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 10 August 2017

Feather your Nest Friday. 11th August, 2017.

Thank you so much Vicky! She took over for me on Wednesday and did such a good job.  I have just had a virus I think so it has been a fairly slow week.  Lucky I got a few things done before this set in!

It was a bit of a mixed week as well.  I had some lovely things like a beautiful parcel of sparkly wool from Mimi (I will put this in my next craft post) and a parcel of vintage homemaking magazines from Deb P.   Some of these are from 1958 and they are just gorgeous.  Reading them I have found I like them better than todays magazines.  Some of the tips and recipes are really good!  The images could make amazing cards if I could cut them up but I am not sure about that yet!  Thank you so much Deb!


We are still stuck with a terrible messy floor and the last time I rang the insurance company we were told another two weeks..... which is up today.  I will be back on the phone I guess.  
And our air conditioner is also our heating system.  We know it is old and we know the air conditioner was slow last summer.  The service man said it needed new gas and you can no longer get this type of gas since the government banned it.  So we knew we will be needing a new one soon.  But this week it died completely and now we have no heat either.
The government also banned coal so having electricity at all this summer is a wait and see game!
I guess you can tell I am not thrilled.  Not feeling well and things going wrong are not a good combination! 

Earlier in the week I made lots of ready to use mixes (as shown on Monday).  These have been handy all week! 
First I went to our Greek Wholesaler that lets the public in.  It is a huge store, like a warehouse.  They have  giant bags of herbs and spices that are so fresh and beautiful.  The prices are so cheap compared to the tiny bottles sold in the supermarket. 




This was some of my haul when I came home! 


Then I started making up some of my pre mixes and sealing herbs and spices in jars. 


Yesterday I posted in A Working Pantry Classroom as Patsy is currently really busy.  My subject was how to store and use herbs and spices.  Little bottles don't work for me as I have big ones.  I think I am going to have a small cupboard just dedicated to these.  When my floor is finally done I can set things up in a new way to allow for this.  Then the plan is to make many more things from scratch and my own pre made mixes! 

While laying low I studied!  Gardenpat  sent me some of her best, tried and tested, mixes that she makes.  There is a wonderful list!  Cath helped me with making instant custard powder (in any flavour) and also with how to make my own condensed milk.   I need a recipe book to write all this up in now.   Next week I will post all of these recipes, they are amazing! 

I made two more batches of yoghurt.  One lot I made into something else I just made for the first time from scratch,  Tatziki Dip.  Another use for my yoghurt!  It was so easy and good. 


We had this with lamb last night.   To go with it I made Pitta Bread Chips.  This is where you cut pitta bread into 12 triangles.  Spray them with a little olive oil and sprinkle with what ever you like... I used a tiny bit of garlic powder.  Bake them on baking paper for about ten minutes on each side.  This is a really cheap way to provide chips or crackers to go with dips. 

I made pizzas and used the bargain bacon off cuts I got when shopping with Hilde. There was a lot of bacon and I cooked some up and Andy had this for several breakfasts.  

I made pumpkin soup and added cream of chicken mix I made from one of my jars. That was yum!

Mum gave me some Haloumi and Blueberries.  These got added to the menu plan.

I made two Armenian Nutmeg cakes.  This is a nice winter cake and Lucy had requested one.  So I made one for her and one for us. 


I set up my two little thrift store purses for my grocery budget and for my thrift shopping.  

This one is pale pink on the outside and has all these nifty compartments inside! 


Just perfect! 

I picked up my new glasses  which were free (until you think of the money spent on private health, but still!) 

I wrote $612 into my savings book from all the savings I generated this week.

How did you save, get ahead, build up your home?  I hope it was a good week for you!  
Have a lovely weekend! xxx




46 comments:

  1. Hi Annabel, so glad you are feeling better. For someone who was not feeling so well you have managed to achieve a significant amount of tasks this week.
    We arrived home yesterday. Katie has done a wonderful job of looking after the house for the last 7 weeks. I am slowly emptying the caravan and washing all the blankets, linens, coats and heavy winter clothing. The contents of the caravan pantry have been emptied and I am half way through rearranging the house pantry to accommodate the extras. Once this is all done we will be able to develop a comprehensive shopping list.
    I'm back in shorts and Tshirt and am looking forward to a walk on the beach this afternoon. Have a wonderful weekend and give yourself the space to fully recuperate.

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    1. Dear Jane,
      Welcome home! What a beautiful trip you had! Unpacking is a big job, it always seems to take me days to get back to any kind of normal!
      Enjoy the warmer weather and the beach and just being home! With love, Annabel.xxx

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    2. Jane,
      Welcome home, I absolutely love following your adventures. I am amazed how much harder it is to unpack than pack, but take your time, you are home now and take the time to enjoy the warm weather and beach.
      Rosanne xxx

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  2. Lovely baked goods as always, Annabel. Can't believe those prices on the spices, wow! Your spices and mixes will make lovely gifts.
    Finally started making my own yogurt. I plan to start sourdough tomorrow, just in time to begin Fall baking next week.
    Thanks for the inspiration!
    Blessings,
    Leslie

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    1. Dear Leslie, I need to do some comparisons... but for the price of two tiny containers from the supermarket I can get a whole bag of herbs... its that much difference. Well done on the yoghurt! I am loving it! I have a post coming up with some of the things I am finding yoghurt useful for... and also using it as sour cream. Good luck with the sour dough. I hope you find it as successful as I have. It has been a huge help to me, I just love it (and I was a terrible yeast cook) Have a lovely weekend! With love Annabel.xxx

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  3. Glad you are on the mend Annabel. Hope the insurance company hurries up and fixes up the floor for you. Very frustrating! Thanks to your beautiful inspiration I bought some bulk spices and was busy cleaning old jars yesterday, getting the labels off so they are now all ready for me to make some dry mixes up today! I'm going to make your cream of chicken and french onion then also a mexican spice mix that I love to use to make burritos. Its by Sophie Gray (destitute gourmet website). I love her recipes and this one has been a fav for years, so consider it tried and tested!! Take care, Kelly

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    1. Dear Kelley, I will look up the recipe you mention thank you! Knowing how much you like it I will try it.
      Your jars will be wonderful! You know how I love jars! Next week I have a lot more mixes recipes... so we will have your jars all full! Thanks so much Kelly, with love Annabel.xxx

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  4. Hi Annabel and beautiful Bluebirds,

    Annabel what wonderful home baked goodies you have made and good prices on the bulk herbs you have purchased too :) .

    A week of preparing the gardens here so not a lot of savings in other areas here at the moment due to time restraints. We did manage however to add manures to the vegetable gardens beds we wanted too and fertilised half of the house paddock lawns with cow manure to green the lawns with.

    Our Vicky challenge added up to $495.70 this week.

    In the kitchen we made -
    - All meals and bread from scratch.
    - Made a quadruple batch on honey, almond, sultana and coconut granola which should last us a few months saving $16.50 over purchasing it in the supermarket.

    In the garden -
    - Amended the soil in the garden beds with saved potash and charcoal from our winter fires saving $190.40 over purchasing the potash in our local garden centre. The charcoal addition to the soil helps keep the moisture in the soil.
    - Purchased a trailer load of cow manure for the gardens saving $288.80 over purchasing it in bags. The manure is now spread out on the gardens and has been rototilled into the front garden beds but next week we will be working on the paddock vegetable garden beds.

    Rest up and get better soon Annabel and have a wonderful week ahead fellow bluebirds :) .


    Sewingcreations15

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    1. Dear Sewingcreations, Despite time constraints you still saved a great amount! And work on the gardens is a big investment for spring and summer. Buying things in a trailer load is really good too.. everything in bags is expensive!
      I do feel much better. My niece, neighbour, everyone has had this bug! I hope you are having a good weekend and next week isn't too busy for you. With love, Annabel.xxx

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    2. Hi Annabel and good to hear you are feeling better and no good the bug is going around everyone around there. We have got similar with colds, flu and pneumonia going around our area too. We are hoping to stay away from any more bugs as we have just recovered from the last one :).

      Have a good week too.


      Sewingcreations15.

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  5. Sorry to hear about your heating Annabel, on top of the floor problem as well. I made some of your mixes this week thank you for sharing with us the things you do it is much appreciated. The magazines look like a treasure lovely to peek into the past and I love your purse so pretty and the compartments so useful I love thrift shops. Sharlene

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    1. Dear Sharlene,
      Thank you so much! The outside of that purse is a pearly pale pink. I loved that but when I opened it I was in love! I just love thrift shopping. One thing I do is in my thrift shop purse I keep my current thrift shopping list of things I am really looking for. I get that out. Seriously, my mind goes blank when I walk in and there is so much to look at. My list helps me focus a lot. Also I will then ask staff and say I am looking for.... canning jars... (or whatever) and so very often I will end up with something from out the back that isn't even in the store. So always ask! This has helped my luck a lot! With love Annabel.xxx

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  6. Sorry to hear you aren't feeling well. That cakes looks amazing, I haven't heard of it before. Can you please share the recipe? Does it keep well?

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    1. Dear Carerzoo, Thank you! The cake keeps well for a few days. Otherwise I freeze it as a cut up cake and just thaw single serves. It is nice old or warm with cream and a strawberry as a desert. It is 2 cups SR Flour, 2 cups dark brown sugar. 125g butter...1 egg, 1 cup milk, 1 teaspoon bi carb soda, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, about half a cup of crushed walnuts or pecan nuts. You mix sugar and flour with the butter, melted. Stir well until its like sand. Line a baking dish with baking paper. Press about half you mix into the tin to form a kind of base. With the other half that is still in your bowl mix in your egg, milk and bi carb. Mix until smooth and pour over the base. Sprinkle over the nuts. Bake in medium oven ... the recipe says for an hour but it only takes half for me so watch that it rises then test with skewer. Let sit half an hour before serving. I always double this recipe. The other day I doubled it twice as I made two cakes. I love this cake, it has a crunch, chewiness... nutmeg... its lovely.
      I hope you enjoy it. Sorry about the butter, if you are in US just convert on google, its not very much butter. With love Annabel.xxx

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  7. Hello Annabel, long time no hear from me. I have missed my time catching up on my favourite blogs.

    I am sorry to hear you have not been feeling well. Hope you are able to recover soon and get back to your normal self.

    I have been extremely busy lately hence my absence. I was kept busy with grandma duties a couple of weeks ago when my new baby granddaughter was born. The garden is keeping me very busy, I spend most of my time outside pottering around and it is especially nice in the sunny weather we are having. We didn't receive much rain unfortunately, not like you did. It is very dry here...We did a flying trip down to Adelaide on Tuesday to pick up a trailer so I stocked up at Aldi while I had the opportunity.

    We are eating more meatless meals now that there is only two of us. Phil doesn't seem to mind, he just eats what I do.

    It is pretty cheap living for us now. We received the water bill today and it is half the usage of last year, so happy with that.

    My pantry is full after restocking.

    I am picking mandarins, oranges and grapefruit at the moment.

    The tomatoes have produced right through winter and I am starting to get more now the days are warming up.

    I have baby spinach, tomatoes, silver-beet, kale, celery, strawberries, garlic, chives, sage, capsicum, eggplant, rhubarb growing in the veggie patch. I am preparing more beds for veggies to go in come spring. I bought a bay-leaf tree while in Adelaide and I will see if it grow here.

    I am continuing to make my own sourdough and yoghurt, and now trying my hand at Kombucha. We are liking the flavours I have concocted so far.

    I have been drying my excess sourdough and sharing it around.

    I picked up some parsley and coriander in pots for 50c at Woolies tonight. They look a bit poorly but hopefully a trim up and fresh soil and pot will encourage them to grow.

    I continue to make my own muesli.

    Wishing you a blessed week,

    Love Tania xoxo
    (I am going to do a catch up of your blog now)

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    1. Dear Tania, Hello! I know you are busy... I miss your blog when you are too busy to post but I can see you are getting things done. The garden is wonderful. You have become more and more self sufficient which is fantastic. It was good you got to have a sock up at Aldi. You would also be having a very warm Sunday. It feels like spring. It is making me consider my own garden and planting plans! I hope the bay leaf tree grows for you. They are slow growing but wonderful to have. With lots of love, Annabel.xxx

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  8. Annabel, what a week you have had! I hope you are feeling better and that things improve with your heating/air conditioning.

    Can you elaborate on this statement ... 'I set up my two little thrift store purses for my grocery budget and for my thrift shopping.' How have you done this?

    Thanks for helping out in our WP Classroom group. You've had some really interesting topics!

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    1. Dear Patsy, I have really loved everyones topics! It is really interesting seeing how different people see things from different angles. Now that you have asked me about the purses I am thinking this could be a subject for next week? I really learned how to have a grocery fund and a "slush" fund from Cath and Wendy. It works really well and it motivating as well. So Ill work on something for the classroom. This system has really helped me build the pantry anyway! With love, Annabelxxx

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  9. Glad to hear you are feeling better, but I am sorry about the heater!
    This week's feathering was more about the kids. When we went to the city for a doctor apptmt, I made a list of the winter clothes the kids would need and we shopped at the rich people's Goodwill. We left with 6 pairs of jeans, 2 skirts, and a dress for $63. My 3 teenage girls and I were very happy with what we got. Sometimes it is hard with teenage girls to find clothes second hand that fit in with the fashions their friends are wearing, and it is so important to them at that age to not look too different. So I love taking them to the fancy Goodwill and saying "Here you go, pick whatever you want!" and not have to turn things down because of price. It makes for a much more fun shopping trip! I am really lucky though that my girls are on board with this, some of their friends would turn their noses up at second hand clothes, but my girls like getting more cute, fashionable clothes secondhand, than getting a couple of things from Walmart. We also stopped at a discount bookstore and I picked up several things to put back for Christmas and birthdays.
    I hope everyone has a great weekend, and gets a little rest from all of their hard work!

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    1. Dear Sarah,
      I am so thrilled for you! Firstly good on you for making the most of the trip you had to make for the appointment... that really paid off too! I laughed about the rich peoples Goodwill as we basically have the exact same... different areas and prices and quality of stuff.... I can see this was fun also which is very nice. Your girls being teenagers and liking fashion... they might get ideas from a blog called PS I made this. It has a ton of fashion DIYs and gift DIYs and is pretty good. Much of it is stuff you could get at thrift stores and make over. Your girls sound awesome by the way! Have another really good week Sarah! With love Annabel.xxx

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  10. So happy to hear you are feeling better now, Annabel! Your herb shop looks amazing - there is a bulk Amish store a few hours from our home. I keep wondering if it might be worth the drive for spices and baking items.

    This week's small efforts:
    Rooted some herb cuttings and the end of a celery bunch in water for later planting, and saved more seeds.

    Collected water in our rainbarrel for garden needs.

    Took advantage of low prices on ground beef and chicken, and restocked our freezer.

    Made a big batch of meatballs from scratch, had some for dinner, and froze lots for later meals. I also used chicken bones and trimmings to make a big batch of stock.

    Baked an egg- and milk-free chocolate spice cake for snacks, with ingredients on hand. (This is a really delicious recipe, you would never know it has no eggs or milk - definitely a repeat!)

    Found a few needed clothing items at the thrift shop; two happened to have the half-off colored tag. One of the tops was 80%-off what I would have paid for it in a retail shop.

    Baked a lovely egg- and milk-free chocolate spice cake for treats for the week.

    Watched tutorials on hemming pants and sewing at home. I have a sewing machine, and can sew a straight seam, but hope to learn how to do more useful tasks with it. It really helps to be able to see someone do the task, and the tutorials were free.

    We brought all of our work-week lunches from home. Learning to use my freezer as you all have mentioned has been a lifesaver - we had eaten up what I cooked fresh this week, but were happy to have frozen servings of homemade beef ragout with pasta to take to work this morning. Thank you!

    Kathy

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    1. Kathy Missouri Star Quilt Company have some wonderful tutorials. I love their very simple, quick and easy, tube pillowcase tutorial. I have made some very smart pillowcases as gifts using this process.

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    2. Dear Kathy, Thank you! Well I used to do regular longer trips to get better prices but the furtherest was about an hour and a half (each way). This was worth it as I could incorporate quite a few shops in one day and it saved a fortune. On a Working Pantry classroom there were suggestions for online spice stores in the US so I am going to give you these... Roseanne said the Atlantic Spice Co is very good prices and quality and she orders from them. I hope this might help you.
      Well done on the freezing! I truly use my freezer so much. I have whole meals, cakes, portions of meals, ingredients to make quick meals... left overs to throw into the stock pot even.. I like to have two weeks of meals for emergencies, sickness... so I also keep chicken soup and the ingredients to make soup, pizza etc at any time. Its so helpful!
      I am so happy you are working on making your sewing machine into an asset. Kathy if you can sew a straight line that is all you need. And the tutorials we can choose from now are just so good! Thank you Jane for helping Kathy too.
      Your cooking sounds beautiful and what luck you had with the thrift store! This all added up to a really good week! Now I hope the new week will be another good one! With love Annabel.xxx

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    3. Thank you Jane and Annabel for the sewing encouragement! The quilting website has some beautiful ideas, and I am excited to check out the online spice shop.

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  11. Annabel,
    I do so pray you are feeling better.
    I am also praying your insurance company gets off their rears and helps you.
    I am so sorry to hear that your air/heat unit died. They are expensive up here, hoping something comes through to save you some money on it.

    I haven't been around for a few weeks as you know, but finally feeling better and trying not to overdo.

    My husband followed my shopping lists going to the grocer and strutting his feathers with his savings.
    Today I am trimming my much neglected herbs, praying I at least get another month out off them. When I trim the leaves off the stems I place the stems into vinegar to infuse them, I have the most beautiful rose pink from my purple basil.

    Your baking looks amazing as usual. Thank you so much for the recipe. I am going to have to my homemade mixes with self-rising flour, one flour that isn't in my home.

    May you have a wonderful weekend.
    Rosanne xxx

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    1. Dear Rosanne, They are expensive here too... we will find out soon as a service and sales guy is coming... Its a ducted system. I would say $8000 plus. So if its dead its dead and wont be replaced. We will likely get a split system in the living area and one in the bedroom and reduce the bill by a third or so, at least I hope!
      I am glad your husband has been so helpful with the shopping! This is good.
      Have a good new week! We have lots to do! With love Annabel.xxx

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  12. Sounds like an eventful week. Prayers that everything works out for the floor/insurance and for the AC/heater. God works in mysterious ways.

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    1. Thank you Cheryl, I appreciate that! I will be sure to tell you what happens! xxx

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  13. HI Tania,
    I have been a follower of your blog for ages but have not been able to comment as I do not have any sort of "account". Not sure how that works... anyway. Love all your gardening and your innovative ways of approaching things. Congratulations on the arrival of your new granddaughter. More veggies from the garden and less meat is the go here too.. Many thanks for sharing. Cheers Jo

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    1. Hi Jo,

      I am sorry to hear that you are unable to comment on my blog. I feel sure you have done so in the past, but I could be wrong :) I dont know what the issue could be, but thank you so much for letting me know you are a regular reader of my sporadic blog posts lol. I really must get busy and do another one!

      xTania

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    2. Thanks for the quick reply Tania. Which profile do you suggest I use as Name/URL and anonymous are not in the drop down file on your blog? I am trying... will keep on it. Cheers Jo

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    3. Dear Jo, I love Tania's blog also! Especially all her photos of everything and its very motivating. I have terrible trouble commenting on any blogs if Im on my iPad. The lovely lady who sent me the magazines is from Pt Lincoln! It is so warm today, like spring already... so I hope you are enjoying a gorgeous Sunday! With love Annabel.xxx

