10-7

It is the most glorious morning ever. I know, I start all my blog posts the same way, but I love mornings! At least some of them. The mornings I don't love, I don't blog. :)

Last night we had a hard frost. It was close to 20 degrees this morning. The sun is now spreading across the field west of us, and the misty fog is lifting. It is glorious.

It's Sunday morning. I woke up at about 5:40 and fed the girls milk at 6:10 or so, to try and keep them sleeping longer. (So that they are sweeter at church:) After that—you guessed it—I couldn't sleep! It is very annoying. Whenever there is something big happening in my life, I have a hard time sleeping if I wake up early! :( Anyway, I finally said, “Get up.” So I got up and came down and made a large mug of perfect, lemongrass chai. Mmmmm. There is lemongrass chai, and there is perfect lemongrass chai. This morning, I hit the latter. Yesterday we brought my lemongrass plant inside. We chopped it in half and I'm keeping half in here as a houseplant and Dorcas is taking the other half. :)

I am so excited! I have something awesome to share with you! Last winter I got so weary of catching every cold and flu that came along. We are adjusting to these virus' and bugs, but our systems were not prepared. Or maybe we're just lame. :) At any rate, I have found the answer. My friend Karen, down the road, gave me some Flu Buster Tonic. It is not for the fainthearted, but it will keep you from getting sick—take my word for it. If you feel just the first hint of a cold or flu coming, take it—up to every several hours, a spoonful in some water, and I can almost promise you—you will not get sick. To some people, this cure will be worse than the illness. Take your pick. :) Craig and I use it. It works for us.

And! It is so easy to make! I am so excited about making my own instead of begging it off of Karen. :) She's a dear. :)

Chop equal amounts of:

--raw onion

--raw jalapenos

--raw garlic

--raw horseradish

--raw ginger root

Fill a quart jar to the brim with these lovely items. Pour in raw apple cider vinegar—fill up to the neck. Braggs from GBFS is an excellent option. Non pasteurized is best. Cap it and shake it every day. Let it set for 2-4 weeks, then strain through a cloth and keep in a dark bottle or in the refrigerator. This is hot! If you don't want it as hot, use less jalapenos.

Enjoy. :)

10-9

Hi! We are in IN at Collier and Nettie's house. They were our parents while we were in Thailand. So we decided to visit them on our way to VA for dad's wedding! We left this morning at 2:35am. We were going to leave at 3:00, but Hazel kept waking up and yelling, and finally, knowing I hadn't given the girls their bedtime snack, I got up and fed her. Then since we were awake and I wasn't sleeping well anyway, we left. I drove until nearly 5:00. Then Craig took over and I slept a couple hours. The kids did well! They had some grumpy times, but nothing extensive. We are so grateful. And! After a lovely evening here at Colliers, and a night on a real bed, instead of in the car driving, we drive all day tomorrow to reach our destination. Prayers are welcome. :)

Lata...