Farm Girl Stitching

So long for a while .......

2012-02-27T23:41:00.000+13:00

Congratulations Christine, you were the name drawn out of the 'hat' for your January 10th comment, in my little bag giveaway. Christine, if you could send me your address and I will get it in the mail to you later in the week. I really hope you will enjoy this bag as much as I enjoyed making it! Thanks also to all the others who entered too, I wish I had a few more to give away. I also need to clarify for those who asked what the pattern was. I thought it was called In an Afternoon bag - but I see it is called Naomi's Little Carry Bag from Rosalie Quinlans 'In an Afternoon' range of patterns, so sorry for any confusion.

Life has been turned on its head in my little world today, and I'm going to take a blogging break for a time, hopefully not too long. I will try and keep up with some blog reading when I am able, but till I am back again, I wish you all good things. Thanks for visiting me here, I do appreciate that you come here by choice and am grateful for your friendship. I do owe e-mails to a few people from the last few days, I'll do my best to get there soon.

So till next time............ happy stitching and much love........... Nicky

One of these is not like the other .......

2012-02-21T17:24:00.000+13:00

.......... can you work it out? You can't? Well the difference is that one of them is mine and the other one might be coming your way soon! When I began to make the first one back at the start of January, all the measurements were for half width strips, and as I was working with full width cuts of fabric it was just as easy to cut enough for two. This is also where I confess that I was too lazy to hand quilt the strips in the second one and machined them instead So if you've commented on my blog this year already, each comment will be one chance in the draw. If you don't usually comment, feel free to go for it, leave a comment on this post to throw your name in the hat, I'm happy to post anywhere(if you don't want to be entered from any previous comments I guess you should say so here on this post too!!) I'd appreciate if you didn't advertise this too far and wide, I'd love it to go to someone who visited 'just because' not someone who came only because they heard there was a giveaway. I'll draw a winner this Sunday night the 26th NZ time.

I also have a couple of parcels of IOU stitching from last year ready to send off to their patient recipients, and it feels so good to have that done. I am a hopeless slacker with the attention span of a gnat, and I must apologise to those people who have been waiting a very long time for me to get my act together. You know who you are - and I will share some pics here when the parcels are received!

I did sign up for Friday Night Sew In last week and managed to get a little done on Christmas Garden, as well as the final stitches in one of the above-mentioned IOU projects. I just didn't get back here on Saturday to share as I was supposed to..... :-(

Well I hope your week is off to a great start....... till next time........Nicky

Sunday in Summer

2012-02-06T15:46:00.000+13:00

We had a fantastic day boating yesterday in beautiful Central Otago. It was cloudy at times, but very warm and we made the most of the time spent on the water.

Our Kelly loved being on the boat, she wanted to sit up front and help navigate! Guess it felt like riding with us on the motorbike at home for her.........

Below is the view we had of the Clyde Dam from Lake Dunstan, the storage reservoir lake behind the dam. I remember as a child how controversial this whole 'Think Big' project was in New Zealand in the late seventies and early 80's, and it divided communities and indeed still does today as there are more dam projects mooted periodically for the Clutha River. Many of New Zealand's lakes and rivers support hydroelectric power stations and the Clyde Dam is one of the more recently built ones(finally commissioned in 1992).

And the view of the dam from the lookout on the bottom side ..........

... and looking down the Clutha River from the lookout towards Alexandra at the foot of the hills in the distance. Alexandra regularly records the highest daily temperature in NZ in the summer and also the coldest daily temps in the winter - Central Otago is the home of seasonal extremes in weather!

On the way home this is a shot looking down on the Clutha from the road high above..........

I hope you enjoyed a little trip on the Clutha, stitching will likely make a return on my next post :-)

Till next time.................Nicky

PS: There is a little surprise coming soon, following on from my last post, watch this space.

Saturday in the sewing room

2012-02-04T18:34:00.000+13:00

Hello there, how is your Saturday going? I have had a great day in my sewing room, preparing a few blocks for some works in progress and finishing up a couple of things. Firstly here is the bag I started early in January. I'm really pleased with this, it's a nice little size, and I am really loving these Nicey Jane fabrics. This was my first experience with ruffles and the result is not too bad!

In an Afternoon Bag designed by Rosalie Quinlan
using Nicey Jane fabrics by Heather Bailey

This little flanged pillow is a Lizzie Kate freebie, the fabric I've finished it with looks red here, but is actually a very dark pink with cream spots.

Friendship Grows, Freebie by Lizzie Kate
Stitched on Cream linen with Weeks Dye Works threads

This little lavender pillow is not todays work, but was my only January OPAM finish, and also my first Sew It's Finished finish for the year. My list of works in progress at the start of the year was fairly large(a little understatement maybe) and I'm endeavouring to work on it with all the Sew It's Finished girls again in 2012. I think this was started about 6 years ago, and it only needed the opening closed, took about 4 minutes max!! There really is something wrong with me! But - it is done now..........

Lavender Pillow from Country Threads Magazine(can't find my copy to get designers name, sorry)

It's a long weekend here in NZ, where we are celebrating out national day, Waitangi Day on Monday. Tomorrow we are heading to Central Otago for a little jetboating, and guess who's coming with us? I'm sure you can get proper pet lifejackets, but we were just trying this old one on Kelly for size this afternoon ......

I hope you are enjoying a wonderful weekend whatever it is you are doing ............... Nicky

Stitching update

2012-01-24T18:51:00.000+13:00

Hello again, it's been nearly two weeks(again) between posts but rest assured I haven't been sitting idle all that time..... here is some stitching I've been working on at nights while watching cricket and tennis, loving the Aussie Open, some great games and very entertaining. I just wish we weren't 2 hours ahead of Melbourne as it was after 3am when I dragged myself off to bed last night! (I have to confess there may have been some dozing in the chair at times though.)

But anyway, back to that stitching, this chart and fabric are a late Christmas gift to myself ........ I've made a small start, because of course starting is what I do best........lol. This is Christmas Garden by Blackbird Designs, I think I am going to omit the wording at the bottom, and make it more of a family sampler than an exclusively Christmas piece.

Below is Secret Egg Hunt by The Trilogy, not much to go on this little one, just waiting on a couple of thread colours to arrive in the mail and I'll be done!

I have also started stitching those hexie flowers down on Janis' Stitching Round the Block, not as difficult as I imagined, the seam allowances stayed nicely creased under and I just used some tiny drops of Roxanne's glue to hold them in place while I stitched............ 4 done, 4 to go!

I think I mentioned a couple posts back that I had done a little Butterfly Garden stitching at Christmas time and here are 5 more little miniblocks done. .................... check out Fiona and her Butterfly Garden stitching, she is on fire, so is Josie, she is now working on her final block. Oops I've just remembered I still need to get pics of my Gardener's Journal top now that the borders are on - next time!

Tonight I'm going to stitch while watching some more tennis ............. hope you're getting some stitching time today too............. till next time ..................... Nicky

If I'd known it was that simple ........

2012-01-11T23:45:00.000+13:00

.................. I would have blogged about our 'drought' a lot sooner! Thanks for all your kind wishes, because late this afternoon it started into a nice steady rain, we've had about 12mm by this evening and it's still going - Thank goodness!

During our trip north last weekend, we visited Riverstone Kitchen restaurant/garden/gift shop near Oamaru. The gift shop is incredible, but I was most taken with the amazing vegetable gardens and chook domain.

Now that is a real palace for chooks ......................

If anyone can help I'd love to know what the cane type of support growing in the last three pics might be. It is growing in the ground, and doesn't seem to be trimmed in the stem part, but is all leafy at the top. The screen type ones have been woven into a super strong support/shelter. I don't think it is bamboo, it has more of a woody stem than that and has a different habit, could it be some kind of willow maybe? In the bottom pic it is all trained into the cone shape for beans etc to grow up......... I should have asked, but there were no staff around the gardens that I could find.......

Well thanks again for all the good wishes regarding some rain, now the grass and crops can begin to recover ................... so until next time...........take care ........... Nicky

What happened to the lazy days of summer?

2012-01-10T21:00:00.000+13:00

Happy(very belated) New Year!!

I hope you've had a great start to 2012 and that everything is going your way.......

I had visions of a long hot summer, spending time with the kids, in the garden, on the farm, and hopefully lots of long evenings stitching....... but so far it's been anything but lazy! Not too much time for gardening or stitching yet and the kids have been spending time with us, helping out on the farm........

We had New Years Day off farm work, so I added the borders to my A Gardeners Journal,(sorry no pics yet) while the kids played on their motorbikes with Dad, and their uncle and cousins. Since then there has been three days of sorting lambs, drenching, weighing etc, 4 days back at my off-farm job, two days this last weekend travelling to Oamaru for a quick overnight visit with friends, and a fair bit of time worrying about the drought situation we have developing.

We have had about 6mm of rain in the last 7 weeks, compared to our average 150mm or more for that period. The rest of New Zealand has been experiencing a terrible summer, flooding in some place and lots of rain, but down south we have had a truly old-fashioned summer. While it's been great not wondering how I'll ever get the washing dry on the clothesline, we are starting to despair. We have a load of 750 lambs leaving tomorrow, just the smaller ones, they are heading north to Canterbury for finishing, who ironically are usually sending lambs to Southland by this time of the season ...... how the tables have turned! I've already bought one truckload of water, and will probably need another 25,000lt within a few days.

You know it's dry here when the lambs would rather come in a slightly ajar gate and eat the lawn than stay in their paddock........lol .... and this was taken on the 29th of December, things are a lot worse since then. You also know you're a blogger when you go and get the camera before you chase them out. lol

I have managed a couple of quick stitchy starts though, this little freebie from Lizzie Kate .........

........ and a half-finished little bag for me in Nicey Jane fabrics.... my current favourite. Back at Christmas time I did get some more Butterfly Garden miniblocks done too, but need to take some pics.

Today I have started excavating in my sewing room, it's been a dumping ground for everything recently, and I've sorted out a few projects that need some urgent attention. There have been so many wonderful SAL's and new and exciting stitchy projects starting online, but for now I am resisting the urge of joining in anything else for a while...... we'll see how long that lasts though! In the interests of full and open disclosure I have to confess that I have been gathering fabrics for My Favourite Things, the new Stitch-A-Long project for 2012. I put my name down for this SAL last year, and I'm not meant to start it till my Gardeners Journal quilt is all finished, but I am 90% sure I will be getting that quilted professionally, so I've done all I can on that one for now! I won't be starting that for a week or two though.

I've also updated my WIP list for 2012 on a new page at the top of the blog.......... and will try and post to the Sew It's Finished blog in the next few days.

OK - if you've lasted through all that, thank you, you deserve a medal! I'll be trying to catch up on my blog reading and emails tonight and tomorrow, so till next time .............. happy stitching ....Nicky

Annettes SSCS gift

2011-12-27T08:23:00.000+13:00

With Christmas Day now all done and dusted I can share what I made for Annette in Australia, my partner in Chookyblues Secret Santa Christmas Swap...... this table runner using Rosalie Quinlans Little Patchwork Village design, and some pretty Strawberry Fields fabric.

Annette has a lovely blog - Jindis Cottage - named for her much loved kelpie, Jindi, (sometimes you would wonder though - sounds like Jindi runs the house. lol) so I added the name to the house in the middle block...............

This birdie block was fun to stitch .......................

.......... and the big house with the Christmas wreath on the door seemed appropriate for this swap.......

So Merry Christmas Annette, I hope you like it .......... this is such a fun swap to do that I'll definitely be signing up next year ................. no pressure though Chookyblue .....lol

I'll be back in a day or two with some holiday stitching ................ Nicky

My SSCS gift .....

2011-12-26T17:39:00.000+13:00

......... one of the highlights of Christmas Day yesterday was opening my Secret Santa Christmas Swap gift, sent to me by the lovely Chookyblue......... if I had known just what was inside there is no way I could have waited until Christmas morning. But because I was trying so hard to be nice not naughty, I waited and boy was I excited at about 5.45 yesterday morning......... that's what happens when the girls wake you at 5.35am begging to get into their loot! I have been so spoilt ............ this is the most gorgeous wallhanging - I absolutely love it - it is so me ........ and if I am completely honest I may have even shed some tears when I saw it!

I can't put in to words how much I love this........ the verse is SO true........

and the gorgeous little stitcheries are so pretty ............... here are closeups of a few .................

I was going to email Chooky to tell her how thrilled I was, but decided to track her down in the online whitepages ............. first time lucky with the right number ........... her Book Worm answered the phone and yelled out to Mum that it was 'someone called Nicky and she's a Kiwi' ......... well spotted Book Worm, it's hard to hide my NZ accent LOL. It was fun to catch up with you Chookyblue, I hope all your plans for Christmas Day went well and that I didn't hold you up too long! And of course a HUGE thankyou for my fantastic gifts including these other lovely cards and notepads ......... isn't her photography cool??

Chookyblue does a wonderful job of organising the SSCS exchange, and there are lots of happy and grateful people posting about their gifts today, so Thankyou for organising the whole 'event'!

So Christmas Day was a very hot day here, we enjoyed a lovely Christmas dinner at home, before heading to the beach with Kelly for some cooling down in the water. What a lovely spot where the river meets the sea........... and then followed by an evening meal at my Dad's place.

I hope your Christmas was a happy one, enjoyed with family or friends and that Santa was as good to you as he was to us. We have some busy days of farm work coming up, so we are making the most of a couple of days off to relax, hope you're finding some quiet time too ................I'll be back later with what I sent in the SSCS exchange.

Till then, thanks for visiting ..................... Nicky

Meri Kirihimete .........

2011-12-24T09:04:00.001+13:00

or.........Merry Christmas everyone...........

It is Christmas Eve here in New Zealand, and we are almost ready for the big day tomorrow.

I'd like to wish everyone who stops by here a wonderful Christmas and I thank you for sharing in my life in 2011.......... I have met some wonderful friends and look forward to meeting many more in 2012

Pohutakawa - New Zealand's native Christmas tree

With love and Christmas wishes .......... Nicky

A Gardener's Journal ........ the final block

2011-12-20T16:17:00.003+13:00

Late last week the final stitches went into my last block of A Gardener's Journal, and it felt kind of sad to be finished.............. of course I still have to get the borders on and decide if I'm brave enough to quilt it myself or send it out to get a proper job made of it! Once that's done I can get onto the new Stitch-A-Long project, another Anni Downs quilt, My Favourite Things from her Some Kind of Wonderful book. I'm really looking forward to that!!

Finally ......... the blocks are joined, almost a quilt top now!

Here are some pics of the kids vegetable gardens, they have their own little patch each, this is our youngest's below.........

................... and our eldest girls here ..........

And below is part of my potato patch...... some yams are in the tyre at the back.....

and some of the other goodies growing in our garden........

.............we've been eating lettuce, salad greens, radishes and silverbeet for a while now, and lots more is nearly ready now ....... I've had a terrible time getting carrot seed started this year, the first lot I think the seed was too old, and it's been pretty dry since I sowed the new seed. We are desperately short of water, we are only on our own rainwater supply, and there is no rain forecast till at least the end of the month......... so I need to convince hubby to help me pump some water from the creek for the garden.

So now there's only 5 more sleeps to go, I'd better behave myself so Santa stops by ........

Till next time....happy stitching

Nicky

Chookyblue's SSCS ..................

2011-12-13T22:19:00.000+13:00

............. and I really do mean Chookyblue's SSCS, because when I visited my mailbox this afternoon while out checking some sheep, guess what I found? Turns out my own Secret Santa is the one and only Chookyblue herself, aren't I the luckiest girl around?. So Chooky's parcel had a ride on a different kind of sleigh all the way home with me grinning from ear to ear......... it was all I could do not to tear into it at the mailbox, but I didn't want to lose anything on the bike ride home!

I had a feeling 'in my bones' that either Chookyblue or Maree would be my Santa swapper this year, don't know why, I just did! When I saw Maree was firstly flooded out and then flooded in at her home and couldn't post her SSCS parcel yet, I decided it must be her, and figured that was why my parcel was taking the long way to my house. Seems I got that theory wrong. LOL

Just look at these goodies, isn't that sweet little bauble ornament the cutest, complete with a lovely little bell button........ I love it and it is now hanging on my tree. Chookyblue has sent all those other lovely goodies in the pic above, so I'm going to be ~~naughty not nice,~~ I mean nice not naughty and wait till Christmas morning, though you can bet they won't stay unopened for long on the 25th. lol

So THANKYOU for making my day Chookyblue, I've had a big smile on all afternoon, and I know so many others are grateful too for all the effort you make in organising this wonderful swap.......Thank you my friend xx

Till next time.................Nicky

Weaning

2011-12-13T13:09:00.001+13:00

We have spent several days in the last week weaning our lambs.

Here are a few pics of what we got up to ........

The ewes and lambs have no idea what you're up to when you first get to the paddock, all is innocent and they don't know this is the last day they'll be together.........

but they soon work out that something is going on and they start running........

We couldn't muster and get them home without the help of the dogs........

and of course the kids help out too! Christmas came early for this lucky girl, a new motorbike a week ago......... and it's already got so many hours on it, it needs to go back to town for it's first service. lol She has been a big help though..............

Nearly there now though ......... just a little bit further up the hill .........

and round the corner and down into the yards...........

By now the ewes know what is up and they don't want to go into the yards. This was two paddock of ewes and lambs, and we weaned about 8-10 paddocks each day. We muster them all home early in the morning while it's cool for the sheep and dogs to travel and then we wean the whole lot through the sheepyards.

This is Phoebe with her lamb, she was a pet lamb a couple of years ago. Most of the pets in our flock are still friendly, which can be a pain when you're trying to chase a mob of sheep in one direction and out of the middle one comes up to you wanting a pat or a scratch on the back.

I don't have pics of the next stage, cause it was all a bit dusty and busy in the yards from then on. Basically we just draft the ewes one way and the lambs the other, and it is very hot, dusty, smelly, noisy and dirty work. We were definitely looking forward to a hot shower and a cold beer by the end of the day! I do feel sorry for the ewes and lambs, seems like they've had a lovely life together for the last 3 months and then we hop in there and split them up. Pretty mean, huh? Mean, but necessary though.........

This is the ewes going across last years crop paddock after weaning. Can you see the straight lines they're walking in, following one behind the other?

We've had a heat wave here since the start of December, a nice change from the constant rain in November, but we're getting very low on water, so only using what we must.

Well, I'd better go and move a couple of mobs of lambs, and check some ewes. Hubby is busy on the tractor getting paddocks ready for crop and regrassing. Thanks for stopping by, hope you're enjoying some busy and rewarding days too, and hope your Christmas plans are falling into place .........

..... till next time, happy stitching ...... Nicky

Schools out ...........

2011-12-08T20:30:00.001+13:00

School is out for the year for our girls, today is their first day of holidays, and it does feel great to be done with school lunches and homework for the summer. Yesterday the girls took their teachers some end-of-year thankyou gifts ............... home-made vanilla essence and some sweet Candy Cane peppermint bark.

(Oops -I forgot to take another pic of the essence with it's labels added)

Yesterday I received some very exciting mail, this is my finished Stitching Round the Block piece home from Leanne. She had a kind friend who did the stitchery part of the final round, and they both made a wonderful job of the hexies and the butterfly stitchery. We all stitched our own centre block, Janis completed my Round 2 and Raewyn Round 3, followed by the final round by Leanne and her friend. All the girls made a beautiful job of my block, so thank you ladies, and now I must decide how I'll finish it. This is the project I showed the hexies for on my last post, which I have been terribly behind on getting done for Janis. But it is a lot closer now than it was a few weeks ago Janis, I promise!

Just look at those teeny tiny stitches!

I heard from Annette from Jindis Cottage a couple of days ago that my SSCS gifts had arrived safely at her house. So here is a pic of the little ornament I sent her, this is French Country Star by JBW Designs from the 2010 JCS Ornament Issue. I stitched this over one and it is tiny. Can you see the little motifs within the star - reindeer, trees, stars and hearts? So that is the first half of the SSCS revealed................. I'm still waiting every morning at the mailbox for my own exciting parcel to arrive. lol

And a side-on view to show how I finished it..........

As I am finishing this post, the girls have almost got the Christmas tree up, they've been begging me for a few weeks to get it put up. I've made them wait, as we've had builders here for the last three weeks, and I wanted to have a proper clean-up before we got all the Christmas decorations out. So, tonight is their lucky night and it's starting to feel a little like Christmas round here!

I hope you're all enjoying the festive season ...... till next time ........happy stitching ..............Nicky

No excuses

2011-11-29T12:05:00.001+13:00

There really are no excuses for why I've not been here, just seems like life got in the way this month.

Here is a little of what's been going on .......................... I finally got these parcels on their way to a mystery destination for the fabulous SSCS exchange.........

And the next step on the first of my pinwheel baby quilts for our friends twins......... the blocks are pieced for the second quilt, but still need to join them together and ponder those prairie points.

I'm happy to say that the final block of my A Gardeners Journal quilt from the original project at the Stitch-A-Long blog is getting closer to finished, still a hand, some feet, arms, two eyes and some greenery to go............. but progress is being made!

A couple of weeks ago I dug out a long neglected project, Stitching Round the Block, this round I am so behind on is for Janis, who probably thinks it's never going to make it home. I have set myself the goal of having it done by Christmas, and have most of the hexies made now. This whole project really scared me....... but now I really wish I had just got stuck into it when it arrived! Making the hexies wasn't so bad, but I'm very worried about taking the papers out and stitching them onto the background. Any tips would be gratefully received...................?

So that's about it from me to sum up November on the crafting front, there is lots of farm work happening, weaning some lambs in the next few days, then shearing old ewes, crops to get sown, grass paddocks to be sown, it's all go round here! The girls have had swimming lessons in town after school every day for the last two weeks, I am SO looking forward to some days at home, what a joy it is to have a day where I don't have to leave the property! Not to mention the fast approach of Christmas ............. I can't stay in denial for much longer I don't think. LOL

Till next time(hopefully not quite so long though) .............. happy stitching..........Nicky

What happened to October.............?

2011-11-01T15:26:00.000+13:00

Oh boy, so today is the 1st of November, and I'm not quite sure what happened to October. School holidays, trip to RWC, lots of illness for me and the kids, and busy days on the farm might be part of the answer.

By now I'm sure you've heard that WE WON the Rugby World Cup 2011! Didn't the All Blacks do so well, but there's nothing like keeping us in agony until the final whistle blew. It was such a close game and I did feel for the French, to lose by one point is cruel! However, rugby fans all over New Zealand have been rejoicing to finally have won the Webb Ellis trophy again, it feels great!!!

The main stitching around here has been of the secret variety, my gift for my SSCS exchange partner is well underway, and I have a few ideas kicking around in my head for the Christmas ornament part of the exchange too. This morning I had a play with one of the Ruby charm packs I've been hoarding, and decided to try pinwheels, something I've never had much success with, all those points usually drive me crazy. So far they are coming together well, I'm going to work on a couple of baby quilts for some dear friends who've just had twin girls recently. I found this tutorial over at Moda Bake Shop, and thought I might try one in 'Ruby' and one in 'Bliss' fabrics. They will then be similar tones, but with enough of a difference for each of the babies. I'll also be attempting prairie points for the first time ever in these quilts ....................... which could go one of two ways!

I planted out some vegetables over the weekend, the girls and I had sown lots of seeds earlier in spring, and they are all planted outside now, we are starting to enjoy some yummy fresh salads, it's so nice to have grown some of it yourself. The girls each have their own patch in the vege garden, some of their sowing is a bit hit and miss, but they are enjoying it and learning lots by trial and error. They did learn that a late visit from Jack Frost can sneak up on you when you least expect it, the girls have some rather blackened potatoes to prove it! They should have been slack like me and only planted them a couple of days ago. LOL

I hope you're having a great week ...................till next time ......................... Nicky

Abracadabra 'Bliss' quilt

2011-10-20T10:30:00.000+13:00

I was on a bit of a roll with stitching down binding by the time I'd finished my Tis the Season quilt, so I got stuck in and finished this one for our dear little niece, who turned two last Sunday. And for once it was finished before the birthday. lol

I thought I'd get a bit clever with the backing, and put in a row like the ones on the front. I realised once it was half made that this would make the quilting a bit tricky to get the lines matched up exactly. It was quite a performance, but I did get it lined up OK, not perfect, but at least finished!

This is the small quilt from the Abracadabra design by Bloom, and is purchased as a pdf file. It is a great pattern, very easy to follow instructions and you get two quilts from a layer cake. I hope to make the larger quilt with the remainder of the layer cake for one of my girls. This is probably the biggest thing(and it's not even that big!) that I've quilted myself, I'm not brave enough yet to try free motion quilting, it's just straight lines for me at the moment!

It's Friday Night Sew In this week(link in my sidebar), I'm not joining officially this time, not sure if I'll be stitching much on Friday night, I've come home with another rotten flu and will probably have a quiet few days. If you are joining in though............... Happy FNSI!
Will catch up again after the big final on Sunday night - GO THE ALL BLACKS!!!

What a weekend.......

2011-10-19T23:03:00.002+13:00

I've made it home again after the most amazing weekend in Auckland for the Rugby World Cup semi-finals. Myself, my two brothers and our Dad all flew up together on Friday. We checked out the Fanzone, The Cloud on the waterfront and had a wander around the viaduct harbour. We were supporting the Welsh on Saturday night(like most of the kiwis in the crowd were) against the French, but they were unlucky to lose by just one point. And of course our All Blacks played Australia on Sunday night. That game would have to be the most exciting game I've ever seen live. I think most Kiwis would admit to being very nervous about the game as the Wallabies are a great side, but the AB's were awesome!!! And now we're in the final, this Sunday night against France ................................... I'm going to be a very sad girl when this is all over.

The French and Welsh warming up before their game

Teams lined up for the Australia and New Zealand National Anthems

The first (and possibly only) time you'll see a pic of me here on this blog LOL

This is the four of us at the All Black game in our black gear and wearing our Silver Fern flags............... it was fantastic to spend some time together, brother on the left lives in London, Dad lives down South near me, and brother on the right is in Perth, Australia. We are all mad about rugby, so what a great excuse to all get together........... these 3 are all going to the final this Sunday ............. wish I'd decided to now too.

I have lots of blog reading to catch up on, and I am seriously behind on replying to email so I will get that caught up in the next couple of days, and hopefully some stitching time at the weekend.

Thanks for stopping by today.............................. Nicky

GO ALL BLACKS !!!

Lambs and calves

2011-10-07T13:16:00.000+13:00

Spring is speeding by at the moment, we're almost finished lambing, and have been shedding out(taking out any ewes that are still to lamb, or who are no longer rearing a lamb) in preparation for tailing(some call it docking) the lambs in a week or two. The late lambers are going into a new paddock closer to home, and the 'has-beens' are off to a crop paddock to free up grass pasture for ewes who are rearing lambs.

We have about 18 pet/orphan lambs we are feeding at the moment, three times a day. When they are very young it is 4 times daily, and in a month or so will be down to twice a day. It's much quicker once they get onto these buckets, feeding 7 at a time, with a few little ones still on bottles. The first 7 get put in the pen for feeding and then the ones on the outside get their turn, otherwise it gets pretty confusing who's been done and things get messy!

So there has been lots of this happening here, as the girls also have a pet calf each for the first time, saved from the bobby calf(veal) truck from one of our local dairy farmers.

This is Donny and Ash, and they are pretty cute, takes me back to having a little Jersey calf of my own every year when I was a kid.

Clearly Donny is not happy about getting a halter on and learning to lead. You always see lots of lambs and calves at the school pet day that look like they've only had a halter and lead on for five minutes before they were loaded that day - and that often is what has happened. lol So the girls are starting early on handling their calves. In the interests of open disclosure these calves will one day be sent to slaughter with the rest of the farm cattle, the girls seem fine with the idea, Miss O has even suggested she could use the profit from this one to buy several next year and make even more money. Don't get me wrong though, they do love their calves dearly and it will be a difficult day when it comes in about eighteen months!

Thanks for your kind comments on my Tis the Season finish on my last post. I have signed up for the new SAL where we'll be making My Favourite Things quilt by Anni Downs from her new Some Kind of Wonderful book. This is a wonderful book with lots of neat projects, but I need to get my last block of A Gardeners Journal done first. I haven't anything to share stitching wise today, it's been a quiet week with the girls and I all feeling under the weather with head colds, but we're on the mend now. There's Rugby World Cup quarter finals to watch on Saturday and Sunday nights so maybe I'll be more in the right frame of mind for stitching then. GO THE ALL BLACKS!!! ................................. and good luck to Ireland, Wales, England, France, Australia, South Africa and Argentina too!

Have a wonderful weekend ................. Nicky

Tis the Season

2011-10-01T12:15:00.000+13:00

I had a late night last night, putting the final stitches into the binding of my Tis the Season quilt, just in the nick of time for the September 30 deadline(finished with less than hour to spare. lol). I'm really thrilled with the final quilt, and am so grateful for the encouragement and gentle prodding by all the girls at the Stitch-A-Long blog, where you can see lots of other versions of this quilt. You wouldn't credit how one design can look so different in so many varying colourways.

My photos haven't come out very clearly but I hope you get the idea of the final look.

So now my rugby watching evenings will be filled with some other WIP's needing serious attention, I won't bore you with the list, there really are SO many!

Hope you're having a lovely weekend, whatever you're up to, thanks for stopping by today................Nicky

There are worse ways to spend a Friday afternoon..............

2011-09-30T15:37:00.000+13:00

...................... than sitting on the deck in the sunshine stitching down the binding on my Tis the Season quilt. It's a gorgeous day, the first one that I've needed to get out the sun umbrella, and oops I see the nose of my helper in the bottom right there. lol

This is the part I never really enjoy, but on a lovely day like today, it's pretty relaxing, especially when there's lots of other ~~work~~ stuff I should be doing. lol
It will be finished TODAY(I promise it will!), but it will be dark by then, so I'll get some pics tomorrow. I'm so pleased to be meeting the Stitch-Along deadline of the end of September, and there are some wonderful finishes coming in thick and fast over at the SAL blog. See you there tomorrow!

The wonderful world of blogging .......................

2011-09-28T11:10:00.001+13:00

Isn't it funny how reading one persons blog post leads you to another, then on to another, and then suddenly you just have to make something RIGHT NOW! Last Friday I was reading about Josies day with her friends and what they were working on, which led me on to a new to me blog, Kristyne at Pretty by Hand and her wonderful Project Simplify challenge. Kristyne made every quilt and cushion in Camille Roskelly's beautiful Simplify book. Do have a look at her blog, I had a good giggle, she's a very funny girl, and thankyou Josie for sharing the link.

So I dug out my copy of Simplify and decided that right then I had to make one of the cushions in it. I did choose the simplest one of course as I only had about 1 1/2 hours before I had to go meet the school bus. So our youngest arrived home to a new cushion on her bed and she is pretty chuffed about it! I used some of my Sherbet Pips charm square and finished it with some straight line quilting. Now our eldest has picked out a cushion for me to make for her room, but that will have to wait until my Tis the Season is finished. Which of course will(hopefully) be by this Fridays deadline. After a long drought this is also an OPAM finish for me for September.

Aren't those little puppies the cutest ..............

And the book for the inspiration ...............

This week I've also been thinking about what to make for my partner in Chookyblues 2011 Secret Santa Christmas Swap, and to be honest I'm really not sure yet what it's going to be. But it's been fun doing some blog stalking to get an idea of what my partner might like.

Thanks for all the comments about my hens - it's 'eggciting' times around here, as we check the nesting boxes every day to see how many eggs there are, we're up to two most days now!

Until next time, thanks for visiting ...................... happy stitching ............ Nicky

Happy Hens

2011-09-20T14:47:00.000+12:00

Last week, I headed off to town to pick up some hens, to come and live in my lovely new henhouse. I bought 6 young hens, about 20 weeks old, and was told they were just beginning to lay. They've been shut in for about 5 days, so that they could learn where to lay, how to roost, and to settle into their new home.

Here are the girls in their new digs ............................................

Today I thought I'd let them out, as the sun has decided to come back after a very wet Monday. And look what I found - my first egg - doesn't take much to get me excited does it? I've left it there for the kids to find when they get home from school. They've been running out to check the nesting boxes every day so today they'll get a surprise too!

Anyway, I opened their little door, and waited.........

....................and waited ................

...................and waited...........................................

............... and finally they ventured out.

They're staying pretty close to the door just now, but I'm sure it won't be long and they'll be roaming around, probably getting into the vegetable garden and harassing the dog.

TIme for some more Tis the Season progress, I've joined the blocks together, and have now chosen my border fabrics, might get them on tonight if time allows, so I'm still on target to finish it before the end of the month.

Thanks for visiting with me today ...................... till next time................happy stitching, Nicky

Tis the Season blocks

2011-09-17T15:41:00.000+12:00

Here are the last four of my Tis the Season blocks finished up. Now I need to join them all together and get it finished up before the end of September so as not to be the last to finish this quilt over at the Stitch-A-Long blog where we've been stitching this since March. I am one of the few ~~slackers~~ slower stitchers who still haven't finished their A Gardener's Journal quilts from last year, so I don't want to be in the same boat this time around! In the final photo I'm showing some rather wrinkly progress of the stitchery for my final AGJ block. I've been trying to put a few stitches in here and there so I can get it finally finished.

It's been a fairly awful week of rain, hail and cold winds, not the ideal weather for lambing, but not quite as bad as last year ....... yet. The sun is out today though, so it would be great if it hangs around for the next few weeks at least.

Till next time ................................. happy stitching........... Nicky

Lambs everywhere

2011-09-13T13:33:00.000+12:00

The lambs are coming thick and fast this week, we're well over a third of the way through now. This little sweetie called Midnight belongs to 'Pinkie' who was a pet lamb of the girls several years ago. Sadly Pinkie has no milk, so they are living together in the house paddock, where 'Midnight' gets bottle fed four times a day. Here is mother and baby together.................... if she wasn't a pet sheep they would not be remaining together!

It's rare for us to get a set of quads, but here they are, we know they're quads because they were born with a number four on each of their backs........... only kidding.............. but once we spray mark them it does make it easier to put them all back together if one wanders off.

Imagine trying to keep track of four babies at once ...........................

For the townies out there don't be alarmed by the colour of these twins below, it is normal, the ewe will clean them up pretty quickly, in fact she's eating some afterbirth in this photo(sorry about that!)

One of these is not like the other ........ the bigger lamb in the centre has wandered off from his mum, and is trying to get amongst the action with this ewe and her new twins. Mostly the ewe will bunt him away, but occasionally if you don't remove it quick enough she may take this lamb and leave her own behind.

So that's a quick farm tour for today ........................ if you're lambing or calving I hope it's going well for you - we've had a rough 24 hours of weather here, an inch and a half of rain in less than a day, and even some hail and snow early this morning. It's improved a little today, but they are forecasting more snow for Thursday. We had a lot of very cold newborn lambs and their mums in shelter last night, and almost all have made it through unscathed.

If you've seen any of the Rugby World Cup games - hasn't it been fantastic?! I'm loving seeing the lower ranked teams giving the big name teams a good workout. Go the AB's!

Catch you soon, where I can finally share some more Tis the Season progress..........getting there slowly.

Nicky

No more sleeps to go

2011-09-09T09:14:00.000+12:00

Huge excitement at our house today ........................ mostly me though I'd have to say LOL.................... my other big interest outside of stitching would have to be sport ............. any kind, but my favourite of all is rugby .........and in rugby it doesn't come much bigger than Rugby World Cup 2011.

RWC kicks off in Auckland tonight with the opening ceremony and the opening match, our All Blacks v Tonga.   It's been 24 long years since we won the inaugaural World Cup also hosted here in New Zealand.
24 long years of 4 yearly heartbreak as we miss out on the big prize.     Surely this will be our year?? The tournament runs for 6 weeks, with the final on October 23 at Eden Park in Auckland.

People all over the country are getting in to the excitement, decorating houses, shops, schools with flags and banners from their favourite country. There's been a very successful campaign to 'adopt a second team' where everyone is encouraged to support one of the other teams along with our own All Blacks. Down south most are supporting Scotland who are playing a couple of their games here. But for me, my heart is black!!

I've been keeping a little secret for a couple of months - I'm going to Auckland for the semi-finals in mid-October ....... both of them! My two brothers both live overseas and are coming home for the RWC, and they have four tickets for the semifinals so have invited our Dad and I to join them for the weekend. So I am like a pig in mud at the moment ......... it's going to be so wonderful to have a family reunion of sorts for us all. Now I just have to hope that we make it to the semis - surely we couldn't not make it again! My prediction(This is where I may look silly in about 6 weeks lol) is for a New Zealand v Australia final.... sorry to the South Africans, French and English who are also possibilities, but you know me I have to open my big mouth and lay it all on the line.

The other positive to RWC is that with lots of evenings on the couch watching games, I might get caught up on some more stitching too............

Rugby World Cup NZ 2011 - BRING IT ON!

Go ALL BLACKS

Congratulations to ...........

2011-08-28T12:49:00.000+12:00

.......... Tatyana of Tatkis - mouse house, who has won the cross-stitch goodies, mostly LHN patterns, Crescent Colours threads and some Weeks Dye Works fabric for the snowman ornament ..................

and Christine of Auntie's Quaint Quilts who has won Ruby, Martinique, and Countdown to Christmas charm packs and some Riley Blake fat quarters.

I have to confess that Tatyana actually had her name drawn out in BOTH draws, but in the interests of fairness and spreading the love a little further afield I drew a second name for the charm packs, and Christine was the second winner. Who would have thought, there were over 60 names in each draw - I'd definitely be buying a lottery ticket this week Tatyana!

So ladies, if you want to email me your addresses I'll get these goodies on their way to you. Thanks for all the comments and entries and for helping me celebrate 100 posts of sharing my stitching life with you.

We spent yesterday moving the younger ewes around the farm into their lambing paddocks, the farm is very wet and muddy, after the cold miserable end to winter we've had. Today is a beautiful sunny day though, so I'm going to make the most of some time in the garden before lambing starts getting really busy. We had about half a dozen of the older ewes had their lambs yesterday, so only a few thousand to go!

I hope you're having a nice weekend too ............ happy stitching ............. Nicky

There's still time left ...........

2011-08-26T09:53:00.000+12:00

................. to enter my giveaway from my last post. I haven't finalised all the goodies yet, but there's a good chance some of the quilty prize will come from here ............... one pile in my ever-growing stash that I'm never finding the time to do anything with (Sorry, I'm not giving the whole pile away though - some of these will be made into something here ...... one day!). Remember there's going to be two draws, one for the quilty people, one for the stitchy people and for those like me who dabble in both, I might just put your name in both draws. (See, it does pay to be a fence sitter. lol)

So, if you haven't already entered, I'd love you to leave a comment on this post only, before the end of today, Friday 26th August, and I'll draw some names out tomorrow. Good luck!

One hundred and counting

2011-08-20T16:22:00.000+12:00

Well hello there.............. you could be forgiven for thinking I'd vanished into the night after not posting for over three weeks. Life has been a little crazy lately, and my computer has been at the doctor for an overhaul too ...................... so now I'm back to many hundreds of posts to catch up on in Google Reader..... but I will get there ......... it might just take some time!

The cold blast straight from Antarctica last week that plunged most of New Zealand in to the freezer left us with our fifth dump of snow for the winter, the crazy thing is some years we don't get any, but this has been a dreadful end to winter. It's taken it's toll on man and beast around here. We're all desperate for spring to arrive, and hopefully some warm temperatures to greet the lambs due to be born in about two weeks. At least some of us enjoyed the snow, hanging on for dear life on the sled behind the motorbike.......

Just so you know that amongst the craziness I have been stitching a little, here is a WIP, on it's way to completion. This is Leanne's House New Couch Companion in a half finished state ..............because it's as much about the process as the finished object right??

Thanks for all the kind comments about me celebrating another year last month, and I think there are quite a lot of you who would be happy to receive a hen house for your birthday too. LOL

To celebrate both my Halfway to 70 birthday and this, my 100th post, I'm going to have a little giveaway. Because I can never stick to just one thing and am constantly swinging between cross-stitch/embroidery projects and quilty/stitchery projects, I'm going to give away a ~~henhouse~~, no sorry a little bundle of treats for both.

Just leave a comment and tell me which is your favourite kind of stitching - Cross Stitch/Embroidery or Quilting/Fabric crafts or maybe like me you ~~can't make up your mind~~ prefer to sit on the fence and enjoy both?? Or maybe it's something else altogether! There's no other hoops to jump through, you don't need to be a follower or advertise the giveaway anywhere, just say hi and I'll throw your name in a draw next Friday 26th August. If you visit here, and have been lurking in the background, don't be shy, believe me I don't bite, I'd also love to put your name in the draw too! I'm happy to send anywhere!

OK, time to go and catch up on all those blogs I'm so behind on reading, I hope you have a wonderful weekend ................... till next time, Nicky

Some girls like diamonds .......

2011-07-28T23:25:00.000+12:00

Earlier this week I reached the milestone of Halfway to 70 (not quite halfway to 112 yet though Miche'le?) I'm one of those girls who really wants her husband to 'know' exactly what I'd like for my birthday, but of course without me having to tell him, and this year he has absolutely come up trumps. This chook house arrived home on the trailer with he and the girls on Tuesday night, and I couldn't have been more surprised(and totally thrilled!) Funny thing was he went off to town telling me he was picking up my birthday present and ended up running a little late getting home. I left work and was on the way home, drove up to an intersection only to see hubby and the girls driving past with this on the trailer. My jaw hit the floor, and I laughed hysterically as I followed my birthday present all the way home. Their plan had been to get home before me and decorate it with lots of balloons. The girls were even blowing them up on the drive home ...................so a grateful thanks to my beautiful family for a wonderful surprise!

I had chooks in an old falling down hen house years ago, but we had a lot of stoats around one summer and they slowly but surely killed them off. The hen house was pulled down and buried, and I've been keen to get some more for ages now. SO, if you have any recommendations on your favourite kind of laying chooks I'd love to hear them ............. and one day soon I shall share photos of some hens in their new house.

Till then ....................take care ........ Nicky

Mondays Friday Night Sew In Results

2011-07-25T12:26:00.000+12:00

I know, I know, I'm running a bit late for a FNSI update, but better late than never right! It's been a terrible weekend of sleet and snow and hail, and so today the sun has finally come out in between snow showers for me to get some quick pics. I should be at work today but we're stranded here with the snow and I've heard the roads right around the region are treacherous today, so I'm staying put. Firstly what I finished up on Friday during FNSI, were my June blocks for the Tis the Season Stitchalong. These blocks are fun to stitch, and I'm about two-thirds the way there now.

Also finished in the last few weeks were another couple of Butterfly Garden blocks. I couldn't believe that this little 4" section of stitchery could take so long, boy was it slow going!

I've also finished up the little quilt top in Pom Pom de Paris, not sure if the lattice look to it is quite as effective as I thought it would be, but overall I'm happy with it. Now to decide how to quilt it??

I've also broken my pledge to myself not to start anything new, and have a little cross-stitch well underway, but I'll share that when it's done.

Well that's it from me today, I'm off to make some pumpkin soup for a late lunch, the girls are just heading out to play in the snow .................... so I'm sure they'll come in ready for something hot soon.

Have a great day ....................happy stitching .................. Nicky

Friday Night Sew-In ................

2011-07-22T16:49:00.001+12:00

Tonight is Friday Night Sew-In hosted by Heidi, you can click on the link to head on over and sign up.

It's been a very non-stitching week for me so far, so I intend to put that right tonight with some hand stitching while watching the rugby, All Blacks v Fiji. When that's over, I might reacquaint myself with my sewing machine and get some borders on my June Tis the Season blocks. If you're joining in with FNSI, have a wonderful evening stitching and I'll look forward to seeing your progress over the weekend!

Cheers .......... Nicky

Chilly days

2011-07-15T09:51:00.000+12:00

Greetings! It's been a slow week here, the girls have had a couple of days off school while we were snowed in. We've also had no landline phones in the whole distirct for the last couple of days so it's been very quiet, not sure if that is snow related or not but I hope they fix it soon, as we don't get mobile reception here either. We've just been crossing our fingers there would be no emergencies! Last day of school today, so we're all ready for a couple of weeks break.

Not much relaxing in this chair this week.......

And we've all been having fun in the snow ..............

I have finished the long-lost bag for my friend, I hope she'll feel the wait was worth it. lol One more thing to cross off my WIP list! I've also pieced the little charm pack quilt I showed last time, and started piecing the back for my niece's Abracadabra quilt in Bliss fabrics.

Angel Pin Carry Bag - Rosalie Quinlan Designs, from Homespun # 21

Finally thanks for the comments on my last post about the Silver Ferns sadly losing the netball World Champs final. I can tell some of you (Kiwis) are feeling my pain. lol When our eldest bought home this gift on Monday from her cousin/best friend who has just been on holiday to Australia, I couldn't stop laughing! So appropriate, a kangaroo with boxing gloves on ready to give someone a hiding. LOL I love it!

I have a little something in mind for Chookyblue but she might regret saying there's no hurry......... that's a dangerous thing to say to me.

Hope you're having a great week, take care ........................ Nicky

Tomorrows headline ....

2011-07-10T23:16:00.000+12:00

Check out the headline in tomorrows edition of the "Chookyblue Times" ........... after opening my big mouth and challenging Chookyblue to a little wager over the result of the World Netball Champs held tonight ................ looks like I'm going to be the one doing the stitching..... lol

It was an absolute nail-biter, all tied up at full time with those Diamonds sealing the victory in the last few seconds of extra time ............. virtually a repeat of the Commonwealth Games Gold Medal match, only Aussie pipped us at the finish line this time!

I have to confess to being a bit of a sports nut and almost certainly a very sore loser, but I guess us Kiwis will have to take this one on the chin, and congratulate your Aussie girls on a hard fought win.

So Chooky, any special requests???

Long time no see........

2011-07-10T16:38:00.000+12:00

Hi again - I'm back, and after my last record of 3 posts in 3 days............. I didn't intend to be away this long.

I have been getting a little stitching done, but have had some busy days on the farm and at work, with lots of school and sport happenings for the kids too. Below is the beginnings of the charm pack quilt using Pom Pom de Paris, and the new pattern book I purchased a while back. The fabrics are so pretty and it's coming together pretty nicely so far.

These are two halves of a bag I started making for a friend about eighteen months ago, and I threw it away in a hissy fit after I sewed the strips all together in the wrong order. I finally dragged it out and and have got it to this stage, half the quilting is done now so it won't take long to finish it off now. She did say there was no hurry when she asked me but I don't think she ever suspected it would take this long. The bag is Angel Pin Carry Bag by Rosalie Quinlan, and it is such an easy bag, this is the third one I've (nearly) made.

It has been a terribly wet few days here, which then turned to snow last night and most of this morning. The sun is out now though, so the thaw is on. Still cold though, so I might get that bag finished yet! Or maybe even catch up on my Tis the Season stitching .................

It's been a big sporting weekend here with the World Netball Champs to watch each night, our Silver Ferns have made it through the quarters and semis and tonight is the big final against the Aussie Diamonds. What a battle that will be - hope we come away with the spoils!!! And then there was the Super 15 final last night, which sadly the Crusaders lost to the Reds, but is was a very close exciting game.

Hope you're enjoying a lovely weekend, take care .............. Nicky

An Angels Story Table Runner

2011-06-23T16:18:00.000+12:00

I quilted this little runner on Sunday and got the binding sewn on this afternoon. This is from An Angels Story by Anni Downs and has been in the flimsy stage for several years. It is meant to have hearts appliqued around the cream border, but when I dug the pieced runner out from a drawer recently I knew if it was going to wait for those hearts it might never get finished. Perhaps if I knew how to I should have quilted something pretty in that border. But plain it is! This should have been Number 31 on my list of WIPs at the beginning of the year, but I couldn't even find it at the time! lol

Thanks for stopping by to visit today ............ this must be a record for me, 3 posts in 3 days ................see you again soon ................... Nicky

One block left now ....

2011-06-22T11:45:00.000+12:00

After some *gentle encouragement* from Chookyblue, I have now pieced my second to last A Gardeners Journal block and here it is.................Block F............. but that very last block is still quite a way off finished.

Over the weekend I also finished up Virtues Sampler by Little House Needleworks. This is now in my rather large pile of finished cross stitch to be framed.

And while I was busy on the machine I pieced the first block of my Butterfly Garden, I'm pretty pleased with how it's looking, and I've finished a couple more miniblocks during the last few days.

So now I need to catch up on this months Tis the Season and Birdie Stitches blocks...................I don't want to fall behind ............. again!

I hope you're having a great week, thanks for visiting me today, it's lovely to *see* you ................ till next time ................Nicky

Southern scenery

2011-06-21T08:50:00.000+12:00

Last weekend we went out to a lovely little cafe for lunch to celebrate a friends birthday ........... followed by a drive home around the Southern Scenic Route on the south coast.

The ash cloud that was causing havoc for travellers in New Zealand and parts of Australia made for the most stunning sunset that night. This photo makes it look pink, but the sky was the most amazing orangey pink colour, like I've never seen it before, simply beautiful.

I have done some stitching and sewing over the last week, and hopefully the sun will come out later today or tomorrow and I can try and get some pics to share. I hope you're having a great week....................till next time.................happy stitching..........Nicky

Missing in action

2011-06-10T13:24:00.000+12:00

It's been a very unproductive week here for me. I've had a nasty tummy bug which kept me away from work both on- and off-farm and feeling very sorry for myself. So far the rest of the family have not succumbed, so for that I am grateful.

I started to feel a little better yesterday, so finished these Butterfly Garden miniblocks. The plan for the weekend is to piece Block 1 of this quilt together and also piece my next A Gardeners Journal block.

Grethe is also working on her Butterfly Garden quilt again, her blocks are beautiful - do take a look, and Fiona has some wonderful fabrics ready to go here too. Cardygirl says she's got one to finish too ...........as does Peg ................ no pressure ladies .........lol ..............and then there's the little challenge with Josie .......if anyone else has one lurking or ready to go feel free to out yourself ..........................

I've also dragged Virtues Sampler from the bottom of the stitching basket and got some more done. It's been quite some months since I did any cross stitch and I'm enjoying it. Both of these projects were on my WIP list from the start of the year, so I'm easing the guilts a little. lol Sorry about all those wrinkles in these pics!

I am so behind on blog reading and returning emails so will try and catch up over the weekend.

Have a wonderful weekend.......till next time Happy Stitching...................Nicky

Red sky in the morning .........

2011-06-01T00:06:00.000+12:00

............. shepherds warning..........or so the old saying goes anyway. And perhaps that old saying is right as the weather has turned rough this evening! This morning's sunrise taken on the way home from the school bus drop-off. I got a new camera recently, so I've been having a little play. I have SO much to learn though.

Following my last post Josie and I have ~~agreed to a challenge~~ come to an arrangement which should see us both eventually end up with 2 finished quilts each. Josie has only a couple of blocks to finish on her Butterfly Garden quilt, and she has bravely offered that if she finishes her BG before I finish mine, she is going to begin A Gardener's Journal quilt by Hatched and Patched. Now I'm sure she must be very keen to do A Gardener's Journal, because there's no way on earth I'll be finished my BG before her! You can see where Josie's up to here. Her blocks are beautiful. Here is the link to the original Butterfly Garden by Leanne's House. A little bird told me there's a set of BG patterns on their way here too. Watch this space. lol Anyone else out there keen to join us and get their Butterfly Garden quilt finished(or even started)?? I know there's a few lurking out there!.

I've finished another Gardener's Journal stichery and a couple of Butterfly Garden miniblocks, so I'll get some pics taken soon. Till then.................happy stitching and thanks for visiting today ........

Nicky

Butterfly Garden

2011-05-28T16:26:00.000+12:00

Last July after seeing May Britt and Hanne commit to finishing their BG quilts that they had been working on for a while, I started mine with the intention of stitching one miniblock a week, so that I would be finished 81 weeks later, at the end of this year. Well now it's nearly June and I had a paltry 9 miniblocks done. Pathetic isn't it. The last time I updated a finished block here was in October............ yes I do have a very short attention span...........lol.

In the last couple of weeks some girls have been working on their BG's again, so I dragged mine out to see where I was at. Nicky..... Bec ...... and Lynda have been busy on theirs.....Lynda has now finished herquilt top and it looks amazing. It always amazes me how different one quilt design can look in a different colour way or fabric style. Do have a look at these ladies work, they are incredible and very inspiring.

So here are my 3 new miniblocks finished in the last week or so....................

I love the little french knot flowers on this block, very slow to stitch, but so pretty too! Below is the block I'm working on currently, gosh there's lots of stitching in them.

Maybe you have a Butterfly Garden block or two lurking you'd like to drag out and get stitching on?? I'd love to have you join me......... but I'm not making any more rash promises on deadlines yet. lol I'd love it if you'd leave me a comment if you are stitching or have stitched Butterfly Garden, it would be great to see some pictures if you have a blog or a link to a flickr album etc.

Thanks for the lovely comments on my Martinique runner, and for the great tips on quilting at 1/4" spacing. You gave me lots of ideas for which I am grateful. I hope you're having a fantastic weekend...................till next time ....happy stitching.............Nicky

Martinique Table Runner

2011-05-23T21:42:00.000+12:00

It was so nice to spend some time yesterday finishing - yes that's right, the F word - something that's been languishing in the work in progress pile for too long. This is my second(only my second!) Sew It's Finished WIP finish for the year. I really have to work on that list. lol

Skinny Verna Runner in 'Martinique by 3 Sisters'

I recently ordered a walking foot for my machine and - WOW - what a difference it made. I didn't know what I was missing before, it was so lovely to use. Can someone tell me if there is such a thing as a 1/4" walking foot, or do you just change the needle position to line it up to 1/4" when you need to? The first version I made of this runner I quilted in 1/4" lines, but this one is more like 1/2" and I also didn't quilt the white edges this time round. I'm putting this away as a gift for my aunt who is celebrating a big birthday this year. This was my first attempt at machining the whole binding and it worked out well. Hand sewing the back of the binding at the end is one of my least favourite jobs.

Nice to see you here today.........thanks for visiting.........Nicky

SAL progress

2011-05-21T15:35:00.000+12:00

It sure has been a while since I've posted, mostly because there hasn't been much to share. We had one of the wettest weeks ever last week, with over 5 inches of rain in four days, which is huge for us, there is surface water lying everywhere, everything is sodden, and the stock are making mud wherever they go. However, today is a stunner, so we've been making the most of it while it lasts.

It feels like I've achieved very little on the crafting front, however I intend rectifying that tomorrow! Here are my May blocks for the Tis the Season SAL, Christmas Angels and Chilly Penguins.

These are all my completed blocks so far....half way there. This is not the final layout, but I just wanted an idea of how they would look together.

I did finish Block C of A Gardeners Journal recently and shared it on the SAL blog. This block has taken a long time.....but boy is it good to have it done!

I had a little splurge in town yesterday. I found this lovely book, thought it would be perfect for some ideas to use all those charm packs I've been ~~hoarding~~ collecting. The lovely ladies in the shop were unpacking yardage of the beautiful Pom Pom de Paris by French General, and I was hooked!

Thought I'd like to make this little quilt 'one day' with the Pom Pom de Paris charm pack.

Recently Jody of Jody's Crafty Creations and Perri form Stitches in the Bush have both awarded me with the Versatile Blogger Award. I think maybe that 'versatile' might be a euphemism for 'starts far too many things and never accomplishes anything', but I am happy to accept LOL. Thank you to both these lovely girls for thinking of me! Jody and Perri both have beautiful blogs, so why not check them out. Jody has recently started designing her own gorgeous softies and Perri has a wonderful store, and is the co-ordinator at the Vignette in Stitches blog too. Busy girls!

The Versatile Blogger Award rules:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post
2. Tell 7 things about yourself that others might not know about you
3. Pass along the award to 5 newly discovered bloggers
4. Contact these bloggers to let them know they’ve received the award

Now here is the cop-out! I am quite possibly the most boring person in the world - I look at all the interesting things people share about themselves in these awards, and I can't think of anything half as exciting about me! I received a similar award about a year ago and came up with some very uninteresting facts about myself!! Might be time I took up a dangerous hobby to add some more excitement to my life. lol

I have discovered lots of new blogs lately, some of which are already on my blog list to the right, and many of these have already been gifted this award, so I'd invite you to have a look through and visit a few, you never know who you might meet just one blog away.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend ..........take care and happy stitching .............. Nicky

Maybe a new obsession ..........

2011-05-03T13:46:00.000+12:00

........ because I need another hobby. Yeah right! Hot off my needles is this little vest for my cousin's wee man. I was determined to learn to knit 'in the round' as sewing up knitting is to me a little like having teeth pulled. With the help of a friend who knows what she's doing, this has only taken a couple of evenings to do(only a size 6 months though.) I think it still needs blocked - whatever that is - I don't remember that term from the last time I knitted years ago - but hopefully that will help it sit a little flatter. I'd better go and visit youtube, a great place for demonstrating knitting techniques.

Milo Vest designed by Georgie Hallam, found here on Ravelry

Lastly some pics from Sunday afternoon, I took Kelly and the girls down to the river nearby, and we had some fun at the waters edge. Kelly loves the creeks and duck ponds at home, and loves to splash about and get us all wet, but she was a bit unsure of this swift water and stayed close to the edge. A lovely way to spend an hour on a fine autumn day.

Till next time ....................... take care and have fun .......................Nicky

Holidays over .....

2011-05-01T13:02:00.000+12:00

It's hard to believe today is the last day of the school holidays. Term 1 was a long one, and the girls were well ready for the break. We haven't done too much, other than a few days away in Wanaka at Easter, and several sleepovers happening with friends to keep the girls busy. Here are some pics of beautiful Lake Wanaka and the surrounding mountains.

This is the view from my in-laws home.......

Below is Treble Cone ski-field(obviously without the snow. lol)

The mountain vistas are simply stunning ........

The last of the autumn colours are still beautiful ........

...........as is the 'rooster tail' left by the jetboat..........

Sheep grazing down to the lake edge .............

And finally back home again, here is our Kelly baby, who is nearly one now, always keen for photos ........

(Don't you love my gorgeous carpet - Not! It will be a happy day at my house when I get new carpet/curtains/wallpaper. lol I just wish it was going to be soon!)

So as you can see, there's been almost a total lack of stitching here lately, but as ever, I'll try and rectify that soon. I did get back into an old hobby while I watched the Royal Wedding on Friday night - knitting - I haven't knitted since the girls were little, but have started a little vest for my cousins baby boy. I'm a bit rusty, but am enjoying it so far. And wasn't the wedding wonderful - brought a little tear to the eye. It was so amazingly public, but still seemed intimate and personal for the Prince and his bride. Beautiful!!

Hope to be back with some stitching or maybe even some knitting soon.......till then, take care and thanks for visiting me today ........ Nicky

Easter bunnies and birdies ........

2011-04-21T13:26:00.000+12:00

Isn't this wee guy the cutest? I was lucky enough to be a winner in Carol's Spring Giveaway a couple of weeks ago, and this Just Nan bunny has come all the way from Pennsylvania to live at my house. Carol's finishing is beautiful and she has a whole lot more gorgeous bunnies she's been stitching up for Easter. I feel SO lucky to be a winner in your lovely giveaway Carol, this is the first giveaway I've ever won, so thanks! I don't enter many giveaways, unless it's a blog I already visit, so I feel very blessed. It may not be spring here in NZ, but it is definitely bunny time with Easter only a day away!

My stitching from last weeks FNSI is now finished. This is the April block for the Birdie Stitches BOM, with a cute Easter egg tree. The tree is a little hard to pick out, maybe I should have chosen a darker green. Sadly the cross stitch I had planned for Easter has not eventuated ...... yet!

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter, we are heading away tomorrow for a few days to my in-laws, so I'll catch up again next week.

Till then.............happy stitching...................Nicky

PS: Miss Moe - if you could email me nickyw76 at yahoo dot com as you are no-reply, and I will get back to you about the SB stockings. Thanks.

Friday Night Sew-In Progress

2011-04-17T15:09:00.000+12:00

I didn't achieve a lot on Friday night for FNSI - but anything is better that nothing I suppose. This is April's Birdie Stitches block, featuring for now, half a tree and half a birdie. You can find the designs released so far over at Little Miss Shabby's blog, along with lots of other beautiful quilts and cushions.

If all goes well I'll get this one finished up tonight, then I have plans for a little cross stitching. Watch this space! I failed in my OPAM goal for March, so I really don't want a repeat in April. LOL

Have a wonderful weekend for what's left of it, thanks for visiting me today.......Nicky

April???

2011-04-14T09:35:00.000+12:00

I don't know where the first ~~few,~~ ~~10,~~ 14 days of April have disappeared to. I've had several attempts now at an update and am finally there now. Life has been hectic round here, lambs and cattle off to the works, new weaner calves arriving from sales, and ewes being drenched and dipped in preparation for the mating season. We are tired of working in the woolshed and sheepyards, that is for sure! My off-farm job has been busy too, with the end of the financial year meaning extra days at work lately too.

These are some of the steers ready to go to the paddock in the sky soon! It pays not to get too attached to animals around here. These boys are so quiet and friendly, but have been a bit naughty lately trying to get out of their paddocks, and lifting gates off hinges when they get the chance.

This is Miss 10 helping round up stock on her wee motorbike. She's been a great help lately on the farm, and is desperate to get a pony. The jury is still out on that one for now!

Anyway enough of all that, this is a stitchy kind of blog after all - not that there has been much of that happening either. What a response to my last post on stitching tips and hints. Thank you so much for adding lots of ideas and comments about the way you stitch too. I learnt a lot, and realised there were lots of things I didn't mention too. The main one is which method you use - the 'stab' method* or the 'running stitch' way of stitching. I usually use the 'stab' method, it may be slower, but I find it difficult to get the stitch sitting right using the running stitch way and it is physically hard to do with the small hoop I use.

* By 'stab' method, I mean the needle going through to the back in one motion, then reaching behind and pushing through to the front in another movement, as opposed to going from front to back, and returning to the front all in one motion.

Ultimately, everyone has their own way of doing things and if it works for you - go with it!

These are my April blocks from the Tis the Season Stitch-Along. Why not head on over and check out the gorgeous blocks at the SAL blog. Who could believe that one design could look so many different ways?!

Last night I traced off this months Little Birdie Stitches block and I'm planning a nice stitchy Friday evening tomorrow for FNSI. You can sign up here if you'd like to join the fun.

I'll try not to leave it so long next time, but till then, happy stitching .....................Nicky

Neat Stitching??

2011-03-26T17:28:00.000+13:00

A couple of posts ago Annette(who shows as anonymous so I can't contact you direct - please feel free to email me Annette) asked if I could share some stitching tips for neat stitching. After I got over my laughing/choking fit, I tried to think about how I stitch and really had a bit of a blank! I've given it some thought and come up with a couple of ideas. I'd love you to add your own tips and ideas for stitching neatly via comments if you'd be so kind.

Here comes the disclaimer folks! I in no way claim to stitch the 'right' way - if there is such a thing - and I certainly think there is a lot neater work out there than mine, but here goes:

Current block from Natalie Birds 'Tis the Season' Stitch-along blog project

I'm not sure really what to say about the way I stitch, other than that I use a small hoop for embroidery(though not always for cross stitch). I have finally come to the conclusion that using an iron on backing/batting like Parlan or lightweight Pellon does help the final result with stitcheries, though I still have occasional issues with the fabric puckering after the piece has been pressed. (Check out the comments on this post for lots of suggestions about this.) It makes a big difference in stopping your threads showing through from the back, and I think it helps the tension too. I haven't used any backing in my AGJ quilt blocks, and I regret this now, as I'm worried that when the quilt batting goes in behind it that all my dark thread shadows from the back of the work will be obvious from the front.

Mini block from Leannes House 'Butterfly Garden'

I am very fussy when I'm backstitching that my needle goes down in the same hole as made by the previous stitch. If they don't quite line up, or I get a bit of a random stitch I will unpick it - that's just my perfectionist nature coming out, sorry! It does mean I'm not a fast stitcher though! Often my uneven stitches are because I have traced poorly and am having to cover the uneven lines I've drawn with Pigma pen. Neat tracing = neat stitching as all we're doing is following the lines anyway.

As far as needles go, I think the finer and longer the better - the longer they are I think the more relaxed your hand is - and the finer they are you don't need to pull on them so hard - so then you don't get an aching hand after lots of needlework. Bear in mind the finer they are the harder they are to thread, so if you're visually challenged like I am becoming, you might need to use some kind of threader contraption. Must get my eyes tested one of these days. lol

Thread - I almost always use 2 strands of embroidery thread(usually DMC - though I'm a little smitten lately with Cosmo threads.) The Birdie Stitches BOM I'm stitching this year calls for stitching with 6 strands, but I don't like the look - it comes out too chunky looking for me - and it's hard work dragging 6 threads through fabric with pellon on the back too! Each to their own though and if that's what you like the look of - go for it.

Stitch length - I do try and keep the length even, though I wouldn't say they're perfect. I usually end up stitching some projects with bigger stitches than others, just depends on what the project is - ie Birdie Stitches I am making all my stitches bigger than normal, main thing is to keep them consistent.

From Hatched and Patched 'A Gardeners Journal'

From Hugs n Kisses 'Stitching Round the Block'

I really, really hate leaving long tails of thread on the back of the work, and I always tie them off and thread them down under a line of stitching to hide and secure them as soon as I've finished with that thread. It's just my pet peeve, the same with cross stitching too - I hate the back of my work to look like a dog's breakfast of jumbled tangled threads.

There are days when no matter how hard I try things just don't look right, maybe the threads get all fluffy, or the fabric won't stay at the right tension in the hoop. Also I've found it really hard to stitch neatly in black or very dark colours, for some reason they look thinner to me - might be a trick of the colours or maybe my eyes. lol

Most of all - practice, practice, practice, even if, like me, you have to start lots and lots of projects, it means you'll get more practice. LOL They do say "Practice Makes Perfect', and of course, enjoy your stitching too!

Any more help anyone can give here via comments would be great, as I'm always looking for pointers too, and I've found before when I've asked for help everyone is so obliging, so THANKS!
Thanks also for sticking with me for all this waffle today.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend...............Nicky

Some stitching progress

2011-03-25T23:14:00.000+13:00

It was so interesting looking at the comments on my last post about searches that have sent people to your blog. Turns out there really are some strange people out there, some in a funny way, and obviously some in a scary way!

It's been another busy week here, but here is a little progress made this past week. First up is the quilt top I finished up last weekend for my dear little niece. This is Bloom's Abracadabra pattern, using the lovely Bliss fabric I've been drooling over lately. My youngest is behind the top here helping me hold it on the line for a windy day photo.

I'm so pleased with how this has come out, now I'm just waiting on the backing fabric I've ordered and then I'll have to give this quilting lark a go! I've had a wee play with my new walking foot, and I can't believe how much difference it makes.

Below are my first two blocks from Tis the Season. You can check out a whole lot more of these over at the Stitch-Along Blog. These are fun and quick to stitch, and I've cut out all the pieces for the block borders today, so now I just need to try and keep up to date with the stitching. (Do great intentions count? lol)

And finally, my March block for the Birdie Stitches BOM (link in my sidebar) - this also was a quick stitch this month. These wee guys put a smile on my face every time, they are so sweet.

I hope you have something lovely planned for the weekend, stitching or otherwise!

Till next time, thanks for visiting me today............................. Nicky

PS: A couple of posts ago Annette asked if I could share some stitching tips here for neater stitching. Thanks Annette for your kind words about my stitching. Not sure if there is much I can suggest but I will work on a post with some thoughts over the next couple of days.

Check this out........

2011-03-17T17:40:00.000+13:00

Back again - 2 posts in a day - pretty much unheard of around here.
I found this earlier on the Yahoo home page. I'm amazed by the flashmob phenomen - obviously this was very well planned, but have a look and see what you think. What a fun way to get in the groove of St Paddy's Day! Just wish I was lucky enough to have been in Sydney to have seen it. Or anywhere else exciting would have been fine too. lol

I've never tried linking to a Youtube clip before, so I hope this works.
Right then, catch you later.........Nicky

How did we get here?

2011-03-17T14:40:00.001+13:00

Don't panic - I'm not studying anthropology, philosophy or started navel-gazing yet. lol

BUT ............ I have been having a look at Blogger stats for my blog. If you're not familiar with what I'm talking about have a look from your Blogger Dashboard at the Stats button. I've never taken much notice of these before, but there is some cool data about how people get to your blog and when and where from. Who knew?!? Apparently the most popular search phrases that see people arriving at my blog are 'weaveline' or 'stitchery stabiliser' to this post, 'leannes house block of the month' to this post, 'a gardeners journal' to here, and 'shepherds bush stockings' to this post. Now all of that makes perfect sense, but late last year I had a lot of people arrive over about 24 hours searching for 'lemonade stitch' - they ended up on this post - which had absolutely nothing to do with lemonade stitch - whatever that actually is!

And then there are the slightly dodgier searches like someone looking for 'farm girls in stockings' - thankfully you won't see me here in suspenders and stockings. lol Seems there are a few people out there with a fascination for 'farm girls' - not sure what they're looking for exactly but this is probably not the blog for them(unless they enjoy stitching too of course!)

I'd love to hear some of the oddball searches that have seen someone visit you at your blog - sometimes it can be the beginning of a great friendship - and sometimes you just wonder 'what on earth?'

Anyway that's all from me today, I've been doing a little stitching, but no pictures taken yet, I'm going to be out tomorrow night for Friday Night Sew In, so might try and get a bit finished up on Saturday instead.

Almost forgot - HAPPY ST PATRICKS DAY!

Take care, and as always happy stitching to you.........Nicky

Sometimes life gets in the way..........

2011-03-08T17:36:00.000+13:00

................. of being a regular blogger. Thanks so much for the kind words on my last post for the people of Christchurch. From what I've seen and heard life in Christchurch is still incredibly difficult, with ongoing aftershocks and life turned upside down for so many. I'm still thinking of you and hoping for things to improve for you all! Your netball girls almost did the impossible last night and came so close to beating the Waikato-BOP Magic - Go the Canterbury Tactix!(and of course Southern Steel)

Despite the lack of blogging I have acheived a little stitching, here finally is my sixth A Gardeners Journal block.........

Oops..... just noticed the top flower on the left needs a few more stitches! I'm undecided on whether I will applique the hearts into that big green block, add something different, or even leave it blank.

Over at the Stitch-A-Long blog, the 2011 SAL has commenced, a lot of the girls have finished their GJ quilts, and are on to Tis The Season by Natalie Bird. But you know me too well... and I've started the next one too. LOL Here are the fabrics I've chosen, all French General in pinks and reds, and stitching with DMC 115 thread.

Next up is February's Birdie Stitches BOM block, these are fun, and pretty quick to stitch up too.

And finally, here is a sneak peek at what I'm making with my Bliss Layer Cake. This is part of a little quilt for my gorgeous wee niece, using Bloom's Abracadabra pattern. Excellent instructions, and I have enough to make a single bed size quilt for my elder daughter too. She has been watching me piece this one and has been begging me to get some more fabric and make her one too! If only she knew I'm already a step ahead of her!

Well, thanks for sticking with me this far, I hope you're having a fabulous week, I've been catching up with some blog reading today, so I might just 'see' you soon!

Take care and of course happy stitching......... Nicky

God Defend New Zealand

2011-02-25T14:22:00.001+13:00

Unless you've been on another planet for the last few days you will have probably heard of the devastation in the South Island's major city of Christchurch, torn apart by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake Tuesday lunchtime.

The death toll is now at 113 with over two hundred still missing. Words are hard to find to convey how New Zealanders are feeling, and I know that is shared around the world as a number of those killed were visitors to our beautiful country. I can't bear to post photos of the damage so will share the words of our national anthem. This is the first verse only, there are another 4 verses but these are rarely sung. Following is the first verse of the Maori version "Aotearoa"

"God Defend New Zealand"

God of Nations at Thy feet,

In the bonds of love we meet,

Hear our voices, we entreat,

God defend our free land.

Guard Pacific's triple star

From the shafts of strife and war,

Make her praises heard afar,

God defend New Zealand.

"Aotearoa"

E Ihowā Atua,

O ngā iwi mātou rā

Āta whakarangona;

Me aroha noa

Kia hua ko te pai;

Kia tau tō atawhai;

Manaakitia mai

Aotearoa

Lyrics from http://www.mch.govt.nz/nz-identity-heritage/national-anthems/god-defend-new-zealandaotearoa

Hearing these sung always sends a shiver down my spine, but just reading them today brings tears instead, please say a prayer today for the people of Christchurch, who must wonder how much more they can endure.

Please take care where ever you are, and give someone you love a hug today.................Nicky

Friday Night Sew In

2011-02-19T15:29:00.000+13:00

I managed to get this runner pieced last night for Friday Night Sew-In. This was cut out during a FNSI last year and it never made it any further than that, another project on my Sew It's Finished WIP list. It is the Skinny Verna Pattern by Vicki E at Moda Bake Shop, using Martinique fabrics, which I absolutely love. I recently ordered a walking foot for my machine, so I will wait for it to arrive before I quilt this wee runner. The one I made last year showed me that I could really do with one, I could see how much my top layer was being dragged with all the close machine quilting on this one. Any advice on quilting generally would be much appreciated, as my experience is very limited!!

Last weekend I made up the shoo fly blocks for Block One of Vignette mystery quilt and got the block together and traced. I've only managed a little stitching during the week, but I can honestly say I love working with the Cosmo threads. I wasn't expecting them to be any different to DMC, but they are just so smooth and silky to work with.

I traced parts with blue washout pen and some with pigma pen. What do you normally use for tracing?? I like the clear crisp lines of the pigma, but the lightest green thread doesn't cover it very well. On the other hand, the blue is forgiving if you make a mistake in the tracing, but I find it fades quickly with handling. Would love to hear your thoughts.

No stitching here today, we're off to a wedding later on, so looking forward to that. We haven't been to a wedding in ages and now we have two within 6 weeks. Feast or famine!

As always, thanks for stopping by..................................Nicky

Shearing .............

2011-02-16T15:22:00.001+13:00

Back at my last sheepie post, I said I'd try and get some pics of lamb shearing ................. so here goes......

