For we all like a figgy pudding ...

I'm running late again and this week I'm going to blame it on the Christmas pudding.  When I was a child, Mum used to make our Christmas pudding.  I can remember them hanging up in the cupboard under the stairs.  Then as I grew older, we moved to shop bought puddings.  But Grandma's failing health brought us back into contact with one of my Mum's cousins, whose wife now makes us the most delicious Christmas pudding as our present.  Yesterday they drove up from the South to bring us our pudding, to have family Sunday lunch and tea, and then drive all the way home again - so big hugs to them.  Having family coming meant that all the Sunday jobs had to be rescheduled - grocery shopping, laundry and blogging.  So here I am on a Monday night.

Having family coming also meant less stitching this weekend, so I have no Guardian Angels to show you.

 However I did make good progress on April.  This photo shows all the cross stitching done on the right hand side of the bottom of this piece and the beginnings of the back stitching going back towards the middle.  And the back stitch is making it pop.  If I can only get the base line to run straight when it's finished, I'll be really happy!

Family coming to visit also meant that I didn't get an awful lot done on Train of Dreams.  I managed one whole block and a couple of rows of the next block, but any progress is better than no progress at all.

On the stash front, I've paid the lady at No More Lost Needles for my needle minders and now just have to wait for them to arrive in the post.  And today Heaven and Earth Designs are having a 50% off sale and I have succumbed. 

This is Aimee Stewart's Treasure Hunt Bookshelf - isn't it just gorgeous?  There just aren't enough hours in the day to do all the pieces that I want to do.  I really need to win the Lottery, retire and stitch!

In other news, I put on 0.5lb last week.  I'm not kicking myself about it.  I had to do a spot of emergency babysitting which led to a visit to the chip shop, and I also went out for a meal with friends that I haven't seen for many months.  Having the family to visit has probably put the mockers on this week, but I'm hanging on in there.  

I would like to get the back stitching done on April to the point where I can start cross stitching the other side, but we have more family visiting mid-week, so this is a wish rather than a plan.  Right, late night last night so need to get to bed on time tonight, so I will love you and leave you, wishing you and yours all the very best and may the frog steer clear of your stitching!