It is great to be back with Five On Friday, thank you Amy for organising this yet again. My blogging has been on a back burner for a little while so it is good to be back in blogland.
1. One of the main reasons for my absence from blogland has been the fact that I am working to a deadline to get my Sunshine blankets completed. As my regular readers will know I set myself a target of producing twelve blankets to be donated to a local residential care home to give to the residents for Christmas. I completed twelve blankets but then on speaking to the home I decided to try and get a couple more done (well thirteen would be unlucky wouldn't it)! I now have thirteen completed and am well under way with number fourteen - I am really down to the wire with this one. I have planned to get them all photographed and packaged on Monday next week ready to take to the home on Friday afternoon. Hopefully I will manage to get this one done in time. Here is a photo of it in its current state.
I will hopefully be back soon with a crochet related post - I have lots to show you.
2. I treated myself to a slow cooker a few weeks ago and I am loving it. During this cold spell we have been having I have enjoyed warm tasty meals and it is ideal for Slimming World recipes - my current favourite is Campfire Stew, so yummy and tasty. The main ingredient is a gammon joint which you shred up once cooked and mix in with the sauce, the meat just falls apart once cooked, I will be making this lots more.
3. When I was on holiday at the end of October I treated myself to a new Christmas decoration which I love. I haven't decorated yet but just got this out to show you. The dome just sits on a base and is battery operated. However you can sit the base on a saucer and use a night light if you prefer. I am looking forward to getting the tree and the rest of my decorations out but I anticipate I will have a couple of weeks of nagging to do yet before the men folk will get my tree out of the loft! They definitely don't get excited about the onset of the Christmas season.
4. Having read Amy's blog today about having an untidy desk I suffer from the same syndrome. However over the past couple of weeks I have made an effort to become more organised. I am lucky that a friend gave me this stationery carousel for all my numerous pens etc. Thank you Janice - I love it!
5. Carrying on with the organised theme I saw one of these in my friend's house and just had to get one. It is an Ikea Raskog cart (trolley according to my DS2)! It is brilliant, so much room in the trays and already my crafting corner has become a lot more organised. I still have a bit of sorting to do but this is such a handy gadget. I love the little magnetic tins that are easy to attach to the sides of the cart.
Please visit Amy's link up page to find links to other five posts.
What a wonderful gift you'll be presenting to the care home, I'm sure they'll be thrilled with the blankets. The squares you've made there look lovely so I'm looking forward to seeing them all finished. I haven't used my slow cooker for a while, it's far too big now there's only two of us at home but I've been considering buying a smaller one which I think I will do, they're just so handy to have. I've seen those carts on a few blogs, they're a good idea for keeping everything together.
ReplyDeleteYour wonderful gift of the 14 blankets will be much appreciated, I'm sure. I like both your storage containers they look very useful and the little decoration is so pretty:)
ReplyDeleteYou have worked so hard this year on all your blankets. What an achievement. I love my slow cooker too. Often make Jersey beans in it. The recipe is on my blog. I need to try doing a few different things. Have a lovely weekend. B X
ReplyDeleteYour crochet work is so beautiful and will be so appreciated by the residents of the home. What a lovely gift you are giving.
ReplyDeleteOrganizing crafting space is always a challenge and it's great to see what others do.
Happy weekend.
Your 14 blankets will be a true gift of love to the care home -- and so pretty! The slow cooker was one of my favorite things when I was working full time. My desk looks like Amy's ... I should take organization lessons from you! Happy Friday!
ReplyDeleteYour desk looks wonderful! I would love one of those carts - I always look at them in Ikea - but having a carpeted floor it isn't for me. One day! Your new decoration is lovely, I do like robins. Congratulations on your blanket making, that is a wonderful and very worthwhile achievement.
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful to gift so many blankets, I a sure they will be well received. A slow cooker is such a good idea, I need to invest in a smaller one now there is only two of us.
ReplyDeleteYou've done a brilliant job with your 14 blankets I'm looking forward to seeing them altogether. It's nice to know there will be 14 cosy people in the care home for Christmas. x
ReplyDeleteWhat a great job you've been doing with all those blankets! They will certainly keep people warm this winter. I love the Ikea Cart. I'd love to have one of those. I'm another one who suffers from messy desk syndrome. I really like my slow cooker. I use it quite a bit both in summer and winter. In summer it's nice not to get the house too hot when the weather is warm and in winter it's lovely to get the meal started at the beginning of the day.
ReplyDeleteHappy Five on Friday
Well done on all those beautiful blankets - that's quite an achievement and I'm sure the lucky recipients will be thrilled. I have my eye on one of those Ikea carts too; they look extremely useful. Have a great weekend. xx
ReplyDeleteYour 14 blankets are an incredible achievement and a wonderful gift that will be much appreciated, I am sure. I love the colours and pattern of photo one and look forward to seeing it completed. The trolley is a great idea and your Shirley notebook looks very at home there!
ReplyDeleteWhat an achievement, all those blankets. You've given the gift of love, the best gift of all.
ReplyDeleteYou're a sucker for punishment - you've reached your blanket goal, then making more! I'm sure the elderly recipients will love them and appreciate all the hard work.
ReplyDeleteI got a slow cooker a while ago but haven't really got around to using it. There are loads of great recipes online aren't there xx
I just love that trolly Jan, at the moment I have a veg rack lol, but I am always catching myself on the wires that poke out at the ends. and with it being designed for veg. small things just fall through the holes.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to all those wonderful blankets being displayed in one place. Hope Mike is feeling a bit better.
Blankets and soup - it sure is wintery with you, with a huge dash of sunshine! A massive well done for all 14 blankets as I'm sure you have nailed it to reach your total by now.
ReplyDeleteWren x
I know that gammon can be ham or bacon. How do you know which one is meant when someone mentions it? Is gammon used more commonly for one or the other? I'm guessing ham.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful crochet. I love the convenience of a slow cooker, being able to fill it before we go to bed then just switching it on in the morning. I have 2 of those trolleys, 1 in the kitchen and another in my craft room, yours looks much tidier though xx
ReplyDeleteWell, thanks to you, I have a delivery from Ikea coming soon with my very own trolley just like yours! It will be very useful to hold my paints, brushes and all the rest of my paraphernalia, standing by my side when I am painting.
ReplyDeleteWell done on making all of those lovely blankets; the home will be such a colourful place with all of them on show.
I meant to add - when I looked for a smaller Slow Cooker, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the new ones are very much lighter AND the inner can be used on the hob to seal the meat, or par-cook the onions, etc. Very pleased with mine!
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