Coffee Coffee Coffee

I am trying to give up coffee. Not because I want to as I hopelessly addicted to the stuff. However, I was recently diagnosed with a health issue and a couple of the recommendations (along with a host of other things) are that I give up coffee and alcohol or at least limit them. I knew I drank far too much coffee. It wouldn't be uncommon to have 9 or 10 cups a day. Talk about wired!! So I have weaned myself right down to one cup a day and have switched to decaf for the rest of the time. The day would not be the same without my morning coffee.

Do you know how awful that first cup of decaf tasted. Blech! However,
Moccona make a really nice freeze dried decaf that is very palatable.

Now the alcohol might be a different story. With summer coming up you can't beat a nice G & T in the sun. Poor Tony got glandular fever about 6 weeks ago though and isn't allowed to drink for 6 months. I'm thinking "Yay I have a sober driver now". Truth is I probably am not going to benefit from that at all lol.

Kids perked up yesterday so we went shopping for new clothes. I cannot believe how quickly they grow. Mind you their father is 6'5 and I am 5'7 so the odds are stacked against them for being short. Hannah, who is nearly 10, wears the same size shoe as me!! Crikey knows what she will be wearing as a teenager. Actually I couldn't resist buying this T shirt for Sarah, my youngest, that said " I am bad at being good and good at being bad". It just sums her up perfectly.

School holidays are here

First day of the school holidays and I have 3 sick kids. Yay! Could be making a visit to the dvd store later I think. :-) I love having the kids at home though and spending time with them. And the 2 weeks will go way too quickly.


I finally finished planting out my potager. I just told Tony what I wanted and he built it for me. I wanted something natural for the paths so used shredded cambium bark. Have snow peas and French beans planted to grow up the taller climbing frame, gherkins at the other end on the smaller frame and then all the summer vegies we love to eat...tomatoes, capsicums, chillies, radishes, carrots, zucchini, corn, carrots, lettuces, mesclun, rainbow chard and of course a few strawberry plants. Have sunflowers and herbs to plant yet. The biggest problem will be keeping the cat off the seeds. Don't they just love that freshly dug soil!


It was such a beautiful day yesterday. I came home from work and Hannah was cuddling her lamb on the back deck. It looked so relaxed and I am sure it had drifted off to sleep before I got snapping with the camera.

Haven't made much progress on Coffee Menu, but might take the opportunity today to sit and stitch. Have a couple of days off now. I just been so tired that I have been going to bed about 8pm every night! That used to be my stitching time.

Slow down life!!

Gosh I have been so busy these last 2 weeks. I have hardly been online let alone finding time to update my blog. Been doing a few extra shifts at work because it has been so busy.

I did however find a little time to stitch.





This is Coffee Menu and is stitched on Ivory Lugana. This design calls for 3 Crescent Colors threads which of course I don't have so I will just sub GAST or DMC when I can figure out what will look better. If anyone has Little House Brown and can give me a DMC match that would be great. Anyway this week will be quieter work wise so I am hoping to get a lot more done.

The spare time I have had I have been spending in the garden...making the most of the sunny spring days. Got my hydrangeas pruned, nearly finished my potager. I will just finish the paths today so will take piccies when it is all done. Can't beat picking fresh vegies straight from the garden.

Decisions, decisions!

Well after much deliberating and perusing of patterns I have decided to start Coffee Menu by Little House Needleworks. I am a coffee addict and know I drink far too much of the stuff every day. This design seemed very appropriate. There's this great cafe in town that I go to very regularly...so much so that when the owner sees me coming he has my coffee ready and waiting by the time I get to the counter!! Anyway, it's my time out each day and I relax for an hour with a glossy mag, catch up on all the goss and work my way through a couple of lattes.

OMG, Tony just walked into the room to tell me he just heard on the news that Peter Brock has died.
Motorsport legend Peter Brock killed: report

Gosh two great Australians dead in a week. First Steve Irwin, now Peter Brock. My sympathies to his family. It's frightening how quickly that life can be snuffed out. I see it all the time at work in ICU. Young lives gone so quickly. It makes you realy appreciate what you have and to enjoy life while you can as you never know when your number will be up. So sad and such a tragedy...

I think Spring is finally here!

I think Spring has to be my favourite season. The flush of new blossoms on the trees, baby calves and lambs frolicking around the fields on a sunny day, the nodding heads of the spring tulips and daffoldils. It's such a welcome change after the dreary winter and especially so in the Waikato where we can be in fog for half the day sometime.

The girls have chosen the lambs for Pet Day on the 9th October.





Sarah has called her lamb Snowy but I am hoping her interest in it lasts more than her interest in her rabbit. She begged and pleaded for a rabbit for her 5th birthday in April so I weakened and gave in after promises that she would feed it every day and clean its cage etc. Well I caught her trying to pop the cat in the rabbit cage a few weeks ago as she had decided having a rabbit was too much work and that the cat could have it for dinner!! We have since had a talk on caring for animals!




Hannah's lamb is Angel and is a Suffolk hence the black face. A total opposite to her sister, I think Hannah would sleep with her lamb if I allowed it!

I have not had much time for stitching. Work has been really busy so I have been doing a few extra shifts. Worked til 4am this morning from 2.45pm the day before so am feeling a little jaded now. Only managed to grab a couple of hours sleep. Have today off then back at the coal face tomorrow. Loving being back in nursing though and doing the ICU course this year just adds another dimension to it.

I think I need to start something new to get me back into stitching mode. Just something small like a Brightneedle or a Blackbird Designs piece. That white skirt on Fairy Moon is just not doing it for me at the moment. Think I will go find a nice spot in the sun with a coffee and peruse my patterns.