Antique Pattern library

So I am procrastinating.  I am really not in the mood to pack!  I am almost done but I need to find one or two other things and bleieve it or not all Jots and my clothes fit in one bag that weighs in at 20kg!  Quite good I reckon.

Anyway back to the procrasination: I have been net surfing and look what I found:

The Antique Pattern library

It is a electronic library of lots of crochet, knitting and embroidery patterns that are now out of copyright.  You are free to use or share them but obviously you cannot sell them.

I have spent the last hour (or so) looking for some simple knitting projects but I think I will bookmark the site and return to it when back in the country.

Anyway enjoy

Take care
Jots Mum

Flying with a Toddler

Someone tell me why I thought it would be a good idea to move house two weeks before going overseas for a month?

So in order to keep track of everything I am creating a number of travel checklists as I go (and I really must put them on to the computer) which I reckon will be used a lot over the next few years.  Although will change a lot as Jot grows.  I don't think she understands what is hapening but I have started to talk to her about it more each day so hopefully she will be excited and not fearful about the flight (not her first). 

I am starting to get excited now.  R's parents leave on Saturday, I have to pack on Sunday, work on Monday and then off on Monday night so in 4 days we will be on our way.  I am a little nervous about the flight 30 hours door to door with a 16mo.  I will survive!  I found some great tips from Christie at Childhood 101 as well as tips from various friends and family members who have made the journey with little ones.  So another checklist was born:

Jots Distraction Checklist

Bubbles (small bottle like wedding favours)
Small notepad and pencils
Balloons - not sure about this but she finds them hysterical so we will see how annoying they are
Finger puppets
Tonka trucks x 2
Small stuffed toys x 3
Little wooden animals (bargin at $0.50 each so not an issue if they end up left on the plane)
books (that she hasn't seen before)
stickers

I probably have way too much as she is likely to be asleep for some of the time (I hope and pray) but this way they can always come on the flight back with us too.

I have bought a seat for her though as the thought of her on my lap for that distance did not appeal to me but have decided not to take her car seat on board.  I will take it with us so she can use in the UK but on the plane I have purchase one of these CARES restraint.  They can be bought in Australia through Little Gulliver.  I have been meaning to try it out but life keeps getting away from me.  I will practise putting it on our dining room chairs this weekend.

I guess as long as I am prepared I need to hand the whole journey over to the powers that be to get us through in one piece (and still relatively sane).  Watch this space!

Seriously though I am feeling very unprepared which is not a good thing for me as it means I stress rather more than I should.  I have already forgotten two things I had to do today and I had them written on my hand - this does not bode well for my sanity.

I will post when I am over their to let you know how my planning (or lack of it) worked out.  In the meantime have a good weekend.

Jots Mum

The MOVE!!!

Maybe one of my resolutions should have been to blog more regularly as it seems to have been some time since I was able to post.  I do have a good reason though (well actually two).  The first is little in comparison to the second.

Firstly R's parents have come to visit.  They are currently on a week sojourn to Gippsland but will be returning on Thursday.

Secondly we have moved house.  I am pretty sure I mentioned this at some point in the past, probably to whinge that my sewing had to be packed away.  We are now in our new house and are slowly beginning the mammouth task of unpacking.  How come things breed while they are in storage.  Surely we couldn't fit all this stuff into our little flat.

I meant to take some photos on moving day but have misplaced my camera and didn't think to use my phone.  However I will take some pics tonight when I get home so you can see the piles I am slowly working my way through.

Rs parents need to be warned they will be doing a lot of unpacking on the weekend.

I am also getting ready for a trip to the UK in February and I am trying to find something sewing to take with me that I can run up on my Mums machine as I am getting a serious case of withdrawal symptoms here.  My knitting is plodding along and I will take that with me but I want to sew.

Do you think if I unpack my sewing machine and stuff first I might end up in the divorce courts?

Hope those of you in the northern hemipshere are coping well with the snow.  Keep a bit for me in 2 weeks time please.

JotsMum

2010 Resolutions

I've been thinking about this resolution business and decided that the New Year is probably the worst time of year to set them as most people have had a very stressful run up to the festive season followed by far too much to eat and drink so the resolutions are all unrealistic and then get broken in the first week  So I have tried to make my resolutions achieveable, few and fun. 

Me Time

12 sewing challenges in 12 months
12 knitting challenges in 12 months

Home

Create a family organiser (and Christmas organiser)
Set a budget and stick to it

Family

Do Watch wait and wonder with Jot three times a week
Have a monthly date night with R

See very simple and hopefully achieveable

Take care

Jots Mum

Christmas Presents

Well now Christmas is past I can show some of the christmas presents I made my family for 2009.  They all went down really well and the scarves (which I didn't get pictures of) have been worn already - bless the English weather.

So here goes:

Toddler backpack for my nephew J

(who immediately put it on and had to go ride his bike - just like Daddy)

Sew Liberated Gnome Messenger bag (at 85%)

For my sister C

Car seat strap covers

For my nephew O

Coasters for my Mum

Coasters for my Mother In Law

Well those are the only ones I got pictures of but I knitted 4 scarves and made some Hankerchiefs and some some notebook and pencil holders.

I still need to post about my new years resolutions (or maybe I should call them challenges) so I will do that soon.

Have a good day

JotsMum