The Family Patch

Handmade Auction for PSS - The Blankets

Well, we're on the final countdown. In just a couple of weeks I will launch my second Handmade Auction to raise funds for Pregnancy Sickness Support and so it is about time I started sharing the gorgeous donations we've had with you all.

Today it's the turn of the blankets. 

Last year my grandma donated 2 crocheted lap/baby blankets and they were a massive hit. I couldn't believe how many people were bidding on them and so this year I have worked hard to ensure we had several blankets in the auction.

I have made 3 blankets, my grandma has made 3 blankets, and the wife of one of the charity's trustees has also made a blanket. That's seven blankets in total - wowee! I believe there may be an eighth blanket on its way too - eek!

Do you want to see them? Of course, you do! Here they are in all their glory...

1. Grandma Marjorie's Blanket #1

 

This blanket, like all my Grandma's blankets, has been made using various bits of leftover yarn (mostly wool and acrylic blends) and has a wonderfully whimsical feel to it. It's perfect as either a gift for a new baby or as a lap-blanket to keep you warm during the colder months.

I don't know about you, but I love snuggling under a blanket to watch a film or read a book and sometimes you don't want or need a massive blanket wrapped around you in case you need to leap up and do something (like check on your toddler who has woken up crying) without tripping over excess blanket. That's where lap blankets come in and you're lucky enough to have three to choose from.

As you can see, the blanket is a decent size (this photo is taken on a single bed) and whilst not a full bed size, it is perfect for babies, toddlers or throwing over your lap on a chilly evening.

This blanket measures 96.5cm/ 98 inches across.

2. Grandma Marjorie's Blanket #2

Exactly the same as blanket #1 (except not quite, as each is unique in colour scheme). I've taken the photo along with some of Little Man's books and toys to show that the colours work well for any number of bedroom themes if you're looking for a gift for your little one. But don't forget the colours of blankets 1 and 2 are both varied enough to suit an adult too!

 

This blanket also measures 96.5cm/ 38 inches across.

3. Grandma Marjorie's Blanket #3

This is still in production - photos to come!

4. My Rainbow Ripple

 

This blanket is made using Sublime Baby Cotton Kapok DK yarn, kindly donated by Black Sheep Wools. 

It would make the perfect present for a loved one expecting a new arrival, or the ideal addition to your own nursery plans. It is super soft and the colours are so soft and gentle they would fit in with most decors. I truly loved every minute of making this blanket I'm quite sad to see it go... it will be treasured for years, I am sure. 

Again, this photo has been taken on a single bed to give a better idea of size... it would be perfect for a cot and still be a nice warm over-blanket when your little one moves into a big bed

It measures 113cm / 44.5 inches from point to point

5. My Granny Mandala Snuggle Blanket

I call this a "snuggle blanket" because it is not as large as most baby blankets, measuring a mere 79cm/ 31 inches across the diameter.

However it is the perfect size for taking out in the pram, pushchair or car and is ideal for tucking in a bag when you go out in case you need something to throw down for baby to sit on and play whilst out and about. My son had one made to the same design and we took it everywhere with us and even to this day he still likes to snuggle up with it sometimes.

It is made in the super soft Sublime Baby Cotton Kapok DK, again donated by Black Sheep Wools and is a great mix of pinks with a splash of purple every so often. 

6. My Super Bright Chunky Granny Blanket

This blanket is deliciously warm and cosy as it has been made using two strands of aran weight yarn together. Yet despite being thick it is not overly heavy.

It's bright colours make it ideal for cheering up the darkest of winter days and yet is sunny enough for the brightest summer days too. Whether used as a cover for warmth in the colder months or a blanket to sit on in the garden when it warms up, this blanket will last the test of time.

This blanket is the same size at the snuggle blanket, measuring 79cm/ 31 inches across. However I wouldn't call it a snuggle blanket as it is much thicker and therefore better for laying on a bed rather than carrying around for comfort. It is made using Rico Creative Cotton Aran weight yarn which I bought from Black Sheep Wools using gift cards that were donated by customers for my challenge.

7. Surprise Blanket # 1

This blanket has been made by the wife of one of our trustees and I have yet to see it but have been promised a photo soon! So keep your eyes peeled...

All of these blankets will be listed in my handmade auction, which will go live on eBay on 8th May for 10 days. Bidding on everything starts at 99p so you could bag yourself a bargain! Please do drop by and get the link to the auction once it is live if you like the look of any of these blankets. For more information about the auction and my Nine Months Of challenge, see this post. 

Update on The Handmade Auction - Still Time for Donations!

With just over a month left until International Hyperemesis Gravidarum Awareness Day and my handmade auction to raise funds for Pregnancy Sickness Support, I am pleased to share with you the donations that have already arrived!

As you can see, my own contributions have been joined by some really beautiful items created by some truly talented crafters. There are knitted cardigans and jumpers ranging in size from premature baby through to 18-24 month old toddler, hats for babies, toddlers and adults, as well as a scarf and a cowl for ladies and mittens and bootees for babies. What a collection we've got.

Then there are my three blankets (two of which I need to finish the borders for in the remaining days left before my challenge ends) and my Grandma is currently working on her second blanket for the auction. There is yet another blanket one its way, made by the wife of one of the charity's trustees. If you're looking for gifts for new babies, birthdays or starting your Christmas shopping super early, there should be something for everyone!

But there is still time to send in your donations if you have any. The auction won't go live until the second week in May so you have plenty of time yet to make something up and post it to me for inclusion in the auction. Just send me a message via my contact form and I'll send you details of how to donate items. 

Thanks to all those of you who have supported and donated my challenge so far. I will be sure to post a proper preview of each item over the coming weeks so that you can see them in more detail. 

Crochet Basics: Single Crochet Stitch (US) Photo Tutorial

Welcome to the third tutorial in my Crochet Basics series of photo tutorials.

Today's tutorial brings me to a point where I have to make a decision - do I use UK or US terminology? 

As I'm a UK blogger you'd think I'd use UK terminology, but to be honest I learnt using US terminology as that is what I came across the most in online tutorials. And so I'm going to go with that. 

It is confusing that we have different terms for the same stitches, and you always need to make sure you know which terminology a pattern uses before starting as otherwise you could end up doing it all wrong. 

I don't want to confuse you too much - I'll give you more information on the different terms in a later post - but for now just know that I am using US terminology throughout my series and if you are using UK terminology then this tutorial is for the Double Crochet Stitch.

So... now we've cleared that up (I hope) we can get on with the tutorial - enjoy!

Congratulations! You now have all the skills to begin practising making some basic squares. Practising squares helps you learn how you work (some people work more tightly than others - I often have to work slightly differently to a pattern because my tension is 'off', but that's okay because I know this about myself now!)

Try starting with a slip knot, then creating 20 chain stitches, and then work for as many rows as it takes in single crochet to create a square. See how you get on... it may be slow progress to begin with but the more your practise the quicker you will get.

I'll be back soon to show you how to do a slip stitch.

This blog entry is my submission to the Deramores Blog Awards 2014. Deramores is the UK’s number one online retailer of knitting and crochet supplies. 

Crochet Basics: Chain Stitch - a Photo Tutorial

Following on from my first Crochet Basics Tutorial (The Slip Knot), here is my step-by-step guide to the Chain Stitch.

Have fun!

And that's it, folks - the most basic of basic crochet stitches and you are now well on your way to becoming a crochet addict!

Check back again soon, my next tutorial is the Single Crochet (US terminology) or Double Crochet (UK terminology) Stitch. I know this sounds daunting and confusing, but it really isn't - I shall explain more when we get to it.

Crochet Basics: The Slip Knot - a photo tutorial

I've been thinking about creating a series of photo tutorials of the basic crochet stitches for quite some time now. In 2013 I made some videos for iVillage.co.uk but have wanted to do something different for my blog and this seemed like the best way to share the basics with you all.

I taught myself to crochet using online tutorials and so I wanted to pass this on by creating my own series of the things I have found most valuable when starting out in crochet (or, in fact, when trying to develop the skills you already have). 

And so after a fun session yesterday with my camera and tripod, I have created the first of my tutorials, which I hope will become part of a  much bigger series - Crochet Basics!

Today's tutorial is the slip knot. It won't get you crocheting straight away - you'll need the next two tutorials (chain stitch and single/double crochet stitch) to start making an actual item. But this is the first thing you need to know before you can start, so it's where I shall begin.

And that's all there is to it! Congratulations, you've taken the first step towards learning how to crochet. 

Join me again soon for my chain stitch tutorial.

My Second Handmade Auction - Call for Donations! (a Nine Months Of... Crochet Update)

It feels like quite a long time since my Nine Months Of... Crochet Challenge started and yet when I look at the countdown on my sidebar and see that there are only 50 days left (as of 1st March) my heart skips a beat as I realise my time is running out.

Here's what I've managed to make so far...

Looking at it all together like this I realise just how much I have actually managed to make. I could have stuck to the smaller patterns and made many more individual items, but I think the baby blankets are my greatest achievement. Previously blankets have taken me far more than 9 months to simply finish one, and here I am with one complete, one 3/4 complete, and one which though still very small has grown so much in it's first week I know it will be finished in no time at all. I must say a massive thanks here to Black Sheep Wools who donated the yarn to make two of the blankets, and whose gift cards have been used to buy the yarn for the third blanket.

I had hoped to update you all on each project as I worked, but this past year has been pretty hectic and just fitting in the actual crochet was challenging enough! But as my challenge draws near to its end I know I will need to start writing about each item in more detail so that when they go up for auction in May you'll have all the information you need to know what has gone into making each of these items.

But here's the thing... I don't want to just have a small auction with a few items I have made myself. After the success of last year's Handmade Auction I want to open up the opportunity for others to donate items they have made as well. Last year we received so many donations I listed just over 80 items on eBay and we raised over £300 for Pregnancy Sickness Support. Isn't that amazing? 

For a charity that currently receives no funding and runs entirely on donations and the time offered by volunteers, raising a few hundred pounds makes a massive difference. As the Volunteer Co-ordinator for the charity I know this more than ever now. Every day I speak to women who are suffering so terribly from sickness that they are unable to function at all. I speak to women who are considering terminations (or have had terminations in the past) because the sickness was so severe and support was so limited. I speak to women who have suffered from depression and PTSD because of what they have been through. And I speak to women just like myself who are so terrified of ever being that ill again.

Our charity runs on the time and energy that our dedicated volunteers offer to supporting these women through the darkest hours of their life. And we are doing an amazing thing. But we could do so much more, and this is where fundraising is so vital. To sustain what we have already developed and grow further, we need funds. It is a cause I am so passionate about and I want this year's auction to be even bigger and better than last year's, because the more money we raise the more we can do!

I've been raiding my cupboards for additional items to add to the auction. I will make it very clear in my listings on eBay which items have been made as part of my challenge and which items have been donated by others (or made prior to the challenge by myself). Things like these bootees, which have been lying around for far too long now...

Do you think we can maybe beat last year's tally? Perhaps we could aim for 100 items in the auction and nearer £500 raised overall? Do you think that's achievable? Maybe, just maybe, it will be. But I need your help.

Are you a crafter? Could you spend just a couple of hours making an item for the auction? It doesn't matter how small, the only thing I ask is that it is handmade. And why is that? Well it's because handmade items are made with love and that makes all the difference... it is symbolic of the love and dertermination that gets women through their pregnancies and spurs them on to support others once their own pregnancy is over. It doesn't have to be perfect, just handmade and with love!

What if you're not a crafter? Well then maybe you could share this post with your friends, family, social media circles, or anyone else you can think of! I may only have 50 days left until I have to stop my crochet challenge, but I won't be launching the auction until the second week in May. This gives you around 9-10 weeks to spread the word and post those items.

I've already received a truly stunning donation of these beautiful knitted cardigans and a fantastic scarf from the wife of one of our trustees. And I know she is busy knitting more... could you join her and add to the donations?

If you have items to donate, please get in touch with me via my contact form so I can send you my postal address. And if you decide to make something, let me know on Twitter or Instagram so I can share the love with my followers! 

Nine Months Of... Crochet - a Video Update!

 

I decided to do things a bit differently today... Enjoy!

Nine Months Of... Crochet: Problems with the Granny Blanket

The new granny blanket is of a circular variety!

You may have noticed I mentioned a new crochet blanket I was working on as part of my Nine Months Of Challenge. It is worked in beautiful pink and lilacs yarns from the Sublime Baby Cotton Kapok DK which was generously donated by Black Sheep Wools.

I started it at Christmas and it was all going swimmingly... until suddenly my increases didn't add up. And I've spent most of the past week trying to figure out what I have done wrong. I cannot for the life of me see where the problem lies and having used this pattern before successfully I am at a total loss as to why I am in this pickle in the first place!

The pattern is from Crochet with Raymond and should be super simple. As it has no corners for increases, you make increases on certain rows. At this point in the blanket I should be increasing on every 4th row. I should also be increasing on every 3rd stitch in that 4th row. And it worked perfectly for the first increase in that repeating pattern, but now I am stuck...

I don't know if you can see in this picture, but to finish this row I would end up with one too many stitches (3 together instead of 2 between each increase). If I add an extra stitch I end up with 85 stitches in that row, which is not divisible by 3 or 4 and so will (as far as I can tell) totally throw out my next increase row when I'd need to increase on every 3rd stitch again. Am I making sense?

My head hurts from trying to work out what I've done wrong...  

Let me try and explain my thinking. My previous increase round had 64 stitches (following my increasing every 3rd stitch) and the previous row to that (before the increase) had 48 stitches. So by that working it should go as follows:

Previous increase round - start with 48 stitches. 48 divided by 3 is 16. So I will add 16 new stitches to the row. 48 + 16 = 64.

So far so good, right?

But then 64 divided by 3 is 21.3, which doesn't work, hence my inability to finish the round. 

It seems to me that whatever number of stitches I end up with on an increase round must end with a stitch count that is divisible by both 3 and 4 to make it all tally up correctly. So where have I gone wrong? And how do I fix this? 

*Sigh* I feel like my head my explode if I think about this any further, so I'm throwing it out there... can anyone explain to me what I need to do to rectify this? I don't think it's as simple as just adding in a random stitch (or taking one out!) 

I can't wait to figure it out so that I can keep working on this blanket as it is looking really lovely, don't you think?

Nine Months Of... Crochet Update!

Wow... it's been far too long since I did a proper blog update on my challenge. The past couple of months have been pretty manic here at The Patch and so I know why it has been so long since I wrote an update, but it still feels sad that it has taken this long.

I have so much I want to show you. I have finished the Rainbow Ripple Blanket and will do a proper reveal of the finished product shortly. But here's a quick peak at the beautiful end result!

Photo taken on our king size bed to try and give an idea of overall size.

I have also started on my second baby blanket, a granny circle similar to the comfort blanket I made for Little Man during my pregnancy. It is working up so quickly and I am remembering why I love granny blankets so much. Ripple blankets, whilst beautiful, take so much more time to complete. Here's a little sneak peak.

I love the little burst of lilac which breaks up the pink every so many rows, don't you?

Both of these blankets have been made using the yarn donated by Black Sheep Wools and I am still so very grateful for their very generous donation. I have some odds and ends left over after completing the ripple blanket and am sure I shall have some bits left over after this second blanket is complete too. So I am keeping my eyes peeled for little projects like hats, bags etc which will use them up nicely. 

I do love a pile of crocheted goodness!

As the granny blanket is working up so much more quickly than the rainbow ripple, I have decided to try and make a third baby blanket in time for the auction in May too. With this in mind I have used the first of my donated gift cards on some gloriously bright cotton colours. Thank you to my anonymous donor, I cannot wait to share the yarn with you when it arrives!

Until then, why not leave me a comment letting me know what kind of small items you'd like to see in the auction. Are you a lover of hats, or would you like a new purse? Would you be more likely to buy for yourself or for a new baby? Help me make the most of my time and crochet the items you most want to see...

 

2013: The Year in Review

I can't quite believe it is New Year's Eve already. It feels like I blinked and the past 3 months disappeared somewhere. So much has happened in 2013 that it feels only right to do a proper review of the year, and the only way I know how to start this is to go back through my blog and see what I wrote about!

A couple of times this year I have come very close to giving up blogging. I just do not have the time to blog anymore. Working almost full-time, raising a toddler, and fighting a battle with the doctors for some answers to my husband's health issues takes up an awful lot of time and energy. But when I look back through the past year's post I remember just why I love blogging so much! I have a record of where we have been and that is so precious.

For me, blogging has changed though. It has almost come full circle in a way. When I began blogging way back in 2006 it was about keeping a journal. Gradually it developed into a way to build up a portfolio which led to freelance writing and some great connections. But since having Little Man I have struggled to decide which way to take my blog. But now that I have two jobs which I love (but which take up a huge amount of time) I have had to let go of the social media, connection side of blogging and simply keep it as a way of recording our lives together. And that is okay. It's just a bit strange to suddenly stop thinking about proactively making connections with people and just blog as and when I can.

My focus has changed as well... throughout the years I have blogged about various causes such as Endometriosis and Hyperemesis as my blog provided me with a platform to do this. But since I took this a step further and started working on the book about Hyperemesis and then began working for Pregnancy Sickness Support, my blog felt like the wrong place to do this. And I began to find I simply wanted to write more about crafts and the home than anything else. And as we begin 2014 with a search for a new home, this seems like quite an apt time to change the focus in this way.

But my blog has always been a real mixture of topics and this is clearly portrayed in the posts I have written throughout 2013. So let's have a look at some of the most memorable parts of this past year...

December 2012... leading in to 2013

It started with a post written just before 2012 ended... I wrote about how I felt 2013 was a year full of hope and new beginnings and it truly was. Throughout the year TJ changed careers, I found a co-author for my book, I began a second job, and TJ got a new job within the company he now works for. Little Man also changed childcare and it was the best move we ever made for him. So lots of new beginnings did indeed happen this past year. 

January 2013

Shortly after that I wrote a blog post about how I felt I had almost lost myself to the pain, fear and depression caused by several years of ill health. It began with a poem, "The Darkened Room" which I shared in this post.

Shortly after that I wrote a post about the government's More Great Childcare report. I wrote about my own thoughts on the matter, as a parent and as someone who had both worked in childcare and now had a child in childcare (whilst I worked for an Early Years Consultant and saw what best practise really could be like!) Throughout 2013 I have become more and more frustrated by the government's view on childcare and education and I dread to think what effect this is all going to have on our children and those whose passion for childcare and/or education is blighted by governmental policy!

February 2013

In February, our house was broken into whilst we slept. The burglars actually came upstairs and went into Little Man's room (where my sister was staying the night!) It was a stomach-churning discovery the following morning and it was the beginning of the end of us staying in the house we currently live in (because, hey, who expects to wait 10 months for a new front door that was promised to you by the landlord when the police told you your front door wasn't very secure?) Anyway, during that awful week of dealing with police visits and phone calls to the insurance company, I decided to try and find some joy by finding happiness in the little things.

Little Man's obsession with numbers began very early on. His first words spoken regularly and in context were 3, 4 and 5. I wrote about this way back in February last year. Now, aged 2, he can count to 100 in English (mostly on his own, but he gets stuck around the 60s and 70s), and to 10 in German. He has started actually writing numbers down with a pen and paper (which I find astonishing) and he loves trying to hold up the right number of fingers when we talk about how many cars he has. He also loves letters almost as much as his numbers and can recognise the words "cat", "dog" and "bed" when written down, as well as his own name and "mummy" and "daddy". When I wrote this post last year I thought maybe it was a phase... now I know he just loves numbers more than pretty much anything else!

Just before TJ started his new job and was still working shifts, I wrote about how hard I found balancing the things I had to do with the things I wanted to do. It took an evening of laying quietly in the dark, snuggled up to my baby boy to realise how precious these moments are and how much time there will be in the future for all the other things. This is something I have to remind myself of constantly, as I tend to take on far too many things and try to fit way too much into my life and want it all to be happening right now!

March 2013

One of the things that I decided to cut out following that post was Social Media. This was perhaps the turning point in which my blogging journey began to change. I decided that I would give up Social Media for lent and it was actually quite a freeing experience!

My next post was a real turning point and it seems that when I read it all back now I can see that the two posts I have previously spoken about were paving the way for me to take the time to stop and really listen to my heart and find out what was most important to me. Suddenly, I began to find acceptance in the decision to never have any more children and that could only have happened as a result of my slowing down and realising just what I had and that I didn't need to strive for more!

This led directly to my Thoughts on Mothers Day about how truly lucky we were to have been able to have our "one and only". 

This month I was also honoured to receive the "Very Inspiring Blogger Award" from the amazing Spewing Mummy (who is incidentally my new co-author on the book!) I hadn't seen one of these blogger to blogger awards for years and so it was really exciting to think about my favourite bloggers and pass it on to them too. 

April 2013

I then went on to Talk About One Child Families which led to some lovely discussions on Twitter (once Lent was over) and enabled me to create my page called "Just The One".  It felt so good to connect with others who have made this decision to have an only child and made my heart feel a little bit lighter to know that Little Man would be far from the exception as I had once thought he might be (it seems one child families are on the rise!)

I also looked back at the crochet blankets I had made (some taking years to complete!) as I began to realise how much I loved the simplicity of a granny blanket.

April also saw Real Nappy Week and so I wrote a post about our experience using Cloth Nappies with a Heavy Wetter. I wasn't going to include this in the review of the year but then I realised that as we are beginning to potty train Little Man it is a journey I would like to reflect upon right now.

Once the summer arrived, I realised how much of a Nature Baby we have in Little Man... this makes me so excited for our move to a new home and hopefully a better garden for him to play and explore in. 

May 2013

In May I organised a charity auction for Pregnancy Sickness Support.  So many wonderful handmade items were donated and you can see a selection of items in this post and this one. All in all we raised just over £300... I hope to maybe beat that this year!

When Hyperemesis Gravidarum Awareness Day finally arrived, I was moved to tears by the stories of others and it reminded me why I fight so hard to try and change the way women suffering from pregnancy sickness are treated. 

June 2013

June saw me really struggling with where I was going with my blog. I even wrote about my indecision over whether to continue blogging or not. 

I also wrote about how much I was struggling healthwise at that time.  Thankfully, though I am still struggling with my health, it has not deteriorated as I had feared at that time!

And then a fantastic weekend in London at BritMums Live reminded me why I love blogging (and the blogging community) so much and I decided to stick at it. Especially as I realised that other people not only thought it okay for me to share my heart and soul online but also told me they felt I should continue sharing as openly as I do! I even wrote about how inspired I was by others and how openly they shared their own thoughts and feelings.

This in turn led to sharing one of my favourite children's stories - The Adventures of Scamp. I wrote this year's ago for a friend and it felt good to finally share it properly somewhere.

And I ended the month with a "warts and all" visual show of how cluttered our house had become and my plans for creating more storage space. I never did share the end result, but as we are moving soon I may leave that until we get settled in our new home.

July 2013

Although July seems too early to think about Christmas, I had a plan for a Handmade Christmas which meant I needed several months to make presents. I didn't quite manage it as the Nine Months Of campaign took over my crafting time, but around half of the presents I gave this year were handmade. 

Talking of the Nine Months Of Campaign... July was the month I decided on a crochet challenge. I haven't blogged as many updates as I would have liked, but you can see those I have by clicking on this link. 

At the end of the month I was overwhelmed by the generosity of Black Sheep Wools for their donation of 30 balls of yarn and one of their customers who donated a £25 gift card! I am just starting my second baby blanket using the second half of the donated yarn and so I am looking forward to using the gift card to replenish my supply for a third baby blanket in the New Year!

August 2013

In August I began to refind my blogging feet and had huge plans to share updates on my crochet challenge. But a combination of helping to set up and run the campaign blog and then taking on a second job meant that whilst I continued my challenge I just didn't have the time to update like I wanted to. I hope to change this soon as I rebalance the demands on my time and actually take some photos of what I have been working on! 

But before the mani rush of new blogs and new jobs caught up with me, I did find time to reflect on the culture and traditions we were building for our little family. 

I also mused over the funny names Little Man chose for us - for a while I was known as "darling" rather than "mummy".

September 2013

September was Little Man's birthday month. We began by having our first go at baking together. Little Man was rather bemused by the whole thing!

I then realised I hadn't shared any photos of Little Man in a long time and so family and friends were wondering what we had been up to. So I did a Great Big Photo Dump!

Just before Little Man's birthday (and also just before my interview for my new job) a cyst on my head got infected and burst and I spent a month with an open wound on my head which got infected twice. It was not a good month and I had a bit of a pity party for myself!!

But we managed to complete Little Man's Woodland Themed Bedroom just in time for his birthday, and I was so pleased with it I had to share it on the blog.

I then wrote Little Man a Letter for his Birthday. I hope to turn this into a yearly tradition.

October 2013

I then went on an unplanned blogging break (which felt like much longer than a month!!) I was just completely overwhelmed by all that was happening at the time (as an indicator of how busy I was, the day I had my interview for the job at the end of September I had been to work in the morning, spent an hour getting home, had a quick lunch, had my interview via Skype, then had to rush out to have my wound repacked by the nurse, before rushing back to wrap Little Man's presents for his birthday the very next day!! And my days pretty much sped by that hectically for a good month or so.)

November 2013

One of the other demands on my time was trying to get some answers regarding TJ's rather scary symptoms. He'd been having pain in his arms for years which had already resulted in 2 career changes. Suddenly he was complaining of sensory disturbances and pain in his feet as well. I wrote about this in a blog post entitled "And Now We Wait" which seems pretty apt as we are STILL waiting! We return to the GP in January to discuss a referral to a neurologist... or at least that is the plan.

TJ's health issues also brought home to me how important our decision to remain a one child family was. And in response to a post by Spewing Mummy I decided to write about the positives of this decision.

One of those positives has to be that Little Man has me all to himself on my days off and so we can plan creative and fun activities that work around him, rather than having to fit around the needs of more than one child. One such activity was the handmade wrapping paper we made for Christmas, which I think may well become a family tradition for us!

December 2013

December came and I decided to share my Advent at the North Pole series of poems in a new way this year. As I know my time can be limited, I tried to create the images in advance, but I was struck down by a stomach bug which left me completely bed-ridden at times and which lasted a good 10 days before I began to feel even remotely human again. So I unfortunately had to shelve the idea. 

And before I knew it, it was Christmas. 

There is so much more I would love to write about but once again time is against me. But I hope in the New Year I can write about our potty training experiences, our search for a new home, my progress in my crochet challenge, and our plans for the future. 

I wish you all a very happy 2014 - although there will be many highs and lows, may the highs always sustain you through the lows!