a throw blanket, book review and another mug shot

YAY! i finished the ripple design blanket throw that i started for mikayla in february.

i think i did well on time considering it's size.
here it is laid out on my queen size bed.

i just need to weave in all the tied off ends now

this is a knitted bedspread my mum finished off in recent months for their spare room. i actually knitted those leaf motifs over 30 years ago when i had planned to knit myself a bedspread. i changed my mind about the colour so passed it onto mum and, over the past year, she took up the challenge to finish it.

 this is my mum's own unique style of bedspread which came about when she started to crochet the light green centre for something else but found that crochet caused her hands to hurt from the rheumatoid arthritis so she decided to use the piece for the bedspread centre.   the rest of the bedspread is knitted apart from the light green border. quite effective, isn't it?

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 WEEK 15 in my 52 WEEKS OF ME challenge

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i just finished reading 'The Beach House' by Mary Alice Monroe.
i'm not really one for romance novels any more but i did find this one to be an enjoyable and interesting read.  the beach setting was the main reason i bought the book.  i particularly loved reading about the loggerhead turtles which are intricately woven into the plot.

Cara Rutledge, a strong, independent woman receives a letter from her mother beckoning her to come home for the summer so they can spend some quality time together at the family beach house and perhaps rekindle their bond as mother and daughter.  The choice is made easier given that Cara has just lost her job and boyfriend but, in heading home, Cara knows she will have to face the demons of her past.  In reconnecting with her mother, Cara learns that true love involves sacrifice, family is forever and that mistakes of the past can be forgiven.

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i haven't been online much at all this past week due to family medical issues and the odd migraine thrown into the mix. i now have a few medical tests lined up myself for different things....hopefully, the news will be all good.

we've had some light drizzle this morning so that puts off my plans to mow the lawn. i might try and get some sketching done instead. 

what are your plans?

~ love, light and peace ~

self portrait and treats

oooooooops, i did it again!

yesterday, in the spur of the moment, i decided to hack/cut my hair!
i chose to make it my self-portrait for week 14 in my personal 52 weeks of me challenge.

i'd been feeling like a change for about a month now as my hair was getting to a length that made me feel a little frumpy.  michelle was talking about cutting her hair when she visited on friday and i think it rekindled the desire to just go ahead and DO it!   the back was a little tricky but i managed it okay and i coaxed aaron into trimming away any uneven stragglers at the back.  yes, i'm trusting, aren't i?  he's only 12!  what can i say...when my mind is set on something, i tend to throw caution to the wind.

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aaron and i had to get blood tests on friday and, afterwards, we had a treat at 'muffin break'.

a boysenberry muffin and a hot chocolate for aaron

a cappuccino and a warmed scone with jam and whipped cream for me

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judging by the pic below, me thinks i need to get out more often

cobwebs on my car's side-view mirror! 

perhaps i have a shy passenger hiding behind the mirror?

 ~ i hope you've all been enjoying a lovely weekend ~

love, light and peace

blue star, narnia, mikayla and another self-portrait

another busy week has passed so time to post again before readers start to wonder where i've disappeared to.  i've had bouts of feeling sick again...more likely due to menopause.  headaches/migraines, backache, painful hands and feet have become a normal part of my life.  this growing old gracefully thing can sure suck at times. anywhoo....

recently, aaron and i were browsing a local LOOT homeware shop when i spotted and fell in love with a blue star, tealight holder.  it's glass windows are held together with black metal....quite bohemian.  i just HAD to have it and, as luck would have it, they had it marked down in price. YAY!

the glass windows have a design moulded into them giving a very pretty effect

pencil free sketch using ink pen and watercolours in A5 sketchbook

we watched the latest movie from the narnia series on the weekend and, in one part of the movie, they were looking for a blue star....what a coincidence.   i sketched the 'dawn treader' using only ink pen and watercolour.  while my pen sketches are not perfect by any means,  i do like the loose effect i get with using pen instead of pencil. it can be quite a challenge too. i use a .005 pen to lightly mark out the subject and then i move onto a .03, .05 and sometimes an .08 to strengthen lines to varying degrees.

pencil free sketch using ink pen and watercolours in A5 sketchbook

a week or so back, michelle (my daughter) took some lovely photos of mikayla (my granddaughter)....she is SO darned cute!! i played about a little with one of the pics in corel paintshop photo pro. mikayla looks like a beautiful, living doll with those sparkling eyes, don't you think?

if you'd like to learn how to get sparkling eyes in photos using corel paintshop photo pro, HERE is the link to the wonderful tutorial i used.

....and here is my week 13 photo for the 52 weeks of me challenge

aaron helped me change my room around on saturday so it now looks different to what you see in the above pic.  i packed away my TV, DVD and VCR players as i can't even remember the last time i used them in my room.  i prefer to read in bed rather than watch telly.  so, with them packed away and moving other things about, my bedroom feels so much more spacious now. I LOVE IT!!!

so that's about it for now.  i've been trying to visit blogs when i can manage time at the computer as i love seeing what you are all up to.  so, if you haven't already had a visit from me yet, expect one very soon so pop the kettle on.

have a fabulous week!!

~ love, light and peace ~