~Homemade Laundry Soap~

Friday I made my second batch of Homemade Laundry Soap. My first batch was a success. My husband was extremely skeptical & even I had my reservations but I knew people who had made it & were very happy with the results. It seems to clean our clothing just as well if not better than what I had been using previously which was either ALL Free & Clear or Arm & Hammer Sensitive. This is the recipe I followed but my cousin Wildwood Mama has a wonderful tutorial as well. I used Dove soap which was not my first choice but that is what I had & I was desperate. But it worked! It is extremely easy to make too! Next time I want to use Dr. Bronner's Castile Bar Soap in Lavender. I love the smell of Lavender & have always wanted my laundry to smell of it! I am very sensitive to scents & most scents if they are not from essential oils are way too much for me. I usually use Dr. Bronner's Lavender liquid soap to bathe with & love it but have been out for a while. I haven't had a chance to go to the Health Food Store. I recommend making it because it will save you money & it's better for you & the environment!

Weekly Menu Plan

I'm going to try to follow my dear cousin's lead & post my weekly menu plan. It's not complete but here's what I have so far...

Sunday~Pork Loin Chops, Baked Acorn Squash, Salad

Monday~Roast Chicken, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Sauteed Kale

Tuesday~(Left-overs made over a little)Chicken & Gravy, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Salad

Wednesday~Butter Peas, Rice, Salad (make chicken broth from chicken carcass to flavor peas)

Thurday~Left-Overs

Friday & Saturday~Who Knows???

Just wanted to say that when I cook I try to make enough for at least 2 meals. We don't mind eating the same thing 2 nights in a row. My sister & her husband hate left-overs though. So to each their own, but it makes things a little easier on me.

Autumn Greetings....

I cannot believe it is already the middle of November! Next week is Thanksgiving! Where has Autumn gone? We've had a busy season working on house projects, cleaning & organizing. I'm happy to say one of our biggest projects is done! We have the front porch done finally! This isn't any front porch it's truly a verandah. It was a huge project.
After some rainy & windy days this past weekend most of the leaves have fallen, leaving bare branches. So sad...I've really enjoyed the beautiful colors though. Only wish we made a trip to the mountains a week or so ago to see the leaves at their peak! Now on to raking & piling the leaves this week.

Which Austen Heroine Are You?

Take the Quiz here!

Not sure that my personality is that of Miss Bennet but she is my favorite Austen heroine...

Sharon Astyk

Sharon Astyk is a writer & farmer & so much more. She has an amazing blog! I guess you could describe her blog as a Survival Blog from a woman's point of view. About surviving & preparing for the coming economic crisis, peak oil, etc. She offers more solutions & hope not doom & gloom. Gives amazing information about how to prepare the best we can for the unsure future or actually present as we are in hard times now. Information about food storage & preservation, farming/gardening, how to adapt in place even if you're not in the most ideal situation. Her book, Depletion & Abundance: Life on the New Home Front, has just come out & I would love to get it. She has so much information on her blog but I would love to have it in my hands.

Full Harvest Moon

Here's a picture of the Full Harvest Moon. I didn't get a picture last night as it was too overcast but this is from Saturday night while we were camping on our future little homestead. We had a good weekend working on the land trying to get it cleaned up for the winter & organizing the barn. Daydreaming of our future home. So it was a nice way of celebrating the Full Moon.

Beautiful Blessingway

I had the honor of attending a blessingway for my friend Caryn on Sunday night. I wish I had the words to tell what an amazing experience it was. Caryn is a very special person and wonderful mother so everyone there had beautiful things to say & share with her. Her first birth experience did not go as expected, which was the way of all of us in our group. We were surrounding her with strong positive energy for the coming birth of her daughter. Wishing for the birth experience she is wanting & needing.
We sat in a circle & each of us took turns presenting the bead we had chosen for her birth necklace, something symbolic to us from nature & sharing of wisdom or feelings. The energy was so powerful we were all caught up into it. It really made me realize how wise each of us are in our own way & we have so much to learn from each other & give. I was truly in awe of these women. It's so beautiful how we were sharing so much of ourselves in order to give Caryn the love & strength for this new journey in her life. Caryn's mother found this poem about witches. The poem spoke to her mother because Caryn's grandmother 11 generations ago was one of the first to be hanged as a witch in Massachussets in the Salem witch trials.

Witches

Who were the witches? Where did they come from?
Maybe your great, great grandmother was one
Witches were wise, wise women they say
And there's a little witch in every woman today
(There's a little witch in every woman today)

Witches knew all about flowers and trees
How to use all the bark and the roots and the leaves
When people grew weary from hard working days
Witches made them feel better - in so many ways

Women had babies and witches were there
To help and to feed them and give them sweet care
And witches knew stories of how life began
Don't you wish you could be one? - well, maybe you can!


