SCHOOL HOLS......

Well we have survived the first day of the 2 week holidays (not counting the weekend). I must admit that I have been a bit apprehensive about these holidays as my eldest 2 have been fighting like cat and dog recently. I have stocked up the craft cupboard to keep them busy while we are at home for Lola's daily sleep, hopefully this will keep the little 'darlings' happy!

Today they chose sewing as their craft activity. Now my actual plan here was that while they were doing their sewing I would do mine..... yeah right!!! Of course I had forgotten that they would need me to re-thread the needle every 30 seconds...no exaggeration! It was fun though watching them work, Talia was making a spider web and just went for it, while Kalem who is sewing a picture of a car, took his time and made lovely neat little stitches. Talia lost interest after a while, but Kalem seemed to be really enjoying himself. I love this photo of them both concentrating on the job.....

Talia's completed spider web with added green bead for sparkle effect...... Kalem's piece is a work in progress so will post a photo when it is finished.

After lunch we got out the sidewalk chalks and the kids went to town on the concrete, kept them busy for hours.....

Lola as always was just happy to sit back and watch her brother and sister at work.

What a fantastic DAISY, wonder who did that.............

Kalem posing with his picture of Spongebob....

Talia having to do the same as her big bro, posing with her rather pink version of Spongebob.........

A great day and best of all hardly any bickering, oh happy days, long may they last.....

Brea Bag progress

I had to post a picture of this WIP as I can't believe that I have already gotten this far WITH NO MISTAKES!!!!!!!! This is my first attempt at knitting cable and it wasn't at all as scary as I thought it was going to be. In fact it was super easy just like you said it would be Gabes. Now I just have to knit the back and the gusset, then teach myself to crochet as I need to do some to finish it off (eek). Then I also have to line the bag which will mean learning how to use a sewing machine, I am hoping to get my MIL to help me with this. Hmmmm okay so still quite a way to go, but good progress so far me thinks......................

Baking with Boo....

Actually it has been quite a while since we did baking together, yesterday we made White chocolate and Apricot Rice Krispie Squares! Very Yummy, but alas made for Kalem's school mission fair today.

Ooooooooooo somebody forgot to brush their teeth........

The finished squares ready for Kalem to take to school, minus 1 or 2 or 6.....

RANDOM THINGS......

First of all thanks to everyone for their helpful comments about my gauge swatch. I am going to knit it up and see what happens, I started it last night so probably be finished in about 6 months......................

I have been tagged to do a random things about me meme by the knitting genius Gabes.

Here are the rules:

1. Post a link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know your entry is up.

Right here it goes:

1/ Julian and I met just over 10 years ago in Eilat, Israel at a bar called the 'Hard Luck Cafe'. We fell in LOVE over many cold pints of Carlesburg in the baking hot Israeli sun. We were both travelling with friends and had stopped in Eilat to find work and earn some more money to travel on. This was such a fantastic time in my life, we had so much fun there and met so many amazing people who we are still great friends with today. I was waitressing on the beach and Julian was doing anything for furniture removal to painting, yes...I think that I had the best job somehow. I actually did not want to stop in Eilat, but my friend convinced me, thank goodness she did...................

2/ This is something that people who did not know me then do not believe.... I actually used to have a very adventurous spirit and loved all outdoor pursuits. My weekends would be spent climbing rock faces, abseiling, canoeing, trekking and my absolute favourite of all caving. I used to love to go underground for hours at a time, squeezing through ridiculously small gaps, swimming through freezing underground rivers, abseiling down underground waterfalls. I don't think that I could do it now and I know for sure that my body wouldn't be able to take it, it was hard work and I always used to be black and blue. The worry I used to put my parents through.........sorry ma and pa..X

3/ After having Kalem I started to take belly dancing classes which I loved. I continued with this until we headed back to the UK. I haven't done it since, but I must admit sometimes when I hear Arabic music my hips start a twitchin..... It is actually something that I would love to do again, maybe one day. It is also incredibly good exercise.

4/ I am a Scouser, born in Anfield Liverpool. I spent a lot of my childhood living in a house in the road next to 'THE COP', the Liverpool Football ground. This house was pulled down and the space is now used as the Football grounds car park. My family are all mad Liverpool football supporters and when Julian told my dad he was a Liverpool supporter too I was ordered to marry him immediately. Just joking about that last bit, but I am sure that if he was an Everton supporter than he would have been shunned. Supporting Liverpool is in my blood, but I don't really like watching the game (or even listening), saw too much of it growing up I guess...hey dad!!

5/ I am a vegetarian and have been since I was 15 years old. I am not bringing up my children as vegetarians, I will let them chose for themselves if they ever see fit. I do however incorporate vegetarian food into their diet and Julian eats veggie at least 3 times a week. I asked Kalem the other day if he knew why I was vegetarian... "because you are English" he asked, errrr no, "because you are a girl", he asked, errrr no. I was a bit miffed that he didn't know, but I asked him again today and he told me "it is because you don't like eating animals and you don't want the animals to be killed for meat". That sounds better, it certainly is not because I am English............

6/ I did Leisure studies at college and I was going to follow this by becoming a Sports/PE teacher, I was accepted to do a teaching degree at Cardiff Uni, but I went travelling instead. I still wonder at how life is really good at leading you away from these paths that obviously were not meant for you.

I am supposed to pick 6 other people, but every blog I check seems to have already been tagged and I can't get 6 names...... So I am going to leave it open to anybody who wants to give it a go. I quite enjoyed doing it actually as it was a great time for reflection. Hope everyone has a great day and let me know if you decide to give the meme a go............X

YUMMY YARN.....

Look what the postman brought me today........ Some very lovely yarn from The Wool Company. The colours are Watermelon and Avocado and I'm planning on using them to knit the Tikki dress for Lola. When I saw the VERY talented Sweetp's Tikki Rainbow dress I completely fell in love with the yarn. Check hers out, mine probably won't look anything like that when it is done, but it is certainly what I will be aiming for.

Another item on my knitting to do list is this gorgeous Brea Bag. I love it and am really excited about knitting it, I just have to teach myself how to knit in cable first, which actually looks quite difficult. Oh well I have my cable needle and I am keen to give it a go, fingers crossed it turns out okay. One problem so far is that my gauge is out, I have the correct number of stitches per inch, but am under in the rows. Surely this means that I can't try a smaller/larger needle as then my stitch count would be out??!!?? I still find the whole gauge thing very confusing. Advice given so far is to just knit is anyway as it's not as though it has to fit anybody. I am not sure though as I don't want it to turn out really small. Anyone out there have any other advice or should I just go with the knitting it anyway idea??? Any advice gratefully appreciated .............. X

A shrug and a bib......

FINALLY a couple of finished projects.............

First up is my green shrug from Erika Knight's book Glamour. It seems to have taken absolutely ages to knit this, but I guess I was only picking it up every now and then. For some reason unknown to me I also used double the amount of wool that the pattern stated, thus making it quite an expensive shrug!!!!!! I am quite pleased with it though and I love the colour of the yarn. It's knit using double yarn making it toasty warm and just the thing for those chilly summer evenings.


Excuse half smile half grimace on face, my photographer was making me laugh. oh and yes this is what a tired mother of 3 looks like after almost 7 months of broken sleep.....................


I also knitted up this cute little petal bib, but I can't remember which book I got the pattern from, something to do with 'one skein.....'.


My chubby cheeked model, look at them, she is like a little chipmunk...... A cute and adorable little chipmunk of course!

Next on my list is the Tikki Rainbow dress for Lola, just have to find some yarn to match the lovely ball that Claire sent me. I am also knitting myself a jumper from Cleckheaton Vintage Twist pattern book. I have actually started this jumper, but I am just planning on slowly working my through it over the summer. I also have a few non-knitting crafty projects on the go as well, but will blog about those another time.

I have a sick little girl home from Kindy today so I'm off to stroke some soft blonde hair, just like my mum used to do to me when I felt sick. Poor little lamb, she is asleep on the couch at the moment surrounded with teddies. Bless!

Save the planet, ride your bike to school.....

A couple of weeks ago we bought a kiddy board to go on the back of the buggy. What an amazing invention, so simple, but so clever. Little miss lazy legs is not very fond of walking so this meant that we had to drive everywhere. Not anymore though as she is more than happy to stand on her 'skateboard' and be pushed around like a little princess.

It's great actually as I finally get to do some exercise, Kalem gets to ride his bike to school and we don't have to use the car as much. I have to admit the first few days were a bit of a killer and my legs and butt were in agony. Truth be told I am still a bit stiff today, but it is definitely getting better and I am starting to enjoy getting out in the fresh air first thing in the morning. We even spotted some gorgeous little duckings on the way home from school today which the kids thought was great.

I promised Kalem (in a moment of insanity) that we would walk even if it was raining and boy has he kept me to my word, it has been raining all week and the slave driver has made me walk every day!!!! Who knows at this rate I may even fit into the dress that I blogged about a few posts ago...... here's hoping!

If there is anybody else out there with their own lazy legged child I would definitely recommend the kiddy board.

Can anybody help????

Hmmm I did have a different post in mind for today, but for some reason blogger is not letting me upload my photo's. Instead I would like to ask for a bit of advice. I am wondering if there is anybody out there that may have some information on Rudolph Steiner schools. Perhaps somebody may know a child who actually goes to one of these schools or perhaps someone who works at one. I know that they are situated around the world, so fingers crossed there is somebody out there who's in the know. It's just something that I am thinking about at the moment and I would really appreciate any feedback positive or negative.

Oh yes and I have FINALLY finished my shrug, just got to take some decent photo's, but I am quite pleased with it.

Hope everyone is having a great day..... X

New shoes....

I just thought that I would blog a picture of my new shoes, worn by 'NZ's next top model' Buttercup, who seems to have taken a bit of a shine to them. Now the main reason that I am posting this is so that my mum can see that I have actually bought a pair of shoes WITH A HEEL..... Now it's not a high heel, but for a flat shoe girl like myself it makes me feel all grown up! What do you think mum????? Now don't get too excited Doc Martin's are still my favourite brand, but hey it's progress.

A photo of Lola just because I love her spotty red dress, sent to her from England by my much loved and missed friend Cath.

Also could not resist this photo of Kalem reading to Lola. He is so good with her, it is so sweet to see them rolling around the floor together giggling, he always has time for her. They really have quite a special bond and you can see the love radiating from him when he is holding her, such a proud big brother.

A challenging day, but a good day.....

Well yesterday was one heck of a day, my darling little Buttercup drove me insane from the moment she woke up until the moment she went to bed. All day it was a total battle of wills between the two of us, I sometimes think if it is like this now IMAGINE (arghhh) what it is going to be like when she is older!!! PLEASE tell me that I am not the only one out here with such a 'spirited' child on their hands! We did have a few moments of sanity like when Talia raided my bead stash and made herself this gorgeous necklace. Isn't it cool and the best thing about it is it took her about 30 minutes, 30 quiet. studious, creative minutes........ahhhh bliss!

Can you see the mischief in those eyes?????

Perhaps a future jewellery designer?????

.......and as if by magic to brighten up my 'challenging' day, 2 parcels arrived for ME!! The first one was from the very lovely Claire, we had arranged to do a magazine swap and she sent me a copy of The Green Parent. I am saving this until I can sit with my feet up and can have a cuppa in peace and quiet. She also included this AMAZING wool, the colours are gorgeous, it is like all of my favourites all rolled into one. Thank you so much Claire, this swapping thing is great, now I just have to decided what to knit with the lovely yarn!

A closer look, but still the photo doesn't do the colours justice, boy I need a new camera....hint, hint, hubby! Don't really know why I writing this as Julian has NEVER read my blog. I mean can you believe that???? Now I am not saying that it is the most interesting blog around, but it is about OUR family and I know that if there was even a slight chance that somebody was writing something about me, then I would be checking it daily! He obviously lacks the super nosey gene that I have......probably a good thing!

Oh yes... and I also received this late birthday pressie from my beautiful friend Kate back home. I LOVE the card, it says that Life is nothing without friendship.... How true that is!

The day just kept getting better..... last night Julian and I went out for dinner with his brother Nick and partner Helen. We went to a Moroccan restaurant called Simo's in the City, which I would highly recommend it. The food was divine and the service was excellent and in between courses you got these little shot glasses of orange, carrot and cinnamon smoothie to 'cleanse the pallet' which was lovely. I was a very naughty girl and had a dessert which of course means that 'the diet' will be starting again next Monday. Seriously though the dessert was called CHOCOLATE FANTASY errrrr, how is a girl supposed to resist that kind of evil temptation???

We even had time after dinner to go to a BAR, yes a BAR, it has been a long while since I saw the inside of one of these and this one even had a live jazz band. We had so much FUN before heading back home to relieve Nana and check on our little sleeping beauties ...............X

ps. Buttercup woke in a much better mood today and is back to being her super lovey dovey little self.....(breathes big sigh of relief!)

SPRING....

Yippee today is the official first day of Spring here in NZ and I have to say that if it stays as lovely as it has been today we are in for a good one!!!!! I am completely over winter now thank you very much, it has been very long and very wet and we are all in desperate need of some sunshine...

I am also completely over birthdays (well birthday cakes anyway), first it was mine then last week was my lovely MIL's 60th birthday and we had 2 celebratory evenings for this, then yesterday it was my darling hubby's birthday. I SERIOUSLY do not even want to think about the amount of cake that I have consumed over the past 2 weeks. We have had 2 x banana cakes, 3 x chocolate cakes, 1 x massive chocolate and raspberry cream cake , cupcakes, brandy snaps filled with cream and so much more that I feel sick even thinking about it. Of course diet is starting (AGAIN) today, it is Monday after all.

Yesterday for Julian's birthday we had some friends and family round for drinks and nibbles, the sun was out again and we had such a great day. Kalem made a fantastic book for Dad about the Olympics and included in it a No. 1 Dad gold medal...how sweet he is!