A Festival of Scarves, take 2

This is take two of the scarf photo.  I am not sure why my Picasa collage isn't working at the moment, and no matter how much I sweet talk, it's not wanting to play.  


So here are the scarves posted singly, but somehow rather quite messily and not all nicely lined up just like I organised.  Hmmmm!!


Thanks for stopping my my place today, have a wonderful week at your place.

A Festival of Scarves.

Finally I have some crochet to share.  

Ten scarves are going to our local Cancer ward.

Four scarves are going to Red Gingham: Gift Of Love Appeal in New Zealand.

Thank you Sarah for your passion and kindness to set up this wonderful giving opportunity.

I would like to thank my neighbour who so generously donated some of the yarn you see in the scarves above, also wool come from my Mum, which come from my Grandma and I have more still to use.  

I think I am up to about 30 scarves now, and you would think there would be a decent sized dint in the stash of yarns, however, I am far from the end of it at all, which means, I will be making more scarves right through winter which is fine by me.  I need something to take to swimming lessons, waiting in the car, passenger in the car, while veges are cooking, and for that 30mins break between closing the study books at night and heading to bed.  I have learnt the hard way that all work and no play makes Joyce rather very dull indeed, and headachy the next day too.  So a nice little bit of hooky in front of tv before sleep is a lovely way to ensure a spot of down time and equals money in the bank as far as sleeping through most of the night.  

Here are some close ups of the most awesome scarf I think I have ever made.  Totally inspired by my crazy Min, who wanted a 'crazy rainbow scarf, with all colours everywhere and black between all the rows.'  If only I could share those wonderful hand gestures he used to express just how 'crazy' he wanted his scarf to be.  

 This scarf totally makes me smile, can you see how one side has the colours popping out of the scarf on the right and the left side shows the black as the dominant colour.  The next photo probably shows this better.  It wasn't planned to be this way, it's just how it turned out, because you 'turn' for each row, so you have a front side and a back side, which you keep swapping each row.  Hmmmmm, yeah, stop trying to explain it Joyce, you sound funny.  

Its totally wonderful, I just love this scarf, and I want one for me.  I had a very small amount left of his rainbow yarn that I used to make his blanket shown here that he wanted me to use, which I did.  I just left the knot ends out to add to the texture of this wonderful creation that my Min loves so much.  

I managed to make two of these scarves, this one is going to New Zealand, and I have enough of the solid colours and the black to make at least 3 more, which I will do.  The solid colours are left overs from our rainbow blanket and the black I have had 'forever'.  Hmmm, a huge snuggly camping blanket would just look mega-awesome from this pattern also. . . . oh the possibilities for all those ends of yarns have now just WAY extended beyond the granny square, that's for sure!

I wonder how a selection of pink, green, orange, yellow and black would go.  You know, just like a licorice allsort.  Hmmmm, I do like that idea, I most certainly do. . . . . . 

Have you made any crochet discoveries lately?

 Thanks so much for stopping by my place today, and have a wonderful Sunday at your place.

The One About the Hungry Kid, Pumpkin Seeds, a Scarf and Priorities.

It's Monday again.


What happened to the weekend?


What happened to the 48 hours that is meant to be Saturday and Sunday?


This is some of what happened to my weekend,


While hubbie surfed and worked, I went from laundry to kitchen to studies and back again.  There were some lovely moments of the weekend though, including markets and swimming for the boys and. . . .

Anzac biscuits - double batch and lucky for me (apparently) that they taste 'almost like Grandma's anzac biscuits.' *phew!*

Peanut and Cranberry biscuits - double batch.

How else does one keep up with lunchbox fillers for kids?

I am not a fan of packeted, processed, preservative snacks in lunchboxes, so I make my own.  I am not totally daggy though, the boys do get the occasional muesli bar/packet of tiny teddy biscuits, but it's VERY occasional.  

I do know that I will need to top up mid-week with a slice and the scary part is the eldest is still 5 years from being a teenager!

Pumpkin seeds that I popped into the oven after the biscuits were done.  Not sure mine turned out like the ones I get from the health food store.  They were ok.

A moment of ta-daaaa!  Another scarf completed to be donated to our local Cancer Ward. This is from some of the lovely donated yarns from my neighbour that moved recently.  I love these colours together, so feminine, and so soft.  It's all 5 ply yarns and was part of a bundle of odds and ends she gave me.   

Here is a close-up of the colours.  It looks sort of shimmery and also in reality although the yarns themselves are not at all shimmery and I don't even know what brand they are because they are all odds and ends and there are no bands, but gosh, so lovely to work with.

This was completed early hours of the morning after laying in bed not being able to sleep the last few nights.  It's driving me crazy, and each night I lay in bed wide awake, with a billion thoughts rampaging through my head, sleep button, far from turning on in my brain.  11 Units to be completed by 9th December neon light flashing disco light style under my eyelids.

I get up, walk through the house, check on my family, sit out the back under the moonlight, wander back inside and pick up my crochet.  It's rather quite soothing, crocheting while the house sleeps.  Its quite calming to hook and breathe.  Something about working my hands, slows down the racing heartbeat.  It gives me time to think, time to sort out my thoughts into little trays and mark them in order of priority.  It makes me stop and think about the strangers that I will never meet that are going to wear the scarf I make for them, and I wonder how their priorities are so much more simpler but more important than my own jumbled mess.  

That's my problem, priority!  I am stressing and stupidly so, yes, I realise that now, I am sweating the little stuff, and I shouldn't be sweating the little stuff, cause NONE of it matters.  

Seriously, who am I?  I am a MUM!  Number one priority - I am a Mum.  

Everything after that should come second.  It's the reason we moved from Sydney, it's the reason we had a family to begin with.  I stayed home on the weekend while hubbie took the boys down to the beach, I got more work done, however, what has happened to me?  I should be spending that time with my family.  It's the reason we didn't have our family straight away, we both worked, built our home, moved in and saved the money we made so that I could be the stay home Mum.  Sure we could have had kids earlier and sure we could have had more kids, but there is no way I could have been able to be that stay home Mum for them.  

There are ONLY 24 hours in a day, I can't change that and there isn't anyone I can pay that can change that, so I need to sort my priority trays accordingly.

Starting with now. 

When I collect my boys from the bus this afternoon, my books are closed.  I am going to hang out with my children.   I am going to be their Mum instead of some psycho freak look-a-like that has a pencil stuck behind her ear and tells them to play quietly while she writes more crap about first aid, tripping over a mat, hazard policy procedures, and scenario what if's.  (Yes, currently my unit is OH&S, and I am not belittling the importance of OH&S, however, I am putting what is important first on my list.)

Seriously, what's the worst that could happen if I don't complete the course by the 9th December?  

Do my ears fall off?  

Do I grow a monobrow?  (oh hang on, already got me one of those)

*sigh* if you have managed to read to *here*, then thank you.

If you didn't manage to read to *here* then I apologise if you had to gouge out your eyeballs.  I am truly sorry.

Do you sweat the small stuff?  Do you let things get to such a state that you can't see straight, can't sleep at night, can't remember what day it is, and when you lock up the house, go back three times, because you cannot remember if you locked the back door/shut the window/turned the stove off?

Just writing this here now makes everything so much clearer, I use my blog to escape alot of stuff lately, and I didn't even realise I was escaping at all.  

Have a wonderful afternoon with your little ones today.

Thanks so much for stopping by my place today.

A Weekend in Pictures.

Thank you so much for your lovely comments from last week.  

It's a new week, it's a new chapter.  

Hurrah!  Bring it on - I am ready!!

I have finished unit 3, it is printed and bundled ready to post - goodbye and good riddance unit 3 - I say with a kiss - travel the postal route safely to the hands of the red penned ticking person who is going to do lots of red pen ticking (please!).  

I hope you had a glorious weekend.

I certainly did.  There was lots of washing and cleaning and cooking to prepare for a new week, but then there was lots of family time as well.  Much needed hanging with my boys, it recharges me in the most wonderful way.  

Here are some bits and bobs of time spent with the ones I love the mostest.  

Beach boys. . . . and they both went jetty jumping for the first time, but Joyce didn't have the camera with her (!).  My big boy jumped from the topmost pylon and Minnie jumped from the little platform which at the low tide that it was, would have been from a floor to ceiling sized gap between platform to water.  They jumped over and over again.  Woo hoo!!

My big boy and I finished this book and so hired the movie.

Lots of laughs - two thumbs up!  Can't wait to start on book two.

I love this time with my boy, he is growing up so quickly and to snuggle with him and read each night really is very special to me.  No matter how tired I am, or what chores await me, I make sure I put it all aside to spend this time with him.  The chores are always there, they never grow up, they never change.  

Another completed scarf for our local cancer unit.  I need your help, I have more yarn to make possibly two more of this scarf.  What do you think?  Personally, me, I love it, I want one of my own.  This is 5ply yarn from the stash that was given me by my neighbour the other week.   Your honest thoughts would be greatly appreciated.  If the vote is no, it will be made into granny squares instead, so don't worry there will be no waste.

Yes, I cannot help myself, a new scarf on the hook.  

Sewing alterations for a friend.

Recorder time.  We had fun making music and little Minnie was on the harmonica.

This was our beautiful sky on Saturday night.  So brilliant.

Fresh blueberries from the markets . . . . picked Friday, bought and eaten by us Saturday.

You just don't get stuff like that in the city baby!!

I wish you a wonderful week at your place.

Thanks so much for stopping by my place.

My Creative Space

The weather is cooling, I am seeking a change of crafting.

Do you follow the seasons of craft too?

Crochet Rainbow Blanket. . . . progressing ever closer to completion.

My first square from Jan Eaton's 200 Crochet blocks.

Shell Lace - block 30.

This square will be sent to SIBOL

 Requested scarf for hubbie completed.  I am so happy with it, so much so that I was wearing it whilst studying this week.  Yes, our temps have dropped just enough that a little warmth around my neck is just right.  

 Pumpkin scones

 oh and a batch in car shapes too, because apparently they taste better when they are car shaped!  


Thanks so much for stopping by my place today.


Pop on over to kootoyoo to see what others are making and add your link to show us what you are making too.  


Have a lovely day at your place.  

Thank you.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.  I am really quite without words to explain myself.  


The only way I can explain it is to say, I am feeling 'hugged'.  You know the kind.  One of those Grandma type hugs.  The all encompassing, all surrounding, all warmth, all arms, and heart, and soul, wrapped in Grandma's arms kinda hugs.  I miss my Grandma's hugs, but you have all just given me one of my Grandma's hugs - and it's so very delicious.  


Thank you.  


To add to this, I have something special to share with you today, actually, a few things to share with you today.  (I have found my words again!)


The first is, yesterday afternoon whilst working on my current 'all about Joyce' for my assignment - (struggle street), Zyatica popped over and showed me . . . .

. . . . this (above).  It's Peter Pan on a pendant!  I love it.  

She gifted this to me.  Yes, it's a gift and it's for me.  

Now I have Peter Pan around my neck all the time, telling me 'all it takes is faith and trust.'  Thank you Zyatica, and apologies for blubbering all over you.

 The other bit I would like to share with you is that one of our neighbours moved out a few months ago now, and the last few weeks have been in the process of sorting out their house to rent it out.  Anyways they had a garage sale on the weekend and she knows that I crochet scarves for our local cancer ward, as well as squares for SIBOL and crochet a rainbow.  The above photo is what she GAVE me to use for making scarves and grannies.  !!   She wanted no money in return, she just wanted me to use it for making scarves and grannies.  

Astounded = Joyce.

THEN. . . . yes, there is more, she gave me this above.  

It was started by a very good friend of hers, who lived at the end of our street, who I very briefly met when we first moved into our home, but she not long after passed away.  My neighbour has kept this cross stitch, with the intention that she would finish it in memory of her friend, but has not gotten 'round to doing so.  She asked me if I would like to have it.  I told her I would finish it for her and get it back to her to give to a nursing home or her church, whatever she wished.  She said she would like that very much.  It's the least I can do for her, in a very small exchange for all the wonderful yarn.

This lolly photo is totally unrelated to all of the above, but, I just wanted to share these with you.  I was in town this morning, and passed this little lolly shop and just had to go in.  Oh my gosh, I felt like a kid again.  Choo- choo bar!!  Get outta here!  toffee apple bar!!  Double get outta here, lemon sherbies, too awesome!  I bought some sweeties to share with my kids.  These are lollies from 'when I was a kid'.  

ultra mega rad!!

