Take off your shoes..

Friends..let us open our eyes today

 to see the shekinah of God's glory 

flaming all around us.

 Barefoot and humble..let us walk softly

reverently and quietly through our day

for the Holy One is with us!

Simple steps~ Chooks

I have been wanting to get some chooks for quite some time now, and finally this month we were able to install a hen-house in a corner of our yard and set up home for 4 chickens.

I am very pleased with them and happy about how they came into our possession.

We got them by old-fashioned bartering!

My hubby will be repairing the timber frame on a friend's sofa in exchange for these chickens and their coop.

Over the years he has been able to use his skills in this way to provide us with a number of things for our home.

It's the way we like best - no money - just sharing!

Our new hens give us at least 3 eggs per day which is ample for the two of us, and leaves some to give away to friends and neighbours.

Besides that, they provide us with much entertainment and company - they really are funny creatures with sweet personalities!



I think they're bound to live out a long life here; none of us has the heart or will to turn them into a chicken dinner any time soon lol!



We are much more into pet-cuddling than culling :-)



Speaking of cuddling - my son's girlfriend and I are cuddling up to my 94yr old mother in this photo.

She has just left today to go back home after spending the past week holidaying with us.

I am so blessed to have such a healthy and spritely mother still with me at her advanced age!

She had a ton of fun watching the chooks and all their antics - they brought back many memories for her.

Mum's parents were country folk and always had hens running around the house.
She and dad also kept chickens while my siblings and I were growing up.

I was raised with the iconic backyard chookpen and vegie patch, and I have hankered for my own for ages!

Now I have both at last :-)

I am spending lots of contented moments throughout my days watching and tending to them and thanking the Lord for His provision.

Slowly but surely, my hubby and I are taking more and more small steps towards a simple life - and that makes me grateful and very happy indeed!



Simple Pleasures~ Hanging out the washing

Blue wrens dart about the arching canes of the creamy Banksia rose.

Buds on the peach tree are turning pink and full with promise.

The sun is shining warm and soothing on my back...

making today's chore of hanging out the washing a real delight!

Next door the voices of blonde-haired cherubs are singing..

"Bo----b the Builder

can we fix it?

Yes we can!"

They have made a shopfront from cardboard boxes on the deck

and are doing their best to sell wares to their loyal customer!

"Mum.. would you like to buy something from our shop?"

She plays her part of course, much to their giggling relief and enjoyment.

The morning ambles along ..

a light breeze is fluttering the towels and waving through the grass.

Laundry is drying.
 Life is good and I am content.

***

Joining Dayle to give thanks for the simple pleasure of having a sunny day to hang out the washing.

Renting garments!

What in the world was I thinking?!

Week after week going to the thrift shop to scout out what nice new garment I might find to bring home.

Time and again, carting back bags of skirts with waists too small and blouses that look dull and aging on me.

Convincing myself that I was being frugal by spending so little to get so much!

Yet, in the long run, I have wasted more money this way than if I'd purchased a few good items, brand new from the dearer stores in town.

 Being frugal is not always about spending less money for something.

If you find a good quality garment that you will own for years and looks really nice on you ..then it's a bargain.

On the other hand.. if you pay money for things you soon end up giving back ..doesn't that mean you were only renting them to start with?

I am happy to support charity shops - don't get me wrong.

But I have had a sneaking suspicion for a while now, that my attraction addiction to buying clothes at Goodwill shops might be just a wee bit over the top - well I was right!!

Just look at this -

 3 bags full of clothing to give back to where they came from :-(

Ugh!! Not good!!

Am I the only one who does this?

Settle for an item that is not quite right for the sake of saving a few pennies?

Now and then it probably doesn't hurt..yard clothes to do the gardening in don't have to be perfect after all.

But when the bulk of your wardrobe starts to look like you live in the potting shed..something has to go!!

Living-room Makeover

I'm always amazed at what a difference a little elbow grease, and a tin of paint can achieve in a room!

This is a 'before' photo of a dull corner of my living room that we repainted recently.

I had tried painting a deepish pink on the far wall as a 'feature,' to try to bring in some colour against the boring beige/peach that the previous owners had used everywhere in the house.  

And this is how it looks now, after being repainted in Dulux Antique White USA.

The new white colour reflects so much more light in this room and brightens it up considerably!

Sitting beneath a collection of blue and white vintage plates is the new table, made by my clever husband (aka 'the Woodman'), and a wicker basket of silk flowers reduced from $90 to $15 because of some shop damage -which I've hidden under a green scarf.

And of course... moi!

Burning the midnight lamp!

 ummm...

Well more like 9pm actually  :-)

And when I'm not meeting you at the table..I'm snuggled up in my faithful old chair by the fire reading..thinking..and praying.

It doesn't have to take much to make a cosy, comfy corner in a home.

Trust me - a few old plates and chairs and a tin of paint can work wonders!

x Trish

              I'm linking to Metamorphosis Monday

Wash Day

ON A WINDY WASH DAY MORN

Soaked and scrubbed in a round tin tub

with homemade soap

up and down the ribs of a wooden washboard

by hands rubbed red & raw

on a windy wash day morn.

Stiffened with starch, squeezed

and wrung to a twisted laundry rope

then hung on lines to flap

back and forth and snap dry

on a windy wash day morn.

Laid on the lawn like paper cutouts

clean shirts and sheets, towels and skirts

smelling of sun and clouds and wind

wait to be ironed and worn and dirtied

again for another wash day morn.

~ Brenda Seabrooke, American poet and novelist

Weekend Gardening

The weekend arrived, cool but with sunny blue skies, and we puttered around our backyard and started to transform it into what we hope will be a more practical and healthy space for growing food.

The Woodman decided to literally "hoe into" the vegie garden after making a wooden frame from timber we already had stored away.

One good thing about being married to a man who loves wood, is that you usually have stacks of it piled up in various places around the house :-)

We mixed humus through the soil and planted some seedlings of garlic, dutch carrots, lettuce, silverbeet, rhubarb and broad beans. It will be interesting to see how they fare as we head into Winter.

I was a little dubious about the height of the timber framework and it's ability to hold the soil in properly..but hubby assures me he will raise it up later on if necessary :-)

This morning we put some bamboo poles around the lemon tree to drape a protective cover over it, as we are having very frosty mornings this week.

The Lisbon lemon is supposed to be frost-tolerant so hopefully it will not get damaged.

Perhaps the 'guardian statue' will be enough to scare the frost away, anyhow lol!

It was a perfect weekend to be relaxing in the fresh (and I do mean fresh!) Autumn air, while watching the silver-eye finches and blue wrens darting about in the Buddleia bushes.. and dreaming of how we hope the garden will turn out.

At the moment it isn't too pretty I suppose..but there's a nice feeling that comes with knowing we're using materials that we had on hand and not paying a fortune just to get a "look".

Trying to live simply and more frugally means making adjustments in our way of approaching things.

Being content with using humble materials is just a small one.

The biggest transformation that I see happening here so far, is actually in my Woodman!

He's always loved having flowers about, but never was one to weed or spend much time bent over a rake or shovel lol!

But since we embarked upon a path to simplicity, the garden has suddenly become an exciting place for him to work in.
 It's so nice to see him now..happily plotting and implementing new ideas to bring us closer to the earth and less reliant on outside sources of food and energy.

At the end of the day, I have to agree with King Solomon -

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:" Eccles 3:1

From Little Things..Big Things Grow

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin..Zechariah 4:10

Making changes towards a simpler way of life is very much on the agenda at our little cottage these days!

Over the past couple of weeks the Woodman and I started to work on this corner of our backyard.
We are removing the grass and weeds and setting out beds for a vegie patch to keep the Lisbon lemon tree company.

There is a stray pumpkin growing close to the fence here as well, but it seems a wee bit too shady for it to be very successful to me. But I guess we shall soon see..

A passionfruit vine is scrambling along the wire frame and flowering at the moment.

I love the dramatic blooms and we are really looking forward to the delicious fruit to enjoy later on!

This area is where the Woodman has chopped our wood for the past 7 years, but recently he moved the block and tools to another unused spot so we can put in a 2nd vegie patch here. I'm glad, because this gets a good amount of sun throughout the day and hopefully will be a great place for some more herbs and vegetables.

Our beginnings are somewhat small and humble..but it's still a joy to be putting our little bit of earth to better use at last. We've grown the odd herb or vegetable here and there over the years and we do have some fruit trees, but we've never had a really serious vegetable garden. It feels so good to be planning for a more efficient and of course healthier way of enjoying our yard. It's all quite exciting to this simple soul :-)

blessings.. Trish

Some simple plans

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin..Zechariah 4:10

The "work" of simplifying our home and lifestyle  :-)

I thought I'd post a little bit about some of our latest family projects today...

This past week the Woodman and I started working on a neglected corner of our backyard.

It's a rather ram-shackle area that we once had plans to build a raised deck in, so we could sit there and leisurely view our mountain throughout the day.

Sadly, our neighbours had their own plans too, and built a high extension onto their house which means we no longer see our beloved mountain from our backyard - except for when we climb onto our carport roof!

Don't laugh now.. we actually do! It's the best way to take some amazing sunset photos  :-p
So now that we aren't going to be sitting in this spot, we've decided to remove the grass and weeds so we can set out beds for a vegie patch to keep the Lisbon lemon tree company.

There is already a stray pumpkin growing close to the fence here as well, but it seems a wee bit too shady for it to grow very successfully to me. But I guess we shall soon see..

A passionfruit vine is scrambling along the wire frame and flowering at the moment.

I love the dramatic blooms and we are really looking forward to the delicious fruit to enjoy later on!

