Welcome to Friday’s Fave Five, hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story, in which we can share five of our favorite things from the last week, a wonderful exercise in looking for and appreciating the good things God blesses us with. Click on the button to learn more, then go to Susanne’s to read others’ faves and link up your own.

It’s been something of a mixed week, but here are some of the high points of it:

1. A new disk drive. My computer has been putting up little warning notices about not having enough disk space, and I’ve been deleting old files and photos I no longer need, but with continually adding photos and new stuff, I needed more space. Jeremy (oldest son who lives out of state) got me an new bigger disk drive for my birthday, but there hadn’t been time to install it til last weekend. Jim was on the phone with Jeremy through the process, and at one point the computer died completely. Jim had to replace a part (I forget its name, but it looked like a metal box with bunches of wires coming out of it), but finally it all came together, everything is working great, and I can breathe easier.

2. The TN Valley State Fair made for a nice family outing. I don’t think I enjoyed it quite as much as last year — maybe it was due to the newness of it last year, and/or the fact that it was cooler and less crowded then. But it was still a fun time, and the thing I most looked forward to was sharing a funnel cake with Jim. There is a local restaurant that sells them, but they are just not the same outside of a fair context.

3. Antibiotics and early detection. Wednesday morning I discovered a 2 1/2″ patch of redness on one foot, the one where I have had cellulitis a few times before. It looked like it might be that again. Last time I wasn’t sure, hemmed and hawed and waited til we finally ended up having to go to the ER near midnight. I didn’t want to repeat that process, so I went in to the doctor’s office to see about it that afternoon. My doctor was away, but the nurse practitioner prescribed antibiotics, told me to keep my foot elevated, and gave me instructions to come back if it got worse. It was worse that night, but then much better the next morning, and the redness is mostly gone now, whereas last time I was out of commission most of the week. So going in early, even if I am not sure, is much better than waiting on this type of thing.

4. Ebay finds. I’m not much of an Ebay shopper. If I looked around there much I’d be too tempted to buy things. But I found some Pfaltzgraff Tea Roses glasses that match mine that were no longer available on the Pfaltzgraff site (they have a newer design that’s fussier that I don’t like), and I also found some napkins to match my dishes.

5. A new printer. Ours has been having assorted problems for some time now. Jim just got a new one last night and hasn’t had a chance to install it yet, but I am excited about it, especially that it has a wireless feature so we can print directly from iPhones or tablets.

More “everyday” blessings come to mind — good books, comfy bed, climate control, time with family, technology, Facetiming with Jeremy, and many more. The everyday “manna” is no less special than the bigger events of the week, and when I stop to really think of it, I have so much to be thankful for, so many more good things than bad things, and even the assurance that God has a purpose in the “bad” things, that I really should be happy and positive and upbeat and thankful all the time. 🙂