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I am Sandra - faithful steward. listener. shepherd. dream believer. hard worker. collects brass bells, boots. Jesus follower. contented. star gazer. homemaker. farmer. prayer warrior. country woman. reader. traveler. writer. homebody. living life large.

Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Tidbit Tuesday - Drink Up, Creamsicle Recipe

 ~ beverage of choice ~
So, how much water do you drink? Do you know your body weight in water? Are you drinking sixty-four ounces of water each and every day? Or, to make it easier, take your body weight, divide in half and that's how many ounces of water you should drink. Hmmm...for me, it makes sixty-four ounces way more likely to happen; after all, I'm built for comfort, not for speed -grin-.

Most of us aren't drinking enough water and, if we wait until we're thirsty to drink water, we're already dehydrated. Recently, at the hospital, I heard, "well, drinking coffee, soda, milk, etc. counts as drinking water." Now, I've never pretended to have M.D. or R.N. after my name but I do know water is water and if it's not water, it ain't. Water doesn't have a diuretic effect while most everything else is a diuretic and it takes eight ounces of water to break down one ounce of alcohol. Our bodies are approximately seventy percent water and in order to operate efficiently, our bodies need water. About one hundred pounds of water is in the average one hundred eighty pound adult; the brain is seventy-six percent and lungs are eighty-six percent water. Water is to our body as oil to a vehicle. 

Those commercials on television make me laugh...are you going to the bathroom too frequently? If so, take our little pill. Hello Nimrod! If we're drinking sixty-four ounces of water a day, we're going to go to the bathroom! It's Gods way of flushing toxins, preventing constipation, dizziness, headaches and a slew of other good things for the body. If we're exercising properly, we're going to be ridding ourselves of both excess fluid and toxins. BTW, prior to exercising, please drink about two cups of water two hours prior to beginning any exercise routine. 
 
When we drink twelve ounces of water, we absorb about eight ounces. When we drink a regular soft drink, non-diet, our body absorbs about one ounce of water. Our farm well is about six hundred feet deep and, we think, we might have hit an artisan aquifer. Our water is crystal clear and, because it runs through limestone, is sweet and, I truly do believe, when I drink a glass, I can feel it sourcing throughout my body, rejuvinating me and giving me the sweet kiss of life. Fanciful? Maybe, maybe not and, even so, I always let the water run for a minute before drinking first glass in the morning. No sense in drinking pipe water when I want to drink pure water and that pipe water is saved to pour on my flowers and herbs. I prefer cold water and while it does quench my thirst faster, my body utilizes room temperature water more easily.

Generally, there's a case of bottled water in my car and, while it seems paradoxical, when I'm driving I drink a lot of water. My spring water of choice is, widely available, Deer Park from Maryland. I like 3300 Artesian Springs from next door neighbor Bland County but it's more difficult to find and I couldn't find a website for them either. If you'll check your bottled water, there's a good chance it's recycled tap water but packaged more "sexily"; frankly, I'm more interested in good water than packaging. In the summer, I drink sweet ice tea that I make from tea leaves and a simple syrup but it's not as good for me as pure water. I'm a good Southern gal and drinking sweet tea is my dirty little secret but beats drugs or alcohol, eh? -smile-

For a special any occasion or when children visit, sometimes I'll fix a Creamsicle Punch. Remember those orange Creamsicles? Oh lawz, were/are they ever good!

Creamsicle Punch

8 cups cold orange juice
2 cups milk
6 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons freshly and finely grated orange peel
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 quarts orange sherbet
3 cups club soda

Blend the first six ingredients and refrigerate a day or two to let flavors blend. 
When you're ready to serve, put the sherbet in a large bowl and set aside.
Pour the club soda into the refrigerated mixture, stir until well blended.
Pour this mixture over the sherbet and serve immediately as the carbonation won't last long.

A lot of these tips came from "The Wizard of Food", Dr. Myles H. Bader's 5,001 Mysteries of Liquids and Cooking Secrets while other tips came from some arcane place in my brain, picked up over the decades. All this to say, drink more water; it does a body good!

True confessions and an update: God willing, we're going home Saturday. This week finds me taking Dave to his last doctor appointments, making new appointments with doctors at home, making sure he has his medical needs met to tide him over from Richmond to the farm, etc. Words fail me at saying thank you for your prayers, your kind notes and comments, your good wishes, thoughts, etc. If I appear strong, I assure you, I am not strong but God is strong and He has brought us this far and will be with us as we continue the journey. I don't feel strong; indeed, I feel like a faker who, at times, has lost my temper and been rude to someone who didn't deserve my rudeness, pushed hard for someone to do their job, said an unkind word or thought dark thoughts. Some folks have sent e-mails saying, in effect, 'you don't have it so bad, here's my story' and, you know, they are right, I don't have it so bad but, I'm sorry to say, that's cold comfort. This has been hard and, unless God intervenes, in time will probably get a lot harder for Dave and I. Even so, we trust God; the alternative is too horrible to contemplate.

Blessings ~ water ~ your prayers, kind notes, good wishes and thoughts ~

Soli Deo Gloria,
Sandra

24 comments:

  1. All kinds of yippyskippy on you all coming home!!!! So happy for you.And YOU ARE NOT a BAD person for having human feelings. And it doesn't matter what someone else's situation is. Better or worse. This is YOUR situation and it has been a rotten one. So you can complain and vent and have those natural feelings of frustration. And phooey on anyone who says otherwise. Cause you know your heart and you know that you have asked God to help you through this. And He is. And will continue. And He understands are human feelings. He isnt gonna bop you upside the head and leave you scrambling. He is gonna say, so do you feel better now? Let's continue on our journey. Hand in hand. (Can you tell this is a soap box of mine?) Sending you happy hugs and prayers for a safe trip home to your own bed!

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  2. So glad to hear you and Dave are coming home...I know it will do you good. Blessings to you and as always you remain in my prayers.
    PS That recipe sounds delish!

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  3. So glad your going home!!!...

    and I am constantly trying to get myself to drink more water... it just doesn't come easy :-) Thanks for the reminder.

    My husband would love that creamsicle punch... might give it a try.

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  4. your recipe sounds like spring to me! and i can't wait for spring to get here. my prayers are that you and dave get to go home on saturday. i believe home helps heal. travel safely my friend! many of us are supporting in thoughts and prayers as you travel this road that only you and dave are traveling. we all have our own roads to travel. mine happens to be smooth today, but we never know about tomorrows journey. God bless you both.

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  5. I like your site. Thanks! Here is a true story in return.

    WARM HEARTED HAND
    The cattle truck showed up an hour late but at least it did finally arrive. We grabbed a long strong rope, some feed and a four-wheel drive Ford Tractor that had a bucket loader on the front of it.. The man in the truck followed us over to the other barn which was across the road from the main barnyard.

    The bull that we were after was almost as big as the tractor but he was white with some light brown spots and the tractor was blue. Many men have been mauled and even killed while trying to remove a bull from a pasture but this bull was good natured and like all cattle, loves feed.

    Coaxing cattle with feed is an old trick and more often than not it serves the purpose perfectly. I've seen whole herds of heifers chase a quad down the road when a man sat on the back with a five gallon bucket of feed for them follow.

    But, we weren't driving cattle this time, so we tried to lasso the bull and separate him from the heifers. The man who brought the truck was following the bull around a feed trough that was out in the middle of the pasture while trying to toss the looped end of the rope over the big bulls massive head. The first attempt failed because the rope only grabbed one-half of the bulls head so we had to wait for the beast to shake it off before we could try again.

