Cure Memory Loss with Hot Chocolate? Sign me up!

OK, full disclosure, I have never expected the headlines in the magazines at the checkout stand to be founded on well documented science, and I am well aware that the headlines are largely about fun.

So, when Bailey pointed this one out at the check stand the other day, we both got a good laugh and immediately wanted to sign up!

I am no more picking on the magazine than I am taking an excuse to over indulge in hot chocolate, or believing that the exhaustion and hormone related fog brain will go away magically as a result of drinking hot chocolate. But it might be fun to try anyway!

So, share away, do you make your hot chocolate from scratch? Mint, milk or dark chocolate?Marshmallows or whipped cream?

An update on Tiny...

As many of you know, Tiny was hatched in the big pen to a mama who couldn't juggle eggs still in the nest alongside her responsibilities as a mama of a live baby chick. On evening walk around one night, we found the mama up on her eggs, and the baby chick hiding in the corner of the barn, crying and hollering.

We brought Tiny in the house, where she cuddled with Bailey and even slept in a box in her bed, then the kids left town for a hunt and I was left with a very upset baby. By now we had nicknamed the little one Tiny, and I ended up giving her a stuffed animal to cuddle with. She apparently preferred it to me. Talk about putting me in my place!

I hope to put some photos in here tonight, but I realize just how late I am in sharing the update!

Tiny grew, and began roosting on the side of the trough she was living in. She started getting out of the trough,, wandering the house, exploring and talking to the dogs. Sometimes to us people, too.  Shadow would find her, hollering away from various spots in the house, and Shadow would be sure she was lost. She would either coax Tiny back tot he living room or come get me to help her.  Shadow was very concerned about Tiny.  Goofy animals!

Tiny wanted to cuddle with Vegas and Shadow. Vegas often ran away from her, Shadow was initially pretty stressed out by the notion, since chickens are off limits to her, but they eventually formed a great friendship.

Tiny really needed to move out of the house. Every group we tried her with was either too big for her, or they were very unkind. We tried putting her with the bantam chicks on the back porch who were only a little bigger than her, but both times we tried, they went after her, and he would pull her back inside.

Meanwhile, our friend Toni had left several eggs with one of her hens. Only one of them hatched, and was living in the bathroom, growing up and getting its feathers. The baby at Toni's house was a couple weeks younger than Tiny, but short of purchasing a a friend for Tiny, I didn't really have any options for her, and wasn't interested in having a "house chicken"!

So, I messaged Toni on facebook, asking if she would like to have Tiny as a friend fro her little one, so they could grow up together.  A few weeks ago, I got to see my friend Toni, and we sent Tiny along with her, along with her little stuffed bear.  Toni later let me know that Tiny has taken the other little one under her wing.  They have bonded and are now friends. Yay!  Seems like the best possible outcome to me.

Then, about a week later, Wyatt came inside to tell me that the straw I saw knocked down wasn't his fault. I was pretty certain that it had happened when he and his sister got straw to take some of the chickens tot he show in the rain. Apparentlym there was also a her up there, hatching a couple baby chicks...

Build Your Own Gift Basket

Love the fun of gift baskets, but looking for more variety than you typically find? Or want something more personalized than what you may find elsewhere?  Or perhaps you have found neat things that can be personalized, but aren't variable enough for the price range you want for certain gifts?

Feel free to build your own gift baskets, even with custom items and baskets...

Feeling overwhelmed?

How about a build your own tutorial?

Start with the budget...
Truthfully, the budget is up to you! Whether there is  mug, basket, tote bag or gift bag changes how much you put in a package as well as the overall cost. If you would like, you can email me with a few parameters like what a person likes and the approximate budget, and I can get you some sample ideas.

Ideas to use as the basket:

Mugs, Plates and Glasses

Metal  and Wicker Baskets

Gift Bags

Tote Bags

Feed Bag Market Bags (also available in a plain tan)

Ideas to Put in the Basket:

These can be customized:
Glass mugs, tall glasses, tumblers and plates

Soaps and Lotions Bars, Scrubs and Lip Balms

 Hairbands, and Feathered and Ribbon Barrette and Clips

 Custom Jewelry Pieces

Earrings, Bracelets and other Jewelry

Jewelry Sets

Up-cycled Ceramic Tiles

AND MORE!
Got favorite pieces or things you want to put together? Got an idea for a coming project, but want to have it packaged for you to put together later? We are glad to accommodate. Just call or email and we can set something up special just for you, and of course we do volume discounts.

Hi Everyone, Sorry i have been missing a while...

I am sorry I disappeared for a bit there. I haven't had the words to share things lately.  Even though, I have had fun stories, new products, and we have things going on around the farm, I was absent with some important people in my life.

Then today, as I drove home from teaching, I was thinking about the friends and loved ones coming and going, and the many blessings in our lives, and began to think I might be ready to write today.  Then while I was doing chores before loading the car for the market, I heard this song, and I began to open up a bit. I don't know why, since this song really isn't much about what is going on in my life, but it has always touched me so perhaps that is all it was.

Here is the video for the song...

http://www.cmt.com/videos/dierks-bentley/701627/home.jhtml

To be completely honest, I don't know how much to tell. While I have often split several things off into other blogs, it seems to make more sense these days to be honest that life in balance is not something I have mastered, It is, instead, a work in progress, like many other aspects of our lives. And this morning, my students reminded me that somehow I should be remembering my role as an example for them and taking care of myself better (they caught me limping again).

I promised them that I understood, but that sometimes the balance goes off a bit, and it can be the act of bringing it back into balance which is more important in our long term wellness.  And, in fact, my husband has promised to take care of the farm and dinner tonight so that after the farmer's market I could teach my last class of the day and take time to practice yoga before the drive back to the farm, the home school grading would still be there!

My mom has been staying with us a bit.  She came to help my auntie, who was in a health crisis. In the end, the experts couldn't help with her inability to swallow or speak. I spent extra time with she and my mom. Last Wednesday, Bailey and I sat with Mom and laughed and told silly stories about auntie and sang songs.  Thursday morning, she went to be with God, her parents and her husband.  I hope she had a great dance with Uncle Mac on Friday, as we all watched cousin Ashley marry Michael, now a new cousin in the family.

Life is funny that way.  Ups and downs and twists and turns.  God has a plan for us all, even when we have a hard time letting him run the show.

Ashley's wedding was wonderful, and I was glad Daddy had flown in, too. Then on Saturday, we took eight chickens out to the poultry show. Since life was even crazier than expected, we ended up hanging out at the show to let the kids have fun with friends and participate in showmanship.  Bailey even earned reserve champion in her age division, and third place overall.  But more on that later, I will sit down and put in all the photos and plans for the chickens in a bit!

Have you ever sat in church and listened to the preacher launch into a sermon that seems tailor made for your life?  Well, that proceeded to happen on Sunday. The minister began to speak about life in conflict, and how to handle those you are conflicting with.  One of the tenets of coexisting was that you and the person you are in conflict with need to agree to live in peace.

I think that is the part that has been hardest.  For years, I have gone with the turn the other cheek theory, thinking if I tried to be kind and guard involvement with those folks who have worked in concert to harass my child, that they would eventually be kind. Or that we could somehow coexist.  Those people have consistently chosen to pretend to coexist, but have gone out of their way to be malicious and deceitful. I have had a lot of trouble with the ongoing anger that sits in my heart, something I don't like to hold on to. And when I see those who supposedly were to help my child, who were the only authority we could go to in order to prevent it from happening to someone else, when I see them holding those people who continue to try to hurt my child being held up with praise and helped to the top- I worry about what will happen to other youth, and what message that sends my children.

My daughter looked at me when she saw the rewards befalling these folks, and I told her that in the end, things will right themselves, and she will be better for being strong.  While it doesn't change the desire to protect other youth, my approach with her has been to encourage her to continue to volunteer her time, though not in the section of the organization that protects and commends abusive people, instead to volunteer in the section doing the work that she really believes in. I tell her regularly that we are the company we keep and we are seen in conjunction with those who we keep company with, and their missions, so hopefully that will help guide a path Hopefully. I wish I always felt convinced that I was balancing protection and the right thing.  Another of those aspects of life that doesn't come with an instruction manual.

Anyhow, I must admit that I am glad to be slowly getting things back on track this week.  We were basically treading water with home school for a bit there, just the basics and most of our energy going to family. But truthfully, that is what I had looked most forward to in home schooling- living by our own priorities, focusing on the academics and the extra time going to experiential learning and the things we really believe in.  So family was big, and we will be doing more academics as Christmas approaches that I had originally written in the plan, but that is okay.

But I do miss having my folks around. Wish they were closer- my sister and niece, too.  Our family keeps growing smaller.

Well, the minister called to check on us earlier, and I thanked him for the resources and recommendations he had given us. I told him they helped as we just hung in there together and put one foot in front of the other.  He seemed to understand just what I meant, and said that was what family was for.  Maybe that makes me normal for once, but I wouldn't expect it.

I know the sadness is for those of us behind, and there is always more to learn and do.  So I suppose that more than anything else, family is what I am thankful for as we move forward to the Thanksgiving holiday later this week.  We somehow manage to stick together and love each other through it.

Well, I am back, and working on balancing things back out, and over the next day or so, I will do my best to update you on all the animals and fun. Have a blessed holiday and enjoy your family, whether it has feathers, fur, or what have you.  Love to all.

Oatmeal, Goat's Milk and Honey Soap

Taking a moment to talk about soap ingredients for different circumstances.  I have a lot of conversations with folks about how to select the right soap for them while at the market, or when they email me through the site and on Facebook.  After these discussions, I realize it is helpful to have this information where folks can find it by filtering through the labels on the blog to help them select when purchasing, so I am trying to highlight options. If you have questions about other soaps, or ingredients, feel free to let me know what I should add!

The first thing to remember with this is that everyone is different. When we began making soaps, it was because of our daughter's allergy and health issues. She cannot have anything with synthetics or preservatives. She is also allergic to every tree except juniper, all grasses and much more. I use her as a practical example (poor thing!)  Anyhow, many of hte oils are not an issue for her, but preservatives and other ingredients are. When it comes to scents, the peppermint helps her breathe better, but she cannot have trees that she is allergic to, as these are essential oils, directly derived from the plant.

When folks knew that I was tailoring the recipes to her, many came to ask me for special requests, like the Castile soaps I recently highlighted.  Many changes are easy. As with any health issue, when we don't know what someone is allergic to, we typically go to the simplest recipe possible and add in one new ingredient at a time to isolate any new ingredients so if there is a reaction, we know what the culprit is. On the other hand, many folks come to me knowing exactly what they cannot have, giving us a lot of latitude to work with in designing fun products that bring great results and luxury without causing harm or inflaming the issues a given customer has.

Oatmeal soaps are also special ingredient soaps, and are used in different ways. There are oatmeal soaps designed for exfoliating, and also oatmeal soaps designed for sensitive skin.  In this post, I will focus on the latter. Oatmeal often has a cooling effect on skin which is inflamed, or that reacts to lots of things.  Folks with eczema, psoriasis, allergies, etc, often do well with oatmeal formulations.

We almost always have an oatmeal, goat's milk and honey soap available without any added scent.  Today I made one with orange, apples, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg essential oils as a holiday treat.  Honey is very soothing and smoothing, and is a great ingredient choice for those with dry skin, or who have breakouts. The oatmeal is soothing and draws impurities out of the skin.  The goat's milk has a lot of nutrition for your skin, which is your largest organ, after all.  Being goat's milk, it is closer in composition to human milk, and thereby better absorbed and used by your own body.

So there you have it. Oatmeal, Goat's Milk and Honey soaps are not for everyone, but are a great option for those with inflamed skin, young children, and those with other skin issues. Still, it is not for everyone.  If you are wondering whether it is the right choice for you, feel free to call or email or message, whatever you prefer, and let me know what you are looking for so we can help you find the right choice for you.

Our friend, TIny

I know that I have said in the past that some girls just aren't meant to be mamas...

Well, this is a story of a girl who is very bent on being a mama, but just cannot get her act together.  Really, this is the story of her little one...

Our Phoenix hens LOVE to go broody. The find the craziest places to hide and hatch out babies.   Well, after we had turned off and cleaned out the incubator and brooder for a while, she was at it again. And before we caught it, she hatched out this cute little baby chick in the big pen. The big pen isn't really the place for hatching a baby.It is a pen of laying hens with a few protective roosters mixed in.

When we found out she had hatched again, we were going to take the baby chick to keep it safe, but she consistently thwarted our efforts. We gave in and chose to watch carefully and track, especially since she still had eggs- in a loft above the nesting boxes.  

Before long, we went to check and she had gone back to sitting on her clutch of eggs.  The little chick was huddled in a corner of the barn, crying.  So Wyatt handed her to me to keep warm while he finished chores, and then we set up a little brooder in the living room.

Chicks need friends, and can sometimes cry themselves into death.  So we didn't put a top on the brooder, and she would hang out with Bailey while she did school work. Then, Bailey was out of town for a few days, and "Tiny", as we had come to call the little one, was crying, so I gave her a stuffed animal.

Another week or so passed, and "she" was getting out of the brooder to roost on the edge, and soon wander the house. We don't advocate this!  We all chat with her when she sits on the edge, and she chats back and watches the world go by out the front window.

When "she" gets out of the brooder, Tiny wants to explore the house, and also find a comfy spot.  You will find the little chick heading for the dog beds, looking for someone to cuddle with.  Tiny tries to be coy, and starts on the edge of the bed, side stepping and sneaking up to cuddle with the dogs.  

When Tiny settles in, though, Vegas bolts.  AT eighteen, he says he has had enough of the babies we bring around.  He likes life on his own terms, where he puppy makes sure his bowl is full and the door opened whenever he wants it.

Shadow Paws wants to be a good girl, but has been trained that chickens are not her domain, aside from protecting them, so she backs away from Tiny, wagging her tail and cutting her eyes to make sure we see who is messing with whom.

Of course, TIny runs from us humans when out and about, because "she" knows we will put her back in her brooder, and there will be no more gallivanting

I am starting to get worried about Tiny's lack of friends. Tomorrow afternoon, I will try the back porch brooder again, keep your fingers crossed! 

.

Castille Soap?

Castille Soap? What is that? 

Well, if you have seen some of the formulations I have lately, I can completely understand the confusion!  Traditionally, soap makers have used materials from their area, much like homesteaders fed their families the things they grew and raised, or traded nearby farmers for. In the Castille region of Spain, that would mean that the most prolific  oil available for soap making was olive oil.

I used to work with a researcher who was from Spain, he was adamant that the best olive oil in the world was that from Spain.  I don't know if that is correct, but I have always thought one should believe in the product he created, and being from Spain and working in America, I imagine that is about as close as it comes. But I digress, the Spanish oil in abundance, and therefore most efficient and economical to use was olive oil. This also meant that it was more likely to be pure and fresh.

Why does it matter that the oil be pure and fresh?  Let's back up a bit...

Many of you know that I began making soap because my daughter had lots of allergies. She has many environmental allergies, and also cannot use anything on her skin with synthetic ingredients or preservatives. That pretty much knocks out what is commercially available. Still, she is fine with the good coconut oils, almond oil, etc, as long as the only item I used to preserve is Vitamin E, and any essential oils are just that- essential oils, not fragrance oils.

When folks learned that I could make soap, and knew how to work within recipes to adjust to the needs of the individual, I started getting LOTS of requests. I can understand why. I mean, as much as it would be great to always make your own, that requires a lot of supplies on hand, and if you can work with a truly trusted source for the items you don't make or grow, as farmers always have, trading the farmer next door or across town for the items they grow/ raise, but you don't- you both benefit.

While the allergies in our house are mostly limited the additives (at least as far as soap is concerned), we still had a large range of all natural ingredients available to us. This is great for us, but I have learned that there are a large number of folks who cannot have any tree nut based oil, or even coconut oil.  Coconut oil is very healthy, and a wonderful, variable base, so it is heavily used in soaps and lotions and lotion bars, lip balms, etc.  

For folks with those immune responses much greater than basic skin sensitivities, we formulate to avoid the ingredients which cause issues, and often recommend Castille soap. Lately, I have seen a lot of different formulations in use by soap makers- castille soap with many other things to make them more luxurious. Because we work so frequently with customers with health concerns, we choose to stick with a very traditional interpretation of Castille soap- with olive as the only oil. I sometimes make some with goat's milk as well, but the batch currently in stock is a very strict olive oil castille, with lavender and peppermint essential oils.  Others will be available soon, and the available varieties do change over time by request and season.

In cases such as these, purity is critical. Other added ingredients could trigger an immune response.  The equivalent I use to explain in our house, is like when we went out to dinner for Wyatt's birthday, and we asked about msg, which my daughter cannot have. The server promised they would never touch the stuff in this place. But by the time we got home, we were loading up on medications to control my daughter's reaction, and she and I were up almost all night.  Pure ingredients, without additives, are important, and fresh means that the wonderful nutrient properties of the ingredients remain true. There are some cases where shelf lives are long, but the oil should be used quickly in batches after the container is opened, and the oil thereby exposed to the environment.

There are a lot of different soap formulations. I recently highlighted emu oil, which has been a loved formulation by at least one of our clients with an intense form of eczema.  I thought it might be useful for those deciding on soaps to try and to select as gifts for friends and family, to understand more about ht e formulations in general as they are looking at choices. All of the ingredient lists are available, though sometimes become cumbersome on the site. Never hesitate to ask, an also feel welcome to share your concerns and needs so that we may help you find the right option for you.

What are your favorites?