Lovely Spring We're Having This Winter!

Okay, so, it's been a while since I've posted to this blog.   Last year was taken up with Bill getting his knee replaced, and it took a very long time before he was able to get back to his normal self.  We both are very happy that this entire experience is behind us.  Just to give you an idea of how difficult this surgery was for him, his doctor (the same doctor that replaced my hip three years ago) told him that he won't do his other knee.  He said Bill took 10 years off his life with all the complications. So, I think we both have decided not to go down that road again.

Plum Tree

I don't know where you live, but here in Southwest North Carolina, in the Piedmont area, we have been having a winter to beat records, warm winter that is.  I thought I'd take a few pictures so you could see how faked out nature is here.  This is February, supposedly the middle of winter.  I'm fairly certain we're going to have another frost or two, so, there goes all our fruit harvest again.  This will be the second or third year this has happened.  It is so disappointing.

Cherry Tree

So, here are our fruit trees in the middle of what is supposed to be winter.  The plum tree is just gorgeous with it's white blossoms bursting out all over.  I don't believe we've enjoyed a plum from it yet.  Maybe this year, forever hopeful!  The Cherry trees are beginning to bloom as well.  Last year we did get a bountiful harvest of tiny little cherries called Nanking Cherries, enough to make a nice batch of cherry jam.  I'm hoping they're not going to be frost bitten this year.

Homemade Ocean Breeze Dead Sea Salt Soap

I first saw this soap on Pinterest posted by Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen, and I immediately liked the idea of a salted soap. Unlike my standard shampoo bars, this one is a simpler soap, but with the added benefit of salt nutrition and exfoliation by the way of Dead Sea Salt. So, I decided to give it a try, and my version of it is this one.

It's made with coconut oil, olive oil, palm oil, and shea butter.  Added right at the end is a handful of Dead Sea Salt for the nutrition and exfoliation benefits and then sprinkled on the top to make for a beautiful soap bar that is so good for your skin. According to the San Francisco Salt Co., "Dead Sea Salts contain 21 minerals including magnesium, calcium, sulfur, bromide, iodine, sodium, zinc and potassium. These essential minerals naturally occur in our bodies but must be replenished, as they are lost throughout the day. These minerals are known to treat, detoxify, and cleanse our bodies."  

Handmade Rose Petal Soap!

A Beautiful Rose!

Roses. What woman doesn't love roses...the fragrance, the beauty, the softness of the petals. I think that roses are one of the most beautiful flowers on earth!  I love getting roses from the love of my life.  I love getting any flowers at all, from anyone at all, but, there's just something very special about a vase full of roses.

The sad part comes for me when they're spent and it's time to throw them away. I tend to keep them way beyond the last vestures of beauty because I resist parting with them.  Well, my friends, I have discovered a way that we can keep our roses and enjoy their lingering fragrance and delicate softness for months and months while using them to pamper ourselves and benefit our skin.

Handmade Rose Petal Soap!

To clarify, this is not a soap recipe or a tutorial on how to make soap.  This is a couple of ideas for you to incorporate into your very own soap recipes if you so desire.  

DIY Antibacterial Facial Cleansing Soap

I've been doing a bit of research whilst looking for a facial cleanser that will have a significant impact on acne.  It seems that charcoal has the ability to draw out impurities and toxins from the skin.  In so doing, it can help to relieve certain forms of skin problems.  Charcoal is a safe, gentle and natural ingredient that you may want to try.  It will not harm your body, some even advocate taking charcoal internally.  I, personally, haven't gone there yet.

Gentle Antibacterial Facial Cleansing Soap

I decided to use a pre-made soap base, or melt and pour (MP) soap, for this project.  I used a combination of Coconut Milk soap, and Aloe Vera and Olive Oil soap. The benefits of coconut for the skin are many.  As discussed in several other product blogs I have written, coconut is a moisturizer, antibiotic, multivitamin, and has anti-aging, anti-wrinkle and an anti-oxidant properties. Coconut Milk provides deep and real moisture. It helps strengthen underlying tissues and helps remove excessive dead cells on the skin's surface.  

DIY Happy Hens Herbal Mix!

Oh my goodness, it smells so good!  I love mixing up these herbs and giving it to my girls every day.

I have found that the hens love this nesting box mixture of herbs I have concocted with the help of Treats For Chickens.  I purchased their Nesting Box Blend, and loved it so much that I determined to figure out how to make something like it.  It smells so good, and helps to keep away mites, lice, and other pests, like spiders and mice who don't like the scent of mint.  I just sprinkle a pinch or so into their nesting boxes daily. You can also sprinkle it around the perimeter of the coop if you need a little extra protection against those pests.  It's a great little extra I enjoy doing for them just to say thanks when I collect their eggs each day.  Who wouldn't want to snuggle down into a cozy bed of fresh hay that smells of lavender, mint, eucalyptus, etc.?

7 oz. Jar of Herbal Mix

I love chickens!  My hens are special to me.  They provide my family with eggs, plus some extra to sell to help offset the cost of their feed.  Poultry is a fairly easy backyard hobby that can be very rewarding.

Have you heard about "Switchel"?

It was a big hit with the guys!

I recently discovered this refreshing drink called Switchel.  Just the name itself peaked my curiosity and I had to check it out.  It is taken from The Old Farmers' Almanac, their website has two recipes that vary just a bit.   "Switchel is a refreshing drink from the colonial era and early American farming days.  Switchel was how hardworking farmers quenched their thirst out in the hot, sunbaked fields. That's enough of an endorsement for me!  This drink is also called Haymaker's Punch (because it was drunk while haying fields)..."

I made it today and served it to my two farmers, and it was a huge hit!  I made the second of the two recipes.  I think I would like to add a bit more water, sparkling water, or tonic water next time, and maybe a little less sugar.  I think it's much healthier than some other options such as iced tea, lemonade, or soda, and it is more thirst quenching than just plain water.  In addition, a little vinegar is very good for you!

Here's the recipe I used:

1 gal. water
2 cups raw or dark brown sugar
1 cup molasses
1 cup cider vinegar
1 teaspoon ginger (fresh)

Switchel, a delicious and refreshing old time beverage!

I used light brown sugar and powdered ginger because that's what I had on hand.  I think I would like to use raw sugar and fresh ginger next time.  But if, like me, that's what you have on hand, make it anyway, it's worth it, it's delicious!


Carpe Diem! Lil and Bill

Something Old Is New Again

In need of some tender loving care!

When we finished our pergola last fall, I wanted to throw away our old, faded, and battered glider.  The joints were coming apart, and I was afraid to let anyone sit on it.  Since we've now hung our new porch swing under the pergola, I have suddenly become a bit sentimental towards that old beat up glider.  It has provided us with many hours of relaxation.

Looking good!

So, Bill decided to get out his glue and clamps, and did some major repair work on the old thing.  Then he did some sanding.  I was rather surprised, it started looking pretty good.  We got out the linseed oil, and I put a good coat of it on the dry, parched wood.  Bill oiled all the metal working parts.  It's looking great!  I began looking for a new home for it, and I found one!

Growing Sprouts at Home!

Sprout Jar Wooden Rack with Jars

Growing your own sprouts at home is a rather simple project that can provide excellent nutrients at a very reasonable cost compared to purchasing them in your local grocery store.  In addition, it is a very compact way to store food in case of an emergency.

What you will need in order to grow your own sprouts:

1. A jar in which to grow them.  A standard wide-mouth quart size canning jar is what I use.
2. You will need to have a piece of mesh cloth that will enable you to drain off the water from the seeds as you rinse them each day.  I didn't have any lying around the house, so I ordered mine online. 
3. You will also need to have a way to keep your jars upside down so they can completely drain, and have some air flow to the sprouts.  My very talented  husband made a wooden rack for me that holds up to 3 Mason jars and folds flat for storage.  You can purchase one from our Marketplace if you wish.
4. Then, you will need to have sprouting seeds.  I found mine online.

Canning jar, mesh cloth, and metal ring

Folding Wooden Rack

Homemade Shampoo Soap Bar!

Luxurious Shampoo Bar!

I have spent a lot of time researching homemade shampoo.  I have even tried a couple of my own recipes, without much success.  Not too long ago I came upon this recipe from Great Cakes Soapworks for a Fabulous Shampoo Bar Recipe.  I have always used salon quality shampoos and conditioners, therefore I was a bit apprehensive at first.  We ladies can be very protective about our hair, but I went for it and made up a batch of her recipe, and wow, was I ever pleasantly surprised!

Baby Chicks At 24 Days Old!

You Lookin' At Me?

