Flat Warts...a cure!

I have been waiting for three years to say that Jacelyn's skin has cleared up from the one hundred plus warts that have been covering her face and hands.

Most of our family didn't even know she was suffering from them as we didn't say much or want her to be constantly showing people for fear that it would cause her to become self-conscious over time.
And this past month at a family function it finally happened: she began getting teased over the bumps on her skin.  Shortly prior to this the warts had been getting attention at school as well.  She began to cry over the look of her skin, as she had been told that someone they knew died from them.
I laughingly explained to her again what they were and that they would take years to go away but that no, they weren't fatal.
Last summer I took her to a dermatologist, who put her on a heartburn medication three times daily.  The disgusting concoction made me feel sick, and I felt horrible at giving it to her constantly.  She would gag and retch but soon became accostomed to it as she knew there was no other choice.  Every two weeks I had to refill the solution at the pharmacy, which costed us about 40.00 per month.
This was supposed to last three weeks to three months.  Nothing was happening, and they were spreading down her face to her neck by this point.  So back we went, and he not only put her on an acid solution for her face, but he saw that Charlie had a few spots as well and prescribed her the same acid and heartburn medication.
So I did some research...you all know how I LOVE to do that.
What I found disturbed me regarding the continuous use of the Cimetidine medication, which included decreased natural bile and acid secretion into the stomach and creating problems down the road due to that.  Then the next day I was shocked: her skin was peeling profusely and was painful; a chemical burn was forming before my eyes.
I of course couldn't take her to Edmonton to the derm again on short notice and so went to the pharmacist.  His direction: stop it, immediately, he said.  He said it shouldn't even been prescribed.
My eyebrows shot up at this! Really, I said.  Now what??
He took me aside and asked had I tried a more natural, herbal go at the warts.  No, I hadn't.  Tea Tree Oil, he said, and got me a bottle.
So I took it home and started applying it three times a day...which is over three hundred dots to poke at with an oil drenched Q-tip, my friends.  :)
After a week of this I stumbled upon an website called "Amoils", or Healing Natural Oils.

http://www.amoils.com/

I read all the reviews and my finger hovered over the "Buy Now" button.. what if it's a scam, I thought?
I just had to try, and so I bought a little bottle.
Firstly for a month nothing happened.  I was dejected; I felt scammed and cheated.  Then the warts grew and got red, where as before the clusters were noticeable but at least only up close.  Now they looked like horrible acne.  People were always concerned and asking what happened to her face?  Then, two weeks later, they started to flake away.
We are now half way through a bit of a bigger bottle, and she is almost completely wart FREE.
Each day I can't believe my eyes, as for a month they seemed to be doing nothing.  But the key is consistency, and not to miss dabbing the oil on the warts three times a day.
I strongly urge any of you to give it a try...planter's, flat (plane), or any kind of wart you may have.
There are only five ingredients, and all of them are essential oils, including Tea Tree Oil.

This morning I took the final pictures as there are only markings really that are left, and by the way the rest disappeared I'm expecting those to be gone in a week as well.

BEFORE: JANUARY 3, 2013

AFTER: FEBRUARY 21, 2013

AFTER: FEBRUARY 28, 2013

As I said, I fully expect Jacey's skin to be back to normal in the next week or so. 

:)

Anti-bullying Day

Think back all the way to high school. I know for some of you that's waaaay back. Had you ever been bullied by someone who thought they were bigger/better/smarter/prettier/ than you? At the time did you ever tell yourself, or more sadly, ever have an adult tell you that is a normal part of growing up?
I think we all have. Some maybe not to the extent of others. But all kids do go through bullying at one time or another in their lives. And it doesn't end there: most adults will experience some form of bullying as well. The key is to recognize it for what it is, take a stand against it, and speak your mind.  Let me ask you this: have you stood up for someone else that was being bullied right in front of you? Not many do.
I believe in respecting my elders, as do most if us, as it was drilled into us as children. But children are people too. They have rights, feelings, and a place in this world just as much as adults do. I teach my children the same things we were taught, but also to stand up for themselves. They have a voice, and in the precence of a bullier they are to use it, even if said bullier is an adult.
The problem with bullying in this day and age is that it is easily accessible with the Internet available at our children's fingertips by way of computers, iPods, and iPads. Knowing proper etiquette via the Internet is tough for them as the maturity level isn't there to cope with sarcasm and any subsequent bullying that may be going on. Before long, taunts and name calling and kids puffed up on the rush of anonymity that speaking from behind a computer screen brings causes a big problem fast.
In our house there are no group messages allowed. We have to approve friends that are added as contacts and our son knows we check his messages routinely.  We think this is important in order to control what goes on between he and his friends over the Internet. He also knows to make others feel or treat others in any way he would want to be spoken and treated.
On days like today when the anti bullying campaign is in full force I always remember the feelings of helplessness and dispair I felt when bullied. When people say horrible things over and over its easy to begin feeling that way about yourself. Taunts became threats, and soon threats became fists. It's hard to see in front of you when your binder is in front of your face to deflect the spit landing on it.
My husband knows about bullying very personally as well, having had to take different routes home almost everyday just to escape his attackers. All of these things and so much more happened to us, and I don't mention them to get sympathy but rather to raise awareness. We never mentioned these things to our parents, and when we did it was either too late to matter much or dismissed.
Do parents really know the suffering that bullied kids go through?  No, probably not. Most, like myself and my husband when we were kids, think that parental interference would make things worse.
I don't believe this, and I don't hold much respect at all for those parents who know how their child may be struggling and don't do anything about it.
Go to the source. Take a stand for your children. Fight for them and their rights. Because our kids have a right to live the best life they can live, and enjoy everything it has to offer. They don't deserve to walk with their heads hung low, retreating into themselves so far that the only option they see to the end of their misery is taking a gun to school.

Nothing New...

After a week of a horrible gastroenteritis virus sweeping through the house and attacking primarily Charlie, who's three, and myself, I haven't felt like blogging at all.  There really wasn't anything to say except that one side of my couch is softer than the other.
Also, things at the house haven't changed much at all either, as how exciting can one more layer of drywall compound actually be?  The outside view doesn't look that different either, and the shake style siding is in the garage and will go up soon with the rest of the brown siding.

House Build

We met our friends over at the house today and had some Tim's while we walked around looking at the first coat of mud and tape.  Things are looking good and we are on schedule.  The projected move in date was for May.

Next on our list of things to do is take our tape measure to the house to see if we need to order two love seats or a couch and love seat for the living room.  I am saying two love seats but Mike thinks that we will be fine with the couch.  We will see I guess, and then get them ordered this week.  It can take anywhere from six weeks to three months for the furniture to come in, depending on when it gets ordered.  So we gotta get cracking on that.  We shopped at every store here in town and decided on our original selection at La-Z-Boy, which is the "Reese" collection.  We wanted a streamlined leather that reclines and will last for years and years.  According to reviews we chose the right stuff.

I finally found the perfect hanger for the sign I made to hang beside the laundry room door.  I distressed the sign before painting on the letters then lightly distressed it again to make the word a bit faded.  I sprayed some sealer on it as it will be in a humid environment and now I just have to hang it from the hanger.

House Build

Entry/ stairs.  I'm really loving the walk in front closet.

Front entry

Family room in basement

Kitchen

Charlie loves to walk around her bedroom that "no one has to share with me no more"

The siding is coming along slowly but surely.  Can't wait for the deck to be finished.  When it is, you can bet we'll have a beer on it to celebrate. :)

Scrapbook Corner

papers: "grow" @ sweet shop designs
elements: "grow" , "blooming", and "no place like home" @ sweet shop designs

It felt so good to be starting on some new scrapbook layouts that I managed to get two done today!
Simply titled "Cousins", I was happy with the color combination and they seemed cheerful for a layout that is all about kids.  I love combining colors and textures together, but with digital scrapping it's hard to relay textiles through a computer screen.  So I add shadowing when I can to bring an item to the foreground with a bit of 3D effect to get that feeling of something across to the viewer.  That way, when I print out the 12x12 page for my scrapbook, people actually touch the picture to see what that stitch or this ribbon feels like.  Only to find that they are indeed just a part of the picture.

Next project in mind: taking the kids out into the snow and warmer temperatures to get some cool winter shots.  I will definitely be using my polarizing lens to better capture that stark contrast between snow and blue sky that makes you want to catch you breath.  Stay tuned. :)

Looks like a house, yep it's a house.

In the last few weeks a lot has been done.  The last of the framing has been done, giving us a huge closet next to the butler's pantry.  I have plans for that one: big items like toilet paper, paper towel, light bulbs and my numerous cleaning supplies will be housed there.

Walking around today was wonderful (if we didn't have to listen to three children bickering and fighting in the background). 

I had some kind of bacterial nastiness in my tonsils and glands, making the most part of my week miserable.  To top it all off Mike was gone for three of them to a conference in Calgary.  Now that most of that has passed I have gotten caught up on all my housework, and even washed down some walls in preparation to get moved out and into our new house in a few months.

View of the entryway with the corner coat closet.

Main floor hallway

Entryway again; lots of light coming through which makes us happy

Living room

Looking through the living room to the dining room.  Hi guys!

Kitchen.  You can just make out the drawings for the half-hexagonal island on the floor

Butler's pantry to the right and closet to the left.

This is the home of my future Gallery wall display.  Very excited about that.

Charlie in the corner of the entry coat closet.

This week the rest of the drywall will be finished, and the front porch is coming along nicely too.  It faces east and I'm looking forward to years of sitting curled up with my tea out there.  It will be one of my favorite places I'm sure.