We started this spring with a single overwintered beehive and no plans to purchase anymore. Honestly, I thought we were moving away from beekeeping. I am in simplify mode this year, though Jonny doesn’t necessarily share my feelings when it comes to keeping bees. Apparently, the bees had other ideas as well. Late this spring, a wild swarm moved into a hive sitting empty by our front door, not where I would choose to keep a colony of bees. I moved the other empty hives to the side of the house temporarily, and another swarm moved in, this time from our overwintered hive. Then before we knew it, that wild swarm had sent out another swarm, which Jonny caught and put in one of our hives. Those wild bees are awfully productive! We went from one to four hives, unintentionally. The upside of all these unexpected bees is a little honey harvest that Mabel has loved helping with. It’s been a slow, messy process, with lots of sticky hands and faces, but the honey is now all in jars. What I am left with is a bunch of beeswax to process. My girls and I are pretty excited about trying some recipes from a new book we recently got called (affiliate link) Beeswax Alchemy. I want to add beeswax and honey to a batch of my goat’s milk soap and see how that goes, and I also plan to make candles.
I wish I had some moving news, but I don’t yet. One job has been eliminated and another is on the table now, this a job that wouldn’t require a move. We are trusting God to open and close doors, and hopefully soon! I have been alternating between a place of peace and trust and one of holding my breath. I’m so ready to exhale. It’s very hard to have everything up in the air and especially so close to the beginning of a school year. While we wait, I’m trying to focus on honey and beeswax. That should keep me busy.
mary says
LOVE the baby/honey pictures. good job. Blessings as you navigate feeling in limbo job-wise.
Linda says
Hi Ginny, wow your honey haul looked awesome. As a fellow soap maker I wanted to just mention (and you probably already know this), but adding honey to a milk soap, which already contains its own sugars can produce a lot of heat and if too much honey is added, the soap will overheat and overflow the mold. I thought I would go ahead and say this just in case :). Don’t ask me how I know lol !! To a 1.5 kilo batch of soap I can usually safely add about 1 Tablespoon of honey, if I remember correctly 🙂
Blessings to you ~ Linda
Ginny says
Thank you! I was nervous yesterday when I made it, but everything turned out good! I added about 2T (which was pushing it, I think) to a 5 lb batch of soap. I was able to cut my bars today and it looks great! I am curious to see how it lathers with the addition of the beeswax that I added as well.
Linda says
Well done you !!! 🙂 Honey and beeswax does make beautiful soap ! It’s always a bit nerve racking trying something new as who wants to waste expensive ingredients. Amen 🙂
Rita says
Sweet, sweet posting! Sweet pix of Mabel and pup and sweet honey! You are so blessed!
LeKeshua says
Your puppy is so cute. Is he/she a Mountain Cur by chance? We had a Mountain Cur and she looks identical to our sweet Shyla. Glad to know hear that a swarm took residence in the abandoned hive. We are considering adding vacant hives on our homestead in hopes that a swarm will move in. Glad to hear it’s possible.
Ginny says
We call her a Georgia Special 🙂 Several people have mentioned Mountain Cur though, and maybe she has some of that in her? Her parents are both mixed breed dogs so there’s no telling what she is! This year was our first having bees move into empty hives and we really didn’t expect it! I hope you have some luck as well.
Marilyn says
Mabel surely loves her honey. She is adorable. Hope you have your moving situation settled soon
Marilyn
Marion says
Mabel and her dog taking a nap is cute. Payers that your moving and job situation will be solved soon .
Marion
Joan says
Ginny the photos of Mabel tasting and eating the honey are precious.
Joan
Sonjia says
Love the sweet pictures of your darling daughter. Remember we NEED bees. Keep on keeping on! ❤️
Lou says
I want to sleep with such abandon like your daughter! That picture is so precious. The honey looks scrumptious. It’s wonderful to nurture bees, I imagine, and to keep hands busy while the mind processes potential changes with a new job. Thinking of you and your family.
Antonia says
Will pray for you all today…
Ginny says
Thank you!
Nancy M says
Oh how wonderful about all your beautiful honey!!! What a sweet blessing (literally)! 🙂 Waiting is hard. The way companies go about hiring today is so hard — it is such a lengthy and drawn out process it seems. When you are truly in a need of a job and a family to provide far – it really is hard to watch it take so long. Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us that God will direct our paths as we trust in Him. And from personal experience it will pass and as trials are meant for us to learn from – we always do learn and pass on that knowledge – especially to our children who get to witness the great things that God is doing and all that comes from waiting and trusting. 🙂 And I remember when you are waiting you are fearful to get the next thing going with all the “what ifs” — but I encourage you just to go right ahead and move forward and it will all work out. Hang in there Ginny!
Ginny says
Thank you, Nancy! The hiring process is so long. We didn’t expect it to be like this! I’m doing my best to keep marching!
Maria says
This made me think of a book that our family has enjoyed: Letters from the Hive.
I may have found the recommendation on your blog. Praying for some resolution to the job/moving situation.
Ginny says
Thank you! I will definitely check out that book. I haven’t seen it before!
Molly says
Hi Ginny,
Just thinking of Sarah this week and wanted to drop you a line to say hello, as I know you must be thinking of her too. (I met you briefly in Fredericksburg one time when I was visiting). I miss her. I know you do too. And felt compelled to write. The time has gone by so quickly. Is she here watching over us? Will Liam remember her sweet smile?
Thank you for giving me the space to write this out, as you are one of the only other friends I know of hers.
It sounds like you are doing well, but are (or may be) in a bit of a transition. You and your family are in my thoughts.
Molly
Ginny says
Hi Molly! I was just thinking of you recently and it’s so good to hear from you. Please email me anytime! ginnysheller@gmail.com I miss her so much.
Sarah Albanese says
Have been praying and thinking of you all. That honey looks amazing!
Ginny says
Thank you, Sarah!
Elisabeth says
How amazing that the wild bees are just moving in to your empty hives! My brother captures wild bees exclusively to stock his hives since they seem to be more resistant to pesticides/herbicides sprayed by farmer neighbors. Enjoy the honey!
Laura M says
Those puppy pics 🙂 Also, bees! how fun
GretchenJoanna says
I can well imagine how your mind and heart are flip-flopping from joy to anxiety – waiting is the biggest challenge. I am doing a lot of that the last several months, too; it’s so helpful to have something sweet and time-consuming to focus on!
Gillian says
A totally irrelevant question question – every time I see your bedding I wonder what it is?? The floral that Mabel and puppy are on.
Ginny says
It’s just a basic quilt I ordered on Amazon years ago. I don’t think it’s available anymore-I have checked because people ask from time to time. I have a hard time finding quilts that I like!
Penelope says
Waiting during these times is akin to the final weeks of pregnancy — pray and give thanks, and trust that God has it all well in hand. All knots untangle, eventually. Having honey and beeswax processing to focus on in the meantime sounds lovely 🙂
Lady Locust says
Oh Ginny~ do enjoy those bees. I’ve read that book, and it does have some wonderful insight and ideas. There is something ancient and magical about working with beeswax and honey (& bees in general.)
I absolutely love the pix with the honey drop:-)
Peace to you and yours~
Jillian says
Its good to stay busy with so much up in the air! I hope you know soon If you are moving again or not, the hurry up and wait process is horrible! Your family is in my thoughts, it will all work out one way or another!
Ann says
I was just thinking of you this morning as I read through my blog list and then I saw a new post. Those are lovely photos of your little one helping her dad with the honey processing. Hopefully, your wait will be over soon and a way will be made clear for your family. Peace!
Eileen says
I am praying for you and your family regarding the ‘job’ and ?moving. Living in unsettling time daily wears on a body and mind, no matter how much self care we do for ourselves. These are big issues for your family. I pray that Johny gets the job he wants and can be happy to show up to daily, the rest will surely fall into place. Can’t wait to see all your honey products!
Thinking of you daily in my prayers.
martha says
Thank you for the update on the job, i’m sure many of us (your readers) feel a bit like we’re holding our breath along with you! Praying along with you, too, for God’s hand and provision to be clear. Thank goodness for projects to help keep hands and minds busy in the midst of life’s uncertainties. <3
S says
I just read a sweet memoir about honeybees called The Honey Bus. Not sure if you have read it, but highly recommend- it’s basically a loving tribute to the grandfather of the author who through his bee keeping and Honey making in his “honey bus” gave the author the one steady and loving presence in a broken family and seriously damaged mother/children relationship. I learned so much about bees!
Good luck weathering the uncertainty of jobs/moves.
Sophie says
Hello,
your description sounds so wonderful, I ordered the book.
Isn’t this a magic space?
Thank you Ginny and S.
Ginny says
I’m picking it up from the library today!
Ginny says
Thank you for the book recommendation! I have it on hold at the library now. 🙂
S says
I think you will love it but I think Jonny will want to build a honey bus himself! It is such a tough story but her grandpa was so wonderful- and the pictures of Big Sur are beautiful. Enjoy!!