Feather your Nest Friday, 1st September, 2023.
Today is the first day of September and the first day of Spring! This year is going really fast. I loved winter but I am ready for a new season. There are blossoms everywhere and my first seedlings are coming up. Tiny lettuces are peeping through and little tomatoes everywhere.
At Mum's I picked Bay Leaves to dry. These will be packaged up and go into many of my Christmas parcels.
I had baked Scones and Blueberry Muffins and shared them with Mum.
I finally finished my medical cupboard. This had been a serious mess and was a big job. I am so happy it's done. It was one of those things that was too daunting to start and I had to psych myself up!
I also finished the bathroom cupboard which was in equally bad shape.
It has been weeks that I've had my head in various cupboards and I'm pretty much done. I know what I have and where it is. Now my next target is the big wardrobe I bought a couple of weeks ago.
A few weeks ago I purchased some veggie bags that are meant to keep fruit and veggies fresh longer. Next week (hopefully) I will show these and explain what they are made from and how they work.... I decided that since fresh produce is so expensive it is serious business to not waste anything and keep things as fresh as possible and so these bags would make very good gifts. I got a few made and I love them!
Because I couldn't stop making these I didn't get my Koala Bear finished!
I did complete some more wash cloths and scrubbies.
Also some soft baby wash cloths for a friends daughter who is having a baby girl.
My chickens are big now and at awkward ugly stage! They are super friendly since I am the only Mum they've known.
I had a use it up meal with a Spinach Quiche and this gave us lunches as well.
We had last fires and Andy did a lot of mowing around the fruit trees and wider yard. Loads of grass went up to the chooks and to the goats.
Free ranging the chickens during the day has come to an end. I lost four chickens in one day. It would be a fox. We did well for quite a while... but then bam. We have resolved to keep masses of greenery up to them in other ways. Yesterday and today they got several wheelbarrows full of grass and weeds so they are busy working through that. I am collected eight or nine eggs a day at the moment.
So it was a busy week and I am annihilated tonight lol!
How did you build up your home, pantry or garden this week? Most of us are right on the change of seasons which makes for an extra busy time. I have lists and plans to make the most of Spring, enjoy it fully and set us up for good harvests in summer. I hope you had a really good week too.xxx
Dear Annabel and Bluebirds,
ReplyDeleteAnnabel, you had a very productive day and week. Your organizing is going to be so useful in knowing what you have and where it is. A daunting job, but such an accomplished feeling afterwards.
We are into Fall here, preparing for winter. My husband has been sealing all the concrete steps and will be doing the walkway and patio. With snowstorms here they all take a beating.
He has also worked on better drainage around the house and down our cliff so that we don't lose more land.
Yesterday we bought a bunch of solar lights for security in the back of our home. It was the only area not lite well, now it is. Husband had previously set up cameras. So our security has been upgraded.
We have been busy stocking our freezer for the winter and filling holes in our pantry, though if has been harder to do with less good sales, less reduced or clearance items to pick up to add to our pantries.
I am working on getting the inside of the house ready for the change of seasons and soon will be transplanting our houseplants to bring them into the house from the sun room. I'm crocheting an afghan for our living room as there was only one blanket in it for people to sit with. This one will cover 2 people easily.
Bluebirds please keep stocking your pantries.
May all have a blessed day.
Dear Rosanne, It is a good idea to get ahead and ready for winter. Your winters are so severe! We keep a rug on the lounge as well it is nice to snuggle under. When I am working on a large blanket it keeps me warm while Im at it which is nice. I save most of my crochet on these big projects for winter. Lights are a good idea. They are more likely to deter a thief I think where as cameras just give you nice photos of what happened and then its too late.
DeleteI am in full Spring mode with planting! With love Annabel.xxx
Hi Annabel, what a nice post today, and I continue to marvel at your productivity and cooking ;). I am updating my condo in the next few months (and have never fully unpacked) so in the spring I will start the organization projects…so for now I just exist with the minimal stuff. I do wonder though, as I look at the 15 boxes I never unpacked, how much I can donate once the renovation is over ;). Your organized medicine cabinet and closet make me jealous! Someday….I might not end up with nice labels but it will be organized. Have a good upcoming week, Hilogene in Az
ReplyDeleteDear Hilogene, I hope even with renovations you can get ready for winter and have a good well stocked pantry. And medicine cabinet too. Our Spring weather is really kicking in! Have a very good new week! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteDear Annabel,
ReplyDeleteGluten free pastry! Would you share the recipe or where it can be found?
As usual your week looks lovely and productive. The vegetable bags sound like a real winner. I truly understand not being able to stop making one thing. Looking forward to your directions.
We have been very busy here with garden harvesting and as it comes to an end I'm already planning next year's garden and some things I may do differently. Yesterday we harvested more peppers, green beans, basil, carrots, and chard
and spent the rest of the day preparing things for the freezer. I am amazed of what we can get from of little raised bed and containers. I am feeling the nudge to be doing even more.
I can't eat canned or heat dehydrated food due to a histamine related conditions, and since a freeze dryer is not in the cards at this time, I ordered some well priced, gluten free, freeze dried food for the pantry. Since there is just my husband and myself (kids and grands live out of state.) it was very doable and I found lots on sale since it is Labor Day weekend and everyone is having sales.
I had a small turkey breast in the freezer and roasted that getting 5 dinner meals for the freezer. With the carrots that were harvested, the tops were prepared to make carrot top soup, baked cookies for my husband, worked on birthday cards for fall birthdays, cleaned out garden debris from plants that were done producing, froze three more quarts of chard, 2 pounds of carrots, 5 quarts of green beans, 5 quarts of zucchini, 6 packages of shredded zucchini for breads. The usual fluffing and dusting got done. Wishing all of the Bluebirds a safe and productive week ahead. Blessings, Cookie
Wow! Cookie, you are an inspiration! Thanks for sharing.
Delete-Leslie ☺️
Dear Cookie, The recipe I used was 2.5 cups Gr flour, 2.5 tablespoons of butter. (I cut up a chunk of butter, I just guessed, sliced it... let it sit out for a while...to soften) 1 cup of water...threw this in my mixer with the dough hook. Looked after a minute and thought this will never work. Added a bit more butter...let it keep mixing and went and did something. When I came back it was smooth and glorious like perfect dough! It was very pliable, didnt crack, rolled out beautifully. I dont add salt to anything and I have to say maybe it did need it as it was a bit bland. But it was very nice to use. I would add flour or water and keep going until you get a smooth glossy dough... as to me often with gf flour you need less or more you just have to get it right. Your garden has been amazing and you have made the most of every single thing! The freeze dried goods are a good addition to your food storage and you have such a long shelf life with them. The turkey roast dinners sound beautiful and you added so much to the freezer! Just fantastic! You got heaps done! What a good week! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteDear Annabel,
DeleteThank you so much for the recipe! I definitely will be making it this upcoming week. So many possibilities with it. Just as an aside, gluten free puff pastry here is now $18 for just two sheets in the freezer case at the grocery store. Its never found it's way to my kitchen. Cookie
Annabel I just love your farm! It is so fun and informative to read your Australian perspectives. Having read your Nana post I think of how much I've learned from my Grandmother, who I didn't know very well but I own her house and many of her things! I am a busy mama but find the time to put food up as they say because it is a blessing to my family. We have 3 kinds of green beans, green, purple and yellow and they grew so well this year. I've canned and frozen enough that we will not need to buy any vegetables this winter. Yesterday I put up salsa for my kids snacks. Homemade salsa is basically a salad of summer goodness! Next to do will be jars and jars of applesauce. I am trying to keep up on buying my flour, grains and sugar by the 50 lbs bag. It saves so much at the grocery store. I am trying to be aware but not afraid. Our budget is not large and with 5 mouths to feed ( 3 of whom are large boys) it is daunting but I refuse to give up! I have been baking more snacks, things like pumpkin bars etc to keep bellies full. And it works! Anyway you inspire me and I appreciate you and all the ladies in this group. Fall blessings 🍂🍁🍂 Jesse in Pennsylvania
ReplyDeleteJesse, I'm in south central Pa. One of the snacks I used to make my kids and any friends they brought home was 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies. I still make them today for just us. We find them to be very economical. one batch of 2 doz. is 1 cup peanut butter, 1 cup sugar and one egg. That's it. You don't even need to put it in the mixer. I always add a handful of chocolate chips to the batter. Drop on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. It's also easy to double or triple the recipe. Cookie
DeleteDear Jesse, You are doing a good job! Well done on the beans and the salsa! The applesauce is going to be beautiful too! It is a big job filling growing boys. Baking helps so much. I am so glad you are buying flour in bulk and getting ahead. My friend who had five teenage boys used to use a bread maker... it was timed to have bread ready before breakfast and another loaf came out just before the boys got home from school. Also making pancakes is another, a stack of pancakes each is delicious and very filling. Dont use a bought mix just stir up an egg, some self raising flour and milk to the consistency you want. Let the mix sit for a few minutes to thicken up. I just use a stick blender.... they are beautiful. Thank you Cookie for replying to Jesse also!
