Warm as toast...

It is our coldest Winter in Melbourne for thirty or forty years...... Brrrr!  So, for the first time I have invested in a pair of UGG slippers.

So, now my feet are as warm as toast, and if you have warm feet you are all warm - lovely!

Now, don't forget to enter in my 2nd Blogaversary Giveaway, I added some extra gifts earlier (see these  posts here and here) it closes about the 2nd July or so - I may run it on a few days longer -
YOU CAN ENTER IN THE GIVEAWAY DRAW HERE. 

.... and you can enter in the draw for the Travelling Pattern (Summer Garden by LHN) here - I will be drawing this in a couple of days, too.

hugs, 

A Bargain and more goodies added to my Giveaway...

Yesterday, at the city station on my way home from work I came across this pop up shop from Laurelle Perfumes - they were launching in Melbourne and for the cost of $50 for one perfume I received the four others for free.  Three are women's perfumes and two are men's.  Pretty good, hey?

I also wanted to add some more goodies for my Giveaway - what do you think?

A kit for a Jam pot cover

A timber cross stitch kit of a wooden owl.

ABC Bievenue pattern


Now, don't forget to enter in my 2nd Blogaversary Giveaway, I added some extra gifts earlier (see this post here) it closes about the 2nd July or so - I may run it on a few days longer -
YOU CAN ENTER IN THE GIVEAWAY DRAW HERE. 

.... and you can enter in the draw for the Travelling Pattern (Summer Garden by LHN) here - I will be drawing this in a couple of days, too.

My Dear Mum is still not well, she is currently in hospital and is not doing very well at all.  We are all extremely concerned for her.  I am about to head off to the hospital now ... so I will keep you all posted.  I do appreciate all of the prayers and good wishes you have sent her.

hugs, 

IHSW

As many of you know, it was IHSW this weekend.  So, as the deadline for my first Joan Elliott RR piece is fast approaching I decided that I had better work on my Geisha for Julie.

This is the floss toss:

This is Julie's fabulous Buddha!

This is some early progress on my section.

and below is what I achieved over the weekend (I did have a little more than just the black hair done when I started on Friday night)

What do you think of her?   (Sorry, Karen, I tried to take mystery-like photos so as not to give too much away but the beautiful geisha just wanted to be seen!)

I also did some baking - a Blueberry Streusel Cake:

Yum!

Now, don't forget to enter in my 2nd Blogaversary Giveaway, I have added some extra gifts (see this post here) it closes about the 2nd July- YOU CAN ENTER IN THE GIVEAWAY DRAW HERE.  I still have a couple of things which I wish to add so please don't forget to come back and check out what is happening.

.... and you can enter in the draw for the Travelling Pattern (Summer Garden by LHN) here.

hugs,

P.S. I had a very bad day with my Dear Mum yesterday, lots of issues over whether she should be admitted to hospital and she and my Dad both got very confused and it was all very heartbreaking as it is unclear as to what is the best path forward for her.  I am feeling very sad and I fear what the near future is going to bring.

Have you ever seen?

Purple, Orange and Green Cauliflower?  Well, that is what we had for dinner tonight (as Cauliflower Cheese) and they were all delicious!

Apparently they are very good for you, too.....

"Orange cauliflower contains high levels of beta-carotene, the precursor to vitamin A. Purple cauliflower contains anthocyanin, a healthful antioxidant responsible for the purple color of cabbage and red onions, among other foods. Green cauliflower, also called broccoflower, apparently comes in several varieties, some of which could be mutants of cauliflower that produce chlorophyll or a hybrid between cauliflower and broccoli (they’re both members of the same species).

Besides looking cool, colored cauliflower is actually more nutritious because of the aforementioned pigments. Plant pigments are often powerful antioxidants and anti-cancer agents, more the reason to eat colorful foods."

Also, I want to say a BIG THANK YOU to all of YOU, my wonderful bloggy friends who have sent  your prayers and good wishes to my Dear Mother.  She is still feeling quite low, not feeling 100% but we can only hope that she feels better soon. So, thank you so much.  

I am doing my best to respond to all your wonderful comments but I am a bit behind but please do know that I value each and every kind comment.

I have added a couple of items to my Giveaway:

Some little kits from a couple of magazines (from a few years ago)

Some fabbie (Lugana, count unknown) and a nail file with an Australian design on it.  (If you are anything like me you are always needing to file your nails whilst you are stitching).

So, don't forget to enter in my 2nd Blogaversary Giveaway, it closes about the 2nd July- you can enter here.  I still have a couple of things which I wish to add so please don't forget to come back and check out what is happening.

.... and you can enter in the draw for the Travelling Pattern (Summer Garden by LHN) here.


hugs,

P.S. I have done lots of stitching this weekend but I will show you tomorrow....  I hope that all of you had a great stitchy weekend, too.

Prayers please....

I am hoping that you all will be kind enough to send prayers and good wishes across the miles/kilometres to my Mum.  As you may remember from an earlier post, she is 91 and was diagnosed with Chronic Heart Failure earlier this year.  She and my DDad (93) seem to be having trouble managing the condition successfully (they still live in their own home and refuse to have extra nursing help).

Well, she is having a really bad week this week and is not well at all.  I fear that she will not be with us for much longer.  I know that she is 91 and has had a long life (in fact she and Dad both feel that they have been blessed with a much longer life than they ever could have imagined) but it is still hard for us all to see her feeling so unwell and so low.  My poor Dad is getting very weary and I know that he fears a life without her - they have been married 67 years and I think that their strong marriage is what allowed him to recover from the horrors of being a POW in Changi during WWII).

So, please spare a thought and a prayer for her as you go about your day today,

Many thanks.....

Also, don't forget to enter in my 2nd Blogaversary Giveaway - you can enter here.


.... and you can enter in the Travelling Pattern here.


hugs,

Today's the day!

According to the counter on my blog - Today is THE Day!  My blog is 2 years old today!

Also, this is my 300th POST - does that mean I am very chatty - 300 posts in two years?

Lastly, I have over 300 FOLLOWERS!  (319 to be exact, hello to all my new followers - lovely to have you visit).

What does all this mean?  Now, you all know what it means?   It means it is ......


GIVEAWAY TIME!    HIP HIP HOORAY!


But first I must say a BIG THANK YOU  to all of you, my lovely bloggy friends.  You have enriched my life so much in so many ways, so that I feel that I have been blessed since the day I started blogging.  Bless you all.

Now, onto the GIVEAWAY:

This is the start of what you can win.....

A Love Heart tin to keep your precious little bits and pieces, plus a lovely wooden tag which I bought from Marly at Samplers and Santas and a cute little kitty cat button.

A sweet little pussy cat stitched by me - this will be finished by the time this Giveaway is sent but I haven't decided quite how I want to finish it yet.

 A Penguin Books journal to write your stitchy thoughts in:

... and another journal, a recipe journal to write your fabulous recipes in:

.... and a fabulous book mark. 

This book mark is really clever, see how it works on my book (which is not part of the giveaway).  It stays firmly in place and acts like it is part of the book.

Now, I am going to keep this Giveaway open for a couple of weeks and over that time, I will add to it.  I have some fabbie and some patterns I want to add but I don't have any photos of them yet.  So, keep coming back to check out what I add.

Now,  here are the "rules":

1. Be a follower - old or new = one entry.
2. Post about it on your blog (and please come back and tell me about it) = one more entry.
3. Please be clear that you wish to enter in the draw (I am happy for you to comment and not enter. but please make that clear to me - I can be a bit dense sometimes, so please make it easy for me!)
4. Have fun!
5. Closes around the 2nd July.

hugs, 

P.S. Don't forget to enter in the draw to be the next person to stitch a Travelling Pattern, you can read all about it and enter on this post here.

Great free designs from Jardin Prive ....

Hi everyone,

I found a great stash of free designs from Jardin Prive (a fabulous French designer) when I was checking out Valma's blog (please visit her to see her beautiful finish of one of the designs) - you can check them out here.

Thought you might be interested.

hugs,

P.S. Don't forget to enter in the draw to be the next person to stitch a Travelling Pattern, you can read all about it and enter on this post here.

Travelling Pattern....

Oh dear, I have been so slack.... I should really have passed on this Travelling Pattern on by now:

If you would like the chance to stitch this design, please comment on this post only and let me know, clearly that you wish to join in the fun.

I will choose a name in a week or ten days.

hugs, 

P.S. Jo, I know I still have to stitch that second bird, I "swear" that I stitched him already but he flew away - lol!