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’m trying not to start every single FFF with a comment about how fast the week went…but, man, it sure seems like September flew by quickly! For now, I get a few moments to slow down time by reflecting on the best parts of the last week:

1. Lunch with a friend at her house. Great food and fellowship. 🙂

2. Meals out or brought in. My daughter-in-law recently said that eating out is her love language, and I feel much the same way. Somehow I ended up not cooking for three days in a row.

3. Quick, simple meals. I’m thankful my family is content with just soup and sandwiches when I have had a busy day and am late getting to meal preparation.  And! Soup! Though we have it year round, it’s especially nice in the fall and winter.

4. Fall decorations. No picture, since it is pretty much the same every year. I’m feeling more ready for fall now that they’re up.

5. Flourless Applesauce Spice Cake. Wonderful stuff even if you don’t need to go flourless.

Happy Friday!

It’s Friday, time to look back over the blessings of the week with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story and other friends.

OK, I will finally use the fall FFF button, since fall officially starts this weekend, even though it doesn’t feel like fall yet. 🙂 I sure am looking forward to cool breezes, hopefully soon.

Here are some of the best parts of last week:

1. Jesse’s birthday. We love birthdays around here.  🙂

2. Choco-Peanut Butter Dreams. Awkward name, but great taste! They’re not specifically associated with fall, but that’s when I crave them.

3. Better weather than the forecast. We were supposed to have a couple of days of heavy rain from Hurricane Florence, with flash flood warnings and predictions of power outages. Thankfully none of that occurred. We did get some rain one day, but it was not at all heavy.

I just got an email this morning from a missionary helping with relief efforts on the NC coast. He said Florence has all but dropped from the news, but the devastation it left on the coast is still an issue.

4. Finding an errand done. We use milk for almost all of my mother-in-law’s meals to make her pureed food the right consistency, and we ran out one morning after breakfast. I was originally planning to go to the store the next day, but since I needed to get milk, I was debating whether to get my whole grocery list or just get milk. I decided on the latter, and when I told my husband what I was about to do, he said he had already gotten milk while I was in the shower. So nice to find that taken care of!

5. Clearing out files and baskets. I have a basket on my desk and on the kitchen counter for receipts, mail I need to answer, things I need to think about and take care of later, etc. Naturally those get full occasionally, leading me to go through them. I also cleared out a couple of paperwork files. None were very big or time-consuming jobs, but they needed to get done, and that kind of work is very satisfying sometimes.

Happy Friday!

It’s Friday, time to look back over the blessings of the week with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story and other friends.

It’s been a busy week! Here are some of the best parts:

1. Labor Day. It was nice to have a Monday off and an excuse for grilled burgers with the usual accompaniments. Jason, Mittu, and Timothy had not been feeling well for nearly a week, but were able to come over that evening.

2. Getting my physical over with. Not something I look forward to, but it’s nice to get it over with for another year. No major issues this time, thankfully. And I even had some good news: My cholesterol numbers were much improved from last time. The only major change I made was switching to oatmeal and whole wheat toast for breakfast most mornings (as opposed to the bacon and egg sandwiches I used to have…).

3. Successful blood draws and nurses who pray over them. My veins don’t like to give up their contents. It usually takes a few attempts for a nurse to draw blood from them. This time, just before the third try, the nurse prayed, “Lord Jesus, help us,” and when the blood finally flowed, she said, “Thank you, Jesus.”

4. Finally getting a haircut. The stylist I like only works two days a week because she has young children and wants to be with them rather than working full time. I support and applaud that, and I really like her personally. But sometimes it’s hard to get in on the days she’s there. Our schedules came together this week, though, and I feel less shaggy. 🙂

5. Getting a number of little things done: getting a package to the post office, making a couple of deliveries, clearing accumulated clutter off a counter, and doing some rearranging in the pantry. I had requested for my birthday these plastic baskets with handles. They hold some of the small, loose items in the pantry, and the handle makes it easier to pull them out to get what I need.

Bonus: Jason sent me this photo of Timothy “having a meeting.” His daddy works from home, so he’s seen plenty of such meetings. 🙂

Happy Friday!

It’s Friday, time to look back over the blessings of the week with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story and other friends.

