What's the Dill?

I have a new found interest in Dill. Dull, huh?

Seriously though, it's quite the healthful little herb.



Here's the Dill....

This common ingredient for modern do-it-yourself "picklers" was so historically valued that the ancient Israelites were required to tithe from their supplies. The ancient Greeks and Romans also cultivated dill as a kitchen herb. Dill has been used traditionally as a remedy for cancer and estrogen deficiency, and research supports dill's 3,000-year use as a digestive aid and remedy for excessive intestinal gas.
Dill-seed oil inhibits the growth of several bacteria that attach to the digestive tract. As a tea, it soothes the stomach and intestines and also relieves upper-respiratory ailments. Its oil is so strongly antibacterial that it inhibits organisms such as anthrax (Bacillus anthracis). Dill contains various phytochemicals that act as insecticides, enhance estrogen levels and serve as a uterine relaxant, and fight infection, bacteria, and insects.
Source: James A. Duke, Ph.D., Herbs of the Bible: 2,000 Years of Plant Medicine

Dill isn't so dull after all!

Here's a yummy dill sauce recipe to try:

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1/8 t. garlic powder

1 t. fresh lemon juice

2 T. chopped fresh dill (organic if possible!)

Mix together and serve! Goes great with Tilapia.

Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.

Proverbs 15:17

Animoto.com

I created these 30-second videos using Animoto.com. It's soo easy!

The 30 second videos are free, or you can subscribe for a price.

*You'll need to pause my music playlist to the right so it doesn't interfere with the video*

Sunday Selection

***If you'd like to join in on Sunday Selection,
click here to read the first post/guidelines!***

My selection today is found in Proverbs 31:12.
"She will do him (her husband) good and not evil all the days of her life"

As I mentioned in my anniversary post, I began praying for my future husband as a teenager. As I got older, I became very passionate about purity and waiting on God's perfect timing for my mate. My freshman year in college, I roomed across the hall from a girl that was constantly in the Word. She had so much knowledge and loved the Lord incredibly. One night we were talking about our future and how to prepare for the day we would become wives. She went over Proverbs 31:12, which I'd read a million times before, except this time she made a point I'd never thought about. It was a "Duh!" moment for me.

She said, "Notice how the verse says ALL the days of her life. It doesn't say 'All the days of her married life'--just life. She made the connection that, even as single women, we could obey this verse on a deeper level than just thinking, "Okay, I'm a married woman now, so I need to do good to my husband for the rest of my life." She said that we could do good to our husbands as single women. *Even though neither of us knew who our husbands would be at the time* How could we do that!? And how, for you ladies that are still single, can you follow this verse now?

Here are a few ways:

1. Pray for him regularly. Pray that God would protect him and his family and that he would guard his heart and be patient for you. Pray that he'd be a great man of God that would lead your family in the ways of the Lord.

2. Be patient!! =) Don't just give your heart away to any guy that looks your way. Ask God to give you the strength (and humility) to wait on HIS timing rather than jumping prematurely in a relationship just for the sake of being in one. It can be lonely during the waiting process. But lean on God--He'll see you through and you'll be so glad you stuck it out.

3. Keep your heart and mind pure. "Chick Flicks" can be somewhat dangerous! Don't get sucked into a fantasy world regarding relationships. Instead, ask God to give you the proper expectations and to help you keep your mind on Him, instead of allowing it to wander...

4. Prepare. Learn as many skills as possible...or fine tune them. Whether it be cooking, sewing, cleaning, whatever--get used to taking care of a man/home!

5. Save! Save your money! I regret that I pretty much wasted all the money I made before I got married. I should've been setting some aside for our future!

6. See #1!! I can't stress how important it is to pray for your future spouse! That person is worth it!! You are worth it!


Those may be "givens", but I just thought I'd share them. Sorry this selection turned out to be so long! I realize most of the people on here, that I know of anyway, are already married. But I just felt led to post about this. I have a heart for young girls, or any single gal, and their preparation and purity before marriage.

Thanks for allowing me to share my thoughts!

Tazo Goodness...

Have y'all ever tried a Tazo Tea??

I've finally given up pop (it was so hard!), so now when I stop at a gas station, instead of getting an ice cold Dr. Pepper at the fountain, I reach for a Tazo Tea. Brambleberry to be exact.



I love ancient history. So when I saw what was printed around the bottle, honestly, it's the main reason I chose the drink in the first place!

It said,

"An ancient Sumerian proverb says one can taste all the flavors of Babylon's Hanging Gardens in a single sip of Tazo Brambleberry."

That's neat to me.

Anyway, other than the possible link to history, the drink has other things going for it. It's not a perfect drink, but a much better choice than pop!

These are the ingredients:
(Water, Hibiscus, Cinnamon, Peppermint, Lemongrass, Rosehips, Orange Peel, and Natural Lemon Essence). Cane Sugar, Concentrated Apple and Marion Blackberry Juices, Natural Flavors and Citric Acid.

Berries are known to pack a punch of antioxidants. Antioxidants help the fight against cellular damage. Cinnamon also has a lot of health benefits.
Ok...this is beginning to sound like a lame report I wrote in Jr. High so I'll cut to the chase...

I just wanted to let you ladies know about the drink. It has an interesting taste--it kinda caught me off guard the first time that I tried it; but now I enjoy it!
It's certainly more healthful than the Dr. Pepper I used to be addicted to!

Let me know if you try it!

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Ruins of Hanging Gardens of Babylon-Iraq

4 years!

Today, Bob and I have been married 4 years!
He's my best friend and I honestly love him more and more each day.

I began praying for my future husband around age 13. My parents instilled in us kids the belief that God had someone special for us and that that person was worth praying for and waiting for. They were so right! Bob was my first boyfriend and my first kiss! He was worth the wait!

I can't believe how the time has flown by.

Here's part of the video from our wedding day...

I love you, Bob.
You are a wonderful husband and daddy!

"To have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part"

Splish Splash, I Was Takin' A Bath...

...No, not me! Don't worry! =)

But here's Ethan during a recent bath time.
He always stays so calm during his baths. Thank God!

I was trying to make him laugh...it didn't work. haha

"Really, mom--do we need the camera in my face right now?!"

Getting dried off..

I love how snuggly Ethan is after a bath! It's one of my favorites!

Squeaky clean and happy!

Sweet little feet!

It's Been Awhile

Hey gals! I'm back from a little Blog Land break. I've been so busy lately!
Plus, sometimes I can't think of anything to blog about--well, except for Ethan. I can always blog about him! =)

Here are some pictures of my lil' cutie pie...

On our way to eat lunch with Bob's parents. Ethan just adores his daddy!

Papaw and Nana

Me and Bob

Goofin' off!

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Daddy-Son playtime!

He's discovered his toes... and as you can probably see, he's constantly drooling!
(I'll try to post a good pic of his two teeth!)

Ok mommy, enough of the camera!

Daddy calmed him down...I love how Ethan is looking at Bob here. It melts my heart!
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Holly came over recently and we went for a walk with our boys.
We call this Ethan's Vanilla Ice Look. " Ice Ice Baby"

Sweet Dreams!

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Also...look at what I picked from the garden the other day!
Tomatoes, Zucchini, Cucumber, and okra! God's Bounty =)

...and speaking of God's Bounty, if you have time, ya'll should check out this post done by "Aunt Ruthie" at Sugar Pie Farmhouse.
It's great!
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That's it for now...
I can't wait to catch up on all of your blogs!