To Me

yes today is my birthday 

I have received some lovely fat quarter from ladies I am in a ''birthday swap'' with

this year I chose ''orange or purple''...

I have noticed quite a few projects in magazines have orange in them and they look so bright and cheery

so thank you girls...

when I have some more I will post a photo of them all...

and I got a beautiful card from my Hubby...

no plans for today well none that I know of... but I will do the usual housework and spend the afternoon sewing...

I am working on some ''spiderweb blocks''...

For June in the ''Aussie Block Swap'' I have two partners

this is the block I have made for one of them

Ann from Canada wished for a ''blue and green'' log cabin...

her wish was my command...

I do hope you like your block Annie Mac...

and this week I must get my other partners block finished as the July partners are out hahahaha

This Morning....

we had ''fog''

this one was taken at 7.46 am

this one at 8.25 am...

its creeping in slowly

and didn't clear until about 10 am... and what a pain as I had the dishwasher to put on plus I had towels in the washing machine that needed to go out and I really would have like to have washed the quilt on my sons bed... those bloody cats had been on it and left their bloody black fur over it even though I have a sheet on it for them?????? GEEZ

so with the lack of sun today I have put off washing it.... we are have solar power so I didn't want to use those big power hungry things hahahahaha

I have also done another batch of Marmalade

and this lot set a lot better than the other...

yesterday I spent the afternoon sewing the 4th row of my "row by row" which was themed ''birds''and joined it to my other rows

I am quite happy how it turned out...

I think this will end up a single bed quilt for a future Grandie maybe hahahaha no pressure what so ever on my kids at all hahahahahaha...

In The Kitchen....

I have made some marmalade.... Cumquat Marmalade to be precise....

I had trouble with it setting and I don't normally but the seeds that I soak from the fruit weren't formed properly... as it has cooled over the past couple of days it seems to have thicken up enough to be used now... the worst part is the cutting up...

I have a miniature Cumquat tree it comes up to my shoulder and it is laden at the moment... this is the most fruit it has every had on it due to the good rains we have had... I will probably get two more lots of marmalade off it.... I did bottle some one year for Christmas but nobody ate them so not wasting my time there again hahahaha

A Little Bit Of Crocheting...

A few weeks ago my sister asked me if I could crochet a throw rug like hers for a friend who was celebrating her 40th birthday... she wanted to give her friend something that she would have forever and usable... and her friend liked her throw...

the request from my sister was for chocolate brown and cream...

so I did 4 rows of each round and round and round...

actually it is a great time of the year to make a granny rug... you keep warm as it grows...

this will be in the mail tomorrow to the friend who lives in Sydney and I am sure she will be snuggling up under it that night as I see it has been quite chilly there...

I used wool which isn't wool so the rug can be machine washed over and over...

and I live on a ''sheep station'' a breeder of wool hahahaha...

In The Kitchen...

 Yesterday it was so chilly in the morning that I decided to do some baking 

to warm the kitchen up and myself...

first off some 

Sticky Date... 

I did muffin size so I could freeze them and bring them out as needed... 

and these are so yummy especially with the sauce!!!

Icky Sticky Pudding

2 tsp bicarb-soda

1 tsp vanilla

400g self raising flour

4 eggs lightly beaten

500 ml water

120g diced butter

340g brown sugar

340g chopped dates

In a saucepan add chopped dates, bicarb and water then boil until dates are soft. While still warm add butter and brown sugar. Stir until melted and dissolved, leave to cool. Add lightly beaten eggs, sifted flour and vanilla, beat well. Grease and flour a 24cm tin, pour mixture into tin. Bake in a moderately slow oven 140* for 1 hour. Serve warm with Hot Toffee Sauce

Hot Toffee Sauce

200ml thickened cream

dash vanilla

400g brown sugar

250g chopped butter

Dissolve butter and sugar in a small saucepan, add cream and vanilla and gently bring to a simmer.

Note... this makes a huge cake I usually half the recipe but keep the sauce at the same measurements..

 

I also made Choc Chip Cookies...

 to fill this

this recipe makes about 100 cookies...

Choc Chip Cookies

500g chopped butter at room temp

1/4 cup caster sugar

400g tin condensed milk

5 cups self raising flour

3 packets choc chips... 1 white 1 milk 1 dark

Beat butter, sugar and condensed milk until light. Add the flour one cup at a time... add the 3 packets of choc chips... Set oven at 150*... place heaped spoon on a greased tray and lightly press with a fork... when lightly browned remove from oven loosen and allow to cool..

I also made this 

Five Minute Orange Cake

1 navel orange
175g butter at room temp
3 eggs
1 cup caster sugar
2 cups self raising flour
double cream to serve

Grease and line your cake tin.
Cut unpeeled (top and tailed) orange into 1/4's and place in food processor... process until chopped. Add butter, eggs, sugar and flour process until well combined.
Spread into cake tin and cook in 180c for about 45 minutes or until cooked when tested.

 

and wow my kitchen was busy/messy

and look at this

this is hubby's ''tea cup'' that he uses all day while he is out working around the station... it is so YUCK and he wont let me bleach it eeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwww

in the afternoon I was working on these

I am doing a row by row with another group and I have got slightly behind so I am playing catch up before the next theme comes out in a couple of days...

these are the 2nd and 3rd rows... flowers and nursery rhymes...

once I have finished sewing them I will show you a better photo..

Catchin' Up....

Before I rushed to Perth for my son's emergency surgery I was catching up on a few swaps... one was my

Santa Sack Swap organised by the gorgeous kind hearted Cheryll .... 

she is turning out to be the "Swap Mama" hahahahaha...

with this swap you make a sack and you add two presents wrapped and send this off to your partner on the 

1st July and there after on the first of each month you send two more wrapped presents for six months and along with the last presents you send a larger or more substantial present... each present should be under $10 and can be bought or handmade...

this is the ''sack'' I have made

my partner Michelle asked if I would mind if she made a ''tote'' instead of a sack... 

and I thought what a great idea... so I have done the same for her...

the pattern is in  Australian Country Threads Vol 9 No 1... I did make a couple of changes...

and these are the first pressies to go into it...

Michelle likes shabby and vintage and teddy bears and roses... oh and tea parties...

I have also caught up with my Birdie Stitches Bom

 and the next block in ready to start stitchin'

RAK's

My RAK has been received by Vanessa over here

and I think she liked it....

I am home now and my son is ok and has this week off work also and his sister and her partner have been so good to him and I while staying with them... thank you...

now back to my sewing and sorting crap out for the tip and OP shop

hahahahahaha

No Sewing Happening......

Had an emergency rush to Perth... last months birthday boy had emergency surgery to have his appendix removed on Monday night...

so I am in Perth for a week or so...

he was very lucky as a ''trainee doc'' said he was ok and and could go home... so we turned around and headed back home then we get a call that a head surgeon just saw him and said it was his appendix and they were coming out now... lucky as they weren't very nice when he went in...

he is now out as they need the bed hahaha

Luv T xxx