T is for Teeyore

I found this lovely idea on this blog. The idea is that I will make some lovely handmade item for the first 3 people to comment on this blog., and they have to be willing to do the same for another 3 people. Everyone has 365 days to make their items (I think that will give everyone enough time). So what do you think?....come on join in the fun and spread some joy to another person.

Well it's been a funny old time since we lost our dog Benson the other week (see last post). I still get sad when I think about him but it is getting easier. My other dog Mischka continues to be spoilt. Turns out she is fully housetrained. We've had her for 9 years and never thought she was. So we have been having her inside with us more and more. Locky (our labrador puppy) has really got his nose out of joint about it though. It's just like having two naughty kids fighting at times. The only problem is Mischka is so small and Locky is so big, so when she runs under the cofee table he tries to follow her and everything ends up getting knocked over.

Here's a photo of Kiara nd Mischka having a smooch. She is such a loveable little puppy and Kiara is treating her like a little baby.



The flu bug has hit our house this past week. Kiara was the first. It hit her pretty hard and she had most of last week off school. Her friend Maddy was also quite sick with it as well. I felt so sorry for them as they had their big dance exams on Thurdsay. They both felt they went pretty good....we get the final results next month.

I was next to get it and it has made me pretty sick as well. Unfortunately as I am doing the bed manager's position for the next few weeks fulltime as the girl I job share it with is on leave, I had to still go to work (noone else knows how to do the job). Luckily it wasn't too busy as I just have not had any energy at all. At least I wasn't working on the ward....It's too hard to look after sick people when you feel sick yourself.

Even though I've been sick I still managed to get my last big uni assignment completed...just emailed it to the lecturer just now. Only one presentation and one big 3 hour exam to go. 24 more days and then I will be free!!!!! I can't wait. I have so many craft projects in various stages of production that I want to get finished and a whole heap more designs in my head to make. I also want to alter my Amika dolls a little bit. And I have a heap of sewing etc to get done for Christmas presents. No photos to post however as everything is not finished as yet.

Today I was determined not to miss out on the BIG SING, so I forced myself out of bed and am so glad that I did. The BIG SING is a day of music workshops in which a heap of choirs get together with a few conductors and learn new songs and then put on a concert at the end of the day. It was incredibly hard work but so much fun. We had to learn about 8 songs, some quie complex with 6 part harmonies. We sang no stop for 6 hrs and I just couldn't believe how we managed to learn everything and the perform them in only 6 hrs. I haven't done anything like that since I used to go to music camp at school. I can't wait until next year.



That's it for me for now.
T xx

I mentioned a few posts back that my dog Benson had to be taken to the vet for a tumour on his back foot. Unfortunately it had continued to grow at a rapid rate and bursts open yesterday. It meant that he now was is pain and had the possibility of having it become infected and him developing septicaemia. So we had to make the hardest decision I have ever had to make and have him put down. I have had Benson for 14yrs and I could never imagine how much I would be greiving for him. It was just so incredibly hard taking him into the vets, knowing that he was never going to be coming home with us. He looked so happy to be in the car, and I felt just so awful.

I can't even find any photos of him to post here to show just how cute he was. My other dog, Mischka, who is 10yrs old is just looking for him everywhere. She has never known a time when Benson wasn't around. It is just so heartbreaking watching her look for him. Lockyer, the labrador puppy we got 7 months ago, doesn't understand I don't think, but he knows something is just not right.

I was to perform with St Aiden's choir tonight, but my heart just isn't in it. I have never had a close friend or relative pass away before so haver never experienced the pain of losing someone....it is not pleasant. I feel as if my heart is a heavy weight...I know it will get better with time, buit at the moment, I just wish he was back with us.

I spent a lovely 4 hrs yesterday with Lyn & Kate (girls from work) as we were entranced by the delightful stage production of My Fair Lady. I absolutely love going to see musical productions and this was certainly one of the best shows I have ever seen. We were seated in the fourth row so had a wonderful view.... the bonus was that two small boys were seated directly in front off us so I didn't have to contend with a tall man's head obscuring the view (this usually is what happens to me).

The cast were just wondeful and Reg Livermore certainly made Professor Higgins his own....I hadn't realised how talented he was. The sets were magnificent but the costumes were the ultimate.

Here is a sketch of one of the fabulous creations from the scene at Ascot. The hats were just incredible and so big. No two costumes were the same. It was such an amazing site to see so many of these wonderful creations all together. Lyn, was so excited and couldn't stop talking about them on the drive home.

Here's another example of Eliza Doolittle's costume at Ascot.

Everything was so well thought out and everything was colour coordinated to perfection. It was a wonderful way to spend the last day of my mini break....back to work today. Eight more weeks of university to go. I haven't been as diligent as I should have so it is going to be heads down until then....may not get much stitching done (but I will certainly try).

Until next time.
Terri xx

I have stayed true to my word and have spent the last five days leave from work, stitching my heart out and recharging my batteries. As a result I have quite alot to share.

Here are some stitchery matryoshka dolls that I made using a pattern I found on Rachel's (sorry I don't know her last name) blog. She offers this pattern for free and has a link so you can to email her to get it. I just added some of my own detail to make it more my style.




The following photos are of stitcheries I have done using Lynette Anderson-O'Rourke's free Noah's Ark block of the month. Lynette is avery talented and well known international designer and has designed this little stitchery to celebrate a year of blogging. If you click on the Noah's Ark image at the right of my block it will take you to the design and Lynette's photos of the stitchery quilt. She has also put links to others who are making her design and it is really interesting to look at the different colourways and styles everyone has used. I have another three to stitch up and then I will be up-to-date with the blocks.

I just spent the day with my friend Jo teaching her how to do redwork stitcheries. She is going to make up one of my original designs as a present for her friend's birthday. And tonight, my friend Milly has just phoned to say she wants to come over and have me teach her to make dotee dolls. What a wonderful way to spend the whole day and night, being with friends and sharing my love of craft. I love helping others discover their own love of craft.

Now I can't end this post without sharing a photo of Lockyer going for his first swim in our pool. At first he was scared and kept going to the side, but after a while he started to enjoy it and we couldn't get him to get out of the pool. Mark will kill me for putting this photo of him on my blog, but it was so cute seeing him teaching Locky to get used to the pool. Mark doesn't have any kids of his own (although he treats mine like they were his own), so this puppy is very much his baby. I love watching the two of them together.

Well I better get going. I want to have a shower before Milly arrives and the stitching continues.

Terri xx

I mentioned in the previous post that I was taking my dog Benson to the vet. Well the vet wasn't too sure about the lump on his foot, but thought that it is most likely cancer. She thought it might pay to get it cut off and amputate part of his paw.....all for $1000.00. But she also said that if it was cancer it would have spread throughout his whole body by now.

As the lump isn't causing him any concern at all and the fact that he is quite old and may not survive the anaesthetic we decided to do nothing for now, but just to watch it. If he was in any pain or wasn't able to walk properly we would do it.

I'm off shopping with a friend today. As I have had this week off from work I've had the redecorating bug and have been rearranging all the furniture in the house (much to Mark's annoyance). I bought some vases, candles, lampshades and a new rug yesterday and now want to find something nice to put in the centre of the dining table.

I've also been sewing but haven't taken photos yet....I'll do that today and post them later tonight.

Terri xx

Last week was my first wedding anniversary. Yes, Mark and I eloped last September to Long Island in the Whitsunday's and got married. We then spent a wonderful10 days on the island and at Airlie Beach. I love it up there, it is just so beautiful. If we could we'd move up there in a heartbeat. Hopefully we'll get to take the kids up there next year.

I was very spoilt and received some beautiful roses, a card and a willow tree figurine. Aren't the roses just beautiful? He isn't much of a flower buyer so I was really surprised.

This is the beautiful card he gave me. Doesn't it look like a scrapbook layout?

On the sewing front, I have been having a lot of fun. I haven't sewn anything that wasn't my own design for a couple of years so have had fun sewing from patterns. I've been getting up early and going into my craft studio before anyone else wakes up and having a lovely time locked away in there by myself.

This is a chair caddy I made using a free pattern from Helen from Hugs n' Kisses. She has started a wonderful project called a Stitcher's Angel. It was set up as a swap where prominent designers designed free projects for people to use, you could join as a swap member or just use the available free patterns. The patterns so far have been lovely and include pin cushions, totes and a scissor keeper. You should go and have a look. There is also a link to the flikr group and it is interesting to see everyone's interpretation on the pattern.

I would have loved to have been a part of the swap but just didn't have the time. So I made this arm chair caddy using the free pattern, but added my own stitchery to it. I also added a thread catcher to the design that can be removed if needed. I used some lovely Heather bailey fabric as well as red and aqua polka-dot fabric I had in my stash.

I just love it and it is very handy to have all my threads etc at hand while I am stitching.

I am also working on a new stitchery quilt design using some very pretty and girly fabrics I bought off etsy. I've been enjoying doing this stitchery. Here it is with the design drawn on one of the blocks just before I started stitching it. I'll post some more photos when I've stitched some more.


I have a week off work and although I need to get on top of my uni work (can't believe there is only nine weeks to go). I am planning on catching up with friends, sewing, tidying up around the house and enjoying having time to myself to do whatever I want to do. Mark will be working and the kids have gone to Cairns for a holiday with their Dad, so I will have the house to myself. Yippee!! It will be bliss.

Well I have to run and take my dog Benson to the vet. He is a 14 year old shitzu-pomeranian cross who has a rather nasty lump on his back paw. It has been there for a while but has been very small. I just noticed yesterday that it is now the size of an egg and looks very vascular and is starting to spread his toes apart (do dog's have toes?). So I hope it isn't anything too serious. He's a bit of a pain as he has never been a very affectionate dog, barks alot, is deaf and incontinent, but I still love him and wouldn't like anything to happen to him.

Terri xx