Kicking off my BOM early with a bonus pincushion pattern...

 

My "POSIES" quilt is finished and hanging on the wall of my office area and now all I need do is write the twelve monthly patterns to share with you through 2021.

But before doing that I wanted to gift you a bonus "Posies" project that you can make between now and the end of this year, in time to use on January 1st when I'll launch the BOM with block 1.

My pattern for the Posies Pincushion has full instructions for the embroidery as well as making the pincushion which has a lovely sleeve which slips over the body of the pinnie and holds your scissors.

If you're not joining the "Posies" BOM in 2021 (some of my readers quilt but don't embroider) but still like the idea of a sleeved pincushion I have an alternative option for you which I've written about in the pattern...

Honestly, this style of pinnie really is one of my favourites and I wanted it to be something that tied in with Posies for next year, and hopefully a pinnie you'll make many times.

Oh goodness, imagine using all the twelve Posies stitchery blocks next year as pincushions...you'd have twelve sleeved pinnies to gift by Christmas 2021! Though you may also decide to simply make the quilt instead. Or both? Time will tell.

Blossom is rather taken with both of my new pincushions, saying "Wow, I love them, they are so bright and beautiful!" so I may just pass one along to my girl. 

Use the link below to download the free pattern.

DOWNLOAD THE POSIES PINCUSHION PATTERN

If you look hard you can see a peek of my completed "POSIES" quilt hanging on the wall behind my pinnies (above and below)...

Something I keep meaning to write about is the filling I use when making pincushions. Probably for around five years now I've been buying bags of crushed walnut shells from the pet shop as it is used to line glass reptile enclosures. Now however, the pet shops have a different product for that purpose so I went hunting online early this year and discovered the same product, and cheaper too, was sold by BBQ stores for smoking meat.

I use a small funnel to fill the pincushion to avoid spillage and mess. Though admittedly I have still been known to scatter the cutting table with some if I overfill, but I just scoop it up and pop it back in the bag for the next pinnie.

If you google 'crushed walnut shells' you'll be able to find a local supplier or somewhere you can buy online. I highly recommend this as filling and it keeps your pins and needles sharp and clean.

The heat and humidity has sucked the life out of our early summer garden, though we've been very blessed to still be gathering vegetables in our tropical 'off season'. 

The wet season is late in arriving at our part of the tropics, though it's been flooding in other areas, and this is why we've been able to extend the growing time of cucumbers, tomatoes and even rockmelon...

But we picked the last cucumber and melon the other day as the rest of them are actually cooking on the vine due to the extreme heat and fierceness of the sun. Fortunately the tomatoes are soldiering on and our supply of spring onions (green onions) is still abundant. 

But once the rains arrive that will be it. Water and heat will bring mould to the garden and that's why we don't grow here in summer or early autumn. 

A jolly wonderful thing at this time of the year for me is plum season and as well as eating them like lollies I love to scatter slices over simple cakes because they almost caramelise during the  bake.

Day to day...

Thank you to some lovely readers who sent me cards and words of encouragement recently. I don't have your email addresses so can't thank you privately, but know your kindness meant the world to me. ((hugs))

It's been a very exhausting past few months with family accidents, a sick neighbour, barometric migraines off the scale due to the high humidity and heat, Blossom's pregnancy and the birth of Charlie David, caring for our precious granddaughters at times...

(fun with nana and poppy in the pool)

...diffficulties with my husband's employment, full time homemaking, keeping the garden going through water restrictions, four days with virtually no water in the home due to a critical rupture in our town's water treatment facility...and running a business single handed in the midst of it all.

Running on high adrenaline for a long period of time is not new to me and I knew from experience that once things settled I'd come crashing down - and I did. It began on Wednesday night and continued to carry me deeper into the valley of depression the next day. By Saturday I could not even smile as the darkness which shrouded my mind kept sucking me deeper into that awful mental space I want to avoid. 

As I write this I'm not out of the woods yet, but as this bout of depression is triggered by extreme weariness over a long period of time I know that it will pass quickly...as long as I rest, as long as I  make myself a priority for a little while, as long as I sleep and as long as I take a break from work.

I have emails waiting to be answered which I've decided not to. I have people to call which I am also not going to do. Being a 'doer', which I naturally am, has driven me these past months, but it's time to step away for a little bit in order to rest and recover.

I am reminded of Elijah who after a fierce spiritual battle (and success) was so depleted that he ran away into the wilderness to collapse under a Broom tree and wished God would take his life...but the Lord knew what Elijah really needed was sleep, food, water, and more rest. You can read the story in 1 Kings 19.

So I'm taking a leaf out of God's Word and allowing myself the gift of rest before beginning fresh in 2021 with a number of fun things that I hope you'll join me for.

My sweet husband took me out to dinner last night to our favourite Indian restaurant and what a delight it was to have a lovely meal cooked for me! It's simple things which lift my spirit - flowers in a vase, eating a meal I did not prepare, sitting by the beach with my husband as the sun rises or sets, cuddling close my grandchildren...and going slowly through the day with no schedule or timetable to follow.

