Thankful Thursday

Here's what I am thankful for this week:

• Sunshine. Although it's been seen rarely its sure been nice when its out.
• Music. I've spent a lot of time playing music this past week. Singing my heart out 
• Hospitals. My niece Lee-Anne is in the hospital at the moment. Seems that her bubz wants to arrive a lot sooner than expected (12 weeks early). So she's in the best possible place at this moment in time. Please cross your fingers for her and the baby.
• School - and getting a break from my boys. I love them but they get on my nerves sometimes and when they're at school it's like having respite.

What are you thankful for this week?

WIP - Crocheted Beret

Here's my latest project. I thought I would actually make something for myself. I decided that since winter officially starts at the end of this week I would make myself a hat to wear. I've always wanted a beret but not just any beret it had to be crocheted. So when I came across this pattern a while back I saved it and I started making it yesterday.

You can get the pattern HERE

This is what the finished beret is meant to look like.

With any luck I'll have it finished this afternoon (~_~)

He Had Something To Talk About

Brodie had his first public speaking engagement yesterday. It's part of that Ambassador's Program he and I did earlier this year. He went to a Secondary College in Traralgon and spoke with some of the Yr 12 kids and their parents.

Brodz was desperate for me to join him but I wasn't invited to this one although I guess I could have gone there if I wanted too. I thought it would be good for him to be able to have a go at his talk without me being there. He needs to be a bit more grown up and he needs to be able to do things without his Mum in tow. That's my thinking and I'm sticking with it. It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I don't like speaking in big groups either (+_+)

Anyway, Brodie was very excited about the fact that he DID his talk. He was told by one of the parents that he definitely had their attention and they were listening to everything he had to say. Brodz was also very excited that the audience were laughing with him when he made a few jokes. He had this HUGE smile on his face when he told me that they did NOT laugh at him at all. He really needed this confidence boost. He puts himself down ALL the time so the timing for this was very good thing.

There was one more thing Brodie was happy about. He will be receiving a cheque for $100. I bet he's already worked out what he would love to spend his money on too.

I'm just happy that there was a good outcome for this. That there is this program that allows special needs kids to talk about themselves. Something that shows the community that they aren't just a label & that they do have talents and can achieve things.

Taking A Sick Day ... He Better Not Be Faking It

This morning I got a phone call from Angus's school before school even started stating how he has been sick while walking to school and could I come and collect him. The thing is it's the second week in a row on the EXACT same day (Monday) that he has been unwell. I don't know if he is pulling a sickie or not. He's very clever to state that he vomited on the way to school. He walks alone so it cannot be verified.

To be honest I seriously think that there is a class on Mondays that he dreads. Although he has stated that he likes ALL of his classes. I mentioned this to the school nurse, Maureen, so she let me speak with Angus. I told him that I would collect him today. That I am suspicious about his being sick each Monday. That when we got home he would be going straight to bed. That if I find out after he's slept for a while that he is a fraud he will be cleaning the bedroom for the rest of the day! Let's see if that makes him feel better or not!

So now I sit here wondering if Angus is a fraud and just suffering from Monday-itis or if he is truly unwell. He's asleep at the moment. I guess I just wait and find out what he's like once he gets out of bed!

WIP - Crocheted Scarf

 

Here's what I have been working on this week. I did have a few days off from crocheting though. I was resting my eye & that was before I got to see the doctor (o_o)  I can be a good girl sometimes (~_~)

I'm using some of the left over yarn that I had when I made Kylie's vest earlier this month.

The pattern I am using is similar to this one HERE its called Paul's "sweet guys" scarf. However I am making this one to send to Kylie along with the vest and a crocheted baby dress that I made for her grand-daughter (although bubz isn't hear just yet).

I'm off to put some tassels on the ends. I've never added tassels to anything before so this should be interesting (o_0)

The Eyes Have It

This past week I have been having problems with my right eye. Nothing serious (well I don't think it is - it's been weepy and itchy & on Thursday it started swelling) but I went to the doctor to get it checked out. Get this. Our Doctors Clinic has 8 doctors working there. My GP however is on holiday until the middle of June. Knowing Dr. F he's probably visiting family in Europe.

I phoned the clinic on Wednesday but I was unable to see anyone until late Friday morning. I know that all of the doctors there work part time and with it almost being winter I guess they're pretty busy.

Anyway I saw a doctor yesterday, Dr. T. I've never seen him before and he was really nice and helpful although his accent made it a little difficult to understand him. I had to concentrate when he was speaking. Nothing against him he was just very softly spoken. After he put on some gloves, shone the light in my eye and had a look he gave me some antibiotic ointment to use for the next 4-5 days. He told me that he was a bit concerned about the lump/swelling that had formed, that it may be an infection of some kind & that if the ointment doesn't work he wants me back there next week. Oh and get this I had to rest my eye. How on earth does someone rest their eye? I can't not read, crochet or watch TV. Do I just close it while I try and do my regular activities or do I cover it with an eye patch and pretend to be a pirate arggghhhh?

Dr T said he was concerned about the swelling. Should I worry or do I just take it in my stride? I wasn't terribly worried before but eyes are really important aren't they. In fact if I had a choice I would rather have my sight and lose my hearing. Although I think that my hearing is slowly going. Living with a hearing impaired person means that the TV is turned up just that little bit louder & over time I have found that makes a difference to your own hearing.

So my dear internet friends, if you had a choice would you prefer to lose your sight or your hearing? I would love to know (~_o)

My Current Favourite Song

This is one of my favourite country songs at the moment. It's by Troy Cassar-Daley.

I think Troy is an amazing singer :)  

I hope you will like this song too.

Thankful Thursday

Here's what I am thankful for this week:

• sunshine. It feels really nice on these cold days we've been having.
• music & singing my head off
• the boys (mostly Angus) for liking the same songs I do & not complaining when I sing along (~_o)
• Trip (our three-legged cat) - how he wasn't injured like we thought he may have been. It was such a relief
• slow cookers - I love how you can throw ingredients in them and walk away & you get a yummy meal out of it
• Mark - just because xoxo
  

What are you thankful for this week?

Cats Can Be Such A Worry Sometimes

Our boy Trip

Our three-legged cat, Trip, has a sore leg. It's his front right leg and his joints look all swollen. The poor thing. We were so worried about him that we took him to the vets yesterday. It just happens to be the same leg that he was shot in a few years ago. Some nasty person in town used some sore of air rifle and hit him. He had to have his leg pinned back then.

Mark & I were concerned that he had to have something similar done this time around. Only trouble was we don't really have the funds to get him fixed. Good news is that it was a big abscess. It's already burst and had drained. What a relief that was to hear that it wasn't broken. Trippy was such a good cat while we were at the vets. He didn't complain when the vet gave him an injection full of antibiotics (so much easier than trying to give him tablets). Thank goodness it was nothing too serious.

This video was shared on facebook and I just had to share it.

Blue Skies Can Be Deceptive

With such beautiful blue skies we have had for the past few days you would think that it would be nice & warm outside. It's been just above freezing in the mornings but thankfully things have warmed up nicely by the afternoon.
What's the weather like in your neck of the woods?

Roses, Roses Everywhere

You know a girl can never have too many roses ... 

I found some gorgeous items on Etsy this morning & I just had to make a treasury.
If you wish to go check them out more closely please click HERE

Finished Item - Crocheted Baby Dress

Here's what I have been working on this week. I just finished it about 10 minutes ago. It's a cute little baby crocheted dress. The pattern is by Heather from Just Crochet. I've made this pattern a few times now & I love how it turns out.

I love the cute flower buttons :D

I'm a bit puzzled as to why the photo below seems to have rotated 90 degrees. At least you can still see it I suppose. Just turn your head side on for a better view (~_0)

I'm thinking of sending this dress off to my niece Lee-Anne for her new bubz. Only a few months to go now.

I'm off to go finish preparing some veggies for my roast dinner .. yum!

What's On Your Desktop?

I found some fantastic wallpapers the other week when I stumbled across this website wallbase.cc/ They're mostly widescreen ones but there are some smaller ones too. The picture above is snapshot of what's on my desktop at the moment. No icons just a couple of widgets showing me the date & the current weather for Melbourne.

I have my desktop set to random slide-show that changes every hour. That way I wont get bored (~_~) and it's always a nice surprise when I check to see what picture's there.

What's on your desktop?

WIP - Spotlight Squares

It's been a while since I share my Spotlight Squares. I've even forgotten which squares these are (~_~) I do know that I am having a hard time trying to work out how to make the square for week 12. It's made on the diagonal and I just cannot seem to get my head around the pattern for that one.

Here's the link for the square for week 13

While I was searching for patterns yesterday I came across a pattern for the prettiest floral coasters ever!

How amazing do they look? I'm thinking that they would look even nicer on a scarf or a hat. What do you think? Pretty good aren't they!?!

By Doni from Whiskers & Wool

If you'd like the pattern click HERE. 

Doni even has her own etsy shop bearsy43 where she has some gorgeous patterns for sale. 

There are some super cute ones too.

Thankful Thursday

Here's what I am thankful for this week:

•  Angus made me a batch of muffins for Mother's Day (~_~) Yum!
• Rory. He has been keeping me entertained now that he knows how to get in and out of the house on his own. It's like watching a revolving door. Out the window through the door .. out the window through the door ..
•  Brodie bought Season 6 of Star Trek Voyager for me. Only one more season to go and I've got the whole set! I've started a Voyager-a-thon last weekend. ♥♥ It's my favourite Star Trek series ♥♥
• the heater - it's been getting a good work out with the cold wet weather we've been having

What are you thankful for this week?

My Kids Have NO Manners

I was talking with my sister, Julie, on the phone last weekend. She lives in Port Lincoln on the Eyre Peninsula. It's a beautiful place there. In January on Australia Day (the 26th) they have the Tunarama its a tuna tossing competition where contestants see how far they can throw a frozen 10kg (22lb) tuna. You gotta love country towns and their traditions.

While I was on the phone I realised how rude my children really are when someone is on the phone. They have absolutely no manners. They try and have conversations with you while you're trying to listen and talk on the phone. It's rather disgusting. In fact Brodie is the worst culprit. I swear he has absolutely no idea when to stop interrupting me when I am on the phone even though I have told him many times to be quiet. How on earth do you get an extremely loud 18 year old who has Aspergers to be quiet??

Is it too late to try and teach a young adult how to be polite when it comes to conversations? Do you have any tips for me? Should I just tell them straight out how disappointed I am? What would you do? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

**quick update since I wrote this up. I told Brodz how rude he was because he was doing the exact same thing again. He didn't take it too well but I think he got the message.

Finished Items - Hexagon Blanket & Some Beanies

I finally got around to taking some photos of that hexagon blanket that I had made now that the border is complete. Not all of the photos were suitable to share. I'm thinking I might need to start using a tripod again as most of the pics were out of focus (O_o)

I ended up doing three rounds for the border in double crochet. I think it turned out okay.

With the left over yarn I thought I would make a couple of baby beanies. Sorry you can't see the flower too easily on that one. It looks much nicer than the photo shows.

I'm not too sure that I like this one but at least it matches the blanket (O_o)

Recipe - Cheesy Mince & Tomato Spirals

Cheesy Mince and Tomato spirals

I made this the other night adapted from a recipe by Jamie from Jamie Cooks It Up! OMGosh it was SO GOOD! I know we will be having this one again. Jamie's recipe made a lot so I halved it and we still managed to have leftovers (~_~)


250g of spiral pasta, which was half a normal sized packet (I didn't have shells or elbow macaroni in the pantry) *
1 onion, diced
1 zucchini, grated **
1 carrot, grated **
4 cloves of garlic, chopped (I used 1 tablespoon of crushed garlic from a jar)
1 x 800g tin of crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
500g (1/2 lb) of minced beef (ground beef)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon marjoram (I didn't have oregano)
salt & pepper
2 - 3 cups grated low fat cheese

Turn your oven on to 180C

Cook the pasta using the direction on the packet.

While the pasta is cooking: In a large fry-pan heat the olive oil. Add the onions, garlic and vegetables to the pan. Cook until the onions are translucent.

Add the minced beef and cook until brown.

Add the tin of diced tomatoes.

Add the spices and some salt & pepper.

Once the pasta is cooked make sure it is well drained and add this to the meat mixture. Stir to combine.

Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray and pour in the meat/pasta mixture. Sprinkle with the grated cheese.

Place in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese has melted and is a nice golden brown colour.


* you could use a whole packet if you wanted to
** Jamie's recipe didn't have these ingredients but I wanted to "hide" some extra veggies in there

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mum's celebrating today. 

May you all have a wonderful day!

My Naughty Little Ginger Snap

My little ginger snap had an operation on Thursday. We were being the responsible owners and getting him desexed or as the girl who booked him in said he was being castrated *eek*

When we picked him up Thursday afternoon the Vet said he may still be a bit groggy from the anaesthetic and don't expect him to be very playful or hungry for that matter. Keep him indoors for a day or so and then he's good to go outside.

Oh boy they do NOT know our Rory very well. When we got him home and opened the carry cage in the lounge room he ran straight down the other end of the house where we keep the cat food and he dove straight into the dry crunchies! This is a cat that will only eat them under sufferance and only when there is nothing else to eat. Of course we had to give him some of his favourite food which is anything that comes in a cat food tin! He truly isn't that fussy when it comes to canned food. You give it to him and he will eat it. Unlike our other cats who will happily screw their noses up at certain tins.

Later on after we had dinner and we were all off doing our own things I busted Rory rummaging through the rubbish bin seeing what food scraps he could manage to steal. He was possibly looking for the bones from the pork chops we had for tea. So much for the Vet saying Rory may not wish to eat or play. He was back to his old mischievous self! The little rascal! I love him to bits but boy is he a handful!

WIP - Hexagon Puff Stitch Blanket

Currently it's 27 inches x 30 inches

I'm still slowly working on this little blanket. I was trying to work out how big I should make it so that it was big enough for a baby blanket. Luckily I had written down the general sizes used for quilts and I used this as a guide for working out how big this blanket should be. I have no idea where I got the guide from (sorry I can't give proper credit)

The size guide is as follows:
Baby         36 x 36 inches
Crib          36 x 50 inches
Lap           52 x 58 inches
Twin         68 x 90 inches
Full           80 x 90 inches
Queen      90 x 98 inches
King       110 x 110 inches


Luckily I don't have much more to go to make it into a baby blanket. I'm not too sure how to finish this off though. Each hexagon has a row of double crochet (US single crochet) around it so I was thinking I might do a few rows of that around the whole thing. What do you think? I'm open to ideas (~_~)

Thankful Thursday

Wow hasn't this week flown by fast! Here's what I'm thankful for this week:

• crisp mornings that warm up to lovely sunny days
• TAFE and the fact that Angus is so happy to go to his Automotive Course.
• our Internet connection - it keeps Brodie quiet and happy (most of the time anyway)
• our Vet. Rory is there right now and will be getting spayed today
• crocheting, it helps keep me sane
• crossword puzzles & how they make me think

What are you thankful for this week?

 

New Stash

I realised earlier that I hadn't shared my new stash of acrylic yarn that I bought on the weekend. Mark, Angus & I went to Chadstone on the weekend to pick up a new computer monitor that we had bought on ebay. The only reason I went was because Mark suggested we go to Spotlight. I hadn't been to Spotlight in months so I jumped at the chance.

My New Stash

I didn't get all that much this time around. I have this thing about pink yarn at the moment. I'm not sure why.

Close up :D

Nice soft baby yarn

I love the look of this baby yarn. 

Waste Not, Want Not

Being the nice Mum that I am (let's face it I'm awesome - I tell the boys that all the time) and not wanting to waste good fruit that is slowly going soft and squishy I made a batch of banana muffins.

Don't they look fab? They've only just come out of the oven. Why don't you pop on over and have a nice hot cuppa and a muffin with me. You'll have to be quick. Once the boys get home and realise there are muffins in the house they wont last long.

You can find my recipe HERE. I swapped the plain white flour for plain wholemeal flour and the sugar for a granulated sugar substitute so they more were diabetic friendly.

Nurturing Your Talents

Shock, horror, you'd better sit down for this one ... I went to Church yesterday with Brodie. It was the first time in ages that we had gone. I'm glad we went. We got to meet up with lots of (old) familiar faces and we met some new people too. It was nice to catch up with everyone. Even some friends we had made through the Ambassador Program that Brodie & I participated in were there.

Anyway, one of the discussions we had yesterday during Relief Society was about nurturing and sharing our talents. It was kind of funny that this topic came up as our ward is having a Talent Show at the end of the month. The first thing that popped into my head was I know what my talents are and they weren't that hard to identify. They're knitting and crocheting. Not something I could share on talent night but they are something I could share. Well I do share them to some extent. I share what I make using my talents by giving things away that I create. Although Angus reckons I should selling the stuff I make but I honestly wouldn't know if anyone would buy them.

Some of the sisters were saying that they don't have any talents. They can't play a musical instrument or sing very well. I'm sure if they thought about it they would be surprised at what their talents really are. Who said talents had to be something musical or arty/crafty. They may have a talent for making the best desserts, a knack for soothing tired & grumpy children, finding bargains when you go shopping or underwater basket weaving! I know that last sounds a bit fat fetched but hey someone somewhere might be able to do it.

I do know that if you don't use your talent regularly you often forget how to do them. I used to be able to speak Indonesian. It was something I learned in Primary School and continued to study in High School. I even taught it when I was working as a teacher. Once I had stopped teaching I had no use to keep using this skill and I lost it. I still remember some of the words but I couldn't have a conversation in Indonesian.


That old saying of use it or lose it is so true.

What are your talents? Do you nurture them and still practise them?

Crochet Tips

The other day when I was checking my list of subscriptions out on youtube when I came across a whole range of videos that had useful tips for crocheting. They were all made by Teresa from Crochet Mania aka the Crochet Geek.

This video shows how to add extra chains on your foundation row.

I would never have thought of adding extra foundation chains. Personally I would have muttered something under my breath, pulled the whole thing apart and started again. I wont really need to do that any more (~_~)

Here's a link to Teresa's play list of tips for crocheting.

I have learned so much from Teresa by watching her videos. Thanks to her (and to me for persevering and learning how to read patterns properly) I have definitely progressed from only making granny squares or just plain blankets full of treble crochet stitches.

Cute Baby Video

Mark showed me this really cute video of baby Emerson yesterday. He is so cute I just had to share it. His laughter is so infectious! I'm sure you will be laughing just as much as I was. 

Thankful Thursday

Here's what I am thankful for this week:

• seeing how something as simple as treating my boys to a surprise takeaway lunch makes them really happy
• watching C.K. sit in the rain & drink from puddles. I know its an odd thing to be thankful for but it makes me smile
• finishing that vest I made for my niece
• hearing my boys laughing. It means that they aren't fighting one another
• booking Rory in to be desexed. Hopefully once that's done the other cats might like him *cross fingers*
• hopping on my bathroom scales and seeing that my weight is stable

What are you thankful for this week?

Finished Item - Knitted Vest

I finally finished that vest I was making for my niece. I am so glad that that's over and done with. My hands kept getting pins & needles all the time (o_0) I'm wondering if that means its time to go see the doctor and talk about getting surgery done on my carpal tunnel. I'll put it off for a bit longer I think since it only really happens when I am knitting and not when I crochet.
I'm thinking I might make something else for Kylie (my niece) before I post this off to her. Perhaps a scarf of a beanie or something to go with the vest.

Spotlight Square week 10

I managed to make a spotlight square last night. I love how this one looks. Sorry that the photo isn't that crash hot. The pattern looks like a basket weave to me. It would make a really nice blanket! It feels rather chunky and would be nice and warm. Here's the link to get the pattern for week 10.
I started the square for week 11 last night. So far so good. At least the flower part looks nice. I'll share photos of that one later once it's finished. You can get the pattern HERE if you're interested.

It's All About The Smile

I was reading through my news feed in my Google Reader when I came across a headline mentioning how the Public Dental Scheme (PDS) is in a horrifying state. You can read about how bad it is HERE if you'd like.

This prompted me to make a phone call to my 'local' dental service. I use the term 'local' very loosely here because the dental service that handles the phone calls & inquiries for my area is 40km (25 miles) away.


I just wanted to see if my name was still on the list and how much longer I would need to wait. I spoke about my initial phone call with them HERE when I had broken my front tooth and I was placed on the waiting list last year in March. Back then I was told that they would see me in 7 months time. So I ended up going to a private dentist and paying $160 to get my tooth fixed.

When I had a toothache last September I phone up for an emergency appointment. I managed to get in to see them in October. When I made that phone call I was told that it would be 10 months from when my name went on the list. That's okay I thought that's not too bad so next February I'll be able to get my teeth checked & fixed. I was kind of looking forward to it. February came and went.

So here we are today and its the first of May. I thought that I would ring up and see if my name was still on the list and when I would be able to get my teeth done. The girl I spoke with was very polite. Said my name was still on the list and that it would still be at least another 12 months before I get in. Yep 12 months! Not bad considering I was told 7 months in the first place.

I totally agree with the newspapers stating that the PDS is in a horrifying state. The system sucks! You need to be in agony to get an emergency appointment. Too bad if you have broken teeth that are getting worse because you have to wait. Too bad if you don't have the money to see a private dentist. You just have to suffer with bad teeth for years!!

I know I shouldn't complain. There are people who are worse off than we are. Maybe I should create myself a challenge just for fun & to help pass the time .. something like how many crochet/knitting projects can I get done before I get in to the dentist to get some general work done? That doesn't sound too bad really .. I think I'll start counting from today!