Happy New Year

Well hello!
Do you remember me?
It's been a long time between drinks. I half heartedly tried to write a couple of posts after coming back from holidays, however my impressively slack personality took over and nothing eventuated.

This is the post where I SHOULD be doing an impressive mosaic of all the things I've made during the year.  I'm not even going to bother, it would be embarrassingly small and would just remind me of how little sewing I was able to do during the Year of Change. I'm not going to beat myself up about it but I am well and truly determined to make amends in 2013. I did however, really enjoy participating in the swaps, despite my complete and utter terror before I joined.   I loved stalking my partners and hope I made things that they liked. I made some really great new friends and was incredibly lucky to receive some awesome swap items in return, thanks so much.

The best thing about 2012 was that I finally made the move and after 13 years had a massive change of scenery.  I love the new house. I haven't regretted the move for one second. I have a proper sewing room, a still very messy sewing room but nevertheless a proper sewing room that is all mine and I don't have to share with guests, office stuff or anything else. I promise to take photos asap. I keep on misplacing my camera, and trying to download photos from my phone is proving to be a real PITA.

I have a new swimming pool, even though I liked my old pool I love the new one even more.  I think I've been in this pool more in the last few weeks than I had in the last three years at the old house.

 Old pool

New pool

(Both photos taken from the real estate listings as I still haven't taken any photos of the house since I've moved in, 3 months ago...slack....slack....slack)

I had a fabulous holiday in Hawaii with BP (BitchyPoo). It was so nice to relax and not have to worry about cleaning, cooking or moving furniture.

I'm back, I'm ready and looking forward to sewing. Only one slight teeny tiny problem, I have no freaking idea of what to sew, other than I want to make a hexie quilt. I can not for the life of me make up my mind on anything else.  I don't even have a list of things I'd like to make in 2013. I have a million ideas spinning around in my head and I've pinned a squillion ideas on Pinterest, favourited lots on flickr, printed out free patterns, and bought lots of patterns.  Maybe that's my problem, too many choices.

I want to get those creative juices flowing. I think starting something new will start me off on the right track and then I'll possibly tackle a couple of UFO's during the year. Maybe a Dresden quilt this year, maybe something with Drunkard's path blocks. I need to dust off the Baby Go cutter and utilise that a bit more. I'm  also thinking about joining a couple of sew alongs, but then my track records for those is appalling.

In the meantime I'm cutting squares for hexies. Fingers crossed

I'm not making any NY resolutions this year, a waste of time for me, as I never keep them. I am determined to enjoy 2013, it's going to be my Year of Rest and Relaxation.  That for me, is doing the things I like doing, sewing, holidays, spending time with friends and BP, and dining out occasionally. Thank you so much to all who have hung in there for the ride and lent support when I needed it.

I hope everyone has a fabulously enjoyable year, do what you love doing and spend time with friends and family you love. Happy 2013!!!!!!!

Lots of clues

The photos are not the best as I haven't been able to download all mine or any of BP's yet and also can't edit them at this stage.


















Hawaii. The closest state of the USA to Australia, and a mecca for Aussie shopaholics.

Not admitting to being a shopaholic at this stage.

We have just spent a relaxing week cruising around the islands. A well needed break. I didn't realize how "dishausted" I was until I got on that ship. It didn't help, flying overnight and managing to only sleep for approx 45 minutes on a ten hour flight, and that wasn't all in one 45 min block. I think this year had really taken its toll on me. Six months of decluttering 13 years of accumulated crap and finally ending a chapter in my life. Trying to find a new home to move to and also dealing with the move to the city for BP (Bitchypoo). We hit that ship and promptly slept at every available opportunity. Not quite what I was expecting to do. I had multiple nanna naps during the afternoons we weren't sightseeing, and slept for over 8 hours most nights. Brilliant, as at home I'd have been lucky to sleep 4 hours a night.

We survived hiring a car and driving on the other side of the road. Good news - no accidents and I didn't kill any one. It was a great way to "practice" driving. So now I'll be all set to drive on mainland USA as long as I don't have to tackle any freeways.

We are now in Waikiki for some more R and R and S (shopping), and I'm looking forward to eating all the stuff we can't get at home, and hoping I don't have a heart attack in the process. Yogurtland is high on my list. Followed by the Cheesecake Factory, I hope it lives up to expectations. Any other suggestions will be gratefully received.

BP is due to start a shopping frenzy, Victoria's Secret is on her list along with an awful lot of designer stuff, yikes! I'm hoping to find some pants to replace my favourite white linen pants that I bought with me and the ships laundry service tried its hardest to destroy them but still make them look like they were ok. I put them on only to find that there were multiple tears on the seams and the fabric looked like they had resorted to washing them the old fashioned way by using the rocks on the banks of a stream. They were clean and beautifully pressed. Unfortunately I only realized the morning we were disembarking. Fortunately I realized before I got off the ship to do an all day tour, and just had time to change out to another pair of pants, that by some miracle I had packed in my overnight bag and not packed in my suitcase, as our suitcases had to be packed and ready outside our cabin the night before. Imagine my horror, and everyone else's for that matter, if i had been walking around Pearl Harbor whilst my pants disintegrated around me. Situation averted, phew.

The fur babies are having fun at home and being spoilt rotten. I don't think they miss me at all. It's nice to know my house is being looked after while I'm away. I'll have to do this vacation thing more often!