______Snail Patches

Look who's come to stay.....

2012-02-16T19:05:00.000+10:30

This little lady is 7 weeks old and is already melting hearts. Her name is Zipper and we hope that sometime soon she will be friends with Buttons the dog - after all zippers and buttons usually go well together, :0).

I think things are going to be very busy in this house for a while and my days of leaving my craft bits and pieces near my chair are numbered, lol.

Hugs and blessings,

Anne

A Happy Froggy Day!

2012-02-14T08:31:00.002+10:30

It's been a long time coming, but......the frog x-stitch is finished!!!!! Yippee! Note to dd - don't ever buy another x-stitch or any other kit for that matter.....mum will not be doing it. Note number 2 do not mark the centre of said x-stitch in black biro - it will not be hidden by the stitches, or come out in the wash!! Never mind it is done and will one day be part of a quilt. This girl has way too many pictures to hang on walls and quilts are easier to transport and pack.

I won't be stitching anything for a day or 2 - having a well earned break before getting back into my favourite material things.

Peace and blessings to all,

Anne

Give Away

2012-02-05T17:18:00.001+10:30

Val' s Give away

Some more finishes for January

2012-01-31T16:33:00.000+10:30

These owl potholders are for my dd who is in the process of buying her first house, so thought these would be a cute house warming gift for her along with a few other goodies. Her older sister told me they looked like part of the "Angry Birds" craze, lol. The pattern came from Bea as a guest post on Sew We Quilt Blogspot .

Another sneak peak for a Christmas gift. Two down and lots to go. I am wrapping each one and placing it in a special gift box that will hopefully be very full by the end of the year. This was also added to the Christmas Through the Year challenge (see side bar on right)

I took my dd to the framing shop this morning and had her Magical Rainforest tapestry framed. She loves oranges and reds, so this is what she came up with. I am now looking for a spot in my house to hang it for a few years as she is off to Melbourne next week to study for another 3 years. I think I have just the spot, lol.

I am so enjoying the lovely cool weather and having fun Geocaching with my dds. Yesterday we came across this little fellow and came quite close to him. He seemed very interested in us. :0)

Apologies for the sideways picture - Blogger is doing strange things to me and the picture is saved the right way. Just have to turn your 'puters on their sides, lol.

Happy stitching until next time,

Anne

Just a peak at......

2012-01-25T20:21:00.000+10:30

my first almost finish for One Christmas Item a Month, hosted by Narelle. Never know who is visiting so just to keep things as a surprise, can't show the whole thing.

Much creative energy being spent and the sewing space is looking well used :0).

Blessings to all,

Anne

Rainbow Scrap Challenge

2012-01-25T10:42:00.002+10:30

I finally got around to actually doing some of the challenges that I have signed up for this year and these blocks are my effort towards the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (Link in side bar on right). I have had the centre roses ever since I brought home a pile of fabric and unfinished bits and pieces from my mother's craft bits and pieces way back in 2003, when she had to go into a nursing home. I found these roses with their backs already to applique on something last week and had no idea what to do with them until some inspiration hit with the "red" scrappy challenge.

Have to say that this little project has made it very clear that I am not a "red" person. My red scraps are very few and mostly what I've had given to me from other sources, not what I've bought, lol. Having said that, I really like how these turned out. I now know what I am going to do with all the doilies and linen that I inherited from mum and feel a quilt starting to design itself. Will have to have a lot of other colours in there though as my mother did not like red at all - she had copper hair. She was also not a quilter, although she sewed quite a lot - mostly clothing, her passion was spinning, weaving and knitting - skills which are not a strong point in me, lol.

Onward to more challenges :0)

Quilty, scrappy hugs to all,

Anne

No more to be said.....

2012-01-24T09:18:00.002+10:30

the really, really first....

2012-01-24T08:25:00.001+10:30

Found this little treasure while emptying boxes. The stitches are beginning to fall out now, but I made this for one of my very first sewing projects at about age 9. Amazingly enough I still have it, lol.

First finish for 2012

2012-01-23T09:50:00.002+10:30

First up I need to say that this is not only a first finish for this year, but it is also the first time that I have ever done a longstitch project......and it is probably the last!! My eldest dd (who is now 27) wanted this as her first venture into crafty stuff when she was about 8 or 9. She tried very hard and did well - she managed to stitch the gorilla, before she gave up. Unfortunately, the poor girl couldn't stand the feel of wool. So, the kit went away for a while.........a very long while, until her younger sister had a go at doing it. She managed to get some of the sky, tree and the parrots head done before she just plain got bored with it, lol. I also brought it out about 15 years ago and did some more before getting distracted by other things.

I rediscovered it again last week and decided that its time had come and I was just going to do the thing to get it done. Can't say I like doing longstitch - too coarse and messy for me, but in the end I do like the end result and it is a lot quicker to do than x-stitch, lol.. Just need to get it framed now and off to dd, who actually won't be able to take it for a while after all that as she is moving interstate again to study to be a paramedic - her long time dream.

The reason that the above kit was rediscovered is that we have been dragging all of our stored belongings out of our very crowded and messy shed. I have moved my sewing room again as we now have a whole big room that is free and I again have my own space - so happy :0). My camera lies though as I've only shown one half of the room and that is the side that I've mostly finished, lol.

The artwork on the left is curtesy of my 15yo dd who is very prolific artist and writer. My youngest dd is getting interested in woodcarving and burning pictures onto wood, so at least we are all varied in our skills, lol.

The following book is one that I need to read and reread many times to keep reminding myself to keep control of all the stuff that tends to accumulate.

One more week of summer holidays and schoolwork begins again. That means I have a week of planning ahead of me.

Until next time, hugs and blessings to all

Anne.

Where I have and have not been.........

2012-01-10T09:32:00.000+10:30

Not my original work - no idea of source.......from an email sent by a friend...........enjoy

WHERE I HAVE AND HAVE NOT BEEN

I have been in many places, but I've never been in Cahoots. Apparently, you can't go alone. You have to be in Cahoots with someone.

I've also never been in Cognito. I hear no one recognizes you there. I have, however, been in Sane. They don't have an airport; you have to be driven there. I have made several trips there, thanks to my friends, family and work.

I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump, and I'm not too much on physical activity anymore.

I have also been in Doubt. That is a sad place to go, and I try not to visit there too often. I've been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to stand firm.

Sometimes I'm in Capable, and I go there more often as I'm getting older. One of my favorite places to be is in Suspense! It really gets the adrenalin flowing and pumps up the old heart! At my age I need all the stimuli I can get!

But one place I don’t ever want to be is in Continent.

Stash Goodies

2012-01-09T21:33:00.001+10:30

One of my dd's gave me a voucher for Christmas, so I went and bought this:-

Good Fortune jelly roll and fat eighths by Moda.

Then I went and bought these....just because :0)

Hoping to have some socks by winter......if I can get the frogs finished, haha.

Frogs, Pots and Floors

2012-01-09T15:51:00.002+10:30

I am determined to get these frogs finished before the end of January. Then I will permit myself to do something else ......like make some quilts among other things, lol. I have about one third to go and it's a bit inconvenient, but one of my dd's accidently knocked over my lamp that I use to work by at night time. It broke of course, so now will have to do my stitching during daylight hours. Might have to start knitting socks with the new yarn I bought the other day, just to keep me busy in the evening, :0) . The end of these frogs is definitely an end of the rainbow experience, lol.

This is my new best friend. Got it for Christmas as an emergency answer to a broken oven. Seems to be the pattern of things lately - broken car, broken oven, broken light.......

Have found all sorts of differing opinions on these things, but so far this turbo oven thing has been a wonderful treasure and saved our Christmas dinner beautifully. Love it. :0)

Now last but not least - my very artistic children have decorated the floor in our front bedroom with some very "interesting" art work. One day long after we have moved from here, some poor unsuspecting person will find this floor and groan at all the graffiti that's been put over the lovely wooden floor. Won't worry us though - new floor going in on Thursday, yippee!!! Can't wait, 'cos then we can start putting our extremely messy house back in order. Finishing my and dh's bedroom will start off a whole domino effect for the rest of the house and nothing can happen until the bedroom is done. Bring it on!!

What's Inside the Cracker??

2012-01-09T15:50:00.002+10:30

Well, I'm a few days late, but finally here are all the goodies that were waiting for me inside the very pretty cracker that Gayle sent me. It was all wrapped up in the pink cat material at the top and just inside that was the beautifully embroidered hand towel. The 2 sachets have ribbon and buttons in them and I really love the mouse pincushion. Add to all that the stocking ornament, cute elephant scissors keeper and needle book plus tissue holder and extra fabric pieces - well, it's all just wonderful and I'm feeling spoilt. Big thank you hug to Gayle :0) .

2012-01-06T18:58:00.004+10:30

I seem to be a bit stuck on mice lately. This is the mugrug that I sent to Gayle for the cracker swap that Lisa hosted over Christmas and New Year. I received a lovely cracker full of goodies from Gayle and in all the rush of going out somewhere, trying to muddle around in renovation / redecoration mode, I forgot to take a photo of the cracker in all it's original prettiness before I opened it, sigh. Will post more pics tomorrow.

My latest crafty type efforts are all being directed into cross stitching frogs for my eldest dd. It was begun 2 years ago and I am determined to get it finished before the end of January. Have passed the halfway mark, and I am seeing a lot of progress. I am looking forward to returning to patchwork and quilting though as so much more gets achieved in the same amount of time. Keep on stitching.........

Hugs and blessings,

Anne

Just a Touch of Weirdness.......

2011-12-28T06:04:00.000+10:30

Well if we can't get to have a new house, it's time to call in the house elves to make the one we have new instead!

The problem is that this elf in particular does tend to make a mess!!

Hopefully we will get our house back in order soon. Have dismantled an entire bedroom including a floor to ceiling built in robe - it will be put back in - so we can paint and put in new flooring.

Lots of changes and bringing in all of our ~~junk / stuff~~ treasures from storage. Fun, Fun, Fun!!

Hugs and Blessings

Anne

Sparkly trees and sparkly seas

2011-12-18T12:39:00.000+10:30

The tree is blinging in the corner. Filled to overflowing with the love and laughter of little children now grown.

Beautiful sunshine sand and sea - a day filled with friendship, laughter and a touch of reminiscing. Major achievement of the day - I did not get sunburnt Yay..... I behaved and ~~looked like an old granny~~ put on my cover up shirt, sunscreen and hat (think walking mushroom,LOL).

No interesting stitching happening now - came to a grinding halt while recouperating from some delightful viral bug that decided to pay me a visit and linger for a while. However in a very ~~obsessive compulsive~~ diligent and organisy moment (hundreds of them) I have managed to put all of my craft magazines into date order and write an index of things that I would like to do out of each one. I aim to begin this (please no laughter) early in the new year and perhaps move said magazines off to new homes as they are finished with. I think I will have to keep sewing until I am at least 100 years old, but that's ok. I have at least achieved something this last week even if it was only paper cuts and a blister on my thumb from writing so much, lol.

Give Away

2011-12-18T12:18:00.002+10:30

Sue Daly is having a give away of a copy of her new book "New English Paper Piecing" The book looks wonderful - go check out her blog through the link.

Mice and Crackers

2011-12-14T17:13:00.000+10:30

This mugrug was made for a friend in the US who loves purple and drinks tea. The pattern is from here

and this is about all I am able to show of a cracker sent to Gayle who is my partner in a cracker swap hosted by Lisa

That's all!

Hugs and blessings,

Anne

Reflections of a year...me being philosophical :0)

2011-12-14T16:48:00.001+10:30

Don't usually do these things - often they wind up being a bit negative. So 2011 has definitely had it's share of challenges for me and has also ended on a very sad note with the loss of my father in November. Beginning the year with my 3rd venture into surgery in 4 years, and losing more body bits was a bit of an unpleasant surprise to me, but I very quickly recovered and moved on to the excitement of potentially selling our house and moving.

That adventure never quite went anywhere, as we hit the market just as real estate sales and prices plummeted. Our excitement slowly dissolved into the hard realisation that we were not going to be moving any time soon. We have taken our house off the market this week and are reassessing our goals for remaining where we are. This decision is filled with a hefty dose of relief mixed with a dash of uncertainty, but at least we know what we are dealing with. We actually like our house and are quite happy to stay - the thought of moving 30 years worth of treasures is enough to make anyone feel faint - I feel a session of decluttering coming on.

Since August when my father moved in to our house, the emotional roller coaster ride has been enormous - he brought a whole new perspective to our lives and I have to say that the joys and sorrows that came with caring for him were more intense than anything I have shared with anyone in my life time. During that time, many people told me I was doing a wonderful thing caring for my Dad, and that it must be so hard, but I didn't ever see it like that. I think to care for another human being at that level is a very rare privilege that goes beyond "hard" or "easy". It reaches to a point of total giving of self and having another person laying their trust in you at a very deep level - it is something that is almost raw in that the shields and barriers are stripped out of necessity and the difficulty of the task of looking after another person at this level goes way beyond duty and functionality - in my experience it became a reality of real love for my parent at a level not experienced before - with a knowing that he became totally dependant on me to make sure he was treated right and kept safe whether at home or at the hospital.

Difficult to articulate, but I guess looking after Dad until he died has had a very profound effect on me that I did not expect but will hold onto. Grieving is common to all of us at some level and this is my 3rd journey through it at this end of the year. It's a little surreal seeing the Christmas cards mixed with the sympathy cards. I kept having to remove the sympathy cards for the open inspections and found that in itself very difficult, but managed to deal with it. I've had my time of collapsing in a heap, and I guess there will be more of that at times, but I am at peace with the world and ready to move on with no regrets.

This past ~~year~~ decade has been difficult to live through and I don't know if next year will be any better. All I know is that there will be new challenges, hopefully more good than bad, but whatever they turn out to be I aim to strive to meet them in the best way I can. My first challenge for 2012 will be to find a new car to replace my lovely, reliable Mazda that my son managed to write off last week by running into the back of a van. I am thankful nobody was hurt and well, hey it's exciting to get a new car. At the end of everything I will continue to hold firm to my faith in Christ who keeps my world together even when I think it's falling apart. It's good to know that I don't have to be in control all the time.

Romans Chapter 8.

Here ends my ramblings and I promise that soon I'll get back to getting some stitching, patchworking and other such things back onto this blog instead of boring the socks off anyone who drops by and manages to read my drivell :0). It's all part of my grieving process.......and well, it's my blog .

Not Christmas yet........

2011-12-08T21:14:00.001+10:30

Busy sewing, busy creating..............no photos to share because......shhh! It's all secret stuff and we never know who might be peaking.

Oh alright........just one picture.........

or two....play spot the Lorikeet.....

My version of a partridge in a pear tree since I haven't even started to put up any Christmas decorations yet. So here we have a lorikeet perched on a gone to seed lettuce.......doesn't have quite the same poetry as the partridge, but at least it's local :0). Photos are long distance through a window, so a tad blurry. Shame about the messy garden :0)

Will get back to quilting and stitching pictures soon. In the meantime, I am a little sad again as my son ran into the back of a van and wrote my car off. Nobody was hurt and that's a good thing - will continue on the positive. If I don't have a car, maybe I can get fitter........

Live, laugh, love and learn,

Anne

Sneak Peak

2011-11-30T19:32:00.001+10:30

I've finished this, but can't show it yet as it is being sent away as a gift. Stitching is wonderful therapy for getting back into "normality"

Just checking to see

2011-11-29T13:09:00.001+10:30

.....if any body is out there today........lol. :0)

Socks!!

2011-11-28T08:13:00.001+10:30

These socks just make me smile. Bit weird I know but just watching these amazing patterns and stripes appear was totally gigglifying (new word for the day).

My first ever attempt at socks and my first finish for OPAM in several months - so exciting :0)

To my Dad with love....

2011-11-26T19:51:00.001+10:30

My dear Dad lost his battle with leukaemia on the 17th November 2011. He and I shared many treasured moments since August 20th when he came to live with me so I could care for him. Our time wasn't anywhere near as long as we had hoped, but he is now at rest with my mum who passed away in November 2006. This post is a tribute to my parents. Rest in peace in God's care.

Dad as a young man in the RAAF in 1946.

Mum and Dad in happier days 1989

Dad with 3 week old great grand daughter - 6 weeks ago

A man well loved by many and very sadly missed. His funeral was yesterday with full military honours.

I'm back .....at least for a while

2011-09-07T17:24:00.000+09:30

Here is a photo of my wonderful Dad enjoying some early spring sunshine. He is now in hospital and improving daily, but after many tests and investigations for the past week we are all still waiting for the final diagnosis. The doctors and nurses have been wonderful and very thorough. Dad has loved telling all the staff about his hat that he is wearing as it was the last one that Mum knitted for him from wool that she had spun herself.

Two days ago I found this package that I had almost forgotten that I'd ordered with all the rush trips to hospital and ambulance rides, etc. It was a lovely surprise to find it. The funny thing was that I thought it was a package for my sister who is staying with me, so I ignored it for about a day. I didn't even get to open it first but was very excited when I found out what it was :0).

The fabric is from the US and my very first time to order fabric online. It is from a range called Merlin from here.

I'm attempting to do small amounts of stitching here and there as time allows and have started another quilt, so hopefully that will provide a calming influence when things go awry as they tend to do.

In the meantime spring is happening here and the flowers are blooming. Hope you are enjoying whatever season you are in and happy crafting.

Hugs and blessings,

Anne

Taking A Break

2011-08-23T14:47:00.000+09:30

Not that this matters much out there in cyberland, but I'm taking a break from blogland. It seems that I'm not superwoman after all and real life just steps in and has to be dealt with sometimes. My Dad has just moved in with my family and we are still trying to sell our house and move. My sewing machine repair man is doing interesting things like replacing all of my sewing machine feet with some one else's and none of them fit my machine..........so after spending LOTS on getting a circuit board on my machine fixed, I had to take it back to get the feet thing sorted.

Now I'll leave on a light hearted note with the promise of spring in the air and a new friend that I've just finished stitching - one day he will be part of a quilt but it may take a while.

All the best and may you see blessings in all the little things.

Cheers and farewell,

Anne

OPAM Surprise

2011-07-24T19:23:00.000+09:30

Yippee - I was a winner for OPAM last month and the postman delivered this from Kris of Tag Along Teddies. My first blog win and here are the goodies all wrapped in spots.

Yummy "Countdown to Christmas" charm squares, a pattern and notepad. Now just have to decide what to make............

'Til next time,

Anne

Some July finishes and playtime

2011-07-11T18:44:00.000+09:30

This is the second lot of luggage tags that I've made, but forgot to take pics of the first lot before giving them away. These were made for my sister, who had her birthday earlier this week and as she was visiting from interstate, I was able to deliver them to her instead of posting - much better. She thought they were great :0) .

The backs to both tags were very similar with a piece of clear vinyl sewn on to hold a name tag.

The wallet is for Miss 14. She loves red, orange and lime green. It will be a surprise for her when she gets home from a 4 day camp tomorrow. The green strip and red spotty tab are part of a coin purse closed by a full length velcro strip.

Used some old fashioned press studs with star buttons to hide all my untidy stitching. It's wonderful to use up my stash of these goodies inherited from my mum, but next time, I think I'll invest in some magnetic closures. Here is the inside.

Now for my play time project. It's been very "interesting" using my Singer machine while my Pfaff is in for some major repairs - the tension decides to jump out of sync at the most inopportune times. In spite of that little challenge however, it is not a bad little machine and is keeping up with some fairly intense work. I managed to get brave enough to try out some real free motion quilting with it - my very first proper time doing this - and was very impressed. I was calling this my "ugly" block, but my sister who used to do lots of quilting was suitably impressed with my humble efforts, so perhaps I'm being too hard on myself. The patches block below was made from scrap fleecy fabric that I've had piled up for years. Pieces of fabric too big to throw out and too small to be really useful, so I chopped it all into squares - not very accurately and discovered that rotary blades do not like fleecy stuff.

Had an "aha' moment as well when showing this off as I was saying how tricky it was doing fmq with having to stop and start to remove the pins all the time. My sister looked at me a bit astonished and asked me why didn't I just use a frame..................ohhhh, a frame.........what a novel idea, hehe.

Well, learning is an ongoing process isn't it?? Next time, which might be very soon, I will have to dig out a frame and see how I go with that. Amazing stuff!

Eventually this will be another qayg project. I'd better square that block up a bit though - got too excited about the fmq, lol. Lots of junk fabric being used up here, totally no rules followed at all. Love the experimental processes.

Cheers, Anne

Some unquilty finishes, additions and a disaster.

2011-06-21T11:26:00.000+09:30

Well winter is definitely making its presence felt and our dog, Buttons kept shivering, so I finally got around to finishing a coat for her. Here she is being the perfect "princess" model.

When other family members began complaining about their cold toes, these fuzzy slippers in their half finished state made their way to the sewing machine and ....tada.......warm feet! Not classy but definitely cozy.

More frenzied sewing in an attempt to recreate Italian peasant girls for an international day that our homeschool group had last week. It was a lot of fun and by the time I'd finished with them, my daughters looked like their Nonna, except she never used to dress quite so brightly.

All of the above projects were completed on this newcomer to my household.

It was meant to be a spare machine for my kids to learn basics on and to be able to sew even when I was using my machine. Well, disaster struck and when I turned my old friend, a Pfaff 1471, on a couple of weeks ago, there was no response to be had. No welcoming lights came on, all was dark and dismal. Had to rush it off to the emergency dept to find out if there was any hope of restoration. Just got the phone call this morning and the news is that yes it can be fixed...........for about $500.00 for a new circuit board, 'cos all of the electronic system is completely toast.

I can get a new Pfaff quilt Expression for $2500, but the timing is just not good. We are still trying to sell our house and until that happens I guess no new sewing machine for me. The Singer is ok, and sews quite well, but I am really missing my Pfaff. Not to worry, at least it's a sewing machine that needs urgent fixing and not me or one of the family. Makes a change, although I did spend $400.00 on a new motor for the Pfaff last year and really don't want to spend any more on it now.

To finish on a brighter note, I was given these little treasures for inspiration for Mother's Day in May. Love these books! I am enjoying reading about all the different ideas in them and I'm getting a bit more enthusiastic about trying out free motion quilting, although not sure that I will cope with that on the Singer. That may have to wait until I manage to find a replacement. I guess I had better begin researching sewing machines again, went through this last year.

Hugs and cheers,

Anne

My happy 30th wedding anniversary (20/6/1981)

2011-06-07T21:34:00.000+09:30

I bought the pattern for this from Jodie of Ricrac quite a while ago and finally got to use it. Some friends and I got together and threw a surprise 50th birthday teaparty for another of our friends and this cup and saucer seemed to fit the occasion perfectly.

Of course no one is going to notice the slightly wonky and wrinkled appearance of my version. The picture on the pattern looked so smooth......hmmm, perhaps more practice.

It doesn't help when the last bits of the cup were sewn up minus my specs which got left behind in my great rush to leave home, so had to sew by feel not sight. This was finished about 5 minutes before the guest of honour arrived. Might have to get around to making more of these - maybe fill them with ferrero roche chocs, now there's some inspiration.

Smiles and blessings,

Anne

Life has a habit........

2011-04-20T11:47:00.000+09:30

I had high hopes at the beginning of this month to spend lots of time sewing and playing with fabric, but things went pear-shaped very quickly, so thought I'd throw in some photos of past achievements and just go with the flow. Below is a wall quilt designed and made by me and one of my sisters for our parents' 4oth wedding anniversary way back in 1988. We designed it to show the highlights of their lives at least as we saw it anyway. It's been hanging in their home, then in my father's unit until last week and now I am looking after it - more on that later. These photos have been scanned in from non digital photos so the quality is probably not the best, but the general idea is there.

The next photo is of my 4th child when she was 3 and was taken on the day she and her younger sister were baptised. We had gone to a park afterwards and this little girl (who is now 14 and a half) spent the whole time we were there just running all over and swirling her dress around. She is still very energetic and still loves to run. She loved this dress and I put away my initial plan of treating it as something that was too precious for use and let her wear it as long as it fitted her - something even more precious was gained in doing that. It finally wore out and I've saved the smocking and some of the lace inserts plus the good pieces of material to put in a quilt for her one day.

I'm not even sure I'm going to achieve anything in the physical sense by the end of this month, but that's ok. I've only just returned home from spending about a week and a half with my Dad who has been very ill and had 4 hospital admissions in that time. My sister and I were able to take time out of our own lives and stay close to him and also go through many memories while we cleaned out Dad's unit and organised a place in a nursing home for him. I went with him to his new home last Monday and thankfully his health has improved dramatically and he seems to be settling in very well. He is still a very independent man, but his physical body is becoming more frail - at 84, he is doing alright. I am recovering from my time away although it was physically and emotionally exhausting, now it's time for me to have some R&R.

Of course my own family's life did not stop in my absence and yesterday I had my youngest daughter, who is 12, up to the A&E dept of the local hospital and discovered that she has a broken toe. She kicked it accidentally against the wooden bit under of one of our chairs as she was walking past while I was away with Dad on Monday. Things can only improve :0) , now if we could just sell this house............

