Today's Favorite Things are...
1. Breakfast in bed. I awoke to the smell of sizzling sausage this morning and then opened my eyes to discover a handsome man bringing me a plate of scrambled eggs, sausage and a bagel with (my favorite) veggie cream cheese. I am spoiled.
2. My heat bag. Unfortunately, I also awoke with a crick in my neck. My heat bag came to the rescue. I made this one with fabric that my mom gave me. (She knows me so well!) Recipe to follow...
3. Contact lenses. It is still miraculous to me, after all these years, that every morning I can stick a tiny, little piece of plastic in my eye and I can see! I was cursed with glasses in the 4th grade and endured many taunts of "four eyes!" until I was saved by contact lenses the summer before 9th grade. I have very rarely worn glasses on purpose in public since then.
4. Spanx.
5. A fenced in back yard. So I don't have to parade around the street in my jammies while Teddy completes his morning routine.
Heat Bags
For your bag - use a 10" x 24" piece of fabric. I like snuggly fleece. Fold in half, with right sides together, so that it measures 10" x 12". Sew 2 sides closed and turn right side out. You can also make long, skinny bags that are perfect for wrapping around the neck and shoulders - just use a piece of fabric that is 24" x 12" and fold it longways so that it forms a 24" x6" tube. (These, of course are approximate sizes and you can make them whatever size and shape you want!)
For your filling - get just plain, cheap popcorn (not microwave popcorn), put it in a big pot of water and bring to a boil. Boil the popcorn for 10 minutes (it will start to float) - this causes the popcorn to go "dormant" and won't pop in the microwave later. Lay out your boiled popcorn on a towel and let it dry completely. (I usually let mine dry for a couple of days.) I also always add herbal tea bags (2 or 3) to my heat bags make them smell nice and add aromatherapy properties. (Chamomile is great for stress and headaches. Peppermint is awesome for sore muscles and for energy. Lavender is calming and helps with sleeplessness and cramps.)
Put it all together - fill your bags about half-way with the popcorn. Just fill it loosly, you don't want it too tight in the bag. Cut your tea bags open and shake the contents into your heat bag. Sew the final end together.
To use - microwave for 3 minutes or so, depending on how hot you like it!
5 comments:
What a coincidence that you mention SPANX. I am in a business entrepreneurship class and we just got done reading the story of Sara Blakely and the creation of her SPANX products. It is actualy quite interesting.
Breakfast in Bed?! Nice!! What a lucky woman you are! I have to say, you definitely deserve to be pampered 'cause you spend so much time pampering others. :)
I loved this post. :o)
I use flax seed when I make something like that. It is more expensive, but it doesn't take any prep work and it gives a good moist heat. I like the idea of the tea bags. I always use a couple of handfuls of cloves, which also smells great.
Another fun way to make one is to get a stuffed animal from Build-a-Bear, only stuff its head, and don't close it. Then, you can fill it with flax seed (or popcorn) and tie it shut. They microwave just fine as long as you take them out and shake them half-way through to prevent hot spots. Great for kids of all ages, and they stay warm for hours.
I am definately going to make one of those luxurious bags. Thanks for the directions!
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