Bag Blog

This week has been full of bags.
A friend taught us a trick the other week, one which I thought should be shared. When I use a tea-bag on a string I usually use a teaspoon to pick the tea-bag out of the cup and then wrap the string around to squeeze the water out. But even after doing so it always drips on its way to the bin. So a trick is to lift the tea-bag up by the string so it's out of the tea, then lean it against one side of the cup. Do this three times moving the tea bag from the left to the right. All this is done in a few seconds and will stop the tea-bag from dripping while on the way to the bin or compost bucket. It really does work you'll be surprised.

Our family are big on using wheat bags to keep us warm in winter. Little Ma's bag wore thin and spilled its innards the other week so we got some organic wheat from the health food store to make another. I had some old fabric from a previous project so used that. I made a calico bag first then used the patterned fabric as a pillow cover for the bag. It took me about 45 minutes to start and finish. We're both very pleased with the result.
This is one side and
This is the other.
I had my 17th birthday get-together this week and I was given this wonderful handmade bag from fellow home-schooling friends. They have done some very smart sewing and designing on it. The piccy on the front is one of Tim Tam my dog of nine years. I absolutely love this bag and have been admiring it for days.

Till next time MnM : )

I love my wheat bag. It's so pretty. Thanks MnM.
MnM's bag is so cute. Love all the puppies. It was like opening a Russian Babushka Doll. There's a pocket inside and another bag and choccy Gold Coins! What more can she ask for! We have such wonderfully creative friends. I feel a little bit more inspired to get crafty this week.
Huggs Little Ma

Holiday stuff : )

Hay everyone!!
School holidays.
The plan for the holidays is to get stuff done. So last Saturday I decided it was time to personalies a pin-board.
I have been meaning to do this for some time and have had the fabric to cover the board for about 4 months.
I bought a cheap pin board and removed the edging. Then I painted the edges in a glossy white paint. That did not go so well, the paint was not water washable ( I had it all over my arms with no turps to wash it off with) and when the edge was half dry it fell on to the newspaper and was very messy. After that I glued a piece of 1 cm thick cardboard on to the back, so pins won't scratch the cupboard it will be hanging on. After every thing had dried I used the staple-gun to put the fabric over. Last but not least the edging was nailed back in place and was then hung in my room.
This is the finished product. I'm always so happy when I see it.

For us late September and early october are full of birthdays. This week Little Pa and myself had a birthday. To celebrate we have a birthday breakfast, where we have pancakes or waffles or something which we don't usually have for brekky. We also have the present opening which is always fun.



You may remember we posted a pic of a friend's new puppy a few months ago. Well that puppy is growing fast. He came for a play date with Tim Tam the other week. Little Dude and Miles had a moment together picking the weeds. Such helpful young men. LOL

Till next time MnM : )

Hey
Haven't done much crafty stuff lately. I'm still playing catch-up with paperwork. Geez it drives me cuckoo! I'm not too far behind but I'm still just out of reach - you know what I mean. Crazy. I've even moved my spinning wheel to the attic. Hopefully it won't stay there too long. Even my knitting is uninspiring atm.

I did do heaps of weeding and in those areas chucked random seeds. I wonder what's going to come up.I think it was a mixture of flowers and veg. I don't do organised gardens very well. In fact I'm a pretty crap gardener, I'm always surprised when we get stuff to eat. I love the suspense of not knowing what's coming up though. Watching the little shoots poking out of the ground. If they grow enough to feed us well that's a bonus. Also MnM and I have almost finished the side fence. Have to buy 4 more sheets of galv and then we can start on a bigger veggie patch. Atm it's sprouting lots of wheat from the chook food. Wheat is actually really pretty. So I'll wait till it's ripe.

The before and after shots of part of the front garden.



My favourite garden stuff atm is anything that doesn't require me to harvest heaps of surplus and do something with it. eg parsely, leeks, chives, oregano, rosemary. I've got pea, beans, onions and some self seeded tomatoes coming up too. When I've cleared some more weeds I think I'll get cucumber seeds.


I spent one whole day weeding that area and snipping out dead branches from all our citrus trees and the jasmine vine. It was lovely until the blisters started. That's a good time to stop, isn't it.

Huggs Little Ma

For those who have read our blog you will know we have all taken up bike riding. We went bike shopping and come out with three mountain bikes. Yay!!! We then joined a bike group which get together every week for a 45 km ride and after riding for a couple of months we found out there's a two day bike ride to Victor Harbor and back.

And yes we did decide to go.

So last week at 10 o'clock Dude, Little Ma and my self set out with a group of 19 others from Blackwood.
The first 25 km was mostly up hills with a little bit of rain and hail. So we thought it couldn't get worse.
Yeah right!!!
The WIND.
The last 50 km was the worst. A quote from Dude " You know it's bad when you have to peddle down hill". Luckily we did have three support cars and Little Ma had a short rest for part of the way and I myself took a ride for the last 15 km while the other two continued. After 100 km and 8 hours, 19 tired riders arrived at the hotel at 6 pm. After a short shower and a filling meal the three of us hit the hay at 7:30 for a well deserved rest.
Breakfast was at seven for an 8 o'clock start. Luckily the sun was making an appearance and the wind had died down.
I'm happy to say we did not need the support car for the journey home. After 80 km and lots of cafes we all arrived at Noarlunga trainstation at 3 pm. The final destination for the ride.
From there we took the train to the local station and rode the last few k's home. After lots of tea and chocolate we have all recovered and am very surprised to say we all feel quite good all things considering.
Till next time MnM : )

I thought I was going on a holiday to Victor. No, it was a bike ride to Victor. Totally different thing all together! What was I thinking! What's worse I was usually last and apart from MnM and Dude everyone was between 10 & 40 years OLDER than me. AARRGGHH. It did cross my mind - are my kids trying to get their inheritance a little early?
Huggs Little Ma

All Grown Up!!

Our first blog pictured a little puppy who was to grow up to be trained as a RSB guide dog. A year and three months later and that little puppy is all grown up and ready to do her formal training. This picture was taken on the last day she was with us. For the rest of her formal training she will stay with a border who lives close to the training facilities.



Tim Tam has been enjoying having his whole bed and toy back. Little Letty often took both of these as her own.

We are all missing her very very much. It's so quiet without her poking her noise into our sides when we ignore her.

On a happier note,
For the food and hospitality subject i'm doing at school we have to decorate a cake and practicing for the summative we made these cupcakes with hand made flowers. both can be eaten.

Last week we made a chocolate mud cake and decorated it with ribbon, chocolate shards and chocolate shapes.


Till next time MnM!!!

Biking

Hee Hee . I got a new bike.
That's the other reason I haven't blogged. The computer doesn't fit in my back pack. Dude wanted to do more riding so off we went . After 25kms and a hefty hail storm we came home , bedraggled but triumphant .
This is a pic of us returning. I'm not smiling - it' a grimace!

I thought, Wow! 25KMs! I'm fantastic. so fantastic that when Dude said lets go a Group Ride , I thought no worries. Famous last thoughts.


I turned up on my old ' bike with a basket' 'cos our better one had a puncture. Surrounded by the older generation in Lycra , my 'bike with a basket' stood out. It's brakes didn't work well, the gears didn't shift and I was lagging behind puffing. Not a pretty sight. Luckily I was able to stop at Bike SA and get to borrow one for the day.

Now most who know me , also know that I hate driving around. Imagine how surprised I was to get to Morialta Falls on a bike. I avoid driving that far! Anything over 5 kms needs a packed lunch. By the end of the day we must have ridden over 50 kms. I swapped the bikes back and had to ride home on the 'bike with a basket'. Never again. I didn't think I was going to get home. The last 5 kms I had to help my legs by pushing on my knees. Leave me here Dude! Save yourself! But I did make it .

Since then I've been trying to buy a bike. 3 months and 3 times I've gone and come home empty handed. Why was it so hard! There is so much choice and it's not as simple as price. There are mountain bikes, road bikes, hybrids which I was informed are not good to use off road. I'd go in thinking yep this is the bike I want only to find out that it's not the bike I want!! There's different tyres, different brakes , lights etc etc etc arrghghh

But Today was the day!
This is it! Oh and Mnm's arrived a few days later. My next thing to save for is a little trailer so I can use it for shopping.

Mine's the pinky one.( not my favourite colour, but who cares) Mnm's has a larger frame and is a lovely frosty, bluey, greeny colour.
The best advise to choose which bike, was in the Australian Cyclist Magazine (one of the early 2008 editions) where they compared 6 different bikes. Really good. I could understand most of what they said.

But best of all I fitted some straps in MnM's tyres to help stop 3-cornered jack punctures. I feel right smug.
(Until the brakes go wonky and I'm deperately trolling the internet for advise on You tube ! Oh and by the way to those doing films on Youtube - FILM WHAT YOU ARE DOING - It's so frustrating to hear " Oh and you do this and that and..." but I can't see what you're doing. If I knew what you were doing , I wouldn't be watching the ruddy You tube, would I??!!!
Enough ranting.

Now it just needs a little basket to finish it off, don't you think : )


Huggs Little Ma

PS I am knitting really ,truly but I'm also frogging lots so there isn't too much to show.

Madness

I can't believe I haven't blogged since Easter! Bad Little Ma, bad!
But we've had sick people and hospital visits so I haven't always been here at the computer. Big Pa had a very clever op on some tube in his body - amazing what they can do . He's better now and back working in his shed. He's happy!
Dudette got a bout of kidney infection and was hospitalised. Thankgoodness I had my family helping me with food and staying at the hospital when I had to go and see to stuff at home! She's all better now but it was yuk seeing her so ill and in so much pain. Finding out she has reactions to codiene wasn't pleasant either. Especially as they administered it again when she was on the mend and I had gone home. Needless to say she got pretty sick pretty quickly again. What can you do but roll your eyes.
We didn't get much sleep so in between caring for Dudette I got some knitting done for

Picklesticks

. ( A little beret, poncho and cute little socks. I can't believe socks are so small. ) It was so calming. I didn't need a pattern so I could drop it when I needed to , pick it up again when I just had to sit around and wait. BUT I forgot to take a pic- rats. I'll pop in a photo of something else.


MnM calls this one 'Ying and Yang" obviously!!
Not Knitting but cute anyway!! There's a constant battle of wits for that bed between the 2 dogs. Tan ( the black one - yeah I know but I didn't name him) was so looking forward to Letty going but she caught Kennel Cough from her brother and shared it with Tan so they are both quarantined for 21 days. Which means she missed the intake for her guide dog training and has to wait for the next one . I don't want to think about how far away that is - it's going to be harder when she does go. Oh joy , oh joy.

Huggs Little Ma

Finally some free time : )

Hi everyone.
We have been so busy this month with stuff and this is the first time i've had to just sit.
These are some pics i've been meaning to show you.
This was my first try at knitting a beret. I was stoked to see the finished product.

Here is Dude's first try at knitting and finishing a beanie with no pattern. He used a variety of purls and knit stitches.

Being so cold in the mornings lately Dude decided it was time for a poncho. It's so warm and is sawn half way down the side to made arm holes.

A few months ago we watched Nigella Lawsons cooking show were she used sugar flowers to decorate her home made easy cupcakes. Since then I'm total hooked and make shore i have a good stock of them in the cakes draw. Cupcakes are the easiest cake to make when you have a sweet tooth and a cup of tea.

We went to spotlight the other day and got some very cool coloured sock yarn so I'm off to knit my first pair of sock. Till the next time i have a moment to spear.
MnM : )

March Continued

I've always thought a picture says it all, so here are some more of our March.


This is where we celebrate Easter with our family. This was the only time the camera came out (Too busy having fun), but I think it was worth it. Notice the goose/duck down the bottom. He or she was there to greet us on our arrival.

Last week we visited Miles. His owners, not having a puppy in a while, since Zappa was a 13 year old dog, we decided to supply them with a baby bag - dog style. In it we put a packet of dried liver, gel hand sanitizer, spray disinfectant, paper towels, poop bags, and the essential Kong with a small jar of peanutbutter and vegemite. It really is a great bag to have on hand for little accidents.


He is such a playful little dog.

After he took turns playing in each of our laps for at least 1.5 hours, he fell fast asleep.


Till next time MnM:)

Hiya
I've finally made it to the neck of the Fair Isle Jumper. Those last 6 cms are calling me.
Huggs Little Ma

Little stuff in March!!!!

Hi everyone!!
I just down loaded all our pics from the camera, which has not been done in a while.
So here are some of this months activities.
Spot the fruit. We were all very exited when we saw them. Can't wait to eat them.

Like the blog (life at rosemary hill) we visited the northern lights. The blumen camera batteries ran out half way through, but these are the ones i liked the best.




This month it was Dude's 13th Bday. So to celebrate we had a birthday breakfast with prezzies of course.
He had to wait until everyone was at the table to open his presents.

So when he could open them he got stuck in. Lots of fun.

And for the big day we all had pancakes sprinkled with sugar and orange juice.

He was very happy!!!!

Lots of hugs MnM:)

Miles and Happy Foody

Hey

Our friends who lost Zappa last year have just found themselves a new puppy - Miles. Anticipating this happy event we bought them a Dog food recipe Book with heaps of Fancy Fussy Recipes for dogs ( the sushi for dogs really tickled me). So here is a pic of probably the best cared for Pup in Australia. He's a beautiful little Kelpie. Isn't he cute as?



Well the dog's got good food I better check out our diet! I've been meaning to add more vegetarian meals but they have to be tasty especially for the carnivores in the house. Eating veg for them is punishment. But they will drink smoothies and veg dips like hummous, red kidney bean dip or skordalia. There's a few recipes at the

Happy Foody

I want to try. (Followed by some delicious Burnt butter Biscuits just in case it's all too healthy)

On the knitting front , I've managed to graft the sleeves onto the main part of the jumper and now have to work out a fair isle pattern. I'm so excited 'cos when it's done I want to finish the Ice Queen shawly thing.
I went back to the Button Bar to finally get my replacement needles. I don't think I'll be going back there. I just got the feeling that the lady just wasn't really interested in fixing the faulty needle issue and that I was really just a nuisance - oh well.

Things I'm chuffed about this week - Rain, rain and cold weather.

Huggs Little Ma

Wonders of the Industrial World

Hey Happy Easter!

Just watched a show about how they built the Panama Canal. Anyone else catch it? Supposedly one of the 7 Wonders of the Industrial World. The French failed, leaving a great ecological mess. The Americans took over and blasted their way through. I'm still waiting to be suitably impressed. Apparently 20.000 people died while the French tried building it and 5000 when the Americans took over. Okay they did prove that the mozzies were to blame for the yellow fever but have I missed something? People died to make someone else rich - crazy-stupid! I'm going back to my knitting that makes sense most of the time.
Still working on the Fair Isle jumper and some crocheted/felted bags. We're hoping to have a good amount of stuff ready by mid April and set up a stall at Prospect.
One thing I want to do this year is get a bit fitter. and the year did start off well with bike rides etc but since The Boss had surgery I did get a bit slack so today I tried out a Billy Blanks Ab Bootcamp DVD. It was good. Had a lot of AB exercise's while standing which I really liked. It finished just as I was getting bored, which is fantastic. Must have a short attention span. I'd rather garden or do dvd stuff than go to a gym. But my favourite exercise is to dance around the room. Gets your heart pumping and some of those hippy shake moves do wonders for your waist. Doesn't impress the beloveds though - oh well . I know my dancing is cool in my own mind. Who cares what anyone else thinks! Yeah Man, crazy! : )

Huggs Little Ma

Who left the heater on?

