A weekend of Wonder and the Flowing of Tears.

Last Saturday almost all my craft group The Cackle Club went to Sydney to the Quilt and Craft Fair in the city of Sydney at Darling harbour. One of the most beautiful places you could ever wish to see,right at the city centre on the harbour not far from the Opera House. Having said all that we did not see any of that as we were star gazing at the quilts.Amazing works were shown and some more works of art than sewing as the new thing is combining paint and thread,just amazing.

We had a long day leaving the country at 6am to arrive in the city at 10am and leaving at 4pm to get back at 8pm absolutely pooped but in a happy way.

The highlight for us was to meet Ella from Ella and Skysie the lady that we do a lot of our work from her patterens. She was delightful and we were like teenagers meeting a movie star, she is so talented and we do try to do her work justice.

from left to right Wendy, myself,Ella,Gloria,Karen,Edith(in blue) and Heather.

We shopped till we dropped although I did not buy much I just wanted to look at all the lovelies.I find my stash is so big I will never finish it all in my lifetime,so I just bought what I loved,( an apron with a crinolin lady to be embroidered, some vintage lace for when I ever go into a vintage swap lol) knew I would do and I am going to have a big clean out next weekend and share my goodies around to those who will use them,I think we all end up with piles that the family will sort out one day,Iwill just keep the things I really want as I have a full container of beautiful mohair as I make bears too but lately have not done any then there is the folk art things and then the quilting,gee we could have purchased another house lol not really but you know what I mean. I did take some pics of the quilts but they were taking so long to download today I gave up and settled for these 2.I will try to put the others on after the weekend .

Then at cackle Club today one of our girls Edith gave me a lovely rose gift bag, I was thinking she was donating something to me towards our next years seniors day as I collect for it all year. When I opened it there was a scarf towards next year and another lovely wrapped package,when I opened it she had made me a wool throw all wool embroidered. I had watched her do this for weeks many times saying I knew a lovely home for it,just joking. I was reduced to tears that someone would care so much for me to give me such a gift, I am a giver I do not often receive how blessed was I, howling like a baby and so lucky that I have found such friends with such beautiful hearts to share my Tuesdays with.Thank you Edith it will be Treasured for all time.I shall write of this day in my journal with pride.

Beads, Lace and Pearls makes a little lady

                                   This pic is not very clear so it is hard to see all the little pink beads etc,but I am sure you will get the idea.

This is one of the little brooches that I make.Every one is individual and such a joy to do. I am sorry that the pic does not do her justice ,I took several pics and Bob took 4 and this one was the best one.
These litttle ladies are made from vintage hankies that I collect from op shops, garage sales etc. they usually have little holes in the middle etc but the lace and corners are  intact and that is when a little lady is born, the beauty of them is that you can do it while watching TV or listening to music or just have some time to sit awhile and so something joyful.
The corner sections are what you need, cutting each corner about 2 or 21/2 inches so that you have lace on 2 sides(does that make sense lol) hope so,so what you have is a square that has 2 sides with lace.With the lace making a v shape iron the plain sides to meet the inside edge of the lace with a small hem folded under,make a small slit in the straight edge,this is where her head will go.Stitch the edge down along the lace edge.Gently with some filler and a crochet hook or a bobby pin, stuff the little triangle pillow you have now made till it is nice and full .
To make the head use some of the left over hanky fabric or any  similar fabric in white or cream I usually use another hanky(new even) and dip it in cold tea to colour lightly for a skin tone. To get the head I put my pointer finger on the fabric I have coloured and folded in 2 and draw around it and then cut out allowing for a little seam, as it is done by hand it can be whatever you are comfy with. when you have stitched around the head, stuff it with filler and then place it in the slit you left on the body and stitch it in.
Now you can have fun,you can do her hair with beads,anything pretty, my faces I do with fine point permanent marker in black and red for her lips. Then I put little beads, buttons whatever you feel like to make them look sweet,tiny bullion roses look lovely also,and stirngtiny pearl beads to make her a necklace.
On the back stitch a brooch catch and then she is done.

I also do a similar thing with round doilies to make lavendar ladies but with them you just fold a doily in half and stuff her with filler and lavender and do her head in the same manner(but much larger ),I usually only use damaged doilies and where their faults are do beading and different things and use buttons overlapping for their hair,I have given them all away at the moment so do not have a pic.
This is just a little poject that you can pick up and put down any time and they could even be used to decorate cards etc if you wanted.Just thought I would share with you.

O'h Peaceful Sleep Where Art Thou.

