Happy Happy Christmas! We have three birthdays in December and one in January for our family so it's always a busy time of the year for us. I hope you have a safe and happy holiday with your loved ones!
(top row: from jenn, buttered parsnips, dani, and lily; bottom row: from beate, beki,alina and michelle.) Thank-you! 
This wonderful apron book arrived at our house recently and I have been flicking through it's pages ever since trying to decide on a favourite. I love aprons but haven't tried to make one yet......it is on a long list of things that I would love to try and make but the project just seems too hard.
(isbn: 4579108035)
I also received a lovely swap package from Maitreya....thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!
I have finally managed to finish off my ornaments for the holiday swap. It feels like it has taken me forever, but I am glad they are done now and on their way to their new homes!
Each of them were packaged in a little bag to keep them safe during their journey!
I also signed up for the postcard swap - I don't think I will sign up for more than one swap at a time in the future, it was hard work trying to come up with an idea for the postcards. I just drew a blank and had no idea what to make! As you can see, I kept up with the tree theme........
They were posted off this morning too! Now for a cup of tea........
We spent the morning baking gingerbread men.....some were covered in blue and orange sprinkles with hundreds and thousands but they didn't last long enough for me to take a picture!
A lovely felt bird from Frances, as part of the holiday ornament swap. It's so cute, beautiful stitching and beads and a wonderful card to go with it. Thank-you so much, it's going straight onto our tree!
This wonderful swap surprise arrived from Ali yesterday, full of goodness! Thanks Ali for your thoughtful package, especially the buttoned up gingerbread man, cute fabrics, great magazine, groovy gloves and Christmas goodies! 
The lights have already found themselves a home........thank-you! 
Christmas trees for the ornament swap! They are backed with felt and stuffed a little for shape, the only thing is I forgot to add some ribbon so that they can be hung up on the tree! I managed to find an eyelet thingy that will hopefully solve the problem.....just waiting for hubby to get home so that he can help me work out how it is done.
Hopefully I can package them up and send them off before the fast approaching deadline. Then get a speedy start on the postcard swap!
This swap package of fabric, buttons and yummy chocolate arrived yesterday from Laura. Thank-you so much! I love red and love chocolate! 
See how perfectly they are folded? Can't wait to use these red fabrics!
I started on some Christmas bits and pieces last night while watching tv and came up with some shapes for decorations. Not sure what to do next but at least it's a start!
We also had Josh's orientation day for school yesterday. He is starting next year and I can't believe it. I have been counting down the days for him to start school and now that it is just a few months away, I think I will be one of those mums fighting back the tears on the first day! Now there are new things to worry about.....will he be happy at school or will he make good friends? I have a feeling it is harder on the mums and dads than it is for the kids!
I think it has been a few months now since I started on my first quilt (baby size of course!). Little did I know then, that I would still be working on it now, with no end in sight. Patchwork class was last night and it took me an hour to sandwich the quilt together. I then started on the actual hand quilting and managed a total of about 10cms. Can you see it?
It was tough, a lot harder than my practice piece. So I decided to pack it up and try again over the weekend.
Some new spring clothes for Ashley.....
A pretty t-shirt from one of my favourite places where I can always find something nice!
Next on the list is a boy quilt. I think I will try something different to squares, not sure what though.
I have started on some Christmas stockings. It's my favourite holiday season, especially since we had two little ones that look forward to visits from Santa! I used a canvas lining to try and give it more shape as I wasn't too keen on using batting in case it turned into an oven mit kind of stocking. 
We've had a busy week! We had some close friends stay with us and they brought along their new little bub Megan who is only a few months old. Josh and Ash adored having her stay with us and so did we, it's so funny how quickly we forget how small babies are and how nice it is to hold them! We spent a perfect spring day at the Wharf where we caught up and ate a yummy lunch. 
I made this nappy bag over the weekend for a friend who has recently had a little bub. I've always found it difficult to find a nappy bag that isn't too "mumsy" so when I saw this pattern, I thought it would come to good use, and it has! 
There is a little pocket on the outside and lots of pockets on the inside for all those extra bits and pieces.
Playschool celebrated it's 40th birthday with a concert at the Opera House over the weekend and we took Josh and Ash along to see it. I remember growing up with Playschool (a long long time ago) and it was great to see that they still sing the same nursery rhymes and songs. It was also quite funny to see the concert hall filled with kiddies, mums and dads all singing along to "humpty dumpty" instead of listening to an opera or watching a ballet!?
We also spent some time in the garden. We are so excited about our lime tree that is bearing fruit - lots of green curries, yummy salad dressings and cool summer drinks ahead of us!
I even had a chance to do a bit of sewing and get started on a small surprise......can't reveal too much yet!
