September Roundup and October Goals

September Roundup

September Stitching Goals
1. Work on Happy Haunting - yes just a little
2. Work on Grandma's Thread Minder - no
3. Work on small WIPs in order to get some finishes - Garden Party, Charlie is Born, Coeur de Brodeuse, Spring Lineup, Sizzle - yes but just Sizzle
4. Work on Cirque des Cercles - no
5. Start Scream House - yes
6. Finish the Tyre Swing part of the Big Zipper - yes

Stitching New Starts:
Sue Hawkins pin cushion
Just Nan - Scream House

Stitching Finishes:
Bent Creek - Big Zipper Tyre Swing
Just Nan - Over the Top and In the Tin Sizzle (stitching only, still needs to be made up)
Sue Hawkins Pin Cushion (stitching only, still needs to be made up)

Books Read
East of the Sun - Julia Gregson
The Love of Her Life - Harriet Evans

September Quilting Goals
1. Finish the flannel quilt top - no
2. Attend the Mariner's Compass workshop - yes
3. Work on a christmas quilt top - no
4. Work on the baby quilt top - no
5. Make a smaller project - no

October Goals

October Stitching Goals
1. Work on Happy Haunting
2. Work on Scream House
3. Work on one other WIP

October Quilting Goals
1. Start baby quilt
2. Finish Heart to Heart quilt for gifting
3. Start Christmas Quilt

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. Long Dog - St Germain
21. Stoney Creek - Noah's Sub
22. Dracolair - Dawn Awakening

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

*Sigh* I'm in love...

and it's with some fabric. Picture this Plus fabric to be precise.

A friend, L, was over keeping me company this weekend and she brought with her some PTP fabric she'd recently bought and it was gorgeous.

This morning I had a look at their website and all I can say is WOW! It's probably the best colour selection I've seen and the choice of fabric types is so comprehensive I wouldn't know where to start choosing. I don't actually have a huge stash of cross stitch fabric (probably the only thing I don't tend to go mad on) so I think that one or two of their fabrics might end up in my stash.

The problem is which one or two! First glance of the site my wish list now includes Aurora, Voodoo, Phoenix, Jazz, Midas, Monet, Jewel, Lava, Meditation, Phantom, Splash, Stellar, Tango and Whirlpool...

And then I have to pick a type of fabric and size - I tend to be a 28/32ct girl with Lugana, Belfast and Cashel the fabrics of choice so realistically I'll probably stick within my comfort zone and buy fat eighths or quarters.

I have actually put an order in with L to pick me up the PTP fabric for Murky Manor at Ally Pally in a couple of weeks (I'm not going this year, I'm being very good even if I have given L a small list) but that's for a specific design, I think that come the new year I'll treat myself to some fabrics just to have them on hand! I am also going to look through my charts and see if there's anything I think would look good on hand-dyed so I can actually better justify a purchase or two.

Still here...

So the PJ's of Power are holding their own, as are the Bra's of Destiny and the Clean Knickers of, well, of Your Mother's Nagging When You Were a Child, if I'm honest.

I've even been brave and dyed my hair despite the hidden dangers of being overcome by ammonia fumes whilst balanced over the bath semi-naked washing the stuff off.

It seems my twisted logic is working LOL.

One thing I haven't done though is stitch a lot. Weird. I figured I could spend whole evenings in front of the TV with guilt free stitching time but yesterday I didn't even pick up a needle. Today I will though but I'll be in bed early due to having been woken at 6.34am by a small voice saying 'Mummy I wee'd myself'...

By 8am I'd scrubbed her down, dressed her, given her breakfast (dry Shreddies due to an accident with a full bottle of milk last night but that's another story), stripped her bed, got the washing on, hoovered her room and then washed the carpet using our newly acquired VAX (bought for just this type of emergency).

Unfortunately being the lone parent I wasn't then able to crawl back into bed for a couple of hours, I had to be up and focus on being a responsible adult.

DH is having fun although he's sick, but that's okay because his Mama is taking care of him (good for her, here's hoping the snot is all cleared up before he gets back to me). He's had very little sleep in the last 72 hours - he arrived in Athens at 3.30am (our time) after a full day's work the day before then had approx four hours sleep last night before getting on a flight to North Greece at 5.30am this morning (3.30am our time). He's going to be a bundle of laughs at the wedding tomorrow!

I'm having fun too and have a weekend full of visitors to look forward to including my first meeting with a friends baby (2 months old) tomorrow lunch time. I'm also getting my hair cut tomorrow - the first time I've had to take Lia with me and get her to behave for 45 mins. I think I'll have to resort to bribery!

Have a good weekend everyone

The PJs of Power...

DH flew to Greece yesterday, he'll be gone for eight days. Despite my griping about trips to Greece I am sorry to be missing this one as he's gone over for a family wedding and will be going to North Greece for part of the trip (the wedding is in Alexandroupolis which is so far north east it's almost in Turkey)

It's DH's Godparents daughter that is getting married, she's also a not-so-close cousin (DH's Mum and Godfather are cousins) and I would love to meet that part of the family. I've met his Godparents twice now and they are lovely so I'm sorry not to be with him. However, I have no holiday left and we can't afford for me to take unpaid leave so he's gone on his own.

It does also mean that he can spend some quality time with his Dad and his Grandmother, both of whom are not in the best of health, without worrying about keeping Lia and I entertained. It also means that when it comes to planning next years trip to Greece I have a good argument for us spending a week in Kavala (DH's home town where we have a house) so we can make a trip to Alexandroupolis and visit his Godparents and extended family. We can spend our second week in Athens with family there but a week in Kavala will make it more of a holiday for Lia and I.

There is one major side effect of DH going away though and that's my irrational fear of something happening to me whilst he's gone and Lia being left in the house to fend for herself. It's mad I know - before Lia was around it never crossed my mind to worry about anything happening to me but now that little voice in my brain occaisionally pipes up with 'what if you fall down the stairs?'

Don't get me wrong, I'm not constantly dwelling on it to the extent that I see danger everywhere but I think it's the same part of my brain that, the minute the lights go out shouts 'ghost!' LOL (and yes, I sleep with the landing light on when DH isn't around).

However, I have discovered the 'Pj's of Power' cure. At the risk of TMI I'm a girl who doesn't usually bother with nightware as I tend to get too warm in bed. I do own PJ's though and they get worn when we have visitors (so anyone who stays at my house and reads this can be reassured) but I'm now wearing them at all appropriate times because that way nothing can happen to me.

Why you ask?

Well it's a bit like the argument that if you're going to fly somewhere you should take a bomb with you because statistically, the odds for there being two bombs being on the same plane are waaaaaaaay longer than there being one, and you're not going to detonate yours (I would hope) so you're actually much safer. Using this logic, whatever the odds are of me falling down the stairs and breaking my neck, they're a lot shorter if you factor in me being naked whilst falling because that would be much more embarassing and therefore much more likely.

See, total logic. And even if it isn't it's enough for my brain to be comforted which is all that matters...

When is a job not a job?

Answer? I have no idea.

It now looks like I am not going to be made redundant but I still don't have any official word either way. I have a meeting this Wednesday with my Boss and her Boss so I am presuming it'll confirm things one way or another.

Apparently the CIO wants to bring in a technology that I am the team expert in and what she wants usually happens which means I'm not going anywhere. But in these times who really knows what is going to happen from one day to the next.

All this waiting about is really annoying!

A New Look

Given I never got round to sorting out the last blog template properly I had been thinking I should find something ready made I could use. How fortuitous that I stumbled on a link to some fantastic blog templates!

I might tweak this one a bit but I love it (and there were half a dozen more on the above link that I loved too so I might play around with the look every now and again. Anyway I have to load up blogrolling again and tweak my widgets (oo-er!) but other than that I'm a happy bunny.

Oh and an update on the LNS story, they called back and informed me they'd still not received any of the kit in stock (I placed the order on 31st May, surely they might have mentioned it?) So I requested a refund and ordered the kit from Sew and So. It arrived this morning.

At least now I don't have to worry about what to get my Stepdad for Christmas.

Meow!

Last Saturday we went to Leed's Castle in Kent as there was a fundraising day for the Chicks Charity that included a kite flying world record attempt (the largest number of kites flying simultaneously). DH is a recent convert to the fun of kite flying so he was eager for us to join in.

The weather was good to us (although not that good for kite flying as there was very little wind) and we had a lovely time as Leed's Castle is one of the most beautiful castles in England. Whilst we were there Lia got her face painted (she insisted on a pink cat design)

It was really great but she decided about half an hour later she didn't want to be a cat and she rubbed most of it off leaving herself with black smudges - a very attractive look!

They have a large number of black swans at the Castle, descended from ones brought over from Australia so I told Lia that when they honked they were actually saying 'No worries Mate!' just like our Aussie cousins taught Lia to say when they were over last month. Cue Lia repeating this phrase to the bemused birds for the rest of the day and providing amusement for a group of Australian tourists.

The record attempt wasn't successful (472 kits flying but they needed over 600) but it was still a lovely day out and if you ever find yourself in the vicinity of Leed's Castle then do consider going as it's one of the best places I know to have a picnic on a sunny day (I'd definitely recommend taking your own food, like most places in England a couple of sandwiches costs the earth...)

On the Sunday it was my Sis and BIL's Anniversary party which was great - an opportunity to catch up with family we don't see very often and they seemed really happy with the sampler which is good.

This weekend we're just having a quiet time at home as DH is off to Greece on Wednesday for a week. The weather here today is glorious and here's hoping it stays that way for the whole weekend so we can enjoy it.

On an entirely different topic, thanks Jennifer for the link to the Stitcher's Report card. Unsurprisingly others seem to have had similar issues with the stores I mentioned and I shall make my complaints there too. On the bright side one of the parcels I was waiting for finally arrived today which is great. I've chased again about the book and have left a phone message at the LNS asking for someone to contact me with an update on my order.

Watch this space...

Customer Service

Or rather, the lack of Customer Service.

Why oh why is it so hard for some people who run or work for businesses to provide a decent level of customer service these days? Even just being polite can be beyond some of them.

I may have mentioned before that my family have a shop, a business we've been running successfully for 41 years now and assisting the customer and providing what they want has always been the number one priority because without customers you don't have a business.

I've currently got issues with three online sellers - one big ONS who never send out shipping notices and if you dare to ask if something has been shipped you are either ignored (which is currently happening to me) or you get a snotty email back informing you they don't have time to send shipping notices (happened to me in the past). I haven't bought from these people in a long time because of this issue but I pre-ordered something from them that I couldn't find anywhere else and I can't get any information from them as to whether or not it has been sent to me yet.

I also pre-ordered a small kit from another ONS back at the beginning of June (my Stepfather asked if I'd stitch it for him and I hoped to have it done for his birthday which was two weeks ago). My first enquiry as to the status of the order in July got a response saying they had no idea when the kit was going to be released but my last two have been ignored even though the kit is now available to order on their site. Again, I've had snotty responses from this ONS in the past but it was the only place I could locate the kit back in June.

And finally a book seller I purchased something from through Amazon sent a book that was not in 'new' condition (spine broken, pages turned down) despite advertising it as new. They were okay to replace the book (not happened yet after 10 days mind you) but implied that the damage done to the book had been caused by the post office! I guess some bored postman steamed open the envelope and read part of the book but didn't bother to finish it and sent it on to me.

I know that shops are busy but I've left more than enough time between email enquiries for them to respond. And so many of the online stores get it right I fail to understand how the few that don't can really justify their actions.

Rant now over for the day. I'll probably get home and find all three items on the doormat and I'll have to eat my words!

Finishes and WIPs

It's picture time again.

Here's my framed Lavender Hearts all ready to be gifted on Sunday

Here's my completed Goldwork kit

And here's the Mariner's Compass block I made at Saturday's class. I need to unpick the last seam and get some bulk out of the middle so it sits a bit flatter

And here's the status of the WIPs I've just got out to work on:

Wild One's Alphabet

Snapperville

Handmade Houses 4 (at least I think it's 4!)

Four Wishes (and yes, I am embarrassed to have done so little but I had to frog lots of the border and so put it to one side in disgust)

Cottage Garden 2

WIP Rotation

I'm bored with my stitching projects. Or at least I can hear some of the others calling to me from the WIP box which suggests it's time for a change.

I've dug out Snapperville, Four Wishes, Cottage Garden 2, Wild Ones Alphabet and Be Attitudes as WIPs that I'd like to work on. All of them are relatively new starts (I'll take some pics this week) and I'd like to get some work done on them - Wild Ones especially is huge so it'll take quite some time to finish, I'm only at the letter 'C'!

The Be Attitudes are a series from Shepherd's Bush and I'm doing them on an Afghan so now the days are getting colder I can pick it up again knowing it'll keep me warm. It's also good because I can have 12 mini finishes so that should keep me interested. I have more Michael Powell designs in my stash than any other designer so I need to get on and finish some - I have two MP WIPs currently so my ideal is that when I get my WIPs down to a more managable level I'll always have one of his designs on the go.

I've also had a look through my unstarted projects list and identified five projects I'd like to start soon - probably closer to the end of the year for the first one and then staggered starts over the first six months of next year as I'm finishing other projects. They are Bent Creek's Spring Snapperland, Victoria Sampler's Heirloom Christmas, Teresa Wentzler's Tempest, Glendon Place's Murky Manor and the Windswept Santa Tree Skirt.

I am not going to ignore my current focus WIPs, I'm still determined to get more of the small ones finished but I think it's time for a bit of a change. Realistically I think I can get Snowman Trio, Happy Haunting, Garden Party, Charlie is Born, Coeur de Brodeuse, Spring Lineup and Joyful Summer done before the end of the year as well as having some progress on larger WIPs.

Sleigh Ride, Cirque des Cercles, Grandma's Thread Minder, Birds of a Feather Dilly Bag and The Big Zipper will all be put away for a bit so I can regain my enthusiasm for them (and I can't work on Big Zipper until Bent Creek release the last parts anyway).

And of course there are all the other small projects that I slot in - I'm stitching some of the Sue Hawkins kits during my lunch breaks at work and doing the Just Nan tins (I've finished the stitching for Sizzle). I think I'm going to have to find some more hours in the day LOL.

I attended my last booked quilting course on Saturday for the Mariner's Compass block and had a great time. I managed to get my compass finished but because I was in a hurry to get the last seam done I didn't line up the two sides quite as well as I could have so I will need to unpick it and try again. Unfortunately I left my 1/4 inch foot at the quilting shop (I find it easier to use than the programmed 1/4 inch on the machine) so I can't do anything till I get that back next weekend.

I absolutely love the Mariner's compass block, it's one of the main reasons I wanted to quilt, so I'm so happy to have learned it now and am busy planning a quilt to include it.

As well as having a house guest for the weekend I've had (and still have) a horrible tickly cough that's been making sleep difficult so I've not taken any pics yet but I will tonight or tomorrow so I can show of what I've been working on.

My quilt class companion and I have identified three more courses we'd like to try (the teacher does 19 in all and we've done 8 of them in the last year) and the teacher is going to confirm some dates for them from Feb next year so we're having a mini break from the classes which is not such a bad thing, but we at least have some to look forward to next year.

A Post in which I confess to falling off the Wagon (again)

But it's not all my fault. The person who is supposed to be on the Wagon with me keeps tempting me and I'm too week to resist. So it's partly her fault.

It's also the fault of Just Nan for releasing limited editions. Cute limited editions.

Oh and it's also Lia's fault because I was never bothered about Halloween but now I have a child I'm thinking that it'll be nice to celebrate so I'm now looking at Halloween designs in a whole different light.

So when Just Nan released their Boo! Limited edition tin how could I help but fall in love with it, especially with the cute needlebook. Also, I know that I love JN's christmas designs so the final tin is bound to be instantly on my wish list and given they are a series of four I should really have them all right?

Then there's the Just Nan Halloween etui that's a Silver Needle Limited Edition (scroll down). I did confess this bump off the wagon a while ago but I'm trying to remind myself of just how badly I've fallen off the wagon recently.

So after those purchases I was determined to stay on the wagon but then the friend I mentioned above emailed me about a note on the Needlecraft Corner site re another Just Nan Halloween limited edtion (bottom of the page if you're interested). Said friend and I normally place joint orders at NC to save on postage and she asked me to add one of these to our JCS Ornament Edition order. And of course given she has one on order I have to order one for me too right...

Oh well, I'm sure I can manage to get back on the Wagon again - maybe trying for a week at a time might be a good idea LOL.

On another topic, I seem to have picked up a few new readers lately which is lovely and I'd like to thank everyone for the kind comments left about my finishes etc. It never fails to surprise me that people read my witterings and on a regular basis too.

Also, Lindsay nominated me for an 'I love your blog' award a little while back which I completely forgot to mention here so a big apology to Lindsay and a thank you as well. Given I nominated a few blogs a while back I'm not going to nominate a list this time but I will point you all towards a blog I was recommended recently - Spinster Stitcher - if you don't already read her blog give it a go as she does some fabulous work and it's also a fun read.

Finally, our guinea pigs are settling in nicely and have become indoor pets (DH's idea). If I'd have known this I'd have probably bought a more suitable inside cage rather than the huge hutch but it fits inside so we'll stick with it for now and maybe, once we litter train them, they can have more of a run inside and the hutch can be outside for the warmer months.

Oh and it seems likely that there'll be a slight renaming given Lia calls them 'Toast and Trumpet' most of the time LOL.

August Roundup and September Goals

August Roundup

August Stitching Goals
1. Finish Lavender Hearts - yes
2. Work on Cirque des Cercles - a teeny tiny bit
3. Work on Sleigh Ride - no
4. Work on Happy Haunting - yes
5. Work on one of my smaller WIPs and hopefully have a HD - yes, Red Santa

Stitching New Starts:
Sue Hawkins Bookmarker
Goldwork kits - Toledo
Big Zipper - Tyre Swing
Just Nan - In the Tin Sizzle

Stitching Finishes:
Sue Hawkins Bookmarker
Shepherd's Bush - Red Santa
Goldwork Kit - Toledo
Victoria Sampler - Lavender Hearts Sampler

Books Read
The Rain Before it Falls - Johnathan Coe
Diving into Light - Natasha Farrant
An Offer you can't Refuse - Jill Mansell
The Point of Rescue - Sophie Hannah

August Quilting Goals
1. Finish the jungle quilts so they can be gifted - yes
2. Work on Lia's flannel quilt - yes, all the cutting done and I've started making up the blocks
3. Make a bag - no
4. Make a Melly and Me Animal - no

September Goals

September Stitching Goals
1. Work on Happy Haunting
2. Work on Grandma's Thread Minder
3. Work on small WIPs in order to get some finishes - Garden Party, Charlie is Born, Coeur de Brodeuse, Spring Lineup, Sizzle
4. Work on Cirque des Cercles
5. Start Scream House
6. Finish the Tyre Swing part of the Big Zipper

September Quilting Goals
1. Finish the flannel quilt top
2. Attend the Mariner's Compass workshop
3. Work on a christmas quilt top
4. Work on the baby quilt top
5. Make a smaller project

Current Stitching WIP List
1. Stitchy Kitty - Snowman Trio
2. Stitchin'Spirations - Getting Lost in a Blackwork Maze
3. Bothy Threads - Row of Christmas Fairies
4. Dimensions - Sleigh Ride
5. Ink Circles - Cirque de Cercles
6. Michael Powell - Cottage Garden 2
7. Shepherd's Bush - Be Attitudes Afghan
8. Margaret Sherry - Santa's Journey Afghan
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. Shepherd's Bush - Happy Haunting
13. Midsummer Night Designs - Heaven's Above
14. Teresa Wentzler - Tradewinds
15. Dragon Dreams - Dragon Virtues Afghan
16. Brightneedle - Garden Party
17. DMC - Wild Ones Alphabet
18. Michael Powell - Handmade Houses 4
19. Bothy Threads - Cut Thru Fairy Hill
20. Millhouse Designs - Charlie is Born
21. Dracolair - Dawn Awakening
22. Bent Creek - Snapperville Series
23. Long Dog - St Germain
24. Stoney Creek - Noah's Sub
25. Just Nan - Four Wishes
26. Coeur de Brodeuse
27. The Trilogy - Spring Lineup
28. CCN - Joyful Summer
29. Just Nan - Sizzle

Finishes and WIPs

I'm so happy because I finished Lavender Hearts Sampler last night and it's now at the framers, it'll be ready to pick up next week - a whole week before it's scheduled to be gifted. Not cutting it fine at all!

I've remained faithful to the charted colours and just changed the words 'Lavender Hearts' for my Sis and BIL's names and then included the dates of the two years at the top (it's for their 40th Wedding Anniversary if you hadn't worked it out)

It's a bit washed out, the colours are much richer IRL, but the light here is just awful for getting a good picture (and I'm crap with the camera).

I've never done pulled thread or hardanger before (nothing like jumping in at the deep end) and I really enjoyed it although wrapping all those bars was a bit tedious and some of my Dove's Eyes are a bit wonky LOL.

As usual I had lots of other things to take pics of so here's a couple more finishes:

Red Santa from Shepherd's Bush (minus his nose as I've lost the button so will have to replace it)

And Ho Ho Santa from the Silver Needle's Secret Needle Night, finished as a box (my first one!)

And finally some WIPs

Happy Haunting by Shepherd's Bush

Sorry about the line across the middle, I was too lazy to take it off the frame

Cirque des Cercles - see I am working on it!

A new start - CCN's Joyful Summer

I'm going to spend the weekend working on things for me - I have the latest part of The Big Zipper to do and I'm also going to do one of the Just Nan 'Over the Top and In the Tin' designs, 'Sizzle'.

Two new family members

I went shopping for a toaster at the weekend and came back with these guys...

In my defense, it's not my fault that the pet shop is right next door to the electrical goods shop. And I did remember to get the toaster as well.

They're two little girls and DH named them Toast (on the left) and Crumpet (on the right) as a reminder to me of my impulsive buy LOL.

Lia's totally in love with them and is very slowly learning how to behave around them, but she gets very excited when they let her stroke them and gets all loud and jumpy which scares them. Still, both Lia and the guinea pigs are settling down slowly so I'm sure it won't be long before they're happy for her to hold them.

Nothing much else is going on here. No news on the job front but I did have an official letter of job offer from the new place so that's all still happily on hold. DH is going home to Greece at the end of September for a week but I don't have enough holiday to join him so it'll be just me and the girls at home.

I'm not exactly being stretched at my current job right now (I'm practically invisible to some people) so that's giving me time to set up a stash inventory blog and organise my photos etc. It's something I've always meant to do but don't want to waste valuable crafting time doing so now I can do bits of it while at work it's great.

I've also got lots of stitching done this month - I've comleted a goldwork kit, finished the Shepherd's Bush Kit 'Red Santa', almost finished Lavender Hearts (I'm just finishing up the Hardanger Heart) and started on the latest part of The Big Zipper. I intend to take some pics this weekend once I've completed Lavender Hearts so I can post some pics with my monthly update.

The Best Laid Plans...

Well they've only gone and offered me the job!

They've bumped up the salary to match what I'm on and they've told me they're happy to wait as long as it takes. I guess that's super-flattering as they are obviously really keen for me to go there but now I'm in a bit of a situation as I'd talked myself out of the job LOL.

DH and I need to have a chat but I think what I'm decided on is that I'll accept the job as I'd be daft not to, wait till work give me the heave-ho and find out the timescales of that all going through and put my CV out to some agencies then.

I'm keener on this new job now I know that they'll match my salary but it's still a longer commute than I'm doing now so if I can find something else nearer to home I'll take it but this is a good backup plan. I know that they didn't interview anyone else for the position so I know that I'm not stringing them along at someone else's expense and I will take the job if I don't find something geographically better for me.

The main reason behind checking out what else is out there is that I don't want to disrupt Lia twice in a quite short space of time - this job is only an 18 month contract so I'll have to find her a nursery for a year before she starts school full time next September. If I get a job nearer to home she can start school now for half days and get used to that with nursery in the afternoons as I'd be close enough to go pick her up in my lunch break and move her from one to the other.

Gosh life can get complicated can't it!

I'm off to do some stitching now as it's all a bit too much...

Another fun weekend

To get the subject of the interview out of the way, it went okay but I'm not that inspired by the job or the commute. I haven't heard back from them yet which I would say means they aren't going to offer it to me but given I told them I didn't know when I'd be released from my current job and I wasn't prepared to go before redundancy I'm not surprised.

As for what's happening with my current job, this weeks meeting that was supposed to decide my fate has been cancelled and is unlikely to re-scheduled so the next one is the end of September (it's a monthy management meeting). TBH, now I've got this interview out of the way and don't want the job I'm much happier waiting - it's another months salary for a start!

I will, of course, share any news as and when I hear anything but there'll be no more job hunting for me until I know what's going on. DH and I are also going to have a chat about my options - I'm not ruling out a career change with less working hours so I can be home more with Lia when she starts school.

As for the weekend, Liz, a fellow stitcher (who is, in Lia's eyes, the official fourth member of the family now, it's always 'one for Mummy, one for Daddy, one for Lia and one for Liz') stayed over Friday to Sunday and we attended the Festival of Quilts at the NEC, my first quilting show.

It was quite a drive (an hour and a half each way) but definitely worth it. The quilts in the show were amazing and I spent lots of money on lovely stash, mainly patterns and books but a couple of small kits too.

We also met up with Lorchen, Allie, Karoline, Betty and Rosie (Karolines MIL and DD) and had a lovely gossipy lunch together (I also got lots of cuddles with Rosie which was great).

