Organic Wildflower Honey and allergies in Dogs ~ Goodbye itchy skin, watery eyes and more.

Many of you know my Flossie girl from the day she first came home to be my sweet fur baby .. to 3 yrs later when she became sick with AIHA ( Auto Immune Hemolytic Anemia). 

For those of you that don't know .. Flossie is my four legged fur baby ... She's a beautiful English Springer Spaniel and she's now 6 yrs old. In Flossies 3rd yr she became ill with AIHA an auto immune disease which she had a less than 50% chance of surviving. She beat the odds and lived through and is now 3 yrs in remission. With AIHA it's much like cancer in the since that it can come back at any time what is referred to relapsing. 

Well prior to Flossie getting AIHA .. she started having severe allergies and after she went through the AIHA for 1 yr and came off all meds her allergies were as bad if not worse. I was at a loss for what to do with her for the first year so the poor thing broke out in hives ended up with skin infections, lost tons of hair, chewed herself raw, eyes poured down her face, ear infections, and more and I would have to medicate her sores with antibiotic cream, cortisone cream and then cover with powder to get relief and healing, I was even using Gold Bond powder on her daily to help calm the itch which worked to a degree. It was absolutely horrible for her and agonizing to watch her go through after going through such a horrible disease and making it through only to live in a constant state of itching. 

Some might be thinking why not put her on an allergy med from the vet. A - she has an immune system that over reacts so adding meds to her life isn't a good choice for her. B - I have learned through her disease how to treat ailments naturally and it works... sometimes it takes longer but it works and with no nasty and horrible side effects that are short lived or long lasting from man made medications.

So this last year I went on a search to see what I could find to help with her allergies, Some wrote to switch to a grain free raw food diet .. check mark already done she eats a whole food raw diet for 2 yrs now... and allergies were still an issue, another things was to use Colostrum, check mark again I had used that for over a yr, another suggestion was Quercitin with bromelaine check mark again and still no help. So I found one last natural option that I hadn't tried and that was Organic unfiltered all Natural "LOCAL" Wildflower Honey.  I found a great article by: The Ottawa Valley Dog whisperer all about Honey, the different kinds of honey, what not to use, what to use, and how much...you can read that article HERE

All Natural Honey has bits of pollen from the local flowers and grasses etc .. when it's ingested it causes the body to build immunity to those pollens and takes away the allergic reaction .. at least that's how I explain it in my simple persons terms.

So about 12 weeks ago just before spring kicked in I headed to a local shop HONEY HEAVEN that sells local honey. Told them what I needed Organic unfiltered all natural Wildflower Honey and they carried it. I bought a bottle and started Flossie on the amount that was recommended in the article. Now it was a wait and see what was going to happen when all the trees and flowers and grass decided to bloom and spread all that pollen. Well they bloomed and the pollen was heavy this year my car went from charcoal grey to a bright green yellow fuzz and I came down with some massive sneezing, eye watering, sore throat, and overall tiredness from it all myself ..  But my sweet Flossie girl hasn't had any itching at all, no chewing, no hives no nothing well I take that back she has the slightest watery eyes but nothing severe like she was. So I think we have the allergy issue solved naturally and I'm so so happy for her. 

I wanted to share this in case you have a sweet little four legged friend that could use some allergy relief. In hopes that if you've tried other things including vet meds and they haven't worked this just might be the thing that does.


Sweet Blessings
Sara

Lifes about changing, nothing ever stays the same ....

Well I think my title sums up life to a tee. Don't you ?

and I believe if I remember correctly those are lyrics from an old Garth Brooks song. 

Well once again it's been a while since I last blogged Fall of last year to be exact. Life has become one day of business that runs into another anymore. Some days I just want to say stop and let me off. But I can't complain to much when I've created my own busy life. And My life has been so blessed by God.

The last several months have been full of me praying and praying and asking the Lord if I was headed in the right direction for some reason something just seemed off to me. Had I missed any roads he wanted me to take or had I taken roads he really knew I shouldn't but I did. And that my eyes and heart were open to new opportunity or changes. I was searching for some guidance.

8 week ago some of those answers to prayer came through an odd sequence of events in life that truly I can say were a "God Thing". There was no doubt that he provided me with some pretty distinct answers that I was not expecting at all.. and in so doing he took me in a new direction that hadn't been on my radar at all "He's kind of cool that way".  And that is slowly unfolding in my life right now.

My business is my livelihood I'm just a single gal that does what she loves despite the fact I'll never get rich at it...  and I'm not a gal that has to have a lot to live or be happy. I'm a pretty easy keeper. I guess that's a good thing considering. But sometimes I like so many others can push so hard to make a living that it leaves you worn thin and wondering am I doing the right thing ? Not to mention I've had a few health issues I've dealt with the last year that have added to my exhaustion.

