Cuddles (or not!) for Mothers Day

My Mothers Day was a lovely, albeit busy, one. The day started with someone packing a sad first thing in the morning, sigh, welcome to the reality of being a Mother. But all slowly came right.

I had extra cuddles in bed. My nephew was with us and he spent the morning in bed sharing my breakfast and chattering to me and giving me cuddles. I loved it. Eli and Jakob are deciding they are too old to cuddle but by the end of the day I was getting appreciation and hugs from them, I loved it. My boys (with the help of Aaron) made me fruit and feijoa juice and then bacon and eggs for breakfast. It was great.

I think the kids ate more than the Mothers!!

Sparkly lights, tablecloths, chandeliers - all so flash

Even our own live musical interlude.

We went to Church and it was amazing, they kept the service short so that you could go and spend time with your families. But they put cafe tables in, tablecloths, flowers, chandeliers, fairy lights - it was gorgeous. The men did everything. They gave table service from a menu of drinks, they took creche and Sunday school. The Sunday school kids had a video done on things about their mums. It was so fantastic, made you laugh.

The Sermon was done by our lovely new Pastors wife. It was all about encouraging women. She is Amazing.

After church the boys cooked lunch for me and tidied up. How spoiled am I!!!

 Then we went in the afternoon to my sister in laws. We had a lovely afternoon tea for Gran, mum, grandma. Well done sister.

When out walking this morning I looked at this artwork, completed by some youth in our town, on one of the many vacant lots from demolished earthquake buildings. Doesn't that just sum up Mothers day and the importance of being as good a mum as you can.

I've been goldmining

Well to be real, I have been in the creek at school trying to find salted "gold (Lead covered in gold nail polish). Jakob has been completing a module on gold mining in NZ. They have looked at the hard life that it was, who made money (if any), how terribly the Chinese miners were treated. Living conditions etc.

So today was the big wrap up. Everyone was to wear costume and spend the day as a miner. Jakob was the banker so got paid a wage. Some miners found no gold, some lots. They learnt how damper used to be made with hops and then one of the very energetic mums cooked damper for them all (2 classes of kids) so they could taste that old fashioned flavor. The policeman was busy putting people in jail for claim hoping.

All in all it was fantastic. Lots of little bits of reality - Kids cold from the wet water, kids not wanting to stop mining because they had not yet found some, some segregated off and had to be on the other bank as they were Chinese. Jakob's school has done Very very well.

Jakob's teacher

So keen to find gold that the dresses got WET!

Learning about damper

GOLD

The mining settlement

The Banker and the policeman

What I wore

Travelling Iron case

The iron all parceled up

Last year I found a Russel Hobbs travelling iron at a second hand store. We tested it in store and it worked well, even the steam function operated as it should. So for a princely sum of $6 I bought it. Ever since I have been worried about travelling with it if it had not cooled down completely.

On one of our trips south I found some heat resistant fabric at Annie's Country Quilt Store in Ashburton. Then I found some gorgeous material at Sew Pretty online store.

So last night I finally got around to starting and finishing a case to keep the iron in which also substitutes as an ironing board when I am travelling. It has thick cotton batting in the middle, heat resistant fabric on the inside and gorgeous sewing themed material on the outside. Finished with a covered button.

At the back of the photos you will see some sewing of selvedges I have been doing today. This is going to be a companion that will hold my rulers and cutters etc when I go out and about. Just finished putting the selvedges on using "quilt as you go" method.

The iron ready to wrap

The heat resistant side. Ready to iron on when out and about

The outer 

Climbing mountains

Being united on Key Summit. Thrilled to bits

Very cold at the start

Walking up together for the first bit

One of the huge bonuses of going on an Autumn holiday was completely unforeseen. I walked heaps and the most amazing gift of the whole holiday for me was being able to walk for much longer periods of time, with a mountain top experience.

I climbed Key Summit. I did it in quicker time than the DOC sign though not as quickly as I used to. When I got to the top I just could not stop smiling. The boys and Aaron were so surprised and it was fantastic to be on the top of a mountain as a family.

The weather was clear but cold. The cold really really helped me. My heart is so poked that I cannot walk and get hot or puff. I have not been able to go uphil for a long time. But because it was cold my blood vessels stayed restricted which helped to alleviate some symptoms.

I started the walk intended to just do the first 10-15 minutes with the guys until I had to start puffing. So then I stopped and they went on. I was heading to the car to do some knitting. But I was feeling OK and not puffing or anything after the break, so I went to the next corner, then the next, then I stopped, then went to the next. All of this was very slowly plodding like a tortoise. Then I saw the view, then got excited and thought I would make the Key Summit turn off and wait for the boys.

I hit the turn off to find a highly upgraded track from what it used to be, I still was not puffing so I kept going.  I now want to live back down there. I loved it. I loved being able to be out in the bush and walking again. I loved that mountain top experience. I thought I would never have it again. I still smile when I think about it.

The boys at the turnoff to Key Summit

Getting cold again walking down

All of us at the top

They ran to me when they saw me arriving at Key Summit

Toilet storage completed

From this messy

To this tidy

For Mothers Day last year my boys made me a gorgeous Rimu shelf for the toilet. I did not like having all the clean toilet paper in the basket on the floor as well as feminine products on the windowsill that the boys had to look at.

The shelf took it all out of sight - situated above the door. But all I did was chuck the stuff up there. I have had this project in mind ever since the shelf went up. I made a container to put that feminine stuff into so that no one had to look at it. The inside fabric was a first aid fabric I was given in a fat quarter swap. The outer fabric is hessian. There is a very solid stiffening ironed to the hessian to ensure this keeps it's shape.

I am thrilled with the container, pleased that the shelf now looks tidy and one more job ticked of my to do list.

I also finished the other - shirt into apron - that I needed to do. One more Christmas present made.

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Super prepared - making Xmas Presents

Finished. 

Well I have started the mission that is called the Christmas Present List. Tick off the second. (The first was some zip pouches). Last year I made my first apron from an Op Shop (Charity Shop) man's shirt. A lot of kids that I have among my group of friends have admired it. So I decided that it totally fits my ethos for Christmas presents.
1. Does not take too long
2. Is not expensive (I got this shirt for $1)
3. Utilises what I have on hand
4. Is useful
So I am now going to Op Shops with this present in mind. I sewed this one in the hour while waiting for dinner to cook. I have one more cut and ready to go. Should finish it tonight. I love getting things on my list actually completed!

To keep it looking good I would have used Red bias on the edges and for the ties, but I did not have any in my stocks and I want to use what I have rather than go shopping.

The shirt getting chopped - use a sleeve to make a pocket

Adding a bit of trim to give it pizazz

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Featured and Funny

I have been featured for my summer dress redo at http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.co.nz/2013/04/before-and-after-wednesday_24.html. It is a great feature, but what I think is really funny is the comments people have made on the post.

The Dedicated House very clearly say that it was made by me, with links to my blog etc. She also talks about how her mother is a great sewer. The comments are all "your mother could be a model too!", "Your mother is so creative and what a great sewer". So I have a lot of compliments but not directed at me!! very funny.

A couple of nights in Milford Sound

The beginning of our holiday involved a lot of travelling to get all the way down to Milford Sound. We were going with a purpose. To spend a night on the Milford Mariner - out in the middle of a fjord. We had such an amazing time that we now want to cruise and spend the night in Doubtful Sound.

I cannot rave enough about the crew we had. They were so amazing with our boys. There was one other younger person - but he was about 13 yrs old. They let our boys eat the evening meal first. They totally looked after them during activities. Told me not to worry and trust Eli (only 7 years old - I did keep saying) and let him Kayak by himself out in a massive fjord. Aaron also went Kayaking and stayed with him. I should not have worried as I was in a tender with Jakob racing around and every once in a while one of the crew would canoe over and check on Eli. He was ecstatic!! It was amazing. He had never Kayaked before and I expected him to stay around the boat but no - he went all over Harrison Inlet.

First in line to get on board

There are only two rooms on the boat that have four beds in. We had one with an en-suite  Fantastic shower and good clean toilet.

The food was stunning. We were enamoured.

Waiting to board 

Under Stirling Falls

Independent Eli in his kayak

Aaron and Eli out in the Fjord

Gorgeous Food. 5 course evening meal!

Aaron swimming after Kayaking - COLD!!!

Cruising the Fjord the next morning

Me taking photos from the Bridge

The boys with the Captain

Aaron in the morning

The next morning off the boat we went and stayed at Milford Lodge. This is the only place you can stay in Milford Sound. What a disappointment. Staff were good  but the kitchen was cramped. They have added heaps of extra units etc but no more in the way of facilities - to say that they were pushed is a total understatement. Pathetic showers, no insulation in the walls - you could hear everyone in all the rooms around you. It is such a shame as it could be good. If you spent close to $300 for the night you could get a motel to yourself and that might have been ok.

Fabulous Feijoas

We came home from an amazing holiday to the scent of gorgeous Feijoas now ready to eat. So for our first meal back home we started with a couple of fresh feijoas each. Ahh the aroma, the taste....sigh.

Resurrecting the Quilt

I stopped doing this quilt over a year ago. I had initially thought it finished. But when I put it on my bed I realised it was too small. I wanted a quilt that hung over the edge, not a bed topper. I made an edge of one white row, patterned squares and then another white row. I was seriously unhappy with that, it still wasn't big enough and so I parked it.

What was also in the mix was that I totally ran out of material to make it any bigger. Then the middle of last year I found some of the material line at the online shop Sew Pretty. (now you can go to The Make Cafe if you are in town - fab!). I still sat on it.

Finally yesterday I was watching the worst movie ever with Aaron, what a waste of 2 hours of my time. So I pulled out the quilt and the ironing board and cut material. I was going to unpick the entire border I had put on but today I have sewn a new edging on and it is looking more finished. And it is looking the right size. So now it is actually a finished top. Just the quilting to do (and that will be no mean feat as it is a huge quilt!!).

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Quince

The amazing coloured Quince Jelly

Today I picked up the last of the Quinces. Chopped out any bad bits and removed the main core. Put them into a roasting dish and covered them with water and a bit of sugar, then poached them in the oven for two hours. Over the years I have found this to be the easiest way to keep quince looking good when preserved and nice and soft. After poaching the skin just slips off.

So for pudding tonight we had warm poached quince with thick cream. Yum.

This method leaves lots of juice. So I put it the liquid in a pot, added a couple of cups of sugar and slowly simmered it for 30 minutes. This has made the most amazing coloured jelly that will be fabulous for adding to gravy or having with cheese and crackers. This is the simplest way to make Jelly as the liquid does not go cloudy if stirred as there is no fruit in it.