44/52

A portrait of my boys once a week for a year.

BJ - impatiently watching his tea cooking...  (but we all know that "a watched pot never boils".  

DJ - thoroughly revelling in cooking his own food!  

Happy Birthday

My sister had a birthday party.  It was in Melbourne.  We were at home.  So what do you do?  Have your own little party at home.

Skype!

Yay for Skype.

We had the computer set up looking at this scene from our home party, & together we were connected to the festivities in Melbourne where they were dining the same way as we did. Really lovely to join in, be a part of the fun & surprise everyone there with our participation!

DJ enjoyed making the signs.  They will enjoy the balloons for days too I expect.

Happy Birthday Judy!

Stockings

Well it is actually only one stocking but it has a front & back...  or I like to call it 2 fronts.  :-)

This is the newest range of ornaments from Mill Hill.  There are 6 in the set as usual.  I got excited when I saw them & showed a friend who I have also stitches & has got back into it.  She has caught my Mill Hill bug & being a Christmas freak she stitches almost all Christmas things.  So we went halves in the set of these.  So eventually I will have the others done.

Old Socks!

I started these socks ages ago!  I don't even know how long ago.  

But they are done & they aren't plain, they have a pattern that slowed me down a bit.  Will go to my regular ones next!  

43/52

A portrait of my boys once a week for a year.

BJ - Painting his planet mobile.  Concentrating as usual.
DJ - Chalk drawing & coming up with some crazy ideas!

Round H

Bit excited to have this round on now.  It's rather large.  Still 2 rounds to go.

Thursday Thanks on Friday

• Catching up with people from long ago.  Always interesting.
• Great jobs done in the garden.
• Lovely day for gardening & for the boys to play outside.
• A whole day of rain that got a lot done inside too!
• Creating memories - the boys playing with the neighbour children...  

557/1000

Week 41 + 2

So this lot of 9 squares finishes the round so stay tuned for a picture in a couple of days with them all stuck to the rest of it!

Week 40

42/52

A portrait of my boys once a week for a year.

BJ - was spying on DJ who was playing across the paddock.  Got a couple of nice shots of him in the meantime.

DJ - spotted BJ.

Week 39

Here We Go Again

It's been good weather to chip away at this lot... Week 38...

Ornaments Are Go

While I have a fight with my sewing machine I will stitch instead.

I got this one for my birthday from a friend.  It's cute as can be!

Christmas Playing

Been working on an ornament again.  I have so many that I really need to get a couple more done.

Thursday Thanks

• Looks like Spring is here.
• A bumpy start to term but getting there now.
• Boys playing outside instead of on computer.
• Daylight savings!  
• Speech therapy is finished with!  (it was a waste of time this time round!)
• DVD binges.

552/1000

Taking Stock - October

Making :  Christmas plans

Cooking :  As little as possible...  fast  "fried rice" which I was told was "special"!

Drinking :  coffee, herbal teas & water.

Reading: The Dandelion Years - Erica James

Trawling:  through quilt patterns to get ideas for a large print fabric.

Wanting:  ideas for Christmas.  lol  

Looking:  forward to Christmas & making plans for different bits already.

Deciding:  where to have our summer holiday.

Wishing:  that wishes came true after a discussion with an 8 year old on whether they really do or not.  
Enjoying:  A little time alone.  

Waiting:  for it to warm up a bit.

Liking:  the boys playing outside with the neighbour girls instead of on the computer.

Wondering: what to make for teacher gifts.  

Loving:  CMA's "Forever Country".  

Listening:  Lady Antebellum  

Buying:  more books...  for all of us at the second hand bookshop.  Love to save books.  Love that the boys want books.  Love the really cool "Titanic" book with the pop ups in it.  What a score that was.  

Watching:  Chicago Fire, again, back at season 1.  Just love it...  

Hoping:  the rest of the term is easier than the beginning few days.

Marvelling:  at the boys branching out without us, going with the neighbours to play... 

Cringing: at all the accumulated washing after a week of rain.

Needing:  a massage...

Wearing: "lazy" clothes.  lol

Getting:  fresh eggs from lovely neighbourly chooks.

Bookmarking: ideas for Christmas gifts to sew/make/give.

Disliking:  people who don't speak to you for 2 months & then invite you to something!  

Giggling:  the boys needed a coconut.  Wanted a coconut.  Promised a coconut in the holidays & found one at last.  Excitement at said opening & cracking coconut!  But they hated the water & the flesh...  I don't think seeing coconuts with straws in them on TV is quite the same...  

Feeling: tired mostly!  lol

Hearing:  the dog snore.

Celebrating: having all my quilts finished!  No UFO quilts in the cupboard, just fabric waiting it's turn!  

Boxes And Bows

One top sewn together of a table runner...

This is a free pattern on the modabakeshop page.

I used my favourite designer Sweetwater.  The range is Cookie Exchange.  This uses a charm pack which is a pack of 5" squares.  Will find some binding & backing later on in the week.

Pretty Present

Just playing...  

Christmas Is Not Sneaking Up

It is coming at a very rapid pace...

Preparing...

41/52

A portrait of my boys once a week for a year.

BJ - Looking the part down by the river.  Enjoying himself & wishing he would catch something!
DJ - His first real try fishing.  He also looked the part but attention span was short.  Plus he doesn't stop talking either.

Fishing

The last thing on DJ's list for the holidays was fishing.  I left Stuart in charge of this one as I don't know the first thing about putting a hook on a line & all that entails...  

We finally found a window of no rain at a high tide.  Hanging out with the mozzies wasn't great but the boys enjoyed themselves & Stuart even caught one to keep.  I think the boys won't be fish eaters ever.  Found that bit all just too gross...  We'll leave the eating bit to Stuart.  

The big duck was popping by regularly.  Wasn't afraid of anything, even the dog that was pouncing around it.  

Thursday Thanks

• Although we haven't been able to get out in the sunshine much at all over the holidays, it's been good all the same as we have had some pretty good lazy time which we needed too.  
• Getting to know people in different places that you find are friends of other people you know!  Small world hey?
• Words of wisdom that pop up for you at the right time...
• Assurances that we are the meanest parents ever but they love us all the same.  :-)
• Neighbour children for the boys to play with outside, making up fun games & learning it isn't all about them!  
• Day out to the tulips!  Just beautiful!

546/1000

Sunday Trippin'

We didn't end up going as far as intended.  Weather was ordinary to say the least.  But we had a lovely time out anyway.

Exploring lookouts, & beaches.  Fossil Bluff as it is called was somewhere the boys were intrigued by as BJ wants to be an archaeologist.

A lighthouse & another lookout.  A beautiful sight of the growing rainbow...

Finally a visit to the tulip farm when they are flowering!  What a beautiful sight that is...  Rows & rows of colour...  Just beautiful!

Stopping at a wharf nearby for famous fish & chips for lunch & with the weather deteriorating more it was a good plan to head home.   A great day though.