Author Archives: paulainauckland

Hellooooo July!

Posted in books, cross stitch, goals, me, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, Smalls SAL by

Well, I finished Firefly Lane AND the sequel Fly Away. I enjoyed Firefly Lane very much, getting so engrossed in the characters that I had no shame bawling my eyes out while waiting for Zac’s sweet & sour pork the other night. Fly Away not so much, but it had a redemption theme which I do like.

firefly laneIn the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the “coolest girl in the world” moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all—beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn. Tully, steeped in glamour and mystery, but with a secret that is destroying her. They make a pact to be best friends forever; by summer’s end they’ve become TullyandKate. Inseparable. 

I have a bestie like this. We’ve been apart for a long time, but as she’s moving to Auckland very soon I hope we can slide straight back into that easy friendship.

Stitching-wise, I haven’t done a lot this week. I woke on Monday feeling quite dissatisfied with things, and decided that I was going to change. So I hauled a$$ & went to the base early to start.

Now, I used to swim competitively. I went to meets all over, and secondary school nationals a couple of times. I thought I’d slide back in – oh no. But I managed 4 lengths (of a 25m pool!) before everything turned to jelly. And once I was back at work, I rang the local Jenny Craig office and got a same-day appointment (no room to chicken out, right?). Turns out that mentally I’m ready for this. Ready to turn around my health spiral. It took 6 months of being out of the yes-I’ll-volunteer cycle to get myself to this point. I wonder if in a few months I’ll be able to give up the headache pills? Look for an activity/weight loss update Monday – if I don’t post it, YELL at me. Please keep me accountable!

So I’ve managed maybe half-a-dozen threads at work, and a couple of hours on Mermaids at home. And as today is the first, I am rotating out from Mermaids to Persephone for a week. My only issue with her is that she is on the big stand so can’t go to league with me tomorrow. But a limited time period might help me get some progress on that skirt – the carrot being that I plan to switch out to Raven Queen next Friday. Then Arezzo, and lastly nine days back on Mermaids – or maybe 7, with the 2 days of the weekend doing something new? We’ll see what happens!

For the Smalls SAL, I finished a Mill Hill kit (Fireflies) and have two Holly ornaments ready for beading, and another two Berry ornaments being stitched. I decided to stitch a second of each of these on Darine 14ct plastic canvas, not only so I have a set to keep, I’m feeling like I get more value for money. These kits are not cheap here in NZ  – roughly $18 for fireflies and $14 for the Christmas Jewel series, each! I also finished the Bunny kit from Cross Stitcher magazine – he’s going to stay as is, without the ribbon, and become my massive needle minder.

 

Hope you all have a fun-filled weekend with your family & friends!

Book Review: Mischief Bay & a bit of waffle

Posted in books, family by

Sorry for not keeping up – life is kind-of hectic, altho I look back and think that really, I’m just dog-paddling like a mad thing, trying to stay in the one spot. I feel sorry for Mase, as he is not playing a team sport this winter, solely so that I can support Bran & his refereeing. Si is running around with Zac in tow – who STARTED in the run-on 15 this weekend. Woot! Mase is lovely and while a little upset, is just getting on with everything else. I brought him a Lovett’s kids puzzle book as it was persisting down on Saturday (no park playground time) & he ripped thru it. His spelling list is year 5/6 – he’s technically a year 2. Words like acclimate, estimate, zootopia – and he’s expected to know the meanings too. Have you ever tried to explain Zootopia to a 6 year old? I think it could have been easier to explain the U2 album of the same name…

Anyway, I have made time for reading. Right now, I’m in Firefly Lane by Kristen Hannah, but I’m kind-of hungover from back-to-back Susan Mallery. I came across her Mischief Bay series and wow.

The Girls of Mischief Bay.jpgBook ONE: The Girls of Mischief Bay:

Nicole Lord wants to be a good wife, but there’s a difference between being supportive and supporting her husband, who quit his job to write a screenplay she’s never seen. He won’t even help take care of their son, leaving Nicole to run the house and work full-time at her Mischief Bay Pilates studio. Can she say enough is enough without losing the man she loves?

Sacrificing a personal life for her career is how Shannon Rigg rose to become vice president in her firm, but she wonders now whether she made the right choice. An exciting new relationship with a great guy convinces her that it might not be too late—until he drops a bombshell that has her questioning whether she can have it all. And if she can, does she want it?

Although Pam Eiland has a beautiful house and a husband she adores, she feels… restless. She wonders who a stay-at-home mom becomes after the kids are grown. Finding sexy new ways to surprise her husband brings the heat and the humor back to their marriage, but when unexpected change turns her life upside down, she’ll have to redefine herself. Again.

The Friends We Keep.jpgBook TWO: The Friends We Keep

After five years as a stay-at-home mom, Gabby Schaefer can’t wait to return to work. Oh, to use the bathroom in peace! No twins clamoring at the door, no husband barging in, no stepdaughter throwing a tantrum. But when her plans are derailed by some shocking news and her husband’s crushing expectations, Gabby must fight for the right to have a life of her own.

Getting pregnant is easy for Hayley Batchelor. Staying pregnant is the hard part. Her husband is worried about the expensive fertility treatments and frantic about the threat to her health. But to Hayley, a woman who was born to be a mom should risk everything to fulfill her destiny—no matter how high the cost.

Nicole Lord is still shell-shocked by a divorce that wasn’t as painful as it should’ve been. Other than the son they share, her ex-husband left barely a ripple in her life. A great new guy tempts her to believe maybe the second time’s the charm…but how can she trust herself to recognize true love?

At times these characters are someone you’d like to know IRL, then at other times I wanted to smack them. I guess that’s the sign of a good book – you get engrossed and you have real feelings. The growth and changes are realistic, the sub-characters are well crafted, the location (the other side of the earth from me) sounds real; I’ve already added book 3 to my diary so that I definitely don’t miss it next February.

Sadly, not the same with the latest Nora Roberts trilogy. Blah blah boring.

And lastly – go ICELAND! Love a good under-dog story.

Podcast Sharing is Caring: ep. 31: Born for This — The Art of Simple

Posted in freebies, grateful, growing by

When you hear the word “noncomformist,” your imagination might conjure up a black-sheep rogue protestor dancing in the streets. If you hear “dominating the world,” the first thing that comes to mind might be what first came to my mind—Pinky and the Brain. Chris Guillebeau is one of the nicest, most generous guys I know,…

via Podcast ep. 31: Born for This — The Art of Simple

Good Morning!

Posted in grateful, music by

“Good Morning”
Mandisa, feat. TobyMac

Wave away my yesterday
Cause I’m leaving it behind me.
Hello sunshine, come what may.
I feel something new inside me.
I hear the birds singing
Now my alarm’s ringing
Get up, get up, hey!

It’s a good morning!
Wake up to a brand new day
This morning,
I’m stepping, stepping on my way
Good morning,
You give me strength,
You give me just what I need
And I can feel the hope that’s rising in me.
It’s a good morning

Slow down, breathe in,
Don’t move ahead
I’m just living in this moment
I’ve got my arms raised, un-phased
Jump out of bed
Gotta get this party going
I went to bed dreaming,
You woke me up singing
Get up, get up, hey!

It’s a good morning!
Wake up to a brand new day
This morning,
I’m stepping, stepping on my way
Good morning,
You give me strength,
you give me just what I need
And I can feel the hope that’s rising up in me.
It’s a good morning

Now I’m smiling, and I’m kissing all my worries goodbye
Got the feeling, if I spread my wings I might even fly
You are my truth, my way
Give me the strength to say
Get up, get up, get up
Cause it’s a good morning, hey

Mr. Mac to the mic

[Toby Mac]
Hey, top of the morning to you ‘disa
You smoothie, me ice cold pizza
Cafe au lait, latte dah
You do the zumba, but I do not
Give me like half a marathon,
I’ll give you the gospel of St. John.
Hits me like a wake-up bomb
Cuz’ we both know that His mercy flows,
In the morning.

Wake up to a brand new day
This morning,
I’m stepping, stepping on my way
Good morning,
You give me strength,
you give me just what I need
I can feel the hope that’s rising up in me.
It’s a good morning
Wake up to a brand new day
This morning,
I’m stepping, stepping on my way
Good morning,
You give me strength you give me just what I need
I can feel the hope that’s rising up in me.
It’s a good morning

[Toby Mac]
Top of the morning to you ‘disa
Hey, top of the morning to you girl
To-to-top of the morning to you ‘disa
Morning little Miss Sunshine.
[Spoken]
Man, you morning people.
No, I’m serious.

Capital Kings remix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeqfLqPz44c

WIP Wednesday

Posted in cross stitch, grateful, House, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett by

Oh dear, it’s Wednesday again? Where is this year going to? At least I have something to show 🙂

Si & I went on a short P&O cruise over the weekend. It was lovely being out on the water and being child-free (altho I had some baby time on Sunday morning. Yay for handing back the smelly ones) & we came back oh-so-relaxed. We didn’t do too many of the organised activities – neither of us are party animals nor are we big on alcohol so we used the time to brainstorm an upcoming house reno and to spend time together. Next cruise we think should be a destination one – thinking of around the Pacific islands, or back from Sydney.

As souvenirs I brought only a couple of Pandora charms; a crown (790930) because it was the Queen’s celebration weekend with Trooping of the Colour; and a cruise ship (791043, it’s retired now). It’s so cute, it even has a pool and umbrellas! They’re kind-of visible on my second Flosstube video (search Paula SewScrapMuse, I have some FSG’s on there too).

20160614_191813.jpgStitching-wise I made a huge ammt of progress on Mermaids of the Deep Blue. Basically everything from the halfway fold was done on the boat. I felt that I should have taken Afternoon in London (and I would have finished it too) but I wasn’t enjoying the progress, and I can’t be bothered doing something that I am not enjoying. I worked “in hand” which means my right hand is very, very sore; and I learnt also that Kreinik is best to do on the stand, but I was happy with my progress. Did not give a rats that some people my age were very craftist and looked down on me for what I was doing; frankly I was looking down on them for their behaviour towards other passengers and the ship’s crew. It was a mutual disadmiration society going on.

And last night got home to this: you could be forgiven for thinking that it’s our house on the market! I’ve deliberately taken a very crappy photo so that you can’t determine some detail. Like our street name, or my rego numbers.20160615_055826.jpg

Si is very cross – we can’t get to our spare parking area now until this is moved. I’m inclined to let it go; the auction is July 2nd and I like these neighbours. The only reason they are selling in a hurry is that his job has transferred them to Wellington and I’ll be sad to see them go. Anyone want to buy a 4bed brick & tile?

 

Kit Review – Cross Stitcher Bunny

Posted in cross stitch, freebies by

20160609_084343

  • Source: Cross Stitcher Magazine, April 2016
  • Designer: Maria Diaz
  • Supplied: wooden shape, threads, needle, button, length of ribbon
  • Overall: yeah, OK

I must admit that I brought this one just because it was there. I was looking for the Summer issue as stitchtherapyblog is featured, but we’re so far behind it wasn’t on the shelf – this is issue 303 and she’s in 306! However there’s a couple of charts in this issue I will use, so it’s not a wasted trip.

I am avoiding the autumn side of my biscornu so I decided to stitch Bunny in my downtime yesterday. He’s cute, isn’t he?

But I do have a couple of issues with the packet & instructions.

 

  • If it’s a brooch, as the suggested finish, why wasn’t there felt or even interfacing to cover & protect the back during use?
  • The suggestion is to use the loop knot to start. Now, I consider myself an intermediate and experienced stitcher, but I’ve yet to work out how to loop start with an uneven number of threads! I did need to use the suggested 3 strands to get the full coverage – 4 was too much, 2 left gaps.
  • The thread lengths are far too small to loop start anyway. You’d only get 8-10 stitches completed at a time.
  • Beginner stitchers would benefit by having the number of thread lengths mentioned, as well as colour. There isn’t a huge difference between lt brown (422) & chestnut (3828) but it would make the finished piece look odd if you stitched them the wrong way around.
  • My wooden piece is cute and very evenly punched – but oddly smells liked smoked fish!

I’m not going to finish as a brooch. I’m planing on backing with felt and adding a large magnet so I can use as a needle minder or on the fridge.

 

WIP Wednesday

Posted in cross stitch, family, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett by

well here we are! I missed last week so I have a wee bit to show.

We celebrated Queen Elizabeth’s birthday this past weekend, so there was an extra day away from the desk. Si has gone to Ohakea on Thursday at oh-dark-oclock as he refereed at an inter-base league tournament. He also came home at an equally it’s-dark-everywhere hour on Monday morning. This idiot had driven him too/fro from the base, so I had to get up reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal early to pick him up. But it was worth it to have him home 12 hours earlier than expected.

With no senior footy, B only had the one game to referee so we had a family quiet weekend planned. The bigger boys studied and played the weekend away, Mase whined. And whined. Then on Monday night he crashed big time. Turns out he had a virus. Someone will turn up and yank away my mother card soon. He’s on the mend now, but has binged watched an awful lot of Netflix.

I finished stitching & beading the Mill Hill fireflies kit (and beaded the back a couple of times, doh), and also stitched up a little piece from the JCS Christmas 2014 issue, but on plastic canvas and not quite as designed. I plan to string this up on a cream ribbon and set it into a frame.

I also put Persephone away for a wee while. I was losing heart with that skirt; so as much as I do love the colours that I’ve converted her to, it was time. My StitchMAYnia goal wasn’t the traditional 15 starts but to stitch every day in May, and I very nearly got there. Persephone alone was stitched 23 days of the month & on 3 days she wasn’t touched, I stitched a Small. I’m pretty happy with that.

On Sunday night I pulled out Mermaids again. I’m nearly at the half-way mark of the chart (one more colour to go) so here’s what they look like, as of 5.30am today:

20160608_053637.jpg

I also popped up on Instagram my version of parking. Most of the multi-page charts I have used have a greyed-out section, usually the bottom two lines of the chart. I simply DON’T stitch the top leg of the last cross, and then on the next page, I draw a box around the incomplete stitch. I don’t pretend to be an expert at parking, and this probably won’t work for everyone, so no offence if this doesn’t work for you.

IMG_20160607_184720.jpg

Sharing Is Caring: wanna own some Wentzler? I do.

Posted in cross stitch, Teresa Wentzler by

I’m kinda excited. Last year around this time, I finally finished the Seasonal Carousel Horse drawings I’d been working on for… well… too long. And, at that time I mentioned I would like to try to make the drawings available on note cards or greeting cards or the like eventually. I finally took the leap […]

via Do you Zazzle? — Teresa Wentzler’s Art Blog