Fresh beginnings...

 I've had a number of blog posts planned recently that just never got written. The days seems to pass by swiftly at the moment and even though spring school holidays are over and my husband is back to teaching I've not had much free time as there's always quite a bit of catch-up to do with regards to my work whenever holidays pass.

A sense of overwhelm, or perhaps a weight of too many uncompleted tasks, felt heavy on my mind these past few days and whilst trying to get through that long to-do list and respond to too many emails I realised the most important thing needed was to stop everything, draw away and sit quietly at the feet of Jesus. 

Drawing away takes time, it needs full attention given over to He who holds the answers and direction we so truly and deeply need. Sometimes this means an hour, other times it may be days or weeks. What the Lord chooses to readjust in our lives may be minor or it might require a prolonged season of change, much like removing a rootbound plant from an old pot and replanting it in rich fertile soil with room to grow deeper and stronger, room to flourish and no longer wither. 

In my garden I see every day the dying back and withering of old blooms which are past their prime and right beside them the first buds of new growth holding a promise of beauty, quiet simplicity and delight to my eyes in the days ahead. 

Roses...

Hibiscus...

I wonder if I sometimes try to hold on to what is comfortable, the rhythms that most suit my nature and desires, instead of letting things go, allowing them to fall away in order to create time and space for something new to grow...for when we add more to our life without first letting go of something no longer important, essential or needful, we overburden our days. First we must make available a space, a fresh opening, with no crowding or squeezing - then that new thing has a fresh place to dwell. 

There's a decluttering happening within me now, not just the spring cleaning type, but in my thoughts, plans, business, designs, emails, social media, relationships...every area of my mind and the daily routines I follow are under scrutiny. I've become aware that the very impersonal nature of social media, the one dimensional momentary snapshot of another's life, really tells me nothing about them and I wonder today why I give it time in my life.

The days of  blogs, of bloggers actually sharing stories and every day life in such a way that you get to know them, is becoming rare. Is this because our attention span is less today? Have we adjusted to scrolling, looking at the pictures and not really reading? Not being genuinely engaged?

I find this even on the blog. Emails arrive asking questions about 'where' and 'how' that were explained clearly in the very blog post they refer to. Did they just want the free pattern or the recipe or some other thing and didn't bother to read the post? 

My own blog reading has fallen by the wayside, I should add. I think that's another consequence of social media...it takes time there to run a business, it takes time to be involved with a group, it just takes time...time which would be better spent on rediscovering some favourite blogs and truly getting to know a handful of people well. 

So this current time of processing my everyday life, decluttering my mind, considering what to let go of and what to keep, what to embark on and what must draw to a close, fills my prayers and draws me into many wonderful quiet times at the feet of Jesus. He's not done with me yet, nor will He ever be until we meet face to face. He's not done with you either, sweet child. 

How long since you stopped everything and gave Him your full attention?

How long has it been since you sat at His feet and really listened? 

This morning I wandered the garden and took these photos, amazed at how just when we imagined our harvests were over, a new crop of vegetables my beloved planted in rich well composted soil, is flourishing. Our previous backyard garden crops this season did not fare as well as we'd hoped, and he realised that the soil we'd used wasn't fertile enough, it hadn't been cared for as it should...so in faith he planted again very late in our tropical growing season, using far superior soil and gathering more knowledge of how to grow well in this climate and then implementing what he'd learned. 

The results have been quite astounding. And those results brought me right back to the message I'm sharing today.

The soil of our life needs to be developed well. It requires time in prayer and at the feet of Jesus, a nourishing watering from the Word, repentance towards God and turning from the things that pull our attention away from Him, knowledge of the Scriptures to identify the weeds in our life, Christ-given strength to pull those weeds out, and renewed seeds of faithful hope for the Christ-like blooms which will then begin to flourish in our character.

Today is a fresh beginning dear one...wipe the slate clean, let go of the things which bind and overwhelm you, discard the excesses which rob your peace. Seek gentleness, pursue righteousness, choose to be uncluttered by the distractions of worldly media which is almost always negative and mostly false, cut back on social media and seek deeper relationships with fewer people. 

Take time to examine your heart, your needs, your not-so-nice character traits...and ask the Lord's help in identifying what roots need to be removed and what He would like to plant in their place. 

Be kind to yourself so you can be kind to others. Give yourself permission to not be perfect, to not be the answer to everyone's problem, to not have to participate in online discussions because you feel an obligation to do so...seek the Lord's desire for YOU. 

I have a long way to go with where He's leading me, but I have all confidence in Him and know without doubt that His way will be the best because He knows me, He called me, He can equip me and He can correct my journey gently when I stray. Which is exactly what He's been doing this week.

Pray for me? I'm praying for you. xxx

This is our new hen, Penny, whom I affectionately call Penny-Pen.

On Sunday our dear Daphne-hen died. She'd mourned the passing of her sister Bess quite deeply and just never recovered as they'd been inseparable for years (we got them a year ago but they were already old) and I don't think she coped being alone. Just as Mr E planted a tree over Bess last month, he planted a tree over Daphne as well. 

Penny was a surprise find on Monday as a couple nearby were moving house and needed someone to take their hen. She's got quite a strong feisty character but over these past few days has become quite affectionate. Hubby has two new hens arriving soon, young ones, and he's also got a new coop to build. I said I wouldn't get attached to any more chickens as we keep them for eggs and not as pets...but within 48 hours dear Penny-Pen changed all that. 

Anyhow, I'd best be off now as I need to get some groceries and post a parcel before lunch. 

I look on today as a fresh beginning, and there's excitement, relief and peace within me. I hope and pray that if you've had need of these thoughts today that you also will be able to renew, refresh, start over...and flourish.

gentle hugs,

Block 6 of The 23rd Psalm BOM...

