Another Day - Homeschool Blogger

Merry Christmas!

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 20:49:00 -0600

Hello everyone! I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, like it may seem I do, quite often. LOL!

I do pray everyone is having a wonderful month of December, busily preparing for the celebration of our Lord and Saviour's birth. We have had a hectic month, although I have slowed down a bit from previous years. Maybe that is a blessing from all the economic turmoil we have experienced this year. If so, then I praise the Lord for it!

May you all have a blessed Christmas with your family and friends!

~Kathy

Excellent mint - would you help save one of our farms?

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:03:00 -0500

This is from a friend of mine that I've known for a long time, on an e-mail loop that I'm on. This farm is desperate and needs everyone's help. If you need mint essential oil, please consider shopping from them, although it really needs to be before 11/01/08. Thanks!

This is from me, Ima, personally. I am in no way affiliated with the farm, other than being a satisfied consumer and a concerned neighbor (same state, I do a lot of direct buy from farms). This is not for my own personal gain. This is bare bones survival for one of our farms.

A quick background note: Michigan has been losing farms and businesses at an amazing rate. Seriously. Agriculture is actually our top business even though people think it's automobiles. We can't save everything, but we can save something.

If you like mint, peppermint or spearmint, would you consider buying a dram of excellent quality mint oil for $5 and helping us save this farm? My husband and I decided we'll be giving mint oils for Christmas with a card extolling some of the things it is very good for.

Even if you like just a hint in your brownies, cocoa, tea, or to help make the house smell wonderful, a dram is -very- concentrated and goes a long way.

I have used their oils in candy making, s, baking and in my spray bottle of vinegar (one spray bottle peroxide & one vinegar, spray one after the other - as effective as bleach in sanitizing) to make the cleaning smell wonderful, and in drawers, closets and cupboards to discourage moths.

If you have a use for mint, either peppermint or spearmint, even if it's as a gift, would you consider buying it from the Crosby Mint Farm? They have to sell 5,600 more bottles by Midnight Friday. So close...

Thank you for bearing with me.

Quote:As some of you may read and heard, Crosby Mint Farm (St. Johns) is under foreclosure. Because of the historic significance and the desire to continue producing this wonderful essential oil, your help is needed. These farmers have been a mainstay of Clinton County and Friends Forever!

"In addition to having what appears to be the oldest surviving still in the country, the Crosby Farms operation also appears to be the oldest mint farm in continuous operation in the United States. The key word here is "continuous" - that it has cultivated and processed mint since J.E. Crosby purchased the property before World War I." Ephraim K. Smith, President; Heritage Productions, Inc.

Please help if you possibly can:
For $5, you can get a gram of pure mint oil. It lasts a long time and is very hard to find.

Currently, there is enough essential oil inventory to pay this debt. On November 1st the bank has the right to inventory AND equipment AND then on August 14, 2009 they can take over the property. 77,000 DRAM BOTTLES MUST BE SOLD BY NOV. 1ST!!!

***** Visit www.getmint.com for order information *****

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Please tell your friends and ask them to pass this on.

Here are some uses for the mint:

Headaches
Peppermint may ease headaches and migraines. Apply a rub to temple area in circular motion and across the forehead. For migraines, wet hair and put 4-5 drops into your hand and massage into the scalp.

Sinus Problems
Peppermint is very useful in reducing sinus congestion when added to a bowl of steaming or boiling water. A rub may be applied to chest, back of neck area, and behind ears. A few drops of oil in a vaporizer at night will help ease congestion as well.

Digestive System
Peppermint oil can help relax the muscles of the digestive tract to relieve the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. One drop of peppermint oil on a sugar cube or used in tea may help relieve intestinal cramps.

Body Muscles & Arthritis
Peppermint oil is soothing to sore muscles when added to a hot bath or massage oil. Use this to soothe arthritis pain. Mix 4-5 drops of oil into 1 ounce of lotion and/or massage carrier oil.

Feet
Applied full strength, or mixed with a carrier oil, peppermint oil may relieve swollen feet and may reduce and assist in healing blisters, cuts, or athlete's foot by killing bacteria.

Women Only
Relieve menstrual or abdominal cramps, add 1-2 drops of peppermint oil on a sugar cube or into an 8 ounce glass of water and drink. A toothpick dipped in oil works great for tea or water. Also helps to relieve Hot Flashes!

Flu Season?
For a sore throat, sparingly dip a cotton swab into mint oil and carefully apply to the back of the tongue area.

Relieve congestion by rubbing a few drops of peppermint oil on chest & covering with warm compress. Add a few drops of mint oil to the water of a humidifier or vaporizer to keep it smelling fresh and kill germs.

Peppermint Oil is anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal!

Wow, I keep forgetting to get back here!

Wed, 3 Sep 2008 15:26:00 -0500

Well, hubby has a new job, even if it pays half of what he was making before. It's still more than unemployment, so of that we are thankful!

We dodged the hurricane. We got one little rain cloud out of the whole thing. All those in it's path though, were in our prayers, and still are, as they try to get life back to normal.

We have "officially" started our new school year, even though we pretty much go year 'round.

Well, I pray all is well with everyone here. I will try to check in more often!

~Kathy

Prayers in regards to dh's unemployment

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:29:00 -0500

Yes, I know, I had said he got a job, but right before he was supposed to start it, he got two calls from two different companies, both of which he really wanted to work at. Both of them seemed like they really wanted to hire him fast. Well, one has interviewd him on the phone, and that is it, other than calling every other week to say they are still looking into hiring him. The other one, he has had one interview per week, each time with a different person, but still no offer.

We are both about to pull our hair out, because he could have been working, making over twice what the unemployment office has been giving him, but here we sit.

The first job offer he got, he can still report to on Monday, and plans to. We cannot wait any longer on these other two companies. Mike's opinion is, if they call him again, he will meet with them, but it'll have to be after working hours for this other company.

Please pray, because we are literally down to the last few dollars in the bank, and I am just hoping I have enough to pay all the bills before he gets the first paycheck with this place he is starting with on Monday. We figured out the gas to commute is going to be approx. $400/month, which will pretty much eat up any extra money we might have had after bills. We will not be able to sign up for their health insurance, etc., unless they pay the full amount. So, we will will still be without insurance. I just pray no one gets sick. I looked up our state program for kids, and we will make too much for them to participate, besides the fact that there is no one in this town that will admit to taking patients with the program. No one likes to deal with it.

I keep looking around the house, trying to figure out what I can sell, but I either figure it "could" sell, but no one around here would buy it, and selling it online would cost too much shipping for most people to want to buy the stuff.

Thanks for all of your prayers!

~Kathy

It's birthday time again!

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:02:00 -0500

These birthdays seem to be coming faster and faster as I get older. Do you ever notice that happening?

We aren't doing anything real exciting around here. Just hanging out at the house and will celebrate with a cake later on.

My mom and dad called and wished me a Happy Birthday. My dad is 30 years older than me, so we always have fun talking about what it was like when he was my age, and what I will feel like when I am his age. LOL!

Well, that's all for now!

~Kathy

Three days to go!

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 15:46:00 -0500

I'll be 44 this coming Tuesday! Where are the years all going? It seems the older you get, the faster the years go by. I'm not sure what we will be doing, since our funds are still very tight. Ah well, it'll be a great day, no matter what we do. My sweeties always come up with something fun for me.

~Kathy

Homeschool Planner Giveaway at Angela's Blog

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 16:47:00 -0500

Angela is having a contest, giving away an Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Planner. Go to her blog, Homeschool and Loving It and enter the contest! This planner sells in the Old Schoolhouse Store for $39.00!

BTW, Angela has a lovely blog over there, so you definitely need to pay it a visit!

~Kathy

Woohoo! Three wonderful things happened today!

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 19:33:00 -0500

First: Mike got a job! It is almost 60% less than he was making before, but it's a job! Praise the Lord!

Second: Drover is home! Our sweet pooch is sitting here howling for his buddy, who is outside howling that Drover is in here! LOL! He has to stay confined until his stitches absorb, but then he's a free doggy again, to run and play!

Third: Today, hubby got a call from a man at a commercial lumber business (read: no retail stuff, no weekend or holiday working) wants to talk to him. They have bought out a couple of other companies and are looking to fill many positions. He will be talking to this guy on Wednesday at 2:30pm CST about specifics. Please pray for this, because this is a LARGE company that will pay hubby as much or more than he was making with his recent ex-employer. It would also be a step UP in his career, not a step down, like the job he just took. He is taking the job above right now, because he has no other solid offers, and we are afraid of the unemployment board siding with the ex-employer, and paying us no more benefits. The guy that just hired him told him he would never hold it against him, if he had to leave for a position that was more like his old one. He just can't afford to pay more than what he already offered him.

Thank you all for your prayers during this ordeal, and please keep them up. If the possible job he is talking to the guy about on Wednesday does not work out, we will still be in a great financial pinch, since it is such a severe pay cut. It does pay more than the unemployment though, so that will be good.

Thanks again!

Drover is out of surgery!

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 16:12:00 -0500

The vet just called. Drover made it out of surgery okay, and he is resting. He is keeping him at least until tomorrow afternoon, possibly Monday. He likes to see the dog getting up and moving around, and eating a little, before he releases them home. It was a total of four rocks that came out of him. There is a certain young man at this house who is going to be questioned quite heavily and seriously now about this incident.

Thank you all so much for all of your prayers. I know he's just a dog, but he is a big part of our family.

Please keep him in your prayers, so he has a quick and full recovery.

Please pray for our sweet Drover

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:53:00 -0500

Our son went out to feed the dogs this morning, then came back in and said that Drover would not eat. That is totally out of character for the dog, so I went out to see what was going on. Drover was very lethargic and would not even look at his food. We gave him some fresh water and he did drink some of that, but he was still not his playful self. I then asked our daughter to let him off of his tie-out cable, so he could wander freely. He walked around sniffing things, like any good bassett, but then just sat there, looking all forlorn. He then got up, tried to poop, but could not do anything. I then began to really worry. Before I could get to him, he threw-up the water he had just drank. I knew then, that he needed to get to the vet, fast. I called them and let them know we were coming. I knew it was either an obstruction or parvo.

At the vet, he checked him over and ruled out parvo, and could not feel anything in the abdomen just by palpitation. He decided an x-ray would be in order though, since it sure sounded like he had something in him obstructing things. The vet came back in and indeed, there were TWO things in his intestines. One large object very far along, then another smaller object further back. He said his first course of action was to try mineral oil and laxatives, to try to get them out that way, but that if they did not move by tomorrow, he would have to operate to get them out.

Please pray. His buddy (his cousin, 1 month older than him, who was raised as his littermate) is beside himself. He has been howling and crying all day for his friend. I just want whatever it is to pass through easily, not only for the dog, but for our finances. This was not something I had anticipated or need to deal with right now. He is such a sweet, special dog. He is just over a year old, and he is just the best buddy you could ever have.

Thanks!

~Kathy

Tasha Tudor died today

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:55:00 -0500

Here is a link to her obituary. Her illustrations were so beautiful, and my daughter and I absolutely loved the books written about her and her gardens. We really feel like we lost a friend today. They have been working on a Tasha Tudor Museum, so please go take a look at their website, and if you can support it, please do. You can find dozens of books illustrated by her, authored by her, and written about her on Amazon, and at the Tasha Tudor website.

She inspired me to take a closer look at God's beautiful world around me, all of the flowers, trees and birds. I cannot garden here, like she did up there in Vermont, due to snakes, but I am endeavoring to garden on a small scale in planters, etc.

2nd level interview today

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:41:00 -0500

Hubby had a 2nd level interview today, and he thinks it went well. The person doing the interview was a much harder interviewer than the last, but he still feels it went very well. He said he was told he could hear something as early as next week.

Please keep up the prayers!

~Kathy

No word yet...

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 12:53:00 -0500

We've received no word yet on the position he interviewed for this last week. They did tell him though, that it could be anywhere from several days up to three weeks, although they doubted it would be three weeks.

Please keep us, especially my dh, in your prayers. He is continuing to send out resumes while he waits.

~Blessings to you all, Kathy

Please pray - another interview tomorrow at 10am CST

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 23:21:00 -0500

Please pray! This is definitely a legitimate interview tomorrow. It will still be retail, but beggars can't be choosers, as the old saying goes. It would be a different type of store that he'd be running. We are all going, so we can do something afterwards. We've all been so cooped-up here, we are all getting stir-crazy!

~Thanks!

Well, it turned out to be somewhat of a scam...

Fri, 6 Jun 2008 10:09:00 -0500

well, maybe even ALL scam. We are so heartbroken over this. We really thought this was a great job opportunity, and it turned out to be a scam recruiter, wanting almost $7K to "help" hubby find a job. You should never have to pay someone to find a job. Legitimate recruiters get paid by the companies to find the employees, not the other way around. We even got called by another company, same thing (now we know what to listen for in their sales spiel). I think they are pulling his resume off of Hot Jobs for this junk.

So, we are back to square one. No legitimate company has called as of yet. Please keep praying!

~Kathy

Please pray for us...

Thu, 1 May 2008 16:55:00 -0500

Yesterday my dh lost his job of 7 years. He was the store manager for a building supply company. We have no idea what we are going to do.

Your prayers are greatly appreciated.

~Kathy

Yes, we are still here!

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:13:00 -0500

Life has been incredibly hectic around here. I have no idea where this school year went! We are all recovering from a really horrible round of illness here, with my hubby faring the worst. He has lost over 20 pounds from the ordeal. I think we are all returning to health, at least I am fervently praying that we are! I hope to drop in a little more frequently, since I still have some friends over here!

Saying hello to my friends here at HSB

Wed, 7 Nov 2007 11:58:00 -0600

It's been a long while and I just wanted to drop in to say hello to all of my friends over here on HSB! I do hope you all have been blessed with beautiful Autumn weather where you are. We have been experiencing glorious weather here. We had a lot of rain a couple of weeks ago, but it has been dry ever since and the temperatures have been very mild.

The pictures I am putting in this entry were from during the last rainstorm we had.

Please stop by here, or my new blog, and leave a comment, if you can. I love hearing from everyone that drops by.

~Kathy

It's official!

Sat, 11 Aug 2007 14:45:00 -0500

I've moved. Here is my new address:

Another Day

So, please come over and visit, and leave a note to let me know you've dropped by. Thanks!

Thinking about moving...

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 12:43:00 -0500

I am seriously thinking about moving all of my blogs to here:

Another Day

I have a two week free trial, so if by the end of that I still like it, that is where you will find me all of the time. I am still trying to figure out a lot of things, so when you go over there, please bear with me.

Thanks!