Sooooo....who designed the heart that I show titled "Enchanter"? That was my burning question last week when I found the pattern in work files that I was sorting out. Thanks to Google, I found out the designer is Jon although it took a few tries with different search words. Apparently I copied it to a word document and neglected to put the name on it. There is a pdf link to the same pattern which has Jon's name on it. I try to remember to copy & paste the url too but sometimes I forget. I often copy & paste the pattern onto a word document rather than highlighting and printing from the website. Even though I select "print selection", it often doesn't show up right so it's easier to just put it on a word doc and then adjust the margins or photo size from there. "Print Selection" also does not show the url. I think Jon didn't have the pdf ready at the time.

So that was last week....and last night I tatted the heart last thing before going to bed. Another quick and easy tat! It's really sweet. I bought some new Lizbeth thread on Saturday, size 40 this time, in Razzle Dazzle. I hope I have better luck in a different size. I put 4 yards on each shuttle and while I haven't measured what's left yet, I think I probably have at least 2 yards still left. The finished heart is no bigger than a quarter. I really like it.

Sunday was a whirl of sewing, cleaning, and catching up with chores. I could actually use a few weeks of time to catch up with. I also rediscovered odds and ends of things I'd forgotten I had. My grandson's Link tunic is done except for sewing the tab down, putting velcro on the armbands and elastic into the hat.

I cut the remaining sage and basil from outside and it's drying a bit right now. I'll freeze most of it tonight. I got a recipe online for sage tea. Here's the info from http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_sage.htm

When one is suffering from symptoms like sore throat, tonsillitis or loss of voice or from mucus accumulation leading to congested lungs, then sage would be the best bet for providing immediate relief. Sage tea can be used in these cases. The tea can be made in this way: steep 2 tsp. dried or fresh sage leaves in 1-1/4 cups of boiling water for half an hour. Then strain, sweeten with honey (if desired) and drink a half every few hours as needed. Add 1/4 tsp. of fresh lime juice and gargle well before swallowing. This will provide great relief for a raw, painful and irritated throat.

While it may be true that more and more mothers of today believe in breast feeding their infants, so that the infant remains healthy and free from infections, it is also a fact that not many mothers are aware of how exactly they can stop nursing their babies when they are old enough and need to be weaned. Mothers keep producing extra milk, and this becomes completely unneeded when the babies are off the breast. This is when sage can help; two cups of warm sage tea a day for up to 7 days is quite capable of drying up the milk supply quite nicely. Bring 1 qt. of water to a boil and steep 8 tsp. dried or fresh sage leaves in it for 45 minutes, covered. Then strain, add honey and drink.

Sage is quite pungent and I imagine it wouldn't take much to flavor tea. I love the smell of it but I would only add a very small amount to regular batch of black pekoe tea. I suspect too much would be detrimental considering how effective the prior paragraphs claim it is. In fact, the article states nursing mothers and pregnant women must use caution as it can dry up the milk and also cause contractions. As with any herb or natural remedy, research all the effects and ask your doctor or pharmacist if they interact with anything.

This is going to be a busy week. Tonight I help hang our display at TAF (Tippecanoe Arts Federation). If you click on the "Exhibits" tab, you'll see us listed in the second exhibit - Threads Through Time. I'm really anxious to see how our tree turned out. Oh pooh...forgot my camera! Well, the phone cam works.