staying warm?

It's supposed to be a really cold week coming up ~ It started this morning. Negative 12 when we got up. Cold winds are blowing in, making it difficult to go outside, and when you have horses, well....you HAVE to go outside eventually.
It's hard living so far up North. We have a lot of heaters going on in the house, lol! 2 pellet stoves ,a woodstove, kerosene heaters, electric heaters...Hey, it's a big house. And we aren't even heating all of the rooms, really.
Ways we keep warm...besides lots of heaters?
Dress warm....bundle yourself in layers and never underestimate the power of long johns
keep the coffee or cocoa HOT
Use electric blankets on every bed
Heat your basement if possible. There is yet another woodstove in the basement...real cold days gets that thing fired up....warm your floors, and you're good to go.

Going outside? ....well, bundle up and hope for the best!..then haul your butt back inside quickly and grab that hot coffee!!

2009 is Here!

Do you make resolutions? I usually don't, it's just too hard to keep them ~ But here is a small list of my hopeful resolutions ~feel free to share yours

1. I'd like to be a better morning person
2. I will take days off from cleaning the house and not feel guilty
3. I will try to find something enjoyable about winter
4. I will start my little herb garden
5. I will not be so quick to judge others
6. I will encourage my husband and children more
7. I will care less of what I think others think of me
8. I will believe in myself more
9. I will make 1 more good true friend
10. I will smile more

Chilly Winter Days

Living up North can be rough. Snow, wind, chills, ice .... we get a lot of it. Some days, I barely want to get out of bed. If it weren't for having horse and kids, I probably wouldn't a lot of mornings!
I need some good winter-pick-me-up ideas...what do we do to feel warmer and less depressed during these longs days of winter?

Here are some photos of some finished mini bars of rebatched soap

These are apple cinnamon

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Rebatching Soap ~ Rebatching your soap helps to add color, texture, fragrance, and general more appeal to your soaps. Here are some pictures of a small amount of apple cinnamon goats milk soap getting rebatched.

1. Grated soap

2. soap being gradually heated in microwave (or crock pot)

3. rebatched with more ingredients and fragranced, ready to be remolded.
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I molded this into a small log shape and will cut into small squares when it is dry.

We also raise bees! Ever eat pure raw honey straight from a hive?

Homemade Stuff!!

It kind of seems old fashioned, but I love things that are homemade and homegrown. Store bought commercial grade items just can't add up. ~ Sure, there are some handmade things out there that I wouldn't buy or that do not have time and quality put into them...but I also believe those things may be someone's learning tools....to get better as they go.
That is the "ART" in homemade....the magic. Letting time build you as you go, watching yourself get better each time.

~~Why do I love homemade stuff?~~ I am not a "go green" enthusiast, but I DO believe we all have a responsibility to care for our planet the best we can....it is our home, and we should all care for our home. Buying homemade is not only buying someone's own hand craftedness (is that a word??) ... but is usually buying an item that is not harmful to the environment.
My soaps, for one, are all natural, homemade items do not have to be filled with the chemicals, preservatives, and dyes that commercial items have. They are not made by massive machines, in bulk, or without care.
In buying homemade, you are buying someone's "labor of love" ~ There is a feeling in that you will never get when buying from a large retail store. ...and sorry to say, but your homemade items will usually last longer too!! Machines will never outdo the human hands when it comes to skill...nor the human heart when it comes to emotion.

My Artwork

Drawing is a big part of who I am

I've drawn all my life, I really took to drawing animals when I was a child, and it never left me. Now I do pet portraits and such, but mostly like to draw just to have somehing to do in my spare time. To the right is my "Tiger Portrait" done in 2008 in pencil. This drawing is 9X12 and is for sale for $700.00

Feel free to leave questions, or something artsy to talk about!

Whipped Soap

Homemade Soaps!!

First day of blogging ~ I have had a very busy day of making whipped soaps for the first time! They turned out so nicely, and I loved making them .... they are messy, but much more fun than any of the other soaps I've made so far. I look forward to doing more experiments with them!

Shown is my first one, fragranced with sweet pea and jasmine, setting in a silicone mold. I'll cut it tomorrow and see how it turned out!

You can visit my website at www.freewebs.com/natwlsn