Keeping Well This Season

Dear Friends,

A hearty "Thank you" to all of you who requested my books, and for spreading the word to your friends. For those who missed the giveaway, both books are available on our sidebar, for a nominal price.

We'd like to share some of our favorite ways of keeping well during the cold time of year. First off, we never refer to it as "cold and flu season," since we believe that calling it thus is inviting colds and flu into our households!

Secondly, we like to eat as many in-season foods as possible, such as cabbages, root vegetables, and squash, since they were given to us by a wise Creator who knows what our bodies need this time of year. We are always in awe when we study all the health benefits of the humble cabbage, alone (including being a colon cancer preventative).

Lovely red cabbage~

Third, we try to include as many bitter, sour, savory, and pungent foods as possible, as they help our bodies to digest the heavier fare which keeps us warm, while adding plenty of nutrients and immune-boosting qualities. Some of these include garlic and onions, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and pure apple cider vinegar (in salad dressings, as well as a warm drink made of 1 TBS vinegar, 1 tsp. powdered green stevia, and 8 ozs water).

Fresh ginger root is wonderful to chew or suck on when you feel you are coming down with something, and is much more socially acceptable than garlic! Fresh ginger makes a great infusion, too (we chop it in the blender with a little water, then add it to water that has come to a boil, then cooled slightly). You can also add powdered ginger to your cider vinegar drink.

We especially like the beautiful shapes that ginger comes in~

Culinary herbs that boost the immune system include: sage, thyme, hyssop, rosemary, and oregano. These all make good infusions as well, and can be drunken freely throughout the day. To make an infusion, we simply toss in a handful of dried herb of choice into a quart jar and fill it with almost-boiling water and put a lid or plate on top. We like to set the jar close to the kettle (but not touching the burner) while the water is heating, to lessen the chances of its shattering. We let it cool for at least half an hour, then strain and drink (with or without sweetener, depending on our mood). Of course you can use a teapot, too!

Elderberry is full of vitamins and minerals, and if used daily can be a tasty tonic (we like to make syrup or tincture for family use).

One of the most important things to remember is to keep yourself hydrated, since winter air is dry air. Drinking well-filtered or distilled water is the best, and at LEAST eight cups of water (this is really the bare minimum).

We hope we've given you a few ideas that you can put to use; feel free to share what you use in your home too!

Love,

Marqueta

A Three-Day Book Giveaway!

Dear Friends,

We are excited to offer our eBook "The Young Lady's Guide to Natural Health" as a gift to you for the next three days. If you are inspired to share it on your social networks, or do a review on your blog, we would be most grateful (If you do a review, please let us know so we can add a link to our website)!

We want to give the gift of health to as many people as possible, and hope that our book might inspire others to take a positive approach to their health, and to believe that all things are possible when we follow Nature's laws.

You do have to have Adobe Reader to download the book, since it is a pdf file. It will be sent to you via email, if you would like a copy. Just send me an email at: sweetefelicity (at) aol.com  (you'll need to type the @ sign, of course) if you would like a copy!

Love and blessings to you all,

Marqueta

Yikes! A Recipe for Comfrey Burn Paste

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for coming by! We hope that you have had a restful weekend, and are ready to begin a new week. Welcome to any new visitors who might be stopping by for the first time.

We had a scary experience last week, of Evangeline playing with matches in the backyard. She managed to catch her frock on fire, but fortunately AnnaMarie saw her and put out the flames before they could burn her badly.


She ended up with only a small third degree burn where the dress had melted itself to her back (Bad, bad polyester blend! Remind me to use only natural fibers from now on), which is healing nicely, thanks to Dr. Christopher's Burn Paste recipe. We were caught unprepared, but fortunately had all the ingredients at the time Evangeline was burned. Dr. Christopher said to always have some made up ahead of time, which is a very good idea! You never know, especially with summer's fireworks, campfires, etc, when it will come in handy!

Here is the recipe: Mix equal parts liquid honey and wheat germ oil. Then add enough powdered comfrey leaf or root (you can use fresh, but it's a lot runnier) till you have a nice thick paste. This paste is applied quite thickly and covered with gauze and some time of plastic covering to keep it from oozing (it will anyway :) ). As the paste absorbs, you add more paste, but do not remove the paste already on the wound.

We have used this recipe for quite a few scary accidents, and have never been disappointed with the results.
It keeps well for a long period of time, but would last even longer with the addition of a little powdered slippery elm bark powder.

Here is a link to more information about herbs to use for burns~

We are so very glad that Evangeline's guardian angels were watching out for her, so she could be right back out doing what she loves best~



On another note, Jenny had asked me about oily hair and how often it has to be washed. I have read that the more often you wash your hair, the more your scalp will produce oil, from the dryness of the scalp. I know that women used to use a dry shampoo of cornmeal between washings; perhaps that would help absorb the oil if you wanted to start tapering off on how often you wash your hair. I'm sure it may take a while for the scalp to adjust, but I'm almost positive you would see results in time.

A blessed day to all of you, from all of us.

Love,

Marqueta

**********************

If thou of fortune art bereft
And if thou hast but two loaves left
To thee, sell one and wit the dole
Buy hyacinths to feed the soul.

~James T. White

Basketry and Dandelions

Dear Friends,

Happy day! We finally "took the plunge" and made our first baskets ever :) ! We used the tutorial from this blog that "Garden Mama" pointed out to us on her lovely blog. AnnaMarie and I used the trimmings from our little pussy willows we had lying around; needless to say, it didn't work as well as nice, little weeping willow branches would have been, but hey, it's a start!


Then we decided to get out the basket-making kit that I had bought at a thrift store a couple of years ago, and Audrey and I tackled that one. Hopefully we'll get lots better with practice ;) . Making things that are useful and beautiful is such a good feeling, and so is being able to cross something off our "Things We'd Like to Learn to Do" list!



Tasha didn't get a chance to make a basket, but she did make this beautiful fairy house for our little winged friends~




We have been feasting on dandelions lately, since they are so abundant this year. So far, we've made dandelion root "coffee" (which is VERY good), pesto from leaves and blossoms (one really good, and one not so good), dandelion "beer" (it went bad), dandelion pancakes using the whole blossoms (not well-received), and cornmeal dandelion blossoms muffins using blossoms we had run through the blender first (very well-received and mild-flavored). Oh yes, and in our salads and "green smoothies", of course! We keep asking ourselves why we didn't feast on them before!

I was so inspired, I wrote a silly song about dandelions (which I may or may not add to) for your enjoyment~

Dandelions

(To the tune of Barbara Allen)

There is a plant that we all know,
It grows near every dwellin'.
It is truly Nature's pot of gold;
Its name is dandelion.

Now here is something you can use
For food, and drink, and medicine;
It keeps your liver nice and clean,
And helps keep folks from dyin'.

~M. Graham

Dandelions really ARE a pot of gold! After learning of all its health benefits, we are dumb-founded that it has become a hated "weed".

Here is a list of ailments that dandelion aids, according to the book "Herbally Yours" by Penny C. Royal:

Acne
Age Spots
Anemia
Appetite
Bladder
Blood Purifier
Boils
Bronchitis
Cancer
Cleansing
Constipation
Cramps
Diabetes
Eczema
Endurance
Energy
Fatigue
Fever
Gall Bladder
Gall Stones
Hemorrhage
Hypoglycemia
Indigestion
Insomnia
Jaundice
Kidneys
Liver
Low Blood Pressure
Pancreas
Psoriasis
Senility
Skin Diseases
Spleen
Vitality
Wounds

Isn't that truly amazing? I hope that you are lucky enough to have a patch of poison-free dandelions growing somewhere near you, so that you can take advantage of this wonderful, free gift, too!

Love,

Marqueta

Natural Treatment for Fevers

Dear Friends,

A merry day to you! We hope that you and your loved ones are well and happy today. We felt impressed today to share with you some of the things that we have learned about treating the fevers that happen in any family. The information we will present is in no way intended as medical advice, only as what we have followed in our own family. The best advice is just to follow your instinct, and prayefully consider what is right for you and your loved one at the time. We promise that you will always be guided to just what you need at that time.

As a warning, let me just say that we have received more negative feedback from family and friends in our treatment of fevers, than just about anything else "odd" our family does! It has been a real trial of faith, but over the years we have seen fewer and fewer illnesses as we have helped Nature to remove toxins from our bodies, and the fevers that do occur are shorter in duration.

I remember at first being shocked, back when AnnaMarie was a baby, when I first learned the purpose of fevers from Dr. Christopher's School of Natural Healing. But then, I had an overwhelming feeling that it was all true and sensible. Here is a quote from Dr. Christopher's "Herbal Home Health Care" (Which we highly recommend for empowering parents to care for their own children during illness, as well as preventing illness from happpening in the first place):

"When excess mucus, toxic materials, drug accumulations, poisons and other undesirable materials accumulate within the body, the body's natural reaction is to unload this material before it reaches a high enough level to cause death. The body then reacts with colds, smallpox, measles, chicken pox, or some other childhood disease. The first indication of disease that generally appears is a fever. An adult's first thought, when he sees that his child has a fever, is to hurry and lower the temperature to normal. This is a mistake because the fever is nature's way of letting us know the child has toxic material in his body which should be removed quickly. The fever must not be ignored, but we should work with it."

