My pastor says that some things we feel compelled by the Holy Spirit to do.
Talking about politics is not something I usually feel compelled to do.
However, Ray Stevens has condensed many of my opinions into his latest song, so I thought I would share it here.
Enjoy!!! Feel free to pass it along, should you feel so compelled. 🙂
The new year is usually a time for reflection. Yesterday I read many blog posts and Facebook statuses written by folks who were looking back on the old year and looking forward to the new one.
Here at our house, we did not spend much time in deep reflection yesterday. We were too busy caring for our son who was very ill. We found out that you don't have much time for ruminating when you are busy counting hours between asthma treatments, keeping track of medication dosages and reading thermometers.
I did take a few minutes this morning, though, to think briefly about last year. It was not an easy one for me personally. I spent many weeks of 2009 bed-ridden or home-bound due to health issues. I have not been able to care for my son on my own for several months now, and am not able to do much by way of housekeeping either.
However, it would be very untruthful for me to say that 2009 was a hard year.
Honestly, it was a year of great peace in my home. We have leaned hard on the Lord, and found Him infinitely faithful.
I have also felt His great peace personally in my heart and soul this year. God has been very real and close to me.
It must be said, however, that this year of peacefulness did not come about because we are very spiritual people.
It happened because we are very simple people.
- God said, "Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart." (Psalm 73:1)
So we believed that He was good.
- God said, "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man." (Psalm 118:8)
So we trusted Him.
- God said, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way." (Psalm 37:23)
So we followed Him.
- God said, "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." (I Peter 5:7)
So we did not worry over the future.
A peaceful life is simple: Just believe what God says about Himself.
I wonder…
What will God teach us about Himself in 2010?
I look forward to finding out. 🙂
Some of you probably have a gift card burning a hole in your pocket right now. Or maybe you were blessed with a little cold, hard cash in your Christmas stocking.
So, I thought I'd share a couple of new things I've found this week!
I bought this for myself with some of my Christmas money:
I love it…alot!!! It truly holds up to all the hype.
I am really, really pleased with my purchase, and I am happy that I finally took the plunge to buy myself a quality product to put on my face. On this side of 40, my skin needs all the help it can get!
(By the way, this price is the lowest I found for this particular kit. I went to the mall for mine, but Amazon has it too. This is the "fair" kit, so if you click through, be sure to look for the shade that you need.)
We also found this at the Whole Foods store:
Can I just say…"Wow!" It is delicious…not too hot, just a little "kick" with the chilies. Really tasty. My new favorite chocolate!
Isaac opened up this little guy on Christmas morning:
He was really taken with him, as you can see: not quite sure what to think of him, but definitely interested!
He tells stories and jokes, sings songs, flaps his hands, stands up,
sits down, falls over, etc. He might be a bit intense for
really little ones, but Isaac wasn't frightened of him at all. Isaac also
didn't experience that "startle reflex" when it turned on (for those of
you with special needs kiddos that might have wondered that.)
So, there you have a few of my NEW favorite things!
Blessings,
Alesha
On Christmas Eve, Isaac had a doctor's appointment in Orlando. We thought we'd take you along on our trip.
Here we are at the doctor's office. Doug is getting Isaac's chair all set up.
Isaac was waiting patiently.
Grammy's latest invention for keeping Isaac's toys on his lap and off the floor.
Getting all strapped in and ready to go.
See? Isaac was in a great mood, and so excited to have a "Fun Day" out.
We had to stop for the photo op!
When taking Isaac's picture, you either get eyes open, or a smile: never both at the same time!
Here we are in the waiting room. We were seeing his gastroenterologist. (tummy doctor)
Since July, Isaac has gained 3.5 pounds, and grown 3 inches! He is getting so tall!!!
We decided to try out the new Super Target after our appointment.
They aren't kidding about the "super" part. This is how you get to the parking lot:
Now, if you are wondering, like I was, how in the world you got your groceries to your car on the third level of the parking garage, wonder no longer!!!
An escalator for the buggies!!!
Afterward, we had lunch at Red Lobster. I know it looks like my camera is out of focus. It isn't…notice the inanimate objects are in focus. It's only the wiggly Ike who is a big blur!
After lunch, as we headed to the mall (on Christmas Eve!!! what were we thinking???) we noticed that Isaac needed to be changed. Have you ever wondered how we managed to change a 4'5" boy when we are not at home?
First we find a remote area of a parking lot that has shrubbery like this?
Then we unload the wheelchair and clear out the back part of the truck. (We do NOT use the rope to tie up Isaac!!! I don't really know why Doug has that back there! LOL!!!)
Then Daddy brings Isaac around, lays him on the pad, and we take care of business.
Putting Isaac back in his seat: Feeling ALL better now!
Here are the state troopers on security detail at the mall: Notice they are double parked!!!
Some of the beautiful decorations in the mall.
It was insanely busy in the mall. I had to keep hold of Doug's shirt so that we didn't get separated. People wouldn't even budge for Isaac's chair sometimes. (My husband, however, does not let people get away with that. He just stands still until they move. It's amazing how people lack basic manners these days.)
We walked one half of the mall, then had to stop for liquid fortification:
After that I was able to walk the second half of the mall, and get myself out to the truck where I took the above picture in honor of the substance that had sustained me! LOL!
Even Isaac looked a little bit tuckered out after our full day.
We had such a wonderful day out, even though the crowds were so big. It was fun to be a part of the hustle and bustle of the holidays. There have been many years that we didn't even see a mall decorated for Christmas because we never had the opportunity to go, or Isaac didn't feel well enough to go. So we were grateful we were all having a good day all around.
Our Christmas was wonderful, too. We all were blessed with lovely gifts from people who love us. I'll share some of those pics later.
Did you all have a good Christmas too? I'd love to hear about it!
Blessings,
Alesha
Merry Christmas…
To my bloggy friends!
Isaac spent much of last week doing this…sleeping off fever for about 4 days. You'll notice that nebulizer perched on his bed. It worked overtime this week, as we tried to keep the soggy cough out of his chest.
We did try to keep his room pleasant for his awake hours. His little tree is on his chest of drawers right in his line of sight, and his colored lights are on the opposite wall ( you can just see a few of them in the mirror.)
We did end up keeping our appointment for Friday morning with the
doctor. His throat, ears and lungs were all clear – praise the Lord! –
and she felt the worst of it had passed.
He has steadily improved since, and we were able to attend a family Christmas gathering on Saturday and the evening service at church last night.
While Isaac's health improved, mine has disintegrated into the
and I have sounded like a frog since Friday night. The mornings are rough, but by 3 or 4 in the afternoon, I am feeling more human.
My "get better" routine includes the following:
and – THE most important thing if you need to sing at church on Sunday night!!! –
We are enjoying some beautifully Christmas-like weather today: in the 30s this morning, and barely to 60* as the day goes by. It was so fun to see everyone in their winter Christmas finery last night at church. Usually I buy Christmas clothes with short sleeves!!! It's so nice to get dressed in Christmas-y colors and warm clothes all on the same day. 🙂
We were so blessed with unexpected gift cards over the weekend. Doug was able to use some to buy groceries (always a blessing) and we also made a special purchase for Isaac:
Isaac has had the same memory foam mattress topper on his hospital bed mattress for over two years. It was originally purchased at Wally World and has served us well. We have been able to spot clean whenever needed, and occasionally we put it out in the sun, which does wonders!
I also just happened to purchase some fabric spray (similar to Febreeze) from Bath and Body Works last summer that – to my great surprise – worked better than anything else we had tried to keep it smelling lemony fresh.
However, the time has come to replace it:
Last week, when we were using the nebulizer to keep Isaac's lungs clear, we also had to deal with a little boy whose system was full of steroids (that's what asthma meds contain). While on steroids, Isaac is a happy, giggly, HYPER little toad! He is ornery and loud and demanding and beside himself with energy to burn. Most of that energy is channeled into kicking.
Imagine my surprise, when I stripped the bed on Friday, to discover he had LITERALLY kicked holes in the memory foam!!! There were great gaping holes at the foot of it, and little pieces of foam e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e!!!
So, I started shopping, and ended up at Overstock.com. They are having a sale right now. I was able to get a king size topper for the same price as a twin. I will be able to cut it in half, and have two!!! This way I can rotate them, allowing them time to dry properly between use.
Here is a link if you are interested in shopping for your own memory foam mattress topper. (Although I will tell you that I did NOT pay this price! This is, however, the link that I get a tiny commission for, should you decide to click through and make a purchase.) :o)
Oh, and the best part about this whole, rambling story, is that the price of our mattress topper was one penny less than our gift card, and we got free shipping! How awesome is that?!!
Well, I feel like there was something else that I wanted to share with you, but for the life of me, I can't remember what it is! (laughing out loud at myself) If it comes to me later, I'll just post again. :o)
I pray you have a great Monday. I'm sure most of you are taking a break from school, whether your children attend a traditional classroom or are homeschooled. So, I hope you have lots of time this week for family bonding and memory making.
Don't allow yourself to become sidetracked with your To-Do List, and miss out on celebrating the birth of our Saviour.
Just in case I don't "talk" to you again before Friday, I wish you the Merriest Christmas ever!
Blessings to you,
Alesha
I had such a lovely visit with Laura and her children yesterday! I felt like we had known each other forever, and were just getting together for an afternoon out. It was really odd to be with someone who you had never seen in person before, but feel like you had just chatted together the day before.
Here's the photographic proof of our lovely visit!
Aren't we pretty together in our red and green Christmas tops?
The beautiful, vivacious Bekah
A smiley Josh (so delighted that I caught that cute little smile!)
And here's will-o'-the-wisp Kei with Mom. I'm telling you, it was like trying to "catch a cloud and pin it down" to get a picture of this little sweetie pie. She was a busy, busy girl.
Here's the whole gang, with a new little friend that we met in the PlayPlace at McDs.
Just beautiful!
Kei and her new little friend, enjoying the huge slide!
Sisters in constant motion (but can you blame them, after a 12-hour flight from Japan, then a 2+ hour from Indiana to Florida – all in a 3-day span???)
Josh signed "please" to let us know that he wanted up off the floor.
Kei sitting still for just a minute, saying "goodbye" to her new friend. (this little girl's dad, mom and teenage sister sat and patiently waited for her to play for over an hour…very sweet!)
We had a wonderful time together. I just wanted time to stand still for a while, so we could visit just a little longer.
Laura brought me a beautiful gift from Japan A sweet tea set and chopsticks for Doug and I! She said the chopsticks would help with our diet! LOL!!!
I left the Japanese newspaper in the pic, because I thought it was cool!
I didn't get too close to this page…it is a family-friendly blog, after all! LOL!!! But I had to include it because it's just SO Japanese!
Really, Laura, Doug has a thing about reading the papers that people wrap stuff in. He loves to read the papers in his mom's packages, especially. He did say, however, that some things are just SCARY in ANY language!!!
LOLOLOLOL!!! :o)
Thanks, Laura, Bekah, Kei and Josh for a wonderful visit! I enjoyed it so much! And yes, we will need to do it again…maybe next time we can meet you in Indiana! :o)
And thanks to everyone who prayed for a safe and peaceful trip for them. Laura said everything went really well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I guess you probably noticed that Doug and Isaac weren't in any of our pictures. That's because our little man started running fever yesterday. He still has fever today, as well as a nasty croupy cough and a runny nose. I'd appreciate your prayers for him, that this will clear up on its own, so that we don't have to visit the germ-ridden doctor's office with him.
Thanks!
Alesha
Obtaining Mercy 