March | 2008 | Nice people Nice things

Candlelight

HI ‘Nice people and nice friends’

I have just had a lovely night in Melbourne with DH. We had a lovely albeit quick meal in the exciting and happening Federation square before attending Priscilla – the show. Wow, magnificent costumes – the colours and fabrics used were just to die for – I think I should have been costume designer – they get to be so creative, out there, have any fabric they want to play with – just imagine the fun?

these were some of my favourites –

Anyway, our dinner wasn’t by candlelight – actually it was right as Earth Hour began so could have been if we’d waited another few minutes but it was in celebration of our 17th Wedding anniversary! Did you turn off for Earth hour somewhere in the world?

hugs, Helen

Published in:

Block of the week

on March 31, 2008 at 11:47 am Comments (2)
Tags: Block of the week, candlelight, earth hour, nice, Stitching

Celebration

As easter approaches – and yes I am writing this early as I head off in our tent for our Annual Easter Camping trip tomorrow, we have much to Celebrate. And we all celebrate different things I am sure:

The resurection of Jesus Christ

family time

the giving of easter gifts

special memories

and Chocolate!! I hope my children have been good enough to get a visit from the Easter Bunny and I do hope they share 🙂

I googled ‘the meaning of easter’ to see if anything else interesting came up and this is what I found. There is always something new to learn and share isnt there?

The word “Easter” is named after Eastre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring

The Easter Bunny is a rabbit-spirit. Long ago, he was called the “Easter Hare”, hares and rabbits have frequent multiple births so they became a symbol of fertility. The custom of an Easter egg hunt began because children believed that hares laid eggs in the grass. The Romans believed that “All life comes from an egg.” Christians consider eggs to be “the seed of life” and so they are symbolic of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The feast day of Easter was originally a pagan celebration of renewal and rebirth. Celebrated in the early spring, it honored the pagan Saxon goddess Eastre.

So whatever you believe and whatever you celebrate at this time, enjoy!

hugs to you and yours

Helen

Published in:

Block of the week

on March 20, 2008 at 2:26 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: Block of the week, celebration, easter

Home

look, I am on time! Had a big weekend at the most beautiful scenic spot at Lake Barrington in Tasmania for Miss M’s rowing regatta. It was our first time there and although it was a little unnerving driving down 3.5km of steep windy roads ‘into the jungle’ as Miss Tilly announced once the lake was in view it was worth it.

We camped in our camper trailer which was great but as always its nice to be home. So thats our block of the week this week. I am sure that no matter how much of a travel bug you are you are always glad to be home to your own bed, your own family and friends and your own kitchen. I know I am. Now I am not going to write much more as I am about to put a free easter design for you all on the Hugs blog – pop over and download it as a gift from me.

hugs, Helen

Published in:

Block of the week

on March 17, 2008 at 1:57 pm Comments (1)
Tags: Block of the week, home, nice, stitchery, Stitching

Roses

Roses would have to be my favourite flower. I love them all. I am so lucky now in Tasmania to be able to have a few prized bushes in my little garden. My mother, however has over 500 of them in hers. I have included a few photos for you. If you are ever travelling in country South Australia to a little town called Penola, call in and say hi to them – they love to show people the garden they work so hard in. It really is beautiful and so peaceful. They have just had 100 ‘roving rosaliers’ visiting on the weekend…

Roses have forever been used in every form of embroidery. From white work, candlewicking, shadow work, bullion embroiery, ribbon embroidery, applique, stitchery, many international styles of hand work – roses are the most popular flower design used. I just LOOOOOVE them cant you tell?

take time to smell the roses today..

hugs, Helen

Published in:

Block of the week

on March 12, 2008 at 7:48 pm Comments (1)
Tags: Block of the week, NPNT, Roses

Sunshine

I chose Sunshine after spending a lovely week in it throughout Queensland. For our international friends Queensland is at the very top of Australia and is always much warmer, parts of it very tropical and humid. Having had snow in my backyard in Tasmania (the southern most state of Australia) the week before I left the sunshine and extreme humity in Tropical Townsville was a sharp change to the system. We have come to the end our our Summer season here with Autumn newly arrived. Its so lovely to have four distinct seasons in Tasmania, I look forward to each and every one of them.

Sunshine and sunny days always put you in the mood for singing dont they?

Do you know how many songs there are with Sunshine in the title?

13 Months Of Sunshine – Ziggy Marley

A Little Sunshine – Sunshine Anderson

A Ray Of Sunshine – George Michael

Ain’t No Sunshine – Bill Withers

Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In – Fifth Dimension

Automatically Sunshine – The Supremes (thx Imposter)

Black Sunshine – White Zombie

Bring Me Sunshine – Willie Nelson

Captain Sunshine – Neil Diamond

Come To The Sunshine – Harpers Bizarre (thx Imposter)

Flood Of Sunshine – The Posies (thx Imposter)

Dirty Sunshine – Lillix

Good Day Sunshine – Beatles

Good Morning Sunshine – Aqua

Hello Sunshine – Prince (thx Figarocatboy)

Here Comes Sunshine – The Grateful Dead

I See Only Sunshine – The Box Tops

I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine – Beth Orton

It Could Be Sunshine – Love And Rockets (thx Figarocatboy)

L.A. Sunshine – War (thx Imposter)

Land Of Sunshine – Faith No More

Mary Sunshine Rain – Dada

Play In The Sunshine – Super Furry Animals (thx Figarocatboy)

Powder Your Face With Sunshine – Dean Martin (thx Imposter)

Sometime Sunshine – Jim Ed Brown

Steal My Sunshine – Len

Summer Sunshine – The Corrs

Sunshine – Aerosmith

Sunshine – Brian Wilson

Sunshine – Jay-Z

Sunshine – Keane

Sunshine – Nazareth

Sunshine (Go Away Today) – Jonathan Edwards

Sunshine (I Promise You) – EDL

Sunshine (The Acid Summer) – Everclear

Sunshine Daylight – Phat Chance

Sunshine In The Shade – The Fixx

Sunshine Life For Me (Sail Away Raymond) – George Harrison

Sunshine, Lollipops And Rainbows – Lesley Gore (thx Imposter)

Sunshine Of Your Love – Cream

Sunshine On Leith – The Proclaimers

Sunshine On My Shoulders – John Denver

Sunshine Romeo – Hitman Blues Band

Sunshine Rose – Bobby Sherman

Sunshine Superman – Donovan

Sunshine Wine – Perry Como

Take Me To The Sunshine – Sting

The Sunshine Of Love – Louis Armstrong

Too Much Sunshine – Midnight Oil

Walking In The Sunshine – Roger Miller

Walking On Sunshine – Katrina and the Waves

Weave Me The Sunshine – Peter Yarrow

We’ll Sing In The Sunshine – Gale Garnett

You Are My Sunshine – Jimmie Davis

You Are The Sunshine Of My Life – Stevie Wonder

Here’s a fun quiz on song titles with Sunshine – have a go, what did you score?

hugs for today, Helen

Published in:

Block of the week

on March 12, 2008 at 7:17 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: Block of the week, NPNT, Sunshine

meeting nice people and eating nice things!

I have just come back from a lovely week of teaching in Queensland. You can read all about it on my other blog and see the pics. I was priveledged to meet many nice women, see many nice things and eat LOTS of nice food!Judy G a long time Hugs ‘n Kisses customer came to my class and brought her NPNT blocks to show me….. so here are a couple of them…

Miracles