Quote of the Day: Cree Indian Saying
“Only when the last tree has died and the last river
been poisoned and the last fish been caught
will we realize that we cannot eat money”
Cree Indian, 1909
Mr Chiots and I are big fans of camping and hiking, it’s our vacation of choice. We just watched the PBS National Park special and we really enjoyed it. I visited most of the National Parks with my family growing up but Mr Chiots hasn’t been to very many.
We’re hoping to go on a long vacation next year to add a few to his list. He’s particularly excited to visit Mt Rushmore and I can’t wait to go back to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park. The place we want to visit most is Alaska!
We’re thankful for all of those that came before us that saw it fit to set aside the parks and continue to save them for all of us to enjoy. We want to see as many as we can and enjoy the beauty of this great country we live in!
Have you ever visited any National Parks? If so which is your favorite?
**All of these photos were taken at the Great Smoky Mountain National Park during 2 different trips (one with our very best friends, hence 4 sets of hiking boots).
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Calming Allergies with a Neti Pot
This time of year I start having allergy problems, particularly when I spend time outside working in the dusty leaves. I wake up the next morning kind stuffy, my ears burn and my throat hurts. Several years ago I started using a neti pot to help with my allergies so I wouldn’t have to take medication. I am now a HUGE fan of the neti pot and I use it all the time. It not only keeps my allergy symptoms at bay but it’s extremely useful for keeping colds/flu away and for helping with congestion when you have a cold/flu.
Many sources will tell you to only use kosher salt for your neti pot, but I use sea salt. I don’t like the idea of using refined salt in any application. Some people swear by using Himalayan salt, I just use what I have around for cooking.
You can get the natural kind without the minerals, but I use Real Salt with minerals (I just mix in a canning jar and pour out all but the last little bit to keep the minerals in the jar). I also add a pinch of baking soda to my neti water. Here are some other great recipes for the neti pot.
Have you ever used a neti, or it is out of the question to pour water through your nose?
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‘Tis the Season for Christmas Cards
It’s that time of the year to start planning Christmas cards, if you’re going to send them out. Mr Chiots and I are hoping to do a short movie this year. We are waiting for a lovely snowy day though, then we’ll get to work. Hopefully the weather cooperates so we don’t have to scramble for another option late in the season. Yesterday I went to my parents house and took photos of my nieces & nephew for my sister’s Christmas card. My parents will most likely be using a few of the photos as well for their card.
We came up with a great idea for her family card, I’m sure you can guess the theme. How can you go wrong putting these cuties on your Christmas card???
I still need to make a few minor changes, but this may be the final card.
Do you make your own Christmas cards, buy them, not send them, or have another interesting option?
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Chiot’s Run Calendar Contest!
I finished up my calendar yesterday. Since a few of you mentioned you’d be interested in purchasing one, I made them public on Lulu. I have a large one (13.5 x 19) and a small one (11×17). I ordered a bunch for Christmas gifts and I even ordered an extra to giveaway to one of you! All you have to do is comment on this post and I’ll hold a drawing when the calendars arrive in the mail. Good Luck! Here’s what the final product looks like.
I think December might be my favorite photo, which is yours?
Mr Chiots made a random number generator to pick the winner of the calendar, who did it choose? See the winner here.
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2010 Calendars
We celebrate a simple Christmas with my family. We don’t spend much money and we try to make homemade gifts or use our talents to make gifts for others. This year I decided to make calendars for everyone. It’s something useful and it won’t clutter up the house, use it for a year and recycle it. I’ve been sorting through all of my photos picking out the best ones for each month and I think I finally settled on a design (it sure was hard narrowing down the photos). I’m going to get them printed up at Lulu so they’re really nice, and since I’m getting more than 10 printed up I can get them for a pretty good deal!
Here are some of the photos I chose to go inside. I tried to choose photos that depicted the month they corresponded to. Some months have more than one picture.
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
I’ll make them public at Lulu in case anyone wants to buy one (when I finalize the design), I’ll also be giving one away in a contest when I get them.
Do you make any of the gifts you give out during the holidays?
