Deb on the Web

Honey mask

This is my recipe for a great face mask.  I posted it the last time I made a batch (probably 4 yr ago).

1 gal of dark honey (darker the better for antioxidants)
petals from 10 calendula flowers (great for the skin)
1 comfrey root chopped up (heals at the cellular level)
a handful of minced sweet violet leaves (heals skin ruptures)
a few drops of hemp seed oil (if you have dry skin)
1/4 cup of green clay powder (great source of minerals)

heat all this together, let cool and put in jars.  I actually still have 1 jar and the petals still have their color. 
I wouldn't eat this, but it won't hurt you if you have it on your lips and lick them.
If you have sensitive skin or are allergic to skin care products I wouldn't risk using ingredients you don't know about.

Should edit to add:  This amount will make a large batch.  If you have these ingredients on hand you can make a little bit nice and warm to use fresh.  I put this on while I am in the bath.  Also, I only use organic ingredients for any and all herbal products I make.

Current projects

I started my first Baby Surprise Sweater (created by EZ and found in her Knitting Almanac) last night.  Yes, I am the last knitter to make one.  And actually this is not the first time I've started one.  Just the first time I am figuring out how to knit it correctly!  These BSS notes (I can not remember how I first found them) are amazingly helpful. 
It was brought to my attention yesterday that I have 3 (current and past) employees that have 3 ladies that will be having 3 babies (all boys presumably as that is all any of my employees have ever had while working for me) right in a close time frame this Summer.  I've got to get a move on (as in quit procrastinating!  One of those babes already has a knitting "auntie" that is working on a blankie so I thought a BSS would be fun with lots of booties and a Funky Monkey too.  For the other two I've got to get to AYD today and start looking at blanket yarns and patterns (from my library).

As I was packing in town this week I found a box of seeds from 2004!  I'm not quite sure what they were doing in town and not out at the farm.  But they will be the big Summer science experiment.  I'm going to plant most of them (no point in bothering with tomatoes at this point) just to see if I can germinate them and get some fresh seed produced.  Some seeds are ones I had saved from 2003 and there are lots of them!  Anyone else want to try out the sprouting experiment?  Lots of lettuce, kale and miscellaneous...

I received an Amazon order a few days ago--Cheese making!  Now I'm not getting crazy enough to go out and buy a goat, sheep or cow (but you know I want to!).  This book talks about making cheese with milk bought at the grocery store.  Yogurt too!  I do love me some yogurt with honey and warmed walnuts...

As I have a couple nights a week where I am home alone (whoopee! yahoo! weeee! ahem, I mean poor me....) I am getting creative with cooking for one.  Last night was all about roasted veggies and basmati rice.  I use a cast iron pan and start the veggies (baby turnips, golden beets, garlic shoots and mild garlic cloves) on the stove by sauteeing them a little with olive oil and salt.  When they have some color I pop them under the broiler to finish cooking.   Toasty brown in a bowl with rice and a little herb salt is a perfect meal.  It also cleaned out last week's veggies so I am ready for the Farmer's Market again this weekend.
Being home alone on a Friday night is a wonderous thing to a restaurant worker:)  It means watching Dracula movies with yarn and sewing (read sewing buttons back on DH pants) projects spread out.  Yeah, I'm not quite ready to go back to work full-time yet.

Blogs to read today..Claudia (yep still pimping her--as I have a very good friend with MS and this subject has become much more important to me), Spunky's auctions, Knitting Friends (I have found so many new (to me) and interesting blogs since I started paying attention to this site.  And wow!  I was mentioned yesterday and my readership soared.  Steph turned me on to this blog.  Really fun!  Give me some more blogs to read.

The cool, interesting and fun

Okay, lots happening and going on.  Well not really but some fun stuff inbetween work, desparately trying to get that blankie finished and (wonder of all wonders) exercising every day for the last week!

I did finish the baby blanket! I really wanted little Dylan to be all cuddled up on his way home from the hospital.  And now he can be:) 
Pattern:  Entrelac Shawl by Debbie Bliss from Baby Cashmerino
Yarn:  Debbie Bliss cashmerino in blue
Changes:  I used size #4 needle instead on size #3 which looked great.  I also chose not to add the edging.  I didn't have any curling at the edges so I decided to leave it.

Okay here is something fun!  well to me anyway...
There is a new movie out-- Feast of Love, staring Morgan Freeman, Greg Kinnear and my bedroom.  Yes it's true they filmed this movie in the home I grew up in.  My oldest friend called to say my bedroom is in one of the scenes.  I can't wait to see it, but I know it will be a little melancholy since the home isn't in our family anymore.  It was a great house!  Oh and by the way, PSU does not look as romantic as all that.  Reed College is playing the roll of Portland State U.
Okay, now for the cool!  I have been waiting for this for the last three years!  This is a fabulous tarot deck.  But not just any tarot deck, but a hand printed tarot deck and accompanying book.  And not just that--a knitting tarot deck!  Pretty cool when different parts of my life intersect.  I don't know these ladies personally, but I have been following their blog for 3 years(they have been working on it for 4 years).  I was so proud of them when I opened this!  This is #13 of 170.  They are even including one of the press pieces with the first customers that have been following along.

And just a bit of the interesting--cinnamon lowers blood sugar levels.  I realize that isn't in the fun and cool department, but it is interesting.  So a cup of coffee with a dash of cinnamon in the morning is a great way to start the day!  Two other food items you might want to add in to your new healthy diet (oh yea, that is my new healthy diet)  turmeric and Jerusalem artichoke.

So now, on to celebrate Socktoberfest!  Is there anyone not knitting socks this month?  I owe a friend a pair of ribbed STR (Silkie in Metamophic) socks for raising the most money during our Race for the Cure fundraiser.

Healthy eating

So I'm looking at healthy foods that still make people happy right now.  It has been very hard in household of Italian cooking to say no pasta, bread, pizza and definitely no sugar.  But enjoy dinner honey!  And honestly how many of us really need to eat all of these carbs anyway?  So going out has been interesting--sushi has always been a favorite, but there is sugar in sushi rice.  Sashimi  just needs to become a favorite now.  Italian food?  Try the entrees instead.  Have a salad instead of the salami antipasta.  Wine is fine with food so finish your glass instead of having dessert.
At home snacks need to become popcorn (organic), fruit (although that can be bad too!) and trail mix.  Tea (which I love) is becoming even more popular in our house.  Water getting boring?  Buy some with bubbles!  Lemon flavored Perrier is a fun treat.
Cooking at home can be a fun new challenge.  I have a friend that writes a column for Culinate.com.  We were talking about cooking in parchment the other day.  My favorite asian meals are often prepared this way--cook some rice ahead (brown for us) with ginger and finely chopped herbs.   I make seperate parchment envelopes for each person.  So in each I put rice on the bottom, place a piece of raw fish (ling cod is perfect for this) on top and around this I put pea pods, asian greens or par boiled harder vegetables.  I season with a little sea salt and fold the whole thing up.  The envelopes now go in the oven or under a broiler for a few minutes (10 at the max so it doesn't overcook).  Each person gets a perfect amount of food (no worry of overeating with this) it is a fun presentation on the plate with a salad on the side.
How about serving some green tea in decorative small cups to go with the theme.

I am in the mode now!  Next time I'll be talking about a couple of good cookbooks I've found.
I do have to say that the most important thing I am finding is to gradually change versus overhauling one's life.  The stress of change is just as unhealthy.
Oh and joining a gym!  Haven't done that in many years.  Swimming is the new bike riding since riding in the rain is just not my cup of tea.  And they have yoga so both of us will be happy.