Sweet Almond and Flax Bread

Well, as a dear co-worker of mine would say, "I'm a bread-head." I LOVE bread and have baked our own for years. Our family's favorite is my flax bread and over the last year we have changed our eating habits and I am making more Ezekiel bread. But I modified my original bread and have come up with another yummy version ~ Sweet Almond and Flax Bread. My family loves it and since I average 2 loaves of bread a week, I've been making this one every-other-time.
 
You will love this sweet taste and soft texture. Almost melts in your mouth.

You will need:

~2 ts. butter
~1-1/4 c. hot water
~3 c. unbleached bread flour
~1 c. almond flour/meal
~1/4 c. flax meal
~5 ts. turbinado sugar (Sugar in the Raw)
~1-1/2 ts. sea salt
~1 heaping TB. Saff yeast
~grape seed oil (spray, if possible)
~loaf pan

**Hint** the best breads with the best rise comes from HOT water and COLD yeast. Let your water run until it is hot enough to start melting the butter, but not boiling and always keep your yeast in the refrigerator. 

Directions:

1) Add ingredients to your bread maker IN ORDER as listed; make a "well" in the center of the ingredients and pour the yeast in last
2) Set bread maker on "dough" setting; let your machine do all the mixing and the first rise
3) About 10-15 minutes before dough is ready, set your oven on "warm" and let it be warming
4) When machine is finished, TURN OVEN OFF, spray loaf pan with grape seed oil, remove dough from machine and transfer into bread pan
5) Gently and with quick pats, pat your dough into shape and round out any edges
6) Set dough, in pan, in the warmed oven and let it rise for 30 minutes
7) At end of last rise, set oven at 375 degrees and bake for 27 minutes; I know that's a weird amount of time, but trust me :-)
8) Remove delicious bread from oven and pop out onto cooling rack
9) DO NOT slice until it is cool, you will crush your beautiful loaf
10) Enjoy!

Let me know how much you LOVE this bread!

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><

Word-Filled Wednesday ~#137~ All For Jesus

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." ~Col. 3:23-24

"Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." ~Hebrews 13:2

I have always enjoyed helping people. It's not always easy ~ some people are more emotionally needy and some are not the easiest or most pleasant to help ~ but it's always worthwhile.

What makes it worthwhile is that I look at what I do as working for the Lord. 

Now, we are not promised that simply because the reason we serve people as we serve the Lord, that it will easy. No ~ this is a fallen old world and some people actually seem to enjoy making life difficult on those with good intentions. I just have to remember that Jesus didn't have it all that easy, either. I have been cursed at, accused of being a liar and slandered throughout my life, but I have not yet been physically injured or risked my life as Jesus did or as other believers all over the world have been. 

Working with the public can be interesting . . . to say the least. Just yesterday, I waited on a "gentleman" who had a somewhat foul mouth. After the 3rd "conversational" curse word, I asked him to please have a little respect for me as a lady. He was completely stumped as to what he had done wrong; when I explained to him that he had been using foul language, he hadn't even realized that he had. "You must get offended all the time." 

"No. Because most people understand that there is a respectful public vocabulary, no matter what vocabulary you might use at home." He still seemed rather stunned, but the rest of our time together went very well. 

Our girls have grown up hearing me say, "Someone has to 'be Jesus' in every situation and it will probably have to be you." I'm not saying you won't inwardly get mad or be offended, but when you can let the Holy Spirit catch you and help you hold your tongue so that you don't say or do the wrong thing and make matters worse, or let Him take control and soften the situation . . . well . . . just let Him. I could have been really rude and huffy to the man who was so foul, but even though I was VERY frank with him, I spoke firmly but politely ~ he got my point, he changed his vocabulary, it did not diminish my service to him, I checked him out and, hopefully, he learned something about manners. Who knows, seeds may have been planted for a future conversation that will open the doors for a relationship with Jesus.  

Another reason that dealing with the public is worthwhile is that I have probably entertained angels unawares. Isn't that a marvelous thing?!  Most of our customers are wonderful people, many are regulars. But I have been encouraged by several "new" customers over the years, and have wondered if they were ministering angels. Whether they were or not, the Lord has used others to encourage me, many times. 

We serve an incredible God. I am grateful that He is so huge, so magnificent that we can know Him but He cannot be completely known. He's simply far too big for that. What wonders He is capable of, how simply yet completely He loves us . . .  and yet, "He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted." (Job 5:9 & 9:10) 

Let Him come into your life today, then you, too, will live all for Jesus.

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><

Skullcap ~ Soothing Herb

Whether through e-mails, messages, conversations or at work at the health food store, I am often approached about remedies for anxiety, tension, panic attacks, tension headaches and problems that come from these issues.

Here are my suggestions for relief: 

1) Draw close to the Lord and HE WILL draw close to you. (James 4:8) There's nothing like talking to the Lord and feeling His loving arms wrap around you to calm your heart. If you need forgiveness, ask for it; if you need to forgive someone . . .

2) Forgive. If you need to be closer to Him, do it. If you are angry at someone or have been hurt by someone and need to forgive them, do it. Even if if requires a heart-felt conversation, it will probably only have to happen once and the results are in the Lord's hands. Just do it so that it won't be hanging over your head and letting your imagination run away with you as to the outcome. Almost all issues related to anxiety come from a circumstance that can be resolved by forgiveness.

3) Use an herbal remedy, tincture, homeopathic remedy or an herbal medicinal tea. 

One of those remedies is Skullcap. Skullcap is the lovely little flower that many of us have seen on the sunny river and creek banks during the summer months. Once again, the simplest thing that the Lord has provided for us has a fantastic, effective use.

 When labeling my herbs, I also

include the symptoms that

they help.

I like to enjoy Skullcap as a part of a relaxing, night-time tea. If I am having trouble getting to sleep ~ from the cares of the day, a busy day that keeps repeating through my mind, night-time stress headache ~ a hot cup of skullcap, holy basil and valerian root tea (in equal parts) really hits the spot. 

Skullcap is well-known to help with migraines, panic attacks, restless legs, neuralgia, shingles pain and the pain from pinched nerves.

You can take skullcap in a tea, capsules or tincture. Almost instant relief. 

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><
**Please read the disclaimer at bottom of page** 

Word-Filled Wednesday ~136~ Godly Attributes

"Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; His greatness no one can fathom." ~Psalm 145:3

"Being infinite, God is inexhaustibly interesting. It is therefore impossible that God be boring." ~John Piper

"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." ~A. W. Tozer

THE Man and some other men at our church are going through the Bible study: "Behold Your God ~ Rethinking God Biblically" by John Snyder. I am looking forward to doing the study when he has finished. Why? Because any Bible study that can bring my dear Man to tears while he is reading a section to me, peaks my attention. 

This, below, is part of the reading, on the attributes of God, that had him in such awe of our limitless God that he drawn to tears . . . 

"God is who He is. Whatever is true of God's character is part of who He is. For example, think about His omnipotence (the possession of all-power). He never has to start the day by trying to make Himself all-powerful. He does not have to work at remaining all-powerful even after the passing of 10,000 years. It is who He is. He is God Almighty. This is one of His attributes. It is one aspect essential to his deity. If He were not all-powerful, He would not be who He is - He would not be the person that the Bible reveals to us as God . . . 

"God, unlike us, is not divided. He is perfect unity. There can be no division or conflict within God. Every attribute is in perfect harmony with every other attribute. His love is never at odds with His wrath. His justice and His mercy walk together. Furthermore, every attribute of God influences all other attributes. If He is all-powerful, then His wrath is all-powerful . . . No matter how we turn these truths in front of our mind's eye, there is always more splendor to behold . . . God has revealed that He is essentially incomprehensible. He is beyond our understanding. In short, this teaches us that though God can be known in a personal way, he can never be figured out. In fact, no angel, no saint in heaven, and no seminary professor on earth can ever full grasp the boundlessness of God. Being incomprehensible is just part of who He is. He knows Himself perfectly, but He is the only one who possesses this ability . . . Every atribute is infinitely, immeasurably, limitlessly full."
 [from pages 6 and 7]

Wow! A study that STARTS like that, must be worth doing!

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><

Cleavers ~ Common Bitter Herb with Many Roles

For those of us in the Midwest and the Eastern part of the U.S., how many times have we been on a walk through the a grassy-woody area and passed by those long, sticky plants that sometimes attract those dreaded chiggers? Ick! Many times, they grow in the same areas as Queen Ann's Lace. And like so many plants that people deem to be "weeds," Cleavers (a.k.a. Goose Grass) is actually very good for us.

Cleavers is considered a Bitter Herb, and as such, almost automatically makes it beneficial to the liver and bile-producing organs. Not only, that but Cleavers can clear out your lymph system by reducing inflammation, including tonsils. Like dandelion, Cleavers can helps detox not only the liver, but the pancreas, spleen and kidneys; however, it is not the high, non-constipating iron source that dandelion is. 

Since it helps detox the urinary tract by stimulating urine flow (yes, it makes you pee :-D ), it has been recommended by herbalists to helps clear up urinary tract infections (UTIs) and to help pass kidney stones. 

Making a strong Cleavers tea, and applying with a cotton ball, is known to help with acne, seeping boo-boos, eczema, psoriasis and to tighten the skin so that fine lines are less evident (similar to hyaluronic acid). 

New mommies will want to consider using a Cleavers poultice for mastitis. If possible, use fresh Cleavers, but dried will work. 1) Make your own tea bag stuffed with as much Cleavers as it will hold, boil the bag in a small pot of water ~ just enough to get the bag hot all the way through, you're not making a tea this time ~ once it is JUST COOL ENOUGH to put on your skin, lay the tea bag onto the sore area. Putting it inside your nursing bra will work, however, you may want to put a nursing pad between the tea bag and your bra so that it doesn't stain. Make as many bags as you think you will need and warm them one at a time, use as often as you need to. You will notice almost immediate relief. 2) You can also cut open the tea bag and apply/"paint" the warm poultice directly to the sore area of your breast. Again, put a disposable nursing pad between the poultice and your breast so that you don't stain your bra. The choice of how your want to do it is up to you.

To make your own homemade Cleavers Tincture, click HERE for a simple recipe. Most droppers hold 20-30 drops full. Take 1-2 dropper-fulls up to 4 times per day in a glass of cold water. This recipe should last up to 2 years.

 
Cleavers Tea is very simple. Use a tea ball, infuser or make your own tea bag by using 1 ts per cup or 1-1/2 ts per mug of tea. Add just a large pinch of peppermint or spearmint to it if you don't like the taste to be so "green." However, it is very pleasant on it's own. Do not add honey or any sweetener, let it work on it's own. Steep good and strong for about 20 minutes. Drink as often as you like through the day.

Enjoy your good health.

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<>< 
**see disclaimer at bottom of page**

Word-Filled Wednesday ~#135~ Jealous Heart

"Now the body is not made up of one part but of many . . . But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body . . . I one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." ~selected verses from 1 Cor. 12:14-21

The other day, one of my best friends, Balinda, and I were driving to the farm stores together. I love our drive time together ~ she's such a sweetheart and we often talk about the ways the Lord sees us through our problems. We talk about how much we love the church our families started attending together at the end of last August, but so much of our conversations revolve around the ways the Lord is working in our lives. Sometimes, He takes us on roads we would rather not travel, but He ALWAYS walks with us and paves the way before us.

A route that the Lord has taken Balinda and her husband on was a time when her husband was having some very serious heart troubles. Two weeks after his surgery, where his heart had to be stopped during the process, he went into "afib" (atrial fibrillation ~ a fluttering of the heart that can be dangerous). As Balinda was telling this story, the part that struck my heart was something the Dr. said: "The heart is very jealous. It will let you know when it's been touched." 

Isn't that incredible?! 

The Lord has made all of our parts with specific "talents," with specific work to carry out inside our bodies, you could almost say that they have "personalities." And if anything interferes with the work they are supposed to do they "get mad." They become "jealous" that their job has been interrupted. 

Our heart can take us in many different directions ~ "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9) But "Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, Whose Name is Jealous, is a jealous God." (Ex. 34:14) Once Jesus is acknowledged as our Savior and Lord, His heart ~ which loves us above anyone else ~ protects and guards our heart. 

God's heart is jealous for our heart. We are His bride and He preparing us ~ our hearts ~ to love Him here and in heaven for eternity. He has loved YOU with an everlasting, never-ending love (Jeremiah 31:3) which is drawing you closer to Himself with every beat of your heart. Just as we walked toward our husbands on our wedding day, everyday ~ every heartbeat ~ the wooing and encouragement of the Holy Spirit brings us closer to meeting Jesus face-to-face. To spending eternity worshiping God when our faith becomes sight (1 Cor. 13:12). 

Is your heart jealous for the things of God, today? Do you feel the skip in your heartbeat when you realize that earthly treasures are competing with our devotion to our Lord? 

I hope my heart is forever jealous of the things of God. I hope that my heart will forever know when it's been touched of God.

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><

Homemade Antibacterial Sprays

Germs and viruses are around all the time, but at this time of year, they are EVERYWHERE! As many of you know, I work at a health food market and we wait on SO MANY sick people. We handle their dirty money and credit cards, they breathe on us and ~ as so many sick people who just wish they were home in bed are unmeaningly apt to do ~ they sigh deeply and exhale their germs RIGHT in our faces. :-O It's everything we can do to not catch their colds and flu and not bring those germs home to our families.

Something I do is make a few different types of antibacterial room and hand sprays.

My favorite and most used is my Thieves Oil. It's made with the 5 historic essential oils and you will never want or need another. I make a master mix in a 2 oz. dropper bottle, I also keep a 1 oz. essential oil bottle in my purse and I take it with me EVERYWHERE, especially to work. At work, I keep it in my apron pocket where it is right at my fingertips. At home, I use my Thieves Oil in a room spray ~ simply put 25-30 drops of Thieves in a 4 oz. misting/spray bottle and fill the rest of the way with distilled water, shake well before each use. Use this spray in the bathroom, as a room spray and as a spray-on hand sanitizer. As a side note ~ for added protection, I use Thieves in my homemade toothpaste and add a drop or two to my favorite herbal teas.

Another favorite that I keep in the kitchen is my rosemary and peppermint spray. In a 4 oz. misting/spray bottle, use 10 drops of peppermint and 20 drops of rosemary, fill the rest with distilled water, shake well before using. This will open up stuffy sinuses, cleans hands and is a lovely room freshener anytime of year. 

Keep your family and yourself well this year, inside and out. For the inside, don't forget my medicinal tea blends.

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><

Word-Filled Wednesday ~#134~ I Am a Christian

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes; first for the Jew, then for the Gentile." ~Romans 1:16

"If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all." ~Isaiah 7:9

"Yet I am not ashamed, because I know Whom I have believed." ~2 Timothy 1:12

The other night, I had a dream. I dreamed that Christians were denying the Name Jesus ~ that they didn't want to call themselves Christians. They wanted to shy away from the most important part of the title: CHRISTian.  They were giving in to the call of the "Politically Correct" who didn't approve of the title.

I was heart-broken. I was stunned. I vaguely remember asking the Lord why this was happening? ~ feeling my heart beating nearly out of my chest. Why would they deny You, deny wearing Your Name after ALL you have done for them? He then prompted me to write about it and ask them. So I did. I sat at my computer and started hammering out a blog post, asking them "WHY?" Then . . . 

I woke up . . . 

My heart was still pounding with angst that my friends were not wanting to wear the Name of Jesus anymore. I've never "written" anything in my sleep before, and I still had that heartbroken feeling that I couldn't shake, even after waking, and I still had the words I had been dream-typing rolling around in my head. My cell phone was the closet thing to me, so I grabbed it and typed out all I could remember from my dream . . . . . . . 

I hear that some people ~ the cool, the trendy, the Politically Correct ~ don't "approve" of us calling ourselves "Christian." Why? A Christian ~ one who has been saved by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, and the word of our testimony (Rev. 12:11) IS a "Christ follower." OK, so as a Christ Follower, that IS a CHRISTian.

Do you then call yourself a "Believer"? A believer in what? In whom? Jesus? OK, well, that doesn't set you apart from the rest of creation or mankind because the devil and his nasty minions believe in Jesus, too . . . but . . . I don't want to be counted as a "believer" with them . . . do you?

Why let the world delude you into diluting who you are IN CHRIST? Don't let this dying world convince you that you should be ashamed of His Name! 

IF you believe Jesus is THE Son of God, the 3rd Person of the Trinity; IF you believe Jesus is God's Messiah, IF you are born again, IF you have repented of your sins, IF Jesus has forgiven you, IF you are living for Jesus Christ . . . then YOU ARE a CHRISTian. The only other less politically correct moniker would be to call yourself a "Jesus Freak"! Well, then "let your freak flag fly," as they say.

Don't let the lies of the world convince you that being a CHRISTian ~ saying that you are a CHRISTian ~ is a bad thing. If you deny Christ, He has said He WILL deny you. 

"But whoever denies Me before men,

I will also deny him before

My Father Who is 

in heaven."

~Matt. 10:33

Don't let the world tell you who you are, don't let political correctness or outward pressure from family, friends or employer convince you that the Name of Christ is a bad thing. Wear your title proudly ~ let your CHRISTian light shine before men ~ ALL HOPE OF MANKIND IS IN JESUS CHRIST! 

Be unashamed of The One, of Jesus Christ, Who saved your soul from eternity in hell, Who did what NO ONE ELSE could do, would do, and rose from the dead to conquer death, hell and the grave. Who took the punishment for YOUR sin. 

Be unashamed! 

You know who you were before you repented of your sins and begged for God's forgiveness, you know what your weaknesses are now . . . and yet God loves you with an everlasting love because you responded to the TRUTH of Jesus' sacrifice for you. 

You are not who you once were because of Jesus Christ. You are a CHRISTian and you are unashamed!

Act like it.

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><