Soulemama Giveaway with the NaturalKids Team!

Soulemama is hostessing a giveaway with some members from the NaturalKids Team. Click on over to enter to win one of our playsilks, along with other goodies from our natty friends!

http://www.soulemama.com/soulemama/2010/04/soulemama-sponsor-natural-kids-.html#comment-6a00d8341c4ea853ef0134801a87bd970c

Deep Fried Peeps

So, what do you do with those nasty left over peeps no one wants to eat after Easter anyway?

Well, if you happen to know a potter (which we do.), and if he happens to be firing his wood-fired kiln (which he was)...we highly suggest bringing the peeps!

Thanks to Ryan Dalman and his family with Dalman Pottery...They taste much better kiln fried!

Below are some of Ryan's lovely pots. For further inquiries, he may be reached at dalmanpottery@gmail.com

Sugar Loop 2010 - From Sap to Syrup

From Sap to Syrup...

Mojo and Rad boilin' down sap. This is an all day process of feeding the fire and adding sap. It takes a little over 40 gallons of sap to equal one gallon of syrup.

We bought a new stainless steel pan this year...it's so lovely!
Thanks to Paul at
stainlesssteelcreations
for such a nicely made pan.

Sap at a rapid boil.

Kiah and Ona call it a day and make the trek home. 

We transport the remaining sap to our outdoor kitchen. Here we boil it down on the stove. We take it to 119 degrees, then strain it from the faucet into jars.

The jar on the left is from the "first run" batch. The jar on the right is from the 2nd run.

This painting from our dear friend, Jen, sums it all up...Maple sap is such a blessing! Making your own maple syrup sure makes you feel "connected" because you know right where it's coming from!

Sugar Loop 2010 - From Maple Tree to Sap

From the Maple Tree to Sap...

Maple Trees are a blessing!  

We tapped 70 trees this year beginning March 3rd and untapping April 5th.

Following are photos from our Sugar Loop Day 1 thru Day 4...Tappin' Trees:

Make a hole in the tree at an upwards angle (about 10 degrees) with no more than a 2" depth. 

Hole waiting for a tap...the sap is already drip, drip, dripping.

 Kiah digs in her bucket for a tap.

Milo hammers the tap into the hole.

Diggin' out the arches.

Collecting firewood for the upcoming fire.

Don't forget to taste the sweet sap right from the source!
Look for our next post "From Sap to Syrup" in the next few days.

Celebrate the Earth!

Come celebrate the Earth with Us!

Etsy's Natural Kids Team is having a gynormous sale! Beginning April 14th, 55 shops will be offering different sales or giveaways.

Our shop in particular is offering 10% off from April 14-22.

Plus, we have a little gnome picture in one of our listings! If you 'find' the gnome, let us know and you will receive a naturalkids team pdf booklet about connecting kids to nature, making yummy recipes, and how to make simple toys and crafts yourself. This pdf was made possible through generous contributions from members of the naturalkids team.

To see participating shops and for further details, come visit the NaturalKids' Blog.

 

You may also simply search "naturalkids team earth day" on Etsy

The Enchanted Cupboard Giveaway Winner Announced!

Drumroll please....
And the winner from the Earth Day NaturalKids Blog-a-thon and The Enchanted Cupboard giveaway is...

Momma Rae! Yay Momma Rae! May you spend many days playing with this cute little set!
Thanks to all who entered!

An Interview with my Sweet Natty Sister, Beccijo from The Enchanted Cupboard

I am turning 40 this year and feel as though it is a big step. I feel like I need to start that year with the Waldorf tradition of leaping out of my bed. I had written a letter to myself years ago of all the things I wanted to do before turning 40. Things like "find my true self" Thank you Etsy for the help with that one. AND Put fun colors in my hair, I never did it in high school even though it was the era of PUNK! So I'm thinking some purple chunks!

I tend to always see the brighter side in life. I believe we have a purpose and that humans are meant to create, when we don't we get lost. Who I am is very much molded from my childhood. I came from a LARGE family, 9 kids to be exact with lots of foster kids here and there. They (foster kids) were mine all of them. I took them under my wing, loved and nurtured them like one of the baby animals on the farm. There stories would break your heart but I wanted them for how ever short of time I had with them that they felt love. I learned a lot about the differences in people and families. I learned how to be a leader, how to be calm, how to delegate, and how to succeed. And sometimes when the world was just too much for them or me I made up a story. A story about fairies, mermaids or pirates. The good always won and there was always a happily ever after!

I have since been able to reconnect with some of the kids as they find me on facebook. They tell me sweet words of how I made things for them that they kept and how I made a difference in their life. I think it is pure magic to be able to create and give a little of ourselves. I am just so tickled to know that there are children all over the world playing with my toys, weaving their own stories. Sometimes when I am overwhelmed I close my eyes and imagine those kids playing.... imagine the little hands, the tiny giggles, and the big smiles.

In the real world I get to hear my kids and see them play. Sometimes they help me with ideas but they always inspire me. I think it is a wonderful blessing for them to see me truly happy and being creative. To make something that someone else is willing to pay what I say it is worth is like winning an Oscar ever time that sale email comes in! I do a lot in my day with 4 kids, homeschool, Etsy shop, and teams but I love every minute of it!

Some people think I do not sleep, I am just very organized. It really is the key to having a life that your are living not just surviving. I hear moms beating themselves up all the time about feeling guilty about what they may be taking from their families to have their Etsy Dream. The truth is Yes you can't have it all...at least not all of it all the time. You need to make time for all the parts that you are... self, wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend, etc. When we do this our children see it and we change the next generation.

Please take a moment to visit Beccijo at her store on Etsy - The Enchanted Cupboard