Tuesday, April 29, 2008

School Holidays

I took five kids to Coalgate. At Coalgate we have built a cottage, it is 45 minutes from our home in Christchurch, but the life style is light years away from our frantic life here! I took a 14 year old, a 13 year old, two 12 year olds and a six year old. We made stuff, we sat by the river, we lit a huge fire and cooked marshmallows. We watched movies and tv and generally hung out. It was good, tiring but good. What was I thinking? Motivated 5 kids to get organised was a mission!!









Thursday, April 24, 2008

Yes I am sewing!!

This weekend I've started the quilt for David. I'm making it out of his old shirts. I hope he likes it. I'm also making some progress on the wall hanging for my brother. I'm hoping to visit him in June so it would be cool to take it with me. The kids and I are going to be in Coalgate most of next week so hopefully I should get heaps done! I want to make another one for another little boy too. Nothing like being ambitious!

ANZAC Day

Yes we were in the City at 6am to join the ANZAC day parade. Here are the photos to prove it!

Here are some of my lovely BB Boys in their uniforms waiting to march in the parade. It is actually really great to get up early and remember all the young men who went off to war for us. The BB Boys love going (plus I take them to McDonalds afterwards!!!). Its that thing again of being a little part of something big.




Sunday, April 20, 2008

Orange Squash!

Here is my 142 blocks for step two of the orange squash quilt. they look great, shame they don't match the first 150 blocks!! I'm hoping this will all come together although I am having doubts about my ability to choose colours.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

They have arrived!!!





The first three designs by Chrissy for her Candy! land T-shirts! Well done Chrissy, you are an absolute Champion. I love you honey xxxx
ps the t-shirts are $25 each if anyone wants to buy one!!!

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Reuben's last day....

Here is the very large cake I made Reuben for his last day of Hillview! All the children really enjoyed it. They made him cards which was very cool.

Chocolate Cake

8 oz (225 gm) soft butter
2 c sugar
2t baking soda
2 C milk
3 eggs
3 C flour
¾ C Cocoa
1 t salt
1 ½ t vanilla
1 T vinegar

Soften butter. Sift in dry ingredients. Add milk and vanilla. Beat 2 minutes, add eggs and vinegar and beat until well mixed. Divide between lined well greased tins. Either 4 x 19cm tins, 2 x 23cm tins or 3 ring tins. Bake at 180 deg.C for 45-75 minutes.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

For girls only...

I don't think any guys will be reading this blog. Why is it girls that the one weekend in living memory that you get to go away with your husband, that you WILL get your period? Why? does this just happen to me?

Friday, April 11, 2008

Another week, another cycle ride!

100 km, 2 hours 45 minutes!


What can I say? He's just so fast! This weekend the Grape Ride in Blenheim. David is to happy with his time, I am so happy he got in safely!!
We are having a lovely time with our Cuzzies! Blenheim weather is mild, the country side is great and our children are in Christchurch - its all win win!!

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Orange Squash Mystery Quilt

These are my fabrics for the Orange Squash mystery quilt. I don't actually have enough of some of them, but I'm determined not to buy any for this quilt, so will see how I can fake it!!
Here are my 150 4-patch blocks in progress. They are all leftovers from other projects.
Actually I reserve judgement on whether this will work or not. Will have to wait and see!

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Its officially autumn....

I've got socks on!!!

Monday, April 07, 2008

A Challenge to you all....

I just spent the evening putting things in an Album for Aunty Jean. I can't believe someone can get to 87 and not have a photo album! She is turning 87 on Thursday. I got her handful of photos and added a few more, I got four certificates she got in the 1930s for playing the piano. I got some of her birthday cards and some of her cards with Bible verses on and I put the whole mixture into an album. I put all the dead people (from the funeral cards) at the back!! It actually looks amazing and I managed to fill the whole album which I am stoked about. It took me the whole evening but it was worth it. I think everybody should have a photo album. I'm a big fan of them myself. I make them for my mum and dad and David's mum every Christmas. I make them for my kids and I make them for our family.

Life is full of ups and down, and its great to sit on the sofa for an hour under a quilt with one of the kids and look at photos and remember the fun times! Ian Grant says "Children need a past, a present and a future" and I agree. I take photos of my Boy's Brigade boys and make an album for them too. Their parents don't do it, and the boys LOVE to see how much they have grown! I take it to camp and they spend heaps of time looking at it.

It's important to take photos of the ordinary stuff too, because things change, but when you look at the photo it helps you remember. Digital cameras are great, and people take heaps of photos, but they don't print them out. I think that is a shame, print those photos people, stick them in albums. Technology changes so much, you could easily loose them when time marches on and you can't access them anymore because you have upgraded.

I challenge anybody reading to go and print their photos. Let me know how many you print. I would love to know! I will give a prize to the person who prints the most photos...

Sunday, April 06, 2008

Fire in Hamilton...



This is a poignant picture of the firetruck from a terrible fire in Hamilton over the weekend. It is still burning and one died and six fire fighters are fighting for their lives in hospital.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Firefighting community at this sad time for them.

Saturday, April 05, 2008

What I actually did this weekend was...

Quilt for Tara's baby....



  • Tidy most of the house including the two messiest bedrooms. (One was so bad it made me want to cry!)

  • Visited David's Aunty Jean

  • Had coffee with Shenleigh

  • Cooked a yummy dinner and had our friends over for dinner

  • Purchased new hair clippers and cut David's hair!

  • Baked three fruitcakes

  • Baked 60 chocolate chips cookies

  • Sewed binding on quilt for Lynley and finished it.

  • Gone to church

  • Backed, bound and finished quilt for Tara.

  • Sewed some circles for the Japanese Folded Quilt

  • Sewed 150 4-patch squares for Bonnie's Mystery quilt (when I've worked out how to put the link up I will!!

  • Made a roast vege salad

  • Went to the Park with the kids

  • Gone to mum and dad's for tea

  • As welll as all that I have done load after load after load of washing as our washing machine was fixed on friday after over three weeks of being broken!

  • Folded laundry mountain created by all the washing

I'm pleased with what I achieved!!


Thursday, April 03, 2008

Plans for the weekend....

This weekend I want to...
  1. Finish binding Aunty Jean's quilt for her 87 birthday
  2. Finish binding quilt for my cousin Lynley who is dying of cancer in Australia
  3. Sew the gathering thread on the circles for the Japanese folded quilt.
  4. Sew my squares for my Orange Squash mystery quilt.
  5. I want to get up to 10000 words written on my book and get my house tidy.
  6. I want to watch a dvd and eat some popcorn.

I'm going to be busy!! have a great weekend everyone :)

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Need a laugh?

A man was riding his Harley beside a Sydney beach when suddenly the sky clouded above his head and in a booming voice, "The Lord said. " "Because you have TRIED to be faithful to me in all ways, I will grant you one wish." The biker pulled over and said, "Build a bridge to New Zealand so I can ride over anytime I want." The Lord said; "Your request is materialistic, think of the enormous challenges for that kind of undertaking, the supports required reaching the bottom of the Pacific and the concrete and steel it would take! It will nearly exhaust several natural resources. I can do it, but it is hard for me to justify your desire for worldly things. Take a little more time and think of something that could possibly help mankind."
The biker thought hard about it for a long time. Finally, he said, "Lord, I wish that I and all men could understand our wives. I want to know how she feels inside, what she's thinking when she gives me the silent treatment, why she cries, what she means when she says nothing's wrong, and how I can make a woman truly happy".
The Lord replied; "You want two lanes or four on that bridge?

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Boys Brigade

This is the boy's brigade prayer. It's amazing. I love to hear my boys praying this, it is amazing.

God our Father;
Thank you for life;
Thank you for health;
Thank you for every good gift;
Thank you for The Boys Brigade

Please help us to serve you
and act as you want us to act.
Please give us wisdom to do what is right;
Please give us courage to say what we believe;
May we always be willing to listen to your word;
May we always be willing to help others.

Please help us to be a good friend
Please help us to be honest in all we do
Please help us Jesus to be more like you.

Amen