The little birds...

If you watch little birds you will see they are busy and happy! Using whatever they can find they create the most gorgeous little nest.
I would be the little bird with some glittery thread in her nest!
We can be like this. Happily working away with the things that are available to us to create a beautiful and happy home.
All the while with a little song in our heart.

Banner by Free Pretty Things for You.

Thursday 30 October 2014

Feather your Nest Friday 31 October 2014.





Each day I am writing in my journal the things that have been wonderful blessings in my day and the things I achieved towards feathering our nest. This is in part so I don't get to Friday and think "what have I been doing all week?"

The ordinary things we do day to day can be enough. We may do nothing extra aside of keep everyone fed and alive! Just this can be a full time task. And there are times nothing extra is possible. You know, we need to count all this as important work. Keeping things running, food on the table, linen and clothes washed, children happy, pets fed, lunches packed... whatever it is in your house this is all important stuff. And there are times especially with small children or sickness in the house just managing the basics is a huge achievement. We need to count it all. It all matters and it is all worthwhile.

The stage of life you are in is something to accept. When there is a new born baby a feather your nest achievement might be managing to clean or cook a simple meal. One thing I have learned is accept the stage you are in. It is fleeting. Enjoy and relish it. There will be time later for other things when there is no time now...

When you do anything to strengthen, nurture, nourish or encourage your family you are building up your home. After all there is no point having a beautiful well kept home if the family living in it don't feel loved and secure.




Some extra things I achieved this week to feather the nest were:

From re arranging some potted plants I ended up with an empty wide and low bowl type planter. And a shady spot with a space. So I thought violets in this bowl would work well. I looked at violets in the nursery which were $14 per pot. mmm I decided to dig up some with roots from my existing violet patch and plant them around the bowl. In the first days they drooped but I kept watering and now they are looking perky... they will soon enough fill the bowl and look lovely.

I washed a very large floor rug for Lucy. I spread it over the outdoor setting, sprayed it with Miracle Cleaner and hosed it down. I rubbed a few spots that needed it. When it drip dried enough we turned it over (I needed help with that) and did the other side. On the second day it was dry and looked like new. I don't know what rug cleaning would cost but I imagine this saved quite a bit of money and it's like a brand new rug. The Miracle Cleaner recipe is here.... Miracle Cleaner.

I vaxed the carpets. We have three rooms of carpet. I used miracle cleaner in my vax (it is a vac that has a wet and dry function) and miracle cleaner on stains and spots. (please note my vax is old, it won't void a warrantee or anything like that due to using a cleaner of my own choice) It came up so well and smells so fresh. A flyer in the mail said carpet cleaning on special was $129 for three rooms so that is what I will say I saved.

At the supermarket they had a trolley full of bagged up fruit and vegies at $3 a bag. Each bag had I would say about 5 kilos of produce. It all needed to be sold asap. It was all very good. I chose two bags. I ended up with about a kilo of apples, six bananas, a large red, a yellow and two green capsicums, two bunches of asparagus and whole lot more. Lucy came over and saw my mountain as I was unpacking and washing it. I gave her some of everything. Then I picked her a bunch of oregano, a bunch of parsley and a little bag of coriander. She was very happy! I have so many things I can make with all of this. It might be funny but I count any money I saved their households as something too.

Another thing I did... I almost never wear earrings but I have some gorgeous ones. I got them out and gave them a clean and wore some. And to make them noticeable I wore my hair in a half up style. This had the effect of I got out my pretty hair clips and cleaned them. So for a week I feel like I had a new hairstyle and new jewellery and the change is lovely. And I got comments. All for free. Years ago a jewellery told me to mix half glass/window cleaner with half dishwashing detergent and use a soft toothbrush to gently clean my rings. This is good for most jewellery not for pearls though. It makes things look like they have been to the jeweller for a professional clean. Clean thoroughly with this and then rinse. Work away from the sink in a bowl of water and a jar of this... I have a major fear of jewellery going down the sink. But this works miracles and things look new!

Here is a picture of part of my lounge with freshly washed covers. Wrestling the covers back on was better than a gym session!



I got an idea. Googling will get you more pictures on this but I took one to demonstrate. My daughter took me out to lunch. We shared a "tasting plate" desert. I keep seeing and hearing this "tasting plate" concept. So out comes a little selection of things looking gorgeous. Each one is quite tiny. My brain went !!! this idea of a multitude of things on a lovely plate or platter could be used to present a whole variety of left overs, things we need to use up etc that on their own do not make a meal. But all together as a "tasting plate" they look fabulous. And everyone can choose the bits they like. Bliss. It works equally well with sweet or savoury meals. So tasting plates here I come!



Yesterday I used some left over roast lamb and my capsicums and tomatoes from my bargain vegies and made pizzas. I made them for dinner, my husbands work lunch today and one for the weekend. They were really good. I also used up some soft cheese I had frozen.



Last week I discovered a lovely blog with the best name! It's called "If you do stuff, stuff gets done" by a lovely lady called Rhonda. Here is a link.... If you do stuff, stuff gets done. In true form Rhonda works hard, saves money and builds her home!

What did you do this week to build up your home? I will leave you with Rhonda's words... "if you do stuff, stuff gets done" I am going to remember this forever!
Like Flylady says housework done imperfectly still blesses your family. A lot of things are the same. We may not attempt crafts, cooking, cleaning and all kinds of things feeling our efforts might not be perfect or good enough. But they are, that is how we learn! This opens the door to trying new things and you never know how this might help your family or yourself! Often a small change can produce big results! This has been a year of many changes for me. Actually in my diary I am listing all the changes I made this year, the new things I learned and did for the first time ever. It is a long list. It is probably why I saved a lot of money this year in different ways. Some things I had in my mind as "too hard" turned out to be easy!

What did you do to build up your home this week? I hope it was a wonderful week. It is the last day of October. I hope to finish some things today and I will feel October was a very productive month. I love that feeling! Thank you for joining me in Feather your Nest Fridays!

Have a lovely weekend. The roses are out in my garden now, I am loving them!












13 comments:

  1. A quieter week this week for me but I did plant some lettuce seedlings. I wiped out a few cupboards and tidied my linen cupboard and made it "tv ready " for an interview. I made all meals and snacks from sratch. I made a few Christmas presents.

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    1. Wendy like I said at the top sometimes just managing is enough! I think you did very well. I cant wait to see the tv segment, I know a lot of people will be looking forward to it. Well done on the Christmas presents.xx

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  2. Another beautiful post (as always) Annabel. Thanks for sharing your week again with us. xo You always inspire me towards finding new ways to live life well on a budget. I especially like the idea of a tasting plate. Great idea for leftovers!

    This week I bought some good buys in fruit and veg. 99c kg pumpkin, Broccoli 1.99kg and local grown mini roma tomatoes 1.99kg and avocados 99c each. I also bought 5 packs containing 3 croissants each for 59c a pack to freeze and use for ham and cheese croissants to serve with salad. It makes a special weekend lunch meal for a few weekends to come ;) I also used up my 10c a litre milk from the freezer I had bought on clearance. My Dd and I purchased half price shampoo and conditioner and aloe tissues for her (hayfever) and Rexona deodorant was 2 for $7. I qualified my second week with these stock up purchases so am almost there to receive a $30 gift card from Woolies. I had to spend $50 each week for 3 consecutive weeks. Chicken (skinless) fillets were $7.99kg so I stocked up on them as well. Bought a few more small Christmas gifts that were at good prices.

    I love Rhonda's blog! Thanks for linking it. I also started following her Pinterest boards. I love what she says about "If you do stuff,stuff gets done" and also flylady with "housework done imperfectly still blesses your family". They are great quotes for those of us who procrastinate too much or fall into those perfectionist lies that "it isn't good enough!"

    Pinterest itself has saved me lots of money by giving heaps of frugal ideas and other inspiring "pins" I say a big thanks to you for putting me onto it in the first place Annabel xoxo

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    1. Great bargains Kaye! Im so glad you feel that way about pinterest. This is how I feel. If I have something I just know I COULD make something out of but not sure what I search it on pinterest. And there are always ideas. I do this with food to mainly on Taste.com ie if I have heaps of something to use up I search the ingredient there. And usually there are ideas I had not thought of. This expands my usual ideas somewhat too. You had a great week. Thank you for sharing it. It does a lot to encourage me and find new ideas! xxx

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  3. Thanks for a lovely read Annabel. I have been feeling down for some time buy today's blog cheered me a little. I likes your comment-" One thing I have learned is accept the stage you are in. It is fleeting. Enjoy and relish it. There will be time later for other things when there is no time now...". Quite pertinent to me at this time.
    I also love the idea of creating a tasting plate for the times we have bits and pieces in the fridge and pantry.
    I don't think I did anything to build up my home this week, or any week in the past. I will think hard about what I can do with my limited mobility and brain power.
    Thanks for another good read.

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    1. Thanks for your kind comments Jan. Well I know you are good with a paint brush and anyone how can make over something with Annie Sloan chalk paint is building up their home very beautifully in my book!
      I have a few platters I dont use often and Im thinking of doing the tasting plate thing... it is a little like the concept of an antipasto platter or cheese board but with anything! Have a lovely weekend! xxx

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  4. Beautiful post Annabel, you are spot on! Use up, don't throw out. Be creative with what you have & turn something mundane into something new & improved. Baby steps is still moving forward (& you have time to appreciate everything around you, LOL). Still loving your blog & check it every day. Love & hugs. xSusan

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    1. Thank you Susan! Being so creative yourself I have been thinking of asking you a question. The world seems short of beautiful writing paper. I am thinking of trying some things to make my own. I have tired one thing this week but I thought I will ask you for ideas on this.. Have a lovely Sunday! Thank you for your comment too xxx

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  5. I think with modern technology the way it is Annabel the best thing you could do is make your own gorgeous writing paper using the computer & print out at home. Of course this only works if you have a good coloured printer & plenty of money for ink, LOL. The other thing you can do is buy some gorgeous scrapbooking papers (which are plentiful & come in 12x12, A4, 8x8 & 4x4 sizes) & then use a paper trimmer to make up the size you require. I have recently purchased some beautiful pastel pages with soft flowers printed on them delicately in the background that would make perfect writing paper for those special occasions. Remember one 12x12 sheet $1 to $1.60 ea (& often much cheaper) can be cut down to make 4 lovely sized note pad pages.

    I have just done 30 minutes of blessing my house & now relaxing with Brunch. The wood heater has been cleaned & reset, a trolly load of wood brought in by the back door, the carpet vacuumed & all is ready for more rain, wind & sleet, LOL (last month of spring, pffft). It's cold ......... but I love it! :)

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    1. Dear Susan, I knew you would have an idea! I am going to cut scrap booking paper in half or quarters to make note cards. As you say some is pale and pretty and suitable to write on. Im off to Spotlight tomorrow too.
      We are enjoying some coolness before the dreaded heat too but I am sure in summer I would be much better off in Tasmania... especially when we hit 45 plus (which I hate!) Thanks Susan, Love Annabel.xxx

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  6. I am so going to grow roses, yours are gorgeous Annabel! I have a plan for an area just for roses and hopefully I can get that arranged by next spring.

    Sorry for my absence, but I hopped off the roller coaster that is this world for a couple of weeks. I withdrew from facebook, blogger and media in general. All the depressing news was dragging me down. I have been concentrating on removing chemicals from my life as much as I can. It is scary the amount of things we expose our bodies to, even in our homes.

    My feathering included a trip to Adelaide for a couple of days last weekend, we needed a break from our mundane lives. We took most of our food and stayed at Boliver caravan park, it is lovely there. We went to the farmers market at Mount Pleasant on Saturday and picked up heaps of organic fruit and veggies, and some yummy black rye bread. On our way back we stopped at a couple of garage sales and I picked up a decent nut cracker, and jar lid opener. For lunch we found a lovely little spot on the outskirts of Hahndorf, got out our deck chairs and made some sandwiches and enjoyed the view for a while. It is so green up in the hills unlike here at home. On Sunday we purchased more veggies from the Gepps Cross market and then headed home.

    Friday and Saturday just gone we went to Kimba to see my parents and I visited the little op shop and picked up some wool and embroidery cotton, plus three (maybe four) really nice church tops all for $6! As usual our parents loaded us up with stuff. We brought home excess eggs to sell, ten bags of wheat for our chooks, some lemons, apples that were given to mum, zucchinis from their garden, some passionfruits, plant cuttings and pine cones from the neighbours house. I am going to decorate the pine cones like you do :) Dad also gave me an old radio from the 60's and I am listening to it now while I write this.

    Around home I made lavender dust cloths and lavender spray. I also made homemade toothpaste and washed my hair with bicarb and rinsed with vinegar a couple of times this week. I started using my homemade laundry detergent again instead of the harsh washing powder.

    Out in the garden I added mulch to the fruit trees and put shade over the veggie beds in the hope to help retain moisture for longer. I managed to get through a week without watering, so it is working.

    Thank you for the link, I will take a look tomorrow if I get time. I must try the miracle cleaner on my mats and stains. I have a vax with a shampooer so I might try your method using miracle spray next time.

    God Bless,
    Love Tania xx




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    1. Tania I was just thinking of you so I went and checked on you at your blog. You have had a really busy time! But wow it was good! The Adelaide Hills are lovely and so pretty. The markets sound fabulous, I used to go to the Gepps Cross ones once a fortnight and the bargains are amazing.
      I have found the world news etc to be very hard to take lately. Really things have disturbed me. I am posting something about this tomorrow... Yes we need to be careful or it is all too much! Your productive trip to the city and then to Kimba was probably good medicine. You came home with so much produce and Im sure it was lovely seeing your parents. What a good trip. Tania the good thing about roses is once they are established they are tough and handle the dry well. I know plenty of people who never water their roses. Mine get some water in summer but not a lot. You had a very productive week.Thanks so much for sharing it with me.xxx

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    2. Welcome back to blogging world Tania. You've been missed.

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