You may have been struggling lately too?

If so, know I am praying for you as I pray for myself, for despite the darkness which still hovers, I KNOW that my God is greater than the darkness and I TRUST Him to lead me out of the valley and into the Light of His hope for my future. 

May we all go slow as this year winds down and be at peace with one and all. May our hearts turn to Jesus and the gift He still is to everyone who calls upon His name. May we find the path out of our valleys and climb the mountain which leads to Light and life. 

God bless you one and all, and merry Christmas. I'll see you closer to New Year...

loving hugs,

PS: Memberships to Let's Stitch Again close on December 30th. Pop over here to find out more...

The surprisingly flourishing garden...

 At this time of year in the tropics there's not much we can grow with regards to vegetables and herbs, but this year has been a tad different. It's taken a lot of daily care (and a slow to arrive wet season) but we are actually reaping a surprising bounty at the moment. 

Green salad cucumbers which we slice and eat like potato chips, pickling gherkins, rockmelons, watermelons, tomatoes - roma and cherry, malabar spinach, silverbeet, perpetual spinach, blueberries, spring onions, kale, chillies, long peppers, red onions, leeks, pigeon peas, bananas, pineapples, chives, sage, parsley, mint, comfrey, tarragon, dandelion, rosemary, basil, marjoram, oregano, lemons, limes and lemongrass...

Let me take you on a tour.

We find many hours need to be spent each week and indeed most days, keeping up with everything, but the joy and satisfaction of reaping a harvest is wonderful. 

We also have carrots just breaking through the soil and many lovely flowers scattered around. The perennial hibiscus trees, ixora, bouganvillea and bottle brush are in full bloom, but we also have other blooms to capture the eye - oriental jasmine and geraniums being my favourite right now.

It's not until I took these photos and began typing this post that I realised just how abundant our small quarter acre truly is, and the sense of gratitude in my heart to the Lord who led us to buy this particular home just over two years ago was magnified yet again.

There was hardly anything growing here back then, and a lot of concrete and rocks that needed to be broken up and removed in order to make garden areas (my husband worked like a trojan to tame and create our little patch called home) - but what we've learned is that persistence, a vision and physical toil brings great rewards. 

Hope you enjoyed the little wander around. 

Bless you dear ones and may the Lord of all Creation bring beauty and bounty to your hearts in these coming days, just as surely as He brought them to our garden.

"Oh taste and see that the Lord is good."

Psalm 34:8

(pattern is here in my shop)

Loving hugs

Children, chickens and breathing...

 

It was overcast yesterday when Blossom and the girls came to visit so the little ones spent most of the day in the backyard adventuring, riding the rocking horse we found at a garage sale recently, picking flowers (weeds actually, but we shan't tell them that), gathering 'favourite' rocks and exploring the 'forest' which is in fact the chicken enclosure. Their delight in everything is infectious and makes me appreciate all the more what we have within our 1/4 acre.

They crouch under the hibiscus and guava trees and the inquisitive chickens wander over to see what they are doing. The girls gather some greens from the garden (spinach and silverbeet usually) and hold it out to our three hens - Penny, Bernadette and Amy. The chickens love this and eat from their hands, though I think Cully May and Rafaella love it more!

Finally it seems that Penny has settled and her aggressive ways are becoming less and less - possibly because Bernadette started giving as good as she got, and she's also as big as Penny now and still growing. Amy is still timid and doesn't stray far from her 'champion' Bernadette. 

The girls loved the new coop but I needed to explain it was not another cubby house and shoo them out of it. 

Cully May found the first egg...

...whilst Rafaella was more interested in picking pretty hibiscus flowers for her mummy. 

Blossom stayed outside the coop and took videos of the girls for their daddy to watch later. 

What a wonderful way to spend a Monday and begin the new week!

We shared morning tea and lunch, the girls eventually coming inside to eat but then disappearing outside again. They absolutely love the old $5 rocking horse and kindly took turns riding it.

Before going home they joined us inside for a story and some colouring, milk and cookies. The perfect end to a beautiful day.

Over the weekend my dear husband finished setting up my new computer and transferring all the business files from my old laptop. I've only  used a laptop for the last decade so it's taking some getting used to having an actual computer. Of course, as with anything new to the office or sewing room I do a bit of freshening up and this was no different. I'm very inspired by the lovely calm layout of my 'new' corner office and think the coming months may be rather creative in more ways than one. 

I'd planned to share a few recipes today but as I'm still acquainting myself with this computer I'll leave that until Friday when I share the next double block of Joy To The World. 

Hope you're doing alright and not letting things crowd out your peace? My husband often tells me "Breathe Jen, just breathe" and it's been the best advice he ever gave because as soon as he says it I respond by stopping what I'm doing and thinking about how to stop and slow down for a bit. Perhaps you need that advice today?

God bless you dear ones, and I shall see you again in a few days...

Hugs