Fencing, knitting, cooking and gardening...

Life has been so very busy this week for us here. We have had my lovely sister visiting over the Australia Day long weekend, I even had her knitting for me! We currently have some fence building in progress. It will be wonderful to have it finished as then Meela , our Beagalier, will have more space to run and wander and lots more things to sniff at. We are also busily making a smaller fenced area to keep some chooks in. Can't wait till we have our own fresh eggs!
We have had some cooler days which were a pleasant relief from the heat. I am not a fan of really hot days! Must be my Scottish blood!
We harvested some decent sized beetroot from our veggie garden which I roasted with some other root vegetables. YUM!
Today I have just finished off a couple more Tea Cosies to sell on my 'Facebook Page'.      www.facebook.com/mymountaincottage
Some new business cards arrived in the mail and a new Hydrangea rubber stamp to play with. I'm dreaming up some fun ideas for that!
So all in all it has been a busy but fun week.
Thanks again for visiting 

Dusky Pink Tea Cosy topped with Iceberg White Roses

Lavender tea cosy topped with White and lilac Hydrangea flowers

My daughter Sarah designed this lovely card for me

My gorgeous Hayley Modelling my Tea Cosy and Pinny

Beetroot fresh from our garden.

close up of the lovely stitching on my Lavender Pinny 

Who doesn't love a cute apron?

 

   I finished these aprons this week! I'm pretty happy with how they turned out and

    I have cut out fabric for more. I'm excited about all the different colour

     combinations that I have planned. It has been kinda fun really.

    Thank you to my darling Sarah for lots of encouragement and tea!

                



Thoughts, creations and reflections

The mist and rain arrived in the mountains this week. It cooled down and was perfect weather for crafting! It has been a busy week for us here. I have been sorting fabric for some sewing projects and I've done lots of knitting and crocheting as well. On Tuesday one of my girls and I had a trip down the mountain to visit a big craft outlet for supplies. It was so good to wander through the aisles looking at fabric and wool and imagining all the things I could create!
It was also a big week emotionally and I really found myself quite discouraged but my motto is onward and upward. I learned a few new skills and started some new projects. I have been keeping a little book to fill with ideas and to do lists and also to record  achievements and I've found that this has been really helpful and allowed me to focus on the positive again.
I am very grateful to have such supportive friends and family.
I am reminded constantly that life is good.
I am loved and cherished.
There is always beauty to be found in the world.
So keep looking up, even on the bad days.

“Keep your face always toward the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you.”
― Walt Whitman

  stay tuned for pictures of the finished product!

Beginnings

This week I have begun to be more creative again. I started with a little brainstorming with my lovely daughter Sarah and we came up with a theme and a plan to use some supplies we had in stock already. It was a good feeling to be able to be so resourceful. The theme I decided to go with is Hydrangea. I love the colours and the beauty of the gorgeous flowers and I am always inspired by my garden. I learned to crochet in the last few years and knitting is something passed down to me by my mum and her sisters though I am not nearly as proficient or prolific as those amazing women!
So with lots of encouragement from my family I knitted a tea cosy and added some crotched flowers.
So what do you think?
I am quite pleased with myself!

A work in progress!

My first finished Tea Cosy

Glamis Castle, a Davis Austen Rose

Beautiful pinks and blues.

I love Crab-apples and so do the Birds!

A legacy of loss

I have always been an optimist from as far back as I can remember, which in a way is odd because I have lived through some very difficult days.
 I am a motherless daughter. When I was a young child my mother succumbed to a rare and aggressive cancer which claimed her life when she was just 45 and I was only 11. That one huge event shaped my life.
I was both strengthened and scarred, but I learned very quickly that to survive this tragedy I must look after myself and be able to adapt in a sometimes scary big world.
I was the eldest daughter of our little family and also just stepping into my teenage years.
We were immigrants from Scotland, all of our extended family were far across the sea. There were no doting aunts nearby to enfold us into their embrace. My younger sister and I were like little boats bobbing about in a huge ocean in need of mothering. My Dad was a lovely, gentle, man who was overwhelmed by his grief and loss. He was always there to provide for us but he was ill-equipped to live a life without my mother. My older brother was a great support but he had his own life to pursue. 
Yet we survived and even blossomed into a close and loving family. The loss of my mother
birthed in me a deep longing to be a wife and mother. I wanted to recreate the family unit which I had lost. So by the time I reached my mid twenties I started my own lovely family. Our family always included my dad who came to live with us when he retired and my sweet sister who we all adore. I was blessed with three beautiful daughters and the best husband a girl could pray for.
For me family is everything! My love of family is what makes my world turn. It keeps me grounded and centred and everything I do flows out of that rich heritage.

Mum 1944

My mum had a deep and abiding faith which she passed on to her children. I grew to trust that God was still good. He could turn sorrow and mourning into dancing. He could make the crooked places straight.
 One of my very favourite verses is Romans 8: 28 "And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purposes."

 

We are strong because of her, she is the roots of the  tree and we are the branches.

My mother and two of her sisters, with children round their knees.

My mother holding me, my brother and small cousin along side.



 

 



Fiona and I the year my mother died.

A rainy day in the garden

It has been lovely and cool up here in the mountains for the last few days. I have really enjoyed the break from the warmer weather and we have been blessed with some light drizzly rain. The garden is soaking up the moisture and drinking it all in.
So today I ventured out with my husband's Canon EOS 400D digital camera to practice my limited photography skills. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Everything looks fresh and so pretty with raindrops on leaves and petals,and mist in the air.

 

 

Hello!

Here it is, the beginning of a new year. I thought I'd step out of my comfort zone and try something new. So here I am writing my very first blog post.
I'm excited about some new ideas I have for starting a small cottage industry. So I have been brainstorming with one of my lovely daughters. I have always been a creative person and love making things with my hands. So I'm looking at making, and hopefully selling, things that I think are beautiful, and maybe someone else will think so too!
I want to have fun and also help supplement our small income.
I love our new old house and I am enjoying decorating and filling it with love and warmth.
We had our first Christmas here and it was beautiful.

So here goes... my journey into blogging.

My Mountain Cottage



How I love my garden

Christmas at my house