On the Move…

alternatively titled: How to Make an Almighty Mess One Day Before Hosting the Ladies for a Night of Stitching…

This weekend my Pete bought a new TV. He has been angling for one for quite some time. Until now I had managed to distract him from the idea because I knew a new TV meant a new TV cabinet… and a new TV cabinet meant a shuffle of furniture…. and a shuffle of furniture meant that it would be even more obvious that WE HAVE TOO MUCH STUFF!

In this way my Pete and I are a very bad combination. I don’t like to spend money and make big changes to the status quo. The old TV still works, why would we even need a new one? My Pete loves to buy new stuff, but hates to get rid of old stuff. SO… he not only wants to get a new TV, but he still wants to keep the old one. His idea is that it can just fit into the studio – where I work and where I sew.

A compromise was sought. I would agree to making a purchase and the old TV in the studio IF he would agree to getting rid of an old wall unit and his old drawing board. These are both currently in the studio.

Don’t think this was an easy compromise. We both had to think long and hard about it, but he has agreed to this. Although, now I think I should have made him sign something official because he is still attempting to cram the drawing board into one corner of the room. His puppy dog eyes are working on Ashy and she thinks I’m being horrible to him by asking him to get rid of it. He last used it in 1996.

It. has. to. go!

Right now we are mid-re-organisation. Stuff is everywhere. Stuff is bagged and ready for the rubbish dump. Stuff is piled and ready to give away. Stuff is on top of other stuff waiting for empty drawers to be wiped and re-filled.

OH – and the ladies are coming over for stitching in just over five hours… sigh.

I just wish it was already finished.

Fifteen years…REALLY?

Tomorrow Pip, the ever grubby, will turn fifteen.

How on earth did that happen??? (the rapid passage of time, not the permanent ring of dirt left in the bath-tub)

Every day he finds new ways to make me proud.

(His school photo this year was taken before shave for a cure.)

One of the very nice benefits of keeping a blog over a number of years is watching his growth and change.

Blooming Quilt

Sometime ago I signed up to the Spring Blooms Mini-Quilt Swap organised by the good people at Quilting Bloggers. (See the link in my sidebar there?- – – >) I was provided with the name of another quilting blogger and the rules ask me to make a quilt for her. This week is the deadline for finishing and posting.

Here’s my contribution:

Pretty soon it will be on its way across the sea to a foreign country. Can’t tell you where it is going just yet, but I hope it pleases its new owner…

Unstoppable

When, oh when, will Pip’s feet reach their full size?

Four  months into the soccer season and he has grown out of his practically new boots.

When he started having to stand up and stomp his foot into his boots, and when they started to rub his toes and heels until they were bright red I realised that something must be done. My initial solution to the weekly blisters was to put bandaids into his soccer bag.  (I am a good mother, you see…)

Eventually it became obvious that nothing more could be done.

So this morning my Pete took him to the sports shop to purchase bigger boots.

The others will be added to the growing pile of shoes that are too small.

Unless you want them…

Edited to add: Pip scored a goal in the first game he ever played in his new boots. Perhaps the too-tight boots had been holding him back all this time. Sigh…

Procrastination

The lovely Miss Ashy is working her way through her first ever block of university exams. She had a week of study leave – we call it swot vac, now she has five exams over the next two weeks. It’s a heavy duty time in any young person’s life.

As is expected of all students on swot vac she is inventing new and creative ways to spend her time between bouts of studying.

Her clothing is now impeccably organised. Her bookshelf has been dusted and organised alphabetically by author name, within that by series, within that by title. She has done loads of washing, hung it out and brought it in to fold and distribute.

BEST of all…

she has baked and baked. Cakes and cupcakes have been our reward for her hard work.

Pip can’t even take the time to smile for a photo…

because he’s too busy stuffing them into his mouth.

Tiny Babies

Our Household is very excited over some recent arrivals.

Step into the backyard to see our…

brand new beans. They were just flowers at the start of the week and look at them now!

Tiny Roma tomatoes soaking up warmth and goodness from the midday winter sun.

A baby capsicum which looks suspiciously like a chilli.

And…

Just one snowpea which is practically fully grown and ready to pick. It will make one very, very small stir fry. By the time we each have a nibble it will be gone!

Just seven weeks since starting our vegetable patch we are beginning to see the fruits of our labours emerge.

Look, Miss Caroline…

it’s purple.

Today I bought myself something lovely.

Something I have wanted for a long time.

It’s a big, beautiful, heavy cast-iron casserole pot and it is purple.

It will hold six litres and weighs 6.4 kilograms when it’s empty.

Tonight we’ll have beef casserole and dumplings, but I’m going to make sure there’s enough for my lunch tomorrow too…

More Haste

My delay in writng this post is an indication that YET AGAIN I was rushing to meet a deadline. Nothing would ever be finished were it not for the last minute. This is a mantra that keeps me going.

I was making a quilt for publication in a magazine. I was incredibly fortunate and was provided with some fabric to make this quilt. I really enjoy trying to bring as many fabrics as possible into a quilt. I love a scrappy look.

I also really enjoyed the challenge of not having an influence over the fabric that I received.

I’d love to show you the quilt…

but it’s a secret.

I’ll give you a little sneaky look

but you can’t tell anyone.

OK?

Garden Haul

Four weeks ago I planted some little lettuce seedlings in my new vegetable patch. I have given them daily care, making certain there are no bugs or weeds. Offering water and seaweed fertiliser.

With lots of love and nurturing one of them has grown and flourished to look like this.

So… I pulled one out of the ground and put it on my turkey and cheese sandwich.

I feel so guilty for eating one of my babies…

Driving with Pip

Me: Hey, there’s a swan on the water there.

Pip: No, it’s a duck next to a stick.