The chicks are growing so fast!  Every couple days it seems that they have just exploded another inch.  They are coming into the stage when their feathers are growing in, and they look rather ragged and prickly as their fuzzy down gives way to feathers.  This chick is one of the more advanced ones with her pretty red colors beginning to show.

Babies at the big girl feeder!

Here are a couple others where you can see the different stages of

Baby Chicks At Two Weeks Old!

Growing fast they are!  Red Star babies are doing well, and sprouting their wings as we speak.  Here is the latest video I took today.

The chicken coop has been cleaned and prepared for the babies.  The three-year old hens have been moved over to the back side of the coop, and Bill and Jim put up a barrier on the bottom of the chicken wire divider wall to make certain the babies can't get stuck in the fencing.  All that is left to do is move the heat lamp out there, they will have much more room to flutter and practice their flying skills.  We will wait as long as possible before moving them.  I feel better as long as I can check up on them as often as I like while they're in the house.  But, they are starting to manufacture a whole bunch of feather dander already!  So, it won't be long now.

Tree Down, Fence Down!

As I was leisurely looking out the back window this morning, my eyes fell on something unfamiliar looking.  Upon further examination, we discovered that one of our pine trees had given up a few of its branches, right on top of our fence!

Right onto the fence!

The guys, Bill and my brother-in-law, Jim, got right to getting it all cleaned up.

Formulating a plan!

Raising Baby Chicks - Part 2

Here's a short video I took of the baby chickens when they were six days old.  They are growing their tiny wings so quickly.  I can see a difference every day.  They sometimes get on top of the feeder and take a running leap whilst flapping away.  If they keep this up, they'll be flying out of the brooder in no time.

Things are going along rather smoothly these last couple of days.  I feed and water them daily, and check on them about every two hours.  I figure if the red heat lamp burns out, two hours is probably the max for them to not be too severely harmed from the cold.  They are being kept inside the house in a separate quiet room.  The house is heated to 68 degrees during the day, and 64 degrees at night.   The heat lamp is keeping them at slightly higher than 95 degrees directly under the light, and the coolest spot in the brooder is around 86 degrees.  They have the option to hang out wherever they are most comfortable.  

Here's a photo I just took today, just four days after the video above.  Just look at

Beautiful Snow On The Farm!

Winter on the farm!

As winter was passing this year, I was longing for some snow to go along with the low, low temperatures we were having.  As days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, I began to think that maybe the snow wasn't coming this year.

What a beautiful world!

But, alas, the beautiful snow arrived last night, and was it gorgeous as it was falling! Huge, huge snowflakes, the biggest ones I've ever seen.  But, I am a Florida girl, so

Raising New Baby Chicks!

Twenty-five on these on the farm!

It's always exciting to get new babies here on the farm!  Here is a picture of the brooder all set up and waiting for the chicks.  We used a 3 foot kiddie pool placed on a large square of cardboard for added warmth, wrapped it all around with 18" high brown construction paper.  My husband had some paint sticks around and used them to help hold up the paper.  We lined the pool with newspaper, attached the heat lamp to a wooden ladder-back chair, and placed the feeder, waterer, and thermometer inside.  The red heat lamp makes it a bit difficult for the camera to take a great picture.

The brooder ready to go!

Today twenty-five brand new baby chicks came home to live on the homestead.  We purchased Red Star pullets.  According to Murray McMurray Hatchery, these are the very best extra large dark brown egg layers they offer.  We will see how they do for us.  

Here they are, settling in their new home.  Oh my goodness, they are so stinkin' cute!

Little fuzzy balls of cuteness!

According to the hatchery's instructions, we added 3 tablespoons of sugar to their

Sewing With Sarah!

I just had the best few days spending some time with my two granddaughters, Sarah and Hannah.  Please humor me as I share some 'Grandmother's pride'.

When sweet Sarah, my favorite ten-year old granddaughter, first asked me if I could help her sew an apron, her first sewing project, I casually said, "Sure, we can do that".  I then began to reflect on how I needed to begin teaching this as she wanted to do it herself, but had never had any experience with sewing, or a sewing machine, before.  I said to my husband, "Oh dear, what have I gotten myself into?"

Sarah intensely working!

As I began to reflect on when and how I first learned to sew, a million years ago in Home Economics class in 9th grade, I wondered if I still have the patience and the 'know-how' to do this.  In addition, I haven't as much as looked at a sewing machine for at least ten years or more.  As I began to dissect the process, I formulated a plan.  Here's how I thought it would go: