Some of the ways I built up the nest this week include:
A lot more painting. Now the car garage is all painted and much more of the back fence.
I have been collecting and drying rose buds. These pink ones are from Mum's.
There are hundreds of them! I do this ready to decorate my Coconut Ice in December. They are a free way to make packaging look lovely. This is how I used them last year...
I still have a few left in a cellphone bag as they keep years. They can also be used to decorate little presents i.e. tucked into a ribbon or bow and are lovely to use to decorate soaps, bath bombs and other creations.
I was going to post a panoramic picture of how the house looks painted but they make it look odd like we live on a wide curvy corner block as it distorts things. So instead here is just directly out the front and at least it shows some of the roses and how the paint looks!
Ahhh that fence was what gave me the sore arm! But I still love it!
My roses are going really well. I have hundreds of white roses and a few lilac. At the side of the house there is an archway covered in yellow roses. They are big droopy and gorgeous!
As they fade I am cutting off they dying ones so more will come on. I am saving and drying all the petals.
So far I have three baskets going... they look a lot but shrink as they dry so I just keep adding. The plan is to use them in bath products and I want to try making rose scented oils to use in next years soap making.
My Aunt sent me a beautiful parcel with a book, bath towels, lemons and jars! One of the jars is an old style with a lid I can paint and add a rose sticker to.
I worked on the IKEA shelves we found. This is before...
And this is them now...
The baskets are really big! This is all becoming part of my pantry. It will hold my spares and back ups to my kitchen pantry. I will have so much more space!
I found some good specials. One was 110 Finish Dishwasher tablets for $20. They will last me a long time!
The other was hair colour. Revlon for $5 each. Usually they are about $19.... I wait until they are on special and get them at about $12 but these were $5! I tried one and it was beautiful so I went back and got eight more. A big savings and I have a big supply as well. My hair was shinier and felt as if I had a conditioning treatment. So very happy!
At last I took everything out of the present cupboard! This was really fun and over the year the Christmas Challenge has really added up! I barely have to buy anything.
I need to get back to reporting my 100 Day Challenge!
Today is day 75! Boy have I done a lot of paining in 75 days! I have not painted everyday or spring cleaned everyday either but most days did some things towards my challenge. So it has helped me get to the end of the year with more done.
Day 69. Saturday. Painted outside with Allie most of the day.
Day 70. Painted fencing around the garage and Allie painted the high sections at the back of the house.
Day 71. Undercoated new doors.
Day. 72. Undercoated IKEA shelves. (After cleaning them up)
Day 73. First coat of white on the shelves.
Day 74... more work on IKEA shelves and more work on new doors.
Day 75. (today) Big clean up day!
I hope you had a good week. How did you feather your nest this week?
Have a lovely weekend. xxx
Great job on the IKEA shelf re-do. 👍
ReplyDeleteI am feathering my nest by doing a thorough kitchen clean and decluttering. It's a big job but I am already so pleased with my progress,
Dear Annabel,
ReplyDeleteYour home and roses are absolutely gorgeous!! I love roses and yours are so perfect.
We had roses at our home before we moved into this one. They always have a heavenly smell and are so awesome to use dried. We have no where here to plant roses as I want to use every square foot for food. I might find a small area to tuck a couple of rosa rugosa in somewhere for the hips.
This week I did more vacuum sealing, inventoried all our supplies, and my husband and I discussed what gaps we needed to fill immediately. We placed orders to do that.
Next week is our election in the States and regardless of which way it goes the other side will pitch a fit and be angry, so we don't know what is in store. It, most likely, won't be pretty. We are definitely a divided country politically right now.
Thank you for posting the pictures of your home and roses; they are beautiful to view.
With love and hugs,
Glenda
Dear Glenda,
DeleteNext week is certainly going to be a big week. I can't believe it is almost here! It is both fascinating and daunting!
Thank you so much, I am loving the smell of roses and the view out of my bedroom window is just lovely! We also have good weather at last. Have a good weekend! With love Annabel.xxx
Annabel, just look at all you've accomplished! The shelving is a nice addition to your pantry storage ... and they were free! You can't beat that! Your roses are just gorgeous and set off your beautiful home perfectly! I've been inventorying my pantry this week, a big but necessary job! Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteDear Patsy,
DeleteEach of those baskets will take 48 cans... or other stuff but they are pretty roomy! Happy!
I need to sort and inventory also. Big job. Have a wonderful weekend! with love Annabel.xxx
Dear Annabel
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful productive week you have had. This week I baked my fruit cakes (from your recipe). I have one stored here, one I am eating, half of another frozen. The other half of the frozen one went to a friend. I also made your sunshine orange cake recipe. I have 30 orange cupcakes iced and in the freezer and I made a bar cake. I took this to my son's for dessert one evening and brought the rest home to eat for school lunches. I have to make chocolate balls, chocolate cake, brownies and perhaps vanilla cake to freeze to see us through to the end of the year and into next year.
I have done up a budget for the end of the year to make sure I make it through financially intact. I began monthly shopping and I am trying to work out exactly what we eat each month. This month is a learning curve and from here on in I should do better.
For my birthday I got the Bunnings vouchers and bought fruit trees and vegetable seedlings. These are doing OK in the garden but I am not yet up to date with the weeds but am working on it. I am learning to use egg shells in the garden and also learning to use up citrus (waste) through Jes' amazing e-book.
DD gets free printing so she printed a few e-books up for me, this is saving me a good amount of money by not having to pay for ink and paper. I have just about finished all my Christmas shopping and this makes me feel a lot easier in the mind with surgery and my recovery looming.
This coming week I have baking to do, cleaning and decluttering and garden work to complete. Looking forward to a busy and productive week
Love Mel xxxxx
Dear Mel,
DeleteYour cooking sounds fantastic and you are doing well getting so much done before you have surgery. And you are doing just what Vicky was talking about... planning ahead. At least you know hopefully what your expenses are and how long you will be off work etc.
I love the books printed up! Jes' book is in my kitchen as I will be using it a lot. For starters I get some free lemons this week and can be drying my lemon peels! Yay! So I am reading up all the citrus recipes.
We have been lucky with the garden in that we really haven't had any heat. This would have helped settle a lot of plants in that you've planted. Of course the heat will arrive sooner or later but hopefully later!
Have a good weekend Mel, with lots of love, Annabel.xxx
Your home looks absolutely charming. Like a fairy tale home! And the roses!
ReplyDeleteThe recipients of those pretty little cakes are quite lucky.
Dear Debby, Thank you! The little blocks are coconut ice... it is really rich and dense so it is given away in smallish sizes. Roses are so great for decorating! Have a lovely weekend! Love Annabel.xxx
DeleteI love how the shelf turned out! Having extra storage is always a good thing. You have been very productive. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Wendi, I am thrilled having more "pantry" space and gradually re arranging and sorting it out. Now to build up my pantry further! xxx
DeleteThe IKEA shelves look wonderful! What a great find :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I love your beautiful roses. I wish mine were as plentiful. I do have one growing vigorously which has the most gorgeous apricot buds, but I don't really like them when they open as they are thin and floppy. They smell lovely, but I think as dried buds they will do a better job. Thanks for the inspiration xx
Fiona xx
Dear Fiona, The apricot buds sound lovely! If you pick them then and hang them upside down they should dry as buds. They will keep their colour for ages. You could also sugar them for on top of cakes etc and they would look stunning! They are so beautiful and add a touch of gorgeousness to anything! Plus they keep ages once dried. With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteHi Annabel,
ReplyDeleteThose roses make the green eyed monster of envy rise up within me. My neighbours grow some lovely roses, but I am a failure at getting them to grow. Oh well we all need to look to our strengths and I grow wonderful tropical fruits and veg.
This week has seen Bluey and I settling back into a home based routine. The last of the stitches came out today. The wound cover will remain on for another week. Each day Bluey improves a little more. It's fairy steps at the moment and we are both more than happy with this.
I feathered my nest by using a Spotlight gift card from Katie and going to a VIP night yesterday, getting a further $10 off the purchase. I have picked up more fabric for the stash, plus a couple of little extras that I would not normally have purchased.
Our small freezer was getting a little bit too full and it was hard knowing what we had. Bluey mentioned why not use one of our camping fridge freezers. Clever man. I pulled out the 96L fridge from the shed, gave it a clean and put it on the veranda. We now have a bit of organisation and a bit more space for freezing goods.
Life is good and getting better with every passing day.
Dear Jane,
DeleteI would be very happy with tropical fruit!
The Spotlight event sounds great! More fabric for the stash is always a good thing! Over Christmas the extra freezer should be extra handy!
It is great you both are back into a home life routine and what a relief that must be. It sounds really good and yes life is getting better each day! Have a great weekend... I forgot to answer you.. no we didn't really get a storm but was windy so we were ok. And now is lovely at last! With love Annabel.xxx
Dear Annabel, your roses alone make me want to run out and garden...lol! You had an awesome week, and the IKEA shelves are divine. It just shows what a little elbow grease can do. Your little rosebuds are a gorgeous accent on your packaging, and as I have confectionery packaging on the brain today, it's a timely mention! It's been a productive week here. Little money spent, but much achieved. I ruthlessly culled my wardrobe, packing Winter woollens away, and discarding anything that was no longer flattering or comfortable. This meant letting go of a few old favourites, but it was time. In that process, I discovered that I actually adore that shade of green called 'citrus', and have been gravitating towards it in my Summer wardrobe for some time, buying a thrifted jacket here, a vintage Pucci scarf there, and a Summery linen top at the sales. It's a flattering colour with my Silver hair, and a real boost when someone says how nice it looks! Sometimes we make these totally unconscious choices, because the heart knows what the eye misses. In that respect, so called 'impulse buys' can be favourable...especially when from the op shop! Citrus green is not a colour choice I envisaged suiting me, but there it is! I made a new fudge flavour to use for gifting (Cake Batter Fudge), and it's on the blog today. I dried some lavender, made some easy underwear for my Daughters Christmas stocking, and experimented with a wrapping theme for gifts. So it was a lot of what my husband called 'fluffing around', but all constructive! I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone has been up to this week. Love, Mimi xxx
ReplyDeleteDear Mimi,
DeleteThank you Mimi. The shelves didn't look too splendid to start with! But I really love the result!
I think colours are a funny thing like we can suddenly crave a colour and it affects how we feel. Op shops buys take the huge commitment out of it too and allow us to just go for it!
I better get on over and catch up. I have caramel fudge planned but it is a new recipe so I will see how it goes. Hopefully well!
I understand fluffing around. I have had an overall fluffing around day today as Andy went fishing and I have a free day. The idea was to rest and catch up a bit!
The Show and Tell for Wednesday has gone crazy and is mammoth. So many beautiful ideas and lovely work. It is good to see this. There are a lot of clever cookies working away quietly at home.
Have a great new week. I hope that your sons payments have been fixed. With lots of love Annabel.xxx
Annabel, it's wonderful that you've given friends who don't blog, a place to display their beautiful work. It's good to see it taking off in a big way! My sons payments were fixed very swiftly, and I'm actually planning a post for tomorrow on the blog, on how to manage these sorts of situations. I'm hoping it will help a lot of people who find themselves similarly inconvenienced. I hope you have a lovely week planned. Love, Mimi xxx
DeleteWhat a clever idea with dry roses! I should use it for Christmas next year, as we also have plenty f roses.
ReplyDeleteI like you refashioning of the shelves! They look so nice now!
Szvetlana
Dear Szvetlana,
DeleteRoses are so lovely and once dry they keep ages. You can also dip fresh roses in egg white then castor sugar and they look sparkly as cake decorations. They are stunning this way! So I hope this will be something you can use when your roses come out. Thank you so much! Have a lovely weekend! With love Annabel.xxx
Hi Annabel,
ReplyDeleteThe shelves were a great find and look much better white than the black. Your painting has definitely paid off - everything looks amazing.
Like Mel S, the Christmas cakes were made this week using your recipe. The mixture made two medium size cakes and one smaller (which was a resounding success and has already been consumed!!). I also made the Christmas pudding this week.
I found 'the safe place" I'd stashed some of my gifts, so all is good. I will pull all the gifts out at the end of the week as I have a couple of things I want to finish first.
Have a great weekend everyone,
Janine
Dear Janine,
DeleteIt took a lot of coats of paint! But I really like them too.
I am glad you found your gifts! I have something in a "safe place" and it has been months... it is driving me crazy.
Have fun looking over your gifts and a lovely weekend! Love Annabel.xxx
Dear Annabel,
ReplyDeleteThe roses are breathtaking. The white roses were my Mom's favorite,and she had a garden filled with every species of white roses that were available at the time. The packaging on the coconut ice is beautiful and I'm looking forward making it for gift giving. There have been so many people who have been wonderful to us during this time I thought, when time permits, that the coconut ice would be a perfect thank you gift. The ikea shelves came out fantastic. What an incredible find. It's always amazing what someone will leave by the curbside.
As for next feathering. As I've been sitting with my husband in ICU while he sleeps, I thought I would try my hand at crochet edgings to be sewn on later to the tea towels found in my stash. I brought just a few of the towels with me as well so that there could be a switch between crocheting and embroidering boullion roses on them. It has been a quiet and restful activity during these hours. And I'm so appreciative of your tutorials and encouragement in learning new skills. Blessings. Cookie
Cookie, These times of patient nursing and recuperating can be precious. It can bring the two of you closer, and the better understanding gained really helps in everyday life! Wait and see!! It is amazing how the Eternal works, and how He build our stories!!
DeleteWith very warm regards,
Rachel
Dear Cookie, Having something to work on and pass the time is so much more soothing that just waiting. Somehow it warmed my heart to think of you there crocheting and embroidering away. It reminds me very much of the times we have done this, especially my Mother when Dad was in hospital a couple of times now. In Mums case it would be knitting and she sure has knitted a lot waiting in hospitals and waiting rooms!
DeleteI am so glad you are both past this most stressful time and now it is onwards and upwards to recovery! With lots of love, Annabel.xxx
Dear Cookie, I remember long hours in Paediatric ICU with my son, born 11 weeks prematurely, 25 years ago. As Annabel and Rachel say, it gives you a new appreciation for human fragility and can be an important bonding time. The crocheting and embroidery would be so valuable for you too, to give you something on which to focus. I hope that your lovely man is on the mend. Prayers for you both. Love, Mimi xxx
Delete
ReplyDeleteHi Annabel!
Now I understand about your IKEA shelves!! They are lovely! I assume the baskets came with them.
Roses, petals and white paint! You're making a beautiful life!!
Between you, Vicky and Patsy, I've had "the thinks" (yes, I just made that up!) about making do with less dollar signs. Now I'm wondering what happened to my memory about what nest feathering went on this week!!
Let's see - yes, I climbed a ladder to what remains of my lemon crop, stored on hanging shelves in the carport (you get credit for the hanging shelves idea!) I used Rhonda's recipe, doubled it and made three batches of lemon butter, most of which I processed in a water bath for long keeping (at least six months). I am so glad I did. It's tasty!! I used surplus (mostly bantam) eggs from Dad and Mum, and packed the lemon butter in recycled supermarket jars, which my parents helped supply. The bantam eggs, I find, have large yolks, so I tried using just as many bantam eggs as the number of ordinary eggs that the recipe called for. This was a success! Forty-eight surplus eggs later, I had a good supply of lemon butter! My parents were pleased!!
I had thought that today could be a big lemon day, but have deferred it to next week. If we have good drying weather, I'd love to dry lemon skins, and give lemon skins in vinegar a sunshine treatment to make a citrus cleaning solution. Maybe I'm waiting for you to catch up, with your lemons!! These citrus scrap ideas grab my attention since they are either free or cost very little (ie vinegar is cheap). I'm excited. (Thanks again, 'citrus peel Jes'!!) I must say that I tested some of the older eggs I had collected by putting them in a small bucket of water. Two floated, so I set these aside for the dog. My husband used the situation for a little sport. Since Dad keeps roosters, my husband mentioned something about considering whether there could be chickens inside. Then he said that there could be ducklings - since they float!!
We ran out our smaller gas bottle, so were able to set up our new regulated gas burner, with a 10kg bottle. It runs beautifully, and very efficiently - all ready for more preserving in the new week!!
I have a whole section of grass nearly ready for mowing. This means that the nettles and other weeds have been cut!! I have a tarpaulin full of nettles drying, plus a cardboard box full. When will you pick them up?!! (Once dry, they'll be burnt, since they are seeding.)
