that should be ok. I also want to get on and make a start on some other smaller projects, some as Christmas gifts and some, just for me.

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I forgot to tell you yesterday, Mum came round on Sunday for her dinner, and Butterfly Blues left with her. So the Red Butterflies are back on the wall. She also left a request. She would like me to cross stitch something small for her, that's it, just something small!!

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Well the rain has stopped and the sun is shining, so I may venture outside today. I need one or two items from the supermarket then I get to come home and play some more.

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Gratitude's

1) Secret Swaps.

2) Rainy days at home.

3) 53 more sleeps.

Binding.

After three days of quilting, today I put the binding onto the Welsh Jellies quilt. I could have had the quilting completed yesterday, but chose to watch the F1 GP, the time wasn't totally wasted, while I watched I tidied and buried the quilting threads I had so far and this morning I finished the quilting. Just before lunch I had time to make and apply the binding.

This afternoon I'm sat below the window, listening to what you see here, while I tidy up the last of the quilting threads,
and close up the binding, I'm not quite half way done with that. I can think of no better place to be today, with howling winds and lashing rain,
curling up under a new quilt is a good place to be, it's getting it's first official snuggle test. As you see I had not quite enough of the rose bud fabric for the back and had to subsidise it with another fabric, but that's ok; I think they look nice together.

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In between rows of quilting this morning I also talked to my sister in law Lee on Skype, Hunney got to talk to his bro too. Hi Guys. (Waving to you) I sent them a link to the blog so that they could see what I'm up to. In just 54 more days I'll be on my way to basking in NZ sunshine rather than yucky British rain.

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Gratitude's

1) An excuse to stay home and sew.

2) Almost finished.

3) Somewhere cosy to sit.