It has been a long day with travel, shopping and seeing Scarlett get an award, picking up the groceries then welcoming the man who is using the cabin for our long weekend. So at 7 pm finally my day got to the point where the groceries are inside the house, what has to be is in the fridge... the rest is going to have to wait until tomorrow.
There is another blast of heat. I will not complain as millions are waiting for a cyclone to hit and have much greater worries.
I will start with Lily's birthday. She turned 1! I knew Chloe was working hard on the cake but it was a surprise when we got there.
It looked beautiful! She made the roses herself from scratch. The boys were pointing everything out, making sure we adequately admired everything as they "helped."
Lily's big brothers were also very helpful with blowing out the candle, eating cake and generally partying. Four Grandmas were there, out of six. That would be Mum (Nana Pat) me, (Nana Bell) Nana Lee and Nana Daffodil. Nana Daffodil is really Daphne... but Tom called her Daffodil from the start and she didn't mind so now that is what they all call her.
Lily's love language is sloppy kisses.
It was truly a beautiful happy afternoon.
After heat ,and it being so dry, more bring branches came down.
So the work the men needed to do along with water leaks was decided for us. Most of the wood will become firewood.
Molly knows to stay out of the way and watch. And wait.
The dogs love it when Tim and Andrew are here. All day action to supervise.
My cook up was a Turkey roast. Being Autumn now I am sick of salads and feel like veggies. And after Christmas I bought three turkeys at $4 a kilo.... which for me this is a huge bargain. But also... they take up a lot of freezer space! So I decided to roast one.
It turned out really moist and tender so I will do the exact same with the next two. I will wait for winter to cook those.
Meanwhile I cooked heaps of veggies. After serving myself an amazing dinner I plated up a heap of complete roast dinners to freeze. And a giant family roast dinner for Chloe's family.
I know they ate this for dinner tonight. The kids will demolish roast meat and veggies every time.
I saved the carcass which still has some meat and froze it for winter soup.
The first pear tree was ready! I asked Tim to pick the top of the tree since he is six foot tall. Thank goodness I had help. It was really fun though!
My biggest basket, when full, usually weights around ten kilos. With this as my guide and the men calculating we all agreed we had 70 kilos. (Over 150lbs) I like the big basket but could not lift it. I wish we had bushels as a measurement as the US does. I see Bushel baskets. If anyone can tell me how big they are and how much this is please do!
I only managed to complete one sewing project.
I do have a lot cut out and flowers made... maybe this weekend I can sew as it's going to be really warm. Like summer is having a last hoorah.
The man in the cabin brought me three bags of veggies and a huge boxful. I have managed to get it into the cool but unpacking, washing and storing will have to be tomorrow. Seriously... I am wiped out. But I am so thrilled with it and told him so.
During the week I went into a store and the prices had leapt so much I was shocked. Again. And things were miniature in size... yet still the same price... like honey I shrunk the kids... but veggies and dairy. I came out of the store with hardly anything. But I felt quite sick over it. How can families do it? Also I thought, well, I have 70 kilos of pears, apples, eggs and tomatoes. But the message is... make the most of everything, waste nothing and treat shopping like a team event watching for every good deal!
When I get this all unpacked I will get better photos.
I know many of you are waiting for the cyclone to make landfall. I hope and pray you are all safe.
Others are waiting on Spring in the same way I am waiting on actual Autumn weather. And waiting to plant!
Now I am thinking how blessed I've been and how I better get busy in the morning with all this produce!
How did you build up your nest this week? Now matter where you love we are here to encourage you!xxx
Dear Annabel
ReplyDeleteEveryone will adore Lily and her sloppy kisses! What a sweetheart.
Chloe is so very clever with her amazing cakes.
Fabulous pear crop!
Molly looks like a lovely companion. It’s a year since my dogs passed. I’m still looking for the right one. They seem irreplaceable but most dogs are lovely characters.
I’m hoping for the best for all those people and animals in the path of the cyclone. They’ve endured so many bad floods since 2011.
We have had a grand total of 8mm rain this year. So I’d happily swap sunshine and dry weather for a couple of inches of gentle rain. If only we could do that we would all benefit.
Stay safe over there on the east coast.
Thank you! We havent had even 8mm. It is just dust. Now it is very hot for the next four or five days. It just is grim. Yes if only rain could be distributed from the sky better! I am seeing the mess and damage people are going to be cleaning up and it is so daunting. Thank you re Chloe and Lily! xxx
DeleteAnnabel, What a lovely birthday celebration for Lily. The cake is amazing. I can see that Lily is a very happy child. So happy that the Grandma's all made it to celebrate.
ReplyDeletePrayers for the ladies in the path of the cyclone, may the Lord protect them all. May He turn the cyclone out to sea.
You are so right about shopping. Everything is getting more expensive and smaller in size. My husband and I shop together, it is like a tag team sport. We both check for meat mark downs, he checks for bakery and I check for grocery mark downs, all which are less and less and more expensive than before.
We take advantages of sales and stock up when we have one on items we do use. Though my husband who usually says we have enough, this last week purchased 10 jars of peanut butter that were buy one get one. I think he has finally caught on to the need to purchase when it is much less in cost. Finding sales has also gotten hard, as now a days the junk food goes on sale while the good staples they just raise the prices on.
I started Spring cleaning here, down to my dreaded washing of baseboards, I'd rather wash a floor than a baseboard. Looking forward to warmer weather where I can open windows and let some fresh air into the house. If it isn't snowing it is raining and worse at times freezing rain, winter is definitely going out like a lion.
I am also going through our pantry to see what needs to be used, husband found mango in freezer that needed using, well, I had a tablespoon of apple jelly, a few tablespoons of strawberry jam, a cup of peach juice and a few strawberries, so I tossed them all together and made a jam with them. I had a can of pumpkin that was old, so I turned that into a pumpkin maple butter. Trying to not waste anything in the house. When there was a tiny bit of meatloaf left I made nachos with it crumbling it up on top of the chips with salsa and used 2 slices of cheddar cheese that were hanging out in frig. Whenever we eat an orange I always peel it and dry the peels. I made an apple crisp with some old apples and made jelly with the peels, it came out the most beautiful color. Trying the my best to make the most of what we have.
Prayers for all the Bluebirds.
Rosanne you are so right - junk food ALWAYS seems to be on sale not the basics.
DeleteDear Rosanne, I saw your apple jelly and it was spectacular. So pretty. It is good apples can be used for so many things. Peanut butter is such a good protein to have stored up. Using up everything means we need to be creative but it's so good! I am figuring out what I need to use first and what will keep from my produce. I will share some with Mum tomorrow! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteLily is so sweet. Hard to believe she is already one. Sounds like you had a good week. That is such a blessing on all the free fruit and gifts of food.
ReplyDeleteThanks Cheryl, Yes I am so blessed with all of this!xxx
DeleteHi Annabel
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful birthday party for Lily, the cake looks superb. The family are lucky to have four grandmas to love and support everyone.
Molly looks like a great characterful dog, I love the way they always supervise work! Lots of produce to process but you'll feel so satisfied when it's done.
This week my batch cooking was chilli con carne and fruity nutty flapjacks. I cooked a big leg of venison which was a gift from a friend and gave us several meals plus meat for the freezer for pies another time.
We have decorators in the house which has prompted spring cleaning in two bedrooms which feels good. I'm putting together bags to take to the tip.
Lots of life admin going on this week, I'm also looking at ways to cut some of our expenses like electricity and maximise savings. It isn't pretty but I still think it counts as feathering our nest! Financial security is important as is a full pantry, clean bedding, shoes, logs etc.
Good luck to all Bluebirds
Penny in the UK
Dear Penny, There are six Grandmas in all! I am so happy you were given Venison! What a great gift! You will get so many meals. And the chilli sounds so good too! Spring cleaning is wonderful because it feels so good after, everything seems to fresh. It is good to go over the bills/budget etc. Things change and we have to adjust. And regularly! You had a very productive week! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteBeautiful Annabel ! You sure sound busy and I can imagine you getting into a floral sheeted bed drifting off ! What a lovely party for lily ! Adorable ! I know you will always survive despite prices because of your discerning ways ! I am praying for a part time job.
ReplyDeleteDo you know what has happened to Wendy who used to blog on "my abundant life " she seems to have to offline.
Prayers for all bluebirds affected by the upcoming Australian cyclone may God be with each and every one of you. Protecting you all ! With Love, Sonia
Sydney, Australia
Dear Sonia, Yes I do thats me! I have gone full floral, pink, pale blue.. ruffles. I feel very happy and comfy. Which helps life!
DeleteWendy just stopped blogging, she is ok and is busy in other areas. I wish she would post to let everyone know as I am asked often.
I will pray for you re the part time job! Put the word out at church... or a notice... that is my suggestion. With love Annabel.xxx
Happy Belated Birthday Lily! :)
ReplyDeleteAnnabel,the cake looks amazing! Chloe has such a talent for it.
I am also in awe of how many pears you have collected. We are seeing our food bills increase too and our local supermarket has been without bananas and cocoa recently.
Prayers for those affected by the cyclone.
Much love, Heidi xx
Dear Heidi, Yes the pears are staggering even to me. And I have another tree to pick next week. More special because everyone assured us when we moved her that NONE of the fruit trees were any good. But it turns out they are ALL beautiful. Can you believe that!? Look at them now! I know about bananas... I heard about Cocoa... which is maybe something I should try and stock up on. With much love Annabel.xxx
DeleteDear Annabel, first of all Happy Birthday Lily! You are Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteCongratulation to Scarlett for the award and to Chloe for the cakes!
I was glad seeing pictures with Molly - I adore dogs! and pears, my favourite fruits!
I managed to have a slower week, when relinquish was used wisely. I finished my green knitted and crochet jumper and initially I planned to embroider some white dandelion flying flowers on it. In my mind was marvelous but I was not pleased with the result so I took out the embroidery (after more than half was done). Now I like it, it is very comfy and easy to wear with pants, jeans or skirts (I wear skirts almost everyday).
Weather wise is the begining of a beautiful Spring with sun during the day and with freezing temperatures at night. The water in the chicken run is bone frozen every morning. Bu I am happy to report my chicken and Lady Duck were oficially moved to their new coop - The Chicken Chalet - and they went inside at evening all by themselves/ The Young Rooster is very good organiser and takes extra care of everyone. I swear I can see him counting them going inside and he is the last to go in.
My little dog Rocky is not so little anymore. In fact he turned out to be a very big and very strong white dog for his age (he is now 9 month old), he is a mix between a Labrador mum and a Kangal father (they are turkish sheperd dogs that take on fights with wolfes guarding the sheep). Luckily he is a sweetheart and good friends with my Charlie, the cats and the chickens. But not with the enemies!
Tomorrow is 8th Of March, we celebrate Mothers*s Day in our country and tomorrow would have been my Mum*s birthday. Happy Heavenly Birthday, Mama! Thinking to all Bluebirds and Mothers out there - have a nice weekend!
Laura_s_world from Romania
Dear Laura, Thank you! I wish you were near I could load you up with pears for weeks! Your dog will be very big! He will be a good protector/security dog! I love the sound of your rooster who is in charge and responsible!
DeleteThis warming weather will be so good for the chickens, eggs and garden. Your green jumper sounds beautiful in your favourite green! I am going to go look on instagram to see if you posted this or the hen house. I am behind there. Happy Mothers Day to your dear Mother. Our Mothers Day is in May. I am thinking with your dog being so big... some eggs will be very good for him and help feed him! With love Annabel.xxx
What a lovely 1st birthday party!! We are entering spring storm season here in Oklahoma now. Spring is waiting to be sprung but we will still get some snow possibly on Monday of next week. I'm so done with the cold! You asked about a bushel. I believe an average bushel of pears would be a weight of around 50 pounds (US). Hope that helps! I saw a lovely recipe in a UK magazine yesterday for Pear, Dark Chocolate and Cardamom muffins made with spelt flour and I printed it out because it sounds so lovely! Have a great weekend! Praying for all in the path of the cyclone.
ReplyDeleteDear Karla, I am going to see if it is possible for me to get some bushel baskets. Thank you for the info. I am going to try a lot of new pear recipes this year. I have so many already and more next week!
DeleteI can understand you wishing for Spring... Kathy is also in Oklahoma. I think we get to the point we are sick of the harder season. I certainly am very over the hot weather! Have a good weekend to you too! With love Annabel.xxx
Dear Annabel, Lily's birthday cake is just a wonder. Chole is so talented. Lily looks so happy and what a cute pink dress! Have fun with all your produce!
ReplyDeleteDear Laurie, Thank you! Lily is always happy like this which is beautiful. I am working on the produce and what I need to sue first! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteHello Annabel (and everyone),
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful cake and party (and Lily, of course)! Your turkey roast is inspiring me - I have a couple in my big freezer and your dinner looks so good, I think that will be my big cook up this week. All of the produce looks delicious.
Work has been crazy with deadlines and some changes to the science and education funding systems. But, last week I did some baking, some stitching, a whole lot of house cleaning, and rearranged my bedroom furniture. A very kind lady sold me a beautiful bed (for a very low price) and her son delivered it to my house and even brought it inside for me. I was doubly blessed by this loving family - she also sent along some gorgeous floral bedding as another gift. People truly can humble us with their kindness. I know these folks took my breath away.
This weekend I have a plan to rearrange my home office and update part of the guest bedroom. Some cooking also needs to be done to build up supplies - the freezer meals have been so helpful lately. It's time to stock up again! The rosemary cuttings have rooted, so I should also start some more to have a good start for my hedge-to-be.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.
<3
Kathy
Dear Kathy, I am thinking your Dad would enjoy a roast! I saw... sorry if you know this... the freezing up of a complete roast meal in a six size muffin tray. Like each compartment has meat, various veggies... and frozen. But it can be done on an oven proof plate and frozen. Complete frozen dinners are just the best thing ever! The bed and whole room is beautiful! And so nice they helped you as it would have been a big job shifting this all! Considering work being so busy you still did heaps at home! Now have a little rest over the weekend! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteHappy Birthday to Lily 🥳 Hard to believe she is one already. The “spread” that Chloe put up was absolutely beautiful!
ReplyDeleteYou have been so busy with your harvest and cooking!
I spent the week “preparing” for cyclone Alfred! I want to send a huge shoutout to Patsy and you Annabel for the circling the wagons series! It was so helpful to have some of the tips from that class in the back of my mind!
I am proud to say I had so much food on hand that I did not have to battle crowds and empty shelves for a single thing and this alone helps others as it leaves supplies on the shelf for someone else!
We did have to fill our Jerry cans with fuel and top our cars up. But we did it early. And unknown to me we needed a new gas bottle for the BBQ, hubby had to go to two service stations before he found gas and that was sheer luck the man said they had run out and only just got a delivery! The other thing I did was fill empty soft drink bottles with water and fill every spare space in the freezer in case we had a black out.
Lastly, we have a low lying area in our courtyard that fills with water in heavy rain, it has the potential to flood our garage so we decided to get some sandbags to block the water. We heard on the grapevine that there was sand but no bags!! Well I had a heap of chookfeed bags in my shed (I normally use them to collect cow poo from a friends farm) well I grabbed those and off we went, we were able to collect our sand, while everyone else was waiting in the rain for the SES to get more bags!
I’m in Lismore and it is Saturday morning. At my place it was less rainy and windy last night than it was the night before. Our river is rising, time will tell how that pans out, but the town packed up and moved days ago even before the official evacuation orders, it’s not their first rodeo! So far we haven’t lost power at our house, but many have. I’ve been keeping the washing and drying up to date and baking bread every day. It’s just a waiting game at the moment.
To all the bluebirds affected by Alfred, stay safe.
Love from Cheryl 🪹🐦
Dear Cheryl, I am glad to hear your report. Also I am glad you were so well prepared ahead. And the feed bags! Ok that is a hot tip. It would be good if you can actually keep filled sand bags in the shed if you have room. I saw the queues! And that they ran out of bags! Filling every space in the freezer was very wise too! A freezer will stay solid ages if it is FULL. At worst the bottles of cold water later are also valuable. The homes in the lower parts of Lismore... I just feel so sorry for them... this is disaster on repeat. I presume they cant get insurance and cant sell either if events happen over and over. I am hoping your power is still on that would be fantastic! I hope you get through the weekend well, it is exhausting this all going on for so long and not over yet! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteHello Annabel and congratulations to Lily on her 1st birthday and Scarlet on her award too. What a wonderful crop of pears and lovely produce you got from the cabin occupants that I am sure you will use everything for making something wonderful. Your kitchen towel is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteWe got little rain around 7 - 8mm from the tropical storm and we could use a lot more as things are dry here as well. We did have stronger winds than usual but no damage here and no flooding which is good. Grass everywhere you look looks like hay in colour but probably looks worse here since I have spot sprayed an acre for weeds so far in the last week.
I agree grocery prices keep going up and up and things seem to be getting smaller and smaller. Last week I did and mini cooking ingredient grocery and some medical items top up and bought Cadbury chocolate chips on special for $3.60 ea at IGA saving $5.20 on prices elsewhere for generic packs. At Woolworths I bought 250pk high strength magnesium tablets on half price for $20 ea and used our 4% off face value e-gift card to save a total of $41.60 on usual prices.
In the gardens DH pruned another star jasmine shrub and half of the prunings are now in the bin ready to go out next week. I broad sprayed the footpath and spot sprayed an acre of the lawns on the property, the rest will be done when the chances of rain subsides.
Have a great week ahead everyone.
Lorna.
Happy Birthday to the little one! And I hope you stay clear of the cyclone too! PRayers it stays away and does minimal damage. You inspire me so much to try to save and do what I can! All of your savings are so special. I hate that everyone is struglling so much. Wish I could go back to the 'good ole days', but alas....have a great week everyone!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday Lily!! What an absolutely beautiful party. How fabulous to have 4 grandmas there. Congratulations to Scarlett on her award, how special to have you there to see it. Thank goodness you didn’t listen when you were told the fruit trees wouldn’t produce!
ReplyDeleteWe have found a house! Just waiting for all the important things to happen behind the scenes. Everyone is so excited to move in. And to not have to look any more lol.
I bought two as new beds for $1000, saving $1800. I was so pleased with that. Apart from that I’ve started adding some little stationery items and bath products to the gift box which was looking very sad post-Christmas.
It has felt quite weird living in limbo for this long and it’s funny how much you miss your normal routine. I have some recipes I’m excited to try out once we’re settled.
Have a lovely weekend
Jen (NZ)
The cake is so beautiful and so is your sweet grand daughter! I'm so looking forward to grandbabies! You've inspired me to bake a whole chicken with your lovely turkey! Our family always loves it, and it stretches so far!
ReplyDeleteMy week has been filled with good spring kind of chores. I tended my rose bushes, cleaned house well, and fed my boys well. I'm also working through a good budgeting book that will help me be more aware of where the little extra is going. I've washed bedding and got a free duvet to review.
Today I finished sewing together a quilt top. It had been waiting for a while. I'm working on writing a new pattern to sell online as well.
It's been a productive week at home! Thank you for your consistent encouragement! Your blog is such a blessing to me!
Stacy in Virginia
Dear Annabel, happy birthday to Lily. What a little sweetheart she is. I love her beautiful smile. I think she is like her Mama. The party looks beautiful. Chloe has done an amazing job. Well done to Scarlett for her award and it’s so lovely you could be there. Your kitchen towel is magnificent! It’s so pretty!! I wish I could be saying I have worked on a lot, but keeping everyone fed, bathed, at their activities and well rested seems to be my order of my day. I did find one nice new top and skirt at a thrift store, that was great! Lots of love, Bridget
ReplyDeleteHappy First Birthday, Lily!
ReplyDeleteThe cake and decor are gorgeous! So happy that Chloe involves the boys in her cake productions. ☺️ They will grow into very capable men.
Your week was very productive, Annabel. Your towels are gorgeous. Well done on your bake ups and fruit harvest!
My week was full. I gave hair cuts to the guys. Sewing a quilt for my second daughter. Lots of homemade snacks and desserts made. I have been following Jessica at 3Rivers Homestead. Started seeds indoors (sweet peppers). Spring is coming!
Love and prayers to all,
Leslie (Ohio)