Sunday, March 20, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Communication from Japan...very helpful emergency prep for families
I received this through church from a family in Japan, I am changing names to protect privacy. This is a real family and very real circumstances that we can all learn from and take heed to the advice given for the protection of our families. My heart goes out to those in Japan, our family will continue to pray for the safety, peace and comfort for those that are suffering, scared or hurt in Japan.
We're doing "fine" here. Considering what is going on around us. When the first big quake hit, around 2:45 in the afternoon on Friday, I ran to (child's) room and grabbed him out of his crib. We've had plenty of earthquakes in the 2.5 years we've been here, but this one was huge. (child) started crying and calling for me --I got him too and we huddled on the stairs away from windows and light fixtures. The two big boys were walking home from school and came in while the house was still shaking. They thought it was exciting. I sat on the stairs praying: "Please protect my kids, please protect my kids, please protect my kids..." It seemed to last forever (around 5 minutes I've heard) and then the aftershocks just kept coming and coming. They're still coming.
They evacuated the hospital and (Husband/dad) was able to come home around 4. [I can't tell you what a relief it was to have my whole entire family safe and together. And how upsetting it was/is to think of people all over Japan who have family unaccounted for. It's really hard for me whenever one of our friend's husbands is deployed.]
Since then, the power has been out and we haven't had any heat or access to phones (to the states) or Internet (except (husband/dad) getting one e-mail out from the hospital.) Friday evening we moved our friends in with us since they just shipped all of their stuff to the states in preparation for their move in two weeks. It's been nice to have them around because everyone is on edge and extremely stressed.
Yesterday they opened the commissary (No lights, cash only) and we grabbed some extra food, water and diapers. Since we have the standard Mormon "food storage" I wasn't too worried about running out of food or water, but I didn't have any spare diapers so was happy to buy three big boxes yesterday for (child).
We went to church for a shortened meeting to take the sacrament and get the news today. All members of the branch have been accounted for and we've heard that all the missionaries in Japan are accounted for. (Big relief.)
The power is now back on off-base which is how I have Internet access right now. We're at the H's house. Hopefully it stays on. I must say it was pretty frustrating to try to get into my email to contact my Mom (who's not answering the phone) and not be able to log in.
Anyway, Evidently Misawa is going to become the base for rescue operation in nearby prefectures. (Even though the coast here was hit pretty hard by a tsunami. Evidently some homes and many boats were washed away or washed inland.) We were asked at church to see what extra blankets and water we can round up to donate to the Japanese people nearby. I feel heart sick thinking of those who've lost homes and loved ones. Although you probably know much more than me, I hear the devastation is extremely great. We were lucky to be so safe on base and grateful our off-base friends and neighbors were okay.
The earthquakes haven't stopped and I spent all night last night having nightmares about running from collapsing buckling buildings. The kids are on edge and tantrums are at an all time high. They keep busy playing during the day, but when it gets dark and we have to ration flashlights and candles it gets extra hard to keep the peace.
A few things I've been wanting to tell people and note for the future:
Get an 'old school', corded phone. If the power goes out, your cordless wont work. We were lucky to have a corded phone upstairs which helped (Husband/Dad) coordinate with the Branch President to get accountability of church members. (The phones have worked on-base off and on, but we were never able to get a call through to the states.)
When the power went out, people off base couldn't get their cars out of their garage. Turns out there is a special crank to use but most of our friends didn't have it or know what it was. Luckily (friend) had parked outside and was able to get her kids to our house Friday.
We've been cooking with our camping equipment. Note to self: Buy a 50 pack of small propane tanks. We've also used our outdoor bbq (in the cold) and I'm wishing I had a spare tank of Propane for that. (We still don't have power and don't know when it will come back on On Base. Estimates have said 24 hours (we're way past that) to 1 week, to indefinite.)
While I'm making notes to myself: Buy a hand crank wheat grinder and blender! (We have a freezer full of frozen fruit to make smoothies but no way to blend them.)
Flashlights are a pain in my butt. All of our stupid Rayovac crappy-crap batteries that I had stored for an emergency, LEAKED! So the flashlights are all slowly dying, being over used by the children, and being misplaced. The best source of light the last two nights has been the pillar candles I've had in the cupboard for fancy table settings. They seem to burn pretty slow and shed a lot of light. I've gone through 3 and have 1 left. Wish I had a 20 pack of those in my 72 hour pack. It would be nice not to worry about running out.
Also, my next house will have a wood burning fire place. This all would have been much easier if we could have been warm.
Also, I'm buying all my kids a down comforter. We have one on our bed and we've been fine at night, but the kids need 20 blankets piled up to stay warm. (Actually, the two big boys each have a two layer fleece blanket which is pretty warm, but unfortunately, they're not very big.)
Poor little (child) had to spend yesterday in his snow suit to stay warm. The poor little guy must be sensing the stress because he's been quite out of sorts. He's always shivering (even when bundled) and very clingy. The kids are all confused and upset but mostly hanging in there. Like I said, it's been nice to have friends to keep us company.
Sorry, I'm rambling on and on but I've had all this stress for the last two days and my main way to process is by writing my thoughts down. So I've been going a little nuts feeling so disconnected.
A few more random thoughts:
The last two days this thought kept running through my head "All are safely gathered in.". I can't express enough how glad I was to have my family around me. Please say a prayer for our many, many friends with deployed spouses. This is a very stressful time here and it's really sucky for them to be apart.
We were very blessed on base to have running (freezing cold) water. Off base, sewer lines broke and contaminated the water supply.
Today we sang "I Need Thee Every Hour" at church. Has a lot of meaning right now.
Okay, there are other people who need to use this computer. Everyone on base is coming off base to try to contact family.
(friend's) husband (Pilot) is at work trying to coordinate rescue efforts so I should go down and help her take care of the multitude of children and get everyone some lunch.
Please pray for us (us being everyone in Japan) and if you feel so inclined, find a way to send some warm blankets to people who've lost their homes. Don't know when I'll be back on-line again, but hopefully soon.
Thanks to everyone for your concern. I knew (figured) there were people praying for us back in the states and it helped to think about that.
:)
-Wife/Mom
Hi Everyone,
We're doing "fine" here. Considering what is going on around us. When the first big quake hit, around 2:45 in the afternoon on Friday, I ran to (child's) room and grabbed him out of his crib. We've had plenty of earthquakes in the 2.5 years we've been here, but this one was huge. (child) started crying and calling for me --I got him too and we huddled on the stairs away from windows and light fixtures. The two big boys were walking home from school and came in while the house was still shaking. They thought it was exciting. I sat on the stairs praying: "Please protect my kids, please protect my kids, please protect my kids..." It seemed to last forever (around 5 minutes I've heard) and then the aftershocks just kept coming and coming. They're still coming.
They evacuated the hospital and (Husband/dad) was able to come home around 4. [I can't tell you what a relief it was to have my whole entire family safe and together. And how upsetting it was/is to think of people all over Japan who have family unaccounted for. It's really hard for me whenever one of our friend's husbands is deployed.]
Since then, the power has been out and we haven't had any heat or access to phones (to the states) or Internet (except (husband/dad) getting one e-mail out from the hospital.) Friday evening we moved our friends in with us since they just shipped all of their stuff to the states in preparation for their move in two weeks. It's been nice to have them around because everyone is on edge and extremely stressed.
Yesterday they opened the commissary (No lights, cash only) and we grabbed some extra food, water and diapers. Since we have the standard Mormon "food storage" I wasn't too worried about running out of food or water, but I didn't have any spare diapers so was happy to buy three big boxes yesterday for (child).
We went to church for a shortened meeting to take the sacrament and get the news today. All members of the branch have been accounted for and we've heard that all the missionaries in Japan are accounted for. (Big relief.)
The power is now back on off-base which is how I have Internet access right now. We're at the H's house. Hopefully it stays on. I must say it was pretty frustrating to try to get into my email to contact my Mom (who's not answering the phone) and not be able to log in.
Anyway, Evidently Misawa is going to become the base for rescue operation in nearby prefectures. (Even though the coast here was hit pretty hard by a tsunami. Evidently some homes and many boats were washed away or washed inland.) We were asked at church to see what extra blankets and water we can round up to donate to the Japanese people nearby. I feel heart sick thinking of those who've lost homes and loved ones. Although you probably know much more than me, I hear the devastation is extremely great. We were lucky to be so safe on base and grateful our off-base friends and neighbors were okay.
