Giveaway

The pantry has had a good sort out; the bedside drawers cleared out; summer wardrobes gone through; desk cleared out - all avoidance of one essay...

Will start up in the attic in a day or two - giving myself a deadline of tonight to have this essay completed -  I am very sentimental and have quite a bit up there... But do we really need it?

Have started with the sewing bins of fabric etc and need to put it all in one place instead of spread through out 3 different cupboards! That can wait till essay finished!

But I found this cross stitch pack which I have decided I do not need, so it's a giveaway!

Just leave a comment and I will pick a winner in the next two weeks or so probably when school goes back! It comes with thread, needle and aida cloth - all you need!

Also received in the mail two Lego club member packs - if you would like one, just comment too and two other comments will get these too! Older boys not that fazed about the lego thing anymore...

Oh and the very delayed winner of the Lego giveaway just before Christmas is OP SHOP MAMA - e - mail me your address and I 'll send it off to you.

And two sweet dishcloths done to mail off for someone's birthday completed..

Essays, Swaps and Zips

Thank goodness my boys are quite happy to stay at home, as this Mama has been battling for days with her second university essay on whether the Waikato War was inevitable. Yes it was; I just need to figure out how to say it.... My life is revolving around it.... 

But to stay sane, I have been stitching. I have signed up for two swaps -  one with Tracy from Mad About Bags called "Send a love swap" which closes this Friday January 10 for sign ups - oops that is tomorrow! (quite out of touch with what the date even is!) and the other one is a NZ swap by Cat at Catalina's Cottage called "Sew Sweet Swap". Sign ups close on January 22 for that one.

Since I had no idea how to sew a pouch (and had not sewed with a zip for centuries ), I sat down at the machines last night (frustrations with both - one has wrong tension and it has been ages since i threaded it and could not rememebr how nor could I find the manual.. other one I could not get zipper foot to line up...) and eventually sewed these two little pouches using scraps. (so pleased with my scrap bag in the attic now!). Very happy at how they came out.

An hour ago I sat down at the machine and sewed a cushion cover using posh Ralph Lauren fabric bought just before Christmas at Martha's in Newmarket. (same venue as the adorable Little and Friday cafe.) Few issues with zip in this but I think it has turned out well too. Love the NZ made inner feather cushion too, also purchased at Marthas. 

And a bit of stitching for the love swap... Sweet.

Back to that blasted essay...... (I really am enjoying my paper but motivation  issues are what is stalling me - A LOT!)

Two Thousand and Fourteen

(not a fan of saying Twenty Fourteen....)

So, here we are in another year. I rarely set resolutions - in the past couple of years they were simple things like learn to knit socks (mastered that well and truly) and sew a hat. (done too.)

This year I want things to be simple!

- save more dollars (I can easily save more and stop buying things like wool... Willpower going well as Knitworld sale on and have not been near it...)

- do the basics at school with an emphasis on digital searching for staff and students

- spend grant money at school -  a lot to buy and a bit daunting in time frame!

- pass 3 university papers this year (working full time as well but am on track for first paper and enrolled in second)

- keep knitting and use only from stash -  gloves with a thumb hole is my new skill to learn!

- house tidier

- do not bring stuff I do not need into house!

- garden more (vege garden going well)

- shop more locally for veges etc

- join a milk co-op

- walk in wardrobe shelving completed

- house painted inside from lower hallway down

- new carpet in boy's bedrooms

- trip to Bendigo for me

- boys happy

- big exams for oldest which will be huge!

- get Ryan through last year of primary without too many dramas/ bullying 

- go out more with Stephen

- explore Auckland suburbs

- diversify dinners

- make things simple for our family and worry about ourselves! 

- read more (but do find this hard with university papers)

I do like things simple and have simple needs - as long as I have writing paper and a pen, books, wool and a camera, I am pretty easy. A happy, healthy family is good too!

I like a brand new year!  Best thing of 2013 - getting my tonsils out!!! Changed my life! Pity about food tastes/ issues which have developed since but such is life. I feel a lot better not getting constant tonsillitis. Ears another matter... But all is pretty good!

Advent Swap

Oh how much I have enjoyed taking part in the advent swap! I heard it will be happening again this year too and Australians get to join in too. :)

Day 24 was an awesome tin of the best New Zealand chocolates - Whitakers. Love the tin as much as the contents (although I have been good and it still is unopened!)

Day 25 - the big day - Christmas Day. WOW! The most coolest retro teatowels in colours I love. An adorable colander and I loooooove the colour too (and strawberry cut outs); petite tartlet pans and a sweet birdy cake tin mould. Gorgeous all round! (where do you find such fabulous stuff Elaina??!)

Thank you so much Elaina for all the thought put into the swap - I love everything you sent - you have awesome taste!

Socks!

Socks knitted in a week while travelling down and up the North Island. Knitted with a gorgeous Red Riding Hood wool. Divine to knit with. And not just a simple pattern either. 

And yes the pile of wool bought.... A shop in the sweet township of Marton was closing down and some of it was 50% off. Other was bought in Wanganui and also at the brilliant Utiku Wools on the outskirts of Taihape. Love the burnt orange and the yellow cotton (so cheap!) from Utiku especially!

And I get one to find the Knitworld wool sale brochure in my letterbox with some fab stuff - aim of the week is NOt to drive to Henderson to buy any... Might just have to give my car keys to Stephen as I have little willpower....

Happy New Year she says late!

BAck in town after  a ripper of a road trip from Auckland down through the Taranaki, New Plymouth, small towns, Wanganui, Feilding, Wellington, back to Feidling and back home today through Tamaranui etc.

Lots of fun, LOTS of knitting and A LOT of wool buying! Hello small town wool shops and Utiku near Taihape! Wow! Stashed away very quickly before husband saw it all together (he was with me when buying it all but oh my , it rather looks a lot here...)

Lots of photos/ adventures to come. Missing Kieran who is still at scout jamboree but he will be home tomorrow. Did catch up with him very quickly at Jamboree but what kid wants to know their mother there? Hee hee.

Love small town NZ!

Icons from around like the big gumboot in the gumboot capital of the world - Taihape;

The big carrot in Ohakune (thank goodness not black anymore!) and a few other things I loved around!

Tiles in the toilets in Otorohonga (this lady cracked up at me taking pics - its kiwiana...)

postcard

We are all over the place travelling through small town New Zealand. Currently in Feilding which I love. Have been to the NZ20 (New Zealand 20th) Scout Jamboree today over at Manfield Park and found Kieran and his troop. They look like they are having a whole lotta fun. Past few days - small town love. (BUT i do think it would drive me dippy living in one...) mortified at the substandard housing in various places Ratana - so thrilled to finally get there and see the temple (a great surprise when I saw the signpost) Taranaki Wars exhibit at Puke Ariki in New Plymouth Love Puke Ariki (museum/library in New Plymouth Marton love in just 2 little shops wool shops everywhere down here Quite a few balls of wool bought... The Warehouse visits in every location I see one - ONLY to run in to the front door, persue the book sale pile and run out with yet another new pile of $5 books for school (lucky students! Missing school...) Discovering Cameron's Blockhouse out of Whanganui Finding a copy of "Contested Land" - a great big beautiful book about the Land Wars in Taranaki - have borrowed library copy a lot and decided i had to own my own copy Time spent listeniing to Ryan read out loud to me every single day only because he is bored and only thing to do is read (YAY!) staying in my parents gorgeous house surrounded by handmade item buying postcards everywhere and posting them from the Scout Jamboree as they have their own special postmark which will be stamped on the last day of Jamboree lots of photos taken BUT will have to wait till home to download. Off to the Wairarapa tomorrow and Wellington. Happy new year to all! May it be full of writing, knitting, study, family, good times, health, good books, postcards, op shopping,travel, photography, friends, good food, yellow and orange things, teacups, fabric, cross stitching, new discoveries, gardening etc! xox