As we head into not only a new year but a new decade I hope that it will be everything we dream of.
December is always such a strange month for me emotionally, it’s full of hope, Christmas spirit, sadness and longing.
Last month I wrote about what Christmas means to me and why I love it so. What I didn’t tell you is all the while my heart aches constantly for my darling Father. My mind is filled with the horrific memories of his accident which happened on the 4th December all those years ago.
The one and only year I didn’t get to spend Christmas with my Mum and sister Kerry. The year we waited not so patiently for the phone to ring while in the same breath dreading that ring and the news that followed.
December is riddled with memories like these, a Christmas Day without either parent and although my Auntie Jan did her upmost to make our day as magical as it could possibly be, our hearts and souls were with our hero, our Dad lying in that Saudi hospital with mum and Kerry by his side. Guilt engulfed me at the horrors they saw and that I couldn’t be with them, holding their hands,us all supporting each other at the worst time of our lives.
The “what ifs” play havoc at this time of year also. What If Dad was here, What if Dad had got the meet his Grandsons? What If, Dad had got to give me away, what if, what if, what if!!!! 🤔
We had such a lovely Christmas spent with family.
Christmas Day with Marks gorgeous family at my Sister in-laws Sarah and George’s home.
Christmas dinner was top of the class, the roast potatoes were what my dreams are made of and the gravy was mouthwatering delicious.
The company was wonderful and for the first time EVER I actually won a game, Go me.
Truth be told I did team up with our Rache. (Marks sister)
Thank you Sarah and George for a truly rememberable day. ❤️

Boxing did is probably my favourite of the two magical day, it’s more relaxed and you get to eat bubble and squeak, shame about the wind storm that follows, cheers Mark and Smithy.🤢😷🤮
We spend Boxing Day with my family and my beautiful Sister Kerry’s and Smithy home.
We always give tree presents after our Boxing Day meal, these have a £5 limit and are meant to be something fun but normally end up being something that we want to treat our family to as we don’t gift Christmas presents to every person, only the person who’s name we pull out of a hat.
Even though it wasn’t my turn to give my wonderful Mum a present, I was a tad naughty (sorry Kerry, I feel so guilty) and finally got to gift my “Nuts About Dna Afghan” to my Mum.
Boxing Day was as always a wonderful day, surrounded by my nearest and dearest. (We missed you H and Ben)
We ate too much, laughed until our tummies hurt and played games, the main one being who could leave the room the quickest when the Marks mainly my Mark farted. 💨

⛺️Before Christmas, Mark and I managed to get away for a night Glemkin at, Oak Apple Lodge Safari Tent , for a much needed break from the manic buildup to Christmas.
It was just what we both needed and it’s always such a pleasure to spend the night in the glorious bed in a tent, in a field below a starlit sky.
It was blowing a gale, hammering with rain and there wasn’t anywhere else we would have rather been.
Laying in bed listening to the wind howl around us was pretty damn awesome, so very relaxing.
To find out more about Oak Apple Lodge Safari Tent, click here.

📖For a while now I have been listening to audiobooks while I crochet, this month I listened to “Ask me his name” by Elle Wight.
Omg, I was in floods of tears. Her heart wrenching book touched me on so many levels. Even though Elle telling her first born Son Teddy’s story, is absolutely heartbreaking I highly recommend it.
I learnt so much from her humble honest words. The strength it must have taken her to write it let alone record Teddy’s story. I take my hat off to her.

I have been following Elle for a few years now on Instagram. I initially started following her because of my love for interior design. Her home is absolutely stunning. It soon dawned on me that she isn’t just the owner of an exceptional home but a mother of Teddy who is trying to move forward by giving her firstborn son a baby brother or sister.
Her journey has not been an easy one, far from it and I whole heartily pray that she will one day very soon bring a baby home.
Elles fertility journey brought back so many memories of feelings and struggles that Mark and I went through while on our own 3 year journey of treatment. We were lucky and I fell pregnant on our very last attempt.
We know how extremely lucky we are to have two healthy boys after being told at 16 years old that I would Never have children.
Elles book is a must read or listen, not only for people who haven’t got to take their baby home, because of miscarriage, still birth or any other reasons, but for everyone out there so people can begin to truly understand what it is like for a mother and a father who have lost their baby, to understand why you should speak their names and for them not to become the dark secret society seems to want them to be.
You can buy Elles book “Ask me his name” on Amazon here, while you are there, buy yourself a box of tissues because you will need them, trust me.

You can also donate to Teddy’s legacy here, which is Fundraising for Ashford & St Peter’s Charitable Trust – Little Roo Neonatal Fund.

