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 8 November 2018

Feather your Nest Friday, 9th November 2018.

What a week!   I really could use a "normal" week about now!  The last few days I was in the city and  yesterday the last thing I did at the house was mop the floors, leave all the keys on the counter and pull the door she behind me!  It is all done and today is settlement.   I just have to wait and hope that all takes place ok and I get a phone call to confirm later.

We had two cars loaded up with all the last odds and ends.   I still had all kinds of stuff in the cellar.  I think I went up and down those stairs a hundred times!
There were a few potted plants and my garden angel and bird baths.  Now they are home here.  My angel is down under the trees down at the bottom of the yard.


The bird baths went under two low branches where lorikeets gather every night.  I can't wait until they discover them and they become a busy place in the garden!

So back to the beginning.  We had a fairly peaceful weekend here and I did some cooking getting ready for the Adelaide trip.   I made carrot cake up as little cakes to take the girls.


I made another batch that was gluten free.  And I iced the ones for the girls with yellow icing by special request from Harper.



The garden is really growing.  I rescued some plants that came up out in the chook yard.  Eight were obviously sweet corn and I guess the others were zucchini.   My four little bantams didn't even eat them as the chook house is so big so I dug them up carefully and added them to the veggie patch! 

I set up my spice cabinet.   This took a while as it is a whole cupboard of its own.

I had a beautiful parcel from Jane in my mail box!   She sent me all kinds of seeds from her garden!


She makes the envelopes herself and they are gorgeous!    I will be planting lots of these seeds this afternoon.  Also I thought this is a lovely gift idea for all the gardeners amongst us and a perfect gift for the mail!  Thank you Jane!

Down in our little rabbit proof paddock there are three big old fruit trees. 



They are pretty big trees. 


 Everyone has told me they don't fruit including the people who used to live here.   But I noticed they all were covered in blossoms that is for sure! They were beautiful!   So I went and had a close inspection.   They are all covered in baby fruit! 


So I think I have two types of pears...


And something else... ???


Happy dance! 
In Adelaide I got some bird netting.  And one of the hoses we brought back can drip bore water onto these trees in rotation.  I already got that going.

We decided we are getting geese for this paddock because they will keep it mowed,  deter snakes and act as guard dogs and let us know of anyone coming or going towards our house.   I am so excited about this!

Today I have loads of unpacking to do.  There is stuff everywhere!   But so much of it will add to my various pantries....  there are cans of food,  lanterns, batteries, candles,  laundry items etc.

How did you build up your home this week?   I hope it was a good week for you.
Take the time to consider your week and take time over the weekend to plan the new one.  My plan for today is just to get as much done as I can!  

Because of moving I have not had a Show and Tell for ages.  I am planning some now though!  If you would like to share what you have been making then please send me photos and details to brinkzi21@hotmail.com   This could be really helpful and inspiring as there is still time to make a lot for Christmas!  It can be anything including cooking.  Cooking can be a wonderful gift.
I will start posting these as extra posts over the next weeks! xxx




42 comments:

  1. I am so happy that all things are done with the other house. You have to be relieved.
    The garden angel is lovely. I think everyone needs an angel in their gardens.

    It sounds like a nice week. The garden is growing nicely. I will live my winter through your blog!
    have a blessed day

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    1. Dear Cheryl, Thank you! I am so relieved and also we had the call now that settlement has gone through!!! Ye ha!
      As you move into winter we move into summer. Our hardest season. The only thing in common is we both make be doing much more indoors and less outdoors. Evenings become the only outdoor time in the really hot weather. I am hoping to be able to set myself up to sew etc on those days. With love Annabel.xxx

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  2. Dear Annabel your whole new home and grounds looks wonderful. I think with pears you need 2 varieties for polination. Cross fingers the other maybe a quince, hope so. On youradvice i bought your aunts book,a Fig at the gate. I'm really enjoying it. Would imagine she is even more amazing in person. Enjoy your new home
    And try to have a bit if rest now and then, huh!! Anbbel rest!!!!
    Cheers Karin

