Last night it began to rain... I opened every door and window so I could listen to it but then it became a thunderstorm so I was running around shutting them again. I had 17.5 mils which is a little under three quarters of an inch. This is the most rain I think, at once, this year. It has been a bad year! But right now things are watered and I am very grateful.
Last weekend I used up some bananas in a cake. I have adopted Stephanie's method and rather than using four baking tins I used my largest baking dish and then at the end cut it into four cakes. One was given away, two were frozen, one was for the worker morning teas.
I also made some apple puree for Lily.
Lily has quite a bit of hair and she even wore her first hair clip this week. 😍
Today was Tom's fourth birthday. He was so excited. He loves a party. Any party.
As usual Chloe created a perfect cake. Tom kept saying how he LOVED his cake... not just the edible part but before it was cut he was so proud of it! When I got there he said "come and see my beautiful cake." 😊
It was on my list this week to look closely at each fruit tree. I found tiny pears have formed on both pear trees. THOUSANDS of them.
So now it is on next weeks list (when my helpers are here) to net these trees. Last nights rain would have helped them along too.
Calf number 10 arrived on Saturday! Doris still is pregnant even a thunderstorm didn't get her going. I think tonight is a full moon. Maybe that will do it?
The older calves have formed a small gang.
The calf at the front... he is the bravest and always the first. I am allowed to pat his nose.
I made a batch of soap with men in mind since so many things I make are girlie. This is made from a bunch of Rosemary steeped in olive oil. I added Eucalyptus oil as well. It smells really good! I am so pleased with it.
The boys came over and wanted to hold the chickens.
We had to swap out two at a time for variety. 😊
I would rather have nothing on my walls than something I don't love. But I was in a store and saw this... it is quite big. So I bought it as a present to myself!
My room "The Shop" has made a little progress. I am trying to do something every day. Mostly small things... like a nice floor rug. The paper has arrived to lie the cupboard at the back and the drawers... I can't wait to do this it is going to look beautiful!
AND a friend read my blog and asked me if I would like another cupboard like the one I traded for? Yes! The wall has space for two together... I haven't seen it yet but I am so excited. What a dream. How amazing is that? From a bit of progress to a lot of progress!
So now I have a real vision for the room which is to be a very vintage kitchen/pantry theme and to add lots of baskets and cast iron pots. It will be a very happy space but also just like a shop in my own home. This will take a while but that is ok! It is so good to have a plan, a dream and a goal.
I hope you had a good week, are safe, have electricity.... (a lot of storms here also this week.) How did you build up your home, pantry or garden? I am so glad I have sisters here I can share my week with. It is just so much more fun this way.xxx
Thanks again for sharing your adventures and plans. Oh those cows!
ReplyDeleteThank you Diana!xxx
DeleteThis isn't really building up my pantry, but I'm repotting the geraniums from the large summer pots into smaller pots to overwinter in our shop. It doesn't freeze in there so hopefully they'll overwinter and be beautiful for next summer. The large pots take up so much room, the smaller pots are easier to water in the winter. This will save a lot of money next spring!
ReplyDeleteDear Gretchen, That is a good idea. I cant even imagine having to get new plants in Spring. I look at gardens and think how does all of the survey being frozen over? We have never dealt with this. Things doe along slowly in winter here but we can get frost damage. I hope they will go well for you come Spring! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteDear Annabel
ReplyDeleteThe rain was so lovely, only 10mm here but grateful for it. We are below 2/3 of our annual average so this summer is a worry for fires. I’m grateful we aren’t fully reliant on rainwater.
My earliest memories have a kitchen cupboard like yours. I’d forgotten all about it until I saw your photos last week. A trip right down memory lane.
Your grandchildren are delightful and you are very blessed.
Great cake Chloe!
Take care everyone,
Kate
Dear Kate, I am glad you got some rain at least. It is funny about the cabinet. Because of the memory of it I remembered other things like details of Nanas kitchen. She used to give me a little bowl of Rice Bubbles with sugar on them. I thought that was amazing. She was not shy about sugar lol. So many memories, things I had not thought of in years. Thanks so much Kate, I feel very blessed for sure. With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteRice Bubbles??? Is that a breakfast cereal? ~ Karen, Pacific Northwest, USA
DeleteAnnabel,
ReplyDeleteOh! Lily has grown, she is such a sweetie. I am surprised Tom let anyone cut his cake, he does look so proud of it. I love how the boys wanted to hold the baby chicks, they are so careful with them.
Your pear tree looks amazing with all the pears on it, prayers the weather and birds co-operate in you getting a bountiful harvest this season.
The picture you purchased is beautiful, it is truly you, I can see it hanging in your home. I am happy you found one that you liked enough to purchase.
My week has been slow, we were able to go to the grocery store and stock a little in the pantry, so I was happy as sales have been terrible and prices rising it seems daily.
I decided that all my old skeins of yarn that match nothing else are going to become a granny square afghan. I don't want to waste any of my stash and also keep cost down, I will probably need to purchase the joining yarn, but will look for it on sale, of course.
Winter arrives and we have had nights of freezing temperatures. The heavy comforter is on the bed so that we can keep the heat on low. The deer are back and eating my hydrangeas, they even ate the blossoms. There are signs all around in nature that this winter is going to be cold and snowy. We have a massive oak tree out back, husband said as soon as the acorns fall they are gone, the animals are in competition to collect them.
Prayers for all our Bluebirds and their families during these times. May the Lord be with all and bless all.
Dear Rosanne, Thank you. We dont give the birds any opportunity with the fruit. If we did there would be no fruit at all. I would love to have an Oak tree! How beautiful! All the more beautiful how the animals collect the acorns. A Granny square blanket will be nice. Blankets are so handy even in the car, as a gift too. Have a lovely weekend! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteDear Annabel,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, Happy Birthday, Tom!!! You are a big hamdsome boy! with a great cake to match. Cogratulations, Chloe!
Lily is a beautiful girl! I loved your pictures with the calves, the boys playing with the chickens, the picture with the bird for the wall (is it a Kookaburra?) I say it again, I very much enjoy reading your blog and very often taking written down notes in my special notebook. Also, I have printed some pages, too, with the lemon cake, the beanie hat, and your prepardness series from the old blog.
I am planning to revisit those pages, as I plan to do something extra each day, at least one thing a day that add to my security. One thing to make me feel we are prepared and I can take care of my family. Seeing pictures and vlogs with people talking after Helene storm and with the war so close, real and threatening, food and water is the most important, but preparedness meand much more. As the Russian military systematically attacks civilian energy infrastructure it probably won*t be an easy winter. I will re-read your posts and see what I have to do!
Last night we had our first frost, knocking out most of the cold sensitive plants. I was able to harvest everything from the garden, (not very much, as it was not a good year for my garden) and preserved what I could. I pickled green tomatoes in a jar and made a big batch of green tomatoes mixed with onions, peppers, cabbage, cucumber and two slices of horse radish in eac jar to keep them crisp even after pickling (4-6 weeks later). Very good for all dishes with meat in the winter and lots of intense colours on the plate. Yummy and nothing goes to waste.
This week I have worked more hours than ussual, on Monday it was from 8 am until 8 pm, so this coming weekend I plan to rest more. And play with my dogs. And cook. And knit. And looking over the clothes for cold weather. I think my husband is right, I don*t know how to take a rest.
Sending all the best from far away. Laura_s_world from Romania
PS. Annabel, I like it very much how you did end your post and I subscribe - I am so glad I have sisters here I can share my week with. It is just so much more fun this way.
Dear Laura, I always love reading your posts too. I admire you with what you achieve, how you take care of your family and deal with a war so close. Love, Bridget
DeleteDear Laura, Yes you are right it is a Kookaburra! I love birds. I always have! You did so much with your produce down to the wine... and now already there is frost! The pickles will be great freshness and you made the most of everything!
DeleteLaura security worries me. Now I would add a lot of things in that area including keeping your chickens secure at night, hiding some supplies in different locations...the dogs are good as they are security alarms! Preparedness for no electricity is one of the big ones.
Well done on the extra hours worked. I think you are making hay while the sun shines... but I do hope the weekend you get some true rest. This gives us pause to consider what we should attend to and make some new plans too. The change of seasons alone takes some new plans and routines. With lots of love and thanks, Annabel.xxx
Thank you for the post! So glad you had some rain -we are bone dry here in Kansas in the USA-I've been canning meat this week -my son had a lot of chicken breasts that couldn't fit in his freezer-so he gave them to us:) I also canned potatoes from our garden. I'm wondering if there any updates on Laine? I think and pray for her often. Thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteIt was so good of your son to give you that chicken and that you got it canned! You added a lot to your shelves, very good staples. I had an email from Laine about two weeks ago. Family had been visiting. I have emailed her back twice... I wait and pray..xxx
DeleteHello Annabel (and everyone),
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Tom! It's wonderful to see the boys so happy. That is a lovely cake. I just love seeing the calves, and your rosemary soap must smell so good.
This past week I did some cooking (muffins, spaghetti sauce, chicken & veggies), a little stitching, picked a whole bunch of veggies before our freeze, mowed (probably for the last time this year), cut some drying hydrangeas for decor, and started organizing the food pantry. Lately I've tried to prioritize taking better care of myself This week I used my health insurance for some check-ups (eye doctor, fall vaccines) and spent on evening at church with a group. As a somewhat anxious person, I was nervous about going, but everyone was very kind. Hoping to keep a little momentum going this weekend with baking & seeing what I have made for Christmas gifts & what I still need.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Everything you do inspires me every week.
<3
Kathy
Dear Kathy, Well done! Getting the veggies in before the frost! And on going to the church group too. It can be hard to step out into something new for sure. But it sounds like it paid off! Going to get your eye exam is a good idea too, I feel like new glasses is a reward sometimes as I really like glasses! haha
DeleteI know your baking is beautiful and I think when you look through the presets you have made you will find it is a lot as I can remember so many things. Despite a terrible year you always continued to stitch along. I found the same, my cupboard was full and I was amazed.
Have a very good new week! With love Annabel.xxx
Such a lovely post, Annabel. Love seeing the pics of your "littles" (and a belated Happy Birthday to Tom). And the pears forming on the trees takes me right back to my grandparents' farm, when we'd spend hours climbing in their pear trees and eating fresh (sometimes not yet ripe) fruit. Like Laura (above), our overnight temperatures neared freezing and we did have some frost on the grass. So, I harvested the very last handful of cherry tomatoes and a few small peppers that I'd hoped would get a bit larger. These will be used up in my salads over the next few days. Love being able to count all of you as my online family! Hugs from the Chicago suburbs.
ReplyDeleteDear Lori, Ive heard several people say the frost came early and caught them by surprise and they lost such a lot. You did really well to get the last things in! Thank you for being part of the Bluebirds family. We are all working along together it is beautiful With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteOh my your pictures are wonderful…those cows are cute, Lily is adorable and you captured the joy on the grand boys s faces! Great idea on the cake cut into 4 s! We have finally had cooler temps, the first cool day I baked pumpkin bread, zucchini muffins, and 2 types of cookies…the freezer was empty and we certainly enjoyed fresh baked items. We had our first freeze this week, so the garden is gleened. We still have a bowl of tomatoes to eat. We were so blessed to have fresh veggies and fruit thru mid October. Our pantry is filled for the winter. Now to get ready for thr holidays
ReplyDeleteI love the order of the work... the garden, the harvest, the eating and preserving and now working towards Thanks giving and Christmas. Having your pantry full is the best thing! Thank you re the photos! With much love Annabel.xxx
DeleteHow wonderful that you received so much rain - and the pear trees look amazing! One of my niece's is very talented at baking cakes and she is often called upon to create something different for the little ones in the family. That is actually something that I would like to take some classes in although I might try and spend a bit of time this Winter just seeing what I can teach myself.
ReplyDeleteI was able to add more batteries, more canning jars, cans of corned beef and canned fruit to my pantry this past week - not a lot - but just a few more extras. I am going to sit down this weekend and go over where I need to fill in the gaps before Winter arrives. This past week the weather has been lovely and sunny but just barely above freezing overnight so jackets and gloves and scarves had to come out of storage. However, we are to be back up to around 20C for Saturday - through next Tuesday at least so it will be layers on and layers off for the next week! The Fall colours are late this year but the cold temps overnight have finally started having more of an effect so it does look lovely outside. I live next to a river and conservation area in the city so I am lucky to be able to take walks along the water and right now the salmon are running and it is amazing to watch them as they jump the weirs along the river.
Lilly is such a sweetie and the boys are so gentle with the chicks - it is wonderful that you live so close and can help out as much as you do - it will provide many happy memories for them. Have a great week - can't wait to see your "store" when the room is complete.
Dear Margie, It you look through You tube you will find so many step by stop cake decoration lessons. You can learn recipes, techniques and who cake tutorials. It is absolutely fantastic. And fun!
DeleteBatteries are a great thing to add to your pantry! You did very well!
A good plan to identify gaps. I would love to see salmon in the river! I would be trying to figure out how to get one to ump into my net! My store has made a little progress over the weekend, I hope by Friday I have a bit to report! Have a great week! With love Annabel.xxx
Those grandchildren are adorable! How wonderful to have another cupboard for your Shop!
ReplyDeleteWe are still digging our from Hurricane Helene. It will be quite a long time before everything is done but nothing will be the same after the loss of so many huge trees. One thing I can say for a disaster is that now three weeks out there are still supply issues at the grocery stores and we have to just buy what we can find and make substitutions. I am so glad we had a well stocked pantry going into the disaster.
Dear Lana, I for one would love to hear what happened on the ground, and lessons learnt. When you get some time to write, please do consider sharing! Missy.
DeleteDear Lana, I am still thinking about how terrifying it would have been seeing those big trees go down. The fact that your house is intact seems like a miracle to me. Also your pantry did its job! I know you will re top it up as soon as you are able. I agree with Missy... should you ever have time to write more on this experience and what you learned and how you managed please do. You could email me brinkzi21@hotmail.com especially good if you had photos. Because Lana actual experience is the best teacher and whatever you could share would benefit many of us! With much love Annabel.xxx
DeleteHappy belated birthday, Tom. What a beautiful boy you are. So is Chase- gosh, his hair colour is beautiful. I am so impressed with Chloe's cake. Tom looks so happy, it is lovely to see and and Lily is a little darling. Lovely photos. I love those soaps! They look wonderful. Well done on the extra cupboard, that room will be fantastic. I started the week making a few loaves of banana bread, watering in seeds (some pots have sprouted). I have been keeping up with my crocheting. We were also generously given football boots in great condition. I found some dvds at the op shop. I also have been exercising more, this is becoming quite necessary for me- to help having a strong mind. Today I hope to make an eggplant, tomato bake, using the eggplants, crochet and garden. Love, Bridget
ReplyDeleteDear Bridget, That sounds like a great week! I hope your seeds come up for you! I just saw I had a bunch of Zucchinis come up. It is like a miracle as things dont always come up for me! I am glad you are crocheting. Crochet plus exercise really help with our stress levels I think. It was great about the football boots, they are expensive! Banana bread and a bake with the eggplant sea tomato sound delicious. Hope this week is going well! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteDear Annabel, your grandchildren are truly adorable! Your daughters are obviously as creative and talented as their mother and grandmother. Those calves and chicks are so sweet and I am so happy that you got some rain. I can imagine how good your home would smell with the cake baking and soap making. Thank you for sharing all that you do, Jennie🖤🖤
ReplyDeleteDear Jennie, Thank you so much! That is very kind! Have a great week! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteDear Annabel and Bluebirds,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your beautiful life! The boys and Lily are so adorable. So happy for you... rain, chicks, more calves, and pears. The cakes are both lovely. I appreciate seeing Chloe's masterpieces.
My week has been one of balance. Getting kids to work while keeping up with baking. Harvesting herbs. Home hair cuts. Lots of cleaning as the season changes. And putting our home up for sale.
God is at work in a mighty way despite the sadness in the world. I'm so thankful to be able to share His love with those around me.
Love, Leslie in Ohio
Dear Leslie, Oh your house is for sale! I am thinking this is a step to a home with an additional bedroom? Yes you are right... things are intense but God is doing mighty things!
DeleteRunning kids around to jobs is a lot of time I know so is having a house ready for sale so you are one busy mum! Hope the week is going well! With love Annabel.xxx
This week went on as most weeks do these days. I had been shopping the previous week for frames for two prints I wanted to hang in my kitchen but put them back as the costs were higher than I felt I could comfortably pay. Well, as usual, provision came anyway. I was at my daughter's visiting and she said, "Come look at these and see if you can use them for your home." It was a set of beautiful prints (I'd also been wanting to replace the artwork on my entry wall) and three large frames and they were exactly the very size that I'd been planning to buy! My son-in-law had sorted out a box he'd unpacked and gave me a partial set of tableware that is same as one I had only a partial set of. I think that is pretty cool, lol, because of course, I'd been contemplating whether I should purchase a new set of tableware!
ReplyDeleteWe went to Sam's Club (a bulk purchasing warehouse) and picked up flour to restock my pantry. I walked around a priced a few things, picked up some well-priced grocery items but stayed within my budgeted amount. I was pleased overall with what we got and the gaps that it filled.
I made things as well: two jars of salsa verde from a package of tomatillos I'd bought from a produce clearance rack. Also cooked squash and put up a pint of butternut puree. I made bread, and all our meals here at home.
I am already looking ahead into November. We've no less than 5 birthdays next month...No six I think. I need to have the month laid out so I get cards and gifts out on time.
Dear Terri, Wow that is great. How often this happens! If we just wait it comes to us! Perfect! In our family there is December then January for all the birthdays! They hit at once. It takes some planning! It is great you could stock up at Sam's. I wish we had a Sam's! With much love Annabel.xxx
DeleteAbsolutely Loved the photos of Lily and the boys! They are So, So Cute!! You have been quite busy, as usual! All that you accomplish amazes me! Our garden is pretty much done, so we had our Grands help dig up the potatoes and pick apples. Next will be pulling up the carrots. Now we need to begin making applesauce! The nights are going to get cold this week, so we are getting ready to start using the wood stove again. I love the changing of the seasons, but not the darker days, so much.
ReplyDeleteLove all your gift ideas! Thank-you for sharing!
Blessings,
Laura C ( aka Nana C)
Dear Laura, I LOVED seeing your grandkids digging up the potatoes and picking the apples. It was obvious they were having a wonderful time and being very helpful. We are the opposite, we have daylight savings now and it is light until later. I also like the change of seasons although I would prefer Autumn! Thank you for your kind comments! With love Annabel.xxx
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