Sew and so

Just to let you know that sewandso.co.uk is having a competition where you can win your order if it's over £20.  In other words it would be free.  Here's the link Sew and So facebook page.

Thank you for the positive comments on yesterdays post and for sharing your experiences.  It is a hard time of year for us as Rachael was diagnosed on the 22nd November so it is coming up to her 7th anniversary.  Jo was quite right yesterday. Asking if there is a family history is not necessarily a silly/stupid question.  There is a genetic link.  If you have a parent with type 1 there is between 1 in 100 to 1 in 10 chance of getting it.  This depends on who has it and apparently how old they were when it developed.  There is a higher risk if it is the father who has it than the mother.  Siblings are about 1 in 10 too.  There is also thought to be an environmental factor at work to though and 26 research studies currently point to the possibility of  it being an enterovirus as it has been found that children with diabetes are up to 10 times more likely to have had this than children without diabetes.

My comment about assuming there is a family history in our family is due to the fact that I am overweight, a lot overweight and prejudice seems to be that people assume that Rachael has diabetes because of this and that Colin and I therefore must also have diabetes.

Please accept my apologies for any offence caused by that comment.  None was intended but it is an amazingly common perception.

Stitching has been good this week.  Part 5 of ATW has been done.  I have chosen something for Nicola's giveaway win which I really hope she will love.  I'm NOT going to share it here yet though!!!!  I am working on a RR too and a Christmas ornie for an exchange.

I am having horrible problems with the camera and can't get any photos to upload to the computer.  I think it may be a dodgy connection with the USB lead.  I know there is another one in Rachael's room but I don't want to disturb her by going looking for it.

Luke had his parents evening tonight and it was wonderful.  Almost every teacher used the word fantastic about him and the 'negative' comments if you could call them that were that he needs to speak up a bit more in class and needs to believe in himself more.  We have always told him that he is bright and brainy but he doesn't believe us.  Hopefully he will believe it now lots of other people have told him.

Right...got to go...it's time for Question Time!!!

World Diabetes Day

Today is World Diabetes Day.  It is also the birthday of Banting who discovered insulin could keep people with diabetes alive.  Insulin is not a cure, it is as necessary to Rachael as breathing.  One day, hopefully, there will be a cure - a real cure that means people with diabetes don't have to put up with finger pricks, injections, feeling rubbish because blood sugars are too high or too low, discrimination and the stupid questions.

• Type 1 diabetes is NOT caused by too much sugar.
• Type 1 diabetes is NOT caused by being overweight.
• Type 1 diabetes is NOT caused by lack of exercise.
• Type 1 diabetes IS an auto immune condition.  The pancreas stops working - or at least the bit that regulates insulin.

Over the years we have had some right daft comments/questions.  Answers (or thoughts!) have included:

• No, she will not grow out of it.
• No, it's not the bad/serious kind - all diabetes is serious/bad.
• Yes, she will need injections every day for the rest of her life - unless we find a cure.
• Of course you could could give injections if you had to, the alternative is to let your child die.
• No there is no family history. Why? Does yours have a history of stupidity?

So I would ask in these days of recession/double dip/austerity or whatever we are in today that if you can spend £$5.00 on a sandwich and a coffee on your way to work, can you please spare £$5.00 for JDRF to find a cure.  One day they will and it may be your child, grandchild or great grandchild that benefits from it.

OK rant over...normal service will be resumed tomorrow!!

And the winner is...

The names were put into a hat...well actually a bowl and the husband decreed that

Nicola

is the winner of the giveaway.  Congratulations Nicola, could you send me your address please?

Thank you to everyone who entered and for the support you ALL give me!!

(Edited to put the link in that I thought I had to start with...sorry!)

Luke

Luke was really pleased to the response to his post yesterday.  He was most particular about his spelling but forgot to make sure it all made sense!!  Never mind, I am sure you can get what he meant.  We were very lucky in that Luke sorted tea out tonight too.  He was making pizza in food tech at school today.  Well when I say making, what I mean is he was decorating a pizza base.  Honestly standards have really fallen since I was at school, we would have had to make the base from scratch.  Anyway it was delicious.

No stitching tonight and no photos yet either.  I had the children and parents meeting for the Sacramental Programme tonight and by the time I got back was too tired to start stitching or taking photos.  All I have managed to do is flop on the sofa....sorry!

Poor Rachael is absolutely full of a cold, really quite poorly.  She is such a trooper though and refuses to stay off school.  This time next week there probably won't be anyone in school as she will have given it to everyone else!!I keep telling her to stay off but she loves school.  Doesn't she realise that I would like a day off?  Selfish child...lol.

Recipe for leek and potato soup

Hi I am Luke and I am doing a guest post to tell you the recipe for leek and potato soup,

Ingredients
1 leek, 2 small onions, 2 small potatoes, 2 vegetable stock cubes, 3 table spoons of corn flower and salt and pepper.

Method
1. First cut your leek up to the leaf at the top, this way you will get more flavour out of the leek and put it into a large source pan,
2. Next peel your 2 onions and cut it into a comfortable size to eat and put it into the pan with the leeks,
3. Now peel the 2 potatoes, then chop them into almost cube shapes, then put it into the pan with the leeks and onions,
4. Now put cold water into the same pan just so it fills the top of the vegetables, then mix it all together,
5. Next put the pan onto a hob then put the temperature of a medium heat so that it simmers,
6. After 5 minutes add your 2 veg stock cubes and mix it together, this is to make the mixture more thick,
7. Next put the corn flower into the large pan then followed by a pinch of salt and a small sprinkling of pepper to add more flavour,
8. After mixing it again let the soup simmer for another 15 minutes,
9. If you're fussy ( like my mum) then you can always blend it to give it a creamy texture,
10. Finally serve it to the family with some crusty bread.
P.S. This above serves 4 people.

Guess the season?

These are photos of plants in my garden taken a couple of days ago.  Now guess what season it is...

So first up we have an autumn flowering crocus - flowering period late October/November.

Then we have a fuchsia - flowering period late June/July/August/early September so long as you keep on top of the dead heading.

A different fuchsia - flowering period July/August/September

Hollyhock - flowering period July/August

Hydrangea - flowering period late June through to mid September if nice weather.

My favourite bi-colour rose - flowering period June with a second period in September if nice weather for a few weeks.

And finally...a spring crocus - flowering period late January/February if the weather is right.

Seriously what on earth is going on?  It's November for crying out loud!!  These poor plants don't know if they are coming or going.

Today I chose to stitch on Cinderella but haven't made a lot of progress.   I will take some photos of this week's stitching tomorrow to show you.

Shirlee asked if I would post the recipe for Luke's soup.  I have asked Luke if he will do a blog post for me with the recipe so standby for that.  He isn't the world's best speller but as it's his post I won't correct his spelling for him so bear with it!!

The kids have been cooking

I now know that my 2 children will never starve to death from not being able to cook.  Luke has been making leek and potato soup at school and as we all liked it so much, he wanted to do it again.  So I gave him the ingredients and off he went.  He did everything himself apart from light the hob.  This is the finished result.  Luke, Rachael and Colin all like it chunky, whereas I'm a fussy mare and ran mine through the blender. I will have to post the photos tomorrow as they are on the other laptop which Colin is on at the moment.  (edited to add photos)

I haven't had a chance to stitch tonight as it was swimming club for the kids.  They had a really good time but as it's the first week of term, I'm shattered and could feel my eyes getting droopy at one point. Another early night needed I think!


Don't forget to enter the giveaway!!

Just a quickie

It's getting late and I need my bed!  Tonight I have stitched.  I checked my rotation and today's the day for LK 6 Fat Men so that is what I did.  I started on stitching the 3rd border which is the one for Snowed In.  I love the colours in these designs.

OK...that's it..I'm shattered and off to bed!  Goodnight all...sleep tight x x

Brilliant day at work today

Every year cbeebies do a panto to be shown at Christmas.  This year our school bid for tickets and luckily got some. I got to go!!!!!  It was filmed and had some of the stars for cbeebies.  Sadly I only knew 2 of them - Justin who plays Mr Tumble and BERNARD CRIBBINS.  Think I was more excited than the kids!!!

Jo announced the Christmas Blog Hop today and a logistical nightmare of a giveaway so get yourself over to serendipitous stitching to sign up for either of them!

No stitchy news tonight.  I haven't stitched for 3 nights on the trot now...shock horror!

Cats, Tryllacraft and Canada post

First off I want to say a bit thank you to everyone who comments.  I don't always get round to replying, which I am sorry for but sometimes I write a reply and then realise the address is noreply.  So if you are a no reply blogger, I am sorry that I can't respond to you.

I haven't done any stitching the last couple of days...that's a great start to my rotation isn't it?  Still never mind, the WIP's will still be there tomorrow :)

Below is a a photo of our 2 cats (Biskey is on the left, Smudge is on the right).  I think Colin was cooking something that they were desperately hoping was going to fall on the floor!  Sadly it didn't - well sadly for them anyway!!

Adrienne over at Tryllacraft was offering some of her WIP's that she was no longer in love with to a new home and I was fortunate that she let me provide a new home for 2 of them.  Both of them are Mill Hill kits and are lovely.  Adrienne also included all the threads etc and even a few skeins of DMC variegated for me. I absolutely love the red in particular.  Thank you Adrienne for your generosity.

What's really amazing though is that Adrienne posted them on 29th October and I received them on 2nd November...from Canada...to UK.  That's amazing!  Royal Mail are lucky if they can deliver a second class letter inland in that time.

Don't forget there is a giveaway a couple of posts previously.  Please leave a comment and be entered for it. On the subject of the giveaway, the votes on the poll have all mysteriously turned up again.  Very strange!!!