Obtaining Mercy

Chicken, Corn and Canteloupe

We had a good weekend, even though I was stuck at home with back pain.  Doug and Ike both made it to church and enjoyed their day together.  We splurged on our diet, because it was Father's Day.  Doug wanted fried chicken, so that is what we had. ;)

I had been shopping for bedsheets, and I mentioned on FB how confusing that whole process could be.  I did try to glean as much advice as I could before doing some online shopping.  However, something even better came along.  My friend was out shopping, came across sheets on clearance, and snapped up a set for me (regularly priced at $170!!!) for under $50!  I told her she was hired as my new personal assistant for sure!

I ended up with Martha Stewart sheets.  They are Egyptian cotton, and a 500 threadcount.  So far we are loving them.  They remind me of sleeping at my grandma's house.  Her sheets were also so crisp and smelled so wonderful! :)  Good memories.

Today I posted some books and jewelry on online yard sale groups on FB.  We'll see what comes of that, if anything.  Tomorrow, we are going to meet a lady that listed a skirt and sweater set for $10 in my sizes.  I hope it all fits, but if it doesn't, it will be good motivation to not have many "splurge" days, won't it?

My dad blessed us with some produce on Saturday.  He and Mama halved a bushel of corn with us and gave us a canteloupe too.  It was honestly one of the best-tasting cantaloupes I have ever had in my life!  Sugar-sweet. 

I tried to recreate my Mexican rice and refried beans recipe yesterday, so that I could take pictures and share it with you.  It was an EPIC FAIL. :(  The rice wouldn't cook, the beans were still crunchy, everything kept sticking.  Ugh!   So disappointing!  BUT, I do intend to try it again.  I will not let it conquer me.

I guess that's all that's happened since I blogged last.  These are turning into weekly posts, rather than daily; but I suppose that's ok.  No publishing companies beating down the door yet, anyway! Tee hee hee.

Until the next time,

Alesha

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

 

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

 

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

Lessons from the Storm

(Here in Florida we are enjoying the absence of Tropical Storm Debby today.  She dumped massive amounts of rain on us, and sent through some big, gusty winds for several days.  I wondered how our little garden would survive.  You can see my last update here.  After inspecting my plants today, I have come to three conclusions that are quite powerful, I think.)

 

1.)  The storm can destroy you.

 

(Our lovely cucumber that had been producing so well, stripped and broken by the high winds.)

 

2.)  The storm can cause you to grow.

 

(Our yellow pear tomato had dropped all of its tiny green tomatoes just before the storm came.  We just knew it was completely dead, and we had no idea what had killed it.  It is now literally drooping with the weight of dozens of new tomatoes that appeared during the storm.)

 

3.) Even if you've never produced anything, the storm can teach you to try something new.

 

(Our yellow heirloom tomato plant had experienced wonderful growth and dozens of blossoms, but had never produced one fruit.  Here, the day after the storm was over, is our first tomato, growing beautifully, all by itself.)

 

Are you in a storm?

Do you feel your storm is destroying you? 

I ecourage you to wrap your drooping tendrils more tightly around the strong Support that is anchored in the Word.  Drink in the waters of sorrow and allow them to feed and nourish your soul.  Brace your branches in the Lord as the winds of turmoil bend you almost to breaking, and allow God's storm to sink your roots even deeper into Him.

Then watch in amazement as HE produces fruit from the very life that you thought must certainly be dead.

There are so many lessons we can learn from God's nature. 

Let's be encouraged by the miracles that we see there...knowing that the very same God can work those miracles in our lives too!

A Garden Photo Update

 

I've been listening to an audio version of The Secret Garden; and every time I go outside to check on my plants, I hear the following refrain (by the mean children who teased little Mary):

"Mary, Mary, quite contrary,

How does your garden grow?

With silver bells and cockle shells

And marigolds all in a row"

I love the way good literature seeps into your psyche, and colors your thoughts with lovely rhymes and prose and wonderful little quotes to fit some of life's more interesting moments!

So, in case you've been wondering how my garden is growning, I thought I'd let you see!!!

We moved all the plants out of doors, and that is working really well for us.  Doug was so innovative to find another "trellis" for the cucumbers when they grew taller than the one we had provided for them.

He sunk a discarded chain link gate into the ground near the house and the cucumbers had twined around by the next morning!

It was pouring when I took this picture, so sorry for the "fuzziness".

 

And here's how every little thing is growing:

Tiny, tiny baby yellow heirloom tomato plant

 

So big now, and still growing...new blossoms every day, but no tomato yet.

 

Yellow Pear Tomato

 

Pretty little tomatoes, growing nicely!

 

Pickling Cucumber

 

This will be cucumber #3 for this plant, and it has many more growing.

 

Here's the first one we picked.  It was delicious!

 

Crazy 8 Cucumber (because the cukes are supposed to reach 8 inches long.)

 

This guy is about 6.5 inches.  It is killing us to leave him out there!

 

As you can see, everything is growing very well; and we are so thankful for that! 

Other than our garden, we are all doing well.  Doug and Isaac have been to therapy twice in the new vehicle and we are so thankful for it.  Every time we drive it, we find something new to love! 

On Friday, I went for my first solo drive.  It was so easy, all the buttons, knobs and gizmos are in convenient places.  I usually hate to drive in the rain, but Tranny even made that a fun adventure. :)

 

Praying you all have a blessed weekend,

HopeFULLy,

Alesha

What a Lovely Day!

 

Doug and I had such a nice day together on Friday.

It was one of those days when not one thing went according to plan!  It was, however, a day full of fun surprises:

• avoiding the traffic jam on I-4 by doing a u-turn on the ramp, driving through the median and hopping a curb to get back on the road.
• wandering around Kissimmee looking for a place to eat, but finding all the nice restaurants closed.
• seeing a road that Doug recognized, taking it and ending up on the road on which we meant to end our day.
• eating Turkish cuisine for the first time.
• looking for a used bookstore, with written directions from a barista, and never finding the store.
• deciding to not return the way we came, and looking for a bead store.
• finding the mall that the bead store was supposed to be in, and learning that the entire mall was empty except for a few store on the end near Outdoor World.
• walking through Bass Pro Shop (now, I can say that I've been...nothing spectacular, in my opinion)
• finding a new way to get to the road we were on before, so that we could go to Whole Foods before we headed home.
• going home with freshly ground cashew butter (yum!)

Now a few pictures from our lovely lunch. (I do apologize for the poor quality - my cell phone is notoriously difficult to hold still while pressing the shutter button.)

Hot Lemon Green Tea

 

Fabulous Turkish Bread.  We were amazed and asked for instructions!

 

"Just use your knife and poke it!"  Steam billowed out as it collapsed.

It was served with amazing authentic hummus (very similar to mine, I am proud to say), pickled cabbage and Kalamata olives.  The taste combinations were extraordinarily delicious!

 

Soup of the Day - Lentil, with a squeeze of lemon on top

 

Falafel Wrap with Tahini dipping sauce

 

Lamb Kabob with grilled Veggies and Rice (that Doug said was amazing!)

 

Turkish Pistachio Baklava

 

Anatolia - our Lovely Surprise of the Day

 

And of course, one of the best things about being out in Florida is the always breathtaking Sky!

Our day was full of twists and turns (literally and figuratively); but we enjoyed our time together and made some wonderful memories.

Changes to our plans are not necessarily bad!

Embrace the unexpected with an air of expectancy.

God will surprise you in ways you would never imagine.

:)

Blessings,

Alesha

Everyday Blessings

 

Before

 

During

After

(Now we can roll Isaac's wheelchair out to the porch, and we can roll Poppet's birdcage out there too.)

Doug's chili turned out so yummy!

Ike's dvd players are constantly breaking - even the expensive ones.  We found these at our corner drugstore for $9.99.

Our radio Restorathon loot!  (Well, there were 4 cds, too, but they are already in use!)

The shampoo that saved the day!  (Coconut oil is verrrrrry difficult to remove from hair!)

We got our tax return back today!

Cute little clippies Doug brought home for me.

Pretty Kepler

My favorite little smirky boy!

Until next time...Blessings,

Alesha

The Best Vegetarian Chili Ever

  

 

The Best Vegetarian Chili Ever

• 1 T Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion (chopped)
• 2 bay leaves (be sure to remove these when dish is finished cooking)
• 1 T salt
• 2 stalks celery (chopped)
• 2 red bell peppers (chopped)
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 2 t cumin
• 2 t oregano
• 1 T unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 T chili powder
• 1/8 t cayene pepper
• 3 28 oz cans tomatoes (I use whatever combination of tomatoe sauce, diced tomatoes, whole tomatoes that I have available)
• 2 15 oz kidney beans
• 2 15 oz black beans
• 1 15 oz whole kernel corn

Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat.  Stir in onions, bay leaves and salt.  Saute until onion is translucent.  Stir in celery, bell peppers, and garlic.  Cover, reduce to low and simmer for five (5) minutes.  Add all spices.  Add tomatoes.  Add beans.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes.  Stir in corn and simmer until corn is heated through.

We serve this over jasmine rice.

(Doug made a huge pot of this over the weekend and we are still enjoying it today.  It is so full of yummy veggies and beans that I promise - you won't even miss the meat!!!)

Enjoy!

Alesha

 

 

 

Beat the Winter Blahs Salad

 

I easily tire of eating salad, especially in the winter.  My brain tells me that if it's *cold* outside, I should be eating something *warm*!  So I find it quite a challenge to make a salad that appeals to me.

Over the weekend, I came up with a salad that is tasty and pretty.  I thought I'd share it with you.  It's nothing fancy, but has a nice balance of flavors. 

 

 

Beat the Winter Blahs Salad

• Romaine lettuce
• Radishes
• Yellow peppers
• Dried cranberries (I used the pomegranate flavored)
• Sunflower seeds
• Poppy Seed salad dressing
• Salt and Pepper to taste

 

Let me know if you try it.  I'd love to know what you think.

Blessings,

Alesha