Night Night Barrack

Barrack, our rooster, likes to start crowing at around 3 AM so he has to be put away in the shed every night. Alan has made him a special cage and away he goes at night time. Barrack's crows are muffled and they don't disturb all of Kirup. Anyway, the kids love helping Alan with the chooks at night as they get to have a cuddle with them. Here is Piper with Barrack

Christmas 2012

We have had a lovely time this year. Jacob, Naomi and the kids have come across from Queensland to stay with us until mid January. Kenric, Marilyn and Evangeline came down for the day and Alan went over and picked Beryl up from the home and brought her home for the day.

A Sad Decision Made

It was with great regret that we decided it was time for my dear mother-in-law to go into a nursing home. I had hoped I could keep her here with us until she left this earth. Unfortunately it all got too much. We have found her a lovely place in Bunbury and on Monday, Alan and I took her to the home. We told her on Saturday evening but she had forgotten.

I have been in every day to make sure all is going well and her settling in is not too traumatic. There have been some bumps in the road not helped by the fact that she can't articulate what she wants and needs.

Today a very nice gentleman came from aged care to assess her to see what level of care she needed. She has been assessed as high care although fortunately not going to into the dementia unit as she would be distressed there. We are so thankful for this. Also, fortunately they can offer her a room at the facility in another area of the nursing that will look after all her needs.

Oh the guilt! I feel like the wicked witch of the west. I know it is for the best as I was struggling to look after her. She had a fall on Sunday. Luckily Dr Smith and Nurse Smith were on hand to make sure all was well.

I know this is for the best.

A Quick Trip to Perth

Decided very quickly that I needed to go and see my Daddy for his 86th birthday.  You never know if he will be around for his next one, so got up early (for me) and hit the road at 9am for Perth.  He was pleased that I went up and it was a lovely day enjoyed by my brother, sister-in-law, sister and a few other relatives and also my second son and his wife and baby.  Thank you for my lovely sister again for her hospitality on all fronts.

I also got to go out to dinner with my fourth son which I enjoyed very much.

I always go up to Perth over night as even though it is not too far I find I get too tired to go up and back in one day.  On the way back I stopped in at Safety Bay to have even more cuddles with my gorgeous grand daughter.

20 More To Go

Yippee! I have at last completed the first page of Dutch Beauty. Only 20 more to go. Also had my first stitchy finish of the year. Snow bag by Shepherd's Bush.

My Stitching Space

Yes I know another post.  I have a good few up my sleeve at the moment.  Firstly, as I said in the last post,  I have not been settling with my stitching since I moved down here.  Well I think I have solved the problem with why.

Firstly I have not been comfortable with my stitching area.  Don't think I like my stitching room.  I have this thing about rooms.  I didn't like the lounge area of my last house.  Never liked it and wouldn't really  sit in it.  Anyhow, we have been doing a bit more unpacking and organising and I bought my old tea trolley down from the shed and set it up next to the sofa in our living area.  Placed Beryl's lamp for light at night.  Have gorgeous light during the day as there is a window behind me.  Much better.

See my big tea cup.  I like to keep it constantly full with Twinings Lemon Scented Tea.  This is not to be confused with a herbal tea.  I don't drink herbal teas.  I have a cup warmer that I sit it on.  Needless to say I do get up a lot during the night.

Secondly, I have gone back to my old rotation.  That worked for me before.  I take a pile of different projects. (All my projects are put in a plastic zipper folder or craft holder thingy with everything needed to stitch that said project. )  I then take a project and cut a length of thread needed and stitch that length of thread and put that project away.  I do this for each project until I have done what I wanted on the project that is chosen ffom the pile.  It keeps me stitching and you would be surprised at how much each project grows doing it this way.  There are no rules.  I can put 2 lengths of threads into a project if I feel like.  I do, however, have to do at least one.  

If I find I am getting bored with the pile of projects out I can put some away and add others.  My goal is to stitch.  I find I am much happier and I find this works for me.  I will never run out of projects to stitch on because I am allowed to start new ones if the fancy takes me or I have over 100 starts stashed in my 4 door buffet if I just want to work on another UFO or whatever you want to call them.

