January Planning

Is it just me or do others enjoy sitting down at the start of a new year and dreaming of the plans and goals you'd like to achieve during the year?  Rather than a resolution, I prefer goals that can be worked on to become achievable accomplishments and I also like to check in on this list a few times during the year.... which often coincides with the start of the next season funnily enough! Whilst thinking on these things I've been busy doing some work on my Hexie Tablecloth which has some lovely signature hexies from friends and bloggers who were nice enough to answer the call and make me a signature hexie to add to my blogging tablecloth.  Its kinda nice being able to work out which colours I'll use to hopefully do justice to the signature hexies these lovely ladies have spent time making for me.

This year is a year of hope for us as we plan to move forward with a new chapter of our lives and hopefully also see a reduction of stress.  So while we wait for our home here to sell ( and we continue on with our jobs as per normal), I've decided I want to get back to more regular blogging and interaction with others in Blogland as I've missed being here as often as I would have liked.  I'd like to add a special thankyou to those few key bloggers and friends who have always come to visit my blog and taken the time to comment (or send a letter or email later) - it has often been more like a big hug that has often been needed, so thankyou!  Returning to more blogging is also a way of me getting back to what I enjoy which is all centred around Home and Hearth ........ snail mail, sewing, crochet and knitting, preserving, baking, gardening and as much self sufficiency as is possible for us at the time.  We will need this even more once we sell and Pete retires and I reduce my days of working outside the home.

To make a start I'll be joining back in with Friday Night With Friends with Cheryl from Gone Stitching.  It happens on the 1st Friday of each month with the first one this Friday!

 

 I've joined up for the Valentines Day Swap hosted by Cheryl which should be some fun  

Then on  the 3rd Friday of each month where we join Wendy from Sugarlane Designs for Friday Night Sew In.

This should see me getting the ball rolling.  OPAM is run by Peg and Kris (I'm hoping they will be running this again this year). 

 

In 2016 I finished a total of 36 articles - 3 Sewn, 17 Knitted and 16 Crocheted. I've been part of OPAM since 2012 although back then I deleted my list of items each month so don't have those figures or items to look back on. I do hope to improve this number this year, although it really does depend on just what those items are that are getting made ...... it takes longer to knit a jumper than it does to sew a mug rug for instance, still - they are all handmade items which is a special deal to me and thankfully also to my family members who appreciate what I make (and even put in orders :)  )

The first few days of January has also seen me busy in the garden while I'm on holidays from work ...... so gathering seeds has been on my list of priorities as I want to take seeds with me to help get some flowering plants going when we move permanently. 

Carrots allowed to go to seed for collection

After all, you need flowers to bring the bees and good insects into the garden for health and pollination!  Pete has taken down the big wheels from the edge of the garden as they will be coming with us when we move ...... it looks so different without them there .....  I've ended up putting in some geranium cuttings which should help fill up the space fairly quickly.

 

I've also taken more cuttings from the rosebushes that are planted over our other dogs who passed

away during our time here ...... Mitzi, Muffin and Gramps who were a big part of our lives as the children grew up and left home to start their own lives.

 

Something else I've done was to sort out the bathroom cupboards and throw out quite a bit of older stuff!!  I came across the sponges I had collected a number of years ago when we lived in Townsville and collected not long before we were leaving to move down here ...... I gave them a good soak in a bleach mixture and cleaned out the bits and pieces of shell or rock that were still in there!  How nice to have these to use or gift.

Before I go, I did promise that I would share the crochet blocks I began working on whilst on our driving trek over Christmas ....... 8ply Bendigo Cotton.  This is a free pattern on Ravelry by Luba

Davies and written in American crochet terms.  So far I have 7 blocks, but I plan on adding a couple of other colours to mix it up a bit so it eventually becomes a nice throw rug for the veranda at our New Home.  Although the photo makes them look off white, they are actually a very pale blue/ grey shade.   I'll share more on it as time goes on.




Oh, and I've also been busy with the insurance company getting quotes done after I managed to back into the gate at the house in Maryborough ....... or was it the gate jumped out and attacked the car????  Now just a few more days and then I'm back to work .......... still have lots on my list lol .............