Natural diuretic
You know those cucumbers you see in jugs of water at the spa? Well, try putting some in your own water glass at home. Not only is it refreshing, but if you'll take it a step farther and eat those luscious cukes - it will help eliminate bloating.
Best way to remove a splinter
The next time you get a splinter, pull it out easily using an onion! Cut a small piece of a fresh onion and place it on the padded portion of a bandage. Apply the bandage with onion piece to the splintered skin. By morning, the onion will drawn the splinter to the outer surface and you can remove it painlessly with a pair of tweezers.
Bee Stings: Instant Relief
Remove the stinger by scraping it gently with a credit card. Take a tablet of Alka-Seltzer and moisten it slightly so it begins to fizzle when applied to the skin where the sting is. This really works well!
Clean windows
Spray your outside windows with Rain-X, (a product for car windows). Follow direction on the bottle for car windows. Keeps your windows clean and clear for longer.
Pray often...it's a stress reliever (Proverbs 2:1-8)
My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; Yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints.
Laugh often...it's health to your bones (Proverbs 17:22)
A merry heart does good like a medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.
It just takes one generation ...
by Teresa A. LeNeave
Tell me, do children high school age and younger know what an apron is for? Have they ever seen anyone make donuts at home or do they think they come only from Wal-mart? How many times a week do these kids enjoy a home cooked meal with everyone sitting around the kitchen table? Do they think the kitchen table is for decoration and the couch is for eating dinner on? Is conversation their dinner entertainment, or starring at Everybody Loves Raymond? Take a moment to reminisce about Grandma’s apron and you’ll realize, at any time, we are just one generation away from what is ‘normal’ today.
I write this article because I am guilty. I know what it was like to raise children who loved to romp and play in the outdoors, roll in the mud on rainy days and ride a go-cart in the yard for hours. They loved to lick the chocolate cake spatula and fought over who would get to lick the icing off the mixer beaters. Pizza was a wonderful treat. There was no such thing as running to Little Caesar's to grab a $5 pizza on the way home from work.
I cooked what I thought was ‘healthy’ meals and none of us had weight problems. Now, my husbands says I don’t even need a kitchen. And, yes, we all battle with weight!
Looking back, I took seriously my responsibility to inspire courage, self-esteem and positive values into my children. Now, too often, clubs and team coaches are left to inspire self-esteem, positive values and courage. I certainly am not undervaluing coaches who motivate and inspire kids, or clubs that help develop a child - all of that is very beneficial, but some parents have gotten so busy that our kids no longer know what an apron is for.
It’s not that cooking makes a family, but old-timers used to say, “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” For most of us, Little Caesar pizza’s are just too convenient to pass up. And, chocolate cake ... that’s much too fattening for my age so I better pass on that too and try not to bake too often!
What does all this have to do with seeking God? I believe some of our greatest spiritual experiences happen right in the midst of our everyday life. While we are working on our to-do-list, God is always trying to lead us to those experiences which opens opportunities for us to live constantly in His favor. Are we too busy to recognize them?
The great prophet, Isaiah said there is a fast that has nothing to do with fasting from all those delectable, rich foods most of us love to eat. The fast Isaiah talks about takes us into another dimension, spiritually, and incites God’s favor in our lives.
Isaiah said the Israelites fasted, but were seeing no results. (Sound familiar?) They had begun to complain because they thought God wasn’t listening. He said, “Hey, I am listening, but there is a little problem here with what you do when you fast. ...You keep right on living just for yourselves even while you’re fasting. You keep right on oppressing your workers and you keep right on fighting and quarreling!”
God didn’t give them time to respond before He told them what to do to get results. He said, “If you’re going to fast, this is what I want: I want you to free those who are oppressed and undo the heavy burdens you’ve place on others; share your food with the hungry; provide a home for those who have no home; give clothes to those who need them; and, don’t hide yourself from your own relatives who need your help. (Isaiah 58: 1-5, 6,7 paraphrased).
“You do that,” God told the Israelites, “and the darkness around you shall shine out like the noon day. You will be like a well-watered garden. When you call, the Lord will answer. (Read all this in Isaiah chapter 58).
Following God is like cooking: each generation gets a little farther from the kitchen unless we, personally do our part to keep the tradition alive. It’s like the story of Grandma’s Apron, when our mothers put down the apron it didn’t take but one generation to forget its purposes.