Give Away Day!!!

Now, before I go any further - last night I told you how Del and her hubby went into the city for dinner last weekend and had a bit of time to kill beforehand so they checked out the Markets at the Rocks.  I said "Look what she found!!!" and then for some reason the photo wasn't there.  So, here it is tonight.  See, I told you it was cute!!!

So here we are  - 

Give Away Day!

I can't believe I have written 500 posts!  That certainly wouldn't have happened if I didn't have all my lovely followers, leaving me comments and encouraging me.  So, time for a giveaway.  As always I will throw in some surprises - any suggestions as to what you would like?  

What I do have for you is this super cute panel.  Love those bunnies.  Wouldn't this make a gorgeous little girl's quilt or cot quilt?

And then there is this cute little pillow or softie panel.  This is really old.  I have no idea how long I have had it for but I have been saving it for something special.  I think my followers are pretty special so this is perfect.  Obviously it is a koala.

Entering the Give Away is easy.  Just leave me a comment.  If you like you can tell me what you would do with the panels but you don't have to.  You don't have to be a follower, you don't have to blog about the give way, just like what you see and leave me a comment.  Make sure I can contact you -if you are a no reply blogger make sure you leave me your email address.  I will leave the draw open till Friday the 18th of May.  International readers are welcome!

That's it and it's easy.

Till next time...............happy stitching!

Gumnut Goings On

The Gumnuts came today - only a small group today - Del, Irene, Lyn, Audrey and Cynthia M.  We actually did some work but before that look what Del showed us!  Last weekend she and her hubby went into the city for dinner and had a bit of time to kill beforehand so they checked out the Markets at the Rocks.  Look what she found!!!  Too cute!  And only $5.  Now I have a rather significant oversupply of buttons and I would love to make some of these!  Or better still, next time you go there Del................

 Check out the size of these pinwheels!  They are about 18" - six were sewn together and they now make two lovely lap quilts for the Women's Refuge Quilts.  Irene has taken them home to add a plain narrow border and some corner stones.  I should add that these blocks, some made and some in pieces, were in three bags of "scraps" donated to us by some of the ladies at Country Pickin's, my "local".

  I should add that these blocks, some made and some in pieces, were in three bags of "scraps" donated to us by some of the ladies at Country Pickin's, my "local".

This also came in the bags.  The centre panel from the hexagon flowers out to the border of small squares all around measure 44" and was donated as is.  The strips of small squares were donated too but they were sewn together in groups of 16 each.  We sewed together end to end and added them to the centre separated by some 2" strips of white.  We ended up with another great lap quilt for a the Women's Refuge.  

Tomorrow I will take some photos of the other quilt tops that we have gathered - two from Andrea and two from Irene.  We are going to end up with more than the twelve that we are aiming for!  No worries mate!

On to a different subject!!!  I have the nicest bloggie friends!  So many have been so encouraging since I started Aussie Heroes, including my overseas friends.  One of them, Ellen, sent me a parcel on the 4th of March.  She didn't tell me what was in it other than it was her way of supporting Aussie Heroes.  What a Gem!  She lives all the way over in Ontario in Canada and her parcel took FOREVER to get here but at last it arrived.  She did send some fabrics for Aussie Heroes including some lovely red string blocks which you can see over at Aussie Heroes but look what Ellen sent for me!  Isn't it gorgeous!   Love those pretty flowers and butterflies and love the pretty "spring" like flowers.  They look so pretty all folded like this so you will have to wait till I start sewing with them to see them in all their glory!  I am already thinking what I am going to make with it - something for ME.

 Thanks so much Ellen!

Make sure you come back tomorrow - it is GIVE AWAY night.  There will be something for YOU!

Till next time.............happy stitching!

Some mornings....

You just need to go back to bed!

