Uncategorized – Page 4 – Obtaining Mercy

Growing Along

May 30, 2021May 30, 2021 by ObtainingMercy, posted in A Door of Hope, Blessings, Florida Weather, Food and Drink, How Great is Our God, Obtaining Mercy Croft, Uncategorized

I know you’ve been waiting a long time for a garden update.

Here’s a picture post to hold you over until I can sit down to do a proper post.

It’s been quite an education out there in the garden. It’s so odd – the things that don’t grow & the things that do. I am constantly surprised.

We plan to harvest our first set of potatoes buckets in the next day or so. I’m hoping we won’t be disappointed. The first bucket we harvested when they should have been ready only had 2 little potatoes in it!

We’ve got cattle panels to set up for all the melon seedlings that are ready to be transplanted. We’re planning to make arches with the panels. It’s so exciting to see the back yard come together as a food forest!

We had to take Isaac for some medical tests this week in Orlando. When we told the tech we were from Haines City, his next question was “Oh, so you guys have a farm there?”

We just laughed & said no. But then we thought about it.

I told him, “Well, we do have a garden this year! It’s not quite a farm, but we are growing things.”

It was funny that he thought of our area as farm country. It is very rural, I guess. I don’t mind that at all. I’m so glad the Lord didn’t “plant” me in the big city. I’m grateful I have lots of nature & clear blue skies where I live.

That’s it for this update! I hope to be back soon!

In Him,

Alesha Kay

Garden Update

April 26, 2021April 26, 2021 by ObtainingMercy, posted in Florida Weather, Food and Drink, Household, How Great is Our God, Obtaining Mercy Croft, Uncategorized

Soon-to-be Rattlesnake Pole Bean blossoms

A perfectly twirled tendril – so amazing!

A sprouting field of wild flowers planted in an old tire. Can’t wait to see what pops up!

Everything is growing so well. I’m surprised every day by some new growth or blossom or bug or snake… you just never know what to expect in Florida!

We’ve had some disappointments, too: yellow peppers that refused to germinate, cilantro that has only grown four tiny leaves, & tansy that never grew. Our sugar baby melons are struggling & the oregano never even popped its heads up out of the seeds. The loquat tree is being munched on by weevils & out of 8 plants, I have only 1 tomato growing.

But the process had been so rewarding and I’m learning SO much! I love being outside right now before the horrible heat arrives & the Lord is showing me many Spiritual truths out in the garden as well.

Thanks for following along.

In Him,

Alesha Kay

Servants, Not Celebrities

April 1, 2021April 1, 2021 by ObtainingMercy, posted in A Door of Hope, How Great is Our God, Just My Thoughts, Thoughtful Thursday, Uncategorized

Oh, amen to this! I’ve seen the most amazing thing play out in our church over the last year. As some of us were moved to other churches, or sidelined by illness, or afraid to attend because of Covid, God has moved so many “unknowns” into those vacated positions. They have stepped up & filled those positions! They have the talent, skill & courage to get the work done!

Sometimes we get so used to seeing the same people fill the same positions that we forget God has others who can do the work just as well. And sadly, some of US think that we are indispensable, & we have an inner celebrity attitude that God must despise.

It’s good to remember that we are replaceable. God’s will moves forward always…with or without us. It’s our job to stay available, humble & teachable if we want to remain in our role doing God’s work. When we are no longer usable, God will use someone else.

No celebrities in church. Only servants. ❤

In Him,

Alesha Kay

Doing My Part

March 22, 2021March 22, 2021 by ObtainingMercy, posted in A Door of Hope, How Great is Our God, Managing My Mondays, Obtaining Mercy Croft, Uncategorized

Sometimes, it feels like everyone else is doing so well. Achieving. Growing. Accomplishing.

While I seem stuck. In a rut. Making no great progress. Just existing. Or to be honest, just barely existing.

My tasks feel unimportant. My growth is so slow. Even I’m bored with me.

But as my pastor reminded me last night, there are no unimportant jobs in Christ’s work. And even my small contributions are worth my very best effort.

Whether I’m doing dishes…or calculating our budget…or greeting a church visitor with a smile…or praying for my church leaders… maybe sending out a get well card… these “small” efforts are important in God’s grand scheme. And I should do my best.

His goal for me isn’t great accomplishments. His goal is my growth. He wants me to keep growing to be more like Him.

And even if my growth isn’t the same as some others…

I am still growing.

Be faithful in your tasks today, my friend. God will bless your work in His way & in His time.

In Him,

Alesha Kay

Life in the Garden

March 12, 2021March 12, 2021 by ObtainingMercy, posted in A Door of Hope, Florida Weather, Foto Friday, How Great is Our God, Obtaining Mercy Croft, Uncategorized, What's Happening

It’s a beautiful day in the garden today! Lots of life happening.

You have to pay close attention, so you don’t miss it.

God is the Master Gardener, at work in the soil of your heart today too.

Ask to see it all through His eyes, so you don’t miss out on the incredible growth He is bringing about in your life today.

In Him,

Alesha Kay

Busy Bees

March 10, 2021 by ObtainingMercy, posted in Florida Weather, Household, How Great is Our God, Links to Share, Obtaining Mercy Croft, Uncategorized, What's Happening

We’ve been busy, busy, busy, getting seeds into the ground and setting up our garden. This will be another picture post, as I don’t have a lot of left-over energy for writing all the words that make the sentences that make the sense. 😉

Tomato and Pepper Seedlings sending up their little stems.

I’m trying to be patient and wait for the second set of leaves on these little guys before I transplant them!

And even though I didn’t get a picture of him, we’ve seen a little bumble bee buzzzzzzing around our blueberry plants. Yay for pollinators!!!

Coconut coir, vermiculite, perlite and compost

I’m becoming enamored with mixing my potting soil. It’s so satisfying to move the ingredients around until they thoroughly mixed and ready to go into the planters.

These arrived in the mail on Monday. We soaked them and got them into the soil right away! Isaac’s old wagon makes a great planter. It even has pre-made drainage holes in the bed! The company I ordered from sent FOUR extra strawberry starts. I had to scramble and find another planter. They looked very healthy after their bath and I’m so excited to see how they do!

The company I ordered from was https://handpickednursery.com/ . They are a Veteran Owned Business.

This represents about 1/3 of our garden so far. The drip irrigation was a new project for me, and I enjoyed it immensely. AND it was incredibly satisfying to turn the water on for the first time and get water dripping into EVERY plant and have no leaks or lines popping!

We still need to regulate the nozzles on the stakes, to be sure each plant is getting the right amount of water, but since some of these plants won’t be in this section, we’ll wait to do that when the final buckets are in place.

All of our climbing vegetables and fruits will be in front of the gate here, trailing up these sections of fencing. We’ll have a couple different kinds of melons, cucumbers, squash, zucchini and more.

My plan is ambitious, I know! And I’m hoping it’s a success. But ultimately, I know that I will learn so many things, whether I have a successful garden or not. Then I can build on the knowledge I have, and the things I’ve learned, to make a more successful garden the next time.

Ultimately, I’m leaving the results up to the Heavenly Gardener! After all, He’s the Creator of each tiny little seed I planted. We’ll see what He wants to teach me as I garden this year.

In Him,

Alesha Kay