Grrr!!! Rant against Barstow.

Ok, bottom line, I HATE this place. I HATE Barstow. This place has NOTHING going for it. The people here are generally trashy and ignorant. They constantly gawk at me and my husband. It is completely isolated here. It is hot as hell. There is no craft or yarn store. No bookstore. No pagan/wiccan community. No crafting community. I have literally "0" friends out here. All my friends and family are back in Pasadena and the Valley. It is thoroughly depressing. And it is really starting to get to me. My depression and frustration have been out in full force.

I've been trying to get some skating in everyday. I wanted to do something fun and healthy for myself. I want to get in shape and the treadmill is getting boring. I also want to eventually join a derby league. There is no suitable area to practice skating. The nearest rink in 45 minutes away. The nearest league practice area is over an hour away. This morning as I was going for a skate I got stuck, for the seemingly 1000th time, on one of the huge gaps in the cement and went down. I just sat there for a minute, willing the tears to not come. I wasn't crying because falling hurt but because the frustration of being stuck in this place started spilling out. Skating is just another casualty of living here.

I am so defensive, frustrated, angry and generally depressed lately. I try to keep a smile pasted on for the kids but I always feel those emotions bubbling near the surface just waiting to burst through at any moment. This place is killing me emotionally and mentally.

Giveaway Winner!

So, I had my oldest close his eyes and pick a name out of a hat. The winner is AlwaysInspired!! :) Congrats, dear :) PM me your address and I'll send out the goods Monday or Tuesday.

Mother Moon's Anniversary Giveaway

Mother Moon is hosting a wonderful giveaway to celebrate her blogging anniversary. She is giving away three awesome packages. Please check out this wonderful chance to win some very cool prizes and her awesome blog :)

Midsummer Giveaway

Okay my darlings!! Here's the deal, I am going to give some Midsummer/Litha inspired goodies away.

What's up for grabs? Some homemade herbal salve, hand mixed "stress less" herbal tea, assorted herbs, some squishy, bright handspun yarn and some fancy chocolate. I'll post pictures in a bit :)

How to enter?
1 entry- Be a follower of my blog.
1 entry- Tell me how you plan on celebrating Midsummer. For those of you who do not celebrate, tell me your favorite summer activity or what summer means to you.
For extra entries blog about it, tweet, fb it... etc. Each mention counts for an extra entry.

The giveaway ends Saturday June 26th at 12pm.

Button, button, who's got the button?

I finally figure out how to put a scrolling button thinga-ma-jig on my blog. Well, actually, the dh did. He is much more computer and html savvy that I am. Speaking of buttons, I really want to make myself a button. But, I have no idea how to make it or what it should look like. I really want a whole new layout for the blog, too.

Anyways, I am feeling better this week. I started eating healthier and exercising everyday. Let me tell you, it is doing me a world of better! I also registers for the fall semester this morning. Me and the dh are taking 2 classes together, Bio 11 and Poli Sci 1. Fun, fun. I am also taking Math 50 (elementary algebra. LMAO I SUCK at math!!) and Cultural Anthropology. I am going to be taking a break from swapping starting in August. I am going to have to out all my attention on the kids and school.

I also wanted to thank all of you for sharing your kinds words,thoughts and experiences in the last post. It meant A LOT to me. Thank you! It is nice to know that there are people out there that care and have been where I am and have survived :) You ladies do indeed rock!

My car is in the shop for the second time within a week. This time it is because it didn't pass smog. Ugh. I had to pass up an awesome spinning wheel so that we'd have the $ to pay for my lovely P.O.S. But, I really do love my car. She is an older model Volvo station wagon and she is awesome! Her name is Turbo Betty. I am in love with Volvos!! My first car was a super old rust-orange Volvo named Vera :)

My partner received for the punk baby swap. I'll be posting pictures of the awesome stuff I made her.

I'll also be running the giveaway later today. So, keep a look out!!

Life getting in the way again....

Hello all. I am so sorry that I've been behind on posting the giveaway. I've been hit with a bunch of stuff in the past couple weeks. To be quite honest, things between me and my dh have been pretty tense and not getting better. He is rarely home, which puts an incredible amount of stress on me. I am basically raising three kids on my own. I have no energy. I am always lonely and upset. I have no one to talk to. All of my family and friends are hours away. I need some adult interaction. He just doesn't get it. There is so much more to the situation that I just don't want to get into.

Azriel has been having tummy aches off and on for the last 2 weeks. I think they're brought on by anxiety. And I am totally blaming myself for it. I try so hard to be a good mom but I know I'm falling short. My patience has worn thin.

My car is in the shop with a most likely busted radiator. So, I am stuck in the middle of nowhere, where I know no one, with 3 kids and no car. Great. I have no idea how much it'll cost to fix it. It'll most likely clean out our savings.

I am having a major craft block. I have 2 swaps due by the end of the week. I am cringing. I am going to have to be late.

I want to be appreciated and cared for. I want to feel alive again.

I feel stuck and frustrated. I am so mad at him. I am so frustrated with him.

Out of commission

The keyboard of our desktop is ruined because Adeline knocked over my cup of water all over it. The space bar, b, n, scroll arrows, Abe window keys are done for. I'm accesing my blog from my iPod touch while I'm laying on my side to let the ear oil seep onto my ear and so it's job. I'm almost positve that I have an ear infection. I had one a couple of months ago, too. I'm tired of taking antibiotics. I've heard some great things about ear oil and figured I'd give it a try. The oil is called "Wally's Ear Oil" and it has a blend of natural oil and herbal extracts. I'll let you all know how it works out :) Keep your fingers crossed. I hate going to the doctors. I also picked up some ear candles. I'll have the dh candle me tomorrow.

I'll be posting the giveaway tomorrow after I get a new keyboard :) if this one goes well I can see doing more.

Giveaway?

I was thinking of rewarding all my faithful readers with a giveaway soon. Nothing makes me happier than getting comment notifications from this blog. Thank you guys all so much for taking the time to read my posts!!! You all rock!! ^_^ I was thinking of giving away some yarn or fiber or fabric or (maybe all three! lol) hand mixed tea, homemade salve/balm and some chocolate. What do you all think?

Chamomile

I always try to have chamomile flowers on hand. Not only do they make great, relaxing tea, they also are great to for a few all natural remedies. Here are some of the uses from HerbMontor.com's Herbalpedia. (I highly recommend this website. It has a wealth of herbalism classes and knowledge.)

USES:

Skin care: acne, allergies, boils, burns, cuts,
chilblains, dermatitis, earache, eczema, hair
care, inflammations, insect bites, rashes,
sensitive skin, teething pain, toothache, wounds
Circulation,

Muscles and Joints: arthritis,
inflamed joints, muscular pain, neuralgia,
rheumatism, sprains.

Digestive System: dyspepsia, colic, indigestion,
nausea

Genito-urinary system: dysmenorrhea,
menopausal problems, menorrhagia

Nervous system: headache, insomnia, nervous
tension, migraine and stress-related complaints

Other Uses: Used in pharmaceutical antiseptic
ointments and in carminative, antispasmodic
and tonic preparations. Used extensively in
cosmetics, soaps, detergents, high-class
perfumes and hair and bath products. Used as a
flavor ingredient in most major food categories,
including alcoholic and soft drinks


I usually ingest chamomile on a daily basis with a hand mixed tea geared towards relieving stress. It is a great way to unwind after a long and stressful day. Especially because I am prone to anxiety and stress. If anyone is interested I can post the tea blend recipe :)

I also use chamomile to treat a number of things like diaper rash and pink eye. For example, today the youngest in our brood woke up with pink eye. YUCK!!! So, I brewed up a strong tea of plain old dried chamomile flowers. This brew would also work for diaper rashes, too.

Strong Tea:

Start with died flowers and some water. I don't have any set amounts. I just eyeball it. But, I would say maybe a 1/4 of flowers for every two cups of water.


Bring the water to a boil.

Drop in the flowers and let steep for about 15 minutes.

Strain


Put the tea in a jar. To use just soak a clean cotton ball either clean the area or use as a compress.


Another great way to use chamomile in your home, is to help with teething pain. Throw some dried flowers into a burlap or cotton muslin bag and let the little one chew, chew, chew!