Spring Fever

There's no such thing as a holiday when you're a farm family. In our house the only difference between a regular day and a holiday is that the Farmer is home for a few extra hours. Easter was no different...the Farmer went out to check on the cattle and get them all fed and watered while myself and the Farm Kid worked in the chicken shed and the yard. 

It was time to move our Rhode Island Reds out of the cattle tank and into the floor pen. Then I worked on getting our garden areas cleaned up - something I should have done in the fall.

Oregano and Thyme are already coming up in the herb garden.

We've been having an issue with Bitty getting out of her fence so we strung a second line this week and the Farmer brought home a larger fencer. So far so good, but she is not happy with me. She has plenty to eat inside her area, but everything looks better to her outside of the fence. 

The Farm Kid is sick of waiting for me to get our big garden going so he decided to start his own right beside our house. I'm hoping to find a sod supplier so we can actually get grass on this side of the house this year. I'm sick of the dirt. But, it does do a good job of keeping kids busy. 

I finally bought some paint so I can pretty up this bike for a garden display. I'm trying to move away from my usual turquoise and blue's so I'm going to try a coral - ish color. 

*Did you find the eggs?*

Make Your Own Deodorant

This is something I've been playing around with for a while. I hated the chemicals in commercial deodorants but I could never find any natural deodorants that actually worked for me. Either I stunk or I was sweating like a hog. Yep. 

Because I knew that the stink is from bacteria, I started using Tea Tree Oil and just rubbing a little on my armpits. This worked....for a little while. Until my armpits started itching like crazy. I realized it probably wasn't the best idea to put Tea Tree Oil directly on my skin. Besides, it didn't do much for the sweating. 

So, I started playing around with a few different recipes and came up with a concoction that has been working really well:

3/4c - 1c Coconut Oil

1/4c Baking Soda

5-10 drops Tea Tree Oil

Yes, that is a little boy's head peaking through in the background. :) 

 First, gather one or two deodorant containers. I've found that the solid deodorant containers are the only ones that I can get completely apart. Get as much of the deodorant out as possible and wash the containers with soap and water. Let dry completely.

 Heat the coconut oil until just melted and mix in the baking soda and tea tree oil.

As the mixture cools, mix every few minutes to help combine the baking soda and oils. 

Once the mixture cools into a 'spreadable' state, spoon into your deodorant containers. Because coconut oil has a melting point of 76 degrees, I like to keep the deodorant in the fridge to keep it in a more solid state.

It may take your body a few days to get used to this new deodorant so don't worry if it doesn't seem to work right away.

This deodorant melts almost the instant it touches your skin. I usually put it on right out of the shower and then let it dry before getting dressed so I don't get any on my clothes. Once it's dry, I haven't noticed any deodorant marks on my shirts like I did with the commercial deodorants.

**Common Sense Warning**
Please test on a small patch of skin before using as deodorant. If any reaction occurs, stop using immediately and wash the area.

Homemade Playdough

I decided to make playdough for little man this week. After a quick google search for Homemade Playdough, we were in business. I decided to use the recipes over at Moms Who Think.

I thought the no cook version would be the best because C would be able to help with it.

This is what we ended up with...

Hmmmm....

So, I decided to go with the cooked version...

 

Much better!

C's having a blast with it and has already requested some blue playdough.

 

 

It even keeps him busy while I work.

Although, I did end up with some playdough in my coffee.

This is the recipe from Moms Who Think that I used:

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon oil
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
Food coloring by drops
Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a pan and stir. Cook over low heat, stirring until a ball forms.
2. Add food coloring and mix thoroughly until desired color.
3. Cool on foil. Store in covered container.