BLESSED SPEEDY

Doesnt Megan and Ruby look lovely? This photo was taken after tea the other night when they went down to a paddock and did some riding. Megan has really been going well on Ruby and they are learning lots together.

On a list I am on people have been discussing the view from their sewing room - well I dont really have a sewing room - just part of a room, so really no view. So here are some pictures of my sewing "area"

well Christmas has come and gone - and I feel like all I did was clean, move furniture around, do dishes and then start all over again several times! The girls did a lovely job of decorating our tree - it looks quite elegant doesnt it and we had 20 for christmas lunch, hence the very long table etc. However the highlight for me was singing Christmas Carols on Christmas eve with Mia there in the congregation - I do so love singing carols and celebrating the Saviours birth. Hallelujah!

Have a look what arrived in the mail for me from New Zealand!!! The lovely Jenny is a member of an online group I am a member of (wheel of friendship) and we had a christmas gifty swap. This is what Jenny sent me and I certainly feel spoilt. Thanks so much Jenny!!!! And secondly we have two new "family" members - these are two kookaburra chicks whose parents built a nest for them in a bale of hay in the hay shed. They burrowed and burrowed making a lovely little nest palace for these babes. We have been carefully monitoring their progress without interfering TOO much - they are around two weeks old now I think.

OK, Ive finally managed to get the camera off Megan so able to take a few quick photos of what Ive been doing. The "finishing off of stuff" is still continuing - firstly this is the quilt that was made by members of the souther cross quilters intial swap group (SCQIS). We each did a block for each person in the group. The blocks travel all over Australia and are away for over a year. Pretty good result what I got back though I think!! This next stitchery is another of those I have had sitting in a pile waiting to be done. Ive decided to do a few in the dark navy thread and use the navy fabric from my dear jane (yes I have heaps of it dont worry) to back the cushion with. Sort of like having a set that matches but doesnt quite.

Sarah and Megan have returned from hawaii - they had a fabulous time and did LOTS of shopping - and I mean LOTS - Sarah managed to buy 20 dresses - isnt that being an overachiever? I missed them heaps though and Im really glad they are back!!! OH!!! and they bought me a gorgeous pearl necklace.

This stitchery is for a secret santa swap for the patchwork group I belong to. We are going out for tea Tuesday night and the pressie had to be dropped off this week - finished it and delivered it yesterday so heaps of days to spare!! I quite like this one and might even do it again for myself. I've managed to get a bit done this week as Sarah and Megan are in Hawaii - hardly any washing to do and no where near as much mess and dishes to do - I wonder why????

Here is Megan, Mia and Sarah at Macca's before Megan and Sarah left for Hawaii - no I didnt go but I sure hope I get a good pressie

Well the quilt - that is going to be for ME!!! - is finished. Didnt have anyone around to help me photograph it, so sorry for the dodgy photo on the couch, but there it is....which got me to thinking. Did you notice the doll in the corner of the photo - that is Mia's doll and is called "Doll"....lol I gave it to her for her 1st birthday I think and its always been her favorite. Other dolls may come and go, but Doll always end up being number 1. Can't you tell by here much loved look? Anyways here also is a really cute photo of Mia that Sarah took, doing her favorite saying "Oh my gosh". I love it!!!

Well the quilt I started last week is now a top - hopefullly I might get sometime in the next week to baste and quilt it (fingers crossed) As an extra here's another photo from the valedictory dinner - sarah with gary and I

Spent last night at Sarah's valedictory dinner - here she is in her house group - Murray - she is front and centre. It was a lovely night but didnt finish til close to midnight....the things you do for your kids!!!

Yesterday Sarah and I went to Latrobe Uni in Bendigo She had an interview for the arts degree (photography) that she would like to get into next year and guess what!!! She's in...well the formal invite is still to come but they loved her folio of work and said she would be getting an early offer. Well done Sarah

Good morning to all you quilters out there- I have a confession to make and Im sure you will all understand. Regular readers of my blog will know that I am trying Really Hard to finish off my ufo's that I have - and there are many. This was the result of cleaning up my sewing area (as you do on a very irregular basis) and finding said ufos. Yes I have finished several and am quite pleased and have not bought any other fabric etc....BUT....that little voice was saying buy me buy me and another one was saying make me make me. I was strong - but not strong enough - the result - a friend was selling off some of her stash and I couldnt help it I bought this - and have started making this - but the joy of making something so easy and from great directions is fabulous. Most of what I have been making/creating of late has been complex so this is a joy!!!

After looking at what I have blogged this week -- I think Ive been flaunting about lots of stuff- the cow shed stuff finished, Mia etc but Ive actually finished something else - this stitchery was a preprinted panel I got I dont know how long ago as a pressie from someone. With the really hot weather we have been having (40+ most days) I havent been as much outside so getting plenty of stitching done and this is another result of that.

How blessed am I? Aimee is having an op today - so I get to babysit my gorgeous granddaughter Mia - yes I am biased but she is really cute!!!

As most of you know (or maybe you dont?) Megan's horse Ruby managed to right-off the compressor for the vat etc at the cow shed. This is what she did....Doesn't look like much but around $14,000 to fix - thank the Lord for insurance!!! This happened on October 7th - its now November 11th and its finally all fixed. Instead of a new compressor we opted to get a secondhand plant, so new vat etc and this is the result - pretty good I reckon. And what do you do on yet another 40+ degrees day - mow the lawn at 6.15 am and then put the sprinkler on - doesnt it look inviting?

This is what can be achieved in a week with hardly any sleep due to horrible hay fever. Firstly quilt from last week bound and labelled. Secondly socks I was knitting (for nearly 4 months!!!) finished. Thirdly another free bom from the internet finished - this time Bunny Hill's Tisket a Tasket. And finally.....introducing our newest family member - Chicken Schnitzel. She/he is Megan's project from school as she is doing aghort.

Sarah has had her first exhibition of her photographs - not a solo one, that is yet to come! In Cohuna they have opened a community art gallery and Sarah was asked to submit some of her photos. She got great encouraging comments and I'm really proud of her.

Well I had hoped to have this quilt finished by the end of this week - I almost made it, just have to hand sew the binding down and do a label...not a bad effort I reckon P.S. to this post as at 3.00 pm on 31/10/09 the quilt is finished!!! Bound and labelled too

This weeks "flaunt" - showing off what I've achieved this week! Managed to get the third and final section of my patchwork groups block of the month done. Hopefully next week I will have a quilt to show you - or am I being overly optimistic?

What a weekend!!! Four birthdays - Aimee was 22 on Friday, Sarah was 18 on Friday, Megan was 15 on Saturday and I was 47 on Saturday. Yes four birthdays in two days. And here are my three beautiful girls. And of course on Sunday there was more. Our Cohuna Pony Club Gymkhana was on - heaps of work for parents etc but Megan and Ruby had a fabulous day - 14 events for 14 ribbons, and Ruby was soooo well behaved.

Hooray!!! Finished two quilty things this week!!! Firstly the Christmas Wish quilt I showed you the other day - quilted, labelled and bound now. Secondly I made a table runner from three blocks I had - it was a swap on a list I was on - there was supposed to be six of us in a group that swapped blocks - it was over 2 years ago and I still have only received three blocks back, and I found these the other day when I cleaned up a bit and decided to make a table runner from them - someone will probably score this as a christmas present. Feels great to finally finish something though - its been a while

Have a look at these great photos Sarah took of Megan. Megan was off to the Gunbower Races today so Sarah dressed her and did her hair and makeup = doesnt she look gorgeous!!! And Sarah is really becoming a great photographer!!!

Progress has been made on the huge pile of ufo's (unfinished objects of the quilty kind) this week....managed to get a whole top pieced and ready to quilt. This is "A Christmas Wish" from the lovely Gail Pan's blog

Here's my friday "flaunt" = what Ive done this week - ok so its Saturday but I work on Friday so can I please be forgiven? Ive managed to catch up on my local patchwork groups BOM (block of the month) each month we are given instructions on what block has to be done for the month - was I up to date? Of course not but now I am!!! All I need to do is Septembers block - which I only received last Monday and have til next month to be done - quilt top looks pretty good so far I reckon but then you cant really go wrong with 1930's can you?

Garys daughter Holly is breeding chickens and brought us 10 of these cuties - sadly there is only now 9 cos the dogs got one, but hopefully we have fixed the problem! They are only 10 days to a week old so I spose it WILL be a while before we get eggs And for those who have been asking here are some of my latest calves and their mums

OK OK Ive been home over a month and no photos - sorry!!! Came home to calves everywhere (that we didnt expect) and no rain so half dead crops To put it mildly we have been flat out since we got home If you want to look at ALL the photos from our trip Ive loaded them on my facebook page (mainly cos its easier) and here is the link to access them http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=148437&id=730513367&l=ab209943cc Here's a couple though - cute girlie in the orphanage we visited that I could have taken home - gary said no though!!! Second one is Gary and I on the elephant ride in Thailand - what a fabulous experience Third one is Gary and his three "mates" from Kriek church And finally our ladies and the ladies in Jimeoin

Where did July go??? Sorry for the lack of posts - BUT I do have an excuse....today Gary and I are heading off overseas on a missions trip with our church - we are going to Thailand and Cambodia - 4 days in Phuket, Thailand at a conference then we fly to Cambodia for 6 days - here's our itinerary - see you when we get back Sunday August 2, 2009 11.30pm Depart from Melbourne to Bangkok Monday August 3, 2009 6.00am Arrive Bangkok 9.20am Depart Bangkok to Thailand 10.40am Arrive Phuket Thailand 6.00pm Gala Buffet Dinner Tuesday to Thursday August 4 -6, 2009 Conference 9.00am main session 10.30 morning tea (provided) 11 Main session 12.30 lunch 2.00 elective 7.00 main session Friday August 7, 2009 1.05pm Depart from Phuket to Bangkok 2.30pm Arrive Bangkok 6.10pm Depart Bangkok to Cambodia 7.25pm Arrive Cambodia Saturday August 8,2009 Morning:2+ hour drive to Kompong Cham Afternoon and Evening:Kriek district baptism in the Holy Spirit retreat Sunday August 9,2009 Morning:1 hour drive to...

Here is Sarah (and her friend Karlee) all grown up and going to the year 12 formal last Friday night. Sarah looked very elegant (but cute too!!!!) Goodness me they grow up fast

The snow bunny (also known as Megan) has returned from a week at Bogong High Plains and Falls Creek with her school She has always wanted to go to the snow so of course she had a fabulous time and apparently she was good at skiing too (for those who know Megan this shouldnt be too much of a surprise) BTW I survived looking after the horse