The earthquakes haven't stopped and I spent all night last night having nightmares about running from collapsing buckling buildings. The kids are on edge and tantrums are at an all time high. They keep busy playing during the day, but when it gets dark and we have to ration flashlights and candles it gets extra hard to keep the peace.
A few things I've been wanting to tell people and note for the future:
Get an 'old school', corded phone. If the power goes out, your cordless wont work. We were lucky to have a corded phone upstairs which helped (Husband/Dad) coordinate with the Branch President to get accountability of church members. (The phones have worked on-base off and on, but we were never able to get a call through to the states.)
When the power went out, people off base couldn't get their cars out of their garage. Turns out there is a special crank to use but most of our friends didn't have it or know what it was. Luckily (friend) had parked outside and was able to get her kids to our house Friday.
We've been cooking with our camping equipment. Note to self: Buy a 50 pack of small propane tanks. We've also used our outdoor bbq (in the cold) and I'm wishing I had a spare tank of Propane for that. (We still don't have power and don't know when it will come back on On Base. Estimates have said 24 hours (we're way past that) to 1 week, to indefinite.)
While I'm making notes to myself: Buy a hand crank wheat grinder and blender! (We have a freezer full of frozen fruit to make smoothies but no way to blend them.)
Flashlights are a pain in my butt. All of our stupid Rayovac crappy-crap batteries that I had stored for an emergency, LEAKED! So the flashlights are all slowly dying, being over used by the children, and being misplaced. The best source of light the last two nights has been the pillar candles I've had in the cupboard for fancy table settings. They seem to burn pretty slow and shed a lot of light. I've gone through 3 and have 1 left. Wish I had a 20 pack of those in my 72 hour pack. It would be nice not to worry about running out.
Also, my next house will have a wood burning fire place. This all would have been much easier if we could have been warm.
Also, I'm buying all my kids a down comforter. We have one on our bed and we've been fine at night, but the kids need 20 blankets piled up to stay warm. (Actually, the two big boys each have a two layer fleece blanket which is pretty warm, but unfortunately, they're not very big.)
Poor little (child) had to spend yesterday in his snow suit to stay warm. The poor little guy must be sensing the stress because he's been quite out of sorts. He's always shivering (even when bundled) and very clingy. The kids are all confused and upset but mostly hanging in there. Like I said, it's been nice to have friends to keep us company.
Sorry, I'm rambling on and on but I've had all this stress for the last two days and my main way to process is by writing my thoughts down. So I've been going a little nuts feeling so disconnected.
A few more random thoughts:
The last two days this thought kept running through my head "All are safely gathered in.". I can't express enough how glad I was to have my family around me. Please say a prayer for our many, many friends with deployed spouses. This is a very stressful time here and it's really sucky for them to be apart.
We were very blessed on base to have running (freezing cold) water. Off base, sewer lines broke and contaminated the water supply.
Today we sang "I Need Thee Every Hour" at church. Has a lot of meaning right now.
Okay, there are other people who need to use this computer. Everyone on base is coming off base to try to contact family.
(friend's) husband (Pilot) is at work trying to coordinate rescue efforts so I should go down and help her take care of the multitude of children and get everyone some lunch.
Please pray for us (us being everyone in Japan) and if you feel so inclined, find a way to send some warm blankets to people who've lost their homes. Don't know when I'll be back on-line again, but hopefully soon.
Thanks to everyone for your concern. I knew (figured) there were people praying for us back in the states and it helped to think about that.
:)
-Wife/Mom
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Acceptance
I was talking to a fabulous friend of mine last night and we had a familiar discussion about acceptance. I say familiar because we have talked about this before and I learned to apply it before, yet life sometimes throws us a curve ball when we least expect it and we sometimes forget life lessons and have to re-learn, re-apply and re-commit. This was the case for me recently. During my time of self-healing, which let's face it, is never over...I found out about acceptance. When I say acceptance I mean accepting the reality, the facts, the truth, about ourselves, others and events that occur in our lives. When we choose to accept what is, then we free ourselves. We empower ourselves. We are ready then to forgive, act and move on. I encourage you today to assess your life and find out if there is something that you are not accepting in your life today that is holding you back. You alone have the power to change that, to choose differently and to allow yourself to take the next step. With love - K
My vote for best men's jeans
and you boys out there...no you don't have to be metrosexual to wear these. There are many styles to choose from...Mek men's jeans. Woohoo, hang on let me fan myself:) Sorry, but these jeans are hot!
My vote for best women's jeans
I am quite opinionated on this subject...I know this is a very important decision. A pair of jeans that are comfortable, bootylicious, flattering, hip and at least somewhat affordable. Here is my pick, these will be your go to jeans ladies- trust me:
Rock Revival Stephanie 02 Boot SKU: #7596478
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
EFT Sessions
I thought I would take a moment to share the impact that EFT, Emotional Freedom Technique has had on my life. I was introduced to this technique by a dear friend and healer while going through a tremendously taxing emotional experience...divorce. I set out to find every modality I possibly could to heal what was broken in my heart, mind and body. I wanted to be healthy and happy. I noticed a huge improvement in my emotional and physical well being. EFT felt and still feels like magic to me. This dear friend encouraged me to become a practitioner. That night I found a mentor and took private sessions with her as well as her basic and advanced program. I am so profoundly grateful for this experience and the knowledge I have gained. I feel empowered and am so excited to empower others with this amazingly effective, simple modality. All my life I have longed to heal and help others. I am what they call an empath and have more often than I would like to admit, felt the pain of others. I have learned that I no longer have to do this and that it is not helpful or empowering to others to join in their pain. Instead now I offer sessions of empowerment and freedom with EFT, otherwise known as tapping. Please, do not suffer any longer. If you are struggling with depression, anxiety, physical and/or emotional trauma or any other ailment, I am here to support you and allow the best you to shine through. Contact me today and set up an appointment for a session that will free you and change your life. I am blessed to have this knowledge and I cannot wait to share it with you.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Turkey Tacos To Die For!
Those who know me well and possibly those who only slightly know me, know that I am a huge Trader Joe's fan so it will come as no surprise to you that most of the ingredients used in this dish came from TJ's. You may purchase these items wherever your little, healthy heart desires. This is a very simple, healthy dish that your whole family will love!
1 pkg organic taco seasoning
1/2 can of organic refried beans
cheese (optional)
1 can of organic tomato sauce
1-2 lbs of ground turkey meat (hormone and anti-biotic free of course)
Organic Persian cucumbers (my favorite!)
5 Avocados (organic if you can)
1 lime
fresh garlic
salt
pepper
organic lettuce of your choice
taco shells
In a skillet brown turkey in a little healthy oil, coconut oil is said to be the best. I use olive oil if I can't use coconut. Add taco seasoning and tomatoes and simmer till a bit thickened. Cook with a half can of refried beans and a little bit of cheese or soy cheese. Spoon into shells and top with guacamole (mash up avocados, add 1tsp garlic, salt, pepper and a squeeze of lime), lettuce, sliced cucumbers and yum...enjoy!
Note: If you are gluten free/dairy free you can have this recipe, just make sure the mix, tomato sauce and cheese is gluten free/dairy free:)
Immune boosting herb
Steve at Natural Healing Institute (a great school I attended) gets the credit for this one...he suggests you take a stick or two of Astragalus and cook it up in your soups or rice and serve to your family. This is a great immune booster! You can purchase Astragalus from a trusted herb company or local herb store.
Reminder: I am not a doctor, just a humble suggestion:)
Reminder: I am not a doctor, just a humble suggestion:)
Cold and Flu season blessing
Xlear nasal spray is amazing for children and adults alike! It is non-addictive and helps you drain naturally! Try to use it when you first notice signs of a cold coming on.
Reminder: I am not a doctor, just my humble opinion and suggestion for families :)
Reminder: I am not a doctor, just my humble opinion and suggestion for families :)
Welcome!
Thank you for coming to Morph Image and Lifestyle Blog! You will find tips, tricks, remedies and inspiring words and tidbits here. Enjoy!
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