sonia-and-fred

excitementy stuff

2012-03-02T22:08:00.000+11:00

So, for those who follow regularly...

No photos.

One week into a nursing degree.
Loving it!
I so can't believe I'm here.
I really was the most obsessed violinist you are likely to have met. I never wanted to do anything else, but life made a big choice for me.
And now I'm finally living out that choice.
Life (and me) made this decision more than a year ago, so forgive me for feeling in the past weeks, like this was never going to happen.
But it has. It IS happening.
I am a nursing student.
Oh my goodness it has been a big week.
29 contact hours. 4 hours in nursing labs. around 10 hours of study. A few hours of work.
Monday and Tuesday were so packed full of learning, I kept thinking wednesday was friday.
I Love this course.
I love that I'm learning new stuff.
I'm actually speaking up and answering questions in classes (often incorrectly...but that is how we learn, right?)
I'm meeting new people, filling my brain to the brim with new information.
Already my flatmate thinks I'm studying too much.
I'm SO tired.
I've been ignoring the pains in my joints, the headaches, the general physical feeling of crapness.
Apart from the few moments where I stop, I am successfully avoiding how bad I actually feel, because...
I'm ridiculously excited about this new chapter.
With any luck I'll begin some medical treatment mid-march, or not too much later, and I'll feel much, much better...
and have more energy to totally enjoy this study!
Woohoo! Unexpected-life-change-that-makes-me-smile-lots!!!

Sonia and Fred xx

Sunday Snippets - this week

2012-02-12T16:49:00.001+11:00

This week...

My dearest friends asked me to be godmother to their daughter.

The next day (Monday)I conjured up an idea in my head as to something special to make her.

I wanted it to be something handmade and cuddly.

So I made this little bird.

Not too big for a nearly 10month old.

Not too small for when she gets bigger.

With some lavender inside, to hopefully calm her into good nights slumber.

I also made this bag.

It is from the Cath Kidston book, "Sew".

I added a sturdy bottom and lining though.

Tuesday:

yet another medical appointment.

1 doctor now is fairly sure I have a rare autoimmune disease.

Tuesdays doctor won't disagree, but won't commit to the diagnosis either.

He will though, admit that my lung problems are a mystery to him.

March will be yet another doctor who will potentially agree with the non-tuesday doctor.

I'm not holding my breath though after more than a year of Dr House-esque

"it's Wegners. Definitely Wegners. No...hang on, it's chronic bronchitis. No, maybe Wegners after all. Wait a minute, it HAS to be Lupus.

Nope Wegners.

Or completely atypical asthma.

Or equally atypical sinusitis that is sending crap into the lungs..."

But more happily after that appointment, I picked up the last of my textbooks for study.

I not totally wisely picked up 4 in that 1 trip.

(from the left - books 2-5)

bicepty goodness

Wednesday:

Nice early shift at work.

The coffee is not all that good, but necessary given the 7am start.

(that means hopping on a tram at 5:50am).

Thursday:

Fred and I had a little lie-in.

Bliss.

I made some new cushion covers.

I celebrated the 5th birthday of my god daughter's eldest brother.

Friday:

it got stormy.

At least, it looked like it would.

I saw 2 spectacular bolts of lightening to the North, but nothing rumbled or lit up closer to the city.

I shined up my sink.

(thanks to learning some better cleaning habits from fly lady

Saturday:

the 5 year old's birthday party.

How awesome is this cake?!?

I claim responsibility only for the manufacture of royal icing, and ordinary icing to stick bits and pieces together.

Today:

holding back tears as I try to sort out work.

I love my work.

I can only do so much a week, and once uni begins I'll be lucky to be able to cope with 1 shift a week.

I'm choosing to stay casual so that I don't have to bother with the hassle of applying for leave when I do placements.

So it is a choice.

But I'm so tired of unpredictability.

I ignored a 5am call this morning to go into work at 7am because I told them I can't work Sunday mornings.

Then they tried me 3 times while I was in church for an evening shift today, but didn't leave a message, so I didn't know who to call back.

Then when I finally found out, there was no answer.

I know it is my choice, so I can't really complain.

I'm looking forward to uni starting.

I'll know exactly what every week looks like.

Head over to tinniegirl for more Sunday Snippets.

Sonia and Fred xx

slow

2012-02-04T19:26:00.000+11:00

Yesterday was a fun day at the pool with friends.

Sunny

Quiet (school has gone back)

Pleasant (not too hot)

Great company.

Then I had some excellent friends over for dinner.

So much fun and laughter.

Though Fred was clearly in a different mind...

So today,

not a whole lot has happened.

I've been exceptionally tired.

I'm so frustrated by this exhaustion!

It happens reasonably regularly still, but it manages to catch me off guard.

I am potentially closer to a diagnosis and treatment though.

(I hesitate to make that public after more than 12 months of uncomfortable, invasive tests, that have brought no answers)

It is actually really weird to think that some time soon, treatment may see me feeling "normal" again.

After 2 years of being unwell, I've forgotten what it feels like to be completely well.

It is an exciting thought...

I'm not the only one struggling to stay awake though...

thankful thursday

2012-02-02T21:09:00.000+11:00

Today I'm thankful for G.

On my second day of work in my new job (career) I learned that a resident had passed away that morning.
I had only met her once. On my orientation day.
I sat with her, giving her sips of fluids, talking to her, holding her hand, stroking her forehead.

Now I've been doing this job for 6 weeks, and I know all of the residents on the floor I work on.
I know their likes and dislikes.
I know what each one is capable of.
I know what makes them laugh, and what makes them really angry.
I love them.
Today I worked, for the first time, on a different floor. It was really difficult not knowing the individuals.
I love my residents so much that I went up in my lunch break to say hello to some of my favourites.
And found out that only 30 mins earlier, G had passed away.
G couldn't talk, or walk, or even move really.
But she had the most beautiful, sunshiny smile.

I'm thankful that I knew her for even a few weeks.

I'm thankful that it means something to me. That it affects me. That I know floor 5 will be poorer for her absence.

There is nothing glamorous about my job. But I love it.

I am thankful for every smile, every stroke of my cheek, every squeezed hand, every mouthful eaten by a resident who flatly refuses to eat.

There is nothing glamorous about an acquired brain injury, or dementia or living to 90+ with your body failing and umpteen diseases/syndromes/pains etc.

I am thankful for these people I look after.

I am thankful for this job.

I am thankful for this new turn in my life.

I hope I always feel this way.

Sonia and Fred xx

entertaining

2012-01-31T17:09:00.001+11:00

I love entertaining.

I love making my home look pretty and a little bit special.

I love being around people.

I love having people in my comfy space.

I love sharing food, and wine, and laughter.

I love getting ready for people to come over for a meal.

(I don't so much enjoy them leaving)

Tonight, a good friend whom I haven't seen in a couple of months, is coming round.

I'm not cooking anything special or elaborate.

I don't think that is the point.

When I lived in Amsterdam, there was a group of 4 of us, all studying there together.

We were super poor.

But once every couple of weeks, we would get together.

1 person brought a pre-dinner nibbly.

1 person cooked a meal.

1 person bought dessert (almost always our favourite: frozen apple strudel)

And 1 person bought wine.

It was always simple food, and inexpensive.

But it was the company, and the act of putting it together to feel like a fancy dinner party that made it.

So...off to the living room floor to pick up as many yarn ends from that green blanket as I can manage...

Cheers!

Sonia and Fred xx

This Saturday

2012-01-28T15:08:00.000+11:00

A few months ago,

this lovely lady

recommended I borrow from the library

a particular sewing book.

Well, being the lover of books that I am, I bought it instead.

I ordered it aaaaaaaaaages ago,

(or so it seems)

and yesterday it finally arrived.

Oh my, did I drool over that book!

So many fun projects, and everything is explained really well to the sewing novice

(that is me).

So today I made this.

And by today, I mean I started around 11ish,

and just completed it around 3ish.

Phew!

I know I'll eventually get a bit quicker,

but for now, I am rejoicing in both what I am making,

and the fact that I actually possess the patience to slowly and methodically learn to do it the right way, so that it comes out being functional, and even (if I say so myself),

pretty.

I thought I'd also share with you a blurry photo of the progressing green blanket.

It is growing.

And it is not February yet

(the birthday it is intended for is February 11).

I am still hopeful that it will get finished in time.

And who wouldn't do washing on such a sunny day?!?

So that has been my saturday so far.

Now I shall go and clean up my mess, and sort out some wooly stuff to take with me to baby-sit tonight.

Sonia and Fred xx

practice makes...

2012-01-25T16:14:00.001+11:00

...better.

I made this.

It took me a couple of hours.

But it has lining and a zip.

And for nearly a week now, it has been housing these items in my handbag.

And it is still functional.

To me,

that is a win.

So Saturday (the day after Friday, when I made the first one)

I decided that the only way to get better at sewing,

is to make several of every new item.

Yes, YOU may be getting a small zippered pouch for your birthday this year.

(you know who you are)

The second attempt is in the same material as the first.

It took maybe an hour less than the first one.

The third (on the right) took a very short time.

The fourth I actually managed without looking at the pattern.

Baby steps.

Sonia and Fred xx

getting on with it

2012-01-19T13:01:00.001+11:00

So the lost mojo has been located,

and is back (if a little tenuously) in my hands.

I think I am of a"get on with it" mentality.

I'm not good at doing nothing, at resting properly when I'm ill, at calling in sick to work (unlike most of my work-mates...).

When something hurts, I have a tendency to tell myself

"it's nothing serious. You'll survive. Get on with it."

Having said that, I am currently (and unashamedly possibly forever) on antidepressants for a mixture of anxiety and depression.

So sometimes I fall into a hole of despair.

And worry.

And lack of motivation.

And boredom.

But I usually hit a point where I realise I simply have to ignore those feelings and

get on with it.

And this is what I did this morning with the green blanket.

I really don't want to see this lie in a corner of the living room until I get sick of the sight of it.

I don't want to see all of my last months work go to waste.

*warning: control freak material coming up...

I'm letting go of my inner perfectionist that wants to hand over a beautiful, professional looking blanket.

My little friend certainly won't notice the quality (or lack-thereof...)

His mother might, but I have to remember that the reason I'm making this blanket is because I love my little friend.

I can't believe I've known him since he was only days old.

And the birthday he will be receiving this for signifies him starting school.

I can't even begin to image how his parents feel as he grows up big and smart and fun.

But I can't quite comprehend that he's now a kid, rather than a toddler.

Anyway...I digress.

I think I find the constant colour changing in these squares a bit tedious.

I work for a few minutes on one round, then fasten off and join in the next colour...and so on.

It is difficult to feel like it is progressing.

So I'm having a go at doing a whole pile of 1st rounds.

Then tomorrow I'll sit down and do a whole pile of second rounds.

And so on...

Given that there are 4 rounds, and I did 9 of those little circles this morning, I should have 9 completed squares by the end of Sunday!

I'm also weaving those ends in as I finish the round.

Control freak.

Having simply gotten on it with though, I feel relieved, and positive, and peaceful and excited all at once.

Maybe this blanket will get completed after-all...

Sonia and Fred xx

???question???

2012-01-17T13:13:00.000+11:00

I have a crochet problem.

I suspect it may be a contributor in the loss of mojo.

I decided to start joining squares as I go, to save a bit of time at the end.

But they are coming out all bubble like in the middle of each square.

I'm not sure if blocking it at the end will be enough to stretch out each individual square and make the blanket all nice and flat.

(I also don't have enough floor space or blocking thingamejigs)

I'm trying blocking each individual square as I go.

To the crochet experts out there:

Is this an okay thing to do?

Can you spot a crucial error in my square pattern?

Can you suggest anything else I could do?

If this, or something else relatively easy doesn't solve the problem, I feel the 3rd of the way there blanket will b screwed up in frustration and stuffed into a high, dark corner of my wardrobe...

Sonia and Fred xx

one day at a time

2012-01-16T19:55:00.000+11:00

I've lost my mojo.

It has happened fairly gradually.

I can't put my finger on it.

No, that is a lie.

I can put my finger on it.

The fears. (both justified and un)

The circumstances.

The impatience to begin a new career.

The nightmare that is applying for government assistance when you plan to study.

Amidst all of this I have found I really have nothing to blog about.

No fun/traumatic/messy/milestoney family tales to tell.

No completed craft, as I have gotten myself weighed down in a couple of bigger projects.

I've lost the will to work on my cardi and the green blanket, that will be (most likely belatedly) gifted to one of my favourite little friends for his 5th birthday.

I'm pretty tired for the 24hrs post work too, and so I just can't seem to get my craft on. (Or housework, government-study-assistance admin stuff, reading, anything really...)

But I did do this:

This little dress (from Myers kids department for those playing at home)

has always been a little short.

I love the pattern and the style and the way it sits on me.

But I've always felt very self-conscious of my thighs when I wear it.

Like I'm baring just a little too much skin.

So I crocheted around 1.5 inches to the bottom.

I really like it.

And it didn't take very long.

If you do happen to find my mojo, if I've simply misplaced it somewhere, please return it.

It is much missed.

Sonia and Fred xx

refashioning

2012-01-09T13:41:00.001+11:00

awkward mirror shot...

So, following on from my "restful" post...

sewing is less restful for me.

Partly because I'm really VERY new to it.

As I've mentioned before, I was a classical music nerd who went to a nerdy classical music specialist school. So instead of making cakes, aprons, pencil cases and key rings like most people did in high school, I harmonised melodies, practiced performing every week, interpreted how major musical works were composed, played in ensembles and learned about musical history.

While I can sit down and lose myself in knitting and crochet, sewing sees the need to get up and move around a lot.

Lots of hands and knees work as I don't have a table or bench top space large enough to measure/cut on.

And basically I just don't know what I'm doing, so it requires a lot of preparation.

And I don't really have a good working set-up.

(one day when I'm either rich and living alone with a spare room, or married to someone rich in a ginormous house with a spare room...I will have a dedicated craft/music room)

Still...

I'm obsessed with learning this particular craft.

On saturday I holed myself up in my flat and refashioned 2 items.

I wish I'd taken before photos, but I was just too impatient to get started once the ideas were firmly established of what I was going to do. (who would have thought that I was impatient...?!?)

This skirt is probably more than 10 years old.

I've always loved the girlyness of it.

But I have since learned that the ideal length skirt for my height/shape, is around knee length - just below or just above.

Mid-calf just makes me look short and stumpy.

It is lined, but I attached it at the hem to give it a bit more shape as a shorter skirt.

And I snipped of the original bottom bit and simply sewed it onto the "new" bottom.

A couple of days ago I bought this dress from a warehouse sale for $10. (nearly as good as op-shop!)

I loved the top and the gingham print, but it was waaaaaaay to short.

See the little join between those 2 pieces?

They were on top of each other in 2 layers.

So I cut of the bottom layer, and sewed it to the bottom of the other one.

(looks almost neat...!)

Hey presto!

A longer dress!

In the snipping process though, I accidentally made a big snip at the bottom of the bodice.

So I found a bit of fabric and made a waist band.

I really enjoyed this particular process, because I feel I'm creating opportunities to get more wear out of something that has been stuck in the wardrobe for a while.

I figure that if I screw it up, it isn't a huge disaster, because it was probably close to its date with the local op shop. If it works though, I have a new item that I'm excited to wear...because I'm just a little bit proud of my newly acquired hack sewing skills.

Now...what else can I put the scissors to...?

Sonia and Fred

I have my eyes on a few other items that have hung, sadly unworn for various reasons...

Rest

2012-01-07T15:06:00.001+11:00

Once upon a time...

I used to work pretty well non-stop from about 6:30 in the morning to at least 6:30 in the evening, sometimes later.

I often didn't really get a break.

A day off included practicing the violin for a few hours, catching up on housework and seeing friends I didn't get to see often.

I definitely didn't get more than 6 hours sleep a night.

Now...

walking for just a short time (ie 5 mins or so) often gets me out of breath, which makes me feel like simply curling up exactly where I am (usually almost home from the supermarket) and having a snooze.

Most days I'm just really tired.

Some days I feel a bit better.

Some I feel a lot worse.

I only work 15ish hours a week, but in a physically demanding job, which pretty well knocks me out for the the 24hrs after a shift.

I'm not particularly good at doing nothing though.

I know of people who rest by sitting themselves in front of the tv for a couple of hours.

That is fine in the evening, but I get restless during the day.

Sitting doing nothing, "resting" is not something that comes naturally to me.

But a number of months ago, I caught the knitting/crochet bug.

I've discovered that I can knit/crochet for hours, with music in the background, or a dvd, or even complete silence.

The time whizzes past.

It doesn't take up an enormous amount of physical or mental energy, so I don't feel tired afterwards.

In fact, I often feel positively energised by a project that has noticeably grown, or especially when I complete something, big or small.

This is my way of resting.

I know I need to take it easy.

I need to re-learn how to best use my energy.

I need to turn my focus outward, especially when I feel a bit crap.

I need to feel like I'm "doing" something.

But I also need to "do" less.

This seems like the perfect solution to me.

How do you rest?

Sonia and Fred xx

keeping my cool

2012-01-02T13:25:00.000+11:00

Not much happening in this hot little flat today.

I'm sitting about 1 meter from the pictured fan on this 40 degree day.

I'm crocheting up some squares.

I'm reading.

I'm watching a spot of tv.

I'm most definitely not creating any extra heat by moving.

How do you cope with Australian heat waves...?

Sonia and Fred xx

I can't say I know where Fred is.

Hiding in a cool spot I imagine.

Poor furry creature.

Sewing for sanity

2012-01-01T17:40:00.000+11:00

So I've begun 2012 in a bit of a funk.

I can't really explain why.

Could be any number of things.

Could be all those numbers of things catching up on me.

Could be the highly attractive rash that has developed on my face as a reaction to current medication.

So I took to my new sewing machine.

I was determined to put fears of dodgy looking work behind me, and practice my skills (or lack there-of)

This lovely lady is from a kit gifted to me by a dear friend.

You can find the kit, and many others at this website.

Such adorable stuff!

She was fun to make, and looks good wherever she models.

Then I made a rather brightly coloured cushion cover.

(brighter than I could make happen in a photo).

It looks ugly in the photo, but I like it in my living room.

And I chose to sew a zip in, just because I never have, and I really needed to know how.

(no need to show you a picture of that...it has huge potential to be neater).

Then I made a bag.

I winged it.

(wung it...???)

It is slightly lop-sided, so I decided to play into it with some lop-sided dots.

I also did a spot of gardening yesterday.

My last garden died when I was away, and I was sick of looking at it, so I made a nice early morning trip to Ceres.

I was going to leave the planting for a few days when the weather will be cooler, but lost patience and dug right in.

And I added some pretty flowers in a basket, because I like pretty.

Now I'm not that into resolutions.

And there will be lots of changes this year anyway.

I do plan though to learn more about sewing, knitting and crocheting.

I love doing it all, and it has seriously saved me these past 2 days, from totally losing it.

I don't do alone so well.

I'd like to open my humble little flat to guests more often.

I guess I can only complain about being alone to some extent.

I do have some incredible friends who make me a part of their family, but unless (until???) I move in with them, I can't hit them up for company EVERY day.

So I have to take some steps too.

Invite friends round.

Especially newer friends.

(who knows...if you are a blogger in my neighbourhood, you may be coming around for morning/afternoon tea or lunch/dinner)

I guess I feel weird, as a single gal, asking married couples around for dinner.

I need to get over that.

A lot of my dear friends also have small children, and it just isn't practical.

I'd like to actually be deliberate in fostering real relationships with the people I will study with THIS YEAR (!!!)

I'd like to actually call/sms/e-mail people when I actually think of them, rather than thinking about them, and that I should call/sms/e-mail them later.

And then forget.

I would like to be joyous in all situations.

Even the ones I wish were different.

Please tell me off if I whinge too much :-)

Happy New Year to you :-)

Sonia and Fred xx

2011 - the year that (almost) was

2011-12-30T14:59:00.001+11:00

What a year 2011 has been.

There has been much to be thankful for.

Much that I've shed tears about and lost sleep over.

I've been more tired than I've ever been before.

And crafting has kept me sane.

(relatively).

I've learned loads of new stuff this year.

I've learned how to take care of our elderly.

How to slow down.

New music.

New career path.

I've surprised myself with a High Distinction in my 1st nursing subject. (apparently I learned well!)

Looking beyond myself.

Living with a potentially chronic and long-term illness.

How to ask for help.

That God uses us in many and varied ways, and that His power is made perfect in my weakness.

I've worked on big, long-term projects.

And finished them!

I've enjoyed seeing the projects grow.

And wished there was someone around to calm down my excitement when I finish them...

I'm a bit shocked when I look through all of my pictures, just how many things I've made this year!

Doing less work has left lots of time to knit and crochet.

And I love that :-)

I've still played violin this year...and in some rather interesting venues.

Pub

communal kitchen

outdoors

construction site

I am continually blown away by how happy, even joyous I am at moving forwards, and away from this career path. It is all I ever wanted, from the moment I picked up the violin first at age 9. Violin was my life. I was so incredibly career and self-focused. Mum actually worried about me, because she'd heard me say that if I didn't become one of the best violinists in the world, life was hardly worth living (melodramatic teenagers...!)

I think the stress of not knowing how much work was in the future, what other people thought of my playing, whether or not I was ever going to win that elusive orchestral job, finally wore me down.

I can't tell you how happy I am in Aged Care.

It's incredibly hard, but incredibly rewarding work.

And now I actually enjoy the opportunities to play much more than I had for quite some time.

I did a nice bit of traveling.

To far north Queensland, and to southern Western Australia.

I also met some wildlife on my travels.

I ate lots.

And had lots of fun.

I've also seen a hoard of new babies born, and lots of gorgeous kids growing up.

I started blogging not all that long ago, and haven't looked back.

I'm looking forward to 2012.

I will go back to uni, and have no idea just yet how I will support myself financially. But (surprisingly opposite to character) I don't feel in the least bit worried. I really feel as if I'm doing the right thing going into nursing. I can't say it would have suited me 10 years ago. It definitely wouldn't have. But a lot has changed in those 10 years, and nursing just feels natural.

I even responded calmly, but quickly to my first medical emergency at work last night.

And it wouldn't be a round up of 2011 without half of this blogs namesake.

My favourite orange cat, Fred.

I'd love to hear about your year.

I feel strangely reflective. I don't usually.

I guess a lot has gone on this year.

A lot has changed.

A lot has hurt.

A lot has been confusing.

And a lot has been very fun.

See you next year!!!

Sonia and Fred xx

Ripple Blanket

2011-12-28T16:19:00.000+11:00

Mum's ripple blanket in glorious completion :-)

I was so happy to send it off to Radelaide for Christmas, and have been itching to share the finished product!

The next blanket is well under way now.

It's quite enjoyable to work on.

I'd really love to have it finished by the little guy's birthday...but I won't dare promise!

Once this busy week is over, I'll have more time to devote to crafting again.

I'd like to get a few small knitting/crochet projects happening so that I can start gifting items at the beginning of winter, rather than at it's warmer end.

I'd also like to spend some quality time getting some sewing techniques under my belt before uni starts at the end of February.

I fear my creativity will slow down considerably once that starts.

I hope you are enjoying a laid back week between Christmas and New Years.

Mine has somehow filled up with work.

But more about that in another post...

Sonia and Fred xx

one other thing...

2011-12-23T19:56:00.000+11:00

And in my fatigue I forgot to mention the most important thing...

Saritha from rainbow bunting awarded me this:

I'm thankful and humbled!

Crafting and blogging is new to me, and I know that a few good friends follow regularly, but I still get terribly excited when someone new reads my stuff and actually finds it interesting!

(and my craft worth checking out...)

In return, I will pass this on to some blogs that I enjoy:

A friend to knit with

I love reading all of these blogs.

Anyone who reads mine probably already follows all of these, but that's okay.

I'm happy to re-recommend them all to you :-)

Okay, NOW it is time to rest!

new stuff

2011-12-23T19:40:00.000+11:00

A little over a year ago. I spent a couple of weeks in hospital with a still-to-be-diagnosed (and may never be) illness.

The women's Bible study group from church gave me this lovely orchid, and it has just flowered again for the first time since then.

Beautiful.

It makes me smile that I have managed to keep it alive to it's second flowering!

Om nom nom nom...

Rocky Road.

Yummy scrummy.

Made for no other reason than it is Christmas.

It may not get shared...

I've started some new projects now that I've finished all of my Christmas gifts, including my one-a-day project.

This will be for my favourite nearly-5-year-old little friend who has a thing for the colour green.

So far (I began it this morning) I think I like it.

I have wanted to make a blanket for him and his siblings for a while now.

So here goes...!

I have also begun work on a jacket.

I'm excited about this one!

I always lament not having a suitably weighted light jacket in late autumn and early spring.

The pattern I'm following doesn't have a lining...but I'm feeling a little bit creative (and adventurous) with my new sewing machine.

Speaking of which...

Another fun little bag.

I'm reeeeeeally enjoying making these.

I made this one without reading the instructions (!!!)

And then an older project, which has grown considerably.

I can't remember the last time I posted on this...but the main body is complete, and I am on to the 1st arm.

It feels like a marathon adventure, but I am still enjoying the process.

And now I will retire to the couch with the below pictured glass of festive wine.

It is a strange Christmas for me this year.

I have opted not to go back to Adelaide to the parentals.

I have had numerous offers for lunch and have happily accepted one with a dear friend who lives just around the corner.

But I have been given a shift in my new job from 2:30pm so it will be a bit of an eat-and-run situation.

I'm okay with that though.

My first full shift in a nursing home was confronting, exhausting and highly enjoyable.

Everything but my torso hurts a lot. (along with my glass of wine, I will shift a heat pack from joint to joint) And I am super exhausted. But I'm more determined than ever to love old people.

Sorry, this probably all feels a bit disjointed. But I am truly exceptionally tired and sore.

I would not be entirely surprised if I fell asleep mid-conversation at the moment.

Off to finish my wine and a spot of crochet, then to bed.

Merry Christmas :-)

Sonia and Fred xx

birthday goodness

2011-12-20T17:39:00.000+11:00

So tomorrow is my birthday.

And today, I got one of the bestest presents...

A sewing machine!!!

Already having some fun.

It almost looks neat!

It's going out to birthday dinner with a friend tonight.

Just look at that straight sewing!

Having missed out on home economics at school, I'm still an absolute beginner.

So I'm thankful for a cheap little learn-to-sew book I picked up a few years ago.

I don't know that I'll be all that good at following patterns, but the step-by-step guide in this book means that I have both a useable, and not-afraid-to-show-in-public bag.

Weeeeeeeeeee!

This is the beautiful machine, paid for by my loving parents.

(Don't you just love how my "work space" looks like it's been in use for years?)

I also had lunch with a dear friend today.

And she gave me the above print.

I love it :-)

Feeling loved :-)

Sonia and Fred xx

economy non-helper

2011-12-17T16:36:00.000+11:00

So it is a week until Christmas,

and I haven't yet set foot inside a shop.

Disorganised, you say?

Well, I guess I have the excuse of having been recovering from surgery for nearly 2 weeks.

Yesterday was the first time I felt vaguely human again.

Other issues remain, but I have less pain and dizziness and stuff now, and can actually get out of the house.

So, that does leave me an entire week to shop, right?

Wrong.

I have made all but a handful of gifts.

(a couple of little things going to mum and dad are second hand, bought long ago, and a photo that I should have given them last Christmas, but I forgot!)

Napkins for my sister and her boyfriend

(who I am 99% sure don't check this blog...)

Worlds most simple sewing project, but sewn nonetheless.

By me.

Everyone else gets doilies.

I won't say who gets what colours.

I had soooo much fun making these.

Check out the pattern by The Green Dragonfly.

She is very clever :-)

And I have completed Mums ripple blanket.

But the grand reveal won't be made until after Christmas day, so that I don't spoil it for her.

The last couple of small gifts for my favourite little kidlets came from the Sisters Markets in Brunswick today. I figure they are still handmade, albeit someone else's hands.

No retail shops.

None.

I am not helping the Australian (or world) economy at all.

And I'm really happy about that.

Sonia and Fred xx

thankful thursday

2011-12-15T22:00:00.000+11:00

A late, no photograph post.

Today I'm thankful to have known Roger Ridley.

He was a fun, mischievous, loving, godly man.

I met him first, around 9 years ago at my church in Adelaide, where I'd only recently become a Christian.

A year or so later I stayed with Roger and his beautiful wife Gaynor when I visited Melbourne for an audition.

In the week I stayed with them, they made me a part of their family, and Roger played an instrumental roll in encouraging me to stick with my new found faith.

A few years ago he was diagnosed with motor neuron disease, and this morning he passed away.

I'm thankful to have had him in my life.

I'm also thankful that today I got to catch up with a group of amazing girls who I haven't seen all together in a few months.

Many of us shared how God has been growing us, and where we'd like more growth to happen.

It was a really emotional time, because it has been a really tough year for almost everyone.

There has been cancer, broken husbands, lots of new babies, chronic illnesses, career ends, career beginnings, depression, farewells...

But in the middle of all this, all of these beautiful young women can look to God and say "thank you for taking care of me".

thankful thursday

2011-12-15T21:59:00.001+11:00

Beer cozy

2011-12-14T15:23:00.000+11:00

Yep. A beer cozy.

For dad.

I felt bad that everyone I love and care for was getting a knitted, crocheted or sewn Christmas gift.

But what do you do for dad?

It's not really the time of year in Australia to be giving a scarf (and I doubt dad would ever wear one).

So I came up with the uncoolest idea I've possibly ever had.

(those who know me well, feel free to NOT chip in with your thoughts on this)

Dad will either cherish it, or tactfully get it out every time I visit.

Lucky for him I live in a different city.

Sonia and Fred xx

Sunday Snippets

2011-12-11T18:52:00.000+11:00

not much done here today

Mum left last night so I don't have live-in help any more

cuddles with Fred on the couch

comfort food and hooking

my little Christmas tree

my couch-side table all set up

my first Christmas cards for the season

a thoughtful gift from some wonderful, helpful friends

Christmas pressie blocking on my bedroom floor

For more Sunday snippets go here

thankful thursday

2011-12-08T18:16:00.000+11:00

This Thursday I have a few things to be thankful for.

I'm thankful for my Mum's company and care this week.

I'm a pretty impatient patient.

I always expect to feel much better, much quicker.

Unfortunately I'm still relying on Endone (weeeeeeeee...!)

Not a lot of craft progress to show except for what Mum has been doing.

These will soon be Christmas decorations.

She officially became addicted in front of the tv Sunday night.

Then Monday morning, while I read my book in pre-op, she knat away.

While I dozed away in hospital that night, she sat at home knitting again.

Tuesday while I lay listless on the couch...

yes, she knat.

Poor mum, she knat so hard she has hurt her thumb, and is currently taking a very frustrated break.

I'm so proud of her! The quality of her work is far beyond mine.

I can only hope that when I reach her age, my knitting will look as good as hers.

I am of course thankful for a really good surgeon who is determined to get to the bottom of my health issues. And that he talked the anaesthetist into waiving the gap, so that I won't be out of pocket.

I'm thankful for great nurses, who encouraged me as I begin on that journey, and I'm even more excited about nursing, after having been well nursed.

I'm thankful for many well wishes and prayers.

And I have to also say thank you to the lovely Janette who nominated me for a Liebester Blog award.

I'll pass this on to some of my favourite blogs in my next post.

For the moment though, painkillers and packing inside my sinuses are clouding my brain.

I must return to the tv...

Sonia and Fred xx

being cared for

2011-12-04T20:17:00.000+11:00

My lovely mum has come across to Melbourne for a week.

Last night we went out for a lovely dinner.

This morning we went to church.

Then we visited a craft store.

(surprise surprise. I'm pretty new to the craft world, but mum has been a part of it for a loooong time).

Then we went and enjoyed a scrummy lunch.

Then I spent the afternoon putting bowings in violin parts, while mum knitted.

She hasn't actually done any knitting for many years, but she decided that she needed to do something with her hands while I lie around...

Tomorrows plans...

Sinus surgery.

The rest of the week...

Mum takes care of me.

I may have lots of yarny results throughout the week, or I may have none. I don't expect the op to be all that traumatic, but it certainly won't be a comfortable recovery. I had it done last year, and didn't particularly enjoy it.

Funniest part of watching mum knitting just over there...

we are staying in my bestest friends home while they are away.

(My shared flat doesn't have room for a guest)

Much of the time spent at this home is knitting together.

So mum fits right into the way I know this house.

Looking forward to lying on the couch and reading about everyone else's exciting lives this week!

Sonia and Fred xx

thankful thursday/old project, new gift

2011-12-01T18:01:00.000+11:00

Today I'm thankful for the lady I worked with this morning and thursday morning.

She is a lovely lady, with a long list of serious medical issues, any one of which will likely kill her before too long.

In that list was depression and anxiety.

(2 insidious things I know all too well).

But we talked a lot.

I made her laugh a lot.

She was happy and at ease.

I'm only the second "stranger" she has ever let shower her at home. But she seemed comfortable the moment I walked in her front door.

We talked about the upsides of council provided care from my perspective as an employee.

Rubber gloves and plastic apron provided.

Kilometers paid from leaving home, to arriving home at the end of the day.

We also talked about the downsides in the care provided to her by council workers.

They are discouraged from forming friendships with clients.

They are given no medical information on the client.

It has reinforced what I believe to be important in the aged care sector:

::that each and every elderly person is a PERSON

::elderly people are deserving of respect and dignity

::elderly people want friends (!)

::caring means being friends

::it is right that we call the people we work with clients, rather than patients, but we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that they may feel uncomfortable, and vulnerable and weak being cared for. And no less so than I would in my mid-30's

(I HATE feeling vulnerable, and am really bad at asking for and/or accepting help. Why should an old person feel any different???)

::they deserve a kind, caring me, not an impatient, distant me.

Anyhoo...on a lighter side...

I was sorting through my stash yesterday.

(I absolutely will not show you a photo of my stash. It is big. Very big. I am ashamed.)

I found this almost complete baby blanket amid the rubble.

I had been making it for a friends baby, but got bored of the lack of pattern, and it slowly got buried beneath other projects.

This friends baby is now 7 months old...and I simply couldn't fathom adding too many more rounds...

So I finished it off, and hopefully tomorrow morning I'll call in on another friend who had little girl last week.

It feels strangely uneventful, having spent a while on it around a year ago, then finally finishing it last night...

What are you thankful for today...?

Sonia and Fred xx

learning new stuff

2011-11-29T11:53:00.000+11:00

A couple of months ago I took part in Rachael's (of Squiggly Rainbow) bunting swap.

She sent me the gorgeous red polka dot bunt.

So I decided yesterday that it was about time to add to the single bunt and create my own bunting, using my VERY new sewing skills. ( skill is probably not the best word to use...)

So I sat down on my (atrociously dirty...the landlord keeps saying he'll replace the ancient carpet soon...) floor and did some cutting.

I wasn't entirely sure where to put it at first.

I love the brightness of the colours here...

but wind is a small issue.

So the living room window it is.

And fortunately I decided to make them all double sided so that they look all pretty from the outside too.

I was quite excited sitting there on my hideous floor, learning something new.

I have been an incredibly single minded (and self focused) violinist for most of my life, and pretty much everything else in the world was boring and pointless.

Year 11 and 12 were simply biding (wasting) time doing the necessary subjects to go to uni, where I of course, studied music.

I even got frustrated having to do subjects like ethnomusiclogy, history, music since the 1940's etc.

I really just wanted to play violin.

Thank goodness I've come around!

Phew!

I'm enjoying being a total hack at anything crafty, and slowly learning how to use different techniques to make my little projects look slightly less amateurish.

Mum is coming over on Saturday, and for the first time in my life, I'm actually asking her to help me learn to sew.

And on a side note...I've completed my 1st subject towards becoming a nurse.

More learning of new stuff. (LOTS of new stuff actually).

Yesterday I got the results of my last written assignment...distinction :-)

You'll probably read this upward of 100 times over the coming couple of years of study, but I just never began to comprehend that I'd even DO anything but play the violin, let alone enjoy it.

Sonia and Fred xx

doily love

2011-11-27T16:40:00.000+11:00

A few weeks ago, the very kind (and trusting) Janette asked me to test a doily pattern.

Go have a look at her blog, and the pattern here.

Both make me very happy :-)

I don't know that I would ever have chosen to make a doily if Janette hadn't asked me to help test the pattern.

But I'm officially infatuated with this fun, yet classy doily.

I'm already making them for Christmas gifts.

I'm having fun with different colour combinations.

And even a different weight (and therefore hook size).

I've made 4 so far.

If you are close to me, assume you'll be getting (at least) one for Christmas this year.

I highly recommend you give it a go.

I'm a crochet novice.

Following a pattern is still a bit touch and go for me.

But this is fun, easy, and quick.

Now...I should get on with a couple of one a day rows. The last few days have been ultra busy.

I've been mixing up socialising, aged care and playing violin, and have barely been home.

I hope your weekend has been less wet than Melbourne.

Sonia and Fred xx

thankful thursday - mind set

2011-11-24T11:38:00.000+11:00

So, I've been back in inner city Melbourne after traipsing around WA for just over a week.

Normal life takes some quick adjusting.

From farms and pastural land ~

to my 2 bedroom flat that overlooks a carpark, and more flats.

From whale watching~

to child minding.

From walking in the treetops~

to walking along busy streets.

From playing in playgrounds~

to doing housework.

From feeding swans~

to feeding Fred.

I'm glad to be back though.

Glad to be back with friends who help me to realise where I need to change my mindset.

I've been trapped in the world of

"give me a name for what is making me sick".

After the worlds most unhelpful medical appointment on tuesday though, I am now setting my mind to adjusting to the fact there may never be a name, but rather a cluster of separate things going wrong.

This morning while in the OP waiting room, I prayed.

Not for a clear diagnosis, as I frequently do.

But for the ability to accept whatever it is the doctor has to tell me, be it another dead end, or more testing.

I felt really at peace when I entered the consulting room, and had a great talk with the doctor.

We both agree that there are a few more things to rule out, and then we'll pare it back to just one doctor, to treat the symptoms long term, and get my head around what that may look like.

I haven't felt very thankful for the doctors up until now.

aside from my closest friends husband. I'm very thankful for his help both as a doctor and friend

I've ended up seeing 5 different specialists (!)

Trouble is, in the public system, you see a different registrar every appointment.

They have disagreed with one another, and unitedly bounced back and forth from different diagnoses.

I think now that I am trying to seek relief, rather than answers, I might actually be able to move forward.

Sorry, I don't want this to be a medical blog, but I felt I needed to put that out there.

I'm also really thankful for the therapy of knitting and crocheting. I think they have actively stopped me from going completely round the bend.

I will have some pics of my latest achievements on the weekend.

Sonia and Fred xx

rippling return

2011-11-19T17:08:00.000+11:00

In the last few days of touring, we drove from Ravensthorpe to Fremantle.

On the way we dropped in at wave rock.

Incredible.

Loving the natural beauty of this fabulous country.

Yay for climbing a really big rock wearing thongs on my feet, and a violin on my back.

It should not be done any other way.

Long drives = crazy.

Fremantle = Little Creatures ALL Sunday afternoon.

We ate, and ate, and ate...and drank some beer too.

Our hotel was on the Swan River.

So I fed some swans.

I ate lots of chocolate to get me through the final show of tour.

Then we spent 5 hours at Perth airport on Tuesday, before a 3 hour flight, landing at 11:30pm.

Now I'm back to the wonderful world of rippling.

I've done 4 rows today.

So much catch up to get on with!!!

(*the colours look putrid in the above photo. My camera batteries need recharging so this was on my iphone).

It's great to be home.

I really loved most of the tour, and am missing the people I spent so much time with the past few weeks, but I'm glad to be sleeping in my own bed, sharing meals and fun times with the awesomest friends a girl could possibly have, cuddling up with Fred, lazing on my couch with a hook/needles and some yarn in my little fingers.

I hope this rainy, humid weekend finds you all well :-)

Sonia and Fred xx

what to do in the middle of nowhere...

2011-11-13T13:12:00.000+11:00

play

eat

play

We have just spent 5 days quite literally in the middle of nowhere.

No phone reception.

No internet.

2 fuzzy tv stations.

1 EXCELLENT playground.

This particular town, Jerramungup, has 1 pub, and 1 cafe disguised as a petrol station.

To walk it's boundaries takes around 10 minutes, then you are in complete wilderness.

The show though, was great.

No one really appreciates an opera more than a town of only a couple 100 people, mostly farmers and travelling through road workers.

Sonia and Fred xx

tour day #14 - crafty

2011-11-07T17:16:00.000+11:00

Kicking back in Denmark.

We have an unusual day off between show and travel.

On our way here the other day we visited the Tingle tree-top walk.

In Denmark we are staying right on the water front.

It is lovely, but we are a decent distance from town, and my lungs simply won't stand up to walking in so I'm stuck at the motel.

Strange to feel lonely when you are in the middle of a large travelling group.

More jamming.

And plenty of knitting.

It feels in this photo like it hasn't grown much, but it really has.

I'm thoroughly enjoying the process.

This I actually knat over a week ago.

I am yet to knit the other one...

But having ironed out my understanding of the pattern...the second one should be done in a single sitting.

I don't have much else to share today.

I'm tired and feeling edgy about my upcoming medical appointments.

My lungs are definitely doing some funky things, but I'm terrified the doctors will just scratch their heads and shrug their shoulders.

There are some funny things happening socially on this tour.

I don't want to have to attend intensive job search training when I return in a bit over a week, but it is the reality of my life right now.

Whinge endeth here.

Coffee required.

Sonia and Fred xx

tour day 12

2011-11-05T21:07:00.000+11:00

So we're about half way through the opera tour.

It is exhausting but mostly fun.

Some towns are seriously boring, others are beautiful.

Katanning was definitely not an exciting place to be, but there was a great little cafe that we ate at for almost every meal while we were there, and the waitress knew many of our names before we left!

There was time for a spot of string quartet jamming.

Unfortunately, music stands are not something you take around the country in your luggage, so we lined up against a motel room wall and balanced our music on all manner of surfaces.

(That is me way down by the door).

Then Katanning Club held a little Melbourne Cup luncheon.

They invited the whole company.

Almost all of us dressed up and made an effort to make a hat/fascinator.

I bought a pile of plastic flowers and just stuck as many on as I could fit.

I won the best hat prize!!!

After Katanning we travelled to Busselton.

A cute little sea-side town.

It was surprisingly hot and summery when we arrived, so we enjoyed a swim in the pool and at the beach.

That was a short stay, and the next day we headed further south to Manjimup.

A terrific storm followed us all the way.

We stopped at this little beach and watched a couple of whales for a bit before taking a delightful tour through Margaret River.

Some discerning tasters in our little company.

And chocolate.

Lots of chocolate.

I purchased my weight in it.

We also managed to find the Margaret River Wool Shop.

*squeeeee!*

Now we are in Denmark for a few days.

Things are getting rather highschooly.

There are 25 in the company.

A weird clicky thing has suddenly sprung up in the last 2 days and it feels horrible.

A small "un-cool" group has emerged out of it though, and we're all pretty happy hanging together.

When you are living out of one another's pockets, you need to be even more thoughtful than usual of how your actions affect others. And some people are clearly not doing much thinking.

Anyway, nearly dinner time.

Half way through the tour now.

On the home stretch.

Looking forward to getting back to the ripple blanket.

Sonia and Fred xx

* note to self: take photo of wooly work that I have been doing on tour

Tour day #7

2011-10-31T16:16:00.000+11:00

It's not all performing and working on these tours.

There is a fair share of natural beauty to behold.

I'm so thankful for the opportunity to see bits of Australia that normally I may never have gotten to.

Since I last posted on Thursday, we spent a seriously uneventful few days in Merredin.

We arrived in the middle of this storm.

That night we had a little party (the first of many).

This is a little over half of the seriously fun, and awesome group of people I get to tour with for 3 weeks.

(for those who don't know me personally, that is me on the right at the back...drinking my wine from my keep cup. A versatile cup if ever I saw one. It serves coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon, and wine in the evening. Mugs and wine glasses are for loooooosers).

The following day was a public holiday.

not really worth mentioning the lack of food and coffee available in a small country town on a public holiday.

For the non-aussie readers, this is pure Australian bush.

It's in the heart of the central wheat belt, and this bit of land has been preserved to give some idea of what european settlers first saw out here.

It never ceases to amaze me that after 3hrs or so of driving, the landscape can change from dry, brown, srubby, to lush, green, pasture.

We only spent Saturday night at this farm stay 30kms out of Williams, where we performed that evening.

It was a glorious afternoon of relaxing and playing with animals.

No mobile or internet coverage.

No work to be done.

And the last pic shows how free range the chickens are. (that is the verandah of the main cottage where we were sitting having a cuppa).

Now we are in Katanning.

Not exciting at all.

I have achieved a fair amount of knitting, but haven't yet photographed it.

I have completed 1 of a pair of fingerless mitts and am making serious progress on the cardi.

I feel that by the time I arrive back in Melbourne, I may be up to the sleeves (!!!)

Anyway, time for some lunch, and rest.

What is going on in your part of the world?

Sonia and Fred xx

thankful thursday/tour day #3

2011-10-27T20:53:00.000+11:00

Well day #3 has bought us to Merredin, WA. A pretty small town that welcomed us with LOTS of rain.
We arrived at the motel in the middle of a big storm.
Being a motel in a small town, the guttering wasn't really coping with the deluge, so a combination of pouring rain, and water curtains blocking the verandah, made the dash from bus to verandah a pretty wet experience.
I'm thankful for the fun we make of such situations on tour. There were 6 of us in out bus, and we all got into rooms, then collected a mug and teabag and sat around in 1 room together, watching the river of a road flow by the window, and waiting for the rain to suitably calm down so that we could go and find lunch.

I am also thankful for a night off.

After an early rise Tuesday morning, 5 hours on a plane, 2 hours at an airport, 1.5 hours in a mini bus then 4 hours rehearsing, and last night a performance, it is lovely to just sit and relax tonight.

Some will go out for dinner. My roomie and I will eat in. (there is a microwave in our room. SCORE!)
Then we'll all cram into 1 room to celebrate a year to the day until the wedding of a couple in the company.

Sorry, there are no photos today. The batteries are flat in my camera so I can't download them.

Perhaps I'll put on a couple tomorrow.

Well, time to cook my dinner in the microwave, then eat it in my little hotel room bed!

What are you thankful for today?

Sonia and Fred xx

Tour day #2

2011-10-26T19:01:00.000+11:00

York, WA

Ah, back on the road again.

It's funny, but even though we all left each other at the end of the last tour in early May, it feels like we were together travelling, shopping for food that can be prepared in a motel room, wasting away hours in a small town, just yesterday.

You fall back into the tour groove pretty quickly.

Anyway, we arrived mid afternoon yesterday and everyone was pretty exhausted given that we'd all flown from different bits of Australia into Perth, then driven from Perth to York.

(would you believe we were all settled on the plane, when a flight attendant announced "well, we actually have all of our passengers safely aboard, but we don't have a captain. It shouldn't be too long. We apologise for the delay".)

I did a spot of knitting and came up with this:

It will be one half of a pair of fingerless mitts.

I have done more than that already, and probably could have finished it in 2 sittings, but I spotted a mistake, and so I'm in the middle of a bit of un-knitting.

I've also begun a new one a day project for the time on tour.

I crocheted 3 flowers that will eventually be a string of flowers from the door to my balcony.

I'll leave you with a few shots of this lovely little town - in fact, the oldest inland town in WA.

a part of the old coutroom/gaol. First built early in the 19th century.

Where we are performing tonight.

Well, it is getting close to the time that I will have to head down for sound check, but I'm going to finish that mitt first...

Sonia and Fred xx

On the road

2011-10-24T16:32:00.000+11:00

Well, I'm mostly packed to head over to WA tomorrow.

It is always hard sorting out what to take on these tours. 3 weeks on the road is just long enough to need lots of stuff, including a washing line and detergent, and eating implements, and a cold bag for transporting items like milk, butter, and white wine (no, that last one is a lie. A bottle of wine would never last even one of the 2 nights we usually spend in each little town).

These tours are fun.

We go around to mostly very small towns, and perform opera for them.

They are always incredibly excited and grateful to have a live opera experience.

It is a company of only 22, including singers, musical director, instrumentalists and techies.

We always have to share a small motel room with at least one other company member.

(Bad luck to the poor person who will be stuck with me and the coughing up of my lungs)

The people in the company are great, which is a relief, because we really do live in one another's pockets for 3 whole weeks.

Of course...

Have yarn...will travel.

I've spent a decent amount of time choosing what projects to take.

I have some sock yarn and a pattern for circular needles that I'd like to try.

I have some nice colourful yarn to knit some fingerless gloves for a friend.

I have odds and ends to make loads of flowers to eventually string in the doorway to my balcony.

And I have the cardi.

Unfortunately...

The growing blanket can't go.

:-(

It is getting too big and bulky, and of course there are 7 different skeins of yarn to go with it.

So it will remain neatly folded in my yarn basket until I return mid-November.

I'll do my level best to keep blogging whilst I'm away.

I should have some interesting stories if nothing else.

Like on the previous tour-leg, we were awakened by an sms early the day we were departing from one particular town, informing us that both lifts were broken. Most of us were on stories beyond 10.

Anyway, until I write from the road...

Sonia and Fred xx

thunder

2011-10-22T18:16:00.000+11:00

Thunder

Rain

Pyjamas

Chocolate

A glass of wine

Cozy

Sonia and Fred xx

thankful thursday

2011-10-20T09:16:00.000+11:00

Thankful that I can still play violin after pretty well no practice for around a year.

It seems everyone was right

(yes, that means I was wrong)

You actually don't need to practice 5 hours a day to stay good.

Get good, yes, stay good, no.

A 2 hour gig last night was good preparation for the 3 weeks of touring a 3 hour opera.

Myyyyyyyy do my fingers huuuuuuuurt though!

My fingers have gotten all soft and those naked nerve endings in our skin that I'm learning about...THEY are perfectly intact (and naked. No callous.)

What are you thankful for today?

Oh, and if you are the praying type...I am thankful that I have a job interview today. Still not the worlds best job. A bit of travel to get there, but set rosters. Salary. Sick pay. Pay.

Sonia and Fred xx

nice things

2011-10-18T20:05:00.000+11:00

Today I received a nice thing in the mail:

This was the first bloggy thing I have taken part in, sqiggly rainbow's bunting swap.