It’s been a good week! I rested the first part of it, after having all the family here the week before, then caught up on laundry and such, then transitioned back into a regular week. Here are some of the highlights:

1. A day at the park. Saturday was the only day everyone had off, and among all the possibilities of what we could do, we chose a picnic lunch at a park. Granddad and Timothy got to fly kites for a bit, and the other boys tried out Jim’s drone. Then we went to the playground area –  a very nice one!

2. A playdate with Timothy. That’s what his parents call it when we babysit. 🙂 All the kids went to a restaurant. A few times Timothy mentioned missing them, but one time he said, “I like spending time with you and Granddad, too!” ♥

3. A fun Sunday. Jeremy’s flight left, unfortunately, right in the middle of church time. We weren’t inclined to drop him off way early or have only one of us take him while everyone else went to church, so all of us but Jesse went to the airport. Saying good-bye was not fun. But afterward we went to a nearby coffee shop thinking Timothy would be able to watch planes come in and out for a while. We ended up not seeing any planes at that point. But it was a pleasant day to sit outside. Plus Jeremy texted pictures of his progress in the airport for Timothy (and us) to see: displays in the airport, the coffee shop he visited, the walkway to the airplane, the inside of it, the outside when they exited on the tarmac at his layover, etc. That was fun for all of us to share. We kept track of when his plane was taxiing and did get to see it take off in the distance. Then, Mittu had noticed a Mexican food restaurant nearby, so we decided to go get lunch. The restaurant turned out to be not so good (food on the floor, torn seating, cold food, unfriendly waitress). But Timothy enjoyed the colorfulness, and we did get to see several planes coming in for a landing. I spent the rest of Sunday alternating between sleeping and reading, with a brief interruption to heat some leftovers for dinner.

4. Phone fans. Where have these been all my life?! Jason and Mittu put a couple in the pinata we had for Jeremy’s birthday. I think she said she found them at a dollar store. You just plug them in and they come on – no apps, no on and off signal.

5. Brownies with a dollop on peanut butter on top. Mmmmm.

Happy Friday!

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 was so sorry to have missed last week! With preparations for a church baby shower, two family birthdays, and a visit from my out-of-town son, I just didn’t have time to sit down and compose a post then. But I am glad to be back now with a full week and heart. Here are some of the best parts:

1. My son’s visit. He’s here for a little over a week!

2. My son’s birthday. He wasn’t here on his actual birthday, but we celebrated a few days late.

We had a grilled hamburger feast, and Timothy wanted to do a pinata. I thought it would fall apart with one whack, but it took a while to break through! Jason and Mittu had filled it with a little candy but also some little fun things like small bubble solutions, little finger lights, etc.

2. My birthday! It was nice to have the family all together for it. We usually can’t go out to eat dinner due to Jim’s mom needing someone with her, but we asked her daytime caregiver to come back that evening. We went to one of my favorite restaurants right on a lake. The view was gorgeous and the food was great. It seems like every time we go to a restaurant lately, something is wrong with someone’s order, but this time everything came out right.

My daughter-in-law made my lovely cake!

3. Family time. I always enjoy having everyone together to talk, play games, or just hang out. Besides my oldest son being here, my husband took the week off, and Jason and Jesse took a day or two off as well. We didn’t have any “big” outings this week, but we’re looking forward to a picnic this weekend.

4. A rediscovered lamp. My sewing room has never had enough light, even when I open the blinds and turn on two lamps and the closet light. But it’s better in the afternoons when the sun is on that side of the house and more light comes in the window. One day last week, however, I needed to work in there in the morning and was frustrated over the lack of light. I remembered that my husband had gotten me a lamp for my work table a long time ago, but I had not put it out because there wasn’t a place for it. But I got it out and tried it. Even though there is still not a good place for it, it helped so much having light right where I needed it. I found out the lamp has three settings, too, so I can adjust it just right.

5. A ceiling fan for my bedroom. I have wanted one for a long time and finally got one for my birthday.

Happy Friday!

It’s Friday, time to look back over the blessings of the week with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story and other friends.

Funny how this week seems to have gone fast in some ways, slow in others. Here are my favorite parts.

1. Sunday lunch out with the family. Somehow we were all out of church and in the same vicinity at the same time, so we texted and met for lunch.

2. Lunch with my friend Melanie. We hadn’t been able to get together for a while. so it was nice to catch up. Plus we ate at Cracker Barrel, one of my favorite places. Plus I took home a slice of their Chocolate Coca-Cola cake, which is always scrumptious. Plus Melanie gifted me with a pretty teacup, as she is downsizing her collection.

