Investing in the Next Generation

Yesterday we were asked to bring our family in at the end of a Sunday School class that consisted of senior adults. They were all wanting to meet us and present us with a gift. Keith is friend's with the Sunday School teacher. He came to the first church that Keith pastored and did some deacon training for him. He is almost twice Keith's age, but very dear to him. Keith has always enjoyed being around men who are older than him. I think it is because he loves to learn and be mentored by men who are living out their faith.

At first, I will have to be honest, I felt silly walking in to this big class and standing in the front of all these people. I felt like we were the Duggar family :)! Even though, we are only half in size.  Was it pride that I was feeling? I felt like our family was on display and it was very awkward.  So this was the family that some had seen walking around the church. This was the family that all sat together during service. This was the family that had toddlers in tow and a mama about to pop! I stuffed down those feelings and walked inside the doors to the front of the class with all the children and Keith.

As the teacher introduced us and had Keith tell a little about where we have been and where we feel like we may be going, all those thoughts vanished and I had an overwhelming feeling of the Lord's presence. We were not a family on display and this was not for show. The class gave us an offering and told us how much they wanted to help us while we were here. They said that they knew they only had a short window of time with us and their desire was to invest in our family. These were adults who are in their last chapter of life. The last quarter. The last inning. Adults who know that their time with Jesus is drawing near. Although none of us know exactly when our time is, it is without question that when we near 70 we will be so much closer than when we were 30.  They showered us with encouragement. Even to the point to encourage the children by telling them that many have noticed them in the service and how well-behaved they are. Telling them that they are an example to so many others. ( Now, I have to tell you before you feel like I am implying our kids are perfect, when we got into the service early I looked up to see Joshua and Stephen fighting. Joshua would not let Stephen pass by and Stephen bent down and was soon to apply teeth to the leg when I firmly told them to stop. Keith had to take them to the bathroom and I thought, "wonder if they saw that"?!).

The reason I am sharing this is because, in the prayer that the teacher prayed over our family he said, "Lord, I know that by the time these kids are grown and you are using them for the advancement of your kingdom, most of us will be on the other side." They are eternity minded! Realizing that the investment they make in our family in different ways will outlive them. I have no doubt that we will be in their prayers and I am sooooo thankful for that. They see beyond themselves to me and Keith. They see beyond me and Keith to these children of ours. And, I believe they see beyond these children, to those who will come behind them. It reminds me of the words of a song...

"May all who come behind us find us faithful.
May the fire of our devotion light their way.
May the footprints that we leave,
Lead them to believe,
And the lives we live inspire them to obey.
Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful."

Are you eternity minded? Do you see beyond this life? And, are you sacrificing to invest in the lives of those who come behind us?

Thankful for senior adults who are making a difference for the cause of Christ,

Nichole

Beauty for the Battered

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion- to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning ,the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified."

Isaiah 61:1-3 (see also Luke 4:17-19)



May you find, on this special day of worship corporately with the body of Believers, an exchange for whatever you are facing in the daily living of life. May your ashes become a headdress of beauty that speaks of the glory of the One we serve.

Nichole

Pictured above:

Morgan with a scarf she knitted and finished not too long ago wrapped around her head. It was a cold and rainy day. She is beginning the making of something new. To us, it is beauty, because she made it with her hands. Taught by a woman of godly beauty as well, Mrs. Sharon Moore.

Thankgiving Eatin'...pumpkin pie.

Last year at this time we were harvesting our own heirloom pumpkins from our garden. I was amazed that we actually had some grow and then ended up with 5 or 6 large pumpkins. They were beautiful and tasty. I was able to give a couple away and cook up the rest to put in the freezer. The amount that we put up lasted until this year! We made plenty of pies and pumpkin muffins with all of it.

Well, we were not able to grow pumpkins this year, but we picked up some really cool ones at a pumpkin patch up near Ellijay. Our kids love pumpkin pie. They will eat it for breakfast, lunch, supper and snacks. The two youngest aren't as crazy about them as the older children, but needless to say, they don't last long at all in our house (the pies, not the children. The children have lasted for quite some time now :) ).

I posted a recipe before on pumpkin pie and I am going to post it again. The only difference in the recipe that I will give and what you see pictured above is that I chose to use all pumpkin in the pie above. The recipe calls for some sweet potato. If you have the time, it is worth it. Both ways will make a great pie!

You will need pie crusts for two pies. We use a recipe using freshly ground soft white wheat.

Double-Pie Crust

2 1/2 cups of freshly ground soft white wheat flour (or 2 cups of all-purpose flour)

1 tsp. salt

2/3 cups and 2 Tbs. butter (12 Tbs.)

4-7 Tbs. cold water

*2 Tablespoons of sucanat with honey

Combine flour and salt. Cut in butter. Add water and mix. If the dough is too wet add a little flour. Divide dough in half and roll out on floured surface. Makes 2 pie crusts.

*I am thinking of adding a little sucanat with honey  (2 Tbs.) to this crust because this particular pumpkin pie recipe is not super sweet (which I like).  *I did this with the pie above. Liked it. You can also find this available at the Bread Becker's website.

Filling:

2 cups of half and half

3 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree (or 1 3/4 cup of fresh pumpkin puree)

1 cup of drained pureed sweet potatoes (from can or fresh)

3/4 cup of sucanat (or sugar)

     go checkout http://www.breadbeckers.com/ to find out what sucanat is

1/4 cup of pure maple syrup (yum!)

2 teaspoons of freshly grated ginger or 2 teaspoons of dried powdered ginger

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon of salt

*With the pie above, I increased all the spices to double from the original recipe. We enjoy it with a little more spice. It works well both ways, though.

While the pie shell is baking for about 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees, whisk cream, eggs, yolks,and vanilla together in bowl. Combine the rest of the filling ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a sputtering simmer over medium heat (takes a few minutes). Continue to do this, stirring, for about 10 minutes allowing the extra water to evaporate and the spices to incorporate. Remove pan from heat and whisk into the bowl with the cream mixture. Stain through a fine mesh strainer to get out  lumps and the stringy ginger. Pour even amounts into the two warm pie crusts. Cook on 400 degrees for 10 minutes and then turn down to 300 degrees and finish cooking until the middle looks a little "jiggly", which could be anywhere from 30- 45 minutes. The pie will need to cool and set for atleast 2-3 hours. It is soooo worth the wait. It is so pretty and shiny. Just like a picture.

Adding the sweet potato will give it a more orange color and shinier surface.

Soon, I hope to give you a pecan pie recipe made with maple syrup (no corn syrup!!). I have already made one and it turned out good. We are going to play around with the ingredients a little before I post. But, I will tell you that the maple syrup did fantastic and it held together just as if I had used the corn syrup.

And yes, the "real" food (if you ask our kids, the pies are "real" food :) ) will be coming soon to help round out this Thanksgiving feast. We are starting from the bottom up! Desserts, side dishes, and finally the turkey!

Happy Baking and Eating.

Thankful for children who delight in the simplicity of a homemade pie,

Nichole

Baby Countdown...a Nine Month Marathon.

4 weeks to go!!

When I contemplated going natural again with the birth of this little one, I knew there were going to have to be some changes for me to gain confidence and hopefully make the end process somewhat easier. Could my birthing experience be any easier? Was it possible to prepare yourself in such a way that labor could be better? shorter? less painful? less complicated?

It wasn't very comforting to read this past weekend,  "To the woman he said, "I will surely multiply your pain in childrearing; in pain you shall bring forth children." Genesis 3:16a. Well, pain is obviously inevitable. BUT, I haven't lost hope in doing my part to make it the least amount of pain as possible.

This is not my only motivation. I also want an uncomplicated birth and a healthy, strong baby.

I have been reading a book called "Husband Coached Childbirth" by Dr. Bradley. I have gotten a reaction of, "you have done this 7 times, and now you think you need a book to tell you how to do this?" YES!

If his theory and teachings are right on, then all of my earlier questions are answered with a "yes".

