300th post

Our close proximity to the coast is fabulous.....95 % of the time! It lets us swim in the summer and enjoy wildlife and crashing surf in the winter. But right now the fact that the coast leads fairly quickly to Antarctica means that it IS FREEZING HERE!!! The windchill is awful and it is well and truly patchwork weather. I feel like laura Ingalls locked away on the prairie...excepting of course, my heated floor, plasma tv and a freezer full of food...to name but a few. Well, okay.... I kind of feel like her-just humour me!

This is my 300th post. Blogging is a little like living near the coast, 95% fabulous and about 5 % not quite as much fun. I am well and truly up for something that is fabulous 95 % the time so that's why I am still here after 300 posts. I love the interaction, and as I have said before, this is the only diary i have ever fully kept. Well, except for in my heyday, between 19 and 22, when I had a lot to write, but that was the heyday-there were instances of more than one boyfriend at a time, a girl has to keep track!!! Don't hold it against me, I am very responsible now!

Well, back to blogging: 'cos i am having fun, you have a chance to share the joy. Drop me a line over the next few days....(before I yell "stop") and you may be lucky enough to score the prize consisting of chook or cow novelty tape measure (you choose which), a charm pack of Lancaster County fabrics, a plastic coated Moda purse made by me and a few of my patchwork cards. You can tell me something you have liked along the 300 or just say "hi". A big hi from me to the many emailers who have been dropping me a line lately, it's great to hear what non-bloggers think-and to mail out the odd card. You are all welcome to enter as well.

On a sewing note, I made a few more shirt blocks and played again at Quilters last night-here are some playing ideas for thei block......

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I decided on this arrangement. I have a few more blocks to make but this is how it looks this sewn together this morning.

Learnt how to make this fabulous little sewing bag last night. I can't wait to try a few out.

Have a great day, Tracey

Seals and whales.

I'm sitting here trying to write a post and instead I am laughing because I think my work here is done.

Is it because the house is so clean? Not likely!
All quilts pieced, quilted and bound? Oh yes, sure-along with all the pigs fed and ready to fly!
All office work done then? Cough, cough, is that office work? Hold on for a second while i throw a quilt over it, out of sight out of mind!

No, I am thinking all my parenting work is done, I have proof that my objectives are met. Ds, at least, has been bought up correctly and I can now go on holiday for a few years and he will be fine.

You see, having got very wet in the deluge we are experiencing that seems very like rain, he is in the shower.....and...here's the thing, guess what he has sung so far?
Two performances of The Beach Boys, "fun, fun, fun til her Daddy takes the t-bird away" (what is the title???) a good few minutes of "Livin' next door to Alice", a word perfect version of Marty Robbins tear jerker cowboy song, Utah Carol and then his El Paso song a few times for good measure.
We could go either way here and say that his ability to know these by heart is either child ab*se or the kind of parenting that Dr. Spock could only dream about. I'm going the latter!!

We are lamb marking here today so half a dozen men just got silverside with scalloped potatoes, honeyed carrots, peas and mustard sauce. With steamed pudding, homemade custard and icecream. I would have eaten the main course, but I was too exhausted from all the cooking so i accidentally went straight to the dessert. Don't tell my kids.
We had to go to the dentist in the local coastal town yesterday. We had a great time. At the breakwater there was a seal we got pretty excited about
This was me thinking he would swim off and I better click quickly.
Then I got next to my girl on the ramp and we realised the poser had no intention of going anywhere.

Don't know what was going on here, perhaps he heard some of our family singing!
We were hugely excited about that, then we heard a noise under the ramp and found another one! Had we been idiots we could have actually touched this one.
Isn't he cute.

Then we went to an adjacent beach where the Southern Right Whales come to give birth, they come in close to the surf. I grew up with this as an annual winter event but it never fails to fascinate me.

Like this.

Some people are lucky enough to get pictures of them coming completely out of the water, that has never happened to me!

But if you use your imagination you can still enjoy the view, sometimes there can be 6 out in that little cove. These guys have a little more info. It is a huge tourist drawcard.
In general, for a day when no sewing occurred, it wasn't just too bad!
Hope yours was great, Tracey

Playing with shirts and more book reviews.

I know I am probably only just getting in on time, but happy 4th July to all in the US.

I found this picture for you in today's favourite books......

A red white and blue lone star that was the inspiration for mine.

Today's books are great. Once upon a quilt and This old Quilt. Both compilations by the same editor, Margaret Aldrich and very similar but filled with a fabulous range of stories.

Any kind of stories about quilting are included, so there are excerpts from novels like The Quilter's apprentice, Alice's tulips, the Persian Pickle Club. As well as short stories about quilting and funny modern stories. The pictures are to die for, many Quiltscapes and Diane Phalen prints as well as old originals. Fantastic for further reading ideas, but just beautiful inspiring reads themselves.

Here's another teaser.

My sister found me Once upon a quilt four years ago for my birthday and I found out about the other off the dustjacket.

In the midst of school holidays I have stolen a few minutes in the sewing room.

I cut a few black rectangles as a foundation piece for the shirty triangles, thinking I would get a completely different block result. Then i found that the "joy" of rectangles is that there are only so many ways you can place them to get them to fold out right.....so in the end the shirty triangle has to be placed something like this-

to get a useable block.

The battery was about to flatten on the camera so i got a quick preview of how I could position the blocks I made up .(I know they still need trimming, you can see the black foundation poking out.)

And it went flat as we tried this way.

What do you think?

I think i'll have more of a play this afternoon. I'm still trying to work out a way for the windmill blade thing, that will be this afternoon as well. Great fun!

Only given to a good home.

These two little darling kittens-(who are just sleeping on each other!!)-are more than ready for a new home.

We already have their mother and aunt, they are well and truly weaned and they are at the stage of being enjoyed by their new owners.

There are two problems with this: 1. They are SOOO cute that even DH is loathe to see them leave and 2. My daughter has very strict guidelines for the placement of pets babies. No advertising in any form, because then she can't suitably grill the new owners on their lives so far.

The new owners then have to come from a fairly tight group of people she has known all her life....and thinks are up to scratch!!

I think after a couple of friends came over for even more birthday cake celebrations for my boy yesterday that they may be heading towards a home, but these kittens remind me a little of quilts.

I have read a lot of posts on finding the right home for quilts, and written a few along this line if anyone remembers!!

Just like my girl i have some criteria

-my obstinate side doesn't like to see one demanded.

-looking at one I have given someone else and saying, "I could do that-but why would you!!!" will only see your child given a rattle.

-Ideally the recipient, or mother of recipient is nice. (Hi Sue in Kalgoorlie)

-Or worthy

-or sad

-or they're a kid that cuddles me for no reason.

-or they were just so darn complimentary about the last one....and oozed so much praise on this one that they just couldn't go home without it!

Which is how my attempts to get the perfect Thankyou note photo of baby Daisy when my sister and kids were just here visiting ended up with her going home with a quilt.

Daisy had to have a quilt to lie on so I pulled this one out of the basket....(I think it is also in the header)

-where it was probably waiting for a good iron since it had to have a wash after the calf photo shoot.

Daisy enjoyed being photographed on it so much that this is how she went home

And am i sad to see that one I like a lot go? No, like the quiltmaker in the Quiltmaker's gift, the fun is in the making, then the joy is in the giving...and tomorrow I get the fun of starting making all over again....hopefully on my shirty windmills.

Speaking of my sister, she was the source of many of my early quilt books.

This one is from a couple of birthdays ago and is well worth picking up.

It is only small, hence the name. A little bigger than a charm square, but quite thick.

It has information and dates on fantastic quilts on one page and the picture on the next. A really good range of traditional and more modern are included. I find it a really handy and easy to read little reference.

Good book giving is definitely another reason to justify quilts, wouldn't you say.

Have you posted your favourite yet?

Have a good day, Tracey

More books...

Unfortunately, no update on the serious playing with shirts I started yesterday. I have a migraine, hopefully a neck related one, which means it will be back to normal in exactly one hour and 15 minutes when my chiropractor gets me.

We had 200 sheep in to mark, drench and innoculate so i managed to get out of bed and help do that. Lambs still drinking off their mothers do not take migraines into account.

My Dh and family all said they knew I was really sick as I didn't bring the camera!

Instead I will show you these great sheep.

Are they mine?

No, if you look closely they are completely made out of old phones. Brilliant use of the cords.

I have the Church ladies here tomorrow afternoon, so was going to spend the rest of the day cleaning. Now they will see the real us!

On the book review front, please remeber I would love you to post a pic of a favourite or two. here is today's.

The next one after the Quiltmaker's gift. (Jeff Brumbeau) Still fabulous. It is actually a prequel to the first story and explains why she became a quiltmaker who gives to the poor. Once again the pictures are amazing and the story well worth reading.

I am sliding back to a darkened room for half an hour, have a great day, Tracey

A Sunday treat..and your book reviews wanted!

What's the perfect recipe for a very cold and bleak Sunday afternoon?

Sleep on the couch, read a book, soak in the bath or veg in front of the TV?
Well, they all sound good, but a bit of mindless sewing where I could start with strips from shirt sleeves and end up I-know-not-where sounded very enticing, so that was what i chose.
Here are some random strips with very little attention to seams. I love very little attention to seams!

I found this maths thing that I bought cheap in a pack at the back to school sales, so decided to see what would happen with it
.
I decided just cutting like this was too easy so i started cutting on an angle to make the whole effect more random.

That way I ended up with a lot of different effects for the blocks.
I have absolutely no idea where this will lead me tomorrow, but I think I will enjoy the trip...
Whatever I choose will definitely involve foundation piecing though-there are a huge amount of bias edges there.
In the lead up to my 300th post i am planning on a making few posts this week, so you should see how this develops fairly quickly.
Each post this week is going to include a mention of a favourite quilting related book. I am always looking for quilt books that are a good read so if you want to jump on board and include your favourite book in a post this week, drop me a line so I can check it out-and perhaps more.... (hint, it is coming to my 300th post!!)

Today's is the Quilt maker's gift. A fabulous story for adults and children. my daughter and I read this together regularly and never tire of it as there is always something new to discover in the text and illustrations. It is a great lesson for all of us on why we do what we do- and the "quest" for happiness! have you read this, what do you think?
Have a great day, Tracey

A birthday

My baby is turning 8.

We could do a multitude of things for his birthday, so how did we end up with this?
He goes to a town school where farmers are in the minority, so we transported his class out to our place on the shortened last day of term for a bonfire, pet lambs at their feet, marshmallows, kicks of the football...and rides from my boy's good dad at nice low speed around the paddock. The kids were beside themselves with joy and all wanted to stay longer...and me, i was just that thankful it didn't rain!!
And what about the cake....In March it was Hannah Montana concert stage, last year a spooky castle, what was this creation?
Well, that would be a Pavlova...with broken up peppermint crisps on top.I had to suck up the fact that he's getting bigger and go with what he wanted...a pav!!
Here he is cutting it, his sister has moved in next to him in the hope he will touch the bottom of the plate and have to kiss the nearest girl!

The sister has had some of her dressings off, this is how one cut looks, I wont give you the close up! She still doesn't like to look at it but is improving.

Took these when going around the sheep the other night, can't quite decide which i like best.-i think the first probably, but the second interests me as well.

That is part of my gratitudes today; a farm that I love, along with smiling happy children who like each other.... and are healthy (today!!) and a workaholic husband who took time out to help me with the party. Life is good.
Hope yours is too.
Tracey

Nieces, a bag and a winner.

How did it get to 1.02 am on wednesday morning so quickly?

I have just emailed off the minutes from tonight's-well, last night's, school council meeting and I should be going to bed, but meetings always make me wide awake.

The meeting reminded me I actually have something to show. This is why I save stuff....(well, that's wht I tell my Dh and I am sticking to it...)

At the end of the going back to School season i picked up this folder very cheaply. It has a zippered section ring binder and then the front section opens into an expanding file system and more storage. Perfect for all the committees i am on...and the endless search for improved organisation.

I dug around in my stash and found the old strap from my daughter's 2007 drink bottle that had a torn cover, attached it to a couple of Herringbone tape loops and got this very handy-and easy to carry folder system.

I have been very neglectful and haven't shared my latest niece. This daughter looks far more like her dad. Her 3 year old rascally sister looks just like my sister and I did...except we had a little more hair at this stage! My sister is a great "doer" of hair. I am not into it at all. She got the girl with virtually no hair....(who cut most of this off playing hairdressers a few days later anyway)...and I got the one with thick blonde hair. She really doesn't think it's fair. We keep telling her it'll grow sometime.

She obviously just hated her birthday...and Donut King birthday cake!

And on the card front, the Random number site pulled 9 out of the hat. I had given all of the two post's comments a number starting from the first commenter, so that makes the winner Cheryl, at Polka dots and ric rac. Drop me a line Cheryl and you can pick your cards.

Here are your random numbers:9
Timestamp: 2008-06-24 15:19:00 UTC

Have a great day, Tracey

Farm wife life

I love a tidy kitchen.

It is a beautiful thing to behold...for the few fragile seconds that it occurs in a week at my house.

Clear benches, sideboards unadorned by readers, school notes, newspapers or discarded paperwork, sinks that are dish free-these are the things that i dream about....well -behind beautiful quilts, hatching chickens and Harrison Ford as either Indy or Han.( I don't discriminate!)

Back on track here now, don't panic-; I love a tidy kitchen, especially the floor. farm floors are notoriously gritty, even when people generally remove their shoes. Dirt just seems to float in on clothes-well, that's how it feels.

But yesterday my kitchen floor was gleaming, even the kitchen table was clear...

Want to see today?

This is my kitchen.

A lamb who was found abandoned in the paddock.

A box full of out of season hatching chickens that need to be away from the cold.

That's the frizzle silky cross. These are her first babies. i can't wait to see how they turn out.

And there are also two of these little darlings out of view in the picture. Land crabs that I was conned into as long as they could live in a PLASTIC container! I love these, so do the kids, but why is my warm kitchen floor always the best place for everything?

On a different note, i have made some fabulous second hand book purchases this week. I love buying my books second hand, the extra history adds to the reading (especially inscriptions)...and it is great for the environment.

My paperback copy of my favourite Catherine Gaskin novel is held apart by tape, so when i found it in hard back for 50 cents I was ecstatic. I loved this in my mid teens, named my Budgie after the falcon!

Then I found the only Danielle Steele that i have ever really taken to, The Promise. I find the weight of tragedy that Danielle generally dumps upon many of her characters to drag me down. I had this and lent it to someone and it never came back, so buying it back for 50 cents was no big stretch.

The Time Traveller's wife is a recent favourite that I borrowed from the library. I paid a little more than 50 cents at a second hand book shop just to own it. It is definitely a book that cries out to be read more than once.

And 3 works of jane Austen for 50 cents in hardback...that was not staying there!

Do you buy books that you have loved and even owned in your past, i wonder what favourite you might have bought to complete your ideal library.

Have a great day, Tracey