A Merry Christmas to one and all

Jane & Tony circa 1970

A Merry Christmas to all our family and friends, and especially to all the new friends I have made since joining the blog world. Thank you for your friendship, your kindness and your inspiration.

A Kindergarten Christmas

Well, my big girl finished her 1st year of Kinder this week. We started a week of celebration with a nativity/christmas concert in which Sophia was an Angel. How cute! There were many Dads and grandparents there too. Next the children had a Christmas party with a clown and lots of party food. Christmas cards were exchanged, presents and one very special kiss from one best friend to another

Seven Things...A Christmas version

I saw this over at Carries sight and thought it would be fun, so here goes.

1. My family always had a real Christmas tree culled from native bushland, my husband thought this was stealing so we now have a artificial one!
2. My mother made the best Christmas pudding known to man. It was so good, my father and I asked for it for our birthday in June one year.
3. My mother used to let me open one gift before I went to bed on Christmas eve.
4. We always watch "Carols by Candlelight" on Christmas eve, and possibly the repeat on Christmas day. But what good Melbournian doesn't!
5. I always opened my Christmas presents at the foot of my parents bed on Christmas morning, carefully chosing one present at a time for each of us to open.
6. My family have beautifully made Christmas stockings, my brother and I had pillow slips, which my mother would fill with the likes of; an orange, an apple & a banana, undies and socks, and a personal gift.(do you think my parents went through the depression & war!)
7. I don't even know the name of my favourite Christmas movie! It is about a guy who needs to find a Christmas tree for Rockefeller Center in N.Y.C. and the story of the Nun who has grown with this tree. My Mum grew up in a convent too, so it has a personal touch!

I'm Back!

I'm back at last. heave a sigh of relief! It was like coming down from an addiction. No daily fix of all things Internet, seeing what all my blogging friends were up to e.g. where Jodie is up to in her house...what new shoes Lisa is coveting...what new crafty project Monica has made.
And for the swaps I've taken part in whilst of offline;another sisters shoebox swap, and a vintage Xmas stocking swap, photo's will be added soon. You can view what I sent Chrisi at her blog.
The girls are both well. Sophia is preparing for her kinder concert, singing lots of Christmas songs...at home...at the shops....anywhere. She is so excited! Tessa has started to form more words, and is going through quite a growth spurt which is great. Daddy is starting a new exciting project at work, and as for me, I have joined the Kinder committee for the new year!
The girls are enjoying lots of outside play now the summer has arrived, although I can't say we are enjoying the 30'oc plus days usually it's off to the pool to cool down. We have found a fantastic wave pool not to far away that the girls just love it. I'm so proud of what confident swimmers they are becoming.
Anyway off to playgroup....promise some pictures soon

Missing in Action

Will be so for a little while! will be able to check my mail via m.i.law, but the laptop has become a casualty of war and so I won't be able to post until we acquire another. Best wishes to all....Jane

A wonderfully generous week

What a wonderfully generous week we have had, Tessa received this cute bunny and Sophia

this cheeky monkey, actually which one is the cheeky monkey? And I received

these gorgeous Vintage buttons and fantastic braid, all for doing a small favour for RicRac. Thank you so much Jodie these gifts are much appreciated, and only go to prove the power of friendship and kinship in the blog world.

And, on a day in which we remembered the 10th anniversary of my Fathers passing, I received this. It is my beautiful Four Seasons Fall Quilt all the way from Jeanette in Finland. I initially said that the quilt I received would be used by the girls for their dolls......no way this is too beautiful.

Jeanette even included applique (my favourite) of an angel(her favourite), a beautiful letter and some extra quilting fabrics. My photography doesn't do the colors justice. Here is the poem which brought me to tears included on the label

I believe there are angels among us

Sent down to us from somewhere up above

They come to you and me in our darkest hours

To show us how to live

To teach us how to give

To guide us with a light of love..

Thank you Jeanette, Thank you Jodie, and I love you Dad

U.F.O. Week

This week was put to good use with several Unfinished Objects either completed, or on their way to being so. I know we all have 1 or 2 (or 15).
Firstly the doll cot! Started before Tessa was born, meant to be for Sophia's 2nd birthday, but, rudely interrupted by someones very early arrival. It needs another sand and varnish, but better they use it than wait for Mum! So, finally the base was made and the mattress and old linen put to good use. I believe Manny the bear finds it very comfortable.



Secondly, the 'Cracker Box' repro. quilt. All it needed was the binding sewn down on 2 sides! An hours hand sewing, and it was finished...Yay! A quick look at the label on the back ....1996

Next my big challenge......hand quilting. I began these after seeing some similar Vintage 30's butterfly blocks at the Lancaster County Fair in Virginia. I resisted the purchase, but once I got home had to reproduce them. The only problem is that I used my favourite cotton batting which is not the best to hand quilt. And so it's been sitting there ever since.

I was in the U.S.A. visiting my 5 year old niece Leah, she will be 18 this December!!!

And finally Judie Rothermels' 'Tea Leaves' quilt, only started 5 years ago. Cut and ready to go. One wheel complete. I thought I might continue and practice my hand piecing skills. Will let you know how that one goes

Sisters Shoebox Swap Two...Cozy

I'm so excited the second round of the Sisters Shoebox Swap has been announced. The theme for this round is "cozy" , isn't that just yummy. I think the theme is more evocative than "refresh" was, for me at least. They are also suggesting you include Christmas & Thanksgiving items for the holiday season. Please stop by and have a look at the real life sisters Monica & Carrie, I have loved getting to know them both and also Lisa our last swap partner. Seriously, if you love swaps, this is a truly enjoyable & indulgent one

Take the Quiz here!

Oh No!

Look what a 3yr old can do to your beloved Olfa mat when she uses it as a bridge for her "Little People" bus! Words were spoken! Then, in mid speech I realised I do have 2 more. They are different sizes, but none the less two more! Enough said.

Four Seasons Quilt swap

Well, I have now finished autumn/fall doll quilt #2 after the ironing incident that was #1. Although I loved the first quilt, this was a much more pleasurable one to make, and quilted up better. I think I may try a little hand quilting on the next 'winter' quilt. All depends on my partners preferences.

This is the autumn/fall inspired backing fabric! It's now on it's way to it's new owner in the U.S.A. If you'd like to visit the flickr site to view the rest of the fall quilts find the link here.

And this is what I sent Lisa

A Japanese reversible bag, made from fabric my brother brought on a trip home from Sendai

Fantales for the choc/caramel lover, a b/w photo of Puffing Billy (chosen by Sophia), some charity post-its from Bonnie babes and Missy Higgins latest c.d. Popover and see what Lisa thinks!
Finally my first dishcloth made with the cotton Lisa sent. The pattern was on the back of the label. I have since found a link to dishcloth patterns at Louise's site

Wow! Look what arrived today

Our parcel from Lisa arrived this afternoon. "How exciting!"
Isn't this beautful!
What a generous friend. The girls and I thoroughly enjoyed exploring our shoebox
Thankyou from the bottom of our hearts! It is truely appreciated Lisa.

But look there's more

1. paper/cards for fun with the girls!

2.great now I can make some dishcloths!





3. yummy treats for mummy!

4. and a little self indulgence

A weekend walk

Here are loyal companions, Zoe and Bianca. Sunday was such a beautiful day we thought we'd head done to the park to throw the ball. You can see how dry the grounds are, and it's the end of Winter!
"come on just throw it"

Dear Mum

Please listen when I say I need a bath
Please don't dawdle
Please don't run and get my sister
Please don't say you'll be there in a minute
Please come and undress me and put me in quickly, because Mummy

I will just do it myself!

When I am young I shall wear purple...

Sophia loves purple! Everything needs to be purple. It's suprising where this little obsession comes from. . . her last dummy was purple!
I am a pink girl, my mother was a pink girl, it's hard for me to get my head around. I have the challenge of making a purple quilt now, I look at the fabrics and they don't gel together. it's amazing how you are in tune with certain colors and hues and others not. Colors give you certain feelings and memories. Don't you agree?

Sophia has been helping me with my 'Sisters shoebox swap'. We spent the morning at a local craft market last weekend and she chose something very dear to her heart for our friend Lisa. This week I will be making something, with fabric my brother purchased for me. It comes from the country he has lived in for the last 9 years. Add something sweet, something pleasurable, it's all coming together....

Getting Started...with a little help

Whilst looking through my stash of scraps/fabrics Tessa found a little ziplock bag containing these 2 5/8" triangles which are perfact for my Four Seasons Fall doll quilt.They are from a quilt I made around 12 years ago (scary!). The main reason I like them is that red is my favaourite autumn leaf color. So, with the addition of a few extra new pieces, the top is finished and I just need to quilt and bind. Watch out for the updates

This photo reminds me of all the shots of cats sitting by there masters machines. This is my faithful kitten Tessa! Always ready to help, and yes she is taste testing the fabrics. . .

Our Tessa

Understandably, when you begin your life like this, you parents will fret.

Saturday night was one of these occasions. Tessa went to sleep as normal after a busy day, and, at around 11.30pm awoke screaming. She did this uncontrollably for at least an hour. Now she has a cold, so I'm thinking 'Influenza A' (to those o/s readers, this is taking children's lives in Aust.). These are the times when I wish my mother was here, and able to share her wisdom. I rang 'nurse on call' and they talked me through different scenarios, and in the end I was just told to monitor her! Eventually she stopped and we all had a good nights sleep. Sophia never woke during it all.

Monday arrives and my cheeky brown eyed girl is lying giggling on my lap, and I see the source of all our trouble. . . a new tooth!

What fun!

Today we walked to Kinda, and when we arrived we noticed they were a Mum short on duty, so we volunteered. It is wonderful to watch Sophia's freindships flourish, and to get to know the other children. We played puzzles/games/dressups, listened to music, read books, played outside, and finally made Dads gift for Fathers Day. We came home with an invitation to breakfast the saturday before Fathers Day. I know they will both love it. Needless to say Tessa also had a wonderful time, playing with the big kids/ eating dirt outside e.t.c.
I received my first postcrossings postcard today, all the way from Finland! How exciting!

Home Baking

Well those who now me will tell you I'm not a big fan of cooking. Baking on the other hand, I don't mind. After some inspiration from fellow bloggers/uber mothers, I decided we should give it a go. Sophia and I, with a little help from Tessa, made a tea cake yesterday and pikelets today.
Yum, the cake was quickly demolished by all, including Daddy, which is the sign of a good cake.
The pikelets were great when there's not much in the cupboard and there are empty tummies.
Now I need some hints on house cleaning. I abhore it and turn into a screaming banshee. Any advice?

Getting there

Well, still no photo's! Will be working on that this week.
Apart from the usual I have been starting my two new swaps, trying to figure out my partners; their likes and dislikes, color themes e.t.c.
The only problem being, with one blog site I find a link to another and another, and so it goes. I'm sure I am not the only one with this problem?

with all that I've been given: swaps

with all that I've been given: swaps

The first day

Well this is the first day of my life as a 'blog'. My husband thinks Ihave gone a little crazy with swaps and forums and such. I am enjoying reading and learning from peoples blogs, and especially swaps , I figured why not give it a go. Time for some Aussies to share their life and knowledge. I'm sure you'll get to know me/us as the days go by.
Jane