Bloggy Break

Hi folks just passing through to say I am still alive. Needing to have a break, and will be back soon with some pics.
See you all soon.

Mid week catch up

Oh it's been a bit quiet around here hasn't it? I posted last week on my birthday and since then I have been keeping busy with visits from friends, which was very special to me. One friend gave me a lovely bottle of red wine, from the gorgeous Margaret River wine region in Western Australia. I only got to taster a bit and the bloke kindly sampled the rest of the bottle, to his delight.
Well it warmed him up on a cold winters night!

Have had my sewing machine rocking up a storm the past couple of days. The Bloke had his 4 days off and I needed him to assist me with the quilt I wanted to make. I had found this pattern on the Moda Bakeshop site. I loved the fabrics she used so I ordered Sanae by Moda from my favourite quilt shop in the USA. It is truly lovely with oranges, greens, blues, browns and together they look fabulous with the stone Kona solid. And like usual this quilt has at least one Jan special designed stuff up. I work on the premise that this boo boo can be disguised by the quilting I will do, but at 83 1/2inches x 83 1/2 inches it is going to be quite a task to do this.

There  are a few reasons why I continually make aah...er...alterations to the original design. The first, as I have mobility problems and can't get onto the floor, which is necessary when laying out the blocks. The bloke is a really patient person. He needs to be to put up with my antics. :)

If I make a small quilt then I can manage them on my own, but as I said this one is a biggie. I have completed the quilt top now and need to wait for Phil to have days off again so he can pin baste it for me and then I am able to quilt it. I will be FMQ again and this time I hope to be better at it.

I hope to have this quilt and the other one finished so I can get it photographed and post it on my blog.
So I don't have any current pics and I really hate sending this blog off without one so will see what I can dig up.

Can you wait for the next update? I am sure you can, in fact I bet there are plenty of other blogs to catch up on.
What are some of your favourite blogs?

Today's Post has been bought to you by the number 47

Good morning friends. It is freezing here and I am sitting next to the heater enjoying my coffee and being I am so grateful to be able to sit here and relax whilst most others are heading off to work. The bloke is back at work today after having his four day break. On this break he and our eldest daughter travelled to Perth to attend the the football where his team the West Coast Eagles played the Sydney Swans. He has never been to an AFL game before and he loved the atmosphere and the hype and the fact that his team won.

Today I celebrate my 47th birthday and I feel blessed to be here to do so. Really I am. I used to think 47 was ancient, over the hill, past it, but in actual fact it is a new beginning. Well every day is isn't it? 



Yesterday as I spent some time reflecting, I realised that this is the first time in 47 years that I am without my dear mum. She who had been a part of every moment of my 47 years.That hit me hard. Another milestone to get through.
My family, led by the affable bloke bought me an ipad 2! Yes you read correctly, another piece off technology for me to wile away the hours with. I love it. I am so surprised that the bloke came up with the idea all on his own. I had mentioned in passing that Iiked the ipad 2, but never thought more than this. I mean it is a pure over the top luxury. I have a laptop that I use daily but this is a more mobile gadget, and it also has a GPS which is handy for when we go to places unfamiliar. And best off all it is an  e reader. I can use it to read my books in bed, once I find what I want to read that is. I am still finding my way around the thing, but lucky for me a most of my girls know what to do and show me. :)

On other news I finally finished my 20 blocks of Whimsical Garden, and when I piece them together I will post pics. Long time in coming eh?
Well gotta go now have some things I need to take care off
Talk more soon.

Jan

Wednesday Wisdoms

One of the bouquets I got for mothers day

                                  
Good morning my friends. The sun is shining again today and I love that. The past two days have been overcast and that tends to make me feel a little droopy.
 But today I have plans. You see most days I don't have any set tasks to complete, I just let the day take care of itself. This is not good for me. I need direction. I need purpose in my life. As each hour passes and nothing is achieved I can feel quite hopeless and this in turn leads to me feeling depressed. Even medication can't lift it.

So my plan is to write a weekly and daily list of things I want and need to achieve. For over three years now I have just existed and have felt quite disengaged from my greater community. As someone who has spent their working life supporting other people to engage in their lives and connect with others, it is then ironic to be in this same position.
How did I even get here?

I think it was a case of mental and physical burnout. When my youngest went to school I decided to commence a uni course so I could eventually get a job. I chose to study social science and so for the next 6 years I did, part time via distance education. For anyone not familiar with this mode of study it is bloody hard. There were no tutorials to attend, difficult at times to contact tutors and course coordinators. The study was very much self driven and so while caring for five kids mostly on my own due to the bloke working away I stuck this out. Oh I forgot that I was also working part time and then full time toward the end. It was a big ask. Bad enough if you were a healthy specimen but doubly difficult for me due to being excessively fat, and I am talking death fat here folks. So as a matter of course towards June 2008, I was flat out trying to stay upright. Eventually I had to acknowledge that I could no longer ignore the pain and discomfort I felt. With a heavy heart I tended my resignation, feeling like a failure. But in all conscience I felt that I could not give my clients 100% either so I needed to take a break.
Well I never really got better, instead I slid into a decline of mammoth proportions. You know the type-can't get out of bed, everything is crap, bah-humbug sorta stuff!
Gradually my enjoyment for life diminished.
I saw psychologists, a naturopath, purchased self help books by the dozen, had anti depressants prescribed.



Fabric Love



One of my early quilts



And then a funny thing happened. A long term friend of mine, who is a quilter, introduced me to the modern day quilting fabrics. Well, although I had never previously been interested in any of it I was suddenly quite keen. I learnt from books, magazines, YouTube tutorials and a few well guided nudges from my friend. I thank her so very much for it too. Without this fantastic part of my life, who knows where I would be? I am a little scared to thing about it actually.

Tablecloth I made for my daughter who has just moved into her first home

So there you have it, whether you wanted to know or not. :)

I am getting there, I must the road is before me and I am still travelling. I take the little moments and enjoy them. I love hearing from friends and followers who do me the honour of reading my humble little ramblings. It means so much to me.

So to the plan I am going to work on it and then put it into a post so I can remember it and so you can see what I am up to, if you want to.

I hope you find some joy today.

ciao