How to Make a Corn Husk Doll

I posted instructions last Lughnasadh on how to make a corn husk doll. I saved the husks from my sweet corn to make another dolly this year. Thought I'd share the instructions again, along with pics this time.

HOW TO MAKE A CORN HUSK DOLL

MATERIALS:

fresh corn husks
cotton balls
string
scissors

You will need about 2 ears of corn for enough husks to make your dolly.

1. Peel the husks off the corn. You can use the darker green outer husks if you would like, but the softer, paler inner husks are easier to work with, and don't split as easily when working with them.

Outer husks on the left, inner husk on the right

2. Take 1-2 corn husks and roll them together tightly lengthwise. Secure each end with string. Trim each end about 1/2 inch away from ties. This forms the arms of the dolly.

3. Take 2-4 cotton balls and place them in the middle of 1-2 wide strips of husk.

Then, fold the husks over the cotton balls and gather it to form the shape of the head. Tie tightly with string. Leave the long ends of the husks in place.

4. Place the "arms" between the long ends of the husks left from making the head.

Then tie string underneath the arms to form the "waist".

5. Arrange several husks around the waist of the figure. Make sure the husks overlap. Gather string around the waist and tie it tightly.

6. Take the ends of the husks by the head of the figure and fold them down over the string to finish forming the "skirt" of the figure. (You may need to loosely tie string around the husks to hold them down in place as it dries) If you would like the skirt line to be even, you can trim the husks straight across.

7. If you would like your figure to resemble a man, divide the husks of the "skirt" in half. Gather the husks together on each half and tie them tightly with string on the ends. Now they should resemble legs. You can trim below the ties to form "feet".

While the husks are still soft, you may wish to continue to carefully shape the dolly. Then give your dolly a week or so to dry, in a cool place out of the sun.

You can use more husks to further decorate your dolly, if you prefer. Some people like to use scraps of cotton material to make an apron, shawl or vest for the dolly. The dried corn silk can be glued on for hair. Use your imagination!

And voila! Here is my completed dolly, along with the one I made a few years ago. I thought it would be nice to have a God/Goddess pair. They will have a place of honor on my altar during harvest time. I often have the Goddess dolly out for Imbolc, as well.

Happy Lughnasadh crafting!

What It Is

Nio asked for some details about FMS... thought I'd share with y'all.

Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) is defined as "a widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue disorder for which the cause is still unknown. Fibromyalgia means pain in the muscles, ligaments, and tendons – the soft fibrous tissues in the body."

Symptoms include:
(green indicates symptoms I have)

widespread muscular pain
fatigue
sleep disorder/disturbance
night sweats
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
irritable bladder
chronic migraines/ headaches
Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction Syndrome
Premenstrual syndrome and painful periods
non-cardiac chest pain
morning stiffness
cognitive or memory impairment
numbness and tingling sensations
muscle twitching
the feeling of swollen extremities
skin sensitivities
dry eyes and mouth
impaired coordination
sensitive to odors, loud noises, bright lights
dizziness
anxiety
depression
sensitivity to heat/cold

There is actually no type of lab test that can be done to determine if one has FMS. It is usually diagnosed after everything else has been eliminated. The closest thing doctors can do to test for FMS is a tender points exam. If at least 11 of the 18 points are painful to pressure, FMS is a probability. I have pain at about 16 of the 18 points-- at least 10 are *extremely* painful for me.

How is FMS treated? Well, there is no particular treatment or medicine, and depending on the doctor, ideas on how to treat FMS can vary greatly.

If I have the energy for it, gentle yoga helps. Massage helps. Chiropractic adjustments help. Heat and/or ice packs sometimes help. I have an arnica cream I rub into my muscles that sometimes helps. I do better during the summer when its hot and dry. I'd like to try accupunture and water therapy to see if these would help.

I take ibuprofen for the muscle inflammation/pain and sleeping pills to help me get at least 4-6 hours of sleep a night. I take an anti-depression/anti-anxiety medication, which, for me, has been a life-saver. If the pain becomes intolerable (usually at night, for me) I have a muscle relaxer-- I try not to use it unless I'm desperate.

More than you ever wanted to know about FMS? Yeah, me too. But just in case you haven't yet gotten your fill, you can read more about it here and here and here.

As for me, I'm hanging in there and doing the best I can. And I really enjoy the good days when they come along.

Egyptian Potluck

Once again, its time for the monthly Monkey Tribe International Potluck!

This month we enjoyed recipes from Egypt. We had a nice turnout of friends, also. There were 10 of us and food galore! We had Spicy Egyptian cakes; a salad of onions, red, yellow & green bell peppers; another salad of red onion, cucumber, parsley, feta cheese and lemon juice and herbs; Chicken Tabouleh Cassarole; Chicken Stewed in Yogurt; another cassarole with chick peas and red beans; fig bread with cinnamon honey butter... was that everything? It was all *very* good!

It is so interesting to see how food changes depending on the country. When we did Sweden, the food was all very heavy and filling. The Egyptian dishes we ate were all very light and most had a cooling effect on your digestive system. Its fascinating to see how ingredients and recipes change due to climate, food availability, culture, etc.

FIRAKH MATBUKHA BI-AL-ZABADI
(Chicken Stewed in Yogurt)

2 chickens (about 1 kg. each)
3 C plain yogurt
1 egg white
1 T corn starch
1 T dried mint
cooking oil
salt & pepper

1. Cut the chickens into 6 pieces. Cook chicken in oil until browned.

2. Sitr egg white into yogurt and pass through sieve over chicken.

3. Season with salt & pepper and cook for about 30 minutes, uncovered.

4. Thicken yogurt with corn starch.

5. Place in serving dish and sprinkle with mint.

I used chicken breasts cut into chunks instead of a whole chicken. I also added some of the dried mint when I added the salt & pepper during cooking. Many of the Egyptian recipes I read when I was researching, used nutmeg or cinnamon with chicken, so I took the liberty of adding a bit of nutmeg, too. This was really easy to prepare and tasted delicious. Sorry, no pic this time, I didn't have enough time!