WIP Wednesday

What a week!  & it's only Wednesday!  

I don't know who is more exhausted?  The boys or I?  I could just go curl up in bed right now!  But no chance of that happening as we still have school this afternoon.  Tomorrow we can do nothing...  I think.  I had better check the calendar.  I think tomorrow is blank.  Fingers crossed it is!  

Yesterday was a huge day for all of us. We had an early drop off of the boys to the grandparents where they spent the day, while Stuart & I drove for 3.5 hrs to see someone.  OK, so I got to knit all the way there.  Job done & was a good time to go & spoil myself at the local wool shop!  Very excited!  I spent an hour there.  Fortunately Stuart & I are happy to meet up later & shop where we want to for a bit.  So I could browse all I liked among the wide range of yarns that I don't normally get to see.  I even treated myself to a couple!  So excited! 

But then another 3.5 hrs drive home.  OK, another 3.5 hrs to knit.  I got a lot done on the back of my cardi! Will see what I can fit in later today!  Quite enjoying it so far & I love the cotton!

Linking up with WIP Wednesday!  Say hi if you are visiting through here won't you?

& wow!  This is the last day of Blogtoberfest!  & I did it!  I actually managed to blog everyday!  Amazing!  I think I will conk out tomorrow!  Thanks to the host of this one!  It's been a fun ride!  Thanks for visiting me during the month!  

Bit Of Crochet

I haven't done much crochet worth talking about lately.  But Monday I got this one done.  I am actually a fortnight behind in the crochet along squares.  This is called Majesty Square.  It looks right.  My head was full of cold & I really just wanted to sleep but that wasn't going to happen of course.  So I managed to hook this.  It matches the other ones on show at Ravelry.  I really didn't follow the pattern in the end as I just used a picture as a guide & just did it.  I kept forgetting which round I was up too & couldn't work out any more where I was even trying to work it out!  So I didn't bother.  I'm sure the pattern is good!  

Note to self - don't try to follow a pattern when you just feel like crap!  lol

The Many Faces Of ......

Didn't I say the other day that I was making hats?  Yeah loads of them!  

That seemed to be most of the down time of the weekend!  I got other things done too,  like washing, lawn mowing, playing, picnic & movie.  lol

Red Shark hat - there are actually 4 of these!  Yes 4!   Someone wants them all for her day care kids.  I guess they will be easy to see with these bright things on their heads.

The other 3 are all gifts someone wanted for their grandchildren.  Good idea really!  They will be easy to mail.  

One thing though - these fabrics are from Spotlight.  I am shocked at the amount of faults in Spotlight fabric! Each of these has a slub in the fabric if not a couple.  Also there was absolutely no give in this fabric.  I'm used to fabric that I can stretch a little to help fit when sewing.  This didn't do it!  Lesson learnt.  I get what I pay for for sure!  Shame as they do have some different designs that would have good potential for different projects.  

Have a good week!  Blogtoberfest is nearly over!  Wow!  Another month bites the dust!  

(do you have any idea how hard it was to get these pictures?  The really silly smiles are his good smiles I'm afraid!  That's how he smiles for a camera any time! Try & get him to look properly & he frowns instead!  lol )

Op Shops - What's Your Take?

Are you an op shopper?  I am!  I'm a convert!   There were times when I never even dreamed of stepping foot in one.  It's terrible but I really labeled an op shop as a place for poor people, of which I wasn't one.  I couldn't go in them when there are people out there that really need the cheap things.  It's quite embarrassing to say that really!  But...

The arrival of children really changed my thinking.  First it was the baby items that were needed.  There were some things that I just couldn't imagine having second hand.  Mostly fabric type things.  Unless I could really wash something I didn't want second hand.  But then as things were given, slowly but surely my mind seemed to change...  I was given clothing for the boys from friends.  Really good stuff too.   But really little kids don't wear stuff out in a hurry.  They grow out of it too quickly & baby clothes are almost brand new still!  I was then given larger sizes from a friend too.  I really like it.  Some of it is good stuff.  Sunday clothes is what we would have called them as kids!  lol  Other stuff is still good for playing in the yard & paddock!

Little by little the idea of not needing nice new clothes all the time was making me think about these op shops!  So I ventured in!  I started picking up play clothes for the boys.  Well, at the time it was only Boy!  Then ...  I started looking at stuff for me!  I would find some good deals.  You know, a Nike windcheater for a couple of dollars!  A couple of shirts that would be nice for work for a couple of dollars!  Then I even started to look at jeans!  I must try jeans on though!  There are so many variations on pants aren't there?  But hey, when I can find a pair of jeans for $4 I think, yep I can get $4 worth of wear out of them!  But you know what?  The op shop had a half price sale the other week so the jeans were only $2!  Yep, for sure I can get $2 worth of wear out of them...

So now, I actually have a few pairs of jeans!  There was a time when I only ever had maybe 2 pairs.  One for good & one not so...  lol  You know, you go & buy a new pair & relegate the old good pair to second best & the other pair are the really bad ones now for wearing while painting or something!  I am finding now I can have a bunch of jeans & not feel at all guilty about it!  In fact, I have made a donation to a worthy cause by supporting one of the mission stores in my purchase!

My mind has really done a turn around in the last few years?  For one thing there is the "Reuse, Reduce, Recycle" slogan.  I was really taking it on board with toys.  Picking up second hand toys in different places.  A wash & a clean & you wouldn't know the difference!   Some people won't buy plastic toys because of the landfill issue!  But reusing them & passing them around is good isn't it?  They will still end up in landfill anyway, but it is cutting down on the purchase of new ones to create more rubbish!  A couple of years ago I even got some Christmas presents on ebay.  Well BJ was only 2 or something.  Thomas Tank engine stuff is expensive new.  So I get a few different items to add to his train track for cheap.  I was lucky!  He certainly wouldn't know the difference!  Stuart gave a couple of the pieces a clean up with some new paint & we had a few new building to add interest to the tracks.  Good fun!

I now feel the same about jeans!  I don't know that I will buy new jeans again!  On a day when I am in the mood & can manage with 2 boys or if I get to shop on my own, I will try on jeans...  Maybe buy a pair or 2.  Sometimes I don't find any!  Sometimes I can't make up my mind so I will get a few!  Lucky me!  It's a win win all around isn't it?

I love second hand books!  I eventually realised that I don't need to keep every single book I love!  Major self analysing...  "Am I going to read it again?"  Most likely not.  So why does it need to sit on the shelf making me dust it?  (If I bothered to dust!)  So collecting dust at least?  Why not trade it in at a second hand book shop & grab some different ones?  Yay!  Why not!  I now read a book & make the decision immediately on to keep or not to keep.  Usually it is not.  I have a place I put them in readiness for the book shop, when I have a decent stack to take in.  It's fun leaving with different ones!

I recently went to a market that was targeted at kids stuff.  I actually had a stand there.  It wasn't very successful unfortunately.  I came home with most of it.  Must have been a busy day for other things.  An off season for that kind of stuff to sell.  Who knows?  So now I am still sitting on most of this baby stuff that I don't know what to do with yet.

Garage Sales are another good stop!  I don't go to many.  If I am about town & see one I may stop. I did this past Saturday.  I got 10 Golden Books for $2.  Bargain.  I don't get out while it is still dark to go hunt down a garage sale bargain.  Nope, not me!   The other week I stopped at one.  I don't know what makes me stop at the ones that do.  But recently I was very excited by this find...

They are pretty cool dinosaurs!  There are no tags or labels on them.  I don't know what brand or anything they are!  But they were only $5 for all 3!  Very cool!  They aren't really small either.  BJ uses them as pillows!  All of them!  He loves them.  

So are you an op shopper?  Do you visit garage sales?  Do you trade books?  Give old clothes to op shops?   Hold a market stall?

