Feather your Nest Friday, 14th of January, 2025.
I felt really slow to get back to a house in order and things organised (after having the girls) and I think it was the hot weather. It is draining! Fortunately the last two days have been mild and I feel 100x better!
The garden is producing due to keeping the water up! I made a couple of beautiful dinners just with a garden and feta bake.
My plan for 2025 gifts with the girls is to fill crystal containers (thrift store) and gorgeous tea cups with candles. In the box there were several suitable and very pretty...
So these are added to the collection and I'm saving small boxes for later when they are made.
Thank you for such a response to "For such a time as this." We can do this. Our Grandparents and Great Grandparents did! How fantastic were they!? My next post is A Year of Goodness post as I have a wonderful example from a friend and Bluebird which I thought was inspirational!
This weekend Mum is giving me a large ham. I will bake it and make a heap of salads and rolls. Everyone will get some! Cold meat and salads are the best meal in summer. Fresh sandwiches and rolls in the freezer are also a great help.
So really this was my slower week but I basically got there in the end. As many of you are snowed or frozen in we have to acknowledge that what we can get done is partly down to the weather we are dealing with! The main thing in extreme weather is everyone stays safe and healthy! Keeping things running in extreme conditions is HARD WORK.
I have a man using the cabin over the weekend.... so I am pretty certain he will arrive with a big box of fruit and veggies!! Ah this cabin might have been a years work to tidy up but I am constantly reaping rewards from this asset!
I hope you had a good week. How did you build up your home, pantry or garden? Take time to appreciate all you achieved!xxx
Annabel, and Dear Bluebirds!
ReplyDeleteAnnabel, what a lovely week and productive you have had. I am always amazed. I absolutely love the tea cups you were given. You have been working wonders with all the produce you have coming in, everything looks so delicious.
I haven't been creative this week, instead I have been working on organizing and cleaning on library/craft room. Love finding treasures I forgot about. It feels good to get things better organized.
We finally went to Sam's Club and purchased a few things for our pantry, it was good to fill a few holes. Sales at our grocery stores have been not to great to say the least. It is as if prices are going up daily.
Prayers for all Bluebirds.
Dear Rosanne, I hope you found lots of treasures you can work on. I am also trying to put craft supplies to good use and make gifts etc.
DeleteI have not had much luck with sales re food but I am having a good time with produce from the garden and trades. The sales catalogues are mostly not food items.. although a few summer fruits are a better price. Have a very good new week! With love Annabel.xxx
My, those tea cups are so pretty! They will make wonderful gifts.
ReplyDeleteWe have been prepping and freezing some veggies, lemons, chillies etc that a friend gave my husband in return for him helping out in her shop. He also picked up some logs to keep us warm. We are in the middle of a big wind storm at the moment, so keeping fingers crossed that our power doesn't go out.
I decided to build up my knowledge by watching some very good online first aid videos by St John Ambulance. I hope I will never have to put what I learnt to use, but my son-in-law attended a course a couple of years ago and has been on hand several times when people have been taken ill, so I figured it is best to be prepared.
Dear Tracy. Thank you! What a great trade for your husbands help... all the lovely produce would be great! I love the idea to watch first aid videos online. I know there is an app... I think St Johns... you can download on your phone. This means you have info on hand but also you can study when you're stuck waiting somewhere. I did the certificate but need a brush up! Very good idea. With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteThose teacups are so pretty - they will make lovely gifts. I had a large pack of cherry tomatoes that were starting to get past their best and I had some Feta cheese that needed using up so I add some garlic and did a really tasty pasta bake - no waste!
ReplyDeleteI was paid yesterday (5 weeks since the last one as we were paid early before Christmas) so I have allotted this month's grocery money) Last month I allotted $60 to fresh items - nothing for non food - and $60 to a pantry fund in case I saw deals that I couldn't pass up, I went $5 over the fresh food budget but only spent $5 from the pantry envelope.
For February I have allotted $60 to drugstore items (had an injury and an eye infection so a couple of things need to be replaced) - $30 to non food - $30 added to last month's pantry envelope and $80 for fresh food. I am diligently working my way through my pantry and freezer in order to ensure food is rotated.
I love lemon curd but have never made it - must add it to the list to try. Today I am going to make a loaf of soda bread and a pot of cauliflower and blue cheese soup! It is bitterly cold here - with the windchill it is nearly minus 20C so talk about extremes with the weather you are experiencing.
Have a wonderful week.
Dear Margie, Thank you! I have cherry tomatoes too and tomorrow I need to use a heap up!
DeleteIf you look up The Bluebirds are Nesting - Jars of Sunshine that is my recipe for the lemon curd and it is the easiest thing ever to make and is so divine!
Your budget is wonderful and I like to have the funds to use if you do see a fantastic deal that is the time to strike! We are going into a heat wave over 100F so we are at totally opposite ends of the spectrum! With love Annabel.xxx
It's good you had a slightly slower week after having the girls with you Annabel. What gorgeous teacups! So very pretty and they will make lovely gifts with candles in them.
ReplyDeleteMy husband pulled lots of parsnips from the garden and I made lots of parsnip soup as well as roasted parsnips. I tried a new recipe for a fruity, nutty type of no bake flapjack and used up some blue cheese in broccoli and blue cheese quiche to feed the family.
I continue to clear the utility room cupboards. I am stocking up with things for our baby grand daughter when she is here with us, nappy cream, Calpol, books and toys. It doesn't make sense for her parents to cart things backwards and forwards, this will be like a second home for her so I am building up supplies bit by bit. I'm sure all the grandmothers out there in Bluebird land have this down to a fine art. Feathering our nests for the wider family.
We have had yet another named storm so are hunkered down at home, these slower winter days with afternoons beside the wood burner are delightful.
Best wishes to all Bluebirds.
Penny in the UK
Dear Penny, I seriously took a week to catch up but finally got there! I love parsnips. In a roast especially a pork roast! I think having everything on hand for your Granddaughter is a great idea. I even keep back ups here for all the kids like children's Panadol etc incase their parents run out or there is as shortage. It is so handy to have back up. Mum and I conspire to buy winter clothes for each Grandchild ahead of time... we are all about planning and backups so I am totally with you!
DeletePenny we are having a heat wave! But the result is the same... I am indoors sewing just not near the fire! I am trying to use this time for quiet indoor projects I often dont have time to get to and so happy Ive made some pot holders today! Have a very good new week! With love Annabel.xxx
Hello Annabel (and everyone),
ReplyDeleteOh, I am in love with those gorgeous teacups! Those flowers and the gold are just beautiful. Lovely to see Tom - he's getting so tall. Your cooking looks delicious, too.
It has been a "do one extra thing a day" week so far - 1) baked a batch of banana muffins, 2) made frozen hot cocoa toppers with cream that needed using (this would be a fun thing to do with kids), 3) used my new year insurance to visit the eye doctor and get new glasses, 4) did a produce stock up, 5) sent happy mail, and 6) my best one - I fixed a minor plumbing problem and saved a lot! It is amazing what a wealth of useful information is on Youtube - a couple of tutorials helped immensely. This weekend I hope to get some skeins of yarn wound for new projects and put the crockpot and bread machine to work.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.
<3
Kathy
Dear Kathy. Yes the teacups are lustrous as well as pretty roses on them. I LOVE your one extra thing a day efforts! And wow they added up to a lot! Well done. Especially taking on the plumbing issue! The weekend sounds perfect, I hope you also have a great new week! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteDear Annabel, what a wonderfully productive week you’ve had, even in recovery mode! I havent really done tray bakes before, and would be keen for your recipes and to see what it looks like when done…. Does the fetta melt through it? Thank you for your encouragement and all you do. Most people i know are just…. Tired. Its hard to keep going. So thank you for the motivation and lets all be each others cheer squad and prayer warriors. Missy
ReplyDeleteDear Missy, Tray bakes are the best. Whole meal and usually one dish! The feta becomes soft and you serve some to each person. However you could use meatballs... or no meat just cheese over the top and it will still be good. I understand tired. I have had friends say they are just worn down and giving up (and this is here, also US also UK) and I am like NOOOO we have to help each other, encourage each other. Our own gov would like us to give up farming, give up eating meat, eggs, gardening and move to a city, get rid of cash, track your every move and carbon usage... (but not their own) and control your medical status. Well it's a not from me. Im going to fight it and exercise my freedoms. Dont give up! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteOh, I really like the cups too!
ReplyDeleteI'm waiting for spring. It's still very cold and wet here.
At the moment I'm doing "spring cleaning" in the house because I can't do anything in the garden yet.
In a month I'll sow tomatoes so that I can harvest in August. That will be the start of my gardening year.
Best wishes from Germany!
Sibylle
Dear Sibylle, It is lovely to hear from you from Germany. It is great to Spring clean while waiting for planting time! You will be so glad of that later. I am harvesting tomatoes and for a little while yet but we have a heat wave! Have a very good week! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteI tried your fetta veggie bake this week Annabel. I chopped up chorizo, all the veggies that needed using up and I had about two thirds of a fetta cheese to use up so I popped that on top and baked it all up. It was so easy and absolutely delicious. My young adult boys approved. So I call that a big win! Thank you for sharing it!
ReplyDeleteI didn’t keep a list of what I achieved this week and for the life of me I can’t recall a thing I did LOL I’m sure I was productive in some way! But like you, I did have a slower week.
I look forward to your next “For such a time as this post”
From Cheryl
Dear Cheryl, I am so glad that your bake was such a success! You can see it is very versatile. Ok Im working on a post! It is a big subject for sure! The heat has slowed me down... the next three days look ok then the temperature is going up again! Have a good new week! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteI just love your lemon curd pie. And those tea cups are so beautiful. They will make lovely candles.
ReplyDeleteTom seems such a character! Thanks for sharing him with us.
My week was filled with mostly work and sleep. I did a few crockpot meals including soup. Our water line was frozen to our washing machine. We just set a heater in the laundry room and it thawed the next day. Of course, my daughter and I are making mad scrambles to get ahead of the washing before this happens again.😁
Blessings to you all,
Leslie
Dear Leslie, Oh my goodness I cannot imagine trying to thaw the line to the washing machine! And how much washing must have happened when that was sorted out! And how cold it must be! You sound so busy, certainly a time your crock pot is a big asset. I hope the weekend gives you some rest! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteI grew up near the Mojave Desert in So. California. So freezing weather was very foreign to me. But you get use to it and try to take precautions (just like the heat). -Leslie
DeleteWhat yummy food you could bake this week. The pictures are mouth-watering!!
ReplyDeleteThe cups and saucers are just lovely. Nana Pat’s vest is so nice for Tom. Sweet photo.
Besides work I knitted a few more rows on a cardigan (with fair isle motives). Am looking forward to a day of rest — Sunday.
🌸 Esther (The Netherl.)
Dear Esther, A Sunday knitting sounds beautiful to me! If you can manage Fair Isle then you are amazing! Thank you very much re Tom and cooking! Have a wonderful new week! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteCan I ask what people (usually men) use your cabin for? Is it a hunting cabin and they hunt on your property? A stopping point on a long journey? I find it very interesting that they bring you boxes of food. Do you ask for that in trade for the use of the cabin? Thank you.
ReplyDeleteDear Wendy, The last person in the cabin was an American staying with a family nearby for ten days but they had no spare room so they asked if her could the cabin and this was the swap for all the water troughs for my container garden. The two men here currently. (and yes! The brought a huge box of fruit and veggies up to the house last night) the man comes about twice a year this time he is teaching his son in law to shoot. So they will be probably just shooting rabbits. Normally he would come to get a deer. I have two main groups that come. They are trying to feed their families. They are greeks and italians and I say lets do a trade. Hence I get veggies, fruit, olive oil…. They love it and now we have become friends. I knew to fix up the cabin and it would be a tremendous advantage to me and it is! I do not accept money as the cabin is not a business it is an asset … one young family that come I doubt they could afford it but by trading they can and they fill their freezer with meat. So it is mutually perfect! xxx
DeleteSo funny to see the name Wendy G with a comment here, being a Wendy G as well.
DeleteHello Wendy G! So nice to meet you (or me?). I am in the US.
DeleteWhat a blessing you are Annabelle.
DeleteAnnabel,
ReplyDeleteI love the teacups! They;re just gorgeous. Tom is looking like quite th big helper , it is such a joy to see everything the grands do. My grands are getting so big and are always busy so I cherish the time I get with them.
I dearly love your trades too! It is amazing to have good trades. I traded this week for 5 pounds of lemons. And a few weeks ago for straw for the chicken coop. We use newspaper in the coop, but with it being winter the straw is extra insulation against the cold winds.
I've been doing a lot of baking and using up tid bits of things in the fridge and pantry too. And using the residual heat from the oven to dry bread pieces. Later they'll become bread crumbs or stuffing. Mostly it's just a few at a time, but they add up.
And I've been able to add a few things to the gift stash. Slowly, but surely I'm making progress.
XOXO
Vicky
Dear Vicky, Tom is a real little worker. He loves to work! You are the trading Queen! You taught me a lot! The extra straw would help the chickens a lot.
DeleteYou sure have made progress with your crochet and sewing. I love to use the residual heat of the oven too! It quite gently dries things! We are nearly at the end of January and we have both started our present cupboards off pretty well! With love Annabel.xxx
Dear Annabel, Happy Birthday to your Mum! and many good wishes from far away. Our internet is on and off so I am writting now on my phone. I love the tea cups, handsome Tom's picture and basically, all you have done in a "slow week" is a lot. We still have cold weather but yesterday, during some noon sunny hours my boys have started building a big nice chicken coop. I finally decided, after very hard weeks, to give up the second job - tomorrow I will let them know. The rest is the same here and, even it is scary to me seeing the news and I can not understand today's world, people and Christian values I will march on. I use now, more than ever, M.L. King' s words: "Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree" Wishing everybody a nice weekend - sending warm and good thoughts. Laura_s_world from Romania
ReplyDeleteDear Laura, Thank you for your very nice post. I can tell that you are the kindest, most hardworking person and if I lived in Romania I would want to be your friend.
DeleteThe MLK quote was just what I needed today. I am going to write it down so I can remind myself that there are always good, positive things going on in life. And the simple act of planting a tree can do so much.
Things are fairly awful here in the US with so many of us concerned that our democracy is being taken away. My early ancestors came here in 1615 (Jamestown) and 1620 (Plymouth). I have had grandparents fight in every war in this country (even the obscure ones like the War of 1812) so you can see that I am a patriotic person who has always loved the USA. My ancestors would just be rolling in their graves if they knew what was happening. Imagine my grandfather who was shot on the front line of France in WWI sitting at an inauguration where somebody gave the Nazi salute! Sorry, just wanted to commiserate a little although I realize I am not near any fighting like you are. Thank you for always keeping us informed about your situation. Much Love, Beth
Dear Beth, thank you for your kind words. I come here for people like you, for friends and encouragements. I am guilty about being often political here but Annabel is the best and protects me. The salute, the decisions, the words all over the world is like Europe before WWII. I have lived through fear, hunger, cold and darkness and my little town has a big building, now an important Museum, that was a jail where hundreds of intelectuals, priests, writers, teachers, members of government were killed and burried in a big common tomb, just because they were not with the communists. I am amazed how people, even in my country, do not see the danger. Keep planting the seeds of good deeds!
DeleteSorry Annabel, once again, for my words. Sending much love from my part of the world. Laura