Reactions & Peace

Life is 10% what happens to you,
and 90% how you respond to it.

No God - No Peace....
Know God - Know Peace.

Avatars - revisited!

Found this online, somewhere, and tweaked it to make it my own. :o) Isn't she cool?! ;o)

More Reviewing!

The other day, a friend mentioned that one of my favorite authors, Angela Hunt, publishes with WestBow Press (a division of Thomas Nelson). So, I went over to their website, and looked around, and found a link to contact the publicist.

Then I emailed the publicist to ask if they would take me on as a Freelance Reviewer, and she said YES! :-D Yay!

I'm really excited! I love reviewing books (even though it can be a tad overwhelming at times!), and the experience I'm getting is awesome! :o)

The really cool thing is that WestBow Press publishes these authors:
Frank Peretti, Coleen Coble, Davis Bunn*, Cindy Martinusen, Rene Gutteridge, Tim Downs, Angela Hunt*, Denise Hildreth*, Terri Blackstock*, Ted Dekker*, Linda Windsor, Kathryn Mackel, Paul Meier, Robert Whitlow, Kristin Billerbeck*, Lori Copeland, Karen Kingsbury*, Gilbert Morris, B.J. Hoff, Brock & Bodie Thoene, Stephanie Grace Whitson, Larry Burkett, Chase Dalton, William Proctor, Patricia Hickman, Penelope J. Stokes, Robin Jones Gunn*, Charles Martin, and more!

(Those with an asterisk * are some of my favorite authors -- and many others are authors that I've wanted to read!) :-D

I can't wait!

Dealing with my Anxiety...

Well, I finally chose some supplements to help with my Anxiety. Whether they'll work, or not, has yet to be shown (it takes a few weeks for the herbal to kick in).

I chose to take "Rhodiola Rosea", which is an "adaptogen" that supposedly helps with a multitude of problems! From this website, I got the following information:

** "...In recent years, dozens of uses for Rhodiola Rosea have been proposed, including support for depression and fatigue, enhancing memory and intellectual capacity, increasing work performance and endurance, and stimulating the nervous system. Many of these potential benefits relate to the herb’s adaptogenic qualities. >> Some studies have shown Rhodiola benefits such varied areas as increased learning capacity and memory enhancement, regulation of menstrual periods and infertility, reduction of side effects from cancer chemotherapy, increased sexual libidio and erectile dysfunction, enhancement of thyroid gland function, increased capacity for work and endurance, and protection from environmental toxins...."

I certainly could use the help with enhancing my memory, and work performance, and my anxiety has caused me a lot of fatigue lately, too. So, this might just be the thing to help me out!

I also got a container of "B-Vitamin Stress Complex" tablets, and started taking those today, too. Many, many people online have recommended taking the B-vitamin complex for anxiety. So, when you hear it from many sources, it says something....
:-?

I'll keep ya posted on whether all of this works for me. :-?

Booky Questions...

1) What is the total number of books you've owned?

Currently, over 1020...and growing! :-D

2) What is the last book you bought?

Three:
"ENTOMBED" by Linda Fairstein
"AT RISK" by Stella Rimmington
"TIME STOPS FOR NO MOUSE" by Michael Hoeye

3) What is the last book you've read?

"FINDING ANNA" by Christine Schaub

4) What are you currently reading?

"REKINDLED" by Tamera Alexander
"THE LION, THE WITCH, & THE WARDROBE" by C.S. Lewis

and a bookmark in each of the following:

"OVERCOMING ANXIETY...For DUMMIES"
"HEALING ANXIETY WITH HERBS" by Harold H. Bloomfield, M.D

5) What are the 5 books that have meant a lot to you or that you particularly enjoyed?

"THE CALLING OF EMILY EVANS" by Janette Oke
"THE MOON BELOW" by Barbara Bickmore
"WRITER FERRETS: CHASING THE MUSE" by Richard Bach
"VELVET ELVIS: REPAINTING THE CHRISTIAN FAITH" by Rob Bell
"GIFTED HANDS: THE DR. BEN CARSON STORY" by Dr. Ben Carson with Cecil Murphey

6) What book(s) would you wish to buy next?

More than I could list here! Ha ha ha... ;p BUT, here's the short list:

"CASTLES IN THE AIR" by Judy Corbett
"GARFIELD AT 25: IN DOG YEARS I'D BE DEAD" by Jim Davis
"THE CONJURER'S BIRD" by Martin Davies
"CROCODILE ON THE SANDBANK" by Elizabeth Peters
"SAVANNAH COMES UNDONE" by Denise Hildreth
"THE YOGA MAMAS" by Katherine Stewart
"SEEKING MISS SCARLET" by Natalie Stenzel

7) What book(s) have caught your attention but you've never had a chance to read?

"THE UNADULTERATED CAT" by Terry Pratchett (unavailable through library, and they won't order it).

8) What book(s) have you've owned for so long but never read?

Many! (in fact, the majority of my books, because I buy faster than I can read them! :?) A short list...

"A BREATH OF FRESH AIR" by Amulya Malladi
"FALSE MEMORY" by Dean Koontz
"DEEP IN THE VALLEY" by Robyn Carr
"GERMLINE" by Nelson Erlick
"TYING THE KNOT" by Susan May Warren
"MOBY DICK" by Herman Melville
(...and hopefully -- hopefully!!! -- I'll get to some of these - if not all - this year, 'cause I'm not going to the library for books!)

9) Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 persons) and why?

No one, because I got this from the one online friend who I *would* have sent it to! LOL.

Too much fun! / Herbal Meds for Anxiety

Have been playing with my new toy -- the "Better Homes & Gardens Home Design Suite 6.0". Waaaay too addictive! I was on my computer ALL day Monday, and ALL day yesterday (even though I swore I wasn't gonna be on there for more than a couple of minutes! LOL). I LOVE creating house plans! So cool to be able to "walk through" them, too! I love this software!

---

Looking into possibly taking an Herbal med. for my anxiety. I get panic attacks (mild to moderate) every now and then, and I'm getting to the point where I think I need to take something. But, I don't want OTC meds as there is always the possibility that you've got to stay on them for life, and they can be really addicting (so I've heard). With my "addictive" personality, that'd not be a good thing. :-?
So far, the most likely "fixes" for me would be either: "St. John's Wort", "Passionflower", or "5-HTP".
The one thing I wonder, though, is: Will any of these harm me, given that I'm a Hayfever sufferer? I mean, a lot of the herbals are made from flowering plants, and being allergic to pollen doesn't make them sound too "safe". DH brought up a good point, though -- I drink herbal teas, so what's the difference? Hmmm..
I'll be talking to a nutritionist/herbal specialist before I make any final decisions.
If worse comes to worst, I'll ask my doctor about taking ATARAX. It's an anti-anxiety OTC medication, but it's got the added bonus of being an antihistamine! (due to the fact that I've been breaking out in hives for the last 3 weeks, with still no clue as to why, I've been living on "Reactine" for the last week). :o(

Valentine's Day surprises!

Every Valentine's Day -- as long as I've been married (7 years next month!) -- we've been broke, so I've come to not expect a gift. DH is kinda forgetful, too, so I've also come to not expect a card. ;-P

This year, though, he surprised me! I got a card from him when he got home, and then -- and THEN! -- I got a dozen long-stem red roses! A complete bouquet, with Baby's Breath, and Eucalyptus (sp?) and everything!!! Isn't that just the sweetest thing? I was soooo excited. :o) I can't even remember the last time he brought me flowers. :-?

Anyhoo. I was pleasantly surprised, as I'd not really expected anything. I had thought he *might* get me a card, because I'd put a poem (my own creation) and a Hershey's Kiss in his lunch pail. ;-) But, he really surprised me. :-)

Present from DH!

