Mom Basics

Make a Hanging Herb Drying Rack

2012-01-31T11:09:00.000-08:00

I got this from my bestest friend of more than fifteen years. Her blog is at http://thesimplesolutionmom.blogspot.com/

Nothing makes a dish quite as yummy as herbs fresh from your own garden.

But if you've ever grown them, you know that when the growing season is over you will still have a lot left to harvest. Keep your food flavorful all year 'round by drying your excess herbs with a hanging herb dryer.

Materials:

Old frames...the number depends on how many levels that you want.

Screw hooks -4 for a 1 level dryer, 12 for a 2 level, etc.

Fiberglass screen or whatever kind of screen you have lying around. Screen from an old door would work great here, upcycle, upcycle, upcycle! You could also use a super thin cloth for this I suppose.

A plant hanging kit -chain and S hooks

Scissors

Staple gun

Pliers (2 pairs needed)

Step 1: First off if you picked up your frames at a thrift store or flea market then more than likely they are dusty and possibly splintered. Clean then off with a damp rag and sand them smooth if necessary. Flip them over and remove the staples from the back with your pliers.

Step 2: Then lay out your screen and place your frame on top. Cut out the shape of your frame.

Step 3: Flip your frame back-side up and staple your screen on. Starting in the middle and working your way out so that you have a nice taut screen. You could also use small nails/tacks if you do not have a staple gun.

Step 4: Flip your frame front-side up and screw your screw hooks into the corners. Take advantage of the separation of the corners here for starting off your screw hooks. You could also use a drill to make the starter hole.

Screw hooks in all 4 corners...

Step 5: Take your chain and shorten it if necessary...test it out to make sure that you are happy with the length. If you are using the same packet of chain from Lowe's (2 chains, 4 S hooks) then you will want to split the 2 chains in 1/2 for a good length...about a foot or foot and 1/2.

**Open the links like you would a jumpring...side to side, with 2 pair of pliers.

Step 6: Now take your 4 chains and hook one end of each chain to each of the screw hooks on the 4 corners.

Step 7: Then take one of your S hooks and connect the other end of all 4 chains in the middle.

Step 8: Give the S hook a good squeeze so that you can keep all chains hooked up.

Step 9: Hang and add your herbs!

No flipping necessary...just spread your herbs out and walk away. The air will circulate through the screens and allow for quick drying time. Just make sure to hang your dryer somewhere dark and cool.

***Go a few steps further and add on a couple of levels. All you need to do is add your screw hooks to both the front and back-sides of the frame, in all 4 corners. Add your chain to connect the levels with an S hook or just by opening the chain links. If using the S hooks, make sure to squeeze them closed so that your levels do not come apart when you are moving or rehanging.

Garlic, A Great Antibiotic!

2012-01-31T10:52:00.000-08:00

Did you know that four cloves of garlic is equal to an adult dose of penicillin? Garlic stimulates your body's own immune system, where an antibiotic, such as penicillin, overrides your body's immune system and thereby weakens it, along with possible side effects. After over ten years as a Registered Nurse I have seen the overuse of antibiotics, which is why we are now dealing with resistant super bugs. This is one of the reasons I have chosen to educate myself in natural healing.

Here are some interesting facts about garlic. From ancient times through World War I, garlic was used to treat the wounded. During the 1920s, researchers in Switzerland isolated garlic's antibiotic compound, alliin, which has no medicinal value until the herb is chewed, chopped or crushed. Then an enzyme transforms alliin into a powerful antibiotic called allicin. Raw garlic has the most antibiotic potency, but garlic still has benefits when cooked.

Garlic reduces the risk of several cancers. In a long-term Iowa Women's Health Study, researchers followed over 40,000 middle-aged women. The women who ate the most garlic had the lowest risk of colon cancer. A few cloves a week cut their risk by 32 percent, and the greater intake of garlic decreased the risk even more. While eating a healthy diet full of fresh fruits and vegetables in general helps prevent cancer, garlic yielded the greatest preventive benefit of all the plant foods analyzed in this study. Other studies have shown that garlic also helps lower the risk for prostate and bladder cancers.

Are you concerned about ulcers? Use more garlic in your diet. Researchers at the University of Washington have shown that garlic kills H. pylori, the bacteria that cause ulcers. Garlic is an antimicrobial and an antibiotic. It can be used in all cases of infection, including yeast. It is known as "Russian penicillin". When used on a daily basis it prevents colds and flu. It is a source of organic sulfur. Garlic aids in the removal of heavy metals, such as lead, cadmium, and mercury, from the body. Garlic also helps to lower high blood pressure. Researchers found that one-half to one clove of garlic per day reduces cholesterol by 9 percent. The reduction of cholesterol and triglycerides is enhanced when taken with fish oil.

Strep Throat
Do you or someone you love suffer from strep throat? The normal recovery time for strep throat is 7-10 days. This little recipe is said to get rid of strep throat in 24-48 hours. I obtained this recipe from Dr. Christopher's School of Natural Healing. So the next time you have to deal with strep throat, try this lil recipe.

1 Tablespoon of raw honey
1/8-1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
3-5 cloves of garlic

The honey helps to coat the throat. The cayenne brings blood to the throat to aid in healing. The amount of cayenne used would determine on the person and their desire of heat, and also the cayenne you have. Different cayenne peppers have different heat levels. The garlic, of course, is the antibiotic. You can take this as often as every hour as needed.

Earaches

Garlic
Olive Oil

Chop garlic and place in a container and add olive oil to one inch over the top of the garlic. Let sit for three days. Strain it and use oil as needed for earaches. Another one of Dr. Christopher's recipes.

Colds and Flu

Another garlic recipe that we use around our household is Dr. Schulze's Super Tonic which you can find at http://healingtools.tripod.com/supertonic.html . It is called an anti-plague tonic, but we use it as a preventive around here. A little testimony, my husband came home after his first week of school this semester with a cold. He said that he had never sneezed so much in his whole life. His colds usually last 6-7 days, but he started taking the tonic, doubling the dose to two tablespoon three times a day, and in 24 hours he was fine. We normally just take one tablespoon a day as a preventive.

Stay in good health!

Marriage: Truths or Fairytales. What Do You Believe?

2012-01-30T10:55:00.000-08:00

I found this poem, actually it was a video of him speaking the poem, this morning that I wanted to share with you. It is written by Jeffrey Bethke and speaks the TRUTH about sex and marriage and the lies that we've believed and our children now believe as evidence in society. As I read this poem I even thought about my own marriage and how I still expect some form of a fairytale marriage. I am blessed to have such a wonderful Godly man who truly loves me, and in many ways he has been the handsome prince that rescued this Cinderella, of which I am so grateful. We are great friends and love just being in the same room with each other, no matter what we are doing. Yet, I still find myself dreaming of things and how I would like them to happen. He has told me that it's as if he doesn't do these things the way that I want, then I feel like he doesn't love me. Wow! What a revelation. Exposed that deception. Am I still believing a lie? Is that honoring him? Has the media so influenced us to the core that we believe in or dream of living a fairytale? Something to think about.

Sex, Marriage, & Fairytales

by Jeffrey Bethke

Disney movies and chick flicks, they've put us in a weird position,

They've distorted our reality, cause we forget they are actually fiction,

Because in marriage we either get better or bitter, either joy or remorses,

What we're doing isn't working, just look at the rate of divorces

So how's your marriage? I mean c'mon let's be honest,

Marriage to some seems more like a prison, than the paradise they were promised

We thought marriage was supposed to fulfill us and make us happy, not lonely

But the truth is God's first priority is making us Holy.

You say, "no one told me," and, "it feels odd

that dating felt like a vacation, while marriage feels like a job"

Yet the secret of joy, if we just pull back the facade,

Is realizing most problems arise when we elevate our spouse to God

Without knowing it we've fulfilled Romans 1:25

By our actions, exchanged the Truth about God for a lie,

We've exchanged God for lesser, created things,

It's like a husband trading his wife for a 2D image on a screen,

Hoping it'll set us free, just to find on the fumes we're choking

Cause if your marriage rests on anything but JESUS, it's resting on something BROKEN

Yet guys continually sacrifice their marriage on the altar of sex and lust,

I mean if our dollars were honest, they'd say "in PLEASURE we TRUST"

So men GROW UP, put down the controller,

How about you lead her with GRACE, instead of trying to control her.

Now I've never been married, but I'm a product of one that was non-existent,

So don't tell me I don't understand the pain, don't tell me I don't get it

So for singles, become friends first before you ever become lovers,

Pursue Jesus as your foundation, before you get under the covers

Because believe me a strong friendship before marriage, will make a good marriage after,

Marriage isn't just sex, it's deep conversation and laughter.

I mean some spouses barely even like each other, and the marriage seems like a dead end.

You might share a checkbook and a house, but are you actually friends?

I mean if marriage isn't a commitment, then what's the point of the vows we say?

"Til death do us part", really means until the feelings go away.

Like, "I'll stay with him, but only until it gets tough and my love shifts",

But I say imagine if a parent took that perspective with her kids,

Like can't you see it, the minute the kid spills food on the floor,

The mom saying, "Forget it, I don't love you anymore!"

No its just like marriage, to last you need the strength from above,

Because it's not the love that sustains the promise, it's the promise that sustains the love.

I mean think about it, out of anyone who has the right to leave?

God had every reason in the world, yet He still came for you and me,

And on the cross He paid it all, He took our shame and set us free,

When He could've called down legions of angels, He chose to stay on that tree.

From the cross He looks you in the eye, and says I'm taking this for My Bride,

When you trust in Me, you no longer have to hide!

Because of Me it is finished, you have been made new!

You're SPOTLESS, you're BLAMELESS there's no sin in you!

His death was a proposal, He wanted you no matter the cost,

Where some guys propose on a knee, Jesus proposed on a cross.

So read Ephesians 5, whether husband or wife,

Wife honor your husband, husbands give up your life,

Just like Jesus gave Himself for His Bride, the church

So men lead by serving, by putting her first

So die to self, put your flesh on a life sentence,

Because you don't fall out of love, you fall out of REPENTANCE.