Lucky Me

Last month I joined in a link up with Tartankiwi in a winter link up for Matariki.
The awesome thing is that just for linking up I won a gift. It arrived in the post yesterday.
The prize was donated by Nin who made the gorgeous handwarmers (which Jakob promptly claimed) and pin cushion (Eli said he needs it now he is sewing) and I got to keep the magazine. I will enjoy that on our holiday travels.
Nin is a very busy lady doing Sailor Spy and Make life beautiful
Thanks so much for the gift.

A purse that turns into a bag

Need to use it - just unzip it

Ready to pop into a bag when shopping

Now this is an idea that I have been wanting to try for ages. Somehow from start to finish this took me three weeks. Pure procrastination (and the first time I put the zip in it was the wrong way around!!).

I found the idea and amazing tutorial here. Sew Mama Sew is a blog I follow. Though in the tutorial the bag was lined, I would love to line it but I fail to see how it would fit when zipped up. So I used the top stripe to make a neat inside finish and cover the seams.

This is made from two women's shirts - a 100% cotton stripe shirt and a 100% linen shirt (picked up in a "fill a bag for $5). The zips are also recycled from articles I have picked up.

I now have a list of how I would change it in the future.
1) put a tab and D ring on so that I could attach my keys and use it by itself.
2) make the bottom of the bag a bit more square which may give it a better look when zipped up
3) the second had zip is hard to zip up. Aaron suggested using a chunkier zip and maybe not sewing so close to the zip. I think he is right.

Open it up and it is ready to use.

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Winter

 Winter is well and truly upon us. For Mothers Day I was given a long arm pruner. Eli was the one who worked out how to use it. It was so much easier as a two man job and a million times better than trying to struggle with a ladder as we have previously.

Eli was super helpful as he was a bit bored outside and has been really enjoying using my various gadgets. He is thrilled with the sewing machine and spent 2 hours with me doing the pruning. I am loving working with him.

Even though it is winter we have still been getting some walks in. My Mother in law came with us on a Sunday afternoon walk. We went around the reopened (post earthquake fixed) Godley Heads Track. The bad winter weather had wrecked havoc with the $0.5million upgrade but it was still a good 8km walk. ( I only did about 6km of it as it was not such a good day for me).

There were some seriously big mud slides that were quite dangerous as it was just cliff on the other side. Eli lost his shoe in the mud. 

Walking in Hanmer Springs - we had a great day and walked around Dog Stream - 5km for the day 

We made the most of the cooler weather to do a 5km walk around the headland at Kaikoura. I was not sure how I would go, but once at the top I felt ok, so kept going and managed to make it around. Aaron needed more exercise so he ran back and collected the car and came and picked us up on the other side.

I love the family time, even with the grumbles sometimes. We have been telling the boys not to grumble that they have to look at it as keeping mum healthy and well. I can't walk well in the summer with my heart now but winter walking has been a bonus so we have been doing as much as we can.

Hope you are all finding the good in these cold winter days.

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14th Anniversary

Fred the Clydesdale

Aaron and I have just come back from a weekend celebrating our 14th Wedding Anniversary. We had a whole weekend away at the Heritage at Hanmer Springs. I was given a pamper voucher for some work I had done, so we used that and added another day.

The Heritage Hanmer Springs

The weather was  fantastic, the massage sublime, the mulled wine at the restaurant in the hotel was so awesome that we had it both nights. Sigh - we did not get snowed in!

A cute buggy styled on the Amish.

We are older and wiser (well I was already old and wise when I married Aaron!! - Aaron has finally aged a bit!!) and I still love him to bits. (thought I also loved Fred the clydesdale that we went in a buggy ride with).

My hunky spunky husband

Us

Having a winter wedding was amazing - we got married on the wettest day in Christchurch in 25 years. But it has meant some gorgeous winter anniversaries.

Thanks to all the relatives who looked after the dog and the kids. Now back to reality.

Our family - 14 years post marraige

The awesome tramping we do as a family

Easy Orange Cake - egg and dairy free

Well this is a first for me. I am on blogging someone else post. Well done Anne for this recipe. Click on the link to take you to her recipe and blog. This is egg and dairy free , which all my nieces are and I am always trying to find food they can eat that is different. I also think that with lowering the oven a tiny bit and changing the oil that it might be OK for Kerryn (minus the buttercream icing)  Domesblissity: Easy Orange Cake:  

I am only linking back to the lovely Anne and her blog post

Yes I paint

From this

To this

A close up of the weird texture of the wall

For those of you that know me well - It is a very well known fact that whenever Aaron travels for work I paint!! Now I am not talking about lovely pictures for relaxing and craft. I am talking about remodeling. Whenever I was pregnant and Aaron was working overseas he would give me strict instructions NOT TO PAINT. I struggled. All my lovely extended family once came to my rescue as they knew I wanted the soon to be baby room, repainted and they were worried I would do it - so they all came and did it for me!! How fantastic a family I married into.

Anyway. This time the painting was a lot smaller than I had planned. I had the paint etc ready to go for Aaron's next trip. So on Thursday at 2pm when he found out he was on a plane at 4pm I started planning!! I had forgotten some vital things for the repainting of the windowsills and door surrounds so had to flag that, but I did get the feature wall behind the fireplace done.

The rusty colour was very worn and ragged and very tired. But it was a stucco finish so when I repainted it a paler colour the blemishes do show. As we got new carpet and painted the walls in December last year this and the window surround are the last thing to do before getting new curtains. Wow may actually get it finished!!!

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Sewing Kit for my son

Well with Eli being really excited about quilting and using the sewing machine, I knew what he needed for his birthday. He had asked me to make a lanyard like the one I use with my snips on the end. So I have sewed him a little boxed zip pouch with his name on it. I used the material that he used on his quilt.

Then I sewed a Lanyard out of the same material and just made it shorter than mine. Added a pin cushion and pins, a tape measure, quick unpick and it is now all wrapped up for his birthday.

Eli has never particularly focussed on his birthday but this year he has been counting down since 61 days before. So I had to add a photo of his countdown. I am a bit worried that his birthday will not live up to his expectations. So I am planning lots of little envelopes to appear on the hour with different things to do next (like a sort of day long treasure hunt).

In later years I will not be able to post before a birthday. But thankfully at the moment he does not read my blog unless I open it for him!

I link to these places and Finish it up Friday

The countdown calendar

I made a throne

From this

To this

From this

To this

A couple of weeks ago Aaron told me that the computer seat was too hard and his bottom got sore. Now I use that seat to do my day job and I have not found it to be a problem. Then I forgot about it. He re mentioned it on Thursday saying it had needed a cushion and why hadn't I made it yet.

So I looked, hmm it is a bit hard but I felt that it was a bit of a royal statement! So I ripped the old fabric off. Found some foam and wadding and stapled that on, then put on a layer of green velvet - that should be fit for a king's bottom. Stapled it all up and reinserted in the chair. It is not the most perfect redo that I have done, but I do have to say that it is more comfy. It got the royal seal of approval last night.         I link to these places

A black and white quilt

Over the last week I have been working on yet another quilt for Hope Homes International. This quilt started as material and blocks donated by Julie (who comes to the quilting weekend in Living Springs each year). She donated this all in 2010 the year before the earthquakes. She had four blocks finished which I just had to sew together. I have then expanded it with all the left over material she gave.

As always I thought it would take me one night to do, but it took longer. I sewed and cut all the extra, plus I have the binding cut and made. The backing is hanging on the washing line today so I hope to sandwich it all together tonight.

Now I have four quilts to quilt and bind at my weekend away - plus 4 shirt aprons to make. A jacket to adjust, a hat to make, start a quilt for Eli etc etc etc. Hmm have I got too many expectations again??? Or maybe I just wont sleep when I am there!!

I link to these places and WIP Wednesday

The good and the bad

I know we have been through a lot. I know that our household have been one of the luckier ones, only helping out and housing others, not actually losing our property. I know we have had over 10000 quakes and aftershocks and some had me saying that I would leave if there was another big one. I have sadly had to help businesses close down as they can no longer run.

A lot of awful things are still happening to people and places and sometimes it becomes too hard to take and you think you cannot take one more thing.

BUT - I love the changes. I love the thinking outside the square. I love the innovation, the creativity, the chance to try something completely new and not stick to normal formulas. I love some new businesses that have been created where they would never have had the opportunity. I love the opportunities my new job gives and how my kids don't have to go to afterschool care anymore.

I love pallets and so when I found this little garden in Sydenham I had to take photos. I love the positive message in huge mural on the wall, the new buildings being built to allow businesses to reshape and people to be reemployed.

I am choosing today to take the positives out of all that has happened as I felt so interested, uplifted and positive about CHCH when I went through the town yesterday.

Love and Light

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What to eat and drink while watching the All Blacks

Well the All Black vs France - 3rd Test is on in 20 minutes.
The food is almost ready to go.

1.Mulled Wine - it is so cold outside. This is made with a bottle of very cheap Merlot, 1/2 cup brown sugar, two star anise, 1 cinnamon stick and the juice and rind of a lime. It is warm and yummy

2. Greek chicken skewers - strips of chicken breast, zest of a lime, 3 cloves garlic crushed, 1/2 cup thick natural yogurt and some chopped mint. Mix all together and let marinate for 1/2 hour. Put onto skewers and fry quickly in the pan.
Serve with dipping sauces - we have Labneh (made by straining natural yougurt), tomatoe sauce and Sweet chilli sauce

3. Potatoe wedges - slice up potatoes, add 2 Tablespoons oil, sprinkle on paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Roast in oven 200oC fan bake.

4. Crostini - made from the leftover bread from lunch, slice thinly and bake in same oven for 15 minutes. Heat some black olives for an accompaniment.

YUMMY
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Hot Olives

Wedges roasting

The sauces