Stacy's page

Nov. 17, 2009 - Gifts from your kitchen

With the holidays upon us, I thought I would share a site that has a lot of neat ideas for homemade gifts.

http://www.giftsfromyourkitchen.com/

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Nov. 16, 2009 - Working & Homeschooling - Making Different Choices

~~~ Working and Homeschooling ~~~

I have to admit it -- I am a news junkie. However, with working outside the home, I have made the choice to cut back on my TV time. I will watch about the first 15-20 minutes of the news, and then the TV is turned off.

I am making the choice to try to make time to either play games with dd in the evening or watch family-oriented DVDs with her. Often, you will find the two of us cuddling on the couch with the cat.

I used to be an avid reader. If I got a new book, I could immerse myself in it and forget about everything/everyone else. With working, I have had to push that passion on the back burner. If I do any reading at all, it is a couple of pages before I nod off to sleep. I even try to do my devotions on my lunch break so that I have more time with my family when I am home.

I have also had to cut back on emails. I used to be signed up to a lot of different mailing lists. Time just doesn't allow me the opportunity to continue receiving so many emails, so I have cut way back, in order to give me more time with my family.

I used to love to sit and chat with a friend on the phone. I will admit -- I miss those times. I do it occasionally, but over all, I rarely call my friends. And I have to admit -- I get lonely for them. I really miss them. However, rather than focus on what I am missing, I must choose to focus on what working is doing for our family. It is paying the bills, which would otherwise be way behind at this point. I know that this is where God has placed me. As hard as it is sometimes, I prefer to be in center of His will. Being anywhere else would just be misery.

You see, working outside the home and homeschooling can be done. You just need to learn to make different choices on some things.

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Nov. 14, 2009 - Saturday

Posted in Working and Homeschooling

~~~ Working and Homeschooling ~~~

I have been trying to get as much as possible done on the days when I do work, so that when I have the day off, I can actually relax and unwind a bit. Unfortunately, that isn't how yesterday played out for me. Instead of resting, here is what I did:

a load of laundry
posted an ad on vegsource for some hs items I want to sell
organized a cabinet in the kitchen
made bbq sauce
made granola
made soap (recipe is posted in the body care category)
blogged
made some phone calls
planned a girls' group meeting for next week
contacted someone about using their facility for our local 4-H clogging group
swept
made supper
got my lunch prepared for today
did school w/dd
organized some hs items
washed dishes at least 4 times
got all my stuff together so it would be ready for me as I got ready for work this morning
went to bed at 7:30 because I was

While it felt good to know that I was making a lot of progress, I have to admit that by evening time, I was less-than-pleasant. It is hard to balance keeping a home, working outside the home, and hs'ing. And when your hormones are amuck, it's all the more difficult.

Would anyone care to give me a nice, long back rub?

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Nov. 13, 2009 - Weekly Wrap Up

Posted in Weekly Wrap Up

Visit www.homeschoolblogger.com/threelittleladies for more wrap ups.

On the Homefront:

I got a bit of downer over the weekend. It looks like I will have to miss out on having with my side of the family. They are planning to have their dinner on Friday. I have to work 11-7 that day, so there is no way to schedule the dinner around those hours. On the other hand, I do have Thanksgiving off, so we are discussing what we'd like to do for our dinner, here at home. (This will be my first holiday off since I started working.)

Last weekend, one of the ladies I met on a homeschool board was in our area. She stopped by to visit. Here is a photo:

L to R: Sarah (my online friend), her mother, my friend Lucy (who is also a part of the online community), and myself (in the black shirt). We had a lovely time visiting. Sarah's mother homeschooled her way before homeschooling was popular.

In the School Room:

While I was off on Friday, I planned out dd's next science pace. I was hoping she would get it completed before the end of November, but I'm not sure that will work.

She should get her Easy Grammar finished the week of Thanksgiving. At that point, she will start doing a Total Language Plus course for literature.

I dug out my high school binder where I'm keeping track of courses for high school. I need to get a few items added to the binder. I am also keeping copies of all table of contents from every course in that binder so they all stay in one place. This will make it much easier for me when I need them.

DD and dh went to the reservoir yesterday while the weather was decent. They walked at least 2 miles while there and had some nice, quality time together.

I am planning to have a girls' group next week since I have two days of in the middle of the week. I know dd is looking forward to this. I used to host them in my home at least twice a month, but with working, it is a rare occasion when I actually have time for extras like this.