Yesterday we all went to see Kung Fu Panda which was lots of fun. Lia was pretty well behaved (she was a bit more restless than when we saw Wall-E but not even close to being badly behaved) and she seemed to enjoy it. We then had lunch out and then chilled out watching some Olympics in the afternoon.

This coming weekend is a Bank Holiday in the UK and my Best Mate and her family will be staying at ours. All fingers are crossed for a nice weekend as we'll be heading to the Portsmouth Kite Festival to meet up with other friends too.

I also keep forgetting to say but Lia's now completely nappy free - we kept them going for nighttime only for a while but I figured she only needed them because she had them (if you see what I mean) and I was right, nappy on and she uses it, no nappy on and she uses the toilet. In fact we're now woken not by Lia coming into our room but by her using the bathroom.

A Job Interview

Tomorrow

*Gulp*

It's been seven years since I attended an interview so I'm a little nervous!

I still haven't been told for sure if my job is going, the meeting that is supposed to result in that decision is next week, and I haven't really done anything about looking for another job until I know all the facts about what's happening here.

However I was chatting with a good friend not long after I found out there could be a problem and she pointed me towards a job vacancy where she works that is perfect for me. I'm a great believer in fate - the lady in question didn't know exactly what my skills were and when I told her she sent me the link to the vacancy, plus I hadn't even planned on telling her about the job issues, we were discussing something else entirely. Add to that the fact that the interviews were scheduled for this week, neatly tying into the timescale for things happening at my current place of work and I felt I had no choice but to apply.

Of course, I'm not counting on getting this job, that would just be too easy, but it is a good opportunity to get some interview experience again and it gets me out of the office for the afternoon.

I've only spoken to a couple of people here at work about what's going on as I don't want to sit in an office full of people feeling sorry for me, especially when I don't feel sorry for myself! Once I have confirmation of what is happening then I'll tell people the facts rather than the supposition. There is, of course, a slim chance that they might decide I should stay but given the people responsible for making the decision are conspicuous by their lack of communication with me over the last few weeks I think I can safely assume I'm off.

However, I have been told by HR that the redundancy entitlement is a months pay for every year I've worked here, tax free, so I'm not leaving before getting my hands on the cold hard cash! There is an official redundancy process that has to take place including job matching, potential re-training etc but given I'm in the only role in the NHS in Hampshire that currently matches my skills I can't see they'll have anything else to offer me. I can also refuse another role without effecting my redundancy pay as long as I have reasonable issues with it.

All in all, I'm still okay with the situation, what's hard is not knowing what is going on, how long it is all going to take, and where I'll be at the end of it all. However, given we can survive okay no matter what the outcome and DH is totally calm about it all I'm not getting too stressed. Work may be slow but that's just more time for surfing, I'm getting lots of stitching done and I'm off to the Festival of Quilts on Saturday for a last splurge before getting firmly onto the Wagon until my job issues are sorted...

Blog Awards

Whilst I was away I was nominated for the Brilliante Weblog Award by Sam and Jennifer so thank you both. I'm always a bit wary of this kind of thing (I'm not sure this blog is that brilliante LOL) but I do like the fact that it gives people a chance to highlight other blogs (I have to nominate other blogs, it's part of the rules) and so others will maybe follow links to blogs that may inspire them.

So my nominations are:

A Celtic Stitcher
Karoline's Corner
Black Belt Stitching Wizard
Obsessed Dragon Stitcher
Simply Stitching

All of the above ladies inspire me with their fantastic work and my wish list grows pretty much every time I visit their blogs. Go check them out but be warned, there's some gorgeous crafting going on out there!

Edited to add, I'm supposed to put the award logo on here and also the rules - see how useless I am at this stuff?

The rules for this award:
1. Put the logo on your blog;
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you;
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs;
4. Add links to those blogs on yours;
5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

Family

I don't spend a lot of time around my family, or rather, I don't spend long blocks of time around my family, as I live about 100 miles away from them all. I go home about once a month but only for a day or two so it was nice to have the opportunity to spend a whole week with them all last week.

Not only that I stayed with my Sister for the first time (we used to stay with my parents but since they downsized there's not really room for all three of us) and it was great to have the chance to catch up with her and just chat and relax together.

There were two reasons why I was home, first my elder niece was getting married and second, some Australian cousins were over for a visit. I picked the Aussies up from the Airport at stupid-o'clock last monday morning and after showing off my house and providing lunch I drove them both down to Kent where they were to spend the rest of their week.

