With all seriousness, can we really expect to place trust in an organization such as the CDC who claims vaccines do not cause autism when its members and "safety" grants are a revolving door with the pharmaceutical industry.  HMMM.

http://www.generationrescue.org/evidence-science/07-14-studies.htm

The “14 Studies” commonly quoted in the press are corrupt

1. Contrary to popular belief, to date, their have only been a small amount of studies, most of those, if not all, are pharmaceutical influenced, that only look at two possible vaccine induced causes of autism --the MMR Vaccine and Mercury (one vaccine out of 36 and one ingredient out of 35)
2. All of the 14 “studies” that are commonly spoken about in the media are heavily influenced by the pharmaceutical industry and often fraudulent.
   1. All of the 14 studies have serious, undisclosed conflicts of interest, are influenced by pharmaceutical companies or have serious design flaws.
   2. No independent vaccine-autism studies have been conducted.
   3. No studies asking questions about long-term side effects including health outcomes (like chronic illness and neurological disorders) or comparing the vaccinated and unvaccinated community have been conducted.
   4. No studies have been conducted to look at the present (or any) vaccine schedule to monitor vaccine interactions in individuals.

Some examples of conflicts of interest from the www.14Studies.org website

Below please find a list of the studies used to support the false assertion that vaccines do not cause autism. Please note that many of these studies are being made available on the Web for the first time.

As mentioned in our The Right Question section, we contend that not one of these studies asks the right questions to address the very common issue that we hear reports of every day:

A parent takes their child to the pediatrician. The child receives multiple vaccines. The parents report that the child changes after the appointment, and the child is later diagnosed with autism.

By not trying to understand what is happening to these children, these studies appear to have been done to provide "cover" to the vaccine program, much the same way early studies of cigarettes and lung cancer always showed no link, supporting the position of the tobacco companies.

In this section, we have divided the studies into two parts: studies addressing Thimerosal (mercury) in vaccines, and studies addressing a single vaccine, the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella). We have rank-ordered the studies by our assessment of how commonly they are referred to in the press. To read the entire study, click on the study title.

Below the title of each study, we have highlighted the conflicts section of each study. Please note that in our next section, Studies Ranked, we go into considerably more detail about each individual study.

Thimerosal Studies – Conflicts of Interest

1.  "Safety of Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines: A Two-Phased Study of Computerized Health Maintance Organization Database” Pediatrics, Thomas Verstraeten, MD (November 2003)

      Conflicts:

Written by the Centers for Disease Control, the federal agency in charge of the vaccine program. The lead author, Thomas Verstraeten, left to take a job with Glaxo SmithKline — a vaccine manufacturer — after the study was written and before it was published. The U.S. Congress later cited this as an ethical violation.

 2. "Thimerosal and the Occurrence of Autism: Negative Ecological Evidence from Danish Population-Based Data" Pediatrics, Kreesten M. Madsen, MD (September 2003)

Conflicts statement from the study:

"The activities of the Danish Epidemiology Science Centre and the National Centre for Register-Based Research are funded by a grant from the Danish National Research Foundation. This study was supported by the Stanley Medical Research Institute." [Two of the seven authors were employees of Denmark's largest vaccine manufacturer, Statens Serum Institute]

3. "Continuing Increases in Autism Reported to California's Developmental Services System" Archives of General Psychiatry, Robert Schechter, MD (January 2008)

      Conflicts statement from the study:

      "This study was supported through the California Department of Public Health."

4. "Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines Neuropsychological Performance 10 Years After Immunization in Infancy With Thimerosal-Containing Vaccine"  Pediatrics, Alberto Eugenio Tozzi, Patrizia Bisiacchi (February 2009)

      Conflicts statement from the study:

The study was supported in part by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, through contract 2002-N-00448 with the Istituto Superiore di Sanita.

5.  "Autism and Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines: Lack of Consistent Evidence for an Association"  American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Paul Stehr-Green, DrPh, MPH (August 2003)

Conflicts statement from the study:

"Financial support for the compilation of the data used in this investigation and the preparation of this report was provided by the National Immunization Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We are grateful to Victoria Romanus of the Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control, Ingrid Trolin of the Swedish Medical Products Agency, Anne-Marie Plesner and Peter Andersen of the Danish Statens Serum Institut [Denmark's largest vaccine company], and Roger Bernier and Susan Chu of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for their contributions in the design and conduct of this investigation, and in the preparation and review of this manuscript."

6. "Thimerosal Exposure in Infants and Developmental Disorders: A Prospective Cohort Study in the United Kingdom Does Not Support a Causal Association"

 Pediatrics, John Heron and Nick Andrews, PhD (September 2004)

 Conflicts statement from the study:

"Financial support for the establishment of the ALSPAC cohort was provided by the Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust, the UK Department of Health [the British CDC], the Department of the Environment, and DfEE, the National Institutes of Health, and a variety of medical research charities and commercial companies [vaccine makers]. Funding for this study was provided by the Department of Health [the British CDC]."

 7. "Early Thimerosal Exposure and Neuropsychological Outcomes at 7 to 10 Years"

 New England Journal of Medicine, Thompson WW et al. (September 27, 2007)

  Conflicts statement from the study:

"Dr. Thompson reports being a former employee of Merck; Dr. Marcy, receiving consulting fees from Merck, Sanofi Pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline, and MedImmune; Dr. Jackson, receiving grant support from Wyeth, Sanofi Pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline, and Novartis, lecture fees from Sanofi Pasteur, and consulting fees from Wyeth and Abbott and serving as a consultant to the FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee; Dr. Lieu, serving as a consultant to the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices; Dr. Black, receiving consulting fees from MedImmune, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, and Merck and grant support from MedImmune, GlaxoSmithKline, Aventis, Merck, and Novartis; and Dr. Davis receiving consulting fees from Merck and grant support from Merck and GlaxoSmith- Kline. No other potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported."

[Seven separate vaccine manufacturers are mentioned — a record!]

8. "Association Between Thimerosal-Containing Vaccine and Autism"

Journal of the American Medical Association, Anders Hviid, MSc (October 2003)

Conflicts statement from the study:

 "Danish Epidemiology Science Centre, Department of Epidemiology Research (Messrs Hviid, Wohlfahrt, and Dr Melbye) and Medical Department (Dr Stellfeld), Statens Serum Institut [Denmark's largest vaccine company], Copenhagen, Denmark."

9. "Mercury concentrations and metabolism in infants receiving vaccines containing thiomersal: A descriptive study"  The Lancet, Michael Pichichero, MD (November 2002)

Conflicts statement from the study:

"The investigation was funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH)."

From the lead author's website:

"Dr. Pichichero was a member of the discovery team at the University of Rochester that invented, tested and licensed a Haemophilus influenzae b (Hib) conjugate vaccine (HibTITER®) now universally given to children in the U.S. [he makes vaccines, but didn't report as a conflict]"

10. "Thimerosal and Autism?" Pediatrics, Karen Nelson, MD (March 2003)

Conflicts:

Lead author works at a government agency, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

11. "Lack of Association Between Rh Status, Rh Immune Globulin in Pregnancy and Autism” American Journal of Medical Genetics, Judith H. Miles and T. Nicole Takahashi (May 2007)

Conflicts statement from the study:

"This study was supported by a grant from Johnson and Johnson Company and ongoing autism research support from the Leda J. Sears Trust." [Note: Johnson & Johnson manufacturers the Rh Immune Globulin vaccine, the subject of the study]

MMR Studies – Conflicts of Interest

1. "Lack of Association Between Measles Virus Vaccine and Autism with Enteropathy: A Case-Control Study" PLoS One, Mady Hornig, Thomas Briese T, et al. (September 2008)

Conflicts statement from the study:

"This work was supported by CDC grant U50 CCU522351 to AAP [American Academy of Pediatrics] and by National Institutes of Health awards AI57158 (Northeast Biodefense Center-Lipkin), HL083850, and NS47537.

 Role of Study Sponsors: Members of the funding organization (AAP) and its sponsor (CDC) participated along with experts in virology and neurovirology, autism pathogenesis, and vaccine design and safety; representatives of the autism advocacy community; and study collaborators in an Oversight Committee that reviewed and agreed to all aspects of study design prior to data collection."

2.  "MMR Vaccination and Pervasive Developmental Disorders: A Case-Control Study" The Lancet, Liam Smeeth, MRCGP, Eric Fombonne, MD (September 11, 2004)

Conflicts statement from the study:

"E Fombonne has provided advice on the epidemiology and clinical aspects of autism to scientists advising parents, to vaccine manufacturers (for a fee), and to several government committees. A J Hall received a financial contribution from Merck towards research on hepatitis B vaccination in 1998. He is also a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisation (2002-present)."

3.  "Pervasive Developmental Disorders in Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Prevalence and Links With Immunizations” Pediatrics, Eric Fombonne, MD (July 2006)

Conflicts statement from the study:

"In the United Kingdom, Dr Fombonne has provided advice on the epidemiology and clinical aspects of autism to scientists advising parents, to vaccine manufacturers, and to several government committees between 1998 and 2001. Since June 2004, Dr Fombonne has been an expert witness for vaccine manufacturers in US thimerosal litigation."

4 . "No Evidence for a New Variant of Measles-Mumps-Rubella-Induced Autism"

      Pediatrics, Eric Fombonne, FRCPsych (October 2001)

 Conflicts statement from the study:

None noted, although Fombonne's conflict statement above reads, "Dr Fombonne has provided advice on the epidemiology and clinical aspects of autism to scientists advising parents, to vaccine manufacturers, and to several government committees between 1998 and 2001. Since June 2004, Dr Fombonne has been an expert witness for vaccine manufacturers in US thimerosal litigation."

5.  "No effect of MMR withdrawal on the incidence of autism: a total population study” Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Hideo Honda, Michael Rutter

Conflicts statement from the study:

None noted, an egregious omission given what is known about Dr. Michael Rutter of the UK: Not only is Dr. Rutter a paid expert witness for vaccine makers facing litigation regarding the MMR vaccine, he was also a board member of the Wellcome Foundation, a front foundation for Glaxo Smithkline, a vaccine maker. Dr. Rutter is also a primary witness in the case against Dr. Andrew Wakefiled, a British doctor who published a paper implicating MMR vaccine in autism.

6.  "Measles Vaccination and Antibody Response in Autism Spectrum Disorders"

      Archives of Disease in Childhood, Gillian Baird (February 2008)

      Conflicts statement from the study:

"Funding: The study was funded by the Department of Health, the Wellcome Trust, the National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR) and Remedi. The sponsors of the study had no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation or writing of the report. The corresponding author had full access to all the data in the study and final responsibility for the decision to submit for publication.

Competing interests: MA and DB have given unpaid advice to lawyers in MMR and MR litigation. GB has acted as an occasional expert witness for the diagnosis of autism. AP receives royalties from SCQ and ADOS-G instruments. PBS has acted as an expert witness in the matter of MMR/MR vaccine litigation."

7.  "Neurologic Disorders After Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccination"

      Pediatrics, Annamari Makela, MD (November 2002)

      Conflicts statement from the study:

"Dr Makela was partially supported by a grant from Merck & Co. [the manufacturer of the MMR vaccine]."

8.  "Association of Autistic Spectrum Disorder and the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccine"  Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Eric Fombonne, FRCPsych (July 2003)

Conflicts statement from the study:

"This study was supported by a grant from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, Ottawa, Ontario. Dr Wilson is a Canadian Institutes for Health Research New Investigator."

The other conflicts of interest and more information about the “14 Studies” visit www.14studies.org.

Had a blast at the Dollywood Harvest Festival in Pigeon Forge this weekend.  Dollywood is a neat place for educational opportunites...believe it or not.  It's not just an amusement park, but has displays of all sorts of homemaking skills and nature education. 

Area making sorghum syrup with horse labor.

Magic coin tricks!

I want OUT!!!!

Baby rollercoaster for Lilly...

Finally...something Sarah can do.

Can I be any more silly?

Lilly's same expression for all the rides.  :)

Joe having fun watching the kiddos.

Uh can we go ride the Blazing Fury now?

It's all about me now! 

Smiling when with daddy, of course.

Finally some guy time.

It's always nice when someone offers to take a picture of your family for you!

Posting a hodgepodge of photos of our feast fun. 

Fun at the skating rink!

Poor Lilly, tired and needing some help!

Go Armando!

Noah having an interesting time bowling...don't think it was his favorite though.

A little late night swimming and fellowship.

Patty performing on Fun Night.

Special music by Cheryl and daughter Sarah.

Sarah recieving special dedication prayer.

Blast at the beach!

Separated at birth...

Dora helping out during Parent's Night Out...  thanks to all those brave workers we were able to visit Margaritaville.

Zippy not diggin' the sand...no pun intended.

Hmmm.

Not sure why I felt compelled to take this one.

So, what does a Feast of Tabernacles look like?  Well, it's difficult to explain unless you've been to one, but mostly it is a time of enjoyment for God's people centered on Bible study and fun.  God commanded Isreal (and Gentiles grafted into Isreal) to attend three feasts per year.  These were appointed times that God promised to meet with His people.  Tabernacles is a time of joyful celebration and yet a somber reminder that like the Isrealites in bondage who had to live in "booths" or temporary dwellings, that we also live in temporary dwellings in our bodies, awaiting the time when Jesus will return establishing his government here on earth, where all will learn His ways and our bodies transformed into eternal beings.  It's a beautiful picture when you meditate on the future and the freedom from sin that we will have from the bondage during this present age.  As Christians we have a taste of heaven on earth, because our hearts desire to be with our Father and by obeying His laws we are spared from unneccessary suffering and pain that inflicts people who do not know Him personally.

Joe and Phil at it again...studying that is!

Teenage helper and friend, Gracie who the children ADORE!

A succoth or "booth" that the men built above the worship center which symbolizes the Feast of Tabernacles as the Isrealites lived in them when set free from their bondage in Egypt.  Just as Jesus has set us free from our bondage of sin for those who believe in Him we will also no longer be in temporary housing...mortal bodies when he dwells within us.

 Georgeous flower...mom (my plant expert), what would you call this?

Before every service, the children gather under the prayer shawl to recieve their blessing prayer, which is song asking for God's blessings, safety and happiness over their lives...and for them to grow up to be good husbands and wives.  This is a beautiful and powerful time of asking for God's presence in their lives and to protect them from evil influences that can curse generations.

Even little Sarah has the songs down pat.

A beautiful fruit arrangment made by the children during one of their classes during the week.  Our pastor's wife, Mary and the teenage helpers Sarah and Gracie did a marvelous job coordinating activities and thematic lessons.  A great time for all!

Noah and friend Hannah from Michigan.  They really hit it off and were inseperable for a time...uh oh...have to watch those kiddos as they grow at future feasts.  :)

Course lots of fun in the sun and fellowship with friends.  This is friend Jennifer and one of her four children Abby who attends our Knoxville congregation.

Anna and Noah with Kaitlyn, Jennifer and husband Armondo's oldest child.

Love this photo of Lilly and Johnny from our church.  They are good buddies as Lilly likes to dish it out and Johnny dishes it right back...very sweet!

Course more critter watching at the beach...a huge jellyfish that had washed up on a sand bar.

We all love Mike from Michigan (and Hannah's dad), he entertained us all on the beach with his wind parachute surfing.

One night several of us went out for some fun on the town.

So disappointed my flash didn't go off on this one to capture our pastor on roller skates...Mark, this one should be front and center on the church website, ha!

Folks traveled all over to be at this Feast location...keep in mind that we're not the only group in the world meeting at these times, as God said these are "My Feasts" and not ours so people from all over will meet at various places as God commanded. 

Good friends Patty and Jeff from South Dakota became our pals, and Jeff was quite the skating king...a real throw back to the 80's...ahhh good memories.

After getting settled Friday, we are having a wonderful time at Laguna Beach in Florida, beginning the first day of a week long of festivities during the Feast of Tabernacles celebration.  We have a spacious beach side cottage and are enjoying the laid back atmosphere and ability to loose track of time...NO SCHEDULE.  Everyone is arriving today so we'll be following an order of services and fellowship for the week, but with plenty of down time alloted for family.  The beaches here are gorgeous!!  I've been to many beaches and several in Florida, especially South Florida where my mom lives part of the year and by far this beach is the prettiest I've seen.  Course every beach has it's own distinct appeal, but this one is the closest I've seen to the Carribean water.  Clear blue, white sand and no debris or sea weed.  We spent most of the day yesterday swimming and critter catching.  Kids have been hermit crab catching and collecting some really interesting shells.  We hope to make it to Shell Island later in the week for some extra adventures. 

View from our deck.

The Panhandle beaches...this day was calm and clear.

Little gull kept paying me a visit...so had to get it's picture.  :)

Joe would go out for runs in the morning and report back the fun things he saw.  Course we had to join him for scouting at times.  We didn't get a photo of the dolphins which were a real treat to see!

Lilly and daddy...and their footprints.

What a shame that crabs are among the "unclean" foods that God said to abstain from eating.  Living up north I had my fair share of lobster, clams, crab, etc. with no knowledge that they were on the DO NOT eat list in the Bible.  Science has been proving what the Bible has said all along when it comes to these "unclean" items.  A great book on the subject called "What the Bible Says About Healthy Living", by Dr. Rex Russell, MD provides scientific evidence on this subject.  "Crabs and other shellfish are considered scavangers of the ocean and help to filter toxins from the water.  "Many illnesses including instant paralysis, devistate some people every day as a result of eating shellfish", according to the book.  They can be placed in a body of water that is contaminated wih cholera bacteria and they will purify the water.  Shrimp, oysters, crab, scallops and mussels are particularly efficient at this.  They filter large volumes of water everyday.  Sewage laden with chemicals, toxins and harmful bacteria, parasites and viruses become concentrated in those shellfish".  YUM!!  Even the state of California proposed a law requiring the food industry to label shellfish with a message warning, "This food may be dangerous to your health".  So, as you can see eating unclean is a sort of Russian roulette game, defiling our temples as God warned.  Below is a list of clean foods according to the Bible.  I can't list all of the scientific evidence supporting this, but I would suggest people do their research on it.

Clean

calf, deer, goat, ox, sheep, goose, chicken, duck, pigeon, quail, swan, turkey, black bass, black drum, bluefish, carp, channel bass, chub, cod, croaker, flounder, flying fish, goldfish, haddock, hake, halibut, herring, kingfish, mullet, pike, pompano, porgy, rainbow trout, rock bass, salmon, sea bass, shad, smelt, spanish mackerel, spot, sturgeon, tuna, white perch, carolina whiting, yellow perch, crickets, grasshoppers, locust.

All other foods you can assume are unclean.  Interestingly, when the Egyptians ignored these food laws they came down with horrible plagues.  The Isrealites who obeyed the laws were spared and enjoyed good health.  Our family has been observing the food laws for about 5 years now consistantly.  We figure to have good health in this horribly toxic world the Biblical laws are an easy fix, as we really were not regular pork, shellfish/catfish, etc. eaters.  The harder aspects to control in this life are the man-made toxins in food such as transfats, msg, artificial colors/flavors, etc.  Not to mention the stripping of nutritients during processing.

This Monday (September 21, 2009) began the first of the three annual fall feasts that God commanded his people to meet with him.  Feasts do NOT mean food as we might think of it, but in the Hebrew "mo ed" for an "appointed time".  Yes, God actually has times that he set aside on the Biblical Calendar that he first gave the Isrealites for all of humanity...to set aside and spend with Him.  Not the secular holidays that man has created, but times he appointed and said he would meet with us.  Feast days are not just some ritualistic practice, but celebrations of what God has done for all believers in him (not just Jews) and shadows prophetically of the things to come with the return of Christ after The Tribulation and his millinial reign here on earth.  That's 1000 years of peace that humanity will experience after the horrendous hell on earth that is still to come.  It's a beautiful picture and one so fulfilling once understood and practiced.  Unfortunatly, most mainstream churches have abandoned (or have never known) the celebration of feasts.  They have been dismissed as "Jewish", nailed to the cross, irrelavent.  However, this twisting of history and doctrine have led so many people who desperately want to understand more about the heart of God terribly astray.  Our family included, as prior to a few years ago we had no understanding of these wonderful times because we had been told that the law was "done away with" and "don't worry about that old testament" stuff".  We had become so blinded by church doctrine and tradition that  we never knew to question, because aren't the clergy and pastors supposed to teach us the right way?  Sadly, our spiritual journey has led us to the truth that in this life we must question everything and that Satan is also the power of the air, so yes, even well meaning pastors can lead us astray.  So, like God says "prove all things" and this is exactly what we do now. 

Discovering the relevance of the Old Testament and the feasts that we will ALL be celebrating once Jesus returns has been like becoming reaquainted with a long lost relative.  The scales have fallen from our eyes and we see the Bible in an entirely new context.  We want to please our maker by doing the things he has asked of us.  We can't earn our salvation through works, but through faith our lives should produce good works.  To love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength we should be willing to DO what he has asked of us...not out of obligation, but out of LOVE.  Interestingly, the first four of the 10 Commandments tell us how to love God...the last six tell us how to love our neighbor.  So, tell me that the commandments are irrelavent TODAY!

The Feast of Trumpets is the fist of the fall feasts, followed by the Day of Atonement and then the Feast of Tabernacles.  Atonement is a day of fasting and reflecting on our year and our sins that we need to acknowledge...it's a time for purifying ourselves physically and spiritually in preparation for the Feast of Tabernacles the week of October 3rd-10th.  Tablernacles is the celebration of when Jesus will reign on earth during the 1000 years with man to show us all how to live peacefully.  Satan will be bound and will not be able to inflict any more pain until after the 1000 years when he will be "loosed for a time" to test humanity.  So, our church and many others during this time will often vacation together and study and spend wonderful, restful time together.  We will be going to a retreat center on the beach in Florida where we will celebrate and "do as our heart desires" (not like a Mardi Gras Party though).  Yes, the Bible even talks about "having strong drink" during this time.  Course it condemns drunkenness but there's nothing wrong with a drink among "responsible" adults.  The time is commanded to be fun and no place for sorrow...the kind of holiday anyone would want! 

Deut 14:26 And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household. NKJV

     Leviticus 23:1-44 NKJV
1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
2. "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts (NOTE: not the JEWS, but God's FEASTS)
3. 'Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.
4. 'These are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times.

God's Annual Holydays

It may come as a surprise to many Christians, but God has not commanded, and Jesus never observed, Christmas, Easter, Lent, Epiphany, St. Valentine's Day and Trinity Sunday. These were all added to Christianity after the time of the New Testament church!

What days did Jesus and the Apostles observe?

The New Testament makes clear the Jesus and the Apostles observed:

The weekly Sabbath:

This is observed from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. It is a memorial of creation, an acknowledgement that God is our creator. It is also prophetic of the return of Jesus Christ as King of Kings to establish eternal spiritual rest.

The Passover:

              Passover commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, as recorded  in                the book of Exodus.  This annual observance "on the night he (Jesus) was betrayed"  and       celebrates the  inauguration of the New Covenant (in his blood) as Jesus takes on  himself the penalty for our sins.

The Days of Unleavened Bread:

              During this seven day time-period, beginning and ending with a day of holy assembly, we put leaven out of our homes and diets (picturing putting sin out of our lives). We also take in unleavened bread (picturing taking in the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth - Jesus Christ).

The Day of Pentecost (Feast of Weeks):

This observance, on the first day of the week (Sunday), 50 days after the Sabbath during the Days of Unleavened Bread, pictures the giving of God's Holy Spirit, and the first spiritual harvest of children into God's family.

The Feast of Trumpets:

This day pictures God's dynamic activity. At the sound of the last trumpet, Jesus will return. Before that, we are to raise up our voices like trumpets to warn all humanity of the inevitable effects of sin.

The Day of Atonement:

This is a day of national repentance, as we acknowledge our sins before God, and receive forgiveness through the once-for-all-time perfect sacrifice of Jesus. This day also pictures the putting away of all sin - to be accomplished eschatologically by the binding of Satan.

Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day:

This 8-day time-period begins and ends with commanded assemblies. It pictures the Children of Israel wandering in tents (tabernacles) in the wilderness, and then, on the last day, living in their permanent homeland. It pictures Christians as strangers and pilgrims on earth. It pictures Jesus as tabernacling among men. It also pictures the Tabernacle of God being with men when Jesus reigns on this earth in the Millennium.

There is far more symbolism to God's Holydays. But, to really understand them, one has to observe them. Christianity is not a spectator religion. "It is not the hearers, but the doers who shall be justified!"

Sharing a few photos taken while my mom visited recently.  She came bearing punkins for the kiddos from her garden...course sized to match THEIR size. 

We took some time to go to Pigeon Forge during "homeschool week" at the Wonderworks Museum.  As you can see the building is quite intriguing, however can't say the same for the insides.  Actually, there's many neat things to do and educational material, but it's so loud and crowded that you can't concentrate on anything mental...much less explain to the kids...certainly not toddler/baby friendly.  We left early needless-to-say, poo!

Lilly, finally able to do something her size.  Our daddy works for NASA currently and is in charge of design portions of the mechanical and acoustical vibrations table used to test the new space capsule.  Not sure when ETA is for the moon launch.  Would be nice if it is while he's still working for them.  I'm sure we'll try and make a field trip out of the occasion when it does happen!

We really enjoyed having mom as we don't get to see her that often, fortunately we'll be up her way around Thanksgiving...it was a great visit!

What a neat weekend for us camping at Cove Lake Park in Caryville, Tennessee about 45 minutes from Knoxville (big trip, I know).  We took our camper for the first time and met up with a family from church who has three children (Sarah, Abby and baby Caleb) and are experienced campers.  The weather was beautiful, crisp in the mornings, fall warming temperatures in the afternoon and cool evenings cozied by the fire.  I did not bring warm enough clothing so we did have some chilly moments...oh well, live and learn. 

However, with all the beauty and calmness of nature and being away from the distractions of home, camping with a 17 month-old poses challenges.  Poor Sarah, being out of her element and being a toddler didn't enjoy her camping experience as much as the rest of us.   Between bug bites, physical fatigue, lack of sleep and mom busy with cooking, etc. we had many "Sarah" moments.  She did pretty well all things considered, but relaxing and toddler do not go in the same sentence...no matter how beatiful the scenery.  :)

The older kids had a blast...camp ground complete with playground, lake and pleny of trees for climbing.

Noah and Anna liked to compete to see who could climb the highest.  We stopped Anna here as we didn't think an ER visit would be a good way to end the trip.

Cove Lake is considered one of the nicest in this area.  Very clean and the camping slots had plenty of space between RV's.

Cautious Lilly, not much of a tree climber yet, but hey...WATCH OUT CLIMBING WALL!

A little break enjoying the lake.  We did not bring the boat this time.

Scenery was fantastic.

"Daddy, rub my hair"...Lilly always wanting daddy to play with her red curls.

Course Noah was the one catching ALL the Blue Gill...Anna giving it a try though.

Noah met a friend camping near us, also eight years old.  They had a blast running around and doing boy stuff.

Joe and Phil taking some time for Bible discussions.  We all actually left camp on Saturday and went to church (only 30 minutes away), but other times the guys were in deep contemplations.

Lilly and friend Abby.

Sarah (age 15) is the children's Sabbath school teacher at church...kid's love her and I enjoyed her supervion while camping.

All and all we had a great time.  We plan to coordinate another venture with extended family this fall, as camping with others makes it even more memorable.

 Ok, I'm a big sucker for old photographs...especially old family photos.  I've inherited ALL the family photos on my dad's side all the way back to my great grandparents which I hope to archive in an album/scrapbook for my children.  It's a daunting task, but one I look forward to in the future.  However, these sweet photos are of my mother-in-law when she was about Sarah's age in her photos.  We all have been amazed at how much she looks like Mamaw in person and she certainly looks like her more than anyone else in family photos.  Sarah is even small like her.  Genes are an amazing thing!

 Mamaw and her mom Ozetta.

 Big eyes....better to see you with!

This is Anna's second year in an organization called American Heritage Girls.  This group is a Christian alternative to the Girl Scouts and is relatively new.

http://web.me.com/jbishop67/American_Heritage_Girls_TN0215/Welcome.html

From our site, here is a statement about AHG:

Who Are We?

The American Heritage Girls Organization is a scouting program for girls that supports the traditional values of God, Family and Country. AHG's programming promotes the Judeo-Christian values upon which our country was founded and strives to enhance the girls life experiences with fun filled activities supervised by trained adults, supported by family members and implemented by members. AHG's programming provides life skills, leadership skills and character building through a traditional troop setting.

The members of troop TN0215 are homeschooling families in our area and participate in a variety of activities, including earning badges and religious awards. They may go camping, do crafts and enjoy typical scout activities.

Anna has the opportunity as a Tenderfoot this year to earn many service and activity badges in all areas of life skills.  The group is centered on God's word and in building character in each girl.  It's an amazing group of troop leaders and little girls.  This just happens to be a homeschool unit so Anna has much in common with her friends and is a great place of fellowship for mom also.

 For the first meeting Anna's Tenderfoot unit did an icebreaker for new girls where everyone had several M&Ms and the troop leader asked various personal questions corresponding to the color of the candy.  One of the questions Anna was asked was "what is your favorite color and why"...to which she replied "red, because it reminds me of the blood of Jesus".  A hush fell over the group and all the leaders seemed taken back...one leader finally said "wow, that was profound".  I felt the same way, as I never would have guessed she would thought that, much less said that.  I was so very proud and relieved to know that everything Joe and I teach her and the way we try to live our life for God is making a difference in her life.  This photo captures her expression as she thinks about her question.

Anna's friend Kate...very cute!

This has been the week for field trips, whew!  We visited the Gray Fossil Museum near Kingsport, Tennessee with our local homeschool group.  It was a great day for us because we were able to meet up with Mamaw who lives in that area who was able to enjoy the trip with us.

The kids had fun exploring the displays including a mock fossil dig inside.  The real dig was outside during a later tour.

And practice arranging bones from bone fragments to match what it's supposed to look like.

A neat traveling exhibit of the Rainforest displayed as a maze for the kids.  This was a fun way to introduce the Rainforest as in their curriculum this year we will be doing "Exploring Countries and Cultures" which will cover many aspects of this area.

Hey...hey... we're the monkeys!

Mamaw checking out the dig site.

Dig site where the first fossil was discovered by the Tennessee Department of Transportation when widening the road for the state.  The site is now a protected area ran by ETSU for further study.  Volunteers come every week to assist in digs with palentologists, kids can also attend camps over the summer and go on special digs.

 Second dig site and underground lake where many fossils are found.  Tapirs are the most found animal, but sabertoothed tigers, hippos and elephant bones have also been found.

A really cool grasshopper photo, but I digress...  :)

 Third dig site, where everyone got a chance to dig for fossils.  A couple of people found some, a portion of a rib and a plant fossil.  It's really an addictive thing to do!

Photo of a man's plant fossil.

Noah also found a root fossil which was positively identified later.  He recieved a card stating what kind he found to take home, but had to reliquish possession of the fossil to the museum.  Anna was searching really hard, but no luck this time.  Apparently, fossils are found all the time as this area is a real hot bed.

I never miss the opportunity to identify an edible wild food plant for our journals.  This beautiful prickly is a Bull Thistle.  The roots can be boiled, frozen or dried and powder used as a nutrient additive.  The entire plant can be boiled and used in soups and stews or liquid drank.  I didn't take the time to pluck for further study.  Medicinally it has a slightly relaxing effect.  Roots used for diarrhea, ear aches, juice in mouth for toothache (need that NOW for my teething Sarah!), powdered seed mashed for diuretic, burns.

