Feather your Nest Friday, 8 June, 2018.

I had a great week and caught up so many things.  I thought I will do one big Friday post and this gave me time to catch up on most comments and correspondence etc.

So where do I start!?  I had unpacking, shopping, cleaning to do and Andy,  Lucy, Harper and Scarlett all with colds.  Basically everyone in Adelaide has a bug I think.   Due to this I started with chicken soup.  I made a potent pot of wholesome soup and we lived on that for a few days.

Garlic,  bay leaves, celery, parsley, turmeric, onion.... to me all these things are so helpful when unwell.

I had a wonderful purchase from Aldi.  I was so excited.  A cast iron enamel pot that is just gorgeous.

It is so lovely and heavy.  Cast iron pots like these in department stores are a couple of hundred dollars.  At Aldi under $30.   I messaged the girls and they both wanted one so we all have the same pot!   What I love is if I have a combustion wood fire I can just sit it on top and use the fire as my "slow cooker."  How I would love to do that!   Well, we have decided we want to move to the farm so maybe next winter I will be doing exactly this! 

Andy and I both lived in the country most of our lives.  I came to the city to get the girls into further education.  I achieved that and they both ended up with good jobs.  Lucy now is married with two girls and Chloe who always wanted to marry a farmer is getting married in October to farmer Luke.  They want to start a family right away.   

Lucy and family and Andy and me have all been offered opportunities by Dad to come back to the farm.  He is getting older.  He is always thinking how can the future generations be helped and made as secure as possible?  

Three years ago when I started writing the preparedness series I had a feeling.  A feeling to get prepared.  Actually it was almost a nagging feeling.  I was prompted to turn my empty cellar into a food and emergency supplies pantry.   I built up preparedness in all areas.  We put in rain water, generators,  a medical cabinet and the list goes on.  It is amazing what you can do when you do a little bit each week!

Still I had a feeling things were changing.  About a year ago I knew that we would be better off to go back to the farm.  We could have wood fires and cooking.   We could plant and orchard.  Have a big veggie garden.  Ground and rain water.   Andy could be hunting and fishing.  We could have a homestead!  

Taking classes with Patsy she would have scenarios and you had to participate from the point of view of your own location, climate etc.  Each time I did this from two locations,  the city and the farm.

Boy did this show me how vulnerable we are.  At the end of the day it is like in WW1 and WW2 the people who did ok had family on a farm.  Space to grow vegetables and keep chooks.  

Another thing has been happening.   There is a mood.   The city and the media use words now to intimidate Christians.   Here are some I have seen lately.  If you believe the Bible is the Word of God you are a bigot.  If you save you are a hoarder.  If you are  a conservative or you tell the truth according to Gods Word that is hate speech.  I think this is because to people that hate the truth the truth is hate speech.  Even in our lovely area I have seen some things in the last year that no one should have to see.   

So every hint we are getting supports the feeling and conviction that we should move to the county. Back to the country. 

And then my Dad turned out to be planning and working on making a place for us.  It turns out he thought if he could get either of the girls back on the farm then I would follow!  mmm he is a long term planner I have to say!

Once Dad knew yes!  we want to do it he started moving heaven and earth to try to make a place for us and for Lucy's family if they wanted too.  

I have wanted to share this and I still want to share more but we are just on the edge of this all happening but it hasn't quite happened yet!  So if you would pray I would be really grateful.

Part of my catching up this week was jobs and part it was THINKING and planning!

My brain was kind of in overload.

Ok back to the past week! 

With all the soup I made sausage rolls.  I made 39!  I froze some and will give Chloe and Luke about half of them.

I need to check the current prices for sausage rolls a the bakery.  This many sausage rolls would probably be about $160 to buy!  Baking is such a saver.

I also made baked custards in the slow cooker.

The soup is all gone now.  So while dinner last night was in the oven I baked a tray of veggies for pumpkin soup.   This is a recipe from Matt Preston who is not a chef he just hangs around with chefs and gets their easy amazing tips.   There is onion, sweet potato, pumpkin and an apple.  

Tonight I will blend it with stock and make some cornbread.  Dinner and footie on a cold night.

My Aunt says I should mention what is cold to us as our idea of cold will make you laugh if you live in the north.  So cold to us is down around freezing point in the middle of the night.  A cold day is around 9 which is about 48 F.   We don't get snow and we don't usually go below zero.  Today is cool at 13 ( 55)  In northern Australia they think this is cold but I don't think in the USA Canada or Uk this measures up as very cold at all! 

My craft this week was very small but a success.   Harper loves Emma Wiggle.   The Wiggles are a little kid sensation you have probably heard of.  Love is not a strong enough word for how Harper feels about Emma.   

Emma does ballet and Irish dancing.  Harper therefore is obsessed with dancing.   The other day I saw that Emma had ribbons on wrist bands and they looked lovely as she danced.

I bought soft hair ties and raided my ribbon supply and made dancing ribbons.

Here is Harper watching Emma dance with her ribbons and being able to do it too...

As I had ribbon this all cost me $1. 

I took a video to show Mum as a lot of twirling was involved. 😊

Lynette sent me a beautiful parcel.   One thing was little canister type containers that essential oils had come in.  She thought I might like to use them since I am making essential oil gifts.   I sure can!  I covered the labels on them with my own...

I can make up a little bottle of oil or a blend or a roller and pop it in one of these with printed instructions!   Thanks so much Lynette! 

Chloe had a visitor this week.   She has had many Kangaroos and Wombats but this is a new one...

I went to see Kath in the nursing home.  I took her favourite marshmallows and biscuits and coffee.  

On the way I went to a good op shop and to Bunnings to save petrol and do a few things together. 

So that is my week and some of what is going on!

With so much to do I am just trying to do anything that needs doing!  

When we move I will still blog but we will go over to Bluebirds Farmhouse!

Thank you to everyone who supports me here.  Our community and the friendships formed have taught me so much.  I have come a long way in a few years.  

Through this blog I have met some of the hardest working and wonderful Christian ladies I could ever hope to meet.   I recently realised it is fellowship.  We can have fellowship long distance due to technology.  This is amazing! 

Listen to this...

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,

not neglecting to gather together, as is the habit of some,

but encouraging one another....

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up.

The older women ..... can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be set controlled and pure, to be busy at home.

Like the woman who found the lost coin... she calls her friends and says "rejoice with me!"   It is a beautiful thing to have someone to tell what you have achieved and your happiness.   It makes it even better!   Having someone who will recognise your efforts is so encouraging.  This helps me every day.

All these scriptures are what we have been doing together.  My message has been all your work at home is not a waste of time it is so valuable and worth more than rubies.   Make hay while the sun shines.   A little bit every day will get you there.  Read your Scripture and check everything against it.  Pray!  Make the most of the season you are in right now.   Take every opportunity!

I hope you had a good week.  How did you build up your nest, save or get ahead?

Have a lovely weekend! xxx