I am back...

Well I have been offline for most of the last 3 weeks. Major shit happening in my life which is now all resolved. I am so looking forward to 2007! It's gotta be better than this year!!

I haven't stitched at all. Poor old Coffee Menu is languishing and gathering dust. However the garden looks fantastic and I have been away at the beach with Tony and the kids. So not all bad!

Have got back on my bike again after a long hiatus. It's great to be cycling along the country roads with the sun beaming down. Roll on summer! Not training for any rides, just enjoying the fresh air and keeping fit.

A sad day here

Tony and I went off to the beach for the weekend sans children. Our first weekend off, just the two of us, in 6 weeks. Had an awesome time there. I love the Mount as it is called amongst the locals. We have a permanent site in one of the caravan parks and it is only and hour and fifteen to get there so we make the most of it once summer starts to show.

Unfortunately we came home to find our beloved cat Tiger had been hit by a car and was killed. I had to get the kids back from my ex's to tell them. What a rotten end to the weekend. They, of course, were devastated especially Hannah. She was ok today until little Miss Sarah pretended to be Tiger and pounce on Hannah! It was kind of funny but poor Hannah just lost it. I swear I don't know what I am going to do with that girl! She is mischief personified!!!

Well the girls cleaned up

It was the long awaited Pet Day today. Peeked out the window when I got up and it was raining hard. Great I thought...what a start to the day. However, by the time we got out to the school, the sun was poking its nose through the clouds and the rain held off until just after it finished.

There were three classes...Most obvious pet, leading and rearing. The children were divided by age so we had 4 groups. The winners and second place getters for each age group then all compete in the same ring for champion and reserve champion. Hannah got 2nd in both most obvious pet and leading and reserve champion for leading , and 1st and reserve champion in rearing and won the Senior Cup.
Sarah got 2nd in most obvious pet and leading and 1st in rearing. Both girls were competing against one another in the championship ring so a bit of sibling rivalry was going on. She then went on to share the Junior Cup with another boy.

So we have Group day next Wednesday which is where all the schools from the region come together and compete. Then it's all over and they can become lamb chops! Nah, just kidding.

See, I have managed to stitch...

albeit not a great deal. Here is a progress piccie on Coffee Menu.

Hopefully the two headless ladies will have heads by tomorrow. I am enjoying this design, but just wish I had more time to sit and stitch.

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.