Category: Food and Drink

Hers and His

by ObtainingMercy, posted in Florida Weather, Food and Drink, Hallelujah Diet, Prayer Request

HersnHis

Blueberry and peach, respectively.

🙂

(This story is the truth…at 8:45 this morning, I let the dog out and looked at the thermometer that had been in the direct morning sunlight since the sun had come up, and it read 102*!!!  Granted, it did fall after the sun was further up in the sky, but still…whew!!!  That is just TOO hot!)

So, while you're thinking about how hot it is in Florida, and looking at those yummy frosty smoothies, please pray for our church's teen camp this week.  Even in the middle of the Florida jungle, it can get pretty hot!  Pray for overcast skies, safety for campers and counselors, and most importantly, that God would do a mighty work in all who are there.

Thanks…

and stay cool!!!

Alesha

One…two…three…four…

by ObtainingMercy, posted in Hallelujah Diet, Household, How Great is Our God, Isaac Update, Recipe, What's Happening

…counting my many blessing today.  I thought I'd share my day with you.  I think you will see why I am feeling so blessed today.  Ready, set, here we go!

  • Got up at 6:45 to change Isaac.  Repositioned him in the bed.
  • Drank barley.
  • Read Bible, the book of Exodus, the story of the Red Sea crossing.  Remembered I had an unread email about the subject, and watched the powerpoint presentation which was very interesting.
  • Checked all email accounts, checked Etsy orders, read blog comments, checked Google Analytics and StatCounter for web sites, and check in to Xanga blogs that I follow.
  • Prepared Isaac's feed, juice and meds.  Fed him very quietly because he had fallen asleep (had been up since 4:30 a.m.  I did not get up with him – Doug did!)  Washed up all syringes, tubes and jars.
  • Let Newton out to go potty.

Newton in the sun
 (Newton catchin' some Florida rays)

  • Drank first glass of veggie juice.
  • Rinsed black eyed peas, and put in Crockpot with onion, shallot, salt and Better Than Bouillon.
  • Rinsed chick peas and put in to cook on stove.
  • Checked Facebook, accepted gifts and played games.
  • Rinsed chickpeas, put in fresh water, put back on to finish cooking.
  • Made my way through most of the blogs that I follow – everybody seems to have a lot to say this week. 🙂
  • Made hummus for lunch –  our favorite recipe!
  • Stirred the black eyes peas.
  • Changed Ike who decided to wake up, put in a video, then spent some time talking with my boy whose eyes seem clearer today than they have in some time.
  • Talked to Mama on the phone.  She is feeling better today.  We are still waiting on the results of one more test.  Found out my aunt (my mom's sister) was taken to the hospital on Sunday morning, and tests showed she was having multiple mini strokes.  She is still in the hospital and will probably be released to a nursing home/rehab facility to learn to walk with a walker before she goes back home with my uncle.
  • Took all my vitamins.
  • Chopped up veggies to eat with our hummus.
  • Answered the front door to receive some of Ike's medical supplies.
  • Drank second glass of juice for the day.
  • Prepared Ike's meds, juice and feed.  Fed Isaac.  Changed him, put in a new video.  Washed up.
  • Had lunch with Doug.  Sent veggies and juice with him for an afternoon snack.
  • Gathered veggies and fruit for juicing:  kale, carrots, celery and apples.  Everything was already prepared in baggies, except for the apples.
  • Spent about 30 minutes juicing and cleaning up the mess that it makes. 🙂
  • Stirred the black eyed peas.
  • Checked in with Isaac who needed new toys and some lovin' and repositioning.  We are not able to get him up in his wheelchair yet, because of the shunt.  He still had some stomach issues yesterday due to the pressure, so they said to keep him reclined.  Since I can't get him in and out of the recliner, his bed is the best place to do that.
  • Made afternoon snack:  banana-peach and parsley smoothie.

Green smoothie
 (yes, it's green, and yes, it's very yummy!)

  • Peeled all the bananas and broke them up into a freezer bag for smoothies for the rest of the week.
  • Turned on the radio for Isaac, switched his toys again.  It's exciting to me when he gets bored.
  • Downloaded some pics for this blog post, and figured out how to use a new program to edit them.

I have to tell you, my faithful blog readers, I believe I am finally on the mend!  I seem to be getting stronger and my back has not "gone out" since we got the new mattress.  Thank the Lord for that.  

I can't remember the last time I had the energy to go through a day like this!!!  It is very exciting to me!

Also, considering that I kept this pace the entire week that Doug was gone, then spent 48 hours at the hospital with my mom over the weekend, I am thrilled to be able to do all that I did today.

I know that so many of you pray for me on a daily basis, and I am so thankful for that.  Don't stop praying yet! ;o)  But now you can add a little praise in there that I am doing so well right now.

It's my plan to get ready and go to church tonight.  Afterwards, we will have choir practice and then I will practice for a duet on Sunday with my friend, Mrs. Sandy.  I should be good and tired by the time this day is over.

I pray your day has been productive, and that you can lay down tonight and count your many blessings.

I know I certainly will!

Happy ike2
(a little blurry because he is in constant motion…) 

All pics were added for Dani – my photo-graphical inspiration! 🙂

Alesha

Update on Doug’s Grandma

by ObtainingMercy, posted in Food and Drink, Hallelujah Diet, Prayer Request, What's Happening

Just wanted to let you know that Doug's grandma came through surgery ok.  She was in a regular room, and already talking, before Doug's mom went home for the evening.

Doug left this morning to fly out to be with them.  We tried to tell Isaac that Daddy was going "bye-byes" for a long time, and that we would talk to him on the telephone.  Now whether he can comprehend that is another thing entirely.  So, I'm praying that he will understand enough to know that all is well, even though things may be different for the next several days.

I know it's true, too, that he will sense my emotions and feed off of them, so I am praying for peace for myself. 🙂

Thank you for praying.  Please continue to do so, if the Lord lays our family on your heart.  I know that Grandma's recovery will take quite a while, and she is not a very patient woman. :~D  However, she is very feisty and full of vim and vigor.  I think, in the long run, those qualities may be more important than patience in her recovery!

So, Ike and I are off on our adventure of fending for ourselves!  I visited the chiropractor yesterday just to make sure everything was in its proper place – too funny, I know!  However, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, right? 

As far as I know, we won't have any help.  My mom will be checking on us, I'm sure, but she doesn't know how to feed Isaac or give his meds.  She can change him, and shift him in the bed, but like myself, she doesn't lift him.  

I know we will be using his lift a great deal this week for Isaac.  My goal is to have him in his wheelchair for several hours each day.  I know that is best for him, rather than being in the bed.  I won't be putting him in his recliner in the living room, as it is too difficult to get him out of it, even with the lift.  His position is much better in his wheelchair, any way, so that is what we will do.

Now I will leave you with a funny picture.  I did not plan this meal to be so color coordinated.  I was simply trying to cook up the veggies that needed to be cooked before they started spoiling, and this is what we ended up with.  It might look funny, but it was delicious!!!  (Broiled asparagus, green beans amandine, and broccoli and pea salad – all from Hallelujah Acres recipes)

Green supper 

May God bless your day with peace,

Alesha

 

Shut the Door, the Air Conditioner’s On!

by ObtainingMercy, posted in Blessings, Florida Weather, Food and Drink, Hallelujah Diet, Household, Isaac Update, Prayer Request

I am so happy to let you know that my friend, Mrs. C, is at home now, recovering from her month-long ordeal.  She is healing well, so let's pray that continues! 🙂

She is actually the one who suggested I share the following picture with you, after I shared it with her this morning:

 

Acunit


This is our air conditioning unit, as seen from my bedroom. :)  She is quite a monster, I know!  But she gushes forth lovely, cool air to keep (most of) our house at a moderate temperature.  My dad is eventually going to be ducting those 3 holes to the individual rooms in our house; and the plan is to wall this corner in like a closet with some pretty louvered doors.

So, now that our temperatures have hit the 90's, we are staying nice and cool with our "lovely beast".  I am thanking the Lord for all the ways He is blessing me lately. 🙂

Isaac has been sick for the past 3 weeks.  At first it was just a cold, but it eventually turned into a sinus infection. 

And with the illness came the seizures. 

I'm sad to tell you about that, really.  I don't want you to be discouraged that we have lost ground again.  It's ok, really.  We had about 2 months of such clarity with him, and we wouldn't trade that for anything.  It was really wonderful.  We don't like the seizures, but they "normal" for Isaac, and we are not complaining.

Here's something yummy we tried today:

Kalesalad 

It's called "Sweet Annie Kale Salad" from the recipe book "How We All Went Raw".  It was quite a surprise to us that we both liked it.  Next time, though, I will add more garlic, and substitute craisins for the raisins.  You know I always tweak everything!!! 🙂

I've got a few new smoothie recipes I'll try to share with you soon, too.  We are diligently trying to get back to our healthy eating plan.  We begin to feel lousy and sluggish when we are not sticking with it as we should. 

I have been sick for about 2 weeks:  bronchitis, according to my
self-diagnosis.  I am on antibiotic now, but the cough is
l-i-n-g-e-r-i-n-g – unfortunately.  I hope to be back to church and
choir and LIFE soon! 🙂

No new report on Mama Gail.  I'm sure we will be talking with Mike
soon, and will let you know if there has been any change.

Keeping my eyes set on Jesus (because, really, what else is there?),

Alesha

Links For You and An Isaac Update

by ObtainingMercy, posted in Hallelujah Diet, Isaac Update, Links to Share, Prayer Request, Recipe

I thought I'd share with ya'll just a few things I've run across lately that I thought you might be interested in.  All of these have links attached, even though my blog theme has them in such a subtle color that they don't jump right out at you.  Just hover over each one with your cursor to see the links.

  • I know you will get a blessing from this post by Courtney at Nesting Instincts.  She and her children shared Valentines with the residents at a local nursing home. :)  Wonderful idea for next year!
  • Michelle is embroidering her way through the year.  She is making such gorgeous things, too.  I am amazed at the projects she is doing with her new embroidery machine.  (Michelle is also mom to a beautiful girl with needs similar to Isaac's, so you will occasionally see Emily updates there too.)
  • This gets my chuckle-of-the-day award!  Pothole Gardens by Pete Dungey – "An ongoing series of public installations highlighting the problem of
    surface imperfections on Britain's roads."  (it will be interesting to hear Tia's take on this one!!!) 🙂
  • I am going to be trying this salad, simply because it looks like such an odd mix of foods.  Those are the ones that I usually like!
  • Our church radio station will be holding its annual Restorathon this Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  This is how we raise the yearly budget for the upcoming year.  I love that you can listen live 24/7 to our station from the web – that is such a blessing to many around the world!  The station is a big blessing to us, too, because Isaac likes music so much.  We turn it on often for him, and he is starting to let us know when he wants the radio on.  That is how much of an impact that WLVF has had in our lives. 

The Restorathon begins at 7 a.m. on Thursday!  I am going to do my best to be up and alert and listening!!! :)  If you are unable to listen, perhaps you will help us pray that the budget will be met for this upcoming year, so that our station can continue to spread the Gospel around the world on WLVF!  Thanks so much!

Isaac Update:  the little stinker had no fever yesterday, and was feeling great (that means, loud and happy all day!!!); but today, his temp is just slightly elevated and he is one grumpy little man. :(  So, we're not quite sure what is going on there…we will just have to wait and see.

I pray you have a wonderful week!

Alesha

Vegetarian Vegetable Soup

by ObtainingMercy, posted in Food and Drink, Hallelujah Diet, Recipe

I made a lovely pot of vegetable soup this week, and we have enjoyed it so much.  Since the weather has been chilly, we find ourselves craving warm, yummy things for supper.

This is how I make my soup:

  • I start with one large bottle of tomato juice
  • Add 2-5 T of Better-Than-Bouillon vegetable base (according to your taste)
  • Add 1/2 head of cabbage, shredded (do not skip this step…it adds SO MUCH flavor!)
  • Add diced veggies of your choice (I do an entire onion and 3 or 4 potatoes)
  • Add canned veggies of your choice (I put in organic carrots, baby peas, large butter beans & great northern beans)
  • Add any frozen veggie of your choice (I add 1/2 bag of yellow corn)
  • Salt to taste
  • Simmer all day

That's it!  You can put in whatever veggies your family likes, and add any seasonings you prefer.  It really is important to add that cabbage, though; and if your family doesn't like cabbage very much, don't worry, it cooks down to almost nothing.  But the flavor it adds — YUMMO! :o)

Now, for you meat eaters (hehehe) I will tell you this:  this is Doug's grandma's recipe, minus two ingredients. 

  • She browns a roast, then cooks it until tender; shreds it; and adds the beef and all the drippings to the soup.
  • She adds a small amount of sugar to taste.

We thought we would really miss the meat, but we don't.  We love this soup with just the veggies, because, really, who needs more sugar in their diet?

I'd love to hear from you if you give it a try!

So, Bullets It Is!

by ObtainingMercy, posted in Blessings, Florida Weather, Food and Drink, Household, How Great is Our God, Isaac Update, What's Happening

Otherwise I will never remember to tell you everything! 🙂

  • Our Anniversary Sunday at our church was a wonderful day!  We had over 3700 is attendance, and over 400 professions of faith.  The first time visitors and those who accepted Christ will all be followed up by various members of the congregation.  The really exciting thing to me was seeing so many families that attended together.  You could see them everywhere after the service as they enjoyed the huge carnival that is put together for the children and teens every year.  It was SUPER cold that Sunday – so rare for Florida – but lots of fun!  We even took Isaac over for a little while, and he (and Daddy) managed to snag a rubber ducky with the winning mark, and came home with a cute stuffed duck! 🙂
  • Doug and I were able to go out Saturday by ourselves, a real treat for us.  We found a used bookstore, that only carried hardback books.  I came home with a couple of new (to me) mystery books.  We enjoyed lunch together and then bought groceries at the Wal-Marts. ;)  Such a nice day!
  • Grammy and Isaac had a nice time together, while we were out.  She brought over his Valentines Day card and gift.  Here they are, along with the balloon we bought him (and paid TOO much for!), and a little Valentine from his little friend at church who was so sweet to remember him.
Ikesvalentine

  • We took Isaac for his first visit to the Dentist yesterday.  And get this, his dentist name is Dr. Bopp!  Isn't that funny?  He had no cavities, and no issues at all.  We were so glad!  He does have plaque that is building up because he doesn't eat by mouth.  They suggested to brush his teeth 3 times a day, and that would help to prevent it.  We are going to do our best to keep up with that.
  • We found a HUGE Goodwill store, and had so much fun looking around.  We found some books, and a few shirts – one for Isaac and two for me.  $4 for a plus size shirt is a good deal, and Isaac's was only $2.  Gotta love Goodwill!!!
  • It is cold again in Florida…has been for several days.  I've just learned to dress in layers and have been comfortable in the house.  Our electric bill was astronomical for last month, but the Lord is good and provided the extra that we needed!
  • I am making vegetable soup today.  It smells really yummy, and I can't wait for the boys to get home so we can dig in. 🙂
  • OH!  I got a new garbage can.  Here she is…she is bee-yoo-tee-full!

DSCN0292  Altview

Doug's uncle Roger made this gorgeous creature!  We had one just like it for years, but when Isaac was in the hospital for a month, a sweet friend cleaned out our frig, but forgot to empty the trash.  We were never able to get the smell out of the wood, and so had to throw the trashcan out with the trash.  We were heartbroken!  Uncle Roger finally relented to get his tools out of retirement and make us a new one.  We LOVE her!!!

I guess that's it for my bullets.  I'm going to have to allow myself to post shorter blogs, so that I can post more often.  I always want my blogs to be ju-u-u-ust right, and so I put off blogging until I have more time.  It seems like that "more time" almost never happens.  So, I'm working on how to rectify that situation. 🙂

Blessings to you,

Alesha