First chill of winter

The heating has just been turned on for the first time this year.  I arrived home from interstate in the early hours to find the house was cold from being locked up.   The sun came out for a few hours today but the wind was blowing from the south and was very chilly.   The snowfields are reporting they have had a few inches over night, with the season not due to start for another few weeks this could be a cold winter.  We had a wonderful summer, although at times it was very hot I still prefer Spring and Summer to the cold and grey days of Winter.
Since arriving home I have been relaxing, about all I have done is catch up on my mail, spent an hour with my daughter and grandson when they came over and put some meat and vegetables in the slowcooker for dinner tonight.    The time spent with my eldest son and his family was wonderful, he is almost finished with the combined radiation chemo treatment,  he has been marking the dates off on a chalk board and can't wait for it to be over.     We are positive that after the next round of chemotherapy  he will be cancer free and will not have to undergo any further treatment.  My grandson was home on school holidays, I got to spend a lot of time playing games, reading, doing puzzles and colouring books with him.  Unfortunately the baby was unwell with a chest infection, a bit grizzly and not feeling well.  The week flew by, and before I realised, it was time to pack my case and board the plane for home. 

Playdough for lunch?

One of my grandsons had a sleepover last night, after breakfast I brought out the playdough to keep him amused, just so I could get some washing and cleaning done.     I was amused to find that he had made playdough pies on plates for us for lunch, it has been awhile since I had to pretend to eat some playdough. My two daughters were always playing pretend and I was often involved with their play.     I suppose because I was also a female I found this a lot more enjoyable than playing pretend fights, lego, or cars with my sons.     On a few occasions that I joined in with their play I was physically hurt.     Like the time I was helping to build a tree house, I kept asking them to be careful so they didn't fall from the tree.    Guess who fell from the tree flat on her back?  yes that would be me.    At first everyone, including me were shocked, and then the laughing started oh yeah, they laughed at their mum laying sprawled on the dirt.   I wasn't seroiusly hurt but that was the end of my help.    
While I sat and played with Connor today he talked non stop about anything and everything.   I have just realised that much hasn't changed, but maybe because I'm older I find their constant chatter more tiring, or maybe I have just forgotten.    While out shopping  I found these little pots of playdough at KMart for just 50c a pot, a great find for a grandma looking for something to add to her box of things needed to amuse the grandkids. 

Unfortunately I can't show you the photo I took of Connor with his creations, it was on my phone and I can't upload it to my computer .

Rain and Platypus

What a difference a day can make, yesterday was sunshine,  this morning is cloudy with rain.  To add some sunshine to this day I'm taking two of my little men out to lunch and the oldest (grandson) of these two to see the movie "The Croods".  I've heard this is really funny and suitable for an eight year old.
 Last night with nothing to do, well almost nothing, I decided to cut into the fantastic platypus fabric I bought a couple of weeks ago. I'm always on the look out for Aussie themed fabric.  This will become another quilt for "Aussie heroes", our men and women serving overseas.  I wanted something fast and easy, something I could accomplish in one night, I almost had the top complete before I was so tired I decided to call it a night.  The pattern is one from Missouri Star quilt company by those 3 Dudes, it one of those patterns that can be arranged to gain several different designs, after playing around with the blocks on my design wall, actually the floor, and that is why my back and knees are sore this morning, I've decided on this pattern.   I have one grandson staying overnight so I will be packing this away.  What do you think, the yellow check really pops, is it too much, should I cut another couple of blocks to replace them?

Mens PJ's

I just have to tell what I bought, a pair of mens pj's for myself.  These are soft, very soft interlock pj's and they are so comfortable I just love them.  I wear them about the house all the time, of course being mens I had to turn the hem over, but I have to do that with womens pants anyway,  I'm short so everything has to be hemmed.   Let me tell you that the best thing is the price, under $10, I can't remember exactly but I think they were only $8 and they come in base colours of grey, navy and black, who cares, much cheaper than a pair of womens pj's.   I don't usually shop in the mens wear department but my eldest son, who was in hospital at the time needed more pj's and asked us to buy these for him, one look was all it took for me to want them.

If your interested in a pair or two you can find them in KMart, and once again I don't get paid to tell you what I like.  I've had my flu injection,  now it's coffee time.

Autumn sunshine

Here where I live we are having the most amazing Autumn sunshine, the past few days have been wonderful.  I spent yesterday in the garden doing those last minute things to prepare for winter. I cleaned up the last of the herbs, swept paths and layed down new mulch.     This morning I attended my quilting group, I have to say that it was very crowded and noisy, so many women came along to this mornings meeting.   It was great to see some old faces and catch up with what has been happening with them and their families.   Oh, and I did re sew that block and I'm now stitching the embroidery onto it.    This afternoon I'm off to the doctors to have my annual flu injection, something I don't like but a must at my age.    Then I'm having coffee and a snack outside in the sun, to enjoy what is left of this beautiful weather before it becomes wet and gloomy.

Beautiful Petunias

Frustrating mistake

I found the pattern instructions that went missing, they were under my cutting board, how and when they were put there I don't know.    I spent the night stitching the pieces that make this block,  even started to stitch some embroidery before I decided to pack it away and go off to bed.    This morning as I spread it out on the table to have a look I realised it seemed a little larger than the other blocks.  How frustating to find it is 16 1/2" x 16 1/2", why oh why?  It seems I did'nt exchange the foot on my machine, so now I am unpicking all of the pieces that make up this block to stitch it over again.   I don't think this block wants to be finished.  But I will finish it tomorrow,  I want to have the last block, cut and ready to sew on Monday.   Tonight I'm going to have a girls night out, dinner and a movie.

Block eight " Leannes House"  by Leanne Beasley

Lost instructions

Do I need to finish my craft room? the answer would be a definite yes, you see I have lost two pages of the instruction sheets to block eight of the quilt I'm currently finishing.  I had everything set up on the kitchen table, I'm sure they were there then, I had to pack everything away when I had some of the family over for dinner.  I awoke this morning with the intention of sewing but, I have been searching through everything since then and so not a stitch has been done.  I think I am going mad, where on earth could they be?  I am going to ring a friend lol, no really, I know she has this pattern, I'm going to have to borrow her pattern to finish this block. 

I had them on the table when I traced the design onto to the backing fabric with my light box, I have since appliqued and embroidered the small stitcheries and now need the instuctions for the assembly.  I guess I will be visiting  a friend today instead of sewing.