Feather your Nest Friday, 25th July, 2025.
It has been a week of weather! First we had a storm for a couple of days where the wind was so loud it was difficult to sleep. Now we have the most incredible rain! I drove four hours in it today. Normally I would avoid bad conditions on the road but it was for Grandchildren. When I came home after dark my friend said I looked like I had just returned from the war! haha
Now I have soaked in the bath and am in for an evening of relaxation and taking a look back over the week. 😊
With necessary time inside I did some more sewing and choosing fabrics for patchwork blocks and things to make for Lily.
The most gorgeous parcel arrived in the mail. Completely unexpected. The wrapping... the card... and the fabric! 💕
What was even more special was my Bluebird friend had found this fabric... thought of Lily... took it home, washed and ironed it and sent it on to me. When I was young Holly Hobby was the in thing. So this is so sweet and will for sure become a dress for Lily!
I was also given several fabrics that are so lovely I am not sure I can cut them!
😍😍😍😍😍
My patchwork block this week...
I am loving this so much. Another is almost finished... soon I will lap myself and have two done in a week. It is so exciting to go on to the next one.
While the girls were still here we went over to Mum's. I collected some treasures in the garden. The succulents have been planted. This grows to be a thick carpet covered in white flowers. I transplanted some last year and now want to plant as many as possible.
The girls made lip balms in lovely apple (or cherry?) little pots. Enough for all their friends...
Annabel what a lovely week you have had. The girls look so proud of their work and I know they had a really good time with you. It looks like Sparkie has made new friends. Your quilt is going to be beautiful, each square is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI haven't accomplish much in putting food away or even baking this week. We have been concentrating on fencing and painting bathroom. I deep cleaned all our bedrooms just in time to have all the items from bathroom placed in them.
We did the seasonal deep cleaning on our cars and I was able to clean and preserve the leather in them and the door gaskets. We had our mini splits serviced for the year. It seems every time we turned around there was more to do somewhere. Trying to get the house all settled for winter up here.
The wasps are getting ready for winter also, they moved into our home, they found a small opening near one windows molding outside and created a home, they then found a small crack in the drywall inside and decided to move into the house, we killed over a 2 dozen one morning and poor husband was stung twice. We had to get an exterminator to spray in a powder to kill them, regular household spray couldn't reach in. It worked, after he left there were a couple dozen dead wasps on my floor where I had cleaned prior.
Unfortunately with prices rising at the grocery store I haven't been able to stock the pantry this week. Plus the unexpected exterminator bill.
I feel good we are making progress getting things done. I have a feeling we will have a hard winter weather wise up here this year. Summer is brutal with heat we aren't use to.
I have been able to crochet 12 squares for my afghan I am working on, it will probably need 120, I can at least say I have a tenth done.
Rosanne, we are in the heat of summer in the UK but like you my thoughts are turning to prepping for winter. It makes me think of the fable of the ants storing food and getting ready for the cold ahead. So much on the list to do!
DeletePenny in the UK
Annabel your blog brings me such comfort and closeness to my mum who I no longer have, thank you & ps I loved the routine blog last week
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I am so sorry you no longer have your Mum.xxx
DeleteHi Annabel
ReplyDeleteThe photos of the girls with Sparkie are so precious. I'm sorry if the weather was a bit scary to drive through but the heavy rain is so good! Your tanks must be filling now.
Bone broth is liquid gold too!
I bought yellow sticker meat and fish this week and am buying almost no fresh produce because the garden is providing. Lots of cucumbers, marrows, courgettes, tomatoes starting, plums, the last of the broad beans and the first French beans, lettuce, potatoes and beetroot. One of my husband's gardening clients sent him home with lots of tomatoes, apples and a dozen eggs. I am cutting flowers from the garden.
I've cut lots of lavender for drying and have cut poppy seed heads for drying for winter arrangements and saving seeds.
I've frozen extra meals of beef chilli and vegetable moussaka and made fruit tea loaf, roasted chicken and hard boiled eggs as part of a beach picnic. I've also sat some afternoons and read a book because last week was tiring.
Our bedroom has become a dumping ground as I cleared other rooms for decorating or guests coming and I hid the ' stuff' in our bedroom. This week I started tackling it, finding better homes for things, donating and taking things to the tip.I repurposed a pretty glass container to hold hair accessories in our bedroom and sorted through the gift cupboard and thought who would receive certain gifts at Christmas.
I had a great haul of children's musical instrument toys for our granddaughter from the charity shop together with a brand new frost/ sun shield for the windscreen of my car.
It was meant to be a quiet week but I'm happy with what I've achieved. I love the old fashioned domestic arts.
Looking forward to reading all the Bluebirds comments.
Penny in the UK
Dear Penny, It is just wonderful you have so much produce to choose from, use and preserve! And the bonus things from the client! Eggs too! I know you can do so much with all of it! Moussaka is a really good idea!
DeleteAhh the dumping ground. Currently that is my spare room. I have birthday presents and all kids of things lined up in there... same situation!
I need to do the same re the Christmas cupboard. It is pretty full which is a good thing. But we need to know what we should be making next!
The musical instruments will be great for your Grand daughter. A good find! The extra meals you froze are so good, you are ahead and they always come to the rescue at some time you are sick or just too tired to cook. I just feel the pantry and meals in the freezer are better than the bank! You might likely love the everybitcountschallenge starting Friday... I will post about it then! With much love Annabel.xxx
What wonderful pictures of your granddaughters and Sparkie! I especially like the one with all of them in bed together!
ReplyDeleteYou gave me a wonderful idea--cleaning my pantry a little bit at a time! It really does need it and it's too big a job to just do at once.
I didn't really build up my home this past week (I left on Wednesday to visit my son 550 miles away) but I built up my son's home. I bought him a French knife for his 47th birthday! He loves a sharp knife and will use it too. His wife is a first responder and works one week on (when he cooks for himself) and one week off (when they cook together). I often think that I never taught him anything, but I did--how to roller skate, how to drive a stick shift, how to cook and how to cut up a whole chicken! This knife will help with the latter!
Best wishes to you, Annabel, and to all of the Bluebirds.
Dear Maxine, One pantry task a day really works. Today I emptied a couple of jars with only had a few stale biscuits. They are washed ready to re fill now. I am so glad you got to go see your son and a good knife is an excellent gift! Now I am thinking about it I might find some more jars that need a refresh. I know there is one with ancient coffee that can go on the garden! With much love Annabel.xxx
DeleteI love how you fussy cut the fabric in the corners of this block. Your puppy is going to have friends for life in the girls. The cookies are so cute the girls decorated.
ReplyDeleteI have cut the pieces I need to make a Maple leaf quilt for fall. I had to order a bolt of white to finish my red Irish Chain quilt, but I have not felt like sewing for four days. I have organized my sewing room.
Holly
Dear Holly, Thank you for noticing! I just cant cut up a rose so I try to feature flowers in the squares. I cant wait to see a Maple leaf quilt! A bit of an organisation session will probably see you up and sewing again! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteI worked on finishing the last of the flower bed clean-up. I'm happy to say at last that job is done and all the stuff I cleared has been picked up and dumped off in the woods on our property. I planted more flower seeds, ever hopeful that something will bloom before our first frosts in November. I got the last of my vegetable seeds in the mail and am now ready to go to work on that project in August.
ReplyDeleteI did a complete freezer and pantry inventory. I generally do a pantry/freezer challenge each July. I try to participate to some extent in the Every Bit Counts Challenge each August.
This year I am concentrating on restocking empty slots in my pantry. I just found a good sale on Oatmeal, so I went ahead with that purchase. It will arrive in August, so that will be timely.
I reworked our budget a little late for this 3rd quarter of the year and am pleased that we are doing okay at this time. It gives me a good idea of what we will need to plan for in the near future, like setting aside money for the annual propane tank fill up in September.
I hope this next week to finally take advantage of the season and go to the peach shed to get fresh peaches. The season is nearly over and while I don't need to make jelly, and I do have some in the freezer from last year, I would dearly love to have some of this year's in the freezer to boost what I have.
All in all, it's been a good and productive week. I've thoroughly enjoyed being home full time once again.
Dear Terri, Fresh peaches are one of the best things about summer. Well done on the inventory. I am using up things from the freezer and hope to do an inventory when it gets a bit lower. The everybitcountschallenge starts Friday so I am setting that as my challenge and see how many Bluebirds I can get to join in as it is very motivating and good fun! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteDear Annabel, Sparkie and the grandgirls are just gorgeous. This weekend gone we had a big double birthday celebration for my parents in law. The weather was so cold and windy but we were all very warm in the local football clubrooms. It was a great afternoon and they both really enjoyed it. I am tired from two days catching up with everyone but happily do not have many appointments this week so I should be able to rest a little. I am working on a crochet rug - doing one round a night to try have it ready for a friend's 21st in September. On Friday my overlocker jammed and I tried very hard to fix it but will need help with that so my 5 a day dish cloth project is set aside for the moment. Your quilt blocks are so pretty. The quilt will be amazing. Love Clare
ReplyDeleteDear Clare, It is so great you are sewing again! Even if your overlocker jammed.... I hope you can get that fixed with no problems. The birthday party sounds wonderful! The blanket sounds like it will be a beautiful gift for the 1st birthday. There is nothing like a deadline to make us keep working!
DeleteThank you so much! I hope to cut out a new quilt block this afternoon! With love Annabel.xxx
Lovely work on your quilt, Annabel. What a wonderful time you and the girls must have had! Brilliant to spend some time crafting and come away with many gifts!
ReplyDeleteSorry to comment so late on this post. We have had a busy summer. And now it is time for the kids to work the cornfields. They detassel corn every summer. The older ones move on to a permanent job while the younger ones take their place. They are all such hard workers!
I'm asking for prayers. My younger 4 children may be going to private Christian School to finish their highschool education. We are trusting that we will get a grant for the expenses. Thanks.
Love and prayers, Leslie (OH)
Dear Leslie, Wow your ids are very hard workers! I will pray the younger four are granted a way to attend the Christian school. I know summer is so busy! So much work that will not wait! I hope this week is a little easier. With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteDear Annabel,
ReplyDeleteYour posts are so encouraging and filled with appreciation of everything and everyone around you. When I read about your grandchildren and all you do with them, it brings memories of time spent with my grands. They're teenagers now and very busy living life.
Our cold, wet spring turned to hot, some days very.hot, and dry. Lots of watering on a daily basis. The Lord blessed us with an inch of rain Sunday and the garden said thank you, it's a beautiful, productive answer to prayer.
My Amish neighbors let me order fruit with them, the more orders the less cost per unit. I purchased a bushel of peaches to can and now have 21 quarts of golden gems on the shelf and 7 quarts of peach pie filling. Lots of food preservation going on, and loving every minute of it.
I'm going to join Jessica's every bit counts challenge again this year too.
Thank Tabitha for investing time to pass frugal recipes on to us, I just replenished by Arborio rice (it makes delicious, creamy rice pudding too) and will be making her risotto.
Thank you for this blog, it takes a lot of your time.
God bless you and your family.