Rach, it's like you know me already (perhaps I give a little too much away in my blog...?)

But the red polka dots are perfect.

You could not have chosen a better fabric :-)

I look forward to returning from my opera tour in a few weeks to begin work on the rest of the fabric bunting that will frame this piece of loveliness :-)

I'm really hoping a certain friend doesn't check my blog too often, but I couldn't help but post this now.

I think this is my proudest work to date.

I mentioned that I'd started a gift, but didn't do so well with tension etc, therefore relegating it to my own growing stash of first attempts.

So I started a brand new one, frogged 10 rows after spotting a crucial error, then oh so carefully kept the tension right, sewed in the lining as invisibly as I knew how...and...

I'm really happy with the result.

It is a really simple pattern, but for a crochet novice like myself, getting it to look like the picture was a little tricky.

I also finished my last school teaching day EVER.

There was no excitement.

a couple of

"good luck"'s

1 hug from the other violin teacher (who I'm doing a gig with Friday night).

1 hug from a student.

But mostly

"oh, are you leaving?"

from other instrumental staff.

I'm okay with that though.

One less thing to think about now.

I'm not scared about my new future, so much as I'm scared about my shorter-term financial future.

How will I support myself while I study?

Will I get a nursing job straight out of uni?

Will I be able to find a new flat-mate for the end of November?

Or will I test a truly wonderful friendship with a truly wonderful family by bunking in their spare room for a while...?

I really love this flat and don't want to leave.

It's quiet, close to everything and everyone that I need, not too small, not too big, not modern, not falling apart.

Whoa! Didn't mean to get so deep!

I just wanted to share the nice things!

Oh well, back to my rippling :-)

Sonia and Fred xx

playing catch-up

2011-10-16T14:39:00.000+11:00

So I DEFINITELY need more sleep.

For those of you who read this blog regularly, the lovely collar Fred is modelling is from here.

He's not a regular collar-wearer because he stays indoors (aside from the balcony). So usually when I try to put anything around his neck he walks with his chin dragging along the floor.

The look on his face is maybe deceptive. He didn't actually show any signs of disliking having it on.

Perhaps he was simply playing along...

Anyhoo...

This weekend has been a weekend of catch-ups.

Due to extreme exhaustion, lack of yarn focus, loss of rippling mojo, and general time constraints, I hadn't done much work on the ripple blanket.

This is supposed to be my one a day project, but I've fallen behind.

Well, I did some extra rows yesterday:

I'm actually feeling like it is growing now. I guess the first quarter or so of length seems the slowest. I realise that I'm now about 1/3 of the way through.

I also did a spot of frogging:

Pretty, curly yarn...

You may recall I was making a pressie for a friend that didn't work as well as planned, so I decided to keep the 1st attempt as a practice model for myself.

I started a whole new one, and made it quite some way through, when I realised I'd missed a crucial row...roughly 10 rows ago :-(

So after frogging back to that crucial row, I'm now back on track.

I also spent a bit of time sorting out what projects I will take away with me for a 3 week opera tour in WA.

The ripple blanket won't make it because it will get too heavy and bulky.

So small projects it is.

I have a desire to make rows of crochet flowers to hang in my balcony doorway, so I will likely take lots of small scraps and try out all the flower patterns I can find.

Let me know of any good ones you know of :-)

Time to return to that birthday present (and my ripple rows). I have lofty ambitions of completing the present tonight...

Sonia and Fred

thankful thursday

2011-10-13T13:17:00.000+11:00

Today I'm thankful that my friend encouraged me to un-knit a row to fix a mistake.

I was doing my usual "I'll just say I intended for that odd pattern just under the armholes..."

but she reminded me that this cardigan is a long project.

I will be so sad if I finally reach the end (planned for autumn next year) and decide never to wear it because of that ugly little pattern just under the armholes.

I'm also thankful that a client canceled this morning, leaving me to sit on my balcony in the sunshine, catching up on internetty stuff. E-mails, selling a few items on ebay, finding a job, finding a place to live...you know...

internetty stuff.

To be truthful, I'm more tempted to be upset by the cancellation. The message never got as far as me, so I drove out there only to turn straight back home again.

I'm getting really worn out by this kind of unreliability in this current job.

I so love the clients, the relationships, the hands-on nursing experience, but the travel, and the sitting around in my car or a neon-lit shopping centre for 2 hours in between clients, is wearing me down.

Thankfully, I'm using this time to look for an alternative job. One that is a certain number of hours a week, and in the same place every time.

I'm being proactive, and that lowers the stress levels.

I'm also putting out the garbage, doing the dishes, writing this post, and sending my churches mid-week e-mail and putting out a load of washing.

All things I was stressing wouldn't get done with working all day and going out this evening.

Thankful for an unexpected morning off :-)

What are you thankful for today?

Sonia and Fred xx

creative cleaning

2011-10-08T17:40:00.000+11:00

I cannot begin to tell you the fun I had this afternoon...

I decided that today was tidying day around the house.

I mostly hit my bedroom, the bathroom/laundry, and a corner of the living room.

My stash of yarn and other crafty stuff has been steadily growing, and creating elaborate yarny knots in the various vessels I have been keeping it all in.

So a visit to Kmart got me some little plastic draws:

In real life, I promise it looks LOTS better than in the photo.

Unfortunately I didn't dress up the shelves before grabbing the camera, and as a result, the fabric cube is a little pulled out spilling over.

Anyway, it was very soothing to look at some very clean and tidy spaces once I'd finished.

But I also got a little creative in my tidying up....

A friend gave me a random piece of fabric that she had randomly picked up at some stage.

It has been steadily moving from room to room over the past months (year...?) as I have tried to decide what to do with it.

My friend is incredibly clever with a sewing machine, and I am not.

However...

I am trying to learn.

Now, with all the yarn related stuff I've been doing, there has been quite a bit of blocking going on.

And I had been storing my pins

here:

I am classy, I am.

So I decided to make this:

I'm just going to say that I deliberately made it asymmetrical...

I had so much fun, that I made a baby one, which will go to the friend who gifted me the material.

I was on a roll, so I decided to make a cover for my cute little sewing machine.

I decided a couple of months ago, that if I wanted to learn how to sew...

I probably need a sewing machine.

Being both financially and space poor, I went with this little portable number, which cost me a piddly AUD$35 from ebay.

I figured that I could learn, and eventually upgrade if I (ever) master the skill.

It works fine, and I can lift it onto my desk with one hand, and store it in a tiny space.

Modest achievements, but I finally found a home for that travelling piece of fabric! And I just had loads of fun doing it.

Now my house is pleasantly tidy, and should remain so for roughly 2 days (and I have no children...I really wish I could be less lazy and put things back in their homes as soon as I have finished with them, but no. The one piece of paper I just put here until I do something with it, remarkably rapidly becomes a textbook sized pile.)

Time for a spot of dinner, a glass of red, and some knitting/crocheting goodness.

:-)

Sonia and Fred xx

thankful thursday

2011-10-06T19:53:00.000+11:00

today I'm thankful for peacefulness.

As I sat this afternoon working on question 2 of my assignment, I stopped and realised how quiet and peaceful it was.

I think my thoughts (focused on anything but what I'm working on) would be too loud for the silence of a library, but in my humble flat, I could hear a number of sounds. (My particular flat is set back from the street behind another row of flats, so it really was only background noise).

I could hear lots of birds. And behind that I could faintly hear the hum of cars on the main road 1/2 a block away, and the trucks/diggers working on the water mains in my street. And Fred was snoring lightly in the window.

It really helped me to relax and focus. (drowned out the unfocused thoughts...)

I find quiet, repetitive sounds very relaxing. Sometimes, when I'm warm and sleepy, and someone nearby is typing on their computer, I can just about nod off.

Still in the swing of it from Tuesdays effort, I really enjoyed the process of reading on the subject of oxygen and nutrient requirements for muscle contraction, over and over and over again from different books. It really feels exhilarating to be able to write my answer without continually going back and forth from the book to see if I'm getting it right.

I am also thankful that tim tams are on sale for 2 packs for $4.

Straight after I made the ~~forced~~ purchase, I faced a small, reconcilable frustration.
I think just having the tim tams in my bag helped me to keep my cool and recognise that this situation was nothing more than inconvenient.

And a little bunch of pretty flowers from my favourite little violin student just helped the healing action of my favourite chocolate biscuit.

What are you thankful for this thursday?

Sonia and Fred xx

p.s. sorry about the lack of photo's...I'm not so thankful for my interim internet connection while I wait for the new one...

day off

2011-10-04T17:14:00.000+11:00

Today I finally had a proper day off.

No work.

No appointments (well there was one...but it was cancelled).

No commitments (apart from Bible study group at 8pm.)

No stress.

:-)

I went out in the morning and ran a couple of errands. Then I came home to eat chocolate cake, drink coffee and read a book.

I haven't read a Christian book in a few years.

But so much has been going on lately, and I just felt the need to be fed and encouraged.

I've read this book before, and it is well worth reading a second time round.

Then I settled down and hit the books.

Hard.

I studied really intensely for a couple of hours, then I got stuck into my next assignment.

I'm not entirely happy with the mark I got for the first one.

My lovely friend suggested that it leaves room to improve.

That is a far better way of looking at it than my regular go-to response:

"I'm super unintelligent"

I spent a good few hours on it. I pored over different textbooks, all on the same little subject, and carefully noted all of my references.

I took lots and lots of notes, until I felt confident to answer the question entirely on my own, not looking back and forth from the text.

I actually understand the answer properly.

I feel mentally energised!

You know how you feel after a particularly good exercise? Like a long hike or bike ride or gym session (not that I've ever done much of the latter two). You feel pleasantly exhausted and sore. Healthy. Energised.

That is how my brain feels now!

When I'd done all that note taking, and finally just started typing, I read over it, and didn't have to edit much.

If you ask me now,

"how does a sarcolemma contract???"

I can confidently give you an answer.

It's taking a while to get back into the swing of study, but this gives me the hope that I may just succeed.

Happy days :-)

Sonia and Fred xx

small projects

2011-10-02T12:58:00.000+11:00

I don't feel like I've achieved much creatively this week.

I've been out all day every day, and most evenings.

The one or two evenings I've actually been home I've either been too tired to craft, or I've had to catch up on several days of dishes. (Lucky I only need to wash up after myself...!)

I have no one a day photos as I don't think you can really see much progress.

I have been making an item for a friends birthday, but I made my foundation chain a little too loose, and as I settled into a tighter stitch, it has left the top a bit, well, un-straight.
I'm thinking I'll make the finishing touches and keep it for myself as a "practice" project, and do a new one for my friend.

I also got a bit big for my boots and thought I could just do a granny mandala without a pattern.

I can't.

I thought the edges were looking a bit frilly. But I was sure that blocking would cure all.

It didn't.

That will eventually get frogged and I'll start again...following the pattern.

So, yesterday I felt like I really needed to simply finish something.

Firstly I made a big mess.

Inspired by young Rose, and Sara, I made some wrist bands.

And in the spirit of novice mistake making, I made one waaaaaaaaay too big.

I'm thinking...

You agree? Or should it be frogged and begun again?

I'm not sure if I'm just impatient (Mum will say a resounding YES), or if I simply got obsessed too quickly, or if I am overestimating my abilities. (the latter being the least likely, as I'm a hopeless perfectionist).

But I seem to leap into new projects and want to see them grow. I'll have an inkling that something doesn't look right, but I then blindly look past it and believe that it will look fine when I block it, even though I know it won't. I find it so incredibly disheartening to frog once I've made significant progress. So I probably really should do it when I notice the crapness of the work.

So, back to the drawing board with that birthday present.

This time, I promise I'll frog it and turn back if it doesn't look satisfactory.

Happy Sunday to you :-)

Sonia and Fred

thankful thursday

2011-09-29T09:25:00.000+10:00

I'm thankful today for a warm, dry home.

I'm far from rich.

There are plenty of things I wouldn't mind having.

But there is nothing I need.

When the rain pours down outside, and the temperature drops, I have a pretty nice roof over my head.

I have a heater.

Sure, it only heats one room with all the doors closed, and in the depths of winter I still need to wear around 5 layers and a beanie in that room.

But I have a heater.

I have an enormous choice of warm clothes.

I have a gloriously comfortable, warm, cozy, inviting bed.

I'm about to venture out into that rain to go to work, but today I'm thankful that I have a dry, warm home to come back to and snuggle up in.

What are you thankful for today?

Sonia and Fred xx

knock me down with a feather

2011-09-26T16:20:00.000+10:00

Thank you Leah of faiths craft box for deeming me worthy of this award!

Go check out her lovely blog.

As a newby blogger, I get slightly (no, hugely) excited when I realize someone has actually read my blog more than once.

So I'm totally flattered :)

Anyhoo...

There are a couple of things I have to do as a recipient of this award.

Here are some blogs I'd like to nominate, as well as highly recommend that you take a look at.

#1 foxs lane. I'm loving following this lovely family's travels around our great country. Plus the great crafting that goes on. She creates some beautiful and fun stuff.

#2 squiggly rainbow. Rach is gorgeous. I love her work.

#3 everywhere knits. I'm loving reading about a fellow young person who is absolutely obsessed with knitting etc, but like myself, isn't a stay at home mum.

#4 paisley jade is so much fun. So positive, so energetic, so creative.

Now, I believe I have to tell you 7 things about myself.

I am a much loved daughter of a much loved mum and dad who live too far away. I'm also older sister to my younger sister (who I also muchly love).

I would be a quivering mess without my morning coffee and evening chocolate. I may not remember what day it is, what time I go to church each Sunday (?!?!?), or where I put my crochet hook, but I DO remember to go and fetch some milk Friday afternoon, so that I don't go without coffee Saturday morning.

I want to go to Italy. I also want to learn how to speak Italian. As far as we know, there is know Italian in my family lineage, but I LOVE Italians! I love their cooking, their hospitality, their fantastic gardens, their wine, their coffee, their self-sustainability. (I'm also a little partial to the fact that many of my clients are Italians and they insist on feeding me scrummy Italian biscuits every time I visit them).

My life ambition is to be a forklift driver.

I get reheeally frustrated by people who don't indicate when they are driving. No, you are not the only person on the road today. I did however, guess that you were going to suddenly pull into that side street, so that's okay for now.

I lurve chocolate, friends, kids, violin, my cat Fred, Jesus, reading, anything yarny, my family, my family, purple, red, chocolate, sunshine, lego, food, wine, chocolate, coffee, brunch, walking...

I'm scared of spiders, going back to uni at the tender age of 35, going broke, not having chocolate or coffee in the house, losing people who I'm close to, being alone.

Well, now that you know me this intimately, you'll probably steer clear. (understandable).

Happy Monday :)

Sonia and Fred

p.s. I'm disproportionately excited by the fact I managed to get the versatile blogger button onto my page. There have been monster tantrums trying to work out how to do it. Today it just somehow worked....

healthy choices

2011-09-25T13:57:00.000+10:00

Given how tired I was yesterday afternoon, it was purely miraculous that these came about.

I was sitting with yarn in my hands, trying to catch up on my one a day project, when hunger struck.

The first thing that came to mind was Tim Tams. But I remembered I'd polished them off yesterday.

Then I thought I could get off my bottom and bake the apple and peach muffins that I first made a couple of weeks ago. Hardly any sugar. But very tasty. DEFINITELY a healthier alternative to Tim Tams.

However...

I had run out of apples. I had every other ingredient.

So either way, I needed to walk down to the supermarket.

As I walked, I weighed up the options of chocolate biscuits versus home baked muffins.

I arrived (in my poorness) at the decision that an apple will cost under $1 and the muffins freeze well, therefore giving me over a weeks supply of pretty healthy snacks.

The Tim Tam's were going to cost closer to $3, and would likely last me a few hours.

A small amount of effort...and 20-25 minutes later:

Yum.

I'm afraid I don't have all that much to share with you craft-wise.

It has been a full-on week of work, play, wedding, kid's birthday and some really hard stuff.

I'm truly exhausted, and hurt pretty well everywhere it is possible to hurt.

But apart from the hard stuff, I have to say that it has actually been quite a nice week.

I've enjoyed more socialising than usual.

Work has had some less enjoyable moments, but the enjoyable ones far outweigh them.

Basically I've been coming home around 9:30pm each night and jumping into bed to try and achieve a single row for the one a day project.

I didn't always succeed.

But last night I had some time...

Another 3 rows and some pretty edging (and some major blocking) and this birthday present will be done.

The ripple blanket is coming along. It doesn't look all that great in this photo, but it shows progress at least.

And on the theme of healthy choices...I have been weaving in those ends as I go.

Feeling pretty virtuous about that.

Party on at chez Sonia and Fred on a saturday night.

(see my pyjama clad knee)

I hope you are out there somewhere, soaking up that magnificent Sunday sun.

I'm going to continue sitting quietly (apart from Fred's snoring) on my balcony reading your blog.

Love, Sonia and Fred

thankful thursday - on Wednesday

2011-09-21T16:04:00.000+10:00

Today I am so very thankful for celebrating the 3rd birthday of my dear little friend. (yesterday).

I'm thankful to be a part of his life, to be able to watch him grow, and partake in his all embracing hugs.

I'm thankful for being a part of the lives of his sister and older brother as well.

All 3 of them are adorable, and the next best thing, as far as I'm concerned, to having my own off-spring, is having them in my life.

I'm thankful that they like me and trust me and want to hang with me.

I'm thankful for their energy and smiles and laughter when I'm feeling low and self-absorbed.

I'm also so incredibly thankful for their parents, who have made me a part of their family.

They feed me, listen to me whinge and moan, look after me when I'm sick or going mental, help me out financially, make me laugh, and let me love their kids.

They take me as I am, and I couldn't be more thankful for that.

And I'm thankful, when everything feels messy, that I know God is in control.

Thursday this week is a full one. I won't have time to do this post. But I want to keep it a regular, so on wednesday, I'm feeling just a little bit thankful thursdayish.

What are you thankful this Thursday (or Wednesday...)?

Sonia and Fred xx

satisfyingly slow saturday

2011-09-17T17:40:00.000+10:00

Once upon a time...

I lived the typical fast-paced, 21st century kind of lifestyle.

I typically worked more than 14 days straight, and a "day off" usually began with 3-5hrs violin practice, before I caught up with housework or friends.

It took me a while to settle into a slower paced lifestyle, but I must say I love it now.

I really fought it for a long time this year.

I have found that physically I need at least 1 full day a week though to simply be, and have no plans. If I don't, I crash.

So I began today with popping a little birthday pressie in a pre-loved gift bag for my flat-mate.

Unfortunately she didn't stay at home last night, so I haven't seen the look on her face yet...nor what it looks like on her. So here is how it looks on me...!

SO easy and quick.

It paled in comparison though, to the beautiful bunch of roses that were delivered to her this morning. I believe they must be from her man...

So pretty :)

I love the thought of receiving flowers.

Sadly it has only happened to me on 1 or 2 occasions though.

It was such a lovely mild morning, so I pottered around the house, tidying and cleaning a tiny bit.

Then I thought I'd pop over and check out the yarn barn.

It is dangerously easy to get to on public transport, and even by foot if I'm feeling particularly energetic.

I think I'll make the rule that I only go there if I plan on walking there and back.

I'll need you to keep me honest...

I've been won over by the circular knitting needles.

I bought this lovely Australian alpaca yarn. So pretty and nice to work with.

My plan is to make this cardy that I found on ravelry.

It will be a slow project. Not one a day. Not every day. Just as I feel like a break from obsessive crocheting.

I also began work on another birthday pressie for late October.

I'm not entirely sure if I might end up frogging and maybe staying on each shade of blue for a few more rows at a time...

After all this sitting around quietly hooking, I did teach 1 violin student.

Fred took up residence in my violin case.

Unfortunately he is still there, long after the lesson. So I can't actually put away my violin...

Well, I might go and cook myself some dinner, give my sister a call, and see to my one a day project.

I've so enjoyed wearing a t-shirt, open-toed shoes, and having all the windows wide open today, and taking it easy.

I hope your saturday has been gorgeous :)

Sonia and Fred

thankful thursday

2011-09-15T13:07:00.000+10:00

Gee I'm thankful for thankful thursday!

I guess because I've made a commitment to making this public, and regular, it is really forcing me to take note of the good stuff, and even note it down so that I don't sit in front of my computer every Thursday going..."duuuuuh...what am I thankful for???"

I'm pretty darn thankful for the emergence of spring.

Yes, I have my little fan heater aimed at my feet, and I'm looking (somewhat disgustedly) at my winter coat and wondering when there will be a warm enough day or 2 to get it cleaned, but the sun is out more often, and it has a warm tinge. The blossom is out, there are some juicy yellow lemons hanging enticingly over the fence, and I'm looking forward to actually wearing a t-shirt on the weekend (!)

Fred is pretty thankful for this warm sunshine too.

Check out his favourite spot.

He doesn't actually go outside but he does love the balcony, and best of all that long flower pot. Originally it grew loads of grass for him to eat, but it eventually died off when he lay on it all the time.

He goes out there every morning while I eat breakfast, to have a little chat with the birds. I really need to catch it on film, but I've twice watched teasing birds hover right in front of his face.

I'm thankful for a nice hot lunch of leftovers.

It doesn't look all that appetising here, but it is a pumpkin risotto. You bake the pumpkin, seasoned with a little bit of dry chilli and some cinnamon, then add it to the rice as it is just about cooked.

Very tasty.

I'm quite thankful for the ordered nature of the one a day project.

My life is anything but ordered at the moment, as I slip messily back and forth between 2 careers, so it is really nice to come home each day and settle on just 1 row. I don't have to get carried away, and then get bored and leave it for several weeks. It is just plodding along with consistency.

I've also been really strict with myself this week, doing just my row (okay, sometimes I do 2, because I do 2 of each colour then fasten off, so sometimes it feel neater to do 2 rows of a colour then put it away), and then I am sticking to just 1 smaller project.

I am working on a small gift for my flat-mate's birthday which is saturday. It had BETTER be finished by then!

I am also thankful for:

having only 2 school teaching days left before that job officially ends. (wheeee!)

I had to laugh when I told one of my year 8's, who I've been really tough on lately. She almost cried!

plotting practical jokes with a 12 year old when I should be teaching her violin

the feeling of elation as I understand new stuff in my studies. On the outside I'm quietly, seriously studying. On the inside a little party is going on. There are streamers and cake and squeals of delight, and a little jumping up and down and clapping of hands.

At least I think it's on the inside...

On a slightly more serious note, I'm also thankful that my aged care job has been nothing but smooth sailing so far. Most of my clients are adorable. I know that life today, is better for our elderly. Big changes have happened.

But I've also now seen frail, elderly people neglected, and spoken to like second rate citizens.

I wanted to cry for the lady with dementia who was being spoken to harshly, impatiently, frustratedly by the health professional examining her.

With a little more experience I think I will probably stand up and ask a person like that to treat my client with a bit more respect.

I also saw an old, wheelchair-bound man this morning, who waited alone for 20 minutes, because the nursing home gave my agency the wrong time to book me.

I am thankful that I am seeing this, and that it is building within me a passion to see elderly people treated with respect and dignity.

I was thankful this morning, to see the hospital where the man had the appointment, enraged with the nursing home's lack of care for it's residents.

I am thankful that God loves every single one of us, even when we neglect to love those around us.

What are you thankful for?

Love Sonia and Fred

bunted

2011-09-11T16:09:00.000+10:00

After a couple of weeks of getting a bit overwhelmed with projects, I have finally put my foot down and decided to settle on just 2 at a time:
My one a day project (which I have nothing to show for this week...I got a bit carried away yesterday and didn't get my row done...nor have I started todays!)

And a smaller project.

So last night I finished the bunting which really should have only taken a week, max. Each bunt only took an hour or so to make, but I started too many other things that I wanted to do.

But, here is the finished project:

I did some satisfying banging with hammer and nail, and there you have it!

I was not totally convinced by how it was looking all the way along. I like the mix of colours, but I was planning to put it above the living room window, and it just felt like it was going to look too heavy.

Then I thought of the kitchen window, but that was going to mean some awkward climbing onto kitchen benches to attach it.

I REALLY like it here though.

The reason I got carried away and neglected my one a day yesterday is this:

Very amateurish, I know, but I started AND finished it. (And didn't screw it up and walk away throwing a tantrum. I did screw it up, but I sat ever so patiently, and totally out of character, unpicking, and did it again).

A finished sewing project.

I've tried unsuccessfully, on a number of occasions, to teach myself to sew. And I'm pretty sure this is only the second time I've actually completed anything.

So last night, after a fun morning baby sitting a friends 1 year old,

going for walks

and helping a distraught mummy bird find her baby bird that got a bit lost in overgrown grass,

getting totally ensconced in making that cushion cover,

finishing reading through another chapter in my textbook,

making and blocking the last bunt,

and sewing in all those ends,

Fred and I settled in for a quiet evening.

I enjoyed a glass of vino

(note the cuttings of yarn after sewing in all of my bunting ends)

And Fred flaked.

Today has been filled with

- helping to wrangle children onto bus and tram

- church

- a lovely catch up with some lovely girls

- hanging the completed bunting

- baking some scrummy muffins

- making my back and hips much more painful by vacuuming and washing the floor

Time to go and enjoy one of these and get stuck into todays row.

Fred and I hope you've had a great weekend :)

thankful thursday

2011-09-08T08:11:00.000+10:00

I'm writing this super early today, before work and playing with my friend and teaching violin and doing some work for my church...
I want to make this thankful thursday post a regular.
Something to remind me of all the goodness I am surrounded with even when life can seem a little murky.

Like for instance:

My little balcony garden.

I have plans to add much more to this, with a series of hooks in the wall. It really is a small balcony, but I love the green outside my living room window :)

I've also been using much of the herbs in quite regular cooking. And I eat fresh baby spinach almost every day!

My much adored thermos that my beautiful sister gave me for my birthday about 3 years ago. It gets me safely through my first couple of violin students at school on tuesdays. Once I forgot it...and came dangerously close to tears.

Yes, coffee will likely be featured almost weekly in thankful thursday.

My couch and my ugg boots.

It has been a particularly tiring week so far, starting on Sunday with unexplained severe back and hip pain which carried through to monday. (It is still there, but MUCH less severe. I can move now. THANKFUL) I also had some other unexplained illness monday night that kept me awake till 3:30am. So I am thankful for my comfy couch and cozy ugg boots and old trackies (which also manage to feature in that photo.)

I am a lady of style, no?

My new one a day project. (That link will take you to details). This will be a ripple blanket that will be gifted...to someone...who will find out who they are when it is complete :)

Thanks SO much for this easy as pie to read tutorial from Lucy.

Retro Reads

LOVING getting back into this old favourite.

Friends who call me family.

Love them :)

What are you thankful for?

Sonia and Fred

Worlds ugliest bear

2011-09-04T14:24:00.000+10:00

What a great weekend!

Not a huge amount of crafting, but a couple of last minute social occasions which were absolutely delightful :)

Friday, having returned home from work absolutely shattered, so tired the thought of anything other than sleep or mind-numbing tv was too much. So I got halfway into my pj's. (pj's top covered with a jumper and trackies on bottom) and settled down with tv, chocolate (preceded of course by a nutritious dinner) and a glass of wine.

Then my friend called around 6pm and invited me around to share dessert, and...tv with her and her kiddies while hubby was out.

I stayed in the pj's top, and the worlds most daggy socks, so old that they won't stay up any more, instead delightfully revealing the forest that is my ankles post-winter.

We curled up under a blanket, and after the kids went to bed, had a great chat. So nice :)

Then, saturday morning, about to get stuck into cleaning the laundry/bathroom after a mid-week mini disaster, another lovely friend asked me to join her and the family at the zoo.

FUN!

It was so gloriously sunny and warm.

I was so content after that to come home and potter around.

I know most singles don't see hanging out with young families as particularly desirable, but I think it is the stage of life I'm ready for. So I'd much rather hang with a good friend, in my pj's or trackies on a friday night, sipping tea or a glass of wine, helping youngsters to wind down before bed, than get all dressed up and head out somewhere noisy.

I did do a little bit of crafting.

I recently bought a little portable sewing machine for an obscenely small amount of money so that I can learn to sew. It is slow going. One day...ONE day, I hope to actually produce something...let alone something worthy of showing anyone!

Until then...

I regretfully forgot to take a bag last time I visited my local craft store, so I bought a canvas bag. Good quality. Functional.

Boring.

So I cut up a cheap, un-functional dress...

And voila!

A functional, pretty bag.

And theeeeeeeeen...

I made the worlds ugliest bear.

I'm not entirely sure what happened...although I may have put the legs where the arms should be and visa versa. (#note: I am studying to be a nurse not a surgeon. You may all sleep soundly with this knowledge)

This doesn't explain the differing leg (arm) lengths. My weariness and inability to concentrate MAY have something to do with it.

Poor ugly bear. I tried photographing him in a range of different poses, but none of them did him justice.

Fred didn't offer him much love.

He is sitting above the stove here...perhaps better suited on an element...that is producing heat...

Tea is supposed to cure everything. But apparently not massively swollen arms and irregular length legs.

Bed time?

He looks minimally better from a distance.

Music therapy also did little for his state.

So I'm going to try, try again.

Cross your fingers for teddy #2 will you?

There is simply not enough room in the world for another teddy bear as ugly as the first attempt...

Sonia and Fred xx

Bed envy

2011-09-02T16:26:00.000+10:00

One of the things I do in my new job is help around the house a bit. A couple of my old ladies like me to help make their own beds.

I'm feeling rather ashamed of my messy bed. I make it most days...and I change the sheets almost bi-weekly.

But when I make it in the morning, I usually hastily pull up the sheet and doona and whack on some pillows. Actually...I throw the pillows on.

After my sheets have dried from a wash, I kind of screw/fold them into a square-like shape. I scrold them.

Today, when I got home from work, I decided that the gorgeous sunshine heralded both a sheet washing, and an outdoor hangingouting.

I very carefully made my bed to my old ladies standard...pulling that flat sheet nice and flat over the bed, smoothing out creases and lumps. (well, actually there were far too many creases to bother too much with this, but I put in a token hand-smooth-over).

Fred helped:

I guess the outcome looks tidy enough?

Now...to tackle this disgraceful corner...

Who would have thunk that I spring cleaned my room just over a week ago...?

Happy weekend!

Sonia and Fred