Renewed Spirits and Wedding Bits

Wow where have I been??

Hiding it seems, fully enveloped in my real world, not wanting to surface and be here. I have had my first negative encounter with blogging, a world that I felt was shut off to such things, but how naive of me to think there could be a barrier at all.

So I have been a bit confused and had to rethink why I am here, what does blogging mean for me??....

For me it is giving unconditionally, which I see as giving and expecting absolutely nothing in return, so if you comment thats wonderful, I love to hear what you think, I love the connection but I also know that there are a huge amount of people who read my blog and dont comment and that is wonderful too.  I am here for me, to share my journey and hopefully help others on the way.  I expect nothing form you but what you wish to take from my postings.  Anything you choose to give is a gift to me and I thank you soo much for that.

THANKYOU!

So with my head in check I return.

So anywhoo I have actually been super busy too, with the wedding tomorrow that I have been creatively helping out with, lots of fun setting up and driving around collecting water lillies, roses, hay bales, bamboo and cut trees.  I love this stuff.

Too cute for words is what me and munchy are wearing, I have gone beyond the line with motherly geekery and made us matching dresses!!  My personality must be returning, I always did like to take the piss.  Poor Indi having to be involved! haha

Ohh I love L.O.V.E.

My dress was white so with dye, embroidery, decoration and frills it has come alive, Indias dress is made from my favorite skirt I brought in Thailand when I did my OE back in 2003, so nice to transform it into something for her. So as the Thais say..we are "same same but different".

Ready for the Spring Wedding

I have made my traditional gypsy wedding flags for the bride.  These are the best gifts ever, after the wedding is over they are then used for every party and the couples childrens parties too, lots of memories in my flags.

I will post wedding photos after the weekend so you can see the other creations like the photo tree.

And god I have been so busy I havent even really announced properly that everything in my ETSY store is on sale, I need to get rid of everything from this year and previous years and move in my whole new direction.

So SALE SALE SALE take it all.

Although somehow word has got around and I have been packaging and posting every day.

  This part I absolutely love, knowing that the envelope is sealed by me with wishes whispered inside before sealing, and opened by you somewhere new for all those wishes to escape.

If I were a rich man I would have a free website so I could just post presents to people all day.

But NZ post prices!!  Eeek!  You would think we were on the end of the earth!

Ohh hang on, we are!

 Well my child is destroying my house in boredom so I have to get going

and I have a new recipie to share next week for Corn chips, I just need to make them one more time to make sure its perfect!

Ohh god I have just checked on her, 20cms from the tv, watching shrek, chewing on a dog biscuit!!

Yeah I really gotta go!

xxx

Sheree

LOVE

Ohh if only our children knew how much we think of them.....

and wonder if we are raising them well...



xxx
Sheree

P.S. Im having a sale over at ETSY
everything from 2010 must go!!!
to make room for the new me
part of the transformation process.
xxx

TV and Realities...

You know you watch the same talent programmes and the same type of people are on over and over again, and when someone finally wins, you feel nothing!, nothing at all because they actually werent that amazing, they were just less annoying than everyone else this season..

I am a sucker for Top Model, Top Chef, Project Runway, Idol, X Factor anything with talented people, I just cant get enough.

But this year our 'New Zealands Next Top Model' finally got something right.

This is our winner, Danielle and we loved her from day one because she is real.



No nice talk, no falseness and no vanity driven bitchiness.

She is awkward, shy, obnoxious, aloof, funny, mean, lovely and such a tomboy.

Just real, just a person who can photograph really well...a model.

Sad how there is the pressure these days with these programmes to be everything, to be beautiful, be able to sing and be funny and have a personality people have to vote for... poor contestants, where do the ones who get spat out end up?? in rehab??  its must be a bit soul destroying being voted off by the world.

No not for me at all, I have a blog because I trust you are reading because you want to be, and I cant see all you people who pass me by....just the way I like it.

So well done Danielle, our house is so happy for you


and Favorite Blog Post Of The Week

goes to Tina over at Carousel Dreams
http://carouseldreams-tina.blogspot.com/2010/11/calico-and-tattered-lace.html

she has made the most wonderful bunting flags that are just so raw with beauty and honesty and meaning.
So go take a look

xxx

Sheree 

A Little Dash Of Christmas

Hello Lovelies!!

Never too early to put your tree is it???...not when you have a 2 year old!

and who is this little guy waiting for??

We decided the theme under our tree this year is 'Fairy Tea Party'... but we have no food!!! and as of yet..no guests!



My little 'Pohutukawa Fairy' looks ever so hungry and lonely, and he still has 40 something sleeps till the big day!  I went on the net and did some shopping, and I know you cant buy friends with money!! but for this little darling yes you can!  I went here to 'Woodlands Enchanted' and brought him four new friends to celebrate with.  They are the most beautiful fairies made of NZ sheeps wool, no made in china labels to be seen!

So while guests are being shipped in the mail, we can get on with collecting little lovely nature treats for a fairy Xmas Lunch!

I felt a bit naughty putting the tree up already but reasoned that the adverts have started on TV and soon the radio will be following so we had forgiven ourselves.....and then I went over to visit Miss V and saw she was in the spirit too!

She had made some Xmas trees from cotton balls (which you can see here) and so we got to work and made one for Nana.  Nana has the snowy ornaments at Christmas time, in our house we rage against the stereotypical so no snow inspired creatures to be seen....

making this tree was so fun and easy for little hands, I did the hot glue and she popped on the cotton balls...

This got me thinking about what kind of tree I should make then, if not a snowy one, and realised I should be making  Pohutukawa trees, Its our National Xmas Tree, not that we decorate it but just that it flowers at Xmas and you go to the beach to be with them.  They arent brought into the home, its illegal to cut them!!

So to any New Zealander this sight speaks Xmas and summer and bbqs and swimming and drinking and relaxing.. ahhhhhh Christmas...so lets get to work then...

Green Felt and thread ahoy!

I traced the top of the tree and cut out matching backs and fronts...



I want my trees to have real trunks form the actual Pohutukawa tree so off to the beach to collect twigs from our favorite tree..which you may remember from this tale...

Here are the blosssoms ready to burst!  ewwww...wait...wait........

Back home skippidy skip and I snap the twigs to look like trunks and glue to one side of the tree foliage..

I blanket stitch the sides and bottom and then stuff thru the top...

For added magic every tree has a leaf slipped inside it too, so that these are real trees!, like little parcels of the beach to hang at home...

Stitch all the way around and sew a string loop in the top so it can hang and there is the tree...but wait..now it needs summery red flowers...

Glitter bug alert, i dotted PVA glue over the top and covered with glitter and flicked the excess off...

and you are left with the most delicious little tree all ready to hang once it dries...I love the twig trunk, it brings the tree to life...

So we made a whole bunch and they are all ready to be packaged up and sent to our families so we can all be connected by a very special creation....



Now about that fairy food......

Hows your Christmas lists going my lovelies

tick tock tick tock its getting close

eeeekkkkk!!

I absolutely love presents, dont you??

xxx

Sheree

Creative Kids

Arent self portraits hard????  I am always behind the camera and whenever I take photos of myself they come out soooo posed because I always know the exact moment I am going to go CLICK!!!!

Must have Kelly takes photos of little old mee this weekend......

Or get Munchy onto the camera for some training so she can be my photographer, shes 2 and 3/4 now, thats old enough right????

Well apart from our vanity we have been playing with other things this week, we went a walking and found a branch that had snapped off in the wind, so we brought it home to do some art with it, giving it new purpose..

Puka Leaf Printing

Paint your leaf with lashings of colour..

flip onto paper and roll or press over the back (she loves to use my tools!) famous artist here we come!

carefully lift off while holding the paper (excuse the washing in the background! ehhem!)

and sprinkle with sparkley happiness...

we also made an apple stamp and printed that.

Im surprised the terms that Indi has picked up with her art work, she knows this is printing and not painting and then she knows screen printing too, I cant wait to see what kind of art she will produce one day when she has been introduced to so much at such a young age, she does it all, with help from mum, but she understands every process....

So will I be a little disappointed when she turns her back on art and becomes a businesswoman in high heels who wants to study Law and live in an Apartment!!

Sad but true I think I will be!...thats why Im embracing my grubby little artistic wild child while I can, before she realises that we dont all live on a farm surrounded by cow poo, merrily creating here and there..

What else can we get up to??

I feel some Xmas spirit coming on!

xxx

Sheree

Firecracker Firecracker Boom Boom Boom

Firecracker Firecracker Boom Boom Boom

Firecracker Firecracker Boom Boom Boom

the boys have got the muscles

the teachers got the brains

the girls have got the sexy legs

and we won the game

Woooooooo!!!

anybody remember this one???

I can see myself at about age 6 singing it with a group of girls in Primary School,

good old 6 when you think you know everything!!!

Well the weekend would have been the perfect time to be 6 again because it was Guy Fawkes, november 5th where we light fireworks to honour a man (guy fawkes!) who tried to blow up english parliament with bombs!!

but just like everything else dangerous in this world it has been tapered down to practically nothing.  no more rockets, no double happies and no more spinning wheels  : (

 

So we made do with modified crackers made into bombs and emergency flares for sky rockets!

run kids run!

This was Indi's first time holding a sparkler, I think they are just a tad hard to comprehend with mummys explanation 

" Ok so hold this little exploding stick but hold it at the bottom and dont touch the glowing part because it will burn and its ok, dont be scared because the sparks wont hurt you but watch out for where the left over glowing red stuff is because that will hurt you.....now have fun!!!!"

?????Muuuuuuuuuummmm?????

dosent she look elated!! haha

Lucky she has a Lucy to help her out!

My favorite firework was the chinese lantern, it used to spin around and in the end a paper lantern dropped down and it glowed from a little flame that was left lit inside it, I used to keep it all year till I got a replacement...

Do you remember your favorite fireworks??

xxx

Sheree

The MacGyver Approach To Crackers

Last post I told you I was on a mission to make my own crackers, and what success Ive had!!

They are very yummy for a first try so Im hoping to get far more experimental with practice.

and what is this thing I hear you ask??? Well its my latest invention.  The recipie tells how you have to prick the entire surface of the cracker to keep them flat.  I dont have all day so I made this multi pricker....

from cardboard, double sided tape and tacks, it made the job much faster...

it also said to use a brush to brush all the crackers with oil before salting, but being smart I used a new sponge from my art room, one dab and it was all done....

the finished results were very yummy but a bit odd.  I now know how to make Pita Pockets!

So if you dont prick the surface enough (just breeze over it..woops!) you end up with puffing, still yummy but hard to balance toppings on! (you could put topping in though!!)

Lesson learned, 'Donot skim on pricking'

Ohh Yummmeeeee....

Now I had to rush.. I had to go pick Munchy up from grandmas....

and Im walking today!!

 but it is beautiful,

I love it when its finally spring and the drive way dries up and turns to soft sand instead of mud, no more gumboots! woo hoo.

I have a beautiful walk down.....

see some friends along the way....Hi friends!... yummy friends hehe!!!...

ohh the lovely drive way, its quite legendary for being one of the most hideous drives around, keeps our visitors elite, only the brave arrive for a tea!...

after picking little miss up we walk next door to grandads work, uncle Troy is fixing up this rather strange battered go cart from the dump ( yes we all shop at the dump round here)

My little tinker fairy just cant help herself, she is in there with her tools fixing it up...

Home for the last game of Peek A Boo with some puppies before they are shipped to their new homes... quite sad really, this one Jem was my favorite, she loved to play dollies xxx

BOO!

and then to settle down with some crackers to eat...



I get more excited about food every day!

Raven Moon Magic Crackers

2 cups Flour ( I used 1c spelt and 1c wholemeal)

1tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4cup butter

1/2cup milk

1 large egg

poppy seeds or sesame seeds etc

sift dry ingredients and knead in butter

add milk and egg and seeds to make a dough

add more flour if too sticky

roll out thin and cut,

poke holes all over to stay flat when cooking!!

dab with oil and sprinkle salt over tops

Bake for 10mins @ 220'c  or 400'f

store in a very airtight container

YUM YUM!

Well I hope some of you feel inspired to make these, so easy and cheap, I ended up with 82 crackers, over two box fulls if they were brought.

and I have to end this post with my Xmas wish list seeing as its November in a few days.

November!! Time to start dropping hints...ehhheemmm..

I want these two books so bad.

I feel if I get the green one (which I have just looked thru at my brother house) my stomach will be fulfilled in every way, it has everything and is amazing.  All such basic ingredients which Im so happy about too, and lots of new skills to learn.  It is a very fat book indeed!

and I had a wonderful blogger comment on my last post and told me where I had heard about living like your Nana from, and its this lady who is a New Zealander!  ohh joy!

so yes please santa, Im in need of this one too!! 

please pretty please with a cherry on top!



Whats on your xmas list this year??? 

if your partner is the proof reader/editor of your blog posts (like mine) then here is the perfect place to project wishes from!

I like it!

Happy Halloween to all this weekend, Nothing much going on here but a whole lot of horror movies on TV...yikes!  I think I'll retreat to my lady cave and sew  : )

xxx

Sheree