Finished?

It has been the longest WIP I have ever had or owned, and I have made myself a promise to never have another one.

I started making this blanket way back in 2010.

Yes that's right - 2010!! 

And now in 2012 I can say that

I HAVE FINISHED EVIE'S BLANKET!

I decided to enter the Ravelry Ravellenic Games WIP Wrestling Event, 

having a deadline gave me a major boost of encouragement.

I wrestled everyday for 10 days to get it over the finish line.

I wanted this blanket to be out of the project basket and onto the finished pile.

I must say that I am quite happy. 

At the moment it is the perfect size for a little indoor picnic with furry friends, a snuggle on the couch, 

or as a throw over in the car. 

I have yarn left over, so as Evie grows I think I will add to the length.

I think I might have to re-name it "Evie's Ever Growing Garden Blanket".

Did you enter the Ravelry Ravellenic Games?

What have you been making lately?

edited to add: The pattern for this blanket is from Lucy @ Attic24 - it is called Summer Garden Granny Square. I did 5 rounds and 1 round for joining the squares together.

for today: Monday, 23rd July 2012

Joining in with: The Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside my window... the sun is shining - a perfect winter's day.

I am thinking... about the challenges that come with an almost 11 year old growing up in the madness of technology and social media.

I am thankful... for my simple childhood.

In the kitchen... there is plenty to do.

I am wearing... my favourite knitted shawl - my Abyssal

I am creating... another knitted Milo vest for my youngest.

I am going... to get it finished by tomorrow, hopefully.

I am wondering... what meals to cook for dinner this week.

I am reading... 'The Bride Stripped Bare' 

I am hoping... for more sunshine this week.

I am looking forward to... a parcel arriving in the post this week.

I am learning... to be more patient. 

Around the house... there is dust from the wood fire, it's on the to-do list.

I am pondering... the best way to handle a tricky situation. 

A favorite quote for today... "Action is the foundational key to all success." ~ Pablo Picasso

One of my favorite things... is to have an early morning walk on the beach with my dog.

A few plans for the rest of the week: some sewing, seed planting, baking, and exercise!!

A peek into my day... a photo from yesterday morning's walk on the beach.

Do you need to go on a Yarn Diet too?

I came across this video today via here,

I had a good old chuckle. 

I thought I'd share it here so you can have one too!

Happy Sunday to you and yours!

make something saturday

Yesterday morning I was pottering around the house. I stopped and took a look at the two big kids and My Mr, they were all in front of screens of some form, (Miss Evie was busy doing her thing outside) ..... mmmm...... 

I thought for a moment and declared to them all "today I am going to set you all a challenge!". 

The look on their faces was priceless. 

The challenge I told them, was everyone had to make something. 

It could be anything as long as it was appropriate to their skill level and ability, any required materials, ingredients, etc had to be already in the home/shed.

I left them all to think while I continued to potter about with my chores and decide what I was going to choose off my mental "to-make" list.

Finally their decisions were made, I must say that I enjoyed watching the hive of activity as my challenge was taken up and carried out with success.

Here are the results: 

My Mr made delicious pizzas (from scratch) for lunch.

I made a phone pouch with some of my new vintage sheet FQ's.

Miss Abbey made a photo book, chose and placed some photos within.

Mr's son made a planter box using scraps of wood from the back of the shed. 

And Miss Evie made this beautiful mess!

Joy.

:: pizza base recipe::
2 cups plain flour (Mr used wholemeal)
1 heaped teaspoon of dried yeast
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of olive oil
3/4 cup of warm water
* place all dry ingredients into a large bowl, mix well.
add oil then water.
mix to form a soft dough.
knead well on a floured surface until smooth and pliable (approx 10 mins).
place dough back into the bowl, cover and leave in a warm spot for approx. 30 mins or until it has doubled in size.
remove the dough from the bowl and gently knead for 1 minute.
roll out to desired thickness and size.
add your favourite toppings.
cook in a hot oven.
*this makes approx 4-5 small pizza bases.

instructions for phone pouch found here.

around here lately

*some snippets of recent happenings around here:

an evening by the bay waiting for that big ship

a date night with my Mr

a crocheted granny vest

a morning spent teaching a friend how to crochet a granny square

knitting another wash cloth

harvesting potatoes

an early morning walk with my big girl

a tv-free night finishing off small projects

enjoying the evening rain and thunderstorms
watching bees at work

breakfast with my smallest

and loving every minute.

What have you been up to?

vintage sheet parcel

My return parcel of vintage sheet FQ's arrived earlier this week.
Just look at this rainbow of loveliness;

This fabulous stack has made my vintage sheet stash just that little bit extra special and bigger!
My mind is abuzz with thoughts and ideas of what to make with these beauties, I am hoping that I will find the time to start the first idea this weekend.
Thank you again Kel for your time and energy in running this fantastic swap!

Inside My Caravan :: Part 2 ::

I have not blogged about my caravan renovation since the one and only post way back here. 

It is becoming a long drawn out project - which I had not planned or wanted to happen.
There have been menial and boring jobs that have had to be done which have given me feelings of deflation and a lack of enthusiasm, and to be honest I have floundered and almost given up.
Fortunately my Hubby has given me several boosts of encouragement (there is an expression for this action) and has made me overcome tears of frustration and feelings of being overwhelmed. 

So here is a progress report of sorts....

I have removed all of those awful wood panel walls, the wardrobe, the ceiling, and the worst job has been removing hundreds of tiny staples from the wood frame.

I am keeping the over head cupboards for storage of my crafty bits and bobs.

Then there is this window to contend with;

there is a leak that I will get Hubby to take a look at for me. 

 I have rung an electrician to do the necessary electrical repairs/work.
We arranged the time for him to come for a look, and he has not shown up (more deflation). 

I will make another call to him next week.

I am collecting styrofoam boxes to use for the ceiling insulation, which can be put in once the electrician has done his work with the wiring.

I still have the floor to replace and the walls will be next to insulate and replace.

Then the serious stuff can happen,
a coat of paint inside and out,
a custom built table for the sewing machine and over locker,
and a bench seat with storage,
and my favourite part will be to decorate this beauty with my stuff.

Stay tuned.......

p.s. any words of encouragement will be greatly appreciated.

chilli

The chillies have been generous in their production, unlike other things growing in the veggie patch this summer.

I did a little Internet searching for a chilli paste recipe (mentioned in this post) and came across an easy Sambal Oelek paste. I honestly thought that I had enough chillies, however my home grown chillies are very light in weight and this recipe calls for 200gms of chillies!! So I did need to purchase a small amount.

Ingredients:

200grams red chillies

1 cup water

1 tspn salt

1 tspn sugar

1 Tblspn white vinegar

1 Tblspn oil

Method:

Place de-stalked and roughly chopped chillies into a pan with water.

Bring water/chillies to the boil and reduce to a low heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.

Place the chillies/water into a food processor, add other ingredients and blend until finely chopped.

I also made Sweet Chilli Jam. 

This one is a favourite and has become a regular on my stove top.

Ingredients:

1kg ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped 

500g sugar

3 Tblspn lemon juice

1/3 cup white wine vinegar

6 long red chillies*, sliced (leave the seeds if you like a bit of heat)

2 tspn salt

Method:

Place the tomatoes and sugar into a large bowl, cover and leave overnight at room temperature.

Transfer this mixture into a large pan and add the remaining ingredients.

Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat, simmer mixture for approx 1 hour or until a nice thick consistency.

Place into sterilized jars and seal.

*I use my home grown small chillies and use approx 12-20. 

Enjoy!

How do you use up your chillies?

all in a weekend

1. pickings from the veggie garden

2. discovering purple chillies

3. early morning trampoline stories in p.j's

4. making washing powder

5. sewing on a hot Saturday

6. a new bag made from a thrifted pillowcase, instructions found here

7. a new skirt made from a thrifted table cloth

8. & 9. new bath mats made from thrifted sheets and towels :: SouleMama style 

10. jam drops made with my neighbours' homemade strawberry jam :: Gooseberry Jam style

11. a spot of crochet

12. Sunday afternoon thunderstorm

a most enjoyable weekend here, how was your weekend? what did you get up to?

First Swap

48 fat quarters of lovely vintage sheets are on their way to Kel's place for a bit of a swap!

I am very excited to see what comes back to me in a couple of weeks!
There is still time to join in, pop over here for more information.
Have a happy weekend!

expressions

We had a little photo shoot yesterday, 

approx 40 photos were taken to capture just one nice portrait for kinder....

The many faces of my mischievous 3 year old are priceless, these photos capture exactly who she is.... 

and I finally got one!

sunflowers, small pickings, and a swap:

I like to grow sunflowers!
I love them, they are bright and cheery and put a smile on my face every time I look at their golden sunshiney-ness.

I like to keep the seeds from my sunflowers.
I keep the seeds to plant the following year and I also like to share my sunflower seeds with family and friends so they can grow their own beautiful sunflowers.
This morning I went to visit my sunflowers, I hadn't checked on their progress for a couple of days.
And this is what I found: *huge gasp*

Now I don't mind sharing some of my seeds with the native birds or nocturnal creatures, but I definitely am not sharing all of them!
After a little huffing and puffing, I cut the sunflower heads off so I can salvage the remaining seeds.

They are going inside the house and into an old pillowcase.

In the veggie garden also this morning I harvested some more small stuff;

yellow toms

the lovely large beetroot, which will be roasted up tonight Jamie Oliver style.

I am looking forward to harvesting these Golden Nugget pumpkins,

The bush cucumbers are making progress,

And I am planning on making a chilli paste with these beauties....I just need to find a recipe.
Have you ever made a chilli paste? How do you preserve your chillies?

This morning I also discovered a Swap!! I have heard of this swap before but never participated.
It is the Vintage Sheet Fat Quarter Swap hosted by Kel over at green tea and red nails

I have signed up and added a link in my sidebar.
I have a couple of vintage sheets in my material stash and I will be venturing out to the op-shops to find some more!
What are you up to on this sunny Monday?