Wednesday 30 March 2016

WOYWW....

Hello all.  To say it's been a busy week is an understatement but it's been a great one.  All the flooring went down to plan and our visitors arrived from Holland and after 5 wonderful days together over Easter they went home Monday after lunch.....life should be filled with days like that.

For those wanting pics here is a collage of our new flooring......


 It's the same neutral coloured carpet on the living room and bedroom floors and then the rest are fitted with a tile effect vinyl flooring.....we are thrilled with the results and it will all look really lovely when we can get the papering and painting finished now.  I think we are actually able to see the light at the end of the tunnel now.

Of course what you really came to see is my work desk isn't it?  I have to say my sewing room has seen no action over the last week so this is the desk I'm sharing today...


There is always knitting on the go here and of course I now have a little reason to knit for.....I can't have the next little family member arriving with no Nanny Annie knitting waiting for it can I?

That's all from me for today so if you leave me a little message to let me know you've called by I will do my best to get over to yours as soon as I can.
Hugs,
Annie x

Wednesday 23 March 2016

WOYWW.....

I know you've come to see my desk today so I will show it to you but will also show you a few pics as to why it's looking like it is.....sorry if it's a bit picture heavy today but at least There's not much to read lol....




Yes, this is my sewing room!! Note there is no work desk available!! [and, yes, that is a tumble drier just through the door!].

This is our kitchen!!  In fact every usable space is full of the furniture from all the other rooms because we have carpet/flooring fitters in.....In fact these were all taken yesterday because I will be up at silly o'clock today to be on twin duty and I wont have time to upload more pics.

By now I hope....



...there will be carpet on the living room floor.



.....carpet on the spare bedroom floor.



...vinyl flooring in the hall.



....vinyl flooring on the utility floor and....

.....vinyl flooring on the floor of our newly fitted shower room floor.

Two men arrived at 8.30 yesterday so I'm hoping by the time you read this it's all been done :-)

We have visitors coming from Holland for the Easter weekend so at least it should all look rather better by then.  :-)

Thanks for calling by today.  Sorry my work desk isn't filled with creative fun but I hope you have enjoyed seeing a little of what we have been up to here this week.  Please leave me a little message to let me know you've called by and I will do my best to call by at yours ASAP to see what you've been up to this week.
Hugs,
Annie x

Friday 18 March 2016

This week's smiles....week 162

Hello all.  Lots of you joined in the fun again last week and I thank you all for making the world a happier place to be.

I am featuring Jo's blog from last week with her gorgeous quilt and all her fab pics of Spring flowers .....they really made me smile Jo so thanks for sharing them.  Spring really is my fav time of the year.


As ever life has been pretty hectic here but it's given us lots to smile about.  I shared the exciting news about the increasing numbers of our little family members, God willing, in September and I'm knitting in every spare minute [as Nannies do when they hear this sort of news].  Our Grandchildren never fail to give us reasons to smile so the thought of having another one is simply wonderful.  I have a couple of pics to share with you all this week and I'm sure you will understand why...




Here's Phoebe and Lulu with their new swimming certificates. Phoebe has just swam 10m and Lulu has swam her 5m and can't you just see how proud and excited they are to show me?  I am so thrilled to share their achievements and love them to bits.



Their little brother Steve is such a loving little boy and yesterday he asked his mummy if he could go outside because he said he 'needed to do something'......a few minutes later he came back in and presented his mummy with the flowers he'd picked for her.  Doesn't he just melt your heart?




One of the other things that's made us smile is this......I know it's awful isn't it?  
The reason it's making us smile is because yesterday it was taken out and replaced with this.......



Now doesn't that look better?  And wouldn't you be smiling too if it was yours?
....and what is making us smile even more is that awful green carpet is being replaced next Tuesday too and eventually the walls will be stripped and replaced with something rather more modern....probably wallpaper but we won't know for sure until we strip off that awful blown vinyl wall paper.

So there you do.....I've shown you what's been making us smile this week now please link up below and show us yours.
Hugs,
Annie x

Wednesday 16 March 2016

WOYWW...

What a lot has happened since you came here last.....
  • The last three old doors have been replaced with three new ones in our bungalow [still needing painting of course].
  • Hubby has grouted two walls in the newly tiled shower room and fitted the new shower....still to finish the other walls and plumb in the washbasin.
  • Plumbers organised for this Thursday to fit our new gas fire and surround in the living room.
  • Carpet fitters are booked in for next Tuesday to fit carpets in our spare bedroom and living room and flooring in the new shower room, utility and old hall.
Oh and of course I had a table at a craft fair on Saturday afternoon.  Here's the proof...


The fair was a money raiser for the twins Pre-school so I only filled my table with child friendly goods.  I didn't expect to sell a lot but was more than happy to support the cause and to let folk know who I was and where they could find me if they needed sewing doing.  Lots of my fliers were handed out and I made enough to cover my costs so I was thrilled to bits.....plus of course I was surrounded by my wonderful family members who came to help and support so all in all a wonderful afternoon was had by all.

Now to what is on my work desk this week.  I've been quietly been working on this for a little while but can now share my latest baby blanket with you and some very exciting news.......God willing I am going to have another little grandchild arriving in September.  Our son, Mark and his wife Gina are expecting their first baby so it's all very exciting.


Of course I know you will all want to see the photo of the 12 week scan that I have been allowed to share with you .....

 Meet a very chilled out little baby......looks like he's sunbathing to me. :-).....and at just over 2" from it's head to it's bottom it never fails to amaze me just how perfect they look......can you tell I'm doing a happy dance here? :-)

So folks that's it from me for today.  I have more smiles that I will share on Friday so please pop back then to check them out and share your smiles with us too while you're here.
Hugs,
Annie x

Friday 11 March 2016

This week's smiles....week 161

It was another week with lots of you joining in the fun by sharing your smiles and for that I thank you all.  There are some weeks that we need smiles more than others and this week has been one of those weeks for me so please keep up the good work girls....It really does make the world seem a better place when you have lots to smile about.

I am featuring Angela's post from last week because it had been taken over by BP mini me and really made me chuckle.....thanks BP.  Just sometimes we all need a little 'person' in our lives that make us smile don't we?   You really did the job BP.....I really hope Angela is having a fun week skiing and comes home safely and in one piece to you BP.

My week has been full of challenges but there is always plenty to make me smile so I'm sharing a couple of pics with you...


I have had flowers from one of my friends [to cheer me up when Rocky had to be put to sleep] and for Mother's Day had tulips from my daughter Shell, coloured flowers from Sam and Lexi, a basket of flowers and plants from my daughter Amy and a beautiful orchid from my son Mark.....aren't they simply gorgeous?  


The other pic I'm sharing is of the lovely new window my clever hubby fitted last week and the new light airy hall we now have because he then took down the old brick porch that was the other side [you can still see the concrete pad that it sat on through the window].

Yesterday we had a builder here to fill in the gaps where the bricks were missing and the concrete pad has now been broken up so we can soon have the drive resurfaced on the front of the bungalow.  :-) :-) :-)

So much to smile about eh?  I think so. :-)

Now please leave me a little message to say you've called by and link up your smiles below.  Hope you have a great week.
Hugs,
Annie x

Wednesday 9 March 2016

WOYWW...

This is my photo for the what's on the work desk post for this week......


As you can see every surface is clean and very tidy and that is because on Thursday last week, I had a friend coming round for a workshop so I had a tidy round and put all my clutter away where it should be but I also while doing that I 'tidied away' my magnetic pin holder!!! This is said pin holder.....

Until I had one I never knew just how much I needed one but now I've got one it gets used every day and is never far from me....that is til last Thursday!!!  Since then I have searched every cupboard, fabric pile, drawer, shelf etc etc.  In fact I had everyone else searching for me too.....It's too heavy to mislay easily and I HATE to lose anything especially something as much used as this is.  Monday morning that big sister of mine popped round for coffee and she searched for me too but alas we couldn't find it so it was decided that as she was going into our fav fabric shop where I bought the pin holder from, on Tuesday, she would get me a new one....and of course more pins cos they were missing too!!!

Guess what I found first thing yesterday morning?  Yes I've found it at last.  And guess where it was hiding?.....

....can you see it?  Nope neither could I but when I came to use my paper cutter for some strange reason it wouldn't sit level!!  Yes you've guessed my MAGNETIC pin holder had stuck itself to the underside of the paper cutter!!!  Needless to say I now have a VERY tidy sewing room and have wasted 4 days looking for it!!

And for those who didn't see my latest makes on my Facebook page these are what I've made this week and I shall me taking them with me on Saturday to the craft fair at the twins pre-school to hopefully sell...



They are, what I've called, Money Bunnies and are made of felt with a slot in the back for pennies to go....I know that not everyone likes to give chocolate for Easter so thought these would be a pretty alternative.

Before I go I must thank you all for the lovely comments last week.  It really does help to have so many good blogging friends when times are difficult so thanks for getting me through a hard week.

If you leave me a little comment to let me know you've called in I will do my best to pay you a return visit.
Hugs,
Annie x

Friday 4 March 2016

This week's smiles.....week 160

Week 160????? Where does the time go?  That's a lot of weeks of smiles isn't it?

Firstly I want to thank you all for joining in last week's smiles.  I'm so thrilled that so many of you take the time out of your busy lives to join in the fun.  My featured blog from last week it one some you might have missed because she forgot to link up her post but I know the intention was there because she said so  :-)  Our Wednesday 'leader' Julia shared a pic of a lorry load of stripeless zebras....now I'm pleased to say she did include a pic cos if she hadn't I would have been asking her what she'd been drinking.  :-)  I mean, stripeless zebras????? hehehe  It sure did make me chuckle so if you missed her post then feel free to click on the link to check it out....thanks for sharing Julia.

Next as many of you will know it hasn't been the best of weeks here for us but I must thank you all for your lovely messages and the love that you sent us at the loss of our furry baby....I think I'm suffering empty nest syndrome but I'm sure things will get easier with time.

I do have something to share with you that really made me smile this week.  Our daughter-in-law Gina is an infant teacher and for World Book Day their school had to dress up as a favourite book character....of course teachers also have to make an effort and Gina sent me this pic to let me see the outfit she had made....


It made me smile for so many reasons.  I'm so proud of all my family and in-laws and really love the fact that they are all willing to not only have a go but succeed in all they try and always like to share their results with me.

Doesn't she make a perfect Little Miss Chatterbox?

I love the outfit and the fact she made it herself made it all the more special.....I bet the kids will really love it too.

That's my smile for the week.....what's yours?  Please leave me a little message to let me know you've called by and link your pics up below.
Hugs,
Annie x

Wednesday 2 March 2016

WOYWW.....

It's been one of those weeks here for us....I will get my sad post out of the way first before sharing my desk if you don't mind.

On Saturday morning our little old dog Rocky was struggling to pee as if he had a wee infection so we took him to the vets with a carefully retrieved sample for the vet to test.  The sample showed no infection was present but on examination there was something amiss with his tummy.  She took a blood sample and the results weren't good...there were several excessively high levels, one of with indicated some sort of probable growth pressing on his bladder.  We booked him in for an xray on Monday morning but he was worse on Sunday and when we returned for the appointment on Monday it was decided that at nearly 13 he was too old to have surgery and we had to have him put to sleep.  We invest so much love with our pets and since we lost his sister he has followed me around everywhere I go so there is a huge space left now.  He was such a little character....here he is lying on his new bed.....lets hope he is now pain free and running free with his sister over that rainbow bridge.


Sorry to start off on a sad note but I do now have a little sewing job I did yesterday that I hope will make you smile.

When I arrived at silly o'clock for my twin duty yesterday morning Sam greeted me with..

' Nanny, do you remember the bug you made me when I was a baby?  It was like Lexi's taggy worm but was blue and spotty.  Well, I've lost it Nanny so can you please make me another one?'

I smiled because Lexi's wormy has always been a firm favourite and even had to be replaced when she mislaid it once [but of course no.2 was never quite the same and thankfully no.1 was found again].  Sam has never really played with his and none of us could really remember it.  Over breakfast Sam described it in great detail so I had to play detective to find a pic of the original....thank goodness for blogging eh?


I spent ages searching through old posts around the time I thought I'd made them and eventually found a pic....and guess what?

It was exactly how Sam described it  :-)

I then had to make a go at finding matching fabric to make another and luckily I found just enough to make this....



Meet Bertie bug number two.....he's rather smaller than the original as that was all the material I had left but I'm hoping when I tell him that he is a new baby bug that will do the job.  :-)

Thanks for calling by.  I hope I've left you smiling and you will leave me a little message so I know you've called by.  I will do my best to pop over to yours as soon as I am able.
Hugs,
Annie x