Everyday life while convalescing...

 

Well, February is almost over, and this week I played around with my Makers Journal, adding two new pages to show some of what has been made this month. 

Charlie David's "Misselthwaite Mitts" were completed and he wears them every day, even in our ghastly hot and humid summer. He sends me voice messages every few days to tell me he loves me, and as all Nanas know, that precious grandson melts my heart. 

He loves sunrise and sunsets, so this yarn was perfect. They only took me two days to complete, and as they are small I chose to knit on small double pointed needles instead of my long stainless steel ones. To avoid losing stitches or stabbing myself, these very cute little elephant needle toppers were employed.

I always make a few batches of plum jam during February and March each year, and last week the first batch were ready.

I'll plan another batch in a few weeks, as for now I must stay close to the couch. Pots of herbal tea, made with herbs from the garden which I dried last year (ginger, tulsi, mint) and some I purchased online (rosehip and willowbark), are very soothing during this newly extended period of convalescense as I knit and hand sew...

Our Kelly-dog just turned two, and is definitely no longer a pup. He's a sleeper, a snoozer, a fellow who just loves to watch and rest, especially at the front window. Our entire road is being ripped up and new pipes laid, so out front we have trenches 8 feet deep by 8 feet wide and 20 feet long, right across the front of our house (and the neighbours homes too) and it's a bit of a minefield for hubby to get in and out with the car each day, especially as this is the wet season. We have no drains right now and watching those trenches fill up and flow over with mud and down our driveway is not easy. But, many months from now this will all be complete and life on our road can return to normal. 

Kelly-dog loves to watch the workmen and machinery from the front window, resting his long dachshund head on the sill...and then promptly falls asleep and snores. It's the funniest thing! 

It's been two weeks since my last blog post, and I wasn't sure if I'd even blog this week - not because I didn't want to, but because I've had more tests on my knee recently, and the level of pain increased to such a point that sitting at my desk to use the computer wasn't easy. In fact, the key to my recovery now, given the latest results which show a new problem inside two of my bones, is to rest for quite a few months. I must avoid as much weight bearing as possible, and be rather strict with myself if I am to ever recover and get back to 'normal' activities. 

This means no gardening, no using a sewing machine (due to the sitting, and the foot pedal pressure), no driving (haven't driven for about six weeks already), and now not even sitting as a passenger in the car as this causes more pain than I can handle these days - and many other must-not-dos for around six months.

Last week in the early morn, after a few days of feeling quite sorry for myself (though some of that was from the constant lack of sleep and painkillers not working) I cried out again to God for help in coping with the constant pain, physical limitations, inability to ever leave the house, and the 'aloneness' (not loneliness) of life when my husband is at work six days a week...when I heard a kookaburra laughing nearby.

You know they are my favourite bird. They bring me so much joy whenever they visit, but their visits are rare now since the huge poincianna in our yard split twice last year, and is no more. They would often rest in the tree, and sing their laughing chorus as I hung the washing on the line...oh how I've missed that in the past year. Yet last week, one returned and sat on that clothesline, singing it's laughing song. I stood outside under the elder tree and we watched each other for a good ten minutes. I was praying and giving thanks to God for it's visit, when I sensed deep within me these words from the Lord - "I see you, I hear you, I am with you." Hubby came out and I cried on his shoulder, tears of joy for the comfort received from my Father in Heaven.

I turned to go and get my camera, when it flew from the clothesline to the fence and posed for a photo.

My outlook changed right then and there. Yes, this is a difficult time, but it's not as bad as many others experience, and hopefully healing will occur eventually. Accepting a lot of extra help from my husband has been a lesson in humility I'd rather not learn again, so I will be a jolly good student this time round. Having always been the one to care and tend for our home while he works long hours, and making sure he returns home each evening to a space that is calm and beautiful and welcoming, this season of life has turned things around in many ways - but let us not forget, a welcoming home, a sanctuary, is more about the attitude of those who dwell within, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in every corner. 

So I have slowed a lot, with intention, and surrender to my current disability. In fact, it occurred to me that sewing can still be done, but it will be by substituting the sewing machine with my very own nimble fingers. Which is what I did yesterday with my 2026 Adventure UFO project for February. 

At the weekend I stitched the gusset of the pincushion with a row of cross-stitches and running stitch, in the same thread colours I used in the top.

The round top and bottom, plus the gusset, were all backed with Parlan, so hand sewing them all together was a bit on the bulky side...

I used a lot of pins to secure the top and gusset together, but then decided to baste the two sections together instead and remove the pins before properly hand stitching the seams. The main reason for this was the mess made when some of those pins took aim at my fingers...

Fortunately, the blood was on the wrong side of the fabric, apart from one teeny tiny spot amidst the applique. 

Once it was all sewn and stuffed, I added cross stitches around the top edge. It turned out to be a wonderful little pin cushion and I'm so glad to have persevered and completed it all by hand. 

Tomorrow I shall display it in photos on a new page in my Makers Journal, and that will probably be my final finish for February. 

It was my 67th birthday on Saturday and hubby very carefully drove us over to Blossom's so the children could give me a party, bless them. 

I am excited about the future, and not because I'm focused on healing, but because this life is temporary, and I know what is yet to come far exceeds what is behind. There was a time when we were homeschooling and the kids use to talk about all the things they'd like to achieve one day, but you know how they'd say it?  "If Jesus hasn't come back yet, I want to..." We taught them from birth to number their days, and now Blossom teaches her own children to expect the second coming of Jesus one day.

My Nana always said "Lord willing we shall..." which made me aware of God's sovereignty over all things, and having grown up with that in my mind these past 67 years, even before giving my life to Christ in 1991, there is a realisation now of how much closer I am to seeing Him than ever before, and I am excited. 

When He returns on the clouds of heaven with the loudest trumpet blast the earth has ever known, and all the angels, I hope to see Him in all His glory - no matter whether I am alive still, or sleeping in the grave - I pray that I'll be with those who are lifted up into the air to meet Him and be with Him forevermore. May that be your hope too. 

In the meantime, I shall make it my intention to lead a quiet life, to mind my own business, and work with my hands, just as the Bible instructs us. Funny how this has become so relevent to my current season of life. I have always tried to live this way, but now it has taken on a deeper meaning. God's life lessons never grow old... :-)

Not sure which UFO project I shall decide to complete in March, but it will all be hand stitched so I shall choose carefully. 

How about you? What have you been making lately in the kitchen, sewing room, garden, pottery shed...?? Are you hindered by an injury and if so, what changes have you needed to make?

God bless dear ones, and know you are held in my heart and in my prayers.

Until next week,

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

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.