This is ... my favourite accessory and post 100

ARGHHHHH!!!!!!! This is me and my favourite 2 accessories. My red head band to keep my "wild hair" out of my eyes and my lovely crafty broach. Thanks to One Red Robin for stretching our comfort barriers this week.
I much prefer this cute little happy face. I must try another one and get his face right. I still love him though.On Sunday just gone I had a lovely trip to the big bad smoke (Melbourne that is!) to visit the Quilters Convention. I went on the train with my friend Janine and had the most wonderful day.
We saw some amazing quilts ...

...and I just love seeing the things I don't see in Ballarat, like the big tall buildings, traffic and trams, people everywhere. It makes me appreciate getting home to the place where I live.

Have a great week everyone!

Annie

p.s. I just remembered that this is my 100th post. I will of course in true blogland style be awarding a 'give away' so leave me a comment and I'll dream up a parcel for the post.

"There's a song in my heart"

I can't describe just how much I love being out in my garden. I feel very satisfied at the creation of it all and the growth in such a short time. I am thrilled to have our tank in position, but just a little frustrated that there are no pipes connected to it yet to catch the rain that we have had in the last couple of days. The only saving of my feelings, is that it has soaked into the ground and I have seen water droplets on the plants and they all look fresh again.
I've been working pretty hard last week with Parent Teacher Inverviews most nights after school until about 6pm. Your mouth gets a bit sore from smiling and being nice over and over - but hey, they were much better parents this year than last year and that's a good sign for a good year.

School is settling down, but there is so much work to do. We are spending a lot of time establishing rules and boundaries so it will be easier to work throughout the year.

I feel a bit addled in my brain in the craft department. There are SO many things I want to try and have a go at, then on the other hand there are so many unfinished projects that keep calling me. I did finish one of them last week however, and after 3 years of working on it spasmodically of course, it was quite a relief to put in that last stitch. Not technically finished, but all the embroidery done.

Now just to bind it and hang it up. I'm truely hoping that won't take another 3 years!

African Violet Success

Finally I've had a flower from my African Violet - well one of them anyway. My mother in law has great success with hers and it bugs me because she is not a gardener but just has a perfect spot for them. She has given me quite a few that I keep managing to kill, not for the want of trying. I've even borrowed a video from the library on how to care for them.
I had a disaster with some tissue silk and a felting project. It was hanging around in the sewing room and I had a bright idea to hang it up over the window to filter the light.
All of my 4 plants are looking good, but this one in particular is flourishing with beautiful flowers. I am so happy.
This fushia is called Annabelle and I have planted one in all the gardens that I have had. I love it - so delicate and pretty (quite unlike me but still my namesake!)

This is what makes me laugh ...

Jerry Seinfeld makes me laugh - every time!
He says things that other people just think about saying

He's a funny guy!

Can You See It?

A lovely surprise parcel this week from Wizz Me - thanks so much - some of the chocolates not shown in the picture and they were consumed very fast. I just love chocolate!
Have you seen it yet?
Yes ... here it is ... my long awaited for T A N K !
Just been delivered this week and rolled through the gate at this stage, but looking forward to getting it set up at the weekend. And then of course ... hoping for some rain!
Been working on a few little random projects here - inbetween school and pick ups for Guides, Badmitton, Karate, Youth Group, High School Orientation Camp and so the list goes on. Looking forward to the weekend.

7 Random Things . . .

I've been tagged by Zoesquid, to reveal 7 random facts about me . . . here goes . . .

1. I am a Queens Guide and I married a Queens Scout

2. I would (secretly) love to be on the stage one day

3. I like to play duets on the piano with my mum

4. I still have the stone that was lodged in my knee when I fell over in Grade 2 doing Folk Dancing

5. I will never be an Aunty (sob sob)

6. I am a certified Knit Wit - I began my sewing fettish with stretchy material! (making TShirts and Undies!!)

7. I am the mother of 3 very different, interesting and challenging school age children

Chick Chick, I mean "Chook Chook" still enjoys a cuddle every now and then. Last weekend I had to clip her wings, as she was venturing into my vegi patch and causing havoc!

Here are some pics of Baby Jade who I made the touchy feely blanket for, and my lovely cousins. It's so exciting to see the beginning of the next generation of family.

Fabric Scraps

I've been having a go at "Wonky Logs" as Ric Rac likes to call them, but somehow, I think they turned out more crazy patch.

It was fun just having my basket of scraps by my feet and diving in for a surprise piece of fabric to put on next and see how they turned out.

They were a little addictive. I'll have to think what I'm actually going to do with them.

I am making another touchy feely blanket for a friend's baby - not sure whether it's a boy or girl, so I had fun choosing a variety of ribbons.

I'm marching through the cotton lately. I can't throw these beauties out though. Surely there's a good craft activity I could do at school with them. Just not sure what it is yet. Any ideas?

This is ... my collection

sorry for the dark photos, but this has turned into a very dark issue...

This is a sad tale ... but true. I asked my 10yr old daughter what she thought I collected and she rattled off quite a few familiar things like, plants, fabric, cushions, pin cushions ...
...magazines ...
I thought I'd go for a walk around the house with my camera, and the scary thing was, I found them:

*in my bookcase

*in my cupboard

*on the counch in my sewing room

*on the floor beside the couch in my sewing room

*on the cupboard in my sewing room

*on the filing cabinet in my sewing room

then I ventured further afield in the house

I came across them...

*by my bed

*in the cupboard by my bed

*on the chair by my bed

*in the toilet

they were everywhere....

I've come to the conclusion that I must just love and collect (unknowingly) magazines!

Quilters Retreat

With the all the excitment of the end of the holidays and monkey making, I forot to report on our Quilting Weekend and Friendship Quilt swap over. We began last February with a centre block and 7 friends. Each 2 months we secretly swapped the quilts around and added a boarder on each one.

We didn't see our own quilt for the entire year, and at our weekend away, we had the unveiling of the quilts. It was very exciting. They were all so different, and special.

A lot of work went into these quilts and they are a special treasure for us to keep.
We had a lovely weekend of sewing and chatting and just being away from home.

We all worked on our own projects over the weekend and enjoyed having like minded friends to confer with.



I finished quilting my "Report Writing Quilt" that I made in November when I should have been doing the school reports.