Pioneer Women Outing: Lavender Farm

Each month a group of women in my family and some of our friends get together to do different activities, many of them focusing on old skills that have been lost like food preservation or soap making. We call ourselves the pioneer women and this past weekend our group took a little field trip to a lavender farm near St. Louis. It was such a great time!

When we arrived, the owner of the farm gave a very thorough and interesting talk on lavender and all its beneficial uses. I really had no idea that lavender was so great for medicinal purposes! I've always heard about the cosmetic uses, but actually it sounds like it is a wonderful all-natural cure for just about anything that ails you. It can help wounds heal faster, alleviate symptoms from allergies or sinus issues, and can also act as a sleep aid.

Dried lavender can also be used in cooking, and after the talk we had our lunch which featured some of the lavender grown there on the farm. With my veggie wrap I had a wonderful spinach strawberry salad with a balsamic vinaigrette infused with lavender. To drink I had lavender lemonade, and for dessert it was a chocolate brownie with dried lavender. Everything was so delicious!

After lunch I was ready to go pick some lavender for myself. They have several different varieties growing at the farm, and I was sure to harvest my lavender from the variety used for culinary purposes. If you use a different type of lavender, it can be very overpowering and slightly bitter in your food.

I was so thrilled to see bees everywhere! They actually have two beehives at the farm but they were all sold out of honey. I wish I could have tasted some - I bet it is heavenly!

After I had collected my lavender bundle, I spent a little time walking around the property and taking in the beautiful scenery. There were several small ponds and a cute old barn making up the landscape.

To end the time at the farm, we headed up to the gift shop where they sell all sorts of wonderful products created with their lavender. I purchased some lavender essential oil (made from steam distillation) so I could try making a few of my own cosmetic items at home.

It's always fun to spend time with my pioneer women. The lavender farm was the perfect destination for our outing for the month of July!

~Tammy

Shared with Tuesday Muse, Eco Kids Tuesday, Barn Charm  

Year In Review

Today marks the one year anniversary of Our Neck of the Woods! I'm really excited and thought it would be fun to look back over the past year and see what all we've accomplished. I was hesitant to start this blog, but my sweet friend Heather gave me the push I needed to put myself out there and I'm so glad she did. I've never been one for attention, so it was hard for me to express myself for the whole world to see. But now I can't imagine NOT doing it. Sharing bits and pieces of rural living through photos and words has become a passion for me and I am so glad I took the plunge one year ago. Here's what we've been up to this past year.

1) Discovered how much we enjoy exploring our woods and feeling like kids again when we discover amazing bugs and critters we've never seen before.

2) Learned more about foraging and went mushroom hunting in our woods for the first time. Figured out how to identify and cook puffballs!

3) Realized that it's important to take time every once in a while to treat yo self.

4) Made the discovery of a lifetime - banana ice cream!

5) Started a new tradition of Christmas tree shopping in our own back yard.

6) Waged a war on ticks with the help of a new flock of guineas.

7) Dealt with the worst heartbreak we'd ever experienced as homesteaders and learned to let our bad experiences strengthen us.

8) Eight new little pullets were added to our flock; one of which turned out to be a rooster!

9) Started a new series on the blog called Feathered Friend Friday.

10) Lots of progress was made with Duchess. She's so playful and happy now!

11) Started a facebook page for the blog and also registered a custom domain name for the blog.

12) For the first time ever, we witnessed eggs hatching and became proud grandparents!

13) Successfully completed the logging process on our 20 acres of woods. Still working on clean up, though!

14) Perhaps my favorite change over the past year - finally upgraded to a new camera!

15) Learned so much about gardening this past year and plan to use what we've learned to help us out with next year's garden.

This past year has been a wild ride. Can't wait to see what the next year brings!

~Tammy

The Color Run

Last Saturday I did something I never thought I'd do...

I ran a 5k! Well, walked and ran, but you get the gist. A couple months ago some of my friends stumbled upon this amazing 5k called The Color Run and we agreed to run it together. You may remember from this post that I took up running earlier this year, so I figured I could complete the 5k no problem.

Well, life happened and I got off track with my running. Instead I picked back up on rebounding to get in my exercise. I figured I'd be keeping my legs strong so I'd be good for the 5k. While running it I felt pretty great and finished at a time I was shooting for (about 40 minutes - it wasn't timed, so I don't know exactly), but the next morning the muscle aches set in! I am still pretty sore, especially first thing in the morning. I feel like an old lady! I guess I can't be a weekend warrior after all.

But even with the pain, it was so worth it.

We started off the race nice and clean with bright white shirts. Along the path of the 5k, there are different checkpoints where runners get pelted with powdered color (non-toxic corn starch based dyes).

And we're off! Thanks to my friend Heather for snapping photos :)

After crossing the finish line, you come out looking something like this.

I didn't get too covered in color while running the 5k, but the after party was another story. Everyone gathers past the finish line and on the count of ten throws a packet of color up in the air. It was complete and utter chaos!

And this time, I got COVERED in color.

It was such a cool experience and I'm so glad I did it. The Color Run is a great way to break into 5ks because it is such a laid back and fun event. It's not timed, so there's really no pressure. Many people walk the whole way and there's no urge to jockey for position and get ahead of the pack. It's more about enjoying the scenery and the morning with about 15,000 fellow runners. Oh, and coming out as colorful as possible of course!

~Tammy

Bollinger Mill

The last time David and I took a long vacation was in July of 2009 when we went to New Mexico to visit his parents. We were there for about a week and had a blast. Our first flock of baby chicks arrived in August of 2009 and we have not been on a long vacation ever since! It's really hard to get away because if we are gone overnight we have to arrange for someone to take care of our menagerie of animals.

The solution - day trips! These tend to work out better for us anyway because it can be a spontaneous thing, requires no time off from work, and of course is way cheaper.

This weekend I was feeling a little adventurous and wanted to do some exploring. David and I hadn't been to Bollinger Mill since we were kids, so I thought it would be fun to check it out again. It's just a short 30 minute drive from our place, so it was a great afternoon getaway.

Inside the mill, there are a lot of great displays featuring old equipment. I loved these old grain bags and the huge grain cart!

To me, the best feature is the covered bridge next to the mill - it's one of only four remaining covered bridges in the state.

Taken through a hole in the wood from inside the bridge.

If you want to, you can go down and take a dip in the water. After seeing this, though, I decided I'd stay on dry land. Unacceptable bacteria levels? No, thank you!

This would be a really great getaway for families because there are lots of picnic tables outside and there is plenty of open land for kids (or adults!) to run around and play. Just stay out of the water! :)

After checking out all the mill had to offer, we went to the cutest little antique shop just up the road.

I got an adorable chicken platter and David got a game called Dragonriders. So predictable, I know!

He couldn't wait until we got home to check it out!

I also found the most perfect piece of furniture ever. I want to put it in the bathroom for storage, so we took the measurements and are trying to figure out if it will work. I'm so obsessed with it! So obsessed, in fact, that I'm not going to describe it or post a picture for fear that someone else will swipe it!

If you've never been to Bollinger Mill or haven't been since you were a kid, you should definitely check it out. It's worth the drive!

~Tammy