Next post will have some stitchy photos and maybe a couple of crochet photos.  Have been doing that as well and even have a knitting project started.  

Lastly but definitely not leastly I want to say hello to all my followers.  I see I have over 30 now.  WOW that is fantastic.  I will go and have a look and see who are the new followers and make sure I am reading your blog.  I just love reading blogs.  

Long Time No See

Well heaps has happened since my last post. Firstly I have a new grand daughter. Evangeline Lily was born on the 3rd June. Daughter to Kenric and Marilyn.

I have been finding it very hard to settle to stitching since I have moved down here.  Have had a few personal issues happening and unfortunately they were not resolved to how they should have been.  At least they have been solved and I can move on.  

My finishes this year have been few and far between.  I have only 1 stitchy finish and I, alas, cannot show you that at this stage.  I did crochet a pram blanket for Evangeline.  

Chocolate Rabbits

Well I don't know about chocolate rabbits for easter but I certainly had a frog in the house.  As I rushed to finish the second release of the pattern for Sweet Flowers I was inundated by the critters and I can tell you if they had of been chocolate I would have eaten them.

So on the very late evening of the 9th of April I managed to put the last back stitch into the blessed piece. I had to have it finished for the new part release on the 10th.

Do I like the design?  Well yes I do and it is certainly a lovely stitch.  I don't think it will fit into my house though and hopefully when it is done someone will be desperate to own it.

So why I am spending the best part of a year stitching on it?  Dunno....  I think it is a motivator.  I want to stitch but feel so exhausted all the time.  This design has enough colour change not to be boring and I like stitching pretty things.  It is also just plain cross stitch.  It is enough.

So here is the picture I sent to the lovely designer Angie.  She does some gorgeous designs.

The first egg and a stitchy update

Well I have not been doing very much stitching in these last few weeks.  I have, however, stitched a bit on my Mirabilia SAL that I am doing with Jill.   Not a huge amount done.  I very stupidly decided to stitch the skin with one thread over one.  So it is taking a while.

Also with great excitement one of my chooks has started to lay eggs.  Bertha is an Australorp and they are reknowned for being good layers.  She is also going to be a broody girl as I found her nest outside the pen and she was sitting on 2 eggs.  I had to move her to get them.  I don't think I was her favourite person.  She has been laying an egg a day.  I am hoping that it will inspire the other 3 chooks to start laying.  I did take a picture and was really thrilled to find out when I used it that she had layed me a double yoker.  What a girl!

Jacob

I have been wanting to show everyone a picture of Jacob and our first grandchildren.  They are steps but we count them as ours and he certainly counts them as his as he is a stay at home Dad.  Naomi got offered a terrific job so they decided it would be good for her take it.  He is still trying to get work but alas really needs a drivers license.  He is learning.

Anyway these was taken last father's day when he was asked to go to Lachlan's daycare to celebrate father's day.

Jaelyn, Lachlan, Jacob & Piper

Lachlan made this for Jacob

Another Stitch Update

Well it has been a slow fortnight (2 weeks) with the stitching.  Have been trying to unpack and decided where this and that goes.  Trying really hard to throw stuff out and not having a huge success with that.  Have been trying to take on more of the everyday house stuff and with all of that I have had a bit of a flare with the Fibro.

Had a terrific weekend with Kenric and Marilyn coming to stay overnight.  It was his birthday yesterday.  He is 29.  Where does the time go?  Mary Lyn (Marilyn), as we call her, is battling away with her pregnancy.  Little Miss Smith is making her mother quite ill.

Now for an update of a stitchy picture.  It is Dorothy Preston.  I started stitching Dorothy around the time my mum got very ill or when she died.  Not sure which because they where quite close to each other.  I would like to finish her this year.  Did I tell you I had to restart her because I cut the fabric too small.  Now I never do that.  I guess I had a good excuse.

Well here she is.  You can see her percentage progress on my side bar.

A Quick Blog and a Brag

No stitchy news tonight.  Not because I haven't stitched because I have but because I am tired and off to bed even though it is only 9.15 here in WA.

Firstly my baby boy has passed his driving test.  He has only to wait 6 months and clock up 20 hours of driving time (with a licensed driver) and he will have his License.  I am thankful for that.

Secondly I have to tell you that my second boy who studies at the University of Notre Dame here in Western Australia received an email from the University to tell him that he has won the Vice Chancellors medal for the School of Medicine for 2011.  He has only this year to go and he will be Doctor Smith.

Yep a proud Mum and Dad are we.

My SAL's

Well I didn't get to update my blog last night.  I was just too tired.

Firstly this is the very first progress picture of my Baroque Gardens which is an online SAL by Chatelaine.  I then saw some progress pictures of it being stitched on black and what can I say but the heart was weak.  Was probably one of those down days when stash shopping makes it all better for a nano second.  Anyway, I promised myself that I would start it when we moved down here to Kirup. That would be my reward.  Then I had to get the fabric and the rest of the materials.  Money was not at a premium so that took a while.  I seem to be stitching it in the afternoons at the kitchen table with a good  light.

and here is the very first progress picture with just a tad under 1000 stitches done

Now for my Coat of Arms SAL.  I really love how this sampler is starting to look.  I am stitching it on what I think is a 40 count Summer Khaki Zweigart using 1 strand of Dinky Dyes Kayla's Rose.

It is a much more vivid colour (the thread) but I want to get stitching on my Baroque Garden for this afternoon.  Tonight I am putting away my COA and will probably pick up Dorothy Preston.

The Terminator

Aka my Thermomix now named Arnie arrived today.  I am so excited as this mean machine is all part of my plan to becoming a little bit more live off the land type self sufficient type thing.  I laybyed this little beauty last June and have at long last paid it off.  Julie (the sales lady person) is phoning me tomorrow to go over everything and then I can experiment.  Woohoo

Also my parcel from Martina arrived.  Lovely scrumptious Weddingen Linen.  I love this linen.  I now have another metre each of 30 count Antique White and Fawn, 34 count Antique White linen.  I also ordered the Dragon Quaker chart.

Tomorrow you get to see my first progress photo of Chatelaine's Baroque Gardens.  Maybe my progress thus far on the Coat of Arms SAL if I manage to finish page 15 tonight.

The Scent Of Old Roses

My friend Jill and I are having a stitchalong on this Mirabilia design.  2 hours every Friday.  I didn't get to it this Friday just gone as I was too tired but have rectified that by stitching on it both yesterday and today.
It has been a case of 3 stitches forward and 2 back so not much achieved.  I am stitching the skin 1 over 1.  Think it looks a bit messy.  Too bad as I am over frogging.

Here's my progress picture

A Man and his Cat

Cecil just loves his Daddy so much.

Alan pretends not to love him back but we know he does.

Welcome New Followers

Just a little welcome to my new followers.  Wow 21 now.  I am delighted that you wanted to follow my ramblings and inconsistent posts.

Hugs Janine

First Post for 2012

Wow it is the middle of February already and I am just making my first post.



Well 2011 bought some big changes to this girl.  I sold my shop, I sold my house, I bought another house in the country, I had my MIL come to live with me, my dad moved, my youngest son moved to Uni, my third son moved to Queensland and gave me 3 beautiful step grandchildren, he also got engaged, my 2nd son and his wife announced they were pregnant so another grandchild, a beautiful baby girl from my Laura, my eldest son and his wife also moved down south with us, my husband changed careers, as did my eldest son, I finished my first big crossword puzzle,  I finished 2 crocheted afghans, I finished a UFO (Quaker Stocking by CHS),  I also finished another very small UFO by Lori Birmingham, I had 2 new finishes.  First was the Imystery and 2nd was a Bent Creek Uncle Sam.   I also took delivery of 4 chooks (chickens for the non Australians) and they free range.  I am sure there were many more things that happenend but I wanted to condense it all down.  These are in no particular order.

Also did you notice that I have those percentage things on my side bar.  Gosh I feel so clever to have them.

Well that is all folks.  I will check in again real soon as I have heaps more to add.