Friday, June 29, 2007

Pregnancy Induced Allergies

In hoping this helps someone else find relief: Monday, I had seen some relief from the allergies and then they came back with a vengence. Ugh!

I had ordered Quercetin and Bromelain and a homeopathic remedy Friday and they got here Tuesday. I am taking two of the Q&B every meal and the homeopathic every 3-4 hours while awake. At night, I started taking a store brand of Claritan with Sudafed. By Wednesday afternoon, I could tell some improvement. (Quercetin helps regulate the histamine in your body. Bromelain helps the Quercetin to be absorbed. Bromelain is found in fresh pineapple. Processing kills it, so you need to eat it fresh.)

Wednesday night, Clint found some Hylands ear drops at Walmart and brought those home for me to try. These treat congestion as well as pain. By Thursday evening, I was breathing fairly freely and had some minor pressure on my ears with one of the other being clear off and on.

This morning, I woke up with no fluid in my ears at all!! It was so nice after THREE solid weeks of pressure!! With the heat, the congestion and ear pressure has just made me miserable. Then, I started gagging again and that forced fluid back up into the right ear. I am hoping it clears up quickly though. I'll keep doing this a few more days and see how it works.

Once Emily is here, I expect the allergies to clear up within a day or two as the pregnancy hormones leave my system. They did with Amanda. They were a bother when I was expecting Bethany, but not as bad. This has been the worst I've had to deal with them, but I think it is the time of the year and stage in the pregnancy.

Brandon and Amanda have tried the allergy drops under their tongue when their sinuses have been congested. Both have experienced noticeable results almost immediately.

2Samuel 7:22 Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Harmless as Doves (pict)


This is our first pigeon baby we've raised.
Pigeons are in the dove family of birds and it has been such a pleasure watching the mother and father raise them.
They are such calm, gentle birds.
Our pair, a gift from friends, are on their second set of hatchlings.
I tell city folks that we don't have pigeons to feed out here in the country, so we raise our own. :-)
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Mt:10:16: Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
I've often contemplated on that Scripture. In observing snakes, I saw how they avoid bad situations when they can and will only strike in a defensive manner. Clint kept a very large black snake in his workshop for years as an effective pest control measure. In his encounters with her, he was always amazed at how smart she seemed.
Never having observed doves, I believed it when preachers would say they would never harm anyone or anything. However, we learned very quickly that if you try to mess with a dove's offspring (even when the offspring is a young adult), both parents will attack you!! They are loving and gentle with their children, often making a loving, soothing cooing sound while they care for them.

Friday, June 15, 2007

How I Cook Collards

I prefer pressure cooking collards, but here's how I boil them on the stovetop when I can't find a part to my cooker.

Pick the collard leaves by cutting the stems. Leave the roots and you will get more collards. I cut away any bad parts and remove any insects or insect eggs. I pull out thick, tough stems--I don't like them. I prefer small leaves, a little bigger than my hand, for tenderness and sweetness. Larger leaves, I roll together and then cut into sections which makes strips. I wash them in a large clean sink filled with water. I change the water at least 4 times or until it stays clear. I add them to a pot of boiling water with seasonings already added (salt, piece of ham or ham bone, black pepper, onion, garlic, etc), adding more than the level of the water. They cook down fast. I bring them to a boil and then let them simmer until they are very tender. The time this takes depends upon how many you have and how big (tough) the leaves are. I just sample them until they are done to my liking.

Retain the juice. It is filled with nutrients and will make a good base for soup. It is called "pot likker" and some people like to sop it up in a biscuit.

Collard leaves contain calcium vitamins B1, B2, B9, and C and beta-carotene. It also contains beneficial enzymes.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Our Laundry Tips

Managing the Laundry Monster

Here are a few tips from the Asbell Home on managing the laundry in our larger than average family.

Think about how your family uses laundry and then make a plan that fits your needs. Organize according to your use and needs. Do they throw clothes on the floor in a certain room? Then that room needs a hamper! You can't fit in two loads of laundry a day? Then aim for one or do it all in one day.

Do laundry daily. A little a day is preferable to doing it all in one day. If you do miss a few days to illness or whatever, you will not be knee deep in dirty clothes with half naked family members. We spend about half an hour on laundry per day, about 4-5 days per week. That includes hanging it on the clothesline. At the time of this writing, there are seven of us with a baby due in four weeks. We participate in many activities that require special clothing or linens, but we have managed to keep laundry under control with these tips.

You can read the rest here: http://www.contentmentacres.com/laundrytips.htm

When Herbal Medicine Doesn't Work

When Herbal Medicine Doesn't Work

Ezekiel 47:12 "...and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine."

A few people have told me they have given up on herbal medicine because it "just doesn't work for me."

There are many reasons why herbal medicine may not be working for someone.
You can read the rest of the article here.