Navy, Marines, Army, Air Force & COAST GUARDS

Most every one thinks there are only four branches to our Military... Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force, but there are five and the fifth is the U.S. COAST GUARD! The Coast Guard is just as important as the rest of the branches. If you are not familiar with the Coast Guard, then look them up and see for yourselves just what they do and how they also help to protect and serve the U.S.A.!

A Silent Cherokee Prayer

This Cherokee Prayer has simple words that have a big impact!

Family is what you make it to be.

Sometimes you need to walk away and let it go. When it's blood...family, more times than not that is very hard to do. But then you should ask your self, is it worth it to stay in this turmoil?
Is it worth it walking on pins and needles? Is it really worth having to go through all the crap you do just to try and keep it, the family together when it's so very obvious that the other family member/s don't really care one way or the other? When all that one member or members cares about is them selves and what they want, what they can do, what they can get? 

You try very hard to do the right thing, but what really is the "right thing?" There comes a time when you have to either suck it up and keep going on with all the drama...the B.S....the walking lightly, keeping your mouth shut and get more resentful, more upset, and let the other one/s keep you so tornup you get an ulcer, your nerves are shot and your health starts going down hill.

Is all of that worth it? Really...IS ALL OF THAT WORTH IT? You are the only one that can answer that! I know it says in the Bible that God says if you get hit on one cheek, turn the other cheek...but I also know GOD gave you a brain to use, you can take a step back or a step over to the side! It doesn't mean you have to be rude, hateful, ugly or even down right nasty. But you can stop being clobbered so to speak, take that step back! Think about the whole situation and ask your self "is it really worth all of this?" Sooner or later your going to have to take a stand or be consumed totally up by it all, and then what? It just goes from bad to worse!

A family made up of blood members is GREAT, but when you can't have that kind of family for what ever the reason, then make a family out of what you do have...more times than not friends make the best kind of family. Think about it, your friends already know how you are, your likes and dislikes, how crazy you might be or boring, and they are still your friends! They love you anyway because they are still there for you, (most already believe or feel they are part of the family anyway). Don't believe it, well ask them and see what they say. To them you are all ready a part of their family!

Doesn't mean you're a bad person if you don't want to be around other family member/s that are
total jerks. You don't have to continue to be treated the way they treat you.Who knows maybe one day they will wake up and realize what type of jerk they've been and want to do better.
We can always hope and pray for that, but if it doesn't happen at least you're not in all the garbage and you're around people you love and care about and that love and care about you!

I am strong!

Another use for Apple Cider Vingar

Horse Care – A Natural Fly spray

Another benefit of feeding your horse apple cider vinegar is to make the horse less attractive to flies and insects. Some specialists believe that horses sweat the vinegar out so that it becomes a natural horse fly spray.

Insect bites not only cause your horse itchy discomfort, they can be areas where skin bacterial and fungal infections can occur. As well, some types of hives are commonly caused by insect stings or bites.
They can cause other health risks by spreading such diseases as West Nile virus, encephalomyelitis viruses and equine infectious anemia.

Never use a commercial fly repellant containing DEET on horses (or other animals) since it can be absorbed or ingested by them and cause unwanted toxic side effects.

For those who prefer not to use insecticides for horse care, especially on foals less than 12 weeks old, try feeding your horse ACV and make up your own vinegar based natural horse fly spray that you can rub or spray onto your horse's coat as needed:

·         2 cups (500 ml) Apple Cider Vinegar

·         1 cup (250 ml) Water

·         1 cup (250 ml) Avon Skin so Soft (bath oil)

·         2 tsp. ( 10 ml) Eucalyptus oil (or citronella oil)

Mix all ingredients well and store in a handy spray bottle.

While you're at it, you can take care of all those pesky flies that hang around enclosed areas like barns or transportation trailers, by using you own homemade vinegar fly trap:

·         3 cups (750 ml) Water

·         1/4 cup (60 ml) Apple Cider Vinegar

·         1/4 cup (60 grams) Sugar

Dissolve the sugar in the vinegar solution then place in a large jar and punch holes in the lid. The flies will get in but won't be able to fly out.

For even more protection against insects and flies, try to identify the type of insect or fly bothering your horse because they all have their own preferred breeding spots and feeding times as shown in the table below, then use the appropriate horse care tips for natural fly protection listed below the table.

Fly Type Breeding Spots Feeding Time Black flies Running water Morning & late afternoon Deer flies Water & Vegetation Daytime Stable flies Manure Daytime Horn flies Cattle Daytime Mosquitoes Water Dusk to early evening NoSeeUms (Culicoides) Standing water Manure Decaying vegetation Twilight to dawn Best Horse Care Tips for Natural Fly Protection ·         Eliminate insect breeding sites as much as possible. ·         Cover manure piles and dispose of them often. ·         Remove daily from stalls and pens all manure, wet straw, and waste hay then spread thinly or compost in a covered pile. ·         Eliminate standing water that can collect in such places as cans, old tires, discarded bedding and wet organic material. ·         Stable horses at sunrise and sunset which are peak feeding times for black flies, no-see-ums and mosquitoes. ·         Install overhead stall fans to interfere with the insects flight. ·         Place fine mesh screens in all windows. (60 Squares/in2) ·         Use fly masks, bonnets, body sheets and other clothing that does not allow the flies to reach the skin. ·         Let your horse's mane and tail grow so that he will have extra swishing power. ·         Keep horses away from standing water. ·         If you don't mind having Muscovy ducks around the barn, they will remove adult house flies more than 30 times faster than the most efficient commercial devices. ***I got this information from www.apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com I hope I got it right, at any case it had apple cider vinegar benefits in it.

"Merry Christmas" everyone, and may GOD BLESS each of you!
Happy Hanukkah for my Jewish friends and GOD BLESS Israel...!!!!!!  

Legends of Christmas

Christmas Wreaths
The wreaths of Christmas are very special symbols of the season. Wreaths represent a love that knows no end. Much like the wedding bands that couples exchange when married, the wreath has no beginning and no ending. So, too, the love which came down at Christmas is eternal love, and the wreaths symbolize the love of God that never ends.

The Christmas Tree Star
Christmas Star on top of the tree for the most part represents the Star of Bethlehem. Christians see candles as "Christ's Light" and the lighting of candles on Christmas Eve comes from the Jewish "Feast of Lights" or Hanukkah.

The Candy Cane
The candy cane represents one of the oldest symbols of Christmas, the shepherd's crook, for the shepherds were among the first to experience that first Christmas. The colors of the candy cane have special meaning, too. The wide red stripe represents the sacrifice of Christ, "For by his stripes we are healed." The narrow red stripes represent our own sacrifices (giving). The white stripe is a symbol of purity. The peppermint plant is a member of the hyssop family, referred to in the Old Testament as a medicinal herb used for cleansing. As you eat your candy cane, you might want to break it, as Christ's body was broken for you, and share it with a friend, thus sharing in the sweetness of the true meaning of Christmas. 

Christmas tree
The Christmas tree, which is an evergreen with it's boughs stretched toward heaven, reminds us of the everlasting life that Christ came to bring sinners. The candles or lights on the tree remind us that Jesus is the light of the world.

The Holly
The holly leaves and berries from the holly bush are widely used in holiday decorations. The sharp pointy edges of the holly leaf remind us of the crown of thorns that Jesus wore upon his brow. The red berries remind us of the blood that Jesus shed. 

Twelve Days of Christmas 
There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas? From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments. 
-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.- 
-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.
-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament. 
-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving,  Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy. 
-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes. 
-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness,  Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control. 
-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments. 
-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples. 
-The twelve drummers drumming 

Just a little trivia for Christmas to see how many knew about some of the legends of/for Christmas.