Therapy Bags with Instructions

The other day I needed to come up with a little gift to take to a breakfast , gift exchange get together. At first I was stumped and then I thought of something I could make that I hoped would be appreciated and that I could use what I had on hand already to make it.  "Therapy Bags". You know the bags filled with rice that can be heated in the microwave for a minute or so. I had scraps of cute flannel. I had rice. And I had fun essential oil fragrances that I could add. Tadahhh. Therapy bags. 

You can buy them here but....Why?

So here are the instructions:

I cut some flannel that when folded in half would go around the neck. I cut some flannel that when folded in half would make a rectangle to go on the back or tummy. I stitched two sides and left the top open. I put scented rice in the top, filling it a little less than a half full of scented rice and then turned the seam to the inside and double stitched the top down. 

When my gift as opened it was appreciated and loved!! It was Happy for me giver and happy for the receiver.  

Scents to add: Lavender, ylang ylang, orange, rosemary,
etc.

And what about this Monster Bag:

So Cute!!

MONSTER BAGS

Here is another idea with pictures on how to make them. They are for the feet and look to be very nice and cozy. 

See the Feet Idea here.

"How could you stand it I asked"

One of my little one's

It died. My sour dough start died so I just visited my blog posts and found Little Grandma Thompson's Potato Bread Start. What I didn't tell you was what else we talked about while we were making that baby blanket. 

She told me about her babies that had died. My heart broke listening to her. "How could you stand it I asked". She said, "You just do, you have to."

Leo was the oldest child of hers that died. He had been very sick and the the sickness turned to rheumatic fever. She didn't have any money so the doctor gave her some medicine free of charge and told her to put Leo's bed in the front room so that he could be with his family for he couldn't possibly live. He was 12 when he died on 12 Jun 1928 in Midvale, Utah.  But before he did he said three times "I wish they would hurry with my light." (I think I know what that means, the light. What do you think?) Then he laid his head on Little Grandma and passed away. He is buried by his two baby sisters in the Garland City Cemetery. Can you imagine such a thing. My heart cries just telling you this story. 

Another very sad story was about her little baby girl named Rosetta who was born on 23 Jul 1923 in  Bear River City, Utah. She got very sick and had a high fever. Little Grandma sent for the doctor but the midwife came and while she was there she gave the advice to starve the fever and not to give baby Rosetta a drop of liquid until her fever dropped. That night when she was cooler Little Grandma nursed her and kept her next to her to sleep. The babies always slept with an parent or older child in those days because they could freeze in the night if they didn't. The baby went to sleep but in the morning when Little Grandma woke her little baby was dead. That was on 9 Mar 1924 in Garland, Utah. That would almost be unbearable. 

The other little baby Elaine was born 30 April 1928 in Midvale, Utah. She had a very hard birth and died when she was a few hours old. Little Grandma said she knew she wouldn't live. And she didn't. 

Well, there again I ask, "The Good Old Days"?
Not so good at times for sure. 

Love,
Grammy T.

Boo-Boo Stick Chapter Two

Roller Stick (Boo-boo Stick)

Since I wrote the blog about the Boo-Boo Sticks I've been asked questions about what all I put in the sticks So I'll give you a few recipes that have work for me and my family. 

One little grand-baby had a fever in the wee morning hours and her mommy called my daughter to see what oils to use. She was told to use peppermint mixed with carrier oil and massage her feet. In a little bit the fever was gone and the baby was able to sleep through the night. She had an ear ache so my daughter put lavender, peppermint and lemon and coconut oil in a roll on and used it around her ears. For babies use 1 part essential oils to 4 parts carrier oil. Also Basil with the coconut oil is good for ear infections. Rub around the ear not in it. 

For myself I use Clove Bud, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus, Rosemary, peppermint, frankincense, orange and grapefruit. The Grapefruit is excellent for fighting staph. I use 1 part oils to the same amount of carrier oil. These blends are also wonderful in a diffuser. Or you can buy this as OnGuard. See below. 

I had a call about a granddaughter that had sciatic problems. I suggested the doTerra Deep Blue blend it is very soothing for sore muscles, joints and works to soothe and relax. And then for her to do her exercises.

Another daughter likes a peppermint blend for headaches and other hurts.

So there you have Boo-Boo Stick Chapter Two. There might be a chapter three in the near future.  

And since I wrote that blog I have a brand I love.

It is pure and organic and it is fair with the peasants that harvest the oils. You can order your own doTerra Essential Oil Products here.

If you join as a preferred customer you get the wholesale price for a one time $10 fee. It will save you in the long run.

Any questions comment or email me.

Love,
Grammy T. 

Boo-Boo Sticks

Rosemary Bush

A few months ago I began a weird journey. What you ask? Well I was allergic to almost all medications. Nice right! So if I took high blood pressure medications my blood pressure became higher, etc.  Finally the specialist said "stop taking medications". So I did. I take a couple but have had to look for alternative methods for some problems. I already used a few things to help me be healthier but now I had to really search. As you know I have had  Breast Cancer and Thyroid Cancer and had the treatments that went with those; operations, chemo, radiation and iodine radiation. And those treatments have left me with a few problem too. But they saved my life so we know they were necessary and I am so thankful for the help from the medical community. 

Pain medications raise my blood pressure and gave me asthma. So what have I found to replace them? Essential oils. I have some recipes I use a lot. My favorites for pain are numerous but I like lavender, lemongrass, wintergreen, clove, peppermint  and more. I do use a very good pure and organic brand doTerra. It is self tested with every batch of oils made.  

I have always had asthma so I have found oils that help with that. I mix a few and put them in boo-boo sticks which are a roller bottle. I choose the oils that will help with asthma, bronchitis, flu/colds and my immune system. I rub them on the places that need help. I roll them in my hands, rub them together and inhale them for a while. I always put them on the bottom of my feet. Then I roll some on my thumb and stick it to the top of my mouth and let it absorb into my system that way. It works for me and stops my sneezing and coughing immediately. 

And the boo-boo stick is so fun and easy and came to us via my niece who lives in France now. What oils do I use for these problems? Clove, Cinnamon Bark, Rosemary, Grapefruit Seed, Lemon, Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Frankincense, etc. What is the etc.? Orange oil is awesome and if you put it in a diffuser it smells wonderful. I put the drops in a roller bottle add a carrier oil, coconut or  grape or almond oil and you have a boo-boo stick. Easy peasy. 

And can you imagine for little kids how fun to have their own Boo-Boo Stick with Lavendar and melaluca,  etc. to make their owies better. :)

To order go to my order page. And if you have any questions email  me or comment and i will help you. 

Love,
Grammy T. 

Oh The Memories in Sparks, NV

There were sad happenings in Sparks, NV this week with the shooting at Sparks Middle School. Our hearts are with dear friends who still live there. We haven't lived there for many years but the years we did live there were very special. A mixture of memories fun, good, bad and yes ugly.

Floods happen in Nevada. This one is in 1862

In February 1986 there was a huge flood.  Heavy rainfall contributed to significant flooding over western Nevada and the eastern Sierra. Two persons died as a result of the flood. The Truckee River basin was the main basin affected. Water storage upstream at Stampede Reservoir, combined with channelization in downtown Reno (completed during the previous 15 years), prevented even greater damage.

Pineapple Express for February 1986

This memory has a mixture of three of the memories the good, bad and fun.  It is a time when our streets in Sparks flooded and we didn't have electricity and some of our friends had water getting into their homes. A time of young men and young women rushing to help by moving the furniture downstairs to the upstairs. Friends boating over to check and see if families were alright and to see what they might need.  That was fun to see those boats. It was a time at our house of teenage friends coming over to play games by the light of the kerosene stove. I can't remember what treats I served because we didn't have electricity. But I know we had fun. I remember wishing I had a wood stove like the Laramie's so that I could heat the house and cook on it. I always wanted to be a real pioneer. :)

Times and memories like these are what makes life so special if you have 'A Family Disaster Plan'.

I guess our plan was that kerosene stove.

Love,
Grammy T.

Thank You Police Officers.

My Silly Witches

Halloween has always been such a fun time of year for me. I love cute Halloween things not ugly ones. And fun times not truly scary times. We love Gardner Village and their Witchfest and Witchy Palooza cuteness with all of the lights, decorations and of course the darling witches. If you are ever in Northern Utah give it and you will have so much fun. 

Now Mr. Blog on to an adventure that I forgot to tell you about; 

When I was a young girl I was staying with my Grandparents in Vacaville, CA. My Papa King was Chief of Police at the time and was very busy. One night he had to go on a stakeout to catch a guy that had been trying to get into a ladies house that lived alone. I think her husband was away because he was in the Air Force stationed at Travis Air Force Base. The guy had also been being a Peeping Tom. Scary stuff right there. That night when Papa was out setting a trap I was woken up by a scratching sound at the back door and the sound of door knob being jiggled in a bedroom of of the patio in the backyard. Nana King came down the hall in a bit to check on me and said she had heard the same thing. Whoever it was knew that Papa was gone and he was going to take advantage of the situation. nana called the police station and they sent an officer right over. Whew! We were safe gain. 

**Thank you police officers for all you do.**

Dear Mr. Blog

Dear Mr. Blog,
Here it is the post you've been waiting for.

I went to South Carolina last week and had a wonderful time  with my darling Grandchildren there. Also I saw my son who is a cute funny guy and bound to put 

laughter into anyone's day.Because he locked his house key in the house we were trying to find away to break in  without making too much damage. :) During that time of walking around the house I of all people stepped on the home of  the horrible tiny Fire Ants. They look like the little piss aunts or sugar aunts that we have out west but they are red. Any way as they climbed around on my feet and legs I said "Shoot, I'm really allergic to these things. Dang it!" That didn't stop them so I immediately ran to the cement and stamped my feet and pushed them off of me the best I could.  They weren't big like the Fire Ants I had encountered in Florida when we lived in Gainesville on our mission so I hoped they would not make me sick.  But alas, :( "See the blog post." 

I washed the bites and put some Bach Rescue Cream on them, which works wonderfully for mosquito or midgie bites and other itchy rashes. Whalaa I was immediately saved, I thought, but not now a week later they have risen with vengeance and become a terrible problem so much so as to affect my sleep and sanity. I went to one of my best friends Google to ask for an answer. I found I should have used ammonia on them as soon as possible. There are little portable ammonia pens that you can buy called Tender After Bites with ammonia in them to carry with you when in the south or other scary places. :) Then another site said Meat Tenderizer made into a paste would help. It has Papain from pineapple in it. So I soaked my feet and legs in Epsom Salts and then I put a paste of the meat tenderizer on the red bumps. I felt so much better Mr. Blog that I decided to tell you all about it.  I also took Bromelain tablets. It also is from the pineapple and I took Benadryl tablets to help from the inside out. I feel so much better and had to share. 

I have had a recurrence of the stinging pain at night and have resorted to spraying with Windex to relieve it. So let's add Windex to our little list. Now to soldier on by adding essential oils like Lavender, lemongrass, melaleuca, rosemary and myrtle mixed with a vegetable oil. I like grape seed or almond. 

It reminded me of the time that I got wasp stings that really hurt, so again I visited my friend Google and found out that the best solution is to put the sticky side of a banana peel on them. I cut up a banana peel put the little square sticky side down on my stings, secured them with a band aide and phew it worked. The pain and swelling was gone. What a miracle. 

Which brings me to the miracle of the everyday remedies that God has given us to use. 

I am so grateful for the help we have today to help us with these little fixes. 

How to get your older yahoo mail back for 2013

Tim and Jenna 

Hi all,
This is the answer I got from 
Yahoo Answers on; 

If you want to go to a "basic" version (not Classic which is gone) 
then select mail options under the gear icon 
in the upper right. 

On the "general" options page scroll to the bottom. T
here you have a choice of "full featured" or "basic". 
Click on SAVE when done. 
If you decide on the Basic format 
some features will be missing..
.open this link for details.... 
http://help.yahoo.com/kb/index?page=cont…

And from me, I went into the little gear on the upper right 
by my name and chose 
"Basic". 
Then I went into the little gear called 
"Actions" 
next to Spam. 
Then I chose 
"Preview Pane on the Right". 

And now it is as close as I can get it 
since to did away with 
my favorite 
Yahoo Mail. :(

Hope this helps. 

The Story of Kyle

Josh and Amy in about 2000.
This is one of my favorite pictures of all time.

I've seen this email before but with Easter upon us 

it's a good time to see it again and to ponder 

the consequences of our choices. . 

God puts us all together in this life to impact one another in 

someway. 

As Jesus said, "Love one another as I have loved you". 

The Story of Kyle

One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, “Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd.”

I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up, and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.

My heart went out to him. So I jogged over to him, and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, “Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives.” He looked at me and said, “Hey thanks!” There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.

I helped him pick up his books and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before, but we talked all the way home, and I carried his books.

He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play football on Saturday with me and my friends. He said yes.

We hung out all weekend, and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him. And my friends thought the same of him. Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, “Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!” He just laughed and handed me half the books.

Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship.

Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn’t me having to get up there and speak.

On graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than me and all the girls loved him! Boy, sometimes I was jealous. Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech, so I smacked him on the back and said, “Hey, big guy, you’ll be great!” He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. “Thanks,” he said.

As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began. “Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach — but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story.” I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his mom wouldn’t have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. “Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable.”

I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize its depth.

Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture, you can change a person’s life.

Love,
Grammy T.

Granny Thompson's Yummy White Bread

Granny Thompson's Yummy White Bread

My husbands mother made a very yummy white bread that 
made delicious sandwiches. 

I gained about five pounds after eating those sandwiches 
for a week in high school :)

Here is a picture and the recipe. 

Ingredients;

2 pkg. yeast

4 T melted cooled shortening
4 C flour (approximately)
2 1/2 c Warm Water
1/2 c Sugar
1 T Salt

Mix water, sugar and yeast in a hole made by
the flour and salt called a well. 

Let rise and bubble 
add cooled, melted shorting and lemon juice into the hole and 
mix all together. 

Add 3 more cups of flour a cup at a time until you have 
a very soft dough. 

Dump on a floured board and knead. 

Put in an oiled bowl and flip to cover with oil and let raise. 
She used shortening so you can do that if you want to, 
I did.

Put into loaves and let rise again. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or so until golden brown.

Addition to this recipe - May 15. 2013
Instead of the shortening I added 4 Tbs. of potato flakes
and I loved the results. 

Try the potato flakes, you will love it!!

Now let your kids and their friends tear the top off, rip into chunks
 and slather with butter. 

That's what she did.:)

What great memories of 
Gram, Granny, Grandma
Matilda Mae Bishop Thompson.

Sourdough Starter with potato flakes and memories of Little Grandma Thompson

When I was much younger I was quilting one day with my husbands Grandma Thompson. Little Grandma we called her because she was all of 4' 10" tall. She was darling. She told me she had used a potato water start as yeast for bread making and that it stayed on the back of her wood burning stove. 

She was born in 1891 and of course lived the old fashioned way.

Potato Flake Sour Dough Starter Recipe:  

Starter (first time):

1 cup warm water

1/2 cup sugar

1 package (2-1/4 teaspoons) dry yeast

3 level Tablespoons instant potato flakes

Starter Feeder (subsequent times):

1 cup warm water

1/2 cup sugar

3 Tablespoons potato flakes

You can use it in pancakes too. (yummmmm) This is a potato bread recipe that I have used

for years and I love it and I may add a myriad of things to it but this is the recipe. 

Ingredients:

4 cups flour 

(I like Gold Medal Unbleached)

 4 cups water

2 Tbls. yeast 

(if using frozen yeast use cold water or you will kill your yeast)

1/4 cup sugar

4 Tbls. potato flakes

2 Tbls. salt

Mix;

This is the sponge.   Let rest for awhile and then add:

4 more cups flour a cup at a time. Sometimes it takes more and it may take less so keep it a little sticky (not goopy).  

Put some oil in a large bowl and put the dough in it. Flip it over to coat with the oil.

Put in a warm oven, not hot. Just prewarmed a bit because the dough will love being out of a draft in a warm spot. 

Let rise for about 45 minutes or until your finger mark stays down when you poke it.

Toss onto a dusted counter with a little flour and form into loaves.

Put in bread pans coated with Pam.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes for nice crusty bread. 

Take out of pan and put on a big wooden bread board. 

Slather the top with butter and let cool. 

Take to your friends warm in a brown lunch bag so it won't get squishy or if it is all cooled you can put it in plastic bags. 

You can use part whole wheat flour, oats, corn meal, sunflower seeds, millet, flax seed and whatever you want in the recipe.  It's fun to experiment. but remember the sticky or soft part when mixing not stiff. :) 

"What do you want for breakfast"

A few years ago some Basque students
 came to stay at our house in 
Northern California to perform at 
Sierra Jr. College 
near by. 

I asked them 
"what do you want for breakfast"
I was thinking that they would probably tell me 
bagels, croissant and fruit. 
No, they told me 

"Chocolate"

Hot Chocolate? 
I asked
So I whipped out my trusty little packet 
of Swiss Miss with 
marshmallows.

They must have thought me 
extremely 
lame. 

As I look back
I think me extremely 
lame!!

So what did they mean Chocolate? 
chocolate cake
 chocolate bar
or
pain au chocolat?

So there you have it. 

I should have served a 

big bowl 

of thick hot chocolate 

with some of these divine 

pain au chocolat!!

Yep I should have. 

Love,

Grammy T.

Pain au Chocolat, 

the classic french pastry a croissant filled with some nice chocolate, 

a typical breakfast in France. 

Gina LegalleJanuary 13, 2013 2:08 PM

The recipe for the average bowl of "chocolat" requires a bowl...not a mug, 3/4 filled with warm milk and then 3 big spoonfuls of instant chocolate mix. It's that simple. Nesquik makes a great instant "chocolat". When ordering a "chocolat" in a fine establishment you will be served a mug with melted chocolate in it and then hot milk on the side to dilute as desired. Very rich and very very good!!!