Chitter-chatter

WOW, that's quite a punchy photo to be shoving in front of you straight up isn't it??!!!

Haahahahaaaa :: Hello!!!! Lovely to see you as always, thanks for bobbing by. Thought you might enjoy a real good bit of colour therapy to begin today's witterings, I certainly feel like I need a colour fix as the weather in my patch is so grey and damp and miserable today. Got wet walking to school and even wetter walking home again. Its that kind of dismal light drizzly rain that is neither here nor there, yet still manages to make you incredibly wet.

Still, I'm home now, and when I walked in here I was greeted by the sight of these amazing sunflowers beaming out from the corner of the room, aren't they beautiful?

I bought them home from the supermarket yesterday, along with two other bunches to give to my two lovely neighbours (I just love giving friends flowers for no particular reason). I walked home along the canal with the pushchair completely laden down with groceries, this big pile of sunflowers balanced precariously on top, and in the short fifteen minute walk I had no less than three people comment on how beautiful they were. Yes, Aren't They Just, I replied.

Ahh it is good to sit and have a chitter-chatter with you all! I've not got an awful lot to say really, but I do like to chat about This and That, to share with you some little snippets of my week, pics that've been snapped on my camera in the past few days.

I'm enjoying this week, it feels really comforting to be getting back into a routine with home and family life. Little People settled back to school, J back to work (he's been on hols the past fortnight), which leaves just Little B and me hanging out together. I do like my pottering little routines. Generally speaking, by the time we get home from the morning school run, Little B is asleep in the pushchair, which is wonderful timing on his part cos it gives me a weeny baby-free space to sit, breathe, think and drink a coffee. Sometimes I sit in the Big Chair, sometimes at the table with my laptop catching up in Blogland, and sometimes if the weather allows, I take my coffee outside. I like outside coffee time, I really do. Even though we don't have a garden as such, I do still enjoy sitting in my teensy-tiny back yard looking about me and feeling the air on my face as I drink and ponder. I've got this lovely checked oilcloth spread on my outside table right now and it cheers me every time I clap eyes on it, even when it is covered in rain drops.

I've been making a real effort to eat more healthily this past week, and I'm enjoying that too. Well ok, honestly, I'm kind-of enjoying it. But I'm missing my Sweet Things. I'm cutting right back on the amount of sweet sugary things I consume as I developed an alarming sugar addiction whilst being pregnant and then breastfeeding. But as I'm no longer feeding Little B (as of last week when he turned eight months) it seems time to address the alarming size of my midrift. Don't worry though, I'm not going to blather on about dieting, cos truthfully I find talking about dieting and weight loss Very Tedious. But I can talk about fruit can't I? I love eating fruit, most especially fruit that's been chopped into bits. I find that if I can be bothered to go through the hassle of chopping various bits of fruit onto a plate, then the whole fruit eating experience becomes pretty fine. Not quite as fine as the experience of eating caramel shortbread but hey ho, I am making the most of it.

So I'm spending lots of time this week entertaining Little B cos there's no one else here to do it (oh Little People, I did so appreciate your entertaining skills during summer, you were ace with Little Brother). He has this little plastic box full of little plastic toys which keeps him happy for a while, but truthfully he really does prefer people to plastic. He loves singing and jigging and tickling and peekaboo games which require me to be present and fully engaged. His plastic box of plastic toys will do the job when I really need to go get something done, but it is generally short lived. He is definitely happiest when he has full-on interaction, and if that interaction comes from a whole gang of people then so much the better. Like at Knit and Natter for example.

He positively glows with happiness when I take him to the cafe on Thursday mornings for the knit and natter group. He loves it. He gets soooo much attention, from soooo many lovely ladies for most of the morning. Which I am wholeheartedly encouraging. I was really happy to be back amongst hooky and knitty friends yesterday, I had really missed my cafe mornings. I managed to do a little work on the centres of my Sweet Flower Grannies, I'm enjoying these a lot. Do you like my little housey purse? It's not one of my creations, it was made by a very talented local lass called Cathy who's sells her textile work under the name  "Dear Emma". As soon as I saw those adorable little houses I knew it had to be mine, I adore little houses, as you probably already know. Incidentally, just discovered a new Group over on Flickr which is dedicated to fabric houses :: it's called "New House on the Block" and  it makes for a lovely inspiring browse if you have a little time to spare.

Which leads me nicely on to my own little stitchy houses.....I really hope you like the new Attic24 banner that's appeared at the top of my blog? Did you see it when you arrived?

 

I made it almost two years ago now, in December 2008 (had to really rootle through my photo archives for it as I've "mislaid" the actual textile, oopsie, no idea whatsoever where it might be). I vividly remember the afternoon I finished it :: I was sitting in the window seat of the Attic stitching those little windows, looking out over the white snow covered hills. Bliss.

Ooooooooooooooo sweet Little Houses, I do love them so! I've wanted to have this stitchy banner up on my blog for an age, but it wasn't possible with the very basic Typepad account that I had. So I finally decided to upgrade this week and then got my resident Techie AKA J to help me do furiously devilish things with html code...and hey presto, there it is! I am so so happy to see it there.

Another change to Attic24 is the appearance of a second sidebar over to the right. And you've also probably noticed that this new sidebar contains a little strip of advertisements. I have deliberated long and hard about the business of allowing ads into the Attic, it hasn't been an easy decision by any means. Ideally I would love to be aiming for something like writing a book or designing and publishing patterns in order to contribute financially to my family. But as I am finding it tricksy even to go for a pee during the day, working as such is out the question right now, there is simply no time for it. However, with J on my back I increasingly have to be accountable for the time I spend in Blogland! It’s not always easy to stand my ground when blogging is seen as just “a crazy hobby”. But if it has earning potential….well you get my drift.

Well...I need to hop off and do other things now, but thank you for reading all this chitter-chatter, it's been a pleasure.

Wishing you all a fabulous weekend, full of bright and beautiful things!

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ps meant to say a big huge ((thank you)) for all your enthusiasm and delight over the TRP, it's been great reading your comments, thank you xxxx

Comments

[HCG Diet]

I have known great bloggers and the one thing that distinguish them from other bloggers are their abilities to catch reader's attention. This, you're able to do effectively. Nice post!

[green baby products]

All pictures are looks so colorful and amazing. I really enjoy your real good bit of color therapy. Sunflower looks so nice in the corner of the room. They are so beautiful. Its a tasty sweet sugary thing.Thanks for sharing such a wonderful pictures.

[Inner Pickle]

That is an absolutely beautiful banner!

[Ina]

I made your caramel shortbread last weekend. It was delicious!!!!! Great recipe!
I will try not to make it too often, because I really don't think this is very healthy (but mmmm so delicious!!!!!)

[Tatkis]

Nice colour-therapy post, thank you :) and your house banner is great!

Best wishes,
Tatyana

[Mandy]

I love your new banner.....but I can't help but think that all it needs is a little connievan going over them there hills! I know you can't find the original but wouldn't that look just perfect?

[Mrs C]

Just catching up with blog reading after a new baby here creating my own distractions. Love the new blog banner - so so cute! And don't beat your self up about putting ads on your blog - in this day and age it is a necessary thing and I've had to do the same myself - unfortunately though mine aren't (yet!) making enough to pay the mortgage.

[Teje Karjalainen]

Lucy, I forgot to say that I like very much the new look of your blog! Teje

[Teje Karjalainen]

Dear Lucy, your new banner is wonderful even your view from Attic was also beautiful!
Sunflower is so full of energy that it gives inspiration for many things!
I think it's very good that you have allowed this advertising. Because you have made so good work, why not get some incomes, too! Then you can by more yarn with good conscience! Best wishes from Crete! Teje

[Tina]

Sufnlowers make me smile, too. We have a lovely sunflower just next to our front door, it is so welcoming and cheering up, I love it!
I like how the stripes of your mug match the squares of the tablecloth. Isn't it great to sit outside with a cup of hot beverage just after it has stopped raining, to smell the clean air and refresh yourself? For me fruits are the best sweets on earth, chopped up or not, I just need them.(Ok, until I recently got sent over some delicious cake from a dear knitting and blogging friend in Britanny, loads of butter and sugar – but that is gone again and I am back to my dear fruit). An apple a day? Definitely not enough!
That new banner is just awesome! Great job, it immediately catched my eye! Hope you`ll find the original again one day.
Tina in Germany

[Bethan]

Lovely little houses! Very impressed. Don't fret about the ads, I didn't even notice them there till you mentioned it! People will always pop in to read your blog and if some other nutter wants to pay you to have a tiny message at the side of the page... then why stop them. It's all about the colourful crochet! xx

[Brittni]

everything looks wonderful lucy! as always!

tell J we are not giving you up~ haha

[Giselle]

Hi Lucy,
I meant to comment about the Roll Peeps. I love them. So cute. J is adorable! I love the banner and I don't mind the ads. Funny that it's all about weight loss. How did you know?
Giselle

[patchworksails]

Hi Lucy, you knit or crochet so well I thought your TP people on your mantle could have knitted hats ? I like them so ..

[Siobhan]

Lucy, I don't mind the ads at all- they are only small really in the scheme of things and well we won't tell them this but I hardly notice they are there. Please don't feel that what you do isn't important. It certainly isn't crazy - either blogging or the many talents you have.Things are not only of value unless or until you get money for them. We need to value stay at home Mums a great deal more - isn't it funny that if you swapped children with your neighbours that you would both be 'working' but somehow if you look after your own you are 'sitting around drinking coffee all day'! I firmly believe that a family works as a unit (some bigger or smaller than others). You put in a huge amount and are indebted to no one. You do a job. Unlike paid work you don't have a clocking off time. The fact that you can grab a couple of moments here and there is necessary to a persons sanity! You can't come in, say 'what's for dinner' and proceed to put your feet up the rest of the evening. People love what you do, there is a huge market (for you) which you have found all by yourself using your talents. In a couple of years time you can take advantage of that and in the meanwhile you can conjure up in your mind all the things you will then have time to do; saving time later on - this is great preparation time. All you are doing now is part of this. I for one value your gift even more, because you give so freely and money blatantly is not your motivation. You love what you do and imparting that joy is your gift. I very much hope that you get the financial rewards due to you but in the mean time please remember your greatest value is as a lovely person - and there is no price to be put on that. All your family are very lucky indeed to have you!
P.S the sunflowers are amazing - my neighbours grew them last year and they suddenly shot up out of nowhere!

[Lisa L.]

Thanks so much for all of the wonderful colors!

[Valerie Slater]

Thank you for the lovely colour - we are inundated with rain daily at the moment over here in Australia and missing the sun and colour! Hopefully we will get some of both soon :)))

[Esther]

Loving the blog Lucy - do all posts end up on the blog, mine seem to disappear!

[Robin]

Lucy you have out done yourself again!!!!! Sorry I was unable to read your posts and comment due to visiting my 83 year old mom. Which I love to do. Love the TRPD(?)you know what I mean....they are so colorful, clever and treasures for you and your kids. Your little house banner is the Best!!!! It makes a wonderful heading for Attic24. The chitter chatter post was so fun and what is the pattern for the lovely flower square? Did I miss it along the way? Hope not. Happy day and evening to you, Love, Robin

[Plain and Joyful Living]

Just love your banner and the sunflowers. The bits of bright colors in your home from your handmade goodness are beautiful too.
And I know what you mean about desiring to help out with the family income and to create but keeping the children's needs first.
Warm wishes, Tonya

[marykayknits]

Travelling to my granddaughter's soccer tournament 100 miles from home (Lansing, Michigan) I stopped by the Threadbear Yarn Shop and guess what was sprawled on a table. Your hexagon pattern copied from your blog and a sample project!! Woo Hoo. Yes, yarn shops are paying attention to crochet work too. At the soccer game my granddaughter rushed up to me with 2 toilet paper rolls she found in the Country Inn. Have a great week....Your Michigan fans!

[Sara K]

I love the new banner! I've been reading your blog for ages without commenting, but I just wanted to stop in and say that the adds are no bother at all, and in all honesty I'm really glad to see you getting something from the investment you're putting in here! All of your updates, photos, patterns, stories and everything are worth so much and are so appreciated. <3

[Mrs Twins]

Congratulations Lucy!
On getting into Let's Knit.
Page 61
Issue 35.
www.sunshineinternationalblanketsoflove.blogspot.com
www.suesfavouritethings.blogspot.com
[email protected]
Well done!

[Salad Daze]

Hello Lucy, oh what beautiful pics, it's a bit grey here too, but your post has cheered me up as usual. The fruit looks yummy, but you are beautiful just as you are. I know the whole subject of weightloss is tedious, but I decided to major on this for my blog as seeing pics of myself does help, and I really do need to get down to a healthy weight. Totally understand about the advertising. I also think you could publish a book from your blog and earn squillions because it is wonderful! xxxxxxxxx

[rach]

love love love your new banner, and those sunflowers wow! Im hoping to go camping somewhere near skipton this coming week do you have any suggestions? im coming from Leeds. P.S I work with heather (littletinbid) not sure if you knew :)