Advancements in zig zaggery

I have just changed out of my new jammies.  I love the feeling of new jammies, and could wear them the whole day but the prospect of having new knick knacks to put on was also a delight.  Has been a bit of a quandary situation as, being in a 'foreign' country not knowing where one buy such things when there is no Marksies or Dunnes about!  Eek.  I did see some scrumptious jammies in a catalogue that I have fallen in love with (but never bought from as v expensive!) called Garnet Hill but they were 29 dollars !! and that was when they were reduced, so quite pleased I got 2 pairs for $24.  Turns out the answer is Walmart - not very chic but lovely all the same.  We had a HORRIFIC family shop there yesterday, we had to get stuff for our hols including shoes for all the little ones, so we /all/ had to go.  I am quite well used to shopping with 3 children, but its still, a challenge, as none of them will stay in the trolley, or they all want to be in the trolley and there is only 2 spaces.  Hubby did not handle so well, and as a result it was quite stressful. BUT I persevered, as its quite a trek to this shop and I really didn't want to have to go back this week, so pretty much got all we needed.  The rest of the day was under a rain cloud though :-(

Anyways, now I am dressed and all the boys have gone to the park and I have a bit of time Home Alone - very rare and very precious, also I don't know how long they will be, so am trying to cram loads in.  Kettle has just popped so I will be back in a mo with a cuppa......

Oh they are home and I have nothing written!

So I have discovered something in my ventures in zig zaggery.....  When I was first looking at the instructions, it says, somewhere, to do a few try outs just to get into the swing of things.  Of course I am far too impatient for that so it has take me quite a few rows and colours to finally get into a comfortable understanding of the 'flow' of the pattern.  As you can see in the pattern picture in Attic 24 there is a lovely neat orderly row of ripples, well mine has only been like this for the last 15 rows or so...  For a while I was despairing, and part of the reason I took I hiatus from rippling was that, although I was counting religiously, my ripples were STRAIGHTENING!  Argh.  Anyhow, I have discovered that I should be increasing and decreasing my lines in the same place as the lines below, and just using the counting as a rough guide.  As a result, the ripples lie much more uniformly. I don't mind so much, I am going to keep this blanket for me and me alone, so I can live with its imperfections.  Previous blankets (#1 and #2) were sent off as presents - both to the UK.  I am quite startled about how long it takes to post packages to the UK (I was thinking a week and in some cases it has been 3 months, and the second package hasn't even arrived yet!!!).  I finished the baby blanket with a scalloped edge but for some reason didn't get a picture of it, duh!

Blanket #1

Blanket #2

Anyway, as a result this experiment in zig zaggery has made me more confident about doing rows in crochet, and controlling the size.  Until now,  I have found squares more controllable because they start from the centre and go out and are therefore easier to make into uniform square.

Zig zaggery and Summer hols

Very excited about our family summer holiday in a couple of weeks!  We have organised to go on a YMCA family holiday!  They don't have these at home, but I am quite attracted to the Family aspect of it, and the fact I don't have to do any catering - the food is included, plus they have a kids club in the morning, ( I didn't know that when I booked) and organised activities, but not so organised that we cant go off and please ourselves.....  So I have been enjoying list making and researching things we need to buy and bring, I love that part of a trip (mostly the buying to be fair).  Its a bit of a trek away (6 hours and we are still in California when we get there!) but we are game!  Its a camp, so there will be lots of fresh air and outsidey ness, ending with a camp fire and singsong every evening!  Very Girl Guides :-)  So, along with this - the need to have spare blankets for all, and the fact a friend has admired and been inspired by my own zig zaggy blanket, which has been abandoned for the past couple of months, I am pushing on with my blanket zaggery.  Slightly deterred today when I paid a visit to Michaels and one of the colours I have been using is no longer there, but not put off, I found another similiar and will get on with things!  Anyhow, I smell a nappy so I'd better go. :-\

The seaside

I have been putting it off as I am not a fan but this week I decided we should get a day by the sea seeing as y'know, its good weather pretty much guaranteed and days at the beach are part and parcel of  being a child and summer holidays.  So, I packed a picnic, and a sun cream, cozzies, towel etc etc and headed west.  Now we haven't really been to the beach here much and certainly not locally so I didn't really know where I was going.  A few people had mentioned places and so I thought I'd wing it.  I really didn't want to go to the boardwalk as it would have been too difficult to manage 3 children and loads of rides they were mostly too small to go on unaccompanied, so we hung a left and headed up the coast a teeny way.  We found a beach, covered in lovelies in their skimpy togs and staked our place with the picnic blanket.  It actually turned out quite well, there was far too much sand for my liking (I prefer to walk along windswept beaches in a big warm coat, off season) but it wasn't too bad, there was no sun burn, and fun - I even caught myself planning my next trip.  So whilst I am not a full convert (I think I am too old and set in my ways), we may get more than the token One beach trip per summer trip out of me.  I think we need some body boards tho, seeing as we are in surfer territory we might as well get those boys in the mood!

