Kids today!

Last night 16 kids from my Year 6/7 class participated in the 40 Hour Famine with a sleepover at school. Sure it's a bit of fun having a sleepover, but nevertheless they, along with thousands of children throughout Australia have committed to raising money to help children from Laos. They don't have to do it - it is done freely and happily.
Halfway through the evening we watched a video about the poverty in Laos - quite graphic and very sad. After that we discussed the situation and the real reason we were having the sleepover. Their comments were thoughtful and concerned. Several were moved to tears. Momentarily at least, they were part of a global community, striving to think about others and how they could help.They are only 12 years old, but they are doing something.

Off to bed on empty stomachs - at least they have warm sleeping bags, even if they have to sleep on the floor with no comfortable mattresses.

Breakfast - a bowl of plain boiled rice never tasted so good. I wonder how they would feel if that was all their mothers gave them once a day.

Kids are aware of the global crisis and are more than willing to work their little butts off, with a little direction from adults. I am very proud of my class and the things they do to try to make a difference in the world in their own small way. It is a pity that more adults don't join them.

Liz Needle

"L" Scatterday

Sewing - Lace, a selection of antique laces from Don's nana
Animal - a Litter of pups - enjoying the mobile milk bar
Food - Lentils, Lime leaves and Lima beans from my pantry

Well, having learnt how to create a mosaic yesterday - even though I forgot to change the grid numbers and finished up with that great ugly white space, tonight I have finished my "L" Mosaic for the Scatterday Challenge.

I did have a few problems with the animal category, so I hope my entry meets the criteria.

Liz

Another computing skill

Well, tonight I managed to make a mosaic. Now I just have to get it onto my Blog, which may be harder than actually creating the mosaic, because I haven't really worked out how to do it. I think I'll just have to save it into a folder then upload it.
The photos are all of bits of my garden - not currently, because its looking very much the worse for wear - drought and frost - but hopefully it will regain some of its former beauty.

Liz

Visit to Parliament House

Last week my Year 6/7 class visited Parliament House as part of Democracy Week. They were able to take part in a mock parliamentary debate in the Legislative Council Chambers. It was absolutely brilliant. The kids formed the two main parties, a Premier and Leader of the Opposition were chosen and the positions of Speaker, Sergeant at Arms and Clerk were also filled. The bill they debated was that mobile phones should be banned at schools. As you can imagine the discussion was lively.

They got to sit in the seats of real live members of parliament and they assured me the seats were extremely comfortable. Could we expect anything less? Nothing but the best!!!

Education was never this interesting when I was at school!!!!

Liz Needle

Success - I hope

August 23rd

Well I have just spent an hour or so trying to create a slide show. It remains to be seen whether I have been successful. In a few moments I will know whether technology has defeated me!!! If it had been one of my Year 6/7s I am sure all would have been achieved in a moment and with far less angst.

The slide show (I hope) is of some of the quilts I have made over the last 12 or so years. Have to admit I am not very prolific, but I know there have been more than this. Sigh......... I'll have to be more assiduous in taking photos.

Have to say I had fun creating this slide show - if it works. Enjoy!!

Liz

PS. Yeay!!! It worked. Next thing to try is a mosaic - tomorrow!!

Catch Up

Oh dear!! I have slipped a bit. My good intentions of keeping my Blog up to date have fallen in a bit of a hole. I must get myself organised, particularly as my friends are starting to get themselves these magnificent blogs with all manner of fancy technological (what a great word!! - I love words) stuff that I just cannot work out.

My excuse is work pressure!! Well, I have to have an excuse!!

As many of you know, we have a number of new arrival students in our school - kids who have come directly from another country - in our case Vietnam. Lovely kids and they are really having an impact on our little closed community in the Adelaide Hills.

Last week we had a visit from the Lieutenant Governor of South Australia - a really important person in the life of our little country school. He was Mr Hieu Van Le. Mr Van Le came to Australia in 1977 as a boat person. He landed in Darwin, a refugee from Vietnam. A week later he was flown to Adelaide - all he owned were the clothes he was dressed in - T-shirt, shorts and thongs!! The next day he had a job in a factory. Today he is the Lieutenant Governor of South Australia - and a very impressive man.

He spoke to our Vietnamese children about his life and how he came to Australia. He impressed upon them the importance of perseverance and to keep trying until they achieved their goals.

Lieu and Nga

Nga and Mr Hieu Van Le

But what really stuck in my mind and it keeps coming back to me over and over. Just five words, but so powerful!! He told them that "Australia allows you to dream". Think about it!! I have - over and over. I just cannot forget those words!

"Australia allows you to dream."

Liz Needle

Another goal achieved

August 1st.

7 months of this year gone and I am feeling that I am slowly achieving lots of small goals.

On Monday I visited my tax agent and got two years tax out of the way - a nice refund too. Maybe I'll buy a new camera with the proceeds. My poor little Canon is about 7 years old and quite outdated now - only 2.1 mega pixels!! I've also persuaded my son to get his tax organised - now that is a real achievement, but I'll only believe it when it happens!!

Our extra room is finally going to happen. We're signing the contract this week and then building will begin - and we'll be broke again. Thank goodness for the tax man.

And this week I finally put together a Dresden Plate quilt top - the blocks have been sitting around for about 4 years. They were made for me by Woodpatch Quilters as a friendship quilt, but quite a few of them needed some work done and I was two short, so last weekend I got stuck into it. Here is the result.


Now I have to think about the sort of border I want on it. Nothing too fancy. Maybe a plain cream scallopped border with blue binding? What do you think?

Borders always seem to be my stumbling block. I have two tops waiting for borders and I haven't a clue what I want to do with them. One of my problems is that I leave the border fabric until last, when I should get it earlier. By the time I am ready, colour fashions and styles have changed and I can never find the right fabric.

I'd really appreciate some suggestions - if there is anyone out there!!

Liz Needle

Friday at last!!

July 27th

Finally Friday is here!! Lovely weekend to look forward to - and the housework that goes with it!!

I arrived home tonight feeling quite invigorated. Cooked a big pot of minestrone soup - that covers lunch for the weekend, then retired to the sewing room. Finally stitched the borders on a quilt top for my youngest granddaughter, Erinn. Really pleased with it too. I guess this one will end up on the floor just like the one I made for Niamh!!

This is a pretty little quilt, just perfect for a three year old. It's from a book called 'Fairyland', by Australian designer, Natalie Bird. Very cute. Here are a few of the blocks.

What next? Well, I have about 20 blue and white and yellow Dresden plate blocks which were made for me when I was a Woodpatch quilter. Quite a few of them need fixing up as some of the quilters didn't bother to trim the inner circle before they appliqued the centres and the ragged edges are showing through under the yellow centres. That's the reason they are still in a box somewhere, but it's time I got them out and put them together - my August challenge.

My other challenge is to get the roses and hydrangeas pruned. Spring will be upon us and nothing will be ready. At least the long dry summer kept the weeds at bay, but with the rain we have been having this winter, they will soon be on the move. I hope this summer we have enough water to keep things looking good.

Liz Needle

Back to school

Thursday July 26th

Well, nearly a week back at school and I feel like I've been back for 10 days straight. I find the first week of term very tiring, especially on the voice, which has been rarely used for a fortnight!

Had a very peaceful, relaxing holiday - some housework achieved, though nowhere near as much as planned. Little gardening done - far too cold to even venture outside. We did move a dozen very large tree ferns and relocated them to the front garden. This had to be done to clear an area to build a new room - mainly for Mark, though it will be very handy when the grandchildren come to visit.

We went to Varekai - Cirque du soleil - and as usual just loved it. Brilliant costumes, great music and so much action and movement. This was a birthday present from my lovely daughter, Jo.

My best achieevement though was to finish the blocks for a quilt I am making. And I put them together in time for Show and Tell with my quilting group. Just have to work out what to do for a border - but so far I love this quilt. It is from a pattern called Stars in my Garden, by Lori Smith. I have done all the applique blocks by hand - buttonhole, which has been fun as I have been able to sit by the fire and keep Don company, instead of disappearing into the sewing room.

Whole quilt minus borders



Smaller units

When it is finished it will be sent away for quilting. Too big for me to tackle. I have two others to finish by September when they are booked in to a quilter.

Time to do some schoolwork!!

Liz Needle

Garden bits

July 17th

I found this photo I took a week or so back during our frosty spell. This was not the worst day, but still very cold. Our fishponds froze and the dogs' bowl and birdbaths became iceblocks.

And while the garden is very bare at the moment, the hellebore's are just beginning to show their new flowers. These are two new ones I put in last year.

Liz

Ff.f.f.freezing!!

Tuesday July 17th

It is so cold here today - not snowing as in some parts of Victoria, but icy cold. In fact I think I would prefer snow to the bitterly cold wind that is coming straight off the Antarctic - or appears to be.

A walk around the garden brings me no joy. There aren't many weeds out there because of the dry summer, but it is wet, muddy and miserable and so many plants have been burnt off from the frosts we have been having. We haven't even started pruning and cutting back because there never seems to be a day that we can do it. There are a few brave , bright jonquils valiantly attempting to bring some winter cheer and the early camellias are trying, but they too are suffering from the rain and wind. Nothing else, including me, wants to show their faces.

The best place in the house is by the fire or sitting here by the computer with the heater going on my legs. Trying to think of something to write, my eye fell on the latest menu that Mark has been typing up. Hmm. Sounds great. I wonder if he will use us as the guinea pigs.

"pan-fried chicken roll topped with a sun-dried tomato, basil and white wine cream sauce, served on a bed of char-grilled vegetables"

"mussels, prawns, scallops and calamari in a mild chilli, garlic, roasted pepper and tomato broth, garnished with garlic croutons and Aoli"

"coriander and honey glazed pork rack on sage potatoes with jus and garnished with crisp pork belly"

Makes me feel quite hungry. Now, what will we have for tea tonight - chops and veg?

Cheers

Liz

Fun with Cross stitch

Monday July 16th

Must be school holidays. Here I am back again. Very tired today. I have spent a week or so staying up to watch the Tour de France. I really enjoy the cycling on the telly - and it is quiet late at night and I can sit there and stitch away at various projects without interruption.

I have been working on these little fun cross stitch patterns on and off for a while now. One day I will put them into a quilt. I am a member of a wonderful group of quilters, affectionately known as "The Cows". I won't go into details of how and why, but we have known each other for about 7 years now and really enjoy being a group. These little cross stitch pieces seemed appropriate somehow.






There are 12 altogether, but I won't bore you with them. Now I just have to think about how I am going to incorporate them into a quilt.

I must say thanks to fellow Cow - Dy Taylor who actually did read my blog yesterday and welcomed me back. I have at least one reader. Thanks Dy. She, by the way, is an incredible craftswoman and her blog is fascinating, full of all manner of crafty ideas and things she has accomplished.

It is freezing here. We have had a lovely fine, but very cold day, and were able to get out into the garden. We are building an extension onto the house and had to move about 8 very large tree ferns. Tiring but satisfying work. Now we just have to hope that they will survive the move. Even son, Mark got himself moving on his precious day off and dug the holes for us.

Just as well we got moving today. The weather forecast says more rain and cold weather tomorrow. We are having a very cold wet winter after a horiffic dry summer. Our dams are full and the ground is saturated. Every step I take the water comes up over my shoes. Unfortunately I tend to forget this and go outside in my uggies - now very muddy uggies!!

Cheers

Liz

Getting my act together

Back again - 2 in the same day!!



We have just been out to lunch at maximilians - one of my old favourite restaurants. Had a great time, lots of laughs, wine and food. Now feeling quite bloated, but happy.



Before we went I prevailed upon my brother to take a photo of Jo and I. Jo hates photos and noone ever seems to take my photo unless I am part tipsy - and then the photographer is usually that way too. The result is some pretty weird photos.



So here I am - showing all my wrinkles, but looking reasonably respectable. My family have been very rude about the photo on my blog showing me about 35 years ago - dishonest they call it. LOL.







Cheers
Liz

Back again

July 15th

Back again!! After 5 months. Time just seemed to have disappeared once school started, but now hopefully I will be able to keep this up. Who knows? I doubt I have any readers left anyhow, so it will probably be just for me.

Had my birthday on Friday - the thirteenth. Always lucky for me. One of my girls also has a birthday on the thirteenth and we get Friday 13th in the same year as each other.

Yesterday I cooked dinner for my brother, a cousin and her husband, Don and I . Had a lot of good talk and great company and far too much great SA wine! Today the family is off to a favourite restaurant for Sunday lunch. In fact I should be getting ready now. For some reason I decided to see if I could remember how to get to my blogger page and so I am still here.

Must away, but will come back to it later - I promise.

Liz Needle

Exciting Day

Yesterday my quilting group, The Retreating Angels, got together for a very exciting event (more later). The Retreating angels formed in 1997 to plan and then run a quilting retreat for the Southern Cross Quilters (Scquilters), the largest online quilting group in Australia and New Zealand. The Retreat was held in Adelaide in 1999, with about 120 scquilters attending from all over Australia and New Zealand. These retreats are held annually, the next one in Bendigo in April with about 270 scqilters.

The organising group had such fun and got on so well together, that we remained as a group of quilting friends, later calling ourselves The Retreating Angels. We meet regularly and together have run quilt exhibitions, had weekend retreats of our own and worked together on a number of projects, one of which was the "Dunny Quilt", which has been exhibited in shows here and overseas, winning a number of awards.

The quilt represents our ideas on the old 'outback dunny'.

When Pam Holland (international quilter and teacher - and our inspiration and motivator) asked for our help in making quilts using patterns from her wonderful '1776' quilt, for a book she wanted to write, we jumped at the chance (with some initial doubt as to whether we had the skills.). After many hours of work, some tears and frustration, but a great deal of fun and fulfilment, we finished our quilts, wrote our instructions and sent them off to be photographed.

This is most of the group with their projects. Pam, far right is holding the 1776 quilt.

Pam's journey with her book has taken a lot longer than she first anticipated and she has had to put in a huge number of hours to get it to the publishing stage, but finally she has made it!! Our get together yesterday was to celebrate and to launch the book with much laughter and a few misty eyes, I suspect. It is a wonderful achievement on Pam's part and we are all thrilled to see our quilts in print.


Pam's next project is to reproduce "The Bayeux Tapestry". Yikes!! The woman is unbelievable!!!

Liz Needle

New Blogger and quilting

< I have just swapped over to New Blogger and am not sure how it is going to go. I seem to have a new URL and when I go there, I cannot see my old posts. Hope that is not going to be the case, but we'll see. It is such a time since I posted that I am feeling very guilty. School has been very hectic as I explained in my last posting, but it does seem to have settled down a bit now. And, best of all, I am about to start quilting again - at last. I have been collecting fabrics for a while and have found a gorgeous quilt pattern to use. It's called "Stars in My Garden" by Lori Smith and it is just superb. Applique and piecing. I cut out and vliesofixed 8 blocks last night, but realised that I really don't have enough variety of fabric, so had to go shopping today. What a shame!! LOL. Got home ready to start another set of blocks, unrolled a new piece of vliesofix and the whole lot fell apart!!! Tragedy!! It is definitely Murphy's Law. And the shop was closed, so I couldn't get any more. Very frustrating and not good for my new found enthusiasm. So, I decided to do the 'blog' thing instead. Here is a photo of some of the blocks - they won't be set this way. Unfortunately the colour is not quite right thanks to the flash. The backgrounds will be a more buttery cream.




Liz Needle

Too long

How long is it since I wrote anything on my blog - 17 days? And to think when I started, it was almost daily. Good intentions..........................
A lot has happened in the last 17 days - well a lot for me. Don and I drove to Sydney and had a wonderful few days with our two little grand daughters. I'd love to put up some photos, but we have agreed not to take the risk. We also spent a short time in Canberra catching up with my brother and some very old(not in age) and dear friends. It always amazes me how with some friends it doesn't seem to matter how long it is since you have met, the closeness and comfortable feeling is still there.

On Saturday we are going to the wedding of a cousin and my son Mark is doing the catering. He has been cooking up a storm in my kitchen for a week - and doing his own cleaning up. He's lucky he has a mother who loves buying kitchen equipment so he has a fairly well set up area to work in.
Then, on Monday, its back to school. To be honest I wasn't looking forward to this year with an expected class of 32 Year 6/7 kids - and a mixed lot at that. I was very pleased to go back on Wednesday and be greeted with the news that we had enough new enrolments to make an extra class, so I will start the year with 20 kids - pure bliss! Even more exciting is the news that the new enrolments are also new arrival children from Vietnam. Lobethal is very conservative, very much a white Australian background and it is going to be wonderful for our children to have children from another culture at school. My class is having two Vietnamese girls in Year 7 and I am so excited about it.

I took my non-digital camera away with me as it had a film in it to finish. The photos came back today, so I am sharing a very special one with you.

Don's Christmas present last year was a visit with the cheetahs at Monarto Zoo, so of course I had to share it with him. It was the most amazing and awesome experience.

Liz Needle

Ooops!!

Puddling around the house last Saturday, still in my PJs at about 11.00, when Mark asked me if Don and I were going out that evening. Rather puzzled as to why he would ask that, I replied that no, we weren't and why would he think we might because we rarely go out Saturday night - or any night for that matter.
He replied, "Well, it is your wedding anniversary!" Don and I looked at each other, then simultaneously burst out laughing. We had both completely forgotten. Usually he forgets and I remember, but this year it had completely slipped our minds. 45 years of wedded 'bliss' and we had forgotten this 'significant' day. Needless to say, we still did nothing. Too hard. We just spent a very companionable and relaxing evening at home watching a movie - Sandra Bullock (Don's favourite) in some film or other.

And here we are on that fateful day 45 years ago. Don, all 10 stone of him and me with a 19 inch waist - how things have changed!! So young and inexperienced. Both 21 and parents 9 months later.

Finding that photo got me going so here are a couple more Me with my mother and little brother, Fran; Don with his mother and big brother, Fred.

These old photos are such fun. Must get my scanner organised and do some more.

Liz Needle

Where has the time gone

The second week of the year already and all those NY resolutions if not forgotten then at least disbanded. I did walk for 2 days, but I haven't eaten any less and the weight hasn't decreased as yet - and not likely to. Little housecleaning done, no sewing and no gardening done. In fact I just don't seem to be able to stir myself to get moving. I have read a lot of books, answered numerous email, surfed the net and played Patience on the computer.

I did finally get motivated enough to clean and tidy the pantry shelves - and my sewing room is still immaculate - only because I have a quilting block and haven't done any sewing in the darn room these holidays!!

I was actually horrified at the state of the pantry. So many things had passed the 'use by' date. Items had I bought on a whim because they would be useful some day and then were never used. Items doubled up because they were on a 'special'. I think I half filled one of those council bins with packets, bottles, jars and tins of unwanted foodstuff. Such a waste!! I can just hear what my mother would have said,
"Just think of all those starving people in Africa," just like she used to when I was little and wouldn't eat my tea. I can remember then telling her that she could put my tea in a box and send it to the starving people!

One of the packets had a 'use by' date of March 1990!!! Probably could have taken it in to the local 'antique' shop and sold it for a fortune. Still in the original packet - unopened.

Never again! From now on I am going to keep my pantry in order the way my mother would have expected. Oh dear! Another NY resolution.

Liz Needle

Family

Monday Jan 1st

Happy New year everyone. We celebrated with just the two of us - New Year is never a big thing for us and I much prefer to be quietly at home with Don and safely off the roads on New Year's Eve.

This morning I started out as I plan to continue - very funny!! I took the dogs for a 3km walk then came home to a braekfast of fruit and cereal. Then I weighed and measured myself in preparation for the 2007 onslaught on the middle-aged spread - I wonder how long that will last - the onslaught, not the middle-aged spread!

Last Friday we had our annual family Christmas get-together with Don's family. It was a lovely evening and great to see two new additions to the family - great nieces Matilda and Jessica. That makes 12 of the next generation. I do enjoy these get-togethers and every year we say we should do it more often, and every year everyone is always too busy.

Jill and grand daughter Matilda










Olivia and Will with our old dog, Jeb





The old boys!

The 'not so old' girls




Liz Needle

The day after

Tues Dec 26th

Well, Christmas is over for another year. We have a couple of family get togethers later in the week, but at last I can relax. I actually feel like a limp dishcloth, even though we had a pretty quiet Christmas Day. I think the last 2 weeks of school, then organising the staff dinner, then Christmas has been a bit too much.

We were only 4 for lunch - Don, our daughter Jo and my brother Fran, but we had fun. Mark (son) came home after his stint at the restaurant and helped cook a wonderful dinner for us - after he had cooked 100 lunches for other people. We had a hilarious night eating, drinking and playing a game Mark was given - Smart Ass.

A highlight of the day was talking to and seeing our Sydney family on the computer. Don was given a webcam for Christmas and we were able to link up. Not quite like seeing them in person, but better than just a phone call.

Santa was kind to me this year - and my family was just brilliant. We had such fun opening each gift, small or large. We are not much into birthday presents, but we do love Christmas and I got some wonderful, thoughtful gifts.

I am a member of a small quilting group affectionately known as The Cows. We have been friends for ages now, though before we got together quite by chance, we hardly knew each other - only as names on emails. This year we exchanged small gifts and I had a lovely time opening my eleven parcels on Sunday night. Lots of beautiful quilting fabrics and other little gifts tossed in. Here is a photo of my selection.

I must really thank each and every one of The Cows. Their friendship over the years has been an important part of my life. They are a wonderful group of friends.

Liz Needle

Christmas Eve

Sun Dec 24th

It's Christmas Eve, but a very different one for us - just the two of us and my brother who is over from Canberra. My son is working, we will have Jo with us tomorrow, but Mandy will be in Sydney with her delightful family. So, a very quiet Christmas for us, but none the less a happy family one. At times like this I remember how much my mother was involved with Christmas at Lenswood and how very much I miss her - every day.

The tree is up and all the gifts are under it. As much as I love it, I do sometimes think of how much we spend on Christmas and how many people are living is circumstances where they never get the chance to enjoy even the small pleasures that we take for granted. How lucky we are living in Australia where it is safe and for most of us, very comfortable. I guess Christmas is the time to count our blessings and try to do something to help others.

I walked around the garden this evening watching the many little birds enjoying the bird baths and the flowers. a garden is great for the soul - my sanity in times of stress and a reminder of how beautiful the world can and should be.

The rain has freshened up the plants and none more so than the hydrangeas. They are coping surprisingly well this year, given the lack of water and the fact that last year they were sheltered by an enormous old mulberry tree which sadly came down last summer. Instead of giving up the ghost when the hot spell came, they have thrived with the extra sunshine and this year have produced an abundance of flowers in a variety of beautiful shades.

Lace caps - one of my favourites .

Tomorrow is Christmas Day. A day of Peace on earth - how wonderful that would be. Have a wonderful day with your loved ones and spend a moment thinking about those people who will not be able to share the love and fun you are having.

Liz Needle

Staff Dinner

Sat Dec 23rd

On Thursday we had our school staff dinner at our place. This is the third year we have done it this way and everyone loves it. My son Mark is a chef and he loves the challenge of producing a dinner for up to 20 at home. Luckily I have a well equipped kitchen!!

We have had a very dry year, but would you believe the weather forecast for Thursday was a deluge - between 20 and 40mm. American readers, 25mm is an inch in your measurement. We always have the dinner outside because it is beautiful in December on our front lawn. We do not have the room inside to seat 20 people. So we were in a quandary and had several contingency plans in mind. 1. Clear the house of furniture or 2. Have it on the veranda.

We opted for the veranda and set up three tables - I have three sets of everything we needed. Don and I had a heated discussion about how we would set up the tables - his plan required 4 tables - and I have only 3 of everything. I won. As long as the weather was coming from the back of the house(south-west), we would be OK. Everyone arrived, admired the tables and stood around with nibbles and drinks. Just as we were about to sit down, the wind blew up - from the north and down came the rain. The outside row of chairs was drenched.

We hurriedly swung the tables around against the wall - the way Don originally suggested - dragged in an old wooden outdoor table, found a white table cloth, picked a bunch of hydrangeas which went into a jar and reset the 4th table.

After that things went swimmingly and no-one actually got wet. Food was brilliant, company fantastic anf the wine delicious. Anmd my garden adored the rain which was slow and steady all night and the next day - 27mm in all.

]The only thing that went wrong that night were the cheap cabndles I had bought from Ikea. Check out the photo. Now I have to figure a way to get all that wax out of my red tablecloths!!

Tables set up before the rain fell down.

Disastrous candles. Next time I'll buy decent ones. Not so sure about the tablecloths, though. You can't actually see all the wax in this photo, but it was everywhere by the end of the night.

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone.

Liz Needle

More Christmas things

Strange things are happening. Hopefully one of my readers can tell me how to fix them. My profile is not appearing where it should - at least when I looked just now.

More Christmas pictures (I hope)

Well, that worked. If I don't have time to write again before Christmas, have a wonderful day everyone with lots of family cheer and a load of love.

Liz

Christmas Things

Wed Dec 20th

Wow! Nearly three weeks since I posted. But at last holidays are here and hopefully I will have time to do my own thing - like my blog. Funny, I always have so much planned for the holidays and I rarely get past the first couple of things on my list. I seem to get so much more done when I am under pressure. Still, I have these plans.

We had a lovely family day yesterday. Mandy sent Don's present over early so we could use it for Christmas. It was a cute little web cam. Finally got it set up - my poor old computer is not used to all this modern technology I keep loading it up with. We skyped away for a couple of fun sessions with the little ones - such excitement. Erinn (nearly 3) wasn't quite sure what was going on. These weird adults peering at her from the computer and talking to her as well.

After that we set up the tree and put out the Christmas stuff. I love this time of the year and my adult children always make it such fun. We always have to have a tree that touches the ceiling (and we have 12 foot ceilings). This one doesn't quite because I cut the dead tip off - and was soundly scolded. Decorations go up in a certain way and each of us has particular things we put on the tree. Woe betide anyone who takes the wrong decoration! Some of them date back 30 plus years, though quite a few of the older ones have succumbed to age and moths.

This years tree is a very bushy one. Lots of branches to hang things on. What a pity the littlies will be in Sydney and won't see it. Still, we'll be able to show them with the webcam.

The next photos are of my collection of angels and Santas. I love the Heartwood Creek Christmas stuff as you can see from the santa collection.

Well it looks like the old blogger is playing up again. Won't let me upload any more photos this session. I'll have to do the rest separately.

Liz

Holiday Countdown

Friday Dec 1st

Only two more weeks to go before we break up for the school holidays - well, until the kids break up. I still have to go back for a few days because I have not officially racked up my 37 hours of professional development training. Is there another industry in this world that demands that its employees do 37 hours T&D in their own time and at their own expense? If we don't do the time, then we have to go back to school after the kids have gone to make up the time. Its a bit like naughty children staying back after school to catch up on work not finished in class!

I know we get longer holidays and our working day is shorter etc etc and all those other things that teachers get criticised for, but they don't take into account all the extra hours we do................... Nuff said. I'll get off my hobby horse.

Had an easy day today - my Year 7s went off to their new high schools for a transition day and as there were only 8 Year 6s left, I was able to farm them out and go to town for a couple of urgent appointments and to get some shopping done for the school. Back to the grind stone on Monday. We (my class and I) have the school year book to finish, I have reports to write and the Year 7 graduation and a Disco to organise. No rest for the wicked.

Cleaning out my computer desk last night, I found a CD of quilt photos, so I will add a few more to my blog. Some of these are pretty early ones I made, so don't be too ctitical.

This is my "Newbie Star" Quilt, so called because it was the result of a block swap amongst mwmbwers of the Southern Cross Quilters who had never participated in a block swap before. The photo doesn't do it justice. The border is actually a nice country green.

"Daiseez" is a pretty quilt I made for a school raffle. It is made in 30s fabrics and from a Jan Mullen pattern. The family that won it were so pleased that each of them took it in turn to have it on his/her bed.

Well, it looks like the dear old Blog has decided that two photos are my limit for the night. More next time.

Have a great weekend.

Liz Needle