Lavender Syrup

 Have you ever made homemade lavender syrup?  Have you purchased this syrup and used it?  

I was curious, as I thought it would be good in an evening cup of tea.  I was also intrigued with it as a lemonade, but  wasn't so sure about the floral flavor bit.

Note:  I now put a canning label on things I make, and write the expiration date on it vs. the date I made it.  It makes it so much easier to check at a glance than looking over the calender.

I chose to use honey, but the recipe states you can use other options if you prefer.  The recipe and instructions are found online with Detoxinista.

I also did a bit more research, and you can even make the syrup sugar-free, by using monk fruit in place of the honey/sugar/maple syrup.

I also found more recipes with different amounts of honey or suggestions for adding things like vanilla extract.  I will be trying more recipes to find the one we like the best.

If you have tried Traditonal Medicinals tea - Nighty Night, the syrup smells almost exactly like this eveing hot tea (the lavender scent).  I made the syrup specifically to add to this tea for additional benefits.

The results were pretty good.  I also made myself a lemonade (just water and and real lemons squeezed), and used the syrup for the sweetener.  I was skeptical, because I have tasted lavender candy a few years back, and it tasted like soap.

The lavender lemonade was pretty darn good.  Homemade is is the way to go, if you are wanting to try this conconction.

Lavender Syrup  © April 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

from the handiwork journal . . .

What's on the hook? 

Well alot!!   To be honest, I am looking forward to trading in my hook for a rake, shovel, and garden trowel.  Crocheting non-stop over the last few weeks has made me realize how much I miss the garden work ha ha!  

I finished this baby blanket. I used up3 skeins of baby white, and partial skeins of baby blue and a lighter brown, that were leftover from another baby blanket order (from years ago).

I started this baby blanket.  I'm using up some leftover peach and blue baby yarn (F hook, so it's taking some time).

Progress on the current scrap yarn lap afghan.  I'm getting down to the last of the last scrap balls of yarn, so it's the last one for now.  By scraps, I mean hand size balls and smaller.

I have also been crocheting for a cause - our town's plant bingo and raffle.  It is the town's first one, to help raise money to plant flowers, landscape etc in the town.  They have already gotten over 50 tickets sold for this event.

First up, I finished this coaster set.  It was on my list of unfinished projects.  It's being donated to the cause.  Not only did I finish an unfinished project, but found a good home for it.  Funny how that worked out.  It's a Monstera leaf coaster set in a crochet plant pot.

I also used up some cotton yarn to crochet dishcloths, and created a "bouquet" in a new plant pot for the same cause.  It turned out so cute!

I also donated a set of crocheted baskets I had left in my craft show stash (been in there for over 10 years and never sold), and tucked in a smaller plant spray bottle, a few mini solar garden lights (with floral patterns on them), and a few pot holders.

And lastly, I had a set of crocheted cup coasters with roses in the center, that was also leftover from my craft shows.  

All donated for the town's goal to beautify it.  

The scraps of cotton yarn, leftover from the dishcloth bouquet project, are being crocheted into cleaning cloths.

from the handiwork journal . . . © April 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Tidbits ~ Have you ever?

We had a frost warning for last night, and woke up to a wind chill of 35°F.  It's still April.  We typically can't plant anything until after the last frost, which in our area, is about or after Mother's Day in May (mid May or later).  One year, however, we had a frost in late May, after we planted the entire garden and lost everything that year.  Every year it's different, so we just wait it out.

Not only is it cold right now, but the rain is moving back in.  A lot of it.  I'm not looking forward to a flooded chicken run again.

 

My new laundry basket.  It is the least expensive one we could find ($16.99  Big Lots) to at least make my life easier during then next 2-3 weeks (or longer).  My husband had to drive about 22 miles to get it, but I have never been this excited about a laundry basket.  I know this one won't last very long, as it's all completely plastic, including the wheels, but like I said, laundry will keep getting done.

It will will make laundry duty much easier, and could be used for other things too.  Like toting a bag of yarn to a room to work on (ha ha!).

(photo source:  Lehman's)

Lehman's has a very nice set up, where you can place your laundry basket on a gadget with wheels, but it's very expensive ($159.95).   I do like their version, as you don't have to bend over so much,

Have you ever?

 Has anyone made dandelion green pesto with pumpkin seeds?  Or any dandelion green pesto at all?  I'm wondering if it's bitter.  I've always blanched my dandelion greens and frozen them for future meals.   

Has anyone made a smal  batch recipe off  homemade cuticule cream?  Any recipe recomendations?

Has anyone crocheted (or knitted) a baby blanket using Red Heart acrylic yarn?  I've only crocheted baby blankets with Bernat baby yarn (acrylic).  Pattern suggestions?  I'm thinking I may go through some yarn and use a recent pattern I found a year ago, but smaller.  I will be looking online at Yarnspirations patterns as well.  Sometimes the yarn company themselves, have free useful patterns.  

Has anyone made lavender syrup?  

Tidbits ~ Have you ever? © April 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Natural Poison Ivy Remedies

Here is yet another draft resurrected, and this one was drafted up way back in September of 2018.  There are probably so many more remedies, but posting this.

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Summer time means some folks may get poison ivy while doing yard work, foraging, camping, or just gardening. 

One year, we had wild growing milkweed, and we simply cut pieces each day, and applied the milk from the weed to the poison ivy.  It will burn a bit, but we left it on for about 20 minutes then removed it with cool water.  It dried up the poison ivy fairly quickly.

You can soak in a bathtub with warm water and plantain tea bags (1-2 tsp of dried plantain per teabag).  I have large muslin bags I use for bath teas.

A dandelion poultice can be applied to poison ivy to help dry it up, and reduce the itch.

Cleaver poultices.  They cool the inflamed skin, and aid healing.  

Chickweed salve is also good for healing poison ivy.  If you cannot make it, you can buy this salve (most times it includes plantain in the salve).  I learned about this from an Amish woman.  The salve is also great for applying to the sting you get from touching/rubbing into stinging nettle too.

Do you have a favorite remedy for poison ivy?

Natural Poison Ivy Remedies  © April 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Spring Flowers

 

(wild violets)

The flower beds are full of spring blooms, but boy are they full of chickweed and other weeds.  I took these photos over two weeks ago, and forgot about them.  Other than tulip photos.

 We did not mulch them last year for some reason, and we will be this year.  It will be hit or miss, as the rain comes and goes, and everything continues to remain wet around here.  I do have plans to add some new spring colors for next year.  The only reason I have very little tulips, is due to moles.  The new windmill is going up soon, and hopefully we can fall plant some more tulips next fall.

Many, years ago, I was out weeding the flower beds, and a van pulled into the drive.  The older gentleman opened his window, and said not to mind them, as his wife loves to drive thru and see the flowers in the flower beds. He said it made her happy.  It was a couple that lives down the road from us.  That was a feel good moment.  

We woke up to rain again.  I mean, it's great for all the spring herbs/veggies and flowers, but it's very wet out there.

Spring Flowers © April 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Whoopsie!

It appears that some of the bigger projects on our to-do list will be taking a longer break than we want.  Atleast anything related to climbing a ladder around here.

Oh boy.  I did it again.  I'm mostly mad at myself, because I just started to clean up flower beds, and was about to start raking out weeds from the already tilled vegetable garden (s).

It's an eye roller moment.

I've been MIA a bit in blogger-land this past week.  First, I was instructed to stay off my feet, other than to use the bathroom.  Second, I was instructed to use crutches when I was up.  They were (yes were) the most pain in the rump to use.  I can say, that I can stand to lose more weight than I thought ha ha!  Lifting myself on those was a complete work out in itself.

The urgent care I went to did not have any boots.  I thought this was very odd for an urgent care facility.  They gave me paperwork to take to a medical supply in the same town.  Again, no boots in stock.  Seriously?  Keep in mind, I was in pain as it was the day of the incident.  They loaded the paperwork into their computer and sent us to another town (a good half hour drive), with another one of their stores, and low and behold we got one, and just before they were closing.  Crazy times right now.  What if I didn't have a driver with me?  What if I was by myself, and needed a wheelchair?  At the time, I didn't have my crutches either, so I had help.  

The good news is, that I have been able to lose the crutches, and no surgery needed, but the fracture will take time to heal. Also, it took almost a week to get into see someone at the ortho doctor office.  Oh, my blood pressure was "perfect" as I was checked.  I'm used to walking 10 plus miles a week, so I'm already working on chair exercises, to keep me sane and not so restless. 

Off the subject, our family doctor now only works 3 days a week.  Again crazy times we are in.  I guess we will be looking for a new family physician now, because he has been canceling my husband's appointments, leaving the message, and no re-sheduled date.  It's been frustrating there as well.  I won't have to go see him for this, but ....

 

Of course, I am applying a comfrey poultice/compress daily, and every day it feels much better than the day before.  The x-ray showed the bones already fusing together within a week's time.  It also reduced the bruising after the first application.

If I had a plant store, I would sell plants like comfrey, mullein and other plants that some city folks do not have access to.  Anyway....

I'm still infusing our nettle/oatstraw teas for more nutrition, and the doctor instructed taking vitamin D3 with K2.  I had to change my vitamin D to that, but my husband brought it home, and the ingredients include (gmo) soybean oil and other bad oils.  I'm on the hunt (online) for a healthy vitamin match for this.  If you know of a resource for this vitamin (non-gmo vs. gmo), please comment below.  

A funny to share.  If you can picture it.  My husband was bringing me a cup of coffee at a time, as I was to keep my one foot non-bearing weight.

I would drink it, and before he could finish his cup, I'd be asking for another. I continued to ask, and he'd look at me like "where it heck are you putting that coffee?"  Ha ha!

He told a friend I could "suck down a cup in 30 seconds" ha ha!  He is probably right.  

One day, he handed me my coffee, and stood in the doorway, and said "I'm just gonna stand here until you need another cup" (picture him standing there sipping his own coffee) ha ha ha!  Oh boy, it made me laugh and laugh and laugh.  He is tickled pink that I can now fetch my own coffee, amongst other daily chores he had to take care of.

If you know what these are used for, I kept my eye exam, and yes they dialated my eyes, and that was while on crutches.  What a hoot that was.  A miserable combination too, but I was not about to change my appt.  The eye doctor is only in once a week anymore.  I can always change doctors, but no, I was getting that checked on my to-do list, and off the calendar.  

I have gathered all of my to-do lists, and meal plans from over a week ago.  I have no idea what the meals will be yet, but I do have new recipes yet to try.  I dehydrated 2# of mushrooms, because it was easier to save them vs. explain to my husband what to cook with them ha ha! 

My library books are overdue (totally forgot about them), and the housecleaning is so far behind.  The laundry is not too far behind, as I have done some (I see a laundry basket on wheels in my future, ha ha!).

We've had a lot of rain here lately, and a tornado watch yesterday, so things have been pretty wet outside. It's sort of a blessing to me, so I'm not feeling bad about being behind on the outdoor work.  As soon as it dries up a bit, I need to check in on our garlic and asparagus, and see if either is up (from this recent rain and warmer weather).  The rhubarb is up, as I had checked that over a week ago (a few garlic sprouts were up as well).  Considering my situation, I have left the wild violets to be just that - wild.  I will not be making wild violet jelly this spring, but I'm okay with that.

Whoopsie!  © April 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Another Way to Utilize Frozen Blueberries

Do you freeze your home grown blueberries, or freeze locally picked ones?  We are unable to grow the plants, due to the limestone here, so I hunt down produce stands that sell blueberries grown in the area or in MI.

I've been looking for more creative ways to add nutrition, protein (not protein powders), fiber and whatnot into our breakfast. I look for more ways to utilize what we have in the freezer, like blueberries.  My husband was intrigued at this idea for the blueberries.  It looks like blueberry jam, but it is not.

I used a slice of sourdough (or use what you like), topped with the freshly ground peanut butter (peanuts only) we purchased, organic hemp hearts sprinkled (to get 1 full Tbsp. I need to sprinkle some on the peanut butter and then on top of everything), and finally topped with frozen blueberries heated with organic cinnamon mixed into it .

I used about 1/3 cup of blueberries.  Yum!  Healthy.  Fills us up. I just heated the blueberries, smashed them down with a fork, sprinkled some organic cinnamon, and gave it a stir.  I let it cool a bit before spreading on top of all of it.  It was pretty good.  Do you have a unique idea to utilize frozen blueberries (we freeze ours during blueberry season in our area).

I have had two people, in the last two weeks, tell me they were diagnosed as pre-diabetic.  Sigh.  There is sugar, dextrose, fructose, etc in almost anything processed in stores.  Be careful, and read labels. 

By the way, if you do not can jam, and have a hankering for it on a piece of toast or a PB and J, this method of mashing blueberries (thawed and heated from the freezer) works great.  When you let it cool a bit, it becomes a spreadable delight.  No sugar added.  I may add a tiny bit of nutmeg the next time I do this.

Another Way to Utilize Frozen Blueberries  © April 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart