busy busy busy :)

Hi Every one :)
hope you are all enjoying a wonderful weekend and Happy 4th of July to all those across the pond :)

Just hatched

Well this week has been a whirlwind of a week starting on Sunday with the safe arrival of the third chick I was worried about on Saturday and also another little one hatched too :)  unfortunately this is all we got this time  but all four are doing well .. and they have a new home already once they are old enough to leave me ..lol
so here are a few pictures taken over  the week of ennie meanie mynie and mo ..lol 
we think that the darkest one may be a Silkie  ... they are all doing really well and have been enjoying the sunshine we have had today .

to me from heather (front)

I had a lovely surprise on Wednesday from Heather from the group .. I had sent her some samples of some linen , even weave and hand dyed fabric as she hadn't ventured forth into this wonderful world yet ..lol and she has stitched me a beautiful Biscornu on hand dyed Polstitcher's fabric I think ? the colours are just lovely so I shall proudly show off to you all my lovely surprise :)

to me from Heather (back)

On Thursday I met up with some fellow stitcher's that had joined the Friendly stitchers group and they live not too far from the mouse house :) we had a lovely evening stitching and showing said stitching off , with the all important cup of tea and some lovely stickies to go with it tooooo yummmmm :)
Friday was spent going to the hospital for my normal regular checks and then bobbing on to see my friend Sue for a few hours before playing mum's taxi for DD2 
and Saturday I spent making a few cards for a party we were going to that evening soooo today I didn't do much at all except a bit of shopping playing taxi and ooo a tiny bit of stitching ..lol

thing this one is a Silkie

OOOOOO and the most important thing I have done this week is ... I got my Model test piece which I have been working on and its looking good even if I say so myself ..... sorry no peeking allowed .:)
BUT the best bit of this week ... shall I tell you ???? really you want to know ... are you sure .. ok are you ready for this ...
I won a$40.00 Gift Certificate for 123 stitch from Peggy  at http://kentuckysampler.blogspot.com/  It really did brighten my day up and I am soo happy that I have won and can go and spend a few hours browsing for some goodies .. don't panic I will let you  know what I chose :)
So there you are my week in a nut shell or should that be egg shell ...lol ... Its time for me to go and put the kettle on again and make you all a cuppa or two :)

Romantique SAL

in between everything else I have been working on the Needlework shop , it now has a full roof and almost a full top wall ..lol  I have been doing a bit on the first of the twin samplers and I have put a stitch or two into my Romantique sampler which I need to get done by the tenth of this month for the next installment
Sorry the photos aren't in order but I still can't get it to work ..lol 
I think that is it for now ... hope every one has a lovely week and I shall catch up with you soon :)
take care and happy stitching :0
love mouse xxxxx

enjoying a snooze in the pod

Frogs , stitching , and new beginnings

Hi every one :)  cooo what a week in the mouse house ... I warn you to get a cuppa and settle down for a long read with photos as well honest ..lol :)
Frogs >>>>>>> the bain of my life last Saturday .... I was merrily stitching on the CA as I had promised to DD1 and I set too, to do the left hand large motif  thats at the bottom of the photo ... when I realised that the small section in the middle was one thread out AGGHHHH soooo I duly unpicked, as you do and re started again .. zoomed round the whole motif to find I then was a stitch to close to the top as I had forgotten about the bead that was supposed to go there AGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ... by now I was ready to lob the whole piece across the room ....... the kettle went on and I found some chocolate AHHHHHHHH ..... 

Celtic Autumn 18th june

after pootleing around I got back to it un picked again and re stitched and finally got it all in the right place and beaded it as well ..... sooo this is where I left it last Saturday .... I have done some more to the skirt which didn't get in the frame so to squeak ..lol 
I did some more to my Needle work Shop , LHN ... the Star SAL , Mary Wigham , started one of the twin birth samplers I have been asked to do and also done the middle rose to the Romatique SAL just need to do the lace at the side and then I have caught up with this one with time to spare PHEW all being well the frogs don't make a blooming come back ;)
so here are the offerings up to press from the stitching :)

first twin sampler

Needlework shop LHN

Romatique SAL

Star SAL

closer View
Soooo onwards and upwards to the new beginnings .....

our new additions 

we have as of last Tuesday two tiny baby Buff Orpington's hatched out and hopefully another on on its way out now (fingers crossed it is taking its time to come out) soooo here is a little picture of the little ones which I took this morning ...


We also were visited next door by Mr Hedgehog and I managed to sneak round and take a photo .... he appeared early for his supper that my next door neighbours put out every night for him so I got chance to watch him having a right good old nosh ..lol

Having his supper

He was quite happy having his photo taken at this time soo I got some lovely shots of him but I shall only bore you with one of them heheheh :) 


 In between all the animal antics and the stitching I had to sneak some cards in as we had a cousins wedding on Thursday ..up North by the "angel of the North or  near Newcastle  for those not familiar with it ..... 
I also did one for DN (dear neighbours)  for their DD's and SIL 25th wedding anniversary.....
We travelled up on Thursday afternoon for the wedding which was being held at a very posh hotel up there called the Close House Hotel...... the grounds were fantastic for any one who plays golf too ....
 The bride looked gorgeous and had us ladies, traipsing down to the lake to set off some lotus flower candles .... I tried to get a good shot of them but hey hoe you get the idea ......

For Cousin's wedding

DN 's card

the blushing bride

we  travelled back the same night and driving down the A1 in the pitch black is not my idea of fun seeing as I was driving back ..... needless to say have been resting ever since as it was 2.45am when we got back and I have been rather ouchie  since but it was worth it as we had a fabulous time and it was great to meet up with all the family again :) 

lotus flower candles

a girl after my own heart ..comfort !!!
Ok think it is time the kettle went on again ..... been a busy old week hasn't it ..lol..... ok the kettle has boiled orders please :)

And finally I had a lovely surprise delivered by the postie yesterday :) I received a Just Nan birdie kit that's a pin keep :)  from Gracie of http://needlespinsanddragonflies.blogspot.com/....... as a thank you for sending some threads to help her out with a match for one of her beautiful projects she was doing :)

From Gracie

Well today I managed to get all my washing dry as it turned out nicer than first forecast yipppeee .. so I can spend tomorrow doing some stitching heheheh  ........
 I want to try and get the Romatique Sal up to date so that hopefully on Monday the postie will bring my model stitching piece and I can concentrate on that :)


Thanks for making it to the end of my waffle ...lol .. and I hope every one enjoyed their drink with the bun thrown in ..lol  and that you all have a wonderful weekend :)
take care and happy stitching :) love mouse xxxxxx

SSSSHHHHH don't tell but.........

HI every one :) hope you are all having a wonderful week and have managed to squeeze a little me time in with some stitching ????
well all I can say is what a week :)  here at the mouse house I thought it would be a quiet week as Mr Mouse is working nights but no ..... I have played mum's taxi , been clothes shopping with dd2, as she has her awards evening on Friday night from college and she didn't have a thing to wear!!!!!  loads of phone calls and emails and arranging to go and meet up with some new members of Friendly Stitchers  who just happen to live about 20 mins from the mouse house and meet up in coffee shop inside the card shop in town and I never knew !! so guess where I am going on Monday ;)


well the really good news is ........ I am going to do a test piece to hopefully become a model stitcher for http://periphaeria.com/ ..... Lady Periphaeria put out a call on her blog (link on site) for model stitcher's and I squeaked up and emailed her to see if I would be able to do it :) well the up shot is I am waiting for the postie to bring me a piece to work on, so she can see my stitching in real life :)
DJ    is doing Lady Periphaeria's Star SAL which has been released in monthly parts since February and has been teasing me with it since then ..lol ..... well the upshot of it is I've started it ... yeah I know I am a wee bit crazy heheheh but I've got sooooo far ahead with my crazies and other stuff I am working on I thought why not ..lol 

http://periphaeria.com/ Star SAL

I am stitching it on 25count evenweave with Anchor threads no's 1064 as my main colour and 1068 as the contrast soooo do you want to see how far I have got ???? It is actually refreshing just working with two colours :)
Those who are doing it, will notice I haven't put the main colour into the contrast diamonds as I think I shall pop some beads in there:) I have only worked on it about 3.5 hours .... I started it Tuesday night and have only done a bit on it since each night as I have been working on the Celtic Autumn as promised to DD1 during the day :)

Celtic Autumn Lavender and Lace

I have been beading as I have gone along which is the first time I have done it this way ... normally leave it till the end, but I like it doing this way on this piece ..... I am stitching it on Polstitchers fabric fallen leaves if my memory serves me correctly using the alternative colours that are more of our Autumn shades :) I am about half way to finishing this now much to DD1's delight as apparently she is having all of them ???

Mary Wigham SAL

Well I have also started the Mary Wigham SAL that we are doing on the friendly stitchers     I am stitching it on wood violet even weave 28 count and here is my start ... not much to show but to coin a phrase "I've started so I shall finish "  its almost" can you guess what it is yet "..lol
Well the kettle has gone on and I'm waiting for your orders hehehe .... I have got a cutie pie picture to show you .... some of you who have been reading my waffles for a while, will know that we have, down on our allotment chickens.... well we have 3 new arrivals born last week and I managed on Monday to get some pictures of the little ones soooo get ready to awwwwww ..lol

These are the grown ups 

They haven't got names as until they bigger we don't know what they are ..lol  we have got some in the incubator here as well ,that if successful should hatch next weekend .. then I will be playing mum for a few days ...:)

I have made some cards but I can't show you them yet as they haven't got to their new homes yet sooooo I shall leave you with a few shots of around my small wee garden ... not sure of the white flowers name but if you rub the leaves it smells of orange :)


So thanks for spending some time with me and hope you have enjoyed your drink while you have been here ;)
until next time take care and happy stitching :) love mouse xxxxx

some where in there is a nest 

any ideas what called ???

Natures beauty in at number 11 :)

Hi every one :0 .... I can hear lots of *oh no not another one finished ..lol  but hey what is a mouse meant to do when the skies open and the rain pours down on the mouse house ?????
I had planned on taking a hobble down to the canal and see if I could take some pictures of the baby ducklings but in the words of the tennis season "rain stopped play "  heheheh 
so I busied myself with my needle and fortified with the odd cup of tea or two sat and stitched the afternoon away :)
I really enjoyed stitching this one and it has a lovely old sampler feel to it .. the only small wee moan is the purple flowers .... if you were going to buy all the threads for this one .. see if you have got something in your stash .... they only used one length(36") of thread ..folded to do loop start ... for each colour for both sides .... luckily for me I can use them on the lavender hill chart :)

Natures Beauty LHN :)

sooooo with out further  waffling heheheh here she is in all her glory ... sorry picture isn't brilliant as took it as the light was fading as I wanted you all to see :)
so in the list of crazies left to do, I have
 Poinsettia House, The needlework shop, Winter Whites and the Thread Gathering left to finish stitching .... :)
In my group the friendly stitchers some of  have decided to stitch Mary Whigham as a SAL .. we have said no pressure to get it finished but to show progress photos when stitched on it ... I had chosen my fabric and threads last year when I was going to get it started *ho hum  any ways here they are for you to look at ... fabric Joblean wood violet and anchor threads done as a floss toss ..lol
So I shall keep you all updated too as to how I get along with it :) 

Mary Whigham supplies 

Damion has said thank you for all the lovely comments about him and said if you want a pawaograph please form an orderly queue and he will sign once he has finished eating his cucumber  ..... Pip has asked me to show a picture of him too ..lol so here you are .... 
I would show you Moon (hamster) but she is busy running in her gyro ball atm.... she is all white too .....:)

PIP :)

So that is all my news for now :) I shall now go and pop the kettle on for a last brew before this little mouse goes to sleep .. been a busy old day ..lol
take care one and all .. happy stitching to you all :) love mouse xxxx

HOAN a UFO no more :)

Hi everyone :) I am doing a small happy dance here as I have finished my Home of a Needleworker by Little House Needleworks  Whoop whoop :)

finished :) 

I decided to work on it yesterday as part of my UFO day over at Friendly Stitchers and I got so far in to it,that it was almost finished and I couldn't bare to leave it as I was sure I was going to run out of one of the threads (I squeaked in with 2 thread lengths to spare, PHEW) so I carried on stitching on and off today and just put the last stitches in just as it was getting dark .....
I am so happy to have got this done and have got the frame already from the local Wikinsons :)

Natures Beauty LHN

I also have done a wee bit more on the Natures Beauty as well ..... and here it is :)


 LynnB did a freebie on her blog a little while ago and I said I would stitch it up and I did on Wednesday but I wasn't able to take a photo of it till later on ... It reminds me that I need a balanced diet ..lol I altered it very slightly as I drink from mugs mostly not daintily from a cup unless out ;0

LynnB freebie ):

It was a really quick stitch only took me a few hours to do  as well :)
I have got to do some cards this weekend as its fathers day over here next weekend and I have to send out in the post as well as a few anniversaries that are coming up and next week DH is on nights again so I have promised DD1 that I will work on the Celtic Autumn all next week and you never know I may get to finish that one too ..lol 

Damion 

magic mushrooms

I have to show you the really cute photo I took of Damien my DD1's guinea pig , she was cleaning them out (we have pip too ) and Damien likes to sit in the lounge in his blankie .. well he peeped out and I caught him with this pose .... he is quite a snuggle pig and loves to eat raw pepper !!  and finally a picture of my garden  .... DD1 bought some solar lights and said I could have them in the garden but they didn't want to work for some reason .. she went out yesterday and undid the panel part and the switch was broken so she popped it onto auto and ........
my little mushrooms are lit up yeahhhhhh .. now all I need to do is find a permanent spot and put the gnomes out too and I have a secret garden :)


So there you are folks a magical end to a wonderful Friday :0 hope every one has a wonderful weekend and take care one and all ... happy stitching :)love mouse xxxxx

RAK received and updates too :)

Hi every one :) I was a very happy little mouse when the post man called today as I received a lovely RAK from  Karen in my favourite colours :0 beautifully wrapped .. I didn't want to undo it  but I was very brave ..lol and here it is :)..... it really is sooo cute and I adore it ..... thank you very much Karen ......

RAK from karen :)

ok while I remember JO .. the fabric is a solitaire from http://www.sparklies.co.uk and the colours are my choice .. I did a floss toss on the fabric and these are the ones that looked best (Anchor threads) the colours have changed since I bought these over 8 years ago and luckily I managed to get some to match in with mine PHEW as I was going to run out.


I have been busy catching up with my SALs and have done the stitches on my Stitcher's  book from Val's sal on http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/Friendly_Stitchers  today while the rain was really bucketing down on the conservatory roof .. it was soooo loud I missed the kettle boiling DOH !!!! heheheh

SAL on page of my stitchers book

any way here it is ..... this is done on another of the Sparklies fabric in my collection ... can you tell I like it ..lol .... she is going to be at Harrogate this year too HURRRAHHHHH I can stock up on some more hopefully, if no on else on my group gets there before me on the day heheeheh;)


I have worked on the Natures Beauty today as well as I had some free time and here is the progress I have made .. I really do like the conversion colours I've done with this one .. from DMC to Anchor it looks more muted and sampler like :)

Natures Beauty LHN

so with out further ado here it is :)........
I have changed the colour of the fence completely as the white charted doesn't show up to well on the white fabric .. it was the only 32 count I had in when starting the challenge ...... DH has just made me a cuppa :) bliss 


right what's next ??? ohh yes I have been doing a wee bit of de weeding in the mouse house garden ... when the birds drop the seeds on my gravel patch I end up with all sorts of weird and wonderful things sprouting , beans, corn and a few I don't recognise so I donned on my gloves , got the trowel and got rid yippee ... I tend not to put much food out in the summer as I prefer to put it out when times are hard .. I do how ever always have water out for them to drink and they can get a bath in the waterfall in the pond if need be :)
well I think this all the news for now but I can't leave without a photo of a flower now can I ..lol ..... the million bells between our gardens has flowered again only two at the moment but I managed to get one in the sunshine soooo here it is :)

looking into next door 

so there you are till next time :) take care one and all and happy stitching love mouse xxxxxxx

And another one, Number 10 to be exact :)

HI Every one :) 
cooo I have just noticed that this is my 80th post oooooo ..lol .... sorry just got a bit side tracked there hehehe ... 
Well I have finished ,as you can probably tell, number 10 of my crazies whoop whoop:) but which one that is the question heheheh ... any guesses which it is ????
shall I tell or shall I let you wait while I just go and put the kettle on .... I've come down with a sore throat blahhhhh.... so I am even more thirsty than normal .. 

LHN ... the 10th finish :)

ok I get the hint heheh ...... drum roll please .... taaaadaaaaa .... It is The Tea Room.... I've stitched it on a butter cream 28count linen with converted Anchor threads ... the eagle eyed ones will have spotted that the line border is a different colour than charted ... I felt the white didn't show up as well on my fabbie so I opted for the pale pink and it seems to make my tea pot ping :)
I have literally just finished it before coming on here .. gave it a wee iron as it was rather creased and it now awaits its final finishing into what ever I decided to do ..lol :)
I have also re done those roses on my Romantique Sal as I put it down for the night to see if I could live with it like it and nope .. early the next morning they were out and re stitched back in over the day .... I finished parts 10 and 11 the other day but waited till now to update blog as I wanted to get the tea room done :)

Romatique SAL :)

so here is the SAL update .... ...so I am all set for the next parts coming out on the 10th June. We are half way there with this one now and I look forward to each part coming out :)

can you guess what this is ????

we have had some glorious weather these last few days ... the sun has been extremely hot , dried all my washing and I've even had to water my plants !!! .... I've had tons of birds come and use my impromptu bird bath including a beautiful thrush how was gently washing little bits of her self the other day ... I couldn't get the camera as I was outside watching her and didn't want to disturb ...... I've heard the songs of the thrush , the black bird , the starlings , the little house sparrows , the robin and the coo's of the pigeon's not forgetting the churrips of the blue tits .... this last week has been a chorus of sound along with the gentle humming of bees tootling round my garden getting the pollen from her and there  ..... I have to show you this next picture ......  
I was hanging my washing out the other day when a wee buzzing caught my attention as it flew past me down to the border by my cherry tree .. I thought this was a bit odd as there is no flowers there at the moment ... this bit has all my spring flowers in it .. it then came back up and flew off followed by another one ....... have you guessed yet ???? ..... I have bee's nest in the little hole ... it is only small as there  is only about 10 bees if that using it ... I have sat and watched it trying to take a photo of them coming out .. but alas my finger and the camera isn't fast enough :(
I have gone and bought another lavender to replace the one I took out earlier in the year so hopefully that will give them something to get pollen from in a few weeks ... the flowers are just coming out although it is a lot smaller than the one I took up ....
I shall leave you with a flower picture of what I call ,for some reason the Star of Bethlehem plant ....  which has just flowered this week and It had just rained when I realised it had flowered so out came the camera and voila !!!!

my star of  bethlehem

Righty ho I shall go and make another cuppa as  I am far parched now with all this yacking heheheh .. till next time , take care and happy stitching 
love mouse xxxxxxx