Recycling

They have given our State free recycling on televisions, computers & printers. We have been stockpiling old tv's and computers and I finally dropped them off on my way to work one morning.

The front two iMacs are mine! The iMac G5 broke down a long time ago (burning smell etc.) and the little orange iMac still worked but isn't worth anything and was just taking up space. I still have an old graphite iMac. I was really disappointed with my G5 - it had issues from day one which our local Mac shop failed to fix. I took it back after one failed repair after a while and they asked why it had taken so long for me to bring it in. Well, my answer was I bought a Dell - their after sales care was a hell of alot better, if it needed repairing under warranty, guess what? They would pick it up from my home and return it to my at my home. Every time I took that Mac to the repair shop I had to lug it in and back and pay $100 for the privelege. 

Anyway, our original TV was living in a purpose built unit that Wal had made for it, which did not fit the new tv (old style) or any flat screen. I hate to throw it out as Wal made it, so I have claimed it as a craft cupboard. I had previously used it to block the archway from the dining to the lounge, the dining room is my study. So my new cupboard will house all my craft, sewing stuff, and where the TV is will even house two sewing machines.

 So it will be flipped around it is place and cleared out of all the cd's etc. I love that fact that it has been repurposed. I want Wal to make a bookshelf to hide the back of it, we'll see.

Quilt Number 2

I finallly finished Mia's quilt, it has a simpler design with the border, back and edge being the same fabric, which is a reproduction from the Victoria and Albert Museum in England.


I used 1 Moda jelly roll, Good Fortune, then bulked it out with white strips I cut, and all the left over bits.

The pattern came from here: http://quiltville.com/scrappytripspf.html

It was machine quilted by Kay and Mia picked a varigated thread and a dragon fly pattern.

It would have been bigger with 2 jelly rolls but you live and learn.

I have done the top of the quilt for my niece Nadine for her 21st, I just have to get the back done in plain calico and then I will also get it quilted by Kay.

The fabric for my quilt has been purchased and should arrive in the mail tomorrow.

Jerangle has been foggy and cold, this weekend particularly so, but no rain.
It is the official start of the ski season for New South Wales which means that every weekend from now for the next few months traffic will be a real pain for us to get out to our block and back again. The latest I will now leave to come home is 3pm, as it is dark by 5 and I hate driving the highway bumper to bumper in the dark.
Scotia

DIY Day

Our wardrobes have been pretty bleh since we bought our house and today we finally fixed them up.
 A month ago I did a design for our wardrobes and Wal got them made up at his work. He built everything a week or so ago and today we installed them, after ripping out the old timber work and painting.
 

My wardrobe before

 My wardrobe after

Wal's side

We paused to have TexMex breakfast bake

for which I got the recipe from Diane Mott Davidson's Goldy Bear culinary mystery series.
I am going through a culinary mystery phase and have just started Kerry Greenwoods Early Delights series.

I think I would have liked it much better if it didn't have vampires in it, even though they were fakes. I am a bit over whacking in a vampire to increase sales - Early delights has a goth club with vampires as a plot line and the other residents are a bit one dimensional.

I started the second novel and will see if it gets better.
Bye for now.

Quilt number 1

I started quilting in the last 6 months and have found the joys of jelly rolls.
My first jelly roll quilt is for my youngest daughter, with the pattern from Moda, http://www.modabakeshop.com/2011/08/cartwheels-quilt.html

I used Ameila from Moda for the fabric, and cut all the white strips.

Here are some making shots:



And the finished product in use:



I got it machine quilted by a local quilter called Kay, and Erin picked out the pattern and the cotton. I am really happy with the finished product and hope she will have it for years to come.
That reminds me, I need to sign and date it.

This is what happens when you ignore your pets while quilting:


Scotia

Christmas at Jerangle

We arrived at Jerangle on boxing day with lots of family accompanying us.
Mia and Erin loved having their cousins Hope, Mitchell and Paige to play with and saw them on an off until the 9th of January when they flew back to Queensland.

We also had the Clarkson's from NSW. I don't know what everyone was looking at here.










My mother came up for lunch with my sister and her family, and Jonathan arrived the same day as Ian and Shena.
I forced Wal to rehang my calendabra over the table and to hang his birthday ply deer head.

Activities included archery, quad bike riding and driving the tracks. Wal repaired the front gate and tidied up around the place.
Hemi


Scotia

Completion

I finally finished my Library Degree and travelled to my university at Wagga Wagga on the 12th of December to accept my degree.

Seven years of studying finished. I would never study by distance again and found my best units were those done at the local university face to face. I would love to continue being a uni student and look to do further study in the future.

But for now, being a librarian is enough. This field is innovative, evolving and is always looking to the future.

This is why I am overjoyed to find out my daughters new high school is renaming their library next year because libraries are static and only have books!

Scotia

Snow season starts early

Last weekend there was a good dump of snow, which stayed on the ground for a day or two.



Wal went out to do things while the girls stayed in town.

I have been knitting a bit with patterns off Ravelry and I am happy with the results.



I want to do a few more mitts, including some cute owl ones for Mia, but going through the wardrobes this weekend there are scarves and beanies galore so will put off knitting more of them. The mittens above have slits in the thumb so you can use your phone or other things while wearing them.

Enjoy the snow season!