Category Archives: Celebrations

Birthday Wishes

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Today was a milestone birthday for special lady.  It was my mother-in-law’s 90th birthday.

It was a milestone that we were not sure that would eventuate since her diagnosis with Alzheimer’s Disease several years ago.

A small group of some of her children and grandchildren gathered to celebrate the occasion with cake and flowers.

Flowers
A short, impromptu duet which included her grandson brought much joy and elicited an emotional response.

Birthday
We are very grateful for today and will all cherish the memories.

Guest Room

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Hello Again!

I think I have caught my breath.  The last week has been a bit of a whirl with Air BnB guests, family visiting, Izz’s birthday and planning a trip to visit an ill relative as well as work and all of the routine stuff around the house.

We also managed to fit in a small project last weekend.  We hung the timber blind which we bought for the guest room and I am really pleased with the result.

Blind

It is something that I had been contemplating for quite some time but I had not been able to convince myself of what the best window treatment for the room would be.  I mentioned to The Duke that I thought the timber blinds would be good after one of our guests suggested that a window covering would afford a bit more privacy as the window overlooks the verandah.  The Duke promptly found that Spotlight were having a half-price sale on blinds that week so we procrastinated no longer.

When we bought the blind we were a bit unsure about the size but discovered that for and extra $20 you can have them cut and made to measure.  All you need to provide is the inside width of the window frame.

I will show you more of what I have been working on in the coming days.

In the meantime, here is the moonrise this evening.  It looked spectacular as it rose over the trees.

Moonrise

Some Reflections

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Today, the second Sunday in May is Mothers’ Day.

It can be a day of celebration, perhaps with your mother, your children or both.

It is also a day of reflection.  Time to think of those who cannot be with their mother.  This may be due to death, distance or estrangement.  Special thoughts for those who have outlived a child, suffered miscarriages or stillbirths or made the difficult choice to place their child for adoption.  Finally, but by no means least  are those who have been unable to conceive – much love and hugs.

2013-05-12 01I was so blessed to spend the afternoon with my mother, daughter and two grand-daughters.  Times like this are to be cherished.

Thoughts for some of the special women in my life for whom this is a bittersweet day (in no particular order) – Pat, Tania, Suzanne, Cath, Patty and Susan.  Thinking of you all.

It really is a day for the sisterhood to reach out and care for all women – whatever their role – mothers, daughters, grandmothers, would-be mothers.

Christmas Shopping

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Yes, you read the title correctly.

I did some Christmas shopping yesterday.  Belle and I had previously discussed the possibility of taking the girls to see ‘The Lion King’ when it comes to Sydney at the end of the year.

I received an email advising of the pre-sale release of tickets for ‘The Lion King’ so I have bought tickets to the show for Miss O and Izz for Christmas.  Belle and I will take them to Sydney to see the matinee session on New Year’s Day.

By being organised I was able to take advantage of the pre-sale offer and have managed to get excellent seats at reasonable prices.

2012-02-28 01This is a perfect solution as we will not see the children on Christmas Day this year, nor do they need any more ‘stuff’.  Experiences such as attending live theatre and musicals provide so much joy and the benefits are immeasurable.   Miss O is still talking about when she saw ‘Mary Poppins’ 18 months ago.  How many toys have that sort of longevity?

The Great Giveaway

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I do not usually do 2 blog posts back-to-back but while I was writing my previous one Sarah posted a comment with this link about the giveaway that she received.

I had not previously had a giveaway on this blog as I did not feel that giving away more ‘stuff’ was necessarily in the spirit of what I write.  However, I thought that the milestone of 500 posts was worth celebrating and the my readers (or at least one lucky one) would be the winner.

The bag is modelled on this one and can be used for a variety of purposes – pegs, cleaning rags, dirty laundry or even children’s toys.  I would love to hear of other creative ways you could put a bag like this to use.

The giveaway, as Sarah correctly surmised is made from the remains of a doona cover and pillowcase which I bought a couple of years ago from the op shop.  While they did not have tags on, everything pointed to them being unused and they were made from a strong cotton fabric.  I have made a tablecloth, ironing board cover and now the giveaway from this fabric.

I am glad that Sarah is pleased with her surprise and as an added bonus, it matches her decor!

What do you think of giveaways on blogs?  Surprise or not?  Conditions applied?  Items supplied by sponsors /product endorsements?

I am in the process of creating a pattern and instructions to make this bag yourself so if you would like a copy please let me know in the comments and I will work out how best to share this information.  Granny, I have not forgotten you – just a bit busy these past couple of weeks.

 

And The Winner Is…………

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Thanks to everyone who took the time to follow my blog and comment on the Fabulous 500 post in order to be in the running.  The draw has been done and I am pleased to announce that the winner is SarahN.

Although the actual comment had no bearing on the outcome, I would like to post Sarah’s comment (in part) here.

“500 posts – that’s inspirational! I’m curious about this mystery give away business – only cause I’m committed to being uncluttered – so I’m always assessing things to see if they suit my life etc.”

That is so ironic because it is the very reason that I am wary about lots of giveaways!  However, I am sure that the gift will fit with Sarah’s goals (and mine) of an uncluttered home.

Sarah, could you please contact me with a postal address so that I can arrange delivery?

When Sarah has received her gift I will reveal it here on the blog as well.

Once again, I would like to thank you all for participating and I look forward to your thoughtful and engaging comments as I head towards the next 500 posts.

 

Memories

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Today is my father’s 84th birthday, however, we are unable to celebrate it with him as he died nearly 12 years ago.  While his death was sudden and unexpected, we are thankful that he did not suffer.

Flowers

I miss my Dad but have many wonderful memories of him and cherish those today and every day.

Memory

Where do memories come from?  How do you create them?  What memories will your children and grandchildren have of you?

Picking strawberries

The shared experiences and activities of today are the memories of tomorrow.

Sew Quick and Easy

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Yesterday I finally picked up my sewing machine from having it serviced, so today I decided to spend some time sewing.  Some of it has been quite challenging, a pleated skirt which is now too big for me.  I have completely disassembled it and am in the process of re-making the skirt but in the meantime it was good to start and finish a couple of simple projects.

First was a pair of boxer shorts for summer pyjamas for me.  These were from some material kindly given to me by a friend.

2013-02-17 01I teamed them with an existing tank top to make this set.

2013-02-17 02She also gave me a piece of flannelette with a cute teddy bear pattern that was just begging to become winter pyjama bottoms.

2013-02-17 03I did some mending, too.  This pair of shorts is about 12 years old and I wear them when painting or gardening.  The fabric is in good condition but the elastic had given way so I unpicked the waist and old elastic, replacing it with 2 rows of new 6mm elastic.

2013-02-17 04The shirt which was waiting to have the buttonholes done is also finished.

I will keep you updated on the progress of the skirt.

In the meantime, don’t forget to comment on this post and follow my blog for a chance to go in the draw for the mystery giveaway.