More redwork, links and general homemaking...

 As I mentioned last week when I showed you progress photos of my first Japanese style rice bag, the completed bag would be used to hold small stitching projects, once I'd made a matching pincushion and needlebook set. And that is what I've done since we last chatted here.

The rice bag is small, with a base and sides which measure only 5.5 inches square, so my pincushion and needlebook needed to be smaller still.

The pincushion is 3" in diameter, and filled with crushed walnut shells. I used some of the striped fabric from the rice bag to add a little tag, which is most helpful when pulling it out of the bag. I drew two little vines and embroidered them onto two quarters of the pinnie, then added two wool felt hearts from a small scrap of rich red felt I'd saved for a 'one day' project. You never know when bits of left over felt will come in handy. 

The needlebook - well, I actually made two covers for it, but decided the first one was too busy with not enough solid linen behind the embroidery and applique. As the French linen used is over a hundred years old, it was important that it should shine. I really loved this second version of the needlebook cover and it genuinely compliments the rice bag and the pincushion beautifully (plus another tiny felt heart to match the pincushion).

Inside the needlebook I added a pouch to protect my tiniest pair of embroidery scissors, plus more of that lovely scrap of rich red felt on both sides for holding needles and pins. There's also a wee pocket on the left side to store threads...

To keep those tiny scissors in their pretty scabbard I've added a press stud closure...

The closing ties are made using a 1/4" bias tape maker from white embroidery linen (the kind I use for most of my stitchery designs). Now my set is complete and I can plan the next project!

In the Kitchen...

On Monday I decided to clear out a few more things from the freezer, and one of those items was pumpkin I'd mashed up after our very abundant pumpkin harvest in May and June. We gave pumpkins away, and I made plenty of meals with some more, but for the rest I cook it and mash it for things in the future. 

Last year I was planning to bake a Pineapple Fruit Cake (recipe HERE in my free e-book) but realised we'd run out of tinned crushed pineapple, and I had no fresh pineapple on hand either as I could have put that in the food processor and used it instead. Something I am grateful for is a Nana who was resourceful and could swap around ingredients without ever blinking an eye! If she did not have what she'd normally use, she would use a substitute, and the final result was always delicious. And so, with Nana's example to draw from, I used mashed pumpkin in the fruit cake instead of pineapple. 

Well, hubby and I loved that pumpkin fruit cake, and so it's become the regular way for me to bake it now, which is wonderful when cleaning out the freezer and a use for mashed pumpkin is quickly required. 

I bake it in a large bread tin, then slice it when cold, and freeze half. 

Plenty of bread flour is also kept in the freezer, so I decided to bake a delicous focaccia to serve with meat balls that night. We had some leftover olives to use up so they covered almost two thirds of the focaccia, and the remainder just has fresh rosemary from the garden. Celtic sea salt and olive oil is added across the top before baking, and from the bottom of my heart, I can say this is my absolute favourite bread to have with anything. 

Half of this is kept in the freezer, along with half the meatballs I'd made, so we have a hearty meal to look forward to on nights when we're busy or simply exhausted and cooking is not an option. 

Removing some chicken breasts from the freezer gave me more room for preserving the last of our garden produce, so I cooked them in butter and diced some for sandwiches and a pasta salad, and the rest were sliced for use in chicken/avocado/cucumber sushi rolls which hubby takes to work with a satay dipping sauce I like to make.

Homemaking...

I have a set of binders in my sewing room/office and one of them is the very well used Household Binder. It holds a lot of things that are referred to regularly...

One of the things I needed to do this week was replenish my supply of Miracle Spray, which over the years has proved to be the very best cleaner and the one I use daily for general cleaning, spot cleaning and washing stains. The recipe ingredients are always ready in my laundry storage area, and as long as I have an empty 2-litre vinegar bottle on hand, a quick supply can be made immediately. 

I decant some of the mixture into a glass spray bottle, and can happily tell you that my husband loves using it too. 

Generally...

We're in the process of pulling up most of the vegetables we have grown over our tropical winter, as the season is over and the spring/summer bug brigade have arrived in full force already. There are some things they leave alone, such as beans and snow peas, so they'll keep producing for a while yet, and the citrus trees are already showing signs of being quite fruit laden in coming months. We have more bananas growing, which have been bagged to deter the fruit bats which fill the skies most of the year, especially now in mango season. We lost half of our last banana harvest to fruit bats last month - they even tore into the bottom of the bags. Being mango season they will probably be busy elsewhere for the next few months and may leave our bananas alone. 

I completed another large cross stitch, but will show that next week. 

We sold my beloved and very old yellow Mitsubishi Lancer. I did cry. It was my dream to own one the first time one drove past back in 2007. In 2013 hubby saw a second hand one and bought it for me. What a marvellous car it has been all these years...and not just for me, but for hubby when his car was off the road, and for Blossom when their car was off the road. It was loved by all the family, but being 22 years old now, it had a lot of breakdowns over the past six months and we simply could not pour all the money needed into a car that would continue to have problems. A young man has bought it as a project to work on over time, and I am hopeful the 13 years of prayer and worship almost daily as one of us was driving along, will bless him. 

My beloved is having a birthday today... 

He has turned 60, and with almost 35 years of marriage behind us, I give all the praise and glory to God for the ever-growing love we share, and the countless blessings He has showered over our marriage through these decades. Would you pray a blessing on him today sweet sisters in Christ? God knows what he needs most, and in that we can surely rely. Thank you. xxx

With regards to sharing links to some of my preferred YouTube channels, I shall create a page on the blog you can access and have a scroll through. You may like some and not others, and that's fine. :-) 

I am quite eclectic in the things I watch and do not like wasting uneccesary time scrolling channels, so these are the channels I enjoy for inspiration, information, and pure delight. 

Go HERE to the "I'm Watching on YouTube" page on my blog. 

Hope this wasn't too long for you. I've come to realise that it's best if I just do one blog post per week, and hopefully encourage you in some way to see joy and beauty in the everyday ordinary things, especially during these times of unrest and change across the globe. 

When we put our hands to work within our homes, our very own family sanctuary, and keep the world at bay, our mind, heart and body relaxes. Physical 'stress' from housework, the garden, or cooking, is good stress. It's productive. It's healthy for us, and it glorifies the Lord who has provided what we need, when we need it. Removing our thoughts and focus from an ever increasing darkness around the world, allows peace to settle within us and within our homes. We pray for those in need, and then hand it over to the Lord. We do not scroll and scroll social media, or watch for every new bit of news on the television...we look at what is right before us, and what needs doing. Pray about your day. Ask the Lord to guide you through it, and give thanks for all you have. 

Don't look to the lives of others as your guidepost. You and I are unique in this life, individuals with our own resources, relationships, health challenges, limitations and life skills. I am inspired by those who work hard and simply 'get on' with what needs doing, those who create beauty in the simplest ways, those who are not out to copy others but to use their own mind and imagination to bring about a life worth living to the glory of God. 

The older I get, the more at peace I have become with the life God has gifted me to live. It's something that allows me to be myself at all times, and to be content in all situations - maybe not immediately, but it comes about the closer I walk with Jesus. 

I like who I am, I like that my heart desires to be refined, I like that God knows this and even though I am so very imperfect, He is patiently changing me day by day. What a gift that is! 

May the days ahead bring you many happy moments to treasure in your heart, and may you find all you are looking for in our Saviour, Jesus, who loved you with His life before you were even born.

Much love!!

Until next time,

PS: My Etsy Shop is always open, so please drop by if you are in the mood for something new to stitch.

CLICK HERE