mamaroots

nutty for nutmeg!

It is time for the end of the month give-away our favorite zine Herbal Roots Zine!  For December Kristine has put together a great issue for Nutmeg.  I have always wanted to welcome in grating fresh nutmeg and I think now is the time.  One of the boys favorite before bed winter drinks is warm milk with a sprinkle of nutmeg!

Leave a comment between now and Friday at midnight for a chance to win the December issue.  For bonus entries follow me on 

Twitter or Facebook- mamaroots 

follow Kristine on Facebook- herbal roots zine

I am sourcing out some wonderful organic Nutmeg myself!  Check out the above lovely assortment at the link.  While you are at it- check out my give-away that I am doing at Herbal Roots Zine, a wood crane from the November issue- good luck!

basil bugs

Just smidge early, but you should bop on over to Herbal Roots Zine for a chance to win one of my ladybugs, the featured critter for the August issue of Herbal Roots Zine.  

If a picture can say a million praises for raising kids with an herbal knowledge, this one can!  Silas was helping me take the picture and perpetually munching on fresh basil!

Tell Kristine hi and be sure to check out this fantastic zine if you have not had a chance to yet!

in my wheelbarrow

The wheel on my wheelbarrow went round and round yesterday.  Loads of lucious compost went into the woods to nourish my young elderberry plants.  Then loads of fallen leaves from the dry trees went down to the chicken run.  

It was a complete circle feeling that finally starting coming together in our little small urban setting.  All of this rich compost from years of tossing it down being put to use and the leaves giving back to the chicken bedding. They were all quite curious as to what we were doing!

In the meantime hubby was putting in the nesting area of the coop, we are hearing reports of friends getting their first eggs so we are pretty sure ours will be coming soon!  What color of paint do you think?  I am thinking turqouise or bright yellow for the nest area.  

give-away!

Herbal Roots Zine is ready for July!  Here is your chance to win a copy of the July issue- it is all about Oats! Who does not love oats?  Oatmeal in the winter, oats in my granola in the summer, spring, and fall!  If you love oats and love this fabulous resource for kiddos than this is the give-away for you!

Just leave me a comment between now and Sunday at midnight and I will e-mail the lucky winner on Monday afternoon.  

Bonus entry points for following 

herbal roots on facebook

me- mamaroots on facebook and twitter

I am looking forward to learning more about oats.  One little treat I recently discovered at the store is BelVita breakfast biscuits.  I am probably just a sucker for the slick Nabisco advertising, but I went for it and the Golden Rolled Oats with a banana was delicious for the mornings I needed a quick breakfast option. They have a pretty simple list of ingredients and most seem to be pretty whole.  

You still have time to win one of my wood critters if you pop on over to Herbal Roots Zine where I am sponsoring a give-away for the critter from this last month's Herbal Roots Zine- a green lacewing.  I had not idea how beneficial these fellas were!  It is one of the many wonderful side benefits of Herbal Roots Zine- you get the learn about a critter each month too!  

Good Luck!

Congrats- Mandy you are the winner, please check your e-mail for your copy!

thyme winner!

Congrats to Eidolons!  You are lucky #3 and the winner for the June Issue of Herbal Roots- be watching your e-mail today for a link- enjoy!

for the love of a can of spray paint

Can I bore you with one more before and after picture?  Saved from the curb a couple of years ago from my neighbors purge, I stuck this small metal birdbath in the woods.  I never gave too much thought to it until I saw this dandy at the local hardware shop that was similar to this one.  Though I am still in-love with that one, a can of spray paint was much cheaper!  

So I roughed it up with a steel brush and sprayed away- not too shabby, or wait it is shabby chic that is!  I am so glad that Valspar started making these new colors in spray can.  I will always shout out the virtues of spray paint!  

it is thyme for another give-away

"Thyme" for the monthly give-away featuring Herbal Roots Zine- hope you enjoyed catnip in May!  I have to use dried catnip most of the time and Ms Escher Louise- resident loved feline will eat it all everytime I plant it!  

Here is your chance to win a copy of Herbal Roots for June featuring thyme- if you have enjoyed Herbal Roots Zine in the past you know all the great work and detail that Kristine puts into this each month.  A good resource to have for now and I often find myself referring to past issues.

If you would like a chance to win a copy, leave a comment between now and Thurs at midnight.  I will draw a winner and e-mail you a copy of the zine of Friday.  

Bonus entry points for following:

mamaroots on twitter

mamaroots on facebook

herbalroots zine of facebook

Good luck and for a chance to win on my wood critters- hope on over to Herbal Roots Zine for a chance to win a wood cat!

redo shroom

I have been losing myself in the making of my own little spot of enchanted forest and glen.  I threw myself head strong into my woods that I have been working on for a couple years a few feet at a time.  This year I put on the boxing gloves on and with the help of friends with trailers and my devoted hubby and sons the remaining honeysuckle went down.  And don't you worry my honeysuckle friends waiting to show your ugly heads, I have an arsenal of my long handled loopers, my short feisty snippers, and sorry but yes also a single bottle of round up reserved just for you.  They are super handy in my outhouse garden shed- consider yourself warned!

So I have been enjoying creating beautiful little planting spaces and just starting to relax in the comfort of this little magical spot- heck it is not often you get this right in the central urban part of my town.  I realized I am pretty darn thankful for that.

I had seen several great options to make cutie pie outside furniture that looks mushrooms.  I was set on trying to find the right stool or other upcycled piece to use as a small table.  I could not find anything that would be right.  Then I realized it was right there all along.  An old rusted outside small table my husband had picked up a couple years ago and put in storage in case we need a project someday.  He often hates to see things go to the trash.

Bingo- perfect for a little shroom redo!  A bit of sand paper, rust stop spray paint, and there it is, the perfect addition to the woods- all for under $6!  I am pretty thrilled- I will have to look and see what else is hiding out underneath our deck that I might be able to redo!  

getting ready

The warmer days are coming and as we find our selves outside more on these midwest days I am starting to think about getting ready for the upcoming summer.  A couple of things that I glad to add to the mix this year is a soap I spied at the market the other day.  It is called Summer Soap by a a local Missouri soap company called Prairie Soap Company.  What caught my eye is that is has some essential oils that is undesirable to the local birds we call mosquitoes.  This year is already proving to be a blood loss year!  So I am excited to give this soap a try!  A good summer soap to have on hand too if you can find it is Jewel Weed soap- Jewel weed works great to fight off the affects of poison ivy- it just so happens to grow next to it usually in the wild!

I am working on my knitting still and am hoping to have a set of washclothes ready for my mama for mother's day shhhh!  I think she would like some of this soap too!

The other fun (I don't care how I look) item I found was an old vintage sun bonnet.  I have a hard time with hats because I wear my hair up in a bun often and they do not fit into hats easily- go ahead call me Laura Ingalls Wilder- at least my face and neck will be less red this year!

Now I am ready to tackle setting the foundation for my outhouse/garden shed, plant some more elderberry, and woodland spiderwort.  I am torn on what to plant in a little area next to the outhouse- tempted to do strawberries and rhubarb!  

Speaking of planting- the winner for the Herbal Roots Zine for May is lucky #4- Carol.  I will e-mail you the May issue tonight- enjoy.  You can still stop by Herbal Roots and buy a copy of this month's issue from Kristine- May is all about catnip.  I had bought some catnip to plant and did not get to it fast enough before my cat Escher found it first- nothing but dirt left!  

goodbye April giveaways

Silas said just the other day he is sad the April is saying goodbye!  Me too buddy!  But May is a pretty sweet month too!  Before we say goodbye to April it is time for a give-away.  It is time for herbal love from Kristine at Herbal Roots Zine.  Kristine generously offers one reader here a chance to get the next issue of this great zine for kids.  

Leave me a comment here between now and Thursday and you will entered for a chance to get the May issue delivered right to your e-mail.

Bonus entry points for following:

mamaroots facebook

mamaroots twitter

herbal roots zine facebook

Be sure to be watching for the little bluebird to be given away at the Herbal Roots Zine this week- good luck!