Rutille

Feeling nervous about my use of rutille this evening in pottery.  It runs like a bugger and the last time I used it it ran all over the  shelves and I got told off.  So this time Iwent mad rubbing it off.  I hope I've done enough, but then not too much that it actually makes difference.  I am so rubbish at glazing.... :-(

This looks good....

but look at its drippy...

chippy bottom, where its had to be broken off
the shelves :-(  Not a good look.

this is Just rutille, with no under colour

The lovely effect rutille gives,
this is over Woo Blue.

its great for dribbling....

some egs of Better Rutilling

Confessions from Real Mums

I found this in a free magazine when I first arrived here, I was quite homesick and resentful that I had had to give up my support network and all the things I had planned ahead for (2 year waiting lists for swimming lessons), and so when I read this it made me laugh hysterically but then this only brought on tears.  Which was  a bit embarrassing as I was in a coffee shop.  A year later its still funny but my reaction is not so strong, I still miss home and am lonely for my friends but have some kind of support network built up now, even if it is the occasional park play date or a guitar/pottery lesson.  I still miss my friends and resent my husband for getting to spend time away from the kids. Sorry dear.

24 hr Cold Turkey

This one has proved to be a toughy, trying to extract the soother/dummy/dooody from child #3.  The other 2 were quite straight forward and #2 gave his up just before he was 2.  Number 3 was 3 in June and is more 'vocal' than the other two and was very definite about wanting his doooody when ever he didn't have it.  I was worried.  But the other day he was looking for his doody and it couldn't be found (it was on the floor next to the fridge) and once I showed him the bowl where it is kept when not in use, and offered him the two stand by doodies which he turned his nose up at as 'someone' has bitten into them, he seemed to accept that they had gone.  I took this as an opportunity to never give his doody back to him, and after 2 nights of no doody it seems to be working...... (yay!).

Feeling the same

Still feeling the same, but more introspective than sorry for myself - I hate reading blogs from people feeling sorry for themselves.  So I have gone back to reading the book by, oh I have forgotten his name, but its about meditating for 10 mins every day to help put things into perspective. I don't and never have meditated but just feel I have no space in my head, and the last couple of days been grumpy with the (tired) boys - its no way to go on. I also picked up a leaflet the other evening when we were out for our meal about the mediation place near here, so am thinking of giving it a go to.  What was that blokes name....*quick google* Andy Puddicome - great name.  I am finding it slow going, but I downloaded the kindle version and put it on my ipod as I don't have a kindle, so its kinda tiny.  Anyhow, I have to get out my pjs - the boys all popped out for a bit to give me a bit alone (seriously, I am going kinda nuts at the mo...) and I want to take the bigger boys to the mosiac making workshop thing at a local Lakeshore learning. I've never been there before so its an excuse for a nose.  I think its a cross between Early Learning centre and some kind of teachers resource centre.  Right, get dressed!

pottery problems

Kids have been driving me crackers today, late night (for them) last night after we went out for something to eat as a special occasion, to Hobees (hmm, well, tried it once, dont need to bother going again now). Anyhow, as a result, uncooperative, grumpy children, despite a trip to the park to meet up with friends today.  By the end of the day I had had enough,(a trip to the supermarket really helped things along, always a pleasure with 3 children) so went straight off to pottery as soon as we got back from their swimming lessons (corralling a tied, mischievous 2 year old around the edge of a swimming pool = not fun).  Anyhow, I got there and first thing I did was check the glazing shelves to find the mugs I had glazed had not gone well, and a grumpy note telling me what I had done wrong, then I went into the studio and was told the same thing again, this time in front of everyone in the room - beamer.  It was a different night to the night I usually go, which makes me nervous, just a comfort zone thing I guess, with different people around I don't know so well.  Anyway, I dont mind making mistakes and non perfect stuff, I am learning after all, sometimes the teachers try and get you to correct things that I am happy to let slide some times, or I do things I don't /really/ want to do, in their eagerness to help/teach you.  This time the critique of my jar with lid left me feeling shite.  It wasn't bad, and its only my second jar with lid (first one also fell foul to my shite glazing skills).  I think on top of that, husband having a new exciting job, people around me talking about how they have picked up the guitar having not played for 10 years, and another girl being a fabulous potter, looking like Jennifer Aniston AND being a teacher as well, has left me feeling a bit pathetic.  I don't feel I have accomplished much apart from having children, who will (quite rightly) grow up and move on.  A bout of self pity, and the above people were not in anyway bragging or showing off, it was just information that occurred, but I do feel like a bit of a baby machine, with few real skills or accomplishments.  Problem is, I don't know, and never really known what I want to do. :-( :-( Ho hum.

Freedom!

The butterflies have been favouring the side of the 'pavillion' that faces the sun, and it seemed a shame in such lovely conditions to keep them inside so we decided yesterday, once Daddy came home from work, we would free the butterflies, so we did.  The other day, we were giving them some cut up oranges and 2 escaped but yesterday we let the others free - it was fabulous to see them flying off, some hung about a bit and had to be encouraged but now they are free.  And we might get some more, for only $5 its a great pet to have for a few weeks.

Yay! We have butterflies!!!

Everything was happening very quickly for a while but its been a WEEK since any action from our new pets.  But this morning, we have 5 butterflies - still 3 more to hatch.  I have to admit, I think I am the most excited about this (over husband buying new-to-him car and eldest son getting more new characters in Lego Wii Harry Potter).  So I have dipped some flowers in sugar water (tried a tissue but it disintegrated!) and one of them even FED off the flower. I am so proud.  This is the best pet ever!