Grandma and her boys

Tuesday 31 December 2013

My wish for you in 2014




"I Wish You Enough!®"

 By   Bob Perks



I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.

I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish you enough "Hello's" to get you through the final "Goodbye."


HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE





Two posts in two days ...Wow!! Forgot to mention.....



 
 
I did mention in a previous post that I had been put forward to join the
National Governing  Body  of Arthritis NZ
 
To my surprise I have been elected and join the Board in February 2014
This will mean trips to Wellington for a couple of days about 6 times a year.
 
If one is allowed to be excited  ... I am excited and looking forward to the challenge.
 
 

Sunday 29 December 2013

I am still here ...




So Christmas is just about over and the New Year is almost upon us.
 
I hope you all had a  peaceful and blessed Christmas.
 
It has been awhile again since I blogged ...  lots of water has gone under the bridge  over the last couple of months ... a few hospital visits nothing to serious and all on the mend.
Been busy sewing and not a lot of quilting but did make a few items for swaps that I joined.
 
Unfortunately I lost a couple of friends over the last couple of months ... I guess it is that time of life when one should expect this but it is always very hard when it happens especially
when it is sudden and unexpected.
 
I have also been busy getting things done maintenance wise on the house, the drive and cobbled yard have both been relayed not by me of course  ... some trees removed from the garden and all the rest have had a good hair cut again  by Bruce the lovely garden maintenance man.
 
I have spent some time sitting in the garden stitching since the break up  of all my activities for the summer period this is where I was sitting ... unfortunately I had removed the table when I remembered to take the picture.
 
 
Pictures of what I have been doing in the next post ...  promise  
 
So every one take care have a lovely Summer if you live in the South of the world
and
 a cozy winter for all you who live in the  North


Saturday 5 October 2013

Made from a swap stitchery and fabric


I have been busy this week with all sorts of things other than stitching .....  but what I did manage to do was use the "Stitchery and fabric " sent to me from Peg in the Once a Season Swap.

I have a work pouch sent to me from USA in a Xmas Swap  a while back ....  and always thought I would make one ... but no pattern!!  So it got put off which is so easy to do ....

When the lovely Fabric+ Stitchery arrived from  Peg I knew directly what I would do with it ... so out with the tape measure and extra fabric and low and behold  here is what I have ... I am so pleased with it ... I even put in a see through pocket so you can look for threads with out pulling them all out. I may even make more for pressies.. . But I should  have pressed it before I took the pictures.


 

 
 
 





Thanks Peg once again. xx

Thursday 26 September 2013

Progress on the Weekend piece and other stories

Progress on the "Trees"

 
I have actually done more than I expected I would in the last few days the fern is may be a trifle big ... but hey we grow large ferns here in NZ.
There is still more forest floor to do and also a bit more canopy for the trees.


I had some news today ... I have been elected on to the Governing Board of Arthritis New Zealand
I take up this position mid November ...... then the fun will start a few trips to Wellington in the year and also other places when necessary.  Looking forward to the challenge.

Monday 23 September 2013

Embroidery Guild Regional Retreat


This weekend saw me at the regional retreat 60+ ladies gathered for 2 days at Tui Ridge in Rotorua.

The classes were varied and I chose to do an Anne Brocass class, I loved the piece but also because this lovely tutor is going to retire in December this year and this would have been my last chance to do another  class with her.



So here we are the "Tree's Class"
 
 
 
 
This is the project for the weekend by Anne Brocass
 
Work in progress Day 1

 
and here is my work in progress Day 2

It was a great 2 days ... the weather was abysmal but we were tucked up in a lovely room with a great wood fire burning away merrily,  there is still a lot of work to finish but I am determined to complete it with in the next few weeks..... I would like to say days but I know that is not going to happen.

  Tui Ridge Park ... it is found in a 420 acre reserve which contains all the facilities that your group will need to make the most of your time there. The Park has numerous outdoor facilities and activities as well as quality indoor facilities.
This park is owned and run by Seventh Day Adventist Church thus the catering  is  vegetarian ... but I can say we had the most amazing meals, very tasty and an abundant amount of food and I did not miss the fact that there was no meat at all or alcohol.



Tuesday 17 September 2013

Hello again and please don't faint on me.....


Pizazz ...  an in house class we ran at Embroidery Guild  ... will finally be a cushion  
 
 
As I said please don't faint on me ... now you are seeing a post from me.
Life has gotten in the way a bit over the last 3 months, looking after grand kids while my daughter had an op, Embroidery courses and exhibitions , Inner Wheel ( Rotary),  a couple of jobs on the house and garden  you know the thing just life in general really. 
 I could wish for 8 more hours in a day and a couple of extra days on the week sometimes... but I guess that would just get full up and we would be back to square one again... so will manage with 7 days and 24 hours.
 
