♥ Country Diary Entry ~ December ♥

^ Tis the season for out of door eating...  The girls love to relax on their campy chairs while we have a barbecue!

 A glimpse into my world...in December
 

A glimpse into my day...♥

As today is Sunday, I am enjoying a beautiful day of rest which began with a wonderful church service, singing hymns and fellowshipping with dear friends..

Upon returning home, I baked some delicious courgette, chive and cheese scones again because...they're so good!  {{smiles}}  Look out for the recipe tomorrow... 

^ Precious Caleb plays with his blocks...can you believe he is nearing his eight month birthday?

Watching...♥

Having now sadly completed watching the first Road to Avonlea series as well as all the Love Comes Softly films, I don't have anything more to watch which is not so bad seeing as I haven't any handwork to complete...  Besides, summer is not really the time for wasting precious hours by watching television!

What I am Reading...♥

I am still loving Amish fiction, particularly the books by Beverley Lewis...  The series I am currently reading is Annie's People and it is just beautiful...I would highly recommend her novels as they are good, wholesome stories with so much to cause you to stop and ponder...

Listening to...♥

I rediscovered my love for The Piano Guys and am enjoying a few songs from their new album, Uncharted.  Apart from that, Christmas worship music from Chris Tomlin and a few beautiful carols by Haley Westenra.

 

^ Fresh ingredients from the garden mean delicious gourmet meals...a new favourite of ours are these homemade chicken and salad wraps which Nancy makes for us...

Sewing...♥

Ah...I have now laid aside my work sewing for the year, although I am hoping to complete a few of the projects lying in my drawers before the close of the year...  I just decided that these holidays are so very short and I wanted to enjoy some quality time with my precious family as well as have a short rest...

I do have some pleasure sewing to work on, though...  We picked names for gift giving this Christmas and I got little Sofia's name, so I hope to sew her some little horse softies as she loves anything equine!  {{Smiles}}

Dreaming of...♥

My upcoming twentieth birthday picnic with a few dear friends and my sister, Nancy at beautiful Jubilee Creek...  A youth camp the Lord led me to volunteer as a counsellor at in early January and a picnic supper at the beach with my sweet family and friends!

In the Garden...♥ 

 

Oh my, our garden is producing over time!  We are harvesting ever so many courgettes now as well as gem squash, Swiss chard, carrots, herbs, cucumber, lettuce and beetroot.  Butternut are growing beautifully and beans will soon be dry for harvesting...  We seldom buy vegetables now, nor fruit as we have fresh gooseberries, blackberries and strawberries on hand!  Oh, what a wonderful feeling to sit down to a homegrown and homemade meal!  {{smiles}}
 

Thankful for...♥ 

A very special Christmas tea party with dear friends as well as a ladies Christmas party at church which was oh, so lovely!  Grocery shopping with my mom, Dad and Caleb but stealing a few moments for browsing the scrap booking section of a stationary store as well purchasing a pretty new tea cup!  The kindest, most generous gifts and letters from dear friends across an ocean...

Happy new week to you, dear readers...enjoy the final week before Christmas! 

Blessings in Christ,
Kelly-Anne 

~ For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.  Isaiah 9:6, KJV ~

Quilting Delights and Summer Loving...

“All in all, it was a never-to-be-forgotten summer — one of those summers which come seldom into any life, but leave a rich heritage of beautiful memories in their going — one of those summers which, in a fortunate combination of delightful weather, delightful friends and delightful doing, come as near to perfection as anything can come in this world.”
~ L.M. Montgomery, Anne's House of Dreams

 

 Granadilla Flower...

 Summertime has arrived in all its splendour and glory and my days are spent juggling seasonal preserving with sewing, quality time spent with my precious family and tending the vegetable garden.  

 

In this hot weather, it is virtually impossible to maintain a beautiful garden, but I am determined to keep it well watered, mulched and weeded to ensure we have plenty of delicious produce pouring in throughout the Summer, with hopefully enough to put away for Autumn and Winter too...  Ah, how richly satisfying it is to sit down to a meal prepared with fresh vegetables straight from the garden!  {{happy sigh}}

 

 

When I am not in the garden or preserving our harvest of squash and fruit (I have been making apricot jam and gooseberry jam these past two weeks...such joy), I am lending a hand in the home as we hope to have a pretty, well-kept house throughout the holiday season and hopefully work on some home improvements here and there too...

