A busy thrifty weekend

We had a lovely weekend last week. No birthday parties or other commitments which was nice (not that we don't like birthday parties.......there are just so many children's ones popping up all the time) so we were able to please ourselves.


Here are a few shots to illustrate....


As always, there was plenty of puppy love. Here is Kippy on his green bathmat where he is allowed to hang out when he comes inside for the evening. He scouts under the dining room table for dropped morsels of food and then we say in a stern voice "Mat!" and he usually trots over and sits on his mat in the hope of a doggy treat. Usually, at this point, our Curly Whirl Girl gives him some attention, whether he wants it or not. I love the resigned look on his face as he submits to our girl's affections.

The state of our "playroom" has been giving me grief for ages and we didn't have the money to buy some much needed new shelves to create some order from the chaos. The girls weren't going in there much as there was not much floor space to walk on, what with all the dolly cots and prams etc. Then, a cheque in the mail, and off I went to Ikea to finally buy some shelves. Scott put them together on Saturday morning and I got high on organising endorphins. In my zeal to get the tidying happening I forgot to take a "before" photo but perhaps it is just as well. We took out every toy, chased away the spiders and dust and then Scott set to work.

When he was finished, the shelves provided a fun space to play in for a while before I was allowed to start work. I could just see a split chin happening at any moment when someone overbalanced.
This photo shows embarrassingly, just how anally retentive I truly am.

Here are the girls with their beautiful cousin playing in their newly tidy playroom corner. Of course, it hasn't stayed this tidy but at least you can still see the floor. As my mother likes to tell me, we have too many toys but, hey....we like playing!

On Sunday morning, my big girl and I got up earlyish and headed to a huge flea market at a nearby Catholic Church. We took along our pocket money and here is what we bought.

I chose this happy little jug and a pretty lace doily to put it on. I realised later it has a rip in it but you can't see it here. My big girl fell in love with this daggy old traymobile. It was only $2 but it didn't quite fit my vision of her room's decor. But she wanted it so badly that I felt it would be mean to impose my aesthetic tastes on hers. She chose some more old doilies and found three horses (also $2) and here is the finished display for her room. She's a happy girl. (Her two top teeth are so wobbley (spelling?) they are sticking out like little bunny teeth. I hope they fall out soon).

I finally managed to finish the baby quilt I have been making for the Mountain Baby Quilt Project. I didn't really like working with flannellette. Apart from being horrible to touch in our sticky heat, it was much thicker than normal cotton fabric and I broke a sewing machine needle sewing the mitred corners of the binding. But, it is ready to go and I just have to get organised and parcel it up. It has some crooked quilting and a lump in the binding that looks like a snake swallowed a mouse, but it goes to the States with lots of love from our family.

I also finally started cutting squares for the quilt for the new baby due to arrive in our family (my brother's ,not mine!) any day now. I have since changed my design around and used less plain colours and more patterns but you get the idea.

Now, another weekend is looming. Have a good one, everybody.