Update # 2

So while we've been offline, I made the big decision (for me) to get restarted on my diet.
I haven't had the energy or inclination to do anything positive about it, just been whinging and moaning, which is obviously achieving nothing.  One of my friends feels the same and we suddenly decided this was it!

So I'm doing it at home myself. I can't afford to rejoin the slimming club, but I still have the books and so does she, so we can at least encourage each other and we text each other our weekly weight, plus we text to support or encourage through the week as well.

I don't feel brave enough to reveal my start weight but I will say that so far I'm sticking well to the plan (slimming world) and have got through some real moments, when I felt like giving up, successfully.
:)
I have difficulty losing weight because my monthly cycle is changing and I'm feeling ill alot of the month. However, so far, things dietwise aren't too bad at all.

I thought I'd record my weekly weigh in results, for the good or the bad, on here each Monday and that will hopefully also embarrass me into keeping with it!  Feel free to nag me if I start slipping.
With being offline, I've missed the first two, so I'll bring it up to date now.
I'm weighing in stones and pounds.

Weekly weigh in # 1
Lost 3/4 of a pound.

Weekly weigh in # 2
Lost 1 1/4lb

This means I've lost a total of 2lb in my first two weeks, which although not a startling amount, is a massive step forward to me, as I find it hard to lose anything and this was achieved at the worst time of month, after having a chinese (we have a friend staying who treated us ...yum!) and a glass of wine!
They got counted as syns though. I'm keeping a strict eye on syns!

Speaking of which ... my beloved syn tin!

This tin has been the saving of me. Inside are a collection of yummy choccy treats that I can use as syns and sometimes, just knowing it's there and I CAN have it, has helped me not to, unless I syn it. Isn't that weird. You'd think having it there would be dangerous to my diet, but it's just the opposite.

I bought a pack of own brand little milky way type bars and I got a pack of creme eggs that were being sold off at a quarter of the price (YAY for choccy bargains) and my mum bought me a pack of mini creme eggs.

Who wants a peek in the syn tin?

Just a small peek then ... can't you just smell that chocolately yumminess .... MMMMMMmmmmm I can! Delicious. LOL.

Who would have believed diets could be sooooo enjoyable!

:)



Update # 1

So thought I would quickly update while I had a chance.
First update is what I've been doing craft wise.

Still plodding on with this piece. I could easily have had this finished, but I've been distracted.
Anyhow here's where I am at the moment.
Just have the bottom border to finish and then it would be finished, except I decided to add a couple of heart buttons to the two spaces above the bottom flower arrangements.
Do you think that will over load it?

I tried to get the metallics to show up better in this picture, but I don't think it's worked. :(  These are clickable pictures though and hopefully you'll be able to see it a bit in the larger version?

I've been distracted because I have been having another try at teaching myself crochet!

 

A neighbour of my mum's has lent me this book, so I'm doing my best to follow it, with the help of youtube tutorials on bit's I find hard to work out/understand.

Most of my efforts have been so bad they hit the bin, these are what have survived the cull so far!

A big problem I seem to have is going up a row in the round. I understand what it's telling me to do, but I'm not sure I'm inserting the hook in the correct place. My tension leaves alot to be desired as well.  SIGH!

I will carry on though and just keep trying. Surely it has to click into place in my head eventually!

I think I'm ok on the actual stitches, as long as I have the book to refer to, to remind me ... as I'm getting mixed up with American and English stitches, having discovered I've been trying to learn with tutorials on both!  Oops.

Well I have a big ball of this white wool to practice with, I'm saving my coloured yarn for when I can actually produce something worth keeping.

Any tips on learning to crochet that you could pass on, would always be welcomed and very much appreciated.

:)

Blogger problems.

I was beginning to think it was a personal issue blogger had with me, as others seemed able to comment, while I couldn't, haha.

Thanks to Lesley (Home is where the heart is) all is now well and I am back!  Hugs Lesley! :)
On her advise I've changed my comments to the pop up window type, which should help anyone who had the same issues as me.
I've also had to use the name/url option to comment with, when the blog doesn't have the pop up window enabled. I got that tip off a lady called Annemarie who commented on Daffycats blog.

So hopefully all should now be well.

:)

AWOL again. This is getting to be a habit!

Well once more I've had no internet and when I have had it, blogger has been playing up!
Has anyone else had problems with it?  The posts I could see, it wouldn't let me comment on, but today I have a whole list of new posts from you all, so I know there was plenty not displayed to me either!

I'm going to try and catch up with you all over this weekend. I'm sorry if it seems I've been a bad blogger recently, but it wasn't by choice.

I'll be putting up updates as well, providing everything stays working from now on!!

Hope everything is fine with all of you.

:)

EDIT TO ADD:
I still can't comment on anyones blog, am I the only one having this problem?

:(

AWOL

So sorry I've been AWOL recently.

My internet has been a bit sporadic and then finally I had none and no telephone either.
It amazed me just how much I missed it. I mean it wasn't THAT long ago really that we all didn't have internet was it? Yet here I was wondering how I could stand to be without it!


I got some more done on my with faith project, but I had to send off for some little hearts to stitch on as the ones I had just don't seem right somehow.
I'll get some pictures up to show you later.  No time now as I'm off to my in-laws soon to clean for them.
My mother in-law has a hereditary illness of her spine, which affects her walking. So she can fall really easy and can't manage the cleaning anymore. My father in-law has parkinsons so he struggles as well.
So they go out for a meal with friends and I clean the house so when they get back it's all done.

Have a great day everyone!  Thanks for reading ... pictures of my project will hopefully be up over the weekend.

:)

Scams!

I hate scams!
Well, I suppose we all do. I've had this company trying to scam me recently though by phoning me up and telling me that my computer sends data to my service provider and so they are given this by them and they then phone you up to help you sort out the problem.
Do you have a desktop or a laptop, press this key, that key what do you see on your screen ....
That type of thing.
Fortunately I realised it was a scam and reported them to my service provider, who confirmed that to me.
They said had I of done what they asked, they could have got info from me that would allow them to hack into my account.  GRRR.
It really annoys me though, that someone else might, without thinking ('cos we all have those days don't we) give them the information they need and then they have full access to all the information they need to scam that poor person!
Isn't it just awful that people will do this to each other!

I haven't been able to access blogger, but it's decided to work again now, so I'm able to show my latest update to you.  I'm really liking it alot and can't wait to see it finished now.

It's a shame you can't really see the effect of the metallics. They look really pretty and sparkly against the muted colours, without being too over the top.
Awful as they are to work with, I do love the bling factor so much and I get a real sense of achievement out of 'taming' them.  It's a shame I never thought to pull the fabric right before the picture.  It's a bit lopsided where I've been stitching so as not to catch the frame.  It is straight really though! :)

I'm off to take the dog out now ... take care everyone and thanks for reading!

:)

Update and an idea!

We had a storm here last night. The dog hated it, but I plucked up the courage to watch it for a little while at the window and it was quite amazing.
I didn't stay too long though as I'm a bit uncomfy around them, probably due to my mum being struck by lightning. She was on the phone in her bedroom, near a window and the lightning actually knocked the phone out into the hallway! Scary!!

Anyway, the point of mentioning the storm was to say while it was going on, I took the opportunity to do a little more stitching and so have a small update to show.

You can't tell from these, but the little bead I used as a door handle is like a shiney browny, purply, goldy effect. It's quite pretty. :)

I've made a start on the top border, but I still have two more little flower type motifs to put at the bottom as well as the rest of the border and the two hearts I decided to add, to sew on.
This would actually be quite a quick stitch if you were able to sit at it for awhile and weren't using metallics! LOL.

No news with Steve's job but they did have something awful happen. There was a serious accident on Thursday and one of the men has lost his leg below the knee. Everyone's upset, so you can imagine things are not good.  Now all the investigations start. :(

I've been thinking about painting the kitchen. I feel like we really need a lift and the kitchen could do with brightening up, so I'm musing on the idea.  I don't think it would cost alot. We already have some paint, so I don't need to get much.
I'm thinking of a nice relaxing green to compliment all the creams and orangy/brown shades. I'm thinking of green on the cupboard doors as well. Keeping the border cream and adding green to the middle panel. Or I could leave the middle cream and paint the borders. I think I prefer the idea of painting the middle at the moment though.  Any thoughts?
Wall cupboards to show what I mean:

Tom has just started his synoptical at college (practical exams) so I can't see me getting him to paint at home as well right now, but maybe in June, while he's trying to sort out work, he might have some time to help me.
I'm thinking about it anyhow...

Have a good weekend everyone and take care!

:)

So sorry.

Sorry I've been such a bad blogger this past month. :(
It's been a combination of my own illness and having alot going on plus just recently Joe has been unwell and as some of you know, it takes him longer to get over things.

Anyhow, I do have a very small update to show you of my 'With faith' project.  I'm hoping to be able to crack on with this and get onto the next one pretty quickly now, as I can't wait to see them framed and up on the wall.
I generally pick up my frames from the charity shops, so it costs me next to nothing really and I've had some really nice ones.

I hope things are going well with all of you. I'm planning to catch up on my blog reading this week as well.

Things here are plodding on. Still just going month to month with Steve's job. It's horrible while it drags on like this, but I know it can't go on forever. Something will happen eventually, just got to sit it out and see.
Still haven't found any nice material or old things I can make over in the charity shops here, I'll keep looking though.  I have been looking on ebay for fabric bargains as well, but nothing has grabbed me yet.  I can't wait to have a go at making some curtains!

Anyhow, here is my update picture:

Sorry, usual bad picture quality.
I found my camera, but it's minus the batteries. They seem to have taken up residence in the boys game controllers!!  Hmmm....
The door handle on this is usually just a contrasting stitch, but I am going to add a pretty bead I think.
I have some nice hearts as well to sew on as a decoration to this piece.  I shall have to make sure I don't go over board though of course, but they're quite small and I think they'll look nice.

Anyway, Hopefully it won't be too long before I can show you more progress on this.
Take care everyone.

:)