Homemade Face Cleanser & Make-up Remover Pads!

Face Cleanser & Make-up Remover Pads!

This project has been one of my most difficult ones to do, well, except for shampoo, I haven't been able to master that one yet.  There's lots of formulas out there for wipes, but I wanted one that would actually make my face feel good and look good.  We've all gone to bed with our make-up on, or just without washing our face, because we're too tired to go through the whole big rigmarole.  So, these are your answer to that problem if you're tired of using the commercial ones that cost a fortune, and make your skin dry, or worse yet, make you break out as they do me.

These are made with your simple cotton pads, in a 4 oz. jar containing 15 pads soaked with a whole bunch of goodness for your skin like:

The Roosters of Cluckinghen Palace!

Thought I might share a few photos of our handsome "boys".  This is "Big Guy", a Silver Laced Wyandotte, he's the head rooster.  He's a proud rooster, he crows his pride much of the day, and half of the night!  He looks after the girls very well, and struts his stuff all the day long!

Big Guy!

As a byline, the "girls" are all doing well, they're very sweet, and they're laying lots of eggs!  A happy hen is a productive hen.

Eggs!

Now here is Mr. Black, a Black Australorp, he's a mild tempered guy and so very handsome!  He's very serious about his girls, and makes sure they are all in for the night before he goes inside.  He's most always the last one into the coop each night.

Mr. Black!

Last, but not least, there's Rooster Rudy, a New Hampshire Red. He's the littlest of the roosters, and clearly is not fond of the camera.  He's a wise rooster, he can be observed using his little chicken brain to outwit and outlast his larger rooster companions. As roosters go, he has a gentle nature and the girls like him best, I think.  He doesn't require a lot, and stays off to himself much of the time.  The guineas like him, and can be seen keeping him company often.

Rooster Rudy!

And that is all.  A quick peek at the very handsome Roosters of Cluckinghen Palace!

Carpe Diem! Lil and Bill

Shea Butter All Natural Soap Tarts!

Shea Butter All Natural Soap Tarts!

Let me just say this, these are wonderful!  They're all natural with Sage, Alkanet, and Chamomile, and they weigh 2.6 oz. net wt. each.  I added all the natural oils that are in the "cookie" soaps, and added Powdered Sage and Sage EO to the Sage green tart, and Chamomile Powder and Orange, Nutmeg, and Clove EO blend to the yellow Chamomile tart.  The brown Alkanet tart has no additional fragrance, but with the Shea Butter and Coffee Oil, it has a very light fragrance reminiscent of a mochachino. The list of ingredients for these soap tarts is as follows:

Thirty-One Ways To Praise!

Thirty-One Ways To Praise!

It's November 1st, and it's the beginning of a very important month for this country.  No matter what happens, it's good to remember that God is in charge of everything that touches our lives.  A friend of many years sent this to me, and it's a wonderful idea to help get our prayer and praise life where it needs to be.  If you're like me, and could use a little encouragement along the way to stay focused, this is a wonderful tool.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Carpe diem! Lil and Bill

Homemade Natural Deodorant, So Good For You!

Homemade Natural Deodorant

Let me say this before I begin praising this product.  It is a deodorant, not an antiperspirant. Remember that sweating, while sometimes inconvenient, is natural! It is your body's way of releasing toxins and impurities, and it is our bodies cooling mechanism . So you can imagine what happens when you force those toxins to stay inside with the use of an antiperspirant. Links have been found between the aluminum in antiperspirants and Alzheimer's disease and even breast cancer. The other ingredient in commercial deodorants that really gets me is propylene glycol, which is also the main agent in antifreeze.  Hello!  Do you really want to put antifreeze on the largest organ in your body, your skin?

The Fence Project Completed!

The Fence Project Complete!

As I mentioned in the post about Kahn and Kheli, the fence surrounding the house property took us way longer to finish than we had expected.  But, it's finished now, and we are enjoying having the dogs running free and keeping out unwanted neighborhood creatures.

Kheli and Kahn - Doing So Well!

Kheli and Kahn

Haven't said much lately about our Livestock Guard Dogs from Clear Creek kennel. Thought it was about time I shared some of the experiences we've had with them these last few months.  It took us longer than we thought to finish building the fence around our two acre property on which the house sets.  During this time, Kheli and Kahn spent their time in the enclosed chicken yard.  They went for walks daily, and truly looked forward to it every evening.  Now that they are free, they are enjoying their space very much.

Our Meat Chickens Are Ready!

Those are the "thumbs up" of Hannah and Sarah!

I didn't know when we began this journey if I was capable of doing this - raising live creatures for food and then eating them.  Well, I did it, and I didn't have a problem with it.  I kept the mindset from the beginning that this was for food, and never had any second thoughts about it.  As for the chickens, the process was extremely humane.  They are rendered unconscious with a stun gun, it takes a second, then while unconscious the processing begins.  In a matter of seconds they are finished and ready to bag, cut up, or whatever you want.  Quite an operation.  I'll let you know how they taste in another post.

Intensive Anti-Aging Face Moisturizer!

Intensive anti-aging face serum

My daughter-in-law, Michelle, asked me a little while back if I had found a recipe for an intensive moisturizer to treat fine lines and wrinkles on the face.  I hadn't used anything else on my face since I created the Dewy Moisturizer with Aloe, but her question got me to thinking (and that can be dangerous sometimes).  So began my search, and low and behold, I discovered this formula on DIYBathBodyAndHome on You Tube.  I usually like to tweak my formulas with some of my own ideas, but this time I kept it the same with the exception of a fragrance oil.  I added my favorite Fresh Cut Roses Fragrance Oil, and not only does this little miracle in a bottle feel wonderful on the skin, but it smells wonderful too!  Even my cat likes the fragrance!  Roses are his favorite flower, he eats them!

Make Your Own Homemade Vanilla Extract?

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Many years ago, when our children were very young, we had the privilege of travelling to Haiti.  I had relatives there who were missionaries to Haiti.  I won't go into the spiritual awakening that happens when seeing poverty face to face like you never dreamed possible, that would be for another post.  But, while there, we were directed to the most flavorful vanilla extract I ever sampled.  I have longed for that vanilla over the years, and wondered why we couldn't have something of that quality and flavor here in the States.  Well, as I've mentioned before, I do love Pinterest, and found that I can have that quality of vanilla extract if I want to make it myself.  I then began a search for quality vanilla beans, and found some at Vanilla Products USA.  Not only do they have excellent beans that are packaged to stay fresh with good pricing, but along with the beans they send instructions on how to make your own vanilla extract.  And, I just noticed that they have the instructions directly on their site.  So, here is a picture of the vanilla I was able to make with their 30 bean Assortment of ten of each, Madagascar Gourmet, Madagascar Extract, and Tahitian Grade A vanilla beans. It's extremely fragrant, quite dark in color, and the flavor is fantastic!  Why not try it?

Carpe diem! Lil and Bill

My First Homemade Grape Jam!

Homemade Grape Jam

This is the first year that we've had a nice harvest from our grapevines.  Last night Bill rescued them from the bees and earwigs!  He washed them all for me this morning, de-stemmed them, and got them ready for me to process.  We had about 23 cups of cleaned, ready to process grapes.  I placed them into a large pot and turned up the heat.  When almost all of the skins split or came off (about ten minutes), I then processed them in a food mill to remove all the skin and seeds.  I put the juice and pulp back into the pot, added sugar to our taste (about 8 cups), and brought it all back up to a rolling boil.  I then added the pectin according to the instructions on the package, brought it back up to a boil, then funneled it into freshly washed jars that I had placed in the oven at 225 degrees to sterilize and keep hot.   After all jars were filled, I wiped clean the rims, topped with the lids that had been soaking in hot water on the stove on low heat, and closed up with the rings tightened finger tight.  Time to place all the jars into the canner with boiling water for ten minutes.  That's it, I'm done!  Finished up with nine pints of wonderful homemade fresh grape jam!

Carpe diem! Lil and Bill

Night Falling On The Farm

Evening Sky On The Farm

Thought you might enjoy this photo.  I love this time of day when the sun is setting and the earth settles down to recharge for another day.  Bill and I almost always sit on our porch and watch as the sun sets, as God does His artwork in the sky.  It's a beautiful time being alone with each other while listening to the crickets chirping, the cows mooing, the chickens clucking and crowing, and  the dogs barking to ward off any predators as they prepare to settle in for the night.  It was different tonight, no color, just the brightness of the sun's rays reflecting against the clouds.  They're always different no matter how many we see.  Isn't God just awesome?

Carpe diem! Lil and Bill

The Keets Are Growing!

The Keets at 3 weeks old

The keets are growing!  They are so cute, they are flying now, roosting on the highest perch in the coop with only a couple flight feathers on each wing!  At least that's all I can see.  They are skeetery little guys, I'm probably not handling them enough...so much to do and such little time in which to do it!  They're three weeks old in this photo, five more weeks and they're supposed to be ready to turn loose outside.  It doesn't seem possible, but we'll see.  I'll keep you posted on their progress.  I'm hoping Kheli and Kahn will have learned to leave them alone by then.  I believe they're good flyers, hoping that little fact will save them!

Carpe diem! Lil and Bill

My Wildflower Garden!

My Wildflower Garden

I have never been good at planning and growing  flower gardens, but I do love them dearly.  Then when we moved here to an entirely different climate and soil structure, I was really lost.  We came from Florida, tropical and sandy, to North Carolina, seasonal and hard clay, so landscaping has been a challenge for us.  One day when we were in a home improvement center, I saw this package of wildflower seeds for a reasonable price.  Against my husbands advice, I bought it.  I thought that surely these would grow and look pretty, and they shouldn't require any maintenance on my part.  I am here to tell you that I just adore my wildflower garden.  It reminds me of an English garden, lacy, frilly, and a little messy!  It sets off the chicken coop rather nicely, and I'm guessing when the chickens can begin to free roam they will enjoy this little garden as well.

Carpe diem! Lil and Bill

What's That In The Chicken Yard!

Kheli and Kahn - day one at the farm!

This run was built for the chickens, but, another pressing purpose took priority.  Kahn and Kheli, our Anatolian Shepherds from Clear Creek Kennel in Mt. Vernon, KY will be sharing this space until the property fence can get done.  We ran into a few snags with the fencing project, but think we're on track to get it done now.  Not planning on Kahn and Kheli sharing these digs for too long, they need to begin doing their jobs as our livestock guard dogs, and the chickens need their yard back!

Carpe diem! Lil and Bill

The Chickens Love Their Yard!

Chickens Enjoying Their Yard!

Well, the chickens are just loving their new play yard!  It took them a little while to venture out and explore, but last night as I went to close them up, one of the white roosters decided he wasn't finished outside, so as he was making a run for it, I began to close the chicken door.  He made a fast turn around and dashed back inside.  It was clear he didn't want to be locked out all by himself!  They are learning really fast.  It is quite comical watching one of the white roosters jumping as high as he can trying to get to the blueberries higher up on the bush!  They LOVE the blueberries.

Carpe diem! Lil and Bill

I Then Shall Live!

I Then Shall Live

Something to shoot for!  This song inspires me every time I hear it.

Carpe diem! Lil and Bill

The Chicken Yard!

The Chicken Yard Complete!

After thinking it will never happen, the chicken yard is getting completed. Bill built a frame for the run, it is 12' x 28' x6' high. He put about 6" of wire cloth below ground level and back-filled with rocks and soil to discourage predators from digging under. Then he put the fencing onto the wood frame. Next, constructing the 4' x 6' high gate, then, like magic, it's finished! Our plan is that the chickens won't be able to fly over the 6' fence, but that the guineas will, which will allow them to free roam the yard and garden and eat up all those Japanese beetles we have flying around here! 

Carpe diem! Lil and Bill

Bumper Crop Of Blueberries!

14 Quarts blueberries, 10 Pints Preserves!

I love blueberries, and this year we've had a bumper crop!  Bill has picked almost all of them by himself, the weather has been so HOT this past week!  I cleaned and canned fourteen quarts of them, ten half pints of preserves, and froze sixteen cups.  I'd consider that to be a productive day!  They look so pretty sitting on the counter, I almost hate to put them away.  We will be enjoying and sharing these for a long time.  God is good!  I am so thankful for the food we grow.