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    4. Hi Annabel, We had beautiful, beautiful weather over the weekend. I hope you were able to enjoy some outside time too. I got soooooooo much gardening done. Lots in the veggie patch, new herb garden established, AND some flowers planted. Thanks for the info about commenting on Tania's blog. (I will keep on it!) It is amazing how generous all you wonderful like minded bloggers and the supportive sharing communities you have all help create are. By posting so many creative, money saving and inspiring ideas and wise words you all truly change lives and make the world a better place. Thank-you everyone. Cheers, Jo

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  14. Sorry you have been so sick this week! Two years ago we went through the same thing you are with you heat and A/C but it was the hottest time of summer and we nearly went nuts trying to survive until everything was fixed. I hope everything is put to rights at your house soon! Being in a mess just makes everything go wrong.

    Savings included-
    many vegetarian meals and tried lentil sloppy joes which were delicious

    new sheets for a very low price to put up for a spare set

    Free breakfast biscuits that we took to the park with our own coffee and juice from home

    A free dinner out with a birthday meal coupon and gift cards and we have leftovers in the freezer for another meal from that

    Home baked bread and muffins and finally figured out why I have been making awful bread. I had switched to kosher salt after running out of sea salt. I was so thankful for the light bulb moment when I figured out why! Switched the salt back and my bread is wonderful again.

    I had a spoonful of leftover Italian chicken that was too little for any meal so I added it to a can of soup that I got for free with coupons and it was a lovely lunch. I will keep this in mind in the future for small amounts of leftovers.

    It has been cooler so less need for A/C and the rain has watered for us all week. We have enjoyed many meals in the screen porch with the rain coming down and we love that.

    My tomato plants are producing heaps of delicious tomatoes. We are enjoying them every day in some way. My total cost was $4 for 6 plants this year and I have not spent another penny on them. We have picked at least $40 worth of delicious organic tomatoes so far.

    Can't wait to see all those lovely recipes for mixes! Hope you are feeling much better everyday.

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    1. Dear Lana, One time in a heatwave our air conditioner broke down and you couldnt get a repair man they were flat out and broke out. This went on for days. I totally know what you felt as it was horrible.
      You had a good week and the tomatoes sound fantastic. I hope they keep going for you, already they have been champions!
      Just working on the mixes post for tomorrow. I am so pleased with how many new things I can make myself just in the last couple of weeks. Have some more to test out too! With love Annabel.xxx

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  15. Dear Annabel, I no longer bother with modern magazines. I have several issues of vintage magazines stored in a big old cedar trunk and each month I pull out the pile that relates to the current month. I'd much rather read and re-read these old magazines for all the ideas I get than read any ten modern day ones with all articles and recipes the same!

    I had a fair savings week posted on my blog, http://www.bluehousejoural.blogspot.com

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    1. Dear Terri, I have been enjoying these magazines so much I am going to watch for old ones wherever I go!
      I also have Irish in my family, Pa on Mums side had Irish Grandparents... and I also have German on the other side. So I related to the potatoes cooking story!
      Have a lovely new week! With love, Annabel.xxx

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  16. Dear Annabel
    Glad you're feeling better. Hope the furnace issue can be remedied quickly and that you have an alternate source of heating in the meantime.

    Things are finally returning to some normalcy here and I've been able to catch up on a few things. This past week in the kitchen Two loaves of cinnamon raisin bread got baked, lemon curd from juice that had been frozen when lemon were in season,
    Two quarts of yogurt, peach put jam, strawberry balsamic jam,
    Several quarts of microwave dill pickles,and dried so excited of the ripened tomatoes. Harvested peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and chard. We did our monthly grocery shopping this week as well and also dropped some items off at the local mission.

    While at the mission I went inside to the op shop and found some great books, one of which was a 4ingredient cookbook and a beautiful Beatrix Potter book that looked to be brand new.

    Wishing everyone a good weekend. Blessings, Cookie

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    1. Dear Cookie, I am so glad things are settling down for you. Also... all the cooking and homemaking is very good. It is somehow lovely and re assuring and keeping life going and normal as possible. The baking all sounds lovely!
      I like those four ingredient books! My friend also got one from the op shop and she has let me have it for a few weeks so I am copying out some ideas. I also love Beatrix Potter as you know.
      We have a small heater in the lounge and that will get us through. So we need something done before summer and we will be ok.
      It is also sunny today and very spring like! Have a beautiful Sunday! With love Annabel.xxx

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  17. Not on savings, but a question on your AC. The R22 refrigerant is phased out here (US), you can still get it....its getting pricey. I purchased a new AC last year....an R22 unit and it was the last one on the shelf. All the rest the dealer had were the new R410. In other words, if you still have an R22 you can fix it here. If you're system is leaking badly....then I wouldn't. But mine was charged 15 years and was still going along pretty good.

    Not that I'm skeptical of service guys, can he actually not get R22 at all? The reason I say this is I had a different guy quote my new equipment and he said....well that unit's getting old and you can't get that refrigerant anymore.... A bit of a mis-statement I believe to get me to buy the more expensive unit.

    Just wondering....I understand the environmental concerns over R22, but that's a heck of a burden on a homeowner to buy a new unit if all the thing needs is a charge. (and I'm sure the HVAC industry had nothing to do with it...)

    *****

    The reason I opted for a new AC in the older refrigerant is because I don't plan on staying in this house for years and it was quite a bit cheaper. When the time comes I will be moving to my mother's house. She also just installed a new heat/AC system.....new style refrigerant and two stage heat pump, along with the standard propane furnace.

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    1. Thank you for this information. We had a gas top up last year and it was very expensive but we were told it is virtually sold out now at any price. Also I would prefer older units as new ones have DREAD which is downright scary if you look up what it means... it means the government can isolate your unit and turn it down or off which they will do on hot days to "manage" electricity use. It is already here in Adelaide and they started in nursing homes. Oh so the gas was banned. I have asked several different serve/aircon people... and as far as I can see no one cares about the burden to the homeowner who maybe cannot afford a new unit. Our next problem is having power at all in summer.... our gov is installing mass diesel generators at the moment trying to keep the electricity on at all! I am not looking forward to summer.... xxx

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    2. You were right! We can still get it! And we do not need air conditioner replaced! Very happy. The first service guy told us a lot of rubbish. Thank you.xxx

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  18. I love gaganis brothers, I find them really good for gluten free flours as well.
    We recently had a solar world solar air conditioner put in, it was comparable to the price of an ordinary air con but I can't really vouch for it yet as we've only had it a few months and I do have concerns about warranty if I should need it because of a little issue we had.
    I felt like a celebrity seeing the magazines and my name on the blog :-D
    If anyone is still reading the comments this late in the game, I would love some prayer for my daughter, please. She broke her ankle on the weekend. We'd love prayer for the pain and for speedy healing and also to guide me as to whether I should go to her to help her out. She's boarding in Adelaide with a family and says she's fine, but a mother's heart tends to feel that only she can provide the care needed. thanks so much.

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    1. Dear Garden Del, I will pray! A break can be very painful. Plus she needs to heal, rest and I would say lots of calcium too. I also would be worried, I understand that!
      I am going to research this solar air conditioner you have! Thank you for this! With love Annabel.xxx

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  19. Annabel thank you for the information on the new air conditioners, very interesting and yes scary.

    Do you have solar ?. We are considering solar with battery backup grid connected and gas hot water system with battery ignition for when the power goes out for our new home we will be building in a few years. The solar batteries would get you through a few days without power there and worth considering if you haven't.

    Sewingcreations15.

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    1. Dear Sewingcreations, Last year we decided to get solar and and we had three solar companies through and spend hours on it. None of them could provide solar that works if the grid is out. We then got one that did with a tesla battery which makes you virtually off the grid but we cannot afford this much. It was enormously expensive. The price on this might come down though. So we decided to get a generator as our concern is over having no power at all. Its not an easy thing to sort out. I would love to be off the grid altogether ! With love Annabelxxx

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