Perception, measuring and cutting...

 It has been a particularly 'bumpy' week.

My birthday on Monday began so happy with a visit from Blossom and the children, tiramisu for morning tea, and a much needed new vacuum cleaner from my husband...

...but later that day my mind was taken to a very dark place, a lonely place, and every ounce of energy, both physical and emotional, drained away. 

Such is common for me on special days such as Mothers Day or my birthday, but as the day began so wonderfully I was not prepared for the darkness which followed. 

The following day I stepped outside before the sun made it's way over the mountain and with camera in hand let my attention fall to the beauty of simple things; the God-created simplicity of the garden in late summer, a garden often scorched under this intense tropical sun, but valiantly struggling to keep going until the relief promised as we near winter in a few months time.

Weeds fight for dominion over the flowers, herbs, and our two vegetables which have managed to hang on the past few months - spring onions (scallions) and rocket (arugula) - yet I still see beauty in the early morning light.

The roses have been slow to re-bloom this February, so I added rose food to their pots, moved a few to different areas in the yard, and gave them all a little trim. How joyous to have them flourishing once more.

That half hour in the garden, watering, tending and photographing was balm to my soul, and in the stillness I was able to hear the Father speak into my heart with gentleness, love and revelation.

You probably already know that bouts of darkness visit me every so often, sometimes for a day, sometimes for a season, but every time I go through these valleys I come out the other side with a new and fresh understanding about God, myself, and the direction I should follow going forward. 

This short trip into darkness on Monday and Tuesday was no different.

Uploading the photos on Tuesday afternoon, one word was resonating over and over - Perception - and it was in response to the many photos I'd taken of roses. Most of them were focused very clearly on the flower but the background was unfocused, like this one...

In everyday living we can, in various times and seasons, focus on one negative aspect of our life, one snapshot, even allowing it to consume our thoughts day and night, to the exclusion of all the other wonderful things and people which combine together as a more complete panorama of our lives. That panorama tells the real story, not the snapshot we've chosen to focus our emotions or actions on.

Like with a jigsaw, one small piece connected to another, slowly building a beautiful scene before our eyes, life is very similar. One experience, one relationship, one trial, one success - all coming together over time to create a story: the story of you.

My perception was out of kilter on Monday afternoon as I had focused on a loss from the past, rather than what I already held in my heart that day. Is it normal to still grieve that loss, yes. But is it right to beat myself with it? No. 

There's nothing wrong with acknowledging loss, pain and regret, but those things are in the past and cannot be changed. For me personally, each one was handed over to God years ago and He has comforted, corrected and loved me through them all, but it is I alone who bring them back to mind, subconsciously punishing myself on days when those closest to me are celebrating my life.

Friends, I'm sharing this today because it's on my heart to do so. Perhaps this resonates with you and perhaps not. All I can do is abide in the leading of the Holy Spirit and pray for those of you who also sabotage yourself the way I have done, and ask that He will melt the ties which have bound us to the sorrows and regrets of the past so that we can rejoice on our special days in the priceless love which abounds around us...and so that we can take our eyes off that one thing, and look with fresh eyes on the panoramic beauty of this gift of life before us today.

As I was finishing this design the other day, it made me ponder all the negative emotions which trip me up; and all the extras I do each week to make myself feel worthy of what the Father has given me. 

How we view our past has a huge bearing on how we see ourselves today, and this birthday with those life-altering lessons which came through it, has prompted me to take what is a common sewing quote -"measure twice, cut once" - and apply it to every area of my life.

Taking measure of all I do and every responsibility - whether that be home, garden, family, friendships or business - and being mindful of the hours given me in a day, my age and state of health, what's truly most important in my life, and the motivation which lies beneath my choices...that's where I'm at today. 

Because I need to take that measure, and then measure again, so when I am quite sure and in sync with the Lord, I can confidently cut away the excess and unburden myself in what has (in some areas) become a burdened life. 

Now I promise the next blog post will not be heavy like this one!!

In fact going through this measuring/cutting process has not just shown me what is to be removed, but what is to be embraced more fully...God, family and home.

May His grace lead you into all truth and if you are walking in the valley right now, may His strong love draw you forward into the Light. 

Bless you heaps,

Quietly living each day...

The daily rituals of homemaking have a way of slowing the mind and building contentment as the tasks we attend to through the hours of our day are accomplished one by one.

