#anklet bay leaf

[lforlimbo]

“I love you so much I’ll never be able to tell you; I’m frightened to tell you. I can always feel your heart. Dance tunes are always right: I love you body and soul: - and I suppose body means that I want to touch you and be in bed with you, and i suppose soul means that i can hear you and see you and love you in every single, single thing in the whole world asleep or awake”

[theblackdahliaemporium]

lowkey, everyday paganism Day 4

(shoe / foot tracking)

Shoe and foot tracking magic is a type of folk magic that is very simple to perform. This is a great one for those who are just starting out and are new to the practice!

      •Are you in school and have a test coming up?

      •Are you on the lookout for a new job?

        ~You can place a bay leaf in your shoe for extra luck and support as you’re walking through life!

     •Are you dealing with a bully or someone who is overbearing for you?

       ~You can write their name and place it in your shoe to get a foot on them and claim your space.

*typically you may place the item in the dominant foot’s shoe. To emphasize a message you may place it in both.

Always be mindful of where you step:

Our feet are almost always on the ground so it wouldn’t be too surprising for someone “unfriendly” to throw their bad intentions toward us through the ground.

Ex: Stepping in sulfuric powders

If you think you may have stepped in something yucky with the bad energy, give yourself a good foot soak with epsom salts, herbs, and oil. Clean that gunk off! Rinse off the bottom of those shoes as well!

Honorable mentions:

          •Rue- a great herb for spiritual protection. Though if you are pregnant/are planning to in the very near future, do NOT use rue.

          • Oregano- used to attract positive energy and attain clarity

         • Mercury dime- you can find anklets with mercury dimes from sellers online! When this comes in contact with sulfur, it turns black- a fast sign that you may have stepped in something.

[golden-route]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: 14K Solid Yellow Gold Four Leaf Clover Lucky Link Chain Anklet Bracelet 10.50" L.

[chandra-moon-blog]

holi-day

“Hey, hey, hey!” Chandra called. “You! There! Here, with me! Join me!” She shoves a great big multi-chambered hemp bag at the person. Magic, of course. “It’s Holi, bone dawg! And we’re celebrating with colours! Chaos! Sass! Snass! And weed! Weed drink, dude! And food, and drink, an’ all of that. So what do you say?” She obviously expects a yes, although wouldn’t be hurt at all if given no, or anything in between. Her smile is bright, and white. Almost as white as her clothes, in fact. On this wondrous day, Chandra has tapped into both her national roots and also, just, just, just a bit, into her non-traditionalist ways. Unlike most of the time, when she’s wearing Western clothes, Chandra’s wearing a sari. And what a sari it is. White chiffon, with a lace choli and lehenga, with a dark blue sari that’s splayed over her shoulder, lined with floral and vine zari embroidery that shines like jewels on her. There might, in fact, be jewels there. No one has to know. 

Her hair is in a tight braid, down her back, with a gold-leaf jadanagam sitting securely on it, like some great, gaudy snake, peering out at the rest of the world. On her forehead, right above the white, lavender, and blue bindi, which stretches two inches in length, and which has the vague shape of a bird with outstretched wings, sits a chandra pirai (Get it?? Get it?? Chandra! Although, not that much of a surprise. She did chose a very silly name, in hindsight. But a good name! A classic! Quite literally!). And then, just below it, are thin, small, gold earrings, with a matching, glorious gold and emerald maanga maalai, with fish tails and a bird head clasp all along it. A sapphire and gold bullaku sits comfortably in her nose, just a snot ball’s throw away from the magnificent bling of her arms. Her arms, where gold bangles jangle on her wrist, where a vangi armband sits, clasped around her upper arm, with the face of a praying mantis looking all suspicious an’ stuff but also real cute, she assures you. And, to top it all off: (Bottom it all off? Who knows!) Numerous rings rest on her fingers and her toes, with gold anklets and a heavy silver silambu, that is.. Kinda a bitch to walk around in. But who cares, bay-by!  Her feet are bare, too, mind that. Which would normally be stupid to do. In March. In Scotland. But, but, but, but, but: She’s got the sense to apply a warming charm to the soles of her feet. Feet coloured with the deep colours of henna, just like on her hands.  Ultimately: All this is a waste. And Chandra perfectly knows it. The Holi powder will utterly ruin her chiffon and lace sari, which costs more than most people make in a month. But Chandra has never, never, never worried for money. In fact, it’s the opposite. She’s got such an endless supply of it that she, sometimes, has no idea what to do with it. And as such: She’s going to throw dust on about a few thousand dollars worth of cloth. Just for the hell of it.  Worth it, in her opinion.  Chandra’s also of the opinion that if some prefect comes sliding by, a dress-code violation on the tip of their tongues, Chandra can merely toss some dust at them, and run for the wind, nothing stopping her sweet, bare feet, save for her very own determination.  Yes. Today is a good day. 

[rhnuzlocke]

Episode 15

Scene 3:

[Ren and Tāraki are by a small clear pond on Route 120. Kai, Jay, Wally and Kihei watch as Ren and Tāraki try and sync up their breathing. Ren places her left hand over the keystone on her right glove. She breathes deep and exhales forcefully, trying to focus her energy. The keystone begins to glow and a moment later the sceptilite on Tāraki's anklet glows in response. Both partners breath slowly in time with one another, muscles tense and straining as the light from their stones grows brighter and connects. Tāraki begins to glow himself and a restless breeze whips around them. The light pouring out of Tāraki becomes blinding as he begins to change. He grows and the light fades a little. They can see part of his mega form before it snaps back. Light pours out unevenly as he flashes between the two forms. Finally it gutters out completely leaving both of them slumped and panting. Tāraki is back to normal and Ren's hair is mussed from the wind.]

Ren: We almost had it that time. I could feel it.

Tāraki: I was a mega for a moment there. We'll get it next time.

Ren: I feel like this is more of a strain than it should be. I've seen Steven mega evolve his aggron up close. Maybe it just takes time to get good at.

Wally: I think you should try battling.

Ren: I should. I just wanted to get a halfway stable mega form before we tried actually fighting with it.

Wally: But it's a battle form, right? It's temporary. Maybe trying to hold it outside of battle is the problem.

Kai: I wish there was more research on this stuff. It’s still so new. But I think Wally is right. It might be a lot easier if you two were in an actual fight.

Wally: Yeah! Battle me and Kihei! We can always stop if two aren't feeling so well.

Ren: What do you say, Tāraki? Want to give it a shot?

Tāraki: Yeah! Battle!

Ren: [laughing] I don't know why I bother asking.

[Kai and Jay move to the side while Wally and Kihei move to face Ren and Tāraki.]

Wally: Ready?

Ren: Let's go.

Wally: Psycho cut, Kihei!

Ren: Leaf blade!

[Kihei lunges forward but Tāraki is plenty fast enough to get his guard up in time. They trade blows for a while, both unable to land a hit.]

Ren: Slam!

[Tāraki shoves Kihei back and whirls to slam him with his tail. Kihei leaps back just in time and Tāraki's tail tip misses him by a hair. Ren puts her hand over her keystone again and Tāraki's mega stone responds almost immediately. Light arcs between them and around them. Kihei is forced to keep backs as a fierce wind whips around Tāraki and he transforms. The light and wind break simultaneously and Tāraki roars, flexing his new form.]

Wally: [awed] Whoa. [snapping back to the battle] Brick break, Kihei!

Ren: Dragon claw!

[Ren moves with her pokemon as he swipes a glowing paw at his opponent. Kihei is knocked flat on his back by the boosted power of the attack. Tāraki advances but both he and Ren shiver. Kihei swings his legs around and kicks up from a handstand. He strikes Tāraki square in the jaw and he and Ren stagger. They slump forward and Tāraki drops his mega form. They pant and grip their knees to stay upright.]

Wally: Are you okay?

Ren: Yeah, we're good. That went better than last time.

Tāraki: [standing up] I was a mega! It felt so powerful!

Kihei: I'll say. That dragon claw hurt like hell.

Tāraki: Sorry!

Kihei: [stretching] I'm fine.

Tāraki: Jay! You should battle me!

Jay: Okay, but give yourselves a breather. You're sapping Ren dry.

Tāraki: [looking back at his trainer] Oh no! Are you okay?

Ren: [waving him off] Absolutely, tiger. I've got at least one more in me. Let's do it!

Kai: [trading places with Wally] Are you sure?

Ren: [flexing with Tāraki] Bring it, nerds!

