Blocks 5 and 6 plus a sneak peek for 2021...

 

 
Today we'll continue the nativity story with block 5, Star of Wonder, and block 6, Gifts.
The star played a huge part in drawing attention to the miracle of Jesus birth. It was a sign which wise men in a far away land had waited for, for their own books foretold a special star would be the sign of a King's birth. 

 

Leading the wise men on their long journey to Bethlehem, it stood over the home where Jesus was now a toddler, lovingly cared for by his mother and Joseph, and to that humble abode they came and worshipped before Emmanuel "God with us" and bestowed gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

 

Those gifts were  more important than Mary and Joseph knew at the time because soon afterwards God, in a dream, directed Joseph to take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt because King Herod had heard of  His birth and wanted to kill Him. Those gifts would have been their provision for the years spent hiding in Egypt.

There are so many hidden lessons in this story.
Lessons about trusting God to lead us from where we are to where we need to be, worshipping at the feet of Jesus. 
Lessons about His unseen provision and direction before we face a trial.
Lessons about faithfulness to 'go' when He tells us now is the time.
Lessons about not changing course in our time, but in His.

In our home right now we are living through some of these lessons - seeking the Lord, trusting in the new directions we are being led to follow, knowing that He will make a way of provision as we transition from one path to another, giving thanks for His prior warnings and clear promises.

 I don't know about you, but I find there are no wasted verses in the Bible. Everything God wrote is alive and living and powerful...and can surprise us with its wisdom and truth at the most extraordinary moments.

 
Use the link below to download blocks 5 and 6 of Joy to the World

DOWNLOAD BLOCKS 5 & 6

Next Friday I'll share the final two blocks and the quilt assembly.
For those who have asked, it measures 22.5 inches square. 



NEW in 2021

 After such a busy few weeks I was grateful to have some down-time yesterday. 
There was no rush to go anywhere, or to bake or to be...I was gifted a day all to myself.
After making my beloved's work lunch and feeding the chickens we sat outside and shared our regular breakfast of fruit, home-made granola, home-made berry compote and coconut yoghurt... 

The same, but different, my husband and me. He enjoys his fruit on the side, whilst I like everything in the one bowl. 

Once I'd waved him goodbye it was back inside for a cup of tea and a couple of hours spent sketching little posies.  Twelve little posies.
I have already designed and stitched one BOM for 2021 (subscription only - more about that another time) and really needed to piece the blocks together, but as my plan for that one is a February start I knew taking time now to create another BOM, a freebie this time, would be time well spent that morning.

Inspired by my dear Nana's love of posies the small sketches came to life fairly quickly, a little tweaking here, erasing there, and by lunchtime they were ready to be traced onto fabric.
Threads were chosen and small applique scraps as well. When I was going through my scraps I found a lot which had small motifs such as birds, bunnies, bees and houses so I chose twelve tiny pieces and added them to the traced jugs and vases.

By mid afternoon I'd stitched one little block and had just begun the second when I realised my day of leisure was almost at an end and it was time to begin dinner preparations. 
But what a lovely creative and slowing day I had enjoyed!
Here's a little peek...

My plan is to launch the free POSIES Block of the Month on January 1st, 2021, and it will run all year.
This will be a small wall quilt made entirely of scrap fabrics so there is no fabric requirements list, just use what you already have. I'm all about using what's already in my stash these past few years and find that I rarely need to buy anything more.

A few people have asked how I store my stitcheries in progress. Quite often I have four, five or six stitchery designs prepared at once - this is especially true when designing for my various Stitchery Clubs over the years as I've needed to have three to five new patterns ready each month. 
The easiest way I have found to keep everything together for each individual project is to store them in plastic containers.

At any given time I have a number of these stacked in my sewing room and when it comes time to write a pattern all I need do is open the particular container which holds a completed stitchery and it's threads, and from there I can list the thread numbers on the pattern and write accurate embroidery instructions. 

I also write rough notes in my pattern book along the way as well as pencilling thread numbers onto the pattern sheets before I begin. This keeps me on track, especially when stitching during the evening because sometimes I may use a few different greens or blues or pinks in one design and at night it can be difficult to tell which one I'm using. By writing the thread numbers onto the pattern sheet I don't make mistakes...
(though I have been known to change my mind on a colour and unpick it)

Reading

I'm thoroughly enjoying audio books. Over the past six months or so I've listened to a number of Agatha Christie books and loved all but one. You see as much as I enjoy watching my favourite Poirot or Marple episodes on DVD it takes me so long to stitch a design because I keep looking up to watch (even though I've seen the same episodes twenty times over) and then once the episode is over I see barely any stitching actually got done.
In normal times that wouldn't be too much of a problem, but time has been sparse of late and sitting quietly at my work whilst listening to a book has seen me get right back on track with Elefantz Designs. 

One book I was unable to get as an audio is now an evening read before bed.
I first heard of this book, The Servant Queen and the King She Serves (published by the British Bible Society) in a Sally Clarkson blog/podcast and knew both Blossom and I would love to read it. 
Very hard to find but eventually I tracked down a copy through World of Books (Australia) and it was quite inexpensive so I felt doubly blessed.

Christmas Patterns

There have been SO many messages arriving recently asking if I could add some of my older Christmas patterns to the Etsy Shop, so this morning that's just what I did. 

 

Six Christmas Stockings (2018 Christmas issue of The Stitchery Club)

 

The Holly Bird projects - six stitcheries with projects

The 2017 Christmas issue of The Stitchery Club

You'll find all of these in my shop now, plus many other patterns, as instant digital downloads. Use the link below to visit...

Elefantz Designs at ETSY

I think that's enough for today, don't you, but before I go let me share the simplest apple jelly (jello) recipe that I originally shared over five years ago. This is something Cully May asks for all the time and can be made using any pure fruit juice you like. 

I made it with blackcurrant juice the other day and she gobbled it so fast!

You'll need:

These are Australian measures-

400 ml of fresh apple juice 

(or the 100% cloudy kind like Nudie Juice that you find in the cold section of the supermarket -you can also make this using fresh orange juice or other juice that you like)

100 ml boiling water

1 tablespoon powdered gelatine

Dissolve the gelatine in the boiling water.

Pour the apple juice into the gelatine water and stir well until dissolved.

Place in your blender for 30 seconds (this creates the foam top, kind of like marshmallow!)

Pour into a tray to set. This takes about 15 -20 minutes.

NOTE: you can skip the bender step and just mix it very well with a spoon.

US measures are:  1¾ cups of juice / 7 tablespoons boiling water / 4 teaspoons gelatine powder

You could also add fruit to the jelly before it sets, and that's something I'll do next time the girls come to visit. They love tinned Two Fruits which is a mix of pears and peaches and would be lovely in apple jelly.

Bless you lovely ones! May the Lord's joy be mightily upon your hearts and minds this weekend. Let everything else go and focus on the good and kind in each other, not our differences. 

Loving hugs

Free pattern, dreams and daily life...

All of us are at the door of a new season - my hemisphere welcoming the warmth of a colourful spring and those of you in the northern hemisphere preparing to snuggle up as autumn approaches. 

Because I really do get excited about anything to do with the garden, I thought it would be fun to share with you a practical project which you can use for your own purpose or could be posted quite easily as a gift for someone who loves to grow food and flowers. It's easy to pop seed packs in a plastic container but how much prettier to store them in handmade pockets.

I designed the Bloom & Weave cover stitchery back in 2017 and found the thread colours used in Bloom & Weave were a perfect pairing for Tilda's new Tiny Farm fabric (in quilt stores now) which I used for rest of the project.

Aren't the little farm and garden scenes gorgeous?

Anyhow, if I was excited about this project then I hoped you would be too, and perhaps even more so because I'm giving the pattern to you as a free gift.

Why? Because its the 12 year anniversary of my blog this month! 

Isn't that incredible? For twelve wonderfully creative and thought provoking years I've regularly blogged and loved every minute. Making new friends, sharing ideas, being inspired, offering and receiving encouragement, learning new things, sharing Jesus, shaking my 'little grey cells' into action (as Hercule Poirot would say)...and generally finding immense joys along the way. 

Dear Blossom was just 14 when I began here and we were in the thick of homeschooling, something else I (and she) loved...and now she's 26 and expecting baby number three. I look on my blog as a journal, a twelve year map of our lives, moves, challenges, trials, celebrations and growth. 

So I wanted to share something lovely and fun and useful with you this month, and my new Seed Saver Pockets pattern is that gift. 

I do hope you make one, either for yourself or as a gift. Perhaps both. Use the link below to download my Bloom & Weave Seed Saver Pockets pattern.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE PATTERN

This morning it was quite overcast and there was a slightly cool breeze drifting through the yard so I waited till hubby left for work before brewing a chamomile tea, spreading peanut butter, banana and local honey on rice cakes and settling down on the old blue outdoor couch to watch the birds and enjoy the garden view.

It wasn't long before the sun returned and the clouds shifted away so after my relaxed morning tea I hung up the washing and thanked the Lord for our home, the garden, the birds, and all the unseen blessings He showers on us that we never know about.

