October Roundup and November Goals

October Roundup

October Stitching Goals
1. Work on Happy Haunting - Nope
2. Work on Scream House - Nope
3. Work on one other WIP - yes Joyful Summer

Stitching New Starts:
Just Nan - Boo! Tin
Just Nan - Boo! Needlebook
SamSarah - January Baubles
SamSarah - February Baubles
Sue Hawkins Bookmarker
Just Nan - Hop! Tin
Just Nan - Hop! Scissor Fob
Glendon Place - Murky Manor

Stitching Finishes:
Just Nan Boo! Tin Topper
SamSarah - January Baubles
SamSarah - February Baubles

Books Read
Out of the Blue - Belinda Jones
Things I want my Daughters to Know - Elizabeth Noble
Mister Teacher - Jack Sheffield
This Year it will be Different - Maeve Binchey
Nation - Terry Pratchett
Gods in Alabama - Joshilyn Jackson

October Quilting Goals
1. Start baby quilt - sorted the material
2. Finish Heart to Heart quilt for gifting - nope but it's being gifted for Christmas now.
3. Start Christmas Quilt - sorted material

Other Quilting
Countdown to Christmas

November Goals

November Stitching Goals
1. Finish the Just Nan Over the Top and In the Tin series
2. Work on Happy Haunting
3. Work on Scream House
4. Work on Murky Manor
5. Make a Christmas Ornament

November Quilting Goals
1. Quilt and finish my bargello quilt
2. Quilt and finish the two Heart to Heart quilts
3. Finish making up the blocks for the final Jungle Quilt
4. Finish making up the blocks for the Heart to Heart flannel quilt
5. Finish the advent panel
6. Finish the A-Z Christmas panel
7. Finish the Countdown to Christmas blocks

Current Stitching WIP List

1. Michael Powell - Cottage Garden 2
2. Shepherd's Bush - Be Attitudes Afghan
3. Shepherd's Bush - Happy Haunting
4. DMC - Wild Ones Alphabet
5. Bent Creek - Snapperville Series
6. Just Nan - Four Wishes

7. Dimensions - Sleigh Ride
8. Ink Circles - Cirque de Cercles
9. The Cat's Whiskers - Birds of a Feather Dilly Bag
10. The Cat's Whiskers - Grandma's Thread Minder
11. Bent Creek - The Big Zipper

12. Stitchin'Spirations - Getting Lost in a Blackwork Maze
13. Bothy Threads - Row of Christmas Fairies
14. Margaret Sherry - Santa's Journey Afghan
15. Midsummer Night Designs - Heaven's Above
16. Teresa Wentzler - Tradewinds

17. Dragon Dreams - Dragon Virtues Afghan
18. Michael Powell - Handmade Houses 4
19. Bothy Threads - Cut Thru Fairy Hill
20. Stoney Creek - Noah's Sub
21. Dracolair - Dawn Awakening

22. Stitchy Kitty - Snowman Trio
23. Brightneedle - Garden Party
24. Millhouse Designs - Charlie is Born
25. Coeur de Brodeuse
26. The Trilogy - Spring Lineup
27. CCN - Joyful Summer
28. Just Nan - Scream House
29. Glendon Place - Murky Manor

A Lovely Weekend

As predicted we had a lovely weekend. Burn After Reading is a terrific film, the Coen Brothers are back to what they do best and I can finally forgive them for the horrific remake of Ladykillers LOL.

Spamalot was equally as enjoyable and I'm glad we got to see it before it closes. I have to say that, for me, the worst parts of the show were the scenes lifted directly from the film - I think because they were almost mimicry - but the new bits and the musical numbers more than made up for it. The comedy scenes weren't bad but I guess they were more of a reminder that it wasn't the actual Pythons we were seeing.

But all in all a good time was had, we had a lovely walk around London and a great meal at 'The Real Greek' in Covent Garden and a generally relaxing weekend.

A brief update on the crap stuff - MIL is getting better, and more importantly, seems a little more cheerful. We pick up our new car on Thursday so no more driving round in the bloody Audi. I know I shouldn't moan but it's huge - practically impossible to park and get out of because it's so wide and it's so long that it sticks out of parking spaces. I'll be so happy to get back in a Berlingo - you can't beat sliding back doors on a car when you have kids.

