Do you highlight, underline, or write notes in your Bible? I don't mean a journaling bible, but your everyday normal Bible.
I have had a few Bibles over my 35 years as a follower of Jesus Christ, and they all have my notes and highlights, pencil underlines, and cross references on many pages. I tried journaling in a lovely notebook a couple of times over the years, writing out sections of the Bible and adding drawings and prayers, but I could never stick to that for more than a few months. You see, I just love opening my Bible(s) with His words on every page. As I read and turn pages, I'll come across my own yellow Prisma pencil highlighting of a word, a verse, or an entire passage, reminding me of when I first made those marks, and reading the notes or cross references pencilled in the margin. I may have forgotten the original meaning of that highlighted passage, but then it comes flooding back and you know, I rarely forget it a second time.
I will often go back to a particular place in my Bible for many days, or perhaps weeks, and I study it out with a concordance, prayer and long silences where I sit and wait on God for clarity if I need some. The particular verse below, Deuteronomy 33:27, has been one I've returned to each morning lately. It reminds me that no matter what is happening around me or in the world, there are arms holding me which will never tire, never drop me, and never disappear...the safest and most reassuring arms I will ever need.
This photo of a tree with long strong boughs outstretched made me think of that verse, and I wanted to share it with you, just in case you needed a reminder of where your true dwelling place is, and Whose hands hold you safe.
It's been a busy week, but not the kind of busy where you are rushing around trying to fit more things into the day. The busyness I had was rather lovely. Having Bloss and the children here (which is wonderfully exhausting and I would not give it up for anything!); caring for our Sophie-cat and watching her health improve dramatically with each passing day; tending the garden in the early morn and again in the hour before sunset; spending nominated hours each day working in my office space on the Elefantz shop and reformatting old patterns; planning and co-ordinating our long-term pantry & larder (did you know they are not the same thing? I didn't until recently!); finishing some sewing, and worked on embroidery items for gifting family at Christmas - as well as doing the general homemaking required of each blessed day.
You saw the embroidery last week, and today I can show you photos of my completed computer keyboard cover...
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I hand stitched inside the outer edge with white running stitch. I did consider using the same green thread as the embroidery but decided that would detract from the overall finish, so went with white. Much nicer in my opinion.
SOPHIE-CAT...
Well, we are on day 8 of her return to the indoors, after 19 months outside due to our rescue dog Kelly's hatred of her and the need to keep her safely away from him. She's been living up in our pool enclosure all that time, but at 16 years of age, and with this intense tropical heat we'll have all the way through to next May, she's been suffering and going downhill with her health. Unable to jump, walking very slow, intense lethargy and vomiting, it was obvious she took priority over Kelly-dog who is a strong and healthy 2yo large dachshund.
It's hard to fathom how, but after the first four days, she suddenly perked right up, has gained some weight, and is jumping up on the bathroom vanity to drink from the tap as she did when she was a kitten and young cat! Our vet told us that Sophie is part Maine Coon, which is why she's such a large heavy cat (the first thing people notice about her is her size and weight, even the vet said "Wow, she's big!") so her weight loss was quite noticeable the past month or two. Now, she's improved dramatically and settled right in to a life indoors, so the weight will hopefully increase more over time. Sophie never liked being forced to be indoors, and was able to come and go as she pleased through the cat flap in the back door before we got Kelly, though not once in her 16 years has she ever left the confines of the back yard. She's never been a wandering cat, and never wanted the company of other cats either, though she got on well with our previous dogs, always reminding them that she was the boss (she was bigger than them!).
Kelly-dog is doing fine outside, and in many ways gets more attention than before. :-) He was quite chuffed when allowed in the pool area for the first ever time.
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FREE CHRISTMAS PATTERNS...
During my time in the office this past week, I began back in 2009 sorting through my original patterns, but am having to go slowly because there are over a thousand Elefantz designs between then and now. Along the way I detoured to choose a few Christmas patterns to share with you today as a gift. As hand embroidery can be quite time-consuming, and many of you may be quite time-poor coming into this end of year season, I have kept them very simple, though one might take a little more time than the others.
The first features a verse from a favourite old Christmas carol, The First Noel. A little wall hanging, cushion, table runner, or in frame, might be the perfect way to display it, and you could completely change the look by using different colours from the traditional red and green of my version.
