Wow. 15 years? 10 years?

What a sad year. 15 years since 9/11 and 10 years since Nickel Mines. All these people taken from others' lives needlessly. It's so sad & jacked up. 

I had a flight from Raleigh-Durham to Atlanta when they first opened the airports. Today makes me think about how different the airport felt a few days after, like a ghost town but busy at the same time. I remember sitting at the terminal waiting & hardly any of the TVs were on. Probably cause everything was related to airplane hijackings.

It was quiet with no TVs on, but current events were all these strangers were talking to each other about. I knew my flight would be safe with all the security. Besides, the people were mega pumped up at the time & I knew if anyone even ACTED wrong, they'd have a plane full of adrenalized passengers kicking their punk asses. I had so many people trying to talk me out of flying. I was a bit nervous, but I knew it was ok. And, of course, it went fine. 

But with as much as I fly, I still feel vulnerable in that tight metal tube. I can't begin to imagine their horror on 9/11. Even planes not hijacked. Did people know about other planes? Were they wondering if there was an ****ole on their own plane? 

So now I'm getting ready for a flight in 3 days. I know it's safe from terrorist jackasses. But what about even mechanical problems? I know even those odds are slim. I know two flights separate me from seeing my kids again every time I go away. But my heart is with them. I can't imagine living without them. All those people who died on 9/11 who had children, felt the same way, I'm sure. I can't imagine that kind of pain. Not just knowing you were likely going to die, but the loved ones images that popped in their minds. 

Anyways, that's what's in my head today. Just had to "get it out". 

I know I said I make a post about my new home business & haven't done it yet. But please check it out at LovingMelts.etsy.com

Thank you!

August Update! My company on etsy, the Amish, and my family!

My goodness. Well, let's see what all has changed since my last blog posting (I have to get more routine than this LOL). The post I made about MusicXray seemed to be a real waste of time. I logged on a huge number of times and never once was offered music that I could listen to and "earn" money. I even changed music genres and other variables. No luck. So don't waste your time with these people.

The most fantastic news I will put in it's own separate blog posting right after this because it's just SO phenomenal.

I told everyone that I take very frequent trips to Lancaster, PA and stay with a small variety of Old Order Amish people and I work for them, make money, and my trips are essentially free. In exchange, I take care of their animals when they are gone, take care of the house. And it's not always just when they're gone. They love sharing their homes and their lives with me. And it's absolutely a blessing. I am not Old Order Amish myself, of course, and not sure I'd want to be. The lifestyle has been something that I have become very acclimated to and it's surprisingly enjoyable. It's ALOT of work. But there's some real beauty in it. My thing is that I tend to be friends with guys alot more than girls. On a friendship only level. No "benefits". I find that men like to have a good time and just be themselves. You don't hear men bashing other men too much. Yes, sometimes you get the "Alpha Male Syndrome", especially when competition over a girl occurs. But I find men to be more down to earth. That's not well accepted in the Amish community. Women may casually intermingle with men in a social setting, but men and women are commonly separate. Some Amish women, not all, can be extraordinarily catty. Not in the aggressive sense. But there is alot of gossip and wanting to know every detail of everyone's lives. I suppose after cleaning and cooking and playing in the garden, time is commonly spent with "playdates" essentially. Maybe a quilting circle. Whatever. And it's ALL about gossip.

That's where it doesn't work with me. Community is very important to them. And very important to me too. The Amish have the mindset that God is important, community is important, family, and then themselves. An example of how community pulling together is incredibly important is after my brother died. It was an extremely traumatic event. On top of that, planning a last second funeral in a family that has strong ties to the community, you have to make sure so much is in order. We had SO many families come to us offering to do anything for us. And we wouldn't have to cook for a couple of months if food didn't go bad. People brought over casseroles and food galore. It was amazing and touching. I think we were all in a daze that we really didn't have an appetite, but at the same time eating brought comfort (although we weren't normally "comfort eaters"). That's how it is with the Amish times 100. If your barn or house burned down, they'd have another one built within a week. They'd make sure every need you could possibly have was taken care of. That's the way all of society should be. But the women can keep their gossip.

