It’s Friday, time to look back over the blessings of the week
with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story and other friends.
I hope you all are still doing well through our current circumstances. FFF is always a good practice to look for the good things God sprinkles through our days: otherwise we might miss them or easily forget them. Here are a few from my week:
1. My husband going to the store. He’s always willing to go, but I’ve done most of the shopping since he works long hours. I don’t want him to have to take on this task on top of working 8-12 hours a day. But he’s been working from home, and one day he offered to go to the store just to get out of the house and see how things were out there. Then later he said it might be best if just one of us goes out for now, so he has been doing the shopping ever since.
2. Store hours for at-risk people. Many grocery stores are trying to dedicate early morning hours for shoppers in at-risk categories. They can’t really restrict others from coming then, but they appeal to others to set aside this time if possible.
3. Enough supplies so far. Maybe not the brand or size we’d normally get, but we haven’t hurt for anything.
4. Successful new recipe. A few weeks ago I found some cubed steak for $1.93 a pound and got a couple of packages for the freezer. Trying to decide what to do with them, I thought of beef and broccoli, a favorite I sometimes order from Asian restaurants. I tried this recipe for the instant pot, using only half the sugar called for. It was so good, and Jim and Jesse liked it, too.
5. Camouflage scraps. My husband wanted me to make him a face mask, and he specifically wanted it out of camouflage fabric. I wasn’t sure if I had any, but he found a good sized piece in my stash. I was thankful for his sake that I had kept it on hand. I used Laura’s instructions and links. He was pleased. 🙂 He said he’d probably continue to use it after the virus scare for yard work in allergy season.
As a bonus, I was thinking this week of how many things we had done in the couple of weeks before the virus impact started: going on our Biltmore visit, having lunch with a friend, my son getting his cat, even buying Easter basket things. Most of those would not be possible now.
I hope in the midst of changed schedules and new concerns, you’ve seen God’s hand at work as well. What’s one good thing from your week?
Stray Thoughts 
Yeah for a scrap of camouflage fabric!!! I am seeing God’s had EVERY day. I am seeking joy and being filled with gratitude at the small blessings. There are SO many when you actually start to count them.
HAND not had.
I think my husband would love a camouflage mask!! I’ll have to remember that. Thanks for posting the link with instructions also.
Nice that your husband will go to the store, though I personally am glad to get out to the store myself. These days of being home are very nice, but at the same time. . .seeing people keeps me happy also. 🙂 –Ann
I love this list of faves. My husband wants me to make him a face mask, so I will look for some instructions on youtube. I am glad you have enough supplies. Stay safe and well!
We are all working from home now and my team finally figured out google classroom and all that it entails. I miss the students though!
I’m thankful your husband found the material he wanted and that you have all the supplies you need. I’m running very low on TP and am having trouble finding it in our town or the next one over. Am hoping and praying our youngest can bring some home with her from NH on Sunday.
I keep having early morning meetings for work/the classroom so haven’t been able to take advantage of the over 60 shopping times. I need to change that soon!! there IS a perk to being 60!! 🙂
Enjoy the weekend Barbara!!
Your week of blessings was so special this week, Barbara…especially those that involved your husband. One of my blessings from this week would be that our pharmacy has a drive-thru as we needed to pick up a prescription early in the week. The lady working the drive-thru had just used hand sanitizer and also told us that the pen and clipboard used had also just been sanitized.
Oh yes
Oops Oh yes I have seen God’s hand at work. I looked back at the weeks before the isolation started and I see how God prepared my husband and I for this time. We had everything we needed and the few things I got at the store the two time I have gone I could have done with out but I just got them since they were there at the time. The first week I thought I would go crazy but I have finally calmed down and I am enjoying this time. I feel good finally and I plan to get some things done around the house. God is our Shepherd and we have all that we need.
My husband has been doing most of our shopping, too. We’ve limited ourselves to once a week or less, and are getting by just fine. Your beef and broccoli recipe sounds like a good idea. I find my recipes these days are simpler, and it takes the stress out of meal making.
My husband was doing the shopping because I was still working so we’ve ended up with some interesting things and some interesting quantities. LOL. But I’m thankful he was willing. I’m passing that recipe onto my daughter as she is the one with the instapot. Glad to hear you are all doing well.
I feel really grateful that I was raised to be ready — by that, I mean that I’ve always saved money, bought enough to have surplus in the pantry, etc. So, I haven’t really felt personally threatened by all the turmoil too much. For that, I feel really blessed. I am so glad you fit in the Biltmore trip before all this!
HI! Saw your question about claire. No she won’t have to self quarantine because 1. She stayed in NH for her spring break in an off campus apt. If she had come home,to NY she would have had to self quarantine here before going back to classes. But…during spring break the University decided no one was coming back to campus except the international students who stayed and can’t fly home. So classes are online for all kids now. She’s coming home because the dorms officially close Sunday and they have to get all their items out.
2. nH has far less cases of the virus than we do here in NY so she can move around town keeping social distances guidelines of course. She can even do her job on weekends at Starbucks as they’re open for pickup or delivery only.
That’s the very first time that the whole world is involved and we are all locked up ! We finishe our second week of confinment today. As you we are only allowed to go out to buy food or to the pharmacy. And for a little walk always keeping the distance ! Today our prime minister announcd that we will have to be locked in until April 18 !!! I hope i won’t get crazy in the meanwhile. I spend my time with blogging and TV and should do so many things in the house as our house is almost sold and we will move into an apartment. Now I would have the time to declutter, but I have no energy at all. My friends fortunately have the same symptoms so when we talk together on Whatsapp we always tell each other what we should have done and nobody has done anything !
This is certainly a different spring than any of us expected. We have been able to get to the stores and I am thankful for that. We’ve walked every day and were able to put in part of our garden.
Because my fabrics and thread are in storage waiting for our move, my friend will be dropping off material and thread so I can join the team making masks for the area hospitals.
We’re trying to limit our time in the grocery stores. I went myself this week because it had been several days since I’d been out of the house. But Jeff is still having to go into work every day. 😦 I’d feel better if he didn’t have to do that, but it is what it is. He says they’re using all the safety precautions in interactions with other people.
As difficult as this whole situation has been for so many, most of the changes for our family have been very positive. This has put a kibosh on all the driving I’ve recently had to do, which makes my life so much easier, not having to disrupt my routines and the children’s several times a week. Then Daniel started working from home just as I’ve been finding it hard to care for the children physically. My joints and ligaments just aren’t handling the end of pregnancy well so it’s hard for me to lift and carry and go up and down stairs and the like. Mostly Daniel works normal hours in his office in the basement, but he comes up and does the lifting to change diapers and get the kids dressed in the morning and after naptime. I’m so grateful that this all has happened in the springtime too – we all are feeling the extra boost from warmer weather and more sunshine. God has been gracious.