Eco Natural Soap Review & GIVEAWAY!

I was recently contacted by Alicia Hicks with Eco Natural Soap asking if I'd like to do a review and giveaway of some of their products. I hadn't heard of their company before, so I immediately went to their website to check it out. I was amazed at the selection and happy to see the tag line "Products made with pure, natural organics."

For the past few years, I have been trying to transition our body and home care items away from those full of chemicals to natural, organic options, so I was thrilled to try out several items from the shop. Alicia generously sent me two bars of soap, a lip balm, a facial balm, and a body balm.

That night when I received the package in the mail, I used the facial hydration bar to wash my face before bed. I have been using bar soap on my face for a while now, and find most to be quite drying. I was overjoyed after using the bar because my face felt so hydrated and smooth. I followed up with the facial hydration balm which made my skin feel even more fabulous. The balm is so concentrated that only a pea-sized amount is needed for the entire face. At this rate, my container will last forever!

The following morning I used the spearmint lavender bath & body bar in the shower and all I can say is WOW! The scent was so invigorating and pleasant. I used a loofah along with the soap which produced a thick, luscious lather. I truly felt like I was at a spa!

My hands have been really dry lately with the cold winter weather, but the dry skin balm totally cleared that up. I just rubbed a very small amount on my hands and my dryness totally disappeared. It left my hands feeling so smooth and supple with no greasy feeling whatsoever. And the citrus sunrise scent was totally intoxicating; it smelled like I had just zested a whole bag of fresh lemons!

I have been using the organic lip balm nonstop since receiving it. I love how rich and hydrating the balm feels. I haven't had to worry about dry, chapped lips ever since (David has been using it as well!).

Eco Natural Soap is generously gifting one of my readers their choice of any two bars of soap, one body balm, and one lip balm (US residents only). All you have to do is visit their website  at http://econaturalsoap.com/, choose which items you love the most, and let me know in a comment below.

If you are a follower of my blog, let me know in a separate comment for another entry, and if you like Eco Natural Soap on Facebook (go here and be sure to let them know I sent you) tell me in another comment for an additional entry. That's up to three entries per person! Please make sure to include a valid email address in your comment(s) so I can contact you if you are the winner. Giveaway ends on Friday, January 25th, 2013 at 11:59pm CST. Winner will be chosen at random via random.org and I will announce the winner on Saturday, January 26th.

Just in case you can't wait to purchase some of their items, Alicia has graciously offered all of my readers a 15% discount on any and all of their products with no restrictions and no minimum purchase. Simply enter coupon code tam150125 at checkout to receive the discount. You may use the discount code as often as you like until the end of the day on Friday, January 25th, 2013. 

Good luck!!!

~Tammy

*****GIVEAWAY CLOSED***** Winner is Jessica Lane from Barefoot By The Sea!

Shared with Katherine's Corner 

*Disclaimer: The products photographed and listed above were provided to me free of charge for the purpose of this review. All opinions stated herein are my own.

Feathered Friend Friday

Welcome to our series "Feathered Friend Friday." Every Friday I write a post with interesting facts, photos, videos, or funny stories about our chickens and guineas. If you need to catch up, you'll find all the Feathered Friend Friday posts here.    

I've mentioned before that I love to give my chickens oatmeal when it is cold outside, but recently I tried out something else that they went equally crazy for.

I've heard others talking about doing it, and I don't know why I waited so long to try it out! I put some of their regular feed (16% protein layer crumbles) in a bowl and mixed it with warm water until it was a porridge type consistency. Just plain old food mixed with water - and they thought it was a special treat! Especially Duchess, who had to come see what all the fuss was about.

It does smell a little stinky, but it's not too overpowering. The chickens didn't seem to mind the smell (check out this article, 8th paragraph for more on their sense of smell) or the fact that their faces got pretty messy!

Poor Roosty's wattles are so big, they are bound to get covered in whatever he's eating or drinking!


~Tammy

Shared with Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop, Sunny Simple Sunday, Weekly Top Shot, Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Backyard Farming Connection Hop, Farm Girl Blog Fest

Love Of Animals

My love of animals started at a very young age when my parents surprised me with a tiny calico kitten named Patches. I can still remember the day I got her. I was so excited! Apparently I loved to tote her around and pose for photos because I found this in an old photo album a while back.

I had Patches until I was in college and we had to put her down. It was the hardest decision I ever had to make. My love of animals didn't end there, though. David got the cutest little kitten named Jasper while we were in college. Jasper is still with us today and a very important part of our family.

After we were married, we decided to get another cat. That's when the crazy Fitz entered our lives! (David is an animal lover, too.)

Up until a few years ago, I didn't realize how my love of animals would extend to include so many different species! After the cats, there were the chickens. Aster B was my chicken soul mate. We lost her last summer and it was such a hard time, I couldn't even talk about her to anyone. But now I can remember the good times and be happy she was in my life.

We got Duchess after moving to our homestead, and I learned how to love a neglected, shy dog and earn her trust and love in return.

Last year, we hatched out our first ever eggs from our guineas and I fell in love with the tiny keets.

We haven't had the pleasure of raising any other livestock just yet, but I have met a sweet little lamb and an adorable cow and was totally smitten with them.

I even got to play with a mini horse once!

While David played with the normal-sized horses (they kind of scare me!).

Once my grandma told me "You could make a pet out of anything!" and I believe it's true. It's hard to explain to someone who's not as crazy about animals as I am, but I definitely could not live without them. They add so much joy and richness to my life and make me a better person.

"Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much the larger and better in every way." - John Muir

~Tammy

Shared with Farm Girl Blog Fest 

Winter Salad With Cranberry-Orange Dressing

I usually read a magazine while eating lunch at work, and Prevention is one of my favorites. Last week I came across a recipe that really caught my eye. I love cranberries, and I'm always looking for ways to eat more greens, so this salad looked promising. I have to say, it totally delivered.

Winter Salad With Cranberry-Orange Dressing
from Prevention Magazine
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh cranberries (I used frozen, thawed)
1/4 cup orange juice (freshly squeezed makes all the difference)
2 T olive oil
2 T honey (or agave to make it vegan)
2 T chopped shallot (I used scallions)
1 T water
1 t grated fresh ginger
4 cups winter salad greens
1/2 cup orange segments
1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries
Salt & pepper

Directions: 
1. To make the dressing, combine the cranberries, orange juice, olive oil, honey, shallot, water, ginger, and salt & pepper in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.
2. Toss salad greens, orange, and dried cranberries in a large bowl with enough dressing to coat.

This salad is bright, beautiful, and bursting with flavor. I am on a pomegranate kick right now, so I added some pomegranate seeds which contributed even more color and texture. A handful of freshly-shelled pecans from David's grandma made an excellent addition as well.

The balance of sweet and tart works so well in this salad. It's definitely a keeper for us (David loved it) and I can foresee lots of this salad in my future when our lettuce garden starts to boom this year!

~Tammy

Shared with What I Am Eating, Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Farm Girl Blog Fest, Tweak It Tuesday, Sunny Simple Sunday, Hearth & Soul Hop, Backyard Farming Connection Hop, Down Home Blog Hop, Thursday Favorite Things, Healthy Vegan Friday, Tasty Tuesdays, Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop