daisy chain

Last School Week 2009

The end of the school year is nearly upon us. We have a full two weeks holiday before Christmas Day. 

 That gives me a full two weeks to find my Christmas mojo!

It is sneaking up on me in the form of Secret Santa presents from afar...

Thank you to the lovely and talented Anne Heidi all the way from...

What beautifully made ornaments for my tree...

Such gorgeous Christmas fabric...

I can't wait to open my SS main present!

Thank you too to Ms Chooky for organising another mega Secret Santa swap-they are getting bigger and therefore harder to organise each year. I admire how you tirelessly and fearlessly undergo this task!

 And you do it so well!!! Three cheers for you!

I am crossing more things off my list..

26 ornaments with my student's names glitter glued on and 26 origami cranes folded for their end of year present from me...

 

Each year my students make a calendar for their parents' present using 12 pieces of their art work. I just have to spiral bind them and then the kids will make wrapping paper and a card.

 I love their works of art!

Some of my favourites...

I have a very kind principal who gives the okay for my class parents to take me out for a longer than normal end of year lunch.What luxury sipping champagne at 1:00 when everyone else is still at school!!

The lovely parents all put money in and bought me this most beautiful bag..

I also received a scarf and a voucher to my favourite shop! I was very spoiled indeed!! I get very attached to my students and their families and there are bound to be a few tears on Friday!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 
 
 
 

Crossing off the List

Two work Christmas dinners-done.

Reports-done(Yay!!!)

End of year school concert-done (in between thundery stormy weather)

Secret Santa-done.

Secret Santa ornament-done.

Softie for Mirabel-done.

My brain is nowhere accepting that it is only two weeks until the end of the school term and that the big "C" word can no longer be ignored!!!

Hmmph!! How can it be THAT time of year again already??

Oh for the life of a dog!

 

 
 

Spring ain't what it used to be!

This year has been a particularly good one for the roses. They have been magnificently blooming.

And laden with buds- enjoying the wonders of spring time.

As they are supposed to.It is spring after all.

We are not ready for the summer sun yet..

They've been scorched to a crisp!

  
 I am beginning to think there will soon be no plant that needs a position in the full sun. We have certainly stuffed up the ozone layer as we battle a heat wave in November!

The poppies get a lot of shade...

 

 I am so enjoying Annie's poppies-different than I've had before. Thanks Annie!

And suitably stunning..

This is where I headed after school today for a much needed cool off..

 
For a swim with the furry ones.

Too hot to even look at this..

How can I be dreaming of rain already!

Light at the end of the Tunnel

For the last couple of months it has seemed that school has been all too consuming. Many hours have been spent on gaining a new classification which involves documenting and gaining evidence about my classroom practice and the leadership initiatives I do at my school.

 All the proving has been done and my assessment date has been and gone.

Yay!

One thing this process did prove to me is that I have not got the balance I need between my work life and my home life.

So...

Next year I am reducing my work time and having Fridays off!! Every Friday will be ME day!!

Another Yay!

The rules will be:No school work and no cleaning!  Making time for crafty pursuits!

In between all the madness I have started another granny blanket.

I enjoyed having a project on the go when I made this one..

So, after being inspired by the wonderfully clever women of Attic 24 and Moonstitches.

I have decided to give a hexagon rug a try.

Choosing the colours is always fun..

A new challenge, but I think I've got the hang of it now...

Joining as you go..

The roses are big and beautiful at the moment.. Here is Peace...

And Double Delight..

There is certainly Double Delight around here with two dogs!!!

But not much peace when you have a helper that keeps on attacking the water spray!

 

But we certainly have our peaceful moments!

 

Internet-less for nearly a week & I survived!!!

But only just!!!

After a Telstra enforced blogging break I am now back on the airwaves so to speak.

 One little  wire with a big responsibility now all happily doing its job and all is well! What clever Telstra fixers we have-when they finally get here that is!!

 I am sure I have clocked up an enormous mobile phone bill by having to press this number for that and another number for this and waiting and waiting so you can talk to an actual real live person to explain that nothing is working-no dial tone, no internet, no nothing!!

 The friendly guys at Internode call you back on their phone but not our dear friends at Telstra! At least we didn't have to pay as the fault was theres entirely.

It never ceases to amaze me how things just work-my brain doesn't need to know how-it just wants things to work-and NOW!!! and properly- thank you very much- and quickly too!!

I have such great admiration for those techno heads who keep our www. world ticking along nicely!

I am sure I will spend quite a lot of time tonight checking out what has been happening in blogland as I use all the avoidance strategies I know instead of getting organised for school tomorrow! I plan to get every last drop out of these holidays before reality sets in!

I have finally finished joining all the grannies on the mega blanket and am still deciding whether or not to do some kind of border-not sure yet.

Ta Da!!

I have really enjoyed plodding along at this blanket and am happy with how it turned out.

 

It feels good to have it finished.

Our little Izzy is growing very quicky and has settled into our family so well.

She is a sweetie.

 

 Muddy from the morning adventures and time for another sleep!

 
It must be time for my afternoon nap now too as there won't be one tomorrow!
 
 
 
 

Where did the weekend go????

The rannuncs are looking somewhat cheery....

And have enjoyed their blast of Spring time rain...

Hang on a minute...

What is that little Goober up to now....???

I just won't look...

Hmmmmmmmmm!

Distracted!

We are well and truly smitten in our classroom by these fluffy cuties..

Seeing them transform from this...

To this...

To this.

Has been magical.

The kids have been having them on their desk during the day...not much of the three Rs going on around here at the moment-it is hard to finish your writing when there is chick poo to clean up, cuddling to be done and tissue box chick houses to be created! Plenty of Wonderment and Awe for us city folk.

And now on to some cuteness of the furry kind....

I'd like to introduce you to...

Izzy..

We can bring her home on Friday-just in time for school holidays!

Plenty of distractions in this neck of the woods!

 

A Bloomin' Good Day!

Today was a Bloomin' Good Day!

Mum and I trotted off to the Royal Adelaide Show for a bit of a wander and a wonder!

We were lucky enough to catch the Wearable Blooms Production by the AMAZING costume and fabric artist from New Zealand Jenny Gillies. Although you were not allowed to photograph the actual show, plenty of static displays were around the place....

If you love flowers you will be gobsmacked by her website-the beauty and humour of the parade was just amazing.

I really wanted to be a judge at the show-what a tough job though!

I suppose someone's got to do it!

I wanted to take these cuties home...

And I am a sucker for a Merry-go-round...

Ahhh! The delights of Spring!

Bloomin' lovely!

Show and Tell

This time last week I was on a GRAND ADVENTURE. Three old(as in we've known each other for a lonnnnnnng time but are definitely all still very young!!) friends and I organised a girls weekend in Sydney! You, dear blogging friends, can imagine my delight as I realised that this get together happened to coincide with the Stiches and Craft Fair! and that Flowergarden, Chookyblue and RicRac were going to be there too!

As my non crafty friends trotted off to the Paddington Market I made my way to the Rosehill Race Course-four levels of crafty goodness and a chance to meet real live blogging friends and legends!!

Amongst all the chatting and laughing and hugging and oooing and ahhhhing I managed to purchase a fine array of goodies......

Sprout Design, Kristen Doran Design, Pippiejoe-such awesome Australian Designers.

Bits and pieces from Amitie, Winterwood, Surface Art and Prints Charming.

 

I spent a bit of time opening up lots of Matryoshka Nesting Dolls and then putting them all back together...

 

Some treasures from Please Eloise and Dudley Redhead.

I have read many times about bloggers meeting other bloggers and how wonderful it was and I can't agree more!

The rest of the weekend passed in a blur of sunshine, wine, constant chatter and laughs!

I was a lucky winner on A SpoonfullofSugargirl's Blog and what a wonderful gift I received!

I have never seen such a lovely cookbook-such beautifully presented-the whole book is a work of art!

Thank you so much Lisa and Sarah-what a lucky duck I am!!

Can't resist a bee shot!

And look what we're having for tea tonight-freshly picked from the garden.....

Purple broccoli! LOL!

Decisions! Decisions!

Kobi is seven now..

And we've been thinking about becoming a two dog family for awhile.

Kobi is a very sociable dog and has always loved visiting pups...

And now the opportunity has arisen that we can have one of these cute bundles of fur...

The trouble is.......which one do you choose????

 

 

I don't think we can go wrong really!

I have felt like one of those mice that go round and round on the wheel lately and the faster you go-the faster you go-and you can't seem to get off!!! Hence, the lack of visits to Blogland and there has been no craft happening here!

Good job I managed to squeeze in a bit of puppy watching!