The little birds...

If you watch little birds you will see they are busy and happy! Using whatever they can find they create the most gorgeous little nest.
I would be the little bird with some glittery thread in her nest!
We can be like this. Happily working away with the things that are available to us to create a beautiful and happy home.
All the while with a little song in our heart.

Banner by Free Pretty Things for You.

Thursday 17 March 2016

Feather your Nest Friday, 18th March, 2016.

Last night it rained and rained and today is cool! After a really warm week this is lovely and I think that maybe that is it now for the actual heat and we will have autumn weather! Three cheers, honestly, I am sick of hot weather!

I LOVE autumn! Out comes the crochet, soups, stews, pies and so many nice things!

The ways I feathered my nest this week:

I had the family coming for dinner for Chloe's Birthday. So I got my skates on and finished the hankies and packed up the sewing machine and put all that away.
Then I finished the section I was painting and packed up all signs of that too.
And then cleaned and tidied!

As it is a significant birthday I decided to make it a bit of a party.
Firstly we saved a lot of money having this at home. Secondly it was easy to decorate as I used our outdoor area and kept it under our little gazebo. My outdoor chandelier helped set the scene.

Chloe loves blue and all things airy fairy... balloons, butterflies, sparkles...


She was just expecting to come around for a BBQ so she got a surprise!




I bought a bunch of flowers and combined them with fake ones from inside...


And had butterflies on the table settings...



Everyone loved it and I was really pleased.  It set the scene.

I made a platter of lamb and thyme, haloumi and prosciutto with sides of crusty bread, olives, hummus, greek salad and sun dried tomatoes and everyone helped themselves.

I cheated and bought the cake.

Anyway it was good and Chloe loved it which is the main thing...



Harper discovered the joy of chewing a lamb bone and everyone went home with cake and other left overs. Also, I think,  her first balloons!



Otherwise I saved money by :

Not going to a restaurant!
We had left overs for dinner the next night which were yummy.
I did my nails and toes.
I painted quite a bit more and a burst at the end to finish the hallway and entrance area.
Painted a hall stand and freshened it up.
Used a $5 store voucher for pantry stock (on half price items of course!)

We also did lots of work in the garden and things are looking nice.
There was a crack in our plasterwork out the front and I repaired that.

So that was my week.  I hope you had a good week and would love to hear how you built up your home and saved money.

Today I have a few errands to run and Andy is working tomorrow (Saturday) so I think I will be back to paining! When everyone arrived the other night I got a lot of comments about how much brighter, fresher, even bigger things seem.... so my painting is having an impact now and it's adding up! This is encouraging! I have so much more to go!

Have a lovely weekend! xxx




55 comments:

  1. Dear Annabel, what a gorgeous setting you made for such a wonderful celebration! everything looked fabulous! Also, I love the colour of Chloe's hair. It really looks great on her. The cuteness meter just went into overload looking at sweet Harper's photo!! :-)

    Our cooktop part of our electric range made a loud bang and stopped working, so have had to be inventive on meals this week until it hopefully can be repaired. A sealed part, so electrician required. It tripped the switch board.

    I say three cheers as well to the end of our hot March! We have not seen a day under 31.5, with our average of 36.7 for March (a 57 yr record) and I agree and say a big bye bye summer, bring on autumn!! I have a beef curry the crockpot and am looking forward to the beginning of such meals. I LOVE everything about Autumn. xo

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    1. Dear Kaye,
      Thank you! Chloe used to colour her hair and stopped so her hair now is her natural colour and everyone loves it. It has loads of colours through it and plaits into a stripe just as it did at school!
      I hope you get this cool change.. we had rain all night. It is so refreshing and better today!
      Beef curry sounds beautiful! I agree I am so ready for the comforting hot meals and everything that goes with autumn.
      Have a lovely weekend Kaye! With love Annabel.xxxx

