Wow! Two in a week!

I just had to show the fabric haul I have in the way of Debbie Mumm and some Country Prints! the BM are going into a collection that Ive been working on for a while, one day I may find the

just right quilt pattern(if I dont work one out for myself)......

The other country ones for another collection that s for a country style table cloth..... think I have enough to start once I get the time of course,mostly 9 patch squares so should be easy to put together but the cutting out is the time consumer......

My favourites...

I have noticed that they are getting a bit rare, even on the international Ebay site!

Oh and I better show off Hubbys tomato haul too..............(Psss dont remember what they re called,everything from Siberian to Heritage types..)

On the way home from CPC today T and I could see another bushfire west of Kambalda,quite large plumes of dark grey smoke rising up,like a nice big fat thunderstorm... its dissapated now but Ill be watching it,camera will come with me in the morning in case its still visable.CPC is a Boilershop and its over in the East Kambalda Industial area so up a bit higher than West,great veiws from Red Hill!

Oh I better clarify that Bill Peach Clip from last post too! Its my Grandfather he's interveiwing in the shed that my Dad still uses today,maybe now its understandable how I felt when I found it!!! I think its about 25 to 27 years old!!!!!

Oh and Im lucky to have been awarded something Very Special from the lovely Yarnivorous who has been transplanted to the States and after the runaround has settled? in Cambell, San Jose,California, lordy I hope I got that right,Lynne?

You Make My Day Award

How sweet is that,we something else in common now,first time Ive been awarded tooooo!!!!!

"Give the award to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blogland. Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. Beware you may get the award several times."

Now for my list!!!!

Yarnivorous I had to award you again simply 'cause its true!!!

Random Knits its been fun to read about your knitting and of course Twinkie!!!

Ewe Give Me The Knits inspiration galore and all those delicious fibre goodies and chats of course!

Jelly Wares all those lovely fresh sewing ideas and the bush trips too!!

Kiss My Frog Aussie Cooking

I Heart Knitting The Speed Knitter, need I say more!!!!

Rambling Ravings and Rovings the way you wave that Spindle and its full!!!

All It Took Was One Stitch To the wonderful lady who introduced me to the big wide world of Blogging....

Unravelled The Bargain Hunter of the Thrift Shops, still cant believe you left that Chocolate wool behind!!!!

Theres just too many,I visit you all for inspiration and ideas or help with knitting problems etc,hopefully I dont leave too much in the comment boxes?...

Australia Day '08

Does anyone else get the feeling that the year is starting to slip away...Easter Eggs are in Woollies down here already, though they appear the boring ones so far.I used to secretly buy the boys big eggs and hide them,putting out next to the beds as though the big fat fluffy hopping animal came by during the night!!!

Usually it worked to get the kids to bed so at least I could have some peace,much needed as one Easter I had 4 kids under the age of 6 and boy they were a feisty lot.... now however they spend half the night trying to outwait the "rabbit" setting up traps while Mum gets around on that Sunday with black circles under her eyes,LOL

I dont want to wish their lives away but I look forward to the time when its a gigantic box of delicious choccy offerings to be shared at a family get together! Or if Im to be lucky they will gift back some to me.....most likely they'll have their own hourde of rugrats to deal with,(sure hope so,ha ha ha...)

Anyhow,each year the Shire here holds a Breakfast at various spots around the two halves of town.This year the pool gets it,unfortunately they cut down a heap of shade trees and so I didnt take the boys down this morning,really needed a bit of rest,this last week has been hell,fatigue has been my next best friend...

Instead Hubby went to Kal with Son No 1 to do some boys toys shopping,much needed toys to make Hubbys work easier as LV Fitter and T is after bits to continue the Green Machine overhall...hope he pays me back for the lowering blocks,a lot towards that ellusive Carder sitting on the wish list!!!!

I, on the other hand went back to Woollies to pick up the groceries that I forgot in my doppy state! A certain person remarked I should have attended the Big Brekky and as usual I didnt have a very valid excuse (I forgot about the lack of shade around pool , working in the sun all week, I avoid the outdoor during the weekends as theres too many suspots appearing..) Anyhow I left there feeling somewhat peeved that this person could be so forward to chastise me for my decision not to attend when she spends all week sitting in airconditioned office from 9 to 5....Maybe I should have suggested a job swap for a week when the temps hit 45'

Right ,thats my gripe for the day,oh another reason,Im trying to get a little weight off ,so having a greasy half cooked breaky of bacon and jelly eggs (and dont forget the pink Sausages )and warm juice is not attractive...we re doing that this arvo on our spanking new BBQ in the comfort of our patio so we will be having a good Australia Day in a traditional sort of way!!!!

