Summer - yuk!!

 

** If you are looking for my post in the GROW YOUR BLOG PARTY please go to the January 24th post - there you can read all about me and join my give away. By clicking on the above list you can visit over 500 blogs that are participating in the party!!**

Welcome to all of my new followers and to everyone that has visited my blog over since last Saturday! Hopefully I have replied to everyone that has commented. I have been visiting all of your blogs and having a great time  learning all about your lives and passions in all corners of the world. I am very slowly moving through the list over on Vicki's blog - and I mean slowly - after all I have to have a good look around each blog!!
As usual we have a heat wave the week the kids all go back to school. Low to mid 40's right through to the end of next week. All of the beautiful rain we had last week has soaked away. 3 days ago our air con that cools most of the rooms in our uninsulated farm house spat the dummy - I wonder how much weight I have sweated off in the sauna it has become. Nights are the worst - not much sleep in the heat!! This morning is bliss - the motor has been replaced and the house is cool again.

Not much happening outside in the heat. watering in the early morning and late evening - just keeping things alive hopefully. The second frangipani is flowering profusely - nothing else in the garden is at the moment!! And the spiders don't like the heat either - I picked up 3 towels off the laundry floor to put in the washing machine and 3 of the critters ran across the floor - I created a new dance in a few seconds the I can tell you. They are everywhere inside at the moment! I think we may spray the outside of the house before we leave in the morning - I am a 'sharing' person but I draw the line at snakes and spiders!!!

 

Today there is a lovely breeze outside (thankfully not a hot drying one) so the washing is dry after only an hour. Look how green the lawn is after the rain last week.

We have the Wee Jasper family arriving tonight. We are off to Swan Hill tomorrow to a wedding. Leaving at 8am so hopefully we beat the heat of the Hay plains - Swan Hill's predicted temps are a couple degrees higher than here. It is a 4 hour trip and because my son used to drive trucks he knows the 'quickest' way there - only a couple of towns and dry plains for as far as you can see. Taking my trusty camera so hopefully I have some good photos of our travels and time spent there.

Off to pack our clothes (and some hand sewing of course!!) and get tea prepared early, into town to see mum and stock up on the drinks and nibbles to take with us!

What is everyone else up to this weekend - something 'cool' I hope!!

 



PARTYING IS FUN!!

** If you are looking for my post in the GROW YOUR BLOG PARTY please go to the January 24th post - there you can read all about me and join my give away. By clicking on the above list you can visit over 500 blogs that are participating in the party!!**
 

I am home again after 3 hectic days of travelling and partying!

 Mum and I left on Friday afternoon and travelled to Yass (4hrs) where we stayed overnight and then another 3hrs travelling down to Batemans Bay. We arrived just in time to grab a coffee and cake 9because we didn't have breakfast!) and then off to the Catalina where my Aunties 90th Birthday gathering was being held!!

 

In this photo are the 4 surviving siblings in my mothers family - Coraleen (77), Heather (birthday girl), Murdoch (88) and mum (82).

 

A short visit to my auntie before we left this morning for the 6hr drive home!! These two beautiful creatures were visiting my Aunties front veranda where she has birdseed out for them every morning!!

 

 

And on to my other party - WOW!! how good is the Grow Your Blog Party - so many lovely comments and new followers; and so many wonderful blogs to visit - about 500!!!lol Thank you to everyone who has visited my blog through the GYBP event and welcome to all of my new followers and welcome back to all of 'old' followers!!!

I am slowly replying to all of the comments on my last post - by email - so please be patient as I will reply and acknowledge your support. At the same time I am visiting blogs on the list over at VICKI'S so it will take me a couple of weeks to get through it all.

 

That's it from me for tonight - this tired little chicky is heading off to bed - I will be back on the replying and blog hopping again tomorrow.

 

 

 



GROW YOUR BLOG 2014

I am one of 500 bloggers participating in GROW YOUR BLOG 2014 being organised by VICKIE over at 2 Bags Full. I am posting my post tonight as I will be travelling tomorrow - 25th January - the day when you can blog hop all over the world and make lots of new blogggy friends!!!!