This September is also another anniversary, a very special one - it's been two years since we moved into this, our very first 'own' home. 

Two springs, two summers, two autumns and two winters have passed and we've learned a lot about home ownership, stewardship, flooding, home maintenance, gardening, mending, construction, seasonal changes, raising poultry, physical exhaustion, pool maintenance, plumbing and so much more. Not one single week has been wasted; the Lord continued to teach and improve our skills and understanding day by day, month by month...and though much of these past two years has been hard on our older bodies due to the great amount of physical work required to create the sanctuary we desired, we wouldn't change a thing, even the flood.

So in reflection we've had more than a few conversations about life as it is now in 2020 and how we are entering a season of slowing down somewhat so that we can last the journey ahead, however long (or short) that will be. As Christians we await the return of Jesus above all, but should He tarry that return we must also prepare for next year and the one after and so on, by being mindful of what we have been blessed with, how long we are able to work, our ages and level of fitness, and how we can still be available to help our family and others if they need it.

I had four very clear dreams lately and wrote them down when I awoke. I won't share the entire dreams but the message which came with each one...

The first dream focused on finances and the Lord said to me "Show restraint" - so we have become very mindful of what we receive and what we spend, and to not be wasteful.  

In the second dream I saw a woman with many large storage buckets and she was filling them to the brim. Then the Lord said to me "Prepare" so my husband and I have been carefully stocking our pantry and preserving what we can.

In the third dream I saw a checklist and and an in-tray on the desk of God. He said to me "Examine and address your character to become more like Jesus." So we are working on every area of our character as it comes to light in the study of our Lord. This will be a looooong study, but we know it is very important.

In the fourth dream God very clearly spoke these words - "God can do what man cannot". In this we know we must turn to Him in every circumstance, no matter how serious or hopeless it may appear because He above all is able.

Since the dreams I find myself more deeply immersed in the things of faith and home than before, and honestly I wasn't sure that was possible, but growth is lifelong and it knows no bounds so I welcome this deeper walk into the calling God has on my life...to nourish others at home, to be a homemaker who cherishes her position, to work hard and help my husband pay off our mortgage, to be a good steward of everything under my care, to share the gospel with others, to live my life in such a way that it glorifies Christ, to teach younger women the principles of Titus 2:3-5, to be humble and to be generous, to use the gifts of design He alone gave me.

You know, I love hanging up the washing every day. Those minutes are spent talking to God, singing a hymn or two, smiling, turning my face to the blue sky before heading back inside. Later I breathe deeply of the natural sunshine-y fragrance which wafts through our sheets and clothes and towels as I bring them inside, fold and put them away. I think this is the most natural joy for me within my homemaker responsibilities and I'm so glad we don't have (or need) a dryer.

I was inspired a couple of weeks ago to draw up a new set of designs which might become a block of the month, or perhaps a wall quilt...it all depends on how many sketches I draw and how I can envision them coming together. But the catalyst for this was indeed watching the washing on the line, flapping the breeze, so that's the first block I've completed. Just a wee peek...

That same joy I felt back in 2016 after designing the twelve Gentle Domesticity blocks has returned to my heart - such is my love for all things domestic and home centred. 

Being inspired and excited about what I create, what you create, gives any task an abundance of delight - whether that be a stitchery, a quilt, a cake, a jar of jam or pickles, a display of flowers in a vase, a tidy pantry or even a delicious mug of hot chocolate. 

Cooking comfort food for my family is quite high on my list of delights and though these past few months I've shown you more of the healthy savoury meals which have been prepared in our kitchen today I'll show you some sweeties I baked recently and which put big smiles on the faces of my loved ones.

Orange, rosemary and cranberry cookies/ Banana, blueberry, pecan and oat loaf/ Strawberry jam and sultana scrolls...

It's my husband's birthday tomorrow so another spot of baking will fill the morning. Strawberry Shortcake is his favourite treat along with rissoles, mash and veg...it's the same every year and I'm just as happy as he when I serve dinner because I see the delight in his eyes. 

Well, that's enough for today, and if you got this far, bless your precious eyes!

Pray for Blossom will you? She's off to have an intravenous infusion of iron tomorrow as in every pregnancy her levels fall dangerously low and the doctors still don't know why. Her little boy now measures three weeks further along than 'normal' size so she'll be having him a couple of weeks early (she doesn't have gestational diabetes, just has increasingly larger babies) and despite a lot of pain and other issues she glows with happiness. I'm so proud to be her mumma.

God bless you, loving 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.