It’s been another busy week, but I imagine that will be the case until Christmas. Meanwhile, I like to pause amid the bustle with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story to appreciate the blessings of the week.
1. Winning! I won an Amazon card from Paula’s giveaway and a code to see a movie from Susan. Fun!
2. Family outing at Jesse’s. My youngest son’s TV stopped working. It was wall-mounted, so he needed help getting it down and the new one back up. Jason and Timothy came over and brought pizza from Costco (Mittu was sick, unfortunately). Jim and I came and bought power tools. 🙂 Replacing the old TV went pretty seamlessly. Then we tried out some of the newest Jackbox games on it.
3. A family outing to see a play. Jason, Mittu, Timothy and I went to see an afternoon production of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It was put on by a local home school group and performed at a local community college. Then we went out to a taco-and-nacho place.
The room did fill up closer to play time.
Timothy took a selfie. 🙂
4. Small group meeting. This was only our second time to go. We enjoyed getting to know people better and having an extended time of prayer.
5. Harvest loaf cake used to be a yearly tradition, but I don’t think I made any the last year or two. I kind of miss holiday baking, but with both of us needing to keep an eye on our blood sugar levels, it’s best not to keep temptation around. But I made some for the small group meeting. The recipe made six mini-loaves, so I took three there, put two in the freezer for when Jeremy comes, and we had some to munch on.
I’m a little behind from where I wanted to be at this point in Christmas preparations. But everything will get done one way or another. 🙂 I hope you’re having a good week as well!
These Fridays seem to come around faster and faster. I haven’t gotten everything done I wanted to this week–but I’ve still got today and tomorrow! And it’s been a good week overall. It’s nice to pause for a moment with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story to reflect on and share the blessings of the week.
1. Another Chick-Fil-A biscuit. One morning I woke up to find Jim had gone to the gym. There’s a Chick-Fil-A right across from the gym (hardly seems like a fair temptation, does it?) I texted him to see if he might pick up breakfast at CFA on his way home. Funny thing was, he didn’t see my text until after we had eaten–he had gotten CFA for us to celebrate his first day back at the gym after his surgery.
2. Dishwasher chores done. I usually unload the dishwasher sometime during the day and load it back up right after dinner. Somehow one evening last week I hadn’t done either when I dozed off on the couch. I woke up to hear Jim unloading and loading it. Much appreciated!
3. Leftover meals. Another one I forgot from last week: a couple of nights we didn’t want anything busy or heavy, and we had enough leftovers on hand to just heat up plates. Nice to have an easy dinner plus declutter the refrigerator.
4. Vitamin E capsules. I’ll spare you the details, but I have a couple of bothersome skin patches. The doctor basically dismissed it as nothing one year. This year I persisted. He prescribed a steroid cream, which worked wonders—but also raised my blood sugar. At church one morning, one woman was telling another whose husband had just had surgery about puncturing Vitamin E capsules and using their oil on the scars to reduce scar visibility as they heal. I wondered if they might work on my skin issue–and they did! (Note: a little research showed it’s not recommended to use it on scars while they’re forming: best to ask your doctor’s advice.)
5. Warmth and coziness. It’s the time of year when I am especially glad for winter clothes, sweaters, and throw blankets. And I am immeasurably thankful to be able to heat our home at the touch of a button.
Bonus: Canceled plans. With age and some physical issues, it’s hard for me to be out several days in a row. We had something scheduled for six out of the next seven days beginning with Wednesday. One thing I just decided not to go to. Sadly, Mittu was sick and we missed something we were going to attend together. But having a lightened schedule is a great stress reducer.
Happy first Friday of December! It was nice to have a buffer week between Thanksgiving and the first of December. Though life is always busy, December is especially so. It’s even more important to schedule pauses for remembering what’s important and counting our blessings. Susanne at Living to Tell the Story hosts an opportunity to do that with Friday’s Fave Five.
Here are a few of mine:
1. Decorating for Christmas with the family. I thought about waiting til next week, just from tiredness. But I am glad we went ahead. I am so thankful that the family helps with this, even though Jason and Mittu have their own house to decorate. Not only do many hands make light work, but it’s fun to reminisce as we do. Mittu made a great lunch. for us all.
