Dream and mangoes...

*DREAM* - I don't know about you, but that word means a lot to me. 

Over the years I have had dreams come true in the most unexpected ways, whilst other dreams are still waiting to reveal themselves...how exciting a prospect!

What about you?

Want to share a dream come true in the comments below? I'd love to hear about it - sharing personal blessings like that is so encouraging to others...and to me.

My sweet buddy Vikki (affectionately known as 'little sis') knows how much the word 'dream' means in my life, in fact last year she sent me a reminder...

Block 7, "DREAM", is here in the shop today as a $2 download.

You know, you could stitch this on just about anything, couldn't you?

Mr E was away again this week and every time that happens I choose an area of the home to makeover or deep clean. 

This week was mostly focused on the kitchen and a total clean out of the pantry and fridges, as well as restocking with fresh goodness and preparing healthy foods for his return (see yesterday's blog post).

But as well as that I planted some herbs because we use a great deal of parsley and coriander in our salads and juices and I want to be sure to grow them chemical free.

As this is a rental home I can only use pots and recycled styrofoam trays, but in a month or two they will be blooming in abundance!

I also have mint, chili, oregano, thyme, and basil growing, plus some rocket seeds yet to sprout.

The main thing is that I'm doing what I can, with what I have,  and that will benefit us very soon.

In the corner of the yard, amongst the palms, is a huge mango tree. It's been in bloom for weeks now...

 See those long orange stems around the foliage? They are the mango flowers and have all been polinated by now. How do I know?

Because I zoomed in with my camera and saw tiny baby mangoes making an appearance!

I have some more pots to fill and plant out over the weekend, but mostly I'm going to enjoy having my beloved home again. Dreams come true. 

hugs

stitching in the car...

The Project...

Just out of curiosity, do you stitch when you're travelling in the car?

Mr E and I are off on adventures every week and we tend to travel either far, or farther...never near. 

Hours in the car are perfect opportunities for doing a little fun stitching; not the Elefantz Designs kind of stitching, but the "I'm making this for me" kind of stitching.

Here's what's coming together during road trips at the moment...

I've just finished the fifth block of a 2011 BOM that was shared by Michelle May (Raspberry Rabbits)...

It's called "Sentimental Journey" and is a series of 12 inspirational quotes...

Michelle's original blocks were quite large so I reduced them by 50% to stitch mine...

I'm using some old 2009 Tilda fabric from my stash to bring all the blocks together in a pocketed wall hanging when they're finished, but also Tilda threads, Tilda buttons and Tilda ribbons (gifted a few years back by a dear friend overseas)...

Five blocks down, seven to go!

The Garden...

It's been neglected. My poor potted herbs have been dying. With my torn patella tendon keeping me almost immobile for two months I've been unable to get up and down the stairs to tend them...

...but it's about 90% healed now so I've donned my Garden-nurse cap and begun to administer love and care once more.

The parsley smiled at me today...

...and our chilles are bursting forth in bright red dresses.

Fortunately some plants are sturdy and can diligently attend to themselves when I'm absent.

Look how big the pineapple plant is now!

Mr E planted the top of a pineapple for me back in January and it's thriving beyond my expectations. My foot is in the pic so you can see just how enormous the plant has grown. Another year and we'll have a pineapple...

Three weeks left of the tropical winter, so beautiful right now...

... and mango season is coming because the mango trees are in bloom.

By Christmas the roadside stalls will be selling bountiful buckets of freshly picked mangoes for just $10...

But you know, no matter winter or summer, it's always green in my tropical garden!

Have a wonderful weekend wherever you are, and whatever season you're in right now - for all seasons have their own beauty.

I'm off to prepare tomorrow's picnic baskets because another new adventure awaits us!

PS: If you'd like an inspired read check out this excellent blog post from Mr E...

hugs

a weekend...

I've spent the weekend putting together a herb garden at the bottom of the back stairs...

...and planting some kale and pea seeds for the nutriblasts Mr E and I have for breakfast every day. It's so hot and humid here that we should have them ready to harvest in 10-14 days...

It's the end of the mango season in North Queensland so Mr E and I bought a couple of buckets from a roadside farmer on Saturday, along with a huge bag of large passionfruits. One bucket had unripened green mangoes for Mr E to use in his first attempt at making mango pickles, but the second bucket was full of ripe mangoes which I peeled and chopped. We now have a freezer full of mango pulp for smoothies and 1-minute icecreams...

We also bought a big box of fruit from the organic grocer, and after I cut up the pineapple for use in today's nutriblasts Mr E planted out the top of the pineapple. In about two years, if we still live here, we'll harvest another pineapple...

I'm looking at using a variety of containers to plant more herbs into. This is  a favourite tea pot of mine, but alas it spills tea everywhere when it's being poured as the spout is not the best shape, so I'm going to have Mr E drill holes in the bottom and I'll pop some sage inside...

After all that gardening and food preparation I freshened up the dining table with the very first tablecloth I ever made...

It was 2005, and I'd only been stitching a few months when this pattern caught my eye. We were living in a caravan park and homeschooling, while Mr E did some temporary teaching in the gorgeous town of Armidale. To keep myself busy after the children's lessons I had taught myself to embroider. I don't remember whose design this was, but I found it in a magazine and loved it...

For years this tablecloth has only been used to cover the table on birthdays, but as our life has changed a lot since 2005 I thought it was time to let it become a regular visitor to our dining room from now on.

With my table covered, I brewed a coffee and sat down to read a new 'favourite' English craft magazine...

This is the second issue here in Australia, as they take months to arrive from the UK, and it's even better than the first. I love this car and caravan project!

It's almost 3pm on Sunday afternoon now, and I'm about to settle in and watch the Brisbane International tennis final between Lleyton Hewitt and Roger Federer while Mr E brews his pot of mango pickles.

Stitching on my lap, iced tea by my side. Nice.

What are you up to this weekend?

hugs

 jenny