Fear or Faith

Got an email recently from my sister, who is trying to get her daughter and her daughter's family--husband and 2 children--over to the States from their home in Great Britain. Their youngest son is 3 and needs to be in a special school here for his autism, which isn't available in GB. I'll let her tell the latest hurdle (overcome) in her own words:
I have been literally sick with worry about them flying over here. It would have cost them 800 pounds to fly their dog, Tati, (whom Toby is very attached to) in cargo, and she read so much about dogs dying in cargo transport. So she found out that if she got Tati listed as an autism dog, they could take her for free with them in the plane. So she managed to do that with letters from Toby's psychologist but our HUGE worry was how Tati, who has never been on a plane or in an airport, would handle it. The airlines have the right to reject her at any time for any reason, in which case they are stuck at the airport with a dog they have nowhere to leave.  I just got a 2 line text from them saying Tati has been perfect, that they cleared her in the UK fine and already have partial clearance at arrival for her. Most of all, when they boarded the plane, they found out their air hostess has an autistic daughter with an autism dog. She was major supportive. Imagine that.

This is just the latest in a series of miracles that have paved the way for their transition to the States. I chided my sister for her worrying; by now we all know that God is Good, He is there for us, He hears and answers our prayers. It is all in His hands. I can't imagine the synchronized steps that had to happen to get that sympathetic stewardess on that flight at that time...

More amazing oils at work

Towards the end of my hike last night at Tolmie State Park, I brushed up against a stinging nettle bush and almost immediately my arm looked like this. By the time I got home and the welts were huge and felt like they were on fire. I put Melaleuca and Lavender oils on it, went to bed and in the morning they were all gone! There was a tingling sensation in my wrist area--not by where the welts were--like the irritants had traveled down the bloodstream to that point. The more I moved it around, the more the sensation lessened, like when your hand/foot "falls asleep" and you have to move it to get the blood circulating again. Rashes from stinging nettle can last up to 24 hours, so I feel blessed to have it gone so quickly.

A lesson in irony

I've just finished reading Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. I vividly remember reading it in 7th grade for a school assignment and it having a profound effect on me at the time. This time, as well, I read it "by assignment" for an upcoming PageTurner discussion group I'm moderating. Bradbury's seminal work is being highlighted throughout the District in October. The irony comes in the fact that there is controversy brewing around the annual All Staff Training Day keynote speaker in September: Orson Scott Card. OSC is a giant in his field, an award-winning author and playwright, and it is a real coup for us to have gotten him to come. Oh, and he is pretty vocal about his beliefs, which may run contrary to some staffers' beliefs. So at a time when we are celebrating a Community Read book on the evils of censorship, the Defenders of Free Speech and Equal Access, (some) workers in this Bastion of the Right To Read, are making (ugly) noises about OSC's politics. About which he won't be speaking. He's coming to talk about science fiction. And fantasy. Ender's Game. New movie (starring Harrison Ford for heaven's sake!), etc., etc., Amen. You have the right to (respectfully) disagree.

Essentials update

Husband has had pneumonia for a week now, and nothing has helped: Doc gave him Prednisone--nothing. Inhaler--no help. Delsym cough syrup doesn't touch it.

I finally got him to try essential oils (doTerra's Breathe and On Guard blends) in the diffuser and he was dumbfounded! It is the only thing that has stopped the spastic, uncontrolled cough. He was able to rest from the constant coughing and start to heal.

A Literary Feast

I told my daughter I didn't want a birthday cake this year, as I'm trying to not eat sugar. The day arrived for my party and before I was allowed into the kitchen, I was told I needed to read a book to the kids. Great! I'm a librarian AND a Gramma, so that's what I do! I was handed a copy of The Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle and at it's conclusion, I was led--eyes closed--into the kitchen. There was spread out a feast to please even the hungriest caterpillar! Each item was labelled with what the caterpillar ate that day, and progressed through to his tasty green leaf at the end of the week as a digestive aid. The centerpiece "cake" was a "fruit" cake, of course!

Cast your (chocolate) upon the waters...

When I had found this awesome chocolate a few months ago, I shared my find with a co-worker. Today, she and another staff member brought me an assortment of Alter Echo chocolate for a belated birthday gift!! Cha-ching! I was running late this morning and grabbed a meager offering for my lunch (and dinner--have to work late) so this is perfect to tide me over today!
p.s. I just added my "snack" into MyFitnessPal database and one serving is less than 200 calories if you divide it up into 3 servings!

Essential healing

Here's a record of my recent experiences with essential oils so far:

1. Burned my baby finger getting homemade chips out of the oven. Immediately put lavender and Melaleuca oils on it and the pain was gone. Next day there was a faint white mark, but no blistering and no pain. (8-5-12)
2. Had an outbreak of skin issues in my outer ear. Put Melaleuca on it before bed and by morning it was more cleared up than it has been in months. (8-8-12)
3. Had a suspicious "thing" on my forehead, thought was a pimple at first, but it didn't go away for 3 weeks. After a week of Melaleuca, the outer skin fell off and it was perfectly smooth underneath. (8-7-12)
4. As I was trying to sleep, my right nostril was blocked. I put some Breathe on my neck and in a few minutes I could breathe fine out of both nostrils. (8-10-12)
5. I had been off Red yeast rice for a few months, then went on it for a week before my oils arrived, to get a good start on lowering my cholesterol. Once I got the oils, I stopped the RYR (7-23-12) and used only Clary Sage morning and night over my liver and a couple drops of Lemongrass in water 2x/day. After 2 weeks of the oils, I got my lipids tested (8-6-2012), and they were the awesome! Total = 202; HDL 71; LDL 120; triglycerides 57; glucose 88; ratio 2:8. My highest without anything was total 275.
6. Plantar faciitis pain for 6 months (1-30-12). Two days (August 6-8) of Deep Blue Rub and Cypress and I was pain-free two days in a row. Have a bit of residual tonight, but nothing like it was even a week ago. 
7. Slim & Sassy in my water definitely curbs my appetite!
8. Had a tooth sensitivity the other day and put some clove oil on it. In 2 days the sensitivity was gone.
9. I think there is a definite mind/body connection to the efficacy of the oils. Whenever I try to apply oils to Rich's ailments, there is zero effect...He's not much of a believer.

I've become my own Grampa

Looking back on my post about my Grampa, ("eyes on the table, teeth in a cup...") I just realized that might have been a foreboding of my own situation! Rich has come down with some kind of viral respiratory infection, and when Yuki, our Japanese exchange student walked in the door yesterday and saw him coughing on the couch, her first question was, "Don't you have a mask?" We turned right around and drove to Rite Aid and bought 2 boxes of masks. That evening we ALL had masks on! With no spare room available for Rich (or me) to sleep in a separate room, I went to sleep with my mask on, and my ears plugged with my swimmers' wax to not hear his coughing. That, in addition to my usual mouth guard to prevent my night time teeth grinding, and my Dorsi-wedge to stretch out my plantar faciitis. Amazingly, I actually got a good night's rest! Relatively speaking....

Healthy & Happy

5 Things that make me happy:

1.  (Almost) no plantar faciitis pain.
2. P90X training (specifically, wall-squats) that have come in handy lately having to access several public restrooms.
3. Nice weather -> Rich on his motorcycle -> I'm drive solo to work = I get to sing along to MY radio station as loud as I want.
4. Great lipid numbers without statins or even Red Yeast Rice. The secret weapon of choice? Healthier diet plus essential oils (lemongrass, cypress).
5. (Finally) a formula for successful weight-loss: myfitnesspal.com