Today's Daisies #76 - The Christmas Pressie Saga

Peter bought me the above lovely necklace for my Christmas. As mentioned before it is almost too small, and felt like wearing sandpaper.

So after a lot of internal debate I went to the gallery where I thought he said he bought it, and asked if they would exchange it. Only to find out to my great embarrassment that, he had only bought my earrings there and not the necklace.
Needless to say Peter thought this was hilarious, told me where he had bought the necklace, at the Wine Country Gallery in Havelock and even gave me the receipt so I could change it.
Being the impatient person I was down at the gallery to change it at 10pm on Tuesday morning. Only to find out the gallery is open every day but Tuesdays.
So this morning back I went to see if they would exchange the necklace. I spotted one I liked straight away. No worries they said, they exchanged my necklace for the one I liked and gave me some cash back as well. There are also some earrings which I think I will use the spare cash to buy.

Creativity at last

Now that christmas is out of the way. House renovation painting is out of the way for a couple of weeks. I promise to give you an update on the renovations soon. The house was cleaned and tidied. All the little bits of gardening have been finished, well never finished in the garden, but fine for just now. Peter was back at work, my youngest was playing happily. Time for me to do some sewing. Now, the longest part of my sewing is browseing through my stash of stuff trying to figure out what goes with what. Everything gets pulled out and there are piles of fabric everywhere.

I started off with some new cushions. Though not happy with the result, I think I should have put an edge on them in some way, will think about that and prehaps change them again some time.

Another project that has been waiting for a while, is a new tea cosy for Peter. His old one I did about 6 years ago and is looking very rough. In fact so rough I just through it in the bucket.

So here it is the new tea cosy. I have had the blue fabric for a long time waiting to be used. And because I always have to make things reversible, below is the other side.
Now, that has given me an idea, I wonder if I could make a reversible weekend skirt. Hmm, guess I need a visit to Spotlight to find some interesting fabrics.

Weekend Skirt

After three years of use my weekend skirt has finally had to be relegated to the rag basket, and I miss it. I am now going to have to find a new weekend skirt. Just in case you are wondering what a weekend skirt is, it is the skirt I put on at the weekend when there is nowhere to go and nothing much to do. When I wear it I know I can potter around and chill out. The properties that a skirt requires to be a weekend skirt are, it should be a fabric I love, have some daisies on it somewhere, be comfortable, be suitable to garden in and suitable to go to the market in.

This is option number one, it fits a couple of the criteria, but I am not sure I would want to be see wearing it anywhere but at home. It is just tooo turquoise.

Option number 2, I love this skirt. Unfortunatly it falls down in one area. It is not quite as comfie as is required. It is just an itsy bitsy too small. Maybe it is worth loosing a couple of pounds for.

Option number three, used to be a dress which for some reason I converted into a skirt. I can't remember why now. There is one problem with this skirt, it is a little to big and has a habit of slipping down when I am carrying things. This could easily be sorted. But perhaps what I should do is make a new one. I could deconstruct my old skirt and create a new one to the same pattern. Hmmm, which now raises the problem of finding the fabric. Until then I think perhaps option 2 is going to be the temporary weekend skirt, I will just have to breathe in.

Breakfast and my Christmas pressies

Breakfast this morning was fruit from the local farmers market. Strawberries, raspberries, nectarines, apricots and cherries, with yogurt. Yum, yum, yum. While I was eating I was reading the book that my youngest gave me for christmas. Nation by Terry Pratchett. I am a big Disc World fan and was unsure about this new one. It is set on a Pacific island after a big wave has crushed it. Sounds a bit dire. It wasn't, it was brilliant, I would recommend it to anyone. Thank you Terry Pratchett for another excellent read. And since I was on the subect of christmas pressies, here is another couple.

Cute earrings from Peter. He also gave me a nice necklace, which I am afraid is a bit to short, it fits ok, but is really really uncomfortable. Not sure what to do about that.

With my christmas money I bought this Silk Tree in a sale. It is not giving much shade yet but it will in a few years.

Christmas Dinner - Christmas Part Three

Christmas dinner this year was a bit of a mix up of everyone's favourites. We had a giant ham, which should last us till June. Turkey, stuffing (both sage and onion and apricot) and bread sauce. Green salad and a tomato and feta salad. Roast new potatoes, yes I really did roast new potatoes in their skins and they were delicious, and roast parsnip. Plus green beans and corn on the cob.

For dessert we had chocolate mud cake, my youngests favourite. And a very brilliant pavlova made by my eldest. I still have a christmas pud to eat some time once I have some appetite back again.

And here they all are, my merry men, enjoying their Christmas Dinner in the garden.

Today's Daisies #75 and My own little elf - Christmas part 2

My youngest has spent a number of days in the garage hammering and glueing and sawing and being very busy, singing christmas songs. He then used nearly all of my wrapping paper and appeared with a number of large pressies for under the tree.
He had made a pressie for each of us. A model toothbrush for his dad the dentist, a back scratcher for his eldest brother (no idea why), a machine gun for his other brother (slightly worrrying) and best of all he made the daisy picture above for me. He must have spent ages hammering in nails and then pulling them out again. I love it. I am going to treat it with oil and hang it on the wall to be treasured. Who could ask for more, a happy generous creative 8 year old son and a brilliant pressie.

Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain - Christmas Part 1

Christmas eve dawned wet and windy and dull. A big change, as we seem to have lovely sunshine for weeks and weeks. So the rain was very, very welcome. Also it made it seem a bit more christmasey.

This fennel grows outside my bedroom window, in an effort to stop the mosquitos.

Merry Christmas

I thought you might like to see a small slice of christmas in Hawkes Bay. I hope you all have a very merry christmas and that Santa Claus fetches you everything you wished for.
In case you are wondering who is under the Santa hat, it is Ranna the cat.

Fire Lilies

I bought these fire lilies at the Black Barn market on Saturday morning. I can't say I have ever noticed them before, but they are really cool. They start out as a green pod like bud then open up to beautiful red yellow and orange flowers. I would like some in my garden.

That Christmasey Feeling

Christmas time is here at last. I have been feeling very very un christmasey. I have had a stinkey cold, a major lack of energy and can't get motivated when the sun is shining and the garden is blooming (still can't get used to a southern hemisphere christmas, but I am working on it). I had bought no pressies and written no cards. My youngest put up the tree and decorations, singing all the time (very cute to sit back and watch). He is 8 and I think this is perhaps his last year of not being worldy wise, if you get my drift. Then yesterday morning my energy came back, even though christmas shopping with Peter drained it again. When we got home our annual hamper from my brother had arrived. Wonderful, an event I really look forward too. Nothing is wasted, the kids love to rummage around and see what delights are in the basket. I love the basket itself really useful for storing my ever increasing fabric stash. The ribbon from the wrapping goes in the ribbon box to be recycled later in the year. And lastly the packaging paper is used in the guinea pig hutches. Thank you Bryan for another lovely pressie.

Keriann and Ian came around for dinner yesterday evening and brought me another pressie. I love bonne maman jam. So Keriann had got me these tiny little ones. So cute. I will even treasure the little jars when the jam is finished, I am sure they are the right size for storing craft supplies.

Bathroom Renovation #11 still continuing

The bathroom renovations have taken a bit of a backwards step. I was a bit shocked that instead of removing the leakey tiles from the wall, they cut out the wall with the tiles on it. Have they taken the bit of wall and installed it in somebody elses bathroom?
Ranna seems happy with the result, a cosy cool bed for her to sleep in.

Today's Daisies #74 and some roses

The end of the newly decorated hall, just needs flowers. Thanks to Keriann for the buckets of roses she has been giving me. Unfortunatly they have finished now and I have had to revert to daisies. Which don't tell anyone I said this look almost as good as the Roses.

Which is the real Bond

On Friday night we went to a James Bond theme party. Can you tell which is the real bond and his girl. Answers on a postcard. My eldest son did the image manipulation bit, I think he did a brilliant job. In fact if you had told me a week ago I would be dressed as a bond girl in three inch stilettos, I would have rolled about the floor laughing. We were going to go as Q and his assistant, but when we tried on our outfits we looked like a couple of dinner ladies not gadget scientists. That is why we ended up in the above disguises.

The party was held in the local cinema, complete with red carpet and paparazzi. We had canapes, martinis and champagne before the film started. And lots and lots of lollies (sweeties for any un Kiwis that are reading this) during the film. Then a bus back to their house for more food and boogieing. I had a great time, I think perhaps it is one of the best parties I have ever attended.

One Thousand Posts Later

Here we are a whole one thousand posts and two and a half years of blogging. I have been racking my brain thinking and reflecting on all of my posts trying to find something meaningful to say. And I have not come up with anything at all. So the daisies will just have to say it for me, beauty is in simplicity.

In the spirit of blogging I am going to give away the above fabrics. There is about half a metere of each.

I am also going to give away the above hat. So if you would like either the fabric or the hat or both, please leave a comment and I will draw the winners out of the hat in a couple of weeks time.

I made the hat to wear to on a christmas outing to the races. An outing I will never repeat.

Bathroom Renovation #10

Sorry I have not been blogging much over the last week. I have been busy painting and painting and painting and still painting. The walls are all done, the ceilings are all done and the glossing is under way.

The new look cool and calm hall. It is still a bit empty until I get round to deciding where my pictures should go.

The bathroom is finished, apart from the skirting boards and around the window, theoretically. More about that later.

New taps, sink and mirror are installed.

The new larder is painted and ready for its shelving.

The kitchen does not look so pretty. There is a lot more work to be done in there, before I can get down to the painting.

But there is a major problem in the shower. The tiles leak. Within seconds of us putting water on them, the water went through the glaze and discoloured the tiles. I know it looks like it is the grout, but it happens way to fast for the water to be soaking up from the grout. Also if you run your fingers over the tiles you can feel pits where there is no glaze. Soooooo, the whole lot have to come off. The nice new shower screen has to be taken down, the shower removed, the tiles removed and back to square one again. This time, we bought the tiles, so they are good quality and not porous. One day the new shower will be finished.

Oh and by the way my next post is my 1000th post.

The Mission Concert 2009

For the last four years we have bought tickets for the Mission Concert before the artist is announced. Its all part the fun Peter says. So far we have had some interesting outcomes. The first year Olivia Newton John and Chris De Burgh, not my cup of tea, but we had a great night. Then the year after that it was the brilliant Eric Clapton, I really enjoyed that. Last year after a few other artists cancelled we ended up with Tom Jones, which was excellent. This year we bought the tickets early again. The rumours have been flying for months - Paul Simon, Santana, Phil Collins and Bruce Springsteen were among some of the possible suggestions. Today the artist was announced, it is ............. Lionel Ritchie. Peter is not so keen, but I think it will be another great Mission Concert night, and I am ready to party all night long.

Today's Daisies #73

In the post today were some more birthday pressies for me from Peter's Mum and his Sister. A cute little owl for my phone I think, which is going on my key ring.

Another cute owl this time on a brooch.

And lastly some gorgeous earrings. Which were made by my friend Jan. I don't think that Peter's mum realised that when she bought them. So if you are reading this Susan, thank you very much and can you please pass my thanks on to your Mum too.

And just in case you are wondering where the daisies are, have a look at the owl brooch again. It has daisies for eyes.

Sunset - Moonrise

Tonights beautiful sunset.
And tonights moon rise.

And the moon later just because.

Guess Who

Yes, your right its me. Mum sent me this picture today. I can't remember ever wearing a cowgirl costume, but I guess I must have done. Thanks Mum.

P.S. This is my 995th post. Nearly there.