The Funny Farm

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/today/may20.html- How blessed these people were. They were probably the hardest workers America has ever seen. Without them, the land would not have been settled. A true testament to the bravery and strength of early settlers.

Bless all who pass this way!

Amanda <><
II Corinthians 5:7

http://www.chamberlaincom.com/articles/teacher.html-

How things have changed.

Amanda <><
II Corinthians 5:7

http://www.chamberlaincom.com/articles/1895Exam.html-

Amazing is all I can say.

Bless all who pass this way!

Amanda <><
II Corinthians 5:7

Its pretty quiet right now. Except for the thunking of copious amounts of walnuts tumbling out the three in the back yard. I’ve been watching Sassafras out their in the yard with buckets- diligently filling each with walnuts- dumping and filling some more. She’s about got hit a few times with the ka-thunking nuts but continues to steadfastly fill buckets. I am amazed at her diligence and stick-to-it-iveness. I doubt I’d be out there singing and talking to myself and continuing picking up (well, I would be doing the talking to myself part)- I’m sure I’d have quit after the about the 3^rd five gallon bucketful. I would probably have shaken my fist at that tree and murmured a few things when it kept showering down more nuts. I doubt I would have persevered as she is. She’s been out their for a good half hour or so. It is a joy to watch my beautiful daughter in the warm afternoon sun.
I do believe I have it in me to join her and fill up a couple of buckets.
And then
Perhaps
a bit of sweet chocolate for the two of us.

I'm even less inspired to blog today than before Homestead ate my first post. Grrrr!

Here are a few pictures from Elijah's birthday:

Yes, it's a decent cake. Not spectacular, but fair for icing piped out of the end of a plasic baggie. I still can't find my cake decorating things!

I can't believe how BIG Samuel is. He's so . . . so grown up!

And, here is me. At 25 weeks.

And now, I hope this posts. Because I'm definatly not inspired enough to blog it again a third time!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

~Ashley~

If only the temps would drop a bit so that I could feel like it was officially fall! The wind is blowing the leaves off of the trees today. The colors are at their peak and I'm looking forward to viewing them in all of their splendor on Sunday when our family gets together with my BIL and his family to ride down the Abingdon Creeper Trail. I hope I remember to take the camera this time. I have blown soooo many photo opportunities this year by forgetting the camera. 2008 is going to be a very small section in the kids' scrapbooks whenever I get around to working on them again. I've given up feeling guilty about not keeping them up to date ... I figure I'll catch up when they go to college and then I'll be able to turn them over to them once they are graduated and on their own!

My husband got confirmation last night direct from the CEO of his company that next week is the week when he will FINALLY get a raise! Hallelujah! It's been a long time coming and it has really increased our faith that our company is going to make it through this economic turmoil. They have spent two years restructuring themselves to make it through this recession ... they were actually a bit ahead of the curve on that call and I am so thankful for that! We do not want to have to look for another job elsewhere, especially with the housing market the way it is.

Tomorrow, the pumpkins arrive for our church's Pumpkin Patch. Last year was our first year doing this and I hope this year runs smoother. Gonna spend most of the day at the church tomorrow working on last minute projects before we open next Thursday. My sister is sending me a bunch of homemade jewelry to sell on the weekends at the Patch and donating a portion of each sale to our chosen charities. I will, of course, be wearing all of the EarBling that she created for me and taking orders for those as she just really can't send me one of everything. I finally found a divided container to hold all of my beautiful crystal dangles and I should take a picture to share them all with you ... they are divided out by color now and it makes it so much easier to choose a pair to wear each morning.

Even with me opening up the house on cool mornings, our electric bill last month was $35 more than the previous month. On the bill was a note stating that we would see 30% increases on our monthly bills this winter. Yikes! So, we plan to do a couple of things to help out this winter. With me home by myself each day, I can bundle up and crank the heat down. I may look into buying a small space heater to keep me toasty. At night, the beds will be layered down to keep us warm so that I can turn the thermostat down for the night. I'll just warm up the house about 30 minutes before the alarm goes off. We are putting all of our plugs on power strips that we can turn off each night and/or leave off until needed. Finally, we are going to be putting those foam insulation things into all of the light switches and plug sockets. They are supposed to help a lot! Last winter, I put heavier drapes on the windows and kept them closed to keep the rooms warmer and that worked well, too.

I have barely started my cross-stitch project, but at least it's now ready to just pick up and stitch. My daughter is working on a project as well and learning the not-so-fun task of ripping out stitches when the count is done incorrectly. Oh well - live and learn, right? She is enjoying it for the most part. I cross-stitched a lot while in high school and before children came, so I am hoping that she developes that same affinity for this craft as it is fairly easy and inexpensive. I love to cross-stitch gifts for others and have a few planned for the future, but am going to start on something for me now. I usually have a couple of projects going at the same time to prevent boredom. Time to get off the computer and get on with the rest of my day - there is laundry to fold, a kitchen to clean and some other odd chores awaiting my attention. I hope you have a great holiday weekend!

I assigned categories for the pieces of health information that I plan to write about.  These categories focus mainly on the acronym NEWSTART.  I have added a couple other categories which really do not relate to the NEWSTART acronym, and may continue to add a category or two as necessary. 

The NEWSTART acronym is described below:

N- Nutrition

E - Exercise

W - Water

S - Sunshine

T - Temperance

A - Air

R - Rest

T - Trust in God

Remembering the different parts of NEWSTART can help one to remind themselves of the areas that can improve one's health.  We hardly ever fall apart because of ONE problem, but rather it is usually a combination of health struggles.  Making changes in one area may show improvement, but it likely is not going to be a lifelong answer to our struggles.  NEWSTART can help us towards a healthier lifestyle.  It isn't about diet to lose weight, or sleeping pills to get our rest, but simply getting back to what we were designed to live by. 

DISCLAIMER:

A disclaimer that I want to add is that some of us have bodies that are far along in disease processes.  Changing late in the game is likely not going to cure us, however, we may see decreased symptoms by making healthy lifestyle changes.  A diabetic may still be a diabetic, but their blood sugar levels  are easier to control.  Also because of sin,  our bodies have become run down after generations of misuse.  That means our children can have problems like allergies or other horrible diseases that are not caused by how they are living, but rather a compilation of problems in our own genetics that we have passed down to them, or problems caused while growing in the womb...not to mention the exposure of so many things that are just considered normal these days... (chemicals, pesticides, immunizations, pollution, etc.) that can adversely affect one even though many others can take those exposures without much of a symptom at all.  So, do be realistic in making changes, they won't cure us overnight and they may not cure us at all.  Some changes may relieve us of some symptoms, but some changes could be detrimental to our specific medical condition.     

What does that mean?  If you have a medical condition or your children are sick, please read for guidance of where to go for information, not to substitute for medical treatment.  Making changes without your medical doctor's knowledge can cause big problems.  Medications you may be on may become too strong when making changes to a healthier lifestyle and without some guidance from your doctor on how to wean from your medications, you may end up sicker trying to live healthier than when you just lived "as is" with your medications.  Also, if you are ever feeling concerned or overwhelmed with a situation, do not try to do it on your own, just because it is healthier.  Our gut feelings are there for us to seek help.  And sometimes we do not notice something going terribly wrong because we are untrained in knowing what to look for. 

Now, I do not want this to deter you from trying natural remedies or lifestyle changes.  Just when you do it, make wise choices and if under medical care, take it to your doctor to explain what you are wanting to try.  Some doctors are not supportive of healthy lifestyle/home remedies... in that case, find one who is and one who knows what you are talking about because not all doctors know what home remedies even are as many are not trained in that area or they have seen disasterous cases from one trying to cure themselves on their own.  Often a person will misdiagnose a problem and the "cure" they are using will never work, but only cause the problem to continue without restraint. 

 Many medical missionaries treat others with home remedies and teach unschooled mothers and fathers in treatments where medical facilities are too far away or too expensive.  These treatments are taught and used all over the world and have improved lives.  Why we don't use them here in America boggles my mind.  With medical care so expensive and drug treatments sometimes noneffective or the side effects so damaging, we need to go back to some simple ways of healing. 

In summary, I do not feel anyone should be afraid of remedies or lifestyle changes.  Many changes are as simple as not eating cheetos and eating a whole grain cracker instead.  Some home remedies you can practice even while on medications and see increased results above what just the medication alone will do.  As your skill improves, you will feel more confident.  As time goes by, you will understand how our bodies work and see why something will or will not work in a situation.   Be wise in your decisions; pray and ask for guidance. 

Warmly, ~Melissa

Matthew 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

I hope you have enjoyed reading the thoughts and happenings of a fourteen-year-old girl from the country. “You can do all things through CHRIST who strengthens you!” Philippians 4:13