It's all pretty self-explanatory really - lambs get pulled out of pens behind each blue door, shorn and sent down the shutes behind the shearers. Apologies if this is not new to you - I'm guessing most country folk will be familiar with all of this!

Our woolshed is a four stand shed, so there are four shearers, three rousies and a presser who pens up the sheep out the back as well. The rousies sweep the board of wool and sort the fleece into the right bales.

These are lambs being shorn, so they have relatively short wool, when we are shearing ewes with 12 months of wool on, the girls use a wool table, where they throw the fleece and skirt(take out the short/gnarly bits around the outside) the edges before rolling the fleece up and putting it into the wool press.

Shearing gangs work so hard, and they are always cheerful and seem to have a lot of fun on the job too.

And here is the finished work, shorn sheep always look a bit strange straight off the shears, a bit nude and bony looking, within a week they'll be looking a bit more normal again. It's always nice to get some good weather after shearing, the last thing you want is a cold snap on freshly shorn sheep. Thankfully we have a good forecast for the next few days, and we are hoping to get our silage(winter feed) made tomorrow too.

Thanks for stopping by today, I'll be back in a day or two with a stitching update, don't forget it's Friday Night Sew In this Friday, if you're keen to join in, head on over here and sign up.......happy stitching ........ .............. Nicky

I'm still here ............

2011-02-12T15:52:00.000+13:00

......... so it seems they haven't carted me off yet - lol. It's heartening to hear there are so many others out there just like me! Starting too much and finishing even less - thank goodness for OPAM and Sew It's Finished.

We've had a busy couple of weeks here on the farm, so not much stitching or blogging happening lately. I have signed up for Friday Night Sew In for the 18th, hosted by Heidi and Bobbi. If you want to join in head on over here.

I had a FNSI of my own last night, and made this wee pencil roll for a little friends 9th birthday party my youngest is attending today. I changed my design slightly from last years effort, and added velcro so the top flap will fold over before rolling it up. Next time, I'm going to try an elastic loop and a button, less fiddly than tying the bow for little fingers maybe. Woohoo a project started and finished on the same night ...... and ............I even used fabric I had on hand. If you can't find me later I'll be off shining my halo.

But........to offset that good behaviour, I have made a couple of online purchases lately including this fabulous book ......it really is a beauty .......and I have some of Camille's gorgeous Bliss on the way - I couldn't resist any longer. There are lots of people out there tempting me with beautiful pictures of Bliss fabric and projects. Thanks Michelle and Suzi and others. :-)

Well then, I'm off to spend the rest of the afternoon with my sewing machine, planning to piece the shoo fly blocks for the first Vignette block and get some more done on my latest Gardener's Journal block.

Thanks for visiting today.......till next time happy stitching ................... Nicky

Should I be committed?

2011-01-31T21:36:00.000+13:00

Or maybe "I should be more committed" or even " I need to commit to less". LOL

Committing myself to new things is never a problem - it's just finishing them that takes me a bit longer! So after committing to finishing some WIPS this year, and actually crossing some things off my list it's probably about time I committed to starting some new ones too. :-)

And so.................... here is some of my weekends work. This is one of the cutest little birdies I've seen in a while ........ and I'm a sucker for anything with little birdies. This BOM is designed by Little Miss Shabby and the blocks are being released on the 1st of the month. I bought a charm pack of Moda's Hunky Dory by Chez Moi a while back and when I saw this BOM decided it would be perfect. So now I've bought my first ever Jelly Roll - if I'd known they were so easy to work with I would have started a long time ago. LOL. I've always admitted to being a slow learner!

Isn't this wee fella a sweetie?

All these pics are clickable, cos I know you'll want to have a closeup look, then head on over and download the pattern and go running for fabric and thread immediately(and I wouldn't blame you)

I enjoyed the cutting and piecing so much, I made up the next block ready to go too - and that is not like me - normally my sewing machine and I have a very delicately balanced relationship. The original is stitched with 6(!) threads of DMC, but I'm sticking with my normal 2 threads for a softer look.

I've also confirmed today to Chookyblue that I'm keen to carry on with this years SAL for Tis the Season by Natalie Bird. It doesn't start till March, so I have exactly a month to get lots more done on A Gardeners Journal. Of course, the realist in me knows it won't be finished by then, but a girl can dream. And thankfully, my Vignette threads haven't arrived, so I can't rip into that one yet either! A blessing in disguise, I think.

I hope wherever you are, you're not being blown away or fried in the heat, sounds like weather extremes all over the world at the minute, we've had a very windy, wet few days, so my gardening days turned into stitchy ones - it's not all bad then!

Thanks for visiting today..................happy stitching......Nicky

Back to the daily grind

2011-01-29T14:00:00.000+13:00

Firstly I want to apologise - in my last post I neglected to say thanks for all the lovely comments and good wishes for my 1 year blog anniversary a couple of posts back. Oops - so THANKS for stopping by to visit with me both then and now.

It's been a while since I shared any sheep pics here - after having our US relatives visiting, I now really appreciate how fascinating some of you out there find sheep!! I could say I wonder why - most of the time they are lots of hard work, and not always that well behaved - but they are also our livelihood, and it's something to be proud of to have bred a flock that is performing well.

This is rounding up a mob of about 800 lambs a few days ago, they are improving with age, a month ago they were not at all fun to work with, running in all different directions, and almost impossible to get through gates and into the yards. Very hard work for farmers and dogs!

Sorry about this next pic, sun was at the wrong angle, but this is following them up the lane........

and finally, got them, safely shut into the yards.

We spent the day weighing these and two other mobs, the heaviest ones were trucked the next day to the works, and the rest were sorted into two lines of medium and lighter weights in preparation for shearing them next week. If I get organised I'll try and get some pics of shearing.

Ok, will catch you again soon, thanks for visiting here today.......Nicky

January plans

2011-01-28T09:59:00.000+13:00

So far so good - my January plans are working out. It's been a long time between drinks, so to speak, but finally I have another A Gardeners Journal block done(just pretend it was finished in August!)

I finished up this wee needleroll yesterday, took about 20 minutes, only it had to wait 2 and a half years to get done. Better late than never!

Isn't the little dragonfly button sweet.

In My Garden Needleroll - Shepherds Bush

Fabric and threads as kitted

Our camping trip was fabulous, got home and realised I have no tent or campsite photos, but here are some lake photos I did manage. The weather was great while we were away, though we were worried when it started to pour on the way there! But it stopped to let us get our tent up, and by the next morning all the rain was over. Everyone came home with a bit of sunburn - Ouch. Lots of fun, swimming in the lake, boating and time spent with friends. The girls start back at school next week, so that brings the summer holidays almost to an end. :-(

And last but certainly not least, I have joined Peg and Kris with their OPAM challenge for 2011, lucky I finished the needleroll yesterday, or I would not be off to a good start. lol

Now I have to set up a list and button for my sidebar and get busy! Between OPAM and Sew It's Finished I want to get more done than my miserable dozen or so finishes from last year.

Lovely day here today, I'm off to the garden for some much needed weeding.......have a great day, Nicky

It's been a year......

2011-01-21T09:00:00.003+13:00

...........and time has flown. A year ago today I started this baby, and look how far we've come. I can't say thanks enough to all of the lovely people I've met and got to know just a little through blogging.

I've recently discovered the magic of scheduled posts, so hopefully we're still away camping and will catch up with you all next week! Here is a collage of a few bloggy(and some not) pics from the last year.

So thankyou to all who've stopped by here for a visit this past year, left a comment, followed my blog, emailed me, you've all helped make this a wonderful first year for me. Bring on the second year!

Thanks so much for stopping by - till next time, take care ............. Nicky

A quick catchup

2011-01-16T10:19:00.000+13:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks so far in 2011. We've been sorting up lambs, weighing, drafting, drenching and dagging them, and yesterday brought all the ewes home to the yards and sorted them up into different mobs. Hot and smelly work, I'm glad we're finished in the yards for a week or so. Today we are having some cousins of my husbands arriving to visit. They are from the US and haven't visited NZ for about 40 years(She was about 8 and my husband was 2!) So we're looking forward to meeting them and spending some time together.

Later this week we are off camping with the kids for a few days. The holidays have flown by as usual, back to school in a couple of weeks. :-( Hopefully there will be some stitching time for Mum while we're away. :-)

I'm not doing too bad on my January plans - Raewyns SRTB piece should hopefully be with Janis now, and I have finished up the stitcheries for another GJ block, just need to get it pieced now, and one little cross stitch ornie is finished. Will get some photos when we get home again.

And because a picture makes a post, here are this seasons pet lambs, taken just before Christmas. Charlie on the left and Joanie on the right. These girls are a Texel/Romney cross. They are still pretty friendly even now we aren't bottle feeding them, and love coming up so you can give them a good pat.

My thoughts have been very much with those suffering from flooding in Australia over the last couple of weeks. What I've seen on TV here looked dreadful, so I hope life can begin to return to normal soon.

Till next time, take care .................Nicky

Making a list and checking it twice

2011-01-05T18:49:00.000+13:00

Well, its finally done, I've hauled out bags, baskets and shoeboxes from all over the house and had a good sort out. I've ended up with only three things to give away, one finished cross stitch and two half finished ones which will find new homes soon.

My list is on a separate page - see above - a total of 30 things. Not great, but I think in my mind I was expecting there to be a lot more. It feels less overwhelming already, just to have them written down!

Among the cross stitch to be framed or finished into something I found this wee beauty. You'd think with pansies being my favourite flower and all, that I would have finished this up ten years ago when I finished stitching it...... but never mind, it's been discovered again, so the chances are improving.

I've put a few stitches today into my Fruit & Floral Wreath I, which is definitely a looooong term project, it has so many stitches in ones and twos all over the place, but I do still love it, and I guess its about 1/4 done. I remember now why I put it away in the first place, a lot of time spent stitching, with not a lot to show for it.

Priorities for January are:
1. Finish SRTB piece for Raewyn
2. Finish another A Gardeners Journal Block
3. Make up In My Garden Needleroll

That should do for now, anything else will be a bonus! I'm going to head on over to the Sew Its Finished blog later and post my list there.

Thanks for stopping by...........take care, Nicky

2011 ...... the year of the WIP.........

2011-01-03T12:46:00.000+13:00

Happy New Year all - wishing you the best of the best for 2011!

After a year of muddling along stitching a little of this and a little of that, and actually finishing very little, I have decided, along with a lot of others it would seem, that 2011 is going to be my year of the WIP! Bold statement isn't it. lol

Don't for a minute think that I won't start anything new, in fact I have a few things I'm keen to rip into- think Vignette and the Tis the Season SAL - but I will also attempt to tidy up a few things that have been lurking for a few(or sometimes even 10+) years. The first part of this plan is to locate and list all of the WIP's that I own. This is a really scary thought, as they are lurking everywhere. Being a Type 2 crafter, I have projects in bags and baskets in at least four different rooms of the house, so just finding them all will take some time.

I'm also sure that there are several things that I just don't love now like I did when I started them, so I think there might need to be a bit of a biff out/donate to charity/give away pile also. That might seem like cheating, but I think I just need to cut my losses on some of the things that I am not feeling the love for anymore.

Thanks to Michelle for pointing me in this direction, a bit of motivation is at hand. A challenge - and of course another blog - should be the kick in the butt I need.

Top of the list will be the Stitching Round the Block pieces for Leanne(now done), Raewyn(almost done) and Janis, and then I will try and prioritise my list of UFO's. I'm thinking I will put my list on a separate page on my blog, I don't think my sidebar could cope with this list!

Here is a little sneek peek of Raewyns block - I love her fabrics and gorgeous Aurifil threads she has chosen.

Some projects need so little done on them it's almost ridiculous. I made this little cushion(from a Country Threads magazine, I think) five years ago for a friends birthday, didn't finish it and ended up just buying her a gift. For goodness sake, it only needs stuffed and the opening at the bottom stitched up - what is wrong with me!

And there are others like this wrinkly piece The Potting Shed by Shepherds Bush, that need a lot of work.

I have a lot of small pieces of stitched up cross stitch that need made up into 'something', not sure whether to add them or not. I probably will list them as they are mostly within my limited finishing skills to do something with them. lol. I'm definitely not listing the finished big cross stitches waiting for framing as that is more a matter of the cost of framing them, than me needing to do any more to them!

I don't even mind if the WIP total at the end of the year isn't a lot less, would just be nice to finally finish some long neglected projects and then feel less guilty about starting new ones.

So hopefully, confessing all of this publicly will keep me on track - how many Works in Progress do you have? Let me know if you plan on attacking your pile this year too.

Have a great day ............. happy stitching........... Nicky

Stitching my heart out

2010-12-29T17:46:00.000+13:00

Hello - How are things in your neck of the woods? What a wonderful couple of days I've had - I'm making the most of all the rain we've been having and have been stitching my heart out. Finally - it has been such a long time - the last stitches went into Leanne's Stitching Round the Block piece, here is a little sneak peek. This is going back to Leanne and she is going to stitch her own Round Three. Don't you love her colours? (Hi Leanne, it will go in post probably Friday when I go into town) Now Raewyn, it's on to your gorgeous piece.............

And another long neglected project, A Gardener's Journal by Anni Downs. I have completed some more stitcheries, but in my usual haphazard way, none of the blocks have all the stitcheries needed done, so no more piecing yet! I believe the SAL deadline is March, when the girls are starting the next project, so better get my butt moving on this one too. The new SAL project Chookyblue is organising looks tempting too .......

There have also been a few stitches into Virtues Sampler by LHN, below is a headless girl and a tree missing a branch, but progress all the same. Last time I photographed this, I think she had a head, but there was a very sad case of unpicking and restitching of the dress required. I hate it when that happens.

Believe it or not, there has even been a little stitching on some Butterfly Garden miniblocks, no pics yet though. I think all this WIP stitching is to ease my guilt over signing up to stitch Vignette, the lovely new Mystery Block Quilt by Leanne Beasley. But really, how could I turn down starting a gorgeous new quilt of Leanne's when I already have two others of hers started?? Thankfully, I'm still waiting on the fabrics and threads ordered before Christmas, so that'll give me some time to work on a few other long suffering WIP's!

There's a brand new blog, Vignette in Stitches, for all those keen on stitching projects from Leanne's gorgeous new mag 'Vignette'. Pop on over there and see what some of the girls have done already! Thanks Perri for starting the blog and also to Ms Farmyard Crafts for tempting me into starting *another* project! Didn't need much persuading though, did I? Maree from Farmyard Crafts and I have something in common - a very long list of WIP's - at least mine would be long if I finally finish making it. AWIP list of WIP's! lol

I think I really do need help - when I told her that she suggested I start something else! LOL

Can't thank you enough for the lovely comments about my SSCS and 6 Things swap goodies, I really appreciate you stopping by and reading and/or sharing your thoughts with me.

Till next time, happy stitching to you ........... Nicky

Exchange goodies sent by me

2010-12-27T14:17:00.000+13:00

I thought I had better share some pics of the parcels I sent out for the two exchanges I participated in recently. First up, for Chookyblue's SSCS exchange I sent my gift to Alison/Cardygirl. I showed a pic of the ornament a couple of posts ago, and here is the main gift. This is Peace and Plenty, designed by Leanne Beasley. It is one I have wanted to stitch for a long time, and when I was sneaking around Cardygirls blog 'researching' I noticed she said her favourite colour was red, so I decided this was just the thing for her. I finished it onto a canvas(my first attempt at this, so please excuse all those staples on the back Alison).

Overall pretty pleased with the final result.

This is the handmade part of my gift to Pat for the 6 Things swap organised by Maree. Pat doesn't have a blog I don't think, but is a member of the Club Quilt Narromine group, and boy oh boy she is very productive! Pat makes the most wonderful quilts, bags, runners, and lots more, so pop on over to their blog and check her work out.

Something for the craft room was this little thread box, with a Lizzie Kate chart, the required threads, some buttons and some Thread Heaven(I love this stuff).

And I forgot to photograph the other bits and pieces - OOPS! But they were, some fragrant soap, some Ferrero Rocher choccies, a book of scenic pics of NZ taken from the air, and a gingerbread house Christmas decoration. I hope that Pat enjoys the goodies - I sure enjoyed gathering the bits and pieces for her parcel.

Well that is the end of swaps for the year for me - now I need to focus on Stitching Round the Block for Leanne. Raewyn and Janis...............and A Gardeners Journal..........and Butterfly Garden ..and Virtues Sampler .............and..............................well, you get the idea. lol

Exchange Spoils ......

2010-12-27T12:15:00.000+13:00

Not only did Christmas morning mean lots of lovely gifts from family, but I got to open my two exchange gifts received recently. First up was the 6 Things exchange organised by Maree. My swap was sent by Barbara/Aunty Bee, and it was stunning. Don't you love this bag, designed by one of my fave designers Rosalie Quinlan, aren't the colours gorgeous.

And look at all the other goodies, beautiful scented soap, scorched almonds, the lovely needle case I opened when it all arrived, christmas crafty magazines, a cross stitch book and a stunning Heaven and Earth Designs chart.

These are not for the faint hearted! Look closely at the stitch count - I kid you not - 351 x 495, and I think I counted over 90 different thread colours used! Maybe it won't be finished before next Christmas. LOL

Thanks so much Barbara for all these goodies, you made my day! And thanks to Maree for organising this fun swap for us all to enjoy.

Next up was the much anticipated SSCS organised by Chookyblue. My swap came all the way from Maricarmen in Argentina. I had already opened this lovely little ornament when my parcel arrived, isn't it sweet.

This handpainted Christmas card is beautiful - in soft colours on something like vellum I think. I love it!

And here is the little quilt Maricarmen made for me - in pretty Christmas colours. Thanks so much Maricarmen for adding another lovely surprise to my Christmas Day. And of course a big thanks to Chookyblue for organising this fabulous swap.

I'll be back later in the day with some pics of the goodies I sent out for these two swaps.

I hope your Christmas was wonderful too, and that Santa was good to you too!

Be back soon, Nicky

Christmas Wishes .........

2010-12-24T00:56:00.000+13:00

Merry Christmas

Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday season,

I hope you have a relaxing break and spend some quality

time with those you love.

I want to take this chance to thank everyone who finds themselves here, for reading, commenting, following, and for some of the lovely friendships that are growing through comments, emails, exchanges and stitching together.

While this year has sent some trials our way here on the farm, we are finishing 2010 on a positive note, with some great weather, healthy stock and a better forecast for returns for the current season.

It has been a fabulous first blogging year for me, I never could have imagined how much your friendship and the shared interest of stitching and all things crafty and/or Kiwi, would mean to me. The inspiration and encouragement from other bloggers and stitchers all around the world is incredible, and I feel privileged to be reading about and seeing what is going on in your world too.

So thankyou for your support through the tough times and for helping to celebrate the good times, and I am looking forward to what 2011 will bring.

I am going to spend some time reflecting on this year and thinking about what I want to achieve in 2011.

What are your dreams for 2011?

Take care and Merry Christmas, Nicky

PS: I'll see you after Christmas with news of some swap parcels which are tempting me under the Christmas tree right now! I promise I won't peep. lol

Fabulous Friday ..........

2010-12-17T09:05:00.000+13:00

It feels like I haven't been here much lately......... so heres a bit of a catchup on the last couple of weeks. My SSCS gift arrived with Cardygirl/Alison earlier in the month. Here is a pic of the ornie I finished up for her.

In breaking news my own SSCS gift from Maricarmen arrived in this mornings mail all the way from Argentina. Excitement plus in my house right now! However my camera battery is dead, so I will take some pics tonight when I get home from work. My ornament is so cute and is on the tree already. Thank you Maricarmen, I can't wait till Christmas Day now! Thanks again Chookyblue for organising this brilliant swap!

And I also forgot to show a pic of my 6 Things swap which was sent off to the land of Oz. This was the swap organised by Maree.

And then there was Queenstown. We had a wonderful weekend with good friends who also have two girls the same age as ours. Lots of boating and swimming, too much eating, but most of all lots of relaxing. This is the view from the beautiful house we stayed in looking towards the town.

Down at the lake shore - yes, it was as cold as it looks in that water!

Hubbie about to take off on the "Mojo" behind the boat.....

.........and still on after several circuits. The general consensus was that the water was far too cold for skiing.

(Thanks A & S for a wonderful weekend)

Tonight is Friday Night Sew-In, and I've missed the last couple, so I'm really looking forward to this one. I think I will get some more done on my Stiching Round the Block for Leanne and Raewyn. Leannes is almost done, and Raewyns piece has arrived from Leanne late last week. Why not head on over to Heidi's and sign up for some sewing time tonight??

I hope you've had a great week and that your Christmas plans are coming together for you. Thanks so much for stopping by today - I'll be back tomorrow with some FNSI progress and some pics of my SSCS parcel and ornie.

Have a great day............Nicky

Exciting mail .....

2010-12-10T12:09:00.000+13:00

Look what the mailman brought to me yesterday! How exciting, my 6 Things swap organised by Maree has arrived. My gifts are from Barbara, and they look very intriguing. I have opened the one shown on top and found the cutest needlebook(something for the craftroom). How did Barbara know that I adore paisley fabric??!? I love it, thank you so much Barbara. She even included a gift for each of the girls, who unlike their mother have placed their unopened gifts under the Christmas tree . But I have put my other gifts under the tree and we'll see if they make it till Christmas. Probably won't, patience is not my strong point! Obviously I have Barbaras address on the parcel, but I can't find an email or blog address for Barbara to say thanks. So if you happen to be reading this Barbara, please pretty please send me an email(on my sidebar) so I can thank you directly.

Isn't this needlecase so cute...thank you Barbara!

My own 6 things swap was a bit late being sent, after Customs opening my SSCS parcel to Alison I have done a little more research about what I can and can't send to Oz, so hopefully my parcel will arrive to it's recipient next week.

Finally for today, these two cookies in a jar were last minute teacher gifts delivered by the girls to school today. The inspiration for these cookie jars came from Shabby Art Boutique, where there have been lots of fab Christmas ideas recently. This is the actual cookie jar link. My very good intentions to stitch them a small gift have just not happened in the mad rush of the last few weeks.

Today is the last day of school for the year and I am so pleased, everyone is tired and crabby and ready for a break. Life has been so crazy for the last few months, I keep thinking next week will be better, but it doesn't work out that way. lol However, I am hoping that *next* week will finally be a little quieter. I went to town and did most of my Christmas shopping yesterday, a big day, but great to have it done, since my helpers will be tagging along behind me after today.

We are heading away after school with friends for a couple of nights to Queenstown. It will be great to unwind with a glass of wine(or two) and some R & R by the lake.

Thanks for stopping by today, and for the kind and thoughtful comments you leave, I love reading them, I am woefully behind in my blog reading, but will catch up on everyone when we're back next week.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, I'll catch you next week .................. Nicky

In Mourning

2010-11-25T07:15:00.000+13:00

We mourn the loss of 29 men at Pike River Mine.

Please say a prayer for them, and the loved ones they leave behind.

RIP

Home again

2010-11-24T15:45:00.000+13:00

Well, it's lovely to be home again, we have had a fabulous few days in the big smoke of Wellington. Lots of things to do - including a tour of Parliament and the Beehive, we weren't allowed to take photos inside but it is amazing, well worth a visit for Kiwis and overseas visitors alike.

The view from our hotel room, down into the Bolton Street Memorial Park and Chapel. This was the site of the city cemetery until about the 1890's. It's a beautiful little spot, but a lot of sad headstones to read, I shed a tear over a family of five children who died over a period of three weeks, presumably from a disease we are now so fortunate to be able to vaccinate our babies for. This park is at the very bottom of the Wellington Botanical Gardens which we spent a wonderful afternoon walking through.

We started up here, after a trip on the Cable Car from Lambton Quay to Kelburn.

then ventured down through the gardens, stopping of course to try out the Flying Fox in the playground.

For me the highlight was the stunning rose garden..............

while my hubby was quite taken with these sculptures of NZ natives made from fencing wire!

and the girls had fun watching the ducks and ducklings under the water fountain.

Wellington Zoo - where feeding the giraffes was popular.....

It was a lovely few days away, the main reason for going was to select our rams for next breeding season from the stud they are bred on. That involved a day trip up to Wairarapa and a chance to see some new countryside. There was some lovely shopping to be done in Masterton, so I did my best! A couple of things can now be crossed off the Christmas pressie list, thank goodness.

And as the deadline girl that I am, I am posting today - the last possible day - my SSCS gift to some unsuspecting recipient out there. Actually they will be suspecting something will arrive in the mail - but they won't know what it is until CHRISTMAS DAY!! Here it was all wrapped and ready to go.............

I do so hope that the recipient gets as much pleasure from this Secret Santa gift, as I got from making it.
If you're participating in Chookyblues SSCS exchange - don't forget - it's time to mail! Tehe, I can sound all righteous about it now that I've finally got mine away. lol

Thanks for visiting today, I hope you are having a fabulous day! I'm off to check out the couple of hundred posts waiting for me in Google Reader - catch you soon........ Nicky