Feather your Nest Friday, 2nd August, 2019.

Can you believe it is August already!  We can see signs of Spring here which seems a bit early.  But this means be have a lot to do yet before winter is over!  We are up to bonfire number 27!  We still have so much to clean up before summer.
However we are here to consider what we did achieve for the week and what we have to be thankful for (not stress over the list still ahead!)

One of my goals this week was to make soap to add to my gift cupboard and things I can use to barter with.   It was so much fun.  I shared this and lots of info over on The Tuesday Afternoon Club. If you would like to join we would love to have you! The Tuesday Afternoon Club.

I made three variations...

I am so thrilled with it.  This gives me plenty of time to get it nice and dry before Christmas.  I have noted family who have commented on it.  Lucy messaged me to say Mum that soap is PERFECT.  So I know she likes it a lot! 

This was one of those times that I was so pleased I always save roses and rose buds.  I went to my box of dried flowers and had perfect little buds for my pink soap.

If you would like to learn to make soap follow Wendy's recipe and method.  It is clear, easy and makes beautiful soap.   It is Coconut and Olive Oil Soap.    In my pictures this is the pink with the rosebuds.  When sliced it is as smooth as velvet.
The heart shaped soaps were from Nanna Chel.  I also found the nice moulds from reading her blog.  This recipe is here on here blog Castile Bubbles-One of my favourite soaps.  She has loads of soap making recipes and information.

I had soap all over the kitchen table.  Dad called in and asked what is this?  I said "soap" but Dad's hearing is not wonderful and he touched the top of one, ran his finger across it (as you do) and tasted it!   I am saying DAD IT IS SOAP!!  but he is not listening.  🙄

Next I made laundry liquid.  The price of laundry power and liquids here have gone mad.  Many are $20 a bottle. It is incredible.  Even on special they are expensive.  I have made liquid before with pretty good success.  But Jane posted a recipe for the one she makes and I wanted to try this.  I have also been in a big effort to increase my laundry supplies.   I got this going on the stove.  I am glad Dad didn't walk in again to taste what was "cooking" haha.

I am very pleased with it!   Now I will share the recipe Jane gave me in a post coming up.  I am starting a series next week where we are going to tackle ridiculous rising costs.

During the week I roasted a large piece of venison.  Well, huge would better describe it.  First of all we had a roast dinner.  Then I plated up two more roast dinners for a second meal.  Andy then ate venison for lunch the next two days.  I bought big packets of fresh rolls and then made the cold meat up into lunch rolls.  They were as Andy liked them,  loads of meat in each roll.   I made up 12 very large rolls to go into the freezer for lunches. 

After this I had lots of scrappy bits of meat still.  I fed Scout.  Then I bagged up chopped up meat to be dog food.   By the time I was finished this venison went so far! 

I filled up my wheelbarrow more times than I can count and carted sheep manure on to my veggie garden.  I am getting prepared for spring.  I just realised why my shoulders are achy!  That could be it!

I had op shop luck.  I found a silicone loaf pan which is prefect for a soap mould for $1.  (When you make soap you see everything as a potential mould) and I found a thick cotton waffle weave bed cover.  I am cutting it up to make nice big absorbent kitchen towels.  I will get nine.  Also I got a beautiful curtain in a nylon which is suitable to make veggie bags and there is just miles of it.  Both of these are now washed up ready for sewing.

With so much parsley in the garden I am picking bunches and drying them.  I am finding one bunch dries near the fire in about four days.  It turns out very green.  I am packing this up so then I will have both bay leaves and parsley I can gift and barter.   The fire place now always has parsley in front of it.

In the shops I had some good deals!  I stocked up on olive oil, dish detergent, conditioner and a few other bargains.

I also found a good gift for my present cupboard on a marked down table.  It cost $5 and was marked down from $39.  I have it in mind for one of the male presents.

Lucy needed On Guard/Plague Defence or Germ Killer for her diffuser. I made her up a big batch as I have the essential oils to make it from scratch. 

Andy put fences around our bigger established fruit trees so the lambs and calf can't eat those.  They are covered in buds now so it needed to be done.

He also cut up a big fallen tree and stacked more wood. 

I have been doing lots of weeding, improving soil and now I am puling out some finished broccoli plants and other winter veggies.  One day I did so much!  But mostly I do a bit each day.  This feeds the animals better.  I take a bucket of weeds and spent plants up to the chickens.  They go crazy over it.  They unload their own bucket! 

Mum also gave me some wheat for the chooks so that was very helpful.  

Next I take weeds and veggies to Laffie and the lambs.  Laffin's favourite is broccoli.

And the lambs love all of it.  

Nothing at all is wasted.  It seems every single thing feeds somebody! 

Oh, that would include Scout. She liked that venison.  She has grown a lot.  She enjoys all the action. She is with one of us doing some interesting thing most of every day!

Her idea of interesting is pretty much anything! 

Yesterday Mum and I headed down to see the girls.   Of course I made a cake.  The big thing in their household just now is Elsa.  Harper is currently freezing people.  So I did one of my cheat decorator cakes and it was a big hit! 

I also took a tray of Enchilada's and gave Chloe and Luke the same.   I made twenty all up.  I used to buy the jars of sauce. They re so expensive and since I make big batches I would need at least four or five jars.  Vicky taught me how to make my own sauce.  You can find that recipe plus a link to the whole method (which I am sure is a cheats recipe overall but it tastes good!) here Money Saving Dry Mixes.

We are having them again for dinner tonight so I have the night off.  Also I am freezing some as ready made meals. (I am working on increasing my freaky to thaw and eat meals.)

A new chemist took over in town.  They cleared out some brands to replace with their own brands.  I stocked up on bargain priced OTC things like aspirin, cold and flu tablets etc.  Into the medical cabinet they went! 

So that was my week!

This is the first time the list on my fridge took more than one page!

I hope it was a good week for you. How did you get head, save, add to your gift cupboard and pantry?  It all adds up!  Week by week we have conquered a lot of big goals!   Do you find prices have gone up and it takes more effort to find good deals and stretch the budget?  I am amazed at some of the prices I am seeing.   So next week I am starting a weekly post on beating the ridiculous prices!

Have a lovely weekend! xxx