Juwles embroidery & patchwork

Stupid weather...

2011-07-12T15:32:00.009+10:00

Ha surprised you all and myself by popping in here and updating...

Isn't this cold weather just the pits.... I loathe being cold and when it is wet also like we have been having lately it just doesn't agree with me. I can never get warm and it doesn't help that our heating is still not working.. but that is life... we have to have winter and rain, I am just hoping now for an early warm spring..

I just love this picture. Nik was occupying herself in the car on a recent trip. She was yabbering away to herself and we were not really paying attention until she asked me if I thought poppy (her dog) would be scared of her when we got home... when I turned around this is what I saw.. she had sticky taped bits of material to her face to make herself into a pussy cat...lol she had me in fits of laughter.

Our house is still sitting waiting patiently for the moving men to return.... they do say we are high priority for getting this house moved but I sincerely doubt that. They are waiting on fine weather to remove the roof then load onto the trucks...... we had a fabulous week of glorious sunshine a fortnight ago and they never showed up.. to say I am a little peeved would be an understatement... the ground is so wet and waterlogged now that I doubt we will get it out until late Spring which is really disappointing for us but what can we do!

It is the second week of school holidays here now and I am really enjoying not having any routine to stick to, no netball or football training or games as they don't play (seniors and Juniors) on the middle weekend of these holidays, so I should have been having some quiet time at home... lol that doesn't happen in this household.

We have been slowly since April working our way through an overgrown frontage to our new property that due to the new Bushfire Assessments we have to clear all the undergrowth and weeds and the pile of cut trees the previous owner dumped there before we can be issued with a certificate to live in the house once it is moved.. wish we knew this before we bought it.. oh well we are now almost 100metres from the end and it is starting to look good. We currently have 6 or 7 huge bonfires on the property of scrub and weeds we have removed. We are leaving all the native plants and only removing what needs to be removed but it is so overgrown with shiny leaf and prickly bush that it is hard going.

We have enlisted the help of most of the kids, some are useful, some are not..lol

This is the first small heap we started, the rest of the bonfires are at least twice as big now. Will have to get new pics to show an update. We were going to have one of the bonfires this weekend to celebrate Josh's 21st but the weather has not been kind of late and it is too wet and cold so instead we are celebrating it elsewhere this weekend. To think it is 21 years since he first came into this world is quite scary. We have been looking back over old photos remembering him as he has grown from a tiny little baby into a wild little boy and now into a grown man who we are very proud of.

Apart from land clearing we have also had Netball training with the Victorian State Netballers, this is Tahlia posing with one of the girls.

Below is Zoe's quilt she made ( purple/green), notice almost all her squares meet up. I am not happy with the way the teacher taught them to quilt and sandwich but at least it is finished not languishing in a bag somewhere. The red,black and white blanket the girls made themselves one each and boy are they being used lots lately. The purple/white top is Lauren's quilt she started and I am finishing off....

The red knitted top is Nikayla's Acacia top, it just needs a ribbon and some blocking.. and she can wear it, very easy quick knit designed by my designer sister Tikki.

Stupid blogger won't let me put the pics where they should be so I will just have to write here about them and hope it turns out okay..

The pink and brown vest is another item I have finished along with the diagonal lace white blanket. The blanket took forever or so it seemed to finish but is nice and soft and warm. The half finished item is a diagonal lace baby jacket I am presently knitting during the school holidays, just have the front and sleeves to go. Finally the little green pants are dolls diapers I made and beneath them is 7 little kids black scarves made from polar fleece, very quick and easy and nice and snuggly warm

I also have some other items I have finished off but they are charity items so will blog about them on my other blog.

Until next time enjoy.

OK Who pinched my life!!!

2011-06-01T21:50:00.009+10:00

As the title says who pinched the last 12 months of my life... cos I have no idea where it has gone.

wow to think it is over 12 months since I updated is a tad embarrassing to say the least. I have been actively doing things in that time though. Farm, family and sporting commitments have kept me well and truly out of mischief I can assure you.

But one of the main things keeping me busy is this "little" project..

This is my in laws family homestead, circa 1900s, that we have been busily emptying of 100+ years of hoarding everything possible from school books to old clothing and jewellery plus all the furniture.. it is presently cut in 2 pieces down the middle with a big gaping hole in the roof where the chimney used to be and hopefully it will soon be on its journey to its new location... Yep we bit the bullet and are relocating this beautiful old home to another location that suits our lifestyle more, which will also see me doing a lot less than the current 1000kms a week I am presently doing in travel.. it has been a nerve wracking and stressful time, dealing with government departments etc. etc. it is definitely not something I would do again in a hurry..lol but hopefully it will be well worth all the sleepless nights..

We have been fortunate to have found some amazing personal items including my father in laws war medals and all his gear neatly packed away in the bottom of a cupboard along with photos from the war.

So that is what I have been busy with!!

I just recently got my sewing machine back from the machine doctors where it has been sitting, waiting patiently to be fixed for the last 9 months!! No that is not a misprint, it actually took me over 9 months to get my machine fixed and returned to me grrrrrrr.. I did have to contact their head office to get any action in the end which frustrated me no end.. but I now have it back and have been sewing... yaye..

First on the to-do list was a very long overdue swap for a very dear friend.. no hints until I post.. haha..just need to find the postal address..VBG

Then I finished off all the paid jobs I had waiting and now am enjoying sewing for myself, something I haven't done in a very long time..

Zoe has also spent time sewing together a quilt top for school and she has done a really great job of getting her points and corners all lined up. Would never think it was her first time sewing a quilt, so proud of her. I have been playing around with different things, I pieced together half a quilt top that Lauren was doing at school 2 years ago until she moved schools and it was never touched again. So I finally decided if she didn't want to finish it I would. We couldn't remember how the pattern went so I just winged it and put it together how I thought it should be.. guess what!! she likes it again now and would like it for her room now........ hmmmm. we will see..

I have also been busily knitting away as usual, with lots of different projects either on the go or finished, mostly all charity knitting but I have completed a couple for family and myself.

The last 12 months we have had an 18th birthday, confirmations, reconciliations, school graduations, a large family christmas plus many other family occassions. We have had many happy occassions along with some sad occassions, we have had family illness which continues to affect and sadden us. We have endured floods, nothing like those in the north of the state and the country got but nonetheless still floods. The kids have all continued to grow up, one in particular has taken a liking to moving home again and again..lol he is currently residing at home again whilst he waits for his and his girlfriend's new home to be built, so I am guessing he won't be moving home again in the future, here's hoping anyway..lol I do love him being home though.. another son has moved out of home and started his adult life in employment. Our oldest daughter along with our grand daughter have moved interstate to live, hopefully not for too long, they are returning home tomorrow for a fortnight visit which will be nice as we haven't seen them for a long time and miss them greatly.

Well that is about it, our last 12 months in a nutshell... I will not make any promises of updating in the near future as there is no guarantee what will happen next in our lives... thanks for staying tuned..lol

wow time really does fly when you get older!!!

2010-05-07T01:38:00.003+10:00

I really cannot believe where the time has gone.. almost a year since I last blogged.. what shame....lol
Really my life has changed and I am a LOT busier than what I was this time last year...
Some of the changes since last year have been relocating a child to a new school in another town due to some bullying in her former school. We now have to travel 20 mins morning and night to catch the bus. Her younger sister also started Year 7 this year so is now also attending this same school. We still have a son at the previous school as he is finishing VCE and is doing Year 12 this year so thought it unfair to expect him to change schools and he seems happy there with his friends. We still have one child in Primary school, grade 5, at the local school so we have 3 different bus runs morning and night... makes life interesting..
Nikayla is still at home, not attending Kindergarten or anything yet as she wasn't ready for it earlier this year but now could possibly go but I am undecided still.. don't really like the teacher.
Last year our oldest DD came back home to live with her darling little girl.. her partner turned out to be a not so nice person!! so we had quiet a houseful for a while...lol we eventually did settle in to a sort of routine albeit a really busy one.. She has since found her feet and is now getting on with her life and has gone back to Uni to get a degree. Josh has also moved out of home again. He is now into his final year of his apprenticeship, and yep I am still getting lots of new bits of furniture as he has to make all different types of things for the school side of his apprenticeship. I now have a long tall table in my hallway, a wine buffet thingy in my lounge room, a marble topped cupboard in my dining room and am expecting any day a glass doored trophy cabinet for who knows where I am going to put that. Probably are a few other items I have forgotten also.. DS2 is also into the furniture making and is about to start making me a tv unit for in the family room, but that may take a while to finish..
Cricket season came and went in a blink this year or so it seems. This year DH was president and I again did the treasury and data input.. and the club also won two premierships, A grade and D grade.. what an awesome effort on the boys behalf, we are all very proud of them. Lauren only played cricket at local level this season due to the bullying and nonsense at her last school. She lost all confidence in herself and became a very different person to who she normally is.... we pushed her to at least play cricket at local level with her mates and it did her the world of good. We at least saw her smiling again. All is well with her now in her new school, she has a great bunch of friends and seems to fit in well with all the kids...and the teachers are telling us now how happy she seems in class, we were so worried with the decisions we had made but now we know we made the right decisions. It isn't easy changing schools especially when you have been involved in that school for over 20 years... Zoe started Year 7 in Lauren's school this year, it must have been hard for her but she didnt let on once that she was too worried. She only knew 1 or 2 kids of her year level of over 200 kids.. she knew no-one she went on the bus with except her sister but has fitted in really well, has a nice group of friends and is really enjoying 'High' school..the best thing about this school is that it keeps it class sizes to a maximum of 24.. and any troublemakers are dealt with swiftly and either pulled into line or sent on their way..
Tahlia is still in Primary school and is doing okay.. one day she likes it, the next day she hates it..... small schools have their pros but also have their cons......
Both Tahlia and Zoe are playing netball this year which is great, a lot more work and travelling but it is so good to finally see Zoe participating in a sport. She has always been so little and picked on for her size but now she seems to have found confidence in herself and has been in the best players in all but 1 or 2 games.. Tahlia does really well in her grade of netball also, even though they dont score they still have encourgement awards of which Tahlia has received one or two.. and they have both met new friends through the netball... only drawback is really on Des and I.. All 4 kids play for the same club but 2 play on the Saturday and 2 play on the Sunday, that's okay we've done that with the older kids before, the problem I am finding is that they have trainings Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. Trying to work out having kids where they are meant to be for sporting commitments etc is mind boggling but we are getting there.... Monday nights are taken up with confirmation/ communion lessons so that gives me Friday/nights at home if I am lucky. .lol
On the sewing side of things I have done ...... hmmm well not much.. dare I say.. I have managed a few small embroidery jobs for customers throughout this year and dare I say it I have done some mending.. sshhh. can't even remember last year so we just scrap that...lol have unpacked and packed my sewing room up a few times... moved things around to try and fit another bed in there.. which is about to be moved out into another bedroom real soon... now we are back down to only 5 kids at home...lol
I lost my office when Brooke and Josh moved back home last year and it is still being used as a bedroom.. and my sewing area seemed to be shrinking for awhile.. hopefully when things settle here I may get a chance to reorganise the house and my sewing room may get a bit more spacious.. it really needs a good cleanout but.........lol
One thing I have still managed to do is a bit of knitting but not much really, just enough to keep my sanity level.....I think...haha but always the optimist and looking to the future and what I can do when I get time...lol
anyways I think that is enough from me and time for bed before we have to start again tomorrow.. early start as they are having walk to school day at primary school with breakfast at school at 8am... same time Brady catches his bus.lol

Look who came to visit..

2009-06-13T20:11:00.004+10:00

Kaylee came to visit us and stay for Easter. She has grown so much and is a real character. She is so full on that she wore me out but we had fun.

We only lost her twice while she was here.... lol we found her upstairs happily playing with all the toys. This pic shows her with her easter bunny. She loved it that much all she wanted to do was cuddle it.. we had an egg hunt which all the kids had fun with, we just had to be really quick as Kaylee had a tendency to chomp into the eggs paper and all...

One of the funniest sights for the stay was when her mum and dad left and drove out the driveway, this little character, who refused to say goodbye to them, trotted off down the driveway after them. No tears, she wasn't upset, she was just following them.. all we could do was sit and laugh before we realised she was not going to stop... pity I didn't have the video camera at the time, as it looked so funny her chasing the car. Mind you we have a rather long driveway so she was in no harm....... I did ring her mum and reassure her that all was okay with Kaylee and that she wasn't upset and that she was having a ball playing with all her aunties and uncles.. and gran and her pa......

see we wore her out...lol

I have also been making things...

2009-06-13T19:58:00.004+10:00

After falling in a hole the week after the kids deb, I finally got my butt in gear and have made a couple of beanies for the boys.. they asked me for new ones so what's a mum to do..lol

I have finished off 3 so far and have another on the needles that I was hoping to have finished by tomorrow but that is not going to happen as I have 2 pairs of dress pants I have to hem tonight for DS2 who is leaving for Melbourne tomorrow...
This is Josh modelling his beanie.. he looks a bit rough as he had just got home from work... it is made from wool and alpaca using the 2 x 2 ribbed beanie pattern, it is nice and soft and warm. He likes it... bonus..
I have also finished Brady's but haven't got a photo yet, he grabbed it as soon as I finished it and I haven't seen it since apart from on the top of his head...lol the 3rd one I made ended up being a tad small for the boys so it has been put away until a suitable recipient is found..

My mother's day pressie..

2009-06-13T19:25:00.004+10:00

This is what got delivered to my house last night..by Ds himself.. DS has made me this table and has also got 2 more smaller tables coming.. He has been making it at trade school during the year.. I have been really spoilt by DS when it comes to furniture. this is about the 8th piece of furniture he has made for me.. and the second coffee table. The other one he made is a squat table with storage underneath, it measures approx. 1m x 1m.. I think I am running out of room for his creations but don't tell him that... lol He is in the process of making me a wall unit/display shelf... for in our hallway.. then I think our house will be full.

While on the subject of Ds making me stuff, this is the arch way that he made for me back in March/April of this year. Isn't he a clever cookie.. I have passionfruits growing on either side of it, so hopefully they will bear us some yummy fruits..

Also he has renovated his bedroom. He removed all the 20 year old wallpaper we installed and plastered all the walls. Together we painted his room and now he has a nice new bedroom.. no pictures as yet.. I will have to make a mental note to take some...lol

I am good at being slack...

2009-06-13T18:22:00.006+10:00

I cannot believe how long it has been since I last wrote here.. it is just mind boggling how quickly time is passing.. but I do have a reasonable excuse apart from all the work with the kids and the farm.. I have been busily getting 2 kids organised for their 'Debuts'... DD and DS both made their debuts together this year.. and boy am I glad that is over and done with now.. talk about hectic.. hair trials, dresses, suits, dance lessons.. well you get the idea... Peer pressure tried it's best to lure us into doing things dd wanted but I stood my ground.. lol no $300 hair extensions, no expensive dress or jewellery... I was a meanie...hehe DD did get hair extensions, they cost all of $5. It pays to know your hairdresser. They blended in beautifully with her real hair, you couldn't tell which was her hair and what wasn't.

She wanted a particular style of dress and we spent months looking for just the right dress with no luck..... so we bought a plain sweet heart neckline dress off the rack and I stupidly said I would adjust it to make it like she wanted..... never again. I finished the dress at 3pm on the afternoon of the presentation..... after many late, late nights spent sewing on beading.. but she got what she wanted and was pleased which was the main thing.

I can honestly say boys are much easier when it comes to debs.. DS only needed to be measured up for his suit, he wouldn't even let me get his hair cut.... but I must say they both looked stunning for the deb. This is DS and his partner. I am constantly amazed to see how much the kids have matured and grown up. It only seems like yesterday we were spending hours in doctors waiting rooms and surgeries with this little man as sick as, bucket under his chin and stripped down to only his nappy... I am so glad those days are behind us..

And this is Miss DD. See all those ruches...... they took a looooong time, there are tiny beads all flowing outwards from each ruche all the way around the skirt. The skirt consists of 10 layers although you can't tell in this pic..

This picture shows better the fullness of the skirt, although the lighting in the stadium was not good for taking photos. See all those black drapes in the background... there were meant to 32 drapes all up but time got the better... we did manage to finish and hang 24... not bad...... another never again I am making note of...lol

This pic shows the detail in the back of the skirt. For some unknown reason I didn't get a photo of Lauren and her partner together apart from when they were dancing... but we are still to get the professional photos so they should be good.

so I have been busy just not neglecting everyone....

New job for DS..yaye

2009-04-09T19:17:00.003+10:00

We have been holding our breaths and hoping that something good would turn up for our son after he was laid off from his apprenticeship well over a month ago.... but as it seems to be a sign of things to come around here we were not hopeful.
He has been working very hard here at home and on the farm since he returned home and has even said he enjoyed the farm work.... He has built me an archway I had been asking for since before christmas, DH really isn't the handy type around the home.....lol but now I have a nice new archway for my passionfruits to grow on.. and they have already been planted and are hopefully going to bear us lots of fruit in the coming years...I will take a photo tomorrow in daylight if I remember... plus now he is painting the house.. we finished our renovations 7 years ago and DH still hadn't finished painting the new parts...lol they just needed the top coats... but Josh is starting at the older part of the house and working his way around and redoing the whole house..lol it looks so much better already......
Anyway a friend of ours heard Josh had returned home after being laid off from work and put the wheels in motion for him to pick up some casual work labouring with a local builder.. fantastic.. well the best was to come... Josh started working on the Wednesday and by the following Monday the builder had signed up Josh to finish off his apprenticeship. This builder is also a qualified joiner so Josh can finish his apprenticeship with him. I wasn't game to believe or even dream this was true until all the paperwork was done and signed.... but it is now and fingers and every other limb I can cross is crossed that this will be long term and get him thru his apprenticeship.. at long last someone up above is looking out for us...... yaye..

As promised

2009-04-09T15:41:00.006+10:00

Couldn't help myself taking this pic today.... this is one of our 'wild' cats.. he is full grown and this is how I found him... sleeping in one of my pots... How he squished his whole body in is beyond me but he seems content except when I snuck closer to get a better pic when he looked at me and seemed to say 'do you mind? I am sleeping here' lol...

I did promise last post that this one would be positive and here it is...

School holidays are upon us and the kids are enjoying some time at home.... so I popped out today in the gorgeous autumn day we are having here and took some photos.. although the grass and ground is still dry you can just see the tinge of green creeping back into the land from the last few days of drizzle that we have had.... yes I said drizzle as that is all we have had but it is better than nothing.. lol... not much in the tanks still but we are hoping...

I have done the 'good mum' thing and had friends over to stay for a couple of nights and now we are looking forward to a nice quiet easter break......... or so we thought.......lol we are babysitting GD and DDs new puppy... for 5 days...... might just see if the other grandmother wants to look after her for a couple of days also... hehehe they live just around the corner from us..... don't get me wrong we love having Kaylee here but she is flat out and doesn't stop unless she is sleeping.. which is getting less and less now she is growing up... and this way I also get to have a bit of a break... and we have a male dog now and Brooke's pup is a female and I am sure they would just 'love' each other to death..... if you get what I mean.. will have to work out a way of keeping them away from each other for 5 days......

This little fellow you can see in the distance in this pic is Snickers... a little miniature pony my eldest daughter brought home a few months back..... she did have another horse here, a race horse, but last weekend she came out and picked him up and took him closer to where she lives now... Snickers was a little lost for a couple of days but now seems to have settle well without his mate... and he has also made new friends and has become a nice little pet for our other children and also our dog...

And last photo for the day is one of our dds resting.. lol she does a lot of that now she is a teenager.... vbg

Happy Easter to everyone and I hope it is a good one and relaxing for all involved. Take care on the roads those travelling..

Another month gone and no rain in sight

2009-04-04T01:16:00.003+11:00

Would you believe with all the weather the rest of Victoria is getting today that we have not got any and have not had any since I last posted here........ we are really getting desperate here for water, the ground is so dry, our tanks are almost dry, the grasses and surrounds are all so dry... somebody send us some good solid rain..........Please.............. there has been another deliberately lit fire in our region this last week, this time it has burnt out over 6000 hectares and was brought under control earlier today...... we are in April and usually our fire restrictions are coming off around now but it is so dry.... they are saying at least another month or until we get some good solid rains......

Haven't really been doing much sewing of late, even though I have a stack of orders to fill and heaps of digitizing also... I just can't seem to get myself motivated when I am home long enough to do anything....... hopefully the school holidays will give me some inspiration to get my bum into gear again......
Has been a bit of an up and down year for me so far...... I just seem to get my head around things and get myself organised with all the kids and their different activities when someone goes and throws a spanner in the works........lol I think that is why I have thrown myself into knitting a bit more than usual and have withdrawn from people.. it's my respite from what is actually happening in the real world...
Don't get me wrong, I am still as active as ever with the kids and their sporting and school commitments. I just choose to sit in the car and wait and knit... if I can..

I have always believed that before you can criticise anyone for what they have or haven't done you have to walk a mile in their shoes to understand more of what their lives actually entail........... I know that I shouldn't let people get to me like this but when it comes from family it cuts deeper..... some people are so quick to judge....... you know you haven't done this or you haven't done that type of thing... well excuse me but we have tried.... I can't perform the impossible... and I think we have the right to put my kids and their needs first....sorry if this is not suitable to anyone but stiff....
Today is dds birthday and not one acknowledgement from extended family until late tonight, this is something my kids and I have become accustomed to over the years yet we are constantly told off if we forget others' days... but still we get no thanks for pressies given... sometimes I don't even know if the gifts arrive safely at their destinations...this is something I have learnt to just accept, but the thing that got to me so much tonight was a simple text message.... I had just completed organising a little surprise for someone who has never judged me or not that I am aware of... it gave me a nice feeling of stepping forward... then out of the blue a text from ? who last time I saw (early Feb) never even acknowledged my presence and made me feel very unwelcome by speaking straight thru me.......to say I was hurt would be an understatement.. but then I get a message tonight to let us know they are now living elsewhere..... just in case noone told us...well dd actually got the message not me!! it was like now we are here you can come visit us......
yeah well no one has told us........ no one has spoken to me since early Feb... oh they tell my kids to tell me things I supposedly have to do or things I haven't done but they think I should have but not one of them has actually spoken to me....... it is as if we don't exist anymore......... the forgotten family..... they aren't interested in talking to us but they think it is okay to be involved in our lives when they please yet still treat us as though we don't exist....

I am not even sure if any of them even read my blog but this is my way of getting this off my chest so to speak... I know it will still eat away at me and every new comment or remark will cut a bit deeper but after all these years of feeling like the black sheep of the family and never being good enough for them, you would think I would be used to it........ nope it still hurts....... I am sick of trying to be nice to everyone and trying not to offend anyone with anything I say or do.... it is time for others to stop judging me/us for not doing as they think we should be doing....... it is time for them to realise that if we were made to feel welcome we might actually join in with family occasions, it is time for them to realise we have a life, a busy one at that and we have every right to lead this life any way we choose..... the same as they all have the right to lead their own lives their ways without fear of anyone judging them........ don't be snide and bitch away behind our backs, just say what is eating at you... I guess what I am trying to say is enough is enough, if we aren't good enough to be a part of your lives so be it...... you can't keep just jumping in whenever you please and then ignoring us whenever... we are humans with feelings...and kids aren't dumb they know a lot more than what you give them credit for and they also have feelings.......

Okay I am off now.. next post I promise will be on a much more positive note....

2 in one day.... & 112

2009-03-06T23:26:00.003+11:00

Two posts in one day...... wow I am doing well...lol
Just needed to pop in and say it is amazing how one's day turns out....

Today while I was driving into town to help cut out the blocks for the quilt we are making for the bushfire survivors, on a road I have travelled many, many times over the years and have always known the bad spots and bumps in the road.... today for some reason I was going a lot slower than normal.... not sure why but I was....
I only had Nikayla in the back thankfully but not in her normal car seat (which is definitely going back in the car tomorrow when it dries before I go anywhere else).......
Within a split second as I was meeting a couple of cars on a bend the back car all of a sudden spun around a few times and started travelling backwards across the road toward me...... it seemed to happen in slow motion and seemed so unreal but real at the same time...... the car continued to come backwards towards me....... not sure whether it was my slower speed or just good luck but the car missed me by just millimetres if that and slammed into the bracken and trees on the side of the road..........
I just sat there for I don't know how long....stunned.... unsure on what had just happened and what I was going to find.. I was shaking like a leaf..... I told Nikayla to stay put, put my hazards on, as we were on the bend and cars seem to fly around the corner and with the long weekend and the folk festival this weekend there is extra traffic on the road, then I went to see if the person in the car was okay..
she was thankfully getting out as I approached and surprisingly was quite calm and level headed..... I on the other hand was shaking so much I had dropped my mobile and the back and battery had fallen out......duh.. I had always thought myself to be quite calm and capable of handling a situation but today I found out differently... the lady was in her mid 60s approximately and didnt get flustered at all.... she calmly told me she had no mobile service so couldn't ring anyone and as she had travelled from the top of the state to almost the bottom she was alone..... stupid me stumbled around looking for our local police phone number..... ended up ringing hubby to come and help...lol this lady on the other hand had the ability to remember a number she had been told earlier for an emergency if you have no mobile service.... it was 112....... and it worked..... I had never heard of this before... you just dial 112 and you are put through to emergency......000 I think ... whilst she was doing this quiet a number of cars sped past us.... we were not a metre off the roadside and only 1 or 2 slowed down or stopped........unbelievable......
hey we are out in the country here and we help out each other when in trouble but today the traffic was not local...... so the few that did stop briefly didn't even ask if we were okay but just drove off...... after I checked the lady was okay and not hurt I moved my car to the other side of the road which just happens to be our local fire shed so it was safe and then went back and checked on the lady..... we both looked at where she had come from and how lucky she had been.... she missed by mere millimetres 2 road signs and a power pole and me....... the skid marks all tell the story......how she managed to thread her way between without hitting anything is unreal and all going backwards... she did manage to take out the small telstra phone cable thingy though which only left a small dent in her front bumper...... the only damage the car sustained apart from the accumulation of a lot of bracken underneath her car and a few scratches.....couldn't believe it.... the bracken she hit first must have softened her impact and probably saved her.. my DH and another local friend came to the rescue and managed to pull her out whilst I slowed oncoming traffic and warned them as DH had to pull the car out across the road..... needless to say our local police never turned up but police from the next town turned up after we had pulled her car out and they just made sure we were all okay, took statements and questioned her and as it was purely an accident let us go on our way....
I do hope that this lady is okay tonight and not suffering any after effects.. I hope she enjoys her weekend at the folkie festival and doesn't dwell on what happened today..
I know she was just starting to consider all the what ifs just before the police arrived... as she said it just happened so quickly for her..it was in no way her fault........ all she did was get out in the gravel on the side of the road slightly on the bend and that was all it took for her car to spin around... she wasn't speeding, she just hit the gravel verge at a bad point in the bend and that was it......it can be a tricky bend but as I have been travelling it forever I guess I know the road and its faults and maybe take it for granted but not anymore..........

I have learnt two things today...
firstly is that it only takes a split second and things can change dramatically.. it could have so easily been much worse today but wasn't.............
and secondly and one that I will remember and I really think should be public knowledge and should be advertised or even pre keyed into mobile phones and that is the number 112 for in an emergency when you have no mobile service........ this knowledge could possibly help save someone else's life in the future.. who knows.......

Hug the ones you love and tell them so...
take care.

where is time going..

2009-03-06T10:28:00.005+11:00

I can't believe another 2 months have gone by again....... time is really flying past us lately and the first term of the school year is almost over.....

We have been rather busy with the start of the school year and all the other sporting interests of our children and farm life in general so haven't really been too near a sewing machine for a little while......

I have however managed to make a couple of glass cases/playstation case bags...lol they have a spring based opening on them so nothing falls out.. along with a little carry handle.

Both my younger girls were recipients of one each for their psps and an extra one for the one who wears glasses for her own glasses..hehe and also one was gifted to my mum for a belated birthday gift..

I have also made 3 of these bags which have been sent off to a quilter in the Victorian bushfire area along with some knitted items which are all going to those who have lost so much already. The bags will be used as stash bags and filled with fabric and accessories for other quilters who have lost their stashes. All the knitted items have been handed out to help those in need now. I am lucky enough to have contacts on the ground so to speak who can get items of need to those in need rather quickly. I just pray that those of us in Victoria are now over the fire season, especially after the horrendous day we experienced last Tuesday.

The winds we got here were equivalent to a cyclone 1 strength and cut us off from our local town with trees downed on the roads which could not be cleared until the winds abated as it was too dangerous, trees were continually falling all over the area, the dust storms cut visibility to almost zero and was very eerie.. luckily for us all fires that started in the area were very quickly and aggressively attacked by the local firies... one good thing to come out of Tuesday is we all have enough firewood for the winter ahead.. and we got RAIN... yay..... being in rural Vic we rely on tank water for our survival and have not had rain of any sort since December..... the rain started off Tuesday night with a bit of drizzle but by Wednesday we had real rain...... such a fantastic sound to hear the rain on our roof again......and running into our empty tanks..... lets all hope we don't get too much more of the hot, windy days and fires we have seen since February..... even though we have had rain the land is still very dry and it still would not take much for a fire to take hold again...... we still have probably 7 weeks before we can relax.......

Our other lot of news is DS1 moved out of home mid January, much against his mum's advise lol with the economic downturn....... but he had to go out and experience life..... he was advised 2 weeks ago that he and another apprentice at his work were being laid off....... that seems to be the story everywhere around here at the moment.. so after a fortnight of speaking with different people about different strategies, as he is still completing his apprenticeship, he has decided to move home...lol esp as he now can't afford to rent and pay off a loan on no income.... we think at this stage he will be allowed to finish the schooling part of his apprenticeship by attending 'school' once a week and have his workplace side of his apprenticeship put on hold until things pick up... he is going to work for us here on the farm and we are all just hoping that some how we all survive financially..... we have put up for sale a couple of vehicles and also sold off our heifers and now it is just a wait and see what happens with the markets, it is out of our hands but we will get there......

I have been spending a lot of my nights knitting and have a bit of a stash of completed items which I will take pics of later and update on my other blog for those interested. I have joined an online group call Knit4charities which is a really great and inspiring group who does an amazing job of helping out charities here in Australia with in kind donations of goods. I have gained a few new contacts for charity goods to be donated to. It is such a good feeling to know that you are helping out those in real need and that the items are actually getting to the people who really need them.

I am off this afternoon to help cut out blocks for a QS quilt my local craft group are making for a raffle with all proceeds going to the bushfire victims here in Victoria.. as we only meet on a monthly basis now the majority of the work will be done at our homes and pieced together when we meet... so I can see that will be keeping me busy also...lol

Take care all and I hope it won't be soo long before I update again..hehe no promises though

My Reversible Bag and other bits..

2009-01-07T23:22:00.008+11:00

I had a lovely day on Monday sewing. You guessed it, I made another bag...lol

I thoroughly enjoyed it and I am now in the mood for more sewing and 'me' time.

This is from the Grand Revival range and is a reversible bag. I did mess up the process and spent some time unpicking but then just decided to do it my way and I was happy with the way it turned out... lol I did use it today and sits really well on your shoulder and is very comfortable to carry..

Some other things I have been making are a xmas stocking, a thread tidy which I am yet to finish off..

also had fun today shopping... lol we went and visited a new (to us) P & Q shop..... it was heaven and had a great array of fabrics and patterns that are completely different to the other shops in the area..... I didn't really buy a lot, a few patterns and some fabric.... the girls each picked out some fabric that they liked and I will make it up into some glasses cases for them..

Happy New Year!!

2009-01-01T21:19:00.003+11:00

Can you believe another year has already passed us by... it doesn't seem like 12 months have gone by already....

I hope everyone had an enjoyable christmas and wish all a very happy and prosperous New Year ahead full of good health and happiness.

I am hoping to get more time to spend in my sewing room this year and have big plans to enable this to happen...
These cute little flowers are a sample of some of the sewing I have been doing however...lol they are 2 different ways of doing a type of suffolk flower.... these are now attached to a pocket on a bag I have made for my dd for her xmas pressie.........

It was really sad to see when she came home to stay for a while that she kept and transported all her cross stitch supplies in a plastic nappy bag...... so I got the idea of making her a bag for her cross stitching. I will post a pic once I have given it to her so as not to ruin the surprise... lol as you can see she hasn't received it just yet as I still have to finish of the handles.....

I haven't forgotten either that I need to post a photo of the last bag I made.. it is on my camera and I will download it to the pc asap... I know I can be slack at times, also very busy and hectic with life..lol but I am going to make an extra effort this year to update my blog on a more regular basis with lots more pics... lets see how I do....

hugs to all

I have actually sewed something

2008-10-08T10:43:00.003+11:00

LOL I can't remember the last time I actually used my machine to make something just cos I wanted to.... usually it is work or mending...........
but I finally got the urge to sew yesterday and made up a bag that I had cut out months and months ago...... it came together really quickly, it is all just from scraps of fabric I had left over from other projects, not my normal colours, blues this time but I think it turned out okay.. will take a pic later today and upload it... it did make me feel good to be back sewing and I hope to do more of it real soon...vbg..
Dancing starts again tonight for Tahlia so I won't have a lot of time and with their performance coming up in a month they have extra nights training etc.. but it will be all over soon and some of my time will come back to me....lol so here's to looking forward to more time for sewing.....hooray...

Okay edit to this post...lol here is a pic of Tahlia in her costume with a friend waiting backstage for their turn for the performance.. the performance was over three days/nights.. and was a very tiring time for all involved.. Friday and Saturday nights finished around 11 pm and then we were back again Sunday from 1pm for an afternoon performance.. i think we got home Sunday night some time around 8pm all exhausted.. the performance was astounding and a credit to all involved.. the girls and boys did an amazing job and made everyone proud..

Cricket season is upon us again!!

2008-10-08T10:32:00.002+11:00

Well it doesn't seem like 6 months have passed since cricket finished earlier this year but it must have....
We started back into the local cricket season on Saturday which made for a hectic day all round with birthday celebrations happening as well..lol the boys did really well for themselves and won their first game for the season which was really pleasing as on Thursday night we were still scratching around for a team as no one yet seems to be in cricket season mood....lol
We have lost a few players from last season which always makes it hard for the next season.. we only come from a small community and trying to find players is very hard unless you can manage to recruit some in from the bigger towns around.. hopefully we will go okay and be able to fill our teams each week..... here's hoping anyway..
Lauren is still trekking backwards and forwards to Melbourne with State cricket training... weekly trips at the moment then next weekend we start Friday nights and Sunday trainings..... not sure how we will do that but may have to miss out on Friday nights and just do Sundays...
She has had to forego her womens' cricket locally for this month so we are hoping they can get enough players each week as her and another girl both play in the same team and both have state training in Melbourne on Friday nights......... we find out at the end of this month if she makes the cut into the actual team that will play in Brisbane in the first week of December....
could make for a nice holiday destination for us if she does make it...lol

1st birthday...

2008-10-08T10:25:00.004+11:00

Our gorgeous little granddaughter turned 1 on Saturday and her mum nicely nominated to have her party here at our house, which I really didn't mind...
Well we had a ball, it is funny watching a young ones face and trying to work out what their little minds are thinking.. she was absolutely taken with her birthday cake which her other nan made for her and my dd decorated it.. with nothing less than horses...lol what else would a child of an obsessed horse mad mum get for her birthday cake...hehehe.. her daddy sneaked in an extra decoration though which made for a few laughs... he is car mad so just happened to place one of my hubby's miniature cars on the cake just prior to cake time....lol
Kaylee made a dive for the cake upon spotting it and thoroughly enjoyed her handful she managed to grab...lmao... her gran managed to wear quiet a bit of the cake all over her too....
I will put up some pics as soon as I download them off the camera... Okay have added the pics now...

On the left is the happy family together for Kaylee's 1st birthday..

and on the right is me holding Kaylee and her aunty Nikayla also waiting to blow out the candle...lol

The Winter Warm Project

2008-09-18T16:08:00.003+10:00

Today whilst browsing the net I came across this website, www.winterwarm.org/ which is a relatively new organisation working towards helping those less fortunate. They are working towards a great cause, if you want to read up on them then I recommend you do.
I can't even begin to imagine what life must be like for these children in Afghanistan when winter sets in for them....
So I beg of anyone who can knit or crochet and is willing to help out pleeease give some of your time to make something for these children.. or even in the way of a donation of a brand new coat or jacket to help keep the freezing cold at bay for these poor kids...
Details are on the website for those who are interested. I know I will be making items and sending them on.. every little bit no matter how small all helps.

What a year it has been for celebrations....

2008-08-20T23:49:00.003+10:00

It has been an amazing year for us this year.. we started the year off with my baby sis getting married. Since then our eldest has celebrated her 21st, then one son celebrated his 16th and got his L plates, then a month later his brother celebrated his 18th.. and we have our granddaughter celebrating her 1st birthday in about 6 weeks.. and the only party we have to hold is going to be our granddaughter's 1st birthday party.......phew...... not sure how we did it but we did......lol all the others chose to go out for a family meal instead of a party...

this is Josh at his 18th birthday celebration tea after we surprised him with a cake.... i had promised him we wouldn't embarass him with a cake.... well what can I say... payback..... hehehe

A fortnight after this he got his driver's licence and has since moved home again......

Our house now looks like a furniture shop....... no room to move between all the furniture... well that is what furniture shops are like around here...... it is amazing what someone can accumulate in 6 months...... he was lucky and had a former teacher give him half a household of furniture....

we now have 4 queen beds in our 4 bedroom house....... 2 are still in pieces on the verandah..lol a double bed and 3 single beds...... and a click clack couch in my office so Josh has somewhere to sleep.. we have 5 tvs, not all are hooked up but no more fighting about who is watching what channel........ yeah right.......hehehe 3 lounge suites.... one is in storage in my garage which is now totally full of all the other furniture from Josh including fridge, washing machine, kitchen table etc. etc.... I am slowly clearing the boxes of his stuff and either repacking and storing in the attic or cleaning and putting away in cupboards... but I will add it is really nice to have him home again.. he is saving me a trip to Warrnambool each week as he can now pick up his brother and bring him home after tafe and heaven knows that extra day gives me more time......just not enough time for crafting just yet........

Brady plays off in the Grand Final of his junior football this weekend..... this will be the last time we have junior footy after 6 years of it........ Josh and Lauren finish the last round of their respective football and netball this weekend, may have only one week of finals with both... then it is all finished for the year... next year hopefully we will have them all playing in the one place for the one club and on the same day... won't know what to do with myself then........ yeah right....... never had them all playing on the same day in the same place before....

We have begun our fortnightly trips to Melbourne on Fridays now with Lauren. She has been selected in the State Under 15s girls Spirit Vic Cricket squad......so off we head every second Friday down to Melbourne........not sure for how long this will be for but will be for the next few months....

our other lot of news is that I will become an aunty again 3 times over later this year...lol.. all 3 of my younger sisters are all expecting babies........ they are all due 8 weeks apart I think, first one due in November, next December 25th and then next in January - early February......better get busy and do some things for them........me thinks...

hard to believe this monkey is 2 1/2

2008-08-20T23:47:00.001+10:00

100_0185
Originally uploaded by ginger & coffee dreams

Couldn't resist this one... Nikayla caught in the act with some of my chrysanthemums.......lol
By the time we arrived home from shopping there was not one flower left on the plant... although I am glad to report that since being planted out it has happily grown new shoots and hopefully will flower again next year....

Kaylee

2008-08-20T23:31:00.002+10:00

Kaylee
Originally uploaded by ginger & coffee dreams

Well I did promise a pic nearly 12 months ago...lol amazing how time has flown this year... this is our darling grand daughter Kaylee.. she is such a happy little thing....... she will be 12 months old in 6 weeks.. it is hard to believe....
I would post a pic of her when she was born also but they are all on my old pc.. Kaylee is here with her uncle and aunt.... we were out for tea celebrating her other uncles' 18th....
As you can see here she has inherited her mother's love of horses and has started riding at such an early age much to her daddy's and grandparents' dismay...lol

And these two odd friends are her and her mummy's horses..... the little one in the foreground with Tahlia is our latest addition to the family, a miniature pony named Snickers... he is 3, and the taller fella is Les a 7 year old ex race horse.... they look quite funny walking round the paddock together....lol

some little hats

2008-08-20T23:22:00.004+10:00

100_0216
Originally uploaded by ginger & coffee dreams

Okay I know it has been ages since I posted here I apologize..
Kids and life just got in the way here...... I have been running flat out with kids and sports trainings and commitments and also dancing... so I have been spending considerable amounts of time in the car waiting....... so this is what I have been doing while waiting..
I have also made scarves, cardigans, beanies and blankets for the needy and homeless and the latest is little scarves for The Alfred Foundation in Melbourne for their Alfred Teddy..
These little hats and bootees went to John Hunter Children’s Hospital NICU in Newcastle via Little Wonders Foundation for the little premmies..

This is another little beanie I made but this one has gone up on Oztion.com ... hopefully to get some funds to cover some postage costs for all the charity items I am sending... it is a small baby size... you can check it out and some other items here.. http://www.oztion.com.au/buy/auction.aspx?itemid=5227553 I am hoping to get some other items up for auction soon....

Well it has been a while :-)

2008-03-26T21:45:00.002+11:00

Sorry it has been so long since I have updated my blog but I think time has just passed me by........... well my dd did give birth eventually on the 4th October to a darling little girl named Kaylee..... it is hard to imagine she is nearly 6 months old now.......time really has got away from me with xmas and all happening since then...... I promise to load up some pics soon...lol
Lots has been happening in my life since I last updated with all the kids and their cricket over the summer, thankfully that is all nearly finished. Just have Lauren playing in Melbourne this weekend in the Regions Country Cup. She is an under 14's western waves player but this is an open region cup so should be good experience for her to play against some of the state's best women cricketers..
Footy starts again in about a fortnight, probably not even that far away so we will be busy with that also I suspect..lol
Not much done in the sewing department of late...... have to learn how to upload my pics again. Have a new 12 meg camera and also a new laptop so quickly learning how to use both of these..vbg...
Off to do some more work........... lol kids have buggered up 2 pcs tonight so I am meant to be fixing them too............. never ending isn't it..

Playing the waiting game...

2007-10-02T10:32:00.000+10:00

Well I am sitting here catching up on emails and playing the waiting game...lol
DD Brooke is going into hospital today at 11 am to be induced...
Her waters broke last night but according to her nothing has happened yet!! just some small niggly pains......
Am on standby for now as she wants me with her at the end!! not sure about that...lol
I am sure her and Tony can handle it together...lol as long as he doesn't faint or anything.....hehehe
Better go and get some things organised.. will update my blog when I have some news..
Catch ya all later.

Baby Andy

2007-09-18T13:08:00.001+10:00

And this little fella is Baby Andy..

I couldn't just have a Baby Annie and Kitty without having Andy!!...

I finished him off last month but have had trouble uploading my pics to my blog.

He has an adorable birthmark on his forehead that is all thanks to Nikayla... she just had to give him a kiss and a cuddle just after I had finished making him and of course her sloppy kiss left this mark on his forehead...lol

Baby Andy
Originally uploaded by ginger & coffee dreams

Old Thyme annie

2007-09-18T13:00:00.001+10:00

Well I have finally finished making something else for ME!!!....

I got her stuffed on

Sunday morning then stained her lunchtime Sunday.. Monday morning I did her face and finished off her clothes last night......

I am actually quite pleased with the way she has turned out..

She is a Make Mine Primitive pattern called Old Thyme Annie.. and once you get into it she doesn't take too long to actually put together..

Old Thyme annie
Originally uploaded by ginger & coffee dreams

Another Cape I had to make

2007-09-10T21:54:00.001+10:00

Another Cape I had to make
Originally uploaded by ginger & coffee dreams

This is Tahlia in her xmas cape I had to make for the dress up day..lol

She was meant to be dressed as a xmas fairy out of one of her story books.......

It took me a day to make each of these capes for the girls, Tahlia's is an adaptation of Zoe's..

2 girls in their capes

2007-09-10T21:53:00.001+10:00

This is the 2 of them posing for pics just before heading off on the bus to school..

they were both pleased with their respective capes and so was I... lol

2 girls in their capes
Originally uploaded by ginger & coffee dreams

Harry Potter cape

2007-09-10T21:33:00.001+10:00

This is Zoe in her Harry Potter cape she needed for a dress up day at school last week...... hence mum to the rescue and this is the result of a day playing with patterns etc...I was actually quiet pleased with the way it turned out and so was Zoe.......lol

Harry Potter cape
Originally uploaded by ginger & coffee dreams

She is meant to be dressed as one of the girl wizards but I can't remember which one

Some stuff I have been working on...

2007-09-10T21:15:00.000+10:00

Thought it about time I put up some pics of some of the stuff I have been working on...
I haven't been doing a real lot as I have been lacking in motivation but some I have managed to finish and some I finished early august.......
Well the thought was there but blogger won't let me upload any pics at the moment so I will add them in later.......lol

Tag Name Game

2007-09-10T20:15:00.000+10:00

TAG - NAME GAME

I've been tagged!!!

so if you've been tagged here is what you do.........

Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your name.

When you are tagged you need to write your own blog post containing your own name game facts.

At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your name to tag. I am going to cheat here and not pass this on.... most people I know have already been tagged...

My name is:

J - my son has the same initials as me..... Josh

U- I think I have unreal expectations of myself at times...

L- I come from a large family of 4 sisters and 1 bro..

I- Inspiration and motivation are something I am lacking in a lot of the time...

A-I won my age championship for Athletics at high school in Year 7!!

N-at times I have a never die attitude.........

N-I am going to be a 'nanna' (really a gran but nanna fitted the letter better) in 3 weeks time..

E-I am an evening person, don't do mornings real well but I do them......

There is a saying in life......

2007-08-31T14:42:00.000+10:00

that when a dog is down you kick it!!!! it is a strange saying but sadly some people live by that saying......
Why do people have to be so hurtful and nasty in what they do in life..... are they so sad in their own lives that they have to make everyone else's around them sad also.... or do they just get a kick out of hurting other people.....
why anyone would get a kick out seeing the pain they cause to others is beyond me..
Why do people have to keep dredging up things that happen in the past, does it give them some joy to see what pain they can cause to others..... do they think at all about what repercussions it has on other people around them, even those that may not seem to be involved but are thru friendships with others...... do they think of what hurt it may cause to others who are innocent bystanders..... i think not.
it is a shame in this day and age with the advancement of technology that some people take advantage of that and use it to detriment...... it is so easy to hide behind a keyboard and attack others they do not know or even to offend them... would they do that if they were face to face with those people........
sadly there are people like this in the world. People who think it is okay to forward on a nasty email instead of using the delete button..... people who think it is okay to be nasty to others, people who continually think it is okay to put other people down for their opinions...
why add to the heartache that is around today by sending on something that is deliberately written to hurt others.....by sendng it on you are as guilty as the original writer of the nastiness and hurt it can cause....
i have had to deal with a lot of heartache and pain in my years but the one thing that still stands out to me is something my grandmother helped me to see.
When i was a little girl and staying with my grandmother she took me to see the disney movie Bambi...... and i can still remember to this day what Thumper's mum said to him.....
'If you have nothing nice to say, you don't say anything at all..'
It made a deep impression on me.......the hurt and pain an innocent thoughtless remark can have on someone.......
this is something i have tried to teach my kids and i have tried to live by myself.....especially since getting thru my teen years....
oh i am the first to admit I was not the nicest person thru my teen years but i did have a sister who had a lot to do with that.....i was not treated the best and retaliated...... something i am not proud of now........but that is in the past.....where it belongs.....
It is so much easier and nicer to always say something nice, it makes your life and that of those around you so much better. Heaven knows it is a hard enough life without adding hatred and nastiness to it........
I have had my fair amount of heartache over the years but one thing it has all taught me is that family and friends are more important than anything material in the world. and sometimes it is more important to have good friends around you than family.......especially when you have a family who are so far apart in thought and ideals......
do people think of what pain the words they speak or write can have on others.....
do people realise that sometimes people walk every day on the edge??
just one bad comment, one snide remark, one stirring comment can be enough to push those people over that edge..
i know i wouldn't like to think that a comment i made was responsible for pushing someone over that edge, being responsible for the one last thing that pushed that someone just that bit too far....

At long last it has finally arrived....

2007-08-24T12:34:00.001+10:00

Boy it has only taken 2 months to get here but it has finally arrived!!!!

The kids are as excited, if not more, than us.........lol

Yep we are finally the proud new owners of a Captiva LX...
looks just like this one......hehehe
and it is beautiful to drive....... I just need to get used to it..

It seems as though we are only doing 60kms when in fact we are doing 100.... so will have to watch my speed...lol
We picked it up on Wednesday and have already done over 300 kms in it.......mind you that involved bringing it home and then had to venture to Port Fairy for doctors appointments and then back north to Hamilton for netball training and then finally back home....... hopefully it won't be travelling that much from now on........ but who knows........

hadn't realised it had been so long...

2007-08-24T11:58:00.000+10:00

I hadn't realised it had been so long since I last posted... time just seems to be flying past me at the moment.....
Haven't really managed to do much in the line of sewing but have managed to finish off all the towells for embroidery for the footy club and finished off the hats as well... so they are all done for another year......
I have managed to finish off some trousers for Nikayla but she is growing so quickly I now need to go and make some more for her.... have partially finished 6 pairs of pyjama pants for the 4 girls just need to add the elastic and they can have them......lol
One thing I have been doing is knitting...... I have half finished a poncho for Tahlia and also finished one sock for Nikayla... lol I started doing the socks on no. 3 dpns as advised by the lady in the shop!! the pattern called for 2.25 dpns!! I will finish off the other sock and then do a pair for Tahlia on the 2.25s as I feel it would turn out better.....
I thought I would have a hunt through my stash of wool and was quite surprised at the amount I found I had... bit embarassing really..... one good thing is it doesn't go off... lol ...... the younger kids have been asking me to knit them hats with the ear flaps and the plaited bits as they are all the fashion round here now so I thought I would see what wool I had.....
I found a cardigan I had started knitting about 6 or 7 years ago, all it needed was sewing up to finish it off but I think it will be a little small for me now so I might undo it and wash the wool and find another pattern to make with it.......also found a cardigan I had started knitting for Tahlia or Zoe? can't remember which one, but it would fit Nikayla now if I finished it off....... I will think about it.....lol
Think I better just finish off what I have to do first or I will end up with more ufos......lol

Football for Brady has finished for the year with the Grand final being last Sunday and they had their presentation night after the game...... Sadly Brady's team lost by 4 goals on Sunday but they played to the best of their ability. It was a good game to watch.
Lauren has the last round of the season with netball on Saturday, they won't play in the finals so that will be the end of netball for the year for her.... Josh plays Saturday in football too but they still have the finals to go yet.... and that is if he is not working......
Josh is slowly learning about working life....... he may have to work Saturday mornings and miss out on football but I told him that is life......
Then in about 6 weeks time cricket starts for all 3 of them again......lol
Tahlia still has a couple more weeks of her netball to go but that is local and doesn't involve much travelling so is much easier to work in....

I recently upgraded my embroidery software and am anxious to get the time to install it and have a play around with it...... this one comes with a pen and tablet so I can physically draw my own designs into my program now and digitise them...... whereas before you had to do it with your mouse and cursors...... this will simplify things so much more... I can't wait until I actually get the time to have a good play around with it....lol
I think I am past these cold sunless days and am looking forward to bright sunny warm days...... I hate winter as it tends to get me down and I hate not being able to get out and do things and I also hate being cold.....lol
Brooke is going along quite well, haven't actually caught up with her for a week or so but I will.
She only has about 5 weeks to go now I think...... I did the good mum thing and washed some of the baby clothes this week and now just have to do the blankets and pass them on to her....

Nice Matters Award....

2007-08-24T11:01:00.000+10:00

Amazing I actually managed to add a pic all on my own!! and what a pic to learn on... lol

thanks Kate for the Nice Matters Award , just wish I could tag you back..

Okay now I have to tag 5 more.hmmmm

1st would have to be my sis Megs of pints palette, who does a wonderful job with her painting and has 2 beautiful kids who we miss very much.. http://pintspalette.blogspot.com/

2nd would have to be my other sis Tikki of Tikki's~fabric addict, who is another amazing achiever. She is also mum to our gorgeous niece Lily who we also miss seeing very much..

http://tikkifabricaddict.blogspot.com/

3rd would have to be Khris of Sew Prim. who does amazing work with all types of cloth dolls.. and is a very good friend of mine... http://sewprimfriends.blogspot.com/

4th probably already had one of these sent to her but she deserves another..lol

Anita of Anita's Ramblings.. http://rileysrambles.blogspot.com/

5th goes to ......... will have to think on this and let you know.... cos everyone has already been tagged.... lol

These 4 ladies need to now copy and paste the award to their blog and nominate 5 more people..

machine embroidered logo

2007-08-03T11:45:00.001+10:00

Thought i had better put up a pic of some of my work i do........ I digitise the designs on my computer program and then transfer them to my machine..

machine embroidered logo
Originally uploaded by ginger & coffee dreams

this is one of my embroidered logos I have digitized and embroider..... I also have to sew the pockets on the shirts of any life members for this club..lol

This is one of the ongoing jobs that i have... I have been doing this design on their shirts for around 4 years now and also digitise and embroider any sponsors' logos they get then they are also embroidered onto the cricket shirts or onto badges to go on the sleeves.. keeps me rather busy come September and all thru the cricket season till the end of March. lol

I will have a go at digitizing almost anything, i enjoy playing around with my programs and seeing what i can come up with and with the advance in technology it is getting easier all the time to do more fancy things...... mind you it is rather expensive to set up but it is worth it if you are serious about digitizing and machine embroidery.. i think i have upgraded my computer program at least twice and my embroidery sewing machines are ones that are always up to date.. via the internet...lol so i always have the most up to date machines.. all at no extra cost to me...... well worth the extra money it costs at the start to get one of these machines.....plus you can also use them as sewing machines and they are excellent sewing.....

i have been busy sewing up clothes for my kids recently, surprisingly some of my kids will still wear handmade clothes........ and also if i want i can add embroidery to them and no one knows if they are designer made or home made..... cuts the cost of clothing in half at least...... although fabric is starting to cost more nowadays..... i also like to embellish the smaller kids clothing with ribbons and ricrac which seems to be the trend along with the embroidered pics....

will post some pics of some of the things i have been doing when i get a chance to take some pics....

only 8 weeks to go....

2007-08-03T10:44:00.000+10:00

spoke with oldest dd last night to check up on her... she had a scan yesterday to check on the growth of bubs..
both are doing well and bubs is growing fine.. looks as though it will only be a small bub which is not a worry..
haven't ultrasounds come a long way...... she said yesterday you could see the tufts of hair on the baby's head in the scan??? isn't it amazing..
apparently this bub is going to have a bit of hair and she still has 8 weeks to go....
Brooke was born with a head full of hair and dark.... looks like bubs might take after mum, as dad is fair and was blonde as a child.....
we are all starting to get really excited here and can't wait.....hehehe
it sure has gone really quickly and i still have heaps to do for them before bubs comes along..
best my butt into gear......

fruitful day today...

2007-08-02T22:25:00.000+10:00

i feel as though i have actually achieved something today.....
lol no sewing but close.....
i rearranged my sewing room!!!
i have 2 embroidery/sewing machines now and as i only had one desk set up as a workstation i desparately needed somewhere else to set up my other machine....
then i could be sewing while embroiderying or even embroidering on both machines...
have spent the last few weeks trying to figure out a way i could do it until today the lightbulb went on up there........lol
i have had 2 desks all this time and never clicked......lol
so today i moved the other desk closer to the powerpoint, which meant a lot of moving of other stuff and relocating of bits and bobs........ but it is now done and much cleaner too i must add... and all i need to do now is put a few small things away and i am in business..
Funnily enough i never found anything to throw out though....... does this mean i am a hoarder or just that i treasure every little bit of fabric and thread i own.....lol
so now i am going off to my sewing room to play.......
well to finish sewing the girls pyjamas and trousers i have been making.... then i might have a play around with one of the dolls i am also making at the moment........
i think i have way too many things on the go at the same time....... lol

another month gone......

2007-08-02T21:51:00.000+10:00

oh can someone please tell me where another month has gone to....
i just seem to be hanging in by the seat of my pants lately.... i don't think i will ever catch up on everything I have to do.......
Exciting news for us last week....
my second eldest was offered an apprenticeship!! He has been doing a school based apprenticeship and after a few hiccups......lol like his first employer going bankrupt... and him having to find another school based apprenticeship.....
his current employer offered him a full time apprenticeship last Wednesday and he needed an answer by Thursday........ so after a lot of umming and ahhing we decided to let him take it....
If he had waited and finished Year 11 the apprenticeship wouldn't have been there......so we really had no choice.......
spoke with his teachers and they told us we have done the right thing as it is getting really hard to get apprenticeships now.... so that makes me feel better knowing i think we have done the right thing by him...
so he has 2 weeks holidays and then starts full time work......
Kids have such big dreams when they first enter the work force... listening to him saying what he is going to do and how much he is going to save etc... lol ..... if only......
time will tell if he enjoys it but it will be a lot different from school that is for sure....

Teapot tablerunner

2007-07-31T16:49:00.001+10:00

Teapot tablerunner
Originally uploaded by ginger & coffee dreams

another of my likes is teapots/cups..
I made this table runner a while back and changed the applique to my liking....

I would really like to use it as a banner on my blog but for some reason i can't work out how to upload my pics to my blog....... lol

i have to upload them to flicker first then blog them........ oh it would be so easy if i could just upload straight to here..

i am sure it is something simple i need to turn on or off on my settings :-(( but this will have to do for now.........

Foundation pieced bags

2007-07-14T20:40:00.001+10:00

Foundation pieced bags
Originally uploaded by ginger & coffee dreams

Now these i have made quite a few of...
these are one of the easiest bags to make..... they are foundation pieced together and are very quick to make......

I have an order for one in reds like the one in the pic that i must get to and make pronto... or my sis won't like me very much...lol

a pair of friends

2007-07-14T20:33:00.001+10:00

this pair of friends i made back in 2005 for a friend..

might think about making some for myself one day... i quite like the mammies and the prim dolls now.... i am currently working on a pattern from 'Make mine Primitive' that is a prim raggedy annie......Old thyme annie is her name..

she is currently awaiting stuffing and colouring....lol

I have an array of different styles of dolls i have made over the years and i don't usually tend to stick to one style until recently. i have become more interested in the aged look of the prim dolls.....something about them seems to catch my eye and i am finding my tastes changing towards them..

DSC01013
Originally uploaded by ginger & coffee dreams

xmas decoration

2007-07-14T20:12:00.001+10:00

this is another of my recently finished projects..

it is a star xmas decoration but has had pipberries added to the striped pocket since i took this pic which makes it look finished off..

xmas decoration
Originally uploaded by ginger & coffee dreams

baby annie and kitty

2007-07-14T19:55:00.001+10:00

these little dolls are from a pattern by 'Angels in Disguise'.

I have made a little baby andy to go with them but have no pic of him as yet. i was really pleased with the faces on these 2 as it was the first time I'd attempted to paint faces....

they only stand about 10inches high so are only a little doll but still cute i think

baby annie and kitty
Originally uploaded by ginger & coffee dreams

sticky fingers

2007-07-14T19:53:00.001+10:00

this is the adorable Nikayla..... my youngest. she is now just over 16 months and full of cheek as the pic shows

sticky fingers
Originally uploaded by ginger & coffee dreams

she is very helpful when it comes to helping me out with my sewing..........NOT.... she quite enjoys pulling out all my fabric and helping unpack all my bits and bobs....

Thursday night i sat down with the older kids to make a polar fleece blanket and she came and popped herself in the middle of the fabric so we couldn't do anything...... after much kicking and screaming she finally did move and went and had a lie down...

when she awoke she found the fabric had turned into a nice pooh bear blanket for her to cuddle up with..........hehehe will pop up a pic when the lighting is better for a photo

Marilyn's bag 2

2007-07-14T19:01:00.001+10:00

Marilyn's bag 2
Originally uploaded by ginger & coffee dreams

this is the back view of the bag I made Marilyn. the pieces with the ladies are actually pockets and there is another on the other side panel.

this was a fun bag to make as i played around with different styles to come up with the finished product.

Marilyn's bag

2007-07-14T18:55:00.001+10:00

Marilyn's bag
Originally uploaded by ginger & coffee dreams

Finally i have worked out a way to upload photos to my blog!! lol

this is a pic of a bag I made for a friend... i designed and embroidered the design on the front pocket, the bag is a design of my own also........

i very rarely use a pattern nowadays when i am making bags.......i just seem to put them together as they go.....lol

sorry that the pic is not very clear will have to look into this uploading problem a bit more...

wow where has the last month gone

2007-07-14T17:32:00.000+10:00

well who can tell me where the last month has gone........ cos i have no idea...
with school holidays being upon us and almost finished it has made life hard here but only 2 more sleeps and the kids go back to school and i can go back to sanity...... LOL
i have not achieved a lot over the last month in the way of sewing or embroidery sadly.
of course i have managed to do the usual towells etc that i have to do weekly but other than that i have not really got much done.....
i have managed to finish off a little boy doll that just needed his face painted and have finished off a doll bag holder..... although i really don't like her face she will have to do for now.....
If only i could work out how to upload pics here i would be able to put up some pics so you would know what i am talking about......lol

First up

2007-06-12T18:35:00.000+10:00

Okay where do I start...lol

i have been thinking of doing one of these for a long time but never really got around to it.

So here goes...

Have been sewing for a long time now and have slowly broadened my skills and about 5 years ago purchased my first embroidery machine, which I have had a lot of fun playing with..

My dh I think was the first one to dob me in to friends on what I could do with my machine and I guess it all stemmed from there..

I, along with a dear friend, have taught ourselves how to use our machines and our computer programs...

I now digitise and embroider mostly my own designs and do a lot of commission work but also still dabble in my love of patchwork and bags...
I am busy doing hats and towels and of course lots of shirts... along with looking after my tribe..