God's Hand

This is a real situation. Back in 2009, I was going through a situation. I had never felt so much hurt, and a feeling of betrayal - along with feeling I had no one to turn to. Though I had people to talk to, no one felt the crushing pain. It's my personality to do well at staying positive and strong, but this time was different. 

To summarize, I had received something in writing that ripped my heart out. I sobbed deeply, and harder than I can even describe here. I was to the point of heaving from such a deep, sobbing cry. The situation did not seem to get better. Over a period of weeks, the pain was killing me. I sunk into a depression which made it hard to go to work and care for my daughter. My friends expressed concern, but I couldn't see a way out. I couldn't change the situation. I had to just "get through it" and pray that time would heal my wounds. 

I was to the point in my situation, that something had to change or I would lose my sanity. That's how it felt. One night a lay in bed absolutely miserable with a deep, huge heartache. I was home alone. I finally drifted to sleep. I drifted in and out of a restless sleep as I had many nights. Around what I am guessing was 4-5 am while it was still dark outside, someone woke me up. I felt this heat come over my head and felt my hair move. I felt the physical sensation of a large manly hand over the top of my whole head with the finger tips resting on my forehead. This hand was like a helmet, covering my whole head. I woke up and my hands went to to my head. I lay there in awe. I was coming from a dreamy state in which I was dreaming that God placed his hand on my head, but as I awoke and felt his hand, I thought there was someone in my room. I lay there trying to make sense of it for a few seconds. I felt tears rush to my eyes.

That is when I realized how peaceful I suddenly felt.  These were not tears of pain, but tears of joy!!! Despite HOW HORRIBLE my situation felt, I no longer felt the pain. I still felt a sadness about it, but no longer it felt personal. I no longer owned it. I laid there crying in bed tears of JOY, realizing God stepped in and laid His hand on my head. I felt this woozy state of peace. I felt like the whole room was lighter (I mean the heaviness of the burden was gone). After weeks of heartache, I was changed literally in an instant to this peaceful state. I was also given instruction of how to proceed. I received the answer of what I needed to do in this situation. I knew my next step, I knew I no longer owned the burden and my job was done. All I could do now was give it to God and give up the reigns of control. I not only felt peace, but I actually felt happy. Not happy over situation, but happy I no longer carried the burden. God took that for me.

Just a side-note about where I was in my spiritual journey. As a young child and periodically in life, I had "given my life to the Lord" in service at church but never followed through. I believed in God completely but was so caught up in the flesh. It wasn't until more recently that I made a full life change and commitment to God. During this time, I was living in a way that was not approved by God. I always questioned why I ever deserved his MERCY during this time. I don't recall at moment if I cried out to him in prayer during this time or not, but he stepped in when I did not expect it nor deserve it. It was years again before I felt his presence. That is probably because I again turned by back on him by choosing the life I was living. I was "blinded" by desires at the time and just couldn't really see. He kept working on me over the next couple years. He didn't give up. The seeds were there. Later I realized I couldn't do it without Him. 

Tons of Uses for Peppermint Oil

Home Use

1. Calm a Tempest. Just one drop of peppermint oil rubbed on the stomach or taken internally can calm indigestion, an upset stomach or other internal digestive commotion. A must-have when traveling!

2. Restore Vitality in the Mouth. When your breath is sharp and your mouth feels furry, peppermint oil with water (and lemon oil) creates a healthy, refreshing mouth rinse that leaves a lasting crisp, clean feeling.

3. It’s About Air Flow. When sinuses seem to be clogged, and throats swollen and scratchy, diffuse peppermint oil (or apply topically on the chest) for almost immediate relief and revitalizing air flow. Peppermint acts as an expectorant and may provide relief for colds, cough, sinusitis,asthma and bronchitis.

4. Cool the Joints. When the ravages of time wreak havoc on your joints, leaving that hot and achy feeling, peppermint oil mixed with lavender oil cools like an ice bath, but you to stay warm and dry.

5. Feel Full, Faster. Satiety. It’s about feeling full, and not overeating. The aroma of peppermint oil has the ability to make you feel full, faster…especially if you breathe it in during a meal!

6. Cool Your Tootsies. If you’ve been on your feel all day or religiously wear hard soled shoes, just add peppermint oil to a cold water compress to cool your overworked, over heated tootsies.

7. Perk Up. The invigorating aroma of peppermint is a wonderful, non-stimulating way to perk up on long drives, in school, during late night homework or any other time you need to “burn the midnight oil.”

8. Energize Your Lather. Some shampoo and conditioner combos can make you want to go back to sleep. No energy. No pep. No fun. Not good. Add peppermint to your potions to stimulate the scalp, energize and wake up! The oil is an antiseptic in nature, and can also help remove dandruff and lice.

9. Allergies Beware. Peppermint oil has the ability to relax smooth muscles in the body — the same muscles that line our airways and become affected in allergy season. Peppermint oil (with lemon) should certainly be another arrow in your allergy treatment quiver!

10. Chase Away Tension Headaches. Got a mind numbing headache? A few drops of peppermint dabbed on your temples, neck and sinuses can quickly spring into action and chase that headache away!

11. Help Kids Get on the Ball. The next time Junior is a little unresponsive to all that is going on with school and homework, try spritzing a little peppermint on his shirt before study time, placing drop on the tongue or under the nose for improved concentration and alertness.

12. Seep, Soak & Revitalize. After a long day, apply peppermint, let it seep in and then soak in a warm bath or shower. The refreshing peppermint vapor will make you feel cool, relaxed and energized again.

13. Add a Refreshing Kick to Your Tea. Just one drop of peppermint oil can add life to any herbal tea (without having to add lots of sugar) while also aiding in normal digestion or to relieve heartburn.

14. A “Should I Work Out Today?” Antidote. You ask yourself this question. It’s OK. Using peppermint oil prior to exercise immediately awakens your senses and gets you in your right mind so you can crank.

15. A Snack Vendor’s Nightmare. When you get that mid-morning craving, diffuse peppermint oil to reign in the urge to snack on junk food, or anything else that might appear before you.

Cooking & Food

16. Add Zip to All Things Chocolate. Enhance your chocolate in a gazillion ways: gourmet hot chocolate, mint brownie frosting, peppermint bark, peppermint patties, peppermint brownies, peppermint chocolate bundt cake, red velvet cupcakes with white chocolate peppermint cream cheese!

17. Brisk, Delightful Confections. Peppermint chiffon cake, homemade candy canes, butter mints, peppermint ice cream, peppermint glaze over pastries and cookies, homemade peppermint patties.

18. Unforgettable Beverages. Peppermint water on ice, peppermint mocha, peppermint tea, peppermint hot chocolate, that’s right … it’s all delish.

Body & Mind

19. Wake Up Your Mind. Peppermint oil activates the limbic function in your brain. The limbic function helps control things like emotions and long-term memory and is related to olfactory structures in your nose.

20. An Itch Fix. If you have the after effects of a sunburn where skin is a little warm and itchy, apply a drop of peppermint oil (mixed with lavender) to cool, soothe and stop itching.

21. Theme Park Relief. If you’ve got that “I my gosh, I can’t believe I just went on a spinning ride” feeling, four or five drops of peppermint rubbed on the stomach can calm smooth stomach muscles and help dispel discomfort.

22. Travel to the Arctic, Without Traveling. When you add a few drops of peppermint to your ice water, it not only improves the taste, but also leaves you with a feeling of cool, refreshing arctic wind in your airways!

23. Burrow No More. If you find a tick has decided to make your skin its home, just give that tick a nice bath of peppermint oil with a cotton swab. The tick will stop burrowing, remove its head and then he’s yours.

24. Don’t Make It Easy on the Critters . Many household bugs do not like peppermint oil — ants, aphids, beetles, plant lice, mice and cockroaches try to steer clear of peppermint. Just add to water in a spray bottle and spray where you think pests grace you with their presence!

25. Clean Naturally. Peppermint oil is a wonderful natural cleaning agent because it has antifungal and antibacterial properties. Spray on countertops and bathroom surfaces, scrub, and enjoy cleaner clean.

26. Sleep Like a Baby. If you find you are having a hard time sleeping, peppermint oil helps activate cold-sensitive receptors in the skin and mucosal tissues. When used this way, it may help with insomnia.

27. Quell Apathy. When you’re with someone who feels gloomy or like they “just don’t care”, ask them to try peppermint oil (aromatically, topically, or internally) to stimulate their mental sharpness and focus.

28. It’s About a State of Mind. Someone’s mental outlook can be a game changer. If they are shocked, stressed out or nervous, peppermint oil may help restore feelings of normalcy and balance.

29. Tame a Toothache. Peppermint oil can act as a concentrated natural pain killer and muscle relaxant, especially with painful gums, teething or recent dental work.

30. Alleviate Internal Strife. When used topically or internally, peppermint is a favorite for fresh relief from cramping, indigestion to diarrhea. Skip the antacids and go with peppermint oil!

31. For That “Marathon in Clogs” Feeling. When you feel like you’ve just run a marathon in clogs, and your feet are a hot mess of ouch, massage peppermint oil onto aching feet, joints, and strained muscles.

32. Leap from Lethargic. Feeling lethargic or in a brain fog? Peppermint has been known to improve blood circulation and awareness, leaving you with an energized, awake feeling.

