Unlucky for some….

  It was a depressing day at school on Friday……school camp had to be cancelled due to the unforgiving monsoonal rains, and the students were not happy! Floodwaters rise in the north Queensland town of Cardwell, just weeks after Cyclone Yasi hit the region. March 8, 2011. (Supplied: Lindsay Hallam)  Photo courtesy of http://www.abc.net.au/news/  We had planned to travel to Lake Tinaroo on the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland on Monday, in two buses with sixty-five 11-12 year old children.  They were quite unhappy when we told them, but we’d checked the weather……more than ten times and the road conditions had been studied carefully, and whichever way we’d planned to go, the roads were cut in at least 3 or 4 places.  I was not happy either, because I love school camps!!….despite the ‘being on duty 24 hours a day’ tiredness that sets in after about 2 days, they are always so much fun……after 20 years of teaching and with at least 10 camps under my belt, I haven’t got bored with them yet!  So to ease the disappointment (for all of us), I told my students to imagine how terrible it would be being stuck on the highway due to the floodwaters, and then trying to turn back and finding the roads had flooded behind us.  Not only that, but they’d be stuck with 6 grumpy teachers, no food, only the water in their bottles, high humidity, wet bodies and mosquitoes!!!!  They soon realised that it was the ONLY decision that could have been made and they’re happy we are now going in October!!!……It made me feel much better about it too!!!! Ah well, it’s probably a good thing….I have so much work to catch up on!!!!!  And then I got home and was blessed with some parcels that the lovely PO lady had put aside for me! The lovely Sandy sent me these gorgeous panels as a prize I won in the Blog Hop. These are just a few of the 8…..aren’t they super gorgeous!!??  I had initially thought these would make a couple of special tote bags but when they arrived…..they spoke to me and said….”we want to be made into a cutesy table topper!!!!”  Who could argue with that???  LOL
The other parcel contained some wonderful fabric I’d purchased online from the US of A.  A half yard set of mixed fabrics…some Wee Woodland by Keiki for Moda, Robert Kauffman’s Daisies and Dots, Metro Cafe and Wild Friends, Michael Miller’s Ta Dot, Baby Safari by Benartex and Alexander Henry’s Caitlin Stripes.  There were some more but they weren’t labelled and I don’t know what they’re called!!!!!! They came packed with a couple of special yummy goodies….  a pen, ribbon and… …the most beautiful hot chocolate mix…..it didn’t hang around for long…. it was yummmmmmmmm…….burp!!!!!! LOL   Because I didn’t have to pack for camp, I finished my first set of birthday gifts….remember in my last post, I showed you these?? Well, here’s the rest of it…. This apron is from Leanne Beasley’s pattern “No. 072  Apron Strings”.    ….and yes……my mother-in-law loved it!!!! sugary hugs XXX Wendy  :0)

Unlucky for some….

 

It was a depressing day at school on Friday……school camp had to be cancelled due to the unforgiving monsoonal rains, and the students were not happy!

Floodwaters rise in the north Queensland town of Cardwell, just weeks after Cyclone Yasi hit the region. March 8, 2011. (Supplied: Lindsay Hallam)  Photo courtesy of http://www.abc.net.au/news/ 

We had planned to travel to Lake Tinaroo on the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland on Monday, in two buses with sixty-five 11-12 year old children.  They were quite unhappy when we told them, but we’d checked the weather……more than ten times and the road conditions had been studied carefully, and whichever way we’d planned to go, the roads were cut in at least 3 or 4 places.  I was not happy either, because I love school camps!!….despite the ‘being on duty 24 hours a day’ tiredness that sets in after about 2 days, they are always so much fun……after 20 years of teaching and with at least 10 camps under my belt, I haven’t got bored with them yet!  So to ease the disappointment (for all of us), I told my students to imagine how terrible it would be being stuck on the highway due to the floodwaters, and then trying to turn back and finding the roads had flooded behind us.  Not only that, but they’d be stuck with 6 grumpy teachers, no food, only the water in their bottles, high humidity, wet bodies and mosquitoes!!!!  They soon realised that it was the ONLY decision that could have been made and they’re happy we are now going in October!!!……It made me feel much better about it too!!!!

Ah well, it’s probably a good thing….I have so much work to catch up on!!!!!  And then I got home and was blessed with some parcels that the lovely PO lady had put aside for me!

The lovely Sandy sent me these gorgeous panels as a prize I won in the Blog Hop.

These are just a few of the 8…..aren’t they super gorgeous!!??  I had initially thought these would make a couple of special tote bags but when they arrived…..they spoke to me and said….”we want to be made into a cutesy table topper!!!!”  Who could argue with that???  LOL

The other parcel contained some wonderful fabric I’d purchased online from the US of A.  A half yard set of mixed fabrics…some Wee Woodland by Keiki for Moda, Robert Kauffman’s Daisies and Dots, Metro Cafe and Wild Friends, Michael Miller’s Ta Dot, Baby Safari by Benartex and Alexander Henry’s Caitlin Stripes.  There were some more but they weren’t labelled and I don’t know what they’re called!!!!!!

They came packed with a couple of special yummy goodies….  a pen, ribbon and…

…the most beautiful hot chocolate mix…..it didn’t hang around for long…. it was yummmmmmmmm…….burp!!!!!! LOL

 

Because I didn’t have to pack for camp, I finished my first set of birthday gifts….remember in my last post, I showed you these??

Well, here’s the rest of it….

This apron is from Leanne Beasley’s pattern “No. 072  Apron Strings”. 

 

….and yes……my mother-in-law loved it!!!!

sugary hugs

XXX Wendy  :0)

A Guessing Game

  I thought I’d do something a little different today and play a little game with you!!!!   hee hee First, you’ve got to guess what these crafty things I’ve been working on today are: I guess you’d be hard pressed figuring out what the first thing is….a banner of some sort????…and you’d be close! We are going on school camp in a week, up on the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland and the theme of our camp is “Boot Camp”!    We all get names and I’m “Major Payne!” …..LOL   My teaching partners called me that because of my upcoming knee surgery!!!!!…..they’re so funny!!!!   But honestly, this is going to be a whole lotta fun!  We’re taking 65 11-12 year olds so you can see why the theme????!!!! LOL   So I’ve been making some team banners for the kids to paint their team name and create their team identity on!!!   I’ve made 4 today for our 4 teams and next week the kids will do the painting!  I’ll take photos and show you when they’re done! Now, I’ve been getting a bit of shoulder ‘payne’ lately (hehe) on account of my whacky knee….and you’d be forgiven for thinking the next two photos were of wheat bags to heat up in the microwave and put on achy spots to ease the ‘payne’ (sorry…can’t help myself now!!!!), but if you could smell the screen……you might think differently!!!  (although lavender in them would be quite nice and relaxing don’t you think???) If you’re not aware, my dear hubby’s family is from an Italian background and yes, they are all quite wonderful cooks….in my 7 years of marriage I’ve put on about 15kg due to the beautiful recipes they just have to try, and from my father in law’s constant urges to ‘mange, mange’!!!!  (Well, I don’t want to upset him, do I???  LOL)  It’s getting harder to think of good birthday presents, so this year, I’m making aprons and scented  spice trivets because I know they’ll be well used!!!!!!  The aprons are still ‘in process’ but the spice trivets are done… Scented with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, put a hot pot on top and, not only does it save your benchtops, but the smell is incredible!!!!  I think I’ll be making a few more for moi!!!! Last weekend I just couldn’t find my mojo and the ‘Italian’ must have rubbed off on me ‘cause I felt more like baking.  I’d wanted to try some of the recipes I’d found on the Fabshop Hop, so when I went back into my files I found this one……Lemon Meringue Cupcakes!!!….mmmmmmmm      I made mini, bite-sized ones so I didn’t feel so guilty!!!!!    I tried out my new, silicone patty cupcake cups and they were just magic!  I bought them for just a few dollars at my local supermarket….so easy! Not only do you get the recipes on the hop,  but you also get a paper pieced or appliqued pattern of each cupcake!!!    A yummy quilt will be on the cards next!!!!!  They’ve got quite a few hops each year….where you can visit lots of shops from the comfort of your own home, hunt for little bunnies, and gather block patterns along the way…..the March one is the Star Search Sampler where you’ll collect all the blocks to make this… If you click here, you can find out all the details and  you can hunt around to find all the other hops during the year! And please visit Maddie at L’il Magoolie and put a bid on some of the lovely things she has there to support the victims of the NZ Quake. They stood by us when we had the floods, the cyclone and the fires….now it’s our turn! Have a fantastic week Sugary hugs XXX Wendy :0)

A Guessing Game

 

I thought I’d do something a little different today and play a little game with you!!!!   hee hee

First, you’ve got to guess what these crafty things I’ve been working on today are:

I guess you’d be hard pressed figuring out what the first thing is….a banner of some sort????…and you’d be close!

We are going on school camp in a week, up on the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland and the theme of our camp is “Boot Camp”!    We all get names and I’m “Major Payne!” …..LOL   My teaching partners called me that because of my upcoming knee surgery!!!!!…..they’re so funny!!!!   But honestly, this is going to be a whole lotta fun! 

We’re taking 65 11-12 year olds so you can see why the theme????!!!! LOL   So I’ve been making some team banners for the kids to paint their team name and create their team identity on!!!   I’ve made 4 today for our 4 teams and next week the kids will do the painting!  I’ll take photos and show you when they’re done!

Now, I’ve been getting a bit of shoulder ‘payne’ lately (hehe) on account of my whacky knee….and you’d be forgiven for thinking the next two photos were of wheat bags to heat up in the microwave and put on achy spots to ease the ‘payne’ (sorry…can’t help myself now!!!!), but if you could smell the screen……you might think differently!!!  (although lavender in them would be quite nice and relaxing don’t you think???)

If you’re not aware, my dear hubby’s family is from an Italian background and yes, they are all quite wonderful cooks….in my 7 years of marriage I’ve put on about 15kg due to the beautiful recipes they just have to try, and from my father in law’s constant urges to ‘mange, mange’!!!!  (Well, I don’t want to upset him, do I???  LOL)  It’s getting harder to think of good birthday presents, so this year, I’m making aprons and scented  spice trivets because I know they’ll be well used!!!!!!  The aprons are still ‘in process’ but the spice trivets are done…

Scented with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, put a hot pot on top and, not only does it save your benchtops, but the smell is incredible!!!!  I think I’ll be making a few more for moi!!!!

Last weekend I just couldn’t find my mojo and the ‘Italian’ must have rubbed off on me ‘cause I felt more like baking.  I’d wanted to try some of the recipes I’d found on the Fabshop Hop, so when I went back into my files I found this one……Lemon Meringue Cupcakes!!!….mmmmmmmm   

 

I made mini, bite-sized ones so I didn’t feel so guilty!!!!!    I tried out my new, silicone patty cupcake cups and they were just magic!  I bought them for just a few dollars at my local supermarket….so easy!

Not only do you get the recipes on the hop,  but you also get a paper pieced or appliqued pattern of each cupcake!!!    A yummy quilt will be on the cards next!!!!!  They’ve got quite a few hops each year….where you can visit lots of shops from the comfort of your own home, hunt for little bunnies, and gather block patterns along the way…..the March one is the Star Search Sampler where you’ll collect all the blocks to make this…

If you click here, you can find out all the details and  you can hunt around to find all the other hops during the year!

And please visit Maddie at L’il Magoolie and put a bid on some of the lovely things she has there to support the victims of the NZ Quake.

They stood by us when we had the floods, the cyclone and the fires….now it’s our turn!

Have a fantastic week

Sugary hugs

XXX Wendy :0)

Bonjour my new mug rugs!

  What a lovely surprise yesterday when I opened my post box….there was a parcel inside from France which peaked my interest…..Once I tore open the packaging, it revealed two simply gorgeous mug rugs…both so different but both quite beautiful. Front: Back: Front: Back: These came from Sylvie and she told me her inspiration for the first mug rug was from our colourful country…so you see the coloured side was her initial ‘top’ until the floods devastated our ‘Sunshine State’ and left it dark and sad….hence the black and white theme which then became the top. Thank you Sylvie….I love them and will think of you when I have my morning boost of caffeine to get me started each day!!!! I haven’t heard from my swap partner yet, but travel to Sweden might take a bit longer??!!!…. No giveaways on names, but my partner is blogless so I guess I can show you what I sent her now!!!!. My inspiration came from the beautiful flowers that have begun to emerge after the cyclone, bringing beauty and an almost symbolic ‘new beginning’!  I’m a bit of a fan of pink and green so I hope my swap partner is too!  (Wouldn’t it be terrible if she was really into brights  instead of pastels and pretties!!???) LOL I even tried my own version of machine quilting….I don’t think I’ll be winning any prizes but it wasn’t too bad! I hope they get to Sweden soon, otherwise my swap partner will think I’ve ditched her!!!! LOL  Thanks Michelle for organising another fun swap! I’ve also been making a birthday gift for a workmate’s 40th birthday… Does this give any clues?????…………. I should have a prize for the first correct guess shouldn’t I????….but not this time!!!….If you guessed the Baseco bag by my mate Dawn……B-I-N-G-O!!!….You’re a winner!!!!! I made a couple of modifications though.   I made my own design for the stitchery…(mainly because I’d made the same bag for my boss late last year for all the work she put into staff training with me.) I based it on one of Leanne Beasley’s designs in her 'Design your own quilt’ workshop we did in Townsville last year. The other thing I did differently was I used a pack of charm squares instead of the 2.5” strips.  You’ll notice the long strips of colour are tonal and not one piece of fabric, as are the handles.  I did that basically because, well…..I wanted to see if I could do it (LOL), and this range of fabric (Moda’s Urban Couture)  was just telling me it belonged with my workmate!!!! I’m getting much braver as I was one of these people that, if the pattern said I needed a certain item, I would go out and hunt it down no matter what, because ‘that’s what the pattern said’!!!!!  I think I’m liking my modifications, and so did my workmate, Theresa!!!! I am extremely happy today too, because my fridge has just been repaired after the cyclone…..it had an ‘issue’ after Yasi, and decided that anything under 13 degrees was far too cold for it…..thank goodness for extended warranty….but I guess everyone had the same problems!!!   I’m going to let it tick over tonight and start filling it back up tomorrow…it will be so nice not to have to go out to the shed to get milk for coffee in the morning!!!!!!   Aaaaaah, life’s simple pleasures!!!!…..and maybe, I’ll just use one of my new mug mats……..I just need to decide which one! Have a great weekend, keep safe and many sugary hugs XXX Wendy   :0)