Tea & Time + Petal Oil &…

The other day I shoved this basket in Mister Lovee's face while he was sleeping (he loved it, I think?).  I had been outside for hours in the cool morning, before the scorching sun found me…

I woke up desperate to use everything out of the garden, and not let one morsel go to waste.

Don't get me wrong, I sound all wired up all the time. But, I am not.  I am best early in the morning, with a natural jolt of life in me.

In my 20's I had this natural gusto to go go go.

Shots of natural adrenaline surged through me constantly.

Although, I have always thought of myself as being rather lazy in my mind.

It's hard.

It's a battle sometimes.

My friends never believe me, but I promise, it's true.

It's perplexing…

Because, in one side of my mind I want to sit and relax.

But, in the other side, I want to do soo many things.

I try to sit, and then get inspired and have to run off.

I also don't want life to pass me by.

I have a laundry list of things I want to accomplish in a day.

And so, to be honest.

I push myself.

It's not easy all the time.

Sometimes it is, sometimes it simply isn't.

Do you have the same issue at all?

Maybe it's natural, and we all feel that way?

I want to do a million things outside, take pretty pictures to share with you, write blog posts (which take me forever for some reason), clean my house, paint, play in clay, cuddle with fur, play my piano…

Sometimes I have a major battle in my head.

Vanessa, you haaaave to do this.

You must.

You won't regret it, you will be so happy! I tell myself.

Mister Lovee says, you get sooooo much done in one day.

And I think to myself, it was so not easy.

I spend almost all day on my feet.

I even paint standing.

I can't sit and move my arms at the same time it seems, haha!

Can you?

Like, can you sit and blow dry your hair at the same time?

It's impossible!

I have to say though, getting things done –

Totally worth it.

There is the one important factor…

Of course.

Which is…

I revel in breaks…

I love tea time or snack time, lunch time, apple munching time (I eat lots of organic apples), or a water break.

L O V E it.

Taking time out…

Looking through my cabinet for the perfect cup for the day…

Getting cozy and then…

A break.

I am working on some rose tea next.

Drying petals, etc.

Since rose season is almost over (for me), I have to take time to collect the roses I will dry.

I love dried roses around the house.

They really mean so much at the end of summer, in fall and in winter.

I love having them.

So, I collect the ones I will dry…

I do a couple of things as I cut each rose.  I make sure I go down a couple of leaves and cut at an angle, to prune as I go.

Then, I trim off all of the thorns as I cut each rose out of the bush.

And then, the final test.

I hold the rose upside down and shake.

You can tell by sight if your rose petals are too spent to dry the whole flower.

But I like to double check.

If any petals fall off, I don't keep that one because that means that the rose is pretty spent, and as the rose dries it will lose all of its petals anyway – which aren't very fragrant anymore either.

Once you find your keepers…

Take them to a table or flat surface and separate them in to bundles.  Then just tie them up with twine or string.

Not that you don't already know how to do that 🙂

I tie my bundles up real tight, because the roses will shrink out of the string as they dry.

Then I hang them up, and smile.

Drying roses and herbs in the house smells soooo goood.

You will always find flowers and herbs hanging from here and there in my house.

Mister Lovee was walking around, wondering why the rose scent was so intense yesterday…

I said, look up…

Ohhhhh, he says 🙂

Smells sooo goood.

I am so excited for those of you that have not hit rose season yet.

I sort of wish mine was just beginning.

Hopefully I will get another wave at the end of May.

I am so glad we are sharing so many ideas on rose and herb things.

I am smitten with the topic and having so much fun trying home concoctions.

By the way….

Before I forget, here is an update on the rose oil…

So, what I did is that, I began by putting a full kettle of water on the stove.

As that boiled, I got together a glass jar, olive oil, a big heat resistant bowl, the most fragrant roses I could find in the garden, and some lavender.

I picked some lavender because the olive oil I had smelled very strong, and I was out of light flavored olive oil.

Before I go on, let me say, you can use jojoba oil as well.

Mister Lovee has curly long hair, and has made his own hair oil since, well always really.

He mixes rosemary oil and jojoba oil.

Not to veer, but when we were in the exciting flirty stages of getting to know each other, he and I were chatting at the end of the day (at work), when a gal came over to him being extra flirty.  She curled one of his long curls in her fingers (puke), and asked in a sultry voice what it was that he used to make his curls so succulent. Blah! 😉

What I heard him answer was…

Hobo oil.

Of course, me being loud and silly, hollers out, HOBO OIL??????!!

Thank goodness, it was jojoba oil 🙂

Mixed with rosemary.

I was promptly corrected.

Then I left the building and went on a date with someone else, but that is a whole other story.

Soooo….

That's the secret to "succulent" curls.  Hahahehehee!

He puts the oil in after he gets out of the shower, and he smells like a perfectly lovely salad.

OKay, back to rose oil.

Sooooo.

Whilst water boils, chop/mash up your roses, or roses and lavender in my case.  You can use a mortar and pestle, a wooden spoon and a bowl, or a knife to chop.

Whatever you choose will work.  Just mashup real good…

Before you start chopping, mashing etc, put your oil in a jar, place it in your heat safe bowl, and then fill the bowl with your boiling water. Be careful pleeeease!

Once your petals and/or herbs are ready, put them in the oil…

Leave the jar with the oil and roses/herbs in it, in the hot water, until the water cools.

Once the water has cooled…

Put on the jar lid, shake it about – and then simply set it in a sunny location for a few days.

Some folks leave it in the sun for a week.

Just keep smelling it.

I checked mine this morning, which is on top of our old truck, and despite how ugly it looks, it smells decadent!!

Once the oil gets to the desired scent, strain the plant parts out, and you are done.

Sun for a few days first though.

So, there you have it.

A whole lotta rosey hoopla.

I can not wait to hear what you do with roses.

I tried my hand at rose beads last afternoon/night.

A report to follow, I promise 😉

I think the rose lavender olive oil might be good for eating.

What do you think???

I wonder if it is safe?

I haven't the slightest clue.

Well, if I eat it and live to tell, we will know for sure I suppose, haha!

Off I go………

 

Love, V

 

 

 

ps:  I am avidly working on Mad Tea Party plans – 5th year!!! Woo hooo!  Details soon, I hope.

pss:  Random thought because I am listening to her— But, I just love this woman, don't you?  I loved that she wore that one swan dress once upon a time.  I never hated it, I thought it was quite fascinating myself…  What are you listening to?