Eleanor and Ruby

Polk-A-Dot

2011-12-28T09:26:00.000+10:00

These Polk-A-Dots have been making me happy.

So happy, that I am going to keep them up until at least February. I have decided.

Put up for Christmas, I just love them.

The paper balls I have had for quite a few years now, and I just love getting them out. I have left them up for more than Christmas before - at least until my birthday in February. We are planning another little event in February 2012 and red polk-a-dots will fit in beautifully with that as well.

The paper chain is new this year. I had looked longingly during Christmas shopping last year - but was a little overpriced - but come the January sales - the price was just right - so I bought several!!

Making me even happier, are some new mugs - more beautiful polk-a-dots in red. Love, love, love......

I bought four mugs - and I smile each time I open the cupboard to make a cuppa!

Polk-A-Dot mug on a Polk-A-Dot stool - happiness complete!

It doesn't take much!

End of Year Harvest.........

2011-12-27T21:11:00.001+10:00

Where to begin with the happenings of the past weeks. I haven't updated here for weeks - school finished, dance concert over for another (the 10th) year and Christmas has been and gone.

I am now on a 10 day break from work - less than a week left now unfortunately.

Christmas was a lovely time shared with family. It went on for a week! Busy but lovely - tired now! I am so enjoying my time at home. Not achieving anything really - but lovely nonetheless.

Today I felt as though I am starting to surface - but not enough to have achieved any more than the drudgery of catching up and doing housework - I long for some time for me.

Today I spent a little time picking some lovely veges from my Potager - I then prepared them for the freezer. So lovely to have some home grown back in the freezer. My lovely trug was a gift from my Mum & Dad - I don't think anyone "got" it at all - too bad - I love it!

I cut our Christmas cake for morning tea- it was very enjoyable!

The year is almost at an end - I almost feel as though I need to do a catch up post to document some very important family occasions this year - maybe I will get that done in the next few days.

I hope my friends have all enjoyed a lovely Christmas time.

I'm hoping for a much more enjoyable 2012 - but I somehow don't see it happening!

Christmas Cake...........

2011-11-05T15:37:00.000+10:00

It is just so hard to believe the first week of November is almost over. The year has flown. I guess changing jobs a few times did not help..........all settled now - thank goodness.

Mitchell has just two weeks of school left. I can't believe that either. But I think after 15 years of formal education he certainly deserves to be finished. It is exciting for him to be finishing off his Apprenticeship in a full time position next year.

Mixed fruit was on special at the supermarket, so I actually got organised and purchased the ingredients required to make some Christmas cakes.

I was going to leave it for a couple of weeks, but today was free to be at home so I decided to make a start.

I just love making rich fruit cakes.

It is just out after four hours in the oven and the house smells wonderful. My cake looks great.

Looking forward to more Christmas cakes!

Lemon Meringue Pie...........

2011-10-29T21:26:00.000+10:00

Life is just so busy right now and has been for a long time. I guess we all are. The weekends are mostly a blur of cleaning and washing and food for me and I guess most families. I just want some time to be me.

So today after all the beds had been stripped and all the towels changed and the clothes line full to the brim with probably another full line tomorrow and the bathrooms were cleaned and the house vacumed.........

I made a pie. A lemon meringue pie with eggs and lemons from my garden. It was delicious.

This followed some beautiful steak which Mitchell had marinated this afternoon and then cooked on the barbeque. What a delicious meal to end the day with.

This week Masterchef winner Julie Goodwin came to our town. Cameron was there to film the story for the news and got to meet her. Cameron bought her newest cookbook and had it signed for me. It is a really lovely book. Cameron was very impressed with what a lovely lady Julie is.

Thank you to my two lovely boys for a couple of bright spots this week.

Garden Excitement.........

2011-10-15T18:26:00.000+10:00

I am easily pleased when it comes to happenings the garden.

This morning I took a little tour...........

The pale pink Iceberg is flowering........

The hot pink Iceberg is flowering............

AND there are flowers on my Lilac..........(squeal) - the perfume divine.

See, I told you I was easily pleased.

We won't however, talk about the water that washed from the neighbours driveway and flooded both under our house and most of our shed.

Corner of my Home..........

2011-09-25T11:57:00.000+10:00

A quiet corner at the entrance to our home.

Beautiful Sweet Peas from the garden...........

Flat Nat..........my Spring Break stitching

2011-09-23T21:04:00.000+10:00

I have been on holiday from work for one whole glorious week. I took the time so I could be at home as our garden has been open for the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers.

We gained two awards. The first being third place in the Family Garden section and a highly commended in the Cottage Garden. We have had some lovely visitors to enjoy it with us.

I have only completed two small projects all year. Now that the Carnival competition is over and I am finally feeling settled in my job I just may get a little more stitching time in. This lovely whimsical project is Flat Nat from Cinderberry Stitches. I forgot to take a pic of the detail on the reverse. A lovely little Matryoska Doll with a pocket to hold a very cute suitcase.

I have had a lovely long week at home. We've had a few visitors each day. It would be nice to get some more, but we are happy that a few venture our way to enjoy the garden.

There have been a couple of very windy days, but mostly it has been perfect Spring weather which I have enjoyed on my deck.

The best bit is, I still have the whole weekend stretching out before me to stitch and enjoy my garden.

Spring Garden

2011-09-10T21:24:00.000+10:00

Spring is finally here. Well it was last weekend, but it has disappeared to somewhere else this weekend. Our garden is coming to life. I just love this time of year. Buds bursting to life and colour running riot in my garden.

We have entered into the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers garden competition again this year. Madness I say. But lots of fun. We love our garden and being in the competition certainly helps us to bring out the best in our garden. We love sharing our garden with any who wish to venture this way to visit.

This year we have entered into three different categories. Our whole garden is entered into the Cottage Garden section. The ABC Radio also has sections and for this we are entered into the Outdoor Living section and also the Family Garden section.

Last Sunday we were judged in the Cottage Garden section, then on Monday the ABC Radio judges came to see our garden for the other sections. Thankfully, they all liked what they saw.

The potager is looking wonderful. I love how it has all come together. I just have to wait patiently for the wisteria along the fence to flower - it looks like it will be another year until I have beautiful wisteria to enjoy.

When the judge came around the corner and saw the setting above, he thought we could have a wedding here - what a lovely compliment! I can't wait to have our meals here on some lovely summer evenings.

The sherbet coloured chairs is another project I have been working on during the winter.

We have to wait until Wednesday evening to know if we have won any prizes - fingers crossed. Then, hopefully, we will get to share our garden with all who choose to visit during Carnival Week. It's always such fun chatting with others who enjoy gardens as much as we do.

Today I worked on another little project that I will hopefully show soon - blackboard paint and chalk paint pens - what fun!

I hope you enjoyed a little wander through my spring time garden - please come and visit if you are nearby - we would love to see you from next weekend onwards during Carnival Week.

Pasta fun...........

2011-08-06T18:34:00.000+10:00

A new toy in the kitchen for us. A pasta machine. We so enjoyed making our own pasta. It was delicious.

Can't wait to play again.

A Little Linen Purse.............

2011-07-17T16:18:00.001+10:00

This week, I finally managed to fit in some very lovely stitching time in my lovely sewing room.

This lovely kit came home with me a year ago. Oh goodness, I have looked at this fabric so many times in the last twelve months. I was finally brave enough and had the time to cut into my precious piece of fabric. Always scary when you have such a tiny piece to play with.

I purchased it at the very lovely Hatched and Patched Store in Bathurst on a freezing cold winters day last year.

Such beautiful fabric.

Now just to go somewhere lovely to use it!

The Treasure Hunt...

2011-07-15T20:01:00.000+10:00

Last Saturday morning, I ventured out into a freezing cold morning to a wonderful garage sale.

It was held at one of the beautiful old churches in the centre of Toowoomba.

I was quite hopeful, as the last time they held a garage/hall sale I found some wonderful treasure.

And treasure there sure was........

The beautiful old stool was a wonderful $15.00 find.......

A really lovely Pyrex jelly mould ........... $1

A lovely English cake plate.......... $2

and a sweet little sandwich tray............ $1

At this stage the stool will receive the paint treatment and join the new chairs in the outdoor area.

It was certainly worth venturing out into a very cold and frosty morning.

The Potager Sink

2011-07-13T08:21:00.000+10:00

The ongoing fascination with the 'Potager' continues for me. I love my vegetable garden and the joy it brings to me. Especially when I am picking produce and providing for my family.

For what seems like an eternity I have had an idea. I found the most wonderful vintage cast iron hand basin in a wonderful pink. I knew the instant I saw it, what it was going to be for.

I love the idea of a potting table come wash up area within the vegetable garden - or as you are well aware by now - what I will refer to as my Potager - whether it is a true Potager or not, in my imagination it will be!

So, the hunt for the perfect table became a focus. I have hunted high and low, to no avail.

I started to think I would never find my perfect table. Too small, too big, too good, too expensive, wrong shape! Everything but the one I needed.

A few weeks ago I went to a wonderful Op shop, one which I keep forgetting about.

Down a little back street hidden away.

I had hunted around, when up in the back corner it caught my eye. 'As Is' $35..........

Perfect in every way, the right size and wonderful. I will admit though, that I am still feeling most guilty for painting the beautiful timber and sending this lovely to live outside.

But it is going to be wonderful and beautiful and so worth the wait!

This lovely little table has now had two coats of lovely Antique White and looking most positively stunning! But then again I am totally biased.

The final unveiling soon I hope.

Vintage Music Kusadama Ball..........

2011-06-20T21:13:00.000+10:00

I saw this lovely idea on a very sweet little blog. I was entranced by the beauty of this idea.

Lots of little 3 inch squares of vintage music, folded and folded,

and glued and glued

and held together with lots of bobby pins

and you have a lovely Vintage Music Kusadama Ball.

Absolutely chuffed with this little project. I really didn't think I was capable of such a thing.

A Foodie Weekend................

2011-06-19T18:52:00.000+10:00

My computer is playing up. Badly. I can't load pictures at all. I have grovelled to Mitchell to use his computer to post a little update.

Last weekend I had a lovely weekend making some really delicious food.

I had been really wanting some Pumpkin Soup to take to work. I love taking a serving to heat at lunchtime. I saw Donna Hay make her soup recipe and thought it looked a great way to make it.

I just scooped out the seeds and baked the pumpkin whole. It was then scooped out into the food processor and the rest of the ingredients added and blended. It is so good.

Cornflake biscuits also. Too yummy. The kids loved these as they brought back many memories for them of helping to make hundreds of them at the bakery. They taste just the same.

Little tart shells.............

Filled with Lemon Butter............

Made with some of my bountiful lemon harvest..........

So lovely to have yummy food on a cold weekend.

A day in our garden...............

2011-06-04T22:23:00.000+10:00

We have had the most beautiful weather here today. So warm in the garden, that we only needed sleeveless shirts on! How nice to get such a wonderful day for the weekend.

Alexandra helped along for some of the time, then she made us the most delicious lunch. We picked a Chinese Cabbage as well as Spring Onion and Chives from the garden and she made the lovliest coleslaw which we ate with yummy jacket potatoes - of course there was sour cream as well!!!

Alexandra makes the best scones. These were served with strawberry jam and of course a little dollop of whipped cream.

Yummo!

We have a bumper crop of lemons this year. I think it was something like 62 lemons! Remember back here when I had a much different harvest! Now we have dozens of eggs and lemons - lemon delicious pudding, lemon meringue tart, lemon butter - where to start.

We picked the first head of Broccoli today as well. It is so wonderful to grow our own food.

Tonight we enjoyed yummy little Dutch Pancakes spinkled with a little sugar and drizzled with delicious fresh lemon juice.

Today I potted up 25 punnets of seedlings. I just love doing this. It is such a promise of a beautiful Spring to come after the Winter.

I love beautiful days in the garden. Mindless. Peaceful. Relaxing. Refreshing. Pure Bliss.

The Carnival.......a project by Mitchell & Amie

2011-05-25T22:04:00.000+10:00

My middle son, Mitchell is in his Senior year at High School and studying Hospitality as a subject. He is already studying to be a baker through a school based apprenticeship. Mitchell teamed up with his friend Amie and together they had to create a table centre piece focusing on sweet food for part of their assessment for this year.

They chose the theme "Carnival".

Persian Fairy Floss - yum

Funny little clowns

Two stands full of fun cupcakes..........

Popcorn and bunting...........

A wonderful carnival centrepiece. I am so proud of them. All the hard work paid off. Not bad for two 17 year olds.

Cabbages & Roses Giveaway...........

2011-05-21T21:59:00.000+10:00

Photo by Carol

Pop on over here to the lovely blog of Carol Spinski for a great giveaway.............wonderful!

But really, I hope I win!!!

Another weekend...........

2011-05-15T22:19:00.000+10:00

Another weekend has disappeared. Not fair. I would like it to go for at least another two days I think.

It's Eistedfodd time of year, which adds more to an already busy life. It is lovely though to see the children perform. Another night to go tomorrow night.

In between kids and washing and groceries and food I had a busy time in the garden this weekend.

10 punnets of foxgloves together with some other assorted lovelies and 320 bulbs were planted. Oh my aching back! But, so worth it for the beautiful Spring garden I will have. A couple more weeks and we will plant up some pots.

The vege patch is quite lovely at the moment with cabbage, beetroot, broccli, cauliflower, lettuce, spring onions, assorted herbs, spinach and some late tomatoes (which are very slow in ripening).

I really enjoyed preparing some yummy food today, quiche for lunch made with eggs, spring onion, parsely and tomatoes all from our own garden!

Pizza for tea - I love making yeast raised pizza dough - it was delicious too.

I can't believe it is Sunday night already - that weekend passed all too quickly.

Oh to have some more time to potter in my garden.

The Wedding.........

2011-04-30T10:39:00.000+10:00

Cupcakes to celebrate The Wedding..........

We had such a lovely evening watching all the happenings. Just so beautiful.

Easter Cupcakes............

2011-04-20T22:43:00.000+10:00

Easter is finally here.

Cupcakes for my work tomorrow, to celebrate Easter, but also as a little farewell as I leave to start a new position next week.

I am looking forward to a lovely 5 day break - I really must make a list of what I hope to achieve.

Gardening, stitching, some sanding and painting..........what a lovely time I am going to have being home.

A very Happy and Blessed Easter to all my friends who stop by here.

Autumn Roses.............

2011-04-14T06:57:00.000+10:00

A beautiful flush of Autumn roses has filled the garden.......

beautiful on the sideboard..............

Our two little bantams, Scoot and Trixie died yesterday. A sad day as they were our first little chickens. Hoping it was just old age and that the rest of them are OK.

Vintage Book Wreath

2011-04-03T21:48:00.000+10:00

After a little lunchtime hunt for a couple of lovely old books

I had some fun making a Vintage Book Wreath

A sweet crown and some ruffled crepe paper finish the middle

Some loveley vintage ribbon from my Great-Aunt's bag of ribbons to hang it with was the finishing touch.

Gardens of Warwick..........

2011-03-06T14:23:00.000+10:00

I had been planning for a month to go to see the Open Gardens in Warwick this weekend. As the week went by it seemed uncertain. And still so yesterday morning. That was until I heard on the radio just how wonderful they were. I had to go!

First on the list was the lovely 'Haddington'. A lovely old property with a beautiful sprawling garden. We were also invited to walk along the verandah and peek into the rooms! The garden was lovely and obviously still a work in progress.

Next on the list was 'Merrilees'. Another magnificent old home with the most beautiful iron work on the verandah. This garden too was lovely. This home featured the most beautifully wide verandah I have ever been on!

Up the stairs and on the verandah was a lovely lady selling her wares. Susan Volz of Our Kitchen Garden was up from Brisbane. Her story is one that I could relate to. Unable to find the things of her dreams that she had seen in magazines for years, she and her family set to and now makes them! Just beautiful. Kicking myself that I didn't make a purchase or two - why do I always to that!! Oh well an excuse to visit Brisbane I guess!!

This little view at the rear of the garage - stunning!

'The Laurels' was my favourite I think. This garden is owned by landscaper Clint Kenny. It is perfection from front to back - so many ideas.

I loved the set up of the vege patch - very much my style! This picture is a little ordinary, but the rain had started and I was juggling camera and umbrella!

Be still my beating heart - A wash basin in the vege patch - I have the basin in my garage and I just need to get it organised in my own vege patch.

This garden is all relatively new, except of course for the magnificent original trees. Oh to have some big trees.

The Woodland Walk along the western boundary of the home is stunning, lined with Tropical Birch trees.

The little dam is at the back of the property.
What a lovely spot this must be to sit awhile!

And this, is where the chickens live - Buff Orpingtons and the most beautiful Wyandott's I have ever seen!

The Garden Tool Shop is also part of Clint's business - once again - beautiful tools and garden bits and pieces.

I really could have gone again today, I enjoyed it all so much. I hope they are open again some time. It was just a lovely day out. Time to forget about my everyday ordinary life and enjoy the beautiful Southern Downs area. I just love it down that way.

It was so lovely to be inspired by these gardens and by the people who obviously love their garden they way I love mine!

Sunflowers...........

2011-02-26T18:59:00.000+10:00

Sunflowers............

in the garden this morning.......

Brightening my days and my garden at the moment.......

Summer, Birthday and more........

2011-02-13T14:26:00.000+10:00

The last month or so has disappeared into a blur. The children are back at school and into week four already. Goodness!

With all the rain we have experienced the growth in the garden has been amazing. By the time it stopped raining every weekend, we had a huge mess to clean up. Where to start. I don't know how many trailer loads have been taken to the dump (tip)! Our garden is just four years old and thankfully though, the rain has meant that after some little plants just sitting and surviving in the long drought, they have finally taken off.

Earlier in the season, I poked some sunflower seeds into the ground. They are about 6 feet tall and about to burst into some sunny yellow fun.
They are certainly brightening up my vege patch.

For weeks I tried to get my beans to grow. The constant wet soil and lack of warmth earlier in the summer made it impossible to get them to sprout. When I was almost ready to give up, they grew. I had bought a beautiful tee pee and they have clambered up and look wonderful. I have just this week started to pick my delicious beans.

This week saw another birthday. I had beautiful flowers delivered to my work, and a lovely bunch brought home too - the ones above are picked from my garden this morning.

The highlight of my birthday week was certainly seeing the most divine Michael Buble in concert on Friday night. That man is gorgeous! It was wonderful!

Other lovlies in my vege patch at the moment are basil, potatoes, lettuce, parsley, tomatoes, corn and spinach.

Hopefully life will return to some sort of normality again and my blogging will become more a part of it.

I can't believe summer is almost over.

Here's hoping we get a few more weeks of warmth. Hopefully right through till Easter.

Devastation.......

2011-01-13T17:11:00.000+10:00

As many of my blogging friends would have heard about in the city of Toowoomba where we live and work, there is devastation beyond words. The Lockyer Valley is about a 20 minute drive from where I live.

My brain is overloaded and I am numb from thinking about the awful happenings there.

I am currently away on 'holidays'. The weather went from bad to worse and now it seems we will be here for a little while - at least until the floods go down.

My thoughts and prayers go to all who have been affected by this. Not just the happenings of the last week, but the whole season we have had - lost crops, livliehoods, hopes and dreams.

We are safe and so are our family - for this I am grateful.

Christmas 2010.........

2010-12-26T21:58:00.001+10:00

A beautifiul Christmas.......

with family......

Thank you Kent & Karen for a lovely day.

So very blessed this Christmas.........

Hope you have all had a beautiful Christmas weekend.

With Love to all my blogging friends.

Christmas Decorating.......

2010-12-12T18:27:00.000+10:00

Just wanted to share my Christmas decorating with you.

Christmas Wishes.......

Little birds on the sideboard........with

Berry garlands.......

Baubles.........

and

Dragonflies............

Hope you and your family are enjoying your Christmas preparations. I just can't wait for the time off - if I am ready for Christmas day it will be a miracle! Full time work tends to do that.

Alexandra and I enjoyed a lovely afternoon at a sweet little Christmas show - princesses, pirates and Santa too! Much fun! I am so pleased we at least got to do that together.

Audrey fun.........

2010-12-12T07:15:00.000+10:00

Friday night was my work Christmas party with the theme of movies.

For weeks I have tried to come up with an idea without spending too much money.

In the end I went as Audrey Hepburn.

I had so much fun........

Lovely meal and dancing fun, out with my work colleagues.......

9 1/2 work days until the Christmas break - I can't wait for the holidays.

Christmas Morph.........

2010-12-04T22:51:00.000+10:00

Can you believe this pic I found on my computer when I got home tonight! Leave a seventeen year old to his own devices & it's amazing how creative they can be.

He is available to live with anyone who would like him for their very own Christmas morph!

Christmas Cake

2010-11-28T12:01:00.000+10:00

Last night I prepared the fruit to get my first Christmas Cake made today.

I just love making my own Christmas cakes.

All that delicious dried fruit and nuts.

This morning the ingredients were mixed and the cake assembled.

This morning as I mixed using my beautiful old spoon I thought again about my dear Nana and Grandma. I have a spoon from each of their kitchens and I love and use them daily.

I thought about all the cakes that had been mixed by their hands with these very same spoons and the love that had gone into our family by doing so.

I thought about them and how much I miss them and being in their kitchens cooking.

So with my Christmas preparations finally started, I hope my family will one day remember the love that goes into the preparation of Christmas and maybe one day treasure the very special memories that I hope I have created for them.

Giveaway.......

2010-11-26T18:07:00.000+10:00

Pop on over here for a great giveaway!

Mmmmm Blueberry Muffins

2010-11-21T12:33:00.000+10:00

Another Sunday morning trip to deliver one son to his job at Woolworths, saw me come home with a punnet of Blueberries!

Muffin Mix

1 Cup Self Raising Flour
1/2 Cup Plain Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Bicarb Soda
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Egg (lightly beaten)
3/4 Cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Sift dry ingredients into bowl, stir in sugar, the combined eggs, milk and oil. Do not over mix, batter should be lumpy.
Stir through 125g Blueberries (reserve a few for the top)

Topping

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Plain Flour
40g butter chopped

Rub Butter into dry ingredients. Sprinkle on top of muffins and top with reserved berries

Bake in a moderate oven approximately 20 minutes.

This recipe works well with other fruit alternatives e.g. apple, stawberry

They are delicious!

Sunday Morning Friands........

2010-11-14T11:10:00.000+10:00

There is something about getting out of bed very early on a Sunday morning.........first of all it makes me very tired. But secondly, I can achieve so much!

Mitchell had to go to work by 6 a.m. this morning and with BJ already at work, that leaves me as the taxi driver. Only for a little while longer though. Mitchell has finally achieved that magical 100 hours on his Learners Permit and now can book a driving test. Here's hoping he can get through first go. It will make our life so much easier, but filled with more worry!

So by 8 a.m. yummy lemon friands were in the oven and by 9 a.m., pancakes had also been made.

By 10.30 I had enjoyed said Friands on the front verandah with a lovely coffee!

The washing and ironing are done so I am off to stitch for awhile!!

Artichokes........

2010-10-24T08:13:00.001+10:00

For some fun, I planted a punnet of Artichokes.......

One plant in the vege patch......

The rest in the garden beds......

Inspired by The Vintage Rose, who has a beautiful home, garden and shop in Tasmania.

Amanda and her family were featured in Australian Country Style magazine earlier in the year.

I am going to pick these beauties and put them in a vase..........

More head shaking from the male species in this home will surely follow~!

Sweet Peas......

2010-10-17T21:47:00.000+10:00

I think Sweet Peas would have to be my favourite Spring flower. Mine have finally started flowering.

I planted them this year on the teepee in the vegepatch, where they have gone mad.

The perfume in my dining area is just beautiful.

Yonder Lane.........

2010-10-16T21:10:00.000+10:00

Today, we visited the most delightful garden which was open as part of Australia's Open Garden Scheme. It was beautiful.

The front door and verandah was just beautiful, with Pierre De Ronsard roses being trained along the front. Pierre De Ronsard is certainly blooming beautifully everywhere at the moment. The season must have been just perfect for it.

The Potager below, was also a lovely highlight for me. Very similar to our own Potager, but on a larger scale. I was a little jealous! You can see over to the left of the Potager a beautiful, Wisteria covered arbour where there were seats to enjoy all the hard work the owners must put in. Four very large Olive trees occupied each corner and there were sixteen raised beds. Stunning!

"Summerfield" is down a lovely little country lane at Carbalah near Toowoomba. After all the recent rain, we had to park up the road a way and walk down the lane.

It was a lovely little walk. The weather has turned quite cool here after the rain, even with frost predicted for the morning. We certainly didn't get at all hot on our walk.

As we neared the end of the lane, the house came into view. What a sight to behold. It is just beautiful. I so wish my home was situated in such a lovely setting.

A red barn - be still my beating heart!! At that moment, I wanted to sell up and start again!! I think? I loved how they have put traditional timber barn doors on their barn, instead of the usual 'colorbond' roller door.

The verandah wrapped around two sides of the home, with one side being quite deep and facing the north. What a lovely spot it must be to spend some time.

Around to the south of the home, another beautiful area to spend some time. I so wanted to take those two chairs home with me!!

One the way home we stopped off for a lovely coffee and a wander through a little nursery. Such a lovely afternoon. I am glad we took time away from our own pruning and weeding to enjoy this lovely garden, down Yonder Lane........

Roses & More........

2010-10-11T07:09:00.000+10:00

Yesterday afternoon as the wind began to howl, I decided to fill my home with my roses.

The little jug above, which is a favourite little jug of mine is filled with Jean Ducher - isn't she a lovely lady!

Iceberg, Mrs B R Cant and Seduction

After all the beautiful rain we have received the roses are just stunning. With the wind howling in from the east this morning, I'm not sure how long will be looking beautiful for. The front lawn is strewn with rose petals already.

Doily Bird.........

2010-10-03T20:14:00.000+10:00

Playing for a little while today with flowers from the garden........

A while ago now I made this sweet little Doiley Bird from Rosalie Quinlans' lovely book A Stitch in Time.

She is very sweet with her little wings made from an old doily.

She looks so sweet nestled in there with the flowers and the vintage milk bottles.

Queen Anne's Lace.......

2010-10-03T07:37:00.000+10:00

My Queen Anne's Lace is finally flowering.

The plants are huge and covered in flowers.

A big bunch for my kitchen table this morning.....

Barbara..............

2010-09-25T17:42:00.001+10:00

My dear friend Barbara invited a group of her friends to share in a lovely Spring Morning Tea at her home this morning.

We enjoyed such a lovely morning in her home and then enjoyed her lovely garden full of special plants which she enjoys.

The Wisteria was such a lovely sight as you drive towards her home.

Barbara always has such lovely and different plants and flowers to enjoy every time I visit her.

The view across the beautiful vegetable and herb garden back towards the house.

Thank you Barbara for such a lovely morning.........

Spring......

2010-09-18T09:50:00.000+10:00

Toowoomba's Carnival of Flowers is here again. We have once again entered our garden into the Competition. We are thrilled to have been placed second in the Cottage Garden Section this year.

The recent rain has come at just the perfect time. Although, the weeds are also enjoying the lovely Spring rain. This view is our back garden.

The front garden is starting to fill in quite nicely. Most people who come through the garden find it hard to believe that it is only four years old. We visited the garden which came first in our section. It was a lovely jam packed garden full of lovely cottage plants - but 16 years old. What a difference time makes.

This part of the garden is filling in with lots of lovlies which I hope will continue to self seed. Larkspur, Forget - Me - Not, Valerian and see in the top left corner - Queen Anne's Lace. I am very excited to have that this year and cannot wait until it flowers.

Some lovelies from the garden.

The Lavender continues to grow beautifully.

If you are in Toowoomba and out and about, please come and visit our garden, we would love to share it with you! Second Prize in the Cottage Garden and also the Reg O'Shea Encouragement Award. We are quite excited once again to have received these lovely awards.

I Love Stocks.....

2010-08-29T08:16:00.000+10:00

Early morning today to get Mitchell off to work. The markets were just opening at 6 a.m. as I headed home.

I found a dear old man selling his Stocks this morning. He told me of his garden that was once a Carnival Garden and of his new garden where he cultivates these beautiful double stocks.

He asked me if I had time to stop and talk, when I said yes, he went into his vehicle and brought out pictures of how his garden had been. I'm glad I took the time to talk with this lovely old man.

They smell divine...........................

A garden tour......almost Spring

2010-08-28T22:11:00.000+10:00

Yesterday the Cancer Council of Australia held its annual Daffodil Day. This bunch is brightening my home today in support of the Cancer Council. Let's hope a cure is found for this awful disease soon.

We have been in the garden all day today. It was beautiful. If anything, taking part in the Carnival of Flowers Garden Competition ensures at least one huge clean up each year!! I am so pleased with how it is all coming along again.

Bees by the hundred, busy in the lavender.

Twenty pots, ready to spread around the garden and the paved area.

The peas and the sweet peas are growing madly. I am so looking forward to picking a large bunch of beautiful sweet peas to bring inside.

I am so enjoying the view into the vege patch. Everything is looking so healthy and lush.

I just love the beautiful furry Poppy heads ready to burst open.

Spring was definately in the air today. It was a beautiful day, just a little cool in the breeze, but a wonderful day to be in the garden.

Finished......

2010-08-24T21:29:00.000+10:00

I have just put the final words to paper

and printed it off

and put it all into a presentation folder

to be posted tomorrow.......

My Diploma of Business Administration

finished

Marmalade and more..........

2010-08-01T17:38:00.000+10:00

Last weekend I had the most wonderful time in the kitchen!! As you can see above I picked from the vegetable garden spinach, spring onions and chinese cabbage. These were turned into some very yummy spring rolls and also spinach and feta triangles.

I was also able to pick the very large harvest of five oranges from our tree. They are never very sweet so it was the exact measurement for a batch of marmalade. I am so pleased with how it turned out. It of course looks wonderful in some recycled Bon Maman jam jars. I got seven jars altogether.

Unfortunately, this weekend hasn't been as productive in the kitchen as I have had a large amount of laundry to wade through due to a damp and drizzly few days this week.

Off to raid the freezer now for some Spring Rolls and Spinach & Feta Triangles for our dinner tonight.

Foxglove Spires

2010-07-25T06:49:00.000+10:00

This beautiful garden is worth every minute of time spent there. I so enjoyed my visit and hope that I will visit again in the springtime, hopefully, with more time and definitely more money!!!

The potting shed was delightful. The bottom Right hand picture looks through to the beautiful glass conservatory built from recycled windows. This is as close as you get - I so wanted to jump the rope and get closer!

In the Pear Circle

The Manchurian Pear arch must be stunning in Spring! I so love my one tree, imagine having this beautiful arbour. The house is delightful. I really wanted to peek in the windows!! The pond area is also delightful. I could imagine sitting down there on a hot afternoon with a lovely cool drink.

I will treasure my memories of the time spent at Foxglove Spires and dream of the day when I can return again,

Our Roadtrip.........

2010-07-17T21:19:00.000+10:00

Over the school holidays we have had a lovely roadtrip. 4000 kilometres in total. It was a full trip with lots of lovely places and things to do. We headed south into New South Wales. Our first two nights were at the very lovely Mantra at Salt Beach. This was our wonderful prize from our Carnival Garden last year. We would have never afforded to stay there, so it was certainly extra special. We were right on the beach front and watched the whales migrating from the window. Such special creatures.

We ventured off the highway near Tamworth. When we saw the sign to Nundle I announced to all that there was a quilt shop there!!! Such a lovely spot to have such a lovely shop! Nundle is certainly very lovely and I would like to go there again and spend more time. Also in town is a sweet shop called Odgers & McClelland which sells the most delightful homewares. It had a wood stove burning in the middle of the store - so cosy on a very cold day.

Further south still and Bathurst was a morning tea stop over. It was freezing - 3 degrees at morning tea and I'd hate to think what the wind chill was. We were not brave enough to picnic in the park and use the public amenities so we headed to a shopping centre. Of course, Bathurst is home to the wonderful Hatched and Patched. What a treat that was. Alexandra and I had the most lovely time there while the boys went out to Mount Panorama and pretended to be race car drivers. I think everyone's idea of Bathurst was definately satisfied.

This was a holiday on a budget and my birthday money that I had saved all year was all but gone in Bathurst!

Further south still and into the State of Victoria is Beechworth, a wonderful historic town full of beautiful shops and cafes. We spent the whole weekend here and had a most lovely time.

We had Sunday lunch on the verandah of the Beechworth Bakery and enjoyed the live jazz band. Great fun!

From here we headed over the mountains and into the snow. The kids (big and little) had a wonderful time playing in the snow. We didn't have proper clothing, so when everyone's gloves were wet and they had snow in their ears and down the back of their clothes, they had, had enough!! It was fun though.

At that point we headed east to the coast and then turned for home.

Being the scheming traveller that I am, Foxglove Spires was also on the list of places to visit (I was driving at that point, so they had no option but to stop because I had the keys!!). I really don't know where to start. It was the most enjoyable and beautiful place to visit. I so want to go back in the Spring. Even though it was in the height of winter, with all the trees bare, it was still stunning. I am so glad Brendon agreed to go through the garden, because he enjoyed it too. Such an inspiration.

The cafe looked beautiful and the little shops were just stunning. I so wish I had a full wallet and an empty car at Foxglove Spires. This is one place that I hope to to back to one day. I have a feeling there will have to be another post about this beautiful garden.

So homeward bound and further north we headed into the Southern Highlands, Berry with its beautiful shops, especially "Sew and Tell" - stunning (no website) and then onto Bowral - once again, no money and a full car (although I did manage a couple of little bits). I will definately venture there again sometime as there is so much to see and do.

A lovely trip all in all............

On a Roadtrip.......

2010-07-06T20:50:00.000+10:00

I have been on a roadtrip with my family for the past week. We have had a great time so far. Down through NSW, the snow yesterday and the highlight for me so far today, Foxglove Spires.

Just touching base for a moment - no pics - a detailed report later!!

Sunrise.......

2010-06-09T08:24:00.000+10:00

From my back verandah this morning........

Where did you go May.........

2010-05-30T19:37:00.002+10:00

My goodness, May has disappeared and I am not too sure where. Mothers Day brought big fluffy yellow and white Chrysanthamums, bringing such lovely childhood memories of Mothers Days past. We always wore a little white Chrysanthamum to Church on Mothers Day. These are actually a plant, that will go out into the garden.

The same weekend as Mothers Day, the children took part in our local Eisteddfod. It was a beautiful weekend of Choir music, with both schools doing well. Alexandra's choirs won first prize in each section they entered. Alexandra also competed in solo and duet sections, gaining a third place in her duet. Alexandra also travelled to Brisbane to compete in the Youth Music Awards where her choir also gained a Gold in their section.

This beauty also came my way during May. Brendon's parents are downsizing and we are the recipients of some treasure, that's for sure! This jar is as big as a basketball. Brendon's Step-Grandad was a Pharmacist and had his own store for many years. Brendon can remember this jar on the counter at the Pharmacy full of sweets, unfortunately he also remembers never being allowed one from the jar!

This has formed part of a new little display that I have been fiddling with over the weekend. So nice to be having a little rearrange!! My beautiful tea trolley is a very special piece from my Nana and Pop's home - I just love it so much.

A few little family bits and bobs on display.

Yesterday was a rainy cold day all day, so nice to stay inside and play with some lovlies. Today was spent in the garden, planting out some spring time beauties, foxgloves, delphiniums, allysum, ranunculi bulbs too. Maybe some photos next weekend - it so so dark early now, it's dark when I get home in the afternoons, so photography is a weekend only activity at the moment.

It's officially Winter on Tuesday, but I think that it is well and truly here already. With todays activities I will certainly be looking forward to a lovely Springtime in my garden.

Cupcake Creations.......

2010-05-28T21:08:00.000+10:00

Cameron requested the cupcake stand full of cupcakes for a farewell at his work.

Five dozen cakes made on Wednesday night.

Iced and decorated on Thursday night.

Fun..... but exhausting after a full day at work......

They are yummy too.....

Enough left for us as well.

Autumn Berries.......

2010-05-02T09:12:00.000+10:00

My Nana and Pop had a row of Cotoneaster bushes along the driveway to their home. I always loved them, especially when they were covered in red berries in the Autumn.

Sadly since Nan left her lovely home and garden and the house has been rented out, the Cotoneaster bushes have mostly died.

Whilst out and about, I found a bush that I was able to pick a few small branches from to enjoy in my home this Autumn. I remember Nana sometimes have some displayed in her home.

I am wishing that I would have made a place for one of these lovely large bushes in my garden, but I think I am out of room!! But then again........

Finished.......

2010-04-26T13:53:00.002+10:00

Final border on......

So glad this quilt is finally together.....

I will get this to the quilters after I find something to back it with.

Completed with fabric from my stash, with the borders and backing being purchased.

It was at least a three year project - maybe more. I think I read the Chocolat range of fabrics was released in 2006 - maybe it was a four year project.

P.S. For some reason I feel as though this picture looks a little out of focus (or something)!! If you click on the pic, you will get a bigger view, which looks a whole lot better.

A Gardeners Journal.....

2010-04-25T20:28:00.000+10:00

The first border is on.....

I cut this border at 2 1/2 " instead of the 1 1/2" suggested in the pattern.

More to come tomorrow......

Pesto.........

2010-04-25T14:53:00.000+10:00

Basil from my garden........

Made into

Pesto........

I have been wanting to make some Pesto for so long.

So long, in face that my first crop of Basil had well and truly run up to seed and was finished.

I planted a new crop a few weeks ago and it has grown beautifully.

I've had a lovely time in the kitchen this weekend. I helped my sister-in-law with food for a party and have stocked the cake containers here for my family.

Off to stitch some now, I think.......

Seedlings and more......

2010-04-15T21:23:00.000+10:00

A Gardener's Journal top together......

Two borders to go.

My cousin rang me this afternoon asking whether I would like some seedlings.......

A retired lady with time to raise seeds.......

These were just a small handful of what was left after her planting out her own garden. What a strike, I think every seed she had planted had germinated.

Sweet William, Forget-Me-Not, Queen Anne Lace, Cornflower, Stocks

I hope they all survive.... I have wanted Queen Anne Lace for ages.

I planted the Stocks into the vege patch. I had already planned a cutting garden this year, so this was a lovely start.

A lovely way to spend a public holiday, work tomorrow and then the weekend.... yippee!!

Little Birds.......

2010-04-14T21:41:00.000+10:00

On my sideboard tonight

Little birds glowing

I've been looking at these at Target since Christmas......$15.00

Today $5.88

At the checkout $4.11

Bargain.....

Love that.........

A Gardener's Journal........

2010-04-11T10:13:00.001+10:00

Have you seen over at Chookyblue when she issued a challenge to finish or make the beautiful "A Gardener's Journal" by Anni Downs of Hatched and Patched?

I think that there are now at least forty people who have decided to stitch along with dear Chookyblue to make this beautiful quilt.

I didn't really "join" the group, but it was a great reminder to me that this quilt was in a little box on my desk, well and truly started.

Well over two years ago I decided to make this quilt after a dear friend gave me a copy of the book.

I decided that I would make it completely from fabrics from within my stash at the time and have only purchased the two border fabrics required.

At the time, I remember putting all the DMC colours out and then choosing my fabrics to co-ordinate with them.

In between projects and life...... I have stitched the blocks......

Enjoying each one as I went along............

And now I have six of the eight blocks put together.

When Chookyblue issued her challenge I even had all my fabrics cut and separated into zip lock bags ready to go. I have plugged away in just little snippets of time over the last two weekends. Isn't it amazing what can be achieved when we put our minds to it. I am so blessed to have my sweet sewing room where I can leave projects at the ready to grab a moment or two when I can.

It will be so lovely to have a large project like this finished and off to the quilters.

I might even have it back to snuggle under for the winter ahead!

P.S. I have now officially joined the group!! See the link on the side to pop over and see all the quilts being stitched.

Picnic.......

