Feather your Nest Friday, 22nd December, 2023.
We are so close to Christmas! This week has been all about getting ready. We had the help of some lovely rain.
Tomorrow is our first Christmas celebration with Chloe's family. Today I made my Nana's Tomato bake in her honour. Actually I made two... one to take tomorrow and one for us. This is an example of something that she added to the table that was so good and made the meat go further... except as with everything she did we just loved it and never realised there was an economy factor going on!
Tonight I baked a ham ready for Christmas Day. For dinner we had some of the ham and some of our tomato bake and it was delicious. Tomorrow the tomato bake will be served with Turkey, stuffing and roast veggies.
Making these was helped by having a whole bucket of Zucchini!
The rest is in the crisper waiting until after Christmas. I plan on shredding lots and popping it into spaghetti sauces. Then I also have a lot of Spinach... and I'm planning to make Spinach and Feta triangles... but maybe I should deal with Christmas first!
I picked Basil and made up some Pesto.
I met a friend in town and she gave me a Pineapple plant and she made me Colloidal Silver for the animal and medical pantry.
We are still waiting on calf number three. It is hard work trying to get photos of the calves when they are black and in the shade! But if you hold your mouth right and squint you can see two calves.
Evenings working on crochet edges has started off my 2024 gift cupboard!
I really enjoyed being able to give out extra gifts this year. I will re launch The Tuesday Afternoon Club challenge as soon is it's new year! We are also making, baking, growing and preserving!
I want to thank everyone for your support and comments all year. There are many friendships between us all now! As we work through each week we really have someone to encourage us and cheer us on.
My Nana series has come to an end. It really brought back so many memories for me, refocused a lot of lessons that I have learned along the way. I have big plans for 2024... as times change so must we!
Now to just fully enjoy our blessings and every minute of Christmas. I think a lot about the year that has been. This is time to stop and appreciate everything.
The world has changed so much in the last few years but God hasn't. What is good, true, lovely, kind, worthwhile, noble, right, admirable... they have not changed and we need to think on these things. 😊
Have a wonderful Christmas! See you next Friday for a full report and to finish the year! xxx
Dear Annabel
ReplyDeleteA very happy Christmas to you and your family. I have so enjoyed all your posts this last year ( and before) , always inspire me .
Virginia
Thanx for post Annabelle. I love to hear about your week and the @dventures you have on the farm, animals included . I love your comments in regard of the world has changed but God never changes……what a blessing it is to my heart when I read this. Have a great Christmas and new year. Looking forward to what you have in store for us next year Gods bless. Tracie xx
ReplyDeleteZucchini is so fun and useful to grow. I'm glad you are getting an abundance.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful Christmas day at Chole's.
Annabel and Dear Bluebirds, Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteAnnabel, pray your Christmas time is blessed and wonderful. It sounds like a lovely time with your families.
The week before Christmas is always a bit hectic getting prepared. But is is so lovely when you think of what we are celebrating, Our Christ's birth!
I have been in Christmas mode for over 2 weeks now, with candy and cooking making, decorating and wrapping gifts. We will have a more frugal Christmas but the most important part is having Family together to celebrate together. Just sitting seeing how excited grown Grandchildren get opening even food gifts is such a blessed time. It shows we brought the family up well as they don't place their needs on useless items.
I will be busy finishing cookies and making trays to give friends, neighbors and family, I will be adding the candies I made also.
We will celebrate the Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve and have a large dinner on Christmas. I am blessed that the majority of our meal is from our pantry, adding to it when items were on sale.
I pray all Bluebirds have a Very Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteDear Annabel,
ReplyDeleteAs always your cooking looks delicious. I had to smile when you said you've already started working on gifts for 2024, because I have too. This year, thanks to Youtube I found a very quick, but lovely, gift to make. It involves making beautiful little packets, which are so easy, out of any kind of paper and filling them with two tablespoons of bath salts. So quick, so easy, and so cost effective. I was able to get some lavender scented bath salts by Dr. Teal -- 3 pounds for less than $5. It will make many gifts for pennies.
A huge amount of baking baking and candy making got done. I was very low on prepared meals for the freezer and did some replenishing . Several new aprons got made, as well as potholders from the leftover fabric. I love making pretty packaging and using Youtube directions made beautiful bags and boxes from cardstock , wrapping paper, and scrapbooking paper. They are now stacked in the gift closet for future use. Wishing all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year. Cookie
It all looks so tasty and beautiful! Thank you, Annabel for all of your encouragement and instruction. Having someone in your corner as you try to make a Christ-centered home is worth "far above rubies". Lord bless you, your family, and all the Bluebirds this Christmas season!
ReplyDeleteLove,
Leslie in Ohio
Merry Christmas Annabel! I don't believe I've commented yet, but I thoroughly enjoyed your Nana series this year. Thanks for publishing it! CD in the US
ReplyDeleteThank you for the wonderful share. I feel so blessed to be a part of this group. Life has been moving so quickly - faster than ever. Take care, motivating me to d things for later has been such a great help this year. Merry Christmas and happy New Year
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you and your beautiful family! Thank you for your lovely posts. We are truly blessed. Thank you, too, for the reminder that God doesn't change and a wonderful reminder to think on the good, true, lovely, kind, worthwhile, noble, right and admirable. With love from Elaine in Arizona, USA
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you and your family Annabel! I hope you have lovely celebrations and time to relax. And maybe a Christmas Day calf?!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the time and effort you put into your blog, the inspiration you give and also the encouragement by always replying so warmly to comments.
Wishing everyone a beautiful festive season!!
Jen (NZ)
Merriest Christmas!
ReplyDeleteI would like to thank you for all you do for us, the groups you run are just the nicest on the internet. Have a good Christmas. DeniseXXc
ReplyDeleteRick in Florida &
ReplyDeleteDonna in N Indiana
What a lovely rendering of the Bible verse to end the year! One of my favorites!
And one of the admirable things to think on is You, Annabel, and this blog, including all Bluebird’s’ contributions this past year! Thanks one and all!!
We’re having an early Christmas dinner gift exchange here so our youngest can go back to her in-laws for Christmas this year. Then Christmas Day another one for our other daughter’s Christmas birthday. Plus another on the 30th for our son-in-law here in Florida.
Last night we celebrated our granddaughter’s 12th birthday with a bonfire and made s’mores.
Donna’s at her stepson’s for her Christmas and sends her greetings to all!
Luckily the Covid threat has loosened so the world is sociable again! So great to see, to greet friends, to hug our loved ones like we used to do!
Enjoy your Christmas wherever you are, giving Thanks to God for our many blessings!!
Love to all, Rick & Donna
Merry Christmas to everyone!! Annabelle, I have loved your Nana posts. As we prepare for Christmas, I think of my own Grandmother. Christmas Eve was her special night. She prepared the same menu every year (Brunswick stew, orange jello salad, plenty of crackers, pans and pans of her famous yeast rolls, and her favorite cake). Our families always contributed Christmas cookies, too. Her meal was simple and filling and didn’t overtax her budget or energy. I think often of all those lessons in hospitality wrapped up in a favorite tradition. Funny thing is, my daughter loves this menu and it’s what we typically eat Christmas Eve!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for a wonderful 2023 series! Best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday to everyone!
Dear Annabel, I love your beautiful edges, those towels look magnificent. I love your cooking, what a lovely Christmas you will have. Things are settling here, we have all been very lucky. While Christmas feels topsy-turvy, it is time to contemplate our huge blessings. I plan to contribute more to the Tuesday Afternoon Club. lots of love Lily
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you and your family. I’ve loved following your Nana series and found it very helpful. My parents immigrated here in 1964 so I never knew my nanna’s to learn skills from. Looking forward to learning how to crochet edges and start my gift cupboard. Blessings from Kim in the Barossa xx
ReplyDeleteGod’s richest blessings to you and your family this Christmas, Annabel. I do read your posts although I don’t comment as often they don’t go through when I am using my iPad for some reason. I love seeing your family grow and your interactions with the little ones. Big hugs. Chel as in Nanna Chel 🎄
ReplyDeleteDear Annabel, Merry Christmas to you and your family. You have done a wonderful job this year with continuing to grow the Bluebird community, sharing information and also helping inspire me! All the best for the holidays. Hilogene in Az.
ReplyDeleteThank you for yet another year of your blog, Annabel. Your energy and enthusiasm for the life you live, and the little community you have created here bring me a great deal of joy through your posts. I wish you the happiest of Christmases, and look forward to the next year of Bluebird news.
ReplyDeleteLinda in NZ
Merry Christmas to you and your family, Annabel. It's so comforting to know that God never changes and that He promises to never leave us. I will miss your Nana posts, but look forward to whatever you will be sharing with us in the new year. Wanita
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas Annabelle!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your lovely blog.
I never miss a single post.
I've also gone back and read all
The older posts.
Your an amazing lady.
I wish I had a tenth of your talent.
Best wishes for2024.
Happy Christmas to you, yours, and all here - I'm wishing you all a safe, merry Christmas and prosperous New Year. Loved the Nana series and am so looking forward to seeing what you have planned for 2024!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas Annabel. Getting ahead on gifts has been amazing, I'm thrilled that our Handmade Christmas challenge went so well, and I've started on 2024 too, with some new ideas on my list. Wishing you and your family the happiest of Christmases, and many, many blessings in 2024. Cath xxx
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you and your family, Annabel! What a wonderful year's worth of posts. I'm really looking forward to what you'll post in the coming year! God bless,
ReplyDeleteJen in NS
May you and yours have a wonderful Christmas celebration, Annabel. You have must joy and encouragement through these last 12 months and I sincerely thank you.
ReplyDeleteMany Blessings Gail.🙋🏼♀️💕
Merry Christmas Annabel and all the Bluebirds, love Clare.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to Annabel and all of the other bluebirds from Maxine in northern Idaho! Annabel, please explain what is the Tuesday Afternoon Club and how to join? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteAnnabel thank you so much for all the effort you have been putting into your posts with such wonderful tips and hints as well and I did learn a lot too. Lovely that you made the tomato bake in honour of your Nana and good that you were able to use up so much zucchini as well along with freeze drying some too. Your crochet is beautiful too.
ReplyDeleteFrom our family to yours we hope that you and yours have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year and I hope that something arrived from us in the mail before Christmas or otherwise you should receive it afterwards.
I have been doing a big spring clean of the home ready for Christmas and everything is looking so much cleaner and more organised.
In the home.. We put up 6 of our new roller blinds and they look wonderful and have 7 more to put up. I cleaned 4 good metal venetian blinds we took down and sent them to the mens shed to sell on consignment. As we took down the old blinds I did a deep clean in the sewing room including windows, window sills, walls & skirting boards. I did the same in the kitchen and also cleaned the kitchen cabinets as well on one side of the room. Did the same again in the lounge room.
I did a mini clean of the new car and took out all the custom floor mats and brushed off all the dust and did the same with the boot liner and put them back.
In the kitchen.. We cooked all meals and brad from scratch.
Purchases .. From Coles we purchased an 8.62kg watermelon for $1.99kg, 2 green cucumbers and I used $10 off flybuys to save $25.04 over prices elsewhere.
From IGA we bought on markdown 2 x 12pks of donuts for $1.80 ea, 2 x chocolate cream filled sponge rolls for $3 ea and 2 x 2pk tear and share bacon and cheese rolls for $2.10 ea and 3 x 1.25 litre coca cola on half price sale. On a better price than elsewhere we bought a 800g dark fruit cake for $4.90. In total this was a saving of $24.97 over prices elsewhere.
From Woolworths we purchased a pork boneless leg roast for $7.50 a kg and I used $10 off rewards points to save another $11.10 on usual prices.
Hoping everyone has a wonderful week ahead and a joyous Christmas with family and friends and you are right that God has not changed despite all the other changes around us.
Lorna SW Queensland Australia.
merry christmas to you annabell and all your family. thank you for a wonderful year of inspirations. may we always remember the reason for our celebrations-Jesus Christ the giver of life- may you accept his free gift today. today we are celebrating christmas with our oldest daughter and her family, there will be 17 or so here today, including 2 newborns. last sunday our middle daughter was here with her family. 17 also. it's always a noisy and busy time. fun fun. blessings to all, see you next year. bonnie in pa.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you and your family, Annabel. I'm looking forward to all you have to share with us in the coming year! Wanita
ReplyDeleteHello Annabel and everyone,
ReplyDeleteMerry, merry Christmas to all! Wishing you all a wonderful 2024. Annabel, you and all the bluebirds have inspired, helped, and lifted me up all year long. Thank you all.
<3
Kathy
Merry Christmas, Annabel! Thank you so much for sharing all you have over this year and the inspiration and encouragement you have given. I'm looking forward to going through a New Year with you. Terri @Blue House Journal
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you all! Thank you so much for a year of awesome advice and learning!
ReplyDeleteStacy in Virginia
Many, many blessings to you and your family, Annabel! We must never forget that God is the same - yesterday, today and forever. Hallelujah! 🙌🏻🙏🏻
ReplyDeleteDear Annabel and lovely Bluebirds, I wish you Merry Christmas, peacefull and happy holidays. Thank you for all your posts, encouragement and prayers. I have learned a lot and all of you made me feel very welcomed here. Merry Christmas! Craciun fericit! Laura_s_world from Romania
ReplyDeleteDear Annabel & Bluebirds
ReplyDeleteHope everyone had a lovely Christmas spending time with loved ones where possible or even had a phone call from someone special to you.
Thanks Annabel for another amazing year of knowledge and farm adventures. You have had a very big year. This is one year I can't wait to wave goodbye to as like many it has been more down than up but like you I take time to reflect on the year that was.
We have had some wild weather here and some rain. Storms threaten all around us and the thunder rumbles to life but not too much rain from them and then the heat and humidity is unbearable , not looking forward to the electricity bill.
Wishing you and all the Bluebirds a safe, happy and healthy New Year and please stay safe.
Take Care
Aly xxx