 

 

Soooo... let me introduce myself!!! I am Kerrie - mother of 5 adult children (Adam, Nathan, Naomi, Rheis & Isaac), grandmother to 11 grandies ranging in age from 5 months to 16 yrs.

I am a daughter to a wonderful mum (Josie) and eldest sister in a family of 3 girls!

 I have been married for 33 years to Greg; we live on a 50 acre property just out of Griffith, NSW Australia, in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (of which we are very appreciative when so much of our country is in the grips of severe drought!!)

 

 

 

I have been a sewer and crafter since the age of 9 when I started to knit a bright orange something for myself, and having a sewing class each week at primary school. I have travelled through many craft and sewing 'phases' since - cross stitch, long stitch, patchwork, candlewicking, ribbon embroidery, wool embroidery, quilting, fabric and glue craft (the tissue box covers and the photo frames!!), children's clothes, my own clothes, knitting, crochet, felting, paper making, dyeing, decoupage and the list goes on. I can honestly say that there is only two of the above that I don't do now and they are paper making & the fabric/glue craft.

We have a large vegie garden (not always full or successful); like to raise our own meat, and recycle when possible - we also enjoy having a meal out, and we do buy all of the above when we cannot supply our own!! It is fair to say I am happy and content with where I am at in my life right now - but I am always open for new experiences and ideas.

 

So welcome to my blog about my crafting and day to day living; please check out any of my previous posts and pages. Sometimes I post several times a week and sometimes not - depends on how busy life gets!!

 

GIVE AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!

As a thank you for your visit I have a give away and it is open to all readers of this post - anywhere in the world!! I would love for you to comment on this post and be in the running to win one of the prizes. Just leave a comment and tell me where you live and which prize you would like to win. it is as easy as that!!

 

The GIVE AWAY will be drawn on February 15th 2014!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

PRIZE ONE: a pattern for a lovely cushion "Buttons" from the Rivendale Collection by sally Goodwin, 5 DMC threads and a packet of hand embroidery/crewel needles.

 

PRIZE TWO: a selection of seeds for your vegie garden and a pair of gardening gloves.

 

 

And remember to follow one of the links at the beginning of this post to see all the other bloggers who are participating in GROW YOUR BLOG 2014 - tomorrow 25th January 2014.

 

 

 

 

 

WE WOKE UP THIS TODAY

 

It's raining , it's pouring, the old man is snoring..... well no he isn't snoring but it is raining - heavy, soaking rain - ahhhh heaven!!!

 

 

See the water lying on the driveway...... and pouring off the roof......

 

and grey across the front paddock

 

and big puddles pooling around the yard........

 

rain for as far as we can see!!!

A beautiful 20 deg here this morning with a lovely cool breeze....... how lucky are we. A short lived reprieve for southern NSW and Victoria - the weather report says we are going back up to the early 40's by Wednesday next week - oh well we will deal with that when it comes - going to enjoy what we have here today. My one wish is that this rain is falling in the severely drought affected central west and north west NSW and up into QLD but unfortunately the rain map says that it isn't - such a diverse country that we live in.

On a brighter note, remember to visit VICKIE tomorrow for the fabulous

 

 

there are 500+ bloggers joining in this year - days and days of bloggy goodness to visit!!!

 

This girl is off now to pack her bag for a trip to Bateman's Bay - leaving after lunch - I am taking mum down for her sister's 90th Birthday Bash!!! How good is that - 90yrs!!!! They have an older sister who is 96yrs - I think I had better start looking after myself better than I am at the moment - after all I want to be a feisty, fun loving gadabout if the family genes bless me with 90 years of life!!

 

 

 

 

LAST DAY OF HOLIDAY

Tomorrow I take the grandies to Wagga where we will meet their mum and dad. So late this afternoon I took them to the newest park in Griffith (it was a bit of a bribe for good behaviour also). I am not a 'park person' in that I hate sitting around playgrounds waiting for little ones to exhaust themselves, but the temp today only reached 32 and there was a lovely cool breeze, so I ended up actually enjoying my time there. Abbey and Lachlan had a ball!!

This playground was opened about two an a half years ago. It was a large block that was covered in lawn only.

 

 

This is the baby's playground with childproof fence and gates. And seating for the mums and dads!

 

This is the HUGE climbing frame - kids of all ages love it!!

 

Lachlan on the Flying Fox - there are two of these side by side and the kids leap of a high platform, glide down the wire , hit the end which springs them back to the beginning again!

 

At one end of the park is an exercise area with all of these machines set up. It is not fenced off and is open for public use 24hrs a day.

 

With pathways going through the playground areas and past the exercise area these are well used by joggers every day!

 

The modern version of the seesaw!!

 

The climbing frame has two slippery dips going off it - one from the top and a smaller one starting about a quarter of the way up.

 

This is the swing - great fun when there is more than one person in it!!

 

This is the water playground (no water in the winter time tho!).

 

2 of the water playground squirters!!

 

And this is one of the entries to the playground.

I am very envious of the growth of the trees and plants in this playground - and yes I do realise that they were all advanced when planted but they have grown big enough in just over 2 years that there is heaps of shade through summer now. If only mine at home would grow like that!! In the evenings through summer this park is usually packed whereas in winter it is used all day - on the really hot days the equipment gets quite hot by late afternoon it has cooled down and is safe to use without the kids getting burnt by it.

Tomorrow we are gathering together all the clothes, shoes and bits and pieces in the morning and then driving to Wagga in the afternoon. We will have tea with their mum and dad and then it is back home for all of us. Thursday is going to be a day of sewing with mum and a friend - I am so looking forward to that as I haven't done a stitch in 3 weeks - withdrawals much!! It will be very quiet here also but I think I can adapt to that rather easily - I am actually very tired - how I managed 4 children under 5yrs I don't know and then another baby 7yrs later - amazing how you cope when you have youth on yours side!!

 



8 DEGREES!!

 

After a week of 43 - 47 degree days today reached 37 which was just lovely. It is just amazing how much difference 8degrees can make and we are still in the high 30's.  Tonight is even better - I have turned the air cons off and there is a nice cool breeze coming through the windows!!

Yesterday Karah went home. Her mum drove from casino on Thursday night, spent 3 hours in Coonabarabran in the early hours of the morning because she couldn't find a service station open (she won't let her fuel tank get below half full again I bet!!). She arrived here at lunch time on Friday and decided to stay until Saturday and get a good nights sleep (which I was very relieved about).

 

 

Abbey was so bored with being inside she started making things from paper and cardboard tubes. Somehow Ziggy garnered her attention and he ended up with a patty paper hat!!lol!! He was not impressed!

 

 

Today we actually did something constructive - Greg & Isaac brought this kitchen hutch over from the old house (it has been in storage on one of the verandas). I have very little cupboard space and was getting sick and tired of moving things whenever I wanted to cook. Abbey and I spent a couple of hours scrubbing it clean. That dark stain was from a bottle of Port that leaked. I have a collection of ports and they were stored in the hutch! Now I am one less.

 

 

It was mostly dust that was quite thick and took a lot of concentration to clean off!!!

 

And this is after it has been cleaned and filled up - the mixmaster shape is empty because it was waiting on the bench to make cakes after we finished!!

 

 

Proof that we finished the hutch - Abbey's Choc Chip muffins - or what is left of them after afternoon tea - they did go down well with a cup of coffee!

 

 

Whilst we were cleaning, Lachlan was busy outside - I now have pathways through one of my garden beds (he decided I needed them as I have a seat set up in the bed). Ummm.... he informed me he pulled out a few dead plants (which were only small and badly burnt from the heat and hot wind). he didn't understand that they have a second chance until the end of autumn and if they haven't come back to life then I pull them out - they were dead to him!! he then moved onto mowing lawns (thank you Lachy) - pretty straight forward that was so no lost plants etc!!

 

 

After a busy day it was homemade pizzas for tea. So how was your weekend??

 

 

 

 



TIME WITH THE GRANDIES!!.. and other things

Photos of our week so far....

 

 

Abbey - 8yrs

 

Karah - 9yrs

 

Lachlan - 10yrs - trying to convince me he didn't want his photo taken - or looking guilty because he was sprung with my water bottle!!

Of course we had to pick the week when the temps have been in the mid 40's and by lunchtime it is too hot outside - I have been lucky as there haven't been many squabbles. Lots of DVDs, a trip to the cinema to watch Frozen with their 'favourite' uncle - especially when he takes them to the movies!!; shopping trips to nice cool shopping complexes and so on.

 

 

Sometimes big brothers are handy to have around.

 

 

An hour in the sun keeping these at the shed/yards - they had disappeared for 3 days (probably in the neighbours grape vines!!) and made the mistake of coming back to the grain shed for a look around. They are now back in their yard with all gates and fences secure and their feed trough overflowing!!

 

 

Abbey & Karah have been busy making Rainbow Bracelets - I bought them a kit each and extra packets of rubber bands and they have amused themselves for hours!! And everyone (male and female) who they see has been given their very own Rainbow Bracelet also!!

And for me their has been a couple of rewards for being referee, entertainer, rescuer (pulling kids out of silo bins) cranky ma-ma (after kids have disappeared and have not told me where they are going)!! 

 

Finally a pink Frangipani Flower - just one more to flower no - hopefully it is an apricot colour!!

 

And instead of sewing I have been buying - but no fabric and only because our local patchwork shop is closing down. DMC threads were 50 cents each!!! The scissors were reduced from $40 to $20 a pair (and how I need a good pair of sewing scissors!!) - everything was drastically reduced so I was actually saving money!!

That is our week so far - more hot days coming but the temps will drop back to mid 30's over the weekend so we may get a lot more time to be outside!! otherwise we will be inside crafting, cooking and watching DVDs!! How has your week been??

 

 



PROGRESS

 

There has been painting, painting and more painting here this week. The vinyl has settled a bit and with a trim is fairly flat and has been tacked down around the edges. One cupboard and five sets of shelves are all in different stages of being painted - cleaned, sanded, undercoated and painted.

 

 

I haven't got quite as far with my sewing room as planned but that is okay because my time has been taken up with these little tackers. Karah at the back has been here for a week, and Ryan & Shanti are here for the night as their mum is at the hospital with their little brother who is not well.

 

 

So we have been cooking, and watching dvd's and playing footy outside and eating and drinking and everything else that goes with having grandies stay with you!! So the sewing room is on hold for a couple of days and cooking, and playing, and gardening is in!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



STARTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT!!

 

I am only 6 days into 2014 and I have started off on the right foot - rather impressed with myself!!!

 

 

Sewing Room - one bookshelf and one set of drawers painted; 2 filing cabinets ready to paint tonight. Only another 4 or 5 bookshelves to go and 2 cupboards - glutton for punishment aren't I. We have these bookshelves in various finishes that are storing very little on the veranda on the old house so I figure I might as well use them in my sewing/craft room - and I don't want a mish mash of colours - so I paint!! Fabrics, notions and haby will be stored in baskets or plastic containers that I have an abundance of so shelves it will be!!

 

The next lot of vinyl has been put in place but those ripples and flutes are not moving. lesson learnt - do not buy cheap vinyl!! I am about to cut the edges off (I have plenty to spare) and hopefully it will lay a little flatter. tomorrow evening I will be moving some of the storage and shelving in so how it is will be how it is - I am the only one using it so it won't cause too much of a problem.

 

 

I have been stitching and designing - well on the way with 3 swaps and a couple of presents!!

 

Some more stitching - yes I am all over the place - a UFO cushion, hexies for some purses and embroideries for pincushions!!!!

 

 

And our daughter drove down from Casino on Friday bringing her daughter for a stay. They caught up with the latest family addition who is now 4 months old (how time flies!!).Oliver's dad (Rheis) took this photo to show off the 3 sets of vivid blue eyes (taken on a phone so the photo is not all that clear!!) Naomi drove home on Sunday with her little Kia Rio packed to the hilt with some of their belongings they had stored in our old house (YAY!!! a little bit more gone). Karah is staying for 2 weeks (that is if mummy's girl doesn't get homesick for mum beforehand) - she has been busy visiting her old school friends and has started a little bit of craft work!

 

That is it from me for a few more days!!!