WEEKEND UPDATE

Today is grand-daughter E's 18th birthday. I've just come in from having lunch with her - a very quick 25 minute 'grab' as she is working today at her part time job - but it was nice to spend even that time helping her celebrate a very momentus day in her life. She will be having a real celebration next weekend at her 'theme' party when all her family and friends will gather to mark the occasion.

I didn't take her gift with me because although the actual quilt is finished, I've still to stitch the 'pioneer story' to the back of it. (thanks to Susan and Shelagh for their info re this - it worked out a treat!).

Update on BIL in Perth - he has had a good few days with a home respite visit on Saturday. His new wife needed to get him back to the hospital by 10am Sunday otherwise he would have 'lost' his bed. The health system here is in disarray but despite that he has confidence in his doctors and the treatment regime he's under at present. The full body scan last Friday revealed no other abnormalities and we thank God for that. Now he just has to concentrate on surgery for the removal of the tumour behind his eye and then to get well. We believe he is in God's hands and are praying that His will shall be done.

Attended a baby shower for little 'Anzac' - code name for a little 'nearly due' bub whose mum is an Aussie and dad is a Kiwi. I think its rather cute actually and the name has actually grown on us all that know this couple. In fact we have heard of at least one baby who is now about 7 months old who has been named Anzac. Anyway the shower was a huge success. Played silly games like collecting a baby safety pin from someone each time the word 'b a b y' was used - the person with the most pins at the end of the afternoon won a little prize - and one I thought was rather cute, a tiny plastic baby had been frozen in ice cubes prior to the afternoon and at a given time, everyone was given a cube to place in their drink and the first 'baby' to be born (or thawed) was the winner. A quiz using the names given to baby animals also kept us amused for quite some time. Many of them I didn't know so learned something new. Taste testing purchased baby foods was also something that was an interesting game and most of us declared that home cooked food was far superior in taste.

DH and I are looking forward to visiting our US family at the end of the month. It is 5 years since DH saw the grandies and DIL and 3 years for me so it will be a good 'catch up' time for everyone.

Meantime our weather still remains so hot and humid. Feel like a grease spot most of the time. Even though nights are cooler than they have been, it is still not easy to sleep with the humidity being so high. As I sit here typing the perspiration is just rolling off me - even after taking a shower, once I get out and dried, I feel like hopping in again! A catch 22! Roll on Autumn.

Purple runner beans I planted about 5 weeks ago are just flowering and I'm hoping we will get a few to freeze before we leave. I feel sure we will if this heat keeps up another couple of weeks. The lettuce are almost ready to pick but those I planted in a tub I've been using for over a week now. They are so tender and I'm just picking the outside leaves off as they get large enough.

I visited a new doctor this morning as I plan to transfer from the one we've been attending for the last 11 years - long story which I won't bore you with - but I mentioned to her that I've been trying to lose some weight over the past 3 or 4 months and have succeeded so far in only shedding 6 and a bit kilo (14 pounds) so when she weighed me and measured my height was surprised when she told me definitely not to lose any more - my BMI is now right for my height. I didn 't think I'd lost that much really, however I'll take her word for it. Am still planning to continue on with the same kind of regime but will now begin to add a little more carbs however I don't think I run any sort of risk of losing anything more - I've remained fairly static for the past few weeks despite not deviating in food intake.

That's about all for now - blessings all and have a good week!

Our family members at 'Anzac's' baby shower - from left - 18yr old grand-daughter, expectant mum, her MIL, my DIL, me and my niece - all with surname McInnes!

CHRISTMAS IS HERE

The presents are wrapped, the beef is roasted and all that remains to do early tomorrow morning is prepare the vegetables for roasting. Then - the traditional family dinner that we've been waiting a whole year for will be enjoyed by us 10 at daughter and SIL's home. Here in Sydney our family take it turn about to host the Christmas day dinner. This spreads the load nicely and everyone brings a contribution toward the yummy dinner.

This time it will be ham, turkey (freshly bbq'd) beef, roast potatoes, pumpkin, sweet potatoes (kumera) carrots and peas with Christmas pudding, custard and cream (or ice cream) to follow.

Then the gifts under the tree will be opened by the two smallest members of the family who will no doubt have already received 'Santa's' contribution early in the morning.

Tonight I am planning to attend the local Anglican church for their Christmas Eve service. What a lovely way to get into the Christmas spirit - to worship the babe who was born to be King!

Have included a photo this time but not of Christmas origin! The finished 'Pioneer Quilt' all except the back where I plan to stitch and include the story of the family pioneers who emigrated from England in the 1850's. This quilt is to be a special gift for a precious granddaughter who has her 18th birthday next year. The appliqued blocks represent activities the great grandparents undertook on their arrival in New Zealand.

We are planning a few days in Auckland New Zealand soon after Christmas so I won't be posting until we're back home.

To those of my blogging friends who visit from time to time, I wish you a very safe, restful, blessed and holy Christmas, and all the blessings of the New Year.

Merry Christmas all!

The New Quilt is Finished!

It’s finished. Hooray!

Still working on the word ‘batting’ though.

The New Quilt

Checking out my fabric stash proved one thing to me - nothing constructive could come out of what I had stored. No inspiration either, so back it went again into the storage container. A few days later when daughter announced that a new ‘big’ bed had been ordered for her Master 2, I silently mulled over the possibility of launching myself into action for some serious quilting time. Knowing that Master 1 had received a bed quilt at his promotion from cot to bed I could hardly deprive this current contender for ‘ cot to bed’ launch now could I?

Visiting my local retailer and hoping for a bargain in their half price sale, I embark on the possibility of colours and patterns suitable for this growing lad’s new bedcover. I am not one for being rash when it comes to purchases in anything other than fabrics! I spied some with a coordinating ocean/sea theme in safe primary colours and quickly decided on others to match. Without even a pattern in mind, made my purchase and took off for home. Pulling out old magazines I found a simple design which I thought would suit the colours and theme of the fabric. I wanted something that would be quick to sew by machine and not too complicated – had tried that before and taken years to finish one top. I wasn’t planning to go down that path again this time.

Striking while the inspirational ‘iron’ was hot, cutting was soon completed and the sewing together of tiny squares commenced. Often, past attempts have seen me lag at this point, or I get a few blocks finished and they are filed in the ‘I’ll come back to that later’ pile. I have no idea why it is different this time. I zoom ahead with this project and before long I am down on the floor laying all the little squares together – like a giant jigsaw puzzle.

Wow! The top is complete. I’ll now have to make another trip to the shop-that-sells-all and get the backing and batting. Batting? Where did a name like that come from? Maybe this could be another meandering theme I could check out in my spare time?

Quilt Stash

It's ages since I quilted anything - I have a pile of fabrics which I've stashed away, some for years, intending to use sometime. I am an impulse buyer when it comes to quilting! I see something I like and have great plans to do something with it then eventually don't ever find just the right thing that matched the colour or pattern - or I find something that is just perfect but not the right size. It doesn't take long before my stash of bits and pieces has built up with all sorts of mismatched yardage!

I really feel I must do something with it all - even if it's a small project - just to use up all the bits I've gathered over the years. Either that - or I'll have to bundle it all up and take it to the op shop and ease my conscience - at least that way someone may get to use it and the charity makes a few cents out of it. Hmm... will give it a little more thought over the next few days and see whether I get a surge of inspiration at long last. Once I've dealt with my stash of fabrics, maybe I can have a go at my knitting yarn pile, oh and also my cross stitch bits and bobs! Then I'll concentrate more on my scrapbooking! Ho hum - decisions, decisions!