Not me. someone in the cosmos is playing a joke right? Luckily we can turn on the air conditioner when it's utterly unbearable. I try hard not to use it too often for both environmental and economic reasons but I am really grateful that we have it. Growing up there was no airconditioning so to stay we cool we did several things.
Sat in the dark a lot. Had quick cold showers (we were very clean), Sat around with very little on ( obviously when no-one was home!). At school we'd take frozen water bottles, ate Snips and took a towel to sit on 'cos the seats were that horrible skin-ripping plastic. My favourite now though is going to bed with a wet flannel and the fan on.

This month has gone by so quickly. We've been busy with learning new things. I'm really enjoying the programming course. Family has been visiting from overseas and I've finally started ripping down the vine on the fence in the dust bowl. Of course the fence is coming down too, followed by the rails. It's going from bad to worse. But I'm NOT panicking . This stupid heat limits how much I do but if I do a bit at a time one day I will have a lovely spot for fruit trees and veg and a place for my chookies.











They've been moved to the front yard temporarily - they seem to like it out there. As they finish clearing each spot I'll move them.
I just need to get a small cage for night for them. They're still living in the rabbit hutch . Their day run is just chicken wire and a few star droppers. Works a treat. I just move the uncurled bit of wire to get them out at night ( watching out for spiders )

Craft wise I haven't done too much knitting. Still working on the yoked fair isle jumper and making friendship bracelets. They're fun and quick too. This one's MnM is making atm. I'm wearing mine around my ankle and feeling very Hippyish!

Happy Valentine's Day

The last of our Peaches I'm going to miss them in our morning porridge!


Happy Valentine's Day everyone!! Or as it's known in our house - Happy Fluffy Puff Day!
( The recipe was on an earlier blog). It's been such a lovely day today. We had some
special friends and my sister over for lunch.


Shared a vaguely Lebanese style lunch and
of course the Fluffy Puffs. It was good to take time out of the busy week and spend it relaxing
with my beloveds.

Chocolate Gugelhupf or Yeast cake for Valetine's Day

Classes have started and we're all happily busy with phone lessons (German, Biology, Chemistry and English) and attendance classes in Catering and Programming. I've learnt how to make a simple (and utterly useless) calculator and make a form that tells me my name. LOL ( Good for when my old-timers ailments start) But I've really enjoyed it. Probably cos it's in the morning and I think best then. (After lunch I usually need my Nana Nap)


OOh and I spent my birthday money too. I finally got the Knit-picks interchangeable needles - the Harmony Wood. Got MnM the steel ones last year and they were lovely but I preferred the wood. We can always share them now as both sets are interchangeable with each other.

There was a down side. I have to order the folder separately , which I didn't know and also the smallest needles (3.5) aren't screwing all the way down. I checked MnM's set and her largest needle has the same problem, only more so. I rang the Button Bar where we bought them and a lovely young woman ( Helena) said she had the same problem and just to try and push whatever is blocking it into the needle (with a tapestry needle) and if it doesn't work to bring them back. So I'll try that later and see how I go.

She also encouraged me to try the

Magic Loop

method for circular knitting and it works a treat. I've started the sleeve on a fairly long cable and its just so cool!! No dpns , no losing needles etc.

Today I'm grateful for easy, tasty recipes that don't take forever so I can spend time with everyone. And automatic front- loading washing machines. They clean my clothes gently, use less water and water my garden.
Valetine's Day is for all who love - Does that mean my chookies are my valentines 'cos they sure love me in the mornings when they're fed, in the evenings when they're put to bed and when they leave little presents on the paving when they escape. : )

huggs Little Ma

Squeezing Stuff in!!

Hi All
Hasn't this first month of 2008 gone by so fast!!!
We've been keeping busy with lots of craft and cooking. Our two favourite things to do. This is a "Sour Cream Choc Cake." I got the recipe from a book called "CRAVE a passion for chocolate"by Maureen McKeon. It has lots of pics, mmmmm. This book is one I will be putting on my xmas wish list, which is growing all the time.

This week we discoved a great way of drying the baby beanies I've made.

It's a small dessert bowl on top of a glass. It is a great way to help keep its shape.
A while ago Little Ma spun some Camel down and Tussah Silk. So while the Aussie Open was on this year I made a capelet and Little Ma made a shawl from it. Both of us wanted to try a stitch called 'Solomon's knot." We both started to crochet freestyle.



On the Capelet we chose a button that was made out of coconut. We both fell in love with it as soon as we saw it.
Until next time MnM :)


Hi I was just feeling crappy 'cos the Angel was getting on my nerves ( Instructions are yuk and the fiddly stuff makes me feel like I'm getting no-where) the Ice Queen cowl needs concentration which I've been lacking in the hot weather( air con is not working and the fan is just not enough . Why did I get rid of the pool - silly, silly me ) and I needed something interesting yet easy. My crocheted vest is boring me as well - possibly cos' it's the third time the bodice down has been worked. So I've started a kid's jumper with a round fair Isle Pattern around the shoulders. I feel so much better even doing the rib. Guess I just needed to knit SOMETHING!! I'm using some beautiful soft handspun wool from a lady (Irene Paine) who has passed away. I know her daughter-in-law, Beverley Paine, who passed on the wool to me. I wish I could have met her and told her how lovely her spinning was and how much I am appreciating knitting with it.
I'm going to go and knit some more . i think I'm ready to do the stocking stitch part - I can't believe I'm so excited to start that part. LOL


Oh , and what I'm grateful for today is being able to borrow books from the library. Less clutter at home and cheaper! Always a plus. I can check out books and decide if I really really need to have that one at home.
Huggs Little Ma

RSB Guide dog update!!!!

Hi everyone!!!
As some of you would know our first ever blog published was of Little Letty. Exactly 37 weeks ago our family decided we'd ( I mean Dudette) would train a guide dog. And exactly 29 weeks ago we picked up our "Little Letty". I thought it would be nice to do a two part special of her progress in the past 29 weeks. This post will be of the cheeky, mischievous, funny puppy we've come to know and love. This side is the side we see every day, and the side most other people won't get to see once she's out of the house and working. When we first got Letty she did a lot of sleeping, and us being softies took lots of pics. These are my faves.








Tim Tan enjoyed having Letty for the first few weeks, that is until she stopped needing so much sleep. He is 8 years old and needs 4 or 5 'Nanna' naps a day, Letty had other ideas about that and would bug him till she got what she wanted. However after the initial shock he has enjoyed having her here, and especially because we've had to give him more food because of the amount of exercise Letty has made him do.


Since then Letty has done lots of growing up, and when I say lots I mean lots.



Letty is a very interactive dog and is always trying to tempt someone to play with her. She loves toys. They've both been going through toys faster than a rocket over the last few months, and is starting to cost a bit. While shopping at Big W we found a very big Nyla-bone which is great for both of them because they can walk each other around without pulling it in two, which has been the fate of all the previous toys.



For Xmas she got the squeakiest toy ever. And will sit just out of reach in the middle of a movie and squeak it, either with her nose or in her mouth. Then run off just as you get up to stop her. It's also the longest lasting rubber toy.



I swear that dog was a seal in a previous life. Water. She loves it. When ever she hears the hose on she's right behind, ready to eat, catch and bite it. We took her to the beach for a swim the other day. I had to force her to sit on my lap in the water or she probably would have swum to the end of the earth. She quite likes to stop the sprinkler with her nose, and jump and run rings around it. (If you're from the RSB - we do stop her : )



Stay tuned for next months issue "Letty on the job" Got to get some pics first.
Sayounora MnM!!!!!!!!!!!

Little Ma here, To all those people who say to me "oh I couldn't do it. I couldn't give them up".... I Knoooow. I'm having heartbreak moments already just thinking about it. So I'm busy trying not to think about it.