Signs of Summer

~A quintessential summer day. Join in if you like and share what summer is to you.~







Catching hoppy toads... their cute and warty!

Poppy

Ok, I'm doing it... Here she is. My very first full size Waldorf doll that I'm putting up for sale. Poppy! Eek! Excited about it and nervous at the same time.



Many hours went into making this first doll and I'm so in love with her. Seriously, I'd keep her for myself but I have to cross this at some point, right?

Poppy comes with 2 outfits; this one with cotton shorts and peasant top.



And this one with a cotton dress with wooden buttons and hand knit wool pants. Accessories include the cotton headband (same fabric as the dress and shorts), crocheted wool purse and little knitted shoes (wool, of course).

And then there is this gorgeous quilt my mama made just for Poppy! It's completely cotton, put together by machine and hand quilted. She even made an extra compartment (that comes together with wooden buttons) that Poppy can slip into for bedtime. Sweet!

Her wig is a cap crocheted from mohair. This is my very favorite type of doll wig.

And there she is! I really, really enjoyed making her and already have another head made and am thinking of a new doll. Now, I'm not giving up on my peg people and what-not. But, I will admit that I'm a bit burned out and need to pursue this other creative venture for now. Poppy is read to ship and in my Etsy shop now.

Oh, and let me not forget to draw a winner for the Badger Balm giveaway...

Taryn

Congratulations, Taryn! I've contacted you already.

Bliss

Oh, where to start...? I was uploading pictures this evening and there are so many from the past week. All with so much to say. I suppose you could say my life is very full and sweet, indeed.
Well, I'll not get ahead of myself. I should start with our Summer Solstice celebration.

This past Saturday we had an early celebration with friends. Nothing fancy, super simple. Veggie dogs and marshmallows toasted over a fire Tait built.

I made jars of lemonade and syrups to put in them from strawberries, blackberries and raspberries.

More Rosemary-Lemon cookies and blackberry cobbler.

We ate picnic style on blankets spread over the lawn. It was such a beautiful and mild day. It actually got down right chilly as the sun began to set. It was way past the girls' 6:30 bedtime but Summer Solstice comes but once a year.













We waited til it got dark and then we chased fireflies. They were being quite elusive this night so we sat back on the hill behind the house and watched them flicker in the distance. Pure magic.

I've always resisted summer. I hate the heat. I'm a rather imbalanced pitta type and am very agitated by the heat. It has taken me most of my life to realize that and I'm working to get in balance. But, I'm being very moved by the summer season this year. Every bit of it. The heat, the long days and cold kiddie pools. Standing knee deep in a blackberry patch with my little ones. I made jam for the first time yesterday. It was so good! I love my girls' sun kissed faces and new freckles. I loving watching weeds grow in the 'garden' that I have absolutely not planted a thing in this year. The heady scent of honeysuckles, the way warm sun feels as it pours into the window and over my bed in the morning. Summer feels just about like bliss right now. Bliss.

Signs of Summer

~A quintessential summer day. Join in if you like and share what summer is to you.~









Blackberry picking.... the girls are a little obsessed about their blackberries. Now I believe jam is in order...



Happy Solstice, everyone! I hope you had a lovely beginning to summer.

P.S. Don't forget to enter this week's giveaway... a really wonderful package from Badger Balm.

Meltdown Monday Giveaway and Product Review

Comments on this giveaway are now closed and a winner has been drawn.

Badger Balm.. do you use of of their products? I am a big Badger fan! I started off with their Night-Night Balm for the little ones, rubbing a bit over their temples and under their noses before bedtime. It smells so heavenly and relaxing. Now I pull out a tin of balm on a near daily basis.
For headaches I must have the Headache Soother. The peppermint in there just opens my head up so perfectly. And I must say I've been using it a lot lately. Heat does a number on my head. It does help if you can take even a few minutes to lie down and breathe it in deeply, but I take what I can get.

When my carpal tunnel starts flaring up I use Sore Muscle Rub. It works great on my aches and I've even used it to massage Kaiya's arms and legs when she wakes up complaining of achy limbs (Growing pains... do you remember how awful they were?). The rub contains cayenne pepper and ginger and you can feel a gentle, soothing heat. It's wonderful stuff!

Badger sent me a few things to review, on top of what I've already purchased. We used the After Sun Balm today after blackberry picking and found it very soothing on our hot skin. And the Stress Soother is practically my new best friend. Rub it in, inhale.... a few deep breaths.. love that balm. It's got Tangerine and Rosemary in it and smells.... soft. I have no other word to describe it. Like all Badger Balms it's made with beeswax and olive oil and feels great on my skin. I have terrible eczema on my right hand and even when I don't 'need' it, I use any of the balms as a moisturizer.

And like all of their products the balms are 100% organic and made with high quality ingredients. I really like being able to recognize all of the ingredients in what I'm putting on mine and my children's skin. I was also sent some Aromatic Chest Rub but haven't needed to use it yet (which is a good thing). But I'm happy to know that I have a safe and natural alternative to Vick's Vapo Rub to use the next time we do need it.

Hmm, what else do we use? Cheerful Mind Balm, smells like a tin full of sunshine and is an awesome pick-me-up. Anti-Bug Balm, totally safe and works great. And Badger lip balms are amazing! Not at all greasy and of course, smell wonderful.

So the thing is, I love Badger Balms because they're full of beautifully blended essential oils, soothing and feel amazing on the skin. And I can feel good about what's in them. You should know that, though Badger did send me a few things to review, I asked them if they wanted to do a giveaway because I think they're awesome and wanted to share that with you guys. Truly, I've been going on about Badger Balms for the past few years to anyone that would listen. And here's your chance to try Badger products for yourself.

I have this terrific package ready to mail out to one lucky reader. They've out a lot of great things in here;

Damascus Rose Face Sunscreen
Baby Sunscreen with chamomile and calendula
Chamomile and Calendu
Aromatic Chest Rub
Night-Night Balm
Sleep Balm

The whole package is worth $58.50.

To enter simply leave me a comment.

For more entries;
Blog this giveaway
Tweet this giveaway
Share on Facebook
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Like This Cosy Life on Facebook
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This giveaway is open world-wide. I will randomly draw a winner Sunday 24th. Please make sure I have a way to contact you.

Catch Up

Well, hello again. How is your almost summer going? That's right... it's still right around the corner. Tuesday, to be exact. At least in my time zone. We're still enjoying a deliciously mild season here. As a matter of fact, we were outside celebrating the Solstice a little early with friends (more on that later) last evening/night and it was downright cool out.

Anyway, sorry that I've been MIA. It's been a slow time for me of late. I've been absorbed by some things, like this doll I am working on. I've also just been feeling pretty tired these days. Not sure what's got my energy level down... Perhaps it's just the season. I tend to feel most energetic in the cooler months.

Getting ready for a Soltice get-together.... I do declare the Summer Solstice to one of my very favorite celebrations. Such joy and freedom.

Still finding many uses for various plants.

But I will share more on all of this later this week. For now I really just wanted to stop by with a winner for the 'Naturally Fun Parties For Kids' giveaway.

Jacqueline

Congratulations! I have already emailed you and you have through 6/19 (Tuesday) to get back with me with your mailing address.

And for everyone else.. I have a new giveaway coming up for you tomorrow (Do be patient with me, though. I'm not ready with it and tomorrow is cleaning day.) from one of my very favorite natural body care and aromatherapy companies. Til then, hope your week gets off to a wonderful start!

Naturally Fun Parties for Kids - A Review and Giveaway

Comments on this giveaway are now closed. But do enjoy the Rosemary-Lemon Cookie recipe below.

Just before Easter I received a wonderful book in the mail, Naturally Fun Parties for Kids, written by Anni Daulter and Heather Fontenot. I already have two other of Anni's books, Ice Pop Joy and The Organic Family Cookbook, both of which I really enjoy and I also happen to adore Heather's blog, Shivaya Naturals. So, of course this book just had to be amazing, and it is!

I love throwing parties, whatever the occasion, but have not done one in a couple of years. This was just the inspiration I needed.
The book is broken down into 12 parties, revolving around the seasons (love!).

Spring;
Egg Dying Spring Garden Party
Pancake PJ Party
Forest faerie Dress-up Party

Summer;
Summer Solstice Beach Party
Natural Spa Party
Strawberry-Picking and Jam Making Party

Autumn;
Gratitude Birthday Party
Wild Girls Tepee Party
Upcycle Art Party

Winter;
Winter Solstice Party
Knights and Dragon Quest Party
Community Cooking Party

Each party is packed with lots of suggestions for making a magical party. And, though the book is aimed at kids' parties, there are lots of ideas in this book that could be used for grown up parties, too.

For our Easter party I had the girls paint with watercolors to make these beautiful invites.

Each party is broken down on the first page idea by idea and a timeline to follow so that you know when to get everything ready for the big day. I love this first page because you can see all the elements at a glance and decide which ones to use for your own party. We've used a few but I'm looking forward to setting up a whole party based on the ideas. I'm especially looking forward to the Knights and Dragon Quest Party. I think it would be an excellent way to celebrate Michaelmas with friends!

I also love that the ideas in this book are earth-friendly. So many great party ideas out there, but so many are rather wasteful, and I just can't feel good about that. The decorations and favors in this book are resuable and many are made from upcycled materials and treasures found in nature. It's all kept very simple and focuses on enjoying the day together, rather than on things and extravagant decorations.

And the recipes...! For Easter we made Vanilla Cake Donuts with Strawberry Goop. Oh, my! Seriously, ridiculously good. If nothing else, get the book for this recipe alone. And I used coconut oil instead of the grapeseed oil suggested... heaven. We also made the Black Bean, Corn, and Cheese Quesadillas for Easter and they've since became a regular at the dinner table.

Just last night I baked a batch of Rosemary-Lemon Cookies from the 'Winter Solstice Party' (yeah, yeah, I know it's almost summer but my rosemary is growing like crazy!). I was very intrigued by the idea of this combination in a cookie and a little wary, too. But it works and soooo well. They were gobbled up pretty quickly with requests for more. Anni and Heather kindly gave permission for me to share that recipe with you here.

Rosemary-Lemon Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup raw agave nectar
1/2 cup pure cane sugar
/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
large egg
1/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350○F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and rosemary.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter, agave nectar, and sugar. Add lemon juice and zest and mix. Then mix in egg and cream.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture about 1/4 cup at a time. Once the flour mixture is incorporated, remove the dough from the bowl and knead the dough with your hands until all ingredients are fully combined.

Drop dough in tablespoon-size portions, about 3 inches apart, on the prepared cookie sheet, Press down on each cookie with your thumb to flatten slightly, Bake for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned on the bottom.

Remove from the oven and transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes 15-20 cookies.

Like all of Anni's book this one gorgeously photographed and such a pleasure to look through. I find myself picking it up every now and again just for a dose of inspiration and I know I will be pulling it out again and again as the seasons change and we feel like celebrating!

Want a chance to win a copy? Of course you do. Anni and Heather are offering one copy of Naturally Fun Parties For Kids to one of my readers.


To enter leave me a comment on this post.

For additional entries;
(leave a separate comment for each entry, if you don't, they count as one)
Tweet this (include @thiscosylife in your tweet)
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Like Naturally Fun Parties For Kids on Facebook

I will randomly pick a winner on Sunday, June 18th and announce here, on my blog. (Please, make sure I have a way to contact you!)

(I received Naturally Fun Parties for Kids for review purposes. However, my review is heartfelt... I love this book!)

A Moment Between

I'm thinking thoughts of the Summer Solstice, not so very far away, now, but still treasuring these cooler days of spring. I wish you could hear this bird song out my window right now. Just beautiful! The girls would stay outside every minute of every day if I would let them. And I do, for the most part.

We've been picking lots of things.... flowers for flower crowns and big bouquets of wild flowers for the dining table. Edible weeds and wild herbs for drying. I must confess that I've not planted a darn thing so far this year. I've been rather distracted. I was just thinking this morning, though, that I'd at least like to get a few herbs in the ground before it's too late, maybe some potted things, too.





I'm also thinking I would like to use these few months between homeschooling and ballet classes to get together with some friends for a few crafternoons. I'm in need of a little mama-time.

What are you doing these last days of spring?