Sunday Stitching

Just a little random stitching, bits a pieces from an old bag of fabric I found hidden in a drawer and some of my new favorites.  Nothing fancy, just something to keep my fingers busy.

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

Toodles...L x ♥

Reality and the Reasons

Firstly, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for all your supportive words on my last post.  They have lifted me and helped me move forward.  As you know I work from home and have little social interaction, some days it's debilitating and lonely.  I have no family in this country and few friends, so those kind words really do mean the world to me.  

So just a few very random things.....and nonsense if you make it to the end.

I've been hooking like mad for my little mad/expanding childish obsession :-) Heaven help me!!!!!!  But those little hats come together SO fast and i get to use fancy sparkly silver and gold crochet thread.

 I've started a new obsession with these cheap and cheerful 1950 's (?) ceramic elephants and lambs. I know, nuts, but for a dollar, I can't say no!

 Last night I go stuck into some sewing.  First I fixed this cranky old machine. It belonged to my MIL, it has the weirdest bobbins, sews like a tank, but does do a nice stitch. I really don't care to sew on it, don't know why, but I don't.  As it was working and ready to sew I did a little stitching (small quilty thingy next to the machine).  I thought you might like a peek at my messy sewing area.  This is it in its natural state and I'll be honest with you, it ALWAYS looks like this.  Apparently, I'm not tidy by nature. :-)

 And this is the disaster of our dining room table.  Overflow from my sewing. It's been a few days since we've eaten at the dining room table.  Please don't be too horrified, but if you're like me I know you love a nosey in other peoples houses.  Oh and see that thick folder on the table?  That'll get a mention later.

 On another note, my garden is going nuts this year!  I love it.  It really has helped keep me from going over the edge.

 I love going outside to piddle around in the evenings and see what's growing. It's a little wild.

 But I love picking the peas and pulling up weeds.  Good therapy I tell ya!

OK so seriously, that was a wacky post and I'm impressed you've made it this far.  Just briefly, lets talk about the things that are driving me a little crazy.  We'll go in order, from less bothersome, to ok this is going to drive me b@tsh*t crazy:

• Little J and his attacks of the wanties.  Not the, I want a bar of chocolate, or buy me this $10 toy, but I want a pair of headphones that cost $380.  Kid can work a really good guilt trip, can be like an endless dripping tap on the annoyance level, but I've worked really hard an almost mastered him with the firm NO. No twelve year old needs wireless Beats by Dr Dre, right???
• The Mister.  My doctor described my relationship with him perfectly. I love him to bits, but 6 days out of 7 I can't stand him. Apparently her husband is the same?  He may drive me crazy.  He's very understanding and apologetic, as long as HE isn't the problem. Man does not know how to say sorry. Ugh. Can't be all that bad, we've been married 19 years!  Sorry, just had to get that one off my chest.
• Ever increasing, never decreasing medical bills (folder on my dining room table is now over an inch thick with bills)!  I could have flown home to Australia and had my health issues dealt with for cheaper!  Health insurance in this country SUCKS.
• My Job.  Still hanging precariously in the balance and the people I have to deal with are getting more insane by the day. Actually, now I've typed that I think my give a damn is busted. I don't really care if I lose my job anymore.  Bring it on I say!!!!
• My neighbors.  This is actually the worst thing. The thing that has made me really fragile.  I'm the kind of person who doesn't like conflict.  Not one bit. I'm the peacekeeper who tries to see good in everyone. I've tried for 18 months with these people.  Tried.  The trying is over, they are now trying my patience. I'm from the school that my pets are my family. They're from the school that pets are like toys, you put them in the cupboard when you are tired of them.  It breaks my heart, it breaks my sons heart.  We've had tears over it today when we nearly convinced them to let us have their cat (the one who helped me break my ankle and is sister to our cat).  Tell me, who leaves their puppy/dog tied up in a torrential downpour that saw land slides on our street and the end of it under 4 feet of water?  Who locks up their cat cage outside, because they don't want it to get pregnant, don't want it in the house, but are too cheap to get it spayed?  UGH I tell ya!  UGH.  The good news is I'm not the only annoyed neighbor, we're banding together to solve this one.

Phew!  That was ALOT wasn't it?  See why I'm crazy? Is it just me, or would these things make you nuts too?

Ok I'm off. I've ordered pizza for dinner and then I plan to get stuck into some more sewing.  Actually, while I was typing this, Little J has just 'sold' me the desk in his room for $5.  Anything to get him to stop pestering me while I write this post.  :-)

Toodles...L x ♥

And then she stopped.....

I've been thinking about this blog post for days, maybe weeks....
Wondering what to say....
Life, has been.....fragile?  
I'm not sure that is the word, but life has been like the constant ringing in my ears, quietly annoying and keeping me on the edge.
Right on the edge.
Things are slowing starting to fall apart, but I'm doing everything I can to hold it together.
I had a long chat with my oldest today, he is the only one who can calm me out of my constant worrying and settle me long enough to stop the ringing in my ears (apparently it's stress related). He said, 'Stop Mum.  Stop thinking everything you do in life will be perfect, don't worry if you make mistakes, don't worry if you can't make that person happy, be you.  You've stopped being you.'
He's a wise young man.  
I wish everyone had a boy like him.
He is my rock and my voice of reason.
I have stopped being me. 
I have stopped creating in case what I make isn't perfect, that I won't love it, that it won't meet what's in my mind's eye.  
So today, I stopped my endlessly worrying.
Picked up my hook and stitched a few rows.
I even worked on an old sewing machine that had frustrated me, it just needed some patience and tweaking and now it sews like a dream.
For once, I'm ready for bed, relaxed and smiling.  
Determined to stop worrying and start stitching, which always makes me smile.

Thanks for listening and most importantly, thanks for stopping by.

Toodles...L x ♥

Pe♥ny L♥ve

Just loving my peonies at the moment, they get better every year!

 

Thank you for stopping by,

I do hope you have a wonderful week.

 

Toodles...L x ♥

Pig Tricks by Woody.....

 

....balancing a wood shaving on his nose!

 

Oh how this Gpig makes me laugh.

 

Funny little pig..

 

Toodles...L x ♥

 

P.S. Please excuse the orange around his mouth, he'd just finished his morning carrot.

:: Chevron Dress ::

The first piece of stitchery for my summer wardrobe -

New Look 6895. 

 

Please excuse the wrinkles, I've already worn and washed it. I absolutely love this pattern, so simple and so comfortable. The only modifications I made was to add the pockets and the bias tape stripe, which I also placed on the inside hem of the sleeves. I felt it needed just a little something to jazz it up.  I didn't gather the sleeves either, I think the gathers make my arms look twice as fat as they already are, so not necessary. ☺

 

I'm planning on stitching up a storm this summer as I'm so tired of the lack of simple summer dresses and skirts in our shops.  There's nothing I find more comfortable than a simple cotton dress on a hot summers day, but apparently the shops here are only interested in shorts and capris with t-shirts.  I wonder why that is?

 

The next pattern on my list is New Look A6262.  Patterns are so expensive, but these New Look patterns were less than $3.00 so buying one and not liking it is not a huge risk. 

 

Does anyone have any recommendations on simple summer dresses?

 

I'd love to hear if others are sewing for themselves this summer.

 

Toodles...L x ♥

Weekend Treasures...

I've been doing a little treasure hunting these last few weekends.......

 

 

 

 

• Beautiful new/old bedside tables that fit perfectly in our teeny tiny bedroom. We desperately needed them and the drawers are perfect for storage.  They were originally part of a Waterfall style dressing table with a low table top between them and a large round mirror.  The mirror and table were long gone when I found these beauties and they had the most hideous faux wood paint job I've ever seen. It took some convincing with the Mister, who couldn't see beyond the hideous paint job, that they would be perfect for a room. Surprisingly we both came up with the same colour idea and the Mister did a magnificent job painting them. At $10 for both, these were an absolute bargain.
• A near perfect copy of 'A Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady'.  Just can't get enough of the pictures in this book, simply  beautiful.
• A little wooden bead purse collection has begun. I love these little purses, simply for decoration of course. I wish I knew more about them and how old they are.  Any ideas?
• The Mister discovered this fabulous dresser for our teeny tiny bedroom.  Nice and tall, not too wide and a perfect fit and absolute steal.
• Another budding and inexpensive collection.  Merit Cards(excuse the wonky last photo, it will not right itself).  Again, I simply love the illustrations and wonder how old they are?  The three in the photo are all made out to the same young girl.  I have a few of these now and someday I hope to have them framed.

I love my weekend treasure hunting.  I never spend more than a few dollars as I have a serious case of long arms and short pockets.  Just a great way to de-stress from my horrible weeks at work!

 

Well the weather here is glorious and sunny and I must get outside to give the garden a good water. We've harvested our first batch of kale this evening and I think Big J has kale chips in mind. YUM!

 

I do hope all is well with you, thank you for stopping by.  All the best for a great week!

 

Toodles...L x ♥