Dr. Christopher goes on to teach us that fevers have different purposes. One is to pull bodybuilding materials (such as calcium) to an area that is lacking in them. An example is a teething baby with a fever and swollen gums. He says that many times, administering a good organic calcium causes the fever to drop quickly, and the teeth pop through. "If the parent uses medication to lower or suppress the fever and nothing else is done, he is . .. stopping the attempt of a building process without assisting it to accomplish what the body is trying so hard to do."

The second purpose of fevers is to discard or burn up unwanted materials. Our bodies literally melt toxins and cook viruses and bacteria during the process of a fever. Of course, we do not want the fever to build up to too high of a level. That is why it is so important to help it rid itself of these materials as soon as possible.

Again from Dr. Christopher: "The first thing we do is to check the bowels, and see if the child is constipated. Many times a good bowel movement is all that is necessary to bring down a fever." I have never heard anyone else mention the following, but when you think about it, it does make sense! One can give the child a safe, mild herbal laxative, or a cold catnip tea enema, to help the bowels evacuate (Enemas are another thing that no one talks about these days!).

If you can catch the fever when it is first starting, a tea made of red raspberry (or blackberry) leaves or yarrow leaves or flowers, and given rather warm, will many times help the body to sweat and clean itself out through the pores. Give as many cups, sweetened with honey or stevia, as the child (or adult) will take. When dealing with babies or small children, I find that using a tincture of yarrow, warmed up in a cup of hot water, followed by some warm water in a bottle, works very well. If breastfeeding, the mother can drink the teas as well as eating lots of garlic, and this will go into the milk and help the baby, too.

Lots of rest, and being warmly covered, are also good keys to helping the body work through a fever faster. Fasting and drinking unsweetened juices will help to clean the body out as well. Many times we worry that we will starve if we miss a meal or two, but it is a welcome relief to a body who is already dealing with an overload, to not have to add digesting food as well.

The most important thing to remember is that a dry fever is deadly, but a moist fever is life-giving. Never let someone with a fever become dehydrated! Forcing liquids (especially the teas), and if the fever has been progressing for a while, placing them in a hot-but-not-scalding tub of water till they are freely perspiring (followed by a cold rinse to close the pores before drying off, and putting them to bed), will assist with this.

If you are interested in learning more, Dr. Christopher's website, as well as his book, have lots of information on simple, yet effective ways of keeping our bodies running smoothly and healthily.

May we all learn to work with and appreciate all the beautiful processes that our Creator has given us, to keep us healthy!

Love,

Marqueta

p.s. Our Sweete Felicity Wolverine Tea, for sale in our Etsy Shop, has yarrow in it. Although we haven't had a chance to use this tea with fevers, the mint and catnip would make it a very pleasant "medicine", indeed!

To Everything There is a Season. . . .

. . .And this is the season to clean the house!

Dear Friends,

We won't be on the computer much this week, as our in-laws are coming to stay this weekend. After having lived out of doors most of the summer, we are looking around and seeing that we have our work cut out for us! My, how things get out of hand when one's back is turned!


We are extremely grateful that we've had a nice, soaking rain over the weekend, so we do not have to worry about our green babies perishing in the heat of the sun while we tidy up inside. Instead of stressing ourselves out over the amount of work to be done, we are choosing to be glad that Grandma and Grandpa are giving us a chance to really bless our home ;) . All the same, we will be taking lots of nettle seeds, ashwaganda, and milky oat tincture to help us deal with the stress!


Clarice at Storybook Woods reminds us that this Friday is Tasha Tudor Day~try to leave an hour or so in your schedule to have a special tea to honor her birthday. We'll be gathering her books from the four quarters of the cottage and arranging a little vignette in the parlor, which we hope will be clean by then!


We will look forward to catching up on everyone's blogs when we can. You bring great joy to our lives.

Love and blessings to you,


Marqueta

****************************

"While the son must be taught some business in life, there is one business which should always be taught a daughter-the business of housekeeping, in all its departments." ~Mrs. Julia McNair Wright, "The Complete Home"

Sumac Berries, Instant Antidote for Garlic Overdose

Dear Readers,

How's that for a catchy post title? I thought I'd share with you a little bit of herbal experience, learned firsthand: The other night we were feeling a little "off" and so decided to dose ourselves with a garlic-laden salad.

Tasha's salad, sans garlic

"We", however, failed to notice that two fat cloves had made their way onto our fork at the same time (One of us is very silly~I won't say it's me, but it's not anyone else [A Wives and Daughters family joke.].)!

Beautiful, odorous stuff!

In the following moments of the acute (Better sit REALLY still and hope it passes without a quick trip to les toilettes) indigestion that garlic imparts, Frankie came toddling in carrying a bag of dried sumac berries that I had purchased from Mountain Rose Herbs to help lower AnnaMarie's blood sugar.

Sumac tree in winter

Apparently my guardian angel had led him on a raid of the herb cupboard, because after taking the bag from him so he wouldn't spill them, I wondered if their super-sour properties would help. I took a handful and sucked on them, and within minutes, I was completely relieved of the burning pains I had been suffering.

Sumac berries are very high in citric acid, which I believe did the trick. I'm willing to bet that they would also help relieve morning sickness, as well as nausea in general.

I don't know about you, but I'm going to buy an extra bag to have on hand for gastronimical emergencies!

Love,

Marqueta

A Time to Reap. . .Herbs

Happy "Windsday" morning, my dear readers!



The chickadees and flickers have come back from the hills, signalling the end of summer (so have the yearly plague of houseflies, but that's another story!). I'm glad we have lots of sunflowers for the little chickadees to feast on, and a nice dead spruce tree for the flickers (flickers are large woodpeckers)!




This is the time of year to harvest herbs for teas to use throughout the winter, as our great-grandmothers did before us. If you're lucky enough to have raspberry bushes, be sure to harvest their leaves (but not all off of each plant!) to dry and use during flu season (although at our house, flu season seems to have been year-round this year!).


Raspberry leaves are high in iron, calcium, chromium, fiber, magnesium, niacin, pectin, selenium, thiamin, and zinc, to name a few. That's quite a vitamin pill! We like to mix the leaves with peppermint when making tea, to make it go down easier. Dr. Christopher recommends that girls who are entering puberty (or before) drink three cups of raspberry tea each day, since raspberry is a specific for the female organs. It's also a wonderful pregnancy tonic.


Be sure to harvest any strawberry leaves you might have, while you're at it, since they are very high in vitamin c, and are an old folk remedy for loose gums. In fact, any berry leaves (except nightshade, of course!) are good to dry and use for tea.


Yarrow flowers and leaves are a real blessing for breaking up a fever, and if you have comfrey, be sure to dry some of it, too (Use gloves when handling the dried leaves, as they are prickly.), for use for burns, bronchial problems, etc. Also, most culinary herbs have medicinal uses, as well.

Here are some yarrow plants in our yard (yellow flowers).

The best way to dry herbs is either on a screen in a warm place out of direct sunlight, or hang them from a rafter somewhere out of the way. When they are dry and crumbly, put them in a glass jar, out of direct sunlight. Use them as you would any other tea, about a spoonful of herb to a cup of water (or just dump a handful in a teapot, according to your taste).

This would be a good time of year to begin a study of medicinal herbs, when summer's busy-ness is over. I would recommend a few classic books like Jethro Kloss' "Back to Eden", and "The Herb Book", by John Lust. The internet also has a host of informational websites to peruse.


May we all experience the best of health this coming winter, for it is indeed our greatest wealth.

Love,

Marqueta

"The fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine."-Ezekiel 47:12

Our Emotions and Our Health

Good day, Dear Readers,

In my readings lately I have come across a reprint of a book from 1940 entitled "The Secret Door of Success", by Florence Scovel Shinn. Upon reading her insights on health and emotions, I was struck by the simplicity and depth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Not only is it a recipe for spiritual health, but also for physical!

Drawing of Florence Scovel Shinn

Here's a portion of her writings:

"Spiritual development means the ability to stand still, or stand aside, and let Infinite Intelligence lift your burdens and fight your battles. When the burden of resentment is lifted, you experience a sense of relief! You have a kindly feeling for everyone, and all the organs of your body begin to function properly.

A quote from Albert Edward Day, D.D., reads, 'That loving our enemies is good for our spiritual health is widely known and accepted. But that negation and poisonous emotions destroy physical health is a relatively new discovery. The problem of health is often an emotional one. Wrong emotions entertained and repeated are potent causes of illness. When the preacher talks about loving your enemies, the person on the street is apt to dismiss the idea as unendurable and pious. But the fact is, the preacher is telling you something that is one of the first laws of hygiene, as well as ethics. No one, even for the body's sake, can afford to indulge in hatred. It is like repeated doses of poison. When you are urged to get rid of fear, you are not listening to a moonstruck idealist; rather, you are hearing counsel that is as significant for health as advice about diet.'

We hear so much about a balanced diet, but without a balanced mind, you cannot digest what you eat, calories or no calories."

It is truly amazing that even now, seventy years after this was written, we still have a hard time grasping this concept, but it is so true. Re-programming our way of thinking, can be as hard as changing our diet!

May you be blessed in your duties today,

Marqueta