I Am Grateful - Happy New Year

Last year we were living the high life with my sister and "the chicken" ringing in the new year in style, but this year we are just chilling at home which I love just as much. As I sit here 4 hours until the new years rings in I have been thinking about the year that has so quickly slipped away.

I can sum it up by saying I AM GRATEFUL.

For so many things.

Most of all for my wonderful family (Cahill and Al Abri), my true friends that have stuck by me in the darker moments, to God for his daily blessings, for our health, the universe for allowing life to happen and for the many, many, many lessons I have learned along the way.

I wish you and your family a very Happy New Year. I hope that 2009 brings you much happiness, joy, love, friendship, health and prosperity.

HUGS and KISSES - HAPPY NEW YEAR

Pro-cras-ti-nate

pro⋅cras⋅ti⋅nate

1. to defer action; delay: to procrastinate until an opportunity is lost.
–verb (used with object)
2. to put off till another day or time; defer; delay.

I am a horrific procrastinator! As long as I can remember this has been one of my greatest weaknesses (not one to mention at a job interview I might add- does not go down too well!)

I have been working on some belated Christmas gifts (I got sick just before Chrissy and didn't get my gifts done) and while I am about 40% done I just seem to floof around something fierce when it is time to sit down and sew. WHY? It is not that I don't enjoy sewing, and these are particularly fun to make but there is some kind of mental block I get when i have "finish" something ... sigh. I use to get the same way when I had custom orders for nappies or blankets or slings. If I can start and finish something in one go I am alright, but to start and then finish later is not good. Or even starting something I know has to be done by a deadline. HELP ME!

And I am not alone. For the past two days getting Laith to do his workbooks (he has work to catch up on that his Grade 1 class did in term 1 while he was in KG2) has been like pulling teeth, OMG can this kid procrastinate! He is seriously going to give me a run for my money.

And why am I here blogging instead of sewing ... yes you know why the big "P" word, is there any hope for me?

Any exciting plans for the New Year?

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, all our love to you and your family.

I finished the Santa Sacks at 2 minutes to midnight last night...whew! Here is Supergirl wearing hers, isn't Santa nice to leave such a beautiful little girl for me this Christmas!

A great day ... now off to bed as soon as I can get my two little overstimulated elves to sleep!

Christmas Tree Skirt

I posted last week that I had decided to make a Christmas Tree Skirt after seeing the tutorial over at Crazy Mom Quilts, AmandaJean always makes things look soooo simple ;-)

Well here it is, finished at last! It is 60" x 60". Obviously I deviated somewhat from the tutorial but the general gist is there. This was my first attempt at stippling too.
The back is a Robert Kaufman Green Stars print I was lucky enough to find in the local fabric shop for just 1 Rial a mtr, that is about $3.50USD. However it is not very forgiving in terms of showing up my stippling errors and some puckering of the fabric.
I did learn a lot from making this and I will put these lessons to good use when I finish my next quilt (top is done!). For years to come I will remember this skirt as the crazy project I undertook while dying with this terrible virus just before Christmas.

A HUGE thanks to my Mum who kindly finished hand stitching the binding for me when I could do no more but sniffle, cough and moan .... HUGS!

Christams Craft

We still have a sick household at the moment but we are slowly on the road to recovery. I would not wish this virus on anyone it is just awful.

Today was the first morning that I felt reasonably coherent and able to function so while Sami was sleeping I did some Christmas craft with the kids. We coloured / painted some ornaments and we also made some garlands for the tree. It was fun and the garlands look great on the tree.
We have VERY slow internet (slower than dial up) due to some cable being cut in the mediteranian so this is short and sweet.

Happy blogging,

Christmas tunes while sewing

Amid the craziness of all the coughs, colds, fevers and viruses in this house I decided I would do a "quick" project ... a Christmas tree skirt... now I give you permission to have me institutionalized! What was I thinking? I have yet to finish (or start some) of my Christmas gifts but I am still going on the skirt when I have enough energy and the kiddies are asleep. Actually it is a good thing that I am doing this as I get to practice my quilting and I am making more mistakes than usual probably due to all the medicine so it is a good thing I am not working on the gifts.

Anyway when you sew so near to Christmas it is nice to have some festive tunes in the background isn't it and for that I found this neat internet radio station which plays 24/7 Christmas tunes and stories. Here is the link ....

http://www.live365.com/stations/festiveradio

6 nights left ...

Nursing

Sorry I have been absent, we have a very sick household here. All three got a cold and a nasty virus and Sami also has an ear / throat infection so my time is spent with them. I am about 10 days behind my sewing schedule but what can you do when they are sick they need you.

Be back soon,

When their little nose can take no more...

Make them some soft flannel double sided hankies ...

