Happy Easter!

It's Easter Sunday,and though this AM has bit of a cold wind,it's suppose to go up into the upper 50's.Yesterday was gorgeous,and we lost quite a bit of snow. I didn't enjoy it,however-I was in bed with a horrible migraine.

Friday night Rick and I went out for the Dance For A Cure. It was a fundraiser for Cancer. Our friend,Sue,who is in Scouts with us does the Relay For a Cure each year,since her husband passed away from cancer and her team helped sponsor the dance. I actually talked Rick into going,because,as those who know about PTSD are aware,going into unfamiliar places is very difficult. Sue had a table set aside for us in the back of the room,where she knows that Rick is more comfortable. There were some faces we knew,folks who are in Scouting with us,and we all sat together. One of our friends,Jessie,even grabbed Rick for a fast dance on the floor! (He did dance a few dances with me,too!) We used to go out a lot,but now it's rarity. After Rick assessed the room,he felt a bit more at ease,but I know going there was still very hard for him.I thanked him for taking me out,and he told me he did have a good time.

We clean up pretty good,don't we? :)

I have a cold. Colds and flu have been going around,and I had a scratchy throat for most of the week. Yesterday,I woke up with a migraine,and at first I thought I had a hangover ( I did have four mudslides,but I ate as well-I don't drink that often anymore,but man,they went down very well!)but hangover headaches are dull,not a sharp pain that goes all around the head. I figured it was  the alcohol (sometimes even a drink of wine will trigger them), the cold coming on,or both. Probably both. So I was in bed all day,coughing,sneezing,blowing my nose,and trying to find a good spot to press the pillow against on my head to help alleviate the pain. I get the migraines that travel. They start in one spot,then move to another,then another,then another. Thankfully,the Excedrin Migraine did work eventually, but between the cold coming on and the migraine,I was wiped out for the day.I had my bedroom windows open,because the fresh air felt wonderful,but every time I started to fall asleep,the neighbors would come over to talk to Rick outside the window,or a dog would bark causing Samson to bark,or the neighbor would rev his Harley,etc. I was to the point where I was overtired,and I couldn't fall asleep last until after 1:00 AM. Sigh.

Today I feel lousy,but I had to make sure that Zach got his Easter treats.Apparently,his Easter basket finally bit the dust,because I couldn't find it,but I thought of something else that would work:

A Jar O'Candy! At 15,he is getting a bit big for a basket,so this works out.

Tonight is the Season 3 premiere of "Game Of Thrones"-I can't wait!!!!

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet...and Happy Easter!

There Is Still Good Out There

Friday morning I was doing some errands in Rochester when my car decided to act up. It made a terrible grinding noise,the tachometer would go up,but the car was acting sluggish. I pulled over in a CVS parking lot and called Rick. He and Brother B came down,and Brother B drove my car to the dealership,which,happily,was less than 1/4 mile away. It seems like it might be the transmission,and according to them,it's still under warranty,which is good. They won't really be able to look at it until today or tomorrow. 

Early Friday afternoon, I was in the middle of filling my window boxes with greens and berries when the horrible news came over the TV about the shooting in CT. I finished the boxes and stopped decorating. I had planned to finish all my decorating that day,but I completely lost interest. I felt sick to my stomach,and I still feel like someone has kicked me in the gut.

Saturday I did have some good diversion. My sister Linda and I went to my Mom's house to celebrate her 87th birthday. We had lunch,then went to downtown Somersworth to check out some of the nice little shops. We then went to buy our poinsettias at a local greenhouse.That night,our friend Eric had a housewarming party,and we enjoyed ourselves. We aren't that social anymore,so it was good to get out and mingle at something that wasn't a Scouting event (though most of the folks there are involved in Scouting).Rick enjoyed himself quite a bit. It felt good to laugh.

Yesterday,I finished decorating and made some fudge. I also worked on crocheting one of the Christmas gifts. Last night it started to snow,and this AM we have a two hour delay,though I think it should have been a cancellation. The roads are terrible and it's still snowing.

One of my window boxes with greenery and berries:

Our tree. I didn't use orange slices this year,but I did use some dried hydrangeas:

 
My little village. I string some lights along the sill and put them inside the houses:

Rick took this photo this morning. You can't tell,but it's snowing:

A close up of the window boxes:

The plant hangers down by the road.Everything looks so pretty in the snow!

The mantle. I just noticed you can see my reflection in the mirror:

A bit of berries and greens in my pouring bowl above the stove:

 Our bedroom door:

The canning cabinet:

 Last,but not least,the chimney shelf:

In spite of what has happened in CT,I still believe in my fellow man. It can be very difficult when people do terrible things,or live their lives hating,but I take comfort in knowing that there are far more good people out there than bad. I think we as a society need to start putting BS behind us and remember,we are all here together. The hate,fear,and paranoia in this country need to stop. We are all brothers and sisters. Who cares what color we are? What politics we believe in?  What religion we are? How about working together to make this a better place?? We need to stop demonizing people who don't agree with us,and start acting like rational,caring humans again. When we band together for the common good,there is nothing that we can't accomplish.

This is still a Fabulous Planet. Enjoy your day on it!

Soapmaking 101

A couple weeks ago, I made some Pearberry scented hand soap. I'm trying to use up all my fragrance oil before I order some new oil. I think this time I will splurge and get essential oil. It's more concentrated,so not as much is needed,but it does cost a bit more.

You will need:

 -24 oz Crisco

-9 oz coconut oil

-10.5 oz canola oil

-14 oz cold water

-6 oz lye crystals

-hand mixer ( I use my old one now just for soapmaking)

-non metallic spoon or spatula (I use cheap wooden spoons that I bought just for soapmaking)

-bowl for lye water

-measuring cup

-digital scale

-soap mold ( I use a silicone 8 x8 baking dish)

-thermometer (I used an old candy thermometer)

-scent/coloring (optional)

Ready?

1) Zero out your digital scale by placing the measuring cup on it and hitting the "tare/on" button. You can see in the photo below that it is now set at zero. Everything is measured by weight. Pour water into the cup until it reaches 14 oz. Pour the water into a bowl,and wipe out your measuring cup. Place the cup back on the scale,make sure it's zeroed out,and add the lye crystals until it weighs 6 oz.

Before you mix the lye and water,you will want to open some windows to get some ventilation going. Lye is very caustic,and can burn your skin. The fumes smell and can make you sick. Sometimes I also have to put my t-shirt in front of my nose. Sprinkle the lye into the water,and stir gently until the lye crystals have dissolved  You will see fumes/smoke coming out of the bowl. This is the lye reacting. Place the lye off to the side to cool down. I place the bowl in front of the window.

2) Melt your solids. As you measured the lye and water,do the same with the Crisco and coconut oil. Make sure the Crisco measures 24 oz ( I had to do two measurements of 12 oz since my measuring cup isn't that big) and put it into a pan on the stove. Measure the coconut oil to 9 oz and put in the pan with the Crisco. Melt them over low heat,stirring occasionally  Measure the canola oil in the same manner,making sure it weighs 10.5 oz. When the Crisco and coconut oil and melted,add the the canola oil and stir.


Here you see the solid fats being melted........

......and the canola oil being added once the solid fats are melted

3) Now comes the part I always have a hard time with-waiting for the lye water and the oils to cool to the proper temperature. This is where the thermometer comes in. Both the lye water and the melted oils should be cooled down to 80-100 degrees before they are combined.This could take anywhere from 1/2 an hour to an hour.

4)Gently pour the lye water into the oils,mixing as you go.The mixer should be on low to avoid more air bubbles from forming than need be.

5)Mix on low until soap mixture begins to thicken,then move up to medium speed.The soap is ready to pour when it hits trace. Trace is when the soap forms squiggles on the top of the mixture like in the photo below:

6) This is the time to add your scent (it's up to you how much to add)..........

.......and your soap coloring. Again,it's up to you how much add depending on what you want the color to look like. Make sure you mix in the scent completely before you add the color. Mix in the color completely.

Here it is...ready for the mold!!!!!

7) Pour the soap mix into the mold. Smooth it out as best you can.

8) Cover it with a towel and let rest for 8-24 hours.

9) Take the soap out of the mold and place it away from drafts and cold air for 1-7 days.

10)After a few days,it's ready to cut up into bars. Score the soap to help with sizing. Notice how the soap has turned white? That's the lye that has risen up through the block of soap.

Here is a photo for a better comparison. The block on the lower left shows the bottom of the soap block. The upper right the top. There will be some white residue on the sides as well. Don't worry,we're going to cut those off to make pretty soap.

11) Cut off the white areas,and any other areas you need to make square pieces. This recipe fills an 8 x 8 pan,so the blocks are thick. 

A bit blurry,but you see how nice it looks when the white is trimmed off.

12) I cut the blocks in half,so I get more soap for the buck!

See? Two bars for the price of one!

13) You might wonder what to do with all those pieces that got trimmed off- use them! They still work. I bagged them up into a sandwich bag and put them in our bathroom closet.

14) TA-DA! Homemade bar soap. It now needs to cure for 2-4 weeks. 

After the time has passed, enjoy your soap,or wrap it in some pretty paper and give as a gift!

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet!

What's Still On My Needles

Back in late fall or early winter, I posted "What's On My Needles." It was a Friendship Shawl that I was attempting to crochet.However,I still had the second sock out of the pair for Brother B that I had to knit,so I abandoned the shawl and knitted his sock. I finally finished it about two weeks ago.Brother B was mighty happy that he had an actual pair of socks a year after the first one was done :)

Now I am determined to not let anything side track me for finishing the shawl. I really want to start making an afghan,but I will not start until this project is finished.

Being new to crocheting,I made mistakes. Sometimes reading the instructions was like reading a foreign language. This is what the shawl looked like on that first posting:

See how heavy and wavy the edging looks? Imagine it about four more inches long.Not only was it getting very heavy,it was taking me over an hour just to do one row! Well, I finally figured out why. The description for making shells was a 5 DC in a 3 chain space.I thought that meant 5 DC's in EACH chain space,making 15 DC's in a small space of three chains. 

When I sat back down last week to finally finish this shawl,I reread the instructions,looked at the picture of what it's suppose to look like,and unraveled the edging. A light bulb went off in my head. Of course!! The shell is 5 DC in a 3 chain space...meaning,one shell in the 3 chain space. I split it up as 2 DC's in the first chain,1 DC in the second,and 2 in the third chain. It looked much better and I could zip through the rows much faster. I finally finished the first half:

Looks more like a shawl,doesn't it? And it actually looks like the photo! Amazing how sometimes we get stuck in the wrong pattern,but then the right pattern just clicks! Much like life :)

If you knit or crochet,what's on your needles? 

Knitted Dishtowel

Good morning! As I posted yesterday,it was a snow day.Zach helped Rick clear out the snow,and besides doing some knitting,I made more laundry soap. Today I need to do laundry and I am in the process of boiling pinto beans for my crock pot chili. Gluten free cornbread will be served as well.

I received a couple of comments about the dishtowel I am making (hello Tango from VA and Julie from MI!) I am always excited to get responses to my posts,especially when they are new folks.

I was thinking a while back that since a dishcloth could be made,why couldn't a dishtowel? So I started to browse various knitting/crocheting sites to see if anyone had actually made such a towel,and if so,did it work properly? I came across a site,www.purlbee.com,and they confirmed that yes,dishtowels can be made,and not only that,but they work! Her patterns are for striped dishtowels,and they look lovely,with a beige body and red stripes.I am going for a more colorful look:

 She also used circular needles,and I am using 8" straight ( I noticed that after the fact,but so far,it's working well). Finished product is approx 9" x 16". 100% cotton yarn is used.
Cast on 56 stitches,then knit all the rows for a simple towel. If you want to add stripes,her site has different patterns.....www.purlbee.com/soft-cotton-knit-dishtowels. I will share the one I am attempting:

                                                     Twin Stripe Dishtowel
(These instructions are in the colors she uses-you can use whatever you want,of course)

Cast on 56 stitches in a neutral color

Knit 20 rows in garter stitch,do not break the yarn

*Pick up red yarn for the stripe,knit two rows,do not break yarn

Pick up the neutral yarn,knit two rows,do not break yarn

Knit two rows red,break yarn**

Continue knitting all rows with the neutral for 12 rows

Pick up red and repeat from * to **

Continue knitting all rows with the neutral for 20 rows.

Bind off

Sew in ends and block

Give it a whirl! I will let you know how mine comes out.

Snow Day

Today we were suppose to go to the Manchester VA for a medication appointment and an appointment with Rick's TBI Dr.However,yesterday Rick called and rescheduled because of a snow storm that was heading our way.We do have four wheel drive,but there is no point in driving an hour and 15 minutes in a mess when you don't have to,right?

My Mom,who is doing great with her shoulder and is all done with her physical therapy,commented to me the other day that in her 86 years,she has never seen such a lack of snow. We had a covering for Christmas,then a couple days later it disappeared.It has been warm for this time of year as well-yesterday I went grocery shopping in short sleeves and a sweatshirt. Usually here in NH we are bundled up,sometimes by November. This type of weather is extremely rare.

However, this AM the alarm when off at 5:30 AM and I went to the window to see if it had started snowing. It had barely started,and the school district called to tell us that there would be no school. I thought that was a very good decision,since the storm was suppose to get worse as the morning went on,in some areas dropping an inch or two an hour.

So now we finally have some snow. I admit I am happy at this point without it,but it's very pretty to watch. It makes me feel very warm and secure with the wood stove going and the storm swirling outside.

I have taken a break from organizing to do some knitting. I am inspired to knit some dishtowels. The inspiration came from the lovely handmade towels my Dear Friend Michelle gave me for Christmas. I am in need of new dishtowels. Mine are mostly stained,and in a couple of cases,ripped. They will make great rags. I was thinking of buying some new ones,but then I realized that I can just make them myself!Dishcloths,dishtowels,and potholders are on the agenda.

Enjoy your day!!!!

What's On My Needles

Day Two of The Plague...today I am not quite so achy,but my headbone in feeling rather fuzzy.Looks like it's another day to lay low. Since I wasn't up to snuff to do much yesterday ( a pattern that apparently will be continued into today) I spent the day curled up in my recliner with a blanket,a pillow,and my crocheting.

I started teaching myself how to crochet a few weeks ago,and I must admit that so far I enjoy it more than knitting.My first project is a Friendship Shawl:

Of late I am fascinated with shawls. I started loving them watching my "Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman" DVD's. I noticed the wonderful patterns on the shawls,and thought they were gorgeous.How wonderful to be able to create something like that! I went on line and looked up various patterns on various sites,and put the ones I liked the best under My Favorites file. Some of the instructions aren't the best,and thankfully I have my sister Linda to help guide me through some tough spots. Others were just trial,error,and redo. I have started and restarted this shawl about eight times.Videos on line have also helped,especially when figuring out shell stitches. Shell 5 in three ch space was confusing until I saw it online.

The second thing on my needles is the second sock in the pair I am making for Brother B:

As you can see, I haven't gotten too far with the second sock because I am all into the shawl,but I have assured Brother B that he will get his sock before there is too much snow on the ground! :)

Today is another lovely day,and I am not happy that I am still under the weather. Days like this will be few and far between pretty soon. Why couldn't I get this when it's zero outside and there is snow on the ground? Sigh.

