winners are grinners...

can you see my smile....
its big...and large...from ear to ear...
thankyou to sarah for her generosity...
i keep changing my mind with how to use it...
the possibilities are endless..
and we all love red in this house...
thankyou once again sarah...

the time is right....

what photo goes with...

today i resigned....yip... yip...

how scary is this...

yes thats teaspoon of 'fat equivalent' in each meal..
i took a client to a dietition today...man oh man what an eye opener it was...
fish, chips and coleslaw v's grilled fish, baked potatoe and salad...
i was invited to sit in on the session...never again

proofing...

why hasn't somebody told me...

i have been making my own bread for ever..i have always proofed the dough by putting it in the back of the car and reversing the car out of the garage into the sun...
today i decided that i would try microwaving it...BINGO!
simply put dough into a ceramic container cover losely with plastic wrap, and microwave on the lowest power level for 5 mins...
a true revelation for me...
5 mins not 25...
and now for lunch...

one down one to go...

blogtoberfest...whoops..push on i say...

a trip to the city over the weekend gave me some knitting time in the car...
i wonder if knitting socks is like knitting sleeves..the first one i always find a breeze and the second is a chore...
i am pleased as punch with this sock..and if i say so myself, not bad for a first attempt...a few mistakes along the way that hopefully will be ironed out in the next installment...
i proudly showed the family on saturday and now they all want a pair...
number 2 son asked if they have to be hand washed...i didn't know the answer, can anyone out there help me...

buttons...

someone pushed my button today...
it doesn't happen very often...
i am still unable to find words...
breath....

between a rock and a hard place...

sometimes life is hard..
sometimes we make things hard for ourselves...
how does this little plant think it is going to survive the summer...

winners are grinners...

yay...i never win anything...truly...everytime i buy the rare lotto or raffle ticket i feel lucky but i never win anything...ever...until now...and wow look what i have won..
i entered a give away from the last piece and i won...
dont you just love those fabrics, and miss s has requested a red quilt for her bed - perfect...
i am so excited...go..go check it out..

blogtoberfest....day 20... summer clothes

100% cotton...light...breezy...beautiful fall...vintage colours...
what to make??

off to work we go...

this dress for work i have to say looks much nicer on me than on mona...
but because i have just got home from a run and have yet to shower i am not going to model it...mona was happy to oblige.....
there are certainly going to be more of these made, the pattern went together very easily, it is comfy and will be great with a shirt underneath or just by itself...
the usual modifications were made, side seam pockets added, back darts to take out some fullness, lifting the hemline etc...
now to find some decent fabric for version two...

hear her roar...

miss s has been elected house captain for her year 12...
her house colour is orange....yes you read correctly...orange!...
she has requested some thing orange to wear at each house event...team spirit and all that...
i think we succeeded....
the school will certainly see the team coming a mile away....
flouro orange...detachable hooded lion suite....
and i thought my costume making days were over...

blogtoberfest 15..work clothes...

i am in need of some new clothes for work...2.5mtrs stretch mid weight self stripe 80% cotton caught my eye in the remnant box...
sewing time...yay...
i'v been dying to spend some time with the divine miss b[ernina] and mona[dressmaking model]...
hopefully pics soon..

blogtoberfest day 13

man its only day 13 and i am running out of steam...

i feel like this bloke, only here, there is no sunshine to enjoy...

where is spring....

calling all sock knitters...can you help the novice...

so i divided the heel and attempted to turn the heel 5 times!!!! but worked it out in the end..
gasp..
now however the pattern is asking me to...
Knit the first 9 stitches on the heel then knit up 16 stitches along the side of the heel...
question...
if i knit the first 9 stitches of the heel, the wool will end up in the middle of the row, how do i then pick up the 16 stitches along the heel side....
can some help....this is meant to be a relaxing craft...
sigh...

my beautiful boy...

he's handsome...
he's gentle...
he makes me laugh...
he is a lovely friend...
he's 5 years old
he's nelson...
he's my labrador...
today he has a very sore front leg because he got caught up in a fence chasing a fox...
he spent the day watching me in the garden...
feeling miserable because he couldnt help me dig...he just recouperated in the sun...
he's a lovely friend

timberrrr....

husband + chainsaw = a huge mess....
but all worth it, because i am getting a 'walk- in' wardrobe...
yippee....

bush blocks...

i think i should clarify a previous post....my community is rural and isolated... whilst driving my usual 250kms around the district for work, i was smacked by the wildflowers that are in bloom...

our australian bush is harsh..tough...dry...

its colours are harsh and tough...

the flora and fauna are tough...

built that way to survive, to withstand the hot, dry, long summers...

yet during the spring, if we search and observe whilst on our normal paths..

looking at the normal, in a different way...

we find these delicacies...

soft...fragile...tender...

just here for a few weeks until they hide again, waiting for next years spring...

the australian spider orchid....

what's the buzz...

the lavender bush was shaking...

the bees were everywhere making the harvest tedious...

but so worth it...

sunshine at last

a cold grey morning, turned into a warm sunny afternoon...
and the canola sparkled in the cloudless sky...
i love our farm...

a treasure

my day job takes me into the community....a lot....
i am privileged to meet many old crafters..always willing to share their knowledge and craft experiences...
this was gifted to me by a lady who's house is like stepping into a living museum of the things she has made over her lifetime....she never gave away a first draft...always making a second copy for the gift...

its spring...apparently...

the canola is in flower, so it should be spring...
not around here though...
cold...
rain...
winter keeps tapping at our door...
10 minutes of dappled sunlight yesterday is all we got...
not even enough to let the crops shine, but when they do i will capture them on film...

so dazzling in the sun is canola its hard to look at...
i love spring... i hope it comes soon...

chevron happiness...

my chevron scarf was completed during the week, and i must say i absolutely love it..

the colours in this scarf are so intense and so divine...

it goes with absolutely everything...

whilst knitting it, i was worried about how long it was, but having worn it.. looped lots around my neck..i am sold..its just perfect..

i think the wavy ends are just gorgeous too...

slow on the uptake...

i have watched in awe the many clever women who knit the most beautiful socks, but never had the courage to try them...they must be difficult mustn't they..with all that toe up, turning, splitting heels stitches, etc..
no courage until now...
now that i have no portable craft project on the go, to do on those long car trips or sitting bored in front of the tv at night, i though i would try my hand at socks....i am scared, i don't like the look of those incy wincy sticks, but as mr other half said yesterday, winter is nearly over so they will be ready for 2010...that takes the pressure off doesn't it!!!
wish me luck..

whats a girl to do..

just when i am ready to get re inspired with blogging and join in the blogtoberfest our ISP goes down...we have had no phone for 3 days and no computer connection for the same...i was getting frustrated at not being able to blog, imagine the local businesses that were unable to trade other than in cash..one even got out the manual cash register with the crank handle...1920's style...
still, we're back in the land of IT again, i will commence the festival of bloggers late but none the less here..
3 days with no phone i have to say was quite pleasant, how they rule our lives..

its school holidays here and this is what Miss S bought home from the op-shop on thursday...
requesting that it gets turned into a little leather jacket.. the gold paint is lovingly being removed with nail polish remover and then we have to unpick....i hope there is enough fabric....

on a road to nowhere...

since my holiday of a life time, its been so hard to get inspired...

about anything..

holiday hangover!!
as it has been very quiet on the blogging front, i decided in a rash moment to join in blogtoberfest, to try and get back some blogging energy...
today is october one, so lets see how we go, it should be fun...although i suspect a few posts may be just photos...

its not too late to join in if you want to, its only 01/10....