Oh Forgot!

In my earlier post I was talking about consignments and totally forgot to mention the Crow Wing Food Coop in Brainerd carries my product year around for your convenience.
http://www.crowwingfoodco-op.com/

Winter Solstice Musings

This is always a time of extremes here on our homestead. Are daily activities revolve around the care of the livestock. We don't venture far, so even the holiday celebrations (if much at all) are kept close to home. On Christmas Day we visited my parents (who live in Brainerd) for a few hours and had a ham dinner and a fun activity of sugar cookie decorating.
The snow accumulation was not only sudden but abundant and temperatures warmed enough that melting occurred for a couple days. I took pictures of the snow slide off of the shed roof that is behind my shop. We realized that if it let go and actually slid all the way off it would fall right in front of the doorways to the animals that are housed there. So Remington, my youngest son cut it in sections and shoveled it away from their doorways.
Most of my product is home from consignment at Christmas Markets. I have been busy re-labeling and taking inventory. This last year has been a different venue for my product. I consigned at four new locations. It was successful and a learning experience to say the least. I will be continuing with only one for the 2010 year; the Remer Arts & Craft Coop.
So this leads me to make an exciting announcement. My shop will be hosting a new venue this next year and will be re-opening. The Rustic Rooster Art Project will be hosting a collaboration/partnership of some very talented artists, wellness facilitators and business women. Please visit the new "Rustic Dandelion" blog to find out more about this exciting venture planned for the near future.
http://rusticdandelion.blogspot.com/

All of January I will be preparing for the "Back To Basics" hosted by Happy Dancing Turtle Organization.
www.happydancingturtle.org
The date for "Back To Basics" is Saturday, January 30th. Please visit their website for workshop information and sign-up. I will be vendoring as well as being a presenter.
This week I am making Bath Salts and Body Butter. Now that the dry winter months are upon us we all need to take extra care of our skin and our health. What better way to nourish our skin than with moisturizing butters and deep cleaning and detoxifying.
Wishing Everyone Wellness
"Earthlyte"
*Body *Mind *Spirit Care

Product Update and Special Events

I've been soaping and getting product inventory up to levels required for the holiday season.
Please visit my websites often to see what has been added.
www.cedarhavencreations.com
www.musesinspirations.com
For shopping convenience you can find my product at the Crow Wing Foods Coop in Brainerd (Year' round), and the Remer Arts and Craft Coop in Remer (May through December) .
I am excited to announce that for the holiday season I will have my product at two art galleries down in the cities. The first is the Eden Prairie Art Gallery and my sister's gallery, Karen's Gallery in the Nicollet Mall, downtown Mpls. How exciting.
Visit my sister's website and see her beautiful art and local artisans she promotes in her gallery.
www.karengallery.com

I'll be listing more as upcoming shows have been confirmed.
I will be at the Women's Expo at the Hallet Community Center in Crosby on September 26th which is a Saturday. I will be there with my friend Julie of J & B Jewelry. She makes beautiful jewelry at affordable prices!
Visit her blog: www.umengine3.blogspot.com

Kombucha!

My Kombucha Tea is ready! Here are pics of the SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast) .
This is an amazing health drink. I made 9 gallons and have starter and SCOBYs for anyone interested in making their own.
The benefits of Kombucha Tea: Problems associated with the skin, disorders having to do with digestion, hair loss problems, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis pain. These conditions are not limited to or all of the benefits.

Update on Alternative Care and my lymes...etc.

My Mom and myself went up to see Dr. Gus in Walker yesterday. I suspected that my Lymes had been flaring up again and then I had been very sick with severe flu like symptoms for over a week. Mom also believed that Lyme was causing her alot of discomfort as well.
It was confirmed for both of us that Lymes was acting up again and of course we both were suffering from a type of flu as well. What was so interesting was that Black Walnut Hull Tincture works on this particular flu and also my Comfrey Tincture works as well.
I would like to share with you a post from Ingrid of Bioethica.com I recieved today.
Flag this message

The Pandemic That Isn't & the Worry That Is

Dear Subscribers,

I missed my Sunday reflections but not because I wasn't in my usual
reflective mode but rather because I couldn't quite line up the parts
of the vision in a sequential mode. You know these letters of the
alphabet have to in a queue and that wasn't how my mind was working
on Sunday.

Obviously, I am very influenced by the incoming communications and
these covered a fairly wide range of topics: dental problems, almost
entirely due to amalgams and the effect the mercury in the amalgams
has on the immune system; parasites because of my recent posts and
summer biting season; the pandemic and vaccines; and my own special
interest which is how to get our third eye to function the way that
is intended.

Amalgams

I will begin hosting toxicteeth.com when my designer has time to work
on it. He has been busy and now is vacationing but he can pull it
together in one day when he is back at his desk. In the meantime, let
me hit the highlights.

Mercury is not stable because it liquefies and vaporizes at
temperatures considerably below that of the body and the hot
beverages put into the body. This means that leaching begins
practically the moment the filling is placed in the tooth and then is
aggravated by chewing and chemical reactivity with certain foods and
medicines. Why we use mercury is a long story told in a pdf I posted
some time back:

http://subscriptions.bioethika.com/pdf/mercury_toxicity.pdf

There is no medical reason for using mercury and it has been banned
in many countries.

Not everyone is equally sensitive to mercury toxicity because some
people manage to excrete it from their bodies better than other
people. This fact was discovered when doing research on autistic
children. Contrary to what was expected, the volume of mercury in the
waste products was higher in those with the lowest incidence of
attention deficit disorder and autism. From this came some useful
language: good excreters and poor excreters. In short, the more
efficiently your body deals with the toxins, the more likely it is
that your symptoms will be fewer despite similar exposure and insult
to your body.

I could go on and on but I want to toss fluoride into the equation
for one very simple reason that my dentist friends appreciate and
will therefore not hold against me for writing. It is illegal in
Scotland and several other parts of the world but peddlers can still
get free public service announcements in our media to hype this
hugely dangerous chemical.

Why mention it? I mention it because tens of thousands of highly
trained professionals have been carefully instructed in how to poison
you under the guise of "health care" and all my conscious dentist
friends would be hugging me now if they could. They are more
concerned even than I am because the alternatives to toxic materials
are not well known and seldom made available to patients.

Parasites

Between toxic dental procedures and parasites, many people are
suffering from a drastically reduced quality of life. The parasites
can cause malnutrition and anemia and a few other problems, but
compared to the toxins, their impact on the body is more organic and
therefore not usually as dangerous.

This said, I have been communicating with Regine, head of our Congo
project, practically daily for a few years now and the parasite issue
is immense in Africa and Asia and Latin America and quite serious in
more temperate zones as well. We were talking about different
artemisias and I commented that the rabbits did not start chomping on
my A. absinthium until the mosquitoes appeared. They are very much
more adjusted to the natural world than I am so I continue to find my
small garden a great place to further my education.

The problem with A. absinthium (wormwood) is that it contains
significant levels of thujone which happens to be the chemical in
thuja that is believed to help to antidote the effects of vaccines. I
think the amount contained in my Algonquin formula is much safer than
what you get in a capsule or extract form of A. absinthium.

http://subscriptions.bioethika.com/pdf/algonquin_drops.pdf

If I were simply taking a parasiticide on an ongoing basis, I would
rotate once the major cleanse is completed. For instance, if you use
my ParaPro, the three formulas, as suggested on Kitchen Doctor
<http://www.kitchendoctor.com/healthconditions/parasites/blood_parasites.html>
, you could, after a few months, switch to using Black Walnut
sometimes and Boswellia Serrata another time and Artemisia Annua
another time. This said, there are also nuances that can help you
choose the right herb. For instance, if your equilibrium is off, take
boswellia because we know it reduces edema in the brain. If your
stomach feels "weird" and you have cramps and bloating, take
Artemisia annua, not absinthium, but annua, because it is a pretty
good stomachic.

The problem with the emails you send me is that I am only getting a
few sentences of information and the issues are very much more
complex. If you are eating a lot of carbohydrates, you are creating a
paradise for the parasites when, for the most part, your intention is
to evict them.

The Pandemic That Isn't

This is the hard part. I listened to the interview with Jane
Burgermeister that is on many web sites (youtube.com included but
there is only audio, no video) and she comes across as a very
competent researcher. This morning, I listened to the broadcast on
Project Camelot and it's very difficult to understate the importance
of the material these people are presenting. I anticipated the times
we are now facing because I saw visions as a child and off and on
later in life. Len Horowitz's material is compelling. The incredible
and suspicious links between biological weapons labs and
pharmaceutical companies crosses every line in my book, but there are
some points I want to make that will help some of you.

If you ask your doctor about these issues, you ought to keep in mind
that he or she received training in the same types of institutions as
the dentists who use mercury and fluoride. They have been taught to
fear microbes and trust vaccines. They are not generally up to speed
on the latest revelations provided by courageous whistleblowers and
they certainly do not understand the way the immune system would
handle a microbe if the interferences were not there. This is an "IF"
so big that your life and the lives of those you love hinge on that
IF.

One of the achievements of the Bush administration was to permit
relabeling of out-of-date pharmaceuticals. Another achievement was
the removal of consequences to the drug companies for vaccines that
injure or kill. If you think this problem will just go away, you are
underestimating the amount of time and effort those with power have
put into preparing for the time we are now facing.

Your local officials are probably not very well informed so the law
suits are important. Several prominent Europeans have resigned as a
result of the revelations in the Burgermeister litany of accusations
and criminal charges. This needs to happen on a much larger scale or
your children and grandchildren are going have needles jabbed into
them that precipitate a crisis on a scale never before seen.

I think Conscious Media Network has a way of pulling together
information that makes it possible to assimilate what I am trying to
say. You might want to start with this blog:

http://consciousmedianetwork.blogspot.com/

The Third Eye

This has been an interest of mine since childhood but it may seem
very much off topic now. I don't think it is.

Last week, I had another session with the animal communicator. Savika
has been with me nearly a year now and things are settling down. I
cannot begin to tell you how abused she was and what an incredible
gift it is for me to have her as a companion.

I asked her to comment on her time here so far. She said she was very
secure and that she is grateful because she is finally getting a
chance to experience what it is like to be herself, not to have to
worry about things which make her reactive and nervous. She said she
is happy now for the first time in her life and she very much enjoys
how she feels so now she can start taking a little care of me also.

I wanted to know how she planned to do this and once more, her wisdom
blew me out of the water. She said, "Well, when I came here, I rather
expected we would spend more time outside at night looking at the
stars because you need this and I'd like to do this with you."

It tells me that she is completely aware of things she cannot
communicate in ways that are normal. I also wanted to take time to
commend her on her friendly attitude towards the rabbits and even the
snakes we have seen. She said that she understands that we all live
here and she is actually taking some responsibility for protecting
everyone.

I wanted to set up some system so she could clue me in and she gave a
very detailed description of the back porch and the raised flower bed
in front of it, something I have not posted online so there is no
chance at all that the animal communicator got this information from
anyone but Savika. She told me that I could leave her leash there and
if she picked it up, this was a signal.

This made me think of the ape who drew a picture of where he and the
caregiver went for walks. A few people jumped on me and said, "Let
the animals be animals" but I think they are trying to teach us what
they know and the closer they are to us, the easier it is for them to
figure out what we might understand. As I said, if IQ tests were
written by dogs or birds instead of academicians, I would probably
score in the dunce range. I cannot think of anything more stupid than
not knowing which plants are poisonous or getting lost because you
don't have a sense of direction.

This is getting fairly personal, but my designer is gone so I tried
to get some help for a site by hiring from an online service where
countless people bid on the projects. I posted two projects and had
about 75 bids and was in a total funk because the art is soulless and
mindless and geared exclusively towards getting you to hit the buy
button. I realized that the designers were experts in misleading you
into believing a product is good because of the pictures they use. It
has nothing to do with facts. Okay, this is not really a revelation,
but I was sickened and ended up doing the designs myself because it's
so important that information comes to you from your right brain,
through inspiration, realization, and understanding. From there, it
ought to move to the more intellectual part of your psyche that helps
you interpret what to do with the information and finally, it has to
move out of thought and into action. We were designed to function
this way and we would not make a single mistake if we stayed with the
Plan, but we have been bullied into this left brain tyranny that is
completely misleading us and we need to get off that train and take
another ride.

I want to develop these thoughts because I realize that for some
people, the idea that you can choose which side of your brain to use
is novel, but my weekend with commercial art told me that even the
best designers were not into their right brain so if artists aren't
there, who is? Savika is and the rabbits seem to be so I went
outdoors and planted more yarrow because I really need to get to the
other side of the veil . . . and I think you do, too.

Many blessings,

Ingrid

http://www.eodiffusers.com
(where there are some new products for insect bites)


I believe we all have the right to choose our own wellness program. Become informed.
Wishing You Wellness,
Terri

Happy Summer Solstice

What a beautiful day for the Summer Solstice.
Here are pictures around the gardens this morning. The mint is ready for drying as you can see in the picture above left. My comfrey is blooming, pictured top right!
I've been drying nettle already. One can never have enough nettle. I plan on adding it to the goats and chicken's feed this winter.
Have a wonderful day!

Flossy and Snowball

We picked up our two new goats last Thursday the 18th of June. They are very sweet and well behaved girls. Flossy is 2 years old and Snowball 1 year old. They are both milking each about 1/2 gallon in the morning and evening. Flossy tends to be a bit more in the morning. We have goat milk!! I'm going to put a sign out by the road to sell, as I know now I will not beable to use it all either in my soap or consuming.
We have had the girls in the pen with panels inside the llama pasture. Today we let the girls in with the llamas and everyone is coexisting wonderfully. Snowball went to sniff Shadow and he did a leap and ran away. Too funny.
Shadow is the chocolate male and Dharma is laying down. We had hoped for a baby of Shadow's and Dharma's this year, but it doesn't seem we will. Shadow went down to visit the Fox's girls last year and they have one darling baby boy. They named him Bo Jangles.
Off to do some yard work.

Planting Time

The green house has worked perfectly. The windows with screens let in just enough fresh air to keep the plants from frying. As cold tolerant plants sprouted and grew, I was able to move them to the smaller cold frame.
Yesterday, I started planting seeds and am planting by the "companion planting" method. I have done this in past years but not as extensively as I plan to do this year. All is falling into place just fine.
I have planted more flowers this year than I ever have. This has been fun. I know nothing about flowers. Other than a few I have bought at greenhouses cuz they were pretty.
I already have a batch of nettle drying in the dehydrator. I will continue next with wild crafting plantain to infuse for healing salve. Wild crafting is my most enjoyable part of life in the summer.
We were shocked as to how many volunteer tomato plants were coming up in the garden. We salvaged quite a few of these to isolate in a raised bed. These were an heirloom variety of a small yellow pear. They were absolutely delicious in salads.

Food Freedom is under Assault, H.R. 759 Worse than H.R. 875

Become informed and make choices for us and the future generations for genuine health freedom in America. End FDA tyranny and Big Pharma corruption.

http://www.naturalnews.com/026114.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/019396.html

Seed Planting

I was jammin last weekend and got most of my seeds started! Whooo hoooo!
I discovered I didn't have much for tomato seeds though. So today at Fleet Farm I found three heirloom varieties and got three flats of those planted tonight. What a relief. I thought I wouldn't get them started in time with the way I am scrambling around here.
The absolutely neatest part about my seed planting is that I have a greenhouse to start them in. Instead of tarping off the back room in my shop and having a blazing wood fire going, I now have this nifty little green house that my small space heater keeps oh so warm and toasty. I am excited. My back room is still open for projects!
My hubby and boys did a fantastic job building the green house. Plenty of room for as many plants as I want.
The second pic is of my hubby tilling up the garden last year. This is the main large part of the garden. The first pic is where the smaller part of the garden is and the raised beds. My eldest is taking a breather after moving the railroad ties in place.
Check out:
www.survivalistseeds.com
I went in on the package deal of seeds with my friend Christine.

Sugar Sapping Time Again

The water has receded enough that we have been putting out the sapping buckets again!
It is sooooo neat how the ice has formed little shelves of ice around the tree trucks. I hope to get some pics of it today and I'll post them.
The sap is just pouring out of the hoses. Yeahhh

A blustery day

The wind helped dry things up here today. The water went down so the flooding is pulling out. The sun was out. Even though the wind was cold blowing across the water and ice, it was a beautiful day.
Another calf was born. It's in the barn with mom and doing well. Beautiful bull calf out of our 0718 Bull. Here I have posted a pic of him in his prime last summer.
For more pictures of our homestead, visit our website.
www.cedarbrooksteading.com
18 Bull as we affectionately called him was an awesome looking animal with the genetics to boot. It's a shame he was injured this winter and became sterile. Sadly we had to ship him. We have some nice calves out of him, this calf crop.
I ordered chicks today. Usually we order from Privett Hatchery down in New Mexico. None were available until June. It seems people are venturing into sustainable living and the hatcheries are swamped. This is the same I've found with the Seed Companys.
So I called our local hatchery in Pine Center and we'll pick up some broilers there. They are not what we prefer, but they'll suffice.
I am anxiously waiting for our Moscovy ducks to start laying. We have some beautiful colors and can't wait to hatch some out. We will be getting our antique incubator up and running in the next week or two.
Winchester wants to go to scouts tonight, so I'd better get changed and comb my hair.

Saturday Afternoon Break

I've been doing taxes this week and finishing them up today and tomorrow. I'll be getting them off to our accountant tomorrow. It is amazing how expensive it was to run this farm last year. With fuel prices the way they were...crazy.
So I'm taking a little break to post here while I'm snacking on our home made Raspberry Pepper Jelly with cream cheese on crackers. Whewwwhhhh it's hot!
Ok I posted a picture here of my Maple Mead. This is by far the best of any of my home brewing so far. The maple syrup along with the honey gives it such a nice mellow flavor. I'm making another batch this week. I've got requests from friends!
My next project is to get the back room here in my shop ready to start some seeds. I am hoping that when everything is germinated that our little green house on the side of my shop will be ready and we can move the plants out there. I am planting mostly heirloom again this year. You just can't beat the taste and health benefits.
Ooohhh, news flash! My facial scrub bar is amazing! I used all high end oils that are nourishing, age defying and rejuvenating and it feels absolutely luxurious. I made a small mold for a test batch, but now knowing how wonderful it turned out, I'll be making a large batch soon.
AND...another news worthy tid bit....I bought a milk goat! Lilly Bell (and kids) will be coming to live with us as soon as she her kids are born, which are due in two weeks. I have been wanting a goat for years. I am having so much trouble purchasing goat milk for my soaps that I just finally decided enough was enough...I need a goat!
Alright off to finish up taxes.

Remembering Buck

As I was coming out of the garage the other day...from getting something out of the freezer for supper...I looked behind the door to say hi to Buck. He wasn't there of course. After 11 1/2 years he had become an integral part of the family. We helped Buckshot pass to the Summer Lands at the Winter Solstice.
I miss him.
He will be greatly missed.
An amazing cow dog, family pet, goofy sidekick...Buck-a-roonie I use to call him.

My Labyrinth bulding project

My labyrinth will be finished this summer!
Visit my labyrinth link on my Rustic Rooster website. I have information and designs as well as links to other Labyrinth sites.
This is the design pictured, that I am completing. I decided on a spiral design because I am obsessed with spirals. Spirals are in much of my artwork.
www.rusticroosterartproject.com

Another winter storm coming

We (myself, Winchester and Remington my two sons) spent the day getting things ready for this storm. Predictions are 8-12 inches by Wednesday morning...please! NOOOOO!!!!
It wouldn't be so bad but we are flooding as well. It's going to be a mess.
We had another calf born. Number 41. So we are down to 4 umm maybe 5 left to go.
I thought I'd get plants started this week. We'll see. As much as I am looking forward to getting my hands in dirt and getting grounded...it just might be a matter of just dealing with the flood and the snow.
This picture is leaving the house and heading out the driveway. The first pasture on the right is where we have moved the cows to get on higher land. To the righ is Cedarbrook. Very close to the brink of the road.
The calves are of course being wild and getting on the road. The water has gone down a bit. We'll see what happens though if we get as much snow as predicted.
So as I am writing, the snow is coming down like crazy.
I'll keep posting...

What you need to know...

I am forwarding the latest newsletter from Local Harvest.org. I wanted to post perspectives from all sides. This needs to be passed around to inform.
Ok here is the newsletter. After it I have posted some sites that will get you to start really thinking.

It's been a big month for people who love real food. As you've no doubt heard, the First Lady planted a garden. On Friday my email inbox was full of messages triumphantly singing out the news. We'd like to send our own congratulations and thanks to Kitchen Gardeners International, a small organization that worked on this idea tirelessly and with great creativity over the last 15 months. It's a good one, and we believe the nation will be better for it.

Over the last couple of weeks, I've also received a barage of emails about the "Food Safety Modernization Act", or HB 875. The tone of these was somewhere between concerned and hysterical. From what we have learned, HB 875 is not the horror story it has been made out to be. It would not, for example, result in "totalitarian control" or "the planned elimination of farmers" as one oft-forwarded email put it. It actually contains some sound ideas. But for some reason, myths and misinformation about this bill have taken root and spread like a noxious weed.

It got me to thinking. First, truth be told, it made my head spin. All this justifiable jubilance stuffed in next to that screeching panic felt downright disorienting. The administration could not publicly promote organic gardening, and then sign off on a bill that would "criminalize organic farming and outlaw home gardening." It's absurd.

But what does it mean, to have so much exuberance in the locavore community on the one hand, and so much fear and loathing on the other? I think it comes down to this: food, and the ability to grow it honestly, is fundamental to our well-being. We celebrate when we see the food we love, and the values behind it, being respected by influential people. And if we feel that our right to grow that food without undue interference is threatened, we react strongly.

That said, it seems to me that we need to take a breath and put both of our hands to work. We can, each of us, sow at least one seed this spring. If the First Lady thinks pulling a few weeds is a good activity for her family, it's probably good for ours too - and it is. We can, each of us, also follow the food safety bills as they make their way through Congress, writing to our representatives to tell them how important small scale, organic agriculture is to us and to our communities.

It turns out that HB 875 is unlikely to go anywhere. And that's not necessarily great news, given that it contained some ambitious, positive changes. Our friends at the Cornucopia Institute tell us that 875 has been passed over for another food safety bill, HB 759. They, and others like Food and Water Watch think that we will need to make our voices heard as HB 759 moves forward, to ensure that the bill that is eventually passed includes exemptions for small food processing facilities and the same kind of smart, risk-based inspection processes that are contained in HB 875. We'll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, enjoy the rest of the newsletter, take good care, and eat well.

Erin Barnett
Director, LocalHarvest

Will Congress Wipe Out Home Gardens, Growers Markets?
http://www.newswith views.com/ NWV-News/ news133.htm


Lose your property for growing food?
Big Brother legislation could mean prosecution, fines up to $1 million
http://wnd.com/ index.php? fa=PAGE.view&pageId=92002

Fined for Growing Food?
http://www.campaign forliberty. com/blog. php?view= 13500

Here's a site with an excellent article on NAIS, plus two good videos - for sharing with anyone who doesn't 'get it' about NAIS.

The obama administration is moving forward at a frightening pace to implement NAIS. Spread the world and stop the insanity.

http://eriewire. wordpress. com/2009/ 02/24/local- food-challenged/

Planting Seeds Soon

Ok, I'm excited about this website Survivalist Seeds...look for the website in my links...Thanks Leo and Christine! We're going in on a package deal of seeds with them. Lots of information on this site.
I would like to build more raised beds this year. As you can see my lettuce beds were awesome last year. We ate lots of wilted lettuce!
I plant heirlooms and start all my own seeds. It's almost time to get started.

Spring Rains

Ack it's too early for all this rain. We are in danger of flooding...way too soon. Too soon for flooding...yeah it floods here on Cedarbrook Steading. Some years are more so than others. Last year our fields looked like lakes but it was not that much of an inconvenience. We didn't have to move cattle to higher ground. This year, hmmm...we're keeping our fingers crossed.
I've been busy making product and catching up. Last week I made healing salves and lotions. Today I finished making creams. Maple syrup time. Some collecting was done over the weekend. I hosted the A&S project day yesterday and we finished bottling our hard cider.
I posted a pic of three of our horses. I am anxious to do some riding soon. Chiree, Greyboy and Angel. My hips and knees haven't been to bad this winter as I think I've got a handle on my lymes. Yeahhhh horse back riding again!
Ok off to make potluck for COA Scouts tonight.
Winchester has his paper work back from Eagle Scout. We are very proud of him. We will have a small celebration with the troop and venture crew. Remington is finishing up his requirements and will work on his project this summer. Whooo hoooo!

2009 Events Schedule Update

Ok, a little history here... I've done the craft shows and farmer's market thing in past years. I gave it a good try but finally realized it just wasn't going to be the ticket. There are lots of reason, but I think mainly the reason is that my product is for a very specific and limited consumer base. The area I live in doesn't help. If I lived closer to the cities, that would help. Like my friend Carmen says, "Here in Oregon you'd do extremely well"....So I was content on word of mouth and catering to a small audience of people who really really embraced what my product was all about. The Crow Wing Coop is a wholesale account and has help immensely with that. I truly appreciate all that Linda the general manager has done to get my product out there for her customers to see and purchase.
So a new avenue has just opened up.... I have a friend who is doing the show circuit this spring and summer and has offered to bring my product to sell along with her line of fun and exciting things.
"Unique Keepsakes" is the name of Christine's business. Go to my website and check out the Shopping Events Calendar to see where she will be next and go check out her stuff and of course mine as well. The next show is here in Aitkin at the Commerce and Sports Show this Saturday and Sunday, March 14, 15th. She has some fun and unique gifts.
Thank you Christine for letting me tag along with my product. Here's to a successful and prosperous year!
www.cedarhavencreations.com

