The Importance of Accepting Others This is a story about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco. "Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I've got a favor to ask. I have a friend I'd like to bring with me." "Sure," they replied, "we'd love to meet him." "There's something you should know the son continued, "he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mine and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us." "I'm sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live." "No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us." "Son," said the father, "you don't know what you're asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can't let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He'll find a way to live on his own." At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide. The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn't know, their son had only one arm and one leg. The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love those who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don't like people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay away from people who aren't as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are. Thankfully, there's someone who won't treat us that way. Someone who loves us with an unconditional love that welcomes us into the forever family, regardless of how messed up we are. Tonight, before you tuck yourself in for the night, say a little prayer that God will give you the strength you need to accept people as they are, and to help us all be more understanding of those who are different from us!!! There's a miracle called -Friendship- that dwells in the heart. You don't know how it happens or when it gets started. But you know the special lift It always brings and you realize that Friendship Is God's most precious gift! Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.

Author unkown. Story borrowed from Godvine.com

Marlene's note:
During this long road of chronic illness, there have been alot of instances of non-acceptance in my life. People that were my best friends, and yes, family members too, have turned their back on me once I became ill. Once I could no longer help them clean their homes for their dinner party, or stencil their living room wall, or go shopping all day, or babysit, or any of the things I always did but could no longer do, I became invisible. And I guess it was because they had the same mentality as the father in this story. We became a burden and they don't want to deal with us. It's a very sad thing really. We are ALL the same as we were before we became ill, or lost a limb. And we are still God's children.

Good morning friends. Today is going to be a busy crafting day for me. Lots to do. For the first time in 3 weeks I didn't wake up with a throbbing head, so I will take advantage of it.

Tomorrow is the big day. Rep from insurance company will be here to talk about the motorized chair. And I will suck it up and deal with it. The day before yesterday I fell again. Head first into the dresser, so I don't have much choice anymore. 

We will have to do alot to get the house wheelchair ready, and I don't know how that's going to work. And I'm trying real hard NOT to stress about it. And the best way for me to not stress is to keep myself super busy. And so,
I'm working on getting my websites, blogs and etsy shops back up and running as. I'll post when they are up.

Also got some plants repotted yesterday. All my cuttings did absolutely fabulous and all rooted, so now they are in dirt. Have some more I will start cuttings of this week, and in a month or so, I'll get started on getting some seeds started. There's nothing better that digging in the dirt- unless it you are eating something chocolate that is.

Best news for last- Tiffany found a gorgeous wedding dress yesterday in Springfield, Mo. and when they got home, she brought it over to show me, OMG it is really beautiful. She is such a lovely young lady, and will be a beautiful bride. I am proud to call her daughter-in-law.

Have a wonderful day everyone!  Gentle hugs, Marlene

Sugar Scrub Tags & Recipe Card Printable Freebie

Hi again. Made some tags and recipe card for the Snickerdoodle Sugar Scrub in a Valentine's Day theme. Cute gifts for your girlfriends! And best of all the printables are FREE. Gotta love that. In the next few days I'll add a chocolate bar wrapper and bag topper to go along with it, so stay tuned! Please note these printables are for personal use only. So don't claim them as your own design or sell them. I'll post the link where you will go to get the download. Enjoy! And let me know what you think of them.
Click here:
http://www.4shared.com/file/OslzvLRf/sugar_scrub_tags2.html

Sugar Scrub Recipe

Mary, here's the recipe. Hope you enjoy it. If anyone else would like to use it, please do. You will love it! I made it for my DIL and a good friend of mine as part of their christmas gift. I love this scrub. But please note  ( this is VERY important) because of the added cinnamon powder, do NOT use this scrub on your body. The cinnamon can cause irritation. It adds a nice scent making this scrub smell like cookies baking in the oven, but, it is not for people with sensitive skin . It is amazing for dry skin on hands and feet.

Snickerdoodle Hand and Foot Scrub:
1-1/4 cup brown sugar (light or dark whatever you have on hand)
1/3 cup olive oil
3 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon cinnamon powder (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (also optional- just adds to the yummy scent)

Throw it all in the bowl of your kitchen aid and mix till blended. I used the wisk attachment. Package it in a pretty jar. Easy peasy, and a nice gift using stuff you probably have in your cupboard. These scrubs sell for more that 50 bucks at dept stores, and that's just crazy.

