Thursday, December 10, 2015

A Lovely Little Post of Thoughts and Festive Musings...

Hello lovely readers and happy Thursday to you!
Can you believe that Christmas is a mere two weeks away...?

I haven't been in the blog world too much of late...if read my post from a week or two ago, you will probably understand why!  {{smiles}}
My precious mother is finding this 7th pregnancy much more challenging and tiring, so I feel honoured to still be at home and able to help her where I can!
Thank you to each of you who are dilligently praying for her and our baby brother...your thoughts and prayers are truly appreciated!
How I long to meet this little one who is already loved and cherished by his family...

~
I thought I would share a little post of thoughts, happenings and various projects that I have been working on of late instead of the usual, Thursday Pearls...I had hoped to return to the blogosphere last week but alas!  The past few days have been a whirlwind of activity with more set to come!

In my absence, I have been working on completing a delightful little order for a sweet customer...can you guess what I have been creating?  Oh indeed...reindeer!


Oh, and I have a wonderfully festive tutorial planned for next week, sweet friends, so do stay posted!  If you like to sew and create, then you will love these darling fabric trees...

 
These patchwork fabric Christmas trees are also available on my Etsy shoppe...

My grandmother arrives late next week...she will spend Christmas with us and oh my!  
How much we have to complete before then!  Christmas crackers...we always love making our own...gifts for the girls...organising the final menu...what fun!

But our hope is to keep our Christmas celebrations Christ centred and simple so as to not lose the beauty of this time of year by stressing about trivial matters...a few years ago I shared a post on celebrating Christmas for real...would you perhaps like to read it...?  You can find my post here...

Christmas card making is something I just love, don't you...?
Each year we make a couple gift boxes for dear friends and family members, and I love popping a handmade Christmas card in each box of handmade and homemade goodies!

Simple and sweet...Christmas cards

This Monday coming we have a lovely Christmas brunch to look forward to...two dear friends and precious sisters in the Lord are hosting this little party for us and a few other young ladies, and I am sure it is going to so wonderful!

My dad has been away for a good few days now on a business trip, and is only expected home this coming Tuesday...of course we all miss him dearly, but we have tried to be productive in his absence...in the evenings we older girls have enjoyed watching Wives and Daughters which he got for us before he left!  Ah...how I love this BBC adaption!  So beautiful...

Cornflowers are blooming...aren't they beautiful...?  There is just something soft and romantic about them...{{happy sigh}}

In amongst daily happenings, the garden is growing and there is much preserving to be done too!  Cucumber pickles...summer squash bread...jam (made with berries from our neighbour!)...

Beth is lending a hand in the garden now as goodness!  There are just too many jobs to be done each day to keep the fresh produce coming in!  

Tomato Chilli Jam...oh so scrumptious...recipe can be found here...

And not to mention the watering...summer has arrived, and that means lots of hot weather!  
There is a terrible drought in our country at the moment, so would you perhaps pray that the Lord would see fit to send us some much needed rain?
Where we are, we have been fortunate to have more rain than most places in South Africa...and we are very thankful for that!

Gem Squash...

~
Well now, dear readers...I must be off to finish off some house cleaning...with guests coming to stay, it is always a good idea to use the opportunity to give our homes a little tidy up and a sort through...my task has been to clean windows, and we have those lovely windows that are made up of tiny individual panes...this means a bit of extra work, but how satisfying it is to stand back and admire your handiwork!

Blessings to you and much love...thank you for your continued friendship in the blog world...I appreciate each one of you sweet ladies!

Oh, and for those of you who followed Beautiful Girlhood on Facebook, I would like to let you know that I no longer have a page as I deactivated my personal profile...I dearly want to spend more time enjoying my home, family and writing my blog/reading blogs, so hopefully I can free up some time to do just this by not being on Facebook...  I hope you will continue to follow here, though!

With joy in Jesus!

15 comments:

Celestina Marie said...

Dear Kelly, how delightful to visit with you today and read your beautiful post. You have been a busy girl helping out your precious mother and I pray she does well through this pregnancy. How special to meet a baby brother. He will keep you girls on your toes in the future!

Love your darling reindeer and tree ornaments. Simply so sweet and the fabrics are precious designs. You do beautiful work my friend.

Have fun and enjoy your house guests. I pray Christmas is a special one for you and thank you for your friendship this past year. It has been so nice getting to know you.
Love and Blessings, xo

Anonymous said...

Hi, I will certainly remember your precious mom and baby in my prayers. How exciting that your grandmother will visit with you for Christmas. Your reindeer creations are cute as can be. I also love the hand-made Christmas cards. You are so very talented.
I enjoyed seeing the photo of the cornflowers. One of my favorites. I do pray your area will receive rain. Your canned goods make such lovely gifts to share with friends and loved ones.
Thank you for the update and for sharing these beautiful photos. May God richly bless you.

Christine said...

You are such a sweet daughter and I will pray for your dear mother! How exciting to be waiting for your new brother's arrival!
I love those crafts you have been making and chili jam sounds great!
I loved that version of wives and Daughters too!
Have a blessed week, dear Kelly-Anne!

