Abundant Cottage Adventures Monday 18th May 2020

Yesterday I spent the morning volunteering at our local community pantry.  When I got home Darren had been working on the front garden. 

We have a very overgrown Agapanthus plant at the letterbox that really needed to go.  The roots had grown under the garden pavers and lifted some of our lawn.  Once the plant had been removed ( which took hours and hours ) all the roots were dug out and the soil sifted.  Such a big job so I helped Darren for a couple of hours.

Lasagne,  mash and steamed veg was on the menu for dinner.

Portions of lasagne 

What is your favourite dinner dish ?

Smiley Sunday 17th May 2020

I've always been one to find great joy in the little things. When our daughters were toddlers,  I made it a point to see the world through their eyes with wonderment and happiness.  If they thought the grass was fascinating,  then I thought the grass was fascinating too.  After all,  God did create it for our pleasure.

Here are a few things that bring me joy -

*  A flower in the garden.  At the moment we have lots of different flowers blooming. They are a bright ray of sunshine amongst the bushes and shrubs.

*  Chocolate.  I love chocolate and there's no hiding it.  I'm blessed to have received lots of chocolate for Mother's Day from my family.  They know me well.

*  Our youngest grandson Bryson has just started smiling.  This brings a smile to my face as I encourage him to smile some more.  Even his eyes smile before it his mouth does.

Growing in some guttering on the fence.

What makes you smile ?

Abundant Cottage Adventures Friday 16th May 2020

We are making the most of the mild weather here in Melbourne.  The back garden continues to get it's make over which has been keeping us busy.  Here's what we've been up to over the last week -

*  Put petrol in the car on the way home from work.  With very little driving compared to what we normally do,  we can go 4 or 5 weeks before filling up again.

*  Cleaned the toilets.

*  Darren had a delivery of soil for his new garden bed.  He spent a bit of time fill the garden bed up and used the leftover soil to top up one of the vegie garden beds.

*  Wiped out one of the ovens while it was still warm.

*  Dusted a few window sills.

*  Massaman beef curry from the freezer served with rice was on the menu for dinner one night.

*  Spent time with Luka outside playing with a bubble machine.  Unfortunately it was too windy and the bubble blew away before he could play with them.

*  Baked four loaves of wholemeal bread with extra goodness.

*  Picked a couple of handfuls of beans.  The plants were starting to die so I've pulled them out.

*  Moved a couple of small silverbeet plants into a better position and fed them.

*  Moved a couple of packets of toilet paper from my shed and into the house before the weather gets wet and cold.

*  Cut open and scraped out a conditioner bottle.  Refilled the pump bottle and diluted it by 1/3.

*  Refilled the herb and spice jars with bulk packets.

From the garden

Darren's new garden bed in memory of his Mum

How did you spend the past week ?

Abundant Cottage Adventures Wednesday 6th May 2020

Here is the latest happenings at the Gower Abundant Cottage -

*  Dusted under the pergola and got rid of the spider webs.  I also de - cobwebbed the guttering and eaves around the back of the house.  The front of our home is much higher up so Darren will have to do that part.

*  Did a load of washing.  Darren has been in the garden almost every day so there has been a little bit more washing to do.

*  Cleaned the ensuite sink and mirror.  I also wiped the towels rails and the trims of the shower to remove built up fluff and hairspray residue.

*  Dusted all surfaces around the home.

*  Darren picked three hot pink roses from the garden.

*  Picked three feijoas and a handful of beans and raspberries from the garden.

*  Megan vacuumed the carpets with her stick vacuum.

*  Megan cooked a chicken,  potato and pasta bake for dinner.

Afternoon tea in style.

Have you been taking time out to enjoy a cuppa in peace ?

Abundant Cottage Adventures Tuesday 5th May 2020

Megan and I made a trip to Chadstone shopping centre to do some Mother's Day shopping.  We were under the impression that lots of shops were going to be open.  Unfortunately only the majors and a handful of smaller shops were open.  So Megan and I made the most of the outing and walked  a  couple of laps of the entire centre to get some exercise.  Here's what else we did -

*  I made pita chips in the oven using pita bread.

*  Did a load of washing and hung most of it on clothes horses outside under the deck.  It was a lovely sunny day and slightly warm.

*  Did a quick whiz around with the dry mop on the bamboo floors.  When I don't have time to get the vacuum out,  the dry mop is a quick and easy way to sweep up the fluff and dirt.

*  Darren was called in to work for the first time in 7 or 8 weeks.  He said it was good to be back at the cafe helping. When he came home he did some more work on the new garden bed he built.

*  Butterflied lamb cooked in the slow cooker was on the menu for dinner.  I served it over a bed of mash with steamed veg.

Pita chips

Are you organised for Mother's Day on Sunday ?

Abundant Cottage Adventures Monday 4th May 2020

Yesterday I spent most of the day volunteering at our local community pantry. Most of the time is spent refilling the baskets with rescued fruit and veg, cleaning the floors,  tidying and helping to give out food to those who need a helping hand.

I bought a few Spot The Dog Easter books for $1 each at the op shop run by the pantry.  These books will be put away for our grandson Bryson and for future grandchildren.

When I came home I spent time tidying the present shelf in the wardrobe.  I pulled out all gifts for May to make sure everything was ready to wrap.  It feels so good to have gifts organised ahead of time.  Who could have predicted there would be very few shops open for Mother's Day shopping in 2020 ? 

Here are a few more photos from the Melbourne Flower Show in 2015

Do you have a present / gift cupboard stocked with goodies to give ?

Abundant Cottage Adventures Sunday 3rd May 2020

We praise God for all the good rain we've had lately.  It's softened the soil in our garden and helped established the new plants we put in recently.  Here's what we've been up to on Sunday -


*  Cleaned the dishwasher filters and ran the dishwasher on a long hot cycle with bi carb and vinegar.  I also cleaned the door seals and the door inside and out.

*  Cooked ,  mashed and drained lots of pumpkin.  I'll  be making another batch of pumpkin scones shortly.

*  Cleaned the door of the clothes dryer.  Lint and dirt gets stuck around the seal of the door and a small brush gets it clean in no time.

*  Darren weeded a vegie garden bed ready for planting.  I pruned a daisy bush and weeded a few garden beds.

*  Cleaned the kitchen window with vinegar in a spray bottle and a microfibre cloth.  With more people using the kitchen day and night,  the window gets dirty very easily.

*  Watched our church service online while Luka enjoyed playing with my clothes pegs.

*  Homemade pizzas were on the menu for dinner.

Homemade pizza is the best.

Have you been making your version of takeaway food ?

Smiley Sunday 3rd May 2020

Over the last few months the whole world has experienced upheaval in many ways.  It's easy to get bogged down with all the new reports of statistics,  restrictions,  protests and devastation.

Please make sure you take time out each day to find the things that put a smile on your dial.  Here are a few things in my life that make me smile -

*  An empty laundry basket really does make me smile.  I feel a great sense of achievement when the last load of washing is in the machine. 

*  My miniature tea set / tea pot collection puts a big smile on my face.  I remember the joy I felt when shopping with my grandma and bought my first mini tea set.  I was about 9 or 10 at the time and happiness filled my soul.  It was almost 20 years later when I started adding to my collection.  Over the years my collection has bought joy to many visitors in our home.

*  A warm blanket to snuggle under on a cold night makes me happy.  I feel blessed to have such comfort in our home. 

Just a few of my mini tea sets

I love having blankets

What are some of the great joys in your life that make you smile ?

Abundant Cottage Adventures Friday 1st May 2020

Friday was a cold,  wet and very windy day here in Melbourne.  Here's what we got up to -

*  I helped Megan get her grocery shopping done.  Our local $2 shop had a 50% off sale on all their party supplies.  Megan was able to put together enough supplies for dinosaur,  construction and super hero parties for both her boys over the next few years.

*  Darren vacuumed and mopped the floors.

*  I gave our bathroom a clean.

*  I spent the afternoon in my recliner chair under a blanket watching A Country Practice  on tv.  It was too cold to do anything else.

*  Leftover tuna pasta bake was on the menu for Darren and myself.

Today I've included a few photos I took at the Melbourne International Flower Show back in 2015.  I hope these images brighten your day.

Have you been picking any flowers from your garden to brighten your home ?

Abundant Cottage Adventures Thursday 30th April 2020

Here's what we've been up to in our home -

*  I did some grocery shopping.  It's good to see most items are back on the shelves.  Toilet paper is still in short supply and what's available is quite expensive.  Thankfully we have enough for the next few months.

*  I picked up two packets of rump steak on clearance for just over $7 a kilo.  This will be divided up into meal sizes and frozen for future cooking of Massaman beef curry and other casseroles.

*  Refilled the shampoo and conditioner bottles and diluted them by 1/3

*  Refilled the foaming hand wash pumps around the house with diluted shower gel.

*  Tuna pasta bake was on the dinner menu.

Tuna pasta bake before the cheese was put on

How did you spend your Thursday during lock down ?