I have no pics today,just thoughts and obervations.It is winter here and we have not had many frosts yet but lovely cold crisp nights when you pull the lovely soft blankets and fluffy doonas up,we both share the love of cotton sheets all year round,so that when you get all warm you can sneak your foot over to a cold spot and quickly pull it back lol wondering "why did I do that"!.

 It  is 5am and I quietly paddle out as I am always first up for my quiet time before Mum and Bob surface, this is my Blog and business email time and that lovely first cuppa,it tastes so different to any other that you may have in a day.In our back room ,there in the corner is a glowing wood fire,the room is so cosy ,I am bare footed on slate floors,how blessed are we,to have a warm safe haven,I pray for those who are homeless or just cold for lack of heating.

I have a lovely friend that does volunteer work for me at our towns little op shop,she was telling me yesterday that last winter their gas heater got a leak,so her husband Frank threw it out,and did not replace it. So this year she has no heating,she has a hot shower and then races to her couch and wraps up in a quilt her daughter made her, these people are almost 70.He is a narky old fella and I was thinking of her today and was wondering if we are getting too soft as many years ago this is what it would be like for everyone!

As my day starts so does the worry of children. Why did they have to grow so fast, I needed more time to teach them life skills that I was still learning as they flew the coop lol.

When we wanted to start a family,we think of the lovely little baby not the soon to be adult.We have just 2 children and feel so blessed with them,but when they have their daily struggles you can't help but be concerned for them, even though you cannot fix everything you just wish you could.

I imagine that many of us have restless sleeps over our children and their children,being from a broken home myself all I ever wanted was for my two to have Mum and Dad for all their growing years and we have had a good strong marriage,(with hiccups on the way) but we are at the September of our lives and would not want to be anyewhere else.After talking with my DIL last night I thought I should come clean and say that it has not always been rosey as they all think it is and the bar they think they need to aspire to is very high.So warts and all we had a chat and now she knows that theirs is quite normal,same as for our daughter we had this chat some time ago as she was a little discontented.We are of a generation that when things got tough we dealt with it in the home and did not share,I would never had let my mum think I was anything but blissful, thank the Lord that our kids can ring up and have a grumble, I may not be able to fix things but I can always listen and give advice ONLY when I am asked.

I just wonderwhen will I stop worrying about them as it has been going on since the day they were born!! lol and when will I fall into bed into a wonderful peaceful slumber to awaken and it is morning Yayyy I had a great sleep!

Thanks for listening.

Well, I'll Be We Did It!!!

After about one month of investigating all the brands of breadmakers and asking opinions at last we purchased one and guess what!!!! the bread is not only gorgeous to look at but delightful to eat.

I have to thank Debbie for helping me decide as after reading lots of reviews we found that many people found that some brands left a lot of mix on the sides of the bowl,others did not brown the loaf,etc.

Debbie told me about her machine ,(thanks Deb)and we found that the machine we chose did it beautifully with lovely crusty outside and delicious inside. So thankyou Deb and now we are another step closer to being more "simple"lol.

We also did our first batch of soap today, and when my brother came for lunch he decided we are going "ferral".

I must say he is enjoying the fruits of our labour as we had devilled meatloaf and warm fresh bread(he asked for some to take home) and then he inspected our soap which is still setting so guess he may like some of that too.

We  are enjoying our adventures in starting everything from scratch,the down side is when I get all the makings of things out Bob is in the kitchen too!! lol he is loving it and we have found more things we can do to  together.

So with the home still smelling of fresh baked bread and lime scented soap I guess you could say we are feeling warm and fuzzy on this public holiday and still enough of the day left to wrap some birthday pressies for friends this week and do a little knitting and sewing. Bless you all.

Work...A Place to Rest the Soul.

( A Local B&B that I pass each day)

Some people wake up with dread that they have to face another day at work! For me the last 2 months have been a waiting game as I had to reapply for my contract for another 5 years,yesterday we heard we were sucessful so i am sharing part of my day with you.As a Rural mail contractor my job works so well with our lives,because I can take my Mum with me and I know she is safe and she just loves it,especially at lambing time and foal season as we live in a horse stud area.

On Monday, Wednesday and Fridays I am home by 1pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays I am home by 10am.

My day starts at 7am,I leave home get fuel in the car,go to the little op shop that I co ordinate do a check,see if the girls have left me any notes to take care of,then off to the pie shop to get 2 iced buns( for Mum and I to have on the way home from our 21/2 hour trip),then to the newsagent to collect the newspapers as I deliver the country people their paper as well as their mail,then to the post office to sort the mail.By 8.30 I am on my way.

(one of the many flooded areas at the moment,this is usually a little waterfall)

We see some amazing sights from beautiful Wedgetail Eagles hunting for food,gorgeous native parrots not to mention all the other animals and scenery.