But I have been stitching a few birthday gifts and a few swap gifts ... my Daughter in Law will get her birthday gift in a couple of weeks  ahh! now her birthday was last March,  so we are a little late but she has seen it in progress ...  better late than never as we say. Here is a glimpse of it is so far ....
 
 
Sue Thompson's Ladies ... not far off completion just some arms and legs and a few embellishments.

 
 
 

Life does not stand still here .... I am still tutoring Hydrotherapy Exercises for Arthritis and I have been put forward to may be join the Board of Arthritis NZ ... will hear about this in November. I still try and swim everyday ... hate to walk and run so feel this exercise is just as good.
 
Inner Wheel ... I was the Editor of the magazine for the central North Island until June this year and now some how I have moved to the position Secretary for the Central North Island District ... as with all groups we are finding the getting officers to stand on the various committees is harder and harder ... lots of people love to join groups and partake in all the activities and programme but that is as far as they go ...
So at 10am on the morning of our District meeting in June  I was happy to continue as Editor and by 11.30am I had been voted in as Secretary ... rather a lot more work on an ongoing basis,  where the Editors job was really  just a twice a year  mad rush. 
But I am happy to take a turn the first year to learn the ropes and the second should go like a breeze ...hopefully.
 
Looking out from the window the garden is a blaze of colour with all the spring flowers, so here are a few.....
 



 
I will post about the courses I have been on and the  retreats etc in due course.
So now I have signed in and you know I am alive and kicking .... it is back to the computer ... or should I say the other programme to get some IW stuff done.










Friday 21 June 2013

Remember this ...my Birthday Challenge for Embroidery Guild






Well ... I feel so annoyed with myself .. You will never believe the silly mistake I made.

The centre item which is a "scissor keeper" I did not want to attach to the canvas permanently so I pinned it to the reverse side ... meaning to add a stitch to it  which could be removed after the show.

BUT .... bet a lot of you can guess !!!  I forgot to do it and it was judged and was in the final 2 items  the judge had to make a choice and low and behold she had to look so so closely to get that final decision on a winner .... YEAP she found the pin... and that was my chances blown. I could have kicked myself. At least she told me why it did not win .... a very important lesson learnt.

Never mind at least it was almost there.







Sunday 2 June 2013

Here I go again apologies !!!



Here I go again apologies for my lack of posting .... my computer and I have not been together much of late, I seem to manage my emails and there it stops on the personal side ... I think this has something to do with the fact that  I have also been very busy with other side of my life ... Embroidery Guild Exhibition and Rotary Inner Wheel, Family and all the other  things that call for your time.
Like,  I have taken on the Secretary's position for our District Inner Wheel Executive Committee so this next year will see more and more time taken out of my stitching time. But, I have  passed on being the editor of the magazine to someone else so no more pressure  twice a year to get it out, not that it was an onerous job ... it is just getting articles from all the clubs sometime took an awful lot of persuasion on my part. As I speak the magazine is at the printers ...Wheeee!!!

I am still on the run and will be for a couple of weeks yet then hopefully life will calm down a bit and I can hibernate for the winter and stitch and play with this infernal machine a fair amount of time, which the secretary's position will call.

So stitching ....  I have managed to start another project ( can always fit in one more ) here is the start of it,  this is just a preview .... not the best of pictures but you get the gist... will keep the final  finished article a secrete.



So please forgive me if I am not around to much ...but I will try and get back into posting because I miss it. Although I do keep up with reading all your posts, just not doing it myself.




Tuesday 14 May 2013

Challenges


My Embroidery Guild has it's Exhibition this week starting on Thursday for 3 days .

We have  three challenges one is the Regional Guilds Challenge open to anyone in the region, and two are our own challenges ...
The first is Coral And Jade ... This is to celebrate our 35th Birthday  the colour or stone for 35 yrs is Coral or Jade

So today I will show you my entry for the Birthday Challenge....



This is a small stretched canvas 7 x 7 inches ... I call it Coral Collage
it consists of a small piece of Hardanger, pulled thread, canvas work, crochet, beads and ribbons

We were given a small bag of mixed coral items beads, threads, ribbon and lace .... of which we had to use some or all of the contents I think I used some of every thing even if in a very small way.
So fingers are crossed for the judging.




Thursday 18 April 2013

UFO's ... my stash



My stash ... no not fabric these are my stash of Embroidery UFO's  each one of these folders has one in it neatly filed on the shelf, believe it or not there was at least 6 more at the beginning of the year and my New Years resolution was to get them reduced.... I have managed 5 of them and number  6 is in progress...
These zip around clear folders are marvelous as you can see at a glance what is in each one and they stand up and file nicely. ( From the $2 shop)

As I mentioned this is the embroidery ones ... quilting ones I will save for another time.... as that is a different saga.

So watch this space for more finishes.


Tuesday 16 April 2013

Busy busy ... sometimes to busy



 
Some times life just gets to busy .... I thought this retirement thing was suppose to be quiet and to do what ever you wanted when you wanted ... silly me !!!
 
I have never been so busy and I am beginning to think I am to busy for my own good.
It is very difficult to say no, and mean it... I took a training course many years ago that was on "Saying No nicely" it is a shame that I can not put it into action.
 
It has not been all work and no play in fact it is all sort of play in a way..... I swim each morning at approx. 8.30 but the crunch comes that I should come straight home instead of  going out for morning tea or shopping ...
I tutor an Arthritis  hot water exercise class Monday and Thursday 1pm  - 2pm ( normally only Thursdays but the other person is away for 3 months and I agreed to help out)
Then there is Embroidery Guild ... Rainbow Quilters ... Tuesday stitching ...and Friday stitching ... some where in between I fit in a Museum tour or two when I can...
 
So what have I just done !!!! well you may ask I have taken on District Secretary of Inner Wheel ( Rotary wives and friends) our district is from Napier to Tauranga ... across the country to Hamilton and south to Taupo ... Oh! help where are all the extra hours going to come from.
 
So blogging has not seen the light of day to often now.
 
Besides all the above I have fitted in some stitching and some housework.
 
One thing I have also done ... is change my car the Hyundai Tucson was getting to big and on top of that for some reason it was a magnet to other cars in car parks ... 4 times it has been nudged or scrapped by cars and of cousre they do not leave names and addresses ... So I decided rather than take out shares in  a Paint and Panel business a smaller car was called for.
 
so here we have the new car ...  Mazda 3 ....  I am enjoying driving it, it so much lighter and I can actually see to reverse .. always helpful.
 
But I must try and blog more often ....  if it was January I would make a New Years resolution but it is April so will just try a promise to myself.
 
 
 
 
Today we have real rain for the first time since before Christmas .... good pouring rain the farmers will be wrapped at least it will help a little with our drought situation.
 
 

Monday 25 March 2013

I have just had an amazing.....


I have just had an amazing week at the beach with  two friends ... we went on a UFO week and here are the things I managed to finish.



This bag I started three years ago .. it was a class at the Embroidery Guild Conference ... it was way out of my comfort zone but I thought I should try something different ... it so not me and even though I was determined to finish it I still am very unsure about it ... may be the colour or the decoration I am not sure what it.



This one is not so much a UFO ..... as it is a new start a few weeks ago  it is a Needle-case from the Inspiration Magazine, but I want to get it done for our Guild Exhibition in May and this week seemed like a good chance  with seven days of nothing to do but stitch.



This picture is a few of the items that the three of us managed to finish.

It was a great week with good food and company, walking on the beach in sunshine and we had rain for a couple of nights it was so badly needed in our drought ridden area.


Monday 11 March 2013

Sometimes life is just good....




My daughter Kathryn organised a team to enter the 24 hour walk for life. As I am a survivor of Breast Cancer I was on board with out a second thought.

It took place this weekend ... the sun shone beautifully all weekend .
We did it ...8 of us walked with 2 walkers on the track every minute of 22 hours just about ... I did 3 hours during the night with 2 x 2 hour breaks ... and of course half hour stints during day light hours.. feeling good .. only ouch !! heel numb on left foot so far .... wonder what tomorrow will bring .... Here is Kathryn and Mhairi with our amazing banner for Relay For Life


Family affair ... the name came because Grandad Breadmore died of Cancer... my husband had prostate cancer and of course myself with Breast Cancer ... the following is Kathryn's comment on Facebook I think she puts it wonderfully...

Kathryn's message ......Happy tired, sun kissed, muscles ache and amazing achievement running through my body after 22 hours at Relay For Life. So proud of my team and all the effort they put in, the laughter and the enthusiasm. Way to go "Family Affair" we rock! Pedometer says we walked about 130,000 steps between us which is approx 90km
Maybe see some of you next year


Even my 2 grandsons 10yrs and 8yrs walk ... well done Ben and Alex.
These pictures are Ben and Alex finishing a tri- athlon .