Food Sample Freebies...

at Denese's blog.

Saint Joan of Arc Martyred Today in 1431

One of my favorite saints for her stout heart, her piety, and unswerving faith. Of all the saints, Saint Joan inspires me to fear no evil, and rallies my spirit with her witness.

Tea at Trianon has an interesting post with eyewitness accounts of her holiness:

At Joan's posthumous Trial of Nullification of 1456, in which the verdict which condemned her was overturned by the Holy See, many of those who had known Joan were able to testify about her personal holiness. The Duke d'Alençon stated:

So far as I could judge, I always held her for an excellent Catholic, and a modest woman. She communicated often, and, at sight of the Body of Christ, shed many tears. In all she did, except in affairs of war, she was a very simple young girl; but for warlike things bearing the lance, assembling an army, ordering military operations, directing artillery-she was most skillful. Every one wondered that she could act with as much wisdom and foresight as a captain who had fought for twenty or thirty years. It was above all in making use of artillery that she was so wonderful.

Read more here.

And from her other blog, Fountain of Elias, a post about Fortitude. She shares an excerpt from a Father Lovasik book: Fortitude is a basis for cheerfulness. Fortitude induces you to face the inevitable sorrows of life and, above all, death itself, in the service of God with courage and patience. You will look to the sufferings of Christ for inspiration. Read the rest here.

Thrifty Saturday Night Pedicure

I made way too much of those congestion bath salts last month, so I tried some in a foot soak bath for a quick DIY pedicure tonight, and it worked quite well. My feet were very smooth and moisturized, and have that eucalyptus/menthol zing feel.

Save Ink with an Economy Font

Click here for download location and instructions.

Treating Skin Irritations Naturally

Sensitive skin runs in my family, and the children have it as well. They get little rashes and eczema from the dry air in the winter, rashes in the summer from the heat and bugs, and mild seborrheic dermatitis(cradle cap, dandruff) throughout the year(more so in the hotter months).

Two all natural hard milled soaps have helped the family with skin irritations and the children's cradle cap/dandruff issues: Grandpa's Tar soap and Indian Neem soap. Both are good antifungals as well. Both children use the soap as a shampoo during the summer. I order ours from Vitacost.com because they always have large mark downs and low shipping charges.

Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap:

"Excellent for bathing, showering, shaving and shampooing. Many loyal user have been telling us for generations how wonderful it cleans, moisturizes and deodorizes. They have described it as being helpful in removing the scales of Psoriasis, Dandruff, Eczema and other skin irritations. There are no added colors or fragrances to mask the rich brown color and distinctive scent of natural Pine Tar Oil." Product reviews.

My husband and I use this pine tar soap after gardening and outdoor work for skin irritations and bug bites.

Auromere Sandalwood-Turmeric Bar Soap:

"Hand-made soap. With Neem. Especially recommended for blemished or oily skin. For countless generations in India, a simple blend of Sandalwood and Turmeric has been applied to the facial skin in the form of a paste to preserve youth, beauty and a flawless complexion. Auromere's Sandalwood-Turmeric formula combines the naturally astringent, purifying and cooling properties of Sandalwood with the complementary cleaning, softening and toning properties of Turmeric and 20 other indigenous Indian oils and herbal extracts used traditionally for optimum care, nourishment and preservation of the skin, including Neem. The cold-pressed coconut oil base provides a rich, creamy lather that gently conditions while it cleanses, leaving the skin soft and fresh." Product reviews.

This soap is stronger(for oily skin) than other Auromere neem soaps, but leaves the skin really soft - very gentle for children. It works well in the hot summer months getting sweaty children(especially little boys) clean. The scent is strong, but not too feminine. Auromere Tulsi-Neem Bar Soap is better for dry skin, or for use in the winter. Both soaps will scent your bathroom, but it's fresh and natural, not perfumey.

Holiness for House Wives by Dom Hubert Van Zeller

Holiness for Housewives: And Other Working Women is a gem of a book that I ordered after I saw it reviewed on a blog. I can't remember whose blog, but thank you! Instead of the chatty self absorption of some contemporary books dealing with motherhood, this one had simple practical advice with surprising insight into the daily distractions of motherhood. I say surprising because the author is/was an English Benedictine monk at Downside Abbey. If you like reading Christian classics such as The Practice and Presence of God by Brother Lawrence, you'll find this spiritual guide to be a bit similar in it's simple direct instruction....sort of a "rule of motherhood " within the domestic monastery. This is conforming to God's will rather than uniformity among man; the agenda is God.

Each chapter should be absorbed and considered as a whole, otherwise his writings can be taken out of context. Zeller rounds out his thoughts in this manner, unlike like contemporary authors who are more likely to follow a predictable pattern. Zeller's points are clear, just meaty and layered.

From a Dom Hubert van Zeller Review, "Holiness, he writes, isn’t about being better than or superior to someone else, it’s about being closer to God, a closeness that comes only through prayer, trust and obedience."

Holiness for Housewives was published in 1951, and abridged in 1997(modernized). It is written for a Catholic audience with a Nihil Obstat, but could be read by other denominations as its reference to Catholic devotional practices are not the focus, merely implied or assumed for the most part. The focus is an "effort to show the compatibility, indeed the essential unity, of the two calls" that of the "vocation of the interior life" and "the cares of the household; how to find God amid the dishes, the diapers, and the dirty laundry". This guide is helpful to new mothers, experienced mothers, and Christians along all points of their spiritual journey.

There are some wonderful prayers for housewives at the end of the book, as well as further reading recommendations.

Review of the Day Prayer:

Even if today has been only routine. Lord, there is a great deal to be thankful for. With each successive day, You give me new graces, and for these I now give thanks. I give thanks, too, for having been spared the evils that might easily have come my way. I regret most sincerely the occasions when I neglected Your grace, and I hope, by the help of even more support from you, to make a better thing of tomorrow. Amen.

Contents:

Chapter One: Your Special Vocation as a Housewife
- Don't be misled by a false notion of holiness
- Discover God's will for you as a housewife
- See your vocation as your God-given path to holiness
- Draw holiness and happiness even from drudgery

Chapter Two: How to Pray Amidst Your Daily Duties
- Discover the kind of prayer that is best for you
- Learn the two ways to pray and work
- Try to develop an ever-prayerful attitude
- Seek tranquility in God's presence
- Be direct in your prayers
- Pray as God wants you to pray now

Chapter Three: How to Grow Holier Day by Day
- Seek holiness for the right reasons
- Refresh your weary soul with spiritual activities
- Beware of the temptation to run away
- Learn to obey authority
- Remember that God calls us to self renunciation
- Let God enrich your leisure time
- Choose God
- Learn to pray by praying
- Resolve to pray always

Chapter Four is prayers

Dom Hubert Van Zeller is also the author of Holiness: A Guide for Beginners, Holiness for Housewives, and Spirit of Penance, Path to God.

Organic Cosmetics Review

Usually, I buy Clinique's foundation because it doesn't break me out, and the color "Petal" is a perfect shade for me. Because of some health problems, I've decided it is best to give my largest organ(my skin) a break from chemicals. I did a bit of internet research and purchased Physicians Formula Organic tinted SPF 15 moisturizer in "Fair to Light" at Target. Amazingly, it moisturized my skin without breaking me out, and the shade is not bad. It's just the tiniest bit chalky, but I can warm it up with a little bronzer or blush. I tend to have a difficult facial shade to match with foundation - I am fair with freckles and a bit peachy/rosy.The foundation is called a "tint", but in my opinion it was much darker than a tint. I liked the way it spread easily and dried quickly with no oily residue. It's also quite a bit less expensive than Clinique.

From the Physician Formula's website:

Organic wear^® is the first ECOCERT^® Certified Organic Line of Makeup in the U.S.
Most Organic wear^® products are certified by ECOCERT^®, an internationally recognized guarantee that environmentally-friendly practices are upheld in all aspects of the product.

All Organic wear^® products are

100% Free of

• Harsh Chemicals
• Synthetic Preservatives
• Parabens
• Synthetic Fragrances
• Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s)
• Animal Cruelty

I had some trouble finding the full line of Physician's Formula Organics at Target, so if I want to try some of their other products, I'll probably have to order them online. I'd like to try their lipstick, called lip veil.

My other change has been my lipstick. I usually use Rimmel of London because they have fantastic shades for my skin tone, but I've switched to all natural Burt's Bees tinted lip balms, Lip Shimmers. I purchased raisin(more like dark pink) which goes one well, but like most lip balms, comes off easily. I still like it though, especially the way it moisturizes and tingles from the peppermint. It's a very fresh lipstick, and it was less than $5.00 at Walmart. I actually wanted something with more brown in it, but the raisin color is okay on me for summer. They do have some brown colors I like online: papaya and nutmeg, but I didn't see these at Wallyworld.

That's all I wear out of the house: a little foundation, lipstick, and some blush. I still need to purchase some organic blush.

As I was searching the Burt's Bees website for this post, I noticed that they sell a herbal deodorant with sage as the main ingredient. I've got tons of sage, more than I know what to do with, so now I've got another project - sage deodorant.

Burt's Bees Herbal Deodorant - ingredients: alcohol denat., water, salvia officinalis (sage) leaf extract, lavandula hybrida (lavandin) oil, citrus medica limonum (lemon) peel oil

Easy make at home ingredients. I've got the sage, lavender, and a lemon essential oil.

I already use Lafe's Deodorant Spray, but I love trying new things.


BTW, sage tea is nice...I'm drinking some with a little lemon balm and spearmint leaves fresh from my garden.

Also see: Budget Green (and Safe): Personal Care

Museum Field Trip

We did a museum field trip today to the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, Virginia. It was free admission today. They have a nice ancient history and 16th-17th century European painting collection, enough to review many highlights of the Old and New Testaments in painting and sculpture. The Greek collection was a perfect complement to my son's readings on Greek myths this week.

We viewed several 16th-17th century paintings of saints : Saint Sebastian with the arrows, Saint Elizabeth, Saint Anthony of Padua, Saint Catherine, Saint Margaret, and a good many of Saint John the Baptist. There were some nice Albrecht Durer wood block etchings of the Jesus's life, paintings of Our Lady, and a small illuminated Book of Hours in the tiny medieval gallery.

We browsed a gallery of Dutch and Flemish paintings showing common everyday scenes with rich details near the end, as attention was waning.

There was a wonderful large painting of Lot(first painting above) and his daughter's fleeing the city of Sodom. We stood in front of this painting for quite a while because it was full of symbolism - lust, deceit, and lecherous folly vs. chastity, virtue, prudence and self-knowledge.

There was another lovely painting which sticks out in my mind, and that was the one of Mary and the baby Jesus surrounded by a garden wall (chastity/purity) where not even the angel enters. He hands her a lily from the other side.

It is a smaller museum, but has a decent collection of art and sculpture. It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny, nice enough to wander through the Victorian garden on our way out of the museum.

In Rememberance...

of all those lost in service to our country, and with our country.






Papal prayer yesterday the Polish military cemetery in Montecassino, Italy:

"O God, our Father,

endless source of life and peace,

welcome into Your merciful embrace

the fallen of the war that raged here,

the fallen of all wars that have bloodied the earth.

Grant that they may enjoy the light that does not fail,

which, in the reflection of Your splendor,

illumines the consciences of all men and women of good will.

You, Who in Your Son Jesus Christ gave suffering humanity

a glorious witness of Your love for us,

You, Who in our Lord Christ

gave us the sign of a suffering that is never in vain,

but fruitful in Your redeeming power,

grant those who yet suffer

for the blind violence of fratricidal wars

the strength of the hope that does not fade,

the dream of a definitive civilization of life,

the courage of a real and daily activity of peace.

Give us your Paraclete Spirit

so that the men of our time

may understand that the gift of peace

is much more precious than any corruptible treasure,

and that while awaiting the day that does not end

we are all called to be builders of peace for the future of Your children.

Make all Christians more convinced witnesses of life,

the inestimable gift of Your love,

You Who live and reign for ever and ever

Amen."

Grass Fed Beef

My husband surprised me a few days ago with 37.5 pounds of grass feed beef. A coworker in his department has an organic farm, and the price was very good, at $3.25(averaged) per pound. Grass fed beef cooks at lower temperatures and does need a little tenderizing before it is cooked. I marinated a few steaks in raspberry vinegar and spices overnight, and they cooked up like butter! I was expecting it to be a bit tougher.

Some paper work with the beef indicated that grass fed beef has more Omega 3 and Omega 6 EFAs(like fish), and higher amounts of a cancer fighting linoleic acid than commercial beef. It is also free of hormones and antibiotics.

I've asked my husband to get chicken, eggs, vegetables, and possibly milk from this farm. It's very far for us to drive, but his coworker can deliver to my husband's employment. I'm even considering purchasing some laying chickens, but we need to check with our city codes first.

Staycationing Over Memorial Day

Check out Mrs. Darling's pictures of her Memorial Day "'Staycation", which was not of her choosing. They have made the best of it in a big way.

I guess we are "staycationing" as well, but our vacations don't coincide with national holidays. My husband's crazy schedule won't allow it. We take time for fun as time allows, which meshes perfectly with the flexibility of homeschooling.

Frugal Eco- Cleaners at Family Dollar

I swung by Family Dollar today to purchased a few boxes of tissues, and found some green cleaners in the clearance aisle for $1.80 and $1.20 each! I got a few bottles of Clorox Green Works dilutable cleaner and dishwashing liquid, and George Foreman's Kitchens & More cleaner. They also carry Palmolive's Eco-dishwashing liquid for only $2.50. Then at the check-out I noticed Chapstick's all natural lip balm, a copy cat of Burt's Bees for .99 cents. I looked at the ingredients, and sure enough, they are all natural. I'm going to check for coupons on these products and return!

It's getting easier to be green now. I am glad to see these products at such affordable prices. My tween son does his own cleaning, so these products will keep him safe and healthy.

I'd like to try George Foreman's carpet cleaners as well, but I didn't find it at Family Dollar. George's website lists Family Dollar, Dollar General, and A& P as retailers for his products.

Update: .50 cent off Clorox Green Works coupon. Back click to print twice. I also saw some on ebay. Ack, could I get these in time to use them on the clearance?! I think I'll take a chance. Use Bigcrumbs.com to click through to ebay in order to receive a small rebate from your ebay purchases.

Jeans Tote or Grocery Bag

Click here for tutorial.

10% off Barnes & Noble Books

Barnes & Noble books are frequently less expensive when ordered online because of their online coupons, but if you use your Discover card, and shop through the Discover shopping portal, it is 10% off! This is a hefty discount, and I've combined it with free shipping.

If you have a Discover card don't forget to check the Discover shopping discounts. They usually offer a better discount than other shopping portals. The selection is more limited, but it's worth a check before going through places like Bigcrumbs.com(my favorite).

Increase My Faith

From Holy Cards For Your Inspiration

"Our duty toward God is to believe in him and to bear witness to him."

Catechism of the Catholic Church, p.506

Latin words....Increase My Faith

taken from Luke 17:5

Frugal Weddings

DeputyHeadmistress has a series of posts on the frugal weddings she helped put together for two of her recently wed daughters. She has some resourceful money saving ideas for a traditional wedding using Etsy, thrift stores, and more.

We had a bare bones wedding with a small cake. I think it cost less than $200.00, sixteen years ago. We went for peaceful and personal. I was never much for pomp and ceremony for myself, but I do enjoy seeing others put on traditional weddings. Anyway, check out Frugal Hacks for this interesting post.

