Allsorts....

......Licorice Allsorts ;-D

This post is a little like that.

 

The other day while sewing in my sewing room I looked up to find I had company.....

 

one of the had a bread roll!!!

 

I went out the side door to find them everywhere.

I think everyone was waiting for this fellow to drop his bread

 

They are stunning these cocky's, but very distructive when food is scarce.

We had another one of those foggy mornings last week, I felt like I was sitting on top of the world. We've had some stunning days this week. Freezing cold nights and gorgeous sunny days. Today is a grey windy rainy day..........

 

....perfect for some quilting.

This is my first (start to finish) project to come out of my new sewing room.

I have not hand quilted for over 2 years, so these cold winter nights are just perfect for it

Whatever you do today

Enjoy It, Live It, Love It

xxx

Winter is Here

Last weekend I had to go down to the hardware and buy some bits and pieces that the men needed for the ensuite and WIR. Driving down my view to the left was this.....

and this........

(you must be sick of viewing this same area) but I just can't seem to get enough of the ever changing same view. And we've lived just up the road for nearly 10 years and in the same area for over 35!!

It was about 5 degrees Celsius ( i know its not as cold as it gets in other parts of the world, but cold by Aussie standards, and I love the cold!!) and the fog was just leaving the valley. I had to rush back home and get the camera, it was just beautiful

2 years ago these hills were ablaze, though they are still scarred, they are beautiful especially with mornings like this!!

Till next time

Enjoy It, Live It, Love It

Surprised Revealed

I was so excited this afternoon when I got home from work,
because I could open my BMT Secret Sister box.

Wow!! Have a look at these beautiful gifts.

There's a gorgeous blue (my favorite colour) Ceramic travel mug, and Latte coffee to go in it, beautiful Cottage threads, some sparkly hair clips, a yummy recipe for cookies and cream cupcakes, some refills for my glue pen, a hand stamped note pad, sparkly pencil and some yummy cheese sticks.  I'm sooo spoilt

Thank you to my Secret Sister and Friend Bev, that just made it all the more special.

Till next time

Enjoy It, Live It , Love It

Suprise for me.....

Look what arrived at my door yesterday. One of my online quilting groups was running a swap called

Biggest Morning Tea Secret Sister Mug Swap(bit of a mouthful). BMT is an Australia wide fundraiser for the Cancer council during the month of May.

While I was out yesterday, a certain someone(Justin wasn't very forthcoming with information about the person who delivered it!!!) arrived at my door with a box of goodies, we're not supposed to open it till Thursday, so I'm (trying) being good.............

 But I did peek..............

The trees out the front are nearly bare, yesterday we did another clean up of the leaves, that should be about it for this year.

Till next time

Enjoy It, Live It, Love It

Ramona

I spy......

Driving home from work last week something bright caught the corner of my my eye, but I was going a little fast to actually see what it was, and I was on the wrong side of the to road where it wasn't safe to stop. So on the way to get Justin from school a few hours later, I drove a little slower to make sure I didn't miss this thing saw earlier. I stopped where I though it I had seen it,  walked a little way down the road and there it was...........ONE lonely bright red apple, it was just beautiful. I drive this was way to and from work, take Justin to school etc, but I have never noticed an apple tree. But, there it is, One apple still hanging there.

Living in the beautiful Dandenong Ranges and there are some gorgeous places. Puffing Billy is just up the road and occasionally you get lucky when driving past.

A couple of weeks ago Laura asked me to make her a pocket for her laptop for when she needs to take it to uni. Very simple and in just a couple of hours I made her this. Nice and bright, just like her!!

 

This weekend I am totally on my own, Laura and Justin have gone on an adventure to Sydney, Theo has gone one a golfing weekend with one of his mates, which leaves me all alone. And thoroughly enjoying it.

 

Enjoy It, Live It, Love It.

 

Ramona 

Look what I found

Yesterday I started the chore that I have been dreading for ages...........Cleaning out the old craft room!!

So far so good, I'm pacing myself (with DH's help today - He's holding the rubbish bags!!!)  I will continue and finish this.

And good things happen when you have a clear out, I found this table cloth thing that my sister Rose and I made for mum when we were 15. I remember doing a new topic at school, patchwork, and English paper piecing was the thing. Well, I just wanted  to do something worth while, not just dabble. So we embarked on this project, all hand stitched together, it was huge!! Well we thought it was.

The colours are accecptable-ish for that  time,

But the backing - what were we thinking, orange gingham!!

we machine zig-zagged it all around, so I guess that was a good effort considering we didn't get any help from mum and we were only 15. 

And that was the last I was ever going to do with patchwork!!!

Who in their right mind would do such a craft, all that hand sewing!!!!

Well 20 years later my best friend Sandra re-introduced me to this craft, but I wasn't going to succumb!!

she mentioned you could machine piece, Well maybe dabble a little................. maybe a lot.............now I do a bit of everything!!

Looking at it now I have to say it was was a fantastic effort on our part!!

Back to it

till next time

 Enjoy It, Live It, Love it

PS. My sister has absolutely nothing to do with any sort of craft!!!

It's finished........

......well nearly finished, but it's together. My Butterfly Garden quilt is put together and I just love it. 

I now have to get it basted and then it will be my hand quilting projsect for this winter. There's nothing like sitting under a quilt on cold night and quilting. So hopefully this year it will be completed.

Autumn is well a truly here, the old oak out the front is slowly changing,

I took this photo this morning, the top is red with some yellowing further down. we'll see how it changes over the next few weeks. There are some really spectacular colours out around the hills, I'll try and make it a point to put the camera in my bag and take some shots this Easter.



I have 5 days off over Easter, i am going to try to spend at least 2 of those organising/sorting/culling the old sewing/craft room. Also a couple of family get togethers which are always fun.

Have fun with whatever Easter things you do.

Enjoy It, Live It, Love It

Weekend away

Last weekend I had the privilege of going away with a couple of girlfriends for a 'girl’s' weekend (Thank you J & J). It was soooooo relaxing, doing what we girls do best!! Talking, sewing, nibbling, watching chick flicks, no cooking, sewing, talking….you get my drift. I actually managed to get one of my quilts together, but silly me didn’t take the border fabric so I couldn’t finish it.

 Next update, I hope to have it done.

While hanging out a little washing I could hear a Lorikeet, and then I spotted him way up in the tree.

The colours are just so pretty.

Till next time

Enjoy It, Live It, Love It

Quilt Hanging

I'm all excited. Yesterday I managed to hang my 'Journey of a Quilter' quilt in my sewing room. It was such a lovely feeling to see it hang up in my own room. I started this quilt in 2006 and finished it in 2008. Its been tucked away in a cupboard since (never a spare wall to hang something) until now. The rod i put up has these little clips called 'cafe clips' so I can change the quilts I put up. I think this one will be up for a while. 

Here's a little glimpse of the ensuite and WIR as they are at the moment, more on that when it happens,

the ensuite is straight off the bedroom, and off that, the WIR, which is on an outside wall. These will now be swapped around. YAY!

Till next time

Enjoy It, Live It, Love It 

Another one comes and goes

 How fast does the year go!! Rose and I have just had another one of those.... yes, a birthday, and though they are still quite painless, one has to wonder where the years go. I can at least vouch for the last 12 months,

I have an entire half a house to show for it! But what of the ones before that??? Where did they go???
Well, after a little ponder I have worked out that I have spent hours cooking, cleaning, washing, going to work, making, searching, shopping, amongst other things.

I have wasted hours sitting around talking, laughing, eating, drinking, thinking, loving, watching a movie, reading a book, amongst other time wasting things. But you know, those time wasted hours are the ones that make life..........life. They are the ones that I will remember when I am old and frail(if my mind decides to play along lol). They are the times that were spent with my family and my loved ones, with my friends, with acquaintances, with a good book, over a soppy movie. They are the times that when I am old and grey I will be able say, 'remember when we broke that tree and had to sticky tape it back together so we wouldn't get into trouble'. ;-D

We have phase 2 is about to happen in our 'new' home(it feels new!!), the

en suite and walk-in robe are getting done, a new window in our bedroom, a bigger pantry in the kitchen, and just generally finish of what we planned to do. So today I'll spend a bit of time in the wardrobe and then maybe have a bit of a sew (or sort) in my sewing room.

Till next time

Enjoy It, Live It, Love It

After the party......

Justin's 18th party came and went last Saturday, we had a a fantastic evening........very quiet for a bunch of 17 - 18 year olds.

I did a spot of baking last week too, I had to make some morning tea to take to SCQuilters, I decided to make a Lemon syrup cake. It was really yum!,

 but it had a bit of a problem....aarrghgh

it totally sunk in the middle! And I mean a total collapse. I now know the cause/s to sinking cakes. I think I'm a really good cook - mains and entrees, but the baking/dessert department - putting it mildly - I suck!!

I'm finding it hard to get back into things, but today I'm off to the sewing room :-D, it's my day off and I have  planned nothing, well, the plan was to have a bit of a day to myself. So hopefully I'll have a little bit of show and tell next week.

Till next time

Love it, Live It,  EnjoyIt

Autumn is here.

My favorite time of the year has arrived. Yes, As March arrives so does Autumn.

It can bring those perfect warm sunny days and pleasant evenings, and also cold nights. But the best part is the colours. Hopefully this year i can take some photos around the hills here and share this beautiful time of the year with you.

Life is moving along, and you know that things are speeding up when your youngest is now legally an adult!!! Yes, Justin is now 18 and he celebrated his birthday with a simple family birthday dinner, and his favorite cake - homemade  ice cream honeycomb cake!!, 

 

 then with a bit of style.

He escorted his friend P, they've been friends since grade 4, to her school's formal.

(Grandpah's car is always used for special things)

And have a look at this. I came home from work 2 weeks ago to find the front garden looking like this...

Beautiful!!. DH (Theo) had spent most of the day spreading out mulch

The hibiscus is looking lovely, and we were really really happy  when it started budding in January. It was one of the plants that had to get moved from around the back to make room for the extension.. It was carefully pulled out by the bobcat and transferred to the front garden. we gave it lots of TLC and hoped for the best. Best won!

Here's DH enjoying a little relax time on our new verandah. I have a project planned for the table and chairs, but that will be later.

Till next time 

Enjoy it, Live it, Love it