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    1. Dear Karin, Thank you! haha I do aim to have some slower days... or am dreaming to!
      I love that book. I forget which book but in one in the last paragraph I am there! I will have to work out which one that is...
      I am hoping my fruit will grow. The cockatoos are my main problem I think but we are putting the nets over plus will watch them and shoo the birds off. Well it is worth a try! Have a good weekend! With love Annabel.xxx

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  3. Dear Annabel, so glad your city home has sold and now you can focus on your farm home . I can’t believe the speed at which you get things done !
    Must be your farm upbringing:-) your garden is coming along beautifully , I love the angel guarding over it .
    Not much done here this week , I’ve had the flu since Wednesday, thankful that I did baking on the previous few days . Had the youngest g/son all Tuesday so that was my week.
    Have a lovely weekend , love Maria xxx

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    1. Dear Maria,
      So sorry you have been sick! Last year in Australia the flu did the rounds really late, like well into spring. People were so sick with it. I hope you are picking up now!
      Thank you re the house. It was all a whirlwind and I cant quit comprehend this all! Now we can turn our attention to a lot of plans! So nice... the timing of before Christmas is lovely for us!
      Please rest up a bit Maria... with love Annabel.xxx

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  4. Annabel how wonderful that the house has sold and settled so quickly. I can imagine how long the shopping list is to get all you need for ease of living on a large block.
    Your little girls must love it when you visit. That trip to and from the city is going to end up being an auto pilot one for you. Maybe it already is.
    I'm glad you liked the seeds. I have done the same for a few friends as a "House Warming" gift. Seeds can be kept and used when the time is right. These are all proven plants and open pollinated heirloom plants.
    This week I completed a quilted Advent Calendar for the Grandies. It has been made from scraps and what I had here. The little ornaments were purchased as I wanted to get it posted for my little girls. I am really happy with the results.
    Bluey and I have started a paving project. It is going to take us a bit of time to get it done but it will be wonderful once completed. We will once again be using what we already have here. I am the labourer and let me tell you I did not know I had several muscles that are currently screaming at me.
    This weekend the plan is to get the Christmas Puddings made.
    Have a wonderful weekend
    Life is sore muscle good.

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    1. Dear Jane,
      It is such a relief! It was in pretty good time too which I am starting to realise now!
      The seeds were really a perfect house warming gift. I love the packets too. I have planted the tomatoes... I started them in pots then will transplant.
      I love your advent calendar! It is gorgeous! The girls will be so excited.
      Now you are a brickies labourer! I can imagine that is hot hard work! You are like me... we will turn our hand to anything to get stuff done!
      The Christmas puddings over the weekend would be great. I love Christmas pudding. Mum makes two kinds and they are so good. One she makes is a sago one.
      Have a lovely weekend! With love and thanks, Annabel.xxx

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    2. Dear Annabel, what a busy, productive week for you as always. You surely now live in a beautiful spot and I'm sure the time will come when you'll be able to slow down a little. Your little cakes look so pretty and I'm sure taste deliciously.
      I have Jane's seed envelope envy!! These are beautiful. I love all the different papers she has used. Could you please ask her are they scrapbook papers and where are they from? I'd love to get some. Also does Jane have a Instagram account or where do you go to see the beautiful crafts she does such as the Advent Calendar?
      One more question, Annabel. I'm wanting to read your series on PREPAREDNESS but find that they start on your last post on it, if you understand. Is there some way I can access the posts from the beginning without having to scroll backwards to find the start?
      I'll send you an email with a couple of pics this week for Show and Tell Annabel. I can't wait to be inspired by our fellow bluebirds, especially Jane as she always seems so busy at crafting. Enjoy your weekend Annabel, hugs Lorraine xox

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    3. Lorraine I was given a book that was all different papers. I have used these for the seed envelopes. The template came off Pinterest. I am on Instagram @beachcombing_granny.

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  5. Annabel you have done so well and will be super fit stair climbing. How wonderful you have hidden fruit trees you didn't know about, one with the furry fruit could be a peach tree but not really sure. Your baking as usual looks divine :).

    It has been a week of non stop purchases :o, which were all planned for but I don't think I have spent so much money in such a small period of time leading up to our house settlement. Sales abounded so I took advantage of them on the items we needed to buy :).

    Our Vicky challenge added up to $494.31 in savings last week.

    Home organising -
    - We have now packed 3/4's of our belongings into boxes ready for the move :) and our removalist gave us some free boxes to use as we had almost run out of the ones we saved.

    In the kitchen -
    - Made a cheesecake from homemade condensed milk saving $69.78 over purchasing the equivalent quality in the shops. We used Woolworths home brand one and surprisingly the cheesecake turned out not as sweet, which we liked better, as when we use the Philadephia one (I think Philly has a lot of sugar in it).
    - Made a chicken, mushroom and corn pie including pastry from leftover roasted chicken. One 2 + kg chicken lasted us 5 meals for the 2 of us.
    - We were able to give some service to some dear friends. The wife had fallen over on concrete and has concussion and horrid bruising and she cares for her husband who has the beginnings of Alzheimers. We rang them and asked them if we could cook them a huge roast chicken and garden picked pumpkin and sweet potato for them and they accepted. This will most likely feed them for 4 to 5 days without the wife cooking anything and we also took over some fresh silver beet from our gardens and gave her some arnica cream for her bruising out of our medical supplies. Seeing the smile on their faces was truly worth it and it helped us use up some meat in the freezer prior to us moving :).

    Finances -
    - Listed 22 items on eBay using a free listing promotion saving $36.30.
    - Spent a lot of money on items we needed for our forever home, medical kit and cat needs :o .

    Purchases eek -
    - Purchased 2 brushcutter safety helmets with visor and neck protection flap using a $10 off eBay voucher.
    - Ordered 1 years supply of Arnica cream, iron tablets and peroxide from our online pharmacy using a 5% off promotion saving $9.47 on their usual prices. In our local chemist the arnica cream here is $6 per tube dearer so just there we saved $78.57 :).
    - Purchased a years supply of flea and tick prevention for the cat using a 5% off promotion on eBay saving $31.71 over purchasing it from our local veterinary clinic.

    Starting to get rather sore muscles from packing and running but we will both oh so use the arnica cream tonight after showers :). One month and one day until settlement and moving into our new home.


    Sewingcreations15 (Lorna).

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    1. Dear Lorna, I really relate to where you are at just now!! It was wonderful how you helped your friends. I feel so sorry for that poor lady. I hope she is recovering well. Several meals are a huge help. Things all go much better with decent food too after a shock or injury and really she had both.
      You did very well. Still cooking, still saving and selling on eBay while packing.
      We also did the freezer use it up time... and I got down to very little. It was a help and a saving before moving then I only had sausages and puff pastry right at the end.
      I would be pretty pleased if that was a peach tree! I should run a "guess what the fruit tree is" competition! Soon I should be able to tell I hope! I have watered them all. What a bonus these are!
      Have a good weekend! You are doing well! With love Annabel.xxx

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  6. Hi Annabelle, I’m loving reading about your new life on the farm and feel excited about your garden, it’s wonderful to bring new life to a property. Looking at the picture of your fruit I was thinking it could be a quince, I’ve just planted one in my new garden and the leaves are very similar, also the fruit appears to have fuzz on it, time will tell.
    Sue

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    1. Thank you Sue! I would be very pleased with Quinces and my Aunt thinks Quinces too! I am watering it and we covered it with a giant bird net now!
      Thank you for your kind words! Love Annabel.xxx

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  7. How lovely that your city home sale has been finalized. You sound as though you are getting everything organized and running well at the farm. You are an inspiration with all the things you accomplish each week! Pear trees! We have a couple of them but have not had a crop yet. Hope springs eternal each year:-) Looking forward to some show and tell. Blessings to you.

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    1. Dear Marie, Thank you! I hope your pear trees do fruit! Each day I go look at the ones here.. it does appear tow types of pears plus the mystery tree! Now we have covered them all with bird net. I have been busy posting show and tell now up to number 4! They keep coming! With love Annabel.xxx

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  8. Dear Annabel,

    Ha, ha! I think "guess the fruit" contest is a good idea. Seems like quite a few fruits look similar at that stage. Am I right that apples don't do well there? It sure looks like our apple trees at that stage, though the leaves are a little pointy. I don't know what a peach tree looks like, but I'd cross my fingers for that! :)

    We've been crafting up a storm this week as we decided last minute to host a craft/bake table for a parish fundraiser at our church's annual ham supper next weekend. Trying to do quick things that won't require a huge price tag...it's a fundraiser, yes, but we also need to actually SELL some items to raise any money, and it seems like most people aren't really willing to pay much at craft tables. (They WILL spring big bucks at stores, but expect the homemade stuff to be uber cheap...not sure of the reasoning there.) I will try to remember to take a photo or two before I haul it off. We're also knitting lots of men's toques and scarves for our local Mission to Seafarers for Christmas shoebox deliveries.

    Your angel looks beautiful in her new location!! How thoughtful of Jane to send you all those seeds...that sure is bounty in small packets! The envelopes are gorgeous.

    Off to clean house and get crafting!!

    Love, Jen in NS

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    1. Dear Jen,
      I hope all goes well with the fundraiser! I'd love to see what you make. I for one would buy a pair of your knitted socks in a heartbeat. Blue is my favorite color. Just throwing that out there ;)
      Love, Kelsey

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    2. Dear Jen, I would be happy with either peaches or apples! We do have apples. Not too far from here there is an apple tree on a road side. For many years I picked buckets and buckets from that tree! But we will see! Today Andy bought a bird net for the tree it is 10 x 10 meters, close enough to 10 yards... Getting it over the tree will be the fun part!
      I hope the fundraiser goes well! Here people are crazy over home made cakes, slices, preserves. I would love to see what you do and the work for the mission also. How wonderful!
      The envelopes for seeds combined with your garden could see you with some gifts too in the future. Also I know you have to post some gifts... seeds are light and small!
      With much love Annabel.xxx

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  9. ohhh my goodness, i have missed so much of your blog!
    you have moved? when did that happen? can you give me a link to when the idea was as i think the last post i read was you had finished painting the house walls??? I think, gosh, sorry, i just haven't had time for blogs with my knitting schedule & i would dearly love to read from the start of the 'when it was you decided to move to a farm"? please, i did try scrolling back but i couldn't find where it began/begins; i want to read it all; thanx
    you do some wonderful things here & love how generous you are with your knowledge too

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    1. Dear Selina, Thank you! Well maybe start here as this explains a lot..
      http://thebluebirdsarenesting.blogspot.com/2018/07/bluebirds-farmhouse.html
      Then I only really blogged once a week after that as we became so busy so I would say read on from there if you are up to it!
      It has been a HUGE year for us! I am glad to have you back! With love Annabel.xxx

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  10. Dear Annabel, So happy for you! Great news regarding the house and looking forward to your first Christmas in your new home :)
    Blessings, Heidi xx

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    1. Thank you Heidi! It will be so different having Christmas on the farm! I am thinking how will I decorate? I am working on some ideas! With love, Annabel.xxx

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  11. Congratulations on your new home and acreage. I have been following your story and love it! Did you take any photos of your city home, all emptied out? If so, would love it if you could share. I know you did so much to that home. Jane in FL

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    1. Jane if you want to see how it all looked for sale email me at brinkzi21@hotmail and I will send you a link. It did look good! We sure did a lot of work on it! With love Annabel.xxx

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  12. Hi Annabel and everyone,

    I love the spot that you picked for your statue, Annabel - and I am so excited for you with your giant fruit trees! After some travel last week - gosh it has been a busy fall! - we are back home and getting back into the swing of domestic life. I saved some money while traveling by packing a small cooler with drinks and a tote bag with healthy snacks (and a few treats). And, we went to the ballet while we were away! It was so beautiful and such a treat.

    Food: All work lunches ($150) and snacks ($40) were cooked and brought from home. My crockpots worked hard for me: chicken and noodles, pork ribs, and meatballs in sauce. The meatballs were a gift for our barn friends so that everyone would have lunch the day of the barn show; it was about $20 for the ingredients, and fed a lot of people. I also pulled homemade wontons out of the freezer for a weekend lunch.

    Home: Lots and lots of laundry & cleaning out the fridge & starting to organize the freezer for fall sales. I'm hoping to get a few turkeys and some baking things this week.

    Shopping: I used a %off total purchase coupon to buy floss for a project and a book of patterns that was already on sale. ($9 spent.) Our library also had a wonderful book sale (fill a large paper bag for $5), so we both found some treasures for the bookcases.

    Entertainment: We had a movie date at home with a dvd borrowed from our library. The weather has been very mild and sunny, so we've enjoyed some outdoor rides with the horses, including a really nice trail ride across the 80 acres that our friends are leasing.

    Personal/Education: We both got our flu shots at work for free (difficult to calculate the savings on this, as health is so important). My husband used our insurance for some physical therapy visits for bursitis; they helped him so much, he is feeling good and more mobile, and it was completely covered.

    Crafts: I finished knitting a pair of socks and put stitches into a few projects that will decorate our home.

    Gifts: Mostly the gift of time this week. We volunteered at the barn show for the day - my husband took photos of all of the kids, and I brought lunch and handed out prize ribbons and small bags of candy. The smiles on little faces were wonderful to see!

    I hope everyone has a great weekend!
    Kathy

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    1. Dear Kathy, You did have your crockpots working hard! I always think of getting the handmaidens working!
      Packing drinks and snacks when travelling or away for the day is a huge saving. Usually healthier too.
      Libraries have amazing sales! We have a couple of churches also that have huge book sales. So cheap. This is the way to get books!
      It was lovely that you volunteered. I think community spirit is a really important thing as is networking. Well done!
      I love my angel too... from the kitchen and bedroom windows and the front deck she can be seen quietly down the bottom of the yard in the gum trees!
      One more thing to settle us in here and it feel like home!
      Have a lovely weekend! With love, Annabel.xxx

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  13. Annabel, I am sure there was real satisfaction in finishing up the house in the city and some sadness to close that chapter in your lives. The geese will be beautiful on your lawn and how wonderful to have fruit trees already mature and producing for you.

    We have worked all week to decluttered and get ready for our appraisal on our house but they have not called to schedule yet so hopefully we will not have to do it all over again! We spent $61 at the grocery store but used $28 in coupons and will get back $5.50 from ibotta. Organic canned tomatoes were 25 cents a can so those are restocked. Some Christmas gifts were bought on great deals. Every year this time I use Amazon gift cards that I have earned on Swagbucks to buy a new kitchen gadget and this time it was a small Zojirushi rice cooker. It can make very small amounts of rice which will be a savings here because we do not like leftover rice and small amounts were always going in the trash. I can also set it up with oats and it will cook them and have them ready to eat when we come downstairs in the morning. I did this one morning this week and it was wonderful to have breakfast waiting! It is truly feeling like winter is coming now. I turned on the LED candles in the living room so that they come on a dark every evening and go off 5 hours later. It makes it so cozy at night.

    Every Sunday afternoon I sit down with my planning sheets, the chore lists that rotate over 4 weeks and the menu planning calendar and get our week planned out. If we get up on Monday without those plans all mapped out then we are just at a loss as to what we need to do and time is wasted while we just try to get organized and going. I wish I had done this many years sooner than I did as I would have not had to keep mental lists which just wears me out.

    I prayed for everything to go smoothly for your house closing but it may have all been done when I got up! Have a lovely weekend!

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    1. Debby in Kansas, USA10 November 2018 at 08:09

      Lana, I'd love to see how you do your lists! As an official *lister*, I'm always looking for ways to improve my organization!

