Hoarders!!

We lost our power the night Cyclone Yasi hit further up the coast and we still didn't have it the next day so Ned and I dragged out all my old stuff for a look.  This post is very photo heavy and probably really boring to most but I know Nic will like seeing all the things we used to look at when we were little!  Jo dropped round for a coffee while we were going through it so there was lots of "I remember that"!!!!

*This is only a small portion of what I actually have stored in tubs.!!

 My super cool leather boots from when I was about 5!  Totally retro now!!

 I have bags and bags of buttons, badges and broken things from mum, grandma and some of its my great, great grandparents.

 Antique ladies pocket watch, well over 100 years old and badly needing repairs.

 This tiny little medicine box with an even tinier note that says 'Tonic Influenza Powder.  A white one each morning and a pink one each night'

 This one I really love, old travel sewing kit.

 Can't remember who gave me this but they aren't from our family.  Love how it says 'The fascinating new game'!!

 I have cards galore from every event imaginable.....

 Stacks of postcards that are all around 105 years old.

 A little photo album and all the pics are about the size of a postage stamp and printed on tin.  I rescued this from an op shop!

 My great grandparents postcard albums.................

 Okay this is the part when you might be thinking you will see me on that tv show - Hoarders - one day!!

Above are Mum and Dads insurance papers from the house they had before I was even born!!

 An old Kayser christmas stockings packet, and the handbook for every parent of teens - 'The problem of Adolescence' - I like to quote parts to Jarrah out of this!!!

 Now this is scary - the gaurantee for M & D's CSR Easy Care stick on tiles!!!

 Heaps of needlework and old flour bags...

 One of my most favourite things - my Grandma Daphne's little jacket.  She's 97 so it's pretty old and needing only a small amount of repairs to the beading.  I wanted to wear it to my wedding with a plain slip dress underneath but I didn't sew then and couldn't find anyone to repair the beading.  I keep teasing Al that I will get to wear it when we renew our vows in August (10 years!!).  It's so hard to photograph and these pictures don't do it any justice at all.

 And to finish with - this love note from Dad to Mum from when we were little - love the ps!!



Wowsers!!!



Which Bank?

Well after my big rant about Mizz Gillard I was surprised by a call from Westpac on Friday arvo offering all customers in flood affected regions the opportunity of no credit card or mortgage payments for three months with no fees or interest charges.  Err yes please - after Al not working for 8 weeks due to rain it is a very welcome and appreciated offer - thanks Westpac!

Floods & Craftivism

I seriously don't even know what to write about the devastation we have seen happening here in QLD.  Even though we have seen it with our own eyes it's just too hard to comprehend what has happened. 75% of QLD affected by floods and now we are seeing NSW and Vic having to deal with it all.

To donate - http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html

To help - http://emergencyvolunteering.com.au/

and the crafting community stepped up bigtime with these girls organizing other crafters to make awesome items to auction or raffle and last I heard they had raised an incredible $45,000 !!!!

Rubes

My sweet, funny, eccentric Grandma Ruby passed away on 11.1.11

We love and miss you Rubes.

Visitors

We have had some furry friends visiting over Xmas - they are super cute, very well behaved and eat all our scraps - our favourite sort of guest!!

Al's Birthday

Happy Birthday Ali !!!

A very spotty new year!

 We had a pretty quiet (but nice) New Year - I was sick all over the Xmas period so we just hung out here and made some nice fresh salt and pepper calamari and some fruit and vege dip.  A few glasses of wine and I was asleep on the couch by 11pm!

I was up at four this morning watching this beautiful sunrise and scratching my suspected measles!!!

At least when it starts like this it can only get better - happy 2011!!

December Roundup!

Arrhh December - so busy with all the usual end of year / Xmas stuff but we also squeezed in:

a repaint of our $15 dump table (I'm going to sew a table runner for up the middle - sometime!)

 Got all my goodies in the mail ready for lucky recipients!

 Made a couple of pencil rolls for teachers.

 Dug up our potato barrel for a disappointing five potato's

 Screenprinted Star Wars inspired shirts for Xmas gifts.

 Got our pressies wrapped up with Al's painting paper, string and doilies.

 Pop came round to install a splitter so Jar gets tv in her room - Lachie bought her a big flat screen tv!!

 Our Xmas table before it got covered in food.

 Christmas Eve, technically christmas cause I didn't get to bed til 1am!

 For some reason around midnight I decided it would be a good idea to take photos of my Christmas dec's - clearly I was overtired and slightly manic!!  I won't bore you with them all but this little tin angel Nic gave me is still my most favourite!

 We got our cement slab laid - yay!

 I got this years advent calenders ready just in time.

 We did rockclimbing...

 and found treasure!

Ned and Al had a swim - I had a really long strapless dress on so I had to sit on the shore and watch!!!

 I finally finished my first quilt - made with vintage (old!!) sheets and machine quilted in very crooked lines!!  It just needs a spin in the washer and dryer to get that wrinkly old look (which would have been done but our washing machine is out of action.  It gave Jar and I a few little shocks and when we googled it there is currently a recall for that reason!!)

 We went to Neds Xmas carols and to see their years work in the classroom.

Riley and Ned!