Thankfulness

I'm sitting on my couch, drinking a cup of tulsi peppermint tea and writing. 

I've spent the day with my mother and sister cooking for our big feast tomorrow: we made pies and cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, brined the turkey, and even had time to sneak in some yoga, playtime with my sister's dogs, and pumpkin cider sipping at lunch. 

It was a wonderful day, the kind that revolved around kitchen and conversation.  It was made even more delicious by the fact that I took the day off school to help prepare this Thanksgiving meal.  I woke up feeling like a kid playing hooky, knowing full well that while I was out having fun, the rest of the world was at school (to my fanciful mind at least).

In the quiet of this evening, I realize thankfulness is an art form, best expressed in the simple actions of making cranberry sauce with both tangerine and orange slices in it because you know that's how your family likes it.  Thankfulness is in setting the table just so with the fine china, napkin rings, and homemade place cards for the people you love.  You can find it in your kitchen smelling of freshly baked pies, a heavenly scent for those coming home from work, a perfect perfume promising a day full of nourishment and relaxation.  It is the basket of herbs shared between mothers and daughters or the gift packages sent to those away from home.  All these things are tokens of thankfulness, letting those around you know that you are grateful they are in your life. 

Tomorrow I will continue to celebrate my thankfulness--for my family, my friends, my readers--and relish the gravy-making and the dishwashing for what they are: acts of thankfulness in their purest form.

Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Here’s to a magical life!

Warrior Tea Blend

This is a great tea for the warriors in your life.  It is made up of a variety of herbs and grains that restore vital nutrients to your body and at the same time help it get rid of toxins. 

I developed this blend for my brother-in-law, a personal trainer, who constantly needs to replenish and heal his body because of his constant activity.   He is on his feet all day helping clients get fit, so he needed something that would give him an energy boost--here in the form of vitamins and minerals naturally found in herbs--and something that would ease inflammation and sore muscles after a day of working out.  This blend is good for anyone who works long hours or needs an extra boost during the day; it provides energy without unhealthy snacking or caffeine consumption and soothes the nervous system. 

I've included the recipe for this blend below, along with the health properties of each ingredient.

Warrior Tea Blend (makes about 6 cups)

2 cups roasted barley

1 cup alfalfa leaves

1/2 cup dandelion leaves

1/2 cup cinnamon bark chips

1/2 cup calendula (marigold flowers)

1/2 cup tulsi (holy basil)

1/2 cup fennel seeds

Blend all ingredients in a bowl and transfer to an airtight container.    Keep away from direct sunlight and heat.  To brew, use a heaping tablespoon per cup of hot water.  Enjoy!

Health benefits of ingredients:

Roasted barley: antibacterial, aids in digestion, improves blood circulation, lowers cholesterol, cleanses body of toxins, balances blood sugar levels, rich in vitamins B1, B2, iron, and fibers.

Alfalfa leaves: natural diuretic, improves digestion, rich in vitamins A, E, K, B, D, iron, magnesium, potassium, and sodium.

Dandelion leaves: natural diuretic, aids with anemia, rich in iron and vitamin C.

Cinnamon: antiseptic, aids digestion, calms nervous system, anti-inflammatory. 

Calendula: anti-inflammatory, aids digestion, reduces swollen lymph glands, soothes irritated skin.

Tulsi: helps body adapt to stress by balancing out cortisol levels, antibacterial, and anti-fungal. 

Fennel: aids digestion, relieves bloating.

Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Here’s to a magical life!

Routine as Ritual

I'm sitting on my newly furnished patio this morning, snuggled under a cranberry throw and drinking cinnamon spice coffee from a pumpkin mug.  The view from my patio is stunning.  The ground is littered with bright gold and orange leaves.  The almost naked trees stand in stark contrast to the cloud-blanketed sky, the stone fountain in my courtyard is framed by all of this natural glory.

This first week of living in my new home--I mean actually living versus unpacking and organizing--has been a daily study in life's simple pleasures.  The early morning yoga in my living room has become a delicious treat after weeks of being off my regular self-care routine.  The weekly grocery store visit is a feast for the senses, especially now that the holidays are near--the produce section is overflowing with Brussels sprouts and pomegranates and persimmons, to name a few of the seductive jewels that caught my eye this time around.  Grocery shopping is especially invigorating as I contemplate what delicious meals I plan to cook in my home--from the tofu, pea and spinach stir-fry with a coconut-peanut sauce to the autumn inspired afternoon tea party with a friend, to the simple nutritional yeast spiced popcorn and pumpkin hard cider for homemade happy hour with my sister.  Even cleaning and doing laundry has become a meditation on the simple joys of a warm, clean home.  Moving into a new space has made me hyper-aware of the magic behind my everyday routine.

While many of these activities--grocery shopping, laundry, coaxing myself out of bed early to stretch my limbs--seem like mundane routines that, like grooves in a well-trod path, are merely evidence of rote actions, they are actually delicious rituals of self-care.  I take comfort in the knowledge that when I get home at the end of a long workday, my routine is in place: I water my plants, I exercise, I prepare dinner while watching the news, I dine listening to old jazz records, I read over cups of minty sleepy time tea.  It is a healing balm to a full day of caring for others--tending to my students and nourishing their writing growth.  It is the promise of soul replenishment and the mending of the proverbial tears and scrapes from the day. 

So the next time you find yourself in the midst of your daily routine, take a moment to pause and relish the wonder of the rituals you've built around your sense of well-being.  These rituals ground.  They nourish.  They heal. 

Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Here’s to a magical life!

5 Ways to Make a House a Home

So it's happened: I've moved in all the boxes, arranged and rearranged the pantry, contemplated organizing my bookshelves better, hung every picture, and moved around furniture until it looks just right.  But with all that in place, there remains quite a bit of work to be done in making my new house a home.

Here, I offer you my top five ways to make a new space more than just a place to crash, but a vital, nourishing sanctuary:

1. Cook.  A lot.  For friends.  For family.  For yourself.  Nothing says home like a meal made from scratch. The first night I was relatively all moved in, I had my special moving helpers--my family--over for a big pasta dinner.  And I had them over again this weekend for a nice cheese tasting and steak dinner--with a pumpkin fudge chaser thanks to Coconut Mama.  I made stuffed acorn squash for myself all week and epic breakfasts over the weekend.  I'll be making Tea a la St. James Tea Room in Albuquerque for a good friend next weekend.  And I plan to keep cooking!  The menu planning, the preparations, the enjoyable get-togethers all bring warmth to a home the way nothing else can.

2. Take a long bubble bath.  Okay, so this might not be for everyone, but after long hours moving, an Epsom salt bath does wonders for the soul.  It's also become a ritual for me to take a super long bubble bath in each new space I move into.  There's something about letting the soapy bubbles wash over you as you get lost in a good paperback that lets you relax and feel like you're in a nourishing space.  If bubble baths aren't your deal (no judgement!), craft your own ritual that allows you to feel nourished in your new space. 

3.  Have a pajama day.  Who says jammies are just for nighttime?  A home isn't a home until you spend time in it--especially down time, where you don't have to go anywhere or do anything.  So set aside a day to putter around in your PJs.  Have no agenda, merely float from cooking in the kitchen to lounging on the couch, to staring out your window to lingering over the titles on your bookshelves.  It's a great way to get to know your new home.

4.  Brew a pot of tea.  Even if you don't make your own tea blends like I do, there is something about putting on hot water for tea and then drinking a pot on the couch as you sift through magazines, knit, or get lost in a good book to sooth the soul.  Tea says home.  And if it's a relaxing herbal blend, it might also say nap on the couch.  Either way, brewing tea connects you to the rituals of your daily life--an essential aspect of making your house a home.

5.  Do yoga or meditate or whatever you do as part of your self-care routine.  During moving, it is easy to let your normal self-care routine (exercise, eating right, sleeping) slip in favor of getting your house settled.  But as soon as humanly possible, get back to that routine.  Fill your home with the tranquil energy of a good meditation session, the clean energy of a wholesome meal, the catharsis of a good yoga that wrings out the aches and pains brought on by hauling boxes.

So there they are--my tips for making a house a home.  They're also useful to reconnect with your space if you've been out a lot lately.  I hope they inspire you to make your living space a sanctuary that nourishes your soul. Happy homemaking!

Enchantment Learning & Living is an inspirational blog celebrating life’s simple pleasures, everyday mysticism, and delectable recipes that are guaranteed to stir the kitchen witch in you. If you enjoyed what you just read and believe that true magic is in the everyday, subscribe to my newsletter below for regular doses of enchantment. Want even more inspiration? Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Here’s to a magical life!