One thing I knew for sure was that I very much miss the handmade side of my business and I have literally had no time for it. I love creating and designing.  And another was that I needed to be investing my time into not only the things I love but where business is most productive financially for me it just makes perfect business since. And as much fun as I love to have with work I have to be sensible too. Sometimes we have to see the whole picture and realize changes have to be made.

So I looked over my books and sales for the last 2 years and did some investigating to see where my time and energy would be best invested. 

And the conclusion was I need to get back to creating and designing with some vintage fun mixed in. Yes gals that means my upcycled clothing will be back along with many other hand mades that I love creating in the coming months.

So over the next few months I'm making some changes to my business .. We've all heard the word diversify .. or the saying "don't put all your eggs in one basket" .. so I'm working at doing just that with my shop spaces. A few smaller spaces  in different locations where I can still enjoy selling and creating beautiful displays . I might try a market.  And I will be getting back to creating my OOAK handmade designs and offering more in my Etsy shop like the old days. So if you see some changes happening Y'all won't be going hey what's going on with her is she going out of business ... Nope not at all .. just making some changes where changes need to be made.

And another thing I have missed a lot the last few years is being able to share more here on my blog.. Instagram and FB are great for sharing quick snippets but it really lacks the option for more in depth posts and leaves me feeling a little lack luster. Over the years I so enjoyed connecting with gals through my blog and I made several long lasting friendships which I hold dear so I look forward to getting back to it and sharing recipes, projects and just personal bits and bobs like I used too. So in the coming months as I restructure things I'll be hoping I'm not so exhausted all the time and I'll be here sharing the things that are dear to my heart and hoping and praying that I've chosen the right new path for this stage of life and if not that the Lord opens doors and shuts them and that I have the eyes to see and ears to hear to keep moving forward or staying still if that's what he calls me to do.

Until Next time .. which I'll be hoping is very soon as I get things changed up...

       Sweet Blessings

     Sara

Fall is almost here My Oh My ! ...New fall goodness ...

Well Fall is just on the horizon here in the Ozarks .. and we're expecting a beautiful changing of the colors this year. We've had a lot of late summer rain and most of the time come July through September we get a little or a lot dry .. this year it's beautiful and green and I think that's going to make for some beautiful fall colors now that the nights temps are cooling off .. I'm counting down the days of seeing those beautiful vivid crimson, and fiery colors throughout our Ozark Mountains .. 

So are you all decked out in you home sweet home for fall yet ? It seems no matter what direction I go these last few weeks it's impossible not to be surrounded by beautiful fall decor .. Abbey and I just finished up some of our Farmhouse Pumpkins, Fall Pillow Covers, and even a few of our Farm Girl Fancies Upcycled Flannel Shirts are now available in our Etsy shop .. not to mention both our shop spaces at Camp Flea Antique Mall...

Here's a sneak peek at just a few of the new pieces added to our Etsy shop .. 

Enjoy !

  

You can find these and more beautiful fall pieces in our Etsy shop HERE

Or if you're local or passing through be sure and stop in at Camp Flea Antique Mall to visit both our shop spaces which also have fall pillows, farmhouse pumpkins, and Farm Girl Fancies Flannel shirts along with some other pretty awesome vintage goodness .. 

The mall is located just off hwy 65 south of Springfield 9 miles or north of Branson at the Jackson Street Exit .. under the BIG "ANTIQUES"  sign ..just ask for our shop by name or space # 777 ..

Sweet Farmhouse Blessings

Sara

Faith Makes things possible not easy ...

So So True ... I know several people going through some rough times right now .. and their Faith in God is what makes each day possible to get through even though the struggles they face feel overwhelming .. Being a Christian doesn't mean life will be a cake walk.. our God is bigger than that he uses the ups and downs in our lives to mold us and teach us if only we will seek to have a heart like his . If you're riding that rough road of life today .. remember 

 

Joshua 1:9 "Be Strong and courageous ! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" ...

 

 Have a beautiful and blessed Sunday Y'all ..

Fall is in the air .. at Sweet Magnolias Farm

Well it took a week ... well kind of a week we had a few detours along the way .. but we revamped our 1st shop space this last week .

New paint.. a cute new rafter /attic style roof on the right side of the shop .. all new lighting .. lots of new vintage goods and some Fall home goods... 

We started at the 1st of the month with our new shop space just across the aisle and finished this week up with our 1st shop space .. it's been quite a lot of work but in the end it all looks so pretty and we hope all who come and shop enjoy the work of our hands... 

Here's some photos to enjoy .. whether you are local or traveling and want to stop in or if you're far off and just want to have a fun look at what we offer.

Our shop spaces are located in Camp Flea Antique Mall in Ozark, MO. Just off hwy 65 and the Jackson Street exit under the great big "ANTIQUES"  sign.  We are in the doors and to the right our shop spaces are across the aisle from one another.  Just ask for shop # 777 . 

 

Sweet Farmhouse Blessings ..

Sara