not from any substances or anything, it's my alter ego. Find me here: buzzhandmade.etsy.com.
It's my shop, I have been working overtime lately in preparation of my first "show", today and tomorrow I will be vending at the Pomeroy Farm's 15th annual pumpkin fest-woohoo! I am really excited and hope this weekend will bring great things, so far it has only brought a sore back, lack of sleep and tons and tons of rain. (ug) This would explain why I haven't payed you any attention in a whole month, it isn't personal I promise. We had the JDRF walk to cure diabetes last weekend and the weekend before that my mother-in-law was here, and now the fest prep-phew, I'm getting tired just thinking about it. Hopefully I will have a bit more free time for a while, I don't have anything scheduled until December as far as selling (except online, but I expect to keep pretty busy through the holidays) so I should be able to let you know what is going on here a little more frequently. (we shall see-haha) Everything we've done for my booth is ridiculously awesome and I think I am going to rock the squash off of all the visitors there this weekend, hopefully the economy pinch won't influence their candle buying. :)
I am planning on taking tons of pictures and will try to post some of them here--I see blogs with pictures all the time, but have no idea how to do it, maybe my IT guy will give me a hand. As for me, I have to go now--big and busy day ahead. They say you are successful at a show if you make 10 times your cost, I am not holding my breath for this, but I'll let you know how it goes!
Wish me luck!!!!
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Friday, September 5, 2008
this just in....
I had a few minutes and wanted to get a quick update out. (well, I actually don't have a minute, but I will make some time for you)
Layla started kindergarten this Wednesday, she has the morning class, so we had to wake up early. She has went for 2 days so far and loves it. Today she told me that all of the other kids were acting up and she was the only kid that was being good. Hmmmm, good day to not be a kindergarten teacher (wait, that's every day for me).
My mom, sister and aunts are in England, wait, let me check the itinerary just to be sure (please enjoy the light jazz playing while I find it) ok-um, looks like today they are leaving London for Paris on some high speed train-very euro-chic! Hope they enjoy a crepe (or 10) for me! I wish I had the energy to be jealous, but being me is pretty exhausting right now, and honestly, Paris probably can't handle me, so let's just say that I'm fine right here for the moment. (Now if you have any tickets to Mexico handy-please, by all means, give me a call) Me thinks that the aunts must be getting close to a free trip with all of the travelling of late, and I am going to demand a visit soon, so they can come take care of me, um, I mean come see the girls and check out the new place.
I made a new recipe of laundry soap this weekend, it smells great and seems to be working really well, it is a thick powder (with chunks that I couldn't seem to break up) and has been making the clothes smell yummy and clean and soft. I am probably the most impressed with this recipe and the dishwasher soap recipe. The fabric softener works ok, but Alan's new pants are a little clingy (think tired 2 year old wrapped around your leg and you are starting to get the picture), so he had to buy an emergency can of that toxic anti-cling spray one day when they started sparking while he was walking the halls at his new job. I told him he can keep it on hand for emergencies and use it when he is outside in a breeze if he holds his breath when he sprays it. (seriously I think I got an unintentional buzz one time from using that stuff, which might be handy if you are 12, but now that I can afford beer, not so much)
My shop has been going well, I have been making a couple of sales a week, so that is exciting. I just got some beeswax and am looking forward to making all sorts of cool stuff out of it. I am planning to do some local fairs and bizarres this November and hopefully that will help me out quite a bit. I am getting ready to revamp my etsy shop and get some business cards printed out, and a business license and everything, so that's fun and a little scary. Alan is awesome and supportive, the girls think it's fun, I'm tired. Being self employed is great and hard, you get to be your own boss, but your boss is cranky and demanding. If I ever have a minute to sit down I think I should go grab some wool, or a needle and thread. I need to stock up on my inventory for the holidays, I can't sell it, if I don't have it out, so I am trying to get tons of things made and packaged by the end of October. Let me know if you are interested in anything for the holidays so I can make it special or set it aside for you. The tea lights, votives and pillars are really beautiful.
I saved the biggest news for last. Tonight the girls are having a sleep over with a friend and we are getting out!!! This is amazing since my babysitter is in another country, but it is really happening. Alan and I are going to a concert and then staying overnight at a cool (haunted) hotel-eep! I can't wait, this is our anniversary present to ourselves and we are really looking forward to it. We will only be kid-less for about 19 hours, but that is time that we rarely get, so every minute counts. I have 807 things to do, and about 6 seconds to finish them up, so I better run. I will try to post again soon, but it's hard to find a minute, and since I only have 3 readers, and we talk twice a day as it is, the blog may suffer-haha.
Have a fantastic weekend-I plan to!
Layla started kindergarten this Wednesday, she has the morning class, so we had to wake up early. She has went for 2 days so far and loves it. Today she told me that all of the other kids were acting up and she was the only kid that was being good. Hmmmm, good day to not be a kindergarten teacher (wait, that's every day for me).
My mom, sister and aunts are in England, wait, let me check the itinerary just to be sure (please enjoy the light jazz playing while I find it) ok-um, looks like today they are leaving London for Paris on some high speed train-very euro-chic! Hope they enjoy a crepe (or 10) for me! I wish I had the energy to be jealous, but being me is pretty exhausting right now, and honestly, Paris probably can't handle me, so let's just say that I'm fine right here for the moment. (Now if you have any tickets to Mexico handy-please, by all means, give me a call) Me thinks that the aunts must be getting close to a free trip with all of the travelling of late, and I am going to demand a visit soon, so they can come take care of me, um, I mean come see the girls and check out the new place.
I made a new recipe of laundry soap this weekend, it smells great and seems to be working really well, it is a thick powder (with chunks that I couldn't seem to break up) and has been making the clothes smell yummy and clean and soft. I am probably the most impressed with this recipe and the dishwasher soap recipe. The fabric softener works ok, but Alan's new pants are a little clingy (think tired 2 year old wrapped around your leg and you are starting to get the picture), so he had to buy an emergency can of that toxic anti-cling spray one day when they started sparking while he was walking the halls at his new job. I told him he can keep it on hand for emergencies and use it when he is outside in a breeze if he holds his breath when he sprays it. (seriously I think I got an unintentional buzz one time from using that stuff, which might be handy if you are 12, but now that I can afford beer, not so much)
My shop has been going well, I have been making a couple of sales a week, so that is exciting. I just got some beeswax and am looking forward to making all sorts of cool stuff out of it. I am planning to do some local fairs and bizarres this November and hopefully that will help me out quite a bit. I am getting ready to revamp my etsy shop and get some business cards printed out, and a business license and everything, so that's fun and a little scary. Alan is awesome and supportive, the girls think it's fun, I'm tired. Being self employed is great and hard, you get to be your own boss, but your boss is cranky and demanding. If I ever have a minute to sit down I think I should go grab some wool, or a needle and thread. I need to stock up on my inventory for the holidays, I can't sell it, if I don't have it out, so I am trying to get tons of things made and packaged by the end of October. Let me know if you are interested in anything for the holidays so I can make it special or set it aside for you. The tea lights, votives and pillars are really beautiful.
I saved the biggest news for last. Tonight the girls are having a sleep over with a friend and we are getting out!!! This is amazing since my babysitter is in another country, but it is really happening. Alan and I are going to a concert and then staying overnight at a cool (haunted) hotel-eep! I can't wait, this is our anniversary present to ourselves and we are really looking forward to it. We will only be kid-less for about 19 hours, but that is time that we rarely get, so every minute counts. I have 807 things to do, and about 6 seconds to finish them up, so I better run. I will try to post again soon, but it's hard to find a minute, and since I only have 3 readers, and we talk twice a day as it is, the blog may suffer-haha.
Have a fantastic weekend-I plan to!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
no time to say hello-goodbye.......
I've been gone. Not from home, just from blogging. We have had a really busy time here lately. We have had play dates, a company picnic, I have been busy busy working in my etsy shop, trying to get that to fly, and getting ready for school to start--only 1 week to go.
Layla lost her first tooth on Friday, she was nervous and excited and traded it for a silver dollar to the tooth fairy. (a silver dollar!!! that's like a collectors item!)
Every free minute I have been up to my elbows in wool and buttons and bells and cotton floss, things are going well, I have made a few sales, but not nearly enough to even cover costs yet. I am supposed to get a big batch of beeswax this week and then will be able to get some more candles in the shop, those are a big seller for me. I have a custom order for some beeswax charms for a local waldorf fair, I'm excited about that, hopefully all of our hard work will eventually pay off. I have heard that it takes 3 years of hard work for a small business to turn a profit--hopefully by then, this can just be a hobby for me again-haha. A really cool side affect is that I am learning how to do more things on my computer, and am also learning how to use my little camera really well. I have been taking great pictures and it helps my shop to look great. Maggie loves to help me in my shop and model all of my things, Layla, not so much, so by default she is in less pictures, and then gets cranky. The funny thing is that I ask her EVERY time if she will come do pictures and she always says no. I have ordered a banner for my shop and it should be here soon (the graphic designer has had some technical difficulties this last week) That will help make my shop look a little more put together.
Anyway, just wanted to give you an update, the posts will be less frequent for a while, while all of my energy goes into my shop (and kids and the JDRF walk, and, and and)
My mom, sister and aunts leave in a few days for England, Anna is moving there, never to return, but my mom should be back September 21st, just in time to come up the next weekend and join us in the walk to cure diabetes-woohoo.
ok then-off to bed, I am super tired tonight........
Layla lost her first tooth on Friday, she was nervous and excited and traded it for a silver dollar to the tooth fairy. (a silver dollar!!! that's like a collectors item!)
Every free minute I have been up to my elbows in wool and buttons and bells and cotton floss, things are going well, I have made a few sales, but not nearly enough to even cover costs yet. I am supposed to get a big batch of beeswax this week and then will be able to get some more candles in the shop, those are a big seller for me. I have a custom order for some beeswax charms for a local waldorf fair, I'm excited about that, hopefully all of our hard work will eventually pay off. I have heard that it takes 3 years of hard work for a small business to turn a profit--hopefully by then, this can just be a hobby for me again-haha. A really cool side affect is that I am learning how to do more things on my computer, and am also learning how to use my little camera really well. I have been taking great pictures and it helps my shop to look great. Maggie loves to help me in my shop and model all of my things, Layla, not so much, so by default she is in less pictures, and then gets cranky. The funny thing is that I ask her EVERY time if she will come do pictures and she always says no. I have ordered a banner for my shop and it should be here soon (the graphic designer has had some technical difficulties this last week) That will help make my shop look a little more put together.
Anyway, just wanted to give you an update, the posts will be less frequent for a while, while all of my energy goes into my shop (and kids and the JDRF walk, and, and and)
My mom, sister and aunts leave in a few days for England, Anna is moving there, never to return, but my mom should be back September 21st, just in time to come up the next weekend and join us in the walk to cure diabetes-woohoo.
ok then-off to bed, I am super tired tonight........
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
movie night
so here lately I have been spending a lot of time indoors. It was 106* last week, and then the weather turned and it has rained (really hard with thunder and lightening and everything) every day so far this week. We have spent a lot of time making flower fairies and reading, but, I'm not going to lie, also a pretty fair amount of time watching movies. I will review them for you now.
*Charlotte's Web (2006)
this was a pretty good movie for one with talking animals. It was live action and they did a good job at making it look realistic. I was impressed with all of the talent that they recruited for this picture, we heard (since they were animal voices) Julia Roberts, Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Oprah, Cedric the Entertainer, Kathy Bates, Reba McIntire, Robert Redford, Thomas Hayden Church and Beau Bridges. The little girl was played by Dakota Fanning who is cute and pretty talented for a 10 year old (or whatever she is--who can tell with kid celebrities??) but not her best work in my opinion. The girls liked it, and weren't at all bothered that Charlotte kicks it at the end, I on the other hand got a bit emotional and was a little disappointed that there was no songs like in the animated classic from my youth. "The fair is a veritable smorgasbord, orgasbord, orgasbord...." anyone??
all in all, didn't love it, didn't hate it. Definitely not as good as Babe, which it reminded me a lot of.
