Frosty Face Protection
It's a polar vortex!!! No - it's a heat wave!! Nah, it's just winter in New Jersey. With it comes the ever variable temperature.
The news broadcasts are always reminding you to bundle up in the cold. Very true! But it's also extremely important to moisturize your skin. Putting on a good, coating skin lotion will help retain your own moisture and protect from the cold. 
For me, this is Lotion Bar time for hands and body. It's soothing, softening, protective - and smells fabulous! Now I hate putting creams on my face, they just feel too heavy most of the time (I've made something new for that - but I'll share that in the next month or so). However, when it's out into the artic vortex or to play in the snow, I put on Jazzy Lavender Body Butter. Lighter than many creams, but still breathable cove rage for my frosty face.
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Playing Around with Pancakes
I love having pancakes for dinner on cold wintery nights, or for breakfast on Sundays. For the longest time, the only way I knew how to make them was with a boxed mix. One day, when the mood struck, I discovered we were out of mix. So it was time to go from scratch. Browsing through a few tried and true cookbooks, and an internet browse, I found to recipes that sounded good. And I couldn't help myself, I had to play with them.
I took a recipe for buttermilk pancakes, and one for fluffy pancakes. I put the two together and tossed in a few tidbit from my pantry - Maple sugar, pear cinnamon vinegar and a few others. The results were an overwhelming hit. Check our blog for the recipe and remember - don't be afraid to play with your food.
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Celtic Chairde Creations is a proud member of:
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Keeping the Magic Glowing
No matter what holiday you celebrate in December, there is a feeling that grows and glows during those darkening days. Lights appear, inside and out, twinkling and brightening spirits. Ever greens are brought in to remind us that there is always life around us, even on that dark first day of winter. Although there is a stress in the exchanging of gifts, there is an amazing joy when you've given something the brightens a persons face. And as the season wanes on, we welcome in a new year fu  ll of bright promise and wonder. It's arrival is announced with fireworks, horns, clinking libations, and a kiss from a loved one. The magic explodes around us. Of course the next day - the first day of this bright, sparkly year - is often celebrated in a prone manner, depending on how much of that libation was enjoyed in the evening. During this new beginning, we make promises to our selves of what will change, what will be different. Resolutions now made, we begin the new year. The trees and decor stay standing for a few weeks, keeping hope going. We return to work or school or our daily lives. The trees and lights come down, and often the new year begins to look remarkably like the old one. Those resolutions to become a little fuzzier, and soon enough the regular routine is back, Along with it comes some guilt at not having stuck to your promises to yourself. But it doesn't have to be that way. Each day holds it's own magic. Each moment is a chance to start anew. So, you ate some ice cream instead of that fruit. That little pang of guilt is your reminder. Finish that bite, enjoy it, and then put it away. Start now. There is magic and promise all around always. Sometimes, like the holidays, it flows stronger. But sit for a moment. Hear the magic in a baby's laugh. See it in the glide of a bird through the air. Feel it in the crisp air of a fluffy falling snow. Taste it in the flavor of a carefully brewed cup of tea. Crumble some dried herbs from summer and smell that promise of the warm weather to come. There in lies the magic. Find those little things that touch your spirit and make you smile. Add a little light to a tree outside, or somewhere in side. Keep the magic glowing, and it will lift your spirit and inspire your resolve. |
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Orange You Glad!
The bitter chill of winter is upon us. Houses are closed shut against the snow and frigid air. (Unless you live around here and have a random day of 60° weather when you throw open the windows. But I digress.) The Christmas greens have been filling your home with the fresh forest scent. Alas, they are now fading and will be moving to the mulch pile, or to a dune some where. So, it's time to bring in something new.
This time of year, the fragrant Orange calls to me. They certainly aren't native to New Jersey, but they are easily available at grocery stores.
Oranges are just sunny to look at, bright and round like the sun. They are full of vitamins and nutrients like amino acids, beta-carotene, folic acid, pectin, potassium, calcium, iron, iodine, phosphorus, manganese, sodium, chlorine, zinc, D-limonene, flavanoids, and, of course, Vitamin C. Adding them to your winter time diet will help you stay healthy and strong during these dark, lethargic winter eves.
Straight orange juice can be a little acidic for some. I like to mix it with some seltzer (Yay, Soda Stream!) or just a little water. Eating fresh oranges is the best and sweetest way to enjoy their many benefits. I like to add some pieces to chicken salad as well.
And then there's the fragrance. It's a sweet, yet tangy, and sparkly. The scent is mostly concentrated in the peel. This is from where the essential oil is extracted. It lifts your spirits, eases nausea (that why we put it in our Faoiseamh Poit. What's that you ask? You'll have to stay tuned to find out), can be used as an antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, bactericidal, fungicide, stimulant, and tonic.
Orange and clove seem the perfect combination to bring extra freshness and light to grey days. Pomanders are always a favorite to make to bring in the sunshine.
Remember to save orange peels! You can use a thin knife to get the white pith off. Then let the peels dry. You can use them for so many things - to make orange sugar or honey, add then to potpourri, or break up and use in tea. Add the peels (dried or fresh) to some white vinegar. Let it sit for a week or longer. You'll now have a great disinfectant for counters and door knobs and just about anywhere. And the place will smell great.
You can even turn an orange into a candle. Definitely a fun project to try.
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Free Lip Balm with each order
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Now through midnight, February 14, receive a free lip balm with each order. Just write which you'd like in the comments section on your order.
| Offer good until February 14, 2014
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