Progress Report.

Two cute little felt birds made last night and almost complete (just a few tiny glass beads to add I think)...

1 walk and breakfast at a cafe with my friend across the street this morning,
1 movie to see and dinner out with friends tonight.
260 or so art marks entered Friday afternoon...
26 classroom reports to finish.
Well a girl has got to have some fun!
I'll do them tomorrow.

Reports!!!!!

If you see me around in blog land tell me to go and write my reports! They were due in on friday!

too cross...

I just found out that although my ex has been unable to pay more than half the correct amount of child support, or pay for driving lessons, cars or car repairs or school fees or anything or take the kids to lunch anywhere but KFC or Maccas, he did in fact earn over $450 000 in 2008 and $250 000 in 2009.

Kawaii Kokeshi Dolls

I found this pattern on Ravelry, Very cute ,very easy. It would be a good one to use for a first project. I am using up some of the yarn that Tim bought for me at a garage sale. I have no idea who they are for. I might sell them or maybe they would be good for a Toy Society christmas toy drop.

I love Totoro

This little fellow has inspired Chicky Babe to want to learn how to crochet!
I made him using the pattern mentioned in my last post, with some modifications (smaller ears, skinnier arms and bigger white belly) to make him look more like the big grey guy rather than the medium sized blue fellow.
I still have to embroider on the features and invent a pattern for the legs.

PS: (Later in the afternoon.)
Embroidered features...

Still no legs!

Reaching across the crochet divide

Oh so delicious but a bit too expensive!

Silk Yarn

And wonders will never cease. While chatting with Chicky Babe today I was browsing Ravelry looking at toys to make for Christmas time. I came across some Japanese manga style toys Chicky babe suddenly exclaimed. Oh Totoro!
What?
Totoro is a totally cute creature from a Japanese Manga film. So now crochet is good and I am making a set of little Totoro toys.

My Neighbor Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki, 1988)”

I can't upload a picture of the one I'm making but click here if you want to see it or if you are on Ravelry try this link.

Here's her blog of cute crocheted critters.

I really should never complain.

I had a girlfriend visit this morning with her little one. So, so cute. We had a lovely chat and coffee and cake (oh my own new yummy recipe- which I will post when I get a photo of the half demolished remnants of it.)

Here it is.
Ricotta and apple cake (Easily adapted to wheat free/gluten free version)

After she left I thought I'd pop on the telly and see what was on Oprah- my guilty holiday pleasure, I love the weepy ones not the celebrity interview ones and today was indeed a weepy one. About a woman who had grown up in poverty in Africa desperate to go to school but not allowed to. So she did her brothers home work on a stone "desk". Her father refused to let her go to school and she was married off at 11. By the time she was 18 she was a mother of three with a husband who beat her daily. One day a woman from an aide organisation came to her village and planted a seed in her mind that it was possible for a woman to get an education. She now has her masters in agricultural studies is living and studying in America and is remarried. They then went on to show again the atrocities that happen in the Congo with the poor women who are victims of rape. Tears were flowing in my house by this stage. Chicky babe who was going to make fun of her teary mother did not when I told her why I was crying.
It fascinates me how dedicated these women are to education- as a teacher who deals with children of various backgrounds I am struck by the difference in general by the poorer people in Africa and India and their keen desire to attend school and the general reluctance of many kids here to take hold of the opportunities education holds.
Another thing that is interesting is the success of programmes that educate and empower women. Money loaned to men in these communities is often used to show off to others in the community whereas small business loans give directly to women will enhance the whole family and also the wider community who are often employed by these women as their businesses grow. This money is usually always repaid and the profits are often used to educate the children. I of course-did as instructed by Oprah and went straight to her website and found the link list page to find avenues to help. Often I will go to Oxfam and buy a business for a woman in a developing country but now I have found on line links where I can do this with my new pay pal account. I've added it to my sidebar so I can find it easily again perhaps you might like to take a look too.
One day when I win lotto I would love to build a school for women - I guess I am quite passionate about it because along with the social security assistance I initially received, being educated has given me the chance to escape an abusive relationship and to support my family independently and to a comfortable standard, we may not have had everything our hearts desire and we have a modest house and don't have the latest gadgets and flat screen TV's but in comparison to many people in the world we enjoy a standard of extreme luxury.