Herbal First Aid Kit

Here's what I have inside my herbal first aid kit:

Cayenne pepper - used as a styptic (stops bleeding) for cuts (or Yarrow)

Lavender essential oil - to help calm someone in an emergency, and to help heal/disinfect cuts/burns, etc.

Traumeel - homeopathic liquid (also comes in a cream) to apply topically on sites of muscular soreness, bruises, etc. Arnica works great too!

"Fast Heal" first aid gel - a product containing a mixture of homeopathic remedies and herbs in an aloe vera base. I use it like I would neosporin.

"Sssting stop" insect gel - homeopathic ointment for insect bites and stings

Some sort of natural throat lozenges (mine are Herbon Organic)

Scar & Burn healing oil - Contains: Foraha & rose hip seed oils, calendula infused olive oil, essential oils of mugwort, sage, and lavender.

D-mannose powder - For UTI's, just mix a teaspoon to a tablespoon with water and drink.

Oil of Oregano - poisoning, upset stomach, traveler's diarahhea, and so much more!

"Immunify" tincture - contains: echinnacea, pau d'arco, astragalus, suma, cordyceps, + alcohol. For colds, flu, etc.

"Super ViraGon" tincture - contains: ginger, garlic, olive leaf extract, horseradish, habanero, 4000 ppm liquid zinc, grapefruit seed extract, wild mountain oil of oregano, + 5% alcohol in a base of apple cider vinegar. For flu, infections, viruses, etc. (Claims to even protect against bird flu!)

Homemade salve - mine contains a mixture of calendula & comfrey infused olive oil, plus cocoa butter, shea butter, candelila wax, and lots of essential oils (mostly blue chammomile)

Five Flower Formula - bach flower essense, basically the exact same thing as rescue remedy. For panic attacks, calming people down, bruises, even cuts!

Colon Detoxifier powder - A formula containing: psylium seed & husk, apple pectin, bentonite clay, activated willow charcoal, pau d'arco, flax seed, marshmallow root, slippery elm bark, licorice root, and fennel seed. Supposed to be used for cleansing, first aid wise, it can be used to relieve constipation or dirahhea.

Aloe: for burns

Plus: tweezers, plenty of bandages, gauze, medical tape, mini scissors, etc. etc.

If I won the lottery

Lauren and I are watching a tv show about people who won the lottery. I don't play the lottery, since I voted against it in the State of Texas, but just for arguments sake let's say if I did win I'd use it for the following:

Buy land and build small chapel for congregation
Pay off mortgage $66K
Pay off land $65K
Pay off medical bills $2K
Pay off car $3K
Build log cabin (http://www.satterwhite-log-homes.com/g4/pages/plans/angelina.html) - $80,000
New Tractor with implements ($100,000)
New Truck $30,000
Stock pantry - until it's done
New Barn - $30,000
Plant Christmas Tree section and Pumpkin Patch section
Purchase Dairy goats and set up milking barn
Build tornado shelter
Buy my dream gun and enough ammunition

The Path to another Great Depression

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/silveira117lw.html

I was talking to another woman recently, and have been criticized for fear mongering among Christians. I have been encouraged to not worry about the country's economic situation and to rely solely on God. I believe that is not what God wants of us, to hide our head in the sand. While I rely on God, I rely on him to guide me and direct my path in preparing for hard times, just as Joseph did for Egypt.

In Proverbs 31, God outlines specific courses of action for those that are Keepers of the Home to follow. We are to be prepared for the winter, whether the season of the year or the season of life. Many things that I post about are items that I believe God brings to my attention for a reason. I then stop, think, pray and listen for God's direction. I don't consider myself fearful but observant and smart enough to follow God's promptings.

Frankly, with all of the "clues" the past few years it really amazes me that more people haven't been aware of what God has been telling them.

A Wife of Noble Character

^{10 [b]}Who can find a virtuous and capable wife?
She is more precious than rubies.
¹¹ Her husband can trust her,
and she will greatly enrich his life.
¹² She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

¹³ She finds wool and flax
and busily spins it.
¹⁴ She is like a merchant’s ship,
bringing her food from afar.
¹⁵ She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household
and plan the day’s work for her servant girls.

¹⁶ She goes to inspect a field and buys it;
with her earnings she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷ She is energetic and strong,
a hard worker.
¹⁸ She makes sure her dealings are profitable;
her lamp burns late into the night.

¹⁹ Her hands are busy spinning thread,
her fingers twisting fiber.
²⁰ She extends a helping hand to the poor
and opens her arms to the needy.
²¹ She has no fear of winter for her household,
for everyone has warm^[c] clothes.

²² She makes her own bedspreads.
She dresses in fine linen and purple gowns.
²³ Her husband is well known at the city gates,
where he sits with the other civic leaders.
²⁴ She makes belted linen garments
and sashes to sell to the merchants.

²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity,
and she laughs without fear of the future.
²⁶ When she speaks, her words are wise,
and she gives instructions with kindness.
²⁷ She carefully watches everything in her household
and suffers nothing from laziness.

²⁸ Her children stand and bless her.
Her husband praises her:
²⁹ “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world,
but you surpass them all!”

³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last;
but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.
³¹ Reward her for all she has done.
Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.

Restore the Republic

So Tired, Can't Sleep

I really hate that feeling, you know the one where you are so tired and want to sleep, but your mind is so active you can't. That's how I feel now.

Today was our monthly fellowship lunch after church. The last Sunday of the month we have lunch after church. It was really nice to talk with each other and not rush off right after worship services. Kim always makes great desserts.

Afterwards I had planned to drive to Sun Harvest to pick up a few herbal meds to help combat any viruses, or flu illnesses we contract. Hopefully none but we'll see, I like to be prepared.

I already have:

Elderberry tinctures and dried Elderberry
Yarrow
Goldenseal
Echinacea
Ginger

Looking for:

Bayberry
Boneset
Calendula
Ginger
Lemon balm
Oregon grape
Thyme

Spent the afternoon at the land going through only about 1/10 of the boxes. Made a small pile of stuff to burn and trash. And three containers for yard saling, and many more to keep (like Christmas decorations and plenty of boxes of sheets and blankets). The blankets I put in the cabin. The sheets I left until I get some shelving inside. I rescued a handful of baby toys to disinfect and two winnie the pooh stuffed animals to wash.

I think I'll have the washer moved up to the electric pole so I can wash pillows and other items for keeping and selling. Trying to decide if it would be better to have a yard sale at the land or the house. I don't REALLY want to take everything back to the house, but there is more traffic at the house and better chance of making some money. Or I could have one both places. Sell the stuff at the land there, and the house stuff at the house.

Water is connected back to the cabin, and we have flushing capability. Always a good thing. Now to get the shower hooked up.

Updated priorities for this week:

Finish loft over bed for girl's beds
Move dressers to cabin
Take both chairs to be upholstered
Remove bed from living room
Move book cases down
Clean out buffet and add shelves inside
Unpack dishes
Unpack linens
Clean out wood stove
Take out trash
Water flowers and veggies
Plant more veggies in containers

Swine Flu

I am concerned about this, there have been 3 cases in San Antonio. I really regret canceling the girls appointment to get their flu shots. It may have helped to prevent them from getting this, or the severity of it. I will call the doctor on Monday to ask for the vaccinations, and a Tamiflu prescription. I am also going to cancel the baby's appointments. No way am I taking him into a hospital. http://www.herbal-home-remedies.org/remedies/colds-flu.htm

http://www.holisticonline.com/Remedies/Flu/Flu_herbal-medicine.htm

http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20090425/cdc-swine-flu-outbreak-serious

Hannah's Three Wishes

1. That mommy was nicer (she wants me to give her everything she wants).
2. That Lauren was nicer to her.
3. That she had three more wishes.

She has been confusing God lately with a genie, and keeps asking if He can just "poof" her up something, and if He has a magic wand. I try to tell her that God is not magic, He is God which is better. I finally just tell her to put it on her list. You know the list everyone has of things they want to ask God when they get to heaven?

The Greatest Birthday Gift Ever

I know it's two days past my birthday, but I like to celebrate it for about a week ;-) even the City of San Antonio celebrates my birthday week by having an Annual Fiesta that is attended by thousands. Just for me! LOL!

This morning the girls and their dad drove into town to see the new Hannah Montana Movie. Normally, I like to see a movie first before they see it, but I haven't been able to go as the baby isn't able to sit through a movie yet. Here's hoping it is acceptable, though I am sure they have seen worse just by the girls in the neighborhood walking home from school. The movie is rated G so I am hoping it is a true rating. The girls were of course excited as they don't often get to go to a movie theater, let alone with just their dad. They will of course talk him into buying them lunch and a lot of snacks from the snack bar. He is a pushover for them so of course he'll come home broke.