Moving on, can't keep a good woman down, looking forward to a more sedate life for a while.

Hope you all have many blessings this Easter, I may not be on here for a while, but who knows.

Anne

Teapots, memories and a finish

2011-03-21T14:26:00.000+10:30

The original plan for this wall hanging was that it was to be a gift for my mother when she went into an aged care facility in late 2003. Well, considering she passed away in 2006, I've decided that it is now dedicated to her memory in honour of her being one of those ladies who was always ready with a pot of tea and a plate of delicious goodies whenever anyone dropped by, whether expected or not.

I definitely need practice with quilting anything beyond straight lines and this is my first ever attempt at curvy lines with my machine. I wasn't game enough, or anywhere near ready, to try free motion quilting so the quilted lines on the panel are just a tad wonky - oh well just fits in with life really :0). I am debating whether or not to hand quilt some cups or butterflies around the borders - another skill that I am not proficient at - practice, practice, practice and a hefty dose of courage .

May your teapot enjoy the occasional day off with the butterflies and an odd fairy (I outlined one on the background fabric, just above the bee, in sparkly thread).

Anne

Just Playing

2011-03-14T21:04:00.000+10:30

Double Crazies

I'm stitching this for Miss 26 and labour of love though it is, it may drive me to insanity very soon. I have discovered that I can no longer count, am definitely going blind and have found many ways to unpick x-stitch.

Onward, deep breath, count, check, count again, stitch, stitch, stitch, check, grrr ##%$#!^#%!!, unpick, unpick, repeat process........aaaahhhh......sod it, time for a break. Can't believe I used to do this on fine count linen......Is dementia setting in already, may it not be so. I can do this, I can do this.....

Now on to more relaxing things in a pleasantly crazy way - have discovered crazy patchwork. Oh the joy and bliss of chucking out all the rules and not having to count a single thread or square. I'm so happy that I have not lost the ability to accurately measure a block.

These are a bit rough as I've got my "L" plates on and doing whatever with my scaps including some ridiculously small bits. I will probably embellish with stitching and bits & bobs, then try "quilt as you go" to make a queen size quilt out of whatever turns up. I feel another adventure coming along. The frogs will wait for another day when my sanity returns and I convince myself that I really still can count.

Happy stitching,

Anne

February Finish: Little House

2011-02-22T09:26:00.000+10:30

I wonder if sewing under the influence of drugs (SUID) should become a recognised acronym? One of my grandnieces turned 2 last weekend and I decided to make her a little toy house, but life got in the way of production and it had to wait until yesterday. This is the result. It didn't quite turn out exactly as I imagined it would, so my excuse is that the wonkiness reflects my drug dazed (pain relief post op - not on hard drugs yet!) state of mind.

One of my little kitchen cows discovered the house while I was getting it ready for taking photos and wanted to take up residence. She was very disappointed when the house disappeared out the door a few minutes later with my sister. Maybe I'll just have to make some more without the drug haze. Hmmm, maybe next week, time for a snooze.

Cheers,

Anne

Of trials and tribulations

2011-02-20T13:36:00.001+10:30

Well, what an interesting week last week was! Started off relatively normally and ended definitely not within usual routines with me in hospital on Friday having a misbehaving gall bladder being removed - just had to add some excitement to my life. Also had a lump cut out of my tongue on Wednesday as well, for good measure. Thought I'd put a token hospital picture in.

Came home this morning and am so happy to be able to eat normal food instead of chicken water and jelly - not fun!!

Enough of that and on to more enjoyable matters. My sister gave this ufo to me last week to do whatever I want with. She had started making this quilt for her son when Hayleys Comet was around, can't remember when that was. It is all hand pieced with papers. I've never done anything like it before but will have a play with it see what I can do. I may end up finishing with machine piecing though.

And finally here are some fat quarters that I bought on my trip to Victoria. I wanted materials that reflected the sort of country that we were in which was where the forest met the sea.

Haven't managed to finish any of my projects so far this month yet for the OPAM, but hopefully now that ferral body bits have been removed and I am in recuperation mode I might be able to get some things done in between the pain drugs and resting :0).

Happy stitching,

Anne

Adventure in a Rain Forest

2011-02-06T20:17:00.000+10:30

Not a crafty post, but a few pics from our trip to the Otway Ranges in Victoria to visit my eldest daughter who works as a guide on the flying fox or zipline at the Otway Fly, where there is also a treetop walk in the canopy of the rainforest and several other walking tracks at ground level. Here is a rare photo of me taming the dinosaurs.

Introducing daughter number 1 all dressed up in her zipline guide gear - the sunshade thing is particularly fashionable, but at least it helps keep the sun at bay. If you don't know what a drop bear is well then you just need to be extra wary and careful :0).

Here is a very (un)flattering photo of me with my girls. Just love those orange helmets which unfortunately clash with my colouring. Would have preferred blue, but that colour is reserved for the guides. We are about halfway through a two and a half hour run through on the ziplines which average about 25 metres above the ground. From L - R , daughter no 1, daughter no 2, me, daughter no 4 and daughter no 3.

Just to give you an idea of what it looked like, here is daughter No 1 showing us how to do it. She was flipping upside down and doing all sorts of interesting antics that I definitely was not about to do.

This is a king parrot who was sitting just above us on the pergola rafters at daughters house. Very friendly and lots of friends in the trees.

All that activity deserved something delicious to finish off (actually it was the next day) and we found a "pick your own berry" farm where they served us delicious scones with home made jam and thick cream as well as this wonderful sorbet. Yum. We decided that it was too hot to go picking berries.

I was going to end this on something quilty, but the cord to connect the camera to the computer seems to have gone walkabout - blame the big clean up for the open inspection we had for our house yesterday. Anyway while we were away I bought 4 fat quarters that are very pretty even though I can't show you. I wanted something to remind me of the trip reflecting the area where the forest meets the sea. I'll post it later when the cord finally shows itself again.

Blessings to all,

Anne

New year and a new beginning

2011-01-26T15:37:00.002+10:30

I'm back in the land of blogs again, hopefully to be a bit more productive this year. Last year was productive in terms of getting a house ready to sell, but as far as my quilting / sewing / craft creativity things were very slow and not at all exciting. However, house is now on the market and we are hoping (doesn't everyone?) for a quick and successful sale and we are taking a second look at a house that we want to buy this afternoon. I'm trying to stay as unexcited by all this as Mr Invincible (ie non emotional, very task oriented husband) and succeeding on the outside, but the mind betrays me occasionally :0). We've lived in our house for 30 years so this is a big deal for us.

On to things creative and crafty. I got back into the swing of things in October and finished my signature birthday quilt from 2 years ago and here are some photos of it finally. This is the front.

and the back that has all the signatures on it....even if you can't see them in the photo.

Here are 2 squares signed by 2 of my daughters.

Now to other things. I made the following wall quilt for my frog loving daughter for Christmas 2010. Another long time to finish as I bought the kit 3 years ago and freaked out a bit when I first opened it. Since then I've had a bit more experience and it was really quite easy after all.

Last of all is this cushion that I finally got finished yesterday..........10 years (!!!!) after buying the kit.

I used to smock a lot, but have decided that patchwork and quilting is taking over. However, I'm exploring some ideas combining the two some day soon perhaps.

Since I've just joined Peg and Kris's OPAM for 2011 (see side bar) I'd better keep up with clearing out my mountain of wip's and get them done. Hmm, some of those things in that cupboard of mine have been in there for about 20 years, gasp.

To all fellow Aussies hope you had a wonderful Australia Day.

Cheers,

Anne

Snuggling babies

2010-05-19T17:47:00.000+09:30

Meet baby wombat Beth

and baby wombat Pete

They are both totally gorgeous and about 6 months old. I had about a week of looking after some grown up native animals while their carers had a well earned holiday. These little cuties went off somewhere else though - bit too much wombat care for me to take on.

Returning to the land of blog

2010-05-19T16:38:00.000+09:30

Life is always an adventure. I'm off the psychology track now and have become a university drop out. My faithful old Pfaff died, sniff, and we are about to sell our house after living here for almost 30 years. So many new and exciting beginnings. Oh and our fluffy canine princess is about to be whisked off to Victoria by my eldest daughter, so we'll be dogless after 7 years.

I have been given the go ahead to buy a new sewing machine after we sell the house. Now the delicious task of choosing. I've narrowed it down to either another Pfaff - the quilt expression 4.0, which I have to admit is my first preference, or the Bernina aurora 440 QE. Very much looking forward to a new machine to play with, even though I was very sad to say goodbye to my old machine that has been wonderful for 27 years.

No pictures this time, hopefully next time.

Cheers and hugs,

Anne

The time has come.......

2010-02-05T16:21:00.002+10:30

to say farewell.

I'm about to hit the books again to continue a Psychology degree - second year this year after taking last year off. It's been fun, but won't have much time to keep up with a blog now, so happy stitching to all and may your stash never run out.

Happy blogging and God bless all,

Anne

Ahoy me hearties, Aarrgh!

2010-01-21T12:45:00.003+10:30

In the first week of January, two of my daughters turned into pirates and just had to have these to take with them on their Piratical camp. So for the weekend after Christmas and in between stitching butterflies and flowers, we had to put up with the scoundrelly behaviour of these 2 characters.

Shame the gold and jewells aren't real.......

Anne

I've Done It!!!

2010-01-21T11:52:00.005+10:30

As of 8:30pm last night I have officially completed my most ambitious quilting and patchwork project ever before attempted by me. It all began last January when out perusing quilt shops and Miss 23 spotted one of Leanne Beasly's Butterfly Garden quilts hanging on display. After "oohing and aahing" and recovering from BOM sticker price we went off to do other things. I began scheming though and after some consultation with higher powers decided to sign up for the BOM via The Patchwork Apple.

My first block arrived in February and I excitedly, but nervously began. I had to look up how to do needle turn applique online. I managed to get 3 blocks of nine squares completed by April, then had to take the next 3 or 4 months off for some very unexpected and scary abdo surgery. I sort of woke up in September and realised with a startled shock that the year had disappeared and nobody had told me.

Anyway from September until last night, almost every spare minute has been spent stitching and my fingers have developed some handy callouses. All was done in secret while daughter was at work, out or studying hard. It was meant to be finished by Christmas, but I missed that deadline by about 3 weeks. So here it is......ta da.....fanfare.....trumpet blast.....

I really enjoyed stitching these.

No garden is complete without spiderwebs and snails, so I just had to add these plus Miss 23 has a thing for snails - only the cute ones, no slimy snails allowed.

So I'm back in the land of the living for another 6 weeks and then I'll be burying myself in books when I return to my Psychology degree. I had to take 2009 off for recovery. I'm hoping to keep doing some quilting though just to give myself a break every now and then - it's my sanity saver :0).

Keep on stitching,

Anne

I'm still here....really I am.....

2009-11-17T20:19:00.004+10:30

Not sure that it's all that important to anyone else out there, but even though I seem to have fallen off the planet, I'm actually very busy stitching and stitching and stitching (absolutely no pictures allowed yet - big surprise Christmas present) in between running a homeschool conference, teaching my girls, taking short trips away and the usual things that require attention in life.

Today was a day of many experiences - strawberry picking at Beerenburg Farm in Hahndorf (Adelaide Hills), I'm sure that we ate far more than we eventually brought home.......yum!! Even more monumental is that my 26yo son sprouted wings and left home to forge his way in the world.

Took lots of photos today, but I haven't given up my old fashioned but favourite film camera yet so can't even upload my close ups of those wonderful, huge, delicious, juicy, sweet, red strawberries. So you'll just have to make up your own pictures this time :0).

To those experiencing cooler climates, please throw some snow my way - it's going to be hot here for a while.

Hugs & Cheers,

Anne

Rainbows and Fabric

2009-09-27T18:15:00.002+09:30

Picture says it all.

Getting ready for next couple of projects.

'Til next time,

Anne

A new look sewing "room"

2009-09-23T16:39:00.002+09:30

My sewing cabinet is now also dressed. It got a bit jealous of all the attention I was giving to the Pfaff, so I thought I'd better do something rather than put up with hissy fits in the sewing area, which after all is my relaxation spot. So here it is all done up to match the machine.

The wooden shape on the window is a "girl' teapot made by my almost 13yo daughter when she was about 5 or 6 and I think the colours go very well with my new sewing room fashions.

This is the stitchery on the front of the cabinet cover. I adapted it from a pattern from Noelia's blog. I couldn't just stick to redwork though as I'm having a wonderful riotous colour party at the moment - does wonders for a 4 and a half month post operative body and soul.

