Hello...again!

Okay, so it has been a while...well, not a while, 15 or 16 months! I have appreciated the emails that have come to check I am ok. Yes, I am, just can only spend so much computer time and was feeling like I couldn't check everyone else's blogs so shouldn't really expect anyone to be checking mine!

The photo business is booming, local sports shots for the paper, still working on the shearing shed book, proofs for next years shearing calendar to be approved today at the printers...and all those normal day to day things that come from having two teenagers, one of them who has sport most nights/days of the week!

Scarily I couldn't remember my login...and blogger has changed! I have some quilty stuff to share, this is the girls from the annual quilt weekend. And the quilts are mainly our weekend work, with a disappearing 9 patch challenge quilt thrown in.

 

 

 

The above photo is all disappearing 9 patches, hard to believe when they all look so different.

 This is one of mine from the weekend,

 This was my disappearing 9 patch, with a baby quilt top added in for good measure

This was another of mine form the weekend, Also a disappearing 9 patch, using up more of that Roman Holiday stash!

 I take photos from some businesses around town for promotional use, I walked into their tent at a local field day and discovered one of my photos was now an entire wall, nearly 4 m high, by 20 metres long, that was pretty cool!

And to update you on family, this is the baby boy!! Sport mad and taller every day, he was going around the sheep with me in this photo...with a football!
So, there we are, I am in the mood for a catch up, so I will happily visit the commenters for a virtual coffee and chat.
Have a great day, Tracey x

Quilt retreat weekend.

Quilt weekend photos, yes, we actually did a lot of work!!! 10 ladies,( 3 stitching, 7 sewing). Sorry this has taken so long but I have had a lot of issues with this new format and cracked the sads trying to get this post to upload, fortunately going to work tonight! Heaps to report, will get this one out of the way first. Above is pretty much the view from our accommodation. Below is all the work we got done for the weekend.

Can't shift pics, so this is my boy and his dog.

Lise at work on her Leanne's house design.

Robyn has finally pieced all her horses.

I was showing the girls how to do a dis. 9 patch at the last minute...this is it in pieces.

Robyn's log cabin was finished, a shaggy ready to snip, Helen;s I think, and a bushfire block quilt ready to go to it's owner...yes, they are still being delivered, a lot of the victims are only just getting houses now.

My dis. 9 patch pink throw on the left, Jane's french (?) hand printed quilt blocks on top and Anne's baby quilt at bottom.

Close up of Jane's blocks, bought per block i think.

The top right are some more Jane got overseas, love the orange sashing, bottom house/bright was mine, a baby quilt.

My batiks on left, Anne's pinks baby throws on right.

My "Coming home" log cabin on the right, someone's stars on left. So, on my completed list....one log cabin, one little girls cot, three batik throws, one pink dis 9 patch and the boys 9 patch without  running seams up. A big weekend! Below, Robyn finished the binding on her log cabin, machine quilted in woolsthorpe. So, a busy weekend for all, i swam in the ocean...in the rain, to make it pretty much an annual event. All booked for next year.

Back again...and now off to Quilt weekend.

 Wow, a girl doesn't post for a few weeks and blogger goes and changes everything...must say it was very easy to upload photos, wonder if everything else will work as well. We have another school market over, close to $15000 profit this year, in the 6 years I have co-ordinated it has gone from $5000 to $15000! Stoked about that. This gentleman won the quilt I made and donated, he entered because his mum liked it...and I noticed it being hidden away for her for Mother's day!

Okay, not quite so happy with new blogger now, wont let me type where I want! I'll just have to give you a general run down and you can work out which photo I'm talking about. My favourite daughter had to go to a theme disco, she borrowed an op shop dress of mine, put the hair up and channeled a bit of Audrey Hepburn!

My days are currently being filled with photography jobs...(lots of woolsheds and other venues) and going around sheep, feeding pet lambs...all the usual for this time of year. I thought I'd share a few of this morning's lambing shots. My right hand is all swollen from "birthing babies". I had such a struggle with it at boxing class last night!
Above is me in my new little Gator, Archie comes with and shares the back with an assortment of lambs and ewes, much to his disgust!

Also in here somewhere is my boy and his new pup, Tillee. She is going very well, and other than a bit of chewing and pulling out my succulent garden she's not too badly behaved.

I made individul lemon meringue pies the other day....on a butternut snap biscuit base, too yum!

And finally, as the sheep call, I am off tomorrow for ANOTHER quilt weekend. (I hope you read that in a similar tone to the one my family uses!!!....ANOTHER one!!) Family is not looking forward to having to take over my sheep and lamb jobs.

Off tomorrow, so many projects packed and ready,(see below! I just can't wait. I am going with Lise, the Chocolate Cat again, and another 8 ladies, staying at port Fairy. If you are good I may post an update on everyone's progress. Have  a great day. Tracey x

Waiting, waiting, waiting....one son just home from the Geelong/North game with the neighbours...very disappointed with the result, I am as well, (I would have got 9/9 for my tipping 2 weeks in a row!) I am waiting as well, at midnight, for One direct*n to come on the Logie awards...my daughter is so patiently waiting to continue to scream with excitement....oh the joys of teenagerdom! So I'll share the buttons I got on a "buy these bags full of stuff for $2 table" at spotlight...opened my two bags and found all this stuff! Even the singer button for my singer collection!

I would love to say that there is heaps more sewing to show, but it's been a busy week of holidays...with nieces and nephews sleeping over..and great nieces visiting for plays...and two woolshed photo shoots ...and a full day of football photos.

So, I usually always manage to rein in my weight at least once a year, I think in the last 5 years, I would have lost 6 kgs every year...the same 6! Imagine if all that 30 was gone..nah, that would be too skinny...I just want the 6 gone again...so how do you fit it in? I haven't had much time so decided to combine 2 baskets of ironing(=3 hours!) with my stepper! And I would also like to add...why is ironing so painful when it isn't just pretty fabric?? Anyway, better go, hamish has just won the gold logie (YAY!) and one are on! can't you hear the screams!

Of dogs and babies..

A Happy Easter to everyone today, we spent it with the extended family and I found out I am going to be a God mother again, so probably could have saved his quilt for a fortnight's time! He may even get something else now I am on a roll. This will be my 4th Godchild, 3 boys and 1 girl...they get spoilt rotten! Godmothers can do that.

The picture is the blanket my little grand nephew received today in lieu of eggs. I wonder who can guess his name...and by the way, 6 weeks old and doubled in size...a pound a week! His Mum is shrinking as he puts it on!

My niece on the other side loved her new dog blanket.....the dog was not so sure! But as the dog's middle name is "long suffering the dog-addicted-3 year old" that level of excitement was in many ways expected.

And on the dog front, huge news for us...Archie has a buddy! He is coping very well with the new Border Collie addition who arrived yesterday.

My boy is in love!

A safe and blessed Easter to you. xx

Chook quilt all done...next??!!!!

I well and truly have my quilting mo-jo back....The chook quilt is all done-tied and bound and ready to keep me warm on the couch this winter. I am very happy with it. It turned out to be about 2.3m x 1.7 metres in size. I am in a hurry to get off the computer to get a dog quilt done by tomorrow and a baby name one done by Sunday, it's nice to be back!

Also been making Raspberry fig jam...easiest recipe in the world. Just equal parts figs (mashed) with sugar, then add in a heaped desertspoon of raspberry (or strawberry ) jelly crystals to about every 2 cups of sugar. It looks, tastes and sets great!

Lastly, proof that little boys do in fact grow up.(But don't change!) Top photo is my boy playing with the new tractor 5 years ago, and bottom is now.

Better run, have a great day! Tracey