February?????

If the Grinch stole Christmas, who stole January????? I cant believe its February already......that means that next week these two..........

........are back to school and what a huge year its going to be!!!!

We have had a relaxing holiday, lots of sleep ins, PJ days, swimming, LEGO, reading and cooking. Its about this time of year that I really wish I homeschooled these two. I love spending my days with them and dropping them off at school on Wednesday is going to be hard.

I just wanted to share their own little places here on the internet. Maddi has dreams of becoming a doctor but she is also an aspiring writer. She has her own blog here and over the holidays has been interviewing other unpublished authors as well as sharing all her teenage loves.......like her new addiction, clothes!!! She is part of a wonderful supportive community of writers and is able to contribute and learn so much.

Cohen dreams of being a scientist (this week anyway lol) but for his birthday he wanted a camcorder to make his own movies. He loves anything Lego or Pokemon and watches 100's of You Tube reviews. He is just starting to make his own movies and trust me, he is soooooooo cute. You can watch his movie here.

Guess with the holidays almost over, Ive got no excuse not to get back to work!!! Quilty post soon!

Abundantly Simple!

The simple, fun and versatile Nine Patch Block. When I was teaching my Country Sampler quilt, this was the block we started with. Watching the joy in someones face when they completed their first block was wonderful!! This humble little block is responsible for a few addicted quilters out there!

These fabrics are gorgeous......they are Simple Abundance by Bonnie and Camille and I just love the strong colours and the wonderful paisleys!! I need to make quite a few more of these blocks for a new design Im working on. Fun!!!

Almost as much fun as a lazy afternoon spent skimming stones (or in Cohens case...throwing stones lol) into the river!!

Reminds you to treasure the simple things in life!!!

Great To Be "8"

It seems like yesterday that you came into our lives and hearts.....

.....and then we blinked and you were this gorgeous 8 year old little man!!

Happy Birthday Cohen!

You make us smile, you make us proud and you make us feel loved!

Have a wonderful day and may all your dreams and hopes come true!!

Love from Mum, Dad and Maddi xxx

Lets Have A Garden Party

Back in August, I shared this little sneak peek of a magazine commission I had just finished:

And now I can finally reveal that it was a summer tablecloth called Garden Party, designed for Creating Country Threads Vol 10 No 5:

Dont they do such wonderful photos?? I really love seeing how they present the projects and this issue has some gorgeous ones that you will want to try!

I do love this and was eager to get my sample back and when it arrived before Xmas I was thrilled! The Dresden Plate was made using Anne Idas method and the tutorial for it is on my sidebar and I love the border pinwheels, so pretty!

Nothing says summer better than butterflies, flowers and parasols (thanks Jules) and the stitcheries frame each corner so well. I had a lot of fun stitching these and dont be deterred by the Satin Stitch, Ive added my little tip for neatening it when finished!!

I had this little corner of our garden in mind while designing it. It does look pretty out there and is perfect for a lazy afternoon with some coffee and cake. Hope you love it as much as I do!!

Just finally, Anne Ida and I have decided to use our 2009 Resolution again for 2010. It worked well for both of us and eliminated a pile of UFO's that I seem to add each year. Feel free to copy Annes Ida's lovely badge and add it to your own blog to help keep those pesky UFO's at bay!

TwentyTen!!!

Its all about family time at our house right now and with 2010 underway, we know its going to be a huge year, so we are taking our time in getting back to reality! Like those drifting bubbles, our lives will head in different directions with school and work, so we are holding on to each and every moment of this precious summer holiday!

I love having them all at home..........lazy afternoons spent reading (thanks for the book Leigh, Im loving it!!), lots of new recipes to try, swimming, DVD nights, BBQ'ed everything!!!

We have lots of goals for 2010.......as a family and individually and it will be interesting to see what this new year has in store for us!

Im doing a little stitching, when I find the time, working on my big project for Threadbare. Its coming together slowly and Im loving it! Ive also cut into a Jelly Roll for a new quilt design but Im in no hurry......Its all about making the most of the this wonderful family time!
Hope 2010 is a good year for everyone!!

Xmas Cooking!!

So whats the best part of Xmas cooking??? The wonderful smells?? the chocolate truffles?? the shortbread biscuits?? the plum pudding???...........nah, its definitely the clean-up:

Thats the "lick the bowl" kinda clean-up lol

Merry Xmas from our family to yours. May it be safe, full of joy and a wonderful time spent with family and friends!!!

Let the Holidays Begin!!

Its the kids last day of school today and then the holidays begin!! Both kids have had a fantastic year and you really have to commend the teachers on their hard work, their patience and guidance. They have done a wonderful job!!!

Its been a time of assemblies, BBQ's, concerts, SRC campaign/voting (congrats Mad on becoming SRC for 2010, wohoo!!!) and the production of Romeo and Juliet:

As a Shakespeare fan, I was eager to see the modernisation of the play and it was fantastic!! The teachers and kids should be very proud of the work they put into such an wonderful performance. It was great to see so many parents and relatives supporting the night and gaining a new understanding of a classic!

What little time Ive had left has been spent in the studio:

(playing around with the mystery quilt blocks)

(and stitching at night on a new design for 2010)

I know both kids will be eager for 3pm this afternoon and so will I (last school run of the year!!!!).

Let the holidays begin!!