She Needs a Name . . .

Last week we purchased this sweet new/used ride!!! We haven't had a truck for several years, so we are very excited.

Now . . . she needs a name. Any suggestions?

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<>< 

Easy, Effective, Homemade Elderberry Syrup

This winter has been a terrible winter for illnesses ~ especially in our area. Everyone except THE Man had the flu at the beginning of the year & then we were "re"-attacked with a bad cold ~ including THE Man ~ just last week. It has been quite a while since we all suffered such attacks on our health.

Quite honestly, the only things that gave any relief was my nettle/peppermint/chamomile tea blend and elderberry syrup ~ especially at night to help us sleep. Sometimes, we simply need to "live through" an illness or time of testing to get through it.

Elderberry syrup is one of the best cough/cold syrups our family has taken; many times, it is the only thing that will help us sleep at night. {For deep, chesty coughs, take honey & turmeric}  Elderberry syrup is also a yummy syrup & one teaspoon-full will take the arguing right out of any protesting child (or grown man who turns into an 8 yr-old boy when taking medicine is involved). O:-) 

Elderberry syrup is one of the easiest remedies to make & will last in your frig for 3-5 months.

You will need:

~1 c of fresh OR 2/3 c dried elderberries (**MAKE SURE** they are "blue or black" elderberries & NOT "red")
~3-1/2 c water
~2 TB dried OR freshly grated ginger root
~1 ts cinnamon powder
~1/2 ts whole cloves
~1 c honey (or to taste)
~sauce pan 
~fine mesh strainer
~fork
~small funnel
~glass jar or bottle with gasket or tight-sealing lids 
 
Directions:

1) Put berries, water, ginger, cinnamon and cloves {everything BUT the honey} in a sauce pan, cover & bring to boil; watch so that it doesn't boil over.

2) Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat to low & simmer for about 45-60 minutes. Liquid should reduce to about 1/2.

3) Let cool enough to be handled and then, with a fork, smash-up the berries, then strain through a fine mesh strainer.

4)  Once it is cool enough, add 1 c of honey, or to taste, and stir well to completely mix.

5)  Using a funnel, if needed, pour the syrup into glass bottle or jar, seal tightly; store in refrigerator.

6) Recipe makes about 16 oz.

Love my gasket-lid bottles.

Let me know how much you LOVE this easy, effective recipe.

P.S. ~ If you do not have access to bulk elderberries or time to make this syrup, I highly recommend Gaia Elderberry Syrup from your local health food market.

 
Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<>< 

The Simple Woman's Daybook ~#180~ 2/25/13

For Today . . . 

Outside my window . . . beautiful sun-shiney day. Welcome back sunshine!

I am thinking . . .  about what to name my new/used truck! Woohoo!!!

I am thankful . . . 1) for my new/used truck; 2) that all 3 of us are feeling better from the nasty colds we've had last week & weekend.

From the kitchen . . . nothing. Have been too sick to eat much except soup, broth, tea & juice.

I am wearing . . . jean skirt, brown tights, black sleeveless turtleneck, light brown cardigan sweater.

I am creating . . . a peaceful, Christ-centered home.

I am going . . . to work as the rest of my family comes home from theirs ~ the Monday night crew.

I am wondering . . . how "it" will all come together.

I am hoping . . . soon.

I am reading . . . "Celtic Cooking" cookbook.

I am looking forward to . . . Wednesday, when I can thoroughly clean my house. Admittedly, I've done NOTHING to it while we were sick.

I am learning . . . how good it is to have a family who loves each other & still takes care of each other even while we are ALL sick.

Around the house . . . sadly . . . nothing. Trying to save my strength for going to work.

One of my favorite things . . . "playing" with & experimenting w/herbs & essential oils.

A few plans for the rest of the week . . . family time, work, cleaning the house, planning & preparing, baking, pantry stocking, lots of catching up on things that had to wait until we were better . . .

A favorite quote for the day . . . "God is looking for people through whom He can do the impossible. What a pity we plan to do ONLY the things that we can do by ourselves." ~ A.W. Tozer

Scripture thought . . . "The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in the sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." ~Isaiah 58:11


A picture thought for you . . . 

 WOW ~ No other words

Join the fun & read 100's of other Daybooks at Peggy's Simple Woman's Daybook! 

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><       

A Day on the Couch . . .

The worst part of working at a health food market is that we wait on SO MANY people who are sick ~ and this year, the worst problems have been colds and flu.

So . . . today, I have succumbed to someone's cold and will be spending the day cuddled up with Maggie on the couch . . . 

drinking lots of hot tea . . . 

slurping lots of soup . . . 

and watching some of my favorite old movies.

Stay well.

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><  

Word-Filled Wednesday ~#80~ God: THE Expert

"For this is what the LORD says ~ 

He who created the heavens,

He is God;

He who fashioned and made the earth,

He founded it;

He did not create it to be empty,

But formed it to be inhabited ~ 

He says:

'I am the LORD,

and there is no other.

