We all have our limits!

I think I finally reached my limit. After a week of early mornings, days spent constantly on my feet & a week full of cooking, cleaning, crocheting, exercising, reading and everything else, my body has finally told me it's had enough! So this weekend I am planning on seriously relaxing and for that reason I'm going to keep my blog post simple. More photos than writing which I am sure everyone prefers!

So, this week....

I started reading Divergent. It's seriously addictive. I ♥ it & highly recommend it! I feel like I've finally found the book I've been searching for over the past few months!

I crocheted a bit more of the Rainbow rug that I mentioned here & here and a bit more of the Skull shawl that I mentioned here. I'm finishing off old projects (sort of) & starting new ones!

I finished the design for my dad's camouflage style blanket and started making the 775 squares (24 done 751 to go).

We looked after little Moe because he was still unwell. The colitis has stopped for now (we are keeping a close eye on what he eats) but he caught a cold so he's been moping around the house, burrowing under blankets, sneezing & sleeping all week. A few of the others seem to have picked it up as well but all seems well today (hopefully it's all passed).

As tired as we both were, we still went for a walk this week and it was lovely! The best part of the walk was smelling the wild garlic. It's so lovely!

Our regular visitors were busy feeding themselves. We had a dove that kept appearing in the garden & acting a bit odd. We think it was roosting & enjoying the sun!

Once my dad came home from work, the men went to town to do some shopping & I came along for the ride. I sat in the back & did some crochet. It was great to have some chill time!

I baked some bread and a chocolate cake. The chocolate cake was the simplest recipe ever. It's 240g of chocolate spread mixed with 4 eggs (whisked until they triple in size) and then baked in the oven for 30mins. It makes a flat cake but so yummy! My dad treated us to steaks (a luxury that we don't have very often) tonight & they were so lush! We had chocolate cake & ice-cream for dessert.

And lastly, we went outside for a little bit to enjoy the sun. Tabby disappears every time but the girls (Socks & Bella) just sunbathe in the garden so I get to photograph them. It was fun but we didn't stay out long as it was a bit too warm for them.

Ok, so that was my week. I've been getting up at 4am everyday (including Saturday) because my poor dad has been on the early shift & I've been making breakfast etc. So right now we are all exhausted and ready to get a good nights sleep & looking forward to sleeping in on Sunday! He's worked nearly 2 weeks without a weekend. He's pretty amazing but he seriously needs a break!

Take care all & best wishes for the week ahead!
♥

Chaotic lives & blog posts!

I am so sorry if my blog posts have been a bit muddled up over the last 2 weeks. My father & fiance kindly told me that my previous posts (loaded with sooo many cat photos) made me look like a crazy cat lady! Cheeky men! I set myself a goal this year that I would start a blog and post once a week and I'm trying as hard as I can to achieve that goal but sometimes our weeks are so hectic and tiring that when the weekend comes around, all we want to do is relax, do our own thing and spend a bit of time together as a family.

I have so much respect for those of you that can produce such wonderful posts so often in the week. I've never been good at the written stuff so putting a blog post together takes a lot of time and patience. The photos and collages are easy but it's getting those sentences down, knowing what to say, hoping my mind doesn't go blank as I start to type and hoping it actually makes sense that is the hard part.

So please, bare with me as I get to grips with our chaotic life and blogging! I promise I have lots of crochet goodies to share tomorrow & plenty of other things (and yes, possibly more cats)! ☺

A massive THANK YOU to each & every one of you that read my little blog, especially those that comment! ♥

Sunshine & Rainbows!

Ok, so I think I achieved most of my goals this week...most! The thing is, I sort of forgot about a few other tasks that had to be done.  Sadly the rainbow ripple is still sitting on the unfinished pile. I don't know why I keep putting it to the side but hopefully this week it will be done! The rainbow runner is coming along nicely but it will definitely need blocking! As for the granny CAL, I've not given up on it but I've not had the time to catch up. Once I do then I will! Ok, so.......

I did manage to fit in some cappuccino time in between all my various tasks. Healthy cappuccinos of course! No sugar and lactofree milk but still yummy! We are still eating very healthy here in our happy home. Lots of fruit & salads. We tried something different this week. Pita bread stuffed with chicken and salad. Yum!

I just wanted to include this picture on my blog. It's an example of how I plan nearly all my crochet projects. I usually use Paint or Excel to plan them out and play with colours. I then go and play with my jar of swatches to see what works. I love playing with colours. My thing at the moment is rainbows. I'm playing with different colour orders.

