herbal roots giveaway

i'm giving away a sweet tiffin container over at herbal roots zine. see the actual entry for how to sign up to win. this giveaway is thanks to the generous donation of jerry at importfood.com. check out all the great things he has over there such as the granite mortar and pestles (i've purchased several in different sizes for my self and gifts over the years), wooden cutting boards, tiffin containers plus anything thai food related.

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herbal roots review

herbalist kiva rose has reviewed herbal roots zine on her blog. read all about it here! kiva are her partner jesse are the co-founders of the traditions in western herbalism conference that i'll be attending in less than 2 weeks with 2 of my awesome online herbal sisters stephany and molly! i'm looking forward to meeting them and several other herbalists i have known in the online herbal community for years. it will be so much fun, like a huge family reunion! kiva rocks for putting together such an awesome conference and bringing together so many like minded individuals!! there's still time to register so if you're wanting to learn more about herbs from some amazing herbalists such as jim mcdonald, john gallagher, rosemary gladstar, matt wood, paul bergner, charles garcia and more, head out to new mexico next week!

i bet will's turning in his grave!

I write like
William Shakespeare

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

my little man is 4

as my 2nd, 4th and 6th child (2nd for greg and me together, 4th for me personally and 6th between the 2 of us), you are my most challenging, most determine and most cuddly child. you give and take like there's no tomorrow and you never stop to catch your breath.

at 3 1/2 you hopped on your bicycle one day and began riding it without the help of training wheels and then 2 weeks later upgraded to a bigger bike because it was faster. you push the boundaries and force me to practice more patience than i ever thought possible.

you are tough as nails, sweet as sugar and crazy as a loon. just 2 months ago you told me of your ambition to open your brother's window on the 2nd floor, hop on his skate board and skate board off the roof. i think i successfully talked you down from that one but i'm still worried that someday you may rethink doing it again.

you've climbed trees to the top of the shed roof (about 15' high) and managed to get on top of the old milking parlor on the old barn and gleefully yelled down to your dad to show off your accomplishment.

if there are any gray hairs in my head, they all have your name on them buddy!

you are wild, feral, free and i love that about you. you can spend hours watching the fish and frogs in our water pond, lay on the floor blissfully playing with your cars or upset your older siblings by going through their belongings in their rooms finding toys and items to amuse yourself.

you like cars, frogs, planes, trains, wearing dresses and playing barbies with your sister. you play until you give out and exhausted every ounce of energy in your body.

i resisted your arrival into my life. you sucked me in with your sweetness and when i was hooked, you switched gears and came alive. may you always have that spirit and learn to use it to your advantage!

september plans and theme

September
by Helen Hunt Jackson

The golden-rod is yellow;

The corn is turning brown;

The trees in apple orchards

With fruit are bearing down.

The gentian's bluest fringes

Are curling in the sun;

In dusty pods the milkweed

Its hidden silk has spun.

The sedges flaunt their harvest,

In every meadow nook;

And asters by the brook-side

Make asters in the brook.

From dewey lanes at morning

The grapes' sweet odors rise;

At noon the roads all flutter

With yellow butterflies.

By all these lovely tokens

September days are here,

With summer's best of weather,

And autumn's best of cheer.

But none of all this beauty

Which floods the earth and air

Is unto me the secret

Which makes September fair.

'T is a thing which I remember;

To name it thrills me yet:

One day of one September

I never can forget.

summer is quickly fading. muggy nights give away to cool breezes, requiring blankets, snuggling and turning OFF the fans. there's a feeling in the air that soon we will be stocking the wood stove with wood and creating our first fire of the season. leaves are starting to turn and fall from the trees. crickets, cicadas and katydids are winding down with their seasonal songs. 

nature/gardening:

~observe golden rod and harvest for winter use

~pay attention to seeds that are forming everywhere

~apple time!

~days are getting shorter

~national honey month / extract last round of honey from hives

~cool misty mornings, hot afternoons

~gather cottonwood buds

~full harvest moon (26)

~dress nature table in fall colors and found items

homestead:

~clearing out weeds on north side of house and sowing black eyed susan seed heads

~begin fall/winter garden

~clear out weeds in herb garden

~prepare garlic bed

holidays/tradition:

~Autumn Equinox September 23

food:

~apples, apples, apples

~winter squash

~elderberry wine

~elderberry jelly

home:

~purge boxes of items/clothing to be taken to goodwill for donation

~clean out bulk bins in basement

~clean woodstove and prepare for winter

~start gift item list

stories/books:

~handbook of nature study

~the magic school bus inside a beehive

~apple farmer annie

field trips and homeschool activities:

~start up earth scouts group

~back to weekly playdays

~farmer's markets give way to festivals

crafts/activities:

~3-4 washcloths knitted for solstice gifts

~watercolors

~nature journalling

~apple prints

independence days challenge year 3

time to make some more wipes....i've had the entire load of wipes and diapers (used to wipe up floor messes) on the line for 2 days now...they are soaked from all the rain we are getting. small sacrifice to get much needed rain! i have an old flannel pillowcase that will be donating to the cause. it is plaid and i love plaid because of the gridlines, makes cutting easy!

sage turned 4 on tuesday. we celebrated last night. i need to write a special entry for him soon.

Planted: nothing

Harvested: chicken eggs, milk, elderberries

Preserved: dried elderberries for an upcoming swap

Want Not: obtained a book through paperback swap, printed off an earth scouts manual from online for school work, purchased a few more used books for school work as well

Waste Not: food scraps to chickens and/or compost (chickens dig in compost too); mended a skirt, fashioned a hair band out of scraps from a shirt i altered (it had these side flap things that looked stupid on me so i cut them off)

Community: sold eggs and milk to locals, sold soap, wool, eggs,  elderberries at farmer's market (we are attending 2 a week this summer); bartered milk for veggies; have been purchasing all of our veggies and fruit from the farmer's market instead of the grocery store; purchased cream from a local dairy for more butter making and used it to make some truffles yesterday....mmmmm!

Eat the Food: eggs, milk (yogurt and cheese), potatoes, zucchini, eggplant and tomatoes from market, basil, sage, thyme, rosemary plus various herbs for tea: lemon balm, lemon verbena, catnip, motherwort, bergamot, comfrey, nettles

what have you given up for good?

rhonda over at down to earth posted this question and i thought it was a good reflection. this list is a list of what i've personally given up, even though other family members may still be resistant to it. these are choices i alone have made. this is a list of things i will choose to never purchase for my own use again:

1. paper products: toilet paper, paper towels, napkins, moon pads and tampons, wrapping paper
2. laundry detergent and chemically laden cleaning supplies
3. feed lot meat and caged eggs
4. bottled water
5. soap

are there 5 things you've given up good? let me know, i'd love to see!