End of Year Happenings.......

The garden has continued to flourish this week. The rain we have had certainly worked its wonders on the vege patch. The squash have continued to fruit with plenty more flowers on the plant. The corn is just beautiful and so juicy, we will have to sample it tomorrow night. Look at our first tomato. It was delicious on hamburgers tonight!!


I took a little pic through the fence of this beautiful inner city home in the city where we live. This building was the original Court House in Toowoomba and was sold to private owners a few years ago. I have been amazed at the garden they have made and just so wish to see inside. I wasn't brave enough to take any more pics in case I got chased!! Around the other side is a lovely glass conservatory and from memory you can see at least one chandelier!



We have had a huge week with end of school and also the annual ballet production - this year The Little Mermaid. Look at my baby with full makeup!! This was taken at home, I hope she was able to get photographs backstage in her costumes. This year she was a ballet dancing Angel Fish and a Tap Dancing Lifeguard!

We have had a full week of Carols Evening, Primary school graduation, Speech Days for both schools plus rehearsals and production! Plus of course work never goes away! We are exhausted!!!

A cup of tea for me now and off to bed! The next round of rum balls and White Christmas await me at the shop in the morning!

A busy time.....

I think it is almost two weeks since I have written here! The end of the year is disappearing. The children only have one week of school left and then two months of summer holidays. I am so looking forward to the break in routine.

We have been busy at the bakery getting some Christmas stock prepared for sale. I will do a display in the next few days and get into the swing of the Season!

I have just baked two Christmas cakes today. They smell just wonderful. I think we will be cutting one of them quite soon. I just love fruit cake. I wasn't sure about putting two cakes in the oven at once, but because it is quite wide they can fit on the same shelf it worked out just fine.

We have had the most wonderful rain here in the last two weeks. This week being huge falls. Thankfully we haven't had the wild storms that have wreaked havoc in parts of Queensland, just wonderful rain. The best part being our tanks are full.


The vege patch is looking beautiful and lush. The tomatoes have grown so much in the last week and are covered in lovely little fruit. I can't wait for that first ripe tomato. Nothing beats homegrown tomato.


You can see our strawberries are flowering too. We are getting just a few at a time - definately gone before I make it up the back steps!!

The squash has also taken off - they are really delicious. They grow so quickly, one day you think they are still too small and by the next they are huge. Love that!!

So this coming week brings the usual rush of school concerts, carols and speech days and to top it off Alexandra's performance in the end of year ballet.

Alexandra and I are off to another ballet performance tonight of one of her friends, so it should be a lovely girls night out!

The end of November already! Christmas will be here before I know it. So much for all the shopping done before the end of school!!

A Gift of Flowers......

My Father-In-Law brought these beautiful Gladioli to us on Friday.

He apparently has 400 plants flowering at the moment. All colours of the rainbow.

They remind me so much of my dear Grandad, who also loved to grow Gladioli and also Dahlias.


They are huge, so I had to find the biggest container to stand them in.
It's been lovely having them in the house over the weekend.


We have also been blessed with some beautiful rain this week. Around 50mm in all during the last week. Everything is looking so much happier as a result.

Pincushion of the Month...

I have finished the first two Pincushions as part of the Pincusion of the Month by
Quilt Fabric Delights.

I must admit I wasn't too keen on the first installment of the little owl or hedgehog. But since it is a monthly thing that I had paid for I soldiered on!! The strawberry pin is cute though.



The second pincushion is much more my taste and style. I just love Crabapple Hill Studio, so I have enjoyed very much making this one.



I really love covered buttons, especially when they have embroidery on them. Part of the flower is a tiny bead. The ribbon flower was fun, particularly all the beads that make the centre. The rosebud pin is adorable. Very sweet indeed.

Just in time for the next one to arrive in the next week or so.

I was able to stay home all day yesterday and today, so it has been wonderful to have a slower weekend and get many things done at home. I busied myself both mornings and got housework finished and then yesterday afternoon I was able to cut out some pattern pieces, make two curtain valances for the bathrooms and then finished the pincushion - pure bliss.

Just a little gardening now and then some more stitching I think.

This will probably be the last weekend like this until Christmas so I will savour every moment.