 

Reindeer in the process of being sewn up...

Each year when the busy season rolls around, think, "If only I had worked more diligently on making stock during the quieter months!" as is so wonderfully busy and I don't have near enough stock to see me through the season, especially as the Lord recently blessed me with another two shops to supply!  

I love creating pretty things and so it is still a delight to be able to do what I love as a means of earning a small income...

Let me show you a couple of the items that have passed through my workroom lately...

 

 

 

 

Of course there must be time for pleasurable sewing too and just the other afternoon my dear creative mom walked into my room with a big smile on her face saying that she had found the perfect project for us!  Well, we both decided that it was far too wonderful to put off till the new year, so we got started right away...   Shall I show you what it is we are so thrilled about?  {{smiles}}

Mom, Nancy and I are each working on a quilt using our treasured fabric scraps...  Mine is to be different shades of pink in various patterns and designs and Nancy's to be a combination of colours and designs...  Mom is making two quilts, one for Rebekah and one for Sofia.  The fabric scraps she is working with are bright, funky colours and designs, just lovely for two sunshiny little girls!  {{smiles}}

 

I completed three blocks for my quilt this week - there are 98 in total!  Here is what one block looks like and below are the other two I had a most delightful time sewing...   

 

 

The neat thing about this project is that it uses up a lot of my scraps...and I have boxes and boxes of scraps leftover from Heartmade products (thus, they're free!)...  Also, it can be completed over a long period of time if I so choose...each week I hope to complete a couple blocks and put them away for the grand day I can assemble my quilt!  My goal for next year is to finish decorating my bedroom/sewing room as I managed to paint it this year!  {{smiles}}

 

 

 

Oh and I also spent a pleasant afternoon sewing a new peasant blouse for myself...  This time I decided to use a bright viscose to make a short-sleeved peasant top...I also altered the pattern so as to include a tie on the one side to create a more fitted look which I prefer.  It came out so beautifully and is so comfortable and feminine...{{Smiles}}  I will show you a picture of the finished garment very soon...

 

~

Ah...how splendid it was to spend a few moments updating my little blog.  Sadly I seldom find time for writing during the Festive season, but I hope to stop in every once in a while to share what is happening in my world... 

 

In the meantime, be sure to stop by my Etsy shoppe...I'll be adding new items over the next few days and would love to mail something your way...isn't mail such a wonderful thing?   Oh and remember the tutorial for my fabric Christmas trees that I promised to share?  Well, it is almost completed, so look out for it next week!

 

 Blessings to you, dear friends...enjoy this wonderful season, shedding the light and love of Christ wherever you are!

~  This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.  Psalm 118:24 ~

♥Country Diary Entry ~ November♥

 ~

A glimpse into my world...in November
 

A glimpse into my day...♥

This morning I sipped a hot cup of coffee outside while sitting talking with my mom and dad...it was a truly breath-taking morning and one simply could not waste it by being indoors...

After working on a blog post and spending a few moments with my baby brother, I started some sewing (which I have fallen quite behind in)...I have an owl doorstop to complete today among other things...{{Smiles}}

It is chilly and overcast today and it appears that some rain might bless our land a bit later on.

^ Rebekah cuddling her hen, Edith...

Watching...♥

I am so excited to have found When Calls the Heart as well as the Love Comes Softly series on YouTube!  When sewing reindeer paw pads or filling an elephant with stuffing, I love watching episodes of a lovely series!

 What I am Reading...♥

I am reading the last book in The Heritage of Lancaster County by Beverly Lewis called, The Reckoning and staying up much too late at night enjoying just one more chapter...

^ Sofia and Caleb

Listening to...♥

I rediscovered a beautiful music DVD in our collection this week...  It is the Classic David Phelps concert and oh my, we have been listening to it whenever possible!  Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved the incredible tenor voice of David Phelps...  My favourite song on the record is The Dream and you can listen to it below...I know it will richly bless you heart too.

Sewing...♥

I have begun sewing my fabric Christmas trees again!  {{Smiles}}  This time I altered my pattern somewhat to make the trees a little bigger.  I hope to share the tutorial with you closer to Christmas as I know you'll enjoy creating a few as well...  
And if you would like to share a Christmas themed post, craft, recipe or sewing tutorial with my readers in a guest post in the month of December, please do not hesitate to send me an email...I'd love to hear from you!

Dreaming of...♥

 An upcoming two-night family getaway...  A possible Christmas tea party with old friends...

^ Gabrielle amidst the poppies...

In the Garden...♥

I am amazed at how wonderful that garden is looking!  In less than a month, everything I planted back in early Spring has doubled or even tripled in size and harvesting our first courgettes is a mere few days away!  We've built tripods for our gem squash and cucumbers, spent hours weeding and thinning and replanted many crops.  I spend close to an hour and a half watering each day, so the occasional rainy day is very welcome as you can well imagine! 

I hope to share pictures of our vegetable garden in a separate post within the next few days, so do stay tuned...

  

Thankful for...♥ 

A sweet friend whom I was blessed to visit with yesterday...  Little Caleb who cut his first tooth this week...  The garden that is growing ever so beautifully...  Time spent with those I love most, my sisters...

~
Happy November to you, sweet friends!
What is happening in your world this month?  

New items in the Etsy shoppe... 

Red Fabric Christmas Tree...

 Pink Floral Christmas Tree...

 Red and White Fabric Christmas Tree...

5 practical things a country girl can do on a rainy day

Oh, how I love rainy days...the sound of rain pattering on the roof makes me feel all cosy inside, especially if the fire is blazing and there is a cup of tea brewing...  

And the knowledge that clean water is filling our rainwater tanks and dam as well as saving me the trouble of watering the garden a few times a day keeps me smiling as I go about my household duties.

I think living on a busy homestead means that one welcomes rainy days for a number of reasons:  one being that physical outdoor work simply has to wait for a warmer, brighter day and time can be taken to accomplish other pressing tasks that seem to be neglected when the sun is shining.

Here are a few ways a country girl can enjoy a rainy day and still be productive without resorting to a movie at the cinema or going on a needless shopping excursion (and spending what you work so hard to save by being frugal on your farm) for want of something better to do...

~

~ Plan your garden, write in your garden journal or sort through your seeds ~

 

I find that a rainy day is perfect for this important task!  It means that on the next bright day, I can go straight into the garden without having to first figure out where I am going to plant what.

Also, by taking time to organise my seed box (throwing out old seeds, sorting seed packets into order of the seasons, etc.), I can make better use of fair weather.  

Make yourself a cup of tea or coffee if you prefer, put some beautiful music on and start drawing a layout of your garden.  Use this opportunity to check on your handy list of companion plants, good crop rotation, etc, if you are unsure of what to plant where or with what.  

It pays to plan ahead...  If you like, take a few moments to update your garden journal too.  

Perhaps you could even print a few photographs out to look back on at the end of the growing season.  You will find this to be quite an enjoyable activity and time will fly...

~ Spend time writing letters, updating your journal or writing a blog post on what your garden is producing or the happenings on your homestead, sort files on your computer ~

 

I believe that it is healthy to maintain a good balance in our lives, even though we live a busier (since when did country life get dubbed ''simple"?) lifestyle in many ways.  

We always have to be one step ahead of the seasons which can be tiring to keep up with!

We cannot spend all our time working, but we can alter our leisure activities so that they are more purposeful and productive.

Writing a letter to a friend is a double blessing...it will bring a smile to their face as well as bring you joy.  I am old-fashioned...I love handwritten letters, but an email is also wonderful.  People love to hear of life on your homestead and nothing beats entertaining stories of the misadventures of Molly the cow...

Spend some time writing a blog post or two which you can schedule for those sunny days when computer work goes by the wayside.  Having a blog is a wonderful way to keep track of what is happening on your farm and how your efforts have multiplied over time.

Another lovely way to spend a rainy afternoon is updating your journal...oh, how I love looking back on old entries, it usually leaves me smiling.  

I am surprised by how much I forget, so taking a trip down memory lane is great fun!

I also like to organise files on my computer from time to time as well.  For instance, I don't always save my images to a specific folder right away (often I have more pressing things to do), so a rainy day is great for getting to those things that seem to never get done!

 

~ Preserve any harvest that has come in, cook a few double meals for the freezer, bake loaves of bread for the week ~

 

Image Source:  Pinterest 

Personally, I think rainy days are divine for cooking!  Why not save time for more important work such as when the garden is beckoning on the next sunny day, by planning and cooking ahead?  

Make a few dishes for the freezer and not only free yourself up later, but cut down on cleaning, washing dishes, etc!

Another way to productively use a rainy day is to preserve any harvest that has come in.  With the rain pouring down outside, you can't be in the garden anyway, so enjoy a leisurely day of kitchen work (why is cooking, preserving and baking called ''work"?).

We go through a big loaf of bread everyday, sometimes more and I must say, having to bake every second day or so can be irritating as you cannot just leave it to see to itself!  

Thus, spending time putting a few loaves in the bread bin or in the freezer will mean more weeding time tomorrow and fewer dishes for the next week!

~ Sew a new blouse for yourself, make a gift for someone, update the curtains in the bathroom with something fresh and handmade, make new labels for jars in the pantry ~

  

In other words...do something lovely because you can.  

Today is a great day for all those things you perhaps don't need to do, but are on your to do list for sometime in the future for when you don't have anything to do (ha!).

I find that unless I don't have anything ''better'' to do, I find it difficult to do something frivolous.

However, eventually updating the curtains in the bathroom that are beyond faded and paper thin from years of use is not exactly frivolous, it just doesn't appear at the very top of your urgent list.

And making a sweet gift for someone should be considered important too...after all, relationships count.

~ Use the opportunity to de-clutter cupboards, reorganise the kitchen/pantry ~

Image Source:  Pinterest

Ah, now this is a good idea for a rainy day!  Who wants to be de-cluttering messy cupboards when the sun is shining?   Put some music on that is going to help you get done, not cause you to fall asleep on the job, and get sorting!  I love cleaning out wardrobes, shelves and cupboards...there is a mysterious thrill in seeing how much needless ''stuff'' can be thrown out.

Rainy days can actually be a blessing.  True, it may mean that the weeds become knee-high or the second crop of carrots is not planted till a week later, but it does mean that when you are hot and tired after ploughing your way through a jungle of overgrown weeds or fencing in a new chicken run at 5pm, you can smile and think, "Supper is already made...my bread for tomorrow is baked....I have planned my garden jobs for the next week or two and so and so's gift is wrapped and ready..."

You can actually enjoy your outdoor work and not have to rush.

I am a plan-ahead sort of person and this is how I like to function, but I would love to hear your ideas for how a country girl can still be productive on a rainy day and enjoy herself...

On a side note...I also gladly welcome a reprieve from work and love snuggling up with a cup of tea, a few homemade biscuits and an episode of my favourite period drama.

How about you?

Blessings,

Kelly-Anne 

Come visit Heart❤made on Etsy!

~

  This post may be shared with...

~ Five Star Frou Frou, The Art of Homemaking Mondays, Wise Woman Link-Up, Raising Homemakers Link-Up, Cooking and Crafting with J and J and Modest Monday

Stormy Day Musings

The sky is misty and grey.  A cold wind is blowing, bringing with it drenching rain, making me exceedingly glad  to be inside sipping a cup of freshly brewed coffee...  Ah, the simple pleasures in life....{{smiles}}

 

This morning after returning indoors with a foaming pail of warm milk, I looked through my seeds before venturing into the garden for bit where Mom joined me a little later on to plant a fair sized patch of beetroot.  
I long to serve beetroot from our garden at each evening meal and to preserve our harvest by making chutney and pickles.  I greatly anticipate the coming of warmer days when fresh produce begins to pour in and the season for preserving commences...

Today I discovered beautiful buds on the blackberry bushes...we only have a few plants, but I am interested to see what kind of harvest we have this year.  Did I mention that I am a particular fan of blackberry jam?  And you simply cannot beat homemade blackberry pie and farm cream...

Our farm efforts are still relatively small, but they are growing...too often we overlook that fact that all our milk is produced right here, we cook all our meals from scratch, often making the jams, pickles, etc. which are included in a recipe.  
Of course we would like to increase that which we already do, but it is not always possible whilst taking care of little ones, running a home business and keeping up with daily life...{{smiles}}

^ Wild carnation...

We have been living on this farm for over four years now and how much we have learnt along the way!  Of course we someday hope to own our own farm, but in the meantime we enjoy doing what we can to supplement our daily food consumption and perhaps make us some pocket money here and there along the way...  
Currently we trade milk with a fellow homesteader once a week for pasture range eggs...  We don't have enough of our own hens at present to keep us supplied with eggs, but that too will hopefully change in the not too distant future.

Today more butternut, courgettes, carrot and beetroot were planted, vegetable beds weeded and seedlings thinned and transplanted...  We finished just in time, for by tea time a storm had blown in which meant I could spend some time in my sewing room completing an order...

^ Freshly baked bread...

And now I am waiting for supper to finish cooking...I decided to try a new chicken dish, adding a few other lovely ingredients such as Swiss chard from the garden as well as fresh majoram...  Hopefully before too long we will be able to use baby tomatoes and peppers from our garden too.
  

Patience is key and I am learning to wait patiently and work diligently to achieve a good harvest...I also pray each day for the LORD to establish the work of our hands so that we would not only be able to feed our family, but bless others with healthy vegetables grown with love and care right here in our home garden.

"And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish you the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish it."  ~ Psalm 90:7

Blessings on this beautiful day, dear readers...

Pleasant Wintry Days on the Farm...

What a stormy, grey day it is indeed!  

I watched the cold weather blow in yesterday afternoon from the comfort of my bed where I was curled up under a blanket with a cup of coffee in hand...a rare and delightful thing to be savoured...{{smiles}}

This morning our dear old sweet cow big nasty mean cow escaped from her camp yet again.... 

Thankfully I spotted that the gate had been broken through sooner rather than later, so off Beth and I went with a lead rope and a bucket of food in hand to find the missing cow...

We found her a soon after, blissfully grazing in a field across the way, this was after crashing through the overgrowth surrounding the farm and running down a steep incline (which we had to climb up again).

^ Rebekah and her hen, Edith...

Molly is proving to be a challenge...yesterday during milking time, she decided to kick the pail over and somehow managed to get her foot stuck in it, denting the side pretty badly.  I held on to the pail which resulted in two of my fingers being cut and a couple big tears landing on my cheeks.  

A friend of mine reckons Molly was sent to build my character...I sure could think of a few other ways to achieve this!  {{smiles}}  I am truly happy to have a cow, though and am quite fond of old Molly despite her ill-temper!

~

Farm life is not all sunshine and happiness as I quickly realised a couple years ago when we first started out on our homesteading journey...

There will always be something to try your patience or cause you to have to stop what you're doing...  Animals will break loose and crops will fail...fences have to be put up and weeds pulled...

It is a wonderful life, make no mistake, but it takes tremendous patience and a  whole lot of good humour at times!  

But I honestly wouldn't trade it for the world...

^ Gabrielle and Sofia in the garden...

...I love being able to look out my bedroom window and see a cow grazing in the field...it makes me smile to think of all that good grass being turned into rich, creamy milk for us to enjoy...

I love watching the chickens peck about in the dirt or enjoy a handful of sorrel I picked for them, knowing that in a little while a song from one of them will tell me a fresh egg has been laid...

I love walking outside to gather what I need for dinner from the garden or basking in the bright sunshine just looking at how the potato crop has grown in less than a week....

I love watching my sisters run and play in the fields beyond; their shouts echoing across the valley.  How happy are they that they can enjoy the freedom of country life!

There are a great many joys to make up for the challenges of farm life and it is important to keep the right perspective and a joyful heart...

In a little while I will head to the kitchen to whip up some delicious butternut and orange scones for lunch.  What a blessing...  {Recipe can be found here....}

Tomorrow morning I will rise early to milk Molly once again, grateful for the privilege of having a cow and fresh, raw milk.

Everyday I will praise the Lord for His goodness and mercy and for graciously providing this rich, wonderful lifestyle!

How blessed am I to be warm and cosy in this home, wrapped up for winter and able to spend the day doing that which I love...sewing, cooking, reading stories to little girls and giving cuddles to my baby brother.

~

Happiest of Mondays to you, sweet readers...

Sewing this Week and Other Musings...

Ah...another week has just about drawn to a close.
It is Saturday afternoon and I have returned from the market and am now resting a little before supper preparations begin...
 

I had hoped to become a bit more consistent in my writing lately but alas!
The Lord graciously sent me another order and He also allowed me the incredible privilege of hosting my first ever sewing workshop for young ladies 9-12 years of age.
I will tell you all about it in a moment but first, let me give you a glimpse of the goodies I have been creating in my sewing room lately...

 Miss Lettice is such a gorgeous addition to Heartmade!  
Each rabbit is quite intricate and time-consuming to make, but very special...  
I made one for my order as well as a Farmer Boy bunny.  

 

 The Farmer Boy rabbit is a more recent make but has become just as popular as Miss Lettice...

