Christmas Is A Coming.........

As much as we don't want it coming it is and fast...

I can not believe how fast this year is zooming only a few days and it will be September...

And seeing that Christmas is just around the corner my Aussie and Canadian friends at ''Applique -Quilting" have started our ''Xmas pressie swap'' in other words ''Secret Santa''...

This year we are doing table runners... there are rules and posting dates as there must be...

One rule is ''Christmas colours or fabric''... another is it MUST have some applique on it and the applique must be a suitable size for your runner size... and the applique MUST be stitched...

I have chosen to use Christmas fabrics and to use both piecing and applique...

Here are a couple of sneak peaks...

A braid for the centre... this was the first time that I have done a braid... I had one set of instructions that said use a foundation and do you think I could keep it straight on that......

geez no way....

my lovely friend Annie Mac helped me out with some emailed instruction and away I went with no trouble at all...

And a sneak peak of my applique which I am in the process of sewing by machine...

You will get a look at the finished product once all quilted and binded...

Luv T xxx

Baby Blue.........

Yesterday I finished sewing the binding down on this very lovely blue baby boy quilt...

sorry about the quality of the photo as I did take it in the early morning sun coming up light yesterday hehehe....

IFQ had this as an event....

I did change mine just a little....

and I did put an iron batting in it and

backed it with a very nice lemon coloured polar fleece...

now it will be extra warm and a little softer for when he is having floor time...

I gave it to one of our local girls yesterday who had her first baby a couple of weeks ago... yes a little boy well not so little as I think he was very very close to 10lbs... ouch....

Luv T xxxx

oh don't forget to be come a follower in the next few days to be in the draw for

my 100 posts give away.... which is only about 2 postings away....

Health

OK so I have decided that I need to get healthy again oh and a bit fitter...

I use to do Tae Bo, ride my push bike 10 km, swim oh and walk...

but then my hips started playing up.. badly.. like coming out of their socket and yeah I know you are saying ''no way'' but yes way... to the point that I would fall or be in a huge amount of pain until it clicked back in.. so off to doc's I go...

2 operations later and a heap of metal in one and a fair amount of weight...........

but do you know last visit I was told I need to live near a heated pool so I can swim all year round and a gym so I can strengthen the muscles, ligaments and tendons... he knows I don't live anywhere near these things so low impact is what I need to do... no jumping up and down no running... and can't ride my bike as the knee's don't do to well these days...

ANYWAY.....

I got myself one of those pedometers..... mmmmmmmmmmmm what I have realise is that

I DO NOT take enough steps in my day.... 10 000 steps is what you need to start to make a difference in your fitness.... I have been managing 5000 if lucky... but I have been doing a lot more walking around my yard even if it is just to see what is flowering... walking to the silo to give the pets their lupins and walking up to the shearer's quarters to check on tourists...

and I have managed to get to the 10 000 steps on these days...

but........

I have also noticed that I am being wakened up by hip pain in the night....

which I am just going to have to live with as that will not change and I do need hip replacements but we are trying to get out of my 40's before we need to do that...

I am going to keep walking and once the mornings get a little warmer I am going to go for and early morning walk each day... not far down the road just enough to get some more steps on the pedometer....

Oh and I do have a wii board that my kids brought me for my birthday and I have been doing about half an hour a day on that and that is so much fun... plenty of giggling there....

AND

don't forget about my 100 post give away... you only need to be a follower and I will draw out of that list...

Luv T xxx

Flowers and Some Babies....

I picked these jonquils out of my garden... their smell is just gorgeous...

As I walk through my lounge room I can smell them... actually you can smell them as soon as you enter the house... they are beautiful I just love the double flowers...

Babies......

Yesterday we had some baby calves to mark... 8 of them... and the others got there botulism injection.... and see that big red cow.... yeah she is a ''real cow of a thing''...

do you think she will go into the race???????????? no way... same as last year....

so once again

Hubby hung off the fence and she got hers in her butt...

This is her baby and he is so cute...

you can't see it all that well but his colour is close enough to ''champagne pink''....
A closer photo of him

All eight babies marked... six boys two girls...

Hey don't forget that I have 100 posts coming up and there is a give away... all you need to do to be in this is be a follower...

Luv T xxx

Bloggy Friends

Dotty Jane Designs I happened upon this lady this morning...

she has a great display of hexie's that she is working on...

If you are into tea cups and tea pots this lady has some free stitcheries for you...

they are really cute and I have some printed off...

Memory Quilt News....

The family have received the quilt... which I posted Thursday and the got it in there small coastal town on the Monday very impressed Australian Post...

there have been lots of tears... the email message was ''can't stop crying long enough to ring you... but will''... even her 21yr son was impressed and ''gobsmacked to see his brother in fabric''... I am so happy that they have it you always worry that a quilt will get lost in the mail???...

100 Posts

I see that I will soon be up to 100 posts.... woohoo...

so I have decided that at that point I am going to have a giveaway seeing that I missed my 1 year blogging mark hahahaha...

not sure what it will be but it will be good and I have decided that it will be open to ''followers''...

so if you are not a follower now is your chance to be one between now and the ''100 post mark''...

I am off to Perth for the weekend so I will be gathering for this giveaway...

stay tuned...

Luv T xxx

A Work In Progress....

Back in April a cousin lost her son in a very tragic car accident he was 23... it was a month before they could bury him due to the accident which I am not going to go into...

Well since then the families have been gathering photo's for me and sending them so that I could make a ''memory quilt'' for the family... his Grandparents were here for a few days over the weekend so they have seen the start of it...

This is the quilting stage...

I chose just to sew 1/4 inch lines around mainly the larger blocks... even though this one is a sad occasion I love the journey over someones life and all that they have become...

I have the binding sewn on all I need to do is spend today sewing it down and hopefully in the mail tomorrow...
He was the eldest of three boys and such a character...

Blogging Around
Ok if you are a foodie you must go here there is 2 yummy recipes...
one is for a long loaf full of pizza topping bits and pieces... looks easy and yummo...
there is also if you scroll down a bit a recipe for a ''3 cheese spinach pie''... which also looks and sound yummo...

Here is a great tutorial for some great looking bibs...
they are designed by Lisa at a spoonful of sugar...
Lisa has a great blog of cupcakes and more...

And this one ''freckled Whimsy" ... I just love the name hahaha...
Enjoy...
Luv T xxx

Flowers and a Block

It's starting to warm up here unusually so for this time of the year... well not as warm as it has been for the past few days...

so it looks like there is no winter rain to come and we will be relying on summer thunderstorms and cyclone's... and lets hope that is a promise from the weather people...

Meanwhile my garden is starting to bloom... the mini petunia's are starting to flower and doing quite well in the pots but really crappy in the garden...
And my beautiful favourite double jonquils are doing so well...
along with their single friends

their smell is so powerful...

I have picked a few from around the garden beds for inside

as this year their heads are so heavy they are falling down into the red dirt...

but they look and smell so beautiful in the house... I can smell them right through the whole house...

the ever faithful Marguerite Daisy... I have Rannuculi's planted everywhere and they are really taking off in this warmer weather...

there will be a great show of colour once they are flowering...

And the second little corner block of the Homespun BOM

Very sweet... camera doesn't play nice early in the morning...

Luv T xxx

Life Is A Celebration- Baby Another block bites the dust of my craft room.......

this block was designed by Janelle Wind of The Janelle Wind Collection...

for her this block represents her children and the miracle of life...

a true block to ''celebrate life''...

Luv T xxx

Life Is A Celebration...

The Homespun magazines are coming hard and fast... this is the next block in the Life is A Celebration BOM designed by Marg Low of Marg Low Designs this block shows what is important in Marg Low's life...

Sorry that the photo isn't very clear... must be the light in my sewing room at 5.30am isn't very good... I have 2 other blocks of this BOM that I am working on at the moment... yeah you know I can't help myself got to have several on the go at once hahaha

Luv T xxx

Blog Hopping Once Again...

Sherri at ''A Quilting Life'' has a couple of great tutorials...

her use of funky fabric's is wonderful....

''Bloom'' has some great tutorials as well...

but I love her photo's from around her home...

the garden is wonderful the photo's make you feel that you are there...

Some of you probably know Cathy of ''Cabbage Quilts'...

Cathy loves her Kaffe Fassett fabrics...

you will be amazed at her talent of putting her fabric's into quilts

and the great photography of them once finished... oh and check her stash out hahahaha...

Judith at "Creative Studio"

is running and Early Bird Christmas present making quest...

lots and lots of great ideas and free stuff with links to these sites...

I have been busy stitching on my Homespun ''Life Is A Celebration'' BOM...

it is looking so girly hahaha I don't have anyone in mind for this project so I might just put it away for the future ''granddaughter''....

Luv T xxxx