Hello everyone!  I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, like it may seem I do, quite often.  LOL!

I do pray everyone is having a wonderful month of December, busily preparing for the celebration of our Lord and Saviour's birth.  We have had a hectic month, although I have slowed down a bit from previous years.   Maybe that is a blessing from all the economic turmoil we have experienced this year.  If so, then I praise the Lord for it!

May you all have a blessed Christmas with your family and friends!

~Kathy

This is from a friend of mine that I've known for a long time, on an e-mail loop that I'm on. This farm is desperate and needs everyone's help. If you need mint essential oil, please consider shopping from them, although it really needs to be before 11/01/08. Thanks!

This is from me, Ima, personally. I am in no way affiliated with the farm, other than being a satisfied consumer and a concerned neighbor (same state, I do a lot of direct buy from farms). This is not for my own personal gain. This is bare bones survival for one of our farms.

A quick background note: Michigan has been losing farms and businesses at an amazing rate. Seriously. Agriculture is actually our top business even though people think it's automobiles. We can't save everything, but we can save something.

If you like mint, peppermint or spearmint, would you consider buying a dram of excellent quality mint oil for $5 and helping us save this farm? My husband and I decided we'll be giving mint oils for Christmas with a card extolling some of the things it is very good for.

Even if you like just a hint in your brownies, cocoa, tea, or to help make the house smell wonderful, a dram is -very- concentrated and goes a long way.

I have used their oils in candy making, s, baking and in my spray bottle of vinegar (one spray bottle peroxide & one vinegar, spray one after the other - as effective as bleach in sanitizing) to make the cleaning smell wonderful, and in drawers, closets and cupboards to discourage moths.

If you have a use for mint, either peppermint or spearmint, even if it's as a gift, would you consider buying it from the Crosby Mint Farm? They have to sell 5,600 more bottles by Midnight Friday. So close...

Thank you for bearing with me.

Quote:As some of you may read and heard, Crosby Mint Farm (St. Johns) is under foreclosure. Because of the historic significance and the desire to continue producing this wonderful essential oil, your help is needed. These farmers have been a mainstay of Clinton County and Friends Forever!

"In addition to having what appears to be the oldest surviving still in the country, the Crosby Farms operation also appears to be the oldest mint farm in continuous operation in the United States. The key word here is "continuous" - that it has cultivated and processed mint since J.E. Crosby purchased the property before World War I." Ephraim K. Smith, President; Heritage Productions, Inc.


Please help if you possibly can:
For $5, you can get a gram of pure mint oil. It lasts a long time and is very hard to find.

Currently, there is enough essential oil inventory to pay this debt. On November 1st the bank has the right to inventory AND equipment AND then on August 14, 2009 they can take over the property. 77,000 DRAM BOTTLES MUST BE SOLD BY NOV. 1ST!!!

***** Visit www.getmint.com for order information *****

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Please tell your friends and ask them to pass this on.

Here are some uses for the mint:

Headaches
Peppermint may ease headaches and migraines. Apply a rub to temple area in circular motion and across the forehead. For migraines, wet hair and put 4-5 drops into your hand and massage into the scalp.

Sinus Problems
Peppermint is very useful in reducing sinus congestion when added to a bowl of steaming or boiling water. A rub may be applied to chest, back of neck area, and behind ears. A few drops of oil in a vaporizer at night will help ease congestion as well.

Digestive System
Peppermint oil can help relax the muscles of the digestive tract to relieve the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. One drop of peppermint oil on a sugar cube or used in tea may help relieve intestinal cramps.



Body Muscles & Arthritis
Peppermint oil is soothing to sore muscles when added to a hot bath or massage oil. Use this to soothe arthritis pain. Mix 4-5 drops of oil into 1 ounce of lotion and/or massage carrier oil.

Feet
Applied full strength, or mixed with a carrier oil, peppermint oil may relieve swollen feet and may reduce and assist in healing blisters, cuts, or athlete's foot by killing bacteria.

Women Only
Relieve menstrual or abdominal cramps, add 1-2 drops of peppermint oil on a sugar cube or into an 8 ounce glass of water and drink. A toothpick dipped in oil works great for tea or water. Also helps to relieve Hot Flashes!

Flu Season?
For a sore throat, sparingly dip a cotton swab into mint oil and carefully apply to the back of the tongue area.

Relieve congestion by rubbing a few drops of peppermint oil on chest & covering with warm compress. Add a few drops of mint oil to the water of a humidifier or vaporizer to keep it smelling fresh and kill germs.

Peppermint Oil is anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal!

Yes, I know, I had said he got a job, but right before he was supposed to start it, he got two calls from two different companies, both of which he really wanted to work at. Both of them seemed like they really wanted to hire him fast. Well, one has interviewd him on the phone, and that is it, other than calling every other week to say they are still looking into hiring him. The other one, he has had one interview per week, each time with a different person, but still no offer.

We are both about to pull our hair out, because he could have been working, making over twice what the unemployment office has been giving him, but here we sit.

The first job offer he got, he can still report to on Monday, and plans to. We cannot wait any longer on these other two companies. Mike's opinion is, if they call him again, he will meet with them, but it'll have to be after working hours for this other company.

Please pray, because we are literally down to the last few dollars in the bank, and I am just hoping I have enough to pay all the bills before he gets the first paycheck with this place he is starting with on Monday. We figured out the gas to commute is going to be approx. $400/month, which will pretty much eat up any extra money we might have had after bills. We will not be able to sign up for their health insurance, etc., unless they pay the full amount. So, we will will still be without insurance. I just pray no one gets sick. I looked up our state program for kids, and we will make too much for them to participate, besides the fact that there is no one in this town that will admit to taking patients with the program. No one likes to deal with it.

I keep looking around the house, trying to figure out what I can sell, but I either figure it "could" sell, but no one around here would buy it, and selling it online would cost too much shipping for most people to want to buy the stuff.

Thanks for all of your prayers!

~Kathy

These birthdays seem to be coming faster and faster as I get older.  Do you ever notice that happening? 

We aren't doing anything real exciting around here.  Just hanging out at the house and will celebrate with a cake later on. 

My mom and dad called and wished me a Happy Birthday.  My dad is 30 years older than me, so we always have fun talking about what it was like when he was my age, and what I will feel like when I am his age.  LOL!

Well, that's all for now!

~Kathy

I'll be 44 this coming Tuesday!  Where are the years all going?  It seems the older you get, the faster the years go by.  I'm not sure what we will be doing, since our funds are still very tight.  Ah well, it'll be a great day, no matter what we do.  My sweeties always come up with something fun for me. 

***I was going to post pictures I took of some beautiful flowers, but it says I do not have enough space.  I'll try to come back later and figure out why.

~Kathy

The vet just called. Drover made it out of surgery okay, and he is resting. He is keeping him at least until tomorrow afternoon, possibly Monday. He likes to see the dog getting up and moving around, and eating a little, before he releases them home. It was a total of four rocks that came out of him. There is a certain young man at this house who is going to be questioned quite heavily and seriously now about this incident.

Thank you all so much for all of your prayers. I know he's just a dog, but he is a big part of our family.  

Please keep him in your prayers, so he has a quick and full recovery.

Our son went out to feed the dogs this morning, then came back in and said that Drover would not eat.  That is totally out of character for the dog, so I went out to see what was going on.  Drover was very lethargic and would not even look at his food.  We gave him some fresh water and he did drink some of that, but he was still not his playful self.  I then asked our daughter to let him off of his tie-out cable, so he could wander freely.  He walked around sniffing things, like any good bassett, but then just sat there, looking all forlorn.  He then got up, tried to poop, but could not do anything.  I then began to really worry.  Before I could get to him, he threw-up the water he had just drank.  I knew then, that he needed to get to the vet, fast.  I called them and let them know we were coming.  I knew it was either an obstruction or parvo. 

At the vet, he checked him over and ruled out parvo, and could not feel anything in the abdomen just by palpitation.  He decided an x-ray would be in order though, since it sure sounded like he had something in him obstructing things.  The vet came back in and indeed, there were TWO things in his intestines.  One large object very far along, then another smaller object further back.  He said his first course of action was to try mineral oil and laxatives, to try to get them out that way, but that if they did not move by tomorrow, he would have to operate to get them out. 

Please pray.  His buddy (his cousin, 1 month older than him, who was raised as his littermate) is beside himself.  He has been howling and crying all day for his friend.  I just want whatever it is to pass through easily, not only for the dog, but for our finances.  This was not something I had anticipated or need to deal with right now.  He is such a sweet, special dog.  He is just over a year old, and he is just the best buddy you could ever have. 

Thanks!

~Kathy

Hubby had a 2nd level interview today, and he thinks it went well.  The person doing the interview was a much harder interviewer than the last, but he still feels it went very well.  He said he was told he could hear something as early as next week. 

Please keep up the prayers!

~Kathy