Holly

Holly is one of my favorite plants. The photo up top is from a mansion in England near Birmingham. There was a wall running close to the estate and it was covered with holly.

Did you know that birds find their shelter in holly when they are pursued by their enemies? Holly is an important food source for many bird species. It is relatively toxic for humans, though.

Some holly species are boiled to make maté, a caffeine rich drink. The wood of the holly plant is hard and white and is traditionally used to make the white chess pieces.

What I love the most about holly is that although it can be a prickly plant, the wood is hard and when sanded smooth, can be used in building a spinning rod for looms. The holly wood was so smooth, it wouldn't snag the threads.

People are a lot like holly. We start out a little toxic, but the more we allow God to work in us, the more productive we are. We can become refuges for people who are running from their enemies. We can feed and shelter people in need.

But only when we are cut and sanded smooth and we be useful in creating something totally new.

I have gone through a lot of sanding in 2010 and I am more than ready to move on. I would have been satisfied just to be cut up and boiled and be served as a drink. I kind of like maté, by the way. But no, I had to be cut, all the outer wood stripped off and sanded again and again. I certainly don't want to be made into just another chess piece on someone else's board.

I hope that I can be made into the rod that will spin something beautiful for all the pain I've gone through. My personal life has been turned upside down several times between the end of 2009 and 2010.

I have had to be stripped down to the basic minimum and make some priority choices which were tough to do. I have cut out all extra activities to focus on my family and my job and some aspects of ministry that were important to me and where I knew I was productive.

Some days have felt empty because I had gotten so used to living off of adrenaline and rushing from one thing to another.

In June, my jewelry business was officially closed. That was a mixed blessing and relief. H huge chink of my time was handed back to me on a silver platter. And the scary thing was I didn't know what in the world to do with this time.

Sometimes it's a good thing to have time to think.

I will try to reclaim my lost journaling this year. That has been a huge loss for me. I can deal with personal feelings so much better when I journal.

As I write this, I guess I realize the sanding isn't done. But I know I won't be just a chess piece in someone else's game.

Merry Christmas

It's a quiet day here and still snowing.

Dan and I got out and bought each other's gifts.

Made 2 pies and mini croissants.

And this is the look I get. Where's the beef?

I'm a bag a junkie

Not bad for 5 big euros!?!

Dessert by Timothé

Look at the great dessert our son in law made for dinner. "figs à l'italienne"


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Location:Promenade Piétons,Gennevilliers,France

Reliv European Conference

What an awesome couple of days! It was so fun seeing each other. The stories on how Reliv had changed lives of so many people, both health and finances was amazing!

The big highlight for me was meeting Margaret Richardson who started the Reliv feeding program in many Asian nations. Her session was awesome, there was hardly a dry eye in the place!

Squash and lentil soup packed with flavour, vitamins

This looks good. I got this recipe via Reliv's Tweet

Squash and lentil soup packed with flavour, vitamins

Reliv: The Mission

I will be hosting a conference call on this wonderful foundation. I will be interviewing Margaret Richardson to hear about her heart and soul work of feeding the garbage dump kids in the Philippines.

Thursday October 14 at 9 pm France, 3 pm Eastern, 2 pm Central and 1 pm Mountain time

1 866 314 3683 code 4689058#

If you love children and have a humanitarian heart, you won't want to miss this. Reliv has a fantastic way of changing lives!

Reliv: The Products

Strike!

The great metro strike is on today. Two of my kids had no school. One had limited classes and a student induced blockade to go through in order to go to class. One kid had class all day. You can classify them in your imagination on who was the happiest and the most disgusted of the bunch.

The big plus for me was that I drank my Reliv shake and went back to bed once the oldest got out the door. Bliss of working at home.

Reliv

This was the first video I saw of Reliv and it really intrigued me.
Now I've been using these products since January 2009 and I have no more chronic sinus infections, no more joint pain or foot pain.

View from Eileen and Robin's

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This is the view from Eileen and Robin's top upstairs room. I can handle a view like that every day, couldn't you? They're just opening their home to visitors so stay tuned, I'll give you more details if you'd like to pay them a visit. The surrounding area is charming and they're not terribly far from the coast. A day trip to the beach is very doable.

Eileen had gorgeous flowers

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I loved these little blue things.

Pont Audemer

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I just loved these canals.

Pont Audemer

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This town is known as the little Venise of France. The canals are so cute.

Eglise de Saint Ouen, Pont Audemer

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It was quite impressive.

Saint Ouen at Pont Audemer

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Here is a close up of the church. Lots of gargoyles. I didn't take any inside. I have a thing about photographing insides of churches. I don't know why. I don't like to infringe on someone's personal worship I guess. The inside was full of about 15 mini chapels all dedicated to some saint or another.

Flowers on the Church of Saint Ouen

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We spent a day at Pont Audemer. Here is a close up of the flowers on the church.

the beach at Trouville Sur Mer

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This Old House

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You can't get much older than this. 1750! Just behind this lovely place was the chateau to which this building belongs. It is really in the middle of no where! Bit by bit Robin and Eileen are remodeling the place, keeping with the original spirit of the the home.

Robin and Eileen

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We were thrilled to meet this lovely couple near Etréville, France. They have a house that dates back to 1750 that they're opening as sort of a bed and breakfast.

Just a couple wedding pics....

My Page - SURVIVE FRANCE NETWORK

My Page - SURVIVE FRANCE NETWORK

Zoé-Louise's new haircut

It feels like vacation!
Isaac got back from youth camp all happy and pumped!  Thanks to Lyd and Tim!
We had a super church picnic today.
I feel really relaxed for once.  It's been a while since I felt this good!
We have a marvelous meeting planned for Tuesday with the Felgers.  I can't wait to see them again.  They are the top distributors with Reliv and they're doing a meeting then coming to our place after. Very lovely couple and they have some great labs for pets.

I got radical with Flylady thanks to Gabrielle.  I emptied a wardrobe, redid the hutch, found some new dishes and summer clothes that I'd put away so well-ahem-. We had a ton of garbage to put out tomorrow and the house feels and looks 100 tons better and lighter.

what I forgot to say

I was writing the last post late at night!  I forgot to say, that, when she grabbed my billfold, I grabbed it back and screamed my head off.  ME? Can you imagine?

My evening pickpocket

I had an eventful metro ride tonight.  As I was getting on the train with Dan, Martin and John-Nathan, people started pushing us from behind to get on the train.  Nothing strange for Paris.  I felt someone unzip my purse and it suddenly got lighter! I turned around and before I knew it started, yelling at this teen age girl.  She had my billfold under her sweater that was hanging over her arm.  The two girls and one guy with her, hopped off the train when she grabbed my billfold and she hopped off when I started screaming and the train pulled away.

Waiting for the train

We are celebrating Timothé's birthday tonight. Grill at his folks' house.



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Location:Promenade Piétons,Gennevilliers,France

Laughing. Loving

I am thrilled to announce that the wedding went so well. It rained so all the photos were taken indoors. Gabrielle was gorgeous and Auguste was gallant. Photos to come

Lydia and Timothé announced the arrival of a new lil Pfister for March. Life is rolling on fast!!

We are enjoying our nieces and nephew. We're playing the tourist this week. Today was Eiffel Tower and the Rodin Garden.

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Location:Rue du Colonel Delorme,Montreuil,France

same garden

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I took this one upside down.

Isaac and Zoé-louise

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Isaac shouted from the other side of the flowers, "Mom come take a picture!" I'm glad I did.

Close up of hortensia

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I love close ups of flowers.

Tiger Lily?

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I love these flowers.

Leaf

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Gorgeous leaf in the Rodin Garden

Searching for this handbag.

I'm looking for this handbag.  I love it but not the price.  327€.  I don't think so.

A funky color besides black would be ok, but not green. Red/bordeaux is good.  Navy would be sweet too.

I do have a birthday coming up in September.

Why am I a handbag junkie?

QT

Today's Topic: God's will is joy!

Author: Jerry Savelle

Verse(s): Philippians 4:4

Devotional: Do you have the joy? There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man:  but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that  ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 The problem with most of us is that we get tunnel-visioned;  so focused on the trials, that we quit looking for a way out.  All we do is talk about the trial. We need to do exactly what God says . REJOICE! Why does He want us to rejoice? The joy of the Lord is our strength!  If you don’t have joy, you won’t have strength. Joy comes from the Word. You have to read the Word constantly  to have joy. You may sleep and slumber, but the devil won’t.  The moment you open your eyes, he’ll say, “You’re not going to make it.  This trial is too much for you!” But the devil doesn’t have any defense against joy. Let me tell you what it means to rejoice. One meaning of the Hebrew  word rejoice is “to brighten up.” Put a big smile on your face.  Another meaning is “to spin around.” A third meaning is “to leap.”  So, the next time you’re in a trial, here’s the way you’re going to respond:  smile, spin and leap!! Today’s Scripture Meditation Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4 Be ye doers of the Word… I refuse to be controlled by my feelings. I choose  to rejoice in the Lord today. I choose to be joyful and make a joyful noise.  I choose to give praise to my Lord and Savior.

Summer is almost here...vacation that is...

My plans for the summer are:

-prepare for company coming from the States
- marry off daughter numero uno.  This has been a stress free wedding so far
-sightsee Paris with our guests
-collapse afterwards
-get our 3 youngest ready for camp the 1st of August
-during the time they are at camp, I'll have some quiet time

Almost summer vacation

I can handle this forecast. The week ahead looks full. Dan is in Israel til Friday. Do not ask about this. It's a sanctification thing for me.

I have to enroll J-N in high school. The high school sent the papers late and his present school did not give him his latest report card so I already have a missing element for the meeting tomorrow. I love it.

Our dog is turning into a real baby. Two nights in a row I woke to Thaé's whining and the hall light on. Then on the third night Isaac experienced the same thing. Now I knew I wasn't nuts. The crazy dog can turn on the light. He even tries to open Isaac's door. He probably could if we had a handle type door knob.

I'm moving his bed to the living room while Dan is gone so I can hold his paw if he whines.

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Cheeseburger Soup

Fresh bread and cheeseburger soup in the crockpot tonight!


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Looking more hopeful as the week goes on.

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Kindle for Mac/iPhone

Oh my gosh, I think I'm going to be really really happy this summer. Not only have I ordered the next book club book and that dragon tattoo girl book. Sorry the title escapes me and I'm too lazy to google right now. I found Kindle for iPhone and Mac. I heard so many talk about the Kindle and I assumed it was only the device. Little did I know that it was available for Mac and iPhone. I have been a downloading maven today.

I downloaded the Heaven devotional and several books for F°R°E°E°, people!!!

I found a very very cool site called Survive France.

What I need now is a great guide on exploring Paris on foot.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/06/09/article-0-09F6EF96000005DC-590_306x423.jpg

Is this the world's oldest shoe? 5,000-year-old leather-laced size 4 found in cave in Armenia

By David Derbyshire
Last updated at 10:09 AM on 10th June 2010


Created more than 5,500 years ago at the dawn of civilisation this perfectly preserved brown leather lace-up is the oldest shoe in the world
For lovers of fashion, it's the ultimate vintage shoe.

Created more than 5,500 years ago at the dawn of civilisation this perfectly preserved brown leather lace-up is the oldest shoe in the world.

It was created from a piece of cow hide 1,000 years before the Great Pyramid of Giza and stitched together with leather thread.

The size 4 shoe - discovered buried in a cave in Armenia - is so well preserved that its lace is still intact.

Archaeologists say it probably belonged to a woman who deliberately buried it in the cave during a mysterious ritual. The cave also contained three pots, each containing a child's skull, along with containers of barley, wheat and apricot.

For Dr Ron Pinhasi, University College Cork, the shoe is a discovery of a lifetime.

'We thought initially that the shoe and other objects were about 600-700 years old because they were in such good condition,' said Dr Pinhasi.

'When we discovered that the shoe dated back to 3,500 BC and that it was the oldest leather shoe, we were very excited.'

The shoe was worn by an early farmer living in the mountains of Vayotz Dzor province of Armenia close to the border of modern-day Turkey and Iran.

The region was on the edge of the Fertile Crescent - the great sweep of land that gave birth to the first towns, cities and farms.

