Thankful Again 2

I am thankful for so many things. First and foremost, I am thankful that God holds me in his hand. I am thankful that nothing surprises him or catches him off guard. I am thankful for my good husband and the fact that he has stuck by me all these years in spite of the fact that I am pretty much crazy most of the time. My children are a blessing to me as well, even though I sometimes want to trade them all for puppies.

I am thankful that G. from the farmer's market gave me pink peonies! I am thankful for a summer storm and that the big limbs that fell missed our house. I am also thankul for access to a camera and that I was able to capture the full moon rising last month.

Here is a quick list from a poll I just conducted around the dinner table.

Child 1: I am thankful for the kitty and Pastor. (Sorry Pastor that was her order!)
Child 2: I am thankful for God,  my dog, my bike and my brothers and sisters.
Child 3: I am thankful to be selected for 4-H congress and having a car to drive.
Child 4: I am thankful for my family and my church family.
Child 5: (He was at work, so I am assuming he would be thankful for employment)
The Poppie: I am thankful for my wife, and grateful children who open the gate for me when  
I drive up in the yard. I am also thankful for a "woman cooked meal".
The Grannie: (Poll conducted by phone) I am thankful for Life, Health and Family.

I am also thankful that you took the time to read this.
God bless you!
Lawana

Taking the Challenge

Okay. I started the first day of the official apply no yucky chemicals to my person challenge. I am in the middle of the several day process of crafting my "Meadow Magic" salve. I am making this batch to sell at the Farmer's Market and online. I am also using it to replace the mega chemical ingredient lotions and balms I have been using for decades. For 2 weeks minimum, I will be washing my hair with my friend Debbie's peppermint liquid goats milk soap and rinsing with my own recipe Kombucha rinse. (Trial run today, so far, so good!) For lip balm, hand creme, lotion and cracked heels, I will be using Meadow Magic.

After washing dishes this morning in SOAP, I applied Meadow Magic to my hands while they were still wet. This approximates lotion, as it increases the moisture content. I may experiment with a Meadow Magic lotion soon, but for now this is a low tech way of replacing my lotion. I have made Meadow Magic for years and know how healing and pleasant it is as a first aid ointment. Now I will see how it works in a more cosmetic way. I can say this though. This batch smells wonderful and it has no artificial fragrances. The herbs I use have been particularly fragrant and nice this year due to the cooler weather.

I am also totally switching to Debbie's liquid laundry soap for my clothes. I have found so far that my towels have lost that funny smell that makes you want to add more chemically smelling things to the rinse water to cover it. Between the clothesline, the natural soap and Kombucha rinse (it is acidic and dissolves the rough mineral deposits that hang on to bacteria which cause odors) my laundry is cleaner, softer and smells much better than before.

I have been working on removing the hazardous chemicals from my family's environment for a long time. Now we are on the home stretch. I will keep you posted on how the transition goes. The biggest obstacle for me and my daughters has been shampoo and conditioner. I will let you know if Debbie's theory holds true. She says that if we stop stripping our hair with detergents (you know, squeaky clean) that our oil glands won't feel compelled to pump lots of oil to replace what was stripped off, making our hair need less frequent washing and the same lack of stripping should make commercial conditioners unnecessary. We shall see. I have really loved my Herbal Essences!

Your not as squeaky, but still clean, Meadow Magic scented, friend.
Lawana

Soggy Morning

My friend's sheep enjoy the lush grass!

It is a beautiful morning in Western Montana, to me anyway. We have had days of rain in amounts and patterns that are very rare here. It reminds me alternately of most every day in Southeast Alaska and spring in Alabama. I am totally enjoying it except for the fact that my house is leaky in a few spots. I pray for my friends though because a number of them really thrive on sunshine. I wish I could have this misty cool weather and let my friends have the sunshine they crave.

I suppose I should swim out to the garden and see if there is anything left out there. In general, I would think this weather would be good for the germination and seedlings I have out there, but we have had some hard, pounding rain. I am unsure of what that might have done.

Our river, is climbing its banks from the combination of rain runoff and snow melt from a record year of snow in the high country. The pigs are huddling until midday. They would like some sun to bask in. My baby Guinea fowl are big enough to be turned out with the chickens, but they are prone to chill so I am still keeping them together in a small pen for warmth, though I have taken the heat light down.

Without goats, the grass has definitely gotten away from us! It is beautiful though. In this climate, we are often drying off and the native grasses are already turning brown by now. This year everything is lush and vibrantly green. As I said, I am enjoying it. My neighbor's newly planted alfalfa field is really taking hold in theses conditions as well.

I couldn't see the sun come up this morning, but it is daylight now. I think I will swim out to the garden for a bit. Enjoy your day!

Lawana