I need help...

It's been a long time between posts, not because I am waning in my enthusiasm for all things I ramble about on my blog, but because life has, as it usually does, become very busy and somewhat worrisome.

arm/elbow

Miss K's continuing fight with eczema has really had us run ragged. Last month she was covered in spots and scratching like a cat with an infestation of mutant fleas. The doctor encouraged us to lather her in emollient and apply hydrocortozoin (on and off for two weeks). We had follow up, after follow up - eventually, after an additional course of antibiotics, it began to clear. 


Until two weeks ago. Yet again, my gorgeous wee four year old has become a walking spotted child, who has been scratching and itching all day and at all hours of the night. We had two days off kindy last week because I could see that all the waking at night from the itching was exhausting her. Her tiny body is trying to fight whatever it is that causes this outbreak. Every night I have been up two or three times to bathe her in pineotarsal, then lather her in special cream. By mid-week I too was exhausted. Apparently my usually 'zing' had gone and I was even described as looking 'harried'!



Top of thigh



Sleep deprivation is not a good thing for anyone. I know the impact that it has on me, and I know what impact that has on my kids and family. Mr T is full on with his work commitments at the moment and is often away during the week and weekends. Being in The Arts, this is quite often the nature of his world - it's not always like this, but it can be particularly tough when the kids are not themselves. After Master A was born, I struggled with post-natal depression (PND) for a good 18 months, and I'm very wary about letting myself get too run down, and missing too many Zumba classes (as I have been), because I start to get very cranky and irritable (as I have been).

So I changed doctors for every one's sake. We are now going to Natural Healing in Raumati, with a more holistic doctor, who heard all of Miss K's medical history (including phlegmy cough, pneumonia last year, continued eczema, etc etc). He checked out my little girl and believes that she has a dairy intolerance. This actually came as some relief because it's given me somewhere to start to try and make things better. No child should suffer what she is going through. While the photos here show the eczema, strangely, it doesn't really reflect its severity.

I have been given oodles of advice and suggestions - some which I have tried, and all that has been offered with love and concern. The variants in triggers for eczema are huge - from dust mites to perfumed soaps, wash powders to sugar, dairy and wheat. The treatments to soothe and heal are just as amazing, and we find just as one seems to be effective, the darn eczema beats us and we need to move onto something else. So I am not asking for additional help with preventing or curing it (yet), but sites on info are welcome.

What is it that I need help with?

Firstly, I have found the struggle to nurse Mis K, hold down a part-time job, begin a new short-term contract, do a writing course, be a mother to Mr A and a wife to Mr T, as well as juggle a few crafty causes, is getting too much for me on such little sleep. I am learning (albeit very slowly), that I need to know when things are too much and to ask for help (this has taken 37 years and I'm still pretty crap at it), otherwise, I erupt and it ain't pretty. I don't want to give up on  FromNZwithLove and Xmas4Christchurch - there is still plenty of time to get these underway, yet I do need help. I need help to spread the word and encourage people to donate/pledge for the 100in100Days Challenge. I need help to contact bloggers, crafters, and stores to spread the word and generate goodies...I would be very, very grateful if anyone would be willing to give me a hand.

Secondly, with going Dairy Free (at least for three weeks to see how the eczema responds), I need to research alternatives and to find good, kid-friendly recipes. Dairy-free catering eateries in the Wellington/Kapiti region would also be appreciated. You can email me on hapachica at gmail dot com or post a comment. I'll be blogging about the recipes I do try.

We went to a birthday party at OneRedDog on the Waterfront today. Miss K was very brave and wanted to attend, despite knowing she would not be able to eat pizza or have ice-cream. It was going to be worth it for jelly, which was listed on their kids menu. Well, what do you know? The surly, non-smiling waitress advised us they were all out of jelly. All out of jelly? On a Sunday, when lots of families might eat out? How does one end up 'all out of jelly'? It's not like asking for cherries in the middle of winter! So nope, not recommending OneRedDog on the Waterfront, especially not for a four year old who is bravely forgoing her favourite foods!

We are at day 3 on the dairy free. I am getting a little more sleep, and I really look forward to hearing from you :-)

Somewhere in between all the itching, scratching, baths and new diet I managed to sew a few items for a young local man to take to an orphanage he's visiting during the school holidays. I had hoped to do more, but well....

Finger puppets

Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs modelled off the work of our wonderful friend Nerissa O'Donnell (Check her out on felt)

100 in 100 Days Challenge

Calling artists, craft hoarders, crafters, creators and anyone with imagination and a generous heart. Today is the official launch of the 100 in 100 Days Challenge. This Challenge aims to generate donations for my two Earthquake Relief projects (FromNZwithLove and Christmas4Christchurch).

While the projects themselves focus on handmade goodies to be shared with families in Japan and Christchurch, 100 in 100 seeks donations of all kinds that can either be sent directly or auctioned off/sold to raise funds for shipping and other new items.

Suggestions include:

• Art work or handcrafts (e.g jewellery) that can be auctioned/sold to raise funds for postage
• Handcrafts to send to Japan and to Christchurch (see Xmas4 Christchurch and FromNZwithLove pages)
• Services (fitness classes, web design etc etc) that can be auctioned
• Fabric and wool to be turned into amazing handcrafts
• Offers of baking for Christmas for Christchurch
• Volunteering of time to pack/post, distribute and manage logistics
• Tickets to shows or performances (for your performing types)

 I'm working on matching donations of fabrics/wool to donations of time to knit/sew as well

 

What you can do - head over to the Facebook page or go to the page on my blog and leave a comment, better still a donation and share the aroha.

 

Tagged as a stylish blogger!

My fabulous cousin and fellow blogger, Hannah tagged me on her Hannah's Reductions blog. Thanks heaps Hannah!
I am flattered that at such an inital stage in my blogger life I've been tagged with an award of some kind - even though I'm not entirely sure if it means I'm stylish, or my blog/blogging is stylish. If it's the former, then Hannah hasn't seen my much-in-need of cut hairdo. At present I waver between looking like I'm wearing a square cut Russian Mink hat and Justine Beber! I'm going to the hairdressers on Friday to address this!

Ever the researcher, I looked (briefly) into what the award was and where it came from. Huffygirl provides a synopsis of the details which I won't repeat here, but if you are interested, you can check it out. The rules go something like this:

1. Present seven things about yourself that others might not know.
2. Name about a half-dozen bloggers you think deserve the award. (this varies from 15 to 5. Hannah named two)
3. Contact those people to inform them of the honor.
4. Create a link back to the person who gave you the honor.

 So here's seven things about me that others might not know

Since I'm so honest and open, this might be challenging - close friends may know, new friends might not!

1. I have a cup quirk - I like to have my cups and glasses with the openings down in the cupboard. If they are up the other way, I have to put them top down.

2. Flowers make me smile - I love a bit of feminine charm and flowers add sunshine and magic

3. I won a Ms Fitness Manawatu Competition - strangely I found myself in the world of body-building. For three months I worked out, dieted and practised my routine to strut it on stage. There was no one else in the category, so I'm not sure if I won by default!

4. I have a weakness for stationery - I don't know if it's my love of writing or books or both, but I adore pretty note books. I seem to have amassed a small collection of journals which have one or two lines in them!

5. I also have a weakness for smellies - of the perfume, bubble bath, body lotion kind. I seem to have overly active olfatory glands (pregnancy made it even more heightened), but there is something really pampering in lovely lotions and fragrances.

6. Mr T is hubby number 2. I am an incurable romantic and ever hopeful when it comes to love. I've been engaged 3 times, hubby 1 and I were married 3 years (no kids) and then I met my marvellous Mr T. (At this stage I'm planning on keeping him)

7. I have a PhD in social anthropology - one day I think I'll do an anthropological study of crafting blogs. Anyone keen to be a part of that?

Blogs I pass the award onto:
Sweet Georgia and the Crafty Squirrel
This Sew Called Life
Kiwi at Heart
RedGingham (although I've just seen she no longer has time to accept these - it's a fab blog)

Stitchbird
SewMuchMore

Button boo-boo? - UPDATE

Earlier tonight I posted:

Some lovely people are taking up the cause and sharing the love with my fromnzwithlove button (see sidebar or specific page)- I managed to make the button from an online tutorial and it is possible that I have done it WRONG!
I have had one lovely blogger, who is sharing the love, advise me that the button ain't working. If anyone else has added it to their blog and has the same prob, please let me know - or if you just want to test drive it for me, please do!

Since then I have done some detective work and discovered I had missed of an all important " in the html code. Hats off the web designers who do all that backend work to make sites look pretty! And big thanks to Sweet Georgia and the Crafty Squirrel for pointing out my mistake!

Crafting for Christchurch and Japan

Given the happenings of the last week in Christchurch, I thought it would be a good time to kick start the craft project for the city that will be running in tandem with the Japanese Disaster relief project (fromNZwithlove). At present both projects are low key, with crafters quietly working away on their goodies as it's still a wee way out until delivery dates in November and December.

I spoke with my cousin Kazue who lives in Sendai, Japan today. She is still very rattled by the ongoing aftershocks and the clean up of the aftermath of the tsunami. She spoke of how Mikki (her daughter who teaches at the Fukudamachi Kindergarten) has lost some of her high school friends to the tsunami, some were physically lost, others have become psychologically damaged from the trauma. While she is still able to laugh at some things, there is a poignancy in her voice as she relays the experiences of her family, people who live nearby, the ongoing fear that the kindergarten children suffer, the crumpled streets and the disappearance of areas she and my mother used to play in when they were young.

Kazue told me there was much happiness from the boxes we sent to the kindergarten. So many children benefited from the clothing and toys. Can you believe she apologised for not writing or sending photos - given what they are facing on a daily basis, this is hardly surprising, but it is so 'Japanese' that she would even think to say sorry for it!

The teachers are all managing to hold things together for the children. They remain strong in the face of the aftershocks and work tirelessly with traumatised and frightened children. As part of the FromNZwithLove project, I am hoping to be able to send small donations to the 17 teachers there. Kazue has indicated there are many people she knows who have lost homes and belongings, whatever is sent will be greatly appreciated.



crochet sock pattern



The warmth of NZ wool is well known in Japan. Kazue has often commented that the wool items my family have sent are not scratchy like Japanese wool (I can vouch for this! I had a gorgeous shawl knitted for me once and it was scratchy!) and there is a request for lots of warm socks please! If you're a sock knitter we are welcoming socks or sock yarn to be knitted!

Talking with Kazue helped keep the momentum going. While all I can offer is a small bit of help, each little bit counts and makes a difference.

 Christmas for Christchurch. This info is also on the project page on this blog.

Christchurch has really had a hard time of it of late. As with the tandem project (fromNZwithlove) for Japan, this project looks down the road ahead. People will need as much aroha as they are receiving now in six month's time.


Christmas4Christchurch (C4C) hopes to deliver Christmas smiles and happiness to families who have really struggled and lost so much through the devastating earthquakes. Families will be identified and Christmas care packs will be distributed to them - something for each person in the house and some good Xmas Kai (food) as well.

I know Christmas is a LOOOONG way out - but again, I'm going with a handmade theme and now's the time to start on some of those projects and six months comes around pretty fast! If you're making an Xmas decoration, why not make one extra or two for Christchurch or Japan. Are you sewing a wee tote or stuffed animal for a niece, daughter or grandchild, make one extra...

I'll update this page soon with more ways to help. We're in the process of identifying families in need. If you know of any, please let me know. If you want to help, then let me know too (hapachica@gmail.com)

A button should be coming soon for you to share the love, and hopefully a website too!

I really would love to hear your thoughts, ideas and suggestions for the project's development...

Where's willy?

Little people have the funniest way of brightening up your day with cute quips. Master A (2 1/2) has started discussing the differences between boys and girls, focusing on the physical differences. He asks who has a willy (or chiin-chiin in Japanese) and who doesn't and who is a boy and who isn't.

A few nights ago Master A asked me if I had a willy.

"No, Mummy doesn't."

"Oh don't worry Mummy, it will grow in a moment" he said!

This morning he asked: "Who gave me a willy?"..... Hmmm.??? I suggested he ask his Dad.

At present he is drawing on paper, passing it to me and saying: "Here's your email Mummy. You can post it in your computer." Amazing how their wee minds work.

Speaking of words (pardon the pun) I partook in  Sew Addictive Fabrics' singles night online store sale last night. HUGELY exciting (made even more so by her site crashing and we all having to wait another 10 minutes). Gorgeous, gorgeous fabrics at great prices, but the saddest words I think I've even seen are "out of stock" under every piece I longed after!

I would love to hear about your 'enquiring minds' stories 

SSL Risotto

Salmon, Spinach and Leek Risotto - it doesn't look anywhere near as appetising in the photo as it tastes (hence mini-photo), but this risotto is a huge hit in our house. It's adapted from a Regal Salmon booklet that has ended up among my cookbooks and I thought I'd share the recipe. I use Hot wood smoked Aoraki salmon fillet (200g) that we find in our local Commonsense Organic shop, but any roasted/smoked salmon will do.

With risotto, it's hands on - you gotta be there stirring the pot, so have the other half bath the kids while you whip up this delight. :

1.Heat 1/4C of olive oil in a large, heavy-based pot. Throw in 2 baby leeks (300g) that are finely chopped and 3 cloves of crushed or finely chopped garlic. Heat for 3-4 mins, then add 1 1/2 C arborio rice. Stir for another minute.

2. Add 3/4C of dry white wine and stir until it's all absorbed.

3. Slowly add 3- 4C of  warm fish or vege stock to the rice, about half a cup at a time (I use a powered vege stock mixed with hot water), stirring continuously. Make sure each addition is absorbed before adding the next half cup. At this point I throw in about 2 cups of very finely chopped spinach. This is optional, but a good way to get greens into wee people. Peas (frozen) can also/alternatively be added at this point - about half a cup of frozen ones.

4. When rice is tender and creamy, break up 200g of smoked/roasted salmon (or chop it before hand) and stir it in with 3 Tablespoons of sour cream. Season with salt and pepper. Pop the lid back on and rest it for 1 minute.

5. Garnish with lemon zest (this is the fabulous, the kids love it) and serve immediately.

This recipe usually just feeds the four of us (Mr T, toddler, pre-schooler and me). Last night I served it with roasted vegetables and salsa verde from Annabell Langbein's 'The Free Range Cook'. Delicious. There was also enough left overs for me for dinner tonight. (The kids wanted 'dip-dip eggs. Mr T is away for a few nights, so dinners are often simple!).

When I next get a spare moment, I'll have to post my Prawn, Pasta and Peas...

Prawns, pasta and peas...