Favourite Things Friday

Did you like me use Google Reader to keep up with your list of blogs, I lamented its demise and quickly went about searching for a replacement.  I found Google reader a bit weird at times on the ipad/iphone but liked using it on the computer it was easy to get all  my reading done quickly but I probably didn't realise how much it customised what blog feeds it was putting up until I found my Favourite thing this week.

See the problem with google reader is that it pushed those blogs that you read often to the front page, which is ok you can just go down the side bar and select the blogs you want to read but I have a lot of blogs that I like to read and well if have missed out on quite a few over the months.  There is also those bloggers that only put a summary of their blog on the feed so you don't get to see all the feed unless you get out of reader to read the blog.

So back to the search.... Google gave a couple of products to try basically I found they were crap for reading blogs they were more for news reading the various American News services,  sorry just not interested and I couldn't work out how just to get to the blogs it was just to flashy for little old me.... and I am not a technophobe and embrace most new technology with gay abandon.  So the search continued and then Janelle's daughter put up a blog post about the blog reader she used and I thought I would give it a go how bad could it be.  So I gave Bloglovin

Got to say I love it.  I have found old blogs that I had forgotten about, even those pesky bloggers that only give you a sample are catered for.  Each blog entry gives a summary and you just click on it to go to the actual blog not just the blog post so you get the full blog experience.  You can make a comment and then when you close the window you pop straight back into bloglovin and that feed is marked as read.

The main blogs in the summary feed are the most recent blog posts not ones that you have read recently so I have rediscovered quite a few gems that I had forgotten about.  And the import of my google reader went really smoothly and it was all set up so quickly and I have just loved it from the first.

So that is my favourite thing friday this week.  Head on over to Mrs P to find out what everyone else's favourite is this week... though she might be having a lye in this morning.  

15 minute challenge

My back has improved quite a bit, once I get moving in the morning I am relatively pain free now so I have been able to start sewing again.  This week I have managed to work out the background fabric to use for the starburst blocks and I started some crochet after seeing some yummy balls of wool from the Bendigo Woollen Mill and I remembered that I have a stash in cupboard.

The kids were sick all weekend Maestro is still home from school but he managed to keep it together for his interview at the highschool on Monday and fell into a big heap on Monday afternoon.  We were really impressed with how he handled the interview so fingers crossed he gets into the program.

We have signed on the dotted line for the Kitchen reno and the final measurements have been taken so we will have a new kitchen in 4 - 6 weeks time.

So down the run down.

Wednesday - nothing
Thursday - nothing
Friday - nothing fabric shopping
Saturday - Starburst block
Sunday - Starburst block/crochet
Monday - crochet
Tuesday - crochet

Head to Kate's to see who met the challenge this week.

Favourite Thing Friday

I got my favourite thing this week this afternoon.  I have had a very quick flick through and I need to sit down and have a thorough read this evening.  The boys will be heading out to the footy so it should be pretty quiet around here might have to get Squid a DVD so I will be left in peace.

My Favourite Thing is Apronology a Somerset Studio Publication.  As you can tell from the title it is about Aprons (Aprons with Attitude).  There are no patterns just kind of written instructions about how the designer did his/her thing, but that is probably a good thing because how many aprons can a girl have.  Here are a few pictures of some of the ones that caught my eye the first pass through.  There a quite a few of these layered ones throughout and a few more practical ones as well.


Apron's always remind me of my Nan, she always had her apron on(full fronted apron which crossed at the back at the neck and did up with a button) if she was in the kitchen or doing the housework.  I might have to design myself a few similar for when the new kitchen is installed and I feel more inclined to cook with and oven and cook top that I have a bit more control off.

I'm sure Mrs P has something suitably impressive for FTF this week so head their next.  ps. just read it and she does.

15 Minute Challenge

The challenge has been pretty challenging this last week.  The ear is better now finally but I have put my back out instead, yesterday and today I am just hobbling around so apart from fabric shopping today and a bit of stitching on Sunday sewing hasn't been happening there was also no study happening so I'm behind there too.

Saturday was the end of summer tennis (there is a little happy dance happening), Maestro's team was in the grand final which they won, though he lost his singles however they won their doubles and the other boys all won their singles so they carried the day.  They were playing the other team from their club so it didn't really matter who won Seaside would take out their division.

Saturday night was the tennis break up, and Squid took out the Best First Season Girl Player.  The head coach would like to start training her, so I will be looking for another days work to pay for it because we really can't afford it at the moment.  I think Maestro has decided to play Winter Tennis, Squid was looking forward to winter tennis (because you don't sweat) so the happy dancing will be short lived.

Maestro has got an interview for the program he is trying for at the local highschool, we all head there on Monday (yes we get interviewed as well).

I did a bit of online shopping a week or so ago and purchased some voiles to use as backing fabric for future quilt projects, they came today and they are beautiful, and I think they are going to have to go in the front of the quilt as well.  

Head on over to Kate's to see who has actually met the challenge this week.

15 Minute Challenge

Had a couple of no sew days this week, due dinner with the girls and ear ache which is still not quite under control, another trip to the Drs today to change medication hoping that that will see and end to it.

Its official I am over the heat sooooo over it.  Maestro had to go to his zoned highschool today for testing to get into a special program they run there, the forecast was 39 today its probably a record for March at least the school had good air-conditioning.  Its been 34 plus for well over a week and everyone you see is just so over the heat.  It will be 25 tomorrow that would be today because it has taken 2 days to write this post and it is so lovely and cool this morning, I opened the house up at 5am to let the fresh air blow in.

In other news I have a new supplier Maud's on the Hilltop at Robe, I have just posted a collection of my patterns to her.

So what progress has there been on the crafting front the week went like this.

Wednesday - nothing
Thursday - binding
Friday - nothing
Saturday - binding
Sunday - Starburst block/ wool appliqué
Monday - holiday Starburst block
Tuesday - nothing at all though I did buy some fabric.

So the week has not been so good on the crafting front, but hopefully that will pick up again.  I worked out that I haven't cut enough starburst blocks there should be 16 not the 12 that I have cut.... might just have to purchase some more fabric.

Head on over to Kate's to see who else met the challenge this week.

Favourite Things Friday

I know I am late for FTF this week.   I was laid low with an ear infection on Thursday night.  Luckily I was able to squeeze into the Dr's before work on Friday but I ended up coming home early from work because I just couldn't think straight with the pain no wonder kids are miserable when they have an ear infection. Yesterday I was still not 100% but today I am feeling much better.

So on to FTF.  One good thing that happened on Friday is we got our first electricity bill since having the solar panels fitted.  Every 3 months I would cringe when the AGL email came and find the $1000 at least to pay for the thing and this period with the peak summer tariff on top would have been worse.  However this time we were really excited to receive the bill so we could find out how long it will take to pay off the system.    Our bill was effectively only for 6 weeks because they didn't count the reading up till our new meter was fitted at the end of January.  But the bill was in credit.

We assume that we will have to pay for some electricity over winter this year as we haven't had enough summer sun to accumulate credits for winter however, at this rate the system will be paid off within 3 - 4 years.

We have a 9kw system spread over Nth and West facing sections of our roof which consists of 36 panels.  The majority of those are over our family room, none can be seen from the front of our house so we are lucky.  One the inverters makes a bit of noise when it is generating a lot of power but apart from that we have no other complaints and it has been money well spent.

My FTF is our Solar Panels.  Head over to Mrs P to check what everyone else is up to.

15 Minute Challenge

Things are ramping up @ Seabreeze I am glad I am not designing as well at the moment that would probably just pop me over the edge.

We had Tennis finals on Saturday, we weren't expecting Squids team to make the finals but they did and we only found out on Thursday, she wasn't psyched up for playing tennis but we talked her around.  Unfortunately her team didn't get through.  She played really well and it was one of those games that could have gone either way and the luck just wasn't on her side.  Maestro's Team went straight through to the Grand Final so we get a weeks break now.  We want him to cut back on one sport in Winter so I think Tennis is it, he will be playing football in the U14 this year which is a bit scary as he is pretty small compared to most of the kids on the team.

The kitchen reno is rolling on, hubby and I don't usually see eye to eye on colour choice but we have settled on door colours (my choice) bench tops (his choice) splash back slight compromise on my part.  He is balking at the cost of the cupboards but telling me to get the more expensive oven so I can't quite work him out.  Still waiting on hearing from Electrician and Plumber to get their quotes so we have a final scary figure.

Maestro is also getting braces soon (very reluctantly) and he is trying to get into a specialist program at the local High School next year which involves testing and interviews over the next few weeks.

So how did I do on the sewing front with all this action going on, pretty well actually.  I finished hand quilting my Soul Searching quilt, cut all my starburst blocks out and began piecing, did a mixed media piece and started the binding on Soul Searching.

Wednesday: hand quilting
Thursday: hand quilting
Friday: hand quilting
Saturday: hand quilting, star burst blocks
Sunday: star burst blocks, binding, Mixed Media
Monday: binding
Tuesday: binding and had a bit of a Nanna nap in the middle so I might not have got to 15 min (it was a really long day and I didn't sleep the night before very well thats my excuse and I am sticking to it)

Head on over to Kate's to see who else met the challenge.

Favourite Things Friday

I was going to start this post about 1/2 an hour ago but I decided to do a bit of fabric window shopping and have been toying with the idea of making a big fabric purchase, will have to wait for a bit though the CC has had a bit of a workout lately.

My favourite thing this week is my new digital scales.   I killed my previous version by flooding the bench tops a few weeks ago (one of the joys of our lovely kitchen). I have been doing Weight Watchers for a few weeks and have managed to lose about 8kg and it is all down to these wonderful things and my WW app on my phone.

These scales are much better than my old ones, these ones actually change from gms to ml and then imperial measurements.  They  weigh the bowl and then you can reset it so you can measure just the contents which I love.

The one week that I was without the scales I didn't lose a thing so they are helping me keep track of my portions.  The one thing I hated about WW in the past is having to go to the meetings I really can't stand doing that, so the new online version with the iphone app is ideal for me.  I still have a way to go quite a long way in fact but I am already feeling better about myself and I am fitting into clothes that I haven't worn for a while already.  I actually didn't lose any weight this week but I did lose about an 1inch all over so it was still a win.

Head on over to Mrs P to see what everyone's favourite is this week.