Prevention

The flu virus is making it's rounds in our circle.  It hasn't hit home but our dear friends next door are suffering.  I'm practicing what I know for prevention and trying some new-to-me strategies as well.

Hand washing's a must and there's lots of that going on.  Breakfast was sautéed collards with garlic, walnuts, dried cranberries, a splash of balsamic vinegar and sprinklings of salt and pepper.  Remind me to grow collards in the Potager garden this year.  Thorough hand washing and filling the body with highly nutritious food.  These things I know.

Elderberry syrup is new to me.  I'd hoped to make my own last month but elderberries were nowhere to be found.  Completely sold out.  I interpreted that as confirmation that there's something important and special about the healing power of these berries so prepackaged syrup became the next best choice.  A teaspoon per day for prevention.  That's what the bottle says.  It's super thick and flavorful :: almost like dessert.

And essential oils.  Sigh.  I'm falling in love with essential oils.  So, in addition to good hygiene, densely nutritious food, and elderberry syrup, we've been diffusing and breathing essential oils specific to cold and flu prevention.  Is it working?  So far so good.  And one more thing.  The bedroom window's open just a tad to allow for fresh air exchange.  If the flu hits our home this season it certainly won't be due to lack of effort.

I pieced the backing for my Liberty quilt and am looking forward to sandwiching and quilting.  Be well, friends.

It Looks Cold Out There

Just a dusting and we're all acting as if it's a full-fledged snow day around here.  The kitties gravitated to the warmest spots in the house, and an unmade bed always seems to be at the top of Butterscotch's list.  I guess I wasn't quick enough with my morning chores.  I'm in snow day mode too.

Mollie's the smaller of our two cats and she seems to have trouble staying warm in wintertime.  Hubby gifted her (Butterscotch got one too) with a heated bed for Christmas and that's exactly where you'll find her at any given moment.  She had no interest until we put it on top of my cutting table.  Given the choice, the girls in this house always choose the sewing room.

Our monthly CSA pickup is scheduled for tomorrow so I emptied the veggie bins to make room for new.  With only a bit of chopping, three mason jars were magically transformed into colorful fermentation vessels.  Now they'll sit at room temperature while the beneficial bacteria do their thing.  This is all new to me, but I must tell you it's very exciting stuff.  I tend to over research before diving into something and there were no exceptions here.  Wild Fermentation, Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen, and Nourishing Traditions are wonderful resources should you feel inclined to learn more.

Time Passes

The camera's been safely tucked away for a bit.  How quickly time passes.

One year ends.  Twelve months that were bursting at the seams with new challenges, forcing me to dig deep and stretch a little.  I look back and feel deeply satisfied and content.

A new year begins.  It's full of opportunity.  I chose a focus word for this new year.  The word is elevate.  That's what I'm striving for.  Take things to the next level.  Lift people up whenever possible.  I'm growing quite fond of that word.

Out Back

There's a piece of land beyond our backyard that's owned by a neighbor but cared for by a farmer.  We watch from the picture window.  

It's all very interesting and new to us and makes for wonderful weekend conversation.  We speculate about what's being grown and get a kick out of watching the baler do it's thing.  I now know the difference between hay and straw.  Hay is grown for feeding purposes.  Straw is the by-product/stalk of a grain (barley, wheat, rye) crop, used for animal bedding and mulching.  It's what's left after the seed head has been harvested. Thank you Google.  I'm pretty sure those are bales of straw.

We walked down to the "farm", camera in hand, when hubby spotted the geese.  Soybeans are growing now and apparently geese like to eat them.  Perhaps these soybeans are of the non-GMO variety.  According to Jeffrey Smith, animals refuse to eat the GMO kind and so should we.

Fresh :: Local :: Real

Through rose-colored glasses I see barns and animals on our property.  We grow our own food, and can it for winter.  Clothes are drying on the line, and I'm knitting wool sweaters to keep us warm.

Hubby gets up at the crack of dawn and instead of getting in the car and driving sixty miles to work, we tend the farm together.  

Without the rose-colored glasses I see a home and surroundings that I dearly love.  There are no fresh eggs, and the animals reside indoors.  Hubby's at work during the day, but there's always a big warm hug waiting for him when he returns.  Our life will never resemble that of homesteaders, but I see it becoming a little bit simpler each and every day - even without the tinted lens.

These photos were taken at a nearby farm.  A young couple has rented twenty-five acres and are offering CSA shares of veggies and meat.  Although we'll be doing some gardening of our own, we signed up to receive a bagful of fresh produce each week from June through October.  

While visiting, we purchased farm-fresh eggs compliments of the ladies above.  Some will be shared, some will be turned into meals, and some will be hard-boiled and decorated for Easter. And if I still had little ones at home, I'd definitely be purchasing the molds to make these.

Soup, Soup and More Soup

This soup is a conglomeration of ingredients we had in the kitchen yesterday.  I'm going to call it Colorful Coconut Curry Stoup.  Rachel Ray uses the term stoup and it's fitting here.  It's thicker than soup and chock full of beautiful veggies.  It was dinner last night, lunch today, and I'll happily eat it tomorrow too.  

