So much to say....

... well, I am finally on holiday and I am finding New York to be absolutely amazing.  Please check out my Facebook page if you would like to see all of my pics.  But here are a couple:

Well, must fly, will try to write more later - Trader Vic (i.e. my dear husband who has expressed a wish not to be referred to as DH as it sounds like the initials of a very rude and pejorative term in Australia, so as I am Kaisievic he is now Trader Vic (a reference to one of his favourite songs "Werewolves of London"), anyway Trader Vic wishes to use the computer to check out any news of his beloved footy team, the Richmond Tigers.

love to you all, Kaye

Sorry and Bon Voyage

Hello lovely bloggers and my dear followers,

So sorry that it has been ages since I posted but I have been putting in 10/12 hour days at work to get ready to go off on my U.S. adventure and just too tired when I got home from work to face looking at a computer screen.  I have missed you all.

Guess what, though?  I made it.  We are off to the airport shortly.  I promise to write a much longer post once I am safely ensconced in NY city.  Yay!

hugs, Kaye

Late February TUSAL, plus a big thank you..

Well, here is my February, TUSAL jar - I took this photo on my desk at work.  In the top left hand corner is my new Dell laptop - it is a little beauty.

 Below is a close up of my jar, all of the white and purply coloured threads are from Cinderella.

I would like to offer a big thank you to everyone who has been giving me all the great packing advice for our big trip to the U.S in March.  I am running this as a competition - if you comment on this post  and offer me some advice as to what I should pack, you get a chance to win a Mystery Prize.   I would be happy with any and all suggestions, so please join in.  Thank you, thank you, thank you, everyone.

 Now, here is my darling DD with her cat, Milo - gorgeous, aren't they?

 ... and here is Furio sleeping in yet another strange sleeping position -  I will have to send it to Nicola of Stitching by a Cornish Seashore for her strange sleeping position competition.

 Now, last week I was in Sydney for work and I stayed at this great serviced apartment, the Meriton on Kent. It was huge for just one person, with a kitchenette, a separate bedroom and bathroom and really centrally located with a gym and a lap pool.  I can recommend it if you ever need to stay in Sydney. Here are some pics which I took on my phone.

Happy stitching everyone,

hugs, 

Some advice please....

Hello lovely bloggers,
As most of you probably know by now, DH and I are heading off on the 10th March for our very exciting U.S. trip.  We are having 8 nights in New York, 3 in Washington, then it is down to Nashville to visit some friends for a week and lastly 5 or 6 days in San Francisco before heading home to Melbourne.  We will be gone four weeks.  My dilemma is this:  What to pack to wear? (I will warn you, I am a hopeless packer - I dither around and always end up taking way too much stuff.)

I always have this problem when I am going to a different country.  It is summer here in Oz, so I find it hard to imagine needing clothes for a colder clime.  My friend from Nashville has suggested lots of layered pieces.  What is your advice for the different places we are going to?  I would love to hear from all of you.

Now, I haven't had a giveaway for a while now (and I have decided that I am a giveaway rather than an exchange or SAL girl).  So, if you comment on this post with a packing tip, you will go into the competition to win...... Well, I haven't decided yet.... but I will think of something good... so another mystery prize from me.

I will keep this Giveaway open until the 10th March (the day I leave) but I will not be able to post the winner their prize until after I get back home from my trip (which will be after Easter),  so, I hope that will be okay.

So, please, please, enter and please spread the words as I need lots of good advice and suggestions.

hugs,

IHSW update plus lots else

I am so pleased with my progress on Cinderella, here is my photo from Saturday morning (after FNSI progress)

and here she is after IHSW:

I also mentioned in my last post that I had been lucky enough to win a giveaway but I have more good fortune to share with you.  First, here is the lovely surprise which I received tonight when I got home from work.  It is from my Love and Friendship Exchange partner, now she is a secret partner.  So, thank you, whoever you are.  See all my wonderful goodies.  My favourite is the beautiful little pink and green cushion - two of my favourite colours.  Thank you, thank you, thank you, Oh, secret friend.

Then I have won these wonderful patterns from Joyce of Random Ramblings. Now, I thought that I had only won Blueberries but no, generous Joyce sent me four lovely Amish quilting patterns - I just love them.

Blueberry Homecoming, Raspberry Homecoming, Blackberry Jam, and I am not sure what the last pattern is called (as I am sitting typing this with Furio on my knee and I don't want to disturb him). Thank you so much, Joyce, you are so lovely and generous.

Then Nicola of Stitching by a Cornish Seashore was kind enough to gift me the pattern of And they sinned (Sorry, I couldn't get a big photo but if you click on the link you can see a bigger image)

She was also generous enough to send me some lovely Gentle Arts threads to start me off.  Now, as Nicola stitched on this I had been lusting after it, so I am so excited to have the pattern.  But I am going to have to wait until I get back from my U.S. trip before I start it. But I think that it will be a lovely piece to look forward to starting when I have those post holiday blues.  Thank you so much, Nicola, I am so excited to have this pattern to stitch in my future.

Nicola, is also having a fun competition about the weird positions pets and family sleep in.  Now, here are my two entries.  The first one is Milo who loves to sleep in my large white china bowl (which I can now never use again).  For some reason he finds this comfortable - go figure!

 The other photo is Furio the other day, as you can see, he is sleeping twisted right around - how funny is that?
Wish me luck for Nicola's competition - isn't it fun?

love to you all,

Oh, to be so totally relaxed!

Wouldn't it be nice to be a pussy cat and spend a hot afternoon on your human's nice soft bed under the airconditioner?  Lucky Furio!

Now, I am also lucky as I have won Victoria Motto Sampler Shoppe's hand-dyed lace giveaway.  Thank you, Nancy.

Now, back to IHSW.

hugs,

FNSI update

Just a quickie tonight as I want to get back to my stitching - I am just loving Cinderella!

Here is a pic of her pre-FNSI:

and this is Cinderella this morning after FNSI:

and just as a reminder, here is a picture of what she will look like once completed - still a bit of a way to go but I am so enjoying the stitching.  The fabric is so nice to work with and the colours are so gorgeous.

lots of stitching hugs to all you FNSI and IHSW stitchers out there.