Final block - "The Love of Home" BOM...

Here we are at the end of another year's Block of the Month. 

I hope you've enjoyed the one-off patterns each month between February and now, and that you've been able to make some lovely projects with them.

Some were new designs and others were older ones of mine which I felt were so in line with the theme for this year that they needed to be shared again.

The November pattern, our final one for the year, is a new one.

I've called it "My Simple Home"...

I wanted this stitchery to exude a lovely aged appearance so choosing the background fabric took a little time. 

One day an idea came to mind for featuring it as a simple project for my dining room table so I cut a long narrow length of vintage flour sack from a larger piece I'd purchased a while ago through an antique dealer, and brought my plan to life.

I actually stitched the design twice, one at each end of this sweet and simple table runner.

There's no quilting on this runner, just the embroidered flour sack top, wadding, backing and binding. 

Simple. Gentle. Lovely.

I think too often we forget that not everything we make needs to have an added degree of time or difficulty. Sometimes, and for me this is becoming most of the time, simple is best.

The embroideries took two days to stitch but the table runner was just an hour in the making so most of the time for this project went in to the embroidery because that's what I do and is the handcraft which brings me the most delight.

But what a burst of pleasure in my heart when this new decoration for our dining table was complete!

I think it's lovely and hope to display it for many years.

If you'd like to stitch block 10 of "The Love of Home" the pattern is free until December 31st and can be downloaded from HERE in my shop.

Please be aware that all the BOM patterns for this year are free downloads until December 31st.

The kitchen came to life again over the weekend with some lovely bakes.

I like to use up all our perishables on Sunday and Monday before the next week's groceries arrive on Tuesday, and I also check the freezer to see what I can put into a meal from there as well. 

This time we had 1 1/2 sheets of puff pastry, olives, asparagus and feta cheese to finish so I spread a base of sundried tomato pesto over one sheet of pastry and cut four lengths from the half sheet to create a side. 

Then it was a quick scattering of the remaining ingredients along with roasted peppers, spring onions and basil leaves before popping in the oven for 35 minutes. 

The sides puffed up just as I'd hoped!

Served with avocado and rocket it was delicious.

For Mr E's morning tea at work and mine at home, a large batch of biscuits (cookies) needed to be baked.

I chose the chewy muesli recipe from my tried and true copy of the Women's Weekly Classic Cookies recipe book.

Once again, delicious.

The next bake (Apple & Berry Slice) is one I've been wanting to try since discovering it in a cookbook on Saturday but as I needed a few things from today's grocery delivery in order to make it I had to be patient and wait until this afternoon to bring out my mixing bowl. 

No idea yet what it will taste like as it's for dessert tonight, but I'll drizzle a little cream over it before serving, and in my book a drizzle of pure cream makes almost anything delicious. 

Will let you know how it goes in the taste test with Mr E and if it's a winner I'll share the recipe.

Blossom and Cully will be here for the day tomorrow and I can't wait, which is why I'm sharing the stitchery pattern a day early.

May your day be blessed abundantly with every good and simple thing,

hugs

Simple breadmaking...

There's been a lovely thread or two about breadmaking on the Gentle Domesticity Group this week and I was asked to share my day to day recipe.

I actually have three 'regulars', and I also make sour dough when I'm in the mood.

But today I'll share the trio which make their way to our table every week and leave the sour dough until another time. 

You can download the recipes HERE and you'll find a cute little bread tin stitchery inside them.

One of the questions asked was how I start my bread in the breadmaker but finish it by hand so yesterday during the most amazing downpour of rain I have seen in about five years I took some photos as I made our next loaf.

I used to always knead my bread by hand, start to finish, with great delight. In 2010 I had an operation on one of my fingers and ever since have struggled to do two things, knead dough and knit. 

This was when I bought a breadmaker to do the kneading and also to take my loaf through it's first rise.

So that's where yesterday's photos begin, after the first rise.

On a breadmaker there's a number of options for baking bread, sometimes even jam, and I choose the "Dough" setting. I place all my ingredients in the pan, close the lid and press 'dough'. The machine then kneads the mix for about 20 minutes before going quiet and heating a little to allow the dough to rise before 'beeping' me that it's ready. This entire first process takes 90 minutes in my machine.

Now I remove the tin of dough from the machine and spread my cleaned kitchen counter with about a tablespoon of olive oil. I pour another teaspoon or two into the tin I'll use to bake my bread.

Smear the olive oil across the counter with your hands so that you also have the oil over your hands.

Spread the oil around the inside of the baking tin as well.

Drop the dough onto the oily counter top...

...and punch it down before kneading lightly for 20 seconds.

Form the dough into a loaf shape and place in the baking tin. Gently push it around so that it fills to the sides.

Place a plastic bag or cling wrap loosely over the loaf. I use a very large zip lock bag and I place a tall glass inside as well to prevent the dough sticking to the bag when it rises.

Now we let the dough begin it's second rise. 

I live in a very warm climate and some days it can double in size within 30 minutes, but usually it takes about 45 minutes. 

If you're in a cooler climate it may take up to 90 minutes or 2 hours but the plastic bag over the loaf helps it rise so give that a go as it may be quicker.

Here's my dough doubled in size and ready to bake.

I cut four little peaks into my loaf before popping it into the oven. I find this helps the loaf keep a good shape.

Around 28 minutes later we have bread!

The tin I bake my bread in was a $6 purchase at Woolworths supermarket (Australia) and measures 11 1/4" x 5 1/2" (14 cm x 29 cm).

It slices beautifully.

My husband loves his bread and would eat it at every meal if he could.

His favourite easy dinner is cheese and Vegemite on toast and he often requests these 'easy' dinners on a Sunday night. 

Sometimes I bake the dough on a hot stone, especially my sour dough, for a nice rustic loaf when serving soup or if we have guests.

When I bake it that way I use a floured kitchen top and place it on a sheet of baking paper for the second rise and I cut three long slits diagonally across the top.

During the second rise I have the hot stone heating in the oven and once the dough is ready to be baked I take the stone out of the oven, scatter flour over it, and slide the bread off the baking paper and onto the stone before placing it back in the oven to bake my bread.

Bread is delicious this way if you enjoy a crusty loaf!

In fact, I'm going to bake tomorrow's loaf this way!

Sometimes I serve it with homemade labneh instead of butter. 

Delicious with some olives, tomatoes, red onions and thinly sliced cold meats.

(here's simple steps to making your own labneh)

As I was putting the recipes together I thought I'd share a little bread tin stitchery design from years ago which I used on a bread bag.  

When you download the recipes you'll see it on the back page of your Living The Gentle Domestic Life Cookbook recipe sheets.

(Which reminded me that I need to make a new bread bag...)

Download the recipes HERE.

The rain this week has been incredible and there's more to come. 

What a blessing rain is when you are in drought.

I stood outside yesterday and watched the frangipani flowers floating by under the clothesline and thanked God for His goodness, praying the rain is filling the town's dam as we've been on level 3 water restrictions for a very long time now and what was a lush green part of the country has been brown and parched for too many years. 

But I think most importantly about our farmers up here, the cattle farmers who watch their stock starve, and I pray their own dams are filling and that there will be many green pastures to follow.

Of course, there's always a downside to a lot of rain. 

Like the local cane farmers who have had to pause their cutting season until things dry up.

And the towns south of us who have had roads cut and are even experiencing floods.

The cycle of seasons, rain and fire, storm and sunshine, flood and drought.

May the Lord bless you as we say goodbye to another week and carry you through the next with an abundance of His grace, mercy, provision and love.

hugs

The wonderful wet...

After four long years of drought where I live in the tropics of Northern Australia the rains came. It began on the weekend and is still raining. Glory be, this is a blessing and could mean we'll have a proper wet season this coming summer after all. 

Funny thing though, I'm so used to it being perpetually sunny and clear now that I had forgotten about endless days of rain and the need to get washing dry. In the old house the clothesline was under cover but not so in this new home, which meant after spending the morning at Blossom's yesterday I needed to drop in to KMart and purchase a simple drying rack to place on the verandah. 

Lucky me, I got the last one! Seems there's been a rush on them this week.

It doesn't hold a lot but there's only the two of us at home now, though I'll need to use the dryer (after sweeping away the cobwebs) for sheets if I can't get a sunny day in between the wet ones.

I change sheets every 4 days as they tend to 'wilt' in our hot and humid climate. Besides, there's nothing quite like slipping between crisp, clean cotton sheets, dried on the clothesline and smelling of fresh air and sunshine.

The rain has also brought cooler weather, days of around 27 C (80 F) and nights a refreshing 21 C (70 F). Those sort of temps lead me to cook comfort foods like chicken pot pie, lamb and vegetable soup, Banana Parkinson and Anzac cookies.

Mr E loves chicken pot pie...

...and I love soup and fresh baked bread.

The Banana Parkinson was for Blossom because it's a long time favourite of hers, and the Anzacs for my darling hubby who likes them crisp and thin. 

There's a little story about the Banana Parkinson. Originally it was a recipe I found in an old cookbook many years ago called Banana Parkin. 

My maiden name is Parkinson so right then and there, once we'd baked and tasted that it was delicious, it was renamed in honour of my paternal family. 

Both it and the Anzacs are packed with healthy oats, an ingredient we all love.

Sophie is also loving the cooler weather, snuggling up to Cully May's stuffed ballerina mouse on the spare bed during the day, and snuggling up to Mr E and I in our bed at night. 

What a life.

On Monday evening Mr E arrived home from work with a bunch of flowers, my first in the new home! I felt so cherished, not realising how much I needed the boost. The previous 24 hours had been taken up with doubts as to whether I should continue the Gentle Domesticity Facebook group or close it down and he'd picked up on my sombre mood without asking any questions, bless him. 

If you're a member of the group you will know that out of that big question I asked on Sunday afternoon came something so lovely, and so caring. A real community of women who love home, family, sewing, and living a gentle domestic life, gathered together and began to share about their lives. 

I tell you, the chatter hasn't stopped since! What precious ladies they are, all ages and walks in life, having a variety of talents and experiences, reaching out to each other, knowing they are being accepted and not judged. They have even started a stitch-a-long and a few good artisan bread recipes have surfaced too. 

A sweet bonus for me is that it's not about the members waiting to hear from me anymore, which was never my intention but apparently I hadn't made that clear (message to self - be clear about the purpose of such a group), it's now flowing beautifully from their own input. 

And you know what? My dear daughter, Blossom (Elizabeth) is joining me as an Admin for the group so we'll be hearing more about her gentle domestic life too. That blesses this proud mama! 

If you'd like to join, or if you're already a member but have missed out on the doings of the past few days and want to catch up visit the Gentle Domesticity Group here. 

...SEWING...

I've missed sewing on rainy days so am thoroughly enjoying the pitter pattern of rain on the roof as I ply my trade with needle and thread.

Over the weekend I finished another block from Jen Kingwell's "Pollen" table runner pattern. There are five blocks and I'm planning to do one each weekend so another three weeks and I can begin the quilting and finishing, which means I could have it done early to mid November at this rate. 

Block 2 prepared.

Blocks 1 and 2 completed.

It's been a while since my last Scripture stitchery, but I do wait for inspiration and don't rush those things. Recently this design for Galatians 6:9 flowed from my pencil early one morn and is now almost finished, just the wording to do...

As well as that I have been stitching new Christmas patterns for the November issue of The Stitchery Club.

I'll show you one of them today and the other four next time. This one was designed to be displayed inside a hoop...

...and can be stitched any year by simply changing the date. 

The theme for this year's Christmas designs are a star. In each one you'll find a star somewhere, reminding me of one special star high in the night sky which signaled the birth of Jesus over two thousand years ago. 

"Star of wonder, star of light, star of royal beauty bright..." I love that carol.

Would you like the recipe for Banana Parkinson?

Let me know and if you do I'll prepare it as a recipe sheet for your Living the Gentle Domestic Life Cookbook folder. 

I'd best be off now, having avoided the mopping of my vast hardwood floors for long enough. Sigh. 

Is there a chore you dislike or try to avoid? Blossom tells me hers is washing the dishes (which I love) and mine is mopping floors (which she loves). 

If only we still lived around the corner from each other we could swap those chores and both be cheered.

I'll leave you today with a photo of Cully May exploring her backyard after a rain storm. 

Why don't you and I take some time to stir up a childlike wonder for the simple things in our lives.

 It would be good for the soul, yes?

hugs

Returning...

My time of quiet and reflective absence from regular blogging became more of a blessing than I had hoped. 

Faith lessons, personal insights and a deep felt understanding of where I'm going from here are just a few of the many wonderful things which surfaced during the days and nights of distancing myself from a routine I love but which takes more of me than I have, or need, to give. 

Over time I'll share bits of what I've come to appreciate more, and what I am learning to desire less. Each day is a process of adjusting my focus so that what is most needed becomes clear, and what is not necessary fades from view. 

Life is about learning, growing, becoming, letting go and moving forward. I think I finally understand this.

So today, just some snapshots of what has held my attention at home while I ponder, pray and sing through the closing days of winter...

GREENERY

Outside on the deck new buds are appearing on my cherished hydrangea, the cherry tomato has burst into flower, and there are buds appearing at the tips of our schlumbergera cacti.

Seedlings of oregano and parsley are bring planted in pots...

...as well as sweet peppers, spinach and more cherry tomatoes. Next weekend we'll shop for more pots and set up sprouting trays for salads as well. As much as we're able we shall grow fresh produce before the tropical sun becomes too fierce.

FOOD

Ten days of a fruit and vegetable detox infused my system with more energy than I've had in quite a while, whilst also giving my digestive tract a good 'clean-out'. No description necessary, right? 

After those ten days I slowly added a little meat in again and re-acquainted myself with a few old favourites which have been off the menu for years because I'd lost the recipes.

The slower days and calm mindset had boosted my memory and I remembered giving Blossom a number of cookbooks a few years back, books which held the recipes I was after, so I borrowed them from her.

We used to have a free-form meat pie every couple of weeks when the kids were still living at home using Nigella Lawson's pastry recipe so I started with that, firstly making a beef bourguignon filling and leaving it to 'mellow' in the fridge for a couple of days to enrich the flavour. 

It was even yummier than I remembered and we had enough left over for lunch the following weekend. 

The second lost recipe was for a chocolate cake my daughter Anita had made me for Mothers Day one year, a cake which from then on graced the table of many family celebrations. 

As I prepared the batter I prayed for this sweet daughter, a mother herself now, and gave thanks for such a precious memory stored in my heart for always. 

Mr E came down with a mild dose of the flu this week which prompted me to make a pot of hearty chicken noodle soup...only later realising that this too was a recipe not made for a number of years. 

A loaf of fresh bread baked, lots of nourishing ingredients brought together for health and flavour and thirty minutes to simmer...

...this soup brought a smile to both our faces and the next morning my beloved man was well on the road to recovery.

I've also been making my own nut milks, cashew creams (savoury and sweet), fruit salad breakfasts and wholesome smoothies for in between meals.

A sprinkle of nutmeg is a sprinkle of love, the spice I most associate with my dear Nana who raised me...

A nice thing I'm learning during this quiet and calm rhythm of kitchen life is to embrace a balance between the goodness of nourishing ingredients for health in the body, and the occasional treat of a favourite cake or dessert to nourish the soul.  Each without guilt or rules.

SEWING

The occasional garage sale bargains are slowly being utilised, especially a set of shabbied frames which my husband wasn't sure how I'd use. 

They became borders for a new set of designs, seed packets in fact. 

(see all of them here)

With all the September stitchery patterns completed it's October designs which now stand waiting for their moment to shine. I've been watching season three of Poldark, some good documentaries and a few re-runs of baking shows while I stitch each afternoon. The light is perfect at that time of day to sew...

My plan to make new aprons did not eventuate but that was okay as my old ones were re-used each day, and even mended from overuse. 

This week though, the fabrics are out on the table and I have the well-worn apron that Fee made me many years ago as my template.

All in good time, the right time.

Tomorrow I will be picking up my new glasses, blue ones. I love blue. I share blue eyes with my Mama and my Nana.

It seems the dramatic increase in my migraines may well be related to my eyesight. You see, my distance vision has always been bad and I needed glasses to drive. It's only been this past year or two which has brought about a change so that I need slightly magnified glasses to embroider without squinting. 

But I had an eye exam two weeks ago and my distance vision is now 20/20, so no more prescription glasses for driving!

Now it's my close-up vision which is deteriorating and I can't just pick up a jar and read the ingredients anymore. I need glasses to read a recipe easily and to stitch without strain.

So tomorrow a whole new experience of clear vision shall be mine. And hopefully a reduction in migraines will soon follow.

I won't be blogging as often anymore...but I will blog. It's in my blood, it's part of me.

Thanks for reading along today, wandering beside me as I point to this and that around home and share a little of what's moving my heart.

You're rather special, trust me.

Now I'm off to finish the last of that soup and relax afterwards with a good book until it's time to start dinner...

Be good to your mind, your heart, your spirit, and your body.

Rest, eat, pray, walk, sleep, love, listen...all in balanced rhythm.

hugs