January through March is whirlwind of activities

These are pics my son Remington took in January. He has an eye for photography.
It's been absolutely a whirlwind here on Cedarbrook Steading. I have so much to share on what's been going on. Last week was absolutely crazy. I'll post later, but right now we are putting down new bedding for the cows after this storm. What a mess! Naturally with the full moon and the weather storm we had three calves born. The last one is in the porch wrapped up in Winchester's hunting suit. I'll take a picture of it before we put it back out in the barn with it's mom. Mom is a show cow so she isn't concerned we took it from her for a bit.
Till later on...Happy LAST winter storm funnin time!

A Day of Sunshine and Chores

Other than the fact that I'm tired...we were up till 2:30 in the morning dealing with a calf being rejected by it's first time mother...it was a day of accomplishments. Four calves and moms were turned out this morning into the cow yard from their overnight visit in the barn. It was cold enough yesterday, that when the calves were born we put them in to get out of the wind. We had one more born this afternoon. Only two moms and calves in the barn right now.
I put this picture on of Sweetie taken last spring. She was sunning herself on top of a dog house. Lots of animals were doing that today around here.
We were able to run the banded bulls (steers now) through and into the headshoot and cut off the testicles that had shriveled up. Awful nasty job. Winchester is the only one who can stomach it.
I got caught up on laundry, washing the cozy caps and the calf blankets, old t-shirts and towels we use to dry off the calves when they are born.
20 calves born. No losses. Yeahhhh!

My art and new venture

This is a piece of my artwork titled "Northshore Winter". It was one of 4 pieces that I was commissioned to do for Focus 10,000 quite a few years ago.
For the past 5-6 years I have been delving into mixed media art such as collage, ATC's, Altered Books, Fabric Art, Henna...and with this new venture I'll beable to delve more into graphics and visual art again.
My new venture is working with and for my friend Melody Neumiller in her business "Blue Moon Studio". I am very excited about this opportunity to follow my passion of creating art again. I have designed and maintain the website.
www.bluemoonprintingandgraphics.com
Check it out!

Mid February Update

February on our farm is a hustle and bustle time. We are calving and in this cold blustery weather we have to be on our toes. Winchester and Reminton are 18 and 17 yrs. and are our best farm hands. To date we have 14 calves of which two sets of twins and no losses. After last years calving season of too many losses including cows lost in birth, we need a fruitful calving season.
We walk through the cows in the cow yard every hour to hour and a half. A calf born in below zero weather is doomed to death if left out in the elements for more than an hour. Tuesday morning I woke up a little later than usual after Jeff had gone to work and sure enough there was a calf born, standing by it's mother with all it's hair froze....shivering. Shivering is good! I didn't even think to run back to the barn for the sled, but scooped it up and ran for the house. It was a bit heavy for me but I made it to the cow yard gate, put it down to open it and then picked it up again (not an easy thing with a slimy wet wriggling 68 pounder) and made it to the house steps where I put it down again. I ran in the house and screamed (literally) for the boys to wake up. I didn't wait for them, but pulled the calf onto my lap and scooted up the steps on my butt. The calf's mouth was still warm so I knew it would be fine once we got it dried off and warmed up. I put it into Winchester's one piece hunting suit and put the heating pad inside as well and zipped it up. Within two hours the little heifer was trying to get up and trying to suck on the wall.
Whew! I'm not a spring chicken and am pretty stiff and sore. That calf was doing some major struggling while I was carrying it. They are soooo strong it's really amazing.
I'll be posting soon, as I'm sure another exciting incident is on the horizon.

Wishing for a hint of spring in the air!

February 2nd was Imbolc. Also known as Groundhog day. If you are interested in a little history of Imbolc, visit the latest Gaia's Wheel Newsletter that I put together:

http://www.gaiaswheel.com/Imbolc09.html

So I have been busy soaping and creating product like a busy bee. last weekend I made tea blends and am almost caught up with that inventory. This week I have been making Lip Balm. Tonight I start a deoderant stick!
I am slowly updating my website. Go take a visit:

www.cedarhavencreations.com


We are ready for calving. Cow #530 is about ready to pop! We are all anxious and take turns checking them every 2 hours. What fun! I'll post some pics as soon as we have a couple on the ground.

Blessings