in my world ~ june

^My sweet new kitten, Tabitha ♥

^After four weeks, Oscar is still unwilling to accept the new addition to our family.  Sigh.

~ outside my window ~

It is pouring with rain...after a few unusually warm days, cold weather is predicted for the next while, and I am beyond thrilled.
I do so love cosy weather!

 ~ in my cup ~

Strong hot coffee, of course.  {{smiles}}

~ around the house ~
 As usual, we have several projects on the go. 
Mom is sewing pyjamas and leggings for everyone, Nancy is creating a play kitchen and fridge for the children from cardboard boxes, and the rest of us are trying to recover and reorganise ourselves after a big reshuffle of the bedrooms on Sunday!

~ reading ~

I am currently reading an Amish book called, A Sister's Hope by Wanda Brunstetter, but I can't  say I am enjoying it very much...  

I am still anxiously awaiting the arrival of the books which I ordered at the beginning of May, including another one by Miss Read!

~ listening to ~

At the moment I am listening to a lot of hymns sung by Chris Rice...  I find my heart uplifted by the words of truth in the old hymns.

Great is Thy Faithfulness is one I am clinging to at the moment.

~ watching ~

We just finished a series called Living with the Amish.  In this six episode series, six British teenagers are invited to spend six weeks staying with various Amish and Mennonite families between Pennsylvania and Ohio.  

It was lovely to get a peak into the lives of the Amish and we found ourselves inspired in our quest for a simpler, quieter life.  

~ from the kitchen ~

I continue to do most of the cooking.  Lately I have been cooking a lot of double meals to free up a few of my afternoons.  However, cooking double for a large family means I need to quadruple a recipe!  {{smiles}}

~ creating ~

With so much filling each day, I am not finding time to be creative, but I have enjoyed teaching "my" children (in case you didn't know, I am an au pair and teach sewing to the children I help with) some patchwork and applique lately, which they have loved.

~ in the garden ~

 With Winter just around the corner, my garden has been slowing down, and only salad greens, a few herbs and peas are growing well.  Most of my brassicas were annihilated by caterpillars, but thankfully there are still a few plants intact...  Otherwise, the sweet potatoes and beetroot are growing steadily.

~ out and about ~

Now that we have moved to level 3 of lockdown, restriction of movement has been lifted slightly, which means we can walk at any time of the day.
We have enjoyed meeting friends in the forest and at the dam for a walk and hope to get some cycling in too!

~ hoping ~

With a few seasons in life drawing to a close and new possibilities on the horizon, I am hoping that things will become clear soon.  Patience is definitely not one of my virtues.

~ one of my favourite things ~

Having my sweet kitty, Tabitha, sleep on my bed each night.  I love waking up to find her still fast asleep next to me the next morning.  ♥

~ thankful for ~

Being able to go for a long, refreshing walk on the beach on the weekend.

It was really quite cold and windy, but it didn't bother us in the least.  It felt wonderful to feel the sand beneath our feet and breathe in the fresh ocean air after nine weeks of not being allowed on our beautiful beaches.

~ quiet moments ~

Not too many of those...I find myself enjoying the strangest times of peace such as when I am in the car driving down the road to work, or when I get up to make coffee for Mom and I each morning.

~ for the love of words ~

Each morning I love reading Spurgeon's morning devotional.

This was yesterday's reading...

"The deeper our troubles, the louder our thanks to God, who has led us through all, and preserved us until now. Our griefs cannot mar the melody of our praise, we reckon them to be the bass part of our life's song, "He hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad."

~ thinking of ~

June 7th marked the 3 year anniversary of the fire which destroyed our home...

It is amazing to look back upon something so terrible, and see how the Lord's hand rested upon us and how He has provided for us...  

We have seen miracle after miracle over the past few years, and now trust Him for another one...

If you think of it, please pray for our family as we face another difficult situation...

Pray for guidance, pray for provision, and pray that we would remain strong.

~

Happy June, dear friends!

Now that we are halfway through the year of 2020, what have the first six months of this year taught you?

For me, I have realised how fleeting life on earth truly is, and how vitally important it is to keep an eternal perspective...
I have also learnt that my trust needs to be in Christ alone, and that we cannot look to man for provision.

The Lord continues to work in my life and draw me closer to Himself, and I am thankful for His patience and grace.

~

Thank you for stopping by, sweet friends. 

Your visits brighten my day!
 ♥

With much love,

Kelly-Anne

small happinesses

 Hello sweet friends and happy Monday.

I do hope that your weekend was a lovely one indeed...♥

I thought I would stop in to let you know that I am guest posting over at Ponderings from the Inglenook again today...

The theme Elizabeth picked for the month of April was, A Dozen Small But Sure Happinesses.

^Picture taken at Gabrielle's birthday luncheon last Friday...stay tuned for a post coming later this week! ♥

How lovely it was to sit and write out a dozen little things that make me happy...

In these challenging times I believe it is important we keep a thankful heart and look for the beauty in every moment.

You can read my post over at Elizabeth's blog, Ponderings from the Inglenook ...it would be a joy to have you stop by.

♥

Blessings to you, dear readers,

~ Kelly-Anne ~

Catching up...♥

 

Hello dear readers and a blessings to you on this beautiful day in March.

Autumn is quickly approaching our corner of the world; there is a distinct crispness in the air, the days are shorter, and crinkly red and brown leaves are beginning to adorn the trees.  

What a delightful summer we had... busy, but filled with sweet moments and good things.

Just this week I was pondering the rich blessings the Lord has poured down upon our family.

 How thankful I am for the life He has given me - I am fulfilled and truly happy in this beautiful season the Lord placed me in.

As you probably already know, the beginning of February saw me start a new job.

I am still an au pair, but instead of taking care of one little baby during the day, I now assist a sweet homeschooling mother with her five young children.

While this new position is certainly a lot more challenging, I love the constant stimulation, and after a full month with this family, I feel like I am starting to belong.

 

And as I only work mornings, I have a lot more time to devote to other interests such as my garden and reading, and being more available to help my mom in the home and with my younger siblings.
 

Of course, having Dad home with us still is a wonderful blessing, even though he is working online during the day.  

At this stage, no definite date has been given for his return.

My heart is heavy as I think of the people suffering and struggling in China.

Before I bring this post to a close, I must tell you that after months of hard work, dreaming and research, I finally purchased my new camera.  

My Canon 80D is now my new best friend, and I am enjoying figuring out how to use it to its full potential.  

I am hoping to purchase a new laptop at the end of the month which will support the editing program I want to use.  Little by little I am building up my kit and learning as much as I can along the way. 

Life has assumed a somewhat gentler pace and work and leisure feels a little more balanced.
My favourite way to end the day is to retreat to my room, light a scented candle and sip a cup of chamomile tea while reading a chapter or two from my book...
Simple moments like these are sweet indeed.

What is happening in your corner of the world, dear readers? ♥

With love,

Kelly-Anne

"We have ample evidence that the Lord is able to guide. The promises cover every imaginable situation. All we need to do is to take the hand he stretches out."

~ Elisabeth Elliot 

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Ocean Breezes....

Last week I was delighted to have a whole week off...

A whole week of not having to be anywhere at a certain time or do anything beyond a few household tasks.

It was bliss.

One overcast morning, I drove my my mom and three younger siblings, to the tiny ocean town where we spent our happiest month last year.

Tergniet holds a special place in my heart, as it was where we lived for a month after my family got back from the year they spent in China.

Although it was the middle of winter, we had glorious weather and really made the most of the little seaside holiday the Lord miraculously provided for us.

While living in Tergniet, we met the sweetest older lady who lives across the way from where we were staying, and we struck up a lovely friendship with her...

She is one of the most inspiring ladies I have ever met and a joy to be around.

She also adores the little children and makes such an effort to connect with each of them; something so rare among older people.

So, one overcast morning we decided to take a drive through and pay her a visit...

And of course we had to go for a walk on the beach, although we had to cut it short as it was pretty stormy that day...

 ^A hidden gem, Tergniet

 

 ^I love how clean and untouched this little piece of coast is.

 ^The perfect spot for a walk...

 ^...And for dipping your toes in the salt water!