I have not spoken in secret,

from somewhere in a land of 

darkness;

I have not said to Jacob's descendants

"Seek Me in vain,"

I, the LORD, speak the truth;

I declare what is right.'"

~Isaiah 45:18-19

"Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth." ~John 17:17

 

"Experts say . . . " ~Mass Media

 Ron DiCiani ~ In the Beginning

Listen to the world's "wisdom" long enough and "the experts" will go back on everything they have said. Their word and "wisdom" constantly changes. But God's word never changes. The Lord ~ Father, Son and Holy Spirit ~ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8); the Lord is also THE way, THE truth and THE life and NO ONE comes to the Father except through accepting forgiveness through Jesus Christ (John 14:6).

So, if all of that is true and if God created everything and everyone ~ right out in the open with not a hint of secrecy ~ why is it that people go to every other "expert" when seeking truth? Think about it . . . give them some time and those experts will admit they were wrong, but never that the Bible was right about: the earth being flat (Is. 40:22), early sailors thought sea maps could only go "so" far (Ps. 8:8); denying a catastrophic world-wide flood, yet whole fossils of fish, sea weed and other sea life have been found high in the mountains (Gen. 7:17-24; 8;4). I'm sure you can name many more instances when "experts" were wrong. 

 Photo from Answers in Genesis

The Lord has blessed us with the truth of His word. He is THE Expert and, given time, will always be proved right. Read His word daily and be prepared "in season and out" (2 Tim. 4:2) to share and defend what God's word says. Who knows, the truth you share could be the seeds that the Lord uses to lead someone to salvation. 

He knows what He's doing . . . He's THE Expert.

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><     

The Simple Woman's Daybook ~#179~ 2/18/13

For Today . . . 

Outside my window . . . cloudy skies dotted with sunshine & blue skies.

I am thinking . . . about my work day.

I am thankful . . . for a very productive, encouraging morning.

From the kitchen . . . nothing today :-( was out & busy.

I am wearing . . . jeans, black turtle neck under my black Healthy Alternative t-shirt.

I am creating . . . a peaceful Christ-centered home.

I am going . . . to work as the rest of the family comes home.

I am wondering . . . about someone's decision that will effect me.

I am hoping . . . for the Lord's blessing upon the decision.

I am reading . . . the book of John.

I am looking forward to . . . coming home from work, tonight. Ha.

I am learning . . . timing.

Around the house . . . busy morning, just a little picking up.

One of my favorite things . . . rejoicing.

A few plans for the rest of the week . . . family time, work, planning, writing, blogging, worship practice . . .

A favorite quote for the day . . ."Worry negates a life of trust in THE GOD Who loves me & provides for me." ~from Sunday's sermon.

Scripture thought . . . "Follow Me. . . " ~Luke 9:59 ~Jesus speaking.

A picture thought for you . . . 

 Cool pantry.

Read 100's of other Daybooks & join the fun at Peggy's Simple Woman's Daybook! 

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><  

Help Me! I'm Melting! ~ Night Sweats

About a year ago, I wrote a post on Homemade Hot Flash Remedies. You could call this "Part Deux" or simply think of this one more geared toward Night Sweats.

If you haven't entered this phase of life, you may want to bookmark this & the other post for later, because Sweetie . . . it's comin'! '-P

I mentioned my peri-menopausal/menopausal regime in the previous post & credit taking Evening Primrose Oil for the lack of night sweats/hot flash complaints. However, that is not to say that I never have night sweats or hot flashes; I simply don't have them as often as many women. And when I do I have a few quick & simple remedies . . . 

Rosewater ~ You can use rosewater either as a spray, in a tea or 2 dropper-fulls of a rosewater tincture. When you use it in a spray, you will be doubly blessed by the lovely fragrance. When you use the tincture, use 2 full droppers-full in 8-12 oz of cold water.

Sage ~ Sage is very well known as a natural deodorizer. Once again, try this in cold water using a tincture or in a tea. If you have your own plant, clip off a couple of leaves & rub them under your arms as a deodorant or on the bottoms of your feet for hot flash relief. Sage tea has it's own lovely taste with a little honey ~ in my opinion ~ & is a great option to drink just before you go to bed. The warmth of the tea will relax you & help you fall asleep, while the sage itself will help stop those nasty night sweats. 

Marigold ~ tea or tincture, taken as mentioned for sage, helps with night sweats, hot flashes and hormonal imbalances, including menstral cramps.

Red Clover ~ a tea or tincture commonly known for respiratory, skin problems (eczema and psoriasis) and even as a blood cleanser but very well known to help with most any "women's issue" from heavy, painful periods to menopause. Red clover is a natural replacement for many hormone replacement therapies.

Red Raspberry Leaf ~ one of my favorites. Another all-encompassing "women's issues" problem solver. RRL taken as a tea or tincture can help if you are anxious to conceive a baby, morning sickness, labor pains, helps to lessen postpartum bleeding, menstral cramping AND menopausal night sweats and hot flashes. 

Let me know how you LOVE these remedies.

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><