Essential Oil Experiments

Ridiculous ... 2 1/2 years since my last post. I'm surprised they even kept my 'blog' open. But I'm glad they did - now that I'm unemployed, I have time to write!! New category: Essential Oil Experiments. I'm learning as I go and want to note honest results experienced by me and by members of my family. My favorite source for organic, therapeutic grade EOs is Mountain Rose Herbs here in Eugene. I also love doTerra - they have some amazing blends.

Moving soon ...

I think we'll be in this area forever so we're not moving far, but we'll be homeowners again after many years and many financial ups and downs. The last home we owned was when Autumn was a baby in Granite Falls WA, so we qualified for some awesome 'First Time Homebuyer' bennies. It needs some TLC so we'll be posting before and after pics ... stay tuned!

God Hates The World?

Wow, don't know whether to laugh or cry at this video link I found on Boing Boing. It's like an SNL skit until you realize these people are dead serious.

The part that starts right about 5 minutes in is utterly terrifying and sad. Watch the whole thing from the top, though. "God Hates the World," brought to you by Westboro Baptist Church who previously became internet-famous for "God Hates Fags" and "God Hates America." Incidentally, the song and lyrics of which this is a remake were co-created by none other than the recently departed Michael Jackson.

"Isolated from continental land masses for 18 million years, Yemen’s Socotra Island showcases an alien-like landscape with unusual plants and animals, such as the blood dragon tree, pictured, and desert rose. Its high degree of biodiversity has earned it the name the “Galápagos of the Indian Ocean.”

Certified Genealogy Addict

I've done research on my family history since I was a teenager. My mom and dad couldn't tell me much - some names and birthdates of grandmas and grandpas, but that's about it. Neither my mom's or dad's side were close with extended family - I didn't grow up with any cousins, rarely saw grandparents, didn't hear from uncles and aunts very often. So I started with these few names and today I've got 3000 plugged into Ancestry.com. I found my father-in-law's siblings, family he didn't know he had. I found my grandma's half-sister, whom she didn't know existed. I've talked to distant cousins, encountered people extremely generous with their information, resources and documents, and learned about my Godly heritage (strong roots in a huge Church of the Brethren community in Pennsylvania who came from Germany). It's exactly like putting a puzzle together - the feeling is AMAZING when you've finally found that one piece that fits among a million 'close but no cigar' possiblities. Unlike a puzzle, I'm investing my time in something I can give my kids: knowledge of their heritage.

Prayer warriors, time to pull out the stops!

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/01/justice.souter.retiring/index.html

Supreme Court Justice David Souter is stepping down in June....amazing opportunity for Obama to choose the RIGHT person! I don't see him choosing an extreme left kinda person...please don't choose an extreme ANYTHING...and I love his stance on compassion, as long as it's tempered with keeping the individual accountable. I read a disturbing article about Judge David Hamilton, Obama's first judicial appointment to the appeals court called 'What's the matter with empathy?' (Wendy Long with NRO). Hamilton, formerly chief judge of the district court in Indianapolis, has run roughshod over rational compassion and has practiced what Long calls 'lawless empathy' in some of the cases he ruled in. The Washington Post says 'The White House held out Hamilton as a prototype for the nominees Obama will seek as he reshapes the federal appeals courts' so my project today is to research this guy - I don't want to base my opinion on one article, as compelling and persuasive as it is. I love Obama - I've supported him throughout his candidacy and agree with much of his platform (abortion is my primary bone of contention) and want to believe he'll make the right decision, WITH God's help!

Everything I know about English, I learned on School House Rock

Slumdog Millionaire

So who is this Danny Boyle guy? Trainspotting was amazing, gut-wrenching...I felt the same about Slumdog Millionaire. 28 Days Later was one of the freakiest movies I've ever seen. The plots are creative in these films, but it was the quality of the directing that grabbed me. I have GOT to watch everything he's ever done.

Engrish.com

Average Joe or American Imbecile?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/12/joe-the-plumber-fights-wi_n_157239.html

This article in the Huffington Post reads like something in the Onion - extremely entertaining. So Joe 'The Plumber' Wurzelbacher has apparently decided to become a journalist, covering the Gaza conflict for conservative website pjtv.com. He tells WNWO-TV in Toledo that he wants to let Israel's 'Average Joes' share their story.

Joe the Plumber's career philosophy...

"They're supposed to bring the news to you unbiased. They're supposed to actually report it and then let you make your opinion ... What I can provide are actual real questions and get real answers. I'm not talking manufactured answers, I'm not talking soundbites...And uh, not giving it any kind of slants.

Average Joe speaking to reporters...

