Love that Postman

I received two parcels today. The first was some more yardage of Pat Sloan's new range so I had enough for borders and bits and pieces. The other parcel was a kit from Pat of her new pattern Ocean Breeze. Don't you just love the border fabric.

I also have been working the next block of Seasons by Gail Pan. I have nearly finished the stitchery on the first block and will post a picture when it is done but here is the second block with the sewing almost complete.

Dinner with the Girls

Had a lovely dinner with the Girls last night at the local Greek Restaurant which is situated on the beach at Henley. It is really nice on a warm summer's night but we have had a bit of cool weather (but still no rain) lately and we ended up inside.

I have been spending up a storm this week. Last week the washing machine gave up so on Saturday we got delivery of a new one and yesterday I caved and went and bought a dishwasher which we have done without for quite a number of years but as I am trying to return to work I thought we could probably do with one as I spend most of my time at home trying to avoid doing the dishes (at the moment I am avoiding doing the ironing).

Been to a job interview and testing at a recruitment agency this week and get to meet the client that on Friday for a 3 morning a week job which sounds ok. Also had Phyc test for another job and if I pass that will get to have and interview next week for that one (hopefully the 3 day will be settled by then). I must say I am getting sick of the interviews and tests. Well better get to that ironing.....

My New Toy has Arrive

Here is my big birthday present, a little late but it is lovely and hopefully my photography will improve now and I will able to put brilliant photos up on the blog instead of some of the wobbly ones that have been my norm. At least I can just point and shoot and get a good photograph until I learn all the technical mumbo jumbo.
Have booked into a SLR Course at WEA so should get to know a bit more of the basic and then see from there. It came with brochures of other lenses that do wonderful things and I looked them up and they cost more than the camera so I don't think I will be forking out for those in the near future, not unless I get a really good job.

New Magazine and Ephemera

I had to go to town today and had a wonder through Borders and of course had a look at the craft magazines. They have lots of overseas mags that you don't usually find in ordinary newsagents. I found a mix media mag which I am going to have to save up and subscribe to because it is really fabulous with lots of eye candy and great inspiration it is Somerset Studio and of course there are lots of offshoot publications that you just have to have. This issue has an article on Sally Jean Alexander and her soldered pendants and charms are to die for but she won't ship overseas so will just have to work out how to solder the pendants myself. I have ordered her book Pretty Little Things from Amazon.

I nearly have everything I need just need to acquire a soldering iron and some flux. Received my Silver Lead Free Solder from the US the other day. I didn't go for the Silvergleem as I figure I need to practice a bit first on technique before I fork out for the expensive stuff.

I didn't get the job I had an interview for the other day, it was down to 2 candidates and they felt that as I only work 4 hours a week the stretch to 30 would be too much, actually I felt the stretch of having to learn CAD was the sticking point. But I applied for another job this morning and they rang me this afternoon to see if I would come in for an interview next week. This one is 3 mornings a week in a 1 person office and it is working in the Insurance industry which I have done before.

Jane Austen Tragic

Take the Quiz here!

Yes You are Elinor Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility! You are practical, circumspect, and discreet. Though you are tremendously sensible and allow your head to rule, you have a deep, emotional side that few people often see.

I admit it I am a Jane Austen tragic, found this quiz on Sunday. Was hoping that I would be Anne Elliot because Persuassion is my favourite of the Jane Austen works but Elinor is equally respectable.

Off to another interview today. It is 5 days a week but only during school hours and it is 5 minutes down the road literally. After my near miss the other week with a 2 day a week job I am not feeling optimistic about this job and if I get it won't believe it until I have been in it a fortnight and have my first pay cheque.>

Love the Post

Had two large parcels arrive on Friday. One from Christina's Craft with some glass bits and pieces to use for some soldered pendants I intend to make but the other was Pat Sloan's new range Nikki which I think is her best yet (I think I have said that every year) but this one is special it is so bright and fresh.

This week I also got a kit from WishWare Beads and made this charm bracelet. It featured in December issue of Australian Beading.

PhotoShop Elements

Here are some more pressies, my husband was listening after all when I hinted ooooh I love that. Don't you love the fabric postcard from my friend Kay she does such beautiful work.

Got myself Photoshop Elements the other week and have been playing a little bit (nothing that I will post on here for a while). I like the look of some scrapbooking but don't think I can get with the paper thing, though some of the papers look as good as fabric. Even with my collage it is always going to be fabric and not the paper I think it is a tactile thing more than anything with me I have to be able to see and feel texture. But back to Photoshop Elements you can do digital scrapbooking and because I quite like fiddling with software and I like the look of the scrapbooking I thought it might be fun to have a go. A couple of weeks ago I bought what I thought was a paper bundle online with a few images and things and it turned out to be digital images which I was a bit cross at first but now it is ok because I am going to be able to use them. It is going to be a big learning curve though but I am sure it will work out in the end just waiting for adobe to send a training cd which should push my learning on a bit.

Happy Birthday to Me Happy Birthday to Me

I turn 40 today in case you didn't know. Through the Passion 4 Primitive forum I am a member of I am in a birthday swap and here are all the lovely pressies I received. Most of them arrived yesterday and the poor postie had them all piled up and he managed not to drop one.

I went and did a little retail therepy this morning and got myself a new phone because my old one was running out of battery life and lasting only a day or two on charge and even less if I actually talk on it lol. My Dad dropped in and gave me a lovely watch and my sister sent me a recipe book.

Had lunch down at a local cafe on the beach with a girlfriend which was just devine.

I am going to get a Canon 40D but there is a bit of a hold up so my husband bought me a piece of Murano Glass Jewellery today.

One More Sleep

One more sleep and I move into decade no 4. I was think this morning this was the age my mother would never admit to. She was 39 until she died at 49 (and she use to get away with it lol), she would have hated having to say she was 50 anyway and probably would have said she was 49 well into her 60's. I don't really feel any different than I did when I was in my 20's though I am probably more confident and there are few more aches and pains now. But I don't think I will ever not admit to how old I am because it doesn't bother me.

Yesterday I did my first class at Hetties Patch fabulous workshop area and the bag was really fun to make. Might have to go shopping to make another bigger one for the Loxton trip which Gail assures me it isn't too early to count sleeps.

Got a delivery today that I have been waiting for from Wish Ware Beads, it is a bead kit in blue for a charm bracelet from one of the beading magazines. I am pretty sure I have the magazine somewhere might have to get out the pliers tonight and put it together

My Birthday Month

It's my birthday next week and it is one of those with a 0 on the end. My husband has been at me for at least 6 months to decide what to do and here it is a week away (well less than that) and I haven't decided. I tend to take life in chunks and gear up for an event and try not to think about the next thing until that goes away and as it was all about my daughter's birthday up until last weekend now I can think about mine.

I have decided that I will treat myself for the whole month. I have been doing a little bit of shopping just for me and my big pressie (canon slr) is in the works. I don't feel like having a big bash but might just go to dinner or something in the next week or so. As my birthday is very close to Valentine sometimes the restaurants can be bit busy who knows I think I will just play it by ear as they say. Dinner with the girls will be at the end of the month to cap it all off.

On the job front ugghhh I had two interviews yesterday for an absolutely perfect job and the Agency consultant said I had it in the bag but and the client was really impressed with me and said that unless the next candidate blew her away. Unfortunately she did so I missed out, she had done in medical research before and the client went for her. Oh well at least it was a great boost for my confidence and I did great on all their testing. Better luck next time.

UGHHHHH Speeding Fine

Got a letter this afternoon couldn't work out what it was from the envelope as I wasn't expecting anything and it was a speeding fine. I remember going through it but I thought I had slowed down in time. It was one of those wide streets that a lot of the time are 60 but I didn't see the remember sign until it was to late so I was doing 59 in a 50 zone. My last fine was about 15 years ago which was in Unley which has 40km zones here and there and I missed the sign ugghhhh.

Now that the kids are back at school I am on the job hunt. I think I applied for about 10 jobs on the weekend and got phone calls about 3 of them. I have an interview this afternoon but I think the travel distance might be a bit much to get me home in time to pick up the kids and it is 5 days a week. I got another phone message and I really mad that I missed it because it is the job I was hoping to have a chance at. It is 2 days a week and is project administration which is what I love to do. I am waiting for them to return my call. It is immediate start which is good because I need to earn some money to pay the speeding fine lol.

Birthday Disaster

My daughter came home yesterday from school and was desperate to help mum with the cooking for her party today. So even though she was really tired I let her. All was going well until I removed the oven themometer which was in the way of the cooking tray's and I was juggling two trays and she whipped round behind me and grabbed the hot themometer. Luckily she dropped in quick smart but the damage was already done. So we ran it under cold running water for quite sometime then I let her have a nice bowl of water for a while but an hour and half later she was still screaming. By this time it was almost time to pick up my son from school so I had to get my MIL to look after her rush to the chemist and they gave me some anticeptic cream with a local in it. Instant relief. This morning she has a large blisters on each of her thumb, index and middle finger but they don't seem to be bothering her too much.







Well the 5th birthday party went off without a hitch the entertainment were great (Groovy Chicks and PirateShips) who did a fairy themed party. So all I had to do is feed them at the beginning and hand out the cake at the end. The cake is from the Crabapple Cupcake Bakery cookbook which I bought a couple of weeks ago there are lots and lots of lovely cakes and plenty of hints to make the perfect cupcake and a few layer cakes as well. I had to make mini cupcakes because the usual size are just too big for littlies and all the end up eating is the icing.