Finding Warmth

The cooler weather is finally upon us. Finally.

Time for finding warmth.  

Cyber Monday Sales!!!!!!

The Indigo Forest is having a SALE!! Use coupon code: JOY10 for 10% off your ENTIRE order!!!! (I may extend this sale a day or two past midnight tonight!)

AND

Use coupon code: LEATHER15 for 15% off your ENTIRE order in my mother's Etsy shop, NCbeadsNbags !! (Sale will last several days!)

Thank you so much for your support!!

Kellie

Now up for sale...

Here it is! Our Newest product! We currently have two different scents up for sale :: Winter Festival (peppermint, cinnamon leaf, & sweet orange) & Spice Garden (cinnamon leaf & lavender). All using organic and natural ingredients. We only use essential oils in our lip balms. (Due to the use of cinnamon leaf EO in our lip balms, do not use if pregnant)

New At The Indigo Forest!

We have been busy at The Indigo Forest! We have been enjoying working with felt lately. We use a wool blend felt (wool & rayon) and we love it. Our newest felt items are seen above. This is just a little something I came up with. I have to say, I think these little Weather Pals are adorable. And in the tradition of having variety, The Indigo Forest will soon be carrying lip balms! (So keep checking in, there's always something new and interesting)

God Bless.

Cleaning Cloth Menstrual Pads

I have been using cloth menstrual pads for around 3 years and I *love* it. I have found there are many ways of cleaning cloth pads. Much like cloth diapers. It's all about personal preference. Here is my method : : after I am done with a pad, I simple wrap it up until I take my shower (which is usually more frequently done when I am on my period) and rinse them out (yes, by hand) in the shower. I ring them out as best I can, then I toss them in the wash, usually a hot wash with the towels and dry in the dryer. It's as simple as that. Now, in the past I would use Bac-Out as a pre-treatment to the pads, but for a good while now I haven't had it on hand, but today I came across a video that talks about how to wash cloth pads and they had a recipe for a very simple homemade pre-soak treatment that I love. I tweaked the recipe a bit and here is what I will be using from now on to pre-treat my cloth ::

*Cloth Mentstrual Pre-Soak*

**2 Tb hydrogen peroxide

**2 Tb liquid soap (I used lavender Dr. Bronner's)

**2 cups warm water

**10 drops of eucalyptus oil (for it's disinfecting properties)

*Add all of these ingredients into a squirt bottle/spray bottle and use to pre-treat your cloth pads

I'm really excited that I found this recipe and I hope it really helps get my pads extra clean!

(recipe adapted from Luna Pads)

Colors.

Looking for something to do on a rainy day (or any day for that matter)? Find this project and more here.

Pesto-Tomato-Spinach Sandwich

*Pesto-Tomato-Spinach Sandwhich*

(recipe makes one sandwich)

I created this sandwich today with ingredients I had on hand. I hope you will try this sandwich and enjoy it as much as I did!

*Start with freshley prepared pesto, about 2 Tbs

*2-3 Tbs full fat sour cream

*Half a medium tomato, sliced

*1/4 Cup baby spinach

*1 Mini ciabatta bread loaf

*Pinch of kosher salt
(all measurements approx.)

*In a small bowl, mix the pesto with the sour cream

*Cut open the loaf of ciabatta bread

*Slather the sour cream/pesto mixture onto both halves of the bread

*layer the slices of tomato evenly on the bread

*Sprinkle the salt over the tomatoes

*Top with baby spinach

*Add on the top of the ciabatta loaf

*Enjoy!

(This sandwich would also be lovely with some mozzarella slices or provalone cheese)

The Indigo Forest

Garden Vegetable Set

Our newest item from our Etsy store, The Indigo Forest is our garden vegetable set! We are so happy to be adding wood toys again to our shop. Thank you so much for taking a look. Have a wonderful day. God bless.

In The Kitchen...

*Yes, It's okay to drool a little.

Slushies!

Summertime is upon us and I've been making slushies! These slushies are so tasty and they require very little work. I didn't measure anything (as usual), but it's all pretty basic.

:: Water+Ice+Fruit+organic sugar+Secret Ingredient = Yummy!

Now yes, I did say sugar (organic)...it's an ingredient that you could use or just use the natural sweetness of the fruit to do the job. I however was using a lot of sour lemons in my recipes, so they required the extra sweetness in my opinion.

 First up, we have the ever so yummy tropical slushie! Pineapple, strawberry, blueberry, and lemon! (a bit of coconut water/milk would be lovely in this!)

 This was more simply a mixture of lemon (about 3 plus the zest of 1 or 2) and a handful off blueberries!

 (Don't you just love that pale pink color?) Again, a very simple blend of strawberry and lemon! It was a toss up between the lemon-strawberry and the lemon-blueberry. They were both soooo good it was hard to decide which one was my favorite.

Oh yes, I almost forgot! My "secret ingredient" for all of these drinks are pure vanilla extract! *shhhhhhhh about 1.5 teaspoons for each recipe. Sooooo good! It really gives it a good balance and makes these slushies extra special. I hope you all are enjoying your summer and if you want, experiment with your own slushie recipes! Different fruits, using honey instead of sugar, coconut milk! I'm sure I'll be enjoying a few different ones this summer.


God Bless!

The Life Within All That Is...

My husband was helping prune a tree and found this lying on the ground, cut by the man he was helping. It was a part of the tree that had been previously wounded and then healed itself. When my husband picked it up, he couldn't help but notice how this piece looked remarkably like a fetus. He brought it home and showed me. I was blown away! It resembles a baby at around 4 or 5 weeks gestation. Here my younger sister is modeling the piece, amazingly enough...the day I took this picture, is the day my sister found out she was pregnant. 4 weeks pregnant to be approximate. : ) Small wonders.

From The Kitchen...

 This past week in my kitchen I was busy making whey. Whey is a glorious golden liquid that is beneficial to the body in so many ways. (read more about the benefits of whey here.) Making whey is so, so simple to do. To set everything up really only takes a couple of minutes once you have all of your supplies. Here's how I make whey.

 First, you'll want to start with a really good whole milk organic yogurt with live cultures. (unless you have made your own, or are using raw milk...this is what I had on hand.)

 Next you will want to get out your 100 percent cotton cheesecloth and open it up, leaving enough layers intact and spread it over a small non-metal bowl, pour in your yogurt and gather the end up of the cheesecloth securely wrap a rubber band around the top. Carefully slip in the handle of a wooden spoon through a couple of the rubber band loops (as seen in the picture). Gently lift the cheesecloth wrapped yogurt and place over a deeper container. (I put mine over a plastic pitcher, with the ends of the wooden spoons being the support.) Now you wait. Mine drained for about 6 hours. You could certainly strain for longer, but this amount of time gave me about 1 pint of whey.

 Just look and those little dropplets of goodness!

 After the whey has been strained completely from the yogurt, you'll want a nice clean mason jar to store it in.

 Mmm...

 There you have it! You've made whey! Now how easy was that?

 Also, one of the best parts about making whey is....the yummy cream cheese you have after the draining is done! Here I have taken the cream cheese and added some fresh rosemary, turmeric, raw garlic, salt & pepper for a yummy spread.

And with all that whey I just had to start a nice batch of lacto-fermented salsa! I can't wait to try it. What are you making in your kitchen?

Senses: Part 2

                               : : Taste : :

Senses: Part 1

                                : : Sight : :

A Walk In The Woods...

This past weekend, my family and I enjoyed a nice walk at Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve. Besides it being a bit windy outside, we had a lovely time. It was so nice to get out in nature. Hopefully there will be plenty more walks in the woods in the near future!

So much beauty to be found in this world if we just take the time to look.

Giveaway!

Very exciting news! The Indigo Forest is being featured on the blog Bellies and Babies!

The month of April on Bellies and Babies is being dedicated to "The Conscious Family". And We are offering two items for the giveaway. Please check out Nicole's blog Bellies and Babies to see how to enter for a chance to win and to also check out all of the other wonderful posts that will be featured during this month!

Monday Musings....

Sharing with you a little that is on my mind....

* Feeling excited that we actually started a garden this year dispite not having any acutal land to plant! (yay for containers!!)
* We are so excited about the warmer weather coming.
* The joy I'm feeling watching my boys grow and learn.
* Enjoying the fact that my business is taking off nicely! (never thought The Indigo Forest would be a reality!)
* Loving each and everyday, appriciating everyday the Lord has given my family and I.
* Wondering how I am going to do all that I want to in life...?

There is usually more on my mind then this....I just know there is! My mind is always racing a few steps ahead of what I am actually thinking. I'm here, and my mind is already gone, on to the next thing! It's hard to keep up with sometimes.

God Bless.

Taking It All In...

                                        Spring is fast approaching and I couldn't be happier. If fact, we've all been really happy! We have big plans for this spring & summer. We are busy deciding what to grow this year and getting many seeds started. We have also been outside playing and just embracing this warmer weather. I can just feel the many wonderful and exciting moments to come. I feel truly blessed in my life.

God Bless.

What's my age again?

               Gift certificate to Stick Boy. Thanks to my little sis.

                                       Mmmmm....

      My new beautiful sterling silver wedding band. (I'm not much for the flashy stuff. This is Perfect!!)

                               Beer from Natty Greene's

                      The best cheesecake EVER!

                                   I love her!

                                My chamomile brew.

                                  Enough said.

Well, another year older, another year wiser. It's strange. On every single one of my birthdays, I know...okay. I'm an entire year older. Today should feel different. I spend the whole day thinking it should feel different and I feel as though it doesn't, but because of that...it actually does feel different. (okay, that may not have made sense to you, but it does in my own mind...lol). It seems it takes me awhile to adjust to a new age. I'm embracing it. So yesterday I spend the whole day indulging. It felt good I must admit. The day started off with my absolute FAVORITE spot to grab a coffee and a muffin. Stick Boy Bread Company. Mmmmm....... Seriously. Then my sweetie pie husband took me out on a (kid-free) date to Natty Greene's Pub & Brewing Co. It was REALLY good. I had a lovely brew...made with chamomile! We then headed over to another one of our favorite local spots in town. Aviator Brewing Co. The place has such a good atmosphere. The weather was gorgeous for such a day. I had a truly wonderful 23rd birthday.