This blog is all about me......I come here for respite in between caring for JoJo (our Daughter who has Special Needs)......I am addicted to starting new projects......I am becoming a fabric-a-holic... I love to try out recipes... take a beach walk and breathe in that salty blue air......love to have coffee...sip a glass of champagne......read a book......I am Queen of the Armchair and am inspired by all the wonderful blogs out there!!!

Monday, May 27, 2013

~My Gift To Sarah in FIS....Friends in Stitching~


I became a member of FIS this year and there are 2 compulsory swaps involved with this fabulous on-line Stitching Group...
One is a birthday swap and the other is Christmas

Above are the fabrics I have had here for ages just waiting for the right project


Putting them together
It took me about a week to decide what to make for my Partner Sarah
Part of Sarah's brief was that she liked red and she liked sewing bits and bobs


The gift had to include one of a choice of 2 verses and a button
I chose the above verse and some rusty buttons to make the popular bag going round Blogland at the moment......Natalie Bird's  'True Friend's Tote Bag'




I went out the back to photograph the bag amongst some greenery seeing I'd never done that before and ended up putting it on our red car 'Ruby Tuesday' and I thought looks great so went with that!!!



I tucked in a little 'prim' felt pin holder


some red pegs


and seeing Sarah is an avid quilter an 'I Love Quilts' brooch by Theodora Cleave


All bundled up with a block of chocolate also


wrapped up......


and the card!!!

I have thoroughly enjoyed making my first swap gift for a lovely gal and look forward to the next one!!!
Hope you had a good one Sarah!!!

Monday, May 20, 2013

Sailability...and introducing * M I M I *


The day started out taking JoJo to Sailability on the Clyde River



Sailboats all lined up


taking off



all finished now!!!


Having fish'n chips for lunch at Innes Boat Shed


Then to avoid a CD shop on the way back to the car as we had already bought a CD that morning I thought we would walk around the block another way and totally forgot that the pet shop had moved there!!!


     And what did we see there......
this gorgeous little labrador pup!!!
JoJo fell in love with her straight away......
We used to have a labrador a few years ago now that JoJo was really close to......
her name was Annie and JoJo has never forgotten her!!!


JoJo could never say 'Annie'......she would say 'Mimi' and this is what she called this little one


2 days later I took Mr Armchair in to have a look at the little pup and within minutes he said 'okay we'll get her'......here she is being strapped up for the car trip home



Looking very cute.......and she was perfect on the way home in the car


Out the back......


A few days later it was off the vet as she had her injections due......


Getting weighed in


Up on the table


And the view across the road from the vet's!!!

Can you believe the next day JoJo actually said 'Annie'.......but we went with 'Mimi'
Mimi is turning out......so far......to be an exceptional little friend for JoJo just like Annie was!!!

We think JoJo and Mimi are going to be great mates!!!

I've been a little quiet in Blogland due to Mimi......and am at the moment getting involved in a Melodrama at Mogo Gold Rush Colony....I'll be back with more on that!!!

Sunday, May 12, 2013

A Surprise Mother's Day Gift

Hope all the Mums out there have had a lovely relaxing Mother's Day!

Check this out......a very surprise gift from Mr Armchair and JoJo......A Harry Potter Lego set of the Hogwart's Train...

How cool is this......just perfect and such a surprise......bought by DD Jacqueline before last Christmas and apparently the last that she saw in Canberra!!!

Thank you so much for this surprise......I'm over the Moon!!!

And Susan this is my first post on my new IPad!!!  I'm so pleased I saw you with yours at Nundle!!!

Have a great week everyone......Dzintra xo

Saturday, May 11, 2013

*Cook Up (No 21) with Donna Hay and ~Irina~


Above is a pic of the parsley fresh from the garden that I used in my Cook Up


from donna hay magazine Issue 67 Feb/March 2013
Potato Crisp, Fennel and Prawn Salad with Mustard and Cayenne Dressing


the wine


I have to admit this is the first time I have actually bought a fennel bulb and cooked with it
and what a surprise it was......Mr Armchair and JoJo agreed we'll have to have it more often



And tah-dah all finished
A lovely light dish which is easy to make and put together plus a perfect one for warm evenings
I think we'll have to have this one again come Summertime!

I look forward to your next Cook Up Irina and seeing what you choose!!!
Anyone else who wants to join us just drop me an email
All you have to do is cook one dish from donna's magazine and blog it

And to all the Mums out there

* HA P P Y   M O T H E R' S    DAY   F O R  S U N D A Y *
 I hope your family spoils you and that you have a lovely relaxing day 
and of course something nice to eat!!!

Bon Appetit......Dzintra xo

Sunday, May 5, 2013

~OPAM April 2013......A Sneak Peak~(plus hacking update)


OPAM (One Project a Month) for May is finished......1 item but I can't show it as yet as it is a swap gift
however a sneak peak of the fabric used
I will come back and enter a pic once it has been received!!!

Thank you to Peg and Kris for running OPAM!!!


************
The bag can now be revealed......go over here for a look
My partner was Sarah from Sarah's Prim Treasures

************
On the hacking front this has certainly un-nerved me......
Everything had to be changed everywhere and it took a few days to do with still some left
Thank goodness for Jacqueline my Daughter and her Hubby who came down and helped me through this......

This was as bad as being 'physically robbed' as all my contacts and emails disappeared......
not a nice feeling at all

I haven't been around visiting and commenting in the last few days due to all this plus being sick from all the stress of it all......so now to slowly get back into it all......

Thank you so much everyone who rang and told me about it all plus the feedback via facebook......I so much appreciate the time and trouble taken to let me know about it all.....

So it's off to a fresh start now..... Dzintra xo

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

~I,VE BEEN *HACKED*

Hi everybody....

I had a nasty surprise this morning at around 8am when all of a sudden I lost all my contacts and emails

I've had a few people ring and say they received an email from me asking for help and that I was stuck somewhere overseas......

Please ignore these emails.......I am sill here

I have set up a new email now that comments can go to......

I'm so sorry I can't reply to comments received now due to those contacts being gone........

We are trying to deal with all this in the background

Has anyone else experienced this?????



But for now I would love to sit and have a cuppa and do some stitching but no way at the moment!!!!!!

See you on the other side..........

Welcome To My World

Hello, my name is Dzintra Ingrid ... have been known as Ingrid and since our Sea Change I have started to use Dzintra ... pronounced without the D ... (but still known as Ingrid, I know, it's confusing ...)

Welcome to my world ... a journal of our Sea Change ... Mum to three wonderful children ... bringing up a daughter with a disability and seeing life through her eyes ... being a new Nanna ... photos ... inspiring quotes ... taking on a cookery course ... the odd recipe ... and trying to get some stitching done amongst all this ...