You have probably noticed that I'm a day late sharing this month's Psalm 23 block. 

Monday's are actually a busy day at home and I should probably take that into consideration when offering free patterns or writing blog posts. You know when hubby goes back to work on Monday morning my housecleaning energy kicks right in as the weekends are spent quietly on a Saturday (our sabbath rest day) and Sunday's are all about the garden and getting things done that require the two of us. 

So when Monday rolls around and my beloved drives off to school I sit down and work methodically through a list of to-dos before heading out after lunch to do the week's grocery shop.

Yesterday I pulled everything out of the fridge and gave it a good scrub before assessing what could go back in, what needed using up that day and what was past it's use by but still suitable for the chickens. We don't have much wastage anymore but after some missed homecooked meals last week due to a rather dark few days of depression, there was indeed produce that found it's way into the chook pen yesterday. I also vacuumed, mopped, did many loads of washing, organised my workspace, and after doing the groceries I packed everything away and set about making fresh almond butter, corn fritters and marinated baby cauliflower for dinner.

After the cauilflower ('colettes' as they are labelled at the market) baked they had crunchy ends and soft juicy stems - seriously delicious. Of course I forgot to take the after photo!

Praise God my mind shifted to a much lighter place after a long sunset walk along the beach at Pallarenda with my husband on Sunday night, and time with Blossom and the girls at the park this morning brought me right back to normal.

The 23rd Psalm block of the month

This month we're stitching the first half of verse 6.

When I drew this block up last year I imagined how the Lord would set a table before me, because it's my belief that He takes very seriously our personal likes and dislikes as it's all part of our unique character, part of who He made us to be.

I love flowers on the table, gingham tablecloths, old wooden chairs...so that's what I drew and eventually what I stitched.

What would your table look like??

THE COMPLETE PSALM 23 Book Pattern is now available HERE in my Etsy Shop.

Last week I said that in June I could reveal my new pattern made from the next Tilda fabric range.

The fabrics are called Little Farm and are so cute with small floral sprays, farm animals, farm houses, garden tools and seed packs. Everything is very small, no big prints in this line of fabric, which is perfect for my kind of design...because my patterns are not large quilts, but mini quilts or wall hangings.

When I thought about the theme of the fabrics my mind turned to home and from there a verse that means a lot to my husband and I seemed just right - Joshua 24:15

I used to believe this was a beautifully sentimental yet faithful verse, one which all believers adhered to...and then I studied it. Joshua drew a line in the sand the day he spoke this to Israel (not long before he died) because he was warning them that they would stray. The people declared, "No, we will always serve the Lord!" but God's man Joshua knew better. You see the very next generation, the children of those to whom he spoke these spirit-given words, strayed from the Lord. 

Judges 2:10 - And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that He had done for Israel.

Wow, that always hits my heart. The last generation of Israel in Joshua's life did not diligently instil the teachings of God to their children and in just that one generation they strayed away and 'did not know the Lord'. 

So I take this statement, this declaration, very seriously these days...because it's not idle or simply a 'nice' heartwarming verse to quote. It carried with it a warning and because of that I searched my heart before bringing this from Bible to stitchery. 

The embroidery design itself is styled as a plaque that would hang outside the front door or by the front gate of a home, and the borders are a double of my favourite 'homely' patchwork block, the churn dash. I've sat one block inside another and really love the cosiness they bring to the mini quilt.

The pattern will be included in July's set of Faith In Hand patterns (go HERE to find out more) along with two more designs that I love and have wanted to include for a while.

I suppose there are some reading this today who wonder 'how' I could find myself in seasons of depression? After all, I am strong in my faith and know without a single doubt that Jesus loves me and will always provide for me and offer me strength and comfort when a need is there.

Well, we live in a broken world and some of my life experiences dealt deep scars that when triggered by various dates, situations or even a passage of scripture can bring to the surface griefs, regrets, sorrows and emotional emptiness. Not for long, but for long enough that I feel the need to hide away for a bit and seek the arms of Jesus and His Word for the healing, correction or refreshment my heart, mind and soul require.

Designing with Biblical passages of Scripture as my inspiration brings me joy, but also a lesson, always a lesson, because in God's Word nothing is wasted and as it is alive and living (Hebrews 4:12) He speaks through scripture to encourage, assure, correct, comfort, strengthen and warn...and sometimes a particular passage will affect my life (or my character) more deeply than others because there's a lesson to learn or a healing which needs to take place. That's something which happened again recently and even though I felt hollow and unable to delight in my life for a few days I knew that 'this too shall pass' and He would bring me through with a greater understanding of my relationship with Him and His with me. And so it was.

I didn't really mean to go that heavy today, but then again, one thing God has clearly said to me lately is to be real. That doesn't mean my life is an open book, but it does mean that when He asks me to, I need to be open to share what He's doing with me, a woman who lived half her life without Him, and how walking beside Him and being open to where He leads has changed (and is still changing) me into someone I hope can one day say,

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

(2 Tim 4:7)

If you knew me thirty years ago you would not recognise me today. And that's as it should be. For the old me was not someone I would choose to be again...for when Christ came into my life He changed me for the better and since that day He has never let me go because I'm still a work in progress, still being refined.

My prayer for you right now is that you are able to experience the life changing love and mercy and grace of my Saviour, and that even if you are a believer, but struggle with darkness from the memories of the past, that you find your Light in the One who will never let you go - for He has borne the greatest sacrifice, the shame, and known the deepest betrayal and disappointment. And He carried all of that to the Cross for you and me because His love for us is deeper than we can ever understand or experience this side of heaven.

Bless you precious one, for you are indeed PRECIOUS in His sight.

loving hugs