Sunday, July 28, 2013

threesixfive, week 30

sorry i'm getting this up late. 
we started some school this week, and i'm trying to get a jump on my theatre class at co-op. it's still about 5 weeks away, but i know it'll sneak up on me if i dont plan! all that to say, i've been busy!

heres our week...

sunday
the kids got super hero capes and masks at a birthday party on saturday, and wore them for about 3 days. even at whataburger for dinner sunday night before we headed back up to church....




monday
we made a trip to Mardel and picked up some school supplies and a planner for me.
ah, and some new sharpie pens. the teacher needs some incentive, too!! :-)



tuesday
the kids were invited to some friends' house for a sleepover, so allen and i got a night out!!!
we had dinner at a place in austin i'd been wanting to take him to, then dessert at a food trailer called bananarchy. frozen bananas dipped in whatever you please. mine had vegan chocolate, coconut, and cinnamon. SO good!!!!!!!



wednesday
the family where the kids slept over on tuesday night took them along to an event in austin wednesday morning with music, face painting, instruments, etc. i think at one point this was a mustache.


thursday
doing some math. the glow is the t.v. we're starting math-u-see this year, so they watch their lesson on a video, and then do the work. it takes longer, but i think in the long run will be more beneficial than me teaching math to them.



friday
we met some friends at the creek to play and explore.



saturday
this little guy belongs to the nest on our front porch. he cant fly, so he's been hanging out here for a few days. i noticed when the other birds hatched and grew, he seemed a little behind the curve. hopefully he'll get stronger and be able to fly away soon.




for those of you that have been praying and asking, my pawpaw is recovering, and has been moved to a nursing home. this is so much better for everyone than to have him with my mom and dad still. everyone is able to sleep at night, and then they go up during the day to sit with him. hes awake and coherent, and they're hoping to get him up and moving around a little bit tomorrow.
thanks for your prayers and concern. 

Friday, July 26, 2013

lavender essential oil, 50 uses

the week is almost over!!! where did it go! i said on saturday that i would do another oil post this week, so i need to get this done to make good on my word.

i've mentioned this before, and will say it again here. when using oils for the purpose of health and wellness, i only trust Young Living Essential Oils. their quality and distillation process exceeds all other brands out there. if you're making soap, go ahead and buy your EO at the market, but for treating illness, etc. make sure youre using the good stuff. what you buy at the store is not pure, no matter what the bottle says.

ok, lavender, the duct tape of essential oils. so. many. uses.
this list seems a bit redundant in spots, but i cant claim it as mine, and for the sake of time, i'm leaving it as is. :-)

here ya go!!

50 uses of lavender oil

1. rub on feet for a calming effect.
2. rub on your pillow to help you fall asleep.
3. put a drop on a bee sting or insect bite to stop itching and reduce swelling.
4. put 2-3 drops on a minor burn to decrease pain.
5. drop on a cut to stop the bleeding.
6. mix several drops with a carrier oil to use topically on eczema and dermatitis.
7. place a drop on the end of the tongue, around the navel, or behind ears to alleviate the symptoms of motion sickness.
8. to stop a nosebleed, put a drop of oil on a tissue and wrap it around a small chip of ice. push up under the middle of the top lip to the base of the nose and hold.
9. rub a drop over the bridge of the nose to unblock tear ducts.
10. rub lavender oil on dry or chapped skin.
11. rub a drop of lavender oil on chapped of sunburned lips.
12. to minimize the formation of scar tissue, massage on and around the affected area.
13. rub 2-4 drops over the armpit area to act as a deodorant.
14. put a drop between your palms and inhale deeply to help alleviate the symptoms of hay fever.
15. rub several drops of lavender oil into the scalp to help eliminate dandruff and itching.
16. place a few drops on a cotton ball and place in your linen closet to repel moths and insects.
17. place a drop in your water fountain to scent the air, kill bacteria and prolong the time between cleanings.
18. place a few drops on a wet cloth and throw into the dryer.
19. put a drop of lavender on a cold sore.
20. diffuse lavender oil to alleviate the symptoms of allergies.
21. mix 8-10 drops of lavender with 1 cup distilled water, spritz on sunburn to relieve pain.
22. drop lavender oil on a cut to clean the wound and kill bacteria.
23. apply 2-3 drops of lavender to a rash to stop the itching and heal the skin.
24. rub across bridge of nose and around ears for antihistamine affect.
25. rub on chest for decongestant effect.
26. rub on stomach for digestive spasms.
27. lavender will lower blood pressure.
28. mix with ground oatmeal for soothing facial mask.
29. inhale to reduce stress and tension.
30. put 2-3 drops in 1 cup epsom salts, mix and pour into warm bath.
31. rub on feet for poor circulation.
32. lavender is one of the oils used to rub on scalp for hair loss.
33. use on face or back to combat excess sebum on skin.
34. rub on stretch marks, scar tissue, and burn scars to soften and regenerate tissue.
35. diffuse in office; diffused lavender results in 20% less errors.
36. diffuse to reduce depression.
37. rub on bottom of feet and directly inhale before sleep for insomnia.
38. rub on joints for rheumatism; relieves joint pain.
39. rub on feet as a natural anti fungal.
40. rub on breasts; lavender has been shown to kill breast cancer cells.
41. when taken internally, has been shown to reduce fat/cholesterol.
42. put 1-2 drops in a bowl of steaming water, drape a towel over your head and breathe in vapors for relaxation.
43. rub on skin for contact dermatitis or allergic reaction.
44. use to enhance flavor of foods, salad dressings, and beverages.
45. lavender oil may be used as a mosquito repellant.
46. use in diffuser to treat cough/respiratory infections.
47. treats head lice.
48. diffuse and rub on temples for tension headache.
49. lavender essential oil is good for urinary disorders; helps restore hormonal balance and reduces cystitis or inflammation of the bladder. it also reduces associated cramps.
50. gargle with 2-3 drops of lavender in water for throat infections.


as always, please let me know if you have any questions about anything you read here, or any other essential oils.
thanks for reading!!!!


Saturday, July 20, 2013

threesixfive, week 29

ok, i missed one picture this week. the kids and i went to my parents on saturday evening, and in the craziness that is my parents house right now with my grandparents being there as well, i forgot to take a picture on sunday. but i have a worthy substitute....


last saturday (as promised)
colby and molly with lindsay and jacob. lindsay is one of the many fabulous people we have met thru our time down at camp zephyr over the years, and she lived with us for about 5 weeks last summer. we are so happy for her. she and jacob will be moving to atlanta in about a week.

                              


sunday
a group of our youth left saturday to go on mission trip. allen didnt go this year, for the first time ever, but he followed them to the halfway point in west monroe louisiana, where he had set up a meeting for them with the duck dynasty group. we know one of the guys that own buck commander (that other name you see on the side of the warehouse on the show), so allen called him and they made it happen. allen got to go to their church sunday morning, and then the whole team met the duck dynasty team (the ones that were in town) after church. phil, ms kay, jase, and si. willie was out of town. so, no, i didnt personally take this picture, but its definitely worth sharing. this is allen and ms kay. she's holding a bottle of barbecue sauce they took for her from a local place.


monday
mom and i took the kids into downtown dallas, and i has mom pull over so i could grab this picture of molly in front of the american airlines center. its a promotional thing for something. i have no idea. she's the "i". see it?



tuesday
my sweet pawpaw. he's well into having dementia, and doesnt really know who anyone is anymore. my parents moved memaw and pawpaw in with them about 2 months ago to help memaw take care of him. he and i were sitting at the table looking thru a magazine, and mom said something about amy, and pawpaw said, "amy? where is she at?" and i said, "im right here, pawpaw. its me!" he looked at me and said, "well, hey there. it is you!" thats what had just happened when mom took this picture.
prayers are appreciated. he fell yesterday and broke his hip. he had surgery this morning, but isnt awake yet.



wednesday
were planning a vacation to cancun in september, and i didnt even consider that the kids would need passports. ugh. i had to order copies of their birth certificates this week.




thursday
we made a hospital visit today as a family. this is izaiah, one of colbys friends from church. he has sickle cell anemia, and went into the hospital sunday because its giving him problems. prayers for him too!! last i heard he hasnt been discharged yet.



friday
we used some coupons from the library summer reading program, and i took the kids to one of the pools here in town. it was ridiculously crowded. i'm honestly not a fan of the place, but hey, it was free. thats our once a year visit.




saturday
a super hero themed birthday party was on the schedule today. the little boy whos birthday it was, had a batman cake, and minion cupcakes. aren't they too cute?!?




that wraps up our week.
i'll do another oil post this week. sorry its been awhile. i taught my first class on essential oils thursday evening, and it went really really well.

link up if you have pics to share!!
be blessed!!


Saturday, July 13, 2013

threesixfive, week 28

well, an interesting week indeed. allen left late sunday night to drive down to camp zephyr, where he would be pastoring the youth camp there for the week. the kids and i where planning on going tuesday evening, because colby had his first hip-hop class tuesday at 4:30. tuesday after lunch i had this feeling that maybe the class was at 4:00 instead of 4:30, and certainly didnt want to show up half an hour late, so when i pulled the schedule up online, i see that the class is at 4:00, and its on thursdays!!!! DANG! i dont know why i had it in my head 4:30 on tuesdays. i had the day and the time wrong. unfortunately, thats not the first time ive done something like that. i once showed up for a dentist appointment at the right time, but 1 week early.
anyway, so i threw all our stuff in the car, and we went on down to zephyr that afternoon, even though we couldve gone with allen after all. at that point, i conceded myself to colby missing his first hip-hop class, because i was bent on making it down there, and was not going to turn around and drive back thursday morning. plus, allen was planning on using both colby and molly as part of his sermon thursday night, so to not be there wouldve thrown him off as well.
i'll be able to report on the all boys hip-hop dance class next week, though.
pictures......

sunday
allens bike was taken out of our garage a couple of weeks ago, so i really wanted to get him a new one for his birthday (which is tomorrow, the 14th!!). we went sunday afternoon and picked one out together. then colby had to ride home with it next to him, hahaha.




monday
my mom came in town sunday evening and stayed just thru monday. she hadnt seen the kids for about a month, and was "going thru withdrawal". she took us to paint pottery monday afternoon, which ended up being a great decision (i wanted to do something outdoors), because it poured down rain all day.


tuesday
we got to camp tuesday right at dinner time, so we were able to hear allen preach, and then go to the late night event. tuesday it was a concert by Propaganda and Tedashii, two christian rap/hip-hop artists.



wednesday
we grabbed a snack from the kitchen and ate it out on the deck of the conference center before bedtime wednesday evening. molly and colby love the porch swings.




thursday
i woke up to colby throwing up in the toilet thursday morning, so he and i spent our day right here. bummer of a way to spend a day at camp. :-/ fortunately, whatever it was, it was gone by thursday night, and we were able to go to worship and the late night event.
i think it was the essential oil i used. ;-)


friday
theres a new taco place in town that allen has eaten at a few times, but the kids and i havent made it to yet. we went for dinner friday night. i had a fried avocado taceo, and a ahi tuna taco. both were very yummy.


saturday
you'll get this picture next week. we're on the way out of town for a wedding, and thats what i want todays picture to be, so i'll stick it on next weeks post.


have a great weekend!!!
be blessed!


Saturday, July 6, 2013

threesixfive, week 27

i have SO MANY pictures this week. so, to my mom, youre welcome, and to everyone else, i'm sorry. :-) kidding, kidding.
we had a really full but super fun week.

sunday
i've been trying to educate myself on how to use my camera appropriately (not on auto), so i made the kids pose for me. a lot. i've still got a ways to go, but i can definitely tell a difference.




monday
we went on another nature challenge; this one to the texas memorial museum on the UT campus in austin. its basically natural history. i loved this...picture??...made out of bugs.



tuesday
we had a family game night, and played wii sports for about an hour before the kids went to bed.



wednesday
colby and molly participated in a reading program over the school year that earned them each a free ticket to any six flags park, and one for me, too as their teacher. we went with our friends the o'gradys, who also participated. here are the four kids with daffy duck.


and seriously, this is what almost every line looked like. i was intentional about going the day before a holiday, hoping the crowds would be thin, but i didnt quite expect this. other than one of the big rides where we waited for about 45 minutes, our longest wait was 15 minutes.



thursday
picture overload!!
we skipped the annual parade this year in favor of sleeping in a bit after such a long day wednesday, and knowing we'd be up late for fireworks.
we did go to the festival at san gabriel park in georgetown, which is much better than the one our city does, in my opinion.
number one reason: the petting zoo!!! how cute is that bunny?!?



colby played water gun tag, and got soaked.

then we went to some friends house for burgers, games, sparklers, and s'mores.




friday
our roof is the new hotspot for vultures. two days in a row they've been hanging out up there. seriously?!? this cant be a good thing.



saturday
molly and colby were cuddled up in the living room and she was reading to him. he would help her when she got stuck on a word. i love these moments.


tomorrow my mom is coming in town to spend a couple days with us, then we're heading back down to camp tuesday night to meet up with allen, who's preaching to about 600 students each night. monday thru thursday. camp zephyr is our home away from home, so we always look forward to a trip down there.

if you missed them, i did two posts about essential oils this week. check them out if its something youre interested in. i'm doing a class on july 18th, so if youre in the area and would like to come, let me know and i'll send you the evite.

be blessed!!

Friday, July 5, 2013

peppermint essential oil

as promised, here is a list of 40 things you can use peppermint essential oil for...
this list is not exhaustive. please keep in mind i only recommend the use of young living essential oils.
peppermint is one of the hot oils, which means it might feel hot on the skin, depending on your skin sensitivity. until you know how your skin reacts, i suggest diluting it, or keeping a fatty oil (coconut, almond, vegetable, olive) nearby to put over the top of it if it starts to burn.


1. Rub 4-6 drops in your palm and rub over stomach to relieve indigestion, flatulence, and diarrhea.

2. Add peppermint to herbal tea to aid in digestion and relieve heartburn.

3. Massage several drops of oil on an injury to reduce inflammation.

4. Apply peppermint oil immediately to an injured area to relieve pain. If there is a cut, apple the oil around (not on) to open wound.

5. Apply topically on unbroken skin to stop itching.

6. Inhale before and during a workout to boost your mood and reduce fatigue.

7. Massage several drop in the abdomen to reduce nausea.

8. To relieve a tension headache (some migraine), rub on the temples, forehead, and on the back of the neck.

9. To stop hiccups, apply a drop on each side of the fifth vertebrae (up three notches from the base of the neck).

10. Place two drops on the tongue and rub another drop under the nose to improve alertness and concentration.

11. Diffuse in the room while studying to improve concentration and accuracy.

12. Rub 4 drops on chest and stomach to relieve travel sickness.

13. Place a drop on the tongue and inhale into the nose and sinuses to relieve congestion from a cold.

14. Add to food as a flavoring and preservative.

15. To deter rats, mice, ants, and cockroaches, place 2 drops on a cotton ball and place along the path or point of entry.

16. Mix one 15ml bottle of peppermint into 5 gallons of paint to dispel the fumes.

17. Place a couple of drops in a cup of hot water (not plastic!) and enjoy in place of coffee.

18. To kill aphids, add 4-5 drops to 4 ounces of water and spray the plants.

19. Put one drop in a glass of cold water to cool off on a hot day.

20. Rub peppermint oil on joints to relieve arthritis or tendonitis pain.

21. Place a drop on the tongue to stop bad breath instead of gum.

22. Inhale the fragrance to curb appetite and lessen the impulse to overeat.

23. Remove ticks by applying a drop of peppermint oil on a cotton swab. Wait for it to dislodge its head, then remove tick.

24. Mix 6 drops of peppermint oil in a foot bath to relieve sore feet.

25. Apply over toothache area for pain relief.

26. Rub on sore, tired muscles for muscle fatigue.

27. Rub on chest as an expectorant for bronchitis, colds, flu, and allergies.

28. Drink as a tea to help tone liver, intestines, and nervous system.

29. Drop on tongue or in water several times a day to stop craving for cigarettes.

30. Will reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

31. Improves the flow of bile, which the body uses to digest fat. As a result, food passes through the stomach more quickly.

32. Inhale peppermint while taking a test to improve recall.

33. For poison ivy or poison oak, apply peppermint oil on location (may need to dilute with V-6 oil).

34. Rub on abdomen and lower back to relieve menstrual cramps.

35. Has antiseptic properties and can be used in dental preparations to fight germs.

36. Inhale to combat restlessness and anxiety.

37. Peppermint increases you immunity to diseases.

38. Nourishes dull skin and improves oily skin.

39. Rub several drops on the bottoms of the feet to reduce fever.

40. Peppermint is a natural astringent and will regulate and normalize oily hair. Use 2-3 drops in 4oz of water. Spray on scalp.