The Winner Is....

Well it is Christmas night here.  We had a good day starting with church at 7am, opening presents at home, then lunch at parents in law, home by 4.30, an hour talking to my brother on the phone, cold meat, prawns and salads for dinner.  Pavlova for dessert later.  Yum!

I have drawn a name for the 123stitch giveaway.  The winner is

Hishandmaid

Congratulations.  I will email you.


Merry Christmas to everyone.

Centre finished

... on romantic rose garden mandala!  I've added all the beads and pretties so it sparkles.

I'm going to put this aside and get back to Hypnotic.


It looks like it's going to be a wet Christmas here.  We are expecting rain everyday starting today.  Good weather for stitching!
My Dad is staying home instead of visiting us.  He lives on the coast in central Queensland and the weather forecast there is for heavy rain everyday for the next week and he has had problems with water from a neighbours yard coming into his house. He has spent Christmas with us every year  for the last 12 years.

Welcome to my new followers.  I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday. 

Good luck in the draw.

A Giveaway

Well, it's time for a giveaway.  The Aussie dollar is strong and Christmas is coming. 
I've had a good year and my family is well.  I'm looking forward to next year and hoping to do more stitching.

So, here it is.


A $50 gift voucher to 123stitch



Comment on this post for an entry.  Leave your email address if you don't have a blog where I can get it.



If you become a follower, that's great and thank you.

You are welcome to publish a link to this post on your blog.


You have until Christmas Eve to enter and I will draw a name on Christmas Day. 
Remember I live in Australia and work on Brisbane time.

Good Luck
Kate

A Small Finish

Here is a picture of what I finished a few days ago.

A Life Lived for Others by Glendon Place

Stitched on 32ct Autumn Blush Lugana

with Caron Waterlilies, dmc, Kreinik and Mill Hill beads

This took forever to finish because I kept getting sick, it was the end of the school year chaos, and DH was overseas.  But, I am better now and the kids are on holidays until the end of January.  DH spent last week at home after 2 weeks in North America but left for Japan and Singapore yesterday.  He gets back on Thursday then is home until we all leave for our holiday in January.

Holiday Plans

We have asked DMIL to come to Canada with us so I hope she has a good time.  We are spending the first night at Vancouver then we have booked 5 days at Whistler, then back to Vancouver for another 5 days (DH has to work there).  Finally we have a few days in LA before coming home. 

Weather

It has been a cool and wet summer so far.  We have had only 2 days where the temperature reached 30C.  Yesterday I drove DH to the airport.  I checked the rain radar before we left and it looked like I might have to go through a shower or two on the way back.  It started to rain 5 minutes after we left home and on the freeway I had the windscreen wipers on the fastest setting and was still having trouble seeing.  It was worse coming home.  Of course it eased up soon after I got home!  We had about 75mm (3 inches) in less than an hour.  The only problem we have had here was water flowing over the top of our retaining wall and flooding a neighbours front yard.  I'm not sure we can do much about such an extreme weather event but DH will look at it when he gets back.  DH's plane was held up an hour because of the lightning but luckily he had managed to get a seat on an earlier flight to Sydney so he still had time to make his international connection even with the delay.

It's School Holidays!

and my life gets much easier.  This was a busy year because DS is at a different school than DD.   DS has grown taller then me now and will be 14 next month.  He has done well at school this year and got 7 A's and 3 B's on his final report card.  He entered some competions this year and is in the top 1% of the state for maths and science.   The last term was a bit of a struggle as he seemed to be constantly tired and hungry.  DD has also been busy.  She started playing cricket in October and loves it.  She had to miss a few games because of ballet concert practice but is keen to start again in February.   She does dancing, swimming, cricket and cub scouts after school.   I have more time to stitch during the holidays so I hope it's not too hot and humid this year.

 

Rain

Rain, rain, rain and more rain!
It has been bucketing down here.  SE Qld is awash and the northern Brisbane surburbs got drenched today.  This was my raingauge at 9am this morning Monday 11 October.  The inner cylinder holds 25mm (1 inch).

179mm (7 inches) in 24hrs!

It has been wet since Friday morning.  We have had 355mm (14 inches) up to Monday night.
Houses are flooded and roads are cut but we live on a hill so we are fine.  I got both children to school this morning in the torrential rain with a few detours to avoid flooded roads.
The rain has eased but more is due over the next few days.



I'm still sick with the post flu infection.  I'm on my second lot of antibiotics and improving slowly.  I can't talk long without coughing, but it isn't waking me up in the middle of the night any more.  I'm glad I had the flu needle as I hate to think I could have been worse.  I'm doing lots of reading while I get better.


New Project
I've started stitching a small project.  No photos yet.  I have to get out my thread heaven so I can continue.

Lots happening

I have eyes staring at me now. 

I had the flu last week and am on antiobiotics now so am not doing much except resting and stitching.  DD and DS are back at school after 2 weeks holidays.  They finish in 8/9 weeks then have summer holidays until late January.  DH came home last night and is off to Houston and Vancouver this morning and will be back Friday week.  The Commonwealth games have started so I can watch at night and stitch.  DD's swimming teacher is competing in lots of events and won a silver last night in her first event.  Go Emily!

We are going away on holidays in January.  I paid for the plane tickets yesterday.  We're going to Vancouver (DH can do some work while we are there) and spending some time skiing before stopping in LA for a few days on the way home.  DH is the only one who has ever seen snow.  Are we crazy going from a summer Brisbane to Canada in January?  I was going to buy some winter clothes over there because we can't get warm winter clothes in this part of Australia - anything below 10C is unusually cold here.    







An Overdue Update

Life has been busy recently with DH's travel and the kids school and activities.
DH had 5 weeks at home - the most time without going away this year.  (For months his routine was 3 weeks at home, one week in Vancouver.)  Then, he had 2 weeks overseas for work - got back on Saturday, 2 hours at home, then off to Frazer Island for a weeks fishing with his Dad.  Then he will be home for a week, os for a week, home for a week, away for 2 weeks. 

The kids seem to be busy as well.  Last week we were out every night with school meetings, dancing, cubs and scouts.  This week we have one night free.  Both had camps on the weekend - DD was on a cub scout camp and DS was at a scout camp.  DS has another scout camp next weekend. 
3 more weeks until mid semester school holidays.


Hypnotic

I've finished page one of Hypnotic.  I love seeing the picture develop.  I've done most of the first 20 rows of page 2.  Just black and dark brown stitching so no photo yet.

Local Wildlife

Here is a picture of the blue tongue lizard that lives in the drainage hole under the laundry.  It's tail was sticking out a few months ago so I poked it to see if it was still alive.  I'm not sure who got the biggest fright! It comes out to lie in the sun and is very shy, I can go months without seeing it.  It's about 18 inches long.  I nearly trod on it once when it was lying on the back step.  It's too big for the cat to bother.

Winter Sunrise

My favourite time of the day. 

Taken around 6.30am late July standing outside the laundry. 

This is what I see from my kitchen window as I'm getting breakfast in winter. 

A Birthday

No, not mine, but my DD (youngest child) is 9 today  May 1, 2010.  We're going out to a local restaurant tonight to celebrate with DH's parents and brother and his wife.  

I haven't touched a needle for ages.  I had to get all my tax documents to the accountants before the end of April so they can do my tax.  I was in no rush because I know I'll have to pay a big bill.  It was a good opportunity to tidy up in the office and file stuff.  I've mostly caught up with my budget, just have to reconcile bank statements and I've finished. 

Monday is a public holiday again.  DH has to work but the kids are home.  DS has assignments to do so I'm going to try to do some work on Hypnotic.

Giveaway Winner

Jessie is the winner of the giveaway.  I got DS to pick a name out of a bowl.

Stitching updates

I've been spending most of my stitching time working on Hypnotic.
I've done about half the first page.

Here is my progress on Romantic Rose Garden Mandala.

Giveaway

I am giving away the chart set for Lizzie Kate's Living with Charm.

This is only for the charts.  Fabric, thread and charms are NOT included.
Please leave a comment below stating if you wish to be included in the draw.  Don't forget your email address.

I will draw a name on April 16th (Australia time).   It is our 15th wedding anniversary.  DH and I were married on Easter Sunday 1995.

April Update

Living with Charm Framed

I haven't been able to do much stitching lately but here is a picture of Living with Charm framed.

I can't decide where to hang this so it is leaning against the wall near the TV for a bit.

I'll post an update on my other stitching after Easter.


Non-stitching Stuff

The kids are on holidays until the 13th.  DS has a rugby union (football) camp for a few days next week. 

DH has gone car racing at Bathurst over Easter.  He left this morning and has just arrived - 12 hours towing a car trailer to get down there.  He will be driving back on Wednesday. 
This is a picture of his toy - it is a GT40 replica he built from a kit.

We have all survived the first term of school.  DD has been officially diagnosed with a peanut allergy and has to carry an epipen.  Her allergy is moderate but all nut allergys are treated as life threatening.  

DS had a trip to hospital for x-rays after a cricket game 2 weeks ago.  I thought he might have broken his hand but the x-ray was clear.  It took a week for the swelling to go down so he could move his fingers and wrist easily.

DH had a work trip os for 2 weeks - mostly in Vancouver.  He got back the day DS was hurt. 

I was called up for jury duty AGAIN - I did it last year.  I had to be available for 2 weeks but I ended up only having to go in on the first day and I wasn't required for any trials.  The worst part was that I couldn't plan anything because I didn't find out until after 5PM whether I was needed for the next day. 

I'm having a holiday at home while there is no school.

A Finish and 2 WIPS

It has been very hot and humid here in Brisbane for the last few weeks and I haven't picked up my stitching.  We don't have air-conditioning and I am resisting getting it.  The weather is only nasty and unbearable for a few weeks a year, although it feels like forever after the last few weeks.

I am updating my blog today because it is COOLER and WET today.  I am going to stitch all afternoon and hopefully some evenings this coming week.  Here is where I was at before the hot weather.


Living with Charm Finished

I finished this a few weeks ago and have just taken a photo.

It was done on 28ct Laguna opalescent with WDW and GAST threads. 

Rose Garden Mandala

Here is my progress until mid January.  I love working with the silk threads that came in this kit.    I am using Q-snaps to hold this piece as I am doing it.  The pattern is from The Gift of Stitching online magazine (Issue 44) and it is stitched on 32 count white linen.

 

Hypnotic

I have started my leopard, but I am still on the black as you can see.  I have gridded this with sewing thread so I am removing it before I get to it.  I am doing this on scroll rods on my floor frame.  It is the biggest piece I have ever started and is for my son. 

Living with Charm

I'm almost finished this but I've run out of one of the threads in the kit. 
There is meant to be a pink circle behind the start of the word create.

I've ordered more thread and some other things from a shop in the US.  It should be here in a few weeks.

Now I can put this away for a bit and work on my 2010 projects.


I've updated my webshots albums with photos of old finishes.  Take a look if you like.

Sunday Stitching Progress

WIP

This is a picture of Living with Charm taken on Sunday morning.  I have been plugging away at this over the holidays and doing a little most nights.  I was trying to get it finished before 2010, but I've run out of time. 






2010 Projects

I have 2 new cross stitches I want to do in 2010

1.  Romantic Rose Garden Mandala

2.  Hypnotic by KustomKrafts

I have made a tiny start on the Romantic Rose Garden.

Here is the photo - don't laugh!

I just sat down to look at the fabric and threads and the next thing I knew I was threading a needle.  I can't wait to get stuck into this one.

I am doing this on my 17" square Q-snaps.

This is the first time I've used Q-snaps.

I have started gridding up the fabric for Hypnotic.  This will be my first BAP.

Christmas and New Year

We had a quiet Christmas.  DH's Grandmother was in hospital and got out the week before Christmas.  She is staying with DH's parents.  We had Christmas lunch at my parents in laws with them, DMIL's parents, DH's brother and his wife, my Dad who comes to stay with us for Christmas, and our 2 kids. 
It has been fairly wet with rain most days for the last 2 weeks.   

I stayed up until after midnight on New Year's Eve.  DS and I were watching TLOTR 3 on TV and I was stitching.  DH went to bed early because he had to work on New Year's Day - 14 hours!   He can't complain to anyone because he is the boss.

My Cat

Here is a photo of my cat Lexie,  She is an abysinnian and we got her 5 years ago just after Christmas when she was 10 weeks old.  She's very stand-offish and doesn't like being patted by adults.  Won't sit on people's laps, but she's friendlier with the kids and will go to them for attention. 

View From My Sewing Room Window

Member of the online group scquilters have been talking about their sewing room views and posting photos on their blogs.

Here is my sewing room view.  The room faces east and is at the front of the house.  It has a big bay window.  Looking out I can see our front yard, the road and the neighbours houses, and the trees in the nature reserve.  We've had lots of rain recently so the grass is a lovely green.

This room was the original main bedroom before another (bigger) master bedroom was added just after the house was built.  I use this as the sewing room/spare bedroom/ironing room.  It has lots of built in cupboards and a walk in wardrobe (all full of stash) and an ensuite.  In the room there is the spare bed and a desk where I put the sewing machine.  It gets great breezes and is a good place to have a nap on hot Sunday afternoons.