This area is where the Woodman (hubby) has chopped our wood for the past 7 years, but today he moved the block and tools to another unused spot so we can put in a 2nd vegie patch here. I'm glad, because this gets a good amount of sun throughout the day and hopefully will be a great place for some more herbs and vegetables.

These beginnings are somewhat small and humble..but it's still a joy to be putting our little bit of earth to better use at last. We have the odd herb and vegetable here and there and we do have fruit trees, but we've never had a really serious vegetable garden. It feels so good to be planning for a more efficient and of course healthier way of using our yard.

And as time and money permits, we will be building a chicken coop for the chooks and installing a water tank and solar roof panels on the house as well.  *happy sigh..*

I've always dreamed of being self-sufficient and living a more old-fashioned way, but the Woodman has taken a bit longer to get as enthused about making the changes.

Suddenly, it's as if he's "seen the light" and we are now off and running! 

No more living (more or less) as we did in the city 30 years ago, we are actually going to do what we've talked about for so long! 

It's all quite exciting really :-) 

blessings.. Trish

L.A.C.E.~the simple woman's beauty

The beauty of a simple woman outlasts the 'diva's' days.

For in her plain simplicity is where her beauty lays.

She need not spend a fortune on cosmetics or her dress

She need not go to 'experts' to enhance her prettiness.
She seeks no costly gold and jewels to weigh her fingers down

Her truest treasure always is to seek a godly crown

Through humble worship of her Lord and  kindly service given;

For these are gems that sparkle brightest under God's pure Heaven.
Her heart is quiet and content with all her lot in life

Whether single, widow, mother or devoted wife.

In difficult and trying days she simply carries on

Knowing that in times like these great victories are won.
By placing all her trust and faith in what her God will do

To send the help He knows she needs to safely bring her through. 

The softness of her skin and hair is not her prime concern.

For larger, fuller lips or lash she simply does not yearn.
Her eyes are rarely on herself to fuss and primp and preen.

She looks into the heart and soul that's hidden and unseen.

For it's there she spends her fortune - simply all she can afford

To make the sweetest haven for her loved ones and her Lord.

And deep inside the chambers of this royal temple lays

The sum of all the wealth and beauty gathered through her days.

And when her life is over and before her God she stands

A shining robe He'll give her wrought with jewels by His own hand.

For every humble thought and action when she lived on earth

Will be transformed like coal to diamond, to show her soul's true worth.

Then all her plain simplicity and trust and faith will show

A beauty and a loveliness that 'divas' never know.

Trish

Hello dear friends,

A warm Wednesday welcome to L.A.C.E.
Just a reminder of the rules for this weekly meme based on Philippians 4:8 :
"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Phil 4:8
I invite you to link with posts that encourage us to be godly christian women, and which promote the beauty of our vocation as homemakers with joyful femininity.
Whatever is..Lovely Admirable Cheerful Encouraging ~ LACE
Link to the actual post you are submitting and not to your homepage.
You are welcome take the button on the sidebar.
Please leave a comment after linking, and visit each other.
My thanks to all the sweet ladies who make this such a lovely weekly gathering :-).
blessings..Trish

A gentle pleasant manner..wins hearts

'If you love God heartily, my child, you will often speak of Him among your relations, household and familiar friends, and that because "the mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment." . . . we are told that when St. Francis uttered the Name of the Lord, he seemed to feel the sweetness lingering on his lips, and could not let it go. But always remember, when you speak of God, that He is God; and speak reverently and with devotion, - not affectedly or as if you were preaching, but with a spirit of meekness, love, and humility; dropping honey from your lips (like the Bride in the Canticles) in devout and pious words, as you speak to one or another around, in your secret heart the while asking God to let this soft heavenly dew sink into their minds as they hearken. And remember very specially always to fulfill this angelic task meekly and lovingly. . . It is wonderful how attractive a gentle, pleasant manner is, and how much it wins hearts.'
St. Francis de Sales

"I am the Carpenter with nails in My Hand.

I am the Cross-bearer with scars on My Back.

I am the Burden-carrier weighed down by your woes.

I walk beside you in all things - I never let go of your hand or cease to carry your load.

If you would walk with Me you would have peace.

Dry your tears.. they are not for profit.

What will profit your soul is this - to stand with Me in My trials as I stand with you in yours.

To stand with Me means this..to gaze upon Me with the eyes of your soul.

I am your heart's desire and source of contentment.

It is I, Who can fill you and make you clean and grant you joy.

The things of the world satisfy partially but not fully, for they are mere creations of Mine; but in giving you Myself I give you all that I am."

Life's plain common work

The best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you.

Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life.
~ Robert Louis Stevenson

God alone is enough!

Let nothing trouble you, let nothing make you afraid.

All things pass away.

God never changes.

Patience obtains everything.

God alone is enough.

- Saint Teresa of Avila

Simply Ponder

Purity and simplicity are the two wings with which man soars above the earth and all temporary nature.

Thomas `a Kempis