 As most all homeschooling parents (especially Christian families) soon discover when teaching science to their children that they eventually are confronted with the dinosaur controversy and whether they lived millions of years ago (usually the platform for evolution theory) or were created during the 6 days of creation and died in Noah's flood (creation theory 6000 years ago which much of the reseach is pointing to now).  This also leads to discussion as to the age of the earth... young vs old.  There is a ton of information on the subject and can become very heated depending on who you talk to.  I have an opinion on all of this, of course...which I hope to share in the future...not as an attempt to persuade people to any particular side, but as a way to explore the information in a way to help our children so that they will understand how to navigate through the truths and mis-truths as they grow and make decisions.  This particular museum was heavily evolution based which is the secular "norm" and we look forward to visiting creation museums as to compare the science against biblical fact for ourselves.  

http://beardsleyfarm.org/

A great day with the Nutrition Detectives class that the kids attend at our local Earth Fare health food store.  Teachers Paula and Paula arranged a field trip to our local urban Beardsley Farm downtown Knoxville.  This farm is such a unique place as the heart of it lies in bringing local farming practices, food preparation and education to the poor and minorities of our area.  It is a great philanthropic idea, but is also a hub of example for the community about what can be grown in smaller spaces of land space organically.  Volunteers come to the farm every day to pitch in and bring home whatever bounty is available.

Paula #1 is a RN and certified health coach with training in integrative nutrition.  Paula #2 works for Juice Plus (a supplement company) and parents own a prestigious children's day camp here in Knoxville.  They both are passionate about health and nutrition and in educating people in the ways to better their lives and get off the medical treadmill of drugs and illness.  

Ben the farm manager was a wealth of information and very patient with my kiddos twenty questions.  We were the only family to attend the trip and recieved a wonderful private tour and education on sustainable farming practices.  Noah hung on every word and knew quite a bit about planting, seeds, etc. from our home gardening experiences.

Over 1200 gallons of water in their rain barrels...puts our little home barrel to shame!

A wonderful compost bin of three compartments:  new compost, decomposing compost and finished lush, wormy, perfect soil.

Checking out all the wormies in the compost!

Ben showing the children how bees pollinate the flowers, turning flowers into fruit.

A mini apiary and lesson on bee keeping.  Ben harvested over 100 gallons of honey this month and we were the first to purchase this wonderful local, raw honey... with amazing health benefits.

Over 40,000 bees!  Interestingly, as we learned that there's only one queen per hive.  Baby bees are born and nursed in the bottom of the hive and cared for by female nurse bees who feed the babies.  Nurse bees feed Royal Jelly to 5 of the babies to turn them into queens where they will duke it out and fight for control over the hive.

Ben showing the children a baby lady bug (larvea really).  Lady bugs are great natural pest repellents for aphids and other insects.

Homemade sun dial...really cool!

A really neat and easy to make homemade solar dehydrator, they use it for tea making and spice drying.

Anna retrieving an egg from the hen house.

We loved this unique farm with modern flare, it was truly inspiring and a labor of love for all who are involved.  The next project for the farm will be farmer's markets set up nearby so that poor families can utilize their food stamp programs for fresh produce.

 http://www.beardsleyfarm.com/2009/06/farm-fest-was-sensation.html

http://blogs.healthfreedomalliance.org/blog/2009/08/17/fifteen-things-you-can-do-if-you-are-forced-to-take-a-flu-shot/

 Fifteen Things You Can Do If You Are Forced to Take a Flu Shot

Dr Blaylock’s List of suggestions on How to Reduce the Toxic Effects of the A/H1N1 Vaccine, is as follows:

1. Number one on the list says Dr Blaylock, is to bring a cold pack with you and place it on the site of the injection as soon as you can, as this will block the immune reaction. Once you get home, continue using a cold pack throughout the day. If you continue to have immune reactions the following day, have cold showers and continue with the cold press.

2. Take fish oil. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), one of the omega 3 fatty acids found in fish oil supplements, is a potent immune suppressant. If you take high dose EPA you will be more susceptible to infections, because it is a powerful immune suppressant. However, in the case of an immune adjuvant reaction, you want to reduce it. Studies show that if you take EPA oil one hour before injecting a very powerful adjuvant called lipopolysaccharide (LPS), it would completely block the ability of the LPS to cause brain inflammation. Take a moderate dose everyday and more if needed to tame a cytokine storm.

3. Flavonoids are third on the list, namely curcumin, quercetin, ferulic acid and ellagic acid, particularly in a mixture. The curcumin and quercetin in particular have been found to block the ability of the adjuvants to trigger a long-term immune reaction. If you take it an hour before the vaccination, it should help dampen the immune reactions says Dr Blaylock.

4. Vitamin E, the natural form that is high in gamma-E will help dampen the immune reactions and reduces several of the inflammatory cytokines.

5. An important ingredient on the list is Vitamin C at a dose of 1000 mg, taken four times a day between meals. It is a very potent anti-inflammatory and should be taken in a buffered form, not as absorbic acid, says Dr Blaylock.

6. Also use astaxanthin as it’s an anti-inflammatory. According to Dr Blaylock, fatal reactions to vaccines in aboriginal and African children occurred in those who were deficient in carotinoids, like astaxanthin. It is a good protection against the toxic effects of the vaccine.

7. Likewise, it was found that children who were deficient in zinc had a high mortality rate. Zinc is very protective against vaccine toxicity. (Do not use zinc mixed with copper however, as copper is a major trigger of free-radical generation according to Dr Blaylock).

8. Ensure you avoid all immune-stimulating supplements, such as mushroom extracts, whey protein and beta-glucan.

9. Take a multivitamin-mineral daily one that does not contain iron. This multivitamin-mineral is to make sure your body has plenty of B vitamins and selenium. Selenium, said Dr Blaylock, is very important for fighting viral infections and it reduces the inflammatory response to vaccines.

10. Magnesium citrate/malate 500 mg of elemental magnesium two capsules, three times a day. (This was not mentioned during the show, but was posted at Dr Deagle’s website, ClayandIron.com).

11. What is very important is vitamin D3, which is the only ‘vitamin’ the body can manufacture from sunlight (UVB). It is a neural hormone, not really a vitamin says Dr Blaylock and helps if you are over-reacting immunologically by cooling down the reaction. Similarly, if you are under-reacting, it helps to boost your immune response. In addition it also protects against microorganism invasion.

Black people and those in colder climates are particularly deficient, so they will almost certainly require supplementation.

Dr Blaylock recommends that following vaccination it will help to keep the immune reaction under control if:

i) All children get 5,000 units a day for two weeks after the vaccine and then 2,000 a units a day thereafter;

ii) Adults get 20,000 units a day after the vaccine for two weeks, then 10,000 units a day thereafter;

iii) And with that adults should take 500-1000 mg of calcium a day and children under the age of 12 years should take 250 mg a day, as vitamin D works more efficiently in the presence of calcium.

12. Ensure you avoid all mercury-containing seafood or any other sources of mercury, as the heavy metal is a very powerful inducer of autoimmunity, is known to make people more susceptible to viral infections and will be in H1N1 vaccines.

13. Avoid the oils that significantly suppress immunity and increase inflammation - such as corn, safflower, sunflower, soybean, canola and peanut oils.

14. Drink very concentrated white tea at least four times a day. It helps to prevent abnormal immune reactions.

15. Pop parsley and celery in a blender and drink 8 ounces of this mixture twice a day. Dr Blaylock says the parsley is very high in a flavonoid called apigenin and that celery is high in luteolin. Both are very potent in inhibiting autoimmune diseases, particularly the apigenin, so go and plant some parsley in your garden now.

Probably the most encountered belief system that people have for the success of the vaccination program lies with the notion that vaccines have eradicated disease...plagues like polio and small pox.  This was certainly what I believed, as this religious proclaimation has been touted throughout history, so much so that it has to be true, right?   It is true that in our country we do not see "polio" or smallpox anymore (or do we...see below), but in reality does this have anything to do with vaccines...or did something else happen along the way that took care of the scurge of disease that vaccines have taken the credit for?  Let's examine a little satistical history, after all this is something that can be convenietly misrepresented depending on who stands to gain the most by doing so.

Here is a graph on the declined rates of mortality from disease from the 1900's.  Complied by Health Sentinel:  http://vactruth.com/health-sentinel-graphs/

Decline of disease and year introduction of vaccine.

Various diseases and declined mortality way before vaccination.  Notice polio when a vaccine was not available until 1955.

Measles mortality rates and introduction of measles vaccine.

US mortality rates by age.  Have all the vaccines really improved our health, especially in children under a year?  Hmmm, I think not!!

There are many more from the link above that you can view at your leisure, but I believe the common trend is obvious.  NO, vaccines were NOT responsible for eradicating disease and in fact there's a plethora of data that suggests the opposite.  They are causing various kinds of disease such as allergies, asthma, learning disabilities, autism, cancer, SIDS and a host of other horrible disorders.  We don't see death from "polio" and smallpox because of better hygiene, nutrition, sanitation and advances in emergency medicine where antibiotics can be used to keep people from dieing.  IV treatment for dehydration and oxygen/breathing treatments for worst case senarios.  There's also a physician bias towards diagnosing anyone with "polio" symptoms, especially if they've been vaccinated.  They just re-name it something else like aseptic meningitis.  

Also, what the mainstream won't tell us about "polio" is that those worst case senarios resulting in death, paralysis and iron lung were less than 1% who were exposed.  The majority who were exposed to "polio" never even developed symptoms or had mild symptoms of GI upset and flu like symptoms and recovered just fine. 

A bit of trivia that we have NEVER been told, but is revealed in a truly eye-opening book by investigative journalist Janie Roberts, called Fear of the Invisible is that the "polio virus" was never really an isolated virus, but was most likely a response to environmental toxicity from the pesticide DDT that was all the rave during that time.  DDT is a nerve agent that paralyzed insects nervous systems...exactly the symptoms that the worst case victims experienced with numbness, paralysis and death.  Connection here?  Also, environmental toxicity exposure mimmicks the same exact symptoms as the flu, so those statistics quoted on the CDC website regarding the 36,000 cases of death from season flu leaves out how many of those people actually died from environmental poisoning in immune compromised people.  I venture to guess that this is probably the majority of that 36,000 number.

The vaccine web is very tangled and the big money, conflict-of-interest cartel counts on the public staying ignorant.  I will leave you with these famous quotes by our ol' buddy Adolf Hitler as I believe he sums up what's happening to society quite nicely.

“"The man who has no sense of history, is like a man who has no ears or    eyes"”

“Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it”

MEDICAL VOICES VACCINE INFORMATION

About

http://www.medicalvoices.org/

I have been following this great site for alternative health information and vaccine awareness through a new organization created by renouned vaccine research expert Dr. Sherry Tenpenny, DO and medical physician and attorney Dr. Meyer Eisenstein.  This site is absolutely phenomenal for providing real information about health and vaccine safety.  You can listen to experts from all over the world through FREE webnars every week.  Just preview the list of interviews and sign-up.  There is also an archive of the conferences in case you missed them.  Please forward this to family and friends as most people do not have access to holistic resources and only do what mainsteam medicine tells them...which is most certainly making them sicker and more depended on medicine. 

This summer our oldest (almost 8) son Noah participated in a Lego League group.    They are currently gearing up for this fall where the team will construct a project based on the "theme" dictated by the international league.  We are waiting for the formal announcement on September 3rd regarding the theme criteria, the idea is called "Smart Move" . 

Last fall Noah participated in Cub Scouts and had a great experience, but with Joe's travelling it was very difficult for him to make every meeting.  Plus, we really love our weekends to do things as a family and we observe the Sabbath, so the weekend outings were becoming a conflict.  The Lego League has been a wonderful activity and does not conflict with our family life, plus gives Noah the interaction with his buddies in a wholesomely, structured and academic way.  Noah is already "outdoorsy" which is what we loved about Cub Scouts and with a dad that makes outdoor life a reality, Noah would not be missing out.  The irony about LL is that when I was in college at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, I remembered seeing Lego League signs posted throughout various buildings.  Tech being mostly an engineering schoo, I was used to seeing robots and other "techy" displays, but could never figure out the LL signs.  After all, this was a university and not a daycare for kids.  Now of course I've learned that the signs were for the LL teams to meet in preparation for the international competitions held at places like Tech every year.  It's a really big deal!!  Scholarships to college are awarded to team winners.  It will be neat to go back to the place where Joe and I met and went to school for our sons competitions! 

This year the parents have to decide if we want to the team to compete.  The Juniour League has the option of competing or opt do the project just for the experience and learning and worry about competing next year. 

Here's some additional information on the league:

Vision

Dean Kamen, Founder

Mission 

Our mission is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.

Jr.FLL
Junior FIRST LEGO® League
Grades K-3 (ages 6-9)

About Jr.FLL

The newest program in FIRST introduces the youngest students to the exciting worlds of science and technology. Just like FLL, this program features a real-world challenge, to be solved by research, critical thinking and imagination. Guided by adult coaches, students work with LEGO elements and moving parts to create solutions and present them for review.

Younger elementary school students get to:

• Design and build challenge solutions using LEGO Education Simple & Motorized Mechanisms set
• Apply real-world math and science concept
• Research challenges facing today’s scientists
• Learn team-building and presentation skills
• Develop Show-Me posters
  

A little informal "show and tell"  at our local Jr. First Lego League. 

 Had some birthday photos made of Noah and Anna recently...ended up being all of us (minus Joe).  Don't worry grandparents, you will get a hard copy!

Most people are familiar with mice, gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, etc. for small cage animal pets, but the exotic Chinchilla, a lesser known variety, is probably the best kept secret for amazingly fun and adorable pets.  Much better than their smaller rodent cousins...in my opinion.  For the children's birthdays coming up (Noah turns 8 Aug. 31 and Anna 6 on Sept. 3rd), we decided (or I decided as my husband really isn't a pet fan) that perhaps they are ready for a pet that requires more responsibility than Beta fish (that we've managed to keep alive for over a year now, yea!).  They have been anxious for a dog or something they could cuddle and love, but to be honest, a dog is a commitment that I just can't handle at this juncture in my life.  Four children 7 and under is all the chaos I care to have and a dog just seems like raising another kid to me, albeit a toddler, really.  We looked at Chinchillas a year or so ago and I fell in love with them, but with a newborn felt the timing just wasn't right, but as Noah and Anna have grown and matured they have become very capable caretakers of many responsibilities....so Chinchillas....why not!

Chins are native to South America and live in the Andes Mountains.  The were brought to the states around 1923 by a mining engineer working in the Andes.  The original twelve were bred and most of the chins today are decendents of those original twelve.  There are many varieties of color, but the standard is a smokey gray.  We chose two males, as they are usually more tame and have less quirky behavioral issues.  I found them through a chinchilla rescue club two hours away near Nashville.  The lady (and my now Chinchilla mentor, Robbie) loves these animals and brings them in from all over.  She said with the economy like it is many owners are giving them up, so she's been bombarded with them.  I was amazed at what a good deal you can get going through a rescue verses the pet store.  We adopted two Chins for more than half the cost of one pet store one.  Plus, Robbie included bedding (pine chips), two 5lb bags of pellet food, two bags of dust for their dust baths (more on that later), hay blocks and twigs (for chewing) and I bought the cage and water bottle.  A very reasonable deal to get started, plus she has spent a lot of time socializing them so when we got them they were very friendly and not nervous around the kids.  Here is the link to our rescue and there are many all over the US: 

http://tennesseechinchillarescue.mylittlechinchillas.com/adoptions.html

Noah and his Chin Chester (born 7/18/08) playing in the bathroom.  Chins need lots of exercise outside their cages so we have them run around in the bathroom.  They jump and bolt all over the place which is a real hoot to watch.  They also poop EVERYWHERE so keeping them confined to the bathroom is a must.  The kids have poop patrol after every playdate as I'm not going to be the one cleaning up after kids AND chinchillas.  Thankfully, their mess is hard and dry and doesn't smell.  Whew! 

 Big bathtubs are great places for them to run!

Anna and her Chin Herman (born 1/18/08).  Herman is very fast and feisty when he's not in the mood to be held.  These photos were taken in the morning when they were ready for sleep.  They are nocturnal so playtime is around sunset and ALL night when the kids are asleep.  Fortunately, they do wake during the day for some snuggle time.

Two Chins especially need lots of room, so a large cage is a must.  This cage has levels for them to jump around on plus a cool tunnel.  This morning Noah thought they needed help as both were in the tunnel one in the up direction and the other down.  They looked stuck, but were really just hanging out.  They're very funny to watch!  Cage complete with a Chinchilla hammock for those lazy days year round.  :)

 Picture of our Chins from the rescue club web site before we adopted them.

 One of the most amusing things these critters do is take dust baths...yes I said dust baths!  This keeps their fur clean and shiny and they LOVE it.  A special volcanic ash is put in a bin where they hop in and roll frantically to coat their fur.  It's very funny!  Our dust bath box is enclosed so they don't fling dust everywhere, thankfully.  Then when they're done they hop out very relaxed and content.  Dust baths are given 1-2 times per week and the dust lasts a very long time.

This is not our Chin, but thought I'd show what the dust bathing process looks like.

The children are also required to compile a Chinchilla Guide of their own as a unit study for our homeschooling.  We will cover history, science, animal husbandry with fun pictures and Chin facts.  They also are taking a science class at Co-op called Critters, Critters, Critters where the Knoxville Zoo Mobile comes every other week to discuss various animals.  They have the option of bringing their pets to class one day.  So guess we'll be bringing Herman and Chester and their Chin guides.  Very cool hands-on learning experiences! 

Stay tuned for more Chinchilla adventures!!

Great article by Dr. Russell Blaylock, MD Neurosurgeon.

Vaccine may be more dangerous than the swine flu

Now, I know those of you following this blog have been WAITING with baited breath to learn the results of the 21-day cleanse I embarked upon, right?    Well, I resorted to not posting daily regarding my progess, because frankly...there wasn't anything real exciting to report on.  Everything was going great with no major slip-ups or give-ups until day 16 when.... MY JUICER BROKE!!  Talk about disappointing!  My husband also left for a business trip that day and couldn't inspect or repair it until his return 4 days later.  So, what was a almost completed cleanser supposed to do?  It was understood that I would not buy another juicer until hubby returned.  Now mind you this was an almost $300 juicer, we did get it used but this thing was heavy duty.  I thought for sure it would stand up to juicings 2-3 times everyday.  I've heard better luck from others with a $99 Jack Lalane.  So, the week was spent eating salads and raw bars with an occasional vegetable soup.  I improvised and seemed no less worse off, but felt a bit defeated that I wasn't able to complete the entire 21-days with the juicings.  My body could tell it also, as I struggled some days with a bit more hunger and not as much pep. 

On the flip side of the cleanse, I have been very reluctant to embrace my former eating routine.  I'm currently a breakfast skipper or will eat a piece of fruit, plus greens drink and then eat basically two small meals a day.  I miss the juices and can't wait to continue back with at least one juicing as a meal replacement.  They are amazing energy drinks and because they are super absorbed into the blood stream my body gets an almost instant dose of nutrients for use.  Better than any caffeine loaded drink when you get a high and then a crash...requiring more caffeine.

I also lost 13 pounds, but notice it more in inches.  My husband even said last night..."you really have lost a lot of weight!".  Nice compliment, but I seriously don't feel like it was that drastic.  Plus, I am still nursing my youngest child, so my body hangs on to a few pounds until I wean.  I'd like to loose about 5-10 more, but in no rush.  The best part is that my cravings are gone and the mental hang-ups I dealt with prior are under control...where as before I tended to let them control me.

I highly recommend everyone do some type of detox.  It doesn't have to be 21-days as even just a week will clear the body of many toxins, plus regulate eating patterns back to more necessity rather than wants.  Fasting/detoxing will become a regular part of my life as it not only adds years to your life, it adds life to your years.