Farewell, dear friend

Photo by Richard Brown

I am filled with sadness at the passing of Tasha Tudor. She was an inspiration to me, as to so many, many others. Her artwork and writings will live on for generations to enjoy. I pray that those of us who are fond of the simple life will take a bit of her eccentricity, forthrightness, wisdom, and spunk and impart that to our sons and daughters. May her pioneering spirit - her countercultural fortitude - live on.

Please visit her memorial website, and leave you condolences for her family. She will be truly missed.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord and perpetual light shine upon her. May the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.

I’ll be back…

And I hope that you will be, too. I’ve decided to take a little bit of a summer holiday from the weblog. It’s been a busy spring, and I’m feeling like my family and our business need greater focus for the next few weeks. I may be popping on to post if there is something irresistable to impart, but I’m planning to be back in August. I hope that I will have the opportunity to re-focus the weblog to be more beautiful and useful.

I have let go of some 20 email lists I have subscribed to over the last several years, making it really, really quiet in my inbox - lovely. I am still active on the Simple Gifts list, however. If you would like to join us for some lively discussion about family living, please subscribe.

I appreciate your prayers for our new babe, and for the rest of our family. Your intentions are always in my prayers. Thank you for supporting this weblog, for your kindness, and especially your wonderful comments. I can’t wait to see you all again later this summer. I hope you have a blessed and restful few weeks!

Well…

Whaddya think of this? I was feeling thrifty today, and not a little bit nostalgic. I came across this video, and I thought you’d enjoy it. I miss Ronald Reagan - he was a kind of hero to me - and certainly an icon in our family. My grandad was a big-time westerns fan, and my Nana had Boraxo around the house. It’s cheap-as-old-chips cleaner and still does a slap-up job.

Thrifty Thursday:: Pocket Watch

You’ve noticed those gas prices going up, haven’t you? Too quickly for folks to adjust. I don’t have any qualms about prices being that high here in the US. We lived in the UK where prices were that high and higher. My complaint is that the rise has been meteoric. I doubt that most families’ incomes are keeping pace. We are blessed that the folks we have working for us can work from home. They don’t have to worry about commuting, so their incomes can go a bit further. We also work almost exclusively from home, and our bus has broken down - which just might be a blessing in disguise. It would cost well over $100 to fill it (at yesterday’s prices here, it would have cost nearly $120).



One of our classmates works in Hartford, CT. He’s been watching the prices at one roadside station closely over the last few weeks. Prices yesterday were $4.29/gal for regular. Another classmate owns a heating oil company. He gets faxes throughout the day with increases in prices, it’s hard for him to keep pace. Please be kind to your oilman. He’s dealing with a lot right now. He’s feeling the pinch, too. Come next winter, he’ll be finding it harder. The numbers of people needing fuel assistance is sure to increase - that means a lot of extra work. If our last fill-up was almost equal to the mortgage payment (it really, truly was), think how much more your oilman is paying - and having to pay to deliver it…



Gas prices affect everything. You’ve probably noticed that your grocery bill is climbing at about the same pace as your fuel bills. It is likely that other utilities will go up, and that the increased demand for alternatives will drive those prices up as well. I’m worried that the firewood Brian wants to order (uncharacteristically early) will be considerably higher than last time. Natural gas has gone up as well. And Dow chemical company released a statement today that they will be raising their prices as much as 20% because of rising fuel costs. This will drive up prices on lots of common household items like cleaners and disposable diapers. If you haven’t switched to homemade cleaners and cloth dipes, now might just be the time.



I saw a report that clothing prices are soaring as well. With a house-full of kids and a belly that is scheduled to expand rapidly again over the coming months, I’m glad that I know how to sew. I suspect that I will be raiding the stash and visiting my local thrift store on Wednesdays (half-price day). Perhaps I can also arrange for monthly Monday trips to our nearest Recycled Resource Center for craft supplies (everything there is FREE!). My kids will be totally styling in refashioned duds, and the Pea will be wearing some groovy dipes made from refashioned wooly jumpers, jeans, and T-shirts (patterns available at Fern and Faerie). Also check out Wardrobe Refashion for some great inspiration. Oh, and check out Beth’s Diaper Diaries for some SUPER cute cloth diapering ideas. And see this link for a tutorial on making the baby set pictured above.



Our garden is underway and I’m praying that we will produce enough food to offset the grocery bills. The chickens are doing their duty - we’re getting about a half-dozen eggs each day. It’s too bad that the wethers are not does - it would save us so much on milk… We may have to do some fishing this summer and reduce our meat rations a bit. Thankfully I have several vegetarian cookbooks to be inspired by. Local farmers will be getting lots of our business, too. Strawberries at Silvermine farm, perhaps. Certainly we’ll be making trips to local farmer’s markets to stock up when we can, filling our freezer, and pulling out the canning supplies. Check out Local Harvest for a farmer near you.

Many families are trying very hard to reduce or eliminate their debt. This rise in prices makes that an enormous challenge. If you are feeling overwhelmed, I invite you to pop on over to the Simple Gifts List for some support and inspiration. We’re talking about debt-free living, thriftiness, and ways to take joy in simple pleasures. And it costs you nothing - now that’s something novel!


I’m off to see about replacing my bicycle tire tubes. It looks like we’ll be getting around more by people power, too. The unexpected benefit of all this:: we’re going to be awfully fit. I’m thinking of trading in the bus for a couple of pedicabs…

Flowers at Noon

Gathered from the garden today by my dear sons, Jack and Will for their mother.

Give me odorous at sunrise a garden of beautiful flowers where I can walk undisturbed. ~Walt Whitman

Our Lady seems to like them, too.

The scent is heavenly.

With thanks to Elizabeth for the inspiration!

Indecision

What is an expectant mommy to eat? She really wants a piece of birthday cake, but knows she should eat something nutritious first. She’s thinking that an egg sandwich would be good, but it’s a strange thing to eat with potato salad. She’d really like something sweet, but only wants cherry jam.

She can’t manage to fix her own meal because the smells of things are off-putting. She doesn’t want to smell anything, only to eat it. A sandwich is sensible.

But the cake is beckoning.

Wait… Cake is rather sandwich-y. It has two bread-like layers with something in the middle. In fact *this* cake has cherry filling in the middle - not unlike cherry jam, actually. I mean, an expectant mother *is* entitled to a little indulgence on ocassion, is she not?

I’ll probably regret this later…

Fourteen

Happy Birthday, Jack! Your gentleness and kindness makes us very proud. Your faith encourages us. Your strength and creativity amaze us. And your joy and humor keep us smiling. We are so blessed to have you.

Simple Gifts Swap! Bathing Beauty Basket

What a treat!

Create a lovely gift basket for one partner, filled with hand-made and natural bath products. Think of soaps, gels, creams, powders, bath salts, as well as washcloths, puffs, and towels. Be creative, make it pretty and feminine.

All bath components must be natural and handmade. You may make the items yourself, or purchase from an artisan (i.e. Etsy). Make your basket special with handmade incense or candles, a good book - or whatever you can think of.

Swappers with ratings below 4.5 (on swap-bot) will not be allowed to participate. New swappers with well-defined profiles will be accepted on a case-by-case basis. This is a US only swap.Sign up here!

If you don’t have a swap-bot account, get one here.

You must sign up by 31 May 2008. Deadline to send your pretty basket is 12 June 2008.

Going fast…

Get them while you can, I may not be making more for a while. These Goat’s Milk Soaps are not available in the shop at this time, only through this post.

Goat’s Milk and Lavender - 4oz. bars of creamy goat’s milk soap, scented with organic lavender oil. This pretty bar contains a layer of organic lavender buds. Goat’s milk is a wonderful moisturiser and emollient. Lavender has long been used for it’s cleansing and healing properties. One legend says that Our Blessed Mother laid the Infant’s swaddling clothes on a lavender bush to dry, which imparted their sacred scent to the plant. $5/bar (11 bars left)

Goat’s Milk and Oatmeal Soap - 4 oz. bars of creamy goat’s milk soap with oatmeal, honey and almond. This sweet-smelling bar is a treat for the skin. It’s ideal for winter dryness. I developed this bar for my littlest one, Louis, who suffers from psoriasis. Goat’s milk lends its emmolience, while oatmeal helps to exfoliate the dry skin and add a layer of moisture. Honey is known for its antiseptic and antibacterial properties, it also contains the B vitamins neccessary for healing. It is said that Cleopatra suffered from psoriasis and used milk and honey baths to soothe her skin when she wasn’t able to visit the dead sea. $5/bar (5 bars left)

SOLD OUT:: Goat’s Milk and Damask Rose 4 oz. bars of creamy goat’s milk soap scented with ultra feminine damask rose from bulgaria (organic). With just a touch of honey, this soap wonderfully luxurious! This soap is a favourite! Look for this one next time around.

That’s all I have for this week. Can ship tomorrow - I accept PayPal to nissaATgadboisfamilyDOTcom. Shipping is $4.95 for up to 3 bars - so go ahead and stock up!

Teething

So, at 30something years old, one wisdom tooth (just one, mind you) has decided that *now* is finally the time to erupt. Seriously. I thought I was so over this. It’s a little bit uncomfortable and I think it’s going to have to come out. But that will just have to wait until this arrives: