Backyard Suprise

To the side of my patio I have a burning bush with a plant on either side. When these were planted last summer I thought they would just be pretty and green. This summer I got a lovely suprise, they are beautiful and yellow (the other is orange).

New Addition

I am a dog person.  I love dogs, I've had them my entire life, I want one of my own.  So when my Mom & I stopped by Petco last Saturday to see what the humane society had there for adoptions, I went to look at dogs.

This is what I brought home:



Two 11 week old kittens. It has been a rough week because I got them spur of the moment and my life kinda went all wonky. But it's been 7 days and we are bonding. I mean, who doesn't love kittens? (Well, I am partial to these two).

Meet Belle:



And Coalie:



And a welcome addition to my little family.

Puffing Billy

I haven't written a lot about my adventures in Australia, mainly because I got quite tired of retelling everything again and again. It's been a couple of months so I'm ready to revisit my trip.

On our last day in Melbourne we went on a day trip that took us up into the Yarra Valley & Dandenong Range.  It was a lovely ride up there from downtown Melbourne.  Of course our day started off waiting for the wrong bus, but eventually we found the right one.  There were a couple ladies from Australia on our tour and they were hilarious.  They take these trips often and knew the tour guide, I do wish I could remember their names, but they did add some humor to the day!

One of the days activities was to ride Puffing Billy, a steam train that is currently run entirely by volunteers.  It was about a 20 minute ride and the scenery was beautiful.  There were open carriages and as you can see from the picture below everyone was leaning out taking pictures.



I sat on the side with my legs hanging out just enjoying the ride and the company of the two Australian ladies.  This train has been around for a very long time and it's something that they'd taken their kids on when they were little.  And funny enough my Aunt who lived in Australia growing up has never ridden on Puffing Billy!  So I can say I've done something she hasn't in her homeland!  :-)

Rewarding Good Behavior

I am currently trying to get some things set straight in my life in regards to money & health. After a conversation with my Dad a couple of weeks ago I decided to set two goals for myself each week and my reward would be to knit on a new project. I can only knit on the shawl if I meet my goals. I did last week, so I got to start on the shawl this weekend.

The shawl is from and I think it's going to be a great motivator to get my goals met!

Finished Baby Bunting

I knit this for a cousin who is expecting a girl. The pattern was written to knit the back, up over the shoulders, and down the front. I converted it to knit in the round so my stripes would match all the way around.

Knit from Debbie Bliss: Essential Baby

Watching a Garden Grow

When I bought this house the backyard was not landscaped, so when the time came to get it done I told the landscaper that I wanted a garden area. Almost a year later I'm finally planting my garden with great help from a friend.

The finished garden:



At the front of the garden we have strawberries & herbs:





The next row only has onions in it right now, but later in the week there will be some carrot seeds planted.



After the onions come the peppers, bell & jalapeno:



Finally it is the squash, zucchini & yellow squash:



And for color we have some flowers along the edge:



I'm stoked about growing my own food and my first step in gardening. Hopefully I'll have some produce to show soon!

A lack of Activity

My silence was one due to traveling. I have many stories and pictures to share from Australia, plus some knitting & cooking! Here are a couple pictures to tie you over. :-)



A picture of some of the 12 Apostles. The day was windy and cold, but the clouds were beautiful.



A koala in a tree, much better than a Kukaburra in a tree I hear. :-)



The Great Ocean Road.

All these pictures were taken along the Great Ocean Road on our day tour. It was a wonderful experience, but next time I have to be on a plane that long, I'm staying longer than 7 days!!