Cover husband ( well I can be clever too!)

The husband started building a garden box for me yesterday afternoon using some of our old deck. He finished this afternoon and it looks fantastic!!! I am so impressed! I cannot wait to be able to plant my winter veges next week in it. We will need quite a lot of soil to go in it. It looks fantastic sitting under my new bedroom bi- fold windows.

I am so proud of myself too - hee hee - last year I attempted to knit this cardie pattern starting with the sleeves. I can remember un- doing the sleeves 3 times and giving up in disgust and putting the wool and the pattern up in the attic in disgust!
Last week I decided to try again wanting a new knitting project. ( I have another 3 things I am currently knitting - husband says i am a true "not completer finisher" and will bounce from project to project!
Is anyone else like this? What are you currently making?
Anyway i persevered last night and got the pattern! I did end up un- doing most of it after spotting a mistake - it can drive me nuts not having perfect knitting. No-one else may be able to see the mistake, but I can!

I am making huge progress on the sleeve today - usually I knit too together for the kids but not for this - I rarely knit tops for me and I really love it so far! It was a lovely day with summer weather again!

Knitting madness and a blog swap

I seem to have spent a large chunk of these school holidays knitting! I started another project - a gorgeous cardigan for me. In a week I have already knitted the back and left side! (traveling for hours makes it easy!!). I did start this cardie last year but started on the sleeves - I un did the sleeves 3 times and gave up! This time I will do the bulk of the cardie and then try the sleeves again!

It has been a very relaxing holiday this time , which is really what I needed for me! Crikey I have even been doing some study! Kids have not missed out either - yesterday the youngest one and i made up an ant farm - it is very cool watching eats travel through dirt but we need to collect more ants for it too!

This is terrible - way back in January I signed up for a Love Blog swap thru Gem and her blog - www.dreamsofalifeinthecountry.blogspot.co.nz - I was partnered with Rachel in Australia of www.gratefulforcrochet.blogspot.co.nz -
Her box arrived at school and several staff thought it was very cool! His was my first swap.
This is what Rachel sent -

Gorgeous wool - still have to figure out what to make with it; a very groovy pot mat crocheted for me ( well that is what I am using if for!) and - gasp !! - a Cath Kidston Bluebell Gift Box with sweet soaps, hand balm, shower gel and body cream! It is all in my new bathroom looking fab and being used daily! I had no idea Target in Australia sold CK so was absolutely thrilled at this!
Such a generous gift and I am Sonoran to do another swap - just have to find one! Well i could always do one my self I guess!

I am very conscious of the fact that I have to do a crafty "play it forward" from Mad About Bags and Tracy in England - am just waiting to get a few more blog followers. :)

Off to make home made hamburgers tonight -
Nice and easy! Struggling with dinners at the moment as some people in this house have decided that they don't like dinner fullstop!!! Grrrrrhhhhhh

A wee road trip

We have spent the past few days having a wee road trip to Tauranga, Whakatane, Ohope Beach and Te Aroha. Whakatane and Ohope Beach were first visits for me -Ohope is stunning and it just goes for ever! I sat on the beach and knitted while the boys jumped in out of the sand dunes.
Whakatane was a sweet town with a very cool retro cafe with funky old lounge chairs and vintage cups and saucers.
Loved Te Aroha - hadnot been here for years and years and years! Beautiful old town with gorgeous old villas at pocket money prices! A sweet town centre with 3 wool/ craft shops - I looked but didn't buy as I have such a massive stack at home and projects to work on. ( currently knitting 4 different things!!! Crikey !)
I love seeing small town NZ - standing in the middle of the road taking photos, the architecture, little traffic, buying a few things here and there etc.
It was a lovely welcome break but i could really do without the fights in he back seat that quite frankly could have ruined my little jaunt!
Now we are back to sort out hideous winter school uniforms, do drum
And trumpet practice which is seriously overdue ; a bit more knitting, writing of postcards and sorting out more healthy food!

House photos

Just realized that I have not posted any photos of the outside of the house - it is gorgeous! Husband now has the job of sorting out the backyard - we have to put serious drainage into satisfy the stupid council - we are in a volcanic area with rock meters under us, so water dies drain away fast! It is to catch the water off the roof though apparently if we have torrential downpours. First one to break their ankle on the grate in the middle of the backyard ( yes a grate just like in the gutter on the road!!!) can sue the council I say!

And oops posted a bunch of duplicate photos yesterday, so will get Elder child to show me how to delete!

Holiday time!

Yay - it is the school hols for 2 weeks!
We moved into our new bedroom on Friday and then moved the boys rooms around. Very time consuming sorting out junk, cleaning rooms ( walls, skirting boards, throwing blinds out etc - the full works!). Four days later it is all pretty sorted! So fab for everyone to have their own room!
I even and room to put my stationery bookcase in one corner of the bedroom - hooray! I do a lot of my writing on my bed and it is fab to have everything at my finger tips.
Having a bigger room has allowed a bit more furniture in here too , but j am trying not to make it too cluttered. We have moved some other bits of furniture around the house - it is all looking really good!

Have been doing more knitting too - the poncho is coming along! I do need to go into town to the wool shop to get some more Weill for both poncho and Middle child's jersey (which is taking too long to finish!). Might combine it with a trip to the Art Gallery.
Have dragged out the sewing machine and made 3 new pairs of of pants as well. Need to get to a fabric shop too as Eldest child wants to sew his own pants and will wear with merino tops.

Here's to good weather these hols - the Easter weather has been a cracker! I never got around to putting up more Easter decorations - I have quite a gorgeous bunch of stuff too!

Enjoy the hols if you are on them!

Busy weekend

Had my school gala yesterday - first one that the school has ever had
to my knowledge. It was fine weather -
Hooray! The gala went very well -
Quite a bit left over , so I will ring the Salvation Army tomorrow to get it picked up.

It has been great to spend an entire day at home today - we have been
so manic with things! I have been
cleaning the new bathrooms now that everything is finished. Husband has
our up shelves and coat racks and it
is all looking fab!
In have the 2nd quote for curtains
coming this week - yowsers said the husband on the first quote!
Sisal carpet chosen - just need toilet Carpet One know what we want, get it picked up and husband works with a
guy who is a carpet layer in a previous life. He can lay it in 2-3 hours hopefully this week!
We then just need guttering and we are finished!!! 4 months it had taken!
School hols in 2 weeks , so that will be
a job sorting rooms!

I've been making pj pants this last week - my favourite lion print ever for me ; sneakers for middle child and blue
ships for younger child. Very disappointed at slack selection at Spotlight. Elder child wants to sew his own again this year, but need a better selection of fabric!

Made chocolate self saucing pudding for dinner tonight - yum! We hardly ever do dessert!

And the poncho knitting is
coming along nicely!

A Pass it Forward and crafting.

I was lucky enough to be chosen by www.madaboutbagsuk.blogspot.com fit a "play it forward" in January. This is where you enter on a blog to have something made for you and then you do the same on your blog. I received my gorgeous package last week from Tracy in England. It is the most gorgeous bag - the quality of her work is very high. Thank you so much Tracy! She also sent some Mudpuddle books by my favourite author Michael Morpurgo , which McDonalds in the UK are giving away with happy meals! Maybe NZ McDonalds might do this one day! And made Middle child a gorgeous football bag for his boots! Middle child writes to her oldest son ! It is very cool.

I do love my apple coasters which i made in under an hour- from a kitset from The Little Craft Shop in Pt Chevalier. I did a needlework class through them learning different stitches on this lively linen tea towel too - lots more work to do!

Love the 2 books from The Book Depository- but boy are their books suddenly taking a much longer time to get to NZ all of a sudden!

And the middle child's jersey needs more wool - even if I did undo huge bits of it and put in stripes!! Sigh!! Learnt my lesson about hoarding wool and not using it for a long time! Always buy at least 8 balls of wool now!!

Off to the framers to get my place names work finally framed! Husband us making shelves for linen room!