princessdeia

January 31st 2012
Filed under General, The Things I Love

1. Sherlock – N/A (Box Set are on Amazon).
   One of my guilty pleasure has always been repeats of crime dramas on a Sunday afternoon, eating cream cakes, knitting and trying to work out whodunnit? Marple, Poirot and Sherlock Holmes – your years Holmes for me was always Jeremy Brett – until 2010, enter Benedict Cumberbatch! What can I say about this show, the modern interpretation, the witty dialogue and of course and amazing chemistry. I love this show and cannot wait for the next season.
2. I Heart Vegas – from Amazon
   This is a real guilty pleasure book, like the Shopaholic series from a few years ago. The I heart books, are the same diabolical scenarios, lovable characters and of course the style – Angela has an obsession with her Marc Jacobs handbag. I read the first two books in this series on vacation in Mexico a few years ago and over Christmas read this latest installment.
3. Vanilla Spice Latte – Varies from Starbucks
   I have made no secret of my Starbucks addiction, and as Gingerbread Latte season ends I am on the hunt for another drink to be obsessed with until the summer. When I saw the boards advertising this drink I thought I would give it a go – after all I like Vanilla and I love the other spiced drinks (Pumpkin as well as the Gingerbread), so it was worth a try, right? And as a result I have my new post Christmas drink.
4. Nail Envy £18 from Boots 
   Normally, I talk about the latest nail varnish shade I am in love with, but lately my nails have become a little brittle and rather than just cover them up with colour, I opted to look for a treatment. So for the last week I have been applying the treatment every night – and so far they are looking great.
5. Timehop – Free (just have to register online)
   This is the most amazing service, every wonder what you were tweeting about this time last year? Or what photos your were taking on instragram?  Well this is the site for you, after you link for social networking site, each morning you receive an email showing you all your updates from the previous year – I found this great fun over Christmas seeing that I was going to the same places and also tweeting similar things!

January 27th 2012
Filed under General

The Pay if Forward Gifts I made last time.

I did a Pay it Forward challenge a few years ago and it was a lot of fun. When one of my friends posted the challenge on Facebook last week, I knew I wanted to do it again.

Here’s the concept…

“Handmade Pay It Forward 2012 means that I promise to make something for the first five people who comment on this post or on my Facebook page!”*

If you are one of the first five to comment, then you must, in turn post this on your blog or Facebook status, and make something handmade for the first five people who comment on your post and so on.

Your item must be handmade by you and your recipient must receive their gift before the end of 2012.  Your item can be as complicated or as simple as you feel comfortable creating (a cup of tea works, as does a full blown handmade item).

*Incase more than 5 people comment, I will use the time that comments were posted to deduce the first 5

January 24th 2012
Filed under 101 Things, General, Making Monday

One of my New Year’s resolutions was to try and blog more, it is even part of my 101 things list to blog at least twice a week for six months. However, I sometimes find it hard to know exactly what to write.

I have been toying with the idea of adding some structure to this blog… I did this a little last year with Making Mondays which I did enjoy but it seems to have died down this year, I would love to resurrected it maybe in another form – like W.I.P. Wednesday or F.O. Friday. Having the structure will hopefully help me blog more.

In a belated Making Monday, here is yet another Poppy (she is the eighth one I have made). It became obvious to me that I would not be able to knit Laar in a month (seriously who can knit a cardigan in a month) for my FOAM, so I quickly cast on this project over the weekend to make sure I had one finished project this month.

January 20th 2012
Filed under General

All Aboard Little Gia Pouch from Kate Spade

I love getting mail, not the boring white and brown envelopes from day to day life. I mean fun mail.
I love brown boxes from Amazon.
I love getting mailing catalogue from my favourite store (not good for the environment I know but I adore them).
I love squidgy parcel containing yarn (the thing I miss the most from the Knit Love Club is the silver parcels).
I love December when the doormat is covered in red envelopes.
I love the thick feel of an envelope containing a card on my birthday.
I love old blue airmail letters (although I don’t get a lot of these anymore).

I understand in modernity email, texting or using social media is easier, more convenient and cheaper, arranging a night out, updating your friends and family on some news or a quick how’s it going.

What I don’t get is the posting a message on Facebook for someone’s birthday (I have to admit I have done this, but am trying to change this year), or those e-cards send out a Christmas on mass to everyone in your address book or forwarding on stupid jokes (yes I know people who still do this).

My love of mail is probably why I spend a ridiculous amount of money online, why I sign up for swaps and why I wanted to do the 52 letters in a week, to spread the joy I got and hopefully to get a letter or two in return.

So far I have done well with the 52 project so far, sending a Thank You letter in the New Year for our Christmas presents to our friends and family. I held back one of the letter to Jason’s aunt until last week as she brought us some cinema vouchers and we didn’t get a chance to use them until that weekend – so I send her a card including a little review of the film. This week, I sent a little treat to someone for all the wonderful work she has done (I will keep it cryptic in case she is reading this and hasn’t got the parcel yet).

Remember if you want some fun mail from my this year or even a want to write to me (I promise I will write back), just leave a comment here and I will email you to get your details.

January 19th 2012
Filed under General

Over that last few month I have lost my knitting mojo. It was due to a number of reasons, I was fearful that if I knitted whilst suffering, I would always link knitting to that time, and grieving. I guess I didn’t want one of my passions in life to be associated with a dark period in my life, Whatever the reason in 2011 for 5 months I had one project on the needles and did not work on it at all.

As 2012 started I opted to pick my knitting needle again. I looked at my WIP, the Grannie Smith Cardigan in Lace-Garn, it was nearly finished, I had seamed the body together and was working on the second sleeve. After really looking at it decided I hated it, as it was knitted in pieced the lace looked silly on the seams, the sleeves didn’t fit well and after nearly half a years worth, I wanted something I loved!

So I hunted on ravelry, and found a new pattern Laar, the body was knitted as one, the lace was simple and it has short row sleeves (a new techique for me) and the majority of the body was worked in stocking stitch – scored! After a week of solid knitting, I started the pleated under the bust and then started the lace, a week later I had finished the body.

However, one of the side effects of losing my knitting mojo was forgetting the whole, taking photos, updating my ravelry notebook and blogging. These photos where taken at haste in poor light on my iPhone this morning, so I had something to add to this post! I am hoping to get some better photos this weekend.

Do you update your ravelry page as you knit? Do you have your camera in your knitting bag? How do you insure you blog about your WIPs.

January 9th 2012
Filed under General

The start of this year had been delayed some what for us, What will illness and waiting for my final check up from the hospital, it all seemed like the last few issues from last year were not yet resolved. So this last weekend felt like New Year’s Eve again (without the celebrating), we had time to sit down make some resolutions, sort out our finances (and taxes) and start planning for the future.

Last Year, I opted to make a plan for the year rather than resolutions and this seemed to work quite well for me, I did get sidetracked after my two doubts of hibernation following my spells in hospital, but I intend to continue these plans for this year, it encourage me to be more creative and also take time out for me each week.

1. Knit at least 12 items.
   Over on the Socktopods board on Ravelry they are having a FOAM (Finished Object A Month) Challenge, I love this idea, last year knitting was one of the few things that was pushed to the side as I tried to balance the work/home equation, but it is still my major hobby, so I like the idea of having something to show for it each month.
2. Knit at least one larger item for me (a cardigan or sweater).
   Having recent discovered a hidden (long forgotten about) stash of yarn, I have realized I have enough yarn for 5 sweaters, I would hope to a least one wearable item at the end of this year.
3. Make something every week – either a knitted, sewn, baked or a paper craft.
   I really enjoyed doing this last year, taking time out every week to make something with my fair hands. It seems in our busy lives we don’t get the chance to enjoy simple things in life any more, cooking is done out of necessity, finishing that knitting project on time can become a chore, other hobbies get pushed to the side as we try to organise our free-time.
4. Post a letter/card/postcard/parcel a week.
   I failed managing to complete this last year (I think I managed about 24 letters in total), but I am determined to do it this year, I love receiving mail and I know I am not the only one.
   Same thing goes as last year, if you would like a letter leave a comment below and I will contact you to get your details and write to you some time over the next 12 months.
5.  Continue to work my way through the 100 AFI Films list and my aim to read 100 books.
   Although I did read a lot last year, I think aiming to read a book a week was a bit much, this is fine for Chick Lit or Young Adult book, but it was impossible for me to read a tome like The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest in seven days. I am hoping this year technology will help me with this two. Firstly, I now have a Kindle4 (instead of using the Kindle App), which is small enough to fit in my bag to carry with me. Secondly, we now have a Lovefilm subscription so I can view films with the click of a button (or link).

December 20th 2011
Filed under General, The Things I Love

As I haven’t done one of these posts for a while, I thought I would create a list just before Christmas of all the things that have been helping me get in the festive spirit (with only a little alcohol involved).

1. Gingerbread Lattes – Varies from Starbucks
   The run up to Christmas seems to start earlier and earlier each year, for me there are two key events that marks the beginning of Christmas, the Coca Cola Trucks advert and the Red Cups at Starbucks! As the days get colder one of my favourite ways to unwind on a pre-Christmas afternoon off, is in Starbucks reading a good book and sipping a gingerbread latte.
2. Crimble Crumble – Varies from Pret
   I’m not a huge fan of most the Christmas desserts, I don’t like Christmas Cake or Pudding, but I love Mince Pies. Obviously, homemade ones are the best, however when I need refueling whilst out Christmas shopping, I love the Pret slices, a mince pie with a spiced crumble topping, perfect for the Christmassy pick me up.
3. Love Actually – N/A
   I know there are hundreds of Christmassy movies out there, but this is a film I like to watch a few weeks before Christmas to cheer me up! The inter-connecting love stories, the getting ready for Christmas and of course all of set in London.
4. Philosphy’s Gingerbread Girl Body Lotion from £18.00 available from Boots
   As I mentioned I love Gingerbread, to me the smell just reminds me of more recent Christmases, probably all the Lattes I have been drinking. This time of year I have to add more lotion into my beauty regime – to make up for the chapped skin from the cold and central heating, so if I have to apply loads of cream it might as well be my favourite Christmas scent.
5. Winter Wonderland – N/A
   Whilst I do love the idea of a Dickens Christmas in London, we all know the snow here is that horrid grey slush, or the Thames will never freeze for us to ice skate on, so instead we need fake snow and man-made ice-skating rinks. Winter Wonderland is an amazing mix of little market stalls, places to eat and drink and hundreds of fun things to do – from ice skating to the circus. For a lovely evening you can sip alcoholic hot chocolate or mulled wine in the heart of Hyde Park pretending you are in for ski chalet in the Alps.

