Hot it is hot

We have been spoilt here in Southern Oz. Last Summer we only had the odd hot day. Wow is this summer different. Hot it is Hot. I am melting. Aren't sauna's supposed to be slimming. I should be shedding kilo's. I keep replacing the sweat with chocolate. I keep my chocolate in the fridge, who cares if it is a bit discoloured. It is still CHOCOLATE and that is all that matters.
I must say my fabric dyed beautifully. I put it into black garbage bags and left it out in the 45 degrees celsius heat for two days and wow. Greg turned the bags over occasionally for me and they were practically boiling.
The experiment didn't go so great but it is not bad and I will certainly use it eventually for an art quilt I have been planning in my head.
I dyed a piece of cotton sateen for a new dressing gown and some lace from my stash. It turned out beautifully.
I have a huge piece of lace that feels like plastic so I cut a piece off the corner and washed it in hot water and then dyed it. It was fairly pale but the dye held really well so I am not going to throw it out after all. I am inspired to make some clothing and I can use it in that.
I will take some photos and put on here. My friends shirt is really nice. I hope she likes it.
I am melting her in the heat. I had years where I would not sweat and would get overheated and then feel really ill. Since the Op I sweat like a normal person which is a good thing. Just have to be careful to keep up my sodium and the liquids.

Australia Day

Today is Australia Day. The indigenous Aussies call it Invasion Day and who can blame them. I can trace my ancestors back to the First Fleet. In fact my great however many grandmother was the first free baby born in the Colony. Her parents were the Captain of the Marines sent out to keep the convicts in line and his wife. I am sure he was chosen for this because he was a proper sod. Family history which may or may not be true states that he was granted a land holding on what is now George Street in Sydney and sold it for beer money as he was an alcoholic. I don't know if that is true but it makes a good story.
Today is also my wedding anniversary, 29 years and they said it would never last. We gave some thought to our married life today when we went out for lunch.
Three children, 2 grandchildren. 20 moves over Three states and still counting as we are getting itchy feet here. Admittedly there have been some close calls but all in all it has been mostly great.
We spent the rest of the day doing what we like best. Greg painted the side of the house in the morning and I dyed some fabric and a shirt for a friend. We went to our favorite Italian restaurant in Hahndorf for lunch. I had a very nice glass of wine which I can't remember the name of but it was very yummy and I could have drunk it like lemonade. But Greg didn't take his license so I had to drive home. Just as well. We had dessert at the Chocolate Cafe in Hahndorf we have been meaning to go there for ages as Greg did most of the renovations that turned it from a dump to a house. Greg was happy to see that the new owners have not pulled out all the work he did. In fact he told them he had done the work and they asked him to do some more.
I spent the afternoon cleaning up in my studio and Greg watched the tennis on TV. It has been really hot here today. Perfect for dying. I follow India Flints blog so on of the pieces of fabric I soaked in my soda ash/urea/salt solution and then threw it out on the dead grass which used to be our back lawn and then threw grass, leaves, bark and pulled up weeds including dirt all over it and rolled it up and put into a black garbage bag and it is stewing away out in the sun. I have turned all the packages over a few times today and they are nearly to hot to pick up. Should be nicely stewed by the time I get to them tomorrow night. It is going to be about 40 degrees Celsius here tomorrow so it should be perfect.
I have counted my blessings and I am much happier with my world I am a lucky person.
I have nearly finished cleaning up my mess in my studio and then I will make the wire wrapped doll.

A List

As I mentioned last blog I like lists.
I decided that after making a list of the things I don't want to do anymore I will make a list of the things I do want to do. This is a positive thing and I have been a bit blue and feeling sorry for myself lately.
I will blog more. I like to blog. I will get involved with the things I like to do and stay off committees. I have refused two invitations to go on committees. A good start.
I will make a wired doll for the DDU yahoo group challenge.
I will make a stump doll.
I will make a Baby Becky from Rivkah's yahoo group pattern.
I will finish Caitlins quilt.
I will not feel pressured to do anything.
I will practice saying No and stick to it.
I told one of the group committees that I am on that I would not be continuing in my role with them and got a Oh well whatever we'll get someone else to do it. This was a good thing as I probably would have faltered if they had gone into the wow is me what will we do.
So yes I will blog. I am going to Fibre Forum soon and must get organised for that.
Happy days are coming my way.

Priorities and commitments

I have made a list. I like lists they make you think. I have been feeling a bit snowed under. So I made a list of the things I would like to do and the things I have to do.
I am a Wife, Mother and Grandmother, that is my greatest frustration and my greatest joy. I work full time and I have to do that. I am President of the Cloth Doll Club of SA and Vice-President of the SA Folk and Decorative Painters so I have to do things for them because I made the commitment that I would. I am a member of the SA Quilt Guild, the Adelaide Hills Doll Guild and the SA Embroiderers Guild.
I reminded myself while making my list that I do not have to be an office bearer. So I am making a commitment to myself today that I will not go on any committees for at least a year. As the AGM's come up I will resign and I will cut back on what I am doing now. I will do the things I like. I will have to study for work and as I still have to work for about another 20 years I need to do this. I will stop being the fix it person and if anybody doesn't like it tough. I am sorry if that sounds harsh but I feel that for my own mental health I should do this.
When I started blogging I decided that it would be a type of public diary so this is the entry for me.
You might wonder what triggered this. I spent two days making a needlelace flower and leaves with a SA teacher. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have wanted to do something like this for ages but never had the time. I had a relaxing two days and the flower is nearly done.



Update- Priorities and Commitments Part 2 is here
I need to make more time for me.

Chutney and Stuff

It has been much cooler here today it even rained this morning. I went to Mt Barker and bought the makings for tomato sauce. Tomatoes, onions, apples, vinegar and sugar. When I got home Greg helped me cut up 10 kilo's of tomatoes, 2 kilo's of onions, 1 kilo of apples. It was cooking and I decided to forget about the sauce cause I couldn't be bothered with the pulping and straining out the bits etc and made Chutney out of it all instead. I threw in some old sun dried tomatoes, a kilo of currants and topped it all off with balsamic vinegar, mustard seeds, garlic, garam masala and a two liter bottle of plum sauce I made about 4 years ago and found in the back of the hall cupboard when I was digging out jars for the chutney. The 20 liter pot was full to the brim. Greg is washing it up at the moment and thinking unkind thoughts cause I forgot to soak the pot when I emptied it. But we have 37 jars of chutney.
The hall cupboard used to be our kitchen pantry before we extended the house.
I was cooking tea while bottling the chutney.
I haven't done any dolling today. I did dig out a piece of silk to use for Phoebe's skirt and I may get to it later.

Stuff

We have dispatched the last of the goldfish to the great ocean in the sky. Aquarium fish every where are bubbling in relief. I was going to say sigh but I don't think fish sigh. We are going to turn the tank into a terrarium. We stopped at the plant nursery near us for some advice and the ditsy shop assistant knew less than us so I have researched and we are ready for a new adventure in killing plants rather than fish.
I am making some summer tops for Caitlin and Jessica and had a bit of a boo boo so I decided to leave it for a little while.
It is a beautiful day here so I did the horrible housework stuff and traipsed off to the laundromat and washed the winter bedding before it goes in the cupboard for the summer. It is all drying on the line at the moment.
We really need some rain although the weather man says this is the wettest December for years it is still brown and dead around us. We are watering the veggies and the fruit trees but everything else is on it's own.

Misty and Miss S

Here is a photo of Misty and Miss Stubborn. I really want to give her a name but she is not cooperating. I have tried several names on her and none of them seem to fit. I will get her clothes completed and then we shall see again.
The other photo is of the view from my family room. We netted the garden in last year and were shocked at how much of our mulberries and apricots the birds were getting. I don't mind sharing but those gluttons were taking 99% of the crop and the rabbits were decimating everything else. Although the weather man tells me we have had more rain than is normal the garden is not doing well. Greg is watering it but still not going great.
Just over the hill behind us well 40 kilometers is Adelaide.

A word for the year

A Yahoo group I am on has invited every one to set themselves a word for the year. I have given this a lot of thought and settled on my word for this year will be FINISH.
Last year I set myself the goal of finishing a Work in Progress before starting a new project and then finishing that project before starting another new one. So I am going to do that this year too. I have finished Misty except her shoes and I have the other doll sitting here beside me with her hair glueing on She needs a name but hasn't chosen to share it with me yet. I think I will call her Miss Stubborn. I made her a half slip last night and decided on her hair style. I am just letting the glue set a bit and then I will fiddle with that. I found my Venus Dodge Dolls Dressmaker Book in with my cook books and I am not sure how it got there but anyway. So I am decided on her clothes and hat. I have finished the smocking on her dress and have some micro ric rac to sew on and then her jacket and shoes. I am a member of the Yahoo group Vintage Cloth Dolls and one of the members has just posted a boot pattern and I might see if that will fit my young lady.
We are having dinner tonight with our son's prospective in laws. First meet for them and us. They have a lovely daughter so I am hoping it goes well. We are very different people so it shall be interesting.

Stuff on the web

Have a look at these
Susan Fosnot Dolls


Pincushions

Hair and Clothes and Banana Spring Rolls

I got sent this link through one of my groups and thought this would be useful to you.

Clothing for 18"Dolls
I have finished the smocking for my doll and tonight I am going to make her hair. Then I will get too work on finishing her clothing. She needs some hair. I had a very quiet New Years Eve. It was insanely busy at work and I had tea, read for a while thought about a New Years drink and went too bed instead and crashed.
A few months ago we went to a restaurant and one of the desserts was Banana and Macadamia Spring rolls. Absolutely delicious. I have finally perfected them.
Banana and Macadamia Spring Rolls.

Makes 3

1 large Banana – Mashed
1 tablespoon chopped toasted macadamias
¼ teaspoon mixed spice or cinnamon
3 spring roll wrappers

Combine the banana, nuts and spice. Mix well. Lay out the spring roll wrappers. Brush with water or beaten egg but water will do.
Divide the banana equally between the spring roll wrappers. Put the banana on one end. Fold the sides over the mixture. Brush again with water or egg and then roll up.
Deep fry until golden on all sides. You can sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or icing sugar while hot. Serve with ice cream and caramel sauce.