Thursday, 13 October 2016

Feather your Nest Friday, 14th October, 2016.

We are in mid October already! I just realised it while typing in the date!

This week there was a lot of catching up to do of ordinary things since last week I was painting mostly. Other things got left behind as they do.

Some of the ways I saved money and feathered my nest were:

I did a shop at Aldi. Mainly of basics such as flour, Olive Oil etc.
I made another big batch of the fruit and nut balls.  I gave some away as well.

The finishing touch on the front of the house was the front door! Finally! I finished that yesterday!  I still have the veranda to tidy up, get rid of all the painting equipment and make it all look nice!
After the last coat of paint I sat on the bed to have a cup of tea and check my emails. And then I realised how nice the door looks as this is my view from the bedroom...
(If the weather is ok the door is always open during the day. We have a screen door for security.)


Next to the front door is a row of Hydrangeas. They are getting quite big but not up to flowering yet.
The door is very pale Hydrangea Blue.  A couple of you guessed! And everyone who guessed pink was pretty much right too as if I lived alone I would totally have a pale pink. Think Strawberry Milkshake/Pink Marshmallows.  But I think with the garden and all the blue and white this works. And I love it.  If you are going to paint your front door have a colour you love!
Before it was a dark greyish colour and a yellowy cream. I didn't like it at all. Also this is the only thing I have painted in a gloss.

I can't wait for the Hydrangeas to flower now!


Now to get the front area all tidied up and pretty. I have a little table I am sitting outside with flowers on top.

And the roses out the front are all about to come out!


When I have everything cleaned up next week I think the roses will be out properly and I can take a photo of the whole front area!  I have about one rose on each bush now but I think there will be thousands of roses when they open judging by all the buds. All this in spite of the storms!


I had to go into the city this week. I need to revise what I count as savings on clothes etc when I op shop! And op shop more. The quality of things in the stores I found to be pretty bad. Everything seemed to be made of rayon and creased before you even bought it. And very expensive. No thanks!

Our local Chemist had a gift bag with purchases. I had several things to buy and got all this for free!


There were several things I use,  things the girls use and a couple of things went into the gift cupboard!

I had an orchid flower. I am not very successful with orchids so this is a thrilling event!



I spotted an idea in a store. This is a garland made of tiny pinecones and string. It is gorgeous! I can think of it wrapped around a brown paper parcel or many other uses! So if you have pine cones, gum nuts etc this could be made pretty much for free! I will be trying to collect something suitable!


I think you could do something similar with shells.
If you wanted to go glittery that would be an option too!

My 100 Day Challenge: I had better pick up where I left off!
Day 47. Friday.  Day of painting out the front.  Spring cleaning was washing some lounge covers.
Day 48. Saturday. Painted door screen with undercoat. Spring cleaning... more lounge covers through the wash.
Day 49. Sunday. Painting... went to hardware store and got door colour mixed up. Spring cleaning...putting clean lounge covers back on.
Day 50! Monday. Half way point!  Painting ... touching up out the front.
Day 51. Tuesday. Finished lounge window which needed touching up.First coat on front door.
Day 52. Wednesday.  Went into city...
Day 53. Thursday. Finished front door! Started cleaning up the painting mess!

I have to say I can really see the results of this challenge! It has pushed me to get a lot more done each day!

And yesterday I got a message from Allie. She is wondering if I would like her to come back and help next week as her work place has closed. Are you kidding me!? Yes! Next week I start painting the whole back area... garage, back fence, side fence and around all the windows...  it is a lot. To have a helper for a few days would be incredible!
I better have a restful weekend. I still have aching legs from last week as I keep going up ladders!

A surge of things done as the year gets closer to the end is really helping me achieve all the goals I set out. This is the thing... there is still time to have a major impact on finishing things off, getting presents made or whatever it is that needs doing.

I hope you had a good week! How did you build up your home? If you are doing an extra things challenge how did you go?

Have a lovely weekend! xxx

Prayer request...
All the regulars here would know Cookie. Her husband is facing a really serious medical issue and surgery. Cookie could really use some prayers right now! They are in a difficult waiting time for this surgery too. Waiting is always awful!  So all prayers would be very much appreciated.
Bluey and Rachel are both going well which is wonderful! Thank you so much!

44 comments:

  1. Hydrangea blue is one of my favourite colours. So pretty. I can imagine your legs would be well and truly aching from going up and down ladders. You have done a beautiful job of the painting.

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    1. Thanks Sherri! I am really happy with where I am up to and the house looks completely different! I love it!
      Now for the back areas! Having a helper next week will get me off to a good start! Have a lovely weekend! Love Annabel.xxx

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  2. Dear Annabel,
    Firstly a message for Cookie, Dear Cookie , I will be thinking of you and your husband and I am sending my best wishes. I don't pray very often but I will say a special prayer for you both tonight.

    Annabel, your front door looks great , you have done a wonderful job, that will be great for you to have Allies help again.
    My week included buying some meat half price I got a 6 pack of gourmet chicken sausages, two pieces of porterhouse steak and a pack of organic chicken lovely legs . I paid approximately $11 for all of that.
    I received a large savoury mince and vegetable pie from my parents as well as some spaghetti bolognese .
    I also gratefully received some vegetables from my parents( potatoes, onions, capsicum and carrots) .
    I saved $80 for Christmas into my savings account.
    I made my Dad a birthday card .
    I had my usual subsidised cleaning
    Thats all I can remember for this week Annabel.
    Have a great weekend Annabel and everyone reading.
    Love BarbW

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    1. Dear Barb, Thank you for praying for Cookie and her husband and for complimenting my painting!
      Well done on the meat specials. And the pie from your Mum sounds so good! All these things are a great help. your Christmas savings are going great as well!
      Have a great weekend Barb, with love Annabel.xxx

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    2. Dear Barb,
      Thank you so very much for your good wishes and prayers. They really mean a lot to me. Blessings. Cookie

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  3. Hi Annabel!

    Beautiful! Your door looks fine! If Andy takes a liking to pink, you can paint it pink another year! That photo of the front of your house, with the white rose, makes it look like a shady rest area for summer. It's very nice, indeed!

    The tiny pine cones do look sweet!! Well done on the orchid!

    Cookie, with a sense of humour, my husband said to fly over to Australia, and your husband could use my husband's Medicare card! Things could be easier this way! Really, though, it is a precious thing to be able to call out to the great rescuer for rescue. He is the only way. If we would leave behind all the extras, He, alone, will be our rescue. May this be a season when the Eternal is close, and strengthening in His ways. May your husband be carried through, and restored, by the Eternal, through Christ's atonement for us all.

    As for me, my sight is good. (Thank you, Glenda!) I am waiting for rain, since our landscape has been dried out by the wind. I have mulched parts of my garden trial patches, and put ash out on some, as well. The other day, I caught up with some lamb chops, cooking them in water on the fire, and then thinking to add sea salt and bay leaves, too. They were a success, and the gelatinous liquid (after fat was scraped off, once chilled) made a good gravy for mashed potato another time. Today, we have a big pot of trimmed lamb 'meat bones', vegetables, soup mix and herbs cooking on the fire. Yesterday, my husband restocked the pantry with tin foods. If anyone is interested, we are finding that even major supermarkets are having difficulty filling orders of these. We figure we can't eat our savings.

    Come on, Bluey! Recover gently!

    Thank you, Annabel, for sharing your beautiful work!

    With warm regards,
    Rachel Holt

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    1. Dear Rachel,
      You are sounding good! Yes out the front of the house the street has two rows of really big trees. So it is about 50% shade, depending on the time of day.
      Your big cook up on the firs sounds good! Tinned foods are very good. They are there when you need them. Do you mean basics in tins are low up there? Interesting.... here batteries, matches etc are all still low. And now the vegetables etc are impacted as the farms were flooded. Then I saw in England the biggest supermarket has sold out of many things as the dropping pound has made a dispute with suppliers of some basics even ice cream... are not in stock. Interesting!
      I am so glad you are doing well. Thank you for your words for Cookie. It is a big thing to have support and I know you will be praying. With lots of love Annabel.xxx

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    2. Dear Rachel,
      Please thank your husband for us for his sense of humor. It put a smile on both our faces. We thank you for your heartfelt words as they are so meaningful to us. Deuteronomy 31:8 is but one passage that we have leaned on during this difficult time. We also continue to pray for your complete recovery and are so pleased that things are going well.

      By the way, my favorite childhood meal was lamb chops and mashed potatoes, and applesauce. Just hearing about your meal with them brought back some sweet memories. Blessings. Cookie

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  4. Hi Annabel, Bluey will be disappointed in Andy not letting you have a pink door. Never mind, as Rachel said, maybe this can happen at another time. I can grow so many things, including orchids, but fail at growing roses. They do grow in this area as our neighbours have beautiful blooms but not me. Maybe one day this can happen.
    Cookie I will include your husband in my prayers. I know how you are feeling as you watch the love of your life undergo major surgery. I will be including you as well. My tiny bit of advise is to make sure you keep yourself well as hubby is going to need you once he is on the road to recovery.
    Bluey is 3-4 weeks away from returning home. He is taking a few steps forward and then one back. Infection is our biggest worry right now. When I read him all of the comments from you lovely Bluebird friends, he was taken aback. He sends his deepest thanks to you all.
    This week, in between visiting Bluey and overnighting with my parents, I have been inventorying my emergency box. This is now up to date and just requires our personal records file to be placed in the box. If a storm rolls in this household has everything ready to go.
    Much love to you all.

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    1. Dear Jane,
      I am so glad you have been racing Bluey the comments! He has had a lot! And will continue to get them I think!
      Andy didn't say not to have a pink door. I just quietly decided that hello he lives here too so I will go with blue... and never mentioned pink. He is really good and says everything looks lovely and lets me pretty much do my own thing. So I am really lucky with this and so he lives in a basically white house! (but he has an office and a music room which are his domain as well!)
      Thanks for your words to Cookie. You have just been through a similar time and now you are ahead of her with the recovery time aspects. That is good advice.
      Well done on the emergency things. I have been watching Patsys posts... and thinking wow... don't stop with the work on the pantry etc.... it can really pay off big time.
      Have a lovely weekend! With love Annabel.xxx

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    2. Dear Jane,
      Thank you for the update on Bluey as we continue to pray for you both and for his complete recovery. You hit the nail right on the head. It is so difficult to see this happening to the love of my life. I'm grateful for your advice in reminding me that I need to keep myself well so that I can take care of him as he recovers.

      On the subject of roses, I never had really good luck with them until I got "knockout roses". They're a hybrid,are fragrant, quick growing, disease resistant, and require almost no care. Although not really large they are quite pretty and satisfy my rose addiction. Wishing you a beautiful weekend. Blessings. Cookie

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  5. The door is very pale Hydrangea Blue. That sounds beautiful. What colour are the walls I can see in that picture, look like a beautiful pale cream. I'd love to be able to plant Hydrangeas but I think they need shade, don't they? Have a lovely warm Spring weekend. xx

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    1. Dear Carolyn, Everything bar the door is white. I would say Hydrangeas need part shade. Many people cover them with umbrellas and all sorts of things if there is a heat wave. They are very thirsty plants... I am amazed how much water they need. I have eight in the garden and another five in pots. Pots are good, they seem to like it and you can move them as needed. I will post pics when they flower.
      Very warm tomorrow! You have a good weekend too! with love Annabel.xxx

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  6. Hi your house is looking so beautiful Annabel It looks like such a beautiful 'home' not just a 'house' and you should be so proud of what you have achieved I am delighted that bluey is recovering So many prayers coming his way and Jane also Cookie I am so sorry to hear about your husbands health issues. I am praying for you both I am in the medical field and a number of studies have proved the power of prayer. In one study people who were prayed for recovered more quickly and with less complications after heart attacks than those who got no prayers In the main study the patients didn't know they were being prayed for nor did the doctors or nurses and the people praying for them didn't know them personally This was done to stop any bias and makes the results so amazing. Look it up on the internet it is truly amazing. Sending you all hugs I feel so close to you This blog is a very special place. Shelley

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    1. Dear Shelley, Thank you so much! I totally agree with what you say and the study. When I was a teenager I had a great Uncle dying, my Nans brother. I didn't know him very well but I was looking at my faith and wanting to decide on my own. So I decided to pray for this uncle... and his wife and family were planning his funeral as they were told it was only a matter of time. He did not know I was praying for him, he couldn't have. Well he got better and came home! It was so remarkable that all the Doctors and nurses lined up to shake his hand when he left. He had throat damage from all the tubes and spoke with a very gravelly voice. He thanked me and said he didn't believe in God before but he did now. It was a total miracle. And from that day I have never had any doubts in my faith. So I sure believe in prayer!
      Thank you for what you said. I think the internet is amazing and yes you can truly make good friends and its wonderful. I am amazed! I felt very close to Laine of Laines Letters as I read those for years and in those days there were no comments and replies etc but I felt like she was my best friend. Then years later I got to talk to her! I felt I knew all her family. She was a good example to me. So I know the power of the encouragement you can get and follow a heap of blogs myself and feel just the same! Thanks Shelley so much... love Annabel.xxx

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    2. Dear Shelley,
      Thank you so much for your prayers. Prayer is a very powerful thing. I do know of this study, and am very grateful that you brought it back to my attention. The doctor's name who conducted the initial study doesn't come to mind right now, but I saw him being interviewed a number of years ago. Blessings. Cookie

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  7. Dear Annabel,
    I will be praying for Cookie and her husband, and continue in prayer, for Jane and Bluey. Please keep us posted, Cookie, on how things are going. Thank you, Jane, for your updates on how things are going for you and Bluey.
    Your home and gardens are beautiful, Annabel. I love your front door and it will look so pretty with the Hydrangeas.
    I feel so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful group as the ladies who are part of your blog, Annabel. You, yourself, are such a loving, caring person and your blog is truly a blessing and a huge support for all of us.
    Love and hugs,
    Glenda

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    1. Dear Glenda,
      Thank you so much for your prayers. I will keep you posted as things move along. It is truly a blessing, as you've said, to be part of this blog and group of ladies. As you may have read we're in the midst of getting things done prior to surgery and your suggestion of 5 things each day has been so helpful. Blessing. Cookie

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    2. Dear Glenda, I am back from my weekend away! Lots to report!
      Thank you for praying for Cookie! And thank you so much for the way you support and encourage me! I appreciate it more than you know.
      I am glad you like my door and garden! I really hope I have a nice photo to show of my roses out... we just had a huge downpour which I hope watered things rather than ruined them. I don't know where all this rain is coming from!
      I hope you had a lovely weekend too! With love Annabel.xxx

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  8. Annabel,
    Your door is fabulous! I just love it! So pretty. And you will have help again that is such a blessing to have extra hands to help things along a little faster and the quality time fosters wonderful relationships.
    I am starting Fall cleaning since I get more done than in the Spring I freed up a little space from some items by cleaning out Todd's closet and passing things he has out grown along to someone that could use them and have started on windows and going through the huge amount of books we have.
    I made homemade doggie shampoo which is glycerin, apple cider vinegar and dawn dish soap. It works really well and makes their skin and coat so soft.
    I have the one room all cleaned out and ready for Rick to put the flooring down. So hopefully he can get to it very soon! I am eager to be done with everything.

    Jane- If you decide to plant roses water the hole really well and bury a bunch of banana peels right next to the rose bush and you will have big beautiful roses in no time! Please give your Bluey a big hug for me and a get well soon.

    Cookie- Many prayers for your husbands recovery and prayers and hugs for you as well. Please take care of yourself during this process and we will all be thinking of you!
    XOXO
    Vicky

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    1. Dear Vicky,
      Many thanks for your prayers and hugs. They truly mean a lot. Blessings. Cookie.

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    2. Dear Vicky, Thank you! I am glad you like it! You have done a lot of painting and re organising and moving these last few months. It is all paying off! We are getting somewhere!
      I think a lot of people will be very interested in this dog shampoo. I think glycerine is a wonderful ingredient. We add eucalyptus oil to dog shampoo as fleas don't like that... only a few drops. Works really well!
      I do the banana peels under the roses. I am going to add the fish as we always have yuk fish from filleting after the boys catch some. I had never thought to bury them!
      While you are fall cleaning I am spring cleaning! We can go along together on this as well.
      Thank you for thinking off Cookie too, with love Annabel.xxx

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  9. Dear Annabel,
    The color you've chosen for the door is beautiful. The entrance to your home will be breathtaking as all of the hydrangeas begin to bloom. I hope you will take photos to share with us.

    Thank you so much for your generosity and kindness in putting out my prayer request on the blog. I feel richly blessed to be a part of this group of women.

    As for nest feathering -- well, there's a lot going on because we're busy filling in the gaps around the house before my husband's surgery as he will be incapacitated for awhile. Although premature here, it has been necessary to make sure things are ready for the coming winter. Aside from that I was able to make and can JES's apple cinnamon syrup recipe and it is delicious. Next will be some pre-made meals for the freezer etc. Wishing everyone a beautiful weekend. Cookie

















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    1. Dear Cookie, Sorry I have been slow to post comments and reply, we went away to my daughters for the weekend. It was lovely! I can see everyone has rallied to pray for you and your husband as I knew they would!
      Thank you for telling us about Jes' apple syrup. I saw this recipe and can't wait to have lots of apples.
      It is very good to go ahead and do your winter preparations, keep busy and look after yourselves at this time.
      Thank you for your compliments on my door! I will post pics when I have all the flowers out the front! With lots of love Annabel.xxx

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  10. I love the blue. When your hydrangeas bloom, I hope you'll take a picture so we can see.

    As for beautiful roses, my friend had the most gorgeous I have ever seen. Raw fish heads buried next to the bushes were her secret. She got the heads at the fish market. She would occasionally bring me some and they certainly pepped up my sad roses! She said she learned that when she lived in Vietnam.

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    1. Dear Debby,
      Overtime the boys go fishing I throw away fish bits and pieces after they are filleted! Now I will bury them! Thanks for the tip, I never thought of this.
      I love roses. I will post pictures when the hydrangeas flower which won't be too far away. With love Annabel.xxx

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  11. So glad to hear that Rachel, Bluey and Jane are healing. Also I will pray for Cookie and her husband.

    I haven't been here in awhile as I've been getting settled in our new home. But I wanted to thank you Annabel, and all the ladies for your creativity and encouragement. So many lovely gifts made, lots of recipes and tips on saving money...priceless. I appreciate knowing that there are so many lovely ladies of faith trying to make their homes places of rest. Also what a blessing to see the time and talent that is shared with others so that they feel loved. I enjoyed Glenda's 5 Things challenge. Yet another way each of us can push ourselves to be diligent in what the Lord has given us.

    Blessings,
    Leslie

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    1. Dear Leslie,
      Thank you so much for your prayers. Blessings. Cookie

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    2. Dear Leslie,
      I hope you are loving your new home.Moving is such a big job and re establishing things is too. Thank you so much for your kind words. I am so pleased to hear from you and hope setting up your new place has been lovely! With love Annabel.xxx

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  12. Hi Annabel,

    Your front door looks lovely. I desperately need to paint my own (it's an ugly forest green and peeling), and I would LOVE a pink front door! unfortunately it really wouldn't match the outside of my home and my three boys and husband would probably object...