 

 

  Bunting formed the main part of my order.  
I made three beautiful large pink/red/white bunting as well as two large boyish bunting.  
I got to go fabric shopping for these so my collection is looking quite happy at the moment..{{Smiles}}

 

 

^ This one is my favourite...

I also completed two patchwork hearts with a flower cross-stitch motif...

...And a couple more ellie softies.
I think it is safe to say that the ellies are the most popular item at Heartmade at the moment...
In fact, I have another to send off this coming week...{{smiles}}

~

Just have a look at how big and precious Caleb has gotten!
We celebrated eleven weeks with this sweet boy yesterday...someone asked me to today if I was still enjoying my brother...
I replied that with every passing day Caleb becomes more special and sweet to us!  

^ This little fellow is laughing now, smiling more and has already outgrown his 3-6 month onseies...what a delight he is! 

~

Now...I simply must tell you all about the sewing workshop I mentioned earlier.
About a month and a half ago, the Lord led me to begin planning a sewing day for girls ages 9-12 and I was delighted to hear that I would be demonstrating how to sew pretty patchwork hearts to not six girls as I had originally planned, but to seven!  

Nancy was my assistant {I could not have done it without her...} and at 9am sharp on Friday morning, seven lovely girls joined us for a day of fellowship, sewing and tea!
Oh, it was so blessed...it was everything I had hoped and prayed it would be and more ~ what a faithful God we serve!  

One young lady remarked how it felt as if we were all princesses what with the elegant teacups and beautiful instrumental music playing in the background!  The girls worked diligently till 3pm {we did break for tea and then for lunch} and went home with a patchwork heart sewn mainly by hand {I used my sewing machine to secure the ribbons} with a pretty cross-stitch motif and I must say, I was altogether impressed by how patient the girls were with the sewing and the cross-stitching.  

And they all begged me to host another class sometime very soon...that blessed my heart and made all the hard work and effort really worth it!  It is not simply about the sewing...yes, I want to inspire them and give them a few of the basic "tools" to take their creativity further if they wish, but I also want to encourage them to see the beauty in everything, to enjoy fellowship and wholesome activities and ultimately, to inspire them to a closer walk with Jesus.  

The Lord doesn't need perfect individuals who have it and know it all, but rather he requires us to be broken vessels for Him and to be open and willing for Him to use.
I am praying much about forming a Bright Lights group in my area in the coming year...
While I am working through the training and preparing the lessons, I hope to do a few more workshops to really get to know the girls better as well as their mothers.  

I want to use my single years for God's glory and this is my very first step and oh!  It is daunting to think of a larger picture!  But...Jesus has given me grace for today and I don't need to think about tomorrow.  Sure, I can make goals and have dreams, but I must surrender them to Christ.  I can do nothing in my own strength as I am too weak...  He has given me a desire to encourage young girls to embrace their God-given feminity and the plans He has for them and I believe that in time He will bring everything that He has ordained to pass.  I need simply to trust Him and seek His counsel in prayer and in the reading of His Word.  

I sadly did not get pictures of the workshop...it was a rather busy few hours, but perhaps next time I will be more organised!  

~

 Painting:  Milkmaid with Cows by Julien Dupre

In other news, we have acquired a milk cow, my friends!  Yes indeed, Molly has joined our little farm and we will be milking her and looking after her calf from now on.   She is being loaned to us {actually, a couple years ago we did this and it worked really well.}
We do want to purchase our own cow someday, but in the meantime God has once again provided just what we needed ~ we had been praying for awhile that somehow things would work out so that we could keep a cow and it was a wonderful answer to hear that Molly could once again bless our family...
I will be chief milker {I hope I remember that which I learnt and build up my hand muscles quickly!} but I will be teaching my younger sisters as well.
As we speak, my dad is busy building a cow shed and in the garage is the cow feed and the shiny new milk pail is awaiting the first drops of rich, creamy milk to fill it to the brim...  Exciting, busy times lie ahead!

~

Next week Beth will be celebrating her 12th birthday {July 22nd} and the next day Nancy has a concert with the orchestra she plays in...  Our whole family are planning to attend ~ what fun that will be!  {{smiles}}

It is always such a blessing to share the daily blessings of this beautiful life with each of you, sweet readers!  Thank you for your kind words of encouragement and the friendship you extend!  

What was your week like, dear friends...?  Have you ever hosted a sewing workshop?  Have you tried milking before?

With love and joy in Christ,

Kelly-Anne