2. Lunch with Melanie. We try to get together once a month or so, but it had been a long while. We had gift cards to Red Lobster and enjoyed catching up. By the way, she had a birthday this week! Some of you know her through FFF or other blogging means—feel free to pop over and wish her a belated happy birthday.
3. A good eye exam with no new issues or problems.
4. Hot oil hair treatment. I have very dry skin and have to put lotion all over year-round. But cold, dry weather really does a number on me. I couldn’t put lotion on my scalp, however. Then I remembered I used to use VO5 hot oil treatment—a little tube you put in a cup of hot water and then massage its contents into your scalp before shampooing. I even had some in the bathroom cabinet. It felt so good.
5. Online shopping. We got a good chunk of our Christmas shopping done this week, and now enjoy receiving the deliveries!
Thanksgiving week, of all weeks, should be easy to come us with five favorites, right? I’m joining in with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story to encourage looking for the good things, large or small, from each week.
1. Thanksgiving. I could do a whole Friday’s Fave Five on this one day. We had a veritable feast. Everyone contributed with food, preparation, and clean-up. We enjoyed family time, rest time, conversation, and games. And we had time to concentrate on what we were thankful for with our Thanksgiving tree.
2. Thanksgiving activities. In the past couple of years, I’ve gotten a tablecloth for the holidays that included puzzles, mazes, and pictures to color. I didn’t look for one in time this year, but Skip to My Lou had some free printable Thanksgiving place mats I used (She has tons of neat holiday ideas). Even though I just printed them off on 8 1/2 by 11″ paper, not really big enough for place mats, they still worked. Then, several weeks ago I found a “build a turkey” game and a kit of foam cats and dogs with different props (some got put on our Thanksgiving tree above) marked down at Hobby Lobby. Different ones of us sat down with Timothy before and after the meal, coloring or assembling.
3. Jim’s one-month post-op appointment. The surgeon was pleased with his progress and said the remaining discomfort and issues he’s still dealing with are normal and should resolve soon.
4. Family Face Time. Jeremy lives out-of-state and couldn’t be with us on Thanksgiving. He had plans with friends on Thanksgiving Day, so over the weekend we had a Face Time call with the whole family. It’s so neat that can be done with multiple people at one time.
5. A new way to do meatloaf. Sometimes it’s the little things. 🙂 For the past few years, I’ve made meatloaf in the microwave. But this time I wanted to do baked potatoes at the same time in the oven. While looking up how long to bake the meatloaf, I ran across this recipe for shaping the meat on a foil-covered sheet pan instead of a loaf pan. I had always wondered at the wisdom of the meat bubbling in it’s own juices in a loaf pan (even the leanest ground beef still has some fat). I tried this idea with my own recipe and loved the way it turned out. Plus the foil made for easy clean-up. I’ll be making meatloaf this way from now on.
It hardly seems like time for Friday again. But here it is, ready or not! Friday’s Fave Five with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story gives us an opportunity to pause the merry-go-round for a minute and reflect on God’s good gifts of the week
1. Family costume party. We’ve been doing these a few years now. My original idea for Jim and me was “Ma and Pa Ingalls, the later years.” 🙂 However, he ended up looking more Amish, and I looked more like the Colonial era. But we had fun. 🙂
Some of you may remember that Timothy has loved “air dancers” for years. This year he got to be one. 🙂
2. Homemade caramel popcorn is one of Jim’s favorite treats. But it’s labor intensive, so I only make it once or twice a year. I made some to take to the family party, with enough left for Jason and Mittu to take to their small group the next day.
3. A breakfast biscuit. I get up fairly early, but I am not out and about until much later in the day. I had to go in for some fasting lab work one morning and rewarded myself afterward with a Chick-Fil-A biscuit.
4. Back at church. It was nice to go to the Sunday morning service and then Bible study on Wednesday for the first time since Jim’s surgery.
5. Physical done. My yearly physical was due during Jim’s recovery, so I put it off til this week. Thankfully, there were no new surprises or concerns. I’m at the age where one appointment generates one or two more (mammogram and bone density test). But at least one appointment is over with.
I was sorry to miss Friday’s Fave Five last week. I haven’t missed many of them since I first started. I love this practice with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story. It’s easy to come up with five good things some weeks. Others take thought and digging. But there are always blessings along the way, whether a week is good, bad, or mediocre.
I usually write my FFF post on Thursday afternoon. But Thursday of last week, I was in atrial fibrillation most of the day. Some of you will remember I had an ablation for that a few years ago. It’s not often that I have a full-blown episode any more, but it does still happen occasionally. I took an extra dose of my heart rhythm medication and rested at home, per the doctor’s instructions. I couldn’t do much more than rest, anyway. I tried not to get frustrated with the situation, but just take it in stride. Finally everything went back to normal in the evening.
Then Friday was busy through the afternoon, so I gave up on trying to post that day.
But I am happy to be back and to catch up with the last couple of weeks!
1. A visit. A couple of Jim’s friends from church came over to visit one morning. We haven’t been back to church yet since his surgery three weeks ago. He’s still dealing with pain and fatigue. We’ve been watching the “Facebook Live” broadcast from church on Sunday mornings, but it was good to see and fellowship with people in person.
2. “Hanging out” with the kids. We had not seen Jason, Mittu, and Timothy (son, daughter-in-law, and grandson) for two weeks because Timothy was sick with a bad cold. We were all being a little extra-cautious with exposing Jim with something so soon after his surgery. Finally, Saturday of last week, they texted to ask if we wanted to hang out, and they brought pizza, salad, and a very long churro from Costco.
3. Kids pitching in. We don’t have county garbage and recycling pick-up in our neighborhood. But the center to take all of that is not far, so Jim usually takes all our “stuff” out on Saturday mornings. Jesse has been doing that since Jim’s surgery.
Then, the morning after my heart rhythm issues, Jim had two doctor appointments, one very early. We had made arrangements with Jason to take him, in case my heart rhythm was still acting up. When it went back to normal, I asked if we should cancel plans with Jason. Jim felt I should probably just take it easy and not have to bustle around getting ready early in the morning. Jason also moved some things around Jim wasn’t supposed to pick up yet and brought a case of water from the car that I couldn’t carry.
The day of the heart situation, Mittu made two meals and cupcakes for us. She had already made five for the week after Jim got home from the hospital.
We appreciate all they’ve done for us!
4. A day of rest. When I first started having these heart rhythm issues several years ago, I was told I had SVTs (supra-ventricular tachycardia). I was instructed to try to regulate them at home for an hour or so, and if that didn’t work, to go to the ER. Then they tried to do an ablation for SVTs, only to discover I had atrial fibrillation instead. That required a different procedure, which was done a year or so later. But I was still in the mindset that I needed to go to the hospital when this happened. My cardiologist will answer direct questions, but he’s not good at proactively explaining things. Finally, after several times in the hospital, I understood that I didn’t have to come to the hospital for afib unless it lasted more than a day. I was on a blood thinner for the clots that afib could trigger, which is the main concern.
I found that being at home was actually more restful than going to the ER and being hooked up to an IV and electrocardiogram, along with people coming in and out. I spent most of the day in my desk chair, catching up on my blog reading and dozing. So it ended up being a day of rest.
5. Frozen grilled vegetables. I saw these in the grocery store and decided to give them a try. They could be cooked on the grill or in the oven. I tossed them in the oven one day alongside some baked chicken. Everything turned out great, and it was nice to just put the veggies in from the freezer without peeling and chopping. The next time I went to the store, I got a couple of their other veggie combinations.
Bonus: Panda Express delivery. Jim an I will often pick up Panda Express after the Sunday morning church service. I was craving Panda Express Sunday morning as we watched church from home and was trying to decide if I wanted it enough to go get it. We had plenty of leftovers we could heat up.
When church got over, Jim suggested we have a Panda Express order delivered, not knowing I wanted food from there. So we splurged and did that.
I hope you’ve had a good week filled with God’s fingerprints.
I can’t believe it’s the last Friday of October already. This month has flown, but that’s all the more reason to pause and recount the blessings of the week with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story.
1. Healing. I mentioned my husband’s surgery last week–a double surgery when they found an undiagnosed hernia and repaired it along with the original issue. Healing always seems to be an up and down path rather than steadily increasing improvement. He’s still dealing with pain and fatigue and a few other issues, but he’s getting around really well.
