Merry Christmas

I am so tired, my inlaws arrived at our place this morning at 6am to give Christmas presents, I was in a deep sleep dreaming away, when I was startled by DH jumping up saying shit....there here. Now at 8.31am I am at my desk and wishing I could go back to sleep. My FIL is having lung surgery tomorrow for lung cancer, he is looking great, so all should go well, his hospital stay will be about 10 days, bummer being a few days before Christmas, but you take a bed when it is offered, and with cancer you don't need to delay it any longer than necessary.

The inlaws seemed to like their blankets I knitted them, I am coming up to half way on Dad's blanket, only 4 more nights knitting and two of those we will be out, boy oh boy I need more time, maybe I will have it done by the time Mum and Dad are leaving our place on Christmas Day, but with temperatures expected in the high 30's, maybe not.


I got a lovely gift from Shannon this week, a CD of Christmas Carols and a lovely card, I am getting a new CD player for Christmas so guess what will be the first CD to play, thanks so much Shannon.

Yesterday I got a gift from Sharon, a lovely handmade stocking with my initial on it, a Caramello Bear, it was yummy! A Koala crossing fridge magnet, some candy canes, a lovely card, and a family newsletter, I will read it soon I promise, just a bit busy at the moment, I did look at the photos on it though.

I finished the Felted Wine Sock for my boss, and the scarf I did earlier for a Manager in my department, I gave it to her this morning, she loved it. Thanks Sharon for sending me your copy of Yarn magazine with the pattern for me to borrow, but I had already got a copy, I will send your copy back soon, thanks again for the lovely gesture, do you know what, it arrived on Sunday, a knock at the door, DH answered, a lady handed over the parcel, and we don't have weekend delivery only usually letters by the postie on a Saturday during Christmas seaon, and I don't think we have had any of those this year in Kiama.














Only two more working days then off for over 4weeks...yahoo.

Marti I hope your parcel arrives soon (you will get two now, the original match parcel and just a small Christmas parcel), I was hoping it would before I finished work tomorrow, so I would know you got it OK. I will try to get on the internet at #1 son's and check while I am on holidays, well before he moves from across the road, they are going to move in with her mother and step dad who have bought a house in Wollongong with a granny flat out the back, so they will have a bit more privacy and be closer to work, but I will miss them, #1 son is going to miss being at his father inlaws, he loves it there, and he will certainly miss his swim in the river and walk on the beach each day, but they will have a swimming pool in the backyard and the beaches will only a 5 minute drive.

I wish you all a very happy christmas and a great New Year, and I will catch up with you all in the new year. I hope to see alot of white Christmas photos on blogs, it just looks so lovely.

Cece, I forgot to take my knitting place, I was walking around with the camera this morning thinking that there was something else to take, but I couldn't remember, and as usually I just remembered now while typing this.

Have a great Christmas.

I'm so lucky....lucky, lucky

Wow, I have been so spoilt this week, I received a beautiful little angel for the christmas tree, the tree went up last night while I was out with the girls from work having dinner, so I put the angel on the tree this morning and took a few pictures.

I think I need to have a bit more light, this is taken from the other side of the room, the tree has been put up downstairs in the rumpus room, which #2 son and girlfriend use as their loungeroom.






This one shows the boxes from where the decorations are kept, now just to get them packed back away till after Christmas.














I received my Tribe gift from Lisa yesterday, thank you so much, I really have to learn to spin now, I think I have everything I need, but a bit of knowledge would be advantageous. I got some beautifully coloured rovings to spin (help), some lovely stitch markers, a CHOCOLATE Yummy! I am taking it to work to have during the day (well as long as it will last once opened) and some garden soap, now Lisa I know I said I have a lot of gardening to do, now I will have to get a move on and do it, and this soap will be so good to wash up with, thank you so much for the lovely gifts, you really did give me things I like.



Aren't they just great colours together, I wish I had great colour sense, to put colours like this together.







DH took this picture of me on Saturday night we were ready to go to the HOG christmas party.

All the Aussie tribe members little gift for christmas have been posted so hopefully they will receive them this week.

And finally, but still not finished this is how much I have done with Lucky for my #1 daughter in-law (no they are not married, but have lived together for nearly 5 years so I class her as my daughter in-law), her birthday was Monday and her party this Saturday, I have plans to get it finished tonight.

Christmas Knitting still to get done, Dad's blanket, then I have to find some wool that will felt well and make two felt wine socks, so I guess my cotton top and the one for #2 son's girlfriend (who lives at our place) will have to wait, as there are only 11 more knitting nights left and we have some nights out in that, and I don't finish work for my holidays until Thursday 22 December.

I love Mail...

I received a parcel from Cece yesterday, she made me a lovely dark purple booga bag, a skein of knitpicks...yes knitpicks dye your own yarn, and some lovely note cards with a knitter on the front, she really knows how to make someone's day, I needed some things to bring a smile to my face.














My recent ebay finds are a box of blue and white cotton, a spinning book, and wool gathering book (see previous post).














This is some of the knitting things I did on the weekend, the first colour on dad's blanket for his christmas present and 6 more rows on Jaywalker. I did get a couple more tribe pressies done last night, but I can't show photo's just yet, I am hoping that I can get them all to my tribe members for christmas day, that way every time we us it on Christmas Day we can think of each.




I also got the book Millinery Knitting by Annie Modesitt.

How'd I do.....

I didn't get too much done on the weekend, I did get half of my tribe christmas gifts done, I will post the USA ones on Thursday (I have to wait until pay day), I did manage to get out and shop for an outfit for my DIL party, I did get a bit down with the whole thing, the shops seem to have all the same things which didn't suit my shape, I ended up at a shop which has some very nice classic style ladies wear, I have a couple of their outfits for good wear. I really like the dress, #1 son and DIL aren't too sure, but I told them I like it and feel comfortable in it. I then tried to get some shoes to go with the dress, I want some nice summer strappy shoes, well my fat little feet don't fit nice strappy shoes....BIG BUGGER. I do have some court shoes with a bit of a heel that will go with them, will look around here at lunchtime this week for shoes.

To top it off while in dress shop, I spotted some really nice 3/4 length denim shorts for $89, tried them on, well I am short remember, they were a perfect jeans length, so I didn't get them, then while walking up the street towards the local spotlight store, I came across the Red Cross Second Hand store, well they had a brand new pair of Katies brand denim 3/4 length denim shorts for $10, and in my size - bargain of the day mate.

I only got through the first colour of dad's blanket not a full repeat let along 4 repeats of the pattern (which consists of 2 colour bands as in other blankets), what else did I do, oh yeah, I did manage to clean the bathrooms, YUK!.

I did wash all of Ruby's blankets and packed some away now that the weather is warming, how hot is it going to get today - expecting 30 degrees, I hope it doesn't get that hot. #2 son bathed Ruby yesterday.

Our friends came over on Sunday we had a great afternoon, we ended up going down to the golfie for the meat raffle, we won another 1/2 ham, which we opened last night. Our friend won a turkey breast (already cooked), she also won $30 on a poker machine, put a couple of dollars in the machine next to win and got another $80, then moved to another won with a couple more dollars and won $50, she is so arsie, anyway she ended up shouting dinner, so we ended up there until nearly 10pm, we were the last lot in the club - and their photos of their wedding in Bali are absolutely gorgeous.

I received another ebay win on Friday, it is a book on spinning, weaving and dyeing, with another called Wool Gathering which is similar. I had a quick read, and can't wait until I learn to spin. Maybe in the holidays I will have a practice.

I even did six more rows on Jaywalker KAL.

I will post some pictures later of what I have been doing.

Another Christmas Present done

Mum's blanket for Christmas is off the needles. I just need to sew in the ends and it will be done. I have done 4 rows on Dad's blanket, no pictures yet.














And a close up of pattern














This is how much I have done on Jaywalker, it isn't a very clear picture, maybe next week I shall have a better one.














This weekend I hope to:
Get my Tribe members Christmas giftie done (well maybe the overseas ones)
Do atleast 4 repeats on Dad's blanket
Clean all the bathrooms (3) I hate that (thank goodness for Enjoi)
A few more rows on Jaywalker, so I can get a decend picture, like everyone else's lovely jaywalker socks.

I have to go shopping tomorrow and find something to wear to Seanna's 21st Party.

I would like to finish painting the bulkheads around the kitchen (12 months since the new kitchen went in - I want it done before Christmas)

I would like to paint above #2 son built in wardrobes (same as kitchen)

I would like to weed a small side garden and plant the Lavender I bought the other week before it dies in the pots.

We are having friends over Sunday arvo to show us their wedding photos in Bali in September, we had to cancel, which I am glad about now as it was when the bombs went off for the second time.

Wash Ruby's blankets from her kennel

And the list should end here as my weekend is only two days, not the 10 days I would need or like to have to do the above list.

I need to clean the outside windows (well the ones I can reach), I would have to do them with a bucket of water as we aren't allowed to use the hose to wash down any hard surfaces or vehicle, we have had these water restrictions for over 12 months now with no end in sight, I also want to wash all the floors (we don't have any carpet anywhere in the house, except for a carpet mat in #2 son's bedroom, but this may have to wait.

I will update with what I achieved next week. Wish me luck

I hope everyone is healthy and happy.

Talking of happy, my #1 son had a new drug this week for Crohns, he will need to have it every 8 weeks, it takes about 4 hours on the drip in hospital while being monitored, and it costs $4,000 a go, I am so glad our public hospital system is good at the moment as he doesn't have to pay, his specialist is the head of gastroenterology (Spelling ????) at the hospital, although the hospital system does seem to lack in some areas. So far he hasn't shown any side effect signs, and I hope that it works for him, as it doesn't suit everyone with Crohns.

I would really love to sit down outside with my knitting and a nice cold bourbon and coke, but I need to get to work. Thank God it's Friday.....Yippee