Another busy week has passed – I’m going to need a break from summer break. 🙂 But I appreciate having the opportunity each Friday to stop and think about the best parts of the week. Without Friday’s Fave Five I might let those blessings sail by without as much thought and thanks as they should generate, and I might forget to look for them in the weeks that are more problematic or heavy. Thanks once again, Susanne, for hosting this!
So here are some of the highlights from this week:
1. Mexican food. We hadn’t had any in a while – out, that is. There are a few dishes I make, but chimichangas aren’t one of my specialties, and that’s what I love to get when we eat at a Mexican food place.
2. My favorite All Meat pizza. There is a little local pizza place that Jesse and I love but my husband doesn’t care for. One night when Jim had an evening meeting, Jesse and I got a pizza from this place. Always nice to have a night “off” from cooking, especially unexpectedly on a week day, and this is one of my favorite things to have on that occasion.
3. Picking up my latest stitching project again. I had laid it aside….oh, I think maybe during Christmastime, and it has been such a busy year since that I just haven’t been inclined to get back into it. But for some reason I was inspired to this week, and once I get going I feel driven to keep at it. Here’s what I have so far:
4. A successful outreach cookout. Our church has been breaking up into small groups on Sunday nights to go through Tim Keller’s Gospel in Life series. Part of the emphasis is that the gospel isn’t just for salvation, but it is supposed to affect every area of life, and part of the emphasis is on community. The cookout was partly for members to get to know each other better but mainly for an opportunity to invite visitors. Rain was forecasted but thankfully did not appear, and the lake view next to the pavilion where we were was beautiful. There was a good ratio of visitors to church folks: if everyone had brought visitors, we each would likely have been taken up with our own visitors, without as much opportunity to interact with each other. As it turned out we sat across from a couple who were neighbors of one of our group and had a thoroughly enjoyable time chatting. I have to admit as an introvert that this kind of thing is intimidating to me, and I was feeling overwhelmed when I first came and saw a lot of people, in particular a lot of people I didn’t know (our “small” group is one of the biggest), but thankfully God gave grace and it went very well.
5. Your warm and thoughtful comments on my post about bringing Grandma home.
Stay tuned over the next couple of weeks for a giveaway to celebrate my 3,000th post and upcoming 7th blog anniversary. I’m not sure what I will do for it yet, but I’m pondering!
Friday’s Fave Five is hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story, who invites us to share five of our favorite things from the last week. It’s 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.
Stray Thoughts 
Happy Friday to you!
Your cross-stitching project looks like it is coming along great. I hope you’ll post progress pictures. I dislike cross-stitching myself but I am fascinated by the projects of others and I always like seeing how it all comes together. (My mother was/is a big cross-stitcher.)
Now off to catch up on other posts. 🙂
Nice week for you.
Love your cross-stitching project.
ENJOY your weekend.
Elizabeth
Silver’s Reviews
My Blog
I love your stitching project.
Love your stitching project. I went back and read your post about bringing Grandma home. I’ll be praying for you, Barb. We had home health aides when Andrew was recovering, and it was an adjustment, but after a few tough experiences, the Lord provided us with just the right ones.
Hope you have a blessed week ahead, Barb.
I haven’t cross stitched in forever! I used to really love it but then between small children and working full time it got put to the back of the closet. Now I think my eyesight and carpel tunnel would hinder me greatly. But I can bring myself to get rid of the 1/4 finished project.
Pizza and Mexican food all in one week? It truly has been a blessed week. I love both of those foods.
Oh I really like your cross stich project! Yay for Mexican food….I don’t eat it much anymore but I love it! I’m like you..kind of an introvert when it comes to things with people I don’t know we’ll. glad it turned out nicely for you! Enjoy the weekend!
Looking at your embroidery project almost makes me want to dig out a long-neglected project. Almost. It sure will be lovely when finished.
That is a huge change with your Mother-in-law coming home. And a beautiful one too. I will be praying that the details and personnel work out well.
3,000 posts? Wow!!! I have to say I have been blessed by your posts, Barbara.
I love that embroidery poject! Will it hang in your house or do you plan to give it away?
I just went over and read your post about bringing grandma home. It reminds me in many ways of the situations and choices we had to make with my father. He was always mentally aware and with a wheelchair he was ambulatory, but the issue of care was the same. We made sure we visited at different times of the day and night and observed what was going on. That also improves the care of other residents. Most aides and nurses are loving and caring but as you say, the care is only as good as the weakest member of the team.
Hurray for some unexpected non-cooking nights. There’s a new-ish local Vietnamese restaurant and I love going there when time is limited or the kitchen just got a really deep clean roomie and I want it to last a day or two 😉
So glad you made it through a challenging event for you — and that you even got to meet some visitors. Sounds like a great series. I haven’t read Tim Keller on this topic, but have really loved his series through Proverbs.
Your comments on restaurants reminds me that we need more variety in our dining out experiences. We are going to try and get out for a meal during the week and I’m thinking we should go to Casa Blanca.
Mama Bear
Have fun with your stitching project! Reading your Fave Five always make me feel blessed and happy.