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!!!

Saturday, January 31, 2015

~OPAM (One Project A Month) January~


I've signed up for OPAM again for this year with Sweet Peg and Gorgeous Kris again hosting for this year
2 Items completed this month
The first is a Kit for an Armchair Caddy above with some of the fabrics required......tape.......buttons and a couple of other little goodies


Coming together

All done and looking good next to some flavoured coffee I received for Christmas off my Mum



And the other one is my  little Parisian Purse I showed off over here


So pleased I have 2 items this month
Now I better get cracking on my next Tilda project

Thank you Peg and Kris for encouraging us in completing projects once again

Happy Stitching......Dzintra

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

~Cook Up With donna hay and Irina~


Just before Christmas saw me do another Cook Up with donna hay and Irina


from donna hay magazine Issue 76 Aug/Sep 2014
Menu for the evening was

Chicken in White Wine with Lemon Potatoes (recipe over here)
Rose and Raspberry Trifles (recipe over here)
and I couldn't resist trying the
Cherry and Cardamom Pound Cake



Instead of Dry White Wine in the Chicken I used Dry Cider


The Chicken just about ready


Instead of Artichoke I used Snow Peas from our garden and some Sweet Potato


All dressed with Parmesan Cheese
and very tasty indeed!!!


The Trifle in an Eiffel Tower glass


Looking down into it


The Cake in the background
I couldn't stop at 1 Dessert to make I had to try out the Cherry and Cardamom Cake
After all it would be good for the next day's Morning Coffee, right?!




Well we couldn't resist just a little piece lol

Better get cracking as another Cook Up is waaaay overdue!!!

Bon Appetit........Dzintra

Monday, January 26, 2015

~The Swap Pledge of Integrity~


I'm taking part in a Birthday Club Swap hosted by Dory this year and as requested have undertaken the Swap Pledge of Integrity......

This entails

MAKE THE 7 STEP PLEDGE

I (Dzintra) will try my utmost...
·        To always swap on time.
·        To always email a THANK YOU to my partner.
·        To be considerate and thoughtful when choosing a gift.
·        To give my partner the quality of gift that I would like to receive.
·        To communicate when it’s required.
·        To NEVER over commit and let a partner down.
·        To advise the swap mama when I receive my gift.

This I sewomly pledge....


And Thank You so much Dory......what a great idea

I'm sure we all appreciate it!!!

Looking forward to the Swap this year Girls......Dzintra 

Saturday, January 24, 2015

My New Parisian Purse


On New Years Day every year I decide on a new project to start making
This is the little kit I bought last year at the Craft and Quilt Fair


Pattern from Studio Mio


Little purse all finished and waiting for handles to be attached
Only thing is I needed a Cobbler to put the rivets in for me as I had no Awl


 Here the pretty rivets are all in


and bag complete!!!
So happy with this one!!!
Perfect when you just need to take a purse, phone, glasses and keys!!!

Happy Weekend to all my Visitors.........Dzintra

Thursday, January 15, 2015

~2014~The Ones That Got Away


 Boy 2014 certainly whizzed by in a flash
Welcome 2015 and let's hope it's a peaceful year all round the world especially in light of what has been going on

I thought I would do my annual post on pics that were going to be made into blog posts but  just didn't make it

First pic is of lucerne bales for a small vegetable garden that I thought we would start up


Mr Armchair built the garden 4 storeys high out of railway sleepers
One reason is I'm tall and don't bend so well and the other is our Labrador Mimi who loves to 'garden'
Not long into it and this is what it looked like


And to keep Mr Armchair busy in February I needed a new bookcase and thought this corner was perfect
And it is........only trouble is the books keep 'growing'


In March JoJo was out with her group and she bought Mimi a collar
Only thing is it's for a puppy and Mimi is a big, boofy Labrador 
Such a sweet thought on JoJo's part


At Easter time in April I coloured some eggs in vine leaves and onion skins..........a Latvian tradition


this being the result
The egg can then be polished up with some bacon rind


In May we went to see a Miss Fisher exhibition
Miss Fisher......played by Essie Davis........ is a glamorous Lady Detective and the series is set in the 1920's in Melbourne
Read more about the series here
One of my favourite TV shows


In June I entered a giveaway by Jennifer Chiaverini and won this book The Master Quilter
One of her best I think


It was even autographed for me
To win I had to enter a question asking which character I would most like to meet out of the Elm Creek Series
My answer was Anna (the cook) so that I could cook with her for the patchworkers and then sit down and do some sewing with everybody later
I think there were about 800 entries so not bad


 In July at around 5pm there was a massive storm and I took some quick pics coming home


The colours were just stunning


In August we went out for JoJo's birthday breakfast and this is the view 


In September I bought an apron off my Friend Miss Vicki and decided to wear it whilst sewing as I get a heap of threads all over my clothes.......especially the black ones


In October I got to meet Monica McInerney who recognised my name from comments I had made to her Face book page
Such a lovely lady


 In November one evening I spilled frozen peas all over the floor (not very exciting I know)
but the next night the garlic I had fell down and landed looking like a triangle so I just had to photo it
And of course Mimi came in and cleaned up the peas
She didn't even know they were frozen as she doesn't eat she vacuums lol


Before we knew it it was Christmas again


 JoJo's programme had a Christmas get together and she was so proud that she cut the sausage and spiked it together with a tomato and a toothpick


And oh my goodness was this ever good
I even made my own Nut Butter (cashews) and Paleo Chocolate
Recipe found at The Merry Maker Sisters


And to cap off New Year's Eve a pic taken off the television of the Fireworks on Sydney Harbour 

Happy 2015 everyone.........let's make it a good one

Love Dzintra

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 ...