33. Go Eight-Leg Free. When you diffuse peppermint into the room, you’ll notice fewer spiders. Why? They don’t like it. It’s safe, contains no harsh chemicals or pesticides. It doesn’t kill the spiders, but forces them out.

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Tons of Uses For Essential Lemon Oil

Awesome LEMON Oil Uses!!! 

1. A Cure for Laundry Neglect. Lemon essential oil takes out ALL odor when you forget and leave your load of laundry in the washer way too long! 
2. Tame Oozy, Sappy Trees. Whether the sap is on your carpet, clothes or seeped into your skin, lemon oil is excellent for removing pine gum and tree sap. 
3. Stop Grease in its Tracks. You just fixed your bike. Your hands are black and greasy. Soap alone won’t remove the grease, but lemon oil mixed with your soap will.  Lemon oil is a great de-greaser! 
4. Disinfect the Disgusting. You can add lemon oil to a spray bottle of water and attack what may be living in your range hood, on your tables, counter tops and other surfaces. For some extra chemical-free firepower, a little vinegar is a traditional favorite. 
5. Lose the Gas Mask. When you clean the gunky build up in your shower, do you practically have to wear a gas mask to survive the fumes? Go gas mask free and clean with lemon oil. Just a small amount of lemon oil will go a long way in removing hard water build up. 
6. Nourish Your Leathers. Whether you ride a Harley in style or cherish the patina of your leather sofa at home, your leathers are not maintenance free. Use a lemon oil soaked cloth to preserve them, and prevent leather from splitting.
7. High Ho Silver. A lemon oil treated cloth is a great remedy for the early stages of tarnish on silver or other metals. You may not eat on silver every day, but bracelets, earrings, necklaces often need some love. 
8. Deactivate the Sticky. Lemon oil can help you avert a hair cutting crisis the next time you deal with gum in hair. Got kids with obsessive addictions to stickers or temporary tattoos? Works for those too. Not for wide receivers. 
9. Love Your Luster. Bring your furniture back to life with lemon oil! Just add a few drops of lemon oil to olive oil for a non-toxic furniture polish. Lemon oil leaves a beautiful shine, prevents fine wood finishes from drying out, and replaces lost moisture in antique woods as it penetrates worn finishes. 
10. De-Smudge Your Stainless. You don’t need to hunt down that “single use” stainless steel cleaner anymore. Multi-use lemon oil is great for cleaning stainless steel appliances. You’ll love the way stainless looks and smells! 
11. Clean Granite or Porous Stone. What is living in the pores of your natural stone counters or floors? Lemon oil cleans deeply, seeps into stone and leaves you with a “real fresh lemons” aroma, rather than that fake lemon chemical smell. 
12. Energize your Brush.  If your toothbrush seems a bit tired, add a drop of lemon and peppermint oils to chase away that run-down feeling. 
13. Quarantine Pungencies. Moldy kid’s sneakers, a baby’s blowout, potty training … it all adds up to an less than desirable aroma. Diffuse or spray lemon oil and neutralize odors at their source! 
14. Take the Spine Out of Scuffs. Got a scuff mark that just won’t go away? Lemon oil lifts scuff marks in remarkable ways! 
15. Curtail the Dank, Musty or Mildewed. Things get stored away. Things get old. Things don’t see the light of day. Chase away that “old smell” and inject new energy with a good lemon oil wipe down. 
16.Stop Cutting Board Bacteria Palooza. Cutting boards can harbor bacteria in your kitchen.  Nobody wants to taste the chemicals you have in your cleaning closet, yet most people love the taste of lemon! 
17. Control an Aphid Invasion, Naturally.  Aphids — those pesky little bugs that dine on your roses and other plants.  Lemon oil (or peppermint) with water in a garden spray bottle are a natural pesticide that kills aphids and their larvae on contact, but leave your plants looking lovely. 
18. Spot-Free Dishes. Add a few drops of lemon oil to your dishwasher soap container with each load.  Your dishes will come out looking like new… spot-free! 
19. Refresh Bad Smelling Washcloths. When your kitchen washcloths smell foul and could use a boost, add lemon oil to your detergent, soak overnight, wash, dry and your kitchen will smell so much better! Cooking & Food 
20. Energy Boost. For a quick, refreshing energy boost, combine a couple drops each of lemon essential oil and peppermint essential oil in a glass of water and drink up. Add a lemony taste to your bottled water. 
21. Zest Up Your Sugary Indulgences. There are an infinite number of ways lemon oil can add a bit of freshness to your sugary savors: Lemon frosting • Lemon meringue • Sour cream lemon pie • Lemon cakes • Lemon tart glaze • Lemon squares  • Lemon cookies  • Breathtaking, awe-inspiring lemonade 
22. Pep Up Your Entrees. With lemon oil, there are countless ways to make the bland zippy, or the blah peppy:  Roasted salmon & asparagus with lemon oil, Linguine & shrimp with lemon oil, Lemon oil drizzled over vegetables (especially broccoli),  Lemon garlic shrimp  … or to add a fresh kick to an already great salad. 
23. Preserve What You’ve Got. Use lemon oil in a spray to keep your cut fruit fresh until serving. Body & Mind 
24. Ease Respiratory Gunkity Goop. When used with a humidifier, it’s a great way to slow wheezing, colds, cough, and other upper respiratory problems. 
25. De-scratch Your Scratchy Throat. Adding a couple drops of lemon essential oil to warm water & honey can change that yucky sore throat feeling, slow a nasty cough, and douse a fever. Lemon oil fights bacteria, as well as viruses. 
26. Honeylicious Hair Highlights …Chemical Free. Skip the expensive salon highlight treatment, and use lemon oil to create your own hair highlights.  Just go in the sun after using with your hair product, and it will lighten your hair.  Be careful, it works well! 
27.  Fight the Fungus Among Us. Tired of seeing that unsightly nail fungus?  Lemon oil is great for nails, and can help fight against nail fungus. 
28.  Halt the Nervous Nellie, In You. When combined with lavender oil and diffused into a room, you’ll find you feel less anxious, a better  mood, more even keel, and well … linear. 
29. Clear Thinking & Clear Focus, Made Visible. A clear mind, a clean slate, a fresh outlook.  It’s all good.  Real good. Diffuse lemon oil and you got it. 
30. Take the Heat Out of Cold Sores. When you have a gnarly cold sore that’s just begging for attention, douse it with a few drops of lemon oil and you’ll have a new best friend. 
31. Nice Mood … No Really.  Chase away the moody blues (not the band), with a bit of blah-reducing lemon oil. Whether you choose to diffuse it or apply topically, it’s hard to not improve your outlook with lemon oil around! 
32.  Was That a Crusty? Next time you notice hard, crusty skin on your feet, (e.g. corns, calluses or bunions) regularly add a few drops of lemon oil and you’ll soon have softened skin! 
33.  A Brighter Complexion. Lemon oil can help remove dead skin cells and exfoliate.  For a homemade exfoliant, add 4-5 drops to a small amount of oatmeal and water for a homemade scrub.  

Get more info at:

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Source: Doterra Everyday

String Cheese - Could this have caused my Migraine?

Cheese Lover Enjoys her Daily String Cheese Snack 

BAM! Migraine! What? Could this have caused it?

Guess what I learned today? That there is this culprit called Tyramine. I didn't really know much about this. I heard RED Wine could cause migraines from the Sulfur. But now I learn that there is Tyramine in many foods that are known for triggering migraines. So I start searching Google to absorb more information. I was sitting there feeling good, no headaches for once. To ward off a big of hunger till lunchtime, I decide I will be smart and have a snack with some protein - string cheese. I gobble it down. Sitting there doing some work - 15 minutes pass and I feel this sharp pain in my temple. I ignore it - going to be stubborn and think positive. Thump - thump - thump! Now I am feeling irritated. As the pain rises, I start downing water. This typically helps. I ask myself --- what NOW could be the cause? I wasn't doing anything stressful. In fact, nothing has changed. I replayed the morning in my head. Then it hit me. I just had a cheese stick. Denial was my friend. Despite, I began researching cheese as a possible migraine trigger. Along came TYRAMINE!!! Which led to my discovery of many other foods on this list. Turns out the very thing that I thought was helping me to limit GLUTEN in my diet, was possibly causing more migraines because I was eating dried fruits, raisins, and NUTS as snacks. In addition, I love bananas. To try and keep my good cholesterol up, I eat avocados too! So turns out all those FOODS are off limits when TYRAMINE is the cause for migraine. This leads me to reluctantly another trial diet of elimination. If this leads to a cure of all or MOST of my migraines, I will change my lifestyle. 

Trendy New Candy Bag - Inspired by Furla

 One of the hottest latest trends are products made of silicone. Furla makes a gorgeous Candy bag made of silicone which comes in tons of colors! In addition, they can be combined with various other materials such as Crocodile or a variety of leathers. Some even have glitter!


Take a look at trending bags! Very hot!

Click me!

Gooseberry Falls State Park

I captured some beautiful pictures on our getaway here in Minnesota along Lake Superior.  This is Gooseberry Falls State Park.

My neighbors Lily

Look at these beautiful lilies! 

I love taking pictures of flowers!

This Samsung Galaxy 4 with 13mp camera 

has superior quality photos!