Things I'm Loving: Masterchefs, Friends who get you, and being pleasantly surprised

I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life, there is always something you can be thankful for..no matter how simple it is.

Humble winners
Like the rest of NZ, I fell in love with Karina and Casey who fought bravely and won the first ever Masterchef team competition last weekend. I was wowed by their positivity, their humility, and their talent. I never saw them get uptight, swear or be anything other than a joy to have around in the kitchen. Their gratitude for the experience was obvious, and to have won such a big competition at age 23 and 25 is simply awesome for their futures. They can show us all a thing or two about courage under pressure - I was amazed how cool, calm and collected they were in spite of some INTENSE challenges!

Source: NZ Herald

When you can simplify life
I love it when things fall into place that will GREATLY simplify our busy routines. For the past six months, we'd endured some fairly crazy Saturday mornings which would consist of Mylo playing football at 10.30 in Owhiro Bay which finished at 11am. Then one of us would hightail it all the way over the other side of town to Khandallah for his swimming lessons at 11.45. In the meantime, the other parent would then go in another direction with Noah to squeeze in the weekly shop between 11.15 and 12pm, to then get Noah to his swimming lesson by 12.15 in Newtown. It meant we'd all arrive home a bit shell-shocked about 1pm.

This term.....I'd managed to get both boys booked into a different swim school through Wellington City Council and their lessons are on AT THE SAME TIME, AT THE SAME PLACE on a Wednesday at 4.30pm. Result! That was until they both had to move up a class after the first week...gah! Now we have Monday 3.15pm (which will be a race to make from school finishing at 3pm) and Monday 4.30pm - not so great, but hey still at the same place on the same day if not on the same time. So if you're looking for me on a Monday, I'll be at the pool...ALL AFTERNOON!

One good sunrise
The mornings are getting pretty dark these days. There's not much colour on the horizon by the time I leave for work. That's why I was pretty quick to grab the camera last week when I saw this scene out the window.

I love the full range of colour that this sunrise exploded with from blues to pinks, oranges, yellow and almost purple!

Don't judge a book by its cover
Love that talented people still have the ability to pleasantly surprise Simon Cowell after how many?! seasons and thousands of acts he's had to sit through probably going nuts with boredom for the most part. These guys have only been together a month and have a very good chance to go a long way in the current season of Britain's Got Talent.



Friends who just know
I love friends who just KNOW what you'll love. Enter this birthday gift from my lovely Nikki (she of shared Geek Chic onesie sharing fame) from Life's Wonderful Happenings which arrived in the mail last Friday night. I spent the night with a glass of wine poring over the beautiful pages and bookmarking many a page for the future.

I also enjoyed one of the funniest Skype conversations I think I've ever had with her on Saturday night, the contents of which shall not be shared here!

 Here's how you can join in this week:

Link up below with your blog post telling us what you're loving, and grab the Things I'm Loving button below for your post too. Don't forget to share the love by visiting all the other lovelies who have joined in - the linky is open till same time next week!


<br /> <a href="http://meghanandmark.blogspot.co.nz/search/label/Things%20Im%20Loving"><img src="http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa455/meghankf/Buttons/ThingsImLoving.png " height="160" width="160" /></a></center>

Rosemary McLeod's Craft Series: Aprons {a Giveaway}

Last week I introduced you all to Rosemary McLeod's new e-book craft series, based on her very popular book With Bold Needle and Thread.  

This week I want to share why I found these e-books so encouraging and inspiring, and this is mostly because of the very conversational, and honest way Rosemary shares her own crafting journey.

Rosemary isn't one of these people who've crafted effortlessly all their lives and I like that. She talks of her struggles of learning to sew as a young girl, how her needle and thread would not cooperate like it did for others, how learning to knit was merely a recipe for frustration and tangled yarn and she spent her days wishing she was drawing pictures instead. It was only in later life with a child of her own, that something finally 'clicked' and Rosemary realised that sewing was really only drawing using different tools.

The first thing I'd be making out of the Aprons e-book is this patchwork apron 

Don't you love its vibrant and 'hectic' colours!

And so began her journey of rediscovery. Rosemary used a wealth of women's magazines to inform and inspire her, but still preferring to make up things as she went along, and so remarkably, With Bold Needle and Thread was Rosemary's first foray into strictly following the patterns from the magazines of yesteryear.

She explains her mission for this series quite simply: to reclaim the homemade. To allow a sense of pride back into the feeling of having created, and to assuage the memories of embarrassment for those who grew up wishing they could buy but who always had to make do with homemade.

And in this mission, I can't help but think Rosemary is onto a winning formula. The tide has turned and homemade really is back en vogue again. It's no longer shameful turning up to a social gathering wearing or bringing something homemade. These days you are far more likely to have a circle of admirers wistfully asking how you did it and wishing they too had the skills to create something so unique, than a single person daring to look down their nose at your 'homemade' as they might have in days gone by.

This quote from Rosemary, sums up what the concept of 'homemade' is all about.

Use the things you make. It's what they're for. Make more of them, enjoy them, and give them away to the people you care about.

The e-books are amazingly good value to buy for as little as $6.78 per title and are available for sale on Amazon for iBook, Kindle or Kobo here:

Aprons, Bags, Cushions & Decor, Tea Cosies and Adornments.

Congratulations to the winner of last week's giveaway: Sarah Marie.

Now....to win your own copy of one of these fantastic e-books, here's how:

If you entered last week, you're already automatically entered into this week's draw with one chance to win, but if you want more chances to win, comment again this week with an extra chance telling me what you most love about giving or receiving homemade!

And if you haven't entered at all yet, then make sure you leave a comment with which e-book title you would like to win and your preferred format (iBook, Kindle or Kobo).

18/52

Project 52: a portrait of my children once a week every week in 2014

Mylo and Noah: my little action heroes. Jumping, running.

Turning. Holding.

Co-operating. Entertaining. It's not always this amicable.

So I will enjoy these moments that capture the essence of your brotherly bond.

Light....

Light.

And God said "Let there be light. And there was light". Genesis 1:3

It was the beginning. From which every good thing flowed.

Necessary for our existence.

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:4-5

Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105

The path of the righteous is like the morning sun shining ever brighter until the full light of day. Proverbs 4:18

For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light. Ephesians 5:8

God is light, in Him there is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5

It was light that began this journey.

And it is this same light that will lead you home.

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" John 8:11-13

Things I'm Loving: Chaos, Keenans, Catch ups and Chocolate Afghans

I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life, there is always something you can be thankful for..no matter how simple it is.

Funny and true statements about life
I think you will like these. Every single one hits the nail on the head.

Head on over to Viral Nova to see the rest which will have you nodding in agreement here.

A new take on Afghans
I made Hungry Cub's version of Chocolate Afghans the other day. Big tickaroony! Especially as they are gluten, dairy, egg and sugar freeeeeee! Her Ginger Crunch recipe is also pretty special too.

Kids say the best things
I know Easter has been and gone but I wanted to share the very cool video our pastor shared during our Easter Sunday service. Cute and precious. Love the simple faith of a child.


Great Nana goes
On our trip to New Plymouth last weekend, we had our last opportunity for a while to see Great Nana (my Dad's mum). At 97, and after 17 years in Molly Ryan retirement village she is moving to Auckland to a new retirement home to be nearer to my aunty. We have always come for a visit when we're staying with Gee Gee (Mum's mum), so it will be strange coming to Taranaki and knowing she's not just up the road any more. But the move is right for her right now, so we wish her well.

The boys are looking a bit rosy cheeked after the walk to Lake Mangamahoe (whoops I guess we should have thought about hats and sunscreen even this late in April), and excuse the somewhat blurry shot!

Keeping the stories alive
The room that the boys sleep in at Gee Gee's has this portrait on the wall. Noah had asked me who they were and I made a point of asking Gee Gee to tell us more about them. I loved watching her come alive talking about her grandparents.

William Keenan emigrated from County Cork, Ireland in his teens, and it's cool to think that Mum and I have both been there when we took a trip to Ireland from London in 2001. Ellen Henderson's family came from the South Island. I'm not entirely sure how they met but they did live near Taihape for a time where my great-grandmother who we called Granny Marsh went to school in a little place called Rata. Eventually they moved to Egmont Village and raised 9 children - Gladys or Granny Marsh was the oldest of them - although three didn't survive into adulthood. One died as a baby, one fell into a rubbish fire and died of her burns at about age 5, and one of the boys drowned while swimming at the Meeting of the Water scenic reserve just out of New Plymouth at about age 18. What a hard life they must have had. I love that just by asking the questions we can choose to keep family history alive.

Chaos Cafe
While in New Plymouth, we also discovered a cool new café, called Chaos. The coffees were good and strong, the kid's milkshakes were really authentic, the savoury muffins were packed full of capsicum, herbs and sundried tomatoes, my passionfruit macaron was sensational, and I took away a gluten-free salmon kedgeree for lunch - perfecto!


We will definitely be coming back here for another visit next time we are in the Naki.
 Here's how you can join in this week:

Link up below with your blog post telling us what you're loving, and grab the Things I'm Loving button below for your post too. Don't forget to share the love by visiting all the other lovelies who have joined in - the linky is open till same time next week!


<br /> <a href="http://meghanandmark.blogspot.co.nz/search/label/Things%20Im%20Loving"><img src="http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa455/meghankf/Buttons/ThingsImLoving.png " height="160" width="160" /></a></center>

Rosemary McLeod's Craft Series: Adornments {a Giveaway}

If this series of e-books is not the most encouraging call to craft I've ever read, then I don't know what is.

For years I have been considering how I might get back to my original craft roots. Back to those days of sewing class at Intermediate where I made a mid-calf length pink skirt with big pockets and an elasticated band to show off on the runway at our end-of-year show. Or further back to the days of sewing patchwork octagonal shapes onto cushion covers and getting an electric shock every time the teacher and I swapped needles. Back to the days of my patient mother sitting down and teaching her teenage daughter perl 1, knit 1 and a very garish and fluffy purple jumper taking shape between the clickety-clack of the steel knitting needles.

I've always known there's a closet crafter lurking inside. But for years now I've been struggling to let her out again. Out into the big wide world. And you want to know why? I've actually just been too scared to start, too scared of not doing a good job, of making something less than perfect.

But through Rosemary's encouragement 'to enjoy the slight wonkiness of the hand-made...who would want turn out standardised objects for a world of standardised experiences' I realise that I am the only one holding myself back and there's absolutely no need to do so.

So over the next five weeks, I'll be bringing you a review of each of the five titles in Rosemary's series, and with each week comes a chance to win your own copy of one of the e-books as well!

The inspiration for the series is drawn from Rosemary McLeod's original book With Bold Needle and Thread and covers 49 vintage craft projects from a range of materials and mediums such as needlework, knitting, crochet, felt, hessian.

One of the very first projects that caught my eye in the Adornments book was this simple knitted matching scarf and belt. For a girl who quite enjoyed a bit of knitting back in the day, this would be just the ticket to start don't you think? Something simple and straightforward, yet stylish. Something to build confidence and from there, the sky's the limit.

Whether you are a long-time crafter extraodinaire or a wannabe like me, there's some fantastic projects in these books to get your creative juices flowing.

The e-books are amazingly good value to buy and are available for sale on Amazon for iBook, Kindle or Kobo here:

Aprons, Bags, Cushions & Decor, Tea Cosies and Adornments.

And lucky for you, I have a Rosemary McLeod's Craft Series e-book to give away too. 

You can choose any one of the five titles above. Please leave me a comment with the title you would most like to win and your preferred format (iBook, Kindle or Kobo). 

The giveaway closes next Thursday and will be announced in next week's review post on Aprons, where you'll find out more about what makes these such a great read even for a current non-crafter like me, plus there will be another chance to win your own e-book all over again.

*Disclaimer: I have been given the Craft Series e-books in exchange for my review. I am not being compensated in any other way and all opinions and content expressed within are completely my own*