Easiest Summer Popsicle Ever!

 This is the easiest summer Popsicle ever!  All you do is take any kind of organic fruit, (bananas, strawberries, grapes, watermelon, cantaloupe, even blueberries) put on a Popsicle stick (you can get these from Micheal's or Hobby Lobby) and freeze.  I put ours on chopsticks to be a little more Eco-friendly. 

This is a great way for kids to get the whole fruit.  It helps them not have the sugar spike when they have the fiber in the fruit too.  Fruit juices typically don't have the fiber in them so they just get the sugar.

Nice treat for Mama too. : )

Enjoy!

-Tara

Our Spring Garden 2012

Sunflowers make me so happy.  Our garden this year is full of them.  I planted one packet of red ones but all the other ones were volunteers from my compost.  Not only are they great for pollination but also the stems are used for medicinal uses to ward of colds and fight a cough when steeped in a tea.  I have also found that they ward off pest.  I don't use any pesticides and these work great!  Thank you my lovely Sunflowers! : )

I am soooooooooo thrilled to have so much garden space!  I went crazy with my planting.  Mostly experimenting.  I planted about 6 different lettuces.  My favorite is Butter crunch.  Garlic, Onion, Basil, Thyme, Radish, 4 kinds of Greens, Celery, Parsley, Watermelon, Carrots, Yellow Squash, Sweet Peppers, Seminole Squash, Tomatoes and Cucumbers.  I don't know much about gardening but I have had good luck when I enrich my soil with my own compost, mushroom compost, dried manure and make manure tea (I know- sounds yucky but it works- just put a dried cow patty in water and let the sun heat it up, then poor over the plants.  The leaves of the plants love the nutrients too.)

We have had so much fun taking baskets of goodies to all our wonderful neighbors.

This is our Strawberry Patch.  It is so much fun to see Arabella discover the new Strawberries that are ripe every day.  She can get from 8-10 a day. : )

This is our Corn, Tomatoes and Okra.  Can't wait for some fried okra!

Of course we need a good bath after all that gardening. : )

Happy Gardening!

-Tara

Miracles

I believe in Miracles.  This miracle may seem small to some but all miracles are a big deal to me.

For Arabella's 2nd birthday she was given a caterpillar in a little carrier.  The instructions said to feed the caterpillar parsley every day and clean out it's home.  Arabella and I did that and she loved visiting with it.  I explained to her that it would make a cocoon and then turn into a butterfly.  The chrysalis stage was suppose to last about 8 days.  When he went in to his cocoon, it looked very gray and dry.  Not alive looking.  But I had never studied one before so I just hoped that is what it was suppose to look like.  Well, 8 days came and went.  We still visited Arabella's "raccoon" (that is what she called it : )  She would carry it around with her, we would place it in a nice cool spot with greenery around it.  Still looked pitiful.  It made me so sad but I couldn't break it to Arabella.  In the mean time, Arabella's friend got one too.  It's cocoon was green and alive looking. : (

During this time we had the chance to move to a new home in the country.  We were busy moving and kind of forgot about our "raccoon" sitting in the garden after 3 months.

On the last day of our move, Cory did one final walk through to make sure we got everything.  He came running to Arabella and I with a big grin on his face.  He showed us the little carrier with a BEAUTIFUL butterfly inside.  I started crying.  A miracle!

This butterfly wanted to wait to come with us to our new home.  It waited patiently for 4 months.  This is Arabella helping it practice flying before we let it go.

I love miracles.

They are happening every day, all around us, just believe.

Love,

Tara

What To Do With Those Bridesmaids Dresses

There is a way to wear those bridesmaids dresses again.  All you have to do is chop the top off, find a thick piece of elastic and a tank top. Voila. : )  Cute dress.

This one here, I cut the top off, sewed a 3 inch elastic waistband to it and then attached my tank top.

Even the unskilled seamstress like me can handle this project.

Good luck and enjoy your new Spring/Summer dress. : )

-Tara

How To Have A Eco-Friendly Birthday Party- Plus Pics From Arabella's 2nd Birthday

I think the first key component to having a great Eco-Friendly Birthday is to pick a great location.  If you have a wonderful setting, you don't have to do a ton of decorating.

I am so thankful to my friends for letting me have Arabella's eco-friendly 2nd birthday party at their beautiful home.

Her party was a "Winged Theme".  So anything that had wings was there.  Butterflies, Fireflies, Dragonflies, Fairies and Sprites.  All of the kids were welcomed to wear their wings too.

The second key component for me to have a wonderful party is to have great friends and family there.  Of course Dada in the top pic gets the kings of guest.  The bottom picture is one of Arabella's best friends, Brooklyn.  Her mom and I have been best friends since we were about their age. : )

I love how all of her guest dressed up in some way in the bottom picture.

Jo Jo (Arabella's Grandpa) gets the other crown for king of guest.

For some actual decorations.  I used all my old sewing scraps and tied them to my Christmas lights.  We hung them in trees and then lined the walkways with them.

You can re-use these decorations for Christmas too.

In the bottom picture, I took old egg cartons and made flower petals out of them.  Arabella, Helene (my friend that shared her birthday with Arabella) and I used finger paints and painted them.  We also sprinkle glitter on the wet paint.  I then made a hole in the bottom and put more Christmas lights in holes.  We strung these in all bushes.

For the food, I used all organic ingredients.  Here we stuffed raspberries with chocolate chips and called them "Bugs and Berries".

I bought organic gummy worms, dipped them in chocolate and then put them on lollipop sticks.  I used pieces of raspberries for the eyes.  These were "Chocolate Caterpillars" to go along with the Wing Theme.

I bought yogurt covered almonds to be the "Caterpillar's Eggs".

We made rainbow fruit sticks that could also be "Rainbow Caterpillars".  Just put fruit on skewers and stick into a melon.

For Arabella's cake, I used all organic ingredients.  I would love to try the fondant cakes at some point but I have to research on how to not use those dyes.  I used some all natural dyes for Arabella's cake but not sure if it would work for a fondant.

: )  Found these at Hobby Lobby.  No, not eco-friendly but you have to break the rules sometimes for cuteness.

I made Arabella's top out of organic cotton fabric.  My favorite selection is from Fabric Worm .com.

The best eco-friendly gift Arabella got was a caterpillar in this little holder.  They are suppose to turn into a cocoon then a butterfly after about 8-10 days.  This didn't happen with hers but I will share that story another time. : )  She LOVED this gift and so did the other kids.  Brooklyn had to go get one the next day.

These are the wings I made for Arabella.  I used a  pair of Helen's old wings and just added all sorts of goodies.

Mama and Dada deserve a good kiss after pulling that off. : )

Thank you again to the O'Hagen's for allowing us to make some wonderful memories at their house! And thank you so much to Chisty Baldwin Photography for capturing these moments for us!  She was amazing.  She would hide away in the corner snapping her pics and you wouldn't even know she was there.  I realized now what a blessing it is to have someone take pictures for you while you get to enjoy the moment.

Happy Birthday planning!

-Tara

Homemade Bread

Is there nothing better then the smell of Homemade Bread baking in the oven?  Or that first warm slice with a little melted butter on it.

One of my goals when we moved out to the farm, was to make all of our bread fresh from scratch and without a bread machine.  I was inspired to do this after I read my favorite cook book- "The Organic Family Cookbook".  Anni (the author) and her family did this for one year straight.  She talks about how it brought and extra loaf of love into their home. : )

The process of making the bread is just as fun as eating it in the eyes of a toddler.  Arabella LOVES being able to make a mess and feel it squish through her hands.  I let her get as messy as she wants (as you can see about it in the pic).  I usually have to take a couple deep breathes during the process when I see the counter and floors. : )

My recipe-

I buy the organic wheat berries from New Leaf (my local health food co-op).  I then grind them in my whisper mill.  This creates a super nutritious flour that is easier to digest. 

6 cups flour
1 tsp salt (I like Celtic sea salt because it has more minerals in it)
2 cups warm water
2 Tbs active dry yeast
1 Tbs honey

Mix together flour and salt.  Dissolve yeast in warm water for about 10 minutes.  Add honey to that (the warm water will help it dissolve).  Mix all together and knead your bread for about 10 minutes.  Put in warm area (I put mine in a slightly warm oven if its not warm enough outside), covered with a towel and let rise for 30 minutes.  Split the recipe in half and make two loaves.  Place 3 Tbs. olive oil in bottom of loaf pans.  Brush the tops of the loaves with egg (this will give a nice crisp crust).  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Breaking bread with the ones you love is such a blessing!

This picture above is from one of our Sunday Suppers.  We have been so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family come together on Sundays to "break bread" together. 


Love,
Tara

Farm Animal Yoga

Farm Animal Yoga is a great way to be creative and interact with your toddler or child.  There are no rules- just have fun.  I have a couple of animals I teach but then I let the kids create the rest or just guide them when they have a idea.

On the top picture, Arabella and I are doing Down Dog.  The picture below, Isabelle is doing a flamingo.  She came up with the idea of doing a flamingo, I showed her how to do the legs and then she bent forward and flapped her wings.  Both of these moves are a great stretch and wonderful for balance.

 

We also created what a cow, chicken, horse, frog, cat, donkey, snake, giraffe and sheep might do.  With the cow, we got on all fours and arched our back with a big sway in our back like a cow has.  The cat is the same position but rounding your back like a cat does when he gets scared.  The donkey and horse were kind of like the picture at the top but we walked around.  Frog, we got into a deep squat and hopped around.  The sheep were on all fours and added a BAAA to it.  With snake we laid on our tummies and pushed up with arms to get a nice back and ab stretch.  Giraffe, you stand up real tall and stretch your neck out as much as you can.  

Again, no rules.  Just have fun!

-Tara : ) 

This Day At Lodestar Farm- running, yoga, cooking, massage and cow chasing : )

This day at Lodestar consisted of a little running, a little yoga, a little cooking, a little massage oh and a little cow chasing. : )

The Second Annual Healthy Mama, Happy Baby 5k Event turned out to be the best yet!

The running was perfect as a cool breeze came in after the rain.  Everyone loved the track through the oak trees and by the spring fed pond.  Congratulations to Mason Bell who won (even though there wasn't suppose to be a winner).  The inner competitor came out in me and I tried to catch him but that hill caught me. : )

We did a little Farm Animal Yoga to stretch after the run.  Arabella and I are doing Down Dog here.  The kids helped me come up with what animals to do and how to do them.  They loved being creative and just moving.  Below Isabelle is showing me what a flamingo would do. : )

I had a little cooking class for the kids on how to make a raw healthy snack.  I used raw sunflower seeds, coconut flakes, dates, coconut oil (has wonderful anti-microbial properties to create a healthy gut) and a dash of salt (all organic).  Pureed in a food processor and Voila you have a snack that has protein, healthy carbs, healthy fats and taste good too!

The day couldn't get any better after sharing it with wonderful friends!  Well, I take that back, getting free massages from the AMAZING Jesse Corry might be a hard topper.  Sorry Helene. : )

You know I had to make Arabella a tutu to run in. : )

Where else could you run a 5k and chase some cows while you were at it! : )

Thank you to everyone who came out and made this day so wonderful.  A special thanks to Lydia Bell from Elle Belle Photography for capturing these amazing moments!

Easter Craft

This Easter Craft is so easy and the results are so pretty.  We made these last year and if they can survive the hands of a toddler- they will keep for years.

First, you drill a hole in the eggs.  We get eggs from our farm, so the shells are tough (which means lots of good minerals).  We had to borrow Dada's drill and make a hole on each end of the egg.  Blow the egg out.  I used vinegar to clean the egg out.

I bought this ribbon at JoAnn's for a dollar.  Glue (with a glue gun) end of ribbon to one hole of the egg and start wrapping the ribbon.  I placed a little dot of glue here and there to keep the ribbon in place.  Of course we had to make our "Golden Egg" hot pink and we added a little frill on the bottom. : )

In the above picture I made little chocolate birds nest with all organic ingredients.  Yes- sugar but still organic.  I use organic pretzel rods for the twigs, organic melted chocolate for the nest too and then organic yogurt covered almonds for the eggs.

This face is why we try not to have sugar- The Sugar Crash.  I don't want her to ever feel deprived on holidays so I do allow sugar (without the dyes and chemicals).  To counteract the affect of sugar I make sure she has enough protein in her system so there isn't such a spike.  But sometimes you just can't avoid it.

This was Arabella's 1st Easter.  She was 6 months old.

Happy Easter!

Love,

The Poseys