Simple Joy Sunday

Finding the simple joys each week...

After I posted last week's Simple Joy Sunday, I went on a walk to the beach. I adore the beach and am totally befuddled as to why I don't go more often. Upon arrival, I promptly took off my shoes, sunk my feet into the sand, and deeply inhaled the magnificent salt air. Listening to the waves on the shore, I walked in the surf for nearly an hour before just camping out in the sand for a few minutes. The water was incredibly wavy (totally not the norm for the Gulf); you can even see a surfer in the background of this shot I got on my phone.


It felt wonderful to clear my brain and get outside and spend time with Mother Nature for a while. I really think this needs to become a weekly ritual for me. (Don't know if it's going to happen today: there are supposed to be gusty winds up to 30mph. That may not be that fun with sand whipping around. Sad.)

Spending time with my herbs made me incredibly happy this week. I managed to find some more Mason jars (who knew they were so hard to come by?) so I was able to store all of my bulk herbs (the closet in my workroom is being taken over!). I mixed another batch of my Nerve Tonic Infusion to make throughout the week. I also made my first tincture: Brain Tonic Tincture. It is so grounding working with these amazing plants. I can't help feeling like a wisewoman (even though I know I still have a long way to go). It's so medieval. ;)

I made some special time for me at work on Wednesday. I made time to do some things I enjoy:
-I gave the blog some love
-did some herbal studies
-I lit a lovely vanilla candle
-at the suggestion of Julie at Mermaiden Creations I created a new channel on Pandora and gave Kate Bush a listen
-drank some of my soothing Nerve Tonic infusion

Scott's been working an insane amount of hours lately. I'm talking 8am until 10pm for about two weeks straight; and it's not going to ease up for probably a month. Luckily, though they will start to have Saturdays off at least. Friday night, he called me on the way home from work to see if I wanted to go out and get a drink. It was a really fun, last minute idea. I haven't really seen much of him lately, so it was really nice.

I spent the day Saturday cooking a TON of food. With Scott's crazy schedule, I still want him to be able to eat halfway decent. So, I stocked up the fridge with a massive amount of food that can easily go into Tupperware and be heated up in the microwave. Although cooking isn't one of my favorite things to do, I was pleased with how much good food I made:
-turkey tenderloin with ginger and teriyaki
-chicken & apple sausages
-zuchini & squash
-stirng beans & tomatoes
-chicken broth enhanced brown rice
-rosemary roasted potatoes
-a whole chicken seasoned with lemon, parsley, and rosemary; with a ton of potatoes and veggies surrounding it
Having a full refridgerator is a very, very good feeling.

As always, check out more Simple Joy Sundays over at Cool Zebras. What were some of your joys this week?

Friday Finds - Avalon

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley is one of my favorite books. It recounts Arthurian legend from the point of view of the women involved. It is a truly unique, detailed version of a tale steeped in myth. I highly recommend it for fantasy lovers, feminists, faery folk, Goddess worshippers, and everyone in between.

Sojourn of the Moon Triple Goddess Circlet by Thyme2dream

Magick of Avalon Ritual Oil by MoonlitHerbals

Glastonbury Tor by Lhosphotography

King Arthur Digital Collage Sheet by Sinister Concept

Herbal Concoction: Brain Tonic Tincture

Among the many gorgeous, incredibly fresh herbs I received from Mountain Rose Herbs I got the ingredients I needed to make a Brain Tonic Tincture. This tincture is excellent for calming and strengthening the nervous system and increasing memory. You won't wake up overnight feeling like Einstein, but after consistent use (daily for anywhere between one to three months) there will be a subtle but noticeable increase in memory and mental alertness. I figured since I'm studying herbalism, this would be a great introductory tincture for me!

Herbs included in this tincture include: Gota Kola, Gingko Leaf, Peppermint, Sage, and Rosemary. The herbs are being extracted in vodka for six to eight weeks. You can see in the picture above how the herbs settle to the bottom of the jar: a simple shake daily keeps the herbs and vodka mixed.

People say that I must be very patient for making chain maille. Making maille doesn't need patience, but working with herbs does! It takes time for them to work their magic.

Simple Joy Sunday

Finding the simple joys that keep me going each week...

I was so excited to find out that three of the guys that I toured with years ago (in what feels like a previous life) are in town this week. I love these guys and was so happy to see them! Scott and I went out for drinks with them and had such a good time.

My Chain Maille Dice Bag was included in a maille treasury by jsanderso at Sartorial Steel.

I had an amazing time on Monday night. I had a severe case of the Mondays and needed a pick me up. I got some supplies on the way home and made my first concoction with some of the new herbs I have on hand. You can read more about it here. Beyond that, I ate sushi and a brownie, watched Eastwick (a new guilty pleasure), read some of my book, and had a glorious night's sleep.

Because I worked a really long day on Wednesday, I got to be off on Friday. We all know how happy that makes me! I made a tincture that I'll have to tell you about in a future post.

Halloween wasn't too terribly eventful here. I wound up re-organizing my closet to make room for all of my herbs and doing some of my herbal homework in the afternoon. When Scott got home from work, we threw a pizza in and watched The Crow in the dark. We made some spiked apple cider for dessert. It may not have been exciting, but it was nice.

As always, check out more Simple Joy Sundays over at Cool Zebras. What were some of your joys this week?