Went to Kal yesty with 3 of the boys to pick up their book orders or school lists ,freaking hell,$600 later and then new shoes for two of them,OMG $220.. drag ones self back to car and think ....I have enough $2 in recesses of handbag to pick up that fat quarter to finish that Shashiko Bag and damn and blast,Cheryls not open til next Tuesday,grrr

We went over the road and spent some change at the Boulder Little Sweet Shop,what a choice,they have stock from England the States and others, all thsoe old fashioned ones that were in the corner shops when we were little tikes,er our Nannas and Poppies day of course!! Humbugs hmm yum, but I cautiously tried out the Danish licorish on the boys but when they very quickly looked for a bag to rid the lolly,I promptly decided to not to indulge!!! Wonderful shop and the lady who runs it will give a long winded run down on the history of each type of weird and wonderful confectionary carried there! Well worth a visit,they apparently have people send in orders from England for some Australian Lines!

There was however a surprise waiting for me at the PO though, that is going to make the weekend,2 metres of yellow Gingham, verry hard to find,I managed to score some from this wonderful shop, Busy Thimbles Store Cant speak highly enough for this online fabric store,terrific service and very fast to get the order out to the PO!

Its been a nice PO week too,I was naughty and bought a few more Debbie Mumm fat quarters to add to the growing stash,hopefully Ill have enough to make a table cloth later.

Im enjoying Ravely,getting lost in among the patterns,picked out a few I must do but unfortunately quite a few are in old IK editions or are the US version of Patons,will be hunting down one book,everyone in it is delectible,loooove cables I do....Im" myfivesons" on Ravelry though my page is still in that boring stage,finding time to catalogue all my projetcs,digging them out of hiding is nigh on impossible(especially when Hubbys home,he ll kill me!!!)

To go on list are quite few from Chic Knits too especially

Cece simply because...

Ribby Shell would be great simple vest

Twist adore this,8ply a similar CPH with a bit more of a"Twist",LOL

Arrianne looks appealing,would like to make this in cascade

Ribby Pulli Loove the other versions

Ive been on the hunt for a just right vest pattern and think the one I found this week will be nice,lost the link but I did down load it and printed out a copy,its a cabled one with heaps of 2x2 cables but its not cut away at the shoulders like most, when I find it again Ill put in a link!

Found another bit of archived work that Id been chasing for a while too,thought Id have to buy the whole set from the ABC which Im going to now anyway....

Bill Peach in Peaches Australia,this episode is especially wonderful to me... I was hard put not to cry when i realised what I was looking at!

Can anyone remember any of the series? I remember sitting every night it was on with my Mum, Dad and Brother, I suppose with the ABC as our only TV channel we didnt have much choice but it still remains my favourite now,even the boys watch it more than the others...

Oh if you ve stuck with my ranting today,that pot of gorgeous flowers at the top, my all time fav in the flower world,I know I love lots of others but if we move back to ( I hope) Bendy these will be the most prominant. I have memories of these little beauties breeding up prolifically around "Dunlops" landscaped gardens as a child and as teen when I first started getting into horticultural interests! No doubt in the wrong situation theyd be a pest like plumbagoes, one variety which is noted in Wrigley and Faggs Australian Natives book as a NSW native, its cousin viewed as a pest in Viccy is a SouthAfrican Shrub!

Zephyrante grandiflora, pink zephyantes,rain lilly(I grew up knowing them as this),they ll pop up after a spring/summer rain, hardy as and I could rave about them all day!!!!

I bought a couple of pots from Bunnings for about $7, one of which I kept,the other I planted at school. Looking a bit tight I repotted on into another flatter,but wider container (they look brilliantly in a wide camp oven)

When I go into Kal this week to pick upthe MTDs new blades I intend calling into Bunnings to see if i can scaor another pot or two to spead around the garden.

A tip for buying these,feel around the pot,if it feels all lumpy and tight with the pot looking a mite distorted,you know they ve out bred the pot and you ll have value for your dollar!

Im off ,I think Ive gone on long enough!!!! Sewing machine is calling....

Ill leave with this video of the lillies in the wind!

My Fav Tea Mug

Im posting my tea Mug following KissMyFrog suggestion for a bit of fun!

Tigger to help me bounce along at the beginning of each day,my first cup at 4.55am if Im lucky and I have a nice shearers style mug at work but Im not going down just get one of it!!

See the dragon flies on the reverse and a little Tigger on the inside?.....

Boys are Soooo Wonderful!

10.30 am Phone rings(mobile) Im half way through shifting stuff in bosses office!

Pat ,"Marrm!(pregnant pause) Hews just had a gutser off the MotorBike!"

Mum, "What? Where is He?!!!!!!!"

Pat," In the shower!"

Mum," Anything Broken?"

Pat,"Dont think so....he might need stitches though..."

Hmmm,Boys,dont ya love them!

What a week!!!!

Im Back!!

First up I would like to put this up as I forgot yesty!
I am participating in Pay it Forward again as I Heart Knitting put her pledge up and guess what I made the list!
“I will send a handmade gift to the first three people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week… but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.”
! Sounds like fun and open to lots of little gift ideas so we ll see how it goes!!!Leave a comment if interested and Ill email you so we can organise addresses etc!
Now I have done this before and there is a difference that I didnt notice til now,this one was any handmade gift while I Heart Knitting has indicated for a handknitted gift,this leaves it open for anything handmade so will suit time and resources as well! Besides I want try out the new machine.....

Now i found those photos I wanted to shareA So Called Scarf in handspun alpaca ,navajo plied and dyed with Mandies Dyes! Ive nearly finished it, knitted on 10mm needles says how thick it is and I feel should have been on maybe 12mm as its a bit stiff and not as drapey as Id like it,it ll be agift but not sure to whom,the ideal person will pop into my mind when Ive finished it! Mindless knitting that I pick up here and there.My Thanks go to whoever was trying this out recently as it gave me the brainwave after I found the alpaca hiding raw and natural in the linen cupboard.......Love to do some more of this on the wheel,I need to refine my navajo plying...
This one is those Entralac socks from IK Holiday Knits that Mandie was so kind to snap up for me before Chrissy,apparently its sold out according to IK site too, I was determined to learn how to do this pattern, guess what! It was so easy I dont know how the heck I didnt manage before,LOL Its stalled at moment as I have to finish the second bobbin so I can spin the polyester which I want to re enforce the heel and foot area,others have spun it all together but I thought Id do it this way,we ll see how it goes!!!!

Now this is a gorgeous gift brought back from New Zealand, the most softest alpaca ever,its like butter!!! And the pattern for gloves or mittens,must have been popular as Kym reckoned there was very little left to choose from and all the sock kits were gone too! thanks heaps for this,at last someone understands how to gift a knitter,LOL Of Course she totally spoilt me wih a heap of other bits and bobs but this was truely the highlight!
Well Im off to play with another project!!!!!!Pictures when its done!!!

Its me again!

I just didnt have the urge to sit and write,no photos compounded that as well and in not posting I was able to finish 2 socks and start on their mates,a bit of gardening where the heat allowed,it was around the 43 44 mark on one day and I couldnt change whan I got home hot and sticky as one son needed to go to the docs with a severe eye infection and then just after that I had to return to school to lock up and arm security for the tradesmen working on the parquetry floor.

Oh and then the younger kids wanted to go to the pool. It was like" quick get in,youve got 20mins" "dont stand there gossiping!swim!" followed 20mins later with another 20mins of trying to coax them out,LOL,the pool manager must have agreat laugh at my expense!

ON the good side my Dad is home and although has lost a huge ammount of weight at least Mum is not alone now! She nearly slipped into the river trying to start the pump last week and theres a moderate river coming down but not the flood they originally thought! Im abit worried Dad will try to shift the B..... pump himself!

Im starting to think aging parents are very much like teenagers......

Well I went to load the photos I did manage to get and I cant find them so Im leaving you with one of the green Monster that has since been stripped back ready to paint be lowered by Son No 1, this ute apparently has won some awards in its day so we are encouraging him to do everything slowly and Properly!!!!
Stay tuned......(HUBBY WANTS TO REPAINT MY TARAGO TOOO! Oh HELP!)

Ok!

Christmas is over,2 days back at work and I worked my RDO so I could have 4 days,yep! 4 days off .

Being Fridee afternon,I ve had a shower to remove all the pulverised roo dooey off me and in me(as in ears and nose) not sure how much I swallowed but we wont go there... from the MTD chewing up the lawn(what there is of it,got very scorched yesty in the 43' heat) so thought Id update here before taking the boys to the local pool

I got covered with the forementioned everytime I turned around with the wind blowing the dusty bits straight over me,next time Ill get the boys to make a wee movie and you can all see it in motion,LOL But I did notice that pumping up the tires helps to speed up a bit too,I spent nearly an hour yesty disarming and searching everywhere for the necessary parts to be able to even pump the retched things up.I was hoping to cut the sports oval early but by 10 it was turning a little nasty, temp wise,now Im watching that Cyclone up North, and I may be out there bright and early Monday as any rain on the field now will make it vertually impossible to cut with this partly useless ride on! Anyone else out there use an MTD,the green and yellow Yardman model? Parts are different to the US ones, getting the right ones here is almost impossible! Anyone got a match,oops I didnt write that......

Iv nearly finished the second bobbin of Mandies 1st edition of the Fibre Club and am dyeing to start the Optum,I aimed on having one bobbin done to start the Entrelac Socks from IK Holiday Knits,tried entrelac before and it doesnt like me but Im biting the thing by the 'needle' and want to try it again (last time it was wash cloth..)

With Christmas done Id like to show off my pressies that wonderful Santa dragged down the skinny chimney!

My oldest enlisted the aid of a friends Mum who was working in Holey Sheet to

pick this!Vanilla,magnolia and apple scent,just beautiful...And the other boys were led by Son no3 to seek out this pendant(by the way P has beautiful taste in jewelry,never failed to surprise me) and Dad helped them with this! The big box(with prompting from me earlier this year,seeing that a gift voucher from my LWS wasnt going to happen,only wanted a wee bit of Patonyle)..

A very Good Friend ,P found this little treasure(as DH reminded me I had a similar one put away for her and clean forgot it but Ill tuck it away and get a nice pair of socks done and surprise her later)

But the biggest surprise was this!

Dh actually carried it down the street in Kal on his shoulders and told us he'd been shopping for the family,it was heavy but he didnt spend much on it,I was none the wiser til Chrissy Morn when he had changed the label to say it was for "Mum from the family"! Only after taking all the paper off did I realise what he d done,must have been having a dumb blonde moment there! He was very pleased with his suberfuge! I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall as he had to help the lovely lady as the sewing shop wrap it all up,she really got in the swing of Christmas he reckoned,Ill say, considering how much she had on it,a nice late shopping trade for her,LOL

Of course I had to give it a demo to show him what it could do! Its packed away til I find a special spot for it!

Im so looking forward to the Socks That Rock Club starting even though I have far too many UFOs !And I have my eye on some Noro Silk Garden from the UK too, the colour is quite rare now and Id like to snatch up a bit to make that vest from Knitty before winter arrives! Its a pity not more of the shops here stock this yarn as it costs a small fortune to ship from O/S!

Anyway Ill finish off now with a basket of flowers picked from my garden, messy as it is at moment, similiar ones were going for $ 20 to 40 at Woollies!!!! This was our table centre!

Christmas Day 2007

Me and my Boys

L to R,

Hew, Pat, Mum, Tom with Sam and Ben at front

Kambalda, 2007

Heres to Dad if you can see this, with lots of love!!

PS its a bit of a case of Spot the Mum!!!!

Ho Ho Ho! and I dont care if thats not Politically correct!!!!

I knocked off 2 hours early today so I could get back here to do a bit of dusting ahem is that cleaning? Id much rather play with Mandies lastest batch from the club!!!! Alas i fell asleep on the bed catching flies , didnt scare the kids they were nearly doing it too!!!

Ive made a heavy trifle and its cold cuts for lunch and we re going to continue christening the new BBQ and roast the chickens and veggies for the evening meal! Followed by the fore said trifle and pavlova minus Strawberries mind you,their excuse was bad weather down south (myfoot) but we ll try some other berries that arrived in this week!

The Tree is up and the boys and I managed to find the last gold star tree topper in Target (we went with gold and red this year,blue and silver last time)

I think other than spending up on the BBQ and my new sewing machine we re pretty much good on the amount spent on the kids!!

We ve had quite cold starts to the day for a week now and its going to be like that for Christmas morning too!So with threats to the older ones not to wake up the juniors at 4.30 we may get a sort of sleep in!!!

A bit worried about my Mum stuck on her own with Dad still having treatment in Sydney and the river is rising though I doubt she will be cut off at least not until Dad gets home anyway.They ve had heaps of rain too so a bit of green pick might even make an appearance!!!!

A heap of DVDs hired and food laid out Im looking forward to a nice day!

I ll take this opportunity to say A Very Merry Christmas and a Safe and Happy if not Prosperous New Year

A Parcel For Me!!!!

My!!! Am I going to be busy......Mandie,you re a star! these colours are delicious and the Optum gorgeous to touch,will have this stripped and ready this weekend!!

Ive had a quick peak(more like rip open parcel and devour contents) at magazine after the 'foddle fibre' routine...well worth the money,I can see a few nice things there that are certainly gift value galore!!!! cant wait to start the socks,woops too much to do, Ill settle for a stash enhancer element there!!!

And many thanks for the thoughts and jiggles too!!!!

A Fluffa says 'Hi' too.....

Im Baaaack!!

Long Time No Blogging...

The Christmas preparations at work and the " round" of social events that I dont normally attend have taken their toll on my time and added to the usual tiredness I seem to suffer lately...

First up ,Im happy to say that Son No 2 again was awarded a Scolarship, and son No 3 was the clearest and best speech presented at the End Of Year Presentations, being part of the School Council this year he shone among the crowd of staff as being able to speak well and clearly so we could all hear.A majority of the staff mumbled and even got their words mixed up!

Son 5 was dissapointed to have not recieved an award but it was mainly for some twit of a teacher doing the usual of telling their students that they have to come to the Big Night in case they were getting an award,he was so convinced that she knew something that he believed her.Im more wise myself as next year( if we are still here) to warn the boys ,Not to expect anything(Mums and Dads get special letters so we do know before hand)....

Son 2 got his award for the consistant high standard of work throughout the year but he always won awards for the most consistant even through sport. You know what you get with him,even i can say that,LOL

I managed to finish the most urgent washcloths for the Teachers etc and have two to finish for other friends and family and hope the post is able to deliver on time!!!

Im currently putting the binding on Mums Quilt and hope there's enough to finish it but have resigned to the fact I may not finish it in time for the last delivery at her end,probably Saturday!

Im waiting excitedly for the ISE5 parcel to arrive and am thinking that the long way( Surface not Air) may have been used,Ill post something about it on that blog later if nothing arrives in the next week or two!

We've cool weather here and its great as it means the gardens and lawns at work are going to get a small chance to grow abit before the real heat sets in.Its been around 12 to 21' here over the last three days with a bit of rain not enough to actually relieve our watering restrictions but it will allow me to hold back a couple of days in watering all but the things under cover.

Its nice to have long pants and jumpers on for a while,I bet Xmas will be in the high 40's and humid.......I hope to finish the knitting projects but am looking some real woolly ones that Id love to have finished before next winter... Been looking at those snowy pictures on a few US blogs ,the Trees look great with a window drop like that but I don't envy the power bill to stay warm.....Read about the cold front stalling over the Plains and have no doubt there were a lot of people very cold..

At the Annual Christmas Tree, Hubby and I were asked by friends to volunteer to take part in the massive sausage stand where we end up giving away 1000 snags as part of the celebrations!! We managed to do so and had about 20 odd snags left over ,ran out of bread about 50 so it was paper wrapped ones towards the end... It was loads of fun!!!

I finished a skein of merino silk from EGMTKs, gorgeously soft and very hard to give up,I gave it to our lovely Principal who mistakedly told me she s a knitter too!!!! LOL I knew what to do straight away, it was suitably recieved and I pointed her in Mandies direction ....I think it came out in a close to 8 ply but recommended her to use 3.5mm to 4mm needles to achieve the softness!!!! K.... had a pattern already in mind by the time I left the office!!!!

I didnt get a great picture but it came out a soft salmon pink colour and I renamed it Pink Lemonade as I couldnt remember Mandies choice ,sorry Mandie,hope you dont mind the name change!!!!

Oh and heres a piccies of the fabulous desert( Strawberry Pav with Apple Crumble) I had at Son No 3 Year 7 graduation dinner,it was a wonderful night though at first I thought our table was a bit stilted....

You can see now how busy we ve been for the last week or so and through it all I was suffering from some disgusting upper airway infection with a dry cough and fatigue,it was not nice.Hubby was also battling to get home from work to bath and attend these Chrissy celebrations,thought he was going to miss out on a feed a couple of times, likes his tucker he does,LOL

Tea Cosy Swap!!!!

Its arrived,a parcel of the bestest Tea Cosy,the colours are very me!!!The bikkies are yummo and the tins are simply wonderful,i can see a lot of use out these!!! And Jody must have been stalking my blog as she included the Rowan Book 5 and already Im planning on waht I will knit out

of it,the "Grandpa shirt" for definite!!!!!

Thank you Dear Tea Cosy friend its been fantastic over here in "Wait a While Country",LOL I read that post and wondered if was I the lucky one!!!!!

YaaHoo

YooHoo! Its my day off and have great news as well I was happy to oblige.BUT Im not telling yet 'cause the recipient has to wait for a while,officila stuff and all,probably not interesting to others but a great relief for me!!!!!

On the fun side!!!! I got Mandies Fibre Club No 1 issue and boy I cant wait to play after spinning a bit of merino silk for an urgent gift itll be all go!!!

I copied this meme from Mandie just for the fun of it!





1. Name one person who made you laugh last night.Just one? Hew and heaps others

2. What were you doing at 0800?Laughing

3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? eating Breaky

4. What happened to you in 2006?I was awarded the 12 months relief for my current job,Ive got it now permanently...

5. What was the last thing you said out loud? PATRICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! he was about to assault my new Christmas toy that sings Jingle Bells

6. How many beverages did you have today? 2 cups of Dilmah Tea in a pot of course

7. What colour is your hairbrush?Black

8. What was the last thing you paid for? Christmas Staff Dinner,lamb roast with vegies and a fruit basket,very nice....

9. Where were you last night?At the Bowling club for Dinner

10. What colour is your front door?Federation Green

11. Where do you keep your change?In my Knitting bag,the kids get poked so dont get much out of it,he he he...

12. What’s the weather like today?Warm but cooler than yesty,its about 25'

13. What’s the best ice-cream flavour?Choc chip and vanilla

14. What excites you?Payday,parcels and happy family

15. Do you want to cut your hair?No its very short now

16. Are you over the age of 25?I wish I dont have to say yes....

17. Do you talk a lot?Probably but I dont care....

18. Do you watch the O.C?Whats that! I watch House MD and Cold Case...

19. Do you know anyone named Steven? Yep

20. Do you make up your own words?Sometimes,LOL

21. Are you a jealous person?No envy yes,LOL

22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A’. No Can Do

23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’. Kym my mate and Assistant ,

24. Who’s the first person on your received call list?Lee,Head Cleaner at school called me at 3.45 am yesty....

25. What does the last text message you received say?hmmm,"thats gd then lol havin fun" and thats after getting this "2 skimpyz n a hooka kool" ,interesting what teenager sons can send to their unsuspecting Mum.....I had texted him to find out if he was ok as we were at the Staff Dinner.

26. Do you chew on your straw? not much

.27. Do you have curly hair?I reckon my hair as a life of its own,goes where it wants but never curly as I would love!!

28. Where’s the next place you’re going to?The kitchen to get a cuppa

29. Who’s the rudest person in your life? Certain Cranky teachers who are wanting Holidays closer! It doesnt take much to say good Morning ,I get them though,they re the last on the list to get the light globes changed,maybe then they'll see Im am a valuable friend to have? No I dont think thats vindictive either,Im a trainey Teacher teacher LOL......

30. What was the last thing you ate? Ginger marmalade toast

31. Will you get married in the future? God no,6 males in my life will do me for a lifetime

32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks? nope cant answer that the Video store is crap and Im too tired to bother anyhow

33. Is there anyone you like right now? Everyone,its still early in the day,Giggle....

34. When was the last time you did the dishes? Ive got a dishwasher,it will fit somehow!!!!

35. Are you currently depressed? Hell noIm pinning Mums Quilt today and its great day!!!!

36. Did you cry today? Nearly did when Sam threw flour and water mix into sink where it splattered everywhere......

37. Why did you answer and post this? 'cause Im felt like doing it,thanks Mandie for posting yours!!!!! By the way love that new colour of the tencel merino....................................

A long time

I just couldnt bring myself to sit and "yarn" on here this week,the world just seems to be weighing heavy and my mind too preoccupied,

Mandies special Fibre Club Parcel will be here soon(really excited about that!!!) and although I have yet to "empty" the only wheel I want to play on, Im so looking forward to seeing what she s put in,I feel I may be a bit conservative so this 3 month club will hopefully allow me to experiment a bit!!!

Ive nearly finished the preset list of handcrafted gifts but I fear as Xmas approaches Im adding to the wish I had more time List as I really want to surprise a few more treasured friends,And I have only 2 weeks,YIKES... to finish that baby shawl.....

The weekend is spent catching up on the chores I cant get to because of work,the pools open so any spare time is spent watching the kids frolick. (And throw in an unexpected visitor or two to recieve some free tomato plants from Hubby,Ive spent my free craft time cleaning up after 6 little or big piggies,GRRRRRR)

Im not really a water person though I do jump in occasionally and if I can get a nice spot, its the ideal time to work on the dishcloths/washers Im doing as small gifts for various staff and teachers(I wonder how many choccies they'll get this year!!)

Im loving the baby shawl and am 20 rows short of starting the exciting bits of lace,I think there ll be around 790 sts in the lace part so im seriously doubting Ill get it done in the time I wanted,LOL But the recipient is letting me know where she going in Perth so Ill be able to send it on!!!!

For Goodness Sake

As usual I checked the news this arvo before the other stuff and was amazed to see this story!

Is anything safe for this traditional time of the year!

Im not terribly religious(not all of my boys are even baptised,ooh I hope I dont offend anyone here) but this time of the year has become a time to get together if not in person but also by phone etc. Ive never been to Midnight Mass but Id like to drag the family along once before they get too old to boss,LOL. We are having candles by Candle Light at school this year and thats the only Christmassy things happening,no more Xmas Craft Day to be politically correct as well,the kids loved it,lots of fun and the excitement of the coming big Day.A sign of new times?

