Isn't this gorgeous!

Isn't this wonderful! We have a new milking cow, well she's more like a heifer (young, first calf), and the children were up early this morning to see how she settled in overnight with the calf. The calf isn't hers, hers didn't survive (breech).

We called the cow Abby and the calf Snow. Snow is pretty tame and my youngest went right up to him this evening wanting to pat him, which Snow obliged. Snow had fun nuzzling the kids, they said he was giving them kisses!

It is very nice to have our own milk again and not have to buy it from the shops. mmmm tastes much nicer!

Purple Butterfly

I made this quilt top a couple of months ago but have yet to quilt it. uh ah. correct that. find some backing THEN quilt it. The shop I bought the fabric from no longer has the grape colour; widebacks had a similar colour but the supplier stopped supplying that particular colour. My aunt (Hi Alison) got me some that she thought would go, and while it is gorgeous and has similar colours; it just didn't work for me. *Don't worry about it Al, I have another use for that fabric and will show all when my project is completed*

I seem to have my heart set on the backing being in the purple/grape colour; and the binding will be in hot pink if it gets that far..... (be positive, be positive, be positive)

*grin*

Ho ho ho Hairy Spiders

Funny thing happened the other day. I was reading about these big hairy spiders on the back of one of Lisa Boyers quilts in one of her books when lo and behold later that day I ended up with my own big hairy spiders! They didn't end up being as difficult to repair as I initially thought. thankfully!

Happy Days quilt in Fresh Cut fabrics

oooh I love this quilt! I am half way through quilting it too. I am trying something new this time, not doing stitch in the ditch. I am using a red coloured thread and am quilting about 1/4inch out from each seam, and I will do a circle around each of the flowers.
I don't think my stitching looks as good as when I have done it in the ditch but I guess it is practice???? The overall effect, from not so close, has me grinning from ear to ear!

Do you pin or do you baste????

oh, and the wadding in this quilt isn't the cotton I used in the last two quilts, this one is thicker. I am finding this good and bad. What do you use?

Swell quilt

I have partially cut and pieced a Swell jellyroll in the 'Jellystone Park' pattern from Legacy Patterns. Now I have heaps of triangles to turn into blocks, then to put them together to form the main part of the quilt.
can't wait to see the finished quilt! This quilt is for some friends and I am liking it so much that I am altering my own 'Swell' quilt to have this same main centre pattern.

quilting again, still enjoying it

One of my homeschool friends reads my blog and I for her benefit I thought I would put some more homeschool orientated posts; hence the bookcases! Enjoy browsing T.Rox! The past few days has seen me tidying up the bookcases, couldn't stand the mess anymore. I turned some the books around so I could fit more in. In case you are wondering, this isn't all our books either. we have three smaller bookcases next to beds and about 5 more boxes of books waiting for a bookcase. PLUS my craft/sewing books and patterns, which would fill maybe two? boxes.

This morning I quilted most of the Ten Cents quilt that is in Strawberry Lemonade fabrics. Last night I FINALLY finished the applique on 'Happy Days' done in Fresh Cut fabrics. As soon I finish quilting the last bit of 'Ten Cents' I can baste and quilt 'Happy Days'. *big Grin* I feel like I am starting to get somewhere after having so many weeks with achieving little.

I also have to decide on and make a christmas ornament for Sarah's Christmas in July Ornament swap.... I think I have chosen something to make then I change my mind! Oh the dilmena! I had better decide soon so I can get started!

We had friends stay Friday night on their way through to a wedding. My dh and Scott were bedtmen for each other and it was great to see them. While they were here we got to look at the floor plans for their new house, designed by Scotts wife. A wonderful design! They left us with a lovely bottle of Brown Brothers wine, can't wait to have some. I don't drink very much but enjoy the odd drink and with breastfeeding it has been a while since I have had even one glass.

It has turned really cold here, lots of icy winds today. The children have been bundled up in parkas out riding their bikes, and of all things sweeping the dirt road!

It is pretty dry here, we haven't had much rain for the past three months. One result of this is that there doesn't seem to be many bugs and things about for the chooks to peck at, so when you leave the (security of) the houseyard you have 15-20 chooks following you, thinking that you are going to feed them! makes you feel very favoured indeed! dd 5yrs was so thrilled today that she was able to catch a chook and nurse it for a short time.

Best go start dinner,

Bec xxx

mixed bag

I have now read the first six books of the Elm Creek Quilts series. I really wanted to take my time with these books to make them last, but ummm they were too good! I read them over a period of about a week. HIGHLY recomended! Can't wait to read the last six now. Busting to read them! before I got hooked on quilting I was an avid reader, reading all the time.
Instead of cooking dinner I would be reading. On my RDOs from work (before children) I would spend ALL day reading and barely take time to eat. Now that I have children things are different and I don't get to read near as much but have managed to sneak in alot more reading time than I thought possible. I read over breakfast and lunch. Not dinner though, that is more family time with dh for that meal, not that the other meals aren't family time - I do gets LOTS of interruptions! I have fond memories of staying at my grandparents and being able to read at the table (usually breakfast) without being scolded; hehehe my Nana and Uncle Bob were reading their paperback cowboy books right alongside me. Mind you, it can be a slow start to the day depending on how riveting the book is!

I haven't blogged for a while because I have been sick, again/still. Didn't properly recover from the sinus infection I had a while back. In fact I haven't been properly well since I had my appendix out just before christmas. last week I spent four and half days in hospital on IV antibiotics to clear up and infection. Turned out to be a low grade throat infection. I left hopsital in December minus my appendix but with a throat infection. Obviously the penicillan they gave me then didn't clear it up completely. I can only hope that this is the raod to recovery for me. It is really hard juggling everything not feeling the best.
While in hospital I did get some stitching done. I didn't think I would be able to, neither did one of the RNs. I finished stitching the binding on the Kitty Cucumber quilt (a few posts back) and appliqued most of the flowers onto the HappyDays quilt top (hatched and patched). Doing the applique was easiest as I had the quilt top in my hand quilting frame and my 'drip' arm anchored the frame on my lap, much easier than trying hold onto something with this hand!

I have so much sewing to catch up on it seems.
Top of my priority list is to quilt some quilts, to see if I can finish 3??? more for the Barraba Potters and Craft Guild Quilt Show that is on the long weekend in June. 7th 8th 9th June, open from 10am in the main street of Barraba at the Clay Pan opposite BP petrol station.

I have my son sewing again too. He is 7years old and is making a cushion/basket for the kittens we have. half grown kittens actually. They like to sleep on the verandah and it's getting cold outside - I keep finding the cats on ds's bed so I suggested this basket/cushion. He is rapt about making it. I will post a picture when he is finished, probably tomorrow?????

I saw on Cinderberry Stitches blog yesterday that she is expecting - Congratulations Natalie, what exciting news!
I love babies....... My children would love another baby and keep asking. I have five children. DH and I aren't sure if we will be having anymore, wait and see. LOL to be honest, he would prefer not to! They grow up far too quickly.

I am looking forward to seeing the end product of Club Quilt Narromines log cabin round robin quilts. A wonderful concept. Each quilter makes their own centre block, most were embroidered, and they go into a brown paper bag and get passed around week by week, with everybody piecing one border onto the quilt before passing it on. Its all hush hush so the quilt owner has a surprise when they are finished and presented.
That club does some wonderful projects, very inspirational reading their blog. Well done Peg for the job you do keeping the blog up to date! (Peg is Happy in Quilting on my blog list)

It looks like all the girls who went to Girls Day Out in the Country at Nundle had a fabulous time. I am full of longing to attend something like that; maybe later in the year?????

Homeschooling. this is going on quite well in spite of my ill health. The children work hard with maths and english (mostly learnign to read and write at their ages). A nurse in hopsital asked me about homeschooling. She thought it was wonderful and said that her and her siblings were taught correspondance by a governess. They would do extra work on some days so they could attend musters and other such things on the farm. She had fond memories of growing up this way and suggested that I should wish for a governess! I said I would much prefer a cook, housekeeper and gardener! Don't get me wrong here, I don't mind doing these things but to have an extra pair or two of hands to help would be oh so good!

Next post I will have some pictures to post for everyone.
cheers, Bec