I Was Hoping for “Normal”

There are some beautiful things happening in my backyard:

My
gardenia bush has 2 blossoms and is full of buds.  I can't wait until
it is in full bloom.  It is in a pot right outside Isaac's window, so
that we can count the blossoms every morning.

Our
pepper plant has blossoms, too.  This is either a red bell pepper or
the sweet banana pepper plant.  I forgot to look at the label.  We
almost lost these to a 2-day storm system.  We are very pleased to see
them growing so nicely.

These are the  "miracle tomato plants"…well, the two in the 5-gallon buckets are anyways.  We did lose
them to the storm.  Their leaves drooped and died, but we left the
plants sitting in the warm sun, and about a week later, new leaves
started to appear.  As you can see, they are not as full as their
little brother in the bubble gum bucket, but they are filling out more
every day. 
(Only a retired Sunday School bus captain would have enough bubble gum buckets in which to start all of his tomato plants!!!    My dad has always grown tomatoes in buckets, and the little bucket seemed a perfect place to start them.)

I
was hoping that Isaac and I would be back to our normal schedules
today; but we are still dealing with this cold that we both succumbed
to.  He had a low-grade fever today, and I am dealing with sinus
troubles.  I'm thankful for my NetiPot, and have been using it
regularly.

So, not very "normal" again today with a grumpy boy and a tired achy mama. 

Maybe we'll find "normal" tomorrow.  I'm sure it's around here somewhere!

Blessings to you today,
Alesha
P.S.  Oh, my split pea soup turned out to be really yummy.  We'll be making it again!

So Much Better

Isaac is feeling so much better today.  I know that is due to the
prayers of many of you who lifted him up to our Heavenly Father.

He
actually woke us up about 4 a.m. this morning giggling and laughing
hysterically.  Of course, that was probably seizure activity, but it
was so much better than waking up to a barking cough.  And he has been
happy and smiling all day, praise the Lord.

Thank you again for praying for him…and for us.  God is so faithful to supply our needs over and over again.

I'm making split pea soup today…I'll let you know how it turns out.

Alesha

Just a Bad Cold

(one day last week when Isaac was feeling better.)

Isaac
didn't have fever today, but we still kept our appointment with the
doctor.  His cough sounds much worse today and he slept all day until
we got him ready for his appointment. 

But Praise the Lord,
his ear, sinuses and lungs are all clear!  He only has a bad cold.  So
we'll just keep doing our asthma treatments and giving him lots of TLC
and, Lord willing, he'll be feeling better soon.  

Here's a
new dish I tried last night.  It was very tasty, and I even enjoyed it
today for lunch with crackers.  It's super easy: 

Sweet Corn Salad
1 large ear of corn (raw)
1 large tomato
1/4 c. sweet onion
1/2 a red pepper
1 celery stalk
3T parsley
Cut the corn from the cob, and dice everything else.  Combine and chill.

I
served mine with a little Olive Oil and Vinegar Salad Dressing (Paul
Newman's).  It was really yummy.  I do think, however, I will leave out
the parsley next time.  I found that I really didn't care for the taste
of it.  Just my opinion, fwiw!

That's it for today…I need to start supper.

May the Lord bless you with a peaceful evening (or "morning" for Laura and Hammie ),
Alesha

Fever Is No Fun

Both Isaac and I caught Doug's cold.  We ran low-grade fevers last night.

This
morning, however, Isaac's fever spiked to 104.3*.  It came down
immediately with intervention and is now just over 100*.  He is
coughing and sneezing and just generally feels really crummy.  I'd
appreciate it if you would pray for my little man.

In case
you're wondering our interventions for Isaac's fevers follow the same
routine, most of which has been gleaned from the many nurses we have
had the privilege of knowing over the past years.

We do the following:

  • Uncover him
  • Strip him down to his diaper
  • Administer Motrin (ibuprofen) fever reducer
  • Start an asthma treatment
  • Check temp in 30 minutes.  If it has not come down, or continues to climb, administer Tylenol (acetaminophen) fever reducer.

This
formula has never failed to bring down his fever very quickly, praise
the Lord.  Remember when our parents used to pile on the blankets and
insist that we stay covered to "burn out" the fever?    I am so thankful for medical advances.

My back is feeling some better.  I was able to go to church yesterday, which was wonderful after missing 2 Sundays in a row.

We
just seem to be going through one of those "seasons" here.  It has
happened before, and I'm sure it won't be the last time, either. 
Whether it is a time of refining from the Father, or an attack from the
enemy, I know it is still in God's hands and under His control.  I am
trying to be diligent to still my heart before Him, and not lose my joy
during this time.

Thank you for taking the time to carry us to the throne of God.  I appreciate it so much, dear friends.
Alesha

Friday, 01 May 2009

Feeling just a little bit better today…

But my poor hubby
who has taken care of Isaac and me and the house and the bills and the
groceries and the cooking and the laundry for the past TWO WEEKS – has come down with a miserable cold.

Could
you please pray for Doug?  That God would heal his cold and give him
some really great blessing for his faithfulness to our family.  He is
such a blessing to me every day, but I am especially grateful for him
after the past 2 weeks; and I know he would appreciate the prayer.

Thanks and blessings on your weekend!
Alesha

Thursday, 30 April 2009

still here…still in bed…still trying to be joyful

i
did manage to walk out to the mailbox yesterday.  i also changed a
diaper today with minimal pain.  that's a good thing.  i don't have to
call my mom to come over to changed Isaac for me. 

so…thanks for your prayers.  I appreciate them very much. 

Alesha

Thursday, 23 April 2009

Hey ya'll…we're still here.  I'm having some health issues right now
(same ones I went through last year), so I spent Friday through Tuesday
in or very near my bed.  Yesterday I did go out with Doug and Isaac,
visited my doctor, and sat in the car while Doug shopped a bit, came
home and went straight to bed.

So far, my weight loss is 10+ pounds!  The doctor said probably more like 15 (the scales wouldn't weigh me before yesterday). 
But they did yesterday, and I am very pleased!  Doug, much to our
surprise and delight, has lost 43 pounds!  Yay!  Go Doug!!!

That's it for today.  I hope to be back soon.


Alesha