Wake Up America--Get Involved!!!

Just wanted to post this for all of you out there that love our country and are thankful for the bountiful and blessed lives that God has given us. I know, myself, day after day I have felt helpless and feel a sadness seeing all the "changes" being made to our country without our having anything to say about it... My uncle sent this to me via e-mail this morning and I want to share it with you too... Make sure your volume is up so you can hear all that Thomas Paine has to say!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeYscnFpEyA

Wow, here's another Utube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKFKGrmsBDk&NR=1

We need to do something before we and the generations to come lose everything that we and the generations before us have worked so hard for!

Six Things about Me....

A friend over at Gingerbread Crumbs & Company asked her blog girls if anyone was game to do a 6 Things About Me list and since I haven't done one in awhile--I'm all in!

1. I love everything that has to do with having tea or tea parties--the beautiful tea cups, tables set with delightful scones and tea sandwiches, tea pots and flowers. My Grandma left us a some pretty tea cups and I have collected some too, so it's a blast to use them! (For pretty teacup viewing, go to my other blogspot Cottage Beautiful!)

2. I'm a novice quilter, a mediocre knitter/crocheter, a wannabe painter--you get the picture; I love all the arts and don't spend time on just one, so I haven't perfected any of them.

3. I'm crazy about jewelry--mostly the kind that has a folk artsy or cultural feel... I like to pile them on; the chunkier or more layered the better... Colorful, cultural beads and vintage buttons are my passion; I use recycled jewelry to make necklaces, bracelets, and earrings too.

4. I love words and the wonderful things you can do with them, but I don't read books unless I can grow and learn from them or if they are special. My mom was reading "Gift from the Sea" in the delivery room before I was born; that's one of my favorites, besides the Holy Bible...

5. I'm an adventureous person--I love to meander around a quaint area and stop to explore at the drop of a hat. Love serendipity and spontaneity...

6. I love people, especially when they're creative, adventurous, and spontaneous!

My Wonderful Father

Well, Father's Day weekend is upon us and I didn't want it to slip by without paying tribute to my dear Dad even though he has not been here with us on earth since 2002. Mom has since remarried--at age 75--and there is a new father-figure in our lives, but my sweet daddy still holds a special place in my heart.

I only have one picture of my Dad and I; back in the late 50's, especially if you were the fourth child, pictures of those precious days were very seldom taken... So I have this one that I hold near and dear to my heart, the only one I know of that exists. It's like gold to me... (Click for larger picture.)

Dad was a kind and gentle fellow and a genious of sorts; that man could fix anything! He was the "Honey Do" man and alway came through. He could fix cars, washing machines, televisions, plumbing, do any kind of home renovation from painting the house inside and out, laying floors, doing electrical wiring, heck he built our first home in Bath, Michigan. It was a 3 bedroom brick house with a basement, and he did it all by himself, except the foundation, and he was only 28 years old!

Dad was a perfect match of Mom since she just loved to travel, and still does. We did it all by car too. When we were little and just had 4 kids, we got everything into a VW Beetle and would travel all over the country in it! Mom's favorite color was aqua, so Dad must have gotten it painted for her... What a guy!

We didn't just travel all over the US, we camped! That little beetle was packed with a canvas tent, sleeping bags, duffle bags, stove, lantern, eating utensils, and food. Dad was a trooper to drive us--safely--all over kingdom come! Day and night too... Mom had to pinch him if she notice him getting drowsy before we reached our destination.

Mom was always crazy about going to Alaska, so Dad made it happen twice in two years back in '68 and '69; now that's a long drive, especially on the Alcan Highway. Thank God we got to take the auto ferry back to the states. The next year we took the ferry up and drove back. On these trips we had our 2-toned VW microbus since we had taken on 4 more foster kids! The second time Mom talked Dad into interviewing for a pipeline job since she had had this dream of having a log cabin and homesteading in Alaska. It was not to be; nice dream, but we were comfortable in our suburban life in SF Bay Area and wow that would have been a culture shock!