Oh yes, I did some kitchen cleaning and rearranging, too. I had to. The new gas setup and recent preserves all had to fit somewhere!! An old pot is being re commissioned for use. We decided it is not too damaged, so it donated its cupboard space to preserves, and will have to float around the kitchen. It has a steam escape hole, which our other cooking pots do not have. I'd like to try baking potatoes in it.
My parents gave me some old books. I smiled when I saw an old crochet book with instructions for the basic stitches. I think I'm supposed to be learning some crochet in summer, remember?!!
With very warm regards,
Rachel Holt
Dear Rachel, Those shelves in the shed are very handy! And hanging shelves do not have mice etc. I also have a hanging side of an old cot and I use it as a drying rack.
DeleteNext week I will have lemons! They are $1.75 each here just now! My friend has heaps for me on Wednesday. Then I am up and running with some of Jes' recipes.
Oh yes... crochet is in your future I am sure of it! I think you will love it!
You had a very good week. I hope this time next week I also have jars of lemon butter lined up! I can't wait!
Have a wonderful weekend Rachel! With love Annabel.xxx
Hi Annabel,
ReplyDeleteMy head spins when I look at all you've accomplished this week! The fact that you tackled even more painting (the shelves) when you have been so busy all year painting your house, makes me stand up and salute you! The shelving unit looks so chic. We also use our rose petals, dried, for tea...mixed with lavender, bee balm, mint, calendula...it's heavenly. And opening a jar of dried rose petals smells like summer in the middle of winter. In fact, they really almost smell like honey when you open the jar. I love it. This week I managed to get all the carrots pulled and topped and put in tubs of sand and peat and down in our basement for the winter. It was a big job and took us two days, there were so many! The garden was really too wet to be in, still, but I needed to get them out. Some of the carrot varieties grow long, rather than stubby, and in our clay soil, if it gets too wet, the tips just rot. Anyway, I literally JUST finished putting the lid on the last tub outside to take the carrots downstairs and it started sprinkling again. Talk about good timing! Still have lots of other root crops to get out (beets, turnips, parsnips), but the carrots were the biggest job, so happy to have that done! A neighbor called last night and asked if she could drop off 2 big purple cabbages, 4 red peppers and about 20 lbs. of apples, as they couldn't use them in time, and I thought, "As Annabel says, Never turn down free food!!!" :) So blessed to have received that. Guess it's time to make applesauce again...and every carrot recipe I can imagine to use up the small and buggy/split ones! :)
Hope you have a great weekend...your house looks marvellous!
xx Jen in NS
Dear Jen, Thank you! I did think it was ironic that MORE painting came my way. But it was really worth it and I already have paint everywhere!
DeleteIt sounds like you have a lot of carrots! Well done on getting them all harvested! You garden has been incredible. I picture it now having seem the photos!
Oh my goodness all the cabbages, apples etc were a bonus! I know how this works it is usually all at one time! But yes make hay while the sun shines!
You will be very busy with all of this but it is a good problem to have! It will get you miles ahead. Do you make carrot cake? That is a favourite thing here plus it can be made into muffins and frozen.
You had a massive week! I hope this week is as good! With love Annabel.xxx
Jen, your garden produce sounds beautiful! So does your tea combination!
DeleteRachel
Dear Annabel, Thank You, for a beautiful and heartwarming blog post . I absolutely love your shelf makeover , your shelves are similar to my cupboard ( I think I showed you a photo?.) .I paid a few hundred dollars for my cupboard , how amazing is it that yours were free , well done Annabel.
ReplyDeleteI really love your roses Annabel, they are beautiful. I have one very special rose plant ( it was bought for me by my parents after my partner passed away) , it flowers regularly with a beautiful pink rose.
I have done some decluttering this week and had a look at my gift cupboard and I did my Christmas list of gifts I still need to buy (or in my nieces case money to give them as they are going on a cruise for Christmas so I am giving them money for Christmas to spend while they are away) . I am very happy because I already have enough money in my Christmas fund to cover all the gifts I need to give. I have cut my list down slightly from last year as I was giving gifts to people year after year and not getting thanks or a gift or even a card back. I don't expect big gifts but a card would be nice.
I have also made many cards this week and found some gifts I had put away in a seperate part of my wardrobe away from my gift section. These gifts are just small things but they will add in perfectly with other small things to make a lovely gift.
