We’re not only nearing the end of the week, but also the end of the month. I’m not eager to transition to summer: I’d like for spring to stretch out a bit more. I know summer doesn’t officially start until June 20, but I always think of summer being from June through August. But we don’t really have a choice about how long a season is. We can only take a day at a time and pause along the way to take notice of the blessings God bestows on us. I’m doing that today with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story.

1. End-of-school-year party. Timothy completed fifth grade, so we got together to celebrate with Mexican bowls (seasoned chicken, Mexican rice, and toppings) and banana cream pie (all made by Mittu).

2. Memorial Day. I am thankful for those who fought and died for our country.

3. A long weekend. We had the kids over for my husband’s scrumptious grilled sou vide burgers along with the usual cookout accoutrements.

4. An $8.99 coupon for a haircut, which I used this week.

5. Dinner outing. When I came back from my haircut, it was nearly dinner time. We talked about whether to bring something in, but then decided to go out to Texas Roadhouse. Everything was great. Then we went to get the rest of the plants we needed to finish out our planters and flower beds. We could see storm clouds on the horizon, which I assume were responsible for the delicious cool breeze as we looked at plants. We got home well before the rain. It was a pleasant evening overall.

How was your week?

On Fridays, some of us pause the busyness to think back through the ways God has blessed us this week. Please feel free to join in with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story.

1. Birdbath and fountain. One of my Mother’s Day gifts was a birdbath and solar fountain. Jim was able to set them up this week.

I wanted one that was resin (plastic) rather than metal so it hopefully won’t get too hot. I don’t know if the birds will be interested in the fountain, but we figure it might help algae not develop. So far the birds haven’t shown any interest in it. But I hope they will soon!

2. A celebration of life service for a man in our church. It might sound odd to list this as a favorite–we grieve with the family, especially his wife. But I always enjoy hearing the overview of a person’s life as well as testimonies of his faithfulness and character. His brother spoke, and their testimonies were intertwined. I hadn’t heard them before and marveled at how God worked to bring them to Himself.

3. Impromptu lunch with Jason, Mittu, and Timothy on Saturday at Kern’s Food Hall. Jim and Mittu got Indian food; Jason got a burger and fries; Timothy and I got pizza.

4. Church-wide lunch Sunday. It was nice to have lunch taken care of and visit with people while eating. They had chili along with chips, vegetables, and cheese. The kids were manning the serving tables, and Timothy’s job was to keep the chip bowls refilled. 🙂

5. Bird visitors. As I went to the sink yesterday, I saw a little bird perched on the windowsill.

He was there quite a while–maybe an hour or more. Finally, his mom or dad brought him something to eat. Jim got this photo:

We think the baby either fell or was blown out of the nest a little too early or was trying to fly and got waylaid by the wind. It was fun to watch them while they were so close by.

And that wraps up another week! How was yours?

Well, it’s been a week! It’s good to pause amidst the busyness and reflect on the blessings God sprinkles throughout our days. We share some of those blessings each week with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story.

1. Safety in a medium earthquake. Saturday morning around 9, I was sitting at my desk when I heard a rumbling sound. As I tried to figure out what it was, the house started shaking and I heard a loud crack somewhere. Then everything went still, though the rumble took a while to fade out. Immediately, Facebook and other neighborhood forums were filled with posts asking, “Was that an earthquake?” It was! A 4.1 magnitude centered about 30 miles from us. I looked up some information afterward and found that damage doesn’t usually occur until an earthquake is 5.5 and above. And I hope I am never in one stronger than this one! It was very disconcerting, but I am glad no major damage was reported.

2. Mother’s Day breakfast. Saturday night, Jason and Timothy brought over a breakfast Mittu had made for us to warm up for Sunday Mother’s Day breakfast: quiche, potatoes, mangoes, and banana bread. It was good! And I was able to sleep a little longer since all I had to do was warm things up.

3. Mother’s Day. My family always goes above and beyond to make Mother’s Day special. Jim grilled burgers and turkey sausage. Mittu made what I call Four-Layer Dessert (like this recipe except we make a graham cracker crust), but she calls Chocolate Lasagna. It’s good by any name!

I received cards and flowers and treats and thoughtful gifts.

And a Crumbl cookie. 🙂

4. Dishwasher duty. I think Jim and the boys took care of the dishes Sunday, though Mittu may have as well (I remember hearing Jim ask, “Why is Mittu working? 🙂 ). But Monday morning, when I got up, Jim was unloading the packed dishwasher and dish drainer as well.

5. Phone call with a friend recuperating from an accident a few weeks ago. It was good to hear her voice and learn directly how she was doing.

I hope you had a great week!

It’s been a busy, up-and-down kind of week. It’s easy to get stuck in doldrums over the “down” parts, so it helps to remind ourselves of the good parts–which we do every Friday with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story.

1. Ladies’ Luncheon at church. We had a couple of sessions before and after with the theme of telling our stories of God’s work in our lives.

2. A mistake is often not good, but this time it was. We got a weird email, supposedly from our insurance company. But we brushed it off as a scam attempt. The next day we got an email from them thanking us for our conversation that day, with an attachment of an insurance policy. We began to be concerned about identity theft. After some research and phone calls, we discovered the agent had used the wrong email.

3. Valet parking and finding our way. I had an appointment at UT Medical Center this week, which is a huge, confusing complex. Jim offered to drive me and drop me off at the right building while he parked. But we discovered they had valet parking for only $2 more than the parking garage charge would be. Then we had to go in one building to get to another building and felt a bit like rats in a maze, but we found our way in and out without any problems. I’m quite directionally challenged, so I appreciated that Jim drove and then went with me to find the right place.

4. Spring flowers. Jim was looking around the garden section of Home Depot and found some plants marked down. He decided to get several for the planters around the house, thinking that if I didn’t like any of them, he could plant them somewhere else. But I liked them all!

5. Real ID appointment set up. I was concerned that I might not get an appointment before my driver’s license expired–the web site said most appointments are made 90 days out. But, thankfully, I was able to set it in time. I dug up all the appropriate paperwork, so all I have to do with it now is wait for the appointment.

How was your week?

It’s the first Friday of May! I’m joining Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story to cultivate gratitude by pausing to remember the good things of the week.

1. Puttering. I sent much of Saturday afternoon getting some none-computer-related stuff done that usually keeps getting transferred from one to-do list to another–stuff that’s minor, but still needs to be done.

2. Mammogram done. I’d had to reschedule a time or two, so it was nice to finally get it behind me. I was told that the “nodule was stable”–but no one had mentioned a nodule before! Evidently there is one, but they don’t think it’s a problem and it hasn’t grown.

3. Hobby Lobby excursion. While I was out for the mammogram, I stopped by Hobby Lobby for a couple of things. It’s almost like a field trip or day at the park for me. 🙂 Plus, my family keeps me stocked with Hobby Lobby gift cards, so I was able to get a few things I might not have otherwise.

4. Bible study wrap-up. Our ladies’ Bible study group finished our look at Hebrews last week, and this week we had finger foods, played a fun game, and discussed what we’d learned. The game involved writing down something others wouldn’t know about us on a piece of paper, folding it up, putting it in a basket, then passing the basket around to choose a paper (not our own). Then we guessed which paper belonged to which person. Some of the entries involved snorkeling (not the person any of us guessed!), moving eleven times, a fun encounter with actor Chevy Chase, and working on a NASA project.

5. Hearing from recovering friends that they are doing well. One was in an accident and the other had surgery. They still have a way to go, but they’re home and progressing well.

How was your week?

Wow, it’s hard to believe this is the last Friday of April already. I think spring has finally settled in for the duration. The dogwoods exchanged their blossoms for leaves, but it was pretty to watch the trees raining pink petals for a few days.

It’s time for a weekly recounting of blessings with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story. Through highs and lows, good times or bad, there are always things to be grateful for.

1. Easter Sunday church service. We had more songs than usual, plus different individuals read parts of the gospel accounts of Jesus death and resurrection. Very moving.

2. Easter celebration with the family. To accommodate Jesse’s third shift work and sleep schedule, we got together for Easter dinner rather than lunch. That actually worked out nicely. We had the usual favorites–ham and cheesy potatoes and salad, along with “resurrection rolls.” Mittu made a chocolate mousse cake. And Jim conducted the Easter egg hunt for the guys with cash-filled eggs. 🙂

3. Our own Easter baskets. I don’t make Easter baskets for Jim or myself, though I do keep back some candy for us. This year, Jason and Mittu made one for us! Well, for me. They got Jim an off-brand Lego-type set of a camper van.

My basket–or bucket:

4. Surprise lunch. Since my kids were old enough to make a sandwich or run the microwave, I have not usually cooked on Sunday evenings. We each fend for ourselves with leftovers or whatever we want to eat individually. But since we were having our big meal at dinnertime Easter Sunday, Jason and Mittu made a heat-and-eat Sunday lunch for us and brought it over Saturday night. That was so thoughtful and helpful.

5. Thinking alike. Jim ran a time-sensitive early-morning errand for me on Monday. On his way back, I texted, “Chick-Fil-A biscuit?” He texted back, “Already got it.” 🙂

That’s our week–how was yours?

After a rainy weekend, we’ve had a gorgeous spring week. The dogwoods I mentioned last week are still holding onto their blooms. I think that must be a record.

I’m joining with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story to remember the blessings of the week.

1. Guys’ camping trip. Jim, Jason, and Timothy were eager to try out Granddad’s new camper, so they spent Thursday afternoon through Saturday morning at Douglas Dam. The forecast called for rain much of that time, but Timothy still wanted to go. I sent games and a couple of early birthday presents in case they were cooped up inside. As it turned out, it only rained Thursday evening. Jason sent a picture of a gorgeous rainbow after the storm.

I usually drive out one evening when they are camping to join them for dinner and visit a while. I had a lot to do, so I asked Jim if he would be offended if I didn’t come, and he said no. I regretted it just a little when I saw how pretty their campsite was.

But, although I love my people, I also enjoy some time to myself sometimes. And I got a lot done.

2. Timothy’s eleventh birthday.

3. A light cooking week. With Jim gone, I treated myself to take-out and delivery Thursday and Friday. Then we got Panda Express Saturday night, had its leftovers for Sunday lunch, and ate dinner with Timothy and his family on his birthday.

4. Azalea in bloom. We planted this little azalea bush years ago, but for some reason, it has never taken off. This year it’s actually bigger, plus has more flowers than ever before.

5. Grandson fun. Timothy accidentally left his Buc-cee’s Beaver puppet in Granddad’s camper. We were going to take it when we went to their house for his birthday, but forgot. So I sent them this text:

Then I texted them pictures of his activities, one at a time, over the next couple of days.

That was so much fun. 🙂 And Timothy seemed to enjoy it, too.

Since it was a puppet rather than a stuffed animal, it was floppy and hard to pose. Then it occurred to me to put a plastic cup upside down in the space where a hand goes. It worked!

Some of the bonus blessings this week: finally getting my spring decorations up; a prescription snafu worked out; my husband doing a lot of yard clean-up (it looks so much better!); and good news from a friend recovering from an accident.

I hope you’ve had a good week. Even more, I hope you have a blessed Easter remembering the one and only Savior who loved us enough to bear our sins and their penalty so that all who believe on Him can be saved. He is risen!

Somehow this week has flown by even more quickly than weeks normally do. I’m joining with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story to reflect on the good happenings of the week.

1. Dogwood trees in bloom. Sometimes dogwood blossoms fall off pretty quickly, especially if a storm comes through. But these in our yard have been hanging on for several days now. So pretty!

2. Cinderella. The Christian school associated with our church is doing a condensed version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical, Cinderella. They had a free open dress rehearsal this week and invited family and church members with the understanding that they might still have some glitches to work out. But everything went great, except for a broken microphone. It was really enjoyable. This is one of my favorite musicals, especially the 1965 version, so I was singing “Ten Minutes Ago” for days afterward.

3. Dinner out with the family. The play got over around dinnertime, so we went to a new-to-us Mexican food restaurant with Jason, Mittu, Timothy, and Jesse.

4. An easy fix. Jim had a busy week, so I hated to add to it by telling him the knob that turns the water flow from the faucet to the shower had broken. But it was a quick and easy fix.

5. Lunch with Melanie is always enjoyable, but seemed especially so this week. I had gift cards to Red Lobster, and was having a hard time deciding between two choices on the menu. Then I saw a listing for a combo of two of several different things–and both items I wanted were available for the combo. So I got some of each! Then we had probably the best waiter we’ve ever had. But most of all we enjoyed the fellowship.

How was your week?

April is here! A new calendar page, a new month squarely situated in springtime. We’re still having some cold mornings, but the days have been very pleasant.

I woke up around 2 a.m. Monday to discover we were under a tornado watch. Thankfully, nothing happened. If we got the thunderstorms that were in the forecast, I didn’t hear them until after I got up. I was thankful the Carolinas got some of the rain, as they’ve had some serious wildfires there.

I’m sharing blessings of the week with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story. Feel free to join in!

1. Impromptu dinner with Jason, Mittu, and Timothy. They had asked to come over to see Jim’s new-to-us camper and truck, but ended up not getting here til dinner time. So they brought frozen pizza.

2. Sunday dinner gathering. Jason and Mittu had invited a couple over from church who were about our ages, so they asked if we wanted to come, too. We enjoyed the great pot roast and fellowship.

3. Another family dinner. I was to make a dessert for the dinner mentioned above. I tried two things, and they both flopped. So Jim ended up buying a gluten-free cake at the store.The one cake I made tasted great, but looked terrible. The blondies were not great, but were edible. Since we had all this sugar in the house with two of us who are trying to keep sugar under control, I invited the family over for dinner and dessert Tuesday. I was able to send some food home with them as well.

I’m not sure if it’s considered a promotion or just a lateral change, but Jesse is in a new position. It did come with a raise! But it’s also third shift to start with. When he came for dinner, we got to catch up with how everything was going.

4. Youth Sunday. Once a year, our church has a special emphasis on our youth, praying for them and having them participate in the service. It’s always so encouraging to see all those bright faces and to be reminded to pray for them as they seek God’s guidance and grow in Him.

5. Dinner out. I had an appointment one afternoon and stopped to get my hair cut afterwards. I got home just before dinnertime and suggested either getting take-out or using a gift card someone had given us to Olive Garden. We did the latter. Sometimes when we go out, we wish we had stayed in after dealing with the excess noise and bustle. But this time, we were seated in a quiet side section with just two rows of tables and had a nice view out of the windows. We had a great waiter. Instead of my usual choices, I tried something new: chicken and shrimp carbonara. It was so good! Plus I had leftovers to bring home for lunch today.

How was your first week of April?

March has felt both long and short. Here we at at the last Friday and FFF of the month. I’m sharing with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story.

1. Shared dinner. Timothy texted one day to ask if his family could bring dinner over. Sure! A few hours later, they brought Salsarita’s to share.

2. Blooming trees. It’s been so nice to see trees blossoming in the neighborhood and around town. Of course, that means pollen is in the air as well. As someone said, there’s a cloud behind every silver lining. 🙂 But I love seeing color come back into the landscape.

3. Back to church. I have not been in a couple of weeks due to the digestive effects of antibiotics. But things have settled down enough that I was able to go Sunday and Wednesday.

4. A different camper. My husband had been contemplating trading in our RV for a camper that is pulled behind a car. The RV is more expensive to maintain with insurance and a service plan (needed in case of a breakdown on the road). Plus, we don’t use it as much as we thought we might. He went to a few places to look and found one he liked, and was able to negotiate the trade pretty much the way he wanted.

4. A new-to-us car. Jim had thought he could have a trailer hitch installed on his car to pull the camper, but found his car wasn’t rated to pull that much weight. At first we thought that would nix the RV trade. But then we discussed trading in Jim’s car for one that would be able to pull the camper. He found a small truck on his first scouting trip to look at what was available. He has always wanted a truck. 🙂 Plus, the cash from trading in the RV, along with trading in his old car, is going to just about pay for the new car. I’m thankful for God’s provision and a husband with a head for handling these things well.

How is your last week of the month wrapping up?