This Week I 'Ave Been Mostly...

... baking a strawberry and white chocolate Herman the German Friendship Cake, and eating it of course - Mmmmmmm!!!!

When I was preparing cricket teas a couple of weeks ago, a friend gave me two portions of cake mix (see link above).  I didn't have time to cook Herman as another friend phoned to invite me to see Joan Armatrading at our local theatre - well, I don't get out much so I jumped at the chance and had a fabulous time!  Anyway, I did  manage to cook one portion last week, and followed the instructions to make four portions out of the other one - we gave three portions away to some of Richard's workmates, and I baked Herman with strawberries and white chocolate on Sunday evening.  I'm not the best cook/baker, but he does taste yummy - I can't really taste the strawberries but I am getting lumps of the white chocolate!

I hope you bloggers in the UK managed to enjoy the Jubilee weekend despite the awful weather.  My hubby wasn't up to going out Saturday, Sunday or Monday, and I didn't feel able to leave him home alone (see my post below for the little tale of woe!).  We did manage to go into town on Tuesday for the local party in the park and street party - but it was too cold to be sitting around, and when the heavy rain came down we came home - such a shame!

Anyway, enough from me now.  See you soon.

Love, Andrea xx

Wow!

Good evening everyone - I hope you are having a fabulous Jubilee Weekend here in the UK.

I have just watched the final of The Voice on TV - WOW! - all four finalists deserved to win I think - it was really difficult to choose who should be the winner.  I hope all four of the artists get to do what they want in their careers now, and that they all get the recording contracts I think they each deserve!

Well, the bank holiday weekend did not start the way I expected last night - I had to rush Richard to see the out of hours doctor - he was in agonising pain - and the doctor suspected kidney stones!  Thankfully, the injection the doctor gave him eased his pain and he was able to come home rather than be rushed to hospital.  He's got medication for the pain and to help with the stones (we're not quite sure what the pills do, we're just hoping he doesn't get the same level of pain again!).  He's also having to pass water through a sieve at the moment, in case he does pass any stones - and if he does, he's to take them to his doctor to get them analysed.  He's got to go to see his own doctor after the bank holiday anyway.  The silly sss-ssausage did go in to work for an hour this morning - he said that he really needed to unload a lorry - but he came home and went back to bed for a while.  He's in some pain this evening, but managing I think with the painkillers.  Poor Andrew didn't know what on earth was going on when I had to wake him in the night to come with us to the hospital - it took a while for him to come round properly.

Eleri is away at a Brownies two night sleepover at the moment - back tomorrow afternoon - I hope she's having a good time.  We're all thinking about her and wondering how she's doing.

Well, I think that's all I need to say this evening - I hope the rain which is forecast doesn't spoil tany bank holiday or Jubilee plans.  Not sure what we're doing, it depends how tired Eleri is when she comes home and on the weather, and it also depends how Richard is doing.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend whatever you're up to.

I'll love you and leave you now.

Love, Andrea xx

For My Goddaughter

Hello Bloggers

Sorry I've not been about lately - not sure why really, just other things happening I think (like having to prepare and serve cricket teas on Saturday - boy I find that so stressful, especially when I find out on the grapevine that sponsors are coming to watch the match and will require tea - they can't eat my sloppy sandwiches can they???  Anyway, I managed it and it went well really - the cricketers are all so polite and come in to the kitchen to thank whoever prepares tea!).

Gosh, isn't this weather in the UK so gorgeous.  I love to see the sun but my ankles and feet swell up in the summer these days, and it really upsets and bothers me - I think it looks horrible and it feels uncomfortable.  I think I'll have to start taking iron tablets again and see if that helps!

We had a day at the beach yesterday - lovely!  But Eleri managed to lose her new sunhat - we are totally bewildered by what happened to it - the only thing we can think is that it blew away without any of us noticing - not sure how a hat can blow away and 4 people miss to see it though!  It was quite windy, but it just completely disappeared - we did all take a walk around the beach but couldn't see it.  Someone could have a very nice hat in their possession now :(

Anyway, enough waffle!  It was my Goddaughter's 13th birthday last week, and I made a card and gift for her.  I was very late sending it to her but she has phoned this evening to say how much she likes it!

Here's the card.

The image is from Saturated Canary, coloured with promarkers.  The papers are Princess Fairytale from Dovecraft, and I bought them from The Range a while ago.  I've used my new butterfly border die (I can't remember who makes it - next time I have it out I'll make a note!)

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Bunny Zoe's Craft Challenge - Anything Goes
Cute Card Thursday - Pink and Green

And this is the gift I made her - a shamballa style bracelet - I hope they're still all the rage LOL!.  This is made with gorgeous rainbow quartz - the gemstones look like little bubbles.  I did take a photo of the side of the bracelet, to try to show the macrame knotting but it was just too blurred to upload on here.

I'm going to enter this bracelet in this week's Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge, which is Anything But a Card.

I was undecided about whether to use black or blue thread, but I thought the blue would be more summery - I think these kinds of colours are in fashion now aren't they? - I rarely go into any big towns to go shopping or even window shopping at the moment.  I don't know, this having to work 5 days a work is really affecting what I manage to do at the moment - I can't wait to go back to a 4 day week - the house might be more presentable then LOL!  I'm glad at the moment that we rarely have visitors, apart from the children's friends and they don't seem to notice what mess a house is in do they?

Anyway, I'll love you and leave you now.  I'm not sure when I'll be back as my mojo seems to have disappeared - I think I'll have to buy some cards again this weekend.

If I'm not around before next week, I hope everyone in the UK has a fabulous extra long bank holiday weekend and Happy Jubilee!

Love, Andrea xx

Another Ribbon Bracelet and Thinking About Christmas!!!!!!

Hello Everyone

Well, after saying that I really need to do something about my wobbly belly, I have developed a terrible love of Cadbury's Chocolate Bites (I finished a packet of Twirl Bites last night!)  Why is it that, whenever you think you will change your eating habits, you start craving the very thing you want to cut out.  I WILL make the decision to eat more healthily and start exercising regularly, I WILL, I WILL, I WILL!! lol!

Enough of that!  I made Eleri another ribbon bracelet, this time in red and white to match her new spotty sun dress (which she did manage to wear on an evening out on holiday, but I didn't take a photo!).   I've used a plain white, a plain red, a red and white gingham and another red ribbon with white stitched squares down the middle.

The good thing about these bracelets is that they are stretchy - though I made this to fit Eleri, I can also get it on my wrist.

I have also been practicing a new knitting stitch - I saw a gorgeous cowl scarf here and I thought I would like to try to make some of these for Christmas presents.  My first attempt at the herringbone stitch has been to make a mini cowl scarf for one of Eleri's dolls - it's not very neat but I think that is because I was using large needles but not very thick wool.  I need some more practice!  This is done on circular needles, which I've never used before either.

Sorry, now I've uploaded the photo, you can't see the knitting very well - you can see it better if you click on the photo for a larger image.  BTW, the knitted cardigan is one I was given for Eleri when she was born - beautiful!

PS - I've managed to get photos to upload by loading Google Chrome onto my computer - I'm expecting everyone else in our house will be complaining about that now!  We don't much like change in our house LOL!

That's it from me for now.  I do intend making a piece of jewellery this evening, and I really must shake myself up and make a 13th birthday card.

I hope to see you soon.

Love, Andrea xx

I Can't Post Images

I've been trying for ages now to post some photos on my blog, but it's just not happening!  I don't know whether it is my computer being extra slow or whether it is something to do with this new rubbish blogger.

I've tried installing Google Chrome but that doesn't seem to have worked.

Any ideas welcome!

Maybe I'll be back soon.

Love, Andrea xx

Hello - We're Back From Holidays

Well hello everyone - we have been away on holiday for a few days (Sunday to Friday) in Devon.  We had a lovely time, though the weather wasn't brilliant.  But the post holiday blues have set in big time!  Please don't feel sorry for me though, cos I'm feeling sorry enough for myself lol!  We are lucky to have been on holiday at all - I know that there are many people who won't manage to get away this year.  So it's just head up for me and get on with what needs to be done - catch up with washing, ironing and housework.  Richard has already gone back to work today - I really don't like him having to work Sundays but that's just the way it is.

I'm hoping I can get inspired to make something soon, and I really need to find the motivation to change my eating habits and start a decent exercise programme - I've never had such a floppy belly before!!!

See you soon.

Love, Andrea xx

Whew - Car's Fixed!

Hello everyone

I thought I should just pop back on to let you know that the car's been fixed - thank goodness for that!

Richard phoned the local garage we use and found out what the likely problem was - and, with a little help from a friend from work, he discovered which fuse had blown and was able to replace it.  Yes - it was just a fuse!  Can you believe one little fuse can cause so much to stop working - the central locking system, interior light, radio, sat nav - they all seem so unconnected to me but what do I know about cars?  .....  Enough not to go fiddling with lights and make them spark lol!

I do have to let you know that, when I spotted Richard with the bonnet of the car up yesterday evening, I rushed outside to see what he was up to, and to check he wasn't doing more damage LOL!

So we are both extremely relieved, and I can be civil to him again. 

BTW, he completely ignored me on Saturday when I told him he couldn't play cricket unless he'd fixed the car - he played, and I was fuming all day!  We're friends again now though LOL!

See you soon

Love, Andrea xx