Category: Hallelujah Diet

Back on the Wagon

by ObtainingMercy, posted in Florida Weather, Hallelujah Diet, Isaac Update, What's Happening
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…and our frig is full of veggies, too!

We have not been maintaining our eating plan very well since the holidays.  So, we are allowing ourselves to begin again. 

You have to do that sometimes, you know.  It might not be a new year, or a new month, or a new week, or even a new morning.

You can start over any time you want.

It's is always a good time to do what is right.

🙂

~~~~~

Isaac is doing well.  We had a couple of sleepless nights (but if you've read my blog for any length of time, you know that is almost "normal" for Isaac!); and we've had a couple of grumpy days.  All that is to be expected, I think, after surgery.

He and Doug went out for a walk today, and he really enjoyed that so much.  I think he's just tired of being inside and tired of being at home.  It is SO beautiful outside, too, that there was no reason for him to stay in.  I'm glad Doug took the time to take him outside.

His surgery sites are healing well.  He has a post-op doctor's appointment next Friday.  After that, they will tell us when we can return to our normal schedule of things.

~~~~~

For those of you who subscribe to my RSS feed via a blog reader might notice an increase in posts over the next few days.  I am attempting to move my archives off my old blog onto this new one.  My apologies for the multiple posts.  I hope they are not too aggravating. 🙂

~~~~~

My back is still doing poorly.  I'm getting a little discouraged and …well, to be totally honest…a little grumpy about it!  I was hoping to feel better by now.  I cannot sit for any length of time; and if I do sit for too long, I cannot stand up straight or walk when I do get up.  I have to lean on something and sort of painfully u-n-f-o-l-d, while trying not to gasp with agony. 

If you were a fly on the wall, you would hear something like this: 

Doug:  "Are you ok?" 

Alesha:  Through gritted teeth, "y.e.s." 

Doug:  "Do you need some help?" 

Alesha:  Gasping with pain, "NO." 

Doug:  "I can come help you." 

Alesha:  "No.  I.got.it!"

Doug:  "All right, well take your time."

Alesha:  Almost to the bed, "o.k."  Then upon reaching the bed, "ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…"

Doug:  "Are you ok?"

Repeat ad nauseum.  It's quite a comical thing, if you're not involved!!! ;o)

~~~~~

I hope you are going to be able to go to church tomorrow.  I know I am missing it so much, being stuck here.  I am grateful to have the live video feed, but I do miss seeing everyone.  There's just something about face-to-face fellowship that can't be mimicked by virtual interaction here on the web.

If you are stuck at home time, feel free to join our service here.  Just hover over "Media" and click "Live Service".

Blessings,

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

A Short Update About A Sick Boy

by ObtainingMercy, posted in Florida Weather, Hallelujah Diet, Household, Isaac Update, Prayer Request

Trying to keep my promise to allow myself to write shorter posts that aren't quite as polished as I'd like.  I know that so many people like to keep up with Isaac, and when you don't see a post for days on end, you start to wonder. 🙂

So, here's our Isaac Update:

Ugh!  Isaac is sick again.  High temps this afternoon and a stuffy/runny nose, and his tummy has been upset too.  I had a diaper this afternoon that had me crying "Code Brown!  Code Brown!" in my head, thinking of Tia's posts on the subject!  I needed four hands for the clean up, and then one more pair to pin down Isaac's!  It was quite a challenge! 🙂

He is generally miserable, but is soothed by his favorite videos and music, praise the Lord.  I just hate the whole shivering with fever, then sweating it out…it just makes him so unhappy. :o(

I am dealing with lots of fibromyalgia pain this week.  I missed my vitamins for a few days, as well as our carrot juice, and the weather has been cold.  I think these things have combined to wreaked havoc on my system.  But I've downed my double handful of supplements for today, and Doug has been juicing our carrots this week.  So I am looking forward to feeling better soon.

My dad and brother have been working on our central air/heat system this week, so we are looking forward to having it up and running soon.  We are so blessed by the knowledge my dad has gained down through the years, and I am so glad that he has passed it on to my brother!  So nice to see them work together, too. 🙂

That's it for today.

Blessings to you,

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!

One Busy Week Followed By Another

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

We had an insanely busy week last week, as did most folks in our church.  We had a wonderful Bible conference that went from Sunday through Wednesday, morning and evening sessions.  Although I wasn't able to attend the morning sessions, I was able to watch them via our church's website; so I set aside time each morning for that.  What a blessing that was to me each day!

I was also able to sing a few times last week; and of course, performances mean practices as well.  So any extra time I might have had was swallowed up with practice sessions and then singing.

I have talked before about how much I enjoy singing and how it really feeds my soul, so I enjoyed my time spent preparing for the services.  I found out that I have a cousin who can play almost anything I ask her to try.  If you are a singer you KNOW how much of a blessing that is!!!  I told her she was my new best friend!

