Ten days to Christmas! It has been a busy but lovely week! We have been lucky with pretty mild weather.
Yesterday I put on a Christmas afternoon tea for some friends. It was very simple, Christmas cake and chocolate biscuits and multiple cups of coffee. It was so enjoyable. Our friends arrived with lemons, a big zucchini, wine and a dressed goose!
They left with one of my cakes. They are very good gardeners and farmers so we have plenty to talk about.
Last weekend I did some baking. I had nine bananas that needed to be used up. I made two double batches of banana cakes and baked them in my biggest baking dishes.
I iced one which went to Chloe's household. I imagine she probably froze some. The second cake I cut in half and froze them both.
I made Scones for Mum when she visited.
I harvested Cucumbers, Capsicums, Parsley and Tomatoes. I am thrilled my Cucumbers are doing well and there are two patches of them. Even since I took this photo they have grown to the top of the gate.
A few things went through the freeze drier.
I invested in some new cookware. My frypan really was in poor shape. I knew what I wanted as I have a cooking pot that is my favourite thing ever. So if I could get frypans like it I would be set. With a search on sizes and prices I found a griddle pan and a flat fry pan. As I searched I found some big sales and I could buy a ten piece set cheaper than the two pans on their own! So I ordered the set! Some of the pieces I loved and will use... the rest I don't need and went straight into my 2024 gift cupboard.
My cook up for the week was spaghetti sauce then Lasagne. One Lasagne was in my biggest baking dish.
The next day I sliced it into 6 giant sized servings and froze them individually...
These will then be labelled (with tinsel tied around them) as a gift.
The little calf is going well and not afraid of the ute.
Even the bull is getting to be pretty quiet.
Today Tom was here. We cut up apples and headed out to check the cows. The first thing we found was that the cow and calf were both on the wrong side of the fence. I decided to have a go at getting them back in and told Tom that if we have trouble we will come back and get Andy. Tom said we could get Andy, Andrew (our friend) Mummy, Daddy and Nana Pat and form a team. He is three. He comes up with some plans! We did it with ease though and he said "Good job Nana I'm so proud of you!" 😎
Then we saw a cow over under a tree all on her own. You know what that means! We drove over but not too close. I did a bit of a circle... she was just licking dry a fresh calf!! So number two Christmas calf is born! After all this excitement we came back to the house and Tom had to tell Andy all about it.
This week the postie drove up the driveway and delivered parcels straight to the front door. Our post box is several hundred metres away. She didn't have to do this but it was so kind of her! I thanked her very much and asked if she likes fruit cake? She replied that yes she does, very much, so I was able to hand her one of my ready wrapped cakes and say Merry Christmas! Making extra, having some spare little gifts wrapped... mean sometimes we can spontaneously give something and bless someone!
So speaking of extra gifts... today I got my Coconut Ice and Chocolate Fudge made. I will show these next week when I have them gift wrapped.
Chloe and Luke employ a wonderful young guy who is fantastic. Farm workers are very hard to find. Chloe is making him a Christmas hamper. I said "I'm in, I'll help!" Today I gave her a working dog themed kitchen towel and pot holder/heat pad, a small fruit cake and a slab of Coconut Ice. I told her if she waits until next week I can add Fudge and Caramels. She has Rum Balls, Biscuits and whatever else she comes up with. Combined this will be a great hamper!
In the evenings I have been working on crochet edges.
So a good week. We added to the pantry, the freezer, the herd and the present cupboard! 😊 We spread some Christmas joy!
How was your week? How did you feather your nest and work towards Christmas celebrations? We love to hear! xxx
Fabulous going’s on as always Annabel ❤️
ReplyDeleteI need to start writing down what I do all week, I can never think what I have done when Feather Your Nest Friday comes around!!
What a lucky man that farm hand is, I bet he will be chuffed to receive that hamper!
Have a lovely week Bluebirds ❤️🐦🎄
From Cheryl
Thanks so much Cheryl! It has happened to me where someone asked what have I been doing? And I go completely blank! That is one of the reasons I began the Friday review. Also it helps me see what we have done rather than just what needs doing! I made caramels today so that is something else for the hamper too! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteAnnabel you are right! Noting down what we achieve each week really does help to keep some perspective on all the things that still need doing! It's easy to become overwhelmed but every little task finished counts! Penny in the UK
DeleteAnnabelle-these posts are so fun! I wish I could come visit you and drink cups and cups of coffee.🙂
ReplyDeleteThe cow story with your precious grandson was wonderful! What did you name the new calf?
Have you ever thought about a cookbook with all your wonderful culinary delights? I bet many of your readers have, including me!
Merry Christmas! You are a gift and blessing to us all!!
Susan
Dear Susan, Thank you so much! Chloe is helping me to make my recipes easy to print off and in one place... that will be a step in the right direction! I am not sure if the new calf is a boy or girl yet. A girl will be Holly, not sure about a boy yet! Merry Christmas to you too! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteIf your calf is a boy, how about Nick or Rudolph/Rudy? Or maybe Dasher, Prancer, Donner, Blitzen, etc. Ha ha!
DeleteRoberta in SoCal
How about nickolas for a boy, for old st nick!
DeleteSusan
Annabel,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the new calf, how exciting. So happy Tom was there to see it with you.
It sounds like a full week of preparing for Christmas and enjoying Company.
I have been in full Christmas prepare mode. I have all 3 trees put up, we set on on front porch with a sleigh sitting next to it, one in sun room, so when we sit and eat dinner it is all lite up. Plus one in family room. It's looking like Christmas. The very first thing to go up is my Nativity Set and last to come down. It sits on our TV stand and it is wonderful seeing it daily, if I could I would leave it up all year.
I have been making cookie dough to bake next week, so far I have 7 made, some cannot be made till baking day.
I also made 4 candies, so I will need to sit and wrap them up as gifts. They will go on a tray of cookies that we deliver to neighbors, post office lady and friends and family.
I have even kept up with gift wrapping, all caught up, waiting on 4 boxes to wrap gift cards in. I covered our living room sofa with gifts and the side tables till we put everything under the tree.
I love this time of year and an blessed to be able to celebrate it. We have cut back for this Christmas but still all the little things are wrapped so that there are things to unwrap on Christmas.
We have already started plans on dinner, Lasagna and Ham so far, all from our pantry.
Merry Christmas to all!
Dear Rosanne, You are in Christmas mode! Your home sounds beautiful. The candies you made all looked amazing. Cookie day will add so much to your gifts. Everyone will love getting a selection. Your wrapping also looked gorgeous. It is good to do this ahead of time because when we are not rushed I think we do a better job.
DeleteHave a bit of a rest over the weekend ready for cookie making and everything else next week will hold! With love Annabel.xxx
Dear Rosanne, thankyou for sharing your cookie "system" - mind blown here! Do you freeze the dough or just put in fridge until baking day. I have never thought to do this. Brilliant. Merry Christmas, Clare (Australia)
DeleteDear Annabel and Bluebirds, your little Tom - how gorgeous and clever. I had the pleasure of watching at least 20 toddlers gather round Santa this week at a local Christmas breakup. They were so very cute. When asked what one little one would like Santa to bring she said Lollies in the sweetest little voice. This week has flown by in a whirlwind of school finishing up, last assemblies etc. I am proud to say I did get 6 jars of beetroot processed. I have not tasted it yet but it looks good. I have ducked in and out of opp shops as I am passing this week and have found 3 really beautiful jigsaw puzzles. My mum does jigsaws to relax and always did one in the school holidays. I was never into doing them I couldn't seem to concentrate that long. Just recently I did one with my daughter and now I see the benefit of slowing my mind down this way. I have been looking for smaller ones and the ones I found are 500 and 300 pieces - easier to fit on the table. One is a garden scene with potted plants and a blue bird decoration in the middle of it! I also found some beautiful English magazines - I didn't let myself look at them - I quickly wrapped them and put under the tree for Christmas day. Last night I wrapped my dishcloths in twos in little packages and tied ribbon around them and put them in a basket for family to take one if they wish on Christmas day. We have our two nieces 11 and 9 coming to stay for two nights tonight. Reading your blog and the comments here this morning I have a few more ideas on how to spend the time with them. Hoping everyone enjoys this week before Christmas, love Clare
DeleteHi Annabel and Bluebirds
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely week you have had Annabel, all the excitement of calves and cooking an gifting.
Today I took into both the post offices I go to some shortbread and some chocolates as well to the one i deal with mostly. As it was busy I got on with my posting after gifting the parcel to which she was most grateful for especially when they are sorting the mail at 3am. It was so busy that I said she may need to start them in her lunch break.
Tonight I was sitting here reading Nana's posted dated 4th December and wow some of the things you had written. We watched both Home Alone's last night and tonight with Mum who got a wonderful laugh from them both, we have been watching a movie a night since December 1 and we have taken her on a short walk out the front to see the houses decorated, we took her and DD13 for a drive to see the Christmas lights last weekend to our old neighbourhood where DD13 and I used to do a walk around to look at the lights. You mentioned that your girls used to have a picnic under the Christmas tree, we use to do the same a serving dish with each compartment full but the chocolate could not be eaten until last an we would eat and watch movies when DD was little all the Minnie and Mickey Christmas movies. We love all the decorations. We have a Christmas shop in the middle of the cane fields near us which has a coffee shop and is filled to the rafters with decorations so we have been visiting there a bit this year. DD13 loves going out for a look.
I was lucky enough to have a fruit cake leftover from last year and have pulled it out from the freezer to enjoy over Christmas. We will be home this year now that Mum is with us and are all looking forward to just enjoying the day together. Presents have started to be wrapped.
The days here have been windy and rainy but very humid since Sunday as we have felt the effects of the cyclone. I feel for those who went through this event, so devastating to see the effects it has had and still is having. DP went to work a day early so that one of the guys could go home to be with his family as they were in the firing line (unsure of how they are as phone lines have been down)
The heat here has been relentless for a little over 2 weeks but we have had a little reprieve with the rain cooling things down a little but still in the early to mid 30's
Tomorrow we are hitting pause on Christmas as we celebrate a friend's 40th and her daughter's 18th birthday so we will get to catch up with some friend's we haven't seen in a while.
Enjoy the week leading up to Christmas
Take Care
Aly xxx
Dear Aly, I just love that your Mum is there with you now, you don t have to travel and you can enjoy Christmas all together. Also I love movies that are beautiful for all age groups and those movies are hilarious no matter what age. It was very good of DP to help that man go home to his family in the line of the cyclone. I am glad you were not hit directly... humidity and wind are bad enough! Enjoy the birthday parties! They sound like a great way to see lots of people and wish them for Christmas as well! With much love Annabel.xxx
DeleteDear Annabel and Bluebirds,
ReplyDeleteYou had a very productive and blessed week. You have a gift for making everything that you touch appealing and beautiful, Annabel.
This week, I set up five Happy Planners for different areas of our life right now; received a beautiful planner from a friend as a gift and now have somewhere to record what I do each day; started an exercise program; cleaned, as always; visited with family; made some fabric drink coasters for a friend; spent some hours of planning time with John discussing preps; researched treadmills and solar power; and worked on genealogy. Today, I have some errands and coffee with a friend.
Our weekends are quiet, normally. Sunday is our 56th wedding anniversary, so I will fix a nice lunch.
I wish everyone a wonderful weekend.
Love and hugs,
Glenda
Dear Glenda, Getting your planners set up is a great way to start the new year. I think so much about the year thats been now. Then I begin to think about a new year. I love this time and the days between Christmas and NY are my favourite. Look into rebounders. Very gentle rebounding is very beneficial for the whole body. Have a very Happy Anniversary! With much love, Annabel.xxx
DeleteI baked my fruitcakes last Sunday & they are fantastic! This is my 3rd year. I follow your recipe closely. I bought 4 extra baking dishes. The wrapped cakes then fit perfectly into the standard tins from the dollar store. I doubled the recipe, so I ended up with 7 big cakes (4 cups batter), 1 medium cake (2 cups batter), and 4 mini cakes (1 cup batter). I’m certain that I will bake even more cakes next year, probably over 2 weekends. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteDear Aunt Diane, I am so glad you like the recipe and well done! I am not sure if you are in The Tuesday Afternoon Club but Stephanie bakes them in a very large baking dish as one huge cake. When it is cold she cuts this into six or eight smaller cakes. So this is another option too! The cakes going into a nice tin as you are doing is lovely! Thank you so much for telling me! Merry Christmas! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteAnnabel, another inspiring post. I look forward to your weekly posts. Your words motivate me to keep fighting the good fight to be prepared. This past week I was able to purchase 2 hams, one I will use for a church meal on Christmas Eve and the other I had my husband slice up then I froze smaller servings for future meals. I boiled the bone, picked off the remaining meat and used the broth to make a delicious potato soup. I was able to freeze 3 pints for future winter lunches. With sales few and far between at the grocery store I have been cooking almost everything from scratch. We still have spinach growing in the garden under protective cover so I have not had to buy greens of any kind at the store. At 3.50 (US) per head or bag "on sale" this has saved us quite a bit. I serve a large salad for dinner once a week and this time of year I am using the spinach and mache from the garden. That is a savings of about $14 per month. And of course, fresh from the garden is much better quality than from a package from the store. I went to the Amish market and stocked up on a few spices and whole wheat flour. Their prices are much better than any of the stores. I have been waiting for a good sale on sugar and flour this time of year but so far none have happened. I have been using up many fabric pieces making small quilts to donate. I finished three of them this past week. Instead of buying binding I just folded over the backing fabric to finish them off. That saved me $18. I have been staying home most of this week. This time allowed me to do some inventory and maintenance. I also did a little planning. My husband and I will be going through our emergency bags to organize and assess what might be missing, etc. I will also be planning our garden for next season. You have inspired me to be a little more creative in my packaging of neighbors' gifts this season. You can make everything look so festive. Thank you for being so dedicated to your blog. You have helped me in so many ways.
ReplyDeleteDear Marley, Thank you so much! This is very encouraging to me. Well done on the hams and the soup! The greens from your garden are healthy and a big savings! I would absolutely love to go to an Amish market. It is so good you can go there and get better prices. Well done on the quilts! We can all make something to donate I think and it is lovely having something to work on. Your neighbours will appreciate your gifts and I think all of these things add some joy to our Christmas. You had a very productive week! With love, Annabel.xxx
DeleteCongratulations on another Christmas calf Annabel! I love that Tom said he was proud of you. That’s so nice to have been able to gift the cake to the courier. And lovely of her to drop them up to the house! There have been reminders over here to treat posties and couriers nicely because they endure quite a bit of abuse at this time of year. How sad that is!
ReplyDeleteSchool has finished!!! I’m so happy. I’ve baked so much this week for gifts and shared lunches etc, have attended some lovely events, and am thrilled to be able to relax at home with the family now!
A major retailer here is doing daily Christmas deals. I’ve stocked up on huge bags of cornflakes for $3 each, eggs, and have bought new socks for everyone at 40% off. I ended up earning a $40 voucher and have bought a birthday present for my daughter with it.
This week we will bake, make rocky road, make Christmas crackers, drop some boxes to the op shop, visit friends and just enjoy the Christmas build up.
Wishing everyone an enjoyable week
Jen (NZ)
Dear Jen, Thank you! In the stores now there are signs about not abusing the staff. This implies people are abusing the staff and I have seen some pretty rude people... It has been on our news that emergency services like Ambulance officers get abused, hurt... one was shot! This was unheard of when we were younger... this is shocking!
DeleteI love the daily deals! I hope you still find some more that are things your family uses!
Enjoy the baking... I made chewy caramels for the first time today. I have things made and need to get on to packaging! Christmas week is very exciting! With love, Annabel.xxx
Rick from Florida and
ReplyDeleteDonna from N Indiana
Hello Annabel and Bluebirds all over the world!
Just a first note that I see more new (to me) bluebirds from new places and countries lately! Wonderful! If you’re looking for uplifting reading and a wealth of ideas and encouragement, this blog is for you!!
My oh my, that Tom is a one! Wonder who he takes after with his inquisitive and problem solving mind?
And another Christmas calf! Wow!! You not only have a green thumb but one of every color! 😉
And having your cakes and other things handy for unexpected gifts is always a good idea. And when you’re baking or ? It’s just as easy to do a couple of extras just for that reason! And such wrappers as well!
Finished our cards yesterday. Overseas went last week (11) and (31) for here! I really enjoy writing a note or more on all of them! Sometimes it’s the only contact all year! And didn’t buy a one! All from an Indian school in South Dakota! So rich and lovely!
We have a tradition of many years to get a selection of goodies from Betty’s in Yorkshire (UK) sent over! Mmm! Ginger biscuits and Ginger sticks and stollen! Even a cake some years! Oh that first bite!! One year I sent some to my youngest at the University where she worked. A new student employee was there and on seeing the box said: “Is that from THE Betty’s ? OMG!” Of course she had to treat him to some!
Linda’s cutting our little grass chunks around our mobile home as we have rain forecast! We’re in a drought ban so only can water once a week. Everything looking great! My unlabeled big pot turned out to be lettuces I did for our youngest to take to her apartment porch! Her Persian husband and she LOVE fresh veg!! Me, too!!
Donna enjoying the fruitcake trio we sent: reg; pineapple/macadamia nut; and butter rum! That’ll keep her busy and well fed!
Well, Thanks again for another year of Inspiration and just plain LOVE!! It shines forth every week and keeps us going from N Zealand to Romania to the USA and everywhere
in between!!
Merry Christmas to all, with Love and God’s Blessings,
Rick & Donna xxxooo
Rick, the original Betty's in Harrogate in Yorkshire is wonderful. An amazing shop/ bakery with a lovely cafe next door. How lovely to have some treats from there at Christmas, hope you all have a wonderful holiday. Penny in the UK.
DeleteHello Annabel (and everyone),
ReplyDeleteYour tea sounds lovely, and look at your beautiful plants! All of the cooking looks wonderful. I love that you have had another calf born! What a great week.
I've been baking for us and for Christmas (banana and pumpkin bread, snack mix, fudge, chocolate cranberries, fudge grahams), and played Santa with some goodies for our neighbors. Crafts-wise, I'm almost finished knitting a pair of socks and hoping to finish up my latest cross stitch over the weekend. House-wise, the HVAC filters were changed, floors done, pantry re-organized, and throw rugs washed. I'll be cooking Christmas dinner, so I'm trying to get all of the deeper cleaning done this week and weekend. We had my dad over for Sunday dinner this week and had a lovely time together; I sent him home with some snack mix and put out some of the goodies for dessert, which between he and my husband disappeared fast!
It was a chemo week, but has gone pretty well! No problems with electrolyes thanks to supplementation (which I had to advocate for, but am so glad it is working). My husband is tired, but otherwise seems to feel ok. Lots to be thankful for! In the mail he received a surprise - a beautiful Christmas card with a note, psalm 91, and a sweet small angel charm - from a complete stranger, who wrote that she had randomly chosen names and addresses from the white pages to send cards to for the holiday. Such kindness and love this season - it is not lost on me.
I didn't add much to the food pantry this week, but did pick up large bags of almonds (for easy protein), dried cranberries, fresh produce, and dairy. Cleaning items and supplements were added to the household and medical pantries. I also purchased one piece of cookware to replace one that was not as good quality as it could be.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
<3
Kathy
Dear Kathy, How incredible your husband got that card and verse... right right, like that! You get so much done each week! I am so glad chemo week went ok too and you stuck to your guns on the supplements and that worked!
DeleteYour neighbours would be appreciating your kindness and your Dad you always look after!
With hosting Christmas you will be even busier this week! You are doing a wonderful job! With much love, Annabel.xxx
Always an inspiring read thank you. I enjoy how you make items look so lovely. I would love to crochet some pretty edges on to things but am at a loss how to pierce a hole into the chosen item to put the crochet stitch into. Apologies if that seems dim witted as handicrafts are not my strength.
ReplyDeleteI have a full tutorial on how to do the edgings which you can find if you search The bluebirds are Nesting, crochet edgings. I use a very fine crochet hook which is 1.5 mm to to the first row but you can also use a thick sewing needle and work a blanket stitch around for the foundation row. Both are really easy! If you are a member of The Tuesday Afternoon Club... message me there and I will post the whole tutorial up for you. Once you do that first row the first time you will be off and running and there are endless possibilities for crochet edges.xxx
Deleteto crochet around items, use a hook with a larger flat section in the center to hold onto. push this hook all the way thru to the larger section and make a hold with it. then take the hook back to regular position and continue.. The hole will remain in your fabric and you can pull thread thru this hole. no need for another gadget to make this hole. your hook will work fine.
DeleteAnnabel,
ReplyDeleteTom is so cute. It's so touching when our grandchildren say they are proud of us. The calf is adorable and what a handsome bull too! Will this calf be a Noel or Holly?
Everything your growing is looking fantastic! I love to see things grow.
Ive had a productive week. I did a big grocery shop and did pretty well adding to the pantry.
baked 3 regular loaves and one small loaf of banana bread that have been gifted.
Sold 5 jars of kraut and 9 dozen eggs.
Made a batch of peanut butter fudge which I will cut tomorrow.
I finished edging a washcloth to gift
decorated a few glassine bags to fill with goodies
I cut some fabric scraps that weren't very big into 4 inch squares to gift to an older woman who still likes to make quilts but cutting is difficult for her now. There isn't enough for a big quilt, but I'm sure she will still be able to make something.
I saved vegetable scraps in a freezer bag for when I make broth
I used bits and bobs to make a potato soup with sour cream and parmesan cheese so they wouldn't go to waste.
I mended a pair of my jeans so I can get more use out of them.
We helped butcher a deer and was given a bit of the meat which we will share some with the old couple that we take wood and food to every Christmas.
Rick was gifted a stack of t-shirts, his get stained from working on greasy things so he did need them, but he doesn't wear sweats as much so I donated a bag of those. out with the old in with the new
That's about it for me this week.
XOXO
Vicky
Thanks Vicky, I dont know if the new calf is a heifer or bull yet. I hope to get closer today. It was great to get some venison! Making the squares for the lady to sew was such a great gift! She will love that! With selling kraut and eggs that is some serious money coming in! You really did HEAPS! Have a good week now... no doubt it will be busy! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteHi Annabel. I bet you are beaming from ear to ear now that young Master Tom is so proud of you. I thought you said Johnnie was loaning you a bull that wasnt his best? The bull with the girls looks pretty good to me. Johnnie's best must be one heck of a stud bull!
ReplyDeleteWe've had lots of Grandie shenanigans this week. There was the Playgroup Christmas Party that Santa showed up at. Spencer had so much fun running around with his little jingle bells, singing in Spencer Speak to all the songs. He loved Santa and was one of the first in the line to give Santa a hug and get a present. Toby was not interested at all and started screaming at the first sight of the jolly fat man. He and I went outside and sat under a tree in the shade.
Katie has brought the boys around a couple of times and they have had fun splashing in the paddle pool on the veranda in the shade. Spencer loves his Uncle Frankie and spent a bit of time under the car with him when Uncle Frankie was doing some mechanical work.
The Neighbourhood Centre is hosting the Rotary Club book fair. I was in there yesterday. I didnt find a lot for me, but picked up a few books for the Grandies. Spencer got his this morning, and was very happy with my choices. He sat up in Grandfathers lap and they read them together.
I drove down to my folks place for an overnight trip. Bluey had made them up a care package. Mum loves these lucky dips. She opened up the chiller bag and took everything out one by one. She has a number of lasagna and tuna bake freezer meals for when she doesnt feel like cooking. There was choc chip muffins and some banana cake, a dozen eggs and some garden produce. I got Mum's tree out of the shed and we decorated this together. She now has her little tree up and some gifts under it. I also shoveled many wheelbarrows of gravel off a pathway so she and Dad could get to and from the house safely.
I've been sewing hand towels for home and appliqueing gnomes or owls onto them. I have a Christmas shirt cut out for Bluey and plan to get that made in the next few days. There's no rush as we are celebrating Christmas when Francis gets his little girls. Our Christmas will be New Years Day.
Have a wonderful week. Life is hot and sweaty good.
Dear Jane, Yes this is like one of Johnnies "spare bulls" and I think he's a beauty! I wouldn't look a gift bull in the mouth anyway but I was really impressed! Your week was a big one with the travel included but good to see your parents and not do everything in one week. You were a big help to your Mum with the meals ready made and the decorating!
DeleteI know you have been flat out since too! Enjoy this lead up to Christmas! With love Annabel.xxx
Oh, Annabel. I am so happy for you! Another calf... congratulations. A new grandchild on the way, a full pantry, a growing garden, lovely baking accomplished, and sweet fellowship to boot! My, your life is full and blessed. So anxious to catch up on all the Bluebird news.
ReplyDeleteI did see that Glenda is celebrating her wedding anniversary this weekend. Happy Anniversary! How can you be married 56 years? I thought you were nearer to being 56 years old!
I have a lot of frugal accomplishments for the week. My husband found several loaves of bread and some canned food at the local thrift shop for free. I got some good deals on strawberries... $1 for a 16 oz. clamshell. So I bought 6. Will prep them for the freezer tomorrow. The kids and I enjoyed another fudge making session. It gets bundled up in cello bags for gifts and for spur of the moment blessings. I enjoyed making some homemade chicken noodle soup and then blessing an elderly friend with several helpings. She received some fudge too. ☺️ We enjoyed a new batch of homemade kombucha ...this made 13 jars. Everyone can just grab and go.
I crocheted handmade scrubbies for gifts. Thank you, Annabel for the idea. So lovely with some bottles of body wash. Now, I must finish 2 crocheted infinity scarves (completed 2 already).
One more week of school! My sailor son comes home on the 24th so we are counting down the days.
Blessings to you all,
Leslie in Ohio
Leslie thank you! And your sailor arriving home on Christmas Eve... how perfect is that!? The scrubbies and body wash are a lovely gift. The infinity scarves would be beautiful too. I have some beautiful velvets... and I have been thinking in our winter to make infinity scarves from some, we are on the same track. You did such a lot and I know you will be very busy this week as well! Have a good week Leslie, with love Annabel.xxx
DeleteAnnabel how wonderful you have another Christmas calf and the bull is a big boy for sure. Lovely that Tom had a cunning back up plan should you not be able to get the mother and calf in but I knew you would. Your baking of banana bread and lasagna is lovely and made so many meals and lovely to be able to freeze dry so many lovely things from the gardens and the cucumbers look like they are powering.
ReplyDeleteNot a lot done here in the gardens as we are having heatwave warnings so we have concentrated on indoor activities mainly although I did do a mini clean of the inside of the new car one morning when it was cooler.
In the kitchen we cooked all meals from scratch.
Purchases we put in a click and collect order with WW for our Christmas fruit, nuts and salads that we will pick up on the 22nd. I used our 4% off e-gift card, picked up a few specials and used a promo for 1700 points with a 1c spend to save $21.90 on usual prices and earned 1936 rewards points with other promos.
We bought 13 roller blinds from Spotlight to replace all the metal venetians in the home saving $511 over other prices I saw online.
In the home DH vacuumed the fins and filters on the 2 air conditioners in the home and I am pleased to say they work much better now. I did some extra summer cleaning and washed down the walls in the upstairs bathroom. We caught up on washing the dirty laundry and folding it up and putting it away when dried.
Hope everyone has a wonderful week ahead.
Lorna (SW Qld Australia).
Dear Lorna, I hope you are getting rain but not the deluge! I think blinds are so much nicer and easier than Venetians. You did great on those! It is amazing how fast the air con filters get clogged up! They difference when clean is a money saver too.
DeleteHave a very nice week leading up to Christmas! With much love Annabel.xxx
Thank you so much to those who answered my crochet edge question. Much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteThis is Terri from Blue House Journal. I cannot sign into Google comments any longer, no clue why. I managed to decorate my Christmas tree this week. It is not what I'd planned but the best I could manage. No Christmas baking since the counters are not in the kitchen yet. The house has been turned up, shaken and put down, lol. Every room is a mess at the moment, but that's to be expected with the work we're having done. Our plan has been to prepare our home for our most senior years and this will be the last big stuff to be done beyond routine maintenance things. We've eaten all meals at home, since the kitchen is semi-functional and I have been using a minimal amount of appliances/dishes since June. I made pizza at home last night rather than get takeout today on our way back from a meeting we'd attended. All Christmas has been taken care of and the money to cover those bills is in a savings account just waiting to be paid out. I'm so grateful that I was asked to join in with a savings challenge at the start of the autumn and I purposed to save money for Christmas. I am so appreciative of the help I get from this blog and many others that give me tips I haven't tried before or thought of myself and find they work wonderfully well for my needs. Thank you all so much for taking time to share!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Terri! Google has a mind of its own thats all I can say!
DeleteI hope the work on the kitchen is finished soon. It is hard to live through renovations I know that! Well done on saving for Christmas and being ahead! And the pizza sounds beautiful! I hope things go smoothly this week leading up to Christmas! With much love Annabel.xxx
Dear Annabel, your week was great. And fun, too. Tom's help is so precious😍 and how wonderful to have another baby calf and a good new helper. I try to write again, I don't know why it keeps blocking (maybe censorship is blocking again, like before 1989?) Russia seems bigger and bigger, this week the south of my country got two ro-alert about Russian's bombing (this is near the ports where Ukraine exports the grain. As about 60% of Ukraine export goes through Romania and we have the F16 airplanes here, too, we are directly threatened in Russian speeches. These days I am a bit overwhelmed by emotions - my 12 years old dog has some medical problems, he can't stand up by himself but eats, drinks and is alert. We give him medicine and wait, it is some bone problems, the vet says. He came to me in the garden on the first day and looked at me like " Mum, I have a problem...." I hope he will recover, he is part of our family. Work is very busy but I managed to see an art exhibition and meet my highschool classmate after more then 10 years - obviously we had to talk about a lot of stuff. I finished the knitting orders just in time to deliver before the holidays (also the walnuts orders) and now I will get into Christmas spirit. Wishing everyone a nice weeend or week ahead. Laura_s_world from Romania
ReplyDeleteDear Laura, I am so sorry that this is all so close to you. You have every right to feel overwhelmed. Mum was here yesterday and we are so far away yet we feel overwhelmed by both Russia/Ukraine and potentially Nato etc and the Middle East... and the Suez Canal and Red Sea and it goes on and on. This has me thinking how we must celebrate Christmas the very best we can and appreciate every moment. I hope your dog recovers! Could he have arthritis? We have used cod liver oil with some effect on older dogs. Getting all your knitting and walnut orders completed is fantastic! We are praying for you! With much love, Annabel.xxx
DeleteWhat a wonderful week and a lovely compliment from sweet Tom!
ReplyDeleteThis week my preparedness paid off in big ways. I had made turkey broth after Thanksgiving and most of the presents were sorted. I got a bad cold, and needed to rest all week. Because I prepared for things like that, I had broth on hand, the medicines I needed, and time to rest. Now as I'm mostly recovered I don't have stress about presents! This is why we prepare for things to happen! My house could use a good clean and I want to bake some cookies, but I'm ready for the week! Thank you again for the encouragement to be prepared!
Stacy in Virginia
Dear Stacy, I am so glad you had broth and everything you needed while you weren't well! One year Laine told me she wrapped all her presents in December and then she was unwell most of December and how grateful she was she had done so much early! From then on I have wrapped early! It paid off for you too! Have a very good week and I hope you are fully recovered! With love Annabel.xx
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