Only four more houses to finish building!

Sampler Gameboard has suddenly grown and reached the nearly finished stage ... it's only taken about five years! LOL




I've been ignoring the border - hopefully once the inside is all finished the border will be a breeze because it will be so close to being finished. I'd like to work on it all weekend and finish it - but I really need to stitch up a pin-keep for the pin-keep exchange, I'm hopeless at leaving things until the last minute - but I do know it should be a pretty quick thing to do, hopefully!





Here is a picture of where I am at -







It's been a busy week here, what with gym camp for a couple of days, working, entertaining children ... just the usual, but it seems to have been go go go.





Back to school next week - I have to admit that although I'll miss sleeping in and not rushing out the door just before 9.00am - I am looking forward to having the house to myself for a few hours a day ... and not listening to the bickering ;) ... okay, okay ... they don't bicker ALL the time - right now they are all playing cards together - so they can be good!


Righty oh - I need to get off here and tidy the house a wee bit, and then take Charlotte to her gym class ... ever get the feeling my life is dominated by soccer and gymnastics?

Just a little needleroll

This weekend was Needleroll SAL weekend - organised by the lovely Katrina - I picked out a little chart, thinking I could cheat and have it all stitched Saturday night, of course it took a little bit longer, and I finished the stitching and hem stitch last (Sunday) night, and finished it completely off this morning. I think it's rather sweet, even if it just a little one ;)

Love of Needlework Exchange

I received a wonderful package in the mail last week from Judith for the Love of Needlework Exchange. Isn't this box just the most cleverest thing??? I loved opening it up and finding the lovely silks hiding inside :) Thank you again Judith, you did a really good job, I love it, and the goodies!

Silly me ...

I came to sit here and finally update my blog and was going to mention my lovely children who are outside skipping, and what a wonderful old fashioned pastime it is ... even in todays generation (hear the flowerly music in the background?) ... HA! by the time I'd signed on, started to upload pictures, they were yelling at each other and Charlotte in tears. I'm sure those with big families will hear me when I say there are different combinations at different times that get on very well, and also those combinations that are just plain hard work ... right now, the worst combination in our household is Josh (12.5yo), Rhiannon (8yo) and Charlotte (5yo) - actually it is really a Josh and Charlotte clash - his sense of rightness and perfectionist does not combine well with her 5yo wanting her own way and being very vocal and strong about getting it, no matter at what cost .... *sigh* lucky enough I do know, that six months from now they could quite possibly be getting on wonderfully as the shifting and sliding of personalities and ages changes ;)

Okay ... on to fun things ... I forgot to update my L*K Blessings and Advent Calendar SAL last time I posted ... so here are the pictures of those - as you can see I stitched one of the Advert Calendar squares the wrong way - just as well I plan to cut them out and make individual ornaments! LOL



... and an update of Sampler Gameboard - I managed to finish that bottom corner over the past week - it really feels like its starting to grow and maybe just maybe I can see the end of it getting closer (I've only been working on it since I dunno, about 2002 maybe?)


Lastly, three cards I made yesterday - Friday night at work (yes, those girls who know me, it WAS very quiet again LOL), I looked through the Split Coast Stampers website and managed to find a page with all their old sketches on it - not only do I plan on joining this wonderful site soon, I also plan on trying to do some of their challenges each week. Anyway, I printed out the old sketches got each lovely child to pick a number from 1 to 119 (the number of sketches there are) and then made myself make a card from that number they picked out (see, the kids DO come in use!) - these are the result - the "tall" card, I'm not that thrilled with - it needed some paper or something else in the background ... although I'm pretty sure one of the girls' friends would be delighted with it ;) - I don't always feel very creative, so it was a great way to have a start point and work from there.

In other family happenings - Cameron is away in Taupo with a soccer mate at the moment, he left Friday and comes back Monday (hence *really* having the two girls and Josh combination happening), I imagine he is having an awesome time, another friend's father has just been transferred up there, they're not moving for a few months (father is commuting for a while) but have bought a holiday home there which is just down the road from the friend (who Cameron is with)'s holiday home (well, garage plus caravan apparently) - so the three boys will be having a great time. Rhiannon had a kidney infection a couple of weeks ago so last week she went in for a scan to make sure there is no permanent damage - we did that Friday and will see the doctor for results on Tuesday - the radio-whatsit lady didn't say much, but did say they look good - I'm pretty sure they will be - but you always worry!

This is our last weekend before the crazy soccer season starts, all five kids are playing so it gets busy! ... as of right now we have two soccer training sessions on Monday night, two gym sessions on a Tuesday night, two soccer training sessions on a Wednesday night, one gym and one soccer session on a Thursday night ... and nothing on a Friday night, then five games plus two gym training sessions on a Saturday - welcome to our world LOL (and still haven't heard when Rhiannon's team will be training).

I think that's enough rambling for one day ... I need to go make another cute bag - this one for a friend of the two girls - it is her Birthday party on Tuesday, our spending money is kinda non existent right now, and it is at those times I love being able to put something together from my fabric stash ;)

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

I've been happily busy

Life is good when I'm busy with craft projects ... the last month I've been very busy doing an accounts job for DH's work - mostly that is finished, well I'm waiting to see what happens next, so hopefully I'm back to my usual, never really quite quiet, life.

