Grave News...

Dearest friends...

I have very gave news to share with you this morning...

I come to you asking for prayer for our family and for other families in our area...

This morning we evacuated our house and now are blessed to be sitting safely at a dear friend's house in town - our home burnt down a couple hours ago and we lost everything in the fire.

I woke up at 6am to the smell of smoke and a little sister crawling into bed with me as she was frightened by the terrible wind raging around our house.  You see, there was a storm last night...a terrible wind and a farm over the way caught alight.
 

Very soon, it was spreading from farm to farm, coming right our way.  At first we honestly didn't think we would actually have to leave...thus, we slowly gathered some of our most treasured possessions such as photographs and our computers and the sewing machines and put them into the car.  But literally 20 minutes later, we were frantically rushing about putting everything in the cars, loading everyone up and driving out.  The fire spread so rapidly, I cannot begin to actually describe how bizarre it was!  And the wind...it was horrendous and the smoke was so thick.

Our neighbour's driveway caught alight...and suddenly we knew had to get out and fast!  Praise the Lord, we could leave with our animals and a couple bags of items.  We did not think we would come back to no house.  We just assumed it would be there...  My dad dropped us off at our dear friend in town and went back home...but when he opened the door, a tremendous wave of heat hit him and he saw the inside of the house was black.

When he arrived here and told us the news...it was devastating.  Our home is gone.  Everything lost...everything.

Praise the Lord, our family is safe and our animals are with us.

In His graciousness, He moved on the heart of a kind lady at church who offered for us to stay in her holiday house for the time being free of charge.  We are blown away by her generosity...

Dear friends, this is a very painful time for our family...we are in absolute shock and disbelief, but there are many others suffering too...many other homes have been lost and the fire continues to spread.  And our country is in major drought...without water, fighting fire is virtually impossible!

Please, please pray for the Lord to send rain we so desperately need...to protect those fighting the fires...to provide for those without and to give us strength for what lies ahead.

I hope to give you an update soon, dear friends...  I am unable to write to each of you individually at this stage, but I hope to soon...  For now we can do nothing but cry unto the Lord and lean on Him. 

With love in Christ,

Kelly-Anne

"Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."

~ Deuteronomy 31:6 

Keeping our...Eternal Perspectives

I will confess that many days I allow my emotions to dictate my attitude towards how I view life...

I don't always feel like smiling or seeing the bright side to a situation which is beyond my control, and many times I simply don't want to give a cheerful answer or sing praises to my Lord.

My struggle is against allowing allowing the roots of bitterness (Heb 12:15), anger, sorrow or disillusionment in my heart to well up and spill over, becoming manifested in my countenance and words.

In our lives, we need to realise that we will face challenges of many kinds (James 1:2-3)....  We are not promised a life of ease or comfort, but rather of trading our selfish motives and desires to physically pick up our cross and follow the Lord Jesus (Luke 9:23).

But in the midst of difficulty, pain or trial, we need to maintain an Eternal perspective and embrace what the Lord is teaching us and lean more on Him... Our fight is not against flesh and blood (Eph 6:12)...  And this is just our temporary home...

We need not go about our lives with an air of martyrdom either, but with a joyful, thankful spirit (1 Peter 1:8-9).  God loves a cheerful giver...

Perhaps like me you are more inclined to give in to self-pity and look for someone to commiserate with or pull down...  Misery loves company, as the saying goes.  The One we should turn to is ever near and gives the wisest counsel and strengthens our soul...

I am realising that in difficult times...lean times...times of sorrow and pain, there is nothing we can do but rely on the Lord for our strength and provision, both physically and spiritually.  

What else can we do but rest in the arms of our loving Saviour...? (Jer 6:16)

Too often I fight the wrong way...my heart rebels and I refuse to do my fighting in prayer...

I can wrestle and shed enough tears to fill an ocean, but this will not uplift nor move me to the final destination any faster...it will only discourage, demotivate and tire me out and not to mention, bring others around me down in the process.

I write to encourage you today, dear friend, as I write to encourage and challenge myself.
Go to Jesus and give all your troubles to the One who cares.  It is painful at first to hand over your concerns and worries, but once those tiresome burdens have left your shoulders, you will be light and free! (Mat 11:29-30)

I am learning...I am a work in progress and thankful that Jesus loves me even when I pull away from His loving embrace.

He sees the trouble in the deepest part of our hearts and longs to give us peace and hope (Jer 29:11).

We will still have to walk through whatever it is we are facing, but we won't have to walk alone.  

We can take His hand, let Him whisper words of truth and comfort to us...
May we be ever mindful that He is refining us like silver (Zec 13:9) and that His work in us has yet to be completed (Phil 1:6)...

Let us daily turn our eyes upon Jesus and take everything to the Lord in prayer...

"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith, henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."

~ 2 Timothy 4:7-8, KJV

~

  This post may be shared with...

~ The Art of Homemaking Mondays, Wise Woman Link-Up, Raising Homemakers Link-Up, and Modest Monday,

Thursday Pearls

"Learn, O saints!  From what has been said, to sit loose to all your worldy comforts; and stand ready prepared to part with everything, when God shall require it at your hand."

 

~ George Whitfield

 

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

 

~ Matthew 6:19-21, KJV

 

Richest Thursday blessings to you in the name of our precious Lord and Saviour, dear readers! 

You all are continually in my thoughts and prayers...I pray your hearts have been blessed and encouraged - may the Lord strengthen you as you seek to serve Him in every aspect of your life...keep leaning on the everlasting arms!

 

~ 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, KJV ~

 

With love and joy in Christ Jesus,

Kelly-Anne

Caleb at One...

 Our precious little brother is one...

We celebrated Caleb's first year on April 29th and what a special celebration it was indeed...

 

At one years old, Caleb is absolutely the sweetest little boy in our lives with a wonderful personality which thrives on the love and attention of those he loves most in the world...his family.

 

He fills our lives with laughter and joy and it is so special watching him make discoveries or experience something for the very first time.

Whoever thought we would have a precious baby brother to share life with...to laugh with...to play with...to love forever.

 

~

Dear friends, thank you for visiting today...how I have missed writing to each of you and sharing on my little corner of the web.  I have simply not had a moment to spare...when I am not at the shop, I am sewing pyjamas and tracksuits for my sweet little sisters and brother...or enjoying time with my mom, either sitting outside with coffee in hand talking over ideas, or walking together with all the little ones.

My computer has also only just come back from being repaired...a couple weeks ago it refused to start up and so I was deprived of it for awhile...  Nevertheless, I hope to resume regular blogging and emailing soon.

 

With much dear love,

Kelly-Anne

Oh, These Sweet April Days...

 

 

^ The three little ones playing in the sandpit...  Rebekah, Caleb and Sofia 

 ^ Our Oscar...better known as ''Sir Oscar''...

 ^ Eclairs arranged on the pretty party table...

 ^ Chrysanthemums from the garden...

It is early afternoon in South Africa and although the April sun is shining brightly, there is a cool breeze blowing...  I am sipping a good cup of coffee and enjoying some down time after a busy morning at the sewing machine and pondering all that has happened over the last while.
I wonder, how it is that I have had so little to share on my little corner of the web lately...?

Recently, the Lord graciously blessed me with a little part time job at a sweet gift shop nearby.  I work as a shopkeeper two or three days a week and love conversing with customers and doing my hand sewing when the shop is quiet.  It is simply the perfect fit for me in so many ways and I am thankful for the experience as we have dreams of opening our own little shop someday... {{smiles}}

On the days I am home, I like to catch up with the housework I am behind on...ironing, cleaning, hand washing and such.  I also prepare hand sewing for the days I am at the shop so as to use my time productively which in turn means when I am home, I can simply enjoy being a daughter and sister and embrace and cherish each moment...

I do find with working I am more tired and thus, am not always able to write to dear friends or share anything on my blog...  I do miss stopping by though and do hope to resume regular posting fairly soon...

In the evening I find reading to be very relaxing and helps me unwind after a busy day...
The other day whilst at the mall I came across the Rose Trilogy by Beverly Lewis on sale.
I seldom buy books as they are so expensive, but I found all three books for what would work out to only $10 if I did a conversion from rands to dollars.  What a delight!  {{smiles}} 

Our little Caleb continues to keep us on our toes and will be celebrating his first birthday at the end of this month.  Where has the time gone?  If you recall, last year this time we were anxiously anticipating the day Caleb would make his arrival...

We have bittersweet memories of Caleb's birth and praise the Lord for the way in which He intervened and sent loving prayer warriors to hold our family in prayer through such a dark, difficult time.  Caleb has truly made life richer and sweeter!

People who ask us his age cannot believe he is not even a year old...  He literally runs where he wants to go and negotiates slopes and hills like a pro.  We went for a walk in the forest a few days ago, and our little chap insisted on walking for the most part.  Caleb also recognises members of his family and can point to each of us by name which is no small feat considering he has a mom and dad and six adoring sisters!  {{smiles}}  I sewed a pair of pyjamas for him last week and hope to complete a track suit for him as well...cooler days are creeping in...more pictures to hopefully come soon!

Our sweet princess, Gabrielle, celebrated her tenth birthday yesterday.  I sewed her a beautiful (and really very simple) yoked and pleated tunic for her.  It was my first time attempting this particular pattern and I am very pleased indeed with the outcome...  Of course, I cannot wait to see her in it...  Nancy bought her a pair of leggings to wear with it as it is long enough to be worn as a dress shirt.

Gabrielle is one sister I have not made very much for - something she reminds me of regularly!  {{smiles}}  I hope to share a picture of the completed garment next week sometime, as well as a photoshoot which I have hopes of doing with our special birthday girl...

We are currently busy organising our home and doing some major de-cluttering...  Something the Lord has been showing me lately is how little we really need in life.  I have come to realise how unimportant the ''important'' things are in reality...our relationship with the Lord and the ones closest to us is what truly matters in the heavenly realm.  I am learning to embrace the simple pleasures in this beautiful life and cherish each moment for what is...  I am striving to spend more time with Jesus and draw nearer to His heart.

I pray that this week may be a truly blessed and joyful one for you, dear readers...
Thank you for being faithful to visit...your friendship means so much to me and I am thankful to have the privilege of sharing my journey to beautiful womanhood with you!
Which reminds me...I celebrated eight years of blogging on April 9th!  What a blessed experience it has been thus far!  {{smiles}} 

With love in Christ,
Kelly-Anne

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...