I'm reading and sewing

I googled "Secret Santa" a few weeks ago, looking to see if there were more swaps out there in blogland, and up came many finds about the Secret Santa of USA... and there is a book written about him. He has also been interviewed (in disguise) on the Oprah Show... I was fascinated, so found the book in Amazon Books...none here in Australia for sale, and read it as soon as I got it....

This man gives away $100 notes around Christmas time and it has run into over one million dollars he has given away.... a story that makes you realise there is good out there in this world... the book was written in 2007, so I don't know if he is still doing it, as he was fighting cancer and would be in his sixties.

A "good feeling" book.... Santa's Secret - A Story of Hope... written by Donna McGuire.



...and yes, I am doing some sewing, but as it is my Secret Santa gifts to my swap partners, I can't show it to you, but here is a little peek!



Until next post..

Cheers...Jewells

Look what wandered into my office... an echidna!

Yesterday afternoon, while typing away on my computer, inputting invoices, something caught my attention from my left side, I looked down and there was this echidna waddling past my left foot...missing me by inches... it was making a bee line for under my desk, and into the corner... I pushed my chair which is on wheels to my right and watched it snuggle into the corner.



I shouted for one of the boys to come up and get the wildlife out of my office... I have had mice, rats, lizards, harmless spiders, wasps, hornets, (need I go on???) use my office as a refuge... anyways one dawdled up and said "what now?" in an annoyed tone...I pointed, he laughed, and he went off and came back with a pair of welders gloves and the whole staff. The little fellow really didn't want to come out...

Here "it" is (wasn't going to touch those spikes to see what gender it was!)...it curled up into a tight ball, and put it's paws over it's eyes...if you click on the photo and look closely you can see it doing that)...it was so cute...as if to say, "if I can't see you, then you can't see me".



We all went out the back of the workshop and released it in the paddock near a river... where it stayed burrowed down for about 30 mins, then disappeared when no one was looking.



It was not a full grown echidna, nor a baby... but it was so cute and fairly rare to see.

Until next post..

...cheers...Jewells

My computer's back!!

YAH!!! I picked up my computer on the way home from work today, and gee it feels good to play with it again!

First of all, here is what I received from Sue who was my swap partner from Jelly Wares Cloth Swap... I had to laugh when I received the cloth, as it was the same pattern I used in one of the clothes I made and sent... now I have one for myself!



Next is the 4th block in the Fat Quarters Shop BOM... the patterns are certainly easy to follow and fun to make.



Now my last photo is part of Chooky Blue's SSCS 2010... those knitted things are bells and they do have a metal bell with donger in them!



Until next post..

Cheers...Jewells

Not Happy Jan! :-(

On Friday morning my home computer beeped, screeched and then went quiet..... too quiet.

I shut it down and then tried to start again.... "no server found"..... this does not look good.

I had to wait until this morning (Tuesday) to take my "tower" to the computer Mr Fix-it Shop... things aren't open all day, every day here in "Hicksville"....

Just got the call from Mr Fix-it...my mother board is no more... have to order one in, and as mine is an old computer, they will have to upgrade it to be "just like new".... this will take a few days... again, things aren't quick here in Hicksville!

The mother board alone is $230, then you have to add labour and of course they will probably find something else that "has" to done... GROAN!

So, until I get "my" computer back, I can only sneak onto "my" sites in between jobs while I am at work...SOB!!

(For those who aren't in Australia... "not happy Jan" is a TV commercial that has ran here on and off for a few years .. the person was not happy with "Jan" as Jan forgot to place an add in the Yellow Pages phone book.)

Until next post...

Cheers...Jewells

Mum is coming again!

This photo was taken while Mum was here in June, (that's Mum at the machine) and in a few week's time I will be spending some time with her again.

I am taking annual leave and we will be visiting my daughter, a friend and also we will be spending a week at a retreat learning how to use our sewing machines... Berinia Artista. Mum got hers years ago, but has forgotten how to use most of the features, and I loved her machine so much I bought one too.

I now have 3 sewing machines... the Bernina, a Pfaff and an "old" Singer.

Until next post..

Cheers...Jewells

Books read & to read

First of all I will say that I NEVER read as a child or young adult, but have enjoyed books from about the age of 30... however I am a VERY SLOW reader and only read when I go to bed... sometimes I find it is 3am and I HAVE to put the book down as I have to get some sleep before going to work that morning!

I just finished reading this book: "These Is My Words" by Nancy E Turner... an interesting story that is what I call a "Factional Book"... a fiction based on fact... the book is a diary written by Sarah Prine, a woman full of spirit. The diary is in her words as she travels with her family across the Arizona Territories in 1881 to claim land and settle on that new land... a very entertaining book indeed...

I have been slowly reading Janet Evanovich's numbered books. I bought a set of 10 while in the States a couple of years ago and have been slowly getting the newer ones in the same form to keep the set in uniform.. I am up to number 13... a very funny and good read...for those who have read these books, you will understand when I say, I just "love" the grandmother!


I also have read all of the Jennifer Chiaverini "Elm Creek" books... I buy the new ones when they come out and have to read these yet...

Then I have this set of Amish books and also another 3 sets to read... I bought these while I was in States as well... yes my baggage was over weight and VERY overflowing, with books and over 400 YARDS of fabric... the American economy was boosted while I was there!

I also have this set of books that everyone read when they were young, but not me....

So little time, so much to read.

Until next post...

Cheers...Jewells

Swaps

This weekend I took all this with me to my boyfriend's place and started turning it into the Christmas Ornament part of Chookyblue's SSCS. Ever seen a grown man with calloused hands from being a dairy farmer for the last 40 years sit there with pieces of material and glue???... should have taken a photo of him helping me, but I'm sure I would not have got out of there with a photo like that!



I also finished knitting these cloths last week and now have to work out which one or two (maybe three?) will I send to my swap partner in the Jellywares cloth swap.



I can't show the finished photos as it will spoil it for the swap partners who will receive them.

Until next post..

Cheers...Jewells

I've joined another Christmas swap!

In my last lot of comments, Laura was kind enough to direct me to another swap.... so I have joined it too!

The swap is called 3-2-1 Winter Tote Bag Swap, by Coffee Time Stitches and can be found but clicking on here.

Thanks Laura for letting me know.

Until next post...

Cheers...Jewells