Usually I jot down things to include for FFF throughout the week. Somehow I didn’t this time. As I sit down to write, I’m thinking . . . .what did happen this week? I’m sharing blessings with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story.
1. Feeling much better. Thanks so much for your prayers last week for my sinus and back pain.
2. Sunshine and warmth. We’ve had rain off and on and more is predicted for most of next week. But I am thankful the temperatures are too warm for snow and ice, and we have seen blue skies and sunshine some days. We almost hit 70 on Thursday. I know winter is not over yet, but it’s nice to have a reprieve from bone-chilling cold.
3. More home improvements. Jim finished painting the living room last week and this week did what we call the alcove, the study, or the office. It’s a little extension off the dining area where we keep a couple of desks. I didn’t do “before” and “after” pictures of the other rooms, but thought I’d do so here to give you an idea of how things have been brightening up all over the house.
Before: beige walls, off-white blinds that look old and yellowish.
After: light grey walls, new white blinds, brighter light bulbs.
We’ve been so pleased with the transformation.
My dear husband even cleaned the windows inside and out as well as the window screens.
The only major rooms left are the master bedroom and Jim’s office. After that, there’s stuff like the pantry, laundry room, and closets. We have four closets near the garage door with coats, Timothy’s toys, games, and decorating items. We need to take all of that out to paint and want to go through everything before putting it back in. That will be a chore, but it will be nice to get it done.
4. Mug warmer. One of the kids–Jeremy, I think–bought this for me some time ago. I wanted the cord to go behind the desk, which was going to entail someone scrambling around on the floor to plug it in, since this desk is too massive to scoot. So I put this in the desk until such time as I remembered to ask someone to set it up. Since Jim had to move the desk around while painting, I asked if he could plug this in behind the desk while he had it pulled out. It’s been so nice to keep my decaf coffee warm while I’m at the computer!
5. Dinner at Jason and Mittu’s for the first time since Christmas break. Jesse came, too, and we Face-timed with Jeremy.
Timothy has a thing for tornado sirens, and I am amazed at his knowledge of them. Jim and Jeremy were making one for him for Christmas with their 3-D printers, but a problem getting materials meant they couldn’t get it ready in time. Jim got it finished, and we brought it over last night. It’s nowhere near as loud as the real thing, of course, but I think he enjoyed using it. Plus Jim brought it over in pieces so Timothy could see how it was made and help put it together.
So thankfully, a little reflection brought to mind many highlights of the week. That’s one thing this exercise is so good for.
How was your week?
Stray Thoughts 
I love your little alcove! And the makeover looks so nice. I love how you’re slowly making over so many areas. Our house is now almost 25 years old and very little has been changed. Many areas would look nice with a refresh, I think. So glad you’re feeling better! And I love that about Timothy and sirens. Kids are so much fun with all the knowledge they can gain about things that fascinate them.
Imagine Timothy being fascinated with tornado sirens! I’ve always been fascinated with tornados. As a child, I listened to my grandmother’s stories about tornados. She grew up and taught a one room schoolhouse in Kansas, so she had a few stories to tell.
That’s great that you all were able to get together one evening, even with Jeremy on Face Time. Everyone has had sickness in one form or another so it’s nice to get back to a routine.
I’ve enjoyed our weather as well. It’s nice to see little signs of spring here and there. I just hope that the really cold weather is behind us.
Your alcove room looks so pretty. Jim is moving right along!
Your office is beautiful. Love the brightness! Sounds like you’ve enjoyed a good week. Glad you are feeling better. Have a blessed day! 🙂
The renovations look bright and beautiful! A tornado siren? I’ve never seen one of those. I imagine they are very loud!
The real ones are! This one isn’t so much.
What a beautiful and improved transformation of your office area! I love the white light with the grey walls. So pretty!
Having a husband willign to spend the time and money on home improvement projects is a true blessing Can some of that rub off on mine?? 🙂
it’s lightly snowing here as I read your blog. We are definitely still in the long grey days of winter with frigid winds and icy roads here. Only 3 inches of white stuff down here in eastern NY but COLD!!
Enjoy the weekend.
Oh, I’m so pleased you’re feeling better. The respite from snow and really cold weather must help.
That alcove change is pretty dramatic! Jim is making quite the circuit through the house.
How nice to have your desk all perfectly situated. Roomie got one of those yeti cups (a smaller one, about 10oz) and absolutely loves that it keeps things hot, even without the lid on.
It’s amazing how a whole week goes by and, unless we make notes, seems such a blur. Glad you could recall some blessings and have this venue to share.
Jim was gifted a Yeti tumbler that he really likes. For some reason, I don’t really like drinking out of insulted cups–not sure why.
So many weeks are a blur. I’m glad FFF helps me pause and remember what’s gone one.
Your office looks lovely, Barbara! It’s amazing what a difference new paint makes, isn’t it? And I had no idea there was such a thing as a mug warmer. I could use one of those too. 🙂 Have a good weekend.
I have an Amazon gift card, and I am thinking about getting another mug warmer for the living room. 🙂
What a wonderful week you have had! I love the transformation of the alcove! It doesn’t even look like the same room, except for the desk and chair. Jim has really been busy this winter with the painting, and you’ve been busy right along with him in doing up curtains and such. Carroll just finished up our bathroom project he’s been working on all week. I still have a few things to do where our new cabinet is concerned, but I did get the linen closet cleaned out and everything reorganized and put back this afternoon, along with underneath the bathroom sink. It’s such a pleasure to walk in that room now.
What a thoughtful gift for Timothy. I’m sure he enjoyed seeing how it was put together.
I’m so glad Jim is willing and able to do these things, even going above and beyond what’s called for. Plus little things are getting done along the way. One picture on the wall above our bed was off-center because we moved the bed when we added a chair to the room some time ago. I couldn’t rehang it because my balance issues wouldn’t let me stand on the bed to do it. He painted our room this week, and was able to move the picture while the bed was out of the way. And he vacuumed underneath the bed–it’s amazing how much dust was caked under there!
Your alcove looks so much brighter. Just a coat of paint and new blinds and bulbs made a huge difference. That mug warmer! What a great idea. I hope your weather stays warm-ish. I think we are all excitedly awaiting spring.
Your alcove looks so much brighter. Just a coat of paint and new blinds and bulbs made a huge difference. That mug warmer! What a great idea. I hope your weather stays warm-ish. I think we are all excitedly awaiting spring.
My previous comment disappeared on me so hopefully this one will work. Glad you’re feeling better. Your office area looks lovely. I could use one of those mug warmers – my tea is often left to go cold! Enjoy the rest of the weekend.
LOVE the light gray paint, its looks wonderful!
I love the transformation in the room. Amazing what color does. So interesting that Timothy is into tornado sirens. And how fun that the guys were able to build one with a 3D printer.