Monthly Archives: July 2012

Think Christmas!

Treacle Says “Think Christmas”

 

Morning Think Christmas Blog Hoppers and welcome to my day on the Think Christmas Blog Hop.  This is the second hop I have taken part in and had so much fun in the first one, the Red, White & Blue Blog Hop, that when Madame Samm announced this, being hosted by Lesley at The Cuddle Quilter (what a great name for a blog!!!) I had to join in.
I think I was a bit laid back with this hop, the first one I had it all done, prepared and photographed for weeks before and this I thought oh I have loads of time, but I forgot the Boys were going to be at home!!!!!  To say it has been a little rushed is an understatement!
Here goes and I hope you like the block I have chosen.
A Christmas House with an appliqued Snowman
I have seen on a lot of blogs recently these houses being made especially with Homespun fabrics and quite a bit of applique on.  Now this is only my second attempt at applique and it is getting easier each time I do some.
Having enjoyed making this block, I had some more fabric left so :

And I had still more fabric left so :

And more fabric left so :

I now have a Christmas village, well almost!!!!!

 This is what I have done with them  :

I ran out of time to put the binding on but will get it done and then show you a picture!  The blocks are 12 1/2  inches square before the borders.

The brief was to use Red, Green and White fabric and you can see the way I have used them, which I am pleased to say all came from my stash!  Lesley loves Santa’s but I only had snowmen, sorry Lesley!
I really wanted to try making these houses and was pleased to see how easy they are and along with the log cabin blocks I have been making are now one of my favourites.  Again I could do lots of things, I just need more time!!!!!!
I had to put Santa on for Lesley!

 Giveaway

Here is what I am giving away :
A Moda Winter Wonderland Charm Pack by Ingrid for Moda
All you need to do is follow my blog, if you are new, and leave me a comment to say Merry Christmas and to let me know you are a new follower or if you are already a follower just let me know you stopped by.  I will ship Internationally and please make sure you are not a no reply person.  If you are not sure, leave me your email address in your comment.  I will get the Random Number Generator to pick a winner on August 6th, the day after the hop finishes.
Christmas has always been my most favourite time of the year (sorry I don’t like New Year!!!).  When I lived at home we used to go to my maternal Grandparents for Christmas.  We used to leave on December 23rd and spend the whole of Christmas and New Year with them and my Great Grandmother Jones, who lived with them.  It was a lovely family time with lots of preparations for Christmas Day and last minute bits of shopping and craft making.  
My Grandad and Dad would be making sure there was enough logs for the fires over the holiday period, my Grandma and Mom would be getting the food prepared and wonderful puddings and mince pies made and I would be putting the finishing touches to the Christmas trees.  
 
Christmas Eve dinner would be early at 5.00pm and when I was little, scooted off to bed, but it was so difficult to go to sleep as I knew Santa was on the way.  One year I actually heard the sleigh and reindeer land on the roof and the sleigh bells ringing.
 
As I got older I was allowed to help with the preparations and every year before the big day one of my jobs would be to collect the feathers as my Grandma plucked the goose for Christmas dinner.  She had a small sitting room off the kitchen and all the doors and windows were closed and the room would be filled with feathers as she plucked and I had to pick them up, as they were used to fill the new pillows for the sofas.
 
Christmas Day was a magical day, opening presents from Santa in the morning around the Christmas tree in our PJ’s and a light breakfast, with the goose already cooking.  Grandma always made me hot chocolate and the adults had coffee with a tot of rum in, especially if it was really cold!
 
Dinner was always at 2.00pm, after a visit to Church, and then gifts were opened from under the Christmas tree.  In the evening board or card games were played with a light supper being served at about 7.00pm.
 
Boxing Day was a completely relaxed day walking the dogs in the morning and hopefully playing in the snow, if it had snowed.  Lunch was a cold buffet and dinner in the evening was only the adults, usually with friends and other relatives visiting us.  
 
As my Grandparents got older my parents took over the hosting of Christmas, but continued with all the traditions and I helped out more and more.  Sadly it all changed as my Parents and Grandparents died, but I have tried very hard to build our own traditions around Christmas for DH and The Boys.  We don’t have a goose anymore (none of them like it) but we do have turkey or chicken but it does come undressed!!
I hope you have liked a little insight into my childhood Christmases.  Thanks to Madame Samm for suggesting this and to Santa Lesley for hosting and organising us all (hope your back feels better soon Lesley) and Thanks to all of you for visiting my Blog.
 

Merry Christmas!

Don’t forget to visit the other ladies hosting today on Think Christmas Blog Hop.  They are :

Tuesday, July 31 

Susie’s World (You are here)
 

x

Monday Morning Feeling!

 Do you ever have one of those days where everything you touch somehow goes wrong?  Well that was yesterday and today!
I was trying to finish my Think Christmas Blog Hop blocks and every time I did something with it, it went wrong!!!!!  Anyway I just have to finish it ( you will see it tomorrow ) and I think it will have to be done afterwards!!!!! Oh well.

 

Begins Today!
The following ladies are hosting today so hop over and see some lovely Christmas things in July, with lots of inspiration for Christmas Gifts.  There are only 147 days to go before the Big Day! The list is from Santa Lesley’s Blog (http://lesleythecuddlequilter.blogspot.co.uk)  I think it puts the “.co.uk” because I am in the UK, but Lesley, of course, is in the US!!!!
July 30
 
Cotton Addiction 
(Kristy let me know late last night that 
she was having some internet connection problems. Please check
back later).

 
 
Eldest’s Birthday is at the end of August and usually come September he begins working on his Christmas list.  Youngest has a problem as his Birthday is the beginning of December, so he works on his Birthday and Christmas lists all year, with several revisions in between!!!!!
I would like to thank all my followers who have left me comments over the last few posts.  I usually try and respond directly but the last few days have been so busy, I really have met myself coming back.  Please know that I love reading your comments and making contact.
So hop over and see what all the girls are up to and hop back tomorrow to see what I have been up to.  There will be a Giveaway but no tutorial this time (sorry I just ran out of time!!!)
Have a lovely, peaceful, Quilty Monday
Susie x

Round Up of Last Few Days

Thursday
Not a very clear picture, as it was very sunny and warm, but this is DH’s new truck for work!  We collected this on Thursday, having done house jobs in the morning.  We were supposed to pick the truck up in the morning but they had to finish getting it ready so we ended up collecting it in the afternoon.  DH is really pleased and as you can see, so is youngest!!!

Friday
Again we had a few things to sort out in the morning but headed over to Nottingham for lunch and to pick up some things for our holiday.  Youngest persuaded us to go to the cinema to see Ice Age 4 Continental Drift and it was good.  I just love the characters and the voice Actors are really suited to the animals!!! 
Nottingham, in the Market Square, for the last couple of years have hosted a Beach party and they ship in several tons of sand and water.  Here are a couple of pictures
The Nottingham Council House and The Beach

It is always very popular especially in the sunny weather.
We got back home at around 7.00pm, had some dinner and then settled down to watch the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics and you will have already seen my post about that.
Saturday
The weather was again wonderful so we decided to get the garden sorted before we go away.  We have some shrubs which needed chopping down and starting again and as the weather was so good decided that would be the job as well as weeding.  
Treacle was helping with the branches we cut down

Running around with the large sticks

This is what it looked like when we finished
It’s really warm Mom!

A Boy and his Dog!!!
  

Sunday

Hair cut day for The Boys left in the house, and more house jobs, along with watching the Olympics.  I also have to finish a few things up for the Think Christmas Blog Hop which begins tomorrow.  Oh my ears and whiskers; I had better get a move on!!!!!
Hope you are having a lovely weekend where you are.
Susie x
 

The Greatest Show On Earth!

 
How proud we are to be British with the amazing Opening Ceremony at the Olympic Park last night. 
The naysayers have been moaning about money spent on the Olympics, in the present economic climate but they can all go and hide somewhere because it was worth every penny.  Team GB has an athlete in every sport at the Games and I think that is fantastic and to see all the Countries represented, especially those who only have two or three competitors that is what this is all about.  For seventeen days in London there will be no conflicts, no wars just unity in sport.
Danny Boyle and his team had created a view of British life and even if all of the Opening Ceremony was not understood by everyone around the World I think the gist of it was and Her Majesty, The Queen, entered into the spirit of the event with James Bond accompanying her to the Opening!  I think people forget she is human, they just see the title!!  The Boys, of course, liked Mr Bean the best, Rowan Atkinson is a National Treasure!!!!!!
Good luck to all the Athletes and Go For Gold to Team GB.

x

 

Friday Giveaway Results!!!!

Today I have managed to use the Random Number Generator for my 5,000 (or 6,000 depending how you look at it) Giveaway
 The First Winner is Linda and I asked what everyone likes best about Christmas and Linda said :
 Hi Susie!
Congratulations on your 6,000 views..WOW! I became a follower during the Red, White and Blue hop. My favorite part of Christmas is having my family together and attending Christmas Eve service to celebrate the birth of Christ.
Congratulations Linda, I will email you to sort out delivery!
Random Number Generator did its thing again :

 

Which is Scrapbook-ChickADoodle who said :

Congrats on 6000!
I am a follower.
I like to drive around town with my DH and look at all the lights people put up on their houses.
Thanks for the opportunity to win.
Congratulations.  I will be emailing you to sort out the delivery.
Thanks to everyone who entered and don’t forget to start blog hopping again with the Think Christmas Blog Hop which begins on July 30th.
Santa Lesley at The Cuddle Quilter is hosting and has done a fantastic job getting the schedule sorted so hop over to her website and you will find the master schedule there.  I am hosting on July 31st so please come back and see what I have been up to.  The link is
I have been busy quilting but for Think Christmas so I have not been able to show you what I have been up to, just yet.  I will be having another Giveaway but no tutorial this time, sorry.  I have been so busy with the end of School and with the Boys being off but I hope you like the Blocks I have done.
These are the ladies who are starting us off on July 30th :
July 30
I will also have an update on what Youngest and I have been doing over the last couple of days as well over the Weekend.
11 Hours and 35 Minutes To The Start
After four years of planning and building, we are just 11 hours and 35 (well 34 now!!) minutes away from the start of the London 2012 Olympics and I really hope that they are going to put on a great event.  Even though, Molly our swimmer, did not get picked (but I won’t go into that now, but it is wrong!!!!) we will be there watching.  I suppose that whatever sport you are personally involved in, is the one you want to see and for us that will be swimming and tennis.  We do watch the other sports but are selective (I cannot stand football – sorry to all the fans out there!!!)
So to all the competitors who are taking part Good Luck and to Team GB – Go For Gold.
Have a great sunny Quilty Weekend.

x

Whirlwind Three Days

Monday
We decided not to do anything, and I mean anything, today.  We didn’t get up early, we had fruit and eggs for breakfast and spent the day chilling.  The boys were supposed to get their hair cut but our friend, and hairdresser, was poorly, so Youngest spent the day in his PJ’s!!!!
Tuesday
We had to get Eldest’s hair cut as he was going away today with his Girlfriend and her family, fortunately we found another friend who could do that and the rest of the day was spent getting him ready for flying out this morning at 6.00am!!!
Wednesday
That just leaves Youngest and I (DH is working of course) and I came up with the idea of how he could choose what to do during the day (I found it on someone else’s blog and if you read mine, I am sorry I cannot give you the credit; I forgot where I saw it!!!!)
Popsicle Sticks with an outing written on.

We have so many for “D”ry Days and so many for “W”et Days
 Last night he chose the first stick and it was a Day Out at the West Midlands Safari Park about an hour and half drive away from home.  
So with a picnic packed, sun cream and lots of bottles of water, we set off at 8.30am this morning.  We were doing okay until we got to within five miles of the entrance and some temporary traffic lights caused a very long traffic jam.  We finally got in at 11.00am but the rest of the day was great.  We left at 4.00pm having done and seen everything and I now have one very tired but happy Boy!
Here are a few pictures we took :
The Rhino were busy

It was so warm the Lions were sheltering

Youngest feeding the wildlife

A lemur came to say hello

This one was waving to us!

The Meerkat on lookout
Youngest thought this looked like his brother – Very tall!!!!!
From a sleepy Mommy too.
Susie x 

PS Treacle had a quiet day in, after two very hectic days with the Boys on Monday and Tuesday.  Normally she has quite a bit of sleep when we are here on our own, but with the Boys at home she never stopped, so today she spent catching up on her sleep!!!!

PPS  Eldest got to the villa they are staying in at 8.45am this morning and has been lounging by the pool most of the day!!!!  All right for some!!!!

PPPS  The weather here at the moment is great.  I am not complaining!!!!!

Schools Out for Summer!!!

Finally School has finished for Summer.  I am so pleased, every one of us, DH, Eldest, Youngest and myself need the break.  It has been so hectic in the run up to the end of term and the weather has not helped.
However, instead of the weather being really nice up to the Kids breaking up and then turning bad, the exact opposite has happened and it has turned warm and sunny and that is a relief too.
I have planned lots of things for the next three weeks and will post photos after each day.  
I have even got some quilting done today, yeah!!!!
There is still time to enter the 5,000 Giveaway and thanks to those that already have and don’t forget the “Think Christmas Blog Hop” which begins at the end of this month.
Susie x

5,000 View Giveaway or Should It be 6,000 Views?

 I promised when we got to 5,000 views I would have a Giveaway.
Guess what?  Because of the Red, White & Blue Blog Hop I am now on 6,000 views!!!! Yeah thank you!!!
So I am giving away to two lucky winners this mug and mug rug :

 

The fabric is Christmas fabric and goes well with all the ladies doing Christmas in July.
To win one of these all you have to do is follow my blog, if you are new, and leave me a comment on what you like best about Christmas.
To me the best thing about Christmas is being at home with the family and having the Christmas decorations up and the cold weather.
This does not apply if you live in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is warm at Christmas!  I don’t know, having lived in England all my life, if I could cope with a warm Christmas.
You will have one week in which to leave me a comment for my Giveaway and I will try and get the random number generator working for Friday July 27th to pick two winners.  I saw the Tutorial on Sew Many Ways for the RNG thing and will be following Karen’s advice and try and sort it out.

So please leave me a comment and follow my blog.  I loved reading all the comments from the Blog Hop and can’t wait to meet more of you.

I will ship Internationally and please make sure you are not a no reply blogger.  If you are not sure, put your email address in the comment.

 Of course I thought this would also lead nicely into the next Blog Hop I am participating in :
This is being hosted by Lesley from The Cuddle Quilter and my day is July 31st along with these other talented ladies :
Happy Quilting Friday and Weekend

Hectic But Good Day

Today has been hectic with my racing to get all my house jobs done this morning, having got The Boys off to school and DH to work, as I was having lunch with Girlfriend’s Mom!  We did lunch!  It was really good too.  A local Italian bistro and Eldest and Girlfriend also joined us.  Problem was I didn’t want to do any work when I got back home!!!!
Treacle is now resplendent in her summer coat she went from looking like this :
Very curly and quite a thick coat 
 To this :
Don’t I look elegant!!!!

Do you like the pose?
 In fact we have a smaller dog now!!!!  Just in time as well as the weather forecast is saying that over the weekend it is going to be warm and sunny!!! Yeah 

Tonight they are running the Wild, Wet and Wacky competition which should have run on the Thursday of Carnival Week.  Guess what?  Its raining heavily so I am going to have lots of wet children and clothes coming in, in about an hour!!!!


Sometimes I feel like a Chinese Laundry!!! 


On a completely other subject, do you ever read a blog and there is a really good idea and then you don’t take a note of the blog name or address and don’t remember where you have seen it?  Well I have done that over the last few days.  I came across the idea of Popsicle sticks with activities on and the kids draw them out.  I thought that was a great idea for when Eldest is away with Girlfriend and her Family, for Youngest and I to do things during the day.  


I have done a selection and split them into “W”et day activities and “D”ry day activities.  I just need to put them in a container so Youngest can see the “W” or “D” depending upon the weather and I will decorate it.


Oh well having enjoyed myself this afternoon I had better get on with some work.  Don’t tell Treacle, but she is off to the Vet tomorrow!!!!!!


Susie x