Pine Resin Soap

Some time back,

I shared that I was infusing oil with pine resin.

It is a natural antiseptic

and smells absolutely wonderful.

You can see how it came about right here.

To my embarrassment, 

I forgot to share the results

once the oil was infused.

I have made a couple batches of soap

and a small batch of lotion bars.

It makes a great soap;

however, there were a few differences.

When I went to use the stick blender,

it thickened really quickly.

Also, it is darker than usual

which doesn't really matter to us.

It's usually a soft white color.

Mr. LB was having reactions to store bought soap~

even the ones for sensitive skin.

He has had no reactions and loves the smell of this.

If you have the opportunity to get some pine sap,

I would strongly suggest it.

The sap in a thrift store pan
that I don't ever plan on using
for kitchen purposes.


I heated it over a low heat
so it could be poured into
a glass jar and mixed
with olive oil.





I filled each jar about
1/4 full then poured olive oil
in to fill the jar.
I actually left it for about
2-3 months before using it
for the soap.
For the first batch,
I used all infused oil.
The second batch,
I used half infused and 
half regular olive oil.
It turned out equally well
with no other changes made to the recipe.

I treasure this oil and will be on the look out for more any time
we go get firewood from now on.

Until next time,
Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

Classic American Clothespins

There is nothing like an inferior clothespins

to ruffle my feathers.

Our canine companion thinks it's just a fun game.

I go to hang laundry,

get said inferior clothespin in proper pincer grip,

go to pinch clothes to line,

SNAP!

it breaks and flies,

Rip (short for seam-ripper) goes into attack mode.

Those flying objects are no match for his sharp teeth.

He'll show'em.

He's going to be so disappointed when I use clothespins that actually work.

No more attack the flying clothespin game.

One of my Christmas blessings this year

was a  bag of Classic American Clothespins

from Herrick Kimball.

Source here

I was so excited.

I actually ordered them for myself

since there was a waiting list to get them.

They came ready to be assembled.  The sand paper and emery board were included incase of any rough spots (as well as the springs-not pictured.)

I want them to last for the rest of my life so I first gave them a

generous dose of linseed oil.

Since I was at it, I decided to go ahead and oil my old ones too.

I then mixed up a batch of wood wax.  I melted the beeswax in a tin can

then mixed it all together in a little old chipped teacup I had.

I like the wide-mouth of the teacup.

It makes using a rag/cloth easier.

It's not set-up in this picture.

I had to stir it up several times.

The recipe that Herrick recommends is the same one that I had,

so that was reassuring.

I've used it on furniture, and really like the results. 

(Recipe included at end of post)

Here is the common clothespin available in most laundry sections of the store.

One of the old 'good' ones that my mom gave me when I was whining

about crummy clothes pins.

And on the right one of my new American Classic Clothespins.

And I just couldn't resist - the real ends of the spectrum:

a plastic clothespin vs. AC clothespin.

We have snow on the ground right now

so I haven't had the opportunity to use them yet,

but I can hardly wait.

As I was putting them together,

I told Mr. LB, "Let me see your finger." :)

The springs are nice and strong.

It will be so nice to be able to hang jeans and not break the clothespins.

Wood Wax Recipe

2 Tablespoons linseed oil

2 Tablespoons turpentine

1 ounce beeswax (melted)

Mix together and rub on wood products.

Please be sure to follow any safety precautions on ingredient labels.

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

Drying Apricots & Too Much Eventfulness!

Why we don't go on vacations...

Last weekend being long for the holiday,

we decided to take a little trip.

Not too far, just outta Dodge for 3 days.

I found a great little camp site with 5 sites

each with its own picnic table & shade trees between.

It was at the end of a short street so no traffic etc.

We were camper #7 to pull in.

We were parked on a crusty lawn in the blazing sun,

no table & only some lilacs separating us from the owners house.

"Oh, well, we'll be out and about quite a bit.

It will be okay."

We had been up since 5 AM because that's just what time we wake.

Fireworks didn't start until 10:15 PM.

We didn't stay to watch all of them

as we were falling asleep and didn't want to be

in drunken traffic or teenager traffic or whatever other traffic.

We went back to the camper and were out by the time

our heads hit the pillows.

About 2:30 AM the owners family all came

rolling in with hoopin' and hollerin' & language like I won't repeat, and 

went directly between us and the house.

The next day, the owner apologized then proceeded to inform

me that there would be different music at each bar in town.

Mr. LB & I talked and decided just to come home.

On the way home, we saw Mr. LB's brother fishing

so ended up stopping and fishing a little longer than we should have.

I took over driving when Mr. LB started snoring behind the wheel.

He hadn't slept since 2:30 AM.  I did a little.

We rolled in about 9:30-10 PM.

We slept in until 6-6:30 then decided to go get a load of wood.

They opened the forest since the last rain

and we were home anyways.

It turned into a very long hot (100+) day.

Got a nice load of red fir and returned home about 9 PM.

I was so hot and tired, I didn't care about food.

Mr. LB had to eat or he would have been sick the next day as

he uses up all his spare calories.

I cooked while he showered.  Then he ate while I showered.

Monday we were still zapped.

Tuesday, I picked up some bulk meat to divy up and freeze.

We still hadn't unloaded the wood.

Wed. my M-I-L gave me 2 big boxes of apricots so I got to work on those.

I don't care for them fresh but love them dried.

Five racks on the dryer going constantly since Wed. night.

Still have 4 or 5 cookie sheets (so they are single layer)

in the little room where they will keep better.

This isn't even all of them:)

Thursday, I put some lamb chops in marinate for Sunday's company.

Today (Sat.) was my first day home in a while.

Got the lawn mowed and watered, did 4 or 5 loads of laundry

which I usually do Thursdays, did most of the ironing, made a gallon

of homemade ice cream and was cleaning house since we have

company coming tomorrow, .

If there was a 'weeds in the garden' competition,

I would win - so weeded a ton in the garden.

Bustling and busy and sweaty all day.

About 7:30, went to do up the tail end of some dishes and start dinner.

No Water!

Mr. LB is at Home Depot (over an hour away) with my dad, as I type this,

purchasing a new well pump.

I'm not sure how long it will take to install it, but

I am thankful we live next to a river.

I went down with my towel and soap.

It was rather invigorating to say the least.

Hoping we get it all put together and have water before company.

I'm curious - what does a day off feel like?

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

PS- Mr. LB just called: they are 30-40 min. out, and

they are hoping to get the pump in tonight. It's 9 PM.

Our Mountain Community

A few years back,

a member of our little mountain community

passed away

leaving an elderly widow ~L.

That fall, one of the neighbors

suggested we get her wood in for her.

(We asked her first.)

We did and have done so each year since.

Anything L. produces in the kitchen

is amazing, and she always

makes a supply of goodies...

so we won't run short on energy of course.

This year she had to be gone,

but we went and got it all done for her anyways.

There is another neighbor

who is 'slowing down' a little

and lives right across from L,

so we just walked on over and

started in splitting and stacking his pile too.

I think he had tears in his eyes~

(I'm sure it was just some sawdust.)

Afterwards, the majority of us

went to one of the neighbors house

where there was a big pot of chili

and pans of homemade cornbread waiting.

We don't bother each other regularly,

but we do watch out for each other.

We have a couple gatherings a year 

at which we all chip in.

It works out great - 

no one person is put on the spot.

If anybody needs something,

we can round up a crew with little effort.

There are so many places where 

the folks don't even know who lives

right next door.

I am so thankful for these

neighbors & friends.

PS: This was before the cold snap; had to get pictures from a neighbor:)

Until next time,
Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

Do You "Prepare" for Winter?

Around here, we prepare for winter.

Though there are a few more things 

I would like to see finished up before the snow flies,

I am beginning to ease up a bit.

Over the past couple months,

we have been working in the garden

in order to stock up.

And I am actually glad to say that I think

my love affair with my pressure-canner

has come to an end for the season.

I finished stacking the wood this morning.

There is still some bark mess to deal with,

but the wood is in order.

I dug a few spuds this morning as well.

I'm not sure why it is that digging spuds

makes me feel so successful.

Maybe it's because you have to trust

that they are there even when you can't see them.

Most of mine still have green plants 

so it might be November before I get to dig more.

I also pruned my tomatoes,

having just learned about that this year.

A dear friend told me she had finished

pruning hers.  It sounded so funny.

I told her my plants were loaded

with green tomatoes.

She said if you prune all the 'tops'

and any new growth,

the plant will feed the tomatoes better.

We will probably get one more salad

worth of lettuce from the garden

as it is beginning to bolt.

I feel pretty fortunate.

We haven't had to buy lettuce since June.

I just planted some in with a house plant

to see if I can get some to grow inside.

No matter where you live,

it's probably a good idea to be prepared

for at least a couple days

of no power, closed roads, or whatever

might come about.

If you have a barbecuer,

make sure it has propane (if it's that kind:)

It's still possible to cook on it in winter

~just not as much fun as in summer.

And last but not least,

don't forget water...

that one's pretty important.

All done?

Time for a cup of hot cocoa.

Yum.

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches