Category Archives: House

A Very Late Update

Posted in cross stitch, DIY home, embroidery, family, House, me, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, stitching patterns, work by

So it’s been a long while since I wrote. If you haven’t been on my IG, we’ve got a lot to catch up on.

Family-wise, we’ve grown although maybe not in the expected way. Back in February, Si  was putting in the last of the Expol underfloor insulation. I was in the room above him and I heard an “oh shit!’ then a much much louder “go and get your mother!”. I went around and under the house where he told me that he thought we had rats. We don’t even have a compost bin and live in suburbia, and I thought this was really unrealistic. Sure enough, after I grabbed his headtorch and had a look, it wasn’t. I was exceptionally passive aggressive when I made the torch shine directly in his eyes and said “…it’s kittens”.

Turns out Mama Cat was dumped when the people behind us moved out. She wasn’t much more than a kitten herself and was malnourished and therefore so were the kittens. We found three live kittens and brought them into the house to be warmed up and fed. So now we have Charlie (was 205gm), Elise (was 225gm) and Kayn (was 265gm) – at nearly six months, Kayn is “average” while the girls are much smaller, but everyone is now thriving. Mama is now spayed and re-homed, but the three terrors are staying with us.

Charlie, day one
Kayn, Elise & Charlie, night one
Charlie, on Sunday. An ideal builders cat!

And I have a teenager again – and we’ve done the high school visit. Ouch.

Work-wise, nothing much has changed for me. The role has reduced down again, so it’s getting to time to look for something more. I have read over the material for the next Tikanga paper, and decided not to proceed there. I think language might be the go, or a dressmaking course. Honestly, it’s all about me so I’ll move the way I want to.

Reading-wise, I am devouring older Nora Roberts, Deb Kastner, Becky Wade and anything that has a Christian/K-9 Assistance trope. Luckily that’s a huge swathe of Harlequin novels so I’ll be there until that runs out.  Re-watching older episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, Taskmaster UK, and The Great British Sewing Bee. I made a lined waistcoat for Si, for his formal awards dinner (his team theme was loud), and now I’ve mastered darts and bagging out. Woot. Patrick Grant would still be looking down his nose at it!

Stitching wise, I have finished quite a few things, started some more and purchased even more. I have mastered a few embroidery stitches – queen was a real headache to ensure it was even – and have put off starting a Chatelaine mandala as (insert gasps here) I have fallen into the full coverage rabbit hole. I know. I know!! Please God, let me live to 102… Pattern Keeper is an amazing app

Finishes:

  • Mirabilia Fairy Idyll
  • HOD North Pole Trading Company (adapted to two antlers, not three)
  • Mill Hill Sunday Night (two of course, and FFO’d)
  • HOD Cookie Exchange SAL (need to FFO on a kitchen board)
  • HOD Reflect Upon Your Present Blessings
  • La-D-Da Sweet Pea (on Floba, FFO’d even!)
  • Tis The Season Abigail’s Sampler (good for learning new stitches)
  • Faby Reilly Fox biscornu (ready to FFO at the Thames Retreat)
Sweet Pea #ffo

Still to complete:

  • Chatelaine Castle I (still back stitching the gate)
  • Beth Twist/Heartstring Samplery Coffee Quaker (my over one conversion)
  • Mirabilia Princess Elliana (still working on conversion)
  • Mirabilia Le Nouveau Sampler (LHS of garden)
  • Mirabilia Fairy Tales (to bead)

Started since we last chatted:

  • Nora Corbett Coral Charms (converting to the same look as my Luce Mia mermaid)
  • Stitching Jules’ Watercolour Sheltie (via etsy, about 15%)
  • HAED Lesley Anne Ivory Tournee Le Chat Noir (about 12%, but it’s HUGE)
  • Ink Circles Red Velvet
  • HAED Aimee Stewart Cliffhanger (mini, just over 26%)
  • Just Nan Garden Porch Mice (on floba)
Cliffhanger by Aimee Stewart

I’m also working on the Nora Corbett Patreon pattern, Rogue Dragon. He’ll be converted, as hers is red/orange tones, and that isn’t my jam. He’s the next cab off the rank once Garden Porch Mice is done, as I really do want to see what & how the humbug forms. I’ve not completed one of those before. One of the ladies at the embroidery group I go to had one done last month, but on 32ct so much smaller. I have the 32ct for this one still with the chart, but I doubt I’ll do it again. Also, the urn and mice could go well into another Hare, especially if I was to use the same shape as the Sweet Pea I finished this month.

Anyway, I will try to write more frequently. I’d like to get back into a weekly routine again, and Zeb has been asking for flosstube again. Not sure if I have the emotional spoons for that but we’ll see. Where on earth would I start from??

Take care!

WIP (cough) post-Wednesday #212

Posted in cross stitch, DIY home, family, grateful, House, me, stitching patterns, work by

Apologies for the lateness but – yeah. Life.

This past week has been really odd, frantic busy & I haven’t had much stitching time at all. I finally started Little House Needlework’s Bethlehem & this is all I have managed, in between swearing & work, while in my little office.

We finished the work at the MIL’s on Tuesday, just in time to run home, clean up & shoot into town to see Jimmy Carr at the Aotea Centre. Another night without eating (trying to get parking & pre-pay so we didn’t get towed ate up the time) but it was so worth it. I know he’s crass & non PC, but his humour is on multiple intellectual levels. And his reaction to hecklers is spot on. I laughed until my cheeks hurt & very nearly at crying point. And we had a late night visitor – those stripes look odd!

Last night MIL and the boys arrived home – hooray! She kept on saying she’d loved what we had done, but then spoiled it a little by commenting about our wanting to sell it. For the fifty-fifth thousandth time – it’s not us thinking about selling. Grr. She has a lot of trouble just being grateful & that is getting to me. After all, that space was original 1979…it was well past due!

I don’t see much stitching in the next week either – I want to go to the last days of the Corsini Collection at Auckland Art Gallery. It closes Sunday but I plan on going Saturday with Mase in tow.

Blurb: From the private collection of the eminent Corsini family in Florence, Italy, comes this fascinating exhibition featuring Renaissance and Baroque painting by artists such as Botticelli, Andrea del Sarto, Caravaggio and Pontormo.

The exhibition provides a window on the family’s continuing passion for collecting art, their support of artists, and their ongoing loyalty to the city of Florence, which has prevailed through the devastation of WWll and the inescapable forces of nature during the flood of Florence in 1966.

Portraits, landscape, mythological and religious paintings, as well as sculpture, works on paper, furniture, costumes, embroidery, games, kitchen equipment and a lavish dining room set for six, will portray the life of this family at the Palazzo Corsini and their patronage of the arts.

#craft31days day ten

Posted in cross stitch, embroidery, family, grateful, House, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, stitch from stash, stitching patterns by

Wow! We’re almost a third of the way thru the month & I’m pleased to see I’m sticking every day. It’s the little things, but I love the feeling of accomplishment.

#craft31days & going hard… The bathroom is fully done with the tile slate (the Screaming Teen couldn’t be bothered getting out clamps so used #masetheace as a weight on top of my freezer!!!) & half lined in gib.
Second large portion of #fairyidyll is also complete down to the wisper back stitch. Really happy with how this is working up & looking.

#craft31days day eight

Posted in cross stitch, DIY home, family, goals, grateful, House, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, stitch from stash, stitching patterns by

I’m down to 5% battery so let’s make this quick.

The bathroom is clean & clear of all the debris. 840kg worth, people. My wrist & shoulders hurt. Simon started nailing down the new tile slate tonight. With “help”.

I managed to get a decent hour or two in Fairy Idyll after everyone else went to bed. Hooray! That’s another 250+ stitches in this weekend.

Hope your weekend was as productive!

#craft31days day seven

Posted in DIY home, family, House by

I got up early this morning, mostly for coffee & to hustle the Screaming Teen out the door; he was getting picked up at 7am for a day refereeing. I got five or six threads into Fairy Idyll before the rest of the house got moving, then we got stuck into demo.

We learnt a few things.

  • Only one of the walls had the proper gib (wallboard).
  • The toilet pan was glued to the floor. No screws.
  • The cistern wasn’t fixed at all.
  • The basin carcass was also glued, not screwed.
  • The ammt of glue used to hold down the top wouldn’t fill a bottle lid.
  • Surprisingly there was insulation in the outside wall. We had our doubts by the time we got to that one.

I’d forgotten how much I hate demo. And yay! We’ll get to do it all over again with our bath before summer ends.

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?

 

You Can Quote Me

Posted in DIY home, family, grateful, House, house - gardens, me, OLW, You Can Quote ME by

YCQM is a semi – regular post based on my One Little Word for 2015, Serenity.

It’s school holidays (yay, said no working parent ever). I’ve taken some time off this week and next (Thursday’s wardrobe choice is your first clue) and there are a number of things I want to achieve.

So, list. I love checking things off. And most of these will take 30 min or less. That’s a lot of achievement buzz and I’ll still have a lot of playtime.

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Also achieved: merit team manager. Hoping this opens more doors in 2016.

WIP Wednesday – is it really a day off?

Posted in Christmas, conversion details, family, grateful, House, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, stitching patterns, work by

I got asked by a couple of people what I plan to do on my day off. Apparently one in particular is under the impression that I will sit around all day. Hmm.

This is one text:
Day off today so menu planning/grocery shop. Vacuum/wash floors. Laundry. Some stitching on my latest project. Mase has a party (I find it odd that the Muslim boy’s party is at Macca’s). Potting up some herb cuttings, planting more seed. And painting mirror frames black so they match my picture frames. It would be more restful at work, except Si took Bran to the Navy league tournament today!

Apart from the party it’s a very normal Mum’s Day Off, isn’t it? Chores are a never ending circle, most of us like to do something to improve our homes, but some of us don’t attack the day with a plan. 90% of what I intend to do will take a half hour chunk and I get satisfaction from crossing stuff of the list.

I’m in between pieces so I picked up my Reindeer parade. Rudolph was stitched a while ago, and I’m now adding Blitzen. The ribbons will eventually connect them.

image

This is at the three hour mark. I’m planning on beading and doing the snow swirls/trees later on. And I’m not doing the “glow” part of Rudolph’s nose. I like him as is. Plenty of thread conversion too which I will post later on as I’m still working on some.

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)

image

I’m very blessed.