a week of weakness

Greetings all,

Love it or hate it when a blogger skips a few days of posting then professes illness & how tough life has been while passively begging for sympathy??  Hmmm . . . that's my weakness this week, i've been half dead on the lounge with a head cold, cough & neat crescendo of vomiting.  Ick!!  I'd love some sympathy.  

When i woke up this morning . . . i asked if handsome soldier was going to be late for work, then opened my eyes, flicked on the television news & couldn't find Sunrise??  Disorientated & wondering why no one was going to school - i have lost a week of my life, poof, it was suddenly Saturday again.  I had the sore-belly-nose-eyes-throat-deaf-ears thing so reading & relaxing weren't happening, i was home alone staring at the ceiling.  I dragged myself out to see the new Summer fashions one afternoon on the way to school, my eyes were blinded by the colour & patterns, i know, me - the colour lover!!

So let me distract us all with some of the lovelier things as i gather my croaky throat, runny nose & aching empty belly . . . like some pretty jonquils which made the living area smell beautiful, until my hyper-nose-sensitive husband requested they be tossed to the chickens.

 Last Saturday i was sewing with Jan-Maree of Aussie Hero Quilts & was lucky enough to have lunch with her on Thursday & Friday as well.  She generously baked up a load of chewy delicious chocolate cookies for my husband . . . 

 & remembered how much i love pears, so presented me with this lovely addition to my collection.  Thank you Jan-Maree, i have gazed at this sweet burst of colour frequently from the lounge during my recouperation.

 An Italian chocolate vanilla layer cake was baked (very much the consistency of scones, so it went down nicely with gelato, so the family tell me.)

 I did manage to struggle a road-side-find into the car & convert it into a day house for the chickens.  I'm a tad concerned that our beloved first chick Viola is rooster??  My husband calls her 'Violo', sigh.  This side profile doesn't help her 'hen' case but she's incredibly nurturing, non aggressive & silent in the cockadoodledo department for 5 months.  

I actually feel like i've been on a juice fast - at least the chickens, ducks & i have been shovelling all these fresh fruits & vegetables into ourselves each day.

 I honestly believe i would have been sicker sooner & for longer if i hadn't been drinking home juiced goodness with garlic all Winter.  Use your juicers folks, it's not that much effort to wash up the parts.  See how i save on washing up a glass by putting a straw straight into the jug. 

Wishing you all lovely weekends.  I scored an enormous box of lettuce & cabbage leaves from the Farmer's Market, i was so happy until the bottom of the box collapsed in the car park!!  Thank you to the lovely Rotary volunteer who helped put all the leaves back in the box & loaded them into my car!!  Stay well everyone, love Posie

a week of Olympic proportions & flash back to Seoul 1988

Greetings all,

I often use 'Olympic' as a huge-prolific-amazeballs adjective . . . we had one of those Olympic weeks: children thrilled to be back at school with their friends; successful parent/ teacher interviews; my eldest is in a new Volleyball team in a higher grade; dinner out; my husband started work locally; even the chickens are laying more eggs since the Winter Solstice!!  I wrapped up the week with a clean house; read a few magazines; wrote thank you notes; lots of exercise; cooking new recipes; tending to animals; somehow became the marketing manager for our school fete + consulting with Jan-Maree of Aussie Hero Quilts about her trip to Canberra next week (including a sewing Saturday at Duntroon) 415 patchwork quilts have been sent to our troops overseas already!!   

Olympic Poster of the Day: Seoul South Korea in 1988.  

Olympic Scandal: attention London Olympic organisers, there are two very different Koreas,   perhaps you might like to check the flags (at the North Korean Women's soccer) as they are separate countries.  'Peace & good will' at Olympics = don't upset the North Koreans!! 

 Then a Friday treat - brunch with Tania McCartney.  While we gobbled down panini, exchanged 'just because' gifts & chattered a million miles a minute, we hit our favourite haunts - Typo, Seed, Pepe's Paperie, Laura Ashley - then Tania dashed to meet some authors for lunch (socialite) i had time to kill at Kikki-K, Fossil & Witchery.  Lots of sales, the sequin & tulle skirts cost me less than $40 (total value $150) for my eldest to wear to discos, socials, parties - baby steps, she's not a girlie girl - so the sequins were met with a screwed up nose, however, amazing what you're teenagers will do when you pay the entry fee &/ or drive them to said discos, socials & parties!!  Plus i met her after a volleyball clinic with sushi, she loves me!!  Actually Tania sighed her daughter wasn't frilly either, would live in jodhpurs if she could, alas, i have two extra frill-sparkle-sequin loving daughters to dress & hand these down to.  

Tattoos & London cup cake wrappers (thanks Tania) i baked my English Mummy's fairy cakes for my little athletes today.  Adorable stationery - Squirrels with acorn push pins, Oh Deer stamp, dotty tissue paper, quirky clips, note cards & book (bunting, hello!!)  A bunch of little things that pulled at my heart strings.  I saw the Amanda Paino fabric on Kate from Foxs Lane blog.  Just realised that is not the current issue of Mollie Makes magazine, ooppss, i flick through them constantly. 

I was up at 5.30a.m. to catch the Opening Ceremony of the London Olympics, thrilled to find two of my girls already up watching, had to wake the rest.  The athletes parade - Italians, chic as ever; Australian team uniforms matched the French, only with bottle green jackets - we looked very smart (for once!!)  Very excited to see Patty Mills (a Canberra born & bred Basketball player) out there.  Then the Americans came out, oh Ralph Lauren, berets off to your classic style!!  We particularly enjoyed the Pacific Island & African nations with their glorious national uniforms.  Actually, i would have put the French in cravats or scarves (the ties were a bit bland) like my new red, white & blue Witchery birdie scarf!!  How i'd love to dress an Olympic team.

Now i don't have pay television & am suffering Eddie McGuire.  We picked up various faults in Eddie's opening commentary, including . . . this was the first Olympics where every team has both male & female participants (not quite) . . . & how ANZACs fell alongside British troops during the first few days of the battle of the Somme, France in WWI (no Eddie, they hadn't arrived yet!!)  Who researches this stuff & worse . . . who lets Eddie on television??  Just let Andrew Gaze do all the talking please (5 x Olympics, Sydney Olympic flag bearer, son of Olympian) as he actually knows how it feels unlike over paid, non athletic, television executives!!  What did you think of the Opening Ceremony??  I loved Daniel Craig with the Queen (corny but forever-hunky-in-a-suit); David Beckham looked pretty pleased with himself captaining that boat; the music was ace, although Paul McCartney was a bit off key; the cauldron was AMAZING!!  I didn't realise the British were such fans of the National Health System??  All my English relatives complain about it!! 

  Want to join in a blogging challenge during the Olympic Games??  My Limp Bits of cooking/  crafting/ photography improvement here, starts Wednesday 1st August with cooking.  Love Posie

what blogging is all about . . . heart & soul

Greetings all,

Da dah, my 600th post, welcome.  It's a dedication post.  

No, i don't know how to screen dump, after 600 posts!!

I may have spent the weekend at Blogopolis learning about blog 'opportunities', yet that was never my intention when i started, my blog was merely a personal touch to compliment my design business.  It soon grew beyond the children & craft, to my adventures & opinions, so my heavily-deployed-soldier-husband could keep in touch from war zones.  Along the way, it has become a fantastic connection with like minded mums, crafters, designers, clients, fundraisers around the world + engage beautiful supportive folks.  I had no idea it would lead to life long friendships & amazing collaborations.

 In the past 12 months - with surgery on both hands & a husband away at war . . . i have barely sewn a stitch!!  So last year when a new follower named Jan-Maree from Cherry Red Quilter with her heart of gold, read that my husband was deployed, a light bulb lit up & she asked if my husband or his soldiers needed anything.  Why yes, there was something . . . personalised laundry bags.   

 

My husband's original laundry bag (left) complete with sergeant chevrons & the new Aussie Heroes version (right).

The first time my husband went to Afghanistan in 2006 he took a handmade laundry bag with appliqué initials, to stand out with the 100s of white, navy & green bags.  His embarrassing bag soon became the envy of his soldiers (each deployment) as his uniforms NEVER WENT MISSING!!  With this information, Jan-Maree swung into action, asked for all the initials of my husband's troops & gathered her sewing troupe for laundry bag duty.  Of course, people with hearts of gold can't stop at one gesture, they think big, like military operation big.  Jan-Maree surprised me by saying "the soldiers will receive a laundry bag & a patchwork quilt for Christmas 2011" + each box was jam packed with treats from home . . . Aussie Hero Quilts was born.  The morale boost was incredible, even if you don't support the war, we care about the soldiers.  Even at the Army wedding we went to last month, the first thing the bride & groom said was how much they loved & appreciated the quilt!!

Finally, after a whole lot of blogging, phone calls & emails, we met Jan-Maree for a delicious homemade morning tea which lasted almost 6 hours.  I cried when she presented my husband with this folksy quilt, which she created for our future homestead, so thoughtful.  

