Giggles & snickers.

The densest forest began

with the growth of

but one single tree.

When Bob and Heather shifted from their old house

with a huge, huge yard and moved into their

new home....with a much smaller yard, I helped them.

During the move, there were a few statements made by Bob

as to how the new yard would be.

The first statement being - 'there will be no plants on this part of the yard that has gravel on it'...........

Oh Heather and I just giggled and gave each other that look. And surprise, surprise, can anyone actually still see any gravel. The more statements he said the worse it got for Heather and I. The giggles turned into snickers, and we were gasping for air. 'There won't be any pot plants on the stairs'...........

It got that out of control, everyone had to walk sideways

to get up the stairs!

I love the decorative mats Bob put on the steps, my pics don't really give them justice, but they have a lovely pattern on them. They are also helpful to make sure you don't slip when you walk sideways up the stairs! lol.

I wanted to share these photo's with you, they just prove once you come across a maniacal greenthumb, they never change.

I was having a gander through Heather's Handmade magazines

and I found a great pattern for a Russian doll....

The face so far has been made out of felt with a stitched on

mouth. The bottom part will have stipes of different colours.

I can't wait to keep pressing on, she's fun to make. I found this

pattern in Handmade Vol 25, No. 10. When she is finished

she will live in the library.....of course.

Talking about libraries, I went to the local library and collected

some books I had ordered in.

I love the look of the Invasion of the plush monsters. I have been given a stack of felt, so I could use felt instead of the plushy material. I have 3 and a half days left of work before the school holidays, so I will be trying to catch up on UFO's and making some of these little critters from the book.
On Friday Brandon and I went for a visit to the Orthodontics for a check up. Brandon is doing really well with looking after his teeth and had some new bands put in. I tried to get him to do some shopping with me...how successful do you think it was to get him to shop? He would only go into one shop at my insistance, to purchase an On the Buses DVD. Does anyone remember On the Buses? It was an english comedy from the 70's or 80's. My boys are hooked on it, they haven't seen all the episodes but they can't stop laughing at what they have seen.

I can hear that kettle boiling away in the kitchen, and do I want to miss out on a cup of tea?    No chance. Hope you are all having the best weekend. My boys are home, the fires roaring, Pixie will knock off work early today, I've got it all. Kind regards, Anita.

I herd ewes

Those who are kind

reward themselves.

-Proverbs 11:17

What a lovely week I've had!

Finished lots of knitting, sewing, and oh um...

housework. I just seemed to get things

done this week. As always work is just

the best!! The people I work with are

the sorts you want around you all the time.

Home is always warm and loving, and another

wonderful thing is that Heather is plodding along

one step at a time. This makes me so happy.

On the weekend I had a quick peek in the Op shop and

found an older edition of Homemade and found the cutest pattern...

I had a bit of a cruise around the shop and nothing really jumped

out at me until I spotted the craft magazines.

Oh what's this?...

 Oops...here I go.

No stopping me now.

When I saw these cute girls, I just had to make them.

All these girls are stitched together, and around each little neck is a piece of scrap material as a tie. See! You need to keep every piece of scrap material....just incase!. lol. My pattern is a little bit different to what is in the book. I opted for painted eyes and no bells, only because this herd is now living at the library.

See the Debbie Mumm material? It is one of her older prints, but I still have some of it.

 I am thinking that tonight I will do some stitching, I have the bug now after making the cows. I'm always partial to cloth dolls. Hmmm.

Well, I am off to check on my chooks, most of them have lost

their tail feathers, which means no eggs for a while. But

they have been supreme egg layers so I can't blame them

for wanting a rest while it's cold.

Hoping everyone is having the best time during their busy

week....can look forward to the weekend when we can

do our crafting hey?

Kind regards, Anita.

I'm in shock!

Tell me were is fancy bred,

Or in the heart or in the head?

-William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice.

Hey there guys! Well I've darn right

shocked myself!

I've done some stitching!!

A while back I found this sweet pattern

for a stitcher's stocking and very much

enjoyed making it.

I've started stitching another one. This one

will be going toward a Christmas raffle.

I loved stitching away at this little piece. I am

supposed to be stitching a Russian doll, but

I have put her down for a second.

I'm going to fill this stocking with sewing items

and bits and pieces. Of course it had to be made

in red as I am a red girl. The top

will be joined with a Christmassy print of

material and then wrapped in cello and ribbon.

I'm started to get a bit Christmassy already and

that's because Christmas always seems to catch

up on me very quickly.

I had a visit to the Op shop and found this

great long skirt that I had to cut and make the hem

shorter.

I cut the top section off because the waistline was

real tight on me. The material itself

is thick and warm for winter. I am a skirt girl

and enjoy wearing tights and skirts in winter.

The colour is much nicer than the photo shows.

I am partial to tailored clothing and simple

cut designs.

Now back to the knitting business....

A friend of mine gave me this cute pattern for a beanie

made with Feathers and 8 ply wool.

I whipped this up in one night! You have one strand of the Feathers wool and one strand of 8 ply wool and knit away. The pattern is below for anyone interested in knitting it themselves.

Feathers Beanie

Approx 2 balls Feathers wool, 1 50gm ball of wool.

6mm needles

Cast on 72sts and k1, p1 for six rows, then knit all rows in garter stitch until 6-8 inches from cast on.

Next row: [k7, k2tog] repeat across row

Next row and alt rows knit

Next row: [k6, k2 tog] repeat across row

Next row: [k5, k2tog] repeat across row

Next row: [k4, k2tog] repeat across row

Next row: [k3, k2tog] repeat across row

Next row: [k2, k2 tog] repeat across row

Next row: [k1, k2 tog] repeat across row

Break yarn, then with a tapestry needle threaded with the yarn from break, thread through remaining sts on needle and draw up tightly.

Sew side seam.

The pattern is so easy, you'll love it.

Today was my last working day of the week, so I went for a spin

to the local library. I had ordered in some wicked books and also found one on the shelf that I hadn't had before.

The top book has some funky young girl stuff in it to knit, and the other books are pretty good as well. I even ordered a crochet book that has toys in it. Have to sit down and really check them out.

I am going to the city tomorrow to visit the dentist and I can wait for that. Good thing is I will stop off at Spotlight...oh...not because I want to but because I need to. lol. Well I'm off now to fold a few more piles of clothing and get the tea started. We are having hamburgers tonight. That is a real change for us because it's usually a cooked meal with lots of veges....the kids will be pretty happy about the whole affair.

Hope you are all well and having the best time crafting away. See you next time. Kind regards, Anita.

The long Ohhh's.

Friends are the

sunshine of life.

-John Hay.

We went for a lovely trip to the

city yesterday, Pixie, Cory and me.

We couldn't convince Brandon

to come with us, but we

will always keep trying.

Our plan was to go 10pin bowling

but Cory wasn't interested in

doing that.

Spending money is more interesting, so we hit

the shops. We really had a great time and

I didn't forget Brandon, finding some

super duper head phones for him.

I've been busy with my knitting and as

promised here is a picture of my new

cardigan. I love it!

It has been knitted in plain stitch but the bottom part of the garment
is done in k4, p4. It gives the body such a sculptured look. There is also a cord made to tie the bodice.

I can see this being knitted again in a different colour. I have worn it to work and everyone loved it.

Still busy on the knitting front, I have been wildly knitting away for the Guardian Angel stash and here are some of the things made already.

The Guardian Angel collects all sorts of items, so it is easy to knit whatever you like. Someone will get joy from them and help keep them warm.

This morning I have been listening to the long drawn out Ohhhh's coming from the boys' bedroom. A sleepover friend and my boys are playing the Xbox and every hit and miss gets a deserving Ohhhh. They are so funny to listen to. Brandon had a new friend over the other day, and this young man is quiet, well mannered and didn't want anything to eat.........we were scared!!!! All the kids that have ever come here usually help mow down the cupboard, fridge and freezer. We will get used to this new friend.

I went for a trip to the library the other day and found some new treasures.

Some great finds here!

I'm hoping to find a bit of time today to check them out and see what lovelies are waiting for me in those books. The washing needs doing and I have started that, a bit of house work and squeeze in some pumpkin scones. I hope your weekend is going great for you all. Kind regards, Anita.

'

Happy times ahead

A multitude of small

delights constitute happiness.

- Charles Baudelaire

I thought I would just

drop a quick line and a couple

of pics.

Things are looking up in the last

few days, slowly getting back to normal.

We had a long weekend here in Western Australia

and I relaxed with my lovely three

darlings. Cory & I played a game

called Agitation.

We sat outside in the sunshine and of course

max had to join us. Max is our American Staffy, he's

a big kid. I laugh when people say Staffy's are

savage, Max is a sook sook. He had to

join in on the game we were playing.

We haven't got yahtzee out.....I've hidden that!!

But it didn't matter, Cory still beat me at Agitator.

I had the biggest pile of washing to do this weekend,

9 big loads! So while I was between cycles, I pulled

 out the knitting. I haven't got any to show this time, I'm

saving it for the next posting.

On the weekend I also spent a bit of extra time with Fred.

 Everyone at home just shakes

in their boots when they see me handling Fred.

Do you think it's the beak?

Fred is so cute. Just near the bird cage

I have planted a heap of geraniums, and in

the winter it will serve well as a wind break

for the birds.

I spent a bit of time in the garden too this weekend...did

a bit of weeding and fluffing around

I will be back in a couple of days to show off this lovely

cardigan I have almost finished and some of

the other bits I've been up to.

Until then take care.

Kind regards, Anita.

Farewell dear Bob

Every blade of grass has its Angel that

bends over it and whispers, "Grow, grow".

- Richard Wagner.

Today we said farewell to Bob. The sky was warm from the

sun and such a beautiful day to have to say goodbye.

There were many family and friends, and I was

so pleased at the unity surrounding

Heather in this sad time.

We will catch up with each other soon.

I had my three darlings surrounding me too.

I stood back watching my three darlings hug

Heather over and over again.

We look forward to happier times.

I am keeping myself busy with my knitting

and have recently finished a jumper

I will stash away for the Guardian Angel collection.

As I can't stop myself once those knitting needles

are in my hands, I have made a start

on a cardigan for myself. It will be stunning.

Where the needles are

right now is at the start of the eyelets and then

soon after, the armhole shaping.

The top part of the cardigan is plain knitting and

the sleeves are done in sets of needles so there

will be no sleeve seams. I will show and

tell when it is finished.

When we got home from Perth today I went and watered

Heather's garden. I came home and went out

to my own garden for some reflection time.

I couple of geraniums have flowered for the first time.

And also this lovely rose bush that Bob had given me is

in flower.

I will have a quiet night, perhaps a spot of knitting and wind down time. Let's all be thankful we have this wonderful life

and enjoy our time here.

Kind regards, Anita.