I love Dr. Bradley's view that the upcoming labor and birth is seen as an athletic event. I played sports in high school and college. I have tried to remain active since then. It resonates with me. I am familiar with the importance of discipline and consistency, although I have never trained for a marathon. I have only ran a 5K! Having a baby is definitely no 5K :) It is hard work. It requires energy of an athlete, conditioning of an athlete, and the nourishment of an athlete. I personally believe the emotional and spiritual conditioning involved throughout will play just as big of a role as the physical training.

So, if there are any males out there who may be reading this and want to check out at this point, please do. I am going to respectfully list a few things that Dr. Bradley recommends for the expectant mother desiring to prepare her body for labor and birth.

1. Nourishment
     This involves Sleep and healthy Food.
SLEEP- Needs proper sleep and rest. Trying her best to keep stress out of her life (really?) or atleast coping properly with the stress that enters her life.
FOOD- he is a big advocate of the Brewer's Diet, which I hope to write of in detail next week and give reasons why. It really consists of things we should be eating already, with an emphasis on possibly increasing good protein.

2. Prenatal Exercises
     These exercises will involve the muscles in the three B's- Back, Belly, and Bottom. They need to be strengthened and flexible.

TAILOR SITTING- or what is also called "Indian style" sitting. This is really not hard to do, atleast for me. I have recently met someone who said this is very uncomfortable because of how stiff  and unflexible she is. I was surprised. This may be more difficult for some than others. Do this as much as possible. It helps the enlarging uterus to fall freely forward instead of tipping backwards.  Crossing our legs is a big no-no. It causes varicose veins, hemorrhoids, uterine prolapses, etc... It is actually the natural way to sit in Native Americans, Chinese, Japanese, and other parts of the world. Now, I know I can't sit this way in the middle of church or Sunday School and for some of you working moms, in the workplace. But, do this as much as you can.

SQUATTING- for those women who don't have little ones yet, this exercise will have to be more intentional. For those of us who do, you will find yourself not purposely squatting many times a day. Take advantage of this. And, pay attention to how you bend over to pick up things. I was amazed how I usually bent the back and not the legs to retrieve something or someone off the ground. The proper way is to squat with your legs bent and rise up- tail first! Funny, I know. It will increase the outlet diameter of the pelvis and reduces the chance of needing a cesarean section. It is the most effective pushing position in second stage.  Do atleast 100 a day.

PELVIC ROCKING- This one was a little harder to envision, so I recommend you try to look up a demo on You Tube to see the proper positioning and exercise. It is a lifting (not arching) and relaxing your lower back rhythmically while on hands and knees. You are on all fours and you feel like a dog wagging it's tail up and down, not back and forth. It actively exercises the lower-back and abdominal muscles, which need to be strengthened to support the increasing weight of the offspring growing in her uterus. This helps to prevent varicose veins, chronic back strain, fallen womb, toxemia of pregnancy from decreased kidney circulation.
Do twenty or so midmorning, after lunch, midafternoon, and increase this to 40 before bedtime.

BUTTERFLY EXERCISE- This exercise is to strengthen the "abductor" or legs-apart muscles. Lean back against a firm support with your knees together and feet flat on the floor. Have someone place their hand on the outer surface of each of your knees and exert mild pressure to help you hold your knees together as you use  your thigh muscles to push them apart. It should take no more than 3 seconds for you to get your legs down as far as comfortable. We will need to be able to do this comfortable so that we can open that baby door when it is time! Do this about 3 to 10 times a day.

KEGEL OR PUBOCOCCYGEAL EXERCISE- Most of us who have had children have heard of these exercises. No longer can one cough, sneeze, laugh, run, jump on the trampoline, etc....without proper protection. It just isn't like it used to be. And, I know you know what I am talking about :). This exercise will strengthen the muscle of the vaginal opening through which the baby actually passes by. Weak muscles in this area can make for a longer second stage and perhaps a cesarean if the baby does not keep its chin on its chest. It is a tightening and loosening of this muscles. Similar to the muscle action of stopping and starting urination.  It will help during pushing the baby out and also encouraging the baby to keep its chin on its chest.
Do this as often as you can throughout the day. Good thing about this, is you can be with anyone, anywhere.

RELAXATION PRACTICE- Very important. This is where I lose it during the pushing stage. Because, for one's body to be relaxed, so must the mind. This is where a support team will help to keep you focused and relaxed as they speak words of encouragement and do things to help keep you relaxed. I will also touch on this next week along with nutrition as to what I am hoping to use to help me intentionally prepare to become more relaxed during the whole experience.

Sorry for this being so long. It may have been more for me than you!! I would recommend getting the book if you are interested for yourself or for someone you love. If there are things that we can do that will decrease the likelihood of a c-section, toxemia, preeclampsia, etc...then I think we need to not only inform ourselves, but other women as well. It can only empower us and give us confidence as we embrace motherhood.

Thankful for and praying for a fast and easy delivery,

Nichole

Secret Church

This past Friday night, Keith and I were able to attend Secret Church that David Platt and the church he pastors organizes a couple of times a year. We had a sweet friend come and sit with the children, put them to bed, and then wait, wait, wait for us to come home. It started at 7 and we got home at 2 in the morning!!

I believe this concept of Secret Church birthed from his experience with meeting with many around the world who were desperate for teaching in God's Word and they would meet secretly, for fear of being caught and punished, for hours. It is dangerous for them to meet. We take so much for granted. 

It was an intense six-hour Bible study. We also prayed for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. The intent for those listening is to take what we learned and pass it along, making disciples in all nations.

Honestly, I wondered if I could hang the whole time. That is a lot of focus and attention given to teaching. I am pleased to tell you, it was not difficult at all. Of course, David spoke on marriage, family, sex, and the gospel. I love to hear teachings on the family. I love to be challenged in my relationship with the Lord, which will affect my relationship with my husband and children. If I can allow God to work in these areas, then I know He will branch that out to others. And, that is when we see our families reaching those around us for Christ TOGETHER.

A couple things I would like to leave with you that God used to prick my own heart and remind me of the importance of  gladly embracing God's role for my life.

My marriage to Keith is a picture of the gospel of Christ to this world. Well, a lot of my world has to do with my children right now. How convicting was it to think that when I get in a bad mood and forget to smile and serve Keith in love and I speak unkind, I am not displaying the gospel. When I argue with Keith in front of the children and show my rebellious spirit, I am not displaying the gospel. When I undermine him and go against him and manipulate him or hide things from him, all while the children are looking on, then they are NOT seeing the gospel of Jesus Christ.  May my love for Jesus rise me above my own selfishness. May my desire to see our children come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ keep me aware of my desperate need for Him to make me the wife that shows clearly the mystery of this gospel that changes lives.

Secondly, a statement that David made cut right to the heart. It was directed to our intent and purpose in the rearing of the children God has given us. "Jesus expects them to leave us behind to fulfill His great commission."

It would be nice to know that we could purchase a hundred acres of land and make it home to all of our children and their little ones in the future. I can't say that God doesn't ever do that. Whether He does or not, my goal should always be to raise these children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord all while praying for a heart to "do whatever and go wherever" for His glory. To know that there is a possibility that I will never experience time like I have with them now ever again as they grow and go in different directions in life, motivates me. It also helps me to see them and this season of life with different eyes. No, they are not little long. Yes, they will grow up fast. How am I spending my time with them?

Madison and I are able to spend our Wednesday nights together. Through this teaching I thought of this precious time that I have and how I need to use it wisely. Pray for me, as I feel led to disciple her one-on-one. She is 12 years old and I am thinking of leading us both through a study on purity.  It will be a time we will never forget.

Lets keep the main thing the main thing. Jesus. The world has soooo many distractions. We need the church and God's people to encourage us and remind us and enable us to keep our focus and our heart set on the Lord and His Word.

".....which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast...." Psalm 78

A verse that I am asking the Lord to help me minister to my family with, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." Colossians 3:16

Thankful to be reminded to gladly embrace God's role for my life,

Nichole

Thanksgiving Eatin'...Apple Dumplings

Yesterday I posted about doing a Baby Countdown, well today I would like to kick-off a recipe that will be the first of several that will make any holiday meal complete with the taste of buttery apples wrapped in whole grain crust with a cinnamony sweet syrup made with sucanat. Of course, we topped ours with a scoop (or two or three) of vanilla ice cream that began to melt quickly over the piping hot dumpling. It really is heavenly.

I will take you either from the top to the bottom, meaning dessert all the way up to the turkey, or I may just skip all around until we get to the turkey. Yesterday we made a pan of dressing that I have been craving for a few weeks now, so that may be next. Just know, that when all is said and done, I hope to have you a complete meal of ideas for you to serve for your family this coming Thanksgiving...or before...and definitely afterwards :)

When our family visited an apple orchard several weeks ago in Tennessee, Keith got this out-of-this-world apple dumpling. We had to come home and try it. But, it had to be made with healthier ingredients or I knew it would only be a one time deal. So, out came my Bread Beckers Recipe Collection book and I began to google apple dumplings. This is the result.

Apple Dumplings

1 recipe for a double-crust pie

6 medium to large Golden Delicious apples, peeled and cored

1/2 cup butter

1/4 to 1/2 cup sucanat

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 cups water

2 cups of sucanat with honey or plain sucanat will do

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

cinnamon and nutmeg

double pie crust

taken from Bread Beckers Recipe Collection

2 cups of freshly milled flour (hard white) or

  2 1/2 cups of freshly milled flour (soft white)

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cups and 2 Tablespoons butter (12 T.)

4-7 Tablespoons cold water

Combine flour and salt. Cut in butter. Add water and mix. If the dough is too wet, add a little more flour. If it is too dry, add a little more water. Divide dough in half and roll out on floured surface.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter 9x13 inch pan.

On lightly floured surface, roll pie crust into large rectangle about 24x16 inches. Cut into 6 squares pieces. Place an apple on each pastry square with the cored opening facing upward. Cutter butter into 8 pieces. Place 1 piece of butter in the opening of each apple. Reserve remaining butter for the sauce.. Put a heaping tablespoon of sucanat inside the opening of apple letting some fall around the base of the apple. Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg over the apples.

With slightly wet fingertips, bring one corner of pastry square up to top of apple, then bring opposite corner to the top and press together. Bring up the two remaining corners, and seal. Slightly pinch the dough at the sides to completely seal the apple. Place in prepared dish.

In a saucepan, combine water, sucanat, vanilla, butter, cinnamon and nutmeg (to your liking sprinkle it in there)  on medium heat. Bring to a boil. Boil for five minutes, or until sucanat is dissolved. Carefully pour over dumplings.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes.

Cooking and Preparation Tips:

Unless you have an apple core, gently core the apples with a small knife to keep from splitting them apart.

Make sure the pastry is not stuck to surface before placing apples on them or you will have a mess on your hands. It may require a little more flour on the surface. You can always brush it off before placing in the dish.

Don't get all worried if your dumpling looks like one blobby mess once covering your apples, just try to work the dough evenly over the apple. They will come out great anyway.

To me it was important to add some extra cinnamon and nutmeg to the sauce. It not only made your house smell wonderful, it gave it that extra flavor that it needed to round out this fall dessert. Less nutmeg than cinnamon. Nutmeg is very strong.

It took a full 60 minutes to do mine. You need to try your best to make sure crust is evenly distributed around that apple or one part will get more done than another. You are looking for a crispiness to the dumpling that will hold up to the sauce being poured over it.

When ready to serve, use a flat spatula to dip it out into a bowl. Spoon a generous portion of sauce over the dumpling. If you like, add a little whipped cream or all-natural ice cream on the side. Delicious!!

So thankful that God allows us to find pleasure in the foods that He has created and we can enjoy them in moderation,

Nichole

Baby Countdown...Iron Infusion

Today marks a five week countdown until the due date of our new little one. Now, all those who know me and know how my usual pregnancies go, know that we go about 10 days to 2 weeks past that date. BUT, I am praying and hoping that will not take place this time :) However, if it does, by the grace of God we will trust in His perfect timing. In the meantime I will be posting once a week on some of the things that I have done during this pregnancy to prepare me for the birth of our eighth child.

I can remember with the very first pregnancy, Dr. Malmborg from Waycross, Ga, had to prescribe me iron to take. My hemoglobin was low even back then...a young 22 year old. That seems ages ago! I have always struggled with that. So, you can imagine that when we had Maleah and I lost so much blood, it really sent me for a loop. I was very weak for almost a month. I can't say that this will not take place again, but I want to do my part of preventing it.  Hence, the introduction to Iron Infusion.

