March days at home and Abigail part 4...

 

How quickly these weeks pass in 2026. I've been needing to take a number of rests each day, but in between those rests my heart is happy to do precious homemaking tasks, which are essential for my good mental health. 

The Lord assists me to ponder the blessings of life, and to keep up with the essential chores, as well as the ones that are done monthly or seasonaly. Last week I spent hours on and off through Monday to deep clean our laundry, knowing the following day would require complete rest, and my goodness, the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction felt afterwards was akin to enjoying a bar of my favourite Turkish Delight! So naturally I ordered one in the following day's grocery delivery. Blossom and I have spent the past 30 years enjoying these as a treat! Do you have a favourite chocolate bar??

I've had numerous emails and messages asking about my knee and many of you thought it was arthritic in nature. I'll answer quickly here, to avoid more email overload (though I am so very thankful for the prayers, love and concern you show me!)...its not arthritis, but a number of other things that occurred during an accident last July. The main source of the pain however, are two 'bone marrow oedemas' which are akin to very sharp knives stabbing my knee and tibia all the time, but worst of all during the night. I finally get to see an orthopaedic specialist next Tuesday and I am hopeful he will be able to guide me through ways to heal. Would love your prayers - thank you. xx

Above is the UFO project I have chosen to complete this month. The blocks began back in 2024 as part of a quilt project a friend and I were both making at the time. She has continued with it, but I got to a certain stage where the reality hit that I would not be able to quilt it by hand as it is a very large quilt, and living in the hot tropics would make such an undertaking very taxing, and we simply cannot afford to have a quilt top professionaly quilted. 

So last year I chose a few blocks to use in a table runner, as I really love the fabrics and colours. The prints used were many years old, and belong to fat quarters, charm squares and yardage, from Lecien a decade ago (who no longer produce fabrics) and some Mary Englebright from about 2008. There's also some other very old prints, and all together they make the happiest display for a table topper. 

Have you been working on a March UFO project? What is it?

One other project I already finished this month was the bunny I knitted all the pieces for last October and November, but had not sewn together. Finally I did that the first week of March and gifted it to Rafaella for her 8th birthday last week. She absolutely loved it and takes her bunny-girl to bed every night.

There was a lot of purple DK yarn in my knitting supplies after the bunny's dress, shoes and bow were completed, so I thought it would be fun to knit myself a pair of slipper socks in the hope of having a cool winter this year. My mindset was "if you make it, winter will come". Ha ha!! We shall see. ;-)

Not being at all interested in knitting socks on four needles, I came across this pattern for two-needle socks on Pinterest and decided to give it a try. Now the pattern called for DK yarn and 3mm needles, so I assumed (we should never assume, right?) that using the Stylecraft DK yarn from the UK would be the same as what was in the pattern...but nooooo. 

Having never heard of Super Corfou, I did a google and it just said DK, so I googled no further. And admittedly I did not knit a tension square, because I'm lazy like that. Shocked? Don't be. 

Not far into the pattern I could see these socks being rather small for my size 7 feet (EU 37)...

...but still, I knitted on. Once begun, I loved the texture and colours, so I decided they'd fit one of my granddaughters.  

Both feet are completed now, I just need to stitch them up. Before winter would be good. 

Now that I know the instructions I followed, using my DK yarn and not the one suggested, knit up a much smaller slipper sock than I can wear, the instructions shall be modified to fit my dear feet. Sadly I have no more purple yarn, but there are many other pretty colours in the yarn stash to choose from. I shall keep you posted on how this modified plan works out if you're interested. Or perhaps you have some advice to share?? Larger needles perhaps??

Sourdough baking is becoming a twice a week delight, with a third weekly loaf of 'ordinary sandwich bread' in between. My husband can eat bread with anything, and I mean anything. It's what he goes for around 8pm each night, with a thick slather of peanut butter, and is what he likes generous portions of in his packed lunch for work. Fortunately, breadmaking is my delight! 

It's been almost two months since Rosie and I have been able to meet up for a lovely morning tea and chat. One reason is that I am unable to drive with my knee problem so I can't visit Rosie, and another is that our road is being ripped up (been going on for two years, but now they are right in front of our house and many homes on either side) to lay new pipes, widen the road, alter the lanes, tear down trees, put in traffic lights, and various other obstacles to a peaceful existence, and a third is the monsoonal wet season which has brought flooding much of the time. 

But I had a wonderful surprise on Saturday morning, when Rosie knocked on my door for a two-minute visit, and to bless me with birthday and get-well gifts! Non-residents are not allowed to drive into the roadwork constructions areas, so her dear hubby Brian parked up the road and Rosie walked down to my place. What a happy hug!! Seeing her was so good for my heart, and I was incredibly blessed with the bundle of lovely gifts. She knows me well, and included in all the gifts was a gorgeous ceramic pear and a bag of spearmint leaves (I collect pears, and spearmint leaves are my favourite lollies).

Hopefully I can get back to short sessions on the sewing machine next week, as what I intend making only requires a few minutes on the machine, and the rest can be hand sewn and crocheted. You know I love making jar toppers, and as well as sewing a lot for myself, I have gifted quite a few at Christmas and birthdays. They are so simple to make, and quick too. Some have lace sewn around the edges, some do not, and others I have crocheted around the edge. Some jar toppers are just fabric (lined so that both sides are different), and some have embroidery on top. You can get quite creative with how you make them, but the best thing is how lovely they look in the pantry or on a shelf. 

The photo below was taken in January and you can see what I mean about how lovely they look on jars, especially when they are together along a shelf...

...but this week, I did a huge pantry stock-up shop (home delivery is such a blessing right now) and all my shelves have had to very slowly be emptied, cleaned, and reorganised to accommodate extra supplies.  I decided to use one of those shelves to house all my dried and medicinal herbs, the ones I use for herbal teas. Right now the jars look so very plain, but in coming weeks some new pretty toppers will make everything pleasing to the eye. 

I've quite adjusted to doing everything slowly now. It was hard for many months, and I did my recovery no help by being frustrated and pushing my leg beyond it's ability more times than you'd know. Finally, after my latest MRI in February, I was content to go slowly, to consider my capability and pain level each day before beginning a task. Knitting has been a true delight, beyond any other crafty pursuit since my accident last year. I hope to get back to crochet when winter arrives in June, and eventually complete the blanket I began in 2024, but for now, those hand stitched UFO projects each month are satisfying, and the small knitted items are easy to pick up and put down. Breadmaking is a joy, and so are the simple wholesome meals of old that nourish us and are quick to make, or easy to languish in the slow cooker. I have even learned to roast a whole chicken in the air fryer and it's delicious! 

The garden is too often flooded this wet season, and completely overgrown with weeds, but it can wait until I am healed and functioning. Some things just have to wait, while other things take priority, and there's no need to feel bad about that. Life is a series of seasons, and when you accept that, and choose to work with whatever season you're in, your mind can be calm, your heart at peace, and you know that you know God is still in control. That truth is what I lean on, it's what gives me hope, it holds me steady when the storms of life swirl around, and it is what I hope you know too. 

ABIGAIL: part four

The final part of our study has been published and you will find it HERE on the Abigail page of my blog.

What a blessing this study has been in putting my own character under the microscope of God's Word! May it be a source of blessing to you as well. 

Until next time my lovelies, 

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