*How to Deal
Mandy Moore-um, not great. I am not a fan of these movies that have a ton of drama--real life has plenty for me, so I didn't love this one. The lowlights: divorce, death, teen pregnancy, blah blah, crap you know-ug! The highlights-her best friends name was Scarlett, which is a name I love AND it also featured the Flaming Lips with a song I love "Do you Realize". In case you are not familiar, find it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvdma6tCnjw really those are the only good things about this one, I'd skip it. The "hot guy" in this one wasn't even almost good looking, pu-leez! BOO-next!
*A Cinderella Story
Hillary Duff. I actually liked this one, it could have been animated, and you know the plot, it is in about every preteen movie ever made. Still, who cares, you kind of know that going in. Hillary is cute and to me a bit less obnoxious than most of her teen sensation counterparts, she seems a little less, I don't know, um, trampy or something. I like a nice wholesome teen ager--call me old fashioned. Didn't hate it, probably wouldn't spend an hour and a half on it again, but then again, I'm not 15, so there you go. My mom would like it. My favorite character was her nerdy best friend-boy, he was great, reminded me of some of my nerdy best friend boys back in the day.
*A Lot like love
Ashton Kucher. I think it's been established that this boy makes me stutter. The movie was fine, you knew what was going to happen, and it would NEVER happen in real life--still this is why we like movies. I swear when ever he kissed the girl (Amanda Peet who I also like--she's quirky) it literally made my heart beat all fast and get a little jealous. Love that-when does that happen? I would watch this again just for the feeling--I think I deleted it--too bad.
*Garden State
Zach Braff. Loved this, had to watch it multiple times before Alan stayed awake to see the whole thing, and I didn't even mind. Mild drama, his mom dies at the beginning (which is harsh, but it is the premis of the movie, so it's fine, just not a huge fan of mom's dying in general) but that's really all, so I can handle it. When he kisses the girl (Natalie Portman) it doesn't do anything for me (rip off!) but the movie is completely random and I like that. My favorite quote from the movie, he's dropping his friend off and his friend says "...if you ever need a Kato, you know where to find me.." I cracked up, Alan didn't get it.
um-that's all I can remember for now. I am excited for September so I can get back to Survivor and the Office, until then I am working my way down the tivo and will let you know if I come across anything extraordinary. The pizza's done, so I better scoot. I have an interview lined up, so soon will have my first blog guest, I am really excited about that! Until then, stay dry and out of trouble and we'll meet again soon!
*Charlotte's Web (2006)
this was a pretty good movie for one with talking animals. It was live action and they did a good job at making it look realistic. I was impressed with all of the talent that they recruited for this picture, we heard (since they were animal voices) Julia Roberts, Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Oprah, Cedric the Entertainer, Kathy Bates, Reba McIntire, Robert Redford, Thomas Hayden Church and Beau Bridges. The little girl was played by Dakota Fanning who is cute and pretty talented for a 10 year old (or whatever she is--who can tell with kid celebrities??) but not her best work in my opinion. The girls liked it, and weren't at all bothered that Charlotte kicks it at the end, I on the other hand got a bit emotional and was a little disappointed that there was no songs like in the animated classic from my youth. "The fair is a veritable smorgasbord, orgasbord, orgasbord...." anyone??
all in all, didn't love it, didn't hate it. Definitely not as good as Babe, which it reminded me a lot of.
*How to Deal
Mandy Moore-um, not great. I am not a fan of these movies that have a ton of drama--real life has plenty for me, so I didn't love this one. The lowlights: divorce, death, teen pregnancy, blah blah, crap you know-ug! The highlights-her best friends name was Scarlett, which is a name I love AND it also featured the Flaming Lips with a song I love "Do you Realize". In case you are not familiar, find it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvdma6tCnjw really those are the only good things about this one, I'd skip it. The "hot guy" in this one wasn't even almost good looking, pu-leez! BOO-next!
*A Cinderella Story
Hillary Duff. I actually liked this one, it could have been animated, and you know the plot, it is in about every preteen movie ever made. Still, who cares, you kind of know that going in. Hillary is cute and to me a bit less obnoxious than most of her teen sensation counterparts, she seems a little less, I don't know, um, trampy or something. I like a nice wholesome teen ager--call me old fashioned. Didn't hate it, probably wouldn't spend an hour and a half on it again, but then again, I'm not 15, so there you go. My mom would like it. My favorite character was her nerdy best friend-boy, he was great, reminded me of some of my nerdy best friend boys back in the day.
*A Lot like love
Ashton Kucher. I think it's been established that this boy makes me stutter. The movie was fine, you knew what was going to happen, and it would NEVER happen in real life--still this is why we like movies. I swear when ever he kissed the girl (Amanda Peet who I also like--she's quirky) it literally made my heart beat all fast and get a little jealous. Love that-when does that happen? I would watch this again just for the feeling--I think I deleted it--too bad.
*Garden State
Zach Braff. Loved this, had to watch it multiple times before Alan stayed awake to see the whole thing, and I didn't even mind. Mild drama, his mom dies at the beginning (which is harsh, but it is the premis of the movie, so it's fine, just not a huge fan of mom's dying in general) but that's really all, so I can handle it. When he kisses the girl (Natalie Portman) it doesn't do anything for me (rip off!) but the movie is completely random and I like that. My favorite quote from the movie, he's dropping his friend off and his friend says "...if you ever need a Kato, you know where to find me.." I cracked up, Alan didn't get it.
um-that's all I can remember for now. I am excited for September so I can get back to Survivor and the Office, until then I am working my way down the tivo and will let you know if I come across anything extraordinary. The pizza's done, so I better scoot. I have an interview lined up, so soon will have my first blog guest, I am really excited about that! Until then, stay dry and out of trouble and we'll meet again soon!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
some pig
We have just finished up reading Charlotte's Web-our first out loud venture. The girls really liked it, especially Layla, as she has a longer attention span and didn't mind sitting still for the time it takes to read a story out loud from beginning to end. It took us a month, but still. We are planing to sleep in, eat pancakes and watch the movie in our jammies this weekend while Alan is away at a charity golf tournament for JDRF. (yay Dad!!)
Today I am outside doing some picking up and Maggie comes up to me with something in her hands--"it's Charlotte Mom!!" oh yay- a giant spider, with a big butt and tons of freaky, spidery legs. "Put Charlotte back sug--she needs to get back to her web" is what I say. "Good Grief-what the heck are you doing!!! That will bite your hand off and give you rabies!!!" is what I'm thinking. So she throws it. I love 3 year olds. I think I may be one. Today I was worried that some of my flower tubers weren't growing yet, so I dug them up and proceeded to accidentally break them into bits--oops! I considered putting myself in time out for a while, but decided that it would be more of a mini vacation than punishment, so I skipped it. Also, being so mad at myself and possibly wrecking my peonies is really punishment enough. I always wanted peonies. Apparently patience isn't my strong suit. (wow-really) Stop laughing Mom, it's hard to wait. (especially when the stuff is super great-like Christmas.....and peonies)
current jobs I am considering:
shot girl (at a bar)
late night shirt folder (at a discount store)
office lady (like lunch lady but with a copier and a stapler instead of a stove and hair net)
nothing like a little variety to keep it real.
that's it for today
p.s. for those of you not famliar with janina-speak "sug" is short for sugar, so say it like the first part of that word--it's hard for me to explain my made up language--please try and keep up.
Today I am outside doing some picking up and Maggie comes up to me with something in her hands--"it's Charlotte Mom!!" oh yay- a giant spider, with a big butt and tons of freaky, spidery legs. "Put Charlotte back sug--she needs to get back to her web" is what I say. "Good Grief-what the heck are you doing!!! That will bite your hand off and give you rabies!!!" is what I'm thinking. So she throws it. I love 3 year olds. I think I may be one. Today I was worried that some of my flower tubers weren't growing yet, so I dug them up and proceeded to accidentally break them into bits--oops! I considered putting myself in time out for a while, but decided that it would be more of a mini vacation than punishment, so I skipped it. Also, being so mad at myself and possibly wrecking my peonies is really punishment enough. I always wanted peonies. Apparently patience isn't my strong suit. (wow-really) Stop laughing Mom, it's hard to wait. (especially when the stuff is super great-like Christmas.....and peonies)
current jobs I am considering:
shot girl (at a bar)
late night shirt folder (at a discount store)
office lady (like lunch lady but with a copier and a stapler instead of a stove and hair net)
nothing like a little variety to keep it real.
that's it for today
p.s. for those of you not famliar with janina-speak "sug" is short for sugar, so say it like the first part of that word--it's hard for me to explain my made up language--please try and keep up.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
quickie
just a few things today:
we made potpourri out of acorns and cinnamon sticks and essential oils, they are "curing" and smell marvy-possibly a nice thing to make for Christmas.
