Feather your Nest Friday, 1st January 2021.

 Hello friends!  Welcome to 2021! Happy New Year! 

I hope you had a good Christmas.  We did.  It is hard to describe but I knew so many people could not be with their family for Christmas and that many millions of plans fell to pieces.  Even the tunnel from England to France was shut.   This one thing alone just before Christmas made me think of how many happy plans would fail.  So we were very lucky.   We did things differently to our traditions.  Without Dad we made new ways and new traditions.  He loved Christmas!  He would have wanted us to celebrate and give the children a beautiful time.  And we did!    In the media I saw the words "Christmas is cancelled" many times over.  Oh, no it was not!   No one gets to cancel Christmas! 

Even the chickens had a special day!  

We had a beautiful day.  I counted many blessings.   These two were so excited! 

Some of my photos of the day are really special to me.  This is Scarlett and Sidney looking at Daddy.  See... a picture does tell a thousand words!

After Christmas I was completely exhausted!!  I think emotions are just as tiring as anything.  But it was also a busy week leading up to Christmas Day.  That would be the same for everyone I think!

As I skipped posting last Friday I have a lot of nesting to report! 

I am picking zucchini daily so I made two big Zucchini slices.  They were yum. 

Now I am picking tomatoes as well.  

I planted out more basil, squash, tomatoes, chard and capsicums to try and extend my season.

I joined Shabby Art Boutique and began some paper crafts.   

I have a goal of making many things that will post in a regular card.   In The Tuesday Afternoon Club I want to start the year off well.  By making things all year I did manage to give a lot of homemade Christmas presents and have many gifts over to use for Birthdays also.   It was fun!   We all worked along together, encouraged each other, gave each other so many ideas.  Also online and in person friendships were made!    In a year with lots of lockdowns and reasons to stay busy at home we produced so much!   It was very cheerful!    Contentment is great gain.  If it's a good idea not to go out for a while then yay I am going to be happy in the sewing room!  When I feel stressed I stitch and bake. 

I finished a pram rug for a friends baby.   It is pure wool left over from Sidney's blanket. 

Falling in a tired heap after Christmas gave me some thinking time.  It is good to stop and think things over.  I could step back a little and assess what is working, what is not.  What is important and what is not.  

It is a big adjustment to consider 2020 and all that happened.  There was a lot of talk about seeing the year out and welcoming a new back to normal year.   I didn't feel that way.   I felt that approaching Christmas there were just no signs of that at all.

I've been writing about preparedness for four years now.   My confidence has increased in the area of having a feeling about something,  "knowing" something you can't know...  I understand not to ignore that now.   I think God had to speak to me with a sonic boom and persistence.  Then I listened.   I admire his patience to stick with me at all.  

Now I am listening in a new way.  Like the camper in the forest at night, hearing a twig snap and listening so closely for another tiny noise!   I have never felt the need to be so acutely watchful as now.   Or to prepare more.

Laine has sent me many more letters.  She is writing now as she feels the same...   Also their Pastor told them to go home and to prepare. And she is.  We are working on our pantries in a challenge together.   And we are making it fun!    Oh, it is so nice to have a friend to work alongside!   

I want this to be a place where we can do that.  Work together! Encourage each other!   

God will help.  The other day I was just amazed.  We are in fruit season right now.  I wanted some of the cellophane jar tops we use here in Australia.  They come in little packs with labels and rubber bands.   They have become hard to get.  I looked in both our local supermarkets.  None to be found.   

(While I shopped I should have taken photos!  There were very few good fruit or veggies.  Cucumbers were actually rotting on the shelves.  I have never seen it this bad before.)

On the way home as I come into our driveway I collected my mail from the mail box. 

I had three parcels!  I love mail and I love parcels! 

When I came in the door my first thing is to put away all the cold foods and freezer foods so I did that first.  It was a little later before I got to open my parcels.  

There was a parcel from a dear friend. She sent me the best things!  Guess what was in the parcel?  The jam toppers I could not find!   My needs were sent to me even before I had realised they were not available!

In this way my pantry and freezer were built up so much during the last two weeks! 

We were given bags of bread rolls.  Left over ham, roast beef and venison. 

Mum gave us a Turkey roll.

I spent half a day making the ham up into the rolls, wrapping and freezing them,  portioning out roast meat into meals size packs, labelling and freezing.  Into the freezer it all went.  We also lived on left overs for a couple of days.

We went to a big party.  I took a bucket to that party!  I took it to the kitchen and said that I have chooks and please don't waste the scraps!   I came home with TWO whole buckets of bread, salads and meat scraps.   In fact there was so much meat I made up bags of meat for Scout and got 14 days worth for her. 

It kept going!  Andy was given Prawns which he basically lived on for a couple of days and then was given a Lobster! 

I was given lemons!

I could not believe all of this! 

It gets better!   

I have been really working to build up my sewing pantry.   On eBay I bid on two lots of old sewing supplies.  I didn't expect to get either.  But I got both!   They both arrived here on the same day!

This was one.  The other was a big sewing box.  In all I had over 300 reels of cotton.  Scissors, seam rippers, tapes, thimbles, elastics... it goes on and on.

Many reels of cottons on old wooden spools.  Some are just gorgeous...

In this instance it was cheaper than op shopping/thrift shopping.  I am good for cotton supplies!

I gave one of my bags to my neighbour for Christmas.  She loved it!  And I gave silk scrunchies too which also went down well!

In the store I stocked up on vital vitamins for this time (Zinc. C, D, etc.) at under half price! 

Each day I am trying to sew for at least a half an hour.  I have more bags cut out and fabric for a little dress for Scarlett.   The weather has warmed up a bit so quiet sewing in the hottest part of the day is a good way to go.

We would love to hear how you are doing and how you built up your nest this last fortnight.

Happy New Year and we will make the very best of 2021! xxx