How I Spent My Easter!

Here I am! It's been almost a week since I posted and what a difference a week can make! After being unwell for a week, busy with party preparations for a week, having visitors and getting over the party ... we at the Meares' Madhouse were REALLY looking forward to the four-day Easter weekend. Not because we had something special planned or were going somewhere ... in fact ... quite the OPPOSITE! As Toni said ... we hauled in the drawbridge, set loose the dragons to guard the moat ... and pretended we weren't at home! Four whole days with nowhere to go, no commitments to keep, no alarm to wake us up in the morning ... AAAAAHHH!!! BLISS!!! :0)

Now, don't get me wrong ... the four days of BLISS also equated to a very productive weekend around here! This is how my Beloved Geek Boy spent HIS long weekend ...

He and his laptop were like Siamese twins for the four days as he put in some quality time programming some software. (Yes ... he really IS a GEEK, but he's so darn CUTE that I keep him! Not to mention he's REALLY handy to have around when the computer chucks a fit! Tee! Hee! Hee!) And since he spent some time on the front verandah, I can't say he didn't go 'outside'. :0)

And how did I spend MY four days of blissful homebody-ness?!?! In between trips to the laundry and clothes line to catch up on the Mount Everest of dirty washing in the bathroom (SIX loads!! EEK!) I played in my sewing room - YAY! I finished off a Secret Squirrel project ... can't show you that but I WILL tease you with a sneaky peek ...

Hmmmm ... what's this mischievous little teddy up to do you suppose?? And WHY does he have some MISTLETOE on the end of a stick??? You'll have to wait a while to find out, but I promise to share as soon as I can! :0) I also did a bit more of this ...

More mini-blocks for block 2 of my "Butterfly Garden" by Leanne Beasley - almost ready to put the nine mini blocks together to form block 2, will let you know when it's done. In between washing and stitching, I also treated myself to ...

... Lavender Tea, courtesy of Rebecca at Sweet Memories Lavender Farm. You all know I'm a BIG fan of lavender tea and it's rather hard to get, so a while ago when I saw Peg's post on trying some of Rebecca's Lavender Biscuits ... I decided to contact her to see if she also had Lavender Tea in her list of products. Serendipitously (how's THAT for a triple-word score! Tee! Hee! Hee!) Rebecca was just in the midst of putting together some packages of lavender tea to add to her on-line shop and generously sent me a sachet to try out. Do you see that cute card in the photo? Well, inside you'll find ...

... a sealed packet of lavender tea for your teapot (I use my cute little single serve pot with the built-in strainer - perfect!), along with instructions on how to brew it up. How CUTE is this packaging!! And a great idea to give someone as a gift - maybe pop the card in with a pretty cup or just by itself to let someone know you're thinking of them. Rebecca told me she will also be selling the lavender tea in larger packets once she works out packaging etc, and since it was a wonderfully refreshing brew, you get bet your bippy that orders will be sent off from the Meares' Madhouse to Sweet Memories Lavender Farm fairly often! :0) If you haven't tried lavender tea, I'd certainly recommend it. The lavender in Rebecca's mix is just the right balance - you can enjoy the flavour of a high quality black leaf tea with the soothing, refreshing overtones of lavender. It's not at all overpowering and perfect to enjoy during some 'feet-up' time with your favourite craft mag ... and perhaps a white Tim Tam! Tee! Hee! Hee! Rebecca has lots of great lavender products in her on-line store, so pop across and say G'day to check it out.

Now, I also spent some time during my home-iday (that's the holiday you take at home!) working on a project that I really didn't count on tackling this year ... but I got talked into it! OK ... so perhaps Peg and Chookyblue didn't have to twist my arm TOO much to get me to join in, as it is a project I'd been 'meaning-to-do' for a few years now. Let me explain ...

You see, Peg, Chookyblue and their friend Dale spent a weekend stitching with clever Aussie designer Anni Downs recently ... which reminded them that they ALL had Anni's book "A Gardener's Journal" tucked away in their sewing cupboards gathering dust ... but none of them had made much of a dent in this project. So ... they challenged each other to tackle it as a stitch-a-long project, aiming to all complete a specified block each month over the next year so they would all get it finished. Now, once they mentioned what they were up to, a LOT more of us decided that we too were hoarding this lovely book without actually doing much with it ... and so,

 "A Gardener's Journal" Stitch-A-Long was born! There are over 40 of us joining in the fun now and Chookyblue has set up a separate blog so we can all share our progress. At the start of each month (starting in April) a block of the quilt will be chosen to tackle and everyone can encourage each other and be spurred on by each other's progress. After signing up, I DID do a little bit of a panic wondering HOW on earth I was going to fit another project into the already packed stitching list, but I decided it would be a good way to ensure I do a bit of stitching for ME each month, so, rocks in my head or not ... I'M IN! :0) If you'd like to see what the other people with rocks in their head who have joined are up to, pop across to the Stitch-A-Long blog for a peek. This is the progress on my first stitchery so far ...

This stitchery is "Birdbath" ... oddly enough! :0) The other stitchery for this month's block, which will also have some patchwork/piecing to bring it all together, is "Watering The Garden" and I traced it off over the weekend so I can go straight onto it once I'm finished giving the birdies a bath. :0) If you'd like to join the madness fun of being part of the Gardeners Journal Stitch-A-Long, pop over to the original post on the blog to read all about it.

Right now, though, I think I'm off to have another cup of Rebecca's lovely Lavender Tea. I hope your Easter was as relaxing and refreshing as ours ... whether you went away or stayed home for a 'home-iday' too! :0) Oh ... If you haven't already caught up, Peg has posted the March end-of-month winners for OPAM, so hop across to check out the lucky-duckies. Thanks Peg! :0) I really do hear the kettle calling, so, til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS