Kai-Tea: A Dreamless Sleep

After Harry sees Voldemort return in Goblet of Fire, Dumbledore suggests to Madam Pomfrey that Harry take a potion that will put him into a dreamless sleep. The potion is described as being purple and this tea will get the hint of purple from the lavender in it. 

Ingredients: For this tea you will need chamomile, lavender, and peppermint. To sweeten it I like to use honey but you can use whatever sweetener you like.

Directions: 

First add a larger base of the chamomile to the infuser.*Chamomile is often used as a calming agent because of its wonderfully relaxing smell*

Than add a pinch of lavender. *Lavender is another herb that is used a lot for relaxation. It can be found in almost every product labeled for sleep and relaxation.*

Finish it off with a small pinch of peppermint. Let it steep for 3-5 minutes than add a bit of honey to finish it off. *Peppermint is a calming sent to me but feel free to leave it out if you would like.*

You can always change the proportions depending on personal preference and you can leave out ones you don't like.**My general rule for recipe modifications is that I follow it exactly the first time I make it, than I will make changes from there.

I AM NOT A  DOCTOR and you should always make sure you do not have an allergy to any of the ingredients before using them!! If you want to see a very detailed list of all the uses for these herbs, search them on WebMD!

If you make this tea let me know how it goes! If you have any questions for me about it, you can ask in the comments below.

NovelTea: Is Going It Alone All That Glorious After All?

In this video I talk briefly about one of the things that makes Harry a hero in my mind.

Dream Dust: Spellbinding Incantations

The magical world of Harry Potter is home to a whole slew of magical spells and incantations. If you had the chance to create your own spell, what would it be? Write a short story that includes the spell. Make sure to describe what it does, how it is done, the incantation, and when it should be used. 

Write what you come up within the comments below.

Kai-Tea: Rennervate

The Rennervate spell is used to bring someone out of unconsciousness and this caffeinated tea does that for me. I love coffee and I appreciate its bold flavor and its ability to wake me up but I like English Breakfast tea much more. It gives me that extra jolt that I find myself needing throughout the day and it is kinder on my stomach than coffee. I find that this tea blend is the tea drinker’s version of coffee because of its bold flavor and caffeine level.

When I make my English Breakfast tea I usually fill my infuser and leave it in my cup the whole time I’m drinking it. I than add half-and-half and sugar to it, the same way I would sweeten my coffee. I usually reuse the tea to make myself a second cup after I’m done with the first because it’s just that good.

Leave a comment below letting me know what your favorite wake-me-up is or how you drink you English Breakfast tea.

Dream Dust: The Horror From Here

In Chapter 30 of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire We find out about Barty Crouch’s past and we are shown the traumatic day when he had to send his son to Azkaban on the charge of using the cruciatus curse on Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom.  Re-write a part of that scene from the point of view of either his son or his wife.

Dream Dust: Magic Comes in all Forms

One of the forms that magic takes in the Harry Potter novels is in the creatures that inhabit it. In Goblet of Fire alone we encounter Blast-Ended Skrewts, dragons, unicorns, merpeople, a sphinx, and a few others. Come up with your own magical creature and write about someone’s first encounter with it.

Leave your response to this prompt in the comments below. I’m looking forward to seeing what you write

 

Dream Dust: More Than a Friend… Maybe

In the second task of the Triwizard Tournament something that each of the contestants would sorely miss was taken from them and hidden at the bottom of the lake. The thing that was taken from Victor Krum was Hermione Granger. At this point in the novel we already found out that Krum had taken to liking her quite a bit, or at least enough to ask her to go to the ball with her. What surprised me was that no one from his school was taken, no family or best friend, but rather a girl he had known for such a short while. For this prompt I would like you to write an inner dialogue or a dialogue between Krum and someone else that sheds light on his deeper feelings for her. 

Dream Dust: Let the Music Move You

Background music can say a lot about what is happening and what is coming in a movie. For this prompt you will need to listen to Death of Cedric from the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire film score and write what you think would be going on while the music is playing.

Leave your response to this prompt in the comments below!

Top Ten Quotes (Part 1)

1. “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” –Serious Black

This quote is not only one of my favorite quotes, but one of the world’s favorite quotes as well. A simple google image search will tell you that. But why is it so popular? I think that it has gained its fame because at some point in our lives we have been talked down, used, or abused by a superior and wished that the world saw them in their true light. It also teaches us that we must always look at how we treat others, no matter who they are or where they come from. Don’t be a Barty Crouch, respect each other.

 2.“We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.” – Albus Dumbledore (Find this wall decal on Etsy)

This quote is one that I love because it speaks to the weakness inside of me. It reminds that voice inside of my head that I don’t have to go through my pain alone, it is not a cross that I alone must bear. It gives me hope that, if I ask, those that love me will be there to help me in my times of need. It also reminds me that I am never alone, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome me home carry me through.

3.“Percy wouldn't notice a joke if it danced naked in front of him wearing one of Dobby's hats.” – Fred and George Weasley

When I read this I broke out in laughter, not because of the joke itself, but because I, like Percy, often miss jokes. I am even worse at telling jokes! I will tell a joke that people understand but don’t think is funny so they won’t laugh. I take their lack of laughing to mean that they didn’t understand so I proceed to explain it which makes it even less funny.

4.“It is my belief... that the truth is generally preferable to lies.” – J.K. Rowling (Find this necklace on Etsy)

When you were little did your parents ever say “If you tell me the truth you will be in less trouble.” Did you than think “You LIAR!!” and proceed to lie anyway? I know that this happened to me on multiple occasions as a child and tween. I didn’t understand that they weren’t lying until I started to work at a daycare and I found myself saying the exact same thing. I would see a child being rude to another child and I would give them the chance to come clean to me and get by with just a warning the first time. In the majority of cases they would tell the truth but every now and then there would be the brat that would lie to me and wind themselves in time out for not only being mean to another kid, but for lying to me when I told them that the truth would set them free.

5.“It is a strange thing, but when you are dreading something, and would give anything to slow down time, it has a disobliging habit of speeding up.” – J.K. Rowling

Ever since I read 100 Years Of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez I have been fascinated by the idea of time. I know that I will do more posts about time in the future but this basic idea is one that both fascinates and frustrates me. I am currently waiting to hear back about a job and the days could not slip by slower if they were molasses. On the other end of the spectrum I think about the day that my parents and sister will pass and I realize that the time I spend with them is too short and far between and it pushes me to make more time for them even though I no longer live at home and I’m so busy.