The Party's Over....

I have been a wee bit quiet lately and that is due partly to the fact that I needed to get the house and garden ready for our DD's Engagement Party.
There was plenty to do in the Back Garden.
DS#2 came out of his computer and up the trees - pruning saw in hand to open up the canopy and let some light onto the struggling plants underneath.

DD helped with the weeding, while DH swept and shredded and shifted 'stuff' that was way overdue for a trip to the tip -
When it was finished the garden looked a treat and ready for anything! (Considering it is still recovering from years of drought and water restrictions.)

- And, I got a LOT of maintenance done too.  ;-)

The Party was a hit and the next day I woke to 60 Helium Balloons hanging beautifully in the back room - looking somewhat like a giant Galileo's Thermometer.

And to try and work out what to do with the left over food - some of our guests didn't understand that "Bring a Plate" meant just that - to bring one plate of finger food to share.  So I ended up with enough food for THREE times the number of invited guests!

Then there was the traditional after party task of turning that beautiful fruit that had been the base of my Grandmother's Punch recipe......






....into
MARMALADE!

R is for.....

MAMMAL:  
R - is for Red Panda - this little fellow lives at Melbourne Zoo - I remember having a photo that I took many years ago but a search of my  photos failed to find the shots (so I had to download one from the Melbourne Zoo website).

TECHNOLOGY:
R - RAM/ Random Access Memory, this is the part of your computer that can be likened to your sewing table - the bigger the project the more table top you need - the more things you have open on your computer - the more RAM you need!
You probably shouldn't take the back off your laptop - unless you REALLY know what you are doing!

TRANSPORT:
R - a little RED Train -  this photo is from another lifetime ago when you could TRANSPORT yourself around the ROOFTOP at Myer in the City at the Christmas Carnival.



RED FROM MY SEWING ROOM:

R - RED! Oh this one was the EASIEST!  Referred to by the family as "The Captain's Chair" - Meet my sewing chair.  I was very much in need of a new chair just before Christmas and I got this beauty on mark down -
I don't care if it is RED 'cause everyone knows - Red Goes Sews Faster!!


See you again next Scatterday when the post will be "Brought to you by the letter Q" !

The Gift Has Been Given....

....and now I can show you what I have been up to lately!

Armed with a photograph of my Christmas Stocking Swap partner and an idea, I decided to brush off my other skills and set about to make a Birthday present.



My Swap partner Kerry is an active Member of the Red Hat Society, so I chose to make her something very special.

And how much more special can it be but a Caricature Doll of your Alter Ego!

So here she is Princess Ruby.

I am sure she will make herself very comfortable with the ladies at the Red Hat Society.

... and yes, She DOES look like Kerry!

Bobbin Wind FAIL .....

I am STILL trying to work out how I managed this.....

I think that, as I was holding the leading tail of thread out of the way (so it didn't get caught up in the wind and make a mess...) I lifted the almost full bobbin just enough for the winding thread to slip underneath and continue winding a 'second bobbin' onto the spindle.

That is a LOT of thread to loose - so I wondered how much I could salvage. If I was VERY careful I may be able to get a few meters to use in hand sewing.

Now at this point in time I should mention that Spike was "Dead to the World" asleep on his tower beside me.

I am not sure how Cat Radar works but he didn't STAY asleep for, out of the corner of my eye I saw the cat coming stealthily down each step of the platform ... his eyes fixed on the dangling nest of thread.

If it had not been for Spikes help,

I think I may have salvaged ALL of the thread

 - but then ...

 really ...



He was just trying to help... And

Who wants to use thread that a cat has flossed his teeth with anyway?

SCATTERDAY - and the letter is .....

Awe - isn't it nice to start off with W.
I could put my tongue firmly in my cheek and declare that I fit ALL of the four categories but that would be too easy.

So what are the Categories..
and what did I find to photograph?

EXPENSIVE:
W - is for Weddings and Weddings are expensive.  Not to mention a lot of Work.  By this time next year we will have not only married off our DD - but will also be in the midst of preparations for DS#1 as well.
So glad DS#2 is planning on staying around a bit longer.

MUSIC:
W - this is Warwick (DS#2) and he is actually a Musician (plays Trumpet in a Youth Orchestra), but today I have introduced him to the finer art of playing the WASHBOARD, a relic of my days in a Bush Band. - I think it may sound better if he turned it up the right way and added a couple of cat food tins!

Glad to find a use for those extra small thimbles my Mother gave me.....

EXCITING:
W - to some the sight of Workmen actually working is exciting indeed.  But these guys are building a new Woollies store and Community Hub at the old KODAK property in Coburg.

The exciting part of this is that when it is finished we will be able to Walk to the Supermarket and associated satellite shops - maybe a new coffee shop or bakery???
Exciting indeed!

WIP:
W - Regulars to my Blog are well acquainted with my long term Work In Progress.
For those people who are visiting for the first time.  I am working on Esther Aliu's Heart's Desire.
Recently I posted that my centre blocks were finally together - I am currently working on the Wavy first border.

So there you have it - my first Scatterday post...  It has been fun keeping an eye out for interesting things when I am out and about that may feature in future posts.

What is a Scatterday ?

This year I have a LOT of things happening on the home front which means I won't be able to participate in any of the interesting projects and challenges that are being discussed at the moment. But that doesn't mean I am going off line or not having any fun.
I am anticipating that a lot of this year's post will not be quilt related.

So - What HAVE I signed up for?

Starting tomorrow - I will be participating in a Fun Photographic Scavenger Hunt being hosted by Cinzia White (lgfns.blogspot.com.au) called SCATTERDAY.


Each week we are given a letter and a set of categories and sent off into the wild blue yonder camera in hand to find and photograph something that begins with the allotted letter and in EACH of those categories.

Participants have their Blog addresses linked to a list on the sidebar of Cinzia's Blog and are eagerly awaiting the launch of the first letter tomorrow.

So for the curious - check back tomorrow (Saturday 5th Janaury) and see which letter we have been given - and what items I have found to photograph!

Christmas Cooking

Life - as they say tends to get in the way, and over Christmas it was oh so true around our place.  I found myself on Christmas Eve with nothing special in the Cookie Jars, a meal to prepare the next day and no time to think about it.
I had done some Gingerbread Cookies for my Nephew and even managed a few 'Stained Glass Window' ones. Thankfully there were some left over to fill a plate for the table.

So when "Silly Season" was launched on the Challenge group - I opened the discussion with 'The Recipes that you are always asked to make at Christmas'.
I always get asked for my Grated Pumpkin and lately "That Chicken thingy that you do" (Clear as mud but I knew what he meant = LOTS of work).

One of our group posted that she was always asked for her Pecan Pie and as I had never been able to make one that didn't end up a sodden mess - I asked for the recipe.


Taking a big deep breath at the sight of a cup of Corn Syrup - an ingredient that I had on hand but do not use in cooking - I followed the recipe.
Success at last! A large pie that will be shared between 12 servings.
So what was I doing wrong? Simply - The Oven wasn't hot enough!

I am looking forward to making it again - but next time I will HALVE the recipe which will allow me the luxury of using Maple Syrup and make some TARTS instead.  And serve them with lashings of King Island Dairy Cream....

Well it is only ONCE a year!