TOYING WITH A BIG IDEA

I've been thinking about doing this:

We  have a large, lovely lounge that we don't use that often, so I've been thinking of turning it into a bedroom/lounge for guests.
At the moment I am just THINKING about it, doing some homework on the in's and out's of how it works and so on.

Anyone had any experience of airbnb?  Doing it yourself?  Been to an airbnb place?  Thoughts?

It could be a way of bringing in a bit of money, while still being able to stay home and do me own thing.

There is something else I'm thinking of doing too.
More personal.  I am SICK TO DEATH of my fly away hair, you know, the shorter bits around the edges that stick out all over the place!
I mostly wear my hair up in a pony tail or bun, so the fly aways are always annoying me.  I try to plaster them down with hair wax... but it's not ideal.

SO... I'm thinking of doing this:

ABOVE:  An undercut!  Probably like the picture on the left.  What do you think?
Am I too old for it?
Would it suit me?

Hmmmm.    I'm going to ask one of my FBG friends who has a salon.  She can advise me hopefully.

ABOVE:  Steve hard at work.  He's cutting down a holly bush to make room for their big rabbit hutch.

Well, he has to build the hutch and get the rabbits, but both those things are happening in the next week.

They are getting two little girl rabbits from our friends Martyn and Jacqui next weekend.
They are for Bex's birthday.

She's turning 30 and will be having her Birthday Lunch here on Sunday 18th.  We are looking forward to that.

Right, my plans for the day?  Bugger all!  Doing some more research on airbnb, and the potential haircut.

Bit of housework.  Just the usual.  No sewing for a few days, taking a break!

ONWARD...

10.18 am:  I lay in bed this morning, just thinking about all the things I would need to do/get,  IF we did do airbnb.

And I got up and made a start on moving a few things around in the house!
Of course, this is not going to happen overnight, there's a couple of big things that have to happen first.

The lounge needs A DOOR.  Steve will be asked to do that me thinks.

We need a bed in there.  Might just use the one Brylee has, it's only 18 months old and is a lovely bed.  We can pick up another one for her easily.

I want to move the Britto cabinet out of the lounge.  I am going to try and do that TODAY.

Thinking about linen.  I've probably got all I need.  But I will check.

And the list goes on!

Stew is going to read this and think "Here we go, she simply can't wait".   He's right.
I get an idea and I run with it.

But in my defense, I have been thinking about it for a while now...  it's not like I just thought about it yesterday.

Brylee and Griffin have a Teacher Only day today, so they are both home and can help me with the cabinet moves.  Not that either of them want to of course.  *sigh*

***GIGGLE OF THE DAY:  I got an Anonymous comment, on an old post:

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRYLEE": 

Surgery on dead people. What's the worst thing which 
could happen? 

Thanks for the giggle.  *smiles*


Things are coming together with moving cabinets. Just got the actual Britto Cabinet to move now.

Of course ... to move ONE cabinet meant having to actually move 4. Musical chairs type of thing. Ya know what I mean I'm sure.

I haven't moved the Britto.  Starting to read the comments and ponder.. is it a good idea or not?
Perhaps I need to think on it a bit longer?  As I said earlier on, it is still in the 'thinking about it stage'.
I just got carried away with moving cabinets!  
But I wanted to move them anyway, so nothing lost yet.

I just heard from the Service Manager of Canon.  She is horrified to hear how long I have been without my camera, and asked for more details, so I told her all that's happened so far.  Let's see how that goes!  Not going to hold me breath, I fully expect it to take another 4 months!

ABOVE:  I love this cabinet here, just wonder if the heat pump is too close to it?  I hope not.

Lynise:  Wow your self contained unit is lovely.

AND... JUST LIKE THAT... I have probably gone off the airbnb idea.
Hadn't really thought about loss of privacy, strangers walking around in my house, using my kitchen etc!

Stew's happy, he knew I would see it as a bad idea eventually, I just needed some time to think of all the implications.

Time to wind down for the day.  

ALL PACKED UP...

AND READY TO GO.

To market, to market I go.

It's 6.30 am... and I will be heading down town at 7 am ... which will give me an hour to set up and settle in.

Last time I think it took us about 25 minutes to set up?  

Just as well I'm so organised and don't get myself in a flap over doing markets.  I used to do quite a few back in my pottery days.

I'm hoping that in a few more months I will have my permanent site, and people know I'm there and what I'm selling... and come back to buy.

I've heard that the market before Mother's Day is very popular... this year it is ON Mother's Day, I wonder if that means it won't be as good?  I've got a few Christmas items on my stall today... probably a wee bit soon eh?  lol

 ABOVE:  A group of our Fat Bottomed Girls at the Relay for Life yesterday.  B is holding a photo of J ... they walked in her honor.

ABOVE:  Our FBG group raised over $8,000 for the Cancer Society!  What a top effort!  So proud of them.

Although I didn't manage to get down there to support them, I was thrilled the baton I decorated, and my FBG banner were there... my little touches/contribution. 

Right, I better get a move on, make sure I have everything I need ... wish me luck!

ONWARD...

1.30 pm:

TIRED!  I really don't like getting up so early!  But... needs must.
It was quite COLD down there this morning... my site today was on the shady side of the road.  Thank goodness Stew said don't forget a jacket!

SALES:  Down from last month, but still OK after a little flurry at the end of the day.
Any money I make is good!  For now it's all going on my dental bill.

VISITORS:  A few FBG's, saw a couple of ladies from Patchwork, a bloke from Aqua Fit and a lady from Weight Watchers and Tracy and her daughter Siobhan from Auckland.  So nice seeing so many people I know here in Cambridge.

It's now time to just RELAX and do bugger all! Tracy and Siobhan are coming back here after lunch for a visit too... which will be lovely.

So a nice visit from Tracy and Siobhan... then they left for Auckland again.  Traffic was crazy by the sound of it, poor girls.

After their visit we spent the afternoon quietly, then Stew made dinner.  I was not even hungry, but still had some.
Then I felt ill!

Took the pups for a walk with Brylee.  Trying to get them used to other people, it's slowly working.

Started watching a new, 3 part series called "Trauma".  Not sure what I think of it yet.

Time to sign off for the day.  It's sticky and hot tonight.  Gawd bring on winter... not just a few days here and there of cooler temps and rain.

WHEELING 'N' DEALING

Last night I got a message from Susan, a FBG friend who's market site I got to use last month.
The lady who's site is next to Susan's is going to be away on Sunday, so Susan suggested I try and get her site.  So I emailed the organisers, and lucky me!  I got the site.

This means I don't have to get down to the 'allocation area' at 6.30 am on Sunday morning,  and queue up and wait to be given a site.  I can just turn up and set up right away.

This takes a huge weight off my mind, I could have ended up anywhere really!  I like this area of town...   

ABOVE:  My site for Sunday's market, right outside Van Dyks... under cover which is perfect!

Today I shall be finishing off the latest coasters, I think I will get them done in time to take to market too!

ABOVE:  The pile on the left only needs it's topstitching done, while the ones on the right need to be turned in the right way, pressed then topstitched too.

So, I will get it all done for sure.

In the last month or so I've been getting lots of pain in the back of my right heel.  

ABOVE: Thanks to Dr Google, I think it's Achilles Tendonitis.  Only thing is, I couldn't think how I could have got it.

TILL YESTERDAY.  I was sewing and my right heel was starting to hurt more and more, and the penny dropped!

My right foot operates the sewing machine pedal, and I've been doing HEAPS of sewing over the past month or so (J's quilt to name just one thing)!

So, I'm now using my left foot.  Let's see if that helps?   

ONWARD...

2.30 pm:  NO COMMENTS! Not feeling the love peeps.  Days like this I'm like, why do I blog?  No one loves me!  lol
Then it fades and I know I blog cos I like to ... pure and simple.

So, got up and immediately did some sewing.
Then bloody Stew dragged me off to do the grocery shopping.  Ikkk.

Home, put it all away then went down town and measured my space for tomorrow.  It's fine.  Almost the same as the one from last month.

Had some lunch... now... might have a nap before doing more sewing.  It's stinking hot and I just feel so tired.

ABOVE:  Whoop whoop!   I got all 30 finished!
I hope I sell some tomorrow!

Stew cooked a really lovely meat loaf tonight.  He added left over rice from last night's dinner.
It was really good.

Shame Brylee doesn't like meat loaf.  She had spaghetti, her 'go to' meal.

I'm now parking in front of the TV, waiting for Coronation Street to come on. Then Stew and I will load the car in readiness for tomorrow morning.

ANOTHER MORNING TEA!

This morning I'm going to meet up with Robyn and Johanna for morning tea.  Both are FBG's.
Johanna is about to have her 2nd baby, in fact any day now!
Robyn and I are kinda watching out for her as she has no family in New Zealand, apart from her Husband and little boy.

We are both looking forward to welcoming her baby into the world!  I think Robyn's like me and loves babies.  *smiles*

Flip... to the other side of the coin.  My visit last night to see 'J' actually went quite well.  While she's dreadfully ill, I was happy she was able to hold a conversation and was lucid.
I had been told she was only days away from 'the end'... but I'm not so sure?  

She is being moved to Hospice this morning, which seems scary, but is actually good.  The facilities there are much more comfortable and family 'friendly' compared to the hospital.  We think she will be able to have her own dog visit her there, which is something that perked her up last night.  

Flip... flop.  How about something funny?

ABOVE:  I saw this on Facebook a week ago.. it totally tickled my fancy... I laughed for ages!
We all did in fact.  Sometimes it really doesn't take much to give you a real laugh eh?

And shit, sometimes you just NEED to laugh.

After morning tea I am coming home to sew some more coasters.  I've cut out a few dog squares, so I'm all ready to go.  All going well I will have a few new ones ready for market on Sunday.

OH... the FBG's Relay For Life Batten:

ABOVE:  Looks like this.    Took me all of 25 minutes!  

And that is all I have for now...

ONWARD...

OMGosh!  It was actually COLD this morning!  We usually sit outside the coffee shop as it's so hot inside, but today?  Nope, we went inside.
I had goosebumps!

Morning tea was lovely.  I didn't feel like anything sweet so I got some hot chips.  Then I tried eating them, and ended up, after only eating a few, getting tingly lips... cos there was some sort of spicy sprinkle on them.  So, they are now in a doggy bag for the kids.

It was good to catch up with Robyn and Johanna though. 

Since getting home I've been sewing.

 ABOVE:  I cut out the batting for about 30 dog coasters, and then I spent like,  20 minutes trying to decide what stitch to use on them!
Settled on little hearts and I think they look gorgeous.

Once I've done all of them I shall add the backing fabric and flip them in the right way and do the top stitiching.
So plenty to do yet!

It's 1.20 pm now and I am ready for a little break.  The sun has come out and it's getting bloody hot.

9.40 pm:  And I've been a busy bee!  Made the family dinner... roast chicken drumsticks on rice.  Then I carried on sewing those dog coasters.
I have done heaps!

But now... time to sit back and watch Coronation Street!
Winding down for the day.

WHAT POSSESSED ME?

A few years ago I bought a new PC.
I got an All-in-One Hewlett Packard TouchSmart PC.

I don't know what possessed me!  It has a touchscreen, and it has been the bane of my life ever since.

I never use the touchscreen features at all.  

Why do I loathe it?   Cos if a bloody fly lands on the screen (and it happens often) the screen goes crazy, or it opens another window, or it can even turn the bloody computer off!

And let's not talk about a breeze!  Seriously, if the fan blows on the screen it does the same thing.  Grrrr.

Well Griffin told me the other day I should be able to disable that feature!  So yesterday afternoon, after the screen had changed all on it's own several times due to a bloody fly landing on it... I explored the settings.  

Now I'm NOT that computer savvy, so it took me a while, BUT I DID IT!

I disabled the damn touchscreen!

WIN WIN WIN.  No more screens disappearing, or opening more windows, or turning itself off.

Rather happy about that I can assure you.

ABOVE:  now I can have the big fan on ME all the time!  It's not going to bugger up me screen ever again.

I wanted to visit my friend 'J' in hospital, but things are getting very dire now.  It's heartbreaking.  So I shall probably not see her again.
I had an Aunt pass away from the exact same cancer (Liver/abdominal) and I don't feel I can see 'J' like that after watching my Aunt at the end of her battle.  I feel guilty about that, but I am just not up for that sort of upset.  'J' has loads of friends and family supporting her as she enters the end phase of her life.  Life sucks sometimes.

Onto something more happy... I am going to get in the sewing room and do a little job for the FBG's.
21 of the FBG's are doing the Relay for Life this coming weekend.  It is a fundraiser for the Cancer Society.
Our team has raised a very impressive amount of money!

IN FACT.... our Fat Bottomed Girls raised the most money (as a team):

ABOVE: Super effort girls!

I have been asked to make our batten purple!
So, I shall be working on that today. I am going to cover the batten with purple fabric and a little bit of bling if possible.

 ABOVE:  damn!  Quite sure I killed it by moving it, even though I soaked the ground first and have been watering it.  Oh well... better put something else there.
Fingers crossed I didn't kill the bigger one!  edit:  SHRUB... You have one month to perk up, or you are outta here! ha ha ha (thank the readers shrub!)

ABOVE:  bjn:  I have got a 'wasp trap' made and set up by the shrub that seems to have lots of wasps in/on it.  No luck yet though.

Right, off to start the day!

ONWARD...

9 am:  I went out and picked up some amethyst beads from a girlfriend, they might be used on our FBG batten.  Time will tell.

Then I went to the supermarket and got this lot:

ABOVE:  We have a big 30TH Birthday coming up and I want to try making some slices.  I will do them a bit later, after I've hung out the washing.

Got home, postie had been, and Yaaa!  I ordered some fabric from a shop up in Whangarei:

ABOVE:  I love it!  More Coasters I think, either that or placemats?  A table runner?  Hmmmm.  We will see what happens.

About once a fortnight or so I get an email from Canon New Zealand, advertising some class or new camera.  I usually ignore them.
Not any more.
Today I sent a reply,  I said:


"I'd LOVE to try all of that, except:

YOU HAVE HAD MY CAMERA AND LENS for the past FOUR months!  Still waiting for them to be repaired.

NOT HAPPY."

I wonder if I will get a response?

I just made two slices.
  
A Passionfruit one, using a recipe I found on Pinterest,  and a White Chocolate and Mixed Fruit one I made up. 

I had a slice with the chocolate and fruit yesterday and thought it would be super easy to do.  Let's see how mine turns out!

Now I'm all hot 'n' sweaty, so taking a break for a bit.

Sorry to hear/read that so many people down central and lower North Island are badly affected by flooding.  Stay safe ROBYN and George!

Our FBG leader is going to see 'J' tonight.  I've  decided to go with her.  I don't know why, after I was so sure I didn't want to?  But ... the opportunity came up and I just said "OK".  She is moving to Hospice tomorrow, so probably better to see her now if I'm going to.

8.45 pm:  The visit went well, more about that tomorrow.
I arrived home, we had dinner and now we are just watching some movie.  Well Stew is, I'm mucking around on the computer, then I might do some sewing.

Totally forgot to mention... today Coco is 8.

My Dad's birthday was today too... if he was alive he would have been 84.  He died when he was 66... far too soon.

NO NESTS

Stew didn't find the two wasp nests last night, which is a bit of a bugger.

Luckily, in a few more months it will be winter and they will be all dead anyway.  Except for the queens.  They live on to build bloody nests again next summer. 

I reckon we are getting more and more wasps.  I don't remember seeing any when I was a kid!

Today I am going out to post some photos to my Mum, then I will be meeting up with my FBG girlfriend Gwen for morning tea.

After that ... home to do some sewing.  I've gone off making a soft toy dog... I looked at the pattern and went... yeah NAH!  Too complicated for me right now... I've got a fried brain with the heat.  I am not even thinking straight half the time!

Seriously, the unrelenting heat is doing my bloody head in!  I seem to be constantly either getting a hot flush or just feeling too hot.  I don't even know which is which anymore!

Last night there were four of us having hot flushes... it was quite funny really.  I would have one, get over it, then S would get one... get over it, then D got one...and so on!

At least I am not on my own.

This is officially the hottest summer since the 1930's!  I'm going to do a happy dance when the first frosts arrive, that's for sure.

My diet has gone to hell and back over the past 2 months.
Not being able to walk and just feeling like utter crap with my sore teeth has meant I gained ... hold ya breath.... 6 kilos!

Yep.  I can gain weight JUST LIKE THAT.  Yet it will probably take me 6 months to lose it again!

And well... I'm just so friggin OVER being on a diet and failing over and over again.

When do you say 'enough' and just give up?  Who gives a damn anyway? *sigh*  
Just feeling like shit right now.

ONWARD...

2.44 pm:   Morning tea was lovely, helped cheer me up a bit.  Gwen is just lovely.
Got me mail sent off and also got the float for my stall on Sunday.

TRACY: It would be cool to see you... though I can't tell you exactly where I will be as I'm on the 'casual' list this time, and have to take where I'm given.  It will be awesome once I get my own 'permanent space'.

I can text you if you do come down to let you know where I am... is your number ******07?

 ABOVE:  I'm going to make a start on these little blocks, they will be cute coasters.

ABOVE:  We have heavy drizzle!  Thank God, it's cooled the day down.  

I have NO ENERGY whatsoever.  NONE.  Wish I could snap out of it.  I know that if I put the effort in I would start to feel better.... I just can't FIND the effort right now.  *sigh*


So glad today is over, it's been a blah day really.
I hope tomorrow I feel more 'up' and myself.

COMPANION WALK

Today I am joining a group of Fat Bottomed Girls at a local rest home.  We are taking a group of the residents on a little walk.

It's part of our incentive to be active in our community, doing some good for others.

This is the first 'companion' walk we will have done... the last couple of attempts had to be postponed due to the weather.

After that, I am coming home to either potter around in the garden some more, or do some sewing.  My next market is this coming Sunday.
I have enough stock already, but I'm tempted to try making a soft toy dog.

So... I took a few more photos of the garden late yesterday.  Griffin and Brylee gave me a hand moving a small tree...

 ABOVE:  This is the garden that I'm putting plants in.
Griffin dug the hole...

 ABOVE:  Working TOGETHER!.... they got the tree out.

 ABOVE:  Cute boy.

ABOVE:  Now I have to cross my fingers, water them well and hope they don't die!  I'm going to be putting parsley and chives along the front of this garden too.

Remember I got stung by wasps yesterday?

ABOVE:  This is the clump of flax that I was trying to dissect, and remove a bunch for the new garden.   I was standing to the right of it a bit, but reaching around towards the left/back side...

ABOVE:  And THAT is what I disturbed!  OMG I never even saw it!  And it is HUGE.  I am so very lucky I 'only' got stung 4 times.  

Stew killed off that nest and another one last night with fly spray and CRC.  I will be checking both nests today to make sure none are still alive, then I shall be looking around the section  to find more nests, so we can kill as many as possible.  

We will never find them all, there's bound to be dozens in the hedges and so on, but I will do my best to find as many as possible, particularly any that kids can get near to.  

Imagine if one of the little kids had stumbled into that nest!  Not worth thinking about.

Right, enough yakkity yak, I'm off to start the day... I've got some walking with lovely senior citizens to do.

ONWARD...

ABOVE:  We have fog!  OMG that means it's heading into Autumn!  Cooler weather is coming people!  YES!

12.01 pm:  After a very foggy, cooler morning, it got hot again.  Thankfully our walk with the elderly went ahead.

ABOVE:  We quite enjoyed out little amble along the street with the residents.  Interesting talking to people with dementia I must say.  After the walk we were given a tour of the rest home too.
Then we FBG's went for coffee... in my case a Coke Zero.

I can't get over how many coffee shops and the like do not stock Diet Coke!  Outrageous if ya ask me.  *cranky face*

It was neat to catch up with a few of the FBG's that I'd not seen for a couple of months, hear what they have been up to.

Sad note:  My FBG friend 'J' is not doing well at all.  She is still in hospital and has pneumonia on top of a growing tumor.  So very sad.  Life sucks sometimes.  

I'm going to have some lunch now, then go wasp hunting!

LUNCH:  As I am going to Card Night tonight, I made myself a pie for lunch.  I had cooked Pulled Pork overnight in the crockpot, so it was ready to be used tonight.  

Now I just have to make a pie for Stew and the kids, which they will have with veges.

WASPS:  I've only managed to find 2 potential nest sites in the back yard.
I am pretty sure there are nests there as there's heaps of wasps all over the shrubs involved.  But I can't see the nests.  So that could prove problematic... you need to see the nest to kill it.  I hope Stew can sort it out, I'm too bloody scared to go near another nest!

Brylee and Griffin have been on a school trip up to Auckland today, they just got back.  I need to go out to buy some potatoes, so I better do that right now.

9.24 pm:  It's been a busy evening. I got dinner cooked for Stew and the kids, then went out for Card Night.

Which was rather fun... there were only 5 of us tonight, so we played Scum until 1 of our group left, then we played 500.  I've not played 500 in about 20 years!   I wasn't sure I could remember how to play, but ... it came back to me real quick.  I love 500.

Home now and I'm pondering if I want to have some corn on the cob or left over Pulled Pork Pie.  Decisions decisions. lol

Catch ya tomorrow.