Happy Mothers' Day

Today started with the most beautiful spring morning.  The day just got better with each passing hour, thank God.

Mothers' day or Mothering Sunday is a lovely opportunity for children to acknowledge and show their gratitude and love to their Mothers.

It is a great privilege to be a Mother and I have two wonderfully kind, loving and very thoughtful children. We are blessed and we now have two beautiful grandchildren.  My Son, as usual, gave me a funny and sometime very appropriate card, along with his much appreciated gifts of either a voucher for my hair and favourite shop or Amazon. This year, my daughter surprised me with a lovely afternoon tea in the Westbury Hotel in Dublin.  She also gave me the most beautiful presents and flowers.  She is so generous and thoughtful. We spent the afternoon in very pleasant surroundings, being waited on hand and foot. I am truly grateful and thankful for my special children.

Photo

Tilda Doll

I am delighted to have finished my first ever Tilda Doll.  I think she is really lovely and it has started me on the road to doll-making.  I made her a blonde, as the hair in the kit was brunette.

Flower Garden Tilda

Back crafting and creating

There's nothing as satisfying as sewing and crafting.  Here are a few items that got me back at the sewing machine and creating again.

Liberty Cushion from Alice Carolyn's lovely book

Applique Cushion 

Some friends asked me to make them a pouch to hold a mobile phone allowing them to walk hands free.  Here are a few examples I made:

André Rieu

I have just watched Andre Rieu being interviewed by Gay Byrne on the Sunday evening television programme "The Meaning of Life".  It was terrific and what a lovely man he is.  I have been a fan of Andre Rieu for years and he did not disappoint this evening. He was warm, personable, honest and incredibly happy and contented. He and his orchestra enjoy the concerts as much as the audience and his purpose and aim is for all who play, sing and attend to feel joy and happiness during his concerts.  He certainly does that. Everyone attending any of his concerts can feel the love and joy he imparts to his audience.  People are often moved to tears, I know I am every time.  His concerts leaves you full of his music long after you leave the concert. He said that he likes his colleagues and performers to stay behind after each concert to reflect and come down from the heady experience, instead of rushing off home, a wise and considerate man indeed.  

Here is one of my favourite pieces from Andre Rieu and Mirusia, The beautiful "In mir klingt ein Lied".

Here are a few interesting items I found on Pinterest.

I love this!

My first three in order are : Health, Love, Intelligence.

Interesting.

Summer Crafting :

Summer Crafting has begun with crafts from Debbie Shore.  Debbie's clear instructions are a pleasure to follow and her designs are so inspiring and a delight to make.  Her book Half Yard Heaven has a wonderful selection of crafts for the home or sale.

Make-up bag made from Debbie Shore pattern

An Owl doorstop from Debbie Shore's lovely book Half Yard Heaven

A little handbag made from a Japanese charm pack,

The otherside

A second  Handbag I made from lovely French Olivides Fabric

Happy New Year

It's a new year 2016:  Ring out the old and Ring in the new.  A fresh new, clean start. Another chance to set goals and plan things you want to do and achieve.  I have a new list of things I want to do, work I need to get done around the house, decisions to be made about our kitchen. Classes to register for.  Friends to catch up with, friends I didn't get around to meeting last year, despite our best efforts.

Projects to finish, quilts and crafts to make.  A few new recipes to try out and some new skills I'd like to master.

All in all a good plan, for now. Let's hope I see it through.

I came across The Desiderata recently, I used to have this on my office wall and I think it is always worth a read:

Happy Christmas

"Love one another as I have loved you". Jesus Christ' message to the world, even though he was humiliated, tortured, persecuted and killed by his own people". He didn't give a message of hate or violence.  His message was and still is one of peace and love.

It is Christmas once more, the most wonderful time of the year. A time of peace and love. I love the true spirit of Christmas. The kindness and love in people who know the true meaning of the word.  Christmas feels clean and full of possibilities. It gives us hope and peace.

I am just home from Midnight mass, where we had a beautiful service including a Carol Service.

I have all the preparation done for tomorrow.  We'll get up early and ramble down to the sitting room to open our presents. Then we'll sit and chat by the fire, I love the fire lighting and the lovely glow and atmosphere it creates. It is gas, I might add, it looks real, but with none of the mess.  We'll sit enjoying each other's company and the pleasure at being given the perfect gift.  We all make a special effort to ensure that our presents are a surprise and something each of us wants.

I have always tried to make Christmas morning magical and special, even long after the children had grown up and left home. They still stay over each year, so far, long may it last, and Christmas morning is exciting once more.

We all love Christmas, With the house beautifully decorated and twinkling lights everywhere creating a magical feel around the house. The crib, the story of the baby Jesus, the Carols, the stockings hanging on the mantlepiece. The smell of the honey roasted Ham always done on Christmas Eve so that it's ready to eat and cooked for Christmas dinner to join the Roast Turkey.  The freshly baked mince pies and the trifle.  The presents wrapped and under the tree. Carols and lovely stories on my favourite Christmas television specials from RTE and Kings College, Cambridge. Wonderful!

I love the old films like "It's a wonderful life", a good Bette Davis like "The man who came to dinner". Miracle on 34th Street and A classical Charles Dickens or similar type. It all adds to the festivities and really keeps you in the Christmas spirit. Hopefully one or two of my favourites will be shown sometime over Christmas this year.


Wishing you all a very happy and peaceful Christmas.


S.