[Jay readies herself and Ren touches her keystone.]

Kai: Flame charge!

[Jay bursts into flames as Tāraki begins to mega evolve.]

Ren: Dragon claw!

[Jay charges at Tāraki and he crosses his glowing claws in front of him in a block. He slides back as she plows into him but his mega form clearly drastically reduces his vulnerability to fire. He throws her off and and leaps after her, slashing with his elongated claws. He strikes her once before she blocks with mach punch.]

Ren: Leaf blade!

Kai: Blaze kick!

[Tāraki slashes at Jay, face lit up with confidence and she counters with a flaming kick. The sheer force behind Tāraki's blow is enough to unbalance her and she stumbles back. He slashes again and she drops to the ground to dodge.]

Kai: Low sweep!

[Tāraki wobbles a little from the over extension and she does her dragon’s tail kick and connects powerfully with his ankles. He falls and transforms back.]

Ren: [winded] We left ourselves wide open for that.

Wally: I don't know. Usually Tāraki is a little faster. I think you were about to loose the mega form anyway.

Kai: This is working a lot better though.

Ren: Yeah! This is way better. If we could just hold it through a battle we'd be golden.

Tāraki: We'd be unstoppable! I'm so much stronger as my mega. Neither of you stood a chance!

Kihei: I can't argue that.

Jay: You just can't faint before the fight is over.

Tāraki: I should fight both of you!

Jay: What?

Kihei: Hmm.

Tāraki: Think about it: the pressure from battling one of you really helps the energy flow. Imagine what battling both of you could do!

Jay: [considering] That's actually… not completely stupid.

Tāraki: Thanks!

[Kihei laughs.]

Tāraki: Can I, Ren?

Ren: Yeah. I like your thinking.

Kai: What's he saying?

Ren: We want to try battling both of you at once.

Kai: Shouldn't you two rest first?

Ren: Naw, we're good.

Wally: Yeah! They're making such good progress. Let's do it.

Kai: [hesitant] Okay.

[Everyone takes their places. Tāraki rolls his shoulders in preparation.]

Wally: Psycho cut!

Kai: Fire punch!

Ren: X-scissor!

[Tāraki parties both of them, one right after the other, and thrusts them back. He mega evolves in a flurry and light and wind that keeps them at bay for a moment. He readies dragon claw with a roar and Kihei rushes back in with Jay just behind him. He parries Kihei's jabs but Jay darts in and punches him in the gut. He absorbs the blow without much effect and grins as he slashes at both of them. They mostly manage to parry his blows and alternate attacks to try and land a hit. Tāraki’s boosted speed gives him an edge and he cackles as he blocks their blows. Ren moves in sync behind him but they soon get a little overconfident and swing wide. Jay and Kihei both land a hit and Tāraki staggers.]

Ren: Sweep them! Slam!

[Tāraki spins and slams them both as they close with his huge tail. They go flying back but land on their feet. They glance at each other just as their trainers glance at each other.]

Kai & Wally: Brick break!

[Jay and Kihei run forward together this time. Tāraki tries to block them but tumbles over and lands flat on his back. He groans and returns to his normal form. Ren staggers and fall to her knees before collapsing face down on the ground.]

Kai & Wally: [alarmed] Ren!

[They run up to check on her. She turns her head and exhales with a groan.]

Wally: Are you two okay?

[She pushes herself up just enough so that her face is no longer smushed against the dirt.]

Ren: Better than okay. We’re great! Right Tāraki?

[He nods vigorously.]

Kai: You both just collapsed!

Ren: Yeah, but did you see how long we held that mega form? And we only dropped it because you beat us. It lasted the whole battle! We did it, tiger!

Tāraki: Yeah we did!

[She crawls forward a bit and kisses him on the head. He wiggles and burbles and she giggles. The rest try to look stern but can’t help smiling.]

[diabetesinsider]

Trout Bean Soup

 www.diabetesinsider.tumblr.com

These beans are almost too pretty to eat speckled in burgundy and cream shades.  But, they’re delicious too.  This is a great hearty bean soup and the hominy (or frozen corn if you prefer) gives a change up from the standard bean soup recipes.  Helps keep my blood sugar levels in line, too!

1 c. trout beans

4 c. water

1 bay leaf

1 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

2 t. garlic powder

1 med. onion, diced

2 - 14.5 oz. stewed tomatoes

25 oz. hominy, white or yellow, drained, or 2 c. frozen defrosted corn

In a large soup pot, add beans, water, bay leaf, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion.  Bring to a  boil, then turn down to simmer cooking for 45 - 60 min until the beans are tender.  Add tomatoes and hominy or corn. Simmer to warm through, dip some up, and enjoy!

When I’m not simmering healthy, hearty soups for my family, I’m sewing deep pocket chef aprons for my online shop ( www.artyah.com/seller/topdrawerthreads ) .  Or, I’m pairing up great colors and textures of recycled yarn to work into hand crafted scarves for my other online shop ( www.etsy.com/shop/topdraweryarns ).

My daughter’s (and friend) have an online shop, www.eysy.com/shop/yesdesigns , where they hand make and sell hemp cord macrame jewelry - necklaces, bracelets, anklets.  My other daughter has an online shop, www.etsy.com/shop/shroombloombags , where she designs and crochets mushroom bags from recycled yarn.  If you’re on the go but want to be in the know regarding great audio books, check out this review blog - www.lendmeyourears2017.tumblr.com .

[diabetesinsider]

Summer Asparagus Soup

 www.diabetesinsider.tumblrcom

So good!  The asparagus and parsley together in the vegetable broth along with the marjoram...Yummmm!  It tastes like a vegetable soup my grandmother used to make.  Serve this with a slice of hearty whole wheat bread and Monterrey Jack cheese.  Great for lowering my diabetic meter readings, too! 

4 c. vegetable broth (Kitchen Basics brand is very good in this)

4 c. water

1 c. parsley, roughly chopped with kitchen scissors

1 bay leaf

1 sweet onion, chopped

6 - 7 carrots, sliced thinly into 1″ sticks

3 c. asparagus, sliced thinly into 1″ sticks

1 t. black pepper, freshly ground

1 t. + salt

1 t. marjoram

In a large soup pan, add all ingredients.  Bring to a boil, then simmer until the carrots and asparagus are tender.  Oh, yah!

When I’m not reminiscing about my grandmother’s cooking, I’m sewing coffee cup pocket chef aprons for my online shop ( www.etsy.com/shop/topdrawerthreads ).  Or, I’m crocheting chevron pattern scarves from recycled yarn for my other shop ( www.etsy.com/shop/topdraweryarns ).  My daughter’s (and friend) have an online shop, www.etsy.com/shop/yesdesigns , where they hand make and sell macrame jewelry - sea shell necklaces, bracelets, anklets.  My other daughter has an online shop, www.etsy.com/shop/shroombloombags , where she designs and crochets festival mushroom necklaces from recycled yarn.

www.topdrawerthreads.com

[diabetesinsider]

Okra Tomato Fry up

 www.diabetesinsider.tumblr.com

Okra...really?  Isn’t it slimy and squishy and ewwwww!?!  Doesn’t have to be the way it’s cooked here.  Okra is hard to find fresh year round where I live, so I went with frozen which I was pleasantly surprised to find.  Try this...see what you think.  Best of all it helps me keep my blood meter readings in the good zone - alright!

1 T. olive oil

1 med. onion, diced

1 bag frozen okra, defrosted in a colander under hot tap water

2 med. tomatoes, chopped

1 c. water

1 T. lemon juice

1 bay leaf

dash salt and pepper

Option:  1/2 t. smokey paprika

In a large fry pan, heat oil browning onion until tender.  Add okra, tomato, water, lemon juice, bay leaf, salt and pepper.  Simmer until tomatoes are tender.  Serve with cooked brown rice or as it comes...both are great.

When I’m not rediscovering okra, I’m sewing Star Trek crew aprons for my online shop ( www.etsy.com/shop/topdrawerthreads ).  Or, pairing recycled yarns to hand knit into stocking caps for my other shop ( www.etsy.com/shop/topdraweryarns ).  My daughter’s and friend have an online shop, www.etsy.com/shop/yesdesigns , where they hand make and sell macrame hemp jewelry - necklaces, bracelets, anklets.  My other daughter has an online shop, www.etsy.com/shop/shroombloombags , where she designs and crochets mushroom inspired neck pouches from recycled yarns.

www.topdrawerthreads.com