Block 6 Joy in the Ordinary BOM...

 

It's Winter! Well, in Australia it is, though north in the tropics our winter days are very sunny and warm indeed. The weather is simply perfect at last and that little bit of a nip in the early mornings is the best of all, especially when I stride up to the pool for my morning laps and it's still pitch black outside. It's such a change from the hot humid nights and mornings of late spring, summer and most of autumn. Hubby thinks I'm crazy swimming at this time of year, but it's so good for the immune system, and I think my body is better suited to cold than hot. 

Yesterday was the Eco Fiesta here in Townsville so that's where we headed after lunch. My man wanted to watch the wicking bed demonstration by Hannah Moloney of Gardening Australia, and though I'd planned to have a wander around the various events and stalls, she was so vibrant, funny and informative that I ended up staying for the whole demonstration. It was also great to have those in the audience so interactive with information of our particular tropical climate, as Hannah lives in the very south of our country, Tasmania, where it's cold most of the year.  Afterwards we did have that wander after all and saw lots of interesting things about the garden, bees, and sustainability. The weather was glorious and Hannah commented on how our winter was like her summer. Hope we get to do this again next year! Hubby is now planning wicking beds...

Anyhow, today I'm sharing the next block in this year's free Joy in the Ordinary block of the month project. My theme for June is friendship, and one of things that reminds me of good friends is a cup of tea. My dear friend Rosie and I have morning tea together often, and they are the very best of times with laughter, conversation, more laughter, and always delicious treats to devour with a cuppa or two. Whenever I come home from Rosie's my heart is full of joy, and I hope that's how she feels after a visit here as well. :-)

Blossom and I often have tea parties with the children, using real vintage cups and saucers, and a jolly good amount of home baked treats. As you saw back HERE the girls have their own Cafe in the cubby now, also with real cups and a teapot. 

When I was homeschooling, and the children were very young, I always used precious vintage op-shop acquired tea cups, saucers and plates, because I wanted them to know how special our morning and afternoon teas were and that I trusted them to care for the eclectic mix of vintage china on the table. In all our years of morning and afternoon teas, not a single cup, plate or saucer broke, and to this day my Blossom continues the ritual with her own children. 

I collected tea pots and bone china cups/saucers for decades (along with old doilies) but over the past few years with the regular decluttering I love to do, most have been donated to op-shops or given to Blossom. Today I only have a few for tea, and none of them are vintage, but some are also used around the house or in the garden for holding plants. 

These are my current three tea pots and they each serve a purpose. The green one is for herbal teas only, whilst the white one with gold trim is for special occasions and 'normal' tea. The brightly decorated pot is used when the grandchildren have tea with me...

I purchased this bright and cheery set of cups with a two tier cake display on Marketplace recently, and it's wonderful for when the family are gathered around the table for morning teas. 

Here's one of my op-shop finds that sits on display in the kitchen, a lovely reminder to stop twice a day from my chores and relax with a nice cuppa...

...and this is one of the re-purposed teapots that now serve as planter pots.

I thought you might like to see where I take photos of my completed designs. Due to lots of shaded areas around our home, plus the security screens and block out curtains, it is very difficult to find somewhere with enough light to take photos, so the dining table has that honour...

Use the link below to download the free pattern for Block 6.

DOWNLOAD Block 6 Joy in the Ordinary pattern

Missed any of the previous blocks this year? You'll find them HERE

I'll share more about this month's theme "Friendship" in the next blog post. In the meantime I would love to know if you drink tea, collect vintage china, enjoy tea parties, have been to a High Tea, and what you love to bake when friends come around for a cuppa? 

I enjoyed a few High Teas when we had a lovely little tea shop in town many years ago, but then they closed. Blossom and I would go often on her days off work, and I also went with my friend Rosie a couple of times. I have very special memories from back then. When Blossom became a mum we started our own High Teas with her littlies and the tradition will hopefully be passed on when they grow up. 

I hope you're all doing well, and have some fun, relaxing, and refreshing things planned for this week. I'm working on a new design for the Tilda Club (Australia) at the moment and hope to have it completed by Friday so I can start practicing some dressmaking later in the month. Blossom and Rosie are very competent with home dressmaking and they will be ready to help if I mess up or need tips. I was wise and bought three king size cotton bed sheets for $7 at the op-shop, and plan to 'learn' with them instead of spending money on good fabric and possibly ruining it. I'm all inspired by watching five seasons (so far!) of the Great British Sewing Bee.

God bless and take care, be kind, be thoughtful, and shine the Light of Christ in all you do this week. It's an honour to glorify Him. :-)

Hugs

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April theme, and block 4 of Joy in the Ordinary...

 

Hello April!

Well, we are a quarter of the way through the year, and do you think (like me) that it's rolling along at a rather brisk pace? Having pondered this same idea for the past few years, I have decided to intentionally s..l..o..w.. things at home the best I am able, in order to enjoy the gentle rhythms and tasks and relationships and events, of my very ordinary life.

Rushing to finish one thing in order to do the next seems to just add mental, and perhaps physical, stress much of the time. Yes, we do have tasks to complete around home, at work, or in the garden, each day, but wouldn't it be far more conducive to good mental health if we slowed a bit and actually enjoyed the process, and were consciously present right in that moment. 

Some would call a homemakers life 'mundane' or 'boring' - yet those ordinary things which make up the normal rhythm of our day to day lives can be anything but boring. The work we put in to our homes is essential for creating our own little sanctuary, an escape from the outside world, and a haven of rest for those who live within our walls or cross our threshold to visit. 

You may remember that our dishwasher broke down on Christmas Day last year. We arranged to have it fixed a month later...and since then I have only used it twice. For all my life (before we moved here in late 2018) I had always done the dishes by hand, and for the first few months in this home I continued with that habit. But then I began to use the dishwasher, and a new habit was formed. 

Through my life, when standing at the sink washing dishes, hands covered in suds, I would be looking out of a window as I went about my task, and those were some of the most insightful times with God. It was a prayerful time and slowed my mind, and that came about with the slow rhythm of washing and rinsing each dish, each cup, each bowl, and the other bits and pieces I'd cooked with to make a meal. Repetitive tasks do not require much mental stimulation, as we do them by instinct, formed over many years, so our mind is freed to rest (or worry, which I choose not to do) and that allows us to ponder, pray, listen, and breathe. 

So even though the dishwasher is fixed, I choose not to use it, but just run a cycle once a month to keep it in working order. I am relishing the morning, noon and evening visits to my kitchen sink, where I bask in the simple pleasure of slowing, praying, and listening to the Lord - along with the birds who sing and chatter not far from the window. 

In block 4 I've captured a little scene of cooking utensils and measuring cups, because I wanted to celebrate ordinary things in an ordinary kitchen - for those ordinary things help us create wonderful meals and treats, don't they?!

Use the link below to download the free pattern

DOWNLOAD Block 4 of Joy in the Ordinary BOM

If you have missed any previous patterns in this year's free Block of the Month, go HERE

APRIL theme...

Last month the theme was simplifying. How did you go with that? Personally I have simplified many aspects of life here on our quarter acre, but also in my mind and daily practices. Spending a whole month exploring a theme has been wonderful and I find myself carrying them forward into the next month as well.

This month the theme is a little different, but I felt so impressed in my heart to do this that I put my hands up and said "Okay, Lord". 

Do you have a to-do list? I have two at the moment. They sit on my desk and as I complete one of my to-dos I draw a line through it, and enjoy the feeling of satisfaction for a task completed. 

Ha ha!! Actually, sometimes I do not feel a lovely sense of satisfaction, but annoyance at myself for not getting to it sooner. I do like to get things done as time allows, and don't procrastinate very often, but I often find myself imagining I have more time than I really do. 

Being that I have recently decided not to rush through tasks, or cram a lot into my days anymore, it may seem counter-productive to shine a light on a to-do list - however, working my way through it s..l..o..w..l..y.. will bring a great deal of pleasure as results gradually reveal themselves.

I was thinking about the various areas of a woman's life, and the many ways we can create something from nothing, so I'm going to start this month's theme with that aspect in mind. You see, there's a to-do list of general things that need to be done...but what about a list of things we'd like to do if we had the time, enthusiasm, and means? Having something lovely, creative, worthwhile, energising or helpful on a personal to-do list can actually awaken the mind, stir the senses, and add excitement and more joy to an ordinary day. 

Here's a few areas I have written down which might spark something in your heart to follow through on...

* Self Care - is there something in your self-care which you've neglecting? A home-pedicure, or an afternoon nap perhaps? 

* Garden - is there a place in your garden that you often think "such and such would be lovely there" or "I'd love to set up a little space where I can sit and enjoy the beauty of nature around me"?

* Letter writing - have you lost touch with the art of writing a letter to loved ones and friends? Do you enjoy receiving letters? Just one letter can be a new door opening...

* Room makeover - Have you seen how people can makeover a room using what they already have? Or can you be creative and make some simple furnishings from your fabric or craft stash to brighten or rejuvenate the space?

* Reading - is there a book, or a few, dusty and waiting? Can you take a quiet time each day and simply read a chapter? 

* Catch up with a friend - pack a little afternoon tea picnic and invite a friend to meet you at the park, botanical gardens, seashore, local duck pond? I am sure you'll both relax and wonder why you've not done it before. 

* Finish a UFO - yes, some people have a lot of UFOs in their sewing room, or within their knitting or crochet baskets. Choose just one. And do a little each day...even 15 minutes adds up over a month. 

And one more thing - Walking the Room

You can read all about this habit of mine over HERE in a post I wrote at the beginning of Covid in 2020.  I usually do this every year, but this year I have not! So for me, this is a big "do the to-do" plan for this week, along with working on a most important UFO - Blossom's 30th birthday quilt which is due by May 26th. 

I would dearly LOVE to hear your thoughts on what I've shared in this post...I read and re-read many of your comments because you give me food for thought, ideas, gratitude, and a friendly smile over this virtual kitchen table we share at Elefantz.

God bless and may His immense love fill your hearts to overflowing in the week ahead. Always remember, you are precious in His sight, created with His touch, and made to enjoy the beauty and wonder of His incredible Creation. Girl, you are lovely. xxx

Hugs

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January - a month of gratitude...

 One of the things I have decided to do on the blog this year is to give each month it's own sub-theme, and that will always be something which will tie in with our main theme for 2024, Joy in the Ordinary. 

Let's begin the month by turning our hearts away from self, and showing gratitude to others.

January is a wonderful month for looking back over the previous year to make decisions about what to eliminate from our lives, and what to give more time to. It is also a good time to remember those who were there for us during the last year and let them know how much that meant to us. 

From childhood, to well into my forties, it was common to send a thank you card to those who had in some way touched our lives for the better. It was common to write real letters by hand. It was normal to send cards on special occasions. It was natural to make time for all kinds of correspondence that required adding a postage stamp and a walk to the red posting box. And wasn't it so lovely to open our own mail boxes and find a card or letter lovingly sent from family or friends? 

Being the first week of January I decided that showing gratitude by mail would be a nice way to begin the month, so I have spent time the past few days creating a set of stationary you might like to download, print up, and use for just such a purpose. It's a free gift from me to you!

There are two sets to choose from and both are included in your free download - a Scriptural set, as well as one without Biblical reference. 

In each set you'll find decorative writing paper, small pocket cards to add in a letter, and greeting cards. 

You could also print up a few and make little gift packs to use as presents during the year. I love things like this because they are easy to post in an envelope and that's rather helpful for those of us who are watching the pennies in 2024. 

I made gift packs with the small cards, greeting cards and envelopes. Some were printed on white heavy weight paper, and others on some lovely lemon paper from a coloured bundle I bought in 2010. Fortunately I found matching lemon envelopes too. 

The sprays of watercolour carnations and forget-me-nots which feature on the stationary items, remind me of Nana. Her wedding ring was a band of gold forget-me-nots, and she grew carnations in the summer. When my husband was at University he did some extra work in the semester breaks to save up and buy me my very own gold forget-me-not ring. It was the most beautiful surprise!!

When we lived in Esperance (Western Australia) back in 2007-9, Blossom and I would often window shop on sunny afternoons before spending a 'girlie' hour at the local tea rooms which overlooked the ocean. One such afternoon we discovered a pretty blue forget-me-not mug in the window of the jewellers, and it was on clearance. Well, my heart skipped a beat and I bought it. To this day, whenever I use it my mind drifts back to the simple days of my childhood with Nana and Pop. 

Forget-me-nots really are the perfect floral embellishment to a gratitude card or letter, I think. Life today moves far too quickly, with social media, television, and even conversations rushing by without much thought of their purpose...which makes us forget a little too easily, the things we should hold close to our hearts, the needs of others in our prayers, and how we could better have used that wasted time. Yes, I do believe gratitude and forget-me-nots go hand in hand. 

Use the links below to download the Gratitude Stationary files... 

DOWNLOAD the A4 size Gratitude file

DOWNLOAD the Letter size Gratitude file

The New Year clean has begun...

The new year has me cleaning the house, one room at a time, to remove what's not needed and move everything else (not bolted down) around to a more purposeful position. I began at the back of the house in our small laundry, which runs directly off the kitchen and opens out to the backyard. It gets the afternoon sun rather fiercely, and needs a curtain to cover the smaller window, but as I am still not sure what fabric from my stash to use for that purpose, I am yet to achieve that goal. However, it was good to clean and scrub the drawers of cleaning items, rags and gloves with vinegar and water, and put things in order once more.

On the other side of the laundry room, I finally went through all the random jars I'd collected and chose to keep only the best jars for filling with jam. It's summer here in Australia and this month is the time for making large batches of plum and vanilla jam (our favourite) to see us through the next year, with a few extra jars as gifts. They were scrubbed exhaustively, dried, and capped ready-and-waiting. 

The remainder of the space was well scrubbed, and things like the tub of Eco Store washing powder topped up and two teaspoons of eucalyptus oil added and shaken through. Eucalyptus is a wonderful antibacterial for the wash. I clean my washing machine with vinegar and water in a spray bottle so that I can scrub the gasket with only a rag before running the machine on an empty cycle. 

The next day I began in the kitchen, pulling everything out of the cupboards and off the shelves, again washing with vinegar and water. It was wonderful having all the surfaces, drawers and shelving done, and a few more things removed from them. I tend to declutter regularly through the year, but do not donate anything unless I am very sure we won't be using it, so a few items find their way to the donation box in my car boot each time I do a deep clean of the kitchen. 

Now I need to wash the front of the cupboards and drawers, clean the windows, wash the curtains, and get the double sink sparkling...but not till Monday. It's Friday afternoon as I write this, and before hubby arrives home from work I plan to make a spanakopita for dinner, and something for dessert - though exactly what I have not yet decided. 

I hope you are doing well in this first week of a new year, and that should you be struggling in any area of your life that you remember to lay your burdens at the feet of Jesus and pray for His help to get you through. He will always be our Rock and an ever present help in times of trouble. Don't hold back, dear ones, call out to Him for all your needs.

But remember too, that He is our provider and gift-giver, so offer your prayers of praise and gratitude to our Lord regularly. 

God bless, and God willing we shall chat in the next post. Let me know what you've been doing around home this past week, and if you have a specific gratitude to share with myself and other readers. You may inspire us. 

Oh, before I go, please receive my gratitude for all your prayers for our Blossom. She's still on antibiotics and not yet recovered from the pneumonia, but she is definitely improving. You ladies are wonderful...

Hugs

Don't miss out on any Elefantz news or free patterns. 

Subscribe to my blog posts HERE and receive them direct to your email inbox.  

Or sign up HERE for my free newsletter which often has extra benefits, freebies & tutorials!