Summer Holiday :)

Poor ol Blog! Ive been busy busy busy as always and my blog little blog gets neglected :P

We me and my family had a gorgeous 10 day holiday starting on New Years eve. We heading up the Tauranga to see some family we hadn't seen in two years, and to spend some time with Robs grandparents. was really lovely and Tauranga really turned up the heat! phoar!!!!



Next we were back down to Taranaki to stay at a family Bach in Urenui for 5 days. The Bach there is the ULTIMATE old school kiwi Bach and we had a BLAST!!!! i had intended to get some knitting done but instead found myself reading 4 books! hahaha and sitting out on the porch watching the tide come onto the mudflats. Was magic.

view from the porch, in low tide all the water recedes and there is a massive mudflat out there.

The boys had such a great time, fishing, playing in their new tent, walking to the beach, swimming etc

The it was off to the family Bach in Kuratau ( south west side of lake Taupo) for 4 days!!! best Bach ever! Pizza oven, spa pool, huge deck, right at the river mouth and minute walk to the beach, BLISS

BEST SUMMER HOLIDAY EVER!
XXX

woops!

Haven't blogged since blogtoberfest ended woops!!

Have been super busy with my cuz staying and making up lots of yarn orders and felt orders.
Here's a few snapshots of my week.

Delicious dessert Loren made us
pears poached in boysenberry wine, pistachio praline and almond ice cream


Felt finger puppets i made


my op-shop finds this week, merino top and Max skirt, for a total of $8 lol


and lots of custom dye jobs

Going to be busy this week too, with our 3 year wedding anniversary, robs birthday, my sisters end of uni fashion show and going down to welly Thursday night for the weekend.

PHEW!

Blogtoberfest Day 31- HAPPY BLOGTOBERFEST

Blogtoberfest Day 31

Today is the last day of Blogtoberfest.
I am so proud of myself that i managed to blog 32 times this month! I only missed two days but had 3 days with two posts so i more than made up for it :)

I have shared with you more about myself, my family, my craft and my business. I have made new friends and gotten to know old friends better.

Ive had fun entering giveaways and having one of my own.

Speaking of giveaways, here is the yarn that i have just dyed and re-hanked up for Joanne, winner of my Blogtoberfest Giveaway.
It is 100g 4ply sock yarn.



Joanne said she liked blues and greens but not necessarily together and this is what i came up with, I've named it "Blogtoberfest" for the occasion hehe.
There are also a couple of other goodies going in the parcel but that will be a surprise ;)

I hope you all had fun reading my posts this month!! it has definitely given me the motivation to blog much more regularly from now on :)

xxx

Blogtoberfest Day 30 - GARDEN!

Blogtoberfest day 30

Here is what my boys have been up to all day


Our very own vege patch in our very own home!!! one of many to come :)
We planted lettuces, basil and tomatoes in this one :)

zucchinis, corn and capsicums go in next weekend!

Blogtoberfest Day 29 - BEST CUZ EVER

Blogtoberfest Day 29

In two days my best ever cuz will be home!!!


This is the best picture i could get ( yes Loren i raided your facebook lol, there was hardly anything to choose from!) hahaha but shows her personality perfectly ;)

Loren has been away overseas in Canada mostly for almost a year now. Before that she was gone for a whole other year in South America aswell with only a month or so back in NZ. I have missed her TERRIBLY!!!

We have been thick as thieves since the week we were born ( yup week, we are only 6 days apart in age)



I cant wait to have her back in my life for good!

Even though she will be starting Uni in Auckland in the new year, i will have her on tap for the next couple of months! lol


LOVE YOU CUZ!!!

man how cute were WE?!?!

5 weeks later...............

Yes it has been 5 weeks! I'm so sorry i haven't been blogging. I've had ALOT of stuff going on personally but am ready to get back int he blogging saddle ;)

So 5 weeks ago we moved into our first owned HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The boys have settled in instantly to their new neighbourhood and i have to say it felt like home form day one. From the visits from all the neighbours bearing baking, to the friendly smiles whenever we go out. Ashton's new Kindy is just BRILLIANT for him and he is now going 5 mornings a week.

The cold has taken a bit of getting used to but now we have our fire roaring every morning until we go to bed we can appreciate this glorious sight outside our window:



I have been busy knitting away so will have some things to share very soon!

Time for reflection and relaxation

We are off on holiday in a few hours for two whole week!
Two whole weeks of no Internet
Two whole weeks of no agenda
Two whole weeks of nothing bu family
Two whole weeks of knitting!!!!!!! haha

We are off to the family Bach on lake taupo in Kuratau, i been looking forward to this for ages and can SERIOUSLY do with the down time.

I will be filling my time with reading, knitting and even plan on doing some writing, something i haven't done for a very long time.

The past couple of weeks have seen me and my husband doing some serious reflection on our future and plans etc. Bubba #3 is now on hold for another 2-3 years, untill we have started our travel plans. Baby making was going to be the agenda in a month or so but after some soul searching we have realised this is not the right time. I need to concentrate on getting my mind, sual and body back into shape and being who I want to be. This involves some serious weight loss for me ( already lost 4kgs in the past couple of weeks) and bringing into my life things that make ME happy and that i can do for MYSELF! Singing will be hing on this priority list with a recording session planned in the near future.

This holiday i am going to spend an hour alone each morning, walking along the lake and breathing the fresh air. I am going to sit and write, and knit, and just enjoy spending time with my family.

here is the knitting i am taking with me:


Two pairs of socks ( green and red) and some beautiful Uruguay lace yarn i received in the mail yesterday to make MYSELF a shawl :)



I cast off my second shawl of the year on Wednesday night but haven't had time for a photo shoot so you will have to wait till i get back for photos.

See you in two weeks!!!

Christmas day in pictures

Inlaws pressies

This year we are spending Christmas with my side of the family ( they are arriving today in fact, i am SO EXCITED!) So the inlaws got their pressies last weekend when they came over for lunch. Here is the basket of goodies i put together for them:



Inside were "Strawbarb" jam (strawberry and rhubarb) "kick ass Kusundi" (super hot indian relish) and "bellisimo relish" (Italian flavoured relish with olives, toms, balsamic) all handmade by me.


And bamboo/cotton dishcloths that i knitted, wrapped around Trade Aid soaps and chocolates to look like christmas crackers :)


The Kusundi was a hit and Robs brother has asked for me to make some just for him in exchange for some meat haha.

Summer???

While it was hot and muggy this weekend it has also been overcast and drizzly :( its now pouring with rain AGAIN but we managed a quick trip to the beach this morning. Poor little Flynn is still not used to the sand!

Blogtober #8 My Boys xxx

The sun was shinning yesterday for the first time in a week of tsumami and tornado warnings so me and my boys made the most of it :)

I will let the photos speak for themselves.....................











Just a reminder that i am drawing the giveaway winner tomorrow evening so if you havent entered be sure to do so! :)

My Handmade Christmas Pressies

This Year i decided to make all of our extended Family's christmas pressies. I love giving things that i have made and i know *most* people love recieving them!

My little Sis (20y) got this sundae Pin cushion. She is a Fashion Design student and didnt have a pincusion!



My Brother in law (20y) got these plushie poo and wees ( complete wiht carrots and peas), which i thought would appeal to his sense of humour. I cant take credit for the idea though, ive seen a few versions of these around the place.



My parents got these Paua Mosaic stones for out in their Garden. I did a turtle ( mum loves turtles and used to collect them) a round koru, and a set of koru's that look to me like a plant ( dad is an avid gardener)





My Husbands Parents got paua mosiacs too. For them i made a Mt Taranaki ( where they live) a heart, and a plant koru set too.



I forgot to take photos of the bath bombs i made my Sister in Law and Cousin, but i have made some more for a friend if mine and other sister in law, which are setting at the moment, so will take pics in a couple of days when they have dried out.

I made truffles, chocolates and russian fudge for everyone else, and forgot to take photos of those too doh!