Violet Rhodes

Cortisol Levels

Published on May 5, 2025 by Violet RhodesLeave a comment

I’ll begin this post like a preacher; “Studying into this was good for me; I need it myself.” Hopefully, it can benefit someone else besides.

We hear a lot about high cortisol these days, and it’s not a wonder with this fast-paced world we live in. It can get our bodies stuck in the fight or flight mode.

What is cortisol?

Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands. It’s often called the stress hormone. It controls the parts of your brain that affect mood, motivation and fear.

Cortisol:

*Controls our sleep and wake cycles.

*It manages how our body absorbs fats, protein and carbs.

*Regulates blood pressure

*Provides energy in stressful situations as well as helps to balance our levels after the stressful moments. We need this, but too much makes our body feel like we’re always running from that booger man behind us.

So if our cortisol is high, it’s not a wonder we say hello to insomnia, high blood sugar levels and high blood pressure.

For years already, I’ve been prone to run in high gear. I’m not always doing 90, but when there’s work to be done, I like tackling it with vengeance and speed. It feels like a waste of time to putz around, and it’s hard for me to relax when I see work to be done. But working slow and steady is not a bad thing! I truly need my own advice here. I do better at this on days that aren’t packed full. Somedays, though, it feels like it’s not an option to putter. Especially when there’s responsibilities outside of home. Like this week. It’s the last week of school and with Jerald being Chairman, I have a good dose of other responsibilities not related to my home. It stresses me considerably! But what other choice than to keep going and plug through? This kind of stuff (and much worse!) for continued lengths of time, is what can really elevate cortisol. At least if you’re an introvert like me and hate being responsible for events.

With a new baby in the house, I definitely feel like my cortisol has been running high these first couple months postpartum. But that’s normal for moms, isn’t it? Google says it is. And between me and Google, what could go wrong? But it certainly doesn’t take postpartum to have high cortisol!

I’m always planning for the most strategic methods for managing my time. But when I’m so focused on my work that I turn the oven on and promptly forget to put supper in, there’s definite needs going on in this brain. Yes, this happened. I came back half an hour later to find the casserole still sitting on the stovetop. Hello mom brain.

The stress of pregnancy and delivery, sleep deprivation, and the 24/7 neediness of a tiny human is exhausting, to state it mildly. It doesn’t mean we as moms are not extremely grateful or that we don’t love our babies. It just means we’re made of dust. And there’s nothing stable about dust or women’s emotions.

I can tell the number of gray hair on my head have increased during my recent stressful pregnancy. I comb my hair in such a way to try covering up most of those silver streaks. Does that sound like pride? I thought so at first, but then I decided to call it humility. I’m covering up how wise I am.

Back to the high cortisol. For me, there’s always the daily stress of constant decisions surrounding household duties and baby care. When baby sleeps, which is the best choice? Zoom around and prep supper so I can ensure there’s food available at 6 pm? Go to bed myself? Sit down to read while I have a moment? Relax in the sunshine? Go on a walk?

Some days the answer is obvious. Sleep is high priority. I go to bed and pray for sleep. But then the little miss wakes up. “Well then, I should have stayed up and worked.” I hate the feeling that I made the wrong choice. Other days, she sleeps like a charm and I also get a nap- hallelujah! Other times, I accomplish my work at high speed. This too, is a hallelujah sort of feeling. The reason I work swiftly is so I can relax afterwards!

Maybe this doesn’t sound like much stress compared to performing surgeries or working for the President. Well, no. But it’s still stress to me. But we can’t compare stress. What is stress to me may not be much anything to another mom. We all live different lives and have a plethora of reasons that stress us out. Some to a greater extent than others. I mean, of course, my daily little stress is nothing compared to seeing a loved one dying, constant, debilitating health issues, relationship struggles and many more awful things. Stress will affect our health if we don’t watch out!

The good man I live with often reminds me to just sit down. Take it easy. Sit in the sunshine. To slow down. Ahh, such wise words. And I try to comply. I’m trying to slow down instead of always rushing. There is such joy in slow living. I might zip around my house, but I enjoy my days much more, by a slower paced life. Not packing my day or schedule too full. We must say no to unnecessary things.

It brings joy to live unhurrried and I’m a work in progress. To simply care for my baby and do the laundry. To have time for morning porch sitting. To have time for reading. To really listen to my children’s stories. To not schedule or attend too many activities that take me away from home every week. (Some thrive on this, but it wears me out) It takes intention to live life in the slow lane.

So where was I going. Oh yes! That high cortisol. With the rate of speed that thoughts cruise through my brain, it’s a good chance they’ll be forgotten if I don’t jot it down. Constantly distracted, that’s what you’d call this. If there’s important things I must do that involve others, it feels a kin to danger to not write it down. I rest much better if it’s on paper. Which is why there’s a pencil and sticky notes in my nightstand drawer. Not a notes-in-her-phone kind of girl here!

In the graphic below, how many of these can you relate to? Surprisingly, high and low cortisol can have many of the same symptoms, although high levels are most common. And it never hurts to try simple methods for reducing stress. Never have I ever heard someone say, “Wow, I loved that stressful feeling. Wish that season could’ve lasted longer!”

Many of these two graphics have the same symptoms, although there’s a few variations.

There are simple things we can do to help lower our cortisol.

● Firstly, if you can sleep, sleep! I don’t have pity for those who are sleep deprived from lack of discipline. I have pity on those who go to bed in a timely manner, yet can’t sleep. Or those who wake in the early morning hours, with a speeding brain. That sort of stuff can definitely raise cortisol because neither your mind or body is getting refreshed! But you can’t sleep if you can’t sleep! Been there countless times. It’s brutal.

Get out in the morning sunshine. This is much easier done in summer months than winter. Exposing your bare eyes to sunlight first thing in the morning before any screen time will help set your circadian rhythm and help your body produce its own melatonin at bedtime.
Eat real whole foods along with plenty of protein to help balance blood sugar. Fresh vegetables and fruits. Real salt. Good meat without hormones and nitrates. Raw milk. Fresh eggs from backyard chickens. Nuts and seeds. Bake with freshly milled flour and good oils like olive, avocado or coconut. Or butter. Or lard from hogs raised from a responsible source.
Eat a protein filled breakfast before too long in the morning. Intermittent fasting can be done if it’s done properly with adequate protein and food intake during the eating window. But IF is not for those with high cortisol. It puts undue stress on an already taxed body. We want to make our bodies feel safe. Not stressed- because I’m starving!
Breathe deeply. We underestimate the power of deep belly breathing. Spend 5 minutes deep breathing when you feel yourself getting stressed. It signals your body to relax. Look up Wim Hof breathing techniques. Breathe deeply for a few minutes, hold your breath for a minute, and then breathe deeply again. Each time you do it, try holding your breath a little longer. This brings oxygen to the brain. I’ve done it and it works! I can feel it in my head.
Wim Hof also recommends a cold water bath or shower. Initially, this makes your cortisol rise, but as you relax and do this regularly, it can help reduce cortisol levels. This takes a substantial amount of courage! Besides making you shriek and shiver, it also helps your overall hormone production in a positive way.
Stay well hydrated! Add in a pinch of Real salt to your water for electrolytes. Along with this, follow my example and don’t drink coffee. Ha. Well, at least limit your caffeine intake! And definitely don’t drink coffee on an empty stomach.
Limit or exclude time in front of computers or phones before bed. Blue light disrupts our natural circadian rythm and suppresses melatonin, our sleep hormone. This is hard to do, because if we’re relaxing in our chairs at night, we’ll catch up on our phones, right? At the least, wear blue light glasses and/or turn your lighting waaaay down! But even so, it’s stimulating to the brain- not a conducive way to promote sleep! Read a book or visit with those closest to you instead.

Disclaimer here- I endorse relaxing and Bible meditating but not yoga. 🫠

Here are a few more informative graphics in regards to food.

In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength…..

I read this verse in Isaiah 30 this morning and felt like it was exactly what I needed. I’m asking God to give me a quiet heart in spite of a stress filled week. Being intentional with our time, and beginning to prepare for events early on, helps it feel more manageable.