Isaac was not able to attend all the services, but enjoyed watching them online with his dad when they had to stay home.  We had some bowel issues with him last week, and it took the entire week to resolve them.  Somehow, I let it slip passed me that the antibiotic he was taking for his sinus infection could cause constipation.  Ack!  So, we dealt with that.  It was not pretty and it was not enjoyable for any of us; but he feels so much better now that everything is moving along nicely for him. (pun totally intended!)

Both mine and Isaac's sinus infections seem to be healing.  I am almost through the antibiotic, and am feeling so much better.  Isaac still has a nasty cough, especially in the mornings, but it is not keeping him (and us) awake at night now.  Praise the Lord for that!

On the diet front, we did not do very well over the holidays, and Doug and I have both gained a few pounds.  My doctor did not seem at all concerned, and said that everybody was having weight issues after the holidays.  I did feel a little better when he said that! 

We are faithfully continuing with our supplements, and have started back on our regimen of carrot juice every day.  Even Isaac is getting carrot juice this week!  We are hoping to avoid last week's issues, and thought that carrot juice would certainly be an all-natural alternative for him.

Next Sunday is a big day at our church.  We will be celebrating the Pastor's 39th anniversary!  That is quite a record for pastors these days, and we are so grateful for the faithful man of God who serves as our pastor. 

We try to invite as many folks as possible, and aim to break the previous year's attendance record.  The idea is not to brag about the numbers, but to have as many folks as possible under the preaching of the Gospel.

Last year we had over 4,000, with over 1,000 of those riding in on our Sunday school buses.  After the preaching services, we have a huge carnival set up on our high school football field with food, games, rides, etc.  The young people (and adults, too!!!) have such a great time that afternoon! 

As a teenager and young adult, it was always one of the highlights of my year.  It's really wonderful fun…well, for almost everybody.  The guys that volunteer for the dunk tank sometimes have a rather chilly time of it, depending on the weather!!! :)  We are praying for a beautiful, warm day for all the fun activities.

Last year, there were 300 children, teens and adults who made professions of faith in Jesus Christ during our anniversary Sunday service.  Those were, of course, followed up by our bus workers and visitation teams.  What a joy to think that they came to church to celebrate an anniversary, but they left celebrating their own spiritual birth day! 🙂

Well, I guess that's enough of an update for now.  God has been so good to us, and our cups are really filled to overflowing after the great preaching we heard this past week.  We look forward to letting some of that spill over now on those who visit on our special Sunday service this week.

It has been said that a sponge that merely soaks up water will eventually sour; it must be squeezed out in order to fulfill its purpose.  God blesses us so that we can then bless others.  We need to allow the Holy Spirit to "squeeze" us, so that we can minister to those around us. 

May God bless you as you pass on your blessings this week,

Alesha

The Best Hummus Recipe Ever!

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

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.

Mj08_hummus_portrait_medium

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

Touch of Autumn

by ObtainingMercy, posted in Blessings, Florida Weather, Hallelujah Diet, Household, How Great is Our God, Just My Thoughts, What's Happening

Well, here she is – all 20-inch-seat of her!  Isn't she just beautiful?!!  We call her "Chairy"…short for "Chariot" and "Cherry" – because she is such a sweet ride!

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I can sit in it for short periods of time.  Yesterday Doug sat me right next to Isaac's recliner, and after I had been there for a few minutes, Isaac t-u-r-n-e-d his head to his left and loooooooked at me…as if to say "I thought I heard you over there!"  Isaac very rarely turns his head to the left, so when he does, it's for a good reason. 🙂

Today, I was able to trim and peel carrots:

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This is how far I got:

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Not a marathon peeling session, but a little bit is better than nothing.  I was desperately trying to get those last 9 carrots done, but the pain was just too much.  No need to prolong the healing time for something like carrots! 🙂

I had planned to get to my chiropractor today, but we forgot he closes at 11 a.m. on Thursdays.  So I will call tomorrow for an appointment.  He is always able to take me in right away.  I will be glad to get everything aligned, so that the healing can continue in a better way.

Isaac is really enjoyed having Doug home during the daylight hours.  Doug is enjoying working at night.  I am just happy that they are both happy. 🙂

My mom brought me this gorgeous sunflower last week!  The colors are just amazing for a silk flower.

DSCN0052 

I have it tucked in between the dresser and the nightstand, so I can see it all the time.  Since the temperatures here are still in the 90's, and I can't get outside anyway, it's the only little touch of autumn I'm experiencing right now. :)  I know cooler days are ahead.  I just have to be patient.

Thanks for your encouraging comments and for your prayers.  I know God is working miracles all around me.  I can't see all that He is doing, but I know He is faithfully fulfilling the work that He has started in me.

Wishing you blessings this day,

Alesha