 

 

^Always wonderful getting to spend time with my little buddy!

It was such a special morning, and I loved being able to spend this time with some of my younger siblings, my mom and our sweet friend.

May the rest of your week be lovely...

With love,

Kelly-Anne

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recently + hopes for 2020

Hello lovely readers and hello new year....

While I had the best of intentions of publishing several posts over December, I am afraid the last month of 2019 exploded.
I found myself barely keeping my head above water with all the activity in our busy household!

Let's see...what did we get up to in December...

We were blessed to have dear friends stay with us for a weekend early in December.

The orchestra Nancy plays violin for, put on their Christmas concert on the Sunday, so our friends were able to join us for an evening of music.

We also managed to squeeze in a rather rainy beach walk and ice cream!

 That weekend we also set up for our annual gift market which ran for six days...

It was a crazy week as I was also still working.
By the time Saturday rolled around, we were pretty exhausted.

Around this time, my dear friend, whom I hadn't seen in a year and half, arrived from the States, and we spent as much time together as we could!

 ^Beach walks with one of my favourite people in the world.

 ^I am so grateful for the few weeks we had together!

The next day I started a new temporary job babysitting for a family vacationing at the beach.  

Initially I was only meant to work between 4-6 days, but I ended up being with them for ten days in total .

I loved every moment of babysitting for this family.

My job was to look after their six week old baby girl which I really enjoyed.

Plus, their house overlooked the ocean and I spent most of my days holding the baby whilst sitting on the deck watching the waves crash upon the shore or reading a book.

I also celebrated my 23rd birthday in early January...

 
 ^We kicked off the day with homemade baked cheesecake and tea

 ^What a blessing to have this amazing friend celebrate with me!

 ^The two little ones enjoying their tea and cheesecake.

 ^This beautiful tea set was a gift from another dear friend!  
My collection is growing...{{smiles}}

 ^Cheesecake is my favourite, so of course I had to bake one for my birthday!

And this Sunday past my dad arrived home from China!

We just didn't think the day would ever arrive...

He will be home for a little over a month, so we are making the most of every moment.

After a short week break between jobs, I am now back with  Mia till the end of the month.

My heart breaks when I think of having to move on, but I feel so blessed to have this time with her.

Towards the end of last year a new position as an au pair for a sweet homeschooling family opened up.

From February I will be with this family for a whole year.

I am excited about this opportunity as I feel it is a good fit and will really help me put some more roots down.

I have so many hopes for this year, one being taking my interest in child photography to a new level.

Thanks to the extra work the Lord provided, I was able to save what I needed for a new camera. 

The lenses and other necessary equipment will have to follow, but I am thrilled to be making the first step.

I have wanted to start doing photography as more than just a hobby for years now, but only now does the time feel right.

Apart from au pairing and photography, I intend to grow my vegetable garden (we are still enjoying fresh cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, herbs and zucchini every day!) and spend more time sewing for pleasure.

I intend to fill my bookshelf and my mind with good, wholesome books and cut down even more on screen time.

 ^The best place to clear my head...the ocean

My hope is to take things a lot slower this year and to create a healthier, gentler way of life.

This year will bring about many changes with my dad returning home for good in July.  Pray for him please as he makes this transition and looks to the Lord for wisdom and guidance.

I learnt so many valuable lessons in 2019 - things which I intend to take with me into 2020.
I will be sharing about this soon, so stay tuned!

~

Dear friends, as we step into a new year, I pray that the Lord would have His hand upon each of you.

I pray that He would lead and guide you and draw you closer to His heart.

Thank you for joining me on this journey - I am excited about a whole year of blogging ahead!

With love,

Kelly-Anne
 

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Dreams and Discontentment...

I am a dreamer.  I love dreaming, imagining, wondering...

I love lying awake at night, simply thinking about the many wonderful things I would like to do and the amazing places I would like to see. 

Many times my dreaming can lead to discontentment in my everyday life and I find I have to guard against disillusionment with where I find myself.

Hopes and dreams are truly beautiful things and should inspire us to live with intention.

However, they should not distract us from living fully in the present and embracing the beauty of every moment.

How sad it would be if we spent all our days wishing for something more than what we have in the here and now, only to realise much further down the road that true happiness was found in those quiet days at home and the adventure in everyday living.

 "The fact is, if we are not content with what we have, we will never be content with what we think we want.  They key to joyous living is to embrace the will of God and to receive with gratitude the gifts He chooses to give us in each season of life."  ~ Nancy Leigh De Moss

Are you purposing to live fully where the Lord has you right now?

Embrace the season you are in...

Ask the Lord to lead you and to fill your heart with His dreams and desires.

Hope in Him, He will bring everything to pass, each in its own season.

Blessings and love in Christ... 

"The time to be happy is now, the place to be happy is here..."  ~ Robert Green Ingersoll 

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On The Beach...

I sit here this evening feeling incredibly humbled and blessed.

In just one week our house looks and feels like a home...our home.

It is a grey evening and there is a light rain falling...  We are warm and cosy, surrounded by our loved ones and very thankful indeed for the kindness and generosity of so many wonderful people who have blessed us with gifts of furniture, appliances, bedding and more.  The Lord has been so good to us...we are completely overwhelmed how He took a situation that in our eyes appeared to be a terrible disaster, and worked everything out for our good. 

This is an exciting new chapter in our lives...so much in our lives has changed, but the steadfast love of the Lord has remained unchanging. 

 

I am so thankful to finally be connected to the internet - I could thankfully access my email from my phone and I was beyond blessed and encouraged to read your beautiful, uplifting comments, dear friends.  Your kind words of love, comfort and hope have brought such joy to my heart in a very trying time...  May the Lord bless you all for sharing His love with our hurting family!

 

And now I would love to share these photographs of a few of the little ones with you...

I took them a few weeks ago whilst we were staying in Glentana.  The house we were blessed to be able to use was very close to the beach, but sadly we were all so sick during our month in Glentana that we didn't make much use of the beach.  We did, however, have the privilege of seeing dolphins and whales close to shore from the balcony - this was very special...

 

I took these pictures one day when Mom and Dad took the little ones to play on the beach for an hour or so...  I decided to go along and simply sit on the beach and enjoy watching them play as I was feeling so ill that day.  I was delighted to be able to capture some special moments on my camera - good thing I took it along!  These were the only photographs I took in the month that we were in Glentana...

Just look at how this precious little boy has grown!  Caleb is going on 16 months now and an absolute delight!  He is a very busy little boy and extremely advanced for his tender age, so he keeps us on our toes...

He is so handsome...  I simply adore my little brother and look forward to being able spend more time playing and doing toddler activities with him.  We live about an hour away from the farm now which means I sadly had to quit the lovely little job I had as a shopkeeper...  But, the Lord knows and has given me the wonderful opportunity of investing in the lives of my younger siblings in this new season of life and I must say, I am quite excited!  Besides, who could resist spending time with such a charming little gentleman...  {{smiles}}

 

 These are special photographs I want to have framed!  It took some doing to get Gabrielle and Rebekah to cooperate...  I love photographs that aren't posed...so I had the girls walk away from me and then called them back when they least expected it...  It ended up being quite amusing and I got the results I was hoping for!  

Ah...I just love sharing photographs of this little guy... 

 Rebekah took great delight in thrilling her younger sister, Sofia, with a dead fish she found washed up on the beach.  I thought the whole process of dissection disgusting, but the girls had a wonderful time examing the dead fish and other interesting things they found on the beach...  

The Sofia smile... 

I just couldn't resist sharing this gorgeous capture...look at that little face!  {{Smiles}} 

Gabrielle...love those precious freckles and her sweet smile...

 

~

Dear friends, thank you so much for stopping by...  It has so delightful to once again be sharing on my little corner of the web...how I have missed it!  I will be popping in again very soon...I have more photographs to share of our outing to Mossel Bay...  I will also be responding to your sweet comments within the next few days - how I have missed writing to you all!

 

With love and joy in Christ,

Kelly-Anne



Sewing for Sweet Little Girls....

The house fairly quiet, unusually so in fact...

The pins were scattered across the table and the fabric laid out...

Patterns were traced; the scissors fearlessly cut through the pretty 

printed material before the sewing machine began humming steadily...

~

Today my sister, Nancy, and I spent a pleasant afternoon sewing together 

which was a rare occurance indeed given our opposite personalities....{{smiles}}

Nancy worked with beautiful dark pink summer cotton to 

make a simple peasant top whilst I used a printed cotton and a 

light pink cotton for a girl's tiered skirt...

The two of us confered with one another as to the style and 

choice of fabric before we began our seperate afternoon's tasks...

The little girl we were sewing for just happened

to be our littlest sister, Miss Sofia.

Now, sweet Miss Sofia is in dire need of pretty clothes...

She is a true farmgirl and doesn't like to keep her clothes neat 

and clean when playing outside with her sisters...

Thus, we decided to sew something feminine for her that 

would be reserved for special occasions or when going to town...

The two of us were busy as bees and when little Sofia awoke from her nap, 

she was required to have us fit the garments before we continued with our sewing...

In between the evening milking, cleaning and supper preparation, 

we completed both items and did the final fitting just as Sofia made her way to bed...

Now she has a gorgeous summery outfit 

which is many things indeed...feminine, modest, comfortable 

and just right for an adorable four year old such as Sofia.

 

^A precious almost-five-year-old little lady...Sofia

I added ribbons to the two sides of the skirt so as to make hanging
up in the wardrobe simpler...and, but of course (!), 

I hung her new outfit on one of heartmade's covered hangers...{{smiles}}

 

Look at the little darling in her peasant blouse, beautifully handmade by Nancy...

She even made her a sweet matching hairband and 

added a bow to the blouse, made from the same fabric as the tiers of the skirt.

 

^Sofia in her new pink outfit, complete with a happy smile!  

 

^Aww...isn't she a precious little thing?

 

^Posing

I have not written much about Sofia of late...but just like Caleb, she too is reaching milestones every day and growing so beautifully indeed...

She has a truly kind heart and is very affectionate towards her family.

She gives the most wonderful hugs and sloppy kisses...

 

Sofia loves to play but enjoys working as well...and not just 

doing her chores...  I am constantly amazed at how diligently she goes about 

her school work and how focused she is when learning a new concept.  

 

^ The young gent with his adoring older sister...

She loves Caleb so much...before he was born, she was 

convinced that she didn't want a brother, but as soon as she 

laid eyes upon the little lad, her heart melted...she and Caleb are 

dear friends and could perhaps be a handful as he becomes a bit more mobile...

~

Ah, and so ends a most delightful sewing project indeed! 

Both Nancy and I agreed that the afternoon was very well spent 

 and we were quite surprised at how quickly 

we finished sewing, considering we had only one sewing machine 

between the two of us and more than a couple of interruptions... 

We have come to the conclusion that we need to be intentional 

about that which we wish to do...  

Each week we hope to make something along the clothing 

lines as we love dressing our sisters in beautiful, girly outfits...  

I don't know about you, but I am always shocked at not 

only the price of clothing in the stores, but also how little there is to be found 

that is feminine and modest...

Young girls today are dressed in modern, skin tight clothes from a very 

early age that does not encourage them to be young ladies or feminine in the least...

My sisters have time to be rough and get all dirty...they shouldn't need to fret about clothes.

And as Julie Andrews so eloquently said in the film The Sound of Music...  

"Excuse me, Captain, but when do they play?"  {{smiles}}

Many days I am shocked by the little girls' appearances...

Not only do they constantly tear and muddy their clothes, 

but they also get their hair dirty and messy, and their faces 

are positively brown by the end of a day's play!

Ah, but they are happy and that is what truly matters...
My mom always maintains that one can see how well a
child has played by how dirty they are at the end of a day!

 

  ~

Hopefully this is the first of many sewing projects for the little girls in our family...

Have a wonderfully creative day, sweet readers...

 "Unaffected modesty is the sweetest charm of female excellence, the richest gem in the diadem of her honor." 

~ Webster's 1828 Dictionary

~
 Today I am sharing this sewing project with...

The Art of Homemaking Mondays

A Wise Woman Builds Her Home

Raising Homemakers

Modest Mom Blog