Obtaining Mercy

Touch of Autumn

Well, here she is - all 20-inch-seat of her!  Isn't she just beautiful?!!  We call her "Chairy"...short for "Chariot" and "Cherry" - because she is such a sweet ride!

I can sit in it for short periods of time.  Yesterday Doug sat me right next to Isaac's recliner, and after I had been there for a few minutes, Isaac t-u-r-n-e-d his head to his left and loooooooked at me...as if to say "I thought I heard you over there!"  Isaac very rarely turns his head to the left, so when he does, it's for a good reason. :)

Today, I was able to trim and peel carrots:

 

This is how far I got:

 

Not a marathon peeling session, but a little bit is better than nothing.  I was desperately trying to get those last 9 carrots done, but the pain was just too much.  No need to prolong the healing time for something like carrots! :)

I had planned to get to my chiropractor today, but we forgot he closes at 11 a.m. on Thursdays.  So I will call tomorrow for an appointment.  He is always able to take me in right away.  I will be glad to get everything aligned, so that the healing can continue in a better way.

Isaac is really enjoyed having Doug home during the daylight hours.  Doug is enjoying working at night.  I am just happy that they are both happy. :)

My mom brought me this gorgeous sunflower last week!  The colors are just amazing for a silk flower.

 

I have it tucked in between the dresser and the nightstand, so I can see it all the time.  Since the temperatures here are still in the 90's, and I can't get outside anyway, it's the only little touch of autumn I'm experiencing right now. :)  I know cooler days are ahead.  I just have to be patient.

Thanks for your encouraging comments and for your prayers.  I know God is working miracles all around me.  I can't see all that He is doing, but I know He is faithfully fulfilling the work that He has started in me.

Wishing you blessings this day,

Alesha

"A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That..."

"...A pot, a pan, a broom, a hat." 

(Free earrings to the first person to leave on comment on my blog, naming the origin of the above quote.) : D

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I hope you all have had a good week.  I haven't blogged every day this week, because it would've been the same blog over and over! 

Yep, one of those ordinary, boring, nothing-exciting-happened weeks...for which I am extremely grateful!!!  

We do have a couple of tropical systems somewhere out in the Atlantic, but I really don't know much about them.  Any time someone starts to discuss them, I just put my fingers in my ears, and go "La la la la la la la la." ; )

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Neither Isaac nor I have felt very well this week, so we have laid low, taken it easy, and for Isaac, had lots of naps. 

His mystery fever was back for a couple of days this week.  <sigh>  We still don't have a clue...but are keeping a really close eye on him.  We can't just ignore it, of course...something must be causing the low-grade temps.

Here's a question for you medically-minded people out there, or for those with medically fragile kiddos:  Could the temperature in the house cause him to run a temp? 

Our house is small with one window until a/c, and we run 2 fans 24/7 to move the air into his room.  However, we are in Florida, and the temps get extremely high outside; and due to very little insulation, the room that the sun is shining on gets very hot.

Isaac's room is on the northwest side of the house, so it gets a full blast of afternoon and evening sun.  His room probably gets to 80* or better some afternoons. 

Could this cause his temp to go to 100*?  I know his brain doesn't regulate his temps very well, but I just don't know if it could cause that much of a rise in his temp.

Any input or ideas would be very much welcomed.

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I sold a pair of earrings last week!  It was very exciting, because they were bought by a person unknown to me.  Just someone who found my site and liked the jewelry, I guess.  I really hope they like it when it gets there.  I always want my customers to be very pleased and satisfied with their purchases.

My mom has blessed me the past 2 months by paying a friend to come and clean at my house for a couple of hours a month.  It has been such a blessing.  She does such a nice job, plus it is nice to fellowship with a friend while we're working.  We've worked out a plan for her to come an extra time each month:  I'm going to make jewelry for her and she's going to clean for me.  : ) : ) : )  I am so excited and pleased to be able to do that!

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I'm needing to be very careful with my back this week.  It is feeling very "fragile", so I am not doing much with Isaac or the house.  We just sort of put everything on "hold" if we can.  For those things that can't wait, my hubby works very hard to take care of them.

I've been enjoying some of those books that my mother-in-love mailed to us last month while I've been resting this week.  Isn't that so handy that she sent them? : ) 

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For any new Facebook friends who have wandered over here to my blog, feel free to check out the "All About Isaac" tab at the top of the page.  It has his adoption story there, and also a little bit about his medical condition.

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I guess that's it for this week.  I am hoping to resume my regular blogging schedule soon, but it's still summer, so we'll see! : D  I don't consider the summer finished until September starts...I'm just "old school" that way!

I pray that ya'll have a wonderful weekend, and that you are able to assemble with other Christians and worship the Lord together.  I know sometimes you just can't get to church; but if you can, I hope that you will.  If you cannot, I invite you again to watch our services online:  Landmark Baptist Church.

Blessings to you,

Alesha

New Stuff at Our House

We had a busy end-of-the-week last week, and as the result of being out and about, we have a few new tools for our house, our business and our boy.

The first new item:  deodorant.  No, it's not for me.  It's for Isaac.  {sigh...} : )

This is a handy cleaner that we found for Isaac.  It is gentle on his skin, and can also be used on his hair.  I find this a real help on those days when I have to change him from head to toe, over and over.  (well, most days, really.)

This is a handy little tool for the kitchen.  It's a salad spinner.  Not the pricey oxo one I had my eye on, but a cheapy one from Old Time Pottery.  We'll see how it stands up.  I was able to chop up romaine and spinach, throw it in there, wash it, spin it and store it in my lettuce keeper.  Very nice!

Doug bought me this sketch book for my jewelry business.  Sometimes, it helps to see things on paper...and sometimes it would be nice if I could take a picture of the image in my head and transfer it to paper through some magical process. 

I am NO artist, and sometimes I can't even manage to draw what I'm thinking on the paper.  However, once in a while, I have some ideas that need to be jotted down before I forget them.  So I keep this pad by my bed for just that purpose.

And THIS...ah, this little gem of a book has my creative juices really flowing!  It has wonderful projects in it, and gives step by step instructions for some techniques that I had not yet learned.  I am so excited to try some new things, and also to improve on some of the techniques that I use all the time.

So, those are the new things in our house this week.  Oh, and I'll be trying to find the recipe for this new dish, so that it will be in our house, too:

 

It's Spaghetti Primavera, and it was absolutely delicious!  Oh, and Doug's entree wasn't bad, either:

Veggie pizza with eggplant and peppers.  He really enjoyed it!

Yes, in case you were wondering, we were able to go out to lunch on Saturday, thanks to Grammy!  We went to Carrabba's and had a wonderful time.

I'm wondering...is there anything new at your house today?  I'd love to hear about it!  Leave me a comment below. : )

Blessings,

Alesha

Monday, 30 March 2009

Absolutely Delightful!

 

back row:  unbleached flour, whole wheat flour, rye flour, corn meal, vinegar, carob, baking soda
middle row:  almonds, coconut, pecans, pine nuts, golden flax seed, brown flax seed, sesame seeds, baking powder, vanilla, honey
front row:  raisins, sunflower seeds (I ran out of jars and lids! )

All of this now resides in the cabinets right above this counter, handy for when I am blending and processing and mixing.

After shopping, cleaning out the cabinet, and repackaging everything...I was exhausted!  But I was so ecstatic to have in all done. 

I LOVE being organized!!!

(and in my kitchen, that is such a novel occurrence that I had to share it with you!)

 

Happy Monday to you all!
Alesha

Thursday, 26 March 2009

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  Roasting sunflower seeds - yummy!!!
  
  

  
  

  
  Our new compost bin at the back of the property.
  
  

  
  

  
  Our 2 new tomato plants!  So exciting!
  
  

  
  

  
  These, on our tree, are finally ripe and ready to eat!
  
  

  
  

  
  This gorgeous pineapple is ripening a bit before I slice it up.  On sale at Wally World yesterday!
  
  

  
  

  
  Another absolutely gorgeous day here in central Florida.
  
  I pray your day is abundantly blessed!
  Alesha

Saturday, 03 March 2007

I have officially

reclaimed

my KITCHEN!

Whew!  These past few weeks have been hard on my little kitchen.  I have one of those "galley" kitchens - long and narrow.  If you're standing in front of the sink, you can just turn around and you're standing in front of the stove.

My counters are just little bits on either side of the sink and the stove.  With a microwave and a toaster oven taking up two of those sections, counter space is at a premium.

It was time to revamp, reorganize, and clean!

Here's the finished project - all spic and span!

My mom always had this saying:

"A place for everything and everything in its place."

When I can make that happen in my little kitchen, it's a happy, happy place!

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Isaac is doing better today.  He's been awake and alert and has eaten well all day.  Thank the Lord!

In Him,

Alesha

Thursday, 01 March 2007

An update on my boy - he had a seizure on the way home from the hospital yesterday and we had to give him medication.  So he slept all day yesterday, all last night and was very drowsy today.  He ate minimally, and drank probably 2/3 of his normal intake.  We'll be seizure free for a little bit while the meds are still in his system.  We'll be taking it easy for a few days, and see if he can recover his normal energy and personality when the meds wear off.

It's amazing how much one night's sleep can make you feel almost human again.  I feel so much better today.

Let me tell you how good God is to me!  I missed 3 days of work this week with Isaac.  When we got back, we had an "escrow surplus" check in the mail, then today I received my February bonus check from work.  If you add both of those checks together, they are only $9 short of what I will lose from my check for this week!  Isn't that something?  God is so good to me.

There have been so many times that, in MY opinion, we have been in "need" of  financial help from the Lord.  Times that I just knew any day now, I was going to walk out to the mailbox and there would be an amazingly large check.  Many of those times, there was no check.  We survived.  We eked by.  We walked slowly away from debt one baby step at a time - paying off each thing at a painfully slowly rate. 

God was teaching me about grace for each day - making wise financial decisions one day at a time, being frugal today, just because it's the right thing today.  That $5 not spent wouldn't have paid off anything, but I was learning to wait on God's provision.

Then, like this week, when I'm so worn to a frazzle caring for this child of God He has given us, He just pours out His provision.  I was concerned about Isaac's eating, drinking and fluid output, counting ounces of milk - not dollars in my paycheck.  My focus was on my ministry - my child - not on my bank account.  God took care of the rest.

See?  It's like this to my mind, possibly too simplistic, but it's working for me.  Isaac is God's child.  We are God's family.  It's God's money, God's jobs, God's house.  None of it's mine.  I am accountable for how I use God's stuff, yes.  But ultimately, the care and provision for it are HIS.  No matter how good I may be with making a dollar stretch and balancing that checkbook, I can never do as good a job as God will do of taking care of His own money, home, family and child. 

Anyway, that's what's on my mind tonight.  And Isaac is already asleep this evening, praise the Lord.  I pray he sleeps through.  He and Daddy are going to get out of the house tomorrow and do something outside.  That boy needs to feel the sun on him soon.  He's been inside too much this week.

Thanks for reading my long-winded rambles tonight.  I pray you feel God smiling on your ministry today, too.

Alesha

Monday, 19 February 2007

Whew...long day today.  One of those where you go non-stop but don't really accomplish anything? 

I really like to finish tasks.  Everyday I have a list on my Microsoft Outlook that keeps my tasks tallied up and when I complete them, I can mark them 100% complete.  I love that!!! 

I also print that list out so I can get the satisfaction of actually MARKING them off! 

My hubby thinks I go a little overboard with my lists! LOL!  But that's how I get things done.  If I don't have a list (especially at work) I just get "fractured" in my focus and sit at the desk thinking "what am I supposed to be doing NOW?" 

The truth is that I'm actually very easily distracted!  My lists keep me focused.

Are you a list-maker?

What is the oddest thing you've ever made a list for?

And, btw, boys make lists too.  Their called "box scores" and "stats"! 

Hope your day is really "complete"!

Alesha