Merry Making

This is the first time I have made salve and lip balm, but I am hooked.

Once I find a good source for containers my dear friends can count on these every year.

Hand Salve:

1 cup olive oil with dried herbs (comfrey, slippery elm, calendula)

simmer for 20 minutes.

Then slowly melt beeswax (about 3 tablespoons) in a double boiler or in my case a little stainless steel bowl over a copper pot.

Add beeswax to oil and 1/2 tsp Vitaman E oil. Let cool a little and put in containers.

When I do this again, I will either use powdered herbs or strain them from the oil before adding the beeswax.

Lip Balm:

From Soulemama   http://www.soulemama.com/soulemama/2010/12/elving.html

But I changed it a little bit:

I made half a batch:

4 tbls. coconut oil

1.5 tbls beeswax

2 tsp raw honey

10 drops of Thieves (Clove, lemon, cinnamon, Eucalyptus, Rosemary)

A about a teaspoon of pink lipstick that had some sparkle to it.

Melt everything together, let cool slightly before pouring into containers.

I used a small funnel and needed to rewarm a few times.

Little Big guy requested star eggs for Breakfast.

While preparing and eating Star eggs I thought of how blessed I am to be at home with my boys

and we can get completed diverted with making things a little special.

Of course the Star eggs needed birthday candles because this is what they usually get for their birthday breakfast.  But that was fun too.

Auntie Nettie's Birthday and Christmas:
The boys painted the apron last year and I finished the edging last week.
She requested Chocolate Brown Curtains.
I was very happy to make something useful.

Winter Walk

We are blessed to live a short distance from The Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Every time we get to Kendall Lake or the Ledges I feel

immersed in beauty and awe.

I love this big field.

As soon as the little guys shoes were on they ran as fast as they could down the hill.

It was a warm Sunday winter walk (58 degrees in December) and so much fun.

Chickens and boys on the roam

Our lovely chickens have decided they would rather roam.
We take little walks with them around the yard.
The boys love picking them up and holding them. Umm, and also helping them with their dust baths.

Martinmas Lanterns and Laundry Soap

The lack of posting lately is due to busy nights sewing in the basement studio. My goal was to make as much as I could to sell at a local festival so that I would have money for Christmas Presents. Well I did alright and  managed to get enough homemade items from local vendors to fill the Advent Calendar for the boys. Pictures to come later as the Advent Calendar I completed last year comes to life again.

We have been busy during the day as well.

preparing Sammy's eggs for our breakfast

Beside the daily unfreezing of the chicken water, collecting of one egg, and general observation, we have had quite a bit of fun holding and caring for our chickens.

For Martinmas the boys made Lanterns from old applesauce jars, wire, glue, and tissue paper.
They were beautiful on the table and for the Lantern walk at our local Waldorf School.

Making Laundry Soap:

Then we returned the new box grater I purchased to make laundry soap back to the kitchen and pulled out the best grater I have every used.

 My dear friend passed this down from her mother's home.  It was once used to make a great deal of bread crumbs and grated cheese.  But now it emits the lovely smell of tea tree from the soap and makes the perfect size and texture of soap for our laundry mixture.
This was fun to crank, to smell, to feel in the bowl, but not so much in cleaning up off the floor beneath.

Laundry Soap Recipe:

Two 4oz bars Tea Tree Oil Soap grated

1 cup baking soda

2 cups washing soda

2 cups Borax

mix well and store in a glass jar.

Chicken Day

I was like a child at Christmas this past Sunday morning.

The early risers awoke the slumbering big guys with: "It's Chicken Day, It's Chicken Day!!!!"

I know it is silly and I also know that some out there understand. 

 I have wanted to raise chickens for a long time.

It isn't really the desire to care for more beings or clean up more poop.

I think the desire to raise chickens is similar to the experience of the garden: creating a relationship with the land; a relationship that teaches, shapes and feeds (in more ways than one) you.

I also really like the idea of having pets that we can observe and love.

So here is the beginning of our Chicken Chronicles:

So-Mo 

Sammy the lover and wanderer
She laid an egg on her first full day here!

Knitting Goldilocks

I have been thinking of little puppet stories to tell to my boys and others.
We have three great wooden bears.
Here Goldilocks is born:

Knit a rectangle:
Size 4 knitting needles
Cast On 12 stitches in skin color
Knit about 1 "
change color to dress color (pale pink) leave a long tail for use in sewing
Knit about 2 inches bind off.

Using tale of correct color thread gather top of head then sew down to neck.

Begin sewing with pink down to bottom of skirt. (tie knot but do not trim, if tail long enough use to close)

Stuff head with wool, then use yarn from neck and sew a running stitch to gather, then knot.

Stuff body then sew bottom shut with a running and gather stitch.

Add hair and hat or hood.

But Goldilocks turned into Violet the farmers daughter in our Harvest tail.

Napkin Rings

In an effort to save some laundry we fashioned napkin rings with our names.

Now, if we could just keep the napkins clean enough for another sitting.

Two Dolls to Norway

These are the dolls I made to send to our friends in Norway.

One for big brother and one for new sister

Clothes Display from Grandpa's workshop

I have had this idea to make a rack for clothes at craft fairs.

It had to be able to hold long sleep sacks and short vests, plus if it could come apart even better.

I love making things with my father.

I can tell him my idea, show him a sketch, and he grabs enough scrap wood to make it come to life.

He also always improves on the idea!

On this afternoon, Grandma was at an appointment, littlest guy was sleep, and big brother was ready to play with Grandpa's tools and sand with a sanding block for the first time.  With the monitor on the workshop wall, my father and I worked together without too many interruptions. Somehow the stars aligned and we finished the project in one afternoon apart from another coat of paint.