Simply Soap

As I have blogged about before, I have been trying out soap making.  If you speak to anyone who makes or uses handmade soap, they will all say the same thing, once you try handmade, it is hard to go back to store bought.

I have been buying a few different bars from different soap makers just to try them out and see what they are like.  And while some of them aren't necessarily soaps I would buy again, I do like them a lot more than the store bought.  They don't feel dry on my skin, they smell better and look a bucket load prettier.

A while ago I bought the soaps above from Gabby at Simply Soap.  And they are amazing. going from the left, the big soaps are Grape fruit and Pomegranate(Limited addition), Hello Myrtle and Raspberry Mint (though this one isn't in stock anymore either).  They were all lovely and I was even lucky enough to get some freebie little soaps that are already packed away for use when we go camping next month.

Angus loves the handmade soaps, referring to them all as "My special soaps".  When I received the lot from Simply soaps, he fished out the Raspberry Mint calling it his "Wormy Soap" (no idea why) and walked around for over an hour sniffing it.  When he did finally put it down it was on a table with the toys he was playing with so every now and then he could sniff it.

 I think it is safe to say we are handmade soap converts.

Just a normal day eating breakfast

Someone wanted to wear a nappy today, I convinced him to wear undies by putting them on the little one's head.

Only thing was he then wanted to wear some one his head, all morning.

Flying machine's maiden voyage

It took me just over a day to complete something on my new "Flying" machine.  It would have taken less but I had to adjust the elastic to fit Kanga, and it wasn't possible to do while he was asleep.

I did start these on my old machine than they got put aside the first time it chucked a hissy fit.  The bobbin would jam all the time, anything over about 15-20 stitches a minute and it was a lost cause.  Not great for all the quilt I have almost done that need quilting.  I would get the machine serviced, it would work fine then the bobbin jamming would start again.

My new machine is a dream to sew with.  Still working thing out a bit (like I stop sewing and raise the presser foot too quickly for the machine and it beeps and send me nasty messages).  I also did my first time seing with a twin needle looks pretty smart doesn't it. ANd yes the crap phone photos are contnuing until we get a new camera.

The shorts are reversible and based on a pair from the Make It Perfect book.  I have aready started a pair that aren;t reversible in some Toy Story fabric for Kanga.  The only thing is he is sort of moving to a size 3, but as he is now "Undie Boy" most of the time they are a little baggy. At leas he will get lots of wear out of them.

So another blogging lull and a flying machine

Yes I have been slack with publishing of my blog posts yet again.

I guess this will continue as out camera is broken so no nice pics, but it does mean you get an extremely crappy pic of this........

My new sewing machine.  It is a Janome MC 5200.  Now our local store didn't have one of these is store when I went looking, so I had to base my selection purely on internet info.  Which turned out to be a double bonus.  A lot of online suppliers have this machine listed for $500 off RRP.  A deal which although my local store did not have, they matched in priced. 

The funniest thing was ringing the store to order it and have the sales person question the price, only to call back a couple of hours later to confirm there would be one available for pick up today, and that yes it would be that price (of course it would be I spoke to the owner).  It pays to ask. 

Now Angus calls my sewing machine a flying machine.  He asked all sorts of questions about the new flying machine.  Is it a new one?  Will I fly with it?  Does it have buttons?  Does it have a TV (the screen).  Jamie told him for the money it cost, it should make cappuccinos.  Angus then asked for a cappuccino. 

So excuse me while we get better acquainted.

Our first family photo

I am really, really critical of photos of myself.  An accident when younger, and a scar on my chin means I always have a double chin.  My fathers family, not only blessed my with a large bust, but also big beefy upper arms.  And well I have  baby who is partial to a few wake ups during the night meaning dark circles under my eye are now permanently a fixture of my face.

We went to a kiddy party on the weekend, and asked our friends to take a photo of us, and well, trying to get a photo of a toddler can be difficult, so I am also awkwardly angled as I am trying to coax him to smile.

All up I am not entirely happy with myself in this picture, but I am embracing it for what it is, our first photo as a family of four

For the love of Carrot

A particular little boys best friend

She even beats Ruby

Confessions of a fabric addict

I love fabric, I love looking at it, thinking of what to sew with it, and creating using it.  However I find cutting it daunting.  What if I stuff it up?  Lately I have been sneaking in some sewing time, and as I am using more and more fabric, I am finding some holes (like pieces over one metre/yard) and the need to replace the used fabric.

A little while ago I bought a bunch of fat quarters that someone was destashing.  I love them (well most of them, some aren't me.  I take them out of the little box they came in, look at them, match the with each other.  I loved them so much I bought more the person was selling, I would have bought even more but some were purchased by other people, the hide!!!

The other box has now arrived, I look at those pieces too.  But the days of gazing at this beautiful fabric is limited.  Some pieces are committed to projects in my mind and are about to be cut up.

And because there is no such thing as too much fabric, I have bought a few (ok a lot) of other pieces of fabric).

But my fabric buying binge is over.  I am sewing as much as my little (frustratingly not very co operative) machine will let me.  Plus as I posted, I have been sewing a couple of quilts for our troops.  Taking me away from projects I wanted to have finished but still haven't oops!!

Hiya

Like a duck

Oscar had his first swimming lesson today.

He loves bath time and kicks and splashes like no tomorrow.  He has a little internal clock that knows when it is bath time and if he isn't in the bath then, he gets antsy and makes his kicking and splashing movements, and don't go talkng about a bath or splashing around him as it also sets him off.

Jamie had some stuff on so had the day off work, he went in the water with him so I could snap some pics.  The swim school has a small creche and Angus always asks to go in there, when he had his lesson on Friday I explained that we woud be back for little ones lessons another day and he would have to go in the room.  As soon as we were there, and Oscar ready for his lessons Angus asked to go in the room.

Oscar did well swimming, no tears (except at the end when it was bed time).  He clung on to the bar when it was time to monkey along the side.

Angus however, half way thorugh the lesson I heard a child that sounded very much ike Angus calling and crying out for "Mummy".  Sure enough it was him.  He had left the creche and was standin just steps from the front door, and a gate (that doesn't lock well) out to the car park.  My heart leapt.  I grabbed him and gave him a hug and asked what was wrong, he wouldn't tell me so I took him back to the room where the women DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE HE LEFT.  I told her where he was, the best she could manage was "I didn't see him leave, they can be quick"  How about watching the door lady!!!!

So I stayed a while then left.  He was ok though sooky when we came back after the lesson.  He started bawling.  It was lunch time so not sure if that had anything to do with it.  But hopefully next week will be less event full.  I will send him with a lunch bix full of goodies to occupy him.

And to show how much the boys really do look alike, here is one of Angus from an earlier post, the same age as Oscar, in the same swimmers.

Sew what else can you do for the troops?

Earlier this week Retromummy had a link on her Facebook page for Jan-Maree.  Jan-Maree has started  new blog to help get information to people so they can help make quilts for out troops.

If you go to her blog here. She now has instudctions up on how to mak a a quilt to a size and weight that will fit in the box that will be carried free of charge.

This year I am hoping to do more quilts (I have some heere waiting to be finished off, having machine issues AGAIN) and I have fabric that I like but, it isn't fabric I would use for something for us, so to move some of it on, I am going to make a quilt, and I have some fabrics I can use to make laundry bags.

For details on how you can also help with this project, whether by sewing or donating fabrics, click here.