There was a lot of excitement! The dog that Lucy's family adopted (Harper thinks it is her dog) had NINE puppies on Saturday night. It was so exciting. I got a running commentary via text messages.... "here is number 8 this one is brown!" and so on. Finally after number nine there were no more. They are all doing really well!
It was only weeks ago Lucy said to me they need more animals as the girls love them so much. Well now they have TEN dogs and then during the week Kato came home with two lambs!
Suddenly I was giving lamb raising instructions over the phone...
One lamb is extremely small. I suspect it was a twin left behind. This one gets carried around in a bag!
My lamb Scooter has grown like a rocket. He is basically like a dog. He bounds ahead of me and if I go in the back door and he can't see me he races around to the front door. I think he is part grey hound! Also he thinks I am his Mum. When Mum and I went to see Lucy and the girls for a day I left the bottle for Andy to give Scooter. I get a call... "Scooter won't drink." I said "what do you mean he won't drink?" (as he is always starving...) And Andy said well he puts the teat in the lambs mouth but the lamb won't swallow. 🙄
When I got home Scooter was so thirsty! Then he needed big cuddles. Seriously what a sook.
He looks smug to me.
So that is the lamb report!
On our trip to see the girls I picked a big bag of greens for the chickens. Also came home with a huge zucchini.
I made a big pot of pumpkin soup with the zucchini thrown in. I shared this with Chloe and Luke.
I also made a big beef curry and between the soup and curry this fed us several nights and lunches.
Then I made baked egg custards. I will have one of these for breakfast or a desert.
With fresh eggs each day I think of things to do with eggs.
I made a cake for Dad. This is his favourite cake. It is called Mrs. Cadd's Sultana Cake.
It looked so nice and I couldn't try it. I won't even eat one mouthful of wheat now as my body aches so much if I do. So I made a gluten free one and it worked perfectly and is delicious! This is a winner. I will post the recipe in comments if anyone wants it.
Mum send me some wire to make a lamb yard. This is so Scooter can be out on the grass in the day hopefully learning to eat!
I had several very good supermarket bargains so I stocked up. This is your chance, when you see a great deal stock up!
Another bargain I got was a garden gate. I saw on a local town Facebook Buy Swap and Sell a lovely gate for $25. We are needing one and I showed Andy. He said its a bargain and a good size. So I got it! There are really some great opportunities on social media buy/sell/swap sites and also seed swaps etc.
During the week I went to town and two op shops (thrift stores) to look for dog bedding. With nine puppies there will be a lot of warm dog blankets needed. I have become friendly with one of the op shop ladies. I asked if there were more dog blankets out the back as the selection wasn't very good. She took me out the back to a huge warehouse like area. There were tubs and tubs marked "dog blankets" and she said go for it! As I went through them I began finding things like a huge white quilted bedspread. I spread it out... oh my goodness it was divine, no holes or damage so why was it in dog blankets?? Who cares! It was $5 and I grabbed that. I found two others that were quilted or woven textured white cotton bedspreads. Both these were damaged but I plan to make cushions and kitchen towels. They really thick beautiful absorbent cotton. There is miles of fabric in each.
I did also get actual dog blankets! Lots of them!
I am kicking myself as as I left the lady pointed to unopened large plastic bags and said they are all also dog blankets. I should have gone through them but as it was I had to do two trips to the car. Next time I go I will go the same day to see the same lady and ask to go through them again.
I will show all of these but they are all being soaked and washed right now. The good bedspread is just heavenly and probably one of my best finds and best bargains ever!
It was Andy's birthday and I made a black forest cake.
I spent hours spreading sheep manure over the veggie garden and flower garden. My seedlings are doing pretty well too. This all has improved my garden a lot. Our soil is quite sandy but now it looks rich and dark.
Three nights in a row we had a visitor. The first night I heard a strange noise. This guy was sitting on the deck rails.
It is a Tawny Frogmouth. He looks a bit like Oscar the Grouch I thought. The photo doesn't show his rich colours but he was quite amazing.
We have a trip to the city coming up. We haven't even left yet and I can't wait to get home. However I will make the most of the opportunity and stock up at Aldi and so on.
I really hope you had a great week. How did you get ahead, stock up, save or set things to good use?
Some of our state had rain but we missed out. So we are desperate for rain. Please pray it rains.
