Go Bananas!

The information that comes across our e-mails is sometimes SO amazing. Looky, looky what I found out...

A professor at CCNY for a physiological psych class told his class about bananas. He said the expression 'going bananas' is from the effects of bananas on the brain.

Read on: Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!! This is interesting. After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again...

Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes.

But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school ( England ) were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system. Overweightand at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness.. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases.. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a 'cooling' fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking &Tobacco Use (quitting): Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes: According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, 'A banana a day keeps the doctor away!'

10 Household Uses for Hydrogen Peroxide

Got this from Homesteadblogger.com's "Front Porch" on a post by Caterine Ann, who got it from http://1greengeneration.elementsintime.com/?p=1325. Great info...

Note that for each use below, we use a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution (comes in small brown containers at the drug store, or 1 gallon drugs at the health food store - sold as “non-chlorine bleach”). Unless otherwise specified below, I use it straight. Note that if you want to keep it in a spray bottle, it must be a bottle that keeps out all light (light breaks down the hydrogen peroxide) - otherwise, put just as much as you’ll use in the spray bottle.

1. Whiten Your Whites and Brighten Your Brights. Works fabulously as a bleach alternative that you can also use on colors. Just put the hydrogen peroxide in the bleach receptacle in washer.

2. Stain Remover. Works very well on blood, if you get to it fairly quickly - I learned this from Matt’s mom who is a nurse! Just pour a bit on a cloth and dab at your clothing; if it has sat for a while, pour some on and let it sit for a couple of hours. Also, some people just have a chemical difference in their sweat that leaves yellow underarm stains on white clothing. Or wine stains on a white blouse? Again, pour some hydrogen peroxide on the stain and let it sit a couple hours. Then wash as you would normally - this works for me every time!

3. Antiseptic. Works great to help kill germs and prevent infection on cuts and scrapes. Make sure it bubbles up first before dabbing it off.

4. Mouthwash. You can use it straight or mix 1 to 1, water to hydrogen peroxide. Gargle, Swoosh, Spit, and Rinse. This works well if you have canker sores or other mouth sores.

5. Toothpaste. You can make your own toothpaste by using two tablespoons of baking soda and one tablespoon of peroxide. I don’t do this regularly, but I have done it in a pinch. {FYI...My personal recipe is 3ts. baking POWDER, 1-1/2 ts. Hydrogen Peroxide, 1/8ts. pepperment oil. ~KW<><}

6. Cutting Board and Countertop Sanitizer. Vinegar kills most germs, and hydrogen peroxide kills most of the rest. The two kill more germs and bacteria than bleach alone, if you do this: have the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide in two different spray bottles, spray on one first, then the other. Then rinse clean.

7. Watering Your Plants. If you tend to over-water your plants, this is for you. Mix 1 oz of hydrogen peroxide with 1 quart of water, and water your plants normally. This adds oxygen to your soil, helping stave off root rot and enhances root development. I do this particularly with plants whose soil is overly dense and more prone to water-logging.

8. Kill Shower Mold and Mildew. Spray on the surface and let sit, then wipe clean. Or spray after your shower to prevent mold from forming.

9. Toilet Bowl Cleaner. Pour 1/2 cup straight peroxide into the bowl, let stand for 20 minutes, and scrub clean.You can do the same thing with vinegar.

10. For Faster Germination When Soaking Seeds. This is a new one to me - I just read about it and haven’t tried it yet. Apparently if you soak your seeds in 1 cup of water mixed with 1.5 t hydrogen peroxide, the seeds will germinate faster. Has anyone tried this yet?

Bonus: Pretty Much Any Time You Run Out Of Vinegar While Cleaning, you can substitute hydrogen peroxide!

A Must-Read...

Amy, at Homestead Revival, has a great post on "The Spiritual Aspect of Prepping Biblically." This is a MUST-READ!

I appreciate, so much, the points that she brings up. The Word tells us to 'be prepared in season & out of season.' Granted, this was referring to being prepared to share the reasons why we believe in Jesus as the Messiah, God's One & Only Son, Savior, Redeemer...but it also extends into other aspects of life.

Any of you who may be a regualr reader of my blog knows that a large part of what I try to impart is a frugal lifestyle. What you may not know is that the LORD started leading me in this direction about 2-3 years ago.

As my parents grew up on family farms - and I even married a Farm Boy :-) - I have grown up w/a love for rural life, cooking from scratch, simple living. I learned to do these things mostly for fun. But in the midst of our most financially prosperous time in our marriage (which, as a 1-income/homeschooling family, still woudn't be alot to many people in our culture), the LORD really started impressing upon me to live more frugally and, in turn, healthily ~ in the foods I made, the ingredients I used, expanding my window herbs to a small kitchen garden, making my own health care, my own house-hold care, my own personal care items, soap. To prepare my own body for the next phase of 'womanly life' that I'm going through w/o all the Rx that our society's Drs 'say' we must be a part of...only to find out later that they cause more problems than they relieve. At times, my family even teased me about all that I was doing ~ lol ~ but that never kept them from enjoying my cooking or any of the other homemade goodies they now delighted in.

In doing all this, when my dear husband was laid off last April w/NO severence, I have been able to save our family SO MUCH. Isn't it amazing that in our time of relative plenty that the LORD was preparing me to live w/o SO MUCH that we have taken for granted in the past? Don't get me wrong...this has been a financially terrible year! Emotions have teetered on the edge at times. But, we have EACH OTHER, our home, our cars &, obviously, our computer! :-)

What I'm getting at is that even in what seems like such a small, small thing - like already having bars of glycerine soap made - I have saved our family from HAVING to go out & get something that even those few pennies spent for a bar of bath soap would have been the difference in paying our electric bill or our phone bill or our water bill.

This is probably why Amy's post struck such a chord w/me. My family hasn't made fun of my interest in frugal living & doing things 'the old ways' for quite a while. lol So, read Amy's post. And in the meantime, NEVER underestimate that even what you may perceive is something of little consequence, it may be what makes the biggest difference in the survival of your family when times are hard.

Blessings from Ohio...Kim<><

Sunshine Blog Award!!

OH MY GOODNESS!

Nanny Dearest (aka Mrs. A) just blessed me beyond measure ~~ as always. But this time she awarded me w/the Sunshine Blog Award! How COOL is THAT?!

Thank you, Nannie Dearest!

Now...I am blessing a few of my favorite bloggers w/this award. What hard choices because I love you all & I have so many favorites...

The Sunshine Award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity & creativity inspires others in the blogworld!

By earning this award, I have been given the priviledge of awarding it to 10 other blogs that I love to read. (But I couldn't pick just 10!)
And my award winners are...

~ A Country blog

~ Bits & Pieces

~ Faith, Grace & Joy

~ A Godly Homemaker

~ Farming on Faith

~ Prairie Flower Farm

~ Titus 2 ~ At the Well

~ Sea Cottage

~ Large Family Mothering

~ Down---to---Earth (all the way from Australia!)

~ Muckboots n Aprons

~ Maple Valley Off-Grid Farm

You all ~~ & MANY others ~~ are blessings to me in many different ways.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim<><

Daddy's Hands

My Daddy died on June 3, 1999 and I can’t believe that it’s been so long since I’ve held his hands. My family has a tradition of taking pictures of our loved ones in their casket; I took a picture of my Daddy’s hands. Oh, how I miss their touch, because my Daddy loved me with those hands.

My Daddy’s hands were the hardest working hands I’ve ever known, but my Daddy’s hands were also the most beautiful hands I’ve ever seen on a man. No matter how hard he worked, at the end of the day his hands would always be clean and his nails clipped. My Daddy loved me with those hands.

My Daddy’s left hand happily wore his wedding ring for just days shy of 51 years. My Daddy’s hands could produce some of the most beautiful woodwork and macrame' you ever saw and my Daddy’s hands could fix anything. My Daddy loved me with those hands.

My Daddy’s hands cuddled and loved me as a weak, sick little surviving twin baby. My Daddy’s hands turned countless pages in bedtime storybooks and could give the very best knee rubs in the middle of the night when growing pains would hit. My Daddy loved me with those hands.

My Daddy’s hands could do tricks and play games. My Daddy’s hands could spank, shame and scold me when I needed it. My Daddy loved me with those hands, too.

My Daddy’s hands comforted me when bullies bothered me at school. My Daddy’s hands comforted my broken teenage heart; many times. My Daddy loved me with those hands.

My Daddy’s hands applauded me at tap dance recitals, band concerts and when I would sing. My Daddy loved me with those hands.

My Daddy’s hands slipped my hand into my husband’s hand when he gave me away. My Daddy’s hands comforted my husband and I when our first daughter died. And my Daddy’s hands loved and played with our two other daughters. My Daddy loved us with those hands.

And then, on that sad day when all the machines were silent, I was holding my Daddy’s hand as he left us and went to stand before the Lord. My Daddy’s hands loved me to the last.

A daddy’s hands are the most expressive, tangible way that a father can show his love for his family. I wish all fathers had hands like my Daddy. My Daddy loved me with those hands.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim<><

Isaiah 45:18-19

18 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.

19 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..."

Rules for Rural Ohio

Got this in an e-mail & as a Buckeye (Ohioan) in a rural county, I just couldn't resist. Enjoy.

