Want to breathe again? Eucalyptus bath salts available....

Eucalyptus bath salts are now available in my Etsy shop and locally from my hand to yours. they contain all types of salts including basil and thyme infused salts plus eucalyptus essential oil and dried eucalyptus leaves. Add it to a warm bath and breathe deep. It works great for congestion for the little ones that you don't want to give any medications to. I also have some eucalyptus oil available. Works great as a foot rub for young children and babies since they can absorb the goodness through the soles of their feet instead of ingesting it...

Contact me if you want any. I will list it in my shop but feel free to just message me here through a comment or through facebook if you need it before it is listed on Etsy.

Ladybug Magic

I meant to post this yesterday. As we were at the playground playing and collecting sticks on Wednesday a ladybug happened to crawl across the picnic table where we were eating cookies. Lyn and Ben were enthralled. Ben was so gentle and said the ladybug "tickled' him. I am so proud of my children that they don't squish every bug they see. Lyn has trouble with some spiders and wants to step on them but I encourage her to just leave them alone or put them outside if they are found in the house.


I just love these pictures though. My next to the oldest and my next to the youngest learning from each other....

A harvested cotton field?

 

 

 

Can you believe how much cotton is left in the field after a machine goes through and bales it? So much waste... I collected some more cotton today. I am sure we will use it on our Yule tree. We are in Alabama. i am sure we can make it work. i may even take some seeds and plant them in the yard to see if we can grow our own cotton plant.. Now that would be cool. I bet no one in the neighborhood would have one of those!



A star for our tree

Not too bad for a first try. A star made from sticks collected from one of my sacred places tied together with jute twine with three cranberries added. I think it needs an anise star too. We may head out tomorrow to collect some mistletoe from a very old oak tree tomorrow. That will make a great addition to the tree also.

It started out as just a regular pile of sticks... I have plenty left over. I need to get the little kids to help make some this weekend when we continue to decorate the tree.

Annika "preaching" at afterschool

 

 

 

We all need to be thankful..

Annika enjoys the after school program she is enrolled in. Not only do I get to be near and keep an eye on her if she needs me she is having a lot of fun. I am trying really hard to leave religion open ended for my children so they can find their own path. Annika enjoys reading her Bible and always finds it interesting that I have read it many times even though I am not a Christian. In her after school setting she gets to explore Bible study and learn new things as well as make friends. And of course she gets to participate in gymnastics once a week there which she is really good at.

New purple and old purple

 

 

Bags... I just bought a new large purple bag that I can wear across my body. I can now baby carry and "stuff" carry at the same time! As i was cleaning out my "Mama purse" I commented that I need a little drawstring bag or something like that for my tiny stuff that might get lost in the bottom. I sort of was just talking to myself but my husband was in the room. He walked to the garage went into the attic and brought down my old PURPLE passport bag that I bought in Guatemala when I was an exchange student when I was 15 years old! I just assumed that I had lost it a long time ago. That is when you know you have a good partner.... they know your needs and can fulfill them even though everyday is not perfect.

Thank you Sweetie for know what I needed and offering it in such a meaningful way. And, oh yeah thanks for finding my bag.  :)

Grandmother collecting for her winter stew

 

 

I found this lovely and rather heavy figurine and had to have her. I plan on loving her for a while. She is for sale in my shop on Etsy though if someone loves her more....

The link to my shop Motherly Creations is on the sidebar. The lnk to this grandmother is here...

Stringing cranberries for our tree

We got out my grandmother's old sewing box and used her old needles and thread to string fresh cranberries. The lids loved this activity. The strings look so good against the green of the tree. We have plenty left over. We may design some other ornaments with the leftover berries or string some more. We will work on some popcorn garlands tomorrow. I am on a mistletoe hunt this week too. I have some star anise and cinnamon sticks to make ornaments out of too..

Not too bad for our first Yule Tree....

It's a start

The tree is up. It is lopsided but there are 6 ornaments on it. 4 of them are my elemental ornaments that I have up all the time around the house and 2 are new. Ben placed the felted bird's nest in the tree and I hung the Maytriska doll.

More than 60 pounds

I recently had someone mention that I had "gotten so fat". This was when they were looking at a picture of me while I was pregnant with my 8th child. Well, in case someone cares or is counting since the birth of Elaina I have lost over 60 pounds. That includes the weight of my tiny baby and all that comes with birth. I am 10 pounds from my target weight and 20 pounds from what I weighed in my twenties....

At 38 years old I feel proud of my health and my lack of stretch marks thanks to my genetics. I have a migraine or two sometimes and due to breastfeeding my breasts are larger (than I prefer). Other than that I think I look OK. Besides, it is what is on the inside that counts and last time I checked my friends and family tend to like me the way I am both inside and out.

And having a husband that loves me and tells me I am beautiful doesn't hurt either.

Tree shopping

Which one should we get?

Making my Winter oil for arthritis and other aches

Put your order in. This oil has arnica, rosemary, and cayenne infused in it for pain relief and warmth... Remember, locals get free shipping. Go to my Etsy site to order some. $4.00 special right now. A link to my Etsy store is on my side bar.

Thanksgiving...

 

 

Playing at the park

My table

 

 

 

I fed 7 children (OK, Elaina still only nurses) and two adults at my table today. Most of the kids helped in some form or fashion and all the food and the atmosphere turned out peaceful and just plain yummy. We usually go to grandparents' homes for Thanksgiving. I am glad this year I had it small and intimate at our home. There are NO leftovers so I guess that says a lot right there!!!

If you notice each child had a small candle beside their plates. We lit our Chalice and share joys for the day. I was pleased that most of the children placed having Connor at the table as one of their joys.

Annika's special made to order tea

 

Annika definitely shares her Mother's love of different kinds of teas. Well, today she wanted to "design" her own tea. Of course that is fine with me and I support her creativity. She added lavender, nettle,dandelion, and a little lemon balm. She used the cast iron teapot to heat up the water and then poured the steaming water into a porcelain teapot with a strainer holding her tea. She was so proud of herself. She picked one of my new "old" teapots to drink it out of. This cup was made in Korea I assume before the north and south split. It is pretty and it was perfect for her creation. The color of the tea was a light green and the flavor was smooth and a little flowery. I think I have a new "worker" in my shop designing teas.

Beads

This is a replacement order that sent out today because the first one went missing in the mail. I learned my lesson I hope this second order finds its new home safely.

Cookie Communion at church today

I helped lead Children's Chapel today. The theme was thanksgiving and sharing. Each child added ingredients from small glass or wooden containers to a bowl to symbolize what we all add together can make a difference. And then of course we ate cookies.

Yesterday's auction

I was proud to provide a few items for one of the biggest fundraisers my church has each year. They went pretty quickly. I was surprised. I also picked up a few items myself in the silent auction. I can't wait to try the homemade mead.....

Purple everywhere

Lyn found my purple sweater that I lost last month at church. To match my favorite  headband Lyn chalked a piece of my hair purple.... Teenagers can come in handy.

Out with the old....

I have been waiting to find spots outside for the dried flowers in my pitcher that I keep on the table. I also wanted to find a home for some seeds we found on the way home from the beach in September. I added some birdseed and tossed them all into Nature near our backyard. I can't wait to see what sprouts in the Spring. Eliot and Elaina helped me. Elaina loved digging into and feeling the birdseed....

This is one of the things that helps make my days meaningful with my children.....