A new week, pets and life...

 

The first week of January proved to be a full and satisfying few days, interspersed with heavy rain, scorching sun, and barometric migraines (which I am managing better this summer).

As the new year plans I had made for a deep refresh, declutter, and rearrangement of our home are not something to rush through, I had a one-day-on and one-day-off strategy to maintain energy, manage the migraines, and also to visit Blossom and the children one day and shop with them for school supplies another day. 

Those days off between deep cleaning still required the steady rhythm of normal routines to continue, but I enjoyed hourly breaks to read, do some hand embroidery, watch an episode of Father Brown or The Larkins on Britbox, and enjoy cups of tea with a sweet treat.

We don't have much storage space in our small home, but with careful consideration (and discipline) I've been able to clear needed space by donating excess items such as sheets, towels, fabric, plastic containers, kitchen  items, decorations, trinkets, clothing, baby toys and old games which have not been played since the children lived at home, picture frames, books and videos, to the local op-shop (charity store). 

We still have ample sheets and towels, fabric, kitchen items etc, but now we have only what we use, with some to spare of course, and a short list of things we'd like to acquire this year, such as a vacuum sealer for storing dehydrated foods, flour and grains. I lost 15kg (about 32 pounds) of flour this past week as it was all infested with Brown Flour Mites - and this is something we face living in the hot, humid, wet tropics. I freeze all my wheat grains and rice for days after purchase, and thank the Lord they are fine, but the flour was a completely different matter. So after disposing of the infested flours, vacuuming and scrubbing the pantry and the containers, then disposing of the vacuum cleaner bag immediately after, I researched for helps with preserving flour in our climate. 

Next day I bought more flours, and after taping bay leaves inside the lids, refilled the clean containers. Apparently these bugs hate bay leaves and this method of prevention really works, but extra protection is to wipe around your pantry shelving using a cloth which has some essential oils on it (pine, eucalyptus or tea tree are recommended) so I'm doing that as well. Perhaps you can understand why we've decided to save for a good vacuum sealer?

Re-organising the lounge/dining room to suit summer, and also adding the leather chair which used to sit in our bedroom unused. We need a new rug, something to save for.

There's no rhyme nor reasoning to decor anymore, we're simply using what we have...definitely eclectic. 

I sit here each morning with my first cuppa to read the Bible and a chapter of my current book, until hubby wakes and we go for our pre-breakfast swim in the pool.

My computer desk has had a good scrub and refresh as well, and a new calendar also brightens this corner of the living room.

The little runner beneath my keyboard (above) was a free pattern I shared in one of my 2021 Homemakers Heart digital magazines and is still available to you as a free download HERE

The bedroom has had a deep clean, but I still need to wash the curtains. In fact all the curtains in the house will be washed and hung out to dry next week as long as we get a few days break from the tropical wet season.

The kitchen will get a thorough scrubbing next week as well, and I have my three favourite aprons ready on the old white cupboard. 

In November I hosted an Apron Swap here on the blog, and despite being so close to Christmas the response was wonderful. All together there were 32 swappers from across the globe, and my partner was fellow Australian, Bev Ashmore. This is the *gorgeous* apron she made me. Such pretty fabric, and look at those ruffles!

The apron I made for Bev was another of the 1929 style I tend to favour, and it definitely was not as fancy as she made me...

...but I made my own bias binding and hand stitched it around the edges, and bless her heart, Bev loved that handmade detail. She's a very kind lady, sews beautifully, and is a sister-in-Christ as well. I felt incredibly blessed when her parcel arrived, and look forward to hosting more swaps with all of you through 2023.

Many of you have emailed to ask about our lovely old cat, Princess Sophie, and how she's recovering after being attacked by a feral black cat in October. If you've been reading here for years you will know that Sophie and I have had our disagreements, due to her desire to usurp me in Mr E's heart, but beneath it all we love each other. Since the attack, Sophie, whom the vet described as the healthiest 12yo cat she's ever seen, recovered physically in record time, but the shock has obviously taken a toll on her mentally. 

Never one to enjoy being inside, she now seeks me out for company and cuddles (quite unlike her) and takes a long sleep each day in her bed behind Mr E's recliner. She's losing her sense of smell and hearing, though this is only just becoming noticeable, and like our old Bob-the-dog a few years before he passed away at age 15, she is becoming a bit vague at times. The vet tells us this is natural aging. 

In the front garden our single pumpkin plant has gone bonkers from all the wet season rain, and pretty soon will cover the entire area. It's already growing up the jasmine and ixora bushes.

There's quite a few Kent pumpkins on the vine (also known as Jap pumpkins), which I have mostly hand-pollinated due to the lack of bees in our front yard. The back yard is overrun with bees due to the elder tree so we may plant an elder out front in March/April for next season. 

In the back yard, our elder tree has already produced loads of berries which I've made into syrup or frozen. Currently it is sporting many more flower heads and berries so I'll be busy with elderberries for many months yet. Last year the tree stopped flowering in May, just before our relatively mild winter arrived. 

The rest of the garden is mostly flowers and a few herbs as the vegetable bugs are incredibly destructive here from mid spring to mid autumn, but no matter the season, zinnias flourish and re-seed everywhere all year round. I love their bright bursts of colour! 

Accepting the seasons for what they are is something I have had to learn since moving into our home just over four years ago. We fought the seasons at first because our dream to be self sufficient was strong and we hoped to subdue and tame this quarter acre to become what we desired...a food forest. 

It's easy to watch others who live in different climates, with normal growing seasons, and become envious of their abundance...but we've finally moved past that, and over the next year will be planning out a different garden layout, building higher raised beds, and planting only that which yields a crop we can eat and enjoy (along side plenty of flowers for bees, and the trees for shade). Sadly my husband does not like pumpkin but it grows well here all year round, and he does like the fact that it adds good ground cover out front through the long scorching summer. Blossom, myself and our neighbours, love pumpkin, so it will be a blessing for us to cook with and share around. 

I'm sure this is as much as you want to read of my rambling today, so I better close off and go bake a fresh loaf of bread to have with dinner tonight. I also need to finish making notes on chapter five of our Emilie Barnes book study so I can share that next week with this year's free tea towel pattern, and I'm still working on the rearranging and sorting of my sewing room/office. 

God bless you dear ones, and may the days ahead offer you times of solitude to pray and ponder the year ahead, so you can clearly see which path to follow, and be strong enough to cast off all the unnecessary burdens which to now have weighed you down. Simplify your life, guard your heart, be gentle with yourself, pursue productive paths which add purpose to each day, and lean on Jesus in all things for His yoke is easy and His burden is light. xxx

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!

The rain, budgeting and growing in contentment...

Living in the dry tropics, we only really get rain during the wet season from December to April, so it was lovely yesterday and today that those precious water drops from heaven fell early. 

Yesterday morning I went out about 5:15am to take some photos, after light rain had fallen overnight. It's my favourite time of the day, so still and not yet hot enough to feel the humidity or the burn of the morning sun. 

Sophie cat is recovering from an attack by a young rogue tomcat who took a bite from her back as she ran away. The vet was wonderful, so very gentle with our 12yo girl. Sophie needed to wear a collar for a few days so as not to lick the wounds, and she absolutely hated it, even refusing to eat or drink...but late on day three we thought it best that it be removed as in our climate dehydration comes fast. 

The wounds are healing very well, and she's picked up a lot since eating and drinking again. Sophie loves the heat, which I imagine is because she was born here and its all she's known, but laying on wet grass in the early morning is also one of her delights. 

The Elder trees are laden with flowers, and there's many hands of small berries already. The birds keep taking them, but I can see quite a few large hands of them untouched so hopefully it won't be too long before I can make syrup.

Whenever it rains the birds seem to fill the yard, all sorts of them, so I keep the feeder filled with seeds, or bread ends which have gotten stale. 

I am blessed to always have fresh roses to pick and fill a vase or two, and the last of the petunias give the yard a lovely burst of colour in the garden.

This past week has been a rewarding one with family and also my design work. Last night we took homemade curry pastries and a pasta bake to Blossom's, where the whole family gathered for a dance party with the children. Cully May only recently began attending school after homeschooling for two years, and the school had a halloween themed disco for grades kinder - 6...but being believers in God's Word we do not embrace the custom of halloween, so we had our own disco party at home with faith based music and it was a wonderful night! Poor Poppy is aching all over today after dancing with his granddaughters (whom he had to pick up and carry as they danced - it was so much fun to watch!) but he said the pain was worth it. 

I've given the menu a bit of an overhaul this week as well, especially after reading a post (and the comments) by Grandma Donna. You can read it HERE, and do so until the end because it's her response to a reader which made me nod my head and think more about my own food experiences with Nana and Pop. That in turn gave me cause to consider, genuinely consider, the need to simplify our meals and step back from recipes with lots of ingredients, expensive ingredients, and too many steps. 

I realise this has been something I've attempted to follow through on before, but with the economy such as it is now, my resolve is much stronger. 

