hazeljoy

november 30th - thankfuls

01: darker nights
02: central heating
03: week-ends & lie ins
04: christmas preparation
05: cooking and soups
06: thick socks & wooly tights
07: big coats
08: corsages
09: cold weather & gloves
10: festive swapsies!

nablopomo: posting everyday.
i have enjoyed this as a process, especially the way it has made me think more carefully about what i write and what i want to say. i am going to try to keep this up (ha. let's see how long that lasts - anyone wanna open a book on it?) even if it's just with pictures

i'm out this evening, so won't have time to post. i guess as this is after midnight it counts as tomorrow (if you know what i mean)

november 29th - peachy sky

i was greeted by the most beautiful peachy-pink light when i got home today. i felt like i was inside a stained glass window, or john lennon's specs.

not sure how well it shows up in this photo...

but look here! my car roof reflected it pretty well (nb. my car is black!)

november 28th - progress

i'm currently
: finishing off putting together my 'holiday traditions' swap for norma

: making batches of festive decorations for the 'holiday ornament' swap to send worldwide

: putting together the 'give what you want' swap for irene

: making brooches and bags for rich's work craft fair

: having fun with making a 'tidy-up' musical powerpoint to play in lessons to motivate the girls when they're packing away (using this song - it's going to be brilliant)

: busy!

i will post photos of work underway tomorrow - got a little too carried away with the powerpoint making and it's way too late now xx see you tomorrow

november 27th - rrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaarr!

i hate rudeness!! (guess what's happened again)
flippin' annoying.
i'm starting to think it's tricksy people playing tricks.

better news though - i have completed my christmas shopping!
*PING* that'll be my halo appearing above my head.
well, actually when i say "completed my christmas shopping", i mean that everything is bought/purchased. i am so pleased with myself, especially as i have bought everything i could* from etsy! and thus fulfill the

i do still have a few things to make - mugs, mousemats and puzzles - for small people using a rather fancy sublimation printer at work! fun and creative.

and it's not even december. think i might even make my own wrapping paper now (swot!).

*there were a couple of presents that can't be bought from etsy, nor can they be wrapped, as they're experiences (here, here and here). so i don't think that they count towards/against the pledge

november 26th - plans are afoot...

i have been busy working tonight on all three of the swaps i'm taking part in... decorations, presents, music - you'll see.
more on that tomorrow (and be warned, i won't show you very much, some of my swap partners have been reading and commenting recently - hello norma! - and i don't want to give the game away).

oh and we have another viewing tomorrow. the house is ship-shape (where, apart from the obvious link to boats, does that saying come from?) thanks to a couple of hours surface cleaning and tidying. i know i only did it on thursday / friday, but a weekend at home really tends to mess it all up. know what i mean? (and we don't even have any children!)

see you tomorrow with details and previews xx

oh and:
19 more get ups to, 19 more get ups to go, you take 1 down, kick it around, 19 more get ups to go...

november 25th - as promised

well, finally, here it is:

the quilt that i made to remember. i put a lot of stock into making connections and remembering things through doing. when i look at things i've made or written i remember what i was thinking about. having a lot of time to autonomously do, gives my time to think. and reminisce. and remember. a very healing and reflective process.

it is just so cosy and warm and comfortable. i have slept many hours under it already! the back is mostly plain beige (the palest you see here) with a stripe of patchwork down one side. i topstitched the patchwork for extra security. it has a minimum of quilting (they follow the vertical lines), just to hold the layers together.
i think it still needs a border. just to finish it off.

it is now just right for cosying up in winter and making new memories with.

november 24th - two sides of the coin

this is our first experience of selling a house. it's a tricky business. i did organise the house, finished tidying, cleaned, hid things. i was even ready and sitting watching tv (the news in case you were wondering) by the time that the person was meant to come. i say meant because she didn't turn up. but look on the bright side - the house is tidy, and all of the chores are done.
but, really, how rude is that? - not to turn up for an appointment.. bah, didn't want her to have the house anyway.

bought these today:

from muji. mine are the reverse of these (grey with a white stripe) and they have a little back to keep them on. oh and my feet aren't that large - i bought mediums.

so comfy and warm. my other pair went awol. i have literally no idea where they are.

so with all of those jobs out of the way, i am free to see my friend and we're getting ratted on wine. right now.

november 23rd

whilst the winter light may be a little depressing, and thoroughly bad for photography, the colour combinations i see on my way home are amazing.

these are the palettes of my journey.

november 22nd - this is a bit pessimistic, sorry

sorry no photos today - i got back late from school (2nd day in a row). maybe it will be better to post about the quilt at the weekend when it might be light.
on my way home i went to get a horrible cough checked out. i've had it for ages, off and on, but recently it's been making it hard to breathe. like really hard (it feels like i can only breathe with the top 1/3 of my lungs). so it turns out i might be asthmatic. great. i have to check my lung capacity for the next two weeks then go back and get the results checked out.
in better news, we have a viewing on our house tomorrow! (it's been on for a week). only one downside, the tidying up.

november 20th - cheer up, love ...

i have been feeling somewhat grey these days.
the weather is shocking up here* (it's been raining for days off and on)
all i seem to be doing at work is crowd management with miserable teenagers - see * for the reason
it's always dark - i get up in the dark, i go home in the dark, even when it should be light and i'm outside it's dark - see * for the reason

so when i felt the urge to make my most favourite thing to eat today, i thought 'what the heck?'.
be prepared to be amazed for i bring you my favourite dessert: the apple pie.
roll up, roll up, look how pretty it is.
i even made the pastry! (i now remember why i don't do that any more - greasy hands, yuck)

before everything else i would eat this lovely treat.
and for my next trick, i will make it disappear!

23 more get ups to go, 23 more get ups to go, you take one down, kick it around...