The first week of the new year (and some of the old)...
MONDAY:
As is my normal morning routine I got up around 5:15, fed the chickens, gave Bob-the-dog the last of our lamb bones, filled the bird feeder for the cockatoos, corellas, and rainbow lorikeets before brewing a cup of fresh coffee and settling down to open the Bible and fill my soul with nourishment from on High whilst our animals chewed, pecked and scratched around me.
Before the sun became too fierce I pulled the dead dill plants from our garden and began removing the seeds; then I did the same with the basil before removing the dried red fruit from the jalapeno bush, again to harvest seed for next planting season...
Our summer is so incredibly dry, the tropical wet season late again this season, so I've also been picking sage and thyme and letting it dry on the outdoor table.
More remnants of spring (green) onions have been planted and I am pleasantly surprised at how easily they grow again. I shall remember to take a photo tomorrow. I simply push these 'ends' into a pot of good soil and water each day...and up they come. Marvellous!
Our precious girls, Cully May and Rafaella, were over on Monday with Blossom and we had the loveliest time together. In fact we had another tea party and the little darlings discovered they could make a table from one of our couch recliners.
Children really do have the most marvellous imaginations.
Cully May always has real tea in her cup with lots of milk, but Rafaella prefers just milk - though she insists it is tea.
TUESDAY:
I spent most of the day preparing photos and the pattern to share block 1 of Psalm 23 with you (here) and then Mr E and I went for a lovely visit to Blossom and Ross's before the children went to bed and then we came home and took the CHRISTmas tree down.
WEDNESDAY:
I pulled my sewing room apart from top to bottom (and shared this as my very first live video in our Gentle Domesticity group as well as a shorter version on Instagram) and even though I regularly clean and declutter that room so I can design and sew without visual distraction, this January 1st makeover was far more thorough.
It took nine hours and New Year's night I was plumb tuckered out with aching legs, arms and back.
I inspired Mr E as well because while I was busy working on my creative space he decided to give his study a good scrub and declutter as well, which is good because as a teacher there's a lot of school stuff which tends to 'gather' in his study over the course of a year.
THURSDAY:
I woke a few times last night with what seemed to be an increasingly blocked nose.
I ignored it as best I could but by this morning it was obvious a head cold had arrived and after talking with Blossom discovered she and the girls had it as well. We do love to share, you know.
A blogging friend from right down south of our state was up in Townsville for a visit to see her family who were also holidaying here from elsewhere in the state and we'd arranged to meet early for coffee down on the Strand where we could watch the ocean and chat face to face for the first time.
I texted Chel (you can visit her blog here) to let her know about my early stage head cold and see if she'd prefer to cancel our coffee but she was still keen to catch up so after breakfast off I drove and we had the nicest hour together, though keeping distance between us so I'd not pass my lurgy along.
Unfortunately the humid heat, as so often happens with me, took a toll and just as we were preparing to say our goodbyes a migraine began to build.
Home again, I took pain killers for the migraine (and they thankfully worked rather fast) but my head cold began to escalate and hubby insisted I do 'nothing' but rest up. Bless him!
But you know, doing nothing, while your nose is running and your throat is increasingly scratchy, just isn't as easy as it sounds. I like to do things to get my mind off pain and that's why I push through the beginnings and middle of a migraine, so I tried to do the same with this jolly inconvenient head cold today.
And this is when I thought why not make another video of my sewing room, now that it's all nice and fresh and ready for me to begin designing in 2020. So I did.
...click below...
Blossom's rather proud of me, you know, because apparently she's wondered 'when' I'd start doing the odd video or two but just hadn't yet broached the topic.
Well, surprisingly it was quite easy to do from my phone!
So in future I'll do them more often ...perhaps show you 'for real' what I'm stitching, maybe share what I'm gleaning from my Bible reading, or take you on a walk around the garden?
Let me know what you think and then I can ponder the prospect further.
But right now I shall bid you good evening and gather to myself a large box of tissues infused with eucalyptus and put the kettle on to brew a pot of lemon and honey tea.
My prayers tonight will be focused on the raging fires across our beautiful but dry country, prayers for rain, prayers for the loved ones of those many people who have lost their lives, those who are missing, and those hundreds of families who have lost their homes.
Pray for them will you please?
hugs
20 comments:
I hope your cold is short lived. I enjoyed your videos.
Loved your videos Jenny! You have inspired me to get started with organising my room. At the moment it looks like a dumping point for excess stuff, so I will spruce it up and march some surplus to the op shop.
What a treat to catch up with Chel, I always enjoy meeting up with blogging friends.
I find spring onions are so easy to grow, I just chop them off as wanted and they grow back really quickly. Amazing plants! I too have sage growing as well as oregano, thyme and basil and these will all need trimming and drying very soon. Thank you for reminding me.
It is really dry (and hot) here too, but thankfully we have no fires. Praying for those who are in the danger zones and those who have lost homes and loved ones. What a terrible time Australia is having at the moment with fires in most states. Another bad day for South Australia tomorrow, we are expecting 46C here!
Take care and I hope your cold symptoms leave very soon.
xTania
Enjoy reading your blog and jealous of your tiny stitches. I have a sore throat fir WEEKS in the autumn where I live. My doctor told me to use a simple saline spray/ drop into each nostril. It’s amazing how much better my throat feels! It works quickly too. I don’t like to take medicine unless I really have to- maybe this natural remedy might help you too.
Praying for rain and relief for the fires. Several groups of firefighters from our area have been coming and going to Australia, hoping to help in some small way.
Lovely to see your studio. Mine's in a mess right now, as I'm doing the very same thing as you, but taking a couple of days to complete. Feel well soon.
Hugs - and firefighters! - to Australia from Canada!
С новым годом! желаю крепкого здоровья и счастья!
Love seeing your cleaned up sewing room....Just as much as the other video in which you were pulling everything out... Mine needs much organization and cleaning.
Love the look of your sewing room. I can understand why you were so tired after cleaning it. I would like to know what you use on the back of your embroidery projects so the tread doesn't show through. Some you flannel. I don;t really like that. Blessings. Diane N
Jenny, I loved your video! Super cool! I liked that you have a stitchery hanging on a baby clothes hanger- it looks like to me. That just struct me as very creative. I had all kinds of creative ideas come to mind about that. Your work area is very tidy and nice. I'm about to get busy on mine soon. Probably in the spring, March. We are in winter now, snow, and cold.
Yes. The NEWS in the States have been showing the horrible fires in Australia, and the poor animals that are trying to out run the fires. Praying for RAIN, and for all those fighting those fires. Praying for the survivors who, have lost more than can be told.
Hope you feel well soon as well. I am glad you and your husband are safe. Take care. God bless.
As Dots said, the fires in Australia have been on the news here in the USA. Praying for all affected by the horrors of the fires...I can't imagine being trapped on a beach and trying to breathe the air clogged with ash! I believe that we are sending some firefighters to help you all. I hope they can help save the homes and lives of all who live in Australia. We've seen some pictures of koalas sitting on the laps of firemen, getting water from them! Poor animals. Lord, send healing rains to put out the fires!! I love the video...I now know what you sound like!!! If I didn't know better, just going off of your voice, I would put you in your 20's!! Your studio looks so lovely!! I dread cleaning because I don't remember when I put things!!! If it is all spread around, I can find everything easily. Maybe I need a memory enhancer!!!
Have a read through this blog post I did a few years ago about the supplies I use.
http://www.elefantz.com/2015/04/supplies-things-i-use-when-i-stitch.html
Happy New Year. Such a beautiful and inspiring sewing room. Many prayers for our country at the moment. I had a thought, Do you have a 'newish' stitchery design you were thinking of perhaps allowing for free that we could purchase instead for a donation to Red Cross? Just a thought....I spent yesterday cleaning out my craft room too as a local group were calling for flannelette sheets, pillows, cotton fabric and thread to make pouches for the injured animals. I delivered my bags to the organiser and on her carport area she has signs for each. ie. sheets, etc. So lovely to see everyone pitching in to try and make a small difference.
Jenny, I am at the airport catching up with my friends' blogs. I have been wondering how you were as it is quite muggy at present. It was lovely to catch up and so fsr the lurgy doesn't appear to have been passed on :-) I hope you recover quickly. Big hugs.
Prayers for the fires. We saw it on our evening news here and I immediately thought of you and your family.
I love the videos! It was so heart warming to hear your voice after all these years of reading your blog.
Hope your cold is better. My whole family has been sick at some point in the last 2 weeks with headcolds and stomach viruses.
Loved the video. It gives me ideas for my creative space - and I can see right now that I need more shelves! :^) I've only recently discovered you and I want to say thank you for the lovely designs you create and share her. And I have to say... those girls are really clever to have found a tea table that is the perfect height for them. ;^)
Jenny: we are also praying for rain in Australia and praying for all who have lost loved ones.
🙏🏻. Prayers for rain for Australia and relief for you and your girls colds.
Happy New Year my dear friend. Those wee girls are just a delight & must bring you so much pleasure Jenny. Your sewing room looks amazing & I have a crink in my neck from peering at the screen. I may "borrow/pinch" a couple of your storage ideas Jenny xxx
Dear Jenny - praying for you to feel better, and Blossom and the girls as well - no fun having two little ones running around with runny noses, lol. Praying also for your country, it's just unreal to see the devastation. I LOVE your videos and hope you make more!!!!
Oh Jenny, I would love to go for a walk around your garden! So sorry you have picked up a cold. We picked up a tummy bug somewhere on our way home from UK. Thanks for the spring onion tip - I shall try that. Lovely to be saving all those seeds and I do love the shapes of seed heads. Hope you feel better soon and I pray for all those poor people displaced by the fires. xx
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