IMMUNITY BOOSTING ELERBERRY SYRUP

IMMUNITY

You can find or forage this tasty berry, and concoct a natural and reasonably priced syrup, proven to shorten the duration of a cold or virus.  The recipe is below, however, If you’re too sick to make a bottle, there are store-bought versions like Honey Gardens Elderberry Syrup, $22.44,  pictured above.  There are other products as well however, you should always go organic to avoid pesticides and herbicides.  The last thing you need when ill, is more toxins.

I made a double batch of this stuff last year and will be once again cooking this brew in my kitchen over the next week-end.  It’s good to just have it on hand because you or someone you know will soon wake up chilled and feverish. Medical research has shown that taking an elderberry-based tincture within the first 48 hours of a virus’ onset can shorten the duration of symptoms by as much as four days.  And you want to have this stuff at the ready because when you are feeling puny is not the time to be trying to make it, even though its pretty easy to cook a batch up!  The taste is yummy.  Last year, I had friends who weren’t sick trying to get a nip of it.  Keep a stockpile of this syrup on hand for whenever illness strikes. It tastes way better than the cherry-flavored stuff, it’s all natural, and in under an hour you can make a batch large enough to keep you and your family healthy all winter long. Or if you’re too sick to make a bottle, there are store-bought versions like Urban Moonshine’s Herbal Immune Zoom that are quite nice, too.

If you are ready to batch up your personal stockpile of this syrup, I would suggest going all organic with the ingredients.  I have included links for the elderberries too.

I use Frontier Organic Elderberries, in the 1lb size, pack of 2 so I had enough on hand for now and later.  Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) is abundant across North American, and its berries can be foraged from the wild across much of the United States.  I prefer to do my foraging on Amazon.

Elderberry Elixir Recipe – Makes 1 quart  (I prefer to double my recipe up and give out some to friends and family)  On this note, I still used only 1 cup of Vodka for a double batch and yes it still had a lot of kick to it! So adjust at will here.  I chose vodka for a clean taste but brandy could also be nice.

1 cups dry or fresh elderberries

2 cups water

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

1 cup 40 percent alcohol

1 cup raw local honey

1 quart size canning jar

Small bottles for dispensing

1. In a large saucepan, combine the water, elderberries, ginger. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, then simmer for 20 minutes. Press and strain elderberry-ginger mixture into a quart-size canning jar. Stir in 1 cup honey and 1 cup alcohol to preserve the mixture. Shake well to mix. Divide into smaller containers, if you like. The elderberry elixir will keep in the refrigerator for 6 months.
2. At the first signs of a cold or flu, take 2 tablespoons of elderberry every hour for up to 5 days.

Following Through

A friend of mine is a Project Manager.  Her husband is far less organised. Things have sat in boxes, in the way of traffic and in the way of beautifying her home, for decades. There have been numerous promises to follow through.  When we fail to follow through, we disrespect both ourselves and the person we made the goal with.  When everything boils down, time is the ultimate gift we give both ourselves and those we love.  We spend our time and our money on who and what we love.

Life moves swiftly onward and as most of us are used to creating busy work in our days and planning ahead, it can be easy to lose the moment.  It can also be all too easy to fill ourselves up so much with stuff, with the dust of the day, that we have no time to breath or change direction, or see a friend.

Creating To Do lists are one of my favourite things to do!  Firstly, it solidifies plans.  You can delight and feel great about checking things off as done.  it keeps you on track, from writing a letter to a friend, to having lunch to joining a meeting, it's all there.  But another cool thing about lists is that they reach another area of the brain and help make it so.  I created a to-do list for a lovely needy historic home and then that list got filed away.  A decade later, I came upon it once more and delighted in the fact that every single item on that list, from redoing the hardwoods to remodelling the bathroom, to landscape lighting got taken care of.

Following through is the ultimate act of love.  When you can trust your own words, that means a whole lot because you can then trust yourself.  Giving yourself weight, respect and significance of meaning what you say and saying what you mean is the very essence of love and self-respect.

Call it branding. In fact, there is a great article "Brand You" that I read a long time ago on this very topic.  As we go about living life, we are actually creating our brand.  Who and what do you stand for?  When people think of you, what would be the very first things to come to mind?  Honouring yourself begins with following through on commitments, both to yourself and to others.  This can also include following through in abusive situations, with managing your personal boundaries. We teach people daily how we wish to be treated by how and what we allow into our lives and by the boundaries we set with them.  We are empowered to gently but firmly maintain those boundaries from anyone who disrespects them and us.  If you find yourself in a situation where you have failed to follow through on your best life then know that you are empowered to change this now.

With 2017 looming large, get pen and pad out and start planning your follow through today.

