Coopers family

Janet and Flloyd, sorry not an attractive shot Janet but wanted the folks to see gorgeous Flloyd, I do not have a pic of Cooper but no one could tell them apart other than Mum(Janet)I used to have to wait for certain behaviours so I could tell them,such as this one was the cranky one lol.

 As you read in my last blog Cooper passed away while having surgery for an obstructed bowl,and died under the operation.His family is distraught as it was so unexpected, they have told the family that it is from cooked bones,they have never ever been given cooked bones so it is a mystery,we will never know how he got them.
He came to be Janets and George's pet because their son owned them and the lease ran out on his flat and he could not find anywhere to live that he could have them,so they came to live with his parents.
These were bred for show dogs but unfortunately had a few mental probs,mostly from inter breeding I think, but with medication they became wonderful pets.
Cooper was the nicest nature although they were both magnificent dogs.
We have little wire fences in our street so you can actually see each others gardens and it is like one huge long yard,which meant that we all see each others pets and love them as our own.
Cooper and Flloyd always talk to us through the fence and Molly just loves them.

Flloyd waiting at the gate for us to come over for a pat.

We will miss Cooper dreadfully, their night homes are very near our chicken pen and when I would put the chickens out of a morning it was really funny walking by and hearing them dreaming and snoring.Today it was so quiet so obviously it was Coop that snored.
Flloyd looks so mournful today but at the same time seems to be liking not having to vie for attention.George dug a grave today, Bob will take Janet to collect Coopers body tomorrow and bring him home to be laid at rest in the garden.
Rest in peace Cooper and peace to you ,only 3 years old not old for a dog.The sad thing is they had 4 dogs and the old one is a little scruffy bitsa and she has just been given a few months to live,Janet said that will be easier to deal with as they expect it, not so with Coop,but I think they will be just as devistated as Josie is 13 years old.

                                            I am up to date Really!!!!I am




I am up to date with my bag making, however the one I did yesterday requires a nice cord and I will buy that on the weekend and it looks awful without it,I also have almost finished the tape measure cover to go with the tiny needle bag,next bag well I hope it was easier than yesterdays it was painful and took hours of fiddling.
On a sad note my neighbour has been crying for hours and beautiful Cooper one of her Bassett hounds died while having an operation,Flloyd his brother is crying too how very sad.They are going to bury him at home and Bob will go help our neighbour dig the grave this afternoon as it will have to be almost human size as he was such a big dog.Bless you beautiful Cooper we will miss your big sad eyes and drooling at us over the fence and Miss Molly will miss her new best friend.We do not think about how attached we are going to become when we get a pet, he was not even ours and I am almost as bad as Janet.

                                                     Whew! Just made it.!!..todays little sewing item...

The front,the rose is wooden as are the handles.

In the centre there is a pouch for packets of needles and felt for the ones in use.

The back with a small button and an elastic loop for closing.

This is a small neddle holder with wooden handles....it has a tape measure to match which is half made but at least I got this far.I worked late and it was Cackle Club day today so I was late getting this started this evening.It is very cute...Once again if anyone wants the pattern I will post it to you..These would be lovely gifts and a great way to use your scraps and just have ribbon or fabric handles.

         



                                                          Bags number 2 and 3
On track and pleased with myself,today was showery so I could sew all day and not feel guilty about the garden that Bob just made me and waiting to have the Iris and Agapanthas and Pig face planted.

So Sundays bag,is a fabric I loved,when I saw it in the shop I thought it was very Parisian and so I bought the fabric and then did the embroidering to match..I do not know what you would use this bag for maybe it is a version of a pillow bag anyway girls like I said last blog anyone can have these patterns I am happy to post them off wherever you are,as I make items I am not keeping scraps or anything as I am decluttering lol..

I have never used orange colours before as I am a shabby chic taste and it was a nice change.

As you can see by the back the fabric is lovely,if Karen from Tilly Rose reads this I did save the little off cuts of this fabric as I thought one day you might like it.

This is Mondays bag, my gorgeous friend margy had a birthday over the weekend so i am taking her to afternoon tea tomorrow, so therefor had to make Mondays bag today so that I do not slip behind.

It is a little long narrow bag made me think it would be a nice Bible bag or just a slip down the street and hold the phone,wallett and sunnies.

Well I have to get going we are being given 2 Guinea Fowls the catch is just that we have to catch them,lol alos have to get my Tuesday bag making items ready,can't slip behind now I am on a roll!! It certainly helps that I have all the embroidering done.

Have a beautiful day full of smiles and wonderous things.

Saturday Catch up and Creative Bock

I have had a creative block for some time now, I think it is tiredness and busy times in the latter part of last year and the beginning of this year,also the sickness of Steve and Lilli made life a little bit tardy.

It is now 5 years since Bob and I have had more than 3 days off in a row,as we work for ourselves it is not finacially possible to pay someone while we have a break..however we knew this when we took on the mail contract and we have 4 more years to go before we can have a holiday!Add to this having Mum full time, although she is no problem at all it is sometimes overwhelming and I would not have it any other way.Crafting has had to come last as the garden is always in demand and so this Saturday I promised me I was going to sew.

I have been collecting little bits and bobs from Ella and Skysi an Australian designer of all things crafy for over 12 months therefore I have 12 projects waiting to be done,they all have embroidery on them so I have done the embroidery each month not the actually putting together though.A darling friend of mine demanded she take 4 to do for me and although I am so grateful I will  feel they are not my work,they are my embroidery though.

So ta dahhhhhhhhhh here is the first one finished, I think if i try to do one each day and get them done after work I will feel very happy.

This is a little bag for sewing things,it has 6 little pockets on the inside,as you can see it has a gathered gussett,and is lined with a lilac gingham.The embroidery is of course a crinolin lady I love all things with them,I collect china with these lovely ladies on them. 

This is the inside with gingham lining but the pockets are from the main fabric.

This bag kit came with little wooden handles,I came to the part where the handles were to be attached and the instructions said,"folk art or varnish handles"! what!!! I am almost finished lol so buggar that(pardon me) I made fabric handkles with the scraps and a little tie as well as the bag flops open...I guess one should read the entire pattern before starting lol anyway I like the fabric handles.

So there we are first project done, I will do another tomorrow, I want to get them all done ready for our Quilt show in April, to show people that small items are enjoyable to make too. Last year I entered 5 quilts and exhausted myself stressing out getting them finished so this year I am in charge of the little things.

The transfer in this little kit is good enough for one more project and I will not be making these items again after I do them,I am only too happy to give them away.So as I do them the first person that requests the patterns may have them,with this one I will send the little handles as well.

Blogging is about sharing ,we share stories and our lives so why not share our goodies.

Bless you all and have a lovley weekend.

P.S. the creative juices are flowing,shame I have to stop and cook,life would be great if everyone was not hungry lol.

 


                                        

                                           Mobile phones and Text messages.


I am not a lover of the mobile phone,I am not old fashioned I don't think,I just miss the days when you could walk down the street and everyone smiled at one another,country or city alike.


Now absolutely everywhere you look people have the mobile in their hand or walking head down chatting away like there is no tomorrow.Beacause of my work I have to have mine with me all the time for safety reasons,breakdowns etc,and I am the contact number for the charity shop,but is in my bag,not attached to my hand and if I loose it I do not go into an anxiety attack.

So many times I have been almost run off the road and actually have been run off the road on my bush run as the drivers of the other cars are racing to work and talking on the phone at the same time and driving on my side of the road,very scary on very narrow winding roads!

The upside is the convience of the mobile, Bobs is hooked up to Mums Vital call machine so that if we are not in the house and she has a fall she presses the button,which in turn gets her help and that also call Bobs phone,as he is a postie in our small town he is only ever a few streets away.

However there are times I love the phone,when the little message sound goes off and my travelling family has arrived safe at their destination,a quick message from my daughter who works shifts saying she loves us all and was just thinking of us,times when the grandchildren are at an event and the family sends a pic of the "moment" of excitement,or just plain gorgeous things like bellow.Sorry you have to put your head on the side lol and the quality is not great, but when William went home from his last little holiday he called to say he missed me and then sent this little message for me.I do not know what I did but it saved twice and i could not remove it.
                                        I have to say at moments like this I love my phone!

Blessed are the little children as they give us a reason to live.They love us unconditionally just as does our Heavenly Father,so I feel very loved when sweet William serenades me.Just thank the Lord he did not sing his favourite from Meatlaof "A Bat out of Hell" you could take that title many ways lol.xx

                                  Honesty ,Truthfulness,......or is it just the right thing to do!


O'hhhhhhhhh life shoots all sorts of little quandries our way. I have spoken before of how I am the co ordinator of our little towns op shop.It is fully voluntary,me as well as all the staff,,we all just give our time freely as we see all the good the money does for our town.This is a big responsibility,I do rosters all that sort of thing,I am not blowing my trumpet,I love doing it and someone has to.
Because of my position and my job as the mail lady I see people all the time that give me things for the shop,I take them up and we sort them, price them and put them out for sale.If it is something I love I then buy it,I never price it myself and if someone else gets a vintage item first I am just as happy for them.
Then we have days like yesterday...a lady asked us to pick up an old wooden box that she had not opened for years and it was to contain odd cups and saucers,plates etc, you know rubbish is how she described it.
To be honest it nearly all was but for some lovely little English china bits and bobs,then when I got to the bottom of the box in newspaper was a bowl.I knew instantly it was something different,came on to the internet and looked it up.
taaaaaaaaaaaaaaaadaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!! it was this.

It is a 10" Carnival Glass bowl,Marigold in colour valuation was between $1,000 and $1,700 aussie dollars.

When Betty gave me the box she said don't care what you do with this stuff..."stuff!!!" stuff!! of course it was all rubbish to her...or was it.
I knew what my heart was saying and what was the right thing to do...I did know that....
I had a meeting in the afternoon with the Treasurer of our little group, showed her the plate,showed her the internet item,told her I felt very strongly I should go back to the lady and have a chat see if she did intend to throw it out..My friends opinion was that really it was given so we should be thankful.
I toyed all night with knowing what was the right thing to do, knowing we could buy some bus seats, knowing I had been bought up in such a way that I should not have even had doubts as to what to do.
This morning I awoke,did my jobs got a sun hat on and walked around the corner and up the road to Betty's home,I explained why I was there and unwrapped the dish,she was so excited as it had been her Mums and she had forgotten it was in the old wooden box.I instantly knew I had done the right thing.
These people have just sold their home to move,the man of the house is going into a nursing home and Betty has to downsize,I just feel so relieved that I took that walk,it made their day.
Today I am  very ,very ashamed of myself, I am a child of God, I live life in the most honest and generous way I know how,however for a short time I considered keeping that bowl for the shop,(never for myself it is not my thing),how can I profess to be a good Christian and yet did not instantly take that walk.. does it mean we all have that little bit of the old Devil lurking trying to get us to do wrong? I do not know the answer to that, I just know I am not proud of myself.My first instinct should have been to run around to their house yesterday but it took me almost 24 hours to make up my mind.
Well that is just something I have to live with, I am sure we have all been in that position from time to time,I know if it happens again there will be no hesitation for the feeling of "rightness" today is so much more comfy that the indecision of yesterday.