The Wonder of Elderberries

We have discovered the magical qualities of elderberries. I first came across a recipe using elderberry syrup for cold relief in a blog I regularly read. I made a couple of batches earlier this winter and felt like it did indeed help with coughs and sore throats. Upon doing more research (thank you Katie) we now know that elderberries are indeed wonderfully healthful.

Here is our syrup recipe:

1 part dried elderberries
3 parts water

1 part local honey

Simmer elderberries in the water for about 45 minutes. Strain, mashing berries in sieve to extract all the juice. Add honey (best done while still hot) and mix well. I use 1 cup elderberries, so the recipe fills a quart jar, which we keep in the fridge. It will last until it's gone.

Dosage: Adults take one tablespoon daily for 5 days, skip two days, then continue in the 5-2 pattern throughout the winter. Take an extra dose or two daily if you have a cold or the flu. Children follow the same pattern but dosage should be 1 teaspoon.

Our testimonial: Alanna developed a fever around 10 am yesterday morning. I made the syrup in the afternoon, and she took two doses: one at dinner and one about 4 hours later. Her fever broke at 2 am (less than 18 hours!). We have all taken our doses the last two days and do not expect to get sick (and after this testimonial, I don't know if I'll reveal if any of us get sick anyway. We're Believers.)

I get the elderberries at Vitamin Cottage, and the honey is from New Mexico in the bulk section at Whole Foods.

Through the Photographer's Eyes

Rhys will occasionally commandeer the camera and go on an extended photo shoot.  I've deleted most of his compositions because, well, they... lack a certain oomph. And they're generally not in focus. Or of anything but the floor or the the chair cushion. But he's only 4, so I'm being too harsh, right? But really, they usually aren't much to look at. This small collection (his first published batch!) are recognizable. I think I coached him on trying to point the camera so he could get faces (the last shot). My favorite, of course, is the one above of Alanna's butt.

Tendy-Two!

Rhys loves kiwis. Really loves kiwis. We had three of them, and after eating one he told me we needed to get more. I told him I'd look for more the next time I went to the store. He informed me I needed to get "tendy-two" of them, which, I can only assume, is the largest sounding number he could think of. It does sort of sound like "twenty-two", and that sure would be a lot of kiwis!

Playdough Snowman

Rhys made this delightful snowman last week out of playdough. I'm so excited to see him sculpting! The second (out-of-focus) photo shows the snowman's red arms and eyeballs and his huge blue smile. He's so adorable. Rhys's artistic tendencies are starting to really appear: he's frequently "writing" me a note, or making a book, or drawing detailed pictures with lots of action and plot. It is a very enjoyable experience to have him share with us his creativity.

Rhythm of the Home

It's actually an online magazine that I find very comforting and wholesome (if a little hippie....)

http://rhythmofthehome.com/

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And a photo of our home:

Christmas 2010

We had a lovely Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa's house in Idaho. Grandma prepared these elf jammies for the grandkids- their names were on their shirts. We did a lot of wrangling to get this photo above (well, actually, Aunt Ginnie did most it).  

This is what most of the photo session looked like:

 

Howdy!

Cowgirl Alanna