Pets are like family members!

I hope you don’t mind but today I've got something a little sad to share before I can get to the happier parts of my week.

We've experience a bit of heartache in our house this week. We've been looking after a stray ginger cat for about 6 years. He’s always been a very outdoorsy cat and because we have a very territorial male Tabby cat (he was also a stray) we were unable to take him in (not that we would've been able to seeing as he didn't like coming in). When you find yourself in this type of situation you also find out that there is no room at any cat charities/sanctuaries for strays and that the RSPCA will only take the cat if it is ill. Luckily he was always looked after by a few of us living in the area. He was fed lots of yummy treats & meals, given warm places to sleep and given attention whenever we had the chance. He was a fighter and despite his age, he survived all those cold winters! Sadly, on Tuesday he came to our house looking worse than he's ever looked as you can see from the photos above. It was heart breaking to see and there was no way we could let him leave looking like that. I just couldn't bear the thought of this poor old cat dying out there somewhere. So we made the decision to call the RSPCA and ask them to come get him. We got him inside, tried to get him to eat and kept him warm. Everyone else had work or college to go to so I was on my own waiting. I enjoyed our last hour together, stroking him and talking to him. A lady from the RSPCA arrived about an hour later with a cage. She checked him and told me that she was taking him to the vets but that he'd probably be put down because of the condition he was in. Hearing those words broke my heart even though I knew it was for the best. I found the lady to be very cold about the whole situation. She was here for about 2 minutes! I guess they have to be like that with everything they have to face but it didn't make me feel any better. I cried like a baby for at least 2 hours! I hated myself for not being there for him, not getting to say goodbye to him, for doing that to him. I needed reassurance from my fiancé and father to confirm that I'd done the right thing (which I now know I did). The doubt was the worst part, it eats you up…but I'm ok now. Still sad but I know it was the right thing to do. I'm angry because I hate that people do this to their pets! Why have a pet if you aren't going to look after it? How can anyone treat an innocent animal like that? They deserve better! I know most people find it silly but I am an animal lover and can't bear to see one hurt in anyway. How do you think we ended up with 7 cats (4 of which were strays)? I'm sorry to mention this on my blog, a blog that is meant to be happy and bright but I just felt like I needed to put it out there, to get it out in writing so that I can feel better and also to remember him because he deserves to be remembered! He was so loving and affectionate and I hope that wherever he is now he is happier.

So, onto slightly happier things. Do you like my bright socks? I mostly wear very dark clothing (partly due to my gothic personality) but socks have always been the exception! All my socks (long ones, ankle ones & toe ones) are stripey and colourful and often worn in mismatched pairs! People are always surprised at my socks & how bright my crochet projects tend to be considering my dark clothing but we all need colour in our lives somewhere!
Our week was a busy one which means I've not got lots of crochet & things to show although I have been working on & struggling to make the Daffodil found in 100 Flowers to Knit and Crochet. I enjoyed some juicy fruit on Sunday evening! I love pomegranates! The sofa is still in the same state it has been in all winter! Blankets spread all over creating a fort for burrowing or a warm place to sleep! I did manage to sneakily wash them and thank goodness acrylic dries quickly because the cats knew they were missing! My fiancé started his physio which surprisingly takes up a lot of time! Any free time we had was spent relaxing, reading & procrastinating! Procrastination is never a good thing when mixed with the internet! I found this cute shelf unit with drawers that I thought would be perfect to sort out our kitchen clutter but sadly it was too small! The photo with a big pile of mess is one of our kitchen counters that I like to refer to as the "hot spot" because EVERYTHING gets dumped there! So this week I'm going to find a solution! I'm thinking bright & colourful or maybe shabby chic!

I tried something knew this week! My father always uses these roasting bags when he does a Chicken Roast and the chicken comes out so great, it's practically falling off the bone! When we came home after a busy day of volunteering (this was definitely the busiest day so far this year) we were starving so I decided to just throw some drumsticks in a bag with loads of spices and throw it in the oven for an hour! It was delicious & there was hardly any washing up! Perfect for those days when you are too tired to really bother with food! Tonight my father is cooking and we are having stew and dumplings done in the slow cooker! I'm really looking forward to it. Perfect cold weather food!

I did attempt to make peanut butter bars but they didn't quite go according to plan and so there are no photos but I'll probably try them again one day! They came out more like cake and were enjoyed by the men anyway! Yesterday we made some mini Pecan Pies! They are my lovely man's favourites but we've never made mini ones before. He asked me in the week if I could make some for him.The best part about baking together is that he does all the washing up for me! I was pretty happy with the result and they are so easy to make! Delicious with a bit of cream on top! We still have some left for tonight! Yum!

And of course I can't go & not show you photos of some of our cats taken throughout the week! I managed to get a few nice ones of them. They've mainly been playing and sleeping...pretty much all they do every week!

Once again, thank you for reading my blog and apologies for the not so happy beginning of this weeks post! Specifically, I'd like to thank Jennifer & Laurel for their support and lovely comments. They mean so much to me!

Hope you all have a lovely week! See you in 7 days time! x

Inspiration, Valentine's Day, Reading & Procrastination!

I have followers? I’m totally overjoyed that people actually want to read what I have to say or at least look at the pictures (I know that’s what I often do). Thank You!

So, this week I was quite shocked (in a good way) to see one of my crochet projects from a few years ago posted on Facebook by a page/group that I follow for inspiration called The Creative Crochet Crew! It might not be that big a deal to most people but for me it was HUGE! 

The thought that I could be providing inspiration for others, that somewhere someone is pinning my stuff on Pinterest is just out of this world! It makes me feel like I'm finally doing something with my life, finally achieving something! 

If you are on Facebook and don't already follow The Creative Crochet Crew then I suggest you do. It’s definitely worth it just to see all the awesome projects out there. (The pattern I used for the cushion is by the lovely Lucy of Attic24 & can be found here.)

I hate it when I can’t remember what I've done all week! I’m sure I did something this week! Thank goodness I took photos! Ok, I did spend a fair bit of my time reading, baking & procrastinating! My lovely father made breakfast twice this week…TWICE! It was so yummy & it was nice for me to have a break from breakfast duties. We have a lovely chair by our lounge window (it’s my dad’s chair) and it’s the only place where you can get a bit of sunlight! Our windows are rather large and high so I can only see the sky but that’s all I want to see! It’s the perfect spot for early morning reading and crocheting. I finished reading Beautiful Creatures this week…I won’t go into how much I didn't enjoy that book or how many crochet hours were wasted on it but let’s just say we decided not to see the movie…I’ll just wait till it’s on tv. I’m currently reading The Edge Of Never by J. A. Redmerski. It’s such an awesome book. I didn't know much about it but the reviews were good and so far I can honestly say that it’s well worth a read. There is mention of a few classic rock songs throughout which is right up my street. One was Laugh, I nearly died by The Rolling Stones. I’d never heard of it until then and it’s a really cool song! Most of my week was spent baking, exercising & cleaning so it's been great to spend the weekend reading & enjoying cappuccinos, liqueurs and yummy cupcakes!  

Can you see the funny shaped loaf of bread in the photo above? That's what happens when someone turns the breadmaker off! The dough had risen so much it was nearly coming out the top. We managed to save it but it certainly came out an interesting shape! So I did some baking this week…first I tried to make cake pops...it didn't go well...Then I made pancakes (I completely forgot about pancake day!) but we’d run out of maple syrup so they were topped with everything from lemon juice & dark brown sugar to honey! Then I made cupcakes…the only thing I always seem to get right! They were for Valentine’s Day so I made them red and topped them with cream cheese icing. I’m still fighting with the icing! It was firmer this time because I found out I’m meant to use butter but it was lumpy because it wouldn't mix and I’m scared of using an electric hand mixer! Scared of the big mess it’ll make more than anything! My fiance & father thoroughly enjoyed them. We finished them off last night. Here’s something I’ve been wondering about…Does anyone else ever eat the bottom of a cupcake first? It’s like what they say about the tops of muffins being the best part!

