Ups and downs of life...

Miss Rafaella and our adventure...

 Yesterday was a definite day of ups because I had as my companion 3yo Rafaella, and we had a day of 'adventuring'. Whenever Cully May or Rafaella spend the day with me they declare it to be an adventure, so I try to do fun things with them, the kind of things us adults don't often do ourselves.

Cully May goes to kindy every Monday at the moment, as next year she will attend school Mon-Fri. These few months of spending one day a week at kindy have shown us all that her natural extrovert personality is ready and eager for school when the first term begins at the end of January. For those overseas who may not know, our Australian school year runs from January to December and is broken up into four terms.

So these Mondays of late have given Rafaella some extra time with mummy (Blossom), daddy and baby Charlie, but it's also gave her and I the opportunity to go off and adventure alone, something we've never done without Cully May present.

Our morning began at the library, because she simply loves our library trips. Being surrounded by books, and in the cool quiet space of the children's section, her little introvert self is very happy and content...

I stopped counting after reading nine books because once I'd finished a book she would replace it carefully on the shelf and bring me another. Eventually she decided it was time to leave the library and go down to the beach for ice-cream, but first I suggested we stop off at the shopping centre so I could buy her (and Cully May) a pair of sunglasses. She was thrilled! "I will get pink sunglasses, Nana!" she declared...and so she did. 

I chose children's Cancer Council glasses as the sun here in the tropics is fierce on eyes, young and old alike. She choose a red polka dot pair for her big sister and then we got back in the car and drove to the beach...

We walked along the shore and collected seas shells, as she loves playing with my own collection of shells whenever she visits, and carefully put them in my pocket for her to take home later.

Ice cream was well deserved after our walk along the scorching shore line, though we had to eat fast as it melted quickly. 

After leaving the beach we dropped in to visit Poppy at his work and then picked up a Happy Meal at McDonalds before arriving at my house where we could relax in the air conditioning. 

Once lunch was over we played with jigsaw puzzles (she is VERY good at them), painted, did some colouring, and then I gave Rafaella her first lesson in hand embroidery. She got a little bit frustrated because the yarn kept coming out of the needle (we used a large plastic needle and yarn) but eventually got the knack of holding the needle in such a way that the yarn didn't slip out. Apparently sewing with Nana was her most talked about topic with mummy and Cully May today and she's looking forward to doing more. 

After dropping her home later in the afternoon, this Nana was very tired and needed a nice cup of tea with a bit of quiet time before getting started on dinner. What a wonderful day it was!

Pantry Preparedness and utilising more storage...

Have you noticed a lot of empty shelves in your local supermarket lately? I have. In fact many of the items I regularly purchase have disappeared, and though we have seen the signs of this shortage coming for quite a while, it's still a shock when it happens.

I decided to move things around in the kitchen after Blossom offered us an old bookcase, planning to use the shelves for more pantry preparedness. I shifted the old cookbook shelves across into the hall and spent this morning compiling a fresh list of items to purchase and store in these larger shelves. I am also going to add a bit of prettiness, as you do, right? Wicker baskets too easily become mouldy in the wet season due to the constant heat and high humidity, so I have a few clear plastic baskets which I intend lining with pretty fabric next week. I also intend making shelf liners and/or edging...which will take time, but having a homemaking project on the go always makes me happy. 

Once my large shopping list was written I made the order online and it will be delivered tomorrow morning, though I do wonder how much of it will arrive. Even as I was doing the online order, so many items were marked 'out of stock', and some which were in stock had limits of one or two only.

Making use of the space you have for storing extra food items is wise, even in a small house. My husband has shelving in his study dedicated to cans and jars, and that's great, but as he is at work during the day the air conditioning in the study is not used and that room becomes very hot indeed.

The kitchen however, which has the walk-in-pantry just opposite, has the air conditioning on all day so in the new shelving I will place items that really should be stored in a slightly cooler place than hubby's study.

New aprons...

I recently purchased two new aprons from makers on Etsy. They are lovely floral prints with ruffled edges and pockets - just my style, and they look lovely hanging in the kitchen when not being worn as I cook and do housework. I had plans to make more aprons myself, but just as you support my home-business by purchasing patterns, I also like to support the home businesses of others. 

The seller of the cream apron has no more, but the seller of the blue polka dot apron (which comes fully lined!) has many aprons in her store - perfect for gift giving. If you're interested she is HERE, and believe me even the wrapping is delightful. Her parcel brightened my day, and the apron brightened my kitchen!

A Quiet Life...

Do you remember last year when I shared this pattern? I stitched it in two colourways, one pastel and one more of a 50's palette. Over the weekend I needed something simple and calming to make (I'll explain later) so I chose to turn the retro block into a wrap for our coffee plunger...

The colours work well in our kitchen, and though I've never liked the creamy latte brown of the cupboards and fittings, it does lend itself to allowing bright colours like the ones I scatter around to stand out. Even those aprons lift the gloom of the brown. 

The back is tied with two bows - as I said, a very simple and relaxing project, and also a new UFO finish for November. It's gratifying to make wonderfully functional items from orphan stitcheries!

The downs of life...

I've been quiet here again because of a long run of very nasty migraines. They came in all manner - barometric migraines, migraine with aura, silent migraines which left me unable to walk and my whole body a wobbly mess...and each one came on just as the previous one was ending. 

So many food triggers have been eliminated with great success in the past year or two, but it only occurred to me on Sunday that I had once more introduced chocolate into my diet, as well as a single cup of real coffee each morning (after drinking only decaf for a year). It appears those two changes have been my undoing and a hard and painful lesson learned. 

I was just coming good yesterday morning in time to pick up Rafaella, as I had cancelled on her last Friday and though very understanding, her 3yo heart was sad at not spending a day alone with Nana. That's why yesterday was so important, I just couldn't bear to disappoint her again. Fortunately the pain was gone after breakfast and since then I've been careful to exclude the two nasties - chocolate and real coffee - once again. Sigh. I shall miss them, though not the pain they cause.

In my quiet times...

I am re-reading The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder and gaining much appreciation for the labours of homemaking back in the 1800's. It's been about fifteen years since I read this book to my children, so in many ways it feels 'new' again because this time around I'm reading through my homemaker eyes and not from a desire to teach good life principles to my children. 

I'm also stitching a wedding memento for hubby and I as we approach the celebration of 30 years of marriage, just a few days after Christmas. It will be part of my Faith, Heart & Home pattern club next year because I get many requests for this kind of design. Most people will think of this design as a lovely gift for a new couple, but I'm looking with new eyes once more...it is a continuing remembrance of my own marriage.

Back to that "A Quiet Life" stitchery...

If you missed the original free download of the pattern, it's here again for you now. Use the link below and you can be stitching it today. 

DOWNLOAD "A Quiet Life" pattern

Let me know what things in your life are being viewed through 'new eyes' these days? Are you finding a shortage of grocery supplies in your own area? Have you finished any UFO's this month?

I'd love to hear from you, and as my readers have told me in emails, they love reading your comments and thoughts too. 

So dear hearts, don't hold back but share your own thoughts in the comments for you may inspire others by doing so. I am so blessed to receive every comment, but I do understand why many prefer to email me privately. 

Bless you lovely friends, and may the days ahead overflow with the wisdom of God so that you may make good and sound decisions. May He prepare you for all that is yet to come, and give you a heart which offers genuine kindness and grace towards others. 

hugs

Setting the mood, Passover, and choosing rest...

 It is we, the homemakers, who usually hone the art of creating a peaceful and restorative atmosphere within our dwelling space.

I'm more aware of that now, in this season of life, than I ever was. What a gift we've been given, such a blessed and high calling to conduct the music of life rhythms inside our home. 

My Fridays have become a steady hum of home and family delights; though this morning was extra special.

I sat atop a picnic rug with Blossom and the girls, sharing the lesson of Passover with bread to break and share, alcohol-free wine to sip, and the story of the Passover read from their Children's Bible. Their eyes were wide and absorbed in the story, their eager hands broke the bread as Jesus did, and then we held our glasses high and thanked Jesus for all He has done for us. 

I think we adults have a tendency to make things harder than they need be, especially with young children. Our Passover today was completely God-led and came about with such gentleness and in the most relaxed way.

Blossom threw the picnic rug down and the girls ran off to get their picnic set and set the 'table'...we talked about the Passover picnic table Jesus prepared for His disciples, how and why he washed their feet, what the breaking of bread and the drinking of wine meant. 

They know their Bible stories, often going to bed with the audio bible playing in the background, but today we did more than talk about it, we made it real to the girls. I have to tell you this was incredibly special for Blossom and I too...in fact as I think back on the morning there are tears of joy welling in my eyes.

And that set the mood for the rest of the day. Joy, peace, gratitude, awe for our Lord and what He did for us...and delight that He was present when we four gathered together to teach the girls about His Passover.

When I came home there were the usual Friday chores to attend to so after a sandwich and cup of tea I set to work vacuuming, mopping, washing and folding. This week I removed the couch covers to wash, and as is my custom the bed was remade with fresh crisp sheets after airing all morning. 

Fresh towels were hung in the bathroom, the kitchen wiped down, a quick tidy of the pantry and then I took out the frozen leftover Shepherd's Pie from last weekend and popped it in the oven on a low slow heat, ready for 6pm when my beloved comes home. 

The candles are lit, this one a gift from Cully May...

...and the oil burner is on the bookcase in the living room, the fragrance of lemon myrtle and  eucalyptus once again relaxing my senses.

Something restful which is being added to my days is reading. I decided to finish a book which was begun many years ago, a book I was enjoying at the time but found life was too full and I did not have the time to sit and read anything other than my Bible, for in God's Word I find my deepest peace, hope and desires - and that was needed far more than a story. 

However, now that life has begun to slow down, I shall enjoy a half hour each day with this novel by Elizabeth Goudge, who shares her own faith in Jesus within the ebb and flow of her stories. This resting of my mind as the week winds down and the Sabbath approaches has changed me in many ways...I am softer, gentler of word, offering peace and hope to those who are worried or anxious, even more productive within our home, and walking closer with the Lord. 

My prayer for you today is that you give your mind, heart, body over to rest after a productive week. It is good for us to be industrious around the the home, it is right. But it is also good that we remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy...and whether that is Saturday or Sunday for you, pursue the Lord's rest and in doing so refresh your body, revive your love for Him, and dwell in His peace.

This quiet life I live has become pure delight, because I see it now as a gift, a gift which was not often enough appreciated. But now it is.

Bless your precious homemaker hearts...they are worth more than rubies. 

hugs

Another free Quiet Life pattern...

I thought wouldn't it be nice to have another Quiet Life pattern to share but this time with a simple spray of daisies?
And once I'd drawn it up and stitched it another idea came to mind - what would it look like in pastels?
So back to the fabric shelf and thread collection. Now I don't know which one I like the most, though there's really no reason to choose...I can like them both!

My thought process is to finish one as a bookmark, with the block turned vertically so the flowers stand tall and the wording runs down the side.
My second idea is to feature the other block just as it is shown in the photos on the pocket of a tote bag because I use a simple tote every Sunday morning when we go to the market - they're wonderfully useful.

If you'd like to stitch your own version of a A Quiet Life in Flowers use the link below to download the pattern...

DOWNLOAD PATTERN 

This past Sunday I once again did a lot of meal prep for the week ahead and just as last week it took me four hours. Now, it sounds like a lot of time to spend all at once standing in the kitchen chopping, blending, baking, making...but what a lot of time saved through the next week. I am never wondering what to make and I don't have any food wastage. We are also saving money and not succumbing to fast food or many sweets.

If you're interested I might do a little PDF each week or two with some of the recipes I make?

This weekend I made a huge cous cous salad with carrots and green beans I'd roasted with garlic, plus a heap of other ingredients all quickly chopped and added in. The dressing (lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil,  grated garlic, cumin powder, salt and pepper) is kept separate because my husband takes this to work three days and I'll have it a few days as well for lunch so it only gets dressed just before eating.

As there was an abundance of green beans I also made a favourite side dish with soy sauce, sesame oil and roasted almond flakes.

This is so delicious! I added it to my cous cous salad yesterday with fresh avocado, vegan cashew parmesan that I make myself and simple pickled onions.

We've got some lovely zucchini growing in the garden so I spiralise it into noodles and they become the base of another lunchtime salad - a raw satay salad which is another yummy meal.
The satay sauce is made by throwing a bunch of basic ingredients in the blender and I toss it through just before serving. The sauce stays fresh in the fridge for up to ten days.

I also made more tomato pesto (which we had with mushrooms and angel hair pasta on Sunday night) which can be kept for at least two weeks in the fridge but it never lasts that long as it's so good on a homemade pizza base or mixed into chick pea patties.

Breakfast is taken care of for hubby through the rest of the month with a large supply of homemade granola. I don't make it very sweet because we do much better health wise with minimal sugar - in this mix I used 1/4 cup raw honey to 750g oats. I also added cinnamon, dried fruits, shredded coconut and macadamia nuts.

Blossom loves my sprouted buckwheat granola and has been gobbling it since she was a little girl so I often make a large batch in the dehydrator to keep her going for a month or two. Made this way buckwheat groats need to be soaked and rinsed numerous times a day until the little groats sprout (in our tropical climate this takes no more than 48 hours) then they are mixed with cinnamon, maple syrup, coconut oil, LSA mix, cashews and dried fruits before going into the dehydrator for six to eight hours.

Fresh almond milk is easy to make. I soak the almonds on Saturday night and make the almond milk in just five minutes the next day. We are dairy free and this tastes better than anything from a carton.

This week for our treat I baked a batch of Rosemary, Sultana and Macadamia cookies.

Snacks at home for me are really important because if I don't have healthy choices on hand I'll nibble on things that could trigger a migraine so I have written myself a list of good options and two of my favourites are apple, carrot and celery sticks dipped in almond butter (I cut up the carrots and celery on Sunday and store them in a glass jar with water - they stay fresh and crunchy this way)...

...and peanut butter, banana and raw local honey on brown rice cakes.

Quite often I'll have one of these snacks around 3pm when I need something to carry me through to dinner time. Oh, and did you notice my little white French press?
I drink a lot of mint tea as we grow four varieties in the garden but I was finding it annoying having all those little green leaves floating in my tea cup so I thought a little coffee press to use for herbal teas would be smarter...

Other things I prepare are containers of shredded carrots, chopped onions, shredded cabbages, salad dressings and cooked brown rice. I also chop matchsticks of vegetables to use in hubby's rice paper rolls and roast pumpkin and garlic for a quick soup. All of this makes dinner times so much easier!

I share all this just in case it helps you with ideas in your own time saving meal prep. You may not eat like we do, you may not be ovo-vegan like me, or you may have food allergies or might not like some of the foods I make, but just one idea can often springboard into many others that you used to make or that you can learn to make now.

Having that big AHA moment a couple of weeks ago about simply eating what we really enjoy and making foods we find ourselves always going back to has been incredible for my kitchen time and also for my menu planning.
Using fresh basic ingredients that are already in my pantry, fridge and freezer and spending a half day once a week doing the bulk of ingredient or meal prep has lifted a burden from my shoulders - it's also made this long season of chronic back-to-back migraines bearable.

Other things at home have included purchasing a new rug for the living/dining room. The old one was grey and black and worked well in the house we lived in eight years ago but it sucked life from this home. The new rug is much bigger too, and has added some homely warmth across the cream tiled floor.

I bought a new book which funnily enough I saw Jes from Strangers & Pilgrims on Earth had also purchased. I think we'll both enjoy it!
If you've not visited Jes before let me encourage you to drop by and say hi. She has so much about homemaking on her blog, it's a treasury of ideas and projects.

I'm going back over many of the areas which had a deep clean a few months back - or was it closer to the start of the year?
The inside of the washing machine got a good scrub as well as the gasket and the laundry area in general was freshened up.

My zygo cactus has flowers which makes me happy because it only blooms once a year. I think it loves living in the sunshine and warmth of the laundry window...

I also cleaned and reorganised two kitchen drawers, scrubbed the oven and grill, and moved plants and cookbooks around - some plants to the garden, some to the compost (sadly two died), and a few books to the op shop.

Tomorrow I'm off to the hospital with Blossom for her checkup while Ross stays home with their two girls. As these visits usually take hours I'll pack some healthy snacks for us to enjoy in the waiting room. Of course we will never run out of things to talk about so the hours may pass more swiftly than we think.

Bless you lovely ones! I hope and pray this week is not burdening you in any way but that each day holds pockets of JOY which lifts your heart and may even cause you to break out in song.
Choose JOY over anger or disappointment or frustration or conflict. A very sweet friend of mine whose name was Joy passed away recently and if ever there was a woman who lived up to her name it was Joy Coey. Her example right to the end was to be a beacon of joy and brightness and kindness and love - she will be remembered by many, many people in just that way. So let us all choose JOY and walk in a manner that lifts another's heart and does not tear it down.

Loving hugs

Go HERE to read previous blog posts in the Quiet Life series.

A Quiet Life series - contentment....

It's been a very long week here with a true mix of joy, family, laughter, migraine and exhaustion.
Our dear Cully May turned four on Tuesday and her level of excitement went into overdrive for days with barely a handful of hours sleep (for mummy and daddy as well) as her endorphins ran high until by Thursday night she fell into a proper sleep at last. Blossom, Ross and Rafaella (who shares a room with her big sister) were rather thankful for that.

In our home there was much to do, as is normally the flow of life here, but a crippling two-day migraine had me moving very slowly and doing things quietly and carefully. I am so thankful for all the meal prep I did last weekend because it made such a difference, for regardless of migraines or other maladies we still need to be nourished in order to maintain overall health and energy.

Having those slower days mid-week was also a blessing in disguise as it gifted me many hours to ponder God's Word and how I could apply it more to this life, hear His directions for change and growth, plan any course corrections which appear to be needed, and fill my heart with an increase of gratitude for all we have and all He has gifted us.

One word that resonated all week was CONTENTMENT so each day I'd consider my own understanding of contentment and in what ways I already experience it. I also turned things around to grasp what brings about discontent in my life and how to stem that tide - for I do not want anything that breeds discontent in my thoughts or manner or character, but yearn for a fully contented heart which is completely at peace with where I am, who I am, and what I have before me.

I found it easier to begin with what makes me content, especially during days of relative quietness and serenity (yes, even during a migraine).
Hanging up the washing; caring for the chickens; preparing meals; fresh sheets on the bed; the return of my husband from work at the end of the day; alone time pre-dawn to read my bible as much of the world around me sleeps; hours spent with Blossom and her girls; watering the vegetable garden just before the sun sets; swimming in the pool with long slow strokes and then floating under the blue sky and talking to God about my day (even in winter); preparing ingredients for next week's meals; packing my husband a healthy work lunch before making breakfast; picking fresh veggies for dinner; listening to the next chapter of an audio book as I wipe down benches and cupboards (currently Cranford); sweeping the tiled floors and shaking the little kitchen mat outside; resting for lunch and sipping a hot cup of tea in a real teacup; reorganising drawers and dusting shelves; tending the indoor plants; burning essential oils at the end of the day; old hymns playing in the background as I go about the other household chores...so many things bring me contentment, but what really stood out was how they were all based in our home.

When you know what brings contentment to your soul you have a perfectly wonderful opportunity to seek more of those experiences and rhythms - especially if your life seems to overwhelm with anxieties or confusion. Choosing to walk more in those contented areas and less in your areas of discontent there is opportunity for great change to occur in your everyday character, especially with regards to interaction with other people and how you respond to various challenges that crop up.

But just as I pondered the things which brought contentment to my life there was next a need to uncover the areas of discontent. Firstly, let me say that not all those areas can be removed, but some surely can, and for the others it's important to pray and ask God to bring clarity and direction for how to manage them in future. The balance I think we all need is to be more heavily leaning into the contented areas of life in order to manage the not-so-contented moments or commitments.

The sweet delights of what we enjoy can do much to alleviate some of the strain caused by less contented things. You know, when I was younger and Nana was serving one of her own childhood favourites for dinner and it was a meal I did not like (tripe poached in milk springs to mind, crumbed brains was another!)  I'd stoically eat it, my mind focused on what was coming next - dessert. And I loved every one of Nana's desserts. In fact I loved 90% of what Nana cooked and that's why I could 'cope' with the 10% that almost made me gag.

Life is a gentle balance of what we like and what we don't; what brings contentment and what doesn't; joys and heartaches; trials and triumphs; sickness and health; love and loss; dreads and desires...none of us are immune to this. There are good days and bad days, and we can either be swamped by a soul which is focused on our discontents or we can write a list of everything that adds life and nourishment and contentment to our souls and find ways to add more of those into our everyday life.

As a Christian I choose to lean on the Lord for direction, understanding and wisdom because left to my own devices there'd be far more time spent wallowing about what I don't have than pulling up my britches and expressing gratitude for what I DO have.

Now, I'm not telling you I've got this contentment thing all sorted out yet because I don't, but this past week with it's few days of 'migraine-enforced-quiet' brought to the surface an important understanding of what makes me tick. And the biggest surprise was that not once did 'stitching' come to mind when I was listing the things that caused my heart to whisper 'this is contentment'. And isn't that interesting?

So what about you?
Would you like to spend the next week pondering your own list of contentments and discontents? Just imagine, it may be a game changer for you.

Next week I have a new little Quiet Life project to share...just need to add a few touches, but it's rather sweet and quick to make too.

Bless you ever so much. Truly, this Jenny-girl appreciates you visiting, reading, chatting in response and generally being a part of my ramblings and ponderings...

To God be all the glory for anything good in my life for without Him I wonder just where I'd be...
hugs

PS: New patterns are now in my Etsy Shop over HERE

The Homemakers Heart - the garden and prep for the week ahead...

Even though I used to follow a rotating menu plan and grocery shop accordingly when the kids were living at home, I never considered doing a few hours of meal prep at the weekend to lessen my cooking time during the week.
So when I stumbled across a woman on Youtube who does this very thing (seriously, until a few months back I wasn't a youtube watcher at all but have since discovered some wonderfully inspiring stuff thanks to my husband) I watched loads of her videos over a number of weeks for inspiration and ideas that work for us.
You may have already seen her? Lisa at Downshiftology.

Anyhow, I have since dabbled in a bit of meal prep, but this weekend I got serious because I planned ahead and had all I needed on hand. She uses some great glass clip-lock containers for her prep foods but they are quite expensive so hubby and I were thrilled when we found very similar glass containers at Kmart that literally cost just a fraction of the ones Lisa uses. Thank you Lord!

This is some of what I prepared -

Pickled onions, pickled cucumbers, chopped onions, boiled eggs, zucchini zoodles, grated carrot, shredded white cabbage, shredded red cabbage, roasted garlic cauliflower, small roasted pumpkin pieces for salads, larger roasted pumpkin pieces for a blender soup, cauliflower rice (for a veggie fried rice), beautiful brown rice salad with nuts and herbs...

I also make a litre of almond milk, roasted cajun spiced pumpkin seeds, sultana scones and a banana/date/pecan loaf.

I still need to bake a loaf of bread which I'll do tomorrow morning, and make a batch of buckwheat granola for Blossom and a batch of oat granola for hubby and I.  Bread is baked a few times a week, but the granola is made once a month.
I also need to bake some cookies for hubby's morning tea at work but I'll leave that until tomorrow as well because he's still got some peanut butter and oat cookies left from last week.

Out in the garden things have been growing well and we're definitely enjoying the fruits of our labours. Zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, spinach, capsicums and herbs are being enjoyed and we've had enough to share with our neighbour. Next week I'll have some for Blossom but she's assured me for now she has enough.

We're trialling perpetual spinach which can be used like rocket (arugula) or baby spinach in salads. It's delicious and I often grab a leaf and munch on it as I walk by.

It's growing well beside the roma tomatoes and beans...

We have zucchini in two spots, but the largest and most abundant producer is nestled behind the cherry tomatoes and sitting beside another pumpkin plant (they keep popping up everywhere and delivering wonderful pumpkins!)...

Different types of silverbeet are growing in different spots, some on the ground, some in pots, all doing well...

I had no success with chives initially but then decided to plant pots in three different parts of the garden to gauge the best result. Once I did that we ended up with two flourishing pots and one mediocre. Everything in our garden is an experiment or learning curve...

Birds eye chillies thrive no matter where they are...

Long strands of tomatoes are everywhere, they spread across the ground too. We now have twenty productive tomato vines and we only planted eight. The rest came up on their own and because of this we have four different varieties...

We eat a lot of coriander (cilantro) so I've just planted another lot and next week I'll plant even more before the warm winter weather turns to hot spring. Coriander cannot cope with our heat so I make the most of growing it at this time of the year.

I let some of it go to seed for next year. The flowers are pretty...

Little extras...

...and a not so little Dill. We have a few of them, so tall, over six feet now!

Well, my legs are weary tonight as before all the kitchen activity hubby and I went to a display of Holden cars, some built before WW2 - and it was wonderful to see the iconic cars of our nation and our youth. Holden closed their factory in Australia and no more shall we build them. A sad goodbye to an era.

After that we went for a walk through the markets in town and enjoyed a late breakfast before heading home to our various chores. A lovely day, all the more precious because I spent it with the man I love.

Tonight I'll get back to my crochet...

...and tomorrow I might watch another of Lisa's videos. She has seasonal meal prep ones and I'm thinking spring might be a good one to re-watch.
I'll share it below just in case you're after ideas like I was.

Bless you lovely friends, and may the week ahead abound in laughter, a rested mind, refreshed body, inspired conversations, good food, stitching and a very large dose of Jesus' love to share with others.

loving hugs