2. A good report from the doctor. X-rays and a post-op exam at the doctor’s office this week showed everything was healing well. Plus the pathology report came back clear. Previous biopsies had been clear as well, but they only test a smattering of samples. It was good that the final post-surgical report came back all-clear as well.
3. Valet parking. When we went to the hospital for Jim’s doctor’s visit, we took advantage of the valet parking instead of me dropping him off at the door and then hiking back after finding a parking space. It was well worth the $3 fee.
4. Helpful gadgets. Before Jim’s surgery, he got his mom’s old walker out of storage and cleaned it up just in case he needed it. It was very helpful his first week home. Then we had kept her recliner that raises the seat up so one can get out of it easier. I don’t know what we would have done without that–probably he would have been in a lot more pain from trying to get up from a regular couch or chair.
5. Oven repair. I’d been having a time with my gas oven taking several attempts before it would come on. Then last week it came on but wouldn’t get up to the right temperature. Someone came out Thursday to replace the igniter, and we celebrated with frozen pizza cooked in a very hot oven.
It’s been an eventful week here. But God sprinkles good things along the way. Here are a few, sharing with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story.
1. My husband’s surgery. Jim had surgery Wednesday, and when they opened him up, they found a large undiagnosed hernia with part of his small intestines poking through. (He was aware of the bulge and had asked three different doctors about it in past years. They told him it was “fatty deposits” and nothing to worry about.)
In one of the biggest blessings of all, a surgeon who could deal with that was on the premises and willing to jump in and repair it. If she had not been, Jim’s surgeon would have scrapped the original surgery until this could be taken care of. Then we’d have another, possible two surgeries to take care of the original problem plus this. So even though he was under a couple of hours longer and has an extra incision, we’re more thankful than we can say that it all got taken care of at once.
We came home yesterday. He came through everything fine and is getting around well. Trying to stay on top of the pain is a challenge, so your prayers for that and for an absence of infection and complications would be greatly appreciated.
2. Finding my way. I’m familiar with two hospitals in the area, one just down the street. One or both of us had been patients in them in the past. But my only experience with the hospital the surgery was scheduled in was getting lost when I was there for an appointment years ago. On one level, I knew there would be signs and people to ask if I couldn’t figure out where to go. And I knew that someone would tell me where I needed to wait. But I still had this irrational jittery feeling.
But the surgery center of this hospital was pretty compact. There was always someone to help me find which way to go, and it didn’t take long to learn my way around.
3. Helpful people. Almost everyone we interacted with was very nice. One nurse directed me to the cafeteria, which was quite a long walk from the holding area, where Jim was waiting before surgery (we had a three-hour delay due to one of the robotic arms beings broken). On my way back, she happened to be coming from the cafeteria as well and offered to take me through a shortcut “the back way.” Then the receptionist at the surgery center was there longer than usual. When Jim was in recovery, she told me someone would call to tell me his room number. But when I came back to the waiting area after eating dinner, she was still there and called to get the room number and see if I could go on up.
Jason went the extra mile(s) literally. We’d had to park way away from the surgery center entrance. We had left Jim’s overnight bag in the car so I didn’t have to lug it around all day. The original procedure was supposed to be out-patient, so we thought we probably wouldn’t need the overnight bag anyway. I had a hard time walking from the car to the surgery center anyway, and walking back by myself and in the dark seemed impossible. I called Jason both to ask for some things at home and to see if if would take me to the car. Then, because the parking lot had emptied out a little bit, I was able to bring the car closer to the entrance. Bonus blessing: we got all that done a little before 9, when they locked the doors. After 9, we would have had to come in through the emergency room entrance and then find our way back to the surgery center.
When we got home, we found my dear daughter-in-law had made five meals for us. That was so much appreciated.
4. Praying friends and loved ones. I had asked several people to pray beforehand and then kept them updated through the day. Their notes and prayers really encouraged me.
5. New fall arrangement. Before all of this, when I set out my fall decorations, I was missing a little cream colored pitcher where I usually place some fake fall leaves. I found another fallish vase, but it was larger, and the proportion wasn’t right.
So last week I had gotten some fall stems at Hobby Lobby and put them in this week:
Jim thought the little white pumpkins looked like marshmallows. 🙂 It’s a little bigger than what I like to keep in that space, but I like it.
Bonus: Fall color is finally coming through in the leaves. It’s still not quite as vibrant in our neighborhood, but we saw a feast of color on our way to and from the hospital.
And that is our week. May our eyes always be open to seeing God’s hand in our lives.
It’s a deliciously cool morning. I love this cool autumn phase before the cold of winter sets in. We still haven’t seen a lot of fall color in our area, but I trust we will before the leaves disappear. Meanwhile, life goes on, and every week has good things if we look for them. Here are some of mine that I’m sharing with you and Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.
1. My husband. Though I always appreciate him, he outdid himself this week. When he runs Saturday morning errands, he’ll often stop by the store for the handful of items on my running list on the refrigerator. This last Saturday, I had quite a lot listed and had planned to go to the store myself in the afternoon. He’ll do the full grocery shopping sometimes, but I hate to ask him when he’s had a full week of work plus other tasks. But he took care of my whole list. Then he got my autumn decorations down from the attic for me. He ran the cleaning cycle on our oven and wiped up the layer of ash that leaves on the oven walls. And one morning when he was out early, he brought me a Chick-Fil-A biscuit.
2. Evenings with the family. Jason and Mittu texted one day that they had gotten some tilapia and offered to come to our house to make and share it and some salad. I had some frozen loaded potato skins to offer as a side. Then Jim suggested we make s’mores on the patio with a little tabletop “oven” he had. It was a fun night. Another night, we watched Timothy while Jason and Mittu went out, and Mittu put together homemade pizza before she left.
3. Out-of-the-ordinary food. Besides the ones already mentioned, I made chicken and dumplings one night. I don’t often because it’s a little involved, plus makes a lot for just the two of us. (I don’t make it for the whole family because Mittu and Timothy are gluten-intolerant. I’ve wondered if the dumplings would hold up with GF flour.) One cool night, chicken and dumplings seemed like just the thing. I made a half-recipe, and it was still a lot, but we’ve almost finished it off.
Then one morning, I wanted something different for breakfast besides my usual weekday oatmeal and indulged in some French toast.
And I used the Crumbl gift card received on my birthday and indulged in their Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookie. So good!
4. A new great grand nephew, the first of a new generation. I had to look online to see what my husband’s niece’s son’s child would be called in relation to us. 🙂
5. A Hobby Lobby excursion to me is like a kid’s outing at a park. 🙂 I needed some fall stems, scrapbooking paper, and a few other items, and had a gift card to get them with.
6. Bonus: Off-season clothes readily available. I used to keep them in boxes and felt I needed to wash them out before putting them in the closet. Now they’re down the hall in the guest room closet, and it’s easy to garb them when needed.
We’re a week into October already. Leaves have started changing and falling, but we haven’t seen full autumn color yet. We should in the next week or two! Meanwhile, I am rejoicing in cool mornings and evenings. Here are a few other reasons for rejoicing this week, and sharing with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story.
1. Being treated to dinner out with new friends. A couple at church invited us out to eat, and we enjoyed getting to know them better.
2. Care group meeting. The church we’ve been attending divides up into smaller care groups, each under an elder. We knew they had them but didn’t really know how they operated or where or with whom. But someone invited us to theirs, which meets every other week, usually in the elder’s home. It’s mainly a way to get to know each other in a smaller group setting, share prayer requests, etc. And have snacks. 🙂
3. A free (sort of) car wash. Jim took my car in to be serviced, get the oil changed, etc., and was offered a free car wash. I’m sure the price was incorporated into service fee, as it seemed rather high. But that’s all the more reason to take advantage of it.
4. A good movie. Last night we watched A Million Miles Away, about Jose Hernandez, who as a child worked with his migrant parents in various fields and grew up to fulfill his dream of becoming an astronaut.
5. Days at home. Though I enjoyed the social encounters over the weekend, I was very glad to spend most of the rest of the week at home with no out-of-the-ordinary outings. I’m not one who can go-go-go a lot.
Stray Thoughts 