Carpe diem! Lil and Bill

Our Keets Have Arrived!

Four day old keets for the farm!

Our keets finally arrived yesterday.  These baby guineas are just the cutest tiny little things ever!  They're about half the size of chicks, such delicate little creatures.  They will be such a joy to raise, and, for me, I can't wait until we can turn them loose on the Japanese beetles in this yard!  Hope they like them.

Carpe diem! Lil and Bill

It's 102F, The Chicks Are Stressed!

Bill Building A Chicken Run

Wow!  It's 102F outside today, and that husband of mine is out there building a chicken run for the very hot and stressed chicks in the coop.  They were all panting so hard that I brought out a bucket of ice for them to lay beside.  After it melted, I gave them the ice water, hoping they didn't go into shock.  They seemed to know to drink it slowly, but they did enjoy the cold.  Here is one picture I took of the run today, more to follow as he gets more done.

Carpe diem! Lil and Bill

The Fence!

Howse Post Hole Digger and Auger on tractor

Aaand, we are off onto yet another project How does one drill 140 holes 2-3 feet deep in this hard, rocky clay?  This is how you do it!  A post hole digger & auger, Bill's Fathers' Day present!  We purchased a Howse Post Hole Digger and Auger from Southern Farm Supply.  He's not thoroughly thrilled with it so far, but we'll see how it performs for him.  Hope it goes as quickly as we think it will.  As soon as we finish this project, we will be bringing home Kahn and Kheli, our Anatolian Shepherd Livestock Guard Dogs from Clear Creek Kennels in Mt. Vernon, KY.  I can't wait!  It will be finished none too soon as the baby chicks are ready to go outside.  I think we need to wait for the dogs to prevent them from being snatched up and carried away by the hawks.

Carpe diem, Lil & Bill

What is this?

Does anyone know what this creature is?  It attacked Bill from a tree today, I've never seen anything like it.  It was about 2" long and 1/2" wide, and it had wings.  It released saliva or something from it's mouth, then hammered the area with it's head (mouth).  Fortunately, Bill was wearing leather gloves.

Carpe diem, Lil & Bill

Peaches!

Peaches!

Peaches!  I love storing up fresh fruit for later in the year.  I used to be intimidated by the process of canning.  But, after doing a little research, and buying a pressure canner, I gave it a go.  The results made a believer out of me! Mmm, peach cobbler, peach pie, peaches and ice cream, you name it, anything is good with peaches!  The smell of fresh peaches is delightful, but the beautiful sight of newly canned peaches is so very satisfying. I now know that I have enough peaches to be able to serve them all year long.  What's next?  Blueberries!

Carpe diem, Lil & Bill

Who's Coming To Breakfast?

More adorable little chicks!

More chicks arrived today!  They are such cute and lively little guys.  The Farm is coming alive with little creatures.  I thought it would never happen!  Looking forward to having some delicious farm fresh eggs in a few months!  Who's coming to breakfast?

Carpe diem, Lil and Bill

The Birdies In The Treetop!

Our tiny little bird eggs hatched!

Checked on our teeny tiny bird nest today, and found at least three hungry, furry little babies.  There were four eggs in the nest just a couple days ago, but I could only see three little open mouths.  I was trying to hold down the branches with one hand and hold the camera and snap with the other while not disturbing the nest.  I'm not too good with that, but you can see them fairly well.  I'm still not sure what kind of birds they are.  I just love Spring!

Carpe diem, Lil and Bill

The Garden, The Miracle Within!

I love the garden when it's freshly planted, the earth is so clean and bare, and filled with promise!  The idea that we can put tiny little seeds into the ground, and with care and hard work, reap a harvest of abundance fills me with awe.  I look out at the patch of naked earth each day with hope and faith that it will bring forth the life it holds within.  What a miracle it is! 

Carpe diem, Lil and Bill

The Garden, The miracle Within!

The Chickens Have Moved In!

Baby chicks!

The girls have moved into the coop!  This is not just any ol' coop, this is Cluckinghen Palace! We have six Black Australorps, six Silver Laced Wyandottes, and one free unknown rare breed!  Next week we get a shipment of six New Hampshire Reds and fifteen White Leghorns.  The blacks, silvers, and reds are our dual purpose chicks, and the White Leghorns are meat chicks.    These babies are so cute and fuzzy!

Cluckinghen Palace, Completed!

Carpe diem, Lil and Bill

And Another Mystery Bird Nest!

Bird nest about 4" diameter with jelly bean sized eggs, blue with brown spots

On my post of May 9th I had a picture of a nest, about 6 inches in diameter, with blue eggs and brown spots, the eggs were about an inch long.  It turned out to be a mockingbird nest.  Here is a different nest with eggs that I found in our cherry tree, it's much smaller, about 4 inches in diameter, and the eggs are about the size of jelly beans, but they are also blue with brown spots.  I have seen the mommy bird, she is small like a sparrow, maybe smaller, and colored like a sparrow, but has a dark red stripe on her head.  I tried to find her on the internet, but have had no success.  Anyone know what she is?

Carpe diem, Lil and Bill

Chicken Coop Chicken Doors

My husband designed these chicken doors with a pulley system so I could open and close them without having to go into the chicken area.

Chicken Coop Chicken Door Pulley System

It is a fabulous system, as the chicken coop has an entrance area that is our supply and storage place, a foyer (or fwa.je if you will).  They are designed on a pulley system, and are very convenient.

Yet Will I Praise Thee!

Habakkuk 3:17

I saw this today, and thought about how sometimes I get concerned that we will never quite get our farm to where we want it to be.  I tend to be the impatient kind, however, being married to my wonderful, extremely talented husband has taught me to be much more patient than I ever thought I could be!  This verse from Habakkuk spoke to my spirit and said, "Thank Me, praise Me", for I have much for which to be grateful.  Gotta love it!

Carpe diem, Lil and Bill

Bird Nest with Eggs

Bird eggs

While I was enjoying our orchard today, I came across this bird nest with eggs.  Does anyone know what kind of bird they belong to?  I'm thinking either northern mockingbird eggs or cardinal eggs.  I'd like to know if anyone knows for sure what they are.

Carpe diem!  Lil and Bill

Our Orchard is Growing Up!

I took a stroll around the orchard today, and was I ever pleasantly surprised at the abundance of fruit on our little trees and bushes!  Most of our trees are only about six feet tall or so, but they are like "the little engine that could"!  Now if we can just keep the bugs and birds away, we should be having a nice harvest this year.

Carpe diem!  Lil and Bill

Blueberries!

Cherries!

Grapes!

Peaches!

Pears!

Handmade Goat Milking Stand

Goat Milking Stand

Goat Milking Stand

Anyone need a lovely new goat milking stand?  These are pictures of one my extremely talented husband made for Flumgummerie Farm.  I hear they are using it and enjoying it very much.  Contact us today if you would like to purchase one.

Carpe diem!  Lil and Bill

Chicken Coop Nest Boxes

Chicken Coop Nest Boxes - rear door view, open

Chicken Coop Nest Boxes - rear door view, closed

Chicken Coop Nest Boxes

These are the photos of the nest boxes in our chicken coop that Bill is building.  He designed them so that I don't have to go inside the chicken area to collect the eggs.  There is a back door that opens up for egg gathering.  He also made the box bottom to lift out to make for easy cleaning.  What a guy!  I'm thinking he wants to be certain that I keep the job of caring for the chickens, and that it doesn't fall back on him.  That will work until I find my first snake in the box!  He's trying to make certain that doesn't happen as well.  We'll see!

Carpe diem!  Lil and Bill

The Little Red Barn

This is our little red barn, the first of what we hope will be three.  The new chicken coop that we're working on now is the "baby bear" of the three, this is the "mama bear".  I wonder how long "papa bear" will take to build?

Carpe diem!  Lil and Bill

Anatolian Shepherd Dogs

Kahn

Kheli

These are the livestock guard dogs we will be bringing home to guard the livestock here on BLT Farm.  We purchased them from Melanie at Clear Creek Kennels in Mt. Vernon, KY.  She has some gorgeous Anatolian Shepherds up there.  I can't wait to get these guys home!

Carpe diem!  Lil and Bill