Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Rabbit Trails and my first Puzzle for you!

Today I have random thoughts about different things so please be patient with me while I chase down a few rabbit trails!

I went to town today to get some shelves. I was amazed at the level of noise in this store...must we be assulted by noise from giant T.V.s hanging from the ceiling each one hawking wares?  It is one store I tend to enter and exit as quickly as possible....and by the way...it is impossible to see ANYTHING that has to do with the real Christmas season in this store! Although my cashier said "Merry Christmas" before I did....ssshhhhhhhh...don't tell anyone!

I am a southern woman.  I have a light southern accent - not as heavy as it used to be (15 years in Florida took a toll and left all but my youngest without accents poor things!).  I want to know why my children still have a problem with my accent....my 16 year old says that I do not pronounce the word tire correctly...tire....rhymes with are...so...what's the problem?  He also thinks some of my expressions are a bit strange, although all my friends use them,...well, at least my southern friends...for instance "I'm going to go to town" of course that would be pronounced "Ahm fixin ta goadda town" in the south (we ARE in the south aren't we?) ..."that picture is cattywampus"..."This room is completely  discomboobulated" ...and my Gramma's favorite "Don't strain your pizzle" - which strangely is applied to said 16 year old more frequently than other children. However, he certainly doesn't mind my down-home southern cooking. 

What is it about southern cooking?  Is it because it  is an "event" for us southern women?  It means more than filling tummys, it is about home, hearth, family, creating a cozy atmosphere, memories - a meal is an event in a southern home no matter how simple.  People who know nothing about me, have never met me, but taste my cooking immediately ask me if I'm southern...how is that?  I do not always serve fried chicken, or sweet taters, or cornbread or...hhmmmm...better stop there!  Does yankee cooking taste different? How is it different?  Having lived all of my life in the south (except for a few years on the west coast) I don't know that I have ever had a meal fixed up north....but I don't think I have ever heard anyone say they LOVE yankee cooking...while I hear lots of people say they LOVE southern cooking...I hope one of ya'll can explain that to me!

I am getting some wonderful names for the new soaps from those of you entering the contest!  Keep them coming...you can read about it here.  I will announce the winner the first of the year!

I heard from a sweet cusomter about one of my salves...this is what she says:

I also want to tell you what a blessing your Aches Away salve has been for me ... I have been struggling with major soreness in my elbow area, either a result of turning 50 (!!) or from all the canning I did this past season.  I receive so much relief after I use the salve.  If you ever need a testimonial -- let me do it for you!

 Thank you so much for the encouragement, emails like this make my day!  And in response to a post I wrote on Red Clover, I received this email:

By the way, after reading your red clover post, I collected and dried a small jar-full of blossoms this summer for tea. I have used it extensively since the summer (but am almost out!) and am definitely a believer in its usefulness; I think it has aided in warding off a number of colds and sore throats (had a cup last night!). Hopefully I'll get my family to use it, too, in time.

Notes like this encourage me to continue to blog and share about the goodness of God who gave us these wonderful plants.  And I am thrilled to know that ya'll are learning and trying and seeing that God has indeed provided plants for our healing. Thanks so much!

I wanted to clear up some confusion about my Medicinal Herb Course.  I was asked the following question in email:

Never having taken an on-line class before, I have a question as to how all this works. 
 
Is it  time limited kind of thing, meaning, is the class conducted during a regular schedule or is it something that can be taken anytime...say, after Christmas!

I am sorry if I presented this in a confusing way.  This course is an E-book that you download.  You then read and study the book and we begin a mentoring process.  There are no online meetings, forums, etc.  It will be just you and me one on one.  As you try making the different herbal remedies, I will be there, through email, to guide you in the process.  As you study the herbs and have questions, I will be there to answer them or find the answers if I don't know them (and believe me I don't know all the answers!)   The mentoring process will begin after you download the book and continue for 30 days - email as often as you wish and ask as many questions as you wish.  As a bonus, if you purchase the class in December, your mentoring time will be automatically extended until the end of January.  If you are interested in reading more about this course or beginning your own herbal study you can do that here.  It would make a great Christmas gift for young ladies interested in learning how to care for their future families!

