Author Archives: Maria

Chai Elixer

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Since I have been remiss (is that how you spell it?) in my Herb Review duties, I have decided to publish a recipe for a Hot Chai Elixer! I am lovin’ this stuff! (It’s from Teresa Boardwine’s Cordially Yours:
2 cups of fresh ginger root
1/2 cup of cinnamon chips
1/4 cup of cloves
2 Tbsp. Cardamom pods
Place all of this in 20 oz. of Rum (I like Spiced Rum), and let sit for 2 weeks, shaking daily.

After 2 weeks, strain out the herbs and add 4 oz of Honey and 4 oz of Maple Syrup. Mix well, bottle it and add a couple of Almonds to the bottle to scent it.

You can drink it straight, heated up like a hot totty, put in in tea, or coffee, or how I like it is to heat up a cup of milk (rice, soy, cow, whatever) and put in a tsp. or two of the chai elixer. MMMMmmmm, Yummy!! It’s great for bitter, cold winter days!

Rollin’ in the dough

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I was walking through a parking lot last night and saw some money on the ground. First I thought, “cool, a couple bucks!” Then I looked closer and realized that it was a $50 dollar bill!!!! I picked it up and when I did, I saw another bill laying just beyond the first. Again, I thought it was a $5, but it was another $50!!! $100 just laying on the ground. I looked around to see who might have dropped it, but there was no one around!! Cool, eh? So, I’ve rented a hot tub up at the Hot Springs tonight to pamper myself a little!!

Harry Potter

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So, of course, being the die-hard Harry Potter fan I am, I went to see the 4th movie on opening night. I think the books are far superior to the movies, but I still have to go! Anyway, I don’t know why I am surprized, because it happens everytime, but I just can’t get over how many parents bring their little kids to see these movies. I saw kids ages newborn and up. I know it is marketed as a kids book, but it’s not. And the older Harry Potter gets, the more evil and violence there is in the books. The first half of the movie was fairly lighthearted, but the second half was scary, violent and dealt with a lot of devilish people. I just don’t get it. Our world is scary enough without subjecting our little ones to things like this. At least reading the book, they can create their own images, but the movie does it for you and it was something like Alien vs Poltergeist. I heard three kids on the way out who said they were going to have nightmares! Poor things!

K’s experiment

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We did a little experiment today and styrofoam “peanuts” vs. starch “peanuts”. I have to say, I was very proud of myself for thinking this one up! We put them both in water and watched the starch ones dissolve. Then K and I talked about how the starch ones were easier for mama earth to turn back into dirt and that the styrofoam ones took a really long time and kind-of give mama earth a belly ache. It was fun! It must have been peanut starch, ’cause they smelled like peanut butter when they dissolved

catch up

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Sorry I’ve been falling behind on my herb reviews. It’s been really busy around here and that was one of the things I let go of. I hope to start again next week. We are having lots of visiting friends during November, so right now I am enjoying my socializing!

We have gone out to do some land searches, but haven’t found anything that’s right, yet. There have been a few beautiful pieces, but they were way too far out, and those that are closer to town are too expensive, or too trashed.

Our house in Chapel Hill is set to close in one week! (yeah!) And we just sold one of our cars (the gas powered one. Now we are left with two bio-diesels). All of that will help ease financial woes a bit! Toby and I don’t lead an extravagent lifestyle by any means!! So, it’s very frustrating when you always feel like you are barely making ends meet. I guess the one place we really do spend money is food. I buy mostly organic foods and preferrably local, so, it bumps the price up.

Speaking of foods, I have been thinking about adding meats back to my diet. I have always felt better when I am eating animal protein as opposed to soy or bean or grain proteins. I am also learning a lot in school about nutrition and diet and how so many people have reactions to grains because we eat such a high carb. diet, that our bodies are reacting to it. (It’s much more indepth than that.) But, I feel like, if I am a part of the cycle of birth, life, and death, and I have known the animal, or atleast know the people who have raised it, and the animals have been treated well, and are not fattened up with hormones, or over loaded with antibiotics, then maybe I could feel better about eating meat. I have been eating poultry since I got pregnant with K, and it’s only hormone/antibiotic free and free range. It’s hard though, ’cause Toby is still vegetarian, and I don’t want to have to cook two meals. I am the type of cook who throws everything into one dish anyway, so it’s not like there would be side dishes for him to eat. So, I don’t know. I’m just thinking about it…. I did order 5 pounds of hemp seed, though, so that will help add some protein and Essential Fatty Acids back to our diet!

Why?

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Mark this day in history! Today is the day that the “why’s?” began!

“Mommy, why do we walk on the sidewalk?”
“Well, there are fast cars are on the road so we stay on the sidewalk.”
“Why?”
“Because we could get hurt if we walked in the road.”
“Why?”
“Because cars drive on the road.”
“Why?”
“Well, the cars need somewhere to drive, so they drive on the road.”
“Why?”
“Because someone made a law that said cars drive on the road!”
“Why?”
“I don’t know, I guess it just made sense at the time!!”
“Why?”
“Because I said so!!”
“Why?”
“Because you are a nut-nut!!”
“Why?”
“Why not?”
………

You get the idea!

Hemp car

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Did you know that some cars of the 1920’s didn’t only run on Hemp oil, but were actually made of hemp fiber!! Yes, that is Henry Ford beating his Hemp car with a crowbar to prove how sturdy it is!!

Until today, I had no idea how important hemp was to our world history and how many uses it has had before it became to be just a recreational drug!!

And I had absolutely no idea that hemp seeds were even edible, much less so extremely good for you. They are very high in digestible protein, Essential Fatty acids and amino acids. And I didn’t realize that Hemp has no THC in it. So, you can actually buy the seeds from our local health food store. They are legal cause you can’t get high off of them! Wierd, eh??

Halloween

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We had a nice dinner last night… pumpkin soup, home made cranberry sauce, apple cider, and pomegranites. I felt really weak, though. Toby was thinking that it could be Carbon Monoxide from our heater, but we just got a monitor and that doesn’t seem to be it. Maybe I just need a break…

Here are some pics of K’s costumes
Last friday we went to a festival at the library and she wanted to go as a “pink fuzzy bunny with a fluffy tail. And my name is Cottontail”

Then yesterday, she decided to be a “ghost who goes in the dark and goes ‘boo boo'”

And, here, just for the fun of it, are the “hands of fate’!!

Ideas please!

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OK, guys and gals! I have to come up with an idea for a 1000 word (minimum) paper by next week. It has to be related to herbs. I am having a mental block. I can’t think of anything to write about. The paper has the chance of being published, too, so I want it to be a good, interesting topic. Please, feel free to throw out any ideas that pop into your head!!!

Chocolate!

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Hey! Sorry most of my posts have just been my herb reviews lately. Things have been really busy around here and I haven’t had much chance to catch up on the blogging. I did, however, have time to try to make a little chocolate! I ordered cocoa nibs from Chocolate Alchemy and roasted them Sat. morning. Then I put them through my champion juicer to try to make a liquor, but it just seemed to be grinding it up and making them into a paste. Then, the juicer started to smoke, so I thought it might be a good idea to move on to another appliance. So, I put it all in my Vita-mix blender and added a little grain alchohol and maple syrup (thinking I could make a tincture for “chocolate medicine!”). Then, I poured it all into a bottle. But, when I checked it this morning, most of the cocoa seed pieces have expanded to take on the liquid and now it is a thick paste stuck in the bottle!! SO, I am going to let it soak there for a few weeks and then either try to scrape it out (it’s a narrow neck liter bottle!), or cut the glass in half!! I am not throwing my chocolate away!!!

I still have a pound and a half of the nibs left. I don’t know what I am going to do with those yet.

roasted nibs

ground nibs

7 Meme

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Tagged by Steph

7 Things I plan to do
1. Get another tattoo someday
2. Take a trip to Italy
3. Re-learn Italian
4. Start flossing
5. Dance more
6. Go on a date with my husband sometime in the next century!
7. Stop spending so much time at my computer 🙂

7 Things I can do
1. Make an italian red sauce from scratch without a recipe
2. Stupid party tricks with my double jointed arms
3. Be very cynical and sassy
4. Tie a cherry stem into a knot with my tounge
5. Grow almost anything
6. Spell my name in heirolyphics
7. Mumble alot

7 Things I can.?do
1. Hard core exercise (lung issues)
2. Be idle
3. Get off this damn computer!
4. Read fast
5. Stop my nose from running! (allergies)
6. Get rid of those last 10 pregnancy pounds!
7. Seem to finish this dang Meme

7 Things that scare me
1. Horror movies (Hate ’em!)
2. My daughter ever being in pain of any kind
3. Violent people
4. Bad drivers/being in another car crash
5. Missing the next ALIAS episode
6. Being in debt
7. Public speaking

7 Random facts about me
1. I have skydived – once
2. I have a tattoo (and am proud to say I got it before it was in vogue!)
3. I had strawberry-blond hair as a toddler
4. I actually know how to pronouce “Caed Mile Failte”!
5. I don’t drink or do drugs (other than my homemade herbal potions)
6. I did warpaint for the movie “Last of the Mohicans”
7. I use to want to be an opera singer

7 Things I say the most

1. “We need to….”
2. “Chill out!”
3. “Don’t have a cow!”
4. To my daughter – “Hey cutie patootie”, “Hey noodle butt”, “Hey snuggle bug”, “you are a complete nut-nut!”
5. “Shut it!”
6. “You never know.”
7. “Alrighty!”

Tag 7 people
How about you just volunteer to tell me a little about yourself!!

Love is in the air!

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Hey! So, we are finally getting home after a wild last few days. (Well, a wild last few weeks if you count the whole time Toby has been gone.) Toby has been in Arkansas for two weeks helping a friend tear down their house. We are hoping to use the wood from the house to build our own, once we finally find the right land. K was so happy to see her daddy that she stayed up until 11pm Thursday night when he came home! It was very sweet!

Friday was the rehersal and dinner for my step-bro’s wedding. And Saturday was the wedding. My step-family is very Irish, and as a surprise to everyone, my step-bro’s fiance hired a bag-piper to play while she walked to meet him at the altar, instead of the traditional wedding march. Very cool! Then, for the toasts, instead of having champagne, they served “Buttery Nipples” (half Bailey’s Irish Cream and half Butterscotch Schnapps)!! When my step-sis was trying to make her toast, she kept getting choaked up and downed at least 5 shots to get through. It was hysterical! K was a flower girl and did a very professional job 🙂 Here she is practicing how to put on her tights for the wedding:

And throwing the flowers (first she started picking up all the ones that her cousin threw, then she figured out the deal and emptied her basket in 4 big handfulls!

And, of course, there is always the post wedding hide and seek with daddy’s head

Then on Sunday, we drove back down to Raleigh to our friends, Mark and Alisha’s wedding. Another beautiful event! It was outside at the botanical gardens and the rain held off just long enough to have a beautiful ceremony. After, the reception was at this fantastic vegetarian place with more great food! I think I gained 10 pounds this weekend!!

Anyway, blessings to all of you newly legalized lovers! May your beds stay nice and warm this winter, and for many winter’s to come!! 🙂

Exciting news!

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I just went out to look at my shitake logs to see if they are getting too dry, and found 3 mushrooms growing! And the logs all look like the are about to bust open with more!! yay!! My first ‘shrooms! Now I need a good recipe. I can’t let them go to waste! Maybe the rain we get this weekend will help bring on more! (Let’s see how many more exclamation points I can use in this post!?!!)

Boogers – part 2

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I am happy to report that K woke up this morning and immediately said to me “Mommy, boogers are not for eatin’! They are gross an yucky an stanky!!” Then she happily ate her cereal, drank her milk, picked her nose, and ate a booger.

What you would hear if you were a fly in our car.

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“Mmmmm, Mommy, I’m eatin’ my boogers!”
“Eww, gross, K, don’t eat your boogers. They’re not food”
“Yes they are, mommy! Boogers are food!”
“No, K, boogers aren’t food”
“Yes they are! Boogers are food. They are for eating! Mmmm!”
“K, boogers aren’t food! They are to keep out the buggies and colds and stuff. Don’t eat them!”
“Boogers are food Mama!”
“K, listen, I promise to stop eating my boogers if you stop eating yours!” 🙂
“But, Mama boogers are food!”
Etc…….

Yesterday’s conversation in the car went something like this:
“Mama, I want a sometin snack”
“Do you want some crackers?”
“I want some qwackers”
“It’s crackers, K, not qwackers”
“I said qwackers, mama!”
“No, K, it’s crackers.”
“Qwackers!”
“Crackers!”
“Qwackers!”
“Crackers!”
Etc……

Yummy Yummy,

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Oh, and only 1 gram of fat per serving!

