Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Like a needle in a haystack



Oh boy I am so frustrated and annoyed at the moment. I know you probably aren't here to hear me have a whinge but it's my blog so I can. :)
I have to go to the big smoke, otherwise known as Perth to have a test next month and have been looking for accommodation suitable to my needs.
Now it is not as simple as phoning a place and making a booking for me.

Due to my size requirements, I have to be very choosy where I stay. The bed needs to be strong enough. Those fragile little 'boutique'jobs, will not suffice, I need a sturdy
number that wont collapse under my weight.



  something simple, clean, comfortable
Then the bathroom/toilet setup. Oh dear I have had some interesting situations believe me. But these days I travel with my own over-the-toilet contraption,thanks to a car with a large boot. There have even been times when caught short between towns and toilets the bloke has set my throne up in all its majesty in the middle of some roadside bushes!

I also need to be able to park outside the accommodation as I can not walk far and do not have a wheelchair, as yet.


I would even take this wigwam as long as it is comfy,
 spacious, clean. And the car is just my thing too

 I stayed in a motel last March that fitted the bill all except the seats which were literally outdoor benches which I could neither fit on and if I could wouldn't as I have lymphodeama and the wood would (Hey! can you use those two words together?) have pressed against my legs making them very sore and not good. So I contacted the said motel this time and requested the 'disabled' room; so called due to it having a bathroom without shower screens.
Sure it was available-good then I asked if perhaps they would be able to move one of their lovely, new soft sofas into my room for the duration of my stay for my comfort. No go! Oh dear this took me back a bit as I was expecting more help here. I ended the call by thanking her and saying I would get back if I could not find anything more suitable :(
Now I am sad, annoyed a little because it is so hard to find something that suits me. I am not asking for too much am I?

What do you think?


Update: I recontacted the said motel and was lucky enough to speak to a much more helpful staff member who took my booking and was going to see if they can move the sofa into the room for the duration of our stay. :)

(photos courtesy of google images)



Sunday, March 27, 2011

Things I am thinking about...



Image from google


Eating seasonal foods
Making healthy choices

Trying new things and new ways



Starting to fill the hole within


Image from Google



Feeling okay about myself
with no judgement
Being inherently good
even when I do not so good things
Finding faith
Believing in my worth as a person
Knowing that 
others also believe in my worth,
but not needing that to authenticate me
learning to trust
And learning to let go
Living in the moment
Feeling alive
Be the happiest I can each day
Enjoying the small things in life
Enjoying fresh air

Honouring my body
Learning to move again without fear

Apple pie made made by my eldest daughter
 

Keep well and let me know how you are doing. :)

Jan

Monday, March 21, 2011

Monday's Musings



Hello friends. Well I am back and feeling so much better than last time. I felt so crook and all because of a virus, so the doctor said.

So that means there has been some sewing going on and some reading and some perusing of magazines and referring to the sewing books.




I was intending to FMQ the above fairy tree quilt, but alas it was not to be due to lack of skill on my part. I know I have blogged about this before but it is starting to get me down now. I have watched the YouTube videos, read copious magazines, followed blogs, read textbooks but still I have not got the groove. The harder I try the more I stuff it up. I am in need of face to face teaching, but even then I have no guarantee that it is something I will pick up. There seems to be some things beyond my capabilities.


On a happier note I am at the stage of hand sewing the binding on my smaller heart quilt-yahoo.This quilt is a little beauty and I am pleased with how it has turned out. I was also thinking of FMQ little hearts in the blocks but see above for the reasons I didn't!
None the less, I am thinking this little darling may grace the wall of our boudoir. Once the new coat of paint is applied of course, but that's a whole other story.

So what's next you or even I may ask? Mmmm, well there are the pillows I was intending to make for some family members, the cushions for sisters and so on. There is never a lack of inspiration, it is a case of turning that inspiration into motivation to act. *sigh*.

Things like this beautiful applique from the Secret Sewing Sisterhood Blog. This is everything I love about applique. The colours, the design the freshness of it all.


On the home front I am pleased to write that we have produced out first home grown vegetable for the year. And by the way it tasted delicious.
Yep 1 small tomato. There is another one, yes one on the bush still and it is very green. When gardening skills were handed out I must have been asleep. So sad isn't it. With the current price of a lettuce at $5 for a scrawny head, we need to be able to grow our own stuff.

Well because I am yet to download the photos from the big camera that is the lot for today. If I am doing well tomorrow I will be back for another chat and to share some pics. I have the gorgeous doctor visiting me at home in the morning so will post after that.

Keep well and be as happy as you can.




Saturday, March 12, 2011



Hello there on a windy Saturday evening. I am needing to fill in some time as I battle with some savage virus that has given my body a shake up. Headaches, sensitive to light, pain everywhere, fever, freezing cold one minute boiling hot the next. Today I have been flushed and sweating profusely. Pain medicine and water have been the flavour of the day. I have even been off my food, which is indicative to how ill I have/am.
But I am hoping now that the fever has broken that things will get better. I can only hope.


I had intended to quilt 3 of my projects that I had finished earlier in the week. The bloke has kindly pinned the layers for me and I was all set to go when I took ill. 
Well all going well I will be doing it tomorrow :)


Will come back and post some pics when they are done. I think this is the first post without a photo shhhhh.:)


Take care,




Monday, March 7, 2011

I love my heart quilt


sorry I can't resist a pretty flower pic


Hello friends

I know I am always saying this but sorry for my tardiness again. I am trying hard to keep my ahead above water. Some days I crack it and the day is as good as I can make it. Other days the black dog comes to visit and he just wont get outside where he belongs.
There is a website called the Black Dog Institute that has some great resources.If you or anyone needs support.


Well what have I been doing here of late? Mmm let's see. Oh yeh, I have beem finishing up some projects started in late 2010. So far I have pieced the small quilt named Mrs Bill's Heart Quilt. I came across the pattern in an old copy of Country Patchwork & Craft Vol 5, No 4. Designed by Blue Willow Cottage. This little beauty is 108cm square, a much smaller quilt than I am used to creating. I had fun as I love applique work and I am getting better on the new Janome 6600P with the blanket stitch especially as I have found that using Mode 2, number 36 stitch produces a lovely small, neat look. I am so pleased with the way it has turned out that I just want to stare at it for ages. Although I altered a few of the colour selections and the borders I reckon mine is even better than the original. How about that for blowing my own trumpet? :)



The other item I have almost completed is the chooky runner that has been a while coming, due to me misunderstanding the directions and then deciding to forgo some of the details of the original. Hah *sighs* but that is my style-take an idea and extrapolate.:)










Of course these are only finished as far as being pieced together; the quilting still has to occur and that my friends is where things can go curly. You see I want to be able to FMQ these little darlings but I am not yet skilled enough. I have tried, yes I have. I did a great job on another table runner once, looks fantastic, however it was a one-off performance, not since repeated! But I will keep trying, it will not defeat me.
I also have to quilt the tree quilt that I showed a peak of a couple of blogs back, that is goine to be delicious and will be put away for the arrival of my first grandchild, which of course needs to be a girl due to the colours used, however maybe we can set a new trend-who said boys can't have pink? Not me.

So that is the goss on the craft front.

Other things happening on the home front include out third daughter, or the middle child as she calls herself, applying to join the Defence Force-Navy. She will be in Perth later this month for the preliminary testing, interviews etc. I am both proud and anxious for her. This has been a long held dream of Em's to go into the navy and although she has been working in different jobs since she left school, the dream has neve left her and now at the ripe old age of 22 she feels the time is right to strike out. I really do wish her luck, after all following ones dreams is soul nourishing. She has been told that if she is initially unsuccesful she can apply again in 12 months or something like that. She has been working on her fitness by beach walking. Keep it up Em. :)









Tuesday, March 1, 2011

What do you wear?

This is the type of dress I am considering buying. I love bright, colorful fabrics.


Hi family & friends. Nice and cool here today and I am so glad about that. It seems that I can move more easily about the place without gasping in the humid atmosphere. In fact not only is it cooler I would go as far as saying it is cold. There I have done it now, the heat will probably resume with a vengeance.

It makes me realise that I need to look at getting my winter clothing organised. It is a difficult process to say the least.
Since I grew to the size I am I have not been able to readily buy clothing. Luckily for me there are a few online shops who make clothing for the plus sizes.

There is just one online shop in Australia where I can buy a few things and the other place I can buy stuff is an online store in the USA.The problem with buying online is you take the risk of getting something that might not fit and also that does not look like the photo.

The other thing is the prices. The prices for larger sized clothing is high. And dare I say it the quality from the USA shop is not high. I mean I have at least 4 tops I bought that after having had for a few years and them been washed multiple times are now as long as full length gowns. The sleeves hang of me and really they are almost unwearable except I don't have much choice.

This is another dress I like, I think it's the pretty colours, more than the sassy design. In my experience of super sized clothes mostly they are poorly designed. Makes me wish I was able to sew clothing, and not other stuff.


I am so glad that I don't work at the moment as I wouldn't have anything suitable to wear.
Anyway not sure why I am even telling all this except that it was on my mind this morning.

Okay all this talk of clothes has got my juices stirred. I can feel some shopping coming on. I need to really I do. :)
So what is your favourite thing you like to wear> Is it long pants, skirts, dresses?