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 21 January 2016

Feather Your Nest Friday, 22 January, 2016.

This has been a really busy week! Every evening I sat and cut up peaches while Andy told me about his day. We always talk over the day and sit outside if the weather is ok before dinner. So this is a good time for me to sit and sew or whatever and this week I have been cutting up peaches. It kind of reminds me when Nan used to shell peas. You didn't just shell peas, you chatted or watched TV while you shelled peas!

Most of my savings this week were related to peaches!

I picked some more but I think that is it now for this season.
Obviously did not have to buy fruit this week!

First I made a Tarte Tatin. This was a new thing to learn but it was easy! And good!



Next I made nine peach crumbles. That gave me eight to freeze.


In winter when we have soup for dinner I like to serve a desert. These will be great for then.

With left over pastry I made Pinwheels. These are great for lunch boxes.


  All you do is lay out your pastry and spread it with a little tomato or spaghetti sauce and sprinkle over cheese, bacon or ham... you can add chopped onion or capsicum etc if you want. 


Then roll this up into a tube and cut that into 1 inch or 2 cm ish thick slices. Lay those on non stick baking paper on a tray so they are flat, they look like pinwheels. Bake until golden. Yummy warm but also good cold and pack well to travel. Very handy. Kids can make them and the girls made them every school holidays before school went back. 

I was given some things toward my soap making and this has saved me quite a bit.

We continued to pick Cherry Tomatoes.

Some ways I got ahead were:

The deserts in the freezer.

I added toothbrushes and toothpaste to my emergency pantry. 

If you are being watchful you will have seen a few things that would indicate we should be working hard on our pantries. For anyone who doesn't know I wrote a year long series on that last year. I am upping my efforts now.

Some nest building things were:

I added flowers in my laundry to go with my new lemon walls.



We added bedside rugs now that we have floorboards. I need to take some photos since the bedroom is done now.

We had a little lunch out for Lucy's Birthday. Harper was so good! I loved every minute. The whole time I hold her she has my necklace in her hands. Every time! She isn't letting go for anyone either!


My post seems hurried today. It is! I had it ready and somehow lost the lot! So I had to start again and now I am late. 

This afternoon I have shopping to do and tonight will be cutting up more peaches. I need to finish most of them or it will be too late. I plan to stew lots and freeze and over the weekend make Peach Cakes. These free peaches have probably added a couple of hundred dollars at least to my food budget. It is a case of use what you have or comes your way. It is a huge opportunity!

Then I hope to be sewing hankies tomorrow and Sunday and get a few finished!

I hope you had a good week! How did you build up your home and save money?  Every little bit helps!  I love finding ways to get ahead in small ways. It is not always possible but when we do we are at an advantage for times when just staying afloat is a major achievement!

Have a wonderful weekend! xxx








60 comments:

  1. Dear Annabel , you have had a great week and your post is an excellent one as always. I had a quiet week this week and thanks to my centa care lady who came yesterday ,I can have an easy day today and the weekend will be family time and craft time I hope.
    I have been busy making more cards and am slowly building up my supply for gifts .

    I have used ingredients from my stockpile to make myself a treat for the weekend, I made a sort of Rocky Road by using dark chocolate which I melted then added chopped up soft Jube / jelly lollies to it as well as sultanas and chopped glacé ginger and some coconut. I then set it in the fridge. It is very yummy and as well as that has saved me money on treats. It tastes as good as if not nicer than store bought treats.
    I have received some more meals from my parents, saved a lot of money on my groceries by shopping for specials that I needed and I have made use of what is in season . I envy you Annabel with the peaches, everything you have made sounds lovely.
    I make pinwheels/ scrolls too and they are so versatile yummy and cheap. I might make some on the weekend for afternoon tea or an easy tea.
    I have been researching ideas to make my home more comfortable and beautiful , I can hopefully save some money along the way.
    Thanks again Annabel, have a lovely weekend. Love Barb.

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    1. Dear Barb,
      You had great savings! I love that you are looking at little ways to make things comfy and beautiful. The things we live with and are surrounded by can make life much easier and nicer. Sometimes just little changes make a big difference. One small thing for me is keeping a basket of handwork where I sit in the lounge. The it is there and easy to pick up... I don't have to get it or looking for it. I get tons more done. This week I did a few things like that... just making things work better. Simple things like using a cup and saucer you love, dishes you like, pretty glasses... even just for yourself why not!? A few flowers are always lovely too! Well I hope you find things that you can do and you enjoy the results!
      Love your Rocky Road. That is a good idea, lots of things are potential ingredients in something like that.
      Have a good weekend! With love Annabel.xxx

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    2. between the crumbles and Rocky road description I am suffering from total food envy lol

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  2. Annabel
    I feathered my nest! I put pillows grandma Vicky made me on my bed and she made me and addy each a ruffled sheet and gess what mine is white and pink! I cleaned my room and put a rug by my bed does that count?
    love emma

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    1. Dear Emma,
      Yes that counts! Get a photo of the ruffled sheet set and I love the colours! Nanna Vicky was trying to tell us she is not crafty and I need photos so I can prove she is you see! I would really like sheets like that. Your bed is going to be looking lovely! Well done Emma I love getting a comment from you, you are still officially the youngest reader! Love Annabel.xxx

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    2. oh is this cute or what? I love that this little girl wrote you and is so excited and thankful for her gift.

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  3. Hi Annabel. I look forward to reading what you have been up to and seeing all your photos. lots of encouragement. Im interested in seeing some photos of your hankies finished. also wanted to ask you how absorbent tea towels are that you make from sheets. I have a pale pink sheet and thought I might try making some tea towels from it. I would never have thought to do this. Thank you for all your lovely ideas. Ann

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    1. Dear Ann,
      Thank you! With the tea towels ... if the linen I am using is thicker cotton I will make them double thickness and they will be fine. However often sheeting is thinner. Then I will use the pretty sheeting as the front and back it with a thicker plain cotton (still often something Ive salvaged) or even a fine towelling or something like that. They they work great and I will use them in a way that tends to keep the front nice and dirties up the back more! Also Wendy used old pillowcases that were really pretty and used strips of that fabric to make a border on hand towels. I think sheeting can make lovely hankies, serviettes, table cloths etc also. I love it! You get so much fabric!
      I hope this helps. With love Annabel.xxx

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  4. Annabel I think Harper is going to be taking after her Nana/Grandma. Anything with bling and pretty.

    I spotted peaches for $4-99 a kilo and thought of you and your haul.

    This week has been a different sort of week, a lot going on that I have needed to sit and think about and also the weather has been very hot and humid. I am waiting for the change to arrive, the sky and birds are telling me it is coming but we are still waiting.

    I went down and spent the day with my friend on Monday - took down some family research for her partner, he had asked about his father's war records so found out as much information for him as I could as well as when his family first came into Australia - he didn't realise that they arrived in the 1870's, thought it was much later than that.

    Our daughter found out last Friday that she is to start work down the Gold Coast Feb 1st. Of course she needs to pack up and we are storing things here until she finds a place to stay. Everything was running smoothly until her vehicle broke down - it is now running but she went for the option with out A/C. As I said she can wind her windows down.

    She had laser eye surgery Tuesday afternoon and it appears to have all gone OK - she has been told that she has 20/20 vision now but her eyes are still sore and not as clear as she expected straight away. Her biggest problem is that she isn't allowed to swim for 2 weeks.

    Didn't tell her that she should have had it done in winter.

    Our builder who is/was going to do the rental bathroom rang early Monday morning and let us know that he cannot start on Feb. 1st, as planned due to problems with his back and neck - his work is catching up with him. Of course just about everything that is needed to do the job is now stored in the shed.

    The electrician has been in and my husband now has power and lights in the shed and we have an outside power point for the pumps to run when we have flooding. Now I can start planning my garden in that corner - I am thinking of raised garden beds, just need to work out how many I can fit in and not stop the flow of the flood waters to the pit where the pumps are.

    All I need is the old shed to be gone then I can really get started on the back garden.

    Like you I am watching the financial problems unfold, some of them I had mentioned to my husband well before they became common knowledge. I have just mentioned to him that I am watching another one.

    My husband has to head back to Cairns for a week in a couple of weeks time so my plan is to get a whole lot of crafting done while he is away - weather permitting I can work with yarn at night after I have done some sewing during the day.

    Hope everyone has a great weekend. Plan was to get the entry all finished but now with our daughter moving I think that may not happen.