December 7th 2011
Filed under General

Despite the fact that I am still recuperating from my operation, Jason and I have done extremely well at completing our Fall Bucket List. We missed out seeing Ghostbusters on the big screen, but I expect we will be watching it over the Christmas period, as we loved completing this list so much last week we made another one for the Winter.

1. Go to Winter Wonderland.
2. Have a Christmas Afternoon Tea.
3. Drink numerous Gingerbread Lattes.
4. Make a Gingerbread House.
5. See big Christmas blockbuster at the cinema.
6. Decorate the House.
7. Have a movie night at home.
8. Bake a Christmas Cheesecake (need a recipe).
9. Have a family get together.
10. Make some Christmas Candy.

November 24th 2011
Filed under 101 Things, General

When I started my 101 list, one of the first things we wanted to add was Start trying to have a baby. I never really mentioned wanting a family on this blog and to be honest when I thought about mentioning it, I figured it would be one of those posts with a photo of the baby scan or positive pregnancy test, after all that is the norm isn’t it? Well it turns out my first “trying to have a baby” post isn’t going to be normal!

Last November (I can hardly believe it was a year ago it seems so much longer) in Mexico, Jason and I started trying to begin our family, and if I am to be honest we were maybe a little naive. I know some people plot and plan these things testing their ovulation or temperature, but we figured we would just do the baby making dancing a few times and nine months later we would be three.

Fast forward to just after Christmas, I had lunch with the lovely Socktopod ladies and over lunch we discussed how quickly this year was going and I suddenly realised I was late! So after lunch I popped in a chemist and brought a test, later that night when Jason came home, we did the test and sure enough I was pregnant!

So over the weekend, we were wondering around thinking about the future and maybe slightly in shock. On the Monday evening about 5 p.m. I noticed a little bleeding – worried and scared I phoned the doctor and of course consulted google. The next morning after a series of phonecalls with my doctor I was refered to the Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit (EPAU).

On the Tuesday, I had my first scan and a blood test. The blood test determined I was indeed pregnant but there was no sign of the embryo on the scan, and it was deemed “pregnancy of unknown location.” The next two weeks we had a series of blood tests and another scan all which concluded the pregnancy was ectopic in the the right tube. The doctors concluded the best cause of action was a cause of Methotrexate. Less than two weeks after that I was no longer pregnant.

We spend the next few months healing (for me it was both emotionally and psychically), the doctors advised three months but we opted to a little longer. Then last month once again, I found out I was pregnant, due to our past history I was referred once again to the EPAU straight away. Once again we started the series of blood tests and scans. Both on the Friday, a blood test on the Sunday followed by another scan of the Monday. After the second scan they saw the pregnancy was once again in my right tube.

The next 24 hours are a complete blur to me (even now Jason is still filling in the blanks for me), the doctors determined the pregnancy and tube needed to be surgically removed (a salpingectomy) and due to my history they wanted to operate that day. From what I have been told, at 11 a.m. I was having my scan, at 2 p.m. they were prepping my for surgery and at 6 p.m. I was back in the ward. By lunchtime the next day I was home in my own bed (well sofa-bed, our new bed still hasn’t been delivered)!

To be honest I am still in shock (hence why it has taken me over a week to write this blog post), Jason and I are back in the limbo stage waiting for healing to begin and taking each day as it comes and trying to look to the future.

November 8th 2011
Filed under General, Making Monday

This is a little late, mainly as last night when I would have been blogging I was busy painting. Over the last few weeks things have been pretty slow in the decorating front, as we had to wait for the plaster to dry before painting the walls.

Originally, we were just going to paint all the walls blue, but whilst looking for paint I came across the Dulux Feature Wallpaper range, patterned wallpaper which coordinates with their paint. They even did one in the right shade of blue! We choose the Meadowsweet, in Soft Teal, which they suggest teaming with white and mocha, we are opting to have the furniture all in white and soft furnishings in mocha.

The biggest problem we have had with this renovation is the irregular walls, no walls are straight. The other problem was the size of the alcoves, it makes sense for us to put the wardrobes in the recesses, however we could not find decent wardrobes that were small enough (one was under 90 cm).

Over my birthday weekend, my father in law, spent a few days building us two fabulous wardrobes, and added a radiator cover to hide the ugly central heating. They just need to be primed and painted (what we were doing last night).