Obtaining Mercy

A Profitable Week

Wednesday night, I came home from church, and my hubby had these yummy roasted potatoes ready.

They were so delicious!  There was, however, just one catch:  he included crushed red pepper flakes in his seasonings.  They were so hot I could barely eat them!!!

So, we are planning to do them again, minus the atomic seasonings.

We picked our first cucumbers today!  So exciting! 

The long one is a Straight Eight and the short one is a pickling cucumber.  We also picked our first jalapeno pepper this week, and used it to make some delicious Mexican rice and refried beans.  Oh so yummy!!!

My gardenia is out-doing herself this year. 

This is her 5th blossom, I think, and she has 2 others as well.  She has never bloomed very much, so I am enjoying these gorgeous blooms so much.

Our tax return was finally approved and deposited.  It only took over 60 days!  Three times as long as they say it will take.  I'm thinking it was some glitch in the e-filing; but at least it was corrected eventually.

My sweet mother-in-law sent me a box of books this week. 

Does she know my language of love, or what?!  The exciting thing is that I can share them with my friends, too.  So fun.

Our church is doing something special for Father's Day this year.  They put up several bulletin boards in the back of the church, and everybody is bringing in pictures of their dads to put up.  It's been so fun to see the really old pictures of our church members, and the way they resemble their dads (or not!).

So, of course, we had to get a picture of Isaac's Daddy for the display.  We shot this on Wednesday afternoon, and were able to get it printed off and posted in the auditorium.  I really love it!

Well, it's been a good week.  I was able to order some supplements I needed today, thanks to that tax return.  I will also be able to buy some new bedsheets, which we are in desperate need of.  I'll let you know what kind of deal I find on those!

Praying you have a profitable weekend (by spending time in the Lord's House!),

Alesha

 

Busy Weekend

We are already reaping a few benefits of our new diet.  One of them is a small increase in energy.  Saturday morning, Doug and I spent 6 1/2 hours cleaning out our front porch.  We were brutal with our sorting.  If we didn't love it or use it, we pitched it out or gave it away.

The first load of giveaways was picked up by two older gentlemen in a pickup truck.  They took everything we sat out by the road!  They were comical, and reminded me of the guys on those tv shows that hoard everything for years, then one day make it big. :)

The second load of giveaways rode with us to church on Sunday, and we shared them with friends who could use them.  Most of that load was boy's clothes.  Isaac has always been so blessed with nice clothes from family and friends.  I'm so glad to see a few of the things passed along to others. 

My renewed energy also got me through Sunday and Monday, which were both filled with unusual demands.  I sang twice on Sunday, which requires an *amazing* amount of energy.  Praise the Lord, both songs were a blessing to others.

Monday, we said goodbye to a member of our extended family.  We attended her funeral services, then prepared food and attended a family meal in her honor.  It was a good time of fellowship and remembering; and the most thrilling thing is that we know we will see Mrs. Marge again in Heaven one day.  Just a little while back, at the age of 91, she accepted Jesus as her personal Saviour.  It was an amazing answer to prayer and such a joy to see the peace of the Lord come over her personality and countenance when she came to know the Prince of Peace.

Today has been a quiet day, just the 3 of us at home, chilling out after our very busy weekend.  I'm so thankful for the quiet days, too.

We were blessed by someone purchasing a few supplements for us today.  I like to use Arnica as a natural pain reliever, rather than Tylenol, Advil or Aleve.  It does a good job to relieve pain and it has no side effects.  So it will be nice to have a bottle of that in the house again. ;)

By the way, we are still eating well.  We still have a little gas in the car.  We are doing well and have need of nothing.

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. ~Philippians 4:19

Enjoying the blessings,

Alesha

 

Give to Get

So...somebody dropped off a box of food at our house.

I know! We were surprised, humbled and grateful.

It had 18 different things in it - from frozen chicken breasts to blueberry muffin mix.

Our God is just amazing, isn't He?!!

 

Then, we were faced with a quandry.  We are committed to sticking to our new diet plan this summer.  Several things in the box were things that are not on our list of things we can eat.  Should we eat them anyway?  After all, the Lord pretty much did the grocery shopping for us on this one!

We thought for just a bit, pulled out the things we could eat (several packages of frozen veggies!), and then sent the rest of the box on to someone else who needed it.

So we were blessed.  And then we got to bless someone else!!!

It is hard to beat the feelings of gratitude that well up in our hearts at times like this.

 

Interestingly enough, I had planned to blog about giving today.  You see, one of the ways that we are saving and stretching our money is to give some of it away.  I know it sounds crazy, but it is an amazing principle that works on so many levels.

Even the world is learning how this Scriptural principle works.  The wealthiest people in our country are often spotlighted for their charitable giving.  They have stumbled onto the truth that when we give, we are blessed.

So each week that Doug works, we will be giving a portion of our income to the charity of our choice, our local church.  We will also be giving a small weekly gift to the missions project in our church.  Then monthly, we give a very small gift to support our favorite Christian radio station, Gospel 90.3, which is also a ministry of our church.

And...just in case you are wondering, we do not give to our church because our pastors harp about needing money week after week.  They don't.  We give to our local church for two reasons:

• We know how our money is being used because we are right here.  We see the ministry.
• We are practicing a Biblical principle that will bless our home and family far beyond the dollars that leave our bank account.

"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." ~Luke 6:38

 

Giving some of the blessings away,

Alesha

 

It's the Little Things...

...that remind us to be thankful!

It's Going Swimmingly

With the tropical disturbance in the Gulf, we are getting a LOT of rain every day.  It feels like we need to "swim" about the yard to check on the garden and out to the mailbox and across town with the rivers of water rolling down the street.

Speaking of the mailbox, yesterday I was tickled to find the first of two books that I ordered last week.  I'm sure you're wondering why in the world I am ordering books when Doug is out of work.  So, I will tell you! ;)

I order all of Isaac's diapers and wipes from Overstock.  Each year, I renew my membership in their "Club O".  For me, it is an excellent deal.  Let me explain. 

The first year, I was automatically enrolled in Club O for free.  That was great.  I earned a certain percentage of O Rewards, which you can spend on their site.  The second year, I hesitated to pay the full amount of the enrollment; but then they offered it for $10 off.  Now THAT was a deal!  I've since discovered that they offer the $10 off every year.  I just wait until then to renew.

In 3 years time, I have received over $300 worth of merchandise with those O Rewards!  And guess what I paid for my Club O renewal last year!  $9.95!!!  Over $100 of merchandise a year for $9.95.

Now I realize that not everyone buys $150 of diapers and wipes every month like we do, and so for you, this might not be worth the money.  For us, though, it works great.

• Last week, I realized I had over $15 in rewards waiting, so I ordered 2 books that I'd been wanting to read.  For them both, including shipping, I paid $1.68.
• Today, I found a 10% off coupon for a food order that I was making online.  It saved me almost $5 AND I got free shipping!!!
• I did quite a bit of surfing on the internet this morning, looking for raw cashews.  I finally found them here in Florida for just over $6 a pound.  We got the large pieces, and that saved quite a bit of money.  I will use these cashews to make sweet dishes on the Hallelujah Diet, and so I don't mind one bit if the nuts are whole or not.
• We picked 5 small tomatoes from our garden today - 3 red and 2 yellow pears...yummy!

Well, Isaac didn't sleep last night.  That's the 2nd time this week that he has done that.  We are trying to track down the culprit causing his insomnia.  We are suspecting that it might be a tummy issue.  Anyway, I am thinking very seriously about taking a nap, so I am going to end this for today.

Looking forward to tomorrow's surprises,

Alesha

The Glorious Unknown

Week #2 started off with my trying out a new way to bake potatoes - in my crockpot!!!  It worked beautifully and they were yummy. 

I have also been able to try out a few new recipes that we really liked. 

• More "liked" food means less wasted food and fewer science experiments in the back of the frig!

We really liked this Fresh Corn Salsa!  And the Tahini-Lemon Sauce is what makes this dish so yummy.  If your sauce gets really thick, just add water to thin it.  I'll be using this sauce on my veggie wraps, too...it is SO fabulous!!!

• Today I found a 40% off coupon for some supplies I needed to buy at Michael's.
• I also found a $5 off promo code when I ordered the bits and pieces I will need for a jewelry project.

With the money I saved, I was able to purchase bird food for the summer and Vitamin B supplements which we were out of.

