folksy | entries

Last week Natalie made her first tea blend. I gathered the ingredients for her and she made up her own measurements for each herb. It has lavender, chamomile, hibiscus and licorice. She has named it Fairy Flower Tea and it is delightful!

Maybe as our own blended teas get better we can finally open our own little herb and flower etsy shop up. I am still working on a name for it. Of course it will have 'owl' in the title somewhere!

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a summer friday...

the girl at play...

a girl's handy book...

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another day waking up to tame emotions rising from dreams that are not real.
we are all wired differently and this is just one of those things about myself
that i have to contain and take control of so that it won't take control over me.
some of the content seems to be making obvious statements and the others trying
to subtly lay into me what it wants me to believe as truth.

i just think i need a change.

i know i rely too much on what the heart thinks it wants, what it wants to believe
will be forever and always. what it thinks needs to be the optimum in order
for survival; for my survival. life goes on, it changes, it ages and nothing stays the same.
maybe i've just crawled into my own cave, cut away from ties of realities and have
set up a place that just wants to thrive on the beautiful and romantic always.
i can't neglect what is real and that's what it wants to do; to choke out reality.
i can't stay there in that place. i need a change...

(listen)

Current Music: on the basis -- forest city lovers

several things have stood out to me the most this week even though it's only wednesday.
the girl and i went swimming the other day, just her and i. she wore her goggles which made
her sweet face the more sweeter by way of silliness.
after spinning in the water for a bit, we sat in the shallow side and we talked a bit.
i had to tell her my 'woman' thing was coming and that's why i was feeling a little bit unwell.
as always, she asked me what that was. this time she wanted more information.
i explained to her why it happened without getting too explicit and without heading into
male and female relationship territory.
i had to explain too, that when this happens, it means a woman is not pregnant because
a very tiny egg is leaving her body.
this saddened her because it meant that i was not pregnant. momma is not having a baby.
natalie is struggling with being an only child. she wants a sibling desperately and i know this.
she went on to tell me that she wants to have someone she can help take care of.
she also said everyone she knows has a brother or sister.
what she wasn't saying was 'i'm lonely'.
it made me cry.
i wish we could have another. i've been wanting another for sometime. it just seems that
there are several major things in the way like finances and my health issues.
i'm getting older too and so is she; she will be six in january.
my heart seems to break a little more everyday about this.

more books to want...

(i'm not sure what 'the harry potter should have died' book is all about
but i certainly would love those little owl plushies!)

i never thought that i would love yellow so much.
it pairs so well with so many other colors.
bringing warmth or vibrance.
i love yellow when it is paired with shades of brown.
or grey. or something unexpected like violet.
yellow, ochre, in nature, in light, in fabrics.
find the varying colors of yellow and be happy...

photos from my flickr faves, click on images for credit/link

mama roots gifts.

violet folklore.

clumsybird.

clumsybird.

tinctory.

anjalouise.

i made you a starfield for your birthday

knitalatte.

the children of the sun begin to wake...

violet folklore.

knitalatte.

the snail and the cyclops

smicksy.

groene inkt.

apple leaf/twig, chamomile, nettle and lemon balm

this week has been a mild summer for august and i am very grateful for it.
we've been drinking tea and making our own herbal teas as well.
she likes when i put apple leaf and twig with chamomile and lemon balm together.
she is not a big fan of nettle but i did get her to drink mountain rose herb's dawn chorus
which contains organic nettle leaf, organic green rooibos and organic rose petals
(that's what gets her to drink the tea) .

I've made another mix for me that i am really enjoying. it has nettle, meadowsweet, chamomile, lavender and licorice.
today, however i drank a tea i bought from sprouts farmers market yesterday. it's from god's garden pharmacy and it's
called herbal energy. it has green tea, yerba mate, shizandra berry, ginger, rose hip, eleuthro and sarsaparrilla along
with it's propriety blend of gotu kola, licorice, kola nut, rosemary, pepperming, damiana, guarana, alfalfa, raspberry
and stevia. i was a bit concerned about the peppermint since that does not do good with my GERD but it was in a very
minor amount. the tea was wonderful, warming and bold. though it's late in the morning, actually, it's almost noon,
i'm getting the day ready now. :)

(click on images for link and credit)

adventuring.

imagining.

branches.

dandelions.

sunshine.

blackbirds.

dreaming.

apples.

pretending.

one day she will tell you stories
of the woods when the leaves fall from trees
and the winds whisper through the branches...

today i mixed my first tincture, dried chamomile flowers with vodka.
it will take a month to mature and then it will be ready.

Peter Rabbit's mother gave him a cup of chamomile tea after he returned from his day of danger in Mr. MacGregor's garden to settle his stomach, calm him down, and make him sleepy. But the medicinal use of chamomile starts way before the story of Peter Rabbit. Ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks used chamomile flowers to relieve sunstroke, fevers, and colic. Germans use a phrase to describe chamomile, "alles zutraut," which means that chamomile can cure anything.

If you take German chamomile as a tea or liquid extract, it can help stop pains from gas, heartburn, and ulcers. If you use it as a cream or ointment on your skin, it can help reduce symptoms of psoriasis, eczema, or radiation burns from cancer therapies. As an ointment, chamomile may also help heal wounds that have taken a long time to get better. You can put steeped chamomile flowers, or tinctures (solutions made from herb and alcohol, or herb, alcohol, and water), into bathwater and soak in it; this can help heal a number of skin problems, including hemorrhoids. Inhale the steam from a pot of chamomile tea or a few drops of chamomile oil in boiling water when you have a cold. When the tea cools, you can use it as a mouthwash or gargle to help reduce pain from gum disease or mouth sores.
from alternative dr.

i also made my first sweet herbal oil using cardamom and anise
in grapeseed oil. that will also take a month so i am looking forward
to september fourth when they both will be ready.

i took some photos but have yet to upload them but i will do so soon. very excited!

Yesterday we waited until late afternoon and took a small trip to the nearby regional park.

We found some perfect trees for her to begin to learn how to climb them. At first, she needed assistance but she was eager to continue to learn.

I love being there. Living in the suburbs, you need an escape where there are more trees to explore, more life around you other than people, more textures, more sights, more sounds from nature itself.

Climbing on her own

a blackbird seems to wonder

I like to believe these three are chatty sisters, talking non stop about others around the pond and all the strangers without feathers who come by..

a little ghostie i drew on fallen bark

a moment of triumph and respite

The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. --Anne Frank

Summer has this girl with me all the time, which is no problem except when she wants to do a million crafts every minute :) A few weeks ago I had her glue loose earl grey tea onto a little drawing and we made 'Mr Earl Grey'. His beard smells pretty good too!

Monday we were drawing and coloring and I began a 'bark' painting that I would attach to a tin can and then punch holes to make a lantern.

Finally it was dark enough to try out our new little celestial lantern I made for her. With put our hedgehog jar votive on first and then the new one..

we love things with soft fire glows...especially a little owl lantern I made a few weeks ago. She has fun walking around with it pretending to be looking for people..

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sundays are for mandrakes, and other things...

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our california adventure...

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feathers
old books
seeds
tea
pine cones
amber glass jars
skeleton keys
dried herbs
apothecary jars
honey
rocks and stones
vintage buttons
handwritten letters
wax and seal
tinctures
aromas from nature
constellations
postcards
mandrakes
friendly felines
acorns
handmade things
pretty yarn
pumpkins
plants and flowers
lanterns
owls
my little girl
lists never needing to end...

so many things are happening,
it almost seems like i am caught in a whirlwind.
the absence of my dear cat,
the return of familiar woes.
these past few days almost seemed non stop
and i am grateful to have a monday just to be here, with her
with no agenda, with no where we have to be.

i've been sad, i've been angry,
but i know it's not to ask why these things happen.
i have to trudge forward and face the realities.
in between though, i will still dream, not to escape
but to enhance the world as i see it.
does that make any sense?
i know what to believe in, i know Who to believe in
and i do. i know He will direct us because He always has.
I know his canopy of mercy and grace is never ending.
these are the great things i take comfort in...

niagara apothecary by charluna

I'm an old fashioned type of gal, in a little bit of a nicely strange way.
There are so many things I love and adore and one are things that
seem to be lost in this modern society.

I love the look and usage of amber glass bottles
filled with oils, tinctures and other lovely little potions
for a healthier and beautiful self.
Tin boxes and glass jars of loose leaf teas of flowers and herbs.
Dark wood floors and shelves filled with candles, soaps
and a bit of old time medicines and tonics.

It's no wonder that i am in love with these things
and want these as well...

Owlchemy, or elixirofowl.etsy.com
is the natural perfumery of Beyond the Thicket.
I was able to purchase samples of her ethereal scents
with names like chariot, silent woods, golden lyre, enthroned and huntress.
I'm in love with these scents and can't wait to order more (along with a few
of her woodland inspired jewelry as well).

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Flying bird botanicals has quite a few things I would like to try.

teas for wellness...nutritive tea with red rasberry leaf, nettle, oat top, oat straw,
alfafa, red clover top, lemon balm, dandelion root, fennel and spearmint.
delivering nutrition with all trace minerals, vitamins, etc.

wildcrafted salve for cuts, scrapes, bruises and such. it has yarrow, cedar and cottonwood.
the scent is from infused oils, not essential oils.

teas for life...bluebird morning to start the day, get the circulation going and help
your mind focus. this blend includes gotu kola, ginkgo, red raspberry leaf, lemon grass,
hawthorne flower, orange peel, rosehips, ginger and cinnamon.

rosewater toner to soften and refresh the skin. sounds heavenly and i bet it smells
and feels that way too.

+++

moss & ivy from For Strange Women sounds delightful. a blend full of herbs like rosewood, oakmoss,
basil, lavender, mandarin, bergamot, cedarwood and also includes (depending on availability) marjoram,
patchouli, tarragon, orange, petitgrain, neroli, jasmine, amyris, spruce, and spearmint.

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Lilith's Apothecary is filled with wonders (and I have been lucky enough to try some of
them too)! On my wish list is first, the lemongrass cedarwood lotion bar. The lotion bars are made from
cocoa butter, shea butter, sweet almond oil, and natural, unrefined beeswax.

tisane waterlily organic herbal tea, a carminative meaning it aids digestion by dispelling gas
and calming stomach spasms. it's also anti-viral, soothing to the stomach lining, and emotionally & physically calming,
which helps both digestion, stress relief, and sleep. made with rosemary, thyme, lemon thyme, lavender, calendula,
orange peel, spearmint, catnip, lemon verbena.

the royal breakfast blend an organic english breakfast tea with jasmine, rose and cornflower.
look how beautiful it is!! Other lovelies I want to try from Lilith's are Immune-building ANTI-VIRAL Herbal Syrup
with echinacea, thyme and ginger; Balinese Red Flower facial mask with morroccan rhassoul clay, hibiscus
flowers, rose petals, rose hips, sandalwood, honey and rosehip seed oil; earl grey lavender black tea and the
lavender facial cleansing.

+++

photo by phyrworks

other herbal goodies i would like to have include the following:

(from Herbal Remedies)

(from Smallflower)

(from Mountain Rose Herbs, which i love)

not too mention a load of loose herbs and tinctures and would like from them too!

there is so much goodness out there, so much i haven't even mentioned.
maybe i'll make it a series of lists of sorts. until then, good health, happiness and sweet dreams...