ObtainingMercy

Of Avocados and Mangos

June 26, 2009June 23, 2015 by ObtainingMercy, posted in Blessings, Food and Drink

I had no idea that I liked mango until I tasted a fresh one! Wow! What a difference between that and the mushy stuff you find in the average fruit cup.

I didn't set out to try a new fruit, though. It all happened like this…

You see, I asked my hubby to pick up an avocado while he was at the grocery store. I was planning guacamole.

This is what he brought home:

Yep…you can go ahead and laugh. I certainly did!!!

Well, at least he brought home something very tasty! And it's those kinds of mistakes that turn into blessings.

Yummmmm…mango!!!

: )
Alesha

It’s Been One of Those Days

June 25, 2009 by ObtainingMercy, posted in Blessings, Florida Weather, How Great is Our God

Did you ever have one of those days when…

…you sit up in bed and as the ache hits your pain receptors, you think "This is not going to be a good day!"?

…you text your hubby at work, only to hear a message "ding" from across the room?

…the a/c that is limping along decides to just lay down and die?

…you decide not to call your a/c repairman (Dad) because he just has so much to do today?

…you go to feed your child, only to discover that he is wet – diaper, shirt, pad, sheet and mem*ry foam mattress?

…you grab the lift to roll it across the room, and it gets tangled in a writhing mess of extension chords, belts and ties?

…the lift pulls the lamp off the dresser, exploding the light bulb?

…the lamp shades breaks into three separate pieces?

…you have all the makings of a "migraine" headache?

…your church friend emails to say that her mother has only a little while longer to live?

…you think to yourself "This has not been a very good day, but compared to some other people's day, I have absolutely nothing to complain about!"?

THEN did you ever have one of those days when…

…your a/c repair man just happens to pop in at his house at 9:30, and will be over in just a minute to check the a/c?

…you walk into the living room to tell him what the problem is with the a/c, only to hear him say, "It's running!!!"

…you put your hand in front of the vents and feel luscious, icy, cold air blowing?

…your mom says "Let's place an order at Bath and Body Works(!!!)?

…your son is so delighted with himself that every time you speak to him, he smiles and "talks" back?

…you have the fresh ingredients on hand to make a strawberry-banana-cherry smoothie for your and hubby's lunch?

…the migraine medicine actually works and you're able to get a load of laundry washed and dried?

…your a/c repairman comes over to install an exhaust fan and an air vent on your back porch, so the wood won't melt every time you run the dryer?

…at the hottest part of the day, the a/c is still running?

…you sit down to count your blessings and realize that even on the worst of days, you have so very much to be thankful for?

Yep! It's just been one of those day!

Blessings,
Alesha

A Movie Day for Me

June 24, 2009June 23, 2015 by ObtainingMercy, posted in What's Happening

I had a free day today, with Doug and Isaac going to therapy. So I decided that, in between a little housework, I would treat myself to a movie day.

I thoroughly enjoyed "Wives and Daughters". It was quite lengthy, but I forced myself to watch the whole thing! : )

I wanted to thank everyone who took the time to comment yesterday. I certainly appreciate it. I did have a friend bring up a very valid question:

How can I subscribe to your blog by email?

I was able to answer that by adding a little box over there in the first column on the right. It says "Get Email Updates."

You just enter your email, click the button, and then confirm by clicking a link in the first email message they send you. Then every time I post something on my blog, you will receive an email.

Thanks, Kathy! : )

Well, I guess that's it for today. I still feel a little "stiff" here in my new blog…isn't that funny? I guess I need to get use to the "compose" box and I will feel more at home.

Blessings,
Alesha

Welcome to My Blog!

June 23, 2009June 23, 2015 by ObtainingMercy, posted in Uncategorized

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit me in my new Blog Home. I really love it here, but I want to hear your feedback as well.

Is it easy to leave a comment?

Is there anything you find confusing about my site?

Is there anything you saw on Xanga that you would like to see here as well?

I have only moved a few posts from the other server, so my archives only go back to May; but I will be working on that a little each day. I will also be adding pictures to my albums as time allows.

I am hoping that this will be a good fit for me, and that you, my readers, will enjoy the lack of advertising on my site! I know I certainly will! No yucky ads on my web site and no "plugz" on my home page!

I'm also delighted to have a "preview" page that I can check out before a post actually posts on my blog.

So, from our new home to you, we say "Welcome!"

We hope you enjoy it here as much as we do.
Alesha

Friday, 19 June 2009

June 19, 2009 by ObtainingMercy, posted in Florida Weather, Isaac Update

*EDIT below

If you are a fan of rip-roaring thunderstorms, you really should come to Florida during the summer.

Yesterday's
storms were predicted for several hours before they actually got here,
so I was able to get outside in the yard to pick up a few
things…cardboard boxes that hadn't made it into the garbage can, a
piece of tubing that will eventually be part of our central a/c system,
and a watering can.

I also moved a bag of playground sand, then
later wondered if that was such a good idea. After I came back inside,
I kept feeling twinges all over – my upper back, my hip, my lower
back. I am happy to say, however, that as of this morning, all is
well! Nothing seems to be any the worse for wear. I think I am just
starting to use muscles that have been dormant for a while, and they
were protesting my use of them. How dare they???

Hey, are you looking for a good mystery to read this summer? Here's a review of one by my bloggy friend Cheryl at Copperswife. I'm always excited to get a "thumbs up" on a good mystery series!

