Stay-at-Home Moms

If you're a stay-at-home mom, you've no doubt received "the look." Today, as you are doubting your abilities and your mission as a mom, even if you don't stay at home with your little ones, be reminded that what we have an incredibly important job that is far more important than how much we make every year, whether we get a promotion or recognition, or how many people like us or ask us out for coffee.

You may find this blog post I'm about to share too harsh or too strongly worded or not politically correct enough for your tastes. If that's the case, simply disregard and find something else that encourages you.

Hopefully, though, it will be a good reminder that we are doing something big. Something worthwhile. Something that matters. And some days, when it's raining outside, and the house is a mess, and the kids are all cranky, and you haven't had time to shower or brush your teeth because the baby got up an hour earlier than usual, or you're three weeks behind on schoolwork, you need that nudge in the right direction.

Here's your pat on the back, ladies. And for the gents reading, please give your wife/girlfriend/mother/sister/single-mom-next-door a few words of encouragement (and if appropriate, a hug too) for doing what is truly an impossible task met with great opposition.

And now, here it is....

The Matt Walsh Blog with "You're a stay-at-home mom? What do you DO all day?"

And just for your information, while I posted this blog, my very busy 1-year-old found the cassette tapes (yes, I know...) and mangled one or more. Great part is, she was sitting right next to me. It's just the way it is sometimes. If I could hashtag on here, I would say #tunnelvision.

Keep it real today. Life is messy. That's ok.

It's been a while

Almost two years ago now, I posted my last blog entry. Unfortunately, family circumstances and situations have changed greatly since then. Now a single mom of four children and living in a new community, I am picking up the pieces of what was once viewed to be the quintessential homeschool life and existence.

Life never behaves as you expect.

Mistakes were made, lines were crossed, and life got messy for some time. That was a season I do not wish to repeat. Now is a season where my children and I and many others involved get to learn of grace and new beginnings. We all want to look back and see what went wrong, where we could have made different choices and changed the outcome. Looking back is good when it fosters future change. But where it binds us to a life of regrets and sorrow and guilt and shame, it is not helpful or healthy.

So, as life teaches us big lessons of forgiveness, grace, mercy, kindness, self-control, and many other things, we seek to press on toward the goal...

What is the goal now? With such huge changes, I have to figure that out. Is the goal to homeschool? Is the goal to survive? (Some days it seems that way.) No, I think the goal is still the same. To raise my children in the fear and admonition of the LORD and live a life I would want them to imitate. Which can be particularly difficult in certain seasons of life. And certainly shame plays a role in making me feel the failure.

But, the beauty of messy lives is that they pave the way for great heaping amounts of grace, and in that, the opportunity to share and teach and humble ourselves as parents and people of THE WAY. I find myself saying '"I'm sorry" a lot. And if I can teach my children one thing while they are with me, it will be to know that our GOD is THE great big huge GOD who cannot fit in any box or poem or slice of scripture we seek to fit HIM into. And as a hopeful citizen of HIS heavenly world, I want to model a life that is gracious and loving and more than just a cute little picture of a churchy family.

Messy. We are messy, broken, and ugly people. But our God is huge, beautiful, and beyond our imagining. Today, I will pick up one piece of my former life, one I have tried to avoid because it hurts to go back to, and try to let God use it to bless someone.

I'm welcoming myself back to my own blog. :)

May your day be full of finding God in the mess.

Life and its unexpected turns...

We got news last week that our two sweet foster boys are headed home after 9 months in our home. We got a measly 10 day notice, so I'm scrambling to get things together...including my emotions. And as we process them out the door and on to new adventures, we also have been processing a new young boy into our lives.

I've barely had time to think these last months, and after feeling like I've largely ignored my friends, it'll be good to socialize just a bit more. But, I will miss these two little ones terribly.

So, moving forward into more uncharted territory...

The house deal is still in the works. My heart is so tied up in living in the country that I'm not sure I'll be able to bear a "no" from God on this, but we've been waiting for 9 months and it seems like we've stalled out. Where are we headed? Not a clue...

Summer has been eventful, with a trip to memories from my past. Old friends have come back into my life, we took the kids to enjoy one of my favorite childhood creeks, and I've spent some time digging through old photos that have sent my belly laughing.

More later...this momma needs a few moments to catch up.

Welcome Spring!

I say that very tongue-in-cheek because we are under a severe winter storm warning right now. While most others are complaining that more snow is coming on top of what has been desperately trying to melt, I'm sitting in the cozy living room of my friend's house, enjoying delectable conversation, coffee cake, and books such as The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery. Life can't get much sweeter.

It's so easy to let our expectations get in the way of our moods. If anyone has reason to complain about yet another snow storm, it would definitely be the two of us. We both just received our orders of seeds for our spring garden planting. But, while we sit and watch the snow pelt the window outside, we dream of the beautiful weather to come. And come it will. No doubt about it. We just have to wait.

I'm looking out the window through the trees to where my house will someday be located and dreaming of chickens, tall corn stalks, and dirty boots. Yes, spring will most assuredly come. With the budding trees will come the birds and the salamanders. The mice will start to scurry again, and the cats will have fat bellies from the game they so carefully stalk.

I'm watching my dirty, old, yellow lab lick his muddy paws and cry out in pain from his aching joints. He has spent the last 12 hours enjoying these acres of land with his girlfriend, Summer. I'm thinking the old dog will have to learn to pace himself next to his young friend. But, it'll be a sweet thing to watch them splash in the water hole behind the house.

I'm listening to our children stomp up and down the stairs, and I keep wondering what it will be like to have them all working to build their treehouse between our houses. We've been carefully planning our projects and watching our budget to make room for them all. Step by step, I know things will take shape.

As the snow accumulates outside the window, I think about the pergola I want built above my deck. Those hot summer days that are sure to appear will be even more satisfying as we sweat our way to an amazing harvest of vegetables and fruits.

Yes, spring is on its way, friends. And it will be beautiful.

Vacation + Home School Convention =

ONE TIRED MOMMA!

After a lovely week in warm(er) San Diego, I spent a day and a half at home, then ran off to our State Home School Convention for 3 days. I'm totally exhausted. Glad I did all of that and then some, but I'm really, most definitely tired. Resting...

We didn't make it to church today for several reasons. One of our foster boys is now sick with the stomach bug and took a much needed 5 hour nap today. I'm thankful he hasn't thrown up again since last night, but I'm holding my breath to see if anyone else is going to get it. My husband had to run off to work this morning for some eventful drama. I know God's hand is in it. Praying...

Took some great time today to look at my photos from the last two weeks. While in San Diego, I took over 900 photos─mostly of a fantastic concert my sister was a part of. I've been adjusting lighting, cropping, and playing with photo effects. So much fun to come out with what I was hoping for. Musing...

I'm now contemplating a way to get all three of my children into the same Unit Study for history. How will this happen? I don't have the slightest clue. One of them will have to stall out while the other two do a quick catch up. Planning...

 Guess who made lunch today! It's a good thing too, because I had no idea what we were going to eat! My sweet, middle child has a huge imagination and loves to experiment. I wasn't entirely sure what would come out of his desire to make his own soup, but I hoped it was edible. And it was. It was truly wonderful. He did an incredible job, and everyone loved it!

I love my children! They are truly a treasure.

A Few Moments to Update...

It seems that with two small, nonindependent children in my home, it's much harder to get updates posted! I'll try to backdate a few things to get us back up and running...

The Kitty-Cat Soap Opera continues to run on schedule, starring our ever-exciting Oscar.

Our sweet foster boys are tugging continuously on our heart strings each day.

The world of home school is ever turning round and round.

 Wellness Wednesday keeps showing up on my doorstep for new and fun information to share.

AND

The Misadventures of Homesteading are on track just as we'd hoped.

Enjoy the updates as we try to keep up with our constantly changing lives! God is so good to us!

