How hard can it be?

Ok. Significantly harder than I thought. I think it requires practice, but I was pretty happy with the results of my cupcake making efforts this week. (I won't be turning pro anytime soon.) I was assigned to make cupcakes for an event I was going to, and this is how they turned out.

Most of the cupcakes in the top picture were the girl's efforts. I wanted to make rose cupcakes but they were more carnation cupcakes really. The butterfly wings were fun to make! So, if you want cupcakes, I can probably make you some. As for the sewing?.......

Sewing that looks like knitting.

Knitting. I mean sewing.

I am slowly working on some sewing that looks more like knitting than sewing. Confusing, isn't it? You might remember that I am in charge of knitting for charity in my ward (congregation). So while everyone is busy knitting squares I am busy sewing them together into rugs. Well, it's not "rugs" so far. Just "rug", but I'm getting there! So, even though it looks like knitting it is actually sewing. And I am pleased to have some sewing mojo back!

Finally! Some sewing.

memory quilt blocks

It felt like I might never sew again, but this past weekend I managed to turn the machine on and piece some blocks. Now they are pinned together ready for me to turn into a quilt top sometime today. Wonders will never cease! The centres of the blocks are some that were prepared earlier by a youth group my Bradley helps lead. They threw a surprise party for one of the boys and my Bradley thought it would be lovely for him to be able to remember the occasion. I did feel a bit put upon at first (imagine him thinking I could quickly whip up a quilt!), but I'm fine with it now because I have actually done some sewing! So, off to sew.

Cleaning...

my steam mop

It's not often that I admit to cleaning, but that's what I have been doing today. Not fun. Not inspirational. But neccessary! We packed up the ginormous table (which almost doesn't fit in the dining room!) and I steam mopped all traces of my grandchildren away. Sad and wonderful all at the same time. We had them here for five weeks which was just wonderful and then we were sad when they left early yesterday morning. They are so glad to be home again in their own domain with their favourite toys that I can't really be too sad. Next job is to put the table we usually use in this house back in the dining room and then to stretch a quilt on it!!! All is not doom and gloom here though. We still have Miss 20 here visiting for a few more days and tomorrow Mr 23 arrives to visit for a week or so. We will well and truely have had a month and a half of visitors! We are so lucky!!! So, off to get closer to stretching a quilt (one of four waiting on my desk!) and to get our guest room ready for the next visitor.

Favourite Things Friday

Is it Friday already? I wouldn't have known except for the fact that I happened to see Shay's Favourite thing Friday post. And then I pondered, what am I thankful for this week? I came up with a blank. And then I thought that it has to be Shay, for alerting me to the fact that it is Friday. Now that may just sound sad and possibly ridiculous, but I think what I really mean is my favourite this week is the sewy community here on the Internet. My blog is five years old and for five years I have met the most amazing people and shared in their successes and marvelled at their great things. For about four months prior to the instigation of my blog I read other people's blogs. I loved that too, but felt like I wanted to get in on the fun so my daughter showed me how to set up a blog. She already had a blog that I read and marvelled at. You can check her blog out here.

One of the main reasons I started blogging was for me. I liked the idea of having a record of things I had made. I felt that if I recorded things then it would encourage me to make more. Making is a big part of my life. When I am happy, I make. I had an excellent role model in my mother. She sewed most of our clothes for us and we loved them! She made most of her own clothes too. She knitted jumpers, hats, gloves, and ponchos (it was the 70s!) for us too. Growing up I saw the results of her art classes, basketry classes, bark painting classes, leatherwork classes, woodwork classes, calligraphy classes, flower arranging classes, you name it - she made it! She encouraged us to make things too. When we were sick, or when it was a rainy day, out would come a basket of making goodies. So I have been making things all my life. When I got to a period in my life where I wasn't making anything (my doctor called it depression) I started to wonder if the reverse would be true. If I made a conscious effort to make things, would I then be happy? Well, you probably all know the answer to that, cause you make things too.

Sometimes when things are tough the making gets stalled, and it is then that the Internet (ie all you lot) inspire me and get me making again. In other words, you make me happy! Thank you for each and every post!

Some of you may have noticed that the making is somewhat stalled here at the moment. I'm working on it! Here are some pretty things I am thinking about today.

Baking on a Sunday Evening

Butterscotch self-saucing pudding and anzac biscuits...

... are baking in my oven as we speak. Mmm... so much golden syrupy goodness! We have had a busy, busy week. We have twelve people here in the house still. Lots of cooking to feed us all and lots of shopping! So many trips to the supermarket for bread and milk. I remember how this was when we had all eight kids at home. I was always popping to the shop for bread and milk. Tonight we are having pasta for dinner and whilst we were debating exactly what kind of pasta we would have both Mrs 27 and Miss 20 suggested that I just bake biscuits for dinner and be done with it! Hmm... I know a call for sugar when I hear it, so my Bradley chopped vegies whilst I cooked the vegie pasta. Then I whipped up a butterscotch self-saucing pudding and my Bradley threw together the anzac biscuits. (They are his specialty.) And it all smells heavenly! I haven't done much knitting or sewing in the back half of the week. Maybe next week I will sew up a storm!

More knitting...

Squares, to keep you warm.

The knitted squares in the photo above have been knitted by a variety of people. Some by me. Some by my kids. Some by the Relief Society sisters in our ward. (The women in our congregation) We have been knitting squares to make rugs to donate to Needy Stitches. (You can read all about them here.) We are at the point now where someone can begin to stitch the squares together. And that someone is me!

Sleeping, Miss 26 and granddaughter 2

Miss 26 has been unwell for the past couple of months. It has been wonderful to have our family visiting with us to distract and absorb us. (They're still here! We are lucky to have them visit so long.) This afternoon this is what a nap looks like.

Knitted Hand Warmers

I have been doing a little knitting of late. The weather has been chilly. The heater has been on. We have been snuggled under quilts. What else do you need to make this a perfect cosy picture of winter? Yes! The click clack of needles.

These hand warmers (I'll admit right here that I will never be a hand model) are made from Cleckheaton Country Tweed and they are really just a rectangle. I always thought that hand warmers would have to be something way more fancy, but Miss 20 knitted some recently along the same line, without a pattern, and I thought they were genius! Now to sew up the other one! (I knitted the two at the same time because I usually can only make one of anything!)

It's July?

Ok. So she stuck her finger into the peanut butter jar and got a Hanna-Barbera type figure out. She was incredibly impressed with herself. I wondered, "Why was she sticking her finger into the peanut butter?". I also wondered if I ever wanted to eat peanut butter at our house ever again. (I decided not.) Oh. And then on top of all that she tells me it is July. July? Wasn't it January yesterday? No. Apparently not. My immediate thought is if I multiply all my finishes so far this year by two... well, it's not very many, is it? So this is a post to mark the rushing of the year and to remind me to do some sewing. And some knitting. I am just about to cast off my new handwarmers! Off to, well, think about knitting and sewing probably!