Wrapsacks

Here's a really cool way to wrap your gifts! These are reusable gift bags whose journey you can track on line! There are blank cards and other items too!
It's like giving two gifts in one!

Check them out at:
http://wrapsacks.com/

Social Security Compassionate Allowances

Social Security will provide benefits quickly to applicants whose medical conditions are so serious that their conditions obviously meet disability standards.
These benefits are for the most obviously disabled individuals that can be targeted for allowances based on objective medical information that they can obtain quickly.
Go to the website for more in depth information at:

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/compassionateallowances/

The list which follows may expand over time.
The List of Conditions that have been selected for the initiative's rollout.

1 Acute Leukemia
2 Adrenal Cancer - with distant metastases or inoperable, unresectable or recurrent
3 Alexander Disease (ALX) - Neonatal and Infantile
4 Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
5 Anaplastic Adrenal Cancer - with distant metastases or inoperable, unresectable or recurrent
6 Astrocytoma - Grade III and IV
7 Bladder Cancer - with distant metastases or inoperable or unresectable
8 Bone Cancer - with distant metastases or inoperable or unresectable
9 Breast Cancer - with distant metastases or inoperable or unresectable
10 Canavan Disease (CD)
11 Cerebro Oculo Facio Skeletal (COFS) Syndrome
12 Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) - Blast Phase
13 Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) - Adult
14 Ependymoblastoma (Child Brain Tumor)
15 Esophageal Cancer
16 Farber's Disease (FD) - Infantile
17 Friedreichs Ataxia (FRDA)
18 Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), Picks Disease -Type A - Adult
19 Gallbladder Cancer
20 Gaucher Disease (GD) - Type 2
21 Glioblastoma Multiforme (Brain Tumor)
22 Head and Neck Cancers - with distant metastasis or inoperable or uresectable
23 Infantile Neuroaxonal Dystrophy (INAD)
24 Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC)
25 Kidney Cancer - inoperable or unresectable
26 Krabbe Disease (KD) - Infantile
27 Large Intestine Cancer - with distant metastasis or inoperable, unresectable or recurrent
28 Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome (LNS)
29 Liver Cancer
30 Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL)
31 Metachromatic Leukodystrophy (MLD) - Late Infantile
32 Niemann-Pick Disease (NPD) - Type A
33 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer - with metastases to or beyond the hilar nodes or inoperable, unresectable or recurrent
34 Ornithine Transcarbamylase (OTC) Deficiency
35 Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) - Type II
36 Ovarian Cancer - with distant metastases or inoperable or unresectable
37 Pancreatic Cancer
38 Peritoneal Mesothelioma
39 Pleural Mesothelioma
40 Pompe Disease - Infantile
41 Rett (RTT) Syndrome
42 Salivary Tumors
43 Sandhoff Disease
44 Small Cell Cancer (of the Large Intestine, Ovary, Prostate, or Uterus)
45 Small Cell Lung Cancer
46 Small Intestine Cancer - with distant metastases or inoperable, unresectable or recurrent
47 Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) - Types 0 And 1
48 Stomach Cancer - with distant metastases or inoperable, unresectable or recurrent
49 Thyroid Cancer
50 Ureter Cancer - with distant metastases or inoperable, unresectable or recurrent

Caring Bridge

A CaringBridge website helps keep loved ones informed during difficult times. In return, family and friends give patient and caregiver support through guestbook messages.

Every free, personalized CaringBridge website includes:

*Patient care journal to update family and friends
*Guestbook for messages of love
*Photo gallery
*Free online support for using the service

Check it out at: http://caringbridge.org/ourservice

Vote For The Geranium Farm

The Geranium Farm was just nominated for an award called "Love! That Site" from divinecaroline.com So . . . I'm asking all my Hodgepodge readers and Geranium Farmers to "Show the Love" and vote for the Farm by going to this link. (Voting ends November 30th)
Let's see if you can make the Geranium Farm #1 in the "Body & Soul" category.
Click here to show your love!
http://www.divinecaroline.com/awards/1364-the-geranium-farm

Grandma's Apron

(Thank you Joan for passing this along.)

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they
used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove. Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

Send this to those who would know and love the story about Grandma's aprons.

To read some more HodgePodge postings about aprons go to: http://geraniumfarmhodgepodge.blogspot.com/search?q=apron

Lucy's Allergy Free Cookies

When Dr. Lucy Gibney learned her child had severe food allergies, she developed some cookie recipes that are baked without wheat, gluten, dairy milk, butter, eggs, casein, peanuts or tree nuts.

For the Lucy's cookie website go to: http://www.drlucys.com/

For The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network: http://www.foodallergy.org/

Travel Tips

Here's a summary of ten, from an article on 20 Tips for Travelers from MSN website. To see them in full and to see the other 10, go to the link. As always, if it interests you do it soon as links sometimes disappear.

http://travel.msn.com/Guides/article.aspx?cp-documentid=671288

*At the bottom are some tips sent to me.
If you have any post them in the comments section or email them to me and I'll add them.
As for myself, I like to pack my clothes in those vacuum bags. I may add others as I think of them.

1. DIY car insurance
Put a vinyl bumper stickers that peels off easily on your rental car so you look like a local and don't have to worry about thieves who target tourists.

2. Beat the competition
Skip the rental-car bus and take a taxi to the rental-car agency and beat the long line of people waiting for their wheels.

3. Strap happy
Try a padded seat-belt cover from the auto-parts store for your camera or shoulder bag.

4. Coming clean
Don’t count on public restrooms to have soap, use mini shampoos from hotels work as liquid soap. E

5. Wrap star
Line your suitcases with bubble wrap and layer it between your clothes. The wrap lies flat against the sides, keeps your clothes wrinkle-free, is almost weightless, and you can wrap your breakables you want to carry home in it.

6. Show and cell
Use camera-phone to create a photo album with pictures of basic necessities like a bottle of water, a toilet, a taxi, and stamps when traveling in a country where you don’t speak the language.

7. Ham it up
Use handheld short-distance radios to communicate where you can’t use a cell phone. (We did this years ago before cell phones in the Disney Parks and the next time we went back we saw a lot of people doing it.)

8. Drop some pounds
Use lighter weight luggage.

9. Check it twice
Look closely at your boarding passes when you do curbside check-in and then check them again anytime you show them to make sure yours isn’t mixed up with someone elses.

10. Throw on the towel
Bring your own towels to lay across our lounge chairs when you go to a beach resort, to a hotel with a pool, or on a cruise for chairs that are easy to spot. Use the resort's towels to dry off.


*"One of my favorites is that on Continental (may be true of all airlines) the exit rows do not recline. If you care about that, you won't want the exit row, but if you are like me who suffers from claustrophobia and hates having people recline into her, I always choose the exit row or one behind it so no one can recline into me. These seats are blocked out from selection on line until 24 hours before the flight (to the minute). So I choose one seat, but then at the 24 hour mark I log on and try to get an aisle exit row. You have to let them see you at the airport to make sure you can fulfill the duties, but it's a great thing. People are learning about this, so you want to make sure you log on right at the 24 hour mark to try and get them." - K.Y.

*"When ____ and I travel we pack half of each other's clothes in our 2 suitcases. This way if one suitcase goes astray at least each of us has some clothes. I also save my old undies when I get new ones. I take them on the trip and discard them as I go along. Less laundry and less wash to take home."

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri

Wow, this stuff really works! This from a person who can probably count on my fingers the amount of times I've ever professionally gotten my nails done. One, because inevitability before I can even get home I'll manage to nick at least one nail, and two, I'm cheap. I'd rather spend the money on something else. Something more lasting, like more fabric for the next quilt I'll make. : ) So the next time I do do my nails, or even splurge to have them done, at least now . . . they'll have a fighting chance! (and yes, I have nicked that quick-dry nail polish.)

Charitable Christmas Cards

Hodgepodge reader Ginny asked me if I knew of places to purchase charitable Christmas cards.
Just by "googling" you can find lots of places:

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=t&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4ADBR_enUS247US249&q=charitable+christmas+cards

Babcia's Quilt

This is a lap quilt my friend Helen made for her mother-in-law.
(Babcia is grandma in Polish and is pronounced "bobshee".)

All Kinds of Cake Recipes and Much, Much, More

I've posted this website before to feature the tons of cookie recipes they have listed. I thought for those who may have missed it I'd reposted and invite you to again poke around here to find out all that it has to offer.

For the cake recipes go here:
http://www.northpole.com/Kitchen/Cookbook/cat0002.html

For more Northpole fun: http://www.northpole.com

(Thanks Joan for reminding us about this website.)

Dear Tina, Carrie, and et alii,

In tribute to Jonathan . . .

Death is nothing at all,
I have only slipped away into the next room,
I am I and you are you;
Whatever we were to each other, That we still are.
Call me by my old familiar name,
Speak to me in the easy way which you always used,
Put no difference in your tone,
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we shared together.
Let my name ever be the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effect, without the trace of a shadow on it.
Life means all that it ever meant,
It is the same as it ever was, there is unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just around the corner.
All is well.

-Henry Scott Holland, Canon of St. Paul’s Cathedral, London


Tina is Jonathan's mom and her sister Carrie was a long time neighbor of ours. Jonathan was most dear to us as he was a regular fixture at our home playing with our boys as youngsters whenever he was over visiting his Aunt Carrie.
He was only 19 years old.

Our hearts go out to you and your extended family and friends.
All our love,
Debbie, Paul, and boys . . .

Quilting Companions

Since my friend Helen has retired we have been getting together to do quilting on Wednesdays. Inevitably, we have the sister and brother companionship of, Tip-a-canoe-and-Tyler* that will slowly sneak their way into the sewing room. Most often they will try to charm their way onto sitting right in our laps as we're working. Today they took up sleeping in this yin-yang fashion.

*The widely known political phrase, "Tip-a-canoe-and-Tyler-too," was coined at the historic Marion County Courthouse in Salem, Illinois by Abraham Lincoln, who was campaigning for the Whig candidates William Henry Harrison and John Tyler.

What Do You Know for Sure?

When the late film critic Gene Siskel interviewed Oprah for the movie Beloved, he turned to her at the end and asked her, "What do you know for sure?". She couldn't answer right away and took time to think about it and then came up with the following list.

Oprah's List of: What Do You Know for Sure

1. What you put out comes back all the time, no matter what. (This is my creed.)

2. You define your own life. Don't let other people write your script.

3. Whatever someone did to you in the past has no power over the present. Only you give it power.

4. When people show you who they are, believe them the first time. (A lesson from Maya Angelou.)

5. Worrying is wasted time. Use the same energy for doing something about whatever worries you.

6. What you believe has more power than what you dream or wish or hope for. You become what you believe.

7. If the only prayer you ever say is thank you, that will be enough. (From the German theologian and humanist Meister Eckhart.)

8. The happiness you feel is in direct proportion to the love you give.

9. Failure is a signpost to turn you in another direction.

10. If you make a choice that goes against what everyone else thinks, the world will not fall apart.

11. Trust your instincts. Intuition doesn't lie.

12. Love yourself and then learn to extend that love to others in every encounter.

13. Let passion drive your profession.

14. Find a way to get paid for doing what you love. Then every paycheck will be a bonus.

15. Love doesn't hurt. It feels really good.

16. Every day brings a chance to start over.

17. Being a mother is the hardest job on earth. Women everywhere must declare it so.

18. Doubt means don't. Don't move. Don't answer. Don't rush forward.

19. When you don't know what to do, get still. The answer will come.

20. "Trouble don't last always." (A line from a Negro spiritual, which calls to mind another favorite: This, too, shall pass.)

How would you answer this question? To see the answers of some others go to:
http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/omagazine/wikfs/pkgforsure/200811_omag_for_sure

Quilters TV

This website has a lot to offer from video webcasts where you can see how to create a item, all different types of projects, to lists of resources, tools, tips, techniques, and much more!
Check it out at :

http://www.quilterstv.com/

Sometimes You Just Have to Laugh

Tuesday night I was watching the debate and I started to get a ringing in my ear that became increasingly louder, not to mention I couldn't hear out of it. It freaked me out! Wednesday morning I called to get a doctor's appointment and they said all they had was a 2:45 opening. I said I'd take it. Now this meant taking David out of his day program a bit early as Paul wasn't able to pick him up on his way home from work that day. It was OK though because I figured at least that way could kill two birds with one stone* and get David his flu shot. (I just wanted to get that out of the way anyway after last year's fiasco.
See Hodgepodge "All in a Day..." from Tuesday, October 30, 2007 and follow-up to it: "Out of the Bad, Comes Something Good" from Friday, March 07, 2008 postings.)

In a short time every chair in the waiting room was taken and it was SRO for any new arrivals. Soon everyone was looking at each other and smiling. I joked aloud that it was like a black hole in space because it seemed that people would go in, but not so many were coming out. One young man whose appointment was scheduled for 2:15 with the same doctor I was to be seeing had already been waiting for an hour and a half. Another elderly man had been waiting for his wife since 1:30! She was to have some tests and the equipment broke down and it took time before it was all up and running again. I did see an old friend and we were able to catch-up on the latest family news. Finally they called David in for his shot and I said, "Can I just get one too?" They said, "Sure". It was 4:30 by the time we left. I was commiserating with this one man in the parking lot who had been standing in the waiting room. "Ya know . . .I really can't complain though" I said for a $10 co-pay we both got flu shots, the prescriptions I needed for my sinuses, and two others." (and the 2 I filled were only $6)
So . . . sometimes ya just gotta laugh!

* (or much better) as suggested by Liz S. - "feed two birds with one seed" and then she adds . . . "Maybe even better would be "with one suet ball"! " Well, that'll feed a flock of birds! I like them both! Two little birds - one big seed - doable! Hee-hee : )

NSF International - The Public Health and Safety Company

NSF International is an independent, not-for-profit organization with an ongoing public health commitment to encourage everyone to live safer. They help protect you by certifing products and writing standards for food, water, and consumer goods. At their website you'll find all sorts of information covering the fields of Business, International, Regulatory, and Training to help you live safer.

Check it out at: http://www.nsf.org/

Hidden Causes of Headaches

Summary of an article by: By Jean Weiss for MSN Health & Fitness*

Perhaps you'll find something listed here that could be causing your headaches that you never thought of.

Taking too many pain meds
If you take aspirin. ibuprofen. acetaminophen or prescription pain relievers to get rid of a headache again and again, a lot on a regular basis, that can cause a rebound headache. This is where the medication you are taking for a headache perpetuates the headache because your body starts to get used to the medication, searches for it, and if it doesn’t see it, it gives you a headache.

Too much caffeine
In moderation the cup of coffee you drink help can help to relieve your headache. But if you have too much, it causes headaches. Too much can be anything more than a cup-and-a-half of coffee to one can of soda.

Blood sugar imbalance
Too many sweets or carbs paired with not enough protein can create a climate in your body for headaches. Hypoglycemia is a really common trigger of headaches. Stabilizing glucose levels can really help people and it is suggested you eat adequate amounts of protein throughout the day, starting with breakfast, because the protein will encourage stable blood sugar levels.

Eating the wrong foods
Several foods can trigger headaches, especially for people prone to migraines. Peanuts, chocolate, and red wine are common-known triggers. Some of these foods have a lot of tyramine, an amino acid that is sometimes a headache trigger. Processed meats that contain nitrates can also trigger headaches. Dairy and wheat are a lesser-known cause of headaches.

Not drinking enough fluids
Headaches are a major symptom of dehydration and drinking too much caffeine and not enough water leads to a headache for some.
Long-term chronic stress
Many headache patients who’ve been stressed for a long time may get tired, but keep going anyway

Fragrance overload
Fragrances in perfumes, lotions, soaps, candles—anything with a specific smell—can trigger headaches. People with migraines are susceptible to this.

Weather and altitude change
Headaches can happen at high altitude, so it is suggested taking a chlorophil supplement to help oxygenate their blood. A change in the weather can also cause a headache, like changes in barometric pressure.

*
http://health.msn.com/health-topics/pain-management/headaches/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=100183764&imageindex=1

1930's to 1960's Flour Sack

(My thanks to HP reader Sally R. for passing the following along.)

Some of you are way too young to know about the Flour Sack, but some of you will remember. I hope ALL of you will enjoy reading this very well-written article.

THE FLOUR SACK

BY COLLEEN B. HUBERT

IN THAT LONG AGO TIME WHEN THINGS WERE SAVED,
WHEN ROADS WERE GRAVELED AND BARRELS WERE STAVED,
WHEN WORN-OUT CLOTHING WAS USED AS RAGS,
AND THERE WERE NO PLASTIC WRAP OR BAGS,
AND THE WELL AND THE PUMP WERE WAY OUT BACK,
A VERSITILE ITEM, WAS THE FLOUR SACK.

PILLSBURY'S BEST, MOTHER'S AND GOLD MEDAL, TOO
STAMPED THEIR NAMES PROUDLY IN PURPLE AND BLUE.
THE STRING SEWN ON TOP WAS PULLED AND KEPT;
THE FLOUR EMPTIED AND SPILLS WERE SWEPT.
THE BAG WAS FOLDED AND STORED IN A SACK
THAT DURABLE, PRACTICAL FLOUR SACK.

THE SACK COULD BE FILLED WITH FEATHERS AND DOWN,
FOR A PILLOW, OR T'WOULD MAKE A NICE SLEEPING GOWN.
IT COULD CARRY A BOOK AND BE A SCHOOL BAG,
OR BECOME A MAIL SACK SLUNG OVER A NAG.
IT MADE A VERY CONVENIENT PACK,
THAT ADAPTABLE, COTTON FLOUR SACK.

BLEACHED AND SEWN, IT WAS DUTIFULLY WORN
AS BIBS, DIAPERS, OR KERCHIEF ADORNED.
IT WAS MADE INTO SKIRTS, BLOUSES AND SLIPS.
AND MOM BRAIDED RUGS FROM ONE HUNDRED STRIPS
SHE MADE RUFFLED CURTAINS FOR THE HOUSE OR SHACK,
FROM THAT HUMBLE BUT TREASURED FLOUR SACK!

AS A STRAINER FOR MILK OR APPLE JUICE,
TO WAVE MEN IN, IT WAS A VERY GOOD USE,
AS A SLING FOR A SPRAINED WRIST OR A BREAK,
TO HELP MOTHER ROLL UP A JELLY CAKE,
AS A WINDOW SHADE OR TO STUFF A CRACK,
WE USED A STURDY, COMMON FLOUR SACK!

AS DISH TOWELS, EMBROIDERED OR NOT,
THEY COVERED UP DOUGH, HELPED PASS PANS SO HOT,
TIED UP DISHES FOR NEIGHBORS IN NEED,
AND FOR MEN OUT IN THE FIELD TO SEED.
THEY DRIED DISHES FROM PAN, NOT RACK
THAT ABSORBENT, HANDY FLOUR SACK!

WE POLISHED AND CLEANED STOVE AND TABLE,
SCOURED AND SCRUBBED FROM CELLAR TO GABLE,
WE DUSTED THE BUREAU AND OAK BED POST,
MADE COSTUMES FOR OCTOBER (A SCARY GHOST)
AND A PARACHUTE FOR A CAT NAMED JACK.
FROM THAT LOWLY, USEFUL OLD FLOUR SACK!

SO NOW MY FRIENDS, WHEN THEY ASK YOU
AS CURIOUS YOUNGSTERS OFTEN DO,
"BEFORE PLASTIC WRAP, ELMERS GLUE
AND PAPER TOWELS, WHAT DID YOU DO?"
TELL THEM LOUDLY AND WITH PRIDE DON'T LACK,
"GRANDMOTHER HAD THAT WONDERFUL FLOUR SACK!"
(Feed sacks too!! Remember???)

HP Reader comment from L Bartlett

Your flour sack story reminded me of the following:
My grandmother who never wasted a thing, died when my sister and I were in our 20's (we are in our 40's now) and in emptying her home there were all kinds of handmade quilts that were distributed amongst the granchildren. Each one lovingly handstitched and with beautiful top work that was in a complementary theme to the fabric used.
My sister fell in love with a particular quilt which was deceivingly heavy. At the time none of us could figure out the stitching pattern for the top work. Several years later my sister called and asked me to repair that same quilt as one of the seams was unraveling.

In order to repair the quilt I had to open the seam some more. Imagine my surprise when I discovered the batting my grandmother had used was all the woolen socks that could not be darned again! The top work on the quilt was the stitching holding the socks to the quilt top!

Enjoy

The 2009 Women's Health Calendar

Below is a web address to order the 2009 Women's Health calendar. It's a free calendar/journal full of information for and about women. It talks about topics of interest to us such as health, nutrition, life etc. Submit your order ASAP as the calendars go quickly.

http://www.womenshealth.gov/pub/2009Calendar/

(Thanks Carrie for passing this along.)

My How You've Grown!

Ever wonder how tall your child will be when they finally stop growing? Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada have devised a formula that can predict the eventual height of healthy girls ages 8-16 and boys 9-18 to within a couple of inches. You plug in information: gender, birth date, height, weight, and sitting height. Be sure to click on in the article where it says: "Detailed description of the measurement protocols can be found here."
So you are properly doing the measurements as needed.

http://athena.usask.ca/growthutility/phv_ui.cfm?type=2

Silly Cakes

You can find some really unusual and cool cakes from this recipe section from the Woman's Day Magazine website.

There are several Halloween cakes, a very pretty Harvest Pumpkin cake, and other cakes for every season and reason to celebrate!

Check it out at:
http://www.womansday.com/content/search?SearchText=silly+cakes

NetSmartz411

This website is a premier online resource to help answer parents' and guardians' questions about Internet safety, computers, and the Web, to keep your children safe.
Your questions will be answered by professionals who know a lot about Internet safety from the real-life analysts at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. This is a free service made possible through generous donations from the Qwest Foundation.

To learn more go to: http://www.netsmartz411.org/

Some of the Categories that are covered are:
New Documents
About Us
Blogging
Cell Phones/iPods
E-mail/Chat/IM
En Espanol
Gaming
Internet/Computers 101
Monitoring/Filtering
MySpace
Online Risks
Safety Tips
Social Networking
Video/Photo Sharing
Virtual Worlds
Webcams