a whole bunch of this 'n that

Day 12 of bronchitis and sinusitis and I'm just now feeling well enough where I think

I can manage running a couple of quick errands this afternoon. I haven't been out of the

 house in 12 days except to go to the doctor! That's a record for me. I don't think I've ever

been housebound this long. And our weather continues to be very cold (below zero 

again tonight) and the ground covered in snow. If it were only warmer where I could open

 a window to get some fresh air or even sit out on the patio and soak up some sunshine.

 In the meantime, I've been relying on some natural remedies for my healing. I had mentioned

in my last blog post that the doctor had given me an antibiotic. I stopped taking it after three

days. Yes, I know you're not supposed to just stop an antibiotic and are supposed to take the

 full course, but I was having some questionable side effects. And yes, I did call the doctor to

 tell him about this and get his "OK" on stopping this medicine. Some of you know from reading

my blog that I am very much into natural health. I don't like taking any prescription medications

unless absolutely necessary. The warnings on this particular antibiotic alone were enough to

cause me to be concerned and scared - mainly, tendon rupture that could happen even several

months after you were done with the medication! Seeing I had a rotator cuff tear last year as

it was, I was a bit freaked out that I'd now have a chance of having that happen all over again.

Oh, and the side effects I was already having from this medication? Severe anxiety and feeling

 very hyper even in the middle the night to the point where I couldn't sleep. I also researched

  bronchitis and sinusitis and found that, in most cases, they're both viral. So, antibiotics won't

  do any good anyway. And both bronchitis and sinusitis can easily last two - three weeks,

sometimes longer.

 A friend of mine has extensively studied the healing properties of essential oils and passed

 on a few "recipes" to me. These are the only essential oils I have on-hand right now, but she

 was able to work with what I had. I thought I'd pass on one of my favorite remedies for a 

stuffy head:

Bring a pot of water on the stove to a gentle boil. Turn off the heat and add two drops

of tea tree oil and five drops each of peppermint, lavender, and lemon oil. (If you have

oregano and/or thyme oil, add two drops each of those.) Stir the oils into the water with

a wooden spoon. Hang your head over the pot of water (I find this easiest to do at the

kitchen table, sitting down) and make a "tent" to drape over your head and the pot so

you get the full benefits of the steam. Close your eyes and inhale deeply. I find this really

opens up my stuffy head and lungs...keep the Kleenex handy!

I won a giveaway from King Arthur flour! I received a copy of their new magazine, Sift

plus a bag each of almond and coconut flour. I've always been a fan of King Arthur flours ~

it's the only brand I buy ~ but I was dubious when I first heard about this new publication:

$12.95 for a magazine? I went through it last night and I was impressed. It's more like
 a softcover cookbook. The quality and photography is top-notch and the magazine is filled

with beautiful recipes and stories. I'd say it's worth the money. 

 I played around with hanging some pictures in the cubby area at the end of

the hallway.

 On the right side, I hung a trio of thrifted pictures with gold frames.

 On the left side, a vintage sorority paddle that Tim found in an abandoned

house that he photographed a few years ago.

I just took a look at our extended forecast and supposedly by Monday, it will

be 40 degrees ~ and 49 degrees on Tuesday! Maybe there really is a light at

the end of this dark, cold winter tunnel. Happy Wednesday, everyone.