The gentle art of homemaking...

 

Twelve years ago I began writing about a favourite book, The Gentle Art of Domesticity, and as the years rolled on I referred to it often, and even did a year long book study on the blog with my readers in 2019 (you can still go through that HERE). I had a block of the month with that theme (some of the patterns are HERE) as well as similar themed years for the blog along the way - you see, it really resonated with me as a homemaker and stoked the flames of my home-loving heart. 

I was thinking about this recently, especially during the cleanout of our bookcases last week, where I gathered all my homemaking books on the table, before positioning them together along three shelves, inspired to re-read as many as possible through 2026. No matter how many times I read, or flip through them, there's always something new to learn, or to consider, with regards to homemaking and living a homemaker's life.  

I was pondering the difference between what I once embraced as 'the gentle art of domesticity', and the way I think about it now as the gentle art of homemaking? I can't exactly express the difference in a way that would make sense to others, but in my own heart it is that the first was about the 'doing' (what we did in the gentle domestic life) whereas the second is about the 'being' of a homemaker, the core love in our heart for being at home, for tending the home, for making a home somewhere loved ones choose to be, for creating a sanctuary of safety and comfort that nurtures the creation of heartstrings in those who leave but know they are always welcome to return. 

There was a time when being a homemaker was quite normal, and everyone knew that the home could not function without her. Pop thanked Nana after every meal, appreciating the time and care that went into the dish she'd prepared for us. He was also keenly aware that if not for her, none of his shirts would be washed and ironed, the floors would not be swept and mopped, his lunch and mine would not be packed and ready when he left for his shift at the docks and I left for school, the pets would not be fed, and the various tasks that must be attended to in a home, whether tiny like ours, or a larger family abode, would fall by the wayside. He never held back his gratitude, but showed me by example, that her role as a homemaker was to be treasured and honoured. And I think that's the 'gentle art of domesticity' side of it all, because he saw what she did and loved her for it.

Truly, my own heart grew up longing to be like her, to care for my own home, and to be treasured and honoured in the homemaker role just as she had been - but I too saw it all as things she did, that I also wanted to do one day. And I genuinely did always love keeping house, even to this day!

But the gentle art of homemaking is something else, it requires there to be a deep love and desire in one's heart for the things we do within our walls, that we would pursue the everyday ordinary tasks with delight and joy, not feeling burdened or hard done by, resentful, or looking for a way to escape. 

I read this morning a very wise fact, "there are no greener pastures on the other side", and it made me think of women I have known in life, young mothers of the children I cared for in my home through the Family Day Care scheme. Most of them told me how much they lamented being tied to home and were now following their dream of building a career instead. Sadly, back at that time there were no time restraints on how long they took to collect their children each day, and it was common for me to have the babies and toddlers overnight, and in a few rare cases, it would be days before the mother would be back to get her child/children. They had their taste of freedom and ran with it, going out after work, and not bothering to even call me to ask if it was okay or if their child was alright.  

But some of the mothers changed their minds over time, and as their hearts returned to family and home, they would step away from the hustle of career building and settle back to where they had begun with relief and happiness. Initially growing tired of the 'doing', especially after having children and choosing to step away and escape what they described as drudgery, over time the desire to 'be' within their hearts overcame that negativity and they saw beauty in mothering, and a genuine desire to care for their homes. 

There were also other mothers who had no choice but to work, and oh how they loved their babies! They would linger for a while before saying goodbye to their little ones, and would never be late in collecting them. In fact they would sweep those babies up in their arms and hug them so tight - my heart would always swell with emotion. There was even a single father whose young son I cared for, and he worked a lot of nights so I'd have the 4 year old quite a bit, but he would get to my house as soon as he could to collect his boy, and ask his son a million questions about what he'd done or made or where he'd been during their absence from each other. When they eventually moved away to another state I received a number of postcards over the following months telling me how the boy was settling and what he'd been doing. 

