Weekend cooking

This weekend was a wonderful time spent with one of my best friends, Sonia. Saturday was a quick shopping and visiting trip to New Plymouth. Then home for a lunch and time to get Sonia's project life organised. Saturday night was roast dinner at Marilyn's celebrating mums birthday and David being home from university. I then went home to change into my beach dress for the school ball "the Beach Ball". It was loads of fun and the students were the best at dancing and having a good time. Lots of great dancers and the boys were certainly more into dancing than the girls. I was home in time to turn into Cinderella so that was good.

Sunday I was up early to back and cook lunch for Sonia who was coming to make cards. I made individual fudge cakes for supper on Thursday at institute, and more of them for school on Thursday for Fiona. The items in the square baking tins are potato puffs. These are my favourite lunch dish but does require cooking the potatoes the day before. Sonia really enjoyed lunch as I made quinoa salad as well so that was good.

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Below are the cards that we made. It was just from a card idea on Jessica Taylor's blog so we worked well and it was a fun afternoon. The cards were all just general ones and I am thinking about taking some to friends to sell. 

Nearly finished

Shady colours number 1 is finished. The last back stitching has been done and now it can be laced and off to get framed. I have started number two and am trying to stitch along with mum on the Monday nights. This piece is in green and purple so a bit different to go on the wall.
Also to be framed is walk on the wild side so I have read the finishing instructions and laced the back canvas onto the board. Woo hoo that is for this piece as they were started in Columbus seminar in 2010.
I will try and put the pictures from the ipad onto this blog.

Also since last posting I was given an opportunity to taste test a recipe and made a pad thai, using a packet. It was nice and easy to do. Only change I did was i put some slivered almonds as I don't have peanuts in my house. Just something I don't eat very much of.

Next event is the Woman's Institute Conference. Seven days to go and it will be all on. today I have made rhubarb and ginger jam but not happy with the second batch. I will see if it is set tomorrow and if not I will boil it again on Tuesday.

Stamping up have a new catalogue and there are a number of new items that I would like but will wait until later in the month to see what if tick twice. Going to also try and downsize some of my sets but it is hard as I love them all.

Blog award and latest needlepoint piece.

It has been a long while since I have written but recently I was nominated on Lee’s blog for the award below. I would like to thank her and hope that you have time to visit her blog Notes from under the mountain.

I understand the rules of this award is as follows-

The purpose of this award is for bloggers to nominate fellow, mostly newer, bloggers that they wish to recognise. The goal is to bring attention to blogs that we think are "lovely" and enjoy reading. We hope others will enjoy reading these blogs also.

In order to accept the award, the nominated blogger must follow these rules::

Thank the person who nominated you & link back to them in your post.

Share seven facts about yourself

Nominate 10 other bloggers for the award

Seven Facts about myself.

·         I grew up in the Stratford, have lived overseas for 12 years and came back to Stratford. When I moved home from Melbourne I went the long way around which took nearly six months.

·         I work in the place that I attended secondary school – Stratford High School.

·         I started embroidery as a child but knitted and crocheted mostly. I have the first piece of embroidery I made – a linen tea towel with a chef on it. Still used in my kitchen.

·         My favourite type of embroidery is canvas work or needlepoint and I would live to be able to design pieces.

·         I started beading in 1991 while in Melbourne and since about 2007 I have designed a beaded Christmas decoration for my night class ladies. My aim is to one day write down and graph out the patterns. Perhaps I will have to give up work to have enough time.

·         I have decided that none of my work needs to be kept. My three nieces will have far too much stuff to keep all the pieces so in future years I am going to look at selling them.

·         My stash is never organised but often in a state of organisation. I can usually find what I am looking for but occasionally a surprise comes out and I think I must finish this.

The 10 Blogs that I nominate in no special order are-

I am not certain if any of these people will carry this forward but I hope that they might. These are the blogs that I read for inspiration and encouragement.

Sharon B – Pintangle blog; an excellent Australian blogger who took a stitch sampler to new heights.

Robin Atkins – Beadlust   http://beadlust.blogspot.co.nz/ a wonderful beader who does the most amazing work.

Ruth Schmuff – Not your grandmothers needlepoint. My favourite site for exploring needlepoint ideas

LizArt - http://lizartblog.blogspot.co.nz/   fabulous work on bargello pieces.

GayAnn Rogers: www.gayannrogers.com

Orna Willis – ADORN http://ornadesign.blogspot.co.nz/

Zentangle blog: http://zentangle.blogspot.co.nz/

Going to pieces blog - http://www.goingtopieces.blogspot.co.nz/

Jo Dixey – dixeysoul.blogspot.com

Tricia Wilson Nguyen – Thistle threads blog http://thistle-threads.blogspot.co.nz/

Latest update on shady colours.

This has been a pleasure to stitch and I am looking forward to stitching the next one (green and purple). In the first picture I have nearly completed the Amadeus stitches on the big triangle and in the next picture I have started on the last pair of triangles. 

