Thursday, November 17, 2022

Rafaella, my new apron and news...

Rafaella spent the day with me on Tuesday and, as promised, we baked unicorns, of the gingerbread kind. 

We also baked gingerbread men, and rose centred rounds. My pretty little granddaughter had so much fun, and it was pure joy to my heart when she said, "Nana, we have the best times together!"



Gingerbread dough is stiff, so I did help a little, but my girl had her hands in every step of our baking that morning. I rolled out the dough and she pressed the shapes ready for the baking tray. While everything cooled we made the icing and enjoyed some sparkling lemon barley water because baking is thirsty business. She was so proud of her work...


Rafaella decorated everything with icing, sprinkles and roses.




There was a tiny bit of gingerbread mix remaining after pressing the shapes, so she made it into a little heart for her mummy, Blossom, decorating it all over with sprinkles. 


We then had lunch, made necklaces with beads and 'jewels', played hairdressers, and of course she played with Harry-dog. Before driving her back home we walked up to the corner shop for ice-cream and chatted about all the fun we'd had that day...the kind of day we love to spend together. 

Rafaella is a little homemaker at heart, and loves to learn about all the things her mummy and I do as housewives, but most of all she loves to bake. You can't see it but she did wear the purple chicken scratch apron in the kitchen, but it was in fact a bit long, so before our next bake-date I shall make her a popover apron in just her size. 

She loved the new apron I had made myself the day before, using that 1929 pattern from this blog post...


...and I was very pleased with it too! This was the fifth time I'd used that same pattern, but the first time I've hand sewn binding around all the edges. Have to say, it really added that something extra.





I also made two lined pockets and added a lace trim to them because lace gives an extra touch of pretty femininity, something I love in an apron.



That Apron Swap...

Wow, I have had a wonderful response to the Apron Swap which was announced in my last blog post!
There's going to be a lot of aprons winging back and forth across the globe around December 9th...and I pray they all arrive by New Year. Won't it be lovely to start a new year of cooking, cleaning, gardening and baking in a pretty gifted apron lovingly made by a new friend and kindred apron-lover?

There's still time to sign up if you'd like to join in, but I'm closing the window for joining at midnight on Friday (November 18th). Just go HERE to email me before then, with your name, address and country.


The 2022 "Books & Roses" bookmark BOM...

I apologise for not getting the November bookmark out to you on time, but I needed to get things rolling with the new free BOM "The Virtuous Wife" for November 1st. You see I'd thought this new BOM for next year would run over twelve months, but there's so much in it that I had to change that to fourteen months, which is why we began this month instead of January. 

I'll have the November bookmark ready for you on the weekend, and the December one as well. So one is late and the other will be early. This way you can get your bookmarks completed before the year ends, and use them as gifts or finish the stitcheries inside quilt blocks (which is what many of you are doing). 



Changes to my new "The Virtuous Wife" BOM...

If you missed the first free block in this brand new BOM, pop over HERE to download that pattern. 

Originally I'd decided to offer each block free during it's month, then pop the pattern in my Etsy Shop when the next block was shared the following month...BUT...I have decided to keep every block free until the end of the BOM. "The Virtuous Wife" is a project years in the planning, covered with so much prayer, and designed with the Holy Spirit as my guide so that it can be a blessing to all who choose to stitch it. And the added blessing now is that it will remain a free gift. 


Last reminder for those who would like to sign up for the Daisy-a-Day BOM...

Memberships to join this 9-month block of the month will close on November 24th, and there will be no more sign-ups accepted after that date. The patterns will not be available in my shop, only through this membership program. There are 12 patterns sent via email over nine months, and the cost is $6.95 AUD per month (approx. $4.70 US). 

To learn more and sign on, if you'd like to, go HERE


IMPORTANT: I have problems with three new memberships for Daisy-a-Day. 

The email address these ladies have used with Paypal are invalid, so if you have signed up for the BOM but not yet received your first email with the gifted double pattern for blocks 1 and 12, please email me HERE with your correct contact details as soon as possible, otherwise I'll have to cancel your membership on the 24th of November when sign ups close. I hope those ladies read this as I have no valid email address with which to contact any of them.
I realise many people do give 'fake' email address to Paypal in order to protect their privacy, but it also prevents you from receiving digital items you have purchased. 

Goodness, that's it for today, I've talked your ear off I think! 
It's definitely time to brew a nice cup of turmeric latte, put my feet up as I have a dreadful flare up of 'pes anserine bursitis' after falling on my knee late Tuesday and now have to rest it a lot, continue stitching block 8 of The Virtuous Wife quilt (I am excited to be so far ahead!) and continue listening to Agatha Christie's 'Postern of Fate' read by Hugh Fraser who is my favourite Agatha Christie narrator (though Emelia Fox is excellent too). 

I am praying for each of you who take the time to visit this blog and read my posts - that your hearts and mind are calm, that your days bring more peace than turmoil, that your plans are directed by the Lord, that your needs are provided for by God's providence, and that you are never lonely, but always, always, conscious of the loving arms of Jesus wrapped tightly around you. 

Bless you heaps,


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11 comments:

Lin said...

What a lovely day you had with Rafaella! The gingerbread biscuits all look very professional (please tell her) and delicious. I hope Mummy liked her heart! The apron looks beautiful Jennifer, handstitched binding always looks nicer. xx

Kay said...

Rafaella is so sweet and it looks like the perfect day together, in fact, it reminded me of the many wonderful days that I had like this with my own gran. Baking with Gran was one of my favourite activities and I think it’s how I got a love of baking myself. I am sure that she will treasure all these memories when she is older. X

Joanne said...

Hi Jennifer,
Those cookies, hands and smiles make great photos :) What a fun day !
If a pattern works why not use it more than once ! We do that in the kitchen with recipies :)
So much to keep track of and organised with Elefantz ! You do a great job at it !
Super that you share your creative days and ideas here. Thank you !
hugs, take care,
Joanne

Barwitzki said...

What a lovely day you had with your grandchild... yes, baking, great. Where I live there are 8 bakers who only bake gingerbread all year round... I'll write about that in the next blog post... it's a profession called Kรผchler, yes gingerbread maker. :-)) nice scent now that it's getting cold with us...
I have registered with you for an apron exchange and I am very much looking forward to sewing an apron :-)) Best regards from Viola

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful day with Rafaella!!! Thank you for that prayer…..heartfelt and lovely. God bless and heal your knee.

Susan said...

What a grand time with Rafaella! Your apron is beautiful and so is the blessing at the end of today's post. I pray the same blessing back to you and for God's healing of your knee.

Anonymous said...

Awe Jennifer that was lovely post all about your lovely granddaughter. She is beautiful! Well done!! Sorry about your knee and your fall. In bed sick with worst painful throat and ears ever. Hubby had it, thankfully he is much better! So he is looking after me! Thank you again and I love your beautiful apron!! ๐Ÿ’–๐Ÿ’•☺️

Mary-Lou said...

Sorry Jennifer that was me! Your apron is beautiful!! ๐Ÿ˜Š❤️๐Ÿ’•

Lilian said...

Hi Jennifer!
What an excellent idea. I love aprons and I also have an affective memory of my grandmother in an apron, always preparing delicious dishes for her grandchildren. I would very much like to participate in the swap, but unfortunately I cannot now because I already have commitments made previously. I hope you make more swaps on other commemorative dates in 2023 and I will definitely be able to participate. Good luck to the swap participants. I really admire your work.

PS: Rafaella is my daughter's name.

Susan said...

What a newsy post! I loved it. You are so generous and your decision on Virtuous Wife shows it all over again. The cookies you and Rafaella made are beautiful and it's so touching that she made that heart for her mother. Your apron turned out so lovely and feminine, and I know you will enjoy wearing it many times. Now I'm wondering if there were enough scraps for Rafaella's version. I hope your knee already is returning to normal, and there won't be any hard after effects.

I fell 3 times between December 3, 2021 and April 20, 2022. For a few weeks, I wouldn't move anywhere without the walker! Today, I was walking without even a cane, and I've regained my confidence, but I haven't forgotten the falls and how scary it is or how fast it happens. My son said we fall at 9 m per second. I figured that out, and it was about 32 km/hr. No wonder we land so hard!

Donna Rowe said...

Even the sound of “The Virtuous Wife” sounds inviting. None of us are there yet but our walk on earth is everyday to walk in a bit more of holiness that He guides us in. Thank you so much for all you bless us with. It is so much appreciated.