Lucky Girl

I'm not usually one for Valentine's Day but today's treat came exactly at the right time. I have been nursing a cold all weekend, but today it got nasty. I was really feeling under the weather and couldn't even make it to lecture, which is not like me at all. I was curled up in bed, box of tissues in one hand, hot water bottle in the other when there was a knock at my door. There was no reply when I said they could come in, so I reluctantly pulled myself out of bed and opened the door.
There waiting for me was a box marked M&S flowers. Oh gosh. I knew there was only one boy who would be sending me flowers on this special day. Ladies, I am very lucky to have my Lawrie. It's almost like he knew I was feeling awful, so timed it to perfection. He's away skiing so we weren't able to do anything, but he sneakily surprised me and made me feel like the luckiest girl in the world.
My boy just didn't get me one rose, he got me the whole rose plant!

I cannot wait to get this planted in a proper pot and look after it. It will be so special when it blooms. I truly love this gift because it's so very personal and something that will keep on giving.
Isn't he the sweetest? :)

Hope you're enjoying lots of sweet treats as well!

Snowy Stitching

Brrrrr! It's so cold out in Winchester today! I had a few errands to run in town today, but now I'm very glad to be home with a hot cup of tea nearby.

I'm very pleased to say I've finished this month's stitched piece for the Birthday Stitch Surprise - ahead of schedule :) I know I say it quite a lot, but I do love putting these parcels together. I'm already thinking ahead to March, that's you Lesleyanne!

Obviously, I can't show you that stitching, but I can show you my progress on Gingerbread House. I started this late last year and would really love to get it finished soon. I can hear other projects calling my name and it's getting harder to resist them.

I've only really got the wording, two borders and a few more snowflakes to do. I hope to get it all stitched up within a week or so. I thought it might seem strange, stitching on a wintry design after Christmas. But the freezing weather we're having makes it appropriate really.

Don't forget there's still time to enter my giveaway here. It closes next Wednesday :)

I'm heading home this weekend for a meal out with my extended family. I haven't seen some of my aunties, uncles and cousins since Christmas 2010 so I'm really looking forward to it. And tomorrow evening, I'm heading out to the theatre to see my friend perform in a play. I can't wait for that either. As for tonight, I've got a bit of cooking to do to stock up my freezer, then it's all about the stitching :)

What are you up to tonight/over the weekend? Here's hoping it's something fun!

Best wishes,

Over One Hundred Followers Giveaway!

EDIT: This giveaway is now closed. Thank you to everyone that entered!

I can't believe I've got over one hundred people reading what I have to say and looking at the craft I have to show. It's rather humbling and I'm so very grateful. Thank you to everyone who takes the time to read my little blog. I probably don't say it often enough, but comments make me so happy and this blog means rather a lot to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart :)

To reward my lovely followers, I am holding a giveaway. The main prize is this Little House Needleworks chart that regular followers will know I stitched up last year.

I'm sure I will add a couple of bits and pieces along the way :)

So, to enter:

1. You must be a follower of Stitching Lion.

2. Leave a comment on this post only to let me know your interest.

3. This competition is open to all followers, international ones too.

4. The competition will close next Wednesday 15th February at 9am.

5. There is no need to mention this giveaway on your blog, but thank you kindly if you do!

Good luck everyone! I'll be back soon with a stitchy update to share.

Time to Stitch

Hello everyone! Yesterday I finished off my big written drama assessment for this semester, and boy, am I pleased that's over with! The work itself wasn't too hard and I enjoyed the plays we were studying, it's just finding constant motivation is hard work. But now it's done and dusted and I can resume my normal stitching schedule. Yay!

About a week ago now, I posted off my first Birthday Stitch Surprise parcel for Mouse. I can happily report that the package arrived safely and was liked by Mouse, so I can now share what I sent . . .

Some pins, some needles, some ribbon, some fabric, some tea and a Margaret Sherry Mouse ornament, stitched on 32ct Vintage Beige Linen with recommended DMC threads.

Now I can't wait to sort out and send the next one! Fiona is my next victim  participant :)

I have been meaning for days to post the recipe, but I worry that it's going to seem so very basic. I really experiment with my cooking and just add whatever suits. But I have the recipe here for four people, but you can just do what I did and half it for just two of you. I cooked mine in a slow cooker, but I'm sure you could use a casserole dish in a low-heat oven, around 160C

Pork and Cider Casserole

Ingredients:

One small onion, chopped.

One cooking apple, cut into cubes.

4 steaks of loin pork.

1 tbsp of plain flour.

400ml of medium dry cider (I used Thatchers)

Half a teaspoon of dried thyme.

1tsp of dried sage.

Salt and Pepper

1) Cut the pork into bite sized pieces.

2) Heat some oil in a pan and gently fry the pork until it is browned on all sides. Transfer to your casserole dish/slow cooker bowl.

3) Add the onions and the apple to the pan and fry for around three minutes. Stir in the flour and then gradually add the cider.

4) Bring to the boil, stirring continuously, and then take off the heat and add the herbs and seasoning.

5) Transfer this mixture to the dish/bowl with the pork and mix together well. Place in a low-heat oven for 6 - 7 hours, or a low setting on the slow cooker for the same amount of time.

So there you have it, my first ever recipe! It's best served with boiled potatoes or crusty bread because there is a lot of lovely gravy. I'd love to hear if any of you out there try this recipe, maybe you could send me a photo?