• I put some of my mystery books up for sale on a local "yard sale" group on Facebook.  I made $35 today from their sell.  That money filled up our gas tank to the very tippy-top.
• We found out that Doug will be getting a tutoring job for the summer.  We are grateful, but it will pay less than half his usual salary, so all these little bits of savings are really going to help.
• There was a check in our mailbox...for $300.  The rest of our bills due by the 20th will be paid.

...and the world thinks Christians lead dull lives!!!!!!!

There is absolutely no greater adventure than living a life of faith in the Lord Jesus!

Wondering what tomorrow holds,

Alesha

A Summer of Diligence

Hello.

I know it's been a while, but I'm going to just jump right in.

We are all doing well.  Isaac is growing and happy and we've had to start shaving his manly whiskers once a week now!

Doug and I are doing well too.

Last Monday marked Doug's first day of unemployment for the summer.  While he is actively seeking a job, nothing has opened up yet; and while all our bills are current, we have been unable to save toward the summer.  It is going to be a real journey of faith, and I thought perhaps you would be interested in reading about that here.

I am going to try to blog daily, and just let you know what the Lord is doing, and how He is helping us save money, make money stretch and in-a-nutshell, survive 12 weeks without income.

It is important, too, for me to let you know that Doug has been accepted into a research program for the Hallelujah Diet, and we will be eating according to that program for the next 5 months.

So, let's get started!

Week #1 -

• We scaled back the  minutes on our cell phone plan and that will save us $20 a month.  Also, Doug switched to one of our old cell phones - a non-smart one - and that will save us $30 a month.
• We changed our internet plan from the medium-speed to the slowest speed and that is going to save us around $17 a month
• We found a grocery store closer to home that carries the foods that we usually have to go to Whole Foods to buy.  We saved on gas and some products were actually cheaper there.
• I had a jewelry order come in, with the monies going directly to Paypal, and the purchaser actually paid a bit over to cover the fee amount that Paypal charges for money transfers.

We were also given some new stuffed monkeys for Isaac - which he loved!  He pulled them out of the bag and started playing with them right away! :)

So, week one was a rousing success.  We aren't going hungry and all the bills are currently up to date.

My theme verse for our new "diet" and for this summer is Proverbs 13:4 - "The soul of the sluggard desireth and hath nothing:  but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat."

Seeking the diligent way,

Alesha

 

Tea Perfection

 

Doug and I have been really enjoying drinking hot tea this winter.

(Not that it feels like winter all the time here - it's in the 80*s today - but we're drinking the tea hot, nevertheless!)

So, I wanted to show you this most excellent Christmas gift I received from Isaac's caregiver. 

Here are the reasons that it is my favorite mug ever:

1.  No pretty flowers.  No sentimental words.  Just shiny black with a normal-hand-sized handle.

2.  It's one bit a decor - this fancy little swirl on top of the awesome LID!

3.  The lid flips over to become a saucer...

4. To hold the perfectly-matching basket when it's removed from the mug!

5.  No messy tea bag or leaves dripping, no cold tea after the steeping is done. 

Perfect tea every time in my perfect tea mug!

You know...maybe I should order a spare...yeah...I'm gonna look into that right away!  Just in case...

And, who knows, Doug might like having a "perfect" mug, too!

;o)

Alesha

Winnie the Pooh and Paddington Bear

Doug, Isaac and I traveled to O-town on Saturday to visit with my interwebby friend Tia and her girls.  (You can click on her name to visit her blog.)

Saturday was our first real taste of fall here in central Florida.  The temperatures were mild (in the mid-70s) and it was overcast and very windy.  With the exception of hurricanes, we do not have many blustery days, and that makes them so much more enjoyable to us!  And, of course, makes us think of Winnie the Pooh and his blustery day!

Tia, Mog, the Little Princess and Mary met us in the lobby of their hotel...all of us smiling and hugging and shaking hands in greeting.  The Little Princess was in her very impressive Land Rover chair and helped us keep up a good pace when we headed down the hotel corridors.  Really, it was an amazing little electric wheelchair that she has for traveling.  God bless the mind that created such a cool, little chair for the adorable little people who need them.

Mog was in rare form, telling us about her upcoming shopping trip via her Talking Book.  It is an amazing notebook that Tia has put together, with what I can only think to call "Question Trees." 

Tia went through 3 or 4 main questions, and Mog immediately let us know when we had hit upon the one she had an answer to.  Tia kept asking "yes" and "no" questions, until we had sifted out the ones Mog was not interested in.  Finally we hit "pay dirt", so to speak, when we asked if she had chosen a name for her new sock monkey!

She had chosen a name!

A few more questions were asked, and to MY utter delight, she wanted to name her little monkey "Alesha".  I'll tell you - I was quite honored. :) :) :)

Our sweet friends brought us some sweet gifts.  This lovely orange marmalade is from the Women's Institute:

I asked if I should bake some scones to have with my marmalade, and was told no, but to eat it on toast, like Paddington Bear. :)

They also brought along some lovely teas for us:  Yorkshire Gold (a black tea) and Clipper (a loose leaf green tea).

All very English gifts, weren't they?  We were so tickled to receive them.  My religiously-soda-drinking husband has had tea TWO mornings in a row, and has already looked to see if the Yorkshire Gold is available in the states.  I am amazed, Tia!!!  I never would have guessed how much he would like this tea! :)

Honestly, though, much more special than any gifts they could have brought, was the sweet time of fellowship and visiting.  We stay for over 2 hours, and really, would have been happy to stay longer, but little ones needed medications and changes of position and tea and so forth; and so we made our way home with happy, full hearts.

The best part?  Hearing voices pronounce names we had only read in print, hugging friends we had never seen, seeing smiles next to us that previously only beamed at us from our computer screen, and communicating with little ones who have become so special to us over the years.

While I hope that this meeting was not a once-in-a-lifetime gathering, in all truth, it just might have been.  I am so grateful for the time we spent together with Tia and the girls. 

Our lives are far richer because of your friendships!

Blessings,

Alesha

 

Catching Up

So what have we been doing for the past 2 weeks?

We've been working on bulletin boards, of course!  What else would a teacher be doing during the final few days of summer??? ;)

Doug had some big plans for his new room, and we worked hard to pull all the pieces together for that (quite literally!).  He has 2 boards 8x4, and one 4x4...so you can see that we had a lot of space to fill.

Here's the small board:

(Math: The only place a kid buys 60 watermelons and nobody asks "Why?")

And the larger ones:

(John Wooden's Pyramid of Success.  Doug will add the "blocks" to the pyramid throughout the year, along with the corresponding "Building materials" explanation to the right.)

(Heaven's GPS.  This was a great idea that Doug had to make the Plan of Salvation a setting on the GPS.  You can see his "map" and his many instructions, along with detours and road blocks.  We are praying that his students come to understand the concept and come to know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, if they don't already know Him when the school year starts.)

 

Isaac and I are settling back into our routine with Julie, Ike's caregiver.  I am hoping to add some new activities to my schedule this year...just what that will be, remains to be seen.  I would love to start voice lessons, as well as volunteer somewhere each week.  I'd also like to settle on whether I want to write a book or not.  I love to write, but do I really have a book "in me"???  I just don't know yet.

 

I have a HUGE coupon that is active in my Etsy shop right now.  Use   25OFF   to receive 25% off any purchase from Alesha Kay Jewelry.   I added a few new things to the shop just today. 

 

My aunt Helen, my mom's sister, passed away early this week.  We will be attending her funeral tomorrow.  Yesterday would have been her birthday, had she lived; but my mom was happy to think about her spending her birthday in Heaven with the Lord.  I am so thankful that she is at home with Him now, healthy and happy and whole.

 

God has been so good to us throughout this summer.  It has been very difficult financially, but He has met our every need.  It has been a summer of spiritual growth and I am thankful for that...even though it was quite painful at times.  I'd rather walk through the hard times WITH the Lord, than to have no troubles, but not know Him. 

What do people do when they don't know Jesus?  It's a sad thing indeed, when you think about it, isn't it?  That's why it's so important that we live our lives to show them how different it can be to know a Saviour like our Lord Jesus Christ!  Our walk should show them what our talk tells them.

 

Philippians 2:15-16a "That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
 Holding forth the word of life..."

 

Blessings to you and yours as you shine as lights for the Lord!

Alesha