Healing is Beginning

It has been a tough week emotionally and mentally here at Whisper Wind. First I want to say thanks for all my friends/followers that have been praying for our family. I know your prayers are being heard simply because we are feeling them. The Lord is giving us strength and discernment through this troubling time. As the world turns its hatred against the disciples of Jesus Christ, family members also turn against those that are walking in His light. Our attack has come from members of our distant family and their victim was our oldest daughter. Her OCD has reared its ugly head because of all of this. She is heartbroken that someone in her own family, someone that she trusted, would manipulate and use her to seek revenge on the family as a whole. I have faith that God will use this for His glory in the end and that we will heal together. Right now my husband, mother and I are closing ranks so that she is well protected while she learns, grows and heals from this betrayal. Posts might be short and sweet for awhile as we work through this. Again, thank you all for your prayers. I know many times you all have said that I am an encouragement to you and I just want you all to know that you are an encouragement and source of strength for me as well. God bless you all from the bottom of my heart!

Light posting for awhile

I just wanted to let everyone know that I might not be able to post much for a little while. We are having some issues in our family and that ugly OCD is rearing its awful head again. Right now is a time for us to step back from some of the "extras" that take up our time and focus on the healing that must take place. Please keep our family in your prayers as we are desperately in need of them. I have no doubt that God will use this time of trial to strengthen us and in the end for His glory. Right now we simply must get through this and heal. I will post when I can, but I may be absent for a little while. God bless you all and thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

More on Food from China

I am not sure how old this video is, so be your own judge and do your own checking. However, it is very informative of many "organic" products that are imported and the truth about how "organic" they might or might not be.

February, No Buy month update

I know....it is just the third day of the month. So far so good though. I have noticed a few things that I am out of, but those can wait until the end of the month. This is a good time for me to assess what I need to replace and am getting low on. I will have to buy new tractor tires, but I am hoping that will be all this month. It will really help to rotate our food supplies before the spring crops start coming in. One thing about living from harvest to harvest is looking forward to what will be coming. We are out of cauliflower in the freezer and I simply can't wait to start harvesting some. Who'd a thunk it? Somebody looking forward to cauliflower! I will keep everyone updated on this no buy month so we can all see how it goes. I figure it is a good time to find the holes in my pantry supplies and farm supplies. I plan on keeping a running list throughout the month to keep track of what needs to be replaced or stocked up on in March. Have a blessed day!

Busy, Busy, Busy

Well it has been really busy around here lately. I truly lucked out in the compost department, but that luck has cost me a lot of time and energy. I was at the feed farm and ran into a guy that was trying to get rid of his horse manure pile. Said he had run several ads in the paper and nobody wanted to come get it. I told him I would come and get it. I got over there and saw the pile, absolutely huge. He asked how much I wanted and I told him I would take it all. He said if I would take it all then he would get it to me. He has been bringing me a 20 ft. flatbed trailer load every single day for the past couple weeks. Each day I unload this gorgeous compost. He started with the oldest part of the pile first and that is going straight into the garden. When we get to the newer stuff then we will pile it up in one of the pastures to finish and then spread it on that pasture. I will keep this man in veggies this year, but since nothing is planted right now he has been delighted with fresh eggs and homemade bread. Believe me I have gotten my workout. I have lost 3 pounds, gotten countless headaches and my muscles hurt beyond belief. It would help if the tractor were running properly and didn't have all sorts of problems. Today I need to go and get new tires for the front. We have been nursing along on the tires we had and they finally just gave up the ghost. I hate to spend the money right now, especially since this is our no buy month. However, I have got to have that tractor for this compost. There are several tons of the stuff and I simply cannot unload it everyday with a wheelbarrow. The pastures are too wet to get the trailer into so it has to be unloaded and taken to where it needs to be. In fact, the garden is so wet in some places that I can't even get the tractor in those areas. I get as close as I can and then still have to work with the wheelbarrow. Uggh! and there is more rain supposed to come today and tomorrow. The pond is so full that it is overflowing each time we get more rain which is making that part of the wet garden even wetter. All this rain really has me worried about my spring crops that I will be planting soon. I think I am gonna have to redo my planning to put spring on the side of the garden that doesn't get so wet and wait for the summer garden to go in the wettest areas. I certainly don't want to get the planting done and then have everything drown because of too much water. It certainly is crazy after so many years of drought conditions to be worrying about too much water. It seems as if we have gone from one extreme to the other. The weather sure has been nice though, more like early spring weather than late winter weather. Makes it pleasant to be outside. It will be nice to hang clothes outside again and get rid of this clothesline in the house. By the end of winter I get tired of seeing clothes hanging in the house. I am finishing up getting the seeds started so I should be planting in a few more weeks! Yippee! I really look forward to gardening season again and being outside more in nice weather. We'll just have to see what this year brings. Have a great day and God bless.

20 Uses for Tea Tree Oil

I use tea tree oil all the time in my home. It is great for just about everything. The smell is a little strong, but diluted you get used to it quickly. So I thought you all would be interested in finding out just how versatile tea tree oil is. Here are 20 different uses for home and health:
1. Use a dab to treat acne.

2. An anti-fungal for treating Athlete’s Foot, eczema, various yeast infections, etc.

3. An antiseptic to be used on cuts and burns.

4. An anti-viral: it may lessen the symptoms of colds and flu. Try using a few drops in the bath.

5. Add to a vaporizer to loosen chest congestion.

6. Add a small amount to shampoo to destroy head lice.

7. A small amount added to your bath can help with persistent body odor.

8. Treating sinus infection.

9. For dandruff and dry scalp.

10. In the form of aromatherapy, tea tree oil is used to treat colds, persistent coughs, acne, toothaches, and sunburn.

11. To create an all-purpose cleaner, combine 2 teaspoons of tea tree oil in 2 cups of water in a spray bottle.

12. Another version would be 14 ounces of water with 1 ounce of Murphy’s oil soap and 10 drops of tea tree oil.

13. Mix the above solution with kosher salt to scrub bathtub and bathroom tiles.

14. Add a few drops to dishwasher dispenser, then fill with a green dishwashing soap.

15. A few drops added to each load of laundry leave your clothes smelling cleaner.

16. Control mold with a tea tree oil/water spray.

17. Remove mustiness with that same tea tree oil/water spray.

18. To keep germs at bay, spray it on high chairs, car seats, and other high traffic spots.

19. 15 drops in a quart of water can be an effective insect repellent.

20. Be sure to take some with you when hiking and camping to put directly on insect bites or blisters.

Food from China?

It seems that most of American agriculture has become so specialized that we can no longer grow enough food in our country to feed our country. Increasingly, there are more and more food imported from other countries. There are several reasons that this concerns me. One is that they don't have the same pesticide and herbicide controls that we do. Two, many times the food in grown in contaminated soil. And three, many times the food is fertilized with raw human manure/sewage. These are all big no nos to me and one thing I have noticed is that I am seeing labels on food in our stores saying "product of China". Does absolutely everything have to come from China these days? It is ridiculous that this once great agricultural nation now has to import foods that are laced with heavy metals and all sorts of toxins. It is ridiculous that we can no longer feed ourselves. I think my grocery store days are coming to an end for the most part. There are only a few things that I simply cannot buy locally or produce myself. Sugar is one, cocoa another (must have chocolate). A country that cannot feed its people from its own soil is doomed to one day starve or be slaves. We have been so blessed with so many varied climates in our own country and yet.....we import food. It is a sad state that this country is in. Check your labels ladies and buy local or grow your own to be on the safe side. God bless and happy growing.