Ready For Christmas??

My blog is. If you don't normally check the blog itself (aka you use a reader like I do) then stop by and check it out. It's a cute new design.

P.S. my parents and brother are coming down tomorrow (super excited) and they will be bringing my Christmas tree and ornaments (almost as super excited). Can't wait to hang out with the family and put up my tree!!!!

My Version Of Spicy Thai Coconut Corn Soup

A few days ago I came across the following recipe from Happy Herbivore and I thought it sounded amazing. At the time I really didn't need to cook anything but I had some light coconut milk that I needed to use up, so I decided to made some and freeze it. And I am so glad I did!! It turned out amazing!! I, of course, changed up the recipe from the original -- to fit what I already had at the house, however I bet the original would be amazing so check out the other site too!

My version of Spicy Thai Coconut Corn Soup

1/2 red onion, diced
2 garlic clove, minced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 cups left over cowboy caviar
15oz lite coconut milk or fat-free soy milk
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tsp dried cilantro
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp lime zest
red pepper flakes as desired (a little goes a long way)

In a large pot, high heat, cook red onion in 1/2 cup water 3 minutes. Add garlic and celery and continue to cook until water is gone. Add all other ingredients. Bring to a boil then reduce to low, cook 5-10 minutes - until thoroughly warmed. Add additional soy milk to thin out if desired.

First Falcons Game!!

Last night VJ and I went to my first ever regular season NFL football game!! It was a lot of fun however I didn't take any pictures of us at the game... how crazy right! I did use my iPhone to take a few pictures of the field though...



VJ is from Carolina so he was rooting for the Panthers. But, in the end the Falcons did win!

On a separate note... as I was walking from my seat to the restroom I had a lot of ladies commenting to the people next to them that they loved my hair and wanted the same color! Sometimes accidents turn out right!

Sweet!

A little too much...

I think I tried to do a little too much this weekend. By Saturday at 2pm I was ready for a nap. An hour later I fell asleep and slept for the next 2 hours. Luckily my next door neighbor knocked on my door and woke me up or I may have slept longer and then maybe not slept at night. I am exhausted right now (and I got 8 hours of sleep last night... apparently that is just not enough for me)

I am finding out how out of it I am. The quote of 'measure twice, cut once' is something that I am having to do with everything. I am not properly paying attention to what I am doing... not like I usually do. And it's quite frustrating. Sometimes though its just down right humorous.

For example, I color my own hair. I have the regular dye that I use and then I have a fire engine red color that I just add a dab to my regular color to give it some oomph. Well, last night I decided to touch up my color so I grabbed the two colors, put the regular color right in view and put the red over to the side so I wouldn't mix them up. I remembered something else I needed to do so I ran quickly and did that, then went back into the bathroom and grabbed a tube, put it in the bottle I use to dye my hair and then (thank God) looked at the labels again... because I grabbed the red! Had I not taken a second look I would have fire engine red hair today!! I took as much out of the bottle as I could and then added my regular color. I have to say it doesn't look to bad... what do you think??




Like the coffee cup... I am hoping that it helps to keep me awake. If not, someone may find me in a starting point room on a couch... passed out.

Its just that kinda day!

Daily Devotional

Another devotional that I thought was amazing! I have been really working on this but a lot of times I still get it wrong. I know now that I must continue trying and apologise when I get it wrong! :)



How to Deal with Conflict Quickly
by Rick Warren

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. James 1:19 (NIV)

*** *** *** ***

How do you deal with conflict quickly? I’ll tell you, but you’re not going to like it. The solution to resolving conflict is confrontation.

That’s right; if you’re going to resolve conflict, you must confront.

You don’t have to confront in anger, though. In fact, you shouldn’t confront in anger. Lovingly go to the person and, speaking the truth in love, deal with the problem immediately.

In James (1:19), we’re taught three rules for confrontation: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.

If you do the first two, the third one is automatic. If you’re quick to listen and you’re slow to speak, then you will be slow to anger.

What are you listening for?

You listen for the hurt in that person. Hurting people always hurt other people. When someone is being a jerk, more than likely, it’s because that person is hurting. When you understand their hurt, you have a better understanding of why they do what they do, and you’re a little more patient with them.

© 2008 Purpose Driven Life. All rights reserved.

In case you were wondering...

The latest medical news from me.

The specialist that I go to... the one who did the amazingly awful test on me last Friday... let me know that all the test they did came back normal!! That's good. So it's just IBS right. Well, they are not sure. Since the last medication they gave me didn't do anything they are now putting me on Amitiza. I took it last night for the first time... it says may cause nausea and they were not kidding!!! I was nauseous as all could be last night. And, yes, I did take it with food. The effects of the Lyrica were strong the first couple of days and then subsided. I am really hoping that the Amitiza works the same way.

I am taking both medications in the AM and the PM until the doctors say otherwise.

But how am I feeling? MUCH BETTER!! I can't tell if the Amitiza is working yet (but then it hasn't been 24 hours yet). However, the Lyrica and vitamin D are working beautifully!! I am still sleeping a lot at night however I am waking up feeling that not only do I want to do thing, I really can!!!

Yesterday I ran some errands... I went to IKEA to pick up some tea lights, I got the oil changed in my car, I had lunch with my good friend Rick (I used to work with him at Cbeyond... he was always a mentor and friend), got the Amitiza from my doctor, stopped at Sally's to pick up hair dye, and stopped in a fabric store, Office Depot looking for a laptop case, and in Home Goods. Granted, Sally's, the fabric store, Office Depot, and Home Goods were all next door to each other but I was able to go to them all, go home and eat dinner before getting sleepy (around 8:30pm). I don't mind being sleepy early at night if I can have a good day!

And on top of all of it... I feel good again this morning!!

Please continue to pray for me. Even if we find that the medications I am on work I have to pray that the medical insurance that I am switching to in December will cover them. The current insurance I am on doesn't. I know that no matter what, God will work it all out. He currently has... both doctors have given me free samples as we test.

Today I am hoping to go to a jeans store, to Barnes & Noble, clean my apartment, and dye my hair. Lets see how far I am able to get...

The Entire Bible

Revelations 22:21 - The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen.

This is the end of the Bible. I actually read it all the way thru!!! And man what life change did it bring.

• I now work at my Church that preaches this book in the most relevant way.
• My relationship with my Lord has grown by leaps and bounds.
• I lead my small group.
• I am in counseling to heal my past and my wounds so that I can be closer to my God.
• I let go of a boyfriend who I was living inappropriately with and committed to dating God's way.
• This past year I have not dated to give myself time to learn how God wants me to date.
• I have served on a mission team to Slovakia and had one of the best times in my life.
• I start tithing regularly, from the first of my income, and with so much joy in my heart.
• I now have a child. Who I sponsor thru Compassion International.
• My relationship with my family has gotten stronger and closer.
• Friends now look to me and expect Godly wisdom.

God has worked miracles in my life and I am so thankful and grateful for HIM!! None of this would have happened with out him in my life.

Anger?

If you are angry, be sure that it is not out of wounded pride or bad temper. Never go to bed angry – don’t give the devil that sort of foothold. Ephesians 4:26-27

I just got this verse in my devotional for today and it's amazing!! How many times is my anger from wounded pride or a bad temper!!! It's a good thing for me to remember.

More Recipes

I made the following recipes last night and the Tuscan White Bean Spread was a hit... it was completely gone by the end of the night!! I made the bread to eat it with and cut it into bite size chunks... which worked out really well I think. I did have a comment made that the bread tasted like some really expensive bread... and it only has 5 ingredients!! Excellent! My favorite was the fruit salad... but really, that is typical.

Tuscan White Bean Spread

1 (15-ounce) can navy beans
1/3 cup nonfat plain yogurt (I used soy yogurt)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
3 whole garlic cloves, chopped
2 sun-dried tomatoes, reconstituted and chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
pepper

Combine beans, yogurt, Italian seasoning, pepper, and garlic in a blender and puree until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until combined. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours to allow flavors to meld. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.



Left Bank Apple Salad

3 Granny Smith apples, cored and chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/3 cup diced celery
3/4 cup red seedless grapes, halved
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 (8 ounce) container low-fat peach yogurt (I used soy yogurt)

Place apples in a large bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice. Toss gently. Add the celery, grapes, and walnuts. Pour in the yogurt and mix until ingredients are coated. Cover bowl and refrigerate several hours or overnight to blend the flavors.



Whole Wheat Beer Bread

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
2 tbsp raw sugar (I used 1 tbsp turbino and 1 tbsp regular sugar)
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
12 oz dark beer

Preheat 375 F

Whisk all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Lightly grease bread pan. Pour beer into dry mixture. Stir to combine, it will eventually form a dough. Eventually, you will need to stop using the spoon and use your hands to combine. Transfer dough to your bread pan. press down gently so it spreads out even. Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour.



Enjoy!

I Was Tagged!!

HAHA! My good friend Rachael tagged me in her blog and I'm supposed to list 7 random facts about me. So, here it goes...

1. The longest I have gone without a surgery/major illness is 6 years... between 12 (appendectomy) and 18 (surgery on my hand).

2. The shortest time... 1 year. Between 8 (tonsils & adenoids remove) and 9 (dog bit me in the face and I had to have starches).

3. I just read thru the entire Bible, it took a little over a year, and in that time God has changed my life more than I ever imagined He would.

4. In my life I have moved at least 18 times. And I am 28.

5. I have lived in 3 states.

6. I am more in love with life now that I am living a life devoted to God than I ever did before. It's hard to explain the peace I feel.

7. I miss my family every day and I wish they all lived closer.

So apparently now I am supposed to tag some more people to keep the chain going...

Natalie
Jason Poll
Jamie
Lynette
Jerry C
Erin R

Who will respond first...

Giving Thanks!

I know at this time of year there are many places to give and volunteer and one such place I found in my Facebook Inbox this morning. I have some friends that will be joining me in putting together a Thanksgiving meal for a family. If you would like to join in financially please let me know! If you would like to check out the opportunity please see below... it is the email I received today:

Over the past few years, 7|22 has partnered with Stirred-Up Ministries to provide Thanksgiving dinner for inner-city Atlanta families who may otherwise not have a Thanksgiving meal. 7|22 may no longer be meeting, but Next Is Now! By adopting a family for Thanksgiving, you will be partnering with Stirred-Up Ministries to help them reach people no one else is reaching.

Interested in adopting a family for Thanksgiving and providing them with a Thanksgiving meal? Here is how it works:
• Each basket costs around $100, so we encourage you to recruit several of your friends or small group to adopt a family together.
• Arrange a time for your group to grocery shop and deliver the basket.
• The basket needs to be delivered to Stirred-Up Ministries before next Tuesday, November 25th.
• Once you get your group together, reply to this e-mail with your name, e-mail and phone number.
• We will e-mail you the name of the family you are adopting, instructions, and a shopping list.

We hope that you decide to partner with Stirred-Up Ministries and adopt a family for Thanksgiving!

I think this is going to be fun!!

Another Update!

I went to the doctor again today. All the blood work that he did came back normal... well all except for my vitamin D, I am deficient in that. So I stopped by Target on my way home to pick some up. What does that mean for me... the doctor is not sure. He has been doing some research on what a deficiency in vitamin D can do to you but he really doesn't know what causes it and what it can do. So, he also wrote me a prescription for more Lyrica. I will be taking both until we can figure out if the trouble is actually the vitamin D. If it is, we will take me off the Lyrica and I will do a big dance!! If not, then we will continue to isolate the fibromyalgia.

Since I have been home I have done some research but I am not finding much that I would think to be interesting... except I found an article entitled 'Causes of vitamin d deficiency' from Helium.com. The part that raised my eyebrow was:

Signs of vitamin "D" deficiency can include, excessive thirst, itching, eczema-like itching, eye pain and soreness, frequent urination, diarrhea, achiness, insomnia, irritability, moodiness, headaches and migraines, muscle pain and many types of cancer, and bone fractures, dizzy spells, fatigue and deposits of calcium in your liver, lungs, kidney, stomach and your blood vessel walls. Since a lack of vitamin "D" leads to a lack of the absorption of B12, calcium and iron you could experience any or all of the above symptoms.

Research shows that fibromyalgia may have a link to vitamin "D" deficiency.

Interesting isn't it...

However, my B12, calcium and iron counts all came back normal. And, although the site is copy written I don't know how accurate it really is. I have been looking and looking for supporting evidence that the above statement is accurate but I am not finding any. So, it looks like I will now be my own guinea pig and will see what happens when I take my vitamins!!

Right now my prayer is that the trouble is just vitamin D (and if it is I will be shocked but I serve a mighty God who can do what he wants!!)!!!

Grandparents & Flying Biscuit!!

On Monday I was able to see my grandparents again!! What what! They were driving from Michigan to Florida (ohhhh warm Florida how I miss you today) they stopped off at the Flying Biscuit and we had a great visit. It was so fun to see them again. Hopefully my parents, brother and I will be going down there again next year! I always look forward to February/March in a beautiful villa in Venice!!

Food, Food and More Food

I have made some food for my Oasis group that I absolutely love so I wanted to pass it along to you. You will love them all.

This first recipe I got from FatFreeVegan and yummy!!

Pineapple Coffee Cake
Dry Ingredients:
1 cup quick or whole oats (not instant)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients:
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon white or cider vinegar
1 cup crushed pineapple packed in pineapple juice, undrained
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

Topping:
2 tablespoons coarse sugar, such as demerara or raw sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly spray or wipe the bottom and sides of a 8 X 8-inch glass baking pan with oil or cooking spray. (You may use metal, but the baking time will vary.)

Put the oats into a blender and grind until they are fine. Stir a couple of times to make sure that they're uniformly ground.

Mix the oat flour with the other dry ingredients. Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Add the wet ingredients to dry and stir until moistened and completely combined, but don't over mix. Pour into the prepared pan (batter will be thick). Mix together the sugar and cinnamon topping, and sprinkle it over the top.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes. Eat and celebrate!

Makes about 9 pieces. Each piece contains: 155 Calories (kcal); 1 g Total Fat; (4% calories from fat); 3 g Protein; 36 g Carbohydrate; 0 mg Cholesterol; 299 mg Sodium; 3 g Fiber



This second recipe I got from my Aunt Dawn and its addictive!! I tweaked the recipe a bit from her original but either one is amazing...

Cowboy Caviar

Marinade:
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
Boil together until sugar melts. Cool. Add 1/4 cup canola oil.

Mix together:
1 can black beans or pinto beans - drained
1 can black eyed peas - drained
1 can whole kernel corn - drained
1 can whole kernel corn - drained
1 orange bell pepper - finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1 medium size jar chopped pimentos - drained
1 handful finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp cilantro
black pepper to taste

Pour marinade over veggies 2-24 hours ahead of time. Chill.



This one I got from Semi-Homemade and as always I changed it just a bit. By adding peas it changes up the guacamole a bit but man is it good!

Guacamole
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
2 cups frozen no-salt added petite peas, thawed
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1-ounce seasoning mix (my mix: paprika, cumin, garlic, chili powder, cayenne pepper, cilantro & pepper)
1 teaspoon chopped garlic - it wasn't in this time but I would put it in if I had it
1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies, drained
1 Florida avocado, diced

In a medium saucepan combine onions, peas, water, lemon juice, guacamole seasoning, and garlic. Cook for 10 minutes until ingredients are soft. Remove from heat and let cool. Pour cooled pea mixture into a large bowl. Add avocado and canned tomatoes - mash with a fork or potato masher. Mix until blended.



This recipe is a mix of a few humus recipes and a few additions that I thought would be good... and was I ever right. Yumm-o!

Hummus
3 cloves garlic
1 can chickpeas
6 ounces roasted red bell peppers
1 chipotle pepper in adobo
1/3 cup parsley
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon salt-free garlic herb powder
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Drain chickpeas. In blender or food processor, blend all but the olive oil. When smooth, drizzle in olive oil until you have the consistency that you want. Chill for at least 1 hour.




You can thank me later. :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

I had a great weekend with my family up in Michigan!!! I got it all... Grandma's cooking, Dad's cooking, all the Engelhardts, schafkoph, eucher, Zenders, Tommy V's, Meijers, Slurpees, snow, Normans, nap on Grandparents couch, watching Brennan and Colton play some basketball... I had a blast and as always it went by way too quickly! I was sad that my brother Dan couldn't be there but he is going to be down at my place for Thanksgiving and I am looking forward to seeing him then.

All the family (minus Dan)

All the cousins (once again minus Dan)

A pretty good looking bunch if you ask me!!

Down and Out... Still?

Well, I am not as down or out as I was but I am not quite better yet. The extra liver tests that the doctor did came back negative... which is a good thing however it means they are still trying to figure out what is wrong. I had been writing down all of my symptoms to tell the doctor and he is not 100% but with my symptoms he thinks it may be fibromyalgia. I looked it up online and found these symptoms... and I have to tell you most of the symptoms are things I have experienced recently and some have been quite long term. The doctor put me on Pregabalin (Lyrica) to see if it helps. I'll keep you posted!

Daily Devotional

Another devotional from a Purpose Driven Life that I thought was really, really applicable to my life. Schedules always seem to be more full than I have time for and especially with me in the physical state that I am I really need to make sure I am setting my priorities straight. When I saw this it just hit home...

Surviving Your Schedule
by Rick Warren

An intelligent person aims at wise action, but a fool starts off in many directions. Proverbs 17:24 (TEV)

*** *** *** ***

Do you ever get to the end of your day and think “Did I accomplish anything today?” Where does all the time go?

If you don’t master your schedule, it will master you. Here are three suggestions from the Bible for reducing the stress of your schedule:

Line up your priorities. Obviously, you don’t have time to do everything. You must make choices. You must decide what’s really important and what isn’t. Take some time to consider the direction of your life.

· “It is stupid to waste time on useless projects” (Proverbs 12:11 TEV).

· “You may make your plans, but God directs your actions” (Proverbs 16:9 TEV).

Lighten up your attitude. Do you really have to do everything on your to-do list? No one is holding a gun to your head. A lot of your stress is self-imposed. The Bible says that God gave us humor as a stress reliever.

• “Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up” (Proverbs 12:25 NLT).

• “A relaxed attitude lengthens life; jealousy rots it away” (Proverbs 14:30 NLT).

• “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength” (Proverbs 17:22 NLT).

Look up to God. Stress is always a warning light that you’ve taken your focus off God and are looking at your problems from your limited viewpoint. I believe the single greatest cause of stress is this: We take ourselves too seriously and we don’t take God seriously enough!

Need more time in your schedule?

• “Fear of the Lord lengthens one’s life, but the years of the wicked are cut short” (Proverbs 10:27 NLT).

• “Those who fear the Lord are secure; he will be a place of refuge for their children” (Proverbs 14:26 NLT).