It was made from a single piece of leather, tanned using vegetable oil, and shaped to fit the wearer's foot. It contained grass, although archaeologists are unsure whether this was to keep out the cold, or maintain the shape of the shoe .


The shoe was made from a single piece of leather, tanned using vegetable oil, and shaped to fit the wearer's foot

This is the cave pit where the shoe was found. It is believed to have been worn by a farmer living in the mountains of Vayotz Dzor province of Armenia close to the border of modern-day Turkey and Iran
It was laced using a strip of leather threatened through slits. At some point in its life, one of the slits tore - forcing the wearer to make repairs by recutting another gash for the lace.

'It is not known whether the shoe belonged to a man or a woman,' said Dr Pinhasi, who reports the findings in the journal PLoS One.

However, the small size makes it most likely that it belonged to a woman, he added.

The cool and dry conditions in the cave helped preserve the shoe which appears to have been buried in the ground on its own. The floor was covered with a thick layer of sheep dung which helped conserve the shoe and other finds.

Three samples of the shoe were carefully radiocarbon-dated at laboratories at Oxford University and the University of California, Irvine.

The shoe was discovered by Armenian PhD student, Diana Zardaryan, of the Institute of Archaeology, Armenia, in a pit that also included a broken pot and sheep's horns.

Researcher Dr Gregory Areshian, of the University of California, Los Angeles, said: 'We couldn't believe the discovery. The crusts had sealed the artefacts and archaeological deposits and artefacts remained fresh dried, just like they were put in a can.'


The top and bottom close-up images show in detail how the shoe was laced together with a strip of leather. The image on the right shows its smooth sole

The entrance to an Armenian cave, marked with blue plastic in the centre of the picture where the shoe was found
The previous oldest known footwear were sandals made from plants found in a cave in Missouri. They were made and worn a few hundred years after the Armenian shoe.

The design is similar to the 'pampooties' worn on the Aran Islands in the West of Ireland up to the 1950s.

'We do not know yet what the shoe or other objects were doing in the cave or what the purpose of the cave was,' said Dr Pinhasi.

'We know that there are children's graves at the back of the cave but so little is known about this period that we cannot say with any certainty why all these different objects were found together.'

Armenia's climate 5,500 years ago was similar to today's - hot in the summer, snowy in winter. The owner of the shoe would have worn wool and leather clothes, and relied on the shoes for protection as she walked around the rocky terrain.

The shoe may have been made locally, or traded with the more sophisticated towns and villages in the heart of Mesopotamia, Dr Pinhasi added.


The spot in Armenia, marked with a red square, where the ancient shoe was discovered in the old 'fertile belt' of Fertile Crescent


Comments (32)

Parisii

I have finally made the decision and (acted upon it) to officially close Parisii. It was a hard decision. I loved it. I loved my customers. It comes to no surprise to some of you that I'd close sometime soon.

I have some jewelry left if anyone was to buy some at lower prices.

I also have jewelry hardware that I'd be happy to sell all in a lump. Let me know if you'd be interested.

Catcher in the Rye

I'm reading "Catcher in the Rye" for book club. It has to be the most depressing thing I've ever read. Does the end get better?

Purple passion

I'm not a cleaning maven but I did get a neato Mother's Day gift.  It's the Rubba Sweepa from Flylady. Not only does it sweep really well, I used it today to get dust off the ceiling and mouldings!

Here's the link!

Just Venting

Why do people make simple things like answering phone messages a matter of stress and anxiety? 

We have quite the technology nowadays ya know.  A simple text message is a wonderful way to let people know that you hear their messages and will get back to them soon.  BUT NO.  Not even with email possibilities, certain people just leave you hanging after multiples messages and texts.

I think there should be telephone policemen to hunt down the people who don't call back after a certain number of messages.  

Book question

Well actually two. What are you reading right now?

Has anyone read The Lovely Bones?

Please vote for Thaé!

Martin enrolled Thaé is scoobydor.fr in the 'most courageous' category. You can vote for him here

http://www.scoobydor.fr/note.php?id=4575

It would be fun for Martin if he wins!

The forecast for this week

Not looking too hopeful.



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I am enjoying a quiet Sunday afternoon.  We'd had special meetings all week long, I didn't get to all of them because of work.  But I'm glad to have hubby doing up fries for supper. Pink Panther is on tv and up cuddled up with our little Miss.

I've found an awesome application for notes called Evernote. It's handy because I can use it on my iPhone and it syncs automatically. I'm trying to eliminate all my post its.

Thaé is doing so much better but with feeling better comes the desire to rip off his bandage. I've rebandaged him 3 times today.  I'm going to the vet tomorrow and get the dreaded cone to put around his neck.

I have the itch to sew.  I have to admit I haven't sewn much in the last few years. My super fabric guy that used to come to our Friday market doesn't come anymore so I don't have any close fabric stores that I like. I need to make business casual type outfits so I can wear them for conferences and presentations. Since I'm more mature now-ahem-I was thinking of abandoning black and red and going with grey instead. I can't abandon red.  That would be scandalous.

Nice day out even though not nearly sunny enough for me.


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Location:St Mandé

The Nose

I have this crazy lab that has the most sensitive nose. Here it is at work as you see from my new title!

2010 Sunday, April 25 I'm enjoying 5 minutes of quiet to write, which will end quickly because I just heard the car pull up. Just a few notes to jot down. I'm really enjoying my new MacBook. It's easy to use and now I have the mini DV to hook it up to the video projector for Reliv presentations. With the new computer and the prompting of my daughter Lydia, I installed Gotomeeting to facilitate presentations. I'm amazed I can so easily use this program. I'm still on the trial usage, so when payment time rolls around, we'll probably split it down the middle between us. It's a practical way to share my screen with up to 16 people. Working at home has it's perks now that I have a notebook. I'm usually comfortably installed on the couch now, rather at a desk. Thaé is my contant companion. We had a bit of a scare with him recently. He had a sort of growth on the side of his abdomen. The vet operated and found a huge tumor. I'm playing doggie nurse now, checking his drain and popping horse pills in his mouth twice a day. He's a very good patient. Just wondering if anyone has read, "Organizing for Your Brain Type",

In my crockpot

I was planning to be out tonight so I cut up leftover potatoes with onion, browned ground beef and I stirred up some eggs. All in the crock with salt and pepper. I'll serve a salad on the side. Easy and yummy, breakfast at night!!

Come join me!

Hey I'm sharing my health and business story on a phone call at 8:30 pm England time that's 3:30 pm NY time. Message/email me at macmom6@yahoo.com if you want to listen!! This is an honor for me and I wanted to share it with you!

Devotional Jan. 5

Jan 5 - You are Righteous

"...not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith."
(Philippians 3:9)

Dear Shelby,

I don't care how badly you may have messed things up yesterday or how many mistakes you have made, I want you to begin this day knowing you are righteous! Not because of anything you've done but because you've received, by faith in Jesus, the very righteousness of God.

Just look at the kinds of benefits the Word of God says that righteousness will bring:

"The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree" (Ps. 92:12).

"When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth" (Prov. 11:10).

"The seed of the righteous shall be delivered" (Prov. 11:21).

"For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers" (1 Pet. 3:12).

"For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield" (Ps. 5:12).

"The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles" (Ps. 34:17).

"I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread" (Ps. 37:25).

"The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein forever" (Ps. 37:29).

"The Lord loveth the righteous" (Ps. 146:8).

Don't let the devil rob you of even one of these blessings by telling you you're unworthy of them. Run him off. Shout out loud, "I am the righteousness of God!" Then step out in faith and enjoy the privileges God has prepared for you!

Scripture Study: Romans 3:21-28





Kenneth Copeland Ministries
Fort Worth, TX


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Keeping up momentum

I wish I could bottle all my good ideas and motivation on a Monday and use it a little at a time all week. How do you keep up your momentum?

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What kids do to dogs

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New Years Day Stew

Feeling lazy today. When I got up at **cough** noon, I put about 2lbs of stew beef, a pack of onion soup mix





and a can of coke plus 2 large packs of mixed veg on the crock. It will be yummy! I season to taste before I serve.

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