Raspberries and more

The  berry abundance led me to make some gorgeous raspberry jam, a favourite in our family. Then one thing turned into another. The little bit of jam that would not fit in a jar got sieved for a glaze and delving into my old cook books I made a recipe I had forgotten. The tart was scoffed by the family in seconds flat - no left overs, Oh I had forgotten how delicious it was.

 As the tart uses egg yolks I had some egg whites left over, so of course I made meringues. It was a busy afternoon in the kitchen but what a great result, Jam, Tart and Meringues.

2017 Finish A-long

I am joining the 2017 FAL (see button and link below) and this year I am hoping to get some finishes in. I started the 2016 FAL but with study and operations I could not keep it up. So these two items were meant to be Christmas PJ shorts for Eli - Hoping to get that done.

These men's shirts needed to be new nighties as mine are wearing out. I was trying to get it done before my last operation to take to hospital, but no had to take my old ones. So get this done.

This scraps quilt I finished in October and want to get batted, backed, quilted and bound. So we will see how this all goes.

The best way to pick berry fruit

There had been a lot of discussion in my family about how to pick the berries. My tried and true methodology is "one for the bowl, one for me". The boys system is "pick one, completely dissect it to check for bugs and foreign objects, the throw it out anyway just to be sure.
Today a new and productive method arose. Pick when on "nil by mouth" as required on the day off an operation. It has proved to held the highest pick ever.
Had a lovely morning outside picking etc before heading in to be admitted.

Moving Machinery

Over the New Year the boys and Aaron camped with our friends on their farm. They are so welcoming and allow us to park our caravan on their property any time. It is a wonderful gift to us as we do not like the crowded camp sites and noise of new year.

A lot of work is happening in the yards and this old seeder needed to be moved as a landscape feature. All hands to the deck. But I was designated cheerleader and not allowed to help. Got to keep the bones mending.

It actually took quite a bit to move as the seeding prongs kept digging into the ground or the old gears locked in.

One of the things I often make is English Muffins when we are camping. Easy to rise the yeast in warm weather and lovely and fresh.

When we got home I headed out into the garden to pick the berries which ripened while we were away. That is the problem with summer, all the garden comes on and yet we head away to make the most of the great weather.

Using scraps

I met Heather at my annual stitching retreat and she has been generous enough to give me her scraps. The materials are gorgeous. I need some eye masks for camping and hospital, so I used some of her gorgeous scraps to make a couple. The bias binding was from another person but the red fleece on the back was my cupboard. Very comfy and effective to keep out the light while sleeping

Teaching the next generation how to make meringues

My Niece and Nephew came for the afternoon and dinner after my husband's family Christmas get together. Over time we have baked together a lot. Today I was making meringues to take to a Christmas get together with my friends. 

Meike asked if she could help and then went and got her apron and away we went. It was the first time she had used a piping bag, as well as the first time I had tried to teach someone. It took a bit for me to work out how to let her know when to squeeze and when to stop so each meringues remained separate. 

Of course the best bit is always to lick the beaters after. I had a lovely batch to take to my friends and Meike had a small bag to take home with her.

Chair upcycle with Chalk Paint and oilcloth.

All painted and finished

Before - tired after years of use

Last weekend while Aaron was in Australia I took the opportunity to attend an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint workshop at one of my favourite stores, Femme de Brocante.

The three hours was a great creative retreat. We looked at all the paint colours and talked about mixing etc. Plus we experimented with different finishes on a pre prepared board that we got to take home as a reminder. Plus we received the new Annie Sloan book. I thought I was just getting some painting and waxing know how. Great value for money.

I attended the course because there are several items I wish to revamp at home and I wanted to make sure I did it well. While I was in the store I found some lightweight oil cloth with maps on it. They are not accurate but look effective. Our study area is going to have topographical maps on the wall as wallpaper and I thought this would be a great way to do up a tired chair. 

Very tired chair

Chair and seat all done.

The chair that I decided to tackle first is actually one I upcycled years ago. Using an old velvet curtain to cover the seat. So I recovered the seat with oil cloth and then used chalk paint that is half old white and half provence mixed to make a softer blue to match the seat cover. Super thrilled with my first effort.

Linking to these places and Crazy Mum Quilts