Feather your Nest Friday, 7th August, 2015.

Today I saw pink blossoms on a tree so I know spring is around the corner! But it has been a wet and cold week.

Some of the ways I saved money and build up my home this week were:

I finished pruning the roses.

I took on the pruning back of a big mop top tree we have. It was really overgrown the last couple of years and had lost it's ball shape. Normally a job like this Andy would do. But he has worked every weekend for more than I can remember now. So I decided to take it on. Most of it could be cut with snippers... but maybe twenty branches were too thick and needed a saw. Plus I could only reach these from a ladder. I am very good at falling off ladders but there is a lot of mulch under the tree so I was game.
It took three days of doing as much as I could and I did it! It is now a neat pruned shape so I hope it grows back into the lovely ball it's meant to be!  I'm quite proud of this as it looked really daunting!

I finished another Christmas present.

This is a set of kitchen towels and pot holder. I really enjoyed working on these as they are so pretty and I love the color! 

I kept sewing vegie bags/lingerie bags/gift bags and used up some laces I had by combining them with the tulle. These were fun as bits and pieces turned out really well and I used up what I had.

Also I was given nine bananas. Tomorrow I will make Banana Cake and Muffins and I already froze some for smoothies.

Each morning I drank the juice of a lemon in water. I also sliced up a dozen lemons and froze the slices to put in jugs of water in the summer. I still have about fifty lemons!

Another  one will go into Banana Cake so that's one less!

I added to my pantry and cellar.

I cleaned out and organized a bathroom cupboard. Now I am trying to build up spares of the things that Andy uses like shampoo etc. It looks much better and I can see what we have and what is needed.

Some parsley plants came up in odd spots where they were doomed so I shifted them so they can grow up.

Again I learned new things. And next week hopefully you will too as Glenda has written a contribution about ways to preserve things that is wonderful. I am excited about this!

I cut Andy's hair. Then altered four pairs of good pants for him. They were from an op shop and a really good tailor had made them for someone. They would have been very expensive. Anyway he loves them and they needed slight alterations which I did. Now he has four new pairs of dress pants.

Today it looks like I am spending money. I really need new jeans. It has been a really long time since I had any and the jeans I like are 30% off today only at a shop I know. So today is the day.

I hope you had a great week! There is a lot to be said for being busy and doing what you can to build up your home. It all adds up so fast. You see and feel progress. You see the fruit of your work. We need to feel good about this and be glad about what we did get done and count our blessings.
I think it always applies but in times of stress or worry I do best if I get on and do things. Cook, clean, make someone a meal...  we can make a difference and make the day better by what we do. Achieving a few things makes a big difference to how I feel.
We also need to take into account the season we are in and do the work that presents itself as timely right now. Apart from the seasons in the weather there are other seasons in life... babies through to a grown family and Grand children. All these seasons involve different work and ways of managing things.
Then there are bigger picture seasons. Times to prepare and get ready and we need to be watchful for them too.  That is being prudent. I have come to love this word! I never really knew what it meant! I followed A PRUDENT Homemaker and began to learn what this word means. It is a wonderful word!
It means to be wise or circumspect in affairs, careful in providing for the future, provident.
Provident means "timely preparation for the future."
The Proverbs 31 woman is prudent.
The Prudent Homemaker, it turns out, chose a name that exactly describes her!
Scripture is full of references to being prudent. It is worth a study. Maybe I will do a study on it and make a blog post.
"The prudent see danger and hide, the simple go on and suffer for it"
"a prudent wife is from the Lord"
Now I love this word and think about it a lot. It is prudent to spend your week well!


Having said that there are times when we can't do a thing too. But the times we did get ahead, put food in the freezer etc. cover us during the down times.
Be encouraged that your work makes a world of difference to your family!

How did you save money and build up your nest this week? xxx