Circles, circles, circles! They have been driving me crazy all week! I still can't get my circle to stay flat. I tried a slightly bigger hook and it was a small improvement but I might have to go one more size up. I honestly thought my tension was too lose but according to my little crochet bible it's because my tension is too tight...that can't be right can it? The one in the photo above is having other issues. It's ruffling. I have the right number of stitches but it's just not working out. I've also come across a new issue...octagons! The bigger the circle gets, the more octagon shaped it becomes. I won't give up! I will conquer circles!!!

Especially because I purchased all this beautiful  Hoooked Zpagetti yarn this week! Isn't it lovely? It did make a very large dent in my piggy bank but hopefully it will all be worth it. I can't wait to get started on my  rainbow rug! I'm super duper excited about it! Can you sense a rainbow theme going on? Oh & yes, I know! I went and bought more yarn and I've still not sorted out my stash! It's just growing everyday! I can't help it...I'm a yarnaholic! 

I didn't get round to showing you my lovely new pens, notebook and shopping list pad that I bought last week. The shopping list pad has a magnet on the back & can actually stay on the fridge. It's awesome! The pen is part of a set of 3 & has a lovely pattern all over it and the notebook is just gorgeous. It was the birds and flowers on the front that caught my eye. I also bought a friendship bracelet maker. I used to love making these but always used a safety pin to keep everything in place. These days they have these cool 'makers' that do it for you! I can't wait to try it out!

The waistcoat is done. I know it wasn't one of my goals of the week but that's only because I had forgotten about it. This was for a friend's granddaughter. It's the same pattern I used before, Sirdar Lacy Cardigans & Hat.......but this time I used the yarn that she gave me in the colour they wanted/needed it in. She was happy with it and I was happy that it was done and out of the way. It took me a few hours to make but I spread it out over a few days. The second time was much easier than the first but I don't plan on making another.

More cat beds were on the agenda this week! I saw this pattern mentioned on my favourite facebook page (The Creative Crochet Crew) and had to make one. I made a lot of adjustments to it but got the general idea from there. It has been claimed many times over the past few days so I can tell that I'll be spending next week making a few more. Good thing I had all that yarn leftover! I made it for Bella (she's the one in the pic) because she is so tiny and needs a little warm place but her daughter (who is much larger) keeps stealing it from her. Like I said, it's constantly being claimed by a different cat.

I baked! At last! I finally managed to squeeze in some baking. I made nutty muffins with a surprise chocolate centre. They were yum & the perfect Saturday afternoon treat! My father and fiance were greeted with a cup of a tea & a muffin when they returned from doing the shopping. Big smiles all around. I ♥ these two special men so much. I am so lucky to have them in my life. We'll enjoy the last few muffins tomorrow while watching the Motogp! ☺

Yay for sunny weather! We had a few lovely warm days this week. Look at that beautiful blue sky!

Yay for flowers, leaves and lots of colours! Total awesomeness!

My fiance and I decided to go for a picnic down by the river. We spent half an hour walking and enjoying the scenery. It was so nice to be able to leave the house without our winter coats!

We then walked back to the little park/playground to have our picnic. We were there for well over an hour. We spent most of it laughing and talking and just enjoying each other's company. It was a lovely day. ♥

And of course we can't forget the cats. They've been busy misbehaving, relaxing, playing and just being way too cute and entertaining. The kittens will be 2 years old next week! I can't believe we've had them in our lives for that long. They have brought so much life into our home ♥

Ok, so once again, that was my week! It's been busy and I did get a lot done but not all of my goals unfortunately. I did read though! I finished 2 books this week. Neither were worth mentioning but I'm hoping my current one will be. 

My goals for the week ahead:

• Complete the rainbow ripple!
• Sort my yarn stash!
• Conquer circles!
• Read two books!

Let's see if I can get all those done!

It's a bank holiday here on Monday but my poor dad has to work. I'll be getting up at 4am everyday to get his breakfast made & his lunch ready. Hopefully this means that I'll fit lots into my days! 

I hope you've all had an enjoyable week and I wish you all the best for the week ahead. See you next Sunday! x

Happy Birthday Mom! ♥ Lots Of Crochet & other things

Today is my mom's birthday so before I do anything else, I just want to wish her a very big........ 

HAPPY

BIRTHDAY

Sadly, we aren't able to spend the day together but I'm hoping that one day we will see each other again so I can spoil her rotten! Thanks to awesome apps like Whatsapp I know I can at least chat to her all day and if I'm lucky I might be able to chat to her today!

 I'm hoping that she still has an awesome day no matter how far apart we are. 

She is an incredible woman who has been through so much in her life and taught me how to be strong and keep on fighting no matter how tough things get.

I love and miss her everyday. ♥♥♥♥♥♥

Ok, so I promise I do have some crochet to share with you this week! I'm really sorry that last week was a bit boring. I couldn't help it. I love the sunshine, animals and nature. It all just makes me so happy!