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    2. Dear Lana,
      Thank you for how you prayed re the house sale. It went incredible smoothly and fast. Wow! So grateful.
      Your organic tomatoes are an amazing price. We are looking at $1 a can even on a good sale usually.
      I hope you have your house appraisal. I think it pays to have several.
      Lana Sunday is also my planning day. I find this helps me so much. I set up some goals. Then each day I make a list. This works for me to get so much more done. I also love to tick stuff off my lists! Also this planning sometimes allows me to see I am double booked and cut something out. Often it shows me if I combine things I can save fuel and do all kinds of things in one trip, also saving time. So today is the day!
      Thank you so much! Have a great new week! With love, Annabel.xxx

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    3. Dear Annabel and Lana,
      I agree with Debby! I would very much like to see y'all's (yes that is a word lol) planning lists. Maybe a good idea for a future post?
      Love, Kelsey

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  14. Dear Annabel, It all looks and sounds so very wonderful. You sound so happy and so very very busy. Enjoy it all.
    I think your mystery fruit tree could be a feijoa?? Looks interesting and you have the fun of a surprise! Love, Jo (the Op Shop one)

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    1. Dear Jo, I know its you! Well I will enter you into the fruit tree competition lol! I guess soon I will be able to tell it is just they are so little and just forming where as the other trees seem obvious. I am just glad to have them! The cockatoos are my main issue. We are putting the nets over this weekend. We have been so busy! But we have come a long way. And my herb garden is coming along. I planted a seed border of parsley from the old house... it has all come up and will look wonderful! Have a good weekend! With love Annabel.xxx

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  15. Debby in Kansas, USA9 November 2018 at 13:39

    Busy, busy!! My knees aren't healthy enough to go up and down the basement stairs more than a couple of times a day. I'm convinced that my fat is the only thing holding them together!!
    I say this because they hurt far worse before I gained a bit of weight! The doctor agreed this was a possibility, but rushed to add that he didn't encourage it!

    Your comment about guard geese reminded me of something funny that happened years ago with a friend of mine. She had a few geese roaming her small farm. She pulled in the driveway from work and there was the UPS man on top of their farm truck! The geese were all herded around honking at him and he was afraid to come down. He'd been up there for a couple of hours because it was in the days of no cell phones and he couldn't holler loud enough for anyone to hear him! The man was pretty angry and said he'd never deliver another package to her because of her "trained killer herd of crazy geese" or something along those lines. Oh, how we laughed. Felt terribly sorry for the poor guy, but we couldn't help it. She ended up making a deal with UPS to drop her packages with the neighbor across the road. Keep that in mind if you're expecting a delivery and it doesn't show up lol.....I hear swans are equally territorial....I have one of those stories, as well!! Kansas has truly been a state filled with fun fowl stories!! The only birds I argued with in California were hummingbirds, when I tried to fill their feeders.

    Those seed packets are incredibly pretty. Such a nice gift!

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    1. Dear Debby,
      This is really funny! Mum and Dad has geese when I was little. There was a tree in the driveway near where people drove in. Mum found people up that tree several times. haha Well Mum said the geese were completely relaxed with all regular people that came and went but anyone different and they were on the job! So they are like guard dogs!
      You made me stop and think though re the mail... but the mail box is way beyond where the geese will be so that will be ok.
      I think they will let us know if anyone is about and act as an early warning system... plus help with snakes and keeping grass down. Also they look beautiful!
      Thanks for the funny story! With love Annabel.xxx

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  16. Geese are a wonderful idea....We love our geese and they are also our lawnmowers....They keep the grass down in our food forest and we have now a few paddocks fenced in that we can rotate them to where we need them....The fruit trees are such a bonus....

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    1. This is really good to know. We are interested in what height fence is adequate? Ours will have a fairly big paddock under fruit trees and some other trees and water etc.... but I need to know they will stay in there not get over the fence into my veggies near the house... we are looking into this!

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  17. Dear Annabel,

    I'm glad to hear that your mum is doing better and will continue praying for her. I'm also so glad for you that the city house sold and closed quickly! Lots of answered prayers!

    I hope the mystery fruit trees put on lots of fruit. Your garden is looking great! The roses are lovely. I'm going to a free class at the library this week that is about growing roses in our area.

    My husband grilled/smoked a turkey breast which made several meals, plus broth from the bones. I picked up a couple more turkey breasts for the freezer at $.99 a pound. There have been quite a few good deals and coupons. I bought a few extra things on sale to have to donate to holiday food drives.

    We're still working on refreshing and remodeling the kitchen. The cupboards and pantry got a good clean out and reorganizing. Although not completely clear, the counters look a lot better, too.


    I've also been going through my gifts, wrapping supplies, pantry and such Christmas supplies to see what I have and what I need to buy or make. Some of the sales and coupons have helped me add a few things. Like you and many of the Bluebirds, I am on the lookout all year long. Now it's time to make a list and check it twice :-). I also sorted out a few gifts that I could donate to a Christmas toy drive.

    Hope you have had a good weekend, maybe even a bit of rest, and have a lovely week ahead!

    Love from Arizona,
    Elaine

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    1. Dear Elaine, I think being on the look out all year long is the key! Typically the best deals are after you need them i.e. wrapping paper after Christmas, Hams and turkeys after New Years Day etc. but this is how I stock up on so many things! I got out so much just gorgeous Christmas wrap only today and it was all marked down fro $8 a roll (was the fancy stuff) to 50c a roll. It is so lovely! I have eight rolls of it.
      I did have a bit of rest today. Not all day but some of it! And a planning day for the week too.
      The pears that look quite purple grew like crazy this week. The mystery one is still a mystery!
      We did have answered prayers. I am amazed how fast the house sold, was settled... and Mum too is improving. She has to be so careful now and it is hard for her not to over do it!
      The turkey sounds delicious. I just love turkey! With love and thanks, Annabel.xxx

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  18. Dear Annabel,
    That is wonderful that things are settled with your city house! Now all of your focus can be at the farm!
    It has been a busy week for us with not much time spent at home. One day we went test driving vehicles as we are shopping for a new one after our last one went up in smoke. We decided on what we wanted specifically. Now it is just a matter of the dealership finding it for us.
    We also made a trip to the city. This was mainly so Colton could register for college in the spring. The fire department is paying for it as his degree will go towards his career. Once he gets his degree, that will mean a pay raise too. He can take his classes online so it is really a win for us. We are very thankful for the opportunities we have had.
    Of course being in the city I also went to a few craft stores and took advantage of some sales. A few days later, we went back for a craft fair (as shoppers, I wasn't selling.) I am like you and prefer to support small local businesses, even more now as I know how much goes into it! We got some lovely jams and jellies and some salsa too. One lady was selling coffee blends she had created. Her company is called Firehouse Coffee! Her husband was a firefighter so you can imagine we walked away with some coffee. She was so nice and threw in some freebies for Colton to take to work. We also bought goat milk lotion and soap. It is so lovely, especially now in the winter when my skin gets really dry. The lady had a goat right there with her in her booth! John was very happy about that. So that was lots of fun!
    The next day we took a trip to a church we visit every year, to play music for their Thanksgiving celebration. It was a lovely time.
    But now I am just ready to be home! The house (and laundry!) really needs my attention by now lol.
    I did manage to get a few things made for the shop. I had a customer request a variation on my mason jar tags, so I made several sets for her. I also had a request from a friend to make clothes pins for her little girls. I am still working on those. Another friend requested two aprons for little girls, and I finished one of them. I've also added garden tags and jar toppers to the shop. Let's just say late nights and early mornings for me! I love it though.
    I hope everyone has a wonderful week ahead!
    With love, Kelsey

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    1. Dear Kelsey, Colton is very wise to further his education and especially when the fire department will pay for it and then there is a pay rise. That is so good! These are the kind of investments I love to hear about!
      I love how the lady had her store called Firehouse Coffee! I agree... I want to support home businesses. It is a win win. I love the lady who took the goat!! I would love a goat but Andy has been traumatised by goats in the past lol so I dont think I can get one... haha
      It is very good you are getting orders. Orders are great as you know they are sold! Also if people say what they want it gives you feedback on what people are looking for! Very good!
      Well done Kelsey... I hope the right car comes in now and it will be a good car for you! With love Annabel.xxx

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    2. Colton and I want a milk goat too but I say wait until John is old enough to milk it lol.

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