Have a lovely weekend. xxx
Dear Annabel, how wonderful to hear about the arrival of the 9 puppies. I bet the girls were so excited and happy. How cute!! I bet that they are just gorgeous. We have been talking about the same thing- how the boys might need a pet. I think it helps them to care for others etc and of course makes them feel happy too. I am not sure yet what we will end up getting. I am a bit worried about having more responsibility lol I love the sound of Scooter and how sweet that he only wanted milk and cuddles from you! So sweet! He looks very sweet-natured. Your cooking looks magnificent and I love the sound of those custards and the curry! Delicious. I also think your garden looks very happy. Happy Birthday to Andy and what a beautiful cake!! I bet he loved it. What a score on the blanket! I love hearing about things like this. I went shopping today and found a skirt for $1 and two Duplo big base boards each for $2, so the boys can have their own and build their own creations. I can imagine it would be very hard leaving the farm! It sounds beautiful, and serene. Lots of love, Bridget
ReplyDeleteDear Bridge,
DeleteI do think kids benefit hugely from animals. Also they an encourage outdoor play and activity. The thing to avoid is something that could end up with enormous vet bills. I notice now people are paying for things that were once unheard of amounting to thousands. Smaller thinks like turtles and guinea pigs tend to not have the gigantic bills and fees that dogs do. I honestly think chooks are a good start. Kids love feeding them, collecting the eggs and you get eggs and manure for the garden!
The duple boards were a great buy. I think duple and lego is a very good thing.
I got started on some of my finds. First I washed them up. Then the cotton one with wear I have cut up to make really large sized t towels. They are thick white absorbent and textured. I love them already very french country farm style!
The main bedspread is on the bed! The other one is more silky woven white on white and Im thinking cushions. Either way I am thrilled to have plenty to sew and make! Your $1 skirt was a very good buy also!
Have a lovely weekend!
With love, Annabel.xxx
What a love.t new family, I had to laugh at the sooky lamb, he is too cute and obviously thinks you are Mum.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to the recipe for gf sultana cake please
Tracy
Hi Tracy ok here it is... it is old so if you need grams just convert it. I just set my scale to imperial. It is easy and delicious and works with gf flour also.
DeleteCream half a pound of butter with half a pound of sugar. Add 3 whole eggs and half a cup of mix and mix that. Add 12 oz SR flour then half a pound of sultanas at the end. Bake is a hotish oven recipe says 450 F I did 200 C for one hour then turn off oven and leave it for a few minutes longer. It has chewy lovely top. It is delicious! It doesnt keep a long time like dark fruit cakes so I divided mine up and froze sections. I hope you like it. I do my basic rules of line every tin with non stick baking paper! xxx
Lovely Annabel, Thankyou for sharing this GF recipe. I don't understand where you wrote-
DeleteAdd 3 whole eggs and half a cup of mix and mix that"
What does the half a cup of mix mean please?
Sorry Lorraine (and everyone!) This is a typo. Me going to fast! It is half a cup of milk. Add the eggs then half a cup of milk. Sorry!
DeleteYou have got a lot of things accomplished Annabel and happy belated birthday to Andy too. The story of Scooter is so cute and animals do get used to the same person caring for them so that is probably why he wouldn't take the bottle off Andy. I would include Andy in the feeding bottle routine so Scooter gets more used to being fed by multiple people in case you have to go away for some reason. You are so right in picking up specials when we see them and stocking up too :).
ReplyDeleteOur Vicky challenge added up to $1936.13 in savings last week :) .
In the kitchen -
- Made a homemade cheesecake from homemade condensed milk and frozen juice from gifted lemons saving $69.48 over buying it in a cheesecake shop for the equivalent quality.
- Made a 1.02 kg batch of chocolate fudge saving $55.87 over purchasing it in the shops.
- Made all meals and bread from scratch.
Purchases for Groceries/Fuel/home maintenance and Medical -
- Puchased a 3 piece auger and extension poles saving $44.01 over another set I was watching on eBay.
- Purchased wheat biscuits, grapes, oranges, capsicum and hot dog rolls on special saving $68.35 over normal purchase prices.
- Bought rump steak for $9 kg and champagne leg ham for $9.99 kg on super special at IGA saving $68.35 on buying them in the larger supermarkets.
- Bought 3 x 200 pk multivitamins, 2 x 80 pk probiotics, 1 x 400 ml 20 vol 6% peroxide and 2 x 40 pk fabric bandaids on special saving $35.55 on usual prices.
Finances and listings -
- Listed 38 handmade items on eBay on a free listing promotion saving $62.70 on usual listing fees.
- Paid our usual mortgage payment and another $410 over and above that saving time and interest on our loan.
In the gardens and home maintenance -
- Dug 2 garden beds and replaced half the soil with well rotted horse and cow manure and dug it through. In these we planted the potted Canna and Calla lilies and spider plants and mulched the beds with dry grass clippings.
- By working out our 3 water tanks are already linked saved us $1188.47 over the quote we got from a plumber to do the work including the parts we purchased to do additional work.
- After hitting the high pressure pipe that linked the 3 water tanks by digging in an existing a garden bed we repaired it and put in another gate valve in our water tank shed close to the house for the 3rd rainwater tanks as well to save us walking to the tank in the yard at night to change over tanks if water runs out in one. This saved us $160 in plumbers charges by doing it ourselves.
Firewood cutting and stocking -
- Discovered a huge fallen lightning struck ironbark tree in a rest area on the side of the road 10 mins from home when we went shopping this week. Seeing free easily accessable firewood we set off there today and cut 1 cubic metre of firewood saving another $240 over buying it in.
Hope everyone else has had a wonderful week :) .
Sewingcreations15 (Lorna).
Dear Lorna, I had Chloe come over and see if Scooter would take a bottle from her since when we are away anytime she will be the babysitter. well Scooter would drink from her. I thought really Chloe and I are quite similar... she said Scooter is happy with any blonde in a cardigan. haha
DeleteIsnt the cost of a cheesecake, fancy cake... enormous!? I dont think everyone realises how much we save by making things! Both the cheesecake and fudge sound amazing!
I am excited your garden beds are underway. Having the manure is fantastic. The sheep manure I have is also well broken down and just looks like good soil.
We spent so much time figuring out how the tanks here are connected, if they are bore water or rain water and where all the lines go. It was a can of worms. There are 10 tanks here including a big old cement ones, ones on the hay shed, the shearing shed etc. We have most of it figured out now.
Well done on the firewood! This is a heck of a price to buy. I would grab all firewood possible as I am sure you do. It is good you would have room to store it. To me firewood is like the pantry, good to have it and better than money in the bank!
You did well on the shopping and vitamins. I am watching for half price so I can stock up on vitamins. I cant do without magnesium or vit B and I like to have vitamin c always. I am low on all.
It was excellent to get so many listings up. You really had a great week and I love hearing it as you are always so productive and doing signifiant things. We by week we are getting there! Have a lovely weekend! With love Annabel.xxx
Thank you for your encouragement :) Annabel.
DeleteI have found that there is a seller on eBay who sells 400 x 500 mg vitamin C tablets for $9.95 including shipping so you might want to try there for cheaper prices. With others we have a pharmacy close to us called Discount drug store which you can find on the internet at www.discountdrugstores.com.au and they usually have really good prices on vitamins. I am not sure on the postage costs though but well worth a look at for you as well as pharmacy online.
Let me know if the discount drug store has reasonable postage cost too.
Have a great week :).
Sewingcreations15 (Lorna).
Scooter looks like he's smiling! Lamb Love! Adorable. My stock up sales this week: 60 pounds of chicken legs and thighs for $18.50 USD. Also, our local feed store said their employee that set out the newly arrived baby chicks for sale had thrown away the tags as to what they were and how much. A large group of them were getting bigger at 3 weeks of age, so I bought 20 unknown baby chicks for $9.00. It was my chicken week.
ReplyDeleteDear Amish Heart, Goodness me... 20 chicks would be a lot here. 20 point of lay are at least $20 each = $400 minimum as many are $25 or more!
DeleteHopefully you get a good number of hens.
Scooter is smiling this is his happy face and it is kind of hilarious!
Your stock up buys were amazing also. You did very well for the week! With love Annabel.xxx
Scooter is adorable. The girls have got a lot of pups and lambs too. I know they are in pet heaven over all these babies to love on and adore. I Would love to have the recipe for the sultana cake, It looks divine. I know it has got to taste absolutely terrific. I love raisins and fruit cake ....
ReplyDeleteDear Tammy, We love fruit cakes. For a dark fruit cake doodle The Bluebirds are Nesting Christmas cake. This cake lasts over a year. I just posted the recipe above for Tracy H. It is very simple so just scroll up. I hope you like it. It is a winner to me! Have a lovely weekend! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteAnnabel, I love, love, love reading about your life on the farm. Our soil is really sandy too so I understand the need to keep adding amendments to it. The lamb is so cute! We have an abundance of eggs too, I need to be more diligent about finding ways to use them up! You've inspired me! Happy belated birthday to Andy!
ReplyDeleteDear Patsi, Thank you! Yes much of our land is pretty sandy. My veggie garden is now much better, really topped up with so much manure! I am excited to see how it grows now.
DeleteSome of my egg use it up sessions are making quiches, impossible pie, baked egg or rice custard, pavlova, creme caramel, fruit cakes, any cakes... zucchini slice, bread and butter pudding, lemon butter.... these all use a lot of eggs.
Have a wonderful weekend! With love Annabel.xxx
Hello there Ladies! Yes, Annabel, you have been very busy. Scooter has become so very dependent on you, for sure! One of our dogs, Myia, is very much like that. She was abandoned by her mother very young. I think they fear another abandonment, poor things.
ReplyDeleteI'd also love to see your gf cake recipe, please! :) I am now following a gf diet. Amazing the pain you put up with not realizing it is a result of eating grains! So much better now.
We are well into the process of building a new coop house and covered run for my young chicks. They are just about a month old now, and will soon outgrow the brooder. I do love having chickens!
Hope you all have a blessed day!
-Kath
Dear Kath, I love having chickens too! And lambs it turns out!
DeleteI posted the recipe in my reply to Tracy H up above. It worked perfectly with the same weight of gf flour ... SR flour. It doenst keep a long time like dark fruit cake so I sliced it up and froze portions.
The new coop will be wonderful. I am so lucky there was a good chicken coop here with a large covered outdoor area plus even a trough with plumbing. Now I am just keeping it nice and full of fresh hay.
Have a good new week! With much love Annabel.xxx
Dear Annabel, I'm loving this post. The lambs all look so happy! And 9 puppies, oh my! What breed of dogs are they? I love dogs and cats.
ReplyDeleteI love the look of that cake you made your Dad, I hope you share the gluten free recipe.
Happy Birthday to Andy, his cake looked wonderful.
I love hearing about life on your farm!
We have been having the most beautiful weather here in the Pacific Northwest blue skies everyday lately. And mild temps 65-70's but we are due for a heat up next week.
Mostly lately I have been decluttering and packing up as we are moving in a couple of weeks. A new town and new adventure for us!
Dear Laurie,
DeleteThe dog is a Kelpie. They are the working dogs and such hard workers. We say a Kelpie will earn half the pay of a farm hand. This dog was not really wanted but the owner and it took to Harper and Harper loved her. The owner just said Have the dog! But they didnt have it long and it was pregnant. But this dog is the kindest most patient and loving dog. Bonus when not having puppies she goes with Kato and works all day. He will keep a couple of puppies as working dogs too.
Enjoy the beautiful weather. Oh you are moving! That is a big job but I hope it will be a wonderful move for you! You will be busy now. Good luck with packing. I feel it is like a massive spring clean. With much love Annabel.xxx PS be sure to update your address with me xx
Annabel,
ReplyDeleteOh how lovely the lambs are, the girls must be thrilled. Yes you have a baby, only wants his Mum.
The cakes look divine, oh how delicious.
You have been super busy this week and I pray you are blessed with many bargains when you go into the city.
We had to replace our furnace this week, yes the previous owners surely left the house in time, all the needs are arising here. It has been a 3 day affair so far. Though they put a good deep scratch in our hardwood floor they are repairing it and also gave us the 4 inch housing for a 4 inch filter and the filter along with a new condenser pump, so a good $230 savings at least for us. Plus our Energy company has a $400 rebate on installing a new furnace, so it definitely worked out well for an unexpected expense.
We also found husband a workbench for all his tools, his old one was our kitchen cabinets permanently put into basement at old house. Here we will have them in the garage so no need to go up and down stairs when in need. There was a 30% off sale which was good because they rarely even go on sale.
We ate at home for the week though needed to get a sub one evening, we made sure we got the specials and had enough for another dinner.
So we felt though it was sort of an expensive week we did well, we will now have a 98% efficient furnace for next winter, it will heat the house better and now another thing off our worry list.
Rubies we must be in the same space as we have both just bought our wonderful homes around the same time :) .
DeleteWe too have had a few unexpected expenses with some needed maintenance work and found pipes we didn't know were there while gardening too. Oh well we are now get what I would say skills to almost be efficient DIY plumbers and fixed it all ourselves. Along with outdoor garden structures we have had to pull down due to some termite damage.
Hope everything holds together for you and you soon put your lovely mark on your new home.
Sewingcreations15 (Lorna)
Scooter is just adorable! And how fun for the girls to have all those animals to love on.
ReplyDeleteWell we had a big week. We had just arrived home from Florida and saw a house on the market that is what we are looking for and in our price range. Drove by and loved the neighborhood which was a surprise. Looked at it on Monday and made an offer and it was accepted on Tuesday. Inspection was yesterday. A lot of work needs to be done by the seller who is an elderly widow. We also have some more inspections happening over the weekend. Then we wait to see if the seller will make all the repairs which is a lot and a lot of money. We will have to have the ceiling repaired n spots and all the house and cabinets painted. Ten all new flooring and kitchen appliances and a shed out back for storage. And then the giant task of cleaning out this house and getting rid of a lot of belongings and moving. YIKES!!!
Congratulations Lana I am so happy for you :) .
DeleteIt happened like a whirlwind when we found our home too as we were thinking we were priced out of the market but happy to say we weren't.
Enjoy the journey.
Sewingcreations15 (Lorna).
Dear Lana, Wow! That all happened so fast! I hope the seller will get this work done. You would think with them wanting it sold. So hoping for you! Being able to choose your own paint colours and cabinet colours will be lovely too. A coat of paint is a miracle worker!
DeleteIt will be a big job as you say but it will be worth it. I remember so well the process of moving and all it took to get ready to sell, sell, renovate, move, set up, get established. It seemed NEVER ENDING. But here we are! All worth it! I hope and pray it all comes together well. Keep us posted. How exciting! Have a wonderful weekend! With love Annabel.xxx
The lambs are so sweet, and they sure do look like they are happy! How fun to have so many puppies; looking forward to some pictures if you get a chance.
ReplyDeleteI will defiantly be taking puppy photos. Kelly lets you touch them but they have handled them minimally being so tiny. Soon they will have eyes open and be being carted around by the girls no doubt! It will be a lovely time having little puppies running around.
DeleteHave a lovely weekend! With love Annabel.xxx
Hello Annabel,
ReplyDeleteI am encouraged each and every week by your achievements. You inspire me to work harder, and as a result, I'm reprioritising and getting so much more done!
I'm experimenting with what I've dubbed "The perpetual list" so all the jobs, ideas and plans that I have swirling around in my head, I've started writing them down in a notebook, just listed as they come to me. Then when I've finished a task, I'll pick up my perpetual list, and choose something to tackle next that fits in with my available time and energy. It is actually working really well, and I've achieved a lot this week because of it.
One of the biggest jobs I tackled was to deep clean and dust my daughter's bedroom, she seems to be allergic to something at home, at first we thought it was pollens, but I'm not convinced, then I started suspecting dust mites, so her room was thoroughly cleaned and decluttered, it's never looked so good!! The sneezing has reduced as a result of this big clean, but not completely gone??
I picked limes and juiced them, I got 1 cup of juice which I froze to make lime cordial with next Summer.
I made a big batch of curried mince and vegetable pies, we ate 6 for dinner one night, and I froze 12 for later.
Made a pot of creamy tomato and potato soup, had some for dinner, and froze the rest in single serve portions for another day.
Posted my mother a card for mothers day nice and early...she may faint in surprise, I'm never early with cards! But my list reminded me to do this!!
Edged some rags made from old towels, with my overlocker, my supply was getting very low, and it's a job I've been meaning to get to for a long time.
Bought a second hand car, and negotiated $1000 off the asking price. It needed a new windscreen, so we promptly organised that to prevent further problems, because the old window leaked when it rained.
They are the main things, I did so much more than this, but these are the things I achieved over and about the routine work involved in running a home, and working two 10 hour days at paid employment.
I will keep going with my perpetual list, it seems to be working well for me.
Have a lovely weekend, and thank you for inspiring us all!
Dear Cheryl, Well done!! Lists help so much! Plus it is lovely ticking things off as you do them!
DeleteIt sounds like you are on the right track with your daughter. I am not sure her age... if it is dust mites it is a lot of work but they hate hot water, sunshine, eucalyptus oil. Soft toys are often a problem. A new pillow can be a good idea. I hope you can narrow it down. Most times it is a case of trial and error.
I am hemming kitchen towels from an old bedspread one of the "dog blankets" and they are so lovely! A new supply of cleaning rags will be very good.
I run a perpetual list on an app called carrot. Mainly I like written lists but if I am out somewhere I go through my list on Carrot. It is a weird app as it is a robot who doesnt like you but I kind of like it! However you do it lists are wonderful! You certainly got lots done! With love Annabel.xxx
Great tip about changing her pillows, I never even considered that! Thank you.
DeleteLovely post Annabelle, thank you. I have been working in my garden too: autumn is great weather for it.
ReplyDeleteDear Earthmother, I am surprised how Autumn is such a growth month. Things that looked sad from summer are regenerating. We now have had a little rain. Yay! But we need a lot more. Still this bit improved things!
DeleteI want to use these last weeks of Autumn and get ready for fruit tree planting. Have a lovely weekend! With love Annabel.xxx
Big week here as well. Work started on our foundation Monday morning and now the whole underside of our mobile home is concrete and not pvc plastic. I continued to work in the yard which is looking very spruce. Son's dog tore a hole in the lattice surrounding the back porch but that was replaced with hardware cloth and now all around the whole house is brand new. Then John determined now was the time to get our front porch steps fixed. We've had inset steps which have rotted out twice. The front porch is now twice the floor space and there are beautiful custom built concrete steps with metal railings made from fence posts down. It's all so lovely but of course, now there's work to be done on the porches, painting and cleaning and decorating and still yard work to be done. I am going into super frugal mode and going to buckle down and repay ourselves for the money spent. However, I do see that this is a lasting investment we've made as this work on the house will last as long as the house itself stands. I feel we got good value for our funds.
ReplyDeleteIn other news we're expecting our 11th grandchild in November...
Dear Terri, Congratulations! 11 Grandchildren! That is just wonderful.
DeleteAll the work and improvements are very good. Money well spent as you say. It seems always the case that when jobs like this are started they kind of snowball and other jobs need to be done too! But it will all be so nice.
Have a wonderful weekend! With love Annabel.xxx
Dear Annabel
ReplyDeleteHow gorgeous do those little lambs look and of course Scooter seems to be right at home and very smug. We came home today and found our Scooter sitting in DP's lounge chair like king tut and he refused to get off.
Nine puppies...wow hmmm Lucy needs to be very careful what she wishes for in the future :) that is so funny. Harper and Scarlet seem to really love the animals and it seems to have been the right move for them all to do as well. The girls are growing up just adorable.
May already and I have lots on as well as the first anniversary of our tragic event in a few short days. This will be difficult but DD8 and I have decided that we will light a candle, share a cake and tell each other a few memories of her beloved Uncle. I have also kept a diary of both her an my thoughts which I am going to type up and have bound into a book for her later in life so she understands how she felt.
The rain is still lingering here on and off which is wonderful for the garden but the poor washing is delegated to the line in the garage with just a few things going in the dryer, but with a long weekend here and all of us home the dryer may need to make another appearance soon.
Hope everyone has a wonderful and productive week.
Take Care
Aly xxx
Dear Aly, My Scooter always wants to sit in my chair... this is my chair out on the deck. Or on my knee!
DeleteThank you re the girls. Yes Lucy got her wish to the max. Makes me wonder what they will get next!
Oh I am shocked it is a year already. I feel for your Mum also. Hugs Aly.
We had a little bit of rain and need much more. You have a great new week too. With much love Annabel.xxx
Dear Annabel, Puppies and and Lambs, how lovely. My daughter has a pet lamb named Timmy whom she was a "mother" to since he was 5 hours old. He was an unwanted twin, it was sad to watch his sheep mum push him away and not let him drink. Timmy is turning 5 years old in a couple of weeks and he is a huge sheep now. We are lucky that he could move with us, a person who works with my husband and who has a farm near our home graciously offered for Timmy to live there. We go visit him each week. We did at one time raise 9 lambs at once!!! Very busy time. Happy belated birthday to Andy. All good here, bit too busy, Clare
ReplyDeleteDear Clare, I am thinking perhaps your daughter could end up with another lamb to Mother from the farmer? It seems every lambing season there are orphans. I predict I will have more soon. Kids and animals are just the best combination. I cannot imagine having nine at once! I shouldn't say that as you know what will happen! The very little one Lucy has I am sure was a twin... much smaller than our lamb. Hope you are having a lovely weekend! With much love Annabel.xxx
DeleteHello, Annabel and Bluebirds! Sorry to be a stranger. My children have been using my computer for reports. But it is nice not having wifi at home (I get so much accomplished!).
