While it is fine and not raining we are having daily bonfires and wood cutting. This is cleaning up our surrounds and making next summer safer plus building our woodpile. It is beautiful being outside in the winter sun.
Some of the ways I saved, got ahead and made progress this week were:
I made a couple of tins of biscuits to take to the girls and keep at home. Luckily four and two year olds are easily impressed with my flowers! This is my Honey Gingerbread recipe and it is so delicious.
I used my gluten free sour dough starter to make some fruit bread for toasting. I do not find it rises as much as regular sour dough but it is delicious none the less. I slice and freeze it ready to go.
Mum gave me a giant chunk of roasting meat and I roasted it with heaps of vegetables. I plated up our roast meals plus two more and poured gravy over the top. I LOVE doing this as then you have a kind of homemade TV dinner to reheat. The left overs made several lunches and tonight they are a shepherds pie.
I had so much beautiful mail including cards and letters from the Swap Party. This was a photo I took earlier in the week. New supplies!
Our mail comes Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. I fly down to the letter box for my mail. It is lovely! Thank you to everyone who took part in the swap and I hope you have been having glorious parcels arrive too!
In the garden I have a whole patch of broccoli ready to start picking!
I had op shop success with a set of flannelette sheets for $5 and a bag of cottons. Also some lovely floral fabric.
With animals now a part of farm life and the possibility of orphans arriving at any time I decided I needed to keep on hand everything I need. This seems to be like with sick children... everything happens on weekend and public holidays and in the middle of the night. So I need everything on hand. I set up a new pantry! Behind the door in the laundry I had a space. Andy put up these shelves for me. I rearranged my cupboards and had all these containers available to use for teats, formulas, medicines, bedding, bottles, funnels, leads, collars, you name it.
The wine rack part of the shelves is for feeding bottles. How handy is that!? This has already made life easier and I will continue to build up supplies as I can.
Setting this up causes a big re arrange and now my poor pantry is in better shape as many things I had in there came out to the laundry. This means I have more kitchen pantry space to stock up. It is so much better!
The lambs and calf are taking a fair bit of my time. But to see them out playing in the sunshine is so lovely.
This is the baby. She has been named Jellybean by a lovely young girl named Maggie who loves sheep. This lamb is a week old now but was so tiny! She still is tiny hence the warm coat!
During the day they all play together in the yard with the calf. At night they go in a warm bed in the shed.
Laffie has grown and bounds around like a manic and moo's very loudly when she decides it is breakfast or dinner.
She is really playful and funny. When cars come in the driveway she tries to race them up to the gate.
When I needed a rest this week I sat and made some gift tags and packaged them up.
So that was my week! I have been sleeping well as hauling branches and logs for fires is pretty good exercise. But each area we get cleaned up I am thrilled with. Over the next few weeks this will all be an enormous job.
How did you build up your home, add to your pantry, get ahead and feather your nest this week? I hope it was a good week for you. I hope opportunities came your way! We have been very blessed with all kinds of ways to get ahead. It is so exciting to see how week by week we have been able to make so much progress in setting up a true homestead and becoming more self reliant. Chipping away at things works! Today with the sun shining on it my vegetable garden looks so beautiful! This time last year that garden did not exist. This time last year we weren't even sure we were moving!
Take every opportunity and go for it! xxx
Dear Annabel,
ReplyDeleteI love your shelves! And I love that you made them pretty. It will make your job go much smoother I'm sure.
This week was mostly catching up around the house for me. We had a garage sale with Colton's mom and grandma on Saturday, so the week before was lots of dragging things out and basically making a mess of the house, but now it is all decluttered and put back together.
Colton is still making progress on the garden shed and coop. It is slow going since he hasn't had anyone to help on it (besides my occasional holding a board or painting) but it is looking fantastic. He is such an amazing man to be doing all of this for me.
I have been working hard on the Etsy shop lately. I retook all of my product photos and updated their descriptions. I'm also learning the ins and outs of Instagram and having lots of fun with that. I've learned how to create my own pins for Pinterest too. Yes, I'm a little behind the times my 14 year old SIL tells me lol. So I feel like I have learned something new as it is a big step for me.
Tomorrow will see me canning lots of tomatoes from our garden!
I hope everyone has a lovely weekend.
Love, Kelsey
Dear Kelsey,
DeleteYou are achieving so much! Well done on doing the garage sale. What a fabulous idea, to clean up, declutter and make some money at the same time. I love the way you talk about Colton- it is so nice to hear someone talk so kindly of their husband. I bet the coop and garden shed will be fantastic on your property. Practical and lovely! I bet you are doing so well with your Easy shop. You are so creative and have a flair for presentation- you remind me of Annabel like that. Sending love XX Love, Bridge
Dear Kelsey,
DeleteYou are both getting so much done at the farm! Well dont on working on your Etsy shop. Now social media has its downsides but if we work with it we can have very good are adverting for our business. Serious this can be very good. Probably your 14 year old SIL would be a wiz with helping you to do this!
Well done on growing so many tomatoes! They are so useful in so many ways. It was great about the garage sale too, I hope you did well! Have a good weekend you deserve it after so much progress! With love Annabel.xxx
Hi Annabel
ReplyDeleteWhat a productive week! Your feeding station is a brilliant idea, I always find your preparedness inspiring. The biscuits look lovely! It's so good that clearing around your property gives you firewood for winter and makes it safer for summer. How fun checking your mail when you are awaiting goodies!
I have had a much quieter week with the fifth birthday over. It went so well, and I had so much baking leftover that I was able to use it for lunch boxes and snacks for days after! I also had some of the treats I had bought left so I've hidden them for the next birthday. My daughter absolutely loved the doll house makeover, and has played with it heaps.
I did not finish the alphabet cross stitch in time, but am still making good progress on it. I sometimes find that when I put deadlines on craft projects they become more of a chore than an enjoyable past time, so I decided to just accept that it wouldn't be ready and continue working on it with no pressure. I've knit a baby vest this week with the wool picked up for $1 at the op shop, and have started on some booties.
I made a lap quilt for my daughter's leaving present from kindergarten, and managed to use up some backing material I'd had for years. I also used two pieces of wadding leftover from my son's quilt and sewed them together, and the leftover binding as well. So I was very pleased to make the whole thing from what I already had, and to finally be able to close the box with my fabric in it!!
I hope you have a lovely weekend, it is cold and wet here now - I love winter!
Jen in NZ
Dear Jen,
DeleteI really love how you make gifts for your children. I think these are the sweetest gifts ever. I love the idea of the dolls house make over and of the lap quilt. Your children are lucky to have you. Love, Bridge
Dear Jen, I am so happy about the birthday and love that you had leftovers! How I love leftovers and they would have been treats in the lunch box. To me the doll house sounded like the most beautiful project. She will play with this for a long time!
DeleteI am loving winter too so far. Hot soups, the slow cooker on, the garden watered naturally... more time to crochet!
Well done on the lap quilt too. What a nice week! Have a good weekend there, we have a long weekend for the Queens Birthday. With much love Annabelxxx
Those new storage shelves are a great idea and your cookies and bread look yummy! It will be such a help to be able to grab whatever you need in a hurry when the orphans arrive. Your lamb pictures make me smile every week.
ReplyDeleteNow it is summer here and we spend every minute we can outside but we had a lot of work to do to get our outside space ready for the use. We worked all week on cleaning the screen porch and deck and getting all the pots filled with flowers. We rearranged the furniture to get our big swing out of the sun and also made a cozy seating area for when friends come over. We will eat almost every meal outside now unless the weather prevents it. On the sunny end of the deck we have our container garden with veggies and herbs growing. We are so fortunate to have this beautiful space that overlooks our beautiful woods. My husband said to me that he feels like his brain is doing better and I really think it is all the time spent outside in our peaceful space. We are blessed!
Have a great weekend!
Your home sounds like it is beautiful, filled with love and peaceful and calm. I love the sound of how it looks over the woods. I bet it really is helping your husband. Love, Bridge
DeleteDear Lana,
DeleteI had two little lambs quite sick for a couple of days. They developed the scours which is deadly in lambs. I used slippery elm bark in the bottles. It fixed them in half a day. It was wonderful. I knew this from years ago. What I need is more things like this that I can stock. So this is in my animal pantry. Humans can use it too of course.
The screen porch sounds just lovely. We ate all meals outside through spring and summer. It was lovely! I would be sure that outdoor sunlight and activity would be very good for your husband, that is wonderful that he feels progress! With much love Annabel.xxx
That is wonderful about the slippery elm. God gave us everything we need but the knowledge has been lost with the advent of synthetic drugs. One day in the store we talked to a lady who was in her 90's and still working and her Mom lived with her and took care of their home while she was away at work every day! Mom was well over 100. She told us how she uses roots and herbs that she gathers to keep them well and I have wished so many times that I had asked her if she would teach me what she knows. Of course now I have no idea how to find her. So often though I just ask God to tell me what to do and he does!
DeleteAnnabelle, did you know that all parts of the broccoli are edible? You can add those lovely leaves to any stir fry - I usually just remove the strong rib from the middle of the leaves. I have some broccoli leaves in my latest batch of 'sourkraut' bubbling away on the countertop.
ReplyDeleteDear Earthmother, Thank you for telling me that. I wont waste anything. I think I can pick three or so times from one plant. I will pick long stems too as we love them. At the very end most will go into soup and what is finally left the chickens will love. This makes absolutely zero waste! I love it. We also eat a lot of broccoli and it is $8 a kilo here now! Have a beautiful weekend! With much love Annabel.xxx
DeleteDear Annabel and bluebird friends, I hope you have had a good week .
ReplyDeleteOh Annabel, jellybean the lamb is gorgeous .i love her little coat and I can see that you have added a bit of pink and bling with the collar and bell ( and pink on the coat too) .
My week has included: cleaning out my freezer with the help of one of my Centacare ladies , I am ashamed to admit I had to throw out a lot of things but at least now I can see what I have and I have learnt from the exercise.
I have saved money by receiving eye fillet steak from my parents which made a lovely meal last night with onions and mushrooms both of which were bought cheaply and some steamed veg.i also received a container of curried mince made by my mum and a container of pea and ham soup also made by mum . The soup fed me for two lunches and the curried mince fed me for two dinners.
I bought a whole pumpkin for 75 cents a kg at a local fruit barn instead of $3.50 a kg from the supermarket .the pumpkin will be made into soup and used for roast veg etc.
I bought a box of my favourite tea bags on half price sale , saving $5.50 .i saved $12.50 on my groceries this week plus I saved on delivery by doing a click and collect order which my dad brought down for me .
I received some lovely swap items including fabric, ribbons, lace , essential oil items , handmade by stickers and embellishments,/ charms and some cards . Thank you all ladies .These items will be very useful and i have had a great time receiving and sending parcels!.
I have been investigating ink pads and found some online for a third of the price of other ones I had seen . I had to pay postage but I still saved about $10 plus saved myself the effort of walking into the shops ( which is sometimes difficult and painful due to myhealth issues) and potentially saves me money on impulse purchases.
So Ias you can see I have had a mixed week , not a huge savings weekbut there’s always next week .
I hope everyone has a lovely weekend .love Barb Wxx
Dear Barb, How beautiful to have eye fillet steak! Your meals are sounding nourishing and very good. Pumpkin at that price is a great change to make a good batch of soup.
DeleteI saw you posted about the good deal on Twinnings teas. They re very good teas and it is nice to be ahead with your favourite.
I am so glad you had a wonderful swap! I loved the parcel your sent me thank you so much it was so nice!
I thought you are sounding much better and I hope you have a lovely weekend! With much love, Annabel.xxx
I love that you put a pink collar and bell on Jelly Bean as well as her sweet little sweater 💖🌸 Yeah, your new Animal Husbandry supply shelf does really look nice. You are one inspiring lady, Annabel.
ReplyDeletexxMary B
Dear Mary, Thank you so much! Jellybean is the baby of them all. She is so cute. It is pretty cold here hence the coat. I am really glad to have supplies on hand and get ahead with those as we are far from anywhere. I hope to learn more home remedies too. Having all these babies has given me a lot of joy. Have a lovely weekend Mary! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteHello Annabel and how beautiful are the lambs and laffie is growing up to be so big and lovely to hear they are all playing nicely together.Your fruit bread, biscuits and handmade cards look divine :).
ReplyDeleteOur Vicky challenge added up to $1748.97 in savings last week :).
In the kitchen -
- Cooked all meals and bread from scratch.
- Made a batch of homemade chocolate fudge including the condensed milk saving $55.67 over purchasing it.
Finances and listings -
- Banked money for additional savings.
- Paid and extra $400 in payments off our home loan.
- Listed 10 items on eBay on a free listing promotion saving $16.50 on usual listing fees.
Purchases -
- Bought a gift card for future groceries and fuel from RACQ saving us 5% or $11.32 on the cost of groceries and fuel combined.
