So are YOU ready for 2008?

Much has happened over the last 3 weeks. We've had another cleanout of the house before Christmas on top of the usual Christmas rush. It was a great idea - we discovered things we hadn't used and could ebay or give away and took stock of what we really needed going forward...
so the BIG New Year's resolution for all is...
BUY ONLY WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO USE!
DH discovered that he needed new shoes for work and that he has far too many shirts!
DD and I went thru our wardrobe and trimmed it down to what we actually do wear and what we needed to top up.
DS took stock of his running shoes and resolved to push his guitar skills further.

What has happened in the last 3 weeks?
DH got 2 pairs of shoes.
For DS as a reward and incentive for having completed 2 music grades in classical guitar) this year and to do more next year - his Christmas present was a basic Fender strat pack.
DD just wanted and needed new casual shoes instead of living out her sneakers. She got a pair of Converse C Taylor's and Keds casuals. Oh she did get her Twilight themed T-shirt. Designed it and did it with iron transfers.
As for myself, I finally manage to bring myself to throw out my fav but pretty worn pieces of clothing and updated my look with a few items.

So are WE ready for 2008? :) perhaps...
Are You?

Sleep

Been having a spat of sleepless nites where I'd wake up after about 2 hours shut eye.
I used to have more of this while I was still working but I chalked it up to just worrying about work and juggling it all.
I'm trying to 'go with the flow' with these spells and not get too stressed about them.
Perhaps I'm eager with the clean up that I'm doing ahead of ushering in the new year? Nervous Energy...I sure hope so!

It's taken a while....

I just looked back at my post for walking 10,000 steps a day. I haven't been able to do it everyday but managed to slip it in 3 to 4 days a week. The warmer weather has also helped me in cutting back on my food portions.
Have so far dropped 2kgs (4.4lbs) and holding.
I'd like another 2kgs off and am looking at this year's Christmas eating sessions with much trepidation!

Just love this song at the moment!

It just rocks!

Fall Out Boy "The Take Over, The Breaks Over"
The presence of a bulldog helps too!

Baby Bear Sunhat is finished and Brea Bag went out for a test drive

I've finished my Baby Bean Sunhat and I'm deciding what to do do with the pattern ie
Should I try submitting the pattern to printed and online knitting mags?
I've heard that this process can take quite a while just to find out whether it's a yea or a nay.
Does anyone have any first hand experiences that they can offer?
If not, should I offer it online myself for free?

Brea Bag got her first test drive yesterday. I took out some essential items from my usual handbag and I must say the
2 x grid pockets I made holdiing up the sides are doing their job well. They're preventing Brea from flopping into a flat sack with items running aroung in the bottom of the bag. We just went to the Trinity Guildhall speech exams and back. I'll take Brea out shopping in the city one of these days!

An excellent read ..... Twilight

There's not much to post about these days. Just sneaking in my knitting when I can during the daily chores.
There's both DD and DS's end of year exams and activities to ferry them here and there too. I've been trying to get all our paperwork at home filed properly for easy reference and tax .....
and boy is that hard to do! Especially after a few years of neglect.
It's something that I need complete and undivided attention for a few days coz my memory is so bad....! I start piles according to categories I want filed then I forget that I've done one and start another!
On another note, I finished reading Pyramids by Terry Pratchett and started on Twilight by Stephenie Meyer upon DD's insistence.
To my surprise, I was totally engrossed in this YA romance-horror story.

A thoroughly enjoyable read that I could not put down coupled with a beautiful setting (Hoh Rain Forest, Forks, WA) and (I was advised by DS) progressive rock soundtrack by Muse and Linkin Park as recommended by the author, it's one of those books that leave you feeling sad that you've finished reading it.
I really like listening to Phoenix by the The Butterfly Effect while reading this. This song is so Edward!
I've yet to start the sequel, New Moon but am already re reading Twilight :)

I wish I could knit faster!

or at least keep interested long enough in one project before jumping to another!
arrrrghh!

Peonies!

A quick pic before I have them in a vase.

