Polk-A-Dot

These Polk-A-Dots have been making me happy.

So happy, that I am going to keep them up until at least February. I have decided.

Put up for Christmas, I just love them.

The paper balls I have had for quite a few years now, and I just love getting them out.  I have left them up for more than Christmas before - at least until my birthday in February.  We are planning another little event in February 2012 and red polk-a-dots will fit in beautifully with that as well.

The paper chain is new this year.  I had looked longingly during Christmas shopping last year - but was a little overpriced - but come the January sales - the price was just right - so I bought several!!

Making me even happier, are some new mugs - more beautiful polk-a-dots in red.  Love, love, love......

I bought four mugs - and I smile each time I open the cupboard to make a cuppa! 

Polk-A-Dot mug on a Polk-A-Dot stool - happiness complete!

It doesn't take much!

End of Year Harvest.........

Where to begin with the happenings of the past weeks.  I haven't updated here for weeks - school finished, dance concert over for another (the 10th) year and Christmas has been and gone.

I am now on a 10 day break from work - less than a week left now unfortunately. 

 Christmas was a lovely time shared with family.  It went on for a week!  Busy but lovely - tired now!  I am so enjoying my time at home.  Not achieving anything really - but lovely nonetheless. 

Today I felt as though I am starting to surface - but not enough to have achieved any more than the drudgery of catching up and doing housework - I long for some time for me.

Today I spent a little time picking some lovely veges from my Potager - I then prepared them for the freezer.  So lovely to have some home grown back in the freezer.  My lovely trug was a gift from my Mum & Dad - I don't think anyone "got" it at all - too bad - I love it!

I cut our Christmas cake for morning tea- it was very enjoyable!

The year is almost at an end - I almost feel as though I need to do a catch up post to document some very important family occasions this year - maybe I will get that done in the next few days.

I hope my friends have all enjoyed a lovely Christmas time. 

I'm hoping for a much more enjoyable 2012 - but I somehow don't see it happening!

Christmas Cake...........

It is just so hard to believe the first week of November is almost over.  The year has flown.  I guess changing jobs a few times did not help..........all settled now - thank goodness.

Mitchell has just two weeks of school left.  I can't believe that either.  But I think after 15 years of formal education he certainly deserves to be finished.  It is exciting for him to be finishing off his Apprenticeship in a full time position next year.

Mixed fruit was on special at the supermarket, so I actually got organised and purchased the ingredients required to make some Christmas cakes.

I was going to leave it for a couple of weeks, but today was free to be at home so I decided to make a start.

I just love making rich fruit cakes.

It is just out after four hours in  the oven and the house smells wonderful.  My cake looks great. 

Looking forward to more Christmas cakes! 

Lemon Meringue Pie...........

Life is just so busy right now and has been for a long time.  I guess we all are.  The weekends are mostly a blur of cleaning and washing and food for me and I guess most families.  I just want some time to be me.

So today after all the beds had been stripped and all the towels changed and the clothes line full to the brim with probably another full line tomorrow and the bathrooms were cleaned and the house vacumed.........

I made a pie.  A lemon meringue pie with eggs and lemons from my garden.  It was delicious.

This followed some beautiful steak which Mitchell had marinated this afternoon and then cooked on the barbeque.  What a delicious meal to end the day with.



This week Masterchef winner Julie Goodwin came to our town.  Cameron was there to film the story for the news and got to meet her.  Cameron bought her newest cookbook and had it signed for me.  It is a really lovely book.  Cameron was very impressed with what a lovely lady Julie is. 

Thank you to my two lovely boys for a couple of bright spots this week.

Garden Excitement.........

I am easily pleased when it comes to happenings the garden.

This morning I took a little tour...........

The pale pink Iceberg is flowering........

The hot pink Iceberg is flowering............



AND there are flowers on my Lilac..........(squeal) - the perfume divine.



See, I told you I was easily pleased.

We won't however, talk about the water that washed from the neighbours driveway and flooded both under our house and most of our shed. 

Corner of my Home..........

A quiet corner at the entrance to our home.

Beautiful Sweet Peas from the garden...........

Flat Nat..........my Spring Break stitching

I have been on holiday from work for one whole glorious week.  I took the time so I could be at home as our garden has been open for the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers. 

We gained two awards.  The first being third place in the Family Garden section and a highly commended in the Cottage Garden.  We have had some lovely visitors to enjoy it with us.

I have only completed two small projects all year.  Now that the Carnival competition  is over and I am finally feeling settled in my job I just may get a little more stitching time in.  This lovely whimsical project is Flat Nat from Cinderberry Stitches.  I forgot to take a pic of the detail on the reverse.  A lovely little Matryoska Doll with a pocket to hold a very cute suitcase. 



I have had a lovely long week at home.  We've had a few visitors each day.  It would be nice to get some more, but we are happy that a few venture our way to enjoy the garden. 

There have been a couple of very windy days, but mostly it has been perfect Spring weather which I have enjoyed on my deck.



The best bit is, I still have the whole weekend stretching out before me to stitch and enjoy my garden.

Spring Garden

Spring is finally here.  Well it was last weekend, but it has disappeared to somewhere else this weekend.  Our garden is coming to life.  I just love this time of year.  Buds bursting to life and colour running riot in my garden.



We have entered into the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers garden competition again this year.  Madness I say.  But lots of fun.  We love our garden and being in the competition certainly helps us to bring out the best in our garden.  We love sharing our garden with any who wish to venture this way to visit.



This year we have entered into three different categories.  Our whole garden is entered into the Cottage Garden section.  The ABC Radio also has sections and for this we are entered into the Outdoor Living section and also the Family Garden section.

Last Sunday we were judged in the Cottage Garden section, then on Monday the ABC Radio judges came to see our garden for the other sections.  Thankfully, they all liked what they saw.



The potager is looking wonderful.  I love how it has all come together.  I just have to wait patiently for the wisteria along the fence to flower - it looks like it will be another year until I have beautiful wisteria to enjoy. 

When the judge came around the corner and saw the setting above, he thought we could have a wedding here - what a lovely compliment!  I can't wait to have our meals here on some lovely summer evenings.  

The sherbet coloured chairs is another project I have been working on during the winter.

We have to wait until Wednesday evening to know if we have won any prizes - fingers crossed.  Then, hopefully, we will get to share our garden with all who choose to visit during Carnival Week.  It's always such fun chatting with others who enjoy gardens as much as we do. 

Today I worked on another little project that I will hopefully show soon - blackboard paint and chalk paint pens - what fun!

I hope you enjoyed a little wander through my spring time garden - please come and visit if you are nearby - we would love to see you from next weekend onwards during Carnival Week.

Pasta fun...........

A new toy in the kitchen for us.  A pasta machine.  We so enjoyed making our own pasta.  It was delicious.

Can't wait to play again. 

A Little Linen Purse.............

 

This week, I finally managed to fit in some very lovely stitching time in my lovely sewing room.

This lovely kit came home with me a year ago.  Oh goodness, I have looked at this fabric so many times in the last twelve months.  I was finally brave enough and had the time to cut into my precious piece of fabric.  Always scary when you have such a tiny piece to play with.

I purchased it at the very lovely Hatched and Patched Store in Bathurst on a freezing cold winters day last year.

Such beautiful fabric.

Now just to go somewhere lovely to use it!

The Treasure Hunt...

Last Saturday morning, I ventured out into a freezing cold morning to a wonderful garage sale.

It was held at one of the beautiful old churches in the centre of Toowoomba.  

I was quite hopeful, as the last time they held a garage/hall sale I found some wonderful treasure.

And treasure there sure was........

The beautiful old stool was a wonderful $15.00 find.......

A really lovely Pyrex jelly mould ........... $1

A lovely English cake plate.......... $2

and a sweet little sandwich tray............   $1

At this stage the stool will receive the paint treatment and join the new chairs in the outdoor area.

It was certainly worth venturing out into a very cold and frosty morning.

The Potager Sink

The ongoing fascination with the 'Potager' continues for me.  I love my vegetable garden and the joy it brings to me.  Especially when I am picking produce and providing for my family.

For what seems like an eternity I have had an idea.  I found the most wonderful vintage cast iron hand basin in a wonderful pink.  I knew the instant I saw it, what it was going to be for. 

I love the idea of a potting table come wash up area within the vegetable garden - or as you are well aware by now - what I will refer to as my Potager - whether it is a true Potager or not, in my imagination it will be!

So, the hunt for the perfect table became a focus.  I have hunted high and low, to no avail.

I started to think I would never find my perfect table.  Too small, too big, too good, too expensive, wrong shape!  Everything but the one I needed.

A few weeks ago I went to a wonderful Op shop, one which I keep forgetting about.  

Down a little back street hidden away.

I had hunted around, when up in the back corner it caught my eye.  'As Is' $35..........

Perfect in every way, the right size and wonderful.  I will admit though, that I am still feeling most guilty for painting the beautiful timber and sending this lovely to live outside.

But it is going to be wonderful and beautiful and so worth the wait!

This lovely little table has now had two coats of lovely Antique White and looking most positively stunning!  But then again I am totally biased.

The final unveiling soon I hope.