Easter Blessings & OPAM!!

He is risen!!

Happy Easter to you all!! Easter has been a bit different for us this year ... it's our first Easter in our new house and we have been feeling truly blessed to be home and enjoying it quietly. You see, Toowoomba hosts a HUGE gospel music festival in it's main park ... which we used to live just four blocks away from!! ... which meant Easter was usually rather NOISY for us with sound carrying from the festival and much increased levels of traffic in our neighbourhood ... NOT usually a particularly restful time for us.

This year ... AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!! Smell the serenity! :0) We've pottered around in the garden, caught up with Mum and Dad who are back with us after a couple of weeks tripping around to catch up with family and friends, we finally got to attend one of the local Easter events (a few pics to share next time!) and in general ... we have kicked-back, relaxed and enjoyed the peace and quiet of our new home. Whenever we have a quiet period at home to enjoy listening to the wind in the big trees in our yard, watch the many varieties of birds flitting about our garden and this weekend at least, listening to the pitter-pat of rain on the roof ... we feel truly BLESSED! :0)

Now, just because I've been getting my hands dirty in the garden doesn't mean I haven't been sewing ... I've actually done quite a LOT of hand stitching ... but it's some Secret Squirrel stitching to help out my fellow designer Toni Alexander of the Red Boot Quilt Co. who has a looming deadline for her first book (HOW EXCITING!!!!) and it is SO Secret Squirrel that I can't even give you a sneaky peeky! But ... I promise to tell you when Toni's book is published cos if you love gorgeous, cheerful, quirky, fun appliqué projects, you are DEFINITELY going to want to buy her book! I've seen sneaky peekies of lots of her projects and I am SWOONING at all the cuteness! :0) Hmmm .... since I can't show you sneaky peekies of the sewing I'm working on, what about a sweet display I've enjoyed recently in our living area ...

My sweet white iron table and chair set is dressed in my favourite embroidered tablecloth and displaying a GORGEOUS dotty jug I bought with a Christmas voucher, along with some BEAUTIFUL roses ... don't' you love that green/dusty pink combo? There ... a little bit of eye candy to make up for no sewing sneaky peekies :0) Am I forgiven now? Tee! Hee! Hee!

So ... no more finishes for me to add to my OPAM tally, but I HAVE been joining my GORGEOUS Partner-In-Crime Sweet Peg for some blog-hopping to collect OPAM finishes from our participants who forgot to email their tallies through for March. WOW! There's been a lot of stitching going on in blogland! :0) It's Sweet Peg's turn to do the prize draw in the next few days, so stay tuned! REMEMBER ... Sweet Peg and I take it month about to do the prize draw, so you need to make sure you pop into BOTH of our blogs to see if you're one of the winners ... as well as to catch up on our exciting adventures, of course! Tee! Hee! Hee!

And speaking of exciting adventures ... I'm off to make myself a cup of tea to sip as I amble around my peaceful garden to see how my new plantings are settling in ... I really must take a few photos to share with you what I've been pottering with in my garden. So what has everyone else been up to for Easter? Have you had a quiet one or have you had a jam-packed, adventure-filled Easter?? Well ... whatever you've been up to, I hope there's been a bit of time to reflect on the reason for our long weekend ... a cross and a tomb that didn't stay occupied and the hope that that empty cross and tombs gives us. :0) Til next time ...

BUNNY BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS