The Holiday Go ButtonThe season is upon us! The overall vibe of this darker time of year is for inward reflection and self care, but--for those of us who celebrate the winter holidays--that goes out the window from
late November through December. Â Truth is, with these suddenly so (literally) dark days, we could use a wee boost and the reminder to come together to find healing and joy with those we love. This is likely why so many cultures and spiritual faiths celebrate the "birth of the Son/Sun" and finding light in dark times this time of year. We light candles, sing songs, give gifts big or small
from the heart, and prepare our favorite foods to share together. Â No matter your faith or background, I invite you to seek joy and loved community this month, appreciating and focusing on the many things we have common, sharing gratitude and goodwill. Â On that gift theme, we're running the annual
sale (biggest discounts ever?) and I'm sharing my favorite recipes for lip balm and body cream with videos, which I rarely share publicly for free. (Perhaps a first for the cream recipe and the two videos.) These are the most popular recipes I teach for gift giving and everyday personal skin care - enjoy!  In This Email: ⢠ A personal note from Maria ⢠ Thanksgiving- Black Friday Sale! ⢠ Lip Balm & Perfect Cream Recipes with Videos ⢠ 2025 Series Announced!  Behind the ScenesIf you've followed me for years, you might recall that this is an important time of year for me and my family/friends. December is our birthday month! Plus Thanksgiving and Christmas are a big deal for just about all the extended families, leading to many "holiday hops."
And it's our first December sharing a home with my in-laws, so the trimming and decorating is sure to be a bit bigger than my norm. :)
I'll certainly be taking time off around these special dates. Â This is also a really big transition time in the biz. This past week Dayna and I have been busy getting geared up for the 2025 series while wrapping up 2024. I'm beyond grateful and excited
for the guest teacher lineup for the 2025 Advanced Health Concerns Series (more on that further below!), and all our 2025 series are now on the website and open for registration. We still have lots of odds and ends to do between now and the first class dates, but let's give ourselves a pat on the back for getting the basics up and running in just one week! I'm also beginning to devote every other week to writing book #5 (or at least that's what I'm supposed to be doing), and trying
to do everything else on those off weeks. Â |
 Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday Sale! đ It's here! The Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday sale starts NOW and will go through Cyber Monday/December 2nd. This
year is a BIG sale. Enjoy 50% off on-demand single classes and mini-courses (not series)Â
 as well as 25% off book orders. No Code Needed!  More details below!  We wish you a safe and happy Thanksgiving (if you celebrate) and a warm, wonderful holiday season. We are thankful for each and every one of you! We hope this inspires you to continue your learning journey in 2025. đąđđą   Maria's On-Demand Single Classes & Mini
Courses50% off on-demand single classes and mini-courses Terms: Online on demand individual and short series/bundles only (Home Herbalist, Beyond the HHS, and Advanced Series/Modules are not included in the sale). Sale runs Thanksgiving morning through Cyber Monday Nov 28-Dec 2, 2024. This deal can be combined
with choose-your-own scholarship discounts. Maria's Book Sale! 25% off book orders Terms: Available for Body into Balance (softcover, hardcover, and Spanish editions),
Grow Your Own Herbal Remedies, and Herbal Remedies for Sleep. USA shipping only. Cannot be combined with other discounts. Sale runs Thanksgiving morning through Cyber Monday Nov 28-Dec 2, 2024 or while supplies last. Sorry, local folks, the new home is NOT pick up friendly, so we're just doing shipped orders. If you need free shipping, go for Amazon (affiliate link) or another online seller - I can't
compete with their prices. Favorite Bodycare Gift Recipes! Simple Lip Balm (Remedy Video HERE)Makes about 35 lip balm tubes. Divide/multiply the recipe as needed. - 1 oz of beeswax, crushed or grated*
- 4 oz of olive, grapeseed, and/or coconut oil
or other carrier oils like jojoba, apricot, almond⌠- 15+ drops of essential oil per batch or 2 drops per tube
Optional, I usually donât use: - 1/2 teaspoon of vitamin E oil, optional to prevent rancidity
- 1 teaspoon of honey, optional for flavor and to prevent rancidity
- 10 drops of grapefruit seed extract, optional to prevent rancidity
 Gently melt beeswax and olive oil together in a double boiler or microwave, stirring frequently. When the beeswax melts thoroughly, test consistency by dripping some of the mixture onto a cold metal spoon or bowl.
If too hard, add more oil. If too soft, add more beeswax. Once desired consistency is reached, remove from heat and stir in vitamin E, honey, and or grapefruit seed extract (all optional). Then add essential oils and pour into lip balm tubes or jars. Allow to harden before capping. *Beeswax Tip: Wrap beeswax in a clean cloth, place on a hard surface (ie: concrete, a rock, pavement), and bang with a hammer until broken up.
Note: Lip balm tubes hold 0.15 oz. You can also use jars, tins, etc. Â Â Perfect Cream (Remedy Video HERE)This recipe is adapted from âRosemaryâs Perfect Creamâ in Rosemary Gladstarâs Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health. This recipe does not need to be stored in the refrigerator; however, storing in in the freezer (even for just a few days â thanks to Michelle Morton for this tip!) will improve the consistency
and longevity. If it separates, just stir it with a spoon.
Although my cream seems to keep very well for a few months, it doesn't have preservatives, so it does have the potential to grow microbes over time. I make small jars and store extras in the freezer.  Oils: - 3/4 cup (6 oz) âliquid oilsâ (grapeseed oil, herb-infused oliveâŚ)Â
My usual: all grapeseed oil or about 50/50 grapeseed oil with calendula-infused olive ol. - 1/3 cup (2.5 oz) âsaturated fatsâ (coconut oil, cocoa, shea...)
My usual: Â 1 oz cocoa butter, 1.5 oz coconut oil. - 1/2 to 1 ounce grated or smashed beeswax*
My usual: 3/4 oz beeswax
Waters: - 2/3 cup (5.5 oz)Â distilled water, vanilla extract, rose water,
herbal tinctures, flower essencesâŚ
My usual: 2 oz Frontier Coop Vanilla extract + 3.5 oz distilled water - Optional few drops of essential oil of choice. (With my cocoa butter and vanilla extract - I love the cookie aroma it has without any essential oils.)
 1. In a double boiler over low heat, combine the oils. Heat just enough to melt. Once melted, pour into a glass mason jar (for
immersion blender) or blender. Let cool to room temp. The mixture should become thick, creamy, semisolid, and cream colored. 2. While the oils are cooling, combine the âwatersâ in a pour-able container. Let warm to room temp. 3. When both mixtures have reached room temperature (1-2 hours), use an immersion blender (my preferred method!) or regular blender or hand mixer to mix the cooled âoils.â Slowly
drizzle the âwatersâ into the whirling oils. If necessary, stop blending occasionally to mix with a spoon or spatula until everything has combined. 4. Pour or scoop into cream or lotion jars with clean caps, preferably sterilized to discourage mold and bacteria growth. Store in a cool, dry place. The cream will thicken as it sets. Optional: Pop this in the freeze for a few days and let thaw on the
counter. This will slow the crystalization of cocoa butter (as will properly temperating the cocoa butter), which develops little gritty flecks over time. You can store creams in the freezer til you need them so that extras keep longer. This will keep them fresher longer, too.  2025 Series Details & Registration Open!We'll be running all classes on Tuesday nights, 6-9 pm Eastern Time in 2025!  These Series are Live Streaming &
Recorded. - Home Herbalist Series runs March - April (9 classes): My most popular series for new and intermediate herb students to get a solid start to herbal medicine including foundational body systems (stress, relaxation, nutrition, digestion, immune, blood sugar, repro...) and popular remedy making techniques (tea,
tincture, oil...) Details, registration here!
- Beyond the Home Herbalist Series runs mid June - August (9 classes): Continue the learning from the HHS with additional popular body systems and health topics (longevity, strong bones, brain health, skin, lungs,
autoimmune disease...) and fun remedies (broth, bonbons, cough syrup, topical rubs...). This is also the ONLY series simultaneously happening IN PERSON in my Chichester classroom (only 9 spots!).Details, registration here!
For students who have completed the prior two series or similar content elsewhere (or plan to
take them in 2025), you're eligible to register for... - The Advanced Health Concerns Series (12 core classes) is a module of my full advanced series which will feature favorite topics related to advanced health concerns and body systems. We'll run a few classes in late spring (menopause, gut healing art
of formulation), break for summer, then come back in autumn (Sep-Nov) for more topics with Maria (thyroid, herb-drug interactions) and several amazing guest teachers (Cancer/Ember Peters, Fatigue Differentials/Thomas Easley, MCAS/Mel Kasting, Death and Dying/Suchil Coffman, Lyme/Debbie Mercier + 1 TBA). In addition to the core 12 classes, students in this series will also get to drop in on at least 7 selected classes from the HHS and BHHS. Details, registration here!Â
- There is also an option to take the FULL Advanced Series on-demand  (~20+ classes), which
includes access to the Health Concerns live stream series AND so much more pre-recorded content (for students who register between Nov 2024-June 2025).
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