It's beginning to feel alot like Christmas...

So here is what the 25 matchboxes became! Little decorations for Amelia's Advent Tree. I think that next time year I will make little felt decorations to pop inside and they can also be added to the tree as the days go by.Inside the boxes are little messages - she will possibly understand it a little more next year - but I think that we will have fun all the same.

• Open 1st December Christmas Present from Grandma and Grandpa
  
• Put up Christmas Tree
• Attend Christmas Pagent
• Visit Santa and Get a photo taken (attempt anyway)
• Have a picnic in the park with Mum and Dad
• Watch Christmas DVD with Popcorn
• Paint toe nails in Christmas Colours
• Post Christmas Cards
• Draw a picture
• Do a collage with stickers
• Put out food to be collected for the Salvation Army's Christmas Food Appeal
• Cook Christmas Biscuits
• Visit Christmas Lights
• Make Plum Pudding
  
• Read a Christmas Story
• Attend Christmas Carols
• Select a card off of the Kmart Smith Family Christmas Tree
  
• Leave Milk and Biscuits out for Santa and Sprinkle Reindeer Food
• Merry Christmas

Some will occur on special days and others will be a random selection.
We are six days short - so if any of you have some ideas for us PLEASE let me know!

Work in Progress Wednesday!

A few of you have asked how the pregnancy is coming along. Well I am growing - yes growing is what occurs when one is pregnant - although I have not put on as much weight as I did with Amelia and I put that down to having Morning, Noon and Night sickness for twenty weeks this time around.Here is a photo of my bump as I see it at the moment. I have lost my feet - yes they are gone... Tim is currently still in our old location and will make the move up to be with us on Friday. And I am so looking forward to that. Just in time for Christmas and to get Miss A settled before this bump becomes a crying, feeding baby!
Will add some new pictures when there is someone else here to hold the camera for me!

Getting Festive...

I'm starting to get organised for Christmas. I've made a list (good start - right?) Only problem being that I seem to be adding more then what I am actually achieving at the moment! I'm looking forward to celebrating the festive season with Miss A this year. She is starting to get the idea of Christmas and she seems to think that she has Santa sussed out! (well, every time she see;s a photo or him on the TV she says "Santa...Santa..."I just hope that her enthusiasm lasts as long as getting a photo taken on his lap) Also looking forward to our Advent countdown and doing some baking, I would love to try my hand at a gingerbread house this year (oh the joys of Christmas and being pregnant) No doubt my list will be edited and re-edited several times before Christmas actually arrives. But right now I am happy that I have a tick beside

Bag for GrandmaPattern Details : Nellie's Sewing Bag

Fabric in black and white tones, including some vintage finds from Grandma's own stash and a piece of Michael Miller Buttons that I picked up as a remnant for $2
Modifications: Added a Log cabin panel in - as I wanted to try it and thought that this was a perfect project for it!

and soak fruit for plum pudding. And while speaking of creating, I just can't help myself but add my budding little resident artist. She is starting to enjoy creating (these were completed at playgroup today)

Going Round the Bend!

Or is it Yoyo? Who really knows at the moment - all that I know is that I have made 96 of these little delights. I do hope that my EB Sewing Secret Santa likes Yoyo's!

Here is a sneak picture of what I am up to. Are these your colours??? I got the idea from the very famous and talented Heather (she made them last year) and stored it in my memory bank as something to try!
This is my new little helper - a perfect yoyo everytime! It is the Yoyo maker and made by Clover, well worth the investment if you are planning on making 100 or so of them.

Thanks Grandma!

I love it when the postman comes and brings us more than just bills! And yesterday two great big boxes arrived for us from Grandma and Grandpa in Mackay full of Christmas presents and a whole heap of bits and pieces that I have left at home for the past ten years (Mum and Dad are in the process of de-culling - so in two years they can travel Australia in there caravan and spend our inheritance LOL)

Anyway - One of the presents in there was this gorgeous 'Eye Spy' quilt. It is actually part of Amelia's birthday present so she was allowed to have it now! Needless to say that Amelia has carried it everywhere today - slept under it, played on it and kept me amused with all of the things that one can find.

They are not the best photos, bit they will have to do for the time being. It is raining and overcast today and Amelia is in long sleeved shirts and long pants and it only managed to reach 15 degrees today (and here I was whining about it being 39 degrees only three days ago!)

In Thrifty Heaven

During our Holidays in Queensland I managed to get a little op shopping in and I think that I cleaned them out of there patterns. Just check out these goodies.

I also picked up a few books, I love the Henny Penny one, it has pictures threw it in place of words. And of course I could not resist this material smurf book!

I think that I am now on an opshopping ban - DH has told me that I need to start making somethings with everything that I have collected - my little cupboard is overflowing!

Feeling HOT! HOT! HOT!

Oh the heat is getting to me! Now I know that it was less than a year ago that I was living in Darwin, But give me humidity anyday! This inland Australian Dry Heat is knocking both Amelia and I around - Not to mention the flies! Man they are a pest and I am seriously thinking of walking around with a full body net on (That would be a sight let me tell you)

Anyway - enough about that - I am in the process of making a few Christmas presents and a few other things at the moment... Here is a sneak peak of something I am working on for Amelia - All will be revealed by the 30th of November. Oh and I am not a pyromaniac (I promise!)

EB Doll Quilt Swap!

While on holidays I participated in the EB Quilting Girls first Doll Quilt swap. Amelia received an little square quilt featuring pinwheels and backed with dog fabric from Bec - Thanks Bec she loves it and with the little extra piece that you sent I think that I might make her a new pram liner.

I made a little quilt for a Dog and Horse loving girl over in WA. I almost had to make another as Amelia loved it so much - but I am thinking that I will embroider a dog onto another piece and turn it into a library bag for her. I made it on Mum's old faithful Bernina (which I hope that she never gets rid off) It may be heavy and noicey - but she has NEVER had a problem with and and sews when she wants to sew something - what more could a girl want really!

We are Home

Well Amelia and I are back after our trip to QLD. I did not get as much done as I would have liked as we were both sickies while away! We did not even get to swim in the ocean (A little sad really!)

While away I managed to sew Amelia a little 'Twirly Skirt' from the tutorial of the very talented House on Hill Road

I love the material in this - the photo was actually taken on CanTeen day and I made the skirt so Amelia had something to wear to a Soccer presentation night with Grandpa (I can remember going to these occasions as a child and wearing red - so I could not resist, and ofcourse Grandpa was thrilled to show off his little girl!) It is actually a very easy pattern and so easy to read! I whipped this little number up in about an hour after cutting it out!