Just Popping In!

Here I am, just popping in quickly for a little update ... Chookyblue will be pleasantly surprised and shocked! :0) Have had a bit of a "BLAH!" week, but thanks to a good belly laugh over an email Toni sent me, I'm feeling a bit more my usual self. I won't share it, as it really was one of those "you had to be there" moments (and quite frankly, you'll probably think I've completely lost the plot and call the men in white coats!!), but it came at just the right time. Isn't it great to have bloggy buddies to cheer us up when we're a bit blue?!

OK ... so, due to feeling "BLAH!", I haven't done much stitching this week. I did however, get "Moon Dance" back from the lovely quilting genius, Rosalie ... who still managed to quilt it beautifully for me even though she's handicapped with a very sore arm at the moment - thaks Rosalie and hope your arm is on the mend soon! I'll sew the binding on this weekend and hopefully be back next week with a photo of the finished cot quilt to share.

I have made a little bit of progress on my French-inspired quilt and also hope to get more of it stitched this weekend, so thought I'd tease you with another sneaky peek. Ready??

Are you starting to get any ideas about my new quilt design-in-progress??? I'm enjoying stitching it and can't wait til I have a bit more of it to show you.

As promised ... that's it ... short and sweet! And now ... I'm off to have a cup of tea and contemplate which lot of stitching to tackle first. Hope you're looking forward to a stitchy weekend! :0) Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

Peas, Painting & A Peek!

We've just enjoyed a long weekend here in most parts of Australia to celebrate the Queen's Birthday ... which is a bit silly, cos I seem to recall reading somewhere that it isn't REALLY her birthday weekend! Could this be right?!?! Who knows ... I got an extra sleep-in during icky cold weather, so if that's what it takes ... Happy Birthday Liz! :0)

So ... what did we get up to here at the Meares' Madhouse over the three day weekend ... besides try to stay warm! The temps took their first dip to zero for this winter here on top of the 'hill' and there was a gale force wind blowing off the Antarctic for most of it, so we spent a LOT of time in the lounge room, snuggled up to the heater! We really are hot weather creatures who don't enjoy winter ... I bet you're sensing that, right?! Tee! Hee! Hee!

As well as climbing the family tree, as I mentioned last post, I did quite a lot of stitching on my new design-in-progress, which was great. Remember I showed you this photo ...

Well ... keep that in mind when I share this little peek at the new quilt design I'm working on ...

I have to tell you, this stitchery isn't in it's final spot or displayed as it will be in the finished quilt, but it will give you a bit more of a hint to the theme of my quilt. Parlez-vou Français? Please pardon my terrible accent! But I have a really good excuse ... I only studied French for half a year in year 8 ... and our teacher had a lisp! It was really hard to tell what was odd French pronunciation and what was her lisp! Tee! Hee! Hee! I promise to show some more peeks soon ... have to draw out the suspense, you know! :0)

Another job that got tackled this weekend was some painting. Do you remember me showing you this treasure a while ago, found at a garage sale when I was home in Mundubbera visiting my folks?

Now, before I show you what it looks like after it's make-over, I will warn any timber purists who are likely to faint, that they'd better look away now or brace themselves, cos they'll probably hunt me down!

Now it's RED!! This wasn't actually our original idea for it's new look, but it had been treated with oil somewhere along the track and wouldn't take the original finish we had in mind and we couldn't sand it back too much further without starting to run into issues, but I have to say I love it's new persona! It now houses the home theatre bits ... DVD player, set top box etc (which means the rest of the lounge room is a shambles as we rearrange everything!!) and it's a good spot to display some of my pretties. You can't see what's hiding on the white iron lace tray, so I'll give you a close up ...

A couple of my pretty and ever-growing collection of china tea cups, my GORGEOUS faux cupcakes from the clever Kerryanne (don't they just look good enough to eat!!) and a red dotty teapot that the lovely Lilly Linda found for me after I'd admired hers. And can you see a little furry face peeking out there? The Mad Hatter in "Alice In Wonderland" had the dormouse in the teapot, so I have a TEA-ddy bear! Tee! Hee! Hee! (Actually, the Mad Hatter's Tea Party reference is very apt this week ... but more about that later in the week!) And at the back you can see another of my Kerryanne collectibles ... I think I must be one of her best customers! Tee! Hee! Hee! Oh ... and please do ignore the spaghetti-bowl of leads and cords in the background there ... my Beloved Geek Boy is yet to hide them away in their appropriate spot. We'll see how long we can manage to keep this looking tidy and decorative before we dump 'stuff' on it ... although ... if you peer into the background of the first photo, you'll see the previously re-vamped white hutch in the background has been kept tidy and uncluttered ... probably a record in our household of two untidy, always-in-a-hurry people who dump 'stuff' on any flat surface on the way past! :0)

Okey Doke ... the last "P" for this post is ... well ... PEAS! And the progress thereof. Yesterday was Monday and time for a vege garden progress snapshot. Here we are at week six of growing ...

