WASHING and RAIN
We've had quite a few days of rain this week and it's still raining. On Thursday I thought there was a break in the weather so I hung washing on the line but as soon as the last peg was in place down came the raindrops once more.
We don't own a dryer so mostly everything small is hung on the drying rack inside the back door when the weather is like this, but the Thursday sheets and towels are still outside, being rinsed and re-rinsed with the cool drops of heaven.
Tomorrow is my 62nd birthday and the forecast is for sunshine so I don't think another day on the line is going to matter in the big scheme of life.
Our cockatoos friends love visiting the feeder in this weather and as usual one is always on watch from the top of the clothesline. They're a rowdy lot but bring much joy as we sit out back having breakfast in the early morning hours.
CLEANING and BAKING
Inside I've been continuing to deep clean, and the past couple of days this has meant pulling everything out of cupboards and sorting through what is needed, wanted or can be given away. Do you get a warm fuzzy feeling in your heart when you open cupboard doors and see everything neatly placed and space to spare? My linen cupboard looks especially nice now without all the old curtains and towels I'd held on to but never use. I did keep one curtain which will be cut down for the girl's cubby house windows, and a few towels which shall be cut up for cleaning rags, but the rest was never going to be of use.
In the kitchen this week I made a large shepherd's pie from leftover roast lamb and lots of vegetables, with a thick layer of mashed potato and cheese across the top. This was dinner for two nights and lunch one day as well. I also made a lasagne which spread across two meals.
Pineapple fruit cake is a favourite in our family so I baked two, a large one to share with Blossom and a smaller one for the freezer...
Earlier in the week I bought a lovely white metal three tier stand for the sewing room. I have a similar one near my desk/office area in the corner of the living room and love how it serves a dual function - storage and elegance. I've been looking for another for about four years so when I saw one on Tuesday when I was out with Blossom there was no question about getting it.
It frees up space on my cutting table as it now holds those bits and pieces which used to live on the end by the window. It's also given me somewhere to store my crochet basket (slowly working on another blanket) and fabrics for projects which will be underway in the next week (library bags for the girls and a tea towel project which I'll be sharing here soon).
SEWING
In the sewing room I've prepared everything to remake one of my old table runner patterns from 2014. This will be in the next issue of The Homemakers Heart magazine (issue one is over HERE as a free download in case you missed it) and I shall probably spend most of today finishing the applique and embroidery, and tomorrow with the machine sewing and quilting.
I'm also remaking one of my older Block of the Month quilts from 2013 - Daisy Days. I've redrawn the blocks and changed a few things, but I'm also adding applique this time and drawing up a fresh new layout for the blocks. Not rushing this one as it's going to be a long work in progress with no deadlines - I was just never 100% happy with the original finish and as it's been eight years and my style is a bit different these days, I'm playing around to make it more 'me'.
I've already changed the vase applique fabric THREE times this week so you can trust me when I say this won't be accomplished anytime in the near future, but I do like how block one, Mondaisy, is coming along now.
Tag number 7 of the #52tagshannemade project via Anne on Instagram is completed though! I seem to be scraping in the day before the next tag theme is released, but that's fine because it means I'm always up to date (so far).
The theme for week seven was hexies, but not the paper pieced kind, these are folded from circles and I really enjoyed making them.
During the sewing room tidy up I found a piece of vivid blue dupion silk among my medium size fabric scraps and decided to use it for the folded hexies. I also added vintage lace pieces, mother of pearl buttons, more of that old crochet edged doily which has featured in a few of my tags now, and three small green lazy daisy leaves.
If you want to see how these folded hexies are made you can watch Anne's tutorial HERE on Youtube.
BIBLE
For a few days now I've been reading and re-reading Psalm 139. There's so much richness in this psalm, so many deep and meaningful truths to ponder and let sink in.
Today I kept going over and over these few verses...perhaps because my birthday is so close and that always draws my thoughts to human frailty, mortality and life purpose being fulfilled.
I found great comfort in the knowledge that God had written in His book all the days of my life before I was even conceived. To imagine that our Creator, our dear Father in heaven, cared enough to write down all of my days, all of YOUR days, when as yet there were none, speaks volumes of how individually precious and unique each of us are to Him.
FLOWERS
My love affair with yellow continues and when I did the grocery shopping yesterday morning a lovely big bunch of yellow sunshiney chrysanthemums came home with me. I divided them between a tea pot and a pot - one on the dining table and one on my desk.
I wasn't very well last night, an unexpected angina attack gave us a scare you see, but two sprays of the nitrate and things settled. It always triggers a migraine so that came along around bedtime, but the grace of the Lord is a wonderful thing and I rested well for most of the night.
Then this morning, under orders from hubby to do nothing all day (he had to work), I was watching a free to air documentary on Charles Spurgeon (HERE) and still in my nightie when our elderly neighbour dropped by with another large bunch of yellow chrysanthemums as an early birthday gift. So kind of her, and now my house is alive with sunshine yellow flowers which truly lift the spirit and brighten the shadows of another overcast and rainy day.
Now how about I brighten your day? Some lovely stitchers have sent me photos of their Elefantz projects and they are simply beautiful! I think seeing my own designs through the eyes and style of another is a real blessing.
Joanne finished block 1 of Simple Days cheerily in sweet Tilda fabrics and photographed it in the snow...
Billie made last year's Psalm 23 BOM fabric book into a gorgeous quilt...
Anita made a beautiful hussif from my 5-part tutorial (here)...
Dear Val Laird (visit her blog here) won a kit from me about ten years ago for my pattern "A Christmas Story" and for this past Christmas she pulled it out and made it up. She's a precious lady and when she sent me the photo I shed a few tears.
And lastly, Annette has completed her very pretty block 1 of Simple Days, too. I love seeing the different colourways in this first block!
That's all from me today. Hubby has just arrived home from work and we plan to take the rest of the weekend slowly. Cully May has come down with a head cold and that usually means it will spread among Blossom's household quickly so we've postponed my birthday tea tomorrow until later next week when everyone is back to health again.
I hope you relax this weekend too, that you rest in the grace of the Lord and find many moments to give thanks, for we are always surrounded by His blessing if we just stop long enough to see them.
hugs
