We had a GREAT day  at the Western North Carolina Nature Center.  The kids reminded to pack their camera’s so they could document their day at the center.  The grounds were so unique,you do not even feel like you’re in a nature center.  The animals move freely in their habitats ; I usually have such a hard time when I see animals in “cages”.  We had a blast talking to a huge Black Bear; who seemed to understand what we were saying.  Sophia, said she spoke bear and gave us her abridged version of what he said, it involved a lot of food & moving to our house:) I have posted a few pictures from the day. Still working on Sophia’s camera, I will have her photos up soon.

I am so scared of snakes, Logan had to take this one!

Not sure if Sophia is napping??

Logan is napping

Stay tuned for  more  of our adventures. We will also be posting some of our favorite Summer Time picnic ideas.  We try to have a least one themed picnic a week.  This week will be celebrating St John Tide Day(the Joyful Feast of St. John) with a roaring fire and tons of delicious foods for the grill, including a grilled strawberry cheesecake.

Since we are lucky enough to live in one of the most beautiful places in the country( at least our opinion:)  We decided in honor of the Summer solstice;  Logan & Sophia would create a photo journal of their Summer … Continue reading →

Before my journey into Waldorf I spent 10 years formulating natural products for several different companies & individuals. Now, after  a 2 year sabbatical I am ready to jump back in. Using only pure essential oils  &  certified organic herbs our products are some of the purest in the market.  One oil I find a lot of  use for this time year is citronella; we make glycerin soaps (great for camping), our own natural insect repellant with eucalyptus leaves and finally a great way is to just place a small amount in a diffuser when your outside.

Citronella in the Raw

One of our favorite recipes:

Sophia’s Big Bug Wipe-out

1 8oz dark colored bottle

¼ cup aloe vera liquid

¼ cup carrier oil of your chose (soy is one of our favorites)

1/3 cup of witch hazel

1.5 oz citronella (you may add more if needed but I usually go with the less is more approach)

Fill the rest of the bottle with purified water.

The kids really enjoy making the soaps and we do a lot of math exercises while creating Sophia’s Big Bug Wipe Out.  Both of my kids are very tactical,so doing an exercise with fractions where they can be involved in the process as well as have something to show for it when their done has made math lessons a lot easier.  They recently made a 1/2 dozen to share with friends and family and loved it.

If you’re interested in purchasing 2 oz bottle of citronella hit the PayPal tab on the right and our account  so_lo_designs@yahoo.com

You’re purchasing a good and please put in the message box how many bottles you would like along with code

Citro0611.  $7.50

2 oz bottle

Enjoy!!!!

About two years ago we decided to investigate Waldorf education after a good friend of ours told us about it.  I am one of those research types so to the computer I went and Googled everything Waldorf.  First, I  got recipe after recipe of how to make the most delicious Waldorf Salad; then it was the Waldorf Astoria in NYC.  Finally, after placing one keyword in the search”education” the world of Rudolph Steiner was before me and wow did it make my brain hurt.  For those of you that have not read Rudolph Steiner you may not understand the pain that ran through my brain; for those who have read Steiner,  I am hoping you might be able to relate.  Steiner was brilliant and his philosophies were cutting edge (especially during the time of most of his writing WWII).   I needed to find something that was more like “Waldorf for Dummies”.  I do not mean the place I looked were for dummies,  it just explained in a way that person like me (new to Waldorf Education) could understand.  I soon found  blog after blog of extremely educated women who spoke of the philosophies in way I could comprehend.  The more I read the more I wanted to read; it became somewhat of a obbession.  I starting buying books on Amazon, watching webinars and attending local lectures.  I guess you could say our  wild journey in Anthroposophy & Waldorf Education had begun and I was loving it