WD40 (sprayed on a paper towel, not the book!). This, btw, is my dh answer to almost every problem! :cheers2:

My nephew made one out of zipper pulls...pretty neat.

hmmmm...this is worth chewing on for a while, isn't it?

Love this answer! My 12yo son came up with his own answer to, "No school today?" He simply replies, "I dropped out." :cheers2:

First of all, thanks for this! I haven't had such a good laugh in a loooong time! My suggestion: get a bag of those gold-wrapped, chocolate coins or maybe even some monopoly money and put it in one of those ATM play banks. It would be lots of fun to have fun with this one!!!

Take a look at Heart of Dakota. You can easily do quite a bit of combining (possibly all of the children, certainly 2 of them). Little planning on your part, comprehensive program. www.heartofdakota.com (BTW, I'm not a rep and have no stake in the company...I just think it may work for you!)

We, too, have difficult relationships with family members (my sister and her family)....It's often complicated, so I can certainly sympathize with your situation. I think I would let your dd open and keep whatever they send ~ do you really think they will send something? Sounds as if they likely will not. Anyway, if they do, use the moment to teach your daughter to respond in love. Have her send a note of thanks and ask her if she'd also like to send her new baby cousin gift. A soft answer turns away wrath...

I'm not a vendor ~ just a believer! You'll find a combination of cedarwood, lavendar and frankincense to be wonderful for focusing. Energy can be greatly enhanced by using a mixture of peppermint, rosemary and basil. Finally, for migranes, try Roman chamomile, peppermint, lavendar and neroli. You can use them in a diffuser, massage them onto the soles of your feet, your temples or wrists, or you can put a few drops on a cotton ball and set it next to you while your reading, cooking, on the computer, etc. The most important thing to remember when using essential oils is to be certain to use a therapeutic grade oil (I like Young Living).

Ever thought of using essential oils? Try any or a combination of any of the following blends ~ Hope, M-Grain, Awaken, Believe, Egyptian Gold, Envision, Harmony.

I use the Essential Oils Desk Reference (4th edition) by Essential Science Publishing. It's a bit pricey, but quite thorough. I'm sure you could find it used. RC is an antiseptic blend of eucalyptus oils and is used to support the respiratory system ~ great for winter time sniffles and colds. Raven is another good one. Purification is great for bites of all kinds, scrapes (particularly "road rash"!) and cuts. I use it in place of antibiotic ointment. It's also a wonderful odor neutralizer (dab a bit on a cottonball and let it sit out or use it in a diffuser). If I'm out of Purification, I'll use Melrose in it's place. These are blends. I also combine them with singles depending on the ailment.

Thanks, Colleen!

Forgive my fauz-pas! I guess I was looking at your "join date" and not your original post date! :lol:

Diane, I just now saw how old your original post was!!! What have you found in the year since you originally asked the question??? Just curious about your journey :)

I've been using essential oils for some time now, although I do not use them exclusively. I also use quite a few herbal mixes and traditional medecine when absolutley necessary. Browse through www.youngliving.us for lots of good information (I'm not a distributor and have no interest in the company; I simply find their oils to be of excellent quality). YES, they do work! Taking a more natural approach to healing (and treatment) usually takes more time than traditional methods, but the benefits are long-lasting. Your body builds it's own immunities much more quickly and in time, you become much more resistent to everyday bugs and viruses, thus being much more effective in the long run. You need to make sure to use therapeutic grade oils for treating ailments of all types. Lavendar is a good one to begin with as it's healing properties are quite diverse. Theives and RC are 2 others I find myself using frequently. I do use a desk reference regularly, on a weekly basis probably. Let me know if you have other questions...I'll answer what I can and can probably point you in the right direction if I can't!

Just outside Elizabeth City...loving country coastal living...