We stopped so that William could look at this Echidna,the grandchildren love to come with me when they visit.

No mail for today for the four farms up this track, we have had amazing rain after drought time and they do not mind at all!!

The long and winding road this is 3 klms from my last stop of the day then we turn round and come all the way back(eating our buns lol)

There are always lots of kangaroos ,it is raining very heavy in this pic so it looks misty, they are such sticky beaks they stand and watch as we drive by,I have been lucky never to have hit one up to this point,we love seeing them and it is as if they are old friends,when their Joey's are big enough they come out of the pounch and check us out too.
Thank you for sharing my day.

 What a Wonderful World Full of Smiles.

To say that our Seniors country fair was a great day is an understatement,there were smiles all around all day long.

I am so proud of the school children and their patience and time they gave to our elderly.

All you could hear all day was chattering and laughter as they played games they had not played for years,knock em downs,skittles,so many things to do outdoors, inside they played trivia,had Chocolate wheel spins,bingo,hidden characters under their chairs too much to mention.

The King and Queen of Aberdeen were both shocked at being chosen and they were well deserved,

the Queen Joan White is 82 years young and still organises War Widow bus trips.The King also in that age group sings at our Anzac Day service,helps anyone he can, he is not in great health so he was really chuffed.

I do not have any really good pics yet( still  waiting for the kids to get them to me) but this is a front page of the school little newsletter that came out today.

Yes I am embarassed to say that is me in the lilac hat, sitting on one of the thrones with the headmaster john Tobin on the other as we were about to announce the king and Queen.Don't Tweedle dee and Tweedle Dum look wonderful a Mum made their outfits.The last pic is of the King and Queen with grins as wide as any ocean.

I found that there are so many kind people in this world,both young and aged,for a whole day I did not hear a strong word spoken, a sad or angry face and I thought " God is so good",he has made it possible for us to bring the generations together and the whole town together if it can be for a day why not all the time.BUT the world is moving at a fast pace and the days will go on and the pressures of life will sneak in,people will get impatient as they walk behind an aged person and can't get past so they will push and jostle,a hard of hearing oldie will try to hear what is being said and there will be sharp tongues as we repeat our words over and over,and then there is the same story told over and over ..and ...you know if we listen very carefully it will be something we not only need to hear but it is something that lovely older person needs to say.

In your everyday life STOP,LISTEN,MOVE SLOWLY,SMILE,GIVE OUR AGED FRIENDS SOME TIME,for when we were little children they did all of that for us.

Remember most of all we will be old one day and it is not that far away, I hope that someone will take the time for me.

God Bless our Seniors for they are us a generation on.

                                   Totally whacked but crickey its worth it!!!

140 showbags waiting to be given out to the elderly,containing info brochures,chocolates,chips,chemist sample bags and much more.

       Only 2 more sleeps until our annual Seniors country Fair.To say I am totally worn out is an understatement so much so I was in tears this morning. So overwhelmed by how much more there is to do.
Now it is evening and my partener in crime( another committee member,there are only 5 of us!) came to help me sort prizes so now it is all done.

140 Showbags are filled with goodies, prizes galore are wrapped and prettied up, the Golden Goose(a stuffed toy sitting on  20 plastic eggs all its little plastic eggs filled with wonderful surprises( vouchers, cash all sorts everything a pensioner is in need of) the chocolate wheel prizes are ready.Mind you my home is no longer my own but will be come Saturday.I go to all the local businesses and ask for donations for prizes,for the larger things.
All the other prizes are donated by our wonderful little township, it never ceases to amaze me and bring me to tears, in our 5th year people still surprise me, on Thursday Bob went out to get the paper and there on my verandah were 12 little packages in gold paper and red ribbon, no note (there are fairies in my garden I am sure) how amazing is that,I am in awe and so proud to be part of my little community.

Quilts are made by my little Cackle Club each year ,we give a lady and a gent one, we chose someone who is lonely or been ill or quietly goes around doing things for others without any fanfare,to see their face when their name is called out is pricelss.

So roll on Seniors Country fair day we are ready for you!!
We will have a wonderful day of spoiling our seniors in our town, the local high school cook a beautiful lunch and games abound,and it does not cost our lovelies a cent.

These are just some of the prizes, all donated and there are literally hundres of them,thank you Aberdeen you are wonderful.
I will try to get some pics of some happy faces on the day.
I am so lucky my husband supports and helps me,he drives a bus to collect those unable to drive and then takes them home at the end of the day layden with their prizes.
Bob and I are both of the age where we can attend our event and take part but it is too much fun doing it for others maybe in another 5 years we will sit and play!

Have a blessed couple of days,thanks for reading my meanderings.