There's a New Angel in Heaven

I had one of those phone calls this morning that you hope you never wish to receive.

My sister, Vicki, phoned me. I could hear that something was wrong in her voice. I had a horrible feeling that it was something bad. For a moment I thought she was going to say that something happened to Dad. It wasn't about him. It was about my beautiful niece, Lee-Anne, Vicki's granddaughter. In between sobs I was told about my beautiful niece, who is 5 months pregnant, has lost her baby. Her little girl.

I feel so bad for Lee-Anne & her partner. For her Mum, Kylie, & my sister. I know how it feels to have lost a baby. It's heart breaking. You feel consumed with grief. But you have to go on. You have another child at home who needs you.

I wish I was there to help my sister & nieces but I am 800km (500miles) away. I am sure that the know I would be there if I could. So for now I will just send good thoughts, my love and prayers their way. There isn't anything else I can do.

WIP

Last night I started making a cushion cover using my new crochet hooks.
I was not very good with the measurements though. It is far too small. I'll need to add a border & quite a large one at that.
At least I am using up some of my scraps. I'm loving how it looks so far.

Look What I Just Finished (My 1000th post)

Another cute baby cardigan. All I need to do is add some buttons.

I am feeling more confident reading crochet patterns now. The pattern (JC29NB) for this one is by Heather at Just Crochet. She has a lot of great baby patterns.

I am going to start hunting for patterns for my Tunisian crochet hooks. I'm thinking of making a cushion cover (or two) for some new inserts I have sitting in the cupboard.

Oh My Gosh. I just clicked that this is my 1000th post. I almost let this go by without mentioning it. Who would've thought that when I started my blog in February 2006 that I would still be posting almost 5 and a half years later. I kept my blog to myself for such a very long time and about 18 months ago I decided to share it. I was worried about who would even bother to read the dribble I share. I just want to say thank you to everyone who does spend some time reading about what I have to say. I enjoy reading and replying to your comments. I have met some wonderful people out there in blog-land. You often make my day! So thank you!

Thankful Thursday & Some Other Stuff

I know on a Thursday I usually list a few things I am grateful for but there is something I need to get off my chest first. You see Brodie was a butt head at school today and has been suspended. I receive a phone call at 9:15am stating that I need to come and collect said butt head from school. Not bad considering school starts at 9am and I get a phone call within the first half hour. Needless to say that I am NOT impressed with Brodie. I thought that all of those suspension were well and truly over and done with. It was almost like being transported back a few years when I got 'those' types of phone calls ALL the time.

Here's what I am thankful for this week

• my postie. He brought me my Tunisian crochet hooks this morning (it almost makes up for me having to drive up the mountain to collect Brodie from school)
• the wonderful weather we have had the past couple of days. I might even drag Brodz out for a walk to the chemist & the supermarket. He can be my pack mule helper if I buy anything from the shop (although he has already said he wont do that but I know he will). 
• that Angus has made an attempt at doing some homework this week (not sure how long that will last) 
• that Mark is cleaning up the boys room (not that I am happy with the amount of washing coming out of the room) and it is looking almost 'normal again. I can actually see carpet! 

What are you thankful for this week?

I had to share some photos of my new crochet hooks. They are quite big. Around 35cm (13 inches or so). I am really excited about getting them although I am not exactly sure what I with them yet. I know that I will be checking out some youtube videos though so I can learn how to knit & purl with them. Perhaps there will be some patterns on video too.

My Tunisian Crochet hooks.

They are heavier than I thought they would be.

Another Finished Item

Lee-Anne asked me if I could make some yellow things for her baby. She has bought a lot of pink stuff already. I thought that she may want too much pink but she said you can never have too much pink. Which is a shame really because I wanted an excuse to buy some purple or mint yarn to make some pretty baby things with. Shhhh I know my stash of yarn consists of 6 very full boxes of stuff but can you ever really have too much? That's a rhetorical question by the way. There is no need to answer.

Why do items look better when you are making them & not when they've been sewn together?

Now to decide what my next project will be....

Things I Have Learnt

Things I have learnt:

• that it's nice to get phone calls from your Visiting Teachers especially when you don't expect it
• that having the missionaries pop around for a talk/discussion/message can be very uplifting
• that cuddling your cat can make you feel really good
• that your children can say the most amazing things and make you smile
• that your children can say things that will make you blush, cringe, cry or even scream
• that sitting or walking in the sunshine on a cold day helps keep the blues away
• that there are some really nice people on twitter who actually care about you
• that hanging out the washing during winter is not always a good idea
• that C.K. will hog the bed if you are not careful. For a cat he takes up A LOT of room! 
• that singing or dancing in the supermarket is a great way to embarrass the teenagers (payback for them embarrassing me)

I am sure that there are more things that I have learnt that I could list. I just can't remember them right now :D

Doctor Who

I love Doctor Who. I know its not everyone's cup of tea but this new Doctor is just so much fun! Although I do miss David Tennant.  Here's a sneak peak at the second half of Series 6. I can't wait!!

A Day Away From The Computer

I thought I would have a day away from the computer today. Annoy the kids and all that. Catch up on some of those TV shows that I had recorded on my PVR. Shows like:

Quantum Leap

I love Scott Bakula's character Sam Beckett in Quantum Leap. Brodie likes him because he became Captain Jonathan Archer on Enterprise (A Star Trek series). I have to admit I like Al too.

7th Heaven

I like finding out what issues & challenges face the Camden family. I also like the fact that my boys love watching this show too. It certainly doesn't hurt that may be learning something new & helpful.

Touched By An Angel

Same goes with this show. I like the fact that its good wholesome family viewing. Something without swearing and violence which I think we all see or hear too much of on TV.

My latest project. Another crocheted baby item.

Of course while I was sitting in front of the TV I did keep myself busy. I have been working on another baby item for one of my nieces. I've managed to make the back and the two front panels of the cardigan. I started working on the sleeves a short time ago. Although I am finishing for the night. I realised that I hadn't posted today (shock horror!) and thought that I should do that before I hit the sack.

That was my Sunday. Well most of it. I wont bore you with the rest of it. I hope you've had a good weekend :)

An Afternoon Stroll

It was such a lovely day today that I dragged the boys out for a walk with me to the supermarket. I only wanted a couple of things and taking the boys with me meant I didn't have to carry it by myself. I knew there was a reason to have kids other than to do the dishes =P

One of the Churches in town

The picture below of the hill by the supermarket doesn't do it justice. It really is much steeper than it looks. I have to admit that today's walk felt better than last weekends one on the same hill. Although I didn't walk up it this time around. At least I managed to burn off some of that glucose. I'm crossing my fingers that any BGL's I do later will be better than yesterdays. There were a tad on the higher side but still within the normal range, thank goodness.

The Coles Hill (well its the hill by Coles supermarket)

Not that I timed myself but I am pretty sure that I did more than the 30 minutes exercise that Karen (my Diabetes Educator) & Kerry (my dietitian) recommended and I feel pretty good about that!

Finished Object - another baby blanket

Last night I finished another baby blanket. Now I have the pale pink and the hot pink blankets to send to my nieces. Now that they are done I have no idea what to make. I know it will probably be some more baby items but that's about all I know. Maybe I will look through those vintage knitting books again and make something from them.

Ta Da

Not bad , even if I do say so myself   =P

Time to go get some housework done. I think the washing machine is calling my name *sigh*

Thankful Thursday

Here's what I am thankful for this week:

• that I am doing so well with monitoring my diabetes that my Diabetes Educator said I didn't have to come back and see her until the middle of October
• I have managed to lose just over 3 kilos (around 6-7 lbs) with out even trying.
• that Mark is super clever when it comes to fixing the car. He's had to fix a couple of things this week.
• that school has gone back and we survived another lot of school holidays. I do love the boys but I do enjoy the break I get when they are back at school.
• when I saw the dietitian last Friday she said I was doing really well already and making the right choices. 
• for the cold wet weather especially when I hear how hot it is in the northern hemisphere right now.

What are you thankful for this week?

More Vintage Knitting Books

I thought I would share the last of the photos that I took of the vintage patterns that my niece, Kylie, gave me.

Sadly this one didn't have a cover.

 

I love the classic look of some of these items.

Some of the patterns look lovely and would fit in quite nicely with today's fashion. In one of the books there was even a pattern called Jo-anne. I had to laugh when I read the name. It even had the right spelling too. I have seriously thought of knitting it but for now I am concentrating on crochet. I don't seem to have a lot of patience for knitting at the moment.

Do new Mums put bootees on their babies these days?

I have found a few books like these on ebay. I almost put a bid on them, almost :D

That baby vest/singlet I finished last week was from one of these books. You can go here to see what it looked like if you haven't seen it already :)

Time to go do some more crocheting before I need to go out again. I have another appointment with my Diabetes Educator today. I can't wait to show her that app on my phone that allows me to keep track of everything. And of course to show her how good my BGL's are.

Tunisian Crochet Hooks

Mark & I went to my favourite store today (Spotlight) and I was very disappointed that they didn't have what I was looking for. I wanted to get some Tunisian crochet hooks. Mark had asked one of the workers there if they had any in store because I couldn't find them with the knitting needles & the crochet hooks. They didn't even know what Mark was talking about. They had never heard of them. Looks like I will need to get them from ebay.

I did discover something during my googling & that is maybe we asked for these hooks by a name they girls at Spotlight didn't know. These hooks are also called afghan or tricot hooks depending on where you're from I guess. I had no idea. You learn something new every day :D

Okay I've done it now. I've bought the aluminium ones like the ones in the picture. I got them from ebay and they're coming from England. I wonder how long that will take. With any luck I might get them at the end of next week :)

Pfttt Cars

Cars can be such a drain on the finances can't they?! Of all days for the car to play up it's today. Why couldn't it be last week when we didn't really have anything planned? But NO it has to be today when school is back with a new term & I have an appointment to get to.

The windscreen wipers on the car wont work only trouble is it's raining. It's something really simple to fix. Or so I had hoped. Like a blown fuse but it doesn't seem to be.

Now that the car is okay. I'm going Op shopping!
I ♥love♥ that Mark is able to work on cars. That he is good at the electrical side of things. He said that it seems to be something to do with the ignition switch. He's working on it at the moment.

- - -  Lucky me! - - - Just had a phone call from the Community Health Centre where the Diabetes Educator works. My DE isn't well and they wanted to reschedule my appointment. Well that worked out perfectly because I was about to phone them and ask to reschedule anyway. I now go on Wednesday afternoon. I guess we are being smiled upon once again.

Back to the car. Mark is brilliant! He's fixed the wipers. It was something to do with the power not getting through to the fuse for the wipers. Thank goodness that it was relatively easy for Mark to fix.

On the weekend I took the boys to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. We were very fortunate to buy the last three tickets for the session we wanted to see. When we were lining up we were told there were thirteen tickets left. I was hoping that we would be able to see it as I didn't really wish to come back another time. I felt bad because there were a lot of people behind us wanting to buy tickets.

We have been waiting patiently for this to hit the big screen & it was worth waiting for. If you're a Potter fan & you get the chance to see it go. You will enjoy it. The special effects are worth seeing on the big screen.

Now that the car is fixed. I am going Op Shopping. Who knows I might find a bargain or two.

It's Market Day

Oh boy am I pooped. I just got back from a walk. Yes you read correctly I said walk. That horrible 'swear' word that means exercise!

Brodie & I went for a walk to the farmers market (I had to say it again just in case you didn't read it in the first couple of sentences). Thank goodness there was a lot of stuff there to entertain me while my hip was hurting. Stuff that would take my mind off being sore & unfit. I didn't mind looking at the new stall with lots of pretty handbag or the stall with the clothes or even the one with all the hand-knitted items that I think are a bit too expensive. I enjoyed the slow amble past all the things that were on offer.

