Feather your Nest Friday, 19th June, 2020.

It has been a busy but good week!   Today I think the week has over taken me and I am not keeping up!  So I will try and slow down and look at what WAS achieved. It is good to do this.  Consider how far we came, rather than just look at the list ahead.   Things really do add up even if it is a little each day.  This is how I tackle most big things... a bit each day.

Some of the ways I got ahead this week and built up our home were:

I sorted through the linen cupboard.  I matched up sheet sets and retired some that had suddenly hit the too thin and worn to mend stage!  I also retired two bath towels  (old linen is kept and towels become animal bedding etc) and bought a couple of new towels.  I noticed our store, which is Target, had almost no towels and rows and rows of empty shelves.   The lady in the store told me she doesn't even know when more might come and said they don't know what they will do.

I made Gingerbread biscuits and Pumpkin Scones...

On Monday I went to the local town north of us to meet my friend Wendy and also to see if the op shops were open.  That was a wonderful day.   Wendy had beautiful velvet fabric,  velvet ribbon and two pure wool blankets for me (op shop) and I was thrilled!

At the op shops I found some pure wool yard, soap moulds, space vac bags for $2 and several craft items.  

While in one op shop a lady came in with a box of jars.  They were the good coffee ones with a wonderful glass lid that seals.  But the op shop lady said they had too many jars and didn't want them.  When I went to the car this lady was still parked out the front.  I asked her if I could offer her something for those jars?  She said "no, you can have them"  and handed me the box.  It was a big box of great jars! yay!

On Tuesday I went to the town south of us to pick up six new chickens.   Because chickens are harder to get now I put my name down in two places.  It looks like I might end up with both.  But that is a good thing.    These are at the late teenager scrawny stage.  They will be good laying birds...

Of course while I was there I went to the op shops in this town.  I got a beautiful Sheridan Queen bedspread for $5.  The Australian ladies will know this is a really expensive brand.   It has had a big soak and wash and came up beautifully and it is GORGEOUS.

Also found some childrens classic books.   I buy these for the girls for when they are older.  Heidi,  Anne of Green Gables, Black Beauty...  Plus a bag of pink satin ribbons.   

I found a brand new,  in the box,  Sylvanian Families House.   The girls played with these when they were little and they were just lovely.  I kept the little mice.  So now I have a house!  The girls will love to  play with this here...

What luck! 

I also got some brand new books that were prefect subjects for people on my list.  These went straight into the gift cupboard.  

I took part in Patsy's Pantry Challenge.  Her website is on my side bar... A Working Pantry.     This week the task was to find all the loose change you could in the car, old purses and so on and turn it into items for the pantry.  I found a heap of change and a whole jar I keep.   I found a full purse of change I usually would have used for op shopping but it was building up as the shops had been closed for months.    I managed to convert it into all of this:

After this I still had change.  I counted it up into $5 envelopes.  It got me bags of manure for the raised garden beds!  

All the light bags are manure.  The black ones are full of free shredded paper.  It added a lot to the raised beds!  

So that was a good challenge.

The cottage project continued and we now have a fridge.  Also a pressure cleaned roof that looks like new!   

In the pantry I kept organising to create room.  I also sat a big bucket of honey near the fire for a few days and then poured it into jars so it is much easier to handle.  Look at the colour!  This is honey from here on the farm.  The farm naturally has Manuka growing so our honey is at least in part Manuka honey. 

I made two chocolate cakes. I took one over to Chloe and Luke.   

This gets me to today!   Mum and I are going to see the girls tomorrow.   Scarlett is coming back with us for her turn to stay over.   So I am getting ready!

I hope you had a good week.   We can't say much has settled down around us!  So we do what we can.  In many cases that is a lot extra, maybe home schooling,  maybe isolating and possibly trying to cope with much more expensive groceries and other challenges.   We are not in it alone that is for sure.   There has been loss of life, livelihoods, homes, businesses,  peace and confidence... all around. It really is a time to take stock, watch out for others and do what you can with what you have.   We can think outside the square and see new ways to do things, new things to cook and ways to save.   

I have good news too, Jess from Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth is blogging again.  If you would like encouragement drop in there.  She has endless resources on canning, all things pantry related, crafts and homemaking.  

How did you manage this week?  Were you able to build up your pantry or garden?

Have a good weekend.xxx