Home Grown Veges Are the Best

Our veges are starting to come into full production, so it was time to use as many as I could for dinner last night.

In a baking dish I added a layer of red and yellow mini tomatoes, onion, garlic cloves, zucchini, beans, rosemary, oregano, parsley, basil and thyme, all from our garden. I then added red capsicum and pepper.  the original plan was to add chicken pieces, but when I saw that whole boned chickens were on special, I used that instead.  This one had a herb and garlic marinade, so there was plenty of flavour.

After baking for a bit over an hour, it was looking pretty good.

Simply served with mashed potato, it was delicious.

Guess what’s for dinner tonight?  There’s nothing better than leftovers.

I’ll be making this again and hopefully, next time I will be able to add some home grown baby potatoes to the mix.

My Plans for January

As mentioned in my last post, I intend to wind back my goals this year, but still hope to achieve quite a bit.

Deana has announce the Chookshed Challenge number for January.

But first, I’ve been having a little play.  I now have ten little tubs with their numbered project, ready to pick up and go.  Aren’t I organised!!!

I even pulled out my baggies of blue and green crumbs in readiness for the Sea Glass Mini Quilt.

OK, well one isn’t exactly ready to go.  Hopefully, it will turn up before its number is picked. 

Also, I'm definitely not organised.  As usual, my sewing room is out of control. It doesn’t really look that bad in the photos, but believe me, I can’t find anything, there is no room to put some of those things and I find it somewhat paralysing.  

Back to the challenge.......

The number selected is NUMBER 6.

For me, this is to make some crumb blocks. “No goal as to how many to make.  Just have fun.”  That is perfect for this month, as I have to get a wriggle on with some planning for the church Bicentennial.

This is how many I have already made last year.  Just as well I’m not joining in with Rainbow Scrap Challenge, as the colour is pink and I have sufficient of those for now.

Let’s see if I can fill my pretty little tin.  It’s a good thing I added all those extra scraps to their tubs recently.

I do have one other little project to complete very soon.  Our patchwork group is making a raffle quilt and I need to make one more square.  It will be a two inch hexy flower, similar to what I have been making for my quilt.  These are the colours I will use.  There will be a cream low volume background and the quilt sashing are going to be navy. 

My hand stitching for the month will be continuing with appliquéing my hexies.  All the two inch ones are now completed.  

That was done while I was on Zoom with the girls on New Years Eve.

I have 40 one inch hexies to appliqué.  I am setting myself the goal to have them all done by the end of the month.  That should be doable, as I can get quite a few stitched at my patchwork days.

And here is my way to light for photos, as the ceiling lights create a huge shadow. A bit how’s your uncle, but it works.

Of course, there are other things that I wish to happen, but they will be bonuses.

While I was getting out my hexy papers for the block I need to make I noticed my full cotton reel jar.  I have two of these lolly jars and always add my empty reels.  I’ve no idea why, I just do.

Well, on the spur of the moment I decided that I will see how many reels I can empty this year.  The empty jar is now in position, ready to go.  I’ll try to check in every now and then.  Do you like my cute little silver fish eaten picture?  This was a craft project we made at school when I was in 4th class.  The picture was the cover of a writing pad.  I found it when Mum moved out of her house and couldn’t throw it away.  It suits my sewing room so well, despite showing its age.

Anyway, enough waffle, time to get stitching.

Looking Forward to 2025

Happy New Year.

Here we are on the first day of 2025.  Is it a clean slate, a chance to plan ahead or just another day?  I like to take this opportunity to set a few goals for the coming year, something I have done for a few years now.

STITCHING GOALS

This year I am going to pare things right back.  I am only going to join in with one formal challenge, the Chookshed Challenge.  You can read all about it on the page at the top of my blog or here. 

I have decided not to join with the One Monthly Goal this year, as last year it doubled up with the Chookshed Challenge for most months.

I’m also forgoing the Rainbow Scrap Challenge after several years, as I have lots of blocks made but no completed projects.  This year I would like to focus more on getting those old projects finished.

I do hope to work on something crafty for at least 15 minutes each day, but once again, will not join in on the formal challenge and link party.

I have made a few personal goals that I hope to achieve:

• Complete 12 UFOs - I have made a list for myself of 25 to select from.
• Quilt 12 quilts on Monique.
• Complete 12 donation items.
• Complete 25 projects.

I’m hoping to take a slightly different approach to things by trying to concentrate on one project on the machine and one by hand at a time rather than jumping here, there and everywhere like I usually do.  I really would like to get lots of older projects completed this year.

Joining in on Zoom sewing days and my two stitching days each week are something I look forward to.

Travelling to Scrub Stitchin’ is also one of my favourite things of the year.

OTHER GOALS

You know what?  I’m not setting any goals.  What will be will be.

I’m sure there will be some travel, but nothing planned at this stage.  We’ll make it up as we go along, like usual.

I will be busy for part of the year with helping plan events to celebrate the Bicentenary of our local church.

I’m looking forward to the coming year and whatever it brings.