A Few Good Amazon Deals

I found pure maple syrup, Butternut Mountain Farm Pure Maple Syrup, Grade B, 1 Quart Jug on Amazon for .10 cents less an ounce than our grocery store, about .70 cents an ounce.

I also ordered some Tom's of Maine Natural Fluoride-Free Toothpaste for Children, Silly Strawberry, 4-Ounce Tubes (Pack of 6) for the children. My oldest has mild spotting, fluoridosis on his teeth from too much fluoride. He has no cavities though, so I'm thankful it didn't weaken his teeth. I never let him use fluoride toothpaste when he was little, so we are unsure how this happened, perhaps our water. We can't find the children's version around here, so this was a good deal.

Free shipping on my order because it was over $25.00. I save 2.5 percent on tax.

Update: If you have a Trader Joe's nearby, their natural toothpaste(peppermint) is only $1.99, and they have a quart of maple syrup for under $18.00, less than this Amazon deal. Ours is fairly new and too far away for me to go very often, so this was a new discovery for me today.

USCCB Calls for Urgent Action on Stem Cell Policy

From Soutenus's blog: "The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has launched a new “Oppose Destructive Stem Cell Research” campaign, equipping citizens to contact Congress and the National Institutes of Health to oppose embryonic stem cell research and support ethical and effective cures and treatments."

From The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Stem Cell Campaign:


"Following President Obama’s March 9 executive order, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has proposed guidelines for federally funded embryonic stem cell research. The guidelines would – for the first time – use taxpayer funds to encourage the killing of embryonic human beings for their stem cells.

This marks a new chapter in divorcing biomedical research from its necessary ethical foundation, respect for human life at all stages.

Embryonic stem cell research treats innocent human beings as mere sources of body parts, as commodities for our use.

Even if, like the embryos targeted by the NIH policy, an embryo may be at risk of being abandoned by his or her parents in a fertility clinic, that does not give researchers or the government a right to kill that human being – much less a right to make the rest of us subsidize that destructive agenda."

Contact you Congress and the Senate by 5/26/09 with this easy prefilled form which will be emailed. It only takes a few moments.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Of interest, Therese's post on embryonic stem cell research. She has children who have been diagnosed with type one diabetes.

Stem cell research? Yes, but not embryonic kind.

Motherhood: The Reign of Love

"It is true to nature, although it be expressed in a figurative form, that a mother is both the morning and the evening star of life. The light of her eye is always the first to rise, and often the last to set upon man's day of trial. She wields a power more decisive far than syllogisms in argument, or courts of last appeal in authority. Nay, in cases not a few, where there has been no fear of God before the eyes of the young—where His love has been unfelt and His law outraged, a mother's affection or her tremulous tenderness has held transgressors by the heartstrings, and been the means of leading them back to virtue and to God."

A lovely romantic and powerful view of Mothers. We are not as valued in the 21st century, at least not celebrated in this way anymore.

"As the prophet spread himself upon the body of the dead child, applying limb to limb till life returned, a mother can take man's whole nature under her control. She thus becomes what she has been called, "The Divinity of Infancy." Her smile is its sunshine, her word its mildest law, until sin and the world have steeled the heart. She can shower around her the most genial of all influences, and from the time when she first laps her little one in Elysium by clasping him to her bosom—"its first paradise"—to the moment when that child is independent of her aid, or perhaps, like Washington, directs the destinies of millions, her smile, her word, her wish is an inspiring force. A sentence of encouragement or praise is a joy for a day. It spreads light upon all faces, and renders a mother's power more and more charm-like, as surely as ceaseless accusing, rebuking, and correcting, chafes, sours, and disgusts. So intense is her power, that the mere remembrance of a praying mother's hand, laid on the head in infancy, has held back a son from guilt when passion had waxed strong."

Read more here: Home; A Book for the Family, 1857.

Also see an interview with Alice Von Hildebrand, author of The Privilege of Being a Woman."Women in the secularized world need to be reminded that fulfilling their maternal role is infinitely valuable in God's sight..."

12% Off T-Mobile To Go Refills

Wow, this is a great deal! I just got this email today from Callingmart.com. I usually use Cheapphonecards.com, but this place is just as reputable. Use coupon code: HpyMemorial09 for 12% Off T-Mobile To Go Refills.

5/30/09 Update: I just used this today, and it wasn't quite 12% as advertised. It was 7% off, and then 5% off that figure. This was still a good deal. I got 300 minutes for $265.XX, a savings of about $35.00.

Ancient Greek Studies for Middle Elementary

Two new vintage ebooks my son is beginning tomorrow:

The Story of the Greek People By Eva March Tappan, 1909.

The Heroes, or, Greek Fairy Tales for my Children, by Charles Kingsley, 1914.


Both public domain ebooks are free to read and download at Google Books. We load our free ebooks onto a flash drive and then read them on a laptop.

I even got my three year old daughter to read a book online with me today. We read My Book House: In the Nursery by Olive Beaupré Millera, 1920 which has cute illustrations.

Hints and helps:

In order to print or save pictures to your computer, you'll need to switch to the HTML version at the site. Look to the bottom right sidebar. Make sure you right click on the image of the page, or you'll get the entire web page.

I had trouble downloading these books with dial-up, so I use a free download manager which works very well, even with dropped connections.

If you need to return to a main page, click on "review book", and then "about book".

Feast of the Ascension

Today is a holy day of obligation for many. It marks the 40th day of Easter when Jesus ends his presence among the Apostles after his resurrection.

Gospel of Mark (16:14-19): At length he appeared to the eleven as they were at table: and he upbraided them with their incredulity and hardness of heart, because they did not believe them who had seen him after he was risen again. And he said to them: Go ye into the whole world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall he condemned. And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name they shall cast out devils. They shall speak with new tongues.They shall take up serpents: and if they shall drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. They shall lay their hand upon the sick: and they shall recover. And the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God.

The Edible Garden

We have lots of shade in the backyard; we are covered by a cooling canopy of oak trees. So it's a bit dry and difficult to grow vegetables, although we keep trying. Things are growing much better this year thanks to Sluggo (organic slug and snail repellent) which is working better than Diatomaceous Earth.


Here are few herbs and vegetables which are growing well in a small corner with partial sun:

Sage, oregano, mint, and lavender

Garbage can potatoes














Tire tomatoes











Apples













See more at From Seeds to Harvest carnival.

Grenadian Spice Cake Recipe

I've got some leftover limes from Cinco de Mayo, so besides limeade, I'm making a cake using the lime zest. This Grenadian Spice Cake looks very good, and it has a rating of five out of five stars at allrecipes.com.

Image from Allrecipes.com

Update: This was very good, a bit plain for children, definitely a good tea or coffee cake. My tween son loved it, but my preschool daughter was looking for something more. It had a nice hint of lime, but I'd have rather had a stronger lime flavor. If I make this again I'll add lime juice and more zest.

Simple Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

Tonight I am making something the children will like, homemade macaroni and cheese. I didn't have a car today, so I had to make do with what I had on hand. My substitutions and additions are in bold.

Ingredients:

* 1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni(egg noodles)
* 1/2 cup evaporated milk(dried milk and water, and a bit of whole milk)
* 2 eggs
* 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream(ricotta cheese)
* 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
* 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 tablespoon butter(canola oil)
My additions: a few squirts of homemade catchup, onion powder, garlic salt, and seasoned stuffing bread on top with more cheese.

See rest of recipe here.

I'd add a picture, but my camera needs charging. It's still cooking, but a little taste of the cheese sauce tells me this will be really good!

Update: Very tasty, but definitely needs the sour creme for a creamier texture. I probably should have added more milk and oil. This recipe needs very little bake time as it can dry out quickly.

Free Homeschool Stuff: A Video Introduction to General Chemistry

Click here.

Free Homeschool Stuff: Arithmetic & Pre-Algebra Online Classes and Drills

Click here.

Along the Jordon River Last Week

Pope's Words on Return From Holy Land Trip [2009-05-17]
"I Came as a Pilgrim and I Hope That Many Will Follow"



King Abdullah is planning to build five Christian churches near the historical site.

Car Maintenance Schedules

Our power steering went out as we were returning home from the movie Star Trek, which was awesome BTW. Our vehicle has reached 40,000 miles, so I looked up a maintenance schedule. I figure we'll get everything else that needs service done while we get the power steering fixed.

We'll see what our trusty repair station says about this. They tend to be very honest to the point of telling us service is not needed! I think in the past, I've been accustomed to having more maintenance than was necessary done on my vehicles.

Update: Our mechanics loved this list, and asked to make copies for their customers.

Here's a general list from WikiAnswers:

Intervals:

"Change Transmission filter-30,000 miles,90,000 and 150,000 miles and fluid at 60,000, 120,000 and 180,000 miles.

Change oil every 3,000 miles or 3 months, unless you use Mobil One, in which case 6 months/6,000 miles.

Chassis lube every 3,000 miles, assuming there are fittings.

Spark plugs: Conventional plugs: 30,0000 miles, Double platinum: every 50,000 miles (100,000 mile plugs are best to be changed well before that, although some can reach it).

Fuel filter: 35,000-40,000 miles. Unless it is in the tank. But if the tank is ever dropped, do it then.

Ignition cap, rotor, wires: 60,000-80,000 miles. (if it has them).

Timing Belt, if applicable: 60,000 miles on many but check with gates or dayco or the manual or dealer, as many different intervals are now present.

Coolant flush -- green: 2 years/24,000 miles.

Coolant flush -- dex-cool or long life: 5 years/50,000 miles.

Tire rotation: 5,000-8,000 miles.

Alignment: 15,000-20,000 miles., unless tire wear is not a problem and car goes straight.

Brake fluid flush and power steering fluid flush: 2 years or when dirty or discolored.

Air filter, pcv valve and cabin air filter: as needed.

Professional fuel injection service: 40,000 miles.

Throttle bore plate cleaning: 20,000 miles.

Air induction service: 20,000 miles. "

Love One and Other, and Remain in Joy

Today's gospel readings on this sixth Sunday of Easter are some of my favorite passages from the Gospel of John:



1 Jn 4:7-10: "Beloved, let us love one another,
because love is of God;
everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.
In this way the love of God was revealed to us:
God sent his only Son into the world
so that we might have life through him.
In this is love:
not that we have loved God, but that he loved us
and sent his Son as expiation for our sins."

Jn 15:9-12:

"Jesus said to his disciples:
'As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father's commandments
and remain in his love.
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you
and your joy may be complete. This is my commandment:
love one another as I love you.' "

God is love, and we can remain in that love with a deep seated joy. Even when we are irritated or sad, we can always return to this joy, all our negative emotions are like a passing storm.

You Got it All Backwards!

This was very sad to see - a Catholic university, Notre Dame(Our Lady) having an elderly priest(80 years old) arrested as he took up the cross in defense of Life for our babies. A stance that Notre Dame should be behind, no gray areas there for Catholics. What a terrible scandal for our church. Fr. Norman Weslin has it right when he says, "You got it all backwards" in this video. No respect for clergy anymore, I guess.

Geez, I'm glad I don't have a child enrolled there, how confusing! We support Life, and I sent you to a Catholic university for a reason, but sometimes we arrest our priests when they defend it?! Hello, coo-coo time.



Details here.



There are also comments at the end by Pastor Rick Scarborough, a former Southern Baptist pastor from Pearland, Texas, who heads Vision America, Vision America Action and the Judeo-Christian Council.

Fear the Lord and judge with integrity, for the Lord our God does not tolerate perverted justice, partiality, or the taking of bribes. 2 Chronicles 19:7

HT to Esther.

How to Draft a One-Seam Skirt in 30 Minutes

Click here.

Make a Girl’s Purse

From the Dollar store Crafts blog. Click here.

Hygiene Hypothesis: Are We Too "Clean" for Our Own Good?

Interesting medical college article, especially if you suffer from an autoimmune disease. Click here. If this hypothesis is true, a little dirt and germs as a child could be beneficial.

"Increased hygiene and a lack of exposure to various microorganisms may be affecting the immune systems of many populations - particularly in highly developed countries like the US - to the degree that individuals are losing their bodily ability to fight off certain diseases.

That's the essence of the 'hygiene hypothesis', a fairly new school of thought that argues that rising incidence of asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis and perhaps several other diseases may be, at least in part, the result of lifestyle and environmental changes that have made us too 'clean' for our own good."

May is the Month for Lilacs

The New Century Third Reader, The Lilac, 1899.

Lessons with Plants, 1907

Modern Prose and Poetry for Secondary Schools, Warble for Lilac Time, 1914

HT to Elena for her post, Lilacs.

May is Dedicated to the Month of Mary

HT to Soutenus

Free Homeschool Stuff: Art Projects for Children

A few favorites from the Art for Kids blog:

Maud Lewis Cat Painting

Tinted and Shaded Circles

Marker Drawing

Click on titles to go to projects.

Quick Fix for a Boring White Tee

This four dollar K-Mart sleeveless T-shirt was a bit frumpy with it's straight hemline, so I gave it a little more style with a white bread twist tie and a sprig of corn flower from a Dollar Tree bouquet. Difficult to see, but I just bunched some fabric and used the twist tie in a circle to hold it in place. The sprig was tucked it to hide the tie, and it matched the purple in the skirt. Please ignore my white house socks.

Cute Wrap Skirts for Spring and Summer

I received my wrap skirts today from Thailand via ebay, and I love them! I had a pair of wrap shorts in the early 80's which were very similar. They fit very well, and will continue to fit when I lose this dern extra 25 pounds(two sizes smaller). One of the skirts is reversible. I also got a free gift of pretty pair of neutral Thai shell dangle earrings. Low light for these pictures, sorry. I was trying to figure out what was in my hair in the first picture...dirty mirror. Note to self - clean mirror! Click to enlarge pictures.

Not a bad price(less $14.00 at auction per skirt) even with shipping, and it arrived quickly. I clicked through Bigcrumbs.com for a little extra discount, and ebay gave me back some ebay bucks. Discover card is giving back 5% on clothing this month as well. I'm hoping that ebay purchases count for this.

K-Mart is having a sale on cotton sleeveless tops for $4.00(I'm wearing one), so I'll have to go back to purchase a few matching tops for these skirts. I'm also sporting a new wedding ring in silver. I outgrew my original gold one, and they were 70% off at K-Mart. I got a new band for $19.99.

Skirts were purchased from Nepal Silk on ebay. The reversible one at top is made from silk Saris, so soft, and beautiful fabric. The others are cotton Batiks. All need to be hand washed. They fit small - extra large( true to U.S. sizes). They sell some plus sizes as well - cute sun dresses. I like the kimono style because it covers chubby shoulders and arms(giggle).

Look at the fabric on this one...it's the same style as the first one at top. I also saw a pink one which was beautiful. I love the feel of Sari material, and it works so well at keeping you cool. When I lose a little weight I'll wear my top tucked it, or wear a shorter top length to show off the skirt's waist.



I just discovered that you can wear this wrap as a sun dress, criss-crossed in the back and front. If I were skinnier, I could wrap it around to the back. I had to hold it for the picture. I can still wear it tied around the front, without the criss-cross, as a bathing suit cover-up. They have longer wrap skirts which would make a cute longer sun dress. What a versatile piece of clothing!