Here's a Little Thing I Do...

I love to cook with herbs. Even making something simple, like a sandwich, I will put herbs on it, or I'll add herbs to a salad dressing.

I have a stock of dried herbs on my kitchen shelf, but mostly I love to use fresh herbs, and since I live in a sub-tropical climate in a zone 9b, my little container herb garden out on my porch is virtually always blooming. I have one of the best units in my complex; I'm on the end, facing the retaining wall and a residential street, and get perfect southern exposure. Check out one corner of my garden:

Anyway, I charge the herbs before using them, the same way you would charge them when you are using them for a spell. I charge them according to each one's individual energy, such as sage is long known for it's powers of longevity, so if I put sage in my eggs or on my chicken, I charge it to give people who partake of it long life. Basil is a prime love herb, so I charge it to help those who eat my pesto to love themselves better.

I'm careful not to charge things everyone else is eating with specific things for me; for example, I wouldn't charge an herb with weight-loss properties if I have my stringbean-built friend over for dinner.

Speaking of herbs, I am making some pouches of that twice a day magical diet bath from Scott Cunningham's book, Incense, Oils and Brews. Two baths a day is going to run my bill up a bit, but it will be worth it. I will be making them as soon as I'm finished painting my armoire.

Talk about exercise-- I have a giant computer armoire I use for crafts, I call it my "craft studio," and moving it and painting it top to bottom, inside-and-out, decorating with stencils and all-- I started it yesterday and it's given me quite a workout. I still need to formualte a regular exercise routine, but things like this are certainly a great calorie burning bonus.