The lord moves in mysterious ways...

That's what my friend Jenny would have said if she'd been with me today.  I nipped into work to attend what I thought was a talk on leadership skills, and how to better supervise when I'm on shift.

Turns out I've been signed up to a nationally recognised qualification in leadership and management of people.  In a nutshell, that basically means that after four years of 'acting' like a senior carer I finally get a piece of paper to prove it!

I need to do more research into what I actually gain from the end of the course, but my long term hope is to be able to have the confidence to find a position where I can use my skills that I've gained to full advantage and be paid accordingly!!
Mr A says 'this is telford, wages are always going to be crap'.  He does have a point, but there's nothing to stop me using what I gain to my full advantage.
At the end of the day, as much as I enjoy what I do, my loyalty must be to myself and what I want, and where my life is going.  If that sounds selfish, so be it.  Bottom line, a job is a job, it puts food on our table, a roof over our heads and gives me money to spend (pay credit card bill).

I've had a pretty good day today, managed to get a good two hours stitching in this morning, so go me!  Mr A's dad bought me The Tudors season 4 for my birthday so have been watching that...Katherine Parr is a very silly little girl!!  Although then again, I might consider someone younger and more handsome if I was married to an old man, and I was only seventeen!

I hope that Mr A and I are together until we are both old and grey, although by the way my joints and back have been recently I think I'm on my way there already!!

Here's a progress pic for today!!
I'm really pleased with how the well is turning out, especially as it can be quite tricky in places, and I keep getting a visit from Kermit!!

My present arrived!!

Well, my Dsi arrived in the post yesterday.  I had to wait three hours for it to be fully charged so I could use it, so I decided to busy myself with the housework!!  Since then, I've been on it almost non-stop, apart from earlier today when the battery almost died, and I spent an hour and a half on my stitching, which is more than I got done yesterday.

I really want to get myself a daylight bulb, then I can stitch in the evenings also.
Tomorrow I'm going to have a really good bash at it, in between trying to 're tame' one of my rats, I have two, Leonard and Sheldon, and they were never that tame to begin with (I got them as rescues from a lady who couldn't keep them anymore) but sheldon is acting dead weird, he was never best pleased about being handled, but now he's almost anti-human!  He's not biting, just squeaking and running away.

Cue several hours this evening trying to coax him back into the cage, he's made himself a hideout under the dining table, and I don't think it's cos he likes to sit there, he KNOWS that if he goes there no one can get to him.

So tomorrow I'm going to just open the top of the cage and start again with gentle fussings and treats, rather than let them both have the run of the room and see how things go...I really, really wish I'd got tiny babies to start though, these two are hard work!!

Mr A has got two grown ups and two babies, they are all very sweet, and I just wish mine could be like that.  They just don't seem to have much of a personality at the moment, nor do I think they ever will, being as they are at least a year old already.  I am in two minds as to whether I will ever have any more, they are very time consuming and I work very weird hours.  If I worked a standard week it wouldn't be a problem, but I'm all over the place, three or four nights out of seven I'm not even home!!

Which leads me to my other gripe for this evening.  I'm not sure I'm happy doing what I'm doing atm career wise.  But after a quick scout on the net, it would seem I'm stuck for the moment!!
I never thought it would happen, but since Mr A moved in, my priorities have changed.  I'm almost at the end of two weeks holiday, I've spent most of it stitching, doing housework, laundry and cooking meals, and I've enjoyed every minute of it!
Right now, I'd be quite happy to find a regular 9-5 or school hours job so I can be home every night. 
About eighteen months ago I went to see a careers advisor through my local job centre, and he put me on the right track, and that led me to where I am now.  I've really enjoyed the last twelve months or so, but I can't help thinking that I'd like to try something other than looking after people, something I've done for almost nine years.  Only trouble is, I don't know what I'd like to do!!

There, vent over!! Tomorrow, I am going to try and do some more stitching, and post a progress pic as well.

more progress

I've had a really good day stitching today, I've managed to get absolutely loads done, and that's even accounting for a visit from Mr Froggy!!  I don't know what it is, but he seems to like me a lot lately.  Now and again I wonder if I've taken on an ambitious piece being as I haven't cross stitched for AGES, but my friend was right, I haven't forgotten how, so best to just go for it!

