Cheryl's Creations Blog: 2013-02-17

Friday, February 22, 2013

Recipe: Gold Wellness Drink & Broth of Life Soup

I jinxed myself. On Friday, while my boyfriend and I were getting our community acupuncture treatments from the very wonderful local acupuncturist Eric Kerr, I said, "We're so lucky; we never get colds or anything!" Yep, famous last words. So Saturday, I wake up with runny nose, fuzzy head and a bit of the aches. You'd have thought I would've learned my lesson, but no...so when I said to my friend at brunch on Saturday, "it'll probably be gone by tomorrow", you can imagine: it only got worse the next day. Fast forward to today (three full days of sickness later) and I'm feeling much better, thank goodness.

Being my pitta-self, I didn't just drink a little tea and hope for the best. I went after this cold with the full arsenal of my holistic cold-fighting wisdom. I've had:

*ocean-fulls of turmeric, ginger & honey tea.

*broths of all kinds (except chicken, doh)

*vitamin C galore

*chinese herbs

*ayurvedic herbs

*triphala

*more tea

*some aloe

*Umcka (not even sure what this stuff does, but it seems pretty good)

*hot baths with epsom salts, lavender & peppermint

*White flower oil (I practically bathed in it on Sunday)
*a neti pot amost becoming my fifth appendage

*yoga postures like baddha konasana with my king size pillow behind my back

*acupressure points (genius for my headache)

and the hardest to fit in:

*REST!

Yes, I took the entire day off yesterday and stayed home, mostly in bed.

I was unproductive (almost completely) and it was a challenge.

What I keep coming back to is this:

"What is this cold trying to teach me?"

I don't think it was telling me to clean up my diet-- that seemed pretty good.

Or to exercise more or differently- that's all well.

I think what it was yelling at me was...

"Dang, girl!!! Get some rest!!"

Probably close to three weeks without a day off: not a recipe for health, especially during the change of season, even if I do absolutely love my work.

So I am resting. Trying to take it easy and not take on more than is reasonable with a not-quite-super-human amount of energy.

It's been on my to-do list to carve out time for a regular day off away from emails and my phone, but it had never seemed to reach the top of the list. Now, it's there: right at the top...with a little note next to it ("or else!") ;)

If you haven't had a day off in weeks, learn from my misfortune: get some rest and turn off your phone. You'll thank me when you're not up to your elbows in kleenex.

Here are two of the recipes that let me survive my day of sickness that I just couldn't take off...

Worth-Its-Weight-In-Gold

Gold Wellness Drink

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 a lemon, chopped in half

1+ tsp fresh grated ginger

1 pint hot water

...once tea is cool enough to drink, add:

1 teaspoon + honey

(if just making a cup, halve this recipe)

Broth of Life Soup

(estimations)

6 stalks celery

1 bunch swiss chard

2 beets + greens

3 carrots

1 bunch of fresh parsley

1 bunch of fresh thyme

2 inches of fresh ginger, sliced

5 large cloves of garlic

small piece of kombu

water to cover

--simmer above ingredients covered for 2 hours--

strain & save. Drink as you like to keep you breathing. (Honestly, it's great for congestion)

For a meal if you have the appetite, cook 1/4 c of basmati rice in 3 cups broth.

If you've had too much ginger tea and you're starting to overheat, top your broth with chopped cilantro.

Make our illnesses be our greatest teachers-- and may we not forget their lessons!
To a winter of wellness!

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

End of Winter Days ahead

Well I wanted a few good days of white fluffy snow here in Oklahoma, but that really isn't going to happen at least not where I live.
Instead we got half a day of white stuff and then the sleet started and rain, then sleet again, so we got an icey mush. Cold and treatcherous to drive on, although during the day the roads were pretty clear, however I stayed in and gave into shoulder pain from pulling something the night before.

Then I caught up on emails, and a little cleaning and then to my crochet work. I am working on a pair of tiny cowgirl boots for one of my sweet grand babies first birthday this weekend.

With Valentine's over it's time to move onto the next upcoming holiday for americans at least, Easter, or Ostara as we witchy folk call it.
So I will be posting recipes on my recipe blog and crafts and ideas here over the next few weeks.
I hope you find things you like here and always leave me a positive comment now and then.
I share what I find and make and things I feel are important.

Have a great week, stay warm, or cool depending on where you may be and peaceful blessings
Witchy Woman- Cheryl

Bunnies Knitting Pattern-Freebie

Bunnies {free pattern}

I have been wanting to make bunnies for a long time and yesterday the idea just popped in my head and I made a bunny.

And because bunnies need friends, I made another one.

I even caught them telling each other secrets.

So do you want to make a bunny

Pattern

Materials

DK weight yarn (You can use any weight of yarn, just use needles two sizes smaller than the ball band suggests, so the stuffing doesn’t show)
Size US 2 DPNS
Tapestry needle
Microfilling (or anything you would like to use for stuffing)
Scrap embroidery floss or yarn for embroidering the eyes and nose.

Abreviations

Kfb Knit front and back in the same stitch
K2tog Knit two stitches together.
* … * repeat stitches between the asterisks

Instructions for the body

Cast on 6 stitches, arrange on 3 needles, join in the round and mark the first stitch.
Round 1: Kfb all stitches (12 stitches)
Round 2: *Kfb, K1* (18 stitches)
Round 3: *Kfb, K2* (24 stitches)
Round 4: *Kfb, K3* (30 stitches)
Round 5: *Kfb, K4* (36 stitches)
Round 6: *Kfb, K5* (42 stitches)
Round 7: *Kfb, K6* (48 stitches)
Round 8: *Kfb, K7* (54 stitches)
Round 9: *Kfb, K8* (60 stitches)
Round 10: *Kfb, K9* (66 stitches)
Round 11 – 21 : Knit all stitches around. (66 stitches)
Round 22:*K2tog, K 9* (60 stitches)
Round 23:*K2tog, K 8* (54 stitches)
Round 24:*K2tog, K 7* (48 stitches)
Round 25:*K2tog, K 6* (42 stitches)

Now would be a good time to embroider the face and stuff the bunny half full.

Round 26:*K2tog, K 5* (36 stitches)
Round 27:*K2tog, K 4* (30 stitches)

Add some more stuffing

Round 28:*K2tog, K 3* (24 stitches)
Round 29:*K2tog, K 2* (18 stitches)

Add some more stuffing

Round 30:*K2tog, K 1* (12 stitches)
Round 31:*K2tog* ( 6stitches)

Add more stuffing if you can.

Cut off a long tail and using a tapestry needle thread through the remaining stitches, pull tight and weave in ends.

Instructions for the ears [Make 2]

Cast on 6 stitches, arrange on 3 needles, join in the round and mark the first stitch.
Round 1: Kfb all stitches (12 stitches)
Round 2: *Kfb, K3* (15 stitches)
Round 3: *Kfb, K4* (18 stitches)
Round 4: *Kfb, K5* (21 stitches)
Round 5: *Kfb, K6* (24 stitches)
Round 6 – 16 : Knit all stitches around
Round 17: *K2tog, k6* (21 stitches )
Round 18: *K2tog, k5* (18 stitches )
Round 19: *K2tog, k4* (15 stitches )
Round 20: *K2tog, k3* (12 stitches )
Round 21: *K2tog, k2* (9 stitches )
Bind off, leaving a long tail.