These photos will just have to stick together because I can not get the cursor to go in between them no matter what I do, so will leave it before frustration takes over :0). I really have to get back to making a birthday quilt for Miss "almost 13". Another venture into a colourful world of greens and oranges and turtles coming up, with lots of spirals..........

'Til next time, many warm and colourful thoughts,

Anne

Challenge complete

2009-09-22T14:33:00.004+09:30

Sewing Machine Mat Challenge (Jenny of Elefantz)

One sewing machine mat is now completed - actually has been for a couple of weeks, but we used too much download time and so I had to wait a few days until I could download anything again. So here it is.

I've kept it basic as I didn't want any pockets hanging down .

It fits very nicely on my horn sewing cupboard and can stay put when (rare occasion these days) I actually put the machine away properly.

And finally, my Pfaff all snug in it's cover complete with "toe" warmer.

Now there is another element to all this that will just have to wait, because in all my eagerness to finish, I managed to sew a major part upside down. Decided not to illuminate my mistakes with pictures, so the final installment of my sewing machine "garments" will have to wait another day. Now on to several seams worth of unpicking, sigh!

'Til next time,

Anne

Another great give away

2009-09-05T19:35:00.003+09:30

Check out Missy Mack's give aways on her blog at http://missymack.blogspot.com/ . Know there's a way to just put the link to a name, but I remain clueless and airheaded. Anyway go visit Missy Mack and join in to celebrate her 100th post.

Cheers,

Anne

Dragons, Castles and Sewing Machines

2009-09-02T07:39:00.004+09:30

Ta Da!! After seeing all those wonderful creations inspired by Jenny of Elefantz, I just had to do this. Funny thing is that all through the challenge month I could not be bothered with anything, then last night it was all done in 2 hours. It isn't quite finished yet as I still have to tidy up the bottom edge.

I had every intention of making a sophisticated, pretty cover ...........but these fabrics threw themselves at me and I've come to the conclusion that I'm just really still a big kid. Can't pull off sophistication, so I'll stay with the quirky and slightly silly. Sort of stops me from taking life too seriously. This cover just makes me smile and that is a good thing.

I love the green dragon next to the castle.

The top and edges are made from a jellyroll in the Fresh range.

This cover is very simple and basic with no added embellishments. Another accomplishment achieved, but now I really should get back to the projects that definitely need some attention. Enough procrastination.

Cheers, Anne

Wriggly, Jiggly Spaghetti

2009-08-31T21:08:00.009+09:30

I've wanted one of these gadgets for 25 years and 2 weeks ago I decided that the time had come.

Making pasta has become a family affair - everyone wants a turn at squidging the dough through the rollers.

Even better is when it squiggles through the spaghetti cutters.

And here it is drying.

It was all cooked up tonight and eaten with much appreciation - delicious. This is one gadget that won't be idle for long. Not quite quilting, but just as much fun :0).

Ciao and Bon Apetito

Anne

2009-08-31T20:08:00.007+09:30

I've finally found my way back here again. Have spent a whole month in contemplation of ideas and general nonproductivity, but the time has come for the creative juices to flow and the sewing machine to get some attention again. I had to start back with something small and not too overwhelming, so here are the latest achivements - covers for Miss 12's and Miss 11's school folders.

Each as a different pattern on front and back.

Eggletina and friends had to supervise the photography.

Just had to bring out a house again - still have several waiting for a useful purpose, so they may manage to jump into random projects - they refuse to just lie quietly in my bits and pieces box.

These were fun to make and only took a couple of hours. Great for inspiring me back to bigger things. Hopefully I can finish off a few things over the next few weeks. I've decided for now that things like a Psychology degree will have to be put on hold for a bit longer. Patchwork, quilting and stitcheries are much more soothing for the soul and so much more fun.

Cheers,

Anne

Aack! My quilt's gone "waffly"

2009-08-01T10:20:00.009+09:30

My lovely smooth house quilt has gone all waffly and wrinkly. The batting has also started coming through to the outside of the quilt in little tufty bits. The first time this was washed there were no problems, but second time round, supposedly with the same cycle, etc something went a bit haywire. The batting is machine washable wool / polyester blend and high quality, so I suppose I've done something silly along the way. My daughter who is the proud owner of this quilt told me not to worry as she thinks the wrinkly bits make it snugglier. I'm not too disappointed, but ......well.......a little tiny bit nonplussed and not any wiser yet.

Here's a close up of my disaster. I probably should have put more quilting around the houses, but in my moment of questionable wisdom, I chose to just quilt the outside of the house blocks. I also should have taken a picture as soon as it was finished and still in its pristine and pretty state. In perspective, I guess this is very minor in terms of the broader world out there, so I'm now officially over this little dilemma and ready for the next drama in life. :0)

On a totally different subject, we are experiencing an invasion of furry critters.

At least theyare not chewing anything except weeds - about all there is in our garden at the moment!

Now off to boost my confidence in attempting another quilt that hopefully won't shrivel up - Hmm, does this mean prewashing every bit of fabric and batting? Guess I'd better stop taking shortcuts in the wrong places. Maybe I'll stick to reading a book for a while longer...........plus a dose of chocolate to calm the nerves.......

Cheers,

Anne

Small Things

2009-07-18T19:59:00.005+09:30

This little wallet is all I've managed to get to for the last couple of weeks, but it's great to use when I don't want to carry a huge purse around. I made it from a pattern by Lazy Girl. The size of it is slightly larger than a credit card, so doesn't take up much space.

Now that all flu bugs and illnesses seem to have finally left this household, I may be able to get some more of the quilts that are in progress finished.

Not a very long post this time, as I'm reorganising our school space and books so all will be ready to begin teaching again on Monday. After a very disrupted beginning to this year, it's time to get back into my normal routine in everything.

Until next time,

Anne

Give Away to check out

2009-07-07T09:39:00.004+09:30

Karen from Karensquilting is giving away 2 quilting template sets on her blog. Go check it out and leave a comment on her blog to be in the draw. Click the title of this post to go to the link.

Hope the link etc works, my excuse is that I'm officially sick so have no functioning mind matter to speak of at least until next time.