Now I know many of you reading this have had, or do have careers, so you might read all this as me being negative about women and careers, but that is not so. I'm sharing the experiences of my own life, and how examining certain situations that crossed my own path are helping me right now to identify the difference between the 'doing' and the 'being' within a woman's home environment. Over the years quite a number of women have emailed me or left comments on my blog posts to tell me how much they long to 'come home' full time, but must for now continue working for one reason or another, and what I appreciate from this is that they are true homemakers in their hearts, for they long to be home. Isn't that the most important thing? No matter our circumstances, the 'doing' of domesticity can be taught, but the 'being' of a homemaker must be planted and tended in the heart, and that 'being' is not about where you are (whether in a kitchen or an office), but what's in your heart. 

I think that the gentle art of homemaking will be my theme this year on the blog, as it more accurately reflects my heart motivation, than the art of domesticity does. What are your thoughts on this?

THIS WEEK...

I have really struggled with my knee, more than over the past seven months since I injured it, so many hours a day have been spent reclining on the old soft couch with books, knitting, embroidery, old episodes of Agatha Christie, and my iPad. It's been important to get up every hour and walk around, and its in those times that I do the washing, bake bread, give things a dust, or attend to small tasks. 

I'm no longer able to drive as using the accelerator and brake cause extreme pain, but my beloved husband has tomorrow off work and will be taking me back to the doctor and we shall see where things lead from there. Dear Rosie came to visit on Monday, and kindly offered to take me to the doctor any time I need her, which means the world to me moving forward, as right now I have no idea how long before I'll be healed and back to normal movement. 

You can see the photos of my completed Japanese stitchery UFO and I'm loving how it turned out. It's also nice to have my January project in the 2026 Adventure challenge finished and hanging on the wall. I folded it over one of those art canvasses you find at the discount stores, and stitched felt across the back. 

Due to my knee, I've not yet been able to cut out the fabrics for the quilt pattern I chose to work on through this year, but I am enjoying knitting small woollen squares which shall eventually become a lap blanket, so that will be my 'extra' project to work on when each monthly UFO project is completed. 

ABIGAIL STUDY...

Part Two of the Abigail study is now up on it's own blog page, and ready for you to read or download. You will find it HERE and I'd love to hear your own thoughts as you've been studying her life. 

If you have been wanting a Bible based stitchery to work on, you will find "Grow in Grace" (photo below) as a free download HERE. It's quick to stitch up and a lovely project for gift giving, as well as displaying in your own home. Be blessed as you stitch!

God bless each and every one of you, and may He, during the year ahead, assist you to overcome your struggles, heal your heart, provide for your needs, and build your faith in Christ. 

And may we all grow in grace.

Until next week...

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When what was enough has become too much...

 I wonder if you find yourself following an intentional reset with each new season - whether that be seasons of the year, or seasons of life? 

January is always my kitchen reset, where I open wide all the cupboards and drawers to remove all the contents and give them a good scrub. Once that is done, I carefully consider how much of what is now before me on the table and countertops shall return to these cleansed and empty spaces. 

Normally there's always a few things I choose to donate, and the sense of wellbeing that mentally follows my opening the car boot and depositing those items at a local opshop is simply lovely. However this January was a little different. I wasn't sure if it stemmed from the past six months of dealing with the pain of a knee injury that seems not to want to heal and slows me down with household and garden tasks; or perhaps it was something deeper? Maybe both, with a nudge from the Lord to seal it. 

Then a realisation, a sincere knowing, that I simply do not need, or want, much anymore, and that last year's enough, had become this year's too much. 

It's funny how when you're on a self discovery journey, and you've prayed for God to guide you along whatever path He'd have you follow, that particularly relevant and revealing things will catch your attention throughout the days and weeks ahead. I have learned that when I ask of Him, He will use many different avenues to answer or direct me...and it is always for the best. 

Something I heard a woman say recently, stopped me in my tracks. She mentioned how she'd finished decluttering her life, and kept only what she now loved, but because she still had "too much stuff demanding attention" scattered around, she chose to organise her belongings into categories, such as forty notebooks she had scattered through her house now being placed together on one shelf, and so she continued through her home doing the same with other items. Once done she was quite content with all she had in her home.

Now how she meant her statement "too much stuff demanding attention" and how I understood it to apply to my own life, were different - and isn't that often the way? To me, I immediately assessed our home, room by room, and noticed all the things that got in my way, took extra time to care for or tidy; things I'd often thought about in passing but never consciously made an effort to remove or change. And in my heart it became evident that now was the time to release items that made no sense, were not used, were excess or duplicates, or - and this was biggie - that I'd held onto for sentimental reasons. 

Every day so far this week has been spent making decisions about what to keep, what to let go of, and then following through on that decision. I take numerous breaks of ten or fifteen minutes to rest my knee, but in those rest times I am making conscious choices about why I will keep one thing, whilst donating another, for it's not wise to make those decisions hastily. I'll be 67 next month, and I'm not sure about you, but my husband and I find that we don't have many needs (or are they wants?) anymore, and for me personally, I'm ready to let go of far more than usual this January reset. 

My cupboards and drawers are no longer crowded...

...and yet we still have enough for ourselves to use daily, and enough for when the family visit. 

I have often questioned myself at this time of year "How many coffee mugs do you really need Jennifer??" because purchasing more coffee mugs throughout the year is my weakness. I had drawers of them you see, and more stored in a box under the bed! Now I have one drawer in the kitchen which holds my favourite mugs, a tea pot, our glassware, and the children's mugs. Everything else has gone, along with the all the vintage tea cups and most all of the vintage plates I have collected for more than twenty-five years. I don't feel sad, I feel relieved. 

An entire bookcase, the white ladder one, has been emptied and removed, which opens up more space in the living/dining room. I have a pile or ten or so homeschool books which I'll sell, but all the other books on that item of furniture have been donated. The ladder bookcase is now under cover out back with orphan plants on it's shelves, beautifying an empty outdoor area.

Did I need six vases? No. I donated three. Did I need eight mixing bowls of various sizes? No. I donated four and kept only the ones I use regularly. And so it went on. I have not finished yet, but feel enormously grateful to the Lord for this prompt. Gradually our little house is looking bigger inside, and that's another thing I heard someone say which really caught my attention - "Do you need a bigger house? Get rid of stuff in your home and you'll have more space." How simple a statement, but it made a huge impact on me. 

I do want to point out that 'stuff' is very different to pantry preparedness, or having items on hand that can be used to make things you need, or repair what's been broken. I am very mindful of having a pantry that can feed us for an indeterminate length of time, but even in that I am having to go through all our supplies to make sure they have not spoiled in our fierce hot and humid tropical heat, and also that I am not wasting space on things we don't like to eat. 

I heard a woman say "Don't buy things to stock up on that your family won't eat - it's a waste of money. So spend those dollars on items you know everyone will be happy to eat." This resonated with me when I heard it about four months ago because I have plenty of dried beans, chia seeds, barley and quinoa, among other things - but my husband hates them all and I never cook with them. I see now that though they all look nice in their pantry jars, they will never be used. So that's something else I'll be removing, and thus making space for items we use all the time. 

I could go on my friends, because in so many ways these lessons I am applying pertain to my garden work as well, but I'm not there yet, one thing at a time.

I'd love to know your thoughts on how seasons of life have brought change to your homemaking habits, plans and routines? I learn a lot from the experience of others, and then sometimes my own experience is a help to someone. Homemakers over the centuries have shared so many wonderful methods, tips and strategies for managing homes and belongings and family - and we're part of that today with our own experiences to share with the next generation. 

ABIGAIL...

Part 2 of the Abigail study will be up next week. We had a huge weekend with a cyclone bearing down and that means all hands on deck to clear the yard and tie everything down and no time for anything else. Fortunately, what was initially forecast as a direct hit on our town, did not eventuate, and it made landfall about 100 km south of our house. As this is just the start of our cyclone season, we shall stay on top of everything around the yards and shed so that next time it's not such a big job to prepare for. And of course, that was another prompt for removing what's not needed or wanted.

ORGANISING A COOL SPACE...

Here's just a quick peek at my sewing room, which got the treatment yesterday. Our main air conditioning system broke down on Boxing Day and the smaller unit in the kitchen cannot cool down the large area where most of daily life is lived, so rather than whine about how long its taking to get the unit fixed, I decided to move things around in the sewing room (and remove some things) so that I can sit in there comfortably where there's a small air con unit, and listen to audio books or watch shows on my iPad (Marple and Poirot...yeh, same as always!) while I craft. 

I have good light coming through the window, and I can sit in my comfy white chair looking out at the birds flying back and forth in the trees, while I work on a couple of different projects. I had these two inch applique circles made since 2024 and they are on my 2026 Adventure UFO project list, so I decided to combine them with sashiko...

...and as I have sorely missed knitting, and can now return to it, I have started a blanket made with small squares. There's a horizontal seam through the centre that adds so much to the overall design! It will feature four different coloured yarns by the end, but I'm currently working on this one first.

The embroidered 2026 Adventure UFO project I chose for January is finished, but not yet framed. As soon as that's done I'll share pics with you. 

If you missed the info about the 2026 Adventure, you'll find it HERE. 

Take care sweet girls, and always remember that God is only a prayer away, so if you need help, a direction to follow, comfort or encouragement, just close your eyes, lift your hands to heaven and ask Him. There is no greater help than His, and no greater love you can experience than that which the Father has for His precious children.

Until next week...

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Settling into bread rhythms, and part 1 of Abigail...

For many years I have chased the elusive perfect sourdough bread recipe. I remember my first attempt back in 2000, visiting a homeschool friend with the children. Her family had moved over from Sweden and she had quite an alternative lifestyle, and I'd never met anyone like her before. Apart from the children always barefoot, their beds made out of trees her husband had felled from their backyard, a swing in the bedroom made from  more trees, completely 'unstructured unschooling', and all her shelves full of alternative medicines, tinctures and salves etc, she could do the most amazing things with sourdough. 

We had not long begun homeschooling our 6 and 7yo children, having previously homeschooled Kezzie for a year in high school, and were still in the workbook mindset (though we soon switched to Charlotte Mason and never looked back) when we met this family, and it was through the mum, who became a really good friend, that my interest in natural health began, most noticeably at first with the everyday food choices we made. 

For a few years I made my sourdough, lentil patties, and hummus, exactly the same way my friend taught me, and we juiced every single day, but then we moved away to another state in January 2003, and I soon began playing around with different recipes and ideas. 

Bread became my focus, but not sourdough. I loved kneading and folding and creating all sorts of loaves by hand, and my family loved it all. It didn't matter that we had to move into a tiny one bedroom cabin atop a freezing mountain range for six months in 2005 - there was a small oven so I could still make bread every day. To be honest, the children have always agreed that those six months in 2005 were the best years of their childhood. But back to sourdough...

Off and on for the next few years, I would dabble with sourdough, but would then go back to regular bread baking, trying other things like focaccia, wholegrains, cinnamon scrolls, pita bread, pumpernickel, jam rolls or fruit loaves, until I perfected them and knew the recipe would stay the same for the rest of my life.

Around 2013 I was baking sourdough again, every second day, but with a cheat. I'd use my starter, but also add some instant yeast, so that I could rise the dough in 90 minutes and bake bread immediately after. It was still good, not as sour, but a cheat nonetheless. 

I fell off the wagon again the following year, and went back to regular bread baking, or buying ready baked loaves. My stitchery club had taken off and so I had less time to work in the kitchen. By dropping sourdough I could focus on making healthy meals instead, and back to daily juicing. 

Since we bought this house and moved in just over seven years ago, I have gone back and forth with sourdough recipes, as the internet is swarming with them, the library has an entire shelf of sourdough cookbooks, and YouTube virtually overflows with sourdough aficionados! Which is why I was going back and forth - try one way, give up. Try another, not too bad, but next loaf fails, try another, doesn't work in my climate...and you get the picture. 

And then seven months ago I read about the old way, the original way, the NON-artisan way, to regularly bake a loaf of sourdough. Then I found someone on YouTube who tried the old way and succeeded...definitely intrigued me. But then the knee issue, the arm issue, and generally no interest in anything other than baking regular loaves of bread every few days, or opting for a store bought. 

But last week. Aha. Someone in Alaska, living off grid with her family, shared how she made her sourdough bread the way they did 100 years ago, in a day, with no weighing, no frills, just basic steps and a great loaf at the end. 

I thought, no way...this won't work for me because she's off grid in snow laden Alaska, and I'm in a monsoonal hot and humid wet season in the tropics! But you know, I was intrigued. So I gave it a go. And it worked. I have never known such an easy sourdough recipe, and not one that you could make and bake the same day. 

You can see how big my loaf was in the photos above. I used half white bread flour, and half freshly milled spelt grain flour, and the sour dough starter in my fridge from three weeks ago. Truly, the size of the loaf and how quickly it rose that morning surprised me. Then to have it rise again in the dutch oven (we have a small one, too small for a loaf obviously, so now I need a larger one, or make smaller loaves) and be so delicious that hubby and I were spreading the butter and homemade apricot jam on for dinner last night, well - and so this is that one sourdough, that best recipe/technique I have been waiting for since 2000. And it's a keeper.

Now this lady spends a lot of the video showing you how to make a starter over seven days, but as I always have a starter in my fridge that I feed every few weeks and which bubbles up within an hour of being on the table in the warm air of our home, I fast forwarded through that and went straight to what she did on the day she baked her loaf. 

If you're interested in watching the video, it's here...

...and my husband found this one last night about the history of sourdough and why it was so healthy for people in the Middle Ages. Fascinating! My husband has always loved my bread, but now he's wanting a sourdough loaf to be our everyday loaf. Bless him!

ABIGAIL STUDY - part one:

I shared the first part of the Abigail Bible Study today, and if you pop over HERE to the study page you can read through on the page or download the PDF to your computer files. 

Love to hear your own thoughts, and thanks to everyone who is joining in because we can learn a lot from each other's insights along the way. 

Tuesdays with the Family...

Every Tuesday Blossom and the children come over for the day. We have the very best of times with a special morning tea, and lunch, and plenty of activities to do inside (the monsoon has been endless). Blossom coloured this for me last week, and now I want to find a frame for it. Love my girl so much.

Whether it be scones with jam and cream, and bowls of fruit, or the table spread with ingredients for the kids to make their own pizzas, nobody goes home hungry from Nana's house. In fact there are always leftovers to take home for daddy Ross. 

This Tuesday they got some of my huge blankets and spread them across dining chairs and couches to make a cubby, before dividing it all into two cubbies so they could be neighbours. Charlie broke his arm on Boxing Day, for the second time in a year, but nothing slows him down! We're pretty sure he'll grow up to be the next Bear Grylls. ;-)

Before I go, when I shared the last post and the photo of my basket of UFOs and kits for the Adventure 2026 project, I forgot to show the gift hubby got me for Christmas. 

Sheepie. 

We don't bother with big gifts, and some years no gifts at all, but he knows how much I love farm animals and thought I'd like a sheep for the garden. I love my sheepie!! But he's not going in the garden. He sits on my desk and I talk to him as though he's real. I cannot express just how much I love my husband. He's a gift from God everyday. 

Oh, another before I go...you know the huge poincianna that almost killed my husband when it split and came down twice last February? 

He chopped the remains and we were not sure whether to plant another or not. Well, God answered us in the middle of 2025. A new tree sprung up right beside the trunk of the other one - and this came up from a seed, not from the trunk. 

In just six months it is at least 14 feet tall!

I can stand under it and the top of my head just touches the bottom branch. Amazing! With all this rain, and the wet season still in the early days, I think by mid year it will already be huge. 

God bless you all, and thanks for hanging in here today. I have to sign off and go feed the pets as they are letting me know it's getting late. 

May you be blessed in all you do for your family and home...whether that be baking bread, cooking a meal, washing the dishes, mopping the floor, or tending a loved one who is unwell. God sees those little things too, not just the big things. His eyes is on the sparrow, and He's watching over you. xxx

The 2026 Adventure...

 

Happy New Year dear friends! 

I pray 2026 is a year that grows us in the best of ways, and that by year's end we can look back and be satisfied with how far we have come in our walk with Jesus, and our God-gifted roles within home and family. 