Refreshing my Spirit:

I am still having trouble making myself do any in-depth studies when I am home. I am just so when I get home that I don't want to have to focus on anything. I'm doing good this week to even grade dd's work. Thankfully, dh has really stepped in and helped with that. I had several things to do this week after work, so by the time I got home Wednesday, I was in . Not because it was a bad day, but just because I was so terribly .

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Nov. 9, 2009 - My #1 Hint

Posted in Working and Homeschooling

~~~ Working and Homeschooling ~~~

If I had to come up with only ONE hint for making working outside the home also work with homeschooling, it would be to get in the habit of making a menu plan. I do mine for a month because I have my schedule for the entire month. If you only know your schedule for a week or two weeks in advance, then plan it for that length of time. This has been the biggest help for me. Being able to come home and know in advance what I'm doing for supper is a HUGE relief. No more wondering, "What in the world am I going to make?" No temptations for stopping at McDonald's and paying a small fortune for unhealthy food that is going to make all of us feel sick. It also alleviates constantly running to the store to pick up something.

Yes, it may take some extra time and discipline up front, but the savings down the road in my time, energy, and $, are priceless!

For more hints on how to start menu planning, visit my other blog:

www.homeschoolblogger.com/menu

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Nov. 6, 2009 - Weekly Wrap Up

Posted in Weekly Wrap Up

From the Heart:

My nephew is home after completing basic training at Ft. Benning. He and his girlfriend decided to get on Tuesday.

On the Homefront:

Dh, dd, and I went to a 25th wedding anniversary on Sunday for some our friends, Sonny and Renita. Sonny was the best man in our over 21 years ago.

I was off Tuesday and got a lot of litte projects done.

Refilled the baking soda container that I keep in the bathroom for my netty pot,
Straightened up the bathroom closet while looking for a few needed items of which we had run out,
Washed the kitchen counters,
Took several boxes to the attic,
Washed 3 loads of laundry,
Removed a lot of my clutter from the kitchen and the chest in the bedroom,
Got my work clothes ready for the rest of the week,
Started making plans for a few activities next month,
Organized my spices
Got out my Christmas dishes so we can start using them. (I figure if the merchants can start marketing Christmas before November, I can enjoy my own Christmas items for a few extra weeks.)
Paid a couple of bills, and a whole lot more that I just can't seem to remember right now.

We also got our new air purifier on Tuesday.

My mom's side of the family has a gals' night out once a month to celebrate the for that month. This month, we stopped by to get our favorite fast-food meal, then went to my mom's house to play games.

Since I have the weekend off, I plan to get a lot accomplished Friday evening so that I can relax on Saturday and take a nice, long .

In the School Room:

Tuesday was a different kind of school day for us. I heard the city trucks that remove the leaves. DH and dd quickly ran outside to :sweeping leaves: our leaves to the street before they got to our street. They didn't get all of them done, but they sure got a lot of them! . DD was glad to take a bit of a break to help her Dad.

She still had to do most of her school work that day though because she has fallen a bit behind in her science, and I am trying to get her LA course for this semester finished by . I'm not sure we will get it done though since I have 3 days in a row off that week. We will be decorating the house those days for . I doubt that much school will be done while the decorating is taking place. I am getting to the place where I am letting dd do a lot of the decorating on her own since she enjoys it so much.

To our health:

We got our new air purifier this week. We are hoping it will help with my asthma issues.

Since I take so many pills (herbal stuff, not meds), dh bought me one of those pill holders that holds a week's supply. I bought 2 more -- one to take to work to use during my lunch break, and one for my evening herbs. It has made taking my pills a lot easier. I only have to distribute them once a week, as opposed to doing it several times every day.

On the work front:

Monday was a rather odd day in the ER. We had several patients coming in for the exact same thing (and it wasn't H1N1). I asked if it was a full moon. The doctor said the full moon was a couple of days prior to that. I said perhaps people just missed it by a few days.

On that same day, I saw FIVE different people I know, and I know ALL of them from the same social circle. Isn't that just ? Please don't at me, but due to HIPAA guidelines, I can't give any other details.

I was working in ER one day when they actually lost a patient. I think this young patient was actually gone before the ambulance brought them in. Very, very sad. You can definitely tell when a family's grief is the kind when they have "no hope." It was so heart-wrenching.

Refreshing my Spirit:

I haven't had a weekend off for many weeks, so I am really looking forward to going to this weekend and reconnecting with my church family. (For some odd reason, I keep having trouble getting my last category to work on weekly wrap up. Even when I try to change the categories around, it still doesn't want to work.)

Have a week!

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Nov. 3, 2009 - Pumpkin Latte

Posted in Tightwad Tuesday Tips

Pumpkin Latte

2 cups milk (or soy milk)
1 cup strong coffee
2 T vanilla
2 T sugar (or artificial sweetener)
2 T canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice **

Mix all together.  Can be warmed in the microwave or put in the crock pot overnight.

**  Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. ginger

1/8 t. nutmeg

1/8 t. allspice

Mix all ingredients and store in an airtight container.

Free Snuggie Blanket: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/proverbsmama/740438/

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Nov. 3, 2009 - Danny Gokey

Posted in Just for fun

For Danny Gokey fans:

http://www.sophiasheart.org/journal.php

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Nov. 2, 2009 - Working & Homeschooling #1

Posted in Working and Homeschooling

~~~ Working and Homeschooling ~~~

Several people have stopped by my blog and asked, "How do you manage to work and still homeschool?" I decided to start a category, dedicated just to that topic.

For starters, I have an "only." She is in 8th grade, so at this point, she doesn't really need me as a "teacher." Instead, she needs me as a facilitator.

Since dd is in 8th grade, we are trying to do as many subjects as possible this year that can count toward her high school transcript. With also facing the emotional highs of lows of puberty, I also knew that it was unwise to expect her to do a full course load during the school year. To alleviate the chances of her "melting down," she knew she would have to complete some subjects over the summer months.

She completed her Home Ec course over the summer. Shortly after school officially started this fall, she finished up the A Beka high school health course. She is nearly done with her World Geography. We used Challenging Geography as well as the game Where in the World? to complete this course. She has done really well learning the countries of the world and she enjoys it, so it was a good fit. I am "quizzing" her on the countries, and that is what will earn her course credit. I will likely have her pick a country on which to write an essay. So there are three courses, nearly done. She should finish up the first semester of her language arts course around Thanksgiving. (For more info on what types of courses we are using for high school, read the "High School" category.)

We are not unschoolers, so most of our curriculum is already laid out for us, which is a huge help since I started working. The only subject I really need to plan ahead is her language arts. We are using an old version of Easy Grammar and Easy Writing. Over the weekend, I will pull out the next week's assignments and put them in a folder for her.

She knows that any assignments that stump her can be set aside until I get home in the evening. DH has been helping out some. On evenings when I work later hours, he will grade her work. He has also been helping her with her spelling.

It isn't taking her all that long to complete her assignments. If she gets out of bed when she is supposed to, she can usually have most of it done before lunch time, or shortly thereafter. Right now, she is doing LA, Pre-algebra, vocabulary, and science. She still chooses to work on her geography, but only does so a couple of times a week.

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Oct. 31, 2009 - Weekly Wrap Up

Posted in Weekly Wrap Up

Vist www.homeschoolblogger.com/threelittleladies for more Weekly Wrap Ups.

Refreshing my Spirit:

I finally finished a book after trying to get it done for at least two months. When I go to bed at night, I like to read, but am usually so tired that I fall asleep very quickly. I don't even waste time anymore.

I started reading "Passionate Housewives Desperate for God." Though I'm no longer a housewife, I am desperate for God. A lot of my passion has died because of the constant responsibilities I carry, now that I'm working outside of the home. (Not to mention that I've had to work every weekend this month, so I haven't even been to church.)

I am currently reading the epistles on my lunch break. I am reading them from The Message Bible because the wording in it gives me a fresh perspective on familiar scriptures.

On the Homefront:

This week, DD and the neighbor boys raked a huge pile of leaves in the front yard. Next, they would  then jump into the pile. They had a load of fun doing that over and over and over.....

DD took care of the  for me early in the week so the house would look nice when I was off work on Wednesday.

When I came home from work on Saturday, the delivered several packages. They were things I had ordered online to save back for . I had so much fun them!    One of the items was the first season of Highway to Heaven. Since I got such a great deal on it, I decided to go ahead and let everyone start enjoying that one.

I got my hair cut and decided to color it deep burgundy. It looks very pretty, but that is just MHO. Just before I was ready to , I noticed that some of the dye was on the wooden door frame. You can imagine my   when I couldn't get it to come off. I thought dh would   , but he just told me to extremely careful with it in the future.

I found an emoticon that is so appropriate for our home/family. We have three people here and only one bathroom:

In the Kitchen:

Menu plan for November is done,

Posted menu plan on my monthly menu blog,

Posted some new recipes on my menu blog,

Bought the needed items to complete my menu plan, and spent less than $30! (Thankfully, the meat is already bought, so that will save a lot of $ this month.)

  On the work front:

Things are going well at work. I will be in admissions over the weekend. Since it is excessively slow on Sundays, I may be or from complete by the time I get off work that day.

In the School Room:

No major changes here. Since so many people have asked how I manage to homeschool and work outside the home, I do plan to start a category dedicated to that issue. Please stay tuned.......

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Oct. 29, 2009 - FREE Snuggie Blanket

Posted in Tightwad Tuesday Tips

FREE Snuggie Blanket!!!

http://gizmodo.com/5390239/gadget-deals-of-the-day

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Oct. 27, 2009 - Another Laundry Soap Recipe

Posted in Cleaning and Laundry Homemade Recipes

While searching the internet one day, I came across another laundry soap recipe. (Please note: I have not tried this one.)

Homemade Laundry Detergent

1 bar Ivory soap, grated (you can use Fels Naptha but it is more expensive)
1 cup baking soda
1 cup borax

Mix everything in a plastic container with a lid.  Use a heaping tablespoon for a normal load, and 2 heaping tablespoons for a heavily soiled load (like work clothes).

She suggests doubling or tripling this recipe when you make it so you have a bunch on hand. She uses an ice cream bucket with a handle to store the detergent in. It is big enough to keep the tablespoon measuring spoon in the bucket, and it is easy to get down off the shelf in the laundry room using the handle!

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/school4jesus

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Oct. 26, 2009 - Monday

Posted in Homeschool Spotlight

With working f/t outside the home, we have had to be creative and flexible with how we manage to get hs'ing done. On Thursday, dd asked dh if he would give her the weekly spelling words so she could practice before her test on Friday. He couldn't at that moment but said he would do so later.

DD came up with an ingenious solution. She got the digital camera and recorded herself reading the words. Later, she played it back to herself and wrote down her spelling words. You gotta love a mind that thinks like that!

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Oct. 26, 2009 - Monday

Posted in My Journey With Asthma

Feeling much better this morning. I will be heading out for work shortly. If you read this, please pray that the Lord will strengthen me to get through this day, and that I can get through it with no asthma flair ups. Thanks.

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Oct. 25, 2009 - Sunday

Posted in My Journey With Asthma

I was completely wiped out after working all week.  Lots of asthma flair ups.  I quit using the latex gloves in case that was causing the problem at work.  Yet, I wonder if it could be wearing the N95 masks so much.  (I just can't see it being a good thing for an asthmatic to wear such a tight-fitting mask and breathing in the same air over and over.)

This morning, I finally got up at 9:35 but could easily have stayed in bed.  Dealing with stomach cramps early on.  Now just a sour feeling in my gut and sour taste in my mouth -- the kind you get just before , yet I haven't as of yet.

Heavy feeling in my chest/a bit of coughing/sneezing.

After being exposed to so much H1N1 at work, I wonder if I'm coming down with it.   (I *did* read a report the hospital sent out, and nationwide, 99% of the positive tests ARE positive for H1N1, so it's pretty certain I've been around it a lot at work.)

If I do end up sick, I will have dd post updates. That is, unless we decide to send her to stay with my parents since I don't want her to get it. I know I am overly-cautious about it due to seeing so many of the younger generation fighting it. OTOH, if it's H1N1, she has already been exposed because I would likely have been contagious yesterday (even before feeling any symptoms).

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Oct. 23, 2009 - Tea tree oil

Posted in Cleaning and Laundry Homemade Recipes

~~~~ Contest!! ~~~~

Head on over to: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Juliestew/738424/ for details. The prize will be tea tree oil. Read below to find out more about this great product.

Tea Tree Oil. This all-purpose essential oil can replace most of your medicines—and most of your household cleaning supplies. Beeyoutiful’s is 100% pure, pharmaceutical grade tea tree oil. It provides generous amounts of terpinen, the active ingredient responsible for the oil’s astounding anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal abilities not usually found in lesser brands.

Use tea tree oil instead of first aid spray and anti-bacterial ointments for cuts, scrapes, infections, irritated hair follicles, blisters, boils, and even acne. It’s safe for use on broken skin and can be applied without diluting. A drop or two is all it takes. You can also combine tea tree oil with Vitamin E oil or aloe vera gel to soothe minor burns and sunburn. And regular application will dissolve both plantar and seed warts safely. (Please don’t use toxic, over-the-counter wart removal medications!)

Skin conditions like eczema, seborrhea, and psoriasis are soothed when tea tree oil is mixed with aloe gel or added to a warm, sea salt bath. Minimize infection, reduce scarring, and speed healing from chicken pox and shingles by adding tea tree oil and a cup of dry oatmeal to a warm bath.

Tea tree oil massaged into the scalp relieves both dry and oily hair problems, plus dandruff. You’ll have no more worries about toxic head lice potions since tea tree oil eradicates lice, too!

Skip the expensive ******l yeast infection medicine you usually don’t realize you need until late at night. Just soak a tampon in olive oil or another safe lubricant, add a few drops of tea tree oil, and insert. Repeat for a few days. Sitz baths tinged with tea tree oil can also relieve the related itching and pain. Other fungal infections like jock itch, athlete’s foot, ringworm, and nail fungus respond to regular tea tree oil application as well.

Because tea tree oil acts as an expectorant and is beneficial to the respiratory tract, use it instead of cough syrups and cold medicines. Mix with olive oil and spread on your patient’s chest and throat. Make a steam inhalation treatment by adding a few drops of tea tree oil to a bowl of boiling water, or diffuse the oil in a vaporizer or aroma lamp to open ailing air passages and disinfect the sickroom. Soothe an earache and clear up the infection by mixing a drop of TTO with a bit of warm olive oil. Insert this mixture into the ear and plug with a bit of cotton. Add a hot water bottle or heating pad, and relief will be quick.

Cold sores, mouth ulcers, and toothaches can all be helped by regular application of tea tree oil. Just don’t swallow the saliva right after application. Disinfect your toothbrush every week with a drop or two, then rinse well. If your family keeps passing around strep throat or a cold, this is very important!

Nature lovers love tea tree oil because it makes a great flea, tick, and mosquito repellant and will disinfect and reduce swelling if you’re bitten or stung. Mixed with baking soda, it makes an inexpensive home remedy for poison ivy, poison oak, and sumac itching.

And this is my FAVORITE CLEANING PRODUCT

Replace your toxic household cleaners with a spray bottle of 12 oz. warm water, 2 tablespoons of vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of borax, plus a few drops of tea tree oil for a safe, refreshing disinfectant cleaner. Add a drop to your dishwasher’s soap dispenser and to your garbage disposal to freshen them up. Add to your laundry to disinfect while you clean.

Info pulled from: http://www.beeyoutiful.com/tea-tree-essential-oil.html

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Oct. 23, 2009 - Weekly Wrap Up

Posted in Weekly Wrap Up

From the Heart and Refreshing my Spirit:

I keep having trouble getting the "refreshing my spirit" section to work when I post. I have been enjoying having lunch in the ER breakroom. It is much quieter in there and I can actually enjoy some time reading the Word.

I'm really looking forward to having a day off on Sunday. I will be off on Wednesday of next week too.

I am rejoicing right now. I just got online to check my emails and found out that a friend of mine had her baby. Her first baby, Nicholas, died of a heart condition when he was two months old. A few months later, the Lord gave me a dream where Janna had a perfectly healthy baby . And guess what? Janna delivered a perfectly healthy baby .    My heart is overflowing with joy for God's goodness to Janna and Mark. The only bad thing is -- when Janna's dad emailed me, he failed to tell me the baby's name! Now we women, we would never leave out a detail like that!

On the Homefront:

I have done a lot of Christmas shopping on Ebay. I am nearly done purchasing for this Christmas, and believe me, I didn't spend much. Like so many other families, the economic crunch has made us be very frugal about Christmas, as well as many other things. I am doing something quite different for our family this year, but my lips are until AFTER Christmas is over. Before you at me for not telling what it is, I must explain:  dd DOES read my blog sometimes.

Ty Pennington and his crew are in our area to re-do a house for a family in our area. I'm hoping that dh and dd might be able to take a field trip day when they "move that bus." I think it would be a really neat experience for them to see all the action on the day the house is unveiled to the family.

In the School Room:

Things are going quite well. We were struggling to find a way to fit all of her science in this year, but I think we have found a plan that will work to get most, if not all, of it completed.

On the work front:

Tuesday was just awful at work. I went in at 7:00, and was by 8:30. It would be too detailed to explain why, so I'll leave it at that. Thankfully, Wednesday was nearly a PERFECT day for me at work!

With so much H1N1 out there, I do not understand why the doctors keep sending patients to be tested for it. If they have symptoms, send them home for a week, or until their fever is gone for at least 24 hours, whichever is later. DUH! From what I've heard, the tests aren't all that accurate anyway! Why continue to expose all of us who work at the hospital??? If their symptoms get worse (like respiratory distress or shortness of breath), THEN come see us!

To our health:

I'm still taking lots of D3, Vitamin C, and other herbs to try to keep myself healthy over the winter months. Every day, I gargle twice with warm salt water, as well as use my netty pot twice a day. It really does make me feel better to do that routine. One day, I went to use the netty pot and noticed that what I was blowing was green.    if that is TMI. However, using my netty pot enabled me to get rid of all the "gunk," and I didn't end up getting a nasty sinus infection or worse.

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Oct. 20, 2009 - Homemade Lotion and Un-petroleum Jelly

Posted in Body Care Homemade Recipes

While I have not tried these recipes as of yet, I do plan to do so in the near future. I wanted to share these recipes with those of you who may be anxious to try them out.

Homemade Lotion

2 15-oz. bottles baby lotion (can use shea & cocoa butter one or the regular pink one or the lavender one too)

2 8-oz. jars of Vitamin E Cream

1 7.5 oz. jar Vaseline (can use homemade un-petroleum jelly*)

Place all ingredients in your mixer and mix well. Put the Vaseline in the microwave for a bit to soften it up and help it mix up better. When it is all mixed up really well, put the lotion back into the bottles you just emptied, using a funnel. You can also purchase some small containers or jars to store your lotion in. This makes a wonderful gift too!

*Homemade Un-Petroleum Jelly
1 ounce beeswax
1/2 cup sweet almond oil or oil of your choice

Melt the beeswax in the microwave in a microwave safe container. Stir in the almond oil and continue to stir until cool. Put this in a clean container and cover with a lid.

Homemade Hand Lotion

1-1/4 c. hot water

¼ c. emulsifying wax

¼ c. olive oil

24-36 drops essential oil

You can purchase the the emulsifying wax & essential oils from Mountain Rose Herbs. For $6 you get enough emulsifying wax to make about 15 or more batches of homemade hand lotion. In a pyrex measuring glass, combine the olive oil and emusifying wax and microwave for 1 minute until it is all melted.

A coffee mug holds almost 1-1/4 c. of water. Fill it up and microwave for one minute. While that is heating up, add the essential oil into the melted wax/olive oil.

Next, pour the hot water into the wax/olive oil mixture and watch it turn milky white. Pour the hot lotion into wide-mouth, pint-sized jars and cool overnight.

Here are some decorative labels to put on your jars:  download here. Remember, when you print these out in Adobe Reader, it often automatically reduces the size of the original document, make sure that you click on the setting to print these at full size. These labels fit on the wide mouth pint jars. Enjoy your new soft skin!

http://asonomagarden.wordpress.com/2009/02/26/how-to-make-handmade-handlotion-w-label-download/

Here is another recipe for lotion: http://www.happynews.com/living/skin/homemade-lotion.htm

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Oct. 20, 2009 - Cheap Ways to Protect Yourself from the Flu

Posted in Tightwad Tuesday Tips

I got this info in an email and asked a few people in the health care field if they thought it was good advice. They did, and so, I pass it on to you!

Dr. Vinay Goyal is an MBBS,DRM,DNB (Intensivist and Thyroid specialist) having clinical experience of over 20 years. He has worked in institutions like Hinduja Hospital, Bombay Hospital, Saifee Hospital, Tata Memoria l etc.

Presently, he is heading the Nuclear Medicine Department and Thyroid clinic at Riddhivinayak Cardiac and Critical Centre, Malad (W).

The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible not coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).

3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.*

5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6.* Drink as much of warm liquids as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

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Oct. 19, 2009 - Monday

Posted in Our family

It is simply beautiful outside! The sun is shining for a change. The leaves are turning gorgeous colors, and the temps are decent enough to enjoy being outside.

I am enjoying the day off. I made pumpkin squares to take into work tomorrow. When I told dd what I was doing, her response was, "Oh, so you're s*cking up to your new coworkers in ER?" She's got such an ornery sense of humor, but I love it. (Probably because I have the same warped sense of humor!)

We got SO busy yesterday in ER. Three ambulances came in at once, and that didn't count the other 6 places I needed to be at that moment! Thankfully, a coworker from admissions came down to help me get caught up. Needless to say, I was very thankful that 3:00 was fast-approaching, and I could go home.

OK, I'm off to enjoy watching a DVD. I think I'll pull out our Highway to Heaven DVD and watch an episode or two of it and enjoy munching on some snacks and enjoying a cup of at the same time.

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