Paperback Pumpkins and Sassafras Tea

Isn't this neat? As soon as I saw this I knew I was going to make it. I'd just finished a paperback book that had barely held itself together til I read the last page and for some reason I hadn't thrown it out.The idea is from Cheeky Magpie and her tutorial is here . I made mine in a pumpkin shape using a glass mixing bowl for a pattern. It's easy to make and interesting to look at. I used an orange marker to paint the edges of the pages and then used water and a paintbrush over it. Check out the little vine I cut yesterday to use as a pumpkin stem. I'd already cut the pages and applied the orange color , and glued the stem to the spine of the book. That's when i decided the stem was way to long, so I got my pruning shears and cut it. All these black ants came tumbling out, crawling up my arm and through my fingers!... . I was so surprised all I could do look on as they just kept coming out of there! And I thought "how many ants could be inside that little stick??" The answer is "a LOT!" Then one stung me on the wrist and I came out of my trance and killed them all til they died from it....



Can you see the black ants stampeding out of the top of that stem? I used a dry cat briar that had no briars on it, LOL


Here it is finished. It looks a lot more orange in person,lol Look, I still have half a jar of creme pumpkins!

We went for a walk to the river looking for Sassafras. I've been sick all year, and today decided to make a little tonic and see if I felt better after. We didn't find any out there but then we never veered off the path. We did see this spot of pink and took photos of it. It was the only one we saw. Other flowers were purple or white or yellow, so pretty mixed up with all the red and orange leaves. We came back up to the house and I dug some Sassafras up out of the front yard. Most people down here know it when they see it. You can tell it by the leaves, three different shapes, one being a "mitten" shape. Dried leaves are file`,(as in File` Gumbo) and used in cooking down here,.And once you've hit a root, you know immediately by the distinctive sweet smell. Wash the dirt off and throw it in a small pot of water. One cup is plenty. That's my cup of SassyAss Tea next to the paperback pumpkin. Yeah, HossFly calls it SassyAss :D And I do feel better.

These are the pink flowers we found near the river. The color is more of a lavender pink in real life.




This is Uncle Jack. He stayed on the deck while we went for a walk to the river. We could hear him crying "Mama- Mama-Mamaaaaa" the whole time we were gone, until he could see me again. See him telling "Daddy" that "Mama" abandoned him? Never mind that "Daddy" stayed at the house with him...

I made another couple Snow Divas but no pics. I'm not feeling the greatest, I think I have bronchitis yet again. I've lost count of how many times this year. Tomorrow morning 20 people and their brothers will call and I'll have lost my voice by the time I wake up.