Jam, fingerless mittens and Abigail part 3...

 

JAM

It is the end of stone fruit season in Australia, so before it all disappears I have jam making on my calendar. Over the weekend I made apricot jam, one of my personal favourites, but I did have to be frugal about it as apricots are quite expensive. It helps that no-one else in the family considers apricot jam their favourite, so the two large jars I made up will last me a while. 

Blossom's favourite jam is strawberry, and I always make a big batch of that around July or August, as where we live in the tropics, strawberries are in season through winter. 

Cully May and I both love plum jam, and I have about three kilos in the fridge waiting for me to prepare them, but as I've had a very painful few days with my knee and cannot stand very long, they will have to wait a bit longer. 

Rafaella and Charlie David love my Lime Butter, and Lemon Butter. As our lime tree is heavy with fruit right now, they are making the most of whatever I can make them. Apparently Charlie David eats our limes like oranges! I give him a few to take home, thinking he'll have some slices in his water (he loves that) but in fact he's eating them whole. By the way, he eats lemons too. 

KNITTING

Lately I've had a feeling that we may get an actual winter this year - something rare in the tropics. Last year's winter was so mild and very warm, that it was only during a week of cooler temps (23-25C days) that I realised my feet were cold and I needed some warm clothes. I still do not have any closed-in shoes, or warm slippers, but I am starting to prepare for these purchases. 

One thing I am doing, using what I already have, is to knit fingerless mittens. Many years ago I bought this pattern, Misselthwaite Mitts from Alicia Paulson, because I loved how she'd embroidered the little vignette's (inspired by the book The Secret Garden) on all sides of the mittens, but as I only have variegated 4ply fingering yarn in my stash and no solid colours, I simply went ahead and knitted them plain. Such an easy pattern too!

These are the mittens I completed for myself...

On Tuesday I had Blossom and the children visit for the day, and Charlie David absolutely loved my mittens, wearing them around for ages. The he asked, "Nana, will you make me some too?!" and of course I said yes. :-)

He told me how he loves the colours in a sunrise and sunset, so this is the yarn I'll use for his...

I altered the pattern to fit his hands, with room for growth, and made a start this morning. Blossom is very excited because she is sure he will love them. She also requested a pair for herself. It's rather fun to have these projects on hand because I adore knitting, but always need a purpose for it. 

I hope to make the embroidered mitts one day, but for now I am very happy with the plain ones!

SEWING

Another frugal activity recently has been to repair some of my linen/cotton dresses. I wear dresses every single day, and because of this, the hems can become a bit the worse for wear. I hang all our washing out back on the clothes line, and the fierce summer sun probably has a part to play in the wear and tear, but oh how I love the smell and feel of washing off the line!

Anyhow, I've been going through the cotton quilting fabrics for prints I can use as new borders on the dresses which need repair. 

This Tilda print from 2024 was leftover from a quarter metre bundle I was sent to design with back then. It's not exactly the same in colour (nothing in my stash was), but it wasn't bad and the final look is really nice - after all, this is only a day dress for wearing at home. 

Have you done any mending lately? Do you alter or repair your clothes? 

I have a number of items in my wardrobe that will be made-over in the coming month or two, but I will need to purchase some warm things as well. Even if we do not end up having a cooler winter, I'd rather be prepared than regret not doing it. 

ABIGAIL

Part three of the Abigail study is up on the Abigail page today. Looks like I've been sharing one part every three weeks, and so I'll have part four (the final part) in three weeks from now. Have you been following along?

On the Abigial page you can simply choose to read the study from there, or scroll to the bottom of each part to download the file and store on your computer. :-)

Go HERE for Abigail Part Three

The summer is fierce right now, as is usual in February, but I must admit that its really knocking us around this year. I find with each passing year, the traveling forward in age, things that were once easy are increasingly challenging. 

Staying on top of things in the garden is not happening, especially as I am unable to stand for long periods and water the parched pots and raised beds...however I am still doing a bit each day, and that consistent labour, small though it may seem, does reap rewards. As overgrown with weeds as our front garden is, the grocery delivery man this morning said "what a beautiful garden!". I lamented all the weeds which have crowded out the flowers and shrubs quite a bit, but he said, "it's still lovely!" You know, my heart lifted when he said that. 

