Feather your Nest Friday, 25th September. 2020.

 Come with me....

The Bluebirds are Nesting on the Farm.

Feather your Nest Friday, 18th September, 2020.

It was a good week. I just kept on doing what I can. I feel to build the pantry and garden. I keep getting the same hint where ever I turn. In fact one of the blogs I follow (Jenny of Elephantz found here ) hit me (very nicely!) with the same message again. I was praying on this subject and the next morning the first thing I thought was to get everything we would need for Christmas. And so that is what I am doing. And next I see Cath's video on You Tube. (The Cheapskate Club. "I'm NOT dreaming of a COVID normal Christmas.') Jenny and Cath would be the two most level headed ladies you could know! So I took this as a bit of confirmation I am on the right track. Now, not everyone does! Cath has had abuse, trolls, threats... for posting about food storage, possible shorages and down to earth practical help. A good friend who also blogs shares so much about food preservation, gardening and every wholesome thing and her heart was so hurt over an absolutely terrible comment on her blog. When someone wants yo belittle you it says much more about them than you. Many young Mothers have this to go through if they stay home and care for their children. Do not buy these lies. Your work is going to have an impact beyond measure on your children and several coming generations! Your love and work is worth more then Rubies. I am telling you because... do not let anyone discourage you or belittle you for taking care of your family and your families needs. Rather wonder WHY would anyone want to discourage you? Wonder WHY does it bother someone so much that you are working hard and "looking well to the ways of your household"? Do what you feel to do. Never ignore your deep down feeling. I have done that before with grim results! So we continue to build up our homees and feather our nests as we can and make the most of very opportunity to do so! Some of the things I can report this week are: My Uncle gave me a bag of canning lids!! Thank you to him. I planted out several basil plants I started from cuttings. My plan has been to vacuume seal my jars that are full of dehydrated goods. After a bit of reserach I purchased a Lasting Freshness set of cannisters from Amazon. They has a manual pump to suck out the air. I followed the instructions on Oak Hill Farmstead Blog to vacuume seal almost any ordinary jar. And I tested it out a good few times before I decided yes it works!

Amazingly if you place a jar in a vac seal cannister and remove the air then you vac seal the jar.

With a shortage of jars and canning lids this might help someone. I have mentioned before that Heidi on Rain Country (you tube) has been my dehyraing teacher. And I have more to do! There is a lot of Silverbeet, Spinach and Swiss Chard in the garden. I am trying to use it in everyway..

I started cooking for the next "baby week" and made a big pot of Spaghetti sauce and two pasta bakes. This made a heap of meals. I shared some with Lucy's family and froze a pasta bake for when Chloe has her baby. And it fed us a few times too. Mum and I were able to go to see the girls and the baby! Mum made a quiche and I made a cake. And off we went.

It was a beautiful day. And the cake went over well.

We had a day of bonfires. We need to do this before the weather warms up. We had 12 in total.

I made a cake for Chloe and Luke. Lots of this would have been sliced and frozen for Luke's lunches.

Recently I got a new (old) freezer. I cleaned it up but it had some marks on the front. I used a "cover anything" white paint and roller to paint it. Now it looks perfect and brand new! If I didn't have this paint I would have used chalk board paint and written lists on it. I potted up a heap of veggie seeds in little pots to start them off. A friend send me a great variety of herb and veggie seeds! Mum gave me some chook food. We picked up the last thing needed to furnish the cottage. An old leather lounge. A massive bargain found on Buy Swap and Sell. I have everything now! Lastly, I painted the chest of drawers. I have more to do on this but it is a lovely project. I hope to show the finied result soon. I hope you will be encouaged. Keep good company and "whatever is true, whatever is noble. whatever is right. whatever is pure. whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable... if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--- think about such things." (Phil 4:8) How did you do this week? I hope things are ok for you in your area. We might live far and wide but we are all affected by a pretty disastrous year all round! Some of us are feeling pretty isolated or have suffered losses of different kinds. So we need encouagement. Everything you do to build up your family and home matters. xxx Jess (of Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth Blog) posted something on Instagram. It just grabbed me! This is it, in part... "I don't want to get adjusted to this world.. I don't want to get adjusted to this culture. I don't want to look like everyone else nor do I want to walk like everyone else..." And there you go, she nailed it! xxx

Feather your Nest Friday, 11th September, 2020.

I am not confident about this post as Blogger have changed things and my computer doesn't like it. But I will try. The weather has a real Spring feel to it. And it has me Spring cleaning any chance I get! The orchard trees are beginning to blossom.

I have been going through photos and catching up on the last two years of albums. I found some lovely frames for some photos of Dad. Some of the ways I built up our home included: I potted up more plants. Mum gave me chicken feed. I made a big Butter Chicken and sides and this fed us and also Lucy and family... as I went to visit them and spend a night! On the way I went to a favourite country op shop (thrift store) and had so much luck. I found beautiful little books for a baby farm boy... stories about shearers and tractors and chickens! Perfect! I also found lots of nice bottles, perfect for making sauce in summer. A project I had sitting on the sewing table is finished off. I had found bed linen in a pure cotton waffle weave. It was $4. After a wash up I cut it up and made kitchen towels. Then I used up some odds and ends from my box of trims.

Last Sunday I asked Mum to come over and made some Gluten Free Scones. I made a batch of regular ones too. Chloe and Luke came over as well. Everyone went home with a basket of scones. Tonight the cows came over to say hello. If I call they moo back. Laffie is big now. Who knows what she would weigh!? But she is just as affectionate and will chase you for biscuits.

Cow portraiture is my new calling! haha! Someone else tried to get in on the act. Someone who needs a hair cut...

Just now it has started to rain. We need rain badly! So I pray it keeps coming! Every week I try to share and encourage in all things to do with building up our homes. To be ahead where we can and to continually learn and build our skills. Having a good pantry is sensible as it is going to help every situation from sickness to job loss. No one could have imagined what 2020 would hold. I have never seen empty supermarket shelves before in my life. Nor have I ever experienced any kind of rationing. But these things are now minor compared to what came next. And what is happening now. The loss of jobs and whole business, maybe even whole industries... the loss of freedom, the loss of rights and free speech. If anyone isn't sure what I am talking about look up the events in Victoria and Queensland this week. There are curfews, people have lost the right to go outside, go to work, be with their dying parents or go to their funerals. If you are criminals, a sports or TV star you are let go but if you a peaceful and law abiding citizen you really cannot assume any rights. To me there is a straight out battle now of good and evil. World wide. Just like that everything has changed. Australia doesn't feel like Australia anymore. Sometime the economic tsunami is coming. There is already a feeling... a feeling of sadness and shame. I am hearing of desperate situations and I am not in the worst affected state by any means. We have mostly been affected by having family in the border community. This is when I discovered how it is to be suddenly not treated like Australians anymore. So whatever you are experiencing in your state or country I think it would be fair to say we are living in unprecedented times. It might be wise to up our preparedness in every way we can. It soon may be time to not be on social media or share our preparedness either. We have seen arrests here now for social media posts so everything is watched apparently. It is a challenge to be prudent and think straight when under pressure and when you feel in a state disbelief. I actually feel that some of what I am seeing cannot be real. But it is. Our home being a sanctuary is vial. For ourselves and families. And our efforts to build up our pantries, freezers, gardens etc are very important. And perhaps even more so... our efforts to build up our family and friends, support network, people we can barter with... all kinds of support we can find! We will need to help each other more and watch out for each other. Times have changed enough to reassess everything. How did you manage to build up your home, pantry and garden this week? Our efforts DO make a difference. Big one! xxx

Feather your Nest Friday, 4th September, 2020.

I am late with my post but I am going to make it a much happier one.   Very much happier.

I have had to take things day by day.  Probably that applies to us all.  Have a plan and do your best day by day.

Some of the ways I was able to build up the home, pantry and garden were:

I was given more lovely lemons.

I found the softest flannelette sheet in the op shop.  I am thinking it would make lovely pyjama pants for the girls.  I do a kind of easy  pyjama set by using a very soft t shirt/or long sleeve version  for the top and then make pants out of something very soft for the bottom.  This is a kind of Peter Alexander copy.  So easy!

Mum gave me wheat for my chickens.
I was also given corn so I am ahead for chicken food.

I made up a dozen ham and cheese rolls for the freezer and gave my son in law half.

On the road side I found two Rosemary bushes that are sprawling out over the ground.  I have had my eye on them for a while!   I stopped and lifted up some of the rosemary across the bottom on the ground and sure enough it had root systems.   The first time I got five bits and potted them up to get the root systems further established.

Yesterday I got 14 more little plants ready to go.   I am so pleased.  I have many gaps I can fill with Rosemary as it does well here.   I can give the girls some for their gardens.   And maybe use some as gifts or as a swap.

I was on the road yesterday as I got to see Lucy and the kids.   It was a wonderful day.    Sidney has grown, the girls were so excited.  I was able to catch up with them all.

Also a long day!  I shopped and ran errands on the way home and dug up my rosemary!  It was dark when I got back.

Now I get to tell you (finally) other good news....

Chloe and Luke are expecting a baby NEXT MONTH!

Dad of course knew about this and he was so happy.   Chloe has always wanted lots of babies.

Ok back to my list...

I was given bags of shredded paper and also three old crates.  Combined I now have three new nesting boxes for the chickens full of soft texting material.  I think they like it.

I cut Andy's hair. 

There were apples that needed using up. I used some with a roast and froze some portions.

My pantry really grew.  This was Dad providing again.  He travelled with extensive kits of shelf stable foods.   Most to that is now in my emergency pantry.   He said his aim was to throw the stone down the road.  Should this food be needed in a crisis he will have done that again.

I owe lots of people correspondence and replies and I am gradually getting there.  I am so appreciate of all the kindness and love.   Thank you so much.  

With everything that happened I was unable to get my baby goats.  The lady was lovely and allowed me to wait and pick from the next ones born which is really soon.  So I am excited that I can still go ahead and this is lovely to look forward to.

We also had rain.  This is always good news and everyone is pleased.   My lambs are doing well.  They are not interested in bottles and are eating.  I have a big yard of  beautiful green grass so they munch away happily all day.   

How did you manage to feather your nest this week?  I hope you were able to add to your pantry and I know many are harvesting... while we are just in Spring and soon will be planting.  I think next week I can begin planting up my raised garden beds.   And they are full and ready!   So working away bit by bit gets things done.  I never thought those beds would be full!   

Have a lovely weekend.xxx