DeleteThank you so much for your kind and encouraging comment! With love Annabel.xxx
Dear Annabel and all the Bluebirds,
ReplyDeleteLove the chickens - they look ...chicky (naughty), sorry for loosing some of the free range chickens. I am very curious about the veggie bags and the gift for the baby girl is beautiful. Great job on organizing - I, too, started cleaning and organizing one drawer/wardrobe/room at a time and I am glad to know what I have on hand and what I need to add. But what a big challenge for me.
August went by on a second like, and I feel like racing around the clock - the harvest, the garden, the preserve, but feels good in the end when all the jars, cabinet or cellar are full. I know I have a food insecurity and a hate for waste.
Shortly this was my week:
- took out all the blankets, washed and airdried in the hot sun, fold them on the chairs in the bedroom, waiting for winter nights.
- planted some lettuce for the fall garden
- harvested cucumbers and tomatoes almost every day
- preserved 20 kg of eggplants for winter and 10 kg of fried capsicum pepper went into the freezer
- gifted my cousin with eggplants and eggs
- donated blood on Tuesday and on the way back to my office, while I was slowly walking at ten o*clock in the morning, all over the streets I could hear roosters crowing, which is a good sign - probably much more people are waking up and raising chickens in their backyard.
- on the weekend we went to a very good concert held on plein air, under the stars, and free of charge - it was warm and beautiful - my son and his friends were singing when walking back to the car after midnight....
- Sunday was a day out to the swimming pool - my happy place as I adore swimming
- one day we had our very first RO-ALERT about a momma bear and two cubs - they never came into town or attack anybody before (we have many woods and hills surrounding our little city)
- this week it was announced all over media that military centers will call reservists to specify some data related to their military situation. The announcement of the reservists will be made through summons orders to clarify the military situation, their handover being carried out by the specialized structures of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It gives me the chill as my husband is in that category.
- knitted in the evenings, crochet some for a gift for a special person, cooked from scratch and enjoyed all my animals in the garden (they all have different personalities)
Wishing everyone a nice weekend - lots of love from far away Laura_s_world from Romania
Dear Laura, You were very productive getting so much produce brought in, sharing it and some very nice times with the concert and the pool!
DeleteI am hearing also Poland has called reservists? This is very concerning but for you with a husband and son I cannot imagine. We will pray a lot on this.
Having an alert because of the bear and cubs! well I would love to see a bear and cubs but maybe not on my veranda. haha!
Your evenings of knitting and crocheting sound perfect to me. Having the blankets washed and fresh ahead of the new season is lovely too!
Now I hope this week has been going well for you and thank you for including the updates as you hear fro Europe things we do not. With much love Annabel.xxx
Your wash clothes are all so lovely! The chicks are so adorable. Sorry for your loss due to the fox.
ReplyDeleteThis week has been busy! When driving my 15 year old daughter to work, I was able to harvest wild grapes and pears. I got 17 jars of grape jelly made so far!
We get to pick more pears and apples at my mother in law's today. My daughters were able to grab free clothes on the side of the road (obviously left over from a yard sale).
And we purchased 5 dozen ears of sweet corn from a local farmer. So yummy! The garden yielded potatoes, onions, dill, basil, and carrots. God is so good! We also enjoyed many homemade meals and treats!
Blessings to you all,
Leslie in Ohio
Dear Leslie, I love that you found the grapes and pears! When I am driving I always am watching out for produce! This is how Ive had some of my best hauls! Also then remember the location and time of year to check next year!
DeleteLeft overs from a garage sale were a great find too! The fresh corn would be so good. Buying from a farmer directly is the best! What a great week. Your garden is giving you a lot! With much love Annabel.xxx
Dear Annabelle, your medical pantry and bathroom pantry...just beautiful with the pink bins and labels.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to ask about the washcloths you crochet. Is that regular Afghan yarn, or cotton yarn? Do you use one or two strands of yarn to get that thickness? Do they hold up well in the washing machine?
I am sorry about your chickens, that must have been very disturbing. I hope it doesn't happen again.
Susan
Dear Susan, Thank you so much! For wash cloths as in face cloths I use 4 or 5 ply pure cotton yarn and dont make them so thick.... then they re very very soft to use. For cleaning /dish cloths I use 8 ply pure cotton as they are better thicker. Sometimes I improvise and work two strands together... for the scrubbies it is the thicker yarn plus a scrubby yarn. Yes they wash up beautifully and endlessly! I hope that helps. With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteYou've been busy!!! We are starting our autumn season, and I've been enjoying fall-like temperatures. Most of my canning is done for the season, though I may put up some apples for pies and breads, and get some squash for over-winter. I only need to finish about 10# of roma tomatoes for a friend and I discovered I'm almost out of pepper relish (I use it for making cheese spreads around the holidays, in particular), so will get the peppers for that this weekend. I cut back my romaine, which had already gone to flower, and it is again growing baby leaves so I'll likely have fresh lettuce in the next week or two. My big "score" during shopping was some 1# packages of ground beef, on sale for $1.47 each -- it was the last "sell by" date. I scooped up 3 and immediately vacuum sealed them in 1/2# packages for my freezer. I would have grabbed more, but wasn't confident of my available freezer space.
ReplyDeleteDear Lori,
DeleteI love Autumn it is my favourite! We have Spring which is still lovely. Well done on all your canning for the season. A great deal on the ground beef! This week is already going very fast! With love Annabel.xxx
Great job on the cupboards Annabel! I like the labels on your containers. I’m sorry you lost the chickens. The gluten free pastry turned out well, that must be a big saving over store-bought.
ReplyDeleteI had one of those messy weeks, appointments in the middle of the day, events at school etc. I just had to fit study in wherever I could and I feel like I need a bit of a reset this weekend! We had beautiful weather all week so I got all of the bedding washed and line dried.
Our local butcher had a birthday sale so I bought 15kg of mince at $9.99/kg. I’m trying to use up any ingredients I have that once they’re gone I won’t bother replacing. This happens most often with gluten free flours, I buy them to try a new recipe but don’t always like the result. So I’m wanting to use them up so as not to waste them and to free up space in the pantry.
Have a lovely weekend, enjoy some rest!!
Jen (NZ)
Dear Jen, I have the same issue with some GF flours. What I do is just mix in some of the ones that aren't the best and use most of the one I like. So it is just a way of stretching out what we do like. Then they are not really noticeable.
DeleteGood job on grabbing the mince while the sale wagon. Also on washing all the bedding and having that sunshine smell and freshness. To me nothing is better!
I hope you've had less appointments and activities as I know how that is, it is more of a week of maintenance! With much love Annabel.xxx
Annabel,
ReplyDeleteI always look forward to your posts, they are so uplifting and motivating! Your bake goodies look delicious. The washcloths and scrubbiest are delightful. Please let us know about the fruit / veggie produce bags! One of my frustrations is how to keep fresh items until we can eat them. We are often fortunate enough to find good deals and eating fresh is always are fav. Summer is still heating us up here in midway usa
Thank you so much! I will be posting next week about how to keep things fresh including the veggie bags. This is a big issue for us all, increasingly so! xxx
DeleteOh I love seeing how you have organised your medicine and bathroom cabinets, it not only looks visually appealing but so functional too! I can’t wait for the instructions on the veggie bags!
ReplyDeleteI have been watching Patera lately and she has set a challenge to tackle a small space each day. Something that needs doing that is not on your usual daily schedule. I am hoping even if it is only 10mins a day to start decluttering, I have a lot of stuff I never use, and I need to make room for the items I want to stock up on, so this is my goal!
We went away for 3 days this week, so I wasn’t very productive on the homefront, but I did a grocery shop and a big cook up day last Sunday so that all meals were prepared for our boys who stayed at home and for the rest of the working week, so I wasn’t tempted to get takeaway, it was really helpful to have all that prepared as I knew I would be too tired if I didn’t prepare. It saved us money too!
There’s a spring in my step this week, and I’m fired up to really get going!
From Cheryl 🌼🐦
Dear Cheryl, I love Patara. I have done a LOT of getting rid of useless stuff and using the space for needed stuff. When I thought I had no space I did. And I have kept finding more. Also where possible turn the useless stuff into cash and use that money to build your pantry. It all helps! Also it is good to have the company and motivation.
DeleteIt was very nice to leave your boys with good meals. Being ahead in these ways does make a big difference! Now the new week is flying by and I hope the Spring in your step is still going and you have achieved a lot of what you are wanting to do. With much love Annabel.xxx
Dear Annabel,
ReplyDeleteEverything just looks absolutely beautiful. I've never seen yellow flowers on a bay, before! (Then again, my experience is pretty minimal. My youngest has been growing a bay in a pot for a few years, now, and that's the sum total of my bay experience!)
Things are getting a little cool "around the edges" here...fall is coming. My garden is still/again a sodden mess...not much harvest from that this year. It's almost heartbreaking, if it weren't for my certain faith that God has all our needs covered. On the other hand, the apples and blackberries have enjoyed the rain, and I have been busy all week making use of them. This weekend we are headed into the city to purchase thermal curtains for the living room for the winter. I hope this will at least make things cozier for the winter, and hopefully make a small dent in our heating bill to boot.
Foxes are not a farmer's friend! Glad to hear your chickens are safely tucked up and having their greens delivered. :)
Hope you have a lovely weekend!
xx Jen in NS
Dear Jen,
DeleteThe yellow on the Bay Trees looks lovely. As for drying thought the leaves aren't affected. Jen I am glad you have the apples and blackberries. Also you never know what produce you make still have come your way. And overall the years your garden has been amazing. But this reminds us.. there will be years where nothing goes right. I think the thermal curtains are a good investment for your cold climate.
Happily my remaining chickens are un fazed, laying and each day getting a heap of greens. Also my coloured eggs are hatching yesterday (Wed.) and today. I had every trouble in the book inching the rotating arm on the incubator breaking and so Ive been hand turning... but 4 so far.
Hope your week is going well! With love Annabel.xxx
I'm exhausted just reading your list! I've been end of winter cleaning and organising and I'm happy with what I've accomplished. Linen cupboard is sorted. Wayne's chest of drawers and shelves sorted. Bathroom cupboards sorted. Spice cupboard in kitchen sorted (I keep opening the doors and smiling at it). I didn't get any baking done this week so we can eat down what is in the freezer. Six quarts of mince was added to the pantry and that makes me happy. Our little peach tree is in bloom, the blossoms are so pretty; I've said a prayer and asked for fruit this year. We also planted three rows of beetroot, hopefully enough for roasting and preserving. It was a busy, happy week. xxx
ReplyDeleteDear Cath, I love it when a cupboard (or fridge) is done and looking lovely. The mince was a great addition to the freezer. Good work on getting some seedlings in. I love beetroot! I know you had a very busy week with you tube and the pantry tour. I loved it! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteAnnabel so sorry to hear about your chickens and glad you have then safe and sound in their pens. What a fantastic job you have done on your medical and bathroom cupboards and so organised in colour co-ordinated tubs and each labeled too. Your handcrafts and lovely baking are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteWe have been away on holidays and sadly our old Ford Territory collapsed on the side of the road with the cv joints and ball joints on our left hand front wheel giving way so the brake line and steering arm were the only thing holding the wheel on. Usually this would result in a car roll over but we were blessed and looked after and managed to pull the car up and off the main highway. The repairs would have been more than the vehicle was worth so we purchased a new 1 year old car which was not an easy task considering there is very few new cars to buy in any car lot.
Finances
We managed to put slightly over a year of our wages in our emergency fund, we built up our bills account to cover a years supply of bills.
In the kitchen-
Baked our own bread and cooked meals from scratch.
In the home
Did some more sorting of clothing and sorting through what fits us and what doesn't and packed others away.
Purchases
We bought a year old LDV D90 in like new condition with low kilometres saving $3000 over the price of a new vehicle.
Purchased all the car accessories (car seat covers, floor mats, bonnet protector, and boot cover) on eBay with discount codes for considerably cheaper than offered from the car dealer saving $26.55 on eBay prices.
Bought a new ride on mower on sale reduced from $9899 to $8799 saving $1100 on usual prices. We will sell our old one secondhand.
Purchased 3 sets of mower blades and 3 air filters and haggled the prices down from $417.50 to $375.90 saving $41.40 on usual prices.
Bought a new Stihl hedge trimmer and bartered the price down from $1149 to $1065 saving $84.00 on usual prices.
Purchased 2 cotton coverlets to replace ones that had worn out with a discount code on eBay saving another $20.
Purchased 3 puffer jackets for DH from Best and Less on clearance for $15 each reduced from $45 ea saving $90 on usual prices.
DH found 2 grain grinders on Amazon to suit our Kenwood Mix Master on sale for $127 ea saving $103.20 over prices quoted at Harvey Norman.
From IGA we purchased a whole rump on sale for $8.99 cut free, 2 blocks of Old Gold chocolate on sale for $1.50 ea reduced from $2.50ea saving in total $148.27 on usual prices.
Hoping everyone had a wonderfully frugal week :).
Lorna. (SW Qld Australia).
Dear Lorna, I am so glad you did not have a roll over when the car broke down! I know it is now not easy to even find a new car... so you did really well with a near new replacement. Also it was a big thing to buy a new ride on mower! Hopefully you will be set for many years now.
DeleteYou did really well on the jackets and other savings and the price of rump steak was fantastic. The grain grinders will be very good to have.
Especially well done on being a year ahead with the emergency fund. That is a seriously good buffer against the unexpected. With much love Annabel.xxx
I feel like I've done absolutely nothing frugal in weeks on end now. I have however, been preparing my wardrobe for the cool and cold months ahead. I'll mostly be using what I have. So far I have purchased two necklaces and plan to buy a coat. Everything else I have on hand.
ReplyDeleteWith fall nearly upon us, and the end of the really harsh heat I plan to ready my garden pots to plant a few fall crops this week. I'm also about to do a massive declutter and sorting out and determining what we really have and need just as you've done. It's time to reassess everything...what we're buying, why, what we can do without, what we can do better with. I get very into my lists this time of year and then I start to work and get things done!
I would love to have your dishcloth pattern. If you didn’t mind. If you have already shared it, I must have missed it. I love your blog ever since I’ve found it. I hope you share more of your recipes, they look delicious.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I dont really have a patten just using any stitch you like make squares about 10 or 11 inches wide. These were a stitch where you do one single crochet, one double crochet and so on across the row. The next row you do singles in the top of the doubles and vice versa. Then I work two laps of an edging around them. This one is four single crochets in a row then two double, a chain, two double, into one space... then 4 singles and repeat all way around. The second row I repeat this making my two doubles, chain and double into that chain space below. Any square in any pattern with any border will work. I tend to make them a bit smaller and thicker for cleaning cloths and a bit bigger and softer for wash cloths.xxx
DeleteThank you so much, God bless you and yours
ReplyDeleteThank you!xxx
Delete