December Already!

I've been incredibly lax recently with my blog and thought I'd get a post in quickly before it's the end of another year!  I last wrote that it was Autumn already....and here we are, it's winter!  Thankfully though, the winters here in southern Spain are short and mild, we've had some rain, which we really, really needed, but apart from that it's been sunshine during the day, temperatures of around 19C - 21C, and cooler nights.  Perfect winter weather for me!

So what's been happening in my world since I last posted on here?  Well my husband Brian was really sick about 5 weeks ago and I was extremely worried as he's rarely unwell, but he was bad, really bad, collapsing a couple of times, which was very scary and this was just before he was due to go to the UK to visit with his family.  He wanted to leave going to the doctor until he returned from his trip but I was concerned that he was sicker than he was letting on...so I made an appointment and it turns out I was right, the doctor took his blood and his sugar levels were sky high....he was immediately diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and she injected him with insulin straight away in the surgery.  Now, 5 weeks later he's doing so much better.  Obviously he had to cancel his trip, which was a shame for him but at least if he's going to be sick then he is close to home.  But thank goodness he's doing well, he's testing his blood and injecting himself every day and although his legs aren't great, they're at least working to hold him upright!!!

Brian also bought himself a mobility scooter which he's enjoying!! He tells me he's named it Thunderbolt 2!!!  It means that we can get out together, he can ride his scooter and I can walk along next to him with Lucy, our Miniature Pinscher, which is great!

On the dolly front, I have been enjoying my new Dandelion by Bimong and also I recently received my Xiao Yu head from Black Cherry dolls, a Russian artist.  The head sculpt is beautiful and has a gorgeous faceup by Blisslacosta, who is also Russian.  Four months ago I ordered her an Elf body from Dollstown and hopefully that will arrive soon.  In the meantime she is using my Volks SDMidi body, the colour match is really good (the head is Oriental Copper and the body is called Sunlight).  But my Volks girl is looking forward to getting her body back I'm sure!!

I love the way this faceup artist paints the lower eyelashes on dolls, they looks so incredibly realistic.

I have also received some gorgeous gifts from two of my lovely dolly friends.  One of my friends in the US said that she wanted to send me a gift as she enjoyed reading my blog.  I don't like the idea that people think I 'deserve' anything for the fact that they enjoy my photos, I just am happy that people do enjoy them....but this lovely lady asked me what I would like.  I finally suggested that maybe she would like to send me a fat quarter of fabric which I would use to make an outfit for one of my girls and would think of her when I looked at the dress.....and then lo and behold not one fat quarter but THREE fat halves (I think that's what they're called) arrived from her, such pretty fabrics, thank you so much my dear....you know who you are!!!

Using two of the fabrics, I made this dress for my Dandelion, I hope you like it D, and that you think I'm making good use of your very pretty gifts!

Another present I received was a complete surprise from my friend J who also lives in the US.  She sent me a box and inside were two BJDs (ball jointed dolls), both BIDs (Yosd size) from Iplehouse, an extra BID head, another manikin doll (you'll remember seeing two others that she sent me earlier in the year), some outfits, a wig and a pattern!  

Here is one of the new Iplehouse dolls, she is a Elin and I enhanced her face a bit as she was a little pale, I gave her some new eyelashes, new eyes and new wig.  She then went through the dolls clothes box and found herself something to wear!

I haven't taken photos of the other doll and the spare head, but will get to that soon.  

Thank you both, D and J, for my lovely gifts, I'm just so incredibly lucky to have the dolly friends that I have. 

I'm off to the UK on Saturday for nine hours....yes you read that right, just nine hours!! I'm going over to meet my mum and brother and bring them back to Spain with me on Sunday morning and they are spending Christmas and New Year with us.  I will then go back with them to the UK on the 3rd January and spend a few days there meeting up (hopefully) with my friend Sue and my son :)  

Well hopefully I will get to post maybe one more time before Christmas.  Thank you so much in advance for visiting and have a great week ahead!!

Big hugs Sharon xxx

 
                          

Today I have been busy sewing again and finished another outfit for little Evangeline, my Iplehouse BID Elin.  This one is also for Etsy.....I'm so enjoying sewing for this little sweetie! 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/dambuster01

Here is the completed outfit, it consists of a three tiered blue and white skirt, a sweatshirt top with blue decoration and blue and white knit leggings.  I think she looks so cute in it, the colours really suit her lovely tanned skin!

 

Talking of Iplehouse, today I got a lovely surprise when I went to check on their website.  I'd written to them during the weekend asking about adding something to my order, and their response was that they intended shipping my Asa this week!  I'm so pleased because I only ordered her on the 19th November and so hopefully she will be home in time for Christmas.  I hope that I can leave her box unopened until Christmas Day but I doubt it!  (After all, someone has to check that she is as she should be!!!!)

On the non dolly front, I finished a another really good book yesterday.  It was the lastest Janet Evanovich book, which is number 18 in Stephanie Plum series of novels.  It was great as usual, full of laugh out loud moments.  I read them so quickly though and then I am moaning that I didn't want the book to end!  Is there no pleasing some people, I hear you ask!!  So now I've got to wait until June 2012 for the next installment!  I'm lucky though in that I still have quite a few of her other books to read, so I will fill my time with those.

In the meantime I started another book last night, one which I first read about 30 years ago, when I was just a young thing, travelling up to London and back each day on the London Underground.  It is called The Rats by James Herbert, and I have to say that my taste in books has changed.  For a start I really do not like rats these days (except if they are someones pets) and I really hate blood and gore!  (And to think that I used to work in Scenes of Crime!)  But times change and I've become a lot more squeamish!!!  But I think I'll read to the end of the book now that I've started it, although I'm sure it will give me the willies at night!!!

Apart from that nothing much else to report!  The weather is cold and sunny, quite nice in the sunshine but really chilly in the shade.....and our house, as usual, is freezing, or so it seems to me!!