I have been doing my budget/ spending plan and things will be better again after this fortnight. Thank you again for such a lovely postAnnabel, I love reading about your week . I will have a two week report for the Vicky Challenge on Monday as I missed this weeks reporting. Have a great weekend Annabel and " Annabels mob" !.
I hope Bluey and Jane are going well and Cookie and her family and Rachel, and Teri and your son and family. I have been thinking of you all.Love BarbW.
Dear Barb,
DeleteWell doen on reviewing your Christmas list. We all need to do that from time to time.
It is wonderful you already have your funds saved up and everything covered. Really that means you are well ahead!
Thank you for what you said about my shelves. Remember when you got your shelves and how much I loved them! I thought how the baskets looked so nice... so when I saw these I remembered yours! I was quick to grab them then!
I look forward to hearing your Vicky Challenge. I can't believe we are nearing the end with this and it has been so motivating for me and I can't believe how much DIYing things ourselves really saves. Its amazing.
Thank you so much Barb, I hope you are enjoying a good weekend! With love Annabel.xxx
Doesn't your home look beautiful Annabel!!!!! You must be the toast of the street. Great work on your 100 day challenge. Also great to hear about the unwell people's progress. Am off to work shortly.
ReplyDeleteThanks Fiona! When I drive past the house I notice it the most it looks so much better!
DeleteI hope you are having a good weened and have a great new week. It is beautiful here today and I am having a fairly quiet day! With love Annabel.xxx
Annabel,
ReplyDeleteYour home is gorgeous inside and out! And I love, love your new shelves! More pantry room is such a blessing! I am still waiting for floor to be put down, but hopefully soon Rick's business is slowing down now.
For my feathering on nice days laundry has been hung out to dry. I cleaned out a junk closet and donated a whole big bag of things. I am in the process of putting summer clothes away and getting out winter ones, but it is warm one day and cold the next! The kitty litter boxes got a good scrubbing and cleaned out the bottom of the hutch in the dining room and scrubbed the guys bathroom really good. And the rest has just been busy work, but a good week!
Jane I am so glad Bluey is home!
Cookie I hope your husband's recovery goes well!
XOXO
Vicky
Dear Vicky,
DeleteYou have had a busy week and got heaps done! Clearing out unwanted stuff is great and is a donation too.
I hope the floor goes down too as then you can get to a whole new stage and get things put away as you like. I hate it when renovations are going on as everything is displaced! But once this is done and your new pantry room is up and running it will be amazing! Like your cellar is! Have a great new week! With love Annabel.xxx
Your house and your shelves are gorgeous! Isn't it amazing what a "little" paint can do? We've said we aren't going to do any more work on the house until after Christmas, but seeing your beautiful results makes me want to chuck that plan and start working on the master bedroom.
ReplyDeleteAnd do you remember chatting about finding ham and turkey on sale this time of year? I found double-glazed, spiral-sliced hams at half price in the clearance bin. Turkeys are starting to go on sale for Thanksgiving, but I'm not as happy with the prices I've seen so far and so I am waiting a bit to see if they come down.
Have a lovely weekend!
Blessings, Leigh
Dear Leigh,
DeleteWell if you have a couple of free days the bedroom would be lovely to have done! Plus I guess soon it will be too cold to paint?
I am thrilled you found ham on special already! I really hope we get good specials. Andy loves ham and I love turkey but we will both eat either and both have masses of uses.
Have a good new week Leigh! With love Annabel.xxx
Oh Dear Annabel, I am in love with that Ikea cupboard redo. You are so clever and it looks fantastic!
ReplyDeleteThere is a lady on facebook that has been advertising on our local page. She buys furniture and remodels it into beautiful works of art. I will try and find the link and let you see.
I have been saving rose petals for soap as well. Not that I have made any yet, but my eldest daughter (35) is pestering me to do so. She wants to try making soap together. I think this will be a great thing for us to do. She has started a herb garden that she hopes to make different flavoured teas as well as using in soap and candles making.
Lots of love,
Tania xx
Dear Annabel,
ReplyDeleteI finally found the facebook page I was looking for. I think you will like some of the ideas on this page. Christie makes new creations from old pieces. They look great! Located in Kadina.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Christie-CreatedDesire-to-Create-1252389981441027/about/?ref=page_internal
xTania