Being creative on stormy days and block 3...

 

I've been meaning to blog for days, but life has been full of other things, mostly home and family, and so much rain that our gardens are glistening from the water in and around everything. Of course it was perfect weather for weeding, so I did that in the half hour or so before sunrise each morning (if the rain took a break). Any later and the heat and humidity was more than I could handle when exerting energy gardening. It's good to know the town dam has plenty of water so I am not complaining too much about this summer's wet season. 

One thing I have really missed though, is hanging washing on the line. It is so rare for me to not have that opportunity, especially living in the hot tropics. We do have a dryer, but until all this rain through February I could count on two hands how many times I've used it in the past four years - it just sits in the laundry and I lament it taking up space! Ha ha! Until this summer. Throughout the past few weeks it has been used almost daily, but today the sun reappeared and I got so excited carrying my overloaded washing basket outside, my feet ankle deep in water, to peg everything on the line. 

So it's quite appropriate that the little design on the March block of this year's free "Joy in the Ordinary" project is a washing basket. 

Use the link below to download the free pattern

DOWNLOAD block 3 Joy in the Ordinary

If you missed the first two blocks they are HERE

What do you miss when the weather in consistently inclement over a prolonged period of time? 

Keeping busy inside is important when everything is dark and gloomy from storms, and for me I find it even more of a challenge in our summers when the temperature is still hot, sticky and humid. I'd much rather these stormy weeks be in winter when you can wrap yourself in a blanket, sip hot tea and have a big pot of soup or stew on the stove. But the reality is that we all must live within our own climate, not allowing it to get the better of us. We need to be thinking creatively about ways to add joy to our days, and a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere within the home. For me this is usually done in the kitchen, and I have indeed enjoyed many hours making this and that recently, but I also worked on two small slow-stitched projects, and the larger project of a crochet lap rug. 

The pattern I am using for the rug is from Lucy at Attic 24 and it's her Trellis Stripe design (she taught this five years back when making the Sweet Pea rug, which I made for my youngest granddaughter, Rafaella - you can see it HERE)

The colours for this version of the Trellis Stripe are more subdued than those I used for Rafaella's 1st birthday blanket. You can find Lucy's free Trellis Stripe/Sweet Pea pattern HERE

Our air-conditioner in the main living area stopped working last Saturday so it's been a challenge to keep adding rows at night, but thankfully the fans are running on high and the air con in the kitchen allows a tiny bit of cooler air to flow through. 

The slow stitching has been w o n d e r f u l...simply wonderful. It was a quiet, almost soothing, very gentle pastime, each day for a while after lunch when the morning's household chores were completed. In fact, when it was finished, I made another...

These are simply lovely little rolls, made from 10" squares of fabric, and very thin fusible parlan between the layers of fabric. You make a square from the fabrics and parlan, then hand quilt it. Fold in three corners and stitch them together like an envelope...

Make a very fine length of fabric for the wrapping tie, and sew it to the point of the open end, keeping one side of the length short and the other twice as long. 

I keep my reading and stitching glasses in them. So lovely! You could make these any size, and I think they'd be lovely as a gift. I'm already working on a third. If you'd like me to do a tutorial for this pouch just let me know in the comments. 

Another thing which has brought me a delightfully peaceful heart, and something that also added to my stillness in February was watching a video each day from a wonderful homemaker in Belarus. Her name is Olesya and she lives in a small house with her husband and son. Every video she shares recipes, sewing, homemaking, and she also shares updates on the very ramshackle old house in the forest that she and her husband are working on, with the hopes of moving there one day. I have learned much and been inspired by Olesya, especially with baking and with the sewing she does for her home to make it more cosy. I'll leave the link to one of her videos, and then you can go to her channel and scroll...you will definitely find something to interest you. Oh, and there are subtitles and soothing music, but I had watched her for a week before I realised there were subtitles! Make sure to click on them so you can read her thoughts...

Oleysa also did a video on making Tilda dolls...I have never made one, but now I will give it a try. You will find it here

In the kitchen I have been baking bread regularly, roasting whole chickens, making chicken bone broth to store in the freezer for use in winter, gathering elderberries and freezing them to make tonics later, and enjoying comfort favourites from my childhood. A new sour dough starter is on the bench, and I am hoping it's not too soon to get this going as it never fares well in the high heat and humidity of our climate at this time of year...but I miss making sour dough. 

I save chicken carcasses and when I have two in the freezer I make a big pot of broth using up all the older veggies and scrap ends, plus herbs from the garden, apple cider vinegar and lots of garlic.

I made 3 litres of bone broth from the batch last week. These are now in the freezer. Next week I'll roast a leg of lamb and use the bones for lamb bone brother. It's so good to have a variety in the freezer ready for soups, stews or casseroles. I am praying for a cool winter this year, not another warm one. I would love to slow stitch with that crochet rug over my knees. :-)

For comfort I always think of Nana's baked rice custard, so that was on our menu this week. I have shared the recipe before (here) but one thing I did not explain was that for every extra 250ml of milk you use, add another egg, a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla, and a little more cooked rice. 

It was SO delicious on its own, but tonight I'll add stewed black plums on the side. I am salivating now. And my heart is full of warm and fuzzy memories of sitting around Nana's kitchen table with her and Pop, laughing and loving together as we feasted on this dessert. 

I was asked to share the recipe I used for dishwashing liquid, so I shall do that today before I forget. Blossom and I have tried a few different mixtures for dishwashing but this is the best so far and we have decided to stick with it. 

Just be aware that it needs to be stored in a glass pump bottle, not a squeezy bottle (you may use too much). I got my bottles at the local TK Maxx store for about $7 each. I need to use about six pumps for a sink of water (not those big large sinks, just normal ones) because this is small pump, and not a lot comes out. Less is more when you're assessing how much you'll need. I made this three weeks ago and have only used about a quarter of the amount I had in the bottle during that time. Very economical, and also excellent for doing dishes. Lovely on hands too!

Also, the ingredients separate when not in use, so just turn the bottle upside down a few times (not shaking) when you plan to use it and everything will mix together again. 

1/2 cup distilled water (I use iron water from the laundry section of the supermarket)

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1/2 cup Sal Suds

1 tablespoon jojoba or almond oil

10 drops of lemon essential oil

Mix together and store in your glass pump bottle. 

Below are photos of the beautiful flowers I received from my husband and Blossom last week on my 65th birthday. They are glorious! It was a very special day with my family, and Blossom even arranged to have Kezzie and Dee on a video chat with all of us while she lit candles on the cake, and everyone joined in the singing. Afterwards we kept laughing and chatting - it was very special indeed. 

I know this was a long post, but I like getting things shared in one post a week now, rather than a few shorter posts. Time is precious isn't it, and I am happy to spend a few hours writing one post from my heart each week, as a letter to a friend...but the rest of the week my heart and time belongs to family and home, exactly how God designed it to be. 

(Blossom and I on my 65th birthday)

Thank you for all your comments each week - ladies, you are amazing women, living such varied lives, and yet so often quite similar. We are joined in the heart, you and I, with the same love for this God-gifted desire to make our homes a sanctuary, a place where family want to be, a place where love and welcome, beauty and warmth, fill every room. What you and I create within our walls, in this quite ordinary life, has more value than we could ever imagine...God bless you always. 

Hugs

Don't miss out on any Elefantz news or free patterns. 

Subscribe to my blog posts HERE and receive them direct to your email inbox.  

Or sign up HERE for my free newsletter which often has extra benefits, freebies & tutorials!