This left me alone in a quiet house with just the baby. I put him in his crib, by himself, around 10 a.m. and he laid there quietly talking to himself (or it might have been the ceiling fan, he is in love with the fan) for an hour! I was able to sweep the foyer, put laundry away, pick up some trash, and wash one dish drainer full of dishes before he started screaming. I then fed him, and we went to lunch at Sonic. Just us two! It feels strange.

He fell asleep on the way home, but woke up shortly afterwards, so I fed him again, and he fell asleep around 1 p.m. I managed to put a load of diapers in the washer, and finish the dishes (except one pan, it's soaking). This may not sound like a lot, and if you saw my house you'd think I hadn't done anything, but for me it's a lot. The baby is such a crier. I've taken to finally putting him down and letting cry or putting him in his swing. At three months he can sit for awhile while I wash dishes at least.

So, this was a great gift to be almost by myself for the day. I'd really love an entire day that I could just clean (sounds sick doesn't it) and mop my floors. I really love to have my house spotless, and to bake, though my DH would disagree. He thinks I like having the house messy. I really don't, I am just SO tired lately. PB (Pre-baby) I had finally established a house cleaning routine along with the home schooling routine and it was working great, but it all blew up when I became pregnant. The last part of the pregnancy was painful, and the aftermath of caring for a new baby has taken it's toll on this 40 year old. Man, babies are for the young let me tell you.

I really admire women like Michelle Duggar who can have a lot of children and Kate Gosselin too, and can keep their house clean. It's a dream of mine. But as someone once told me "the dirty dishes will still be there once your kids are grown and gone, so enjoy the kids and forget the mess". I am just not so sure my DH buys into this philosophy ;-)

Happy Birthday To Me!

Today I turned 40. Yippee! Not.
I got a "new" car for my birthday. Well, it's not really only mine. It is the old company car from Rodney's work. It is a 2004 Ford Taurus, blue and has about 141K miles on it. We paid $500 for it. They were getting rid of it. It has new tires, looks really good, needs a cleaning on the inside, and had been maintained pretty well. Rodney will more than likely drive it back and forth to work.

Here are some updated pictures of James at 12 weeks


"please mum, may I have some more"

LOL! This picture is really cute to me the way he is holding his hands. The little chair was given to me by a friend, and is a life saver. I tote it with me and he sits in it while I do laundry, cook, take a bath, etc. Here is sitting while I clean the bathroom. I have no idea what the white streaks are on the picture.

Sitting on the couch feeling froggy (he has frogs on his shirt, you just can't see them in this picture)

Shopping List - Don't Forget

Hay - 2 bales
Animal feed (rabbit, horse, chicken, dog)
Fuel
Water Storage Tank - check price and availability - Tractor Supply
55 gallon drums (food grade: 2 for water, 2 for feed)

Priority of Things to Accomplish

Here is a running list of what we have completed and what we need to do, the priority will be adjusted up and down, depending on urgency.

1. move container - DONE
2. install bathroom - DONE
3. fix well/pump - DONE
4. install water lines to shower
5. run extension cords through PVC to cabin
6. put in laminate flooring or paint floor again
7. finish kitchen
8. finish living room
9. extend barn
10. plant trees along drive way - maye Oleander?? Bushes out
11. purchase fuel tanks and fill
12. finish fencing front fence
13. finish fencing area around barn to keep dogs in
14. look for peacocks - 2 to keep snakes down
15. find breeding buck for rabbits
16. look for dairy goats
17. find above ground water storage tanks
18. find and install water barrels for rain catchment
19. rent backhoe
20. dig pond deeper
21. pay off car ASAP- DONE
22. pay off land
23. sell house
24. put 5 bedroom/3 bath ranch house - manuf home on land (last resort)
25. MOVE ASAP
26. Picnic Table for porch
27. Add porch onto front of house
28. Add lean to onto back for washer/dryer, fridges

Inaugural Address - JFK

How fitting for the current happenings is JFK's Inaugural Address...this was Lauren's handwriting assignment for today.

"For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe-the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God. We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution."

The Well is Fixed!