3. A not so bad week. That might sound odd. 🙂 Jim was gone from Monday through Thursday this week, longer than he usually travels. He tries to keep it to a day or two, but it couldn’t be helped. I sometimes get a little down or depressed in regard to having all of his mom’s care on my shoulders for even a night, so I was afraid I was going to be a basket case before the week was over. But I prayed about it at the beginning of the week, tried to just take it a day at a time, and here we are nearly at the end. As I write this on Thursday, he is on his way after being delayed due to storms. (Update: he got home a few hours later than planned, but safely.) Jason and Mittu brought dinner over one night and then cleaned up the kitchen while I fed Jim’s mom, and that was a big help.

4. Cutting back sweet treats. I have been telling myself that I needed to cut back on sweets to at least once a day, but I keep not doing it. Then this week I was reading a book about someone changing their lifestyle and routine to a healthier version, and she mentioned she only had sweets a couple of times a week. I thought, “I should probably do that.” And, only by God’s grace, I have! I’m astounded, especially after struggling so long with the idea of cutting back at all. And though I occasionally crave my Hershey’s miniatures or other treats, once I ignore the craving and go on to do other things, I am not bothered by it any more. I still drink my glass of decaf sweet tea with lunch, but everything else I drink is sugarless. It’s only been a few days, but I’ve lost five pounds already! Though there are other measures I need to take in addition, this was a big one. To God be the Glory!

5. Two anniversaries. My son and daughter-in-law celebrated their anniversary this week! And it was eight years ago today we moved to TN. That was a year of many big changes, but God was good and faithful through them all.

Happy Friday!

It’s Friday, time to look back over the blessings of the week with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story and other friends.

The first of August always seem like the beginning of summer’s end, even though technically summer lasts well into September. We still probably have the hottest part of year to go through. But schools start here next week! Here are some highlights of the last week:

1. Replacement parts. With pureeing my mother-in-law’s meals for the last five years, we have worn out a lot of hand blenders and their parts. These were the last couple of cups we had, cracking in places. Thankfully we’ve found sources online for those and a few other items. It’s nice to use bright, shiny clear ones and not worry about whether they’ll hold up.

2. Lunch with my son, daughter-in-law, and grandson. They invited us over last Saturday – always a treat.

3. Voting. Oh, the process of voting, and even sometimes the process of choosing candidates, is not all that fun, but I am thankful for the privilege. And I was especially thankful my husband was able to go with me this time, as we discovered upon arriving at the polling place that voting was not where it usually was. It was quite a hike to get to the right place, but the whole process was not as disconcerting with him with me.

4. Medical care at home. My mother-in-law is under hospice care, and part of that service is sending a nurse out once a week and a doctor out every couple of months. Even though she doesn’t have any major issues just now, it’s nice that someone is accessible to ask questions of, to check on her, and to prescribe anything she needs.

5. Timothyisms. My son and daughter-in-law send me texts of the cute or funny things my grandson says. One day he was playing doctor with his mom, and left and then came back with his play saw. He assured her, “It’s ok Mommy! I put a bandaid on it when I’m done.” Then yesterday my daughter-in-law sent me this conversation:

“Timothy, we’re going to go vote today.”

T: “We are getting a boat?!”

“No, we are going to vote.”

T: “We are going fishing in a boat?”

“No, voting is when we pick who helps America.”

T: “Fishing helps America too.”

Happy Friday!

It’s Friday, time to look back over the blessings of the week with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story and other friends.

It’s the last Friday of July! A good time to stop and reflect on the last week. Here are some of the highlights:

1. Under-cabinet lights. I had received these as a gift for Mother’s Day, but we just got them installed last weekend. As easy as they were, I probably could have installed them myself! But I didn’t know that beforehand. Thanks to my husband for putting them up for me. It’s nice to have light on the counters that were previously in the shadows.

2. Reduced price on a desired purchase. When we moved into this house, I purchased some pink toile towels from Target for the master bathroom. The bath towels are still in good shape, but the washcloths are long gone, and the hand towels are getting raggedy. It’s hard to find bath items in a regular old light pink. Decorating pinks either look like bubble gum or have gone from reddish to peachy, and now they have something called blush, which looks like a pinkish beige to me. I haven’t been able to find hand towels with the shade of pink I want in any design. On a recent Internet search, I found some toile ones that looked just like my originals! But they were about twice the price I wanted to pay. They were a “Buy It Now” purchase rather than an auction. I watched them for a few days to see if the seller would drop the price. She didn’t, so I sent her a note to ask if she’d accept a lower price. If she’d take one price I proposed, I’d take two of the towels: if she’d take an even lower price I offered, I’d take all three. She accepted the lowest price! I’m not usually a bargainer, but since I couldn’t find anything like these anywhere else, I ventured forth – and I am glad I did.

3. An uneventful cardiologist’s visit. I had a follow-up visit from last year’s ablation surgery for atrial fibrillation. Everything was routine, and I don’t have to go back for a year unless problems come up. If everything is still okay at that time, I’ll be released from his care back to my primary care doctor. I still have some flutters and palpitations, but they last for just seconds instead of hours, and he said I’d probably always have them.

4. A morning outing. The day of the doctor visit, I was chafing at having to get up early and drive so far for the appointment. But afterward I stopped by Joann’s and used some gift cards, then got take-out lunch at Cracker Barrel, along with my favorite Coca-Cola Cake. So it turned out to be a pleasant morning.

5. Bluetooth headphones or earpieces. This was another gift from a while back that we just got set up. It will be nice to listen to an audiobook or music that way without the long dangly cords from my previous headphones.

Happy Friday!

It’s Friday, time to look back over the blessings of the week with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story and other friends.

And just like that, another week is in the books. They seem to fly faster all the time. It’s nice to pause for a moment and reflect on some of the highlights so we don’t forget them and we remember to thank God for them.

1. A library book sale. I stopped into our local library to pick up a particular book and saw, in a side room off the lobby, a sign for a used book sale. You could fill up a grocery bag with books for $5. So I did!

2. Jason’s birthday. We celebrated my middle son’s birthday this week. Fun!

3. Online grocery shopping. I think I have mentioned this before, but I’ve only done it two or three times. I may make it a regular habit, though. It saves time, stress, and money (money because I don’t impulse-shop that way).

4. Productive days. I tend to think a day is productive when I get done what I wanted to do that day. But the truth is that most days are productive in one way or another even if what I spent time on wasn’t on my to-do list that day. It’s not like I’m watching hours of TV and eating bonbons on “non-productive” days. Still, it’s a good feeling when I can make a good dent in a project I’ve been wanting to get to, and I had one of those this week.

5. Timothy and the leaf-blower. Timothy (my grandson, age 4) uses a couple of items around the house as pretend leaf-blowers, and makes the motor sound while he uses them. Last week Granddad let Timothy use the real leaf-blower. Then Granddad told Timothy he was coming to his house Saturday to do some yard work, and he’d bring the leaf-blower. Timothy got up early in the morning to wait for Granddad. Granddad let Timothy blow the debris off the porch and sidewalk, and paid him $2! Quite a day! 🙂

Happy Friday!

It’s Friday, time to look back over the blessings of the week with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story and other friends.

Last Friday I had an overflow: this Friday requires a little more thought and searching. But that’s why FFF is such a good exercise.

1. Ladies Life Group, our church ladies’ group meeting, occurs every other month. We had our July meeting over the weekend. I had missed out on ladies’ Bible studies for years because they were held at times I couldn’t come, and I have so enjoyed participating with these dear ladies.

2. Relief. I’ve spent most of this week with a low-grade headache. It wasn’t constant or debilitating, but it left me feeling definitely below par. It’s been gradually lessening and as of this writing, I feel almost normal again.

3. Timothy’s imagination. My four-year-old grandson wanted to dress in his Cat Boy costume (a character from the PJ Masks TV show) when his family came over, and he had it all worked out in his mind how it would go: Granddad would say, “Cat Boy! Where’s Timothy?” It played out pretty much like he imagined it! Such fun, and a delight to me.

4. Fresh-cut grass makes me sneezy, but I love the way it looks.

5. New growth. We planted two crepe myrtles…was it two years ago? One flourished and is probably eight feet tall. The other, right in front of the house, put out leaves and grew a little, but just wasn’t faring well. Actually, nothing we have planted in that spot has thrived. But just today (Thursday), I noticed flowers on it! And it has grown a lot since spring. So maybe there’s hope for it after all.

Happy Friday!