Manic Monday

Posted in DIY home, sport by

yesterday was not. It was Auckland Anniversary day (Happy Birthday, we’re 175 – which will make anyone English snort with derision) and “Strayla” Day (Australia, but I’ve helped you out with the correct pronunciation, you’re welcome) & chez ours is having a lazy day.

We are about 50% thru painting the fences; the front door area is revived with grey pavers replacing the indoor tiles at the entry. No more slip & slide, sorry. My shoulders & legs are killing me (walking like a sailor who has just hit land after 20 years away, on a roll) and everyone had enough. Z & I watched the NFL Pro Bowl all afternoon and jointly sulked that the Super Bowl is on while school/work pulls us away.

I didn’t clean the tank – but I found the Black Line Flying Fox. I had thought both of these had carked it two weeks ago (the first one lasted 2 days before I lost sight of it). It is all by itself an excellent cleaner-upper of the algae. I need more fish tho as the tank looks empty with the main school being the Lemon Tetras. All will have to wait as I have multiple sets of school fees to pay this week. Wah!

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Playground Progress

Posted in DIY home, house - gardens by

We are motoring along with the back yard, now that Si is better. The fence panels are getting to second coat, the playground is connected (complete with flying Fox, sorry neighbours but you’re welcome to play too), both water barrels are connected (this is so I can water the garden and fruit trees for free) and we are painting the timber for the screening panels. One garden bed is together and I need to get the garden mix in time for some winter crops.  I also need more bricks as I think that will look nicer than plain concrete for the mowing strip.
Today I’m really happy (albeit covered in black fence paint) and it’s not even nine thirty.

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Saturday Share – Anne’s Christmas Ornament tutorial

Posted in Uncategorized by

So easy to follow! I’m working away on Travelling Bunny right now 🙂

Anne S's avatarFocus on Finishing

I personally don’t think the Just Cross Stitch ornie magazine is very clear with their finishing instructions for ‘newbies’ so I thought I’d make one up myself to help people out that haven’t done this type of finishing before – and show just how simple it is 🙂

This will also hopefully kickstart me into preparing a few more tutorials in the upcoming months … just need to get some stitching finished so I have some smaller things to finish! LOL. Anyway, without further ado, here’s the latest tutorial – hope it will be useful to someone 🙂

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CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT TUTORIAL

(The Prairie Schooler finishing style)

01

Materials needed:

  • Stitched ornie
  • Felt in coordinating colour
  • Cardboard (I use mattboard)
  • Batting
  • Ribbon for hanger
  • Glue
  • Thread for lacing (I use crochet cotton or pearl cotton)
02
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1. Firstly measure your stitched ornie for the size that you want the cardboard to be.

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Brandon at fifteen

Posted in family, grateful by

My first son. He’s fifteen today which seems to have crept up on us over night.
He’s amazing.
He’s annoying (concussion sucks, as I’ve said before).
He’s sporty.
He’s a slug.
He’s so clever (top academic stream for English, science, geography; second stream for math).
He can be so stupid (ah, brotherly “love”).
He is still likes having a long fringe. Must be because he can flick it in the girlies direction.
He has learnt to tidy his room.
He is still affectionate.
He is loyal.
He’s still mine.
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Feeling – what?

Posted in music, OLW, Saturday Share, Smalls SAL, Uncategorized by

Monday morning & I’m feeling a little off. Today is the day R came back to work & according to the boss, she’s a little unhappy that I am still here & have taken some of her roll. But then the work focus has changed, and it’s def more than one person can handle. A lot more. I’ve just seen her and she seems OK – so maybe I allowed myself to be caught in someone else’s drama. Bad, bad Paula. Don’t think I’ll include that little bit in my first card to my new OLW penpal – I haven’t had an old-fashioned snail mail penpal in how long? – I must stop fluffing around with blogging and working and WRITE. I’m on a deadline – it’s nearly time for my lunchtime walk with Sarah. Yay for having stamps in my folder.

Yesterday was so slow in the household & not what I expected it to be. My rhythm & routine disappeared right from that moment I slept in & I didn’t get my groove back until late afternoon. Finished another ornie (will share on Saturday) and got rid of the mending pile that B created. So domestic. Then to blow out the cobwebs I went for a drive up to the SIL’s to drop her back off at hers with the toy car’s top down & on the way back, blasting music. Sorry Swanson peeps. Hope you liked some Ministry of Sound. If not, well, at least it wasn’t One Direction, right?

Tonight I plan a binge watch of Nashville & some stitching. Or maybe a swim and an early night. I don’t know about you, but I am more than ready for the school term routine to start. Only two more weeks to go! That noise you just heard? My wonderful MIL sighing in relief.

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Sunday, Gorgeous Sunday

Posted in family, Mirabilia, OLW by

It’s beautiful here in Auckland today. Well, the West is! Yesterday the cricket was on at Eden Park, so of course it rained. Great for my fruit trees, they could have done with the soak (stupid hose doesn’t reach to this side of the house, so I bucket around). Not great for the cricket – it was rained off. I think the next Eden Park game is v Australia in the ICC World Cup – I want to go to that one.

Si is sick so yesterday was super quiet. M & Z went to Grandma’s quite late in the afternoon, then around nine I got a phone call to say that they were going to stay the night. AWESOME! B got a lesson in consequences; he’s on kitchen this week and has been mostly on strike. So after multiple warnings, I followed thru (& felt like the worst parent in the world) – no dinner was served. Mind you, he’d had two ham croissants not an hour earlier but Ah Ma Gord the circus erupted. Newsflash – the world is not fair to the Screaming Teen. But we’re adamant that he must learn consequences – better now at home than in the workforce. This is safer.

I stitched. And stitched. So excited when I look at the height growing in my thread jar, and the growing yellow on my working copy (I don’t often colour but I find it easier to pick up a stored WIP if I do) then I look at her skirts & groan. Seems like I’m getting nowhere fast! There is so much still to do – and I still need more beads.

But the upside of having God throw patience lessons at me all day yesterday is this: I know what I want to invite into my One Little Word life. And that’s patience. It’s OK to not respond immediately. It’s OK to count to ten. It’s OK to have consequences for my actions or inactions. It’s OK to walk away. It’s OK to say “I am not involved in your story”.

And that feels good.

Saturday Share

Posted in OLW, Saturday Share by

Planning is very important to me. Without it, I’d have a snowballs chance of maintaining my One Little Word or even the slightest resemblance to sanity. If you want to laugh, it’s okay. My family will be too. Sanity? Ha.
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Anyway, I have a work planner and a personal.  Filofax week per page, that I added some tabs to do I can find the month easily. Bit of washi, some thumbnail images and I’m good. I pick up other stuff here and there (yay Pintrest) & this site is one of my favs.

Organizing Planner: The Harmonized House Project

Take a peek, there might be stuff for your house too. Or Pintrest, on my Printables list. Link is up the top of my page.