WE HAVE A RUMPUS ROOM.... SORTA.

I convinced Stew to keep my car out of the garage (for now) so I could use the garage as a 'rumpus' room....so now we have:

 ABOVE:  the sewing corner...

ABOVE: the gym end.... and...

ABOVE: the end where I can put extra beds for visitors... so I'm really happy.

This should be fine until winter and then we can decide if my car should come in again.  Until then... it's great!

Seems like today is going to be a lovely day, so I think we will most likely go to the beach.  The kids will love that.

ONWARD....

ABOVE:  well we didn't go to the beach afterall.   As it was a glorious day Stew wanted to finish off cleaning the house and paths.... so that's what he has been doing.  My god, he even waterblasted the footpath ... and it looks amazing compared to everyone else's path... our's is white!

While he did that I sewed more heart blocks... I am going to make us a Heart Quilt now.  It's nice to do something for us for a change.

End of Day:  well it's been a lazy afternoon/evening.... I made macaroni cheese with bacon and onion for dinner...but I had veges and cheese sauce, no pasta like his nibs and the kids.  Doing well with keeping the carbs down.  Lacking energy though.  nite nite.

IT'S A NEW YEAR..... ONWARD!

Sitting in our lounge last night at midnight we could hear all the firework explosions and see some of it too... and we are a good 25 minutes drive from where they were!

I could kick myself as Stew had suggested we go into town to watch, but I thought it would just be like last year... ho hum.... but obviously I was WRONG!  Drat.  Will have to wait until next New Years Eve now.  pffffff.

ANYWAY.... it's a lovely day, a new year... and I am going to start (and carry on) on a new foot.... weight wise.   I will re-join Weightwatchers when the local meeting starts up again (next week) as I simply cannot do it on my own.  I need the structure, the support, the accountability... so ... I will go, I will grit my teeth ... and listen to it all over again...and pull my fat finger out and do it all again.  

I have to.... or I will,  before I know it have regained every single kilo I lost!

ONWARD....

ABOVE:  Griffin got out his beanbag.... and decided Coco would look good in it!  Well... she does!  She is such a cute wee dog.  I don't think she thought much of being stranded in a beanbag though!  lol  

Doing bugger all today... just doing odd jobs around the house.. Stew is bathing the dogs as I 'speak'... better go and help with the dry down ...

ABOVE:  Well.. the New Year Fairy didn't make our Teddy any prettier!  But he's a love anyway.

ABOVE:  my god!  Try combing out this little shit.. Coco had to be wrapped up and held down so I could deal with her knots.. luckily she didn't have many at all.  *sigh*  She fights like a banshee!

Lunchtime here... off to find something 'carb-less and healthy'....

*burp*... lunch was scrambled eggs with bacon, red onion, tomatoe and cheese.  I'm full!  Hopefully that will suffice for the day... as I had 'lunch' at 3.30pm!  lol
Been too busy before that to eat... I'm trying to sort out my fabrics... I have so many little scraps of fabric they are doing my head in, so I've sent his nibs down to the supermarket to buy me lots of sealable plastic bags to put me bits in! 

End of day:  and it's been a nice, productive day.  AND I was 'good' and only ate what I should.  Onward to a better year.... and a few dress sizes down!  nite nite.

DONE... DONE!

 I stayed up until well after midnight last night to finish the 'Heart Quilt'..... I got so far with it that I was determined to finish it before I went to bed!

 ABOVE:  the back of the quilt, it is 4 wide strips of the navy and light blue striped fabric... you can see my quilting .... it's not fancy, or elaborate.... but it will suffice.

ABOVE:  all folded up and ready for wrapping.  And now.... I am going to make another one!  I will show you later... OK?
lol

Today:  well looking forward to a nice day... might just read some blogs... do a bit of housework... and look forward to Stew coming home ... he will then have a whole 3 weeks off!   I can't remember the last time he had off such a long stretch of time... probably not since him and I had our 'honeymoon' back in 1997!  It was only 10 years after we got married ...and our first and only time away on 'holiday' on our own!

I do believe we will one day have lots of time together, just the two of us.... I HAVE TO!

HOW TO MAKE THE HEARTS:  

Right:  gather a whole shit load of co-ordinating fabrics... cut as many as you want into 61/2" squares.   Then using similar co-ordinating fabrics ... cut out heart shapes....

ABOVE:   about that size....  then place your hearts on to the middle of each square and applique on.  Once you have done quite a few you need to flip the squares over and trace a smaller heart inside the larger heart..... then you cut out the smaller heart ...

ABOVE: (ignore the fact that it's only half a heart in the photo).... So you end up  with the back looking like that...  Once you have lots of the smaller hearts you place them on TOP of the first heart (on the right side) and applique them on top of the first heart ... so you end up with two hearts on a square... THEN..

 ABOVE:  you cut ALL  of the squares in half..

ABOVE:  then you mix up the squares so they all look different.... try not to match up the same ones!  lol
Sew them together and you have the finished block!   Gawd it's so easy eh?



ABOVE:  now with these ones I actually cut around the finished (2) hearts to make it a heart shaped 'block'.... and then sat the whole lot on yet another square to make a bigger block... all on the same background fabric. 

HAVE FUN!

Been a quiet day, took the kids out to lunch then we have watched TV movies all afternoon.  It's hot and muggy outside so we chose to stay inside. 

One more sleep until  another year ends.   I have only one 'new year resolution' .... lose weight.
AGAIN.

End of Day: looks like Stew and I (old farts that we are!) are actually going to see in the New Year together!  Wow, we are still up... off to bed soon... so nite nite...and HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone.  

NEEDS BORDERS

ABOVE:  where I'm at with the Heart Quilt... I need to add some wide side borders and a thin top/bottom one to make it the right size... but I'm really happy with it.  It's come up really nice... even if my rows are a bit 'wonky'... I'm sure the recipient won't mind!

No specific plans for the day... might go out with the kids ... we will see.

ONWARD...

Nice day so far.... went to Spotlight and got the fabric for the backing on the Heart Quilt... saw some people who had just bought a beautiful wee, white, fluffy puppy from the petshop... awwww it made me all clucky!

 ABOVE:  I will only say this about pinning up a quilt....

 ABOVE:  MY FINGERS AND BACK HATE IT!!!

ABOVE:  for some reason the sewing of this one is going better than the Star Quilt.. it's not quite so laborious... yet it's the same size as the other one.  Weird.  Hoping to have it finished tomorrow. 

For now.. I have to prepare dinner... roast pork, roast veges... yum!

End of Day: and it's now almost 12.30 in the morning... yep, dinner was lovely... after dinner I watched a movie on the telly then went and finished the quilt!  nite nite

1ST ROW DOWN....

ABOVE:   well there it is, the first row of the 'Heart Quilt'.... I'm not sure about this QAYG technique at all.   I watched some videos on the 'net to find out how to do it... and OK, it seems easier than battling to quilt a whole quilt at the end of the process... but it just seems 'not so nice' this way?  Can't explain it really.... the finish isn't as good I think.

Anyway.... I will continue on now that I've come this far with it.

Stew went back to work today... he's got 3 days until he's off for 3 weeks.  I .  CAN'T.  WAIT.  nor can he I think!  Though we might get on his nerves after a week or two!  Or visa versa!  lol

ONWARD....

The sun is out... OMG!  It's like living in a sauna here right now.  I am pottering around in the garage right now... trying to arrange things a bit differently before settling down to sewing again.  Thank God the kids are wrapt up in their new games etc... they are not giving me any grief at all... yaaaa!

ABOVE:  well I tried the 'Quilt as you Go' again... but it just didn't look good, so I am doing it the 'conventional' way now.    Got 4 rows joined this afternoon... but am stopping now as we are going to the beach for dinner.... and maybe a swim. 

End of DaY: the beach was lovely, when the sun stayed out... it was early evening and it got cool when the clouds came over.  B & G had a long swim, Stew and I decided it was kinda COOL in the water so stayed on land!  The kids had their wetsuits so were fine.  It was really nice having dinner by the water...
Since coming home I've managed to put all the rows together on the Heart Quilt and will start to quilt it 'proper' tomorrow.  That is gunna be 'fun' I'm sure.  But do-able.  nite nite.

