Obtaining Mercy

The Best Vegetarian Chili Ever

  

 

The Best Vegetarian Chili Ever

• 1 T Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion (chopped)
• 2 bay leaves (be sure to remove these when dish is finished cooking)
• 1 T salt
• 2 stalks celery (chopped)
• 2 red bell peppers (chopped)
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 2 t cumin
• 2 t oregano
• 1 T unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 T chili powder
• 1/8 t cayene pepper
• 3 28 oz cans tomatoes (I use whatever combination of tomatoe sauce, diced tomatoes, whole tomatoes that I have available)
• 2 15 oz kidney beans
• 2 15 oz black beans
• 1 15 oz whole kernel corn

Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat.  Stir in onions, bay leaves and salt.  Saute until onion is translucent.  Stir in celery, bell peppers, and garlic.  Cover, reduce to low and simmer for five (5) minutes.  Add all spices.  Add tomatoes.  Add beans.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes.  Stir in corn and simmer until corn is heated through.

We serve this over jasmine rice.

(Doug made a huge pot of this over the weekend and we are still enjoying it today.  It is so full of yummy veggies and beans that I promise - you won't even miss the meat!!!)

Enjoy!

Alesha

 

 

 

Beat the Winter Blahs Salad

 

I easily tire of eating salad, especially in the winter.  My brain tells me that if it's *cold* outside, I should be eating something *warm*!  So I find it quite a challenge to make a salad that appeals to me.

Over the weekend, I came up with a salad that is tasty and pretty.  I thought I'd share it with you.  It's nothing fancy, but has a nice balance of flavors. 

 

 

Beat the Winter Blahs Salad

• Romaine lettuce
• Radishes
• Yellow peppers
• Dried cranberries (I used the pomegranate flavored)
• Sunflower seeds
• Poppy Seed salad dressing
• Salt and Pepper to taste

 

Let me know if you try it.  I'd love to know what you think.

Blessings,

Alesha

The "Good for What Ails You" Smoothie

 

I am feeling pretty yuck today.  I'm home alone, and nothing in the kitchen looks or smells appealing.  So when all else fails, go for fruit.

 

 

"Good for What Ails You" Smoothie

• 1/2 honeydew melon, seeded and peeled
• 1 frozen banana
• 1/2 to 1 cup frozen strawberries

Place all ingredient in blender and pulse until smooth.

 

 

It's guaranteed to make you feel all better!!!

:)

So Natural...

...that they had to say it twice???

Me thinks the company protests too much!!!

Now THIS is the way...

...all my grocery receipts should look!!!

I spent $5.37 and saved $11.37!!!

I got 6 jars of Sandwich Stackers Pickles for $0.90 each.  The regular price is $2.79 each. 

That's a savings of 68% per jar (well, IF I did the math right - which is highly improbable, but still entirely possible!).

These pickles are my ABsolute Faves, too!!!

If you are planning a veggie sammie, it is just NOT complete without a couple of THESE stacked on top of the peppers, onions, lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes!

:o)

 

Mmmm...dessert!

 

Brazillian candies from a friend of Doug's...

and all my daily supplements...

a nice after-lunch snack!

=)

Just Catching Up

Doug and Isaac are off to therapy today, so I have the privilege of enjoying a silent house!  Oh, how I love my quiet time!!! :)  Both of my boys like noise!  Hmmm..."boys like noise"...maybe I'm on to something here! lol!

We have had a good week.  Isaac visited his neurologist last week.  She suggested adding new meds or increasing meds, while watching him have seizure after seizure in the exam room.  I had to tell her, "Um...this really isn't a bad day for him!"

 

Waiting for the doctor...

He was occasionally coming out of the seizures, and even playing with his ribbons.  On a bad day, he just sleeps.

She had no answers, of course.  My personal opinion is that either his shunt does not work the same every day, or his brain does not put out the same amount of fluid every day.  Something is obviously fluctuating, when he has really great days, and really poor days.

But, such is life with Isaac.  The Lord is faithful on ALL the days, whether they are great or poor.  When it's time to consider something new, He will make it plain to us.  We cannot spend every day fretting about seizures.

My follow up at my doctor was good, as I told you in the last post, I have lost another 4 pounds.  That makes me very excited, because we have been working really diligently on our eating habits.  I'm so glad that the diligence paid off. :)

~~~~~~~~~~

When we came home from our appointments, my mom and dad were at my house trying to clean up.  Now, wait, they weren't cleaning up OUR mess...they were cleaning up DADDY's mess!  He has started drilling the holes for the air conditioner vents in the concrete walls of our house.

Can you even begin to imagine the layer of concrete chalk that covered every inch of my house???  No, unless you have experienced it yourself, you have no concept!  Ugh!  The floors especially were quite a mess.

I had used king size sheets to cover as much furniture as I could, and so that helped a little in the clean up; but the dust settled on every surface between the ceiling and the floor.  Every picture, ceiling fan, uncovered knickknack...you name it, it all had to be wiped down.

I am waiting to do the final dusting when he is completely finished.  He did all the holes but one!  I love him to pieces, but what in the world was he thinking, to leave one undone??? 

My mom said, "He was hot and hungry!"  

Well, ok then!  That explains it completely!!! :~D

~~~~~~~~~~

I have been very busy working on jewelry for the past 2 weeks.  I want to increase my sales, and am trying to implement as many things as I can to make that happen.  I know it's all in the Lord's hands, but I am doing my best to be diligent.

Doug's grandma is still healing nicely, and is feeling much better.  We are very excited about that.

Our teens had a great week at camp.  It was so good to see so many of them in church on Sunday.  Sunday night, several young men came forward to say they had accepted the Lord as their Saviour while out at camp last week, and that they wanted to follow the Lord in believer's baptism.  That was very exciting to see.

~~~~~~~

I saw something interesting while we were at Isaac's doctor's visit.  I thought I would share it with you.

 

Just a normal thing to see in the restroom...but wait, look closer...

 

Still can't read it?  Here...this should help!

Considering that the building we were in is state-owned, I couldn't help but chuckle!!!  (and take a picture for the blog, of course!)

~~~~~~~~~~

Well, I still have several projects to do today, so I better finish this up.

Blessings to you,

Alesha

Creative Spark Friday and Announcing a New Blog

Becky Caldwell, over at The Gritty Bird, has started a fun challenge for jewelry designers (and other like minded crafty people) to create a new and exciting piece of art each week.

THE WEEK'S (7/16-7/23) SPARKS ARE-

1. *Creative Spark* Color(s)-

Teal and/or Orange 

2. *Creative Spark* Word or Phrase-

Float

3. *Creative Spark* Wire or Stringing Material(s)-

Brass Wire and/or Ribbon

4. *Creative Spark* Bead Type(s)-

Ceramic

5. *Creative Spark* Shape(s)-

Oval

and for my mixed media gals..

6. *Creative Spark* Mixed Media Art Medium(s)-

Wood and Paper

This is what I came up with: 

 

 

 

I had so much fun with this "spark", and it just so happened that I had the supplies on hand to join in.

Thank you, Becky, for such an exciting, creative challenge!

~~~~~~~~~~

I realize this is quite a different post than you are used to reading here.  I decided that I don't want to inundate you, my dear, faithful bloggy readers with too many "jewelry" posts. 

So, I did what bloggers do...

...I created a new blog!!!

Alesha Kay's Jewelry Blog

You will see a permanent link to it, up on the tabs above this post.  There are links available on that site, if you wish to subscribe by blog reader or by email.  I certainly won't have my feelings hurt if you do neither! ;o)

I hope you do go check it out, though, and give me your thoughts about it.  I always value your input.

I pray you have a great weekend.

Blessings,

Alesha

P.S. I have lost another 4 pounds, bringing my grand total to 31 pounds.  Yay!  We are feeling so much better now that we are back to eating well again. :)

P.P.S This necklace will be up in my Etsy shop this weekend!

Hers and His

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...

...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 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.

 (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!

(a little blurry because he is in constant motion...) 

All pics were added for Dani - my photo-graphical inspiration! :)

Alesha