Still no Kevin here!

Well...a bit of an absence as we frantically try to regain some semblance of "normality". Not that we are having much success at present. Rather than being the most boring of bloggers raving on about renovation glitches, kitchen suppliers going bankrupt before yours is made, changing temp accommodation yet again and family illnesses, I will show you some snaps of what progress has been made in the house stakes...

just waiting for a BIG window...

just waiting for some fill...

oh dear Kevin McCloud where are you with your pithy analysis of the renovation process????

No sewing as such, just binding this quilt for Miss E's dear Robert...he is certainly a much loved part of the family now (don't get excited, Miss E had to finish the last bit of binding for me!).

My journeys in Blogland have been very sporadic of late with all that has been happening. I will be a bit absent for the next few weeks as well, a long planned (but now poorly timed) journey is about to begin with some dear friends...I will soon be around waving a bit of red, white and blue!

Wish me luck!

Cardygirl XX

Feels like Groundhog day?

Well, it seems like we are repeating our days over and over again...if there is no rest for the wicked, I must have been REALLY naughty at some stage! There is so much happening and all remains focused on family, renovating and finding our feet in our beautiful new city.

 Not being settled in the new house has left me feeling somewhat adrift...it will settle and realistically with all that is happening it is the least of my worries!

One dear blogging friend recently remarked how she loves seeing the renovation pics...it was a bit like Grand Designs goes Cardy! All I can say is that I wish dishy Kevin McCloud was around to smooth my furrowed brow ( now I will be in trouble with DH!!!!). Hopefully it will not be like GD episodes where the homeowner gets pregnant and there is a massive cost over-run! Here is the leadlight window waiting to go in and make the house look super cute. 

And the retaining wall waiting to be filled. Some suggestions are being made that it would be a great plunge pool...might make us very popular neighbours!

On the sewing front, there is little to report...a case of the mind is willing but the body too tired! to back this up...can you believe that we have been in an apartment about 200m from a large Spotlight for two weeks and I haven't even been through the door as there has been neither time nor inclination...yikes!

My FIL remains very ill...sadly at almost 89 years of age we start to wear out. This is hard for him to accept but it is a privilege to be able to be there to support him in this part of his life journey. 

Finally, on a happier note, Molly has taken to city life with gusto! The beach, lots of walks and the never ending thrill of meeting new people and smelling new dogs' @#%*! 

Thanks for reading this...I feel like there is no sunshine here at present, but the clouds will clear!

 Cardygirl xx

Some semblance of normality?

Much has happened since I last posted. 

 The move has occurred, eventfully as expected with everything we do lately! Thunderstorms, forecasts of hail and high winds, had ourselves and the removalists scurrying like ants. Finally after two long and tiring days the truck was loaded and the house was oddly bare and quiet. Time to move onto the next phase in our lives. While it was funny to leave the house, when the quilts and embroideries were removed from the walls, it didn't seem like home any more. I will miss all the love and thought that went into building the house, and of course I will cherish the happy memories of the times spent there as a family, but our new lives in Newcastle will be fabulous!

Before I left town, we had one last "craft" night...so nice to see the girls and a bit surreal too, surely I will be back next week? Lea made the most fabulous sewing machine cake to celebrate the occasion

...and it was yummy too! Not a great deal of sewing done, but lovely to chat, the group has been meeting in one form or another for 21 years...my how young we were!Lea has some more pics here. I shall miss their chatter, inspiration and gentle support through those testing times in life...it wasn't all about sewing, it was all about sharing too.

These girls are one of the hardest things to leave!

Sadly in the midst of all the moving, my father in law suffered a heart attack and is still very ill in hospital. Fortunately we are now close by so we can visit often. 

So, as you would imagine, there has been little time to stitch. A few cross-stitches at night is all I have been able to manage before I drop into bed. But this week I plan to have some hand-piecing at the ready for some quieter moments...fingers crossed! Here is my interim stitching spot.

 Now, back to the reason for moving....the house continues to progress, frames for the extension are erected and the roof will go on this week. it seems never ending, but it will happen!

And, on a lighter note, here is our very non-citified Molly- her eyes are still on stalks as she becomes used to the city...so many dogs and so many people and cars! Pushbikes, motorbikes and even someone on a kayak! She had never seen the sea before, but quickly cottoned on to the idea of a dog friendly beach (with so many friendly dogs too!). I think she will quite like it here.
Thank you for all your kind wishes...it will be good to be settled again!

Cardygirl xx

Winds of change!

As is usual in Cardy-world of late, the changes continue at a fast pace.

Each cupboard I open, I throw out the "stuff" of life...I have garbage bags scattered through the house collecting all those things we seem reluctant to discard (WHY???? I am asking myself!).

Here is my slowly progressing "Soul Searching" quilt...I am enjoying it's gentle progress...the brown block is nearly done, then just aqua and red to go...yay! It was hard to handle on the line with the morning sun behind it and a bit of a breeze....

So I headed inside and finished (at last) my final uni assignment for this semester. 

It is due in a week, but with all that was happening here, I needed to complete it so I can focus on the huge task of moving. I have decided to end my foray into adult education at Grad Diploma level...and have big plans for being a normal (?) person again next year who can actually enjoy life without continually squawking about due dates and discussion boards. 

Here is the partially completed quilt in the afternoon glow...I am happy with it!

On the moving front, all is progressing well, but the house will not be ready for me to move into....a bit of couch surfing will occur, but it will only be for a few weeks. Here is my teeny tiny backyard this week...full of tradesmen (they are a lovely bunch) and two excavators...it was full on. I don't know if they appreciated my joke about making a few changes???? 

And here it is the next day with the foundations successfully poured. 

On the work front, I had two interviews and it seems work is now organised...tick!

So, please know I pop in as often as I can to see what you are up to, and hopefully life will settle in a month or two! With 2.5 weeks until the big move, look at my dining table...eek!

  Cardygirl XX

Almost ready to weave a basket...

Each week is so full of changes at present...the renovation is progressing and I am beginning to sort out this house ready for a mid-September move. I am hoping my garden blossoms before then as I would love to see it one more time! DS has been home for a mid-semester break...it is always lovely to have him here and he helped with some spring pruning and rubbish dump runs. I am working on my last uni assignment which is naturally due the week before we move- the most boring topic in the world has not been very motivating when I have so much else to do.

I would have to say my mood is generally elevated at present (did you guess that from my title?)...so many changes happening at present and I seem to have lost the ability to sleep...one dear friend noted my mania on an email...that was scary! So I am trying to do a little something creative to offset my imminent psychosis (the sewing machine is pretty much out at present as I could really do some damage with that!).

 I have been knitting this bag from a recent Country Style for my DD (hmmm knitting and repetitive actions...calming?) the kit and pattern are available here...

leadlight patterns for the front windows...

and a freshly dressed facade (before anyone laments the blank wall, there is a small flowering tree ready to go there!). It is looking really good and we now have windows except for the bay.

Changes have been happening with work too...I have left one job as of last Monday...very sad as they are a great bunch, some I have worked with for twenty years, so I just left without fuss to avoid any public tears. They gave me these beautiful flowers...I shall miss them. I have committed to my other job until early October to allow for a handover period. On the new job front, I have had one interview and have another next week...no issues picking up work in Newcastle. Any wonder the mood is high????

Have you been watching dear Lea race around the Outback? Watch her adventure on her blog...she even has hold of the yellow jersey!

Cardygirl xx

And the polishing paid off...

At last there is news on the Chez Cardy front...we are sold!

After some false starts, headaches, annoyances and lots of the aforementioned polishing, the house sale is now unconditional and we settle in six weeks. The new house will not be ready, but I am hoping one bathroom and bedroom may be habitable or else I will be in a tent! I am not worried...it will work out. Optimism is such a wonderful gift I think!

 A relief is an understatement...it was exhausting, especially when there is so much else going on. We love this house...we put so much of ourselves into it physically and emotionally, but now that the children are grown and DH's work is no longer here, it really is time to move on. We will miss the character of it and my lovely garden BUT it is just a shell that we live in...as long as we are together that is where I will call home. It will be great to be living so close to Mum too after living away for 25 years. 

 All of this frantic activity...assignments, renovations, lots of driving and the anxiety of the whole she-bang have forced a bit of a slow down, but hopefully I will be feeling better each day as there is not a lot of down time available.

But here are some snaps so you can see what has been happening...

A baby quilt...bound and now on its way to a sweet new little girl from a very proud Uncle...

a bare back yard awaiting footings for the extension at the new house...

felt pincushions inspired by a Wendy Williams workshop at the Sydney Quilt Show 

(which are much coveted and frequently abducted by my naughty cat!)...

a fabulous zippered bag I won at Lea's fundraising morning tea...I love this and was desiring it as she was making it!!!!! Lucky me! Go and see what a lovely day we had...here!

Not a lot of sewing time...still fiddling with octagons as the mood permits, just looking forward to October...might even have a roof over my head again by then!

Cardygirl xx

Papers, plums and a touch of the glums!

Hand stitching...the perfect thing to do when your mind is just not fully on the "job" of stitching.

Quite frankly the concentration span is poor and I have been in an uncharacteristic grump...don't put me near a rotary cutter!!! Obviously the house sale is still up in the air...still having people come through until the offer can become unconditional...at least we are fortunate to have lots of interest.

So not a lot of stitching happening...lots I would like to do...so have been working on sewing rows of octagons together...and was wondering...am I doing this the hard way as it takes forever to add a row and it is seriously boring (see the head is not quite as peppy as usual)???? Any tips???

It will look nice though I think!

Played with the purples for my soul searching top...purple is a tough colour...there are plums, mauves, pinks and knock-your-eyes-out-child-of-the-seventies PURPLE...fun to see what I had and even more fun trying to put it together without giving myself the glums (never been a lilac sort of girl) or a headache...some of those purples were super rich and BRIGHT!

Do you like purple?

 Cardygirl xx

Dear Diary...

How can it be that another week has passed by? So much happening here, lots of travelling up and down the highway. So here is the week that was...

my dear Mum turned 80!!!!
So I headed off to spend some time with her...lunch, shopping, glamourising! Then my DD and her lovely Robert came to have dinner with us. Sadly DS and SB were both too far away to join in, but plans are being made for a HUGE celebration in the new Chez Cardy later in the year!

More work on the new house (blue print for a bay window)...

 George still looking for my marbles!!!!...

and a kitchen splashback picked!

Fortunately there are no pics of me "comfort testing" loos at the local plumbing supply shop (who would have thought that a square toilet seat would be so uncomfortable???)..but the lovely sales ladies had a good laugh!

Sadly I missed out on my Nundle retreat weekend with the girls as we had to have another home open. This is a pic from last year ( when I had to leave early....). We have offers on the house but until they become unconditional I still want the house marketed. Hating the process but looking forward to the move.
So the girls are away having a fabulous time (apparently picking on Lea) and playing up with "Peg" and "Dale" and even an effigy of me...hmmm! (Hope they are not sticking me with pins...ouch!)...so miss you all Chooky, Lea, Anita, Sandy, Trish, and dear Belinda!  Just think...while they were all laughing, sewing and eating M&M's, I was driving around town with a cranky cat in a cage and a dog with a flatulence problem (well I knew it wasn't me!!!) I know what I would rather be doing?????

So I have been working on a UFO- not my colours at all, but it is a gift for a man...looking good!

Cardygirl xx

Paper piecing, baby quilts and lost marbles!

Miserable here today...rained and rained! More house inspections...feeling a bit violated with so many people tramping through my home...including a nosy neighbour (rude!)...I think buying a house brings out the worst in people...hope it is all over soon! 

Need to focus on some jobs, but there always seems to be phone calls, house decisions, blah, blah, blah! So, despite having other stuff "needing" to be done,

 I thought I might have a play with these gems...

 take a pic of a baby quilt I made for some dear friends nearly due niece (a pattern from Moda Bakeshop)...

and show you the little quilt I made for another baby girl from a pattern by Kate.

So you can have an update, here are some pics of the house...

a happy hubby...

 George looking for my lost marbles (why am I doing such a big reno??)...

and my very not private ensuite....I am sure if a wall doesn't go up soon there will be mass hysteria and people poking out their own eyes!!!!! They will only look once! 

But lovely to see it all coming together.

Cardygirl xx

Deluged!

Whilst we have not been actually deluged with rain, we have been totally overwhelmed in so many ways here. All of these happenings are ultimately of our own making, so really are not cause for complaint, but thought I would let  you know that while I am around, it is only as time permits at present. But, it will gradually settle over the next few months (I hope!). Settle back and admire a recent sunset...

So here is the update...Chez Cardy is on the market and has generated a lot of interest, so hopefully there will soon be good news to share! Whilst we will be sad to leave our lovely home, the move will be a worthwhile one, taking us closer to family and being more convenient for SB's work. 

The renos are progressing on the new place...it feels a bit like The Block, except we are not hands on! The original house has been straightened and reinforced so that she will survive another eighty years, and soon the fun stuff will start...adding the extension and making her pretty again.

Work-wise we have survived accreditation last week, and Uni has started again...this will be my last subject as I have decided to withdraw at a Grad Dip level and hopefully that will stop my head from exploding! The next course I will do will be no more stressful than cupcake decorating...no more uni for this old boiler!

Keeping the house super immaculate has been fun (not!), but despite everyone telling me that people will still love the house if there is a bit of fluff on the floor, I have whipped myself into an OCD frenzy every day dusting, sweeping and polishing...aaah personal pride is an amazing thing! But I hear the family scratching through the oddest of places looking for sink plugs and tissues...it is almost like living in a treasure house...who knows what you will find stuffed where????? Note to self....breathe!

But there has been a little fun too...

Lea and I went to a fabulous quilt talk last week with an Australian quilt historian...really interesting too...

I made a felt macaron (but DD took it home before I could take a pic), but here is the magazine (yum)...

I have worked on assembling my circle game blocks and finished the last block too! I think hand piecing is all I can focus on at present! I commenced this BOM last September after spotting dear Kate's efforts in Singapore...I have just seen her in Sydney and found out that I am a block or so ahead of her, so the gauntlet was thrown and the challenge is on...who will finish first????? Can you guess we are a little competitive?

Hope all is well wherever you are...sorry my comments are few but I am reading as time and concentration span permits...

 Cardygirl xx