With the drought the lawns are suffering baddly and I beleive the excessive roo population and the chemical content of the scheme water is causing problems,dry spot,fungal outbreaks and the occasional Lawn Beetle infestation is not helping particularly when we havent had any decent rain to wash and cleanse.There definitely not as much nice lawn to sit on this year...

Onto Christmas...I look forward Colourful cards arriving (which I intend doing early this year) though in recent years that seems to be a fading custom too! I choose specially coloured ones and even match them to the people they are going to,even the messages inside are carefully worded.

None of my boys liked Santa photos but loved to watch from afar and the sound of Christmas Charols I love,especially "Hark the Angel Sing" and I can play quite a few on the electric organ.

On the subject of cards I bought a few bits to start off making our own but havent gotten around to getting the stamps,embossing tools and powders,hmm... oh and dimensional paint for added interest! I did see a sheep stamp that was very cute,wrapped in tinsel with Beware of sheep if I remember correctly...looking back theres heaps I havent got,oh well next year....

Im off to the Girls Night In on Saturday night in Kal with a bunch of other girls from work,a bus ride into town and one is making a letal(by the sounds of it) cocktail,should be fun,a quick trip to town this arvo saw yet another pair of shoes that were a bit more upmarket than the usual flatties! To be worn witha top that i bought last Chrissy for the Staff Do and havent had a chance to wear again and jeans 'cause everyone else is....Ill try to think to get Hubby to take a going out piccie on Saturday night,LOL

PS Dont look at the dog hair floor or the work boot spider veins,ugh!!!!

On the fibre news,Ive been busy with this....

These are Optim tops from Gods knows where,out of my stash anyhow.....soft and silky

cant wait to spin it...The below ones I think are Merino...done separately Ill pick an order and spin to that,spipey yarn will result,I decree...

Renovation delights

I dont think Ive put any piccies up of the nearly finished kitchen so thought Id do it today as I havent got any other knittery news,the only finished item is for the Ravelry Tea Cosy Swap and the recipient may pick up on its colour and that would ruin the fun!!!

The grey bits on the wall at the back are the cutch combed parts Hubbys done to help make the wall tiles stay fixed(Bloody mess he makes too ,bits everywhere and he leaves it for me to clean up when I get home from work)!!!

From the other end and of course B.. wanted to take a picture too :)

And a couple of the near completed back verandah and car port,Hubbys dashed off to Kal to get himself a pick and post hole shovel to dig the trench for the new water line hes putting inso he can attach the two garden taps(also so the new earth for house apparently )

Its a varitable mess but hopefully if I plan a BBQ for Christmas it may get cleaned up as the inside did today when Mr Bowler himself called in! Even the kids pitched in,what can I say,I do Not feel like house work after most days at School,LOL

Oh and the lawn is usually lovely and green but as Hubbys been home for some time I rarely get the chance to"sneak" some water onto it though the plumbagoes are thriving and everything needs a hair cut! Heres the car port,we hope to put an automatic gate so we can drive in without getting out of car though I would rather the old fashioned way,LOL

Im off to have a catnap as Hubby has nicked off with my car so I have an excuse not to go to the pool for a while (I have a new book to start....)

Nearly the end of the week

Daylight saving is killing me,I cant start later in the day 'cause there are too many jobs I have to do before people arrive at school .
Havent done any spinning and I was hoping this weekend looked great for that until Hubby said we had a special visitor early Saturday,hmmm well I told him he'd better get his skates on and clean up a bit as I have to do groceries Friday arvo after work,though thought I might knock off a wee bit earlier as Ive worked over nearly an hour this week for various reasons! I suppose Ill have to cook something for smoko too,choccy cake seems easy! BUT there goes my sleep in!!!
Ive nearly finished the tea cosy for the Ravelry Teacosy Swap,think Ive got the colurs just micky mouse too,absolutely love the pattern from Knitty and easy but effective,Ill be running one up for us later!
Have to post ISE5 parcel this week coming and hopefully the TC as well!
Sharon over at Ramblings Ravings and Rovings is a regular visitor but have to disappoint today as I havent done any photos of anything but hopefully this weekend?
Next week will be interesting but I cant reveil anything yet till its all over but I will say I havent done anything like this before,nerve racking and certainly an experience,probably not exciting for some but for me? hmm we ll see... for some the weekend spinning /finished UFOs etc will be more interesting,LOL
PS Anyone interested in this? I have one lovely person already(from last post)!!!
I commented on In a Spin and am passing on this, haven t seen the movie "Pay It Forward" but thought the idea is neat,Thanks Rosie!!! so will search out the film as well!
“I will send a handmade gift to the first three people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week… but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.”
Ive seen it on other blogs and thought Id put it on here! Sounds like fun and open to lots of little gift ideas so we ll see how it goes!!!Leave a comment if interested and Ill email you so we can organise addresses etc!

