Living the Good Life : Suesday

Showing posts with label Suesday. Show all posts

Saturday, June 10, 2017

Some good, some bad, then some good again and a very expensive sweater.

Every once in a while something happens that pushes us to our limits. This weeks limits were pushed by a small dog called Max, who since Thursday evening has been known by a different name entirely, one that cannot be repeated here. But first let me take you back a few days to the beginning of the story.
Last weekend was a long weekend, Queens birthday. Joe had been working on a private job and got it finished on the Monday morning. He arranged to meet the client on the other side of Cambridge where he could hand the job back over. Once that was done we drove back into Hamilton and made our way to The Base shopping centre as Joe wanted to buy a new sweater. We went into Farmers, a department store. While he was looking at sweaters I went upstairs to wander around the home section. I found a rather nice armchair, perfect for the family room downstairs. There was also a matching sofa, both good prices, half price. I dragged Joe upstairs for a look, he thought they were nice but wasn't overly convinced with the quality or comfort of them. Long story short we went to Hunter furniture where they sell a bug range of Lazyboy furniture.
We chose this sofa, also on sale as it was the last one, they were discontinuing the colour.

It is slightly darker than it appears in the photo, I love it and it picks out one of the colours in our wallpaper.

It arrived Thursday afternoon, after I got back from craft (I'll come back to craft later)
Also, Joe finally treated himself to a Lazyboy recliner, he's wanted one for ages.
It's this style but in a suede type finish in a slate grey colour, he opted for a swivel base

We were both happy people walking out of the store,we only went out for a sweater lol ;-D Joe less so as he has to wait until December for his chair, custom orders take time, he did get 2 new sweaters though. ;-D My sofa was delivered on Thursday, it was put into position and I enjoyed it for about 30 minutes before we headed out to meet Michael & Tash at the pub for dinner, to celebrate Michael's 25th birthday.

Our pleasant evening was to be short lived, when we arrived home we found Max had been a total shit and had been 'digging' on the brand new sofa!!!!!
He'd damaged all three seat cushions.

I was raging mad, I yelled, I cried and it was all I could do not to throttle the dog. I couldn't bear to look at him until last night. He was due to have an operation on his lip Friday, I cancelled because I was so mad I couldn't trust myself not to make it a one way trip.

Joe phoned the insurance company, they said they would either pay for repair or replace. He also went back to the store who said that there are no more of that colour sofa available, it's discontinued and why it was such a good price. Bugger, so we may have to go for either a mustard or grey colour, either would work. Maybe the bright sunny colour will lighten my mood.

The colours are not true in the photo but it gives you an idea of what we're working with

On Friday the car was booked in for a service and a warrant of fitness, I dropped it off and went for some retail therapy with Sue, I wasn't going to, but the thought of sitting at home with a damaged sofa and a very unpopular dog wasn't doing it for me.
Sue said we were going to see the big cow in Morrinsville, I thought she was being a daft cow, she wasn't kidding about the big cow however

A few more of the cows that line the high street

We had already looked around a very cool 'junk' shop.....

...where I saw these (below), I'm after an old wooden ladder to hang quilts on, I thought the barrow would look good in the garden, although I'm not too taken with the wheel on the front. Not sure if either of them are an option now we have a $300 excess to pay out on the sofa.

Next we headed to Morrinsville to check out the op shops, I found.....

I realised that the bottom pic of the pattern is not complete, the pics above it are two of the blocks that I found separately, there are more I didn't buy. I may have to go back and get them, or just do my own stitchery panels.

When I was looking in the craft section I saw the shoe box but didn't ignored it at first, it was on the bottom of a pile

On the second look my curiosity got the better of me and I pulled it out, good decision, inside was a whole host of goodies. At some point it was a block of the month quilt, and most of it is there, some of the blocks are complete, some not, also there are two blocks missing. Another reason to go back and see if they have been put with other patterns. If not then I'm sure the very clever quilters at craft will help me work the missing patterns out. Blocks 7 & 10 are missing.

Here's the quilt as it is, laid out, the other unmade block sheets I've laid in position

Here's what it should look like finished

Here's a whole pile of gorgeous fabrics that were also in the box

Oh how I love to find treasure like this. And how much for all that in the box??
$5!!!!!

Other finds as follows

After Morrinsville we went to Cambridge and met Chris (Diet Coke Rocks) and her gorgeous granddaughter for lunch. Nice to catch up, then it was back to Hamilton and Spotlight.

I had seen some fabric, $4, in the bargain bin with which I am going to made a Roman blind for the downstairs bathroom. The other stuff required were not as cheap.

Then would you believe it!! Some more of those stash buster fabrics hid in my bag!

I don't know how it keeps happening!!!

I think that will do for today, I'll do a separate craft post another day

Off to the pub later to watch the Lions get humiliated no doubt.

I'm thinking of switching allegiance!