"I don't think journalists should be anywhere allowed war (sic). I mean, you guys report where our troops are at. You report what's happening day to day. You make a big deal out of it. I think it's asinine. You know, I liked back in World War I and World War II when you'd go to the theater and you'd see your troops on, you know, the screen and everyone would be real excited and happy for them. Now everyone's got an opinion and wants to downer-and down soldiers. You know, American soldiers or Israeli soldiers."

Is this guy for real? OHHH, yes....absurdly real...check out this exchange with an Israeli reporter:

JOE: The story here is people are being killed and the media's slanting it and trying to make it Hamas is, uh, as far as, that Israel's being bad. Do you believe Israel is bad?

REPORTER: Do I believe it?

JOE: Yeah, do you?!

REPORTER: I'm Israeli, so...

JOE: So answer the question!

REPORTER: No, I don't think Israel is bad.

JOE: Do you think Israel has every right to protect itself?

REPORTER: Yeah.

[pause]

JOE: You do?!

REPORTER: Yeah.

JOE: Have you said that on air?

REPORTER: I'm just a reporter.

Don't quit your day job, dude...

When I grow up, I want to be Studs Terkel

Historian Studs Terkel...love this guy. I've written about him before. I stumbled on this essay he wrote for NPR's 'This I Believe'...

"My own beliefs, my personal beliefs, came into being during the most traumatic moment in American history: the Great American Depression of the 1930s. I was 17 at the time, and I saw on the sidewalks pots and pans and bedsteads and mattresses. A family had just been evicted and there was an individual cry of despair, multiplied by millions. But that community had a number of people on that very block who were electricians and plumbers and carpenters and they appeared that same evening, the evening of the eviction, and moved these household goods back into the flat where they had been. They turned on the gas; they fixed the plumbing. It was a community in action accomplishing something.

And this is my belief, too: that it's the community in action that accomplishes more than any individual does, no matter how strong he may be.

Einstein once observed that Westerners have a feeling the individual loses his freedom if he joins, say, a union or any group. Precisely the opposite's the case. The individual discovers his strength as an individual because he has, along the way, discovered others share his feelings -- he is not alone, and thus a community is formed. You might call it the prescient community or the prophetic community. It's always been there.

And I must say, it has always paid its dues, too. The community of the '30s and '40s and the Depression, fighting for rights of laborers and the rights of women and the rights of all people who are different from the majority, always paid their dues. But it was their presence as well as their prescience that made for whatever progress we have made.

And that's what Tom Paine meant when he said: "Freedom has been hunted around the globe; reason was considered as rebellion; and the slavery of fear made men afraid to think. But such is the irresistible nature of truth that all it asks, all it wants, is the liberty of appearing. In such a situation, man becomes what he ought to be."

Still quoting Tom Paine: "He sees his species not with the inhuman idea of a natural enemy" -- you're either with us or against us, no. "He sees his species as kindred."

And that happens to be my belief, and I'll put it into three words: community in action."

Let There Be Peace on Earth and Let It Begin With Me!

"Faith and love are apt to be spasmodic in the best minds. Men live on the brink of mysteries and harmonies into which they never enter, and with their hands on the door-latch they die outside." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Barack Obama continues his amazing efforts at bringing unity to America by making Rick Warren one of his choices to speak at his inauguration. Sure, many don't look at it that way, but it's quintessential Obama to choose a diverse cast, nay-sayers be damned!

And plenty of nay-sayers there are. Conservatives on the right:

“In my view, the new president is trying to exploit Warren,” Gary L. Bauer, the Christian conservative organizer and former Republican presidential candidate, wrote on Friday in an e-mail newsletter. He urged supporters not to take Mr. Warren’s role as an endorsement, calling attention to Mr. Obama’s distance from the pastor on social issues..." ~ NYTimes.com

...and liberals on the left:

"Picking Rick Warren to give THE invocation," wrote John Aravosis on AmericaBlog, "is abominable." ~ Huffington Post

"Let me get right to the point," Joe Solomnese, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a harsh letter to the president-elect, "Your invitation to Reverend Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at your inauguration is a genuine blow to LGBT Americans." ~ Huffington Post

Lee Stranahan of the Huffington Post said it well:

"There's something bigger at play here and you can't say Obama didn't warn you. He talked about reaching out, about expanding our politics and that crazy bastard actually meant it. Nobody on the left or right quite knows what to make of it. We want to cram Obama into our old, divisive, two toned ideological and political frame and if he doesn't fit, we'll attack him too."

And attacked he has been. But Obama is nobody's puppet. He'll make his own decisions throughout his presidency, not based on any interest group or political party.

It's no secret that I'm not a fan of extreme, divisive, right-winged Christians. What I like about Rick Warren is that he's looking for common ground. I LOVE that he spoke Saturday night to about 800 members of the Muslim Public Affairs Council at its convention in Long Beach. He pronounced his love for everyone - Muslims, Democrats and Gay and Lesbian folks included. Is that not the CORE of Jesus' teaching? And it may surprise Christians, but Obama is a Democrat AND a Christian!! Unbelievable!! I'm telling you, sometimes I'm hugely embarassed by some very vocal and very visible members of my global Christian family, and now is no exception. I heard that some of these people criticized Warren for even PRAYING with Obama. It literally makes my adrenaline surge and my heart pound to hear poop like that. Absolutely assinine.

Let there be no confusion: I'm pro-life, believe marriage is for a man and a woman, and any silly 'What party are you?' test I take confirms I'm a Republican. That doesn't mean I can't understand the perpectives of proponents of pro-choice and gay marriage advocates. I continue to re-evaluate my political leanings and try to educate myself at every opportunity.

Several months ago I wrote about an NPR interview with Rich Cizik, Vice Pres of the National Association of Evangelicals. Check this out: he was FIRED because of that interview. Read on:

"As noted by Jim Wallis in his "Hearts and Minds" Sojourners post (December 19, 2008) a leading evangelical -- Richard Cizik -- who is progressive on environmental issues and gay rights, was just fired from the vice presidency of the National Association of Evangelicals for only daring to say he is warming up to the idea of gay civil unions.

As Wallis notes:

'Rich Cizik has been a pioneer in the "new evangelical" movement... Rich has helped lead the way to putting "creation care" and climate change on the mainstream agenda of the evangelical movement... because of things he said in an NPR interview with Terry Gross [he was fired]. The controversy of some of Rich's statements, in particular his "shifting" feelings about gay civil unions, admitting that he voted for Barack Obama in the primaries, and implying that he did so in the general election, caused so much controversy in some quarters of the NAE's constituency that the Executive Committee felt they had no choice but to suggest resignation, which Rich quickly but sadly accepted...'

One step forward and two steps back....but maybe now it will be TWO steps forward and ONE step back with Barack at the wheel. We can only hope and continue in our individual efforts at promoting love and unity.

"Thank you for my life"

"Dear God
Whose Name I do not know
Thank you for my life
I forgot how big....
Thank you
Thank you for my life"

I've thought about this clip a million times since I saw it many years ago. It comes to mind when I feel that same spontaneous urge to lift my arms to praise God and to thank Him for whatever....for my life, my family, for beauty. It's the same feeling I've felt all my life, before I knew Who it was I was thanking. I never want to forget how big He is.

May I recommend...

I was turned onto Studs Terkel's work through This American Life - really amazing stuff. I would love to record peoples' experiences like this someday...priceless history.

http://www.studsterkel.org/





This looks amazing too, can't wait to spend a day working on spreadsheets, listening to every single audio clip.

http://www.historicalvoices.org/

I'm sure there are a million like these...can't wait to hunt them down...

First snow!

The person who authorized all the abuse and torture at Abu Ghraib is the president

Really sickening. I'm so done with Bush. I remember being so MAD at those guards who humiliated the prisoners the way they did. Come to find out, they were just pawns...obeying orders. Unbelievable.

Article below is from this site: http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/12/the-architects.html

"Last week, we reached some closure on a burning and controversial question that has occupied many for many years now. That is the simple question of who was responsible for the abuse, torture, rape and murder of prisoners in American custody in the war on terror, most indelibly captured by the photographic images of Abu Ghraib. The Senate's bipartisan report, issued with no dissents, reiterates and adds factual context to what we already know. And there is no equivocation in the report.

The person who authorized all the abuse and torture at Abu Ghraib, the man who gave the green light to the abuses in that prison, is the president of the United States, George W. Bush.

Again: there is no longer any reasonable factual debate about this (hence to near total silence of the Republican right), and the Senate report finally holds the president responsible in bipartisan fashion:

The abuse of detainees in U.S. custody cannot simply be attributed to the actions of “a few bad apples” acting on their own. The fact is that senior officials in the United States government solicited information on how to use aggressive techniques, redefined the law to create the appearance of their legality, and authorized their use against detainees. Those efforts damaged our ability to collect accurate intelligence that could save lives, strengthened the hand of our enemies, and compromised our moral authority.

Those ghastly pctures of naked, hooded prisoners? Bush approved nudity and hooding of prisoners. Hypothermia? Sleep deprivation? Bush signed a memo removing the most baseline protections for all human beings under the Geneva Conventions. Waterboarding? Bush knew full well. As did Rice and Tenet and Powell and that poseur in defense of human rights, Paul Wolfowitz. But even before the memo, before any prisoners were captured, the Bush administration was working on how to torture them:

In December 2001, more than a month before the President signed his memorandum, the Department of Defense (DoD) General Counsel’s Office had already solicited information on detainee “exploitation” from the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency (JPRA), an agency whose expertise was in training American personnel to withstand interrogation techniques considered illegal under the Geneva Conventions.

Let's be absolutely clear what this means: When we saw an image of Lynndie England pulling a naked prisoner around on a leash, we assumed at the time that she improvised this, or was some kind of "bad apple." This is and was a conscious lie to the Congress, and to the American people, and to the world. The person who authorized the use of nudity and leashes on prisoners was not Lynndie England or any of the other grunts thrown to the wolves. The man who authorized the technique shown below is the president of the United States:



The report itself is not that long and I highly recommend reading it all closely. It is the most sobering indictment of high government officials in the U.S. since Watergate. And, in the gravity of crimes, it is a far more profound violation of the law and the constitution and the security of the United States than Watergate ever was. Bush's crimes are far greater than Nixon's - because war crimes are far graver than burglaries. And there is no statute of limitations for war crimes."

Thanksgiving Weekend

Lovin' that man of mine ****

I told the kids to say Reindeer poop and looks like Cady was the only one who obeyed...

Getting the kids fruit smoothies on a cold day probably wasn't the brightest idea - they froze their butts off.

Autumn wanted to surprise Dave and Mandy with a Thanksgiving chocolate fondue! I think we'll make it a new tradition.

The whole fam damily...

Dave carved the Roast Beast!

Cady helps in the kitchen every chance she gets.

Mandy marinated the turkey in crystalized Jamaican ginger and other cool stuff, then roasted it with fresh herbs and other neato things....turned out amazing!!

The kids did some gingerbreak cookie decorating, but of course we ate them all before Thanksgiving even came.

Thanksgiving Weekend

I think Nolan ate more sprinkles than cookies...

Mystery piano in the woods...more detectives!!

Forget those unsolved murders, we HAVE to know what's up with this piano!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/11/23/massachusetts.piano/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Nolie bear...

He just turned 10, is busy with friends and skateboarding, piano and video games, was just honored at school for treating others with respect, and is (thank God) still young enough to snuggle, but I know he won't be for long, so I'm making the most of every day...

New Era for America

I watched in total awe as the world celebrated Obama's victory last night. I'm so freakin' thankful I'm alive to see history being made! I expected his win but when CNN announced it, it had this air of unreality to it....like really? Really really? Can I exhale now? Two things stood out: the faces in the crowd as Obama spoke after his announced victory and the worldwide celebrations. Both were far more inspiring to me than the speech itself, which was amazing in and of itself. What a guy. But to see school kids in Indonesia celebrating, citizens in Beijing, Paris, Kenya...WOW. Blew my mind. And I don't mean just smiling, these people are all out whooping it up. They are full on elated. Cool pics here... http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/05/world.reaction/index.html#cnnSTCPhoto

"This is our moment. This is our time -- to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth -- that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes We Can!"~President Barack Obama

Now THAT'S a great outreach idea...

We ran across this on our way back from the pumpkin farm last weekend - no way we could pass up this picture.

Pumpkin Carving...

Pumpkin Carving...

Lone Pine Farms...

Lone Pine Farms...

The Church...Think Globally, Act Locally

Today's headline on the NPR website: 'Experts Fear Financial Crisis Will Hurt World's Poor'. Doy Ralph. It doesn't take an expert to tell you that when money is tight, the ones who are already needy suffer most. Countries are tightening their belts even tighter and not providing aid as they did in years past. The poor have already been reeling from budget cuts and canceled programs and now the repercussions of this global economic downturn will most certainly strike fear in the hearts of struggling families everywhere.

I totally recognize there is a difference between American poverty and worldwide poverty. I grew up below the poverty line but I still had food and clothes. I can't imagine not having anything to feed my children. Or being sick and not having access to healthcare. Completely beyond the scope of my imagination. We are beyond blessed in this country, yet have a sense of entitlement that disgusts the rest of the world. Nevertheless, I have a heart for the people in my community and how they will be affected.

Springfield/Eugene is a region known for stellar programs for the needy, programs that will inevitably feel the sting of lack of cash flow in the coming months and years. What an amazing opporunity for the local church to show their stuff! Christians are called to feed and clothe the 'least of our brothers' and I believe they'll be coming in droves to their local churches, looking for help in these troubled times. And not only help for their earthly needs but for their spiritual needs as well.

So many inspiring verses about God's heart for the poor:

Psalm 82:3
Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.

Psalm 140:12
I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.

Job 29:11, 12
Whoever heard me spoke well of me and those who saw me commended me, because I rescued the poor who cried for help and the fatherless who had none to assist him.

Proverbs 22:9
A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.

Proverbs 28:27
He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.

Proverbs 31:20
She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy [a wife of noble character]

And one of my personal favorites...

Isaiah 58:6-8

6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness [a] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard."

God, help us be ready!

Tastes like chicken...that's been previously tasted.

Character matters

There is a bumper sticker that cracks me up -'mean people suck'. I thought about that while watching the third and final debate. It's been at the back of my brain that there is a proverb about staying away from angry people. Here are the two, of many, I found:

Prov 29:22 says 'An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins'

Prov 22:24 says 'Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered'

It helps explain my discomfort with McCain and my conviction that the temperment and character of the man chosen to lead the country is so important.

I found this story on www.itsnotwhatyouthink.com. It's sappy, granted, but sweet nevertheless. I usually question the authenticity of stuff like this, but I scouted out the source and it seems legit...a story from the Oct 4th edition of the largest Norwegian newspaper VG, www.vg.no.


ÅSGÅRDSTRAND (VG): Mary was a newlywed and ready to move to Norway, but was stopped at the airport because she didn’t have enough money for the trip. Then a stranger turned up and paid for her.

Mary Menth Andersen was 31 years old at the time and had just married Norwegian Dag Andersen. She was looking forward to starting a new life in Åsgårdstrand in Vestfold with him. But first she had to get all of her belongings across to Norway. The date was November 2nd, 1988.
At the airport in Miami things were hectic as usual, with long lines at the check-in counters. When it was finally Mary’s turn and she had placed her luggage on the baggage line, she got the message that would crush her bubbling feeling of happiness.
-You’ll have to pay a 103 dollar surcharge if you want to bring both those suitcases to Norway, the man behind the counter said.
Mary had no money. Her new husband had travelled ahead of her to Norway, and she had no one else to call.
-I was completely desperate and tried to think which of my things I could manage without. But I had already made such a careful selection of my most prized possessions, says Mary.

Although she explained the situation to the man behind the counter, he showed no signs of mercy.
-I started to cry, tears were pouring down my face and I had no idea what to do. Then I heard a gentle and friendly voice behind me saying, That’s OK, I’ll pay for her.
Mary turned around to see a tall man whom she had never seen before.
-He had a gentle and kind voice that was still firm and decisive. The first thing I thought was, Who is this man?
Although this happened 20 years ago, Mary still remembers the authority that radiated from the man.
-He was nicely dressed, fashionably dressed with brown leather shoes, a cotton shirt open at the throat and khaki pants, says Mary.
She was thrilled to be able to bring both her suitcases to Norway and assured the stranger that he would get his money back. The man wrote his name and address on a piece of paper that he gave to Mary. She thanked him repeatedly. When she finally walked off towards the security checkpoint, he waved goodbye to her.

The piece of paper said ‘Barack Obama’ and his address in Kansas, which is the state where his mother comes from. Mary carried the slip of paper around in her wallet for years, before it was thrown out.
-He was my knight in shining armor, says Mary, smiling.
She paid the 103 dollars back to Obama the day after she arrived in Norway. At that time he had just finished his job as a poorly paid community worker* in Chicago, and had started his law studies at prestigious Harvard university.
In the spring of 2006 Mary’s parents had heard that Obama was considering a run for president, but that he had still not decided. They chose to write a letter in which they told him that he would receive their votes. At the same time, they thanked Obama for helping their daughter 18 years earlier.
In a letter to Mary’s parents dated May 4th, 2006 and stamped ‘United States Senate, Washington DC’, Barack Obama writes**:
‘I want to thank you for the lovely things you wrote about me and for reminding me of what happened at Miami airport. I’m happy I could help back then, and I’m delighted to hear that your daughter is happy in Norway. Please send her my best wishes. Sincerely, Barack Obama, United States senator’.
The parents sent the letter on to Mary.

This week VG met her and her husband in the café that she runs with her friend Lisbeth Tollefsrud in Åsgårdstrand.
-It’s amazing to think that the man who helped me 20 years ago may now become the next US president, says Mary delightedly.
She has already voted for Obama. She recently donated 100 dollars to his campaign.
She often tells the story from Miami airport, both when race issues are raised and when the conversation turns to the presidential elections.
-I sincerely hope the Americans will see reason and understand that Obama means change, says Mary.


And here she is with her husband and the letter.