My Very Special Thanksgiving

I said I would get around to posting to update about my surgery sometime before Christmas, but I thought I'd add a little cheer to the subject. Most of you are spending this day stuffing yourselves with turkey, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, and of course stuffing. Although I will be doing the same (except I prefer dressing to stuffing and if you're southern you know there's a difference!) I will also have a little something extra to celebrate besides the glorious time of year we remember the Pilgrims and the Indians by eating and planning a shopping extravaganza for the following day.

This Thanksgiving Day, I celebrate ONE YEAR CANCER FREE!!!!!! That's 365 days, people! A full 365 days without cancer cells in my body on a silent advance to take over. I'm a bit excited to tell the truth. Well, more than a bit, really. I'm stoked, I'm flabbergasted, I'm overjoyed, I'm ecstatic, and that's all without pulling out the thesaurus! So, I'm warning you now: If you see me on Thanksgiving Day, be prepared to see a goofy grin and sparkling eyes, and lots of peeps, heehees, and hahas out of me. This moment is the most monumental of 2013 for me. Try saying that 5 times fast!

If I'm posting about this moment, I guess you kinda figured out on your own that I'm doing well after my last surgery. You're smart that way, right? :) I knew you were. I went in for surgery on September 18th and after quite a few hours waiting because they called us in too early, I was taken back and had my right breast ripped out of my body had a skin saving mastectomy on my right side and my port removed, since I haven't had chemo in over a year and the port wasn't working correctly anyway. My memory of my first mastectomy in September of 2012 is kinda hazy, so I was pleasantly surprised to have this thing called "bear paws" to wear while I waited for surgery. It is a gown like thing with a hose attached. At the wall end of the hose, you can turn on air to hot or cold or anywhere inbetween. Of course I had it maxed out at hot for a while (why are hospitals so cold?!) but I kept having to turn it off so I could hear the people talking to me in the room, since I didn't even take my hearing aids for fear of losing them. I did get to enjoy my sister and niece's company along with my hubby's and I don't think I was grumpy from lack of food until right about the time they came to get me for surgery. Don't tell, but one of the nurses let me have ice once after I told her I was getting parched since I normally consumed about 64-70 oz. of water in a day. I liked her, a lot!

A couple of fun things happened that day, and by fun I mean not so fun. First, was the I.V. thing. Normally, I have no problem getting the I.V., just a problem with the I.V. getting in. I blame my mother. She had tiny, rolling veins; I have tiny, rolling veins. Anyway, I was supposed to get the I.V. in my right arm per my doctor's instructions, even though I was having surgery on the right, because I've had lymph nodes removed from my left. My right is a little easier to get needles in, but barely. The nurses were so nice and apologizing for what all they were having to do to me after my vein rolled on them the third time. I don't usually look at what they're doing if it hurts and this time I'm glad I didn't, because when I glanced over, blood was pouring down my hand and puddling onto the floor. I don't mean just a few drops, I mean like someone stuck a pig (oink!oink!) or squirted ketchup on the floor. It took both nurses to clean me, them, and the floor up. I have never bled like that before, but at least on the fourth or fifth stick they got the I.V. in.

When I woke up from the anesthesia, though, I was dismayed to find that the I.V. had been put in my left foot. Um, can you say OUCH! That was the most painful place I've ever had one. The reason for it being there was something to do with the risks of it being in either of my arms because of the whole lymph node thing, but I remember most the pain and discomfort of the thing being in the top of my foot. The nurses wanted me going to the bathroom on my own, which was fine and I was able to do, but walking on the foot with the I.V. was horrible. Especially when I was groggy, about to pop, and snagged the I.V. line on the corner of the bathroom door because the pole wouldn't roll into the bathroom. Yep. Lovely it was. And one of the pain meds they gave me had to go in the needle in my foot and it burned and was cold all at the same time, so bad I teared up.

The other not fun part was when I woke up from the surgery. When they wheeled me back, I was joking and laughing with the nurses and fine. However, when I woke up it was to "I'm going to throw up" being said by none other than me. I won't describe the part that followed, only to say that has never ever happened to me in all of the surgeries I've had. It was not pleasant. Apparently my usage of essential oils has become ingrained because the next thing to come out of my mouth is "I need ginger. My husband has it." The amused male nurse fetched it and let me put it on, while I answered his questions about Young Living essential oils. The Ginger certainly made me feel better and eased the hurling.

I didn't get sick after that, didn't have to have morphine, and relied on percocet and my essential oils to help with the pain and discomfort. And like last time, I couldn't get enough to eat. The kitchen didn't like me much...

I had hardly any drainage from the surgery this time, even though they put in two drains. I ended up having the drains taken out early because there was no drainage to drain, and the lines were pushing on a nerve in my upper chest causing a low grade fever and lots of pain in that area. Oddly enough, I had hardly any pain at the incision site, especially when compared to the pain the drain lines were causing. I was able to go home the day after surgery, once again like last time. However my foot hurt like, well, you get the idea.

This time I knew what might help, so I was using Frankincense and Sacred Frankincense for my cells and tissue, plus ice packs, pillows, etc. Getting the plumbing working again wasn't fun, but a little bit better than last go around. The not so fun part was getting a stomach bug when I went for my post-op appointments with my doctors. I didn't wash my hands as much as I should've while I was there, and a day later "boom" and I lost eight pounds over the next two weeks.

It took me more time to heal up from the stomach bug than from the surgery. Keeping my energy up and the mental fog at bay was and is hard. But, each day I do get a little bit stronger. Just not as fast as I wish, because I had to work hard to get to where I was. I also will only have six months before the next round of surgeries, so part of me struggled with even trying to get back to where I was only to go through it again. There were some dark days mentally, I'll be honest with you. Thankfully, I had some great prayer warriors interceding for me and the dark days passed and praise music was the light shining the darkness dim.

Now, you see why I'm back to the whole giddy, celebratory attitude that a major milestone is under my belt and that I get to celebrate it with family and eating till I burst! Happy Thanksgiving everyone and remember we all have something in our lives to be thankful for, even if it is just the lives we are living. God bless you and yours.

The Way We Oil

Are you tired of me talking about essential oils yet?????????
(Insert evil laughter here)
You just wait! If you are not already a convert the oily way of life, you soon will be! And then you will see how it takes over your whole being, leaving nothing uncovered!
I'm so sorry. Did I just scare you? I have that effect on people sometimes. Some very uncool, un-nice people have suggested I seek help for my habits, but I pay no attention to them. I just threaten to rub essential oils on them!!!!!! haha

We've seen some pretty cool results from these essential oils, and we just want to share the love. It is mind blowing to watch, firsthand, the effects of someone being in pain (well that part is not so cool) or sick (that part is just kinda yucky) putting an essential oil (by Young Living, whose oils are therapeutic grade and contain no other ingredients but pure distilled essential oils) on their bodies or in their bodies by ingesting them and see the profound response their bodies have, because the actual root of the problem has been or is being fixed, not just dulling the senses like a lot of pharmaceutical meds can do (can anyone say "brain fog"?).

Just a couple of days ago, my daughter Mercy had a headache. She's nine, so there are not a lot of options in the medicine world to give her in the form of a pill. She asked what oil she needed to put on, and I directed her to the Peppermint essential oil. Her response: "Diluted, right?!!!!!" She hates the Peppermint neat, or undiluted, because it burns her skin, a common reaction for children and some adults (like my hubby). However, I keep some diluted in extra virgin olive oil for the wussies, I mean, more sensitive in my family. Mercy put that on her temples, but after ten or fifteen minutes, the headache had not gone away and she was still complaining of it. I almost gave in to the voices of peer pressure in my head telling me I needed to just give her a tylenol (I bet you have those voices in your head, too. It's all part of the generations we've been raised in!) but I held out, thinking what else could possibly help her that we actually had, in the way of essential oils. Frankincense! I should've thought of that first, because it has helped her before with a headache. It also helps her to concentrate during schoolwork, fyi for all of you fellow homeschool moms.

So, M put the Frankincense on her temples, neat, since she has no sensitivities to it and we went on about what we were doing while the guys were gone. About ten or fifteen more minutes later, I asked her how she was feeling, and she said much better! Within another ten minutes, it was completely gone! We laughed about it and I was so relieved for her to be feeling better. I'm telling you, just one moment like that of seeing a loved one find relief and you'll become a convert to this oily life!

Have I mentioned my husband doesn't snore at night anymore, when he uses Valor essential oil on the bottoms of his feet? Sound sleep is another reason you'll become a convert to the oily way of life! Can I hear an "amen" ladies (or any of you gents whose wife may snore)?

There are hilarious moments, too. Where you go "This can't possibly work!" and yet it does. I think sometimes God sets us up on purpose to show us the creative life He has instilled in His creations!
Our 3 month old puppy, Ginger, had a bit of a freak out the other night. It was like she had just lapped up a bunch of coffee and it zinged her or something. Which might not be far from the truth, since our son caught her drinking from my husband's coffee cup this morning! Anyway, she was zipping around the room so fast her legs blurred. She was nipping at us, barking over and over and over and over and over...you get the picture, and she was snapping playfully and aggressively at our other dog whenever she blitzed by her. We tried petting her, speaking to her calmly, giving her belly rubs, ignoring her, getting on to her (that's Southern for reprimanding her), and attempting to distract her with toys or food. Nothing was working, she was in such a frenzy. Finally, I'd had enough (of the biting mainly) and I pulled out the diluted Peace & Calming I use on the kids at night. Tim held her by the collar, saying "If this works, then this stuff is for real. Not like it isn't for real, but this is crazy!", while I rubbed the oil on Ginger's ears and the top of her nose, the whole while she was yanking frantically barking at me. She zipped around our bed a few times (yes, we let the puppy sleep on our bed. have you seen her? she's adorable!) and then she flopped down and went to sleep less than five minutes later.

You may say she was just exhausted and finally worn out, but we saw it, and we believe in the voodoo magic of the snake oils and we saw her go from ninety to nothing. Tim even tried to mess with her and entice her with a toy, but she just flopped like a stuffless animal! It was hysterical! We got so tickled at her flopping whenever he moved her, but she just laid there like a drugged puppy. Funny!

One day this week, we went to a local amusement park for the better portion of the day. I sat as much as possible, and tried not to walk a whole lot, because I'm better, but I'm not 100%, not even close! By the time we got back to our vehicle, my foot was hurting, both of my knees were hurting, and one hip was hurting from the walking I did do. Before everyone was even in the truck, I swiped some Peppermint across the places that hurt and by the time we reached our next stop, about 20 minutes or so, I was feeling a lot better. If I had been at home, I would've used Valor first, then PanAway and followed with Peppermint, getting down deep into the tissue. Alas, I do not have enough of said arsenal to carry it with me everywhere and the rest of the fam still have access to it, so Peppermint had to do the job.

I haven't had to take a percocet(sp?) in nearly two months, whereas I was taking one every day before I started using the essential oils. I still take tylenol when I need it, but my need has been far less than it was. I'm not telling anyone to go off their Rx meds! Goodness, no! I'm still on 5 myself every night. But that is down from the 13 I was on just before Christmas. Take one step at a time. One foot in front of the other. Why do people say these annoying mantras?!!!!! Because they are true!

You didn't get to the point of sickness, disease, syndromes, or what have you overnight, and unless God performs a miracle (which could happen) then you won't get out of the mess your body is in overnight, either! I'm preaching to myself here. If you got something out of that statement, then praise God. But mainly, that was for me to come back and look at to preach myself happy and on the straight and narrow!

Happy Father's Day weekend, everyone! I'm going to spend my weekend with one of the craziest, funniest, most caring, and completely insane dads there is: my husband, who puts up with me for some weird reason...Love you, baby! You complete me, you make me laugh, you listen to me even when I make no sense, and that is all of the sappiness you're getting from me!!!!!! haha I can't dish out anymore, sorry.

In The World Of Us

Wait! Wait! Wait a minute! You mean this blogging thing, I'm actually supposed to do it?! I can't just think in random moments throughout the day what I want to jot down, only to never get around to it? That sucks. I'm clearly not cut out for this. Maybe I should just go back to procrastinating. It is not nearly as much of a bother...but then I think of all the crazy good things going on in our lives that could just change yours for the better if you but knew about them, and I find myself back here like a hungover sot needing a drink. Maybe I should come up with a better analogy, that one didn't look as nice in print as it sounded in my head...

I come back around to blogging because I'm like that annoying little kid you used to have living down the street from you that would come around only to tell you what they were doing, what their dog was doing, what their hamster was doing (ok, I don't have a hamster, sorry), what they had for supper and all about all the stuff they know that you don't really give a hoot about, but your Mamma taught you right so you're being polite cause you know she'll bust your butt if you're not nice so you listen till you're bored to tears. In case you couldn't tell, I was that kid down the street that just turned into a taller kid with the same issues. That is okay, though. I can still annoy you with all of the things I know that you don't know.

Just so you know. Ginger, the puppy, is still alive. Our other dog hasn't eaten her yet. If you've ever seen our big hound, you will know that was a sincere possibility. She likes to pounce on things, which can be bothersome sometimes, for instance when small children and little babies are in the house and the parents get all antsy and peculiar about our lovely, giant dog/small horse trying her shenanigans near their child. Parents! Honestly! She hasn't ever, like, eaten someone's child!

Now, Ginger has been a spice to our lives for sure. She is adorable, she is cute, she is affectionate, she is cuddly, but she is also, well for starters: a puppy. Need I say more? She is inquisitive about every little thing, from the sound the air conditioner makes to the moth flitting about the lights. She learns commands well. Already, she recognizes her name, comes when I call her, responds to the word “no” (she might actually think her name is NoGinger, by the way the kids say it), will fetch a ball, play tug of war, sit (sometimes) on command, and chew everything in sight, even if that something happens to be your hand, your face, your toes, or in my case your breast prosthesis. I do have to admit that was laugh out loud funny to look down at her playing my lap, to see she had her whole mouth clamped down on the prosthesis I was wearing. Yeah, that might not be so much fun when I have surgery again in the next couple of months...

What is going on with us? So glad you asked! If you didn't ask, read anyway!

I have officially been a cancer survivor for 6 months now and believe it or not, it has been a whole year since I finished chemo. It is so freakin' wonderful to me, that I've been telling everyone! I'm not one of those people to keep quiet about personal matters, which my husband regrets at times. But this particular one isn't TMI, it is to bring glory to God's name, cause I sure didn't have anything to do with stayin' alive. (Que song!) I hope to have many more months and years to keep telling people about how God was and is my strength through it all. Let's face it people, if it had been up to me to handle it all, I'd be partly six feet under and partly dancing up in heaven. Thankfully, it wasn't up to me, since Christ bore it all for me on the cross. Not only is He my Redeemer, but He is my Healer, too. If you don't know Him, He wants to know you, too. I'm not special in that regard, but He loves me and you all the same.

My square foot garden has been planted, and hopefully I will feel up to taking care of it this year. Don't count on me blogging about it in my other blog, www.growingseedsplantinglife.blogspot.com. I planted tomato plants, banana pepper plants, carrots, onion sets, basil seeds, carrot seeds, spinach seeds, squash seeds, cucumber seeds, green bean seeds, eggplant seeds, okra seeds, and corn seeds. We will see what happens. Prayers please!!!!

It has been two months since essential oils (by Young Living) changed our lives. I'm constantly amazed by what all these oils can do! Sometimes I think, they couldn't possibly fix such and such, and of course they go and astound me by fixing such and such. Never say never!!!

Here are a few examples:

Sunburn- John got really sunburned the day before going to kids' camp from staying out in the pool too long. His face was burning and hot because of it, so I rubbed some Lavender essential oil, diluted in olive oil, onto his face (staying clear of his eyes) and he felt much better with the addition of something cool on his face. When he came back from camp three days later, he was sunburned again, so I rubbed more Lavender oil (diluted) on him. The next day, you couldn't even tell he was burnt, he was just dark. Tim got sunburned after working out in the yard; his upper arms and shoulders were very red. When he came to bed, I lovingly and thoughtfully (hahahahaha) rubbed some diluted Lavender oil on his arms and his the back of his neck. He slept fine and the next day was just slightly pink, the day after that, he looked tan and no longer burnt.

Wasp Sting- oh, this one was fun! Not! Tim and I had been out doing errands while the kids were at camp, and while we were in one store, I noticed my foot was hurting some. When I took my shoe off, I realized why it was hurting. My big toe on my left foot had swollen to more than twice its size and there was an open sore on it. Apparently, I had been stung by a wasp at some point, although I don't know when, because I don't have good circulation in my feet and they are numb a lot. Anyway, I only had Lavender essential oil with me, so I put that on it neat (undiluted). Lavender is good for allergic reactions, and this was certainly an allergic reaction! I don't know that I've ever been stung by a wasp before. Bees and yellowjackets, yes. Wasps? Not so sure. As soon as we got home, I put Purification on the place and applied ice to bring the swelling down. That night and each day after, I put more Purification on, covering it with a bandaid since my shoes all rubbed against the spot. Now, its fine. No swelling, or itching, or anything.

Bug repellent- Oh yeah! We live in the South, where mosquitoes outnumber people, probably 3 to 1. Every year I end up eaten up with mosquito bites, that swell and itch for days. My son has the same reaction, only a little worse. A friend posted about a bug repellent recipe to make at home and spray on before going outside. Go here to get the recipe for yourself: http://thelemondroplounge.com/blog/chemical-free-bug-repellent-recipe It smells so much better than the nasty OFF! Or other commercial things, like Bug N Sun. It also has no ingredients that have been reported to be possible carcinogenics and for me that is a big deal. I don't want my kids ever having to go through cancer! I mixed up the recipe and have used it several times now. I didn't get a single bite on me (except for my ankle where I forgot to spray, thinking the mosquitoes wouldn't find the thin area of exposed skin between my sock and my pants' leg)! Goodby OFF!

Heartburn- Lordy! I don't know about you, but heartburn is vicious! I had a day of it tormenting me like a preview of purgatory. I have come off my Rx heartburn meds, because I hadn't needed them with all of the Peppermint I've been using to aid in digestion. But this day, something caused me to be able to bring forth fire like a dragon having a tantrum. I took a Rx pill, but it was doing nothin'! Finally I remembered “There's An Oil For That!” and doused my chest with diluted Peppermint essential oil. I also took a capsule containing two drops of Peppermint. Within about an hour, every symptom of the heartburn was gone and I got to sleep.

I'm sure you've had all the essential oil talk you can handle, but know I could go on and on and on. There are just so many good things we're seeing happen when we use them. Oh, did I mention a cyst on my port scar fell off after using Frankincense on it for three weeks? So cool!

Ok, anyway, my point is, if you want to know more, I can certainly tell you more. Find me on facebook (Rachel Parrish White), or email me at spiceyourspace@yahoo.com. I will happily give anyone my distributor price, which is 24% off the retail price. Or you can become a member of the club for as little as $40. I just want to share all of this oily love with you!

Living with Essential Oils-Allergic Reactions and Mouthwash

I've decided to change up the way I've been doing the blog a bit, to avoid boredom. Oh, you may not be bored; if you aren't then I feel much better, something I'm doing must be entertaining. However, I am getting bored with it. I mean, all I'm doing is describing my day, hour by hour to you. How can you stand that?!!! LOL Don't get me wrong, I love my life. I love living it. I love having it to live. But I've already lived through whatever I'm posting about so its kinda redundant to me. Remember I told you I get bored easily and have issues with carrying things through to completion, but as far as I am concerned my family will be using essential oils the rest of our natural lives, so that is a bit much for me to blog about day in and day out without going certified crazy! Notice, I specified certified? That is probably one of the only reasons people read about my life (other than wanting to know more about using essential oils) is because there is something about reading the screw-ups of someone crazier than you that makes one feel at least a teensy bit normal. Haha

One of the reasons for the change up is that I've got a few other projects going on. I always do, I'm notorious for reading several books at a time, doing several projects at a time, and always having a few figurative irons in the fire. One particular project I will also be blogging about soon, so as to not spend hours per day doing nothing but blogging, I will post about our lives using essential oils probably once a week to highlight, well, the highlights. That will free me up to post about some upcycling I've been doing with things from my closet, my sewing stash and the thrift store. My body is shaped a lot differently now than it was, so clothes don't exactly fit correctly, so I've been changing up some things I already have and getting some new-to-me things to alter. I can't wait to post about them! Just to give a hint, I turned a dress with a too-tight bodice into a skirt for me and a tube top for Mercy. I'm also redoing a few things in our kitchen, which takes time, and may end up being a few more blog posts.

So since its been far too long since I've posted I'll try to give you a quick run down of some of the things we've done.

I made some mouthwash. I guess I should say I made two mouthwashes. The first one was just warm water with sea salt and a drop of Thieves essential oil in a glass bottle with a lid. The second was based on one I saw in a book called Aromatherapy, a lifetime guide to healing with essential oils by Valerie Gennari Cooksley. 

It had one cup of strong chamomile tea, brewed. Take a teaspoon of honey and add two drops of Peppermint essential oil (remember to only use oils you can ingest, like Young Living oils, message me at spiceyourspace@yahoo.com to order any at my price), one drop of Tea Tree oil and 2 drops of Lavender essential oil to the honey. Then add the honey mixture to the chamomile tea. Adding the essential oils to the honey first causes the honey to act as a carrier and allow the essential oils to mix with the liquid of the tea. Otherwise they will just float. Store this mixture in an airtight bottle out of sunlight and shake well before each use. 

You could also add Fennel essential oil and Geranium essential oil, but I didn't have either of those two, so I couldn't use them. You can't drink or eat for twenty minutes after using this mouthwash according to the book.I should have added a drop of Thieves into this mixture, but didn't think about it at the time. I will on the next round though, because the Thieves has really helped with the tooth pain I'd been having. I was even able to eat a honey bun (I know! It's processed food, but it was so good!) without doubling over in pain, tears streaming down my face. It didn't hurt at all, matter of fact.

Another thing I've done is get an organic tooth soap from a company I'm a fan of here in our local area. The owner is a fellow homeschooler and my son just adores her candles (especially the quirky robot shaped one he slept with for an entire year); alas she has moved to Georgia, but she has an internet site, Cheeky Maiden Soaps. This tooth soap is made with clove essential oil, which helps numb mouth pain, and also has coconut oil in it. I love it, because it foams up when you use it and its not overly abrasive. This with the mouthwash is really good, although not the bestest tastin' stuff around according to Tim and John. My mother-in-law bought the mint version and really likes the taste of it.

John has had several scrapes lately. He is a boy afterall! Although I wish he was as indestructive as the rubber he seems to think he is. We've been using the same Lavender essential oil diluted with olive oil that we use on the kids at night to help them sleep, to apply to John's scrapes and they've looked a lot better and takes the sting out of it, which prevents the cry fest that sometimes accompanies said scrapes.

Mercy has had a few more stomachaches, hiccups, and gas pains that the Peppermint essential oil diluted in olive oil has helped with. She has also had a struggle with concentrating on her schoolwork here lately. I'm sure its because we are so near the end of the school year, but we certainly don't want her to bring down her good average with a few bad grades. She has been using Peppermint and Frankincense essential oils behind her ears and across her toes to help her focus and concentrate. Even this afternoon, I saw a significant difference after she had applied it. I just wish I had thought of it earlier in the day!!!

I have also been using Frankincense on my surgical scar from where I had my mastectomy last August. Frankincense isn't cheap, but I got a 5ml bottle of it in the starter kit I bought. Normally I wouldn't use something so “expensive” on a scar (I've got plenty of others to prove this point) however, this particular scar I need to stretch as far as it will go when I have reconstruction, so to me it is a safe and sound application of it. Frankincense is supposed to fade scars significantly and many women have raved about how it decreases under eye circles and puffiness. I haven't tried that yet, but I may.

Between the bath scrub I posted about before and the Frankincense, my scar is flat, without ridges and smooth. I do hope this helps when I have my next surgery. Hopefully the doctor won't tell me my skin is too soft and smooth! Lol

Several days ago I took around the yard and pulled a few weeds. Then two days ago I went out to my square foot garden (I have two boxes) to weed them for the vegetable plants I unintentionally bought (I got eight plants for less than eight bucks!). Something that I came into contact with caused a stinging, burning rash on my inner forearms. Yes, I wore gloves. But that didn't protect me and my uncovered arms. I also got some in my eyes and nose because my eyes started itching horribly and I was sneezing, sneezing, sneezing. Then the inside of my nose started itching like ants were crawling all inside it and stinging and biting as they went in circles. I was miserable! I washed off, but the damage was done. I have no idea what the weed was, but I know it was not stinging nettle. This weed's habit was like baby's breath, but with thicker, bright green stalks that stuck to you like glue. It also had yellow flowers instead of white.

I applied Lavender to my arms and immediately the stinging and burning stopped. If I hadn't of been so uncomfortable it might have been kind of neat. The other two things I didn't really know what to do about because it can be dangerous to use essential oils too close to the eyes or mucus membranes according to all of the warnings I see over and over. I took Lavender internally with Peppermint and Lemon in a capsule and applied Lavender behind my ears and on the inside of my cheek. I also applied Purification to my neck and Thieves on my chest. I was determined to beat this stuff, but the next morning I was still rubbing my eyes violently and sneezing. My nose was even worse. The inside felt singed and quite like my tongue felt during chemo last year; burnt. I continued using the Lavender topically and internally. My energy was gone, too. Like all of the sneezes were ripping my energy right out of me. I slept and slept like before I started all of these oils, but my body was tired of it all. I finally ended up taking some tylenol sinus to help all the oils get a hold and eradicate whatever that weed was. From what I read, the first time your body comes into contact with something it sees as a virus it develops a reaction to fight it, producing histamine. The next time you come into contact with it, your body will most likely respond with more symptoms. Hence my second reaction, apparently. Most people just call it hay fever, hives, or rhinitis. I called it misery.

I discovered something in this Aromatherapy book, though. It was a nasal soother. One part warmed toasted sesame oil, one drop of Tea Tree oil, and two parts pure vitamin E oil. Mix together and swab inside the nostrils with a q-tip. Some of these things are like being a kid seeing the circus for the first time. You think it couldn't possibly work, but somehow it does, and it is amazing and incredible and leaves stars in your eyes. I might not have had stars in my eyes, but I was certainly amazed at how instantly, instantly people, my nose was fine. I do have to admit the smell of toasted sesame oil inside of my nose was weird, really weird and the smell came back each time I subsequently had to blow my nose (another weird) but I was okay with that if the pain and torment was gone. This is one treatment I plan to use again if ever necessary.

The eye thing I never really figured out what to do about, but use a cold compress and use my prescription eye drops. Maybe I'll come across something in the future, but I most certainly am going to try to keep away from the un-named weed!

I even got a book from the library about gluten free living. I don't think we're really ready for that step yet, but little by little we are kind of heading that direction with the diabetic diet. I really like a lot of the recipes for diabetics, even though I am not one. Grandma is, and so we all are pretty much on board for that train, except maybe more sweets than she is supposed to eat. I love just about all kinds of food, especially indian, chinese, japanese, and other asian foods, which is among some of the healthiest given the amount of vegetables and fresh foods. Tim is having to grit is teeth and smile through this, cause there isn't so much meat and starch as there once was and he doesn't like too many vegetables. But I do win some, like chickpeas. Everybody in the house likes chickpeas. Score!!!! May God grant me patience in searching for more healthy things my family will eat!

Day#14 of Living with Essential Oils-How an 8 yr old Can Use Oils

Day#14 did began very, very well; if you can call waking up to your big ol' dog barfing as a good start. We have a rule in this house. Whether or not my husband agrees to said rule, either. I can handle many, many things. Blood, guts, hunting deer, plucking chickens, cleaning toilets, nursing children through the night, even surgery! However, vomit is on a totally different level and one I can not aspire to reach. shudder I got the dog outside and even brought Tim the rags to clean it up, but that is as far as this woman goes! Even if it is our children. Mommy loves you dearly, but if you start hurling, dear child, Mommy will be running out of the room to keep from experiencing the monster gag reflex that takes over Mommy's throat and makes her tummy roll over like a dead possum. Yep, Mommy is brave! How nice of you to notice and not point how ridiculous Mommy can be sometimes!

I put a drop of Thieves essential oil on Belle's dog bed before I flopped back into the bed to leave my wonderful husband to clean up the vomit. He's mine, you can't have him. I know I've got a great thing going with him! Anyway, the Thieves will help get rid of airborne bacteria and helps it smell much better. I don't know about you, but the smell of cloves, lemon, etc is much, much better than vomit!

When I awoke, it was near 11 o'clock. Yes, in the a.m. Not everyone is perfect! Nor is everyone a morning person! Honestly though, I woke up to sneezing. Not my most favorite way to wake up to the world for the day, but I've experienced worst. My sweet daughter came into the room and said, “What helps with sneezing?”. I answered Lavender and Peppermint, which she brought me to apply. Once I had applied, she put the oils back for me. I don't know who taught her such helpfulness and willingness to serve! I love that little girl's heart! She was a chatterbox today, more so than normal. Throughout the day of talky talky talky, she told me the different oils she or someone else needed to use. When it was time for schoolwork, she put on a little Frankincense and some Peppermint to help with clarity and concentration, after she had informed me that is what she needed to, that is. She went running for the Peppermint instead of a Pepto tablet when she had some stomach cramps later on. Within moments of applying it, she was better, saying, “This stuff really works!” There is the testimonial of an eight-year-old, folks! You can't get better than that. Seeing the changes in my kids is enough to be willing to buy the kit of essential oils from Young Living all over again, even if for just the change for the better in their sleeping habits.

During this day, I've really struggled with feeling down in the dumps. I'm not one to cry. I actually hate to cry, and will avoid it whenever possible, but I felt like I could've just crawled into God's lap and had a big ol' cry. There were some expectations I had held, concerning how others perceived me or evaluated me that I felt inadequate in. And this feeling of inadequacy was wearing on me heavily. I've journeyed through a really rough time these past two years and had to overcome living my life based on someone else's views and expectations of me and spreading my own wings to how God wishes me to fly. I know my self worth is not tied up in what someone else thinks of me, only what God thinks. I know that if these things I'm concerned with don't happen, it is because they are not right for me and God has something better planned. It is not the end of the world. It is just emotions. Haha. It is not so easy to believe those things sometimes, though. I've felt desperate today. I think sometimes God needs us to get desperate so that we don't get stuck in the doldrums and become stagnant. Though sometimes it takes a hurricane to get us out of the stagnant place. I'm not at a hurricane moment, just one that is the vine being pruned, I think.

With this inner turmoil going on, and knowing it was also a spiritual thing, and emotional thing, I put on Frankincense to lift my spirits and Peppermint to give me a boost, mentally and physically. I also used Lemon to buoy my spirits, along with, most importantly, some prayer. Now I wasn't able to run races today, or even make a nice dinner like I was able to last night. I'm sure I was snippy, and snappy, and surly at times. I'm not perfect and these oils are not a fix-it-all, but prayer is. God knows what is going on. He will prevail where my strength would only fail. I love the comfort that the oils bring me, though.

It was also heartening to hear Mercy tell her Grandma what EO she should use before they went for a walk after supper. I let Mercy put the oils on her and John tonight (although a tickle/laughing fest resulted), because last night she was telling me which one was which and asking me to clarify what each one was for. I'm impressed by her interest and aptitude. It is certainly important what we teach our children, for when they are older they won't depart from those ways. I'd rather teach my children to investigate products, ways of living, and alternative means to the traditional medicines than to teach them to rely on what the doctors, media and commercials tell them they should buy and use for their whole lives. It just might be that my daughter and my son do not have cancer visit them (because it won't, by the prayers prayed already) because the prayers of their parents were supported by a lifestyle of essential oils instead of chemicals, toxic free living instead of living a toxic life. I'm willing to learn how to live this lifestyle with the hope of what it can do for my children long term. It is also another reason we must be guided by prayer in all that we do.

Nightly oils:

Mercy put Valor on her and John's feet, Peace and Calming on their shoulders, and Lavender on their necks.

Grandma used Valor on her feet, Peace and Calming on her shoulders, Lavender on her neck and Purification on her chest.

I used Valor on my feet and on my jaw, Peace and Calming on my shoulders, Lavender on my neck and temples, and Thieves on my chest.

Tim fell asleep before all of this so the only way he'll get some is if he starts snoring so horribly I can't stand it and I attack him and his feet! lol

Day#9 of Living with Essential Oils-Bad Mood Relievers & "Franklin's cents"

Day #9 was a bit of a challenge for me. Our son, who is going to be 6 in just a couple of weeks, was cranky and in a bad attitude most of the day. It was so unlike him to act that way, and it was something I had to address several times. On the second occasion I applied Lemon, Peace and Calming, and Valor to him and prayed with him. He was more easy going for a while and better behaved, but after he got sent to his room while our neighbor was over here playing, I applied them again. At bedtime, I put Peace and Calming, Lavender, and Valor on him and prayed diligently. When he woke up in the morning, he said he slept very well and has been in a much better mood. He also said the oils helped him stop being mean. He is much better at admitting when he's wrong than I am, so perhaps he won't be as stubborn as his mom when he's grown. I hate to think what he would have been like today without the essential oils to help! But at the same time, it shows this is not a fix all cure, we have to be diligent in our use of them and in our use of prayer to accompany them. If you don't understand the power of prayer, I can see where you would call these “voodoo meds”!

When I told Mercy it was time to do schoolwork, I didn't even finish my sentence before she had gone over to the box with the oils in it and began applying Peppermint and Frankincense to help her concentrate. I complimented her for doing so, but she said something that just struck me as quite funny. She thought we have been calling Frankincense “Franklin's cents” all this time! She knew it was an expensive oil back in Bible times and thought that it was called Franklin's cents because it took a lot of cents with Ben Franklin's picture on it to buy the essential oil. Oh, I have the best job ever being a mom!

I didn't have as much energy on this day. My allergies were really acting up, and I didn't douse myself in Lavender and Peppermint as much as I should have because I got busy and didn't think about it. We moms tend to not think of ourselves when we see a mile long to do list in our heads. It is not intentional or on purpose ignoring, it just kind of happens and later we go “oh yeah, I was supposed to take some...”. I did remember to drink plenty of water with Lemon in it. Have I mentioned how yummy and addictive it is???? I was however very glad when night time rolled around, even though I had taken a nap, I was not feeling well over all.

I used Valor on my feet for sleeping and arthritis and most importantly on my jaw for TMJ and teeth grinding, Peace and Calming on my shoulders to promote calm and help me get to sleep, Lavender on my temples to prevent headaches and the sides of my neck to promote sleep and rest. I also put a drop of Thieves on my chest. I LOVE Thieves! Josie Jones you were so right, it is at most moments my favorite oil! I even added a drop of it to the white vinegar in the fabric softener slot when washing some nasty, sweaty, smelly work clothes. I couldn't believe the difference! I am very sensitive to smells, have been since the chemo beast attacked me last year. So sensitive that I could smell any paper or cardboard product from across the house! Our house is over 80 feet long, people! And I could tell when someone on the other end of the house tore off a paper towel from the roll or opened a new package of toilet paper. Therefore when I say Thieves got rid of the sweat odor, I really mean it. And when I say it Thieves smells wonderful, I really mean that too!

At bedtime, Mercy got the same oils as John: Valor, Peace and Calming, and Lavender. She also slept extremely well and said she only woke up once and it was to hear her Grandma snore just a little bit. M turned her head and showed me how she went to sleep with cartoon like drama. The girl is cute, what can I say?

Tim got me to rub Valor on his feet without a mutter of a reply from me. I'm learning how to be more giving! Woo-hoo! I also rubbed some Peace and Calming on his neck and shoulders to help relax some tenseness he was dealing with. When I came to bed, he was sleeping well and didn't snore any that I know of. Just seeing him sleep better and be able to relax enough to sleep after being tense is enough of a reason to use these essential oils! It eases my heart and brings me peace, too. Look for Day #10's post tomorrow in the midst of your church day. I'm going to talk about how I got relief from a fever that hit me midday.