If you hear me huffing and puffing this week, you’ll know why. I’m just trying to lower my cortisol!

Simplified Breakfast

Published on April 8, 2025 by Violet RhodesLeave a comment

Over the winter, when I wasn’t feeling well, our church family blessed us with lots of yummy food. Not just suppers but also breakfast items, which were super helpful. Especially since Jerald would be up with the children, helping them with breakfast, so I could get extra sleep.

I have found how lovely it feels to simply pull out breakfast items from the freezer for less stressed mornings! And I’m going to share ideas and some recipes with you.

I’m sure breakfast looks different with large families or depending what stage of life you’re in. But for us moms with young families, keeping your freezer filled with ready made (homemade) foods is extremely helpful and freeing. You feel prepared instead of scared!

When my Mom and sister Geneva were here after Macie was born, I had them stock the freezer with food and one of those was sausage gravy and biscuits. They filled pint size freezer boxes and bagged up 4 biscuits per package. Now I simply pull out a pint of gravy and bag of biscuits the evening before. It’s ready to reheat in the morning for a nourishing breakfast my children delight in.

Biscuits and gravy in my fridge freezer. The other container has fried bacon.

Sausage Gravy

1 pound ground sausage, 3/4 cup flour, 1 ¹/² teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 4 ¹/² cup milk.

Fry sausage, add flour and seasonings. Stir in milk and cook until thickened.

Used with permission from Stutzmans Culinary Secrets

This is a very delicious and super easy gravy recipe!

The biscuits are the buttermilk biscuits out of Prairie Flour cookbook, which I don’t have permission to share. But I’m guessing many of you have your favorite recipes anyway.

This cookbook is filled with recipes using fresh milled wheat flour, besides much information on a variety of grains, using sourdough and such like. A very worthwhile investment! You can find it online at Amazon or some book stores. You can also purchase it directly from the authors by emailing them at prairieflourcookbook@gmail.com

Another helpful tip is to keep fried and crumbled bacon and sausage in the freezer. Geneva filled a container of each when she was here. It’s perfect for pulling out a handful and adding in with eggs. Scrambled or soft. Make a few pieces whole wheat toast for a no fuss healthy breakfast. Josie is good at making this simple breakfast.

Avocado on toast is another delightful breakfast in case you didn’t know! I have a whole post dedicated to that. Avocodos are still dear to my heart. But I don’t eat them on toast anymore, since I’m breastfeeding, and am currently trying to avoid wheat for my baby’s sake. (tummy ache) Although I’ll still eat plain avocodos sprinkled with salt and nutritional yeast. A squeeze of lemon juice over it is tasty as well.

Another easy breakfast is Dutch Babies, although these take about 25 minutes to bake. I have another post dedicated to these as well! Anymore, Josie is often the one to make it for a weekend breakfast.

One of the church ladies gave us these breakfast bites the children loved. They’re very simple and I’ve made a batch myself to have on hand for easy breakfasts. These freeze well!

You can use 2 tubes biscuits or crescent rolls. For the biscuits, you press into greased muffin tin, then fill with the following mixture, and bake at 375 for 13-17 minutes

For crescent rolls, roll out in rectangular shape and spread with filling. Slice like a cinnamon roll and bake.

Filling mixture:

1 pound fried sausage, 1 8 oz soft cream cheese, 6 eggs scrambled, 2 cup shredded cheese. Stir together.

I don’t endorse using processed dough like this, but I’ve had to simplify and hope we don’t die in the process. Nonetheless, my goal is to make them again, but using my own homemade crescent roll dough using freshly milled wheat flour.

Another one of my church ladies gave us quiche. It’s something I rarely make, but hers was delicious! Since then, I made the same quiche but used fresh milled flour in the crust. Not only is it tasty, it’s also chuck full of protein with sausage, eggs, milk and cheese.

The recipe I used is out of Flour & Grace cookbook, so unfortunately I can’t share it here. But I’m sure you can find good recipes elsewhere too.

After baking the quiche, let it cool completely, then cut into pieces and freeze. Pull out a piece the evening before and set in the fridge. It’ll be ready to reheat and eat! (I say piece, because I ate it more than my children. The spinach scared them away, unfortunately!)

Now for a breakfast I’ve been eating lately. Eggs and oats both bother my baby, so I need to avoid those, which is hard when it comes to breakfast time! But a good replacement is quinoa.

Quinoa is a complete protein and is rich in fiber. It’s also low on the glycemic index, which means it doesn’t spike your blood sugar levels. If you want a savory dish of quinoa to replace rice, I suggest cooking it with broth. Not only does it taste better, it’s even more nutritious with the broth! After it’s cooled, quinoa is also a great addition to or a base for salads.

But for breakfast, I cook a big batch using water, and then keep it in the fridge and reheat a bowl as I need it. It’s delicious sweetened with stevia and a drizzle of maple syrup. Then I add fruit, pecans or almonds, and a splash of milk. Sometimes I’ll sprinkle on ‘no sugar added’ chocolate chips yet too. A hearty filling breakfast!

And just a side note. It’s been a number of years since I’d written about the Bolivia stevia. I’ve heard concerning things about that, so have discontinued using it for a few years now. I’ve experimented with different brands. The one I’m currently using is this microingredients brand organic stevia. It sweetens nicely with very little bad after taste. I hardly think of the taste, but I better not say there’s no after taste because some might pick up on it. But it does seem to be a reputable brand and I’m pleased with it. I’ve ordered it off Amazon.

For drinks, I still like the liquid stevia glycerite shown below. Also available on Amazon or health food stores.

I hope I’ve inspired you with ideas you can make to feel prepared for those busy school mornings! There are still days my children eat cereal or granola, but I prefer to have them filled with more nutrition and protein than that. So much of healthy eating takes intentional planning and preparing!

Baby Announcement!

Published on March 8, 2025March 8, 2025 by Violet Rhodes2 Comments

Winter is rapidly slipping away towards Spring! Anyone sad about that? Not me. There were times it felt like winter and all it’s trials were going to last forever. Today as I write, it’s a typical March day with a cold rain and wind to speak of!

It’s been weeks since I last wrote. Most of the winter I wasn’t feeling well. With the arrival of February came the long anticipated arrival of baby!! I won’t go into detail of my health challenges through the pregnancy, but basically every month presented challenges of some sort or other. The month of October stands out to me as a smooth month, but otherwise, I could point out the difficulties in every month.

But I don’t want to focus on the negativaty! A precious, healthy baby is well worth the difficulties, and my heart goes out to those of you reading this who hope and pray for a baby, yet have unfulfilled longings, year after year. Hugs to you!! 🤍 That journey is not for the faint of heart! I feel unworthy of God’s answered prayers to us!

Macie means gift of Yahweh or gift of God.

February 18, we welcomed Miss Macie Avonlea Rhodes. So much sweetness and newborn cuteness wrapped up in a priceless gift from God! Over and over I thank God for her. We have no control over how our babies are created or look, and yet, God has given us such a cute baby girl to love! Her adorableness feels almost more than I can handle sometimes- just jaw clenching sweetness! Can you Moms identify?

She is nursing and gaining well. Sometimes she purrs contentedly while nursing, which totally melts my heart. She also does serious stretching. She will grunt and creak and groan almost constantly while she sleeps. Then she scrunches up her face, flinging out her arms and legs in such an adult kind of way it makes me laugh! I’ve started calling her Stretchin’ Gretchen.

She had a chubby face at birth, but it’s filling out even more, along with a kissable double chin and chub rolls on her arms. Could someone explain why chub rolls and double chins are absolutely adorable on babies, yet we never hear exclamations of cuteness when they’re on adults?!

Old fashioned baby girl names ending with ie are on the top of my ‘like’ list. I could have a half dozen girls with those names, but of course that’s not possible! There are loads of cute options but landing on one that Hubby and I agreed on was a significant decision. When I discovered the Hebrew meaning of Macie, it clicked for both of us. The spelling of it took a bit longer, but we both agreed on the ie ending. We like simple names without difficult spellings, as well as names that are not too common.

Avonlea means “field or meadow near the river” and is after Anne of Green Gables and her town of Avonlea. I think it has such unique summery vibes, even though Macie was a winter baby.

This little crib is one that my Parents used for most of us 8 children. We got it when we were expecting our first. We had it repainted and ordered new mattresses. It’s special to be using it be for all three of our babies. And all three of ours slept on these same pink sheets. Yes, even Reece. It didn’t hurt him at all!

The crib is on wheels, so at times we push it out to the living room for a safe place to lay her. We have her big crib set up in the nursery across the hall from our bedroom.

I’m still in definite postpartum recovery. Nighttime is completely unpredictable. There appears to be strings attached from Macie’s voice box to Mom’s bed. Countless times I lay her down, go use the bathroom, then quietly as possible, creep back in bed. The moment I’m getting comfy, baby starts to squeak and creak! I’ve even gotten out of bed and went to pick her up. But when I get to the crib, her eyes are closed and there she is, innocently sleeping. Yet as soon as I crawl back in bed, she automatically rouses her voice box and puts it to use. And oh, am I ever tired at night! I try to sleep whenever possible, but sometimes her naps aren’t long enough to get much sleep since it takes me longer to fall asleep.

But this is all part of the Motherhood package. I remind myself it is a season. Not forever. Besides, I feel so rich cuddling my baby and seeing her nighttime sleepy smiles, how could I not love her?!

My sister Geneva Peachey and my Mom flew out to help us for 10 days. They have been such a blessing! I used to help Geneva with some of her babies and now she has returned the favor. I’ve been spoiled to let her take care of breakfast/ getting Josie combed and out the door for school, while I slept in. It has felt amazing!

One of the main things they have worked on besides cooking delicious meals for us, is putting food in my freezer. And so much food!! I had a long list of items to make which they mostly accomplished, but per my sister’s abilities for management, she made at least 5 other main dishes that she wanted to make, to help stock the freezer. And when I say 5 other dishes, it’s like 2- 4 pans of each kind! These are 8×8 size pans. I won’t mention all the other baked goods and breakfast items or miscellaneous things they stocked the freezer with.

Grandma and Josie making donuts with fresh milled flour!

Plus, she sewed me 2 dresses and did a few other odd sewing projects. Then they cleaned the house, and refixed the children’s beds with clean sheets before they left. I feel so blessed by their kindness! It will help so much to have easy meals in the months ahead. I’m super ready to be back in my kitchen, but also know how hard it will be to not overwork myself when I feel good again.

Just two weeks old here and already changing her looks.

This is the nursery. I still have a large canvas I want to hang by the changing table instead of the little motto that’s there, but we haven’t got it ordered yet.

This is what I plan to hang up. I love this verse!

With our other babies, we used the Honest brand of pampers. This time, I looked into other clean options and decided to try Earth and Eden brand. So far they’ve been working great and I’m pleased. With the countless newborn poops, we’ve not had any major blowouts yet. Earth and Eden are cheaper than Honest, which was another plus. As for wipes, I’m using Water wipes which I have for years. They are clean, unscented and do a good job.

Our laundry soap works perfectly for adults or tiny babies!

A Cup Above

Published on December 20, 2024 by Violet Rhodes4 Comments

On a shivery sort of day, my children love hot chocolate. When I was growing up, we made our own mix each fall. Many winter mornings we enjoyed a hot cup of chocolate. And often for an after-school snack too. Mom and Dad put restrictions on how many cups we could have in a day. As for mini marshmallows, those were restricted as well. If I recall correctly, 7 was the alloted number allowed per cup.

I still have that recipe for hot chocolate mix in my kitchen, but I just can’t bring myself to make it! It’s full of things like Nesquick, powdered sugar, and powdered milk. Eww… I’ve learned a few things since those days.

But neither does this mother approve of Swiss Miss packets. Occasionally Josie reminds me she had hot chocolate at school that day. And I cringe to think of all the sugar, (28 grams to be exact. Yes, I checked. This was off the milk chocolate packets ingredient list) corn syrup and other non-pronouncable ingredients that entered her body. She quickly assures me she only uses half a pack. “But then I eat the rest,“ she said. Oh shivers!😫 What can I do?! It’s a real world out there.

This is what I can do. I can make my own hot chocolate mix and marshmallows at home!! Then, when they want a hot cup of chocolate, I can rest assured I did my best in creating a much healthier alternative.

Yes, this still has sugar but a kind of sugar that’s much easier for our body to process. If you use coconut sugar like I did, it is even lower on the glycemic index than sucunat. Plus, the mix has an added benefit of collagen, which is great for a little extra protein! I used Great Lakes collagen which is a clean brand. Some will have sneaky additives or MSG in them, so be careful what kind you buy.

As for the marshmallows, they too have protein in the form of gelatin! Although let me hasten to inform you to make sure you use a good grass-fed beef gelatin. This has wonderful gut healing properties. I use this same gelatin to make a protein packed jello. You can find the recipe in this post.

This is the kind I use. I ordered it off Amazon. Most health food stores will carry a healthier form of gelatin.

You can try cutting back on the sugar or even using Simple Sweet. I tried using less sugar but didn’t think it was sweet enough.

This hot chocolate recipe is one I found out of Keeper’s At Home magazine Fall 2024. Although the lady that shared it said she liked adding water and vanilla yet and cooking it into a syrup. I prefer the dry mix, so that’s how I chose to make it.

This marshmallow recipe is also not original with me, but I changed it up a bit as to how I make it. And honestly, I was out of vanilla so mine didn’t even get that. I’m sure it’s a good addition though. I used a 9×13 pan but it made thinner marshmallows. So I’d recommend a smaller pan if you want a thick version.

I have tried these using 1/2 cup honey and 1/3 cup xylitol. But there was not enough bulk, and didn’t whip up to a large amount like the full cup of honey does.

Arrowroot powder comes from the arrowroot plant’s tuber. It’s a gluten free white substance that is used as a thickner for an alternative to cornstarch or flour. To use it as thickner, be sure to dissolve it in cool water first before adding to hot mixtures. It’s also often used in gluten free baking mixes. It’s tasteless, so it works perfectly for dusting these marshmallows without adding extra sugar! You can find it online or health food stores.

Please believe me when I tell you these marshmallows are waayyy more creamy than their inferior boughten version! Delicious too. I love that I can throw 1 or 2 marshmallows into my cup and it dissolves into a luscious creamy goodness- without that guilty feeling!

I have not tried roasting these, although I don’t know why they wouldn’t work for that.

All set for a cup above the average processed, sugar laden, food coloring smitten packaged mixes. Did you know marshmallows have food coloring in them? Food coloring to make them look sparkly white! 😢 Oh, and have we mentioned corn syrup?!

I thought my marshmallows might not be very white due to the honey, but they really do have a nice white color without fake coloring involved!!

An update on myself since my last post. I’m still dealing with lightheadedness, but am much better than the first 2 weeks, for which I’m grateful! I’m up more than I was, but still not back to my normal duties.

I’ve been getting massages and trying things to help open my eustachian tubes. I’m chomping gum. I hate gum! And sucking Sour Patch Kids. Both make salivary glands run, which can help open the tubes. Imagine me and hideous food coloring, sugar covered candy!! I stand at the bathroom sink and spit out the saliva it produces, then thoroughly rinse my mouth. I would hate to ingest the amount of candy I go through some days!

Most people could take an allergy med or something like Mucinex to help dry up the remaining fluid in the ear, but it’s not safe with pregnancy, because it could affect the amniotic fluid. Today I went for an IV infusion for an added boost to my overall health. I hope it will especially help with the heart palpitations.

Church ladies have been so graciously bringing us meals!! Some have given breakfast foods, which have been such a help for those hurried school mornings! Flowers, cards and messages remind me I’m being prayed and cared for…. I feel so blessed! ♥️ For truly, many people in today’s isolated world do not have this privilege.

Is Gratitude Your Attitude?

Published on November 26, 2024November 26, 2024 by Violet RhodesLeave a comment

I wonder what swirled through your brain as you read that. No judgment. I have plenty of need to grow in gratitude myself. I’m not coming here to harp on why you aren’t more grateful, and neither am I here with 5 perfect steps that will get you into the gratitude aisle.

Wouldn’t it be awfully nice if we could find this aisle in Walmart? Chock full shelves with 2 and 3 gallon quantities. We’d probably want to buy gratitude for handing out to all the discontent people during the holiday season! Perhaps, though, this is a time we ought to focus on ourselves.

Feelings of gratitude definitely do not come naturally. It takes intentionality and a cultivating of gratitude in our hearts daily for it to become a way of life. I feel gratitude is more of a heart posture than it is to say ‘thank you’ a hundred times a day, though that is also a good thing. When our hearts are overwhelmed with the goodness of God, it will spill over into our everyday living. It will come out in our view of life in general, in our actions and speech. If we’re constantly critical and finding life’s negativaty outweighs the positive, it speaks of a distressed and discontent heart.

Yes, life is hard. I don’t discredit that at all! There is much sadness and grief surrounding us, and I do not mean that we don’t grieve. Or that we never feel there’s not much positive left in life, except perhaps, the positive in batteries.

God understands our hearts and sees our griefs. He knows the silent pain nobody else sees. He knows the deep pain of losing someone precious to us. He sees all the griefs known and unknown. But if we let Him, He is able to heal with His never ending supply of grace. And even as we grieve, He heals, and our hearts can be given to gratitude amidst suffering.

We all make the choice whether we will give in to self pity or with God’s help, create a grateful heart.

We should definitely give thanks for spiritual blessings. God gives blessings abundant to those who love Him! But thanks for material blessings is important too. And do you ever give thanks for things that didn’t happen? Or thanks for the things we don’t deal with? Did you thank God that the glass didn’t shatter when your son swung it precariously while emptying the dishwasher on a hectic morning? Did you thank God that when hubby’s truck didn’t start again, it happened at the local shed shop instead of halfway through the midst of a big city? Are we giving thanks that our country is not at war? Are we giving thanks for the peaceful homes we have to raise our children? There’s oodles of could be calamities if we’ll only notice. And there’s thanks to be given for that!

Something I’ve often thanked God for, is that I’m not in the hospital. I have many memories of surgeries and scary times of being hospitalized and my heart goes out to those who struggle with health, because I’ve been there. Lately, I’m kinda there again….

Last Sunday, I had a rough night because of how I was feeling. Monday was worse yet and I ended up in the ER Monday evening. They kept me for about 14 hours. My baby was promptly monitored, and thank God! Was very active and doing great! The I.V. fluids rehydrated me and took care of the terrible heart palpitations I was having. But the dizziness and vomiting were worse. And then my ear. I was diagnosed with an inner ear infection (which doesn’t hurt) but because of the infection, it caused vertigo, which causes dizziness and nausea/vomiting. For a week now, I’ve been dealing with lightheadedness and this horrible feeling of being off balance in my head as soon as I move. My head feels like a concrete block dragging me down, making me feel woozy. And my ear won’t budge open no matter how many vertigo exercises and home remedies I’ve tried, besides the antibiotics. All I can do is sit or lay around and listen to my ear ringing. If you’ve had vertigo, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. If you’ve never had it, it’s definitely something to put on your ‘didn’t happen‘ thankful list! It is misery! I would any day rather have a sore throat or cold than this. I thought vertigo would be an excellent way to punish criminals because it really lays you low and nearly makes you unable to produce coherent behavior. Seems it has to be worse than being drunk. Not that I’ve ever been intoxicated, but I couldn’t even walk by myself the first few days. I barely opened my eyes either because it made things worse. That part is better, but my head is still in misery.

At today’s Dr visit, my ear looked better, but he said vertigo in pregnancy can hang on longer because of the extra blood flow. How ’bout a moment of silence to commemorate the days of misery still to come? Honestly, I need a moment of humble surrender to God’s will. Obviously He is trying to teach me something. As you can see, I have definite need of thankfulness in my current circumstances.

Prayers would be appreciated. And I do try to be thankful for the many good things I have: A healthy growing baby, A self-sacrificing hubby who outdoes himself taking care of me and the children, besides helping with laundry and dishes, and keeping up with business! Friends who check in and send flowers and meals. This sounds like a paradox, but I’m thankful I’m not in actual pain; I’m just miserable. Sleeping is the only relief I get, so I’m very grateful I can sleep! And there’s plenty more I could add.

There was another subject I had been pondering to write on, but somehow, thoughts about gratitude felt like the need of the hour. I sorta wanted to just scrap it and not think how much I needed to focus on gratitude instead of my difficulties. I’ll admit, I’ve been feeling quite gloomy about my situation. I had to miss out on some special events and felt sorry for myself. I scolded myself for being so childish but the scolding didn’t help. I was dismally weepy about this laying around business that was not only for 3 days but now over a week! I love to keep a clean, orderly house; even the dreaded tasks like laundry and cleaning bathrooms would be a joy to tackle if only I could. Preparing food for Thanksgiving would be a delight. Who wants to sit around day after day? But this year, God wants me resting instead of busy.

I was also struggling to believe God cares because He didn’t seem to be doing anything about my misery. That’s a lame way to view God, I know. But those are the old paths I grew up with and Satan tempts me fiercely when I’m weak and despondent.

Back to the topic at hand. Another aspect of gratitude that we often hear is in the context of, ‘we can always find someone who has it worse than us.’ This is true. But I don’t think it’s a good view of gratitude. For those who are in much worse shape than we, how are they finding gratitude? Is God not supplying grace for them? This thought also bypasses our own difficulties/ pain/ trauma or whatever we’re going through. And it’s not healthy to ignore our pain/ trials. It’s not selfish to care for our own hearts. What I’m saying is, it’s much better to acknowledge our trials and hurts and bring them to Jesus than to ignore them and act like they don’t matter. When we don’t acknowledge our grief/ pain, it will actually drive the pain deeper and we will continue not ‘feeling the pain’. And that sets us up for dead emotions which isn’t healthy at all.

It’s better to be honest about the hard things we’re facing. And ask God to help us be grateful and see the good. He knows our hearts, whether or not we really want to be thankful.

Some practical ways to practice gratitude:

Display a Bible verse(s) that reminds us to give thanks.
Have a portion of your prayer list for giving thanks. (It’s easy to make requests for the multitudes of needs and forget to give thanks! )
Journaling is a great way to remember God’s gifts and give thanks for them.
Each evening, reflect over your day and think of something you’re thankful for. (We have chosen to do this at our supper table for a number of years now. And mentioning the food on the table isn’t allowed.. there must be more creativity than that!)
Ask God to help you change and be a more grateful person.
For one month, or however long you choose, establish a new daily habit such as jotting down something you’re grateful for, or thanking someone for what they did for you, or thanking God for something as soon as your awake.

God really is good!! And we can’t change our mind on that when rough times hit us. We simply need to humble ourselves and trust His sovereignty. Maybe your Thanksgiving week will not turn out as planned. Remind yourself, God is still good and we have so much to thank Him for! Perhaps you should also remind yours truly. Judging by what she wrote she could use help in that department.

I’m humbled there’s folks who enjoy reading my posts and I’m going to take a moment to say Thank you! It’s my prayer God can use my blog to be a blessing to others.

And here are a couple of delicious recipes if you’re looking for gluten free options for your Thanksgiving menu.

Also, don’t forget to try out our laundry soap! We have a lot of happy customers!

Creepy Crawly Critters

Published on October 21, 2024 by Violet Rhodes4 Comments

This will be a long, gory story about the critters that probably 98% of us host. It’s sick to think about these things inside of us. But to do nothing about them is worse yet.

Proceed with caution. But rest assured, I won’t be posting any pictures of parasites. Though I admit I took a few shots of mine, for reference.

First off, if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying to get pregnant, do not do a parasite cleanse. It seems everyone should know that much but in case somebody didn’t, now you know.