Too often we see the weeds in our life, and the beauty that still dwells within the weeds is unnoticed until someone else points it out. That's just like the Christian walk isn't it. We are a mix of weeds and beauty - but as time passes, and our walk with the Lord grows deeper, the weeds get less and the beauty becomes more obvious. There is hope in that! 

In case you ever missed this free HOPE patterm I shall share it again...

Go HERE to my FREE patterns page for this and more stitchery gifts I have shared in the past. 

Until next week, God bless dear friends...

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

Makers Journal and February UFO...

 

A MAKER'S JOURNAL

I was recently watching a vlog from Moran of Mdays on YouTube and saw that she had a Makers Journal where she adds photos and notes of all the projects she completes. Immediately I was inspired to create something similar, and as I'd already started the 2026 UFO Adventure project (here) it would be fun to do a month by month journal of all the completed projects, both UFO and new, that I make this year. 

I had an unused dot-notebook with a soft blue cover that I have saved for no particular reason since about 2020, and this was perfect for my plan.

My completed January UFO project was the Japanese stitchery from one of Yumiko Higuchi's books, and here's how I put that first month's display together...

Some printed photos of the stitchery, scraps of cotton lace, washi tape, stickers, samples of the fabric and threads used, as well as the pattern sheet which had all my notes...

I am so happy with the final display, and can't wait to add more pages as the year flows on! 

The thought of making a cover came and went a few times, but this week I sketched up a simple design and stitched this embroidered ribbon closure in colours that blended nicely with the soft blue dot-notebook cover...

If you'd like to use the 'makers journal' stitchery you can download it HERE

Now that its February, its time to choose my next UFO project to complete within the month and I have chosen this partially made applique pincushion. It is a Hatched & Patched pattern I purchased about four years ago, and when I finally decided to make it last year, all I did was the applique, because I love applique! Once that was done, my attention was distracted by other things (like knitting!) and it got relegated to my 'projects to complete' tub. 

I'm looking forward to completing the pincushion, but may use part of the other pinnie option in the pattern set, and embroider around the sides - perhaps the same words, or perhaps something else. Either way, it will be lovely once completed. I'll give a photo update as I go along. 

How did you go with your January UFO?? What did you complete? What will you make or finish in February?

BREADMAKING

I am still baking sourdough loaves, and experimenting with different flour mixes. This one was SO delicious, and made using a mix of regular wheat and rye - about 50/50. My starter is all rye now, and no matter what flour mix I play around with there's that wonderful backdrop of rye in the flavour profile. 

I'm going to make this one again today and tomorrow, as it will go through the first rise this afternoon, and the second will be overnight in the fridge. I cannot tell you how good it is to make sourdough loaves without a recipe and just using basic steps and instinct. 

GARDEN

It's difficult to do much in the garden with my increasingly painful knee injury, but last week I decided that a lot can get done when you keep doing a little each day, so that's how I approach each morning now.

Just small things like emptying pots that have held non-productive plants and use that soil to begin topping up the raised beds; planting out spring onion (green onion) bottoms for a continuing crop over the next year (I do this every year); planting dried zinnia seed heads in open soil where they will quickly sprout and give us an even greater display of colour; mulching raised beds with sugar cane (again) to protect the plants still growing in them; and keeping the native birds happy with bread crumbs, fruit tops, and seeds.

BIBLE STUDY

My husband just finished a long and deep dive into Isaiah, using David Pawson's very thick commentary on it, whilst I am almost half way through David's book on 1 and 2 Corinthians (a gift from a very kind blog reader)...

I highly recommend all of David Pawson's commentaries on the books of the Bible, for digging deep into the culture, the history, the writer, the message, and how it all comes back to us becoming more like Jesus. Every one of his New Testament commentaries that I have studied through has grown me, and extended my understanding of even the smallest things when looked at through the lens of Jesus and the first century AD. 

Currently I am still writing part 3 of the Abigail study, but will share it in the next blog post. :-)

God bless you all, each and every one of you precious souls! May the Lord make clear His purpose for you in this season of life, for as long as we have breath we have purpose. Do not let anyone call you useless, or too old for God to use you...we are like children to the Lord, still able to learn and grow as we lean on His Word, pray for His wisdom and guidance, and follow His statutes. May you be blessed in all you do to glorify Him, dear one.