This is Des's fruit & veg stall. I stop by here every time I visit the market. That's Des on the right.

Of course I stopped at that stall that has all the yummy dried fruits & nuts for sale. I bought some of those curries peanuts. Oh how I love them. I probably should only have a few of these considering they aren't exactly 'plain' nuts that the dietitian recommended. I think just a few should be okay. You can't totally deprive yourself from all things nice. It would make things stressful and unbearable. Right?
I did buy some healthy things. Like dried fruits & nuts, fresh apples and some yummy vegetables (cauliflower, brussel sprouts & green beans).

On the way home Brodie said I complained too much about walking up the hill. It's pretty steep (even out old car didn't like going up that hill). Considering how unfit I am I think I did a pretty good job! So shhhhh please Brodz, stop picking on me :P

As we were walking up the driveway (yes that is on a bit of a hill too) I was thinking who decided we should love in a town with so many hills? (although we were desperate to get out of that caravan park & we did take the first place we were offered) And who decided it was a good idea to walk to the market today if the weather was nice? Oh right that was me. Guess I can't blame anyone then can I *rolls eyes*. At least I am feeling a bit better now that I have rested.

My Visit To The Dietitian

I just got back from seeing the dietitian, Kerry. I had a wonderful talk with her.

The first thing she asked was if I was on any medication for my diabetes. I said yes and explained to her how disappointed I was that I wasn't given the chance to have a go at controlling this without medication. She agreed with me. Its good to see that I am not the only one who thought that it was unfair.

I showed Kerry the app I have on my phone called on track. Its a great little app that allows me to keep track of my BGL, blood pressure, carb intake (not that I use that bit) and weight. It has all these graphs and gives the daily average plus what my HbA1c level might be. Personally I think its a great way to keep everything with me so that I can show my DE & Dr. F when I see them & not have to carry a little booklet.

It was good to learn that I am already doing the right thing. When I explained to her that a lot of the changes to whole grains and low fat were made a long time ago & that there were only a few adjustments that I needed to do she said that it was great. Too many changes at once causes stress (and I know all about that don't I!)

Of course I had to get on the scales while I was there but guess what?!?! I have lost 3 kg (that's around 6 lb) since my GP weighed me about a month ago. I ♥ her scales. That also means my scales at home weren't telling fibs either, like I thought they were. They showed I had lost about 2.5 kg. Either way that's good right? and I wasn't even trying! :D

Kerry said that I shouldn't just focus on my weight. So I explained to her that I would be happy if I was able to maintain my weight but if I lost anything that would be a bonus.

What I need to do is just adjust a few things to make sure my BGL isn't too low at night time (like it was last night 4.4 mmol/L) That I should probably eat a slightly higher level of carbs at lunch rather than none at all like I have done a few times.

Kerry also said that if I have any favourite recipes at home that we haven't used for fear of them being too high in carbs that I should bring them to my next visit so that we can adapt them. The idea is to just watch what I eat and not deprive myself of the things we really like to eat.

It feels good to know that I am doing the right thing already and that I am actually losing weight. All I need to do is make sure I do that horrible thing I don't like doing (you know that swear word) ..exercise and drink more water.
I go back for a review in a month.

Thankful Thursday

Another week has flown by. Honestly where does the time go? I have to admit that this week has been better than last week. Although I do have some roller-coaster moments but doesn't everyone?

Here's what I am thankful for this week:

• going shopping in my favourite store. I LOVE Spotlight and all that delicious yarn found there!
• my family. Even though we have some rough moments the good always out-weighs the bad
• my blood glucose levels. I know its a strange thing to be thankful for but I have had some excellent readings this week. 11/14 being within the 'normal' range. Go me!
• best friends. Even though I don't talk to my bestie very often she is there when I truly need her. I ♥ Mish!

What are you thankful for this week?

What Day Is It?

Do you ever have those weeks when you wonder what day of the week it is? It's been one of those weeks/days for me. School holidays tend to do that to me. The days blend together and I forget. Only four more days to go and the school holidays are over. Then its back to the usual school routine. In some ways I am looking forward to that but not the fact that it will still be very cold in the mornings when I have to take the boys to the bus stop & school. I don't mind winter so much its just the cold starts to the day.

Baby Vest

I finished another knitted item for one of my nieces. Since they are both having girls I have no idea who to give it to. Maybe I should make two then I wont have to worry about who gets it or not. The pattern for the vest came from one of my vintage books. One I haven't shared with you yet but I will soon.
I have now started on a bright pink & white entrelac blanket like the other one I made. You can check that one out here if you haven't seen it already.

Time to go warm up a little then go prepare tea or I might have some very hungry teens on my hands.

Happy Birthday Brodie!

I can't believe that my number one son is now 18 years old! 

It wasn't all that long ago that I was teaching him to walk & talk.

He's gone from this cute little baby ...

Brodie age 1

To this hairy young man! What a transformation.

The Birthday Boy today

Now that you're officially an adult all the fun begins! You're going to have a wonderful journey and make lots of great memories to cherish!

I hope you have a wonderful day Brodie! 

All my love

Mum

xoxo

Hooks & Humour

Many thanks to Yvette from the knit4charities group who shared this funny email with the group. It's too good to keep it all to myself :D


Hooks & Humor: Funny Crochet Definitions

Do those crochet terms and abbreviations have you stumped? Read on…

Pattern: A set of written instructions that may or may not result in creating the object in the picture. Most patterns include a list of supplies, but this is for your amusement only. After all, Amazonian Rhesus yarn in smoky turquoise does not exist, and cannot be obtained. Patterns also have fun-to-do math problems, such as 1 dc in next 7 dc (34 dc made)…?!

Yo: Yarn Over, meaning you need to wrap your yarn over your hook. Of course, this assumes the yarn doesn't split, fray or tangle. If this happens, yo then stands for, "Yell Outrageously."

Dtrtrc: Double-treble-treble-crochet. This is a stitch where you yo four zillion times, insert hook in stitch and pull through the next two loops, repeating until all loops are off the hook, or until the end of time, whichever comes first.

Reverse sc: This stitch is the lefty's revenge on all of us righties—for once we have to work backwards, too!

Catalog: A dangerous device that hypnotizes crocheters. It lulls them into a catatonic state, causing them to spend the family's grocery money on patterns and yarn. It may also be an evil plot to cause the downfall of the American economy.

Hook: A device permanently attached to a crocheter's hand. It is also connected to her blood supply, and if for some reason it becomes dislodged from her hand, she breaks into a sweat and starts to feel faint. If the hook cannot be immediately replaced, the only valid substitute is a catalog (see above).

Yarn: The only reason sheep farms still exist! It's also what crocheters buy when they have money; if there's any cash left over, they buy food and clothes.

Doily: This seemingly innocent item looks like a table protector, but if someone actually tries to put a wet glass or an ashtray on it, the creator will instantly turn into a snarling Doberman. Use doilies at your own peril.

Cat: A non-mechanical device used for unraveling afghans, unwinding skeins and keeping one's lap warm. A cat requires daily maintenance in the form of light stroking.

Dog: Another non-mechanical device that is used for chasing down balls of yarn and putting tooth-mark engravings in wooden hooks. It's a high-maintenance item that does not store easily.

Baby: A valid excuse to crochet something.

Housework: An ancient rite that was performed by some B.C. women (Before Crochet). Historians believe it may have had something to do with a device called a "vacuum cleaner," which was kept in closets now occupied by yarn.

Vintage Knitting Book - 1939

This was another great find by my niece, Kylie. Haven't the styles changed a lot in the past 70 years. It's kind of hard to believe that I own a book that is so old.

 

I can totally imagine my Mum wearing something like this when she was a teenager.

 

I could see someone wearing this today, even with the slightly puffy sleeves.

 

I guess they knitted just about everything you needed to wear during the depression. 

I could just imagine a librarian wearing one of these.

 

A lot less frilly than the bed jacket I shared the other day. 

 

I hadn't heard of pilchers in reference to a baby in a very long time. 

I don't suppose some younger Mums would even know what they were.
Can you imagine that the baby in this photo is probably a grandparent or even a great grandparent now? 

 

I remember my Mum buying this soap (and Camay) when I was little. Do they make Lux any more? 

 

Don't you love these old ads? 

 I still have some more photos to share but I will leave that for later on. I don't want to overload you with pictures :) 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!! 

Out For A Drive

Mark & I went for a drive towards the city today. Mark bought something on ebay and we decided that pick up would be the way to go this time. It wasn't all that far really (about an hours drive) and it gave us the chance to get out of the house and go to my favourite store on the way home!! Well it wasn't really on the way home but since we were in that general direction :D

My favourite store - we went to Narre Warren this time.

I drove towards Melbourne's outer suburbs. The closer we got the them the more traffic there was. For a Saturday afternoon the roads were quite busy. I would hate to be there during peak hour that's for sure. It was busy enough that I was starting to feel stressed. I got Mark to drive us to Spotlight and then home.

I am definitely a country girl now. Give me the lovely, relatively quiet, country roads and the section of the M1 freeway that is not that busy and I am a happy girl! Next time we need to head anywhere near the big smoke I will just hand the keys to Mark and say "Hon, you're driving!"

On the way home just outside Pakenham

Look at one of the pretty views we had on the way home. We are just so spoilt with all the rolling hills and the green grass everywhere. I just love the countryside :D

Mark encouraged me to buy this stuff :D

While we were in Spotlight Mark totally encouraged me to buy some more yarn/wool. How many people could honestly say that their other half said go ahead buy some MORE stuff to knit & crochet with! I love him soooooo much! He rocks!!
Narre Warren has a lot more yarn/wool to select from than the Morwell store. More than double the stock. The only problem is the traffic. If it wasn't so busy at Narre I would go more often.

Mark told me I should get the baby lustre yarn to put pretty edging on blankets or clothes.

I know that I bought a lot of pink again but I found out yesterday that my other niece who is expecting her second baby in early December is having a little girl. So BOTH of my nieces are having pink babies! There's about 6 weeks difference between their due dates.

Ta Da! Here's that pink baby blanket with the border on it.

I'm thinking that the extra bright pink yarn would make a fantastic entrelac blanket like the one I just finished. Hot pink & white would look great!

Vintage Knitting Book - 1954

PoetessWug talked about some Vintage crochet patterns that she has over on her blog this week. You can check out her posts here and here. So I thought that I would dig out my vintage patterns and share them with you.  My niece, Kylie, found them for me in an Op Shop many years ago. I think they were a great find.

1954 was the year my sister Vicki was born (she is Kylie's Mum)

This is an old Australian Women's Weekly book. I wonder how long Women's Weekly has been around? I think that 1'6 was the price. It would be nice to know how much that is in today's money.

Clothing tended to look more figure hugging back in the 50's, don't you think? To me it looked more elegant that way but you would never catch me wearing something like that. I have way too many curves :P and they wouldn't look good in anything that looked so tight.

Have a look at that old Cadbury chocolate Ad.

How elegant is that red dress with its matching cardigan/jacket? I bet that took a long time to knit! I would lose interest if I was to make something that time consuming. I ummm and ahhhh about making adults clothing now because it takes too long to knit. Can you imagine knitting that dress? I guess that's why I am learning to make more crochet items. I love how much faster that is.

Look at the frills on that bed jacket! Frills like that were back in fashion in the 1980's. Scary!

Bed jackets? I don't think I know of anyone who ever wore those. Except for some actresses in the movies perhaps.

These look like such classics now.

I can just imagine someone like Doris Day wearing these clothes. I think that some of these might even be back in fashion today.

Do you love vintage things? Have you got any special older items that you cherish? I would love to hear about them.