Thursday Pearls

  "You can never learn that Christ is all you need, until Christ is all you have."

~ Corrie Ten Boom

"...Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me..."

~ Psalm 139:10

"Abide in me, and I in you..."  

~ John 15:4

A blessed, joyful Thursday to you, dearest readers!

In the Month of March...A Country Diary Entry

Little Caleb who is almost 11 months old...

Rebekah Faith...

 Sofia Cherish...

 

^It was so hot the other day that little Caleb played outside till late in the evening...he just loves water and dirt and takes great delight in getting as messy as he possibly can! 

A Glimpse into my World in...March

"The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family."   ~ Thomas Jefferson

A Glimpse into my Day...♥

We spent the morning at Timberlake, watching the little ones run and play whilst enjoying a cup of coffee and a good chat...  Mom and I love to discuss ideas and plan projects...she is someone I love to be with and I am purposing to be more present in my home and in my family.

Dreaming of...♥

Cooler weather...although Autumn is in the air, we are still experiencing very warm, stifling days and I simply cannot wait to embrace cooler days!

Thankful for...♥

Time spent with the people I love the most in the world, my family...Caleb who is just the best part of our lives...walks and picnics in the forest...quiet time each morning with my Lord and King...meeting a new friend...writing letters to friends across the sea...

Things I am Loving...♥

I was simply delighted to come across a beautiful second hand copy of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park at a book sale the other day!  I shifted my sewing room around so as to include a small bookshelf on one wall which I plan on doing up very soon as it is currently a very ugly shade of blue, but the paint is peeling off, revealing an even uglier shade of green beneath!

Listening to...♥

I have been enjoying classical music once again...my mind has been in such a whirl of late that I find instrumental music to be quite soothing without distracting me...

Reading...♥

I have just finished reading Mansfield Park for the second time and this time I was truly struck by Fanny Price's sweet, sensitive personality and by what a virtuous young woman she was - a true inspiration for all young ladies...  It is actually high time we visit the library as I have a few titles on my list and I am in dire need of a good book!

Watching...♥

I recently finished watching the third season of When Calls the Heart and thoroughly enjoyed it!  Ah...imagine living in such a close-knit community where almost everyone is seeking to draw nearer to God, helping and uplifting each other along the way...

Crafting...♥

I have been under the weather lately, so a few quieter days spent in my craft room have been very welcome indeed.  Besides the sewing I have been doing, I restocked my market stall with a few handmade cards and am working on mini card packs now...

Sewing...♥

As you will have seen in my post from last week, my sewing machine has been whirring incessantly as I work on sweet little outfits for my sisters as well as Little Miss Skirts for my market stall.

I also added new fabric reindeer to my Etsy shoppe and am hoping to add bookmarks and pin cushions shortly...

In the Garden...♥

Not much is happening in the garden at present...  I planted peas, but the chickens found their way into the garden and wreaked havoc in all my freshly planted pea beds!  Thus...I have to sow more seeds!  We are, however, eating sweet peppers from the garden as well as harvesting plenty of basil, rocket and other herbs each day.  Our sweet potatoes are growing at a furious rate too, although they could do with a wonderful soaking...we are praying for rain!

...And thus the month of March draws to a happy close...♥

Love to you, dear readers!
Kelly-Anne 

~ ...But the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.  Isaiah 60:9 ~ 

New Lovelies in the Shoppe...
 

Thursday Pearls

"There is magic in that little world, home; it is a mystic circle that surrounds comforts and virtues never known beyond its hallowed limits."

~ Robert Southey

~ Home is home, be it ever so humble.  English Proverb ~

"Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the peace where thine honour dwelleth."

~ Psalm 26:8

"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God."

~ Ephesians 2:19, KJV

A blessed Thursday to you, my sweet friends!

A Pretty Gift Idea...

 A few weeks ago we needed a special gift for a friend's daughter who recently got married...

Whilst looking around a couple home stores for a lovely gift, we came across a plain heart chalkboard and thought, "Ah!  We can spruce it up with some ribbon, lace and a little something or other!", which is precisely what we did...

I used some beautiful pink ribbon to hang the heart chalkboard up by and narrow pink lace to attach the chalk and chalkboard cloth to the actual board...

I whipped up a simple fabric flower and attached a pearl pin to the centre, securing the flower to the board with double-sided tape.  I used broad pink lace beneath the flower on the right-hand side of the board...

A simple, pretty gift ~ perfect as a small wedding or house-warming present...{{Smiles}}

 ~

I hope yours has been a truly happy week, dear friends...

With love,

Kelly-Anne

Green Floral Print Outfit...

 How do you do, lovely readers...
A happy new week to you!

~ Beautiful things come together one stitch at a time...  Author Unknown ~

Let me show you the sweet green floral outfit I sewed for Rebekah last week...

This pretty summery shirt is so simple to make...I used narrow cream coloured bias binding for the sleeves, which I have seen used on many garments for little girls.

This shirt needed a little something to finish it off...nothing too big or bulky, and these lovely fabric flowers were just the thing!  

The simple instructions for making your own can be found on The Enchanting Rose here...

 

I made another fabric flower and securely sewed it to a hair-slide...

I covered the buttons for the centre of the flowers with green fabric too so as to give the overall appearance of the outfit a more professional finish...

...A frill on the bottom of the shirt and three-quarter pants gives feminine charm to a practical, comfortable outfit which would otherwise be very plain...

...I also added a sweet pocket on the back of the three-quarter pants for more detail.

Rebekah was simply delighted with her new outfit and is already awaiting an opportunity to wear it out!  {{smiles}}

Next up is a similar outfit for Gabrielle as well as a shirt dress which I plan to make for her birthday in April.  Beth has requested pyjama pants and a viscose jumpsuit whilst Mom is in need of a new peasant blouse and Caleb a tracksuit....  And Sofia is pleading with me to make her a new tiered skirt and short-sleeved peasant blouse!  Thankfully, I dearly love to sew and am only too happy to have so much opportunity to practice!  {{smiles}} 

Blessings to you, dear friends...  

Thursday Pearls

"Few delights can equal the presence of one whom we trust utterly."

~ George MacDonald

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thy own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

~ Proverbs 3:5-6 

"Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.  Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass."

~ Psalm 37:4-5

A most wonderfully blessed Thurday to you, my dear readers...may the Lord fill your hearts with joy and peace as you seek to delight yourself in Him and put your trust in the One who cares deeply for you...

With love in Christ Jesus,
Kelly-Anne

Introducing Oscar...

Allow me to introduce to you, the most recent addition to our already bustling household...

Our sweet kitty, Oscar, who joined our family back in December...

We got him as a scrawny, five week old rescue kitten whose eyes were too big for his wee head and had a scruffy mustard coloured coat...

He looked like he was crossed with a racoon, a rat and an old, worn slipper thrown in for good measure...we wondered how on earth we had come to fall for such a cat...

But we believe he was sent to us.

Oscar has captured our hearts and become a special member of our family indeed...

It proved to be a case of The Ugly Duckling, for Oscar is now quite beautiful with dark markings on his paws, large ears and face and his smooth coat is of light colouring...he has exquisite greeny -blue eyes too which, when he is in his feral mood, gleam brightly with ferocity!

Although the sweetest of kitties and so very loving (he joins us wherever we may be...washing dishes...in the garden), Oscar has a wild side like any other cat, but these strange moods come on all of a sudden.  

Thus, you may be cuddling him tenderly and in the next instant, he'll attempt to bite your finger off or attack your hand...

Poor Sofia, his favourite little person in the house (he jumps on to her bed each afternoon for a snuggle and nap), has had many incidents with her treasured little kitty!

As for the dogs...

Izzie, my dog, pretty much ignores him while Chloe, Beth's dog, is constantly at the mercy of Oscar's sharp claws and cunning ways.  They are virtually inseparable, although I would say they have something of a love/hate relationship and provide hours of entertainment for us...

The saying proves true that dogs have owners and cats have staff - it is quite amusing to see how Oscar, small as he may be, has trained us all to see to his needs in a prompt manner.

His wish is our command...wait...did I actually just write that?

Happy Tuesday, dear readers!

Thursday Pearls

"The only things we can keep are the things we freely give to God.

What we try to keep for ourselves is just what we are sure to lose."

~ C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

"I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldst go."

~ Isaiah 48:17, KJV

Sweet Thursday blessings!

Little Miss Skirts...

Hello lovely friends and a blessed and happy new week to you...
What have you been up to this beautiful Monday?
This morning I went for a refreshing brisk walk, then had a cup of coffee out in the garden with my dear Mom...
Afterwards I spent some time doing a bit of weeding and tidying up in the vegetable beds...I also sowed pea and lettuce seeds...

Then I happily headed to my sewing room, creating a new Little Miss Skirt for my market stall whilst listening to audio training for Bright Lights which I am prayerfully stepping forward in and hoping to start at the end of this month!  More on that soon...

 

Let me show you the Little Miss Skirts I have been sewing...I just recently decided to make them and thus far, I have three different sizes...2-3, 3-4 and 5-6.




Each skirt features three tiers and sometimes I use three coordinating fabrics, other times just two.
It is so delightful playing about with different colour and pattern combinations...the options are simply endless!  {{Smiles}}

 

I make a matching fabric bow from the fabric I used for one of the tiers and sew it to the front of the skirt...  I also sew ribbon ties on both sides of the skirt by which to hang it up by...
A matching fabric hanger is perfect for keeping it neatly hung up in a wardrobe...



I started out making such skirts for my sisters and they looked so adorable in them that I thought I should perhaps extend my range of handmade items and include these skirts on my stall!

 

What do you think, lovely readers...which skirt is your favourite?

Come visit my shoppe on Etsy!


~
Sweet blessings on your day!
Kelly-Anne

Thursday Pearls

 

"Let us not be surprised when we have to face difficulties. When the wind blows hard on a tree, the roots stretch and grow the stronger, let it be so with us. Let us not be weaklings, yielding to every wind that blows, but strong in spirit to resist."

~ Amy Carmichael

"Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number:  he callth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one falleth."

~ Isaiah 40:26, KJV 

 ~

A wonderfully, richly blessed Thursday to you, lovely readers...