We wish you.....

a Merry Christmas, a safe holiday, a happy and relaxed time.

It's the second day of school holidays for me and I have two kiddies at home.  The shed kit has arrived and we are waiting on builders to start.  It hasn't rained for six weeks or so and then yesterday it poured.....hmmmm, dust or mud, what a choice!  We're going camping soon and I'm totally unorganised.  And I still haven't finished my Father-in-Law's quilt.

But thank you all for your suggestions with layouts in my last post.  I changed a few things round again, and am much happier with it.  It's all sewn together and basted and now I need to quilt it.  I promise I'll show a picture of it when it's finished.

Apart from that picture though, I'm taking a bloggy break.  It's all a bit crazy here and I want to enjoy the Christmas period, not stress through it.  So lessening a few of my commitments makes sense.

I'll see you all again in January.

Please take care of yourselves.

xxx

This is on my mind...

The final layout of my Father in Law's quilt.  I get to stage sometimes where I can't see the wood for the trees, I've looked at a quilt so long that I can't see what I'm seeing anymore and one layout looks the same as another, nothing stands out as wrong or everything stands out as wrong.  Occasionally it makes me want to put the whole thing in a box and start over.  (I must have done that a few times, that's where WIP's come from!)

So which one do I choose?  And I must make up my mind soon because I've imposed a deadline on myself by deciding that this is going to be a Christmas present.

Do I choose this one?  Or this one?  What about this one?  Can anyone see the differences?

You can find out what's on other peoples minds over at Rhonda's blog, Down to Earth.

Now, I think there is an apostrophe missing in that sentence above - where are your high school english teachers when you need them?

That's my boy

Yay!  The first visit from the tooth fairy.  I must admit; I was drifting off to sleep when I was suddenly snapped awake with the thought, "I FORGOT THE TOOTH FAIRY!"  Yoiks!  That was crushing disappointment narrowly avoided.

First handwritten Father Christmas letter.  He just kills me with his sweetness sometimes.  And makes me laugh at his very basic wants.  I'm sure we can organise some chocolate.

First portrait shot taken by his younger sister.  Not too bad - I think she catches his goofiness perfectly!



Tui

I've been trying to concentrate on my Father-in-Law's quilt that I'm making him for Christmas.  It's getting closer - but then so is Christmas!  I'm really pleased with how this Tui (a native New Zealand bird) block turned out.  Only one Tui will go on his quilt, so the other one will be used for something else.  I'm thinking wall hanging, bag panel, another quilt.....ok, maybe not another quilt just yet.

Click here to see images of real Tuis (but ignore the cheesy beer ads).

Wednesday.

The holes are dug, the hole diggers gone.  It seemed like an easy mornings work for them.  The holes are so deep I've had to cover them all up with boards to save the kids (or me) from breaking our legs.  Hole inspection tomorrow and then the concrete footings can be poured.  It's really and truly happening.