2010-03-15T20:32:00.000+10:00

After the beautiful rain that we have had in the past weeks the dams that hold the water supply for Brisbane and districts are almost full to capacity, something that hasn't happened since 1991.

A new pipeline has been built to pump water from Wivenhoe Dam to our dam here near Toowoomba. Hopefully this will bring much needed water to our dam which is only at 16% at the moment.

Yesterday, we decided to pack a picnic and go for a lovely drive to Somerset Dam and then into the Brisbane Valley to see the Wivenhoe Dam. We had a lovely day out and enjoyed a picnic lunch in the town of Fernvale.

Water as far as you could see. Definately a blessing from above.

A Long Two Weeks........

2010-03-10T20:53:00.001+10:00

Goodness, two weeks have passed since I was last here on my Blog. In some ways it has been such a long drawn out time.

We have received the most beautiful rain the past two weeks. Our tanks are full and the city water supply has received a very much needed top up. A long way to go though. After a week of constant drizzle and overcast days, there seems to be no let up. Just beautiful.

My house is looking like a "Chinese Laundry" as one of my friends would put it. Here is Australia we are so used to being able to hang our laundry outside for most of the year, that when a weather pattern like this one happens, it certainly challenges me to keep up with the normal washing.

Alexandra had a week away at school camp, so added into the laundry mess for the weekend was a bag full of stinky wet camp clothes.

The garden is going to go mad when we get a little dry weather and sunshine. I had recently fertilised the whole yard, so what a wonderful blessing to receive the rainy weather just now. The roses are just beautiful at the moment with a lovely Aurumn flush of flowers and growth. Unfortunately with this rain has come some very strong winds. I was out in the pouring rain one morning last week tying up one of my lovely standard Seduction roses before coming to work. It was leaning on a most awful angle. I just hope I can fix it up properly after the rain.

My Wisteria has finally decided that it is going to grow. I am going to train it along the fence around the vege patch. I can't wait until I have a beautiful purple springtime show.

Another little downside to this weather is the visitors I have had to my garden, happily chomping their way through lots of my plants. A week ago when we had had a little rain, I decided that I would start replanting the vege patch since we now have some water. Well, the snails (or maybe a hare) have really enjoyed themselves. A whole punnet of lettuce has disappeared and about six of my ten beans too. I hope they enjoyed themselves!!! Apparently whatever it is, they don't like Basil!! It is still intact.

All in all a beautiful time of enjoying some lovely rainy weather, I hope this means a return to some more normal weather patterns.

I have several of these sweet little Autumn Crocus popping up heralding the change in Season.

Treasure Today.........

2010-02-20T16:01:00.000+10:00

An early start today with Mitchell at work by 6 a.m. I decided to stay in town awhile to catch a 'Jumble Sale' at a church at 7 a.m.

A big down in the city centre, old church, where the congregation would be mostly oldies - Treasure to be had for sure.

I sat outside reading the paper in my car and at 6.40 a.m. I wandered on in.

Oh My Goodness! I was late!!

They were working in pairs! Pros!

Oh my! I thought I knew the ropes!

My heart was beating so fast by this stage. Where to start, what to look at first!!

And, then I spied this!

What a beaty, in a little lock up case of her own!

$12 and she is all mine!

I should have grabbed a box at the door, like the ones in the know had!

I also got a lovely Rosie tin and a lovely little sandwich tray.

I was holding off because I also had plans to go to an Antique & Collectible show today as well, unfortunately I didn't make it there, so hopefully tomorrow I will get over there, maybe there will be some treasure left for me then.

Most unwell at the moment and couldn't muster the energy to do another thing today.

But, I must say, I am pleased with this little beauty!!

Celebration Week........

2010-02-14T20:24:00.000+10:00

A very busy but fun week. I celebrated another birthday this week. Lunch with my Mum the day before my birthday and then I had the most lovely lunch with two very dear friends who spoilt me rotten on the day of my birthday.

My very sweet Cameron surprised me at work with beautiful flowers and a Willow Tree "Angel of Caring".

A beautiful Pandora charm and the lovely book French Essence from my dear friends.

Yesterday, I spent a lovely few hours over lunch with another special friend.

Beautiful flowers and some Michael Buble - spoilt indeed!

Just look at these gorgeous flowers. A very sweet girl grew these in her very own cutting garden. Thank you Elizabeth. They are beautiful.

Today, BJ and I celebrate our 23rd Wedding Anniversay. Cake and coffee downtown after Church and then a lovely day spent in our garden. Everything is looking lovely again afer the beautiful rain last week. There is more forecast for the next few days. It will be just perfect if we receive it.

I enjoyed hours in the garden yesterday as well, planting out some new little bits and pieces. Lots of spaces to fill after losing some plants while it was so dry before Christmas. I really enjoy gardening at this time of the year. Nearly Autumn. Beautiful.

So my birthday and the anniversary are all done and dusted for another year!! I really do dislike that. I think I would prefer to spread the celebrations out a little more throughout the year. It makes for a good week though, especially when my special friends take such good care of me!

A Lovely Lunch

2010-02-06T15:19:00.000+10:00

Earlier in the week a chance meeting made my week just so much more bearable. I had wandered down town to my favourite cafe/bookstore to have a sandwich for lunch when I met up with a lovely lady from the small town where I lived before.

I have so missed my visits to Di's beautiful Gallery space and the lovely chats we would have about gardens and art and travel and beautiful books.

Di is a Watercolour Artist and a Photographer and her work is beautiful. She is the lovliest lady. We chatted over lunch and I had the most enoyable time catching up with her. A kindred spirit indeed.

Oh how I miss being with lovely people on a regular basis. My heart breaks and sadness overcomes me so much of the time. I think my being so very tired so very often has a lot to do with it and maybe the depressing thought of another birthday looming could be another!!

A Rainy Day.......

2010-01-31T14:54:00.000+10:00

A lovely rainy day.........

Toast and magazines in bed..........

A very lazy Sunday morning............

Early In The Garden.........

2010-01-30T07:44:00.002+10:00

Penstemon

I drew the very short straw and was the nominated parent to get number two child to his 6 a.m. job start this morning!! So this means I have been on the go for over two hours already today and it's just 7.30 a.m. on Saturday morning. The washing is on and I a beginning to contemplate my second coffee of the morning!!

It is quite nice to be in the peaceful early morning alone - before anyone else wakes up. I have had a little wander in the garden, even though there isn't much to see out there at the moment.

Foxglove

It has also given me some time to play with a very lovely new camera that Cameron purchased while he was away. All my dreams have come true. What a lovely camera to experiment with.

Lavendar

We have had some lovely rain again this week, just a little, but enough to make everything look a little happier again. Oh, to have a few days rain. I can't remember the last time it rained for even one day.

Seduction

Back to school and back to work went well. Next week sees the beginning of dance lessons, choirs etc., a busy time no doubt.

I am glad the weekend is here, it seemed such a long week with a Public Holiday on Tuesday. A trip to the hairdresser this morning and then who knows what the rest of the weekend will bring. I for one am looking forward to it.

Mon Sac du Marché.........

2010-01-26T17:02:00.000+10:00

Finished..........

How wonderful it feels to have finished a project started only a few weeks ago. I had shown you all a little earlier this beautiful bag in its early stages. The stitching completed while on a weeks holiday at the beach. A Honey Bun and half a metre of fabric later.......Tah Dah.......

A lot of sewing of all those strips seemed to take quite awhile. I dragged the ironing board into the studio for this one otherwise I would have been like a yoyo backwards and forwards pressing each seam as I went.

Wouldn't it be fun to take it shopping in a French Market place...... For now I will dream.......and probably take it to work each day with my lunch and a magazine.......

Designed by Natalie Lymer of Cinderberry Stitches for Homespun Magazine.

Now.....which project will Iget onto next.......there's a quilt in the studio which I think may be my next project to tackle.

Home.........

2010-01-24T11:48:00.000+10:00

He's Home........

and I am so pleased he is home safe and sound........

From home completely around the globe......

With stories to tell.........

And memories that will last forever.......

A bag full of trinkets.......

And treasures.........

and of course all that dirty washing.......

Paris.......

2010-01-20T06:31:00.000+10:00

At 3 a.m. this morning my telephone rang. I missed it the first time, so after stumbling up the hallway I took it with me back to the bedroom. Just a few seconds later it rang again........it was Cameron.........at the top of the Eiffel Tower......what a day he had just had.

At 6 p.m. his time, the lights sparkled and I could hear the people around him, together with him also appreciate the beauty of what was happening.

I could hear in his voice the most wonderful day he'd had wandering the cobbled streets of Paris, riding the Metro, looking at shops and taking in the sights.

His money is almost gone and there were a couple of things he wanted to do, like go up the Eiffel Tower and ride the giant Ferris Wheel, but thought he might have to forgo those because of the cost. Whilst walking through a park in Paris he found the correct amount of money he needed to do both those things - maybe an Angel left it there for him to find.

Even though being woken up at 3 a.m. by the telephone is always a little frightening.....especially when someone is half a world away.........but to just hear his voice and the wonder in the tone of his voice as he enjoyed the sights from the Eiffel Tower and hear of the wonderful day he had enjoyed made the wake up all worthwhile.

January......

2010-01-17T22:06:00.000+10:00

The year is buzzing by already. Here we are and half of January has disappeared. Our short holiday at the beach seems forever ago already. My work place was closed between Christmas and New Year so we were fortunate that our booking at the beach was for the right time.

It was lovely to be away and able to walk on the sand and go for swims. The weather was quite good and made for very enjoyable beach time. BJ's new boat came along too, so he and Mitchell enjoyed the afternoons on the river. I just read and achieved a very small amount of stitching.

Cameron is still on his wonderful trip. This time next week though he will be home and somehow getting back into the swing of going to work. I'm sure he will find it very difficult to settle back into the routine for awhile. He spent Christmas and New Year in New York and had the most wonderful time. Between those times he headed up to Boston only to find the most horrendous weather, so he used that time to sleep, he said is was -20 degrees and that it hurt to be outside even.

After all of the thrill of New York he headed down to Miami only to become very sick while he was there. Now just a question to someone from the USA way - is it normal to pay $400.00 to see a Doctor. Well, that's what he paid. (Maybe it was a special price for an Aussie tourist) Plus $190.00 for an injection, plus $60.00 for his prescription and $40.00 in taxi fares to get there and back. If that is normal for the States, then I would hope to never get sick if we lived there!!! When you convert all of that the poor kid paid almost $800.00 of his holiday money to try and get better to continue his trip. Thankfully, he has travel insurance, but it is an awful amount of money to come up with at 19 years old backpacking your way around the globe.

So now my boy is in London and about to catch the train to Paris for two days. I am so jealous. He has had the most wonderful trip and met some lovely and interesting people along the way in the hostels. I will be though, so pleased to see him come through those doors at the airport early next Sunday morning.

So, if you are still with me with the long and rambling post, please remember that this is my journal of life which I get printed into book form each year, so I can document life as it is.

After the long and hot, dry summer we have been encountering, the garden has been reduced to a drought stricken mess. Thankfully we had a small amount of rain whilst we were away, so we did come home to a lovely green yard to say the least. It always amazes me how quickly it all bounces back, unless of course it is already dead, like some things were in our yard. So in small bursts, late in the afternoons when it has cooled little, bit by bit we have tackled the mess and finally tonight it is looking quite lovely, even though there are now some large spaces which need some plants. I really want to get some more things in, but I am so unsure whether to do so or not because of our water situation. BJ took a very large load to the dump this afternoon including at least two large dead shrubs.

Over the weekend I also had some time to start a little project that had begun back on the week we had at the beach. So, instead of cleaning this mess that is my sewing room (and some other messes similar to this one in other locations)

I began work on putting together this lovely little "market bag" which appeared in the Homespun magazine just a little while ago.

I am making it using the beautiful Rouenneries fabric from French General. I am really looking forward to completing this lovely project. I am especially loving the lovely leather handles I am using for it.

The next week will see me getting the children organised to go back to school. Nine weeks is an awful long time to be on holidays, especially when both your Mum & Dad are working full time. Thank goodness for Grandma and Grandad. I think they will be glad to get back into it all.

Christmas Day 2009......

2009-12-26T06:56:00.000+10:00

Decorating

A table ready to share......

Christmas Dinner........

With Family.......

And some fun afterwards........

Hoping all my friends who visit here have had a most wonderful and Happy Christmas Day.

Christmas Eve.........

2009-12-24T06:33:00.000+10:00

Christmas Eve has arrived here and I think I might finally be organised. I have to go into work for just three hours this morning and then our office is closed until the 4th January. I am so looking forward to the time off. We are headed to the beach, so long walks on the beach will definately be part of my day as from Sunday.

Christmas decorating began over a month ago now. With Cameron going away, we put the tree up when we had a little family get together for him. My beautiful boy is well and truly on my mind this morning. He is headed to New York for Christmas. With the horrendous weather they have been having and the normal Christmas mayhem, I hope he has arrived safely.

Christmas decorating has been very much more simple this year. I really couldn't bear the thought of putting it all away either on Boxing Day before we go away or having it all still waiting for me when we return from the beach. One tree, instead of five and just some simple bits and pieces around. I hope next year will be a little different though as we adjust to our new life.

It was still lovely though to unpack my beautiful Christmas pieces that I have made over the years. Sometimes it feels like it was in another lifetime that I made some of these things.

I finally made some of these very yummy little treats. A packet of Chocolate Royales with their fluffy marshmallow middles, some melted white chocolate, Red mini M & M's and Green snakes cut into little leaves. Tah Dah - little Christmas Puddings! My work collegues and the people next door thought these were great!

A roast dinner is planned for tomorrow, all the shopping is done (I think!), so when I get home today I will start preparing the table decorations, crockery etc. I am doing main course and my sister-in-law is doing dessert.

I hope everyone's preparations are coming along well without too much stress. A very Happy Christmas Eve to everyone..... that is when my friends in the northern hemisphere catch up to us!!

Boys Toys..........

2009-12-20T05:51:00.000+10:00

Yesterday was huge. We travelled to the Gold Coast to pick up BJ's new toy, well, boat at least!! I had no idea that he ordered anything near this big - so surprised is probably an understatement!!

Mitchell was at work all day, so missed out on the outing.

The best bit of the day for me was a walk on the beach, although windy and cloudy, it was lovely to walk on the sand and get my feet wet in the ocean. One more week today and we will head to the beach for a lovely week of rest.

The boys are dreaming big fish and Alexandra is hoping Daddy can pull one of those big water tyres behind the boat and have fun in the water!!

And as for me - I feel sea sick just thinking about it!

Lovely Outings.........

2009-12-14T06:01:00.001+10:00

Do you feel the excitement?

I am blogging regularly AND I've been to two lovely places on the weekend!!

We went for a nice little outing yesterday afternoon, another beautiful shop called The Complete Garden and another little drive out to Highfields - just to show BJ "Christmas Ideas".......

Hint, Hint - I hope he caught on!!!!

The beautiful treat above was shared for afternoon tea. Delightful......

I could get used to weekends like this.

Simple Things Small Joys.........

2009-12-13T12:08:00.001+10:00

Yesterday Alexandra and I ventured out into the madness that is pre-Christmas shopping to try to achieve some gift shopping. First stop was the hardware store to take care of some of the male variety of our family. After this was achieved we made our way to Highfields, a lovely little village on the edge of the mountain range near our city. Two lovely ladies have opened a delightful shop there.......

Can you guess who?

Of course, the lovely Cathy Penton of Simple Things Small Joys and the equally delightful Angela Osment of Chelsea Blue Whispers. What a wonderful way to Christmas shop. The shop is as I thought it would be - stunning! When I find and visit truly beautiful places like this my head spins and I find it hard to concentrate - what to choose, what to look at first!! I am taking BJ back this afternoon to have a coffee at this lovely little centre and of course visit Simple Things Small Joys again!!

Even down to the most beautiful packaging and a beautiful little surprise in my bag when I got home - a beautifully presented postcard.

So really, my shopping wasn't at all stressful. I chose some lovely gifts from some lovely people and only had to face the chaos of the large shopping centre for such a short time.

Thank you Angela and Cathy for providing such a beautiful shop! I hope your venture is both successful and enjoyable for you. Blessings to you both.

Cameron's Day......

2009-12-12T20:10:00.003+10:00

Look who Cameron found in Vancouver today.......

A very cool Santa in a little house in the snow.......

He even had reindeer outside the door.

Now that's a visit to Santa!

December so far......

2009-12-12T08:03:00.000+10:00

The month is just flying by. The extreme heat and dry weather we are experiencing here is making it very hard to feel like preparing for Christmas at all. I have made a little start though. I made Christmas cakes last weekend and have finally started shopping for some gift. Alexandra and I are going today, so hopefully we can fight our way through the crowds and find something nice for our family.

Yesterday my day started like this........

Drive-Through coffee on the way to work......

And ended like this.........

Mitchell has been working full time at Woolworths, but had yesterday off, my beautiful boy cooked dinner for us. What a lovely surprise on a Friday night. Thanks Mitchell.

Cameron is having a wonderful adventure on his trip. So far he has seen LA, Vegas, San Francisco, Seattle and is now in Vancouver. He has been uploading to his Facebook page, so it is lovely to see him as goes along. Skype is also a wonderful way we've been staying in touch.

Some bunnies have been made and also a little other stitching which will be gifts for family, so won't share it here. One is an order and the others will probably be for sale.

The weekend is stretching out before me, and I am so looking forward to it. I just pray that we are sent some rain soon and a respite from the awful heat we have been experiencing.

Adventure.......

2009-11-28T08:13:00.000+10:00

How did this boy suddenly become a young man on a world adventure? I'm not sure because I am sure it was just five minutes ago that he was born on a cold winters night by emergency C-Section under a general anesthetic!!!!!

Cameron rang this morning at 3.40 a.m. to say he had arrived safely in LA, the first stop of his eight week around the world adventure. I am a total mess - partly scared witless and partly so jealous it's not funny!! I will pray for his safety and his safe return and I'm sure the 23rd January will be here before I know it, but in that time he will travel across the USA, have Christmas and New Year in New York, travel onto London and Paris and then return home via Singapore.

Clean Up........

2009-11-02T16:50:00.000+10:00

Where did October go? November here already is almost too hard to believe!!

If I had been told at the beginning of this year all that it would hold, I truly wouldn't have believed anyone. My life has certainly taken such a change of direction. My "new" job was certainly something I will forever put down to experience!! Hence, I am no longer working in Optometry! Long story, better left unsaid I think!!

The exciting news is that I have a new position, that I will begin on Wednesday this week, with a Solicitor in the role of Receptionist/Secretary. This is the type of position I was really hoping for when I began searching for work after the sale of our business. I am really looking forward to this position as it entails much more administration work, which I hope I will find so much more interesting than looking behind people's ears to see if their spectacles fit!!!!

Can you guess what we did on the weekend?

Our front and back verandas' were an absolutely disgusting filthy mess. After a long dry winter and three dust storms, my beautiful cream house was a dusty shade of red!! It was so bad that no one was even attempting to spend any time outside regardless of the weather!!!

What a job! Everything except the big table was taken either downstairs or inside. We washed for a couple of hours and then the decks were both oiled. It took almost all day. Sunday I put it all back together.

This is the view I now see from the living/eating room. Much better!

I am so glad I had the couch cover made to be removeable and washable, it came up beautifully. I had such a fun time making my bolster cushion covers too! I am really please with how they turned out.

Mum & I had a lovely day out today. Since my Eleanor and Ruby stall, I was approached by the Gallery in Goombungee, which is a little town nearby, to sell my goods there. What a lovely surprise! I made the delivery today and the lady there took all my remaining stock. She is so confident that it will sell!! I hope so! That would be a bonus on top of my successful stall. I will hopefully continue to make some bits and pieces to sell in the future.

After Goombungee we travelled through Meringandan and onto Highfields. The new little shops are coming along and looks like they should be opening very soon - that will be a fun visit next time I hope. Our last stop of the day was Bunnings for the lovely new little plants that you saw above. All in all a lovely day out!

E & R Success.....

2009-10-18T20:41:00.001+10:00

I ended up with a fantastic result from my stall last weekend. Most people really loved my style and goods. It was very encouraging.

I have had an offer to sell my goods at a local Gallery, so will hopefully get organised with that soon.

I worked my first Saturday morning in my new job this weekend. It went well, and made for a very long weekend. I seemed to achieve heaps.

My desk is finally clear for the first time in a very long time!! Woe betide anyone who mucks it up!!!

I am almost finally free of the shop office work. Our tax return is almost done, do then I can pack up everything for good.

I've really achieved heaps this weekend and it feels so good. I am looking forward to hopefully getting something done in my studio soon. I am soooooo missing my sewing!!

Alexandra has been away for the last week visiting Canberra on her school trip. She had a lovely time, but glad to be home I think!! She had a lovely time this weekend making a little quilt of her own. Her very first attempt.

Off to tidy another dumping ground, where all sort of things seem to accumulate and I can't look at it any longer!!

Pittsworth Craft & Fine Food.......

2009-10-10T18:16:00.002+10:00

What a fantastic couple of days I've had selling my goods. Lots of fun. So many lovely people buying goods from me. I am so pleased.

I only remembered to take a picture late this morning after I had already sold lots of things.

It's funny how the things I thought would be really popular haven't sold at all and others have disappeared so quickly. The Vintage Doiley magnets and the Pushpins have been a great seller but my beautiful gardening aprons haven't sold at all! Bags are also going really well too!!

My feet are tired!! But, really looking forward to another day tomorrow!! It would be lovely to sell just a few gardening aprons - so here's hoping!!!

Fine Food and Craft.......

2009-10-05T07:30:00.001+10:00

What a busy weekend I have had. Thursday night sees the opening of the Pittsworth Craft and Find Food Spectacular at which I have a stall booked.

The quality of the pics is a bit dodgy, but hopefully you can see what I have been up to. I love the magnets pictures above. They are a huge button covered with vintage doiley pieces. I hope the customers love them too. I really enjoyed making the "Vintage Pillowcase Dresses" too. So much fun. I just wish my Alexandra was little enough to wear one.

These little pushpins too were heaps of fun to make. I used "Hannah Bella" fabric for them. On Friday night I had such fun making the packaging for my goods. I hope they look OK!

I finished stitching at 11 last night. I had bought fabric to make another 10 "Le Jardin" Gardening Aprons and then got my job. So the aprons had been on hold. There are another few things I did have planned, but not sure if they will get done before Thursday or not. Back to school and a very busy week for everyone.

If you live on the Darling Downs or in Toowoomba (or further afield) it will be really worth a drive to Pittsworth (about 25 minutes from Toowoomba) this weekend. The Craft and Fine Food Spectacular is always a great visit and the weekend will see the local garden competition and also an Australian Open Garden as well.

Best get on with the morning now and get to work.

Dust & Flowers.......

2009-10-04T20:13:00.000+10:00

What a few weeks of busyness we have had at our place!! Work is settling into a nice routine. I'm not as tired and the job itself is quite easy now I have the hang of it all. I'm not sure about the checking behind people's ears to adjust spectacles though!!! YUK!

Our Carnival of Flowers is over for another year. We won a second place in the Semi Advanced section this year. Our garden was open for nine days to the public. Being a little out of the city always means not many people venture our way. A little disappointing really for all the work that goes into it all. We won some cash and also a two night holiday at a lovely resort, so that was a lovely surprise.

We still haven't had any rain and the effects are really starting to take hold. We are reaching desparation point as our tanks are nearly empty. There is some rain predicted for during the week. So, here's hoping.

Since my last post we have endured three dust storms. This was the first, pictured above. It was horrendous. Since then we have had another two, not quite as bad but still awful. The outside is a mess, and of course no water means no cleaning up. Some people are saying all this dust must mean good rain on the way and the end of the drought. I hope they are right!!

It's been awhile......

2009-09-12T16:01:00.000+10:00

It seems to long since my last post. So much has happened. Spring has well and truly sprung and the garden is looking quite beautiful.

The veges are really romping along. I've been able to pick lettuce so far. It is so nice to have fresh vege that you know haven't been sprayed with who knows what.

The biggest news for today is that I have finally gained employment. I have been working full time for a little over a week now at an Optometrist practice.

On the first day, after a couple of hours I seriously thought of packing up and going home. My head was just spinning!!! A fully computerised booking system and so many different types of lenses and contacts!!

It all makes so much more sense after just the first week, so I am sure I will get the hang of it in no time.

Off to wash my car and water some gardens in the lovely Spring sunshine.

A happy weekend to everyone!

A Garden View....

2009-08-24T09:50:00.000+10:00

Just a few little pics of the downstairs area after a tidy up and rearrange on the weekend.

An old ladder and bag cart.

I love the ornamental kale. Such pretty colours.

The weather has turned ridiculously hot for the end of August. It should be still freezing. I wonder what the rest of the season will bring. Where did Spring go? I want Spring before Summer.

Different Idea....

2009-08-22T21:50:00.004+10:00

I have decided to give Etsy a miss at the moment. I have created a new Shoppe - Eleanor and Ruby.

I have finally listed a couple of handbags there tonight - what a process - I think I have the hang of the button thingy now!!! ( wonder if it even works)!

If you would like to have a look at the first two items go here.

More to come - I hope!!

Vintage Pillowcase Dresses.......

2009-08-22T14:27:00.004+10:00

Twelve little Vintage Pillowcase Dresses made in the past couple of days. Sizes 6 months through to 3 years. Soooooo cute!! Just wish my baby was still that small.

It's so warm today a little one could almost wear one already. Definately very Spring like today. So dry though, the garden is beginning to sizzle and the water is disappearing fast. I so hope it rains soon.

Off to enjoy some more Saturday fun now.......

Lily.....

2009-08-15T11:26:00.003+10:00

Beautiful Lilys from the supermarket this week.

They were tight buds and have burst open in the last 24 hours.

Love the stamens!!

The perfume divine!!

Such a Spring like day here today. I hope it's here to stay!

This Week......

2009-08-14T15:19:00.004+10:00

I have been having a lovely time in the sewing room making lots of new bags. If all goes well I will be putting some things into my Etsy shop hopefully before our Internet usage disappears for the month.

I had one huge cutting session yesterday afternoon, so onto the stitching. I so enjoy my time I get sewing.

Now, could someone please explain something to me. The people who live behind us have just recently moved in. They quite obviously are both at work all day and then never make it outside even on the weekends. Now my problem is this. Why do people like this get a puppy, not one but two. These puppies never get played with, walked or bathed. They must be getting fed, but that's about it. Now, these little fellows must be bored out of their brains. They are chewing everything in sight. Yesterday, they dug under our fence and hauled this 20 metres of dripper line completely onto their side and by the time we found it, they had chewed every fitting on it.

I brought it to these people's attention this morning. They were embarrassed and most helpful in wanting to help fix it BUT I still don't understand!!! Rant over!!!!

The pots are coming along beautifully. Hundreds of little buds. I am picking them off at the moment but will let them run into a riot of colour in the next couple of weeks. I still have them all grouped together for ease of watering. Can't wait to "decorate" the outside with them!

I had a heap of fun at the garden centre one morning this week. This little corner was very untidy and ordinary. I had a great time choosing some plants and redoing this area. It has a very purple theme now. Polygala, viola, status and dianthus.

I love primula and have planted heaps of them. Look at these little lovelies just putting up their first flowers.

We've had two birthdays here in the last week. Alexandra turned 12 last Thursday. She had a lovely day and really enjoyed her very big girl gifts - a Pandora bracelet and a Country Road bag. Both very special things that she so wanted.

Yesterday Mitchell turned sweet 16. My beautiful boy is growing up too quickly. Here in Australia he was eligible to try for his Learners Permit. He missed out yesterday, but was successful today. I think they should provide a years worth of hair colours for the mothers of these children. I will be grey for sure with this one behind the wheel. I think he wants his first lesson this afternoon!! Now he has to complete one year with 100 hours of logged driving practice before he can go for his practical test. Good in lots of ways, an absolute pain in many others. Mitchell has also just signed a School based apprenticeship in baking. He will go to school four days each week and then to work one day to begin his trade.

Off to get my boy off the bus now - and have that first driving lesson!!!

Bunting, Bunnies & More.....

2009-08-05T12:20:00.007+10:00

I've been busy in the sewing room having heaps of fun with fabric. So far I've made bunting,

Bunnies,

Handbags, Peg Bags, Covered Coat Hangers, Covered Journals, Gardening Aprons, Fabric Covered Push Pins, Vintage Doiley Magnets and Frilly Aprons!!

If my internet wasn't on go slow until the weekend I would show you more, but it is just too painful to load the pics!!

I won't even try to get any on Etsy yet! Too hard. I've booked a stall at a Fine Food and Craft weekend in Pittsworth which is a small country town near where I live. This is happening in early October, so may just keep making stock until then. There is also a possibility of doing a Farmers Market early September too - so may give Etsy a miss until then!!

We are having the most beautiful weather. Almost as though Spring is here already. Mother Nature is sure to give us some more winter though. The garden is doing beautifully. On the weekend I planted lots of lovelies into the vege patch too. Lettuce, Beetroot, Spinach, Pea seeds, Mint, Lemon Balm, Spring Onions, Chives, Thyme, Celery and Potatoes!! I have left heaps of room to add beans, corn and tomatoes in a few weeks when hopefully we won't get any more surprise Jack Frost!

This week has been a difficult one with a young boy from Mitchells' school sustaining an horrific head injury while training for football. He was placed on life support after being rushed to Brisbane hospital. On Sunday his family was with him as he went to be with Jesus. My boys have been so saddened by the loss of this beautiful boy. Also, last week my cousin Symon was hit by a car while riding his motor bike between his work and college. His leg is broken in 7 places below his right knee. Please pray for Symon as he undergoes reconstructive surgery this weekend and then endures the many long months of rehabilitation that he will require. Please keep his wife Melanie and their dear little baby Elliot in your thoughts as well.

A Lovely Prize......

2009-07-22T20:10:00.002+10:00

I was the very lucky recipient of a pattern from Evonne from Hilltop House.

Very cute party bags. Aren't the appliques just so sweet that Evonne has designed

for the front of the bags.

Thank you Evonne for such a lovely prize in your giveaway.

What a lovely surprise in the post box today!!

Cosy......

2009-07-20T12:49:00.002+10:00

A little while ago while rummaging in a local "treasure shop", I came across this little piece of loveliness.

I didn't look anything like this when I found it though. Dirty, stained and discarded and in two pieces. I couldn't work out whether it had never been finished off or whether it had been loved and used so much that the crochet work that may have held it together had fallen to pieces.

I brought it home - gave it a good old soaking and pieced it together with some pretty lace and a little piece of the perfect coloured green velvet ribbon.

The embroidery is just beautiful and would have taken hours to do - there's more on the back!

It fits my enamel tea pot perfectly - it's not exactly "cosy" as it's just the embroidered fabric and is not padded.

Sweet just the same!!

Missing Them.......

2009-07-17T14:10:00.003+10:00

Last Thursday I took my dear Dad and Mum to the airport. They have have gone on a fantastic trip to Europe and won't be home until September!!!

Today they are travelling to Vienna!!! I am soooooooo jealous!!! They've already been to Germany and Austria.

Luckily for me Mum stocked my freezer up with her delicious soup before she went away - perfect for these very cold winter days we are having.

You can see on the left there I have had a big baking session this week too - jam drops, chocolate slice, Anzacs and chocolate cake.

Some more production in the sewing room - just waiting for the sun to appear to take some pics. Off to make some bunting now!!

Spring Preparation.......

2009-07-06T12:28:00.005+10:00

Winter has well and truly arrived. We have had a cold and windy weekend. Quite productive in the garden though. I rugged up in my beanie and coat and ventured out into the garden. I wanted to get all my pots planted up with seedlings ready for a colourful Spring garden.

This large pot was filled with water and was home to some fish. I am not sure what happened but it suddenly lost all of its water. We filled it with soil and now has a Cumquat tree planted in it. I had a Cumquat a few years ago, but it didn't survive the shift of house. I hope I get a lovely crop of fruit so that I can make some marmalade. Maybe I will have to wait until next Spring.

We are tossing around the idea of entering the garden in the local cometition again this year. We have planted around thirty pots up with lots of different pretties. Pansies, violas, allysum, dwarf stocks, lots of primula, lobeila. I just love pots of flowers around my back garden and dotted in the garden beds. At the moment I just have them grouped together for the ease of watering. When they are established I will be able to create some lovely displays.

I just love this big builders tool box. I bought it a while ago with the plan for a beautiful Spring display. I drilled some holes in the bottom for drainage. Primula, allysum and lobeila in that one!

I've enjoyed some time baking this morning and also applying for some more positions. I know the right one will come along at the right time - just wondering how long though!!

I've had a great week making some things to hopefully sell. It's lovely using up all the beautiful fabrics and lace I have had for awhile - what a great excuse to have to purchase more eventually.

One more application to attend to and then off to sew.

Swell........

2009-06-30T09:15:00.003+10:00

One week of the holidays gone already. The children had their dentist and optometrist appointments, so good to have that over and finished for another little while. Very expensive day out. Both children needed new glasses but thankfully only a check and a clean at the dentist. $1000 gone like that - so much for private cover - glad to get a little back, even if it is only about 30%!!!!

Alexandra has her Winter Ballet School for the next three afternoons. The ballet school has a visiting teacher and gives the girls just a little extra preparation for the upcoming exam.

Last Friday night, I whipped up a new bag for myself. I just love the Urban Chiks fabrics in this one. They are very Swell...... I am loving their new range too - Sweet. This is made with the Melly and Me pattern Sherbet. I did change the handles as the first time I used this pattern I didn't really enjoy doing the handles as suggested.

I have been having fun making large covered buttons for some other projects I have on the go at the moment. I think this big button really sets the bag off.

I have been setting up an Etsy store - now just to get some items in there to sell. Fun....

Off to the sewing room for awhile now. Some more fabricy fun.......

Little Pincushions......

2009-06-19T14:40:00.005+10:00

Finally a little project finished. It seems as though these little pincushions have been on the go for weeks. This was Leanne Beasley's project in the Pincushion of the Month. Very sweet indeed. I really enjoyed the lovely embroidery of this project.

Can you see the little tags I have popped on them. I now have official 'Eleanor and Ruby' tags. Very exciting indeed. Now I just have to make 100 things to put them on!!

We have now officially joined the ranks of the unemployed and looking for work. Scary!! Brendon has a couple of offers he is considering and actually has had a today back down at the bakery!! Not quite three weeks and they weren't coping terribly well!!

I am applying for administration positions. An interesting experience after so long being self employed. I applied for two government positions today that required seven hundred word submissions addressing the key criteria!! That got the brain into gear. I wonder if I will get an interview? I had an interview a few weeks ago and was one of 150 applicants.

I think I had better enjoy a little crafting while I can. I think a new routine of a paid position will take a little adjusting to (by all of us)!!

Looking forward to the weekend and hopefully some rain!

Grandma's Girls......

2009-06-17T13:40:00.002+10:00

What fun I had on Sunday afternoon. My cousin Amanda and I had both been thinking similar thoughts and mentioned to each other one day how we would love to get our cousins and Aunts together.... Grandma's Girls.

Left to Right: Lauren, Amanda, Kylie, Sandra and Me.....

Amanda gathered all the addresses and sent the most beautiful invitations to everyone.

Daughters, Daughters-In-Law, Grandaughters and Great-Grandaughters.

There was only one Grandaughter missing. It was lovely catching up with my cousins. I spent so much time with them growing up. I was one of Sandra's bridesmaids at her Wedding almost 25 years ago. Lauren was my Flower Girl and Amanda my Junior Maid - 22 years ago!!

Amanda and Lauren and their brother Symon spent a lot of holidays at our farm. What fun we used to have. They have memories so long and constantly amuse me with the things they remember through a childs eye.

Sandra, Kylie and their sister Robyn grew up on the same farm as Grandad and Grandma. We used to go there every Sunday after church. I think most of my clothes and shoes had been worn by Robyn and Sandra first and then they went back to Kylie.

It was sad Robyn was snowed under with work and couldn't be here with us.

Everyone brought some afternoon tea to share. I made the little cupcakes. I was so pleased with how they turned out.

Amanda made these very cute little 'tea cups" - very sweet and easy to make.

Pop on over to her blog to see how it is done.

It really was a lovely day. So nice to catch up in happy circumstances instead of sad ones like the last couple of times we were all together.

I don't get together with family nearly enough. It is just a matter of making the time. I hope I can do this more often.

Bliss.....

2009-06-13T22:06:00.003+10:00

Just a quick hello. We have just had a lovely five nights away in Noosa.

Just us!

No children!

(Thank you Grandma and Grandad)

The weather was so beautiful. Hard to believe that it is just a 3 1/2 hour drive from where we are. Freezing winter weather here and lovely warm days at the beach.

We enjoyed walks, time on the beach and generally being very lazy.

Wonderful!!

Home to winter again, although it was a beautiful day today.

Before we went away, we planted over 400 bulbs out. Spring should be spectacular.

Lots of cleaning and organising today ready for a special day tomorrow.

Life is good.

The End Of An Era

2009-05-31T07:09:00.003+10:00

Today is the end of an era for our family. Sunday the 31st May, 2009 is the last day of owning and operating our bakery, Westbrook On The Rise Bakery.

We have been in business since the 20th December 1993, except for a 2 year break 1997 - 1999. It has been a long journey.

I sit here to write this morning, to record our journey for the sake of family history. The bakery has been a labour of love at times and also of hate at others. At this point we are glad for it to all be over. The time of small family business in this economic time is over. We have been bought by an expanding company that is based in Sydney. They have purchased this shop sight unseen, internet viewing only. That alone has boggled my brain! The new owner finally arrived yesterday to see his new business.

A bakery that operates seven days a week, with Brendon the only baker, except for some casual help three days per week has been a true test of our capabilities. Mental, emotional and physical. There is not a week goes by that we do have to change staff rosters in some way, someone always wants something different. We are exhausted.

This morning I went to the bakery early to take some last pictures. Brendon is a very good baker having won many, many awards along the way. This has been his creative outlet and together we built our business from a very small, rundown shop in a rural town to a large business with two shops and at times almost thirty employees. Eighteen months ago we sold our larger shop and have been operating the small shop only. This proved harder than we thought, with limited staff and the expectation to be open seven days each week.

As of tonight we are unemployed. I am excited and scared about the future. I know Brendon will find work easily. He has already been offered two positions and just has to decide which he will take. He will have about three weeks off first though. I have been considering my options and applying for administration work, preferably in a professional environment. My creative side is tugging hard though. Maybe I will be able to do both.

Waves of emotion keep engulfing me this morning. I do not know if I am happy or sad. Happy for me, sad for Brendon. He has loved being creative with his product and he is so good at it. I guess that is why he has been offered work so readily.

I think I am just exhausted. Mentally and physically. The work that still lies ahead of me to clean up the business side of the shop is almost overwhelming. I will forge ahead with it though, just so that it is over with as quickly as possible.

Stocktake this afternoon and some cheques deposited into our account tomorrow and that will be the end. Our freezer is loaded with some or our favourites to enjoy in the coming weeks, the children made sure of that - especially Daddy's sausage rolls!

Tomorrow is the beginning of a new life!

From My Garden......

2009-05-15T14:19:00.003+10:00

There is something very satisfying about picking a basket full of fresh fruit and vegetables from your very own backyard.

26 lemons, corn, beans, tomatoes and passiontfruit. YUM!!

The weather is beautiful here at the moment. Very cool evenings and mornings with beautiful days. Some rain would be just wonderful soon though.

I am looking forward to the weekend, not quite as much on. The year is disappearing so quickly. The June holidays will be here before we know it.

The Eisteddfod was lovely last weekend, the children sang beautifully. Alexandra gained a Highly Commended for her solo. We were so proud of her, as she had just started voice lessons this year and it was her first performance. Mitchell has had a huge week with his school musical. They are doing Pirates of Penzance, so he is very much enjoying playing pirates!! I am looking forward to seeing the show on Saturday night.

A lovely weekend to all!