Ok, so I finally finished the rainbow solid granny blanket! 13x13 = 169 squares! I'm missing it already! Once it was ready I gave it a good wash and packed it away. I'm itching to make another one because I just love it so much and I feel like it would look lovely in the lounge.

I kept the border simple. Just 3 rows of dc in white, followed by 1 row of hdc in bright green & then ended it with a little wavey/picot edging. I sewed the squares together with slip-stitches. 8 Different Stylecraft Special DK colours in total.

The colours used were Jaffa, Fiesta, Magenta, Turquoise, Matador, Citron, Bright Green & White. All in Stylecraft Special DK. It's bright so getting good photos has been a nightmare! So, it's done! It's gone and now I need to start something new! I've got a camouflage one planned for my dad but I can't decide between solid squares and granny stripes....I'll have to make a sample!

Aww, don't you wish you could live like a cat? They spend most of their day sleep, eating & playing! Our cats are so spoilt! These are 5 of our 7! 

And lastly, I thought I'd share some things with you. The top photo is of all my crafting book (newest edition is Connect the Shapes Crochet Motifs by Edie Eckman which I got for Valentine's Day from my lovely man), my jar of Stylecraft colour swatches, my shadecard, my colour pencils for designing and some magazines. My birthday present is also sitting there because it contains chocolate and cannot be eaten for another 38 days! 47 days done! The second photo is of all the different teas I bought this week. I usually only drink normal tea or fruity tea but thought it was time to try something new. So far so good! And the last row is a yummy danish that my fiance got for me while at his course on Tuesday (he really does spoil me), my camera equipment (some of) and 2 of my favourite belongings...my Nikon D90 with 50mm lens and my lovely Tabby!

Ok, so I think that's it. Today has been hectic! I've been working on this since 2pm and it's now nearing 9pm! Time to relax. Thanks for stopping by & please do visit again. Any suggestions or anything please feel free to leave me a comment. Have an awesome week! Mine's going to be a super busy one!

To Read or Not To Read

Sadly, I don’t have much to show or share with you this week. On the photography & crochet front it’s been pretty quiet. Reading has consumed most of my time & energy, not that that’s a bad thing! I love reading! Oh and if you are a fan of X-Men and haven’t yet read the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi then I highly recommend you do! She is an incredible writer. Her writing is so poetic. So far this year my reading total is 7….not bad but I had planned on reading 80 books. I don’t see that happening. I've just started reading BeautifulCreatures by Kami Garcia. It’s been on my to-read list for so long but I just never got round to it and now it’s a must-read because the movie comes out this week and my fiancé (I’m still not used to saying that) is treating me to lunch and a movie! I’m on 23% and I've got 3 days left to finish it! While watching the trailer on youtube, I came across the trailer for The Host by Stephanie Meyer…another to-read that has been moved up the list! I hadn't realised the movie would be out so soon! 

I did eventually get around to doing some crochet but it was mainly just slip-stitching the last few rows on the mini rainbow solid granny square blanket. I started the border yesterday. I've got one more row to do, some ends to sew in & then it’s done. I might actually do a post for it in the middle of the week…depends on how things go! I've had a bit of a problem with the border. I will be sad to say goodbye but at the same time I love the fact that someone liked my crochet enough to actually want to buy it! People often don't realise how much hard work goes into crochet projects so it’s nice when it gets appreciated! I've also started crocheting a few hearts. Seeing as Valentine’s Day is coming up and it falls on my volunteering day, I thought it’d be nice to make a few little things to put in the shop. My yarn bag is currently overflowing with scraps to play around with!

The cats were their usual happy selves this week! With this winter weather hanging around, they have become serious heat seekers and so we are constantly fighting for a seat & blankets in our house! Even my new yarn bag has been used as a bed! They did get a little spoilt this week. We got these cardboard houses with scratch mats & also some cute little tents...easy to clean and a great hideaway for our fury friends. Catnip & treats were in steady supply too! We sometimes forget that our oldest (she's the chocolatey black one with no white) cat still loves catnip. She was the first cat & adopted us about 8 years ago. She has no teeth, can hardly see or hear but is still chuffed with life! You'd be surprised what she can eat! Life would be so boring without these beautiful fury friends.