What an incredible surprise & such an honour, beautiful Jan-Maree (a mother of teenage twins) has always created charity quilts & was looking for a new cause . . . i can't believe it started with my handsome soldier & this little blog.  I blocked out my husband's name, he's just known as 'The Warrant Officer' to the sewing ladies.  In the past 10 months they have sent over 300 quilts to Australian soldiers around the world + gazillions of laundry bags!!

Jan-Maree's house is filled with stunning quilts, i am completely inspired to finish a hexagon quilt now, i can see myself hand stitching in a chair adorned like this!!

I believe - with blogging - you can gain so much, posting from your heart & soul.  I am truly blessed to have kind readers & huge-hearted-can-do gals in my world.  To say thank you, there is a giveaway celebrating 600 posts here.  There is no community like blogging, it spans around the world & it's free!!  Incredible right??  

Of course Aussie Hero Quilts is always after ladies willing to sew, especially in Sydney (quilts come in from all over Australia - it's simply amazing how many ladies out there who love quilting, also have Army connections - a grandfather/ father/ husband/ son or daughter who has served in war zones.)  All details are on the Aussie Hero Quilts blog, including how to donate fabric & cash for sewing supplies.  Spread the word, what a fantastic project for your sewing group, school class or friends, to piece together a quilt for a soldier, especially the Wounded Warriors who are flown to Germany - breaks my heart - along with the sad news we lost another Special Forces soldier this week.  Jan-Maree gladly accepts quilt tops too & all skill levels are welcome!!  Heart & soul blogging, that is what it's all about!!  Love Posie

going under the knife, crafty surgery 101

Greetings all,
When it rains, it pours in life, right??  We've accepted an offer on our Darwin apartment, exciting news, but our 2 favourite farms (both on the market for ages) just sold - all in a matter of days - i'm a big believer on patience, time & place, it just wasn't meant to be.  Then this book arrives in the mail (to be reviewed next week with a giveaway) . . .  

 well these are my hands: mother, designer, crafter, patchwork quilter for 13 years & suffering carpal tunnel syndrome for the past 8 years . . . swollen, achey & about to be sliced up & fixed.  Feel so silly i left it so long.  Such a typical craft related injury!!  We need to look after ourselves better people!!

 My hands drop things, are numb & can't grasp, + i've managed to give myself Tennis Elbow.

 So it took all my strength to lift & purchase this stone pear today (a birthday gift with money from my parents).  But when i picked up a sheet set at Sheridan, the weight almost broke my arm.  I frightened the sales assistant as she innocently passed the sheets to me & they went thump on the floor, straight through my hands. 

Other exciting purchases today included cotton knickers for theatre & rubber gloves for showering.  Did you know silk underpants can create an electrostatic charge in a surgical theatre??  I did, but wasn't planning on making the effort of dressing up down there, for a hand surgeon.  Moving right along, who knew i loved biscuits?? 

  Jan-Maree of Cherry Red Quilter blog & amazing leader of the Aussie Hero Quilts must have baked all weekend to overnight express an amazing variety of fresh cookies 'to help out with my children's recess'. What a lovely surprise, how gorgeous!!  Thank you Jan-Maree, you are so thoughtful.  Can you believe she got her girlfriends together & organised to make laundry bags, patchwork quilts & endless treats parcelled up for all of my husband's soldiers in Afghanistan??  Of course you can, she's an unstoppable force of love, care & generocity.  More on Aussie Hero Quilts later!!

 I've sampled some crumbs, they are delicious & Caramello koalas - tonnes of them.  Mmmm, thank you Jan-Maree.

 Finally, a treat for my hair, i've let it grow, so i'll need to pin back my fringe post surgery, what better way to do it, than with a giant diamonte heart??!!  The other clips will be shared with my girls - including my middle daughter who scored Vice House Captain (she's only in year 5) for red house at school.  The Seed red bow clips will be adorable for the up coming Swimming Carnival. 

So folks, i've dropped off my admissions paperwork & now just have to wait for the surgery.  The hospital is amazing, like a fancy office style hotel, the kind of place Hollywood folks would go for 'proceedures', very glamorous.  I'm going to take a little break in blog transmission as my hands are truly numb, clumsy, with shooting pains up my wrists & i'd rather be a princess, rest them on ice . . . than take drugs to power on.  I'm exhausted!!  Have gorgeous weeks everyone, don't ever take your precious hands for granted, love Posie