new beginnings

New week...new beginnings. After a much needed mental vacation, I am returning full force. It took some time, but I have just had to reflect on some situations and realize that, if I can't do anything to change a particular situation or relationship, I must just let go of it, no matter how much it pains me. Last week there was a development in my life that I let get to me in the worst way. I ended up, Thursday, in my dermatologists office with raging psoriasis and a cold sore, both of which are severly aggravated by stress. I was pushed into deciding between 3 treatment options, none of which are pleasant. I was told to pick my poison. Teary eyed, I chose a Kenalog injection. This same injection made me sick as a dog last time, but we decided to lower the dose and give it another go. My other 2 options were light therapy w/drugs..which can lead to skin cancer, especially given how fair I am or Enbrel self injections, which can lead to liver problems. When it gets to the point of having new spots on your hands and having a 1/4 of your body covered with this demon, you do, literally, have to pick the lesser of evils for treatment. Not being able to bend your elbows without pain can be quite the driving factor. I have already noticed an improvement and will add topical steroids today, to push it into remission if I can. I will still request the blood test from my GP to see if the white spots on my nails are an indication of having the tendency for Psoriatic Arthitis. My dermatologist blew me off by telling me my nails werent that bad, and that I should just paint them and not worry about it. The last three visits and calls to this same derm have not been without incident, so I'll also be looking for a new specialist in NJ. Dave and I are getting healthier as a team, and I am thrilled. We have both started working out again and dinners will all be much lighter. It is so much easier, as are most things, when you work as a team. So today is truly a new beginning, for hopefully a lot of things. Just when you thought I'd go away...ala Jack Nicholson.....I'm back...even though I'm not Johnny. Cheerio!

how i felt yesterday

And the person who made me feel this way doesn't even know it.... So I've decided not to let them. Most pain, I do believe, is self chosen. I have chosen to spend this weekend with my wonderful husband and my sister and her family at the shore..and damnit have a good time. I will try to blog from the shore but am not sure if I will have a connection. Should Dave and I find an internet cafe we will post some pictures of LBI, where we'll be. Just what I need right now....four days of playing board games, eating junk and sitting on the beach at night with my sister! Well, Dave and I are off to pick up a few things before leaving...yippeee! We'll see everyone in Coatesville on Sunday after church and of course, stopping in to hug our puppy who we already miss. p.s. to the unnamed person...happy father's day, wherever you are.

stupid pictures

This is how I feel today!

A very happy Thursday to you

As evidenced from my lack of blogging, this week has been hella busy. I was finally able to visit the Food Bank of South Jersey this week, when I dropped off our check for the Buy a Bag Fundraiser. The warehouse is really impressive and the people I met very nice. I do have to find a shorter route, as I think this may be the place I've been looking for to become involved with. I reminds me a lot of the SHARE group I had worked with in San Diego. They may be in need of IT help or photography work which Dave and I would be glad to offer. I've also started putting some feelers out about starting a food pantry or something similar at my church. Apparently our sister church already has one going and I've left a message for a request to meet with their pastor to discuss the how's of starting such a project. The food bank has also graciously offered any needed help. Their policy is that you have to run a bank on your own for three months and then apply to them for foodstuffs, etc. We already have a kitchen and are registered as a nonprofit, so that's a good start. My main concern is interest and participation. This is somthing that would involve months of planning and fundraising before the doors would ever open. I'm hoping if I write a really convincing proposal, I'll garner enough enthusiasm to get people fired up about wanting to do this. I've also been working on a flier (yuck double sided) about MACS which I'm going to ask to present next Sunday. This Sunday is our big Father's Day service, so I'm going to request the following Sunday. I think the summer may not be the right time to broach the food pantry thing, because a lot of people are vacationing, etc and the availability just won't be there. I can find plenty of other things to bug people for :) in the interim. They will probably ask me to leave the congregation.. lol. Last night was a really fun cooking night. I made one of my favorite dishes, Mujadara. It consists of lentils, rice and onions. I ate it a lot when I was a vegetarian. It's easy, tastes good and is low fat and filling. I also made my very first flatbread. It was a Syrian flatbread recipe. Wow was it good and so easy. We have a pizza stone, which I used and it browned well. I also followed a tip I read that said to poke fork holes in the dough before baking to stop the puffy bubble thing..worked great. For desert I made my version of Shahi Kheer, a sweet rice pudding with saffron. I love coconut so I used coconut milk instead of regular milk..light of course- that stuff is loaded with fat. The saffron give it a nice color, and topped with some Redi Whip..yummy. Super duper sweet though, this stuff is not for everyday. It tastes similar to Sticky Rice with Mango, the Thai dessert. Dave and I are headed to the shore from Friday to Monday. He will definately need it after the hectic week he's had at work. For me, it's like going home. I miss Long Beach Island, my old stomping grounds. I graduated from the HS there 20 years ago..boy does that make me feel old. I should stop eating now for the October reunion..but that's a whole other subject. I'm really looking forward to spending time with my sister this weekend. The beach at night is so very peaceful and at times eerie. Closing your eyes and really hearing the surf is ethereal. Okay, I'm excited about a clambake too! Raw clams, steamed clams, smoked fish..oh boy oh boy..can't wait! I hope everyone has been having a great week and I will be chatting at ya before the weekend!

