Brocoliflower and a garden update

Was absolutely thrilled with my brocoliflower this year. Other years it has bolted and gone to seed as do most my brassicas. But this year it is a ripper!! Huge, it has feed us for three meals so far and those were generous. 

A year ago I said that we were going to redo the garden. Well Aaron has done all the paved paths but I am still finishing the brickwork (probably still will be doing it by this time next year!!) 

Wow the photo below is what it looked like just as we started.

This photo is what it looked like part way through.

Some very girly sewing

I don't normally get to do girly girly sewing. Not in a house full of boys. But at work everyone dresses in costume in the last couple of days before Christmas. It is the busiest time of the year and by the 23rd all are tired. So I decided to be the fairy on the Christmas tree. I bought a remnant satin for only $4 from Fabric Vision. Then a little bit of cheap tulle and some glitter tulle on top. Voila a Fairy skirt. Only 1.5 hours to whip it up (gathering the tulle was the longest part).

To go with it I have a string of Xmas lights but I have to wear my steel caps and hi viz vest. Will post a photo when it happens. Aaron says he is going to borrow the skirt to hand out goodies for at his work. I will have to get a photo of that too.

Linking to these places and finish it up friday.

Lemon Pepper beer battered fish and chips

Amazing, gorgeous, dinner. Used Monkfish and it was oh so tasty. Home made is the way to go!!

Gee - what did I do?

Yes, I get distracted when using my scraps. I started another project. But sensibly I kept this to large cushion size. I was looking for handwork to take in the caravan, now we are in camping season. I don't think it is my thing but I should learn not to judge an unfinished project.

Using freezer paper for my templates and needleturn applique for the motifs. Will have to wait and see where to from here!

Linking to these places

Goodness gracious I started another project

This was meant to be a zipped bag. But no - I kept going. Now everytime I find a scrap of material, on the floor or cut off my current project, I start making another random block. When it is big enough I add it on. It is about 1m wide by 60cm high. This will take ages to potter on and do. But it is something where I can sit at the sewing machine for half an hour and feel that I have done something.

I link to these place

Strawberries

Yum, picked fresh from the garden, tasting sumptuous, enough for dessert for us all. Large!! Loving this time of year

Rediscovering Crotchet

When I was just a little girl my mother taught me and my sisters to crotchet. We learnt the tradition peggy squares and thought that was it. 

Now I know there is so much more but I still do not do it. As my boys no longer want knitted jerseys etc I was riffling through all my left over wool and thought - Ah ha. Why not start yet another project!!! (I am soo good at the starting bit) 

But I want to be modern. So after a bit of looking at pin boards etc I decided to do a cross between a old fashioned peggy square (the two middle rows) and a more modern colour block (all the other rows). It is so much easier to crotchet when watching t.v than following some of my knitting patterns or trying to hand stitch. So am loving not being idle while watching Tele these days. Not too sure how long it will last. But fun while it does.

Linking to these places.

Amazing, easy Cheesy Garlicky bread

Going around Facebook at the moment is a post on cheesy garlic bread. How simple I thought. But then I needed to NZ -a-fy the recipe. As the cheese they recommended is expensive and the whole thing was not quite to my taste.

Cheesy garlicky bread.
1 big vienna style loaf - cut it into thick 2inch (5cm) slices but on an angle not straight. Turn the loaf and cut it into 2inch thick slices the opposite way - DO NOT cut through the bottom crust.
Grate 1 cup of standard cheddar cheese and open the cuts and sprinkle the cheese in.
melt 1/2 cup butter and grate in 4-5 garlic cloves then drizzle this all over the bread, some into the gaps and some on top.

Put into the oven in a dish covered in tin foil on 180oC for 15 mins. Take the foil off the top and bake another 10-15 mins.

Eat while hot!!! - yummy

I made it on Saturday night and it was wolfed down before dinner.

What to do to finish it off?

When I was on my quilting retreat in August I made the centre star. When I came home I squared the corners up and then it sat in a funk. How to finish it, what to do? I am trying to finish things at the moment, but what with work and being hit by a vicious cold I have done nothing for the last few weeks. 

I decided just to get on with it, not be precious about it and so I put the grey border on. I have three more little strip borders (some of that black with white dot) to put on and then I am going to try quilting it as a spiral. I see lots of people out in blog world doing that. So whether I like it or not at the end I am not sure but at least I will have a plan!!

Linking to these places

The quilts have made it to Africa

Yay - finally all the quilts that I parceled up have gotten to the orphanage just outside El Dorat in Kenya. The older girls have started choosing their quilts and they have named them "forever quilts" as this is the first thing they have to keep forever, even when they leave to study or get married.

Getting them to Kenya was expensive and rather stressful as the Kenyan border kept them in holding for two weeks and we were very concerned about the spiraling cost. 

When shipping them I almost gave up as but thanks to everyone who prayed and helped. Now the look on these faces makes my heart sing. 

New pouch pattern - tested and featured

Yes, I can finally tell you all about it. I was a pattern tester for Svetlana over at s.o.t.a.k. I love her blog and style so when she asked for testers I put my hand up.

It is a very easy to make pattern. I loved how well the zips went in and how finished they were.

I spent ages trying to centre my material but still did not get it totally right.

When open it looks like this. Each pocket is seperate though.

Linking to these places and crazy mum quilts