I'm still fighting with the insurance company re the valuation of our old car. The supporting evidence they provided was rubbish and I've told them so, I can't understand why they are finding it so difficult to understand. Anyway, that's going to go on for a while I'm sure but I'm not giving in to them - maybe they'll up the value just to get rid of me! My neck and wrist are still painful but I expected that, I'm sure it'll take a while to recover, but I can't moan because MIL is in much more pain and discomfort.

Crafting wise I've gotten things out for a couple of christmas projects and sorted the material for the baby quilt so I will make a start on those. I resent the shops starting christmas so early but I do like the 'at home' preparation of things like making Christmas puddings (I supply the whole family, including Greece!), thinking about gifts, etc. Christmas is my favourite time of year and this year Lia will have a stocking on her bed for the first time which will be fun. I also have to finish her 'advent calendar' which is a quilted panel with pockets to put treats in, I've done everything but the quilting bit so it shouldn't take long.

I'm also stitching on a lot of small things, I've started the February Baubles and am working on Just Nan's 'Hop!' Tin Top. I'm also still working on cataloguing my charts in a separate blog to keep me on top of my stash mountain.

One final update re my job, I can't remember exactly what the last update was but for now, I'm staying where I am as they have launched a huge project that they need my technical skills for. That's not saying the situation won't arise again next year but for now things are okay.

Some Good Stuff!

Okay, I'm not going to moan about the car any more. It's not 100% sorted but hey, life moves on right?

This weekend DH and I are going out not once, but twice! My parents are over to babysit so we're going to the cinema to see Burn After Reading on Friday night and then to London to see Spamalot on Saturday night. We've also got vouchers from one of the major supermarkets here in England that are enough to get us dinner both nights too. After the last three weeks I think we deserve some R&R.

Here's a pic of Sesame, our latest addition, she's a real feisty little thing, no being timid around the bigger girls, she was straight in there asserting her authority! I think DH was right, the three of them are much more animated and playful than Toast and Crumpet on their own.

On the stitching front I've completed the Just Nan Boo! tin and am working on the needlebook. I've also finished SamSarah's January Baubles:

It's as charted except I changed the colours a bit as two of the snowmen were charted as being stitched in 'Straw' which, quite frankly, made them look like they had been built from snow that little boys had been writing their names in first!

And finally here's my Just Nan Scream House WIP ( a bit wonky) which I'll be getting back to after I've completed the Boo! Needlebook:

The Long and Winding Road...

Okay, the next time some idiot hits my car and totals it I won't be so nice to them. What a total nightmare it is to try and sort things out!

I'm still in discussions with the Insurance company re the valuation of our dead car but I was advised by the company providing the courtesy car that I should accept the current valuation as an 'interim' payment because if I didn't the other party's insurers could claim I was delaying and stop funding the courtesy car.

I purchased a new car today for £1200 more than the insurers are offering us, that balance will have to go on a credit card as we don't have those funds available to us right now. DH then organised the interim payment from the insurance as we need it so we can pay for this car which will be ready to pick up next Thursday. I then phoned the courtesy car company to tell them to stop harassing me re the payment and to advise them we would need their car until next Friday.

I was then told that once we receive the interim payment we only have 7 days before we have to give them their car back. Really? Well guess what then, it doesn't matter when Royal Mail get that cheque to me this week, you'll get a call this Friday to say we've received it...

Still, we're finally moving forward which is the main thing. I'm so sick of all of this and how much effort it all takes to get sorted. Not to mention the phone calls - we're averaging around six phone calls a day at the moment. I wonder if I can bill the insurance company?

On a much lighter note, Toast and Crumpet have a new playmate. DH felt that three was a good number of guinea pigs to have (no I don't know why either) so on Saturday Sesame joined our household. I'll try and get her to sit still long enough to get a picture - she's a real live wire and, despite the pet shop telling us she might have some problems settling in, she now rules the roost!

Today's the day!

DH just phoned, he's boarding the plane now so in approx four hours I'll have him home. I can't begin to express how happy I am about that!

I've upped the fight with the insurance evaluators. A quick chat with my Insurance Company this morning confirmed that, while they won't actually buy me a car, the evaluators are obliged to find a car in my area for the money that they are offering me.

