Dandelions

Drew and I harvested dandelions earlier this spring when they first started popping up. Most people I know think of dandelions as weeds but after sketching them in our Nature Journals and doing some research we decided to make some useful items out of them. We have so so many dandelions in our yard and I love them. They remind me of little drops of sunshine all over the ground! And the bees and the chickens enjoy them too.

I decided to make some dandelion lotion bars out of the fresh blooms. And Drew wanted to try frying some blossoms. The lotion bars turned out so sweet and they work wonderfully. Drew wasn’t a huge fan of the fried blossoms. I kind of winged it and they could have used a little more flavor in the breading but it was still fun to try. We harvested quite a few extra blooms to dry for later use. I want to slowly start adding to my stash of dried naturals to have on hand.

Making use of dandelions was fun and a great way to get outside even though it was still an early chilly spring day. And now Drew will pick me little dandelion bouquets now and then when he’s outside playing!

Winter Stitching

I’ve been doing a little stitching these past few cold winter days. Yesterday was the perfect stitching day as we had a blizzard. I was thankful I could stay home and not have to venture out as it was pretty nasty out there. I didn’t even have to chore as Joe was home and took care of them for me! I finished stitching a couple pieces and pulled the threads and started a new piece last night while we watched an old episode of Survivor. I have to have something to do with my hands while watching TV or I fall asleep! I like to stitch up a few before I sew them into pillows, dye them and stuff them. Spring themes seem to be my patterns of choice lately!

Seasons

I am thankful to live in and area where we have all four seasons. I feel I would be lost without them. Fall is my favorite with winter being  a close second (It’s still fall here but I woke up to snow – it’s so pretty outside right now!) Fall brings clean crisp air, bonfires, beautiful colors everywhere and just doens’t last long enough. Winter for me is a time to hibernate which I love. I don’t even mind that it gets dark earlier. It’s a time for hot chocolate and blankets and settling in. Of course spring brings summer which means camping season so I like them too.  Spring brings color back into the landscape and a desire to get out and work the earth. And summer means long days and late nights, picinics and bike rides. Each season brings with it it’s own unique offerings and I’m thankful for them all.