Contentment, simplicity and acceptance...

 

I have lately been pondering the physical changes which have come to pass these past few years, or perhaps across the past decade. For a long while it was a frustrating struggle to accept the increasing number of limitations my body enforced upon me, and too much time was spent lamenting the days of yore when my man and I were off exploring every weekend, driving to rugged places, hiking mountains to see a waterfall, trekking through the rainforest, all with a large picnic hamper, a thermos of tea, water bottles, ground blanket and cameras in hand, and no time restraints on ending our day. 

And then in September 2018 we bought our quarter acre and set up this home as our 'landing space' for however long the Lord keeps us here, or until Jesus returns. It was the first time we'd had a home of our own, after decades of renting, and was an old home in need of many repairs, but all we saw at the time was a blank slate and the opportunity to build gardens, to grow food, to do to it whatever we wanted in order to create a home which truly reflected us - a home which would be our very own sanctuary now and into the future. 

(harvesting young radishes, basil, and garlic chives)

We were in our late 50's at the time, and had no concept of what this new and exciting change would require of us - but after the first few years, we realised the change was in fact an enormous challenge, one that would weary us commensurate with natural physical aging. But after a few more years, and with a good number of modules in various God-designed reality lessons, all we feel now is gratitude and acceptance for what has become for us, a simpler style of life. It's an honest hardworking life, without excess and living within our means, and much richer in reward than we could have imagined, even with bodies that continue to age.

Throughout these years the seeds of contenment grew as well, and to be honest, I believe that may be the very root of how acceptance sprouts in the heart. Once that happened for us, it became clear the Lord had been using a number of trials and challenges to show how 'our' perceived dreams often do not match up with reality. 

(pesto made from fresh radish tops and basil - delicous!)

I was recently thinking of the old saying  - "If only I knew then what I know now" - and I asked myself even if that were possible, would I have changed anything about this journey? I asked my husband as well. Both of us had the same answer. No. How can we regret learning what we did not know, with the Lord right by our side all the way, gently imparting His wisdom when our own had failed. 

(this morning's sourdough loaf, baked at 6am in a dutch oven after proving overnight, and made from two flours - rye and wheat)

There are many 'dreams' we have in life, or perhaps some were more like wishful thinking or hoping for the best outcome?  I'll be honest with you, apart from home ownership, motherhood was not what I imagined, neither was marriage or homeschooling. These 'dreams' ended up having a very loose resemblance to how they truly were. But looking back, the realities held far more wonders and were much richer than the dreams ever promised to be!

(baby beet tops for adding to salads)

So now when I have my hands in the soil, preparing more area for planting food crops, I get so excited about the process of building a garden, planting seeds, growing food, and later enjoying an abundant harvest. Its a slow thing, a time consuming act working with the climate here so that we plant things which will grow and not waste time or money on plants which are known to fail (often that knowledge came from our own mistakes)...but oh how marvellous it is to the heart being in the garden, and acknowledging that here in our 8th autumn, we can see the result of those years before and give thanks to the Lord for the abundance we have today. 

(my April UFO finish, fingerless mittens with embroidered motifs)

The truth is, no experience in life is wasted. In God's economy, all we have done before, and all we are doing now, can be looked at as a kind of investment in our character if we simply allow Him to correct, refresh and guide us forward. My husband and I are not the same people we were the day we moved into this home back in 2018. God has whittled away a number of sharp edges in our character, built our faith even higher through various trials and outcomes (some not at all what we'd hoped for), shown us over and over that disappointments will come but He is still walking with us and He will see us through them. It is one thing to hope God is with you, but quite another to have no doubt whatsoever...and that's us. We believe, we accept, we have no doubt, we love Him so much, and we worship Him alone. 

No regrets. Even now with a very painful physical condition that restricts many activities, we hope for my healing, but we also accept the situation as it is right now - after all, there are a number of spiritual insights which have come from this, such as a deeper compassion for others who experience chronic pain, debilitating conditions, isolation, or enforced slowing for example. 

(hand quilting my Bird in Pot block - I shared the free pattern HERE)

I do not know where you are on this journey of gentle homemaking (see HERE for that blog post), or in your walk with the Lord, but as a woman who is still learning new life skills and spiritual insights at 67 years of age, let me encourage you to seek the good things around you, and not focus on the valley you may be walking through. God will walk with you through the valleys, and if you trust that is true, just allow acceptance to bring you peace. Then lift your eyes to notice the joys which nest around your life, joys which you may have overlooked or not searched for. 

 Between homemaking and garden tasks I need to rest my leg for a few hours, and during that time I may have a play with my photos using the Midjourney membership Blossom and Ross gifted me. The photo above is one I took last week in our kitchen, and then transformed it into a watercolour painting. I had recently cleaned out the walk-in pantry shelving and made this kitchen entrance area of repurposed book cases more functional by adding the everyday pantry items. Previously they have held jars of various food items, but this time I chose only items which are cooking staples. It's lovely to stand at the kitchen counter and look over at this area! It inspires me every day to create in the kitchen. These two watercolour pictures will be printed up and framed in the kitchen and pantry as soon as I can drive again and visit the op-shops for good frames. :-)

(the watercolour version of this photo above, using the AI feature in Midjourney, added a little drawer beneath the two top shelves, rather than the almond milks which sit on the shelf below, but I love it and thought how lovely it would be to have real drawers there)

Well, its time for a herbal tea and some freshly baked sourdough with hummus, pesto and avocado. One of my favourite lunches! Later on I may roast a pumpkin, one of the many still growing in our front yard, for soup tonight. But first, lunch and a rest with the leg up. 

God bless, I will write again soon, and in the meantime I'd love to read your own stories in the comments...

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Old becomes new...

 

I have taken to the habit, after baking a fresh batch of delicious scones, of freezing a few for those afternoons when I'm a tad tired and longing for something to enjoy with my cup of tea. Such was an afternoon this week. After defrosting one such scone, and brewing a large cup of tea in my very special Royal Albert "rose blush" mug, I opted to open a jar of mango jam, one of many I made before Christmas, and smear it generously across the butter. In our family scones are served at room temperature, and never warm. I truly cannot bear to have the butter melted away, for butter is a delight to my tastebuds. Sometimes I wonder if it's the butter, more than the scone and jam, that I enjoy most of all? How do you enjoy your scones?

Before writing any further, I must clear up a misunderstanding from my previous post. As you can see above, I've once again taken one of my own photos and changed it into a watercolour painting scene. This has not been done with any skill of my own, but through the use of a membership my dear Blossom gifted me as an early Mothers Day present. I tried a 5-image free trial with Midjourney earlier in the month, and loved how the recent photo of the front of our home was transformed in watercolours. I showed my Blossom-girl, and she was most impressed too. Then she told me how Ross uses professional Midjourney for his business (in a completely different way to the watercolour style I love) and that they had decided to gift me a one-year membership. So you are going to see more of these gorgeous pics in the coming year. 

With only eight days left in April, I decided that a pair of fingerless mittens which have been awaiting completion since they were stowed away on a shelf in February, would be my April UFO project. I had made three pairs previously, all of which went to the grandchildren. The blue pair I initially made for myself were claimed by Cully May and that just made me so happy. Now all three will have warm hands this coming winter. 

Once the children had them, I started another pair for myself, but this time in a solid cream merino wool, because the lure of knitting a pair with embroidered motifs was hard to resist. I'd used the plain pattern for the kids mittens, though the wool in theirs was variegated in lovely colours...but now I can have a play with something more mature for my own. 

Couldn't resist another watercolour version of a photo, and thought you'd enjoy seeing how artfully it is done. I shall be choosing some to frame at home throughout this year, and perhaps create calendars for Christmas gifts at year's end.

Are you wondering about the heading of this blog post? "Old becomes new" is an idea, or more of a desire really, that I have had for a few years now. I began designing in early 2009, just as I turned 50. Over the past seventeen years, my design portfolio has grown to more than a thousand patterns, and when I look back on them, there's at least fifty I'd really like to give a makeover - you know, in a style more 'me' of today. Naturally one can dream, but the reality is that I won't be able to follow through on that scale of project...but I can pick a few here and there as time allows, simpler ones, and a few that I could share with you as a thank you gift for being here, reading along, praying, encouraging, and sharing your own stories in the comments. 

Today I'll start with a cute design, "Bird in Pot", which was first shared back in 2016 as a tea towel project. Today I have that same design in a PDF for you as a free download, and you can make it up any way you  like...

At the time I first made the Bird in Pot tea towel design, my applique style was fusible raw edge blanket stitch. You'll notice this in the majority of  Elefantz designs during those first 14-15 years...but then I tried my hand at needle-turn applique and a new love developed! :-)

So in sharing this simple pattern with you once again, ten years on from it's first debut, I am re-working it with needle-turn and a different colour palette.

The background fabric is cut from an old linen sheet, and apart from an old Minki Kim brown floral print, the remaining prints are from a 2017 charm pack by Bunny Hill Designs. I love shopping from my old stash! 

I chose to make a few changes from the pattern sheet. Instead of keeping the stems and leaves in one piece as I did with the original applique, this time I have used my nifty bias maker to create needleturn stems, and made some cardboard templates for the needleturn leaves (because I find the points of leaves fiddly without preparing around a template first) ....

Instead of a tea towel, this will become the centre of an autumnal cushion for our bedroom, and I'll hopefully have it completed next week to show you. 

How would/will you make Bird in Pot, and how would/will you display it? Use the link below to download the pattern templates.

DOWNLOAD Bird in Pot

I was reading Lin's blog the other day and she recommended this book (below) so I checked my library and yay, they had it, so reserved a copy. Our driveway is under construction from tomorrow (part of the new upgraded road and water pipes they've been installing for the past two years) and we shall not be able to enter or exit our property with a car for seven days, and fortunately the library is at the end of our long road so I was able to collect the book today, along with a DVD. The movie is one I watched last year and loved, so now I can enjoy it again while I knit and stitch. 

Hubby has just arrived home so I'll sign off now and pray each of you have a restful day/evening, assured of God's hand on your life, and His love displayed through the blessed gift of our dear Jesus, the coming King and Lion of Judah! 

Chat again soon,

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Flowing with your season...

(my original photo of the front of our home, remade as a watercolour print, April 2026)

Home is where I am happiest. Home is where I get to live out the familiar rhythms and habits, through all seasons, which keep me grounded and calm and confident. 

Occasionally there are new challenges to face within those familar seasons, mostly the kind which are quickly (or simply) resolved, but every so often there's one which will take more from you than first imagined. 

Days after my last post, it became evident that time would be needed for me to try something new, wait for a result, and finally, to make my peace with what would eventuate. During these past five weeks there's been no desire in my heart to write here, nor even correspond with the many kind and caring emails, messages and comments you have sent to check up on me - but I did cherish each one, and have been so very grateful for your prayers, especially when I am sure you all have challenges of your own to contend with. How incredibly lovely are your hearts! xxx

I did want to clarify something - many messages/emails about my knee assumed that it was arthritis and that I'd need a knee replacement, but that is incorrect. The damage is primarily a cartilage injury (the meniscus) as well as a couple of bone marrow oedemas, the main one in my tibia. These cause swelling and chronic pain, but the problem I mostly have is re-injuring (three times) where the medial meniscus detached nine months ago. Anyhow, whilst I was absent from the blog, I saw the orthopeadic specialist who suggested an injection of hyaluronic acid, hoping that would give some extra cushioning inside my knee while the meniscus continued to heal. The success rate is 50% and it was very expensive, but after such a long time of chronic pain it seemed worth trying at least. Unfortunately, it has not worked. 

But I have had time to consider all my options, and examine every bit of advice given me by the medical professionals. Some of the things I was told to do by physiotherapists made my knee worse, and the more I investigated those exercises, the more I learned how outdated they were. So, I have been doing things a bit differently the past three weeks, and can actually feel some improvement at long last - which has allowed me to return to the garden, and work in it, carefully and mindfully, for a couple of hours most days. As of this week I was able to drive the car 2 kilometres to the shop, but no further due to pain, but two weeks ago I could not drive at all. I relish every blessings, large or small!

The front and back gardens were horribly overgrown and ugly after our monsoonal wet season. I was not sure where to begin, but decided to start slowly, and begin clearing away and pruning. Just doing that over a few days allowed me to envision what was needed at this mid-autumn season, and how I could best return to growing vegetables again. You see, mid-autumn to mid-spring is our growing season in the tropics, and I had thought for many months that I'd miss it this year. 

The grandkids came over one Sunday and 5yo Charlie David spent hours helping Poppy in the garden. Poppy pruned the large trees and bushes, and afterwards Charlie David helped carry the branches to Poppy for shredding. By the end of the morning we had a good deal of mulch for the front and back garden! 

Something my husband and Charlie's dad Ross do a lot of with him, is "men stuff". Teaching young boys how to do things they'll need to know one day with their own families to care for is very important to them. 

And meanwhile Rafaella was in the kitchen with me making a chicken pasta salad. It was her first time using a very sharp knife (one of my Japanese kitchen knives), and she was marvellous cutting all the vegetables while I cooked the pasta and made mayonnaise.

I haven't done any sewing or knitting for three weeks, because the garden has been my focus, but I did complete my March UFO on time...

The backing fabric and binding are favourite prints I have had since 2007!! In fact every fabric used in this project is at least ten years old. People often ask me where they can purchase the fabrics used in my designs and I have to disappoint them because most of the fabric I own is between 8-20 years old. 

I truly love how the table runner finished up, and decided that once the garden is a bit further along I shall make more of those orange peel blocks from my old fabrics and use them as cushion covers for the lounge room - so bright and cheery!

So shall I complete a UFO for April?? I do not know, but tonight I'll have a look through the ones I put aside for this year and see if there's a small project that can be completed easily. I'm rather tired at night... :-)

Anyhow I'll leave you with photos of where I'm up to in the garden as of yesterday. So that you know what's been planted thus far...

Seeds still sprouting and yet to be planted out - daikon radish, red cherry tomatoes, yellow pear tomatoes, lebanese cucumbers, coriander, lemon basil, zinnia and cosmos.

Already potted - bok choy, spring onions, calendula, chives, red tomato, sweet potato, rocket (arugula), snow peas and various herbs. 

Ready to harvest - We also have another huge bunch of bananas growing, the lime tree almost finished producing (we got around 200 limes this year), the lemon grass needing to be thinned and the stalks frozen, plus five huge pumpkins almost ready to harvest.

Seeds to be planted over the weekend - carrots, beetroot, rockmelon and parsley. 

There's still a lot more to do in the front and back gardens, and we're a bit late with the winter planting, but one thing I have come to realise is that doing something is far better than doing nothing. In fact, planting a little is better than not planting at all. An hour a day adds up to seven by week's end if that's all you can manage in a day. If you don't have wonderfully large high garden beds, use pots. I mostly use pots. Just do something that brings your senses alive - and for me that is in the garden. 

For you it may be sitting with your watercolours and painting a scene, or any number of activities which breathe life into your actions and protect your mental health. 

I know that the garden is integral to my mental health. The birds visit each day, and wait for me to feed them. They do not fly away when I come near because they know they're safe around me, and that is such a blessing. Sitting outside watching the birds, enjoying a cup of tea and perusing the fruits of my garden labour - all this is a gift from the Lord, and I do not take those gifts lightly.

I know many of the smaller birds will be building nests soon, so I have hung a mug of yarn scraps from the elder tree for them, after seeing the idea on Niamh's vlog a few years back. 

I hope to be back writing again next week, as I had not intended being absent for so long - but seasons come and go, and rather than be frustrated when a particular season is upended with various challenges, it's important to flow along with them and carry the peace of God with you until that season has passed and a fresh one begins. 

Whatever season you are in right now, whether it be hard or exciting or joyous or confusing, lean on the Lord. Rest in His arms and let His constant and unfailing reassurance carry you through the laughter or tears. I have found there is no other Who can see me through every season of life, as carefully or as faithfully, as my Jesus. 

Chat again soon,

My free newsletter is back. Just sign up HERE and you'll receive it every couple of weeks.

You will find loads of patterns for instant download HERE in my Etsy Shop 

March days at home and Abigail part 4...

 

How quickly these weeks pass in 2026. I've been needing to take a number of rests each day, but in between those rests my heart is happy to do precious homemaking tasks, which are essential for my good mental health. 

The Lord assists me to ponder the blessings of life, and to keep up with the essential chores, as well as the ones that are done monthly or seasonaly. Last week I spent hours on and off through Monday to deep clean our laundry, knowing the following day would require complete rest, and my goodness, the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction felt afterwards was akin to enjoying a bar of my favourite Turkish Delight! So naturally I ordered one in the following day's grocery delivery. Blossom and I have spent the past 30 years enjoying these as a treat! Do you have a favourite chocolate bar??

I've had numerous emails and messages asking about my knee and many of you thought it was arthritic in nature. I'll answer quickly here, to avoid more email overload (though I am so very thankful for the prayers, love and concern you show me!)...its not arthritis, but a number of other things that occurred during an accident last July. The main source of the pain however, are two 'bone marrow oedemas' which are akin to very sharp knives stabbing my knee and tibia all the time, but worst of all during the night. I finally get to see an orthopaedic specialist next Tuesday and I am hopeful he will be able to guide me through ways to heal. Would love your prayers - thank you. xx

Above is the UFO project I have chosen to complete this month. The blocks began back in 2024 as part of a quilt project a friend and I were both making at the time. She has continued with it, but I got to a certain stage where the reality hit that I would not be able to quilt it by hand as it is a very large quilt, and living in the hot tropics would make such an undertaking very taxing, and we simply cannot afford to have a quilt top professionaly quilted. 

So last year I chose a few blocks to use in a table runner, as I really love the fabrics and colours. The prints used were many years old, and belong to fat quarters, charm squares and yardage, from Lecien a decade ago (who no longer produce fabrics) and some Mary Englebright from about 2008. There's also some other very old prints, and all together they make the happiest display for a table topper. 

Have you been working on a March UFO project? What is it?

One other project I already finished this month was the bunny I knitted all the pieces for last October and November, but had not sewn together. Finally I did that the first week of March and gifted it to Rafaella for her 8th birthday last week. She absolutely loved it and takes her bunny-girl to bed every night.

There was a lot of purple DK yarn in my knitting supplies after the bunny's dress, shoes and bow were completed, so I thought it would be fun to knit myself a pair of slipper socks in the hope of having a cool winter this year. My mindset was "if you make it, winter will come". Ha ha!! We shall see. ;-)

Not being at all interested in knitting socks on four needles, I came across this pattern for two-needle socks on Pinterest and decided to give it a try. Now the pattern called for DK yarn and 3mm needles, so I assumed (we should never assume, right?) that using the Stylecraft DK yarn from the UK would be the same as what was in the pattern...but nooooo. 

Having never heard of Super Corfou, I did a google and it just said DK, so I googled no further. And admittedly I did not knit a tension square, because I'm lazy like that. Shocked? Don't be. 

Not far into the pattern I could see these socks being rather small for my size 7 feet (EU 37)...

...but still, I knitted on. Once begun, I loved the texture and colours, so I decided they'd fit one of my granddaughters.  

Both feet are completed now, I just need to stitch them up. Before winter would be good. 

Now that I know the instructions I followed, using my DK yarn and not the one suggested, knit up a much smaller slipper sock than I can wear, the instructions shall be modified to fit my dear feet. Sadly I have no more purple yarn, but there are many other pretty colours in the yarn stash to choose from. I shall keep you posted on how this modified plan works out if you're interested. Or perhaps you have some advice to share?? Larger needles perhaps??

Sourdough baking is becoming a twice a week delight, with a third weekly loaf of 'ordinary sandwich bread' in between. My husband can eat bread with anything, and I mean anything. It's what he goes for around 8pm each night, with a thick slather of peanut butter, and is what he likes generous portions of in his packed lunch for work. Fortunately, breadmaking is my delight! 

It's been almost two months since Rosie and I have been able to meet up for a lovely morning tea and chat. One reason is that I am unable to drive with my knee problem so I can't visit Rosie, and another is that our road is being ripped up (been going on for two years, but now they are right in front of our house and many homes on either side) to lay new pipes, widen the road, alter the lanes, tear down trees, put in traffic lights, and various other obstacles to a peaceful existence, and a third is the monsoonal wet season which has brought flooding much of the time. 

But I had a wonderful surprise on Saturday morning, when Rosie knocked on my door for a two-minute visit, and to bless me with birthday and get-well gifts! Non-residents are not allowed to drive into the roadwork constructions areas, so her dear hubby Brian parked up the road and Rosie walked down to my place. What a happy hug!! Seeing her was so good for my heart, and I was incredibly blessed with the bundle of lovely gifts. She knows me well, and included in all the gifts was a gorgeous ceramic pear and a bag of spearmint leaves (I collect pears, and spearmint leaves are my favourite lollies).

Hopefully I can get back to short sessions on the sewing machine next week, as what I intend making only requires a few minutes on the machine, and the rest can be hand sewn and crocheted. You know I love making jar toppers, and as well as sewing a lot for myself, I have gifted quite a few at Christmas and birthdays. They are so simple to make, and quick too. Some have lace sewn around the edges, some do not, and others I have crocheted around the edge. Some jar toppers are just fabric (lined so that both sides are different), and some have embroidery on top. You can get quite creative with how you make them, but the best thing is how lovely they look in the pantry or on a shelf. 

The photo below was taken in January and you can see what I mean about how lovely they look on jars, especially when they are together along a shelf...

...but this week, I did a huge pantry stock-up shop (home delivery is such a blessing right now) and all my shelves have had to very slowly be emptied, cleaned, and reorganised to accommodate extra supplies.  I decided to use one of those shelves to house all my dried and medicinal herbs, the ones I use for herbal teas. Right now the jars look so very plain, but in coming weeks some new pretty toppers will make everything pleasing to the eye. 

I've quite adjusted to doing everything slowly now. It was hard for many months, and I did my recovery no help by being frustrated and pushing my leg beyond it's ability more times than you'd know. Finally, after my latest MRI in February, I was content to go slowly, to consider my capability and pain level each day before beginning a task. Knitting has been a true delight, beyond any other crafty pursuit since my accident last year. I hope to get back to crochet when winter arrives in June, and eventually complete the blanket I began in 2024, but for now, those hand stitched UFO projects each month are satisfying, and the small knitted items are easy to pick up and put down. Breadmaking is a joy, and so are the simple wholesome meals of old that nourish us and are quick to make, or easy to languish in the slow cooker. I have even learned to roast a whole chicken in the air fryer and it's delicious! 

The garden is too often flooded this wet season, and completely overgrown with weeds, but it can wait until I am healed and functioning. Some things just have to wait, while other things take priority, and there's no need to feel bad about that. Life is a series of seasons, and when you accept that, and choose to work with whatever season you're in, your mind can be calm, your heart at peace, and you know that you know God is still in control. That truth is what I lean on, it's what gives me hope, it holds me steady when the storms of life swirl around, and it is what I hope you know too. 

ABIGAIL: part four

The final part of our study has been published and you will find it HERE on the Abigail page of my blog.

What a blessing this study has been in putting my own character under the microscope of God's Word! May it be a source of blessing to you as well. 

Until next time my lovelies, 

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