Fabric Pumpkin Delights

Hello sweet friends...♥

I am sipping a cup of hot coffee and indulging in a slice of homemade chocolate cake as I write this, feeling very cosy at home indeed.

"Home is the nicest word there is."

~ Laura Ingalls Wilder 

 

After starting my day with coffee and time with the Lord, I accomplished a 30-minute workout session.  Usually I go for a 45 minute power walk, but as I can't leave the house right now, a fun YouTube fitness session was a good alternative.  {{smiles}}

After completing my few household chores and getting myself done for the day,

I spent the rest of the morning in the comfort of my sewing room, listening to lovely, uplifting hymns, and playing with fabric scraps...

 

Every year with the arrival of Autumnal weather, I have wanted to make fabric pumpkins, but something else more important always popped up, and before I knew it, Winter had crept in and the time for fall decorating was over...

However, as we currently find ourselves in strict lockdown in our corner of the world, suddenly I have some time to do a little leisure sewing.  {{smiles}}

 

 You can find the free pattern I used for these sweet fabric pumpkins by clicking here. ♥

I can't remember when last I sewed for the sheer pleasure of it, or made something frivolous for myself...it was such fun!  

And I am so pleased with how these little pumpkins came out...they are going to look so sweet in my room.

I made two small pumpkins and one medium...and of course, one had to be completely pink...I just couldn't help myself!  {{Smiles}} 

 ^Stay tuned for a recipe for a homemade red (rooibos cappuccino coming soon! ♥)

This week I decided I would be au pair to my mom, seeing as I am unable to work (if you didn't already know, I au pair for a sweet homeschooling family who have five young children) during this 21 day lockdown. 

Yesterday we made felt owls with the little ones after they had completed their schoolwork.

It is lovely to see them enjoying some sewing too! ♥

  ^ Rebekah (10) with her little owl.

^Sofia (8) proudly holding her felt owl.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I am endeavoring to stay busy over the next few weeks.  

And there is plenty that needs doing around the house and in the garden!

"Home is a shelter from storms - all sorts of storms."

~ William J. Bennet

 

And I am enjoying the time with my family immensely...  It is wonderful to have hours devoid of any distraction to have family devotions, sing hymns and spiritual songs, and pray that we and our fellow Believers would be strong and remain faithful to Christ in this trial.

I would like to encourage you to use this time wisely and for the glory of God.  

 Let us strive to form healthy new habits and daily seek the Lord for wisdom and guidance.

 

How are you keeping yourselves busy during lockdown?

Have you sewed fabric pumpkins before?

Blessings for the week ahead!
Oh, and happy last day of March! ♥

Kelly-Anne 

~  The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.  Psalm 29:11 ~

Today

 Greetings, dear friends...
What have you been up to today?

While we may be housebound for the next few weeks, there is no lack of projects on hand to keep us busy...

Another 10kg of fresh figs arrived on Thursday, so I spent yesterday in the kitchen making more delicious fig jam.  

Nancy sat with me for awhile and covered a couple jars with old book paper, a pretty handpainted label, compliments of Beth, and lettered the type of jam on each lid...
 

"Ah!  There is nothing like staying home for real comfort!" 

~Jane Austen 

" Home is the comfiest place to be."
~Winnie the Pooh

"Let us come alive to the splendour that is all around us,
and see the beauty in ordinary things."
~ Thomas Merton

How delighted I am to have to time to potter about in my little vegetable garden...

So far I have transplanted broccoli and spinach seedlings, weeded the pea patch, and cleared new ground for the other seedlings needing to be planted out over the next few days...

"The true way to live is to enjoy every moment as it passes, and surely it is in the everyday things around us that the beauty of life lies." 

~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

 The bees are hard at work buzzing about from flower to flower.

They remind me to employ myself in useful pursuits during this time of being home...

 "Simplicity is beauty.
Beauty is simplicity.
Nothing more, nothing less."
~Oscar Wilde

 

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts..."
 ~ Colossians 3:15

I came across When Tomorrow Comes (book 6 in the Canadian West series) by Janette Oke, at a second hand book store on Thursday, and decided it would be lovely to have something new to read in the evenings...

 

 

"He can calm any storm if you'll let Him in your boat."  
~ Janette Oke, When Tomorrow Comes

 Life has certainly changed for everyone, and we find ourselves in a new, unknown season.
May we daily remember to keep our eyes on the Lord and look to Him for strength...

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
~ John 14:27

Dear friends, thank you for visiting today.  You may notice I am no longer on Instagram or Facebook...  I came to the conclusion that I want to be wise and use each moment God gives me for His glory.  I desire to spend more time with Him and with my family.

I am also thankful to have three weeks to spend cultivating new habits and reevaluating what I allow to take precedence in my life.

However, I feel that I must continue to write and share on this lovely platform and pray that those who come here may be refreshed and encouraged.

May the Lord bless each of you today as you strive to live for Him in this dark world.

Kelly-Anne

~ And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:7 ~

Gabrielle in the forest

 Happy Tuesday, dear readers...

I do hope that your week is off to a fabulous start.

Mine has been quite full with au pairing (the children and I are busy with a sewing project at the moment), a lovely long phone call with a sweet friend, and preparing for the lockdown our government has issued for the next three weeks.

If you read my post from Friday (read it here), you'll remember I mentioned Nancy was busy sewing a French-inspired dress for Gabrielle, which she finished Saturday evening...

We thought Gabrielle looked so lovely in her new dress, that we decided to do a little photoshoot in the forest the following day...

Any excuse to bring out my camera and get a bit of practice in!  {{Smiles}}

"The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart."

 ~ Helen Keller

"Pleasure is spread through the earth

in stray gifts to be claimed by

whoever shall find."  

~ William Wordsworth

 "You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me."  

~ C.S. Lewis

"Books are good company, in sad times and happy times, for books are people – people who have managed to stay alive by hiding between the covers of a book."  

~ E.B. White

"The earth laughs in flowers."  ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Beauty is so quietly woven through our ordinary days that we hardly notice it."

~ John O'Donohue-

"We must admire the goodness of God in placing us in a world so exceedingly full of beauty." 

~ Charlotte Mason

"It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts, 

as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanation 

of from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit."  

~ Robert Louis Stevenson

"In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous."  

~ Aristotle 

The photographs are a true reflection of Gabrielle's sweet personality...  

She is a real girly girl who loves books, tea and all things old fashioned.  

And she looks perfectly darling in her new grey polka dot dress!

Blessings to you, dear friends.  

May the rest of your week be beautiful!

With love,

Kelly-Anne

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Seasons...

Hello lovely friends and happy new week!

Just stopping in to let you know that I am guest posting over at my dear friend, Elizabeth's blog, Ponderings from the Inglenook.

Join me as I share my thoughts on the different seasons in our lives...

 "These seasons in our fragile lives constantly alter and change.  They pass over so swiftly and have a tendency to end abruptly, often without us even realizing it..."

~ Excerpt from my post, A Season to Everything

 ^Looking out over George Dam on a beautiful Sunday morning...

Hop over here to read my post at Ponderings from the Inglenook.

Blessings for the week ahead! 

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in my world today

 Greetings, dear readers.

Today I am enjoying a rare day off from work, as the family I au pair for, are away for the weekend. 

 With Autumn having now officially arrived in the Southern Hemisphere, I have been in the mood for a bit of deep cleaning and organizing, starting with my bedroom...

This morning I cleaned the windows, washed my curtains and bedding and gave everything a good dust and tidy up.  

 

Earlier today we got several boxes of fresh, export quality figs in, so 

this weekend will see me in the kitchen making delicious fig jam...

  

and hopefully I will be able to get stuck into the garden somewhere along the line too...

The peas are now all up, the sweet potatoes have been planted, and lettuce is popping up everywhere, after we left our summer crop to go to seed.

I want to plant some Swiss Chard and another crop of carrots and kale...it is definitely getting cooler, so I need to hurry. 

^Brassica seedlings almost ready to be transplanted into the garden.

 ^Lush radish seedlings...won't be long till we harvest these little beauties!

I also have some lovely grey tracksuit fabric waiting to be made into a new tracksuit for Caleb.  

My mom and sisters sorted our fabrics and patterns this week, and we are all feeling quite inspired to do more sewing this Autumn. 

In fact, as I sit writing this, Nancy is listening to opera music full blast while working at the sewing machine whipping up a little French-inspired dress for Gabrielle.

And now I must show you what our little ones have been up to...

 ^Dress up was the game of choice today and even Caleb wanted to join in the fun.

 ^Caleb's flowerpot hat is hilarious...and so is his face.

  

 ^Sofia looking quite elegant.

^Our lovely Rebekah.

I hope that each of you have a lovely, peaceful weekend.

I would love to hear what you are keeping yourselves busy with!

Blessings,

Kelly-Anne 

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Road Tripping Joys ♥

There is just something about a road trip, especially a road trip on a grey rainy day...

 

It's not often we are able to explore a different part of our beautiful country, so whenever the opportunity arises, it is eagerly embraced.

This past Sunday saw us heading on a little roadtrip.  

It was the perfect kind of day for exploring new places and spending time huddled together in the car.

We started off driving over the Robinson Pass, but unfortunately it was shrouded in heavy fog, so we decided to drive further afield and stop in the little town of De Rust,where we had coffee and pancakes at a little coffee shop, and then drove on through the beautiful Meiringspoort Pass...

"I can't get enough of wandering. Or the earth. Some of us carry an inherent need to explore.

Textures. Fragrance. Sounds. Air. Shadows. Movement. Patterns. Light." 

- Victoria Erickson

 We stopped along the way to stretch our legs a bit and snap a few photographs.

 

"Happiness is a roadtrip."  - Unknown

^The dark clouds gave the majestic mountains a truly dramatic and somewhat ominous appearance.  

 “Road trips are the equivalent of human wings. Ask me to go on one, anywhere. We’ll stop in every small town and learn the history and stories, feel the ground, and capture the spirit. Then we’ll turn it into our own story that will live inside our history to carry with us, always. Because stories are more important than things.” 

– Victoria Erickson

 

 

At the top of the pass we decided to turn around and head back the way we came as it was getting quite late and we had been in the car for hours already...  

On the way down, we stopped at a waterfall...

 

"Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow."  

- Anita Desai

 

   ^Can I just take a moment to mention that it was in actual fact, still raining...we felt more like adventurers because of this...  {{smiles}}

 After walking back to the car, we put the kettle on to boil - of course we took our gas burner along with us - and made coffee for the grown ups and hot chocolate for the younger ones, and ate crunchies in the beautiful great outdoors.  

I am still convinced that everything tastes so much better when one is in nature.

 And then it was time to wind our way down the pass and back to civilization...

Home and a hot supper awaited us - two of the girls opted to spend the day cosy at home - which was truly comforting after working up an appetite exploring new places all day.

"Always take the scenic route." - Unknown

I do hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into our Sunday's excursion and feel inspired to head out on a road trip sometime.  ♥

~

What have you been up to lately, friends? What are your plans for the rest of the week?

I am hoping to start a few new sewing projects...winter is fast approaching now and I am wanting to make cosy pajamas for my siblings.  I also have a couple things I want to do in the garden...

Have a blessed Tuesday further!

Kelly-Anne

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