- On half price specials we purchased 11 tubes of toothpaste as we each use different ones and on 15 % off I purchased DH's favourite aftershave saving $49.72 on normal costs.
- At IGA we purchased 6 packets of french fry chips on half price special, 2 x 6 pks of croissants on half price special and 4 pkts of bread rolls for 0.92c each or 60 % off saving $17.12 on usual costs. I can't make the bread rolls for that cost here and they are good to have in the freezer for quick snacks.
Home maintenance and improvements -
- Put our portable summer pool spa at the bank of the tank shed roof and collected about 200 lts of water in the recent storms. We will use the water for watering our potted fruit and herbs.
- Retrofitted 118 square metres of wool/glass ceiling insulation batts into our roof cavity saving $1559.95 in labour and parts costs from if we hired a tradesperson to do it for us. The house is so much warmer now with the fire on and cooler during the day when it is warm outside. Well worth doing as far as we are concerned. Being an older home too none of the insulation batts sold today fit the roof joists so we had to cut quite a few to fit in the spaces left over. This is one job we are glad is over as crawling around in cramped spaces is hard on the knees and body.
Have a fantastic week ahead everyone.
Sewingcreations15 (Lorna).
Dear Lorna, Wow you had a big week of savings! I am doing the same with croissants and rolls if I see bargains. The other day I got some bacon and cheese rolls for a bargain and thought ok they could go with soup or andy might have warmed for lunch. Very good savings.
DeleteWhat a big job the insulation would have been. But this is so worthwhile. You will be glad of it. I am not sure how cold it gets there in winter. We are getting 4 degrees in the night but I know it will get colder. Our wood heater has turned out to be so lovely. Best thing ever. Andy did quite a bit of wood cutting today. We are lucky with our wood supply. But comfort in the cold and also in the hot weather is such an important thing.
It was brilliant using the spa to collect extra water!
You deserve a restful long weekend! I bet you will be working in the garden though... although this can be beautiful and restful too!
I hope next week will be another week of getting ahead. With much love Annabel.xxx
Hi Annabel and thank you for your encouragement :).
DeleteWe have so far got down to -4 oc at the lowest but a few days at 0 oc but been warmer the last couple of days. With the insulation in the roof now we only turn on the slow combustion stove on low instead of high so we are saving wood usage as well. Hoping summer will be cooler now with the house insulated too.
Have a great week :).
Sewingcreations15 (Lorna).
Dear Annabel and Bluebirds,
ReplyDeleteI love your new shelving that Andy made for you. How thoughtful and kind! I love how organised it all is. It even is pretty as well! How you do that continues to amaze and inspire me. Those animals are so lucky to have you. I love the look of your biscuits. They are gorgeous and I bet the girls just loved them too. I really want to try that recipe. All of that physical exercise in the sunshine sounds very healthy and good for the soul. I have had a good week. My husband put up shelving in the garage for the kids' outdoor toys (sandpit toys etc) and it looks much more organised. I found cotton at 30% off to make more dish cloths for my kitchen sets and I went to a half price sale at an op shop. I bought shoes for my son, a toy, backpack, shoe rack and some clothes all for $12. Pumpkin seedlings have popped up from a pumpkin that I had. I read that we could eat the leaves! I never knew this, so need to do more research. I am selling some things around the house, even for a few $ and I think we will save it up to get a dog, I am determined to sell enough things to pay for the puppy out of our sales. Sending love. Love, Bridge
Dear Bridge,
DeleteThat recipe will come up if you search the blog plus gingerbread. It contains a cup of honey. Good if you have honey.
You have new shelves too! It is so nice to get organised and set them to some stuff. good use! That was a great op shop sale! And it is good to you can sells stuff to finance other things. A dog will be good for the boys. A dog can also be a good security measure even a small dog.
Pets are my big subject at the moment since Lucy and I seem to have the knack of accumulating them. Chloe does too only not so much as us lately! Speaking of... I got another lamb today (Wednesday) So oh my goodness!
I hope your week is going well! With love Annabel.xxx
Hi Annabel another Farm Girl week for you. Your Jellybean is a gorgeous looking little thing. Laffie looks a little crazy in the photo of her. I think your bubba animal shelves are a great idea and a good use of available space.
ReplyDeleteI have been trying to plant out seeds at least every fortnight so that we have continuous harvesting happening. As a result my seed supplies got quite low. I have received a seed order this week and have some new items going in the garden. I swapped some Greek oregano for a couple of coffee seedlings with a local lady I met on an online forum. I am hoping I can build up my garden with more from local gardeners. I have also been transplanting various volunteer seedlings from the lawn to the garden. Today I moved more lettuce and coriander as Bluey is looking at mowing in the next couple of days.
I am finally getting the feel for spinning yarn. I am still making very interesting yarn going from super fine to super chunky and lumpy bumpy but I am getting the feel for it. Up until this week I was ready to shove the spinning wheel into the rubbish bin. Glad I didnt.
The sewing room has had a good clean and re organise. I have sewn up some jackets and a little corduroy pinafore for the little girls. I am hoping to post them off on Monday.
Bluey bought some big tins of crushed tomatoes really cheaply. I am going to put them into smaller jars and run them through the water bath. I am hoping this will give us good use of these toms.
It's been quite cold, at least for us, this week. I am not keen on the wind that seems to make it feel many degrees colder. We have also been getting plenty of showers of rain keeping the ground nice and moist. Things are still growing but have slowed right down.
Life is wet and windy good.
Dear Jane, The lamb that was so weak is amazingly good. I didnt think he stood a chance now he is a speedy little rocket.
DeleteI am trying to do the same... I will plant some more broccoli now and have tried to stagger the winter veggies. And I am saving seeds like crazy! Good job on the spinning. Combing it well and longer fleeces make getting it consistent easier. I would need much practice to get back to that and my Nans wool was perfect. Then she would ply it together as well. It was beautiful.
Your sewing this week was beautiful and I love how you swapped for that jacket pattern.
I am glad you have rain. Your garden will be happy! We have more rain coming I think which will be wonderful.
Have a lovely long weekend. With much love Annabel.xxx
Hi Annabel,
ReplyDeleteAnother busy and satisfying week for you. I have to ask, what are you going to do with all your orphan animals when they grow up? Are they to be kept as pets? Or sold/butchered? Just wondering.
Dear Cheryl,
DeleteLaffie is a girl and so are all the lambs but one. We hope that when Laffie grows up she might have a calf and we hope the ewes will have lambs and the boy lamb will be a professional lawn mower and edge trimmer! haha!
So we hope for lots more babies in the future. We have two house paddocks we are free to use. This is quite a bit of space plus our big yard. So we have the room. I have to work out who goes where as one area needs to be my orchard plus pumpkin patch so babies are ok in there but not adults or they will eat my trees and vines. So they are all likely to get very good lives. So dont worry! With love Annabel.xxx
How wonderful a built in cuddly lawnmower!! I didn’t think you would raise them for meat (not that that is a problem) I just thought maybe they were destined to go back to the farms they came from. Once neighbors know you take in orphans you might find yourself with more animals than you can handle LOL
DeleteI think you are doing a wonderful thing, and it must feel so rewarding 😊
Dear Annabel, Your fruit bread looks amazing. Jellybean is so so cute. This week I have managed to make up a stack of dishcloths, make the budgie a new cage cover and do plenty of cooking including a very yummy pumpkin soup from the pumpkins in the garden. I smiled when you said emergencies tend to happen after hours as it is 7 o'clock and I am about to pick up our little dog from the vets as she cut herself somehow this afternoon and needed stiches. I hope everyone has a great weekend, Clare.
ReplyDeleteDear Clare, I have had birds and if the tiniest bit of light gets in they sing and ring their bell and carry on. Absolutely darkness is a must so well done on your covers!
DeleteAll your beautiful pumpkins would be making gorgeous soup!
The dish cloths are so useful and good gifts too! Have a wonderful long weekend! With love, Annabel.xxx
Farm life is definitely suiting you Annabel!
ReplyDeleteThe shelving is a great idea and looks fantastic. Andy done a great job!
Your gluten free fruit bread looks delicious as do your pretty biscuits, bet the girls devoured them!
Love those cute babies of yours. You certainly are being a great mum to them.
Glad to hear you have had rain and the grass is growing. Our little bit of rain brought up the weeds, but there has been no follow up yet. Another warm, dry week ahead for us.
One beautiful looking broccoli plant, you will enjoy the taste of your homegrown goodness.
Enjoy the long weekend,
Love Tania xxx
Dear Tania, It has been sunny today which helps the grass grow. We are hoping for more rain during the week. I hope you will get some too.
DeleteI am really please with my broccoli! I have so much to pick and I bette hurry up as I think that encourages new ones to form.
I hope you have a great long weekend too! With much love, Annabel.xxx
Sounds like a lovely week. Oh my goodness, I love Jellybean!!!!! How adorable.
ReplyDeleteThank you Cheryl. I love Jellybean too. She is adorable and the baby of the gang. I hope you have a good weekend! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteDearCheryl, I think the little collars etc kind of indicate these litle orphans will not be on anyones dinner plate any time soon. From past experience once they get names they are safe from the butcher cheers Kate
ReplyDeleteDear Kate,
DeleteYou are right. These babies are all set to have babies of their own when they grow up. Jellybean will probably become the yard lawnmower lol. With love Annabel.xxx
Look at your 'babies' Annabel! They must be a handful like all babies, but in the best possible way. Loving that fruit bread and great use of the wine rack. You made some lovely swaps and now that I'm on top of this flu of the last week or so, I'll be sending mine off as well. Have a lovely weekend! Mimi xxx
ReplyDeleteDear Mimi, I am sorry you have had the flu. That can really knock you about. Yes babies are a lot of trouble and it is the same... they are worth it kind of trouble!
DeleteI hope you enjoy the long weekend and get a bit of rest to recover and feel better, With love Annabel.xxx
Dear Sonia, Oh I hope you get the job! I sent you some bay leaves but I dont think you got them! I will pray about your job! You will have success soon I am sure! Rhubarb is beautiful. I have apples to cook plus rhubarb frozen so I might make a crumble! Have a lovely weekend! With love Annabel.xxx
ReplyDeleteDear Annabel,
ReplyDeleteYour week looks so lovely and productive, the animals adorable, your baking delicious. It looks like you got some great swaps too.
It has been rather busy and blessedly we've had some days where it hasn't rained and seeds got planted and are up. My husband found these ingenious devices that are solar powered and emit a sound that only the animals can hear and so far they have kept the rascally rabbits, deer, groundhogs and other animals out of the garden. Yesterday was spent thinning out the plants. I used most of the thinnings as "microgreens" for salads last night, but also used some for transplants. I've also been dehydrating vegetables using Glenda's technique, and we continue to build our pantry. The gift closet is ever increasing as the almost daily afternoon rain keeps us indoors. I've been making 3 tiered maxi skirts for myself and my girls, also something called a 15 minute skirt. These have been so easy and so much fun to make as no pattern is needed and they are all done with a simple measurement. They've been a great thing for using up odds and ends of fabric, as well as sheets. I continue to be in the use-it-up mode. Lots of card and box making as well. I hope you got the photos that I sent. All in all it's been a good week. Wishing all of the Bluebirds a wonderful weekend. Blessings, Cookie
Dear Cookie, It is good you have been able to plant. Some of the ladies are telling me they still just cannot plant as it is too wet and the season is slipping away from them. The device is interesting... I will be interested to hear more after you have tested it for a bit longer. Deer are particularly hard to keep out of gardens! Patsy would be keen I think to hear if it works well on rabbits.
DeleteWhat a brilliant idea re the little plants as micro greens. A couple of years ago our supermarkets started selling tiny micro greens that looked amazing and so pretty. Genius to use the tiny things that get pulled out to make way!
Cookie I love the skirts! I am due to do a Tuesday Club post here on the blog... animals have held me up! My Grand daughters are big on skirts. This really appeals to me! I love use it up projects as you know! Yes thank you re the email. I am so behind and I hope finally I will get the pics up on Tuesday. I know everyone will want the formula on the skirts so if you will add it in comments then that would be amazing.
We were working outside on our bonfires and clearing each sunny day. Last night began to rain and it looks rainy for a few days. We had nearly an inch since last night. It came at a good time when my legs and arms were truly worn out and so today was a more indoor day (except for collecting eggs and feeding animals) and a chance to catch up a bit on housework and baking. I needed to go feed Chloe and Lukes dogs as they were away. I came home with another lamb! So my schedule isn't improved its a bit worse lol
Thank you so much for sharing your week and the photos. I will email you asap! With much love Annabel.xxx
Your baby lamb is adorable in that sweater....too cute. Love the shelving unit you are using for the farm babies supplies....At the rate you are acquiring them you will have a herd before too long or at least a small one...
ReplyDeleteDear Tammy, Thank you! Well you might be right as today (Wednesday) I have another lamb! So I got to test out my preparedness and it was really good. I had everything on hand and knew what to do right away. So yes my herd grew again! I hope your week is going well! With love Annabel.xxx
DeleteDear Annabel,
ReplyDeleteWhat a blessing to be surrounded by all those loving animals. Anyone who loves animals is awesome in my book. I am always very cautious of anyone who dislikes animals.
You had a very busy and successful week, for sure.
I managed to sew some this week and to cut out several patterns for future use. Much of the week was spent trying to gather together my old gluten free recipes. I was totally gluten free before moving into this house and I felt so much better. So, back to it and, after five years, I need to round up much of what I have put 'somewhere.' :)
We saved money, as always, by ordering organic shelf stable foods from Vitacost. We wait for the 20% off coupon and combine it with items that are currently on sale to truly save.
I don't know about elsewhere, but the prices in our area have gone up on some items significantly. Also, there seems to be less of the normal crops we would see right now in the grocery store. Perhaps, it is just our area, but it is enough to trigger some flares and for us to be more diligent in our preparing. We had been so steadfast for some years, but the past two years had slacked off while using up what we needed to rotate. Now, we need to get back on track.
Have a wonderful week.
Love,
Glenda
Dear Glenda,
DeleteI feel so much better gluten free it is not funny. Mainly I just use my regular recipes with GF flour. If I could eat no flour at all I would be even better but there are too many cakes etc that I like! I am not even sure if it is gluten for me that is the problem or wheat itself. Either way I can do 10 x more in a day if I dont touch wheat.
I am hearing about big price increases very widely (in the US prepare groups and Proverbs 31 ladies group and Patsys group) and with the crisis with corn gosh that is going to have a big impact right down to meat prices etc. And dairy too since dairy cows are so often fed corn.
It is lovely you got some patterns cut out.
The animals do take a lot of time. Washing bottles and mixing formulas etc too. But Laffie is one month old today and so things get a bit easier as they get older.
I will write asap. You can see how things are and this week we have had bonfires daily sometimes two... we are clearing up the outer yard and it is a massive job. I have been soaking in an epsom salts bath in the evening! Hope this week is going well! With lots of love Annabel.xxx
Dear Glenda,
DeleteThank you for sharing the info on Vitacost. I spent a little time looking at their website and will definitely do some ordering from them. We live in a mid-Atlantic state and are experiencing the same things grocery wise. Blessings, Cookie
The local supermarket had spend $50 on gift cards get $7.50 in free groceries.The gift cards were to many different stores and restaurants. I spent $250 in gift cards and got $37.50 free in groceries. I spent only $4 on groceries this week. We have several graduation parties, father's day and anniversaries coming up so the gift cards will be put to good use.
ReplyDeleteThis was a good time to get gift cards! Good savings! I hope this week will be another good one! xxx
DeleteDear Annabel,
ReplyDeleteYou always get so much done each week. I'm glad it's going to be back to a little cooler weather for you, and that you can get back to cleaning up all the branches and trees again for protection against fire next summer. Your swap goodies look amazing! And I love those little tags you made. Every time you talk about all of those little critters you have around, I laugh to myself about all of the "peace and quiet" in the country!! Ha, ha.
It's been very busy here as I keep working on the outside chores I can do since it's still so wet (more rain on the way!!! We're about 3 weeks late planting and still won't be able to do any this week!), like some flower bed weeding, etc., and otherwise working on inside cleaning and organizing chores. I have managed to get some rhubarb jam made, and will make some rhubarb pineapple jam this week. Also, a friend of mine is opening a gift shop and has asked friends to contribute some items for her grand opening this weekend, which she will sell on consignment, so I've made a few things for that. Looks like my husband will be reroofing one side of our house this summer, as soon as it is nice for a few days in a row! There's definitely always something to do!
Hope you have a lovely week. Looking forward to "news from the farm" again on Friday!
xx Jen in NS
Dear Jen, Some of the USA ladies have told me the same thing, they are planting very late or still havent been able to plant at all. Very concerning since the season ends when it ends with snow! Here if we are late well we dont get these cold temperatures or snow so it is not so serious.
DeleteWell yeh the quiet of the country... we have visitors most days and the animals have a lot to say and they only say it at one volume! But these are noises I like. Happy noises.
It could be very handy for you to have a friend opening a shop! You make so many things that would sell like hot cakes. Time is probably the issue. But still it could ba a handy opportunity to have.
I hope you have a good new week! With much love Annabel.xxx