GYM PROGRAMME AGAIN TODAY

The boys and I are off to the gym again today... and I'm hoping to have a spa afterwards too. That should be nice.

Griffin's ears are much improved... thank goodness! Nothing like a grizzling bloke, even if the bloke is only 7! LOL

After gym... home... then I hope to pop out again and get some material for the Convergence quilt block I did yesterday. Stew really liked it.... that's nice eh?

I'm glad it's almost the weekend, I'm feeling very jaded ... and would love a sleep in. Do ya reckon Stew and I will get one... with two big boys here it COULD happen! yeah right, IN MY DREAMS.

I got some mail yesterday! From Kim in Australia, she got a sticker : "DIET COKE ROCKS" for my lovely new car! It's blue.... I will take a photo later to show you! Right now.... got to get moving....Breakfasts and lunches don't make themselves ...

ABOVE: this is the graphic for me car... we will put it on Roxy SOMEWHERE this weekend. Not sure exactly how to do it... but I'm sure it will work out.

The boys and I are heading out for lunch soon, I'm sick of being inside the house! ONWARD...

HA! I went down to my room to look for my old workout sheets... which I thought were in the bookcase:

ABOVE: and I ended up tidying it up... and I didn't find the workout sheets! BUT I did find about 6 patchwork books I forgot I had, and some DVD's, and cooking books.... and a whole pile of books to give to the Hospice Op Shop too. WELL DONE. *sigh*

WOOO HOOO ... I feel so much better now! I've been shopping.

hee heee he!

ABOVE: I got the border material for the Convergence block I made yesterday, and....

When I took the books to the Hospice Shop I saw this cute wee fish candle holder... and it was CHEAP AS, so I bought it!

Then the boys and I went to Sylvia Park Mall for lunch and I bought something there too! Will show ya tomorrow.... got enough photos on for today!

End of Day: I've been sewing most of the evening... nite nite.

CYSTS.... AND QUILT IN PROGRESS

ABOVE: All ready for the cut....we have been here before!

ABOVE: Ikkky




ABOVE: Almost done.... and it cost 1/4 of what we paid 2 years ago!

Let's just call him 'Scar Face' now eh? What with the broken ankle as well.... he's a walking disaster zone. LOL.

ABOVE: my Convergence 'quilt'... not quite finished the top bit... but it's getting there. I can't do any more work on it now until next Tuesday's Patchwork Class...I need instruction on a few things.
That's cool... I can work on another one! *smiles*

Steve intimated last night that he'd like a quilt... hmmmmm. Maybe I will finish the Star Quilt for him? We will see.

Guess what I have been doing today? Another convergence quilt block! SEE:


It is twice the size of yesterday's one, and I havn't even put any borders on it yet! I will have to go and find some matching material to do the borders though, I don't have much to 'go' with it here at home. Oh darn... shopping is necessary! LOL
I really LOVE this one.. it has my favourite colours in it... and fish too!

FISH... aren't they so cute?

End of Day: I've had a good day today. Kept my mind of 'stuff'... tis good. nite nite.

POOR DUDE.

He has to stay home from school today... his ears are really sore.. So no school for him.

And No gym for me .... I will stay home with our wee man and do some sewing. Nothing wrong with that.

Steve and Mike are going to the gym this morning.... Mike is right into his gym workout... and is worried he's losing his muscles!

DO WE AGREE? LOL.

I have done bugger all blog reading over the past few days.... no apologies... my mind has been elsewhere. And today I am going to sew... and sew... so there!

ABOVE x's 2: Teddy is in seventh heaven.. spoilt little bugger!

ONWARD...

ABOVE: My 'Convergence Block'.... NOW all I have to do is add borders, maybe some applique'.... *sigh*..... it was fiddly ... but fairly quick to do.

- My blasted sewing machine kept jamming up today... but I did get some sewing done.
- I am feeling much better today.
- I took Mike to the Doctor's this afternoon to have ANOTHER cyst cut out of his face... photos tomorrow!
- Roast chicken in the oven... Stew is bringing home salads...yum.

End of Day: I feel a bit guilty about not getting around the blogs in the past few days.... but as I know I'm one of the most DILIGENT readers/commentors I know... I'm forgiving myself! LOL. nite nite.

PEA AND BACON BONE SOUP...

Makes Griffin VOMIT.... lets not give him THAT again!

Brylee isn't keen on it either. The rest of us LOVE IT.

So.... today is Patchwork...

CONVERGENCE QUILTS... I can't wait.

I will be taking Mike to the gym before I go to class and picking him up afterwards. He's a gym bunny! Steve... don't know what he's doing... probably sleeping away the morning...

BELOW are two 'Convergence Quilts' by Ricky Timms:

These quilts are made by using 2 or 4 pieces of material.. cutting and splicing them together then adding borders/appliques. It's quite amazing what you can do. Today I am going to try making one... WELL the middle bit anyway!

ONWARD...

Class: can you be in a room full of women and feel all alone? YES.

Home: Griffin was sent home with an ear infection, luckily Steve could go and get him.

Later: Had lunch, feel sick. Took Griffin to the Dr.. antibiotics and painkillers.

Even Later: Taking Brylee to her swimming lesson, the boys to the gym and Griffin is going to sit with me while we wait .... and eat chocolate. (Him, not me!)

Dinner tonight is going to be takeaways, I am over cooking right now.

End of Day: we did have takeaways.... it was nice too. Feeling quite tired now.. looking forward to tomorrow when I can do some more quilting. nite nite.

I DID IT AGAIN!!! THIRD TIME !

ABOVE: see this gorgeous Bag??? I JUST WON IT on Jean's blog giveaway! I am now BEYOND stunned at how many times I have won something in the past few weeks! THREE TIMES I have won a prize. I can't believe it....before this run of winning the only thing I had ever won was a toilet roll holder at a school Gala Day when I was 8 years old! (and I might add I did not think much of my toilet roll holder, what 8 year old would?). ha ha ha.

I am so thrilled... AGAIN! Thank you Jean for your wonderful bag. I will treasure it. It ROCKS!!!

Today after I get the kids to school the boys and I are going to the gym... Steve and Mike can get a 5 day pass via my membership... and after that they can pay on a casual basis if they want to continue going.

I hope to get most of my programme done today... if my legs let me! I have been in a lot of PAIN with sore thighs since friday! Going to the loo has been difficult to say the least! The legs hurt sooooo much. Too much information? Well YOU READ MY BLOG... what do ya expect?

Not too much is kept off this here blog... *smiles*

I am doing my very best to be more positive today... when there is nothing you can do to change a situation.... you have to learn to live with it somehow. I'm trying.

******************* PEPSI WAS UPDATED THE OTHER DAY **************

GYM was neat! I did most of my programme.. there will need to be some adjustments made cos of my knee (it hurts!) so squats might be ruled out.... and friggin lunges! But it's all good. Mike and I feel refreshed and ready for the day now.

Steve ... well he has a cold and is a misery guts, he stayed home in bed. Derrrr.

After my gym workout I was feeling so good I decided to tidy up the garage and do a 'spring clean'... well it's nearly 5 hours later and it's done! I am aching all over.

Now I've got to get dinner cooked... OH Yaaaaaa. Roast Pork....

End of Day: dinner was lovely, and I had some and it stayed down... this is great! I've had a good day..... nite nite.

SATURDAY PHOTOS ON SUNDAY:

ABOVE: Heading back on the motorway towards the city... on the left is the Harbour Bridge.

ABOVE: On the Harbour Bridge heading towards the North Shore, on our way to lunch at Albany.

ABOVE: Steve, Their Aunt Khady (Stew's sister) and Mike, out at Bethell's Beach.

ABOVE: Mike putting his foot up... it really throbs after a while being down...

ABOVE: the view of Bethell's from the top of a bloody goat track of a road, which I would like to point out was INCREDIBLY STEEP. The barren land in the foreground is in fact huge sand dunes! Black sand... ikky. Apparently there is a lake up amongst those dunes too.... maybe one day I will walk up them to see it?

ABOVE: another view from a different road...

Right, that's it for yesterday.

Today: don't know! I might try and get my fat quarters ready for class on Tuesday... I went out and found the PERFECT piece of material for our CONVERGENCE QUILT Project! I can't wait to do it.

I might even do a 'dummy run' convergence quilt block.... just to keep my mind off other crap.

ABOVE: the gorgeous ROXY... we gave her a carwash yesterday! I have made a vow to myself to keep her clean! My last poor vehicle only got washed about once a year!

