Everyone apart from me is back to work or school today, I've got another week (well another official week, I still have hours of choreography to do and syllabus to learn ready for going back to Aerodance and my IDTA exams) and don't know what to do with the time - I SHOULD use it to get the house sorted but am so tempted to spend it sewing fun things before I have to get down to costume making ready for the damn festivals - I saw a blog about aiming to make 50 things this year - 50? 50?? Christ, I've got to get through that before February.
1. 2 Tail coats for Hey Diddly Dee
2. Bow Ties for above
3. Pretend food for the bad mice
4. 2 bonnets for above
5. 2 sets of Ears and collars for Naughty Kitten
6. Big of Wool as above
7. Cat Bed (WTF? How am I supposed to make a cat bed big enough for two six year old girls?)
8. 3 Tarantella blouses
9. 3 Tarantella skirts
10. Lyrical costume for Rubes

And that's just what I can think of here at 5 past 7 in the morning.I suppose I could get the Tarantella blouses done and the tail coats started today as I have the fabric and patterns already.....Ok. Plan for today.

Spend an hour learning Aerodance syllabus
Photograph the monkeys I made yesterday and get them on to Folksy and MISI
Draft pattern for blouses
Find tail coat pattern and cut out
Make Sausage casserole for the girls tonight
Put away yesterday's laundry

If I can get all that done before school pick up I can spend this evening stuffing monkeys (that sounds filthy) Well, it's nice to have a plan, I wonder if I could fit in a run after I've dropped the girls off, hmm, I really fancy running through the snow...and it would mean I could have some lunch too. I'll see how motivated I feel once I get back home.

More monsters

Well, I confess I failed dismally at the NaBloPoMo thing, Frankly November was a horrible month with nothing to recommend it other than at least it seemed to go quickly. My right arm is incredibly painful and my poor family must be sick to death of the smell of Deep Heat and my constant whining. I suppose I'm going to have to go back to the doctors' next week but I don't know how to be taken more seriously. Oh! I could go on and on about how much my right side hurts but what's the bloody point? To paraphrase the great Kenneth Williams.

Instead here are this weeks sock creatures - I've nearly made back what I spent on my sewing machine in sales which is nice. A long way off the target I set at the beginning of the year but then again I did start 9 months later than I intended.

Henry the Happy Horse

This is my favourite one yet. Dave came back from work last week with two new pairs of over the knee socks he'd bought for me (should I be concerned? Surely he should bring me stockings rather than wooly socks? Have I really lost that much glamour?)and straightaway this pair were begging to be a horse. Henry's filled with aduki beans and toy filling so there's a lovely weight to him and he's very floppy. I'm really pleased with the way he came out but as yet I haven't had much reaction to him. He still needs to have a tail and I might give him some eyebrows too.

Ethel and Dorothy the sock pigs

I've been fiddling with this pattern all weekend, trying to work out how to make legs that weren't sewn and how to get both sides of the socks right way in, I'm nearly happy with them but not completely yet..
I haven't much response to them so far, maybe I'm wasting my time but I think they're really cute!
Anyway. I must go to bed although I really want some wine and a cigarette. No. Shower, bed, read Harry Potter. You'll feel better for it in the morning woman.

On The Wagon

Right - here we go. No more alcohol until Christmas. This is going to be difficult. I really want to do it though. I'm so bored of waking up feeling terrible, forgetting what I went upstairs for, not getting enough done during the day and so on and so on. In addition to this I want to start running again, doing some weights and getting life together. I know I feel so much better and able to cope when I exercise (and I love the smug feeling that comes with it too if I'm honest).
Plans for November
1. Run twice a week
2. Weights twice a week
3. Sort out the house
4. A great deal more fruit and vegetables.

Today's menu.
Breakfast was toast and Marmite, not great but the bread IS homemade.
Lunch Half an avocado, leaves, plum tomatoes and feta cheese.
Dinner Noodles, red curry paste, tofu, bean sprouts and Kale.

I need to get some juice too for smoothies. And find somewhere to hide it so Mia doesn't drink it all when my back's turned.

I just want to stay home

I have a horrible sore throat and a general feelin gof bleeugh so after a quick walk into town in the pouring rain yesterday I've spent most of my time at home with sewing machine. Nothing great has been produced but a couple of different shaped animals patterns which I'm going to try and improve next week

First a little elephant with a VERY long trunk. It wasn't intentional but as I was stuffing him I realised it was HUGE. I've coiled it so as not to frighten the horses as it looked a bit phallic if I'm honest. I'm going to try again with this idea but next time take notice of the proportions.

Next

This little pig needs legs but I think has worked quite well, again she's just a practice really but it's nice when ideas come together.

And lastly

This is my favourite monster of the weekend. I think he looks a bit unsure and scared of his new surroundings. Lord I sound mad. I think I might have a little lie down.


All of this month is going to be devoted to improving my fitness. I'm aiming to be teetotal until Christmas and really cut back on the amount of coffee I'm drinking. It's not so much the caffeine as the amount of sugar I have in it that I thin kis making me feel so rubbish. They'll probably be a great many tearful ranting posts over the next two weeks. I'm hoping I can run off the cold turkey symptoms but I'm going to be hell to live with. David wants to try as well. Goodness this is going to be a happy household this month.