Yesterday DH bought me a present! He's seen how, lately, I've been somewhat obsessed with drawing up floor-plans for houses, and so he bought me the coolest software to aid in my passion! The "Better Homes and Gardens Home Design Suite 6.0"! It's so very cool! It allows you to draw up a plan, then add furniture and electrical outlets and landscaping, and then you can take a 3D virtual tour of your home! I can't wait to play with it! :-D

News - Feb.09/06

Well, I went to the Allergist yesterday. Didn't find out much. I'm not allergic to latex, thank the Lord! But, I didn't find out what I *am* allergic to, other than Ragweed & Mould, and I've known that since I was 6 yrs old! :-(

The doctor showed me a printout explaining how Milk is bad for humans... I totally didn't believe it! All my life I've heard how milk is a good source of calcium -- it builds bones and prevents osteoporosis -- and other such things. But, the doctor tells me that's all a myth. He wants me to go on a milk-free diet for 2 weeks ... no milk products whatsoever for 2 weeks! Eiy yi yi. :-/

I'm curious about this milk-myths thing. I looked it up and found an interesting (and very disgusting!) article ... click here. It explains all of the reasons why drinking cow's milk (or any OTHER animal's milk) is actually bad for you, and why it's unnatural and impure... It was truly eye-opening! Makes quite a bit of sense, but I'm not quite ready to give up milk for good ... not yet, anyway. After all, I know what hotdogs are made of, and I've not given *those* up, either.
:-?

Anyhoo... I'm still breaking out in the hives. It's gotten so bad that my face is now swelling any time I get really bad. :-o

I'm thinking it's my detergent. I've switched -- washed all of my clothes and sheets and such in a new brand -- so hopefully this will prove to be the source. :-?

---

On another note, I've finished two books recently:
"Finding Anna" by Christine Schaub (rated: C - average)
"A Third Testament" by Malcolm Muggeridge (rated: B - enjoyable)

Yesterday I started reading Mark Haddon's "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime", and I'm not sure whether I want to continue with it. Already (only several pages in), the foul-language count is fairly high. I can stand some mild use of it, but this one's using the f-word a little too much for my comfort. Not that I don't read books out of my comfort zone, but I *do* maintain *some* standards. :-? Call me a prude, but I can't fill my mind with that garbage. IMHO, it's just not necessary to use that kind of language ... it really isn't. I've gotten by all of my life without resorting to it! :-?

I'm thinking I may pick up my newest Gaelen Foley book, instead: "PRINCESS". It's the second book in the Ascension Trilogy, and it's also the only book of Gaelen's, so far, that I've not read! :-)

Lately...

Lots of stuff going on lately...

...have been breaking out in hives for almost two weeks now. Am still not sure what is causing them. Obviously I'm allergic to something -- but what? I'm going to see an Allergist next week for a scratch test. Hopefully we'll figure out what's going on.

... have been in a reading slump. I'm trying to get through "FINDING ANNA" by Christine Schaub, but am finding it hard to pick up again after I've put it down. I'm thinking that it's because the book is "telling" more than "showing" and so I'm getting a little bored. Sure, I want to know what will happen in the end ... why the book was given its title ... but I'm thinking I should've picked a quicker-paced novel for the time being. For January, I read only 2.5 books. :-( My normal rate is about 4-6 books per month, especially in January.

... have been Blogging like crazy! Also been exploring blog-related sites. Today I signed up for Bloglines which allows you to subscribe to all of your favorite blogs (you can see my "blogroll" on the Right under my Links).

... I've been doodling ... drawing up TONS of different house-plans. I love doing that! And, I've been searching the Net for floor-plans, too. It's neat to look at the different designs and imagine living in some of those houses some day. :o) Not all of them, mind you -- LOL. But, I pick my favorites and wonder if they'd suit me and my family. I change a thing here and there, and decide what I'd like to keep or add. Most houses have an extra room/bedroom which I *always* change into a "Library"! ;-P

... Other than that, not much else is new. Life has been fairly quiet. A good thing.