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  2. Dear Annabel, oh wow that party setting looks gorgeous, that was such a lovely and special thing to do for Chloe and she would have loved it I am sure. I absolutely love the butterflies Annabel and the food sounds yummy too, It almost six makes me want to jump on a plane for a holiday!. I have done a little bit to feather my nest this week. I took your advice Annabel and focused on a few minutes a day of tidying, housework ( whatever doesn't get done by my cleaners) and whatever tasks I need to do around you my unit) . It makes a difference to how My unit looks and how I feel about doing tasks , it makes it easier for me.
    I have filled up my foaming hand wash dispenser with water and a little bit of a hand soap refill , saving me money in the long run. I made mini pizzas last night instead of going out to dinner ( which I don't do often but sometimes do) . I made extra mini pizzas to have for another meal and chopped up extra capsicum for another meal too , it was no harder to do that than to make smaller portions!. I also made some more cards this week, saving money and time . I shopped at Aldi for my main shop on pension day with just a few things being bought elsewhere. I saved about $45 so far by doing this one thing!.. I have done all the usual things I do too and saved money on taxis by doing multiple errands when I went out with my mum on Wednesday. I bought some crochet cotton to get ahead with gifts by learning to crochet. I better finish this message Annabel or it will take up the whole page!!. Take care Annabel and have a great weekend. I am glad the painting has been beneficial to you and your home.love Barb Woodford.

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    1. Dear Barb,
      Well done, spurts of cleaning for a few minutes really add up. Often while the microwave is on I will do heaps fast in the two minutes or what ever while I am waiting. I can be amazing what you can get done in a couple of minutes. they really add up! It is a great method when not well or unable to do heaps at once.
      I am thrilled about your savings and that you found Aldi a saver. If you could get ahead a bit then even if you had a bigger shop one time a month it would possibly save heaps.
      Good luck with your crochet! Just practice the basic stitches for a week or two then you can learn a granny square or pattern you would like. Then you will be set!
      Thank you for a lovely comment! Have a great weekend! With love Annabel.xxx

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  3. What a lovely photo of Harper, Annabel! She is certainly growing quickly and is so very cute. You have been so busy with your painting, holding parties etc. that I am surprised you are not exhausted. I guess I always save money just by staying home and not going to the shops :-) At my age, you don't need much. So pleased it is cooling down in SA. You really have had a dreadful summer.

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    1. I am a bit exhausted Nanna Chel! But greatly relieved by a cool day and lovely cool breeze through the house.
      Staying away from shops and being busy at home is probably one of the best money savers ever! Have a lovely weekend! With love Annabel.xxx

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  4. Sounds and looks lovely. I am 22 weeks pregnant and so tired between work and kids so I am taking it easy but going through all the food mags I have and tearing out useful recipes or discarding them. This means eventually we'll have new dishes to make and clears up shelf space so I can tidy away the kids' books. It's not much but it's at least something and long overdue. I am also glad it's starting to cool down. I love autumnal weather! "Dragon"

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    1. Dear Dragon, How exciting! A baby not too far away!
      It is wonderful to have all the ideas and recipes in one folder... I snap book mine into old diaries but also I have used plastic pocket folders which is good in the kitchen as you can wipe them down. Plus all the ideas you get and can lay your hand on them. Plus big space saver!
      Autumn is lovely. All the best to you with your new baby! With love Annabel.xxx

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  5. You are so lucky having such a sweet little girl in your life. Can't wait till mine arrives. The only thing being,she will be with her parents in Sydney, and I live five hours drive north of Brisbane. Oh well the caravan might be getting a workout up and down the highway. Our feathering has been to use up what we have here at home in our making projects. Hubby has been busy up in the shed. Will share his project for March show and Tell. I have been putting together bits for the baby and having a great time doing it. I have four working days of my contract left. Once this contract is finished there will be time to spend on getting the things done at home that I have been saving up. The garden has been given a lot of my evening time as we have not had any relief from the heat and humidity. The showers have been coming but this just leads to higher humidity levels. The heat has meant that the showers just haven't been enough to keep the garden moist. So my home time is usually spent with the hose in hand. The weekend is for cleaning and if too hot for sitting in the beautiful waters of Hervey Bay. Life is good.

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    1. Dear Jane,
      You are going to love being a Grandma and although you have a distance to travel I know many people who's Grandchildren are in another country and imagine how hard that would be. So hopefully as you say you can travel up and down and be able to help as needed. You will be in love, I tell you that much!
      It has cooled here and the humidity cleared so I hope its your turn next. I will celebrate with you after your last four days! Have a lovely weekend! Love Annabel.xxx

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  6. Wow little Harper has grown and changed so much! What a gorgeous little girl. Happy birthday to Chloe too��
    One last thing... You do know the tables look so good you could become a party planner?! ��
    Slowly warming up here in the uk, although not sandals weather just yet!
    Have a great weekend
    Heidi xxx

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    1. Dear Heidi, Thank you so much! As we are madly welcoming autumn you must feel the same about spring!
      Have a lovely weekend to you too! with love Annabel.xxx

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  7. Oh wow Annabel, I love your party setting. The colour blue, butterflies, those balloons- it just looks so pretty. The food sounded absolutely delicious, my mouth was watering. I can imagine the cost of everyone at the restaurant! Yet at home, no one moves you along and you don't have to speak over other people. I love, love, love Chloe's hair colour too. I bet she had a lovely night. Great job on the painting. That would save a fortune and would make such a difference. I haven't been 100% this week, but I'm on the improve. It hasn't been all bad- time to reflect on the budget, write cards etc plus I really enjoy the small things, like a cup of tea in bed! Love, Bridge

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    1. Dear Bridge, Thank you! I hope you are feeling much better and can rest up a bit over the weekend. I will have to tell Chloe her hair got a lot of compliments!
      Thank you for all your lovely comments Bridge, with love Annabel.xxx

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    2. And how could I not comment about Harper! She is absolutely gorgeous; picture perfect. I bet she is a real sweetie. Love, Bridget

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  8. gorgeous outdoor setting Annabel and a lovely surprise for Chloe, but then again probably not a surprise, after all having you as a mum how could she not expect something blue and sparkly and butterfly'ish. She is the spitting image of you. Harper is also the spitting image of her mum. She is totally gorgeous, so now it's a plane trip to Adelaide to steal a hankie and have a cuddle of Harper. I've just finished making a mammoth hedgehog, used 12 packets of biscuits and a dozen eggs etc. Have added all sorts of things like a block of chocolate and lolly bananas and then decorated with different sorts of things i.e. those pearl balls, crystallised sugar etc. Also made 6 dozen rum ball type things (but used half a bottle of sherry). Was a request from ds and his fiancee for the party. Also tried out the local beauty salon and had a bit of a splurge. Felt good and something that the benefit seems to last for a while. Hope you have a weekend that is fun filled, if not paint filled. Fi xx

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    1. Dear Fiona,
      Thank you! I am going !!! about all that Hedgehog, rum balls... and the sheer quantities! Wonderful! What good food for a party.
      I am glad you treated yourself to some pampering, you deserve it! With lots of love, Annabel.xxxx

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  9. Hi Annabel!

    These pictures convey such sweetness. You must be pleased!

    I was looking for your chandelier; I think I saw the streamers tied to it. Lamb and thyme sounds delicious and satisfying.

    Oh yes, how did nest feathering go here? Well, after playing the waiting game, we stumbled across a second-hand building supplies trader who sold and cut some plywood for repairing the back of a kitchen cupboard. We had to wait because our previous supplier closed shop, and hardware stores sell inferior wood much dearer. The cupboard is made of poor materials, and was only bought to match other cupboards. Now its back is built like a fortress, thanks to the plywood and my husband's efforts. That'll be another job to cross off my pre-wool spinning list, so that's good.

    Those hankies of yours could be collectors' items!!

    Rachel Holt

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    1. Dear Rachel, Yes streamers fell from the chandelier I shot party poppers into it!
      That is excellent about the wood and the cupboard. I love that you are working toward spinning and can't wait to see what you produce. Spinning is lovely. My Nan was wonderful at it, dyed yarn with natural dyes i.e. from onion skins and beetroot. Then made beautiful garments. She was full steam ahead! Dad, having sheep. gave her fleeces and she loved the long fleeces from sheep that had been missed a year. Also the brown and black fleeces. It was all wonderful!
      Have a wonderful week. With lots of love, Annabel.xxx

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  10. The party decorations are just beautiful and little Harper is the shinning star, she is so cute! I love the way you pulled it all together ... so, so pretty! I'm getting back into the swing of things but I'm also taking time to rest more during my season of recuperation. I'm going to be making soap soon with the pigment you shared with me (thank you again). Actually I think I will make 2 batches so I will have enough for gift giving throughout the rest of the year. Enjoy your weekend!

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    1. Dear Patsi,
      Thank you! I hope you are feeling better. The flu knocks you hard. Many people say they have the flu when they have a cold. I know you had the real deal and its not good. You need to be careful for a while now.
      I hope the soap goes well. It is a lot of fun! With love Annabelxxx

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  11. What a gorgeous party, and Chloe even matched the decor! :) I can't wait till we can eat outside again, too...maybe in a month or so!

    One rug almost finished for the bedroom floor, but no baby goats in sight...she is taking her sweet time!

    Have a great weekend, Annabel.

    Love, Jen in NS

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    1. Dear Jen,
      Chloe almost always wears blues, they look lovely on her so this was handy!
      I would love to see your floor rug! And I am slow to reply, sorry (more painting!) so I think you might had babies by now. One or two? I would love to see them also! I hope you are having a good weekend and have a great week. Our autumn weather has kicked in and it is lovely! With love Annabel.xxx

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  12. lovely setting and what a beautiful way to surprise her

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  13. Oh, you are such a good Mama! Everything looked beautiful and it all shows how much you love your daughter and family. Harper is sooooo cute! Love it!

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    1. Thanks Joy! I am very lucky to have a beautiful family and I think Harper is so cute! My Mum (Great Gran) is equally in love with her so she gets plenty of love thats for sure! Thanks for commenting Joy. xxx

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  14. Annabel,
    Chloe is beautiful! And I just want to smooch Harper's little cheeks she is so cute. I love butterflies, but I'm sure I don't need to tell you that LOL! Your party for Chloe was gorgeous! I love planning and setting up parties it is fun finding everything and it all falling into place. And since I have granddaughters maybe one of these days I will get to do one for a girl! As far as feathering my nest on nice days we have been cleaning up outside and I am getting ahead on some of the weekday meals and getting rid of paper clutter which is an endless chore I think and though it's not my own nest when I have been babysitting I have been doing some cleaning for my son and his wife since they both work so much so that they can come home to a clean house and laundry and relax a little.
    XOXO
    Vicky

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    1. Dear Vicky,
      I love Harpie's little cheeks too! She gets a lot of kisses from me and when you stop she leans in for more!
      You are very helpful to your son and DIL. You are working more than one household. Spring cleaning and house work generally are never ending!
      Thanks so much Vicky! With love Annabel.xxx

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  15. Dear Annabel,
    The party is simply gorgeous! Chloe looks beautiful, and what a joy Harper must be. You've had such a busy week! This past week was all of the usual feathering here. This was a week of bare minimums for me. As you know sometimes that is how it goes! I hope your weekend is restful and finds you enjoying all things Autumn!
    Love,
    Colette xxx

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    1. Dear Colette, Thank you! I have had my share of bare minimum weeks. With a bigger family bare minimum is still a lot of meals, washing, driving and goodness knows what!
      I hope maybe you get a restful weekend. It feels like autumn now and I am going through my wardrobe and such things to adapt to the cooler weather. I love wearing layers so this suits me as I can do that again!
      Many thanks Colette, you are doing well. Love Annabel.xxx

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  16. What a lovely party and that Harper is adorable!

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    1. Thank you Debbie! Have a lovely weekend! xxx

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  17. Annabel this is a really lovely post! We have become a bit guilty of putting our efforts into children's birthdays and neglecting our own. I love the effort you went to. I have been stripping wallpaper in one of our bedrooms, my brother has insulated the exterior walls and hung new GIB, and is a plasterer so they look great. And he assures me the walls I have been stripping will also look good once he's plastered them too! I hate this part, but can see the end in sight. And then painting should be fun!

    I do find it's quite a challenge to balance getting that kind of big job done with still maintaining a household. We have had to move two children out of that room so the house is already in a bit of a muddle, and then of course there is still washing, dishes, cooking etc to be done. I won't lie, there have been a few baked beans on toast nights lately! I know that it's part of tackling an extra project, but there are several more rooms to do this year as well so I am going to need to be better organised.

    My sanity saver is the crochet blanket. When I sent you that first picture I had completed one rainbow colour repeat. Well I now have two colours left to go on the sixth and final set! It Is big and about my favourite thing lol. I need to work out how on earth to do a border, and am thinking that would quite a lovely thing to try over the Easter long weekend. I am really surprised that I did not lose interest at any point, that usually happens to me with big projects. I can honestly say that seeing some of the other ladies completed works in the show and tell has given me a boost. Hopefully I am able to share my completed blanket soon :)

    Have a great weekend, hope you get to put your feet up amongst the painting!!!
    Jen

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    1. Dear Jen,
      Ohh so many good things here... firstly I am so pleased about the blanket. I find a pattern and colour repeats etc very motivating... I think "Ill just get up to the next colour" "Ill just finish this repeat" and so on and it eggs me on! Plus changing colours makes it interesting, so all these things might have helped.
      Re the border. I think a border around a rug is really good. I am not sure with a wave pattern i.e. what border to do but I think they finished things off well.
      Before I sat down to reply I was painting! I am on to bay windows... skirting boards etc and fiddly around lots of glass. I too find the balance of making progress and the rest of the house and meals etc hard to balance. I want to get it done! I think its totally find to have toasted sandwiches for dinner though in the midst of this!
      Very handy that your brother is a plasterer. I could have done with him when we re did the kitchen!
      I will look forward to seeing your finished blanket. Have a lovely weekend. Take some breaks! its love, Annabel.xxx

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  18. Dear Annabel,

    What a beautiful setting for Chloe's party. She is a very pretty young lady. It's so nice that the family was able to honor her special day and that you made it so special for her.

    This week we have had three cottonwood trees removed, along with their stumps and roots. We ordered four apple trees to go in the area and purchased the apple trees at 50% off.

    I finished designing (graphing) the remaining changes to the yard, to take advantage of all the available space to grow fruits, vegetables, and for comfort areas.

    I made a recheck of my original plan to make sure I had included all the fruits we want growing in this yard; I finished the fruit by ordering the apple trees. I might add one more native plum, but for now, I'm happy with the wide variety of fruit we have started.

    We, also, took advantage of a good online sale to order some food storage items at 60% off. We had received a coupon from our last order and, along with the current sale, it provided a nice savings on items we use regularly.

    I did some baking and some freezer meal prep this week, although it wasn't a lot, but as you say, every little bit counts :).

    I washed most of the crocheted doilies and scarves in the house as part of the Spring cleaning.

    Have a wonderful weekend.

    Love and hugs,
    Glenda

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    1. Dar Glenda,
      Apple trees will be beautiful. Apples are so useful in so many ways. Your garden will be beautiful.
      Our actual autumn weather has kicked in so I hope your spring weather comes along too. Then you can get your garden plans underway.
      I hope you are having a lovely weekend! With love, Annabel.xxx

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  19. What a lovely party and how nice to be 'at home' where you could all relax and take as long as you pleased with your loving wishes. It's beautiful Annabel!

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    1. Dear Terri,
      Thank you so much! Yes it was very relaxed.
      Have a great week. Hopefully with lovely spring weather! With love Annabel.xxx

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  20. Good evening from the UK Annabel. Wow you have been so busy I am in awe. Happy birthday to your daughter I bet she was over the moon of what you did for her - she will remember the effort you put in more than just a meal at a restaurant.

    I have spent the week decluttering and I am enjoying our space so much more. We are going to spend the next few months decorating as and when we can afford it.

    One thing I did sort out was all of my craft stuff. Wow I have so much it's embarrassing. I started a scrapbook album for my niece which I will give her for Christmas. I cut some squares out to make a quilt for my sons birthday. I also started a new crochet blanket. I found lots of small bits of white and cream yarn. I am on a group on Facebook that crochet and knits for premature babies. I used the wool to make some hats and blankets. These babies are called Angel babies and so so small. I managed to make quite a few and I would like to continue this each week. I can't afford to give money donations to charity at the moment so I am trying my best to help in other ways.

    Laura x

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    1. Laura- what a beautiful thing to do; helping the sweet little premature babies. Just lovely. Love, Bridget

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  21. Harper looks so beautiful Annabel and I noted she was dressed in blue too! The blue theme at the party looks lovely. Like Barb I too shopped at Aldi's this week and stocked up on items that they have at the lowest price. And like Jane who at Hervey Bay is just a bit further south, I have been watering my garden and battling the usual summer humidity. This month I have started to weigh my garden produce as I harvest and using the prices at the major supermarkets as a guide I work out how much money I have saved off my grocery bills on certain items. I also have had the dubious privilege of sharing my cherry tomato harvest with four local King Parrots, they are such a beautiful bird that I sometimes just watch them eat my tomatoes rather than scare them away.

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    1. Dear Sherri,
      The humidity we had here has passed thank goodness! It was draining. So I hope the same for you!
      It is a very good idea to weigh your produce! You will probably be surprised how much money it saved as it adds up fast. Also you might be able to compare it to organic produce which is much more expensive.
      Aldi is a big asset to us. We have already saved a very significant amount.
      Soon we will have a much closer store too.
      I would love to see King Parrots, even if they were eating my tomatoes!
      We have Rosellas and rainbow Lorikeets... and Kookaburras which I love. I love birds and have three bird baths!
      Have a lovely week Sherri, Love Annabel.xxx

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  22. Dear Annabel, Where do I even begin with this post?! Chloe looks so pretty and feminine, and Harper is adorable! And you are amazing for getting all of that work done before the party! It looks fabulous, and I'm sure everyone loved it. The decorations are beautiful. This whole post is beautiful!!
    I neglected to write things down for this week, so I'll do my best to remember. I received crafting supplies in the mail from a friend (I think this was the highlight of the week), did laundry and packing at the ranch, picked several bunches of wildflowers to decorate the house, purchased bread rolls and buns at half price for freezing, cooked three meals for the freezer, harvested more dandelions for infusing homemade lotion, and sold four dozen eggs. Hmmm, that is all I can think of. Oh! I also finally invested in some essential oils. I have been wanting to do this for over a year and the company I was looking at had a sale, so I combined that with a coupon to save a bit of money. I'm so excited about trying out several recipes.
    I hope everyone has a nice weekend! Annabel, I hope more cool weather comes your way. We are enjoying the last bit of ours while we still can! With love, Kelsey

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    1. Dear Kelsey,
      I am so glad about the highlight of the week that made me smile!
      I love the sound of the wildflowers. When you get your phone please take a ton of photos. Also... have you thought of pressing them and making them into cards? It sounds like you might have an enormous free asset and card making supply.
      It sounds like you are making progress at the ranch. Have a good week this week! With love Annabel.xxx

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  23. Dear Annabel,

    What a lovely birthday surprise for Chloe, it all looks so beautiful.

    Harper is growing up, she reminds me of a gorgeous little doll.

    Not much savings going on here this week as we have been doing some necessary jobs on our 4wd preparing for our big trip away. Also my laptop died completely and I had to buy another one. We did find one on special though so that was a blessing. I cant do a blog post because my latest photos have gone to rest with the old laptop. I do know someone that can retrieve them but it will be a while until that happens. I am thinking of doing a post on my other blog though :)

    Have a blessed week,

    xTania

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    1. Dear Tania,
      I will look forward to a blog post. I lost all my photos earlier in the year and had to start again! Lucky I put so many on FB and the blog as that preserved most of the good ones.
      You must be getting excited about your trip! I am not sure how far away that is but I hope its wonderful for you! With op shopping! With love Annabel.xxx

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  24. Annabel I hope that the autumn weather is finally setting in for you and not just teasing you. I arrived home from Melbourne to heat and humidity on Wednesday, I am still adjusting back to it but know that I will be heading back to Melbourne next month and need to sort out some cooler weather clothes for the next trip.

    Not a lot happening this week, got home and my husband had his washing done and washed the sheets. He let it slip last night that he made some pikelets while I was away, of course there were none waiting for my return.

    The walls in the front entry have been painted, it is taking a bit to get use to the colour after what was previously there. Skirting and architraves still to be done but Easter is next weekend so the long weekend seems like a good time to do that work.

    This weekend I need to get into the stores in the shed and bring some items up to the house, make a list for Aldi and reorganise a few things.

    I love that you celebrated Chloe's birthday and Harper looks so serious in that photo, I am sure that come Christmas she will be in the thick of it all.

    My lemon tree is still alive, more good luck with the weather as we had rain most nights while I was away. Not sure about future plans for the garden at the moment with my tooing and froing. Might just have to work on some ideas for a bit.

    Have a great weekend

    Lynette
    XXXX

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    1. Dear Lynette,
      Welcome home! It is nice tho your husband had the washing done.
      I also have been working on the front entry. Almost done! And we also we will be working on renovations over Easter! We are pulling up the carpet in the office as underneath it is lovely floor boards like the hall and bedroom. I will be glad to get this done it will be big!
      I hope things went well, on your trip, and that you have a chance to catch up at home. With much love, Annabel.xxx

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  25. Dear Annabel, Such a lovely party for Chloe!! Happy Birthday, Chloe!! And that sweet little Harper is growing so much, wish I could give her a hug!! :)

    Parties at home are so much more relaxing and you don't need to hurry! Well done on the decorations and table settings!! Lovely!!

    This week I've been re-organizing the food storage room and when I finish, I will write a list of needed items. And I will know the foods I need to can during summer. I also baked a chocolate cake (using black bean puree for the oil) and frosted it with fluffy frosting. I also made a triple batch of dishwasher "soap" that I use in my pre-wash dish with a gel cap in the wash dish.

    Have a lovely weekend/beginning of Autumn!! Love, Teri

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    1. Dear Teri,
      You sound busy with good things. I love the sound of that cake! Also the dish washer soap. It is good to get ahead with that.
      Thank you for your comments about the party!
      Our weather has improved heaps and today is just lovely! I am setting out to enjoy it. Have a great week. With love Annabel.xxx

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  26. What a beautiful birthday scene you set there Annabel-it is just gorgeous. And Harper what a little doll she is. You must be so proud. I've been unwell after having a tooth removed this week, but started making some bunting out of old clothing for my youngest son's 10th birthday next week. I also bought 16kg of carrots,peeled and blanched them for the freezer.xx

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    1. Dear Mel, I hope you are feeling better! Please get checked out if not that you don't have an infection. That can be really bad! So I hope you are much better now.
      Thank you so much! And the bunting sounds lovely and will hold memories of the outfits too! 16 ks of carrots all ready to go in the freezer is a great job!
      Have a great new week! With love Annabel.xxx

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  27. Dearest Annabel, happy birthday to Chloe, and what a lovely party setting you created for her! My daughter adores blue too. Little Harper is turning into a little person now and is so like her Mummy! I didn't save much this last week, as I was unwell, but as always, even then, my preparations saved us lots. I hope everyone has a good week. Love, Mimi xxx

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  28. awww everything looks so beautiful Annabel, and Harper is so adorable. I love those butterflies to they looked amazing, would love a tutorial for them at a later date ??? You did an amazing job xoxo

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