I pray also for our sensibility to keep what is important, enjoyed or needful, whilst having the wisdom to remove what is not. My personal plan through 2026 is to take a spiritual broom, and a physical one, in order to spring clean my life from the inside out, carrying forth only those things that have purpose, delight, and glorify the Lord. 

The 2026 Adventure:

At the top of this post you will have seen a new button for 2026, one which I'll add to Adventure 2026 blog posts throughout the year. In previous years I have shared my dislike for NY's resolutions, and that has not changed. One thing of which I am sure, is that life rarely stays the same, and the older I get the more changes occur with each passing year.

This 2026 Adventure challenge is something productive for us to have fun with, and can be easily altered to suit changing circumstances should they occur as the months go by. I hope you'll join in?

Using what we already have on hand has been a huge decision at the back of my mind since 2019 when the Lord laid those very words on my heart and engraved them well so I'd not forget. 

Choosing the next project, whether that be with regards to sewing, organising the home, cleaning out the pantry, planting a garden, or reading a book, we can first of all look at what we already have. 

In essence, to "use what we already have" means spending nothing (or very little) to achieve a desired outcome, and that's high on my agenda in 2026. As I am now able to sew again (update is further down), I made the decision to have a year long sewing adventure that will not cost me anything but my creative time.

Between Christmas and New Year I went through my sewing room and gathered all my UFO projects together, then all the kits which had been purchased over the past decade and never opened, plus a lovely wool felt kit I won back in 2008 and never made. It would be easy to become quite overwhelmed when all of these things are stacked on the cutting table, but I got quite excited. Being mindful of not burdening myself unnecessarily, I chose eight unfinished projects or unopened kits, and packed them into the bag below.

I am still to choose another four, but that won't be difficult. I should acknowledge that having been dedicated to designing for seventeen years, I don't have an enormous stash of projects and kits yet to make or complete, but I certainly have enough to work on much longer than a year.

Having finally retired from designing last year, there was a great peace in my heart about no longer having to create new embroideries or projects and I actually lay down my embroidery needle for many, many months. After my knee injury in mid-July I rekindled a love for knitting, but then the nerve problem with my arm and hand left me unable to craft anything at all for the last three months. But let's just run forward a bit...

HEALTH UPDATE - I have full health in my arm and hand now! After all the different diagnoses and tests and medications, the actual culprit was a medication I take every year from spring through to early autumn (from September to April here in Australia) as a migraine preventative. The last two years I noticed it gave me a slight tingling in the little finger of my right hand, but that's all. It genuinely helped enormously with stemming the amount of baromtetric migraines during the hot and humid wet season here in the tropics so I was fine with that tingling finger. 

But this past September I had a very different issue, with severe nerve pain in my left arm and hand - which I never even associated with the migraine preventative drug. My doctor was great through this, trying everything he could think of to avoid surgery in my arm, and following up on every possible cause or condition, yet all didn't seem right...and then one day in mid December I wondered about that drug, and how this all began when I started taking it as usual in mid September. It's a strong medication (amitriptyline), and I only ever take a low dose as I am highly sensitive to all prescription meds, so to test the theory I weaned off it over two weeks, the same way I always do at the end of each migraine season. The less I took, the more feeling came back in my hand and the less nerve pain in my arm. Within two days of taking that final tiny dose after Christmas, I had full pain-free use of my arm and hand again. Those pills were thrown down the sink and I will never be able to take them again. And I am rejoicing over that!! So thank you for all your prayers - they indeed were heard by the Lord, and He led me to healing. 

Back to the Adventure Challenge...

Here's what I thought you may enjoy doing with me through 2026 -

*   Place all your UFO projects together

*   Place all your unmade/unopened kits together

*   Choose 12 kits or UFO projects that excite you, ones you'd enjoy making or completing

*   Donate or sell any kits or UFO projects you no longer like or want

For myself, as well as those of you who would like to join in, there's one major stipulation for this Adventure to work as it should. 

We must ENJOY it. 

It must never become a rigid programme we feel obligated to stay on when life is calling us elsewhere, when illness holds us back, or when we lose the joy. By choosing your twelve UFO projects or kits, you have made a choice to complete what you started, or use what you purchased, and even if you only achieve six finishes in 2026, that's success and I hope you'll feel a rush of personal satisfaction by year's end. By using up what we already have, we who love to create can complete projects that will cost us nothing but time. As I have the projects and kits on hand to use, I will not be straining our tight budget by buying anything, and can simply enjoy time given to sewing.

Each month I will show you the project or kit I intend to work on, and some progress pics along the way. Some of you may have a very large UFO or kit, one that requires more than a month to complete, and I actually have a quilt kit that will need time, but what I intend doing is working on that when my allocated monthly project is done. This way I can probably get a good deal of it done across 2026, but I am not bothered if that particular project runs into next year as well. 

Let me know in the comments if you're joining in, and also what UFO projects or kits you're excited to finish or make. 

Now I should show you what I have chosen for January...

One is a UFO hand embroidery finish from early last year and only has a small corner to be completed, which is why I have chosen it first, and I'll explain more in a minute...

I think this can be finished in a few days, and that brings me JOY! Then at last it can be framed and hung in the living room. 

Now the reason I chose that Japanese hand embroidery for January was because as a quick finish, it will allow me time to cut all the fabrics from the large quilt kit that I will work on all year when smaller monthly projects give me a week or two to spare. 

The quilt is called "Dutch Darning Sampler Coverlet" by Judy Newman, and I loved it the first time I lay eyes on it. For many months I ummed and aaahed about buying the kit, and eventually purchased it in 2024. The fabrics in the kit are gorgeous, and that centre block is actually done in cross stitch. Just the thought of starting on this project brings me JOY. 

For those in Australia who may want to know, I bought the kit HERE and I think it's still the same price I paid back in 2024. 

The ABIGAIL Bible Study

So, now we have the Adventure explained, I wanted to let you know that I have set up a special page on the blog for the Abigail Bible Study, and it is HERE.

I've written the intro there, and will begin the actual study next week. All the notes will be there as I write them during the duration of the study, which will take a few months, so if you miss any sections you only have to go to the Abigail page and scroll down, as everything will be there in order. 

There's a button in the blog sidebar as well, if you lose the link. I'm very humbled to learn with you as we dig deep and glean from the life of this remarkable woman. 

God bless each and every one of you, and no matter what work the Lord puts your hands to this year, may it glorify Him and bring you joy. I have many plans for homemaking in 2026, but am open to the Lord changing them if it be His will. 

Really, all we need follow is His will, then we can be assured of not straying from the right path. 

"and make it your ambition to lead a quiet life. You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody." 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

Until next week, 

The recipe, preserving, and a Christ-mas devotional...

 

As so many of you asked for this recipe I have it all prepared for you today as an easy download. One thing I would like to remind those of you who make this bread, is that it is made from 100% wholemeal spelt flour, not white spelt or a refined version. I buy spelt grains and mill them myself, or when I run out of grains I have a supply in my freezer of 100% organic wholemeal spelt flour from a trusted supplier here in Australia.

You could also use wholewheat, or another type of wheat grain. Check the dough is not too dry if using a different wheat to spelt, as spelt tends to use slightly less water than regular wheat. 

If you make this loaf please let me know your results - and if you made any tweaks I'd love for you to share in the comments so we can all learn from your experience. Breadmaking is one of my absolute favourite things to do and trying new things with dough is always exciting!

**DOWNLOAD the recipe here**

MANGO MANIA

You saw our glut of mangoes last week, right? I had so many plans for using them up before they became too ripe and have almost accomplished crossing everything off my list. It was ghastly hot and humid, as is usual here, so I really needed to pace myself in the kitchen with plenty of cool drinks and rest breaks. My knee was acting up something dreadful, and my numb fingers were a slight challenge, but my arm managed very well, so thank you for your prayers. xx

I began with chopping mangoes for freezing and now have a jolly good supply for hubby's autumn and winter smoothies. Then it was on to mango chutney. We normally buy it at the supermarket, but with a hundred mangoes on hand I went looking for a simple but delicious recipe to try. The first batch was just three jars, as I was not sure how good it would taste - well, it was delicious!

I then made a larger second batch, and will make another batch on Boxing Day - it's too good not to. 

Then I moved on to mango jam, something I have never seen in a store and never tasted. This was an overnighter, the fruit and sugar needing to be left to marinate in a large saucepan until the next day. I make loads of different jams, so I assumed this would cook up quickly, but when I re-read the recipe (from the Queensland CWA 1959 Cookbook) it had to boil for 3-4 hours. 

Well, after 2 1/2 hours it was still mostly liquid (and I had only used 2/3 of the sugar given in the recipe because we do not like really sweet jams)...so I added pectin, and another ten minutes of boiling gave me a nice jammy consistency. We are yet to try this, and as I have jars to give away over Christ-mas it seems we had better slice some bread tonight and do a taste test! If it does not pass muster, my gift recipients will receive mango chutney instead (which really makes me determined to cook up another batch on Boxing Day so we don't run out ourselves). I shall let you know after Christ-mas how the jam fared. 

I've also dehydrated about ten large mangoes so far. I gave them a try on the weekend when I made mango and coconut muffins to take on our drive (we take a thermos of home-brewed iced coffee and home-baked muffins for breakfast every Sunday) and they were lovely. Dehydrating the mango intensfies the flavour a great deal. 

Some of the second batch of chutney I put in small 200ml jars for gifts if needed, and as I had some nectarines to use up, a quick batch of nectarine relish was made for Blossom, who absolutely LOVES nectarine season. 

I took about sixteen mangoes over to her at the weekend, and she was thrilled to have them fresh to eat as the children eat a lot of fruit. Ross asked for my quick mango ice-cream recipe and jotted it down on his phone, intent on making it the next day. I reminded him its actually Jamie Oliver's recipe from over a decade ago, but he'll still call it "Mum's Mango Ice-Cream". ;-)

Oh, and I made a simple mango mousse on Saturday night from fresh chopped mangoes, coconut cream, honey and a little gelatine. Hubby is dairy free, which is why I used coconut cream, but apparently the common recipe uses condensed milk and whipped cream with the mangoes.

Our elder tree continues to offer an abundance of elderberries so I am air drying them in the covered back porch. This is the second batch dried, and I have three more batches yet to be plucked off their stems. 

 If you'd like any of the recipes, just let me know in the comments and I'll type them up to share in the New Year.

REPLYING TO COMMENTS

In the previous blog post I slowly started replying to some of the comments, and I'll continue to do that from now on. As long as I rest my fingers every so often, it's manageable to type again. However, I do miss knitting, crochet and embroidery, so if you'd like to offer up a little Christ-mas prayer for healing of my arm and fingers that would be just lovely. 

THE ABIGAIL STUDY

Nothing quite like a gentle reminder from a loved one that we're only days from Christ-mas and perhaps it would be wise to begin the study in the New Year. Wisdom indeed shone through.

MERRY & BLESSED CHRIST-MAS....

Something that always leaves me quiet with an extended moment of wonder, is a truth, which as a mother of many babies rings even truer in my heart this time of year, and this is it. 

Jesus our God, and Saviour, and Redeemer, left His throne in heaven to be born from the womb of a young girl whose first experience as a mother would be to nourish and nurture God in the flesh. Every one of my newborn babies was born helpless, totally dependent on me for their sustenance, their comfort, their rest, their health, and their 24/7 care, so, to imagine the King of Glory, who chose to leave His home in heaven where He had absolute authority, being the Creator of heaven and earth - that He would choose to be a helpless babe, the first child of a young woman, a poor woman, but a young woman of absolute faith and humility, a maid who would carry Him first in her womb, then in her arms, and then in her sorrows as He hung on a cross, leaves me breathless and in awe.

This Jesus, this Lord of all, this Lamb of God...when I awake Christ-mas morning, it is He whom I shall once again worship, just as I do every day of my life, and I shall rejoice just as His mother did when He rose again, and remember his promise to come back for me one day. I hope you hold fast to that promise. I hope you hold fast to Jesus, our Jesus, this Christ-mas. 

Till the New Year, God bless all of you...