A Few Of My New Favorite Things

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:

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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:

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He was really taken with him, as you can see:  not quite sure what to think of him, but definitely interested! 

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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

Counting Blessings

I am so happy to tell you that my freezer is a frigid -2* and my refrigerator was at 32* when I checked it this morning!

I turned the thermostat up to a warmer setting, and it's now at 42*.  I am as pleased as I can be that it is working so well.  My dad replaced two tiny little parts for less than $35!  Imagine how many refrigerators are thrown out when there is no one who knows how to repair them.  Thank the Lord for the knowledge my dad has gained through the years!!!

We had a super nice weekend here.  My family was able to get together for a steak supper on Saturday, complete with red velvet birthday cake for ME! :)  It was all verrrrry yummy!

I received so many pretty and kind birthday cards this year.  They are all proudly displayed on my piano!

I also came home with this:

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which I know does not look like much!  BUT it opens out to THIS:

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It's a light box for photographing my jewelry!!!  Isn't it fabulous?!!

Here it is with the spotlights on:

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I will have to do much experimenting, and probably a little research, in order to use it to it's fullest potential.  I'm looking forward to playing with my new toy! 🙂

Yesterday, I had a wonderful day out with my friend, Mrs. C.  She and I went to Orlando, and lunched at the Cheesecake Factory.  It was just wonderful, except for an unfortunate "hair in the food" incident!  The manager was extremely apologetic and of course, we did not pay for the entree! 

We did a little shopping in the Mall at Millenia, then headed back for dessert.  Mrs. C had the original cheesecake with strawberries which looked really yummy.  I wanted to try something different: the Dulce de Leche Caramel Cheesecake. 

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It is caramel cheesecake topped with caramel mousse on a vanilla crust.  Yeah…it was just as fabulous as it sounds and looks.  (I snitched this pic from their website.  Neither Mrs. C nor I remembered to take ANY pics of our day out that was a whole year in the making!!!  We were just too busy enjoying it, I guess!) 🙂

Doug has gone back to the day shift.  It leaves me with Isaac for many hours a day.  We are doing our best to get him up out of the bed as much as we can.  Doug comes home several times a day to do feeds, changes, repositioning, etc., so that I don't have to move Isaac very much.  He's just getting to be such a BIG boy for me. :)  He seems to be adjusting to the new schedule better than I am!

Well, I can't think of anything else exciting to tell you, so I guess I'll finish up this post.  I hope you are having a good week so far.  It's been a nice one for us, and for that, I am grateful.  We never know what a day is going to bring about, so it's good to count our blessings as we go.  🙂

What blessing are you counting today?

Blessings to you,

Alesha

The Best Hummus Recipe Ever!

One of the dishes that Doug and I have really learned to enjoy on our Hallelujah Diet is hummus.  We have tried the store bought varieties and made a few batches with canned chick peas. 

However, when I found this recipe and tried it, we decided to never eat those other dishes again.  We are hooked on this stuff.  It is so good, and so good for us.

I took a dish of it to a potluck dinner the other night, and folks seemed to enjoy it.  They asked for my recipe, so here it is.  It is not original with me.  I found it while scouring the internet.  But I have changed it into my own words.  I didn't want to plagiarize someone's recipe. 

Hummus Ingredients

1 cup dried chickpeas (the smallest you can find, NOT from Mexico)
1/2 cup tahini
juice from 1 squeezed lemon
1-2 garlic cloves (I actually use 3-4)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon + 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
salt (I use less than a teaspoon)

Directions

1. Sort the chickpeas and look for
damaged grains, small stones, or any other thing you need to discard.

2. Wash the chickpeas several times, until the
water runs clear. Soak them in clean water over night with 1
tablespoon of baking soda, at least 12-24 hours.

3. Wash the chickpeas well and put them in a large
pot. Cover with water, add the rest of the baking soda.  Do not add salt at this time. Cook until
the chickpeas are very easily smashed when pressed between two fingers. I cook them for 45 minutes, then drain, rinse and cover with clean water, then cook an additional 45 minutes, or until done. 

4.You can remove any of the skins that come off the chickpeas and the foam which floats over
the cooking water. (You do not have to remove all the skin from all the chickpeas.)  When done, drain the chickpeas and this is VERY IMPORTANT – keep the cooking
water.

5. Put the chickpeas into a food processor and grind well.

6. Add the tahini, lemon, garlic, cumin and salt to the chickpea mixture and process with the
food processor until you get the desired texture. If the Humus is too
thick, add some of the cooking water. It should be thinner than the
actual desired texture.

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Then if you want to really kick your hummus experience into high gear, serve your hummus with a side of homemade Tahini Sauce.  I've included the recipe I use.  It only takes about 5 minutes to make.

Tahini Sauce Ingredients
1/3 cup raw tahini (tahini is sesame seed paste.  you should be able to find it in your local grocery store, although our Wally World does not carry it.)
1/3 cup cool water
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 small garlic clove
3-5 stalks of fresh parsley
salt (about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon)

Preparation
1. Put the tahini in a small bowl and pour in a little of the water.
2. Stir slowly until the texture starts to become thicker, then add
more water and stir. Repeat a few times, stirring until smooth each time.
3. Add the lemon juice. Chop the garlic and the parsley
well, and add them while stirring. If the tahini is too thick, add a
little more water. Add the salt.
4. Serve with some chopped parsley on top.

Traditionally, hummus is eaten on a pita.  We don't particularly care for the taste of the pita, nor do we enjoy the calories they hold.  We eat our hummus with the new Nut-Thins crackers by Blue Diamond.  The pecan ones are especially yummy.  You can also serve fresh veggies with your hummus dip:  peppers, onions, radishes, cucumbers…just use your imagination.

Be sure to let me know if you try this recipe!  I'd love to hear what you think of it! 🙂

Blessings,

Alesha

Happy Labor Day!

I always enjoy this holiday so much…like having one more day of calm before the whirlwind of school and the holidays begins in earnest.  Because even though is was still in the low 90's here over the weekend, my mind is already turning to autumn. 

We don't actually have very much of an "autumn" here, but it is nice to have an occasional day of less-than-sweltering temperatures.

I also just LOVE autumn decor.  I used to wait until after Hall*ween to put out my pretty fall leaves and such.  Now I don't wait that long, because I want to have longer to enjoy my favorite decorations.

Doug and Isaac have been sick with icky colds since the middle of last week.  I was quite busy, doing things I don't usually do, because of that.  It was nice, though.  I enjoyed doing the weekly shopping and was able to visit with my grandmother who is in a local nursing home right now.

I also had the joy of attending the 90th birthday party of a sweet lady from our church.  It was such a nice time of fellowship and celebration.  I wanted to share Mrs. Ruby's secrets for living to be 90.  She had three of them:

  1. Drink a Coke every day.
  2. Take a BC powder every day.
  3. Eat cracklin' cornbread whenever you can.

And I have to add that evidently having a really great sense of humor doesn't hurt, either!!! : ) 

(Here's a recipe for those who are curious:  Paula Deen's Jalapeno Cracklin' Cornbread.)

Well, I need to finish up here.  I still have a couple of "to-do" items left on my list.

Are you working on a project today too?  I'd love to hear what you accomplished today! : )

It’s Complicated…

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It's decaf…

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It's non-dairy…

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It's non-fat and sugar-free…

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It's tedious…

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But it's worth it for my cup o' java every morning!

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6 oz. water

3 level T. freshly ground decaf coffee

1/2 c. rice milk

1/2 T. agave nectar

a few drops each, vanilla and almond extract

: )

Alesha

Bold and Tangy Salad Boats

Ok, ya'll…I just made up this dish today, and it was so yummy, I knew I had to share it with you. : )

I get tired of salad reeeeeally quickly, but I know all of those beautiful, raw veggies are so good for me.  This is what I came up with:

Bold and Tangy Salad Boats

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1/2 cucumber diced

1 vine ripened tomato diced

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed in a garlic press

Sea salt to taste

2 T. flax seed oil

2 T. balsamic vinegar

2-3 romaine lettuce leaves

Spinach leaves

Prepare veggies and set aside.  Combine oil and vinegar.  Pour oil and vinegar mixture over veggies, add salt to taste, and toss to mix.

Lay romaine lettuce "boats" on a plate and line each with 4-5 leaves of spinach.  Sprinkle with salt.  Spoon veggie mixture into each "boat".  Drizzle any extra oil and vinegar over the leaves.

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Now there are so many variations on this, so just let your imagination go wild with it.  If you come up with something really yummy, be sure to let me know! 

I'm sure you could use olive oil instead of flax oil and any kind of vinegar.  I just used what I had on hand.  I call it bold and tangy because of the combination of the raw garlic and the vinegar.  It was just perfect!

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There are several things I need to share with ya'll, but it is going to be another busy week for us.  As soon as I can, though, I'll be sharing with you about the following:

  1. a blog contest I won,
  2. a special surprise for Isaac from Japan, and
  3. Isaac's doctor visits this week. 

Thank you for your patience. : )

OH, and before I forget, I wanted to just Praise the Lord for the Miracle Offering at our church.  Thank you for your prayers! 

Our goal was $150,000, and we took up just over $238,000 with another $17,000 committed to be given in the next few months, giving us a total of over $255,000!!! 

Isn't that just amazing?!!!  Our God is SO great and mighty!!!

I can't wait to hear testimony of how God blesses the givers in our church!  It should be very exciting!

God bless your week,

Alesha

New Stuff at Our House

We had a busy end-of-the-week last week, and as the result of being out and about, we have a few new tools for our house, our business and our boy.

The first new item:  deodorant.  No, it's not for me.  It's for Isaac.  {sigh…} : )

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This is a handy cleaner that we found for Isaac.  It is gentle on his skin, and can also be used on his hair.  I find this a real help on those days when I have to change him from head to toe, over and over.  (well, most days, really.)

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This is a handy little tool for the kitchen.  It's a salad spinner.  Not the pricey oxo one I had my eye on, but a cheapy one from Old Time Pottery.  We'll see how it stands up.  I was able to chop up romaine and spinach, throw it in there, wash it, spin it and store it in my lettuce keeper.  Very nice!

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Doug bought me this sketch book for my jewelry business.  Sometimes, it helps to see things on paper…and sometimes it would be nice if I could take a picture of the image in my head and transfer it to paper through some magical process. 

I am NO artist, and sometimes I can't even manage to draw what I'm thinking on the paper.  However, once in a while, I have some ideas that need to be jotted down before I forget them.  So I keep this pad by my bed for just that purpose.

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And THIS…ah, this little gem of a book has my creative juices really flowing!  It has wonderful projects in it, and gives step by step instructions for some techniques that I had not yet learned.  I am so excited to try some new things, and also to improve on some of the techniques that I use all the time.

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So, those are the new things in our house this week.  Oh, and I'll be trying to find the recipe for this new dish, so that it will be in our house, too:

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It's Spaghetti Primavera, and it was absolutely delicious!  Oh, and Doug's entree wasn't bad, either:

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Veggie pizza with eggplant and peppers.  He really enjoyed it!

Yes, in case you were wondering, we were able to go out to lunch on Saturday, thanks to Grammy!  We went to Carrabba's and had a wonderful time.

I'm wondering…is there anything new at your house today?  I'd love to hear about it!  Leave me a comment below. : )

Blessings,

Alesha