ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 52ND OF 2024

 And here we are at the last Rocking post of 2024 and for a change (rolls eyes) I'm late again! 

Well it has been a mighty busy week, Christmas eve we went over to my son and daughter-in-laws flat for a Christmas gathering with family and friends, it was a lovely afternoon and the few hours of stopping were very much appreciated. 

Christmas day and the table was all prepared

Said 24 year old and his wife came over in the morning for gift unwrapping, this was a gem art that my Mum had done that we framed for them as a gift which was well received

and this is my daughter in law opening some silver earrings that hubby had made that had a sentimental link

We had a full house, but there was a noticeable hole in the day that my Mum has left, I missed her so very much, Christmas was one of her favourite times of the year and I know how much she loved being surrounded by family, it seemed so very strange. 

But we did her proud, had a good day, there was laughter as well as a few tears. 

My sister's melt down first thing Christmas morning, will stay with me as one of the funniest things I ever did see when she realised the mix up of the meats.  Thankfully she cooked both joints and they were both perfect. 

We didn't make place cards this year, we made gonks (that became gnomes as they had eyes). 

This was my scrapbook paper holding one

Niece and her fiance's gnomes, she is holding board games and dice and her fiance's one is holding a record player and LP, it even had a pull out button insert. 

My sister's gothic stories and crystal holding one

My step-dad's united one complete with programme, chip butty and football

My brother's fiancee's gonk held a passport and travel guide to Mauritius as she travels a lot with her job. 

my brother's one holds Audrey 2 from Little Shop of Horrors as he made me one a few years ago

Son and d-i-law, Steelers one and the Twinkl diary kindle holding yellow one

Finally hubby's blowtorch silver smithing one. 

they were all well received and everyone took them home with them

My sister helped to recover the house between courses on Christmas day which meant the great Christmas clean up was not quite as monumental as previous days. 

More items made for Christmas, me and hubby enjoyed decorating his Christmas cake, one went to my sister and the other to my brother. 

And this was ours using my Mum's holly leaf punch

I also made this Care bear, using the same pattern as the ones my Mum used in the eighties with an image of a Swallow on the same.  The brown fur being made from a top of my Mum and still holds the smell of her perfume, I made it for my little brother who was over the moon with the same. 

Boxing day and I hurriedly made up the cookie jar to take to my step-Dads.  Here is a picture to show how giant the coffee jar is. 

The cookies were lovely. 

and a lovely afternoon was had by all.

Another Christmas gift, these were made for my sister who has leaned towards a very gothic feel to her house recently. 

 

And finally the silver earrings that my hubby made for the girls in the family. 

The rest of the week has tripped along and I'm enjoying having some down time, I'm now definitely starting to plot and plan for 2025. 

I hope you all had a beautiful and blessed Christmas and that you know how much you mean to those that know you, I for one love to see parts of your life through your blog. 

May the close of 2024 be calm and happy and may 2025 bless you with wonderful memories and opportunities. 

Hugs

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY (AHEM SUNDAY) 38TH OF 2023

 Morning all

Tis Friday (ahem Sunday)

time for 

So last Friday we had a busy day cleaning, you know one of those when it goes beyond the 'quick whisk around with a duster and the hoover' and turns into a full blown sort.  Well my planned hour of cleaning turned into three and a quarter hours but the house was far better for it at the end, so I really mustn't grumble.

We then headed out and picked up some autumnal bits I was after and enjoyed crafting in the afternoon turning the items into other things.  I altered some pillow cases to make cushion covers and then the remnants I made a runner for the table. 

In the afternoon we both headed for the craft tables for a few hours, before we got ready and headed out for a birthday meal.  Hubby was making a ring for said 23 year old to give to his wife with a piece of rutillated quartz that he had bought, hubby was on a mission to finish it. 

The finished items

and hubby enjoyed some 'smithing' time. 

We had a lovely meal in a local pub celebrating not only my birthday but also said 23 year old's birthday and my Mum's hubby's birthday too, so celebrations all around.

Saturday and off to do some more decorating at said 23 year old's place.  We managed to get a bit more papering done, hubby took out some wood and some coat hooks that they wanted rid of and then filled the same and we set too with some beautiful green paint on the stairs.  It is really starting to take shape now. 

Sunday we enjoyed bringing the boat back from the basin in Sheffield, it was a very early start but thoroughly enjoyable it has to be said.  There was me and hubby, said 23 year old, my sister (as she's doing her boat training) and my Mum as well as a host of other volunteers.  It is always a fun day albeit very tiring. 

Monday and a day working from home on funding bids and the rest of the week rushed along at a merry old pace if I'm honest, far too much work but it had to be done.  Thursday we managed to submit the funding bid as well as preparing other documentation that needed sorting before I found myself at Friday. 

Apologies for my tardiness on this post, I've been meaning to get it done all weekend, but it just didn't happen! 

Rocking Your World Friday - 17th of 2020

Afternoon lovely people, I hope I find you well and managing in these strange times.  As it's Friday its time for 

Ok, so the routine of home working is becoming just that, routine.  I'm still managing to maintain the normal waking time routine and even get dressed for work and put my make up on ready for the working day and my days have got busier as we are immensely stretched at the moment as we continue to deliver to vulnerable people at work.   But the positive is that we are geared up to work from home and it has been a relatively quick and simple transition. 

Other than work, I've really enjoyed home cooking meals at night, its always too easy when we are busy and out and about to sometimes manage to cook from scratch, but this enforced lock down has made me realise how much I enjoy cooking from scratch. 

I know I shared this last week bu the photo was in poor light so I thought I'd reshare

Inside each box is a mini book with the same colour way measure 3 inch, 4 inch and 5 inch respectively

I really loved these papers, someone mentioned that they reminded them of fruit salad. 

Hubby bought me a 12 x 12 and 6 x 6 stack of Vintage Lace papers by Crafters Companion for Christmas.  They really are beautiful papers, maybe a little too pretty for my normal scrapbook style, but they make a beautiful mini book.  I really loved the finished effect. 

The inside 

Folded out, I added lots of glossy accents to the flower elements

In fact I enjoyed making it so much, I made another one

Midweek change of papers and I created one using some 8 x 8 papers I'd bought an age ago that are Winnie the Pooh, I cut a couple of the paper elements out for the front cover

Again really pretty papers

And again, inspired by the first, I made a second

With lots of pull out tags and flaps

You can see the pocket element from above

I'm loving how the cactus in the window has just loved being in full sun, it's obviously treating it like a greenhouse. 

Me and hubby also celebrated our 22 wedding anniversary last weekend, obviously we were home alone, but we still made the effort and had a three course candlelit dinner for two that we'd cooked from scratch. 

Although there is no traditional 22nd wedding anniversary gift, there is a modern one which is copper, fortunately for hubby he was on with making me some earrings anyway so I got a gift from him as you can see. 

The rest of the week has been good other gratefuls are

The weather - the blue skies and sun shining makes a real difference if I'm honest, even if it is just grabbing a cuppa whilst we are working and getting 5 minutes to drink it outside. 

11am coffee time (I said we'd got into a habit), me and hubby enjoying our coffee break at 11am. 

All the creative crafting at home

A weekend of Shakespeare to look forward to, NT Live at home have put 12th Night on for the next week and the Handlebards have Macbeth of until Sunday night, so I'm hoping we can watch both of these. 

Getting house jobs sorted and done, I honestly don't think we've ever got so many done.  Yesterday whilst hubby was working I painted our bedroom including the ceiling.  I've finished this morning glossiing the door frame and window cill and painting in the quote above our bed.  

Facetime with my Mum

Catching up with family at 6pm on Facetime each evening 

And that my lovely people is my list for the last seven days, if you fancy joining in pop a post together, come back and link up and we can come and visit.