Random music and more

I was going to post a photo of Little Possum's quilt that I finished this week, but the camera has gone missing somewhere in the house. The children borrowed it, so the contents of the SD card will probably bring some surprises like close-up shots of nostrils etc.

Today brought an email from one of my best friends during the high school years - Andrea. The years have brought us to different parts of the world, and it was lovely to hear from her again although I think I aged visibly at the thought of how many years it has been since the last time we met.

And then this evening as I was sitting down at the computer I listed the 10 first songs that played. - bit of a mixed bag again.....
1. Jewel "Cold song"
2. The Clouds "Misery" (good title to follow a song about a cold...)
3. Phil Collins "Take me home" (PC is one of my favourite sing-out-loud-in-the-car artists)
4. Elvis Costello "Good time for the roses"
5. Akasha "Crazy baby" (don't even know where that one came from..... must belong to MOTH)
6. Michelle Shocked "VFD" (definately a MOTH selection)
7. English Patient soundtrack "Cave of Swimmers" (wasn't that the longest movie? Wonderful, but very long)
8. Björk "Army of Me" (MOTH)
9. Flying Lizards "Money (That's what I want)"
10. Mannheim Steamroller "Interlude VII" (will my reputation ever recover...)

The word of the day is

SPECTACULAR.... The Little Possum has had a spectacular day today. Or, as she says it, "spectacleear". Everything today was a "spectacleear" idea, looked or tasted "spectacleear". I love the way she picks up these new long words and then takes every opportunity to work them into her conversation. We tried the more conventional pronounciation of the word, but still like our own version the best. It'll be her little trademark, just like Pres "Nucelar" Bush.

30's Texas Star quilt..... WIP

This one I am handpiecing, and it is a lot of fun. It's ironic that I am doing a scrap quilt but actually buying fabrics to make it....

150 stars down... 200 to go... Unless I decide to change my goal from king size to single bed in which case I have enough stars now. Very tempting, but I will resist and will complete the quilt as planned. This will be the first quilt I will have profesionally quilted, because I think it will be a definate long-arm quilting job.

Let's hear it for the ladies!!!

And a big cheer for the Norwegian soccer ladies who just beat China in the quarter finals and will go on to face Germany in the semifinals later in the week. Meanwhile the Matildas lost their match against Brazil.

click click go the needles...

While I was in Norway I felt inspired to start knitting something. There are so many beautiful projects to choose from but I settled on a cardigan for Little Possum. After all, she does not have one in ecru/off white. Since we are now moving into spring, I will have 6 months or so before it will be needed. Loads of time....

I always knit on circular needles which has puzzled a few knitters here. Don't know if it's a particularly Norwegian habit or not.


Here's what I am aiming for

An unwelcome visitor ...

I consider myself a reasonably hospitable person, but I draw the line at the above which Little Possum acquired at preschool and kindly shared with the rest of the family. Evicting them must be one of the worst tasks associated with motherhood. Being of the creationist persuasion, I wonder about the purpose of this particular species.... teaching us patience? I failed there..... Little Possum ended up with a short bob courtesy of my dressmaking scissors because shorter hair is easier to comb through. After liberal application of "Lice Bomb" (wonderful stuff...... http://www.ecokids.com/) the house and all of us smell like essential oils (orange, cinnamon, tea tree and more) and I swear my hair is a shade lighter than it used to be. Infestation over for this time.

Which famous leader are you?

yet another of those quirky quizzes. Should I be flattered or distressed? Possibly just amused.....

I seriously doubt that any of my ideas will either save or destroy the world... nice thought though (the saving bit, I mean!)

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

UFO's - again!!!

I cleared out of Jake's closet today and moved all my stash in their plastic crates to my sewing corner. It feels like a step down from having a sewing room, but I am happy to vacate the room so the boys can have separate rooms. Anyhoo... While clearing out, I found yet more UFO's that have been hiding in the back of the closet. The stack continues to grow, but I hope this is it now.


The ducks.... started 3 years ago - I am just quilting around the motifs of this duck panel.

My Noah's Ark (Debbie Mumm) quilt top.... could never decide on the fabric for the border so it remains half done

"Families are forever"
Another early work of my patchwork career, hence the very badly joined up corners!
A lot of stitching yet to be done, then the backing, quilting, binding.....

The Sunflower Quilt is a charity project. It's a tied quilt - 4 of us had fun sitting around it tying and chatting.
I just need to put the binding on........
So, I think that brings the total to 8 UFO's and 2 WIP's... I hope to finish all the UFO's and one of the WIP's this year. Watch this space!!!

Simply grateful

for my mother....

In the 2 years since she passed away I have had many occasions to miss her presence here. All those little happenings in my life, the antics of the children where I still automatically think of calling my mother to share. But, I believe that she looks in on us once in a while and I tell the kids this. They are thrilled at the thought that Bestemor is keeping an eye on her precious grandchildren.

I am grateful for having such a mother in my life, and grateful for the warm relationship that we had. What prompted this reflection today was something I found during a closet clearout. I found my journal from 2 years ago and a copy of the eulogies offered at my mother's funeral. Her minister and friend described her like this:
"She took trials, sorrow and joys for what it was and lived a quietly righteous life. She did not make herself noticed, but represented the qualities a society needs.
One could gain wisdom by listening to what she had to say although she never lectured. She was a person completely without bitter feelings, although occasionally discouraged and saddened by her afflictions. I know of no other person who's managed to remain upright, keep the gleam in her eye, the humour and wit, like she did. Of stature she was so small you almost worried about breathing too hard in her direction, but at the same time she was stronger and more resilient than most of us. Our family experienced being part of something essential and rich from the day we got to know her. This incredibly strong little person taught me more about life and living, sorrow and joy, of strength and faith than I have ever learned from voluminous books".

My mother had many trials and afflictions throughout her life, but at the end she said - and truly felt - that she had a good life. I feel honoured to be her daughter and if I can even gain a fraction of her qualities, I would be glad.

Until we meet again........... hvil i fred, mamma!

a funny little cartoon

This cartoon strip was sent to me and it hit just the right spot with me and my sense of humour, I just had to share........

I Spy - a confession

I started a new project..... ok, I know I said I wouldn't.... However, I do have some good excuses ready. Firstly, I did not purchase any new fabrics, I am StashBusting! Secondly, all my stash is in what used to be my sewing room closet, now Jake's closet. He is keen to have sole custody of the space in his closet, so I have a mountain of fabrics looking for a new home. Starting this project moved some of the fabrics out. (It's a start!). Last, but not least.... it feels so goooood starting a new project! I just needed that fix.

So - This will be an I spy quilt. In between the patchwork blocks there will be appliqued blocks with the I Spy motifs. Design by Trish Harper.

Happiness is a cubby

The kids made themselves a little cubby that had a wonderful tree-house feel about it. Made me start thinking of ways we could make a more permanent shadesail/roof for summer. But then again..... that would spoil all the fun they have making their own little hideaway. So I shall resist interfering beyond maybe refusing them to drag their bedding outside to stop the bits of bark in their beds afterwards.

Curly Girl arrived!

Colour me happy! I ordered some cards, a magnet and a 2008 calendar from http://www.curlygirldesign.com/ and it finally arrived. The style is wonderfully whimsical and the graphics remind me of Lauren Child (Charlie and Lola). I can't wait for next year so that I can hang my calendar up! Thanks, JoJo for sharing the link!

Another UFO

This is the "Twelve Days of Christmas" quilt that I started 2 years ago..... It will probably not be finished by this Christmas, but I shall give it a good try. A small matter of a gazillion hollyleaves and suffolk puff holly berries to go on the border...... I am now working on the 2 French hens block and then I'll have to do the 9 Ladies Dancing block before tackling the border.

Cricket season has started

First game of the season today.... Jake's team lost by 4 runs but a good time was had by all.

Jake put in some good hits but felt the absence of The Box that his cricket ignorant mother had failed to kit him out with......

You know you are a quilter if.......

There's more Fabric in the House than Food
"Fat Quarters" are not the heaviest part of your body
Your ironing board is always set up but you never iron clothes
You think of your job as an interruption of your quilting time
You pet Fabric
People are always picking threads off you
You can measure a scant 1/4 by eye
"Featherweight" Doesn't mean Boxer
Your "UFO's" are not from outer space
You clean up your sewing room & they think you are leaving

Simply grateful........

Grateful for good health and grateful for the beautiful sunny day. Grateful for those lovely hugs I get from my boys when they return from school and for the little Possum who loves to crawl into my lap.

Musical Lucky Dip

My music library on Media Player is set to random shuffle. This means that I never know what I am going to get next, and I also end up with some interesting combos. I thought I would just list the first 10 songs that played today and here they are:

1. "Back to work" Martina McBride
2. "Blowing in the wind" Blue Note
3. "Blue Eden" Neil Young
4. "Lipstick Vogue" Elvis Costello
5. "Read me to sleep" from the soundtrack of The English Patient
6. "I won" The Sundays
7. " Amarilli" Cecilia Bartoli
8. "Take me to the river" the Commitments
9. "Comfortably numb" Pink Floyd
10. "A pair of brown eyes" the Pogues

What list would you come up with?

UFO's and WIP's

Like I mentioned in a previous post, I will not allow myself to start a new project until I have finished my UFO's/WIP's. Here they are:

The "I spy" attic windows just needs binding.... should take me a couple of evenings.

The Australia All Over quilt is being handquilted but I'm over the halfway mark. Should be done by Christmas (sounds long? This has been a WIP for almost 3 years)

Leanne's House...... started almost 3 years ago, has been lingering for a year now. Just put the border on today and sandwiched it ready for quilting. Haven't quite worked out the style of quilting yet.


My longest standing UFO which I converted back to WIP last week. Started almost 4 years ago. Need to finish this before Little Possum decides princesses are no longer The Best.

My superpower............

I saw this quiz on Candace Salima's blog and thought I'd give it a go just for fun.... I must say I am pleased with this superpower, and I exercise it all the time in my parenting. Mothering does require a certain ability to read my children's minds.... At a younger and slightly more gullible age, my children believed me when I told them I had an extra eye in the back of my head. Now I'll just share the real reason I am on to their little tricks....

Your Superpower Should Be Mind Reading

You are brilliant, insightful, and intuitive. You understand people better than they would like to be understood. Highly sensitive, you are good at putting together seemingly irrelevant details. You figure out what's going on before anyone knows that anything is going on! Why you would be a good superhero: You don't care what people think, and you'd do whatever needed to be done Your biggest problem as a superhero: Feeling even more isolated than you do now

What Should Your Superpower Be?

Sunflowers

I love sunflowers. They make me feel all happy and cheerful. I particularly love the way they turn their heads to follow the sunlight. Bit of a reminder to me of how I should live my life. With that in mind I think I need to better remember the happy things, the things I am being blessed with. So I will start listing them. And on Monday I shall go buy some sunflower seeds and plant a row in our garden!

Gratitudes: This evening I am grateful for my family especially my children who are the little sunflowers in my life.

40% normal

I found a website where you can take all sorts of quirky quizzes, and I opted to find out how normal I am. Apparently the results can be either flattering or downright disturbing depending on who I was being compared to..... The illustration below is a little psycho though. Not quite me, I feel. (I hope.)

You Are 40% Normal

While some of your behavior is quite normal... Other things you do are downright strange You've got a little of your freak going on But you mostly keep your weirdness to yourself

How Normal Are You?

Too much Enid Blyton?

Our little Possum was instructing me on the right way to make us a fizzy ginger drink using ginger cordial and soda water. She then urged me to have a taste saying "it'll taste splendid, mummy!" . I was trying to work out where she'd picked that up, but Peter had the answer. It is all down to Enid Blyton. We have been reading "The Enchanted Forest"and its sequels to her at bedtime for the last few months. Splendid, indeed!

My first vegetable garden....

I am feeling very accomplished.... My first vegetable garden is on its way thanks to a lot of advice and help from Suzi. Since I have no idea what I am doing I really appreciate Suzi's Gardening Helpline. She even provides on site support... :)
Hopefully I will manage to keep it growing and then we will have tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant (aubergine), silverbeet, onion, carrots (in the polystyrene box), and lettuce. My herb garden is well established with mint, flatleaf parsley, rosemary and now some basil. I need to add some chives, and then I think I'll be happy.

25 yrs of singing out loud....

When did I get old? When did that happen? Not that I feel particularly old, but when I saw a list of hits from the past 25 yrs ago I was startled to see that 25 yrs ago started in 1982 and not 1962......

So, I present: 25 years of songs, som of which I have sung along to out loud (at least when alone......)

1982: “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” - Love that one!
1983: “Every Breath You Take” Will always be known to me as the "stalker song".
1984: “Against All Odds” ....mmm.. "take a look at me noooooow...."
1985:”Money For Nothing” Ahh, the year I started watching MTV.
1986:”That’s What Friends Are For” am embarrassed to say I know this one...
1987:”I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
1988: "Don’t Worry, Be Happy” cue cheerful whistling
1989:”Like a Prayer” Hated the video for this.
1990:”Ice, Ice Baby” Made me gain weight... "Vanilla Ice?..mmm let me check the freezer..."
1991:”Everything I Do I Do it For You” Loved it then, love it now.
1992:” Jump” Always liked a bit of Van Halen
1993:”I Will Always Love You”
1994:”I Swear” I'll pass on the Boyz ll Men, thank-you.
1995:”Have You Really Ever Loved a Woman” Can't remember (the SONG)
1996:”Macarena” danced to this on my hen's night
1997:”Candle In the Wind” sorry Marilyn - Diana hi-jacked this one.
1998:”I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” Fave Aerosmith song by default since it's the only one I know
1999:” Livin’ La Vida Loca” If you don't know this one, it was popular while you were on that deserted island. Personally, I was looking for an island so deserted that I wouldn't hear this.
2000:”Say My Name”
2001:”Bootylicious” And this is where we lose me. Apparently I turned off my radio in 2001 and never went back. Possibly because I had little children?
2002:”Lose Yourself” I did....... more children!
2003:”Crazy in Love”- What?
2004:”Yeah” Huh?
2005″We Belong Together” Sounds nice, couldn't place it.
2006:”Bad Day”-?? Probably had a couple that year.....
2007:”Umbrella” Really? A number one hit this year? Wishful thinking for a country in drought..

How did you go?