Winter Reading

Christmas Books By The Fire...

one of my favorite things.

My New Favorite Magazine

I discovered this magazine this fall... and fell in love with it. The pictures and stories are amazing.



There are always beautiful gardens to drool over (and this sun room that will be an addition on our house someday, minus the checkered floor).



And I always love the inspiring stories of people making a living through their art or simple craft... soap making, toy making, baking, etc.





The decorating ideas are unique and very eclectic.





And the farm stories... I love those the most.







I'm almost embarrassed say this since anyone who has seen/sees our farm would think I'm ridiculous and crazy (which I am) but I've always felt this house and the land here land have a little bit of a European feel to them. Maybe it's because when we first saw the house it was filled with antiques that the previous owners had brought back from Europe. Or maybe it's because of all the old stones and bricks everywhere... or the overgrown vines and gardens. In any case, it is the only thing that made me hesitate when trying to decide if we should paint the barn red (because there's nothing more American then that). But in the end we've both always wanted a big red barn... and it feels much more authentic to embrace and celebrate where we do live then to try and create something else. Still, I am so inspired by the farms and countryside in Europe, and this magazine is the perfect fix for that.

Bees

I found a new book to get my mind off goats and onto bees, which is much more fitting considering tomorrow I am going to go order them (and purchase my hive equipment). Thankfully this book is just as poetic as "Goat Song" and is having the same effect on me... I am completely caught up in the world of honey bees.



I am both excited and nervous about this new venture. The more I read the more I realize just how many wonderful things you can do with honey and beeswax. But I am also learning how one mistake or one unfortunate act of nature can cause the whole hive to collapse.



And while I'm on the topic of bees, I forgot I still need to write down my recipe for the handsalve I made over Christmas.

For starters I should note that the best place to get all the oils is definitely the bulk section of a co-op. The canisters came from Michael's (they are actually sold for candle making but worked great for this too). The beeswax came from Michael's too but I won't make that mistake again. The local beekeeper and dealer that I found where I'm getting my bees sells his beeswax for almost a forth of the price (not to mention is it's probably much purer).



When you're heating beeswax you can't heat it directly in the pan so I put a bowl over a pan to create a double boiler (and it is now my "beeswax" bowl as the wax does not really come out that easily).



Herbal Salve Recipe (found here and adjusted for a bigger batch)

Ingredients:
12 ounces Beeswax
18 ounces Sweet Almond Oil
6 ounce Jojoba Oil
3 oz. Canola oil
60 (or more) drops total essential oil of your preference

Makes about 24 ounces of salve

Simply heat the Sweet Almond, Canola oil and Jojoba oil in a saucepan and add Beeswax. Pour into tins and let cool. Next time I will experiment with the oil to wax ratio (and try adding more oils) to get it a little bit softer. But overall I am loving this salve. It is so great for dry hands and even cuts and scrapes.

A Great Book You Shouldn't Read

If you've ever been interested in raising goats but knew that now was not the right time to start- don't read this book. For that matter if you've never been interested in raising goats and would like to keep it that way- don't read this book.

I read this book in a day and a half. It is so beautifully written. The author is a true artist with words. All I have been able to think about and talk about over the last two days is goats. And goat cheese. And goat milk. And taking a trip to France to visit a true French goat farm to learn how to make cheese... well that's what the author did anyway.

Spring of 2012... goats. That's what I'm trying to manifest anyway. I just need to get Ryan fully on board. He's slowly coming around...

Some of Our Favorite Books This Winter...

"Country Angel Christmas" by Tomie de Paola (So sweet)
"You Can Do It, Sam" by Amy Hest (I could read this book all day... I just love mama bear)
"The Little Fir Tree" by Jim Lamarche (I sometimes tear up at this one)
"Drummer Boy" by Loren Long (And this one... dang I swore I would never be one of those)
"Bear's First Christmas" by Robert Kinerk (absolutely beautiful pictures and heart warming story)

Reading and Loving