High 5 for Friday!

It’s been a busy few weeks. To be honest, I am struggling – with pain & loss of function, the return of the Screaming Teen, a tired partner, feeling oh-so-obliged – and being grateful went by the wayside.

Yesterday was a big day in the household; (bottom left) Mase’s group had a concert at school (they are repeating it at local resthomes today & for the public on Saturday evening) and (top left) Zac graduated intermediate. He also got a Service award!

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(top right) I am very nearly at the end of Lenna’s tail – there has been a bit of juggling to get the colours right in the roses. I can’t justify the drive across town for the three Waterlillies threads, especially as I’d be in so much discomfort after, so I dug in my 3 thread boxes and came up with something true to the original picture but also unique.

Mase is totally into Christmas – the last pic of the layout is my new Rudolph. He kind of reminds me of Beaker from the Muppets!

I am just about at the end of the “12 Days of Simon” for this year – but I think I will just number them and place them under the tree. I saw this boy at Living & Giving today & it’s perfect for Day 11 – my (frog) Prince 🙂 cheesy, yes. Who cares? If you’re looking for something similar, these are by Zoku and widely available world-wide.

frog prince

Hi Five for Friday!

I’m feeling so so grateful right now. Here are some things I love this week:

  1. The doctor & physio are on the same wavelength & ACC has approved the claim. I have a referral to a hand specialist already!
  2. Simon fixed my old tapestry stand. It took me about an hour to attach the fabric to the strips on the frame (I kept stopping to rest my hand and to oogle the sheds in George Clarke’s Shed of the Year) & I will have to learn to stitch either with two hands or left handed, but I will be able to stitch! Next step is to sort out a smaller frame so I can stitch smaller projects.
  3. The forecast for the weekend is awesome. School fundraiser fireworks show tonight, bonfire at the FIL’s hobby farm tomorrow. Neither will be rained out.
  4. Plenty of flowers on my dwarf apple, and lots of bumble bees!
  5. I started shopping for the 12 Days of Simon that I will do again in December. I have a set of Jelly Moulds (that will be day 8, as there are 8 moulds) & a T ornament (for his last name).
  6. While one of the fish I brought last week didn’t thrive, it was easy to get a replacement. Meet Refund (the grey gourami, he’s very curious about hoomans) and Reward (the yellow gourami, I used my reward voucher to pay for him). Yay for Animates.

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High 5 for Friday!

My High 5’s are very short & sweet this week.

  • I enhanced my stash
  • Managed to give away two as RAKs which makes me feel oh-so-good

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  • I have to do some work each day of the weekend but I negotiated time off work to go to the Stitch Drop In at The Ribbon Rose in Mt Wellington, only brought 3 things of Mill Hill beads so wallet safe.
  • Sunday breakfast is with friends as we watch the All Blacks play Seeth Afreeeca
  • It’s a 3 day weekend!!!

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Hi Five for Friday!

Because it’s October, I’m in my Grateful series.

  1. The leaves are starting to appear on my dwarf apple tree. And there are buds on my climbing rose, which I still need to plant in situ. I forgot to take photos, sorry.
  2. ROPI had so many choices about what to start on my next stitching piece which will be (tah dah!) Roses of Provence. I’ve just snuck off my beads & Kreinik order to Elizabeth (stitchnz.co.nz for Kiwi followers. Her service is AWESOME!). Unfortunately the Summer Queen didn’t arrive in the post, but the seller gave me a refund.
  3. I’m recovering from the flu so my energy levels, while still all over the place, are coming back.
  4. 240_galleryBran has agreed to join Swim Club at the base. He was reluctant as it’s a step up, more time and he will have to wear “budgie smugglers” but he’ll get over it when he realises all the other boys are too. I’m glad because otherwise we would have run out of class options at the end of this term & swimming is such good therapy for head injuries as well as a de-stressing tool. I’m tempted to get him these ones (available at budgysmugglers.com.au) but I think I’d best go with plain black speedos.
  5. My eye test this year only showed a slight deterioration in one eye, not enough to warrant changing my prescription. I am ordering prescription sunnies tho and I expect that in a couple of weeks I’ll be asking myself why I didn’t do this earlier. I drive into the sun in the morning and then again in the evening which we agreed is stressing & adding to the headaches I can get. But there is no disease apparent or retinal detachment. Yay!

High 5 4 Friday!

As it’s Thanksgiving period for my State-side friends, I thought this month’s High 5’s would be things I’m grateful for.

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Cross stitch can be so so satisfying. I finished the V (another goal crossed off!) and rocked straight into the international Mira RR piece. This is two days of Christmas Elegance.
Daylight savings means more play time. Z at Browns Bay.
Flu mess keep the crap at bay. But they do stop me from hitting post on the last entry!

But the most important thing this week is Baby M. He belongs to M, and is an absolute sign of faith and prayer. Born in early September at 30 weeks, he’s a fighter. He’s inspiring a group of us to praise God & keep praying for his family and the hospital staff. Please join us in prayer. Seeing faith in action is amazing.

High 5 4 Friday!

Hello! I hope everyone reading has had some great moments this week!
As it’s Thanksgiving period for my State-side friends, I thought this month’s High 5’s would be things I’m grateful for.

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COURAGEOUS great movie, better book. Reminds me of what’s important, being a role model to my family.
STITCHING TIME I’m grateful that my family supports this addiction and understands is my creative outlet. I’m grateful too for the relationships gained and sometimes lessons learnt.
BEING CHILDISH this is me, and Monty, the Westfield kids mascot. Sarah & I chased him thru part off St Lukes mall. Grateful we took the time to embrace our inner child!
PODCAST ADDICTION an android app that links to thousands of RSS or iTunes feeds so you can have podcasts on your phone. So handy, I’m grateful that it helps me thru the mundane stuff like weeding or washing dishes.
And lastly I’m grateful for the happy moments I can give my children. I used my cleaning and sewing skills to breathe new life into Tiggr. Mase was so pleased to get him back.

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High 5 4 Friday!

LISTENING: I got a couple of recs from Caroline TeSelle this week, so I’ll be downloading podcasts from Tsh Oxenreider & Annie F Downs on Sunday when I refresh my iPod. Caroline blogs HERE

rock redemption coverREADING: Not really reading this week. It’s been full on at work and home so my nightly wind-down read is anything that doesn’t involve thinking. However the new ARC from Nalini Singh has downloaded to my account so there goes housework on Sunday!

persephone after 2 TV episodes and the AB's v Namibia

persephone after 2 TV episodes and the AB’s v Namibia

CRAFTING:  Working away on Persephone this week – more progress since Wednesday.

ANTICIPATING: new herbs as I plant more seeds. Summer salads are best from your own garden.

CELEBRATING: Not only did the rep team win game two, we clinched the series. I’ve made some new contacts and one I would consider a good friend.

Also – while I missed the club prize giving the Under 6’s took out a club award for Team Dedication (yay! Such a reflection on the awesome attitudes) MASON won the Sportsmanship award for the team. That’s now all three kids winning what I consider to be the highest award. And doesn’t he look so cute! This is his version of the Rugby World Cup, as made in class yesterday…

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Don’t forget to enter my giveaway! I’d love to have so many comments that I would need to open up to more winners 🙂

https://sewscrapmuse.wordpress.com/2015/09/25/wowzers-be-in-to-win/

Hi Five for Friday!

High FiveLISTENING: Picked up an audio book that I can’t remember reading in print – JD Robb’s Indulgence in Death. Great for drowning out the routine crap at work.

READING: Planning on getting into The Fringe Hours this weekend as I’m just about finished Say Goodbye to Survival Mode. This week was potentially not the week to think about ditching survival! Since I started one change (setting the alarm half-an-hour earlier) I’ve been woken by family at least two hours earlier…sorry peeps, but there won’t be a review tomorrow.

CRAFTING: Working on Keely’s RR still (no stitching since Tuesday!) and waiting for the next Mira one to hit me. I also brought Summer Queen of someone who was destashing. I want to convert her colours from the blue to rich, adult-y pinks, kind-of like Debra Foxx did. Which leads me nicely into…

ANTICIPATING: I signed up to “16 in 16” – a facebook group based on encouragement to finish 16 WIPs in 2016. The only problem is that I don’t have 16 WIPs! But I have an excuse to start some more pieces!

CELEBRATING: 6 days in a row of little sleep but still getting to my Steptember goal. So far, that’s 117.3km walked. Pretty happy with that!

Debra Foxx Fuschia Summer Queen

Debra Foxx Fuschia Summer Queen

Conversion:

changed 939 to 154
changed 924 to 902
changed color 3810 to 915
changed color 597 to 718
changed color 598 to 3608
symbol circle with dot in center 3608 & white
changed color 902 to 550
changed 915 to 552

No bead changes were made.
changed color 718 to 553
changed color 3608 to 554

summer queen blue

Original colours

Hi Five for Friday!

LISTENING: to Elise Joy podcasts about creativity, taking a leap, changing focus www.elisejoy.com or via iTunes and a lot more of radio than iPod – www.lifefm.co.nz

READING: I have a few I just read the first chapter of – and some I want to dive into but I just am not in the headspace. There’s a review for a gentle series scheduled for tomorrow and I’m in book 6 of another I need to schedule for next week. Any suggestions gratefully accepted – I just can’t do deep right now.

20150909_171137SHOPPING: for seeds – this is my haul from Kings this week. I’ll be able to mass plant lavender for minimal cost. And be giving away parsley. Lots of parsley.

CRAFTING: Getting into this RR. I’m thinking beads for the falling snow – and then I remember that it isn’t my piece!20150911_085354

DOING: Wrapping up the 80% portion of being a rep team manager. There are some people making it a lot harder than it needs to be – and getting texts after 11 at night is getting old. First game tomorrow!

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CELEBRATING: My first donation for Steptember! Not too late – you can view my progress here http://bit.ly/1JuNI9k  I’ve done over 100K steps since it began!

PLOTTING: I’m at 110 followers – thank you! I love hearing from you – and I said I’d do a giveaway at 111. Time to start thinking – it might have to be crafty and booky!

High 5 4 Friday!

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My list is a little late today but that’s because I have so much to be grateful for!

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A day off. It meant walking to school with Mase ( in my new Puma Ignite shoes, I love them already). Talking. Taking time to smell the flowers (he’s hamming it up for y’all. I told him I’d post it on the blog). Unexpected time with my daughter and watching then play. Getting to 10000 steps for Steptember.

It’s been a really good day.