Monday again! Oops actually its now Tuesday!!

We had a real winter weekend! Saturday the 'horsey' one played netball at 8.30 am and even my coat and scarf didn't provide a lot of protection from the cold wind that was blowing. Took quite some time to thaw out the feet when I got home! Got a bit of my cooking mojo back on the weekend (yes about time!!). Made these hummingbird cupcakes on saturday morning , very easy and yummy. Next time I will pop some lemon cream cheese icing on and they will be perfect!

I actually got to my quilting group saturday afternoon as SH kindly made the trip out of town for the 'horsey' one to play hockey. There were only 3 of us there but it was good for the soul! I worked a little on this golf quilt which has been a few years in the making. Quite a long story behind it all which I will share one day. It is no longer being made for the intended recipient but I am looking forward to it being finished one day and I am sure SH will enjoy snuggling under it!! I am just trying to finish the blanket stitch applique then it will be time to sandwich it together.

Saturday I also made a soup in my slow cooker for the first time. Please remember I am not very adventuresome when it comes to cooking and generally don't tweak recipes or in fact 'make them up'!!! This was made from a chicken and barley base and I just added lots and lots of vegies. We ate it for dinner with crusty bread and it was so good! Think soup in the slow cooker may become a Saturday evening tradition!!!

Sunday Mum came for lunch. She arrived back from 7 weeks visiting my sister in the UK on Tuesday so it was so nice to catch up with all her news. It was lovely to see photos of my nieces and nephew, they are so cute! Daisy the oldest wrote Mum the sweetest love poem when she left, brought a tear to my eye! The other reason Mum came for lunch was to celebrate the 'horsey' one's 15th birthday.It was actually a fortnight ago but she was away at a horse competition at the time (which devastated me but didn't worry her!!). Hard to believe my baby is 15!!! Where does the time go? As we had recently bought her a new riding hat and a camera we bought her a CD and sea monkeys for her birthday.The sea monkeys is something she has always wanted, not sure how much success she'll have (hasn't got a good track record with goldfish she got a few years ago - think she gave up after 5 died!!). We had the best lunch, roast pork , roast pumpkin, potato and parsnip, sugarsnap peas, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower with cheese sauce, gravy , apple sauce and by request of the birthday girl - yorkshire pudding!!!! ( I know it is meant to be served with beef but as she doesn't eat the meat she couldn't see why it couldn't go with pork!!). For dessert I made a double pavlova with cream, strawberries and chocolate flakes - also by request of the birthday girl!! Needless to say we didn't need any dinner! Our perfect weekend was finished off watching the final of Masterchef and yes it lived up to our expectations and we were very happy with the result. Hope Julies cookbook is out in time for Christmas!!Quite some time ago, maybe even in May - yes I know how bad I have been, I was lucky enough to win a wonderful giveaway from Indigo Blue and received this lovely parcel . What with the chaos of my life and no camera I haven't posted about it. It was such a wonderful and generous parcel. I received a little bag in cupcake fabric (quite apt as it was through a cupcake swap that we originally met), a Cath Kitson keyring, a pincushion (very needed) and a wonderful selection of ribbons and buttons which have been hidden from the 'horsey' one. Thank you so much Andrea, I feel very blessed to have your friendship.

Silence is golden.

It's 8.55am and the house is quiet, I mean really quiet and apart from a sleeping cat I am the only occupant. It is heavenly!!! After 3 weeks holiday I have this morning delivered my 3 darlings to school without too many objections or problems. The 'horsey' one can't find her favorite school jumper but as it is her own fault for having a room that is likely to be condemmed by the health department shortly for being a health risk I have no sympathy!! I have a list to attack and realistically there is no way I will even reach half way in ticking it off. I intend to dust and vacuum, cook a wholesome yummy dinner, finish a baby quilt (needing to be delivered tomorrow), do some bookwork, read the paper (before it is old news ) and rewatch last nights episode of Desperate Housewives which I slept through!!! ( I have learnt to tape as I watch shows as unfortunately this often happens). I am meeting an old work friend for coffee this afternoon before school pick up and the finish of this glorious day!!!

Totally off the subject and just quickly... I have admitted before that my tv viewing taste is considered by some to be dubious at best but I am just wondering does anyone else watch 'Private Practice'?????? We had the season finale the week before last and I can not get it out of my mind. Is it any further ahead in the States (think this is the finish of season 2) and can anyone tell me if it all turns out okay in the end??? or not?? This Thursday is the season finale of Greys Anatomy, looking like I will need a comfort block of chocolate and a huge box of tissues to watch it. This week is also the final week of Masterchef, our family has loved it and its been nice having a show that we all watch together. Not sure who I'm hoping will win .....

Anyway coffee and the newspaper along with putting on another load of laundry is calling!!

Welcome Sharron!

The last week and a half we have had an even busier household as we welcomed Sharron who will live with us for 11 weeks. She is Chinese from Hong Kong. Some of you may remember when I started blogging we had Sebastian living with us. This is his little sister. He was with us for 18 months before he moved on to Adelaide and boarding school. We still miss him so much. The father likes his children to have a western education and has some association with the school my children go to. It traditionally has quite a few asian boarders. Sebastian was too young to go into the boarding house so he lived with us. It was a huge!!! learning curve. He came to our school to learn the language and culture before going onto a 'bigger and better' school!!!! When we were initially asked to have Sharron we decided we wouldn't simply because of her age but then realised that her father would simply find someone else to have her and at least we know the family and problems that may happen. She is 9 years old and has been sent by herself to live with strangers in a foreign country for 11 weeks. Not quite sure how it can be justified. Apparently the children are academically gifted but we found with Sebastian that yes he was clever but not exceptionally and he had to work very hard at it. Why not let them be gifted with their own age group?? She is a gorgeous little girl who is coming out of her shell more and more every day. She has the most beautiful smile and laugh. The first few days were just horrible with her being very homesick and lots and lots of tears. Something heartbreaking about hearing a little girl sob herself to sleep. Dad thought it was character building and good for her!!

Welcome Sharron, we will do our very best to fill your time with us with positive and fun times!

Finally a finish!!

Remember in the last post that I'd bought a new camera that would become 'the horsey one's ' but not until I'd bought a new camera for myself????? Well she forgot that golden rule and when I finally finished a quilt yesterday 20 minutes before it had to be wrapped and on its way my darling daughter had the camera 30 minutes out of town taking horsey photos!!!! No I wasn't happy ! in fact I was so so so disappointed! Seems like I don't have many finishes and this was the biggest quilt I've ever achieved so to not have photographic proof...... I did take a photo on SH's phone but as to whether I ever work out how to transfer that to the computer!! (think I've admitted before that I'm technologically challenged! The quilt I finished was for my niece Skye's 18th birthday present (just happened that her birthday was in January - oops!). It was lovely and bright and I got it quilted rather than try and tackle that myself. By all accounts when SH delivered it last night she loved it. Unfortunately today I also remembered I hadn't labelled it!

The next quilt I am going to tackle and which I'd hoped to start today (I did get the fabric ironed) is a baby quilt for a workmates grandchild which was due yesterday! (mmm think there is a theme happening of me running behind schedule!!). I have different mint and white patterned fabrics and am going to try a shaggy quilt for the first time. I plan on backing it in polar fleece and am just hoping that will work with the shaggy?? Has anyone tried this ? got some advice??

The planning has finally started coming together for our US trip. This time in 3 months we will be there and half way through our adventure. We've had to modify our plans a little both because the budget was blowing out and we were going to be on too tight time schedule. So far I have booked our accommodation in Anaheim and also our baseball tickets! All of us are looking forward to that, just disappointed we won't be able to get to a basketball match too. The horsey one and I have booked concert tickets (for her really - I am tagging along because I can't let her go to a concert by herself and her Dad and Brother are NOT volunteering for this one!!) to see .....wait for it.......Miley Cyrus!!!!

Anyone got any recommendations for accommodation in San Francisco, Las Vegas or LA - please let me know.

Better go and watch some mindless tv before turning in for the night, I am one episode behind in Desperate Housewifes and as it is on again tomorrow night maybe I better watch that tape. I am still so far behind in my blog reading and commenting and also replying to comments left for me. Thank you for hanging in there with me and one day I promise I will be back on track!!!

Wedding bells are ringing!

Well I'm back again and yes I wasn't overly successful last time!! Why does life think it has the right to get in the way of 'good fun'! As I said I have SO much to share. I have decided to keep my posts short and sweet and much more frequent. Today has to be a pictureless one as we are having a few camera disasters. The horsey one broke her camera in China (she thinks she dropped it one too many times - yep that would do it!!) and lo and behold mine stopped working not long after. I rushed out and bought a new camera for the horsey one on the proviso it was for the whole family until I bought myself a new one. Now it is playing up so it might be back to the shop tomorrow.

Last week my sister (baby if you must know!) celebrated her 40th Birthday. She lives in England and Mum (whose birthday is the same date) was over there celebrating with her. In the evening her partner Iain (they have been together about 15 years) took her for a walk (in the cold and drizzle) along the canal near their home. She was panicking that maybe he'd planned a surprise party and everyone was arriving at that moment!! No need to worry, instead he proposed! To celebrate her accepting he screwed a small plaque into the fencepost that stated they had become engaged at that place on that date!!!!!!!!!!!! How romantic is that? The next exciting part of the story is I may just have to travel to the UK sometime next year to celebrate their wedding. I am so happy for her and wish her and Iain every happiness for the future.

I am still here!

No I haven't fallen off the side of the earth and yes I am alive and well!! Things have just been busy, chaotic, a little crazy and a little overwhelming lately. Those spare minutes I am always looking for have vanished altogether. I haven't been visiting blogs and if I have I haven't been commenting so please forgive me, you are all in my bloglines and I intend catching up with your news as soon as I can! I have lots to share, parcels, family news and there has even been finishes!!! Yes a quilt top is away being quilted as we speak. This week the computer has been in high demand as my HS completes a lot of homework including a large VIP project for school before our mid year holidays start at the end of this week. Oh I wish he had been blessed with 'organised' 'don't leave everything to the last minute' genes!!! Anyway the plan is I will be posting again with some regularity from now and catching up with myself. Wish me luck!!!!

Time to share .........

Think it's time to share some exciting news!!! Had kept it to myself until I had it confirmed, just seemed to be too good to be true!!

I won a major prize in a competition in our Sunday newspapers magazine. It was to celebrate the release of the film Australia on DVD. I received a phone call on my mobile (to enter it was as simple as texting your name and address - obviously someone actually does win these competitions!!!) and was rendered speechless - amazing for me!!!

The prize is a copy of the DVD (which I didn't have and hadn't seen the movie) AND a 12 day tour of the Kimberleys including airfares , accommodation, meals etc from Darwin to Broome for 2 people. It's worth almost $10000.00!!! We actually lived in Broome for 4 years and although we once drove to Darwin (for surf club championships) we haven't done all the gorges , parks and places like El Questro wilderness park on the way. SH must of been a little worried that he wouldn't automatically be the other person going as he was very quick to promise me an Argyle Diamond from the diamond mine in Kunnanurra!!!! We are also going to be able to catch up with very special friends in Broome at the end of the tour. Even better we are being allowed to take the prize next April (the tour only runs in the dry season between April and September) as it was going to be very hard to fit it in this year with our other holiday planned to the States in September. It is going to be something to look forward to and dream about and I feel very blessed that not only do I have one holiday to look forward to but two.
Peter thinks he might like to come too!!!!!!!