12 Random things about me....................well I'm gonna try

1. My daughter is the apple of my eye, we have had two children, our first was a little boy who only lived for nine days, he would have been 22 this year. I suffered from pre-eclampsia at 7 months pregnant. I caught whooping cough at 24 and passed it onto our daughter who was only 3 weeks old. I then suffered post natal depression and don't remember the first 9 months of her life.
2. I am an accountant by trade but what you don't know is I failed Accountancy in first year of a Business Studies degree, met hubby and never went back. I tried again at 27
3. I have a super strong sense of fairness, however much it hurts I always own up if I have done something wrong and I will always stand up and speak if someone is being miss judged.
4. I allergic to wheat........................it makes me fat
5. I suffer with long term stress, the bears have been my life saver
6. I got married at 21 and am 10 months and 24 days older than my hubby, we have been married 23 years, this year
7. I have always been creative, I nearly did a knitwear degree but the Business Studies won. By the time I was 17 I was designing and making knitwear for the shop my mum worked in, back in the 80's
8. I love learning anything, from how wind farms work to how cars run. I am constantly researching anything and everythings
9. I am an eternal optimist, am very rarely down but I am married to a pessimist
10. I have been so poor at times I have struggled to feed us. I never have enough money to go round but have always just managed
11. At 21 I opened my own clothes shop and ran it for 2 years until tragedy hit
12. I love life and want to live forever

Gee that was hard, sorry its so dour but I have had a bit of sad life LOLOL

Our roof.....................!!!!

Our roof............................um, its needs replacing but now things have taken a different turn

Just before Christmas we noticed that the snow was still on the back of the roof and as the heat escaping had not melted it we wrong assumed that it was not too bad then !!!!!!! Little did we know.

Upon getting the Christmas decorations out of the loft, hubby shouted for me to come and see, I have to admit at this point I was not best pleased pre-christmas is a stressful packed time and me, heights and ladders DO NOT MIX. LOL

So up I go, head poking through the loft hatch, said in a terse voice "what!!!" 

What, indeed, I was greeted with a gap that ran the full length of the rear of the roof :O

Several months ago our neighbours were re-roofed and as they had smaller tiles on the rear we were no longer "married" to each other, I was assured at the time that it had been secured down and a gully had been placed between the roofs to catch any rain water.......................NO, their roof may have been secured but ours had been left with a 2-3 inch gap all the way down.

I took some piccies and am now awaiting their reply...................will keep you posted.

It made me think, though, if it hadn't been for the need for Christmas decorations, we might not have known for months, allowing the rain and wind to get into our roof space.

I have to say that I am not impressed with them

Here is a piccie, sorry for the focus but this is me with head just poking out of the hatch on wobbly feet and ladder, LOL

......................good isn't it
Beary Hugs
Sue xxx

Happy New Year

Well that is 2010 over, roll on 2011

I normally see out the old year with a retrospective, depressive look back.....................as is the way with optimists apparently LOL

This year I am surprisingly up beat, I have to say it is no small part down to my beary friends, both other artists and my collectors. Their support has been invaluable to me and I thank them from the bottom of my heart.

It has an up and down year, not great big troughs but there certainly has been some high peaks along the way, coming 3rd in the miniature category of The National Teddy Bear awards and being nominated in the The British Bear Artist Awards, as well as having a half page picture in The Teddy Bear Times.

The low point has to be the holiday in Moffat, the place was fine but hubby was not!!! Men. It did teach me a lesson, though.........................let him choose the holiday location!!!! LOL

I am not into new year resolutions but this year I have decided to go for it, so here is my list.....

1. Save for Christmas, £10 per week.............that should cover it
2. Get Morrisons saving stamps every week, boy was that Christmas shop expensive!
3. Stick to my food budget, no matter how appealing my hubby looks, when holding a rhubarb crumble
4. Save all excess monies above the budget! Oh this one will be a toughie
5. Learn to make bear clothes, real fancy ones
6. Go back to my diet.............obviously all thorntons must be eaten first
So by next Christmas I will be calm, slim and wealthy..................................miracles do happen you know, LOLOL

I have just managed to pack a few last bears into last year too, both of them pressies, one for mum and one for my daughter. Hubby is now complaining that he wants a bear but it will be awhile as he wants a natural bear!!!!!

Here is my mums bear, whom she named Archie

 

and here is my daughters bear...........Scarlet

So have a great start to 2011 and I hope this year brings you all that you want

Beary Hugs

Sue xxx