My days lately have mostly been a mix of gardening in the early hours before the scorching sun hits the back garden, washing, cooking, stitching, spending time with our grandchildren and Blossom, general repairs, dusting, re-arranging furniture and the weekly vacuum and mop of all rooms.

As I mentioned last week, doing a little gardening each day adds up to quite a bit over time. We've had some good days of rain on and off, which have made things more bearable outside, so I gather cardboard boxes we've saved and lay them over weeded garden areas, before positioning pots and covering everything with sugar cane mulch. 

I'd love to have the energy (and strength) to get it all done in a couple of days, but I cannot, so I simply enjoy the results which accrue after these 30-60 minutes spent weeding, repotting, and laying out board and mulch  most mornings after hubby leaves for work. 

I'm learning to work within my limits, especially as some recent bouts of intense fatigue has slowed me considerably. Fortunately my new doctor was wonderful and did extensive tests to check on a number of different health issues which I was having and discovered my auto-immune disease was flaring up (first time in twenty years) and I needed my medication increased. It will take a couple of months to get the new dosage correct, but how grateful I am to know what the problem is and that in time the new symptoms will lessen. 

I rescued this dahlia from the nursery for 50c about six months ago. My husband was sure it was wasted money because "it looks dead"...but I have nurtured it well and now it's blooming. Surprise bonus, it has also sent up new plants nearby!

Do you remember the tiny Poinciana tree we planted in our yard in August 2019?

At that time it was just 12 inches high...

Well, 2½ years later and it's huge!

In fact we sit outside under it on Sunday evenings with a cool drink, and just smile at each other in complete satisfaction of a dream come true.

My husband calls it the Jennifer Tree because I always dreamed of having a Poinciana to sit under. Creating a pretty area beneath the lush branches will become a task for April, as we move into autumn.

With all the rain these past couple of months, the trees which grow beside the bird feeder have actually 'overgrown' and the feeder was completely invisible so the native birds no longer visited. 

On Sunday I set to work trimming away the branches and making a lovely wide space for our feathered friends once more. It did not take long for them to return, and you know me, I adore the birds, so my heart is very happy.

Last month I bought a cast iron Dutch Oven (from Kmart of all places, and it's excellent) but didn't get around to using it for baking bread until the other day.

The bread was wonderfully crusty and quite delicious, exactly what I'd hoped for when purchasing the Dutch Oven, so that day my afternoon tea was a lovely thick slice with butter and apricot jam.

One day a week I do a bit of homeschooling with Cully May and Rafaella, which allows Blossom some one-on-one time with Charlie. I have genuinely missed homeschooling since my kids grew up but found I quickly slipped back into the familiar rhythm of the Charlotte Mason "living books" based curriculum with my two granddaughters.

After our lessons last Wednesday the girls set the coffee table for afternoon tea and we feasted on lemon iced carrot cakes and Prince of Wales tea with a little milk and sugar. This was so good that the girls had three cups of tea each! They are just like their mumma, who loved our morning and afternoon teas every day during all those years of being homeschooled. Sometimes we would pack everything up in  a hamper and have a picnic tea by the ocean or in the garden, depending on the season or where we lived at the time. When the weather here cools down I'll take Cully May and Rafaella on picnics like that.

My sewing has been a mix of a few projects. I have some very pretty Sara Kay fabrics to work with for the distributor, 2 Green Zebras, and decided to make a gift for Rafaella's 4th birthday in March. I began with 27 large hexagons, but shan't tell you what they will become until the end of the month.

Blossom was given some of the fabrics to work with as well, and her project will also become a gift for Rafaella. Can't wait to show you our completed projects! These fabrics won't be in quilt shops until April, but as you can see they are the cutest little prints.

I'm also stitching a new design for my Faith, Heart & Home pattern club...needle-turn applique this time. At the moment I'm not sure what month this pattern will be available, but hopefully soon.

Whilst preparing for my doctor's appointment on Monday I thought it wise to take a book along as waiting time can run from 20 to 45 minutes. At first I packed my latest homemaking tome in my bag, but then reconsidered and replaced it with my absolute favourite Jane Austen novel, Persuasion.

Whilst most will wax lyrical about Pride and Prejudice, and I admit it's a wonderful novel, my heart was captured by the story of Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth many years ago, a story which even today brings me joy to read. So once again, I'm turning the pages and relishing the slowing - because that's something wonderful about Austen's books, they are slow, oh so wonderfully slow.

Morning Bible study is the best start to the day, though.

After preparing my husband's work lunch, I set the table for breakfast, make the coffee, fill tiny bowls with our assortment of vitamins and minerals, and then we eat together and chat about the day ahead.

Once done, we both settle into the couches with our Bibles for a half hour until it's time for him to leave.

This week my study is 2 Peter, and I've been struck by two things...

1.  How important 'these qualities' which are mentioned in chapter 1:5-7 were to him, because he makes numerous mention of practicing them throughout the first chapter. 

2. One of 'these qualities' - steadfastness - means 'cheerful endurance' and really fed my desire to pursue a steadfast nature (along with all of 'these qualities')

For a few years now, when I study my Bible, right beside me is the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, because I learned it was not enough to just read the words in my English Bible - it's important to understand the full meaning from the original language as this brings the Word alive in a deeper way and opens the eyes of my understanding to the fullness, complexity, pure truth and divine authority of God's holy Bible, especially as we seemingly face end times.

The roses all decided to rest for a couple of weeks, unusual as they tend to take turns in producing a full flush of blooms so that my table is always beautifully displaying a vase or two or three. 

I gave them all a little trim, more soil, mulch and fertiliser, and carefully removed spent leaves...and within ten days they came alive with abundant beauty once more! First, the beautifully fragrant Perfumed Passion rose offered forth her fluffy pink flowers, which delighted my senses as this is my favourite rose. 

Now the blue rose is flush with blooms so they'll be cut for the vase today. The long stemmed reds are almost ready and will be ready to cut at the weekend. I'll prune them right back at the end of April, but for now it's still summer and though they need care not to burn under our tropical sun, I find immense joy in this expanding hobby. Come winter I shall purchase a few more bareroot roses and large pots and continue to 'grow' my new hobby...one day perhaps my garden will be a rose retreat, for beauty's sake alone.

Before I sign off today, here's some photos of the new designs for the next set of Faith, Heart & Home stitchery club patterns.

It was our 30th wedding anniversary in December, and I designed and stitched this lovely memento to frame and hang in our home. Often I'm asked about patterns for a new marriage or a wedding anniversary, so you may like to stitch this for that purpose?

There's also this appliqued "love begins with home" design...

...which I finished as a cushion for the bedroom.

And there's also a new block for the Heart of Psalms / Heart of Home quilt project.

The text for both versions is included in the pattern sheets.

To find out more about receiving Faith, Heart & Home patterns just pop over HERE

I hope your own week has offered some slow days and quiet times to simply rest in the goodness of home, family and God.

Until next time, God bless you and keep you safe in His care.

hugs...

Contentment, gratitude and tiny habits...

 

Have you noticed that when we decide to focus on a particular attitude adjustment, habit or character refinement, that numerous opportunities to be challenged in that area seem to arise with regularity?

Let me share one of the things God deposited on my heart one late September day in 2018, just after we moved into this home. That still small voice told me to make this home a house of praise. Immediately I decided that music and singing would be a big part of life here, and though we've gone through changing seasons of mountains and valleys these past few years, beautiful hymns and inspired instrumental music have very much become a grounding point at the beginning and end of each day. 

But the other night I could not sleep, so I crept out of the bedroom to sit in the faintly moonlit living room, and gave the Lord time to speak once more into my heart...because obviously He needed my complete attention, away from the daily rhythm of homemaking.

 

What had I been missing during the day as I read His Word, prayed while cooking and cleaning, pondered problems as I stitched and knitted? 

Well, it was all about contentment and gratitude. And praise.

Not the praise of lifting my voice in song.

But praise in gratitude for all we have, for all HE has provided, for His protective hand on our lives and for always, always being a loving 'ear to hear' when we're treading another valley. 

I released this stitchery back in 2016 and as I sketched the design, then adding fabric and thread to create the final piece, I knew without doubt that the contentment I was craving would only come if I practiced heart-felt gratitude before God. 

So, my little rendezvous with the Father in the middle of the night this week was in fact Him reminding me what I already knew but had somehow slipped from mind...and it also confirmed why I felt led to make the theme of the blog this year "A Year of Contentment". 

I've contemplated a number of ways discontent has entered my heart, and as I listed them during the night, the Holy Spirit changed each one to a praise of gratitude...

# I'm only 5'1" and our dining table is too high so I need to have a pillow on my chair in order to eat. I don't do any work at the table for the same reason.

Jennifer, how blessed you are to have a lovely table that seats your family, that brings all of you together for tea parties, celebrations, meals.

# Being this height I am constantly needing to carry a stool around to reach into cupboards, the linen press and the pantry as the previous owner was tall and built the kitchen accordingly.

Jennifer, how blessed you are to have a pantry stocked with nourishing ingredients to feed your loved ones and visitors. How blessed you are to have ample bedding and towels and linens for your needs. How blessed you are to have appliances which make your day to day life easier.

# We have a very old bathroom and shower, and living here in the tropics, the presence of mould is a constant enemy which must be attended to.

Jennifer, how blessed you are to have clean running water with which to wash, cleanse and drink.

# Three years after the floods, we still have bare concrete floors in the main bedroom and my husband's study, as we had to remove the sodden moulding carpets in both rooms back then.

Jennifer, how blessed you are that your dear husband has worked to replace all the drainage under the house, installed two new pump wells and pumps, replaced all the pipes from the pumps along both sides of your property, repaired and replaced damaged guttering, and installed many other flood-retardant measures in and around your home. You saw the difference this made recently when so many in your town faced flooding once more. 

You see what I mean?

My grumblings blocked out gratitude, and if gratitude is lacking, so is contentment. And friends, I am longing for a contented mindset in every area of my life - except my relationship with the Lord. When it comes to that, let me never think I know enough or have enough, but let me always long for a closer walk with Him. 

I have this pattern in my shop (it's one of the Gentle Domesticity series), rather a timely reminder. 

Maybe you'd like to stitch it as a reminder, maybe you won't need one - but if you do, pop over HERE 

Every little bit...

We've had a lot of rain the past few weeks and the weeds grow faster than the garden plants - why is that, I keep asking myself. It's back breaking to keep pulling them, but we do it anyhow. 

When Blossom gave me the three small pots of miniature roses for Christmas I placed cardboard under them as that's the easiest way to stop the weeds, but we had no mulch to add on top (even better weed deterrent when used together)...and then rain, and more rain, and thousands of baby cane toads (dreadful pest and they kill native frogs) all through the grass and weeds, and jumping in the swimming pool. Keeping on top of things waned with hubby only having one day off a week, and my inability to cope with our tropical heat after 9am.

However, I've been reading Atomic Habits by James Clear, and going slowly through the chapters because I like to think about what I read, and not run ahead with ideas which may or may not be followed through in practice. 

Atomic means very tiny, and I am discovering that very tiny habits can make a huge difference to life. My first habit to change was swimming. I swim most days, but then I can miss a week, which might turn in to two because I fall out of the habit. You see its not safe to walk around our neighbourhood, so swimming is my daily exercise...when I remember.

For about six weeks now, I have been swimming my laps every single morning after breakfast, and occasionally I'll do another set of laps before dinner if hubby is late home. It's become a habit that has improved my breathing, healed my back pain, and greatly improved my overall energy as each week the number of laps increases. I do around 360 to 450 strokes a day depending on whether I swim once or twice, and I do this even in the rain. 

So back to those potted roses and the weeds. Whilst we simply don't have the time or climate to spend hours in the garden each day, the regular atomic habit of doing a small section of the yard in the coolest part of the day is reaping results. 

We bought more sugar cane mulch (this is the sugar cane region of Australia and it's readily available) and every morning I weed one small section, lay it with cardboard, and then the mulch. 

A bit like the hare and the tortoise really. Slow and steady gets you over the finish line. 

Of course our finish line is way off, but it's heartening to see results from 20-30 minutes a day. 

Fertilising the pots and adding new mulch also protects them from the heat.

Afternoon downtime, once the chores are done and before I begin dinner prep, is a mix of reading, knitting and stitching a new pattern...and possibly a Poirot or Marple on the telly.

Tomorrow I am picking up Cully May and Rafaella to bring here for the day, so on my to-do list this afternoon are new curtains for their cubby house, and a bit of baking. 

I hope you're growing in contentment. 

It's not really something you can accomplish and always have, but is a day to day decision I think.

Today I choose to be grateful, and I am content.

I pray this attitude, this atomic habit as it were, continues to grow in my heart and mind each day, so that I do not need another tap on the shoulder at midnight from the Father and a three hour Holy Spirit led seminar about my lack of gratitude.

And yet, if I need it? I welcome it.

Bless you heaps,

Books & Roses BOM and finishing some projects...

 

Did you make a bookmark last month?

I wonder what yours looks like?

Today I'm sharing the little February design with you. It's bordered top and bottom with old lace and two different types of red fabric - one is regular quilting fabric and the other is a vintage woven linen.

 I kept the bookmark in the regular rectangular shape this month, adding white seam binding ribbon for the tag.

I was asked how my bookmarks are sewn together and the best way to describe it is as a tiny quilt finished in the envelope style. 

I fuse thin Parlan behind the bookmark cover once it's made, trimming to the size I want; then I simply lay another piece of fabric over the front of the bookmark (right sides together), carefully popping in the ribbon tag, and pinning around the four sides. 

Sew around all four sides with a 1/4" seam, leaving a 3" opening along one long side. Pull the bookmark and ribbon right side out and press flat. Ladder stitch the opening closed and your bookmark is complete. 

Have you thought about using the little Books & Roses stitcheries for a different type of project? 

A friend of mine, Joanne in the Netherlands, is using the designs as the centre of 6" churn dash blocks and it looks lovely!

My friend Julie in NZ stitched the bonus 2022 bookmark I shared in late December, changing the year for the name of her friend Gail, who was the delighted recipient of this bookmark!

Be creative with the little Books & Roses stitcheries this year and you may find yourself with many pretty gifts to bless others.

To download the February bookmark design use the link below.

DOWNLOAD Books & Roses block 2

If you have missed the 2022 bonus bookmark or the January bookmark they are HERE

The other day I showed you my progress on a vintage inspired churn dash runner using an old cross-stitched linen as the centre of the blocks.

Now I can show you the completed runner, which I'm so happy with!

 

I did the quilting by hand with white Perle 12 thread, which really enhanced the overall vintage look of the long narrow runner. It was specifically made for the small white bookcase we use as extra pantry storage, and once in place I chose which items to display on top - because you know I'm working to make our dull kitchen a vibrant happy space this year. 

White and green works so well with red, but I'm glad for the pop of blue in the runner because it livens things up. 

The colours worked beautifully with my old kitchen clock and the "Vintage Kitchen" wall quilt I made a few years back (pattern is HERE).

Now I need to sew a curtain to cover the front of this small pantry shelving, but until I'm sure of the fabric design it will stay like this - after all, do it once and do it right. 

Last night I also completed the first dishcloth from the cotton blend yarns purchased last week.

Next will be a blue cloth and then a green. The pattern is so easy and very relaxing to knit a bit after dinner each evening. I found this pattern through Julie and if you'd like to knit a few yourself it's HERE

In the kitchen I'm looking for new ways to use up all the fresh plums which are cheap and readily available at this time of the year. Usually I make the 'once a year cake' (because it's a very indulgent recipe!) and lots of jars of plum jam, but last night I decided to bake a plum crumble for dessert. 

This is the recipe I used, though I added a teaspoon of vanilla paste to the fruit along with the sugar, and had more fruit than the recipe suggested as we prefer just a bit of crumble. 

Served with custard it was delicious. 

This year I'm re-reading The Simple Home month by month...

...and enjoying it again. Each time I read the book something fresh resonates with my homemaker heart.

The chapter for February is on finances, and even though we are very mindful about being debt free (apart from the mortgage which continues to shrink), there's ideas in Rhonda's book which I can work on.

I also love the Winston Churchill quote...

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."

If you've never visited Rhonda's blog or read her books, pop over HERE as there's much information for living a simpler life in the posts she has shared over many years.

Giving is just as important as making, receiving and saving. 

Having a generous heart brings happiness, and when you have young ones to teach it's important that they learn more about giving than getting - after all, this world today has become far more self-focused and self-indulgent than when I was a child. Let's do what we can to foster a giving heart in our children and grandchildren. 

It's time to get started on dinner now. Tonight we're having marinated salmon, Hasselback potatoes and a tossed salad...and this is definitely one of my favourite meals to make and enjoy. 

What's cooking in your kitchen today?? I love to hear of new ideas.

Bless you heaps,