Sarah said...

Kelly-Anne,

Your reindeer and ornaments are just lovely!! You use the prettiest fabrics. What a blessing you are to your mother! I think it is wonderful that you are there to help her at this exciting time!!! My prayers are with you and your family!! May you have a blessed time with your grandma this Christmas. : )

-Sarah

Anonymous said...

Kelly-Anne,

It was such a delight to read about your recent happenings :) What a blessing you are to your mother! I know she must appreciate you so much!! :)

Christmas is a busy time of year, but it's so fun at the same time...Lots of things going on and tasks to get done. We are finally done with all the decorating, and now my sister and I are just waiting to get our parents' gifts in the mail and wrap them. Other than that, our Christmas prep is done, except for the dinner plan.

Well...I better go for now. I'm off to do a little Christmas baking! I haven't baked anything all season yet, so I'm looking forward to trying a new recipe :)

Thinking of you and your sweet family! And sending many hugs and much love!
~Libby

Stephanie said...

Dearest Kelly-Anne, how I love seeing your sweet creations. You are one incredibly talented young lady and I have no doubt that your handmade beauties bless many people. I can attest to this because the little reindeer I purchased from your is oh-so-charming and I absolutely LOVE her :)

You have certainly been a busy little bee and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing a few of your items.

May you have a splendid weekend, dear friend. Much love to you!

Cheryl said...

Dear Kelly-Anne! What a delightful post! I LOVE your sweet, little creations....oh, those trees! I love the pretty crocheted (I think?) stars at the top! Oh, how dainty and pretty! And, your dear words...they always encourage me when I see your posts in my inbox. I always know I am in for an uplifting treat! I do trust the dear Lord will soon send the rain you so need. And, I am continuing to pray for your precious mother....may God just bless and strengthen and uphold her as she carries this dear, new baby brother! I must say I felt oh, so proud of you for letting go of your facebook in favor of spending more quality time with your family. What an amazingly noble and wise thing to do! Jesus' love shines through you so sweetly, and you are such a joy to know!

Julie's Lifestyle said...

Hello Kelly-Anne,
Thank you for your lovely visit today. I love your gorgeous things you have been making especially the fabric Christmas tree. Wishing you a wonderful weekend.
Julie xo

Paige said...

Uh-oh, how did I miss the big news about your family?! Congratulations on expecting a baby brother! I will be praying for health for Mom and Baby and energy for the young ladies keeping house. ;)
What sweet reindeer and cute cards! You are so creative, and I like the fabrics you find.
Hopefully this spring will bring you some rain. Our area has been in a drought the past couple of years, though probably less severe than in your country! We are getting plenty of rain this week though!

Alex said...

how do you fit it all in, I might ask??! Everything you mske is so beautiful..and you are so helpful at home : )
What a very busy time this is for you, so thank you for taking the time to do this sweet post...it actually brought me a breath and scent of summer, which is rather nice at this cold grey time in the Northern hemisphere.The cornflower photo is oh so lovely.

Thinking of you, Kelly-Anne. Hope all goes well, sweet friend.Enjoy!


Daniela said...

I cannot believe my eyes, your creations are so very lovely, I love your reindeers so much !
You're so good, my darling, and I know you're doing your best for helping your mother in this period, you're certainly a blessing to her !
Take care, darling,
sending blessings on your weekend,
with much, much love to you both
Dany

God's Grace Overflows said...

Hello Kelly-Anne!
Never apologize for being away from the computer, I at least understand. Family should always come first. It sounds as though you have had a lot on your plate. I so enjoyed cartching up and reading all that you have been up too. Those little reindeer are so cute and card making is also fun. That jam looks interesting. I am having a hard time trying to get in the Christmas Joy, so I haven't felt like doing anything creative. I'm even having a hard time wanting to bake goodies! Hard to believe, huh? Oh well, I guess in due time...
I'm so glad you are doing well and I will still be keeping you all in my prayers!
Hugs my friend!
Amy

Butterfly 8)(8 Bungalow said...

Dear Kelley, Your mother is so blessed to have you. You are so talented in so many ways. I love the turquoise reindeer and the red string around him. Oh my goodness! He is the cutest little reindeer I have ever seen! The photo of your wildflowers with the sun making them glow is gorgeous. Enjoy advent. xoxo Su

Marilyn @ MountainTopSpice said...

Kelly-Anne, what a dear sweet heart of servanthood you have. Your posts are always such a blessing to read, truly. The light of the grace of God just shines through your sharing of life around you. Such a blessing you must be to your dear mother, with the anticipation of a new baby brother, and a new sister too! All the amazing projects that you have taken on, you have such talent! I was so blessed to receive the gorgeous Ellie elephants made by your sweet hands for my nieces, which they absolutely adored! I pray the Lord blesses your Etsy shop this season, and fills your home and heart with an abundance of the joy and presence of the Lord. I will be praying for your mother too! Much love to you dear friend!

Anonymous said...

This was a fun read Kelly-Anne! Hope your mother continues to do well! Lovely reindeer!