It's a little damp outside and I can't seem to keep warm.  I was never a soup girl before, but this year a warm bowlful is the first thing that comes to mind.  The second thing coming to my mind today is baked apples.  This recipe sounds delicious :: organic vanilla will make it special, I think.  I'll omit the sugar since there's no room for it in my diet these days.  No gluten either.  Or dairy.  It's been surprisingly manageable....as long as we prepare our food at home.

Study Break

The halfway point has come and gone and today I'm studying for exam number two. I'm learning how to listen to my body instead of feeling stuck in the confusion of nutrition information that surrounds us.  Our bodies know :: we just need to be present and listen.

At times, I feel like a kid in a candy shop.  I want to take it all in and then share the goodness with others.  It's like buying penny candy.  You don't have to commit to one school of thought, you can take a little bit of each and create your own assortment :: one that's specifically designed for you.

It's essential, for me, to work in a soothing environment.  A lighted candle is one of my staples.  There's always a lighted candle when it's time to study.

I'm slightly mismatched today.  Fuzzy socks, pajama pants, a sweatshirt, and my three-dollar thrifted coat-length sweater.  Warm and comfortable is the goal and nothing else matters.  

Mason jars are my beverage glass of choice when studying.  Add a pretty china plate and a fun glass straw and I'm ready for whatever comes my way.  

I'm wondering, are you struggling with health and lifestyle goals or do you feel as though you're in a place of balance?  I'd love it if you'd take a moment to share.

Natural Home :: Slow Changes

Tiny changes, one at a time, are happening in our home.  Almost one year ago we replaced paper towels with cloth :: just as a trial to see if it would work for us.  We haven't looked back.

When I stumbled upon this set of wool dryer balls at Laundry Tree, I hoped they would be the answer to the chemical-laden sheets we've been using for far too long.  In addition to being healthier for our family and the environment, I knew they'd make me smile with every load.  

Holiday company's given these little wool treasures quite a workout.  In fact, one guest slept for two nights with a dryer ball in her pillowcase (I was wondering what happened to number six).  She didn't complain.  

I can safely say we've made another small change in our quest for a healthier home.  No more store-bought dryer sheets for us.  These whimsical works of art are here to stay.

Wishing you peace and health in 2012.

Tennis Anyone?

Hubby and I purchased a can of tennis balls this weekend. You think we're athletic, don't you? Nope, we're not.

We're cleaning the two fluffy down comforters that fill our duvet cover. They're way overdue for a washing, in fact, they've never been laundered. I've been hesitant to take them to the dry cleaners :: sleeping under those chemicals scares me. So, I did a search for "how to wash a down comforter at home" and came up with this. There's a wealth of information on that site.

After reading through the tips, I decided to give it a go. I have a front loading machine which is important :: you don't want to use a machine with an agitator. One at a time, I put each comforter through the normal wash cycle and then into the dryer with our brand new tennis balls to keep the feathers fluffy. I decided not to use any softener since someone suggested that may coat the feathers and lessen their lifespan. Perhaps vinegar would be a good option next time.

I'm very happy with the results and we saved a bunch of money by doing the cleaning at home.

Now for the rest of the linens....if someone will cooperate.

Would You Mind A Little Bathroom Talk?

I'll try to keep it pretty. This is the worst part, I promise:

Try as I might, I haven't mastered the art of healthy, efficient cleaning. I've read lots of books and tried different homemade concoctions, but in the end, I keep reaching for my not-so-healthy products to get the job done. Yesterday, I borrowed Green Housekeeping, by Ellen Sandbeck, from the library. The chapter on bathrooms is quite good and today I'm trying out some of her tips. These are the products I used to clean my bathroom. One spray bottle filled with vinegar (grain based) and one big bottle of vinegar to refill the spray bottle if needed. That's it.

One spray bottle. One spray bottle. Really. One spray bottle. If the results are favorable, this will really simplify my life. It's not rocket science, and people have been using vinegar for years, but Ellen does a great job explaining in detail how to deep clean your space so that future weekly cleaning becomes super quick and efficient. She even goes so far as to suggest a step-by-step process that, done weekly, will take only three minutes (for toilet, sinks and floor). So, for starters, the toilet was cleaned with vinegar inside and out. I feel pretty confident that it's "healthy clean".

Except for some mineral buildup on the faucet, the sink is sparkling.

And I'm trying her advice for taking care of mineral buildup. Vinegar again. I'll check back in a few hours to see if it did the trick.

The tub? Vinegar.

Can you guess how the mirrors were cleaned? Yup. Vinegar.

The only thing I've yet to tackle is the shower stall, but it's Friday night and a girl needs to have a little fun on a Friday night. I'm going to continue reading this book and experimenting in my home. I'm excited at the prospect of paring my cleaning arsenal down to just a few natural ingredients that really do the job. I'll keep you posted on my progress and if you have any tricks up your sleeve I'd sure love to hear about them.