I am taking an over the counter iron pill. I am still mildly anemic. I am taking folic acid and vitamin c to help it absorb into my body. I am still mildly anemic. When the Bulk Herb Store sent out an e-mail a few weeks ago with this Iron Infusion recipe on it, I decided to jump on board. It is very similar to the Mama's Red Raspberry Brew that I have been drinking. This is a pleasant tea, but I needed to drink 3-4 cups a day to get in the recommended dosage. That has been a little difficult to keep up with. This new infusion is much more concentrated and I only had to "sip" on it through the day.

Never once did it occur to me the taste would not be very pleasant. I followed directions and strained that stuff into a cup and took a sip. Oh my word...I didn't know if I could do it. I was determined. I sweetened it with some honey and refrigerated it. 2-3 times a day I go to the fridge and take several gulps, all while holding my nose and having something else to drink to follow. It is the only way I can do it. I will go for an appointment with my midwife on Monday and she will test my hemoglobin. I am praying to report good results to all of you.

I can say this, my energy level is great. A good sign of the iron taking affect. I know this is a little blunt, but any of us who have had to take iron before know that it can cause constipation, which is so frustrating. This actually has the opposite effect. I have NO problems in that area. I love that it is immediately going into my system and I can almost feel the immediate difference. Well worth the unpleasant taste. This may make for a long post, but for those of you out there interested, I wanted to give a brief overview of all of these herbs and the directions for making your own Iron Infusion :))

Iron Infusion

1/2 cup Nettle Leaf

1/2 cup Dandelion Root

1/2 cup Alfalfa

1/2 cup Yellow Dock

1/2 cup Red Raspberry Leaf

Water, Simmering

1. Place all herbs into a glass quart jar and pour simmering water over them until the jar is full.

2. Screw the lid on the jar and let it sit until it becomes cool. Strain off the herbs.

3. You can sweeten it at this point if you want and then refrigerate it.

4. Sip on it throughout the day.

Nettle Leaf- blood purifier. Contains bitter compounds that increase the flow of urine, are antiseptic, and relieves pain. It also contains astringent compounds that shrink inflamed tissues and stop bleeding. Nettle has been used to treat urinary tract infections, inflammatory skin infections, diarrhea, and asthma.

Dandelion Leaf- aids digestion, relieves liver distress, and treats all manner of ills from dropsy, jaundice, and kidney stones to warts and psoriasis. One of the best blood purifiers and builders available. High in vitamins and minerals, especially calcium. Restores and balances the blood so that anemia that is caused by a deficiency of nutritive salts disappear. It is the herb for low blood pressure (which I have) and helps build energy and endurance.

Alfalfa- means "Father of all Foods". It has been called the king of plants because it is extremely rich in vitamins and minerals including iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sulfur, chlorine, sodium, potassium, silicon, and trace elements. A good source of carotene (Vitamin A) and Vitamin K. It has eight of the essential amino acids and highest chlorophyll content of any plant. Permits rapid assimilation of any plant elements.

Yellow Dock- Contains bitter compounds that laxative, increase the production of digestive fluids and enzymes, especially bile, and increase the flow of urine. It also contains astringent compounds that shrink inflamed tissues. Yellow Dock is an excellent source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, and Selenium. It has been used to treat liver congestion, constipation, arthritis, rheumatism, inflammatory bowel disorders, and inflammatory skin conditions.

Red Raspberry Leaf- Contains astringent compounds that relieve pain and shrink inflamed tissues, especially in the female reproductive system. It also contains bitter compounds that relieve smooth muscle spasms. Red Raspberry is an excellent herb source of manganese. It has been used to treat morning sickness, nausea, dysmenorrhea, false labor, colds, flu, and fevers.

Please visit http://www.bulkherbstore.com/ for more information on these herbs and what they can do.

Thankful for the knowledge that has been backed by science in the "world of herbs",

Nichole

*I am obviously not a doctor, so please only proceed with herbal alternatives after much research and consideration on your part.