To use: massage about a tablespoon of the scrub onto wet hands or feet. Massage gently. Rinse and pat dry. Great to use at nite before bed. I use lotion after the scrub, then wear socks and cotton gloves to bed. I have really dry skin and this works wonders!

If I had a brain I would have taken a pic of how I packaged the gifts, but, I was suffering from fibrofog as usual. I also made a peppermint bath salt, Lavender Milk Bath, and an herbal body soak for them as well. If you'd like me to share the recipes and gift tags you can print for those, I'd be happy to. 

Yesterday I put up a question to my fibrofriends about the headaches I have been having, and here's an update. I went to run errands with Joey, and he ended up having to rush me over to my docs office. The headache was sooooo bad, and the field of blurred vision was getting larger. And it scared me. I have never had such pain in my head. And here's what she said. The inflamation in my neck / spine from the arthritis has gotten so bad that it's putting pressure on the arteries in my neck that go to the brain. Thus the headache and blurred vision. When we left to do our errands, the headache wasn't bad, just kind of reminding me it's there. My getting in and out of the car most likely made it worse. She talked to me about needing to go back on the cortico-steriods several months ago after blood work, but I HATE HATE HATE them. And if you've ever been on one, you know what I'm talking about. I will be virtually a prisoner in the house for a while as my immune system will be even less capable to fight off any virus/ infection. Your cold/flu can kill me. Sounds exteme I know, but it's true. But, if I can get rid of the blurred vision and the headaches it will be worth it. Poor Greg. More he'll have to take over (shopping, etc.) on his own. :(

And that my friends is all for today. I didn't sleep much last night from feeling jittery because of having to take 6 of the steroid at once. So I'm tired. I think I will nap a while. Have a wonderful day!  Gentle hugs, Marlene

Hello my friends. I hope you all are well. We've been having some cold weather the last few days. but I won't complain, after all, it is january! And, the weather is supposed to be back in the 60's again in a few days. :0) Gotta love winters in the south!

I have a question for you fibromites out there. Any of you get headaches there are incredibly bad and have blurred fuzzy spots out of the side of your vision? I get migraines, but these headaches are different than any I have had before. And with the migraines, I got kind of an aura around my field of vision before the migraine would hit, but, nothing like what I'm getting now. This is the 3rd week in a row where I have had a headache like this for several days. But not all day. Several hours maybe. Just thought I'd throw it out there and compare notes before I call doc. But I promised Greg I would call her tomorrow if I still have it. I don't have it now, but I did for several hours today. :(

I wanted to tell you about an article I read a few weeks ago. It compared the breakthrough pain we get to the pain cancer patients have. I was floored. I mean, you don't have to tell me what we suffer through is painful. I know that. But for so long the medical community has said FM and CFIDS don't exsist. It's all in our head, blah blah blah. But now they are finally FINALLY seeing that our pain is real! It is sooooo about time, don't you think?  Funny thing though, a gal I know still doesn't get it. She says her sis has it and still works, and is FINE. Hmmmmm. So that means, all of us should work and be fine too I guess. Why do people not get that it effects people differently. Just like any other disease. Just like some people die from cancer and some don't.......

I am trying to work on some craft projects for our grandsons. I wanted to have them done for Christmas, but I have been plagued with computer program issues, and not feeling too great. Hopefully they won't mind having Christmas a second time. I am working on a set for the youngest (Isaiah) that is a sweet shop theme. It includes gallon and quart cans that will hold cookie mixes, two sizes of baggie toppers, buisness cards, menu board, and several other things including an apron, mixing spoons, and measuring cups. I am finished with the designing, now just need to print it all and put it all together. It is to tie in with a similar theme he was learning about at school and had alot of fun with. I'll post pics of it here when I am done. And if you are real nice, maybe I'll include some freebie printables so you can make some too. :)

For the older grandson, (David) I am working on some handmade journals, an altered clipboard and some pens to match.  Also a wooden box to keep his fave pens in. I was surprised to learn of his love of pens, journals, and paper. I share this love as well. I will post pics of his finished gifts as well. And maybe a tutorial or two on how to diy. Stay tuned!

Got another order for more floral work for my docs office with spring theme. So gotta get busy on that as well. Found incredible deals today on baskets and silk florals, so I was a happy girl!

Mary, I will post the recipe for the sugar scrub I made for gifts in my next post. I promise, you will love it.

And now, I gotta get some sleep. It's almost one am! Nitey nite.
Love & gentle hugs, Marlene