Monthly Archives: October 2014

The Wednesday Wag & Mom is really Happy!

Youngest is at home this week, Yeah, and he and I have been helping with the mail! This packet got my attention, it smelt so good! Youngest and I couldn’t wait to open it, even if it was addressed to Mom!

Hurry up and open it I need to see what is inside?!

I just knew there was something wonderful inside

My Lovely Cousins from over the sea have sent me a treat; Paul Newan’s Salmon and Sweet Potato Treats which Mitch and Molly have. They are delicious!

Yum, mumble, mumble yummy …. sorry I am too busy eating!

Thank you so much Mitch & Molly for sharing your lovely treats.

Oh Mom was more interested in this, which also came in the package!

Aren’t Quilty Friends the best! Mitch & Molly’s Mom, Sue, won my Giveaway in the last Blog Hop I took part in “See You In September” and her prize was the lovely Autumn fabrics. Well the fabric arrived safely with her in the US (you can read about that here: http://northfordmaggie.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/autumn-fabric-from-miss-susie-and.html) and she quickly made a cute Autumn mat, of course featuring an Airedale (you can read about it here : http://northfordmaggie.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/autumn-aire-and-give-away.html)

Well as you can see from Treacle’s blog above a wonderful package arrived in the mail this morning and Treacle was really happy with her gift and I am bowled over by mine. I have sent Sue, Mitch and Molly an email to say big Thank You and to say how wonderful Quilty Friends are. Sue also sent a lovely note featuring the Ragtail Airedales.

Here they are with the collection of Airedale walkers and the best bit is that I had one of those when I was a little girl. I will hunt out a picture of mine. The reason I had one was because my Mom and her Daddy had Airedales when she was a little girl. So a wonderful family memory.

So once again, Sue, Mitch & Molly thank you so much. the Airedale mat now has pride of place on my desk where I work and sew.

So big Quilty Hug from Susie and a crumbly biscuit woof from Treacle. xx

It’s Beginning To Look Alot Like Christmas!

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You know how I collect pictures of sewing rooms, well I am now starting on collecting pictures of kitchens at Christmas. This is number one on my list!

I have today started the process of making my three, for this year, Christmas cakes.

Step One – Weigh out all the dry fruit ingredients and soak in Brandy overnight

This is the Brandy I use, and they will probably contain two bottles by the end!

This is my Bible for anything Christmas!

I have used this book by Delia Smith ever since I first began making Christmas cakes, puddings, cookies and cooking the Christmas Dinner when I was twenty! The thing I like best about Delia’s recipes is that if there is something you don’t like, you can leave it out or change it and it still works!

My only change to the Traditional Christmas Cake Recipe is that I add lots more Brandy than she says, as I cannot stand dry fruit cake. It has to be moist. SO I soak the fruit in a lot more than the 3 tablespoons and then once the cake is made I “feed” it with lots of Brandy too! One thing, you don’t want to be driving if you have had my cake!!!!!!

Tomorrow the rest of the ingredients and getting them into the oven for a very slow cooking time and then preparing the three Christmas puddings!

“It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas……”

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Hugs, Susie x

Monday!

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Today is the first day of Half Term so Youngest has a week off school and it is great to re-charge the batteries. We didn’t have to be up at 5.30am (although DH did!), he doesn’t have his piano lesson today and no homework! He does have a birthday party to go to tonight, they are going bowling and for something to eat and then the pictures, so a great evening.

I have been working most of the day catching up on some business work and tomorrow we are going to see some friends before they fly off to Hong Kong for six weeks. We are also trying to get a visit in to see Baby Evalyn too.

Treacle has been on watch, as you can see from the above picture! She is so intense when she is watching and I think she must have seen a bird in the garden.

We gained an hour at the weekend and it was so nice. An extra hour in bed. I forgot to photograph the dinner party, we were having too much fun! and I didn’t get the cake made!!! That will be another job this week.

As always busy! Hope you are having a marvelous Monday.

Hugs, Susie x

Frantic Friday!

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Well DH and Youngest left the house this morning at 5.00am, Youngest left the bathroom light on and DH managed to bang the front door on the way out!!!!!!!!! So I was awake! I managed to drift back to sleep which was the worst Idea I had as I was having bad dreams (I won’t bore you with the details!) needless to say I woke up in a state so decided to have a bath! Then the day just got away from me from there.

I still have this to do!

And this is really what I want to be doing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

However after getting all these jobs done we do have a fun thing tomorrow as some very good friends are coming round for dinner, who we haven’t seen for a while, and they have just got back from a lovely holiday in Morocco! So looking forward to that. I will also take pictures of what I cook!

I also need to get a couple of pumpkins for next week and get the house dressed for Halloween.

Sunday I am hoping to get one of the Christmas cakes make and one of the puddings too. I also have to make some cookies for a meeting on Monday for the few who are on the swimming committee who are trying to stop the takeover!

Oh well I had better get on with my jobs. One other good thing this weekend; this happens :

This made me giggle!

Have a lovely weekend everyone

Hugs, Susie x

The Wednesday Wag & Thursday Throwback!

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Sorry I was not around yesterday but I was very busy at my Day Spa! Haven’t they made a nice job of my coat? Mom says I also smell so much better, but I am sure I don’t know what she means!

Just thought I would show you a side view and my face. Mom was not best pleased that it was pouring with rain last night so I got my nice, new, expensive do very wet!

Youngest helped dry me.

This was the first hair cut I ever had when I was a puppy.

Here is Youngest and I, he is helping to dry me.

Here is our Throwback picture for today of him and me when we were both Puppies!

Have a Woofy Thrilling Thursday

Treacle (and Mom!) x

I Feel Like I have been through Hurricane Gonzalo!

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It has been really bad this last week! We are coming up to the AGM for our swimming club and to put it bluntly because of some decisions which have been made this year, one section have decided to stage a coup. Unfortunately the only people who are going to suffer during and after this are the swimmers and certainly not the coup leaders and not us! It really makes me angry and what they haven’t realised is that there are far reaching consequences of this coup which they have either not thought of or don’t care about.

Yesterday, as I am Secretary until the AGM, I had to send out all the paperwork and it had taken me from 2.30pm in the afternoon until 2.00am to get everything sorted and sent out! DH was helping too and by the time we got into bed, we were exhausted! Then he had to get up again at 5.00am as he is away for the rest of the week on business!!!!

Treacle has been trying to help and cuddling up. In fact the other night she slept on our bed between us! She is going to be busy tomorrow as she is off to the beauty spa for a very much needed haircut and wash! I also need to wash all of her beds and her collar when she gets home!

Because of all of this chaos I have not had chance to do any quilting and that makes me sad! I need to sort out my stash draw as it is far too full and to try and find anything is impossible. I am going to have to re-think it and possibly get some new click boxes which can go under our bed. I also have not managed to get my Giveaway sorted either 🙁

Oh to add joy to today I have to go up to support our small pool swimmers and our young swim teacher whilst the main pool is closed and my two are not swimming! If it wasn’t for the swimmers , I would be throwing in the towel (and the towel rail too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

On a happy note I have begun my Christmas shopping and I have all the ingredients to make the three Christmas cakes and puddings I need to do this year!

64 Days to go!

I hope your day is better!

Hugs, Susie x

PS The weather today is because of Hurricane Gonzalo; very windy, very wet and Treacle hates going out as her ears blow around! She is funny!

The Wednesday Wag

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I have just been updating my Diary for the month and I am so busy! Also Mom keeps putting things in for me as well and I really just cannot keep up with all my appointments! I really do need my Spa day next week!

Mom had a really bad day yesterday and didn’t get her work done as there was a major panic with the Swimming Club! I don’t know why they can’t just go swimming in the river like us dogs do!!!! Anywoof Mom and Dad were very busy and so I just kept her company at her desk and with me in my basket! I even got an extra Bonio yesterday for being so good!

Eldest has been here tidying his room and getting rid of any rubbish and putting books away and others to Youngest for his course work. He has created more of a mess, or so Mom says, but he his sorting it out and he tidied the garage for Dad too, so he can have an extra biscuit!

