Marigold salve

Hello! Just a wee bit of housekeeping because marigolds are an extremely controversial topic. I know, crazy right? I can only share a theory as to why on earth that is so; my theory, my guess, my attempt to understand why I get attacked every time I talk about the medicinal uses of marigolds is this: in America what we call marigolds are tagetes and in Europe what they call marigolds are what we call calendula officinalis. For some reason the medicinal properties of calendula are well known among the modern herb enthusiasts, it is also well known that they are often confused because of the two different flowers going by the same name in different countries. But for some reason it seems to be assumed that marigolds (tagetes) therefore cannot have any medicinal properties of their own. Andso if you find yourself believing this I ask that you seek a more rounded understanding of both flowers before you accuse me of spreading misinformation.

With that out if the way -my approach to herbalism has been very much the same as my approach to kitchen appliances. I don’t like to have many single purpose items. I like to fill my garden, just like my kitchen, with items that work hard and really serve me well.

I grew up planting marigolds in the garden for pest control. And it seems to me the years that I have the most marigolds I have the littlest or no pest problems. And the years I am lazy and put no effort into spreading marigolds, I go to war with pests. Knowing that I would not give up these little gems I sought out other uses for their beautiful blossoms.

Now there’s nothing wrong with growing a flower simply because it makes you happy, but if you could somehow create additional benefits from your labor, why not?

Andso I found evidence that rinsing hair in vinegar made from marigolds blossoms will enhance the natural highlights in brown hair (nature’s medicine chest, le art Moulton, 1974, Provo, OH). Which was perfect for me as I was already making a nasturtium & rose vinegar for a natural hair rinse (vinegar helps restore the PH to your hair and softens it, the smell dissipates as your hair dries).

I want to mention, in all transparency that Nature’s medicine chest’s card on marigold is perhaps unreliable as it pictures marigold tagetes but lists calendula officinalis under the name marigold and then mentions tagetes as variety of marigolds (calendula). Andso as a final note on resources please checkout the herbazest page on marigolds (tagetes) https://www.herbazest.com/herbs/marigold.

Marigolds thrive from deadheading. This is the practice of plucking the spent blossoms. A few minutes deadheading each day will increase your blossom yield tremendously over your growing season. So much so that you will be saving seeds for next year only from your favorite flowers! You will have plenty to make a marigold first-aid salve.

The herbazest page documents the antioxidant make up (among many other components) of marigolds and provides a profile of their benefits, including treating rheumatism. As always I’m only sharing my experience with you and trust you to do the research to find what works for you.

Marigold salve

• 2C margokd blossoms
• Roughly 3C olive oil
• 6oz of beeswax

Fill a quart jar 1/2 full with marigolds (fresh) or roughly 1/3 full if using dried flowers. Top the jar off with olive oil, cap and set out of direct sunlight for 6 weeks, turn the jar over regularly (1 daily).

Strain and reserve oil. Melt wax in a double boiler. Heat oil gently. You need to oil to be warm enough to keep the wax melted while you mix it into the oil but don’t want to overheat it as heating reduces the benefits of the essential oils you extracted from the flowers.

Add the wax into the oil and stir vigorously. You may need to hear the mixture if the wax cools too rapidly.

Pour into airtight containers and allow to cook completely before capping. Store out of direct sunlight, preferably in a dry location but let’s be honest our medicine cupboards are in our bathrooms.

We reach for marigold salve for minor first aid needs. Small scraps & burns (including sun burns), and rashes. With all herbal remedies test a small area first to check for any reactions.

Check out my cautionary post on being responsible for your healthcare here.

How to make a patchwork quilt -the hard way

And what to do instead.

I was gifted several fat quarters and left overs of American patriotic fabrics. The collection was purchased from a yard sale and it was very clearly meant to be a quilt top. And so I started cutting 2.5″ strips… And over a year later most of the fabric still needed cutting!

I found cutting the fabric to be completely boring, until I developed a love for audio books. Finally I could keep my mind busy while endlessly repeating the same step over & over.

Once all my fabric was cut into 2.5″ strips I cut my strips into 2.5″ squares. But I’m gonna stop you and save your time. If you are creating any sort of pattern in your patchwork chances are you can simply sew the strips together and then cut them into strips again by cutting perpendicularly across all the seams.

Sadly, I didn’t realize this until I had already finished cutting and was laying out my pattern.

So I ended up sewing each square into a row and then each row to the next. At the halfway point I decided to reverse my pattern to create an arrow. I think it added a little visual interest.

Once your quilt top is finished you will need to add batting and backing. Once again I did this wrong as I tried to match the size of the batting and backing with the quit top. Don’t do that! I now recommend roughly 6″ overhang of backing & batting all the way around your top. So your batting and backing should measure 1ft longer & wider than your top.

At the top of this photo you can see I did not leave any overhang. This became a problem when binding my quilt but I’ll share how I overcame it.

Lay the backing right side down and tape it to the floor, lay the batting down and pin it to the backing. Lay the quilt top right side up over the batting and center as best you can (remember 6″ overhang in all sides). You can pin the three layers together, bast stitch them, or tie your quilt together. Once your method is done you can untape and begin quilting at the center of the quilt.

I choose to use a hoop to hold my work taught as use both hands when quilting.

I created a template from a piece of cardboard and traced my entire quilt. This was a waste of time also as much of the tracing was removed before I got to quilting those areas. I resorted to tracing my pattern every time I moved my hoop. To create a straight line I simply placed a piece of tape and quilted along the correct side.

Several times I attempted to top stitch hand quilt but couldn’t get the hang of it. I found that it was best for me to prop the top of the hoop on a small stack of books and to have my dominant under the hoop and would pass the needle to my off hand above the hoop.

Once I completed quilting in a section I moved my hoop in circles around the middle and worked my way to the edges. This is so that the fabric is pulled evenly and my quilt would lay flat.

Once finished quilting I squared my quilt. This is done by using a square quilting ruler in each corner and trimming away the excess, then using a longer ruler you can trim the sides.

Now it’s time to bind. From what I could tell most binding is 2-2.5″. Mine is 3.5″ because as I squared up my quilt I noticed places where the backing was too small to reach the end of the top (this is why I recommend the 6″ overhang). I was very lucky the backing was only short about 1/2″ in only a few places.

To create your binding cut several strips on the bias (at a 45° angle to the salvage edge) and join them to make one long strip. This is done by laying one strip right side up at the end of this strip lay a second strip right side down to make a right angle with the end of each strip overlapping. Sew across the overlapping area.

Repeat until you have a strip the same length of the perimeter of your quilt plus 6″.

Fold strip wrong sides together and press. With raw edges together, sew binding to quilt top. Turn binding to back side and hand stitch to backing (do not stitch through the quilt top).

I pulled the binding over the backing and was sure to cover the areas where the backing was too short.

It only took me a week of hand quilting while the kids did school work to complete a throw sized quilt and it has become the favorite blanket in the house.

Rose Petal Beads

There’s no hiding it, I find such a rewarding joy in learning the traditional handmade option of crafts. Often there is a special peace that comes in slowing down and taking the time to create things that a machine can make in minutes. Within a week of watching a reel of nuns making rose petal beads for rosaries and my daughter showing a recipe for rose petal beads in an old book I was off purchasing roses because its early February and even my southern roses have yet to awaken from winter. Since its nearly St Valentine’s Day roses were aplenty and decently priced. I ended up with 20 stems.

Upon further research I learned that boiling your rose petals in a cast iron pot will turn the beads black, this being the tradition for rosary beads I reached for my cast iron pot. You can use a stainless (or other pot) and will produce a different color.

Start by separating your petals from the rest of the flower, give them a good chop or run them through the blender for a moment. Add them to your stock pot and not quite enough water to cover the petals. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2-3 hours until the liquid is greatly reduced, and the pulp has turned a deep purple. Allow to cool enough to handle and then strain the pulp by placing it into a tea towel or real cheese cloth and squeeze to remove more of the liquid.

What you have left is a polymer clay that is ready to roll into beads. Your beads will reduce by more than 50% over the drying time so you’ll want to roll beads that are double the size you desire. I found about a 1/4t to produce a decent size rosary bead that is still large enough to work a wire through. To roll simply press the clay into the palm of one hand with the forefinger of the other and slowly fold in the edges of the clay, as the clay begins to come together smooth out the edges by rolling it around your palm.

Don’t attempt to string or otherwise place holes in your beads before they have dried for 10-12 hours first. Larger beads will need to wait longer. Attempting to string beads too early will result in the loss of the bead. Once the other edge of the bead is hardened but the middle is still soft you can easily press a needle, pin, or toothpick through the center of the bead. I opted thread the needle with no. 10 crochet thread so that I could string many beads at once and prevent the holes from reducing as the beads continued to dry. Your beads will likely take another day before they’re ready for use.

Hand dipped beeswax candles

If you haven’t been here long let me tell you- I enjoy learning new skills so much so that I often learn a skill without any special equipment before I’m willing to start investing in it. Andso I wanted to share how I made candles without a vat, a dipping rack, or even a drying rack. The only I purchased were the beeswax (we don’t have bees yet) and the wicking.

You will need:

• Beeswax
• Wicking
• A dipping jar or vat or something tall skinny heat safe container that you don’t mind giving up to candle making
• A kettle that may get wax in it. The beeswax I purchased was cleaned and had no additives abd so is food safe
• Something to hang your candles to cool between dipping (I used an old suit pants hanger)
• Several nuts or other weights that can be tied to the ends
• Scissors
• Tin foil (optional)

Having made products with beeswax before I new that meeting it in a mason jar would work. I did this by filling a half gallon jar full of wax pellets. If you have a brick of wax you may want to grate it first to reduce the melting time. As it was it still took about an hour to melt 2# of wax pellets. Place the jar in a kettle full of water and turn to just below medium heat. Every 15mins or so I would agitate the wax by shaking the jar a bit.

While you’re waiting cut your wicks. You will make two candles in each wick and I found the best length is three times that of your mason jar. ***I end up pouring the melted wax into a quart jar so that I can make taller candles as the half gallon was too wide*** my wicks were very long and much was waisted.

Tie a nut at the end of each wick. I had four nuts and so would work on four candles at a time in the beginning.

I covered my stove top and the counter I was using with tinfoil to make clean up extra easy.

Once the wax is melted reduce the heat and allow to cool just slightly. Dip one end of you wick into the wax and pull it straight out. Allow it to drop a moment then tug on the nut for a few moments to straighten the wick while the wax cools. Repeat four times on each end. Then hang the wick so that it can cool while moving onto the next wick.

Be sure to dip the wicks quickly. If the cold wax is in the hot wax too long it will melt and you may end up with odd shaped candles.

Return to the first wick and dip four times, you shouldn’t have to pull the but unless you tap the candle on something by mistake. Return to drying rack and continue with the other wicks.

After the second dipping you can cut the nut away from the wick and smooth out the bottom. If you choose to do this, gently tap the ends of each candle to the tin foil after each dipping.

Continue dipping till candles reach your desired width. You may need to add more wax to keep the height where you’d like it. When I did this I used a spoon to push the new wax to the side of the mason jar so that I could continue working.

First set on bottom, last set on top.

Pay attention to your heat. You may need to turn the heat up and down to keep the wax where you can work with it.

From my 2# of wax I made 20 (10 sets) of tapered candles and two tealights. And still have over a pint of wax.

I made these candles to have them blessed at Candlemas before use. I will also be rubbing them with frankincense oil. This is done by using your own body heat to warm up the outer bit of wax and then apply the oil.

Waking up Catholic (part 1: conversion)

The past few mornings at waking I struggle to catch my breath for a moment as I realize I’m Catholic. These words sound so mundane and plain and entirely unworthy to describe this truth.

Somehow, by the grace of God, I actually answered the Holy Ghost’s call. After years of being, at first anti-catholic followed by years of seeking enlightenment, I randomly woke up wanting to attend mass.

That’s not entirely truthful.  There was a two year period where I underwent several lifestyle changes. I left the retail workforce and went into caregiving, I stopped working full time, I refused to speak illly of my husband, and I made an effort to really be present with my children. These changes didn’t happen on their own, actually they were deliberate on my part.  I spent time researching and deciding the changes I would make to reduce anxiety, anger, fear, stress and to be happy.

I often found myself reading articles on Catholic blogs or websites. By this time I was no longer anti-catholic, I believed they had some good to teach me, but I was absolutely certain I was never joining the Catholic church.  My agnostic parents had enrolled me in a Catholic private school one year, and of course that meant I knew everything about the Catholic faith. Which is completely moronic because I had not sought out articles that were specifically Catholic, the topics just happened to be Catholic.

I found myself in a wonderful online group of women who were living the lifestyle I believed was the correct one for me.  We discussed many lifestyle topics and in these discussions I came to learn about the ‘council of trent’.  I didn’t really understand what it was but I knew I agreed with a lot of what it said.

Andso I came to download a free copy if the Catechism of the council of Trent from the Kindle store.  At first reading this text only formed more questions in my mind, but I stuck with it and diligently researched topics and terms I didn’t understand or couldn’t comprehend in the context. You see I had never been required to read any classical document or literature in it’s original form. Throughout my schooling I had been provided with condensed versions that included commentary. There was always an author telling me how to interpret the thoughts of other authors.

Then came the Saturday night when I had looked up local parishes and their mass times.  I made a selection like ordering off a menu in a foreign language, trying to pick out what sounded familiar and putting all my confidence in it.  Sunday morning I work up only about 7 hours early. Itching to to to mass. I had been to mass during my year at Catholic school, I had already googled the etiquette, watched several YouTube videos on how to attend mass for the first time, I had even handmade an eyelash lace veil. I was ready to go!

I returned to my list of mass schedules and found one in just an hour. My son woke up early (not an entirely unnatural hour for him) and I said to him “there’s a Catholic mass right down the road in an hour, do you wanna come with me?” To my surprise, having never uttered the words ‘catholic mass’ in our house before, that he agreed.

We both took to mass like fish to water, during the elevation of the Most Blessed Sacrament I began crying, it turned to sobbing. All the years I turned away from Jesus, all the hurtful things I did to others and myself, I put him in that cross. That thought hit me hard, right in the chest.  My sweet son simply gave me a tight, understanding hug. A simple gesture that has forever changed our relationship for the best. We joined the short communion queue to receive a blessing. Upon returning to our pew I knew I had to do whatever it took to be in full communion with the Church and receive the Most Blessed Sacrament.

We joined others after mass for coffee and donuts. Everyone was so nice when welcoming, asking questions without being intrusive.  It was Sept 2019.

A couple Sundays later I asked the priest about joining rcia and becoming Catholic, my son wanted to join as well. We were offered rcia enrollment at the cathedral or a more personal option. Being the introvert I was and now having some understanding of the fracture seemingly taking place in the Church I opted for the more personal option. We were given several resources and told to ask any questions we had.

One of the resources was fishesters.org I still return to o this site to review items I’ve already read and for researching current topics.

We were scheduled to join the Church Easter vigil in April of 2020.

I found the question and answer format of the Catechism most useful. As I became ever more familiar with the text I could easily find the topics I was concerned with. But in the interested of the golden standard of research I often sought out opposing views. What did anti-catholics say about X became my most used search but I found the Catechism’s answers to make the most sense.

One Sunday my son refused to wake up for mass andso I attended alone. When I returned home he informed me he was sorry and really did wish t attend mass that day. Andso it came to be we attended the Latin Mass for the first time. Our priest recognizing us from the English mass offered me a translation missal and quickly showed me how to use it. Sadly it was too quick a lesson for me to follow along that first mass but I soon became well versed in using a latin-english daily missal.

After our first Latin mass we attended coffee and donuts again. Again many were curious about us. I couldn’t believe how many people were joined together after mass, it seemed like a hundred or more of us. Finally it came time to leave and I instructed my son to the trash can but then choose to follow him to it.

It was there I caught a glimpse of a woman I was sure I knew. But I couldn’t place her, who she was, I had no idea. There I stood staring at this woman trying to remember who she was. It was then she spoke “can I help you?”

My heart began racing, I could feel my face growing red. The anxiety of offending someone was terrifying me. But I knew her voice “are you Mrs. Newton?” I heard myself ask. That’s right, the wife of a teacher I had had many years ago in high school in a tiny little town far away from where we now stood.

“well, I’m one of them.” She said. Great. That didn’t help. No, I knew it was her. “Mrs Newton from richville!” And that’s when she recognized me, you see not only had her husband been my teacher, my parents had owned the small store in town and sold her fine jewelry in consignment.

And that’s when I knew we had found our home in the Traditional Latin Rite. Her and her husband became my son’s Godparents, and her husband’s brother my Godfather.

The stress of the pandemic beginning to loom over our everyday lives, whispers of church closures filling my mind, I dove deeper into my studies. Surely the Church would be more concerned with bringing souls home in a tine when death was so clearly upon us. Our governor decided not to ‘force’ churches to shutter but to my unbelieving ears our own Catholic Bishop choose to shut out Churches. Furthermore, no Sacraments at all. No communion, no mass, no adoration (which I had begun attending weekly and found to be most beneficial), no last rites, no marriages, no funerals, and no baptisms. This was March if 2020 only a short two weeks before we were to join the Church.

Not even small private masses or ceremony. Nothing. During this time I attempted to reach out and offer support to my community. The resounding response -I wasn’t needed the government will take care of us. That hurt, that was and still is the most painful part of this pandemic for me. I was useless, my community didn’t need me.

To help ease the pain of delaying our baptisms my godfather began meeting with us once a week in our home to review Catechism and ensure we were properly educated. A priceless gift as he taught religion.

The evening before mother’s day of 2020 I received a text message stating there would be mass at the usual time and place. Even my husband (a non practicing Catholic, with a story for another time) felt the need to attend. Our whole family dressed in our Sunday best and sat focused on prayer that Sunday. After being denied this worship of God for nearly two months it was all the more precious to us.

That mass was celebrated by a second priest. I still remember the look of amazement when we first saw us all filling our pews. Our desire to worship God even in the uncertain time of the pandemic. It was a beautiful thing. Like when a friend tells you how beautiful your baby is, of course you know it’s true but you’re absolutely awestruck that they believe it as well.

And in that moment, glancing at this priest’s face I knew God had not shuttered his churches, he had not abandoned us. Men did. Fallible men.

I honestly believe the priest had no idea of the conspiracy to crash his private mass but I am so thankful to have been included in this small act of defiance.

Public mass returned to normal that Sunday for the traditional Latin mass at our parish. Of course we all observed the usual dispensation of Sunday obligation if we felt I’ll in the slightest.

We were finally baptised in July of 2020. And it was the happiest day of my life. My family and my husband’s family and our Godparents in attended. We received all the exorcisms of the Latin baptism rite and a peace came over me I will never be able to fully explain. I now bore the mark of baptism on my soul.

After that I understood the need to fight for the right to worship God. In sharing these words with you I hope you can now begin to understand the amazement of the truth: I became Catholic.

A piece of Heaven on earth (part 2: love for the Latin mass) coming soon.

Crochet snowflake ornament

There is something completely timeless about crochet lace. Especially for Christmas.  So delicate, yet everlasting.   My mother has a set of crochet snowflakes she made years ago, and they are still so absolutely stunning.

Last year I decided to slip crochet lace angels in our Christmas cards and I’m so glad I did!  I was able to send a little homemade gift to friends near and far! Even to Germany and Denmark for only a few dollars.   I received so many delighted responses that I knew I had begun a tradition.   This year I included a snowflake and would love to share this basic recipe with you.

Abbreviations:

• ch: chain
• sl st: slip stitch
• ch-sp: chain space
• dc: double crochet
• sc: single crochet

Stitch descriptions:

Ch: chain. Yarn over, pull through loop.

Sl st: slip stitch. Insert hook into (desired) previous stitch, yarn over, pull through both loops.

Dc: double crochet. Yarn over, insert hook into (desired) previous stitch, yarn over, pull through two loops, yarn over pull through two loops.

Sc: single crochet. Insert hook into (desired) previous stitch, yarn over, pull through both loops.

Picot: ch4, insert hook into same stitch (that the chain4 is coming out of) yarn over, pull through both loops, ch6 insert hook into same stitch, yarn over, pull through both loops, ch4, insert hook into same stitch, yarn over, pull through both loops.  **A.k.a:  [Ch4, sl st in same stitch, ch6 sl st in same st, ch4 sl st in same stitch]

Foundation: ch6, sl st into beginning stitch to create circle. You can make a magic circle if you’d rather however, I find them more flimsy and difficult to work with.

Round 1: ch3, 7dc. Sl st into top of ch3.  (Counts as 8dc)

Round 2:  Ch3, 2dc in same space  *ch1, 3dc in same stitch* repeat from * to * around. (counts as 24dc and 8 ch-sp)

Round 3: sl st into first ch1 ch-sp. (ch3,  2dc) in same stitch *ch6, 3dc into next ch1 ch-sp* repeat  from * to * around.   Final ch6 sl st into top of ch3. (counts as 24dc and 8 ch6 ch-sp)

Round 4: sl st into middle dc, (ch3, ch2,dc,ch2,dc) into same stitch. *ch2, sc into ch6 ch-sp, ch2, (dc,ch2,dc,ch2,dc) into middle dc of next dc set from round 3* repeat from *to * around. ch2 sl st into top of ch3.

Round 5: ch1, sc into same stitch (this creates your stitch to anchor into at end of round), *ch3, (dc,ch1,dc) in next dc, ch3, sc in next dc, ch2, sc in next sc, ch2, sc in next dc* repeat from * to * around. Final ch2 sl st into sc.

Round 6: ch1, sc in same stitch, *ch4, sl st around ch1 ch-sp (from round 5 dc, ch1, dc), picot, ch4, sl st to next sc, -ch3 sl st into next sc- repeat from – to – once* repeat from * to * around. Fasten off.

Blocking is the process of spreading out and stiffening your work. I use a clean 2×4 and a decoupage solution of modge podge and water. You want to use high quality pins to hold your ornament in place and be sure not to pin the thread but rather the space between. Be sure not to pull any one spot to hard as it can distort your ornament. Once ornaments are dry I trim the ends. You could weave them in before blocking if you prefer.

I didn’t include a hanger on this ornament, you can use ornament hooks, fishing line or crochet thread if you’d prefer an ornament hanger. These hung on to my artificial tree very well.

Homemade gifts

We included three homemade gifts in our Christmas baskets this year, garlic infused olive oil, Chipotle Tabasco finishing salt, and personalized coasters.

We had a lot of fun putting our baskets together and enjoyed selecting a few small and local businesses as well as whipping up our own items to add.

Garlic infused olive oil isn’t very labor intensive. Just peeling the garlic is as bad as it gets. Because I got it in my mind I needed to keep the garlic cloves whole I didn’t crush them to remove the skins. I’ll crush next time and reduce the roasting time.

Peel enough garlic to cover the bottom of your croc pot. Add enough olive oil to cover garlic. Cook in high for 2-3hrs till garlic is golden and soft, cover and allow to sit over night without heat. Strain through a paper towel into bowl. I kept my roasted garlic by freezing it in a mason jar. We add it to most of our dishes. Strain oil again through a paper towel or fine cheese cloth. Store in glass container. 9qt croc pot yields roughly 35oz of finished oil.

I packaged in 5oz bottles purchased in a 12pack from Amazon. I ordered personalized labels from etsy but realized I could have easily made my own.

Chipotle Tabasco finishing salt doesn’t take much effort abd it’s easy to make a large batch at once. Mix 48oz coarse sea salt with 10oz chipotle Tabasco sauce. Spread evenly out in baking sheets, I used three large sheets. Bake at 200°f for several hours, till dry. Allow to cool and air dry for 24hrs before packaging.

I packaged in tins from the dollar store and modge podge on labels I created.

As you can see, I had a but if extra!

Personalized coasters purchase one title per coaster, and one photo per coaster (my tiles were $0.15 at Lowe’s and my photos were $0.27ea including shipping) a large bottle of modge podge, and cork backing sheets from dollar tree. One sheet will so for 6 coasters. Trim photos and cork down to fit tile size, using a foam brush coat the tile with modge podge, add the photo and cost again. Allow to dry before applying another two coats, drying in between. I sprayed with an acrylic sealer, three coats. Once dry apply cork backing.

Cinnamon Applesauce Gingerbreadmen

If you’ve made cinnamon dough gingerbreadmen then you are well aware that they turn white as they dry. Though they retain their wonderful cinnamon smell for years, they just don’t have the look I wanted. Sadly, though these Cinnamon Applesauce Gingerbreadmen have the smell and the look they just don’t have the strength. I wanted to share that up front before you get several batches committed into these. There are a few things that can help with their habit of crumbling to pieces, making them at least an inch thick (this will greatly increase your drying time) and waiting until they are completely dry before decorating, in fact once you think they’re completely dry its best just to wait another day or two, maybe a week, just to be sure. You don’t want the experience of a gingerbread baby’s head crumbling in your fingers.

This is a 1 to 1 ratio, applesauce to cinnamon. This is a lot of cinnamon, perhaps choose the cheaper not as health to put in your body option as you won’t be eating these anyhow. You may find a mask helpful as just the smell of this much cinnamon can be over whelming, it is also powdery, and you will be mixing it.

Andwith that cue, mix you cinnamon and applesauce together. I started with a wooden spoon but once it took on a thicker dough consistency I opted to mix by hand, I wore gloves. This dough behaves a lot like meatballs, you can stick it together and make it smooth, but it will fall apart on you if you are too rough or careless with it.

Next you will roll your dough out. I divide the dough in quarters but found even small amounts were more successful to work with. Roll dough out between two pieces of parchment paper. Using a cookie cutter, cut out your desired shape and transfer to a baking sheet prepared with parchment paper. I found that leaving the cookie cutter ‘on’ and squeezing evenly around the sides of the cutter was the best way to lift the cookie. I then used a chopstick to poke a hole in the cookie, before placing it on the prepared baking sheet and removing the cutter. Though this was time consuming it’s not difficult. I listened to an audiobook while I worked.

You can bake these in the oven at 200F but after a few hours they were still fairly wet and the smell was just too strong for me. I took them out and left them to air dry for a few days.

Then I moved on to decorating. I want to send these to our family for next Christmas (we’ve already finished and mailed our baskets this year) so I created mommy cinnamon gingerbreadmen and daddies and babies. Sadly, I lost a dew daddies and babies. I purchased bowties and flowers from walmart and some ribbon to create hangers. However, the ribbon was what caused most of the losses, I switched thin jute twine. Using E600 glue I placed the bowties on the necks of the daddies. Later I learned that the small pressure I had used had actually decapitated most of them. I was able to glue the heads back onto the bodies since the bow ties hid the breaks.

I didn’t lose any of the mommies even after stringing the twine, and I realized this was because I had cut out the mommies first and they were thicker than the daddies, nearly by double!

All the ornaments seem to have enough strength to hang on the tree and have harden up over the last week. They do still crumb a bit if you rub them. Overall, I think these are fantastic ornaments if you make them at least 1/2in thick and wait a full week for them to dry before decorating.

What it’s like praying the 15-decade rosary everyday

This post presupposes that you are already convicted in the Apostle’s Creed. That is to say that you hold the teaching of the Catholic Church to be true. Without believing these truths you may some of this post confusing, I have attempted to choose clear words to describe the mysteries of the rosary so that you may best understand the position without believing these truths.

When I first decided to enroll in RCIA I began praying the 5-decade rosary every day but once I missed a day that was the end of that, I had convinced myself that skipping the rosary on Christmas eve was alright because we were going to midnight mass, and I needed my energy spent elsewhere. Andsince I have not been able to complete any prayer devotional or novena on my own.

When I first was drawn to Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary according to St. Louis de Montfort, I struggled with completing the devotional until a friend offered to complete it with me. This year I was on my own to renew my consecration and I able to complete it on schedule.

During the ‘second week’ of the Total consecration to Jesus through Mary devotional we pray a 5-decade rosary each day. One day during this week we ended up 90mins early to a basketball game ….again (the school isn’t in the habit of calling the homeschooling kid to let us know of time changes). There was no cellphone signal, I couldn’t even pull up google maps! Though I do keep a state map and a road atlas in my car, I took the opportunity to pray a 15-decade rosary for a friend’s intentions instead of finding some place to wait out the time. P.S. I really should keep a book in my car!

The next day I work up, completed my devotional (which I had been doing in the evenings) and then prayed the 5-decades of the Joyful Mysteries. That morning I was in a cheerful mood and able to complete my chores and had ample down time. After lunch I wanted to lay down and nap but decided to pray the Sorrowful Mysteries. When I finished, I continued my day with renewed trust in Jesus. By dinner time I was ahead of schedule and well rested. Before bed I finished my rosary by praying the 5-decades of the Glorious Mysteries. I drifted off to sleep quickly and remained asleep till my internal alarm woke me the next morning. Insomnia is something I have struggled with most of my life and this restful night’s sleep really convinced me I was on the right track with my prayer life.

I am now in week three of praying the 15-decade rosary every day and it had been a game changer. My attitude is more even in general and towards myself. I have set other routines in place to regulate my daily life, spread out my chore load and attend to things just before they’re needing attending to instead of just after. Most notably I am kinder and more forgiving in everything (see above comment about realizing the school my son plays basketball for hasn’t developed a routine to inform us of game changes). A giant leap in being ever slightly more Christ like -every sliver of achievement is a great goal in this.

Let’s look a little more closely at what really is happening by waking and praying The Joyful Mysteries. The Annunciation from the Angel Gaberial to Mary that she will conceive Christ. What great joy is this! From all of time since the fall of humanity we hear that the Messiah is to come now. The Visitation when Mary visits the pregnant Elizabeth, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaped at the sound of Mary’s voice for he knew the Messiah was near. The Nativity of our Lord -the Messiah is born. The Presentation of the baby Jesus at the temple in according to the Law of his time. And The Finding of the child Jesus at the temple. The final Joyful mystery often leaves me laughing. I can put myself in Mary and Joseph’s shoes -how frustrated they must have been but oh so relieved to have found Jesus, even with his remark “did you not know I must be about my Father’s business?”

How could you not start your day in a joyful mood after reflecting on these notes of Jesus’s life? Ride that wave, get up, get dressed, tackle that first chore or task and be thankful for that joy Christ has brought you.

So you made it through lunch and now feel rather drained. Your cup is empty, you feel as though you’ve given everything you have and there is nothing left to give. You’re tempted to pull on some sweats and crawl in bed, watch the new hallmark movie and just relax for the rest of the day. After all you’ve earned it, haven’t you? Now is when we need to the Sorrowful Mysteries. They are: The Agony in the garden when Jesus Christ starts to take on all the pains of the world. Can we even pretend to imagine how great a suffering this was? There have been times my own pains -often caused from my own sins- have been nearly too much to bear. The Scourging of Our Lord, Jesus takes on the hatred of the world. Do you enjoy knowing someone hates you, no matter how much good you do for them? Our suffering is little in comparison. The Crowning of Thornes: Jesus is mocked, made to be an outcast, isolated, shunned, discarded. The Carrying of the Cross: Jesus shows us how to persevere through all our suffering. The Crucifixion of Our Lord upon the Cross. There are none alive today that truly understand this suffering. I really have a cush life. I don’t ever go hungry unless I choose to, I don’t have pain inflicted on me, I’m rarely ever left unentertained, lease I choose to be, never without roof or clothing, heating or cooling, never without the world’s knowledge at my fingertips, never without loved ones no matter how far away. I have little idea of what real suffering is like.

With all that Christ suffered for us, should we really be wasting away so much of the time he has given us -on netflix? on social media? being lazy? Continue your work till the end of the day reflecting on how great Christ suffered and how little we suffer.

Before bed is the best time to (IMHO) to pray and reflect upon The Glorious Mysteries. The Resurrection and The Ascencion -Jesus, by his own power, is resurrected from death to mend our way to Heaven. All of humanity has the opportunity to choose eternal life with God. Death has been defeated. The Decent of the Holy Ghost -Jesus keeps his promise and has the Father send the Holy Ghost to aid in teaching us how to cooperate with the love of God and choose our eternal life in Heaven with Him. The Assumption of Mary into Heaven -God calls Mary home, by His power she is in Heaven. The Coronation of Mary Queen of Heaven -God gives Mary a highly honorable place in Heaven for all of us to look up to.

How great a promise. You are no longer cut away from God, Jesus has mended out connection. Through God’s charity you have hope and are loved.

Finally, I’d like to explain how to pray this rosary.

1. in am: make the sign of the cross
2. recite the Apostle’s Creed
3. pray one Our Father (or Pater Noster)
4. pray three Hail Marys (or Ave Marias)
5. announce the first joyful mystery “The first Joyful Mystery: The Annunciation”, reflect and meditate on this mystery
6. pray one Our Father (or Pater Noster)
7. pray ten Hail Marys (or Ave Marias)
8. pray one Glory Be (or Gloria Patri)
9. pray the Fatima prayer*
10. repeat steps 5-9 for all Joyful Mysteries
11. make the sign of the cross
12. at mid-day: make the sign of the cross
13. repeat steps 5-9 for the Sorrowful Mysteries (I use my Miracolas medal rosary center for to mark the first mystery)
14. make the sign of the cross
15. before bed: make the sign of the cross
16. repeat steps 5-9 for the Glorious Mysteries
17. pray one Hail Holy Queen (or Salve Regina)
18. pray your closing prayers**

* there are some Latin versions of the Fatima prayer available online at the time I had been learning my Latin prayers none of them seemed to have a strong hold yet.

** my closing prayers are: Oh God, by the life, death, and resurrection of your only begotten Son, you have purchased for us the rewards of eternal life. Grant, we beseech thee that while meditating on these most holy mysteries, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise by the same Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray, and do thou O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, thrust into hell satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen

Another common closing prayer is the Memorare: Remember O Most Gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, we fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins and Mother; to thee do we come; before thee do we stand, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not our petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer us. Amen

A note on the Memorare for non cathoilics: it is always understood that all pray answering, and miracles are by the power of God even in prayers when we ask Mary or the Saints to obtain some blessing for us we know we are asking they obtain it for us from God. How God chooses to “divvy” out these blessings is a mystery we can only theorize about with our fallen minds.

and the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, this is a prayer that allows us to meditate and reflect on how Mary is the perfect creature. It may be important to clarify that Mary is the perfect creature made perfect only by God. It was by the Grace of God that she consented to being the Mother of God, she did not merit her own salvation -no one can, we can only agree to work with the Grace God gives us.

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven,
Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost,
Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God,
Have mercy on us.
Holy Mary,
pray for us.
Holy Mother of God,
pray for us.
Holy Virgin of virgins,
pray for us.
Mother of Christ,
pray for us.
Mother of divine grace,
pray for us.
Mother most pure,
pray for us.
Mother most chaste,
pray for us.
Mother inviolate,
pray for us.
Mother undefiled,
pray for us.
Mother most amiable,
pray for us.
Mother most admirable,
pray for us.
Mother of good counsel,
pray for us.
Mother of our Creator,
pray for us.
Mother of our Savior,
pray for us.
Virgin most prudent,
pray for us.
Virgin most venerable,
pray for us.
Virgin most renowned,
pray for us.
Virgin most powerful,
pray for us.

Seat of wisdom,
pray for us.

Cause of our joy,
pray for us.
Spiritual vessel,
pray for us.
Vessel of honor,
pray for us.
Singular vessel of devotion,
pray for us.
Mystical rose,
pray for us.
Tower of David,
pray for us.
Tower of ivory,
pray for us.
House of gold,
pray for us.
Ark of the Covenant,
pray for us.
Gate of Heaven,
pray for us.
Morning star,
pray for us.
Health of the sick,
pray for us.
Refuge of sinners,
pray for us.
Comforter of the afflicted,
pray for us.
Help of Christians,
pray for us.
Queen of angels,
pray for us.
Queen of patriarchs,
pray for us.
Queen of prophets,
pray for us.
Queen of apostles,
pray for us.
Queen of martyrs,
pray for us.
Queen of confessors,
pray for us.
Queen of virgins,
pray for us.
Queen of all saints,
pray for us.
Queen conceived without Original Sin,
pray for us.
Queen assumed into Heaven,
pray for us.
Queen of the most holy Rosary,
pray for us.
Queen of peace,
pray for us.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us.

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God,
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, that we Thy Servants may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, ever Virgin, be delivered from present sorrow and enjoy eternal happiness. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Cinnamon Stick Christmas Tree Ornament

Another DIY ornament that smells like Christmas, these cinnamon stick trees are the perfect way to sneak in that trendy tree decor without the awkward layering of mismatching tones of green. They make the perfect companion to these dried orange slice ornaments on any garland or tree.

Supplies you will need:

• cinnamon sticks
• a straight edge
• something to mark the cinnamon sticks (a sharpie worked well for me)
• glue (hot glue gun & sticks) or E6000 (or both)
• a serrated knife or blade
• kitchen string or jute twine
• whole cloves
• scissors
• a small strip of cardboard (the length of which you want your trees to be and only 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide)
• a cutting surface and eye protection can be useful

Lay your cinnamon sticks side to side to build the height of your tree plus one. Cut this the extra cinnamon stick in half ‘hamburger’ style to create the truck of your tree. Using the straight edge mark your cinnamon sticks keep in mind you will be cutting on the inside of the line.

I found that just sawing through the cinnamon sticks with a knife to be the most effective and efficient without breaking the pieces I needed. Repeat on all your sticks, it definitely helps to keep them in order afterwards but if you get them mixed up you’ll notice when you start assembling your tree.

and now we assemble the tree. Don’t ask why I didn’t take a picture of gluing the tree to the strip of cardboard, there’s no answer so take it on good faith, we’re gonna glue the pieces on a strip. You can do this with your hot glue gun (quick but weaker hold), with E6000 (wait time for set up but a solid hold), or both taking care not to mix the two (a quick and strong hold).

If you choose to use only E6000 you will need to wait for the glue to set up before decorating your tree. To decorate cut a few lengths of twine to hap hazzardly crisscross across your tree as shown in the image below. Attach the twine by placing a bead of glue at the first and last point each piece of twine touches the cinnamon tree.

Wait until your glue has set up then flip the tree over and secure the ends of each twine with glue in a similar fashion. Now is the time to create a loop of twine and also glue that to become the hanger for your ornament.

Finally, remove the ‘stems’ from several cloves and glue them to the front of your tree as bulbs. Once this final glue has set up your ornament is ready to hang or gift away!