Cheers,

Anne

Of fighting flu bugs and finishing a birthday quilt top

2009-07-04T12:53:00.004+09:30

Last year I decided that turning 50 deserved a small celebration, so asked friends and family to find a fat quarter of fabric that they liked so that I could make a birthday quilt that reflected different personalities. Today, 8 months later I have at last finished the top of this quilt. It has been an interesting journey making it and it has taken a life of it's own. I have made it up as I went along with no idea what the final outcome was going to be, but here it is and I'm very happy with the result.

I have signed calico squares bordered with fabric given by different people as well, which I'm still playing with. I was going to add them all as a final border to the front of the quilt, but I like it the way it is at the moment and am thinking that I might make them into the backing of the quilt.

I'm still suffering fog brain from fighting a flu bug for the last week, just when I thought I was completely recovered from my operation back in April. Now to stay healthy and continue on. I have loads of things to complete by the end of this year, so onward and upward. Think I've exerted myself enough for today.

Cheers,

Anne

Soap and revisiting "old friends"

2009-06-16T08:17:00.005+09:30

The last couple of weeks have been full of all sorts of good things like birthdays and a husband and daughter deeply entrenched in studying for uni exams, plus life in general. I've also been fairly focused on re-establishing some sort of order into the educational activities of my youngest 2 after the upheaval of the first half of this year.

After Miss 23 had finished all exams she brought out her lab coat and goggles and decided to be a chemist again and make some soap. All good fun and it worked. Had not been done in our house before, although we had thought and talked about doing this for a few years. So here is one bar out of 16, complete with snail stamp. Really snails are this girl's trade mark due to an unfortunate connection between her foot and a slimy offender when she was 3. Case of making a very strong negative into something a bit more easily dealt with - cute snails are ok.

Now on to another of my projects that I've recently dug out from the depths of my sewing cupboard. My old "friend" Miss Mouse. The first 3 blocks below were begun when Miss 23 was about 6 years old and I've dabbled a bit with them over the years, but probably got a bit overwhelmed at some stage with all the fiddly bits. The pattern is from Margaret Rolfe's book 'Quilts to Make for Children'.

My goal was to have had it all completed by Sunday so that I could present it to Miss 23 for her birthday, but I didn't quite make it. I got as far as cutting out the main pieces for the final 3 blocks and placing them on the background, however there is a whole lot more tiny bits to add, plus a fair amount of embroidery so I've changed the goal. It will be finished soon though - perhaps by the end of winter along with the house quilts and several other projects that have been accumulating.

These blocks are definitely within the realm of scrap quilting and applique. The material is all from dresses and other clothes that I used to make for my children. Back then I didn't believe in buying special fabric to make quilts. I think I've changed a little in that department, but improvisation is good and I hope the fabric in the end product will be ok and last a reasonable amount of time.

That's it from me, it's school time. Blessings to all,

Anne

Pyjama party

2009-06-08T21:37:00.006+09:30

Decided that I needed a break from houses, so spent all day yesterday sewing 4 pairs of pyjamas for my 2 girls. Some of the fabric was very fluffy so I had pink and blue fluffy bits all over me and the house by the time I'd finished. Girls are wearing a combo of all the different types of pj's that I managed to make. When they wear the full sets of the pink or blue pj's they remind me of wombles or muppets.

My next piece of frivolity is a pj bag that I made for one of my older girls just for something silly to do - sort of reflects my quirky nature and the sorts of things I do when I need a relief from studying. I had to take a break this year to cope with medical issues, but in July will probably take up my Psychology degree again. Have to admit that it's been very tempting to just not go back to it, as quilting and patchwork etc is so much more fun. However, since I've done first year, I really should finish the thing and get the degree so I can use it.

The pj bag is sitting on the quilt that Miss 22 made last year.

One last thing is that my wonderful sister - blog name Ellice, has also just started a blog at http://sandragonsnest.blogspot.com/ . She would love some visitors to welcome her into her new adventure. I still haven't figured out how to do links with just a name and not the whole address thing.

Now I need to go and do some educating with some children.

Cheers and blessings,

Anne

Still 'building' houses

2009-06-06T18:46:00.008+09:30

Thank you for all the friendly welcomes and comments from visitors to my fledgling blog. I'm just resurfacing after about 3 days worth of birthday celebrations for my now 11 year old, including a sleepover and several get togethers with wonderful friends. I also had to take things a little more slowly when part of me objected to my crawling around the floor putting quilt layers together. The photo isn't the best, but here is the quilt as it is before quilting.

I've also managed to work on the first part of the wonky house swap blocks and this is the result so far. Just ignore the background, there weren't too many places to lay it out flat at the time. I've put different shaped and coloured buttons - hearts, flowers, birds and stars on the sashing between the blocks, but they're a bit hard to see in detail.

Now, I have to decide how big to make this quilt and I'm also playing around with what fabric to use next and whether to just add a border or other design features. I think I'll have to look at it and have some thinking time. In the meantime I have another 2 quilts on the go, some stitcheries from the Inspired Stitches weekend, and some smocking that will one day become part of a cushion (began about 15 years ago). Hoping to get most of these finished very soon.

That's it for now, happy stitching,

Anne

Playing house again

2009-06-02T18:46:00.003+09:30

Here are my lot of swap houses plus a few extras because these things went a bit feral and multiplied beyond the original plan.

I was going to put sashing in between each one, but I like them the way they look as they are. I put them out very randomly and managed to form a pattern without trying. Opinions are welcome if anybody happens to drop in. :0)

Until next time,

Anne

2009-05-31T13:45:00.004+09:30

After thinking for a very long time that blogging just wasn't for me, here I am diving in and setting up my own spot. Receiving my bundle of Happy Houses from the swap organised by Lurline at http://lurlineg.blogspot.com/ has probably been the deciding factor, so here I am hoping that I can figure all this out. The design bits are getting beyond me, but I'm sure it will get worked out eventually.

When my package of house blocks arrived, I pulled out all the houses that I'd made before, and laid all of them out on the lounge room floor to consider options. I was going to try and make one quilt, but decided that 2 quilts was the way to go. One is for my youngest daughter who is turning 11 next Thursday and I'm hoping to get at least the top completed by then. The only thing that may slow me down a bit is that 5 weeks ago I had some fairly major abdominal surgery, so after sewing all day yesterday, I'm not doing a thing today. Oh well, one step at a time. Here's a picture of what I've achieved so far.

I'll start working on the swap blocks once I've finished this quilt, in the meantime, I'm just exploring ideas while sitting in my recliner chair and building up for my next energy burst (gentle though these may be).

'Til next time,

Anne