Monday is here and we're still alive!

I'm obviously alive and kicking and it is another Monday. I've had a lot of people e-mail me to make sure I'm ok as the train I typically take from work to get back home was part of the huge train collision in Washington DC last week. Thank goodness I waited around a bit and finished up a few things or I would have been in that mess. My body is still reeling from the car accident last August, I don't even want to think what would happen to me in a train wreck with no seat belts.

We survived the weekend despite DP and I getting into a screaming match with some rude and nasty movie theater patrons (stole our parking spot and then gave us attitude when we yelled at them for it, there was some cursing, some glaring, and some threatening done) and my cat has survived his first "I'm peeing on the carpet because you aren't getting up at 4:30am on Saturday to feed me!" move. Again, there was a lot of cursing, glaring, and threatening done.

The good news is that my dear guinea pig...I mean friend...finally got one of her migraine headaches and was able to test out the new headache tea I had made and she said it worked wonders! Yay! I only get headaches in the fall because of allergies and needed someone I could test it out on. She said it was great and had the nice side effect of making her a tad loopy. Could be her constitution but I think when I get ready to sell it on my shop I might make that known...no operating heavy machinery!

I Take Full Responsibility For His Death

That's right, I killed Michael Jackson. It's all my fault and I fully accept the consequences.

Yesterday afternoon, around 3pm some office folks and I were discussing Farrah Fawcetts' death. Someone said "Who do you think is the next one?" People bandied about Patrick Swayze, Amy Winehouse, and I thought for a moment and said "Michael Jackson." Hours later in my long car ride home, after finishing the fabulous and funny Dead By Dark audiobook I had been listening to all week, I got the call.

"Guess who died!"

"Farrah Fawcett."

"Well, yes, but guess who else!"

"Patrick Swayze?"

"No, Michael Jackson!"

"Holy CRAP! I killed him!"

That's right, at least I came out and admitted it. I would call to apologize but I don't think his family is ready to hear it yet. So instead I will wallow in my self-consuming guilt, knowing that I deprived the next generation of children the fear of thinking the Jackson-man is hiding in their closet at night.


Or, perhaps it is all a farce, like Elvis' death! He'd been having money trouble...perhaps he faked his own death to further his "King of Pop" reputation and give him a solid and irrifutible alibi for his future child molestation charges! "It can't be Michael Jackson, Timmy, he's dead!" Perfect alibi! Damn, he's good.

Independence Day Donation!!

I know what you are thinking, "donation?"

In honor of Independence Day here in the states, for 24 hours I will be donating 50% of the price of every tarot reading sold to my favorite childhood cancer charity, CandleLighters. Not only will a huge portion be given to charity, but I will be offering FREE SHIPPING (within the US) for any tea or herbal product!

For those that aren't familiar, Candlelighters is a wonderful charitable organization that focuses on children battling cancer. While I was not a child when I went through my own cancer scare (remind me to show you the scar some day), I can see what kind of an affect it had on friends of ours. Their sweet daughter was diagnosed with cancer very young and they struggled to keep their family afloat through the treatments, the loss of employment, and the almost-loss of their home. What was stopping them from getting their daughter the treatment that would save her was $$$. Their insurance wouldn't pay for experimental treatments. Gotta love that insurance! So now they struggle, deep in debt, to rebuild their family day by day. It is their constant struggle and their love that inspires me to earmark all my donations for the financial support of families who are battling their own wars with cancer.

So, starting at 12am Saturday morning, July 4th, until 11:59pm I will be donating 50% of each purchase of a tarot reading to Candlelighters.

So, buy a Celtic Cross Reading and $11 will be given to charity, buy a Career Circle Reading and $10 will be given to charity, buy a Past Life reading for you and two for your friends and $37.50 will be given to charity...you see where I'm going with this?

Take THAT Cortison Cream!

My poor hunny has been suffering an itchy rash on her forearms which she gets when she gets a lot of sun. It's uncomfortable and annoying and typically means that she'll go through about 2 tubes of Cortison cream before it clears up. Well, had had made a very nice oil for just such occasions and it was finally ready for use this past week.

I took 2 ounces of Sweet Almond Oil, a pinch of Calendula, Chamomile and Marshmallow root and allowed it to sit in a cool place for 3 weeks. I then removed the herbs and spread some of the oil on her itchy rash on Monday night instead of the Cortison. Tuesday morning it looked much better. By Tuesday night she said it was so itchy that she had to use the cream but I convinced her to use it on only one arm and use my oil on the other. She did and in 15 minutes she washed off the arm with Cortison and put the oil on the other arm. She said the itching was gone from the oil arm and the cream arm was killing her. So today she is looking much better and the itching is completely gone. Woohoo!

Needless to say I did a little Herbal Victory dance on our way out the door. It is my goal to eventually get rid of all our OTC medicine and have a cabinet filled with homeopathic (if not handmade) remedies. I think I might have to sell this oil. Smells so yummy!

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things, Part...Whatever

I love the shops on Etsy, some even more than my own. The creativity I find there is always amazing, beautiful, and typically evokes a little pang of jealousy and a lot of "Hey, I could do that...maybe." This is my semi-frequent attempt to show off a few of my favorite items. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Steampunk seems to be the new big thing, and has been for a while. I have to say that I get it. It's new, it's old fashioned, it can be elegant, gothic, punk, young or old. Of all the shops on Etsy that I've seen creating Steampunk pieces, I have to say that Velvet Mechanism really stands out. This piece particular, Black Cord Silver Filigree and Watch Steampunk Necklace is just gorgeous.

It could be part of a costume, a great conversation piece, or even every day wear. Very artfully done. Very nice!

In turning my attention to things I can't eat but REALLY want to, is this lovely, decadent, gorgeous chocolate torte by FancyThatCookies
Rich Chocolate Chip Torte is not only a lovely piece of work by Fancy, edible (thank god!), but it is also Gluten Free and flourless! I wonder where this was when I was on my gluten-free kick?

This isn't the only fabulous creation by Fancy...they have cookies and cakes, and my personal favorites, macaroons and snickerdoodles!

I'm a huge fan of handmade helpers, and these are such a great color! I'm also a huge fan of 2Kute and her growing collection of crocheted hats, dishtowels, scrubbies, flowers, etc. DISHCLOTH - LIFESAVER - set of 2 are so happy and cheery that you can almost taste the lifesaver flavor!

The craftmanship is great, the prices are amazing, you just have to take a look!

So I'm a sucker for big, funky, unique pieces of jewelry, and when i spotted this piece during an Etsy chat I just had to feature it. dogzillalives has some really beautiful pieces, but my favorite it this Blue Tiger's Eye wire wrapped bracelet. Wire wrapped blue tigers eye cuff is gorgeous, funky, and one of a kind. Not to mention that Tiger's Eye is a wonderful stone for healing, protection, and communication. It's also reasonably priced, like everything in dogzillalives' shop!

So that ends it for this edition. I'm hoping the reduced amount of featured items helps keep the posting from going haywire like it has in the past when I feature more items. Perhaps 4 is my new lucky number.

Things to Watch For This Weekend!

This weekend I'll be posting another installment of of "These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things" and I'll be participating in the EAST Team's Summer Solstice sale!

While I can't set my prices to update automatically, once I wake up and turn on my computer I'll be reducing the prices in my shop on all my readings by 10%! That includes an ADDITIONAL 10% on my already reduced price "Looking For - The One-" spread!

http://www.theomintention.etsy.com

What is Tea-Mo-Therapy?

At the request of some lovely Etsians suffering from Chemotherapy side-effects I created four new tea blends made to help reduce or eliminate those horrible side-effects.

Tea-Mo-Therapy was born from some wonderful and creative suggestions from those who read my blog, and a huge Thank You! to those who submitted ideas!What is great about these teas, besides the wonderful help they provide, is that they are totally organic and 10% of the sales go directly to the CandleLighter's Organization to help families struggling to pay for cancer treatments for their children. I thought, what good is all the research in the world if the parents can't afford to have their children treated?

The ExGerminator - This is a potent tea and while its not really meant to be a "sip with your friends at a tea-party" kind of tea it does have some amazing results. The ExGerminator is a powerful and robust herbal tea made specifically for those with compromised immune systems. This organic Green tea has powerful healing properties all on its own, but we’ve added Grapeseed Powder, Astralagus Powder, Turmeric Powder, and Barley Leaf Powder and Ginkgo Leaves. This tea is more for building up your immune-base rather than for flavor. The taste of this tea is light and vegetative. A little sweetener goes a long way, but don’t let the light flavor put you off, this baby is an entire medicine cabinet rolled into one tea. These five herbs are well known for improving circulation, boosting white blood cell counts, and together they act as an anti-viral, anti-biotic, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory combination. Drinking this tea two to three times a day will be like transforming your immune system into a world championship boxer.

Joint Lube - This delicious tea is rather self-explanitory. It is specifically designed with herbs that help relieve joint pain, act as a strong anti-inflammatory, and sooth the aching tendons. This is not only great for chemo and radiation patients but for those suffering from Fibromyalgia and Arthritis. Joint Lube is a light and flavorful herbal tea. This organic Rooibos Tea has lovely, sweet flavor on its own, but we’ve added Astralagus Powder, Turmeric Powder, Coriander Powder, Valerian Root, and Peppermint Leaves. Together this combination is not only a wonderful relaxant for your poor joints, but the flavor is lovely as well. A little sweetener and you could drink this cold, as a treat. Take this tea twice a day for best results, but don’t doubt that your aching joints will thank you.

Nauseous-No-More - Another rather self-explanatory title for the tea. This tea is designed to help relieve nausea, improve appetite, and aid digestion. Not only is this great for the chemo-accompanying nausea but nice to have around the house during flu season. It's a bit stronger than my Happy Tummy Tea, which I recommend for people suffering from upset stomachs, gas, or IBS. Nauseous-No-More is a great tea made specifically for those suffering acute nausea. This organic Ceylon tea has a light orange flavor and we’ve added Chamomile, Coriander, Ginger Root, and Fennel Leaf for a lovely flavor that can be enhanced by adding just a touch of sweetener. These four herbs are well known for their wonderful nausea-reducing properties. They will relax inflamed muscle tissue in the stomach lining, they will ease the sensation of motion sickness and sensitivity to light.

Intentional Intestines - While Nauseous-No-More is great for the stomach, this tea is meant for the rest of the digestive track. It soothes the smooth muscles of the intestines, and eases the cramping. Because of this I can highly recommend it for those with IBS, Fibromyalgia, and Crohn's Disease. This organic Ceylon tea has a light orange flavor, and we’ve added Chamomile Flowers, Marshmallow Root, Peppermint Leaves, and Calendula Flowers for a lovely flavor that can be enhanced brilliantly by adding just a touch of sweetener. These four herbs are well known for their wonderful anti-cramping, anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic properties. They will relax inflamed muscle tissue in the intestinal lining, it relieves irritation, and diarrhea.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6850066&section_id=5899760

Intentional Intestine's Tea Great for Crohn's Disease and IBS!

In doing some research on herbal remedies that are helpful to people suffering intestinal disorders I discovered that the Tea-Mo-Therapy tea I created for people suffering upset stomachs due to chemotherapy is perfect for those suffering from both Crohn's Disease and Irrital Bowel Syndrome.

This particular tea combines lovely herbs that all focus on reducing inflammation, coating inflammed surfaces, reducing spasms in smooth muscles, reducing pain, and more. It tastes nice too!

This organic Ceylon tea has a light orange flavor on its own, but I’ve added Chamomile Flowers, Marshmallow Root, Peppermint Leaves, and Calendula Flowers for a lovely flavor that can be enhanced by adding just a touch of sweetener. These four herbs are well known for their wonderful anti-cramping, anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic properties. They will relax inflamed muscle tissue in the intestinal lining, it relieves irritation, and diarrhea.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25524149

Stay tuned for more information about my other teas and herbal items!

Elixirs in the Making

No, for those who know that I've been down and out with a fever these last couple of days, I have not been making anything while sick. I would never want to infuse whatever it is that causes this in anything I make so I've stayed far away from my herbs and yarn. I have, however been reposting things, making things I have already available in different forms, etc. I have, however, been downing my Knock Out Punch tea and sleeping through the night despite my typical sleepless fever. (have you ever sweated from your ankles? its not fun.)

One thing I did do over the past couple of weeks was make a few elixirs that I'm getting very excited about. I don't want to give it all away but one is for...well....allowing our male counterparts to stay "engaged" through acts of amore. I'm calling it "Got Wood?" I'm also making one to help with hangovers called "Hair of the Dog." I made them on May 30th so they won't be ready for another 20 days, but I'm getting very excited to see the reaction.

This weekend I'll be helping out at the local nonprofit healing center that my aunt and her partner work at, so I'm sure I'll be all enthused and creative when I get home from that.

I hope I have time this weekend to make some bath salts. I got some fabulous Dead Sea Salt, Himilayan Pink Salt and Epsom Salt, and want to play!

Life Gets Hectic!

Boy, I forget just how little time I have to do all the things I want to do when I have an hour and a half commute each way. I wake up at 5am, leave for work at 7am. I leave work around 6pm and don't get home until about 7pm. And I try to meditate, and I try to have breakfast and dinner, and I try to read...I just need about 4 or 5 more hours a day, how about you?

I know its been a while since I wrote, I hadn't forgotten, I just haven't been able to. I promise to work harder to get some posts up on a more regular basis.