Matching up.

It was actually pretty hard trying to get all those matches to line up.

Leftover Valentines

Seeing as how I've eaten all my Valentine's candy, all I have left to remember it by are my flowers.

Peter arranged the bouquet himself. I'm quite fond of it.  Again, I cheated with Intsagram.

Valentine

Daily Instagram picture.

Seeing as how I can't make a quilt every day, I'm going to try and at least take a picture everyday. And I will cheat.  With Instagram. So even if it isn't the best composed picture, it will at least look pretty after I toss one of the filters on it.

I realize it's out of focus but this is the Valentine Peter made me. He twisted up a piece of aluminum and fitted it with a tiny cupid's arrow. The whole thing is only about 4 inches tall.

Valentine Candy

After ignoring my sewing machine for a while and letting Peter take over in the kitchen, I spent Sunday trying to feel creative.  I've gotten rather addicted to the couch, so I tried to not sit on it the entire day, which resulted in these little snacks. 

The first are little dingleberry chocolates.  Smashed graham cracker with a disgusting amount of butter rolled into little balls and dipped in melted semi-sweet chocolate, butter and rum. 

These are the same chocolate mix, filled with peanut butter and topped with more graham cracker.  They are so good but I can only eat so many of them before I'm completely disgusted by them.  So I brought them to work today to share with the office.

In an effort to stop eating chocolate I turned to my sewing machine and threw together this little pillow which I fell in love with.  My office wants me to make a Vineyard themed quilt for our summer auction.  I've been having issues picking out fabric, so I tossed together some scraps to force myself into a decision. 

While I don't really like the fabric for my quilt, I do like the pillow.  My own little lumbar support pillow!

Making earrings

I've finally gotten on a roll and started making earrings!  I only have pictures of two pairs, but I've got a few more that I need to get better pictures of.  These are made of leather cord and wire, and are super easy to make.  I can knock off a pair of the simple ones in less than 30 minutes, which is about the length of my attention span.

These ones are very Southwestern, with the silver and tan and turquoise.  I made a safety pin type closure for the bead to hang from, but I can't quite get it to lay straight.  (errrggg).

These ones are the same, just smaller and without the hanging bead.  Just twisted leather cord and wrapped wire.  I made the shephards hooks to save mula.  The pairs I don't have pictures of are actually my favorite.  Those are coming soon, promise.

Birthday Necklace

Here are pictures of the necklace we made for Pete's mom's birthday.

It's a little tough to see (iphone pictures, sorry) but the inside is filled with a super light blue bead, and the outside beads alternate between pink and black.  The hoop is part of super retro, chunky necklace I thrifted a while ago.  I also put two pink and two black beads along the chain so it didn't look like I threw the piece on any old chain.  Peggy wore it all weekend long and it looks amazing against a black top!  It kept slipping under her shirt, so I told her shed have to wear it with a more revealing cut (teehee).

Honeygar, anyone?

No not honey bear. Honeygar (or honegar, depending on who's writing), is a folk medicine advocated by  D.C. Jarvis, a Vermont physician, in the first half of the 1900's that Pete and I are working into our daily routine.  It's a cocktail of equal parts Apple Cider Vinegar and Honey.  It can be taken a spoonful at a time, in a glass of hot or cold water (often called Witch's Brew, ha!), or on top of a salad.  Personally, I can't stand vinegar so I take a spoonful and chase it with a bit of juice.

I'm learning to get past its taste because it's one of the most beneficial natural cure-alls I've come across.  The list of benefits is a little long but not worth editing down.  When taken as a cleanser, 1-3 times a day it

• reduces sinus infections
• combats bad breath
• clears skin and helps fight acne (woohoo!)
• increases metabolism and aids weight loss (big WOOHOO!)
• balances high cholesterol
• lowers blood pressure
• helps control blood sugar
• naturally combats bacteria in your digestive tract, helping the kidneys and bladder
• prevents bladder stones and UTIs
• guards against food poisoning
• helps with chronic headache and fatigue
• cures constipation
• fights allergies (particularly if you use local honey)
• alleviates symptoms of arthritis

The last two items also apply to animals when you add a bit to their water, and it helps pets repel flies.

So for all that, I can put up with a few tablespoons a day.  The science behind it is attractively simple.  Often, by an over consumption of acidic foods (animals products, white flour, sugar) and drinks (coffee and carbonated drinks) our bodies' PH level becomes too acidic.  As alkaline foods, the honey and ACV work to balance our PH level, an often overlooked component of good health. 

It is important to use raw, unpasteurized honey.  Even better to use local honey since the bees making the honey have been exposed to all the same allergens that are causing you problems!  Honeygar has no known interactions with other medications, but it's always a good idea to bring it up to your doctor if you're thinking about starting a Honeygar regimen.  And I read here that because it cleanses your system, if you have a buildup of toxins from smoking, drinking, etc... you could spend a few days on the pot.  This site's FAQs addresses Honeygar for diabetics (hint - remember it helps control blood sugar!).

At first the taste of it turned me off, but if I really want to start taking responsibility for my health, this seems a good place to start.  And I already have both ingredients in the house because I use them to wash my hair!  Jarvis was a supporter of household remedies used as part of a larger alkaline-diet.  Again, the diet works to balance your body's PH level.  Purportedly, following this diet can guard against cancer but there is little scientific support for that claim. 

If you're interested in more, Jarvis wrote a book Folk Medicine: An Almanac of Natural Health Care which gives a more in depth look at the benefits of Honeygar.   So plug your nose and drink up! Cheers!