"Makes Me Happy Monday"

Hello and a very Happy Monday to you.

We have just had a three day weekend. So that meant with the beautiful Spring weather we have been having we spent it out in the garden. Lots of tidying up. Ian trimmed the Tagaste hedge on the verge and I think I have just about pulled out 98% of the weeds. Though next weekend we will probably be still doing that. October has seen us have the same amount of rainfall as we have in July which is our wettest month.

I am extremely happy that the Foxgloves I planted have reached the stage where they have started blooming. I planted them in a different garden bed this year. In the past they have been complete failures. So getting them to bloom is making me very happy indeed.

Foxglove

Our hydroponic tomatoes are coming along well. The plants were potted into bigger pots about a fortnight ago and we have moved them into a fibreglass pond that we have.

Our first Hydroponic Tomato

Very happy to see that lovely red tomato all ready for picking. It will be interesting to see if there is much difference in taste compared to ones grown in soil. 

"Windsor" Sweet Pea.

The "Windsor" Sweet Pea is blooming as well. It goes so well with the Gaura that is in the background. Looking forward to saving the seeds of the peas. Some Sweet Peas I got of a lady from Garden Club a few years back have decided to come up in the garden after a few years absence. These ones are bright red and beautifully perfumed. Funny thing is they are no where I had the original lot planted. This I guess is one of the joys of gardening, there are always surprises to find.

Sometime today the world's seven billionth person is going to born. Can you believe that number.

Whatever you do today I hope it makes you happy.

Happy days.
Bev C

"Welcome" cross stitch finished and a surprise visitor.

Hello,

On Wednesday I put the last back stitch into the "Welcome" cross stitch.

This was worked on 14 count Aida.
Stitch count 163W X 66H
DMC Threads
Kit purchased from Good Sammy's for $3.00.

Next time we go to Midland I will drop this off to be framed. It will look fantastic amongst the other cross stitch on our family room wall.

I had a SURPRISE visitor on Tuesday morning, I only caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of my eye as I was walking the kitchen scraps to the chooks.

Look at the Bobtail Goanna sunning himself in the garden. Looks like he has been eating lots since he has come out for the warmer months. I can tell you my heart beat very fast for a few seconds, then I realised it was just a goanna not one of those other awful things. Bonnie doesn't like these either. On Thursday they had one walk in with a customer through the automatic doors. He ended up in one of the back offices tangled in the computer cords. One of the "farm" girls had to pick him up and put him out the back garden.

Talking on the phone with Lucy today, she said she hasn't been mentioned here on my blog  for a while so a big Hello to Lucy. Enjoy your weekend Lucy.

Happy days.
Bev C

"The Power of One."

Hello,

I love these words- "The Power of One." One person can make so much difference,it only takes one to start something etc. Here is my interpretation of  it.

"The Power of One."

All it takes is one rose to start a passion.

 They are all from different bushes. Just a small selection of the roses from the garden here at Kainga.

Happy days.
Bev C

"Makes Me Happy Monday."

Hello and Happy Monday to you all.

Today I am happy to be back into doing some cross stitch. A little one that I started a few months back and put aside. A few more nights of stitching and it will be finished.

I wish you could smell the handmade soap that is in the photo. A combination of Peru Balsam,Lavender and Geranium. Bonnie purchased this for me in Yallingup. She went down to Margaret River for the weekend. She came home laden with  lots of cheeses as well. Yummo. Bonnie knows how to make me very happy.

Ian and I spent the day out in the garden on Sunday. Happy to have done lots of weeding and tidying up. Ian made a trellis for the grape vine we planted. An Apricot tree was planted down the front yard. A Purple Crab Apple was planted in the garden bed which we look out onto from the dining room and a Honeysuckle was planted as well. Gardening always makes me very happy.

Congratulations to the All Blacks on the World Cup win and I believe New Zealand had a win in the netball too.

I hope you have a very Happy Monday wherever you are.

Happy days.
Bev C

Something for "Bill" was made for Friday- Night -Sew -In.

Hello,

How did you go at Friday Night Sew In?  I must have done alright because I had to have a nap three hour sleep on the lounge this afternoon. I decided to use a machine embroidery sample I had done and make it into a "Mail Holder."

This is our local Post Office, which is a old building in our main street. Though it is very modern inside. The Post Office is always busy and has lots of goodies to look at while you wait. The black and white fabric is from my stash. I  had used this fabric for a pair of pants that I made many moons ago. As it was cotton and a interesting tribal pattern I kept it. The measurements of the Mail Holder are 14 inches long and 10.5 inches wide. It will fit perfectly on our pantry cupboard door. I just hope we don't end up with many letters from "Bill". I remember when the children were younger they often asked who letters were from. I used to say the ones with those clear plastic bits were from Bill.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Happy days.
Bev C

"Warkworth Blues" is finished.

Hello,

Yesterday I finished the hexagon project I have been working on. I have decided to call it "Warkworth Blues" because Lisa purchased the fabrics from Warkford Wellsford Hospice Shop.

This was all hand sewn,which I could sit for hours and hours doing. The pattern wanted buttons in the centre of each folded hexagon but I thought this wasn't a great idea. As it is being used for a table runner, I made some circles up and used some "double sided sticky stuff" to hold  it to the centre.  On my shopping list will  be some matching thread to button hole them on. The finished size is 39 inches long by 27 inches wide.

I did find some clear and concise instructions for the folded hexagons here.

Happy days.
Bev C

"Tuesday's Treasures."

Hello and Welcome to Tuesday's Treasures.

Lately I have been thinking a lot about two things that are very important to me. Two of my senses,the first one being sight and the second one being smell. Both of these things I treasure most dearly. Having the love of stitching and gardening it is important for me to retain these two things for as long as possible. Quite often I hear from older people that they can't smell roses or flowers. I just cannot imagine this happening to me. I know it will come sometime but in the meantime I am enjoying smelling the roses.

The rose tunnel at the bottom of the garden is blooming beautifully. Can you believe this area was a cricket pitch when David was younger.

Here it is from the other end. The steel pickets are placed a little further out as you go along. This makes the tunnel effect.

We have many Lavender plants in the garden. So lovely to pick a bunch for the home or just to touch and smell your hands as you walk by. Lots of plants have come up from seeds which is a bonus. So this Tuesday I am enjoying walking around the garden smelling and seeing my plants.

Today is also a special day at Kainga. Bonnie celebrates her Birthday today. Happy Birthday Bonnie and all the best for the coming year. Lots of adventures coming your way early next year. Enjoy them.

Please have a look at Melody's blog to see other Treasure's being showcased this week.

Happy days.
Bev C

"Makes Me Happy Monday"

Hello and a big Happy Monday to you.

I have started a new project and are very happy with the progress I have made with it.

I'm making a hexagon table runner from the bundle of blue fabrics which Lisa gave me. The pattern said these could be joined by using the sewing machine. I hand stitched them, much prefer that over using the machine.

The pattern called for some folded hexagons. I finally conquered how to do these. The instructions that came with the pattern were not that clear. The pictures were not in colour which made it a bit hard to understand. I found some wonderful instructions on the net and I was away.

Always happy to find beautiful pink blooms like this in the garden at Kainga.

I bet there are some very happy Kiwi supporters out there on Sunday. I gave up watching the World Cup match and watched Telethon instead. This year West Australian's raised 13.5 million dollars for Princess Margaret Hospital. Each year it gets bigger and better.

I am very happy to be joining in a "Christmas Candle Mat Swap" at Cheryll's. You have until the 25th October to join in if you want. To keep postage charges down we will be swapping in our own Countries. A great idea as most times the postage is worth more than the parcel contents.

This Friday is also Friday-Night-Sew-In. Happy to be joining in that again.

Hope you have a Happy Monday.

Happy days.
Bev C

Snowmen in West Australia????

Hello,

I know it never snows here at Kainga.

Though I did see a snowman in my sewing room yesterday.

Some of you asked how I get rid of aphids on my roses. I wait for the ladybirds, they have arrived in the garden and are enjoying the feast of aphids.

This is week two of  The Sew Happy Sew-along. I decided to turn this one into a little "Stitching Companion" for myself. I changed the size of the pattern to fit inside a 8 inch hexagon template.

This is the inside of it. A little pocket on each side, a piece of felt to hold pins and a magnet sewn onto the other side to hold needles and pins. To finish it of some ric-rac for the loop and a pretty heart button on the front.
Happy days.
Bev C

"Tuesday's Treasures."

Hello and Welcome to Tuesday's Treasures.

This week I want to share with you my little Blue and White milk jug.

Little Blue and White Milk Jug.

Years ago when all the children were very young I wanted to learn how to do ceramics. To start with I wasn't able to go but sent along our eldest daughter Ainsley, she went with a school friend. I have always wanted a milk jug like this. So Ainsley spent hours working on this. I love it. Unfortunately one day the children were misbehaving and David grabbed the jug and his Sister's were chasing after him. I just knew disaster was going to happen. The jug got dropped. It was mended but it no longer holds fluids. I will always treasure this little jug and its journey.

I also finished the Milk Jug Cover I was working on. All little jugs should have a cover.

We had  a great day yesterday afternoon. It started raining at 5.00pm and didn't stop until about 11.00pm. We recorded 32mls of rain here at Kainga. This is a huge amount for us and the good thing it was good steady soaking rain.

Check out other "Treasures" at Melody's blog.

Happy days.
Bev C

'Makes Me Happy Monday"

Hello and a Happy Monday to you.

I recently won  a double pass to the movie The Help and a copy of the book.

So yesterday Ian and I went on a date, a day out by ourselves. There is no movie cinema in town so a trip to the City and the suburb of Warwick was on the cards. The movie was fantastic,lots of laughs too. Let me say here and now I don't think I will ever eat chocolate pie without remembering this movie. If anyone has a recipe for Chocolate Pie I would love to have it. I can't wait to read the book to see if they are similar.

Other things Making Me Happy this Monday are;

Some Cosmos seeds I was given are starting to bloom.
A bright yellow Dutch Iris is in bloom too.
Lots of interesting books on loan from the library.
Perfect Spring days.

Let me know what is Making you Happy this Monday.

On a blogging note I have noticed I and lots of other people  have been having a lot of trouble leaving comments on some blogs. I think it all comes down to how comments are set up on blogs. I leave comments and they completely disappear and I don't know if they appear later on. I worked out it only happens on blogs that have the comment setting at "Embedded below post" You can check on your comment settings by going to "Settings" then choose "Comments" there you have three choices:

Full Page
Pop-up Window
Embedded below post

If you have ticked "Embedded below post" this means a box will appear for your comment settings and this is where a lot of people are having trouble leaving comments. If you tick Full Page or Pop-up Window you don't have problems leaving comments. I don't know why this is happening something to do with Blogger I presume.

Happy days.
Bev C

"Petal" is finished.

Hello,

It is nearly the weekend, the week has just flown by. Can you tell me where it went?

I finished the latest piece of crochet called "Petal." Boy did I have some fun with this one!!! I only had enough of the pink cotton to do the outside petals and the first round of the border. I then used the bit of white Coats cotton I had then that ran out. I had a look through my supplies. Nothing that would match. Checked out Mum's supply and some DMC thread matched the white perfectly. You can't see where it starts and finishes. Actually the DMC cotton is so much nicer to work with. The Coats cotton seems stiff after using the DMC cotton. You can see another Milk Jug Cover that I am working on now in the blue dish. Using some DMC cotton for this one too.

On Tuesday I was coming back from the Library and I could see a hot air balloon in the distance and I knew it was heading in the direction of our home. The balloons are usually out in the early morning but this one was out late in the afternoon. I couldn't believe when it landed in a neighbours property just up behind us. How is that for service.

The garden here at Kainga is in full bloom for Spring. These Flanders Poppies are blocking the pathway. With the big storm we had early on in the year things are growing in places that they weren't before which is great.

It won't be long and things will start to dry out. In the meantime I am enjoying the garden. We have had a massive invasion of aphids today. The farmer across the road is cutting the crop for hay. The aphids have decided to call Kainga home for a while. At least the birds have breakfast,lunch and dinner supplied here.

I hope you all have a creative weekend doing something you love.

Happy days.
Bev C

"Makes Me Happy Monday"

Hello and a very Happy Monday to you.

This week I am happy to be crocheting again. I was recently given some thread and pattern books. I chose this little pattern called "Petal."

The pattern needed 25 grams of thread and the balls come in 20grams each. So I decided to make the centre petal out of white thread. I have two more petals to do then it comes to joining them together then doing several rows for the border. I am using a Coats thread in size 20 with a Number 1.00 hook.

On Sunday I took a drive with Mum to an open garden that was part of the Australian Open Garden Scheme that was open in Gidgegannup. The property was on several acres and the garden was watered by tank and bore water. They have a much larger annual rainfall then us but never the less it was interesting to see the garden. They had the same problems a lot of gardeners do. That is it keeps growing and the fences have to be moved.

I loved how they had trimmed the Rosemary bush. We have lots of Rosemary growing here at Kainga so must give this a try. Rosemary is one of the easiest plants to grow by cuttings.

There were many interesting and unusual things to see in the garden. I loved this Pencil Sculpture. It is very creative. Visiting gardens always makes me happy. Of course I couldn't come home without buying some plants and purchased a pot of Agapanthus from the plant stall.

Now you never know what you will find here on "Makes Me Happy Monday" postings. It can range from patchwork, family, roses, stitching etc and of course the unusual. This week I have one of the best hints you are ever going to read.  I knew there had to be a better way of doing things. So after some brainstorming and trials. I introduce you to the best cleaning tip ever.

Now if you thought I was going to say get someone else to clean. Well yes that is a great tip. I have found out that "Citric Acid" is the best cleaner for the edge around the hot plate on the stove top. Just put some on where it needs cleaning and use a damp steel wool to scrub of all that brown muck. Just make sure the stove top isn't hot. Believe me you don't want to be breathing this stuff in. You will be coughing like billy-o. I have also found out that "Citric Acid" is great for cleaning the grout on your tiled floors. Just shake some on the grout and wet with some water and use your tile brush to remove the grime. Citric Acid can be bought in bulk if needed and this certainly would be cheaper and more environmentally friendly than the  cleaning stuff you buy in the supermarket.

I hope you all have a very Happy Monday.

Happy days.
Bev C