Smelling The Roses

Talk about frustration.  In my little world at the moment FRUSTRATION = NBN !!  OMG I have tried to post this post for days.  It drops in and out more often than .....  well I won't go there but you know what I mean.

All of my photo's are out of order but I am not going to be too fussy - I just want to post something.

One of my favourite things in the spring is walking around the garden each week with my scissors and basket and looking at the flowers that mother nature has blessed me with for the week.

In this bunch is my first bloom of lilac in over 12 years.  I planted two trees over 2 years ago and one has finally given me some blooms.  Only roses steal my heart more than Lilac.  The scent is intoxicating and I just love it.  I recently read that they enjoy lime so the next time I am at the nursery I will get them some and hopefully I will be blessed with many more blooms.

My garden currently has many roses, bottle brushes, waratahs, lavender, geraniums, ericas and so much more,

It truly is a wonderful experience walking around the garden and enjoying it.

And most of my roses are the older variety and have devine perfume.

So now I have many vases scattered around home full of beautiful blooms.

Last week I spent a full day at our local Royal show exhibiting my burmese cats.  I over estimated my capabilities and spent the next 3 days in bed recovering.  So to avoid any extended time in bed this week I am taking it very easy.  I have spent the morning stitching a new project to be released in 2019 and this afternoon have sat in the sunshine reading this fantastic book gifted to me many years ago by my darling friend Jenny.

I read it when she first gifted it to me but decided to revisit its pages as I love it so much.  I am hoping to get some banana bread made this week from the browning bananas in the fruit bowl and maybe some more stitching.

What will you be getting up to ?

Hugs,

Fee xx

Thrifting & 2019 Plans

Being frugal and thrifting has become second nature these days.  I am not frugal in every aspect of life but I believe that a dollar saved here and there helps the bottom line.  I do not often buy things to decorate my home brand new.  So much can be found at the thrift store for a fraction of the cost.

Like this gorgeous cut glass bowl.  It probably retailed at around $60 when it came packed in a lovely box and a brand name attached from one of the higher end retail stores but I came across it dirty and grungy for $4.  With a lovely bath and some TLC look at the treasure it is now.

I would never have considered paying big dollars for it but was very happy to bring it home for $4

It now holds fruit on my kitchen bench and sparkles when the suns rays hit it.  Just so gorgeous.

At the same thrift shop I found this sweet little tea cup for just 50c.  I think it will become a sweet little pin cushion.

And another glass jug for $2.  I collect these jugs and couldn't recall if I had this one in my collection.  I did .........    I will probably donate it back on my next trip.  

I think I need a photo file in my phone of the jugs I already have.  This is not the first time that I have bought a duplicate.

Not a lot has been happening on the crafting front but I did make some little note books.  I make little paper craft projects throughout the year and then donate them to local animal shelters to sell to make some much needed money.  

I find that on the days when I have to rest I can just sit and make duplicates of lots of things like notebooks very easily.  It helps to pass the time.

We have had a pretty awful month personally.  Our oldest daughter has had 2 brain anuersyms discovered in her brain.  She spent over a week in hospital and is now booked in for the 14th of next month to have them clipped to avoid rupture.  It has been a pretty scary time.  But she is getting on with things in the meantime.  Thank goodness she is studying to become a nurse and questioned her headaches and demanded a CT scan.

Life is just so precious ...............  Because of this we have taken our house off the market for a little while.  The agent had people wanting to come through whilst I was looking after 3 grand children and trying to spend time at the hospital.  It all became too much .......  We are firm believers that everything happens for a reason and its obviously not the right time for us to be thinking about moving house.  So for now we are staying put.

The garden has been giving us many gifts including lots of rhubarb ........  

And a massive amount of silver beet.  This was way too much for us to cope with so I donated it to the local school farm thrift shop.  It was very popular.  They sold 3 bunches in the short time I was there.  I am so glad that it didn't go to waste.

And I stewed up the rhubarb with some apples and made a lovely batch of stewed fruit.  Hubby asked me what vitamins were in rhubarb.  I knew it contained Vitamin A but discovered that it is also very high in Potassium and has Vitamin C and all of the B Groups as well.  It also contains magnesium and calcium as well as providing fibre in the diet.  So a wonderful addition to the diet !  I have since stewed up a second batch which we eat from each day.  

With everything that has been going on with Samantha and also my own health taking a tumble for a few days in the past few weeks, hubby and I decided to try and have at least one outing together each week.  We had to take our youngest into the city early in the morning last Friday so we decided to go to the nearby garden nursery and have breakfast.

If I could have fitted this beautiful Lilac tree into my budget I would have brought it home with me.  Lilac is one of my favourite flowers.  This established one was $49.95.  Not hugely expensive but outside my current budget.

It was so lovely to sit and enjoy some fruit and nut loaf and a coffee and gaze out over the beautiful plants on offer.  We will definitely be going there again ! I did feel better after having an outing.  Hubby is right I need to do it more often.

With the end of the week comes a clean out of the fridge in readiness for the coming weeks shopping and meal planning.  Lots of pumpkin was left over so it became pumpkin soup which we enjoyed with crusty bread.  The leftover soup is in the freezer for another quick and easy meal.

And the rest of the crisper box - Parsley, Capsicum, Celery, Carrots, Spring Onions & Zucchini were all thrown into the thermomix along with some herbs and salt and became a lovely vegetable stock which will last for months in the fridge.

Finally before I say goodbye I wanted to tell you that over the past few weeks I have been making firm plans for the blog for 2019.  It's been a few years since I have offered a FREE BOM but I am currently designing one to give to you.  I also have another idea which I am sure you will love.  More info on that to come soon.

If you got this far in my blog post - Well Done !!!

Until next time,

Hugs - Fee xxx

Spring in the step

There is absolutely no doubt that with the spring sunshine my mojo has begun to return.  Not that I am physically able to do all of the things my brain keeps suggesting.  But I can at least do a few little things each day and the motivation to keep doing it each day is back.  YIPPEE !!

As my bulbs are slowly starting to open with the warmth of the suns rays on their petals, I too can feel myself slowly coming out of hibernation

I managed a stroll around my garden in the past few days and was pleased to see my Sweet William that I planted a few months back is beginning to flower.

My tulips are opening up a little more each day with still quite a lot left to burst open.

It's the first day of school holidays here in Tasmania and I have a little boarder for a few days, Maddie.  We went on a little op shopping trip this morning and stopped by one of the shops and bought a few plants for the veggie patches.  Even though our house is for sale I know that if we sell or decide to take it off the market I will regret not having planted tomatoes so I bought 2 different varieties and popped them into the veggie gardens.

I usually plant my tomatoes a few weeks apart so that they do not all crop at the same time.  I will buy a few more in a couple of weeks.  I also purchased some fancy lettuce seedlings.

I like these as you can just pick what you need for a meal and leave the rest in the garden for next time.  

And I bought a lovely variety pack of Parsley.  My stock of frozen parsley has been depleted so once these mature I can restock again.

Hubby and I weeded and mulched all of the raised beds a few weeks ago and they just needed a little tidy up today.  The mulch being so thick has stopped the excessive spring weed growth.  Let's hope that continues.  This bed has self sewn silver beet as well as my Heritage Rhubarb.

The parsley pack had a few different varieties including Italian which I love.

And another of my garden beds had baby lettuce plants that must have self seeded from last year so I have left them to grow where the seeds have fallen.  I think we will be ok for lettuce for quite some time if all of this lot grow !!

Usually at this time of year I start off some succelent gardens which I gift at Christmas.  I will have to find some lovely vintage style containers in the next few weeks so that I can plant them out.

Christmas will be here before we know it !

It is probably time that I sat down and wrote up a list of gifts to make before time gets away from me.

As you know my craft room is packed away in many boxes except for a few things I kept out to work on including my Butterfly Garden blocks.  I have 5 blocks completed with just 4 to go.

I love the scrappy look of this quilt and have made very good use of my scrap boxes when putting it together.

Last week I put together Block 6 and have just completed the applique.  I have the stitching on this block prepped and ready to go for sewing each night this week.  Hopefully I can begin work on Block 7 towards the end of the week.

I have also finished one of my projects for our annual Lets Get Stitched Retreat.  Next year we will be in Melbourne and we have a great 3 days planned.  

Earlier in the year I signed up for the annual Fat Quarter Shop Mystery Designer Block of the Month.  

I am working through UFO's this year only but made an exception for this project as it is pieced which is not usually my first choice.  Just about all of my UFO's are stitchery or applique so it has made a nice change.  

I promised myself that I would keep up with the blocks each month and told myself that if I didn't I wasn't allowed to buy another project !  I have to be stern with ME these days.  I get very side tracked at times.  

Well I am pleased to say that I have received 4 blocks so far and have completed each one within a week of them arriving.  Once it is close to being complete I will let myself chose another similar project and try to stay on track again.  I think it is good training for me.  HA HA HA 

Anyway I have promised Maddie some craft time so I had best be off.  Until next time.

Hugs,

Fee xx