In Worship of the One,
Erin

Kitty-Cat Soap Opera

Well, he's at it again.
Oscar managed to disappear from us during a daily outside sunning. He was missing for five days, during which we prayed continuously for his return. I posted photos on Facebook asking for help in locating him. We walked the streets over and over again, calling his name and facing the strange looks of neighbors and we searched. We tried calling the vet and the animal shelters in hopes that someone had brought him in. Nope. He wasn't to be found.

But, God's interceding grace abounds. 

After dinner one night, I decided I had to keep looking. We had just been slammed with the storm that reached from Canada to Mexico and had some serious snow on the ground. But, I had to look anyway. I bundled up for the 24ºF weather, warmed up the car, and headed out. I had thought about all the possible places he could hide during such a terrible storm. The only place I thought he could survive was in the storm drains below the streets. Since my window wouldn't roll down, I had to get out of the car and yell for him.
After just a few minutes of driving, I found a storm drain that wasn't covered with snow. Probably the only one on base. I got out, yelled down the drain, and immediately got a crying kitty sound from deep down inside. I couldn't see him, so I didn't know for sure it was him. I phoned my husband and a friend to come watch the kids. Mark came to my rescue.

He pried off the manhole covering the drain entrance, jumped inside (not even knowing if it was Oscar yet), and began dragging himself on his belly through the pipes and watery muck. About 100 feet down the tube, he found him. A neighbor came to help. We shoveled and pried off another manhole cover further down the street and Oscar and Mark came out.

It was dark, cold, and wet down there. Pretty sure he didn't have food, sleep, or clean water for at least several days.

Oscar spent a good 4 days in the vet's office.

Morgan gives Oscar some lovin' at the vet's office.

$250 later, we have a somewhat healthy cat again. I'm so thankful for those people that came to our aid, and especially thankful to my husband, who so lovingly crawled through crud to rescue a cat that he doesn't even really connect with.

He deserves the Man of the Year award in my book.

After the fact I was singing the song "Hiding Place" during worship and it hit me─God is our hiding place, but He's not a hiding place we need rescuing from. He is not a sewer or storm drain. His hiding place is a high tower, away from the dangers and storms of life. His hiding place is one of healing and rejuvenation. I'm thankful to have my Oscar back, thankful to those that helped find him, thankful to those that prayed for his safe return, thankful for the vets and staff that took such good care of him, but even more thankful to My God, who provides, heals, restores, and seeks out.

Psalm 46  NKJV

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song for Alamoth.

 ¹ God is our refuge and strength,
         A very present help in trouble.
 ² Therefore we will not fear,
         Even though the earth be removed,
         And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
 ³ Though its waters roar and be troubled,
         Though the mountains shake with its swelling.  Selah
     
 ⁴ There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,
         The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
 ⁵ God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
         God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
 ⁶ The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
         He uttered His voice, the earth melted.
     
 ⁷ The LORD of hosts is with us;
         The God of Jacob is our refuge.  Selah
     
 ⁸ Come, behold the works of the LORD,
         Who has made desolations in the earth.
 ⁹ He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
         He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
         He burns the chariot in the fire.
     
 ¹⁰ Be still, and know that I am God;
         I will be exalted among the nations,
         I will be exalted in the earth!
     
 ¹¹ The LORD of hosts is with us;
         The God of Jacob is our refuge.  Selah

When My Patience Wears Thin...

....I go to You my God, my help, my sustenance.

....I seek out my friends, I take them up on that one-on-one time.

....I thank my husband for offering some alone time.

....I give myself a time-out.

....I drink my coffee...all by myself.

....I give myself permission to take a nap.

....I laugh. Because sometimes it really is funny.

....I take a moment to breathe and eat some chocolate.

....I give up and cry just a bit.

....I snuggle my kitty.

....I make myself press on.

....I remember, those sweet little eyes looking at me are waiting for me to love them.

....I remember YOU are the ONE I can count on, Oh God.

WHEW!!!!

What a whirlwind week this has been! Sunday is upon us and I feel like my week has whisked by. This is the first real moment I've had since Wednesday to get an update out.

