Real life!

As I said in my last post, the virtual world has had to take a back seat while real life takes over for a while. So what's been happening here?  The biggest excitement has been the arrival of a new grandson! Baby Samuel was born a few weeks ago.  He was quite poorly at first, he caught an infection so was in special care, but he has pulled through and is doing very well indeed!  My son and his partner are coping splendidly with it all.

Here is one very proud granny with our little fellow!  He was only a few days old here, and had only just left the special care baby unit.  Isn't he a little darling?

We also had our daughter and granddaughter Poppy to stay.  Poppy is now 9 months old, so very interested in everything.  We took her to a sea-life centre to see all the fish, and to a children's farm to see donkeys, goats, ducks and everything else in between.  Watching Poppy's reactions to everything was priceless.  

Here she is on the swing, one of her favourite things.  In fact, she likes the swing so much, we bought an indoor swing so she could go on it as much as she liked while she was here!

And finally, we made a trip to York to visit youngest son, so it has been a wonderful time of connecting with all our family.

I have just realised I am wearing the same top in both photos, I do have more than one top, just in case you were wondering! 

So what next?  Youngest son comes home for the summer in a few days, so I am cleaning up the old homestead and preparing the fatted calf in readiness! All good fun.

Technical hitch

I've just deleted my last post because sometimes the pics loaded and sometimes they didn't!

Instead here is a pic of me with my beautiful granddaughter when she came to call recently!

She has her granny's hair colour, hahaha, except Poppy's is natural!

Have a lovely day

Dollies!

Do you love dollies?  I always have, and probably always will!  A few weeks before Christmas, DD and I went shopping for presents for my granddaughter Poppy, and saw this delightful rag doll at Cath Kidston.

I bought her and took her home, and decided that before I gave her to Poppy, it might be nice to make some clothes and a little bag, so I knitted these.........

Then I remembered that I had lots of pretty yarn left over from making Poppy's blanket, so I made a matching blanket for dolly.

Then I rang DD, and told her the dolly was ready, and she remembered that I had made her a rag doll when she was a baby - well over twenty years ago! - and could we bring it with us at Christmas?  Of course I could!  So I washed all her clothes and got her ready to be reunited with her owner.  Here she is modelling her bloomers!

Frilly underskirt.

Dress and hat.

And here they are together, Poppy's new Cath Kidston doll, with clothes designed and knitted by me, and DD's own doll, all made by me, many years ago, including all the clothes.

Ah yes, I can see happy days ahead, playing with Poppy, playing with dolls, lots of fun!

A Childlike Christmas

Christmas is coming!  Lucy and Tom are helping to stir the Christmas pudding.  As they stir they each make a wish.

Stockings are hung before a roaring log fire, while we warm our toes.

The children are too excited to sleep!

Let's peep and see if Father Christmas is on his way.

Parents and grandparents take a well-deserved rest.

At last Father Christmas comes, with sacks full of gifts for everyone.

Happy Christmas everybody!

If you are enjoying these Childlike Christmas posts, go over to Pom Pom's blog where you will find lots of us together enjoying a childlike Christmas party.  Come and join in the fun.  We've saved a Christmas cracker for you and lots of sweeties!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Thank you so much for all your wonderful comments yesterday.  The combination of York and teddy bears brings out the best in people!  As promised, below you will see some pictures of me with my granddaughter Poppy!


I have always admired the blog  A Life of Grace,  especially when written in the format of a daybook. So today I have decided to follow the same pattern and tell you about my day.


For today: Thursday, 15th December, 2011


Outside my window:  We have filled the bird feeders with seed, peanuts, fat-balls and dried worms.  We have blue-tits, robins, sparrows and blackbirds coming to say hello.


I am thinking: about my family, seeing youngest son at the weekend when he arrives for the holiday, seeing our daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter just after Christmas, and wonderful eldest son, who keeps the house clean and hoovered for me when I am at work, without being asked.


I am thankful:  that today I break up from work for three weeks.  As much as I love my work, I need a break!


In the kitchen:  today is a work day, so it will be spaghetti bolognese when I get home, some mince and onion, tomato puree, mixed herbs, etc.


I am wearing: my usual work clothes of jeans - so I mingle with the students! - and a warm jumper, with a thermal vest underneath, as it is so cold.


I am going:  to post the rest of my Christmas cards today, which I have written bit by bit.


I am reading:  A book about 'Low maintenance vegetable growing', to help me to plan what I am going to grow in the new season.  Last year I grew veggies for the first time, and everything was a success, including salad veg, tomatoes, courgettes, beans and carrots.  I just grew them in pots and they turned out fine.


I am hearing:  the TV, about the Queen's plans for next year, her 60th year.  Her Majesty is planning to visit our neck of the woods.  I would love to see her.  Youngest son was in the crowds at the Royal Wedding in April.  Did you see him?!


Around the house:  I am feeling very smug that I have defrosted my two freezers!


One of my favourite things:  my wonderful family.


A few plans for the rest of the week:  Enjoying not going to work!  Also, I am knitting clothes for a rag doll I have bought for my granddaughter, and crocheting a little blanket for the dolly, so I want to get these finished.  (Pictures to follow!)


From my picture album:  As I received such lovely comments yesterday, thank you so much, here are the promised pictures of yours truly with the best Christmas present anybody could wish for, my almost three month old granddaughter, Poppy Pickle!  She looks like she is saying:             
Sssshhhhh!  It's a secret!

Hmmm......not quite so happy here, but still very cute!

Eco worrier

,

This little dolly lies awake at night, so concerned about the state of the planet, yes.......she is an eco-worrier, hahaha!  I'd like to say this is one of my worst jokes but I would be lying.

Anyway, her name is Emma, she is a Cath Kidston beauty, and I have bought her for my beautiful, smiley granddaughter Poppy Annabel.

She came with this pretty dress, (that's the doll, not Poppy!) and I have knitted the jacket to match, plus a hat in the same fetching shade, and I am now knitting a satchel for her, and crocheting a little blanket to keep this dolly warm in winter.  These are all knitted in Sirdar Simply Recycled, very eco-friendly.

The blanket will match Poppy's own blanket that I made for her earlier in the year, shown in the pic above, along with a little pram coat I knitted for her.

I enjoy knitting and crochet so much that Poppy and all her dollies can look forward to a future of being swathed in layers of wool all year round!

I know I haven't posted for a while, I've been such a busy bunny.  But I have added some new blogs to my sidebar, including Life After Money.  If you are looking for some ideas on how to live a frugal lifestyle, look no further.  This is an excellent site.

Many thanks to all of you who have left a comment in my absence, especially to Tina, whose wonderful blog is a must-read for me, and to Quinn, who I miss so much, now you have graduated and no longer require my services!  Also to Pom pom, who is full of fun, and to everyone else who leaves comments, and those who write the most wonderful blogs that inspire, cheer and inform me.

If you are kind enough to leave a comment, I will post a picture of my beautiful granddaughter!

I'm a Granny!!!

Just a very quick post to let you know that my new granddaughter was born early this morning!

I'm still here!

I had no idea I would be away so long - I would have warned you!  But I have still enjoyed reading all your lovely blogs.  My working week has been gradually growing over the term, but thankfully I break up for Easter on Thursday - yay!

I have big plans for the hols, which mainly involve crocheting my spring blanket, which is growing apace -  more news and pics on that later, some knitting, and tidying up the front garden.  I've taken some 'before' pics which I'll put up when I have some 'after' pics, but to get the after pics I actually have to tidy up the garden!!!

I suppose I could get a pic of Kew Gardens from google as my after pic, but I know my clever readers won't be fooled so easily.

Here's a wonderful Christian resource to look up that I regularly enjoy: 

http://www.girltalkhome.com/

As this Sunday is Mothers' Day in the UK, I will have the immense pleasure of having all my children here at home for the weekend, which I am so deleriously happy about!  It's so wonderful when we are all together.  Our children have always been very close, so it's lovely as parents to see them having fun together, and to hear them upstairs having a laugh together.  Very grateful to lovely son-in-love for sparing our daughter for the weekend.  He's an excellent cook, so at least we know he won't starve without his wife!  Hope you all have a good weekend, whatever you do.

Anyway, I've had a loooong day, so my bed calls, I'll be back soon!

A Lovely Day

Today I finished work a little early and had time to walk to the wool shop and buy eight balls of the softest, scrummiest merino wool to knit a little coat as a present for someone.  I made a start on it as soon as I arrived home.  It's so soft and lovely, it practically knits itself. I felt cosy, sitting by the fire with my needles.

I've been reading "Candles in the Dark" by Amy Carmichael this week.  She was a missionary in India for 55 years, and in all those years she never returned home to the UK for a break.  She opened an orphanage and a mission there, where many children were loved and cared for over the years.  They were rescued from either death or a life of prostitution.  Children were always close to her heart.  I read this lovely piece of prose, to be taken to heart by every mother, grandmother, auntie and by every mother to be.

"To a young mother.  This morning, I was reading in Luke, and as I read of the angels' joy over the birth of our Saviour and thought of their joy over everyone born again into the Kingdom, I felt sure they rejoice over every precious little life born into a family of true lovers of our Lord.  And I thought how to each little one an angel is given.  How little we know of these heavenly things, but I do like to think of the angel prepared for your little treasure and, above all, to think of what has been prepared for that little one 'before the foundation of the world'.  How much more there is in a baby than just sweetness and the appealing innocence of baby days.  All the great thoughts of God lie behind that little life, all the great purposes.  Ephesians chapters 1 and 2 tell of these.  The more one ponders, the more one wonders."

May you have opportunities to phone, visit, or even give a hug to those who are precious to you.

It made me think also about youngest son, back at university now for another term.  On Monday morning, when I was praying for him, God gave me these wonderful words, as if they were printed in gold, just for me.

"Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall."

Instead of 'burdens', I inserted the names of my children here, as I prayed for them, and had a real sense of God protecting each one of them - and their parents!

God bless you my friend.