Notes











  M O N D A Y  .  S E P T E M B E R  12, 2011  
Positive Motivation for September
God promises us prosperity and success!

Psalm 1
1Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
 2But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
 3And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
 4The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
 5Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
 6For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Joshua 1:8
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

God promises us prosperity & success in whaterver we do if we meditate on His Word day and night.

One great way to "meditate on His Word day and night" is by memorizing scripture and thinking on those scriptures through the day.




Bible Study
Download the following study sheet for a self evaluating Bible study on prudence.



Make Your Own Cleaning Supplies.
Save $$.
Making your own cleaning supplies will save lots of money as well as save you and your home from unhealthy chemicals.  Jenny Bodin did a wonderful job teaching us how to make an all purpose cleaner and automatic dishwasher powder.

Wonder Spray
(all purpose cleaner)
2 Tbs. vinegar
1 tsp. borax
2 C. very hot water
1/4 C. liquid castile soap (find at Target or Whole Foods)
10-15 drops essential oil


Smash out any clumps in borax.  Mix vinegar and borax together in spray bottle.  Add hot water and shake/stir until borax is dissolved.  Add castile soap and essential oils.  Shake/stir well.  Spray and wipe. Great for countertops!  Lemon/orange or peppermint are nice oils to use.

Lavender Lift Automatic  Dishwasher Powder
2 cups washing soda
2 cups borax
20 drops lavender essential oil


Combine all ingredients, taking care to blend in the essential oil well.  Store in a plastic container.  Use 2 tablespoons per load of dishes.


Notes:
Jenny uses the book "The Naturally Clean Home" as her guide for making cleaning supplies.


Essential oils smell wonderful and contain different cleaning properties.  i.e. some essential oils are great disinfectants.


It is best to use pure essential oils.  You can purchase these oils at Whole Foods or various places online.


If you are pregnant, be careful not to allow skin contact with essential oils.


Find out the different properties of essential oils as well as find other home cleaner recipes by checking out the following links:

The Herbs Place: Wholesale store including more recipes.
Practical Uses of Essential Oils
Properties of Essential Oils


Laundry Detergent
Mel D'Ambrosio shared with us how to make laundry detergent.  Another great way to save $!


one cup washing soda
one cup baking soda
one cup borax
one bar soap grated
you can add an essential oil


Place all in a bowl; stir 5 minutes; use 1 or 2 tablespoons per load.


Check out these informative websites:
MoneyCrashers.com
TheSimpleDollar.com

Health Segment
Partially Hydrogenated Oil (Trans Fats)

We took another look at partially hydrogenated oil...

We’re bombarded today with all types of ingredients in our food by the food industry.  It’s important for our health, and for our children's health to know what ingredients we’re putting into our bodies and how those ingredients affect our bodies.  Partially Hydrogenated Oil can be found in many of the common foods we purchase and can really hurt our health. Please see video posted in April's health segment.

If you just watched the video and found yourself thinking, "Oh no! I can't eat this now, I can't eat that." Try changing, and thinking alternatives:) You can still bake a cake without including bad ingredients. Check out options at Whole Foods or make it from scratch!

Cheers to healthy eating!


  M O N D A Y  .  A P R I L  4,  2 0 1 1  


Positive Motivation for April
We want to start out each meeting sharing something positive, something fresh, exciting and motivating. So for this month, I chose a word.  A word to think about and challenge you with.  The word is ATTITUDE.

I'm quoting the following from Bible.org:

"Attitudes can be like cobwebs which clutter up the mind and cause us to fail in the purposes of God.  Or, they can be like an interstate highway to an automobile smoothing the way to our destination.  Swindoll writes:

'This may shock you, but I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude.  It is more important than my past, me education, my bankroll my successes or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me or say about me, my circumstances, or my position. Attitude is that 'single string' that keeps me going or cripples my progress.  It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope.  When my attitudes are right, there's no barrier too hight, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me.'"

So, my CHALLENGE for you and myself this month is this.  Each day this month, along with your personal devotions, define, by writing down, the attitude you're going to have for that day.  Then, pray and determine to MIH, Make It Happen!

Here are a few motivational quotes from Zig Ziglar:

"Of all the 'attitudes' we can acquire, surely the attitude of gratitude is the most important and by far the most life-changing."

"It's not what happens to you that determines how far you will go in life; it is how you handle what happens to you."

"Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude."

Health Segment
We've been looking into different ingredients commonly found in much of our food today.  By knowing what these ingredients are and how they adversely affect our health, we can shop smart, read ingredient lists and avoid feeding our families unhealthy products.

So far, we have looked at:
-High Fructose Corn Syrup
-Partially Hydrogenated Oil (Trans Fats)

The following video is very informative about the serious health dangers of Partially Hydrogenated Oil:



SPROUTS!
You can sprout just about any seed, nut, legume or grain.

Each seed has its own flavor when sprouted.  Radish seeds taste like radish.

Sprouting provides a cheap and easy way to grow fresh, organic vegetables indoors and year round.  

An active, immediately available garden which can be grown anywhere.

By sprouting a seed, you are tapping into its unlimited potential. (example of an acorn)

Sprouting seeds increases their vitamin and mineral content from 2 to 500%.

Sprouts are high in protein- up to 35%, and provide live enzymes (living energy) to your diet.

Sprouts are easy to digest, high in fiber and low in calories.

Sprouts are very inclusive of many important vitamins and minerals.

STEP ONE.
Seeds must be in their RAW state to sprout.

Seeds must first be soaked in water to 'wake them up'

Water brings the seed's potential to life.

The seed swells and germinates during the soaking stage.

Put NO MORE THAN ¼ cup seeds in the bottom of a quart mason jar.

Cover with water, then put on the top with a screen.

Drain, (this first rinse is to clean the seeds) then add water again and let the jar sit from 4 to 12 hours.  Overnight works well.

STEP TWO
Drain the jar.  Add water, swirl to rinse and drain.  Repeat. (rinse two times)

Hold jar horizontally and shake the seeds to spread them out along the edge of the jar.

Place jar horizontally on a window sill, or counter.

STEP THREE
Repeat the rinsing process TWO times each day until sprouts have grown to desired length.  Sprouts can be used at any point in their growth process. With a small tail is better for soups and stews.  The longer tail makes it better for salads, sandwiches and omelets.

STEP FOUR
Cover jar and store in fridge

Sprouts can be used in MANY ways.  A few ways they can be used include:
on salads sautes on oatmeal in a sandwich
in a smoothie on cereal in omelets in soups
in stews in breads as a snack

Some of the MANY seeds that can be sprouted include:
alfalfa lentils broccoli clover mung beans
adzuki sunflower seeds radish almonds

There are many instructional videos on youtube, but this basically covers everything you need to know!

There is great detailed information to read about at sproutpeople.org

  M O N D A Y  .  F E B R U A R Y  6,  2 0 1 1  
Seed Planting  
Tomatoes, Eggplant, Peppers, Marigolds.
This combination of vegetables, and flowers will grow well together and benefit each other.  In your garden, you may add basil as a complimentary herb.

Each of these seeds require 6 to 8 weeks growth before the last frost.  The vegetables each belong to the same type of 'family' in plant world (Solanaceae; sow.lah.NAY.see.ee).  This type of crop (tomatoes, peppers and eggplant) like heat and sun, have similar sun requirements, and are subject to many serious fungal diseases.  By growing them together, they will get the same soil qualities they need and atract the right kind of 'helper' bugs.  Where ever they are planted will need to be changed year to year for four years (crop rotation) to keep the soil healthy, and minimize the possibility of fungus and other plant diseases. (Great Garden Companions by Sally jean Cunningham)

These instructions will bring you up to the next meeting of 'girls night out'.
  1. Seeds will sprout if they have too little soil over them, but will not sprout with too much soil over them.
  2. Best to water with lukewarm water or room temperature water.
  3. The 'greenhouse' keeps moisture in so less watering is needed.  It is important, though, to open for an hour or so daily to let in fresh air.
  4. The best way to water tender plants, or seeds is from the bottom.  Place the 'greenhouse' on a cookie tray, and keep this tray wet.
  5. The seeds do not need light until they have sprouted, and you can see them growing.
  6. Once the seeds have sprouted, they need LIGHT and NOT HEAT.
  7. To increase the light to your plants, line the cookie tray with aluminum foil to deflect the light.
  8. The 'greenhouse' should be placed in a SOUTH window if possible.
Next month, we will begin the transplanting process of these plants.

Health: Breathing





















Breathing
Genesis 2:7 "and the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."

Life is but a series of breaths. Breath is life. We can live a long time without food, a couple of days without drinking, but life without breath is measured in minutes. Something so essential deserves our attention. Breath is the most important of all the bodily functions.
Function and Science

Deep breathing is important because it makes your lymphatic system work better. What is the lymph system? Some people think of it as the body’s sewage system. Every cell in your body is surrounded by lymph.

Breathing delivers oxygen and removes carbon dioxide from every cell of the body. 
Our cells either thrive or die in proportion to the amount of oxygen they receive.

The top 1/3 of our lungs, which is the part most used by normal adults, houses about 20 % of the blood circulation. Shallow breaths do not cleanse the blood properly. Improperly cleansed cells return toxins to the blood.
Breathing stimulates the digestive system, improves energy and mental performance. It helps melt tension and stress.
Unconscious breathing is regulated by the body's need to expel carbon dioxide. More respiration is required during exercise, less at rest.
Technique

The purpose of this exercise it to oxygenate your blood.

We are also practicing how to use the complete lung; the lower part that extends the abdomen, the center part that expands the chest, and the upper part that raises our spine and improves our posture.
Blow your nose to clear passageways.

Take a full breath, filling your lower abdomen, chest, and upper chest.
Hold for the count of 8, allowing a full exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
Release slowly to the count of 8, allowing full elimination of toxic exchange.
Repeat a few times, and as often as you remember, especially during stressful times.
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