Typically, we hear we are more susceptible to parasites if we’re around animals, if we’re not washing hands properly after bathroom use or if someone’s been out of the country. I’ve also read that if you wear shoes in the house, there’s a greater chance of parasites. While these statements are likely true, it’s not an inclusive list. Parasites can be picked up super easy. Yes, even in the USA. You don’t need to go to Africa or Haiti to get parasites in your body! That’s why I highly recommend doing a parasite cleanse periodically. If you’ve never done one, then get with the program- I mean what are you waiting on?! (Probably me and this post. 🤣)

Wouldn’t we all like to think that surely we aren’t among the population infected with parasites?! But if you are a human being, it’s probably safe to say you have parasites of some sort. 70% of parasites are microscopic. So if you do a cleanse and don’t see any worms, don’t think it did no good. But if you see massive ones like Jerald and I did, you know you’re afflicted with a substantial dose of the critters.

I mostly dislike animals. I hesitate to say I hate them for fear of animal rightist getting on my case. But I’m certainly not hugging and holding or housing any pets!! And much as I don’t like animals, as much hand washing I do and no wearing shoes in the house, and out of the country only once in my life, I was still infected with parasites. Loaded would be a better term.

Parasites will wreak havoc on our health. You might wonder, as I did, where all these critters were hiding out all these years?! Well, they aren’t scared to dive right into your poop. We have 20 feet of small intestine, which gives ample space to find lodging. But they also get in our bloodstream and organs. They steal nutrients from our bodies, causing multitudes of issues. They store heavy metals and toxins. Which is why, when you begin detoxing, you must make sure all your detox pathways are open: Your bowels, skin, liver and kidneys. Take a bowel mover to keep your bowels open and going several times a day. You want to get those critters out as soon as they die or become more active. You also detox through your skin, so getting yourself to sweat frequently is beneficial. I used my Inferno sauna and loved it. Ideally, your liver and kidneys should be detoxed prior to a parasite cleanse. Because, if you begin cleansing without these working properly, your symptoms will be much worse.

Back when we were young married, Jerald and I both did a parasite cleanse. It was simply one herbal tincture. We never saw or felt any sort of results like we did with this Para cleanse kit!! I no longer have faith in those sort of cheap tinctures. I was introduced to the Para Kit by CellCore through my nutritional doctor at Spirit of Health and it produces the best results! The specific herbs in CellCore’s Para Cleanse have been used for years for deworming. You start in on a low dose and increase it slowly over the course of twenty days. Instructions should come with the kit. Along with the Para cleanse, you also take a binder of some sort- like bentonite clay, or biotoxin binder. This helps bind up and rid the toxins that are being released as the parasites die. I don’t recommend charcoal for a binder because that binds up both good and bad.

This kit is not cheap! It costs, and believe me, I took bottles and bottles of this stuff!!

And don’t stop at one twenty day cleanse and think you’re good. You might only be getting started as I was. Even if you feel better initially, if you stop too soon, you will only stir up the worms, causing them to become more active/reproductive. If you’re feeling and seeing results, keep going for a few months at least. Then take a month break and do it again 2-3 month or however long you need to. It doesn’t matter to stay on this constantly for months at a time. You can also do a regular dose as the instructions say for the twenty days and then for a week over full moon, increase the dose to a full 6 capsules of both Para 1 and Para 2 twice a day, and 2 droppers of Para 3 twice a day. Para 3 is a liquid tincture that really targets the long ropeworms. Doing a strong dose hits things hard and heavy along with the gravitational pull of the moon. Afterwards, you can go back to your regular dose.

I laugh at the thought of people trying to do a parasite cleanse for a week or couple days. In my opinion, that’s not even enough time to hardly get started killing the old critters, much less do a thorough cleansing!

June of 2022, Dr. Vaughn wanted me to do a parasite cleanse just to make sure that wasn’t part of my health challenges. Although I didn’t feel I had many of the typical symptoms of parasites, I began a 20 day cleanse. I started in on a low dose and gradually increased it. The first week wasn’t bad, but by the second week, I got horrible headaches and was very emotional. I cried and cried over who knows what. My doctor told me this is very common if you have parasites and it started when mine were getting killed off. Outbursts of anger and feeling very irritable are also common. I had all these many times along my journey.😪

It wasn’t until about halfway through the 20 day cleanse that I started actually passing parasites. I had an awful belly ache one night. Terrible. We were at a church picnic and I pretended I was fine but I was having horrible pain. I moved my bowels that night and thought I saw some suspicious, tailish looking stuff. It grossed me out!

The next day I had more bellyache and passed more stuff. I knew then, beyond a doubt, they were coming out!!!

I was off the cleanse then for 3 weeks because we had traveling and other things going on. I started the second round on August 7 and did it for 30 some days. Then I thought I’d take a little break, but soon noticed I wasn’t sleeping as good, so I went right back on the cleanse and by this time, I was doing a very high dose. Six capsules each of both Para 1 and Para 2 twice a day. Two droppers of the Para 3 twice a day and I forget how many of the Biotoxin binder I took. Bowel Mover you just take as needed. Instructions should come with your kit.

I stayed on that heavy dose the rest of that winter until March sometime. It was rough. I mean horrible rough. Over and over I couldn’t believe the grand daddies I passed on a regular basis. It wore me out physically and emotionally. I was terribly depressed that winter and exhausted to the core!! But there’s no way out but through! You don’t want to just give up the ghost because now they’re all stirred up and mad. You gotta keep chugging!

I have definite stubborn streaks in me, which can be a good and bad thing both. In this case, it was a good thing because I’d never have made it sloughing through stuff like this if I wasn’t stubborn. But at the same time, I also tend to feel deeply and I’m quickly sympathetic towards others. But when people just give up on something like a cleanse or detox because they think it’s too hard, then is when I don’t feel too sorry for them. I know I sound terrible mean, please forgive me. But how can you expect anything to get better health wise if you’re not willing to endure some hardship to get to better health?! The only way out is through!

Along with the parasite protocol I was doing, my doctor had me start taking Turpentine with castor oil. Castor oil is powerful binder. Turpentine is super powerful as well and kills parasites on contact. A super strong remedy!Turpentine was used years ago for deworming, so please don’t be alarmed. Although you must be cautious to start in on very small doses and take a break every now and then because Turpentine is super super strong! I did this for a week or 5 days at a time off and on that winter. Finally, in March, after that exhausting, depressive winter, my doctor recommended I take a break. Then, only for a week right over full moon, I would hit it hard again with a high dose of the Para cleanse. I did that for another 6 months until it seemed I was mostly cleaned out.

It took years, but finally my health caught up with me. I had deteriorating health mentally and physically. Doctoring with nutritional doctors helped, but it wasn’t until I started working with Dr. Vaughn Lawrence in Kansas City a few years ago, that I really got help. He focuses on dealing with root causes, not just addressing symptoms like some nutritionist do. He also does consults by Zoom, which makes it convenient for clients who are not in the area. He’s very knowledgeable and helpful! Look him up if you’d like to get help.

Besides parasites, I also had mold, heavy metals, and glyphosate which I tackled through detoxing supplements. But parasites were a major part in my crumbling foundation of health, so it’s no wonder I didn’t prosper.

And since my experience with horrible parasites, I now wonder about these people that start a new health product of some sort and claim they have such amazing results. I think to myself, well, if you have parasites you’re not going to prosper long term. You’re simply feeding your parasites hearty nutrition and not getting the full benefits for yourself. Unknown to me, I was doing that for years.

So I’d like to say, do a parasite cleanse first! If you’re struggling with energy, catching every bug around, having sleep issues, or any kind of health issues, DO A PARASITE CLEANSE! If you have animals and especially if you have pets in your house, do a parasite cleanse! Actually, if you’re alive and think you feel good, do a parasite cleanse! You can’t go wrong! Detoxing is so important and then supplement with good nutrients to feed your gut- not the wiggle worms.

