I used to get fever blisters (cold sores) a lot! I probably had one at least every six weeks or so.  They are so aggravating.  First you feel the tingle and then the blisters pop up on your lips.  When they finally get here it still takes about 2 weeks or so for them to heal up. 

I asked my doctor if there was something I could take to help keep from getting them, but she said there wasn't.  So, I did some research online and found some things people have taken to either keep from getting fever blisters, or to help heal them faster.  There are several medicines that are supposed to help lessen the severity of the occurrences.   But, they are only for after you get the cold sores, not before.

I tried a lot of the things I saw on websites and what finally ended up working for me was Lysine.  Lysine is sold in the vitamin section of stores.  The bottle in the picture above was bought at Dollar General for just a few dollars and will last me 2 months.  I have been taking one 500 mg. pill a day for about 9 months or so.  Since then the only time I have had a fever blister is when I ran out of pills and skipped a little over a week of taking them. 

Now, I'm not promising this will work for everyone, but for me it's been a great preventative!

Hunter filling in a hole while his daddy digs one

It's been forever since I gave y'all an update on Barb.  You may remember she got a job in July.  Recently they made her permanent part time which means she will get benefits now.  So awesome!

The front porch in the middle of renovation

I also posted that Barb received a used mobile home in the spring.  Well, it turned out it needed more work than we first anticipated.  A lot of the floors needed to be either partially or completely re-done.

They boys bedroom under construction

It also needed painting, a new water heater, new flooring, and new porches.  And the plumbing had to be re-done with new toilets, sinks, etc, etc.  As you can see, the work kept adding up!

The most helpful men ever!

Luckily, we have had a lot of help from our church family.  Which included some cousins of mine, our preacher and a few other men of the church.  They were only able to work on it every so often whenever money was available.  Our "men" included a plumber/electrician, a natural gas installer, an equipment operator, and a jack of all trades.

The septic tank being installed

We They also put in a septic tank and water lines to the home.  I mostly supervised, lol!  Actually Hunter did way more work than me.  He pulled up flooring, and filled in holes.

Mitchell and Adam pulling up the old flooring

We were hoping Barb would be able to move in by Christmas, but unfortunately she still needs new flooring for 3 more rooms, some furniture, and we're hoping the heating system will still work that came with it.

Hunter and the preacher's son watching the preacher put in water lines

I think everything has been done to get it inspected now and as soon as it passes they will turn the power on.  That will make it so much easier to finish the little inside things that are hard to work on now that it gets dark so early.

The main bathroom after being painted

Pray that everything will keep going well, so Barb and her family will be able to move in soon!

I was singing this song in my head so I thought I would share the lyrics with y'all.