The second is a cute little design, Hold That Snowflake. Stitched with a variegated purple thread, it measures just 1½" x 3" which is why I added complimenting purple fabric (cut from a charm square) and pearly pink ric-rac just peeping out between the fabric and the stitchery, before displaying in a small shabby chic style white frame.
The third free pattern is actually one of my favourites, Ring the Bell. I have not displayed it since it was first designed and stitched in 2015, because I wasn't sure how it would look best, and yet every Christmas I bring it out and ponder that question. Today I know what I'm going to do. I wonder what you would make with this sweet bird and bell in a star? Next week I'll show you how I've displayed mine.
Use the links below to download the free patterns...
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Despite having had only one day and one night of rain since last March, our daily hand-watering of the garden has kept everything alive. Some mornings it can feel laborious to get up at 5am and head outside to water before the hot sun hits hard, but once I'm out there, its glorious! I love the early hours, the quiet and stillness, the dim light before the sun appears over the mountain, and the many birds who flock to our feeder, or sit waiting in the trees for their turn. They chat and squabble, but they're not afraid as I walk to and fro watering, because they know I feed them and mean no harm. The cockatoos have not been here as often the past few months of winter and early spring, but they are definitely back to their visiting routine now. It's always a bit of a face-off for the feeder ownership each dawn between the cockatoos and the rainbow lorikeets, but once they've all had their fill, the smaller birds fly in to fill their bellies too.
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We still have some veggies growing, though all will end soon, and it will just be flowers and herbs with spring onions (they never fail all year). I'm allowing the Borlotti beans to dry out on the vines now...
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...as I'll use the dried beans to plant again in March, for our next growing season.
A volunteer pumpkin vine sprang up in front of my husband's shed, but it will depend on when our wet season begins, and how much rain we get, whether we'll get a proper harvest. Pumpkins don't like the heat, humidity and heavy rain of our tropical wet season usually.
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We have three morning primrose bushes around the front and back gardens, and they, like the basil varieties I showed last week, bring hundreds of bees every day. They fill their little saddlebags and bodies with nourishing nectar and pollen, visiting one flower after another. Can you see this little fellow's fat orange saddlebags?
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We just had a new harvest of Lady Finger bananas, and gave most of the bananas to Blossom for the children, but we did keep some for ourselves as well. They will ripen quickly if left outdoors, so these below are outside to ripen sooner, and we have more inside which will take longer to ripen. When you have 100+ bananas all at once from the tree, you have to have a plan for them. ;-)
We still have basil, parsley, oregano, bunching shallots, sage, mint, lemon balm, leeks, radishes and shallots in the large raised bed and two smaller raised beds, plus a volunteer rockmelon which sprung up from under a pot of sunflowers, and ginger which finally made an appearance last week after being buried in a large pot about five months ago. The herbs should cope through the long hot summer and autumn, but we shall wait and see how the pumpkin, rockmelon and leeks manage. Every year there are new challenges due to the weather, but as the years pass by we learn more about growing within the climate we live in. Our lemon, lime and orange trees all have fruit, and the new passionfruit vine is starting to produce. The pomegranate has four fruits which are almost ready to harvest, and I dug up some sweet potatoes this morning to roast for Kelly-dog, who absolutely loves them! Thankfully sweet potatoes thrive here so he's got an abundant supply, but only if I roast them in dripping.
No wonder I get excited as I wander the garden with hose in hand.
Well, I think I have kept you here long anough, and you may be parched for a cool drink or nice warm cuppa by now. To be honest, I myself am parched and looking forward to a nice cup of tea with some slices of Lemon Kefir pound cake which I took out of the freezer this morning. I'd rather cake than biscuits, but hubby is the complete opposite, so I bake cake, slice it up and pop it in the freezer for my own little treat.
Thank you for praying for Blossom and Ross...I won't tell you the whole story, for its not mine to tell, but God miraculously healed Blossom's shoulder and arm 'in an instant' after she made an important decision and followed through on it. We have been rejoicing!!
Still no work for Ross, but Blossom has returned to being the homeschool teacher for their children, which frees him up to spend more time avidly looking for work...and we'd love for you to keep him in your prayers, as well as prayers for their income which is non-existent right now.
May the next week be one of joy and hope for you, sweet ones, and may you find it easy to do as the Lord directs you, knowing His way is always, always, always, the best way.
Hugs,
PS: My Etsy Shop is always open, so please drop by if you are in the mood for something new to stitch.
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