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    1. Dear Grace,
      The front door makes a big difference. I think sanding it or using a heat gun is the hardest bit. Then I did a primer/undercoat. Then two of the colour. I hope you can find a colour you both love and will work with your house. I think you can do a colour that is harmonious or go for a big contrast... either can work! Then you need a nice wreath for Christmas to top off the effect!
      It took me several days of stages but it was all done in the week and Im really pleased. I love it and it makes an impression on the whole place. So good luck I hope you can get that done! With love Annabel.xxx

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  13. Dear Annabel,
    I love the blue door! I hope everyone enjoys it, Chloe should be pleased :). You have been working so hard! I enjoy reading all of the comments as well as your replies.
    This week I feathered my nest by cooking, cleaning, and meal planning for the rest of the month. I generally only meal plan a week at a time but I'm getting better with it so I've planned the remainder of October. I've been working with the kids to sort and wash their own laundry and they are doing great with it. They take turns loading and unloading the dishwasher, and now they are doing cooking lessons with me! Isn't it interesting...I feel like I fumble around a lot, need new ideas, recipes, etc., but they are telling me "mom, you know how to cook so much stuff! We need to know how to cook more!" I love it. As you know Annabel, the twins are 11 1/2 and they are talking about how when they grow up, they will share an apartment together first as they know they'll get along well, etc., and decided they will take turns cooking. Seriously, it warms my heart to listen to this conversation. Today I caught up on my own laundry and hand washed the few blouses that I needed to get done. I got hubby's work shirts ironed, also the bed is fresh and gorgeous. I did haircuts and eyebrow waxes, manicures and my pedicure. It was a really good week. I'm working on some Christmas stuff tomorrow. Home is a blessed place to be. What a privilege to fluff and feather it, making it comfortable and special for my family. The election coverage is so negative, I really needed to focus on my home and family.
    Rachel, I hope you're still on the mend?
    Still praying for Bluey, especially for no infection. Jane, do take good care of yourself as best you can.
    Adding Cookie's husband to the list, God is faithful.
    Thank you as always Annabel for being our gracious hostess!
    Much Love,
    Colette xxx

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    1. Dear Colette,
      Many thanks for adding my husband to your prayer list. God is Faithful, of this I am sure. I loved reading about your twins.
      Blessings. Cookie

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    2. Thank you, Colette. My eyes are good. I can see well, and, naturally, the injury will get stronger over time. It's over to Bluey, and Cookie's husband (& others in need, like Glenda's husband, Lucy .....).
      Regards,
      Rachel Holt

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    3. Dear Colette, Yes you know Chloe well she loves that colour!
      Thank you for all your prayers as I know you support every need you see or hear in this way. Thank you.
      I love that you are getting the kids to do laundry, cooking etc. They absorb all this like a sponge. And it is very endearing to see how seriously they can take it! I love the twins plans to live together!
      One thing I did which might appeal to you is to make the family recipes into scrap books, recipe books so that when they do leave home you hand them these. I included household tips and recipes from Mum and Nan, some in their handwriting too. I still add to these books from time to time.
      Colette I agree with you... the more negative the news or mood around us is the more we need to nest and keep things going and steady. The children need it but so do we. All the way over here we are getting your election news and my Dad said to me today how distressing it is... and he is a farmer who doesnt watch tv much or anything!
      Your week sounds really good. I hope you have another great week this week, I hope we all do! With much love Annabel.xxx

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  14. Dear Annabel,
    Your home looks fantastic! The door color is so pretty, too. It will be even more gorgeous when the flowers start blooming. I am in awe of your yard! It has been a lot of work for you, but it is always so nice to look at what you have done to make your home beautiful and know that you did it yourself. It is a labor of love.
    I think your niece must have inspired me this week, as I decided on a whim to wash the windows that reach the top of the vaulted ceiling. They were so dirty and I was tired of looking at them so I thought, why not? They look a hundred times better and it really brightened the place up. I also rearranged the living room furniture, making it more functional. It looks bigger, too. I cleaned as I went and couldn't be more pleased with it. I am not finished decorating for Fall, but I do have pumpkins on the mantle!
    Last Saturday my husband and I cleaned out the carport. Now we can park both cars in it, lol. Today we are hauling all those kitchen boxes I packed up at the beginning of the year to our house in town. We will have our final garage sale next weekend.
    Things are looking better a little at a time. I have been digging up an invasive plant from the front yard in hopes of planting grass this spring. I also finished cleaning out the awful utility room and it is wonderful. I had a friend over and she said it didn't even look like the same room! That's a good thing! Her visit gave me a lot of encouragement when I really needed it.
    For crafts, I am making sets of cards to try and sell at our small town's first ever farmer's market at the end of the month. Papa and I are going in together, as he is going to try to sell some fire starters.
    In all it has been a really good week.
    I am continuing to keep Jane, Bluey, and Rachel in my prayers, and I'm glad to hear their good reports. Cookie, I will be praying for you and your husband too. May God give you both strength and courage during this difficult time, and may he give your husband healing and good health.
    With lots of love, Kelsey

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    1. Dear Kelsey,
      Thanks so much ... its been a long road up to getting this door painted!
      Well done on the windows! Clean windows have a huge effect on the light in a room and everything seems better!
      And a re arrange is wonderful. It freshens things up and is a good clean too as cleaning under things is always interesting especially big stuff that is hard to move normally!
      A garage sale is a lot of work but this will be great for cleaning out plus cash hopefully!
      I think your cards will go great at the market! You could do tags as well! Hopefully people are thinking of Christmas gifts too. I am excited for you and hope you take a heap of photos!
      I am so glad you had such a good week!
      Thank you for supporting everyone with prayer.
      Have a great new week Kelsey! With love Annabel.xxx

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    2. Dear Kelsey,
      Thank you so very much for your kind words and prayers. They are greatly appreciated.

      I hope you will share some pictures of the cards that you make for the farmers market. It's so nice that you and your Papa can do this together. Blessings. Cookie

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  15. Dear Annabel, you've made such wonderful progress. It' so true, that if you just have a goal in mind, and work slowly and steadily towards it, you will succeed. Look at your painting! I bet that seemed a Mammoth task when you started, and here you are, done and dusted! I love the colour of your door. So delicate. The tiny pine cone garland is so sweet and that's an idea I'll borrow for sure. Praying for Cookie and her husband. And wishing Jane, Bluey and Rachel a more healthful time ahead. Mimi xxx

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    1. Dear Mimi,
      Thank you! It really has been inch by inch but eventually this all adds up! In January it did seem daunting. And here I am... Im on the home stretch now.
      I am out to collect pinecones! Mum has heaps of pine trees plus gum nuts... I love ideas like this... almost free yet stylish!
      Thank you for supporting and encouraging Cookie, Jane and Rachel and families.
      Have a fantastic new week! Thank you for showing your grub roses too... they are stunning! With love Annabel.xxx

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    2. Dear Mimi,
      Thank you so very much for your prayers. We really appreciate them. Blessings. Cookie

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    3. Dear Cookie, it's the least we can do. Much love, Mimi xxx

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  16. I agree that the election coverage is so negative. It just distresses me. I have really enjoyed reading your blog and all the wonderful, supportive things people comment. It helps me see that not everybody has become these detestable things we hear about the candidates.

    I need to work harder on focusing on balance and nest-feathering so the election news doesn't impact me so much.

    I have been working on my 30 day garden challenge. I finished out the greens bed, and surrounded it with deer netting to keep the deer out. I have weeded it and watered it. I planted a bunch of herbs. My kids helped me one day to plant a bunch of goldenseal and ginseng I am trying to help keep from extinction. I am still digging, digging, digging to try to get the bed ready for 350 bulbs I have bought. They should come next week. The goal was to complete the 30 days with the bulb planting. I should be kind of close.

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    1. Dear Cristy,
      You are going great on your garden challenge! I think gardening serves many purposes. It is a happy place and fresh air... we need this and it is a tough balance to be informed and watchful but not see too much news coverage. Here I am in Australia and I find it hard and especially the to and fro between US and Russia. We need to know and keep an eye on things but the best thing we can do is build up our homes.
      It is great the kids helped in the garden too! All your bulbs are going to be glorious when they come up! Well done! I hope you make it I think if you are so close you will do it! You will feel great. It is amazing what we can do if we just keep at it and use little bits of time as we can! Have a great new week Cristy! With love Annabel.xxx

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I really appreciate your comments thank you! The aim of my blog is the be a place of encouragement and happiness. Very rarely is anyone rude. Actually only twice so far! If you post a rude or aggressive comment I will read it but not publish it, thanks for understanding.xxx

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