Living Seasonally: Spring Edition
Hello Friends!
It's been awhile since I've updated you on life and provided you with some new content and let me just say I have been busy over here at my homestead! So here is a little update on my life... the first weekend of March I celebrated my birthday with a small group of friends. I spent all day and evening Saturday cleaning my place from top to bottom, only taking a short break in the afternoon to celebrate with my family. They traveled to my neighborhood for a visit, presents, and lunch. They made my cleaning day really special. I am so blessed and grateful to have them as my family! After what was a wonderful weekend I took a couple of days off work to relax, visit my local zoo, and get a massage... which was way overdue. I've also been working on a few commissioned projects, these projects have been keeping me constantly busy and I've been doing my best to keep up with my herbal studies every Sunday. And I celebrated the first day of Spring, the Spring Equinox, on Saturday March 20th with a lovely nature hike at the nature realm and enjoyed a delicious meal at a local seafood restaurant, The Chowder House! The food was sensational!! But I am back at it this week to give you more content on living seasonally this time with the Spring edition.
What is the Spring or Vernal Equinox?
Astronomical it is the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. It is when the sun crosses the equator, heading north in the sky. The northern hemisphere tilts toward the sun, which results in increased daylight hours and warming temperatures.
Equinox is derived from the Latin words for "equal night" - aequus (equal) and nox (night) and Vernal translates to "new" and "fresh". On the equinox, the length of day and night is almost equal in all parts of the world. The Equinoxes are the only two times a year that the Sun rises due east and sets due west for all of us on Earth. Many places (like us here in NE Ohio) will experience more daylight in each day. The amount of daylight each day will continue to increase until the summer solstice in June, when the longest period of daylight occurs. (Almanac, 2021)
The Spring Equinox signals new beginnings and nature's renewal in the northern hemisphere. Some folks celebrate spring festivals such as Easter and Passover. Do you celebrate either of these holidays? What other festivals do you celebrate during spring?
Fun Fact: In March the full moon is known as the Worm Moon, this is so because it is around this time that we see worms and grubs reappearing. Look out for the full moon on March 28th at 2:48 p.m..
Hello Spring!
How to celebrate the return of spring and the passing of winter.
Let's begin with some spring diffuser blends. I found these on Pinterest and I wanted to share them with you. My favorite is the Seasonal Blend. It is currently misting its delightful scent in my diffuser as I type this. Last weekend when I did the deep clean of my apartment I diffused the Spring Cleaning Blend. You can find the link to this diffuser blend page and more ideas on my Pinterest page Hello Spring.
Here are some items you should have in your natural first aid kit:
Bandages of various sizes
Gauze
Medical Tape
Lighter
Needle
Tweezers
Ice Pack
Hand sanitizer
Gloves
Cotton Swabs
Sting Relief
Antiseptic wipes
Antibiotic ointment
Vapor Ointment
Black Salve - for burns, minor skin irritations, bites
White Liniment Spray - for cramps in muscles, poison ivy, insect bites, skin rash
Bug Spray - homemade see recipe below
I also include cough drops and antacids because you never know
I keep all of this in a nifty little travel size pack. I actually purchased this little first aid kit from a health store a few years back. It came with some of these items already included and then added a few more of my own items. Since my area has a lot of gorgeous hiking and walking trails I go hiking a lot and I always include this little pack in my backpack that I take hiking. I also keep a bigger more well stocked first aid kit in my car at all times which includes a tourniquet, a bandana, clean bottled water and various other items listed above... like I said always prepared.
Handmade Bug Spray
Ingredients:
2 oz witch hazel
2 oz distilled water
20 - 25 drops kids age 3+
40-50 drops adults and kids age 10+
4 oz Amber spray bottle
Blends:
20 drops rosemary, 20 drops cedar wood, 10 drops peppermint
15 drops lemongrass, 15 drops eucalyptus, 20 drops citronella
20 drops lavender, 20 drops lemongrass, 10 drops peppermint*
15 drops eucalyptus, 20 drops lavender, 15 drops lemongrass**
*** these are my favorite blends
This Bugs Be Gone Diffuser Blend is great for when you are at home with the windows and doors open to let in the delightful spring breeze.
2 drops spearmint
2 drops peppermint
2 drops citronella
2 drops lemongrass
Fun Fact: lemongrass is one of my favorite scents. It's light, lemony, and very fragrant.
When you're outside a great thing to have on hand to keep away the bugs are these Bug Away Essential Oil Candles. Keep those pesky bugs away from your BBQs, bon fires, picnics, and any outdoor gatherings with these easy to make candles.
What you'll need:
8 oz canning jars - clean
Fresh lemons
Fresh rosemary
Lemon Essential Oil
Floating candles
Water
Assembly:
Cut two thick slices of lemons, a sprig of rosemary, 15-20 drops of lemon EO, fill the jar one inch from the top with water, and top with a floating candle... and that's it. Make a couple and place them around your outdoor space. Not only are they effective they are attractive to the eye! <wink>
Hello Spring... Cleaning!
Last year, while I was hosting an online cleaning party, someone I invited told me they didn't enjoy cleaning! I was completely baffled. I could not wrap my head around the fact that someone did not enjoy cleaning. Cleaning for me is so therapeutic. When I feel anxious or nervous or energized I really enjoy cleaning. For me it is usually saved for the weekends because I just do not feel like doing it during the week after I have worked all day. And these days my week day evenings are saved for projects. After I was told this it dawned on me that there are people out there who do not enjoy cleaning. If you are one of those people what do you do to relive anxiety? I am curious.
Spring Cleaning
Cloth towels and rags - you may know by now that I rarely use paper towels in my home, I say rarely because I do like to keep a couple of rolls around in the odd chance that I may need one. However, most of the time I use my Norwex towels, kitchen towels, and rags for all clean up in the kitchen and bathroom. I am obsessed with my Norwex kitchen towels. They cut down on the use of harmful chemicals and paper towel use in the home. All you need to clean with the Norwex towels is water! They remove 99.9% of bacteria from the surface and prevent bacteria growth in the towels themselves with the BacLock technology material that self-purifies within 24 hours when wet! If you've never heard of Norwex I suggest you check them out! Or leave me a message in the comments and I'd be happy to tell you more!!
Mrs. Meyers products - it's no secret that I love the Mrs. Meyers product line! Rosemary has become my favorite scent! Its subtle and smells incredible! I use these products in my kitchen, bathroom, the hand soap and even the hand sanitizer! I order most of my products through Grove Collaborative, which if you've never heard of them or have heard of them and have been curious about them let me tell you they are a monthly subscription based natural products supplier. They have everything from cleaning supplies to personal care, babies and kids to pets, they have a wonderful mission to make this planet a great place to live. Your monthly subscription is completely customized by you, you can have products shipped on a monthly basis or customize the duration depending on your needs! Leave me a message in the comments if you are interest in hearing more about Grove!
I also like Grove's concentrated floor clean and glass spray bottle and their concentrated room spray with amber spray bottle! I use my Swiffer and hand knit Swiffer pads to mop my kitchen and bathroom floors. The room spray is a delightful cover up for the kitty smell.
Homemade citrus cleaner - vinegar and orange peels, this is an easy recipe and one that I also found on Pinterest. The two main ingredients begin white vinegar and orange peels from eight oranges. Fill a large mason jar with the orange peels push them down in with a wooden spoon. Next pour in the white vinegar covering the orange peels with the liquid, leave about a one inch space from the top of the jar. Cover the mixture with a piece of wax paper and tightly twist the lid on, making sure it is completely sealed. Store this mixture in a dark place for about 6-8 weeks, I stored mine under my kitchen sink. Shaking it up every couple of days to mix the ingredients together. After 6-8 weeks strain the mixture into a large bowl and then funnel it into a dark amber spray bottle. Label the cleaner and it's ready for use!
*Thieves vinegar from scratch - find the recipe on Pinterest here
501 Uses for Lemon, Salt, Vinegar and Olive Oil - my mom gave me this book and it is so handy to have around the house! It is incredible the amount of things four simple ingredients can do!
Liquid Castile Soap - Dr. Bronner's - this stuff is like magic soap, it isn't called all-in-one for nothing! And I just saw they have this stuff for the laundry washing, Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner!
These are the main products and items that I use in my home to get all of my spring cleaning done. Helping the environment one step at a time! Let me know in the comments what your favorite cleaning products are... I'd love to hear from you!
Now that we've talked about diffuser blends, natural first aid kits, and bug away ideas; let's talk about spring skin care, spring foods, and spring yoga.
Hello Spring Personal Care
My skin goes through phases, as I'm sure yours does too. Mine gets dry and chapped during winter and no matter the amount of lotion I apply to my hands they never seem to get enough moisture. My face is more prone to break outs during the colder months. Spring can be a time of renewal, of rebirth, not just for life and vegetation but also for our skin. I came across a Pinterest post about a spring time skin care ritual and it intrigued me. A skincare ritual! To liven up the dry dab skin of winter, to scrub off the dead skin cells and allow new ones to take their place and rejuvenate the nature of our skin. Being our largest organ we should vow to take care of it, Lord knows I need to take better care of it. So when I found this post and read through it I decided that I would do my own skincare ritual, just a little different.
First begin with a cleansing grain scrub - I am going to use oatmeal, since I have an abundance of it.
Next a facial mask - something in rose, lavender, or rosemary to welcome spring - lavender and rosemary for new beginnings and rebirth
Then a facial steam - I found this one at the Mustard Seed
Then a facial mist - such as Aura Cacia Rose Hydrosol
Then a facial oil and toner - I use Aura Cacia Organic Rosehip Skin Care Oil and Thayer's Witch Hazel with Rose Petal
Lavender, rose, and rosemary each have skin benefiting properties. Lavender has a list of healing benefits that seems never ending. It is anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and antispasmodic. In skincare it is used to mollify dry skin conditions, rosecea, dermatitis and acne. It stimulates cell renewal, perfect for what we are looking for here, and healing (again great!). These qualities and more make lavender a useful ingredient in skincare products. (Corkhill, 2016). Rose has astringent phytochemical properties. Most varieties use the hips (i.e. the Rosehip Oil I use on my face), which is used for its high levels of Vitamin C and its more important bioflavonoids. According to Best of Hobby Farms: Healing Herbs edition this combination is helpful in several ways - including: strengthening blood-vessel walls and protecting against infection. Rosemary acts as a mild stimulant to stimulate dull skin cells. It is impressive what each of these plants can do!
I am also really loving this Clearing Eucalyptus Aromatherapy Mist from Aura Cacia. I have this spray in my bathroom. I use it as an air freshener and to spray on myself three times when I am in need of an uplift in spirits or to clear brain fog.
Hello Spring Foods!
This is by far my favorite section! Food! I love food! And with spring comes delicious, fresh, light, earthy, green, and colorful varieties of vegetables and recipes. Below are a few of my favorites!
Pan Fried Cod in Citrus Basil Butter Sauce - anything with the word butter in the title has to be good! Find the recipe here.
Lemon Asparagus Pasta - find the recipe here.
Spring Time Pasta Salad - find the recipe here.
Pea Salad - find the recipe here.
Pasta Primavera - Primavera means spring in Italian - find the recipe here.
Yes, it's true. I love pasta! Especially in spring and summer. It is so easy to whip up a batch of pasta and add a plentiful amount of spring vegetables to it. Really anything goes with pasta!
There you have it four yoga videos to boost your springtime vibe! Of course I have to represent my girl Adriene with Yoga with Adriene. And of course, also myself! Check out this video I filmed out in the country at my parent's homestead! Short, sweet, and to the point!
Have a lovely spring everyone!
xo
Namaste, my friends!
Until next time...
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P.S. The Worm Full Moon is this Sunday March 28th. Easter is always the following Sunday after the Spring Equinox first full moon. Easter is on April 4th, 2021. Happy Easter, everyone. He is Risen! For all of my Jewish friends out there, Passover begins tonight, March 27th, at sun down.
Song: "It was a lover and his lass"
By: William Shakespeare
(from As You Like It)
It was a lover and his lass,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
That o'er the green cornfield did pass,
In springtime, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.
Between the acres of the rye,
With a hey, and a ho, and hey nonino,
Those pretty country folks would lie,
In springtime, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.
This carol they began that hour,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
How that a life was but a flower
In springtime, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.
And therefore take the present time,
With a hey, and a ho, and hey nonino,
For love is crowned with the prime
In springtime, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.
Sources and Disclaimer:
*I have not tried this recipe yet, but shout out to Chris over at Joybilee Farms for sharing this recipe with the internet! I can't wait to try it! Find her page and the recipe here.
Sources:
Almana, Boeckmann, Catherine, 2021, https://www.almanac.com/content/first-day-spring-vernal-equinox#
Melissa Corkhill, Natural Home Remedies – Self –Sufficiency, 2016
Farmer’s Almanac, 2021, https://www.farmersalmanac.com/spring-equinox-first-day-spring
Reader’s Digest, Sunny Sea Gold, 2021, https://www.rd.com/list/spring-equinox-facts/
Bug Spray and diffuser blends source:
https://oneessentialcommunity.com/diy-bug-spray-works-kid-safe-options/
My Pinterest Page: https://www.pinterest.com/kbrown2791/hello-spring/
For more spring time ideas check out my Pinterest page above!
Disclaimer:
All recipes were found through my research on the topic of seasonal living. I am not claiming any of them as my own. I just enjoying sharing what I learn with all of my natural living enthusiasts like myself.
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