Poo and Pine Cones - every girls dream

Well it goes a long way with me. Pine cones to start those fires that keep me warm in the winter or in the hot tub, and some cow poo that will settle down in the compost and end up in the garden growing my summer food.

Today I collected bags of both stuff.

This blog post could have been titled "the Big Clean Up" - but that is too boring a title. We all went out to my sisters farm as the big storm last week took down 20 macrocapa trees alone their fence line. And they were let off lightly compared to some. Driving past peoples blocks of trees that is their retirement fund and seeing them smashed to the ground is pretty sad.

Anyway out we went with chainsaws and gloves. There are going to be many weekends of chainsawing and wood stacking going on there. The bonus being that there is firewood now for the next 10 years (I kid you not).

Anyway a lovely day out, very satisfying seeing the area that we cleaned up. Piles of wood, the kids had fun... all in all a great Saturday.

A new ironing board cover

my gorgeous new ironing board

A while ago there was a swap for ironing board covers. At the time I thought that I should have participated but I just had too many things going on.

the manky old worn out board

In the weekend I was ironing (no not household stuff - that never happens- it was crafty things) and my iron kept going in the holes on my cover. I looked at several of the ironing board covers that people had made and I thought of using my random sewing from the other day. When thinking about the practicality of it I realised that something with lots of seams could end up making my ironing bumpy.

I also realised that it gets a bit of a workout so I would need a heavier weight of fabric. I knew just what to get as I had seen it in The Make Cafe. So I went online to order and got a bonus free shipping!!! yay

The little embellishing

So 1/2 metre of Dandelion in Storm and half a metre of a matching drill in Slate was ordered. It arrived yesterday (wow super fast only one day). It arrived beautifully bundled up with yellow ribbon. I immediately realised that would make a great accent and in my stash I had some wide yellow bias binding and some smaller yellow, just enough for an accent and around the edges. I hunted around and found the measure ribbon that I had bought for only $0.60 per metre on trade me.

Even the underside is neat and matching!!

So during a stormy stormy night last night I re padded my ironing board, sewed and new cover and put it on. All the while thinking the power may go out at any moment.

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Upside down propagating

Most definitely growing

My sister and I have this thing about propagating plants. She swears she cannot do it. I can't see why not.

When I prune etc I just stick some in the ground and next spring they are ready to plant. But my sister swears that nothing she puts in the ground lives. So I often propagate things for her.

No doubt about it being upside down.

Though even I am a bit stunned by this. I have realised that I propagated the gooseberry but put the twig in upside down. Now all the rules about propagating plants are that if you take a trimming you must ensure that you keep it the right way up or not roots etc with grow.

Well this gooseberry is defnitely upside down. I had been looking at it wondering why it looked wrong, then i twigged! It should have been the other way up. As you can see from the branch that is pointing down instead of up and all the buds are pointing down etc.

But blow me down, it is still growing. So I have had to blog about it and skite a bit to my sister.

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A cuddle and a hot soak

Our weekend was filled with little children. Two to be precise. Mieke and Alex came to stay. Lovely to have little ones who like to snuggle. Our own boys were so good with them.

They loved "the big bath"!

A bit of TV before bed time.

Random Sewing

Last night I was super tired and could not really concentrate. I had a broken sleep the night before as I was looking after my 1 year old nephew. But it was only 8pm and too early for bed so I turned the sewing machine on and looked at my scraps.

Now my scraps are not organised, they are not colour coordinated, they are not in neat squares or strips. I have been ready so many people's blogs lately that have such tidy scrap piles. Not me!!!

I keep making things from my scrap bags but they don't seem to reduce, so I thought "right I will just start sewing some together" So I did. I found it really weird not having a definite pattern to think about and trying to jigsaw the pieces together. But I think this may be the beginning of a new quilt.

I had thought of sewing these together and making a ironing board cover BUT then I thought what happens to my ironing with all those bumpy seams?? So that idea got canned.

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A doing day

Today was a day to get things done. I intended to work most of today but the weather got in the way, so I work tomorrow and today I tried to do those things that have been hanging around.
First I went to aquacise with Dawn, it was pretty full on. Then I ...

Put Rimu door knobs on the hall cupboard doors. (Saved from when I redecorated Eli's bedroom)

Then I made a pile of crystalised orange peel. Yummy in Xmas fruit mince and hot cross buns. I don't approve of all the imported fruit and veges we have. We can grow our own, we should be supporting NZ growers. So I only every buy oranges when the NZ ones are in the shops. My mother gave me $10 for my birthday specifically for NZ oranges as she knows I love them. So when eating them I kept all the peel in the freezer and today I preserved them.

It is not quite spring and so fruit has not yet come on but we have run out of berry jams. I had some blackcurrants in the freezer, so I pulled them out and made 7 pots of yummy jam.

I then pulled down the Roman Blinds that I had made for our room as they were mouldy and yucky (that is what not having double glazing will give you). So I painted these wood mouldings as the new curtain rails will go on these and then they will be screwed to the walls. I undercoated, then I did two top coats. By the time I go to bed tonight I will have the new curtain rails up.

I completely dismantled the blinds and kept all the bits for some time when I decide to make others.

In amongst all that I did the usual - two loads of washing out on the line and in, mopped the floors, dealt with the kids, did dinner and lit the hot tub............ off for a soak now.

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A finish and a WIP

All embroidered and embellished

On Tuesday I spent the day in the company of Jane Van Keulen - textile artist, and lots of other ladies. Jane comes to Kaiapoi twice a month and takes a day of stitching.

This was the first time I had juggled my work schedule to attend and I managed to finish a dove for the xmas tree and start a pig.

The back of the dove

The dove I first covered in white silk. This was then satin stitched around all the edge to hold it onto the pattern last. Then the embellishing starting. Silver thread is couched, sequins and beads attached and a little bit of stitching.

Both these projects are patterned and designed by Jane and the fabrics and threads are dyed by her. I loved having time out during the day to stitch and chat.

I do not need to start any other new projects but all of Jane's work just inspired me so much, I want to do a million things!!

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The start of my pig stitchery

Baking with the boys - Rice bubble cake

A wee while ago I blogged about baking with the boys and how I am teaching them to follow a recipe. I had set the target of each of them baking once a week to help to make sweet things for their school lunches, but it is working much better at once a fortnight.

Stirring the rice bubbles together

In the fridge ready for school lunches

Tonight was Eli's baking time. I had told Rachel at church that this recipe only takes 5 minutes to do. Well it took 7 and that was with Eli doing it.

We had a very busy day with Father's Day. A Fantastic service at church where all the men had a paintball competition with a big bulls eye out the front of the church. Then we spent most of the afternoon at Freeman's in Lyttleton listening to live Jazz - a favourite thing to do.

When we got home Eli still had to do his baking, he put it off this afternoon. So Aaron is on the XBox, Jakob is relaxing in a bubble bath and Eli baked. I think Eli likes baking as he really likes licking the bowls and pots!!

Scraping out the bowl

 Rice Bubble cake  (I originally got the recipe off my friend Delwyn years ago, but it is around everywhere)

8 Cups of rice bubbles

7oz butter

8 Tablespoons sugar

3 Tablespoons honey (we use Dirk's Kaiapoi honey)

Put the rice bubbles in a big bowl. Put all the other ingredients in a pot on low on the stove. Let it melt and the sugar dissolve, turn it up a fraction until bubbling. Stir every 30 seconds and watch it bubble and turn golden brown.

Pour mixture into rice bubble and mix really well. Tip into a lined tin (I use an old fashioned sponge roll tin but if your tin is square it will just make the biscuit a bit thicker at the end). Press it really really hard into the tin (TIP - dampen the ends of your fingers before doing this and then it wont stick to you). Cut immediately and put in fridge to set (30 minutes). Store in the fridge and enjoy.

I also have a version of this that is dairy free so good for allergies as no dairy, egg, gluten

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Another Upcycled Merino Boys Top

Yes I have been in my finishing mode again. I cut this jumper out for Jakob about 3 weeks ago. I thought that if I cut it out then I would get it done. But it still languished in my sewing corner.

He had picked the colours about 2 months ago!! He went through my stash of Op Shop Merino jersey's. I then had to sift out which ones would not garner enough material to remake a top. Just like Eli's jersey I used an old Top Kids magazine pattern.

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Showing off the coloured facings

Belgium Biscuits - the fast and easy way

Our whole family love Belgium biscuits but they take so long to make. Rolling out, cutting, baking, sticking back together ......

So I tackle it a different way and make it in a slice tin. Just as yummy but four times as fast to do.

I use the Edmonds recipe but double it. This will then make a slice in a sponge roll tin. (this has already been doubled)

First cream the butter and sugar well, then add the eggs one at a time. Sift the dry ingredients into this and mix until the crumbs are sticking together and looking chunky - like this

Press just over half the mixture into a baking paper lined tray (I use an old fashioned sponge roll tin)

Soften the jam in the microwave with a good squirt of lemon juice. This should make it runny enough to just pour on and have it easy to move around the slice. If you don't do that the jam is very hard to spread on the biscuit base. Traditionally the jam is raspberry jam - but we ran out of the homemade stuff months ago. What I do still have in the cupboard is blackcurrant jam and that makes a gorgeous tasting slice. Use what jam you like. Pour the rest of the biscuit crumble onto the jam.

Smooth out the crumble and press gently. You want it setting together but not so hard that the jam oozes up through this layer. Bake at 180C for approx 20-25 minutes. Until slightly golden and looking cooked all over.

It is important to add a runny icing as soon as you take it out of the oven. I then sprinkle a packet of jelly crystals on top - just because this is how I have always made it. But you could do hundreds and thousands. Or nothing at all. Once cooled but not cold, cut into slices. 

Belgium slice
250G butter
1/2 c brown sugar
2 eggs
4 C plain flour
2tsp baking powder
2tsp cinnamon
2tsp ground ginger
2tsp mixed spice

3/4 cup of jam and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Pink icing made how you like to make icing.
Packet of blackberry jelly (optional)

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Zakka Style

 A couple of weeks ago I blogged about a challenge from The Make Cafe in Christchurch. You purchased a 1/2 metre of linen and they added a couple of off cuts and sent them in a package. You were then meant to make an item "Zakka Style". (there are lots of craft books with the Zakka name and it looks like smaller items using bits and pieces you have around. A lot of the use the base of linen)

Now this coincided nicely with two baby showers booked on my calendar. Two of my quilting buddies and good friends, are having babies and I wanted to give something made by me. Both are set up for children as this is not their first so my idea was to make something for the Mum. I will pop a couple of little gifts inside.

In order to fit the Dresden Plate design I made these ended up being very large!!!

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I always link with Crazy Mum Quilts for finish it up friday.
Also posting this with Lil Pip Designs on her Spring has sprung week. I feel new babies certainly give you that spring feeling. I feel the need for some photos of little lambs!!!