Take a deep breath

"You're only here for a short visit. Don't hurry. Don't worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way."   Walter Hagen

Winter and early spring are dominated by rain, snow and cloudy days.  In Southern California we get our share of sunny warm days too but I'm posting  today because this is not one of them 

When I walk around my garden these days there is not much to look at.  I't a dormant time of year for garden plants but every once in a while I am surprised by my garden's gift.  I take a quick breath of surprise and then meet the surprise with my nose and take a deep breath.  Won't you join me?  

Pink hyacinth - deep and heady - smells a little like a lilac.

French lavender - clean and relaxing - we all love this one...especially at night before bed

pink jasmine - growing right outside my bedroom window - ahhhhhh

citrus blossoms - a California miracle !  The all begin this month.  If you don't live in a citrus area  go to your local garden nursery and see if they have greenhouse section.  This is my Meyer Lemon tree just 6 feet away from the jasmine.  It is lovely to walk down the pathway that divides them in the evening

Julie Andrews rose.  Who wouldn't put her nose into this beauty?  

Sweet peas .  Can you smell them from where you are?  My grandmother carried these as her wedding bouquet.  I make it a point to lay some on her gravesite around her anniversary(which also happens to be her birthday) each year.

So take a walk outside.  Search for natures perfume and take a deep breath

 

Merry Christmas 2024 - a traditional tree decorated in pink

 We all have so many traditions at this time of year.  Many are unique for families and cultures but probably the most popular among us is the Christmas tree:

Queen Victoria is most likely credited for bring the decorated Christmas trees into our homes.  In 1846 Illustrated London News  featured a sketch of Queen Victoria and her German born husband Prince Albert and their children. (scroll to the end of post for copy) The Queen was very loved by her subjects and soon Londoners started to bring trees into their own homes.  They were small - usually around 4 feet high and decorated with simple trinkets the people had on hand,  Germany soon started making gorgeous hand blown glass ornaments and became very popular. This new tradition jumped over the pond to the East Coast of America. But the elite American liked their trees to reach from floor to ceiling.  Candles were attached to the trees to make them even more magical until electricity was discovered enabling homes to be safer with strings of lights.  We do love our Christmas trees.  So this was the idea I had this year for my theme.  Since I also love pink (not really a red fan)  I combined the two ideas to make my home a magical pink Christmas theme.

pink glass candle holder

Here are a few glass trees on my table

studio

I hand painted my cards with watercolor and gouache

Three little hands made into ornaments

Then it came time to add some sweets.  Mexican wedding cakes:  powdery and made with pecan flour and brown butter from Zoe bakes Cookies recipe

Cut out sugar cookies trees decorated with pink ornaments

Making an entire grove of Christmas trees

A peek into the living room

And a look back into the dining room through the French doors my grandfather hung many hears ago

And now it'e time to package all the goodies up and send them to my family:

The cookies, peppermint bark and French chocolate bark are inside this tin.

Pink paper with Christmas trees...bright pink ribbons,   Someone thought this looked like Eloise's Christmas tree at the Plaza - oh that was a cute movie  I'll have to watch it again  Eloise at Christmastime

movie on Prime  and a very cute book to read

Christmas is a wonderful time to share and spend with the people that you love.  I wish all of you an abundance of blessings, lots of fun gifts, great health and a life of happiness under your Christmas (maybe pink ) Christmas tree

Love Denise 

sketch of Queen Victoria's Christmas

Meet the Farm animals

 As of today: 16 farm animals at High Tide Farm.  Each morning starts with letting the animals out of their overnight shelter and starting breakfast,  The day is theirs to enjoy life and then in the evening comes dinner, a little time spent with each one and then all get tucked in to bed with a good night story.  Not all are good listeners.  LuLu has been known to eat the pages of the book I read to her.  Ha Ha!  

Here they are:

Poppy and her mama LuLu - yes  Poppy is a goat not a cow

Poppy with a chicken on her back

Watching over everyone is Charlotte, a Great Pyrenees and guardian livestock dog

Baby Rose is interested in my earrings.  Rose is 2 weeks old in this picture but is now 3

Rodney is a feral turned friendly cat.  He gets along with everyone and is a funny little guy

LuLu (Eloise when she is bad - but she never is.  LuLu came with me from Denver and is now 8 years old.  She likes to hang out on tree stumps and in wagons.  Oh she likes her bedtime stories

Firecracker.  She's just lost her tail feathers and is beginning to molt but when she is laying she lays a beautiful blue egg.  Thank you Firecracker

Pippin.  I don't know where he came from - across the street i think- but figured out where the free meal was served and now is a part of the farm.  I've yet to touch him.   See the heart on his side?

Eclair - one of my newest flock.  Eclair is an "Easter Egger" chicken and is now at 5 months just starting to lay hr eggs.....a pretty blue one

This is Lily.  Lily is also a youngster.  She is a lavender Orpington and her egg is brown.

This is Croissant.  She is Eclair's twin but does have a look of her own.   She is quite a talker and when you hold her she will gently tell you a story....she waits for your verbal response and then she adds a bit more,  Her egg will be either green or blue like Eclair's

Bullet is my only male goat.  He has been castrated and is called a wether - no longer a buck.  He is very funny,  Don't you love his blue eyes?  He also has wattles (little pendulous skin under his throat) which add to his adorableness  Bullet weighs about 60 pounds.  The does weigh about 45

This is Lacy.  She is a golden laced Wyandotte chicken and lays a brown egg.  Lacy is getting old - about 5

Butterscotch.  Also one of my old girls.  She sometimes needs a little help getting out of bed in the morning but don't we all sometimes?  Scotchy  lays a blue egg.  She is an Aracauna.

Jolene.  She is a silver laced Wyandotte and lays a brown egg.  Jolene is the head hen in my flock

LuLu in the chicken yard

Rose today.  She is 3. Rose is a tiny goat even for a Nigerian Dwarf.  She gets pushed around a lot but has developed skills that keep her strong and happy.  She gets a little mixed up when she wants attention.  While the other goats in the herd nestle up to me when they want attention Rose gives me a head butt.  Just a little one but that's really not the way to ask for attention Rose

Meet Spiderman.  She had a different name at first but she started to look just like the first chicken I had in Denver.  Kate had named the chicken Spiderman and she was terrific.  This Spiderman is an excellent Japanese beetle catcher.  She will chase them around the barnyard and when they dare get low enough she grabs them.  Way to go Spiderman!  This chicken is an Aracauna and lays and beautiful green blue egg.  It's actually too bg to fit into an egg carton

Last but not least is Violette.  She is a lavender Orpington and has not yet started laying but soon.  Her egg will be brown.

Today's eggs: Spiderman's, Jolene's, Eclair's & Lily's

This makes a total of 1 dog, 4 goats, 9 chickens and 2 farm cats.

Life is good on the farm.  I'm a lucky girl to have these fabulous animals around me each day!

All things LAVENDER

 My very favorite subject:  Lavender

No calories in the newest lavender projects:  lavender infused oil and sketch painting

French lavender - Provence

Lavender Augustifloria

lavender and sage on new quilt

Both are culinary varieties and so versatile.

The question is "What new item can I make with lavender this year?"

I've made Lavender Jelly

lavender jelly  https://messyroomstudio.blogspot.com/search?q=lavender+jelly

Lavender wands:

Lavender wands  https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAvzz-RiSluV69yZDk5mFECpGU-Pt9BWbrj5t5R3okmfSeoKav5wieA4Im6ZO0oooyy7p8XuHlftrknVdqJWn9HOO-pVajAe1gVK84mTHx9-HpGaIQeuF5PXH5Vx_weE1oewX3FRhS5TV2/s1600/dozen+wands.jpg

Lavender ice cream

lavender ice cream  https://messyroomstudio.blogspot.com/search?q=lavender+ice+cream

Lavender filled eye pillow:

lavender filled pillow

Lavender fields rock  painting:

Lavender lemonade....what no photo?  later

So this years projects:  lavender infused coconut oil

and lavender thread painting:

First collect the best lavender

Then turn the upside down to dry for about 2 weeks:

Then remove the buds and place in a large - 1 quart- jar

Add the oil - any unfragranced oil will  do but I used fractionated coconut oil.  Fractionated coconut oil remains liquid and is often used as a massage oil

infused oil after 6 days

Then I strained the buds out and bottled it.

lavender infused oil in lots of plastic jars

My favorite use of this oil is a nighttime application on my arms and legs.  Lavender does help you relax and this little stip helps you to get to sleep a little kinder and quicker.

Ella has told me this is also good for your skin and hair.   There's a big jar on your way, sweet Ella>

OK Thread painting...also known as creative stitching.  I have treated myself to a new sewing machine.  My old one has died and repair is no longer a good investment.  I have been doing my best to just use my little basic Little Gem (Janome) but if I ever want to finish my unfinished quilts or make a new one I just had to purchase a new one.   The first chore I needed to do was to quilt the border of a quilt I started 15+ years ago.  Ella and I named this quilt "Lavender and Sage" because of the colors:

lavender sage quilt 

I harvested some of each to check the compatibility   Yep!!!

Then I loaded my new machine with some sage colored thread.  I pencil sketched on the purple fabric of the border and then sketched on the lavender image. 

lavender sketch painting

I am happy to say that I have finished two quilts that I started over 15 years ago.  I've promised myself to finish all those I started and got sidetracked from with life.

lavender augtifloria growning in my front yard

Available lavender eye pillows: