Another hot one

Heck, two hot days in a row and we're flagging, and let's face it, by our standards it hasn't really been that hot, it's just that it has hit with a vengeance. Having said that mind you I have the oven on full bore right now, making a pav. I was going to get it done early but I didn't have the heart to start the mixmaster up too early whilst the rest of the house was asleep.

We sat and watched the two disaster movies on telly last night and I knitted and knitted the shawl, my goodness it is taking quite the effort to get from one end to the other now. But I'm loving it. In amongst that I started wrapping Christmas presents. Yes you may groan, but I want to get it done and dusted. Yeah, that's the spirit huh? ha. But more so I want to be more organised this year, so I've been checking my list and finding where I've hidden things (thank goodness I list everything down) and marking off once wrapped.

And because I am who I am, I do wrap with a colour scheme in mind. Everything this year is red, black and silver, and my labels are self-made Christmas ball shapes in silver and/or black. It looks just lovely, quite striking actually.

creashens has an absolutely lovely collaborative kit out at the moment with KStudio, called "Count on Me". Such pretty pretty colours. I ended up using it like this:

I like this photo as Mike doesn't tend to smile in photos, he gets such a stern look up, so this is a nice change. I look dorky because this was taken in the park after the Christmas parade last year and I had a santa hat on, ready for the Christmas Carols to begin. It just looks like I've got something white on my head.

And because I promised Lynn some knitting here's a little hat I knitted recently to give to my friend Victoria who had a gorgeous baby, she's now got the present so I can show it here on my blog. The pattern was a free pattern given to me from the lovely lady who owns the wool shop in Geelong in Ryrie Street, because I had admired the ones she had in the shop and I'd bought so darn much there, she probably thought a free pattern was on the cards! ha. It's knitted out of this absolutely fabulous yarn, Woolganics? something like that, it's organic wool and it was so nice to knit with.

Stay cool Victorians!

Weeeeeeeeeee!!! One more day and the work week is over

Have I ever mentioned how much I love Fridays. Well actually Friday evenings, but Friday is good, very good, last day of the work week. I'm already starting to fill up my calendar with things I will be wanting to do on my break in just over a week's time, and sure as eggs (where did that saying come from anyway?? hmmm) the three weeks off will go by in the blink of an eye.

I have been a bad blogger of late, but have any of you noticed how darn quickly the days are going by? I've got a couple of big crafty projects on at the moment. One of which my dear friend Tanya put me onto, shhhhh if you happen to know my mum, don't tell, but I'm making her a Forest Canopy Shawl. It's such a lovely pattern to knit, but boy it's getting longer in getting across the rows. I did shout myself a nice new set of addi turbo needles to knit it with. Gosh they make a difference, really the Rolls Royce of needles huh?

Oh and the yarn I'm using, Luscious Silk, how absolutely decadent, in the crazy name colourway of Strange Brew.

So anyway the shawl is for my mum. She reads in bed a lot and doesn't wear a bed jacket so gets cold shoulders, I thought this would be ideal for her to wrap around her shoulders. The idea came to me when mum was in hospital recently. I thought ah ha! Christmas knitting.

Okay okay Lynn, photos will be forthcoming. Oh yeah, so is Christmas. Hey, it is !

Now I've told you how crazy I am about my new American nephews. Errr, probably just a few times I've said it! ha. They really are the most sweetest kids and have settled into life in Australia like ducks to water. And they already know when Aunty Carol is around, so is the camera. Smart boys.

Credits here.

Now ... off to bed.

My new mantra

Two weeks
Two weeks
Two weeks

I kept humming that to myself at work today. Two weeks till I have holidays from work. YAY! I'm so looking forward to just being me, not having to worry about work for three whole weeks, get things done for Christmas so I can go into a cruisy December, spend some time with my mum, do some shopping, I have quite a large list of things to accomplish in three weeks off work.

Who watched Idol last night? I'm really so over it this year. I think the judges are definitely trying to sway the voting public. I'm completely over JD and him playing favourites. I do like James but I don't think he's getting a fair go, he sings far and above better than the others, but JD just sees the dollars that the others will possibly make. I can honestly say if James goes out next Sunday I'm switching off, I will have absolutely zero interest in the outcome.

Now that's ALOT for me to admit, because I generally love watching Idol.

We had a really big electrical storm before but no rain. It was great being out watching it and not worrying about getting wet. Although Molly has turned into a huge scaredy dog. She hates storms with a passion. Her eyes get wild and she tries to hide. So thankful Lucky hasn't picked up on her phobia, he was happy as larry sitting next to me outside watching the lightening in the distance. Actually I should say the storm seemed to be all around our town but not overhead, so it was in the distance, I had no worries of being spiked or anything.

Now, because the fabulous Shen of creashens fame is so amazing, she is the featured designer of Digital Artist Magazine for October. She's made a wonderful kit for the occasion called "Frankie Loves Hollie", it is soooooo cute. I know I have scrapped this photo before, but I like this page better and yes, they do have a special kind of love.

I am here !

You may be mistaken for thinking I have run away, but I am here, I promise. Just that life is getting in the way of blogging. How rude!

I did have a wonderful time in South Australia last weekend with my dear dear friends. The pink breakfast was magnificent. Who thought I would look so great in a pink cowboy hat with silver sparkles. te he So much money raised for breast cancer research and it's a credit to the lass Tracey who's mission and drive it is to put on these events, having been a breast cancer survivor herself.

Other times I have been over to Port Mac I've been a passenger, but because I was going a day later than the rest of the girls, I drove myself over, with the aide of Susie (aka Smartarse Susie, Mike's GPS). We name her Smartarse Susie because she thinks she knows better than us, she got that name when I went to Tassie a few months ago, she kept having to do route recalculations and kept telling us we were over the speed limit, hmmmmph.

So anyway Susie and I headed over and I figure that yes, Susie would get me there without having to do much in the way of thinking myself except for driving. And Susie obviously doesn't know the shortcut that we usually go because she ended up taking me via Macarthur and Heywood. Heck. A bit of the long way, but I got there and home in the end.

So then after our washing machine had broken down (and the new one is going magnificently), our TV has decided to call it quits. This is our lovely big plasma. Thank heavens for plonking down the money for the extended warranty, it is 2 years and 1 month old! We still had another 11 months to go on the warranty. So its away getting fixed, something about a button inside which was turning the TV off every two minutes. I wonder if it was trying to tell us something. So we've done a TV rejig and have the one from the bedroom in the loungeroom which is mighty small after our big plasma. No good for subtitle movies, or our old eyes!

Now anyone in the mood for some birthday fun? Twolittlepixels is having it's second birthday. I know ... I can't believe it either. Sharon's baby has just turned two, and to celebrate there are fabulous grab bags from the designers. It would be telling, if I told you exactly what was in [ksharonkdesigns] grab bag, but needless to say as a hint, the below page was made with items from it.

One of my darling new American nephews celebrating his birthday recently. Do you know how hard it is to actually type the word "mommy", it looks so strange. At least for these little fingers typing anyway.

Goodies available here:

Okay, I need to share my naivety

I had a fright earlier on tonight, quite the fright actually. And it shows I know NOTHING about the anatomy of a boy dog. Or the birds and the bees for that matter.

Lucky and Molly were playing whilst I was making my pom pom (more about that later). And I saw Lucky was, well interested in fiddling around with himself. I took a closer look and O--M--G I thought he was injured, I thought his intestines were coming out or something. I was frantic. I rang Mike's mobile number twice as he was out at a meeting, so texted him to ring home ASAP.

So I grabbed Lucky to check his innards popping out and then it struck me that, well, his willy was popping out. OMG it had broken through the skin, he had ruptured his underneath, what to do what to do. So I rang my boss for want of anyone else, being that she was a dog person. I explained to her frantically what was happening and she, in between her laughter told me "Lucky is just a wee bit excited Carol".

Honest to God, I had no idea. I thought when boy dogs were "fixed" it was all sewn up. I didn't know IT popped out when they were excited. I had absolutely no idea in the world that happened to fixed dogs. And in the 10 months we've had Lucky it's the first time I've seen it.

So in the meantime Mike rings home and I told him of my stupidity, to which he told everyone at the meeting. That's it, I can never show my face in town again.

Err ... don't worry, I won't be scrapping this little bit of our history. This is a page I've done this week after his visit to the vet last weekend. Using Bugga Boo by creashens with worn paper edges by Lynn Grieveson.

Oh and as for the pom pom, I was making a bunny tail (as you do!!). I am going away with my old workmates from Geelong on the weekend, a girls weekend to South Australia. We always have a fancy dress on the Saturday night, and it's P. So I can share here, I am going as Peter Cottontail. It was going to be a Playboy Bunny Reject but I think Peter Cottontail is cuter. I made a white furry rabbit costume (so I'm hoping for a bit of a chill in the air on Saturday night, because let me tell you I broke out into quite a sweat the other night prancing around in the loungeroom with it on). I've just made a big pink pom pom for the tail. I have ears and makeup. There may (or may not) be a picture after the weekend.

Sunday we are going to a Pink Breakfast for a breast cancer fundraiser. Which reminds me, I must get out all my pink clothes so I can make a start on packing my bags.

Later.

Yay it's here

The new washing machine FINALLY came today. I raced inside, squealed with glee and straight away did a load.

Stupid comment from my darling husband ... "You're like a kid with a new toy huh?"

"Errr no darling, the fact that I've not done the laundry for over a week now and I'm running out of knickers, more to the point".

So tell me - how many people would class a washing machine as a toy, as something fun to "play" with, as an enjoyable past time, need I go on? Mere male comment indeed. Urrrrgh.

It's late, my computer is on the go slow - SOMEONE used up our unlimited-monthly-broadband-internet-connecting-you-know-what-I-mean-supply. Obviously we've been to infinity and back, because how on earth you can use an unlimited supply I don't know. So we're down to ant speed until tomorrow! yay.

Pictures forthcoming. There may be ... knitting to show!

Washing day blues

Not because it's raining, but because my washing machine has finally given up, dead, almost buried, kaput. Well, hang on, it still works, but only if I'd like water all over my laundry floor, which is kinda not the look I'm going for!

Not bad though, they say white goods have a life span of 5 years now don't they? Horrific I know. But my old washing machine was 16 years old. I certainly got my monies worth out of her. She has to be a her doesn't she? Tireless, trudging on, never pausing, always there when I needed her. ha.

I'm so unadventurous though, just replaced her with a similar model. I didn't go for any bells and whistles. And how original am I? I got another Simpson - why? Because my last one lived a long time? No. Because it had all the features I needed? No. Because it fit in the space we had? No. Why? Because it's my mum's maiden name!!! hahahaha Which is the reason I bought my last Simpson too.

Now some exciting news. Us digi scrappers looooooove to look at the Gallery Standouts blog. Love being inspired and seeing all the fabulously talented scrappers thereon, marvelling at their work. Lo and behold, my Mean ol' Cat layout ended up on it yesterday. YAY ME !

Check it out

And I was able to say a big ... "so there!" to Mike too. He really didn't like that page, he didn't like the big blocks of navy and aqua colour. What vindication!

So anyway, it was my mum's birthday recently so thought as I hadn't posted this page here previously, here we are.

Using Mothers Love by Michele Stone Designz with Stitches by Syrin

Well I need to get some things in order, I still haven't done my tax (gasp!) so that is a weekend job for me. I say every year I'll get it done straight away and every year I don't. Plus there's another visit to the vet planned on Saturday. Molly and Bo was last Saturday and Lucky this Saturday. I thought it was a visit fraught with a nervous breakdown if we took all three together, hence the split.