I haven't seen the pair of them since my wedding in Athens so it was lovely to be with them and also lovely to see them with Lia as they adored her and, as they were both teachers, were really good at entertaining her and reading with her, etc. She's now going round saying 'no worries mate' all the time.

As for my nieces wedding, it was a fantastic event. I'm sure I've explained before but my sister is 24 years older than me (same dad, different mums) so my niece is only three years younger than me and we've grown up more like sisters. She's mother to my Great-Niece and I was entrusted with babysitting duties for the young lady on the day of the wedding. It was fantastic to see Lia and Luisa getting on so well, now Luisa is a year old she's much more of a playmate to Lia and they seem to love being with each other.

Here's a pic of Lia in her bridesmaid dress, we haven't had a chance to go through our pics yet, this one was forwarded to me by my step-dad...

I'm back at work now and it's a real bummer LOL. I told DH that he needs to make enough money for me to retire and fill my days with fun things rather than boring ones.

I didn't get a lot of crafting done when I was away - some stitching on Happy Haunting and that was about it, but I'm now cracking on with Lavender Hearts to get it finished and framed by 14th September when it needs to be gifted.

I'm aware that a couple of people have nominated me for blog awards, I need to catch up with my blog reading and post responses so will do that asap.

July Roundup and August Goals

July Roundup

July Stitching Goals
1. Make good progress on Lavender Hearts - yes
2. Stitch on Happy Haunting - yes
3. Stitch on Sleigh Ride - no but I'm keeping this one in with the hope I'll get guilty enough to stitch on it
4. Stitch on Cirque des Cercles - yes
5. Stitch on a smaller WIP - hopefully have a HD - yes (although it wasn't a WIP, it was a new start)

Stitching New Starts:
Silver Needle Secret Needle Night - Ho Ho Santa

Stitching Finishes:
Silver Needle Secret Needle Night - Ho Ho Santa, also finished into a box :)

Books Read
The End of Mr Y - Scarlett Thomas
The Outcast - Sadie Jones
Addition - Toni Jordan
No Time for Goodbyes - Linwood Barclay

July Quilting Goals
1. Make a bag - nope
2. Make a Melly and Me animal - nope
3. Finish a Heart to Heart 2 quilt to be gifted in July - yes
4. Work on the Jungle quilts that are for the babies due this month - yes but not quite finished. Both babies arrived safely though, both boys born within five days of each other and everyone is doing just fine.

Other July Quilting
1. Two more Heart to Heart 2 quilt tops finished
2. Bargello quilt half made and all the pieces cut for the second half
3. Final (thank goodness!) jungle quilt started for Lia

August Goals

August Stitching Goals
1. Finish Lavender Hearts
2. Work on Cirque des Cercles
3. Work on Sleigh Ride
4. Work on Happy Haunting
5. Work on one of my smaller WIPs and hopefully have a HD

August Quilting Goals
1. Finish the jungle quilts so they can be gifted
2. Work on Lia's flannel quilt
3. Make a bag
4. Make a Melly and Me Animal

Current Stitching WIP List
1. Stitchy Kitty - Snowman Trio
2. Stitchin'Spirations - Getting Lost in a Blackwork Maze
3. Bothy Threads - Row of Christmas Fairies
4. Dimensions - Sleigh Ride
5. Ink Circles - Cirque de Cercles
6. Michael Powell - Cottage Garden 2
7. Shepherd's Bush - Be Attitudes Afghan
8. Margaret Sherry - Santa's Journey Afghan
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. Shepherd's Bush - Happy Haunting
13. Midsummer Night Designs - Heaven's Above
14. Teresa Wentzler - Tradewinds
15. Dragon Dreams - Dragon Virtues Afghan
16. Brightneedle - Garden Party
17. DMC - Wild Ones Alphabet
18. Michael Powell - Handmade Houses 4
19. Bothy Threads - Cut Thru Fairy Hill
20. Millhouse Designs - Charlie is Born
21. Dracolair - Dawn Awakening
22. Bent Creek - Snapperville Series
23. Long Dog - St Germain
24. Stoney Creek - Noah's Sub
25. Just Nan - Four Wishes
26. Coeur de Brodeuse
27. Spring Lineup - The Trilogy
28. Shepherd's Bush - Red Santa
29. Victoria Sampler - Lavender Hearts