I have been getting some excellent questions from those of you who have started the Medicinal Herb Course.  I am impressed with the thoughtfulness and the knowledge that some of you already have...keep those questions coming!

My sister-in-love sent me a link to the most amazing little video I have seen - perhaps ever.  Go here and PLEASE someone tell me how he did that!

Just last week I was working in the kitchen (why am I ALWAYS in the kitchen!) watching the beautiful snow flurries.  Today it was 62 out ...where is winter?  I hope it gets colder by Christmas...which is hurtling towards us way to fast...although my 8 year old has been counting the days (minutes...hours....) for almost 2 months now and insists it is taking way to long. Knowing Elijah, I am not sure if he is looking forward most to the snicky snack night, the family game time, the presents or the foodSurprised

Here is the puzzle I mentioned in the title.  I have listed the ingredients on a label.  You tell me if you know what it is...I will be doing this periodically in the hopes of pointing out how "chemically saturated" our society is becoming...and we don't even think about it anymore.  Here we go:

Water, Sodium C14-16, Olefin, Sulfonate, Lauramide DEA, Glycol Stearate, Sodium Chloride, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Citric Acid, Fragrance, DMDM Hydantoin, Polyquaternium-7, Aloe Barbadensis Gel, Tetrasodium EDTA, Glycerin, Silk Peptide, Hydrolyzed Silk Protein.

If you think you know what this is, please leave a comment!  I know that I certainly don't want ANY of that in my body (well except for item #13)!

Well, enough rambling for now....I still have  a few family traditions that I want to share...snicky snack night and The Tradition of the Straws are two of them. I'll do that in the next few days. Thanks for bearing with me this evening.

Sweet dreams ya'll!

8 comments:

  1. In my experience, Yankee cooking is quite bland. "Southern" cooking always seems heavy to me. We Californians like salads year round, with lots of toppings like cheeses and chicken. Either that, or we tweak recipes from Mexico and call them our own. :)

    By the way, I purchased your Healing Salve for my mom back at Mother's Day. She still had a bit left, and my four-year-old son had horribly chapped hands last week. After reading one of those testimonials you posted, I thought to steal her jar back for a while. Now, a week later, he is completely healed, and loves to talk about your salve making him better. Thanks for such a great product!

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  2. My guess is that the label from wither lotion or shampoo. :-)

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  3. Hi Brandy,
    I agree about the salads, guess you knew that since we grow 42 kinds of lettuce :) One of my favorite meals is a huge salad and a baked potato from the garden with fresh cut chives :) So glad the healing salve helped your son!!

    Denise - you are close....very close....;)

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  4. I would say that southern cooking is plentiful. I think the "yankees" come for a visit and are possibly outdoors more; it's just a different atmosphere which also increases the appetite.
    My husband is 6'4 and weighs about 230-240 average. He works so hard just to maintain that weight. We go to the south and that man will put on 20 pounds in a weekend. Maybe he loves it cause I won't put that much food on the table like that souther hospitatlity does. :-)

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  5. Cheri,
    Is the answer to your puzzle question shampoo?

    Southern meals...now that deserves a whole book all on its own! Michael and I lived up North for almost 4 yrs. I found many of the women there tried to copy our southern food, but they didn't make quite the same event out of meal time. Meal times were more formal there. You know the kind that you really have to think about the manners you learned as a child!!! Down south, mealtimes are about family gathering and laughing out loud and eating an abundance of several different foods. Up north were we lived if you asked for sweet tea in a restuarant, they brought a glass of instant tea with a packet of sugar. Now anybody who knows anything about TEA knows it can't be instant, and you would need at least 3 packets of sugar to sweeten it the right way!

    grace and peace,
    julie

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  6. I'm guessing that it's hair conditioner or cream rinse rather than shampoo.

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  7. Theresa,
    Close again...not quite there :)

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  8. Oh, no...it must be that hairspray or gel that I'm not supposed to be using.

    I'm cutting back...I am ...really.

    I loved it when they did this in Nourishing Traditions for food labels. Well, sorta loved it...but mostly it was disgusting. But definitely good to know.

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