Delayed FNSI

My sincerest apologies but this one was out of my control

Our regular monthly FNSI will be held NEXT Friday 23rd March due to the fact I have only just got my internet back on this very minute (well, within the last 3 minutes!).  I'll put the sign-ons up on Monday.
We have been without for nearly 4 weeks due to an NBN outage and after many calls to and fro with the provider, it was found to be a fault in the NBN fibre which has only just been fixed. 

Our little rural/regional area has limited internet at the best of times and our house seems to sit on a 'black spot' of internet connectivity, so when the NBN isn't working, the household stops!  No internet means no phone, no Netflix, no blogging, and limited facebook and Instagram.....and Pinterest is out of the question!  It's a hellhole! (what DID we do pre-internet???)

Hubby was out talking to the guy fixing the connections and he said there were broken wires within the fibre but now they are all good and we should have no further problems  PLUS, the bonus.......our internet speed has doubled!!!  So blogging will be soo much easier from here on in!

Have a fab weekend.  I'm off to my son's and daughter-in-law to be's engagement party tonight!  They grow up way too fast don't they?

Can't wait to stitch with you next week!
xox sugary hugs :o)

My FNSI

I love this time of the month, when I get to sew in comfort with my buddies, but I especially love this month and watching the winter Olympics, feet up on the recliner, sewing in my lap and kitten trying to ski down the slopes too!

Gee I love these little guys....one was sleeping but this little boy (he's now nearly double the size of Mocha) was a bundle of energy....and then just dropped in front of the tv- one of his favourite places to be.  Well, it beats them climbing all over me and trying to pull pins out of the pincushion and needles out of my stitching....they truly are little devils at times.

I did however, manage to finish the cross stitching part of my old Queenslander, and I'm pretty happy with it too.

Now for the trickier part, adding all the backstitched detail.....I'm always worried I'll stuff it up, a bit like when you're quilting and you put off finishing the top and making it into a quilt because you worry you won't be able to do it justice (or is that just me?).   I'll keep you posted with how I'm going with it...I'll be trying to get it done by the end of the month so I have a finish for OPAM.

It's only 20-ish days till we fly to Brisbane for our annual LGS aka Let's Get Stitched weekend with these three wonderful designers - Dawn Hay, Fee Ransley and Joy Coey and I can't wait!  Each year, we make a swap gift and a badge for two different people, one is a random 'lucky dip', the other is assigned.  This year, our swap gift is a needlebook.

I managed to get the stitchery for the front of the needlebook done on Friday night too and the needlebook itself will be made this week, followed by the badge.  Our theme this year is 'tropical' so there's lots of ideas going through my head.  I'll show some sneaky peeks when I've got something started.

Nothing else to share at the moment...about to go and visit dad-in-law in the hospital so I must be off.  Don't forget to drop by to see what all the other Friday-nighters got up to....it always inspires me!
xox sugary hugs :o)

Friday Night Sew In Sign Ups

Surprise!     Yes it is......

and yes, it's a bit late, as usual!
We've had problems with our NBN and have had no phone or internet since last Wednesday.  It was booked in for reconnection yesterday and after many a frantic phone call, was finally connected well into the afternoon....what is it with technology and us?  I know it definitely kicks up the stress levels a bit.  But finally, it's on again.....after hours on the mobile phone last week and again this week.....you just don't realise how much you rely on it, do you?

And now my computer has decided it doesn't want to upload any photos from my phone so I can't even show you what I've been up to, apart from this one block I've been working on for the Fat Quarter Shop Classic and Vintage Quilt Along using the Hunter Star block.

I'd show you the whole block but I just can't get it from the phone to the computer!!!!  grrrrrrr......there must be a way!   I know what I'll be doing this afternoon!!!!

Before I completely lose it, I'm going to put up the link for this Friday night's Sew In.  Don't forget to link up and join in.....it's the best party you can have in your pjs!
Happy Valentine's Day <3

xox sugary hugs :o)

FNSI winners - December AND January...

I'm so sorry this post is so late today.
I had planned to get it organised yesterday afternoon, however I discovered, after a power outage in our area in the middle of the night on Saturday night, my computer was not able to start up normally and I had to reset everything. 

This meant all my apps and links I use regularly and are pinned to my start page, had been cleared in the reset!  I didn't realise how much I took for granted that they would always just 'be there' so when they had to be cleared to be able to start my desktop again, do you think I could remember what half of them were called?...all the drivers and programs and even files that I had pinned to the taskbar;  my computer wouldn't recognise my camera so wouldn't download my photos either - aaargh, such a nightmare!
But now I'm up and 'basically' running I thought I'd get this post quickly done so you didn't have to wait any longer!

Our December get together was a little smaller than most - I suspect as people were busy with Christmas parties and preparing for the 'big day', stitching was low on most people's list of priorities.    We did however, have 21 lovely friends getting together for some last minute finishing of Christmas gifts. 
With the help of Mr RNG, here is our December winner....

Congratulations to

CHRISTINE  from MacDonald's Patch

and your prize, which will be sent tomorrow, is.......

....a beautiful mini charm pack of Regent's Park by Maywood Studio and two matching threads....hope you like them Christine!

 

Mr RNG was also busy picking our January winner......

doesn't seem random does it, when it's the very next number...but I promise, it is.

Congratulations to

HELEN from Helbels World of Craft.

 

Helen, I hope you like your prize ....

 

 

...a mini charm pack of Sticks and Stones by Laundry Basket Quilts for Moda and two matching threads.

 

Until next month's FNSI, thanks for joining in and if you haven't before, give it a try next month.  Our February FNSI will be on the 16th, so lock it into your diaries.

 

xox Sugar hugs :o)





My Friday night stitching....

....consisted of some relaxing, slow stitching.....working on my Fig'n Berry stitchery for a cute little 'Daisy Chain Needlecase', which I'm sure I will add to my present pile for this year (something I've planned to do in the past but never actually got around to doing - or got wildly distracted!)

I finished the front and began working on the back.....something about birdies that's just so appealing...

I love them, don't you?  They're so cute.

I'm taking my time with this one, just enjoying the needle sliding through the fabric and placing the stitches exactly where I want them to be...there's no rush, no deadline which is really nice in my hectic life at the moment.  And Friday night Sew In's are just perfect for me right now, making me slow down and just 'enjoy' the moment in the serenity of home (somewhere I don't get to spend much time lately).

There were quite a few other ladies that joined with me for FNSI.....why not visit them from HERE, say hi and see what stitching loveliness they created on Friday night?

Update on Dad.....he's been in hospitals since the beginning of December, transferring to a sub acute hospital which focuses on elderly health and dementia while we wait for a place to open in the Aged Home.  In this time, he hasn't had a haircut, what with Christmas in the middle and illness and hairdressers being on holidays, so we organised a haircut for him this week, and boy, what a difference!  

I know how much I love going to the hairdresser but I didn't realise how much of an effect it had on dad!   He woke up in the morning grumpy and argumentative squealing no-one was going to cut his hair and everyone could just ping off (well, it was worse than that but......I'm trying to be ladylike!)   We were so worried how it would go as we had such a time organising a hairdresser to come to the home to cut his hair when it suited and you can probably see how 'unhappy' he was in the first photo.....but that soon changed! 

As the haircut began, Dad promptly fell asleep, and stayed asleep for the whole of the session!  Yep, nothing like a head rub to relax you, that's for sure.   And you can see the 'after' effects......he looks so much brighter and happier and he was too!   The gloominess from before the haircut disappeared and he couldn't stop admiring himself in the mirror.....I'm a bit biased but, he IS an adorable man!

We just need to remind ourselves that often it's the simple things in life that have the greatest effects....so, being well overdue, I've made an appointment for my haircut on Tuesday!  Make sure you look after you too! 

Check back on Monday to see who our winner is for January's FNSI......and I'll have to draw a winner for December too.....seems I missed that one! (oops!) 

xox sugary hugs :o)

FNSI sign ups for January

Here we are in 2018 and the very first of our FNSIs for the year!  Hope you'll join with me, I certainly need it!

For those of you who are new, please read the directions on the tab above, sign up on the link below and  join in with us on Friday night.  There are prizes each month just for joining in and inspiring each other so nothing is lost but there is lots gained!

See you Friday night! xox
Sugary hugs :o)

New Beginnings and FNWF

I joined with my friends over at Cheryll's on Friday night for some BOM aka Beginning of the Month stitching.  I was a little distracted with our new little additions.......

....they do get into so much mischief and have taken over the run of my sewing room so there's not much space for me! (Yep, that's my sewing chair....don't think I have much of a chance, do you?)

I did however, get a little bit done......

 I managed a hexi for the hexi swap in our craft forum, and one of my 'things' this year (I won't call them resolutions), is to get back into some stitching.  I've been working on a cross stitch for the past few months and I was beginning to forget what stitching was all about, so I bought myself a couple of kits to reacquaint myself.....

It seems it's a bit like riding a bike.......

 You just don't forget how to do it!

Thanks so much Cheryll for hosting our monthly get-tegethers and do yourself a favour and take a look at what the other ladies were stitching.

I didn't pop on the blog for Merry Christmases and happy New Year's as I've been busy visiting this beautiful man......

My father in law (adoptive father!) is permanently in the hospital now until a position in a nursing home becomes available.  He looks really good here on this day, but other days you would swear there was no light in that soul.....alzheimers really is cruel.  I'm going to show him as much loving as I can while I can....he loves his hugs so while he remembers me, I'm there!  

So my apologies in advance if my blogging is erratic.....I've made a vow with myself to be kind, not feel guilty and not apologise for absences as I know my blogging friends understand completely.  A big 'MWAH'  in advance. 

We did have some wonderful news over Christmas that I shared on Facebook but maybe some of you haven't heard?    My baby boy (they're always our babies aren't they?) got engaged on Christmas Eve.

 

WE only discovered about half way through this year that these two were great buddies when they were toddlers!  Seems when I was doing family day care, I looked after her for a short time and she and Nick got on really well then too! 

Funny how life turns out isn't it?  

We also celebrated Mum and dad (in-law)'s 60th Wedding anniversary.....until now, they'd never spent a night apart (other than short hospital visits).  So rare to find such love.....you can see it can't you? 

I'm off to visit these special people......in the meantime, I leave you with these thoughts for 2018.....

xox Sugary hugs :o)