Probably not everyone has parasites as bad as I did. One of the things we concluded that I likely had them so bad was because of having cancer as a young girl. The cancer was in my intestines, so obviously, things were bad then already. After I was back home from the hospital after my cancer surgery, Mom started me on Essiac herb tea and a green shake of some sort. I think alfalfa. Then also a line of supplements. But nothing gut healing like probiotics, bone broth or fermented foods. Neither did I do a parasite cleanse which I’m sure would have been beneficial! Neither did I watch my diet. For years, I was in relative good health and ate most anything. I craved sweets and even drank sodas. Can you believe that?! I’d never go back to drinking that sugar laden debris for nothing! Parasites will make you crave sweets. I still enjoy a good dessert or cookie if its healthy, but I don’t crave sweets like I used to.

Over the years, I really struggled with insomnia. Parasites definitely play into that and looking back, I feel that was a big cause. That being said, there can be dozens of causes for insomnia! Whacky hormones, magnesium deficiency, low blood sugar and many other things. I noticed I slept much better after I was on the Para cleanse for some time. But I really noticed a difference early this year when we tested my hormones and saw my testosterone was very low. After supplementing for that, my sleep really improved. So it’s not a good idea to self diagnose. The parasites played a big role, but so can hormone imbalances or a host of other things.

Parasites also affect your mental health as it did mine. I’m grateful to see a big improvement in that area! Jerald has told me recently that I’m handling this pregnancy way better than I did in my last pregnancy which was about 6 years ago. And I also have more energy than last time too, which is notable, to be carrying a baby at my age! Although I’m not downplaying the oodles of beef liver pills I swallow. That, plus iron capsules and plenty other supplements go down the hatch daily, which I know makes a difference too. Thank God, if we detox and give our body what it needs, it can heal itself!

Jerald did a couple month rounds of this same Para cleanse this summer and fall. He, too, passed astounding twisted globs. It seemed he almost daily battled headaches and bellyaches. He could count on it, if he had a tremendous headache for a day, he would pass some noteworthy globs the next day. Then he’d feel better awhile and repeat the cycle. I had some of these headaches and bellyaches but dealt more with the emotional side of things. Both of us got extremely fatigued.

Ready to order the Para kit and get rid of those critters?! If you’re like me and want to see what’s coming out, here’s a practical tip: get a couple paint stirrer sticks from the hardware store. Dip the end in paint and let it dry. Now you have a perfect poker stick to check out those worms, because you might miss them otherwise. (You store the stick in the trashcan when not in use.) Plus, you may want to stretch them out in the pot as much as possible to estimate their length. I had some that were at least 2 feet in length. I’m not kidding! Of course, that was my estimate. And just to support myself here, my Doctor told me he frequently sees young ladies in their twenties that do this cleanse and pass 2 to 3 foot long ropeworms! I don’t know if females are more susceptible or not. I do know that when I see pot bellied men, I can’t help but think of all the parasites they’re probably hosting!

Another tip in spotting them is that they typically float in the toilet water. Look for floating creatures. They may blend in with your stool or be black in color. Maybe even white, although we never saw white ones.

I know this has probably been too much information, but I believe in being honest! It sounds unreal gross and sick and it is, but I got kinda immune to it. And in that aspect, I could easily poke around to see things.

Once again, I want to encourage you, there’s no way out but through! Don’t despair at what you might be feeling, despair at the thought of hosting these critters for many years, destroying your health! They regularly steal your nutrients. Just like feasting for a birthday party, I imagine the parasites dance and sing for joy at the steady supply of sugar laden, processed foods at their disposable. DO A PARASITE CLEANSE! It’s not cheap, but it’s cheaper than being in the hospital for a dramatic health crisis. I’m definitely not saying it will cure all problems, or keep you out of the hospital, but you can’t go wrong with trying prevention. Parasites are only a prelude to worse problems down the road.

If you do this Para cleanse, I’d be happy to hear your results! You don’t need to be embarrassed to tell me, because I’ve been through it all! Don’t hesitate to send me an email and tell me how you felt and what you saw.

I have also done a parasite cleanse for the children, though we never noticed anything in their stools. If a child has sleep issues, lots of itches for no reason, irritability, or chews their nails, definitely do a parasite cleanse! The children’s cleanse that I used was this one, also found at Spirit Of Health. There are others too, of course, but I now tend to doubt just any old herbal tincture that claims to rid parasites.

My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken, and become loathsome. Job 7:5

Though our lives on earth will never be in perfect health, we as Christians are God’s temple. He wants and expects us to take good care of our bodies as much as possible. If we willfully disrespect our body’s health, we are not respecting and honoring God.

Stalled Inspiration And Apples

Published on September 28, 2024October 14, 2024 by Violet RhodesLeave a comment

It’s been over a month since I last wrote. I have no deadline to meet as to when I write, which is lovely. But it bugs me when I want to write and I lack inspiration. (Writing when you have no inspiration is like yacking when you have nothing to say) And some people certainly yack without saying much, and others don’t talk much but say a lot when they do.

I don’t know what all is going to come out in this post, so beware. Don’t tell me I have nothing to write about because I am, after all, writing about my lack of inspiration.

I couldn’t tell you how many times in the last weeks it weighed on my mind to post another blog, but what?! Oh sure, I have ideas, but my ideas tend to be loftier than the realities. Some of my ideas take research, which equals time and my time kinda spins out on me with trying to keep myself, baby and family alive and nurtured. And there’s always the fun things like organizing spaces or rearranging furniture and such things I’m fond of. Of which we did both this last week. (I said ‘we’ because hubby helped with the furniture.) But I did the pantry myself, of course. I had to show him though, because he would hardly notice. And because it means so much to me to have a good-looking space again!

Back to the stalled inspiration. I wish I could inform you all on deep health subjects that sent everyone on massive clean-out-the-toxins sort of syndrome. You would throw out all the processed foods in your pantries. You would ditch all the plastics, polyesters and synthetic fragrances in your home. By the way, I’m trying to do this as much as I can, or that is reasonable. For example. I’m switching to more glass jars for food storage. (Honestly, I’ve got way too many modular mates in my cabinets than I care to admit and I don’t forsee me excommunicating those anytime soon, sad to say.) But I also have a growing collection of jars hosting dry items in my pantry, so it’s not like I’m not trying!

I am also getting rid of those plush, fuzzy wuzzy throws everyone loves. I’m replacing them with 100% cotton throws. Because there’s plastic in those things! Ya’ll! Plastic is an endocrine disruptor! Don’t sleep with plastic, you could suffocate! Possibly even die.

Instead of eating Hamburger helper and instant pudding, you would cook red beets and eat homemade saurkraut. You would burn beeswax candles and sew all your clothes out of hand spun wool or linen. There would be no plastic wrap or baggies in your kitchen drawers. Only cloth coverings or beeswax wraps. You would wake early, while it is yet dark, (Proverbs 31) and milk the cow, churn the butter and butcher a chicken for the day’s guests. You would fry up liver and onions on a regular basis for a nourishing meal. Or, you would swallow beef liver capsules in abundance. (which I do, and I’m sure some of you do too- hurray for a strand of homesteadyness in us!)

There’s moments we may dream of the slow paced days of yore. Where the homesteading Mama is doing all those virtuous chores plus more. She even made her own lye soap to scrub her family’s clothes. The wooden bowls and cutting boards were necessities, not aesthetics from the department store. But really. Would we want to trot to the outhouse 3 times in the dead of night? I bet the panthers and coyotes were real fears. What about taking only one bath a week? And draw our own water besides? Or how bout sharing the bath water?!

These sort of thoughts whip me right back into the 21st century with a high dose of contentment. I’d take the less toxic life, for sure, but some things I’ll pass, thank you.

To tell the truth, I have plans to write a long post or two on a subject of health that typically affects everyone with a beating heart. Actually, it affects the dead too. I mean, you could die from it and even dead people are afflicted with this malady. It sounds kinda deep, right? Maybe I’ll hit the clean-out-the-toxin syndrome next round?!

I’ve got accountability now, and perhaps that will inspire me to gird up my loins and write about this deep and gory topic I have long avoided!

P.s I think this Mama had too much caffeine today by the looks of this post. Starbucks is rare for me, but today hubby said ”treat yourself,” and I sure did. I ordered a grande, then couldn’t even finish it.

Oh actually, I was going to let you in on a sweet, crispy, healthy dessert for the season! I resurrected this recipe just yesterday or the day before, so I better type while the urge hits or I might lose it again.

Baked Apples

Take 4-6 apples and carve out the insides as much as you can without hitting bottom or ruining too much good flesh. I used a knife and grapefruit spoon. Then fill the cavity with this mixture:

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, 1/3 cup sucunat or coconut sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ginger

Bake at 375* for 35- 40 minutes. They will be piping hot so proceed with caution!

These are the filled apples before baking. They won’t look as pretty afterwards. They turn dark and the juice will cook out into the pan but they certainly are scrumptious!

We are pleased to announce we have recently launched a website for our tahor soap business! http://www.tahor.shop

Of Trips, Tripping And A Surprise

Published on August 21, 2024October 14, 2024 by Violet RhodesLeave a comment

Last month we took a 9 day trip all the way to Lancaster PA. We made a variety of spots along the way, visiting family and friends. Reason being for the trip was a gathering with Jerald’s family for his parents’ 40th anniversary this year. They chose Lancaster as the area to visit. We had a most beautiful Airbnb at Beechdale Farms in Bird in Hand.

With the many miles to travel, I was inspired to create bags to pass out to beggars we may see along the city intersections. I had gotten some ideas elsewhere, then we added other items we thought would be beneficial.

Here’s what we put together in a gallon ziploc:

A paper back New Testament with Psalms & Proverbs

Five dollar McDonald’s gift card

Granola bar

Apple

Water bottle

Propel packet

Our family enjoyed packing them up one evening. I prayed for the people who would receive them and we even prayed we’d find people to give them to. I know God knows where they all went, but I actually don’t know what happened to most of them. And I wasn’t throwing them blindly out the window. Just hang on.

Josie wrote, “God loves you” on a sticky note. We put the sticky note at John 3 and highlighted verses 16 & 17. We did not want these beautiful verses to be missed by someone who may not have a clue what the Bible even is!

Here’s what happened. We fixed 20 bags. Our first stop for breakfast on the first day, we noticed the remnants of a beggar at a corner but no person in sight. By the time we were getting back on the interstate, the person was there but was way out of our reach with lanes of traffic. We were so disappointed! So near, yet so far!

We drove on to Richmond KY to visit my parents and spent the night there. The next day in Richmond, the children spied a beggar while they were driving with Grandma. So later we loaded up and purposely drove out past him for special delivery!

We were all pleased we were able to get one handed out on our second day! My mom said she sees this man on a regular basis, so who knows if he’s really poor or making a living off of begging. But it doesn’t matter. Every soul needs Jesus if they don’t know Him yet! It felt good to know we weren’t simply handing over cash, but actual necessities as well as knowledge about God, if he’ll take time to read the Bible.

The remainder of the trip we saw only one other possibility. It looked like he was crippled and stood at the side of the road near the bushes. He was empty handed, and there was no baggage around. So we’re not sure what was up. We would have glady given him one anyway. But we were not in the lane closest to him! In fact there was much urging going on inside our vehicle towards the driver, to please just get over in the other lane so we can hand him one! And soon there was traffic which definitely made us unable to hand one out. We were very disappointed!

And that was the last opportunity we saw! I couldn’t believe it. We packed all these bags and only handed out one! (Actually 2. My parents found the bags interesting and wanted one to keep, so they could show others when they come to visit Dad in the Assisted Living)

Then before the Rhodes’ departed ways in PA, we handed out a couple bags in hopes they encounter beggars along their routes home. One or two got passed out like that.

Our trip returning home was quite eventful and full of needs of our own. I don’t think we saw any possibilities for passing out bags. Hang with me till I finish explaining the bags, and then we’ll dive into our own neediness.

We returned home with way too many bags. I felt let down with our minimal progress. I thought it was a great idea; but after traveling over 2,600 miles we still had 80% of them left!

So one Wednesday night, we took them to church and announced that people feel free to take bags if they’re going on trips or downtown somewhere. That took care of all but 2 bags. I was so grateful! God knows where all those bags went, and I trust many of them got handed out to truly needy people! With more people going different directions and miles, God could still bless our efforts and beggars could be reached that we never could have. And we hope we can still bless someone with the 2 leftover bags when we get to a big city sometime.

Our return trip home from PA began with lots of pain for me. At 5 A.M. as we were loading up for the 19 hour drive home, I slipped on the hardwood stairs. My left foot bent backwards and I came down on it. Talk about a tripping trip! It hurt so bad I feared it was broken. But we had no desire to wait at an ER for half the day and still possibly be unable to get satisfactory assistance. So we drove for 6 hours and located a Quick Care.

Now, we don’t keep painkillers on hand. We simply endure and/or use natural remedies. I just absolutely detest taking anything that’s hard on the body. (Unless, of course, I’m undergoing surgery, I prefer anesthesia to being awake) But in this case, we stopped for Tylenol immediately; I even took a full dose; it was that bad.

As we started off the trip, we had prayer as we generally do. Afterwards, Jerald told me adamantly that I need to ask others to pray for me. This was 5:30 A.M. I was in alot of pain, we had a long way home, and we needed wisdom to know what we should do. We had a makeshift bed in the back where I laid and kept my foot propped. I laid there praying and crying simultaneously. In between that, I sent a message on my church ladies chat, and a couple more groups and friends asking for prayer.

We can not forget the power in prayer!! And we need not think we must be close to death before we ask for prayer either. It is humbling to expose one’s need and ask for prayer. But it is good for the soul! I know I’m getting off the highway of my current traveling, but it is a passion of mine, that we ought to be more open with each other. Especially as a church brotherhood. It’s easier to ask for prayer for physical issues, but I think especially when we are facing spiritual struggles or needs, it’s too easy to keep silent. If we paste smiles on our faces and answer the “how are you” with a trite “I’m fine”, when we are actually discouraged and struggling, we are not being honest. I don’t mean you have to spill your sorrows to the first and every person you meet, but we can at least be honest and say we’re not doing so great and we could use prayer. We don’t have to go in-depth, but if a good friend asks us, please, let’s be honest! None of us have our lives so neatly packaged up in godliness that we have zero needs. We’re all broken, needy vessels. And that’s the sort of vessels that God can use best!

Back to the travels. We drove until Zanesville Ohio where Jerald had researched and found an Orthopedic quick care. He wheeled me in and they took care of us in record time. And praise be to God, it was not broken! A very bad sprain to be sure, but I felt I could manage that after envisioning a cast, maybe surgery and being laid up for many weeks. They fitted me with a bulky boot and we were off!

We felt so so blessed to be able to keep heading towards home! We stopped at Chipotle and Jerald and the children went in to order and use the restroom. We ate both lunch and supper on the road and I did not get out unless I absolutely had to use the bathroom. The first couple times I had to go in, it hurt tremendously. The last stop I could tell it was slightly more manageable. And no, I didn’t take any more Tylenol!

The children handled the traveling quite well. They were more pleasant with each other than sometimes, and I myself could hardly believe how cheerful I felt in spite of everything! Those who know me well, know that being positive in negative circumstances is a bit of a stretch. Prayers of the saints, people. We can not forget the impact of prayer!

There was two more things we were grateful for on that trip home. On our first leg of the trip, while I was weeping and praying and messaging friends, we heard sirens nearby. And what do you know, a police was stopping us!! I truly wondered what calamity would befall us next. But he was in a good mood. He stopped us for driving too closely to the vehicle in front, as well as speeding. My good man was driving as skillfully and rapidly as he dared, to make good time with getting me to the Quick Care, plus we had a long day in front of us yet. So we were super grateful he didn’t peer in the back and see me laying there, neither did he give us a fine! The cost of it could have been high, combined with the Dr bills of the week, (This was only my second visit to an Urgent Care in 3 days time; the first visit being a reason I won’t enlarge on) Thus, we had extra bills besides the usuals, besides our income in July being slim picking. Asking the Lord to supply our needs was definitely in my requests that morning as well.

Secondly we were so grateful our vehicle held up! The transmission has been sounding weird now and then, for about 6 months now. It uses too much oil, has missing pieces on the body and seemingly overall is in its last remaining days. We’ve decided to just run it till it kerplunks on us to give us time to save money for something else. It reminds me of the widow’s oil in the Bible how it just kept coming. And somehow God just keeps our rig running too! We arrived safely home soon after midnight.

I had to take it pretty easy the first week and a half. It was hard on me to not be up and active. But Josie did well in being my maid. She does good with the laundry and some days mostly took care of it herself.

I took Complete tissue and bone capsules to aid the healing of my sprain, along with the Complete tissue and bone healing salve. These capsules are definitely some to keep on hand for sprains or breaks!

Photo credits to Shannon Wittmer photography

While the Rhodes’ were together, we got a photographer to do family pictures for us. This is Jerald’s complete family, Luke and Arlene Rhodes.

It’s been over a month since I last posted. Ironically, I should have had plenty of time to write since I was laid up. But I was simply not in the mood! For the longest time, I did not feel like rehashing this trip, and just the thought of it seemed to almost trigger nausea. But I wanted to share about the beggar bags and didn’t have another post that I felt ready to write about. Pregnancy blahs going on…..

Yes, you read that right! We’re having a baby!! I could hardly believe it myself when I found out! It is a definite answer to prayer. I feel so blessed and unworthy of the privilege to be carrying a precious little life! ♥️ (This was also why I hated even more to take Tylenol for my foot)

And no, I’ve not been really sick. Fatigue 100% yes. Nausea sometimes, but not horrible, just kinda a blah feeling afternoon and evenings. Food aversions were/are a definite thing.

With my health challenges, and food allergies in the past years, there were many times that I had fatigue, stomach aches, and nausea. There was plenty times I couldn’t help thinking, “if only it was for a good cause.” So, in my current case, I could not complain. I am too grateful for the gift of life and a good reason for these minor afflictions! This gratefulness also helped me in the trial of my sprained foot. Over and over I reminded myself how much better this was than losing my baby!

This was our pregnancy announcement. When we took the family photos, we told the children it’s a surprise in the box and they will find out the next week. The box held ultrasound pictures and a riddle for Josie to read. We had them open the box at a later time. Then when they opened it, Josie guessed, and Reece was keenly disappointed there wasn’t a toy inside.😅 But they are both happy about a new sibling!

Don’t forget to give our laundry products a try if you’d like to switch to something clean, safe and scent free! Or ask to join our Telegram/CloudVeil group if you’d like more information and tips!

Summer Recipes

Published on July 17, 2024October 14, 2024 by Violet Rhodes1 Comment

With the rate summer is speeding by, I better get these recipes published before I miss the season entirely! They’ve been on the radar for some time now, but getting them ready and into a post, is taking me longer than intended. Oh well, I can always say, “it’s summertime, I’ve just been so busy!” That’s the usual thing to say these days, right? Ever hear anyone say, “I’ve been so bored this summer?!” Me neither. Excuses aside, let’s get on with the post. Come along for some of our summer favorites!

This coleslaw recipe is a fantastic way to spice up an outdoor picnic. It’s not your typical coleslaw and we love the diversion of the usual. I prefer not adding the tomatoes.

This next recipe we only started using recently. It is super delicious on grilled chicken, but can be used on other grilled meats as well. It’s also great to add on extra sauce when you’re serving the meat. I would highly recommend making your own mayonnaise to avoid consumption of those corrupt seed oils. You can find the recipe I use in this post.

I feel a teeny bit partial to this sauce simply because of it’s name. It reminds me of those good old days that were, when I used to live in Sweet Home Alabama. Some things I don’t miss though, are the chiggers and the 7 month stifling humidity.

Regrettfully, I don’t have a good picture of this sauce.

My family loves baked beans, but I decided with my own stock of home canned beans, there’s no reason I can’t make my own. No carmel color, preservatives or atrocious amounts sugar in these either! You can definitely tweak this recipe to your liking. Swap out the black beans for navy if you prefer, as well as seasonings/onions. I’m a little hit & miss in the seasonings and sauce/ketchup. I often just guess and dump. Most times my Guesser turns out to be pretty accurate!

I devised this recipe many years ago, then revised it this summer. You might freak out at the idea of adding in bacon grease along with the bacon. But we’re blessed to raise our own organic hogs. Because of that, I don’t mind adding in the fat. We love bacon! Typically when I fry bacon, I pour the fat into a glass jar I keep in my fridge for this purpose. Frying green beans? Use some of this fat instead of another oil. Popping popcorn? Bacon grease adds a delicious flavor and we much prefer that over any other oils.

This hummus is an excellent way to sneak in protein for healthy snacking! My family backslides into wanting chips to eat it with instead of veggies. But when I prep it bright and colorful like this, they’re not as apt to ask for chips. Another way to do it is to make sure there’s no chips on hand in the pantry, and then you can honestly say, “we are out of chips. This time we’re eating veggies with hummus.”

Savor the flavors of summer before it’s over!

Tahor

Published on June 26, 2024September 18, 2024 by Violet Rhodes2 Comments

If you’ve never seen this word before, that’s okay. Makes me feel better because there’s plenty of times I see words and need to look them up.

Hang on and we’ll get to the meaning of this word in a minute.

Last summer I was making my own laundry soap and my ever salesy hubby says “We need to make a laundry soap to sell.” And so it was, he takes it upon himself to research and mix up small batches and research and critique some more. I was the tester and he the scientist. If we regret our decision to start this small business, I can safely say it was his idea, not mine!

And here we are, a year later, and have just launched our laundry powder for sales!! We’ve had friends and family testing and trying it out since March, but it’s only last week since we first really advertised.

I have been intentional in the past with not running ads on my blog. Now here I am, advertising right in your face! Tahor (pronounced taw-hore’) is our business name. Tahor is Hebrew and means clean, fair, pure. It is found over 80 times in the Bible. One common verse that uses this word is Psalms 51:10- Create in me a clean (tahor) heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. This is what we want our products to be- clean, no fillers, yet safe ingredients that clean well.

Tahor Laundry Powder is fragrance free! Fragrance or perfume really is a huge endocrine disruptor, which you shouldn’t take lightly. I’ve been away from fragrances in both body products and cleaning for many years now! I cannot hack, I mean cannot hack fragrance! If someone sits beside me in church with perfume or lotion, believe me, my olfactory receptors sit up and take note! That’s when I slyly pull my roller bottle of essential oils out of my purse and rub a bit under my nose, hoping to smell oils instead of chemicals. I console myself if anyone smells my oils, no worries. If they’re free to wear chemicals, I’m free to wear oils!

Tahor Laundry Powder only has 4 ingredients! No fillers that gunk up your washer and do not break down in the environment! We offer this in a 7 lb. bag as well as a bulk option of 12 lbs. (Not pictured). We strongly recommend cleaning your washer with Tahor Luminate prior to using Tahor Laundry Powder. Especially so if you’ve been using a typical store bought detergent- one full of fillers and fragrances and other unpronounceable ingredients.

Tahor Luminate is great for soaking clothes/ brightening. It’s also perfect for cleaning! Moisten your sink, shower or toilet, sprinkle on Luminate and let soak for 10-15 minutes or more. Scrub clean and rinse. Got a burned pan? Fill with water and sprinkle with Luminate. Let set and hour or two. This will do a good job of lifting that scum off! With only a little scrubbing, your pan will look so much better!

The Luminate comes in a 3 lb. package.

All of our ingredients have an A rating with EWG! We currently only offer 2 products but may add more in the future.

Ready to try out our fragrance free, environmentally friendly products?! To place an order simply hop over on our website! We currently offer shipping within the USA only. You can also stay updated by joining our Telegram channel.