Find me also here:http://puretemple.org/

BEGINNING TRANSFORMATIONAL HABITS

Whenever you decide to make changes in your life, particularly big ones, you are going to face some opposition, both inside yourself as well as some conflict around you, even from well-meaning friends and loved ones.  The thing to understand is that most of what we do every day, is done out of habit, out of the existing neuronets our brain has created as a way to simplify our day to day.  When you change those habits, whether it is quitting smoking, walking daily, or drinking less coffee or wine, your brain is really there for you, but the hurdle is going to be the 21 days you must suffer through as your brain remaps itself to your new way of thinking and being.  Whenever you are doing something good and wholesome for yourself, you are on the right track because that goodness comes from a place of respect for who you are inside.  You are showing that you respect and value you. You cannot truly value and respect anybody else until you begin with you.  Start your journey and be transformed.

Best Organic Body Scrubs

Scrubbing the body helps you detox through the largest organ of the body; your skin.  You take in vitamin D from the sun and absorb what you put on your skin.  When you sweat, you eschew toxins and cleans the body.  Dry brushing is terrific before the bath to prep the skin (as well as hit hard to reach spots on the back for example).  I did some serious sun damage so I have been doing peels and scrubs for 20 years now.  Because organic and natural safe non toxic products are a big biological impact, you will only see things of that nature here.

Firstly, as I note in my about me page, I am a Plant-Based Lifestyle Consultant.  Dovetailing with that, I rep for Miessence, an all organic skin, home and body care line.  The link is below and I am available for any suggestions or questions you have.  There are great scrubs available in the

DRY BRUSHING – Helps flush the skin, bring new blood to the surface and is perfect right before a nice detoxing soak.  This brush, the Bemodst Dry Skin Body Brush,  is the same that I use at home, with natural wood and bristles that feel nice and tingly on the skin. It comes with a handle to reach the back and is a terrific price.

After your dry brushing, you are ready for the next step, scrubbing on damp skin.

There is a great scrub available in the miessence product line and the stuff ships super fast!  But I also use Giovanni and other organic products too so I want to share those with you here so you can make decisions about what floats your boat. https://www.miessence.com/puretemple/en/category/1/skincareDarling Salt Glow is an eco-conscious body scrub made from environment-saving salt sourced from the troubled Murray-Darling Basin in Australia.  Before you say you don’t care, remember, we are all one, all connected.    Blended with deeply moisturizing coconut oil, clove and citrus, it’s especially perfect for fall and winter time when you want to feel a bit more nurtured and toasty.  You can get the Darling Salt Glow in a nice 3 pack for $124.00, but there are also discounts applied (and free shipping) based upon your spend level.  You can see that prior to solidifying your check out and make any changes. The line has very good tinted moisturizers with SPF and mascara as well as other stuff I use daily but that is another topic.

First up from Amazon (I adore Amazon, you can buy almost anything) is First Botany Arabica Coffee Scrub which not only has that cup o joe wake me up delightfully aroma, but has been voted ‘Best Acne, Anti Cellulite and Stretch Mark treatment, Spider Vein Therapy for Varicose Veins & Eczema’ and I have no argument for all that.

If you are more of a cacao person, next up is the ever delightful Giovanni Hot Chocolate Sugar Scrub, which is divine.  Slightly warming and the aroma is intoxicating for those of us who crave dark chocolate.  You can click on the coloured ink to get shopping. I selected the 5 pack but you could buy just one.  The 5 pack is a great price and trust, you will use this stuff up fast…because it is that great.  While I type this, I actually have it on my desk huffing it.  Maybe I have a problem.  No, this stuff just rocks.

Next, also from Giovanni,  is the Giovanni Cool Mint Lemonade which is a salt scrub that is equally intoxicating.  It is aromatherapy with the scent filling the shower.  I live in Dallas, and it gets bloody hot but mainly hot and humid here.  I use this in bulk in the summers. So in other words, all year round.   It’s perfect after gardening, getting stuck in traffic, whenever you need a serious chill.  In fact, this stuff is so chilling, I have even had to add hot water into my tub.  Impressively cooling.    I have this product on autoship.

Greenscape Salt Scrub (In any of their scents) gets high marks for both scent and a larger (19.4 oz) size.  The link above gets you Rose and this one here is Greenscape Lavender.

Lastly is the Abra Grapefruit and Juniper scrub.  Juniper is known for its’ purifying properties, except apparently when made into gin, which is tasty but not healthy so be careful.  But in the scrub, my friend, you are safe to imbibe.  Who doesn’t love the fresh scent of Juniper berries?  (We use the berries in stews and sauces, by the way.)

So with the holidays coming, and with most of us planning to imbibe a wee bit, this is the perfect time to stock up on scrubs to get you glowing!