Where have I been?

Hmmm ... so where have I been? No where exciting at all LOL ... I just seemed to lose my blogging mojo, not to mention my stitching mojo. I'm settling into a whole new routine of having all the kids at school and having 9am-3pm, 5 days a week, that is basically my own. It's not that I don't have lots to do, but the whole "being on my own" is still like a special treat :) I'm actually keeping pretty busy - I'm still doing my cricket job which took up a couple of days last week, basically catching up from things I've put off over the holidays. I'm walking four mornings a week with a friend - we leave at 6.30am 3 days during the week and walk 8km, and on a Sunday morning leave at 7.30am and walk 10km. I've also just agreed to input the accounts for DH's work - I'll be doing this on a Friday before I leave for my normal job - means I'm out of the house all day, and working all day - but it's a wee bit of extra money, means I'm involved in the business (which over the next few years I think the franchise's idea is for the present owner and DH's boss to become more of a silent partner and for DH to take over more and more working up to a profit share/part ownership) - so it's good for me to be involved too :)

So, definitely still busy - but also time to craft and smell the roses which has been lovely.

Charlotte has settled into school very easily - the teacher stopped me a couple of days ago to say she is doing really well and is such a lovely, happy, open child (not sure about the "open" - probably means she's been telling her stories and our secrets! LOL). She's already moved her up a reading group, we couldn't have hoped for a better start for her.

Okay ... on to the crafting, I've been bitten by the paper-craft bug, really really badly ... I have all sorts of ideas I want to try and things I want to do - it's probably just as well we're still waiting for a nice bonus from DH's work ... I have so many things I want to buy! LOL ... I think one of the reasons I'm loving it so much is the beautiful paper/card out there - it's very like the quilting fabric thing ;) I've set myself up a table in DH's garage (much to his disgust), and it is perfect for being able to leave all my stuff out and just come and go as I please and am able.

So, on to the pictures ...

Firstly - Ashley's Roses - all FINISHED!!! I started this, I think, maybe about 2000, I know that my last progress picture before I picked her up again was January 2001 - and there wasn't a lot done. It is so nice to have a Mirabilia/bigger piece crossed off my WIP list. I've promised the two girls this one for their bedroom - just need to find the extra pennies to get it framed.

Ashleys Roses - Stitched on Sky Blue 28ct Lugana

Started approximately 2000, Finished February 2007

Then there is Sampler Gameboard, another long standing WIP - I read on a blog somewhere, sorry, I can't remember who's or where!! that there was a SAL on the 20th of each month, so I decided to join in, I hope nobody minds - let me know if it is you I am gate-crashing :) So, 20th of this month, I did indeed pull it out and spend a couple of nights doing two squares - here is where it is at now -

Lastly, a couple of the latest cards from the latest obsession! The pink one is obviously a great little girl one, Rhiannon has told me that she is not giving it to any of her friends for their birthdays because she'd be jealous that they had it and not her LOL

Oh, and I should tell you all about my adventure, so you can LAUGH at me LOL ... I decided it would be a great idea to bike to the office on Tuesday, rather than drive - the office (sports office for cricket) is in Waikanae - which is across the river from us - I live on the other side of the river, just a hop, skip and a jump walking or on a bike, but a drive up to the main highway and back down if you go by car. Sooooo I couldn't quite work out how to bike down next to the river so biked up the road once I'd crossed the walking bridge - took a while, talked to the sports person at the office and he gave me some good instructions on how to get to the "walkway" down the side of the river, mentioned there might be a couple of places I'd have to carry my bike over some rocks. Ah, yeah - found it okay, found the rocks - HUGE boulders! LOL to carry my bike across, all was going well - just as I was leaving the stony part of the track and had come to the easy biking walkway/road I realised my tyre was flat :( ... I ended up walking the I'd say about 6km, all the way home ... in the hottest part of day, with no sun screen ... I was a hot and bothered girl by the time I got home ... BUT the river is so beautiful, we - the family - just don't spend enough time appreciating the great environment we live in! I need to replace my road tyres back with some good mountain bike thick ones, and I'll go back and do it again :)

Lastly, I've had three acquaintances - SIL, woman I work with, mother from school - lose one of their parents this week, they say deaths come in threes and I'll be certainly thinking of them and their families.

More cards and a finish!

I'm loving making cards :D ... in fact, I got DH to put a table into the garage for me over the weekend so I can take my stuff in there, spread out ... and leave it there - rather than having to clear the dining room for dinner! ... Of course, yesterday I needed a card for Charlotte to take to a birthday party, so I just "quickly" got a few things out - maybe today I'll carry a few things through to the garage and set myself up. Anyway - here are yesterday's cards - two the same (do other people do that, if I'm going to make one, I might as well make two at a time!)

and a stitching finish! Here is Lizzie*Kate's Winter Sampler - I started these samplers, oh so many years ago - probably about 2001ish, that seems to be when I started a LOT of things, probably coincided with about the same time I discovered online shopping and the internet stitching community. Anyway, I've had Autumn and Spring finished for quite a while - Winter is on my WIP list. Only Summer to go now! I started that as well :)

Lizzie*Kate - Winter Sampler
Stitched on a tan coloured fabric - can't remember excatly what it is!
Finished 18 February 2007

I also finished Ashley's Roses last night ... but you will have to wait until later for a picture, I'd uploaded these ones yesterday and then ran out of time to post!

Look what I did today :)

Kids finally went back to school, I did a whirlwind clean as quick I could clean around the house ... and went and bought supplies to cover a notebook for Charlotte. She has just started in the pre-competitive class for gymnastics, where they start with a notebook that travels with them right through the levels, recording all their championship scores etc. At this level it's used for little congratulatory notes and stickers after each lesson. Seemed liked a good excuse to try covering a notebook, something I've had in my head to do for a while!

It's by no means perfect - I wrote the "ym" and it looked wrong, so drew and cut out the letters, but they didn't quite cover the writing, no matter how I arranged them - so the flowers are put to cover the line, I might still move that one off and just let the little line, that probably only I'd notice, show.

I need to buy a good alphabet stencil or stamp for letters like that - anybody got good ideas or suggestions?

Charlotte loves it - that's the main thing! Plus, I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon creating while having a lovely quiet house :)

Paul Shell Needle Roll

While I was sorting through my stash I found this chart, along with the dyed cottons with it, and thought I really must stitch it up - it seemed perfect for a needleroll, and therefore perfect for the first needleroll SAL for 2007 :)

Here it is before being finished up into a needleroll - not a great photo, I took it last night quickly before I finished it off.

Paua Shell Sampler - Designed by Cherry Parker

White Lugana - 28ct, I think. Finished 12 February 2007

and finished as a needleroll, it's a bit longer than I expected, and I didn't have the right coloured ribbbon, I might leave the black - or might replace it when I get near a shop to buy some more.

The kids are still off school today - expected back tomorrow. Temporary classes were being trucked there last night, I think, and the teachers are going into today to work on helping get them ready and plan out how to handle the kids etc. I think they have to finish demolishing the damaged classrooms today and make everything safe as well.

So, instead of getting down at wondering when I'm finally going to get everyone off to school and the house to myself ;0) ... a friend and I are meeting at the pools this morning - we might as well enjoy the sunshine! I'll ignore my bombsite of a house until tmorrow.

I got up at 6.30 and met my friend for a walk, I've breakfasted and showered and have a batch of muffins baking to take with us ... should be a nice day :)

WIP, a Finish and Family Chat

Linen and Lace all finished! Once I picked this up again I got quite enthused about it, and managed lots of stitching the last couple of days to get it all finished - as with all Drawn Thread charts - it is so pretty, and as always a fun stitch with the different speciality stitches. I've lost the heart somewhere - it came with the kit, and having transported this one back and forth to work a few times, I think it must have slipped out somewhere - not the end of the world, but annoying!

The Drawn Thread - Linen and Lace

Stitched on Kiwi Illusions Merino, Lugana 32ct

Started end of 2006, finished February 8, 2007

Ashley's vine of roses are finished :) ... I was a good girl and stuck to my rotation on Monday and Tuesday - which also happened to be good stitching days/evenings - and I got the top part with all the roses all finished. I might just finish this in the next couple of weeks!

Mummmm - don't be so grumpy all the time ...

... and why wouldn't I be, wouldn't you be? This is a photo taken after biggest son had come home from his couple of hours at school, then left again to meet his friends - he couldn't see the problem? Ummm your bedroom is bad enough, now you're obviously undressing as you walk into it and leaving the mess as you go? This is SUCH a typical image of him at the moment, I couldn't resist taking a snap of it ;)

Today was to be my first day of everyone back at school, the younger four went back to primary school on Wednesday, today is the first whole day for David at high school. But it's not to be, tragically, two of the school's classrooms were destroyed by fire early this morning, so primary school children all have the day off. They'd just started the year to finally having most of the building and renovation work finished at the school, including the administration block all being redone - apparently that has been damaged in the fire too. I really feel for the teachers who must have had all their resources in those classrooms - you can rebuild walls, but not notes and books.

I'll go to work an hour later (I usually leave an hour before school finishes and David Jnr babysits when they all arrive home - so I need to wait until he comes home), I think I'll take the kids to the pools for an hour or two before work, it's been pretty hot here (although not so bad today), the pools should be quite empty with all the other schools open!

Needleroll SAL this weekend - as I've been looking/sorting through all my charts etc I found a Kiwi design I'd forgotten I had - Paua Shell by Cherry Parker - I've got the speciality threads I need in with the design, so I think I will stitch that. Life is unbelievably not so busy for me right now and I'm loving the extra stitching time its giving me!

Progress pictures

Our little NZ group started our SAL this month ... I *hear* that a couple of ladies just couldn't only stitch two squares and stitched 4 or 5 *gasp*! LOL Here is "Family" - the start of L*K's Blessings, and 1 and 2 of JBW's Advent Calendar. I will have to do more than 2 at some stage so that the 24 are finished by November, plus start the borders - just waiting on the money to do an order to get the extra threads I will need though! Cameron tells me that "2" is wrong, because there are three gifts ... hmmmmmm.





















Not sure whether I've actually ever taken a picture of this one - Linen and Lace by The Drawn Thread - I started it a few months back and will often pick it up and take it to work with me where I only do a little bit - but it's one of those nice all kitted up ones thats easy to grab quickly.

I'm trying to be a good girl this month and stick to my rotation so will work on a HAED today (even though I'm thinking I'd quite like to carry on with Linen and Lace) - not sure whether I'll carry on with Redwitch that I started a while back or attempt to start Faery Tales, for the third time. I'll see how I feel later. I've got a sewing project I want to try today before I sit down later with my cross stitch to watch the cricket :)

As always - thanks for looking!

January into February

It's that time of the month again ... goals and round-ups :)

I set a very easy goal for January -

Sort and tidy stash

and mostly, yes I did do it - I certainly got a good way through sorting out WIP's, gave my floss a GOOD sort out so I feel that yes I did accomplish that "wee" goal.

I've set up my rotation on my side-bar, it should be easy to stick to, it is pretty flexible with a few days of the week with "whatever" so I can still stitch as the mood takes me, but hopefully still accomplishing my 2007 goal of getting through that huge WIP list.

So February ...

1. Finish Ashley's Roses
2. Stitch 2 Advent Calendar squares.
3. Stitch one L*K Blessing
4. Stitch 2 Sampler Gameboard Squares
5. Participate in the Needleroll SAL
6. Stitch one ornament for the ornament SAL
7. Work on at least two other WIPs
8. Re-start Faery Tales (Third time lucky?)

Hopefully those will be reasonably easy to keep to!

It's less than a week before school starts back now - it will be hard to get the kids (and ME!) back into the early morning routine. I've been walking with a friend a few mornings a week, meeting at 7.00 or 7.30am so hopefully I won't be too bad. I am looking forward to some quiet days to myself though, as much as I'll miss the cruisy lifestyle we've living the last few weeks!