~ Welcome Welcome Spring and a Blessed Ostara! ~

Today marks the first day of Spring ~
the rites of Spring are many & diverse throughout our world,
so I thought I might share some of my personal favorites with you!

 

~ The Vernal Equinox...
the phrase literally translates to 'Spring's Equal Night',
meaning, on this day the amount of daylight & darkness will be equal

...also, the poles or gravitational pulls of our mother Earth align perfectly, thus,
you are able to stand an egg on it's 'round' end!!
(try it, it's fun!!)

~ Wiccans celebrate the Sabbat of Ostara on this day...

A Blessed Ostara to my Witchy Friends!

 

 

And today marks the first day of my Spring Cleaning! YAY!

(( no, really,...I look so forward to this day every year ~ ))
regardless of the weather, the windows of the old farmhouse will be opened, 

letting in much needed fresh air in the stale rooms that have been closed up all year.

 

First ~ I will burn or 'smudge' the entire house with White Sage
to release any negative energies that have gathered
in the house over the past year...

 

I start sweeping these old floors at the very top of the house,

~  sweeping in every corner, from the ceiling down...

then down the stairs, and finally to the cellar and out the cellar door!

 

 ...the windows will be washed with white vinegar & newspaper, inside and out

making our view outside crisp & clear through the old wavy glass.

I will take down the curtains , wash them and hang them in the sun to dry...

bringing in the freshness of a new day and warmth of the sunshine ~

 

I'm sure you all have your own 'ritual's that you perform this time of year, and I like to look back in my collection of Almanacks for the 'olde time' ways people readied their homes,
farms & lives for the upcoming Spring Season...

 on another note,

I have recipes that I make each year for our family ~

and one of our favorites is

Red Beet Eggs!

~Notforgotten Farm's Red Beet Eggs~
8 hard boiled eggs, shelled

2 cans of red beets + their liquid

1 tbls. pickling spice

1/4 c. sugar

2 cups vinegar
(I like to use apple cider vinegar for better flavor)

In a large glass jar with tight fitting lid, place all ingredients except eggs...
stir and then place in shelled eggs.
refrigerate over night for better flavor, can be kept for 2-3 weeks in fridge,...
(I usually keep adding new eggs once the original eggs are eaten)

...these are great as a side dish or in salad!

another thing I love to do is make these in preparation for Easter:

Onion Skin Dyed SILHOUETTE Eggs ~

Here is how I make mine:

boil 6 large white eggs in salt water (1/2 c. in 4 c. water)
*you will not be eating these!!!*

drain cooked eggs and let cool completely...

in a saucepan, add about 2 handfuls of yellow onion skins (not red onion skins!)
and add 4 cups water...bring to a boil, then simmer...

you'll need some old knee high's or old stockings for the next part...
to make stencils for the eggs, cut our your design from parchment paper...
wet your paper stencil and place on cooled egg...now wrap your egg, covering stencil, with a piece of stocking (approx. 5" x 5" square...) and tie off with a twist tie...

continue to do this for each egg.

now place eggs into dye bath and simmer for at least an hour,
or longer until your desired shade of dye is achieved...

once dyed, let entire pot of liquid and eggs cool completely.

~ now you're ready to snip off your stocking and peel away your paper stencil.
dry each egg with a paper towel, then coat each egg with a light rub of vegetable oil.

this will help 'seal' the eggshell, and make them shine a little...

place eggs in a bowl or straw-filled basket to display...

Eggs like this were made by the PA Germans (and still are!) 

and some have even survived over 50 years with careful handling, 

being stored away in a cool dark place and brought out again each year ~
BUT
make sure you don't break one of these old eggs…

you'll have to evacuate your house if you do!

 and to help you celebrate the day, after all of your chores are finished....

here is a little embroidery project that I have previously shared ~

I stitched this using DMC threads ~

 

all stems ~ 3011 ~ straight stitch

all leaves ~ 832 ~ satin & lazy daisy stitch

bird ~ 647 ~ satin stitch

bird's belly ~ 3064 ~ satin stitch

lettering, bird legs & berries ~ 610 ~ back stitch & french knot

 

but you may choose whichever stitches/threads or colors you'd like!

 Hoping you all have a lovely Spring day my sweet Friends,

no matter how you celebrate!

⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori