Library

I'm done. Well I'm not done, as I walked out with a whole lot of stuff not done, including an auditor's report. Information won't change between now and January.
One end of the year school library....

I'm nearly done :)

Don't you just love a stomach bug to wipe you out? VERY bad timing as I have 1.5 days of school left and an auditor's report still to do (and I'm the only way who knows how to do it...).

Stellar weather yesterday - too hot actually. Gazillions of laundry done.

Eldest got a job! VERY lucky as in 100 applied, 14 interviews and 3 positions. VERY proud of him!

Had to buy black trousers and shoes yesterday as part of his uniform. It's at a movie theatre - he gets free movies, a mate in for $2 and plus free drinks every work session and adult minimum wage which is pretty good for a teenager! Hopefully he will get lots of shifts!

Still no Christmas shopping done - my family really would not mind if we had few gifts as long as one gets stereo headphones, another a pair of sneakers and the other said he does not need anything! Tree still in backyard.

Still a few cards to write and post as well.

All three loving being at home, but "there is nothing to eat" - all day long apparently.

Go and say THANKS and weeeee - divine tea cosie!

This time of the year is, quite frankly, a nightmare for any school librarian and school office staff. We are doing A LOT more than anyone else in the school.

1400 library books in my case still ISSUED and MIA.... everyone says they have returned them - NOT. Whole areas have been scanned and re-scanned and re-scanned, and they are not there.

So please go and say a huge thanks to the office staff and your school librarian - schools without office staff would NOT function in any capacity! We get forgotten about.

I'm dead already. Luckily I get to play with lego and robotics tomorrow to give me a banging-my-head-on-a-brick-wall break!

In other things  - look what arrived in my mail box today! My cousin and I did a tea cosie swap and this is mine. Isn't it just divine? I opened it up, then went straight into my kitchen and baked some amaretti biscuits and shortbread too - a teapot full of tea needs baking to go with it! I adore the cosie!

Jackie also sent me our next knitting challenge - oh my! I'll show you another time. Huge expectations there..

3 days of bliss

It has been a 3 day weekend for me. i cleaned the absolute bejesus out of the house on Friday, possibly feeling guilty that I was not a school. I've an ear infection today too, which is possibly stress related? 7 more days of school and then 40 days of holidays! Oh, and about 1500 books still to come back. Sorry - just fell off the bed laughing at that number...

Saturday I cycled my heart out (pics later this week) and today - here I am looking un -glamourous - we walked around a new shore front reserve. The pohutukawa are flowering - this is our New Zealand Christmas tree.

You'll be pleased to know Christmas cards are all ready to post; I made some Christmas bunting and it is strung up above the dining table (not very pointy tips, but I'm okay with that!). I even did a tiny bit of Christmas present shopping too, so there is hope for Christmas in this house yet! The flowers are my birthday flowers :).

Twas a good few days and my brain is kind of ready for the last few days....

The good husband feeds me well and the beans are homegrown.

Have fun at end of year school stuff - I am going to zero school prizegivings this year! I'm a bit over education at the moment! My boys don't mind - one even wagged his prizegiving (school has no idea if you turn up or not basically, so i gave him permission!). The last child finishes this Tuesday. Lucky them.

Happy birthday to me!

'Twas my birthday yesterday. But firstly, let us check out the pile of the year 7 end-of-school year work!

That is pretty impressive! The kid finished today and could not be any happier about that fact. He has done more work this year than probably the last 2 years at primary school combined! I think most of it will be in the recycling bin tomorrow! He may finish the school year early but his school also starts early and he is due back on January 21, 2016! I do totally concur with his teachers in that his organisation is rubbish.... his own way of filing...

Anyhow, it was my birthday yesterday. Not a huge event really. The husband took me shopping over the weekend and i chose my own gifts...
A wool winder - quite how I have ever done without one of these I'll never know! Gold! (wool was a gift too - from Vintage Purls). It was quite a spectacle in the school office after school for an hour - the office lady and I got the hank a bit muddled (anything goes at my school! :) ).

 The sweetest kiwi Christmas decorations from Pauanesia

 I love this Peruvian nativity scene from Trade Aid

 A new cross stitch kit with all the bits

 wool...

 Aida and a little kiwi to cross-stitch and make into a pin cushion

 lots and lots and lots of DMC cross stitch threads to stitch these two patterns

I did very well and am very happy - a crafty birthday if you like! This will all keep me busy over the long summer hols of 6-7 weeks! The craft items were bought from the most delightful little craft shop in Queen's Arcade - the service and friendliness was fantastic! I've found my go-to-independent craft shop! Go and visit New Zealand Fabrics and Yarns in person or on-line. They do specialise in NZ made wool/fabric etc. It is always fab to buy NZ made things!
Tonight I've started TRYING to teach myself how to knit two socks at once... hmmmmm.

I'm giving myself a mental health day tomorrow - 1900 books STILL out and6 working days left - bahahahahahahaha... teachers......

A tea cosie swap

My fab cousin Jackie, who lives in Dunedin, and I have been doing a couple of knitting swaps this year. The latest thing we had to knit for each other was a tea cosie. This has just arrived at her home today, so I can show off finally what I knitted. I adore it and think I'll have to knit another identical one for me. The 10 ply wool is from Maniototo Wool down in the South Island. It was gorgeous to knit with and quick! The variegated colour is fab! I love knitting for other people and think I should do it more often, as there really is a limit of how many knitted items one can own...
We were the cousins in crime last night and ordered A LOT of Sugar'n'creme Lily cotton from Canada - it was $US 1.25 a ball !!!!!!!! I had only just ordered a wee bit from Wellington last week too. I think we are now set for years when it arrives :).