Smelling the roses............well daffodils at this time of year!!!

Today I have decided my life is too full of rush, rush, rush

So I am going to stop and smell the fresh air, it maybe spring air that's coming but I suspect its really a bit of north wind blowing across the fens LOL

It all started last night when I had a call from my mother................would I like to meet for a coffee at lunch today........................I hate to say it my first thoughts were that she wanted to tell me something aweful, all manner of things flitted through my mind.........is she ok, my dad??? No she assured me, she just thought it would be nice. It was when I put the phone down I thought to my self, what am I doing, running around all the time and not enjoying life, to be fair to myself my life is all drama and tears sometimes so I can be forgiven for thinking the worst BUT it did make me think, so I am going to meet regularly for coffee, I am sure she will be so delighted as I really don't see enough of her.

My beary news.............................I will attending The Great Yorkshire Show held in Sheffield by Katie Rae Bears........................by all accounts its a great fair and I was thrilled to be chosen to exhibit (hubby doesn't know yet LOL)

I have also recently bought loads of lovely ribbon and plain ivory cotton to make those beary knickers

Doesn't it look frilly and frothy!!!

No bears I am afraid, I am waiting on steel shot :(

Beary hugs

Sue xxx

The Diet..........................Week 2

Just a quick post to let you all know how I am getting on.

It been a bad week for I have sinned..............those chips just lept into my mouth honest

In all seriousness this diet really needs no cheating so I feel a bit of an idiot but I literally had no money to buy stirfry mid week..........LOL

I hit the scales with some manner of dread this morning but am happy to say I lost 3lbs

I am now below the 18 stone mark at 17 stone 13lbs

So for week 2 and the delights of fruit enter the regime, now if you are joining me your fruit needs to be apples, pears that kind of thing. Tropical/Berry fruit is a bit of a no no as the fibre content is a bit lacking.

You never realised that apples are soooooooooooo sweet

Beary hugs

Sue

PS ........beary news later this week, I have great news.

The Diet......................Week 1

Well its been a bit tough, to say the least but I made it.

I have to confess I cheated, I had a hot chocolate each day of the weekend and the results reflect that, you really have to stick with this one and don't cheat

Ok the all important stats

Weight..............18 stone 2 lbs

Bust..............47 inches

Waist..............42 inches

Hips..............54 inches

So that's a 6 lb loss, previously I have lost 9lbs in the first week and although I am off to a flying start, I do feel gutted and annoyed with myself, its silly because its a great loss and I am sure reading this you will not understand but when you expect something and it doesn't work out it's only human to be disappointed, so forgive me. I am surprised though that I dropped 3 inches on the hips and waist each

What have I eaten......................eggs, low fat cheese, salad and stirfry with fish/chicken (I hate veg)

So onwards to week 2 and the diet remains the same for this week except for the hot chocolate!!!!

Beary Hugs

Sue xxx

The Healthy lifestyle......................preliminaries

Well No 6 on my list was to go back to my healthy lifestyle (diet to you and me but it sounds worse!!! LOL)

So I am standing on the edge of the obyss, looking forward, non to happily but determined 

Some stats first...................................ouch, this is going to hurt

            Weight............18 stone 8 pounds

Bust............... 48 inches

Waist............. 45 Inches

 Hips............... 57 Inches

Overall size.... 26+

Gee just say it quick and it doesn't sound so bad BUT needs must!!!!

The healthy lifestyle I will try to follow is The South Beach Diet, now this diet is very miss understood and if you understand the theory behind it, it makes sense

So here goes.........................its all about how we process sugar in our food and how ALL processed foods contain hidden sugar

.....................did you know that there was more sugar in a slice of bread than a teaspoon!!!! Shocking isn't it, so it matters not what you put in your sandwich cos you are gettting about 3 teaspoons in an average sandwich!!!!

Sugar is broken down and released into our bodies at various rates, the less fibre in the food, the quicker the sugar release, the quicker the sugar release, the bigger body high you get from it, the bigger the high, the hungrier you feel and not to mention the craving for more!!!

The idea is to eat high fibre foods so that the sugar release

is slow and controlled, 

therefore less peaks and troughs and less craving

The diet, if used properly, identifies what foods 

you can and cannot eat.

Have you ever wondered why it is that you can eat sensibly but still not loose weight. Well for those, like me, who do not eat junk foods (crisps, sweets and chocolate) can never shift the pounds???? The answer is that you are eating a food or group of foods that does not suit your body.

How the diet works.............................for 2 whole weeks you eat nothing but vegetables, lean meat, a few nuts and eggs. It's a corker isn't it, really tough BUT don't starve,

eat as much as you can...........................

YES no potatoes, no dairy, no wheat and tea/coffee must be black.....................

are you over the shock yet???? LOLOL

The real clever bit comes in on week 3 when

you introduce a food group, 

so in week 3 you introduce dairy and see what happens to your weight.

It is individual to you, never introduce more than one food a week. 

I will be posting every Monday on my progress and 

you are more than welcome to join me, if you dare. 

Just remember that if you have a medical condition 

make sure you are ok to follow this

Good Luck

Beary Hugs

Sue xxxx

PS you will notice a slight dizzy spell around Wednesday, it should be only brief, its the lack of sugar which the body can live without, if it continues or you faint then check it out with your GP xxx

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