Project? Tea Time

It's project Monday...and I don't have a project to share. Here's where this blog of ours crosses over between our crafting lives and the messier stuff. If you've been following along, you know that I have breast cancer that metastasized to my liver. My liver is doing great--happily regenerating every day according to the scans. The problem is, I feel like the chemo is killing the rest of me. After my dose this past Tuesday, I quickly developed neuropathy, basically nerve damage. I've been experiencing numbness in my fingers and toes, but it's now more like burning pain. I'm also having eye problems. You can imagine how frustrating it was trying to thread my sewing machine to make a little tea cozy for my son's new tea set. It just didn't happen.

I was disappointed and cried, I admit. But then I thought, why not learn something from this month's theme? I need to turn over a new leaf, so to speak, a new way of thinking. Did I mention we're putting out 18 month old boy in day care for the first time this week? There's just a lot happening that I never would have imagined for my life. I can cry and agonize over it all (and I still will occasionally), or I can take a deep breath and take it easy.

While my little angel was taking his afternoon nap, I made some tea and just sat down.

Cinnamon Ginger Tea:

4 cups water

1 cinnamon stick

1 piece of ginger, peeled and sliced

Bring water and spices to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. I added a little Agave Nectar and a splash of soy milk.

Ginger Green Tea:

4 cups water

2 mint green tea bag (I used decaf)

1 piece of ginger, peeled and sliced

lemon juice

honey or agave nectar

Bring water and ginger to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Add tea bags and steep, covered for another 5 minutes or so. Add lemon juice and honey or agave nectar to taste.

What is tea time without a little treat? My mom was served these cookies, called Biscoff on the plane home from my house and loved them. So, she ordered enough to last through this century and sent me several bags worth. I should really say that she sent them for her sweet grandson who loves a little afternoon cookie snack. Who doesn't? Ari actually discovered dunking this week. I gave him a Biscoff and glass of milk and, without any prompting, he dunked the cookie...a huge grin spread across his face followed by the sound of pure joy. I experienced the same joy today. After fighting with my sewing machine, struggling with my numb fingers and ever-sore throat, I decided I deserved a spoonful of vanilla bean ice cream on a Biscoff. My throat and soul were soothed.