🥂In other news Mark and I have only gone and booked our wedding vow renewal. Im so excited.🥂

We will be renewing our vows next year on Christmas Eve, by candlelight, at our Local Church, a church that means so much to me.
Not only did our boys get Baptised there, my in-laws Janet and Roger married there but also throughout Marks and my family history, our ancestors have celebrated marriages and lives in this pretty village church.
Our ancestors are buried in the grounds. There is so much family history there, it’s just the most perfect place to re take our vows.
Let’s hope for a light covering of snow, not enough to stop our nearest and dearest joining us but just enough to make our day even more magical.
Now to decide if we write our own vows or renew our original ones.
Times have changed as have we, so I’m thinking it maybe perfect to write our own.
Hopefully this time round we won’t laugh the whole time as we did at our wedding.

We have had a handful of invites printed for our immediate family which we gifted on Christmas Day. (If you haven’t received yours yet, hang fire, they are on there way.)
Mum did something a little special with the handful I gave her which really touched my heart.

🧐Family History.
I’m the first to admit I’ve been rather slack at research this year but I’m determined to get back to it and try my hardest to solve the mysteries that have so far been unsolvable so watch this space in 2020.

🧶Crochet.
Crochet consumed most of my December.
I made my Nan a shawl for her Christmas presents which I gifted with an Celtic Irish shawl pin.☘️
I used the pattern called “Victoria Shawl by Sandra Paul.
Sadly I ran out of yarn, time and Christmas money to complete the whole border/edging but I love it anyway. Nan loved it and that’s all that matters at the end of the day.

After finishing the shawl, I got it in my head that I was going to finish the Nuts About DNA Afghan and gift it to Mum for Christmas.
I must have been crazy as I still had all my pressies to wrap and so much to do but still I gave it my best shot, let my housework slide and worked my butt off until it was done.
I was stressed out, totally stressed out, sorry Mark, Con and Cal.
But I did it, I got there with two days to spare.

I still had a few squares to make. They were

Serenity by Diana Krenz, which you can read about here.

Hera Afghan Square by Diana Krenz, which you can read about here.

Starflower Afghan Square by Diana Krenz, which you can read about here.

Gwendolyn by Polly Plum, which you can read about here.

Athene Afghan Square by Diana Krenz.

“It’s not a Daffodil” by Diana Krenz.

Elizabeth Rose Afghan Square by Julie Yeager.

And the final square was, Susana Afghan Square by Julie Yeager.

I wasn’t happy with one of the squares that I had made and joined months ago, In Treble Afghan Square by Julie Yeager.
So I frogged the joining and then frogged until only the Corundum Ruby reminded.

I made round 6 and 7 in Moon Stone as the pattern stated.
Round 8 I continued in Moon Stone but made dc in the third loop and then an extra round of Sc in the back loop increasing by one stitched, with 2sc, Chain 2, 2sc in the corners.
I then made another extra round in Garnet making hdcs in each backloop stitch with 2hdc, Chain 2, 2hdc in the corners.

With all squares made I set about the mammoth task of joining them all. Thankfully I had already started joining in previous months or I would not of got in done in time.
The joining took a good two weeks or more, not helped by my cats wanting to claim it for themselves but I got there.

With a few days left to spare I stitched up a simple border, weaved in the trillions of ends that I was too lazy to do at completion of squares, I will never learn. Thank goddess I had done at least two thirds of them.
On Christmas Eve, it was finally finished, boxed up and wrapped.

After Christmas I managed to get the last 10 large triangles made for my FIESTA CAL by Tinna Thórudóttir Thorvaldsdóttir.
The joining and edging is going to have to wait just a little longer as our Christmas tree blocking the cupboard that is safely storing the octagons.

With time on my side and my two of my three wips unreachable, I’ve been working on my Havana Afghan CAL by Tinna Thórudóttir Thorvaldsdóttir.

✂️Crafts
You may have read that back in the autumn I made some pumpkins, which you can read about here.
My Mum and Sister Kerry, had asked if I would make them some for their Christmas trees.
So on Christmas Eve, my hubby Mark and I sat down and made a few.
They turned out rather sweet but more importantly I got to spend time with my hubby crafting, something I thought would never happen.
I couldn’t be more thankful to him as without his help I don’t think I would have got them done in time. Thank you Mark, you really don’t know how much it means to me. Loves ya ❤️

All in all December has been full on. With highs and lows, memories made and lots and lots of hard graft.
Let’s see what January 2020 will bring.
Lastly I thank you all for taking the time to visit my blog, for the support on Instagram and to wish you a
Happy New Year and decade.

May 2020 be the year that dreams come true and hearts are full.

Too-da-loo.

🥂🍾🥂