hogwarts homeschool - herbology

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this post really should be on my hogwarts homeschool blog, but i am not quite ready to dust over there just yet. soon, i promise.

at the start of autumn, we began a new version of herbology. this time around it's just thehobbit & minisoap, with auntiesoap leading the class. in addition to a new teacher, a lot more is expected of them - they are both teens now, after all.

each month professor mudd, as she is calling herself, teaches them about one herb: folklore, medicinal properties, & culinary uses. the rest of the month is spent foraging, cooking, creating, drawing, writing papers, & so on. he is enjoying the increase in work more than i thought he would.

january's herb is chickweed. thehobbit took the above photo when they went foraging in auntiesoaps' neighborhood. once back at her home they set about making a healing salve. (i shall edit this to include instructions for making your own soon. thehobbit forgot his herbology folder there. again.)

photo :: property of thehobbit

for the jar's label he used this free download. scroll down to find the blank version. finally! a use for thehobbit's freakytiny printing. 

some notes on his label:

he forgot to include beeswax in the list of ingredients.

whilst it can be used to heal a myriad of woes, it cannot be used on any med problem. that is a slight exaggeration ;)
edited to add :: prof. mudd informed thehobbit yesterday to not use salves containing comfrey on deep cuts or puncture wounds.

do you use herbal remedies? what is your favorite?

~peace.

honey, i'm home!

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did you miss me? did you even notice i was away? no? NO? & you call yourself my one & only reader. dreadful.

we have been up to our ears in busy these days, & i'm afraid i've not quite gotten the hang of balancing it all. not to mention, mercury has been in retrograde in the most fiercest of fashion! most years i can get the whole way through with only the most casual oh, is it in retrograde? not so this time, not so.

do not fret that this shall be the way of things. i've purchased two calendars to keep me on schedule, dropped a few (some temporarily, others permanently) have-tos, & let thebelfry slip into complete & utter chaos.

with my mind less flabbergasted, it is my hope to be back to regular posting this week! hurrah!

so what's with the photo, you ask? nothing. elfling got hold of my harry potter specs, & i happened to be near my camera. he truly is an odd thing - cannot abide hats on his head, but adored having those on his face.

though, speaking of monsieur potter: i am working on new (free) pdfs for hogwarts homeschool, as well as sets(not free) for the soon-to-be-open hh shop! more about that last bit later :)

alas, our visit has come to an end. the wee one is now awake, & i must go snuggle him. see you tomorrow.

~peace.

in which pouches lead me astray

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unrelated photo of our pomegranate bush

i meant to finish the cabinet today; so i could share the photos with you; but i cannot. instead i'll be spending the day focusing on pencil pouches. well, in between all the focusing on sweet bébé toes, of course.

there are a few pouches that need to get photographed, & put in theshop, & still others in various states of puttogetherness (real word). there is even one square pouch, filled with 24 mini colored pencils (& embroidered with my sweet snail) that was meant to go to tomorrow's give-away on soulemama. you see, i've been so scatterbrained of late, that i forgot to take it to the post office. by the time i realized, it was too late to get it there in time. ah well, i shall pop it in theshop instead.

i found some fun vintage-looking images at a discount store last week. they will be perfect on pencil pouches for the older kids: old school phone, iron, typewriter, fan, etc. some i'll offer with colored pencils, others without. i do realize that not everyone wants colored pencils. by the way, if you ever want one of my pouches, but don't need the pencils, let me know, & i'll knock a few dollars off the pouch!

we are going to visit manlyman's mom for a few days, so i do need to get all these pouches completed & listed asap. it's hard to believe it is not-back-to-school back-to-school for all you in-schoolers time already. where did the summer go?

i also need to finish a pouch for a sweet girlie's birthday. oh & i am getting to make her birthday cake's bunting! yay! if you are local, & want me to make a cake topper (with proper height skewers) for you, let me know. i am not going to put them in myshop though, because the idea was not mine. oh! but the number mushroom in that photo shall be! more on that later.

that's all for today. i'm off to snuggle my napping boy a bit longer, then it's pouches, pouches, pouches.
~peace.

the return of hogwarts

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homeschool, that is. enjoy!

~peace.