Anniversary Dinner

Home from a successful dinner out for our anniversary. we have something a little more special booked for next Friday when the kids are at daycare and Dean has the day off, but it was nice to celebrate as a family. Especially when it involves their favourite food pizza!

Happy Anniversary

8 years ago today.

I joke that I could of been in and out for his manslaughter by now, and we laugh that our wedding reception place burnt down a year after our wedding but he's a keeper. If it wasn't for the two little ones who claim we are their parents it sure wouldn't feel like 8 years ago.

Sheesh if I didn't already feel old looking at us young'ens in these photos sure would!

Andalucia Spring Ruffle Top

I was intending to make myself one of these tops after I saw it on Sew Mama Sew. So instead, I had a brief moment of insanity and while Liam was napping this afternoon asked Bella if she would like to help me make her a top. Big mistake. Like sewing doesn't take long enough as it is. But it was nice, she helped me draw lines, cut the fabric, and even sew it up. Of course I was constantly asked if it's finished yet and wanting to keep it on while I was pinning it for length etc.

The good thing is, it's been on since the last stitch was finished and she is in love with it. Apparently she is wearing it tomorrow, but only after we compromised with not wearing tonight to bed.

The pattern is for adults, but I just used the calculations and a bit of adjusting to make it the right size. The fabric is from Patty Young's Andalucia line and I love it just as much as the pictures I've seen of it. Girly but not all candy pink, and I love the co-ordinating red and green.

PJ Pants

New PJ pants for Isabella in Sandi Henderson's Dahlia Flannel. I used the instructions and pattern from Aunty Cookie's Yoga Pants for Happy Babies in the Meet me at Mikes Book.

No Isabella isn't 9-12 months like the pattern is for, but her waist is and I just adjusted the length to suit. Oh and I added the cuff, done in my own dodgy quick way. Now to find a long sleeve top and an applique on the front.

Next up a pair for Liam, but his aren't in flowers because then I'd be in trouble from Daddy. Liam probably wouldn't care though, secretly while Daddy is at work he's more than happy to don a tutu and crown and do a bit of dancing.

Off to make this Roast Chicken for dinner. Feeling a bit Martha-ry today, so far I have made a loaf of bread, a batch of lemonade scones, sewed and now cooking a roast for dinner.

PS. I got the flannel from Quilthome.com. One of my fave places to order from.

More Scarves

The last of the fabric left from Baby T's Quilt made into two more scarves. These ones are backed with an oatmeal coloured corduroy with two small strips of the patchworked fabric.

They were going to be Mother's Day presents but I'm not sure they are really either my Mum or Dean's Mum's colours. Contemplating listing them on Madeit or etsy since I have nothing in either shop. Or maybe I should run a giveaway. I don't know.

Helping Mummy take the photos.

An Afternoon at the Park

Knitting in a Bag

With all this knitting and crocheting little granny squares I've been doing lately, the car is becoming over-run in balls of yarn rolling around the floor and knitting needles poking out of everywhere. 

With a leftover strip of patchwork from Baby T's quilt I sewed up the sides, hemmed the top and made a casing for the drawstring a-la-Curlypops.

Big enough to fit 1 or 2 skeins, knitting on the go and some needles.

Crochet Capelet

My first crocheted garment, a capelet for Isabella using Leila & Ben's pattern that I bought from their etsy shop so long ago it's embarrasing. After a couple of false starts when I first bought it I gave up, not knowing how to even "Cast on" probably wasn't helping me, until I got my crochet-groove doing my recent squares. So I thought I'd attempt it again and voila, it worked. I love it, but Isabella doesn't seem so impressed, but she'll be wearing it damn it. The yarn is Heirlooms' Easy Care 8ply in colourway #705 and it used exactly 2 skeins, no more no less.

Happy Birthday Patchwork Scarf

Our good friend and Isabella & Liam's Godmother, Sarah, turned 30 on Monday so tonight, us people taller than 4ft are heading out for a rare dinner together to celebrate while the Nanny & Poppy's take care of the youngens'.

Sarah has had a very hard time since Christmas, her mother received unexpected and devestating health news in January and her time left with us is very limited. Sarah has stopped working to spend all her time with her and the constant bad news and the rapid decline in her Mum is so sad to see. We hope tonight will be a nice break for Sarah and time out to have fun. Mind you we are such party animals we'll probably all be ready for bed by 9pm.

We normally don't do presents between us adults but I thought since it's the big 3-0 and after her year so far that I would make her something. I didn't buy any fabric, it's all stash so technically I STILL didn't buy anything :-)

A patchwork scarf, backed with warm white flannel. Being the special person it is for, I decided to use some of my favourite fabrics I could find. No pattern, just random rectangles sewen together.

Happy Birthday Sarah.

PS. It's slightly crushed, little Miss decided she wouldn't take it off. Took some coaxing and a trip to the park with Daddy while I photographed it.

BloesemKids

Are you a reader of BloesemKids like me? Imagine my childlike-giddiness when the lovely Irene from BloesemKids (and Bloesem) asked me to help give the BKids site a face lift! 

Yep if you head over here you will see it in all it's new fanciness. I can't take credit for the design/look, that's all Irene's talent, I just did the background stuff like CSS and coding and templates and modules... but I'm still really happy with the result and she seems like another happy customer.

Make sure if you head over you have plenty of time because Irene posts things from all around the world that are devine and make my credit card whine.

Another Clutch

Another clutch from Kara Smith's pattern from the Meet at Mike's book just for me for a wedding we went to last Saturday. I added the button, ribbon tie and embroidery to play around with the pattern and I'm pretty happy how it came out. It went perfect with my deep purple dress.

The Case of the Breeding Granny Squares

Granny Sqaures are popping up all over the place, I even found a couple that I forgot I had made. Not quite a Granny a Day but not bad. I picked up two more colours today, Burnt Orange and Smudge Brown and have been eyeing off a teal colour called Cadent Blue but I'd better crochet up what I have first!.

Granny Grand Total = 6 + 2 waiting for an Oatmeal border

I'm not sure how big the blanket will end up being since I'm not using a pattern. I found a couple of patterns that are 52" square size which look good but sheesh that means I need 100 squares. Maybe my grandkids will end up with this???

Proud Mummy Alert

I don't know what happened in the last month or so. Isabella's drawings have gone from many times wondering "what in the world is that supposed to be" to looking... well what they are supposed to look like.

A drawing from yesterday. Can you tell what it is? I was impressed, especially since she has never drawn one and I gave no help or instructions.

Today she drew an airplane for Nanna and it looks like.. well an airplane. Wings and people's faces in the windows and all. I love that the kids love drawing, Liam bolts straight to the table if I ask if he wants to draw and is apparently the first at the arts table at Daycare.

Royal Easter Show 2009

Our annual pilgram to the Sydney Royal Easter Show was on Sunday. This was Dean & my 5th year at the show, Isabella's 3rd and Liam's 1st. The last 3 years we have gone with our good friends and their son, our Godson Sam, but this year we also took along Nanny & Poppy and Sam's Nanny so we had a pretty decent entourage to keep track of!

Meeting a calf. See Mummy Cow checking out what was going on? Just after this they moved the calf over to Mummy and they were having a good snuzzle, very cute.

Milking a cow.

Feeding & meeting the baby sheep & goats.

This guy was pretty friendly while I was feeding him!

Rides

The Pram brigade.

Face painting.

The last ride with Nanny as the sun disappeared. We were all asleep very very early Sunday night!

A Granny a Day

Pip over at Meet me at Mikes is running A Granny A Day 'Til The End O May, just the thing I need to keep me on my Granny Square path. 

After making my initial 3 squares last week, no more have appeared so I'm hoping by dobbing/joining myself in that I'll get a move on with my intended blanket. Realistically 1 every day probably won't happen, but at least I'll be better off than 3 squares cause those really aren't keeping me warm.

Travelling Fern Lace Scarf

I promised myself I wouldn't start another knitting project until an already cast on project was finished. Technically I didn't lie, because I started a shawl, lost count of where I was and really couldn't be bothered starting again because I know in a week I'd be in the same predicament. So I frogged it (love that term... ribbit-ripit) and started on this Travelling Fern Lace Scarf from Ravelry using Cleckheaton Bamboo yarn. Much easier, the same pattern repeates every 16 rows and theres no increasing so worrying I'm at the wrong row etc. So far so good. It doesn't look like much in the picture but once it's finished in about 2020 and blocked it should look something like this...

(Image Purple Craft House)

Sublime Little Flirt Cardigan

Other than scarfs, beanies and one coffee cup cozy, this is my first knitted garment, and I was very excited.

The pattern book is gorgeous and is called Sublime #607, The Sublime Double Knitting Book and this little cardigan for Bella is called Little Flirt. I used Sublime's Extra Fine Merino Wool DK in Biscuit and it was the first "special" yarn I have used and it was so soft and gorgeous.

I made the size 4 and the back fits perfectly but I would have liked the front a little bit bigger. Maybe I'll just have to *force* myself to buy more of the wool and make the next size up. I fell in love with the moss stitch border and picked another cardigan pattern I am working on that is entirely moss stitch. Now I don't love it so much, it's SOO slow to knit a whole cardigan in it!

I Dusted off the Sewing Machine...

Last night, after the kids were put in bed I pulled out the sewing machine, dusted her off and plugged her in. It seems so long since I've sewed especially something finished since last time I sewed wasn't that long along but ended up in a huff of an empty cotton reel and lack of backup for the quilt.



I broke open my brand spanking new Meet me at Mikes book and traced my first pattern, Kara Smith's clutch. I loved it. Simple but gorgeous. I omited the big button and hand sewed snap and used a magnetic clasp instead.

All wrapped up and destined to a friend today. Let's hope she's far too busy to bother coming past my blog this weekend. I wish I had some really nice simple fancy fabric because then I'd make myself one to take to the wedding we are going to tomorrow afternoon.

Thank You Sarah

So me and my boy have Thursday just us, Isabella heads to daycare and we do our "thing". With swimming off for the holidays (I miss having to wear my swim suit in public. NOT.) we headed for a library run and then a babycino and then the normal post office, bank, butcher, baker. But what did I find??? A surprise present in my post box... and the best kind of present, something crafty! My good friend Sarah has had some website problems that I've been fixing up for her and she sent me this as a thank you...

(Image from Fishpond)

Just what I hinted at back here to hubby for. How spoilt am I??. Thank you Sarah. I picked up a yummy cake for my afternoon tea while Liam is napping and then I'll be perched on the couch with coffee and reading it cover to cover making mental notes what to make first.

I feel my sew-jo returning in a rush. I've spotted a few things I want to make. I feel the urge to buy fabric. I'm looking at patterns of pretty dresses for Isabella. Hmmm I feel the urge to sew.

PS. Checkout Sarah's website here. Warning it may do some damage to your credit card.

Happy Easter

First taste of chocolate, handmade from our lovely neighbours on Thursday night.

Easter Sunday...

1. Baskets ready

2. The search is on

3. Liam's basket minder on hand

4. Chicks hiding in Nanny & Poppy's garden

5. Mission accomplished

6. Post-rabbit-destruction

7. Full tummy rest time - book reading by Poppy

Just like their Mummy (and nothing like their Daddy), neither kid seems to be big on chocolate. This was the first year either had an egg and they only got 1/3 way through one rabbit for Bella and an egg for Liam before giving up. I'm sure like me they'll be stashing eggs to eat that will end up getting thrown out before eaten. I scored a Lindt Bunny and a box of Lindt chocolates, yum.

A lovely Easter weekend.

Our New Addition to the Family

Name: Nespresso Citiz Delonghi EN165.B

Born: Saturday 11th April

Weighs: 3.4kg

Length: 27.8cm

Could possibly be my favourite family member. 

Quiet, makes me fantastic coffee and easy to clean.

Virtual Book Shopping

As always, got side tracked while supposedly checking emails. One click from somewhere, don't remember and I've found an Aussie online book shop, Fishpond who "guarantee" that all their book prices are cheaper than Amazon US PLUS spend over $50 and free freight in Australia. Not a bad deal since Amazon's freight is normally what puts me off ordering.

Anyway in less time that you can say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, I found the four books that have been catching my eye, some for a while. Anyone who knows my husband or parents in real life, feel free to drop not-so-subtle hints about my upcoming birthday. Subtle hints don't work, I've tried.

Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross

Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson

Zakka Sewing

and definitely a copy of Meet Me At Mike's book. (Images from Fishpond)

Granny Squares Part 2

Back at my Granny Squares post I had my 5 mustard squares in progress. Yesterday I headed off to the local craft shoppe for some co-ordinating yarn and wouldn't you know it I came home with completely different colours and the mustard squares are now forgotten about.

After a lovely chat with the ladies in the shop I decided on going the non-wool route since Dean has this weird itchy reaction to wool when it touches his skin. He scratches like a dog. Men. So anyway being that I'm all considerate and all that I decided to go for this lovely soft Sirdar Snuggly Double Knitting yarn. I picked up a ball of the Light Navy (0224), Brick Red (0347) and Stone(0379).

Now my brain seems to have clicked to crocheting granny squares I was adventurous and made a bigger square and also two-toned. Talk about fancy. I'm planning red and blue squares with the cream for borders. I'd love to get my hands on the chocolate (355) but my store was out of it, hopefully I'll find it somewhere else.

I picked up the lone quilting thread I needed to for the whole 3 lines I needed to finish on my quilt, so hopefully that will be finished now.

Image Joy the Baker

We have a lovely Easter weekend planned. This morning I made the family these Warm Berries with Stove Top Dumplings from the Joy the Baker's blog. I can't remember how I came across her blog but goodness there are some beautiful recipes on there. Everyone LOVED the dumplings and we have plenty of the berry sauce left for maybe a dessert with ice cream tonight when the little ones are in bed. The rest of the day we have Dean's mate over for the day. Every Good Friday we all spend together, eating, playing, watching DVDs while the men cook (and drink beer). Yep I cook nothing, good planning huh. The guys call it "Tremendous Friday".

Tomorrow, the kids are getting dropped off to Nanny & Poppy's for a few hours while Dean and I go coffee machine shopping. Our anniversary is coming up this month so instead of buying little things each that we don't need we decided that something for both of us would be nice. Something to replace our Sunbeam machine that has been nothing but problems since we got it and hasn't worked in almost a year and I refuse to pay more money to get it fixed. Anyway, this time tomorrow we will be sampling coffee in the city and picking a fancy new machine courtesy of all the work I have been doing lately.

Sunday will be at Nanny & Poppy's again for an Easter Egg hunt, bacon & egg pie made by Mum and then a sleepover for Isabella. I think Monday we will be recovery mode!

Today marks the anniversary of my childhood friend Adam, whom Liam is named after as well as Dean's brother who passed away. Fate would have it that this year is the first in the 11 years since he died that the anniversary has fallen on Good Friday which it was the night he was killed. Every year we remember him passing on April 10th and then again Good Friday. I often wonder what he would be like now, gees almost 30 like me, probably surrounded by kids and very involved in my kids life as the closest thing to an Uncle they would have had other than Uncle Russ, his brother. RIP Adam.

I hope everyone has a lovely Easter Weekend with your families.

Granny Squares

I've attempted crocheting Granny Squares a few times. I failed. The irony is back when I was very young my Nanny taught me how to crochet and I could crochet those tea towel holders and everything. Anyway, after reading over at Meet Me at Mikes about their Granny Square's for Beginners I thought I'd grab a ball of 8ply from our local shop and give it ONE last attempt before I condemed myself to never crocheting again.

Ta da... I used the instructions over here and last night managed my first Granny Square (that looks like a square). Something clicked and I got how it worked and I made 4 more this afternoon and the last one was even without referring to the instructions. All I want to make is one of those nice Nanna blankets and then I'll probably never crochet again.

The photo is shocking, but the yarn is that yellowy-mustard colour. I'm thinking maybe a beige, chocolate and a teal blue to go with it?

Getting ready for Easter

Some Easter Bunnies a la Isabella to be posted off to Nanna & Pa and Nanny & Poppy made today during Liam's nap time. The bunny image is from here but since the printer is currently unplugged from the laptop I just hand copied it and Bella colored it in, we added a tail and then she wrote her name on it.

We also made up a batch of Sultana Biscuits but they'll be lucky if any make it to tomorrow.

I found an old vintage suitcase in perfect condition at an Op-Shop months ago and it is full to the brim of all sorts of outfits and accessories now and most afternoons are spent with multiple outfit changes and re-enactments of all sorts of shows and stories.

This afternoon was no different, with a bit of dancing in front of the mirror and singing thrown in. Watching it from peering around the door was just hilarious. Like her necklace? We made it together with her new "knitting machine" she bought last week.

Isabella has an imaginary friend called Barney. Barney is a PINK dinosaur, not to be mistaken for the purple dinosaur cause hers is a girl of course.

Barney is not allowed to come with us in the car, instead she "holds on really tight to the back of the car". She has dinner at the table once we are finished and Bella can often be found letting Barney know what she's doing and why.

This took me WEEKS to figure out because she only mentioned Barney when we were at daycare so I was sure it was some new kid but on Friday, told Barney to hurry up cause we were going home and she was coming with us. Of course as soon as I asked her if Barney was invisible she said yes. We're also very excited because last week she learn't how to write her name, well the Bella bit. Now everything has her name on it.

Liam's new favourite words are MINE and No, often used in conjunction with each other. Fun. Not. He loves to draw (and cries out at the top of his voice "DRAWWW" when ever he's sees a piece of paper or a lone pen and pencil, no matter where we are. Apparently at daycare when the paints or pencils come out he is the first one at the table.

Knit one purl one sew none

Quilting has haulted on my lounge quilt. I ran out of quilting thread with only three lines to go, can anyone say D'OH. So close but oh so far.

So I'm back to knitting until we get to the shops. I can pretty safely admit to starting these projects because they are almost done. See I wouldn't tell anyone of the projects I've only just started cause if I stuff them all up then I can unravel and never admit to starting them. I have such confidence in my knitting. Anyway, this is what I'm doing...

The top left pair of socks minus the stripes. 1st sock finished and second half done, not bad for my first pair for socks, especially since they fit!

They're in this red. (Image from here).

The cardigan on the left from a Panda #204 pattern book for Isabella. So far the back is done, left front and almost the right front. Just the sleeves and the the neck to finish. The whole thing is knitted in moss stitch and I love Moss stitch after knitting Isabella a little bolero which had it as a border but goodness it is slow to knit a whole garment in. No wonder they put "easy" as the difficulty but then a nice note saying "needs patience".

It's in this purple from Panda Magnum Soft 8ply.

I casted on a pair of Pickles leg warmers (Image from the Pickles pattern) for Isabella tonight as I was supervising the kids were emptying the bathtub one giant splash at a time and supposedly getting clean. They are in a pink Lincraft Amalfi yarn from Lincraft that Isabella HAD to have and bought the other week and I had no idea what I was going to do with it.

Hmm me thinking too many projects on the go at once, need to finish one or two! Lucky I only have one other stash of wool for a specific pattern here so I can't start anything if I tried.

Twittering vs. Facebook

I'm on Facebook and it seems just when I start to understand how things work, they go and change how it looks. I just want to see my family and friends latest news and photographs. I don't have time for many of the applications/games/surveys or whatever they call them, although apparently I am having 3 kids, used to be Marilyn Monroe in a previous life and am "actually" only 23.

So I finally gave in and signed up for Twitter. Does anyone else "Twit"?, are you "twittering"?, have you become a "twitee"?, see I don't even known the terminology yet. Now I've signed up, created my profile and done a whole two "twits"/updates/what-you-call-its (I really need to learn the lingo) but then I found myself with no-one to follow. Hmm boring.

Any suggestions on who to follow? Do you have an account? If you do let me know so I can follow you (isn't that technically stalking?). Talking and following yourself is kind of boring and creepy.

Not much crafting/sewing has been going on, what with customers wanting work done and all that. I've spent the last 5 days and counting trying to fix up mistakes made by what appears to be a company purely run by monkeys so nothing creative unless you count writing emails and trying NOT to swear at them.

Last week I made both sides of my quilt and started quilting it, but now I kind of don't like how I've done it. I think I should unpick and hand quilt. Bah.

And just so there's some pictures in my post.