I'm not saying all Amish women are terrible at gossip, but you do have many eyes on you. What happens in your life is spread through the church, and every district even states away! I'm a very private person. I love friends. Absolutely. But there's only a handful I'd want to know certain things that occur.

Air conditioning is another thing I can't do without for too long. If you are in an Amish home in the middle of a rural area with lots of farm land around, you tend to get breezes. That helps alot with cooling off a home. On the other hand, in a suburban or urban area with nothing but homes and buildings, you are caught in a heat trap. So for the last few years I have spent time during the summer with no air conditioning. It's incredible when you don't have it, how fast your body learns to tolerate it. Now, I'm speaking Pennsylvania. I'm not talking about the south where heat indexes are 110-120. That's deadly. When I was there in July, I did fine. As long as I had a shower and baby powder and clothes that breathed. You know not to use the oven during the day. Good grief! LOL But I got into someone's car that had air conditioning and it was almost too much! This is coming from a girl that sweats. Last year my house was kept at 68 degrees. Now it's between 74-76. What a change Amish living has done to me!

Anyways, so I was flown up to Lancaster from Saturday to Wednesday. It was a short trip. Only problem is I didn't realize I had a layover in Orlando. Southwest Airlines, that I fly RELIGIOUSLY, really screwed the pooch. My departure from Orlando was supposed to be 11:00 am. I didn't get to Philadelphia to catch the last train to Lancaster until 7:00 pm! It was a literal nightmare. Fortunately, Southwest gave everyone $200 in travel vouchers. I will say I know how to find a $41 flight. So I have at least 2 free round trip tickets. September 14th I am going back. I'm beyond anxious already!

As far as my family goes, my older son, Cody and his girlfriend just got engaged. They are choosing to wait a few years to get married, but I have a feeling any day I'll get a text saying "We went to the courthouse and got married!" Which, if they did, even if I feel things could be done differently, I will be very happy and supportive of them. Things can always be done differently. And it's not anyone's business how it's done but theirs.

And my younger son started middle school for the first time July 29th, I believe. Yes, ridiculous. But what can we do? Unfortunately, his school year has not been easy. He loves being an older kid now and treated less like a baby. But he's caught a very nasty chest cold. With Colin being born prematurely and being on a ventilator, it seems chest colds prove brutal for him. So he missed 2.5 days because of that. The half day was the school telling us to come pick him up because he was having trouble breathing. So he's had alot of bed rest, coupled with light activity and medication. Last night was the first night in awhile that he slept through the night. There were a few times he about went to the ER because of trouble breathing, but we got it under control.

But Colin's birthday is in a few weeks! 12 years old. Wow. And Cody is 21 in November. Unbelievable.

Well, I will get to the good news later unfortunately. But I'll say that I finally got my soy wax melt business up and moving! It's actually proved to be a blessing. I love it. So PLEASE visit my store at LovingMelts.etsy.com

My summer line sold out in a month. It was incredible. Now I'm starting my fall line. Lots of baking scents and others. There are currently 12 scents available and they are moving fast.

The biggest sellers BY FAR are:
Amish Harvest
Baked Apple Pie
Grandma's Kitchen

As of right now I have 3 or 4 left of each, so jump over there and catch them before they are gone! More fall scents and eventually Christmas & winter scents will be coming soon. Big plans are on the way with that! When I make my separate post for that I will be sure to tell you ALL about it! So please, visit my store. $4.00 each! I have not received a complaint so far! :-) I pray that continues. And tell your friends please!

LovingMelts.etsy.com

January: Amish Lancaster Trip (Day Two: Thursday)

Woke up at 4:00 am to Alice coming upstairs and licking my face out of a deep sleep. Yucky. 

I decided to get up and use the bathroom right quick. It was nearly 10 hours since my last pain pill & with all the activity the day before I was feeling every ounce of it. I slept like a log otherwise, so that contributed to my pain. Oh the stiffness. But my pain medicine & Gabapentin was downstairs in my purse that I forgot. 

So, I went downstairs. I felt like I spent two hours as a novice at a gym. I hurt in places that never existed. So I took my morning meds & a pain pill. Generally, I have found spending all day in bed makes it worse. For one thing, my joints need movement & my muscle needs stretched. I'd LOVE to try an epidural in my SI joint where the rheumatoid damage is worse & where the spinal stenosis is bad. But with the nightmare that our healthcare has become we are eating expired food from food pantries half the time just to pay $800 a month for 2 people for a $6000 deductible plan. Never in my life have I seen it this bad. 

Anyways! Sorry about that. So I got up at 4:30 and helped entertain Alice with the laser light as David fed the horses & got ready for work.  

After he was gone I filled a bucket with Mr. Clean Lemon & a rag & cleared off the table & counter from breakfast. Then I got my wet Mr. Clean washcloth & wiped the table, countertops, cabinets, gas appliances, & bathroom surfaces down. Thought about sweeping the floor, but chose not to. Washed some clothes. I will dry those out later. 

So, I did my part in keeping mildly active & useful all in one. The strong medicines make me very drowsy, so now I'm cuddled under a sheet, a baby blue blanket, and a cute multi-colored quilt. 

I do have permission to stay in bed and rest after a physically & emotionally traumatic day (half-sarcasm) at Atlanta & Philadelphia's airports. (Why is my plane always at the end of the terminals?) Not to mention 30th Street Train Station in Philadelphia. And people. They make me want to cry. Standing in line after line with so many people ahead of me. 

But on a lighter note, I feel wonderful after talking to my 11-year-old last night. He sounded so happy. Ah. Music to my ears. And the snow. Something about the air when it snows. Almost feels... Cleaner? I don't know. 

Ok, I'm going to nap a little. The pain pills have overruled my eyelids. 

Be On The Lookout!!!

I have something very exciting coming up. Actualy, a few very exciting things. First, I am going to be visiting my Lancaster County, PA once again the end of this month. My stomach has butterflies already, it's going to be a tough month to contain the excitement! Ticket is already purchased and my Amish home is waiting for me. And Alice is going to get fixed this month before she goes into heat again. Last time was when I was there in September. And they say it's every 6 months for dogs. So we have to beat her to it!!! LOL

Next, I am getting back into a hobby that I totally enjoyed when I was in college. Back then it was candle making. This time I am going to completely be committed to melts. You know, the highly fragranced wax that you put in a warmer and it makes your whole house smell good? I made them years ago as well, but people weren't as familiar with them at the time. Now it seems Good Housekeeping and Glade has a melts line on the shelves. So people are starting to get it.

I believe I have found a good company that I want to work with pretty exclusively. I had to research the wax I wanted to use and then compare prices and shipping. The company that came out ahead on price and customer satisfaction just happened to be close by here! So even better. No shipping costs. Just a quick drive over to pick up my order.

I've decided to start with 10 scents. I think that's reasonable. Since it's winter I chose some spicy scents, some all year clean scents, spa scents, and a masculine scent. Depending on whether I can sell these and make money for another set I think I'll add a "Spring Line" that will have light floral scents for people to enjoy as it begins to warm up outside :-) I'm also a sucker for simple scents. Like orange. Just something refreshing about that. And lemon. You gotta have lemon in the kitchen. And clean cotton in the bathroom. Of course. Yes. Yes.

My only debate right now is do I do 6-piece clamshells? Or do I do a 1 oz cup with a lid? So all you have to do is plop the hardened wax in the warmer. No mess.

Writing a Book!

I've been toying with the concept of writing a book. Non-fiction. Something people can read and learn from. Maybe it can read like any other book, rather than a reference book where you simply look up information. But I want to add something extra in this book. I plan to online interview people about particular subjects as it pertains to them and add relevant clips to my book. I'm hoping maybe 5-10 people will be enough. Just depends :-)

If this works out I will at least give them a free copy of the book as a "Thank you".

Well, I plan to include updates here on my blog as I continue working on my book.

I appreciate any and all encouragement! Thanks! :-)

A Recommended Read!

I am familiar with this particular author, as I have purchased another creation of hers Speaking Amish. That book teaches you the basics of learning the Pennsylvania Dutch language. 

Now, she has come out with a new book, Lydia's Bonnet:

Order now! Special pre-order price! 

Lydia's Bonnet is the true story of a little Amish girl growing up with her four brothers in Lancaster County, PA. She has lots of friends at school, but one day her friends get her into trouble. And a certain blue bonnet is in the middle of it all. 

34 pages of big, beautiful photographs. 11 x 8 1/2. Paperback. Regular price $8.95. Now only $7.50 plus shipping! 

http://www.speakingamish.com/buy-books/

I have already jumped on this special offer & I encourage everyone else to do the same! I will update once I receive it & do a review once I am done with it. :-)

What day is it?!

I lost count of which day it is on SmartMix, but I'm still moving right along. I believe it's day 10. 

We just had a time change, which I think is a bonehead idea, and it's bound to throw me off. It did last night. I was so ready for bed. 

Tried to honor the Sabbath better yesterday. Normally I'm a mess cleaning house. I'm excited that Friday I swept the front porch, sidewalks, & driveway of dirt & leaves. I have an electric leaf lower, but I chose to do it manually, like a real woman :-) 

And Saturday I took my son Trick-Or-Treating like a nice mommy. He was something from Star Wars. I never got a good front shot, but lots from the back or side. So he was basically "The Black Thing" in all my pictures lol

So that was him. We did things a little different this year so there were more houses and fewer people. I get fussy when a lot of people are around acting completely ignorant. So I only got fussy once. We were waiting in line for cotton candy for Colin & they shut it down early. Just aggravated me. Happens every year. Grrrrrrr. 

But last Wednesday I made it to see my doctor. I was a little annoyed that the fee structure changed. It used to be $75 for new patients & $55 for established patients. Now it's $75 to see the dr and $55 to see the nurse practitioner. We aren't going there. So I paid it and waited. Gain 1.5 lbs. Oh well. 

My visit was very constructive with the doctor. He wants me in pain management for the rheumatoid arthritis. Until then he gave me some Norco's which have been a life saver until I can get in to get more long-term treatment, like cortisone shots in my joints. I do not want to do 1 Norco every 4 hrs of my life sort of thing. I want it when I really need it. If I don't need it for 2 days, I'm not taking it. I'm afraid of addiction. 

But anyways, the pills have allowed me to work outside on my house, clean inside more, walk my kid on Halloween & have those memories. This morning I am sore. It's been raining non-stop for 2 days. It's soaked. So I'm about to take some pills and take a nap. Trying to balance activity & rest. With the pills, starting my walking again sounds fantastic. But the rain. Grrrr!

Today & tomorrow I need to focus on packing for my trip. I'm flying out of Atlanta here at 8:30 am. It's a 2 hr flight. 1 hr in Philly. 1 hr Amtrak to Lancaster & 30 min to the Amish house I'm staying in. So I'll have about 3 hours to play with Alice the mutt till work time is over. I'm excited, nervous, worried. My dr made sure he prescribed enough pain medicine  for all the fast walking I need to do. I'll be good and relaxed for the plane ride though. I'm flying on Southwest Airlines, which is my preferred airline. I use their RapidPoints program & this is my free flight. Yay!!!

Thought I'd go to Michaels last night in Conyers to pick up a cross stitch project. I am SO frustrated. Their projects went from an entire row to a 5x7 area of cheesy 8th grader type projects. I wasn't pleased. Walmart doesn't carry any anymore that I could see. Hobby Lobby was respectfully closed. So forget it. I'll listen to podcasts. Only problem is that my ears pop the whole time so the ear buds are annoying. I'm grabbing a window seat. Hopefully we fly over bad weather or something exciting. Just please, not the drunk lady & the dude needing sedating from last time. I got contact drunk from the smell of her 10, yes 10, little vodka bottles. They need to limit it to 3. Seriously. 

So! That's that. I'll try to update Wednesday while traveling. Hopefully I'll post pictures of how I live Amish in Lancaster. Be back next Wednesday! Miss my boys already :-(