I've been doing washing all morning. That sucks.

I'm cold.

I'm crabby.

I still don't feel like eating.

I just listed my sauna on TradeMe cos I don't use it enough anymore, and I need the room in the garage for other stuff.

THAT. IS. ALL. (for now)

Sunday drive... we took the boys to Maraetai beach... Mike and I had a Latte/Moccha at my favourite coffee shop. Stew, Steve and the kids went for a walk and an ice-cream.

I took more photos:

ABOVE: Pineharbour Marina... mega bucks in boats!

ABOVE: a funky letterbox I saw yesterday at Bethell's Beach.

ABOVE: My Caramel Latte'.... so yum!

I put lamb chops in the oven with mint sauce before we went out... coming into the house when we came home.... what a devine smell! AND what a shame my tummy is still in panic mode and causing me to throw up and 'down' still. *sigh*

2010: who the hell are you? AND Stew was adopted... he is not biologically linked to his sister! lol. It makes us laugh cos people always say Griffin looks just like Stew... and there is no blood link there either!

End of Day: Dinner was really lovely... well, so the family said. When it came time for me to eat my belly revolted AGAIN and I couldn't have any. Just felt sick. Tis good for the diet I suppose... not so good for the nerves. nite nite.

THERE WILL BE A WEIGHT LOSS THIS WEEK!

STRESS = Can't eat. Can't eat = weight loss.

So, at weigh in this morning I am bound to have a good loss... can't see how I can do anything else really! I have hardly been able to eat since monday... throwing up when I do eat... constant diarrhoea from stress.... OOOO yaaaa.

I do not recommend this form of DIETING though.. it really isn't good for you... I wish I had lost weight the 'usual' way.

And knowing my luck once I start eating again I will gain back what I've just lost.

Not many plans for today apart from the visit to the doctor....
ONWARD....

I lost 2 kilos this week, Stew lost 4 ! The Doctor has given us a CD of meditation techniques to give a try, he thinks it might help with our stress levels. I am prepared to give anything a go right now.

ABOVE: Mike and his poor broken ankle.... he might be here a while ... he can't drive, can't put any weight on it, and has to keep it elevated a lot to stop the pain.

ABOVE: Dinner last night, with Teddy doing his usual "Feed me, I'm starving" thing! Steve was able to ignore him...

ABOVE: The '5th Bedroom' ... for as long as it is needed.

ABOVE: I don't think Steve has even realised yet that he's got a 'girly' duvet on his bed! Do ya think it will worry him? NAH! Not him.

We went out at lunchtime, we had lunch at Albany Mall... then went out to visit my SIL at Bethells Beach... West Auckland coast... Stew and the kids went for a lovely beach walk while the SIL, Mike and I went for a drive up a friggin GOAT TRACK to take in the view! I was shitting myself driving up a road that was only partly sealed and incredibly steep! But the view was awesome.

And it tooks one's mind off present crap weighing me down.

End of Day: in all a nice day... it's lovely to have both the boys safe here at home. Long may it last. nite nite.

MY FA'FAFINE MAN!

Stew had a work 'do' last night... the theme was 'F'... all the managers had to dress up.... so Stew decided to go as a Samoan Fa'fafine... or in other words a Transvestite! Doesn't he look HIDEOUS! Sexy legs I must say though! The lipstick did it for me, I couldn't look at him without feeling ill! When he went to kiss me 'goodbye' I declined ! No way was he kissing me with that mouth! LOL

Today I am finally going back to the gym to get my new programme.. hope my body lasts the distance! I'm still a bit shaky due to the tummy bug... or whatever it was.

ONWARD....I went! I did 3/4 of my programme and threw up! I got sent home again. That sucked. But.... I did do some of the programme! I even have wobbly legs from the crunches etc! And I can already feel it in my arms and shoulders.. so in all I think it was good!

I am so over feeling ill though... and I am now 100% sure it's due to stress. There is crap happening in the background (family) and it's totally stressing me out. I don't feel I can talk about it right now either... it's too ???? can't get into it ... sorry.

End of Day: Steve and Mike have arrived for a stay of an indeterminable time. Mike is in a cast for at least another month, Steve is here cos he has to be. Just having them home is a comfort to me. nite nite.

AN AWARD FROM THE LOVELY IRISH TART:

Today I was given another lovely award! Thank you so much Micki from Ireland...



I can't get over how many lovely people you meet over this here blogging.... and the potential to make so many friends. I think it's so neat. Anyway, I'm now supposed to pass this award on to 8 other bloggers who I have become friends with, so :

If you consider yourself my FRIEND... I give it to you! I'm still feeling like a dishrag... and just don't have the energy to try picking and linking 8 of ya! You all deserve it.

I'm still feeling a bit blurghish... (is there such a word?).... so today I'm going to take it easy and just hang out at home. I want to make that gym appointment tomorrow!

I went to town and paid a bill or two... did a small grocery shop, and bought a couple of NOT BLACK tops to wear! I really can't go around in me nightie eh?

ABOVE: eeee - gads... horizontal stipes even! Pfffft...looks ok to me.
Not doing much else today... still feeling a bit ill... think stress has a lot to do with it too. Am feeing quite stressed out at the moment... various reasons. Shit happens.
ONWARD...

End of Day: still feel ikkk.... might just be from stress... or I have an awesome tummy bug! Hopefully I'm better by tomorrow cos I have THE GYM awaiting me! nite nite.

FIRST GYM WORKOUT... PROPER

9am today will see me getting my new programme at the gym and actually DOING IT!

Man I hope I still like being at the gym! And working out.
I have done bugger all 'proper' exercise in months and months...

After the gym I am coming home to do some sewing... I am quite excited about one of the class projects .. it's 'Convergence Quilts'... it involves merging blocks together in different ways... interesting to say the least.

I've not got much more to say right now... so I will bugger off!

It's an hour since I wrote the above.. and my day's plans have changed ... I am feeling sick as a dog.. upset tummy it would appear. I didn't really feel well during the night and now it's hit me... I feel like crap!

So, I am dropping the kids at school and coming home to bed!

Stew has gone out to the airport this morning to pick up our eldest son, Russell... who is here to visit his son Joshua. Stew is taking him to Hamilton straight from the airport. I didn't want to see him after he abused me over the phone recently. I don't need any more stress!

Struggling to fight off the nausea... if there is one thing I hate most in this world it's vomiting!

It's 2pm and I just woke up! I have not been lonely in my bed...

HIS nibs (above) was snuggled up on the end of the bed with me... loving every minute of it I reckon!

So, I'm feeling decidedly better... and thirsty! Hmmm, no prizes for guessing why. I'm going to have some Diet Coke, that should get me up and rearing to go again! LOL. Then I will go and pick up Griffin from school (Brylee is going to a friend's). Hopefully it's a quiet afternoon and I can finally get into some sewing!

Oh... Stew stopped in to check up on me on his way back from taking Russell to Hamilton too... nice hubby!

I am up, I am dressed... NO BLACK... but tomorrow I will have to wear me nightie cos there is nothing else in the closet that fits me and isn't black! This is bad people.. very bad. I never realised just how much black I wore till now.

Picked up Griffin and went and visited my Aunty around the corner.. anything to keep Griffin from packing a wobbly about not going to a friend's like Brylee!
Came home, forgot the house was alarmed and set it off... you should have seen Griffin run outta the house... it was hysterical! Worst part was he had the keys with the alarm button on it... so I had to run out after him to turn the darn thing off! ha ha ha! I ran... yes I DID!

End of Day: Well the tummy has rumbled into action again... I had dinner eh? Still not right.... hope tomorrow is better. nite nite.

DECLUTTER... AND CLASS

I took some of my own advice... and decided last night to declutter the toys in the house.. which lead to 4 BIG bags to toys to go to the Hospice Shop, and about 4 big bags to go into the bin!
Ahhhhh... that feels better!

Less clutter = less stress = less crabbiness. MUST be good!

It's the first day of the new term at Patchwork Class today.. and I have promised the tutor that I will TRY and do the class project this term! Maybe I will, but only if it's something I want to do! No point making something I don't want eh?

So, that's where I will be this morning... class

****OH and I'm trying a personal challenge for the rest of the week! I don't know about YOU.. but I seem to always be wearing BLACK clothes... so this week's challenge is to wear no black for the rest of the week! Who is going to join me? It may mean wearing my nightie all week! LOL

FUCK! I'm wearing black knickers and bra... Pffffft... can't see em, they don't count!

ABOVE: proof... no black!

ONWARD....

- Class was good, I will probably do the class projects this term, they look interesting.

- Home for lunch and a spot of housework.

- Picked up kids from school then off to swimming lessons for them.

Now home, tired and crabby. I get so darn hot sitting watching the kids swimming.. it's hot and humid and I almost always end up with a headache. *sigh*

End of Day: it's been a long day today, hardly any time to relax...so that's what I'm gunna do now! Got some Totara Cafe' to sip on too. Yum. nite nite.

SCHOOL.....GYM.....QUILT!

HERE IT IS... Brylee's Finished Quilt! I started this quilt on February 19th, 2009... and finished it yesterday... July 19th! Of course I would have finished it much, much earlier if it hadn't languished at the quilters for over 2 months! But I'm rapt with it... I HAD planned to sew buttons on the corners of each block, but so can't be arsed doing that now! It looks pretty enough on it's own.


ABOVE: 54 blocks... each one took a good hour and a half to make... not counting the cutting out etc! THEN lets not go into how long it took to join them all, put the sashings on.. the backing..the binding.. bla bla bla!

At least I didn't have to quilt it too! There is no way I could do that!

ABOVE: sooooo much hand sewing! I doubt I will ever make another one like this. Cathedral Window Blocks are ever so pretty though.

Today it's back to school for the kids (YAAAA HOOOOO), Then I'm off to the gym for my first assessment in over 2 and a half years! Bloody hell it's going to be BAD. *smiles*... but you have to start somewhere eh? I am really looking forward to it.

After gym ... home to do the big cleanup after having kids at home for 2 weeks.... IF I can move the bod after being at the gym that is! LOL

ONWARD...Well.. the gym assessment went pretty much as expected... I did their fitness test and came out at 2/5.... 1 being abysmal and 5 being amazing.... so I'm just above abysmal. NICE.

After that I came home and I've been plodding along doing the housework.. watching some telly, having lunch and generally just being a happy housewife. Got to love my days getting back to normal.

I heard from Steve today, he's down in Palmerston North for a few days, when he comes back up to Hamilton he is probably going to bring his little brother with him....so Mike can come here and recover from his broken ankle for a while. That will be nice.

Remember that coffee liqueur I found in Thames called Totara Cafe'? Well... I found a shop that sells it here in Auckland... just 5 minutes drive away even! So.. I popped out and bought a bottle... cos I could... and I even stopped in at the local patchwork shop... and well... ya can't ever leave empty handed now can ya?


ABOVE: pretty eh? I seem to be compiling quite a store of fat quarters.... and last night I sorted them into 4 piles:

- Brights
- pretties
- Kiwiana
- Fish/Nautical

Now all I have to do is get the time to do something with them! I don't think they will all become quilts somehow, it's exciting thinking about what to do with them!

I'm off to get the kids shortly... think I will walk! Much as I love taking ROXY out, it seems a sin to drive when I can walk there in about 4 minutes! (and for once it's not raining).

End of Day: totally knackered after all my housework efforts today! Didn't stop till dinnertime. Tired. nite nite.

GETTING SO MUCH DONE!

I'm really pleased with myself.
Last night I slaved away in the garage and got the binding cut out, sewn up and stitched onto Brylee's quilt... now all that's left is the hand sewing on the 'back side' and it's done!

I hope to get that done today.... if I don't finish it today then definitely tomorrow. Awesome! Her quilt has taken a lot of work ... but it is so pretty it's worth it. OH, I must make the label for it too....

Our Grandson Joshua goes home today too... the shuttle bus is picking him up from our home. It's a fantastic service... from door to door... and it sure saved us a lot of travelling time and hassle to get him here.

My house is a pigsty! I am hanging out till the kids are back at school before I get stuck in and do some serious cleaning. *sigh*... that will be tomorrow, after gym!
ONWARD....

Joshua got picked up bang on time, it was so nice to have him here!

After he'd left we decided to go for a sunday drive... just to get out of the house. We drove to Maraetai Beach, which is exactly 25 minutes east from our home....

ABOVE: Stew and the kids enjoying an icecream on the pier...(I didn't have one!)...


ABOVE: looking back at Maraetai itself. This is a really lovely little beachside town.... and the beach itself is lovely too. It was a cold, windy day with squally showers, so no strolling on the beach.
Home now and back to the handsewing of Brylee's quilt...
I will post a photo of it once it's finished.

End of Day: shit I'm feeling so CLEVER! I had to download iTunes AGAIN... sync my ipod AGAIN.. and download Limewire.... so I could get songs for my iPod... AND I DID IT! How friggin awesome is that? Whooop whooop. I rock. OK... it's nothing really, but I'm so chuffed that I did it. ha ha ha... and now... I'm having a Tia Maria or 2... cos I can. So there. nite nite. *smiles*

TWO MORE DAYS... JUST TWO MORE DAYS..

While the kids have actually been really good these school holidays... I am sooooooo over their noise! I hate noise... particularly kid noise. So in two days it's back to school.... I can hardly wait.

I got these in the mail yesterday:

ABOVE: these are the patterns I ordered online last weekend, from Melly and Me... she has some really lovely patterns. I just went to a New Zealand supplier for them... but you can get them all over the world. I ordered a cute wee doll pattern too, but it's out of stock, won't get it till end of year. That's fine, I have masses to keep me busy in the meantime! Not sure even when I will get around to these bags...
Something to look forward to eh? *smiles*


ABOVE: The FINISHED Frangipani Project... Stew loves it and wondered why I was giving it away? Well... ya simply can't have that many wall hangings eh? Anyway, I made it with a certain daughter in mind... she will get it for Christmas.

NOW, today... it's supposed to be wet and miserable all weekend, so I think Stew will take the kids to Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World or something... me? I am going to stay home for sure!
I really need a break from the kids....
ONWARD... edit: Stew decided to stay home and do a few jobs around the house...

So far today we have been out and bought some wood.. some to put behind the wallhanging so it hangs 'square' and some so Stew can make a new drop-down door for the attic. The last one fell off, and landed on my van... and there is no way that is going to happen to ROXY!

I have also sewn a label for the wallhanging, apparently you are 'supposed' to label all your quilts etc. So I did! *smiles*.

The closer to Monday it gets the happier I feel... I will be getting the kids back to school AND going to the gym again! Wooo HOOO!

End of Day: Honestly I have felt like committing murder today! With the 3 kids and Stew home making noise all day I could scream! I have been hiding out down in the garage most of the evening just to get away from them! nite nite.

AND THE WINNER IS... ME!

Karen Deborah, over at Fresh Fixins had a wee competition, the winner could win these lovely scarves:

So, because they were so pretty and blue, I entered! AND WON!

ABOVE: here is Karen Deborah's husband about to do the draw... have you EVER seen a more enthusiastic looking man???? I tell ya!

WOOOO HOooooo.. I won! That is the second thing I have won this year.. THAT IS A LIFETIME record! I am gobsmacked(amazed)! AND rather chuffed(stoked, rapt) ... I can't wait to get them and decide what I'm going to do with them! OOOooooo... maybe some sort of snazzy wall hanging? THANK YOU K/D, you rock!

Now... today:

Stew is home! He took the day off so he could spend a bit of time with the kids... so I think we are going to a movie ... and lunch out of course. I now have to decide if I want to go too... or stay home and have some quiet time to myself and do some sewing.

Decisions, decisions....

- we went out at 10 am... got a few jobs done then

- had lunch at Manukau Mall

- took the kids to the Harry Potter movie, I went too... wish I hadn't... it was stoooopid! Nothing like the book, and if you hadn't read the book the movie would have been hard to follow and totally disjointed. Bitterly dissappointed.

- Then we went to the Dr for our weekly weigh in. Stew gained massively, I stayed the same..... We believe the doctor's scales are crap.... there is NO WAY Stew gained 5 kilos in 6 days .... our home scales say I lost 2 kilos this week... think I will go with them!

Home now... and it's 5.30pm... we have been out all day!

Teddy is beside himself with excitement that we are home at last, poor boy. I'm not cooking dinner tonight, Stew and the kids have been scoffing lollies, icecream and popcorn all afternoon so don't need much. I had NONE!!! Quite happy with myself about that. Usually I indulge at the movies.

End of Day: it's been a nice day all up... time to put me feet up and relax in a comfy chair! nite nite.