time sure flies...

I can't believe that it has already been over two weeks since my last blog post!  Wow...where did the time go?  I have no idea.

Anyhow, it is winter here in the Midwest and morning chores takes longer...sometimes a lot longer, and this is one of the reasons why...

due to our very cold weather, this farm hippie had to battle frozen water bowls, VERY empty feed troughs and flat tires (not due to the cold), but hey, such is life right?  Right!

Beloved was gone for about a week and a half, which I hated by the way, so that is another reason why chores took longer then normal.  Thankfully he is back, and after some sleep and a few home-cooked meals all is back to normal.

I was also thankful to have a few mornings to myself so that I could enjoy some quiet time.  Just me, some tea or coffee, and a good book...utter bliss.

There are so many other things going on not only here on the farm but just in general. 

But...that will be another post.  Thanks to all of you who comment and "like" these posts on the fb page, it means so very much to me. 

So for now, I am headed to make a nice cup of herbal tea and hopefully get some more reading done.

Until then...peace and love to you all.

diY dishwasher tablets *update*

So I decided to take the plunge and attempt to make my own dishwasher tablets/detergent.  I run my dishwasher ALL THE TIME!  It by far is the hardest working machine we have.  It always pulls through for me and I am so thankful for it. 

My diY-inner being was screaming for me to find something that I could make myself, while saving me money and giving me the peace-of-mind of knowing what was in the product I was using.

After searching the internet for a recipe I settled on this one.

The only changes I made were that I added a little more lemon juice and I also added some lemon essential oil.  I just love the smell of lemon, don't you?

So after I mixed everything up I let them sit out overnight, mainly because I wanted to make sure that they had time to 'set,"  well also because I didn't actually make them until about eleven that evening. 

 Here they are the morning after...

 

 
...it took no time at all to 'pop' them out of the mold and put them in my trusty jars.  I have a very unhealthy addiction to jars, if you haven't noticed by now.

So, the real test was would they work and would I like them?  Well...drum roll please...they worked!  They rocked and they smell great and they fit perfectly in my dishwasher detergent door thingy!

Score!  Cross this one off my list! 

Have you made your own dishwasher detergent before?  If so, how were your results?  I would love to hear all about them!.

Peace and love to you all!


*update*
after using these for a week or so, I noticed that there was a cloudy film on all my dishes.  I tried adding vinegar to the rinse cycle, but no luck.  I have since then switched to an organic form of dish tablets until I find a recipe that works. 

diY dishwasher tablets...

So tomorrow I plan to try and make some homemade dishwasher detergent tabs.  It shouldn't be too difficult, at least not according to this recipe or this recipe, or even this recipe. 

I recently purchased these (affiliate link) silicone molds from amazon to make my tabs...

 

...pretty cool right?

 

I will let you know how it goes, wish me luck!

 

Peace and love to you all!

diY homeMade lotion bars...

So the other day I ran across this recipe for lotion bars from Katie@wellnessmama. 

I just recently subscribed to her blog and am so looking forward to receiving her blog posts via email. 

As you can tell, the recipe itself if fairly easy and doesn't take much work.  THANKGOODNESS!

I made these on Wednesday and let them sit overnight.  I tried them last night after my shower and I love them, as does farmkeiki!  They will make great gifts and there is something about homemade products that makes this mama so happy.

I look forward to making more and to adding my own scent blends. 

I can honestly say that we will NOT be going back to the chemical-laden lotions that we have used in the past.  These bars were made with all organic products and very few products at that.

I strongly recommend these bars and I would love to hear about your experience with them.

Peace and love to you all!

when pets are sick..update

*update*

as i blogged about previously, one of our dogs had an injury to his ear a little while back if you would like to know more you can read all about that here.

after some much needed rest and some special TLC from his mama I am happy to say that he is back to his ole' self.


he responded very well to the oils especially the thieves and carrier oil blend that i applied.  after a few more applications that day, that evening it looked so much better.  i followed up with the thieves blend the following morning but by mid-day I began applying my trusty calendula infused oil...he responded to that wonderfully.  the next few days I applied the calendula oil and nothing else.  his healing continued and my astonishment to his rapid healing was noticed by all.

 

I took another look at it yesterday, which would have made it exactly one week since the oils were applied and it is doing great.  he does have one big scab, but it is getting smaller by the day. 

i am so thankful for oils, herbal infusions and the bodies phenomenal ability to heal... 

meet the latest additions to the farm...

say hello to bling, our pregnant Nigerian dwarf doe.  she is very affectionate, she loves to eat and loves to chew...on everything!  she is due sometime in early march...we are so excited!

and this is cookie dough aka cookie.  she is our 'milker.'  she just kidded 3 months ago, hence her milk,  and I plan to breed her again after the first of the year.   

my first time milking her, which was Friday afternoon went rather well. 

no kicking...

no biting...

a little awkwardness for the both of us, but all in all...I was very pleased with the outcome.  2 thick and creamy cups of raw goat milk!  heaven!

the girls are adjusting to life here on the farm, and have already won everyone over.

do you have goats?  if so, which ones and why?

when pets are sick...

So the other day beloved and I noticed that one of our dogs wasn't acting quite right.  We couldn't pinpoint it exactly, but he just acted and looked different.  We did a 'once over' and didn't see anything that stood out nor that explained his odd behavior. 

This morning I noticed him licking the same spot on his paw, over and over.  I took my recently made salve outside, thinking he might need some.  After examining his paw and seeing nothing, I was about to head back inside when low and behold...I noticed his ear hanging 'funny.'  I reached over and pulled it up...OH MY GOODNESS.  he had a huge wound in his ear, but it was so covered with pus and hair, I couldn't figure out EXACTLY what caused the wound. 

after putting on some latex gloves, grabbing my trusty essential oils and a few other natural/holistic remedies I headed back outside. 

I tried my best to clean it, but between the pain it was causing him and all the other animals wanting to 'see' what was going on, I had no choice but to bring him inside.  After some coaxing with some homemade chicken broth (yes I spoil my kids, especially when they are sick) and then 'helping' him inside, I was finally able to get a good look at it.

I will refrain from posting the picture that I took because it is gory gross.  Bleh! 

The keiki insisted on being right in the mix of it all, as you can tell...

but before she headed up for her afternoon nap she made sure he had someone to watch over him.

I think she might be a vet in training don't you?  :)

The rest of the *gang* couldn't quite figure out what was going on, but they sure were curious!

After a few more 'cleanings' of the yucky ear and multiple applications of oils and what-not, he went out for a little bit, but that didn't last long.  His pathetically sad face and droopy eyes stung his mama's heart and I let him back in. 

After some more chicken broth and some much needed water, mama cleaned him up a little more and here he sits, napping and healing...hopefully.

I will keep you all updated.

peace and love to you all...