A fresh start?

After an agonizing two weeks maybe I will get some relief and, maybe, maybe, real healing might start.  If you have rheumatoid arthritis, too, then you probably know exactly what I am talking about.

I am going to be brief today as I just wanted to set up this blog quickly to follow my progress in the next months.

News is that I found a new system/ a machine, which might help my battered body get beck into normal.  And this machine is on it's way right now, maybe half an hour and it will arrive!

I am very excited.  So much so, that I'll finish this post right now, so can I can continue waiting full time.

This blogging program is impossible

I've spent an hour trying to move, resize and then delete a picture.  Then I gave up.  Very annoying.  I am really not new to computers, but this I just couldn't figure out.

Anyone has some quick tips on managing pictures in posts?  Pleeease let me know.

Plus, I just realized that the profile picture and text have moved, too.  I didn't touch those at all, so why??

I am so excited. In about an hour a machine will arrive which might help with my rheumatoid arthritis. It’s coming from Hungary, through DHL (we had to pay a ridiculous amount of money for that). I’ve been following it’s every move in the last four days.

The machine is called Magneter, a magnetic bioresonance machine. In the next few weeks I will be very busy lying on the mat, taking in the resonance and whatever else many times a day.

I will report about my progress regularly. Actually, I think I’ll start another blog about this subject.

Kitten softie

I made a cat softie today, in memory of my old friend.  He passed away a few years ago.  We lived together for 15 years, it was so very sad when he had to go.
This blog is dedicated to him, his name was Incifinci.  He was a lovely, gentle black cat with beautiful, big eyes.

Last night I made a template after playing with different shapes for a few hours.  I wanted something really cute, but simple, not too big either.  This is my last sketch:

Then today I made it up in a lovely blue/grey check fabric. 

A silly mistake I made: of course I couldn't turn the fabric to the right side with the tail attached to the body like that.  I had to separate it, then it was okay.

Here it is, ready for stuffing.   The picture doesn't show the proper colour, it was a bit dark I think.  The fabric is a nice blue one. I left a small opening at the bottom, about 3 cm, but next time I'll leave a bigger one.

I used polyfill, and a chopstick to get the filling into every corner. 

Then I cut out the facial features from felt and attached them with thread.  I embroidered the whiskers, only on one side as I got distracted.  Have to finish it tomorrow.  Here it is, almost done:

I'll try to put the template on sometime the next days, though I think it's pretty straightforward.

Today I downloaded some patterns and ordered all the necessary material - I am going to make dolls!

Special kind of dolls: they are called Waldorf dolls and they are made with all natural material, mostly wool and cotton. No Poly Esther and other nasties.

This also fits in with my other interest; felting. Not to mention my beliefs.

I'm so looking forward to doing this. Maybe the order will arrive on Friday and I could start it on the weekend ...

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My super healthy broth

Today I downloaded some patterns and ordered all the necessary material - I am going to make dolls!

Special kind of dolls: they are called Waldorf dolls and they are made with all natural material, mostly wool and cotton. No Poly Esther and other nasties.

This also fits in with my other interest; felting. Not to mention my beliefs.

I'm so looking forward to doing this. Maybe the order will arrive on Friday and I could start it on the weekend ...

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I started to cook my broth this afternoon. Did someone ask 'What broth'?

Well, last year I read about this rich broth supposed to be really good for us. Full of that gelatinous stuff and possibly lots of minerals.

It's very beneficial to drink a mugful nicely warmed, before dinner, as it helps a lot with digestion.

I usually cook about 8 litres and store it in the freezer in 1/2 litre containers. I don't buy stock anymore, use this instead, what a difference in taste!

And if I there's nothing else in the fridge I can quickly make a rich soup by throwing in some chopped vegies, some thin noodles or cooked rice and one or two eggs for each person.

Here is my recipe:

Broth

Ingredients:

1.5 - 2 kg marrow bones cut into big chunks

1 pork foot (optional)

4-5 chicken carcasses with lots of meat and skin left on

8 full chicken wings

3 parsnips

1/2 celeriac (optional)

1-2 capsicums

6 large carrot

2 potatoes, skin on

3 red onion

1/2 head of garlic

1/2 bunch celery

large bunch of parsley

salt

black pepper

cayenne pepper (optional)

Method:

Put the bones and pork foot if using in a large stock pot (mine is 11 litres). Fill pot half with cold water and to this add 2 tbs vinegar. Put the lid on.

Let it sit for an hour, then turn the stove on.

When it starts boiling, turn the heat down to the lowest and scoop off the developing foam.

Then just let it simmer on the lowest setting with lid on. And simmer ... and simmer. For 4-20 hours. Yes, even for a whole day!  Just do it slowly.  It only needs to simmer very gently.  

I usually start the process in the afternoon and simmer it like this till the next morning.  

This is how it looked like in the morning:

Then in an other pot put all the chicken carcasses and wings (after washing and cleaning them, and I give the ends of the wings to the dogs, good for their teeth) with water wich just covers them.

Bring to the boil, scoop off the foam, then transfer meat and water to the big pot. If there is room for more water add some more to about 10 cm to the brim.

(The reason for this is that cooking must start in cold water. And I don't want to cook the chicken as long as the bones, because I like to give the meat to the dogs. But, everything could be started at the same time, only that no meat would be edible.)

So now simmer all for another 1.5 hours. You can prepare the vegies in the meatime. Clean and cut them into big chunks but don't cut the potatos, just give them a good scrub. Tie the parsley with a string.


I picked a big basket of mixed greens in the garden, they are going in, too:

Now add all the vegies and seasoning.

Cook for another 1 hour.

Ready. It has a lovely yellow colour and wonderful rich aroma from all the veggies cooked in it.








Now put two or three bowls around the big pot and start taking out everything.  Put them into different bowls as either still edible, edible for dogs or rubbish.

At the end pour the empty soup through a double fine sieve, or better still, through a muslin in a sieve.

You can ladle it into freezing containers and when cool, put the lid on and into the freezer. It can also survive about a week in a normal fridge but after a few days it needs to be boiled before eating, just to be sure ...

This soup/stock is great to have on hand, and I usually do a batch every two weeks.  From all the vegies and the mixed meaty bones and skin it's so very tasty.  Yum!!

I love reading other people's blogs, and - since I've been sitting here at home for some time now - I thought I might start my own. It seems quite easy.