Lavender Infused Wine

A while back, while flipping threw a Martha Stewart magazine, I came across rose infused wine. I was instantly captivated. Ooh did I want to try it, but, of course the bottle was priced around $60. Ummm, no thank you. I think at that price point, it just wouldn't taste that great to me, no matter how good it was.

It did get me thinking though. I've made infused lemonades before with easy success. So who's to say it couldn't be done with wine? I did a quick Google search and came up close to empty handed, which not only surprised me, but also left me a little wary about trying it.

My solution? Try making just one glass first to see if it works - easy peasy.

With one of my durable little mason jars in hand, I quickly set to work. To my surprise, it was wonderful! Not something to make regularly, but definitely great to try - especially with a themed spring or summer gathering. Yum!

Please make sure that when you make this, you use culinary flowers. I get mine from Mountain Rose Herbs because it's a source I can not only trust but also respect. I'm sure you don't want to be sipping on pesticides, so again, please check that your source (if you don't use mine), is organic.

Lavender Infused Wine1 Bottle of sweet white wine (I recommend either a Riesling or Muscato)
4.5 tsp of dried organic lavender

Cheese cloth or Fine mesh strainer
Small Funnel

1. Uncork your bottle of wine and pour a small amount out to make room for your flowers.

2. Using a funnel, pour in your flowers.

3. Re-cork and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

4. After about 12 hours, give the bottle a little swirl and put back in the refrigerator.

5. Pour your now infused wine threw either cheese cloth or a fine mesh strainer and into a wine glass. If small bits of lavender won't bother you, then just use the strainer - otherwise you'll need the cheese cloth to ensure you don't have little bits floating in your glass.

That's it! If you don't want to commit to a full bottle at first, just pour 6 ounces into a mason jar, add 1 tsp of lavender and then follow the same directions listed above.

I will be ordering organic rose petals soon to finally try that. And I won't be shelling out $60.

Have a great day!

Spiced Coffee

There's a popular breakfast restaurant in our area that has the most delicious coffee. It's not a sugar laden froo-froo drink (though those most definitely have their time and their place), but a warm, subtly flavored rich brew. I love that coffee, and always look forward to our rare visits there because of it.

Well, my friends, I happened across a rather simple tip to enhance your home brewed coffee the other day and thought I'd give it a try. Imagine my surprise when I took that first sip and realized, my goodness, it's almost the same taste as my favorite, and rarely rarely visited breakfast house coffee.

I tinkered with it a bit, and am proud to say I found the perfect ratio (well, perfect to me anyway).

So here it, simple as can be and oh so yummy...

Spiced Coffee
Unflavored Coffee
1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ground nutmeg

These measurements are based on a full 12 cup coffee pot. If you're using a smaller pot or a single brew type machine, just divide it out and it should work.

1) Place your coffee grounds in the filter, then sprinkle the cinnamon and nutmeg on top of the grounds. Brew as usual.

Enjoy!

Homemade Throat Lozenges

For the last few weeks, a cold has been slowly sneaking from one tiny body to the next, and has ended with me. It always seems to work that way, doesn't it? As soon as your little ones start feeling better and are back to bouncing around the room, the virus smacks you in the face. As if to say "haha, no rest for you!" - yes my colds are out to get me - the few times a year they show up.
I typically don't take anything when I get sick, because I'm never "that" bad. But with my recent fascination with holistic/natural health, I thought I would give something a try. I came across a recipe in the book, The Rhythm of Family by Amanda Blake Soule - Homemade throat lozenges by Amy Karol. Amy has her own blog that you can check out here.

So, armed with herbal tea, honey and organic powdered slippery elm, I set to work on making my own natural throat soothers.

Difficult? No. Do they work? Yes, they actually do help. Not like the in your face menthol blasts you find in the store, but they are soothing both to my throat and my peace of mind. Would I give them to my kids? Why sure! Though the odds of my little ones spitting them out with wrinkled noses is high. These don't taste bad, however, they don't taste like much of anything and the texture takes some getting used to.

Overall, I deem this a natural remedy success. I'm happy with the outcome, and this one little recipe made over 60 lozenges that should last for quite some time.

Catch Up

Wow, it has been so long...

I thought it would be nice to do a quick catch up with photos from the last couple months. I stopped the photo 365 thing. Life happened, as it so often does, and I lost track of a few projects. I decided to just let it go - no sense in getting worked up over the little stuff. I may pick up where I left off and just do it in my own way - though it might take me three years, eh emm...

Anyway, back to the pictures. What better way to start than my obviously annoyed seven year old? He's not such a fan of the camera lately - though that is not about to stop me. He took second place in the pinewood derby a while back, which put him in the running for the "big" derby up north. We had a good time, and in the end, he won 4 out of 5 races.

We have been having lots of "firsts" around here lately too. Stella loved her first Easter and not more than three days later, cut her first two teeth, started sitting up all on her own, and started scooting around the room. My little overachiever - she looks kind of like a sea turtle propelling herself across the carpet with her little feet.
We had a few egg hunts as well...


And a lot of regular days...

Miss Hannah had her first haircut - at three years old! She absolutely loved her trip to the "beauty salon".




All in all, there has just been a lot of life being lived, and not a lot of pictures being snapped. I do have some fun recipes and tutorials to share with you all. I'm really excited about them, so hopefully it won't take me too long to post. I have also been working on a much bigger project that I will definitely be posting about within the next month or so.

Wishing you a wonderful week!

Wood Polish for Diaper Cream?

No, not really. Well.... Actually, sort of, but let me explain...



A few weeks ago I went looking for a simple conditioner for my wooden kitchen utensils. They were getting dried out and needed something, I just didn't know what. I ended up finding a really simple recipe that consisted of just olive oil and beeswax. Within 10 minutes, I had my new wood conditioner or "polish". I had quite a bit too, just a little bit goes a long way.

The kids and I rubbed the polish into all of our utensils and cutting boards. Then we gathered all of their wood toys and gave them a once over as well. During this, our hands got coated in the polish, but since it was just organic olive oil and beeswax, we rubbed it in like lotion. Later that day when I was changing Stella's diaper, she looked a little red so grabbed the tin of natural diaper cream. I scooped a bit out and then had a realization. It looked and felt exactly like the polish I had made earlier. Low and behold, I turned the tin over and that's basically what it was. This had a few different carrier oils in it, but ultimately it was just oil and beeswax. You can bet I won't be spending $7 on a tiny tin of butt cream again.

And the best part, in my opinion, is that by the end of the day, my hands were soooo soft. A few months before Stella was born, our dishwasher broke down and we have been hand washing ever since. Combine that with the dry hot air in the house, and I'm sure you can imagine the sad shape my hands have been in. Since that day, I have been moisturizing my super dry skin with the polish.

I made another batch with essential oils specifically for chest congestion and stuffy noses. We rub a little on our chest and put a dab under our nose when we have a cold or cough. I love it because I don't have to worry about goofy chemicals. I have been spending a lot of time researching natural alternatives to common medicine lately. I'm learning a lot, and hopefully will be able to share some of that with all of you once I feel like I have a good grasp on it.

I plan on making a lavender rub for the kids to use before bedtime. I will share that recipe when I find the perfect mix for us.

I put the olive oil and beeswax in a glass measure cup and just melted it in that.
Let it cool, and give it a stir a few times in 5 minute increments if you don't want it to fully harden. Otherwise just pour it directly into your container to cool completely.
To the left is our "polish" and in the middle is the vapor rub. I stirred the polish before letting it dry completely so it would be easier it scoop out.

Do you use natural alternatives to anything? Please share!

Have a great day!

My Week In Photos

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** A photo from each day of the prior week. If you have photos of your own you would like to share, please feel free to leave a link in the comments section for all to see. Wishing you a wonderful to start to a beautiful week... **

Children's Sewing - Kid Craft

My children love to do anything that I'm also doing. Well, at least when it looks like fun that is. For quite a while, Hannah has been asking to sew. I'm not about to hand my rambunctious three year old a sharp little needle. I don't think that would turn out well for anyone. And so, this project was born. Oddly enough, my seven year old was way more enthusiastic about it, and insisted on showing his little sis exactly how it must be done.

What you need:
Embroidery Hoop
Burlap material (cut large enough to allow overhang when in the hoop)
Scrap yarn
Tapestry needle (the dullest you can find)
Scissors

1)Place the burlap in the hoop and tighten.



2)Thread the yarn in the tapestry needle and pull to the center.



3) Tie the two end pieces of the yarn together so it will prevent it from being pulled completely threw the burlap.


4) Depending on your child's age, you may need to start it for them.



5) Now your child is ready to start sewing!




Sorry for the blurry shot. There was some fast and furious sewing going on...

Have a great weekend!

My Week In Photos

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I just realized I only posted six photos last week - oops! We've been busy, and I've been distracted. Looking forward to some regular blogging this week.

Wishing you a wonderful start to your week!

**A picture for each day of the prior week. If you have photos to share, please feel free to leave a link in the comment section**