Brea Bag is finished

I've been procrastinating over Brea. The actual knitting took only 4 days but I was dreading the seaming and sewing up the lining.
Pondered way too much about the insides of this bag. I wanted to give this bag a bit of form and structure rather than being a floppy potato sack. I bought some light red cotton drill material use for easy cleaning and durability. Modified it by crocheting more rows at the opening and used a zip instead of a crochet loop and button as the opening was too gaping for my liking. Used extra wooden rings from my curtain rods.
Our local haberdashery store did not have leather straps/material so until I investigate where I can get a proper strap, I'm using one of my old belts. This was an eyeopener for me. I haven't worn waist belts since the lowslung buttcrack showing fashion movement came in. Not that I wore these type of skirts and pants, you just couldn't buy waisted garments off the rack. So last nite, I took my old belts and tried them....OMG my waist has exploded! DH was laughing until I told him to try his old belts. :)

Here's BREA!

I know DS won't starve...

DS is a big fan of Jamie Oliver.
About 2 years ago at the age of 13, he got hooked on JO's TV shows. If only JO had cooking classes for kids. (normal ordinary kids and not the hardknock ones for the "Fifteen" restaurants)
So when cooking was available as an elective extra at school this year, he signed up. They have had only 2 classes but he's learnt how to make ANZAC cookies and sausage rolls. Now and then for a break from homework/studying, he comes to the kitchen and potters....
Now we have to teach him how to clean up his mess effectively...

Pics before these babies burn...

Herbaceous Peonies

Deep Red Rose - "Papa Meilland"

Bearded Iris "Beverley Sills"
It's a little early to have hot weather in Oct but we have had 3 days of high 20'sC. Today's another one with warm winds so I thought I'd take some pics before these lovely blooms get cooked.



My Zelkova Serrata bonsai one year since the last pic - first attempt at the broom style. It didn't have as many shoots after the cut but it's not looking too bad in it's second year of spring.

An Opportunity to Get More Done

DS went for his first East Region Athletics Shield Meet last Saturday. Curious to see what it was like, DH volunteered as a track judge while I found some shade and worked away on the Brea Bag. Cool breezes and a very sunny day, the red yarn almost burnt my retinas!

I hate sewing up and finishing off. Partly because the euphoria of knitting a new project is over and that it just takes me so long to do it!


While gazing at the runners waiting to be called, I looked at DH’s track spikes and it made me think of his first baby shoes.
I had bought these baby Ladybirds a few years before I was married. Just saw them and thought they looked too gorgeous to pass up. It didn’t occur to me that if my firstborn was a boy, red shoes was not a good look! There was a navy pair but the red patent part got me.

I wouldn’t say DS’s a late bloomer but while I marveled at all his precocious peers getting involved in playing instruments, sports, singing and dancing while as tiny tots, DS was not into The Wiggles, Barney, Hi-5 and the singing/dancing parts of Sesame Street. (It’s the same with DD but a slightly different story there).
Here was Mum dancing and singing with the shows and little DS and DD looking at her, thinking “What on EARTH is this MAD WOMAN doing??”
We coerced him into playing the piano and swimming and for a time, he did it just because it was just another activity.
Then something happened in his second last year of primary school. He was promoted to squad training for swimming. Let me tell you, this is gruelling stuff! I felt tired just watching these little guys do dozens of laps. After 3 years of training, it was just too much to keep up with the training and school. He was only just at the state qualifying time for his age group and would need more training to improve. His secondary school inadvertently introduced him to running and with that, ‘Sleeping Beauty’ woke up.
He has changed schools but his interest in running has stayed him. The new school has no compulsory sport program so we enrolled him in our local Aths club.
And this are his track spikes (which is one of 4 pairs of running shoes and he wants another! - a pair of racing flats)…..

Oh yes... and another thing...It's more COOL to play the guitar than it is to play the piano, Mum!
He switched to classical guitar :)

"Danger, Will Robinson!"

More like "Danger, Hui Leng! You're casting on too many!"
I've been feeling stuck with my Precious project - testing knitting, proof reading etc, checking and writing -
that I need something new to do.

So within 48hrs,
I started swatching for my idea of a summer-y jacket.

Then I thought my next Precious test knitting should be done in blue. Casted on.

While power walking, I thought about knitting an adult version on the Precious baby cloche to wear instead of my dumpy freebie hat. Casted on.

And in Ravelry, one can get carried away looking at all those gorgeous FOs and not resist knitting something new.
So I casted on Brea (Norah's Gaughan's Brea Bag) in the afternoon and finished one side


Yesterday I took a deep breath and stopped casting on more new projects.
But I want to do more!
So much for being chaste to one projeect.....

10,000 steps a day...

I love food too much.
I'm usually very good with breakfast and lunch aided by time constraints.
But it goes pear shaped once I hit dinner.
I'm starving by then.
I'm trying to change what I eat to more protein and vegetables.
So it's 10,000 steps a day to help me get into some sort of shape.
I know I know... Round is a Shape!
It's my 3rd day into walking 10,000 steps.
I'm hoping I'll see some results in 3 weeks.

I found Bovril at Safeway!

Whooppee!

You'd never know this IS Melbourne!

This, ladies and gentlemen, is hip and happenin' Melbourne. One of the many lane ways in the city that have sprung to life in the last few years where sushi and pasta eateries mingle. There's a blues guitarist busker at one end and another having a break at the other. The cafes are packed as we jostled thru the walking lunch time crowd. One is so tempted just to sit and have a latte enjoying the sights, smells and sounds.
To think that Melbourne was doomed when an urban study report in the '70s said it would lose activity to its growing suburbs.

Bovril

These 2 tiny bottles almost cost me an arm and a leg. It was already hard to find in our local supermarkets and with the onset of the Mad Cow disease, sales dropped and alas, Bovril was gone.
In 2004, Bovril changed its beef extract recipe to yeast to help bolster sales. I've yet to taste it but according to web sources, tastes tests say it's the same.
I made this desperate purchase at www.treatsfromhome.com.au. I will still scour our local supermarkets to see if anyone might have it. For now, my appetite for Bovril, tomato/cucumber slices on Ryvita crisps is appeased. :)

A Ravelry Test

Let's see if this will picked up by Ravelry

Seremban Beef Noodle (Ngau Lum Fun)

A number of weeks ago while I was cooking Pho, I was overcome with the urge to attempt this recipe from my hometown.
Fond memories of having it at the stall with my dad, I was probably about 4 or 5 and the daughter of the stall owner used to give me a little dish of my own peanuts with my tiny bowl of noodles.
Went on the web to see if I could find any information and lo and behold! this noodle dish is quite famous!
For starters, most bloggers know that it's the beef noodles from Seremban and no other place does it quite the same.
Most bloggers also know the current stall on the second floor in Pasar Besar, Seremban (not the original one from my childhood).
and many thanks to Lily Ng and her entry here,
I decided to get the ingredients this weekend and go for it!
Other than having it ourselves, I sent 3 samples to my sisters nearby to see if they can give me some feedback.
I tweaked Lily's recipe by using beef brisket and veered my beef soup more towards a pho base. I'll try a different marinade for the beef brisket next time and I'm waiting to hear from my sisters!

Private stash - after cleanup

Here it is...
What's left after the cleanup - Malabrigo worsted, Fiesta Yarns La Luz, kokopelli, Rayon Boucle, Frog Tree, Lovely hand dyed yarns from Celia www.celiaknits.blogspot.com, Manos del Uruguay, Alchemy, Zara (?), Brown Sheep and Optim.
I haven't visited any LYS just yet for fear of breaking my abstinence.
I have so many ideas for these yarns but I need to finish my WIPs!

Lunar Eclipse Aug 28 2007

These are nothing like Zippiknits' marvelous photos http://zippiknits.blogspot.com/2007/08/in-beginning.html.
The moon is quite high and these shots are taken coming out of the total eclipse.

SPRING!

We have had great weather this last week - temps 18C to 20C during the day and as you can see, spring has sprung!
Over the last 18 months, I haven't been as diligent as I would have wanted in the garden. So with this great weather, I've been weeding and feeding! I try to do as much as I can in the morning and in the afternoon, knitting in front of the TV catching up on my DVDs.



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One of the hazards of weeding is that I always get startled by a fat juicy earthworm popping out of the ground.
GAAAAH!
I know they're great for the garden but I HATE earthworms!

Ahhhhh .... the joys of having a fat companion dog.
Doggie Notes for when your owner is gardening:
1) Fight for space to park your butt in tight garden spots when she's weeding. No, don't sit somewhere else like opposite her. Make sure you sit beside her or on her toes.
2) Any tight spot is also a great place to stretch and sun yourself right on top of where the weeding is being done.
3) Be sure to get real friendly when you're in a tight spot like sniff and snort really close to your mummy's face.
4) and when she's bending down picking up weeds, leaves etc , remember to go around and make her stuck in an unladylike position.
5) and don't forget to FART like there's no tomorrow.

When you lose track of your WIPS

This is what I unearthed during my spring cleaning. 2 knit WIPs were totally mindless knitting ventures where I just needed something to do with my hands. The other knit WIPs were abandoned/forgotten when I had little gifts to finish and just completely lost momentum to finish them.
Note the silk ribbon embroidery material at the bottom. I'm all read up, researched and ready to go...!
This pic does not included STASH - yarn purchases from the US, from Celia and at least a few years back, kool aid and other dyes, bead stash, embroidery cotton stash, fine crochet cotton, cloth for dress making and various projects and at least 10 cross stitch unopened kits for myself and DD.
eeekkkk.
I think I'd better finish some some of these WIPS quickly....

IT IS DONE!

After 4 months! I've finished going thru the house with finetooth comb!
I admit that I wasn't as ruthless as I wanted to be with my WIPS and stash (will take a scary photo of this weekend) but it's all done. I have some oddbits to put on ebay. Tomorrow the last preloved clothing gets picked up and this weekend we move the hard rubbish out to the nature strip for council pickup.
Next week, we'll get that 8kg front loader washing machine and for me, some fashion mags to bring me up to date (no fashion faux pas at my age). Let's go shopping!

Resisting temptation

I'm almost there with my spring clean. I'm down to our bedroom, bathroom and the cupboard under the stairs.
With our bedroom and especially my wardrobe, I'm determined to be ruthless. Have kept so many items for sentimental reasons but I need to purge.
Will keep my wedding dress and some classics but have to purge the rest. I did promise myself to buy a few new things this coming spring to update my wardrobe and knit for myself which I haven't done for some time now.

Celia has offered me the opportunity to buy some of her items incl her Ashford wheel!
OOOOOO!
I am so TEMPTED!
I purged some of my craft stash including a spinning wheel (gosh can't even call it a stash - more like a cave of wonders) starting some 12 months ago. Just had not enough time to do all the crafts I wanted to pursue. So I prioritised them and spinning was one of the first to go as it was time consuming and I couldn't dedicate any more at that stage to learning the craft.
And I'm sure as I tackle my bedroom I'll find more things that I forgotten I had.

But I can't, SHOULDN'T take on any more new things just yet....eek.

For example -
Here's a pair of Red Satin RAYNE shoes (size 7 - innersole 25.5cm) that I'd forgotten I had. Tried to ebay it but no takers. Wore it once for a wedding. DD's feet area already too big for them. Please post if you are interested.

Behemoth Lunatic???

Things to do at Blogthings

Your Monster Profile

Behemoth Lunatic You Feast On: Peanut Butter You Lurk Around In: The Ocean You Especially Like to Torment: Hippies

What's Your Monster Name?

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Your Theme Song is Beautiful Day by U2

"Sky falls, you feel like It's a beautiful day Don't let it get away" You see the beauty in life, especially in ordinary everyday moments. And if you're feeling down, even that seems a little beautiful too.

What's Your Theme Song?

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You Are a Light Pink Rose

You represent sweetness and grace. Your vibe: Kind and gentle Falling in love with you: is like falling in love with a best friend

What Color Rose Are You?

Interesting!

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Orange County

You're rich, pretty, and living a charmed life. (Or you seriously wish you were.) From Disneyland to Laguna Beach, you're all about living the California dream life. Just make sure to marry rich - so you don't have to work for it!

Where Does Your Inner Californian Belong?

Somebody tell my husband he's supposed to be rich!