My Soaps

After having spent the entire afternoon trying desperately to work out how to get my little soap and natural cleaning line onto facebook........ hmmm, seems I set up a whole separate identity and then worked out it was meant to be a "page" connected to my own FB identity!  I've been struggling with it all for a few weeks, but not had the time to just sit at my VERY slow internet connection (no broadband here!!) and work it out!!  Finally, success........... so the facebook link is currently right at the top left here  "Hazelmere Cottage".  I also have a blog for  Hazelmere Cottage as well and would love to have you come and visit and take a look around at some stage.  It's been very difficult as I don't have funds to pour into getting it up and going really well and certainly cannot afford the hefty product liability insurance.  The soaps are made using olive oil, essential oils and herbs as the main ingredients (no nasties!).  The candle melts are made using bees wax.  Anyhow, I was just sooo excited that I finally worked it out, I just had to tell you all about it and perhaps I will see you at one of these places - do leave a comment if you come over as I plan on having a giveaway to clelbrate - so keep watching :)

Getting on with Things..................

It's been rather interesting around here since Thursday evening when the water pump decided to break down.  For us this means no running water to anywhere in the house except for our 1 little drinking tap that is connected to the small gravity fed water tank.  For those of you not used to having water tanks or bores to rely on - no pump =  no hot  running water, toilets flushing by the push of a button, showers or washing machines.  

 So it's been a trip back to the past around here..........   We are just thankful we can access the tank water from the gravity fed tank so we at least have water.... filling buckets for the toilet flushing and the old fashioned jug for the bathroom......... and since it's winter and we thankfully have the old wood heater, we have our own supply to be able to pour into the bathroom basin for washes, the kitchen sink for dishes etc etc.

So in the absense of running water, I've been busy getting on with other things..........

These 3 little beauties are already winging their way to New Zealand for my 3 nieces who all have their birthdays in July (just different days & ages ).   I had heaps of fun making them and plan on doing one for my granddaughter for her birthday in October.  Today I also managed to finsih off a little beanie (photo yet to come) that will be going to a friend from work who recently had a little baby.
The postie arrived on Thursday with some wonderful packages full of goodies from 2 swaps - a private one through my snail mail group where we sent some yarn & material to celebrate our 5th anniversary (yep, 5 years of penpalling)..... this is the collection from all of those :

And 2 other packages were part of a swap from a facebook group called Magic Yarn Ball Swap.  It currently only has US girls & me - being the only Aussie on board.  The international postage is a killer for both the US girls & myself, so I'm keen to know if there are any Aussie gals out there that have facebook and are looking to be involved in swaps that don't necessarily mean having to complete a project (just getting bits and pieces together around a theme ).  If that sounds like you then let me know - or look for the group on facebook.

Apparently He Likes It !

The little rug made it safely across the waters to Monicas home in the US  for her baby Matthew.............

Who apparently is quite happy with it!  YAH!   Monica and I have been penfriends for quite a good number of years now, so it was great to be able to spoil her little family.  So glad you all loved it Monica!

A finish already!

Just into July, and I've got something finished already??  This little play rug is headed off to a penpal friend of mine who had a baby a few months back.  I fell down in my quilting - I always do - I'm just not good at the "sandwich it altogether" part - But it was made with love and prayers for little Matthew and his great mum and dad!  They love their dogs and this just seemed such appropriate materia! 

Mission Accomplished!

Don't you just love it when you can look around and see your home nice and clean and tidy! 

 Let me tell you, it sure wasn't looking that way this morning - You know how it is when everyone comes in and dumps bits here and there, piles grow and dust seems to accumulate with it. I looked around this morning and it was driving me crazy - more so after having spent all that time and effort getting the house in Townsville all clean and set up ready for tenants! I was so exhausted when I got back (and it's taken me till today to recover from it) - well I'm afraid mine fell apart - but not anymore! 

Whenever the cleaning seems to be overwhelming and you get that feeling of " I don't know where to even begin"? -  Well, That's when I start with a corner of a room - usually the lounge room since I'll be able to see that straight away and focus on what a difference it makes!  Today I started in the corner of the lounge where I've made a little "mini office type of area".  I have a small $29 desk, the filing cabinet and a small table on which I have filing baskets to sort out the paperwork.  So I started my cleaning here this morning.....

 It must have been making quite a difference cause when Hubbie arrived home just after lunch time from having worked all morning, he looked around and grabbed his pile of bits and pieces to take out to his shed and then brought in a wonderful big load of firewood to fill up the basket, and stoked up the fire ready to sit and relax (the lounge/ living and kitchen area were looking good by then)  And I moved on to do our bedroom and the bathroom.  (The laundry and spare room are for another day LOL)

- and now, everything is nice and clean, wood items have been oiled down with natural orange oil today, floors had a dash of essential lavender oil added to the water before mopping, dusting done, piles from dumping grounds have been addressed!  Oil burners and candles are sending a delicious fragrance throughout the house and giving a wonderful feeling of "now sit, relax, enjoy" kind of mood! 

So I guess now that is all done, (and it's raining outside - so no gardening today lol), It must be time to choose one of those baskets of crochet to pick up and continue on with.  As per usual, I'm in the midst of several projects - Is there another way???

Seems this photo has turned out a little blury - but you can still see the baskets of projects at various stages

Another little bag almost finished for one of my nieces for her birthday in July, the Tigers Rug in progress for little Jaxson for Christmas (yes, I'm getting ahead this year and starting work on projects for Christmas before I find out there are only 2 weeks left and no time!) I also will need to do a footy rug for each of the other 2 grandies! Next basket contains a shrug I'm knitting for myself and the basket at the back near the window has the very start of another blanket and some "ideas" for other projects.  Talking of little crocheted baskets....... I have 3 nieces to make one each for (all from the same family, Sister Kathy and BIL Jim - and would you believe each of these little girls have their birthday in July!)  The pressure is on! 

The first was finished a few weeks back - I blogged about it then (This will be for the eldest), the one above will be for the youngest - That leaves the middle little precious............. Luckily, during a trip down the Towns main street yesterday I happened on this little bit of inspiration.............. I guess this will be basket number 3!
And now my friends, I'm off to enjoy a cuppa, while I sit and relax with some yarn and a hook :)


Back from Townsville

I've had a quick trip back up to Townsville in order to take the house up there back off the market (which has currently crashed through its boots and the only "kind of" offer came in $50,000 less than what we paid for it) - hence it needed to go back onto the rental market to get let out.  At least that way we are only having to pay part of the mortgage on it each week (as well as our own morgage here of course).  So a trip was needed by either Pete or myself to assess what really needed to be done and get it in order for a condition report.  Unfortunately the very cool cubby house had white ant damage, so it was deemed to be knocked down.  Weeding of gardens, small repairs (like washers and reseating of some taps, smoke alarms have to be changed over with new tenants, the dishwasher was removed, the skirting board that Pete had taken off to fit in the fridge was put back on, the pool was turned back to blue - and apparently due to awesome red tape - needed a new pool safety certificate, including a new latch for the pool gate; the carpets just couldn't be salvaged and so some rental style cheap as possible carpets with "give me the choice of what you have on stock so you can lay them before I fly out" choice was made.   Jaron took 2 days off work to give me a hand, and we had our old neighbours from over the back come to give a hand with cleaning and fixing of things when they realized just what a big job we had to undertake in just 4 days!  The row of tiles that the "tenants from hell" had removed during the first 6 months we had the house for rent back 18months ago or so needed attention????? 

The answer lay in a couple of bags of cement - the "just add water, yes you can mix it in a plastic bucket with a garden trowel if you are very careful" kind of cement - which Jaron was able to seal in the tiles and did a great job - especially when you consider his tool was a tiny bit of wood left over from doing the skirting repair job! 

It was great being able to spend time with my grandchildren in between and at the end of each day.  I had taken up a crochet hook and couple of balls of yarn to do up a little scarf for each of them and managed to get all 3 done while I was there!  Little Jarryn (LJ) was so excited with his he took it to school and became the highlight of the classroom!  Nay (my DIL) was quite taken in watching how quickly the scarfs took shape, so I suggested I could teach her - if I got the chance to get some ordinary type of yarn to use (in order to see what you are doing).......... Nay had the wool ready for me the next evening LOL   I am soooooo proud of her, she had mastered both chain and double crochet within 15 mins and was "hooked"!  You know the drill girls, staying up to enjoy a bit of hooking LOL   Before I left - actually about an hour or so before I was to leave and get on the plane I taught her the Treble stitch (these are the Aust/English versions).  I should have grabbed some photos but forgot to!!
And on another note........... before I headed to the airport, whilst in Melbourne I managed to get to a packaging plant to check out some containers for my other soap products.  I really do want to give my little business a go - you can see the latest at my business blog (which I'm trying to revamp at present- in between everthing else) www.hazelmerecottage.blogspot.com  and I've also got the page attached to my name on facebook- which I'm trying to work out how people can find it???  I'll keep you updated on that one LOL............. but right now, it's time to head off to work at the hospital, pray you all have a great day, Hugs Sharm

Thanks Jacey !

I got an "SOS" call from my DIL on Thursday night letting us know that our darling little 3 1/2yr old grandaughter "Miss Jacey" had decided to give herself a haircut............. to the point where they had to shave her head!  This was the type of hair that has taken all this time to just make it into a little pony tail and her mum was heartbroken - as most of us can associate with!  So Grandma has come to the rescue in a fashion.............. I decided to get out my crochet hook and get started on a couple of little head bands to help.  

 They must be ok, cause when I went into our local shop with them to get some "feature" buttons to add to the centre of the flowers, the shop owner asked if she could order 3 for her own granddaughter :)  So it seems I'm now making a few extras to sell !
As you can see, I had to find a willing model as 'Miss Jacey' lives 3000 kms away and won't yet have received her package that I posted out yesterday.