When I remember my dear Dad, I think about how he was such a family man. He was all in! He would work all day at work and always be home at night. It was comforting to know we could depend on him to be there for us. He was stable and strong and lived to take care of his wife and family. Later when I was able to compare him with other types of dads, I was proud that he cared for us enough to not smoke or drink like so many of his peers probably did. We didn't have to deal with the heartache so many families had when they had to live with an alcoholic father and didn't know from one day to the next what will happen next. I am really thankful for Dad's faithfulness and devotion to living a sober, yet fun family life.

When I think of my Dad I can see his smiling face and can still hear him call me "Smiley" because he was always making me laugh and smile with his funny antics and gentle, loving ways. As kids, we were so happy to see him when he got home that we would each jump each of his feet when he would walk in the door... Oh, that must have been after mom ran up to him and jumped on him and gave him a big hug and kiss... We were all crazy about him!

As Dad approached his later years, I always tried to express my appreciation for all the great times and memories he gave us the opportunity to experience in our lives. I remember at one time he had said something to the affect that he regretted not being able to give us more even though we had everything we needed, but I quickly reminded him the value of all the happy memories and times together that were worth more than gold to me, and I meant it...

I sure miss you, Dad... I know I'll see you again some day... Happy Father's Day and, again, thanks for everthing you did for us...

With love, your baby daughter, Barbara

VideoCam Computer Calling

I feel like I've just had a breakthrough; I feel like I've just walked on the moon! Okay, I've only just discovered how to use the videocam on my laptop to make video calls to my dear sister and all others who may be in the room at the time---yipppee!!!!

Okay, you might think, why does she think this is such a big deal? Well, the thing is that I only get to SEE my relatives every so often since they live in Northern California and we live down in Southern California. Sure we do a lot of talking on the phone since we got our friends and family cell phone plans, but this is much better, I think... It's so great to see everybody's face and smile and especially see how the little ones are growing and starting to talk. I'm so jazzed!!! Someday, I'm sure I'll look back and laugh probably like the people who first drove the Model T and couldn't believe they were riding around in a horseless carriage.

Well, if this type of phone catches on, I guess the days would be gone that I could talk on the phone in any type of dress or undress... and any old wild type of hairdo! Typically around the house when the weather goes over 80 I usually wear a bathing suit and/or a sarong since I don't like to use the air conditioner and it makes me feel like I live near the beach, even though it is 25 miles away.

We're pretty casual around here, we love to eat our meals outside in our little courtyard, and let the breezes blow though the open doors and windows--natural air conditioning--and turn on the misters if it gets unbareably hot... I like to have a theme for our home, so right now anyway, I call it our "Sea Cottage". I could even "do a tour" with the videocam for anyone who hasn't had a chance to visit lately or ever since we live so far away... eh, well, we won't go in the back room though; not a pretty sight! Well, I can't wait to make my next video call, yahoooo!!!

Trip to Scotland!!!!

Wow, I've been so preoccupied with scheduling the airline tickets for our trip to Scotland at the end of July that I forgot all about blogland. Thank God, I'm done with that and I can move on and even spend some time here and there whilst I gather together what I'm taking with me and researching places to go and things to do in our spare time.

I checked out 8 books to study the lay of the land and other things that might help to know about when we get there. I was thinking about how limited it is to not be able to drive around and how much more business the little towns and shops would have if they hadn't made everything backwards over there in merry old Great Britain. I guess there's no changin' now... That was a dumb decision, whoever made it! I was thinking how fun it would be to be able to adventure around serendipitously here and there just for fun. Not going to happen--that way anyway.

For the next 2 months, this is what is going to be on my mind; I'm so excited to be able to go, and, as I said on my Facebook post, I consider it a huge blessing--Thank You, Lord!!!!! I'm in awe of it all, and I just put all my trust and hope in the Lord...

Problems That Concern Women (Part 3)

MENOPAUSAL DIFFICULTIES

Now that I am 52 1/2, the subject of menopause has become increasingly important to me. Even though there are more and more books out on the subject, it seems like it is still a mystery to a lot of women how to deal with it. I'm glad I read this; it makes a lot of sense and explains a lot I didn't know. Here's Adele again this time on menopause difficulties...

At the end of the reproductive period, the ovaries gradually become inactive. This process is the reverse of changes that occurred at puberty, and a healthy woman on an adequate diet is as unaware of any disturbances as she was at adolescence. Furthermore, normal adrenal glands produce a number of sex hormones which take over when menstruation ceases.

Problems at menopause are often much more severe than at puberty, largely because the diet has been deficient in many nutrients,--protein, calcium, magnesium, vitamins D, E, and B5--for years prior to its onset. For instance, persons who spend much of their time indoors may have no vitamin D whatsoever in their blood. Moreover, women who have a particularly difficult time during this period are usually those whose adrenals are exhausted.

Because calcium is less well absorbed and the urinary losses are greater when the output of estrogen decreases, such calcium-deficiency symptoms as anxiety, irritability, insomnia, headaches, and depression are common. These problems can be easily overcome if the intakes of calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D are all generously increased and are well absorbed. Any woman having difficulty at this time should probably supplement her daily diet with 5,000 units of vitamin D, and 500 mg of magnesium, and obtain 2,000 mg of calcium daily. She suggests 500 mg of calcium with magnesium with all meals and before bed.

During this time the need for vitamin E soars 10 to 50 times over that previously required. Hot flashes and night sweats often disappear when 50 to 500 units of vitamin E are taken daily, but they quickly recur should the vitamin be stopped.

I also thought this was important to know about calcium absorption. She says, "Normally the hydrochloric acid in the stomach dissolves the calcium supplied by foods and holds it in solution until it can be absorbed the the intestinal walls. Sugar and other sweets, however, stimulate the production of alkaline digestive juices so rapidly that calcium becomes insoluble before it can reach the blood." In other words, sugar keeps you from absorbing the calcium...

I also read in this book somewhere that after menopause, women have a week that seems to still need a little more calcium just like before. So she was saying we still go through a monthly cycle, but not the same way, that produces a slight dip in the calcium levels and just to be aware if you feel more edgy than normal to get out the cal/mag.

I've found that it doesn't do much good to analyze it too much, but to just keep it in mind when I'm making my choices and understand that if I'm feeling edgy, I can reach for the cal/mag bottle and not have to medicate myself with any number of other things that people commonly use. As they say, the body cries out for something it's lacking, not a drug to silence the cries...

I want to say here that even with vitamins, the answer isn't only a pill. Ideally, our diets should be close to covering what we need, and the vitamins supplement. You can't live on vitamins; they just pick up the slack and if you are caught short, it's okay to use them to get rid of a deficiency while you are trying to eat a healthier diet. I know most of us know this, but I remember back in my teens and 20's sometimes I thought I could get away with just taking the vitamins and not eating much--wrong--just like you shouldn't eat protein bars or shakes three meals a day...

Anyway, that's all for today!

Problems That Concern Women (Part 2)

PMS AND CRAMPS

Today we will talk about the fascinating topic of PMS and cramps! Here's what Adele has to say about it...

When I was an undergraduate at the University of California, each girl in our department gave blood daily for a study being made by Dr. Ruth Okey of the blood calcium levels in relation to the menstrual cycle. Often we looked at calcium levels before and during menstruation and looked at blood samples from girls complaining of menstrual cramps. Dr. Okey's work showed that starting 10 days prior to the cycle, when the ovaries were the least active, the blood calcium level drops steadily and progressively. Such a calcium decrease results in PMS, nervousness, headaches, insomnia, and depression. As one woman put it, "That's the time I spank the kid's, yell at my husband, live on tranquilizers, drink too much, and can't stand myself."

Because of the decreased blood calcium acts as a stressor, the production of cortisone and aldosterone are stimulated and salt and water are retained in the body, often causing the breasts, hands, face, and feet to swell, weight to increase 5-10 pounds, headaches to occur, and resistance to allergies and infections to decrease markedly. Crimes of violence committed by women take place mostly during this period also.

The first day of menstruation the blood calcium takes a still greater nose dive, causing cramps in the uterus and sometimes elsewhere in the body. Should the blood calcium drop dangerously low, convulsions result. Yet if adequate calcium is obtained and efficiently absorbed, both PMS and cramps can be prevented!

When cramps occur, 1 to 2 calcium tablets every hour generally bring quick relief. Some calcium supplementation is needed for the 2nd and 3rd days... As menstruation proceeds, however, the blood calcium level in the blood remains normal two weeks, but after that daily calcium supplementation should be started. Since more calcium is retained when magnesium and vitamin D are adequate, my 15-year-old daughter takes daily and prior to her menses 5,000 units of vitamin D, 250 of calcium, and 125 of magnesium at each meal; she claims to never experience the slightest menstrual discomfort.

If the blood calcium has been allowed to drop so low that it has induced stress, causing puffiness and a weight increase, generous amounts of protein, vitamin C, and B5 are needed in addition to the vitamin D, calcium and magnesium.

Vitamin D increases calcium absorption, retention, and utilization; and because of the demands of growth, the vitamin D and calcium requirements are both unusually high throughout adolescence. Teenage girls given 1,250 mgs of calcium daily--the amount supplied by 5 glasses of milk, and 650 units of vitamin D excreted far more calcium than they retained; when the vitamin D was increased to 3,900 units daily, ten times more calcium was held in the body.

The ovarian hormone, estrogen, and the pituitary hormone that stimulates the ovaries play vitally important roles throughout the reproductive period. They can be synthesized, however, only when protein, linoleic acid, the B vitamins, and particularly vitamin E are generously supplied. Estrogen increases the intestinal absorption of calcium, causes it to be held longer in the body, and allows it to be used over and over; hence it helps to prevent menstrual discomfort when calcium is under supplied. If the diet is adequate, these hormones are produced in normal amounts and menstrual difficulties are avoided.

I just wish I would have had this information during my youth and even paid attention to doing it more recently during my peri-menopause years, that at times I have to admit were pretty rocky... Doing this and eating a more balanced diet would go a long way toward smoothing out our journeys...

Enough for today; tomorrow we'll look at menopause difficulties, a subject close to my heart...

Problems That Concern Women (Part 1)

I have been reading and studying Nutrition books since I was 11; I guess I have always been searching for the key to having more control over the ups and downs of the roller coaster of a woman's monthly cycle... It's sort of been a mystery to me even though I know a good diet, exercise, and enough sleep are a big part of it.

For some reason, I got out my old copy of Adele Davis' "Let's Get Well". There's a chapter in it called, "Problems That Concern Women". She's such a good writer that my summarizing it for you probably wouldn't tell you all the information, so I want to share it with you since it is so helpful for women young and old to know these things...

Faulty nutrition can at times cause women to envy men and mothers to wish they had sons only. Nervous tension, flightiness, irritability, emotional upsets, and much of the erratic behavior of girls at puberty make it difficult for them to live with themselves or anyone else. The output of hormones from the still immature ovaries, needed for the efficient utilization of calcium, is so small that for about 18 months prior to the onset of their menstrual cycles their blood calcium usually remains below normal; and even a slight calcium deficiency allows it to drop still lower. Thus starts a problem that frequently recurs intermittently throughout the reproductive years, becomes worse at menopause, and results in a stooped, brittle-boned old lady nursing an aching back.

Such abnormalities can be prevented at any time in life by increasing the calcium intake and by obtaining adequate vitamin D and the various nutrients needed by the pituitary, sex, and adrenal glands to produce their hormones.

It turns out--I didn't know this--that estrogen has a lot to do with how well our calcium is utilized by our bodies. Since our estrogen levels fluctuate through each monthly cycle and through different times in our lives, sometimes that calcium isn't there to keep us calm and rational...

So above she is talking about a young girl in puberty whose calcium needs are rising as she is growing and as her body is preparing to "switch gears", but her estrogen level hasn't gotten high enough to help utilize the little she does have--unless she is given healthy foods that supply enough calcium and vitamin D, and magnesium, along with some other things that come in a healthy, well-balanced diet. This is just one stage in a "girl's" life that has the potential to be difficult if she is not aware of what's going on.

One of the big problems of not being aware that you can control this problem is that a girl can always feel like she's "broken" and feels helpless know how to fix it. It's hard to have a stable image of yourself when you don't know what's next...

That's enough for this post; I don't want to overwhelm you all at once... This 1 of 3, so I'll see you tomorrow for another fascinating post about helping women with their so called "problems"... I'm sharing this because I want to be an advocate for many good women who struggle sometimes with not knowing what's going on with their emotions and feel defeated; I do it for the love of God, so we can focus more on Him and His will love and to give of ourselves to others...