Another weekend...

Before I forget,I commented on In a Spin and am passing on this, haven t seen the movie but thought the idea is neat so will search out the film as well!

“I will send a handmade gift to the first three people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week… but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.”
Ive seen it on other blogs and thought Id put it on here! Sounds like fun and open to lots of little gift ideas so we ll see how it goes!!!
Leave a comment if interested and Ill email you so we can organise addresses etc!

It was my day off on Friday and you'd think I would be a bit more rested but I slept a good deal yesterday and I suspect if I had a couple more days off Id probably sleep them away too!

Enjoyed Friday though,went shopping and bought a couple pairs of jeans(one size up as Ive put a wee bit on,grrr) and a pair of 4/3 at Target for $29,pleased with them ,size 8 a great fit. I had a shopping buddy with me,a special friend needing a friend and a break for the day and we had a ball checking out each others butt (much better than breaking ones neck in trying to see everything in the mirror,) to make sure we didnt buy the wrong thing,LOL

After a mad dash to finish a bit of Xmas shopping I called in at Chez's to pick up some goodies for the ISE5 and some special yarn to dye for the Tea cosy swap on Ravelry!

I managed to get that dyed today and so far its the colour as requested,just hope the tone is right,Iwont show it here incase she wanders by....However I will show the other bit I worked on when its dry! Its different to the TCS,but just as yummy!!!

Im nearly finished the first washcloth,should have it done ages ago(read that as this week) but have so many on the go that each is growing so slowly.I ve also started the shawl for the J who is my sons Aide at school ,expecting in January,I hought an Heirloom Shawl might do the trick(meaning i wanted to do it and J gave me the excuse) Must find a separate special gift for her too,nealy 3 years shes worked with Son 4 and without her,he wouldnt be where he is now!The shawl is out of a book I bought of Ebay and is Patons Layettes and Shawls Book 1095,gorgeous simple patterns that Ill make good use of in the furture!

This wash cloth is Sugar n'Cream in a cinnamin with blue, green and dark pink destined for a male teacher but Im a bit concerned with the amount of pink thats come through and am hoping the Cinnamon Soap from Mandies will make it more masculine,he he he,see how it goes!

Im nearly at the end of it and then I want to do a mint one to go with the choc mint soap!

Unfortunately I havent made it to spin like I wanted to but maybe with the pool opening this Cool weekend I may get some done there!

I think I made it into the Socks That Rock Club and have been issued a number, have to post off a form airmailed this week to make sure!

Im also looking forward to trying out Mandies Fibre Club too,cant wait to see what she will surprise us with,limited spaces but I hope I can join when it opens!

Lokked at a new sewing machine too while in town and am very tempted but have to check out my budget first and having a nice little tax return helps,I could call it my Chrissy Present? A Janome Professioal Memory Craft 6000, on special until Xmas when Ill know if I can afford to pay it off!I was after a carder but after looking at this machine I felt it was worth looking at!!!! Im setting myself up for a time when I wont be working and Ill have all the good quality macines to last me! We dont know yet when we will move from here but when we do I have to start over with looking for a new job etc, it will be a bit tight for money but at least ill have all the goodies!!!!!

A finished item and a teapot

I finished the ISE5 scarf ,here artfully posed near the roses! Its turned better than I thought,so light and lacy,only 50g here and enough to wrap and tuck,the remainder ball looked too dark and I didnt want to risk too much colour change!!!

And the faithful teapot for my Tea Cosy Pal....

Now Ive finished the scarf I can start the Cosy....hmm a bit stuck for a pattern,could do the lovely flower one I did last Chrissy but I feel like change....

Hmm A Bit of Break

Its been a while...So tired and daylight saving is coming up,yuk,who can get out of bed at 3.30 am (oldtime) and go to work for 8 hours and remain sane?
A few people like it including my assistant and partner in crime who just puts puts the youngest to bed according to clock,easy for some .Last summer I had an average of 4 hours a night and had to have a catnap during the day if I could get it... I reckon it cost me at least $500 last year in medical bills as I was quite sick and saw a Doctor and the rest is History.. This year Ill only be starting at 5 or 530am when theres too much to do before Staff and Students arrive,blowing the grounds,weed /pest spraying! If I start at 6am Ill be at work till 2.30pm!!! Well see how it goes!!!
On the knitting front Im nearly finished the ISE5 and am very happy with it.In the next little while I have to do a Tea cosy for a Ravely Swap and 4 face washers and also hope to spin and knit another of Mandies lovely tops that I ordered this week. That reminds me ,must go pay her too,so it arrives in time!!!! Making it easy for other gifts though,saw the most delightful little succulents in the Nursey,hope they have more in for Xmas!