I am a total Gleek!

Evening all,
Well I am very tired this evening and I have a evening baking marathon ahead of me. The PTA have arranged a coffee morning tomorrow to raise money for Haiti. Ethan is very excited, he loves my baking, and I am sure (like last time) he will make me buy it all back again!

I have also been planning to overhaul my office/craft space. As it is one end of my living room I want it to be sleeker and more self contained. So giving in and getting an Expedit and lots of co-ordinating boxes and baskets from Ikea. Currenly looking for new storage for 12x12 papers, any suggestions?

The new season ranges were launched at Cath K, total drool fest! I have already placed an order online as was too impaitent to wait for my trip to Edinburgh on Friday.... My sewing obsession is growing and I NEED more fabric!

I have finished the top section if Ethan's quilt, going to get the backing and wadding tomorrow. I love it, I've already spent 15+ hours on it, so lord knows how long the quilting will take as will probably have to do a lot by hand!









Exciting holiday development today, Geoff, Deb and Joshua are coming too, we are booking tonight....wooo hoooo!!

Right, I am off to re-watch the entire series of Glee (for the 3rd time!!!), I LOVE it!

Don't stop believing
Xx


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Morning all,

Well it is a rather grey Sunday, a sort of nothing weather day .. no rain, no sun...no wind ... just a bit grey. So I am cheering myself up by playing with vibrant colourful fabric.

A great high point of this week is that we look pretty close to booking our holiday.. hope to get it sorted this weekend, as it is a lot cheaper at the moment. We are going back to Petra (where else, lol).. I can't wait and neither can Ethan, I think this is our 6th year. This year will be a little different, as well as the usual suspects, me, Ethan, my aunty, my uncle and jody and her friend, another 4 family friends may be coming, all the way from Texas...yee haw! Will be great fun, lots going on, but still plenty of time for quiet/chill-out/peace ... totally bliss, I can't wait!

We had a great few days with Joshua, he is a delight to have and I am so lucky that we get to spend so much time with him, it is so important to me that I can be the one to take care of him when my bro and SIL are working, we are creating very strong bonds and happy memories. Being his aunty is one of life's highlights, and Ethan and he adore each other. I love watching them together, they are so close and cute.

I am now going to do some more work on Ethan's quilt, while I have a quiet day. I love Sundays...
Have a great day everyone
em xx

Karate kid!

Afternoon everyone,

well i have just deposited 3 new fish into Ethan's fish tank, they are swimming happily with 2 curious cats looking on. I wonder what Ethan will call them... he didn't know I was getting them and the tank has been sitting empty and desolate since the last fish died last year... so good luck to the 3 newest additions!

As i said in the last post it is all go at the moment and I am craving a moments peace to get stuck into my projects. I have made quite a bit of progress with Ethan's quilt, having bought a new rotary cutter (thank the lord!!!) and a new acrylic template. I also got 2 other patterns of fabric, so that makes 6 different styles, and so far it is looking really good. The only drawback, and one that has seriously hampered my crocheting is my bad wrist/hand has flared up. I get it worst in my right hand/wrist and I know that in time I am probably going to get really bad arthritis (as well as failing eyesight and not being able to see close-up, I am going to do really well as a crafter, lol!). The last time it was bad my dr said i would need a steroid injection, but I really don't want to go down that road, so am currently slaving it in ibuprofen gel he gave me last time and am looking into alternative treatments and have an appointment at my local herbalist/alternative therapist!

In addition to Ethan's football and swimming and my drama classes, he has also recently started taekwon-do lessons, which he is loving. I think it is important that in addition to team sports, he also do something one on one, and taekwon-do is a great confidence/discipline builder... so far so good! So we are pretty busy around here, thank goodness I am organised and have a fully functioning schedule/diary as otherwise I have no idea where we would be.... chaos!

Tomorrow we have Joshua coming to stay until Saturday as my brother is back off-shore and Debbie is off to New York. I am going to try out a local mother and toddler group with him, which has had great reviews, plus I can drum up new custom, hee hee!

Right, I had better go and get him from school then home for quick tea before football training and the PTA meeting for me!

Em x

Sun, sun, sun, FINALLY

Morning all,

As I sit writing this the sun is streaming in through my window... finally the snow has gone, finally we might start to get some hint of spring starting to peek through... I am desperate to see green! (However it is also highlighting that I need to get out with my ladder and squeegee and clean them!)

So I am very VERY proud of myself.. yesterday I FINALLY got around to attacking the dreaded hall cupboard. I took everything out and dumped it in the living room floor, put in all the storage and slowly started sorting through and reorganising. So after 5 hours (YES 5 HOURS!).. it was all finished and looking beautiful. Shelves, drawers and baskets for everything, all within reach and clearly labeled (I LOVE my label maker, love, love it!). During the clear out I found all Ethan's baby boxes, first shoes, drawings, his baby book, all the cards etc ... was lovely to have a wee reminisce and think about my baby!

Speaking of my boy, his dad and I finally told him yesterday that he is going to Florida in 3 weeks, he is very excited. They will have an amazing time, and as sad as I am that I will miss seeing his excitement and joy and pleased that they will have the experience and the memories to share. (Plus I will give them a list of things to buy!).

So, what should I do today... I might go for a wee run as it isn't long until I have my first 5k run of the year, so need to get back into my training now that the snow and ice has gone. But I have a stack of fabric I would like to dive into .... choices, choices!!!

