Looking forward

Well, here were are in January and I'm finally getting round to blogging again. We had a lovely Christmas, with Mr Moog and the teenagers at home for a full two weeks. We caught up with lots of family and friends and all of a sudden my lot were back at school and work and it's nearly halfway through the month!

The in-laws were thrilled with their Christmas quilts and they came in very handy as both of them were poorly with colds over the holiday. Father-in-law slept under his shirty quilt on their sofa for three nights, bless him :)

I seem to have been on a bit of a go slow getting back into my work but I'm now back in the swing of things and am busy working on some orders. This little lot of free-machine applique filled a very happy afternoon and is soon to be turned into zipped wash-bags, lavender bags, and the little dogs are to be framed pictures.

One of my good customers asked me to make her a penguin embroidery. I ended up doing these five, as I struggled to get one that I liked. My customer loved them and ended up having all five! There were five more that looked even more weird and demented and they've gone over to the States as Kristi at Schnitzel & Boo fell in love with them!

I'm also taking part in the Schnitzel & Boo mini-quilt swap on Instagram and this is my little offering for my swap partner. To be in the mail in the next few days. It's my second attempt at foundation paper piecing and is far from perfect but I loved making it.

I'm beginning to feel like I'm going in the right direction with my little business. Once I'm through this batch of orders I'm going to be working on some samples to take into a local shop whose owner is interested in seeing my work and I have a thousand and one other ideas that I want to develop.

The admin side isn't proving to be my strength (!) but I'm getting there. I've now got a Moogsmum page on Facebook so do pop over and say hi if you do the Facebook thing :)

I've also had a 'business meeting' with my good friend Sarah today. Sarah is a brilliant ceramic artist who I first met at toddler group 15 years ago! She's now working full time on her business and posted a Folksy update on Facebook this week - I just couldn't help myself when I saw this gorgeous little pin cushion.

It feels so good to finally be doing what I love and I'm looking forward to a busy and creative 2015. I can hardly believe the change that I've gone through this last few months and all the tears and anxiety seem like a dim and distant memory. Here's to a great new year!

love Moogs xxx

Monday...

....or as it's sometimes known, Thursday.

This blog post has been ready in my head since Monday, it's just taken four days to hit the interwebs.

Monday was back to school for the naughty ones and back to work for me. My tiny babies have gone up into Years 5 and 6 and to mark the start of his last year at Junior school, my lovely Monster went straight off for a week away on an outdoor activity residential trip.

My week started in the best way possible, with a beautiful swap gift from my totally talented wonderful bloggy buddy Mrs Silverpebble. Just look at this fabulous necklace from the House of Pebble:

I can't even begin to tell you how very much I love this and so many people have commented on it whilst I've been out and about this week. To make a perfect present even more amazing, Emma included some of this delicious goodness:

Thank you so much Emma! This really has made my week :o)

In between schooly stuff and worky stuff, there's been a spattering of crafty stuff over the past week or two. Let's start with the nasty......the August Stashbasket and Moogsmum Sock Challenge.

I'd loved the pattern - Nutkin - for ages and was really pleased to be knitting it. The first attempt was doomed as it was coming out super skinny and had to be frogged.

The second attempt was better in terms of guage. The pattern is lovely to knit, very easy to remember and very effective.

However, even I couldn't ignore the fact that it was twisting like a b*gger. I tried it on and it still twisted. I tried it on a sock blocker and it still twisted. I had a choice to make.

I consulted my partner in crime, Mrs Stashbasket and found she was having the same problems. Neither of us were feeling the love for this sock any more. The decision was made. Frog 'em. Nutkin is no more. RIP Nutkin.

We've also decided to shelve the Sock Challenge for the time being to allow us a little breathing space, and to get some of those other works in progress done and dusted.

It hasn't all been fail on the knitting front. Last night I finished my second Circle Sock. I now have no socks on the needles and a decision to make about which socks will be next. Should be easy. I only have about 80 patterns and one or two skeins of wool to choose from!

A recent purchase of some lovely soft Noro Taiyo was put to good use, crocheting a Queen Anne's Lace scarf for my best friend....

....and one for me too.

I've even had a session on the sewing machine but as it's a secret for now this is all I can show you.

My daughter has now informed me that she would actually like to have something to eat this evening pleasethankyou, so I'd better be off to whizz up a culinary miracle in the kitchen - enough of this blogging stuff for me for one day!

xxx

Change of scene

For the past few summers we've spent a week with the in-laws in a farm cottage in North Cornwall. After disappointing weather last year, father-in-law convinced us all to head east this year, as (and I quote) 'it never rains in Norfolk'.

This year, we've disproved this 'fact'.

We had some blue sky. We even had sun. We also had 50mph winds and driving rain.....lots.

It wasn't all gloom. We still had fun and spent time exploring this beautiful county, soaking up a bit of history along the way.

Felbrigg Hall was well worth the visit - a fascinating 17th Century home that has undergone many alterations, extensions and improvements throughout it's life. It's final owner, on handing the property over to the National Trust, stipulated that the property be left exactly as he left it, so it's more of a home than a museum.




Another cloudy day led us to Blickling Hall, a beautiful Jacobean manor house with the most beautiful gardens and a very cute house-cat called Meg.




Of course, no day out is complete without a game of croquet.




Whilst they got sporty, I wandered round the herbaceous borders, making plans for the grounds at Moogs Hall.



I totally fell in love with the villages in Norfolk, with their flint cottages, tiny lanes leading to the prettiest houses, and lovely gardens.

Mr Moog and the beasties got active on the water at Wells-next-the-Sea.

One fine and sunny day was spent building sandcastles....

.....and catching an eel!

In all, considering the fact that it apparently does rain in Norfolk after all, we had a great week.

As if that wasn't enough, we really rounded our holiday off in the best way possible - with a visit to my lovely blogging friend, sock knitting partner in crime and knitting guru, Mrs Stashbasket.

I met the Golden Wedding blanket and the Mystery Blanket in person and believe me, they are totally stunning. We also met the very gorgeous and bouncy Harvey puppy and the very relaxed Mr Stressy!

Now, as luck would have it, Mrs Stashbasket is my swap partner in Trashy's As You Like It swap, and presented me with quite the most amazing package you ever did see. Mrs Stashbasket took my theme of Birds and Bees and just look what awaited me:

Isn't this the most fantabulous cake? Just look at all those perfect tiny flowers and those gorgeous little bees!

It was almost sacrilege to cut it but we did have a slice earlier with a cuppa and the inside is every bit as lovely as the outside. According to Monster it's the best cake ever - and he's an expert!

That wasn't all though - there was this beautiful soft and squishy Martha Posh sock yarn...

.....and Colinette 'Toucan'.....

.....and all these goodies too!!

Thank you Michaela, for the lovely cup of tea and cake and most especially for my wonderful gifts :o)

I'm now going to empty and refill the washing machine for the gazillionth time and then I plan an evening of knitting as I have a lot of catching up to do.

xxx

More treats for me!

I just had to show you the gorgeous goodies that postie delivered this week. I was so excited when I tore off the paper to reveal this very pretty Spring Swap box and I was even more excited when I realised it was from JennyFlower !!

I love the poem on the lid and will be making sure I keep this.

Once I opened it, things got even better!

Some of my very favourite sweets in the whole wide world - chocolate eggs and chocolate limes.....yum yum yum :o)

Just look at all this fabulous springy goodness! The most beautiful yarn, fabrics, crocheted brooch and pretty hair bands (claimed immediately by the Minx!).

....and just look at this fabulous bag! This must have taken ages to make and I just love it - it's now holding my latest knitting projects :o)

This was such a ray of sunshine in a very grey and wet week and it reminded me just how wonderful the world of crafty blogging is. Thank you so very much Jenny - I am so thrilled with my spring goodies!

In other news, househunting has so far drawn a blank despite taking up just about every spare moment - mostly trawling the same old websites looking at the same houses day after day.

We've viewed two houses so far, neither of which met the very exacting Moogfamily spec - ie three bedrooms (not shoe cupboards), good school catchment, good sized garden to accomodate Moog, chickens and a 12 foot trampoline.

You may be surprised at the details we've been sent for tiny bedroomed houses, in totally the wrong area, with gardens half the size of our current one!

What with that and having to listen to Mr Moog rant to me and anyone who phones/stands still long enough, about the whole buying and selling houses business ad nauseum, I've had very little 'me' left over for crafty stuff or bloggy stuff.

Before I wrote this post, I was about to announce a prolonged blog break. However, I've now had a change of heart as I think I need this little world to keep me sane!! I may not be leaving comments much but I am still lurking around reading your blogs and enjoying all your crafty doings - makes such a refreshing change from Rightmove!!!

xxx

A very special week

Plans to blog on every one of the past seven days seemed to go totally to pot - for no other reason than busy stuff. However, I didn't let the busy get in the way of opening and enjoying my lovely Seven Days of Specialness parcels.

Saturday was a most delicious package. So delicious, in fact, that while Mr Moog and the kiddlies were otherwise engaged, I tore into it before suddenly realising it might be better to take a photo first!!



After a lovely Saturday night out with Trashy, at her most refined and beautifully decorated birthday party, I was awoken at silly o'clock on Sunday morning by my naughty daughter. Luckily, I had another parcel to perk me up.

I just love this!! Believe it or not, I didn't already have one of these. A gorgeous needle case.



Isn't it lovely? I love the colour combination too - it reminds me of some of my very favourite sweets - chocolate limes!

It can't get better than that, can it?

Actually, it can because on Monday morning the week got off to the best start with this fantastic bundle of baking goodies!

My naughty Minx was especially taken with this parcel. We both now have plans for a bit of baking at the weekend.

Just look at these fabulous little hearts.

So then we came to day seven of the most cheering and thoughtful swap. Today's goodies are so gorgeous that I have to keep stopping to look at them. My morning coffee has never tasted so good!

I think this is my all time favourite colour combination - they match my sofa quilt perfectly, so I obviously need to spend lots of time on the sofa sipping freshly brewed coffee!!

To my lovely swap partner Dragonfly I just have to say a HUGE Thank You! Your gorgeous, very thoughtful gifts have really lifted my spirits. This has been the best way to start February :o)

To Ali, who came up with the idea for the swap - Wow! Well done Ali on a truly inspired idea for a swap!!

Now onto other business. I had to go to the Scrapstore for some bits for work today. While I was there I spotted a few things that looked like they might come in useful.

What else would you make from a plastic spool thing, a bit of plastic tube, some dolly pegs and a length of cardboard tubing?

I mean, it's obvious really, isn't it?

Yup, you got it - a yarn swift to go with the lovely new wool winder I bought recently.

It spins like a dream, cost less than £1 to make, can be taken to pieces for storage and is to be fully tested later this evening!

I arrived back from the Scrapstore to find postie at the door with a very unexpected parcel. A fab bundle of books from my lovely bloggy friend Jo - to give me a break from the knitting mania that seems to have taken hold!

Thank you so much Jo - you made my day :o)

I'm now whizzing off, to fetch that naughty Minx from Brownies and when I get back I may be doing something with this:

xxx

The Specialness continues

I didn't manage to post about my gorgeous Day 2 parcel yesterday.

I was in meetings all day, including my performance review in which I blarted like a big baby in front of my boss! As always, she was incredibly lovely, supportive and reassuring and gently suggested that maybe next time my life went t*ts up it might be a good idea to mention it.

It was good to come home and open my Special parcel. I truly couldn't have wished for a better swap partner - Mrs Dragonfly has put so much thought into this swap and I feel she got the short straw, having a swap partner who's head was full of porridge at the time!

Here's my yummy Day 2 goodies - THE most delicious soap and a pack of beautiful sweet pea seeds.



Today was equally special. I've really enjoyed getting to know Dragonsfly's blog and am quite awed by her beautiful crochet - and now I have some Dragonfly crochet of my very own.



I was fully intending to use my Day 1 goodies to make me a very special cushion today but have spent the whole day doing some very secret crafting. Talking of which, Mr Moog and I are having a grown-up night out tomorrow, with a certain 40 year old hilltop blogger and the mayor of the hilltop!

xxx

Seven days of Specialness

What could be better on a grey and dismal February morning than to open a parcel and see a whole week of goodies nestling in there?



I just know this is going to be a good week - especially if Day 1's gorgeous treats are anything to go by.

Look at that beautiful crochet trim made by my lovely swap partner Dragonfly. The beautiful fabric and trim are already turning themselves into a very pretty cushion inside my head!

Hopefully by Friday afternoon, they'll become a reality, as I now have plans for my day off!

This really is going to be a very special week.

xxx

Fancy swapping?

Rachel is hosting a lovely summery swap - fancy joining in?

Go and visit her to see what it's all about :-)

xxx

...and that reminds me...I still have a number of PIF gifts to make....haven't forgotten....honest!