We may be down, but we're not out

We all came down with a bout of sickness the day after Little L's birthday festivities. While I acknowledge and understand the need for our immune systems to have regular exposure to illness, I still don't particularly enjoy the moods that accompany it. That said, I do love the blessing of slowing down and declaring our days to be filled with nothing but rest. I never seem to notice just how busy I allow myself to become until something like this happens. I am so grateful for the comforts of family, furry creatures, beloved toys, and perhaps a game or two to see us through.

It seemed to come out of nowhere, as sickness often does.  I usually have remedies on hand but I didn't have anything prepared this time around as we have been in good health since we moved here. So I quickly whipped up some popsicles for the children to munch on to cool their throats, help keep them hydrated, and lift their spirits (not to mention, get some much needed support for their immune systems.) To make them I just steeped some cold care tea with some honey (2 bags in 1 cup of water for 20 mins), and soaked a couple of teaspoons of dried elderberry in boiling water (10 mins). Then I strained out the elderberries and added the juice leftover to the tea mixture. Once that was combined I added a little over a cup of grape juice (the children's favorite, and something they only receive on rare occasions such as this) to the tea mixture and poured into our popsicles molds. We were able to fill up all six molds in this set and three more in this one with the amount we had. The popsicles were all quickly devoured and I have been making more batches with other juice combinations all weekend.

I also felt the need to rid our house of the germs that may have been lingering, waiting for a second go at us. I made my own version of Lysol by mixing some water with tea tree oil and then misted our entire home. There is something so clearing and invigorating to me from the scent of tea tree oil. My girls feel the same way I do, and followed me around the house smelling the air as I sprayed. Like Mama, like daughters, eh? Speaking of daughters, C lost her first tooth!! It literally fell out of her mouth as she was walking to the bathroom mirror to check on it.

Oh and am I the only one excited about flickr changing their settings back on picture sharing? I can once again post the bigger pictures I missed so much!

p.s - My friend Jackie over at Luna Grey is really excited to share that she and knitting pattern designer Hilary Smith Callis have released a new kit together!  She is offering a coupon code on the kit. Take 10% off your entire order when you purchase a Luna Veridis Cowl Kit using coupon code: Yarniad (offer is good through 2/28/14).

We may be down, but we're not out