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Claudine-At messy play. She thought the squelching noise of her wellies on the way home was absolutely hilarious.

Findlay-Having examined the entire perimeter of the house and garden he is now attempting to scale Mount. Mama and other upright unexplored territory...

Taking part in the Portrait Project at Che and Fidel

Serendipity-do-dah :Op-Shop Show-Off:Tuesday 29th October, 2013

So there I was, minding my own business, reading blogs on my phone, supervising the two napping children in the back of the car. Terry was outside, pillaging the Rangiora tip shop, when I came across a (nother) mouthwatering recipe on Petite Kitchen. Whilst resolving to try out the Ginger and Coconut Muesli recipe ASAP, I was also salivating over the cute muesli storage jar in the pretty pictures. So when Terry came back I popped in quickly myself on the of-chance of scoring one. Serendipity do-dah, serendipity day, my oh my what a beautiful day.

3 French parfait preserving jars; 2 L, 1.5L, 0.75 L. Seals intact, plus extra seals. $6.

The muesli is very much deserving of it's fancy jar; it tastes light and christmassy, especially with dried cranberries.








*The muesli in the open jar though is a tweaked, no nuts Nigella concoction

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 Findlay-"Aww, you look so cute, let me just get my camera... Fin...Fin?". He found his feet last week, this week he found fast.

Claudine-Post sausage sizzle, mid-terrier racing, pre-bouncy castle blowing over. All the fun of the A & P show (in a gale).



Week 43/52 Portraits of my Children in 2013. This year is passing as fast than a terrier after a cat!

Quilts Like Hugs

WHAT A QUILT HUG FEELS LIKE

*Photograph by Linda at the fascinating Wetcreek Museum blog.





There is a marvellous local to me woman in the blogosphere whom makes the most marvellous quilts, quilts with extraordinary healing properties. Quilts that hug, and hold and comfort people in all kinds of situations. She makes them and then she pays for each one ($120 or thereabouts) to be professionally finished before giving them away; over and over and over again. Until now. She can no longer afford to do this. 














Beautiful too aren't they. She cannot be allowed to stop!


So, a gaggle of local bloggers and friends have banded together to fund raise to buy her a machine capable of professional quilting so she can continue in her crafty good giving ways. They are 2/3 rds of the way to the $3000 (gulp!) goal.

There is a Blessing Deb Facebook auction coming up, to which I shall be donating some op-shopped item of awesome, when I get my a into g!. And bidding my a off in too! Do have a look.

Or you can, if your feeling in a straightforwardly generous mood, donate directly:-

03 1592 0638896 00 Westpac 

 T Aldridge & J Van der Heijden 

For overseas people who wouldlike to contribute there is a paypal account the details of which can be obtained from treenamarie@gmail.com

TIA x

Fete Acompli: Op-Shop Show-Off: Tuesday October 22nd, 2013

Welcome Spring. Season of dung-outs and school fete fruitfulness.

Welcome another lovely bit of home-hewn kitchenware.

At last, an elusive chopping board: alas not sycamore, but Rimu; from the white elephant stall (actually a massive room full of proper old stuff, for which we were supposed to make an to make an offer. Which no one did as the lady manning it suggested ludicrously low prices without prompting. Hence I scored a box of lovely and useful things that should see me Op-Shop Showing-Off well into the new year. For all of $3).

*Pretty pickings courtesy of Claud.

Apparently the origin of the phrase white elephant was from the white elephants, revered in India, given as presents to frenemies, who then struggled financially to keep them. I wonder what the origin of the word Tombola is?! I do love these fine English fete-tastic words.

It is like home away from home, up to a point, at a school fete in 'Pommy-ora'. Castles were jumped, ponies were baulked at and rainbow cones spilt. Devonshire teas were slurped as the grown ups idly watched kids wreck a car with mallets taller, and probably heavier than them. Bunting slapped in the breeze above the heads of the floss-sticky kids queuing for Harley rides, the seats carefully covered with a blanky between goes to avoid leg burn on the sun scorched rear seat. Sigh. Only at school fete in 'Rang-hoon'!

42/52 Portraits of my Children in 2013

Claudine-Ever since we mentioned she might be getting a bit too heavy for the backyard swing she has swung at every opportunity, apparently desperate to squeeze every last swing out of the thing before she has to hand it over to lighter little brother.The promise to build her a tree house in recompense is helping us avoid the shriek-y 'but it's mine" tears.


Findlay-The forager, eating dandelion leaves. He's also eaten cat biscuits and half the contents of his sister art box this week. Aided to raid by his new-found skills in wall-to-wall rolly-polys, pushing up on all fours, crawling backwards, and then crawling forwards-all in the space of one week. OMG. It's all on!


Week 42/52 of the Portrait Project at Che and Fidel.

I'm not a little teapot, short and stout :Op-Shop Show-Off : Tuesday, Oct 15th, 2013

Spring, and all my thoughts have turned to the garden. As you can see from the background to these shots all my actions have not yet turned to my garden, but op-shopping garden gear with rustic charm is surely a step in the right direction? Oh galvanised steel watering can, how I love thee. And get thee gone green made-in-New-Zealand-but-alas-still-plastic watering can. Oh, you've gone already (thanks to two recent episodes of ultra high winds I presume). A totally justifiable purchase on practical as well as aesthetical grounds then! Garage sale, $4.



What do your thought turn to in Spring? Spring cleaning? New Wardrobe? Helping others?


If like me every season is second hand shopping season for you, do link up!