Some people thought that the witches were bad
Some people were scared of the power they had
The power to heal and to give and to cure
It's not something to fear - it's a treasure to share

There's a little witch
There's a little witch
There's a little witch in every woman today!

I really liked this poem for I feel like the women of my family are all witches/wise women in their own way.

The song we sang was ~Sisters On A Journey~ which I don't think I had heard before but seemed familiar. It was beautiful, here are the lyrics~ (also found here

We are sisters on a journey, singing now as one! Shining through the darkest
night!
The healing has begun, begun, the healing has begun.
We are sisters on a journey, singing in the sun. Remembering the ancient ones:
The women and the wisdom, the women and the wisdom.
We are sisters on a journey, watching life unfold! Sharing warmth of heart and
hands:
The knowledge of the old—the knowledge of the old.
We are sisters on a journey, singing now as one! Shining through the darkest
night!
The healing has begun, begun, the healing has begun.

There is so much more. I could write a book about that one evening! One of the most strongest of feelings I had was when we went around the circle with yarn to wrap 3 times around our wrist saying our name, our mother's & our grandmother's. Then we were all joined in the circle, unified. We then cut the yarn & tied it. We will keep the yarn around our wrist until Caryn has the baby. It's so nice to look down at my wrist & have that reminder of that magical evening. Also we all have a candle to light when we she has gone into labor to send our positive energy to her. The night ended with good food & laughter. My long drive home was guided by Sister Moon, I felt happy & safe. My soul feels so nourished & I can only imagined how Caryn must feel. We need more of these rituals in our life. We need to connect more with others, honor these rights of passage & the circle of the seasons.

Changing of Seasons...

Even though it's still quite hot here in the South, lately I am noticing hints that Fall is coming. Some leaves on certain trees, like the dogwood above, are starting to turn colors. Yesterday late afternoon/early evening I could tell the light was different, it had a softer glow. And this morning is nice & cool. By August I am ready for Fall but I always seem to forget that the worse of the summer heat is upon us! I'm so happy it's September & I can start looking forward to a little bit cooler weather.
I think it is so important for us to become more connected with nature & the circle of the seasons. To really live in it & be apart of it. In this modern world we are so disconnected from nature as if we are above it all instead of part of it. We can live however we want whenever we want. We hardly pay attention to the seasons except for the holidays. The past few years I've really been making it my goal to try to live more in tune with the seasons & follow each seasons lead. Pay more attention to the food in season, activities to really honor, books to enjoy & learn about each season.
Here is a lovely quote I found by Thoreau~
Live each season as it passes, breathe air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each. Let them be your only diet, drink & botanical medicines. ~Henry David Thoreau~

Miss Spider...

We have this beautiful garden spider living in the flower pot at the back steps. Her web goes from the flower pot up to the handrail of the steps. Georgia has really loved watching her. Miss Spider doesn't seem to mind all the attention either or all the hustle & bustle up & down the steps. The cats have left her alone too. I've been kinda worried they would bother her. In a funny way I've been thinking of her as our guardian spider, helping to protect our home.

Garden Notes...

We had a small vegetable garden again this year. Not as big as we would have liked & we are planning on expanding it for next year. It was a bit more successful this year. I've learned alot & hope to put that knowledge into producing an even more successful garden next year. We started with lettuce in the Spring but in pots. Let me tell you it was wonderful! So easy you wouldn't believe & fun to go out there & snip those tender leaves & have an amazingly flavorful salad. We only planted tomatoes, squash & zucchini. The squash & zucchini did much better this year & we ate a ton of it. I was even able to freeze some before the plants were completely taken oven by bugs & disease. Those squash bugs are relentless & quite prolific! The tomoatoes did ok but I wasn't able to can any like I wanted to this year. We are still in a drought here & I don't think I watered them like they needed. We've enjoyed lots of BLT's & fresh salsa though. So now the Summer growing season is coming to a close. Time to start looking ahead to Fall. I'm actually wanting to plant a Fall/Winter garden. Greens, broccoli, cabbage etc. I'm at least going to get some more lettuce growing. I'm also making notes as what I need to do to improve the soil for next year. Our ultimate goal is to grow alot of our own food. But it all takes time, experience & learning from your mistakes...

Vision Victory...

I found this guy Vision Victory on You Tube about a month or so ago. I really like his videos & have watched most of them. He's an entrepreneur & investor but a regular guy. I like his videos because he is trying to get the truth out there about what is really happening around us! He's not trying to scare you or be melodramatic etc. What he has to say is scary though. His videos are very informative & he backs his analysts with facts. He spent alot of time in his first videos giving background to the situation & basic economic information. Which is great because I think most people don't really know anything about economics. I know I don't. I'm trying to educate myself because I sure didn't learn about economics in the "education" I received from the government schools I attended.

Journey to the Darkside...

I've been on a journey of sorts since my last post here in February. It all started with of course the economic downturn (oh no it's not a recession, wtf?) I'm not going to lie. Things have been tough the past couple years with me being at home with Georgia. But at the start of the year things just seemed to be getting worse for my family, extended family & others all around. Yet it was hard to find information about what was going on. The government & mainstream media sure won't tell you the truth. So I went on my own search. I even stopped frequenting the blogs I loved because I just couldn't take seeing & hearing all these good & beautiful parts of others lives. It's hard to explain but there were & still are hard times going on & no one was addressing it. It was really getting to me. Also I noticed people weren't posting as often. I feel they may have been having the same feelings & seeing the same things as I but of course didn't want to talk about it on their blog. Which I completely understand. I'm not sure if I should really post this either. But I feel like I need to for my own sanity. And as this is my blog & no one but maybe my cousin reads it I feel like it's ok.
So since then I have been on a journey for the truth for myself & family. I have learned alot, been completely blown away. Have realized all the things my "crazy" husband has told me for the past 11 years may actually be true! Even found out things that he didn't know. Yes, I guess I drank the kool-aid. Call me a conspiracy therorist, etc. I'm not trying to be all chicken little/doom & gloom but I truly feel that we are heading into an extremely hard time for our country & the world economically. Possibly an economic collapse in the U.S., another great depression. I know it's completely unbelieveable, I can't even imagine it! I'm still trying wrap my mind around WHAT IT WILL REALLY MEAN for us if the stock market crashes & our economy collapses. Most of us have only known the good times in this country/world so we have no idea what it was like during the great depression. Yes we've heard stories & have even read about it but we do not know. We always think ~oh, that was so long ago nothing like that could ever happen to us, not here, not now. Well if you just look at history it happens all the time to all of the great empires, ie; Rome. I don't think it's the end of the world/apocalypse but it's going to be "the end of the world as we know it". (sorry that R.E.M. song always comes into my head when I start thinking about all this) I won't go into all of my beliefs, for there are more issues other than economic. My mind is spinning so I know I will not be coherent. Plus there are so many much more intelligent people out there that have it all straight & can explain things. But I will say that I have read & seen so much evidence for the collapse happening I don't think there is anyway around it. No not just a bunch of conspiracy b.s. but real happenings, meetings of congress, the federal reserve, economic analysts & forecasters. All mainstream, all right in front of our face yet hidden. There are so many people out there that have great info for people like me, that want to try to find out the truth & prepare the best we can. I'm not turning my blog into a conspiracy/survivalist blog but I do want to eventually post links to some things I've found on this journey. It's been long & convoluted journey down different paths but with all it's twists & turns it has lead to one end. I don't know, maybe I'm crazy I'm sure lots of people would say that. I hope I'm wrong only time will tell...

Musings on Tasha Tudor...

I wish I had known Tasha Tudor's work as a child. For I believe her drawings & books would have helped to make my childhood a little magical. But so happy to have found her as an adult! She has really helped to inspire me to bring that magic into my family's life now. I actually only heard of her about 7 years ago in Rosemary Gladstar's Family Herbal. (I love Rosemary Gladstar but that's another post) I found that excerpt about Tasha Tudor "Living Her Dream" so interesting & wanted to learn more about her. But that didn't happen until the past 1-2 years. I finally sought out her books from the library for Georgia. Unfortunately my library only has a few of her books but Georgia really loved them. The pictures are so fascinating to little ones & to adults as well. I was lost in the world she created.

She has now passed away in June of this year at the age of 92. So I finally requested from the library some books about her life. She was such a fascinating woman. She really created her own world & lived in another time. In the book ~The Private World of Tasha Tudor~ she talks a little about how people see her through "rose colored glasses" because of the way she lives. But that she's human just like everyone else & has her "darkside" etc. I admire her because she truly created her own special world around herself & lived her dream. I hope to one day live my own dream. I do in my head but I want to be able to make my dreams come alive in my surroundings as Tasha Tudor did. Rosemary Gladstar said she would quote Thoreau~"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours". Tasha Tudor is an inspiration to live your dream.

I feel like quite a few of my family members & I have this quality inside to create our own special world. We don't quite fit in this world, this time. I think we've all tried at different times but have failed. We are meant to find our own special way...

Wildwood Mama...

I just wanted to dedicate this PJ Harvey song to my dear cousin Laura aka Wildwood Mama (Drum Circle Deva) I love you! For that horrible dentist! WHO THE F**K!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0IfAFCcGIA

Tasha Tudor...

I have a long post I want to do on Tasha Tudor. But I came upon this picture of her holding her sweet babe, nursing. I had to post it! I have only seen pictures of her as an old woman & I wondered what she was like when she was young. When I found this pic I can't tell you how happy I was. To me this pic just says it all! She is so inspiring! I will write more later...

Out of the mouths of babes...

I was holding Georgia in my lap tonight. She was snuggled under my shirt. She seems to love this position the past few months. I think she has stretched out every shirt I own. Her birthday is coming up in October so we've been talking about it lately. But tonight I started talking to her about how she grew in my tummy etc. And I asked her if she remembered. She said yes. The I started talking about when she was born & if she remembered it. She said she was stuck & I was trying to pull her out. I said I was trying to push her out. She said yes & then looked out of my shirt to the window & said she was trying to go through the window & daddy was trying to pull her out. I am in awe! I had to post this to have a record! My sweet girl remembers! I know she does! She is just now able to put it in to words. I didn't put the idea in her head of being stuck or going through anything...She remembers! I am always impressed by what she remembers & will talk about. But this is truly amazing! So beautiful...

Hello...

I am back in an attempt to revive this blog. I can't believe it's almost the end of August & my last post was in February! I can't catch up but I will try to start where I'm at. My dear cousin has inspired me. I think about posting everyday but for some reason I don't. I think it has to do with the idea I need to post with a pic., something happy or some such perfectionist crap. I just need to post what's on my mind Who cares if it's pessimisstic, down etc. I just need to post. So we shall see...Who knows if I'll keep this up. I'm horrible at following through...

I am a...

What type of Mother Hen Are You?
by Montessorimom.com: Educational Resource

Get Well Baby Boy..

Our sweet cat Austin has been having recurrent UTI issues. I've changed his food but it hasn't been enough. He had an actual blockage yesterday but they were able to clear it. So now he is at home resting but still in a lot of pain. I'm going to do more research to see what I can do to prevent this. Poor sweet boy...

Bookmark

I'm disappointed in the pics of this bookmark. It actually is really cool, the pics just don't do it justice. Oh well I need to become a better photographer.

Me...

Ok this is a really terrible pic of me. Not sure why I'm posting it but I just don't have any recent pics of myself. I obviously don't know how to take a pic of myself.

More Camellias...

We picked some more camellias the other weekend. They are so beautiful!

Christmas Post...

I wanted to get a few Christmas pics up. I made a few gift bags for our neighbors with fig preserves, gingersnaps & biscotti. I also gave gift bags of the same to our family but I didn't get a pic of those. The fig preserves I made myself from the lovely crop of figs we get from our trees. This I think was my 4th time making them & I believe my best batch. Figs I think are an acquired taste. They are a beautiful yet strange fruit. I didn't really like them before or ever really had them before moving here. But my husband has always loved them. I've enjoyed getting to know figs the past few years.
I did a lot of baking again this year. Last year I was too depressed about Georgia's food allergies to do much baking. I mainly made gingersnaps & a cinnamon, pecan biscotti with chocolate drizzled on top. That biscotti is amazing! And it's actually easy too. I'm wanting to make some more right now! I didn't do the spiced pecans. Just didn't have time to shell all those pecans which I've been working on slowly. Oh well. We had a great crop of pecans this past year but we probably won't get any this fall. They seem to produce every other year. That's what the freezer is for right?!

Friday Musings...

*note to self~must change camera so date is not printed on pic~

One of the 2 lovely handmade mugs I received from my mother in law for Christmas! I'm really in love with it. The color, texture & how the artist even supplied a place to rest your thumb. How thoughtful...

I have Christmas pics I want to put up. Yes it's the end of January but I don't care. My computer/camera has been giving me trouble so I've had a hard time uploading pics.

Here I sit at the computer while my sweet babe naps. I need to be cleaning...oh yes I do. But it's Friday & I feel like having a break. Told my hubby he needs to bring home a bottle of wine for mama tonight!

There has been so much going on in this New Year. But my cousin Laura & I have been able to have a little escape lately by walking down memory lane. We've gotten in touch with some old friends that we haven't talked to in 10+ years. So it just makes all the memories of the old days come flooding back. It's been fun talking & gossiping (hehe) We've even admitted having highschool crushes on one friend. It's so funny! What does he think about these crazy old married ladies coming out of the woodwork admitting these crushes? But Laura & I don't care we are happily married wives & mothers so I guess it feels safe to admit such things that were so long ago! She wrote a great post about it on her blog. Her writing is so beautiful ~ http://drumcircledeva.blogspot.com/2008/01/memories.html

I miss you...

Blog I miss you! I need you more than ever just need to find, well make the time! Hope to return soon. I have so much going on & so much going on in my head need to release it. I'm excited about this New Year! It started a little shaky but I'm hoping things will turn around. I know it will be a year of changes & I don't do well with change. So I am trying to prepare myself for whatever may come.