my first podcast! Alex's Lemonade Stand & MACS

my first podcast..working4peace i am not liking how hard this rss thing is. btw if anyone who stops by is an old hand at this podcasting thing HELP! I've exported and uploaded and am stuck. computers are like small jobs you do in your house..something always goes wrong and its never as easy as you think it will be. It's currently parked at my sister site "in progress" Working4Peace...i'm sure this won't work LOL. So..in my lameness i'm posting here as a link until I can figure the rest of this rss stuff out. You may want the volume low and it is approx 12 1/2 mins long... Feedback appreciated! As mentioned in Matt's blog, this weekend is Lemonade Days! Check out this really worthwhile cause! Lastly, As promised as well here is the Make A Child Smile June information: Elijah G. & Fletcher G. -brothers Name: Elijah Age: 4 years , Fletcher Age: 11 Main Diagnosis: Generalized Tonic-Clonic Seizures/both children Mom: Michele Dad: Fletcher Mailing Address: Elijah G. & Fletcher G. PMB #37381 Lower Mall Drive Winston-Salem, NC27103 - U.S.A. Name: Robert Age: 4 years old Main Diagnosis: Medulloblastoma Mom: Cathy Dad: Dennis Mailing Address:Robert K. PMB #18913215-C SE Mill Plain Blvd, Ste 8 Vancouver, WA98684 - U.S.A. more info about them at this link They would truly appreciate your correspondence! The Hunger Site just takes a few seconds to click & help. Have a great day!

halva

halva, originally uploaded by andrealeev. raw & organic. supper yummy!

harira

harira, originally uploaded by andrealeev. Harira Soup Let me know if you'd like the recipe for either.

Happy Thursday

Well, I guess I have to go back to saving my posts in notepad again. Blogger hates me lately..and I really don't feel any comfort when told, after just losing my blog that the engineers are aware of the problem..please check back later. aaargh! As far as uploading photos, I guess it'll have to be done from Flickr. Last night we went to our second "World Religions" class at church and it was really fascinating. We talked about Hinduism. I'm finally going to read my copy of the bhagavad gita. Now I just have to find it in the never shelved tote full of books in the spare room. The whole idea of there being a piece of god in every man's soul is so beautiful. The discussion got so deep and ended with Darma, that we are finishing next Wednesday. I'll be reading up on it in the meantime though. We rotate each week who makes soup, bread and dessert for the meeting, and I am such a sad foodie, I've asked to have every week, so I can hone my soup skills. Last night I made Harira, a soup traditionally eaten to break the Ramadan fast at day's end. It took about 3 hours but, wow was it good. Had lamb, 2 lbs of tomatoes, s/p, turmeric, cinnamin, 2 kinds of onions, chickpeas and red lentils. Lemon squeezed on top was the finishing touch. Since Dave doesn't like anise, I just bought a round loaf of bread for consistency. Desert was some pastries and home made Halva. That was raisins, dates, vanilla and tahini paste in the food processor. Just grind, shape and chill. I sprinkled some fresh dates and raisins in the serving dish..it absolutely rocked. I found the recipe at a UK organic food site. Tomorrow I have off, because I'm working this Saturday. I hope to drop the $100 check from the chinese auction off at the South Jersey Food Bank. I really want to see the facility first hand. I'd like to get a group from church to donate some time there and would also like to start volunteering there myself. I used to work with S.H.A.R.E. of Southern California and loved it. The closest site we have is in Camden and Dave won't let me go there by myself. He's okay with Pennsauken so... Now if only there were a localish shelter I could volunteer at. That's what I really, really miss. I worked at St. Vincent de Paul Village in San Diego for about a year and had this "it was my calling" epiphany. But, alas, where I live in NJ is too suburban to have anything like that around. PA or NY would be the only places I think to have something like the village. And, by the way, still never heard back from the local Boy's Home or Catholic Charities when I offered to volunteer. Kinda sad if you ask me. They need help, I offer, and get no response. If only they knew how much someone as hyperactive as me could be :) A co-worker's husband works at the home and she said if I give her the name of the man I talked to she'll have her husband ask him. Honestly it is literally within walking distance and would be perfect for Dave and I as a couple because they are also looking for IT help, which he can provide. From the Make a Child Smile page I will be posting, later today, the June Feature Kids. SEND THEM CARDS! Tomorrow I also will be working on my other site Working4Peace as well as the podcast about the site. Wish me luck on that one..if anyone reading has expertise in the area of podcast authoring...feel free to let me know:) Have a great day all!