Anzac Day

I think by now most of you would have worked out that Tim is a serving member in the Australian Army. He has been deployed overseas twice and I am blessed to have had him return safely home on both occasions. He did have close calls on both of his deployments - the first saw a group of them shot at on the boarder and the second saw him struck by lightning. We have also been blessed that he has not been deployed since the birth of Amelia - although I am sensing that this will soon change.

This year was only the second year (in about 20) that I did not attend the dawn service (the first being in 2005 when Darwin was on lock down due to a cyclone warning)

I will leave you with a poem that I was given by a friend during one of Tim's deployments

Military Wives Prayer

Dear Lord,
Give me the greatness of heart to see the difference between duty and his love for me.
Give me understanding that I may know, When duty calls him, he must go.
Give me a task to do each day, to fill in the time when he is away.
And Lord, when he is in a foreign land, keep him safe in your loving hand.
Lord, when he is in the field, please protect him and be his shield.
Lord, when deployment is so long Please stay with me and keep me strong.

Amen
(Author unknown)

Unexplained Absence!

Sorry about that everyone.

Tim came home from work last Tuesday to tell me that he was heading to Canberra for the night and a course on Wednesday and Thursday and had to drive over - So the kids and I went for the drive too.

We managed to catch up with some great friends and also meet up with Jennie and her kidlets and Amelia had a great time playing in the park and we got to have a chat and catch up.

On the crafting front I managed to get a little knitting done along the way.

I will leave you with a few Macro shots...

This one was actually being warn and my model would not sit still!

14:30

Schieich AnimalsWe have a bit of a love for them in our house - not sure who likes them more - Amelia or me. She is slowly getting a little collection of them and we are about to start on the zoo animals.

I just LOVE the detail that the have!

12 and 13 of 30 - Huston We Have a Problem

Humm - have detected a leak - although the land lords dont really want to know about it - Oh well, there loss - they pay the water bill. Now to work out how to collect it and divert it onto the garden...
and this is the lonely little plant that has shot up out of the pot. Amelia and I planted a packet full of seeds a few weeks ago and This is all we got! Humm - must have been an old packet I think!

11:30 and another finished knit
Stats:

Pattern: Robin Egg blue Hat
Yarn: Spotlights Meadow PURE WOOL
Needles: 6mm straights and DPs
Made for: Ingrid
Timeline: April 8 - 10, 2008Looks good - think that it needs a slightly bigger button on it - this one was one from my stash!

Jam Drops

Back - sorry about that - still have a little man that is VERY unsettled with reflux pains - poor little thing! Hopefully things will begin to calm down soon as he will start a new medication today (yay says the sleepless Mum!) Made these the other day after telling Amelia that we would cook and then finding that I did not have any eggs in the fridge - oops. They are delish though and I will definitely make these again (I grew up on Jam Drops and still love the ones that my Mum makes)

So the recipe for those that have been so patient (from Family Circles: The Complete Cookies, Muffins & Cakes Cookbook)

Ingredients:
80g softened butter
1 cup self raising flour
1/3 cup caster sugar
1/3 cup custard powder
2 tablespoons milk jam
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

1. Preheat oven to 180c and line two baking trays
2. Cream the butter and sugar with electric beaters until light and fluffy. Add milk and essence and beat until well combined. Add sifted flour and custard powder and mix to form a soft dough.
3. Roll mixture into balls and press slightly onto baking tray. Make a small indentation in each biscuit and fill with jam.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, allow to cool slightly on trays and then transfer to a wire rack.
(recipe states that it makes 32)

9:30 and Work in Progress

Here is my Macro for today, a close up of a beanie that I made for a friends little manDoesn't Amelia look cute in it - Might have to make her one as well (a girl can never have too many beanies right)Stats:

Pattern: is from So Much Yarn, So little Time
Yarn: From Granny's cupboard! (got to LOVE grandma's)
Needles: 4mm circulars (using magic loop technique)
Made for: Connor
Timeline: April 4 - 6 2008

Next time I make this I will only knit about 5 inches before I begin the decreases - as it fits me this length (but is a little on the tight side - thought that maybe my eyes would pop out of my head if I left it on any longer) although it does look ok folded up a little!

And this is what I am working on - in the hope of also keeping me warm this year and being able to wear a knit that I have actually knitted. It is knitting up rather quickly - this is about 1hours worth of work (minus the conversation that I had with Mum and the phone and the fight that I had involving my yarn and a friends kitten this afternoon) And DH just informed me that I should finish some of the things that I have started - phh! what would he know!

And on that - this is what has been frogged 5 times and is now becoming something easier - more on that later on

8:30

Been working on these - our thankyou's to everyone for there gifts - humm running later than I would have liked - but better late than never hey!

This is and 7:30

This is Amelia's bits and bobs box
This lovely little trinket keeper was made by my Mum for Amelia. It is going to be to store all of her lovely hair clips and bows etc - But I am keeping it away from her until she is a little older and can appreciate the work that Grandma put into it for her.

And here is a close up.What do you all think - are my photos improving any???

6:30

5:30Don't forget to turn your clocks and watches back an hour tonight (all of you in Australia on day Light Savings time that is) and come back to QLD time - or as my Dad likes to call it "real time"

Bunny-Hop-Bunny- Swap

Meet Flosspy Poppsy - Amelia's new mate. Thankyou Sandra for the lovely Rabbit as part of the Easter Swap held over at Lucy's Blogland.
Will be back later to pop in links.

Thirty Day Challenge

I have decided to join in on the fun of the 30 day photo challenge. In the hope of learning a little more about my camera and maybe even take a better photo. Ok Jodie and Danni - you can both stop laughing now (you girls rock!)

So this is what I have to do:

1. take a photo of something using the macro function on my camera (my camera has an auto and manual function for this - so I am using the manual one and having lots of fun!)
2. pop the photo up on here
3. and do it for the entire 30 days

If you would like be start this (all be it fashionably late like me) s=check out the details over at Orange Flower

1:30

2:30

3:30

4:30

This is... the contents of my handbag

I should really start calling this meme "This is Kylie running late!"

Anyway - at the moment I do not have a handbag - my bag is currently in the form of a nappy bag and is rather boring really. So here is a photo for you

Contains: car keys, diary, nappy sack, sunscreen, finger puppet and book (for A), pen, hair brush/clips/ties, nappy, lactose free milk (for A), beanies (for A and B), A's sunglasses and hat, coin purse

I have also managed to finish a UFO that has been sitting on my desk since just after Christmas. Was meant to be part of the 'use it up challenge' over at crafty mamas in January (better late then never right - or am I just early) Tutorial here...