Home Again

My holiday to Australia is over! I had the best three weeks of my life. The journey itself was gruelling, almost 3 hours by train then 21 hours by plane is not for the faint hearted but it was worth it. The  time spent with my brother and his family and my aunt Lana was wonderful. The country is amazing, vast and hot and full of flies but so amazing. I saw kangaroos, koalas, wombats, sand dunes higher than a house, parks larger than a town and spaces wider and more open than anything I could contemplate. Perth is a hot and dry place with mainly sandy areas but it is also a beautiful place. The jacaranda trees are especially beautiful and the flowers are colourful and mainly familiar, like geraniums, petunias, begonias and roses which all flower year round because of the climate. But the most wonderful thing about the country is the family I met there. I grew to love my brothers children and my aunts grandchildren very quickly. I met friends I hadn't seen in over thirty years and chewed over some memories of my teenage years with them. I went on a dinner cruise down the Swan River, 4 wheel driving over sand dunes, pic-nicking in the park, driving through the bush and mall shopping. I made memories I will treasure for ever and had experiences that I will never forget but that time spent with my family cannot be measured. It was precious and wonderful and all those other adjectives and I can't put a price on it. That's why when I had to leave, I cried like a baby! It was so hard to leave them all behind, knowing  I wouldn't see them again. That's the tyranny of distance, as my brother said to me, and it gave a bittersweet ending to whole trip because as much as I wanted to go home to my English family I also didn't want to leave my Australian family. So would I do it again? In a heartbeat!

Latest Makes

Here are my two latest projects, A Hello Kitty lookalike for Ellady (Lacey has one too with purple trim but didn't get to photograph it) and a topsy turvy Cinderella doll for Lacey.

It's getting really close to me going to Australia now. I'm excited about the trip but I'm nervous too! It's the first time in my life that I've ever been travelling alone. I have always had some form of companionship, be it family or friend so this is new to me. I'm using the train to get to the airport so will be going alone all the way. It's going to be quite the experience. I've loaded my tablet and phone with books, bought puzzle books and put as much music on my ipod as I can so I'll have enough to occupy myself on my journey. I have everything done regarding tickets, passport and visa so I'm really well organised but I'm still worried that something will go wrong. I'm imagining myself missing connecting flights because I get lost, losing luggage, forgetting documents etc etc etc. I don't do this when I'm travelling with others, in fact I'm the one who deals with everything from packing to boarding the plane. I'm the one who rallies the troops and keeps everything running smoothly so why am I being such a wimp over this! I just need to give myself a good talking to, I think.

Cute Bag with a surprise inside

I've just finished crocheting this for Lacey. It's a drawstring bag and when you turn it inside out it's a dollie's cradle. I think it's so cute and I did enjoy making it. I saw it on Youtube and had to have a go. I'm going to make one for my niece, Sophie, next. She loves Hello Kitty, so I'm going to put the face on the bag and make a little Kitty to go inside with a Hello Kitty blanket. I wish I was young again so I could have one, LOL.

Lacey's Backpack

This is the Hello Kitty backpack I crocheted for Lacey. Don't know what I'm going to work on next. I might look at doing some pieces to sell on Etsy and see how that goes. I was going to start with some small things like fingerless gloves and socks as they seem to sell well. Maybe a few baby things as well. What ever I decide I need to get on with it. I like having something to work on, especially at night time when watching tv.

He Is Risen

If you have read any of the old posts on here you'll know that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints (Mormon). I take my religion seriously and so today, Easter Sunday, is a time for me to really reflect on my Saviour and the sacrifice He made for me. I understand the doctrine of Atonement but I never really thought about how it pertained to me. For many years I just accepted it as part of my beliefs and never really explored it in any detail. Then I dropped away from my religion, started living a life that wasn't in keeping with the gospel of Christ. I enjoyed that life for many years but then I was pulled up by the bootstraps and made to see the error of my ways and that was when I really got to know about the power of the Atonement.
All the wrong things I'd done, all the bad decisions I'd made could be forgiven, could be forgotten if I was prepared to repent and follow the teachings of my Lord and Saviour. Repentance is an ongoing blessing for all of us. It is the chance to say sorry, to right our wrongs, to make restitution for our sin and benefits us by opening the road back to Heaven. This is such a blessing to know that I have a path to follow that will lead me back to my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
Some may say that God and Heaven don't exist but I know they do and I also know that the purpose of this life is to prove ourselves worthy to live with Him in the next life. And that is the point of the Atonement, without it we would never get that chance, our life on earth would be totally worthless. Because of the sacrifice of a perfect man who suffered and bled and died for me I get to have a life full of beauty and joy and if I just do the things He has asked I get to carry that on for eternity.
Not much to ask is it?

A few photos

These are my flowers from Craig, for Mother's Day.

Roses are my favourite flower!

This is the hair bow that I knitted for Lacey and Ellady. Lacy wanted a pink, Minnie Mouse bow so I found a pattern for the bow and sewed black circles on. I croched it onto a hair elastic and voila. And if you do it for Lacey, you have to do it for Ellady so had to make two.

The swans on the waterfront in Lincoln. We had a lovely trip out for our dinner. Sat on the waterfront watching the swans while we ate then had a wander round for an hour. We couldn't get over how warm and sunny it was for the end of March.

I loved this spiral staircase stuck on the side of a building, coming from nowhere and going nowhere.

Couldn't believe it when these traveller's stepped out of the stretch limo. Proof that they dress like this in real life, away from the cameras of Big Fat Gypsy Weddings.

I'm Back!!!!

I haven't posted for a couple years because , well just because. Lots of things have happened including another grandchild, Ellady Paige, born on Sept 30th 2009 and me turning fifty. I've taken a photography course and started my knitting again so I'm going to use my blog as a place to post my photos of my creations and other subjects. I might write the odd post as well, ha ha!
Anyway, since this is the eve of Mother's Day I thought I'd write about my kids and how I feel about being a mum. I always wanted to be a mum, I never had any ambition to be a teacher, nurse, whatever, I only ever wanted to get married and have kids. Thankfully I achieved that, four times. Each pregnancy was different as was each birth but one thing they all had in common was the rush of all consuming love that I felt when I looked upon the face of the baby I held in my arms. From the moment they were born, I loved each one in such an intense way that I knew my heart would always belong to them. And it has.
Motherhood isn't an easy journey. It is filled with pot holes, twists in the road, mountains to climb and canyons to cross but is the greatest adventure a woman can ever take. Sometimes it's hard, sometimes it's unrewarding, sometimes it's downright frustrating and your purse will always be empty but when your child smiles at you, hugs you, kisses you and tells you he loves you, it hits home that all the hard work is worth it for the reward that money cannot buy, a heart full of love.
I have loved my own adventure and continue to do so even though they are now grown and don't need me as much. I wouldn't have missed it for the world. I probably would have been richer in monetary terms but I'd rather have an empty purse than an empty heart.