I
was happy to be able to tackle a good deal of the laundry yesterday.
Doug has been doing most of the laundry on the weekends, except for the
week my mom was here. It's just too much for me to sort, then carry
the clothes to the washer; and then the stretching and bending to move
it from washer to dryer was not a task I could do either. So, it was
nice to be able to do some of it by myself yesterday. Now, mind you, I
still have a large stack of undies and pjs sitting on the end of my
couch, but still…some of it got finished.

Isaac
had a drowsy, slow-moving day yesterday. I'm not sure what's going on
with him. I'm hoping that he was just recovering from his busy day of
therapy on Wednesday. He was certainly in a good mood, though, and we
laughed and giggled all day long. His laughter is so contagious…I
don't even try to stop myself. It does good like a medicine…and that
is good for both of us!

Well, I have several things on my to-do
list for today. One of those is to make my weekly visit to the
chiropractor. Hopefully, that will go smoothly, and I'll be back home
to finish that to-do list soon.

I pray that you have a great
weekend, and that you are able to assemble with like-minded believer's
in church on Sunday. If you have no plans to attend, I heartily
recommend that you change those plans and be in the Lord's house if you
physically can. Your spirit will be fed by the preaching of the Word
of God, and you will be encouraged by the fellowship with other
believers.

Blessings,
Alesha

*Edited to add: when I returned home from the chiropractor, my mom had swept the house and folded all that laundry!!! Whooo hooo for mamas!!

Wednesday, 17 June 2009

June 17, 2009 by ObtainingMercy, posted in Isaac Update

Daddy and Isaac went to therapy today, both sporting new hair cuts.

Isaac was having an "I don't want to open my eyes or smile at you" Day.

Ok, maybe just a small smirk will suffice Mommy and she'll leave me be!

Oh, good grief! I'd better give her a smile or she's never going to get that camera out of my face!

All buckled in and ready to go…

My two handsome men…hitting the road.

And
for Mommy…a nice peaceful, quiet day to do the things that need to be
done: laundry, dishes, jewelry making, email, blog reading, picking
veggies from our "5-gallon bucket garden"…same stuff as usual, only
at an easier pace.

Soon they will be home, and the quiet will be over, but the house will be much more joyful and certainly a lot more interesting!

Alesha

ENERGY!!!

June 15, 2009 by ObtainingMercy, posted in Hallelujah Diet, Recipe, What's Happening

Today, for the first time in over 2 months, I woke up with a bit of energy!

I
was able to work in the kitchen, only stopping to feed Isaac and take
out the dog, for about an hour and a half this morning. I have not
been able to do that in such a long time! Praise the Lord!

I
am still in considerable pain. My chiro explained that it is nerve
pain I am feeling, from disks in my back that are inflamed, pinched or
damaged. We're not sure which, but are not going to spend a lot of
money finding out right now. The best thing for my back right now is
periodic adjustments, continued weight loss, an optimal diet and
moderate exercise. For now, my exercise is working in my house,
something I haven't been able to do for a while.

We are
continuing on our Hallelujah Diet, although it has not been easy the
past several weeks. We are juicing our carrots and taking our barley
and all of our daily supplements. They really do help us to feel so
much better when we do that every day.

Here's a little something I thought you would enjoy:

(they sell these on the Hallelujah Acres website, and I just could not resist!)

I also have a fabulous recipe to share with you. It was sooooo yummy!!! The recipe is found in Recipes for Life from God's Garden by Rhonda J. Malkmus.

Stuffed Red Peppers
4          medium red bell peppers
1/4 c      onion
1 c       celery
1 c         corn kernels (I used organic canned corn, but fresh would be better)
1/2 tsp   rosemary
2 c         vegetable soup stock (I use "Vegetarian Better Than Bouillon" in water)
1/4 c      chives (I used dry, about 1/8 c)
1/4 c      carrots
1 c         basmati rice (I used brown basmati rice)
1 clove   garlic
1 tsp       parsley flakes (I used about 3 stalks of fresh)
Celtic Sea Salt to taste

Bring
soup stock to a boil, add basmati rice, reduce heat, cover and cook for
25 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to sit an additional 15-20 minutes.
Slice
tops off peppers, remove seeds and stems, and dice the remaining red
part of the top of pepper. Dice the onion, celery, chives and carrots
and combine with diced red pepper and corn. Mince garlic and *steam
saute this vegetable mixture until tender – about 5 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine rice, vegetables and seasonings. Fill peppers and bake about 30 minutes.
*To steam saute, place veggies in very small amount of water and cook in skillet on stove top with the lid on.

Let me know if you try these, and how you liked them. We enjoyed them a lot!

Our
church's Junior Camp is taking place this week. We have an awesome
place, called Camp Glory, out in the middle of the Florida woods where
our camps take place every summer. I attended them from the time I was
around 8 years old until the summer I graduated from college. I have
wonderful memories of fantastic adventures, awesome friends and
decisions made for the Lord.

My brother and sister in law
will be out there this week, along with many other counselors, campers,
cooks, speakers and parents. I am praying that God will speak to many
hearts and change many lives this week.

I am also praying the Florida mosquitos will be kept at bay and the temperatures will not be tooo scalding. Oh, and I told my brother I would also pray that he would have a cabin full of boys who sleep all night long!!!