Here's the latest pic taken today

I am sooo pleased with how this is turning out.  The dark brick work for the bottom of the well can sometimes be a bit tricky and I have to make sure I pay attention while I'm doing it, but I'm really looking forward to filling the other colours in round it and giving it some depth.  I've decided to leave Ed Hedgehog until almost last (well, his head anyway) because it involves a technique called tweeding, and that's something I've never done before, so I'm a little bit nervous about it.

I am eagerly awaiting the postman!!  Hopefully tomorrow morning he will be delivering my Dsi XL!! Mr A wants to go to Shrewsbury tomorrow to pick up a new phone, I've told him we aren't going anywhere until I've seen the postman with my parcel, I do not want to have to wait a minute longer than I have to!

Who else watched Eurovision last night?  That was the first time I'd actually sat and watched it, I usually try to avoid it as a lot of nonsense, and it always seems to fall on or around my birthday.  Last night I got roped into voting by Mr A and his dad, I voted for Georgia because they were cool and rocky!!

I think it's a shame they didn't win though, because they were something a bit different.  Okay, so the voices weren't fab, but they had lots of energy!!

One year older...

I wanted to make a post on my birthday, but Blogger wasn't working!! >.<
I had an awesome day yesterday, got lots of cards and presents, and was treated by Mr. A to an afternoon shopping in Shrewsbury.

Decided to spoil myself a little bit as well and finally bought myself a Nintendo Dsi XL, I've been after one of those for AGES so I thought 'why not?'  It's in the post and should be here Monday!
Then I went out in the evening for a few drinks, and I know I drank too much cos I felt ill this morning!  I didn't get a very good night's sleep last night anyway!
Off out again tonight, but it's coke and ice only tonight.  One thing I've noticed over the last couple of years, I can't go out drinking one night after another, I have to have a gap in between.  My liver doesn't like it!
Needless to say I was so busy yesterday I didn't get any stitching done, have done a bit more today, not got round to taking a pic yet, I've set myself to finish a section before I do that.

Mr A isn't very happy, Stoke lost the FA cup final, he says that Man City are cheats because they buy all the best players in order to win.
I don't know much about football, but I would've thought that was the whole point?

progress...

Well, here's a little pic of what I've done so far since my last post.

It's not bad considering I was on a training course for most of Monday, and have had a bad back since then, it's made it quite difficult to stitch sometimes.  Thankfully popping a couple of anadin and getting some of those heat packs you stick on your skin seem to have worked wonders, I don't feel quite so much like the Tin Man as I did this morning!!
One thing I didn't realise when I began stitching this piece was how many light colours there were and how close the shades are.  This can make it awkward when it's a soap night and I want to stitch in front of the television but can't tell which colour is which!! I would love to invest in a daylight lamp but they are very expensive!! for now I've pinched a lamp from the bedroom and I'm using that with the shade off, it's better than nothing!!
Had to nip in to work today for a training session, when I got there I realised that I wasn't even put down on it, on account of me being on holiday, but decided to sit in anyway cos it was useful, so that was three hours stitching lost.
I'm intending to have a good stab at it tomorrow, I seem to have spent the last few days here there and everywhere!!  Haven't quite found the brakes yet I don't think.

Making a beginning!!

Well, I finally managed to get my cross stitch package.  Had to traipse up to the sorting office in the rain yesterday but it was worth it.  After spending time sorting threads onto bobbins etc I finally managed to get going!

To follow are pics of the chart I'm working from, and progress so far.

Not bad considering I've only been going two days and only managed about an hour or so yesterday.

My OH and I went to a lovely barbecue at his dad's house, yummy food, plenty to drink and good company!  I thoroughly enjoyed myself although I was pretty tired when I got home, think the long shift I'd done the day before might have had something to do with it!
I feel like I have jet lag today.  I was awake at 5.30 this morning, so I decided to get up and catch up on my television, and do a bit of stitching.  Then I got to half eight and had to go back to bed for an hour lol.

More pics to follow as picture comes to life!

Hello!

Well, I decided to start another blog!  Hopefully I can keep up with this one.
I have just recently decided to take up cross stitching again, I was inspired by my friend Jenny who is working on the biggest birth sampler I have ever seen!

I used to do quite a lot of it, and then life got in the way, to the point that all my old hobbies have been put on the backburner lately, leaving me feeling as if I have no time for myself.
So, with that in mind, I dug out an old cross stitching magazine, found a design, and have ordered threads, fabric and a workbox to get myself started!!
I have two weeks holiday coming up, so I fully intend to relax with my stitching and some good television!