Feather your Nest Friday, 23rd May, 2023.
This has been a much better week and full of goodness!
I will just jump right in!
Pumpkin was a great deal so it became the theme of the week. I made a really big slow cooker of soup. I shared it around too. The nights have been cold so it is good soup weather.
I saved some pumpkin (before I blended the soup) and made a tray of pumpkin and cheese scones for Chloe...
And another tray of my GF version...
Some of these were shared too. I wrap warm scones in a nice tea towel and think they look really nice. Isn't it amazing how really simple things seem so good!
Tom came over to make Honey Crackles. This was like a lesson. He made sure I gave Mummy the recipe. (Which was the same as I made when she was little.)
It was serious business.
We made a giant tray full... 23 I think, less one for taste testing.
Tom was very proud of the end result.
We put the oven timer on while we waiting for the Honey Crackles to cook... and we played with Sparkie.
Tom said he things Sparkie is better than the ride on lawn mower. This is really saying something!
Sparkie has settled in and is so good.
Tom also helped feed the cows. After today I am down to my last big bale of hay. There is none left to buy. Australia has catastrophic floods in some areas and drought in others.
We had our first really big bonfires today. Out in the dark of the night I can still see them burning.
All sorts of blessings/gifts and help came to me. God cares for us individually which amazes me because the logistics of this seems too big! But such perfect and personal blessings come that this is obviously true.
I ran out of day and daylight and need to take more photos tomorrow for next week of help, thrift store items, seedlings and pantry supplies I was blessed with! 💖
I hope good things came to you too. How did you build up your nest this week?
Have a lovely weekend. I have seedlings to plant and hoping and praying for rain.xxx
Annabel, what a lovely week you have had and so many blessings from our Lord. Prayers for rain for your pastures flourish and the cows have food.
ReplyDeleteI have been sick with pneumonia so I am a bit slow this last week.
I was able to make a coconut cream pie, strawberries and cream and chicken salad all from my pantry. My husband prepared hearty dinners for us, since our weather turned cold. Not our norm for late May.
With laundry I sat and mended husband's sweat pants and t-shirt to extend their life a bit more. I always wonder what people do when they don't have basic sewing skills.
We also installed solar film on sun room windows to reduce the heat build up in there in summer, it will save on us turning the air conditioning on.
We did make it to the grocery store for the bargains they had posted for Memorial Day. I was able to bring a $115 bill down to $50 and earned $4 in rebates. I felt that was a win. Plus finding meat and bakery items reduced by 50% helped.
I finally picked up my crochet hook and started a wash cloth. Funny how when you are sick the mind is so much slower. When I began I had to really think to crochet. After 40 some years it should be second nature.
Prayers for all Bluebirds!
Dear Rosanne, Pneumonia is terrible! I am glad you are feeling much better. I think when we are too tired or too sick to crochet it means we are really sick!
DeleteYour summer pie and strawberries sound delicious. Yes mending is a really important skill! Basic thinks like taking up a hem are too!
I hope the new week is going well! With love Annabel.xxx
Tom has the sweetest face! Love your new pup. Take care.
ReplyDeleteBun
Thank you so much Bun!xxx
DeleteWhat a blessing Tom and Sparkie are!............Nancy
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Nancy!xxx
DeleteHello Annabel and everyone,
ReplyDeleteTom is so handsome, and so sweet with Sparkie! She's lovely, too. I'm firmly convinced that pets are a great blessing.
Last week my dad and I went on holiday together - he enjoyed the palm trees and warm weather, I enjoyed time with him and getting some stitching done. I finished the stitching on two projects and fully finished one. Since getting back, I've gone back to work, had a cook-up of chicken, rice, and veggies; puttered in the garden and harvested some radishes; did mountains of laundry, and knitted on a pair of socks. This weekend I hope to plant (quickfire hydrangeas, salvia, and foxglove from a plant sale), get my house back into order, and do a little baking.
Friends, if I might and because I care about all of you, I'd like to encourage us all to be good advocates for ourselves and our healthcare. Through (polite) persistence and listening to a strong feeling that a recommendation just wasn't right, I got an appointment for a second opinion at the university - and the doctors there agreed with me! So now I have clear steps forward rather than waiting 10 years (10! years!) to pursue something that could cause a problem. (I also prayed on this a lot.) We are our own best advocates!
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.
<3
Kathy
Dear Kathy, Having a holiday with your Dad was just wonderful. Taking things to work on too was great! It sounds like a great trip.
DeleteI totally agree with you about being your own and families advocate. Also research! Also always getting a second opinion on anything major. I am so glad that worked for you! Goodness over the years Ive known people have total opposite opinions from specialists!
I know you hit the ground running when you got back! And your garden is looking fantastic! With love Annabel.xxx
Such a sweet helper your Tom is! I am worried about your cows---whatever will you do with no more hay bales and dry, barren ground? I will be praying for rain for you. I love your writings and look forward to each one. Thank you. Jane in Florida, USA
ReplyDeleteDear Jane, Thank you! Well I had one bale left. My plan ...(which is possible with only a small number of cows) to cut branches from trees and bushes that I know they like to eat. Let them on the lawn and eat my garden. But we have had a major rain! Over an inch! And it's not too cold so the grass is growing and soon edible. This was so incredible I spent 48 hours holding back my emotions. I will report more on Friday! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteDear Annabel and beautiful blue birds ,
ReplyDeleteAnnabel what a lovely week you had . Tom is gorgeous, it’s lovely y you out can have time with your grandchildren regularly.
Sparkie is so seeet looking , it’s good she’s settling in well .
I had a fairly good week savings wise.
There were a few things I needed and a few things I wanted ( all at big w ) ,
My total came to $109 but I had $20 rewards $ , a 10% discount and a gift card with $31 left on it so my end total was $46 something ! . I was happy with that .
I shopped at Aldi this week and picked up some easy meals for me to have while I’m resting .
I had a cortisone injection on Thursday and the doctor told me to take it easy for a week .
My parents gave me a meal of sausage and mash and onion gravy and veg .
I have reached the PBS safety net for medication which means most of my medication will be free until January ( I reached this about 8 weeks ago .)
There are some medications I take that aren’t n the safety net so I still have to pay for them but it will still save me a lot of money .
I got some medication this week and didn’t have to pay for some of them .
My tyoungest niece leaves for an overseas trip soon so we will be having lunch with her and her family on Wednesday next week . I think she leaves at the end of the month but I’m not sure .
I hope all bluebirds and your families have a wonderful weekend and lovely week .
Barb W
Dear Barb, What a help it is to get free medication fro the rest of the year! That will be a big help. Also I hope the injection helps you. Your parents are so nice to make you a beautiful meal. Wow your nieces have grown up so fast! I hope you are having a good new week! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteDear Annabel
ReplyDeleteGo Tom! How good is a two day supply of honey crackles?!?
I wish more children were shown how to cook! It’s the essential life skill that’s been taken out of most schools and households by policy and convenience. Oops don’t get me started 😅. But seriously personal resilience comes from having various skills and cooking has to be a great place to start.
What is the breeding within Sparkie? I am so glad she found your lovely home to share.
I hope we get good rain this week and not too many gales.
Stay safe
Love Kate
Kate, I don't know where you are, but here home economics (cooking and sewing) are rarely taught. I think every high school student should be required to take one semester of cooking and one semester of personal finance in order to graduate.
DeleteBest wishes to Annabel (and thanks for providing this forum) and to all of the Bluebirds.
Hi Maxine
DeleteI’m a couple of hours from Annabel towards the city of Adelaide.
I don’t know exactly what they teach these days as my children have been out of school over a decade. I agree on your point about teaching personal finance.
I hope the weather is calm in Idaho and you’re having a better week.
Kate
Dear Kate,
DeleteYes... sadly most young adults have never been taught anything about life skills and many parents dont teach them either. I suspect we are at the point many parents never learned and now its generational. Yet amazingly if we want to learn there is a tutorial, blog, channel... lessons for free on every single thing.
Sparkie is a chi x.... not purebred or anything but 3/4 chihuahua. So she is no farm dog more my company dog. She is so good. Although I might say this and her naughty phase breaks out! With love Annabel.xxx
Hello Annabel
ReplyDeleteYour photos are lovely, Tom and Sparkie, growing together, having fun and learning from you.
The feed situation for the animals must be a worry. The climate is having devastating effects around the world.
We have both been ill this week so there has been some catching up to do. We planted out sweetcorn and I pulled radishes, rhubarb and we had the very first baby broad beans. I redeemed points from my consumer research panel and spent the vouchers on a new suitcase, I only had to top up with a little bit of cash. My stock up this week was herbal tea.
My husband has grown many extra plants from seed and cuttings and we donated them to a church fundraiser.
I took several bags to fabric recycling and we cleared several bags of ' stuff' from the garage to the tip.
Hope Annabel and all Bluebirds have a good week
Penny in the UK
Dear Penny, Thank you! Yes Australia has floods, drought and dust storms all at once. I hope you both are feeling much better! Great way to get a new suitcase! The baby broad beans are delicious!
DeleteIt is fantastic to grow things for sale and they sell well because it is probably the same there as here.. nurseries are so expensive. A great way to help a fund raiser. It is satisfying to get old stuff out of the shed too.
Do hope you are both better, with love Annabel.xxx
I thoroughly enjoyed the 'Such a Time as This' post. I was very mindful this week of the free and worthwhile things that blessed me. I listened to both music and historical reels on YouTube as I worked one afternoon sorting out a closet. We put fresh sheets on the bed, something we do weekly, and I so looked forward to climbing into bed on that fresh bedding. Since we are in warm weather season here, I drove with the windows down yesterday along country back roads and enjoyed the lovely views. We've had more than the usual spring rains and everything is very lush and green. I am praying that your fall rains will come and replenish your countryside as well.
ReplyDeleteA lot of my week was spent doing things, rather than spending. I was longing to spend mind you, but I have all I need, truly I do, and using what I have has made me very happy and taken away the "I wish I had' disease that can be so deadly and boring.
I visited three grocery stores this week, picking up the best of the sales. They might be scarce but I am buying what I can on sale because it pays in the end. I have extra to spend on the things that don't go on sale. I also was mindful of the marked downs and coupons and that netted me free yogurt, free croissants (4-pack), marked down cooked chicken breasts that went into the freezer, marked down produce and such. I have been very mindful of what I have and how I might get most use from it. I made banana tea to fertilize plants with from peels, and have orange peel and lemons to soak in vinegar for a lovely cleaning fluid.
I planted herbs and tomatoes, ginger given to me over the past couple of weeks. I also have managed to coax six fig tree stems into taking root.
It's all been lovely and productive and I have felt rich with all that God has given me to use!
Dear Terri, Thank you A country drive with the window down and green grass sound beautiful to me!
DeleteMaking the most of things, recovering things as you do so well, hoping for the best deals... are all so great and give the feeling of new/fresh things. When I still feel like retail therapy the thrift store does give me that fun but I try to keep it sensible... ie thinking of you then nice upholdstery fabric and useful things would be good possible finds.
You know I forgot about doing that with bananas! I also do it with stinging nettles from time to time so thanks for that reminder!
Great work on the fig trees and getting more planted out. What a good week! With love Annabel.xxx
My first thought is about your cows...will you just let them graze on grass? I have been hearing about all that has been happening in your country and here in the United States also. The weather is just crazy!
ReplyDeleteTom is so cute and seems very proud of himself. What a gift you are giving him teaching him how to cook!
Dear Debbie, Thank you so much! Tom is quite keen on cooking! If there was grass I would not have been feeding them hay. The ground has been completely bare like literally not a blade of grass... a drought. If we have grass all our dreams would have come true. Some rain is forecast... everyone is holding their breath! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteGlad to hear that you have had a good week, Annabel. All your baking and soup making looks wonderful. What memories you have made with Tom! I'm sure he will treasure the time spent with you for a long time to come.
ReplyDeletePraying for Australia: the drought, the floods, the farmers, and the spirit of the nation.
My week was spent being intentional. Giving the bathroom floor a deep clean. Mailing some important school documents. Attending my daughter's last track meet (out of town). It was a surprise to her. Celebrating our youngest son's 14th birthday. And getting in touch with old friends.
I have some rhubarb to can this week. And weeding to catch up on.
Love to you all,
Leslie (Ohio, US)
Dear Leslie, That sounds like a beautiful week! Lots of lovely family things.
DeleteYes the country is in a bad way. People are resilient but boy so many have bee hit hard.
I am very popular with Tom. He is so big ow I cant lift him. He will probably be taller than me at about 12 lol. He just loves to help!
It is lovely to catch up with old friends. I heard an old school friend of mine has died and I am so shocked. So many memories. With much love Annabel.xxx