Knitting nits!

Scene:

School pick-up time. Lots of kids, mums, dogs, prams, bikes etc - the same at every school. Very excited 7 year old runs to mum with a "head lice in school" notice.

Miss No.2: Mum, Mum, I can bring knitting home this week.

Mum: Oh no darling, this is just a notice about headlice.

Miss No.2: No! Mum, I can bring knitting home.

Mum: No darling "Nits" and headlice are the same thing. This just tells us that they're at school so we should check. It's not about knitting.

Miss No.2: Mu-um (note extra syllable and insert eye roll)

Child runs back to classroom and returns with plastic bag containing said knitting.

Mum: Oh, sorry. I misunderstood.

Mum launches into enthusiastic conversation with daughter about learning to "knit" at school as part of their art/craft class.

Oops

Moral - Listen to your children.

Quilts For Queensland

Quilt number 3 is finished and about to be popped in the post to Corrie who the quilting queen that is organising the whole Quilts for Queensland thingy.

I hope it makes someone smile!

I'm quite liking this quilty stuff. Still making it up as I go along but quite getting into it.

However, if you look closely you'll notice that it's big on the wonk factor (that would be the making it up as I go along thingy) .... SO .... I have put my name down for a quilting course at Amitie in June (yay!).

AND a girlfriend and I are doing a pattern making course in April.

I feel so self indulgent!!

But you'll have to please excuse me, I'm off to search for my brain . I'll be needing it in a couple of months and am not sure where I have left it.

Jenny

Ballerinas

Ok, this has nothing to do with Ohjoh stuff, crafty stuff or quilty stuff but my youngest makes me smile (when I'm not pulling my hair out and reaching for the cooking chocolate!- a daytime wine substitute)

Today we're off to her first real ballet lesson (following big sister who is obsessed with it).

Today she's excited! Dressed and ready hours in advance, giving me instructions on which family members should receive emailed photo's of her as "a ballet" (not a ballerina because she just wants to be "a ballet" - apparently).

She's ballet skipping up the hallway which is an improvement on her trial class last week which involved lots of hiding, crying and Mum dancing with the pre-school kids in the class (very disturbing for all as "grace and poise" are NOT generally words used to describe me!) until she warmed to the idea for the last 20 minutes).

I'll do some stretches shortly before we go just in case I have to try and do 1st position again!

Party Central

A bit of organising including sewing aprons for little crafters (don't want to get crafty glue bits on your party dress)Set the table for craft (I knew that buying a canopy for markets would come in handy!) - to be had after some games including eating donnuts with no hands that were hanging from the clothes line, balloon volleyball over the couch and of course, musical statues!

Thank anybody who would listen for the sunshine.Let them into the tent and after a few tips let them go crazy.Feed them, cake them, open the door and let them bounce themselves silly on the trampoline.

Give them their goody bags (tried for more goodies - including their aprons - than lollies this time although birthday girl did say that the lollies were a little light on as we filled them together yesterday).
Wave them goodbye and enjoy all of their beautiful manners.

Marvel at how much glitter is now around our backyard and

have a little rest!

Happy Birthday Lovely No. 2 Girl.

Bad, bad blog etiquette

No, I'm not on my high horse about to blast someone else for poor behaviour from the pedestal of my blog (something about pot and a kettle comes to mind).

Oh no!!! I'm confessing!

I am the bad blogger.

The rude and insensitive person who never posted their 2010 apron swap!

What!!! Jaw's drop, eye's widen.

"How could she??!! How Rude!!!"

I hear you tut-tutting from here and I'm dropping my head in disgrace.

I meant to. Honest!

I don't know what happened exactly but posting my swap didn't.

So in an attempt to save face and to apologise to Momtaz (who has probably forgotten all about that rude Australian) here is the little apron that she made for me in last year's apron swap.

And she said she doesn't sew and it was her first attempt. Not bad! My girls love all of the bling!

And she also included a cute little brooch that she makes which my girls quite fancy too!

Thanks Momtaz and I'm so sorry for being so very rude and slack and just a basically bad mannered blogger.

I hope you're cooking up a storm in the little pink number that arrived from me.

So to all, I promise I will try my best to be a good girl in the future and remember my manners.

Sincerest apologies and happy blogging

Jenny

We're having a party

This week my lovely Miss 2 will be turning 7 (how did that happen so quickly???).

We made invitations yesterday (yes, yesterday - oops!).

Those who follow good and proper party etiquette will have rolled their eyes and shaken their heads. Short notice and minimal organisation. Sounding good isn't it?!?!?!

Ah never mind, we've started!

We've invited 8 little girlies to a craft party. And we're all a little bit excited.

Now to think of something for them to do ....... I'm thinking bracelets and picture frames unless anyone else has a better idea ?!?!?!

Quilt number 2 - Done and dusted!

It's finished!
The red quilt (that was supposed to be green) is now finished.It was based on Louise's lovely pattern. However, as I have issues with following instructions I had to modify it (after a little mummy tantrum).
I cut out the big squares on the floor in front of the tele (silly, I know) and cut them out the wrong size. Had said tantrum then hurt my brain trying to work out how to make the outside bits fit.I think it works. As I'm still on the quilting planet of "make it up as you go along", it's a bit on the wonky side. But hey, wonk is good - right ?!?!?It's now thrown on the couch when not being dragged around the house by the "Quilt Ninja"The next quilt is cut and ready to go.
A cot quilt for the amazing Corrie to be sent to Queensland flood victims. I hope it looks OK when finished and makes someone smile!!
If you would like to be involved too check out Corrie's blog Retromummy.I would put her lovely little icon thingy on my blog but couldn't follow the blogger instructions on that either. I wonder if there is a support group for those who can read, take in and then forget/ignore/stuff-up instructions ......

Cheers
Jenny

Kiddie Craft

It's wet here but not as wet as Queensland! - thinking of you guys and sending you our money and wishing there was something else we could do to help.

I spent the kid's inheritance on school shoes this morning so it's (expense free) inside time at home today.My awesome sister gave this little beauty to Miss Number 2 at Christmas so we christened it today. Great little book - thoroughly recommend it.

We now have beautiful "tissue paper blooms" hanging from the light fittings - they look like orange chrysanthemums (yes, I had to resort to the reliable "Concise Oxford Dictionary" for that one). Hope you and yours are safe and dry.

Bribery & corruption .....

Yesterday I tortured my kids and made them do this:

So this arvo they're playing Wii and we're having take away for tea.

Yep, bribery.

Remember the red quilt ??

It's still coming together.

Almost there.

Even tried a bit of machine quilting this time with my newly purchased walking foot - what a clever person to have invented that!

Quilting purests may "tut-tut" the mixing of hand and machine quilting - are there rules for this stuff? I'm still making it up as I go along. (might even do a class this year .....)

Have to finish it soon as I have a plan for the next one....will keep you posted!