{Not so} Fun Run

For a little over a month now, I have been getting out in the evenings at least three times a week to train for a running event in November. To help with keeping me motivated, I signed up to take part in the Round the Bays 6.5km fun run last Sunday. It is a really great family event, well-organised with free food, drinks and entertainment waiting at the finish line.

14,000 people assembled along the waterfront on that very warm morning and ran, jogged and walked their way around the course. The hill in the background of this photo is approximately the 2.5km mark. By the time I got around to that point, I was feeling pretty comfortable.

Michael Bolton checks out his competition and let's face it, there's ALOT to check out.

The course is stunning, and it is a rare opportunity to see the city from a different view point. Since I have not mastered the art of simultaneously jumping metres into the air and taking photos while running, I should add that these two photos are from the Stuff article of the race. In case it wasn't obvious already.

Having felt reasonably confident that I could last the distance around a flat course, I still only managed to make it to the 4km mark before those psychological barriers started to hit me and my breathing became more laboured to the point where I felt like I could not draw any oxygen into my lungs. I was just 1km from the end, the crowds cheering on the sidelines were getting bigger and I didn't want to embarrass myself by collapsing while throwing up on the finish chute, so I caved into my lungs' desperate cries to stop and walked for a bit. By a bit, I mean almost the rest of the way. It's fairly demoralising to have runners pushing buggies sail past you. It was then that I thought of my girls. Even though I had no idea where my family was standing amongst the hordes of people at the finish, I did not want them to see their mum walking so close to the end so I gritted my teeth and ran the last 100 metres. As I turned down towards the finish line, I heard my girls calling out to me. Their voices carried me over that line. That and the fact that they didn't see me walk.

I started the morning with two aims, one was to run the whole course (curse you, lungs!). The other was to finish with a sub-40 minute time. I crossed the line at 39.28 (yes-pants!). In the sweat-chafed, muscle-achey post-run afterglow, I realised that even though my children look to me for guidance and comfort and to be strong for them, they also give me the strength I need when I feel like I have nothing left to give.

Other things I learnt:
6.5km is quite a long way.
It is impossible to suck in your tummy when you are running.
Sports sock selection is very important as Mr Blister on my toe attests.

My support crew.

The Book Thief

Woah 2014, what's the hurry? Slow down a bit, please. Summer has been wonderful, a combination of enjoying the outdoors, spending time with my girls and losing myself in novels.

Living.
Loving.
Losing.

That's a great segue into the topic of this blog post. Dear book lovers, I have just finished reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I am only sharing with you what you will learn if you read the back cover so there will be no spoilers other than to say that it is a tale of love, loss, survival and unlikely friendships forged amongst the setting of Nazi Germany. Narrated by none other than Death itself, it is a story that has not left me since I finished it last weekend.

My thoughts: Some of the most poetic prose I have ever read (and a German swear word or two) beautifully woven into a well-constructed plot with likeable main characters. Poetic prose might sound like a contradiction in terms, but it's the best way I can describe it. I thoroughly recommend it. However, I should mention that I have a penchant for novels that are set against the backdrop of war so if the persecution of Jews or the bleakness that is the reality of war are not themes that hold much interest, perhaps this is not the book for you.

I would love to read some recommendations of your own, feel free to let me know what books have stayed with you long after the final page was turned.

Revisiting YA Fiction - Sweet Valley High

Even though I was introduced to and devoured the Sweet Valley High series when I was around 10 years old, I never want my daughters to read this total drivel. At any age. There are just so many appalling messages. Appalling. I ought to pull out my eyes and stomp on them as punishment for re-reading them, but it's like this - the books are so bad, they are good. I may or may not be trying to track down the copies that I don't have to rebuild my collection. What is wrong with me?

To a pre-teen, the 16-year old Wakefield twins, with their all-American good looks and Size 6 figures (as we are relentlessly told), were so glamorous. The stories were compelling and the characters' lives so full of drama, I couldn't wait to start high school and have my life play out like the exciting characters at eternally-sunny Sweet Valley, a place so far-removed from my own drab existence. It's only when I look back that I see how so strikingly similar their world was to my own. I mean who didn't have a tuxedo shirt and matching bow tie hanging in their wardrobe just waiting to be worn for the moment when the hottest guy in school rang to ask you out? You didn't? You're such an Enid-head.

I don't think I have shared with you yet that I am a twin, although my sister and I are not identical. Minor detail best overlooked. Dazzling beauty aside, it stands to reason to think that there might be other similarities that my sister and I share with the popular and relatable Wakefield twins.

Here is some more evidence that life truly does imitate art.

The resemblance is uncanny. You can tell by Jess's smirk there's a hipflask or two in that denim jacket.

Even though I'm more ho-bag Jess in this photo (it was an 80's theme party, which explains why I am dressed in highly flammable pink taffeta and have a dozen beers resting on my lap), I always identified more with Elizabeth. Sensible, responsible, conservative, she wanted to be a writer. Oh. Em. Gee, Lizzie, samesies. Her boyfriend, Todd, could send her into tingly orbit with just a rub of her neck. That's a mighty impressive set of fingers on him. My boyfriend couldn't do that. He did drive a dud vehicle though. However, her unwavering loyalty to conniving and manipulative Jessica really does start to wear thin on even the most fervent Elizabeth supporter.

Liz-dawg even has a matching lavaliere.

Just one more, 'mkay?

No words. Just enjoy my sister with her togs on backwards.

Yes, it takes some work to overlook the incredibly bad writing and completely unrealistic story lines but the covers are just pure gold.  As a side note, this would have to be my most favourite-est cover of them all:

Hysterical. Who would even go near someone as creepy as Scott Daniels? Total mass-murderer eyes. I would have to wash my hands just handling the book. Note to any "college" guys reading this: A mustache does not make you look older. It makes you look seven kinds of ridiculous.

Did you read this series? What was your favourite book? Please no spoilers, I still don't know if Elizabeth and Todd lasted the distance and want to find out. I am truly pathetic.

Happy 2014

How are you all? It feels good to be back, although I have taken my time returning to this space. After a two week absence here, I hadn't realised just how hard it would be to start writing again. I think I am still in holiday mode so I guess the best thing to do is just write and find my groove.

I've been instagramming over the summer break, and with limited internet access on our road trip to Taranaki, found it to be an ideal way to capture and share moments of our holiday. I tend not to reuse those images in my blog posts, but you'll probably see some similar images taken on my camera. Speaking of which, I must have been a very good girl last year as Santa gave me a DSLR. I am a little intimidated by it, but having seen the difference in image quality between the Canon and my lovely, handy, compact, easy-to-use Fuji (I'm struggling to let it go), I can see why keen photographers use them. Even so, the most serious of photographers still have to find the motivation to pull out the camera and take photos. The past fortnight was spent reading escapist fiction and relaxing with family at a lovely country hideaway east of Stratford. When the mood took me, I instagrammed and left the camera mostly to my husband who captured these moments after we returned.

On rare fine days, we found ourselves at various beaches around Wellington and beyond. 

We spent time with my husband's family up at the farm near Otaki and (stunning sunset aside) while the weather was not wonderful there either, it was an opportunity for everyone to escape from the usual routine, recharge and connect with each other.

Now that we are home again, I am voraciously reading all the blogs I follow, breaking out my crochet hook, hoping to declutter some very neglected interior spaces and will try to establish a garden (it's not pretty out there people) all the while trying to keep my children's boredom bugs at bay. There are only four weeks until the start of the new school year. It will be a year of change for this family, with our youngest child, Aimee, starting school in September. I'm not quite sure how I feel about that, but when that time comes, I am sure you will hear all about it (ha!).

Season's greetings

At last, school holidays are here. We can unwind and do all the things for which summer was intended - swim, go to the beach, play outside and enjoy the last of the evening sun after dinner. There are no schedules, no lunchboxes to fill, no homework. Six weeks to just live and be.

My family and I are looking forward to spending the summer with family and friends; I hope that you also get to spend some time this holiday season surrounded by those who matter most to you. 

This will be my last blog post for the year, so I just want to welcome my new followers and thank you all for being so generous with your time and leaving lovely, supportive comments. That is more than enough for me, so imagine my surprise when I received some lovely Christmas mail from fellow blogging friends over the past week. You know who you are. My daughters were in total awe that people I have never met would send us cards and gifts. My husband just doesn't understand it at all. But you know and I know. We get it.

I've never been huge on sending Christmas cards (or birthday cards). Sorry. As I taped these cards to the wall in our lounge, I thought of each person who had taken some time to let me know that I mattered enough to them to be sent a card and so I made a promise to myself to do better next year.

Happy holidays, my lovely Moonies. See you in 2014.

I am {dande}lion, hear me velour

If you have followed me across from my Year of Crafting Dangerously days, you will know that I have a blog crush on Lisa at Big Little. Her children's garments are full of whimsy and wonder and everything is so beautifully detailed. Having really enjoyed testing her cape pattern a while ago, I was quite excited to then be asked to test one of her embroidery patterns. This project is only my second attempt ever at embroidering, as you can probably tell from the uneven stitches and rather unothodox lean of the dandelion stalk in the photograph below.

I had already taught myself how to do a basic straight stitch and back stitch, but this particular dandelion pattern has a chain stitch too. It was a little challenging to get the foundation stitch right, but after watching a couple of videos on Youtube, I picked it up and it only took a few minutes to complete the stems.

I sewed this coat using another of Lisa's patterns, the dandelion coat. Had I more sewing experience, I would have known to steer well clear of the quilted silk-blend that frayed almost as soon as it was cut and gone for something less temperamental, like wool (as the pattern suggested). Nothing ventured, nothing gained, and I will learn from my mistakes.

The colour of the quilted fabric is a very pale pink, although it looks almost white in these images.

Because the exterior fabric was relatively delicate, I ironed some interfacing onto the reverse side to reinforce it and I am so pleased I did otherwise there would have been pulled threads and runs all up and down the front panels.  The coat is lined with some sage-coloured velour, which gives it quite a soft and snuggly feel and it fastens with hidden domes.

The dandelions were really enjoyable to embroider and satisfyingly quick to make. Lisa's instructions are very clear so I have no doubt that anyone who has never embroidered before would easily be able to attempt this pattern.

If you would like to purchase the dandelion embroidery or coat pattern, both are available in Lisa's Etsy store.  I also spied a cute dandelion baby shoe pattern in her shop too. If you love hand-embroidered garments but sewing or embroidery is not your bag, a ready-made dandelion coat is also available, waiting to be shipped. If you are anything like me, you will love all of Lisa's garments, they really are heaven-sent.

This post was not sponsored in any way, I simply love to support creative people whose work I truly love and believe in.

I'm joining in with Show and Tell at Sunshine x 3 this week.

The one where I disappoint 571 people

I'm sorry.

The winner of the Lizzy House Red Letter Day bundle has been selected. Somewhere in New Zealand is a very happy Scottish woman. Och aye, Tartankiwi, it is you. Please get in touch to let me know your postal address.

Thank you so much to everyone who entered, it's been a busy few days trying to keep up with the email messages, but I have loved interacting with so many of you. I did not have much time to enter many giveaways myself but I did manage to discover one or two beautiful blogs along the way and I hope you did too. Maybe you were one of the lucky few to even pick up a prize elsewhere? If not, there's only a few months to wait until the next Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day.