Kim and I went to Ikea on Friday, hilarious...! So much fun, she is so like me in many ways and there is something about the familiarity of being with a friend you have known for sooo long, like an old shoe, lol! I have known Kim for 22 years, and been through it all with her. In some ways I don't feel at all old or grown up, but then the reality is we will be 40 in 5 years time ... how did that happen .... SHOCKING! BUT the highlight is Ikea fabric ..... who knew?! I spent a fortune, AND we are going back in 2 weeks .... HELP! 'My name is Emma and I am seriously addicted to buying fabric...it is my new love'! So get compiling another list for me Katy, you know you want too, lol!

I have so many projects on the go at the moment, a quilt for me (using gorgeous Amy butler fabric) a quilt for Ethan (using 4 kinds of fabric I got at Ikea) and I am also going to make a quilt for Joshua. He will be moving into a bigger bedroom soon and then a bigger bed, I would love to make him a keepsake, something he can keep and have when he is all growed up (sob sob). Deb loved the idea, she had already been looking at quilts and fabric in Pottery Barn (she spends LOTS of time in NY with her job!), so jumped at my suggestion. We are currently researching fabric and old sentimental clothes of Joshua's to incorporate into the quilt. Apart from quilts, I also have kitchen curtains, table mats, pj bottoms and 5 cushions to make, as well as a pair of curtains to shorten for Deb.... better crack on and stop writing this, lol!

So, get out and enjoy this lovely sunny day!

em x

So much for a quiet life!!!

Just when I was getting used to the peace and quiet, the next few weeks look set to be very busy. All good stuff; friends visiting, new sports, play dates, family fun, childminding, girls nights out, meetings, shopping trips (scouting for furniture and extending my fabric warehouse to accomodate project list lol!). The list goes on!! Looks like my projects might have to wait a few days!
Now if only I could stop walking into the post at the end of my bed (my hips and legs are soo bruised!), everything would be perfect!
I have class in the morn, lots of new starts, then a girly coffee morning (I will get to crack open my glorious new cake stand!), so better hit the sack!
Night all!
Xx


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New Year .....better blogging!?

Hellloooooo....!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I am fine and well, lol. We had an amazing Christmas and New Year, lots of fun, food and giggles. We also had family staying, and a dog to look after so that all left very little time for blogging! I received lots of lovely things for Christmas, snug, amazing, never off my feet Ugg slippers, lots of tantalizing powders and potions to luxuriate in, a godsend in my Tassimo coffee machine, which goes perfectly well with the liters and liters of Starbucks syrup direct from US (it is at times like this that I love the fact my SIL travels so much!), Yankee Candles you could literally eat mmmmm. Ethan was also a very, very lucky boy. He MUST of been good!!

But, 2010 is here and most importantly I am feeling much, much better. It is amazing how great feeling great can feel when you have been ill for a long time. So refreshing, so glad I have energy again, that I can enjoy food again, that I no longer randomly fall asleep, hee hee!

So life got back to normal this week; the schools went back and my new term of classes started back. Lots of familiar little faces, but also lots of new ones. That is one of the best things about my job, getting to see all these little babies grow up. Now I am running a different range of classes, as they get too big for one, they progress to the next. I also have a long list of projects (how unlike me, ha ha!). The first thing was my bedroom, which has always been the 'staging area' as I sort the rest of the house. But with the kitchen and bathroom now complete, the time came to spend some time and love on my boudoir. Yesterday I got a new bed (LOVE IT!!), bedside table and tv, and have spent today researching the rest of the bedroom furniture. Finally decided on a chest of drawers and taller chest for the tv to stand on. Typically one piece of furniture will take 28 days for delivery... grrrrrr!

I also have alot of sewing projects to do; feeling very inspired in the sewing department recently. Anyone who knows me, will tell you that I am a fan of anything homemade; food, decor, craft, cards, furnishings... If I can make it, then I will. Quite interestingly, this seems to be very 'in vogue' at the moment and quite frankly, watching Kirstie and Nigella recently, they totally copied all my ideas, ha ha (well I am obviously in great company!!). My bestest Katy and I are always drooling over some fabric or another, people may think we are sad, but our homes are glorious as a result! I recently discovered some amazing Amy Butler fabric in one of my favourite shops during a trip to Edinburgh, so stocking up mmmwwwaaaahhhhaaa!!

Here are a selection of photos from the holidays (excuse the quality, my camera was soaked on coffee recently and need a new one, these were taken on my iPhone!);

I am off to watch Come Dine with me and compare wadding versus batting, lol!
Em xx

We are in our way!

Ethan and I are going up to see Nanny this weekend (we are currently on the train!), back Monday, so lots of cuddles and laughter!


I'm now all set for Christmas, all presents are bought and wrapped (except the ones I'm waiting on from amazon!) and have caught up on all my cooking/store cupboard prep/creativity!

Ethan finishes school Friday lunchtime, so in annual tradition we are off to Edinburgh to see Father Christmas in Jenners and visit the Winter Wonderland (mmmm mulled wine, although my new discovery of Winter Pims has knocked mulled vino off the top spot!). This year Debbie and Joshua are coming with us, so lots of new family traditions starting!
Right, the trolly is coming past and I'm feeling peckish!
Em xx
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