....and a happy New Year!!

Well, another year over and a new one to look forward to. What a wonderful Christmas we had. Lots of family gatherings.

Christmas breakfast out on the front verandah. On Christmas Eve, we went to the six o'clock mass at the kids' school then came home and had cold chicken, prawns, ham and all the salads. It was such a lovely lead-in to the main day.

Christmas lunch, a beautiful roast meal with all the trimmings. About half the presents had been opened by this time so we needed to boost our energy levels to be able to get back into it!

Mum loved her quilt, even though I had to do the yank-back because the binding and label wasn't done. I'll pick it up today and finish it for her. I'm really pleased with the way it turned out.

Four generations.

I was absolutely delighted to unwrap this excellent ruler holder. Darling son made it for me and it is just perfect. I've loaded up all my rulers, ready to go! I had floated it as a suggestion earlier this year, but didn't get much of a response so presumed it was a non-starter. I don't know why. Every time I ask him to build me something, he always does and does a marvellous job.

Ready for action! These things shoot foam bullets and for a tiny while, it was decided that a lot of fun could be had, firing at me.  I told the four of them that I would beat them all around the ears till they bled I gently discouraged that plan and they took themselves off down to the pool area.

The day after Boxing Day, still recovering!

Then my brother, his wife and two little daughters came over for yet more food for a BBQ on Friday night. They had come down from Townsville to see us all for Christmas. We have had the most wonderful family time over the past few days. Now time to clean up the mess, put everything away and start the new year.

SBS is under way! I finished Cross and Crown this morning. I wish I had used a different fabric for the small points though. They're not showing up very well and the ones in the top don't have any of the pink in them but it was all too much mucking around, so this block is also as done as it's going to be!

Who's looking at me.....

looking at them and wondering what on earth they're doing?

We recently took Mum for a drive up through Fernvale, Esk and Toowoomba so she could check out the new car. We called into the Wivenhoe Dam area to have our lunch and spotted this little guy up in the tree. How cute is he?? Billy Connolly says that you have to love a country that has an aminal called a hairy nosed wombat. Well, I say you also have to love a country that has these little guys so close to a capital city. Why do we refuse to take better care of them?

Mum really enjoyed the car because it is higher than the Commodore and she was very easily able to get in and out of it. She was also able to sit in the back in comfort because there was plenty of room and she was easily able to see out. She had a lovely day out, as did we all. We certainly live in a beautiful country.

This road was closed. Do you know how I know that?  Hint - it wasn't because of the sign!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! This is my favouritest elf in the whole world or any other big place. I just adore him and while he was horrifed to discover that his elf suit from two years back had disintergrated into a handful of powder, he quickly recovered when beautiful daughter brought out this outfit. Hannes loves a good dress-up and is always so willing to get into the swing of things. Such a joyful little critter.

Bill the Builder and I went over to help decorate the tree and how can you decorate a tree without a flashing red nose? We had a lovely night. Memories are made of these, as the song says. All the grandbabies are coming to decorate our house and put up the tree next week. Each year, I buy Hannes a tree decoration and scored no points last year by getting a musical one.

The collection so far! I absolutely love this time of the year. I've been beavering away on gifts but have nothing finished that I can show at the moment. Needless to say, SBS has taken a back seat where it spends a lot of time but the new year will see it moving along again. No idea what I'll do with it when I'm done. It's very busy. Need to get a wriggle on with everything. Bill the Builder is away to Victoria on his motor bike so I'm home alone for a few days which is always good for getting lots of things done.  I just love Christmas!

Isn't it funny.....

how one can own thousands a lorry load quite a few recipe books and magazines, yet still come back to the same recipe, over and over.

This is a mixed fruit and walnut slice that I got from Peg's blog. I discovered it ages ago and have made it so many times. It is always a winner. Very easy to make, lovely to eat and makes a large quantity. I didn't have enough mixed fruit this time round so added some dates. I love that beautiful green leaf plate too. Mum gave it to me years ago and I kept it safe and sound in the dresser. Then, one day, I just decided to start using all my beautiful things and it gives me such pleasure.

One slow contribution to SBS this weekend. This is Crossed Canoes and is something of an odd block, I thought. The colours haven't come up very well here. The pale fabric is a light apricot with a white spot.

I do have enough to make a good sized quilt but am starting to look on this project as a learning experience. I've never had patchwork lessons so working through these blocks, and trying to do the very best I can with them, is certainly giving me some good lessons. This block is foundation pieced.

My babies are certainly growing up. On Friday, the kindy kids were allowed to wear their school uniforms for next year for a 'show and tell'. They all looked so grown up in their uniforms but when they changed back into their kindy uniforms, they were just babies again. Time goes so quickly.

Hannes in his new school uniform. He will be in prep next year. And what blog post from me would be complete without a photo of the latest flowers from SIL's garden? The white roses are mine but the goregous red ones are his. Hope everyone has had a lovely weekend.

What a week!

Last week, Bill the Builder organized new carpet for the bedrooms and major electrical renovations. I didn't have a good time, although I'm very thankful now that it's been done. Some days, I had no phone and no electricity but I put the time to good use.

This is Bride's Bouquet and is totally hand done. It is as wobbly as it looks in the photo but it's as done as it's going to be. It was made with templates. Wish I'd used stronger colours though.

Blazing Star, also hand pieced with templates

Boy's Nonsense, foundation pieced

Bear's Paw, foundation pieced

Cats and Mice, foundation pieced but not too keen on the colours. Might swap it out into Farmer's Wife Sampler

Bow Tie, template pieced

One good thing about getting the carpets replaced was that everything had to be yanked out of the wardrobes so there was some major sorting out done. Not everything made it back in. I nearly went insane having all the furniture piled up in bathrooms, in the lounge and the laundry but wanted to give everything a good clean before stuff went back. It was the week from hell.

Rounded the weekend off nicely though, with a trip to the circus.

How sweet is this little guy? It was his first circus and hopefully his last, or at least, my last but he asked a few times if we could go yet, so I'm thinking he was bored spitless slightly underwhelmed.

Been to Table Runner School!

Spent a wonderful day recently at a Christmas table runner class. What a terrific way to spend a morning and I'm just so chuffed with the end result.

Even better, it's made entirely from my stash! How thrifty am I?? It's quite long and is actually brighter than it looks here. I am going to make another one for my dining room table and replace the centre star with an embroidery.

Done two more SBS blocks. This is Swamp Patch, traditionally pieced,

and this is Bachelor's Puzzle. It is made with templates with a lot of mucking around and spitting and cussing which I found a tad challenging.

It is said there is no such thing as a free lunch. Well, around these parts, if you want afternoon tea after kindy, you have to cook your own!

Hannes loves a good cook up and always makes our dinner on Wednesday nights too. Spag bol. Every Wednesday night. Without fail. I made that apron for him (and both the other grandbabies) for last Christmas and put a wooden spoon, a biscuit cutter and a pair of tongs in the embroidered pocket. He loves it!

I am always amazed when this poor plant bursts into flower each year! Mum bought it for me years ago and apart from a water from time to time, the poor thing is totally neglected. Yet each year, I get this beautiful display. Note to self: look after plant under mango tree a bit better.

Beautiful gerbras from Mum's garden. She really is the gerbra queen. What a lovely day it is here today! Perfect for embroidering towels for gorgeous DIL's birthday party tomorrow.

How natty is this??

What a busy week! Not without it's screaming frustrations difficulties but all in all, a good week. Spent a fabulous day at the Brisbane Craft Fair with Bill the Builder's niece and bought a little silicon mould.

Not a very clear photo but it is a mould whereby you push a small piece of coloured fondant into the base and then some green over the top, then press the whole thing out and hey presto! Gorgeous little decoration for the best patty cakes in the whole world....mine, of course!

I made these cakes for the birthday party yesterday and they went down a treat. Also made some mini-quiches and you can see one peeking out on the bottom left hand side of the photo.

Started the day off at the fair with a crochet class on how to crochet a hibiscus! That left me open to scorn and derision a questioning look from Carolyn but it was a wonderful start to the day for me. There was one hour tuition, a bamboo hook and two balls of beautiful cotton so excellent value, to my mind.

And who among you does not need a crocheted hibiscus, hmmm??? It needs to be pressed so that the petals tighten up but I am just delighted with it! I was remarkably restrained very responsible with my purchases and even came home with $20! Here is my haul.

The soap mould at the back was a tad extravagant at $10 because I have seen them in the junk shop for $3 but haven't been able to find one for a while and I want them for Christmas gifts, so bit the bullet. Carolyn and I spent a half hour with the truly talented Helen Dafter who would have to be one of the nicest people I have ever met. We did a tutorial in ribbon embroidery and thoroughly enjoyed Helen's sense of humour. Janet Samson had a display of her beautiful embroidered quilts and so the show special had to come home with me. Janet's work stitches out beautifully and she has such pretty designs. They are not showing up very clearly here but take my word for it, they are just lovely.

It was a bit of a kicker that the car blew a heater hose and had great gusts of steam issuing from the bonnet as we pulled into the carpark of the fair but at least it didn't happen on the way in. We did the responsible thing and went to the fair any way so that the car could cool down. Long story short, we came home in a tow truck! I love RACQ! Tow truck driver was a delightful young man who described himself as a former troubled child and told us how he had turned his life around. Very inspiring story.

Only one SBS block done this week. Sickle block, which went together quite well and is traditionally pieced. Need to go back to Farmer's Wife Sampler too, as well as get a wriggle on with an embroidered quilt for gorgeous daughter-in-law. And the weekend ended on a high note with the 5th birthday party for the most adorable grandson in the whole world. I love this little guy so much. He brings true joy and happiness to my life. Happy birthday, Hannes!

Blowing out the candles on his Giggle and Hoot cake. What a lovely day we had in the park with family and all his little friends.



Onya, Barbie!

Well, what a thoroughly frustrating and infuriating wonderfully productive weekend! Weather has been just beautiful and I have been beavering away in totally inadequate carport situation lovely sewing room for most of the weekend. Really motoring along with Sylvia's Bridal Sampler.

Cross and Crown - foundation pieced

Big T - also foundation pieced

Shoo Fly

Sarah's Choice

Ohio Star

The last three were traditionally pieced. Need to whack up the design sheet on the dining room wall again when Bill the Builder isn't home, to see whether I'm going too blue. I don't think so though, from memory. Lynda is going to be so proud of my progress!

Made the best pizza on Friday night. I read a tip in a forum here about having fresh herbs all year round. You just gather up whatever herbs or greens you have, add an onion,  a bucket load some garlic and enough olive oil to make a paste and then just whizz the living suitcase out of it it up to make a sort of pesto number. I used parsley, rosemary, basil, brown onion, dried thyme and dried dill and a bucket load some garlic and slathered spread it over my homemade pizza dough and let me tell you...it is the freakin' goods! really nice.

Made a carnivore meat lover's for Bill the Builder and a chicken and pineapple one for moi. Needed to get the fruit element in.

Hot pizza and cold wine (Friday night's dinner) and cold pizza and hot coffee (Saturday breakfast). Yum! And all the food groups covered in one fell swoop. Could I write a nutrition book, or what??

Spitting, cussing and snorting Mildly disappointed to discover that the perfect border for this quilt has a distinct repeat and I can't use it. Actually, I've added another two borders since the photo below.

Disregard silky smalls waving in the breeze alongside.

Perfect border in Patisserie, which I love but you can see the obvious repeat in the fabric so auditioned this one (also Patisserie) which I freakin' knew in my water wouldn't work at all suspected might not be quite right.

Totally cheesed off to the max Quite disappointed. Would have liked to have done that this weekend. Believe me, that border doesn't look as good as it does in the photo. It really is a non-starter.

So that was my very productive weekend. I was also going to iron but realized I've already done that twice this year. Didn't want to appear obessive so gave it a swerve.