Home Remedies

There has been many changes in our life these past few years as we made our way back east. One of these has also included the many, many tutorials I have received on sustainable living and home remedies. Here is my latest teaching from my great friend Heather, a homemade massage oil equivalent to "Bengay."

What you need:

1 Cup of Arnica Flowers
1 Cup of Comfrey Leaf
1 tsp. of Cayanne Pepper
5-6 Cinnamon Sticks
Olive Oil

Comfrey is an awesome perennial herb that is used externally on the skin to heal bruises, ligaments, pulled muscles and much much more! 

The comfrey plant growing on my porch :)

Pour herbs into a glass quart jar. Pour olive oil over herbs until completely covered. Put a lid on the jar. 

Fill a deep pan with water. Put a towel in the bottom of the pan, so your glass jar will not break when heated. The water level in the pan should be deep enough so that when you put the jar in the pan, the water line will come to the bottom of the lid on your jar. Put the herb jar in the pan and turn the heat on so the water is simmering (do not let it boil). Let simmer for 2-3 hours.

After the oil has cooled, Pour off the herbs by straining through a cheesecloth into a clean jar. 

 There you go!  Nice golden brown cinnamony oil...a herbal infused massage oil!

You can make this oil twice in a row with the same herbs to squeeze every bit of goodness out of the herbs before throwing them into the compost. The used herbs will not be as strong as the first batch and should simmer the oil for about 4 hours the second time around. After you have poured off the infused oil mix both batches. Put a label and write the date you made it and it should last for 3 years!

Zoo Time!

I just LOVE the zoo! I'm not sure what it is but it's one of my favorite things to do. Since we made our move out east our zoo trips have decreased tremendously. I have to admit I've really missed our Albuquerque zoo.  So last weekend after picking the kids up from their weekend camping trip with Nana and Pop Pop we made a side detour to the Virginia Zoological Park in Norfolk. It was hot and humid but after a weekend full of rain we were ever so grateful for the clear skies for our visit!

The statue at the entrance, if you look close it's a cluster of butterflies, so pretty!

 We are ready!

 This tiger had just finished eating and was chewing on her bone when we walked up. Next thing we knew she was walking up to our window...think she was looking for second's???

 My little Orangutans! Yes, that is Brayden trying with all his might to reach :)

 Red Panda! Just walking along the tree right above us...guess these guys don't jump.

 

 These two were buddies, using the tail as a punching bag.

 Why hello there!

 Going for a Rhino ride!

 Cracking each other up!

 Sometimes we just don't want to take pictures Mom!

 Best part of the zoo...finishing the hot day in the water! SO glad we had our swimsuits with us!

 ahhh!!

Picking Strawberries

I LOVE strawberry season! The sweet smell, the bright red, and the juicy taste of a ripe strawberry...yum! We made our way to Miller Farms Market this past week to get our hands on some ripe berries. We of course enjoyed some taste testing along the way. It was hot, hot, hot but so worth the 10 lbs of strawberries we left with. Stay tuned for some documentation on my first jam making experience!

I believe the way Brayden picked was "one for you, one for me." So one in the basket, one in his mouth.

Daddy and Brayden looking hard for the really good ones.

How I love this precious little girl. 

She carefully looked at each berry to be sure it was just right for our own jam.

Enter boy phase of making funny faces for every picture...

...and I mean EVERY picture.

Here is our yummy batch of strawberries! Bring on the smoothies, the berries, the jam and more!

Backyard Camp Out!

Oh hello Summertime! We thought it was time to take the old tent out and go for a backyard camp out. The skies were clear so we set it up (and added the air mattress) through in our sleeping bags and pillows and marveled at God's creation watching each star peak out. Listening to the sounds of the crickets, the frogs, the owls, and all the night creatures made a night of adventure!

Settling in for camp out fun!

So excited!

Boys will be boys...Brayden's new thing for picture time....making funny faces!

All the excitement going to bed late and waking up early...found Keely on the couch today crashed out!

We're Back!

We have internet!!! Yes, it has really taken this long to get our internet connection in our new home. Long story short, our house is so far from the road they had to dig out a line to get the cable to the house. And after 5 months of praying and begging to have them come out it has finally happened. Yay! I'm so thankful the Lord answered our prayers of the everyday convenience to have this crazy connection to the world. But I'm also so thankful that He gave me this little internet fast. Although, it was not a full fast of course but it really got me out of the routine to look at the computer so much throughout the day. So much, I almost have had a hard time remembering what to do on this thing. At any rate, we are back! Expect more updates, more pictures, and just more :)

Internet and Snow...

So we are in our new home (and Love, Love, Love it) and finally in the grove after the move and the holidays. We're still missing one little piece that will bring me back to sanity make the home complete. Internet! It may seem silly, but seriously, I am not one that enjoys typing an email on my tiny Droid2 or searching for a recipe or about any other little whim I think about during the day. Think about it, how many times do you pick up your laptop throughout the day to look up just "one little thing." Of course that means major neglection to the precious blog. There is hope though that the internet will be coming soon (hopefully). In the meantime, I'll be counting on trips to the library or a spontaneous trip to visit my in-laws and begging sweetly asking if I may hog use their computer for a bit.

Recently we had our first snowfall in the new home. Keely had been asking for so long, when could we make a snowman and snow angels??? Each time she saw snow flurries she had such high hopes for the making of a snowman. Finally, there was enough to make this goal happen. It was so beautiful to see the white blanket across the yard and in the woods. We even had the joy of watching from our living room a heard of about 8 deer walk across the woods in the snow blanket. I know it will be a while before I get over it, but seeing the deer is still amazing each time we spot some.

Each morning I wake up and just thank our Lord for the blessings in our life. And mornings like this one, where we see his beautiful works. It's amazing to see where He has placed us in just one year. There really are no words to describe the joy in our hearts. We praise Him for choosing us to serve Him!

Va-Cay

Ah, vacation. A much needed vacation. Let me first backtrack to a few months ago. When we moved out to Virginia last year we were in complete shock of the cost of living increase it took us a while to find a home that would work for us. So we thought it would be brilliant settled for a condo. Needless to say that we were miserable not so happy in our condo. No yard, no back door, just not the lifestyle we were looking for. We thought we could settle in the condo for a few years but we quickly realized that was not going to work. So last August we thought, "we should put our home on the market, what could it hurt?" So we laid it in God's hands and listed the condo, after living in it for only 8 months. In this market what would be the chances of selling right? In God's hands anything is possible, and on the second day it was listed we had two offers, accepted one, and sold...breaking even. We didn't gain, didn't lose. Just back where we were just a year before. So now, our next quest...finding a home...again. The kids and I packed up and moved in with Brent's parents while Brent moved in with a friend. And in between we looked, and looked, and looked at homes. We even looked at land debating building our home. We knew that God would show us a home with just some patience. We were looking to be a bit further from the DC metro area and finding some land. Then a home was finally shown to us and we closed on the exact same day as we closed on the condo the year before. It truly felt like we were given the reset button to the last year. We are finally feeling like we are in a home, and one hoping to be in for a while as well. Since Brent and I have been married the longest we've been in a home was 3 years, only 3 years. Yes, he was in the military but we are feeling like we want some roots to sit in. So since we have been in this whirlwind (really since before we left New Mexico) we knew we needed a vacation. Our plan was to head to the mountains to do some tubing in the snow and possibly have Keely try out some skiing, but the unusual warm winter had some other plans for us.

So we spent our first day out doing some family bowling. Look at Keely's form, not so bad. (And notice Dad needing to help Brayden out).

And who spends their winter vacation going to the waterpark?!?!? Well, an indoor waterpark. The kids had a blast going down the slides over and over a few times.

Then we spent a day at the local Children's Museum/Discovery Center. This place was full of fun around each corner. From the trains, to the actual stage, practicing milking a cow, and even doing some work on the car this place had about everything you could think of. So much fun!

And finally, we spent our last day getting a little winter experience doing some ice skating. Brayden was such a trooper insisting "look at me, I'm skating!" Keely took to it pretty quick wanting to be on her own, she had a few falls but kept getting right back up to keep practicing. I love her persistent heart and good attitude to try to conquer anything. I pray that trait stays with her always. 

We had a wonderful time enjoying some much needed family time now that we're back together as a family and looking forward to more family time with Nana and Pop Pop spending Christmas with us in our new home!