What a start to the day.   EVERY morning one or other of my boys drags his feet getting out the the car to go the the school bus.  EVERY morning!  I try to tell them that you need to leave a little early "just in case".  Well this morning the "just in case" happened.  We went out the my car and it wouldn't unlock properly and it wouldn't start!  I was hoping it was just a flat battery but no time to deal with it.  Raced inside to my hubby's office to get his spare keys - not there!  Eventually found them hidden under junk in a too full drawer.  By this time the boys had left for the bus on their own feet but I knew they had left too late so I headed off in my husband's loathsome car.  Why do I hate it so much - 1. it is a manual and the clutch is just at the wrong angle for me to use it 2. it is really low down and hard for me to get in and out of!  

Found the boys sauntering down the street, picked them up and dropped them at another bus stop - just in time thankfully.  they don't go to the same schools so both of them missing the bus, apart from annoying me and wasting my time, means at least one of them will be late!

Couldn't go and buy my salad makings for tomorrow as that would have been too much driving in hubby's beastly car.  Straight home and call Roadside Assist.  Thankfully they came quickly and put me out of my misery - a flat battery!  Phew.  That can be fixed easily and quickly!  And has been!  I really didn't fancy being without my car for a few days or longer.

The Gumnuts are coming tomorrow so I had shop and cook today.  I have to do lunch and morning/afternoon tea.  I made a Bacon and Egg Pie today and will make a salad to go with it.  I would have preferred to cook the pie tomorrow morning but I cant rely on the boys to make it to the bus so I have cooked it today.  Less stressful.

I have also cooked my shortbread

And made some rice bubble biscuits  - these are another family recipe - but I can share these.

RICE BUBBLE BISCUITS

125g margarine

¾ cup caster sugar

1 egg

1 cup SR flour

1 cup rice bubbles

Cream together margarine and sugar, add egg and mix well.  Add flour and rice bubbles.  Place teaspoonfuls on greased tray.  Allow plenty of room for spreading.  Bake in moderate oven 10-15 minutes until lightly golden.

I did manage a little sewing - I needed something easy.  I have the 1930's baby quilt layered but was too tired to start quilting it.  I still need to piece the backing for the Bright Boy's quilt - too tired to do that.   So, I sewed nine patch blocks using some of my scrap 3 1/2" squares.  Nice and easy but really useful.

I suspect there will be more nine patches tomorrow night too!

Till next time..................happy stitching!

A special quilt

Way back when my boys were just little tackers, still sitting in their high chairs for meals etc, I met a lovely Mum called Louise.  Back then she had just the one daughter, tiny little Emma about the same age as the boys but much littler - in stature not in personality!  Eventually Louise and family moved up the coast so we didn't see each other all that much, but we have stayed friends.  

About 18 months ago Louise bought a quilt to me that she had made and she is not a quilter.  It was a real achievement for her to make it.   I offered to quilt it for her - so much easier than trying to explain how to do it to her.  She went home and not long after I quilted the quilt and here is stayed!  for 18 months LOL -  Louise is a busy Mum of three now so she can be forgiven.  anyway - last week she came and collected the quilt and now she can pass it on to the young lady she made it for.

When Louise and I lived nearby we also had another friend, Carina, who, like me, had twins the same age as my boys except hers were girls. Eventually Carina had a third child, another girl.  Sadly her grandma passed away and Louise was given the material from the Grandma as Louise is a great seamstress.  Louise decided to take some of the fabrics and make a quilt for the littlest girl as she was too young to have received any of her grandmother's sewing.  Nice huh!

So this is a special quilt.  Soon there will be a young lady sleeping under it and thinking of her grandma.

Till next time......................happy stitching!

Good Heavens - 495...nearly there!

Nearly 500 posts - nearly give away time!  Standby!!!

I started today with some baking!  Tomorrow is haircut day for the boys and that means I have to get my "payment" sorted - baking!  First up a batch of Afghan Biscuits - recipe here.  

 Next a batch of my Nanna's shortbread.  They are still wrapped up in the fridge - I will be cooking them tomorrow morning.  I can't share this recipe - no one gets this recipe.   My mum always told me to keep it as a family recipe so basically you would have to marry one of my sons to get this recipe!  LOL!!

 Finally I made some Chunky Peanut Biscuits.  My girlfriend Jenni is married to a farmer in Western Australia and she gave me this recipe.  She said she makes this big and chunky so her hubby can grab a handful before he goes out to work.  

CHUNKY NUT COOKIES

1 cup of plain flour

2 teaspn cocoa sifted

½ teaspn carb soda

1 cup peanuts

1 cup sugar

1 cup coconut

125 g butter melted

1 egg

Mix dry ingredients and add wet ingredients.  Mix well. Roll into small balls. Place on non stick tray. Bake 15-20 min at 150ºC

This is such a simple quick recipe!  Enjoy!

And finally - my boy quilt is finally a flimsy!  I decided to do a pieced border as I had to make the quilt a certain size to fit the backing.   I don't enjoy the pinning stage but I think I am going to enjoy the quilting with this one.  I have to piece the backing first.

That is a job for this week and it is also time for me to get back to the International Charity Bazaar Quilt and get it finished!

Till next time................happy stitching!

We survived!

The onslaught of teens that is.  All seven of them but they were lovely.

Eight thirty the morning after - after not much sleep that is!  They don't look quite so bright eyed and bushy tailed as the photos in yesterday's post do they?

 These two were still semi comatose! That includes Fly Boy on the right!

 How do I know that Fly Boy was not really quite awake for this photo?  He actually let me take it!

 18 scrambled eggs, 20 rashers of bacon and 16 croissants

 and not a crumb left!

Early night for me tonight!

Till next time...............happy stitching!

Why I am not sewing....

This is why!  I spent the whole day sorting fabric for Aussie Heroes - folding lots and cutting some of the fabric that was donated by a lady cleaning out her deceased mother's sewing room.  At least I can put most of it to good use.  A friend dropped over and another lovely lady dropped in to collect some Aussie Hero sewing.  And then began today's round of taxi driving.  530pm take son to and from keyboard lesson.   Home at 7pm.  750pm take son and friend to Youth Group, home at 810pm.  But the icing on the cake, take hubby and two cars and go to Youth Group and collect this lot  - seven 15/16 year olds - from Youth Group and bring them back here for a sleep over.  Actually I think that is a serious misuse of the term "sleep".  Not sure how much of that will be going on - for anyone!  They have two PS3s and are playing in two rooms.  

These four in the family room.............

and these three, including my son in the middle, in the back room, which is supposed to be the kid's TV room but rarely gets used.

Could not resist another picture of these three 

 and this one - they are so much more cooperative with photos that my sons!  The above one just said "no photos"  Can you believe that he is well over six feet but can still fold himself up like this!

and I can't tell you what this one said - suffice to say that if I was to say it during a radio broadcast it would be beeped out!

 A quick batch of banana choc chip muffins 

BANANA MUFFINS

2 cups all purpose flour

¾ cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

Pinch salt

½ tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

¼ cup canola oil

2/3 cup non fat milk

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 small ripe bananas, mashed

1 packet of choc bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a nonstick 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray or line with paper cups.  In a large bowl, stir flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, choc bits, cinnamon and nutmeg together. Make a well in the center.  In a medium bowl, combine canola oil milk, egg, vanilla. Add wet ingredient to dry mixture, followed by mashed bananas. Stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.  Fill muffins cups two-thirds full. Bake for 18-22 minutes. 

  chocolate delight (recipe here

and the teenage staple - party pies - not home made 

and they are set for the night!

It is 1220am! here and no sign of them slowing down or quietening down.  I told my hubby that I am thinking of staying up and sewing for a while and snoozing in the afternoon rather than fighting it tonight and trying to sleep.

Till next time....................happy stitching!