Until next time...

Simple things at home...

 

It's the last day of January already, and I find it hard to believe it's been three weeks since I last drove my car - but one thing we cannot do is slow time, or go back and redo what we wish we could. Every morning when we wake, it is a new day, a fresh moment, to look forward and perhaps make better choices. At least that's how I have come to see it recently. 

Our family (hubby and I, Blossom and Ross, Kezzie and her eldest boy) are struggling in a few areas - mainly health, employment, and transportation - but you know, it brings my heart so much joy when we laugh about the simplest of things, pray over what matters, look at our various situations with a glass half-full attitude, and always always encourage each other. For in the midst of it all is Jesus, and when Jesus is included in our challenges as well as our joys, we have peace in our souls.

We have been getting a lot of heavy rain on and off this wet season, and I have taken note of all the flowers and plants which are thriving in the hot, wet, humid tropics where we live, and the ones which cannot cope. Number one with thriving are the zinnias! Oh my, they have taken over a number of raised beds, shedding their seeds again and again, sprouting up zinnias of various sizes and colours, but predominantly these hot pink ones which once blooming will announce themselves in flower for at least four to six weeks. 

They have even taken over the sweet potato patch, but we do not mind as the sweet potatoes are still faring very well beneath the soil. Our Kelly-dog loves sweet potatoes so having a good supply growing through all four seasons of the year is quite a blessing. 

Other colourful successes in our wet season climate are marigolds, morning primrose, angelonia, vinca and pentas. The pentas, morning primrose and vinca are scattered around the yard as well as in pots, but some of them have grown together in the high raised bed where I grow herbs, chillies and spring onions all year through.

I get a lot of joy being surrounded by flowers, especially in a season where it's not as easy to grow them as it is in the warm dry seasons of winter and spring. Scattering seeds is not a difficult task, but you need to know if the seeds you are scattering will take hold in the season you are planting them. A bit like sharing the Word with someone, or cultivating a new friendship. Some seasons nothing will grow, but in others, there may be a good harvest.

This week I continued with the easy way of baking a sourdough loaf, and so far with a very basic/no weighing/no measuring/just go by feel or instinct process, every loaf has worked wonderfully.  I use different flours every time to hone my sourdough instincts, as different grains will require more or less water than each other, plus different proving times. Sometimes I can have a loaf baked by the end of the day, and with others, such as the rye loaf above, it can take two days. 

The rye sourdough loaf was so good, and one I will be baking regularly. It was moist, stayed fresh for ages, and was delicious plain or toasted. Above is yesterday's morning tea - rye soughdough toasted and spread with butter, peanut butter, and my homemade apricot jam. What a yummy way to begin the day!

Today I have a spelt sourdough on it's second rise before I bake it. As we have air conditioning in the main living area of the house, I leave my sourdough to rise in the sewing room where it's very warm and humid. 

The biscuits (cookies) in the photo at the start of this blog post were baked for hubby yesterday. He does not like cake (shame, because I do) but he loves his biscuits, especially in the evenings. These are a Frangipane Jam Drop recipe, made using almond flour, and were very tasty with a cuppa. I'm hoping we can make them last through the weekend. ;-)

During rest times for my knee this week, the number of small squares being knitted up has increased, and now I am beginning some larger squares as my plan (should it come to fruition) is to make a lap blanket before winter, using a patchwork-y mix of small and large squares. Then I plan to crochet a lacey edge around all four sides. In my mind's eye it looks amazing, but in practical terms I am simply winging it and hoping for the best. The yarn is a 4ply fingering yarn that I bought from Temu. Yes, Temu - are you surprised? I was! You see, before my knee would not allow me to drive (until it heals a bit) I dropped off a load of donations from that kitchen overhaul back HERE to a local op-shop (charity store) and then went for a stroll through. In the small crafts section I found a pack of six yarns, unopened, and described as being 92% Australian wool and 8% polyester. I thought this was funny because here I am in Australia, but the package of yarn had Chinese writing all over it, and had come from China. I carefully opened the package to feel the quality of the yarn and it was sublime. So I paid the $9 and took them home. After knitting a number of these small squares I did a search for the brand and found them on Temu, the exact same yarns and in a variety of colours. As this is my yarn project for 2026, and keeps my hands busy during the knee-up rest times, hubby agreed that I should buy what I need. So I bought another three sets of 6 balls, and truly, I am very happy with that decision because my lap blanket is coming along beautifully.  

If you are wondering about the yarn it is called Fancy Dyeing and the link I used is THIS one. Not sure if it will work for you but its the only one I can find on Temu. 

The sashiko block I was working on is complete, and I am pleased how it looks with the appliqued circles. I still have a lot of those circles to use up but for now I will put this block aside until a bright idea forms on how to incorporate it in a larger project. Perhaps more sashiko blocks with different coloured background fabric? For now it is not important, but shall be relegated to the bottom of my UFO list unless that bright idea emerges sooner. 

How did you go with your Adventure project finish for January?? If you missed that post and all the info about our 2026 Adventure, you'll find it HERE

I completed the Japanese embroidery and framed it...

...then completed the sashiko block, and though technically not really a UFO, it used up some of those little circles which were made back in 2024. Of course, now it is a real UFO for another time. Ha ha!

The rest of January was spent knitting squares. ;-)

Next week I am going to kick off February's Adventure by sharing with you what project I shall finally complete that month, but I also have a very different project to show you, one that you may be inspired to make as well. 

May your weekend be a time of rest and refreshment, and I also pray that if you have a big decision to make, that the Holy Spirit leads you to the right one. Not sure why I am praying that for you, but I trust the Holy Spirit and His prompting.

God bless dear hearts, until next week...

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

The gentle art of homemaking...

 

Twelve years ago I began writing about a favourite book, The Gentle Art of Domesticity, and as the years rolled on I referred to it often, and even did a year long book study on the blog with my readers in 2019 (you can still go through that HERE). I had a block of the month with that theme (some of the patterns are HERE) as well as similar themed years for the blog along the way - you see, it really resonated with me as a homemaker and stoked the flames of my home-loving heart. 

I was thinking about this recently, especially during the cleanout of our bookcases last week, where I gathered all my homemaking books on the table, before positioning them together along three shelves, inspired to re-read as many as possible through 2026. No matter how many times I read, or flip through them, there's always something new to learn, or to consider, with regards to homemaking and living a homemaker's life.  

I was pondering the difference between what I once embraced as 'the gentle art of domesticity', and the way I think about it now as the gentle art of homemaking? I can't exactly express the difference in a way that would make sense to others, but in my own heart it is that the first was about the 'doing' (what we did in the gentle domestic life) whereas the second is about the 'being' of a homemaker, the core love in our heart for being at home, for tending the home, for making a home somewhere loved ones choose to be, for creating a sanctuary of safety and comfort that nurtures the creation of heartstrings in those who leave but know they are always welcome to return. 

There was a time when being a homemaker was quite normal, and everyone knew that the home could not function without her. Pop thanked Nana after every meal, appreciating the time and care that went into the dish she'd prepared for us. He was also keenly aware that if not for her, none of his shirts would be washed and ironed, the floors would not be swept and mopped, his lunch and mine would not be packed and ready when he left for his shift at the docks and I left for school, the pets would not be fed, and the various tasks that must be attended to in a home, whether tiny like ours, or a larger family abode, would fall by the wayside. He never held back his gratitude, but showed me by example, that her role as a homemaker was to be treasured and honoured. And I think that's the 'gentle art of domesticity' side of it all, because he saw what she did and loved her for it.

Truly, my own heart grew up longing to be like her, to care for my own home, and to be treasured and honoured in the homemaker role just as she had been - but I too saw it all as things she did, that I also wanted to do one day. And I genuinely did always love keeping house, even to this day!

But the gentle art of homemaking is something else, it requires there to be a deep love and desire in one's heart for the things we do within our walls, that we would pursue the everyday ordinary tasks with delight and joy, not feeling burdened or hard done by, resentful, or looking for a way to escape. 

I read this morning a very wise fact, "there are no greener pastures on the other side", and it made me think of women I have known in life, young mothers of the children I cared for in my home through the Family Day Care scheme. Most of them told me how much they lamented being tied to home and were now following their dream of building a career instead. Sadly, back at that time there were no time restraints on how long they took to collect their children each day, and it was common for me to have the babies and toddlers overnight, and in a few rare cases, it would be days before the mother would be back to get her child/children. They had their taste of freedom and ran with it, going out after work, and not bothering to even call me to ask if it was okay or if their child was alright.  

But some of the mothers changed their minds over time, and as their hearts returned to family and home, they would step away from the hustle of career building and settle back to where they had begun with relief and happiness. Initially growing tired of the 'doing', especially after having children and choosing to step away and escape what they described as drudgery, over time the desire to 'be' within their hearts overcame that negativity and they saw beauty in mothering, and a genuine desire to care for their homes. 

There were also other mothers who had no choice but to work, and oh how they loved their babies! They would linger for a while before saying goodbye to their little ones, and would never be late in collecting them. In fact they would sweep those babies up in their arms and hug them so tight - my heart would always swell with emotion. There was even a single father whose young son I cared for, and he worked a lot of nights so I'd have the 4 year old quite a bit, but he would get to my house as soon as he could to collect his boy, and ask his son a million questions about what he'd done or made or where he'd been during their absence from each other. When they eventually moved away to another state I received a number of postcards over the following months telling me how the boy was settling and what he'd been doing. 

Now I know many of you reading this have had, or do have careers, so you might read all this as me being negative about women and careers, but that is not so. I'm sharing the experiences of my own life, and how examining certain situations that crossed my own path are helping me right now to identify the difference between the 'doing' and the 'being' within a woman's home environment. Over the years quite a number of women have emailed me or left comments on my blog posts to tell me how much they long to 'come home' full time, but must for now continue working for one reason or another, and what I appreciate from this is that they are true homemakers in their hearts, for they long to be home. Isn't that the most important thing? No matter our circumstances, the 'doing' of domesticity can be taught, but the 'being' of a homemaker must be planted and tended in the heart, and that 'being' is not about where you are (whether in a kitchen or an office), but what's in your heart. 

I think that the gentle art of homemaking will be my theme this year on the blog, as it more accurately reflects my heart motivation, than the art of domesticity does. What are your thoughts on this?

THIS WEEK...

I have really struggled with my knee, more than over the past seven months since I injured it, so many hours a day have been spent reclining on the old soft couch with books, knitting, embroidery, old episodes of Agatha Christie, and my iPad. It's been important to get up every hour and walk around, and its in those times that I do the washing, bake bread, give things a dust, or attend to small tasks. 

I'm no longer able to drive as using the accelerator and brake cause extreme pain, but my beloved husband has tomorrow off work and will be taking me back to the doctor and we shall see where things lead from there. Dear Rosie came to visit on Monday, and kindly offered to take me to the doctor any time I need her, which means the world to me moving forward, as right now I have no idea how long before I'll be healed and back to normal movement. 

You can see the photos of my completed Japanese stitchery UFO and I'm loving how it turned out. It's also nice to have my January project in the 2026 Adventure challenge finished and hanging on the wall. I folded it over one of those art canvasses you find at the discount stores, and stitched felt across the back. 

Due to my knee, I've not yet been able to cut out the fabrics for the quilt pattern I chose to work on through this year, but I am enjoying knitting small woollen squares which shall eventually become a lap blanket, so that will be my 'extra' project to work on when each monthly UFO project is completed. 

ABIGAIL STUDY...

Part Two of the Abigail study is now up on it's own blog page, and ready for you to read or download. You will find it HERE and I'd love to hear your own thoughts as you've been studying her life. 

If you have been wanting a Bible based stitchery to work on, you will find "Grow in Grace" (photo below) as a free download HERE. It's quick to stitch up and a lovely project for gift giving, as well as displaying in your own home. Be blessed as you stitch!

God bless each and every one of you, and may He, during the year ahead, assist you to overcome your struggles, heal your heart, provide for your needs, and build your faith in Christ. 

And may we all grow in grace.

Until next week...

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