Of cricket, pets and sewing.

"They" must do something about this Indian cricket on all night here! It has well and truly got me in and there are about 45 days to go! "They" have been very clever and put a few Aussies in every team, also made it fast paced and exciting and I can't pull my eyes away! Last night I had the whole night's worth set to tape on the hard drive and I still watched until the light tower power went out at about 1am! Too tempting.

I tried to maximise my time by cleaning the kitchen and sewing bags for the School market and a bucket for my friend Robyn's birthday today. She looks just like the quilting "love is patient" pic.

The sewing went well, the photo shoot this morning was far trickier!!

I couldn't pick a favourite so you get them all. I was pulling my hair out over uncooperative kittens who play with the props and the DD,who is still home with the flu and somewhere underneath quilt and kittens, piped up with...."it says, Love is patient, Mummy!" I should have that on my wall, especially with sick children..lol

I have new babies.-I just SO needed more pets! We picked them up yesterday and they have all successfully had their first feed, here is one....

Cute, isn't he.

Unfortunately Sigmund is not seeing the funny side of being upstaged. I think I overheard this conversation between old and new...

"Who do I look like to you......Danny out of the Partridge family, Willis, out of the show whose name eludes me right now or perhaps an Olsen twin (my hair is looking a little in need of a brush).-But all that is beside the point. I have been an international blog star, immortalized on cards and covered in quilts, and you upstarts think you can just move in here and take over because I am leaving the cute stage. It'll be you here one day, don't say i didn't warn you!!"

His mate knew when to get out and start looking for a new career before they made him star in celebrity reality TV.

Hey, any openings in the chook yard for a calf in a chicken suit?

Considering that is the number who followed me just to feed the calves, I think that answer would be NO!!

Have a great day, Tracey

Not a white glove moment
Tonight's post is proudly bought to you by the following product....
No, I have not been taken over by big business...well not unless big business desperately want to take me over!! These are, in fact, my new secret weapons.
Not sure anyone has noticed but there has been a distinct lack of handsewing done around here for the last 6 months, the only piece was a labour of love for Susan's stitchery swap piece, and even that ended up late!
Well, there's been a reason, my hands have been really giving me a hard time, pain, but mainly pins and needles and numbness all night. The little worrying part of me googled MS and of course these are some symptoms but when i finally mentioned it to a few people, the general consensus seemed to be carpal tunnel. The chiropractor has been working on the wrists with limited results and then, just when I was contemplating something more radical my lovely friend Robyn suggested these gloves. After a few nights, no day time troubles and straight away no constant night time waking to then shake my hand back to life. So I thought that may be worth sharing with all of you, as sewers.
Seeing I can sew again, I have been working on my Winter swap quilt...in 35 degree temperatures! Couldn't quite get into winter tree or snow flake mode, but these dark reds and creams speak Winter to me, hopefully they will to my partner.

Have I shown you photos of Fluffy General's 2 fluffy babies? That's the last time I believe a cat giver-awayer about the cat being a male! Males don't normally have 2 kittens, and just when the others have homes!
Anyway, this one is not excited by my progress on the hexagons for my Winter swap,

-Hands up all those who think I should be further ahead.

Yes, you are probably right unnamed kitty...but you know, the heat, the hands, the kids on holidays, the cricket and tennis on TV, the heat.......
Speaking of heat, the last of the other 3 kittens, Gilly, did something to his hip so hasn't yet gone to his new home, his mother decided when the others left that her feeding days were over.....Gilly aint so sure-

Now general Fluff is asking, didn't I only give birth to 2 kittens...and I'm sure there were none with white!! Now for some reason that really amuses me, because it kind of reminds me of Pepe le Pew...only Gilly hasn't needed to paint over the white!
If you can get away with it on hot day....

Cot quilt and odd pets!

Here is my contribution to the current cot quilt craze, made for my DN who I babysat yesterday. It is completely made from one of my recent scrap bag purchases and there is still plenty left in the bag., embroidered with her name, it has a little matching pillow.

The hexagons filled in some car time during the last car trip to Melbourne, I am also working on another hexagon project but School holidays are impinging upon my time.-how rude!

I am doing lots of Mum things like bike riding with the kids and will have to wait until Tuesday to really get creative again. Today we all cleaned their rooms ready for a new start, wow, did that take some time!

This is DN, taken yesterday, she is showing me her hairclip, at 2 she finally has just eniough hair for her optimistic mother to clip! Isn't that face one that just makes you want to sew quilts for her!!! And she is a cheeky, chatty little rascal as well, who knows how to kiss you and twist you around her finger!......she had me at hello!

And finally, one for the cat lovers (of which I am not sure I am still one!!!)

Here are 2 of the 3 cats (yes, 3, I really have to give this story it's own post at a later date!!) and their chook who sleeps with them in the cubby and lives on cat food! Excuse the dirty window, if I open the door they bolt inside so I can only get a pic at a glassed distance. Now, I know I promised publicly that these would not go outside but they are driving me stark raving crazy...I would prefer another baby to the younger two always inside, -and that is saying something! They are the neediest and naughtiest cats on the planet and WILL NOT GET OFF MY BENCHES AND TABLES!!!! In the past week they have broken 2 wedding presents pieces of crockery that I actually liked and therefore used!! The kids smuggle them around like contraband, especially since the handmade pottery incident!!!

And then wait until I get you a pic of the relationship between Archie the dog and the black cat...........why do I always get the odd pets??!!! Cheers, off for DH quality time, Tracey

Thinking blogger nominations take some thought.

Okay, it is a few days since Anne at Quiltoholicker nominated me for the Thinking Blogger award and it is now my turn to nominate five more. (Of course Anne knows she is inspirational so doesn't need more accolades.)

What a difficult task for someone who wont even put her favourite links in her sidebar! (But very pleased to be tagged none the less.)

I will start by saying that I find everything about this blogging inspirational. It has meant that I can stay constantly motivated to produce quilts, improve my techniques and generally stay on task in many more ways than just those involving patchwork. I also see it as being like a diary entry that the fairies have written feedback on in magical pen when you wake and check it in the morning-and who didn't ever hope that would happen? Writing about the things you do when no-one ever sees is rather flat to me. This is great - and to all of you who regularly receive comments from this elf at the bottom of the World , rather than the garden, you constantly inspire me!

So...onto nominations and some of these may have already been tagged, that doesn't change my intentions.

Dawn, who was the first main blog I began to read and I was so desperate to comment on her fabulous work i had to join blogger-these posts all come from there. Your work, detail and techniques all ispire me to sew.

Dawn in Korea, a great read from a fabulously upbeat, enthusiastic and fun Mum and quilter who lives a life as an army wife that is so far from my realm. Her quirky Korean pictures to share are always just what I want to see.

Tonya, who thinks way ouside the box with her quilting and inspires me to try completely different techniques. I also like the way she handles setbacks-marvellous.

Finn, who makes me excited about the prospect that my future years can be just as full and wonderful as the life I am living now.

Patty, who is so full of project lists and organized stash that i am driven to my studio in a fit of re-organizing after almost every read. I also like that she makes lists and gets things done-all while watching sport.

Apologies to everyone else, especially Libby, who always makes me think the joys of a simple life.

And I will close with my joys, hugging their new joys-Isabelle and Fluffy General. And I promise the cat lovers that they will not be going outside. (We found poor little Tabitha and think it was a snake.....) I also promise a cuter close up. Cheers, Tracey

Ode to Tabitha and apologies.

Apologies firstly to my new Maverick ring who are wondering why they are getting more animals than quilts, but it is School holidays here and life is too short with my darlings to spend my days hidden away in the studio. Quilts back soon!

Doesn't Tabitha she look cute in this pic taken on Sunday week? She was in the dolls bed and had the favourite old quilt over her. Well now for the heartbreak; I fed her and put her out the door for a play on Monday morning and we haven't seen her since.

She had been spending a little bit of time in the backyard as she had ideological issues with her cat litter and was using the floor next to it!! But she kept very much around the door.

DD is very upset about her baby and I am as well, especially as this is our 4th cat to disappear in 12 months and we live in the middle of nowhere!

I found myself turning into my father recently with some bracing, "it's character building" quotes and discussions on all of our cats chasing and playing in the happy hunting ground. A huge amount of my childhood pets went playing there!!

DH and I had the unenviable task of pulling off the pool cover for a search a few days ago....thank goodness we didn't find her there.

So enjoy her picture, I envisage kittens (again!) in the near future.

Next picture is of the little darling that has dared to be eating my chooks. We had tried to get him but to no avail and then last night he decided to eat a rotten pear in my MIL's possum relocator trap. Foxes never do this! Anyway, now he is relocated and the chooks breathe again. If there is anyone out there with issues about this you should see my chookyard after these menaces have killed everything for the sake of it. Tracey