wood butter

Every couple of years, I divide and re-pot the amaryllis bulblets and right now we have six living amaryllis plants. This is the second one to bloom this year -- it has just three blossoms and is a little on the small size, but gorgeous all the same. 

The flower selection at the stores I frequent has been a little sparse lately. Until today at Whole Foods -- three tulip bouquets for $10. To simply be enjoyed for a time and when things start heading south, into the dye-pot they'll go.

Wood butter was made the other day and wow, this stuff really works and was most pleasant to use. Wood butter is mineral oil and beeswax at a ratio of 4 to 1 -- I used a 16-ounce container of food-grade mineral oil and 4 ounces of beeswax, warming the oil in one quart jar and melting the beeswax in another, both jars set into a large pot of simmering water, and then combined. I used wide-mouth jars as containers. After looking all over the grocery store for mineral oil, I finally had to get some help, and lo and behold, it's also a laxative and there it was with all the other nice laxatives. I don't recall ever hearing or reading about mineral oil, a petroleum product, being something ingestible, but it turns out it is. It's even in some candies including Swedish Fish so remember not to eat too many Swedish Fish! Or do, as the case may be. 

The nine-patch stitchery is done -- just under 2" square, it reminds me of a merit badge. And the sleeve grew by very little, it's such a slow-poke.

I'm off to walk the dogs -- it's raining lightly now and they say it'll turn to snow soon. Daisy, Talula and I love walking in inclement weather though so we don't mind one bit. Thanks for visiting and I hope you have a lovely weekend -- rainy, snowy, or sunny. xo