With Love, Your Daughters...

To our dearest Daddy...happy Father's Day!

~

 "Children are an inheritance from the Lord.

They are a reward from Him.

The children born to a man when he is young

are like arrows in the hand of a warrior.

Blessed is the man who has

filled his quiver with them.

He will not be put to shame 

when he speaks with his enemies in the city gate."

~ Psalm 127: 3-5 

Today I am praising the Lord for blessing my sisters and I with a Godly father...

I hope each of my sweet readers enjoyed blessing their fathers today!

A Trip Back in Time...

 
  Come with me to the beautiful Garden Route, and let us take a scenic trip back in time, my friends...

...Let us journey into the majestic Outeniqua Mountains, and follow the pass built ever so many years ago...

Let us revel in the richness of our Lord's glorious creation, and behold the splendour of His majesty in the works of His hands...

~

...In the distance lies the town of George...

One crisp Sunday morning we decided to pack a simple picnic and take a leisurely drive into the Outeniqua Mountains...

We thought we would take the old route through the spectacular Outeniqua mountains along the road that first connected George and Oudshoorn...

The Montagu Pass was opened in 1848, and was declared a national monument in 1974...

The narrow gravel roads, sharp bends, steep ascent and exquisite scenery appealed to us from the very beginning.

 Whilst we drove along, exclaiming in excitement at the beauty before our eyes, we imagined what it must have been like to live in those days...

How sad that magnificent steam trains no longer use the railway line which runs parallel to the road at one point...  Isn't this bridge amazing?

At the end of the Montague Pass lies the tiny farming settlement of Herold...

We decided to picnic there in a quiet spot before driving home...

Stopping for a snack...

~

I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into our Sunday afternoon outing, and

experienced a little of the incredibly extensive beauty of South Africa...

Again and again I am reminded of how blessed I am to live in such an extraordinary

part of the world...

I love the harshness of the landscape; the pattern the indigenous trees and shrubs form as they fight for survival on the dry cracked soil of the Little Karoo...

"This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."

- Psalm 118:24

I never thought I would come to love this part of the world as much as I do now - my dreams have always been filled with the rolling green hills of the English countryside, but more and more the Lord is showing me the intricacy and richness of the beauty here...

The beauty is different...it is harsh, but I love it for what it is, and my heart is filled with the glory of

God's awe-inspiring creation and I praise Him for placing me right here.

Gorgeous Protea...

~

I will be taking a short blogging break this week, sweet friends...
I look forward to returning, for I have a few deliciously nourishing recipes I wish to share...
However, I will still be around to visit you!

May you be blessed and filled with the joy of the Lord!

Blessings in Christ,

 ~ The heavens decalre the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.  Psalm 19:1 ~

Information Source:  Mountain Passes South Africa

Thoughtful Thursday

 

"Remember He is the artist and you are only the picture.

You can't see it.  So quietly submit to be painted - i.e., keep 

fufilling all the obvious duties of your station (you really know quite well enough what they are!), asking forgiveness for each failure and then leaving it alone.

You are in the right way.

Walk - don't keep looking at it."

- C.S. Lewis

~

I pray your heart was encouraged

May each of you have a very blessed Thursday!

~ Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.  James 4:8 ~

Revealing...A Finished Project!

   

Today the chilly winter sun is shining pleasantly on our part of the world...

I made the most of this deliciously fair day by taking some photographs of my most recent sewing project, which I had hoped to share with you last week already...

I received some wonderful guesses from my very dear readers on my post, 'Stitching....', and feel very excited to reveal the finished product!!

...This lovely patchwork tea cosy is in my Hope Chest now, and I am hoping to add a matching little traycloth sometime soon!

A lady at the market recently asked me to make her a tea cosy, and as I enjoyed making hers so much, I decided it would be lovely to make one for myself from the gorgeous fabrics I bought whilst away in April...

I love pink, roses and vintage, so this tea cosy is just right for my collection of pretty tea things!

Quilting is one of my favourite pastimes, as is cross-stitch...  

This sweet rose cross-stitch motif was in my work box for sometime, and I was thrilled to discover it and use it in this sewing project...

I simply sewed many little fabric squares together to create this tea cosy, adding a length of beautiful lace to the edge for unique vintage charm...

I then lined the tea cosy with the pink rose fabric and added a little handle...

My Hope Chest is relatively small as yet, but I am hoping to add something new and beautiful more often...  

I love handmade items, so I may just sew some more lovelies for my future home, using all my favourite, vintagey fabrics, of course!

Thank you, sweet friends, for your gracious visits! 

I truly love to have you stop by, and your comments always bring a big smile to my face!

What joy to be able to share glimpses from our lives with others all around the world...

You all are a beautiful inspiration and blessing to me, and it is a delight knowing you!

~

 Do you have a Hope Chest, or did you have one as a young girl?

 Do you use a tea cosy, and if so, do you think these patchwork tea cosies would be a delightful addition to Heartmade?

~

Have a blessed and creative week!

"She seeks out wool and linen with care and works with willing hands."  

- Proverbs 31:13

 ~

  This Post May be Shared with...

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

In Which We Celebrate a Special Birthday...

Birthday dressing and hair styling by Nancy... 

...And so sweet Miss Rebekah celebrated her sixth birthday amidst lovely gifts, dear people, pretty decor, flouncy princess dresses and delicious party food...

~

Thank you, dear friends, for the gracious birthday wishes for my precious little sister, Rebekah!

She had a very special sixth birthday, and certainly one she will remember for many years to come...

Mommy wuth her precious little girl...

For weeks before her birthday, Rebekah asked for a princess party and a castle cake...

Nancy found a wonderful idea for the cake, and I baked it on Wednesday morning so that we could decorate it that evening when the girls were snuggled up in bed...

Big sister...little sister ~ Rebekah and I...

~

It is a much loved tradition in our home that the birthday girl goes to be bed without catching a glimpse of what we are working on, and awakes the next morning to the wonderful surprise of her special birthday cake...

 

This time Nancy and I worked together to decorate her castle cake as it was a bit more intense and time-consuming than either of us had anticipated!

We had a lovely evening laughing and working on the cake together...  I also baked a few of the eats for the next day whilst we were in the kitchen.

We ended up finishing at 11pm, and just in case you are wondering, cake decorating is our forte and my mother has happily passed this job on to her older daughters who thoroughly enjoy the creative process...:)

We decided to colour the castle pink, with pretty flowers arranged on the light green grass...  

We used plastic icing for the outside of the cake, and a buttercream icing to join the two layers of rose-flavoured sponge cake together...

 

Mother-of-pearl food colouring was used for the turrets and to dust the steps leading to the castle...

Silver balls lined the pathway and added charm to the castle itself...I also cut out little dark pink windows and a big double door from plastic icing...

~

We decided to do a very small party, only inviting one other family who have three girls, two of which are close in age to my younger sisters...

Nancy organised paper crowns for them to decorate...

Busy little hands...

...And I baked star shaped biscuits with Sofia and Rebekah for each little lady to decorate...

I made light pink and purple royal icing for them to use, and placed each biscuit on a popsicle stick before baking...

 

Then we enjoyed the delightful party!

Princess Sofia...

 Princess Gabrielle...

Simple crown shaped sandwiches...mini homemade chicken pies...devilled eggs and fresh juice were the simple refreshments, and of course there was cake!  

 Nancy decorated the living room so beautifully.  She hung a princess mosquito net up and strung pretty bunting across the room...the table was simply decorated, but the elegant touches she added were perfect!

Oh, and don't forget pink party balloons...

We played music from the new Cinderella soundtrack for all our princesses to enjoy, and much chatting and laughing could be heard from our home on Wednesday afternoon!

Once the guests had left, the girls and I ran around to tidy up and start supper which was homemade pizza, as requested by Rebekah...

After our lovely dinner, we cuddled up on the couch to look at photographs of Rebekah as a baby, and you can see many of them on my posts under the label 'Rebekah'...

Rebekah was the first baby to appear on my blog, and I have journaled her life from infant till now - it is very special to go back and see how she has grown!

~

Thank you for visiting me today, sweet readers!

I hope you enjoyed a glimpse of this special birthday celebration...

The sun continues to shine after a week of heavy rains and stormy weather, so I hope to take photographs of all my recent projects to share in the upcoming week!

Have a blessed Saturday!

~  Our bodies are made of clay, yet we have the treasure of the Good News in them.  This shows that the superior power of this treasure belongs to God and doesn't come from us.  2 Corinthians 4:7 ~

 ~

  This Post May be Shared with...

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

The Completed Garment...

You may remember my post from sometime ago, New Pattern and Fabric Bliss...?

Well, I just realised I hadn't shared a photograph of the completed items yet!

This short-sleeve peasant top was simple to make, and is a lovely addition to my wardrobe...as Winter is setting in, I have had to put it away for the summertime, though....

~

The sun has come out today, so perhaps I will have some time to photograph my sewing project a bit later...:)

Have a very blessed and restful weekend, dearest readers!

~ ...She dresses with strength and nobility...  Proverbs 31:25 ~

Thoughtful Thursday

"I have learned, in whatever state I am, therewith to be content."  - Phillipians 4:11.

THESE words show us that contentment is not a natural propensity of man."Ill weeds grow apace."

Covetousness, discontent, and mumuring are as natural to man as thorns are to the soil.  

We need not sow thistles and brambles; they come up naturally enough, because they are indigenous to earth:  and so, we need not teach men to complain; they complain fast enough without any education.  But the precious things of earth must be cultivated.

If we would have wheat, we must plough and sow; if we want flowers, there must be the garden, and all the gardener's care.

Now, contentment is one of the flowers of heaven, and if we would have it, it must be cultivated; it will not grow in us by nature; it is the new nature alone that can produce it, and even then we must be specially careful and watchful that we maintain and cultivate the grace which God has sown in us.  Paul says "I have learned...to be content;" as much as to say, he did not know how at one time.

It cost him some pains to attain the mystery of that great truth.

No doubt he sometimes thought he had learned, and then broke down again.  

And at last he had attained unto it, and could say, "I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content," he was an old, grey-headed man, upon the borders of the grave - a poor prisoner shut up in Nero's dungeon at Rome.  We might well be willing to endure Paul's infirmities, and share the cold dungeon with him, if we too might by any means attain unto his good degree.  

Do not undulge the notion that you can be contented with learning, or learn without discipline.  

It is not a power that may be exercised naturally, but a science to be acquired gradually.  

We know this from experience.  Brother, hush that murmur, natural though it be, and continue a diligent pupil in the College of Content.

- Charles H Spurgeon

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up on wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."  

- Isaiah 40:31

Many blessings in the Lord!

Painting by Clark James

A Little Princess Turns Six...

This precious little lady is celebrating her sixth birthday today...how time flies, my friends!

Surely it was just the other day I was writing of our great excitement concerning the new little life in my mother's womb...?  
I can remember the incredible joy and satisfaction in holding my darling baby sister for the first time; delighted by her every move, her chubby newborn face and utterly entranced by the noises she made...

It seems like the years have whisked by without us even realising it, and here sweet Rebekah is, six years old and a beautiful little maiden for the Lord Jesus!

I wrote a character sketch on Rebekah the other day for a school assignment, and I thought it would be lovely to share it with you so that you might be able to form a picture of her beautiful, unique personality...

Rebekah is the second youngest little girl in our home and a dearly loved sister, daughter and friend…

She emits love, acceptance, and sunshine wherever she goes.

At almost six years old, she has adorable red lips, like a rose that is yet to unfurl its delicate petals, and her skin is tanned light brown, changing to a darker hue in the summertime.

Her gorgeous brown hair is cut to shoulder length as she detests having her hair brushed, and knots and tangles don’t bother her as they do Mom.

Her slight lisp, cheerful little smile and soft dimples only add to her sweet personality, as does her infectious laugh.

We often call her ‘Madam Rebekah’, as she likes to assume lady-like airs, not out of vanity, however, and always chooses the dress that is both flouncy and puffy and also very regal looking.

She feels deeply and despite her sometimes obstinate nature, she has a teachable spirit and comes to realise her mistake far sooner than any of us ever have, humbly asking forgiveness and admitting wrong.  Likewise, she freely forgives those who have wronged her.

Rebekah is usually quite happy and contented in her own little world, only drawing in those persons she holds dear, or whom she has compassion on.

Unlike her sisters, she prefers to play quietly on her own with her precious soft toy leopard, Rory.  She treats him like a child, brushing his fur, giving him cuddles and tucking him up into bed at night, like the gentle soul that she is.

Often she will sit at the piano and compose a charming tune, quite unaware of anyone or anything, just so absorbed in the music she creates with the simple movement of her fingers.

Rebekah forms strong bonds with those she loves and is incredibly loyal.

Her caring and sensitive personality means she very quickly senses when someone is unhappy or in pain, and seeks to uplift their spirits with a giant hug, a picture she has drawn - and wrapped in numerous layers of paper and tied with the biggest ribbon she can find - or a note which one of her sisters has written for her as she is yet to learn how to read and write properly.

She is genuine and sincere in her affections and adds a very special and important dynamic to our family.

Dearest Rebekah...you are truly loved and adored, and we praise the Lord for placing you in our family!
We pray that your sixth birthday and seventh year of life is as special and beautiful as you, dear, beautiful princess for Jesus!

~

Thank you for visiting today, sweet friends!  
Today is a day of celebration and thanksgiving, so I must be off as there are still plenty of things to be done before we can give Miss Rebekah her little birthday party...
I do hope you will stop by again for some birthday celebration fun coming soon!

~ Blessings ~

"...Children a reward from him..."  ~ Psalm 127:3