We have a couple of opportunities that we will be posting about and hope they will be of interest and help to you. They will be posted shortly.

Some great things about Shop Wiki is that you can do shopping comparison, you can find price savings, go deal finding, find store and product directories, as well as buying guides! All in one place. Neat huh?

Happy Shopping!

This is another book set in the World War II era. It was very good. I think it’s safe to say that it was pretty predictable, but I enjoyed this new (to me anyways) author’s writing style. I even told my husband that he’d like it too. It was a tear jerker, but I must admit to being sappy anyways and it doesn’t take much to get me to cry, especially at this stage of my pregnancy!

I loved how the main character, Shawn Collins, maintained his integrity while touring with a Hollywood crew of starlets as a speaker for a war bond tour. Men and women alike will be able to empathize with Shawn’s division about his duty/responsibility to his job and to the care of his family. Too many of us have to deal with double duty nowadays with having to work but wanting to be there full-time for our families. A modern day curse if you ask me (wry smile).

This was one of those books that I felt comfortable allowing my teenaged daughter read. There really wasn’t anything questionable in it at all. My daughter says that she liked it a lot saying that, “I laughed and I cried through it and I want him to write a sequel to it.”

So there you have it, the Gould Ladies review.

Post the review from June 13-19, 2010

“Available June 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

My family does a lot of online shopping we get our clothing, personal care products, some electronics and much more. I am sure many other people do as well. Sure you don’t have the fun of actually seeing your items until they arrive, but you can avoid all the hassle of others in your way and long waiting lines. Therefore, it is no wonder that companies like Shop Wiki decided to start an online business featuring every product from fashion items to electronics.

Shop Wiki sells in the UK and many other countries as well. It’s interesting how Shop Wiki works:

1.) You type in what you want to buy.

2.) Shop Wiki gives you list of stores that sell that item.

3.) You choose where you want to buy the item!

That’s it. Pretty cool, eh? It also gives the buyer comparison pricing and who has the best deals! So it is great for all – especially those of you who are deal finding shoppers!

Product directories like this can help you find the best deals and it will be well worth your time. Whether you live in France or Spain there is something for everyone at Shop Wiki. And if you need help deciding on an item Shop Wiki even has a  product directory to help you choose the best product just for you!

Happy Shopping!

Three Credit Cards by Petr Kratochvil

Out of the Spin Cycle is a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) tested and MOPS-approved book. Author, Jen Hatmaker is also a speaker. This little book she has written is filled with “mom moments” with God – 40 of them to be exact. By that I mean that they are short little chapters that enable a busy mom to spend snippets of time with the Lord.

Jen Hatmaker is very down-to-earth and gets to the heart of mothering in each little snippet she shares. She has been there and done it as a mother. She also shares with great humor her own experiences and for those of us who may be more serious, it definitely helps see the humor in one of the darker moments of our mothering.

I enjoy devotionals like this because it is really easy to grab a couple minutes and read a three page chapter – it only takes three pages or less to get interrupted by one of our children, doesn’t it?

I’ll leave you with a couple of chapter titles to see if they intrigue you enough to want to read the book yourself:

Chapter 1 – I’m Perfect and My Kids Never Fight
Chapter 21 – Egg Salad Sandwich Disorder and Road Rage
Chapter 22 – My Missing Inner Saint
Chapter 24 – SAHM (Sleepy Anxious Hysterical Mama)

There are a few more that I could have added, but I think that is enough of a teaser for now.

“Available June 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

Farm with field by Petr Kratochvil

Thank you to Dr. David Stewart for this information!

Essential Oils For Things that Bug You

By David Stewart, Ph.D., R.A.

Among the many chemicals in our industrial environment that get into our systems and make us sick are the pesticides we use in our homes.  We use them because they are toxic to the creatures that bug us, but they are also toxic to us!  Sometimes the toxicity is immediately apparent:  we get a headache, get sick or feel nauseous from the fumes or other contact.

Sometimes the toxicity is subtle and can accumulate resulting in chronic complaints and disorders (including allergies, cancer and miscarriages that can be serious and even deadly over time.  Sometimes we even put poisons on our pets to deal with ticks and fleas, not realizing that these substances are not healthy for us not our animals.

How to Use Oils for Pest Control

As Young Living Essential Oils users, we don’t need poisons to kill pests.  We can repel them (and even sometimes kill them) with substances that are not only harmless to us, but are actually healthful to us.  Below is a list of oils that will solve most of your pest problems around the house.

And how do you use them?  One way is to get a pistol-grip squirt bottle.  Mix a few drops of the oil with some water, shake it up, and start firing.  If you have bugs on your plants, like aphids on your roses, you can squirt the leaves and drive the bugs away with no harm to your plant.  You can do the same with the other pests.  As for ants, you can smear a line of peppermint or spearmint across your kitchen counter or floor and the ants won’t cross it.  If you already have a line of ants invading your house, just draw a line of oil across them and they will turn back.  It is fun to watch!  And as for flies, you can knock them dead right out of the air with one shot from your pistol grip.

Specific Oils for Specific Insects

ANTS
Peppermint
Spearmint

APHIDS
Cedarwood
Hyssop
Peppermint
Spearmint

BEETLES
Peppermint
Thyme

CATERPILLARS
Spearmint
Peppermint

CHIGGERS
Lavender
Lemongrass
Sage
Thyme

CUTWORM
Thyme
Sage

FLEAS
Peppermint
Lemongrass
Spearmint
Lavender

FLIES
Lavender
Peppermint
Rosemary
Sage

GNATS
Patchouli
Spearmint

LICE
Cedarwood
Peppermint
Spearmint

MOSQUITOES
Lavender
Lemongrass

MOTHS
Cedarwood
Hyssop
Lavender
Peppermint
Spearmint

PLANT LICE
Peppermint
Spearmint

SLUGS
Cedarwood
Hyssop
Pine

SNAILS
Cedarwood
Pine
Patchouli

SPIDERS
Peppermint
Spearmint

TICKS
Lavender
Lemongrass
Sage
Thyme

WEEVILS
Cedarwood
Patchouli
Sandalwood

A Brown Recluse Experiment

Seeing how squirting a peppermint-water spray would kill flies in mid-air, I wondered what pure oil would do.  So I did an experiment on a brown recluse spider.  I captured a live one in a jar and carefully placed one drop of peppermint on one side.  The pure peppermint repelled the spider sho crowded to the other side to avoid the oil.  When I tipped the jar to force the spider to fall into the oil, it merely squirmed and got away, still repelled by the oil, but not apparently harmed.  Then I put a drop of water with the oil and tipped the jar so that the spider slid into the water and oil together and, instantly, it shriveled up and died.

Conclusion:  The oil alone is an insect repellant.  Combined with water, it is an insecticide.

Safe Insect Repellants

As far as repellants go, when you go into the woods and fields, put a little lavender around your ankles, wrists, and waist-band and you won’t have to worry about chiggers or ticks (or Lyme Disease of Rocky Mountain Spotted Tick Fever).  Lemongrass, sage, or thyme would work, too, but might irritate your skin so put it on your pant cuffs and shirt sleeves.

As for your pets, you can put oils such as Purification around their necks and backs, but watch to keep oils from around their eyes.

So there you have it.  Non-toxic pest control.

You can view this and other interesting articles on essential oils by Dr. David Stewart at www.raindroptraining.com

• The Miller Family Series. This is a very good series about a family with 6 children. They deal with issues like: Sibling rivalry, obedience, lying, stealing, right choices, and more! There are 5 books in the series.
• Teach Them To Your Children. This is a short story collection that is very good! They have such charming illustrations and the most wonderful stories!
• The Moody Family Series. This is a series about a family with 6 children who homeschool! It is a wonderful series.
• Little Jewel Books. These are cute little books that are for children 0-6 and are quite cute and, best of all, teach little ones about God.
• Tiger And Tom and Other Stories for Boys. These are very good stories; there are about 20 in the book. They deal with: Obedience, lying, stealing, peers, peer pressure, and more!
• The King’s daughter and Other Stories for Girls. These are very good, as well! I think that all children should have both this book and Tiger and Tom on their shelves.
• The Laura Ingalls Wilder Series- This series will captivate everyone…even young children! It is about pioneers!
• The Caroline Quiner Years- This series is about Laura’s Ma! Again, this is about pioneers and just as heartwarming and captivating as Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Farmer Dad And Farmer Baby

~RJ