The Power of Peroxide

I admit, this is not really MY blog today, but it's very interesting stuff. I read the list of things you can do with peroxide online once, but I couldn't remember any of it. The following dialogue is from a forwarded email, but the list of uses for peroxide is good stuff.

"I would like to tell you of the benefits of that plain little ole bottle of 3% peroxide you can get for under $1.00 at any drug store. What does bleach cost? My husband has been in the medical field for over 36 years, and most doctors don't tell you about peroxide.

"Have you ever smelled bleach in a doctor's office?
NO!!! Why? Because it smells, and it is not healthy! Ask the nurses who work in the doctor's offices, and ask them if they use bleach at home. They are wiser and know better!

"Did you also know bleach was invented in the late 40's? It's Chlorine, folks! And it was used to kill our troops.

"Peroxide was invented during WWI. It was used to save and help cleanse the needs of our troops and hospitals. Please think about this:

1. Take one capful (the little white cap that comes with the bottle) and hold in your mouth for 10 minutes daily, then spit it out. (I do it when I bathe.) No more canker sores, and your teeth will be whiter without expensive pastes. Use it instead of mouthwash...

2. Let your toothbrushes soak in a cup of peroxide to keep them free of germs.

3. Clean your counters and table tops with peroxide to kill germs and leave a fresh smell. Simply put a little on your dishrag when you wipe down your countertops, or spray it on the counters directly.

4. After rinsing off your wooden cutting board, pour peroxide on it to Kill salmonella and other bacteria.

5. I had fungus on my feet for years until I sprayed a 50/50 mixture of Peroxide and water on them (especially the toes) every night and let dry.

6. Soak any infections or cuts in 3% peroxide for five to ten minutes several times a day. My husband has seen gangrene that would not heal with any medicine but was healed by soaking in peroxide.

7. Fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water and keep it in every bathroom to disinfect without harming your septic system like bleach or most other disinfectants will.

8. Tilt your head back and spray into nostrils with your 50/50 mixture whenever you have a cold, plugged sinus. It will bubble and help to kill the bacteria. Hold for a few minutes, and then blow your nose into a tissue.

9. If you have a terrible toothache and cannot get to a dentist right away, put a capful of 3% peroxide into your mouth and hold it for ten minutes several times a day.. The pain will lessen greatly.

10. Put half a bottle of peroxide into your bathwater to help rid boils, fungus, or other skin infections.

11. You can also add a cup of peroxide instead of bleach to a load of whites in your laundry to whiten them. If there is blood on clothing, pour it directly on the soiled spot. Let it sit for a minute, then rub it and rinse with cold water. Repeat if necessary.

12. I use peroxide to clean my mirrors. There is no smearing, which is why I love it so much for this..

"I could go on and on. It is a little brown bottle no home should be without!

"With prices of most necessities rising, I'm glad there's a way to save tons of money in such a simple, healthy manner!"

For the Mommies

Saw this on Facebook and cracked up.
Having worked with toddlers, I can sympathize a little!
:D

Reflections on March

Sorry I'm a little late, but I really want to write this blog, because I finally finished my "real" book!

March was great. It actually brought the beginning of Spring (who knew?). The snow melted away, the grass is bright green, and the plants around the apartment grounds are budding. I'm looking forward to some flowers (hopefully) outside our windows since we are on the first floor.
And as for Spring, as some of you may know from a certain Facebook status, I saw two birds enjoying eachother's company. ;) ;) Ladies and gentlemen, it's really Spring.

Books I Read:
The Host by Stephenie Meyer - that's right, the Twilight lady. I really enjoyed this sci-fi book. Meyer said in an interview that The Host is sci-fi for people who don't like sci-fi. Although the premise of the book is aliens, and the imagery is incredible, the story is really about personality, independence, and a conflict between two.......souls.
The Oath by Frank Peretti - I started this one of Robert's a while back, but I finished the last half of it a couple of weeks ago. Very good book, but too much to say here. If you want a review, ask me about it. :)
Anne of Avonlea by Maud Montgomery - another book I finished this month. A little slow, but still sweet and charming as ever.
Stalin's Children by Owen Matthews - This is the one I'm proud of, because it's nonfiction. It is a history of Russia under Stalin through the experiences of 3 generations of Matthews' family.
Boris & Martha Bibikov were separated and imprisoned during one of Stalin's purges. This left their two daughters, Lenina (12) & Lyudmila (3) orphaned and eventually also separated for many years during famine, disease, and WW II. Both daughters survived and Lyudmila grew up to fall in love with an Russophile Englishman - Mervyn Matthews. Lyudmila and Mervyn became engaged and were then separated for 6 years by the iron curtain before they were reunited. These are the author's parents. Neat huh?
Sorry that's a long synopsis, but it's a really good book if you enjoy Russian culture/history.

TV/Movies:
I've watched several movies I'd seen before this month, so...meh. The important one is:
The Big Bang Theory (Season 1) Highly recommend if you haven't seen it. Especially if you've got any nerd in you, or even know any super-nerds. (No Mom, it's not about evolution, just physicists.)

Things I made:
Hurray! We got a nice slipcover for our couch, (see the before and after photos HERE. Yes, that's the same couch ) so I needed covers for our throw pillows. I'm very happy with the way they turned out. :) The solid sides are blue corduroy and the other sides are just a cotton print.

Notable Events:
Josh Bruning moved to Cedar Rapids - yay! and we got to have dinner with him and his parents that week.
We also went to a really fun games night with our Sunday school group that was held at the Rockwell Rec Center (quite a place), including Dodgeball, WallyBall (Volleyball in a Raquetball court), and swing dancing! among other things.

Prayer Requests:
-My parents have found a house that they are going to buy in North Richland Hills, TX (nearer to my dad's church) instead of Austin, and are moving this month as well as selling their house.(sniff sniff)
-Papa has decided to move out of Austin and in with my parents in NRH (instead of the other way around), and HE is moving this month too.
-Also that my mom would be able to find a job in Ft.Worth/NRH as icing on top of the wonderful cake (house) God has given them.

But right now Robert's parents are in town and we are thrilled to have them! :D
(well not RIGHT this moment; I'm not that bad of a hostess)

The End. Whew.

The Night Before Easter

What if right now you were mourning? aching. raw. in shock. For the 3rd day after losing your pastor or father or sibling or best friend?

I know I have been raw and aching over a loved one before. Not even someone I spent every day with for 3 years. But someone innocent. Someone who made me ache.

Jesus' followers were aching and empty. Their world was black. They didn't know it was the night before Easter. For them it was just Day Two/Three. Just another day of getting out of bed. Getting stuff done. Breathing in and out. Trying to hold it together. Raw and speechless towards God. Just trying to cope, to breathe, not understand.

Many a time I have tried to get Jesus' death. A horrific, disgusting, unimaginable death that no one should die. But no matter how hard I try, it's still so far away. Sometimes it really hits me, but even then I know I'm not truly getting it.

Raw Emptiness, though. We are friends. I can get the ache and emptiness of Jesus' friends. And like I said, I didn't spend every day for 3 years with her. I don't have to live every day knowing that she suffered. Because she didn't. Jesus did.

They didn't know it was the night before Easter.

Hold on Mary. Thomas. Peter.

Sleep one more night. Go to Him in the morning to care for His body and wash it with your tears and sobs.

Hold on. Tomorrow is Easter.

My Baby

My baby's all grown up.

And when I say grown, I mean GROWN.

No more fuzzy baby Daisy. She's a wrestling, barking, shedding (and pooping) machine.

Wasn't she a cute baby though?

Now.....not so much. ;)

Pi Day

In the name of Pi,

3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209

ok, I'm done.

In case there is ANY doubt, I definitely don't have pi memorized past "3.14." That's all you need to know in high school math.

I was first introduced to Pi Day (March 14th if you haven't caught on yet) my second semester in college, when Robert's roommate made a pie for Pi Day. I knew then that this was a "holiday" I could get behind. I don't really have any great attachment to pi, considering my math education stopped at Pre-Calculus, and even that is spotty. I'm just here for the pie.

I'm very proud of my little Pi Pie (teeheehee), but I think next year I'll try to step it up like the pies I saw on Google images. However, we didn't eat pie at 1:59 am/pm on March 14 like you're SUPPOSED ;) to; we just had our pie at nine o'clock or so.

In case you missed it, Google also celebrated Pi Day with a very nice "Google doodle" as they're apparently called.

If you missed this shining opportunity to make a pie AND be nerdy, you can make up for it on Pi Approximation Day - July 22nd (22/7).

I hope everyone had a wonderful Pi Day on Sunday, I know we did!

In-Laws

Let me start off by saying that I love my in-laws. I think they are wonderful.
However, they are pretty hard to live up to.

an abandoned tank in Laos - summer vacation
(no historical markers, no tour guide for war relics, just a field full of family fun)

I have been trying to figure out why I feel so utterly unexciting in comparison to my in-laws, and I have narrowed it down to 3 major reasons. There are many more, (like, They're crazy!) but these are the pretty all-encompassing ones.

#1. They are missionaries. That right there could be the whole list of why they are exciting and I am not.

Robert & Daniel - Indonesia

#2. They lived/grew up in exciting places. ie. Borneo (Indonesia), Malaysia, Laos. The jungle.

You could feel the bump when you flew over the equator and everything. ;) (poor Mr. Whiting's gullible passengers...)

Carolyn, Robert, Daniel, & Michael

#3. When you go to boarding school, you get in all the possible family adventures you can during Christmas and summer break.
This principle transitioned into college perfectly, and since Michael and Carolyn commute from home, they are in a perpetual state of Whiting family adventures. They go skiing, white water rafting, geocaching, and recently visited a ghost town.

Daniel & Robert - skiing in Idaho

So, I think you get the idea. Fortunately, I have gotten to spend quality time with them doing boring run-of-the-mill things to compensate. I have eaten cereal for breakfast with them; I have complained about homework with Carolyn (not that she EVER complains); I have enjoyed brotherly banter with Michael; I have listened to Larry snore during cheesy movies at home :D
and I have had wonderful heart-to-hearts with my dear mother-in-law, Linda.

Notice anybody missing? That's right. Daniel. The only time I have spent with Daniel was during the wedding, which anybody who's gotten married knows doesn't really count for getting to know someone. Sorry Daniel. Thus, all I know of Daniel is from pictures and stories. And when you tell stories about your big brother, you don't tell stories about the time that you did a puzzle together, you tell stories about swimming in a cave together!

Daniel & Robert
pretty self-explanatory

See, last night at dinner, Robert was telling me that he got to talk to Daniel yesterday, and giving me the highlights. Robert was telling me that Daniel now has time/energy to cook real food again (as oppose to Bachelor Ramen), and the following conversation ensued.

Becca: "Stop. Daniel buys groceries????"
Robert: "Yah?"
Becca: "I feel like I've just been told that my favorite super hero drinks milk."
laughter from Robert
Becca: "No, you don't understand. I can picture Daniel scaling a cliff, or climbing a bridge, or swimming in a cave, but I can NOT picture him pushing a grocery cart through WalMart!"

I mean, maybe riding a grocery cart through WalMart (there is a picture of this somewhere too.) But walking through produce (choosing something blue and spiky), or worse yet - canned food (completely devoid of imaginative opportunities) is just completely beyond me.

So here's to my distant, super-hero brother-in-law,

Enjoy your produce!