Ed Bradley

I really like all the suggestions they include a great list to include in my herb garden!

I have stopped any congestion and sore throat issues before they become full blown by these two simple methods:
1st for "Cold" where congestion is starting - Take two (4 if you have waited a day or so) fingertip sized raw/fresh garlic cloves. Peel, slice thinly, cross cut also thin then leave out for 10 minutes and swallow with plenty of water. I do this before bed and if I waited for the cold to progress I do it three times a day till symptoms are gone. If done at first symptom you knock it our right away. If you did not then it may take a day or two depending on how long you let it set in.
2nd for sore throat. The only thing I do is to put a spoon full of honey in my mouth and let it sit till it is gone. If done right away it normally stops the soreness. Otherwise keep taking the honey to sooth your throat until it stops being scratchy.

I have not had to battle a cold/sore throat for more than a day or two for the last thirty years.

I hope you will try this and tell others.
Blessings!

I have two questions. I am in South Carolina zone 8a.
1. We have a running type of grass that invades everything. I runs deep and if you don't pull it out of the wood chips is will take over quickly. Any suggestions to win the war to eliminate it?
2. I heard Paul Gautschi say that you should use construction paper, like what is laid down to protect floors, because it does not leave nearly as much space under it and the grass not having air suffocates better.
Does anyone have any experience with paper verses cardboard?

One half of the cinder block area was prepared by removing all the grass then sheeting with cardboard and covered with grass clippings and pine straw and the grass stills makes it way in even though it did take over a year. The other half was not covered with a barrier and the grass was not pulled up. We have about 16 inches of pine straw and grass clippings covering. the grass comes through we just keep pulling it out as we see it.

A great source for card board for me is a mattress store nearby.
Also the chips, see picture of our back yard beginning to look like an orchard/garden, came from a tree service working on our street. We asked them and they gladly dumped them.
We called tree services, they are very friendly. The take our name, number and address but we still have not received any wood chips. Our faith is hanging in there.

Melodie, I re-read your post and see I left out a very important area that you asked for help.

I don't write this to offend or to start a debate. It is just how I know to be "spiritual" especially when I need comfort and peace.
Please realize that your heavenly Father, PaPa, loves you so much that he did not keep his own son from experiencing the horror of crucifixion so that he could be your closest love.
Because Jesus stood in your place so you can have a close relationship. There no reason to shy away from snuggling with "PaPa" because Jesus justified you as a woman and child of our Father.
Give all your worries, concerns and opinions from others to God and let him hold your burdens because he really does care for you as you are with out any process of earning his love.

When I find myself in uncertain times, I read, meditate and try to grasp just how much He loves us and then I snuggle with "PaPa" (just like you want your children to do with you.)

I hope and pray that you are blessed with an abundance of friends, knowledge and provisions as you mother your child!
Love you and all the folks who have shared so much with you.  

Congratulations!
Below is what my wife and I did and would do again (if¿¿¿).
Join LaLeche league for huge support. Read and do, even take classes if you can find using the Bradley method as described in "Husband Coached Childbirth". The two help you have the best birth experience rather than being prepared for what the medical staff wants to do with you. It is your decision not theirs or any other person in your life.
Find a recommended Midwife they are worth every penny and have the experience you lack.
Stay away from processed foods. Eat as close to the ground as you can. Make sure to get 1000 mg of lecithin (liquid supplement) and 100 grams of protein (from food) each day.
If you crave Salty crispy stuff like snacks, you body is telling you to get more minerals. Also do not restrict salt you need it.
Exercise (walking is good), Kegel several times a day and do squats every time you go though a doorway.
Wait for the one who will love you more than them self and avoid those with red flags!

Talk to, sing love your baby even in the womb.
Don't worry, Be Happy!

FIRE is great and I wished I had. Even though I had the knowledge if did not have the wisdom to make the sacrifices.
Today at 62 I continue to work (at least it's from home). What we are doing reach financial independence is simple. We (wife and I) continue to earn for the next 12 years. Took early Social Security and invest every bit of it in aggressive growth mutual funds which average higher than twelve percent over the last 20 years. This done using self directed Roth IRA plans, 6500 each. The remainder goes into a HSA, Health Savings Account, also self directed and utilizing an aggressive growth mutual fund. At 74 we will be able to live well off of the interest.

If I could go back and change one thing, I would max out a Roth IRA and FIRE the system thirty years ago.

I hope you young folks learn from my mistake and follow Mike Jay's advise: "Live well beneath your means"
Love and peace.
 

When I helped painting houses (long time ago) I would get a third my partner received a third and whoever found the job received the remaining third. The customer paid for materials.
When you have pinestraw delivered and spread out you normally pay Cost of straw x 3. Materials = 33 1/3% and the rest is divided by the laborers.

Ideally setting a price on what you have made would go like this:
         (Cost of materials plus time at a market wage) ÷ (1 - profit margin expected) = wholesale price
Most of the time there are middlemen type of agencies i.e. distributors, websites (your own or ones like ebay, pininterest etc...) that will add to the wholesale price.
         (Wholesale price plus cost of warehousing, shipping, and distribution) ÷ (1 - profit margin expected) = retail price

This is how I would imagine selling a portable rocket stove kit that I might make:
(the materials may cost $300 + my time to assemble the kit - say 2 hours at $25) ÷ (1 - .50, profit % expected)
300+50 ÷ .5
350 ÷ .5
700
Now if I sell it to a retailer they are going to have to transport to their warehouse and send to each retail store. This cost will be added to the wholesale price.
At retail they will retail at 40% gross margin of if it cost $770 after the warehouse is done adding expenses.
770 ÷ .60 (1-.40) = 1283.34 and they will round it up to 1289 or 1299.
After labor, overhead, shrink, markdowns, marketing and other expenses the store may make 20% of sales. Grocery stores do really well to make 3.5%

Now for the kicker, will they be able to sell the rocket stove kit for 1299?

An example much closer to home:
My mother in law, age 84, started to make outfits to fit American Girl size dolls. She use materials that she already had and spent maybe 3 hours on each. She made a fabulous wedding dress as a special order. 6 dresses were made two years ago and were displayed on pininterest, ebay and in a local consignment shop. All the dresses were top quality but competed with poorly made imports. We started with $29.95 but have cut that price to 12.99. Today the second was sold for 12.99. She did not even get the national minimum for her time and nothing towards replacing materials.
So price has to also factor in what market will pay (demand). By the way, she enjoyed making the dresses and while she does not understand why they don't sell she is glad to have made them.

Some notes:
Selling something at a lower price to sell more will empty your savings real quick. Retailers lower their prices to sell more when vendors lower costs.
Holiday items start at full pricing then are promoted even marked down as the season dwindles.

Advise:
So if you are selling something you made or a perform a service - investigate what other are charging and only make what you can profit from.
Try working the formula starting with the average market price is and work backwards.

Lastly, if you can sell because of value rather than price then you will profit more and customers will cherish your product.

Welcome Dr. Sharol Tilgner, can wait to look at your book.

@Anne Miller, I love your signature! My mother in-law had me remove huge amounts of Kudzu from her back yard. After finishing I asked the abc company and found that Kudzu is a blessing in so many ways.

Love reference e-books (PDF) because I can search and find what I am looking for quickly. I use an e-book for my Bible that is a Filemaker relational database.