tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59541303627555565002023-11-16T12:11:26.657-05:00Reeny's Butterflies, Blooms, & Bees*~*~*~*Come to my garden and sit with me, among the flowers and honeybees...*~*~*~*Maureen Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405185544348426979noreply@blogger.comBlogger132125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954130362755556500.post-65098238852314167422018-10-29T16:40:00.002-04:002018-10-29T16:40:47.430-04:00Change in Web AddressI know it's been ages since I posted - and it may be awhile yet before I can find the time for a catch-up post... but I wanted to let everyone know that my website address has changed and is now <a href="http://reenysbutterfliesbloomsandbees.com/">http://reenysbutterfliesbloomsandbees.com</a> ! Visit my site for all new products and info on in-person shopping experiences!!Maureen Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405185544348426979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954130362755556500.post-27113704809518810872018-03-09T09:21:00.001-05:002018-03-09T09:21:37.285-05:00BEE-cause Flea Appearance<div style="text-align: center;">
On Saturday March 17th I will be participating in the second annual Bee
cause Flea at the Tropical Audubon Society. I will be giving a lecture
on Backyard Hobby Beekeeping. I will discuss how I became a beekeeper
and how I started Reeny’s Butterflies Blooms and Bees. I will give a
demonstration on how to make lip balm using my honey and Beeswax.
Please come out and participation in this great event.</div>
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Maureen Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405185544348426979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954130362755556500.post-54679885676049213772018-01-19T19:19:00.001-05:002018-01-21T15:20:47.194-05:00Working Hard to Catch Up - Introducing New Equipment!<div style="text-align: center;">
I haven't been able to catch up with my blog for quite some time - I am so sorry! Lots has been going on, and I promise to try and find time to update you all on things soon!</div>
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For now, as you can see below, I have been busy making soaps during the holiday
but they are still curing. With the weather and holidays many of my
ingredients to make lotions and sugar scrubs have still not reached my
home. Sorry for the delay and inconvenience - I am working as fast as
possible!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghA-9-vrNeW9xEo91e3wZVN8rnTjjQ2KngnzZQoBQ5SyNhf5C29GkJztd_fAoYDxwgT0IJM3DSNrhSguSbI6NmroI3gXdH5o25q2762X2rndHP1RtL85XiB2_1oDUZtA5REF9X56bRFBVX/s1600/26168179_1040568152753117_743353184831046365_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="634" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghA-9-vrNeW9xEo91e3wZVN8rnTjjQ2KngnzZQoBQ5SyNhf5C29GkJztd_fAoYDxwgT0IJM3DSNrhSguSbI6NmroI3gXdH5o25q2762X2rndHP1RtL85XiB2_1oDUZtA5REF9X56bRFBVX/s320/26168179_1040568152753117_743353184831046365_n.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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Also - believe it or not I am finally opening my present from Santa to me! It
was a little chaotic with babies on Christmas Day! Too much to open so I
am finally introducing my Electra-Press bath bomb machine in Hot Pink
with glitter! I love it <span class="_5mfr _47e3"><img alt="" class="img" height="16" role="presentation" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/f68/1/16/1f495.png" width="16" /><span class="_7oe">💕</span></span><span class="_5mfr _47e3"><img alt="" class="img" height="16" role="presentation" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/f68/1/16/1f495.png" width="16" /><span class="_7oe">💕</span></span><span class="_5mfr _47e3"><img alt="" class="img" height="16" role="presentation" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/f68/1/16/1f495.png" width="16" /><span class="_7oe">💕</span></span><span class="_5mfr _47e3"><img alt="" class="img" height="16" role="presentation" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/f68/1/16/1f495.png" width="16" /><span class="_7oe">💕</span></span>. It will make production of Bath bombs easier and more efficient:</div>
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My first use of the new machine I made Oatmeal Milk & Honey Bath Bombs:</div>
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I love it!<span class="_5mfr _47e3"><img alt="" class="img" height="16" role="presentation" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/f68/1/16/1f495.png" width="16" /><span class="_7oe">💕</span></span><span class="_5mfr _47e3"><img alt="" class="img" height="16" role="presentation" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/f68/1/16/1f495.png" width="16" /><span class="_7oe">💕</span></span><span class="_5mfr _47e3"><img alt="" class="img" height="16" role="presentation" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/f68/1/16/1f495.png" width="16" /><span class="_7oe">💕</span></span> Then I made these... getting ready for Valentines day<span class="_5mfr _47e3"><img alt="" class="img" height="16" role="presentation" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/f6c/1/16/2764.png" width="16" /> </span></div>
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If you are looking for products,<span class="_5mfr _47e3"> p</span>lease visit my website at:</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://reenysbutterfliesbloomsandbees.weebly.com/" target="_blank">http://reenysbutterfliesbloomsandbees.weebly.com/ </a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
to see my available items... </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
or visit me in person at:</div>
<br />
<br />
<h2 class="wsite-content-title" style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>Pinecrest Farmer's Market</b></i></h2>
<div class="para-10" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="font-17">11000 Red Road </span></div>
<div class="para-10" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="font-17">Pinecrest, FL 33156</span><span class="font-18"></span><i><b> </b></i></div>
<h2 class="wsite-content-title" style="text-align: center;">
<i><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.greenmarketco-op.org/" target="_blank">http://www.greenmarketco-op.org/</a></span> </b></i></h2>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: medium;"> Every Sunday</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: medium;">9:00 am - 2:00 pm</span></b></div>
<br />
<br />Maureen Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405185544348426979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954130362755556500.post-61940767210007913412016-09-04T09:11:00.000-04:002016-09-06T11:09:08.070-04:00What’s all the Buzz at Broken Sound Club?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">September
is National Honey Month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a backyard
beekeeper I celebrate this month, and give thanks to my bees for every drop of
honey they give me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please follow me on
FB and Instagram as I will post some recipes and be creating some new soaps for
National Honey Month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Earlier
in August I was invited to Broken Sound Club in Boca Raton, Florida.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was invited because I write my blog about
my beekeeping and adventures in my garden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I am not sure if they really were aware that I am also a small backyard
beekeeper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None the less, I was invited
to a very spectacular evening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had
never heard of the Broken Sound Club, in Boca Raton, Florida. But after this
wonderful evening I was quite impressed with what they are doing to raise the
awareness of our environment and the importance of our bees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
Broken Sound Club is one of Boca Raton’s premier country club communities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is an award-winning, year-round, private
golf and country club community. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">So what is all
the buzz at Broken Sound Club?????</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They are celebrating National Honey Month and the Bee Postive Now
campaign #beepositivenow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was so totally impressed with what they are
doing at the country club.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It turns out
that they are a totally sustainable property and practice sustainable
gardening, composting and beekeeping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They actually have 20 bee hives on the two golf courses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had no idea!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact I knew the beekeepers Sierra Malnove
and Al Salopek, who are the president and vice president of Florida Backyard
Beekeepers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Florida Backyard Beekeepers
Association is a non-profit 501c3 organization dedicated to the protection and
preservation of honeybees and their keepers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I am a proud member. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Broken
Sound Club has 3000 members.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They serve
170,000 meals annually. Their golf courses host 55,000 rounds of golf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have 250 acres of Maintained Golf
Course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The country club produces
500,000 pounds annual average food waste and 1.2 million pounds annual average yard
waste.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because they are a forward-thinking
organization they understand the benefits of Sustainability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The General Manager and CEO is a gentlemen
by the name of John Crean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please watch
the video below about the Broken Sound Club. It is quite impressive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He explains in the video that they started
small by realizing how many plastic water bottles and Styrofoam cups they were
using, and banned their use on the property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This grew into a huge campaign
and now they are totally environmentally friendly and sustainable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are recognized by such organizations as
the Audubon Sanctuary, Golf Environment Organization (GEO), LEED Certified, the
Environmental Protection Agency, and Best Management Practices Certified.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is amazing that an organization like this had
the vision and commitment to create such an environment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wish other large organizations and businesses
were this environmentally aware. Other properties such as Trump National and
the Biltmore in Coral Gables should be more aware of such amazing forward
thinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SmtugNpLjIE/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SmtugNpLjIE?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
was invited to a “Beeutiful” evening and chef’s table event to raise awareness
of what they are doing at Broken Sound Club and their Bee Positive Now
initiative.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Throughout
the month of September, the country club will be hosting many different events
to raise the awareness of the importance of our bees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Here is a l<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">ink to</span></span></span> an agenda of all the different
events they will be hosting for the community. #BrokenSoundClub #beesmartclub
#boca4bees, #gothives, #beepositivenow, #bocabees #beethesolution #lovemyhoney
#Queenbee</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?m=1102444973522&ca=9e0e58aa-e704-43ea-a12b-95613a827663" target="_blank"><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><b>CLICK HERE TO VIEW BEESMART EVENTS CAL<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">ENDA<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">R</span></span></b></span></i></a><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Some of the events <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">and infor<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">mation available at the above link include:</span></span></span></span></span><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"> </span></span></b></span></i></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">BEE
Yummy cooking classes and Chef’s Tables</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘Bee
Smart’ Lunch & Learns</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘Bee
Positive’ Tours for children’s groups and schools</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bee
Smart interactive social media education campaign</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Queen
Bee Day at Bloomingdale’s at Town Center on Saturday September 17<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bee
Happy & Smart Day on Saturday September 24<sup>th</sup> at Boca Raton’s
Children’s Museum</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">To
quote the Broken Sound Club and their ‘Bee Positive Now’ campaign “Once you
realize that <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">one in three mouthfuls of
what we eat is dependent upon these pollinators</b>, you know just how
critical it is that each of us to do our part to respect and protect these
life-sustaining eco-heroes.”</span></div>
<br />Maureen Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405185544348426979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954130362755556500.post-14840400342958388152016-08-13T12:29:00.000-04:002016-08-15T12:38:30.372-04:00Let’s Celebrate National Honey Bee Day<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">National
Honey Bee Day is August 20<sup>th</sup> this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you know I have been a beekeeper for 5
years now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For many years I have been
gardening for pollinators of all kinds, i.e. butterflies, hummingbirds, bats,
dragonflies and honeybees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My goal has
been to raise people’s awareness that our pollinators are in trouble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is mostly due, I feel, to pesticides and
the destruction of the pollinators’ natural environment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>30% of the bee colonies have perished in the
last 5 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The USDA now classifies
rapid bee loss as an urgent crisis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pesticides
specifically Neonicotinoids are to blame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The US uses over 1 billion lbs. of them annually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>5.6 billion lbs. are used worldwide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These pesticides are not only affecting
honeybees but all pollinators.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Here is a link about planting pollinator friendly plants!</span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=678565402286729&id=293166290826644" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1471278903475_3115" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=678565402286729&id=293166290826644</a> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">So what can you
do to help our bees and celebrate National Honey Bee Day??</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> y</b>ou
could support your local beekeeper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Know
the practices of your local beekeeper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Not all are alike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example my
yard is pesticide free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do not use
pesticides in my yard or in my hives, so my honey is treatment free. I am a Top
Bar Hive Beekeeper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think this is a
very natural way to keep bees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bees
actually build their own honeycomb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
had my yard certified as a Natural Habitat. That means that I provide a habitat
for birds, butterflies, frogs, and other wildlife by providing natural food
sources, clean water, cover and places to raise young.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plant some flowers and trees that attract
pollinators to your garden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Utilize
plants that are native to your area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reduce or eliminate the impact of pesticides.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Become involved with organizations that
support and protect our pollinators.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
Pollinator Partnership is an organization whose mission </span><span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt;">is to promote the health of
pollinators, critical to food and ecosystems, through conservation, education,
and research.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">
</span><span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Here
is an article by the Pollinator Partnership that talks about 7 Things You Can
Do for Pollinators;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.pollinator.org/7things.htm"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">http://www.pollinator.org/7things.htm</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
Pollinator Partnership also has a program called “The Million Pollinators
Garden Challenge”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="http://pollinator.org/million-pollinator-garden-challenge.htm"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">http://pollinator.org/million-pollinator-garden-challenge.htm</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">; get involved
this is a great challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My garden is
registered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
have been posting several articles for the last few weeks on my FB page,
Reeny’s Butterflies Blooms and Bees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Here are a few of the links to videos that talk about the importance of
our bees. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=669058416570761&id=293166290826644" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=669058416570761&id=293166290826644</a></div>
<div id="yiv9662294332AppleMailSignature">
<br /></div>
<div id="yiv9662294332AppleMailSignature">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=745717062238229&id=293166290826644" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1471278903475_3108" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=745717062238229&id=293166290826644</a></div>
<div id="yiv9662294332AppleMailSignature">
<br /></div>
<div id="yiv9662294332AppleMailSignature">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=745548985588370&id=293166290826644" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1471278903475_3107" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=745548985588370&id=293166290826644</a></div>
<div id="yiv9662294332AppleMailSignature">
<br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/EnvironmentAmerica/videos/10157231197565188/" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1471278903475_3113" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/EnvironmentAmerica/videos/10157231197565188/</a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Albert
Einstein is quoted as saying that “If the bee disappeared off the face of the
Earth, man would only have four years left to live.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is absolutely no evidence that Einstein
actually ever said that, but it does make you think of the importance of our Honeybee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honey bees perform about 80% of all
pollination worldwide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seventy out of
the top 100 human food crops which supple about 90% of the world’s nutrition
are pollinated by bees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Let’s
all work together to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">SAVE OUR BEES!</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 171.75pt;">
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<![endif]-->Maureen Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405185544348426979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954130362755556500.post-68865770616307192542016-08-11T16:00:00.000-04:002016-08-15T12:39:54.112-04:00The Atala ButterflyThese pictures are of the Atala Butterfly, which I believe is endangered.
I have had them in my yard for the last several years. They
specifically need the Coontie Fern in order to lay their eggs. I cannot wait to re-landscape my yard!!!!!!!!!!<br />
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<br />Maureen Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405185544348426979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954130362755556500.post-6914049212630321782016-06-24T14:10:00.001-04:002016-06-24T14:10:13.839-04:00Guess who is going to be selling at the Pinecrest Farmer's Market??I am so excited to announce that I have been accepted into the
Pinecrest Farmers Market! This is a yearly farmers market located in the
beautiful Pinecrest Gardens.<br />
<br />
I will be there every Sunday starting this
Sunday June 26th from 9-2pm!!!!!<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihSr986SoKTrhwrnN3lnIteani_RgwEKhKCAGhFS2OG79vjMXZdThNf6ElwXK79plrb3Os9VVXBY6ksQe8jAEoJk5mIcQg9PY7-sOxMlYVxRlDh1Rm_n16EsA5Bg5SovlB7m5jt_TC8B-v/s1600/10403246_677017992441470_103566171500626119_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihSr986SoKTrhwrnN3lnIteani_RgwEKhKCAGhFS2OG79vjMXZdThNf6ElwXK79plrb3Os9VVXBY6ksQe8jAEoJk5mIcQg9PY7-sOxMlYVxRlDh1Rm_n16EsA5Bg5SovlB7m5jt_TC8B-v/s320/10403246_677017992441470_103566171500626119_n.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
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<br />
You can visit the following link for additional information and location information:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.greenmarketco-op.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.greenmarketco-op.org/</a><br />
<br />
Hope to see you there! Maureen Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405185544348426979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954130362755556500.post-14565642208710477892016-04-24T22:49:00.002-04:002016-04-25T12:41:12.905-04:00I'll be back....<h2 class="element wsite-content-title editable-text cke_editable cke_editable_inline cke_contents_ltr" contenteditable="true" id="669504468335025757" role="textbox" spellcheck="true" style="text-align: center;" tabindex="0">
<span style="color: #e90505;">PLEASE
NOTE: I will be out of town during the majority of the month of May due
to the birth of my first granddaughter and will not be making any
personal appearances<br />or shipping orders during this time.<br /><br />I
will continue to fulfill orders until I leave, and will update these
notices when I know exact dates. Orders placed while I am out of town
will be shipped as soon as possible upon my return.<br /><br />I apologize for any inconvenience this may
cause to my awesome followers & customers... I'll get back to blogging and sending out your orders ASAP!</span></h2>
<h2 class="element wsite-content-title editable-text cke_editable cke_editable_inline cke_contents_ltr" contenteditable="true" id="669504468335025757" role="textbox" spellcheck="true" style="text-align: center;" tabindex="0">
<span style="color: #e90505;">Thank you for your understanding.</span></h2>
Maureen Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405185544348426979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954130362755556500.post-37354779723277692072016-04-12T18:24:00.000-04:002016-04-12T18:24:34.465-04:00Events Where You Can Find Me!!Check out my events and locations page - you'll be able to plan your
next visit to my booth so you can stock up on my delicious honey,
wonderful soaps, beautiful candles and bath & body products in
person! You can even pull up maps for your GPS right from my website to
help you find me quickly and easily!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://reenysbutterfliesbloomsandbees.weebly.com/events-in-person-shopping-times--locations.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://reenysbutterfliesbloomsandbees.weebly.com/events-in-…</a><br />
<br />
Upcoming events include this Sunday: Earth Day at Pinecrest Farmer's Market and next week Wednesday at the Spring Bazaar... here is the flyer for the bazaar with more information!<br />
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<br />Maureen Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405185544348426979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954130362755556500.post-50519467735445578142016-04-06T21:15:00.005-04:002016-04-06T21:15:34.123-04:00Brambleberry Soap SwapI participated in a soap swap with Brambleberry. There were 100
participants. 10 soaps were randomly chosen in Ann Marie's box. Mine
was one of them!!!!!!! It's the Honey Bee Love Soap!<br />
<br />
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<a data-lynx-uri="https://l.facebook.com/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.soapqueen.com%2Fbramble-berry-news%2Fanne-maries-spring-soap-swap-2016%2F%23more-57751&e=ATM2YY2zZa6zrBHtGmXRvGi7I2Y7D6ONGzO2FneelmsdaWRllKeWQK8h1q8IY9jp" href="https://www.soapqueen.com/bramble-berry-news/anne-maries-spring-soap-swap-2016/#more-57751" target="_blank">https://www.soapqueen.com/…/anne-maries-spring-soap-swap-…/…</a><br />
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<a data-lynx-uri="http://l.facebook.com/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.soapqueen.com%2F&e=ATN5oFsZPtHz4yLmNvl4gWrwc_Nr4NAWoLoY8A3dU2ZD_k5JRZFSg4M-kdp8OdPz" href="http://www.soapqueen.com/" target="_blank">http://www.soapqueen.com/</a>Maureen Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405185544348426979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954130362755556500.post-75869064592605227422016-04-04T10:22:00.003-04:002016-04-04T10:22:27.795-04:00The Artisan Life is featuring me in their podcast this week!<div data-contents="true">
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="83iba" data-offset-key="fjbn0-0-0">
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<span data-offset-key="fjbn0-0-0"><span data-text="true">Reeny's Butterflies, Blooms & Bees is featured on this week's podcast for The Artisan Life... I'm very excited! Click this link to check it out!</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="f67bh-0-0"><span data-text="true"><a href="http://wp.me/p4LxzH-Pr">http://wp.me/p4LxzH-Pr</a> </span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="f67bh-0-0"><span data-text="true"> </span></span></div>
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Maureen Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405185544348426979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954130362755556500.post-82268605179905604322016-03-03T15:15:00.000-05:002016-03-04T16:55:53.243-05:00How could it have Been A Year Since I updated my Blog<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
have wanted to update my blog for over a year, but there never seems to be
enough hours in a day. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So much has
happened in a year it is hard to believe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Let’s start from a personal perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I am going to be a grandmother times 3 children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Katie my daughter and Tyler have been married
for over a year now and are expecting in May of this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are having a little girl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My son Sean and his fiancé Lyndsay are also
expecting a girl in July and finally Kevin and Jenny are getting married April
2<sup>nd</sup> and expecting a little boy in August.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am truly blessed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My son Drew graduated from Boston
Conservatory in May and is working as a professional actor and following in his
father’s footsteps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life is good!!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR3IgFcEVk4rnalcdnMt8loWf87fLXn6oGdyJyI-q1RkNphqNte7QTexW-hMu1OgZeGvN15-JxUj9OiBxgh9-V3xklPqOsRpeSbI2JMpZDuUb5O-huClj_FFsljbn2BpQjxDrfIthhZa0U/s1600/IMG_9008.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR3IgFcEVk4rnalcdnMt8loWf87fLXn6oGdyJyI-q1RkNphqNte7QTexW-hMu1OgZeGvN15-JxUj9OiBxgh9-V3xklPqOsRpeSbI2JMpZDuUb5O-huClj_FFsljbn2BpQjxDrfIthhZa0U/s400/IMG_9008.JPG" width="400" /> </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Sean & Lyndsay baby girl </span></b></span></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJFagMKXlhZszmb9tuH-FpVQIgXXbI1XuXtemwJ23B7JJKqkUBHmUu7DUaKVn_RgkHtdYLAZsQejQoPwHvvrQCJwDsoAhFqLG3ACrYUNQoR22cBQSQ2EaGQEpPLOcn7VKdndkVBuig3dUn/s1600/IMG_9006.PNG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJFagMKXlhZszmb9tuH-FpVQIgXXbI1XuXtemwJ23B7JJKqkUBHmUu7DUaKVn_RgkHtdYLAZsQejQoPwHvvrQCJwDsoAhFqLG3ACrYUNQoR22cBQSQ2EaGQEpPLOcn7VKdndkVBuig3dUn/s400/IMG_9006.PNG" width="398" /> </a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>Katie & Tyler baby girl </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b> </b> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4aKwl7JqzITPK9hN6e5zEijaZmWtJ2kDBkgbGHtlavMuwK8X7bX_5GrfHOMRm4KMh1SYGIQraz6SVVDDBexndzYgcxivIYYap5_952cWMLSR12WIWoHPRfeOyOut-ecquomBR_Rr2BwJq/s1600/IMG_8949.PNG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4aKwl7JqzITPK9hN6e5zEijaZmWtJ2kDBkgbGHtlavMuwK8X7bX_5GrfHOMRm4KMh1SYGIQraz6SVVDDBexndzYgcxivIYYap5_952cWMLSR12WIWoHPRfeOyOut-ecquomBR_Rr2BwJq/s400/IMG_8949.PNG" width="400" /> </a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b>Kevin & Jenny baby Boy</b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">My
soaping business, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Reeny’s Butterflies
Blooms and Bees</i> is doing well, growing and gives me great pleasure and I am
striving to someday open my own small retail store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Until then I will continue to grow my
business and continue to share my joy of beekeeping and gardening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was interviewed yesterday by Amy Hager of
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Artisan Life</i> for a podcast that
will air sometime in April.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We started
following each other on Instagram recently when I liked a picture of her where
she was body painted as a Queen Bee by another artisan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is an absolutely beautiful painting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a fellow beekeeper I fell in love with the
art work! I am sure it was an amazing experience!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Amy asked me to do the interview I was
excited and thrilled, and a little nervous because I do not truly represent the
artisan lifestyle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am still working
for corporate America as a sales representative with deadlines, and sales
expectations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love my job as it has given
me financial stability, and many benefits that make me appreciate life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the Artisan life keeps calling me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It really has most of my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I was younger I was busy raising 4
wonderful children but always had some artistic or creative outlet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back then it was music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My children are very creative and
musical.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I grew older and my children
have grown, my responsibility for caring for them lessened and I found that I
was constantly seeking to fulfill my creative nature, whether it was
needlepoint, scrapbooking, knitting, gardening, beekeeping or soap making.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Doing this interview made me realize that I
am truly an artisan, and even though I have responsibilities to my current job
I am fulfilled by this creative nature that I possess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I look forward to posting a link on my
Facebook page for all to listen to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL8XOYAJ-4XFWt9IG9ZjQRQm0kVJOBBYX4DgWRObTbdChOgXr4Akswst8_GDTR-tdel6SlKK-wM7CqwyBmHdG8uWtnd9W30A1HuAcbq2LLZ51CNcEZcXkd__bUIWWz3WIsI8gQ1IGMXTvf/s1600/image2.jpeg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL8XOYAJ-4XFWt9IG9ZjQRQm0kVJOBBYX4DgWRObTbdChOgXr4Akswst8_GDTR-tdel6SlKK-wM7CqwyBmHdG8uWtnd9W30A1HuAcbq2LLZ51CNcEZcXkd__bUIWWz3WIsI8gQ1IGMXTvf/s200/image2.jpeg" width="195" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4YWLwH37qnn7Fm8NUL1jnL73KHWr2PudcBBAdWQgy52VTBgCeN0wBfFsQVvDeIH2qpug-1R_FLcM4Zp4PnZAAXi3jHnC7Uqoo8ImffV04VIwBVfSl9HDbzrjYFl5gKDhbTXZq6nMJbs19/s1600/image1.jpeg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4YWLwH37qnn7Fm8NUL1jnL73KHWr2PudcBBAdWQgy52VTBgCeN0wBfFsQVvDeIH2qpug-1R_FLcM4Zp4PnZAAXi3jHnC7Uqoo8ImffV04VIwBVfSl9HDbzrjYFl5gKDhbTXZq6nMJbs19/s200/image1.jpeg" width="200" /> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5DNlPSq6eYnavcldepvfvnPw2TGsifVYxCIvb9zJLXvfUx1ECCAcXSGyD_93JaPwO0wo5s7FLXwXOgUQ1nbcP4BetQtnUVHPPRx5s1PO2G2p5XkU_oD7rePy6yP_lFR10bFz_rleSD0yM/s1600/dsfbg.jpeg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5DNlPSq6eYnavcldepvfvnPw2TGsifVYxCIvb9zJLXvfUx1ECCAcXSGyD_93JaPwO0wo5s7FLXwXOgUQ1nbcP4BetQtnUVHPPRx5s1PO2G2p5XkU_oD7rePy6yP_lFR10bFz_rleSD0yM/s200/dsfbg.jpeg" width="200" /></a></span></span></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">My
yard continues to be in constant change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The one thing that is slightly constant is that I do not have as much
time to keep it as manicured as it used to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That is mostly because of the bees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As you all know from my past blog posts it is extremely difficult to
garden like I use to without the bees trying to eventually sting me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is very hot in Miami to garden, in a full
bee suit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Secondly, my old yard guys
would not mow or upkeep the backyard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
a result it became so out of control that it was impossible for me to tackle
alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have an acquaintance, Cindy
David, who I have known for many years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our children went to early school together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I learned a lot of what I know about
Butterfly gardening from her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through
the years our lives have crossed paths on numerous occasions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has owned her own landscaping business
for many years and spends a great deal of her time giving lectures and doing
landscapes for butterfly and pollinator gardens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our lives recently crossed paths again and
she now is maintaining a few residential yards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Her yard men happen to be beekeepers so they are not intimidated by my
bees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I am thrilled!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My yard is slowly starting to take shape
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Friday we are checking out the
irrigation system and starting to plant a few pollinator plants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am so excited! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My yard use to give me such joy and I am
thrilled for the possibilities again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yesterday when I was talking on the podcast interview it had been some
time since I talked about butterfly gardening and I almost forget some of the
plants and books that were the foundation to my garden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have been so busy over the last five years
beekeeping and making soap that I haven’t spent enough time focusing on my
garden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hopefully that is going to
change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The interview yesterday prompted
me to write this update.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coincidentally
today Cindy called me and said she had some plants that she will be able to
plant on Friday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
year was not a great year for my hives!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I lost several to wax worms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
had 6 hives most of the year, had as many as 8 and then lost 4 after doing
splits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is always difficult as a
beekeeper to lose a hive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am hopeful
that I will increase my hives back up to six again this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will soon be Spring and with that my bee
population will grow exponentially.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
will bet splitting my hives again will bring me 6 hives very soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">On
a sad note it was not a great year for my animals. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had to put Snickers down, our Dachshund of
13 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had suffered with vertebrae
and disc issues for years and finally was unable to walk or enjoy life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also lost all five of my chickens, who were
not just chickens but my pets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wish I
had blogged about them especially since they gave me such joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They all had names and were very spoiled
“Girls”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every day they enjoyed fresh
papaya from my yard and would coming running when I came home from work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They occasionally would come in the house for
treats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Petunia would actually sit on my
lap and loved sitting with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were
much more than just chickens to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
came home from work one day to find 3 chickens dead and two more had passed by
the next day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The necropsy was negative
but I think they must have gotten into some poison or something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was very hard losing them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have almost gotten more chickens several
times, but I’ve always been afraid a hawk or predator would get them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Losing them again would be very
difficult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also since I am fixing up the
yard I’m not really sure if it’s a good idea to have chickens again, since they
will probably destroy the landscaping very quickly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am very glad I got to experience raising
backyard chickens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe someday I will
have some again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who knows??</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Well,
that’s a brief synopsis of everything that has happened over the last year in
my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I look forward to having
grandchildren and pray that all are well and my children have easy and
uneventful births.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will continue to
set goals to grow my business of beekeeping and soap making.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will try to be faithful to my blog and
continue to keep those that follow me updated on my adventures in my backyard
and my artisan lifestyle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Maureen Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405185544348426979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954130362755556500.post-17790102732994272892015-05-14T11:15:00.000-04:002015-05-14T12:48:47.864-04:00Dessert Soap Challenge<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Well
here I am blogging about making soap instead of my bees and chickens, who are
doing great by the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of these
days I might actually blog about them but for now it is time for another soap
challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This month are soaps that
look like desserts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love making soaps
that look like food and desserts so I really enjoyed this challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kind of combined two birds with one stone
on this challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was asked by
Brambleberry to test their fragrances for 2015 SOAP Spring Fragrance
Panelists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I used their fragrances for several of the soaps in this challenge</span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
actually sold out of one of the soaps that I made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I can’t include in the group picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was actually my favorite fragrance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fragrance #1 smelled like Chocolate but with
masculine undertones to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I decided
to use chocolate stout beer and make it look like a delicious chocolate soap,
with chocolate bars and chocolate pieces on top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7X4G-iKvHScJs_mrWoBQNgzTLjT_W-bAncH6_BRdc_AvviknNCh-hu0EQGgIpQK0qwxWdIAMbhILncLSxXX7y0uPEm1LOwermXUwUqOuESLOQ2zzCVoexcJlyr4XopyADcSa-ptvgL6V/s1600/IMG_0134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7X4G-iKvHScJs_mrWoBQNgzTLjT_W-bAncH6_BRdc_AvviknNCh-hu0EQGgIpQK0qwxWdIAMbhILncLSxXX7y0uPEm1LOwermXUwUqOuESLOQ2zzCVoexcJlyr4XopyADcSa-ptvgL6V/s320/IMG_0134.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
next soap I created using the Brambleberry mystery fragrance was Fragrance #2
which to me smelled like the holidays.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It reminded me of the spices and baking around Thanksgiving and
Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I made a Chai Tea dessert
soap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It smells yummy!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It discolored to a nice golden brown exactly
like I thought it would.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79zRBlnE_KFqNtvr4EwWNfbVXCbZ6JtVfT5nlNCzK-UBE04DwQpdIGdWOk_k5NPWNAJzwqr9cYmOw4nx8E58lJA2v3Y60148NxzbPIAm8en5cpJciJEmqxzAhaUGdCxMhlPGIRALeZ9Cr/s1600/IMG_5643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79zRBlnE_KFqNtvr4EwWNfbVXCbZ6JtVfT5nlNCzK-UBE04DwQpdIGdWOk_k5NPWNAJzwqr9cYmOw4nx8E58lJA2v3Y60148NxzbPIAm8en5cpJciJEmqxzAhaUGdCxMhlPGIRALeZ9Cr/s320/IMG_5643.jpg" width="235" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Next
I created a Strawberry Chocolate Sundae Cupcake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was mystery fragrance #4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This fragrance had me stumped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It smelled so familiar but was difficult for
me to place the fragrance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It did smell
like chocolate to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I even thought it
smelled like a tootsie pop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I decided
to do something with chocolate and came up with this Strawberry Chocolate
Sundae.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jsOifYQyloaTDMkjeFOGTmbIS8TGFpv7P1bBzCrmVczhYP0oymT8MzwW6cNnBcFlrLcFjlbXKASAJrBnC7-7xla1Z-Hda9GwiaF1xwmM72Ab1SBEggkxRFFcx7aV_Aj8aoRvFgrc_H9I/s1600/11252004_559165537560050_2794823682797982925_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jsOifYQyloaTDMkjeFOGTmbIS8TGFpv7P1bBzCrmVczhYP0oymT8MzwW6cNnBcFlrLcFjlbXKASAJrBnC7-7xla1Z-Hda9GwiaF1xwmM72Ab1SBEggkxRFFcx7aV_Aj8aoRvFgrc_H9I/s320/11252004_559165537560050_2794823682797982925_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Last
I created two different Cupcake Fizzies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Technically these are kind of soaps the bottom is actually a bath fizzy.
One is Oatmeal Milk and Honey and the other is Black Raspberry Vanilla.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I filled each nut cup with the fizzy and then
piped whipped soap on top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made the
Oatmeal Milk and Honey to look like it was dripping in honey with Oatmeal
sprinkles, and the Raspberry to look like a Black Raspberry Cupcake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
These are my entries for the Soap Challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I hope you think they look good enough to eat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to admit that sometimes I really need
to remind myself that I am creating soap and not really a dessert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really enjoyed this challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope you like my creations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Maureen Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405185544348426979noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954130362755556500.post-17774286113181339722014-09-10T14:16:00.000-04:002014-09-11T15:22:09.238-04:00In the Pot Swirl ChallengeAlthough my blog is supposed to be about my garden and bees, somehow my garden and bees have led me to my soaping. Thank you my bees for your honey and beeswax. Without them I would never have discovered how to make lip balms, mead etc., which then led me to soap making. I have been so extremely busy between work and soap making that I have had very little time to update my blog post. I have been saying for months that I need to write about my bees, which are doing great. I will have been beekeeping for 3 years this October. Hard to believe! The bees are doing great and I am up to 7 very strong hives. I am starting to realize that their greatest by-product is their beeswax which I use in many of my products. I also want to write a blog about my chickens which I recently added to my family in February. They are all laying now and are a great addition to my backyard homestead. Someday if life slows down a little bit I may be able to actually write a post about the chickens and my bees. But for now I need to be writing about my second soap challenge, with Amy Warden’s Great Cake Soap Works.
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This is my second soap challenge that I am entering. This month it was all about the “In the Pot Swirl”. I made two different soaps for this challenge, a Black Raspberry Vanilla and Lovely Lilac. I have wanted to make these two soaps for awhile, and this challenge got my creative juices flowing so fast that I created both of these soaps for this challenge.
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Lilacs are my favorite flower. Well I actually have many favorite flowers!! I am originally from the Northeast and loved spring up north when all the tulips and flowers were in bloom. My children have somehow ended up back up north while I remain in Florida. I love the winters here, but I miss many of the traditions that the Northeast brings with each season. Lilacs are one of them. So I decided that I needed to create a soap to reflect my love of Lilacs. As I am writing this blog I have the soap across from me on the kitchen counter and I can smell the beautiful floral aroma of the lilac soap. It makes me melancholy for the Northeast, my children, and the spring. I have a friend that I also created this soap for; we have talked about my making this Lilac soap for awhile. I can’t wait to give her a bar of this “Lovely Lilac” soap.
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So how did I go about creating this soap? Amy suggested using a fragrance oil that would behave well. I knew for a fact that Lilac fragrance oil, since it is a floral, would accelerate trace. So to combat the effects of acceleration I decided to use my Goat’s Milk recipe, which behaves very well. I soaped at very cool temperatures. I made sure all my micas were mixed and the last thing I would add would be the fragrance oil, right before I did the “in the pot swirl”. I wanted this soap to remind me of a Lilac flower, so I chose dark purple mica, lighter purple mica, and I also combined two green micas to create my green for the leaves. I wanted to make sure that I decorated the top to look like a lilac flower. I enjoy piping and wanted the flowers to look realistic, so I tried to create the stem and leaves by using green piping to connect the flowers. I didn’t add any fragrance oil to the piping as I knew I would not be able to work with the batter. I did get a little bit of ricing, but not enough to effect the technique of the “in the pot swirl”. I didn’t take a lot of pictures while I was soaping because I really wasn’t able to, as I was trying to prevent acceleration. I was so focused on what I was doing that I totally forgot to take the pictures. I realize now that it might have been important for me to take a few more pictures. I enjoy these challenges as they push me to try techniques that I normally do not use. I haven’t done a lot of soaps with the “in the pot swirl.” I think that the swirls are always kind of muted. I tend to prefer a drop swirl, but this gave me some more experience practicing my technique with the “in the pot swirl.” I am not sure how my swirls look, but I definitely love my Lilac soap. I am very pleased with how it turned out. I absolutely love the creative process of making soap. Despite how busy I am with my real job right now, making soap and being creative somehow calms me, and I need it in my life!
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My Black Raspberry Vanilla Soap I created the same way but this time I knew the fragrance oil would behave well. I used my normal soaping recipe, as I wasn’t as concerned about acceleration with this fragrance oil. For the creative process for this soap I wanted it to look like a realistic raspberry dessert. I created the raspberry embeds several days before and tried to make the berries look as realistic as possible. I chose micas that reminded me of colors associated with black raspberry; dark purple mica called Tempest, a purple/pink color, Squirt, Bazooka jo, a lighter pink color, and Purple Haze, a medium purple color. All these mica colors are by Mad Oils. I love their micas and have been using them in my soap as of recently. Mad Oils are located here in Florida, so when I order from them the turnaround time is quick. Plus I love their colors. I think my soap turned out really good. Again I loved the creative process of making the soap. I added some M&P to the top of the soap. It penetrated down a little bit into the soap, but I wanted the purple/raspberry layer. I am not sure how my actual “in the pot swirl” technique turned out, but I am very pleased with this soap. I love the Black Raspberry Vanilla fragrance oil.
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I thoroughly enjoyed this challenge! I love the two soaps I created, but of course I’m biased. Entering these challenges isn’t so much about winning, but about the creative process, and continuing to stretch my techniques by learning something new, and make me a better soaper.
Maureen Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405185544348426979noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954130362755556500.post-21833628000679447392014-07-16T09:18:00.000-04:002014-07-18T18:06:11.514-04:00My First Soap Contest!I just entered my first soap challenge through the Great Cakes Soapworks. This month’s Soap Challenge Club was a little different, in that it did not involve a specific design, but the use of colors. There were two choices, a Natural Color Selection and a Synthetic Color Selection. Of course, I chose the Natural Color Selection for my first soap challenge. I actually had been planning to make a soap using all Natural Colorants. I purchased the sample pack of Brazilian Clays from Brambleberry, and also the Indian Sandalwood fragrance oil. The sample pack contained a Natural, Purple, Yellow, Pink, and Dark Red. I used the Natural, Yellow, and Dark Red to match the color palette for this challenge. I also used Annatto Seed that I had infused in oil and White Kaolin Clay. I used Paprika and Turmeric to make the orange color, and activated Charcoal for the black/gray color. I used 6 colors in all. The challenge required that you use between 3-6 colors to match the palette. As I said earlier, I had purchased the Indian Sandalwood Fragrance Oil from Brambleberry. I did a little research on the website to see how this fragrance behaved in cold process soap. It was perfect, no acceleration, and no discoloration. That was exactly what I was looking for. I needed the colors to be true in this soap challenge, and it was very important for me to not choose a fragrance oil that would discolor my color palette in any way. Here is a picture of the Natural Color Palette. I was so excited to see this challenge because this is what I had been visualizing in my mind, to create my soap using the Sandalwood fragrance oil, and my Brazilian Clay Sampler.
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So how did I actually create each color that I used in my soap?
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<li>Color #1: I used Paprika and Turmeric and added a little of the Red Clay. </li>
<li>Color #2: I used the Dark Red Brazilian clay. </li>
<li>Color #3: I used activated Charcoal. </li>
<li>Color #4: I used a combination of Annatto Seed and Yellow Brazilian Clay. </li>
<li>Color #5: I used a combination of the Natural Brazilian Clay and White Kaolin Clay. </li>
<li>Color #6: I used my soap base as its own color.</li>
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For my Soap recipe I used Amy Warden’s Super White Base Recipe. This recipe consisted of:
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<li>Coconut Oil 45%</li>
<li>Refined Shea Butter 20%</li>
<li>Lard 15%</li>
<li>Avocado Oil 15%</li>
<li>Castor Oil 5%.</li>
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Here are some pictures of the results from my first soap challenge. I really enjoyed participating and learned a lot from this challenge. I don’t think I had ever made soap with 6 colors in it before. I chose to do a drop swirl for my design. I needed to watch my recipe and soap at cool enough temperatures as to not accelerate trace, but not too cool so that my soap would not gel. Gelling actually brings out the colors in your soap. It also speeds up the time that your soap needs to cure. I believe I soaped at approximately 100 degrees. I insulated my soap, and placed it on a heating pad as to force gel.
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I think the soap turned out pretty good. My red color could have been a little deeper but this was the only Red Brazilian clay I had to work with. I was able to manipulate the other colors to get a truer color to the palette. I wish you all could smell how soft and peaceful this Indian Sandalwood smells. I love it. I have had this soap curing on my kitchen counter for the last few days and I absolutely love the fragrance oil, and I have enjoyed looking at all the colors and varied patterns that the drop swirl gave me.
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Thanks Amy for this challenge!
Maureen Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405185544348426979noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954130362755556500.post-43115786829954695182014-02-09T15:58:00.000-05:002014-02-10T16:10:14.636-05:00How to make a tincture with PropolisPropolis? What is that? When I put a picture on FB a few weeks ago my friends were puzzled and thought it was dog poop. Propolis is actually a resinous mixture that honey bees collect from tree buds, sap flows, or other botanical sources. It is used as a sealant for unwanted open spaces in the hive. Propolis is sticky. When bees mix the propolis with enzymes they secrete, it creates a form of defense (antibody) that acts against viruses, fungi, and bacteria. Propolis is now believed to:
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<li>Reinforce the structural stability of the hive</li>
<li>Reduce vibration</li>
<li>Make the hive more defensible by sealing alternate entrance</li>
<li>Prevent diseases and parasites from entering the hive, and to inhibit fungal and bacterial growth</li>
<li>Prevent putrefaction within the hive. Bees usually carry waste out of and away from the hive. However, if a small lizard or mouse finds its way into the hive, the bees may be unable to carry it out through the hive entrance. In that case, they would attempt instead to seal the carcass in propolis, essentially mummifying it and making it odorless and harmless.</li>
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Propolis is valuable both internally and externally. It has excellent antiseptic properties. It can be used either dry or as a tincture. A tincture is something dissolved in Alcohol. I am making a 10% tincture. I started with 1 part propolis to 9 parts alcohol. Propolis is entirely insoluble in water, but will dissolve readily in strong alcohol. I picked up Everclear which is approximately 70% alcohol. I froze my propolis so that it would be less sticky and hard. I was then able to grind it up into smaller pieces. I placed those pieces in a mason jar with Everclear. On a daily basis I have been shaking the bottle with the propolis and alcohol. It has been in a dark cupboard for several weeks. Today I am ready to bottle my Tincture of Propolis.
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Propolis tincture makes an excellent “Liquid Bandage.” Simply apply a few drops topically around a wound. It is highly antimicrobial; it stimulates immune activity and encourages rapid healing. Like honey, propolis has potent antimicrobial action against H. pylori, and is also among the better remedies for addressing cold and canker sores. Propolis is exceptionally nutritious: “Propolis has more bioflavinoids than oranges…it contains all the known vitamins except vitamin K and all the minerals needed by the body except sulphur.”
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Here is a little poem from “Psalms from the Hive” by Jeannie Saum
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<center>“Turning propolis, sticky goo
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Into something good for you
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Is ever so rewarding.
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Hard work and messy
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But in the end a blessing.”</center>
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Ok I just bottled the tincture. I have to say that it is not really that tasty. It does have a resin quality to it. If you can get over the taste scientists believe it is the “perfect medicine.”
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<center><table><tr><td><img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t218/reeny55/013_zps84df1edd.jpg" width="191" /></td><td></table></center>
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<center><table><tr><td><img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t218/reeny55/034_zps6afe386f.jpg" width="191" /></td><td><img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t218/reeny55/031_zps787399ba.jpg" width="191" /></td></tr></table></center>Maureen Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405185544348426979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954130362755556500.post-83479534947741730932014-02-06T15:51:00.000-05:002014-02-10T16:25:25.189-05:00Medical Mission to Dominican RepublicLife is truly amazing! I have been given another opportunity. Several physicians in the Miami community have been involved in a Medical Mission to the Dominican Republic. This will be the 11th year that these physicians, medical students from the University Of Miami School Of Medicine, and high school students from Carrollton High School will be making this 5 day trip to the Dominican Republic and helping the people. Several months ago, knowing about this medical mission, I asked one of my physicians if he needed any donations. I went on to explain to him that I had an unusual hobby of making soap, I didn’t mention beekeeping. He was extremely interested and knowing that I was a nurse he wanted me involved in the mission. So the next thing I know I am going to the Dominican Republic to teach the women of the different villages to make soap and to also work as a nurse, which I haven’t practiced as in over 15 years. What have I gotten myself into?? All I really wanted to do was make a little soap for the Doctor to bring down to the people! I am feeling a little bit overwhelmed and in over my head. Actually about 5-6 years ago I almost went to Guatemala. I was concerned about the language barrier. The students from Carrollton actually will translate for us, so I am definitely excited and nervous. I am sure everything will fall into place and I will find this to be a life changing experience.
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The trip is taking place March 29th through April 5th. Here is the link and information. <a href="http://www.medicalstudentsinaction.com/">http://www.medicalstudentsinaction.com/</a> Right now I am in the process of trying to raise funds for the trip. It will cost me approximately $1500-$2000 for the trip just for personal expenses. I also need to buy all the materials for making soap. The 5 villages that we will be going to do not have any running water or electricity. Making soap without these two luxuries will prove to be challenging. I need to purchase very basic materials such as gloves, goggles, lye, all my oils, olive oil, coconut oil, castor oil, lard (Manteca), molds, spoons, stainless steel pots, whisks, etc. I have written letters to various wholesale Soap Making companies. So far I have gotten little response. I have a personal page on Go Fund Me <a href="http://www.gofundme.com/6270d0">http://www.gofundme.com/6270d0</a> I was feeling very discouraged, and thinking maybe this trip was not going to happen. On Friday I received a call from Marla Bosworth from “My Back Porch Soaping Company.” I was beyond thrilled. She spent time talking to me and gave me invaluable information. Her time was so greatly appreciated. Marla has been involved in working with the women of Haiti for the past several years. She and Amanda Griffith organized efforts in Haiti after the earthquake to teach the women there the trade of soap making and hopefully how to start a successful soaping business. Here is information about “Beauty in Haiti”. They named their group OFEDA (Organisation des Femmes Devouees en Action). <a href="http://www.soapqueen.com/business/beauty-in-haiti/">http://www.soapqueen.com/business/beauty-in-haiti/</a> Marla’s information can be found at <a href="http://www.backporchsoap.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=1">http://www.backporchsoap.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=1</a>, she teaches classes in all aspects of Soap Making in New York City, Boston, and Jackson Hole, WY. I dream of taking classes in either her NY studio, or Boston. Right now that is not a possibility because of finances. With Drew still in college and my daughter Katie getting married this year there’s no way I can afford such a luxury. That is why funding for this trip is also imperative.
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The reason I feel so passionate about this cause if that on these medical missions, physicians and volunteers go down and provide medical care to the people for 5 days, but after that nothing changes for these people. By teaching them a trade hopefully I can change their world just a little bit, and provide them the skills to start a soaping business.
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If you can afford to donate toward my cause in any way please consider <a href="http://www.gofundme.com/6270d0">http://www.gofundme.com/6270d0</a> Any amount and every dollar helps. If all my friends pledged a dollar that would be greatly appreciated and really help. Every dollar counts. If you cannot afford to contribute please ask your friends and family. Thank you so much I really appreciate your help. Oh and I forgot to say that for every $25 that you donate I would be happy to send you one of my beautiful handmade soaps of your choice as a token of my appreciation. Here are some photos from "Beauty in Haiti" that I found online and wanted to share:
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Maureen Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405185544348426979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954130362755556500.post-49550261903692049782014-02-01T15:44:00.000-05:002014-02-10T15:51:05.641-05:00Time Flies when you are having Fun! I cannot believe that I have not updated my blog since Thanksgiving. Time sure does go by quickly. It is almost Valentine’s Day 2014. Amazing! So what have I been up to? I have been so busy trying to work both a full time job and start a soaping business. Since my day job is paying my bills obviously it has to be my priority. I had some very exciting news at the start of the New Year. Just before the holidays I found out that Bristol Myers Squibb was going to expand the sales force by adding 188 hospital representatives. That was the position I previously held for over 7 years. Two years ago we went through changes and they dissolved the hospital positions. My territory position also changed and I was then responsible for “Little Havana,” a very Hispanic area of Miami. This has been a very challenging territory. I speak very little Spanish! I spent a lot of time over the holidays preparing for this interview. Since I am a nurse I really feel most comfortable in the hospital position. The competition was very stiff and I found out a few weeks ago that I was offered the Institutional Sales Position. I am very excited and thrilled but concerned because this is a huge position with 21 hospitals that I will be responsible for driving sales. It’s funny because although I felt that I was the most qualified for this new position, my performance over the last year with my company has not been where I wanted it to be. My past performance however had been excellent. The question to be answered was how important was present performance going to be in their decision making?? I did my best to prepare for the interview, expressed my interest, but I really had convinced myself that they were going to offer this position to someone else. So I said to myself that I would continue to do my present job, strive to do the best I could, but continue to try to build my soaping business. My husband recently directed a play that was based on a saying from Woody Allen that states, “If you want to make God laugh tell him your plans.” It is so amazing because I think this is true for most everyone. We are always planning our lives, but somehow as John Lennon said, “life is what happens while we’re busy making other plans”. I had really convinced myself that this wasn’t meant to be and that I would just continue to prepare for retirement. My long term plan was that I had 4-6 years to build a soaping business. Oops…… They offered me the Institutional Position!! Wait a second that is not what I had convinced myself was going to happen! That is what I was striving for but…. not what I thought was going to happen. <b>I</b> was telling <b>myself</b> I should prepare for retirement and another path that life was presenting. Well I am so excited that I was offered this position. Like I said this is a huge responsibility, and since I am an over achiever, striving to do my best is always my goal.
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So what is going to happening to my dream of building a soaping business when I retire? Well if you know me at all I will continue to try to do both. My soaping business is going very well. Since I posted last in November I was just starting to participate in local Craft Fairs. I participated in several and did very well. People seem to like my soaps. I am starting to get a lot of repeat customers. Most of all I am enjoying telling my story about my beekeeping and the importance of protecting the pollinators. I think I am educating people about that importance. I am trying to keep my product very pure and use what I can from my yard i.e. herbs, fruits, natural colorants, but I also find myself wanting to be creative and expand my craft. I think eventually I will have a Natural Line, and an Artisan Line of soap. I am trying to find my “Niche.” Since there are so many soapers out there it is important to find my “Niche” so we will see where all this takes me. I really do not like that word “Niche” but I know it is important to differentiate myself and my product. I have found that I have some best sellers. There are certain soaps that I just cannot keep in stock. My biggest problem is that I cannot keep up with production. I am not complaining at all! I am thoroughly enjoying the journey. I think my product is really good and being well received. Right before Christmas I had the opportunity to participate at a Community Farmers’ Market. There are many farmers’ markets around Miami. This was an excellent opportunity. Southwest Community Farmers’ Market is small and new in the community but is growing. I am proud to be a part of what it represents. It is part of the Urban Oasis Project and has a community feel. Annick one of the organizers spends a great deal of time educating people about the importance of planting a garden, the importance of Organic, Non GMO, etc. So this Farmers’ market is everything I believe in. I am not just selling my soaps, I also spend a great deal of time telling my story which I hope is educating people about protecting the pollinators, planting flowers that will attract pollinators in your garden and protecting our bees which are in trouble. Many times people will approach my booth and then they will thank me for telling them “My Story.” I was recently interviewed by a gentleman, Colin McPhillamy, who also writes a blog. He is presently performing in my husband’s production “End of the Rainbow.” He is from England and to me has that typical English sense of humor. I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting him. He asked me why I would continue to keep bees since I was allergic. My response was easy, “the Bees are in trouble.” Here is the link to his blog. http://culturedbadger.com/ I am so grateful for what I am doing. I am really enjoying making soap and using all that my bees and yard give me. I am very grateful to my bees for their honey, and beeswax!
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Here are a few pictures of my soaps and of me at the Southwest Community Market.
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Maureen Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405185544348426979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954130362755556500.post-12738355862034744532013-11-27T09:14:00.000-05:002013-12-01T17:22:12.633-05:00Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!<center><table><tr><td><img src="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t218/reeny55/026_zps6c19e4cb.jpg" width="191" /></td><td></table></center>
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I wanted to take this opportunity to wish all my family and friends a very Happy Thanksgiving. This year has gone extremely quickly and I cannot believe the holidays are upon us again. This is going to be a very quiet Thanksgiving as my children are not able to fly home this year. Hopefully some of them will make it down for Christmas. My husband had gastric bypass surgery in July and since he is not really able to eat his usual amount of food this will be a very small preparation for Thanksgiving. I am very grateful that he is doing so well and he has lost over 100 lbs at this point. He is looking so much better. I still bought all the traditional food, but since it is going to be just the two of us there will be no added fuss. It is very different being empty nesters. No pressure!
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The last few weeks have been extremely busy. I have completed two craft shows and have three ahead of me. The first two have been extremely successful. I am not referring to monetary success, but personal fulfillment. I have thoroughly enjoyed selling my soap. I have especially enjoyed helping people that truly have skin issues choose the right bar of soap that might help them. I also feel like my product is excellent and enjoy explaining to people about beekeeping, making soap and the importance of an organic product. I have two more Craft Fairs in December. I have one this weekend November 30th, and December 1st, at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, in West Kendall. It is their annual Christmas Bazaar. I also have one December 7th, next weekend at Killian Pines Methodist Church. I was invited to participate in the Fruit and Spice Park Heritage Festival January 11th & 12th. I am very excited about participating in all these craft fairs. In preparation for these craft fairs I have been making lots of soap. I made a really pretty Lavender soap that I made with Goat’s Milk and scented with Lavender Essential Oil. It turned out really lovely and smells so relaxing. Lavender is one of the most relaxing essential oils. I also remade several of my recipes like my Oatmeal, Milk & Honey Goat’s Milk Soap. Goat’s milk is very nourishing for your skin and it makes a great bar of soap. I remade my calendula soap, and calendula sunshine soap. I need to remake my Caffeinated Coffee Soap, which was a very good seller. Several of my soaps that I made over the last several weeks are almost cured and ready to sell, i.e. Christmas Soap, Kombucha & Honey, and Natural Sugar Soap. One of my favorites that I have made over the last few weeks was a Coconut Lime soap which I made with organic Coconut milk, and some very skin nourishing organic oils. I scented this soap with Coconut Fragrance Oil, and Lime Essential oil, then topped it with organic unsweetened coconut and grated lime rind. I also made a Goat’s milk soap that I scented with Lemongrass essential oil and put some lemon balm herb in the soap. I really want to try making some more soap with beer. I have a ginger beer and a chocolate stout beer that are just calling me to create a really great bar of soap.
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Despite being extremely busy with work and making soap, I somehow found some time to finally plant my garden last weekend. The weather here has been extremely warm. Our average temperature at night has still been in the 70’s. We have also been extremely wet for this time of year which is supposed to be our dry season. November has been behaving more like October. October can be one of the wettest months of the year. Cold fronts do make it though the state but back up on us as a warm front bringing rain. My tomato seedlings are struggling and I am not sure if they are going to make it. I have some new seeds replanted but it is getting late in the fall season to plant. Most people have their gardens started at this point. I have read many articles that support not planting tomatoes until the night temperatures are in the 60’s. Tonight will be the first cold evening for Miami. It is actually getting down to the 50’s tonight. Finally this will be our first cool weather in 283 days.
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This year in my garden I planted lots of kale, radishes, lettuce, beets, peppers, okra, eggplant, and Swiss chard. I also planted lots of herbs, basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and chamomile. And I planted mint, lemon balm and calendula. I decided to try a new variety of spinach this year that my son Kevin got me from the Baker Creek Seed Bank when he was in California. Malabar Spinach is supposed to grow very well in a more tropical environment and is more vine like in the way it grows. I will take some pictures of it and let you know how it does in South Florida. I am still following the Square Foot Gardening Method. I had to replace my wooden grids with string. It was very easy to measure out 12x12 areas and use nails and string to mark each square. Here are a few pictures of my garden as I prepared and planted. I already see some seedlings starting to sprout through the ground. It has been a really rainy week here in South Florida, I was worried that it was almost too rainy but it seems like the garden likes it, and the seeds are starting to germinate.
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I just wanted to give a little update on my busy life. I am grateful for all that I have and for all the many talents that I have nurtured. I recently harvested many jars of honey and my beehives are doing well. I am very grateful for all that my beehives give me. I am grateful that my allergy shots are working and that although I still get stung by my bees their venom has not had the same effect on me. I am grateful for many things in my life most importantly my family that are happy and healthy.
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Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Maureen Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405185544348426979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954130362755556500.post-47941522178859621302013-11-03T15:15:00.000-05:002013-11-06T15:09:06.915-05:00Getting Ready for My First Craft FairI have been so busy over the last few weeks making soap, lotion bars, and lip balm for my upcoming Craft Fair. My house is in disarray. I am trying to work my day job and start my business, and prepare for my upcoming craft shows. My first show is November 9th at Perrine Peters United Methodist Church, which is located at 18301 South Dixie Hwy, Miami Florida 33157. When I first booked this Craft Fair I was so excited, I was like a kid in a candy shop. Now the craft show is less than a week away. I am still excited with anticipation, but nervous that I will do well and that people will like my product. I have been asking myself so many questions: Will I be successful? What if it rains? Will people like my product? Will there be enough traffic? Will I be able to answer all their questions? Will I know how to work my credit card app? I have been reading many articles and blogs on having a successful craft fair. So I am hoping that I will be prepared.
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From what I have read some of the most important aspects to consider are:
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<b>Put time into your table design.</b> I have been doing just that. I was reading the Saponifier magazine and came across an article on table displays for craft shows. When I saw their idea I knew it was perfect for Reeny’s Butterflies, Blooms, & Bees. Their idea was accomplished with flower pots that were painted. Each pot would hold different soaps etc. What a perfect idea! What could be better than to use flower pots with butterflies and bees? I spent most evenings last week spraying the pots with acrylic clear paint and then painting each pot a different color to go with my logo theme. I painted the pots green, pink, orange, and teal blue. I plan on staggering the height of the pots to add eye appeal. I need to decorate with a few scrapbooking stickers of butterflies, flowers, and bees. I also plan on drawing a couple of larger signs in the shape of a butterfly, and bee to place in the two larger pots. I ordered a center display from Etsy, that hold 48 bars of soap. I got material to make a table cloth. The material is very bright and has honey bees on it. I think the table will look great and the colors will be inviting for customers. I plan on doing a test run of my table this week so that I know exactly how I am going to place everything. I still need to label all my bars of soap which will take hours.
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<b>Bring Food, Drink and Friends.</b> I have sent a Facebook notification to all my friends. I plan on sending a reminder mid week. I am hoping that they will support me and come to the craft fair. It will be a long day so I do plan on wearing comfortable shoes. It is important to dress well. It is also important to bring snacks and bottled water. A craft fair can be busy and there is little time to eat. Making sure I stay well hydrated is important.
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<b>Prepare for Payments.</b> I downloaded a smart phone application. I got the PayPal Here device and downloaded the app. I have practiced how to work the device but I am still nervous about using it since it is new to me, and I have never really used something like this before. I plan on bringing $100 in change.
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<b>Making Business Cards Meaningful.</b> I have order 200 business cards, but I am concerned that that really isn’t enough. The cost of starting a business and preparing for your first craft fair can be astronomical. I plan on placing a business card with each order. I also painted a flower pot bottom to place cards on my table for people to take. I made a sign in sheet for people to put their name and email.
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<b>Get Organized.</b> There are so many items that are necessary for a successful craft fair. Some examples: cashier box or something to hold cash, checks etc. Calculator, tape, stapler, scissors, markers, pens, push pins, small notebook, receipt book, phone charger especially using the new credit card devices. I created an inventory sheet, pricing cards for my table, custom order signs. There are so many things to think about my mind is spinning!
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Buying is a very personal experience. People shop at craft fairs because they don’t want the Big Box Store Experience. It is important to tell your story. I want to make sure people know that I use only organic materials in my soaps and that they are terrific for their skin. But I also want them to know how I got started making soap, and that I use my honey and beeswax and products from my yard, in many of my products. I want to tell my story. Many of the articles said to “Believe in Yourself and your Product.” I do! Well I think I do. I will feel more confident after my first craft fair.
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The most important part of any booth is a big Smile! As Anne Marie Faiola, the Soap Queen says Smile, Smile, and Smile!
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Wish me luck and come visit my booth. I will be booth #11 at the Perrine Craft Fair. See you Saturday November 9th. Here is the link:
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http://nowhitetent.ning.com/events/event/show?id=2050193%3AEvent%3A62939<a href=" http://nowhitetent.ning.com/events/event/show?id=2050193%3AEvent%3A62939"></a>Maureen Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405185544348426979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954130362755556500.post-70684420561126453492013-09-23T11:23:00.000-04:002013-09-26T11:26:53.321-04:00Welcome FallFall is officially here as of Sunday September 22, at 4:44 EST. Although it is 91 degrees outside I have to say that the shadows are getting longer. I am so looking forward to our first cool front. Fall is the one season I really miss from living up north. I miss the leaves changing, and the cool fresh air, harvesting apples, and apple cider, apple cider donuts, trick or treating in cool weather. Oh well…. Maybe someday I’ll move back up north, and when it gets too cold come back down to Miami to my winter home. I would combine the best of both worlds. One can only dream!
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For the autumn season I thought that I would make soap with a seasonal scent. What reminds you more about the fall than pumpkin? So I followed a recipe on the soap making website <a href="http://www.brambleberry.com">www.brambleberry.com</a>. I am calling this soap Pumpkin Spiced Latte. It smells just like a pumpkin spiced pie, or a Pumpkin Latte from Starbucks. Delicious!
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In honor of celebrating the beginning of Fall I added 3 oz of real pumpkin to the recipe. I did my first swirl. Tonight I cut the soap and it looks pretty good, and smells great. I want to try to make a pumpkin soap that includes my pumpkin ale that I made. I bet you didn’t know that you could make soap with beer did you? Well you can, and you can also use wine, and teas, and milks. So I opened two bottles of my Pumpkin ale and I am letting them sit until the carbonation is gone and the beer is flat. The key to working with alcohol is to make sure the beer or wine is flat and then to boil the alcohol out of the beer. I will also freeze mine so when I mix it with the lye it will have less of a chance of creating a lye volcano. Many people when they start to soap are concerned about working with lye. I am concerned, but I guess because I have a scientific mind I respect the lye, and take the necessary precautions to work safely. I will keep you posted on how my pumpkin ale beer turns out. Yesterday I went to Total Wine to look for some local beer from the state of Florida. I specifically was looking for Michael’s Genuine beer. I found that it is only available on tap, and in certain restaurants. I did find a very interesting Toasted Coconut Porter, brewed by the Thomas Creek Brewery, in Orlando, Florida. I eventually would love to create some soap using some of the beer and wine from our local breweries. I would also love to create a soap using my own mead!
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I made a Goat’s milk soap this weekend that is unscented. It is just plain goat’s milk soap. I added just a little of my honey, and a little colloidal oatmeal. This is the perfect bar for those that want the benefit of goat’s milk without the fragrance. It is perfect to use with the fall weather approaching. It is nice to use a soap that will protect the skin during the winter months, with the natural fats from the goat’s milk, and the humectant properties of the honey. I put some moisturizing Shea butter in this recipe also. I made a calendula lip balm to protect your lips from the harsh weather. Calendula is a beautiful flower, better known as the Pot Marigold, which has healing properties and is great for the skin. I flavored this lip balm with just the perfect amount of orange and grapefruit essential oils.
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I signed up for a class through Brambleberry. Ann Marie Faiola, founder and owner of Bramble Berry, just completed writing a new book “Soap Crafting.” She has been soaping for many years and besides being very talented and creative in her artisan soap techniques, she is also a very smart business woman. She started a soap crafting club where the participants join on a quarterly basis, and she teaches you different techniques from her book. Each quarter several soap techniques are covered and by joining you receive her expertise and all the ingredients to make one of the soaps covered. I have signed up for the first 2 quarters. I hope that the year doesn’t sell out before I have the extra money to sign up for the rest of the classes. I love her book, and have plans to try many of her recipes. I would like to get creative and design my own recipes, but I am not at that point yet. I have so many recipes in my head using the herbs, plants, flowers, beer, and wine that I make from my yard.
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Happy Fall Everyone! Hope you enjoy my new products, and that you find them comforting for the cooler weather to come. Now I need to concentrate on getting my garden together for our lovely South Florida winter. I hope to use many of my herbs in the soaps I create over the next few months. Maureen Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405185544348426979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954130362755556500.post-61504272688868693972013-09-22T11:04:00.000-04:002013-09-26T11:23:17.140-04:00Top Bar Hive BeekeepingMy hives are doing quite well. The bees are busy doing what bees should do. I wish they were making a little more honey right now but they are still in the expansion mode for the summer. There is some nice honey but it is mixed with different phases of brood, i.e. eggs, larvae, and capped brood. One of the downsides to TBH beekeeping is that there is no way to exclude the queen from laying eggs wherever she wants or needs to. Most langstroth beekeepers use something called a queen excluder to keep the queen in the brood nest and not allow her to travel up to the “supers” or honey area. The worker bees are able to only make honey in the honey area or supers. The queen is excluded to just the brood area. There are also some langstroth beekeepers that don’t believe in a queen excluder and keep the brood nest open and allow the queen to lay where she needs too.
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One important fact of life that I have learned is that patience is a virtue. I have learned this to be true in many aspects of life! Although we live in a society that wants and needs instant gratification something’s are worth waiting for. Like honey! You can’t rush “Mother Nature”. In a few weeks I will have some beautiful honey, but right now the bees are using it to feed the brood nest. I still consider every drop to be a gift.
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I saw a great picture on Facebook the other day. I saved it to my photo stream, because I thought it was a great explanation, in diagram form, to show you exactly what TBH beekeeping looks like. I am so glad that I practice TBH beekeeping. I think it is a more natural way to keep bees. I have talked about this several times. I hope from this picture you have a better understanding of what TBH beekeeping is all about.
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My hives are strong and the bees are happy, but still more aggressive than I would like them to be. I need to decide what I am going to do about requeening them. I almost got through all 5 hives on Sunday without a sting. The bees are pretty aggressive and try to sting me through the suit. There was a stinger that was still stuck on the sleeve of my bee suit and it managed to sting me without the bee attached. After a honey bee stings its stinger continues to pulsate and release venom. I did not have much of a reaction. Thank goodness for my allergy shots, they seem to be working. After I finished working the hives a few bees followed me back to the house, before I enter I get the “All Clear” from my husband. He makes sure there are no bees following me inside. I had to go back outside for a second, and as soon as I opened the back door a random bee dive bombed my head and tried to sting me. It took me a few minutes to get the determined bee out of my hair. Why do my bees hate me?? I am really starting to get a complex! I am sure it was quite the scene to see me trying to get the bee out of my hair before she stung me. I had to go inside to the bathroom mirror to find her. Poor girl unfortunately she succumbed to her death after attempting to sting me.
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Since I am starting to sell my honey I just wanted to highlight some of the benefits and properties of honey, and the importance of buying and supporting beekeepers. Here is a very interesting article on honey. I had a friend ask me recently how long honey will last, and does my honey taste differently than the honey in the grocery store. I am attaching a good article from “We come from the Future” “Why Honey is the only food that doesn’t go bad.” The article explains that honey is magic and has some pretty incredible properties. I am not sure that honey is magic; I think the bees are the ones performing the magic. I hope you find the article interesting. It gives a pretty good explanation of how the bees make honey. The oldest honey ever found dates back over 5,000 years. It has been said that honey was found in one of the Egyptian tombs and was still good. Why do you think that is… read the article and find out?
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<a href="http://io9.com/why-honey-is-the-only-food-that-doesnt-go-bad-1225915466">http://io9.com/why-honey-is-the-only-food-that-doesnt-go-bad-1225915466</a>
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I am also attaching an article about how most honey from the grocery store is not actually honey. All the properties and benefits have been processed out of the honey. After you read this article you will never want to eat store bought honey again. My honey is a beautiful dark amber color and has a very strong taste. I have had the opportunity to taste honey from different parts of the country and they are amazingly different. Some are so light in color and others are very dark like molasses. I often go to “Robert is Here”, a fruit stand here in Homestead, Florida. His fruit stand was established in 1959. <a href="http://www.robertishere.com/">http://www.robertishere.com/</a> He has different honeys from all different plants grown in Florida and they all taste completely different from each other. I can tell you after having real honey what we get at the grocery store is not honey. Support your farmers and beekeepers, and buy local.
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<a href="http://www.trueactivist.com/most-honey-from-grocery-stores-is-not-actually-honey/">http://www.trueactivist.com/most-honey-from-grocery-stores-is-not-actually-honey/</a>
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Here are a couple of pictures of bees and honey that I really like. I collect different pictures that I save to use as my labels for my Mead. Love these!
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Maureen Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405185544348426979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954130362755556500.post-80398694853213114062013-09-12T08:06:00.000-04:002013-09-19T17:28:50.639-04:00A Dream Coming True<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXZkLYQQD0QnFgeEY6GImjDVL7OAcvjE3HX7uGu-yMimi6ezKvdzCgfJjhhXZWZwmcJW19HToDCFiVb76Z5RnMq1QAuKEY8qDDM3RcFgY1R8NOGj45pewx0l7yIrvOQ5wr-1uIi_T7nuAV/s1600/reeny1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXZkLYQQD0QnFgeEY6GImjDVL7OAcvjE3HX7uGu-yMimi6ezKvdzCgfJjhhXZWZwmcJW19HToDCFiVb76Z5RnMq1QAuKEY8qDDM3RcFgY1R8NOGj45pewx0l7yIrvOQ5wr-1uIi_T7nuAV/s200/reeny1.jpg" /></a></div>
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Well it is official; I opened my Etsy Store and website. I am hoping that when I retire that I might be able to have a small business selling the bounty from my yard. I was so excited this week to see everything come to fruition. I know this is just the beginning but everyone has to start somewhere. For years now my friends have been telling me I should open a business. I have been thinking about this very seriously. Many years ago I really wanted to open something having to do with a doggy boutique. I have watched many doggy boutique businesses come and go. Owning my own business just seemed like something I would be good at and so with each product that I create from my yard the more I thought that an Etsy business connected with Reeny’s Butterflies, Blooms, and Bees might be a great idea. I have totally been consumed recently with the idea of making soap and using my honey and beeswax in many of the products. I am trying to create a niche.
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Anyhow, I have a steep learning curve ahead of me, but plenty of time to learn. I think the pressure from my job to always perform has been really getting to me lately. You are only as good as your current performance; forget the fact that I have been a top sales performer throughout the 15 years with my current company. I also just turned 58 years old. Not quite ready to retire for at least 4-6 years. I figure a girl needs to plan for the future. Why not take my talents and biosustainable gardening practices and try to create a business. I have given so much honey, wine, soap and lip balm away it is time to see if I could sell a little of the fruits of my labor.
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I had my first sale the very first day!!! I couldn’t believe it, although it was from a lifelong friend! I hope she enjoys the honey! I really appreciate her support and will always remember that she was my first sale. Thanks Trisha!
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Sunday I spent the day entering different products to my Etsy site. I tried to stage the products so they looked attractive. Just mailing and packaging the honey was slightly overwhelming, I have never had to figure out shipping etc. Of course, I am a perfectionist and wanted to make sure that I packaged the honey creatively. That is one of the feature of Etsy that I like the most, is that many of the owners are very creative in the delivery of their products.
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Sunday I also made two new batches of soap. One is a repeat because I gave away most of it to friends and family. So I made another batch of my Honey & Oatmeal Soap. The honey is from my hives. I scented it with Lavender Essential Oil, and Tea tree Oil. It smells terrific and I love the way it feels in the shower. I hope you agree. This new soap needs to cure for 3-6 weeks. It should be available by the end of October.
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I also made a Caffeinated Coffee Soap. I will try to keep many of my products as natural as possible, but I would also like to be able to create a more artisan handmade soap. I will still try to keep it as natural as possible, using herbs etc. from my yard, but may use fragrance oils instead of essential oils. I will be sure to always list the ingredients that I put in any of my products. This soap does have some coffee fragrance oil, along with peppermint essential oil. The combination smells amazing. I also added fresh coffee grounds to the soap. This soap turned out really nice and smells just like a morning cup of coffee. So if you are one of those people that can’t function until you have a cup of coffee (many mornings I am one of those people), then this soap is perfect because you can bathe in your coffee too! This soap will be available sometime the end of October also.
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Maureen Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405185544348426979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954130362755556500.post-33093691694351081942013-09-11T09:29:00.000-04:002013-09-23T18:02:33.122-04:00New ways to connect with Reeny's Butterflies, Blooms and Bees!I am proud to announce that you can now connect with Reeny's Butterflies, Blooms and Bees at more places on the net!
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Visit my Facebook Page and become a fan to get updates!
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Reenys-Butterflies-Blooms-and-Bees/293166290826644">Click here to visit my Facebook page</a>
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Visit my Etsy Shop to order our products!
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/Reenysbloomsnbees">Click here to visit my Etsy Shop</a>
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Visit my website to contact me, order products, read reviews and more!
<a href="http://reenysbutterfliesbloomsandbees.weebly.com/">Click here to visit my website</a>
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Bear with me on the website and Etsty shop as I will be slowly adding products in the near future!!Maureen Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405185544348426979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954130362755556500.post-68273141316123681652013-09-07T07:44:00.000-04:002013-09-19T08:06:47.048-04:00Michael Bush Presentation at Palm Beach County Beekeeping AssociationToday I had the opportunity to hear Michael Bush present at the Palm Beach County Beekeeping Association. When I first started thinking about getting some bees I watched a video with Brendhan Horne from the Palm Beach County Beekeeping Association. He put together an Organic Beekeeping Conference. Michael Bush was one of the speakers at that conference. Long story short Michael Bush’s book was one of the first books I read, “The Practical Beekeeper, Beekeeping Naturally” It is a great reference book and it supported everything I felt was true about the importance of keeping bees naturally without chemicals, treatments, and pesticides. Once I decided that I wanted to keep bees in a Top Bar Hive, I found my way to Sam Comfort and Anarchy Bees.
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I was so excited to hear Michael Bush speak today. I got up at 06:30 am to drive up to West Palm Beach to hear him, but it was so worth it. The icing on the cake was that Sam Comfort was also there so I got to see him and discuss my hives and how my beekeeping skills have grown over the last couple of years. Here are a few highlights from Michael Bush’s lecture. He made 4 very important points. If more beekeepers practiced these rules our bees would be much healthier, despite the fact that our environment is causing issues with pesticides, and GMO crops, and neonicotinoids.
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<b>No Treatments</b>
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<ul>
<li>Maintain a rich ecosystem in the hive</li>
<li>Treatments within the hive disrupt this ecosystem.</li>
<li>Put selective pressure only where it belongs. </li>
<li>Treating only weakens the hive and therefore breeds disease. </li>
<li>The pests survive and win. </li>
<li>Keep the comb clean of chemicals. </li>
<li>Chemicals interfere with the natural communication within the hive. </li>
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<b>Breeding Local Survivors</b>
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<li>Locally adapted bees, feral bees, are more adapted to the climate. </li>
<li>Breed from Queens that have shown longevity, and good supercedure skills.</li>
<li>Contribute to overall genetic diversity of honey bees in North America.</li>
<li>Breed for gentleness, survivability, productivity, and cull for aggressiveness.</li>
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<b>Natural Food</b>
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<li>Sugar syrup has a higher ph, 6.0. Honey 3.2 to 4.5 disease reproduces better at a ph 6.0</li>
<li>Improper diet makes one susceptible to disease. </li>
<li>Increase ph of 6.0 affects the other 8,000 microorganisms within the hive</li>
<li>Sugar syrup disrupts the Ecological Balance of the hive</li>
<li>Leave honey for food, the bees will be healthier</li>
<li>More balanced ecosystem in the hive</li>
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<b>Natural Comb</b>
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<li>Using natural cell size fights against varroa and other disease.</li>
<li>Standard foundation has been upsized.</li>
<li>Upsizing has caused a bee that is 150% of its natural size.</li>
<li>Upsizing the bee makes it more susceptible to varroa, and other pests. </li>
<li>Clean wax promotes a healthier bee.</li>
<li>Natural comb is really the way to get clean wax.</li>
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I am proud to say that I practice most of what Michael Bush promoted in his lecture. I got my bees from Sam Comfort. These bees were bred specifically for their genetics, and survivability. They are good feral bees. Although my hives carry some of the same genetics from the original hives, they have since produced new queens altering somewhat the genetics. As you know from my blog entries this has become a slight issue for me because I do think that my new queens are breeding with local drones that may carry some Africanized genetics. Michael stressed the importance of breeding for gentleness. I may have to consider re-queening my hives. I tried that in the past with a nice Italian queen, thinking that the genetic from the Italian queen would make the hive gentler. He actually talked about the fact that this is not the best idea, that the bees from the combination could actually be more aggressive. I did not find that to be true in my case because the queen I received never was a great laying queen. The hive struggled and then finally didn’t survive. I have been thinking about my hives since his lecture and I may have to consider re-queening, maybe with some queens from Sam Comfort.
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Since I keep Top Bar Hives many of his other points I practice on a daily basis. I never feed my bee’s sugar water. I do not really need to because living in South Florida, there is always a pollen and nectar source for the bees. If I did need to feed I would make sure my bees had enough honey stores to survive. One of the reasons I chose TBH beekeeping was that the bees actually draw out their own comb. I allow my bees to do what they should do naturally. They are small celled bees, not upsized. They are less susceptible to varroa and other pests. I do have some small hive beetles but because my hives are strong they are in control. My comb is clean. I use no chemicals in my yard or in my hives. When I harvest my honey I actually cut the comb from the Top Bars, therefore the honeycomb is always turned over and the bees are constantly making new comb. My honeycomb is clean without chemicals.
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I wish more beekeepers understood these principles. I am glad that I practice them, and I hope my bees appreciate my efforts. Now if we could just change what is going on with the use of GMO crops, and, neonicotinoids, our bees might have a chance….. but that is a whole other story.
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Here are some pictures from my experience with Michael Bush! It was a great beekeeping day.
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Maureen Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405185544348426979noreply@blogger.com0