Kiwiana Again!

Well done to those of you who guessed that my big secret project was learning to drive!

Like I mentioned, at 46 I'm a little older than most novice drivers, but I'm loving it.

Yes, I have my own wee car and I will post some pictures just as soon as I take some!

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So, back to the crafty stuff and the name of this post!

I'm off again with more Kiwiana fabrics.

Just big old I spy squares. (The ones I bought in Geraldine on my birthday).

Easy and fun and a good one to use as a practice piece on my quilting frame.

Just playing about with the layout here, I think I'm happy with it as is, so may get the sewing machine cover off later today.

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A colleague had her camera out at a recent staff night out and was taking snaps of the evening.

 I asked her to include a couple of Tony and I as we don't have many pictures of us together.

He was winning millions!

Shame it was only play money.

And because she is beautiful.

A pic of my grand daughter Faith.

In a pretty dress and wellies!

Ta da!

That big project I've been hinting about?

All finished!

Phew! What a week.

It has been a busy week here in my world.

Not one but 4 birthdays!!

And extra shifts at work!

You probably remember that my birthday is about now, but did you know Debbie and her daughter Ash have their birthdays this week too? And also one of the Asian students who lodges with Deb and her family also had a birthday this week. Like I said, busy!

So amid all of my work hours this week, Tony and I scored a day off together. It was a beautiful sunny day even if it did start with a -5 frost! (((Shiverrrrrr)))

We drove up to Geraldine. Where we visited the very important and first stop on the list The Pin Tin Quilting shop.

I've visited there quite a few times now, with Debs and with Tony.

Maybe it was because I had Tony with me...... I was very well behaved and purchased only this charm pack of Kiwiana fabrics to make an eye spy quilt.

I used a voucher I had won on a previous visit to pay for half of it too! 

We ate lunch at the Berry barn before visiting the cheese shop and the alpaca yarn store!

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Yesterday, (Saturday) Debbie, myself and Lee all hopped into Debbies car and we drove to The Quilting Shed. This was my second visit to this out of the way, well off the beaten path, but very lovely quilt store. For Debbie and Lee it was a first.

Again I was quite well behaved. Two remnants and a bag pattern.

Debbie spent a few pennies too!

Lee is not a quilter, she very much enjoys her crochet and some knitting. We agreed that next time we all three go out for the day, we will be sure to include a yarn store or two.

After a lovely lunch at Riverstone Kitchen  We looked around the gift shops where Debbie found more fabric, Lee found cushion covers and I found this pretty pinwheel. 

we then went into Oamaru and visited another cheese shop, before heading home for the usual Saturday gathering. I had left a Venison Goulash in the crock pot and made Ash my lovely Cauliflower and cheese sauce. Debs had two birthday cakes, the BBQ was roaring and we all ate too much and enjoyed it!!

Sorry no pictures.

Like I said, we ate it!

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 Amid all the other nice things that happened this week, I had a windfall from the tax man!

Not a huge rebate, but enough to treat myself to these two cross stitch patterns.

I won them on Trade-me. (Kiwi ebay)

Oh! And I must show you my gift from my lovely husband.

 I had mentioned a few weeks ago that my mobile phone was getting tired and I might like a new one for Christmas.

 So he bought me one for my birthday! LOL

Complete with cute cover.

It was all set up and ready to go.

And DD provided me with the perfect picture to use as wall paper!

Did I find time to craft mid all of that?

Yes.

I made three more crochet flowers!!

LOL

This next week looks to be just as busy.

I have extra hours at work planned already!

Still making flowers.

Where time permits.

Busy, busy, busy.

I apologise for being so quiet lately, but I have been very busy.

Not always with my crafty endeavours.

I have dedicated quite a lot of time to another project, something that has come to me a little later in life than it does to most.....

I'm almost ready to reveal what that might be.

I've helped my beloved build a rather substantial workbench down in his man cave.

And here and there I was able to create a bag full of these pretties.

 Which, once they had been inspected.....

 I was able to begin turning into these.

Pretty flowers, which I will join together and make a beautiful flowers in snow blanket.

I have about sixty so far. I think I will need some more.

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Hmm, what else has been happening?

The two baby girl blankets I made for a colleague were gifted last week, she was delighted and I received a lovely thank you hug.

The baby boy blanket will go into work to be gifted this week.

I didn't as yet bury the quilting threads in the produce quilt!

I will, I will.

Some time!

Over the weekend I was able to expand my culinary horizons again.

Tony and I have been given some Tahr meat.

It is an introduced species which is thriving here in NZ, so hunters are encouraged to take it.

I slow cooked a shoulder in my crock pot.

No picture, because, well there was nothing to see really, just a big lump of meat in a pot! LOL

I had been told that the meat is a little like lamb, so treated it as a such.

I added red wine, stock and some herbs to the pot and let it cook all day.

Wow. The meat was a little like lamb, but has a more delicate flavour.

There was virtually no fat in the pot, nothing to skim off for the roast veges.

We both very much enjoyed our meal and the small amount that is left will be made into a mild curry this evening.

It has to be mild, I don't want to drown out the flavour of the meat with an overly hot curry sauce.

Time to go.