One thing I have been loving this week is hot pancakes, cut up & mixed with a bit of maple syrup/honey and some butter! So lush, especially after being out in the cold for a few hours! This week, I decided to get back into the habit of getting up really early just so I can enjoy those few extra hours of peace & quiet. It's so worth it but not always easy because of the unavoidable late nights but I don't mind making the sacrifice if it means I can get some reading done & the bread-maker on early! <----This does not always go to plan when someone accidentally turns the bread-maker off before it starts to bake! Luckily we managed to salvage it!

And lastly, I did do some baking & cooking this week! We're going for easy meals at the moment because no one is really in the mood for food. Chicken is always an easy solution with a bit of potato and veg added into the mix! I attempted the lemon cake again and it came out a bit better. It was fluffy but the syrup wasn't strong enough and didn't soak in enough. So syrup the first time was better but cake the second time was better! Yesterday, just before the rugby started (more of those results please Wales!) I decided to bake some lemon drizzle muffins! Yum! They had just the right amount of zing! I bought some cake pop trays last night so can't wait to try those out! I won't be able to dip them in chocolate though! 40 days without chocolate so far! Only 45 days lefts!

Ok, so that was my week! Hope your week was more eventful! I'm finding this blogging thing to be very therapeutic. It's great to be able to share stuff! Wishing you all the best for your week ahead! Hope to see you back here next week! x

Birthdays & Engagements!

 It's been a busy, busy week! I had a birthday this week! My father made me breakfast, my boyfriend made me dinner! I was very spoilt! I got lots of lovely goodies for quilt making and crochet, a new craft bag (which hasn't arrived yet) and some new winter boots. I was treated to a lovely lunch at my favourite cafe & bistro NRG, some Merlot and of course a yummy dinner & carrot cake! A lovely friend gave me a bottle of Cava & some chocolates which I will save for when I can eat chocolate again (52 days to go!) and last night my father bought us chinese take-aways! As I said, I've been very spoilt this week!

And most importantly......I GOT ENGAGED this week! Yes, after 10 years of being together we finally decided that it was time to get engaged! We actually got engaged on our 10th anniversary but didn't have a ring yet so we decided to wait till it was ready (it was too big so had to be resized) before we told everyone and my birthday just happened to be the day we picked the ring up! It's a gorgeous little ring. I'm not a very flashy person & hardly every wear any jewellery. I was really worried about picking a ring because it needed to be me otherwise it'd end up in a draw somewhere and I'd only where it on special occasions. We looked online, found one we liked that didn't contain any huge diamonds and went in to see it...up close & on my finger, it just didn't look right! The lady helping us was so lovely, she went hunting through their display and found another one....I tried it on & WOW! It was THE ONE! It was nearly half the price of our first choice and has a flower made up of a cluster of diamonds....PERFECT! Once the cat was out the bag my mother couldn't wait to spread the word. She was over the moon and so was my father. So, it's been a pretty special birthday :)

The day after my birthday our little town had a 'Welcome Home Parade' for the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards. Luckily we were in town for our volunteering day otherwise we might've missed it. The main roads were closed, buses rerouted and a lot of security put in place. Our local police officers and council workers did an excellent job preparing everything. I really enjoyed it, the band was wonderful. For such a small town we had a pretty huge crowd turn up which was awesome. Many of us were shocked to see just how young these guys are. I have so much respect for these brave men.

Sadly, I didn't get any crochet done this week! I'm still trying to finish my blanket of tiny squares (which someone has now told me they would like to buy) and am also currently being sucked into the world of reading again! Prodigy (which is the sequel to Legend By Marie Lu) came out this week and for me it is a must read and then next week Unravel Me (which is the sequel to Shatter Me by Taherah Mafi) comes out! So, as you can see I am going to be busy busy busy! ;) I did bake some yummy cupcakes this week! It was the start of the Six Nations (I love my rugby) and so my cupcakes had a theme! I'm sure you can guess which team I'm supporting! (Even if they did play really badly against Ireland).

So, that was my week! Thanks for reading my blog. I really do appreciate it. I hope you all have an awesome week and meet me back here again next Sunday! x