a lovely day

Celebration...a lovely day...

Praying For...peace, happiness, protection, and joy for Sammy and Kelsey...to soften the hearts of leaders of nations...to care for orphans and poor families everywhere...all parents who mourn dead children...

9/11...It was already going to be a hard day, being the 4th anniversary of my Katie-girl's death. I had a small private school in my home but was going to buck-up and do school anyway. My husband called me down from the shower to witness the scene on our large screen TV. Katie and the bombings were too much grief all at once. When a student arrived, I told her to get back in her parent's car and go home. I was in too terrible of a state for school. After a few hours of watching the events over and over, we went to donate blood. After hours in line, the workers told us they didn't need blood. There weren't any people alive to use all the blood already collected. I appreciated what Pres. Hinckley said about it in General Conference shortly thereafter. "This is not a matter of Christian against Muslim...We value our Muslim neighbors across the world and hope that those who live by the tenets of their faith will not suffer. I ask particularly that our own people do not become a party in any way to the persecution of the innocent. Rather, let us be friendly and helpful, protective and supportive..." This has been my guiding light every time I hear someone tout Muslim mud slinging. Because I study history, I understand the Muslim/Christian/Jewish feud of the last 1000 or so years. However, I refuse to judge someone simply on the basis of their religion. Instead I embrace the scripture, "by their fruits ye shall know them." Their are good and bad people in all groups. They don't define the group.

Scripture Meditations..."And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!" Alma 36:20

Commitment to Health and Deliciousness...Since I turned the corner and am feeling better, I decided to imitate Veggie Pad Thai from our favorite Thai place, Sweet Basil in Cedar City. While my version is not exactly authentic, because I don't fry my tofu and can't get tamarind paste here, it turned out pretty well substituting orange and lemon juice.

4 oz. dried Pad Thai organic brown rice noodles
1/2 c. firm tofu, cut in tiny cubes (not silken)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 head cabbage sliced thinly, 1/8 inch.
2 cups bean sprouts
1 green pepper, sliced thinly
1 carrot, julienned (or sliced and trimmed into flowers)
2 green onions, julienned
1 orange, juiced
1/2 lemon, juiced
1-2 T. Bragg's
1-2 t. chili paste
1 t. honey
1/4 c. minced cilantro
1/4 c. finely chopped peanuts 

Prepare veggies, while waiting for pot of water to boil. Cook noodles in boiling water until al dente. Drain and set aside. In a large frying pan, saute garlic in a bit of water for a couple minutes. Add all other ingredients except peanuts and cilantro. Stir and heat just enough to wilt cabbage. Stir in noodles. Divide between 2-3 plates. Sprinkle with cilantro and peanuts.

Commitment to Movement...still just walking a bit in the pre-dawn hours. It's a special time with hubby, where we look for constellations and planets plus discuss the philosophies of life-LOL. It was especially hard to walk last week with my hugely swollen legs and balloon belly, but I think my short several times daily walks helped this situation resolve so quickly. Lymph doesn't have it's own pumping system. Walking pumps lymph, which help eliminate toxins and edema.

Commitment to Homemaking...this week is better a bit, since I was able to keep up the bathrooms,  dishes, and wash. The dust is taking over the furniture and floors.Vacuuming is a bit more than my tired body can take as of yet. I'm hoping next week will see a change here.

Commitment to Modesty...same old thing except I feel a need for lots of color right now...

Commitment to Loveliness...I can't say Sally's Wen comparable is that great, but I'm going to give it a bit more time. Since beginning its use, my hair is shinier and much less frizzy. However, I found out you can buy Wen on amazon for lots less than the website. If there isn't a lot more improvement this week, I think I'll get some. It's either that or shave my head. I think I can justify the price, because Joseph trims my hair now, and I cut my bangs. Since they aren't exactly becoming with the frizz, I'm attempting to grow out the layers, making Joseph's ruler and hair scissors the perfect choice.

From My Pen...I love writing, except it is pretty hard to claim the work as mine. God just tells me what to write. True, his telling isn't word for word, and I have to do a bunch of research first. However, I'm never at a loss for material. This week found me writing personal finance, geography, history, composition, and many other lessons.

The Dispensary...we used to pay $$$$ every year for the dermatologist to burn and cut spots off Joseph's face, since he's had skin cancer in the past. After learning about herbs, I discovered that I can heal those lesions with a simple tincture of White Oak Bark, Comfrey Root, Black Walnut Leaf, Marshmallow Root, Mullein Leaf, Gravel Root, Wormwood Herb, Lobelia Herb, Skullcap Herb, glycerine, distilled water, and grain alcohol similar to Dr. Christopher's Complete Tissue and Bone formula. I put several drops of tincture on a Nexcare waterproof bandage to make a tiny fomentation, apply it to the lesion, and change it daily until it is gone. With this strange new thing of mine and Joseph's on-going skin problem, I've done quite a bit of research this week. Sticking with DC's statement that 90% of disease begins in the colon, I've begun adding phylum seed powder, marshmallow root powder, and slippery elm bark powder to my carrot juice to soothe inflammation and nourish tissue of the alimentary tract. Additionally, I'm adding raw comfrey leaves, ginkgo powder, and powdered red clover to my smoothies to aid healing, promote lymph and blood flow, purify blood, aid digestion, kill cancer cells, and support immune system function. In our soups and stir-steams, the extra garlic and onions will kill any additional pathogens. All these additions also add lots of valuable phyto-nutrients and isoflavones.

Getting To It...Launching the new school was much more work than I imagined. This on top of writing all the curriculum required the cessation or lessening of my own studies for a several weeks. Now that things are a calmer, I hope to pick back up. My several groups of scholars are reading some fantastic resources. Of course I've read them before, but I like to re-read them at the same time in case they have questions. Also, I have some areas of interest that have taken a back seat. Always the scheduler, I've come up with a sort of solution that I hope will allow me to move forward with these pursuits:  S-write devotional lessons, FHE lesson, Grammy's Magazine (fun magazine sized giant cards to my grands), and letters to missionaries and friends; M-study mentoring and personal interest materials; T-F-write for LHS; S-study personal interest materials.