So I phoned the evaluators and explained that I wasn't happy with the sum they have offered and, as they weren't happy with the counter-sum I had stated, they needed to find me a car to the correct specifications in my area for the money they are offering.

I also then wrote it all in an email so I have documented evidence of the conversation. As I said in my last post I don't want more than I had but I want like for like. If they can find me a new car for the money that is offered then good but all I've had from them is a statement that they have found a like for like car 'somewhere' at the value of £2690 so they'll give me £2500 because the mileage on the one they found was lower.

It's absolutely the biggest rip off there is.

I've asked for proof of this alleged car and they haven't given it to me - despite saying he had the details on the screen in front of him he couldn't tell me the geographic location of the car. I can't be expected to travel the country to find a car or to pay for it to be delivered.

I'm not asking for anything unreasonable but I am now wondering who I can raise a complaint with about this because it's appalling that people are treated this way.

What a week!

Firstly an update on MIL, she's now home, she came out of hospital yesterday. It's going to be a long healing process and nobody knows how much use she will regain of the leg but she's much happier now she's out of hospital.

DH is much more relaxed now he knows she's home. He had to go and make a statement for the police this morning as there will be a trial. The car driver jumped a red light and hit the motorcyclist who in turn hit MIL (or at least the bike did). I understand he faces a jail term and also there will be a significant compensation claim.

DH is due home tomorrow afternoon and then back at work on Monday. He'll have a days rest at home alone on Thursday and then we'll spend the weekend together as a family working on getting life back to normal.

To top off my fantastic week I was driving to work on Thursday, stopped at a roundabout in a queue of traffic and the guy behind me failed to stop and smashed into the back of my car. Lia was scared but unhurt,I sustained minor whiplash and the car has been written off (he hit us hard!)

I'm now negotiating with the insurance who want to give me a lot less money than I will need to replace the car and we just cannot afford a shortfall at the moment. The last thing I want to do is empty our savings to replace the car so I shall fight them all the way.

It makes me really angry that my car was insured for £6,500 but they only want to give me £2,500. I paid premiums based on the first value but they will pay me what they say is the market value. I just don't understand it. Anyway we'll see what happens but I could really do without all of this right now.

On a lighter note, I had a lovely weekend, did some retail therapy and got some crafting done so it's not all bad. Oh and did I mention DH is home tomorrow? I'm so, so happy about that.

The kindness of friends

DH and his Mum were involved in an accident yesterday morning. They were stood on the side of a road waiting to cross when they heard an almighty bang, DH turned to see what it was and a car had smashed into a motorbike. The bike and it's rider were flying (separately) towards DH and his mother, the bike smashed into MIL and the rider into the ground on the other side of DH.

Amazingly DH was physically unharmed but MIL took the full force of the impact on her right leg, she was knocked to the ground and her leg sustained multiple fractures, DH said he thought it might have to be amputated at the scene it was so beaten up. As the biker was 'flying' DH heard his shout 'Oh God, I'm not wearing a helmet!' He's still alive but they don't hold out much hope of him recovering as he has multiple skull fractures.

I spent all day yesterday not knowing whether or not Lia and I would have to fly to Greece but thankfully MIL came through the surgery okay, they think they've managed to save her leg (although they don't know how much use she'll have) and other than that she hasn't got any other major injuries- she banged her head but it wasn't serious.

All things considered we feel it's better not to put Lia through the trip, hospital visits, Yia Yia in a scary leg brace, etc. We'll go out later on when she's further down the road to recovery. Also, as much as DH wants us with him we'd be two more things for him to worry about when he already has way too much to worry him.

I am relieved, I hate flying and I'm kinda hospital-phobic so it was my worst nightmare really but I can't wait for DH to be home as I just want to be with him. His flight home was tomorrow but he's going to stay till next Wednesday so she'll be home and a bit settled and he can leave knowing things are okay.

Friends have been amazing. Work friends have offered any support they can, one even made me cry because he offered to take us to the airport at any time we needed, another friend responded to my worry about what to do with the guinea pigs by looking up pet sitters and sending me the information, another has offered to come and keep me company this weekend and my Mum, Sister and Best Friend all offered to take Lia so I could go out on my own.

It's at times like these that little gestures mean so much. I'm way too independent for my own good most of the time but I do appreciate every offer, big and small as it's fantastic to know that people care.