Productivity News...

... so knitting has taken a back seat over the past few weeks to my new favourite crafting pastime - quilting!!

It started after my last teary post about Nanna and then a trip to George's and a squizz at her Jelly Roll Quilt book. A trip to Addicted to Fabric and two days later the top was done. Recommendations from Michelle for Sunflower Quilting meant that just a few more days and I picked up my very first quilt!!

I can't recommend Raylee from Sunflower Quilting highly enough - she was warm, friendly, caring, professional and her work on my quilt is just amazing. I'll definitely be using her services again!! Nannas face was gorgeous when I presented it to her and I cried (of course!) explaining to her that it was my tribute to her for all that she did and continues to do for me and my family. It is now taking pride of place on her bed at her house - I'm so proud of myself, my nanna and my quilt!!

The bug had bitten and of course now I wanted some beautiful handmade love on my own bed and I had purchased a pattern & some fat quarters from the Quilt & Craft Fair a few months back. I finally got the courage to take the rotary cutter to the gorgeous fabrics and there were a few swear words, a boo boo or two but overall I'm uber impressed with how this one came out as well! I'm perhaps even more proud of this one as I had to cut the fat quarters, sew all the blocks, quilted it myself (and without a walking foot!!) and it's binding is hand sewn down. It took alot of work but it is so beautiful it was well worth it!!

I've got so much to blog about - the little mans birthday, nannas visit, my holidays but I'm too busy - I got another jelly roll and am in the process of putting together my third quilt top! It's so much fun!!

Struggling...

Last post I forgot to mention that I put everyone's name in a hat and the lovely little man pulled out Trudi's name so I'll be in touch soon to organise a little something heading out your way!!

In the recent news - I'm struggling. It's now 3:22am on Saturday morning and I'm wide awake and in tears. I feel the need to share her life with you all.

My nanna was put up for adoption at birth and was taken into a family of two sisters and a brother whom she called Aunty Hilda, Aunty Martha and Paul - they lived on a farm outside Toowoomba where she rode her horse to school and lived the typical life of a farm child during the years of the depression. She tells stories about rationing of food, life before refrigeration and the like. She did her nursing education and met my grandfather but he went off to war and she travelled overseas to do her nursing. They met up and married on their return in Adelaide. I have their wedding picture hanging on my wall as we speak and they look so deliriously happy. She tells me that they moved into their first home with very little money and milk cartons as chairs but that they were so happy and in love that it didn't seem to matter.

Her first child John, was 'difficult' from toddlerhood and never had a good relationship with my grandfather ('poppy'). My mum came along next and then her sister after that who was born early and very small. Poppy worked in the airforce as a flight controller and they moved around quite a bit during his service before finally settling down in Tamworth where they both worked - he at the airport, she at the base hospital. My mum & siblings grew up and moved on but my grandparents took care of my cousin during her infant/school years and continued to juggle work and a little person. They both retired. He became involved in the Masonic movement, Legacy and bowls. Together they volunteered for meals on wheels - I would go with them when I was visiting during the school holidays. My grandparents drove Commodores - early models with the vinyl seats and I'm sure I've lost more than my fair share of skin on them during the baking Tamworth summers!!

I would fly from Brisbane to Tamworth during the school holidays to spend time with them and I have amazingly fond memories of cooking and sewing with nanna. She taught me to sew a pair of shorts as a beginners project, her famous tea cakes and a bunch of other stuff. She is a crafty lady who has the most amazing latch hooked rug in her loungeroom - no pattern just the bits and pieces of left overs from other projects that she hated seeing go to waste. She is so inventive and useful - hates seeing any sort of waste. She tells me that this comes from living through the depression and hard times when you made the most of absolutely everything. She is a thrifty little lady.

As a grew up and became a mother she was always on the end of the phone with advice and a knowing ear with Izaaks teething, fevers, immunisations and while we had some differences of opinions on matters she always loved and supported me. Charlotte came along and nanna has loved her as much as ever. I show her what I'm knitting, she encourages me. I tell her what I'm learning and doing in clinical and we talk about the differences of nursing 50 years ago. She is my rock. She 'gets' me like the rest of my family doesn't. I love her.

I am losing her. Her time on this earth is nearing it's end and I am struggling to deal with this. It hurts. It hurts so much that I wake up at 2:20 in the morning feeling like it hurts so much that I can't breathe. It hurts so much to imagine life without her, without being able to pick up the phone and hear her soothing words, her assurances, her advice and her love. I hope that she has been around long enough to make an impression on my childrens hearts, that they remember her and what an amazing woman she is and was. I'm trying to focus on her going to be with my poppy and remembering that she has lead a very full life, experienced so much but I don't want to let go. I want to hold on forever. and ever. It hurts.

Tranquility

I love this time of the night - It's 9pm on a Sunday and all is well in the world.

We've had a lovely, lazy day. A bit of washing here, folding there, vacuming around the place but nothing too exhausting. Lunch was snag sangers and had as we sat out the back and enjoyed the tiny sliver of sunshine that lay across our courtyard. Some Wii play, a book or two later and we headed over to good friends for dinner. Kidlets playing and walking the dog, knitting, a glass of wine & BBQ dinner. Bliss. Pure bliss.

So now it's 9pm - my house is tidy, my children are tucked into bed and peacefully dreaming the night away, uni work is under control and in some ways I'm actually ahead, I'm listening to my favourite podcasts and knitting my latest obsession.

Seriously.... can life get any better?? What does your perfect Sunday night and/or weekend look like??

Milestones....

...my first ever yum cha experience and wow! was it good. It did feel slightly strange going to a Croatian soccer club to have yum cha but the company was wonderful, food delicious and really reasonable pricing. Can't ask for more really.

...we have entered the Wii world thanks to my parents

...we also have a new T.V in part, thanks to the above point. Izaak attempted to connect the Wii all by himself, pulled the TV out of the cabinet too far and smashed the whole thing. New TV equalled moving all the furniture around the place as well because the new telly didn't fit in the old cabinet. I took it as a good time to have a clean up. Feels good to have a tidy home but unforuntely I know it won't last.

...I have started my final clinical placement as a student nurse. It's daunting, exciting, disgusting and wonderful all at the same time. I've seen and had to deal with more poo in the last week than in the previous two and a half years. I seem to have the smell permanently burned into my nostrils. On a happier note the staff are wonderful and so helpful and happy to have students around which is a far cry from my last placement and really makes all the difference.

...I finished my first ever triangle shawl. It is the Percy Shawl and I'm in love with it. I'm super happy with how it turned out and have started on my second shawl now. I really seem to have hit my knitting mojo lately which is a nice change. You can see it here.

...I've been crocheting as well. Dishcloths for my kitchen and face washers for the kids which they are loving. It's nice when the kids pick out the colours and tell me stripes or this for the border or loop/no loop and then within an hour or two they get their finished face cloth.

...My blue swap parcel is coming along nicely with some delicious yarn from Happy Spider that is going to be very hard to part with. A crochet neckwarmer has also been completed as well as a few yummy treats and of course some blue goodies from Smiggle.

...My laptop also died. I took it in and the techhy described it as "the blue screen of death" - apparently fixable but really difficult and expensive so she's been replaced with a smaller, lighter Asus and I'm really happy so far with how it's running. Much faster which is great and lighter meaning it's easier to cart around to uni etc and with the smaller size I am getting alot longer out of a battery.

...We've had our first overnight visitor last night. I really can't describe how exciting it is that my autisitic child has something that resembles a social life. Yay! for my boy! He's coped really well with the experience as well. It may well be one that is repeated.

...and finally, this is post 150 for me!! To celebrate I'm giving away a little something so leave a comment and on Friday night I'll do the random number thingie and be sending something lovely to one of you!!

From the mouth of babes...

..... "Mum, can we please go ride biking this afternoon"....

.... "My button belly is coloured in today"....

A trip to the snow

Last winter we were all packed and ready for a trip to the snow when both of the kidlets fell ill and we had to postpone the trip then life got busy and winter was over. I've got friends who live just outside Cooma at a little place called Numeralla. It's beautiful. Simply beautiful. Quiet and peaceful and most of all just so still. So the kidlets and I headed up last Friday to spend a night and drive up to the snow on Saturday.

We hired the snow chains, suits, boots and assorted snow paraphernalia and then drove up to the snowfields at Selwyn. The kids had a fabulous time - Izaak spent the majority of the day on the toboggan - up and down - up and down. While the little Miss built a snow man, snowballs and was happy just playing around in the snow.

This one is my favourite picture of my two - I love the expressions on their faces

I wish I'd been able to get better photos but the day was very cloudy/foggy and by the time we left visibility was down to about 50 meters. It was raining as well so it was nice to get into the car, turn the heater up and cruise back home. Both the kids are keen to go again and we had so much fun I'm looking at the diary trying to see when we might be able to do it all over again!

RIP Stuart

Loved you buddy!