WEIRD BAMBOO...

While we were out yesterday I saw, and bought, this amazingly cute plant:

It's called a 'Lucky Bamboo'... supposed to be a good plant to have (Chinese say so)... I just think it's funky!  I have never seen one before..it grows in water... not soil.... weird.

It has a few off-shoots, so I'm going to try and grow more from it too.

Today:  well we need to move a bit of furniture in the lounge... it's looking a bit 'wrong' now that I've taken the bed settee out of the room and put it in the garage ... which we are using over the summer for extra guests to sleep in.  Don't worry, our garage is really nice! lol

Stew goes back to work tomorrow for three days, then he is on holiday for 3 weeks!   It will be the first break he's had from work in years that wasn't longer than 3-4 days!   Sadly we can't afford to go away... so it's a 'Staycation' for us.   But we will do a few day trips I'm sure.

ONWARD...

ABOVE:  three cute glass crabs... Amanda and Andrew gave them to me for Christmas... along with two fish shaped glass platters.   It's so nice when your kids go out of their way to find just the right gift for you. 

ABOVE:  furniture moving done AGAIN.... now off to do some 'proper' housework.

It's pissing down with rain here, the whole country is wet I think right now..feel sorry for all those camping!
Off to Spotlight to buy a few more pillows... for visitors to use...they are only $10 each today.

End of Day:  got 5 pillows, came home and carried on sewing next quilt.  Trying 'quilt as you go'... but I'm not that happy with it.  Will keep going for now, hoping I don't have to unpick it all later!  nite nite.

RENA'S IN THE HOUSE!

 ABOVE:  LUCKILY it's NOT lipstick this time ... it's orange juice.  I think it will come out. 
Now when she's here she will be confined to the family room.. FULL STOP, END OF STORY.

ABOVE:  my cutey, patooty new wireless mouse for me laptop.  I would have preferred a blue one, but no bugger makes blue ones it would appear.  *sniff*... so not on!  Got it in the Boxing Day sales ... it was worth braving the crowds I suppose.

Today:  ... if it's nice I think we might go to the beach....

ONWARD...

Visitors just left... time to take down the tree and get the house all tidy again.  I.  LIKE.  TIDY.  lol

Then I can relax until Stew's Birthday Party on the 8th!  He will be 50!  Wow, time flies eh?  He was a young 25 when I met him... so we have been together  half of his life now...and I love that man just as much now as I did way back then.

No beach today... I have hung out 4 loads of washing... Murphy's Law... now it's raining.  Sooooo typical.
It's not too hot today, but mega humid... you break out in a sweat the moment you move.  Not nice.

Tonight for dinner I am going to try a brand new recipe!   I tried Eggplant (Aubergine) once years ago and hated it... but my SIL brought some over recently that was just DELICIOUS... so I have found a recipe online that sounds a bit like her's... and I'm going to give it a go!  Fingers crossed it comes out EDIBLE.  Otherwise we will just have to eat.... ICE CREAM!   lol`

End of Day:  and my eggplant dish was really lovely!  Even the kids ate it!  Watcing a movie on tv..."As Good As It Gets"...really enjoying it.  nite nite.

EMILY ON BOARD

ABOVE:  Would ya just look at that belly!  Amanda is amost 32 week pregnant now.  I wonder just how much bigger  baby Emily can get in the next 8 weeks?    PHEW.

BOXING DAY here...we are off to the mall today so the kids can use their gift vouchers to get some PSP games... and I need some fabric to continue working on the Heart Quilt.

I hope everyone in the Northern Hemisphere is having a wonderful Christmas Day! 

ONWARD...

oh man it's a nuts day!  We went out... so did 1 milllion other buggers!  At Sylvia Park they were making us park on the side of the road cos all of the parking spaces were gone!  People were even being allowed to park on the roundabouts!  Bedlam, utter bedlam. But we did manage to spend all the gift vouchers....and I even got a wireless mouse for my laptop!  Awesome.

Home now ... Kelly and Rena are here for the day and tonight too.  YES Mrs C... the lipstick is away!  I never did get it all out either.... dammit.

End of Day:  the good thing about Boxing Day is I don't have to cook... there is always masses of left-overs to eat!   neat.  Having a quiet night in... just chillin, watching some telly... doing some sewing.... nite nite.

YEAH, YEAH... MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM ME TO YOU

..

And just in case you think I'm going to be a lazy tart today... think again!

ABOVE:  I have already started work on my next "UFO"... my heart quilt... which will be for another one of my kids....

I will come back later on (Derrr, you must KNOW that !).... and yak on about some more of the day.

We are expecting a few family members for dinner.... having a BBQ.... keeping it low key... don't want to do the whole 'turkey, stuffing... bla bla bla' today.  

ABOVE:  Santa came!

7am - dragged outta bed, witnessed kids unwrapping their presents, read some emails... ate chocolate for BREAKFAST.... went back to bed until 10am!  Feel ill... MUST NOT EAT CHOCOLATE FOR BREAKFAST EVER AGAIN.  Not a good idea at all. Derrrrr.

Off to have a shower and feel human again...

ABOVE: months ago I planted some old, sprouting potatoes and today Stew dug them up and we have just enough cute new potatoes for Christmas dinner!  I am very proud of that little crop!  Next time I will buy 'proper' seed potatoes though, cos I am bound to get more that way.  *smiles*

End of Day: Dinner was really, really lovely... I would show you... but we ate it all!  lol
WE are now all chilling out with distended bellies... well nothing like Amanda's of course!  I will show you tomorrow .... nite nite.

WITH LOVE, FROM STEW:

There were probably many, many times this year when I may have.....

Disturbed You,


Troubled You,


Pestered You,


Irritated You,


Bugged You,


or got on your Nerves!!

So today, I just wanted to tell you....

Suck it up Cupcake!

Cause there  AIN’T NO CHANGES  Planned for 2011!
That was an email Stew sent me yesterday... really funny... and it does look like Coco a bit.

Today:  oh I hope I can pretty much relax!  I am tired of the rush and bother.... though I do really want to make two pillowslips to match the Star Quilt... maybe I will do that today? 
*sigh*

Or if it's really hot I might just get the sprinkler out and let the kids play under it... I might even get under it myself. 

ONWARD...

The kids and I ended up going to the mall to meet up with Stew and Jackie (my BESTEST  FRIEND  she loves it when I call her that! lol) .. Jackie and her hubby and son Joel are going to Perth for 3 weeks and can hand deliver a Christmas Parcel to our son Russell... so that is great!  Ended up buying Stew his Christmas present while there, some new dress 'boots' for work... look like shoes but are a short boot.  He loves them. Yaaaa.

The 'usual' 12 minute trip home from the mall took just over an hour... the motorway is totally deadlocked with holiday-makers trying to leave the 'Big Smoke' (slang for AUCKLAND).  *sigh*

So glad to be home...

GAYLE:  Yes, it is definitely summer here now!  Whatever season you are having, we are the opposite.  Has sommit to do with us living on the OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD eh?   ha ha ha!

End of Day:  and I finally got around to visiting some blogs.... feel so much better about that.  I hate getting behind.  Going to just chill out now until the kids are asleep, then 'Santa' will put the presents under the tree and go to bed.  lol
nite nite.

QUITE EXCITED:

Yeah, don't YOU get excited.... cos I'm only excited about maybe finishing that Star Quilt today, that's all!  lol

If I do, then I will be able to sit down for a minute and relax.

Lunch today is going to be nice... the kids and I are going to the Hospice Shop End of Year Christmas lunch at the local Cozzie club.....Don't ask me what a Cozzie club is cos I can't remember! 

0NWARD...

OH JOY... I have a shitty headache... and my fingers and feet are all swollen up... massive fluid retention going on... ikkkkk... off to take some pills and hopefully feel like actually going to the lunch.

Well... lunch is over... and it was really nice!  We could choose whatever we wanted from the menu... (usual Bar food)... the kids and I enjoyed toasted sandwiches and chips!  The Cozzie club in Manurewa is a really beautiful club... it has recently been renovated and upgraded:

ABOVE:  there's the kids and one of our Hospice Volunteers enjoying the outside amenities!  So pretty!

Home now and I am off to FINISH that Star Quilt!  I only have the binding to finish, and I'm cheating going to sew a lovely pattern all around the edge to finish it off.  lol

ABOVE:  it's DONE! Finished, no longer bugging me in it's box waiting to be finished!  The detail on the binding too ages, but looks neat!  I know you are supposed to HAND SEW the binding on... but stuff that in this heat! 

End of Day:  Stew arrived home from work and then we went off to Sylvia Park for dinner and a grocery grab.  Home by 9.30.. unpacking all the groceries... then once the kids are in bed it will be time to wrap the freakin presents!  My No# 1 most hated job of the year!  WELL that and cleaning toilets, lol.  *sniff*   nite nite.

UFO'S... PHD'S... WHATEVER YOU CALL THEM...

I am on a roll.... I have a box of UFO's (UnFinished Objects).. or PHD's (Projects Half Done) and I am working my way through them this summer!  Yaaaaa:

ABOVE: yesterday afternoon I finally got all the pieces put together on the 'Star Quilt' I started many, many months ago... now I just have to decide if it stays as a Duvet Cover or I quilt it.. I'm leaning towards Quilting it... even if it's not done very well!   I have only ever quilted one quilt before... and that was with just straight lines up and down it!   I am not good at quilting big projects. 

But, I so want to get this one done... it's been bugging me for over a year.

See my hydrangeas?...

ABOVE:  all of these started out as cuttings from my plants back in Palmerston North, and THEY started as cuttings from my garden in Hamilton... and THEY started from cuttings I begged and 'borrowed' from people's gardens all over the place!   So I am really proud of my wee cuttings... that have followed me all around the country!  I love hydrangeas! 

TODAY:  no plans.... the Hospice Shop  is closed for the next few weeks so I don't have to be there today. 
ONWARD...

*sigh*  I've been working on something "secret"... but some fool let the cat outta the bag last night... so now I can talk about it!  We are having a party on Saturday the 8th January for Stew's 50th Birthday!  I wanted it to be a surprise for him... but his idiot cousin rang last night and told him he couldn't come to his 'surprise' party.   Friggin idiot.

NOW YOU GUYS... if you want to send his nibs a card (come on, I know you want to!)... just email me for my address !  Lots of you already have it of course.... but if not.... hurry up!  His birthday is on the 8th of January!!!!!

BLURG!..... the worst is done, the quilt is all pinned up... my left index finger is covered in little holes (ouch)... now it's time for the sewing....

OMG... did I think pinning it was gunna be the worst?  WHAT WAS I THINKING?

ABOVE:  try sewing it!  I have done 8 rows... my arms are KILLING ME.... and I have many, many more rows to go.  This is a workout for sure ... I'm all hot and bothered... and not in a nice way.

End of Day:  and I'm done in.  5 hours sewing wiggly lines on that blasted quilt, then 4 hours Christmas shopping in a crowed mall... I. AM. DONE.  Now all that I have to do is wrap and label everything.  But not tonight.  It's 10.35 and I've just got home.  Gunna relax for an hour, then have a cold shower and go. to. bed.  nite nite.

CLEVER IDEA...

When I go to market again... I will need something to put/hang my wallhangings on... so I thought about it and came up with this:

ABOVE: It's the hoodackey that you use to hang clothes on when you are ironing or steaming them.  Awesome.. it's PERFECT for the job.

TODAY:  more of the same... housework, keep the kids from killing each other... maybe some sewing... Who's doing something more interesting?  Tell me about it...

OH and here is the zebra wall hanging I finished yesterday:

ABOVE:  I think adding a vibrant border helps make it look better.
ONWARD...

Heat + humidity =  FLIES...OMG there has been an EXPLOSION of flies around here.  I'm off to the supermarket to buy flyspray... LOTS of flyspray.  Ikkkkkkk.

It's MAD out there!  Cars and people everywhere... you can hardly move in the mall... so we just went into the supermarket, grabbed a couple of things and got outta there!  I now have dead flies everywhere... rather that than the buggers landing on me every 2 seconds.

Starting to think I will have to isolate B & G from each other... they are annoying each other so much I am ready to bang their bloody heads together!  I am NOT a friggin REFEREE!  *sigh*  I seem to remember saying that for the last 30 odd years!

10 years to go.. just 10 years to go.....

SANDIE:  YES, I have been watching that programme... it's quite amazing eh?  And yes, I think I will give that idea a go... nothing ventured, nothing gained eh?  Just have to figure out how much each day... luckily there's only two kids in the house now!

End of Day:  spent the evening relaxing, should have been reading blogs and commenting but just couldn't find the energy!  nite nite.

MONDAY... AND THE COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS BEGINS

I still have not bought much for Christmas yet!  I can't believe I have put it off this long.

Think I will be doing the bulk of it on either Wednesday or Thursday night.. then having to wrap everything Friday night.   Cutting it fine I know!

As I said before, never doing it like this again.  It's too stressful!

Most of my kids will get a small 'something' I have made. Thank goodness I have lots of stuff I've made!  lol
Wonder if my sons would like a handbag???  *snigger*

I don't know about YOU... but I have found it quite hard to get into the Christmas mood this year... not really sure why.  Maybe it's because I have left everything to the last minute? 

Right:  here's a couple more animal wall hangings I finished yesterday, excuse the bad photos, they were taken late last night, I shall replace them asap with better ones! (edit:  done that now)

I am finishing the zebra wall hanging today.. it was the only animal panel I really didn't like.  But I hope it will look better once I've finished it.  I used a really bright fabric for it's borders... hoping to jazz it up a bit.

Been busy re-arranging stuff in the garage, we need to use it over the holidays for visitors to sleep in... so my car gets to sleep outside.   *sob*

RESULT:  the garage door people are going to fix the door... just as soon as we have had about a week of consistant dry weather.  Yaaaaa... I emailed them yesterday and enclosed a photo of the water pooling on the door/floor.... good move that.  Got to love digital cameras eh? 

The garage now has the bed settee and a lounge chair in it... and the kids are down there playing with the lego.  Yaaaa... no more lego on my kitchen bench!  It's not 'photo worthy' so don't go looking for one!

The sun is coming out... the steam is rising... shit ya can't move without breaking into a sweat. 

End of Day:   and it's been a weird day ... this afternoon a sea fog rolled in.. it was really thick and looked like it was heavy rain.. but it wasn't.  Then later on we did get heavy rain.  The best thing (I suppose) is that I don't have to water the garden!  nite nite.

OH HAPPY DAY, THE TREE IS UP

IT'S DONE... the blasted tree is up:

ABOVE:  cute eh?   lol.... that's  the baby one...

ABOVE:  here's the proper one.   It took a while, and I was not looking forward to doing it, but now it's up I feel almost "Christmasy".  *sigh*   I had sweat running down my back doing it... it's so humid here!  I omitted the blue feathers and bows this year... it was just too much effort.

Market:   well still waiting to see if the weather MIGHT be clear enough.... but I doubt it.  Weather forecast is utter crap.

ABOVE:  finished this one last night... see my wee KIWI?  Cute eh?  So is the boy I suppose... lol.

ONWARD...
Market is not gunna happen for me today.  It is raining and I don't have an all weather type cover for my stuff.  Shame, but there it is.  Can't do anything about the weather!

So we will stay home, do some housework, some sewing, may go to the mall... who knows!

ABOVE: man am I so glad I didn't do the market today!  It is absolutely PISSING DOWN.. and my 'new' garage door is leaking like a stuffed pig! The rain is coming down horizontally, with a good wind to help it along.  It's really awful out there.

End of Day:  well the rest of the day went smoothly, did some more sewing, we went for a wee drive... dinner.... watched a  Christmas movie on TV then bed. nite nite.