The other evening Youngest and I were the only ones home and we both got scared! It was really windy and the house was creaking and then we both saw the “Thing” run up the steps but I was barking so loud that Youngest did not see exactly what it was! But when I get my paws on it, well the above picture is sort of what it will be like!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mom says I need to stay in over the next few days as there is some really bad weather coming with more high winds and lots and lots of rain and I don’t like getting wet much, so I think my basket is going to the best and coziest place to be. At the weekend Mom says that we need to get all the winter clothing down from the attic and I will get my winter blankets down too! Yeah

Just practicing for winter!

Must dash now as I am going on patrol to see what is happening outside before it rains and Mom has to dry me, again, and then I am going to see what Eldest is up to and then it will be time for Youngest to be home from school and that means dinner then! So busy, busy, busy!

Woof, Treacle

Thoughtful Thursday!

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When I am having one of those days Snoopy always cheers me up! I found these on the web and they reflect my mood today!

Treacle chose these :

I should have been doing house jobs today but made the mistake of sitting down at my desk! Four hours later I was still there working on things! So tomorrow will have to now be house job day. Hey ho!

The man on the radio today was going on about how many days to Christmas and then told us it was 76! I need to get my lists out and start planning Christmas cakes, puddings, mince pies and cookies! Otherwise it will December before I know it and nothing done! Not this year, oh no we are going to be super organised this year!

Only have one more Committee Meeting to go for the swimming club and then the AGM and I have finished and I can honestly say it will be a relief!!!! I have been secretary of many organisations and things and I can honestly say this year has been the worst I have ever experienced!!!! At least I will then have more time to do the things I really want to do like quilting and cooking!

Still need to sort out the puppy quilt and get it finished. I was watching one of the Missouri Quilt Company videos about spray basting the quilt sandwich and think I may give it a go. Has anyone done a large quilt with it or only small ones? The one they were demonstrating was a small display quilt, so don’t know how well it would work with a twin bed size quilt. Any suggestions gratefully received.

Need to get on now as I have dinner to make as Youngest is swimming tonight for two hours and I am on duty to take him. It is great when I have a binding to sew on as the two hours rush by then, but I haven’t got anything to finish now 🙁

Hope you are all having a Thrilling Thursday.

Hugs, Susie x

The Wednesday Wag

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I am still on patrol but not getting very far! I have now begun to dig around in Mom’s garden to try and get at whatever it is, but she yelled at me yesterday!

Anyway on to more important things; the parcel delivery man came this morning and it was not for Dad, not for Eldest, not for Youngest and no material for Mom either! It was this :

It’s my food which has arrived! Yeah. I can’t wait to tuck in to these new bags they really are yummy!

Now if Mom’s not looking I can perhaps just get this corner open!

Have a very Woofy Wednesday

Treacle

Tuesday Already!

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DH and Eldest have been really busy yesterday and today, leaving the house at 4.00am to drive up to County Durham to collect some tools for one of the companies we work with. They then drove back to Chesterfield and then back again to County Durham. They got in around 2.00am this morning and then left again at 5.00am to do the whole trip again! Needless to say I was also up and by 7.30pm last night I was just about asleep on my feet!!!! I was also up this morning too, thank goodness that after today that will be it!

Yesterday the weather changed and it rained heavily all day and at one point it even looked like sleet! So this has put paid to Treacle’s hunt for the “Thing” under the steps!!!! In fact this is what she looked like yesterday lunchtime!

This is the just woken up face! and why have you bothered me I was having a lovely snooze!!!!!

To everyone who has commented and become fascinated with the hunt for the “Thing” we have still not found evidence of what it is. In fact for all we know it may have moved on and Treacle is just smelling where it has been!!! Unfortunately the steps are not made in a way that we can lift them, so I think it is just going to be one of those mysteries which are never solved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I did get this done at the weekend though

I am so pleased how it has turned out and I just now need to layer it and get it quilted. I think it will look great for a little boy or girl!

Still need to get another two projects completed and then Eldest’s quilt, quilted. Youngest is asking for his quilt now so I am determined to try and get that finished before Christmas!

I hope you are all having a lovely Tuesday, Monday disappeared in a cloud of work and tiredness!!!!

Now this is my 500th Post! Amazing! To celebrate I will be coming up with a Giveaway for my Followers, hopefully by the end of the week, so stay tuned.

Hugs, Susie x