Homestead Happenings…
Posted By knittingprose on August 16, 2011
Who knew caring for a baby would require so much time and effort? 
So I’ve spent much of the last 8 months cuddling, ogling and, in general, just adoring my sweet Talitha and her siblings. Those cute kids, I tell ya! Who wants to blog when you’ve got 5 adorable distractions to otherwise occupy your time?
Anyhoo, we’ve been completely enjoying having a new baby in the house. Things seem so different this time around. I think mostly my patience has grown. Remembering back, it seems like there were so many days of raw nerves, lots of coffee and as many Barney movies as I could get my hands on. These days things aren’t so… intense. I’m remembering back and cherishing all the moments I rushed past with all my other babies. These moments are both sad and sweet. I’m so thankful the Lord has given me the peace and patience to slow down and enjoy each new stage in Talitha’s life. I just wish I hadn’t been so harried with my others. *sigh*
But the Lord is good and gracious. My first baby is going to be twelve in a month. So much time that has sped past me… Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed these twelve years immensely. I just wish I’d had, back then, all the knowledge and wisdom the Lord has granted over the course of those twelve years! LOL I suppose this is the case with most of life. Anyway, before I sink down deep, let’s switch gears, shall we?
Homestead happenings…
Our little Old Town homestead is staying quite busy fighting off the woodchuck (who’s been known to eat 7 tomatoes in one day!) and brewing up herbal concoctions. Currently, I’m preparing lots of labels for salves, diaper rash creams, bug bite balms and tea. Labels are a pain in the hooey! My printer and word processing program have no desire to cooperate with each other which only produces completely skewed labels. I’ve had to intervene in less than pleasant ways. Stupid machines. 
Let’s see, I also made Bug Bite Balm in the midst of some birthday party craziness. My sweet friend Danielle had just returned from the jungles of Indonesia and, poor thing!, had bites all over her legs. So I broke out the plantain and went to work. I’ll put some up in my etsy store in case any of you are interested. Plantain is a wonderful plant for bug bites. If you can identify it easily (which you can. It’s most likely growing in your yard or sidewalk right now!) you can pinch off a leaf, chew it up and spit it onto a bite or sting for instant relief. I’ll also be putting some tub tabs and gardener’s salve in the etsy shop. It’s taken me forever to get that shop up and running but I’m slowly getting there.
Our latest crafty project was tissue poms. They are currently hanging from the living and dining room ceilings – all 90 of them. 
Yep, ninety tissue poms. It took a long time but it was fun! There are a slew of tutorials out there on how to make them, but these are my favorites:
Don’t go buy a kit to make these! Go to the Dollar Store and get 2 – 30 ct. packs of tissue paper. You can get 5 large poms and 10 small ones from that much tissue.
Oh and before I go I have to share with you my new favorite corner of the web, Pinterest! Run over and take a peek. If you get an invite be sure and friend knittingprose!
-knittingprose
Another item I accomplished was decanting the liniment I had made. That all went well, thought it took a while to get it strained. Because I put it in a bottle with a sprayer, I had to filter it really well. Sediment in sprayers is a no no. After all that time put into making, decanting and filtering this liniment, my family tells me it smells horrible and no way will any of them live with me if I use it. Yes, they thought it was that bad! LOL I didn’t find it repulsive at all but apparently our noses are nothing alike. *sigh* So now I have two and a half bottles of a nice herbal liniment to throw away. 
Very bummed.
Yesterday the labels I needed for my herbal products arrived along with a digital scale. Scales are so handy when dealing with herbs. You can measure in parts but it’s so much more precise when using a scale. Obviously, your herbal concoctions end up much more consistent. 
I’ve mostly been waiting on the scale to mix up some liniment. The recipe I have for liniment uses comfrey root, valerian root, calendula flowers, cinnamon, and cayenne. It’s great for increasing circulation, healing bruises and relieving sore muscles. I can’t wait to get it all bottled up and ready for use!
Calendula is not only a beautiful flower but it’s also a very healing herb. Calendula, sometimes called pot marigold, is an herb known for its anti-inflammatory, astringent, and antiseptic properties. It’s commonly used to heal wounds and treat muscle spasms. These lovely flowers have been used for everything from hair dyes to eye treatments to headaches. Calendula is by far one of my favorite herbs to work with. That’s why we’re making calendula oil today. 
