Share your resolutions.....

So, 3 days to the New year again...where did that year go?

I was thinking that I would spring clean in these 3 days...(or should we just call it clean!)

I have a baby nursery filled with sewing stuff, all that needs organizing and putting away in the sewing room...but then the sewing room needs organizing so it can take more stuff. It is NOT conducive to sewing over there, I can work in clutter, but to really create you need some organisation!!

So what did I do this afternoon after getting back from a few days at the beach-organize the old nursery, clean the sewing room ? That would actually be doze (again!) while watching the cricket and supervising a few extra kids in my pool. And aint that cricket breaking my heart-I think I would (almost!) rather clean!! Poor old Australia, i think we are about to enter a rebuilding phase...which is sport speak for "we are about to lose all the time for a few years"!!

So, this got me thinking about New Year's resolutions. I like New Year's resolutions...they are kind of like that perfect storage container I often dream about-the attainment of organized perfection!! And I think we are all allowed to dream...

So, I am having a little comp. (that will just about be my 350 post blogiversary).

Share with me what you resolve to do in the New year (...even if it is just keep waking up in the morning!!!) for the chance to win stuff that could include...

some of my latest cards...and quilty magnets....

perhaps a calendar, or something sewn...or all combined-you will have to wait and see!

I made this little boy purse this morning, boy's need purse's too, it just needs a snap or zip. I found the fabric somewhere on line for just about no money and I love it!

You have until New year's day Australian time to contribute your resolution, have fun! Tracey

Christmas wrap up!

Hi, Merry Christmas!! Hope you all got through the chaos intact!

It is Boxing Day here, an official holiday but since trading rules were relaxed a few years ago all the big retailers open for their huge post Christmas sales...am i shopping??

Not bl---- likely!!!!!!

I am having just about my favourite day of the year...get up in time for the cricket, give thanks to God for children who are now old enough to pour milk for their own cereal, take their own highly involved packaging from their presents and use screwdrivers to insert batteries....have coffee with husband who has come in for breakfast after starting at 4.30 am cutting the second cut of Shaftell clover and say.."well done you!!" Then move to couch and watch cricket in peace!

I have also just managed to have a shower, make the bed and do two loads of washing but that is the extent of the day. So to all of you who told me to chill out, I'll tell my husband I am just acting under blogger's orders!!

I had my family here yesterday, then I had to wander 20 metres to my MIL's for tea. Lovely to not have to travel, which we have done all bar 2 times in our married life Christmas days.

Beautiful day here so everyone got in the pool in the afternoon......

DN Daisy enjoyed her first Christmas...all they want is the paper!

I was very lucky this year, after almost 14 year's married I think my husband is nearly getting it!!! He bought me a watch and a digital photo frame, (he loved his photo book and calendar).

My sister and I had a good laugh, she gave me S*x and the City and I gave it to her!! I even scored the perfume off my lovely friend Robyn...if you are checking on me Rob, I hope you are having a great time..(and Caz!) Mum decided I needed a bag like in the movie, my sister suggested I was nearly right for bags, but it is here and looks like I need a chihuaha!! A few other things spread around so I am very fortunate.

I finally got to open my SSCS and I was very lucky there as well! All from Lynn E in Canada,

Thank you so much Lynn, this was great fun to open and all beautiful!

My daughter participated in the swap as well, she swapped with Chooky Blue's daughter, the present will have to wait, she has gone off with her Dad for a while and Baby born has gone with, securely wrapped in her new Heather Bailey quilt!! Baby born slept with her mother wrapped in it last night as well, so thanks Fairy Girl, it was gorgeous!

And finally...a little of the reason for the season.

My babies were in the Church nativity on Christmas Eve, one Angel, on Shepherd. Needless to say, there is no question on who was which! They were both great.

Here is the bulk of them at the finish. Sorry, the quality is not great, I was upstairs singing in the choir and it was getting dark.

Hope everyone else is in rest mode...love Tracey

Twas midnight...

Twas midnight the night before the night before Christmas

when all through the house

one creature was stirring,

trying kids not to rouse.

The santa sacks were begun and being sewn with all care

In hope that they'd be delivered at least 10 minutes before Santa got there!

That mother wished she was nestled all snug in here bed,

but visions of still delivering tea for her harvesting husband danced in her head.

So mamma cooked her beef

(and downed a drop of sap!!)

while she also cooked Church biscuits

and longed for a nap!

When out on the lawn

there arose such a clatter

(around here lately

almost anything could be the matter!!!)

Away to the window she flew like a flash

In previous nights, a fox and wilddogs could be seen to dash

common to see a chicken clenched by the toe...

and the lustre of a half dressed mamma after them just adds to the show!!

But tonight, what to her wondering eyes should appear?

But a harvester or baler

and a family member needing a beer!

Which related driver burning the candle to the wick

(who hasn't eaten before midnight for a week) now needs food..."Quick"!!

The one who to the house has finally made aim...

it's DH, who whistles and calls her by name:

"Now darling, now sweetheart, now gorgeous and lovely...

Jump on motorbike, on mower, on baler or truck'n

Take me to north paddock, to Jim's paddock,

To the top of the farm...... or wherever I call...

Now dash away, dash away, dash away all!

As dry hay before balers the wife she does fly,

when she meets with instructions from workers who're dry.

So straight to the vehicles the good wife flew,

with food and beer for the workers..and Dh too!

That's when she readily realises the proof

that a farm wife life's hectic and that is the truth!

She delivers her food and her hopes abound

...that she may get 5 minutes on the 'net to give her friends a whip 'round!!

___________________________________

....Sorry, the literary talents..(or lack of!!) end there! Christmas really should be at a nice civilized time in the winter! I envy those who are snowed in, nothing to do but rest and enjoy Christmas.....I may start a petition for a change of season-who do i talk to???

..... Harvest is busy but better than expected....,

I thought you may like to see the Santa sacks so far..... They are almost a metre deep, they would do as kids sleeping bags in the off season! They are lined with prequilted bedspreads I find at the op shops. If I had to do all that myself as well as all the appliquing, the Sacks would be way to expensive to justify. I still have to add some embellishments like bells, stars and embroidery to make the presents under the trees have bows...and also some draw strings to some of the pictured ones.

Happy Christmas to all...and to all a good night!! Stay safe and visit you soon,

lots of love Tracey

Mail deliveries.

How do you get parcels, do they deliver to your door? We only get general mail here 3 times a week and if we have a parcel over a certain (small!!) size we get a collection slip in with our post and have to pick it up in town...there has been a LOT of picking up in town lately!

Such a lot of good mail..and just in time!


First, my SSCS parcel came ...in a huge box! All the way from Lynn E in Canada. I have been very good and just opened the box but not all the beautifully wrapped presents-they are under the tree. It had been opened by customs, considered suspicious! The must have been having a slow day. But they never unwrapped any of the gifts and they put it all back together nicely so well done customs.....(attempting to rid the world of nasties in patchwork boxes one fat quarter at a time!!)





My Christmas present photo book for Dh has also arrived, I am in love with this. Did this one through 'My reflections', an Australian company. Fantastic service. Ordered and delivered from West Australia in 4 days! I had plenty of time at home to play around,put text in and to put the photos just where I wanted. It is a bit too stressful to do that in a photo lab.


Dying to show him, but trying to wait.





The calendars for the Grandparents have come, can't wait to show these either. There are individual, group and collage shots of all the grandies. It seems to me that grandparents can probably get anything they really need, so something unique and generally unpurchaseable seems the way to go. I managed to work out how to collage through flickr but I am not that happy with it for then turning into postcards and calendars,(loses resolution) anyone got any better suggestions?





And the first of the Hospital calendars have arrived. They include all local shots from the Show photography comp. and I've put them, and a lot of Postcards, in the town PO today. I was very proud of how they turned out. I hope we get heaps of orders...it's fun using my photos to make money for a good cause.





I have done some sewing aside from all this publishing, my nephew has added another daughter to his family...(who just managed to get in the calendar) and she arrived for an unexpected visit during the week. I managed to start a blanket at 9.30 pm and deliver it the next morning. She may get a proper quilt by her baptism! So meet Ruby.....

The 6 santa sacks are just about pieced and laid out on the kitchen table so I had better run. Things have been a little stressed around here...the rain turned into 3 and a half inches and it is still wintry now, just about disastrous with windrowed canola and wheaten hay cut but hope always springs eternal with farming so something may be salvaged. I've got my camera, the sewing room has stash...I can live for quite a while!
Have a great day, back with santa sack pictures soon, Tracey

Daughter's stitchery and linseed crop.

Don't fall off your chair! 3 Posts in 3 days, I must actually be home.

I have a very serious reason tonight....I want to know what's responsible!!
I just watched the world news and New Orleans has snow....I should be out swimming in the pool this time of year and it has rained non stop for almost 12 hours and isn't looking like letting up...yet we had half today's rainfall ALL Spring! I am slightly fearful of Chookyblue's scenario, the first inch is rejoicing, the 2nd involves a little shaking of the head and a 4th and hail would really cap off an interesting cropping year!! hopefully that wont be the case.
So, is it me leaving the lights on and driving the car too much...or have the season's just gone mad, how is the weather there? Normal???
A couple of pics for you....
My girl won the sewing at the local show last weekend, she commented that there weren't heaps in it...I said that was because not many 10 year olds can hand stitch! She is really going well at backstitch and if you can find the right thing for her ...like cats...she works on it quite often.
We have added a turtle to our visiting lizard enclosure, he was found out the front of our house and I think was especially sent to make up for a past turtle disaster that we don't talk of here. This one is big enough to live on land, so means I have no need to ever see a glass aquarium in my home...(and if you don't know that story go back to the first week of June). And have no fear, I have licences for all these critters
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Here he is watching TV with my boy.

This crop will be benefitting from the drink. Sown late in the season it usually struggles for the water to keep it flowering, but at over $1000 per tonne we usually take the risk!
It's linseed, that food of champions, especially for us women. The blue is a bit of a change from my favourite yellow canola and I thought you may like to see where your little black seeds some from.
Have a great day, Tracey

"twas baby birds....

Okay, you are all just far too clever!!

I found these when searching the sheds for chook eggs, everytime I made a noise they'd stick their mouths open like this, it was priceless! Isn't the rest of them ugly...unlike my chickens who are born so beautiful......

-and I am very pleased there are a few others about the chocolate......I am not feeling quite so guilty here now.

My kids are on Summer holidays for the next 53 days....yay!! Sleep ins and much less running around-I may get to read some blogs...and sew!

Cheers, Tracey

7 things, 12 things or 13......

Thank you to the lovely Kerri, who has nominated me for the 7 things award. And for the other great ladies who have nominated me as well lately. Very much appreciated.
I have been around this blogging world for few years now, and have been given a few tag awards along the way, so i am going to be a great big cheater with this one...and if you haven't been reading me for long then this should update you on some of the relevant information that makes me tick...or not!
I'll share 5 things about me you probably don't know- (2006)
1. I talk to the TV, especially when people are about to do something stupid or embarrass themselves. Drives hub crazy-"it's only TV!"
2. I have cricket on every TV and every radio in the vicinity when it is the season.
3. My perfect retirement would be spent travelling around the World on Australian cricket tours. (Robyn's coming with)
4. I have successfully matchmade two couples who are still married.
5. I travelled to Russia with Uni in 1990 and changed my path in life.
Have a great day.
2007...
THE RULES:1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Post THE RULES on your blog.
3. Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog.
4. Tag 7 people and link to them.
5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.
Seven random things about me:
1. I Faint... at gore, slicing of skin and needles...UNLESS I am the only responsible adult around and then I magically handle it until another adult comes and takes over-then, and only then, do I collapse on the floor.
This is mercifully watering down over the generations, I am the only one of the children in Dad's line that inherited it, a few of Dad's cousins, as well as dad, did, but 5/10 of Dad's grandparents all had the gene, the family diaries are fun reading!

2. Was the only person in my grade for at least one year of my Primary School education.

3.I don't like ice in freezers, fingernails on chalkboards (even though I was a teacher) or walking barefoot on any kind of smooth concrete...they all give me shivers!

4.I got to the dropping one ski stage of waterskiing before our local lake dried up abour 10 years ago and I haven't skiied since.

5. I fairly casually kissed a man about 16 years ago and for the first time in my life felt it down to my toes....knew I was in trouble right then!

That's why I tell my DD you may have to kiss a few frogs to know your Prince...because we have been married for 13 years in a month or two! (ed.nearly 14!!)
6. Presently have John Denver, Robbie Williams, The best of Marty Robbins, The best of the Dixie Chicks, Country Greats and The Rat Pack in my 6 CD car stacker. Don't hold any of that against me! updated Dec 08....kids are right into Rolf harris so it's in the car.....("two little boys" makes me cry!), Marty Robbins gunfighter ballads, Best of Frank Sinatra, Smokey's greatest hits, Paul Kelly's greatest hits and Roald Dahl on talking book.

7. Cannot have chocolate in the house or it plays on my mind until I hunt it down...especially Lindt chocolate...darn, reminded myself, now...where can I search!
And you get one more random fact...have now lost a whole 6 kilos since August and I feel great!
Summer bikini here I come...(by about next winter at that rate)!
I am not going to tag because I can't remember who has the no tag in their sidebar and I haven't got time to look!! If you haven't shared and you would like to, consider yourself tagged!

To further celebrate all things weird and wonderful what I want to know is....

1.Can you withstand chocolate in your house

2. What's in your car CD...is it as dodgy as mine? and

3. What is this?
Tracey

'Tis the season

Can someone remind me next year that I should have all my great gift ideas more than 3 weeks before Christmas??

I decided just about every important family member should get calendars with all their important people on them. Should have perhaps factored in the amount of time it takes all my in-laws to get pictures of their kids to me, then for me to collage, then order, then start all over again on someone else in the family. Add to that the 40 page photobook I am doing for my Dh and the ones I intended doing for the kids...then 2 markets on the weekend that just about wiped me of cards...and an order for 120 of 10 different farm and Bible verse cards from the local Christian bookshop and I honestly think I may look like a computer!!

Had my AGM for Ladies fellowship today and am happily still President, that is one role I don't get too stressed about...a few other ones are disappearing in 2009, hopefully!

I've found I haven't had enough hours in my weeks to do much of what I like, -sometimes i think working would be a better option than a stay at home mum who is too busy to stay home...so something needs to make way and the family draw the line at them!

The weather has been drizzly so no baling a for a few days, i thought I would show you my excellent (??) skills at raking hay!

Here's my view from the tractor, my job description stipulated that the bar in the centre of the pile of grass there had to STAY in the centre.

Now, my very tough boss should realise that straight line work is really not my forte, it is still quite a struggle to sew a straight line without getting distracted...let alone keep a bar in the centre for a few days!

I just accidentally showed him these pictures and got the look, "how can you be concentrating on keeping the front straight if you are taking photos of the back view"!!! Ha, can tell he's a man and has never applied lipstick while expertly driving a car!! And he just never understands about the need to get the picture for the blog...probably because after 2 years he has not quite worked out I have one!!

Here is the test, vital that the line of raked hay where I have put 3 rows into one, is straight and inclusive...looks pretty darn good to me!

And here comes the baler behind me, picking up those neatly raked rows and ejecting the bales.

The next pics are something we aren't quite as happy about.

We received very little spring rain and the experts have all looked at our wheat and say that despite a fairly healthy appearance, there is no milk in the seed heads and that is what becomes the wheat seed so the heads wont fill. The only way to reap any financial benefit is rolling it all as wheaten hay, so that's how DH is filling in his days.

...it doesn't look bad

...but it's just not right.

We are very much playing the glad game here, however, because we are extremely thankful we have something to cut. If you visit Chookyblue have a look at her harvest, enough to break my heart! She is a long way north of here and about a month ahead in growing seasons.

Here is a visitor who watched my scaring off of the quail with keen interest! It is a wedge tailed eagle...and even though I have to fight the odd one off our orphaned lambs, we love them here. They are huge...wikipedia can fill you in if you are interested.

2 buckets and a funeral

I have sooo many things I need to blog about and only 5 minutes spare in the next 36 hours so much will wait until next time.

We have had a tragedy here, and while not being of the human kind it has still been monumental in the eyes of my juniors...and their mother if you must know!

Even after 39 years of pets you never get used to death and the fact it is a 3 week old kitten doesn't make any difference. My kids loved that baby and my boy was especially paternal. It was dead on it's doormat when i got home from the gym yesterday with it's mum still fully cuddling it.

It did have the most beautiful funeral though.

If you don't believe in funerals for pets then that is up to you, I'm not saying it's gone to heaven, just a happy world of running dogs and purring cats! We had an "in the round" prayer that got some good death discussion happening. I wished I had my camera(but would have felt more invasive than a Britney knicker snapper!!) when my boy was praying in front of me with his eyes tightly closed and his hands raised...with tears trickling down his cheeks...a precious moment that will too soon be "boyed' out of him.

After a rousing rendition of All creatures great and small and an adapted 'if I were and Octopus" (kitten) he was interred in my new rose garden with a nice succulent or two above him....and a big rock to deter the persistent Archie! we don't need that disaster!

I have been making a few fabric buckets (from Ric-rac jodie's pattern) for Christmas presents. I wanted to make them bigger than Jodie's so I dragged out the old 2 pi r equations to work out my measurements..who knew sewing could be so hard!! They are Nancy Halvorsten panels with some red Roman Holiday

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I'll leave you with some kitty pics taken the day before his untimely passing.....cue the violins....

Do you think he suffered some only-child-loved-to-death thing.....she was very attentive...

Back soon, don't give up on me, i am driving tractors, amidst all my normal stuff, to get hay done..the joys of farming !

Have a great day, Tracey

A finish and a flower show

I am freezing...and very hopeful that this weekend may see an addition to the paltry 3/4 of an inch of rain we have had all spring. It may hurt the cut grass hay a tad, but it may save any more crop from being mown for hay rather than harvvested for seed in the coming months.
While it is very dry in this part of Australia, Queensland has seen more than 10 inches in a few days in some areas, terrible storm damage and hail as big as cricket balls, even in central Australia.

I am freezing because I have been playing semi midnight cowboy...or girl!

I WAS meant to be at the School PTFA end of year break up and AGM, instead I was facing off to a mental mamma cow who did not understand that the the two suspicious looking people (with rope and a calf puller hidden behind their backs) were friends rather than foes! She had a red hot go at the ute (truck) I was in, so when it was just me and her in the laneway I was quick to give her right of way! Never mess with a female in the throes of labour....my DH learnt that!

My poor family are going to be eating the egg salad and rocky road that were meant for the bbq all weekend. They aren't complaining about the rocky road.....

Something else unappreciated was the suggestion I made to my husband as he was standing on haybales trying to rope the cow as I ran her past; the suggestion that I really should have bought my camera as the great light, stormy sky and lassoo action would have made great shots....For future reference...let's just say that a farmer who has been cutting hay around the clock and has to stop to spend a few hours chasing a cow that loosely is the responsibility of his wife does not appreciate the need for my blog readers to be in on the action!!!

But, onto sewing. Yes, there has been some!

If this quilt were a house you would call it overcapitalised. It was an order for a baby blanket and of course I could have just used the panel and the name. But when you want something to be special and treasured it doesn't matter who is getting it, it still has to be as good as possible. So it got Murray grey appliqued cows and the property name embroidered on as well. It also managed to be finished a whole 8 minutes before the girl turned up to pick it up so, unlike my DH doing his cowboy impersonation, you got a picture.

It has a great matching farm flanelette backing so it's cosy.

A week or two ago when I held the Church morning coffee we had a bloom and succulent show as well. I snapped a few shots of my favourites to share.

1st. Iris

2nd Jacobean lily

some kind of succulent!!

Clematis...at a distance

..and up close

An amaryllis

A rose whose name escapes me...but by any name would smell as sweet!

And one of my great new mauve oriental poppies that have come from crossing a red fuzzy with a pink single. The heat and wind fried them all nearly overnight but I managed to get this one.

The rain is coming down, I wont mind if it keeps me awake on the tin roof all night...have a great day, Tracey

Economy saving fabric purchases (??).. and show and tell

As I take a break from being surrounded with visoflix and enough letters for the names for 6 santa sacks I'll share some show and tell.
Firstly, the farm panel on Jake's blanket was in the $2.99 last call at Hancock's, I got these 4 above in the same deal-Good enough to win me over even with our dollar in the proverbial toilet at present!
Another good deal was these zips.

I happened to wander into a little sewing shop in town as the owner was tipping these out and wanting to get rid of them, I got 100's for my purses and paid $10 I think. I love a bargain and often source my zips at the op shops, but a whole heap of uniform size and colour will make the purse sewing much easier.
I had quilters here on Friday night. While I cut up letters, Chris clipped her Heather Bailey shaggy.

She has also been working on a table runner and attempted her first machine quilting, very artfully I thought!

Well done, Chris!

We have another baby here...we so needed another pet! But this is rather cute and, scout's honour, it really is the only one of one. Last year she had two under the BBQ, this year the one appeared during last Tuesday's Bible Study....perhaps we should call it Christy after the DVD series we are studying this term.
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You can tell she only has one baby by the size of it's tummy!
The mother has moved it to the backdoor mat! I hope i don't wander out in the dark and squash it!

She is a fabulous mother, no matter where the kids move the kitten, inside or out, she is there picking it up and putting it back on the doormat!
Better get back to these santa sacks, doing them assembly line style so probably the first peek you see will be of all 6!
Must go and see if we have a new CSI on while I sew.....has Grissom left in the US yet, last week he slept over at Lady whatsherface's. Don't know how the show will go without him...any good??
have a good day, Tracey

Oh...and just a note...to the poor girl who googled these key words ....

"how do i get rid of feelings for an old boyfriend"

"want to call an old boyfriend 3 times"

"and going back to an old boyfriend will it work"

...and according to statcounter ended up with me on my blog on all 3 occasions, i hope I helped although i know not how....and if you happen to come back here my advice is start enjoying life and even looking for the next boyfriend. If the old one comes back at least you aren't sitting there looking needy and pathetic...and if he doesn't come back you are 3/4 of the way past him anyway!

*Ed. note. all advice learnt from sometime bitter experience! As Carrie Fisher would say on When Harry met Sally"...'please tell me I'll never have to be out there again!!'