Obtaining Mercy

Alive and Well in Central Florida

Well, hey there!  Did you wonder how things were going over here on the east coast?  I know I've been quiet for a little while, except for my devotional posts each day, but we are doing very well. 

The school year is winding down, and as usual, there are many extra things in the schedule during the month of May.  Some of those activities are planned and expected every year. 

Other things, like funerals, are not expected.  This week I attended the funeral service of one of God's choicest servants, Dr. Gary Herring.

He was a mighty man of God his whole life, even though he had only served with us at our church and college for the past 11 years.  He pastored in his hometown for 32 years!  Isn't that amazing?! 

It was wonderful to hear stories of those who knew him "back when" and to realize that his faithful service had been well established, even before he came to bless us with his ministry at our church.

His wife, Mrs. Earla, showed amazing fortitude and graciousness at the service.  Her spirit of faithfulness and cheerfulness have been a real blessing to us as well.

 

Our prayers are with her now, as she goes through her first weekend without her best friend.  I'm thinking that the first church service without him will be difficult.  If you think of it, would you pray for her this Sunday?

On the home garden front, our cucumbers are doing quite well on the front porch, but we had to move the tomatoes outside.  Just yesterday, Doug woke me up an HOUR BEFORE my alarm to tell me that we had our first cucumber blossom!  It IS exciting, but boy - his timing needs a little work!!! :) (Apologies for the less-than-spectacular photos.)

Isaac has been doing well.  He is sleeping a LOT these days.  I think it must be that pre-teen growth spurt.  He turns 12 this month, can you believe it???

He has been very healthy the past few months and we are so, SO grateful for that!  This summer, he will be having some dental work done, under sedation, but other than that, he is having no problems at present.

We are getting pretty desperate to get a wheelchair-accessible vehicle.  Poor Doug has had severe tendonitis in his left elbow and forearm.  It has been very difficult for him to get Isaac in and out of his carseat with the injured arm. He's left-handed, so it is particularly bothersome to him; but fortunately, he is very ambidextrous, and can write on the chalkboard with either hand for school! :)

I am having good days and not-so-good days with my back, but I am trying to stay busy every day.  I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis, but I am not discouraged about that.  It could have been a much worse diagnosis when it comes to back problems!  I am continuing to try to eat in a healthy way, take all my supplements and get exercise.  The exercise is coming along very slowly, but I am determined to keep at it.

The dogs are doing very well.  We've been able to go out in the evenings and let them run for a while.  They really love that.  Newton can still run Kepler into the ground.  She just cannot keep up with his long legs; but she sure does have fun trying! ;)

I did manage to catch a really fabulous video of them running with the dogs next door, but unfortunately, my phone won't download it into an email.  It says I don't have enough memory.  I'll keep working on that, and maybe I can share it with you later.

By the way, I have a coupon code that is active right now in my Etsy shop:  ILUVMOM  Feel free to use it for 20% off any purchase:  Alesha Kay Jewelry

I pray that you have a wonderful weekend.  Ours is supposed to be a hot one with temps in the 90's.  I will be attended a family reunion outdoors tomorrow...we are praying that we will be blessed with a nice breeze!

HopeFULLy,

Alesha Kay

 

 

Whew! What a Week!

We have had such a great and busy week this week; and today my mind is tumbling and twirling with so many thoughts that I thought I'd stop by and share some of them with you.

Shall we do a Bullet Blog?  We haven't had one of those in a while, and I find those little round dots are very freeing...no need to connect the thoughts as we go along!

• We had an AMAZing Bible Conference this week.  I mean we literally had several services in-a-row where we listened to preachers preach the Bible!  There was no grand-standing.  There were no overinflated "preacher" egos.  There were no personality conflicts.  It was just GOOD BIBLE Preaching!!!  (For the record, we don't usually have all those negative things in our conferences any way.  I just wanted you to know what kind of services we really had!)
• My tomatoes and cucumbers are growing so well.  I am really pleased.  I put the lattice work in to the cucumber pots this morning, and we moved the tomatoes outside to get a little more sunshine.
• Ike's caregiver is not here today.  She is "caregiving" for her son.  He broke 3 fingers yesterday and is making all the necessary doctor's visits today.  Please pray for Nathan's fingers to heal quickly and completely.
• I am so SO weary of reading CHRISTIAN blogs with CURSE words!!!  You know, I expect it from the world, but NOT from fellow Christians.  I think this whole "being real", "being transparent" trend is just giving us excuses to live and act according to the flesh.  I know there are times when we all slip and say (or think) a "cuss" word.  However, to type that word out and proudly hit the "publish" button???  Shame on you!  You ought to know better!  It shows a lack of class and a serious lack of imagination and creativity.
• Isaac is sleeping the day away today...and has done that several times in the last few weeks.  I think he's going through a growth spurt.
• We are attending a family reunion on Saturday, and for the first time in years, I am excited to cook for it --- because of PINTEREST!!!  There are just so many easy recipes that it makes it really fun to pick out a few things to try.
• Next Tuesday I will be posting a "Do Over Challenge" post on my jewelry blog.  I am looking forward to that!  I re-made the necklace that was sent to me a couple of weeks ago, and have already worn it twice!  Now I just have to discipline myself to take some pictures for my post!  I'm looking forward to seeing what the other jewelry bloggers have done with their "do over" pieces!
• My cousin Joy, of Case Crossings, had her baby girl on Monday!  We are all so excited about her.  Joy and her husband like to "meet" their babies before deciding on a name, so we have called her "Tadpole" for months.  It was very difficult for 3-year-old Josiah to accept that his baby sister is now called "Joanna"! LOL!  Hopefully, he will pick up on it quickly, as he hears other people say it! :)

Yep, we've had a fun and busy week!  So now, I'd best get up from here and see what I can get accomplished!

HopeFULLy,

Alesha Kay

What a Wonderful Weekend

Managing My Monday - Ike and I are hanging out by ourselves this morning.  Julie is not feeling well today.  I did manage to get all of his dvds back in their jackets and videos rewound and on the shelf.  That's something that Daddy doesn't manage to keep up with on the weekend, and it is no problem to do them on Monday morning. :)

We had a wonderful Resurrection Sunday together yesterday.  As I stood up in the choir and looked out at the church congregation, in their spring-colored clothing, singing "I serve a RISEN Saviour.  He's in the world today!  I know that He is living, whatever men may say, " it seemed to be the happiest holiday ever!!!

Really, it is a day of such victory, such triumph, such incredible sacrifice ending in Christ's resurrection.  How can we not LOVE the celebration of all of that?!

Of course, I also indulged a bit over the weekend in my favorite Easter candy eeeeever - Robin's eggs.

We didn't get any pictures yesterday.  We were focused on the basics - all of us getting to church together. :)  So some of the fun extras were dropped; but we had a good day!  The weather here was just gorgeous!  Ike and Doug spent some time out on the front porch while I was at church for the evening service.  They were able to listen to the service on the radio out there. :)

I do have a pic of our newly planted veggies, though!  Our friend, Mike, potted some plants for us and Doug brought them home last Tuesday.  I am trying really hard not to kill them! ;)

 

 

From left to right these are Yellow Brandywine Tomato, Yellow Pear Tomato, Boston Pickling Cucumber and Straight Eight Cucumber.  He also sent this little pot of Basil.

 

 

They are on my front porch, but are getting plenty of sunshine and fresh air.  This is really an experiment of sorts, to see if I can grow things on this porch.  We do have bamboo stakes and a mesh that is used for gutters that we'll be inserting into the pots for the cukes.  The tomatoes are a determinite variety and will not need to be staked.

I just got an email from him, reminding me that these will need to be pollenated, since they aren't outside to get the help from the bees.  I'll be researching that to see what needs to be done.  If you are knowledgeable about this process, I sure would appreciate some advice or perhaps a web site that might help.

Well, I have several more things listed on my "To Do" list on my phone for today, so I'd best get busy!

Wishing you a happy week,

Alesha

 

 

A Bathing Adventure

Testing

Headfirst

Splashdown!

All In

Wet & Happy

Preened & Clean

Success!

 

Finally, by making use of the freebies offered us by our Creator (i.e. planning, perspiring and persevering), I have achieved my goal:

Lunch, on my porch, with a view!

It's the Little Things that Make Me Smile

 

I really think she needs a name, too.  Any suggestions???

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 Way of Blessing

 

This is how God met our needs this week:

• A family member slipped me a $20 bill in passing
• I was paid for singing (which I did not expect!)
• My electric bill dropped $45! (I tried to keep my thermostat 1* higher than last month and it definitely paid off!)
• I went to a party and was sent home with leftovers (barbeque, y'all - my hubby was thrilled!)
• My hubby's new job is closer to our house, so less gas being used each day.  He is also not coming home at lunch time, so actually there is much less gas being used!
• Several things we needed from the grocery store were on sale - bogo - and I was able to use some coupons too.
• Doug and I both had lunch out and someone else picked up the ticket.

 

How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts!
 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.

Psalm 84:1-2

~~~~~

 He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.

Psalm 24:5-6

Catching Up, Sort Of...

We are still alive and kicking, down here in hot, still-feels-like-summer Florida!  I just wanted to let you know, in case you were, you know...wondering!

It takes up a lot of my time when I am helping someone learn how our household operates, and when I am teaching them about Isaac.

Our caregiver is working out better than I ever imagined!  It is taking some getting used to, though, having someone else in the house with us.  I have a hard time focusing on my blog, any way.  Some days I feel so anti-social because I just don't have the energy to keep up a running dialogue; but really, I don't think she expects that any ways.

Doug is still fighting off a cold, or allergies, or something.  Isaac and I got rid of the fever and cold, but are still having some coughing and stuffy noses.  It's like the allergens jumped on us after our cold, and we just can't get back to "normal".

Ike had his second week of riding, and just loved it!  We are so excited that he is being able to enjoy this activity again.

Sorry I wasn't able to post a "Creative Spark Friday" post over on my jewelry blog, if you are keeping up with that.  I had the "spark".  I felt the inspiration.  I just didn't have the time to make it happen.  I hope to catch up with it some time this week.

Well, I guess that's it from our house.  I'm praying that it finds everybody doing well at your house.

Blessings,

Alesha

Living Small in a Big World

Some days I feel overwhelmed with s.t.u.f.f. - literal, physical, because-I-went-out-and-bought-it "stuff."

Just this morning, I did an inventory of the electrical appliances in my kitchen.

I found the following:

• stove
• refrigerator
• microwave
• water distiller
• air popcorn popper
• crock-pot
• roaster oven
• toaster
• food processor
• personal blender
• hot water dispenser
• juicer
• dehydrator
• bread machine

And these are only the things that are out on a shelf, table or on top of the refrigerator.  In my cabinets you will find the following:

• blender
• can opener
• waffle maker
• stick blender
• small food processor

When you consider that my kitchen is 10'x9', has one door opening and one door to the outside, that list is really amazing, isn't it???

We do use almost everything in that first list on a weekly basis, so it really is more efficient to have the appliances out where they are easily accessible. 

I think that whoever the person was who created those "appliance garages" in newer home construction was absolutely *brilliant*!

The rest of our home is, likewise, very small (less than 800 square feet of living space); and is also, likewise, jam packed with "stuff".

Due to that, we have obviously had to come up with some "coping mechanisms" - some ways to make this small space work for us and for all of our big stuff.

I know that, these days, many people are trying to simplify.  I thought I'd share a few of my ideas with you.

Plan #1 - The Desk

Hmm...right...we don't have a desk.  If we did have a desk, we would have no room for it.  So what do I do with all of my bills, financial budget, receipts, coupons, and the like?

I use this:

 

A lap tray.  It can move around the house with me, no matter where I am for the day.  Everything stays tidy and neat.  When Doug has receipts, he put them in the little box (the box in which the bank mailed our checks to us). 

The large box (a card sorting box from Hallmark - free with a purchase of so many cards) holds all of 2010 receipts, check stubs, January-July budget pages, and bank statements. 

To be honest, that box is very full.  I am hoping to be able to finish out the year with it, but if not, I will store it somewhere and find another box to travel with the lap tray.

I also keep my coupons here, along with bills to be pain, calculator, pen, pencil, checkbook and tithe envelopes.  Everything is right at my finger tips, no matter where I choose to settle to work on the budget.

Where does my budget lap tray roost when it is not in use?  Here:

 

It isn't lovely, but it is up out of our way and it doesn't block our view of the tv.  It works for us.

Plan #2 - The Work Bench

I have a business:  a jewelry-making business.  So I need a work bench, right?  Well, yes, a work bench would be absolutely "loverly", as Eliza Doolittle would say!!! 

However, if I had one, there is no place to put it in the house.  I live in Florida, so working outside on the porch is not an option for about 9 months of the year.

Here is my solution:

 

A rolling microwave cart

Everything I use to make jewelry, my shipping materials, my books, my photo props, my finished pieces and all my tools and supplies fit on this.

When I work, I can easily move the 2 containers from the top, and use the surface there to work.  I also have another lap tray on which I work most of the time.

This cart can also move around the house with me.  It usually stays parked in my bedroom, in front of the dresser.  I do have plans to clear a corner for it soon, so that we don't have to roll it out of the way to get into the dresser drawers.

So, those are two solutions that we use to help us live small in our big world.

I would love to hear if you have any "small living" solutions!  I can certainly use more ideas on fitting us into the house.  Isaac's equipment will only keep getting bigger, as it has to grow with him; so we will need to make even more space as the years go by.

Please leave me a link here in the comments if you blog on this subject!  I look forward to reading your ideas!

Blessings,

Alesha