Praise God! Finally! After a long time, not sure how long, I'd have to check this blog to be sure, the well is fixed. The well man came out Saturday and diagnosed what he thought the problem would be. We had him come out today. He pulled every piece of pipe out of the well. The well is 300 feet deep. The pump was sitting at 294 feet IN THE SAND. No wonder we were getting a lot of sediment. For unknown reasons (the sand or the new pressure tank - my vote is the tank) the wires to the pump over heated and melted together causing a direct short of the pump. The well guy fixed the wiring and re-inserted the pipe back into the well, leaving one section out so the pump wouldn't be sitting on the bottom and sucking sand. It is now at 274 feet, with the static water line at 23o. The pump is sitting in 60 feet of water, and while murky at first, has cleared up to a beautiful, sparkling, crystal clear water. I was really worried about the cost, but the estimate was $300 with $5 for the splice kit. We gave him $320 and called ourselves happy and relieved to get away (this time) for such a small amount. I had pictures of $10K for a new pump dancing through my head. This well and pump has been prayed over so much it's amazing. Thank you God for answering my prayer!

Fox News?

I have read and watched many news programs over the past few days, and am totally incensed at the way the coverage of the "tea parties" and related information is being portrayed. Now for the record, I do not watch Fox News. I watch ABC news more often than not, but do watch all stations for a broad viewpoint. I fail to understand why Fox News receives such a bad rap. It's not as if they are any worse than the other stations. None of them report the news anymore. I refuse to watch Charlie Gibson and others of his ilk, as they are trying to pass themselves off as journalists, when they are not. More and more lately "news reports" are blatant opinion pieces passed off as news. What happened to just reporting the facts and leaving the viewer/citizen the ability to discern their own opinion?

I take offenses at the "easily duped" comments. I am far from easily duped. Are you living in the same country I am? It doesn't sound like it. For me the "tea party" was not about complaining about Obama, but in allowing Americans to have their voices finally heard. While Fox News is not perfect, neither are any of the networks. They are way more biased and liberal, and are from equal and balanced in their own right. Proof in point is the lack of coverage for this event. As an independent I had Obama forced down my throat "ad nauseum". I can think for myself thank you, as can the majority of Americans. You do your fellow citizens a disservice when you say they are being manipulated by the "right wing", which is not a dirty word by the way. There is sound logic behind protesting AGAINST the government, it is not unpatriotic (it is a protected right). A matter of fact it is unpatriotic to not protest against your government when they are not living up to your expectations. In this instance, my complaints aren't directed towards one person, but towards the system as a whole, which is NOT working the way it should. It seems many have bought into the manipulation by the liberal media and have been manipulated by the left wing. (Actually what is this right wing-left wing nonsense?)

TEA Party

I really wanted to participate in one of the area TEA parties, and had scheduled to attend the one in my sister's home town, but Lauren came down with the same illness the other two have so my plans had to change. San Antonio and Austin appear to have had good turn outs for their demonstrations, and I heard that San Antonio had one of the largest in the U.S. at 10,000 people.

The girls did their school work this morning, then we went to the library today, dropped eggs off at the land agent's office, stopped at a small bakery for the first time (excellent tortillas and donuts by the way), headed to the feed store for rabbit pellets, then back home for water. We decided to go out and feed and water the animals early so we could head to the TEA party. It was on the way back from feeding that Lauren kind of drooped over. She was sick most of the afternoon, but is now perking up (it's almost 10pm). I have been giving her one of my herbal antibiotics, along with some Tylenol. She has been sleeping in the living room floor most of the day.

She is now messing around with James, who is WIDE awake. She has him propped into a sitting position on the couch with a book open in front of him. He looks like he is reading. He's just looking around and being really quiet...for now. She had decided to read to him. He keeps pulling himself forward offof the pillows like he wants to get up. It's very funny.

Two Pretty Cool Things

RESOLVED, That the 81st Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby claim sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the
Constitution of the United States over all powers not otherwise
enumerated and granted to the federal government by the
Constitution of the United States; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That this serve as notice and demand to the federal
government, as our agent, to cease and desist, effective
immediately, mandates that are beyond the scope of these
constitutionally delegated powers; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That all compulsory federal legislation that
directs states to comply under threat of civil or criminal
penalties or sanctions or that requires states to pass legislation
or lose federal funding be prohibited or repealed; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the
senate of the United States Congress, and to all the members of the
Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this
resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a
memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.

http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlodo...l/HC00050I.htm

AND

http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=6638

So, I wonder? Does this make TEXAS one step closer to being the "Republic of TEXAS"?

12 year old speaks out against abortion

http://proverbs14verse1.blogspot.com/2009/04/12-year-old-speaks-out-against-abortion.html

A very good speaker for her age, I encourage everyone to follow the link above and watch the short video presentation.

Lessons Learned - Part 2

More lessons learned from spending the night and more time in the cabin.

I need to move the Coleman Camp stove from sitting outside on the grill to inside to actually be able to use it. I had Sterno heat, but it would have been helpful to have a few of those catering trays (okay, just one) to sit the Sterno can underneath. The first night I had no way of heating anything. The second night I clued in and lit a fire in the wood stove. This allowed me to be able to heat water for tea (almost a necessity).

Ooops, more later, baby is awake.

Well, the baby is congested so I didn't make it back to write what I learned until this morning. He's asleep now poor thing.

The bed in the front room that I had planned to use as a sofa has got to go, it takes up too much precious walk space. I am re-thinking the loveseat thing in the front room, and thinking that my wing chair along with an end table would be best. That would give me two upholstered chairs in the front room that would take up less space.

Work areas in the kitchen are also at a premium. I am thinking I'd like to have a cabinet built about two wheat buckets high and two wide. This will allow me to store the buckets underneath. I then would like a wide counter top (waist high) that would allow me to roll out pie crust, knead bread dough, etc., then have shelves about two quart jars high and wide from the countertop to the ceiling. If I locate an example, I will post it here so that I have something to go by.

I also learned that 30 gallons of water in a weekend goes fast when using it to flush toilets. I know there is a better way to use it, but others are wasting it by pouring the entire contents into the bowl. I'd prefer to fill up the back tank, and flush that way. Uses less water, but oh well.

I learned that when the kids use the Playstation the wires cross the walkway and cause a tripping hazard, especially when carrying the baby. I absolutely hate the Playstation. For almost 20 years our house was video game free, but one day the men in the household got a wild hair and will no longer listen to me. So, now the girls are addicted and everyone thinks I am over reacting when I grumble about the excessive game time. I can't wait for it to break.

I learned that I need a better lighting source in the bathroom. A candle doesn't provide enough light (at least the one I was using) and the battery operated lantern fizzled out, and needed to be recharged way too quickly. I am thinking a small window needs to be cut into the bathroom wall.

Items to complete:

put up solar indoor night lights now that painting is finished
sweep carpet
install screens
make beds
limit toys inside
set shoe rack by door
clean out wood stove

Saving on the Electric Bill - Part 2

Okay, it's time to report in....remember? I asked those who wanted to try and cut their electric bills by 30%. I confess I forgot until tonight so I went and checked my bills:

For the month of March my bill was $172.62 and for April, the bill came in at $130.15. So not exactly 30%, but pretty good considering I totally forgot to work on lowering the bill (color me red). My goal was supposed to have been approximately $52.00, and I ended up lowering the bill by $42.47. I wonder if I can lower this month's bill by 30%, if I remember that is????

When it rains, it pours

No, I am not talking about the weather, though we did get a really good downpour early Sunday morning. It kind of scared me, as I thought we might have to cancel the Easter morning worship service that was held at our land yesterday. It turned into a beautiful day around 10 a.m., the sun shining, though there was a slight breeze that could be a little cool at times. It warmed up considerably (Lauren has a sun burn). We had an egg hunt, and the kids rode the four wheeler all over the land.

Hannah had told me mid last week that her throat hurt, and lo and behold she came down even sicker last night (did I ever mention that my kids only seem to get sick around holidays, very strange). This morning was James followup for his eye infection, so the doctor checked out Hannah too. She has strep throat. This puts a crimp in our travel plans. We were scheduled to leave for Dallas tomorrow morning for a two day trip to go to the King Tut exhibit and ice skating at the Galleria. James also has an appointment for an upper/lower GI, and with a Pedi Opthamologist. He has had an eye infection since birth that will not go away. I am very worried it may affect his eye sight if we don't get it cleared up soon. So far he seems to be able to see, but I really pray we can get this cleared up.

Please pray for Hannah's recovery, as well as, James'.