…that remind us to be thankful!
It’s the Little Things…
…that remind us to be thankful!
It’s Going Swimmingly
With the tropical disturbance in the Gulf, we are getting a LOT of rain every day. It feels like we need to “swim” about the yard to check on the garden and out to the mailbox and across town with the rivers of water rolling down the street.
Speaking of the mailbox, yesterday I was tickled to find the first of two books that I ordered last week. I’m sure you’re wondering why in the world I am ordering books when Doug is out of work. So, I will tell you! 😉
I order all of Isaac’s diapers and wipes from Overstock. Each year, I renew my membership in their “Club O”. For me, it is an excellent deal. Let me explain.
The first year, I was automatically enrolled in Club O for free. That was great. I earned a certain percentage of O Rewards, which you can spend on their site. The second year, I hesitated to pay the full amount of the enrollment; but then they offered it for $10 off. Now THAT was a deal! I’ve since discovered that they offer the $10 off every year. I just wait until then to renew.
In 3 years time, I have received over $300 worth of merchandise with those O Rewards! And guess what I paid for my Club O renewal last year! $9.95!!! Over $100 of merchandise a year for $9.95.
Now I realize that not everyone buys $150 of diapers and wipes every month like we do, and so for you, this might not be worth the money. For us, though, it works great.
- Last week, I realized I had over $15 in rewards waiting, so I ordered 2 books that I’d been wanting to read. For them both, including shipping, I paid $1.68.
- Today, I found a 10% off coupon for a food order that I was making online. It saved me almost $5 AND I got free shipping!!!
- I did quite a bit of surfing on the internet this morning, looking for raw cashews. I finally found them here in Florida for just over $6 a pound. We got the large pieces, and that saved quite a bit of money. I will use these cashews to make sweet dishes on the Hallelujah Diet, and so I don’t mind one bit if the nuts are whole or not.
- We picked 5 small tomatoes from our garden today – 3 red and 2 yellow pears…yummy!
Well, Isaac didn’t sleep last night. That’s the 2nd time this week that he has done that. We are trying to track down the culprit causing his insomnia. We are suspecting that it might be a tummy issue. Anyway, I am thinking very seriously about taking a nap, so I am going to end this for today.
Looking forward to tomorrow’s surprises,
Alesha
The Glorious Unknown
Week #2 started off with my trying out a new way to bake potatoes – in my crockpot!!! It worked beautifully and they were yummy.
I have also been able to try out a few new recipes that we really liked.
- More "liked" food means less wasted food and fewer science experiments in the back of the frig!
We really liked this Fresh Corn Salsa! And the Tahini-Lemon Sauce is what makes this dish so yummy. If your sauce gets really thick, just add water to thin it. I'll be using this sauce on my veggie wraps, too…it is SO fabulous!!!
- Today I found a 40% off coupon for some supplies I needed to buy at Michael's.
- I also found a $5 off promo code when I ordered the bits and pieces I will need for a jewelry project.
With the money I saved, I was able to purchase bird food for the summer and Vitamin B supplements which we were out of.
- I put some of my mystery books up for sale on a local "yard sale" group on Facebook. I made $35 today from their sell. That money filled up our gas tank to the very tippy-top.
- We found out that Doug will be getting a tutoring job for the summer. We are grateful, but it will pay less than half his usual salary, so all these little bits of savings are really going to help.
- There was a check in our mailbox…for $300. The rest of our bills due by the 20th will be paid.
…and the world thinks Christians lead dull lives!!!!!!!
There is absolutely no greater adventure than living a life of faith in the Lord Jesus!
Wondering what tomorrow holds,
Alesha
A Summer of Diligence
Hello.
I know it's been a while, but I'm going to just jump right in.
We are all doing well. Isaac is growing and happy and we've had to start shaving his manly whiskers once a week now!
Doug and I are doing well too.
Last Monday marked Doug's first day of unemployment for the summer. While he is actively seeking a job, nothing has opened up yet; and while all our bills are current, we have been unable to save toward the summer. It is going to be a real journey of faith, and I thought perhaps you would be interested in reading about that here.
I am going to try to blog daily, and just let you know what the Lord is doing, and how He is helping us save money, make money stretch and in-a-nutshell, survive 12 weeks without income.
It is important, too, for me to let you know that Doug has been accepted into a research program for the Hallelujah Diet, and we will be eating according to that program for the next 5 months.
So, let's get started!
Week #1 –
- We scaled back the minutes on our cell phone plan and that will save us $20 a month. Also, Doug switched to one of our old cell phones – a non-smart one – and that will save us $30 a month.
- We changed our internet plan from the medium-speed to the slowest speed and that is going to save us around $17 a month
- We found a grocery store closer to home that carries the foods that we usually have to go to Whole Foods to buy. We saved on gas and some products were actually cheaper there.
- I had a jewelry order come in, with the monies going directly to Paypal, and the purchaser actually paid a bit over to cover the fee amount that Paypal charges for money transfers.
We were also given some new stuffed monkeys for Isaac – which he loved! He pulled them out of the bag and started playing with them right away! 🙂
So, week one was a rousing success. We aren't going hungry and all the bills are currently up to date.
My theme verse for our new "diet" and for this summer is Proverbs 13:4 – "The soul of the sluggard desireth and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat."
Seeking the diligent way,
Alesha
Spiritual Smilies
So, I was doing a little Bible study this morning, and came across a Biblical emoticon! A "smilie" in the Bible…how cool is that?!!
My favorite part is that it's a verse about music and musicians!
Do you need a smile today?
Spend some time in the book of Psalms…you might just run across Asaph's name again. He is the writer of some of those "songs".
The beautiful verses of poetry and praise are guaranteed to move you to praises of your own.
I love that God's Word is ever current and always timeless…even when it comes to smilies in the Bible!
Have a great weekend, y'all!
Alesha
A Thought for Today
"For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from
the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my
hands." Nehemiah 6:9
Fear makes us weak.
Faith in God makes us strong.
Nehemiah's job was to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. Satan sent his people to delay, to mock, to frighten and to entrap Nehemiah and his workers.
However, Nehemiah refused to stop, or even slow down, to listen to the enemies of God. They completed the work, despite the interference of Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem.
Our enemy does not want us to be successful in the work of the Lord. He wants to frustrate us and to make us afraid, so that we will not be able to do the task with which the Lord has entrusted us.
Do not be afraid of the cynics, the critics or the prophets of doom.
If God called you, He will equip you.
"So the wall was finished…
And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all
the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were much cast
down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought of
our God." Nehemiah 6:15-16
God's work will be completed; and the world will recognize that it was His power that accomplished the task.
Fear makes us weak.
Faith in God makes us strong.
A Little Reviving
These verses blessed me this morning, so I thought I would share them with you.
Ezra 9:8-9a -
"And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the
LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in
his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little
reviving in our bondage.
For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us…"
What a loving God we have!
I pray you have a wonderful weekend, and are able to spend time in the Lord's house on Sunday. You need to be there. It will help you. Don't allow Satan to keep you away this weekend.
Blessings,
Alesha
Obtaining Mercy 