Feather your Nest Friday, 30th October, 2020.

 Welcome to reflection Friday!  That is what it feels like to me today.  My brain has been really scrambled with lots of things going on and lots to think about.  To sit and go over the week that has been is very good. 

It was a lovely week.  Chloe, Luke and baby Thomas are home.  I was excited to see him and he is much smaller than I expected!  He is right on 7 lbs.  So that is not really so small, it just seems so little!   I helped Chloe yesterday give him his first bath at home.  No clothes = looks even smaller!   

I promised I would do the dinners for the first week.   That is my usual new baby deal.  I ran out of interest taking photos but here is night number one:

Tonight is lamb, Halloumi and salad.   I do the same for all of us.   Since Chloe is only 5 minutes away I sit it in a hot baking dish, cover with foil and wrap in a towel. It is piping hot when it gets there!  Andy did the delivery service last night! 

While Chloe was away things needed to be used.   She had left suddenly as the baby was early.  There were lemons, banana's and avocados all that would not make it until she was home again.   So I got baking. 

First I made six bananas into cakes and muffins. That took care of them.

The lemons I made into Lemon Butter (which later filled that sponge for the first night home) and most of the muffins went into the freezer.   Some will become Luke's work lunches.  

So things that could have been thrown out were put to good use first!    I have little tart shells so I am going to fill those with Lemon Butter and add strawberries on top.  That gives me another tray of deserts. 

 

On the preparedness front I purchased two things.  The first was solar phone charger.  I thought about this for a while and ordered one online.   AND I had already ordered a dehydrator.   I do a lot of air dehydrating ... just hanging herbs up to dry.  In winter I did a lot of dehydrating by the fire.  It worked perfectly!  But in summer I know I will have tomatoes and fruit and usually I use Chloe's dehydrator.  I thought I need one of my own.  When it arrived I was so excited!  Unboxing it was even fun!  I had a re arrange and have it set up somewhere it can live all the time.  I figure it is like the sewing machine... I sew more because I don't have to drag it out.  It is ready to go... 

I took my vacuum apart and gave it a major clean.  It is disgusting how filters etc get.  It runs so much better after I do this. 

Andy built a shed to go over our house generator.  This is really good to protect it and looks neat and tidy.

He also added four shelves into a cupboard for me.  This let me totally organise my fabrics and sewing items.   For him to do it first I had to empty the whole cupboard.  So there were fabrics spread everywhere.   A mess I thought it would take me a week to get out of!   But I was so keen I had it all done in a few hours and it has revolutionised my sewing room.  

Some of my seedlings that I have grown from seeds in cups were ready to be planted out.  So I added 6 cucumbers to the garden and 8 cherry tomato plants.

We have some grass in the driveway the sheep missed.   Mainly around the chook house which I want to keep low due to snakes.   So I moved my cows there to feast on it.   Moving them is fairly hilarious as if I go too fast they don't follow me.  If I go too slow they put their head in the car window.  If one lags behind  and I slow down then Laffie is first to run like a racehorse to say hello to me as I drive! 

It is not overly easy to drive and take a photo but I think who is going to believe me?  So I tried to get photos.  

Then when I dare shut the gate this is what I get...

It's nice to be loved.  💗

I started working on adding more good soil to my veggie garden and surrounding all my young fruit tress with enough compost and soil to make a kind of moat that I can fill with water.  I got six done so far.  I feel like I only have 900 more barrow loads of soil to cart!  But seriously if I do one or two loads a day it soon adds up and I can manage that.

We had rain.  It was lovely and a help.

We are almost into November!  I feel like my year was January (bushfires) then Covid.  We had the birth of Sidney.   Dads great joy over him and so much happiness.  Not long later we had Dad's death.   Then we  had the birth of Thomas.  But so much of the year is a blur then November!  

A few times I have mentioned the feeling that everyone is tired, everyone has some kind of crisis fatigue.  I have said how this is a bit dangerous as we can take our eye off the ball.   I still feel a great need to be prepared and stocked up.  But so much has happened at times it is hard to think straight!  

Somewhere in the last week I read a comment from a lady who said something that really captured my attention.   She said she is preparing and stocking her pantry and she said how she prayed for God to SHOW HER what He had for her to add to her pantry.     She was open to whatever He sent.  She was ready to act on whatever it was.   She was grateful in advance as she knew it would be something!   

Many times we have talked about praying before we shop.   Praying for the things we are needing.   I like to pray to see opportunities... as opportunities come but we may not see them or realise!  

Dad left a note on his fridge.  It said "Work with HEAD and HANDS." 

I am trying to to that.    It is time to think, assess, plan... and take every opportunity.

How did you build up your home, pantry, garden... emergency fund or any other beneficial thing this week?   

Have a weekend with enough peace and quite to allow you to think.xxx