But firstly, I thought I'd share some photos that I forgot to share last week! This is Vinnie playing with an empty box of Rice Crispies. He's the biggest cat in the house and will try to fit into anything of the box or container variety. As you can see he is a bit too big for the box and ended up splitting it open down the side! This is the same cat I showed you that squashed himself into a small container!

This is his brother Moe/Mosely/Moses! Usually just Moe! He has developed an obsession with going into the backroom of our house. They aren't allowed in there because of all the breakables so he waits by the door until you need to go in there. You then have to pick him up and carry him around the room! It's his daily outing, it makes him happy, he purrs alot! He likes the colour pink! He especially likes to sleep on his fluffy pink blanky!

Ok, so crochet time!!! I hate giving up/quitting/being defeated by anything so I decided to undo the whole cat nest! I finally figured out where I've been going wrong...I've been ending rows in a different place. I could see that from the seam it was leaving but didn't realise at the time. So 4th attempt! It's going ok but not quite finished yet.

I'm still participating in the Granny CAL over at Knot Your Nana's Crochet but I'm a little behind which is a bit embarrassing considering you only have to do 3 squares a week! See, I'm a bit of a procrastinator and that takes up a lot of my time.

I did a fair bit of crochet this week though. I managed to fit it in around all the procrastination. The lounge briefly looked like a yarn bomb had hit it! My things were everywhere which the OH wasn't overjoyed about because every time he sat down he was attacked by a giant ball of yarn!

 I worked on the almost finished ripple. I know, I know! I keep saying it's almost finished but it's not finished. I promise though, it's close! Only 4 rows left and then it's time to weave in all those ends!

And, I also started a rainbow runner to go above the old fireplace because it looks so grey and boring. I thought it'd be simple seeing as it's just rows of single crochet but it took me the whole afternoon to figure it out. The side I was starting the row on was shorter than where it ended! So I went with doing 2 rows of each colour and using a different method when changing colours. It's Stylecraft Special DK yarn again because that's pretty much the only yarn I use/have ever used. Does anyone know if there is another way to flatten/block acrylic items rather than the steam from iron method? I don't own an iron but I know this little crochet project is going to need some blocking.

Mandala Rug by A Creative Being

Did you see this rug posted on A Creative Being? It's gorgeous and I plan to make one. I have so much super chunky yarn that I was going to make more cat nests with but now I'm thinking I can make some great rugs! 

I did a bit of baking this week which included our regular loaf of bread and also some Biscotti. I've always wanted to make Biscotti so I tried out the recipe I've got. It was ok but I'm hoping the second attempt will be better. The men certainly enjoyed it though!

We also tried something different this week. Bulgur wheat! Very tasty & definitely something we'll have again!

I'm so proud of my fiance. Even through the pain he is still keeping up with his walking schedule. The walking stick did join us but only briefly for the uphill. He walked a little further this week and soon we are hoping to get past those wooden steps you can see.

I did a fair bit of Cappuccino (lactofree) drinking this week and obviously lots of reading! It was like a reward for all the hard work from cleaning & tidying, getting ready for our visitor! I'm currently reading Find You in the Dark by A. Meredith Walters  which is turning out to be a very intense read! 

On Thursday, my fiance's father arrived! It's lovely to have him visiting again and it's a nice break for him! He brought a little surprise with him....you see that painting up there? He painted it! He's very talented. I'll have to show off some of his work next week. We are all currently enjoying the a bit of a break from regular life. My dad is on leave so we get to spend the week with both dads! I just hope this rain clears up soon!

We went for our second walk on Friday after the men had spent the afternoon doing the grocery shopping. It was a very relaxed walk and most enjoyable. We spent most of it admiring nature. It's so nice to see everything coming back to life.

Even the Daffodil's made an appearance! I wait for them every year. They grow wild everywhere in Wales which makes sense because they are the national flower. Hopefully soon we'll be seeing some wild garlic and  bluebells!

My dad didn't join us for our walk but he was there to meet us at the gate when we returned! Despite the slightly wet weather, it was still a beautiful day!

So, that was my week! Another busy one, just the way I like it! 

Recently, I found that I wasn't really enjoying blogging any more. It's not easy knowing what to write and what photos to include. I worry that it's not appealing to others even though I know that I mainly started this blog for me. I'm a worrier and I'm a perfectionist! It's daunting when I think about all the processing involved with photography & sometimes it takes me forever just to sort the photos out. The collages aren't easy either but after finding Picasa I'm finally excited abut blogging again! Yay! I can use my usual software for processing & then Picasa does everything else for me! It's awesome! I'm a happy bunny and I've been having a great time playing with it all weekend! I just wanted to share that with you!

So, hope you all have a wonderful week! Take care and see you next Sunday! x