Feeding lambs

I was asked about our lambs, so I've posted a couple of photo's.

I think we need to change the song "Mary had a little lamb....." to "Justine had a little lamb...." and "Everywhere that Justine went...the lamb was sure to go"!!!

Another lamb was rejected overnight, so we're now bottle feeding a second lamb.

Even a "lamb kiss"!!!

It's been a while!!

Time, that is "days and months" have disappeared rather rapidly. Even my daughter is worried at the pace of time.

Family changes have been happening this year - Our son has moved out into his own unit. This was a big thing and hard for me as his time with us seemed so short, considering his first 6 years were in an orphanage. During the past school holidays hubby and son were driving together, to go walking on Bluff Knoll in the Stirling Ranges, and had a car accident on the way. The car was a write-off, but they walked away no injuries, but a big lesson for our son, yes, he was driving, still on his "L's".


For us the ornamtental cherry blossom is once again covering the trees; the ewes are having lambs; and we're bottle feeding one lamb, rejected by it's mother; we're starting to get warmer days, which I love as you feel the warmth right into your bones.



My crafting days have been limited with my part-time chaplaincy work. So I've not been as productive as I once was. However, I participated in a CQ Asian Challenge on the yahoo gruop CQ4Newbies. I was excited to tie for first place with this block.







Gerry on "Block Talk" has done a very helpful critique on my block, and so I will be working on it to make some changes.

I can't guarantee when I'll post again. But I can tell you we will be away on holidays at the end of the year, visiting Bali, Paris, America, London, Malta, Cyprus, Egpyt, Israel and the Philippines. This trip is to take our daughter back to her birth country for a visit.

Cyclones....!!!!!

The cyclone that travelled down the coast of Western Australia, stayed out to sea and slowed down, it then hit the colder waters which downgraded it as it crossed over land, into a rain depression. Which we're all thankful for.

However, Queensland is really struggling. Not only with flooding since December, with nearly 2/3 of the state under water, about 3 times the size of Texas, which did go into New South Wales, then Victoria. Then they were hit with two cyclones. With the worst one last night, a category 5 cyclone, Yasi.

It's ladies like Jenny of ELEFANTZ I'm concerned for.

With all the flooding both in north WA, in the eastern states and the cyclones, the food bowl of Australia is severely descimated.

Rare Cyclone Alert for SW Australia

The last time a cyclone managed to get further down the coast was Cyclone Alby in the 1970's.

It looks like we might be in for a bit of a rough ride over the weekend if the cyclone travels according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s forecast maps.
You can view it at http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDW60281.shtml

So to be on alert, from Jurien Bay to Albany, with possible effects felt on Sunday, is indeed, amazing.

Also there are two others off the coast of Queensland, so they are wtching and waiting also.

First 2011 project

I have completed my first project for 2011. A x-stitch bookmark I received as a Christmas gift. It was "very me"!!! I love roses and pink with cream and green!!

Also end of last year I completed Kaaren's Huswif Needlecase, that she had as one of her First Friday Freebie patterns. The following is the stitchery completed,

Now sewn together with outer fabric, binding and button.

Inside the Huswif Needlecase. I altered Kaaren's last image changing it to a pineapple (from another of Kaaren's FFF's) and my own words "Heart given to hospitality." My home has been that in the last week and a half, with 14 guests either to a meal or staying with us.

Finally a picture of the lastest chickens my daughter is loving to death!!! This is a picture she took on the back verandah, where she plays with them for hours.

"Give Thanks" Free BOM from Jenny

Jenny of ELEFANTZ has a new BOM with a slight difference. The following is what she shared of her thinking behind this BOM.

"Over the last couple of years there have been many challenges facing our nations, our world, our neighbours, family, friends, and our own lives. When struggles occur it is far easier to focus on the sorrows and trials than on the continuing goodness that still exists in our lives.

This BOM is my small attempt to have our hearts and thoughts dwell on those good things for which we can give thanks.

This month, January, we shall make the wall hanging part of the BOM. Then from February 1st – December 1st I’ll share a small stitched verse of thankful inspiration, made up into a mini hanging that you can display in the blank centre section of the wallhanging."

Months disappeared...Where? and What?

I’ve wanted to post, for some weeks, but other things kept happening!!! Then a dear friend posted a comment, hoping I was okay, so I knew I just had to sit down and get it done!!

So where do I start?
My new job – as a school chaplain, started off and went very well. By the end of the term I knew over half the students by name and started to place sibling groups together. Coming into my office for “teddy hugs” has been a huge hit.

I also made some cushions for the office, using a very colourful cardigan someone had knitted, which I bought at a second-hand shop. It wasn’t complete – just the back and two front side panels, which had been joined, but no sleeves or anything else. I unpicked it, and made cushions with them. The photo’s show the outcome.

Just before I started the job I managed to get some DJ blocks made for someone I’ve been swapping with for a while. I made great progress then they came to a halt.

I made progress in getting 3 mug pouches sewn up for my giveaway, commenced the embroidery work after completing the colouring-in on the stitcheries, then they came to a halt.

Everything changed as my hours and days changed with working and affected my creative/sewing times. Plus I was feeling quite tied.

On top of all that, my sister-in-law was getting married and asked my daughter to be a flower-girl, along with her cousins. So making a flower-girls dress became priority one, in what little time I had. I really enjoyed making this dress, it's been a few years since I last did some dress making, which was also for a wedding. Back in my teens I used to make most of my clothes.

From this:-

To this:-

Along came Christmas, with family coming here. When we have Christmas here in our home, it’s become our tradition to make a ginger-bread house. So this is our 2010 Gingerbread house!!

Our son now has his "L" driver’s license . . . some of you know me as calm, quiet and easy-going. Well, we may have to now add, “she’ll go grey very quickly!!!”

Then yesterday morning…….my daughter had gone into the kitchen, when she called out “Mum!” I said “What?” (Hubby and I were lying in bed relaxing and talking.)

“Mum, there’s a snake in the kitchen!!” (Action…..fast jumping out of bed, unbelief that it could be so….)

There it was right in front of the kitchen stove. Hubby raced out for a shovel, while we kept watch, as it turned and slithered back across in from of the cupboards and sink.

My husband has said “it ‘naturally’ died of ‘natural’ causes!!!” It was a 3ft “tiger snake”. Some interesting stats: one person a year dies from snake bite in Australia. 60% of people die from a “tiger snake” bite.

We can only guess it came through the front door, when the flywire door wasn’t properly closed. Don’t try and think about it being in the house for the day and night, without us knowing!!!

So I’m happy to say we are all safe and well and I’m hoping for some creative times in coming weeks. I’m suffering badly from “withdrawal symptoms”!!