On Wednesday for lunch I took out some random vegetables which needed using up - potatoes, onions, cauliflower, beet greens and tomatoes. After sauteing the onions with garlic and ginger, I added the vegetables with a tablespoon of korma paste, two teaspoons of tomato paste, sea salt and a 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala. Half a cup of water was poured over everything and with the lid on I let everything simmer very gently for about half an hour. Then I added half a can of coconut milk (also left over from the fridge) and simmered another five minutes. Poured into a bowl and sprinkled with chopped spring onions from the garden, I thoroughly enjoyed this meal made from vegetables almost past their use by date, leftover coconut milk, and pantry staples. The remainder of the meal I had for lunch the next day. 

And that's also what happened with the curry pastries I made to take to Blossom's last night. I had a little beef mince to use up, plus another two potatoes, some green peas, onion and garlic, more of the Korma paste, half a lemon, and four sheets of puff pastry from the freezer.

The pasta bake I made was simply cooked pasta, with the remaining sauce from Porcupine Meatballs which we had for dinner on Monday night poured over. I grated the last of our tasty cheddar cheese and sprinkled it generously across the top, and baked it until bubbling. My grandchildren love any kind of pasta bake, and it's especially yummy using the leftover homemade sauce from the meatballs. 

It's a good feeling to see your fridge contents being used throughout the week and not leaving anything to waste. That's what I mean about simplifying our meals and menu. Checking what's needing to be used up each morning gives me a clearer idea on what to cook for our dinner each night (or lunch for me at home). 

This morning I decided to make a simple and small Shepherd's Pie for tonight as I have some leftover lamb from Tuesday night's roast dinner. I bought another bag of potatoes this morning, and have plenty of carrots, green beans, onions and garlic on hand already. All the other ingredients I need are already in my pantry. As we only eat small meals, this Shepherd's Pie will become two dinners for us, so I'll freeze half for another night. Must admit I was so surprised to see a small cut of lamb leg for $10 at the supermarket on Tuesday, but knew it would stretch to three night's dinners for two people, which made it $1.66 per plate and that's great for our budget. 

Being mindful of how long food lasts in the freezer is just as important as stocking up our pantries. It's no good filling the freezer with foods that only last three to six months, which is the case with many meat products, because you've wasted your $ should they be forgotten and not used. Our neighbour's freezer broke down last year and she was devastated because she had it full of meat, some of it dated four years ago. To be honest, it looked ghastly, and she admitted to being shocked, having never thought to research how long it's safe to freeze foods. So we are very mindful of what's in our own freezer now, and making sure we eat from it regularly, replacing with fresh items later. 

How have you fared this year? My focus this year was to embrace contentment, and though I may not have written as much about it as first intended, there has indeed been a decidedly more contented change in my heart, thoughts and life choices.

Choosing to let go of some things which though not bad, simply weren't right for me, and discovering afterwards that a weight had lifted from my mind and precious contentment had more room to fill that space - this was the biggest change. Some other wonderful changes (or perhaps I should call them growth?) have been a much deeper sense of personal wellbeing; a greater sense of gratitude for all I have and the people in my life; and the intentional slowing which is now my 'normal' pace in life. 

What about you?? How have you grown in contentment this year? Did you let anything go, or take on something new? I'd love to hear about your own journey. 

NEXT YEAR...

In my next post I'll share a few things with you that will begin next month, and flow through into 2023. Upon much reflection and prayer, I feel rather excited to be pursuing avenues and themes which feed my joy...and I hope they are a blessing to you as well. 

So until next week, may the Father's hand be clearly felt upon your shoulder, His voice a gentle loving whisper in your ear, His desire for your life become an overflowing truth in your heart, and His perfect love felt as strong encouraging hugs through your day. 

Hugs

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future ones by subscribing HERE to receive Elefantz blog posts direct to your inbox.  

This weekend only...

A few unexpected days this week left me a wee bit behind on work so this weekend will be a catch up at my desk to get the first double pattern of Phyllis May's Kitchen emailed out to BOM members on Monday.

Must admit, I was disappointed when we first moved here because there was just no way I could fit my computer work desk and file shelving into the sewing room so we had to create a little corner in the living room. But you know, I really like sitting here to write patterns, do the bookwork, write blog posts and stay on top of Elefantz and personal correspondence now! It's a pretty corner, a cosy and inviting corner...

Once the front garden is established and in bloom I'll even have a gorgeous view out of the front window to my left. That's something very special to look forward to. 

Poor Princess Sophie, who is almost nine years old, struggles terribly with our winter - even though it's very mild and does not require any heating in the house. Born here in the tropics she thrives on our very long humid spring/summer/autumn months but come winter she looks for places to hide away and warm up. I found an almost new $1 baby blanket at the op shop recently when I was dropping off a box of donations from Blossom and after a good wash Sophie claimed it as her own.

Must admit, I love having her inside with us right now as most of the year she spends all her time out in the heat, sleeping under one of her two favourite trees. Bob-the-dog on the other hand, is twelve years old and was born in very cold Esperance (Western Australia) and though moving to the tropics with us in 2009 he has never acclimatised, preferring to be inside spread out under the air conditioner. With the cooler temperatures at the moment he's quite in his glory. 

These days I'm keeping my hands busy each evening with crochet. After the success of Rafaella's 1st birthday blanket using the Sweet Pea pattern from Lucy at Attic 24 I decided to order the yarn pack for her new pattern, Dune. 

But I soon realised after going through the instructions with Rosie (who is progressing beautifully with her Dune blanket) that I should make the decision to switch patterns and make an older one of Lucy's - The Cosy Stripe Blanket. 

My design day is spent concentrating on patterns - planning, sketching, fine tuning designs, stitching, machine sewing, pattern writing, pattern promotion etc - and the Dune pattern would require me to concentrate at night too, and that's why I chose to use the beautiful Dune yarns in the much simpler to keep track of Cosy Stripe.

Loving how this is coming along...

I'm also hand stitching a brand new design of my own during afternoon breaks but as it's still in progress I will wait until I'm further along to show any sneak peeks.

The other night Mr E came home from work and discovered our shower taps were ready to perish. We knew when we bought this house last September that the bathroom needed a lot of work but we had other more important things to update and repair first.

Deciding not to wait any longer we headed out to Bunnings and bought new taps which he fitted as soon as we got home (which meant dinner was rather late on Tuesday night). We also bought matching taps for the bathroom vanity and hubby will replace them over the weekend as well. They were inexpensive compared to most of the taps we saw but they were also our favourite. 

The taps look really classy in our old bathroom but in time we'll decorate and replace everything else around them.

Who'd imagine starting a bathroom makeover with the taps first? Us of course!

We've decided to get back in the habit of visiting garage sales on Saturday mornings, looking especially for planter pots and garden ornaments. I rarely buy anything for inside the house because it's a small home with minimal storage so why clutter the place? If I really love something at a garage sale I take a few minutes to consider carefully these three questions - where can I put it, is there storage room available, and can I donate something in it's place to make room.

You know, so far everything we buy and bring home after those Saturday jaunts has been for the garden so I'm really good at walking away from lovely things that I cannot find a home for. 

But last week there was a garage sale with lots of crafting things - bag handles, buttons, patterns, fabrics etc. My initial response was to 'grab a bargain' and fill my bag, but then I applied those same three questions to what I was holding in my arms.

Mr E even looked with surprise as I put things back and came home with just a couple of lovely large pieces of fabric. The bird print will be a simple spring outfit for Rafaella and the lovely textured print will become a tote bag for me.

THIS WEEKEND ONLY

In my newsletter which was emailed out yesterday I shared the news that I shall be giving my Etsy Shop a makeover next week. 

Some of the single patterns will be removed, such as the six "Alphabet Pincushion" patterns which will be re-released as a full 26-pattern set instead.

I'll also be removing the twelve single "A Year in the Garden" patterns and re-publishing them as one single pattern with a quilt layout.

Now because I'm doing this I felt it only fair to offer you the opportunity to complete any of those sets you may have been partway through with a 25% off coupon which runs from now until midnight on June 10th.

This discount applies to ALL patterns currently in my shop until midnight June 10th. 

GO HERE to shop Elefantz on Etsy with an automatic 25% discount at checkout.

From June 11th and over the following week my shop shelves will be updated with new patterns for embroidery, projects and quilts!

Truly, I get excited about updating things like my blog, pattern shop and even my older patterns and covers. One of my little happy quirks. 

Here's a few patterns currently in the shop you may not have seen?

And it's never too early to stitch for Christmas!

If you've never signed up to my newsletter why not do so today?

It's free and you'll be sure to never miss out on free patterns, new designs, sales, news and tutorials.

Pop your name in HERE today. 

LAST CHANCE TO JOIN "PHYLLIS MAYS KITCHEN" block of the month.

Memberships to join at the special reduced rate will close at midnight Sunday June 9th.

Go HERE to learn more and see all the photos, or to join.

Well, I'd best get back to my pattern writing, though first of all I'll get a warming beef curry in the crock pot for dinner tonight. And I should bake a pudding too.

Hope your weekend is a joyful one, the kind that invigorates your soul and is God-blessed with goodness, grace, laughter and memories which can be treasured. 

hugs