Finished Socks

I finally did it! I finished a pair of socks!!!

The yarn I used was a  bit heavier than I was suppose to use,but I wanted to see how they would come out. These are great for scuffing around the house. Like with the mittens I knitted, I used four double ended needles. The pattern was from my book,"Very Easy Circular Knits" by Betty Barnden. While it is getting easier,I do admit I am still having a heck of a time with the SSK stitch. I find it very hard to get the left needle back through the two stitches,so I have had to just K2TOG on occasion.

Last night I started knitting Zach a pair of camouflage socks. Then I will knit Rick and Brother B each a pair.

We have had a lot of rain here in NH last week,and we have had water flowing continually into our basement (thankfully we have a good sub pump). The only problem is,our washing machine drainage and the sub pump drainage are the same pipe,so when the sub pump is doing it's thing,the washing  machine does not drain like it should. Brother B made a trip down to Brother Dale's yesterday to finish up our laundry.

In between the rain,temps in the 40's,and fog,we have lost quite a bit of snow. Our pathways are now grass. I can see the top half of the wagon in the front yard again. We do still have quite a bit of snow,however.We "Sprung Forward" on Saturday night,so now we are an hour ahead. It now doesn't get dark until 7:00 PM. I wish it would just stay like that year round. To be honest, I still don't why we change the time. It goes way back,and I think it has something to do with farming and giving farmers more daylight to work/harvest their crops.It's also suppose to save electricity,I guess.

My thoughts go out to those in Japan. Such terrible doings going on in Nature around the world lately.

Busy Time

The past week has been a busy one,and that will continue until Christmas. My house has been overrun with boxes containing decorations. I can't see my dining room because of them and I have pile next to me here at the computer. I dried orange slices,and hot glued ornament hooks on pine cones. Friday we got our tree after Zach's dentist appointment.Saturday after I dropped Zach off at a spaghetti dinner fundraiser he was helping out at I put the lights on the tree. Yesterday after we got back from our shift at the Lilac Mall selling popcorn for our Troop I decorated it. This year I went a bit primitive,with orange slices,pine cones,popcorn garland,and a few ornaments. I opted for white lights again this year. Last year I put the Christmas cards we received in the tree,but I am still deciding if I am going to do that again or not. So I am not posting any photos of it until I decide.

Today I am going to put my greenery on my mantle,and on the windowsills. That should do it for the decorating. I do have to make candles,and start making pork pies for various friends and family.

This morning I woke with a terrible headache,so I am lying a tad low until the Excedrine Migraine kicks in. Brother B went with Rick to the Somersworth VA Outpatient Center to Rick's blood work appt. Rick sweats terribly at night,so bad the sheets get stained. We have always been told that it is due to his PTSD,but the Dr that is taking over for Rick's primary care Dr (he is on medical leave) wanted to test his thyroid to see if his thyroid medication might be too high a dose. So we shall see what happens.

There is a very good chance that they might put Rick on a ADHD med. Brain injuries cause symptoms very much like ADHD-lack of focus,organization,etc.We are going to discuss it further when we see Rick's TBI dr, Dr Whitlock,on the 23rd. He had mentioned that it was a possibility,and when we saw Ken,Rick's PTSD counselor,we discussed it with him. Ken used to be a ADHD counselor for kids,and he has extensive knowledge on the subject. One can obtain ADHD from birth,or from a brain injury,such as Rick's. In the list of 9 symptoms,Rick had 8. So Ken put down our discussion in his notes and sent it to Dr Whitlock. I wouldn't be surprised if Dr Whitlock does move forward with that idea. It would be wonderful if it helps.

Still no snow in our neck of the woods. Up north in the mountains they have some. Saturday we woke up to a dusting of snow. Yesterday we had freezing rain and sleet,which actually caused the Spaulding Turnpike to close for a few hours because the highway was an ice rink and 50 cars were off the road,even the sand truck(I can only remember the Turnpike getting closed a couple of times).Everything then turned to rain,and we had a couple inches of that,with some heavy wind. I am surprised we didn't lose power. Right now it's in the 50's (degrees),which is balmy for us this time of the year,then later today the temps are suppose to go down the 20's. According to the Farmers Almanac,we are not suppose to get any snowstorms until January,so it is looking like we may get a green Christmas. I hope we at least get a little snow. It's very strange to be in NH and not have a White Christmas!!!

My Feeble Knitting Attempt

I have finished my dishcloth...if one can call it that.

Not the prettiest looking ,is it? There are several mistakes,but I just kept plodding along.It's suppose to be one row knit,one row purl,but I think I purled wrong. Instead of bringing my right needle from right to left, I basically did a knit stitch,bringing the right needle from left to right,but on the top of the left needle instead of the bottom.My book says the right needle is suppose to be brought right to left. Hmmm. It does have a nice ribbed texture,which you can't really see in this photo. I used cotton yarn with size 8 needles. Oh well, it is a dishcloth.

I have tried to find double ended needles to attempt some circular knitting,but neither Michaels nor Ben Franklin's had them,the two places I thought would carry them. I do have a pair of regular circular knitting needles,but the directions I have for mittens call for double ended needles. I will have to look on line for something else.

Yesterday I was woken by Zach who presented me with a bowl of cereal and a cup of OJ. "I would've brought you coffee,Mumma,but I didn't know how to make it,"he explained. How can you not love that? We have such a nice,loving son. Rick and I always comment on how lucky we are,and hopefully as he grows into a teenager that won't go away.

Yesterday I cleaned the bathroom,washed windows,dusted,and actually moved living room furniture to sweep. I also did three loads of laundry. I have found myself more motivated,and I am not sure if it's the antidepressant, the prescription strength Clariton I am on,or both ( probably both). I was done by 1:00 PM,and I thought it was much later than that. Sigh. It always takes me a bit to get used to the time change.

Beeswax Candles

I make candles,though not as often as I should. I usually make them as gifts for the holidays. Rick is always asking me how come I don't make candles or soap for us. That's a good question. I suppose it's like the cobbler whose children went barefoot.

So,Rick and I decided that we would start burning more candles and kerosene/paraffin lamps in the evenings,instead of using just using electrical lights. The idea is to help save on our electric bill, which skyrockets in the winter months. I am not sure why that this,though. We use a wood stove and rarely use our oil furnace. I do have an electric oil heater that looks like a radiator that we use in our bedroom ( since we have no heat in there),but it really shouldn't push the bill up that much. ( I know NH has if not the highest, then certainly one of the highest, electrical rates in the country).
I will have to balance both electrical light and candlelight since I suffer from depression and it is worse in the winter time. ( My dear friend,Michelle,voiced concern over just using candles in the winter time because of my depression,and she has a very valid point).Rick has also recently been diagnosed with having moderate depression as well. So,we will have to keep an eye on our moods and cut back on the candles if it's causing our moods to plummet. We do love candlelight though. It tends to make the house cozy,especially in the wintertime.

The other day,Rick wanted to make some candles to get started on our stock for the winter, so we made some beeswax candles.

I had some left over yellow beeswax and a new package of white beeswax and some paraffin blocks. Rick wanted to make beeswax,and that was fine with me. You can see the packages in the left corner of the picture. We used plastic and metal votive molds,wicks,a candle thermometer,candle melting/pouring pot,and spice scent.

We used last of the yellow beeswax and about a quarter of the white beeswax (they come in 1 lb blocks). The picture is a bit dark,but you can see the wax starting to melt. The wax should be at 141 degrees melting point. When the wax reached that temperature,that meant it was ready to pour in the molds. Right before we poured,we put in a small piece of spice candle scent and mixed it until it melted.

While the wax was melting,we prepared the molds. There is a candle release that you can buy to coat the molds with to avoid sticking. We didn't have any of that,but we used vegetable spray,which is just as effective. As you can tell by the picture,the yellow holders and the metal ones are different. The tops of the yellow molds make the bottoms of the candles. We took the wick and pulled it through the hole in the bottom of the mold,then pressed a small piece of mold sealer over the hole and wick so the wax wouldn't leak out. In the metal holders,we used toothpicks to wrap around the wicks to hold the wick steady and centered. I have also used mold sealer to seat the metal piece of the wick in the bottom of the mold in the past.
Once the candles start to cool,a small depression will start to form. Poke a hole in the depression,and add more wax. You may have to do this a few times until the wax no longer forms a depression when it cools.
I have used beeswax in the past for candles,and have found the beeswax to be hard to remove from the mold. I was hoping since we used the vegetable spray it would make removal easier, but that was not the case. It took Rick pounding the molds against the counter many times and with great force to get the candles out. Next time I use beeswax I think I will stick with my method of pouring the wax into a canning jar and using that as the mold and candle holder. You don't need to take it out of the jar,just burn it as it is. I tied raffia around the jar for decoration.
Here is our finished product. I thought the scent of the beeswax over powered the spice scent we added,but Rick said the spice scent came through well. Don't you love my teacup saucer candle holder? I used it for photo purposes. :)

Lavender Here,Lavender There,Lavender Everywhere

Last year, I planted my first lavender plants. I have them under my bedroom window,in a nice,sunny spot.If memory serves, I planted "Provence". I had planted them in between two hot pink Azalea bushes. I had to move the bushes over this year, because the lavender has spread a bit. I was very excited when my first blooms came in-I intended to make soap with them. For some reason,the lavender soap with buds never came to pass, but I did make some lavender bottles and some sachets.
Lavender bottles are neat. Cut about 13-14 lavender stems,with blossoms. The stems should be at least twice as long as the length of the flowers. Let them wilt until they are flexible. Tie in a bunch,with 12" thin ribbon or twine ( depending on how pretty or rustic you want- I used twine,since I had had no ribbon in the house),fastened just below the flower heads. Take one end of the ribbon or string and wind it clockwise around the flowers,ending at the top. Take the other string and wrap it counterclockwise around the flowers. You should only have to go around the flowers about 2 or 3 times. Tie the ends of the ribbon or string together,and trim the excess. Bend each stem up past the top of the flower heads.Tie the stems together,and cut them stems evenly. Hang to dry. Though lavender keeps it's scent a long time, you can freshen it up with some lavender essential oil. You can keep these hanging in your home, or use them as a sachet.
Sachets are pretty easy. I cut the stems with blossoms,and just cut the leaves and blossoms into pieces. The leaves have a nice smell, too,don't forget! I set them out to dry,then put them in a pretty mesh sachet bag. These bags are available at any craft or department store. Again, after a while,the scent might need refreshing, so you can use some lavender essential oil.
This year I am going to try some lavender tea and lavender cookies. I will let you know how that pans out.
There is nothing more soothing than the scent of lavender. I love it. I love to walk by my plants and just run smell them. I even run my hands over them so I can just smell the scent on my hands. So far I don't have any blossoms, but the time is nearing, I have a lot of buds this year.
I have been reading more about the medicinal uses for lavender. I am very interested in learning more about herbal remedies in general,especially since I suffer from migraines. I take my Excedrin Migraine,which works ( for the most part) but I would like to learn about more natural,healthy methods to get rid of them.
I apologize for not having any photos-I can't find the charger for my digital camera battery. I may have to bite the bullet and buy a new camera. I look upon that as an investment,since we take alot of pictures!