Finally a finish......

Well yesterday (at work!!!) I finished my Sashimo embroidery. It is certainly not perfect but I loved doing it. I bought another panel at the same time - this time navy thread on white, and just can't wait to get started on it. Now I am not sure what to do with it, all suggestions welcome! It is about 30cm square. I have thought of framing it, making a table runner or a cushion. I am actually thinking I would love to do a quilt of Japanese fabrics with some of these embroidery's set into it.

Lots of puppy but not much quilting!!!

Well 'SH' was in Sydney this weekend to see his beloved football team Geelong, the 'Cats' play!! He has gone with some mates he worked with 20 years ago. They started then going interstate once a year to see Geelong play and some combination of the group has gone every year since. 'SH' hasn't been for about 4 years and was really looking forward to the weekend away. I did try and gently remind him that the 4 of them were all 20 years older now and to keep that in mind!!

He will get back tonight, probably tired but happy!! and with lots of stories to tell and probably just as many he won't tell......

Therefore I have been on puppy duty for the weekend. I love Jimmy dearly but as you can tell from previous posts I am finding a puppy in the house challenging! He turned 8 weeks old yesterday so really is only a baby. I took him to a horse competition yesterday and he had a wonderful day out in the 'great outdoors', so many things to smell, chew and eat!!! These photos show how he is growing and how cute he is!! The one in the blue towell is how he finally fell asleep yesterday in the 5 lone minutes of sun we had.

Kids of course were busy. 'HS' refereed (is this even a word?) 4 games of basketball on Friday night, then the 'Horsey' one played hockey Saturday afternoon. Her team won their 2nd game of the season and she scored a goal so glad I left quilting early to watch. She had a Dressage and Showjumping competition yesterday and won her Dressage class and went clear in 2 rounds of SJ, if we don't mention the other 2 rounds she was eliminated it was a good day!!!!

Stitching wise I am still plodding along on my Sashimo and my Noah's ark blocks. I picked them up when I could on the weekend and actually got to quilting for a few hours saturday afternoon. My machine should be back from being serviced this week so that will help things along!!

Finally some photos.....

I can finally reveal photos of what I sent to my swap partner 'Indigo Blue' in the cupcake swap that Rachael Rabbit organised. She was on holiday and had to wait to return home to receive it. It is sort of like a jewellery roll that you keep your cake forks, spoons, knives and slide in. The outside is crazy patchwork which was my first attempt at that. Overall I am pleased with it , I think I would make it again (I was always going to make myself one at the same time but ran out of time!!). I also sent Andrea some silicone cupcake moulds - one of my new favorite things in the kitchen, some cupcake buttons and of course some tea. She seemed pleased with the parcel so that is the main thing. It was the first swap I had taken part in but definately won't be the last!

A Happy Dance!

I am doing a happy dance!!! I have just got back from doing groceries and no that is not the reason, but while doing the said groceries the latest copy of my favorite craft/quilting magazine was in, 'Homespun'. I have brought it home , now I have to savour it unopened for a while then when I have a luxourious hour ( I know that is non existant but you have to pretend!!) I sit down with a proper coffee and some chocolate and enjoy every page. Like to join me??? I actually bought a 2nd copy so if there is anyone overseas who can't buy it locally that would like a copy let me know. I will pop it in the mail to the first person to leave a comment.
On the stitching front I sat down last night in front of the Olympics (Aussie Aussie Aussie!!!) and did some more of my Sashimo stitching. It is coming along nicely now and I have had to discipline myself all day to do my jobs and not pick it up!!
On the puppy front Jimmy slept all last night so is not up for adoption today!!

Sleeping puppies are very cute.....

I can't believe it's a week since I posted! Not sure where the time goes but this bundle of cuteness has had something to do with it!! No one told me puppies were so exhausting or such hard work. We picked Jimmy up on Tuesday night and not sure that I've had a full nights sleep since! (the rest of the family have developed selective hearing!) Think toilet trips outside in the freezing cold in the middle of the night hold little appeal! He has fitted in well and we just love him to bits. An added bonus is that he plays with toys, something Jess has never done and something the kids have always wanted her to do. We will start puppy training as soon as possible, any hints particularly about chewing gratefully received!

We all went to the school play on Saturday night which was particularly well done although heavy going. It was 'The Crucible', a book I studied in English Lit all those many years ago. I at least had a sense of the story whereas the kids took a while to get where it was and where it was going. The school alternates between a musical one year and a straight drama the next. This year for the first time they are also producing a middle years musical which is the one 'the horsey one' is in soon. I think we will enjoy that outing more!

The Olympics of course are well underway. I am something of a couch potato at the moment. I love watching them. I didn't make it the whole way through the opening ceremony on Friday night but did catch up with what I'd missed on Saturday morning when it was replayed. I thought it was quite spectacular. I will watch most of the sports but love the gymnastics (the horsey one used to be a gymnast before she went to the dark side which is horses!!)and the swimming. Let me just point out I have no coordination whatsoever and do not play sports! I would love to but it just doesn't work. Luckily the kids received SH's sporting genes.....

I have actually acheived some stitching this weekend. Didn't quite get the sewing machine out as intended but something is better than nothing! I have finished - yes finished!! my christmas redwork stitching which I will post a photo of as soon as I dig out the frame I want to put it in. I also finished 2 of the 'Simple things quilt' stitchings. One of these I am going to frame as a gift and the other is for the quilt. I have now done 2/12 so still a few to go. Yesterday I also began a new project (well I had finished one!), and started a 'sashimo' (hope thats right) Japanese embroidery that I bought in Melbourne at the craft fair a few weeks ago. It is white on navy and I am loving doing it so far. Hopefully you will see some photos of finished articles before the week is out! I am back on my plan this week of working on one project each day so will report in. Have a great week.

So many exciting things to show and tell!

Well it was another busy weekend in Chocolate Cat land as SH would say!! We had a boarder to stay, Bree is in HS's year but as she is horsey she gets on very well with the 'horsey' one. We actually banned horse talk at times!! Bree is from Tasmania so only gets home on the holidays. I seemed to spend a lot of the weekend baking! The 'horsey' one and Bree had a clinic with lessons (riding) both Saturday and Sunday so I supplied a hedgehog slice, a ginger and pear upside down cake, and some banana muffins. Saturday evening we made our own pizzas. Mine began as gourmet - pumpkin, fetta and chicken, but I decided I couldn't have pizza without cherry tomatos, mushroom and onion as well so it grew. It was Yummy! Sunday evening we cooked a beautiful big roast beef with the best yorkshire pudding..... I baked a pavlova for dessert, was pretty good if I do say so myself!

We also made a chocolate cake which we sent back to the boarding house with Bree!

Monday was a holiday from school as 'Sheepvention' was on, it's a big field day type sheep show that the whole town stops for. Unfortuantly I had to work so it was the first year in a while I haven't been able to go. SH and the kids went and had a great time seeing what was around.

Luckily the Post Office didn't have the day off as I got some fantastic mail yesterday. I got a pattern I had ordered 'Woof' by Lynette Anderson. It really appeals to me! I also got a parcel from the '4 wise monkeys' . I won a giveaway on this blog a little while ago. I received my very own copy of Rosalie Quinlan's book 'Gift'. I have already earmarked some projects to start on, think it might even be this weekend if I can find fabric!! I also received a little bag. I had admired the ladybug stitching on Rachels blog (they are a favorite of mine) but never imagined they would ever belong to me. I don't think I have ever seen such wonderful stitching, puts mine to shame. The little bag is all my colors and will be treasured.

Last night I attended a 'gathering ' for the boarding school I attended quite some years ago. They have a stand at Sheepvention so have a get together each year with old students, old parents and current parents. I was able to catch up with a teacher that was special to me. He is getting older and is quite unwell, it may be the last year he makes it here.

This afternoon was quite a momentous occassion in our house and very exciting!! We have a puppy to join our menagerie (and before anyone worries Jess is okay and doing well and we are hoping this will give her a new lease of life). His name is Jimmy (for those Victorians - after Jimmy Bartel, the Geelong footballer), he is 6 weeks old, he is part kelpie / part whippet (the same as Jess) and oh so so cute. We had no intentions of getting a puppy but he was advertised in the newspaper and just seemed like it was meant to be. Jess was 1 when we got her so we have never had a puppy. I have been shopping and bought an amazing amount of things, a bed,a playpen, kennel, food, porridge!,and toys!!!