Making Me Smile - 52/52

Well, this is it folks, the last of my 52 Making Me Smile posts!

This week it's my family that's making me smile. This is the clan - mum and dad, my wee bro, his lovely wife and beautiful daughters and of course my two men. Here we are in all our differences of personality, temperaments and talents, sharing our Christmas Eve tradition of eating together. (Usually we go to our favourite Chinese restaurant but we were too late to book this year so this is us squeezed in at my mum and dad's.) I love this crazy, busy family night when all the prep is done and the kids are full of excitement (read hyper) and we just share being together.

As the year of Making Me Smile posts comes to a close it seems I was correct in my predictions that the things that would feature most on these posts would be family, food and fabric. There were a few other f's thrown in the mix too like friends and flowers and that about sums up the things that made me smile through 2013.

My life is very blessed but the days are mostly very ordinary and there's nothing grand or terribly exciting in the smile inducers of my weeks (or at least the ones I could photograph). Don't go getting the wrong idea either and thinking there's always something to smile about round here. A couple of times there were no posts because, lets face it, some weeks smiles are a bit elusive, but you know, I have much to be thankful for and I'm glad that I spent this year looking for snippets of that.

Thank you for indulging my little personal project for 2013!

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Making Me Smile - 51/52

Who doesn't smile when they receive fab, thoughtful presents from a good friend?

This week I have been blessed to receive this gorgeous red and cream basket from Judith crammed full of all sorts of goodies that make me squeal inside!

I mean, only real sewists have proper Fiskars orange handled scissors, right?  So, with this pressie I feel like I've been promoted!  (Indulge me, I think it's just something from my childhood when the orange handled scissors were sacrosanct.)

Now, my thoughtful genius friend has listened closely to my sewing conversations over the past few months and clearly has been plotting and planning to hep me fill the gaps in my fussy cuttable (not even a word, I don't think) fabrics and my low volume selections.  I ask you, how many of you have ever received a package of swap charms when you didn't even enter the swap?!  Now, I know how jealous you will all be, but that's Judith, my dear sweet friend - she took two spots in Rachael's recent LVCharm Swap and both were for me!  You are a star, J and I love you!

Got to tell you that thoughtful friends also know that after those choccies up there I will be in need of the pretty napkins - she know what a mucky pup I am!  And, of course, Lynne and Kerry's book was also a star present in the basket.  I'm trying hard to "just look" for now and not get distracted into making yet. But.... it's.... so..... tempting....

And, to let you have a wee giggle too, I'll show you the card that accompanied this treasure trove of loveliness ....

Made me chuckle.  Those of you who know us both can decide for yourselves which of us is which on the card cartoon, but personally (sadly) I suspect I'm Mrs Pink Jumper with the lolling tongue!

Thanks a million for treating me to such loveliness and a wee laugh too, J!!

PS Tomorrow there might be a wee pressie on offer for one of you - be sure to come back then!

Making Me Smile - 50/52

The decorations are up!  In spite of the grainy pics the room does look pretty, if a little more cluttered than my preference for the other eleven and a half months of the year.

I love our tree decorations and lights but have never ever been able to take a decent picture of them.  There are handmade decorations that I love. decorations I bought on our honeymoon, my absolute favourite glass decorations (pears and long glass ice drops), sweet pressies from friends and of course a few of those "wouldn't part with them even though they do nothing for my tree" decs made by DS.  A Christmas tree becomes imbued with memories and stories (a little bit of our history, I suppose) as we gather our bits and pieces over the years and I think that's what I love so much about it now.

Making Me Smile - 49/52

Smiling this week because I found one of these -

DS collects snow globes but it's not every year we can find a nice one to buy.  Mostly you can find a tacky one (and we have a few of those) but now that he's getting older it's a kind of an heirloom thing that we try to avoid more tack and find a nice one. (Mind you, tacky is probably a very subjective term.) Anyway, the past two years have been complete washouts on the snow globe front, but this year my local Post Office cum gift shop had this one on display. I can't wait to surprise DS with it when we decorate our tree this weekend!

Making Me Smile - 48/52

I have been researching some local churches lately and when I came across this image (which is the logo for Lisburn Cathedral) I immediately thought what a fabulous modern quilt this would make. This crazy hobby obsession makes me smile, though perhaps I'd do better to be worried about myself!

Making Me Smile - 47/52

There is no explanation other than that hubby decided to play with my binding clips while I was stitching.  He makes me smile!  (These are all hanging off his eyebrows!!!)

Making Me Smile - 43/52

Homemade apple crumble made everybody here smile this week!

Making Me Smile - 42/52

After a three and a half month struggle to get my new duvet cover and pillowcases in the house at the same time (long drawn out saga of "awaiting stock", returning pillowcases when stock unavailable, suddenly stock arrives but pillowcases were away - agh!) I have new bedlinen.  Yay!

Smiling too because I finally got floral prints in the bedroom after nearly 16 yrs of marriage!  It's a small success - let me enjoy it.

Making Me Smile -41/52

Scrumptious!!!
I snapped up a layer cake and some text prints and low volume dots when Pink Castle fabrics had their 30% fall discount a few weekends ago. Beauties at a great price, smiling big over here!

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Making Me Smile - 40/52

Audrey sent me a Making Me Smile card this week! How thoughtful is that? Both the card and its contents brought a smile to my face this weekend.

Audrey is not a blogger but she is a fabulous supporter of Bee Blessed and has been a top contributor to the Siblings Together block drive too. Her beautiful stitching and generosity are sure to bring smiles to a lot more faces than mine.

Thank you Audrey!

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Making Me Smile - 38/52

Shopping for fun luggage tags on ebay I came across these wedding gift luggage tags which made me giggle!

Making Me Smile - 37/52

Today I'm going to let you in on a little secret that makes me smile.

Meet my windowsill girls.  They live in my sewing room and every week when he's helping out with the chores, hubby resets these little dolls to tell a wee story.  (Truth be told I spent about three weeks muttering about how he never puts anything back right, before I twigged that their repositioning was deliberate - oops!)

Today it looks like they have some secret sharing of their own going on!  I have to say it's much better than the week I found them huffing with each other (positioned back to back).  Variously, I have popped into the sewing room to find them chatting, hiding from one another and even admiring something together (use of props).  That one with the green hair has even been known to peer out from behind a picture frame giving the other one the evil eye!  He's been quite ingenious that hubby, and it makes me smile when I look up from my stitching to see what they're up to next.  You would be surprised how many positions two such static dolls can be found in - keep it clean, folks!

Smiling is good!

Making Me Smile - 36/52

My fabric selection for the pixellated heart quilt.

So pleased to be back at class again this week!  Great project, fab teacher and good company - winning combination!

Making Me Smile - 35/52

My boy brings a smile as he looks all smart and grown up starting Grammar School this week.  Very proud of him.

Even you might smile, if I tell you that this pic is a FRIDAY afternoon VOLUNTARILY doing homework! Not sure whether he has been inspired by the excitement of a new term and new school or maybe he's just afraid of the English teacher!  Whatever it is, I never thought I'd see the day when homework was effortlessly sat down to without a lot of nagging from me.  I shall enjoy the spectacle for now as I'm not entirely convinced yet that the new leaf is turned all the way over!

I hope you have things making you smile this week too!

Making Me Smile - 34/52

 

Orange leather handbag - total impulse buy and a bargain to boot! Not given to impulse buying usually, so I think I'm still slightly in (pleased) shock.

 

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