Monday we were certified for Foster Care. Tuesday we worked at the farm and got a call asking us if we would be willing to take two small boys into our home. Wednesday I picked them up, and ZOOOM!!! There went the week!

We now have two beautiful boys in our care. They are sweet and precious─we love them already. To make sure that we take good care of them and their parents, we won't be posting any pictures online, but if you know us personally, you'll definitely get some time with them.

They are adjusting well and so are we. It's been very busy for us. Our own children are quite independent now, so going back to 1 and 3 year olds is quite a task. But, God is giving us the grace, patience, and rest that we need for each moment. Pray for us as we love on these two. Pray for the boys as they adjust to new schedules and some very hard situations over the next couple of months. Pray for mom and dad as well. They need a lot of it.

To add to the prayer requests, if I may...
Oscar (the invalid cat) is now urinating blood all over the place. I took him to the vet this morning, leaving hubby behind with 5 kids, and got him some antibiotics. I'm praying that they kick in quickly. Poor kitty is in bad shape.

Life never quits, does it?

Many blessings on your home!
Erin

CERTIFIED!

We went off to the pumpkin patch today and as we were searching for a way out of the 8 acre corn maze, I got a phone call telling us we are officially certified as foster parents! Bring on the adventure!!

Pray for us as we begin to navigate our way through some tough things. It will definitely bring us to our knees like never before!

In Worship,
Erin

The Happy Invalid and Other News

Our kitty is healing nicely. Thought you all deserved an update after my depressing post several weeks ago.  :)

He has regained the use of his back legs and tail. He's much like a drunken sailor as he walks about the house and yard, trying to regain his balance and muscle tone. We're really thankful for the progress that's been made. He has had a few adventures in walking to include some tumbles down the stairs, some failed attempts at climbing onto furniture, and some misses in the litter box. He's not quite got his bladder and bowel control back yet. We're hoping it comes soon; the pee pads and tinkle trails across the floor are getting old.

In other news, our farm project is on its way to completion. Our friends are days away from closing on their house next door, and we're waiting for our appraisal to come back so we can start construction. The beautiful weather has been a God-send, and I'm praying it continues so that when construction on our house gets underway, it'll be good weather for digging the basement.

We've been out gutting the basement of the existing house so that Jack and Karin can move in ready to work in a clean space. It's been a mess, but the hard work has been worth it. I love the payoff of seeing it all come together. We've been digging around in all the out buildings to see what's worth keeping and what needs to be tossed. The couple that owns the property now has been kind enough to let us get to work even before closing. We're enjoying the adventure already!

gutting basement exposes some interesting electrical work!

farm treasures are not what we thought!

Phantom of the Opera theme song keeps playing in our heads.

The mold in the basement definitely called for masks.

This was no simple affair.

The last time we were out there, we brought the dogs. They had a marvelous time running the length and breadth of the farm property─jumping in the water, playing in the hay, chasing the kids. Calvin came home with very sore hips that night, but we had a victory─He didn't run away! He had so much space to run and play that he saw no need to escape.

God has been good to us. We've not been doing much "schooling" these last weeks, but we've learned much in these days of preparation for moving, in caring for our sweet kitty, and in working hard to get the last of our harvest in and prepared for winter. Karin and I spent 16 hours in the kitchen on Friday. We accomplished a lot of canning and freezing for our winter months at the farm! So glad we could do it together!

Karin works on prepping popcorn for drying.

roasting garlic and  making pumpkin seeds

roasting roma tomatoes!

two large pumpkins gave us enough puree for 28 pumpkin pies!

our beautiful popcorn

the kids help shuck the corn for drying

Mark loves on Oscar

Loving Life,
Erin

Tragedy in Paradise

Not sure how to write this one, so I'll just come out and say it. Our peaceful (albeit crazy-busy) world was a little bit shaken on Tuesday by a phone call saying our Turkish kitty was in the pet hospital. He had been hit by a car sometime Friday night or Saturday morning and taken in by the police. We were thankful he was being taken care of, but concerned about his condition.

We left the house immediately, skipping lunch, to go check out what was going on. He had been there all weekend without us knowing, and we felt we needed to get there quickly to get more information. What we found when we got there was slightly disconcerting. I was so thankful my husband had taken the rest of the day off to come with us. I needed him.

The vet tech shared with us that Oscar didn't have any use of his back legs. He's a paraplegic kitty. Ouch.

So, we waited for the vet to come in and visit with us. The signs were not great. Some slight feeling in the feet and tail, but not much. No movement beyond the mid back. Not able to hold his urine or feces. Ouch.

We had them do an X-ray. It didn't show any breaks, but there's no telling how much damage had been done to the nerves and how much would repair itself. Thankfully, he didn't need any surgeries. Thankfully, the bill was smaller than I had anticipated.

Yesterday was a check-up. They put in a catheter and gave him a lovely cone of shame to wear around his head. That lasted until we got home. He pulled the cone off and started cleaning himself. He left the catheter alone until after we had all gone to bed. By morning, he had pulled it out completely. So much for that!

Today, a week later, he's still not using his legs. He has better feeling in them and some slight movement from time to time. He hangs out in the laundry room─living it up in his dreamy, drugged up state. He's pretty content there, but I wish he were content to lay up in the living room where we are during the day. It takes every ounce of my being to not drag him around with me all day long and try to keep him company. I know he needs rest.

Every night, when we relax on the couch, I bring Oscar up to snuggle. He always purrs when I sit down next to him. He can only get himself half into my lap and I have to help him the rest of the way.

I'm trying to keep my head about me. It's hard to love something so deeply and contemplate the thought of having to make a decision you don't ever want to have to face. Makes me think about people whose loved ones are in comas for weeks, months, even years. How could I possibly make the decision to pull the plug?

Oscar's not on life-support, but he's certainly not the same cat he was a week ago, either. He's a hunter to the very core of his being. We were looking forward to having a good mouser at the farm. Now, I don't know if he'll ever be able to go outside again.

There's a fine line between loving an animal and keeping it alive for your own comfort. I need to be able to weigh the factors that come along with being a pet owner.

Will he ever have a good quality of life again? 

                                  If we keep him, will we? 

Will he recover enough to be the Oscar that he wants to be?

         How much money and time do you pour into an animal before it becomes too much?

These questions are swirling in my mind and every once in a while they get the better of me. I'm so thankful it's not one of my children.

That's all for today. I need some chocolate.

It's been a while...

...so I'm going to attempt to update on lots of different things.

Foster Care is still in the works. We are literally weeks away from knowing if we will be certified. We've had some interesting moments along the way, none of which I will share publicly, but would be happy to share privately if you wish.

Our summer vegetable/herb garden is growing well. I wish we could have started it earlier, but it's doing well despite the rain and late planting.

We recently invested in a cow share from a local farm. Meet Sandy─the cow we have part ownership in. She makes us GREAT milk. If you're interested in getting raw milk of your own, check out the following web links:

RAW-MILK-FACTS-.com
REALMILK.com
Where to find it in your area

We took a wonderful trip out to the farm where Sandy, our milk cow, lives. It was a wonderful afternoon. I'll share pictures with you soon. We're hoping to learn from them so we can start our own farm someday!

Bartlett Farm
ND Homekeeper

Also on the docket for us is a possible move out of town. We currently live on base and we're hoping to find somewhere out in the country we can spread out and have our own space. We're looking feverishly to find something that suits our needs.

Summer months include lots of camping and fishing, lots of weed pulling, and hopefully lots of pool time to balance it all out. I'm looking forward to a break from the "books" and going for more of an unschooling approach to our sunny months. Hopefully we can get something done. We've already learned how to make our own butter.  ☺

Blessings to your home!
Erin

Interview

Today is my personal one-on-one interview with our Social Services case worker. I can't help but feel somewhat invaded with the prospect of having the "state" in our lives on a regular basis. It sort of feels like we're giving up our right to privacy so that we can care for other people's children.
I also can't help but feel that if the church were doing her job (as a whole) these kinds of government programs would be unnecessary. It saddens me to see how our society has become so anonymous in living. Neighbors do not speak to one another, families barely speak to one another; we can go through our whole lives with no one noticing that we're hurting or in need of some help.
So much of what the government is doing provides an out for the church community. No need to get out and do something, the government's got it! But do they?
I'm hoping this interview goes well. I'm hoping that we can get in the system and perhaps help people realize how much we need each other─how we cannot run around as anonymous individuals, minding our own business any longer.

Foster Family

It is with joy that I share that we are going through the process to become a foster family! It has been a lot of hours so far─with many more to come─but we are looking forward to providing a safe home for children to learn, grow, and process life in.

Our journey began when we were both young. Mark and I both had dreams of one day adopting. We didn't know this when we married, but that desire has always been there, just beneath the surface.

Being in the military has presented some challenges for us. Knowing that we will always be moving around has been an issue that has kept us from pursuing anything. Being a one-income family has been a challenge as well. We knew we wanted to be in a more stable place in order to provide stability for another child.
We are now in a place where the finances are stable, we will probably be in one place for a while, and Mark's job has hit it's sweet spot──the 9-5. I stay at home to home school; he is home in the evening and on weekends.

We have made up our minds that foster care looks like the road we're on right now, and we decided to take it one step at a time. If we hit any road blocks, we'll adjust and take another look to see if this is where God wants us.

One thing we're really being taught right now is not to call hurdles road blocks. If you can jump over it, do. If you can't, reevaluate. We sometimes tend to overreact about certain things or over-think the possible scenarios. It's tough. Being in the military, we want to control as much as possible because we have so little control over anything.

Maybe God is trying to teach us something?

We're looking forward to the lessons and the blessings.

Just have to share...

this beautiful little story from our lovely Pioneer Woman. Brings tears to my eyes and reminds me of my little Ethan man.

Ready to Dig In!

For all you GREEN THUMBS out there, I've found a few treasures to pass on...and decided I would share a bit of my photography with you as well.  ☺

I've been reading a bit here and there about GMO's (genetically modified organisims) and what they do to our bodies. I've also been doing some personal research on the use of pesticides and herbicides. The words toxic and unnecessary come to mind. I just finished a quick little read (took me less than 30 minutes) about organic gardening.

How To Become an Organic Gardener in Seven Easy Steps by Judy Barrett

She really makes it sound so easy. I hope it is. Here's a quick quote from her book:

"The ideal growing conditions exist naturally in wild areas where plants are constantly dropping their leaves attracting animals who drop their manure, and where all these things blend together to make a rich humus. Forest floors are the most beautiful topsoil in the world because the leaves drop to the ground, birds and small animals leave their droppings, water filters in slowly, and air moves freely. Most of us don't have these ideal conditions, and don't want to live in a forest anyway. But we can re-create the topsoil no matter where we live."

Doesn't that sound like a breath of fresh air!? She answers the question "Why Organic?" by saying that the chemicals we use to grow plants now, do nothing to build the soil. By building the soil, it will naturally keep pests away and grow better plants in the future, and it only takes a short time.

Last year, I bought the book Carrots Love Tomatoes by Louise Riotte. It was an invaluable resource in companion planting. I had an incredible yield from my tiny little postage stamp garden. I found natural ways of keeping pests away, building the soil through "buddy planting", and getting more yield from a smaller space.

This year, I borrowed a seed catalog from a friend. Check out their website:

www.RareSeeds.com

Non-GMO seeds, tested just to be sure. Heirloom seeds, some extremely rare. Seeds from all over the world. Committed to the best plants and gardening, everything from flowers to herbs and veggies. I bought a BUNCH!

"Science has tried to assume a monopoly─or, rather, a tyranny─over our understanding of the world around us...We are only now beginning to understand the disastrous results of this outlook."  ~Prince Charles

I think it's a beautiful thing how the world around us is continually trying to maintain balance. Look at the wind─blowing to bring high and low pressure systems into balance. People, trying to maintain balance in their lives through priorities. The soil, too, is trying to balance between acidity and alkalinity─the plants playing their roles in it all. And the bugs bring balance to the natural predator/prey world. It really is a wonderful thing, this world that God created.

I pray we find wonderful ways of enjoying it this spring and summer.

Natural Remedies Encyclopedia

I can't say enough about this new book I got. After joining two other girlfriends of mine on a trip to our state home school convention, I came home with this Natural Remedies Encyclopedia. What an incredible book!!

My advice to you─GET ONE! You'll love it. Here are two of my own personal stories on using this book (and I've only had it for four days!):

Before I bought this book, I used a remedy that's already in it without knowing it. My husband and I went to Bible study on the Wednesday night before the convention. After dinner, and halfway through the study, my daughter came up with tears in her eyes. She was holding her ear and shaking from pain. We didn't want to have to leave the study early, but she seemed in terrible discomfort. We tried using a wet paper towel to help with the pain, but it wasn't working, so my husband took her home. After talking with a friend, I called a lady in our church body who was said to have a "home remedy" for ear aches and infections. I asked her if I could come by and borrow it. She said, "No, no. You can make it yourself!" Wow. Okay. I took down the recipe over the phone, went home, made it up, and it worked! The next morning, she was as good as new. I left for the convention that morning telling my husband, "If you need to give it to her again, here's how you make it." He didn't need to. She was fine! No need for antibiotics and long Dr. visits.

Last night, this same daughter of ours was coughing incessantly after she went to bed. My husband and I were watching Chariots of Fire and could hear her over the loud music. (I'm deaf, and I could hear her!) She seems to have either some kind of cold bug or spring allergies. After listening for a few minutes, we finally decided to get up and see about her cough. My husband rummaged through the cupboard for the "normal" medicines and came out with some Vick's. Nah, let's try something different this time, I thought. He laughed as I pulled out the book. "I knew you were gonna do that", he said. I looked in the book and found the cough section. A whole list of options! I picked the one that seemed the easiest given the things we had in our house at the time─a warm wrap with cayenne pepper in it. Buy the book and check it out. It works. After replacing the wrap several times (which of course takes more time than just rubbing the Vick's on and going back to our movie) she stopped coughing. It had almost instant results. No meds involved. We also used our humidifier to do a Eucalyptus vapor. She slept through the whole thing and woke up looking so rested this morning. What a difference!

These are just two of the stories I could tell!

Like my friend, I'm not trying to sell you something. I'm trying to share something with you that may change the way you take care of your self and your family. I've used it about 10 times already and found it to be very thorough and indescribably effective. It's worth the money. Think of it as a down-payment on your insurance copay for visiting the Dr.─except you won't go as often anymore. If you do get this book, or you already own one, share your story in the comments. I'd love to know how it's helped you!! And it may help someone else, too.


I'll leave you with my friend's Amazon customer review, which can also be read on their website here:

I am so glad I bought this. It is a very complete, 900 page one-volume encyclopedia of 11,000 natural drugless remedies. It covers 730 diseases-helping your family for a lifetime for the cost of one doctor visit! A whole section talking about nutritional principles, the 8 laws of health,- vitamins, minerals, enzymes, special foods and other nutrients-126 most important herbs-poultices-essential oils-complete water therapy manual-special women's section-great indexes! I do not like my children being on medicine and I came home from the homeschool convention where I bought this to my daughter being sick. We treated her for the ear infection and fever naturally-the next morning her ear ache was gone and fever broke. Now we're flushing her system according to the common cold section! I've always wanted to do this, but didn't know how! After every sickness cause and remedy there is a great biblical encouragement section to encourage those that don't have that-God is our provider and our strength and gives us all we need to keep our bodies healthy! My two girlfriends also bought one and I'm recommending it to all I know for a great all in one resource!  ~K. C.~

Five Star Blogger

I have officially found my new favorite blogger─Ree Drummond at The Pioneer Woman. I am stunned by the fun, inspiring, whimsical, and true-to-self posts on this blog. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!