Long time coming

Goodness its been ages since I came on here, I started to read my last post to see where I was up to in my life so I could kind of fill you guys in (thats if your even interested !) and there’s just too much life stuff and crafting stuff I got overwhelmed.

So I think I will just have a natter, apologies if its disjointed, my instagram is always up to date if you are really bored and want a catch up. 😊

I am nearing the end of my Nursing studies, lots of tears, tantrums, joy, heartache, bad placements, good placements, new friendships, fallouts and lots of stress, but here I am, limping towards the finish line. 👩🏻‍⚕️

I have a job secured in the Community, not sure if I am making the right decision tbh but when I had the interview I thought yes I want this job, and I was so excited to be accepted, I just tend to overthink things and the 7 months between interview and start date is a lot of time to think! I also haven’t had a true community placement yet either, I have worked as a healthcare out in the community for quite a long time so I have an idea but I don’t know the job role yet. Hey ho lets see where I go with that one shall we ?

Crafting wise, I’ve jumped from knitting to crochet, back to knitting and know I am on a sewing kick. As you may know I have made mohair bears for a long long time, they are my long time passion and yet funnily enough I don’t tend to make that many. I have a flurry and make a few and then don’t make any for ages. I do tend to do that with most of my crafts though so its probably just me. I don’t actually have many bears left here at home, I seem to have had an increase in sales of them, no idea why, and with my course and my scatty interests I just haven’t had time to keep them well stocked. Here are a few of my latest, some are still waiting for homes and others have flown the nest, one actually went to Canada 🍁

I think we had just come back from holiday last time I blogged ? Were we in Scotland ? I would have to close this page and have a look but I can’t be bothered 😂 So we went to Solva where I designed my first shawl, its a lovely one skein shawl but unfortunately I still haven’t written up the pattern 🤦🏻‍♀️ will I ever ?? Who knows 😝 we then went to Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 and had a bonnie time, we started in Northumberland in Seahouses (I love that place) and then moved up the country just a bit further than Edinburgh. I can’t remember the places we visited, honestly my brain lately 🧠 I took my find your fade shawl with me and since then I have finished it. It’s huge !! And I don’t have any pictures only the ones in progress

What else have I been up to ? I have made a couple of hats by Andrea Mowry - again the name of the pattern escapes me 🤦🏻‍♀️ 🧠 I started designing a pair of socks but abandoned those too (do you see a pattern going on here ?) mmm what else 🤔 I have the Birkin Sweater on the go, the Weekender light has seen the light of day a few times, Ive got a pair of vanilla socks and I am on the first one 🧦 I have quite a few hanks caked up with projects in mind but they are residing in projects bags with no progress. As I say my knitting seems to have taken a back seat.

My design

His and hers hats, actually they have had much wear me and Steve love them they are lovely and light and yet still warm. I want to say Stria hat ? Not sure anyway its Andrea Mowry. (Really professional isn’t it this blog 😂)

My Birkin, Smudge 🐱 and Woody’s nose 🐶

More sock progress

More Birkin

Again more socks

Socks again ! You can clearly see I gave it a good go 😆

After knitting, I dabbled in crochet, I made quite a few Amigurumi animals and dolls. I even designed my own doll, Of course I did !! 😝 of course she is languishing in a project bag, unfinished and no pattern wrote up. I am hoping once I finish this course I will have more time to dedicate to actually finish things. I think it’s because there are soooooo many projects I want to do, and so little time. I don’t want to go to work I just want to sit on my bum and craft 😂

So for the sewing ….

I will just start by showing you this one, I may have blogged about it previously, but in 2017 I started this quilt for Justin and Megans new home, my son was leaving the nest. I had no idea how to quilt but I set out in my usual fashion with a huge project and no idea (there’s more about it on my instagram) finally here it is, not finished of course but progress !!! And actually they moved into their second home last month so it can still be a new home present if I get my Bum in gear 😂

I am so so happy with it, because at times I have wanted to throw it under a passing bus 🚌 I have now started another quilt, which is a gift for my daughter, I want to keep it hush hush but then I doubt I can do that, but as she finds my crafting boring anyway and doesn’t really look at my posts I think I am safe in the fact that it will still be fairly secret 🤫 Sewing wise I have been embroidering, and making little pin cushions, lavender pillows, needle cases, hanging hearts, cloth rabbits, my little etsy shop is getting quite full and I have also been accepted into the British Craft House, so I need to sort my shop out on there too.

So If you are still here and I hope you are because I have saved the most exciting part of my life till last !! Well I think its pretty exciting anyway. I will just pop a few xmas photos in and my Daughter turned 21 in December, my youngest turned 16, they share a December birthday with me. I need a small mortgage at xmas. My middle son is still causing me heart ache, I don’t tend to talk about him I did at one time, I found it therapeutic to talk but now I find its not fair on him to share publicly. And also people don’t want to hear about my grief. And I have come to realise it is grief that I am suffering. He is a regular drug user and leads a very chaotic lifestyle which for a very long time destroyed me, now I have learnt not always successfully to cope with it and try to live my life and help him as much as I can but also preserve my own health because it literally can make me quite ill. Anyway enough of that lets focus on the happy.

Steves Mom and Dad

My Son on a good day

My younges, Stacey and Josh Steves son

Xmas night matching jammies

One of my best friends, came round for my Birthday, left at around 3am, don’t ask how much vodka we consumed 🤫

Me and my youngest, a rare photo opportunity 😝

Me and the big guy

My dad and Josh (dad looks happy 😊)

steve and Albie bear 🐻

Megan and Justin at Staceys 21st

Mom and Justin

Me and Stace

Justin and Albie in their new home

Steve and his new knee replacement

The ONLY photo of me and Stace on that night !! Awful 🤦🏻‍♀️

So I am really hoping you are still here !! Because now for my exciting news !! Of course if you follow my insta it won’t be new news 😊

Drumroll please 🥁

LOOK WHAT WE HAVE

Proud Nanny Bear

Steve looks huge and very uncomfortable 😆

Yes we have a new baby, Justin and Megs have had their second child before xmas November ? Oh dear 😅 anyway he had a bit of rough start he was taken into hospital 6 days old with meningitis and stayed in for two weeks but look at him now