I made a lemongrass/fresh mint simple syrup to use in lemonades, teas and cocktails, can't wait to try it!
Trying out a new gelato recipe tonight, coconut white chocolate (or maybe I'll call it vanilla, since that is the flavor I was going for)
It was over 90 degrees, I guess summer is still here.
final thought: is there anything that sounds as fabulous as "buttercream"?
I'm out-j
we made potpourri out of acorns and cinnamon sticks and essential oils, they are "curing" and smell marvy-possibly a nice thing to make for Christmas.
I made a lemongrass/fresh mint simple syrup to use in lemonades, teas and cocktails, can't wait to try it!
Trying out a new gelato recipe tonight, coconut white chocolate (or maybe I'll call it vanilla, since that is the flavor I was going for)
It was over 90 degrees, I guess summer is still here.
final thought: is there anything that sounds as fabulous as "buttercream"?
I'm out-j
Monday, August 4, 2008
Mary Mary Quite Contrary....
How does your garden grow? Time for a garden report!!
Well, I am feeling like quite the gardener this year, as EVERYTHING we have planted has grown-woohoo! This is most likely due to the fact that we have been watering regularly and taking time to thin, prune and sing to the garden (ok, well maybe not) The weather has been nice, the girls have been helpful and I have been amazed. Our tomato plants are taller than me and are loading up nicely with small to medium green tomato babies. Our crook neck squash have lots of little yellow crooked babies, we have eaten greens and blueberries until we turned that color, and our cilantro bed is extraordinary. The basil is making an honest effort (I am surprised we even got anything, as the seeds expired years ago and had also somehow gotten wet along the way, dried and stuck to the seed packet and we peeled them off, and planted them stuck to the bits of paper) The cukes are getting babies--although they don't look cuke-ish---hmmmm......more like acorn squash (watch out for the veggie start clearance rack I guess) We have gotten quite a few strawberries, and the bush beans are growing like crazy. Our flower beds are big, bushy and beautifully green, we are still waiting for any blooms. My cilantro bed is getting tall and threatening to bolt, I have big plans of making cilantro sauce and freezing it day after tomorrow. I don't want to cut it all though, one of the coolest things this year was that we planted and grew our own seeds that we harvested last year. We had amazing nasturtiums and cilantro, it was really so rewarding to see our seeds sprout and grow. We are wanting to do more of it for next year. Layla harvested some nasturtium pods this morning and we are planning to do our marigolds, cilantro and maybe beans too for next year. We are also wanting to build a little shelter to grow our own starts, since Layla is so into the planting part, and our season gets off to such a late start around here. I'll let you know when and if that happens. :)
Product Update
Vinegar of 4 thieves: I brewed up a batch of this to use as bug spray and we took it to the river this weekend. It must have been really strong because we didn't even see a mosquito the entire weekend (well Layla got 2 bites, but I think she's just sweeter than the rest of us) even though we didn't use it. Thankfully the wind changed (or something) and the bugs were all gone. Alan did spray it on a couple of times and he smelled a little vinegary for a bit until it dried, but then just herby and nice, I think I'll add a little citronella essential oil in the next batch just for smell-um good and extra bug protection. I am excited to have a natural alternative for chemical bug spray.
hand soap/shower gel: The girls have been using this and loving it in their bath room, it smells nice, it is gentle and cleans well. I am not a huge fan because of the consistency; it is, well, slimy. I think it is very similar to the feel of egg whites, which I don't really like to rub on myself, but apparently kids think it's great, and are into slimy stuff, so it has worked for us. Layla is into "rose" scent (ew) so I am planning to get a Dr. Bronners rose bar of castille soap to try for the next few batches and see how that works out. (they don't have a rose essential oil at my co-op, so this is the most cost effective option)
Oh-our 8th annual Blochtoberfest was amazing and as always a smashing success. Can't remember if I had given an update, and it's kind of a big deal around here-so in case you missed it, make sure to catch the next one (can you hear me all the way down there in California??) It was the party to celebrate my wonderful husband making it to his 35th birthday-the new fire pit was great, and we even have some special fire music planned for next year (can you say didgeridoo??) I laughed so much that I lost my voice and am still working on getting it back (maybe if I ever shut up?!?) ok then, Alan is watching some excruciating documentary on Hitler, so I obviously need to go grab the remote and change the channel to the smurfs or something, so he doesn't get nightmares (or die of boredom).
talk soon-j
Well, I am feeling like quite the gardener this year, as EVERYTHING we have planted has grown-woohoo! This is most likely due to the fact that we have been watering regularly and taking time to thin, prune and sing to the garden (ok, well maybe not) The weather has been nice, the girls have been helpful and I have been amazed. Our tomato plants are taller than me and are loading up nicely with small to medium green tomato babies. Our crook neck squash have lots of little yellow crooked babies, we have eaten greens and blueberries until we turned that color, and our cilantro bed is extraordinary. The basil is making an honest effort (I am surprised we even got anything, as the seeds expired years ago and had also somehow gotten wet along the way, dried and stuck to the seed packet and we peeled them off, and planted them stuck to the bits of paper) The cukes are getting babies--although they don't look cuke-ish---hmmmm......more like acorn squash (watch out for the veggie start clearance rack I guess) We have gotten quite a few strawberries, and the bush beans are growing like crazy. Our flower beds are big, bushy and beautifully green, we are still waiting for any blooms. My cilantro bed is getting tall and threatening to bolt, I have big plans of making cilantro sauce and freezing it day after tomorrow. I don't want to cut it all though, one of the coolest things this year was that we planted and grew our own seeds that we harvested last year. We had amazing nasturtiums and cilantro, it was really so rewarding to see our seeds sprout and grow. We are wanting to do more of it for next year. Layla harvested some nasturtium pods this morning and we are planning to do our marigolds, cilantro and maybe beans too for next year. We are also wanting to build a little shelter to grow our own starts, since Layla is so into the planting part, and our season gets off to such a late start around here. I'll let you know when and if that happens. :)
Product Update
Vinegar of 4 thieves: I brewed up a batch of this to use as bug spray and we took it to the river this weekend. It must have been really strong because we didn't even see a mosquito the entire weekend (well Layla got 2 bites, but I think she's just sweeter than the rest of us) even though we didn't use it. Thankfully the wind changed (or something) and the bugs were all gone. Alan did spray it on a couple of times and he smelled a little vinegary for a bit until it dried, but then just herby and nice, I think I'll add a little citronella essential oil in the next batch just for smell-um good and extra bug protection. I am excited to have a natural alternative for chemical bug spray.
hand soap/shower gel: The girls have been using this and loving it in their bath room, it smells nice, it is gentle and cleans well. I am not a huge fan because of the consistency; it is, well, slimy. I think it is very similar to the feel of egg whites, which I don't really like to rub on myself, but apparently kids think it's great, and are into slimy stuff, so it has worked for us. Layla is into "rose" scent (ew) so I am planning to get a Dr. Bronners rose bar of castille soap to try for the next few batches and see how that works out. (they don't have a rose essential oil at my co-op, so this is the most cost effective option)
Oh-our 8th annual Blochtoberfest was amazing and as always a smashing success. Can't remember if I had given an update, and it's kind of a big deal around here-so in case you missed it, make sure to catch the next one (can you hear me all the way down there in California??) It was the party to celebrate my wonderful husband making it to his 35th birthday-the new fire pit was great, and we even have some special fire music planned for next year (can you say didgeridoo??) I laughed so much that I lost my voice and am still working on getting it back (maybe if I ever shut up?!?) ok then, Alan is watching some excruciating documentary on Hitler, so I obviously need to go grab the remote and change the channel to the smurfs or something, so he doesn't get nightmares (or die of boredom).
talk soon-j
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