My Bag

I think some of you didn't quite see the same potential in my new red bowling bag as I did. 

Not to worry, I love it and proudly take it everywhere.

How about now?

Yes some of you are interested now, aren't you?

Oh yes, I see some rather envious eyes looking and thinking,

what a marvelous bag she has now.

Bet you are wishing you too had a fetching bag like mine.

I've been playing with wool again. 

I do love crochet grannies. 

I love the items made from these groovy little squares. 

I will try to ignore Hubby's rude remarks about the old lady look they have. 

Actually by the time I've finished my blanket I probably will be an old lady,

so it's going to suit me well, isn't it now?

Remember this post?

Well after some consulting with Dearest Liz, it was decided that what I needed was

a piece of 120 year old linen to stitch my buttons onto. 

How I didn't know myself that I'll never know!

Well after only a few days this amazing parcel arrived in the box. 

She's sure knows how to spoil a girl!

Just look at the lace rose with the button at the centre... 

Oh she's such a crafty lady, so very clever. 

I can see that rose on one of my nighties at some stage.

And look, I was lucky enough to be given one of her new tags, freshly made by her hands. 
I just love all the old bits and pieces she's used.

Gosh Liz you've spoilt me yet again. 

Thank you so much!

I really must get a wriggle on with that little project.

I nearly forgot to tell you, I located the family of the cat from yesterday's adventure. 

They seemed to find it all rather amusing and didn't seem at all concerned. 

Hopefully he's recovered from his shock by now. 

I think I have finally. 

I even missed a dental appointment for No.2 in the shock of it all. 

Funny thing was, she knew I would have forgotten the appointment

so didn't even go up to the office at the right time! 

Gosh am I that bad?? 

Yes, probably!

Oh well have yourselves a splended day and evening. 

You know what I'll be doing!

What A Morning!

Oh my goodness, what a morning!!!

Don't you hate those mornings? 

The ones when you have to be somewhere at a certain time and everything tries to stop you from getting there?

Well this was one that won't be forgotten for a while.

It all started with the exciting entrance of a butterfly.  Problem was, he really wasn't getting out of his house very well at all.  Sounds a bit like us really!

So I armed myself with a couple of pairs of tweezers and peeled the crusty layer off his wings.  Apparently I resembled a crab with nippers. 

Well things didn't look good half an hour later, and in the end I decided to pop him down the gurgler. (The sinkerator for those of you who have no idea what I'm on about.) This was most upsetting for four unorganised girls who really should have been leaving for school.

And it that wasn't bad enough, earlier in the morning I heard a noise in the garage that sounded like a person playing with one of those retractable tape measures.

A bit spooky really.

I locked the garage door and left the tape measure player to it.

It's not my idea of a good time, but I do know it can be entertaining to certain little people, so each to their own.

Spooky picture

Well eventually we had to open the garage as I needed to take two small people places so I could go to a school meeting.  I had hubby stay on the phone while I bravely went in search of the tape measure rustler. 

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing!

Oh well, we headed out down the road, past the school and waited at the traffic lights.  I did what I usually do at this time, reached in my rather spiffy red bowling bag, and took out my lipstick, only to find ladies shouting at me and banging on my window to stop.

What, can't a girl beautify herself without interuption???

It appears that someone saw a cat peeking out from under my bonnet!!

(Thank you to my model who looked remarkably like the one in my car.)

The one in my car looked a little more like this...

Giant saucer eyes looking up from the engine.

See the ginger arrow I've drawn on the photo below?  (By the way I'm quite proud that I was able to do that!)  That's where he must have stayed

since yesterday afternoon when the girls were riding their bikes out front.

Well it took half an hour for the crowds to free him, he was so scared.  I was parked in the lane with cars travelling down both sides of my car and it was quite embarassing really. 

Luckily a panel beater Dad and an a couple of Indian men happened upon us and offered to take over the rescue. After freeing him, the office lady arrived and took him to school as I thought he belonged to our neighbour who works there. 

Apparently he looks just like hers, but is missing a black spot on his nose.

So after taking both children to the loooong school meeting, I went up to the sick bay to pick up the cat to take him home.  I have no idea who he belongs to, so I just let him out after a bit of doorknocking at empty houses.  I still have his collar so will go out later today and investigate.

Here's the evidence of a bit of a scuffle, under my car in the garage.

I sure hope tomorrow is less eventful and that pussy cat has calmed down a bit. 

The strangest things happen some days don't they?

I'm just very grateful that he's in one piece as it could have been an ugly sight.

I'm happy for mobile phones too and for wonderful caring people to help in times like this.

An Outing With No.4 and Me

Any of you lovely people want to come on an outing with No.4 and me?  We need to go and research some fabrics.  Yeah, that sounds like you?  Well I'm glad one of my passenges is excited about it! Come on then, seatbelt on and off we go. 

We'll take state highway 20 to Onehunga. 

Ha, I'd love to hear how you pronounced that one!! 

Kind of like Onnie-hung-a.  Yeah that's close enough, well done.

This is Church Road, named because, well,  there is a church or two at the side of the road.

This one is quite a lovely looking one as well.

OK lets turn left into Onehunga Mall.  Oh gosh only 30 min parking! 

Really, who could fabric shop in that length of time??

First up is this dark place, Antique Fabric and Lace. 

OMG did you see the walls?  I've never seen so many beaded bits and pieces in my life!! 

This is one long shop and not one bit of wall was showing. 

Not my cup of tea, but quite clearly the place to go for something a bit glitzy. 

Hang on, I just need to get some pink sequin stuff for a costume.

No not for me silly!

Oh man, No.4 needs to go to the toilet, already!  Nothing like a walk around the block when you have 30 mins on the carpark and another shop to visit.  No problem at all lovey. 

The library will have facilities.  Actually the small room didn't look that bad in person, quite clean really. 

Right, on we go to Fabrics Direct, just across the road from the glitzy shop. 

Oh lovely, they've gone out for ten mins.  Wonder if we met them in the toilets too?

Sorry about the whinging from No.4.  She's clearly not enjoying this as much as she could be. 

I can't say I'm enjoying it much either now. 

Shopping with a three year old isn't that great I'm afraid. 

Luckily we found this cool canvas! 

Isn't it going to look great as tote bags? 

The nice man had a different measuring system to the rest of us, it's way bigger than one metre.  Such a lovely man.  I should be able to get four bags out of this piece.

Well I think we've made the most of that half hour, or so.  Lets do a bit of driving up the road and see what's there. 

Ooooh look... there's a patchwork shop.  Excellent! 

And see cupcake, there's Toyworld store across the road.  Be nice and quiet in here and you can have a play in there afterwards. 

Nothing like a wee bribe aye?

Mmmm Patchwork Passion was a bit old ladyish wasn't it? 

The Amy Butler section was fabulous but that's about it.  Oh well something to cross off the list.

Sorry you had to drag me out of Toyworld.  I do like looking at the Sylvanian range. 

There were some cute new sets I would have liked to buy too.  But never mind.

Hey look out my window!  Look at that neat mosiac work.  Isn't it amazing?  I'd love to have a sit on that sofa just to see what the comfort level is. 

Hey Liz, perhaps you could get your crochet out and see what people have to say. 

Gosh that would be a laugh!

Right I think we might as well head home. I'm feeling like this outing was a bit of a waste of time.  Only because a certain little Miss wasn't co-operating too well.

Oh look. 

Save Mart. 

 Sound like a goer to you?  Yeah we'll just pop in and check it out. 

Oh my, this is huge.  And it's all the donated clothing we leave out on the street in the pink bags. 

So this is where it ends up! 

Well I never. 

Oh we could spend hours in here.  There's a whole, really long row, just with jeans!

What???  You don't really need the toilet again?  Are you serious??  Oh man.  Oh my goodness, look what I've just laid eyes on.  Yes it's got my name on it.  Hold on lovey, Mama's got to pay first.

Oh I can just hear Hubby now:  "OMG you have got to be kidding!"

It reminds me of a bowling bag!  It's so cool!!  And there's plenty of room for all my rubbish, I mean my important stuff.

Well that was sort of interesting, wasn't it?  I think we'll do it again without the little madam next time. 

She's usually quite good, I swear. 

Now I wonder if any of you know what this georgous fabric is?  I just bought it on Friday and it doesn't have a printed selvedge.  I am completely and utterly in love with it. 

Absolutely. 

It's going to be in our bed quilt for sure. 

Did I not mention my little shopping expedition on Friday? 

No? 

Oh how negligent of me. 

Well maybe next time. 

Oh and I received a very special parcel in the mail today from the lovely Lululiz in Lalaland. 

Oh you just wait, it's marvelous!

Right I have to go now, I have some phone calls to make. 

He he, does that sound important or what??

See you all later!

And Jammy Skirty Winner Is...

The time for the draw has arrived!  Who will be the luckyish winner of three jammy skirtys?

Daughter No.3 was the lucky girl this morning.  Dressed all ready for a party this afternoon, she was presented with 'the jar'.

And in she goes!

Sorry she got stuck!

Ooooh who will it be?

Ah it's Angela!  Fantastic!  Her lovely comment was quite amusing really.  "I just love the fact that the flirtiest of the skirts is on a jar which says "Bit On the Side" round the rim of the lid!!"

Well I'd better get these little skirty wonders off the jammy jars and pop them in an envelope.  They'll be winging themselves all the way across the seas to England.  I hope your jams enjoy dressing up Anglea!

A Skirty Surprise!

So you all liked my pretty little skirty thing aye?  What a wonderful pile of lovelies you all are.  I've had offers of homemade bread from Luisa, homemade cream cheese from Floss, an offer to send me more obedient ribbon and a rather smart remark about me being on the bottle.  Yes well, say no more!  Really Liz, sometimes I really wonder where you get your outrageous ideas from!

Now I made a small error with my numbers yesterday.  Numbers and I aren't not best friends.  I even struggle to learn a new phone number, mine that is.  It's a bit embarassing when I'm asked for it unexpectedly, I just go blank.  Completely blank. 

Anyway getting back to the story of the plums, I actually only spent $3, not $10 as previously stated, and for that amount I weighed close to 4kgs of stoned plums.  Just remarkable!  For you English lasses that would be about one tiny pound.   

This morning after dropping No.3 at kindy, I popped into two different supermarkets until I found my special jamming sugar.  And home I came to cook up another eight jars of loveliness.  I have to say it tastes

fab-u-lous.  And the colour is just marvelous, a rich red.

Now because of all your very lovely comments about my cutsey skirty thing, I whipped up a few more to tempt your taste buds with.  But I'm going to be super kind this time.  Oh yes I am! 

Yes my little cherubs, this time I'm giving one lucky commenter the chance to win all three of these little skirty wonders.  And yes the stitching is all rather straight for a change.  No running off the edges at all, believe it or not.  And no you won't be receiving the first disaster, no, that one will be going to the jammy skirt cemetery.

So if you think your precious little jammies would like to be dressed in the finest jam wear available, please leave me another wonderful comment right here.  I will be drawing one special name on Saturday morning, lets say about 9am.  That will give me time to shower and make myself a little presentable for such an important announcement.

The Perfect Housewife

This morning I got a bargain.  I bought a big box of red plums for only $3.  They were just perfect for what I intended them for.  Jam.  Mmmm... yummy plum jam. 

I really enjoy my jam making.  I love how easy it is to make ten jars of the very best jam for less than $10.  Homemade jam, you just can't beat it for taste, freshness and texture.  I also love how it makes me feel like the most perfect little housewife in New Zealand.  OK I know I'm far from being worthy of that title, but just for a few minutes, let me be that, please?

Check out the little jam skirt?!!  Cutsey isn't it?  Just whipped it up for you.  Please take this jar of jam with my compliments.

Did you notice the crappy sewing? 

No, oh dear, now you'll all see it and word will get around quickly.  I can just hear it.  "Did you see it, Mrs Red Gingham ran off the ribbon!"

Oh golly, I'd better have a lie down in preparation.  Please remember... I gave you a jar of jam.  A whole jar of the most delicious jam with a little skirty thing.

Three Simple Steps

It looks so simple.  Steps 1, 2 and 3.

Unfortunately there are issues along the way sometimes.  Wasps eat many Monarch caterpillars.  Three year olds accidently step on squishy caterpillars.  Leaves run out.

But those that make it sure turn out beautiful.  We've had one make it this far.  We have three more to go.  All end up in the kitchen under a blob of bluetac.  Why would they eat the leaf where a family member hangs and have him/her fall to the ground?

This is as close to a pet as we get these days. 

They are rather high maintenance, but very worth it when they make it.