Book shopping

Has anyone else noticed the lack of variety in Children's fiction? It would seem that the occult has become extremely fashionable. To be well read, today's child needs to be well versed in vampires, werewolves, witches etc. etc. Each Christmas it becomes more difficult to find a well written book that doesn't delve into the world of magic and witchcraft. Resurrecting the classics seems to be the only way to find reading of good quality. I raise my voice and ask the authors, agents, and publishers to offer a little more variety. Sell what is well written not what is written to sell...there is a difference!

The Rest of the Story

So the second half of my day yesterday was not so good! I have to stop racing around like a mad woman when I wake up painless and with energy. Consistent days are much better than frenzied work followed by weeks of not being able to move. It's just that every time I feel good, I think "This is it! I'm healed!" It's a good thing God knows where this road goes, and I just have to be diligent on seeking for one day at a time, 'cause that's all I can see at the moment. The future is hazy but I know it's good...because HE is GOOD and HIS Love ENDURES forever!

Strength

~ A strong woman believes that she`s strong enough to face her journey...but a woman of strength has faith that it is in this journey that she will become strong ~

I don't know who this quote belongs to, but it needs to be shared.

Staying Positive

I have an amazing husband! He looks after me very well. Having a wife with a chronic disease is not an easy thing, especially when we really don't know what to expect from each day. (It's kind of like the weather here in Alberta! LOL) I tend to be quite down on myself, which of course doesn't do much good. I seem to find the bad in everything and often choose to believe that I am defeated. Douglas challenges me on a regular basis about how I choose to think. When I am being negative, he asks me if there is anything good/positive that I can see in my life. My answer is usually "NO!". I think my perspective may be changing!

This morning I woke up with no pain...which is unusual. I also seemed to have some energy so I decided to do some cleaning. As I was cleaning, I was talking to the Lord about my situation, and I felt a prompting from the Holy Spirit that I needed to keep a journal of daily accomplishments; a record that in low times I can look back on and see that I am contributing to our family and church. I can't believe how much I've accomplished today! I am sore and tired but I know what I've accomplished.

It is now time to put my feet back up and rest, but my day was/is a success and a blessing. Thank you Jesus for giving me the energy to accomplish all that I have today and that your Spirit leads even in everyday tasks and chores.

Musings ~ Julie and Julia

My daughter and I watched the movie "Julie and Julia" last night. Incidently, we loved the movie, but what inspired me the most was not the 365 days and 524 recipes that the main character set as her goal. It was that she was going to write about it everyday in the form of a blog. That is a form of commitment I just don't understand. The poor girl already had a full time job, a marriage to nurture...or not, and this amazing goal...why would you add the pressure of writing about it everyday?

It must be that blogging was not such a drop in the ocean that it is today. At first it was pretty much academics or eccentrics that owned the world of blogging, but now that it has become "everyone's", no one really reads a whole lot of anything. After all, you could end up reading about another boring evening at home, or God forbid ~ dishwasher detergent!

Many years ago, I watched the movie "Shirley Valentine". I loved the quirky character of Shirley, and felt very sad that so interesting a woman should end up talking to the wall (by name....'Ello Wall!) and cooking egg and chips...or sausage and chips....or baked beans and chips (the British diet is very dull!).

My point is that blogging has become our "wall", something we know is constant and will be there at the end of another ho-hum day, taking the place of the diaries that we once hid from snoopy seekers, and to hide those tidings, all we have to do is write it in a place where everyone has access to know that no one ever will. Sad isn't it?

What you Don't want in your Skincare Products (Part One)

Did you know that the average North American uses 13 or more cosmetic items, skin care, body lotion, etc... everyday. There have been many studies to support that parabens (common preservative, but banned in the EU) are Enocrine disruptors, and are found in breast cancer tissue. This particular ingredient is still used in North America (Although I'm finding more products that are using safer preservative systems).

A friend of mine died of breast cancer a number of years ago. When she had her surgery, radiation, and chemo, she was given a sheet of paper that explained which ingredients she needed to avoid in skincare products. Parabens were on the list. The Mayo Clinic, and John Hopkins University strongly support this fact.

Parabens are usually found at the end of the ingredient list. (If they're further up the list, don't buy it!!) This suggests that there is very little in any given bottle. However, how many women only use one product on their bodies per day? You have a voice. You can choose not to buy products that do not list their ingredients on the bottle, or where questionable ingredients are present.

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/

The above site's purpose is to try and unite cosmetic companies and have them agree on certain safety issues for their products to aid every consumer. Not many of the big name cosmetic companies will join, but most organic companies have. Take a peek...maybe look at what is really in the products you are using.

Ingredients to Avoid

Parbens (methylparaben, isobutylparaben etc...)- Endocrine Disruptor

SLS (Detergent found in most shampoos, bubble bath, body washes) Skin reaction is common

Paraffin, Mineral Oil, Petrolatum (made from the waste of the gas and petroleum industries) - Clogs pores, and actually makes your skin drier over time.

Propylene Glycol - The ingredient responsible for enabling any product to cross through the top layers of skin. This is great if it only let the beneficial ingredients pass through. However, it cannot be selective as to what is able to pass through, so it makes the nasties in the product permeate deeper too.

I'll add more ingredients another time.

Online Shopping

As most of you know, I am an online shopaholic. I think I may need a special support group!!! LOL Anyway, I just want the Canadians who follow my Blog to know about a great Canadian site. www.well.ca is a cross between a drugstore and a whole foods type store. They carry some really good organic lines, and also have decent prices. The part that impresses me the most is that they ship anywhere in Canada no matter how small the order absolutely free of charge.

So the next time you're running low on shampoo, give them a try. Products and service is top notch. BTW, if you like Celestial Seasonings herbal teas...they have ALL of them, and they're the same price as going to the grocery store (where you definitely will not find a great selection).

Happy Shopping!

Coupon Frenzy

Thought it was time for me to blog again. This is going to be fairly ho-hum but something I wanted to share with the person who does the grocery shopping in your home. I have always been a big coupon person, and I wanted to share some sites that you can go to, choose your own coupons and then have delivered right to your door. Apparently there are more people clipping and using cents off coupons since the recession. Hopefully these will be as helpful to you as they have been to me!!

www.redflagdeals.com

http://brandsaver.ca/en_ca/coupons/

www.save.ca

www.shopaneer.ca

www.enfamil.ca (coupons for baby formula)

Hint: Visit manufacturers sites as they often have premotional coupons and samples that they will send you.

That should give you a place to start. If you find any others, please feel free to place them in the comment field. :-)

Dishwasher Detergent

It`s really bizarre that my first blogging entry would be about dishwasher detergent. If I were wanting to talk about soap, I would usually be encouraging you to buy some of my amazing creations (which you will soon be able to do!). However, handmade soap is not what my passion is today. You see, about 4 months ago...my dishwasher just quit cleaning anything very well. Everything came out feeling like bits of food were still stuck to them, and even with a rinse agent, my glasses were spotty! (I know! Unbelievable!)

For those that know me well, you probably will not be surprised that I fill out a fairly lengthy shopping survey once a year. For my 1 hour of work, I receive coupons and samples of new products a number of times a year. The researcher, helping those of the same disposition, is my excuse.

Soooo...I received a sample of Finish Quantum with this round of coupons. I can`t say that I was terribly excited - face cream or shampoo may have raised the excitement level, but dishwasher detergent...well not so much! Until I tried it! This morning my kitchen was stacked with dishes and the dishwasher was full. I hate doing dishes with a passion and resolved that I would try this new product...if it worked, all I had to do was take the clean load out, put a new load in, and I wouldn`t have to get my hands wet! If if didn`t work I faced the prospect of doing the dirty dishes and rewashing the `clean`ones! If I ever needed a dishwasher detergent to come through, this was definitely it!

The result...beautiful, clean, spotless dishes, and one very happy consumer! Believe it or not, I am not the only one blogging about it! I`ll try and imbed a URL, but if not just Google 'Finish Quantum directions'.