oil is a great skin softener. Just pour a bit into your bath under the running water.
1 cluster pine needles
1 cup baby oil, approximately
Put the pine needles in a glass container with a lid. Cover completely with baby oil and cover tightly. Store in dry, cool place for 4 weeks. Strain the oil, and decant into attractive glass bottle. If you’d like, you can add fresh pine needles for decoration. Makes 1 cup.
FEBRUARY 18
MAD FOR MUSHROOMS?
Gardeners who need a fix during the cold winter months should consider a mushroom kit. These kits come in a number of varieties, including shiitake and button. The kits contain a sterilized, enriched growing medium that is preinoculated with mushroom spawn that can easily be grown indoors in a cool, dark place year round. Shiitake, oyster, and portobello mushroom kits are available from Real Goods (800-762-7325), Gardener’s Supply Company (800-863-1700), and Edmund Scientific Co. (609-573-6250). Edmund offers a catalogue with more than 4,000 science products, including lots of other kits. Great for science-minded kids.
FEBRUARY 19
I COULD HAVE DANCED ALL NIGHT
This is something I do only when I’m alone. I put old Bob Marley tapes on my stereo and dance by myself in the living room. Sometimes I watch myself in the mirror. But mostly I dance with my eyes closed, just feeling the music as it moves through my body. Of course, you need to pick the music and the circumstances that are just right for you. Give it a try and see how it makes you feel.
FEBRUARY 20
MEXICAN HOT CHOCOLATE
This drink is fabulous, the perfect thing for a cold evening. If you have cinnamon-flavored Ibarra chocolate, use it instead of the semisweet and omit the cinnamon and brown sugar.
4 cups milk
3 3-inch long cinnamon sticks, broken in half
30 whole cloves
1 teaspoon aniseed
5 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar
In a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring the milk, cinnamon, cloves, and aniseed to a simmer. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until the chocolate melts. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 45 minutes. Serves 4.
FEBRUARY 21
CALMING BATH
The sensual delight of taking a bath in aromatic oils goes back to the Romans, who raised bathing to a high art. The public baths consisted of three parts: first you went to the unctuarium, where you were anointed in oils. Then you proceeded to the frigidarium, where you took a cold bath, then to the tepidarium for a tepid one. You finished with a hot bath in the caldarium. While we don’t bathe as the Romans did, we can indulge in the essence of the practice.
4 drops bergamot essential oil
4 drops lavender essential oil
2 drops clary sage essential oil
Run a warm bath. Drop the essential oils into the stream of water. Slide in, and relax for 10 to 15 minutes.
FEBRUARY 22
CANDY-COATED FUN
I keep a great big candy bowl on my desk at work. Most of my co-workers eventually end up there at some point in the day, rummaging through the bowl for their favorites. I always keep it filled with a variety of small, individually wrapped items—bubble gum, fireballs, peppermints, life-savers, chocolate, and lollipops—and make sure it’s all fresh. They enjoy the candy, and I enjoy the visits!
FEBRUARY 23
LOVE CLOTH
For her son’s first birthday, a friend of mine bought a white linen tablecloth. She has since used it only on his birthday. She invites guests at each year’s birthday party to sign their names (or, in the case of toddlers, to draw something, which she then signs) on his tablecloth with permanent markers. Now, ten years later, she has a colorful tablecloth full of memories that will last a lifetime. The kids love writing on it and reading all the messages from past birthdays.
FEBRUARY 24
GO WILD—AT LEAST A LITTLE
Sometimes we just need to shake up our routine. What little outrageous thing can you do today? Dye your hair? Paint your toenails green? Play hooky from work? For years, I lived near a street that must have had six or seven Chinese restaurants, and over time, I’ve probably eaten at them all. One day, I commented to my husband that each seemed to do a particular dish well and that putting them all together would make a great meal. So one night, when we were feeling the need to be a bit outrageous, we did just that. We had potstickers from one place, then moved onto the next for hot and sour soup, a third for the Szechwan beef, and a fourth for the garlic eggplant. If anyone thought we were weird only ordering one item per restaurant, no one said anything. We had a ball—not to mention a great dinner.
FEBRUARY 25
CANDLE COLLARS
A wonderful way to dress up pillar candles is to make a candle collar. The candle must be fat enough to be safe, and you should never leave it unattended. Make sure you place the candle on a dish so that the hot wax won’t spread all over and snuff out the candle, with an inch left at the bottom of the collar to avoid accidents.
bay leaves, magnolia leaves, or other attractive oval-shaped leaves
glue gun
pillar candle
raffia
Put a little glue on the back of each leaf near the base and press firmly to the candle. Trim the bottom of the leaves so that the candle stands evenly. Tie raffia around in a bow. Makes 1 candle.
FEBRUARY 26
FACIAL SAUNA
2 drops fennel essential oil
2 drops lavender essential oil
2 drops lemon essential oil
2 drops orange essential oil
Mix oils together and pour into a bowl of steaming water. Drape a towel over your head and the bowl and sit, allowing the steam to penetrate your pores. Be careful not to put your face too close—this should be luxurious, not a painful experience!
FEBRUARY
