I've been reading

I have nearly finished the crochet rug.  Just stitching in the ends of wool.  It is a long job but there are 400 blocks...half way there at the moment

 

Since I have nearly finished this I am looking for my next project and have a thing for circles at the moment...you would think that the George Town Turnaround would have put me off?

 

I saw this book and all the different circles that it has on offer and have not been able to put it down.....all those blue tags are pages of inspiration. 



 

I also have bought this book recently and there a block in here I am going to have a go at.....it is an excellent book.  I generally tend not to like modern blocks but this book grabbed my attention.  Will show you the block when I make one up as I think I might be adapting it.  Again the yellow tags are the blocks I like.... never is it simple....I just love everything.

Can you believe there is just a month to go?

The house is nearly done.  I can't believe how fast it has happened.  They are right now doing the "final fit out" and the "making good".  I just love the terminology.  I am right up with all the terms now.  "first fix", "rough in", "fit off", "making good" etc.....

Here is the bathroom...they are "making good" the tiling issues - can you spot them (its a bit like where's wally)

Here's the ensuite - BAM is very happy - a room with a view!!!

 

The view from the back veranda - or "al fresco" as the Building Practitioners like to call it..have to excuse the builders rubble.

 



What do you think of the colour of the external spotlights...we wanted white or cream...lets see if they will "make good" this one.

About a week to go

I have been very busy working on the Crocheted blanket for our bed and I have about a weeks work to go.  Here it is at the moment...its getting rather heavy

And here is part of it all stitched together. 

I am on the last twenty blocks now!!! Yeah

The Boys have Started School

Tears

....there were tears....all mine

 

 

Australia Day 2013

 

Ice Cream in Castlemaine, then in Flora Hill - dinner with Friends - 32 degrees, JJJ Hottest 100, BBQ sausages and steak, potato salad, watermelon, backyard cricket, sprinkler dashes, cuddles of the new baby guinea pigs, a "chardy" and a red.  That's how we spent Saturday.  Well that was after I had the hairdressers, Big W, Safeway, and washing......

The rest of the long weekend was spent with Family (extended) and then blobbing around home.

Craft well I am nearly finished the crocheted bed spread....I am on the home straight now.

Planning my next project -  another hand piecing project....and I might also attempt some raw edge applique.

I have purchased material to make curtains for the Laundry.  Problem is the repeat runs the wrong way so this material can only be for short windows.....why would you do that?  I saw it but I just had to have it ....might be cushion covers yet!.

My fabric club arrived

I am making the felt butterfly hanging for Missy E.  I just have to go to the "S" shop before I can start. 

Has it been a month already?

I realise I haven't been back here for a month. I have had a very unpredictable month. I have had visitors staying with us. Boys finishing Kindy and Missy E finished prep.

We have also had end or year concerts, Father Christmas parties and work break-ups, committee end-of-year round ups and the dreaded last minute Christmas shopping. The boys also turned five and had their "Samuri Power Ranges" party

 

 

The house construction was moving along with great gusto...and it didn't end up being finished before Christmas (which in hind sight I am very grateful for). To top off the month Mr Gastro came to stay for ten days. I have had all three kids sick with Gastro then to finish it off I was sick on Christmas Eve. I was bed bound for 24 hours and then I felt like I had a hangover for four days and I have had an upset tummy for about 10 days. Today is the first day I have felt normal. Why is it when you are due to go back to work you actually feel better. I should off guessed we were in for a shocker when even the GP said we should not come in to surgery and stay at home...it is evidently causing a lot of problems.

So Christmas was interesting for me this year. The sight and smell of food had me gagging. So my wonderful BAM and Auntie Kate (who also was visited by Mr Gastro) had to cook for me. Christmas day I spent on the couch looking at the festivities. We had for Christmas lunch ten people, four dogs, two hermit crabs and one cocky (we are normally 5 people and 1 dog).

So in all this I have managed to be creative? I have finished the advent stockings. I made all the teachers rocky road.

 

I have worked on my crochet bed cover and I have done some more on my platted mat and I have even done some more on my Georgetown turn around. These are the half blocks.

I have also started to make three dresses for Missy E.  Here's the start of them.

I have coordinated and marshaled the gingerbread house competition (BAM refused to do this and luckily for the "littles" the smell of lollies didn't have me running to the bathroom).

 I have also made Banoffi Pie (which I still can't think about without a wave of nausea hitting me). I also made Christmas decorations for the tree. The "littles" were bringing home lots of art work and a lot of Christmas colouring -ins. So I cut them out and laminated them and hung them from the tree.

Laminating is one of those activities that I think is like chicken soup for the soul. I always feel very relaxed when laminating...and in our house if you sit still too long I will laminate you.

We have also had trips to Echuca (on the paddle boats), Castlemaine (to the Botanic Gardens with it's excellent playground with it's very own vegie patch for the kids and it's 150 year old oak trees) and to Threadbare....and yes I purchased. Corliss was there and we had a great chat. I brought along Auntie Kate (who didn't purchase) and I also bought along Auntie Anja (all the way from Germany - who did purchase).  No pictures though as I forgot camera

We also went to Melbourne twice. One for a huge shopping day at Doncaster (which I love) and one trip to Auntie Helens for a BBQ lunch.

The house has about three weeks work left on it and then we should be in. BAM spent many days over Christmas working on the storm water system. He hired a Kanga and spent the day trenching and mucking around in stale dead pipe water..needless to say he smelt lovely when he returned home. The boys loved it and they got to ride with Daddy on the Kanga. The veranda is now on the front of the house.

All the tiling is now done in the house. All the cabinetry is complete with all the shelving in all the cupboards done. The remaining bits to do are the grouting of tiles, shower screens, few bits of outstanding plumbing, electrical fit off, slab under alfresco and veranda and then flooring and touch up painting. So they say mid Feb now. Well that's the plan at this stage anyhow. BAM is yet to construct the carport and get someone to do the 700m of fencing we need for the sheep.

And for Christmas what did BAM get? A jack hammer and a generator. So when I am looking for BAM I will presume he is off in the paddocks with Jack and Genny some where???

 

It's already December

....and we just put the Christmas tree up yesterday (I got it up in the first week of December this year...not the third week like last year) ...however it was minus the decorations.  They are in a box in storage some where.

So I am making decorations.  I have started crocheting stars 

and I have started making a mini-stocking advent calender (doubling as a Christmas tree garland at the moment) as my tree looks bare.  I have yet to make the remaining 16...I've got until Saturday to make the next lot before the kids catch up with me....

This weekend we are going to make paper chains and lanterns (thanks Meg for the suggestion).


I have also continued on with the rag rug..bad photo but it is actually bigger.

and the house .....its painted now..here's the hallway

front door

ensuite

and inside the shed (the floor/slab is happening this week)

and look ...a bit of heat and all the green goes from the grass.