Blessings from Ohio...Kim<><

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Pull your droopy pants up. You look like an idiot.

2. Turn your cap right, your head isn't crooked.

3. Let's get this straight; it's called a "dirt road." I drive a pickup truck because I want to. No matter how slow you drive, you're going to get dust on your Lexus. Drive it or get out of the way.

4. They are cattle. They're live steaks. That's why they smell funny to you. But they smell like money to us. Get over it. Don't like it? I-70 goes east and west, I-75 goes north and south. Pick one.

5. So you have a $60,000 car. We're impressed. We have $150,000 corn pickers and hay balers that are driven only 3 weeks a year.

6. So every person in rural Ohio waves. It's called being friendly. Try to understand the concept.

7. If that cell phone rings while an 8-point buck and 3 does are coming in, we WILL shoot it out of your hand. You better hope you don't have it up to your ear at the time.

8. Yeah, we eat taters & gravy, beans & cornbread. You really want sushi & caviar? It's available at Jim's Bait Shop.

9. The "Opener" refers to the first day of deer season. It's a religious holiday held the closest Monday after Thanksgiving Day.

10. We open doors for women. That is applied to all women , regardless of age.

11. No, there's no "vegetarian special" on the menu. Order steak. Or you can order the Chef's Salad and pick off the 2 pounds of ham & turkey.

12. When we fill out a table, there are three main dishes: meats, vegetables, and breads. We use three spices: salt, pepper, and ketchup. Oh, yeah.... We don't care what you folks in Cincinnati call that stuff you eat... IT AIN'T REAL CHILI!!

13. You bring "coke" into my house, it better be brown, wet and served over ice.

14. You bring "Mary Jane" into my house, she better be cute, know how to shoot, drive a truck, have long hair & wear cute strappy shoes.

15. College and High School Football is as important here as the Cavs and the Knicks, and more fun to watch.

16. Yeah, we have golf courses. But don't hit the water hazards -- it spooks the fish.

17. Colleges? We have them all over. We have State Universities, Community Colleges, and Vo-techs. They come outta there with an education plus a love for God and country, AND they still wave at everybody when they come for the holidays.

18. We have a whole ton of folks in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. So don't mess with us. If you do, you will get whipped by the best.

19. Turn down that blasted car stereo! That thumpity-thump crud ain't music, anyway. We don't want to hear it anymore than we want to see your boxers. Refer back to #1.

20. 4 inches isn't a blizzard - it's a flurry. Drive like you got some sense in it, and DON'T take all our bread, milk, and bleach from the grocery stores. This ain't Alaska , worst case you may have to live a whole day without croissants. The pickups with snowblades will have you out the next day.

Zesty Zucchini Seasoning

Zesty Zucchini Seasoning

8 TB. dried parsley
4 TB. dried chives
1 ts. dried marjoram
1 ts, dried oregano
1 ts. dried thyme
1 ts. dried basil
1/2 ts. celery seed

~ Mix together in a bowl w/a whisk & put into your favorite container. Makes 3/4 c.

~ Flavor any zucchini/summer squash/tomato dish.

~ Add to salad greens & tomato wedges served w/a vinaigrette dressing.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim<><

The Pinnacle of Homeschooling: GRADUATION!

Last night I spoke to a homeschool support group on "Homeschooling High School". And it occurred to me that nearly no one reading this blog has seen any of my posts about our daughters' homeschool graduation - as I had previously been blogging on different networks.

Sooo...with some of you - or those you may know - are about to start planning their own teen's graduation, I thought I would re-post our oldest daugher's 2006 graduation story. I hope you enjoy it, I hope those of you closing in on this time in your family's history will be encouraged & I hope maybe I'll give you a few ideas of what YOU can do - right at your home - for your teen's big day!

Blessings from Ohio, Kim<><

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Praise God from Whom ALL blessings flow -- WE DID IT!! We graduated our first precious daughter!!

We had our dd, Jasper's, graduation open house/ceremony this past Saturday, the 17th and a great time was had by all! After everyone filled up on the fantastic food that our pastor's wife brought in (she caters - convenient, huh?), we had everyone stay at the tables and chairs we had set up outside under our lovely maple trees.

The LORD was exceedingly gracious in giving us a beautiful, sunny day with a pleasant breeze - with over 100 people in attendance, we would have had a terrible time with everyone in our home!

After everyone settled down for our outdoor ceremony, Jasper came out in her cap and gown (thank you, HSLDA!!). As the only thing my dear hubby likes to do behind a microphone is sing, he had me do most of the talking. So, I greeted and welcomed everyone, then I introduced our Pastor, who kicked us off by asking the LORD's gracious blessings upon our ceremony.

Next, I read a list of many of Jasper's accomplishments throughout her K-12 homeschool journey - Poor, little "sheltered and unsocialized" homeschool girl - ONLY 2 pages, single space, worth! (Hopefully, we changed some of the minds of any nay-sayers in the audience!)

We had several surprises in store for Jasper - one was a family of VERY dear friends of ours came in from Michigan JUST for the occasion! And the OTHER was that our Ohio State Representative, the Honorable Diana Fessler, (who's successful campaigns our family has worked on through the years) was sneaked (snuk?) in and gave a fabulous speech and awarded Jasper with a proclamation!! THANK YOU, DIANA!!

Next, my hubby and I read letters to Jasper, these were the same ones that we had read to her at the McCHEO Senior Night. Didn't get through it any better that I did the first time - cried at all the same places! My sweet hubby had a hard time getting through his - you've heard of "hands-on" dads? He's a "hearts-on" daddy! Precious.

After this, Jasper got HER turn and blessed our family, extended family, "adopted" family (very close family friends) and others with thanks and love. Uh-oh, more tears!

After Jasper spoke, I read this:

Jasper,

You recently attended a very large high school graduation. You watched as all those graduates marched up to the podium and received their diplomas. You listened as small pockets of attendees cheered their favorite grad. But in the excitement of the moment, and as a homeschool graduate, here's something that you may not have thought of: even though there were so many graduates, all of those people were not there for one person, each graduate probably only had a hand-full of people cheering for them.

Look around you now, everyone attending your graduation is here especially for you! Everyone here is cheering for you because you have been important and meaningful in their lives and they love you for it. Everyone here is cheering for the person you have become through a godly education given to you by people who love and know you best...not strangers. Everyone here is cheering for the person you will become as you take the life lessons and academics we have imparted to you and live a life that will not only be a blessing to your family and friends, but will bring glory to the LORD.

It is with utmost pleasure and honor that Daddy and I present you with your Homeschool High School diploma. You have earned it and it has been a pleasure to, not only be your parents, but to be your teachers, as well.

[At this point, Ty presented her with her diploma (thanks again HSLDA!) and the whole crowd absolutely ERRUPTED with applause and cheers!!...and tears!!]

I leave you with these words of wisdom and a gift:

Rebekah Anast said, "When you step out into life, you will quickly discover that the tests you have taken no longer matter, but the tools you have acquired mean everything."

As your parents, we want you to REMEMBER that "all the praise and glory of a high school graduation ceremony could never compare to the thunderous applause of GOD or hearing HIS 'well done, good and faithful servant.'" Now, it is up to YOU to remain faithful and to nourish and maintain your relationship with Him. He loves you and you ARE the apple of His eye.

3 John 3 says, "It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth."

With that, I present you with a book of well-wishes, advice and memories from those who know and love you, telling "about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth."

May God bless you always,
Mommy and Daddy<><

With this, I presented her with a notebook that I had been compiling for the last couple of months. I had asked many of our family and friends to write a letter to Jasper of encouragement, wisdom, advice and/or memories of her. I have rarely been so moved as when I was reading these letters as they came in. We are blessed beyond measure with people who love and have nurtured our daughters, and who love Jasper enough to have taken part in her life and her big day. To cap off the ceremony, our pastor asked for anyone who would like to, to come up and lay hands on Jasper while he prayed the LORD's deepest blessings upon her life. To our astonishment, EVERYONE - EVERYONE! - came up and tried to touch a little piece of our darling Jasper and agreed with Pastor Joe in prayer for the LORD's leading in her life.

Blessings, tears and spoken agreement flowed from this precious gathering of family and friends. We are most humbled and grateful. It was a full day - started at about 1:30p.m. and many didn't leave until 9:00p.m. - but it was so much fun. After the ceremony was over, there were volleyball games, basketball games and water fights!

Laughs, memories and the blessings of gifts and well-wishes...and food, food, food! Now...we get to repeat this in 3 more years!

Feeling utterly blessed in Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

Thank You, North Dayton CHEA!!

Thank you, North Dayton Home Educators Assoc (NDCHEA) for inviting me to speak to your support group. You all are a great group!!

It's always nice to meet the early arrivals. I even got to see some familiar faces. :-)

Everyone's gathered & getting ready to be encouraged to homeschool high school. And I hope you were...the high school years were some of my favorite. Believe it or not, for those of you who are approaching those years in your homeschool, the high school years are some of the easiest & most fun. And...praise the Lord for fathers who take an active role in their homeschools!

Here's the whole group! It was great to meet you all, hope you enjoyed it & were encouraged to carry on.

Blessings from Ohio...Kim<><