MY CHRISTMAS WISH FOR YOU

My Christmas wish for you, my friend

Is just a simple one

For I wish you hope and joy and peace

Days filled with warmth and sun

I wish you love and friendship too

Throughout the coming year

Lots of laughter and happiness

To fill your world with cheer

May you count your blessings, one by one

And when totaled by the lot

May you find all you've been given

To be more than what you sought

May your journeys be short, your burdens light

May your spirit never grow old

May all your clouds have silver linings

And your rainbows pots of gold

I wish this all and so much more

May all your dreams come true and

May you have a Merry Christmas

THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS CAKE

Countdown to Christmas Day in on....... O days now, only hours away, but there
is still time to make this delicious cake. This is one of our favourites, it smells

scrumptious, and I promise I only tested 1 nut to make sure they are crunchy!

Night before Christmas Cake
175g unsalted butter, softened
225g brown sugar
275g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
175ml buttermilk
2 eggs
Grated rind of 1 lemon
Grated rind of 1 orange
225g fruit mince
2 tbs brandy
Florentine topping
50g hazelnuts
50g blanched almonds
85g brazil nuts
140g red glace cherries
100g golden syrup
Icing
2/3 cup (100g) icing sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
Method
Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease and line base of a 20cm springform cake pan. Beat butter and sugar in bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy, sift flour and baking powder and stir into butter mixture with buttermilk and eggs. Stir in rinds with fruit mince and brandy. Spoon into pan and bake for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, for florentine topping, place nuts, cherries and golden syrup in a saucepan and warm over a medium heat. When cake has cooked for 1 hour, remove from oven and spread topping over. Return for a further 15-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
For the icing, mix together sugar and lemon juice, place in a piping bag with a small nozzle and drizzle over cake. Decorate with ribbon, if desired.

A BEAUTIFUL LITTLE FACE

I put this beautiful little rose in my kitchen
window, and each time I went back into the
kitchen, the sun had moved a little further
around.

Here the sun seems to be shining right through
the petals, and see the reflection in the window?

By now it is almost dusk

It's such a pretty face.

CHRISTMAS PARTY 2009

Sharing fun and happiness... NOTHING could have been
more entertaining! To each and everyone a heartfelt

thankyou for a wonderful year of love and learning.

Now sit back, relax and enjoy the Movie

Go here and click to make your picture full screen,

and join in the fun.

http://www.youtube.com/user/7birdsonawire

MANY SHADES OF SORBET

Jacky - this Throw is beautiful - looks like
Coffee/chocolate Latte - and is oh so soft.

Marcia this Throw is gorgeous - could be Strawberries

and cream.

COLOURS OF A RAINBOW

Found this beautiful colourful yarn, decided to make a Throw, and chose 3 bright yarns to go with it.




Think I'll make 25 squares altogether. This square was made on the
Medium Loom, and crochet around the outside.



This was made like a Granny square.



This square was created on the Medium Loom and crochet around the outside. Next I will make a pattern for my Throw and will proceed to join the squares together. In a few days I will put a picture of the completed Throw up here.

ROSES & PETUNIAS MAKE ME SMILE

You can't hide from me little insects......

Click on pictures to enlarge

STAY SAFE

Our thoughts and love go with you, and as the Cherokee Prayer says - may the rainbow always touch your shoulder. STAY SAFE
Love - Aunt C
♥

THINKING WHY...

Can't do anything today

Till I finish with yesterday

Which should be sometime tomorrow

A NEW DAY DAWNS

5:30 in the morning and looking out my kitchen window I could see
a mist rising on the Nerang River, so went down to the Riverbank
and this is the beautiful picture that was waiting for me. I looked
everywhere and there was no movement of another person
anywhere, only birds and water birds flittering here and there,
and tweeting as they went. I pondered for a moment and realized
that I was the only person in the www (Whole Wide World)that was
acutally capturing this spectacular display at this very moment
and I said "Thank you".





Click on pictures to enlarge

WHO TOOK OUR SUN?

The Dust storm arrived and everything seemed to turn a red/brown.
Even though I quickly shut every window and door, a layer of
dust found its way into the house, and today is "bust the dust" day.

Where has our sun gone? This is how the sun looked at noon.

This is how the sun looked at 5pm - changed to a silver colour,

almost looked like the moon and the dust even looked silver - spooky..

JEWELL BUG

Grandaddy found a Jewell Bug this morning.

DAME ELISABETH MURDOCH - I love you

This is one of the most magnificent fragrant roses, and was nodding its head to me as I went out this morning, so I decided to share its beauty.

http://www.mcri.edu.au/pages/our-people/dame-elisabeth-murdoch-100th-birthday.asp

Dame Elisabeth Murdoch - you are a true inspiration.

FIRST DAY OF SPRING

I love the 1st day of Spring. Lots of folk have their birthday

on the 1st day of Spring - and I am lucky enough to be one of
them. To all of my friends wherever you may be, thank you so
much for all the phone calls and unexpected emails from across
the pond!

This is a picture of me on my 7th Birthday with my best friend
Sniggles. I could dress her up and she'd walk around with me
holding her paw, or she was happy being pushed around in the
pram - hour after hour. Then oneday the worst cenario happened -
Sniggles was bitten by a snake and died, and my world fell apart.

CHEROKEE PRAYER BLESSING

MAY THE WARM WINDS OF HEAVEN

BLOW SOFTLY UPON YOUR HOUSE.

MAY THE GREAT SPIRIT BLESS

ALL WHO ENTER THERE.

MAY YOUR MOCASSINS

MAKE HAPPY TRACKS IN MANY SNOWS.

AND MAY THE RAINBOW

ALWAYS TOUCH YOUR SHOULDER.

SNAKES ALIVE

All those near and dear to me will tell you I HATE snakes.....
When I was a little girl I discovered if I stomped all over the
Strawberries in the Strawberry Patch (green or ripe) the Blue
Tounged Lizards would stay away. I can tell you I got into
serious trouble from my dear old Grandad....... but it was
worth it, not having to be scared by those creepy crawlies.

For the past 2 days my dearly beloved has been chasing
snakes - trying to get the best photo! Can you believe that?
Infact he is so good he took a photo at the Garage window,
and now we have a photo capturing the photographer and
2 snakes. Believe it or not, there are 2 snakes here - and it
took me 1/2 an hour to find the courage to get in the car
this morning.

At dusk lastnight when we (well not me) discovered there
ARE 2 snakes, Jackie the Kookaburra came in to protect
me - and life goes on.....

BUTTERFLY LOOM TO THE RESCUE

The KnitWit tool used to make the Daisies in the Throw
featured on the front of Better Homes and Gardens
Magazine is not available in Australia, so the Butterfly Loom
came to the rescue and created this beautiful Throw.
The yarn is available from Spotlight and while you are there
have a look at their Specials.

These squares are created on the Small Loom, then crochet
around them flat, or create Daisies as explained in a "Daisy a
Day" and crochet around them and join the same way.

HURRY - HURRY - NEED A SCARF

Need a scarf in a hurry? Both of these pretty scarves were

made on the Small Butterfly Loom. Different way of

stitching - different results

I LOVE THIS - IT'S YUMMY

This piece of cake was pulled from the Freezer

and was intended for the Ducks - one of my

little people thought it was "too delicious" but

I must say, did share a few crumbs.

Morning greeting

A beautiful little Snowdrop greeted

me this morning - it thinks it is

Spring already.

PURPLE LOVES GREEN THROW

Instructions and pattern for another pretty Throw.

BUTTERFLYLOOM & KNIT A COZY THROW

Click on the pictures to enlarge them, and print pattern.

CANBERRA BLIND SOCIETY

I feel so happy. There is nothing like the feeling of
bringing happiness to other people. I sent a few Looms
to the Canberra Blind Society and received a lovely
"thankyou" letter back from them together with this
picture of one of the members who was able to use
the Looms. This is a picture of her with the scarf she
created on the Small Loom, and not only that she sent
me a beautiful red scarf that she had made, and in her
letter wrote "I would like you to have the scarf that I have
made for you as a gift of thanks". I will treasure that red
scarf forever.

Part of the letter from the CBS reads "The Looms are
providing to be very popular with the members of the
Canberra Blind Society Craft Group. The simple design
and tacticle nature of the Loom makes it easy for people
who are blind or vision impaired to use."

Thank you CBS, I hope the Looms bring many, many
more hours of enjoyment to your members. Spotlight
were only too happy to send you yarn, and really
appreciated your letter of thanks.

BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS DAISIES 1

Daisies that can be made for Better Homes and Gardens Throw - see link below...
The Daisy created on the Baby Butterfly Loom OR the Small Butterfly Loom can be substituted for the Daisy made with the Knitwit tool. Although they will not be the same they look very effective.
Go to the next post "Better Homes and Gardens 2", and see a quick video of how to create the Daisy made on the Small Butterfly Loom.


Wrap Baby Butterfly Loom twice..
http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/better-homes-gardens/

Bring the small square in the centre together


Stitch through each petal

When each petal

is stitched tie

off and snip yarn

Slide arm at the back

of the Butterfly Loom to

release Daisy Motif.

BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS DAISIES 2

This Daisy is created on the Small Butterfly Loom

http://butterflyloom.blogspot.com/search/label/DAISY%20THROW

Nothing could be easier, and has such a pretty effect.
Could be used as the Daisy in Better Homes and Garden
Throw. Either crochet around the edges, or simply slip stitch
together, and then slip stitch or crochet onto the knitted
pieces in the Throw.





Daisy created on
the Small Butterfly
Loom with Butterfly
Twist around the edges.




































This is the Daisy created on the Baby Butterfly Loom,
and requires crochet around the outside of the petals.
















Both finished Daisies are the same size.