It's been another week in lockdown and boy, have we been busy. We are trying to make the most of the extra time at home knowing that when things open up, I'll be working again, shopping ( just a little bit ), visiting and going on small road trips.
This week I've spent some time at the sewing machine, tidied my craft room ( just a little ) and wiped out a few cupboards. It's Spring cleaning time after all and I'm trying to get different things cleaned each week before the Summer heat sets in.
Here's what we've been up to this week -
* Made and sold some face masks for people in Sydney and South Australia.
* Picked silverbeet, lettuce and broccoli from our garden.
* Made up a 2 litre bottle of Miracle Spray and sold it to a friend.
* Baked a batch of ANZAC biscuits using dough from the freezer. I bagged up some of the biscuits to add to my Dad's Fathers Day present that Darren dropped off on his doorstep. I also added a box of bread improver from my stockpile knowing Dad would use it to bake his bread. Dad rang later and was thrilled with the present. He was so low on bread improver and had no way of getting more due to the lockdown restrictions. God knew my Dad's need and prompted my heart to add the bread improver to the gift.
* Darren cooked 5 individual chicken and vegetable pies using 1/4 piece of bbq chicken leftover from Father's Day. The pies were delicious and the rest were frozen for future eating. I think Darren has his eye on one for the AFL Grand Final.
* Saved more Penstemon seeds by putting the seed head in a paper bag and giving it a good shake. I'll be planting the seeds in the next few days.
* Sold almost all of the apron cards to friends on FB. Thankyou for your support. It's helping us more than you'll ever know.
* Cooked up a big pot of spag bol sauce. I added TPV, silverbeet and carrots to stretch the meat. From 1 kilo of beef mince I got 20 serves of sauce. We had spag bol for dinner that night and the rest of the sauce was divided up into portions for two and frozen.
* Darren baked a batch of raspberry and white chocolate muffins for our morning teas. Some were kept in the pantry and the rest were frozen. By freezing most of them they don't have a chance of being wasted or spoiling.
* Cleaned the kettle with citric acid.
* Fed weeds, aphid infested kale and bread crusts to the chickens to supplement their feed.
* Made up 40 litres of laundry liquid using ingredients I had on hand. I'll be posting the recipe shortly.
* Darren emptied one of our compost bins and added it to one of our front yard garden beds. Darren has been pulling out old plants that had become overgrown. The soil is lacking in nutrients so the compost will be a welcome addition.
* I took cuttings from a few different plants in our garden. If they strike they'll be planted in the bare garden bed mentioned above.
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| Raspberry and white chocolate muffins |
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| Darren's chicken pie |
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| Princess enjoying the sun |
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| Melting soap for laundry liquid |
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| Cards I've been selling |
Hi Wendy,
ReplyDeleteYour handmade cards look amazing! I think it helps to have a project or two during lockdowns; to feel like you are still achieving things. It was a bit of a mixed bag around here this week; on one hand we had an expensive medical bill and on the other hand we were really lucky to receive some sweet gifts from kind friends and colleagues which was lovely. I also did an extra day at work!
* added some grocery specials to our pantry - chocolate chips, peanut butter
* bought a dozen fresh eggs for $5 - from free ranging, well-fed & happy hens!
* made roasted veg frittata and a cheesecake for Fathers' Day lunch - I bought a
1kg pack of cream cheese ages ago for making cheesecakes.
* homemade meals - spaghetti bolognese, tomato risotto, fish and salads, chicken
fajitas and frittata
* homemade snacks - choc chip and oat cookies, weetbix slice & mini banana breads
+ a batch of jam drops from my lovely mother-in-law.
* enjoyed gifted chocolates that were a thankyou from a sweet person
* saved shower water to use in wash machine, emptied water bottles into pot plants
* used a little card from my present box to send a handwritten thank you note
* chose lightweight items when selecting little gifts for a dear friend's birthday - this saves on postage which is expensive!
I am beginning now to think ahead to Christmas to come as I want to make lightweight gifts for posting. I am keeping an eye out for luxurious fabrics, like velvets, to make scrunchies and am stitching onto felt hearts and doves to make little ornaments.
Have a lovely week!
Meg
My week has not an inexpensive one. It was my granddaughter's birthday an day mother lost her wallet. My expenses shot up quite a but. On the positive side the wallet has been found.
ReplyDeleteI love reading how everyone saves money. It is inspiration indeed.
God bless.
I made jam with home grown blackberries, froze some gifted food that we couldn't eat straight away and made sure that we used up all our leftovers. I managed to take apart a solar light that wasn't working properly and replaced the batteries, which were rather old. I have carried on living in much the same way as I did during lockdown since our restrictions were lifted. I am still wearing a mask when going into shops and taking care not to get too close to people. I might still be living under self-imposed restrictions, but the feeling of not living under official ones is priceless! I hope that yours are lifted soon. X
ReplyDeleteGood morning Wendy, we are in partial lockdown here now. We can travel more than 5kms but not allowed to have home visits,but we're very grateful for being able to see our grandchildren playing in their front garden after weeks separated. Only the the grade 3 is back at school with the grade 5 still at home. We really wanted to go to Bunnings,but drove on past as the crowd of cars was insane. We will try next at a quieter time, it is a fair drive from here.There are already breakout infections of covid in nearby areas so we will be staying home and caring for our house, crafting and gardening for the forseeable future.I took a leaf out of your book and repainted an old photo frame, it looks like a new one☺️Best Wishes
ReplyDeleteYour cards are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI sold a few things on eBay, used coupons at the grocery store (and a rebate app) & ate leftovers for meals. Plus, saving our shower water. Just the basics.
Hi Wendy
ReplyDeleteAll of your cooking looks delicious and your apron cards look gorgeous! My family and I love your recipes, some of our favourites are your lemon slice, honey soy chicken, and meatloaf. If you have time, would you mind sharing how you and Darren make the chicken and vege pies? I would love to try those! Thanks so much for all the knowledge, ideas and recipes you share. You inspire and encourage me so much. Cheers, Kelly
Hi Kelly, I think Darren used the website Taste.com to find a few recipes and picked and chose ingredients we had on hand. If I can get him to write out the recipe I'll share it.
DeleteHi Wendy,
ReplyDeleteI am considering buying chooks for our backyard to not only provide us with eggs but to also gobble up our scraps. What cost is there involved in keeping them? I am not concerned about the initial layout because that's a given.
Darren's muffins would go down oh so well right now. Yum. Yum.
Vicky
Hi Vicky. You'll need to buy chook feed and this can vary in price. Maybe about $25 per bag. You'll also need hay to line the nesting boxes but you could use shredded paper in a pinch. Other than that there are no other costs if they are healthy.
DeleteLove your blog. Wish you can share a bit of your gardening tips
ReplyDelete