Baked Sweet Potato Fries
1 1/2 pound sweet potato, scrubed and peeled
2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce or Tamari
1 tsp. Veg. oil
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut potatoes into 1/4 inch strips. Whisk together Soy Sauce, Garlic, Oil, and Sugar. Toss Potatoes into the liquid mixture. Lightly oil a baking sheet and place the potato slices in a single layer on the sheet. Cook for ~20 minutes, stirring once at 10 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. ~4 servings.

I cut up a ton extra and tossed it in the liquid mix, then put it in baggies in the freezer. We’ll see how they turn out after they have been frozen.

Donation… shmonation…

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This really pisses me off!!! Millions of Americans have given donations to churches and charities for Katrina victims. Now, they are asking to be paid for their services!!! Wait, isn’t that what organizations like Red Cross and churches and such are supposed to do, help those in need. Now they want reimburesement for the stuff that was donated to them in the first place??? Corupt, corupt people! It is part of our job, when we are born, to help others in need. You don’t ask for reimbursment for kindness and friendship!!

Chimney Swifts

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K and I went downtown tonight to watch the Chimney Swifts do their nightly plunge into one of the larger chimney’s in Asheville. I have lived here off and on since I was 12 and have never heard of this. Apparently, they all gather in one spot before taking their winter trip to Peru. So, for 3 days at sun rise and sun set you can see them swirling around the chimney over one of the downtown buildings. It was really amazing! It started off ~7 pm with 10-20 of them circling over the building. We went to lay in the grass with ~30 other people all there to wathc (some with wine and cheese:-). By the time the sun was setting, there were thousands of them in what looked like a funnel cloud just swirling around the chimney. Then they started to dive in. And over ~5 minutes, they were all gone. It was wild! While we were there, a reporter from the local paper came over to ask me a few questions. I said stuff like ‘yeah, it’s amazing that they don’t crash’ and ‘I wonder why they chose that chimney’ and stupid stuff like that (I’m glad she didn’t quote me when I joked about why no one was getting crapped on since we were all laying down directly under the birds). And then, K (who had been occupied with a cookie that someone gave her) decided to get up and do a “birdie dance”. It was awesome! She was flapping her arms and tweeting and zooming all around! She is such a nut! Too bad the reporter didn’t have a camera 🙂

I tried to get a good picture, but there was just no way with them all swooping all over the place. I did get a shot of the chimney that they all fly into though. If you look really close, you can see some dots in the sky that are the birds. (but don’t strain your eyes!)

Me… a professor… kind of…

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Well, after this weekend at the herb conference, so much has happened. First, I brought some of my products to one of the natural food stores here, Greenlife, and they are interested in some of my stuff. Yay! After my meeting at Greenlife, I went to another meeting with some other area herbalists. The North Carolina Chapter of the American Herbalist Guild has just been started here and I am now an official member. It’s very exciting! The conference this weekend really helped me see what an amazing area this is for herbalism. I am very lucky to be here in the middle of this ‘herbal revolution’! Then, just today, I got a call from the directer of the Southeast School for Herbal Healing and was asked to become a teacher with them!! I am extremely excited!!! Of course, being me, I am also very intimidated, it gives me heart palpitations 🙂 Well, my first classes will be on herb/drug interactions and running an herb business (this will be for the 2nd year students). Then in the spring, I will be teaching some basic courses (materia medica, medicine making…) to the first year students. Cool eh!! She (the director) and I met this weekend at the conference, but I am going out to the school next week for an official tour and stuff. AND, as if that weren’t enough. I just found out about this fantastic course (distance ed.) that Aviva Romm (very well known herbalist!) is teaching in which I could get certified as a Women’s Herbal Educator. I emailed her about it and she said I would “make a wonderful student”. So, I will probably start the course this fall (if I can find the funds!)! It will be a great refresher of basics, as well as lots of advanced herbalism that I need. The only thing that is lacking is actual clinical experience, which I hope to get with one of the local school this coming spring! WOW! I am feeling very blessed and a little overwhelmed. Now… when am I supposed to start homeschooling???