Thanks so much for stopping by my place today.  

I hope you are having a wonderful day at your place.

Street Party Auction 2011

Nervous? - Yes!

Freaked out? - Yes!

Talking myself into going through with it? - Yes!

Wondering if there will only be 3 people there? - Yes!

Telling myself that the glass is half full - Yes!

Making the most of the moment, knowing that this can be a practise run for the next one, and knowing that I am helping our neighbours in QLD? - Yes! 

Do I need a drink? - YES, YES, YES!!!!

*gulp*  There is one hour to go to our street party auction.  

Say a little prayer for me - please.

Some cards to sell for $2.00 each.

The basket of bookmarks and cards all with envelopes and individually wrapped.

Notelet packs of 10 post cards and 10 envelopes.  Hope to sell for $3.00 per packet.

Crochet scarf from a Ravelry pattern, with choccies.

Movie pack, 2 adult movie tickets and munchies.

 
Various kid packs.


We also have donations of wines, a choccie gift pack, a picnic backpack set and a lovely romantic/pamper gift basket.  Oh and I also have two vouchers for school book covering.  


Well Joyce, there is only one way to find out, and that is to chin up and get out there girl.  


I think I need to read my post from yesterday and breath. . . . . 


Thanks so much for stopping by my place today.  


Have a lovely afternoon at your place.

My Creative Space

Stamping and cutting flowers to be made into greeting cards to sell at our street party auction this weekend to raise money for a little school that suffered from recent floods in QLD, Australia.


Pop on over to kootoyoo to check out what others are making today.  


Thanks so much for stopping by my place, take care of you, and have a wonderful day.  

My Creative Space

Happy Friday to you all. I know my creative space is a day late, as I worked yesterday. Today I am busy with the three 'C's, creating, cleaning, and committee, oh make that five 'C's, can't forget the choccie and crochet.

So here above is a photo of my creative space. May I introduce to you Steve, my frangapani tree. Sorry the photo is looking a tad bleak here this afternoon (I still do have visions of painting this fence purple to match the other side - it's on my list). We did have lovely blue skies earlier today and now it seems the clouds are closing in a little. I would like to thank Steve for showcasing my little scarves I have made to keep necks warm. These are the first eight scarves I am donating to our local Cancer unit here near my place. Since doing the shave for a cure, my neck has really felt the cold this winter, and so I thought I would make some scarves to give others. I will be handing these over next week.

Oh and just to let you in on the name, Steve is named and planted in memory of two very special people who are no longer in the flesh. It's an honour to have known them both.

I hope your neck is lovely and warm this weekend. Have a good one, whatever it is you plan on doing.

what's On Your Table - Tuesday.

Good morning to all my blog friends. I do apologise for my absence of late, it's been rather busy at our place, but lots of fun, well other than the gruesome monster with mega sharp knives that slice so delicately through tomato - lol.

I haven't forgotten to come visit, I have missed keeping in touch with all the blog lovin' of late, and hope to be back 'regular like' this week. I will pop in and say hello to you all over the next few days and catch up with what you have been doing at your place. I so miss chatting to you all, and checking out your craftiness.

This has been some of what has kept me busy the last few days, along with committee, family, parties, farewells, baking for farewells, and general Mum stuff.

A collection of scraps. . . .

becomes a collection of little squares. . . .

with a little love and more yarn, becomes some snuggly squares to post to Mrs Twins to be made into blankets to keep others warm. This is what I made from the above 'scraps' of yarn. The two little squares that are not complete, will be very soon to add to the collection to post over. I just need more yarn, which won't be far away, once I complete a few other projects.

This is what is on my table this Tuesday. My squares for SIBOL

If you have 'scraps' of yarn and a little spare time, you can also make some squares to be made into rugs to help keep others warm. Pop over and have a look at all the stunning squares that are being made for rugs. Mine are rather 'plain jayne' compared to the talent that is showing up over there.

So tell me, what's on YOUR table this Tuesday. I hope it's something fun.