I've got time now to settle to my stitching before heading out to Creative Non-Fiction. It was snowing this morning in Winchester, just little flakes mind. I'm going to need my woollen hat when I venture out later on!

Best wishes,

Pinching Pennies

Phew! What a busy week I'm having! It seems all the homework tasks, extra reading and essay exams have all come along at once. I'm still finding time to stitch for an hour or two in the evenings, but I haven't got much progress to show this time.

What I have come to show you is a couple of bargains I found last week. I went into my favourite shop in Winchester only a couple of days after I returned to Uni. It's a three storey building that houses all manner of wonderful things from fabric to curtains to mirrors to candles and it even has a cafe. I wandered in and was delighted to find they still had their sale on.

Look at this beauty of a cushion! For only £4 ($2.57), I couldn't resist. My love of tea and teapots is growing by the day :)

Next I wandered up to the haberdashery and fabric floor and continued my luck with the bargains. I got two 1 metre lengths of fabric for only £7! ($4.50) I hardly ever buy full metres, normally I get halfs because they're more affordable. These are two prints that I think can be used in lots of designs, I had to have them. Plus I picked up a sheet of letter stickers for scrapbooking for only £1 - a definite bargain.

My housemates have pointed out that I'm quite good at sniffing out a bargain. But when you're learning to manage on a small income, I think it's worth checking for cheaper prices so you can treat yourself to more important things. Like dinner out at Prezzos coming up this weekend :)

I hope you're all having a wonderful week. I'm mailing out the first Birthday Stitch Surprise (BSS) parcel soon - can't wait!

PS The pork and cider casserole was a big success, Lawrie asked when was I making it again! The only thing is I forgot to take a picture - would people still be interested in seeing the recipe in a post anyway? Thanks!

Gingerbread and Cookies

Don't you just love it when you finally get to sit down after a hard day's work? I was up nice and early this morning, ready to be productive, and it sure has paid off. My notes are all up to date and I'm ahead with the reading - bonus! It's always nice after you've been working hard to sit down with a cup of tea and go "Aaah."

I thought I'd show a picture of where I'm up to on Country Cottage Needlework's Gingerbread Cottage . . .

This was the project I was stitching on over the holidays, not that I got much time to stitch. It is lovely to settle to my stitching every night after dinner. I'm the type of person who likes to get all the work done in the mornings so I can be very lazy in the evenings. What time do you work best?

I've also been stitching on another little project, but I can't show that just yet. I bet you know who it's for though :)

In other news, I've been baking! In my last post I told you all how I wanted to improve my baking skills and what better way to do this than with practise. I whipped these Smartie cookies up one afternoon and they were gone by the evening! Good job I've still got half a tube of Smarties to make some more.

Next, I think I'm going to do some good ol' fashioned vanilla cupcakes, but big ones with lots of icing and sweeties on top. Yum yum!

I'm very much looking forward to tomorrow as Lawrie is coming to visit and we're going to a second hand book fair in town. And I'm cooking a pork and cider casserole, I do like my cooking :) Do you have any lovely weekend plans? Whatever you're doing, I hope it's lots of fun.

Best wishes,

January Goals 2012

I know I'm terribly late with this post, but hey, it's still January so why not?

Looking back at last year's New Year's resolutions, I managed to get a fair few done. My personal ones last year were:

1) Work hard for good grades for Uni - Success! I am a student at the University of Winchester and loving it.

2) Have more picnics - This one came true too, including a particularly delightful one with Lawrence when we were in the Lake District.

3) Take more film when on outings - this one could definitely be improved. I want to preserve memories as much as I can.

As for my stitching related ones, not too shabby on this front either:

1) Complete an LHN design - Complete! I finished Nature's Beauty and I've got more LHN now in my stash thanks to recent purchases.

2) Host a giveaway - Complete! I held my first blogaversary giveaway in April and I'm soon to hold another.

3) Take part in a small exchange - Complete! Although it unfortunately didn't last for all the rounds, I did take part in the Rotating Designer exchange and I hope Lesleyanne liked my piece! I adored what she stitched for me :)

4) Work on my fairies design - Oh dear, it's still tucked away . . .

5) Stitch something for a RAK - Not achieved last year, but I'm making it up for it this year with the Birthday Stitch Surprise.

6) Complete the ornament a month challenge - what with schoolwork and other commitments, it just isn't possible for me to definitely complete this. I'm sure I'll fit in a few though.

As for this year, I've seen so many posts about New Year challenges and I love reading them all. The big challenges are just not for me though, I haven't yet acquired as much wonderful stash as lots of you lucky ladies! I do have a few goals for this year though, a mix of personal and stitching.

1. I want to complete the Birthday Stitch Surprise - a parcel of goodies to one person each month. This one should be no problem to complete, it really is lovely choosing things others might like.

2. I want to become more confident on my sewing machine and improve my finishing techniques. I am still relatively new to finishing, but I'm getting better with each piece. I just need the practice.

3. To continue to work hard at Uni. I know how lucky I am to be here, and I thoroughly enjoy my course.

4. To become better at baking. I absolutely adore baking, it's my favourite hobby, second only to cross stitching. And it is a perk of living in a student house, you can bake lots and not have to worry about your weight - baked good disappear fast enough! I'm thinking I will post a few pics and recipes from time to time, I've got one lined up already.

5. To collect more egg cups. I've only just started this collection, but it's becoming a bit addicting. I love how they look lined up on my shelf.

So there you have it, my plan for the year. I hope you all enjoy seeing my progress on each of these tasks. I love reading about your goals :)

Best wishes,