    Lynette
    XXXXX

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    1. Dear Lynette, You had a full week. I am glad your daughters eye surgery went well.
      We also have hot and humid weather. We had a downpour that was unbelievable today and now it is steamy. I am not a fan of humidity!
      Speaking of economic signs etc you might be interested in this, I should link to it in a post:
      http://coffeeteabooksandme.blogspot.com.au/2016/01/living-pantry-lifestyle-finish-projects.html since Brenda wrote this quite a bit more has happened and the BDI has gone down much further.
      Also this in a UK paper by PM Gordon Browns former advisor:
      http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/6875587/Former-special-advisor-to-Gordon-Brown-Damian-McBride-warns-UK-on-brink-of-recession.html I found both of these very good. Again since this was written shipping is further down.
      So I will be interested to hear what you are keeping your eye on, sounds like we are both observing quietly...
      Have a good weekend Lynette. With lots of love Annabel.xxx

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    2. Annabel we could see the writing on the wall with Masters - Woolworths also are connected to Ezibuy which is having a 10 million dollar clearance.

      Woolworths have only been connected with eziuy for a couple of years and before that there was never a sale like this one.

      Love the roses in the laundry, where did you get the small rack from?

      Lynette
      XXXXX

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    3. Dear Lynette, I love that rack, you can lay it flat against the wall or out as a shelf. I got it from IKEA. It is so useful!
      We noticed Masters also but I had not Ezibuy... interesting!
      Have a lovely weekend, it is very humid here. Love Annabel.xxx

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    4. Hi ladies,

      We hear that the Canadian dollar is now crashing, also. This means hyperinflation in Canada, sadly.

      Regards,
      Rachel Holt

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  5. Those crumbles look delicious! I helped a friends elderly relatives clear out their yard and found a lovely ornate frame and will paint it black for my living room. I've also been sewing felt fish for a fishing set I'm making. I bought 5kg of carrots and have been peeling, dicing, blanching and snap freezing for my stock pile :) x

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    1. Dear Mel,
      I love frames! Especially ornate or chunky ones. A few times I have found some empty ones on the side of the street. But one time I found a hideous painting in a fantastic frame. I painted over the painting in chalkboard pain. It was probably a Rembrandt or something. lol
      Anyway now its a chalkboard and the frame is amazing.
      Well done also on the carrots! A very good thing to have plenty in the freezer. I still have peaches to peel... I need to get the last ones done asap! Have a great weekend! Love Annabel.xxx

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  6. Annabel,
    All the peach treats look mouthwatering. My whole family loves peaches. This week I did some baking too. I made a pink camouflage cake with boiled chocolate icing, a pineapple cake with a coconut icing, and marbled cream cheese brownies. I had planned to have plenty to freeze but with three children two of which are teen boys and darling husband well...not a crumb. Oh well.
    Daughter and I have been enjoying lovely crafting times together each afternoon. Today I showed her the crochet heart on Mimi's site. She figured it out right off and then taught me. Right now it is very cold and sleeting. No going out to the thrift stores tomorrow so we are planning to drink lots of tea, make cards, and create.
    Have a lovely weekend.
    Ginger

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    1. Dear Ginger,
      What amazing baking! I can see how with teen boys it all disappears very fast. It is a hard job keeping up when you have hungry teens let alone the rest of the family!
      I am trying the hearts too. I thought to make a garland of them for Valentines Day. Also I have ambitions of making bigger hearts to make pit holders... but I don't know if that will work out yet!
      Enjoy your crafting time and I agree ... stay in the safe and warm! With love Annabel.xxx

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  7. Annabel,
    Those peaches have saved you a ton I bet and this winter when you are having fresh peach crumble you will have that wonderful summer flavor. It must have been toothbrush and toothpaste week! LOL I added 4 of each that I got free to my pantry. I took down and washed all of my curtains and sorted quilt squares I have cut and organized my fabric stash and got a few more snowflakes done. I think it's really time to start planning how and ramping up the pantry. You have talked me into it and I am going to learn to crochet something besides snowflakes! It was your pink and white knee rug I just love it! I am so happy for you and all of those peaches free food is the greatest to add to the pantry! Little Harper is such a cutie! I hope you have a great week!
    XOXO
    Vicky

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    1. Vicky if you can crochet well enough to make snowflakes then I think you are capable of crocheting anything at all. A pink and white rug maybe?
      Well done on getting the fabric organised. I just love the idea of ruffled sheets!
      I should mention that "granny square" type crochet is very fast. It is not so time consuming to make a rug. Its surprising.
      Have a great weekend! With love Annabel.xxx

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  8. Annabel, what a sweetheart Harper is! You had a great week, and a lot of hard work too. But it sounds as if it's paid off in a big way. Who would imagine that free peaches could add so much to the food budget! I love, love, love the lemon roses with your pretty lemon walls. That looks gorgeous. You'll be washing just to stay in the room soaking up all that loveliness...lol. I had a good week in a different way. We have so many birthdays in January, February and March, so lots of gift making happened here. My daughter and I made three bottles of your Hollywood Bubble Bath, adding white glitter with the glycerine, and slipping a silk flower (from that stash bought before Christmas) into each bottle. We finished them off with lavish bows and Pendeloque crystals that I'd bought for a chandelier restoration project on each, and they looked spectacular. We also made personalised pillowcases, embroidering monogrammes on them, and finished more of the crochet hearts for Valentines Day. Next will be embellishing inexpensive burlap style Paris cushion covers with tulle frills and glitter paint to fancy them up. They were an eBay purchase for around $3 each, and will look really special when done. Fancying up a basic item is a great easy way to generate gifts if you lack time or courage to start from scratch. Loving everyones ideas and achievements as always. Love Mimi xxx

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    1. Mimi
      I think we may have been having some of the same thoughts this week I was thinking about making prettied up burlap curtains for one of my windows!
      XOXO
      Vicky

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    2. Dear Mimi,
      My logic is that each peach crumble is worth $8 since that is the price at the supermarket... so thats $72 right there. Then all the stewed fruit instead of canned fruit I think so far equals more than $50 and so on... it is a lot.
      Everyone is trying the crochet hearts! I will be over the weekend. Very suitable too with Valentines Day coming up... little garlands would be nice!
      I hope you show how the bubble bath looked! At a gift store near here they had lovely bottles with bubble bath nicely presented and were $79 per bottle!
      Looking forward to seeing the cushion covers too!
      Have a lovely weekend! You have started the year on a roll. With love Annabel.xxx

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  9. Hi Annabel

    Those peaches sound delightful and whilst looking at the pictures I could feel my sugar levels rising and my mouth watering.

    Harper is so cute and looks like she brings you such joy.

    School holidays finish here on Tuesday so maybe I will get some time to get making items then. I have been finishing up paperwork and spending lots of time with DD5. We went to the movies on Tuesday as it was cheap day and took most of our own food but then the savings we made were eaten up by some one taking our front number plate so now we are up for the cost of that.....we were alerted to this when pulled over by the police who were very nice about the whole situation as DP was very surprised when they told him and luckily they realised we were unaware, let us drive home and did not fine us.............things could have been very different.

    Today while going through some magazines I thought of all your crafty ladies here and thought I would share this hint I found as I know some of you use plain papers to decorate.

    Crochet a strip (as wide or as long as you need) to tie around the parcel. This could help with using up odds and ends.

    I recently found out also when my regular chemist was out of stock of one of my prescriptions and had to go elsewhere that even though my pharmacy is a discount chemist that the other pharmacy was cheaper by $4 on that medication and $3.00 on another that I use, so people shop around and don't just take one pharmacies pricing as set pricing for all pharmacies

    Hope you all have a wonderful weekend

    Love Aly xxx

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    1. Dear Aly,
      I think crochet strips of edgings would be gorgeous on parcels! Im imagining a lacy edge around a brown paper parcel! Could be lovely!
      I have found that with pharmacies also... a surprisingly big variation way beyond what I imagined it to be. I imagined a few cents here and there and then found on some things of Andys the difference was $15 on one item!
      It is a worry about your number plate. I hope you don't get a ticket or something if someone else uses it! Hopefully the police sort that out. Kind of a worry!
      I know it will be a busy time getting back to school and back into a routine. I remember that well. I used to spend the first week having a big clean up and organise! I hope it all goes well. Many thanks Aly! With love Annabel.xxx

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    2. Dear Aly I hope that the police told you about the special screws for number plates - they can be screwed once and once only.

      We have had a number of number plates stolen from vehicles around the area recently so this was mentioned in the local paper.

      Of course they are taken for a reason - never good.

      Hope you have a wonderful weekend - I am sure that you will be a bit lost when school starts back.

