Feather your Nest Friday, 23rd December, 2022.
Can you believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve! I absolutely love it! It is truly magical. The week had a lot of the usual things only with doing so much wrapping I thought my arms would fall off! This culminated with today having Christmas Day number one with my youngest daughter and her family. On Christmas Day we get another celebration with my older daughter and her family! So this is the best of both worlds!
Some of the ways I feathered our nest this week were:
Harvesting Zucchini. I picked several baskets of Zucchini and with rainy days they seem to be growing really quickly.
I am really thrilled with having Zucchini success. I made a double batch of Zucchini Cake and froze three as I divided it up into some smaller tins. I also gave Mum one. This used six cups of grated zucchini... and I am loving my food processor!
While I was processing I kept going and filled my four freeze drier trays.
Kmart had Christmas themed jars and I just had to get some. And a cockatoo spatula!
My weekness is jars obviously , and birds!
In town I went to the swap tables. During the year I made an absolute ton of cotton dish cloths and so I made up little bundles as gifts. I left six bundles at each table. (Plus some Bay Leaves) And I came away with more jars!
The chickens are laying a lot of eggs and I am getting so many double yolkers. They don't fit in the egg cartons!
A friend came by and he needed a cheer up. I made a little lunch platter and it was really easy and nice.
I have to share a Molly photo. She is so goofy and makes me laugh a lot!
For our Christmas celebration today Mum made a Sago Plum Pudding and the girls favourite Chocolate cake.
Both were amazing!
As part of my son in laws present I made up a dozen ham and cheese croissants. I packaged them up so he could heat them up as he wants. He really likes ham and cheese croissants!
It has been a long day and I am tired but in a good way. We also have a Christmas miracle as my daughter has had long term pain and illness and she is dong much much better! This is all I need for Christmas! Miracles absolutely do happen!
I want to wish you all a very Happy Christmas! I am so grateful for your friendship and what a year we've had! xxxx 🎄🎄🎄
Merry Christmas to you Annabelle and thankyou for a wonderful inspirational year.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Sharyn, Happy Christmas! xxx
DeleteDear Annabel,
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely day to have with your youngest daughter and family. I believe in miracles too, and I'm so happy to hear that she's doing so much better.
Those jars are just adorable. I wouldn't have been able to resist them either. And your Mum's cake looks delicious. Wish you could fax me a slice. Molly is just a hoot. It's hard to believe that another week has gone by so fast and tomorrow is Christmas Eve. We are in the path of a huge winter storm with winds of 50 mph or more and subzero temperatures. Blessedly our new furnace was installed yesterday. The workmen arrived at 7:30 am and were done by 2 pm. I used my Instant pot to make breakfast while the work was going on.
On Wednesday, because of the incoming storm we delivered all of our local gifts.
On Tuesday we had an errand in another town and stopped at our favorite grocery store and found they were having a huge sale on baking supplies. Unbleached flour was $1.49 for 5 pounds, and sugar was $.99 for 5 pounds, as well as 70 % cacao chocolate chips for $1.99 a bag. I loaded up. I was also able to get several roasts for a good price and I made a pot roast with one in the airfryer. I had never done that before and it was so good. Amazon had a fantastic sale on walnuts this week, $8 for a little over 2 pounds. Locally, they're at least $8 just for 10 oz. I ordered 2 bags. I cleaned and reorganized my craft room and have already started making plans for next year's gift pantry. Wishing and all the Bluebirds and blessed Christmas and Happy and Healthy New Year. Blessings, Cookie
Dear Cookie,
DeleteYour furnace was just in time!! Happy Christmas! I think it is still Christmas for you there! We are hearing a lot about your storm even on our news! I am glad you beat the storm too on delivering gifts!
I am so glad you were able to stock up on baking supplies! That was amazing timing also! I love a roast in the air frier! To me they are so juicy on the inside but lovely and crisp on the outside. Actually I have almost killed my first air frier and think I will get another in the new year.
It is so exciting to be already planning new things to make and do. Me too!
Have a beautiful Christmas Cookie! With love Annabelxxx
Hi Annabel and all the blue birds,
ReplyDeleteWish you all Merry Christmas! Hope all of you would have a great time with your loved ones regardless of everything happening in the world. May you all always be happy, healthy and be surrounded by lots of love!
Thank you so much for everything you share with us, Annabel. You are such an inspiration. Though I don't comment, I read all your posts and get inspired instantly. I love you so much. Please take care, stay safe and enjoy the festivities!
Lots of love,
Millie
Dear Millie, Thank you so much! Thank you for your kind words! I hope you have a beautiful Christmas! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteI just love your blog!! Merry Christmas to you! May 2023 be blessed year for you and your family.
ReplyDeleteDear Sew Wilde, Thank you very much! Have a very Happy Christmas! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteMerry Christmas and God's Blessings to you and your family!
ReplyDeleteMarry Christmas to you too Jill! xxx
DeleteGood and improved health is for sure the best gift! Enjoy your family! Ours arrive tomorrow and we are in full out prepping mode!
ReplyDeleteDear Lana, Have a wonderful Christmas and time with your family! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteMerry Christmas, Annabel! Christmas Eve is Christmas to me due to my German heritage on my mom's side. My dad gave me English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh. A very nice mix with many traditions. We always went to my maternal grandparents for Christmas. Gifts would be opened after Christmas Eve church service. Christmas Day was dinner and visits from nearby relatives after church.
ReplyDeleteWe are having a very white Christmas here with 8 inches of snow and 4 degrees below 0 F. Brrrrr! Busy keeping up with food for the stray outdoor kitties I care for and seed/suet for the birds. My kitties are enjoying viewing the snow through the window and playing with their Christmas toys.
Those canning jars are too funny with the koala in a Santa hat. I love my food storage jars to be fun and pretty as well. Why not?
Those dish cloths are so pretty and will be a treat for whoever chooses them from the swap tables. i know I certainly would!
Molly is a character. My pets have always cheered me up. I so happy to know that Lucy is doing better. That is wonderful news. Many Christmas blessings as we celebrate The Savior's birth! Laura
Dear Laura, I grew up in the Barossa Valley...which is a whole area with a rich German heritage because so many German migrants settled there. So I was used to my friends opening presents Christmas Eve.
DeleteThe snow would be so pretty! It is pretty warm here! Have a beautiful Christmas! With love Annabel.xxx
Merry Christmas Annabel and thank you for all your great advice and information you give in your posts. Have a wonderful Christmas with your family.
ReplyDeleteVirginia
Merry Christmas to you too Virginia, thank you so much! xxx
DeleteMerry Christmas, Annabel! I am so happy to hear that Lucy is feeling better...I can't imagine living with the pain she's had! God is indeed with us; Hallelujah!
ReplyDeleteFrom our family to yours!!!
Lots of love,
Jen in NS
Dear Jen, Thank you so much! Have a very Happy Christmas! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteMerry Christmas Annabel and all the lovely bluebirds 🐦 I want to thank you Annabel for your continuous encouragement and motivation all year long. It is quite a commitment and must take a big chunk of your valuable time to show up in this space week after week, your efforts are greatly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteDear Cheryl,
DeleteThanks so much! Yes it is true... my blogging routine takes a bit of time. I feel it is good for me and helps me to get more done in spite of the time sacrifice. But most of all I feel it is so good to work along with friends and share our joys and victories (and difficulties) as well with friends. Have a wonderful Christmas, With love Annabel.xxx
Merry Christmas Annabel and to all the readers here. I don’t comment often but appreciate the encouragement everyone gives each other. Hoping that 2023 is a return to normal after a challenging three years. That dog! 🤣🤣😂
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! Have a very Happy Christmas! xxx
DeleteMerry Christmas Annabel! I read your blog posts faithfully every week and am so thankful for all you and the commenters have shared. I'm sorry I haven't been so faithful in commenting, but please know how much I appreciate you. Your posts are always a bright spot in my week and something I look forward to. We are experiencing unusually cold temperatures for our location. Currently it is 2*F at our house, which is quite unusual. Thanks to your preparedness teachings, we had wood delivered in the summer to get us through the winter cold. Thanks to you, our pantries are full as is our medicine cupboard, toiletries cabinet and so on. Even if one isn't having to consider a strict budget, being stocked and prepared is just a smart thing to do. A few days ago, I went into a grocery store to pick up a couple of items (wants, not needs), and the parking lot was literally full of people trying to do a stock up right before the storm arrived. I was able to go quickly through the 10 items or less line. There is so much peace of mind in living this lifestyle in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I was not as prepared for Christmas in ways that I should have been so I know what to work on in 2023, right?
I love seeing photos of all your sweet farm animals, your beautiful grandchildren, your handmade gorgeous (and usually practical) gifts, and your jars of food. My daughter just taught me to crochet, so I'm learning to make granny squares and basic items. There's always much to learn. Thank you for sharing your life with all of us. It's a joy to know you. Much love and Merry Christmas. -CarlaM
Dear Carla,
DeleteThank you for your kind words and encouragement! I am so happy you had wood brought in early! I am hearing how cold it is! It actually warms my heart to hear your food and medical pantries are well stocked. We will start preparing for Christmas 2023 the first week of January so dont worry about next year!
Crochet is just wonderful. A very good blog to follow is attic24 because she shows her patterns in the best step by step pictures. Granny squares are just great! One you know chain, single, double and treble.... you can basically make anything! A very very easy pattern on Attic 24 is the trellis pattern. I just love it and keep making it in different colours! Thank you so much! With love Annabel.xxx
Hi Annabel and everyone,
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful Christmas gift to hear that your daughter is doing so well, Annabel! This makes me so happy. Your cooking all looks so delicious, and I adore those jars!
Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year ahead. I appreciate all of you so much.
<3
Kathy
Dear Kathy, Thank you! I hope you had a very good Christmas! With much love, Annabel.xxx
DeleteMerry Christmas to you and your family Annabel. Reading your blog each week always brings great inspiration and joy.
ReplyDeleteI have made the Christmas cake (actually make it into approximately 15 small ones) for the last few years and they have always made perfect gifts. This year though, even though they were baked in October as usual, cooled and stored as usual (wrapped in baking paper, then aluminium foil and kept in sealed plastic containers in a cool storeroom) I was mortified when I unwrapped them to find mould on numerous ones! A number that didn’t have mould on them when unwrapped then developed it later 🤦🏼♀️ I have absolutely no idea what caused this to happen this year, especially given we haven’t had hot or humid weather until this week. I then had to bake some extra Christmas treats to make up for the shortfall, If any of the lovely bluebirds can think of what I could have done to prevent this happening it would be hugely appreciated. Needless to say I am hesitant at making them again in 2023. Wendy
Dear Wendy, I have made these cakes for at least 20 years and they always tried for at least a year. Well this year I had the same problem as you! I now someone else had the same thing. It really isn't humid here so I cannot figure it out. I have always made them in October too as they were better with age. Now this has happened next year I am going to make my cakes in December. I am mystified and sorry it happened to you too. Also the ingredients are expensive! We will have to do things differently next year. With much love Annabel.xxx
DeleteMerry Christmas Annabel and all Bluebirds! Thank you for everything! You are a joy and God send gift all through the year! Love you. Laura_s_world from Romania
ReplyDeleteDear Laura, I hope you had a very beautiful Christmas! Happy New Year to you! With much love, Annabel.xxx
DeleteMerry Christmas Annabel and bluebirds
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful news and a wonderful way to end the your with your daughter finally getting some pain relief! God is good! I love Molly how adorable she is and animals are always great company. I wouldn't be able to resist those jars either they are so cute. And zucchini is a favorite of mine.
We had to cancel our Christmas plans due to the weather it's minus 25 with the wind chill and the roads are bad too. That's ok we don't want anyone to risk getting frostbite. So it will be a quiet evening for us.
Due to the cold I had washed up extra old blankets and we put out boxes with straw and blankets for any strays and put them behind the barn and keep the bird feeders full.
I am really loving the vintage theme I chose this year and I think I will use it again next year. I have new ideas already haha!
XOXO
Vicky
Dear Vicky,
DeleteIt sounds so dangerous to be on the roads or out at all in this weather. Staying safe comes first. You are very kind to animals, I cant imagine how they survive this weather! I like things in a simple vintage style the best as well! With much love Annabel.xxx
What a beautiful and productive week you had, Annabel. And so glad to hear about the amazing positive change in your daughter’s health! Enjoy the rest of this holy season with your precious family. Have a Merry Christmas Annabel, and all Bluebirds! Love, Teresa
ReplyDeleteDear Teresa, Thank you! I hope you had a very Happy Christmas also! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteMerry Christmas Annabel and all the Bluebirds too, I have had a lovely Christmas day with my sister, brother in law and their three girls. It was hot but we kept cool inside. Thankyou for all the time you put into your blog. Love Clare
ReplyDeleteDear Clare, Thank you! It sounds like you had a beautiful Christmas! Have a very Happy New Year as well! With love, Annabel.xxx
DeleteAnnabel Merry Christmas to you and yours. Molly is just so adorable. Such lovely baking and handmade dish cloths, lovely cakes and platters to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteJust back from a week away so not many frugal accomplishments but did bring back some interesting things.
Lorna.
Dear Lorna,
DeleteThank you so much! I hope you had a great time at the farm. Also hope you both had a very Happy Christmas! With love Annabel.xxx
Merry Christmas Annabel hope you have a lovely Christmas,with your family I will have Christmas at our place this year just the 5 of us xxx🤗
ReplyDeleteDear Melissa, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! It is new year next now! Thank you so much! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteMerry Christmas to you, Annabel, and to all of the Bluebirds!
ReplyDeleteThe winter storm hitting all of the US hit here first (northern Idaho) and today--Christmas--we are finally getting a break from the snow and bitter cold temperatures of the last week. We have had snow on the ground--about 2 feet at the moment--for 6 weeks and counting. We get snow and cold weather every winter, but nothing like this!
We had planned to go to my son's the week before Christmas and return on the 23rd. They live 525 miles from here in the mountains. However, my daughter got sick the day we were to leave and was diagnosed with influenza-A. She was given Tamiflu to shorten the duration, and it has worked for her. Getting to my son and daughter-in-law's would have been OK, but getting home would not. I'm sorry that my daughter got sick and we had to cancel, but not at all sorry that we missed the drive home through Idaho and Montana. (For those of you hooked on "Yellowstone," they live in the general area of Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, but on the Idaho side).
So, our holiday plans changed quite a bit. Our friends invited us to dinner on Christmas Day (today). I offered to bring dessert (see below). I don't usually cook a huge dinner on Christmas Eve, but in light of everything else, I decided to go all out (in an easy way!) for just us. I made a ham with apricot glaze, frozen fruit salad, twice-baked potatoes, rolls and apple pie. I made this cheap by using food I had in the freezer and pantry and only had to buy whipping cream, maraschino cherries, apricot jam and green onions (scallions). I made this easy by using frozen roll dough and a frozen pie and making the frozen salad a day ahead. And I made this even easier because this fruit salad doubles as dessert. How to tell the difference: if it has a dab of mayo on top, it's a salad, but if it has a blob of whipped cream, it's dessert! And that's what I'm taking to our friends' house for dessert today!
I also planned for leftovers. Last night I cut all of the ham off the bone and I will freeze whatever we don't eat in the next day or so. I made ham stock in the Crock Pot overnight and picked the bones this morning (one of my least favorite tasks). The recipe for twice-baked potatoes makes 12 servings (1/2 potato each) and I've already frozen the 9 that were left from dinner. Plus, I didn't have to make dessert for dinner today!
This has been a truly difficult year for illness at our house. THE WHOLE YEAR, and the flu has been the least of it. We used to go out to eat 3-4 times a month (mostly for entertainment). I don't think we have done this 10 times this year. I don't buy takeout because when I spend the money for restaurant food, I want to be served and have somebody else clean up. Thus, I have done a LOT of cooking in 2023, and--with encouragement from Annabel and all of you--a lot more freezing for future meals. I'm just thrilled by how much food I have left from yesterday!
I didn't make any gifts this year and I stayed close to budget for the ones I bought. For the past few years, I have tried to make a gift a month (usually succeeded doing 6-8) and one of my New Year's resolutions is to start this again in 2023. Also, great encouragement from all of you, including our blog hostess.
Our daughter is feeling much better. We are currently planning to go to our son and daughter-in-law's next weekend for New Year's and let THEM cook the big meal. We will also open presents together, although our daughter opened a few non-family gifts this morning.
I am so glad your daughter is feeling better, Annabel. A true blessing. I have a dear friend who also suffers mightily with fibro and CFS and I pray for her health every single day. Hoping for a miracle for her, too.
--Maxine, aka mikemax.
Dear Maxine, Thank you so much! I hope you had a great Christmas! It sounds so cold and we have been hearing a lot about the big storm. I am so glad your daughter is so much better and hope you do get to go to your sons for new year.
DeleteI am making apricot jam today! You did beautifully well with feeding your friends! I understand how you feel having a lot of food left over... I am thrilled with leftovers! Also it has been fantastic you have easy meals frozen for when you need them. Takeout has become so expensive and mostly it is easier and healthier to have a meal from the freezer. I hope the new year is a better health year for you! With much love Annabel.xxx
Merry Christmas Annabel and Bluebirds! 💙 Your blog is so inspiring to me! I'm so grateful to you all for sharing your knowledge with me and others!
ReplyDeleteI'm making the most of the food we have in the fridge and pantry to stretch the food budget some! We bought a big ham for Christmas day, but most of our kids had other plans, so we had a simple dinner instead! We had a big Christmas Eve dinner with everyone, so we did have a nice meal together! It's been a blessed few days, and I'm so grateful!
Thank you again for taking time to write and share! I look forward to Friday posts! ❤️
Stacy
Dear Stacy,
DeleteThank you so much! Ham is wonderful for leftovers! I just love leftovers and all you can do and how they stretch the budget so much! I hope you have a very Happy New Year! Thank you for your support and encouragement! With love Annabel.xxx
I want to thank you, Annabel for creating this community! I have been so blessed through the years due to your example & encouragement. You have introduced us to Laine, Mimi & a few homesteaders on Youtube. You have shared your delightful family with us. And have asked for prayer. We have celebrated your achievements & mourned your losses. God bless you for being a Titus 2 woman. We honor your example!
ReplyDeleteOn our Savior's day & in His rich love,
Leslie
Dear Leslie,
DeleteThank you! That is the nicest thing you could have ever said to me. I really appreciate it. Thank you for your encouragement and support. I hope you had a beautiful Christmas and we can work alongside each other in 2023. With much love Annabel.xxx
Merry Christmas Annabel and all of the Bluebirds! I woke up rather poorly on Christmas Day and slept all day. Luckily I was able to celebrate Christmas Eve with my children and grand children. I think the heat got to me as summer has finally arrived on the Monaro. Thank you so much Annabel for your regular posting and sharing, it has become the highlight of my week. Blessings to you and yours, Jennie💚💚💚💚
ReplyDeleteDear Jennie, Thank you! Oh that was sad that you were ill Christmas Day! But good you enjoyed Christmas Eve. Heat can really knock you around, I find the same. Have a very Happy New Year and thank you so much! With love, Annabel.xxx
DeleteThank you Annabel, and I wish you a Happy and Safe New Year!💚💚
Delete