Homemade RX Dog Food, Is It A Good Thing?

Ziggy, after a grooming from Hannah at Animal Trax today!

Our adorable little canine baby, Ziggy!  Isn't he cute?  He is very camera shy, this is the best I could do, he's really much cuter than this!  He just got home from visiting one of his favorite people, Hannah, owner and groomer at Animal Trax.  He loves to look handsome!  He is almost nine years old with some health problems.  You'd never know it tho', he is such a happy and lovable dog, I still think of him as a puppy.  He has bladder stones, calcium oxalate type, and a higher than normal squamous cell count in his urine.  Because of that, I decided to look into the health benefits of making his food and treats as opposed to buying commercial prescription food.  My reasons for going down this road are three-fold:

Check Out These Chicken Butterfly Saddles!

Chicken Butterfly Saddles!

Life on the farm can sometimes be brutal!  I'm not referring to myself but to my poor little hens.  I've been out of commission for quite a long time recently, so my husband took up the slack of doing my chores.  And, I must say he did a wonderful job handling nearly everything by himself, along with the added burden of caring for me.  Around eight weeks ago I finally decided to go under the dreaded knife, and had a total hip replacement.  That was one of the best decisions I've ever made.  Dr. Bruce Cox at Shelby Bone and Joint worked his magic, and I'm pleased to say that I'm more pain free today than I've been for many years.

Homemade Coconut and Turmeric Soap!

Homemade Coconut and Turmeric Soap!

When I look at these soaps, I immediately think of those Creamsicles that I used to love as a child.  I probably still do, but I deny myself the pleasures.  I shouldn't, life is short.  But getting back to this soap, it not only looks delicious, but it smells wonderful, too!  It is colored using Turmeric powder,the benefits of which I noted in my post Homemade Pumpkin Turmeric Aloe Olive Oil Soap.   Blood Orange and Citrus Basil essential oils make taking a bath or shower with these lovely big bars an enjoyable experience.  Sweet Almond Oil will lightly moisturize, leaving your skin feeling soft and smooth to the touch.

Homemade Jasmine and Green Tea Soap!

Homemade Jasmine and Green Tea Soap!

This soap was inspired by a comforting cup of tea.  The generous size makes this honey and green tea soap great for the bath or shower.  The amber tea leaves mix wonderfully with the earthy green color of the wheat grass powder.  Bergamot, jasmine, and blood orange essential oils give a warm, sensual fragrance to the soap.  Olive oil softens the skin for a soft, smooth feel.

I used one pound of honey melt and pour soap.  I didn't have suspension soap base on hand, so I used Honey base instead and as a result, the tea leaves sunk to the bottom.  I steeped the green tea leaves for several minutes, then pressed out the water in a sieve before adding to the melted soap.  Then I mixed in the wheat grass, olive oil, and essential oils.  I made three large, 4.5 oz., bars, with a little left over for tiny sample bars.  I froze the unused tea leaves that had been soaked for later use, and used the tea water on my face as a detoxifying rinse.  Waste not, want not!

Homemade Whipped Pumpkin Body Butter!

Homemade Whipped Pumpkin Body Butter!

This is another wonderful idea to give as gifts for the holidays.  Its fragrance is that of a warm pumpkin pie with a hint of apples and spice.  This butter is very light and fluffy, loaded with wonderful nutrients for your skin.  It is excellent for dry areas like your elbows, knees, and feet.  Apply it just before climbing into bed at night, and let the aroma send you off into a wonderful deep and relaxing sleep.

Homemade Pumpkin Turmeric Soap!

Homemade Pumpkin Turmeric Soap!

I found this recipe in a book that was given to me by a dear friend. It's the beginning of the Fall season, and pumpkin is in the air, so I decided to adapt the recipe to accommodate my Fall musings. The book is called "Soapmaking The Natural Way" by Rebecca Ittner.  I love this book, I find it to be totally inspiring!

Now, on to the formula for this beautiful soap!  I used an Aloe and Olive Oil Melt and Pour soap base.  For the coloring, I used a blend of Red and Gold Mica Powder and Turmeric to get that beautiful spicy deep pumpkin color.  For the scent I used Pumpkin and Apple Pie Spice fragrance oils to get that warm, pumpkin, spicy fragrance.

Homemade Foaming Pumpkin Salt Scrub!

Homemade Foaming Pumpkin Salt Scrub!

Fall is in the air here in beautiful North Carolina!  I love Fall, the crispness in the air, the leaves beginning to fall, the notion that the Holidays are not far off, and warm and fun family times are near again.  What better way to celebrate the coming of Fall than with pumpkin!  When I saw this recipe on my suppliers, Wholesale Supplies Plus news emails, I immediately knew that I had to have this product in my inventory.  Pair this with a pumpkin scented lotion, and a beautiful pumpkin colored soap, and you have a wonderful gift for any occasion!

Homemade Juniper Breeze 3-Butter Soap!

Homemade Juniper Breeze 3-Butter Soap!

This all natural three-butter soap consists of Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, and Mango Seed Butter scented with Juniper Breeze Fragrance Oil.  To this I poured in about a cup of sage powder infused soap which created the two-tone color of the bars.

Homemade Chamomile Spice Soap!

Homemade Camomile Spice Soap

This wonderful spicy warm golden soap is made from Goat Milk and Honey melt and pour soap base.  I've added all the good stuff that's in the previous post, Homemade Citrus Sage Soap, except I exchanged the Sage for the Camomile Powder, and the essential oils in this soap are Vanilla, Cinnamon, and Clove.   I love it, both the fragrance and the color.  I made this one for a friend, but I want to make another batch for myself!  Here's a little information about the stars  of the show in this one:

Homemade Citrus Sage Soap!

Homemade Citrus Sage Soap!

This is one of the nicest soaps I've made!  It's very nice to look at, and it also smells wonderful.  This soap is made with Coconut melt and pour soap base.  To that I added lots of oils that are so very moisturizing for your skin, like Grape Seed Oil, Castor Oil, and Evening Primrose Oil. Then I added Sage Powder, Lemongrass, Lemon, and Grapefruit Essential Oils.

The result is a fragrant, pretty, so good for you moisturizing and beneficial soap bar.  This soap will make not only a wonderful body soap, but will be a terrific face cleansing soap as well.  Here are some of the benefits of these ingredients:

Homemade Neem Cream for problem skin!

Homemade Neem Cream!

So, do you have some problem with your skin?  Anything from eczema, psoriasis, dry skin, acne, you name it, if it's a skin issue, you should try this cream.  Now, I'm not a doctor, dermatologist, or anything like that, so if you have something that looks suspicious, go to the doctor, but this cream truly works for minor skin ailments.  I first saw this on the blog Lovely Greens, and decided to give it a try while tweaking the formula my way.

Homemade Body Scrub w/ Himalayan Pink Salt

Body Scrub with Himalayan Crystal Salt

This is one of my best homemade products.  I desperately needed something for the dry skin on my feet.  I am a Florida raised girl, have gone barefoot all my life.  The only time I put shoes on my feet is when I'm going out, or when I go into the chicken coop.  I wanted something that would really scrub and moisturize as well. So, this is what I came up with, and it made a huge difference after the very first use.  I now use it after every shower, and I've found a new love!

Homemade Chocolate Mint Lip Balm!

Chocolate Mint Lip Balm!

This stuff smells so good I want to put it on all day long!  It's very nourishing for your lips with cocoa butter and mango butter, extra virgin olive oil and sweet almond oil, a little wax to give it body, the delicious fragrance oil of chocolate and the essential oil of peppermint.  How can that be anything but wonderful for your lips?  It's lip-smackin' good, I tell ya!

Homemade Crock Pot Yogurt!

Homemade Crock Pot Yogurt!

I never realized how easy it is to make homemade yogurt until I saw a pin on Pinterest by One Good Thing by Jillee.  She calls it "crock pot yogurt", and it's so easy to make.  Just pick a day that you are planning to be home for the day.  I have a crock pot with a temperature probe, so that makes it just a little bit easier.  I just pour in the milk, add the powdered dry milk, and set the probe to 180 degrees F, and go about my business.  It takes about four hours on the low setting to reach that temperature.  Then I remove the crock pot from the well, set it on my stove top to let it cool down to the temperature of between 95 degrees F and 115 degrees F.  That takes about 1.5 to 2 hours or so.  Then mix in the yogurt tempered with some of the warm milk, stir well to thoroughly mix, and pour into clean mason jars.  Then place them into your oven, pop on the oven light, and wait another eight to twelve hours, I usually just leave them overnight.  Wallah, you have delicious yogurt.  Refrigerate a couple hours to chill for best results.

Here is the recipe:

We Have Eggs!

Yes!  We have eggs, lots of them!  We're getting an average of a dozen a day!  We can't possibly eat all these eggs, so we're trying to sell them.  Please, if you live nearby, and enjoy fresh farm free-range brown eggs, stop by the farm, pick up your eggs and leave your payment in the jar, we're using the honor system. We'll be very happy to sell you some beautiful eggs.  Yes, they're a little more costly than commercially raised and sold eggs, not only is the taste much better, but also the nutritional benefits are well worth the slightly higher cost.

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