DIY Gift giving fun & ideas part 1

It's that time of year where White Thursday, the day of family & thanks is followed by Black Friday. That day of chaos, greed & tempers. I avoid it. Like the plague. Never heard of White Thursday? Well we made that term up. Actually my husband did while discussing how pathetic it has become with masses greedily trampling others to save money for gifts supposedly given in love. It's rather sick when you step back and see what our society has done.

Contrary to my disdain, I do enjoy giving meaningful gifts. So lets get started on some unique and thoughtful inspiration for your list.

Thrift store remakes bring lots of enjoyment as well as easing the wallet of fabric costs. From upcycling sweaters, pants and shirts. The possibilities are awaiting you. Just remember to bring your list of fabric needs & a measuring tape. Example being the length & width of dress pants were pertinent to the first DIY below. Had to be long enough to hang on Frog's neck and wide enough to fit the Fox at it's widest without an old seem intruding.

Currently this Fox Scarf is on on my dining table awaiting it's stitch. I found a yard of fur fabric & 2 pairs of plaid pants in the thrift outlet screaming "Make me into a Fox Scarf since my wide leg cut & brass triple eyelet sides are so 90's!". Ran me a grand total of $5 for 2 scarves worth of materials, including the threads & black plastic eyes.  Frog, our youngest daughter- 8 yrs old- will be the beneficiary as tribute to that annoying yet catchy song "What does the Fox say?!" . After a few times, you hand them head phones. :

http://prudentbaby.com/2012/12/baby-kid/diy-fox-scarf-with-free-pattern/

What about the wee ones who still put things in their mouth or a robot retro loving friend? A plush toy is always nice, minus the buttons or other bits to prevent choking hazards.. Use embroidery thread and sew ribbon loops into the seam in place of the exterior additives. A boy version is on the list for our 10 month old Nephew:

http://littleinspiration.com/2012/02/diy-stuffed-robot-tutorial.html

Have a tea drinker? You can create this Tea lover straining Spoon by rolling up your sleeves & drill tiny holes into that vintage sterling silver spoon found deep within the mounds of that flatware bin!  Give with a Tea blend customized to the recipient. *This is actually a vintage Dumpling spoon from the Soviet Union. Who would have thought...

Looking for a more neutral gift? A soft warm and large winter blanket for movie cuddling is always a grand idea!You can reduce the cutting & sewing time by enlarging the squares as you would with a block quilt. Either a similar color T-shirt fabric or flannel sheet backing to hide all those stitches. Maybe add little bits of hot drink mix or a bottle of hard spirits. Our Little man, age 10 1/2 yrs old- will be a recipient of one being I find him snagging mine rather often... I will make one large enough he can grow into.

Made from sweaters with great color coordination in mind. No DIY instructions but it's simple enough to handle on your own. Just beautiful inspiration.

"I started collecting my sweaters back in October at thrift stores.  Gradually, my color palette came together based on what I could find in 100% wool.  Each time I came home with a bag of old sweaters, I would immediately felt them (in the washing machine with soap and hot water) to see how they would turn out.  Some of the sweaters became so teeny tiny after felting, I wasn't sure if I would ever have enough squares to make a quilt.  In the end, it took 10 sweaters. Not bad. I cut them all up into equal squares, laid out a patten on my dining room floor and then started sewing.  I'm not exact about these things. The backing is a piece of Shetland wool that I bought for $45, almost more than all the sweaters combined!!  Ah, well, it was worth it. My couch has never been so cozy." ~JULIE AFFLERBAUGH PHOTOGRAPHY

And as our anti Black Friday ways do have a few hiccups.. I Will shop at Thrifts on this day- less crowds and money spent in a more befitting anti salute. Panda, our oldest daughter-age 14 1/2 yrs old- will spend it with me hunting sweaters and other fab find fabrics for a few Upcycling gifts and self wants. Such as this one which combined multiple sweaters of varying thickness and texture. Not sure on the buttons, but loving the shrug style on these Upcycles:

http://www.casaturtle.com/2010/12/buttons-make-it-pretty.html#.UpiLK9JDuSo

image from http://www.modtomodern.com/

I'm still chasing some Boy & Man inspiration on DIY gifts. They prove to be a little more work. There is always food, the old saying "the way to a man's heart is his stomach" can not be lie! Especially in this day & age where most think homemade meals means adding a few ingredients to box meals... Oh my. Sometimes my cynic side can not help but jab. :smiling:

Snow has fallen, giving plenty of fires and hot cocoa moments rather early this year. Walks under the pine tree forest out back have brought upturned faces and slow twirling views. Hoping to stretch the moment just little more so it becomes embedded in one's mind. The stuff Magic is made of...

"Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments,

embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour." ~John Boswell

Wintry dreams,

~Tammie

Research before you allow the HPV vaccine

I have been viewed as being ridiculous and possible conspiracy loon when I share that my children will never receive these vaccines. From the very beginning I exclaimed the FDA allows such things on the market without doing long term down the road side effects and the possibility there are many who will roll the dice with their child's fertility later down the road. Friends I have discussed the matter with know that was my concern from the beginning  Now, with the short years of it being available, cases are popping out and of course Big Pharma (in this case Merck) is denying the possibility. But wait, look into the ingredients of this so called vaccine and you will see it truly is not dismissible. Girls as young as 6 & 9 are the recommended first round of the series.

According to the CDC, the human papilloma virus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted disease in America. More than 6 million women contract it annually, yet cervical cancer claims less than 3,900 women – most of which are due to not getting regular Pap smears. Because your immune system is usually strong enough to clear up this kind of infection on its own, and does so in more than 90 percent of all cases. The CDC even admits to this fact on their website. And, as long as you’re getting regular PAP smears, cervical cancer can be caught in its early, and easily treatable, stages.

Why tout this as though a pandemic has occurred with such urgent need to sell, nay push, this vaccine upon young girls and now onto boys? 

The sense behind their urgency as well as MANY school districts demanding our girls are HPV vaccinated does not add up except in favor of Big Pharma. $$$ This is not Polio, chicken or small Pox. The measles and so on. 

The federal government's Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) has received over 9,000 reports of problems since the vaccine's introduction in 2006, which include at least 28 spontaneous abortions, and 27 deaths.

Gardasil does contain Polysorbate-80 – a surfactant used in pharmacology to deliver certain drugs or chemical agents across the blood-brain barrier -- which has been linked to infertility in mice. 

Researchers Gajdova et.al. found that administration of Polysorbate-80 decreased the weight of the uterus and ovaries, and caused chronic estrogenic stimulation. The ovaries of the mice were also without corpora lutea (a mass of progesterone-secreting endocrine tissue that forms immediately after ovulation) and had degenerative follicles.

Does the new HPV vaccine Gardisil & Cervarix  cause infertility?  

That’s what’s being charged as the reason that the Japanese government is not supporting the release of the product.  According to NaturalNews.com, 3.28 million Japanese people have been given the vaccine and 1,968 cases have shown severe side effects. 

Another potential problem faced by parents is the Pediatrician. We have a long 14 year relationship with our office. Years ago, our doctor left for another location and we decided to go with the Nurse practitioner. She knows I will vaccinate for the regular school demand shots but refuse ALL hpv & Flu shots. They are respectable and thankfully do not push as I have heard some are doing.  

Just as Big Pharma plays on words, the AAP is now encouraging your child's doctor to do the same. Don't ask. Just TELL parents when it's time to vaccinate. The way a doctor talks about vaccines can make a difference in whether or not parents resist shots for their child, new research suggests.

Am I the only one who feels very uneasy with this push style? I may for the most part trust our Pediatrician to help look after my children's health but I will continue to respectfully scrutinize what they TELL me must be done or what is being given. Simply due to the fact they are told to play Big Brother and leave our parental questioning of such matters at the door- or possibly be told to find another doctor. I have yet to be in such a situation. Hopefully we never will. 

Now you decide. Will you roll the dice with your child's life and Fertility with a vaccine that can not as of yet be proven absolutely safe? All for a virus that 90% of the time our bodies rid /overpower on their own? 

I wont be. Hopefully you too will contemplate the seriousness surrounding this and future "new" vaccines that are rolled out to the public stamped with FDA approval without LONG term studies.

“When one with honeyed words but evil mind

Persuades the mob, great woes befall the state.” 

― Euripides, Orestes

Sweetest Dreams,

~Tammie

References:

http://www.offtheradar.co.nz/vaccines/61-infertility-concern-with-gardasil-hpv-vaccine.html

http://www.techyville.com/2013/07/news/does-the-new-hpv-vaccine-cause-infertility-the-japanese-government-backs-out/

http://www.medicaldaily.com/16-year-old-girl-becomes-infertile-after-gardisal-hpv-vaccine-loses-all-ovarian-function-goes-250241

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/health_med_fit/sisters-hpv-vaccine-injury-claim-heads-to-federal-court/article_53ce9006-cc4b-5547-b1d2-6beb49417a02.html

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/10/25/prominent-scientist-warns-of-hpv-vaccine-dangers.aspx

http://www.mhcinc.org/poc/view_doc.php?type=news&id=159507&cn=28

It's Simply Smart Independence Pt.3

Long ago, back in the 80's while I was a 14 year old girl, I came down with a horrible flu session.  With no medical insurance and being extreme poverty, a family friend was called in. I received an injection of livestock antibiotic. I can not recall what kind nor if I had even been told the variety. Just a simple fact it was from the stock on hand purchased for their livestock. It worked with no side effects and I lived to say I am proof some livestock antibiotics, using proper research on varieties for the right issue, my opinion is they CAN be used safely in humans. Some research on the subject to production has not satisfied an answer on truth to what some tout crude production methods. Not to say there may be some in that spectrum but one should question the source with further research as to make the decision before forming the opinion.
Livestock antibiotics clearly state NOT FOR HUMAN USE on the bottle you purchase off the shelf at Livestock supply stores. Should a scenario present itself where you may need antibiotics and only have access to the Livestock bottles... Well, it's better to inform now & have back up then not at all. Seeing someone you love & care for, or maybe even yourself whom many depend upon wrought with Pneumonia, strep throat or an ear infection would make those bottles a grateful sight.

You may purchase syringes at the local livestock supply as well as artery forceps, suturing needs, and so much more to stock those first aid kits beyond Pepto, bandages and iodine.
The 2 mentioned on Armageddon Medicine are what I have seen over & over expressed as ones people I know have used & keep on hand.

"The two I found most likely to be useful are Agri-Cillin (Penicillin G Procaine Injectable Suspension U.S.P., 300,000 units per mL) and Lincocin 300 (lincomycin 300 mg/mL).  The Agri-Cillin I purchased cost just under $8 for a 100 mL bottle and has an expiration date of 1 year from now.  The Lincocin was about $35.  Both require refrigeration and both state “Not for use in humans.”  http://armageddonmedicine.net/?p=6444

Another site discussing antibiotics for you to mull over Truth is Treason: http://www.truthistreason.net/guide-to-veterinary-drugs-for-human-consumption-post-shtf
Print the info out & save it in your Life Scenario binder. Better to have it on hand then wish later on you had those notes.
 There are many of us who squirrel away "just in case" for various possible scenarios. More and more are seeing the jokingly referred "Tin foil hat Brigade" is not so... well, crazy as once perceived. So much of what once was touted as impossible has become reality. More and more events have opened the eyes and minds to bring back the old wise way of forethought. Stock it up, rotate into your daily use and keep replacing it. Keep on hand those useful items that may save your lives. Medicine, food, water, shelter & safety must take a front row seat in your life. "things are nice but they serve no other purpose then to amuse you. VERY important to come to the realization NO ONE is looking out for you & yours. Our world has become every (wo)man for their self. Does not make it acceptable but reality is not always beautiful & kind. It sounds very cruel and far fetched when you wear blinders as our society designed. It is best to have forethought then regret after.

"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security, will deserve neither and lose both." ~Benjamin Franklin

Sweet dreams,
~Tammie