Booties and cupcakes xx

As we grow older we don't lose friends...
we learn who the real ones are.

Good morning girls! As our season here is becoming colder and colder, I'm finding that snuggling near the fire doing my crocheting, sipping on wonderfully hot cups of coffee is like a warm injection to the soul. My little loungeroom looks like Suzie's laundry shop, with clothes hanging from coat hangers, on clothes airer's and from the mantle. lol. I really object to the price of electricity and the fact that the price of electricity is about the rise again. I will leave my dryer for when I absolutely need it, not that I use it too much any way.

This week my constant companion has been the crochet hook and creations coming off it. I have concentrated mainly on baby booties and beanie sets, due to the fact that our stock has almost dried up in the girl colours. In my area there have been many girl babies born, so perhaps there has been something in the water? lol

How you you like these little beauties?....💟

 

 I couldn't forget the boys though. I also made this cute little boy beanie to fit a 1 year old. This yarn was made using a tweed 8 ply.

With the onset of winter I'm finding myself getting stuck into the baking again. I decided to make some yummy cupcakes for the family. I must confess....I did have one.

 I am on a food plan right now as I was finding it difficult to lose a few kilograms that wouldn't leave me. I am not on a diet but the foods I am eating are slightly adjusted ie instead of icecream I have a plain yoghurt with a dash of honey or fruit. The timing of when I eat has been adjusted and I think that has been the main part of the success to losing those kilos. 

 

A sneak peak at the next order I am making....who's legs could these be? Try guessing, you will find out next weekend. 

 Last year I purchased two bougainvillea plants from Anne and Harry. My plan was to have them growing on one single stem until it got tall enough and then let the flowers spray out at a certain height. I had seen this throughout Italy and especially in Positano and it looked amazing. I'm getting pretty excited at how much it has grown. Both of the plants are growing well.

 Of course, I cannot go anywhere in the yard without my companion Milo. What is he thinking right now I wonder? Perhaps he is trying to be the next Lion of Venice?

Well my friends, enjoy the rest of this day. I hope your visit here has been lovely for you as it is always wonderful for me to hear from you. I appreciate your comments and I love receiving your emails.
Ciao, Anita.

When I count my blessings, 

I count you twice.

Hello dear friends! I hope your weekend was lovely…I had a beautiful weekend. On Sunday I joined my youngest son and his lovely girlfriend to Circ du soleil and it is a show I will cherish. At times I could not look as I was worried there would be a fall, but I did not need to worry. I give credit to the performers, they must train for hours and hours.

Over the last week I have had a crochet hook in my hand working like a crazy girl. I have made cute little baby booties and beanies in pink. We had run low on the pink tones for babies, so I tried to restock.

A regular habit I have is thinking about the dear friends I have surrounded myself with and how important they are in my life. During the week I received a lovely surprise from my friend Jane.

Jane knows how I breath, read, love and feel “Italian”, and made me these beautiful gifts. A delicate blue flower embroidered on fine material and a tea towel with a piece of Italian fabric appliqued onto the tea towel. Embroidered on the tea towel are beautiful words. Jane has a new machine that she is enjoying and she shares her enjoyment by making things for people. A big thank you Jane!!!!

I have been commissioned to make Yoda beanies and here they are….. I have made one to fit an adult or older child and a small one for little heads. There are loads of free patterns on the net…if you are interested.

 A sleeping sack for baby…..this was made using 8 ply yarn and I’m very happy with how this has turned out.

 Young Heather the feather has unloaded some material on me. She forced me to take it!!!! She has been naughty lately. lol

The only photo I have of my Mother(older child), Zia Pina (little girl with dark hair), my Grandfather and his wife (my Mum’s step mother). I cherish this photo and often wonder what my life would’ve been like had I been born in Italy and with them. On the back of the photo is written Pieve di Livinallongo 1937. I have my happy life and I love it but thoughts do come across to me from time to time.

Now…what will I get up to this week? My plans are to keep crocheting a baby blanket for a little boy and before tonight comes, I will have a pattern selected for my next project. There is always bedlam if I haven’t found a pattern before night time…..my husband hides or sits quietly in a corner and shakes. Lol. I start stalking the house like a Tasmanian devil!!!....until I find a pattern anyway. Lol

I wish you all a fabulous week ahead, enjoy your beautiful life and stay happy. 

A lovely day to you  

Ciao, Anita.

Happy Mother's Day

Good morning and Happy Mother's Day to you all! Everyday we are grateful for Mother's but today we are celebrating all the good that Mother's do...so to all my friends everywhere.....I wish you a good day. I plan to be as naughty as I want and no one can stop me. lol. I do want to share my craft week with you, so I hope you have a hot cup of tea or coffee and come with me.....

I would like to introduce to you Mr. Golliwog. I know, I know...they are called 'Gollies' now. He stands about 40cm tall and I had fun knitting him. I used 8ply yarn, and buttons to decorate him. It was interesting to make his hair, but I have to say, out of all the attachments and pieces in making him....I did not enjoy making the hair as much as I thought I would. Mr Golliwog is an order for a lady in town. I'm sure she's going to love him.

 From one man to another....a Mr. Spider man beanie has been ordered and here he is. There were many patterns on the net to make him but I don't know that I really liked any of them, so I made my own idea up for the pattern.

 Oh yes, I had to purchase more yarn. No....really....I did have to! lol The blue is for another order for a baby cocoon and the pink is needed because our stock of girl booties has dwindled down to almost zero. So there girls, did you sense 'justification' in that breath? lol

 The next two photos are great purchases on our local buy and swap site on the net. I picked these two beautiful garden ornaments up for a total of $15 for both. I have hung these two beautiful pieces in my 'Italian garden'.

 A sneak photo of two of my beautiful men sitting at the kitchen table enjoying a feast of crab. Brandon celebrated his 23rd birthday yesterday. How proud I am of his life journey so far. He's always been a good and beautiful soul. I am blessed. xx

....and the brat of the family. lol Milo just loves his extra long rope. His favourite toy.

 

Finally!!!! A single flower has bloomed on my violets!!! I will whisper soft and encouraging words to help the others bloom.

One never gets enough of a glorious sunset.

Well my friends, have a lovely day, I am going to spend it with care and enjoyment. Good wishes to Heather the feather on this day.
Arrivederci, Anita.

Being happy doesn’t mean you’re perfect. It just means you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.

Hello dear friends! I have had an interesting week of experiences, some I would rather not experience again in a hurry and many more that I was glad to have. I suppose these things all come to build our character as we travel this journey we are on. 

One of the wonderful experiences I had this week was to learn that a friend of my eldest son is to become a father. It stirred up the emotions inside myself that one day I may become a Grandmother…a title I relish the thought of. I can and can’t wait for that!!! I can wait because I would love my boys to experience life a little before settling down, but I can’t wait because I remember all the wonderful things about when my own sons were growing up. Congratulations Daniel…you will be a terrific father!!

Heather the feather and I went to the markets yesterday and we sold so many of our beautiful creations!!! Very happy. We did get a surprise to see a new stall diagonally across from us selling crocheted and knitted baby clothes. My territorial button was pressed on and the radars on my head stood to attention  when I spotted them. lol I think Heather and I must've looked like a pair of meerkats right about then. The ladies came over to investigate us and we wished each other good luck. (no.....I didn't have my witches wand tucked in my pocket!!) At the end of the day our luck had outweighted theirs. The world is good again.

This week I have had fun crocheting an adult beanie, that has come out pretty cute if I do say so. I am glad that I have given crocheting a go because I'm really enjoying myself with it. The good thing about having a stall is that you can try these new crafts and while you're learning, if they come out too big you can sell them as an adult sized beanie.

Last time I posted I had taken a photo of one of my native bushes in my front yard and it drew alot of interest from some of my beautiful blogger friends out there. Laura...I'm sorry, I don't actually know what the bush is called but I will find out for you. Here is another photo of it with more beautiful blossoms. One of my Aussie blogger friends might be able to help me here. lol I did check the plant to see if it still had its name tag on it but it doesn't. The birds love it.

Nature is a beautiful thing and talking about that......during the week there was a big controlled burn off that got out of control and by 2.45 in the afternoon the sky had become filled with so much smoke and it became overcast and cloudy. An incredible thing happened..... the sun turned red and it changed to a pink.  How amazing!! 

How could it look so dark at this time of day?

Does this impress Milo?.....no. lol Making sure his rope doesn't move is more important.🌞🌞🌞🌞

We decided to go for a drive at 5pm and the glorious colours dancing in the sky was awesome. The sun looked liked a perfect poached egg popping out of the clouds and the hillside that adorned one lonesome tree, had the wind whispering by. These photos were taken by my son Cory who is incredible with a camera.

I realise that this week I had a connection with the shades of pink. Everything I made seemed to have pink in it, so it seems fitting that so does the photo of the sun and the flowers. I found an interesting tectured yarn that I made two little girls cowls out of. The yarn feels like chenille, and it was very soft though I'm not sure I will work with it again because it is bulky to crochet with. I'm pretty partial to the finer ply of yarns.

 Pretty things

I can't  show you this creation but I can give you a sneak peak. It is something I'm working on as a surprise and once again....we have pink. lol

I'm off to check out my garden and give it a water. I love wandering around the garden, it gives me a sense of peace and then all the thoughts of my friends fill my mind. I surround myself with lovely people and I appreciate them all. I hope you have the same surroundings in that way as I do. It is easier to think of the ones who make your life a blessing than those that don't. It's easy to think of your friends all the time.

A good Sunday to you all.    💕💕💕💕💕

Ciao,  Anita