(with their favourite colour trim ... in his case RED. Now if I was a super good mummy I would embroider his name on them but my quilt beckons LOUDLY ;-)

Back from Nizwa (not for the vegetarians)

We are back! We had a lovely couple of days in Nizwa. It was a little cooler than Muscat and poor Laith got a terrible cold so there are no pictures of him smiling for sure.But we have Lulu and Sami doing the honors at the farm today ...

What I like most about going to Nizwa is that we do very little. We do a lot of this ...

Yesterday the kids and I slept for just over 2 hours, we woke up as the sun was setting. Just as well as we went out visiting later in the evening. It was one of those times when you go to someones house and then there are about 35 ladies sitting around in a circle all chatting, laughing and of course bemused by me and my lack of Arabic (STILL!). I was really enjoying myself for a change and then we had to go as Laith was feeling too sick, still I felt very lucky to have had such a wonderful time with these strangers. The old village ladies sometimes scare me a bit, they look so old and wise and I often feel intimidated but this time they just laughed a lot, it is the festive spirit of Eid.

Today we went out to the farm for the Shooa. Twice a year we eat the poor wee goat. He was very yummy today. Here is a pic just after digging up the shooa and opening it to get the meat off.

Everyone slept on the way back as usual. Always happy to be back too.

Now there are only 3 sleeps until my mum comes so I have to get into action and clean up and get ready ... tomorrow ;-)

Eid Mubarak

Today is Eid Al Adha and later we are off to Nizwa to celebrate with the family for a few days. Laith was up nice and early to wish me Eid Mubarak (translated into kid speak that is "get up mum it's Eid and time for gifts!).

The children all got a small gift just for them and then we gave them a beautiful wooden kitchen set. It has a coffee maker, blender, baking tools and mixer, saucepan and frypan and lots of fruit and vegetables and bread to make yummy foods. All the pieces can be "cut" apart with the wooden knife as they held together by velcro. (yay no more plastic food and cooking utensils floating around the house!).

Of course you need something to cook in too. First it was a teatowel

and thenI took a strip off the bottom to make a pocket and used twill tape for the straps...


and then... Presto, three cooks ready to go...

I was finishing the aprons very late last night. Much too late as I watched the season finale of Greys and it finished at 12.30am! Anyway I was feeling pretty chuffed with my aprons (I had completed Sami's and Lulu's and was up to the final one) so I held up the last teatowel and asked my husband "What is this" (of course this was to be followed with TA-DA look what your clever wife did!) But my husband looked at it (the one pictured above) with a puzzled face and said "Did you cut up my Wizar?" (translation for non-locals a Wizar is the mens undergarment they wear under their Dishdashas).
"No, (shaking my head in despair)what is it?"
Him - "Umm a sheet" ... I gave up, can you tell my man does not dry the dishes in this house!


I used their aprons to wrap their personal gifts in, so I managed to use no paper at all this Eid!

To try and keep some kind of order in the play area I made some lined bags for each set. Then I took a picture of the contents of each set and printed them on "Avery Inspired Printable Fabric" (this stuff is brilliant!) and then ironed each picture onto a bag.
let the cooking begin!

and for Tursini some monogrammed towels...


We wish all those celebrating Eid a wonderful and safe and blessed holiday.

Take care,

Just Chilling

Can you tell we are in holiday mode here?

Yesterday we went to see Madagascar 2. When we got there it was sold out! So we quickly jumped in the car to head off to other cinema where it was starting in 30 minutes time. We got there and there was 2 seats left, we needed 3! As luck would have it Open Season 2 was playing at the same time so a MAJOR crisis was averted.

Today we had rain, actually more like a freak storm that lasted 5 minutes and moved on. My tent / shade looks a little sad out there all naked, I think the shade is in the garden.

It is one day until Eid and I have a million thing to do. So enough from me.

Thanks for popping by ...

Lulu's Concert

Today was Lulu's nursery school concert. It was small and simple but ever so delightful. Miss Lulu decided that today was a good day to have a few "moments" so to be honest she did not really get into the swing of the concert. Basically she wanted to be the bunny and she was not picked and then to top it all off she got a terrible truck as her gift so she was devastated!

I made the kids some clothes for the day.

Do you like the santa fabric?

They both got a pair of pants and an embroidered shirt. I could not find any shirts the right size (all too big) so I had to cut the sleeves and resew the cuffs and hems .... urgh KNIT material is NOT easy to work with at 11pm! Gosh what I would not give for a Target or Kmart!

This is Lulu's best friend Elias, they are inseparable.

here are some shots from the day...

Sewing Gals please help - Pencil Pad Cover

Do you ever have one of those moments where you think "I'd like to make XYZ, I don't have a pattern but it can't be that hard..." well I had one last night. I want to make a pencil / drawing pad cozy / cover for a friend as a thank you gift. The pencil rolls come together so quickly so I thought this would not be too hard. (insert picture of me rolling my eyes to heaven!)

This is the finished product / tester.

Ok I didn't account for the fact that with the pencil roll you just sew the holding part in with the seams which is what makes it such a quick project. But with my new one the pencil section was smaller than the width so I ended up making the holding bits and then sewing them on (I guess next time I could do the sections all the way out to the ends and then just center the pencils?).

I initially cut the holders, put interfacing on one half and folded it over and was going to turn it under and hem it but that seemed too fiddly so then I decided to stitch and turn it as one pocket and then topstitch on and sew the dividing sections.

My problem - and I need help. If you look at the pics you can see it is all puckered (click on the pic to enlarge).
Is this because I have too much interfacing (I have it on the back on one of the large pieces - the one on the inside, and I have a half strip on all the pockets)?
Or is it that I am making the pencil holding sections too tight therefore it is pulling?
HELP PLEASE???

On this one I also forgot to put the ribbon on the left hand side seam so I could close it (DOH). I did put some on the top as I thought if there was no pad inside then it could be rolled like a regular pencil roll. But as you can see it does not roll nicely, too much fabric and interfacing I think?

Please let me know any suggestions or ideas you have to improve this project.

thanks friends ....

Oh and here is my boy ... (just because I love taking pictures of him)

Tears, Treasures and Theater

Tears. Today there were a few tears. Laith moved to Grade 1 and it was just like day 1 of the year all over again. I felt awful leaving and of course I worried about him most of the day. When I picked him up he was bouncing all over the place with joy! ;-)

Treasures. Today I went to Ruwi. Anyone here knows that a trip to Ruwi can be, well, ... I am not so sure how to describe it. The traffic is insane, the people are even more crazy, and getting what you want is really hit and miss. BUT today I got lucky with some treasures in my little notions store ... Twill Tape!!!!! Cute buttons, some eyes for craft (I have to check the prices with my mum compared to home to see if its a bargain or not), the wee small hair clips to embellish, empty hair slides to be decorated, and very ordinary (but needed) thimbles. (Oh and Charlie and Lola books were not from Ruwi - that would just be surreal!, I found them at Boarders and snatched them up to put away for Lulu for Eid or Christmas - she is Charlie and Lola crazy, in fact she sometimes insists you call her Lola and Laith Charlie). These simple things you take for granted in Oz with a Spotlight down the road but here they are like little hidden treasures! I also managed to pop into my "fallen off the back of a truck" fabric shop and got some good quality gingham, and some cotton stuff that I can use as batting for the kids quilts. I can't show you photos as the bag is still in the back of the car. Now it is not that I am HIDING my stash from my husband I just figured it would be easier to wash and unpack when he was at work tomorrow ;-)

So for all the PAIN of driving, parking and the hustle and bustle of the evil Ruwi I had a good day. I tried on the way home to get a turkey for Christmas but still Muscat is OUT OF STOCK so there could be a turkey war at Al Fair on Monday when the manager said he is expecting a shipment!


Theater. My darlings yesterday. Sir Laith, Princess Pirate Lulu and Sami the Wand Waving Train Conductor who just liked chasing everyone with a wand LOL.

You don't want to mess this one I tell you!

Last night I finished the other pencil roll for Lulu's nursery Christmas party. And I cut out three pairs of Santa shorts / pants for the kids. A little early but I figured they could wear them to the Christmas / end of term party this wednesday.

Time to get dinner ready ... bye

A funny little song

I saw this tonight while blogging (I should be sewing!) and just loved it ...



AND my darling Laith just LURVES this song at the moment. It is on the radio every morning on the way to school. Of course it means nothing to him but my goodness it really sticks in your head!


And finally I sing this song all the time in the car to the kids, they love it and think I am quite mad (of course I never get the words right). It reminds me I must ask my sister or mum if they can find a copy of Mary Poppins DVD, it would be wonderful to show the kids.

Finally I Started a Quilt

I can't say much as it will be a gift but I most excited about starting my first ever quilt! Here is the jelly roll I am using... it's Moda - Freshly Squeezed by Sandy Gervais

and just check out those lovely prints - click on the pic for a larger view. (sorry the light was terrible in the play area, again a little overcast but alas no rain)It is coming together nicely and I am learning a few important things along the way like accurate seam allowance, pin Pin PIN! at the seams, and iron the seams and front well after each step.

This afternoon we had a lovely time over at Laila's mums place. She had a new swing set and it kept the kids very busy. The weather is wonderful now, just perfect. Lulu was asleep in the car before we hit the main road so that will tell how much they exhausted themselves.

Last night we tried a new icecream place. Did the kids liked it?
You decide ...

The icecream "high"
The icecream "low"

I have to go quilt - sooooooooooooo excited!

Cherio ...