Easter weekend always seems to be a weekend that arrives just as our household needs to chill out a bit, and this year was definitely no different. I had a lovely productive weekend - probably helped by the fact that Little Miss Charlotte went and stayed with friends for a couple of nights - she is a lovely, bright, fun child ... but always busy, busy, busy ... I think everyone enjoys a break from that busyiness - she had a fabulous time with Deb and Jim and the little girl of another friend - Hine Tewhai and Charlotte are great together and always enjoy each others company - and for Deb and Jim, two busy five year olds who play really well together is easier than having just one!

Anyway ... this weekend, I finally sewed up the four pair of bike pants (for gym training) I've being going to do for a while, did a bit of stitching and made a bag. I'm not going to show Stargazer until she is finished now, I'm very slowly putting the beads on - I tend to do an hour or two and then put her aside and do something else for a while, I'm working tonight and will take her with me and should just about finish. I've also been working on Sampler Gameboard the last couple of nights ... I'm almost at that "I can really do this and finish it stage" but not quite yet. Do you have that point? I find I have four very definite points when I'm stitching something big - the first thrill of a new project, then the oh my gosh this is going to take ages and I'm bored of it point, then there is that - I'm through that bored point and am enjoying it and can see the finish, then thrill of the finish. That second point is where lots of things get put away or move very slowly ;)

Anyway - pictures!

Firstly - here is my Love of Needlework Exchange - Myrna has received it, minus the card I forgot to put in ... and have to admit is still sitting on my desk - I've haven't got near the Post Office since I sent the parcel off (big BLUSH).

Here is Sampler Gameboard - I'll probably just take a picture of the parts I work on from now on in ... it's school holidays here for a couple of weeks so I'm hoping for lots of stitching time and progress on this one!

and my last bit of productivity this weekend was this bag -

Deb and I were looking at pictures of bags on the internet a while bag ... she will be amazed I waited this long to try it out! Kath and I went shopping last week and I bought the fabric then, Jo was very timely in posting her link to how to make the flowers ... so with a bit of help from my blogging friends the bag came out just as I wanted - Rhiannon loves it!

As I sit here I can hear children bickering ... I hope this isn't going to carry on for the next two weeks, think of my sanity if it is!

Oh, and lastly, I'm very nervously sending my application away to become a Stampin Up! demonstrater today - they are just starting in NZ and I've been battling with myself as to whether I want to do this and have finally come to the conclusion that I already love the products (all the cards I love seem to use their products, and on going to look for them I stumbled upon the fact they were going to open up here in NZ this month) - and it's time to put myself out there, swallow my shyness and go for it - I think I will regret it if I don't.

and very lastly, my last bit of news - I got voted onto the Board of Trustees for our school - I'm feeling very proud that our school community had enough faith to vote me in and also a bit nervous about the commitment and skills I might or might not have ... not to mention that it is a three year term! This year is looking like it will be my "get out of your comfort zone" year ;)

I hope everyone had a great Easter ... I might have more time to comment on blogs for the next couple of weeks, here's hoping!

While Mum's away ... the

boys will play ...

I worked late today ... kids got themselves home, oldest son "babysat" ... I talked to him just before I left work and he told me had a surprise ... always a worry when your 15yo tells you he has a surprise, and giggles ...

You just have to laugh, don't you?

Brings back memories of being halfway through cutting my friend's (beautiful long thick black) hair ... as her mother walked in after forgetting something as she went out for the night, I still remember the stony filthy look we got as she left and said she'd deal with us in the morning ROTFLOL!!

March into April

March Round-Up

It's been a busy month - but I did okay! LOL

1. Work on Stargazer - YES
2. Stitch 2 Sampler Gameboard Squares - NO
3. Participate in the Needleroll SAL - YES
4. Stitch one ornament for the ornament SAL - YES
5. Pinkeep Exchange - NO
6. Love of Needlework Exchange - YES
7. Work on Faery Tales - NO
8. Stitch 3 Advent Calendar Squares - YES
9. Stitch two L*K Blessing - YES
10. Work on five PIF gifts - Started

April's Goals

Did you notice, I put Sampler Gameboard in ... might be a bit hopeful, but hey - I might as well try!

1. Finish Stargazer
2. Participate in Needleroll SAL
3. Stitch one ornament for the ornament SAL
4. Pinkeep Exchange
5. Work on Faery Tales
6. Stitch 3 Advent Calendar Squares
7. Stitch two L*K Blessings
8. Work on PIF Gifts
9. Finish Sample Gameboard (Gulp!!)

Here I am, at last!

Can you believe it is April already? I swear March swept past in a blur - maybe April will be quieter ... here's hoping!

Not a whole lot of stitching update - I've been working way too much, today is my first day at home on my own with no pressing work to get done in a while. So after I've updated here I'm off to do some much needed housework, send off my Love of Needlework Exchange (a couple of days late - sorry exchange partner!), buy a beading needle (I have NO idea what I've done with the couple I had) and then maybe sit and stitch a while :)

I've finished stitching up my needlework exchange, but that is a surprise - so I can't show you that ;)

I CAN show you my Christmas Ornament SAL -

Joy - The Drawn Thread
stitched on a natural linen

and I can also show you Stargazer ... I've started the beading! I'm so excited to be so close to finishing another Mirabilia, and another biggish piece from my WIP list!

As it was the 1st yesterday, I started the next square on our NZ group Blessings SAL - I really look forward to those little squares each month :)