Category Archives: MUSINGS

Friday Feature: The Wonders of Lemon

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Two weeks ago here on the blog I wrote about the body being pH balanced, noting the difference between an acidic and alkaline system. As I listed the various foods that will help the body become alkaline, which is the state we want our bodies in for good health, lemons stood out to me. Though this fruit is acidic, it has an alkalizing effect on the body and does so much more good for us. I decided today to share the ways I use lemons, including to alkaline my body. Please add to my list in the comments section.

For drinks—Lemon is one of my favorite ingredients for a refreshing fresh squeezed juice. I particularly like apple, lemon and ginger. I also squeeze the juice and pulp in my teas. Many people squeeze lemon in their water at restaurants, but why not try that at home? Just add its juice to cold or hot water and drink.

For salad dressing—I use the juice of lemon in my oil- and tahini- based dressings. It provides the right amount of zing for an otherwise flat dressing.

For food—I use lemon juice in raw and cooked soups and, like many, I from time to time squeeze the juice on my fish to eliminate the seafood odor. I know of others who use lemon zest in baked goods.

To rid mouth of film—I don’t know about you, but when I eat spinach my teeth and jaws get a film on them and feel weird. The same thing happens when I eat beet greens, but when I squirt lemon juice on them after stir-frying them, I get no film or weird feeling. Something about the lemon juice prevents those reactions and I can enjoy the leafy greens that I love.

To take away nausea—When I get nauseous, during pregnancy or not, I can suck on a lemon and the nausea ceases.

For a freshener—1) I grind up lemon peels in the garbage disposal; 2) I let the peels sit on the counter; 3) I rub the juice on my hands after using onion or garlic to take away those pungent smells; 4) I have squeezed the juice in grease after frying fish to eliminate the smell; and 6) I have even squeezed the juice of a wedge and placed the wedge into a ceramic cup with a few drops of one or more essential oils and placed the cup on my mug warmer. The heated lemon juice, wedge and oils fragrant the room.

Those are my dozen-plus ways to use lemons. What are some ways you use the amazing lemon?

Transplanted to Thrive (Plus new single It Ain’t Over)

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What Do You Think? Wednesday

That is a plant that I had just about given up on. I noticed its bloom today, but its beginning earlier this summer looked nothing like this. It was one of four day lilies that were in my flower beds, droopy, and no amount of water or plant food seemed to make them thrive. I decided to dig them up and check out the roots to see if they were salvageable. Most of the roots were brown, dry, dead, but some were firm, moist and still alive. I transplanted them into three pots, and in the space they left I transplanted six tiger lilies from my backyard. For weeks, about five, all nine plants drooped and the water and plant food just didn’t help any of them. I was thinking about digging them back up but decided to keep them in place until the end of the season. Still looking hopeless, I again was about to change my mind and dig them up. In the few days that I waivered I noticed the leaves on all the plants were no longer brown and frail but bright green and standing tall, firmly rooted and thriving. I was so glad I hadn’t tried to transplant them again. I would never have seen that this indeed was their season to flourish and to bloom.

Sometimes as strong black women we see our situation, don’t like it and immediately seek to make moves, our moves, to get us out of the situation. We are like I was going to be with my plants. But if we know that God has transplanted us, we have to resolve to be with ourselves like I eventually was with my plants. Even if we are floundering, weak and limping, we have to know that if we remain in place, complete the season that we’re in, we will begin to get strong and blossom. This is a promise.

For this cause, my dear brothers, be strong in purpose and unmoved, ever giving yourselves to the work of the Lord, because you are certain that your work is not without effect in the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58—BBE).

I want you to know that if God has transplanted you, things will get better. They have to. God is a keeper and never leaves us or forgets about us (Deuteronomy 31:6; Hebrews 13:5). If you seek the Lord, digging into His word and allowing it to minister to you, you will be “like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever (you do) prospers” (Psalm 1:2-3—NIV). To help you remember that, I share with you the new single, It Ain’t Over, by my dear friend and sister in Christ, the anointed and ultra-talented Dianna Hobbs. Listen, be blessed and as always please tell me what you think.

Download It Ain’t Over at DiannaHobbsMusic.com.

Responding to Homosexuality

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As you know, the wave of interviews for my son, the Lemonade Kid, have been many. Though I have been grateful to God for the chance to share Joshua’s story of how the power of prayer led him to the idea to raise money for the City of Detroit, the round of media interviews has been tiring. But I was reenergized by the potential of one: a guest appearance on Ellen. Find out in my latest EEW article, which begins below, why I was excited and how I believe we can use my moment to talk to our children about homosexuality.


When a reporter for a national black magazine asked Joshua what he thought about people around the world knowing about his popcorn and lemonade fundraiser for the City of Detroit, he matter-of-factly said, “I’m international.” For Josh, it wasn’t arrogance. He was just telling the reporter his current reality. He’s had pretty much the same nonchalant attitude when news outlets in Canada contacted us and even when he appeared on the biggies, like CNN and ABC World News Tonight and in Time Magazine. I was in awe of God’s move with these, but the one that really made me excited was when a producer from Ellen, as in Ellen DeGeneres, called. Though I don’t watch her show often, I LOVE Ellen.

After talking with us three times the producers decided not to go forward with having us on the show. (Maybe there was too much Jesus talk in the interviews. That would be my fault.) While we awaited their final decision I was excited about the possibility of going to meet Ellen, an incredibly generous, kind and hilarious woman, and to share with her the love of Jesus. Some of my friends thought we would turn down the invitation to appear on Ellen because she is a lesbian. Ellen’s character traits and her being a lesbian were the reasons I wanted to meet her. I may not be going on Ellen, but I think a kid-friendly version of what I planned to say is what we could use to help our children respond to the national and calculated move to normalize homosexuality. Read the rest here.

My One Thousand Gifts List

#721-730
The boys showered and in bed before 9:30
A warm shower with lavender soap and vanilla body wash
Clean pillowcases
The boys being dressed and fed before 11 a.m.
A call from Sharon for her and her kids to hang out with me and my boys
Taking the kids to the library
Boys on bean bags
Justus on the computer
Finishing my blog post a day early
The edited cooking video

Friday Feature: Roundup Eighteen

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Kale Chips

Today’s Friday Feature Roundup links come from Keeper of the Home, a blog that I have been enjoying quite a bit lately, and NaturalNews, one of my favorites. The following links complement well this month’s features on a kale salad, easy guacamole, and a pH balanced body:

How to Make Delicious Kale Chips by Rachel at Keeper of the Home

Applecado Smoothie by Rachel at Keeper of the Home

Mastering the pH Balancing Act Can Improve Your Health Significantly By Dr. Leigh Ann Connealy at NaturalNews.com

Legitimate Rape?

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Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy


What Do You Think? Wednesday
As a strong black woman I have had my own notions on what I believe should be: I believed that I would never get an abortion but others should have a right to one in all circumstances and that people should be able to express their sexual love to whomever they want. As I studied the Bible more my convictions changed. Now, as a recovering strong black woman, I no longer believe women should be able to have an abortion in all circumstances or that people should be able to express their sexual love to whomever they want. You can read in detail my views on abortion and homosexual here and here. Though my views are considered conservative, what I like to believe is that they have not been developed 1) based on my emotions or 2) to promote a political agenda by any means necessary. These two reasons—emotions and political agendas—seem to be the impetus behind liberals who seek to change the historical definition of marriage to include homosexual unions and conservatives, specifically Rep. Todd Akin and Republican vice presidential nominee, Rep. Paul Ryan, attempting to redefine rape.

When asked about his views on abortion in an interview Sunday on a local television interview, Akin, the Missouri congressman, said, “First of all, from what I understand from doctors, (pregnancy from rape) is really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” What? He has since said that his remarks were “off the cuff” and that he “misspoke.” His latter statements are hard for me to believe when he and Ryan co-sponsored a bill in Congress to redefine rape as “forcible rape” when it relates to abortion. This was done to limit federal funding for abortions for rape victims. What? Ryan, the congressman from Wisconsin, has since said in an interview on a local CBS affiliate that “(r)ape is rape. Rape is rape, period. End of story.” His new view is hard for me to believe when he still says “I’m proud of my pro-life record, and I stand by my pro-life record in Congress,” which includes his ‘forcible rape’ legislation.

Rape, by definition, is forced and illegitimate. The developed phrases ‘forcible rape’ and ‘legitimate rape’ are by no means misspoken language. You misspeak when you say something “in a way that is inappropriate, inaccurate, or unclear” (Encarta Dictionary, emphasis mine). The term forcible rape suggests brutal rape, which suggests the term rape by itself is not brutal, and the term legitimate rape suggests some rape is appropriate or the violation has the right characteristics to be classified by using the word rape. There is no appropriate, accurate or clear way to express the ideas behind forcible rape and legitimate rape. These redefinitions of rape are intentional, malevolent and shameful. Yes, I am disgusted but certainly should not be surprised.

Humankind as an entity more concerned with its own agenda than God’s agenda will always espouse some view just as horrible as what Akin and Ryan have. Akin and Ryan’s language make clear that we need a nonpartisan, non-human agent, to arbitrate for us so we stay consistent in calling good ‘good’ and evil ‘evil.’ God, the only perfect and all-wise being, defines for us what is good and evil. When we have a relationship with Jesus Christ, one where we seek to please Him and not our strong black woman or any other human notions, we will work to steer clear from redefining what is clearly wrong and leave language up to the Ultimate Linguist.

You’ve read what I think. Please, tell me what you think about what Rep. Todd Akin and Rep. and Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Paul Ryan have said.