ReplyDeleteOur big news is... bunnies! My daughter's pet American Chinchilla rabbit had 10 little ones. They were huge for kits and had fur. They came the Wed. before Resurrection Sunday. Talk about new life! God is so good! I love how He blesses us with children and animals to draw out our sense of nurturing. So good to see my younger children care for these little blessings.
Inspired by your cupcakes from an earlier post, Annabel. Will take those to my daughter, Eden's piano recital. With it being Spring, here in Ohio, we are foraging wild plants. I've been canning Dandelion Syrup & Violet Jelly. We candied violets & topped my son's b-day cake with them. Also we've enjoyed wild dock cooked the old hillbilly way and served w/ cornbread. My children declare that they pity other kids. :)
Blessings to all,
Leslie
Happy birthday to Andy!
Dear Leslie, Your children would be having so much fun with the bunnies. I agree with you, life is much fuller and more beautiful with animals. The difference is incredible.
DeleteCup cakes are always going to be popular to take anywhere. They will love it.
Violet jelly sounds just divine! And wild duck! How wonderful.
So glad to hear from you! Thank you! With much love Annabel.xxx
May I please have your Dad's recipe for the cake. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, I posted it up above for Tracy H in my reply. It is very easy and so nice! Dad called in yesterday and said how much he loved it. It doesnt keep a long time like dark fruit cake so I cut it up and froze slices. Very handy!
DeleteOh my goodness. The lamb in the bag is so small. They are all so cute. Congrats on the puppies. They will be a handful for a while. The girls are probably thrilled.
ReplyDeleteDear Making Cents of it All, Thank you! We are surrounded by cuteness just now. You are right the puppies will hit 12 weeks or so and be major handfuls. Hopefully at 8 weeks most will go to new homes leaving maybe a couple! The girls are having the best time! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteWow Annabel you have some of the most wonderful Op shops.
ReplyDeleteThis week has been busy with ongoing projects.
I drove down to my parents and spent two nights with them. The plan had been to hire a carpet cleaner with an upholstery attachment so that I could clean their recliners, sofa and the dining chairs. We got the machine home and found that it was faulty. We took the machine back and Mum got a full refund for the hire, plus a free open booking for the machine when she chooses to get one again. It will be about 6 weeks before I go down again so we will do it then.
The rain was coming down yesterday so not being able to use the carpet cleaner was probably a blessing. I'm not sure how long it would take for the furniture to dry in such wet conditions.
I took the bookmark that I had made for Mum for Mothers Day with me. She loved it. She has put in orders for more facecloths and soaps. Dad also put in an order for a new bucket hat. These two appreciate what I make for them.
Dad was particularly pleased that he got to have apple pie and custard two nights in a row. I had made little pies in the pie makerand took these down with me. We heated and crisped them up in the oven whilst we were eating dinner. They were delicious and made use of apples that were not nice to eat fresh.
I have come home with soap from Turkey, a sewing thimble from Isreal and a Pashmina from Jordan. Mum has not long gotten home from her tour in that part of the world. She had her friend had a wonderful time.
Bluey and Cobber survived without me, but Bluey reckons half the neighbourhood have been calling in at odd times on him. I am so glad to have such wonderful people and such a wonderful sense of community. I am glad I also had made some apple cupcakes so that Bluey was able to feed them all. Out of a dozen there is only one left. It's good to know I can now leave him and know that others will check in on him.
It's a beautiful sunny day. Have a wonderful week.
Life is good.
Dear Jane, What a good idea to take the apple pies with you. Sounds like your Dad really loved that! Also lovely that friends pop in and see Bluey. That is very nice. I have apples to use up fast. I have to get on to that.
DeleteIt was nice just to have this time with your parents and they obviously love your gifts! The gifts for your Mums trip all sound lovely and right up your alley.
Have a very good new week! With much love Annabel.xxx
Hello dear Annabel, what another industrious week you've had on the farm.
ReplyDeleteYour girls must be so excited with all the puppies and new lambs. Such a special photo of the lamb in the bag.!
Wow your garden is really coming along well, flourishing. You will certainly reap what you have sown with all the hard work you have put into improving your soil.Well done!
What wonderful op shop finds Annabel. Would love to see a photo of your new bedspread and kitchen towels from your haul. I can imagine you may make some gifts up from the fabric.
I have never made an egg custard and wondered if you'd mind sharing your recipe Annabel. I asked a question about the GF Sultana cake, further up, hope you find it.
I was lucky to find a few little bargains at the op shop this week. A hand milk frother and pizza cutter for 50c each. Some gorgeous old fabric,a pale blue firm nylon type fabric with little white flocked roses on it. Still had the price tag on it from Coles/Fosseys!! It would be gorgeous for a little girls skirt. I'm hoping to use it in your Swap Annabel.
I did loads of mending and recycling and started some cardmaking.
I made a delicious vegetable quiche for lunch today as I'm trying to cut back, hopefully eliminate gluten from my diet too. It's very hard when you're used to just grabbing a quick sandwich for lunch. Alternatives seem to take so much longer to put together.
Wishing you and the lovely Bluebirds a happy and productive week, hugs Lorraine oxo
Dear Lorraine, I just replied up above that was my typo and it was milk as you will see, sorry!
DeleteI will post my custard recipes. I just love it. Great use of eggs. I have three... baked egg custard, baked rice custard and creme brûlée. Totally love them all. Give me a week or so as i will make more and put the recipes on the post next time. Often I used the slow cooker as anything in a water bath is good in the slow cooker.
You will quickly get used to gluten free. If I made a quiche I use no pastry and mix in half a cup of gluten free flour to make it an impossible pie. Although I do use some gluten free pastry. Maggie Beers recipe is really good too.
Otherwise I like to have something like turkey or chicken and avocado etc for lunch and now its cover soup.
I am happy about your op shop finds. Old fabric sounds beautiful. Flocked roses!! Oh if you are swapping I will bags that and you can name what you want!
I made up three extra large t towels already and I will take photos. I love having miles of fabric. But the bedspread I just love and it is perfect as it is. What luck. I can say my bed is covered in a dog blanket haha!
I mean I would NEVER have guessed going through the dog blankets would yield such luxurious things! You would just never think that!
Have a wonderful new week. Thanks Lorraine, with love Annabel.xxx
Dear Annabel, farm life suits you I think! So much here that stirs happy memories of my own childhood, right down to bottle feeding lambs! It's funny how these things stick with you. It's nearly 50 years since I set foot on my grandparents farm, and yet those memories continue to be a driving force in my life to this day. That is a lesson right there. I am in full decluttering and streamlining mode of my craft and sewing stash, in preparation for the move into my new She Shed, built by lovely Husband. The floor is down, and really the only thing left to do is the toilet installation...a courtesy I really needed as the walk up and down the stairs for the amenities could have been challenging! The cladding of the outside will have to wait a little while, but as it is under our high set house, and it will have a beautiful pink entry door, I think I can survive. Today I am painting and decoupaging inexpensive hat boxes to use as storage, so I'm in my element. Have a lovely week everyone. Mimi xxx
ReplyDeleteYour shed shed sounds amazing Mimi! How fun and love the idea with the decoupage boxes. Storage is a big thing. Nice looking storage is so much better. I cant wait to see your creations one you are up and running in your own space! We had lambs, calves, a kangaroo and an emu as kids. Many dogs and kittens. It was wonderful. I am so glad now Harper and Scarlett have this. Now they have kittens. I told Lucy she better stop wishing for pets! I am also loving my lamb and am likely to get more as it is now lambing time. Later it will be calving time and I will get a calf or two. I came to the city and all I want to do is go home! I am stocking up at Aldi and the discount chemist first though! I look forward to a virtual tour of your she shed! xxx
DeleteDear Annabel,
ReplyDeleteJust a quick pop-in while family is visiting. I loved everything that Kelley shared last post...she is such a marvellous sewer!! And your little Scooter is so cute!! I can't imagine 9 puppies all at once, but those little girls must be in heaven!
P.S. Andy's birthday cake looks divine!
Love, Jen in NS
Dad was allergic to dust mites. Bedding and pillows were hung out in the sun for at least two hours once a week to kill them.
ReplyDelete