Spring!

Fragrant wild jasmine in bloom!

 We sure have been busy here at the farm the past few weeks! Finally Spring has sprung, the sun crossed the celestial equator, it's warm and getting warmer, the grass is green and the trees are nearly full of leaves and the earth smells of new life and virtually hums with vitality. I wake up daily with the excitement to go see what looks different!The garden is beautiful and Chief Farmhand Chris is working hard to get all the seed in the ground on time. I posted a cool video on our facebook page that shows one of the potato patches growing so check that out if you haven't seen it yet. While you're there you can check out all sorts of garden and food pictures. https://www.facebook.com/RamseyFarmsGeorgia/

Last week I made ketchup and BBQ sauce as well as a new batch of shampoo, body wash, and hand soap! Also note that nobody at my house wants to buy the cheap runny 88-cent store brand ketchup anymore because the one I make tastes so much better! No corn syrup and real tomatoes!

Warm March temperatures in South Georgia

I realized we haven't used "store bought" products like shampoo, body wash, lotion, or deodorant in a long time either. You can find info and some recipes on my own DIY bath and body products right HERE on this blog.

I happened to read the back label of a fun character-licensed shaving cream / body wash that someone gave our little boy for Christmas. The label reads, "Excessive or prolonged use my cause a skin rash or urinary track infection." I thought, "WTH is excessive, say everyday?!" Isn't that generally how often one uses body wash? So as fun as shaving cream is when you're six, I just can't in good conscience let him continue to use something that is apparently so potentially harmful. Back to the homemade stuff buddy. Chris wants a "soapier" body wash too so I'm hunting up new body wash / shower gel recipes using all natural / safe ingredients.

Wanna learn more about what's in YOUR shampoos, soaps, cosmetics and other bath/body products? Please visit http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ to read the articles and look up your personal products. You may be shocked to see what exactly is in your body wash!

Well I'm off to do some writing before I get outside to replant some chamomile seeds in my herb garden, see what new seedlings have popped up in any of the gardens and fields, and later I'm making homemade spaghetti sauce for our dinner! Y'all have a great day and keep it simple!

"Pleasant it was, when woods were green

And winds were soft and low,

To lie amid some sylvan scene

Where, the long drooping boughs between,

Shadows dark and sunshine sheen

Alternate come and go"

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Slow It Down

Ready for the 2016 garden pictures?!?! We've been busy tilling and planting!! Click HERE to view the new, yet growing photo album.

The sunrise is gorgeous isn't?! We love sitting or standing and watching the sun show (whether it is rising or setting) regularly. Stop rushing around trying to be hurried and frazzled. Slow it down. Life is fast enough already, there is no race to the end. Slow down, take a deep breath, enjoy the ordinary simple moments. God's grace and majesty surround us, He pours blessings out on us every day. We miss this when we're moving too quickly, not thinking, not paying attention. I woke up excited to be alive and for the adventure of another day today! Smile, be kind, don't judge or try to control. Just be. Just BE today.

Cheers,
Ramsey

Easy DIY Bodywash

SIMPLE LIFE BODYWASH

I mean it's awesome to be able to whip up your own bath and beauty products, but I'm still pretty busy and have lots of other (fun) things to do so I don't want to spend all day making soaps or cleansers. The simplest bodywash recipe I use has only three ingredients. Sometimes I add something extra such as aloe gel or an essential oil for fragrance, but this I can mix up in less than five minutes and hop right in the shower! You can make a large quantity or whatever fits your bottle. I use 1/4 cup of each of these three ingredients because that fits perfectly into my plastic squeeze bottle, but you could make a smaller or larger batch depending on your needs.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 part Dr. Bronner's Castille Soap (any scent, I use the unscented baby mild.)
• 1 part oil (olive, avocado, jojoba, grapeseed, I use melted unrefined coconut oil sometimes with a little bit of EEVO.)
• 1 part honey (it's best to use locally harvested, raw, organic honey. Any honey will work.)

Optional ingredients include essential oil for fragrance (5-25 drops), baking soda to help gel the mixture (I use 1 tsp. if I'm making the 1/4 cup size batch), aloe gel, melted shea or cocoa butter, herb-infused oils. The options are limited only by your imagination, so have fun & experiment by adding a little bit at a time. I love growing fresh herbs to use not only in the kitchen, but for my hair and bodywash products too!

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix well.
2. Use.

It could not get much easier than that! Well buying it at the story may be easier but check out the ingredients in your store-bought bodywashes, soaps, face washes, lotions and shampoos. Visit http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/  to learn more about the products you use on your and your family's skin, hair and bodies every day. I want to avoid toxins, chemicals, and long sciency sounding words I cannot pronounce. Soap. Oil. Honey. Yep, I can pronounce those and know what they are. Do the quick research, try out your own recipe, you may realize it's pretty easy and much nicer to just do it yourself. 

Be sure to check out my other DIY natural bath & body products.

Do something extra nice for YOU this week! Spring is only 18 days away! What are you growing this year?