    The idea was to lasso the bull but to let the rope go once we did. Once the rope was finally around the bulls neck, the plan was to recapture the loose end of the tether and tie it to back end of the tractor while the bull was being preoccupied with the feed. It would have worked if the rope had fell just right on the first try but since it didn't the bull was spooked and wouldn't come close enough for us to try it again.

    One has to be calm and quiet around cattle because they can spook easy. Seeing that we had no chance of capturing the bull under the circumstances we decided to relocate the feed trough and get a longer rope. We moved the trough from the pasture up to the lower level of the old barn and started shaking the feed bucket again. The cattle answered the dinner call and as fortune would have it the bull went into the barn behind a heifer whereupon we closed the two in by shutting a metal gate.

    Once inside the barn, the bull was preoccupied with eating feed so we were able to lasso him correctly this time. The bull was tied close to the back end of the tractor and then led to the cattle truck which was parked down by the road. I held the tether tight while another fellow operated the tractor. I rode on the tractor by standing on a running board and secured the animal by wrapping the rope around a solid bar that was attached to the tractor.

    The bull came quietly but at one point it seemed like the bulls massive head was going to get jammed in between the back tire and the tractor's frame so we halted and readjusted the rope. The ramp up into the cattle truck was already down and the side gates had been attached so we pulled the bull up to the ramp, loosed the rope and prodded the bull up into the truck.

    Well that was one down and another to go. The second bull was back in the main barnyard. So we repeated the process again, over there. The second bull was younger but he seemed to be more dangerous which is unusual because generally it's the other way around.

    I was the youngest of our crew of four. George was the oldest at 88 years old, his brother Bob is 84 and John is about 70 years old. I am 55. Bob has breathing problems and he can't walk around to good so he operates the tractor. Bob has poor circulation also. I took my glove off and held his frozen left hand in mine for a moment so that it would warm back up. I overlooked the snot that had been wiped off onto the wrist and grabbed it anyway.

    We all know how cold noses can run in the winter time. It was zero today.

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  6. Oh I loved your post today your blog is so awesome not only do I get encourged and lifted up I learn something each time I visit thank you so much. I need to drink more water, I am hooked on Mountain Dew one of the worst. Thank you for all the much needed information. Praying for you and Dave. The Lord saw you yesterday and, He saw you both today, and He will see you both tomorrow, and He will see you through this. He will lift you up and continue to help you, and guide you both and give to you what is needed. Believeing for you and Dave. Many blessings.

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  7. Since the first day I discovered your blog, I've been enlightened and inspired by a very wise and kind person. Today is no different. Bless you and Dave.. God will hold you both in the palm of His hand. Sending Hugs & Prayers! -Tammy

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  8. Praying with you, Sandra, for a smooth transition home on Saturday, with no complications and a wonderful nights rest in your own bed.

    I don't understand people who write those kinds of e.mails. Do they think that it makes you feel better. Pain is relative and can not be compared.

    On the water front . . . I need to drink more water.

    Fondly,
    Glenda

    P.S. I am at the ocean today, and was thinking, I wish you could be here, for even just an hour and drink in the beauty.

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  9. According to your calculations on your body's requirement for water we weigh about the same!I must confess coffee and tea make up a great part of my liquid replenishment, but I have found nothing, not even my beloved coffee, starts my day off better than a glass or two of our well water.

    No one really knows what each and every one of us go through, and hard and trying times , though experienced by each and every one of us at different times and in different ways, are still unique to us individually.Dave is undergoing the challenge of his life FOR his life, and you love him dearly , so YOU are also going through these difficult and painful times.My prayers for you both, and also , I am excited you will be going home soon. There can be much healing there for him especially ~ the comfort of home has a lot to do with the healing process,uplifting his spirit, and along with the tending of a faithful wife and the prayers of the righteous, well, miracles can and do happen!

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  10. I agree with Kathy~ sometimes my tea is my main liquid for the day, but I am trying to drink more water too these days, especially in the morning and the evening.

    I understand what you mean about cold comfort~ sometimes people with good intentions will want to "compare stories" so to speak, but I've found out every one's experience is different, no matter if circumstances seem the same. Every one loves differently, grieves differently, handles stress differently, and heals differently.
    Hang in there, Sandra~ and just know you and Dave have so many prayers going up continually for you.

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  11. HURRAY for all the fellow water pushers!!!! Thank GOD for water and the ability to have clean water to drink. I love your blog and will be following to see how good our Lord works in your behalf. Blessings, Laurie

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  12. I am so happy that you two are about to come home. Home is such a sweet word. Both of you have been in my prayers daily and will continue there. I know what you mean about water. We too have ice cold well water and I wouldn't change it for the world. It is so refreshing and taste so good on a hot summer day. Much Love and Prayers.

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  13. I try to drink at least 2 glasses of water per day. Some days I do better than others..

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  14. I'm glad you two are getting ready to go home! I'm still continuing to pray for you both and think that you are an incredibly brave, strong and positive person. I loved creamsicles!

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  15. I am so happy that you get to go home on Saturday!!! You made my day. I can't wait for you to get back to your farm and to the animals and to the mountains. " I will lift mine eyes unto the hills. From whence comes my help? My help comes from God the maker of heaven and earth." When I have gone through some very hard things that always comforted me to be able to lift my eyes to the hills. I am so glad you will be once more at home.
    I will be praying for your safety as you journey back home. Blessings to you my friend and I love your post on water.

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  16. I am so glad to hear that you both will be home soon. The animals will be delighted as well. Our prayers are with all of you.

    Thank you for the reminder to drink more water (I tend to drink mostly tea). That recipe sounds like it will be yummy!

    Jules

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  17. We all have a story. Some are ours. Some we are a part of. But, each one is unique and no one gets to *trump* anothers pain, grief, sadness...etc.
    Let this be some warm comfort~
    You are each covered in prayer, by a God who is so unique, He hears *little ol me* when I talk to him about you!
    The farm is waiting and so are all the critters! With bells on :)
    You will both breathe in the mountain air, and watch the animals at play, and begin to heal in the place you call home!
    I cannot wait for you to get to Thistle Cove Farm!
    xo, misha

    p.s. in case you didn't know~ You are Loved!

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  18. This sound refreshing and good! We eat a lot of fruit here in Florida and this would be a fun drink to make. I'm keep you and Dave in my prayers! ♥

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  19. first, i pray you really do get to go home,
    and i continue to lift dave up each night.

    second, thank you for all the hydration
    tips. we're in the mountains, and i'm
    thirsty ALL the time, which, of course,
    means i'm already dehydrated.

    going for a glass of water right now!

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  20. Just found your blog. i remember those orange cream bars. Well you have me drinking water now. Thanks. your farm is wonderful.

    come visit me

    yvonne

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  21. Hands & heart raised in gratitude you both will be going home, Sandra. May God hold you both His loving arms ... prayers continue. You both will be lifted in Mass tomorrow again.

    You have had a heavy load, sweet friend ... I have not always been the most pleasant person in our medical issues moments that have arisen. I know/hope they understand & will not take offense at our off moments when we are stretched beyond our limits for the moment.

    Oh, you betcha! I loved creamsicles ... still do. TY for sharing the recipe, the kid-lings will love it.

    God bless you both. Have a lovely Valentine's & safe trip home.

    Hugs of love, lots of prayers ~
    Marydon

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  22. So hope you were able to make the trip home! God bless you both. ((hugs))

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  23. Ditto on what Angela said!
    You and Dave are loved and we are holding you both up in prayer!!

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  24. Hello Sandra!
    I don't know how you found me either but I am so glad you did! I'm loving your blog. This is the beauty of blog land. I now know a shepherd! I'm going to go now because I want to read more of your blog.
    Thank you for checking in on weirdbirdstudio, stop by again soon!
    xoxo
    karen

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