Where have I been?!? Working long hours that's where! ha ha. I've been up at 6am every day and don't get home until just after 6pm. It's left so little time for creation at Austitch. I've had enough time to swip up some custom creations, but as for coming through with new original designs, well sadly there are no new ones in the pipe. I'm actually trying to decide what my next one will be!

Folks still need to collect their prizes, so please ensure you come forward soon. Prizes will expire at the end of July, so please make sure you claim yours now!

In other news, I got pre-approval for my re-finance on my home which is a step forward I must say. My wonderful partner Sean is away with the army this weekend, so I'm rather alone! But it has given me time to get plenty done... speaking of which I have a custom design or two to get finished!

Big Developments and Changes

It's been a big big big last 7 days for me. So, if you're up for a story, strap in and read on!.....

As I read the newspapers I come more and more to terms that all my pipe dreams of working and travelling to see the world are but that... pipe dreams... it's something myself and my still relativley new boyfriend Sean have come to terms with.

If you can imagine that you meet a man that strikes you as someone you have known all your life, even though you obviously haven't, that is what Sean is for me. We have only been together for a short time, yet feel as though it were a lifetime. We share similar goals and wants from life, and have accepted that with the recession comes the 10 years of uphill struggle that isn't condusive to working and travelling the world. We stand to risk too much, brankrupcy, being stranded in a foregin country, the loss of my property... so we've changed.

I have begun to form a 10 year plan that involves the turning of my residency into an investment rental, and moving in to a property with Sean that he will buy, one of course that will be larger than mine. Then of course, once that property is up and running, and all things are going well, we will pruchase a 50/50 share in a bigger better property again and this will become our residential living whilst our two seperate properties bring in almost enough rental to cover the mortgage repayments!

I have in mind the aim to invest a maximum of $700,000 on a business and bring it up to parr. Use all profits to pay off the mortgage and possibly expand the business if there is a calling for it. Said business will have a proven track record over a minimum of 15 years so I can see that it stands the test of time. It will be in an industry that isn't as affected by the ebbs and flows of finance, an industry needed and always required. Once this business is in full swing and running smoothly, another $700,000 max will be invested in a secondary business. Both businesses will be under management freeing both Sean and I to continue to focus on our fulltime jobs whilst we chose to, but having the flexibility of moving full time into the business in the event babies come along the way.

So, in 10 years I aim to have 2 businesses and 3 properties bought and paid for. These will provide income to travel on. Out of it I want to continue to invest profits into more managed funds and move onto purchasing managed apartments and hotel rooms all over Australia and eventually the globe for our globe trotting needs. I want to pay my parents mortgage off and also purchase for them a retirement home. I plan, by the time I am 34, to have 207,000 rolling into my bank account for no other reason than my investments and by the time I am 45 to have 500,000 rolling in thanks to investments. This is the point where I will stop and wisk my family and Seans family off for a month vacation wherever we chose!

Mystery Stitch - Winners!!!

Prizes

* WINNER: Anne! Well done Anne, you are the lucky winner of the March/April mystery stitch. You're finished work is now featured in the Austitch store for this particular pattern! Please check out the Austitch store and check-out your prize!
1st Prize - a one month subscription to Austitch (http://www.austitch.etsy.com) which will entitle you to 1 free cross stitch per week (4 in total) valued at US $14.00. You can claim them all at once or over the month. This prize goes out to the first stitcher to complete the design and e-mail in a photo of their finished work.

* WINNER: Whoever was the first to mention what the design was, please step forward. I can't seem to locate the e-mail.
2nd Prize - a free cross stitch pattern of your choice from the Austitch store valued at US $3.50. This prize goes out to the first person to guess correctly what the design is of.

* WINNER: Leanne! Congratz Leanne! Please select your design from the Austitch store and I'll make a special listing for you to check-out.
3rd Prize - a 1/2 price pattern from the Austitch store - this will go to the most enthusiastic stitcher who just deserves a pat on the back for being great!

Thank you to everyone who participated. As you can see, the finished design demonstrates the work, dedication and skill put into the work. A true art piece! I really hope you all had fun and will be prepped to join in again down the track. I'll be giving a months breather for the next design and will hopefully be able to design a smaller peice. I'd love to get feedback from you all as to how you found it. If you enjoyed the larger piece but want the mystery stitch to go over say, 2-3 months instead of a month, then by all means let me know!

Please, e-mail in your thoughts and comments, and keep your eye on this space for more regular updates on the wonderful world of Austitch.

Last piece to the Mystery Stitch

Leanne is my feature for this week. Both Leanne and Nancy have worked hard on keeping me up to date with their progress, without fail always having something new for me to look at at the end of the week, so thank you ladies for working so hard!

I must admit that selecting winners for the prizes has been hard. Some are obviously going to be pre chosen, but some aren't!

Sadly I lost who mentioned what the cross stitch was first, so please, if it was you let me know! I have sent out the final piece today, and next Monday will be announcing winners! YEY!

Life itself has taken a break, I have a week to relax a little more which is MUCH NEEDED! My rock, Sean, is still around and continues to make every day just so wonderful. It is less than an hour till he comes home.

Weather here has gone cold, I can't feel my fingers OR toes. Mum must have taken pity on my being strapped for cash as she bought me slippers to keep my feet warm around the home today! Don't we love mums? lol.

I bought a map of the world the other day, have enjoyed looking at it daily and pikcing new places to go!

Where am I?

I give you the rock in my life at the mo. I'm sitting here in a jumper that smells of grinding and welding, something I think mechanical fitters do on a daily basis, and I'm daydreaming about this most amazing man.

I've been through hell and high water recently. I'm waiting with baited breathe for pre-approval on my re-finance of the mortgage. I will probably have to borrow thousands of dollars from my dad if he can even lend me that much, to make up the loss in value on the property from the recession. Bummer hey!

I have 3 jobs. I DJ at bluelight discos (they call them dance parties now, apparently it's cooler?) and I work 37.5hrs a week fulltime as a biohydrometallurgical technician M-F and after that I go out as a 'support worker' for a disabled/aged care agent. I have 60-70hr weeks coming up, but am also trying to get out into the garden to make it more presentable for when the evaluator comes. It's been bucketing rain though, and I rarely get home before dark now because I work too much.

These are the reasons I haven't been able to make regular posts anymore, or present you with new designs. I'm exhausted! But the dude up there in the photo with me? His name is Sean. He makes me smile, laugh and forget all my worries. I couldn't have asked for a kinder or more gentle giant (he's VERY tall). He helps around the house and works just as hard as me. I'm currently waiting to go off to my 10hr shift, and will be doing the same again tomorrow as will he. We both work hard, and we both play hard. We're going to travel together next year. That means that, at some point towards the end of next year, I will be shutting down Austitch because I don't know when I will be coming back or even how often I'll have internet access. But this blog will stay, and I'll keep everyone posted of my travels and adventures.

I have a giant map on my wall of the world, I bought it for Sean, we look at it every day and pick out new places that we want to go to. He is here always with me, I don't like being apart even though sometimes we have to! But he brings like to my lonely home and warmth to my heart, so I wouldn't have it any other way.

Mystery Stitch Round 3

This weeks feature for the mystery stitch is Nancy!

I have to quote Nancy here and say "Imagination is just intelligence having fun", it's a grand quote that I hope to start living by in my creative ventures as it is so true! :)

Nancy loves the bright vivid colors that have been used in the design, so I'm thinking the next project should be equally colorful so as to not disapoint.

It's been another busy week, work and cleaning up the house have taken priority with little time left to have fun and be creative. But I'm hoping for things to settle down soon so that I can have more focus and enjoyment in life.

My big aim right now is to stay focused on travel. I'm hoping to go globe trotting next year, I don't know when I'll be back! This means Austitch will shut down, but I'm sure she'll be back once I settle down. There is just so much to see and do and so many countries that beg me to visit! This is my aim and makes all the hard work worth it in the end!

Anyway, a big thank you to everyone who wrote in with their progress for this week, just think, one more section to go and you're done! Then I can pick and announce the winners!

Make me an offer?

Ok guys, here's the deal. I need to raise $10,000 to keep my home, so I'm turning to you for help. I'm offering 20 pairs of earrings, each pair different, for the best price I can be offered. I sell them for US $12.00~ on my Etsy store. So offer away and help me keep my home!