Until next time, enjoy your weekend

Friday, June 02, 2017

“She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain.” ― Louisa May Alcott, Work: A Story of Experience

So today was the day for all things bookery. I was awake at silly o'clock and made myself a cuppa which I drank in bed. I managed to lose an hour somehow doing this and when I checked I realised I should have been up a while ago o'clock. I got up, did all I needed to do and left the house at, for me, unheard of o'clock. I was in town around school run o'clock and had time to call into Fairview motors to book the car in for a service and warrant of fitness, next Friday at some time in the morning o'clock.
Note how I like to be precise in my timing. After being a good car owner and listener to ~~moaning~~, darling hubby about doing the aforementioned car thingie, I suddenly felt free from constraints of tedious chore-y things and sped forthwith to the book fair, which as luck would have it, was just moments away. I felt the wind blowing through my hair, which was odd, as I don't remember opening the car window!
Moments later I arrived at my destination, an elderly gentleman waved his hands at me as I entered the car park, I thought how lovely, such a nice welcome. I realised that he was trying to direct me to a parking space, I think I can manage that on my own, thank you, I thought. I am a grown up after all. I got out of the car and he said thank you to me, I had parked where he wanted me to park and my feelings of wild abandonment dissipated rather quickly. However, my enthusiasm was not dampened as I skipped across the car park, after first asking where the loo's were! Never pass a loo by I say, best to be on the safe side. I had another elderly gentleman offer to take me to the loo, to which I replied, "Whilst I appreciate your very kind offer, I shall not be needing any help in the toileting department, as I have got that business off to a fine art", well almost.

Ablutions dealt with, armed with my trolley and my extensive list, the search began...
Books (actually on my list) found as follows;

Books not on my list but linked to books I have previously read, plus a couple that Sue woman chucked in me trolley!

I reckon I was very restrained, I seem to have my book compulsion in hand....at least until the next fair.

Sue met me at the fair, she had a look, found some books then went home to wait for me, she's only down the road. I dumped the car outside hers, as I got to her gate she was already driving out, I leapt in the car Starsky and Hutch style and we headed to Habitat for Humanity, I was over looking at books, I couldn't see anything by this point, my eyes were bleeding after 3 hours reading book spines.
I did find a selection of quilting project packs, like I don't have enough already. Terrible photo, sorry.

As I mentioned I needed some fabric which required a trip to Spotlight, I don't know how I cope really. Very conveniently situated and right next door to Spotlight, is a new-ish Cafe in which Sue and I had some lunch, very nice it was too, we both opted for a chicken salad with all sorts of delicious goodies in it and a large flat white coffee, extra hot (they never make it hot enough for me). I don't know why but you would think it would be easy to order a Large flat white, it's only three words after all, but I always manage to confuse the order taker by asking for either "A large hot, extra flat please" or I'll have a large flat, extra white". I swear that's not what I'm thinking in my head but it comes out that way, some thing's not quite firing on all cylinders.

So, anyway, after lunch and some goo gooing at a delicious baby with his mum at the next table, we left to go into Spotlight then remembered there was an Op shop just around the corner, so we had a wander in there, it's not my favourite op shop I have to say, same shit, different day.
Enough of that! Spotlight!

Spotlight how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love fabric to the length and width and metre
My arms can't reach, the treasures out of sight
For the ends of Bolts and ideal fat quarters.
I love thee to the end of day's

(I know, it doesn't rhyme, do I look like a give poop)

Who'd have thunked that matching some fabric would be so hard, well it was but in the end I found some, the colours in the photo aren't exactly true, but they're near enough.

I'm not exactly sure just how these came to end up in the bag! Naughty special sale price stash builders!

And that's me for the night, other than to say not only did I have lunch out today, I met Joe at the local pub in Whatawhata and had dinner out too, don't you love it when you don't have to cook? I don't have to cook tomorrow either, what a result. The British Lions are in NZ for a rugby tour at the moment and that's going to be our lives until they bugger off back to Blighty. So a night out in town tomorrow, dinner at The Londoner that sells British Beer and motel room booked so neither of us have to drive home.

Time to put my feet up, Joe's downstairs with the fire lit because he's a reptile. I sleep every night with one leg out of the covers, it's my heat regulation mechanism that has a tendency to do the Hokey Cokey as it's in out, in out, shake it all about every night.

Have a good weekend ya'all, see you next time, now that is me done.

Friday, February 17, 2017

Hello....is there anybody out there.............?

Well hello ya'all! It's me innit! It may have seemed that I had given up blogging, I haven't, although I haven't had the time, or the inkling to get on here if I'm honest. Hoping to get back into it again as I have heaps to fill you in on.
Since my last post, there was some progress on the downstairs renovations, we had an engagement announcement and visitors from the UK! So as you can imagine it's been pretty full on. Our friends are now back in the UK. They left the UK on the 16th December last year, so they're in for a shock, I think, going back to work. It was lovely to have them here. I've been doing thing with plums, nothing illegal, just preserving like a mad woman. I'll come back, I promise, and share all that soon.
In the meantime, however, I will share with you what me and the City Sue got up to today, yep, we had a Suesday! Rare as hens teeth, like blog posts lately!
So, I was woken up by Joe with a cup of tea, (boy do I seem to have problems waking up lately, too many late nights I reckon) at silly o'clock. As tempting as it was to just roll over and go back to sleep, I sat up and drank my tea with the dogs keeping me company. I knew that if I backed out of today that Sue would probably have me guts for garters, so by 9am I was on my way.