Slow and Sew

Finally I have a cold enough day to light the fire. 

A fire at night is lovely, but there's nothing like that smell of your dinner slowly cooking on top of the fireplace all day!

 Lamb and Lentil soup / stew 

The latest quilting bee is another Quilt Around the World. 

We each make a starter block and send it on to the next person, who adds to it and send it on to the next etc, etc. 

There are 24 recipients so I should end up with 24 blocks of a similar theme.

Here is my Lone Star starter block. 

Biartch of a thing to put together but what a great result!

t X

Sunday Snippets

via Tinniegirl!

What did Sunday bring for me? I nice lie in with the little lads, watching silly movies in bed, eggs, bacon, avo and chorizo for breaky, plus a great big cappuccino, then...

 ...did a bit more quilting on the cot quilt I started a few months back,...

...then realized I needed to make these 8 placemats in a hurry...,

 ...had trouble choosing the binding

...was required to view the lads playing Xbox, so did a bit of hand-quilting...

...made these for Meg in the Beehive bee.

I then went to Target to get the NZ Christmas pressies. I also got a few items of the undie variety, and a most (un)attractive "foundation" undergarment. As I was called forth from the queue, I realized, to my horror, that the young man on the till was my friend Lisa's teenage son. I hope that he will remember me for the lovely cake he ate last week that I baked, not my granny undies!!

Is it any wonder that I had to buy these at the supermarket to placate myself?

A bit of Tangy Bliss is all you need sometimes!

Back to School/Kinder - Blogtoberfest Day 10

God, it's hard yakka on the first day back after the holidays! Kids and self to get organized and out the door, lunches to make, Charlie did the usual and slept in, so had to wake him up just after 8 and shovel food in, arguments with Dom about getting dressed before the telly goes on and taking thine own crap upstairs, not leaving it for Mummy to do later. And all while my significant other slumbers in bed! The Joy! You can imagine my mood by 8.40! Very tweezer-lipped!!

But I've been having some lovely lie-ins and some very lazy days. The boys and I had a very relaxing holiday on the whole.

But it's kind of nice to back into the old routine again. Less time to sit about and eat!

Kids are eating their dinner now and soon will be in bed. I plan to take a nice long bath and sew the binding (finally) on Charlie's new quilt.

Went into the city today to Cake Deco to get prepared for the Cake Pops I'm making for Charlie and his buddy Lou's Kew Traffic School party on Thursday.

 I'm making them fairly simple - you can get some pretty amazing results if you know how, but this is my first time. Will post numerous photos, post party.

Happy Monday ! X

Day 3 Blogtoberfest - Kid's Choice

Daylight Saving is here!! Love those long summer nights spent outside (unless it's too stinking hot and you're forced inside with the air conditioner on full blast and the curtains drawn, Aussie style.)

It's the beginning of the second week of the school hols. The sun is shining but they were promised an outing to The Smurfs, so that is what we are doing today. Donning our attractive 3D specs and heading down to the Rivoli at midday. Maybe an afternoon in the park.

The Mustang is back from the garage, having had its innards replaced. I asked the man to make it quieter, but I fear that my wish has not come true.

Fruits of my labours yesterday. There is a floor in here! Let the sewing begin..

 Still not perfect, but much better.

Every night in my dreams.... Day 2: Blogtoberfest

OK, OK, I know it's technically cheating but 2 posts in one day is making top for not starting yesterday!

We have a Titanic obsession going down in Chez Williams at present. We watched the movie yesterday (heavily edited by me with the remote, fast forwarding all horrible or slightly sexy bits). 

Here is what was made while mummy slumbered in bed ('til 9.30 - result!)

 The Band Aid packet is the iceberg, in case that needed explanation! I tried to encourage a slightly longer ship, but was told that the propellers were already attached therefore, impossible. They are now making a poster to adorn their walls.

And Mr Sun is trying to shine today! Happy Day!

Blogtoberfest, Day 1- a series of confessions!

First of all, I'm a day late starting Blogtoberfest as it is indeed the 2nd of October today. I looked at entering last night, but hate blogging from the iPad, and although the movie I was watching was average at best (Tomorrow, When the War Began) I couldn't be arsed getting up and going to "the pit of despair".

Which brings me to my second confession.

 This is the worst half of the pit of despair - the sewing part. The office part is pretty messy too, but this is the reason I am not motivated to sew at the mo'.

 It really beggars belief! There is crap everywhere.

I am resolved to spending a good part of my day trying to get this beast into some semblance of order.

The weather that was...

Got lots of sewing done this weekend as have chesty cough and sound like I'm on 40 fags a day. Getting better...I'll be back at the gym tomorrow, hopefully, Tori!

Dr Seuss placemats for the lads. Have had them quilted for a few weeks now and they just needed binding.

 Little man getting a dose of Vitamin D on Friday. He wanted to stay home from his soccer lessons and look after me, bless his little heart!

Kinder Quilt finito! Praise be!! This one dragged a bit but I'm happy with the result.

Stoopid shadow!

Back (Thank you, Ikea!)

Look at our veges!!! Lots of leafy things, not much root veg action yet.

Three little boats for Annabel in The Beehive. Her little boy's "The Busy Sea at Night" Quilt is going to be very cute!

I'm back at the machine now, putting gorgeous Liberty binding on a pair of jeans. Much better than hemming!! And I know all about hemming being only 5 ' 1" !! Will post a pic later for those of you that don't have a clue what I'm banging on about.

Little boxes, little boxes...

Theme for the kinder quilt to be auctioned at the annual Trivia Night this year is Little Houses.

I have decided I have enough fabric (understatement of the year!!!) to make it without buying more, for once. Background of Kona Medium Grey (?) punctuated with a green Kaffe Fassett and Purple Echino for the border

 All the Frogs class drew themselves on white homespun from Spotlight. I added their name and a little roof to each one from a fabric in my scrap container (didn't even make a dent in the ruddy thing!)

 I then ironed the houses onto Fusible Web and cut around each one.

 Placement is not easy! I added a few little trees to the gaps that were evident. Nice Echino fabric with birds and bugs on it. There is Charlie's one by the bird, Big mop of curly blonde hair and Harry Potter glasses! Excellent!

Finally ironed each one into place, Now am ready to make backing, the quilt sandwich and raw-edge applique each house. Will be ready to display Monday, all going well!


Off the St Katherines for dinner tonight before HARRY POTTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just a little bit excited!!!!!!!

Baking Day at Casa Los Williams

In the oven as we speak are...

Raspberry and White Chocolate Friands

125g Raspberries (frozen are fine)
185g melted Butter
6 egg whites (or 4 eggs if you cant be bothered)
100g Almond meal
.5 cup Plain Flour
1.5 cup Icing Sugar Mixture
100g White Choc Chips

Crush the raspberries then mix everything together.
Pour into greased friand or muffin tins.
Bake for 25mins at 180 degrees.
Stand for 5 mins before cooling on wore rack then sut with icing sugar when cool.

Chocolate Muffins

1.75 cups Plain Flour
1 cup Sugar
.5 cup Cocoa
2 tsp Baking Powder
.25 tsp Baking Soda
.25 tsp Salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
.5 cup melted Butter
.5 cup Chocolate Chips

Mix all ingredients together until well combined.
Bake in greased or lined muffin tins at 180 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes.
Cool on wire rack and ice if desired.

Hope you're having a happy day wherever you are!

This afternoons great achievement...

...was not sewing...

...or knitting his Gryffindor scarf..

...or cooking dinner...

...or baking biscuits...

...or doing the housework...

...or shopping...

Nothing like a spot of boatbuilding and decorating to wile away the afternoon.

Inferno Starblast Attack!

The biggest little boy is not 100%. Big vom in bed about 11.30pm. Neaty. Just when I'd caught up with all the washing I have a vomiter and a piddler in one night.

Day home from school today as has wicked cough as well. Now ensconced on couch with little brother, enraptured in Beyblade Metal Fusion, Beyblade in hand, ready to battle when the mood takes him.

Beyblades are the bane of my life. Basically a spinning top with interchangeable parts, they are the merchandise from a Japanese Anime TV series. God knows how many they've lost, ruddy things are small and adept at hiding under the fridge and suchlike. You collect them, then swap the parts around, if you fancy, to supposedly make your bey more powerful.

My children are not quiet ones that read and colour in. They are enthusiastic and animated action men! I have to banish the beyblades outside when battle commences (they have a plastic stadium to battle in - the bey that spins the longest wins) as the noise of them declaring their intent to Inferno Starblast Attack! or Upside Down Awesomeness! is enough to make me consume an entire bottle of vodka at one sitting.

There is a character on the show called Benkei who has the most annoying voice known to man (even more annoying than Dora The Explorer, and that's saying something)

But there's something strangely compelling about them. I quite like knowing all their strange little zodiac-based names and the show is all about values and morals so it's not a bad watch for the smalls.

Better than Ben 10 (had to stop them watching it as they kept fighting each other) but not as good as Shaun the Sheep (classic viewing for all!)

progress report...

dress  - pass

dishes - fail