Holiday week.

Wednesday on holiday with mum and dad in Tauranga. It has been wonderful weather so that has been a bonus for us. Yesterday we visited the kiwi fruit farm that we used to stay at. A bag of kiwi fruit, avocados and passion fruit later we had looked at all the vines. Not in such great repair and dad thinks that they should have sold for the offer. House was looking okay but needs repairs. 
Back into town with a stop at the wine shop and lunch at palmers. Dad had the wrong time for his appointment so we decided to catch up with friends who own a cafe. Found the cafe, they weren't there but Kenneth who I went to school with was. Got to lawyers and left dad while mum and I went for a walk around the town. After meeting back up we went to the bernina shop and got an invite to the club class being held in the morning. Back to hotel for a rest. Decided to go to fish and chip place for tea which was lovely. A night at hotel reading, watching TV and embroidery followed. 

Thursday mum and I were up and off to the bernina class. Really interesting and lots of people. Learnt about different buttonholes and there uses: also great for appliqué. Next session was about making a woollen wrap. Was a great idea and might try from some fabric I have at home. Other product demonstrated was shrink fabric. I bought some to try when I get home. Back to the hotel to pick up dad and over to mount maunganui for lunch. Found a nice garden cafe for lunch. Had a great Kumera soup. Next stop was the packing business to meet with Helen who deals with the sale of the kiwifruit. We had a great tour of the packing plant and watched them pack the gold kiwifruit. For tea mum and I found a chinese takeaway which was called Rok the Wok. It was very nice.
Friday we travelled to Taupo so I could do the 100Km flyer with karen and phil on the Saturday. I was the support car driver. It was a horrible day as shown by the photo of the intrepid bikers at the start of the race. The race went along some interesting roads and both Karen and Phil felt the cold. Phil finished in a time of about 4 1/2 hours while Karen completed 75km and had a police ride to the end. A bit of a worry as she never went past me, while I was waiting in the car.

Karen and Phil off to the start of the 100km race.

Sunday monring - all recovered and getting ready to drive home.

Sunday we drove home in wonderful weather and that was the end of the holiday.

Walk is finished

Project of the last four years is finished.  Walk on the wild side by Linda Reinmiller is finished. The last bead tassels were done this week and now onto the framing. 

This project has been lots of fun and a big challenge at times, especially when I had to do the weaving bands three times.

New project is the Shady Colours cyber class by Carole Lake and Michael Boren. Mine is a pewter palate of colours so looking forward to the stitching and not having to worry too much about colours. Mum has the same class set and is doing it in the blue with orange accents. I also have periwinkle and green colour way to stitch later on the year. 

Start with a Jean Hilton stitch double fan doubled. This was easy as the instructions were detailed and the thread smooth to use. Another new thread to my collection.

WOW What a weekend

Been a great weekend and visited the Auckland Museum today to see the WOW exhibition. Got in for free as Stephanie is auckland resident, Lovely to see some of the pieces up close and personal and almost so you can touch them. Amazing how some can take an ordinary fabric and turn it into something stunning.

  This construction is done using felt and wood. Most amazing detail in it. 

 This costume was done using EVA fabric with paint and layering. A stunning result.

Watching the Sol3 Mio concert at the moment, while having a nice cuppa and ginger gems.

Weekend adventures

It's the long weekend and a chance to escape the Naki. After a week of fine sunny weather woke on Friday morning to rain which got heavier during the morning. School was a busy day with the mentor programme interviews and I was fortunate to have mine over with by lunchtime.  A wet drive to Auckland arriving at Stephanie's in time for tea. Fish and chips on the foreshore brought back our childhood memories of this treat.

Saturday after attending Aqua Zumba at Cameron Pool, we went to St Luke's for one thing and ended up with several others as only we can do. After a muffin and coffee we drove to Hamilton for our tour and high tea at Zealong.

Tea ceremony.

Arrived at Zealong about 2pm and waited for our tour to start. Very nice sitting in car, as sun is shining. Tour started and it was just us two. Sophie our guide was very informative and keen about the tea estate. Interesting how the tea is growing in the Waikato region and the actual Zealong estate has only been in operation for six years now, they produce 20 tonnes of tea per year with 60% going overseas. Our tea ceremony was fun but the first tea tasted like grass the young man who joined us commented but it did get better on the second infusion. High tea was fabulous with a wonderful array of savoury and sweet dishes with the venison meatball, chicken wrap and white chocolate with tea infusion my favourites. A walk back down to the car, phone call to Stephanie's brother and we were on our way into Hamilton when the heavens opened and the wipers were going full steam ahead.

Calling into Neville and Barbara-Lee's we ended up staying for a bbq tea. Very nice and tried to sort out the commission for the tattoo referrals for Thomas. 

A drive home with some rain once we got into auckland. A very successful day with shopping, exercise, socialising and being tourists all covered.