Category Archives: grateful

WIP Wednesday

Posted in grateful, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, Smalls SAL, stitching patterns by

I decided not to pick up Orient during my wait for more Stargazer supplies (impatient much?!), and decided even more not to start another bigger project. Instead I started my March small. Three evenings in and here it is:

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Sorry for the angle; at 2030 last night I wasn’t exactly thinking straight. This is the Joan Elliot design Joy of Gardening that was in the same book as Orient. I altered the “he” to “she”, because the intended recipient is also female & I know for a fact the other half is the designated hole digger/path maker. Anyways, it’s a quick design and you can’t tell where my count went out by a square. I think this one will be a finish this weekend, once the birthday parties are over and done with. Threads as charted except for the onions (the other colour didn’t stand out on my beige Lugana) and over 2 on 25ct. I was tempted to change the robins to tuis but I don’t know if they are in the recipients garden. Maybe next time – this is one I will stitch again. Even the border looks good – simple but effective. I’ll use that on something else too.

I’m seriously thinking that after Stargazer I might try one of the freebie Mirabilia designs in a tent stitch, 2 over 1. I also think I might be nuts. But I do know I don’t want to do a full cross over 1 again, as Arezzo languishes in the drawer unfinished. I was going to pull her out over the “summer” but then I put her straight back again. I really should just sit down with her while the cricket is on the telly.

What are you working on today?

Grateful for Stolen Ideas (#14)

Posted in grateful, Mirabilia by

Fourteen already? It doesn’t seem that long since Ash Wednesday, but I guess it is. Caffeine free me is feeling grumpy & impatient with others, but I don’t feel the need to suck down a coffee. That’s progress. Soon I’ll only be grumpy with others 🙂

Anyway I saw this list on GladriderCrafts blog here and thought OOH I can totally use that. So here we go….

  • Doing? Feeling hungover from a long SAP progress meeting this morning. Went for a walk & I’m still in the blahs over it.
  • Creating? Currently stitching my March Small (pic tomorrow) & waiting on my beads to arrive from Elizabeth’s online store http://www.stitchnz.co.nz
  • Thinking? of lunch. Sorry.
  • Inspired by? all the lovely images of Mirabilia Dressmaker’s Daughter online (why can’t I get straight to the Deviantart posts on my tablet?)
  • Procrastinating over? Clearly work, as I am posting while I should be looking at purchase orders!

So what are you doing? Creating? Thinking? Inspired by? Procrastinating over?

2015 Reading Challenge Series

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I should have posted this yesterday, but I have an excuse. I only saw the linkup as exciting this morning – my bad. So far I’m 9 down (but I’ve read a lot, lot more):

 

A book with more than 500 pages

A classic romance

unbroken*A book that became a movie – Laura Hillenbrand Unbroken (5*, he was amazing & the research impeccable, the words painted a picture)

 

 

 

 

A book published this year

A book with a number in the title

*A book by a female author – Karen Kingsbury’s Angels Walking (3 ½*, it wasn’t quite as good as the Frank Peretti/Ashton novels)

*A book with a one word title – Monica Ferris’ Cutwork (3 ½*, part of her needlework mystery series)

the will

*A book set in a different country – Kristen Ashley The Will (4*, but I must admit it’s not hard to find a book not set in New Zealand) I also chose this for the cover, but something else will come along to fit that category.

 

 

 

nora roberts land

*A popular author’s first book – Ava Miles’ Nora Roberts Land (4*)

 

 

 

*A nonfiction book – The Countess of Carnavon’s Lady Almina & the Real Downton Abbey (3 ½*)

A book by an author you love but not read yet

A Pulitzer prize winning book

A book based on a true story

A book at the bottom of your to read pile

A book more than 100 yrs old

A book based entirely on its cover

*A memoir – Cary Elwes’ As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride (4*, as I just HAD to watch the movie again)

A book you can finish in a day

A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit

A book that came out the year you were born

A trilogy

A book with a love triangle

A book with a colour in the title

A book by an author you’ve never read before

A book you own but never read  !!!!!!!

A book that takes place in your hometown

A book that was originally written in another language

A book set at Christmas

A book written by an author with your initials

*A book based on or turned into a tv series – Kathy Reichs’ Deja Dead (3 ½*, they turned this into Bones but I’d made the mistake of liking the TV series far too much to like this Tempe)

*A book you started but never finished – Katie Ashley The Proposal ( it sucked as bad as the fan fic that lead to 50 shades of shite)

Linking up to Rachel for the challenge party.

Grateful, day eleven

Posted in books, grateful, House by

Good books (I’m reading a funny but trash romance series by Kristen Ashley, Rock Chick)

Good weather (we got one wall of the house painted in the same time it took for Australia to bat today, ha ha)

Free paint (that stuff ain’t cheap)

MySky (recorded the cricket and watched in fast forward)

Happy enthusiastic kids (turns out B is great with painting & loved how quick he got the result)

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I’m very blessed.

Grateful, day seven

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That I have a laptop and can work from home when asthma strikes. That Si & I have flexibility to take turns today.

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Also grateful to those cards M is collecting from the supermarket shop; they work so well as bribery (clean bedroom!) and they have opened up while new conversations. Today we agreed that canabilism is just yuck when it comes to alligators and that a snapping turtle wouldn’t be able to get into the tank and eat his fish.

I’m not getting a turtle tho. Never ever again. Nor a tiger. M thinks he could do with a tiger. Stick to the stuffed ones,  honey. Or the league team. I can work with that.

Grateful, day six

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Today its a job. Being able to spend some of that money on affordable swimming lessons for the boys. Sharing my love of the water, knowing we’re doing something to help keep them safer when we’re out on the kayaks.

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Z is bright and beautiful. Easy to spy on!