birth blends

I apologize to all of you readers out there who are not interested in all of the baby things that I've been posting lately...but they are consuming my thoughts and life and so there has been little else to post about!  Ha!  As we prepare for birth and to welcome this little one into our home and arms, I wanted to make a few essential oil blends that would aid us in that process.  As I've mentioned before, I love essential oils, but I'm not a fan of the hype that often surrounds them.  They have fabulous uses, but I like to keep it on the simple side and I buy brands that are readily available and affordable to me.  You can read a bit more about my take on essential oils here.  With that being said, I also love to make my own blends!  It's so fun to learn about all of the different oils and then to blend them together to make just the aroma that I'm looking for.  So, for baby and myself I made two different blends.  

The first one I made I called Sleep, Baby Sleep.  It's a calming blend that promotes sleep, calm, and peace for the new little one (as well as us).  I have a feeling that a few drops of that in the diffuser will likely become a regular bedtime ritual in our home.  

The second blend I called Mama Love and I plan to diffuse it and possibly use it topically during labor, birth, and in the weeks following.  The blend is very similar to the Sleep, Baby Sleep blend as it also promotes calm, rest, and relaxation.  However, it also includes Clary Sage which is a good oil to promote labor and lactation.  I also plan to use this blend in the future for a mood lifter and pain reliever during that trying time of the month.  

Sleep, Baby Sleep

50 drops lavender

40 drops rose geranium

30 drops bergamot

30 drops lemon

30 drops sweet orange

20 drops roman chamomile

20 drops ylang ylang

Mama Love

25 drops bergamot

25 drops clary sage

25 drops lavender

25 drops sweet orange

10 drops lemon

10 drops rose geranium

5 drops roman chamomile

5 drops ylang ylang

How about you??  Are there certain essential oils or blends that you love to use for these purposes or other purposes?  I'd love to hear about them!

handmade christmas

The past few weeks have been filled with family celebrations, gift-making, gift-giving, and so much food!  And while this little blog of mine was on my mind off and on throughout the festivities, I decided it was time to take a little break from it and simply be immersed in the all of the wonderful things that were happening around me.  I hope you were able to do the same!  

However, I thought it was about time to get back into the swing of things and share with you a bit of the handmade goodness that was gifted this Christmas.  There was less making this year than there usually is, with a late end to the school semester, choir concerts, and all things baby-related, but I was rather pleased with the few handmade things that did make it under the tree.  

The first of the handmade gifts was for our two 1.5 year old nieces.  For each of them I made a Pointy Kitty (pattern by WeeWonderfuls).  The girls were delighted with their kitties and both proceeded to cuddle and kiss them, and make everyone else do the same.  I do love handmade gifts that get that kind of reception! 

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For our little nephews, I made them each a set of woodland creature finger puppets (an original creation by yours truly).  I love creative play toys!  While they often get quickly tossed aside for flashier, more recognizable toys in the excitement of gift opening, the little ones tend to come back to the creative play toys later in the day and get lost in their own little worlds creating characters, voices, and stories all on their own.  The spontaneous puppet shows that I saw throughout Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were delightful.  

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There were also a few knitted gifts finished moments before gatherings and given before pictures could be taken, but what would Christmas be if it didn't include last minute handknits!?  This year's knits included A Very Gifted Cowl and a pair of socks.  

The last of the handmade gifts included bottles of our favorite coffee liqueur (recipe in Homemade Pantry), also made just days before being gifted.  My family knows me well enough to expect things like coffee liqueur and soap to come with a "best if used after date."  In spite of the recommended waiting period, the coffee liqueur was fought over and won with triumph in our annual dice game.  I'd say it was a hit!  

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How about you??  Did some lovely handmade items make it under your trees this year??  I sure do hope so.  I love how handmade gifts bring more meaning back into what has become such a consumer driven holiday.  There is something so loving and intentional about the making process that reminds me of the importance of giving and showing others how they are worth more than our money, they are worth our time, energy, and creativity as well.  

As we wrap up this year and move into the next, I wish you all a very happy evening of celebrations and a fresh start into the year that awaits us!

baby bottom salve

The baby creations and preparations continue around here!  This is one that I'm excited to try and see how well it works.  Having read quite a lot about herbs that are good for skin dryness and rashes, I came up with this mixture of herbs and oils and turned it into a salve to be used both as a baby bottom salve and a nipple salve.  The herbs in the mixture are calendula flowers, which are known to promote healing of rashes and skin issues, as well as calm and soothe the affected area, plantain leaves, which are great for treating any kind of skin issue or irritation, and chickweed leaves, which are great at soothing skin irritation.  I was able to find all of these herbs in my backyard!  The calendula I grew this summer and the plantain and chickweed are both considered weeds and I was able to find both in my yard.  You can also find all of them online in dried form at Mountain Rose Herbs.  After letting these herbs infuse in some olive and almond oil for awhile, I mixed them with some beeswax and essential oils.  I chose lavender and tea tree for my essential oils.  Lavender for its smell and soothing/calming qualities, and tea tree for its antiseptic properties.  The salve that I ended up with has a faint scent to it and can easily be applied to skin.  I'll let you know in a few months how well the finished product works!  Stay turned for the update!  

How about you??  Do you have a favorite natural remedy for diaper rashes??

Baby Bottom Salve

1 cup of oil (I used half olive oil and half almond oil)

a small handful of calendula flowers, plantain leaves, and chickweed leaves

1-2 tablespoons of beeswax

15-20 drops of lavender essential oil

5-10 drops of tea tree essential oil

Pick the flowers, plantain leaves, and chickweed and let them wilt in the sun for an hour or so.  After they are slightly wilted (and some of the water has evaporated out of them) combine them and the oil in a glass jar and close tightly with a lid.  Let infuse in a warm sunny place for 4-6 weeks.  After the infusion is complete, strain out the herbs and place the oil and 1 tablespoon of the beeswax in a double-broiler.  Heat until the wax has melted and been thoroughly incorporated into the oil.  Place a small amount on a spoon and put into the freezer until it has cooled.  Test the salve for consistency and add more beeswax, if needed, to reach the desired consistency.  Once you are satisfied with the consistency, add the essential oils, stir to combine, and pour into jars.  

put up and put away

It's official!  The canning season in this house has come to an end!  My canning supplies have been crowding our kitchen for the last few weeks in hopes that a batch of apple butter would somehow find its way into my canner and onto my shelves, but this past weekend, I resigned myself to the reality that we're not going to have apple butter this year (nor any jam for that matter...darn strawberries and raspberries!).  And so, with that sigh of resignation, I moved the canner and it's accompanying parts back down to the basement and put them away.  Away until next June when the strawberries return and the gardens begin to once again produce their bounty.  

Along with that sigh of resignation, however, came a sigh of relief.  THE CANNING IS DONE!!!!  Hooray!!!!!  This means that winter is on its way and with it will come a much slower pace--quieter weekends, quieter evenings, and more time to knit, sew, and read.  Yes, a sigh of relief, indeed!  I love August and September and my many hours spent in my kitchen prepping veggies and such in order to preserve them, but after awhile, it gets a bit exhausting to plan my life around ripe tomatoes and the like.  The freedom that follows putting that canner away is quite lovely--not to mention the shelves full of preserved summer goodness!  

This summer, I was able to put up jars of tomatoes, tomato soup, tomato sauce, salsa verde, corn, applesauce, pickled tomatoes, pickled cucumbers, pickled mixed veggies, and fermented jalapeños, as well as a gallon of frozen blueberries, a gallon or so of frozen green beans, and a few different types of dried herbs.  Running down to the basement to grab some of that home-preserved goodness never gets old!  I find it rewarding each and every time I open a jar, add its contents to a meal, wash it up, and put it back on the shelf for next summer.  It feels so fulfilling, so resourceful, and so very satisfying.  

Yes, putting away the canner for the season is good, but by the time next summer comes around, I'll be very ready to take it back out again and start the process over.