      Lynette
      XXXXX

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  10. Annabel,
    And all of the ladies! My granddaughter Emma is a big fan of The Blue Birds Are Nesting! Anyway I made Emma and her sister each a ruffled sheet for their beds and Emma's is white with a light pink ruffle ok? So when Emma sees it she doesn't say, "Oh thank you Grandma!" No she says "Oh Grandma Annabel will love it! She likes pink!" And Miss Emma is proud of her pretty new ruffled sheet. I thought everyone would enjoy seeing this and had to share!
    XOXO
    Vicky

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    1. :) the dangers of the internet Vicky! And Emma was right! Light pink ruffle sheets are exactly perfect and right up my alley. She knows me really well which I think is so cute. xxx

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  11. Dear Annabel, love the photo of you and Harper I can see the likeness :-) All those yummy peaches and things you made, delish!
    Ive had a different week,looking after myself one could say.And spending where I usually don't.I went to my chiro and had so many sore points it wasn't funny more like ouchy.I did some thinking how to improve before my next visit and the idea came to have some reflexology , tackling the problem from a different point.Followed by a healthy green smoothie which I had at our local mall sitting down, it was lovely.Today I had a full body massage more hurting points so it will be early bed tonight for me.Now this does not seem like feathering ones nest but I feel by having done so I could have these treats as I rarely go to the doctors, or have meds.I selfcare a bit differently to many ,we all have our own ways which feel right to us. On the home front I made a batch of soup more like a lamb casserole which did one meal and 3 lunches for DH.Made a healthy muesli slice which is lasting well and lovely with a cuppa.Made a batch of relaxing bath salts ,not oily ones, as the recipients are older and one slipped in the bath last year after she used a lovely bath liquid her DD gave her.So that is something Im now aware of.I filled one pretty lolly type jar and added ribbon and card thats part of a gift for next month. I filled a lovely smaller jar with pale blue lid and blue striped ribbon with a small souplike spoon and added an led changing colours candle (that can be lit) as a bath treat for a dear friend who is recently a widow, we had our first catchup for this year.I was thrilled that she loved it !
    It was also a lucky week as my newish car(just out of warrant period) unexpectedly had to have a new motor,and we did not have to pay 7k!Savings!
    Plenty of new green shoots in the pots planted with my little grandkids,much excitement about that.It has been a good week with more needed rest.
    Love Maria xxx

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    1. Dear Maria,
      I understand as I think if we don't look after ourselves everything else crumbles. This year I have a whole list of health things I am working on. Probably a massage would be very good for me! Also the bath salts are a good idea. I believe very much in the detoxifying qualities of Epsom Salts. Your skins feels lovely as well. You have given me an idea! I have been saving lovely pale blue scoops from Harpers baby formula... tied into jars of bath soak... they would be handy little scoops!
      Well I love your gifts and happy that your friend liked it so much.
      What a relief about your car! I hope your extra rest continues into the weekend. That will make it a very good week! Many thanks Maria! Love Annabel.xxx

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  12. That is a lovely lot of peaches Annabel. The crumbles look nice, waiting to freeze and then come out on a cold wintery evening after a lovely bowl of soup. The tart satin looks yummy too. Adore little Harper, she looks like she is going to be a little doll just like her mum.
    Your messages re the pantry stocking are a bit cryptic, I agree that it is something we should all look at.
    I've done nothing but cut out some baby items, I cut with my left hand so that is ok. I've decided that Wednesday is now my favourite day of your 3 posts. Nothing wrong with the others, just Wednesday is my fave.
    Have a great weekend. Fi xx

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    1. Dear Fiona,
      I gave some links to Lynette (above) that are quite good at summing things up at the moment and what I am keeping a close eye on if interested have a read of those.
      It is handy that you can cut out with your left hand! It will be so nice when you can get sewing again. I have lots of things on the go and need to figure out fast next Wednesdays post! You've reminded me!
      Have a good weekend and focus on getting that shoulder better and looking after yourself. With love Annabel.xxx

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    2. Thankyou Annabel, id never heard of the baltic dry. all soinds very worrying. id really like to see Emma's ruffled sheets, sounds beautiful. and of course, this is from the non crafty.Vicky lol.

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  13. Our twelve year old pup had to go in for mammary cancer removal. This ate a large chunk out of emergency fund. so this week we are looking at spendings rather than savings. Our beautiful fur baby is recovering well.

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    1. Dear Jane, Oh no that is stressful. I hope everything is ok now. Vet bills can be a huge expense. It is great though that your emergency fund covered it. That is very good! Now you will be back to building it up again but that is what it is for, emergencies!
      Have a great weekend! With love Annabel.xxx

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    2. Jane, sending huge hugs for your dog, hope she gets well very quickly.

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  14. Turkeys are a great bargain, even though it is past Thanksgiving holiday here in the U.S. I had purchased another turkey right after Thanksgiving last year, and popped it in the freezer. I baked it last weekend, and the amount of food from it is amazing. It weighed 11 pounds and cost me a little over $8.00. We of course, had the first meal with it, and then the savings rolled in: my husband trimmed off all remaining meat, and we also saved the pan drippings and the carcass with meat attached to use for soup. We ate another few meals from the turkey, and my husband had several turkey sandwiches through the week. I bagged up 4 bags of turkey to freeze for sandwiches or casseroles, or soup. Then, I made soup with turkey, barley, onions, carrots, seasonings, free green beans, and the pan drippings. Just as an estimate, we feel that we were able to eat many meals for about 50 cents per person.

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    1. Dear Joy, I love turkey. Some years I have found them after Christmas on big specials. Not this year sadly. But I have done a similar thing and so many meals came from one turkey! I also make pies like you would Chicken pie only its turkey pie. Beautiful!
      Also I am big now on making broth/stock and soups. What a great deal you had and beautiful meals. I love this! Love Annabel.xxx

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  15. Annabel, are your pans that hold the crumble enamel? Do you freeze the crumbles in those pans? And in reference to your admonition to prepare our pantries, in the northeast part of the U.S. people are being warned to prepare for an upcoming blizzard with many feet of snow! I have seen photos of store shelves stripped clean of food. It's a good reminder for all of us to prepare for emergencies of all sorts--weather or political--our world today is increasingly volatile. 'Man' your posts, ladies! Be prepared!

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    1. Dear Joy,
      Yes the pans are enamel. I have a whole stack of them for times such as these. And yes I freeze in them, thaw and bake.
      I saw the news about the big blizzard and saw photos of the empty supermarkets! I would not want to be in that panic, I would want to already have everything ready!
      I really love what you have said "man your posts" Exactly. I couldn't agree more! Now and then we need to have a review and a snowstorm or something can give us the inspiration to consider how we would go in such circumstances.
      Many thanks Joy. Have a good weekend! With love Annabel.xxx

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    2. I read your blog all the time, but rarely comment. Joy mentioned the snowstorm. We live in south central Kentucky in the U.S. We got a snow Tues. night enough to cancel school etc on Wed., then several inches beginning at midnight Thurs night/Friday morning. It rained first or was a mix, creating ice under the snow. Pretty much everything shut down. Our mail didn't even run for the last 2 days. Anyway, all that to say, that after following your blog and several others like The Prudent homemaker & the Make do homemaker & a working pantry, I have my food pantry in really good shape. I planned to only buy things like milk & eggs for the month of January. I gave myself a $75 budget for the entire month for groceries & household supplies, which I am way under. I was so proud of myself when the weather forecast started calling for snow & everyone runs to buy their "milk & bread" and all their other groceries to stock up while stuck inside, all I needed was milk, that I planned to get anyway. My son said he heard all the bread shelves were bare. His wife had made 3 loaves of bread so he didn't need it anyway. I have spent yesterday & today doing an inventory of my freezers & pantry. I made myself some pretty laminated inventory sheets with scrapbook paper & my husband's graph paper that I had on hand. Now I know exactly what I have and what needs to be used up soon. I had a few odds & ends like a pice of BBQ chicken and a ribeye steak that needed to be used up before it freezer burned. My husband took them with some mixed vegetables, my home canned tomato juice & a few other ingredients and made a delicious stew/soup that we had for supper last night and lunch today. I want to thank you for all your inspiration & all the others that comment as well. Enjoy your warm weather. We just got back from Cancun. Where it was hot, the first of the week, but it's good to be home even if it's cold.----
      another Vicky

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    3. Dear Vicky,
      I really appreciate you writing and telling me this. I am glad you are doing well in the storm an hope that everything is ok for the next days too. Well done on being prepared and looking after your household. That stew sounds beautiful. This reminds me that my Dad makes soup/stew and when he serves it he asks people if they want soup or stew? If they say soup he scoops the serve from the top and if they say stew he scoops it from the bottom. He thinks this is very clever! Anyway it is tasty, full of goodness and feeds everyone!
      Thanks so much for telling me all this as it has encouraged me a lot. With love Annabel.xxx

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  16. What a fun picture of you and Harper! I can just taste those lovely peaches. None to be had here worth eating in the middle of winter but we can look forward to summer and peaches again.

    We emptied, washed and refilled our gallon glass water storage bottles ahead of a winter storm that we are having today. While most in town were running around buying supplies for the storm we were actually home baking cookies. It is nice to have a treat when we are snowed in and we did not go out and fight the crowds for basic supplies since we always keep those items in our pantry. I added 10 boxes of cereal to my pantry for a good price this week. We had gotten very low. Eggs were only $1.39 at Aldi this week so I added to my egg stash.

    What a wild ride the stock market has had this week. I am thankful that we are on the conservative side of investing and so we do not have huge worries there.

    Have a good week!

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    1. Dear Lana, Even here I saw the empty shelves and chaos of the pre snow rush and thought how much better it wold be to be able to avoid all that! So well done and being ready and staying in and baking!
      Dad always says do not gamble with what you cannot afford to lose... so that is my motto with money, investing and so on but so many are big risk takers!
      Have a wonderful weekend, safe and warm. With love Annabel.xxx

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  17. I just remembered that you can freeze whole peaches! When you want to use them take them out and thaw enough to peel and slice. Maybe this will help to preserve the ones you still have if they are getting to ripe.

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  18. I don't know just why but I feel I did little this week...and yet I've been busier than usual! Isn't it always just that way? Here's my listing: http://bluehousejournal.blogspot.com/2016/01/frugal-friday.html

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    1. Dear Terri,
      Sometimes it feels that way. I feel a bit that way myself. I have a lot of tidying up and finishing this off to do this weekend! Then I hope to do some sewing! Many thanks Teri, have a good weekend! Love Annabel.xxx

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  19. Dear Annabel,

    I love Emma's comment. It's so nice she is joining in and I hope she posts pictures of some of her sewing projects.

    I was going to ask about the pans, but you answered that in another comment. The enamel pans look very handy and your post gave me some ideas for getting new pans. It would be nice to have some pans, that we don't use regularly to bake in, for others who might not return them right away. Normally, I use only stainless steel or glass, but the enamel is a very good idea.

    We saved in various ways this week by purchasing sale items: using dollars we had earned on last year's purchases at Sam's Club, which saved us $60 off our recent buying trip; purchasing batteries on sale for $5 off per package; and checking over our bills, where we found two errors.

    I used the crock pot several times this week and froze the extra's for future use. I, also, worked on some gifts for grandchildren and decided what to make them for Valentine's Day.

    Not a lot, but some.

    Love and hugs,
    Glenda

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    1. Dear Glenda,
      I really love my enamel pans. I have a stack of about twenty. They take up hardly any room as they all stack perfectly but when I need a lot of pie plates they are there. Now enamel comes in pretty colours too but I don't have any yet!
      I am so glad you are using your crock pot. It is such a help. Left overs make great pies as the meat is so tender.
      I am really looking forward to seeing the presents you make!
      Keep warm and safe. Sewing is a good thing in such weather! With love and thanks, Annabel.xxx

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  20. Dear Annabel, Everything looks delicious! I know that is a lot of work but it's so worth it. I hope you'll post pictures of your laundry room, too. My living room and dining room walls are a light yellow like yours (the name is "Chandelier Sparkle" which I think is lovely) and it is nice and cheery in the day and creates a cozy atmosphere in the evenings. It also looks good paired with pink roses ;)
    This week the weather was nice so I was able to dry my laundry on the line and also have the windows open. That was a nice break from having the heater on and the house closed up.
    I nearly wiped out the clearance rack at the grocery store. I was able to get several boxes of bread, pizza crust and cookie mix, all gluten-free for less than half off. I also got coffee, tea, and pecans on clearance. I was very excited about that shopping trip.
    I baked lemon bars instead of going out for ice-cream.
    Also, a ranch that my husband and his grandfather did some work on a while back is being sold, so the manager called him and told him he could have anything he wanted out of the "junk" pile. Naturally my husband asked me if I wanted to go. I know that a junk pile sounds terrible, but I knew that this was a nice place and maybe thought they would have some old windows or ladders. Well they didn't but I came home with enough bricks for my husband to build me a cold frame for the garden. I also got boxes and boxes of like-new white subway tiles. We would like to redo our bathroom someday and this would be perfect for the backsplash. I just couldn't believe all that was there. I also came home with two large terracotta planters. I plan on painting them.
    I think that is about all for my week. I forgot to write things down! I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Oh and I think that's the cutest thing about Emma. I think it's great that she also feathers her little nest. With love, Kelsey

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    1. Dear Kelsey,
      If I was there I would have gone with you! A junk pile on a farm is my idea of potential heaven! Yu never know what you will find but old farm stuff would be irresistible to me! And you got great things! White tiles like those are a classic. Plus bricks and planters! I would have been very happy with those!
      I just love old tables, china etc and over the years I have found great stuff at farm dumps and clearing sales. Best fun ever in my book!
      I love the name Champagne Sparkle! How lovely. Lemon has cheered up the laundry that is for sure.
      Well done on the shopping! It is great to have a stock up especially such good deals.
      I think that was a great week!
      Did you find pictures of how the window frames make good family picture galleries? If not let me know and I will work out a way to send you some. Have a lovely weekend! With love Annabel.xxx

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    2. Dear Annabel, I founds tons of ideas for my windows on Pinterest, including the ones with picture galleries. I counted the other day, and I have ten windows! Also, I'm glad I'm not the only one that finds things in junk piles lol. I thought, these ladies don't really know me so there's no telling what sort of idea I am giving them by saying I went rummaging through someone's dump lol! That is actually where my husband found all those farm windows years ago. I rescued a white window shutter from my father-in-law's the other day too. You just never know. Love, Kelsey

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    3. A white shutter! OK if you are looking on pinterest you don't need suggestions for that as there are so many! Love shutters! xxx

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    4. Kelsey I would have loved to have been with you too, I love demolition yards (salvage yards) because you never know what you are going to find there. I can always come up with something.

      Lynette
      XXXXX

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  21. I was able to clear enough of the makeshift kitchen items from my desk to get to the computer, so I wanted to try to catch up. All of your peach goodies look wonderful. I miss baking and crafting but that is impossible right now with our home improvement dust & mess. We are making progress, I'm seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, and I know we're saving so much by doing it ourselves. I've been posting pictures on Facebook to try to stay in touch since that's the easiest from my phone.

    I wish everyone a lovely weekend and a productive week!

    Blessings, Leigh

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    1. Dear Leigh, I have been following your progress. The kitchen cupboard doors are looking great! You are doing very well. It is all a lot of work. But you will love the results!
      I am painting too although little bits compared to what you are doing! With love, Annabel.xxx

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  22. Hello lovely Annabel and to all the lovely people that post on here. I love the photo of you and Harper. Harper is a real little beauty. I bet she just loves her time with you. I love how you used the peaches. The Tarte Tatin sounds delicious. It was a very busy week here. However, it was made better by being organised. I prepped all last Sunday, making snacks and extra dinner in the slow cooker. This made it so much easier. I am trying small changes. I walked into the corner store to buy an avocado and began picking up a handful of things and then thought, nope we don't need these things, we can make do. Then we have started taking out our 'entertainment' money and putting it into a jar. It's incredible how much we want to save it. Before when we used our card we would just pay pass without thinking sometimes. I want to do this for the groceries next. My gran always used to have a grocery purse. I like this idea. I am trying to exercise for free/ low cost. like using my watch to track my walking/ running, however the strap had broken. I thought I had to get a new one and then googled the brand and I could find a replacement and my DH kindly could fix it. Now I can use it again and it ismy motivator when exercising. I loved how Kelsey went to the farm and found great things. It sounds like lots of fun to me! Lots of love, Bridge

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    1. Dear Bridge,
      I am thrilled you did some meals in the slow cooker. If you know it is going to be a busy day then heaps is done when you walk in the door and tired. it is a big relief. Also awesome for baby food as I used to just fish out some veggies and they were soft and lovely ready to go!
      I have a grocery purse. I also keep some savings seperate for if I see great specials. Wendy and Cath do this and call it the slush fund. Its so that you can pounce on amazing prices and stock up. The more you get ahead the more you can do this.
      Another thing I do is keep a change purse. Each week I might have a few dollars in loose change and I have a challenge to turn that into as much fruit and vegetables as I can. The other day I got 6 cucumbers for $3. So I got those and we used a lot and I can make pickles as well.
      You are doing great. I hope this week is less busy maybe for you.
      Many thanks Bridge, with love Annabel.xxx

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  23. Dear Annabel, The peaches you have picked are making yummy food for your pantry/freezer! Delicious!!! :) The picture of you and Harper is so sweet! Enjoy these times with your grandbaby!!!

    Emma, I hope we get to see the ruffled pink sheet!

    Kelsey, I sure wish I could have "rummaged" through the junk pile at the farm! Such treasures you found!

    Have a lovely new week everyone! Keep working on your pantries! Stay safe and warm/cool! Love, Teri

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    1. Dear Teri,
      Thank you! I have kept on working through peaches but they have been a big blessing and filled up my freezer.
      I think we all would go with Kelsey! We need a bus trip tour or something as all of us thought !!! I want to go on a trip like that!
      Have a great week Teri. With love Annabel.xxx

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