Creation from Petals and Pods
Happy New Year Everyone
As 2026 has gotten started I reflect on how I wrote about New Year's Resolutions. Those I don't make. Primarily because I know me very well, I never follow through with resolutions. So, I chose to pick a word of the year or even two words for the year. For 2026 I chose the words Create & Adventure. For the word create I have already started creating. A week ago, I decided to make rosewater. Rosewater is a very mild, all natural, body spray used to tone your skin adds flavor to drinks and reduces stress when used in aromatherapy. It also acts as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. I use this everyday as a toner because my husband is quite sensitive to heavy perfumes or colognes. Rosewater can also reduce redness puffiness acne, and razor burn. There are so many healing properties to using rosewater.
To make rosewater which is incredibly easy. The one caveat is that you should really use distilled water. If you take a large soup pot, approximately 1 to 2 cups of dried rose petals, 4 cups of distilled water, and about 4 cups of iced cubes, and a small glass bowl to collect the rose water in. Then follow these steps:
1) pour the 4 cups of distilled water and pour into your soup pot.
2) place your glass bowl into the pot making sure it isn't covered by the water.
3) place rose petals around the bowl. They will be floating.
4) Place the soup pot lid upside down and place the iced cubes on the lid.
5) Turn heat to medium so that the water is on a light boil.
If you have a glass lid you can see the condensation build up and it will fall into the glass bowl. this is your rosewater. When the bowl is half to 3/4 full of the water that has fallen from the lid, turn the burner off and discard the melted ice. When the water in the soup pot has cooled take the glass bowl where your rosewater is taking the rosewater and place in your favorite spray bottles or in a glass container. I took mine and made little spray bottles I got off Amazon. They have everything.
Homemade Rosewater
A week earlier which was the week of Christmas, I received many things that would help me create. As my son and husband saw throughout the year, that I was very diligent with my herbs and garden. I absolutely loved going out there in the morning and seeing how everything looked from the evening before. Watering and weeding if necessary. Speaking of weeding, there wasn't much weeding to do. I guess I was lucky with that issue, as well as being lucky with crazy bugs or squirrels invading my harvest. So, this led to what should we get mom for her birthday and Christmas. Both which are 20 days apart from each other.
So, for my birthday I received a frother and a mason jar sealer. I love them both. I can seal large quantities of rice, beans, sugar, pasta and it will last longer than if in its original box. The frother is amazing. I use it to add froth to my chia latte or even to my hot chocolate. Both gifts are worth their weight in gold. My husband brought me out to dinner to my favorite restaurant. So, suffice to say, my birthday this year was fabulous. Now we get to Christmas.
This year I dumbed it down with decorations and with gifts. Many things I made as I love the idea of a homemade gift. It totally comes from the heart. I received things to steep tea in. the prettiest glass tea kettle with an insert to add loose tea leaves or lemon and basil with ginger. I can virtually make any flavor of tea that comes to mind.
Blackberry Basil Lemon Tea
My cute little tea kettle came from my friend Joy, who I've known for the better part of 45 years. She knew that I have tried to be inspired from creating different flavors of tea from anything natural from the garden. This was the perfect choice.
Next was items I received from Christmas. Even though I made things less extravagant everything I accomplished made the holiday perfect. I typically get gift cards in my stocking, which add up to a sweet sum so I can shop throughout the year. That wasn't the case this year. I received many useful, yet great gifts. My husband got me an arched trellis for my raised garden beds. Since we are expanding Nemo's Garden this year, he really listened to me. He also got me a starter tray for my herb garden with all the seeds. pruning shears, Mesh netting for the arched trellis, the Farmer's Almanac Garden Book. All awesome gifts. I cannot wait to get my garden started. Seedlings have been started for all the herbs plus lavender and marigold flowers. Then I got new Highland Cow slippers. And the one gift I got that I got that totally falls into the creative field was all the stuff needed to make homemade vanilla extract and homemade vanilla paste. I am over the top excited to try the extract. However, it takes a year to infuse. It is also called vanilla tincture. I made six bottles. Then I made homemade vanilla bean paste. OMG!!! This turned out so yummy!!!
I still haven't gotten to have an adventure but time will tell. I plan on a few adventures but the timing must be right.
All the things I created
Until then Stay Happy, Stay Safe, and Stay Positive
Sally
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