It's been a ' Make, Bake, Sew and Grow " kind of week at the Gower Abundant Cottage. Many of my days have been busy filling orders from friends who want to buy my crafts. I'm truly blessed to be busy and truly blessed with all the support and words of encouragement. Along the way I've had lots of lovely conversations with customers across Australia who are concerned for Victorians living through Stage 4 lockdown. We are living in strange times and kindness goes a long way to making people feel a little better.
When I'm not crafting, I've spent some time reorganising a few cupboards, tidying my pantry, sorting out my shed, weeding the veggie gardens and doing a little baking.
Here are my frugal tasks for the week -
* Made butter from scratch using more of the frozen cream I got for free.
* Made and sold lots of face masks. I have just a handful left to sell while I wait for my elastic order to come in the mail.
* Made and sold lots of face mask greeting cards ( care cards ). They were fun to make and I know people are buying them to send to people who need some cheering up.
* Made four loaves of wholemeal bread with extra goodness. When I slice the loaves to freeze, I reuse old plastic bread tags and bread bags over and over again.
* Made a pot of chunky chicken and veg soup from stock I had in the freezer. This pot of soup was enough for Darren and I for two dinners and one lunch. Almost free meals for us.
* Made chocolate chip biscuits for our snacks using dough I had in the freezer.
* Made a few bath bombs for an order a friend wanted to buy. Our home smelled like a florist for a few days.
* Picked silverbeet from the garden as our green vegetable for a couple of meals. For me, a dinner is not a dinner unless it has a green vegetable on the plate. Silverbeet is so easy to grow and is a plant that keeps on giving.
* Juiced the lemons I picked from our tree last week. The juice was frozen to use in jam making later in the year. In the next few weeks I'll make a batch of lemon butter too.
* We ate freezer meals ( leftovers ) a couple of times this week. There were days when I was super busy sewing. It was a relief to have ready made meals on hand. Not that we can go out and buy takeaway at the moment.
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| Choc chip biscuits |
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| Lots of face masks made |
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| Some of the Care card bundles I made |
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| Cards made for an order |
Hi Wendy,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing.
Your craft looks so nice and the masks are really pretty. The care cards are a great idea too!
We had a busy week of work and study. All meals were still homemade although takeaway was very very tempting. I made a double batch of choc chip bikkies for the freezer. If the oven was on for dinner I could Could bake a batch. So easy.
I hope restrictions lift for you soon. Stay well Victoria.
We love soup too. I am sure that is what you and your husband were eating, not soap!
ReplyDeleteMy week has flown. My granddaughter has tonsillitis and ear infections again. She will be going to the ENT soon for review. But this week has been four days of care instead of two. Mia is my joy and delight so it is privilege. Sadly I live in one of the areas where there has been corona virus in SEQ. I worry for my daughters as the both work near Ipswich and my son worked around there too. All we can do is stay at home and wear masks when out and about.
ReplyDeleteI am so pleased that your masks and cards have brought in some income. It has been so long and so hard for so many.
God bless everyone.
I've been following for awhile, love your site. My husband and I will be downsizing our home and financially as he's about to retire. So many useful tips that I've started doing now and more we'll use once settled in our new place. Did I mention, I love your kitchen. Have a wonderful week, Patti Ann in the U.S.
ReplyDeleteHi Wendy
ReplyDeleteYour masks are so colourful and pretty. Those cards are just gorgeous. Thanks for sharing what you have been up. It would be pretty tough on some people by now. Those that live alone are probably really feeling isolated.
Hope those in SEQ stay safe as this is also a worrying time for them. We are in CQ but still people I speak with are remaining cautious in going to certain places. There are a few stores in the main shopping center closing down which is sad to see. I tend to go in around lunch time or late afternoon when there are not many people around. I have been supporting many of the local small businesses around us as I feel that is important to do.
I think we need to hit delete on 2020
Stay safe to everyone
Take Care
Aly xxx