Everything is scooting along nicely. Even the marigolds are co-operating and have buds on them - there'll soon be a bit more colour in this corner of the garden. Here's a side view to show you the peas travelling up the trellis ...

Oops! And a glimpse in the background of the old clothesline that is yet to make it's way to the tip. Yes ... it HAS been mentioned to GB, but I'm still waiting ...!!!

I think that's about all my news for now, so I shall sign off and go and put the kettle on, I think. It's not quite as cold today, but that wind is whistling around my ears every time I step outside again ... one step out the door and my hair goes flying and I look like a chubby Dandelion ... NOT my best look, I can tell you!!! Counting down to our upcoming beach break ... five weeks and a couple of days to go ... not that we're counting! :0) MUCH!! Hope you're warm and cosy whatever you're up to today (or cool and cosy for those in the northern hemisphere!) Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!
CHEERS!
KRIS

Climbing The Family Tree!

That's what my Beloved Geek Boy and I have been doing today. Have you ever tried to trace your family tree? I love to find out who came before me, the links, the tangles, the stories ... the family history. Once upon a time, this would have been handed down from one generation to the next as stories. You know ... "Your great, great, great grandfather Ferdinand had too much to drink one night and bet a mate he could swim the English Channel. He lost the bet, your great, great, great Grandmother remarried and moved to Scotland." :0) I suppose, too, that in that same once upon a time, family members really didn't settle too far from the rest of their family group, or in the case of my very Scottish family, clan. Now that the world is a smaller place thanks to improved transport, most of our families scatter to the four winds and those family stories and lineages aren't passed on by word of mouth and it isn't until someone is keen enough to tackle some research, that the family tree branches begin to grow.

GB started to track both our family trees about 10 years ago, but the information superhighway was still being paved and little information was available unless you did a lot of legwork. After his Aunty Annette phoned with a little bit of information she had dug up and re-infected him with the family tree bug, GB has been climbing all over the family trees again ... and it is SOOOOOOO interesting!

As well as the KNOWN ...

Charles William Kippen (my Pop)

Muriel Isobel Kippen - nee. Swan (my Nan)

James Menzies Kippen and William Ronald Kippen

(My uncle Jim who drowned at age 19 after suffering a huge heart attack while swimming in a race across a dam during a Scout camp, and my Dad)

Russell, Gregory, Kerry and Beverley Anne Paten

(My Mum on the right and her siblings)

And we also found some of the UNKNOWN. In amongst some keepsakes I received when my Pop passed away, were two small photos that looked like they had been cut out to put into a locket or something similar, complete with glass circles to protect them ...

This one is a bit damaged and has a crease in it, but don't you just love the floofy hair and the big hat! :0) And I'm seeing the same chipmunk cheeks that I look at each day (and curse!!) in the mirror, so I'm guessing she's a great, great aunty or something similar. Then there's this handsome chap ...

Take away the moustache and it could be my brother Paul!! Bit scary, really!! In fact, the family resemblance in so many of the photos was a bit disconcerting. I realise I take after my Dad's side of the family, but to see my own facial features in literally generations of family members is a bit strange ... but also comforting, I guess, as I see where I've come from and that I belong.

And my Beloved GB has managed to ferret out some really interesting links, too. I've always known Dad's family with the Kippen, Menzies, Duncan and McLean branches were very Scottish, but Scott has since discovered a few more Scottish links, like McDonald, Campbell and McGregor. If you scratch me, I think I'll bleed tartan! :0) Apparently, the Kippens 'hid' the McGregors when they were declared outlaws in Scotland after numerous rebellions and run-ins with the English. Oh dear ... I think I'm now seeing where my rebellion against authority comes from! Tee! Hee! Hee!

While GB has been researching and recording (something my non-linear logic cannot cope with at all!!!) I've been going through some of the old family photos and scanning them in to add to the digital family tree. So, although we may not have had the stories of our families handed down by word of mouth and we're having to go searching for them, it's nice to know that technology will allow us to keep permanent records of what we find, making the stories once more accessible, making a nice circle.

The only drawback to this interesting pastime is that it is VERY time consuming ... and addictive! :0) Somehow, the day has whizzed by and I have only crossed a couple of the chores off my list. Oh dear! Ah well ... tomorrow is another day and since it's a three day long weekend, I guess the list will just overflow and still be waiting when I get around to it! :0)

Whatever you're up to this weekend, I hope you're enjoying it and managing to spend some time with the people you love. Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!
CHEERS!
KRIS

More Deliveries & Vege Update!

I really have been meaning to post since Friday ... but somehow, 'stuff' kept happening, I got sidetracked, someone called, there was something on TV, the heater was in the other room and it was COLD ... and it's somehow been five days since I last posted ... SIGH! Ah well ... I'm here now, and since I have a bit to share, perhaps you'll want to go grab a cuppa before we get started ... off you go ... I'll wait! :0)

Waiting ...

Waiting ...

Waiting ...

OK ... if you're not back by now, you'll just have to catch up! :0) Let's see ... I told you about the 'special' delivery of my new nephew (notice it's MY new nephew, not my brother's new son! Tee! Hee! Hee!) on Thursday. Well, Friday saw me come home from errand running to find my postie had made a delivery. Ooooohh!! How exciting!! It was from the lovely Peg and inside I found ...

A brown-paper wrapped parcel and a gorgeous card produced by the clever Chookyblue. Inside I found ...

A GORGEOUS runner!!! Oh how WONDERFUL!!! I've seen so many fabulous photos of a plethora of table runners on Peg's blog ... she's the table runner QUEEN! :0) And now she's sent one to live at MY house!! Oh ... and some cute little choccies, too ... which have mysterious diappeared! :0) The back of the runner looked almost as good as the front ...

See?! And I've already foud the perfect spot to show it off ...

... In the guest bedroom, showing off my pretty wire tray and felt cupcake collection that I've bought or been given by the Lovely Lilly Linda. Thank you SOOOOOOOOOO much, Peg! I LOVE this beautiful belated birthday gift! Oh yeah ... I have got to be one of the most SPOILT birthday girls in Australia!

Now, I'd barely finished arranging my lovely gift from Peg, than the parcel van pulled up in front of my place ... WHAT THE?!?! Hadn't he already been?? Apparently he either forgot or the normal postie delivered the first, cos he DEFINITELY had a package for me, which he delivered in his usual 'delicate' way ... KUTHUMP!! And the parcel was ... my order from the Fat Quarter Shop. I had previously been strong and not ordered anything from this fun on-line shop despite a lot of time spent drooling, but I finally succumbed to temptation! :0)  Inside ...

... some charm packs and yardage from Moda's Rural Jardine range. Now, when I first started to see fabrics from this range, I have to say, I didn't really get excited, after all, there was no GREEN!! :0) However, whilst browsing the FQS site, I had a lightbulb moment for a new quilt design using these fabrics ... hence the purchase! :0) Don't they look so GAWJUS as my blogging buddy Joy would say, all packed up in their little packets ...

... but I just HAD to take them out and play with them a little! Tee! Hee! Hee! Then ... I played with them a little MORE ...

This colour range really is out of my usual comfort zone, but I have to say, I'm really having fun playing with it. I won't let my new design out of the bag just yet, but let's just say that I've been inspired by the country of origin of this range's name! :0) Will keep you in suspense for a little while, now ... you can entertain yourselves (and me!) by trying to guess!

And since yesterday was Monday, it was vege garden photo record day and this is what my vege patch looks like after 5weeks growing ...

The snowpeas are now reaching up to the third wire on the trellis, the beans are filling out, the carrots are starting to develop their ... well ... carrots and although you can't see them in the photo, the cauliflowers are growing quite tall. It's fun to watch my garden growing ... can't wait to taste all those yummy fresh veges! :0)

And now ... I'm off to cook something for dinner. Hope you're having a great start to your week. Til next time ..

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

It's A BOY!!

I've been telling you all for a while now that my brother Paul and his wife Ella were expecting their first baby ... hence the "Moon Dance" baby quilt design. Well ... I received a text message tonight to say that I'm an Aunty!!

James Kevin Kippen ...

... was born at 4:07pm Northern Territory time (4:37pm EST) and weighed in at a healthy 3.74kg, which the proud Grandma tells me is just over 8lb ... BIG healthy baby boy! :0) James is a family name for our side of the family and Kevin is Ella's Dad's name - what a lovely family legacy.

The report from the somewhat shell-shocked new Dad is that the James is pink and wrinkly ... and has ten fingers and ten toes! Tee! Hee! Hee! The important things to report from a 'boy's' perspective! :0) There are 8 nephews and three nieces on my Beloved Geek Boy's side of the family, but this is the first for my side, so all a bit exciting ... though it's another birthday I have to rememebr! Oh dear! :0)

Well ... I'm off to have a celebratory cup of tea ... just thought I'd let you all know that that baby quilt is going to be needed as soon as I can get it bound after Rosalie has worked her quilting magic! :0) May all your news today be good news, too! :0) Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

(Blue for boys ... of course! Tee! Hee! Hee!)
CHEERS!
KRIS