Monday, January 19, 2009
Holiday time
Wonderful summer holidays. Great Christmas; time with far away friends; beach holiday....bliss.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
The Wiggles Concert 2008
Once again we went ot the Wiggles concert this year - they are such fantatsic entertainers and I love it just as much as the girls.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Thank you Xena
I recently won a give away on Xena's blog - and last week this gorgeous package arrived at my place. An adorable little bag, three sets of her super hair clips and a gorgeous hair band (just my colour!) as well as an issue of I Can Make it Myself, all wrapped in some vintage sheeting with matching bias to tie it all together - thanks so much Xena. I love it :)
Saturday, November 15, 2008
EB dolls quilt swap revealed!
The quilt that I sent to Natalie can now be revealed (although her pictures are SO much better than mine - check out those gorgeous kids!)
EB dolls quilt swap received!
I am a VERY VERY lucky girl. I have received a beautiful dolls quilt (which I am going to put on the wall) from Helen as part of the EB girls doll quilt swap. Helen makes gorgeous quilts full of colour and I am thrilled to have one of my very own! Thanks Helen :)
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
new dresses
I have stayed up into the night to get some new dresses finished for the girls for thier kindy photos (which go over 3 days). I am one of those mean mums that dress their kids in the same clothes!
On Monday they wore little reversible smocks - cherries on one side and red gingham on the reverse with little shorts. Today they wore yellow 'pillowcase' dresses made form a vinatge curtain - super cute! I didn't get pics of them yesterday morning, but did get a couple tonight. All 4 dresses are in the washer now, so we will choose in the morning which ones get re-used!! Here are some pics - checkout Mimi's teeny tiny piggy tails!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Minature Booty Swap received!
Lucky me!!
Check out this adorable quilt that I received from Solidia . I am so thrilled - she picked my taste perfectly!
Solidia also sent me some beautiful fabric and some grogeous Amy Butler stationery. I feel so lucky! Thank you so much
Doll Quilt Swap 4 arrived!
I arrived home from an interstate trip this week to find a little box on my doorstep. I wasn't expecting anything and couldn't remember buying anything, so it was a great surprise to open it up and find a gorgeous little quilt from Gillian at SillyGilly as part of the Flickr Doll Quilt Swap 4. She also sent some wonderful extras - I can't wait to make up the dress and the dog fabric had Mali enthralled (she ha sa dog 'thing' at the moment). Gillian sent me the loveliest note, which had me sobbing - it felt so special that someone had taken time to get to know me.
Thanks Gillian - I love it!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
A budding photographer?
When I download pictures from my camera, there are inevitably some that have been taken by little hands! Usually lots of fingers, or the floor, or the computer or TV, but almost always, there is a little Mimi poking her head up somewhere in the picture, which tells me that Lulu must be the budding photographer. The photos always bring a smile to my face - here are a few examples!
And a self-portrait!!
Weekend Fun
Lulu was invited to a birthday party on the weekend and I made a little rice heat bag to go with the gift. (It is freezing in Canberra at the moment - it even snowed in suburbia on Sunday!) I think I might make some more of these as they are super easy and I need to do some stash reduction.
Mimi was a tag-a-long at the party but was made to feel welcome and got right into the spirit of things. Here they are on the deck before we left. The cheeky smile!
Flickr Doll Quilt Swap
I am ALMOST finished by little quilt for the flickr doll quilt swap #4. I just need to add the bindings and it is ready to post off to America (yes, I know, it will be a little bit late, but I hope that I can be forgiven). Made from vintage sheet pieces and some tone-on for the borders. I used the 'scraps' I had left over from cutting up the squares for the See Katie Sew vintage sheet squae swap. I am loving it and think I might make a bed sized one made up of a nine patch from the sheets and white sashings.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
6 things meme
I have been tagged by Brazen, a Canberra on-line buddy to do a "6 things" meme.
6 things meme
1. Link to the person who “tagged” you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know your entry is up.
1. K is an amazing person, and I have learnt a lot from her strength over the last few years. Our youngest children are almost the same age, and she has flogged me a fair bit of tupperware (a lot of which is still unused in the cupboard lol)
2. see above lol
3. (1) every winter I wonder why I live in Canberra. It is freezing here and everyone seems to hibernate - I don't see my neighbours from about May until October
(2) I love planning and starting projects but I have difficulty finishing things. I have hundreds of quilts in my head, and many many cut out and in various stages of completion, but then I get scared. I have lots of tops and flimsys, all in bags with thier matching backings and bindings, but the machine quilting process terrfies me as I don't want to wreck anything, despite having done 2 free motion quilting classes. I have started to have my larger quilts professionally quilted so that I can actually get them used before I don't love them anymore!
(3) ditto above for my job (the loving starting projects thing - I actually have to finish things at work!)
(4) My house is a mess. I dream of living in an uncluttered 'show-home', but hey, where would the fun in that be?
(5) I joined the Australian Volunteers International Program in my early 20s and lived in Papua New Guinea for almost 6 years - I was supposed to go for 6 months!
(6) I love lemon crisp biscuits (you know the ones that are kind of a salty cracker and have lemon cream inside). Everyone else I know thinks that these are foul.
4. I'm going to break the tag (I think I always do this when I get tagged!) as I find it so difficult
5. see above
6. will do :D
6 things meme
1. Link to the person who “tagged” you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know your entry is up.
1. K is an amazing person, and I have learnt a lot from her strength over the last few years. Our youngest children are almost the same age, and she has flogged me a fair bit of tupperware (a lot of which is still unused in the cupboard lol)
2. see above lol
3. (1) every winter I wonder why I live in Canberra. It is freezing here and everyone seems to hibernate - I don't see my neighbours from about May until October
(2) I love planning and starting projects but I have difficulty finishing things. I have hundreds of quilts in my head, and many many cut out and in various stages of completion, but then I get scared. I have lots of tops and flimsys, all in bags with thier matching backings and bindings, but the machine quilting process terrfies me as I don't want to wreck anything, despite having done 2 free motion quilting classes. I have started to have my larger quilts professionally quilted so that I can actually get them used before I don't love them anymore!
(3) ditto above for my job (the loving starting projects thing - I actually have to finish things at work!)
(4) My house is a mess. I dream of living in an uncluttered 'show-home', but hey, where would the fun in that be?
(5) I joined the Australian Volunteers International Program in my early 20s and lived in Papua New Guinea for almost 6 years - I was supposed to go for 6 months!
(6) I love lemon crisp biscuits (you know the ones that are kind of a salty cracker and have lemon cream inside). Everyone else I know thinks that these are foul.
4. I'm going to break the tag (I think I always do this when I get tagged!) as I find it so difficult
5. see above
6. will do :D
Minature Booty Swap ….. RECEIVED!
I was so happy to get a little note from Vickie to say that she had received her chook quilt – YIPPEE! I am SO glad that she was happy and that it was well received.
I just have to finish the bindings on my Flickr doll quitl swap and then that will be posted off.
Enough swaps for me for a while I think.
I just have to finish the bindings on my Flickr doll quitl swap and then that will be posted off.
Enough swaps for me for a while I think.
Vintage sheet square swap.
I am participating in the vintage sheet square swap over at See Katie Sew, and have sent my 200 squares all the way over to the USA, and I will then receive 200 squares back. I am inspired by this vintage sheet quilt, so I will add it to the mile long "project list”!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Time to reassess?
I am so tired.
I am over the full time working single mummy caper.
I am especially over working in a office with a bully.
What makes it difficult is that the bully doesn't recognise that the way that she behaves towards others is unacceptable.
I have made a complaint to my general manager this week, after expressing concerns to her and the HR consultant for over 12 months about the behaviour of another general manager as I have. just. had. enough. It was a really difficult decision to do that, and it was only after a colleague told me that he had witnessed me being berated for no reason and that the behaviour was unacceptable, that I decided that this was no longer my problem. Over this time period, I have tried so many different things - looked at her myers briggs and mine, to see how I can better work together with her, I have tried different ways of dealing with inappropriate requests and rudeness, I have tried ways of re-instating physical space (standing up from my desk and walking away when I am being stood over), insisting that I need to put my handbag down and get a cup of coffee when I come in in the morning rather than having to endure table banging about budgets that aren't even my responsbility before I have sat down, physically moved my workstation, ignored her, snapped back, tried to be extra nice - I have tried it all. The person in question has not altered her behaviour at all - inappropriate and imaginary deadlines, being stood over, being shouted at from a distance instead of being approached, or alternatively, having the feeling that I am being watched and turning my head to realise that someone is standing behind me, had my decisions questioned, not had my expertise and experience respected, been undermined and unnecessarily criticised to senior management. All because someone feels threatened. As I sit outside the person's office, refuses to shut her door and has extrordinary voice projection, I have also got an intimate knowledge of the purchase of her house, car, horse, saddle, husband issues, bill payments - you name it!
Do I need to stay in an environment like that? I love what I do for work, and my manager is great, (and has been trying hard to help me deal with this) but I have been coming home feeling sick about work and my relationship with this person. and therefore my quality time with my kids has suffered. My work is also suffering I think and I am working on some huge projects that don't need an emotional wreck driving them. As a single mum with a mortgage, I have no choice not to work, but do I need to work in an environment like this?
I think not, and I think it is time that I start looking around for a new journey. I know that there are other flexible workplaces around, where I will not get in the car at the end of the day in tears and take out my frustrations on my gorgeous kids.
Just needed to get that off my chest.
I am over the full time working single mummy caper.
I am especially over working in a office with a bully.
What makes it difficult is that the bully doesn't recognise that the way that she behaves towards others is unacceptable.
I have made a complaint to my general manager this week, after expressing concerns to her and the HR consultant for over 12 months about the behaviour of another general manager as I have. just. had. enough. It was a really difficult decision to do that, and it was only after a colleague told me that he had witnessed me being berated for no reason and that the behaviour was unacceptable, that I decided that this was no longer my problem. Over this time period, I have tried so many different things - looked at her myers briggs and mine, to see how I can better work together with her, I have tried different ways of dealing with inappropriate requests and rudeness, I have tried ways of re-instating physical space (standing up from my desk and walking away when I am being stood over), insisting that I need to put my handbag down and get a cup of coffee when I come in in the morning rather than having to endure table banging about budgets that aren't even my responsbility before I have sat down, physically moved my workstation, ignored her, snapped back, tried to be extra nice - I have tried it all. The person in question has not altered her behaviour at all - inappropriate and imaginary deadlines, being stood over, being shouted at from a distance instead of being approached, or alternatively, having the feeling that I am being watched and turning my head to realise that someone is standing behind me, had my decisions questioned, not had my expertise and experience respected, been undermined and unnecessarily criticised to senior management. All because someone feels threatened. As I sit outside the person's office, refuses to shut her door and has extrordinary voice projection, I have also got an intimate knowledge of the purchase of her house, car, horse, saddle, husband issues, bill payments - you name it!
Do I need to stay in an environment like that? I love what I do for work, and my manager is great, (and has been trying hard to help me deal with this) but I have been coming home feeling sick about work and my relationship with this person. and therefore my quality time with my kids has suffered. My work is also suffering I think and I am working on some huge projects that don't need an emotional wreck driving them. As a single mum with a mortgage, I have no choice not to work, but do I need to work in an environment like this?
I think not, and I think it is time that I start looking around for a new journey. I know that there are other flexible workplaces around, where I will not get in the car at the end of the day in tears and take out my frustrations on my gorgeous kids.
Just needed to get that off my chest.
Friday, July 04, 2008
mini booty swap
I have joined the Minature Booty Swap Round 2! I just have to sew down the binding on my quilt, wash it and then post off. My recpient is also from Australia and had 'chooks' as one of her likes, so I have tried my hand at needle-turn applique in a large pattern to do a chook feature. Looking at it now it looks a bit boring - AARRGG! I love doing swaps but am always so unsure of the calibre of my work and that it measures up. Anyway, here it is ready to be bound - I did some stippling around the chook and then just straight lines around the borders.
!
Kaffe butterfly quilt update
Oh my aching back! Just kidding, but we have spent a lot of time cutting out little tiny pieces of fabric for the gorgeous butterfly quilt. Can't wait to start on the sewing now.
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