Ummmm Where has April Gone and What Have I Done??

And I thought April was going to be a slower month where I would get more done!! HAHA. There have been visitors, trips away and some grotty stomach virus that came out of nowhere, stuck around for a few days and then went again.
Sooooooo.... 1 XMAS ITEM A MONTH hosted by http://pinsandwhiskers.blogspot.com.au - I did get this finished!!

 

This simple little wall hanging has been hanging around the xmas ufo box for quite some time - but not anymore!!

 

I haven't got much planned for the weekend - just relaxing, a bit of craft and a bit of gardening (if I feel like it)!

 

 





ANOTHER WEEK GONE BY...

where did that week go?? and what did I achieve. well not much but it was a good week regardless. I finished the Lady Bug Pin Cushion.

Very happy with the finished product!! And I spent 3 days up at Wee jasper at my sons. I took my mum up to see where he was living and working and to see her great grandies.
It was all country she hadn't seen before and she coped quite well with the winding roads with sheer drops on the side (mum is not a lover of that type of road!!)
She had a lovely time in the garden getting cuttings and bulbs - Lachlan was a very willing worker for her!!

he would have dug everything up for mum to bring home if she hadn't of been with him!lol.

although the altitude affected mum's breathing she got out and about and checked out the old original shack - this is the ceiling of the front room - how many would die for this type of ceiling today!! And an archway!! the shack is over 100yrs old. It is rumoured that there are ghosts in the shack and in the newer house (built in the 40's) - I for one believe there are in the newer house - just a feeling I have each time I am in it!

Below are some photos of the bird life - these fellows were part of a flock that flew in late in the afternoon, made a lot of noise and then flew off again!

They truly had a 'birds eye view' - the tree they were in being dead but still standing about 40ft high.

 

 And this is the tree - so many trees like this wherever you look - very majestic and commanding.

 

 

 

Miss Abbey (not quite 8yrs) has told the family that she is not able to do anything around the house or yard as she will be too busy with her new 'job'..... she is a 'horse trainer' now - and here she is going out for the first time out of the sand yard on the 'horse she is training' for a neighbours grandchildren!!



Below is Lachlan riding badger for the very first time (his mare is in foal). He was right at home on this huge animal!

And off they go with dad and some other neighbours for a couple of hours riding on Saturday afternoon.

on my next trip up there I am going to fill this wheelbarrow to overflowing with flower seedlings

 

 Of course we did some shopping - The Calico Patch in Canberra on Saturday morning, Spotlight at Wagga on the way home - funny how the car just turns off the main road and parks itself conveniently at shops we may be interested in! lol

 

All in all a lovely week with family and more memories made with the beautiful great grandmother (so good that we both love sewing, craft and gardening - makes for many lovely hours together!)

 





FNWF

This is how I spent last night - my first Friday Night With Friends being organised by Cheryll at http://stitchingcubbyhole.blogspot.com.au.

I spent some time tonight on my Copenhagen Pillow Come Knee Rug (http://cubbyhousecrafts.blogspot.com.au) - I was running in all the threads from the colour changes which required a need and the motion of going in and around the trebles - that is sewing....right!!

 

Haven't finished tidying it up yet (I wanted to get onto my other project for tonight) and I still have a bit more to add to it before it is actually finished!

 

 

Now onto my real sewing for FNWF. I have embroidered the lovely little Ladybug pattern that Deb R from https://frogcottagedesigns.blogspot.com.au gave me in the Valentines Initial Heart Swap back in February - and I am making another pincushion for myself (I do so love pincushions - we can never have enough can we!) 

 

 

This is the finished embroidery.

And this is the whole kit and caboodle - Deb R's pattern, my threads and the fabrics I have chosen to do the 1" squares to border it with. THANK YOU DebR!!!!



SEWING PhD

I haven't actually finished anything from my list but I have been working on several items. So I will show what I have been working on.

First up is a flannel Stack'n'Whack quilt that I started several years ago. I have finally got the top together and the border on. Hopefully I will get it quilted during April.

The photos don't do it justice. It was so nice spread out on the bed in the unfinished spare bedroom that I have left it there!!

 

This one I have been doing for a few too many years to remember. I decided to hand quilt it which means I can only do it in daylight hours because I cannot see properly (even with my glasses on) at night. needless to say I don't get to sit and quilt very often during the daytime!! I started this for my number five baby when he was about 9 years old (he turns 21 this year - and there is a good reason to get it finished). He used to have it on his bed to sleep under as I was making it!! It was to be a floor to floor single bed quilt so it should sit on top of his queen size bed ok. I do love this quilt though - about as much as the soon to be owner!

 

And I have actually quilted 2 rows of blocks over the last few weeks!!!!!

 

This is another flannel that I have actually finished piecing the 4" blocks together on. I have even managed to start sewing on the green 1" border.

 

 And this is one of 2 crinoline lady cushions I have had sitting in their own sewing box for a couple of years.

 

These will probably go in the present box when finished as they definitely do not suit my farm house!!

 

 

As I said no actual finishes but each one is on the way to being finished!! I have been busy sewing a couple of projects tonight as part of FNWS which I will post about tomorrow.

HOW DID MY WEEKEND GO??

All in all my busy weekend panned out very well!! Except for spending all day in bed on Saturday with the mother of all headaches and every bone and joint in my body aching I managed to achieve most of what I set out to do!!
Cleaning out the second house - 3 bedrooms cleared and ready to be painted, back veranda half emptied = 1 skip bin half full!!
Heat Packs - 40 plus finished!! (very happy about this as I have had orders waiting to be filled and several markets over the net moth!)

 

 

 

Vegie Garden - wellllll.......

 





 

remember the two fallen branches that the MOTH cut up a few weeks back

 

after several trips across to assess the size of the job to move it all on my own  - the vegie garden still looks like this below!!

 

I mentioned to the MOTH that I was going over to start on it hoping he would offer to help...... he says 'oh yeah I forgot about that!!! and then went of ploughing or sowing or some other manly farmer thing. And not functioning on all 8 cylinders at the time I decided it could stay that way until another day!! Didn't get any vegies planted either .... I think I can get to 1 bed and clean that up and get some winter vegies planted later in the week!!