Movie Night

Do you do anything like a movie night at your place?  

After our recent trip to the cinema, I was astounded at the cost for a family.  Well, we were only 2 adults & a child, so anymore than that & I think I would have fainted at the price they told me.  It had been a long time since I had been at the cinema obviously!  So we decided movie nights were definitely the way to go.  We rarely even get movies from the rental place these days so this will be quite novel too.  The one advantage will be that I get to see some of the movies before I buy them later on.  I do like to buy some of the classics on DVD for the boys.  I don't know how often we will have our movie night but we will try to do it every few weeks or so.

Right, are we ready?

1. Popcorn?  Check.
2.  Chocolate?  Check.  (though I would prefer not having to share this as it's delicious!)
3.  Movie?  Check.  

My Baby Brother

This is him.  Christopher.  

He's 40 today!  

 

Thank goodness he doesn't fit in that green vest or hat anymore!  (actually it's a wonder he fit in that vest then!  He was a fatty that one!)  

Here I am with Chris being totally gorgeous at the caravan park where we went camping every summer!  (all the way on the other side of town where we lived!  )  

This isn't a good look but it is supposedly cute to see little kids drinking beer & stuff.  This is probably the moment that put him off beer forever as he doesn't drink it anymore!  Check out the antique high chair!  This would be so far from Australian Standards now!  lol   Look how red his arms are!  Uh oh!  No sunscreen in sight in those days!  

We have a few memorable moments!  

We had our own Kiss fan club for a while!  Yes, Kiss the music group!  Our fan club ran for a while, yes.  Maybe a whole afternoon!  We made badges & all you know.  On a piece of paper with a safety pin on the back.  

We used to hang out most of the school holidays at our grandparents place.  We played schools on the stairs a lot!  They were really cool stairs for sitting on & playing stuff!  

He has to thank me for reaching this milestone you know!  Apparently I saved him from drowning in the bath!  The story goes that I was screaming & screaming & holding him by his foot.  I think his face was in the water but well, the screaming obviously brought a parent into the bathroom in a hurry so he was saved! 

Here he is now!  This was actually his birthday last year.  (with the cake & candle for the sake of BJ!)  We won't see him until next week for his birthday when he gets back here.  In the meantime, have a Happy Birthday today Chris,  even if you are stuck at work in the back of nowhere!  

Looking Very Red Today

I had no intention of doing the advent calendar today, but I had to pick something from the pile while the big boy had a turn on the computer.  (there really are some good games for kids online!  & some not so good!)   I didn't actually feel like sewing hats!  Now there is a surprise.  So as this was on the machine table I decided to start putting pockets on.  Done!  Then I decided that although I didn't have my big quilting table out with the machine on the dining table, I would try to quilt it on the small space that is my Horn sewing cabinet.  Luckily this isn't all that big so it turned out to be quite manageable.  It's quilted & pocketed!  Woohoo!  The binding is ready to be pressed into folds & sewn on.  (After which comes that lovely job of hand stitching the binding on the other side... always something to dread, though at least it isn't big so I should get it done pretty quickly - but one step at a time...)

It seems everyone likes hats!   I have to make 8!  Yes, 8!  I had the boys out in their dinosaur hats yesterday.  Someone wants a dino one like it.  OK, if I can get more dino fabric.  Yes I can... so that makes 8.  These red shark ones there are 4 of all the same.  I didn't quite have enough for 3 of the brims though!  Darn that.  So I will just grab some plain blue tomorrow I think to do the brims all the same.  Will keep them a bit more interesting to have something under there a bit different.  I hope so anyway!  So that's all good.  Plus 3 ordered for Christmas gifts.  Who would have thought huh, when I started that one hat only 3 weeks ago or so that I would end up making about 20!  lol  

I have decided today though that I really need the insert for the top of the cabinet.  Would have been quite useful today.  Must measure up & put in an order I think.  

Don't forget about Blogtoberfest!  It's nearly done!  & I am still hanging in there!  Phew!