AndThisLittlePig said Finishes!!!!

This is very sad my first finishes for 2014, all Little House Needleworks Ornaments from 2011, that were started for the Crazy January Challenge 2012.

LHN Bringing Home the Tree, finished end of July 2014

LHN Baked Goods, finished beginning of August 2014

LHN Winter Forest, finished end of August 2014

I have finished stitching two other pieces, but they are for a Friendly Stitches Exchange, will choose which one Miss Mouse will receive when I get them finished finished this coming week. Mouse it will be a surprise for us both.

And to finish, this is what greeted me this morning when I went outside after thinking the Long Dogs were being just a little too quiet on their morning run, the remains of two bags of potting mix. This is Nellie giving me the "I didn't do it Mum. Honest I didn't!" Look.

So until next time... Libbie :@

The Pirate Meah Moo, Quincy, Katie, Pippie, Edith, Nellie, Harriet and Maud

And This Little Pig said Finally!

Finally I seem to have my stitching mojo back, but don't uncross those fingers just yet :@ one good weekend is a start.

First that is my Meah at the top of this post, my very spoilt dog, I was in so much trouble after my post last month, no photo's of her Royal Highness Princess Meah or Moo or Mooey as she is often called. So a hunt through photos found these taken back in February just after mowing the lawn. There are a lot of Long Dog photos, but I have been informed by she who must be obeyed, that while I can show photos with the plebes in them, She must be the centre of attention. They will be at the bottom of this post.

Stitching Mojo, I had a great weekend, firstly it was my birthday on Friday, yes a Black Friday, but I'm used to these, try being 13 on Friday the 13th :@. Spent the day at work, by myself, fielding phone calls and really not doing much. (Hope the boss doesn't read my blog). Saturday, I went down to my LNS 'Busy Needles' and spent the morning with the beautiful Bev, putting the border fabric on a quilt that has been finished for five months. Then bundled it up and arranged to be pick-up for quilting. Will show you it when it comes back.

Saturday afternoon, finished off the washing and housework, boring but a necessity. Saturday night, was restless, nothing on TV and cold, couldn't find a decent book to read, so settled in to watch a DVD. Still not happy. Oh cross stitch, but my Crazy bag was out in the car. Cold. Ahh my Little House Needleworks Family Sampler was in the cupboard!

Photo taken in December 2010, I should be ashamed! I had done some more since this was taken, windows finished, door done, and a little bit more brickwork, but not much. Didn't realise how yellow it looked.

Photo taken today, house finished! Changed colour of door, to a dark green, think I will change it again, not sure if I like it? Really happy with progress, but in reality I should have trekked out to the car and done some Crazy stitching.

Crazy finish number four, LHN Ornament of Month 2011, Cardinal Winter, finished 31 May 2012.

Crazy progress, LHN Ornament of Month 2011, Bringing Home the Tree. Will have to put aside the Family Sampler and work on my Crazies, maybe I'll rotate them. Don't mess with the mojo, if it want's Family Sampler, that is what it's gonna get.

Meah and Podge, so close, yet...

... So far, these two photo's were taken seconds apart, poor Quincy brining up the rear, Meah had wrong footed her when she grabbed the toy. Meah is usually I may be half your weight, and while you have long bodies, I have longer legs, as she sprints away with the toy.

Well so happy to see that my crafting mojo may be returning. Now to catch up on everyone's blogs, so here's to seeing everyone again soon, with more updates.

Catch you all later... LiBBiE in Oz

PS Seriously could I have used any more labels :@

And This Little Pig said Yes! Stitching & IHSW

Well finally some stitching! I signed up for last weekends International Hermit & Stitching Weekend, and it worked.

LHN Ornaments 2011 Series Cardinal Winter, previously the only stitching on this piece was the heart at the top and a little bit of stitching on either side, so great progress. Obviously didn't do much else for the weekend, I was a real hermit, watched DVD's and stitched. Although I did mow the front lawn for what is hopefully the last big mow with winter coming on fast.

LHN Ornament 2011 Series Silent Night, this was completed back in March, I had hoped to have another two or three finished in March, but life went to hell in a hand basket.

First my old man, Chobe, went to dog heaven just before Easter, nearly 14. I probably hung on a month longer than I should have, I woke up one morning with the day off work, and said right today has to be it. Cried and cried.

Then last week it was Levi, my five year old Devon Rex, with a blockage, and crystal build up, seriously he is only five. The vet talked about surgery, with no guarantees, special diets and medications, again with no guarantee that the problem would not recur, and big money involved, and I was like really, seriously. I looked into those beautiful eyes, and said no. Very hard and I felt like I had let him down, but I could not see quality of life, and forever living on a knifes edge that it wasn't going to happen again. His brother was only three and a half when it hit him, and my sister tried everything the vets suggested, he lasted six months before he had a recurrence.

So talk soon... LiBBiE in Oz (who is feeling cold and heartless)

And This Little Pig said A Finish and A Start

LHN Warm Winter Woolens is finished! Crazy 2012 number 2.

I did change the sheep's head a little, more rounded :@

I'm going to try and frame this myself... maybe... fingers crossed.

A little more stitching on LHN Ornament 2011 Silent Night, house, trees and night sky, along with some of the border, it does go all the way round now :@

This is what I spent the weekend doing, instead of stitching... Butterscotch & Rose by Fig Tree, 42 pre-cut 10" quilting squares, so using my trusty rotary cutter, each square was cut up into 4, which gave me 168 x 5" squares.

So 9 across and 15 down, which will give me a double (twin) bed size quilt, well once I add the 6" border.

I know it's only a simple quilt, but this is the first one I have done in many years, and the fact that I did it all in  one weekend... very happy :@ Oh it is going to be a 21st birthday gift.

Catch you all later... LiBBiE in Oz

And This Little Pig said Cow-Day-Wednesday

Still a little wet here, so decided to dip into my CDW spare folder, photos that I just didn't have room for when they were taken. Now this is obviously not a cow, but he has had a cow named after him :@ A different view of the auctioneers... In reflection.

Loved this Blue Boy when I snapped him earlier this year.

Beautiful eye expression...

Along with nose bubbles and dribble.

As promised update of LHN Warm Winter Woolens, passed the frog mark even though not much done in the last 24 hours, but some stitching is better than no stitching. Oh Mouse I ironed it again for the photo :@

Also put in a few stitch of LHN Ornament 2011 Silent Night, while waiting to weight today, sorry bad light.

Catch you all later... you never know, might even be tomorrow seeing as this is the 3rd day in a row I've blogged... LiBBiE in Oz

And This Little Pig said Nearly Caught Back Up

Snapped a quick piccie this morning while I was ironing, so gave LHN Warm Winter Woolens an iron. Decided last night to catch up on my frogging, so nearly there in this photo, just the 'Crescent Colours Bing Cherry" centres to go in the snowflakes... which has now been finished :@ Further update tomorrow with Cow-Day-Wednesday.

Catch you all later... LiBBiE in Oz

And This Little Pig said Oh Frog IT!!!

Yes you heard me the Frog has come to visit.

Firstly my dear friend Sue is home from China for a short visit, and see what she brought me a new pig. A very cheeky pig :@

Oh dear she had to frog it. LHN Warm Winter Woolens was going so well, all of the head of sheep done, along with the snowflakes. Out by one!!!

Even brought a tear to little pig's eye.

And again, forgot to mention that this is being stitched on part of my tea dye disaster.

Pretty sure she was laughing in this one.

 Oh it rained today... just a touch. Outside my office door.

Catch you all later... LiBBiE in Oz

And This Little Pig said Cow-Day-Wednesday, Crazies and a Finish with Lots of Photos

Yes I have been MIA or is that MIXS :@ so far behind, in everything. I did manage to get all my Crazies started and on the right day, it was a struggle, then fell in a big hole after that, and didn't want to see a needle or thread, more on that later.

Firstly yes Cow-Day-Wednesday, know I missed two. Beautiful and wet today, we were starting to get just a little dry again, and after so many years in drought, it doesn't take much dry weather for people to start to panic. And not a day for my good camera, so had to make do with the good old iPhone.

Wet, but not cold.

The little waves on the water troughs is from the force of the rain.

I snapped this fellow in the calf pens, don't you just love the wrinkles over his eyes?

Part of the reason I went into a little bit of a slump, this is part of a tea dye job gone wrong, and when I say part… try a piece of 32 count linen, that measures 24 x 32 inches for PSS The Flood, I hadn't realized a tea bag had broken, well leaked might be a better description. If it had been evenly distributed I might have been able to live with it, but it just looked 'dirty'. I will be able to salvage most of it, but it was so disheartening, the colour was perfect.

The second piece, no breakage or leaks this time. Twinings Classics Blackcurrant Scented tea.

Day 9 – LHN Ornaments 2011 No 8 Hallelujah

Day 10 – LHN Ornaments 2011 No 9 Joy & Peace – FINISHED!!!!

Day 11 – LHN Ornaments 2011 No 10 Snow in Love

Day 12 – LHN Ornaments 2011 No 11 Winter Forest

Day 13 – LHN Ornaments 2011 No 12 Good Tidings

Day 14 – LHN Warm Winter Woolens... And in the Year of the Dragon, my new scissors from Anita's Little Stitchers Heirloom Scissor Collection… I am so in trouble.

So So So in trouble, I've always resisted purchasing scissors, I have my plain old ordinary stork scissors, and a little pair of German scissors with green plastic handles, that would have to be over 20 years old, and I always thought these were the bee's knees, but nope they are nothing compared to these scissors… trouble.

Still have to photograph Day 15 – Plum Street Samplers The Flood, but it is started.

In case you are wondering why there is a puppy photo at the top of this post, no no new puppies, although I may have some exciting news in about seven weeks.

No the photo is of Podge 1 year ago today, you see I have been a bad mother, I realized tonight, that Podge was 1 year old two days ago… Oops, still don't think she realizes why she was just given and extra treat or two.

So far behind in my blog reading, and trying really hard to catch up :@

Catch you all later… LiBBiE in Oz