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

Well, I did not intend to take a mini-blogging break. Various factors contributed to not posting. But I hope to get a little ahead for next week. Meanwhile, here are five highlights from the last week:

1. Mother’s Day. My dear family always goes above and beyond in their efforts to make the day special for me with sweet cards and thoughtful gifts. One of the best aspects of the day is everyone working together to provide this feast:

Our first grilled meal of the season – hopefully the first of many. 🙂

2. Precious memories. Mother’s Day also affords time for remembering my mother and mother-in-law, who have both passed on. This Mother’s Day, a woman I considered my greatest mentor and spiritual mom passed into the presence of her Savior. Though sad that she’s beyond reach any more, I’m so thankful she is with Him and I can look forward to seeing her again. Naturally this week has triggered a lot of memories.

3. Better lighting. I hadn’t realized the light fixture above my bathroom sink was giving off yellowish light until I inadvertently bought a different kind of bulb that shone white. But then I couldn’t find any more of the bulbs. When my husband was heading out to Home Depot, I asked him to check there, and he found them. They make such a difference!

4. Blog maintenance. I cleaned up my sidebar a bit. It may not be noticeable to anyone else, but it made me feel better. 🙂 My biggest delight in that process was finding the WordPress Widget called “Social Icons” with which to link up my Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest accounts. I had them written out with text before, and this looks much nicer.

5. Coloring. I’ve resisted the adult coloring book craze because all the books I have seen have been too detailed for my tastes – it would take me days to finish one page. That, to me, would create more tension than relation. I loved the simple open spaces of children’s coloring books. Just before Mother’s Day, I discovered Karla Dornacher had written a couple of adult coloring books based on Scripture texts that looked like a nice balance between too simple and too busy. One of my sons bought a couple for me, and I’ve enjoyed using them while watching TV with my husband a couple of nights this week. And I can easily finish a page in one sitting. 🙂

How has your week been going?

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

Wow, it has been a busy but fun first week of May. Here are some of my favorite parts:

1. An impromptu family reunion. I have four sisters, two in TX and two in SC. One from TX was flying to SC on business and planned to rent a car to visit the two sisters in SC. Since I am just a few hours away, we talked about me driving to SC or meeting them halfway around Asheville, NC. Since none of them had met my grandson, Timothy, yet, and I figured his family could probably make it to Asheville easier than they could make it to SC, I proposed that we meet there. Then I just found out Friday that my other sister, stepfather, and nephew from TX were flying in to spend the weekend in SC and would meet us in Asheville, too! I wished then that I had planned to go all the way to SC for the weekend. But I didn’t know if the rest of the family here in TN could have done that, especially changing plans the afternoon before. So we stayed with our original plan and met in NC for lunch at a restaurant, then went to a mall that had a play place for Timothy to run around a bit and for the rest of us to visit a little longer. All of us were there except my oldest son and my brother and his wife, who all live further north, and a niece. We had such a great time visiting. Every time I am with my family of origin, I’m reminded how much I enjoy them and tell myself we need to do this more often.

2. Good weather on the drive home. Heavy rain and even hail was forecast for last Sat. afternoon, but thankfully it stopped before our drive home. Those winding mountain roads are enough of a challenge without slippery precipitation and visibility problems.

3. Cookies at the mall. When we lived in SC, the mall was just five minutes away, and I used to get these cookies frequently. It’s probably good that the mall here is further away. I had completely forgotten about this place. But they had one near where we were at the Asheville mall, and one sister got a box-full to share. And she let me take the leftovers home! Love their peanut butter especially!

4. An afternoon at the movies. My husband has had trouble watching movies in theaters ever since his retina detached a few years ago. Normally we all prefer to watch them at home, anyway – we can pause them for bathroom breaks and spend less. 🙂 But there was one Jesse and I wanted to see now, so we went this last week while Jim was away for the day. This theater has been revamped since the last time I was there: you can now order food in the theater and watch the movie in recliners! The whole experience was fun. Then we walked around the mall a bit, something I haven’t done in ages, and brought home take-out from a favorite Asian place in the mall. All in all it was an enjoyable break in the routine.

5. Roses blooming. My rose bushes just exploded with blooms recently. I didn’t get a photo while they were in their prime, but this gives you an idea. Thankfully, with pruning the flowers off after they’re spent, these will keep putting out new ones well into September.

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.

Here we are at the first Friday in May! I don’t know where April went, but let’s stop and savor this week before it slips by as well.

1. Church potluck. Great food and fellowship!

2. Rediscovered Christmas candy. My husband was rummaging through some shelves on his side of the closet and found something he had tucked away for me for Christmas and had forgotten. I’m happy to receive it any time! I was also glad it was not one big candy, as it appeared to be, but rather a container for the regular-sized pieces.

3. Reorganization. I had done some cleaning out of our pantry a few weeks ago, but had a bit left to do. I also sorely wanted to find a better way to store a few kitchen items. Thankfully some tossing and rearranging yielded a much more workable solution.

4. Mowing with Granddad. Since we have a riding lawnmower and Jason has a big yard, Jim cuts his grass. Lawn mowing day is Timothy’s favorite! So we got him a tractor like Granddad’s for his birthday, and then tried to recreate a picture from when Jason was little.

Timothy wasn’t quite in the mood to take pictures. 🙂 I didn’t notice til my son and daughter-in-law pointed it out to me that Timothy even dressed like Granddad. 🙂

5. Good medical results. I had my mammogram and bone density scan this week. The former was fine. I haven’t gotten the results of the latter yet. Then Jim had his first eye exam since his diabetes diagnosis, and everything was fine there: he didn’t even need to change his prescription.

I mentioned last week that his colonoscopy went well. We got a notice later that the polyps they sent for testing had precancerous cells, which, as I understand it, may be a problem in the future but may not. All they recommended was that his next colonoscopy should be in five years rather than ten, and that our kids should probably have a colonoscopy before their fifties. I hate that note of uncertainty, but there’s nothing to be done except wait and see what develops. And eat lots of fiber. 🙂 At any rate, it’s nice to have all that kind of thing done with for a while.

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.

Here are some of the best parts of the last week:

1. Time with family. My oldest son was here all the week before and just headed back Sunday morning. We saw Jason, Mittu, and Timothy every day Jeremy was here. We got in some game-playing and talking as well as a trip to the zoo and an Easter egg hunt.

2. Quiet days after busy ones. Much as we love having everyone together and all the extra things to do, it was nice to just crash after Sunday morning church for the rest of the day. My daughter-in-law sent me this text, which made me smile.

3. Easter. Though in some ways, every Sunday is a commemoration of  Jesus’ resurrection, it’s a blessing to spend concentrated time focusing on it. We had our Easter dinner and other activities the day before while everyone was here. So it was nice on Sunday to just heat up some leftovers after church.

4. Good medical results. Some of you remember that my husband had a cancerous kidney removed a few years ago. He has to have a follow-up CAT scan occasionally to make sure everything’s ok. That kind of cancer doesn’t usually spread, but there’s no ironclad guarantee. So a clean scan is good news indeed. Then he also had to have a routine colonoscopy Monday (another reason we had our Easter dinner on Saturday). Everything looked fine except for a couple of teeny polyps that were sent off for testing but weren’t expected to be problematic.

5. Lunch with a friend. Good fellowship, good food. And especially nice this time, since it gave me something to look forward to after a not-very-fun dentist appointment.

Bonus: Crossed-off to-do lists. On Mondays I usually make a list of things that have to get done as well as things I’d like to get to that week. Whatever’s left at the end of the week goes on to the next week’s list. It’s rare that every single item gets crossed off, but it happened recently!

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.

We’ve had a full but enjoyable week! Here are some of the best parts:

1. Family all together. That’s why I have not been online very much this week. 🙂 My oldest son is visiting; my husband took the week off; and Jason took a couple of afternoons off. We’ve had fun just visiting together and then going on a couple of excursions.

2. Timothy’s birthday.

3. Cooperative weather. Timothy had his first ever birthday party with friends last weekend. It was supposed to rain that day plus the day before, when Jim had planned to cut the grass in preparation for the party. But the rain held off at just the right times for both activities.

4. Encouragement. Thank you so much for your kind words in response to my writing journey post. Some of them made me tear up.

5. Easter weekend. In some respects Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection touches every aspect of my life and enters my thoughts to some extent every day. But I love particularly focusing on and commemorating what He did for us this time of year.

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 started to say something about the first week in April, then realized it’s the second week already! We’ve had some beautiful spring days this week. Here are some of the best parts of the last week:

1. The church Easter egg hunt. Most, if not all, of the children in our church have food allergies, so instead of stuffing eggs with candy, we stuffed them with little toys and favors. I assume they have the Easter Egg hunt early so as not to interfere with family plans on Easter day itself. Jason and Mittu brought Timothy over to join in, and he had a great time – just plunged right in. It’s been a year and a half since we started going to this church plant, and I think this was a record attendance (37 if I counted right) since we’ve been there, so that was encouraging, too.

2. Lunch out with the family. After the Easter egg hunt, our family went out for lunch at a favorite Asian place. We often bring take-out home, so it was fun to actually go “out” to eat.

3. Spring decorations. I usually have them up before now, but finally got to them this week.

4. Blooms. All sorts of things are blooming just now: tulips in the front flower bed, my little azaleas, and flowering trees in the neighborhood. Our dogwood is budding and just about to be in full flower. Of course, all this new growth also puts a lot of pollen in the air, so that’s no fun. But I’m not usually outside for very long at a time.

5. The pantry. I don’t know why I have been in such a cleaning/sorting/decluttering mood lately, but I am taking advantage of it. I wanted to get to the pantry this week but didn’t think I would have time to. I don’t usually do housework in the evenings so that I am available to spend time with the family then. But Jim went out to cut grass one evening after dinner, something he usually does on Saturdays. I decided to get started in the pantry and just get as much done as I could while he was out. We’re blessed with a pantry the size of a walk-in closet, so we have paper goods and small appliances in there as well as food. I was able to get most of it done, found some better places for items, and even pulled out a few things to throw or give away. Then I also cleaned out a drawer on my nightstand where I stash receipts and tags from gifts we buy, and rediscovered a few special things under all of that.

This week has been busy but joyous preparing for two special events: my oldest son upcoming visit and a certain little person’s birthday next week!

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.

Spring continues its back-and-forth entrance. We got back down in the 20s a night or two, but the days have been pleasant. Next week’s temperatures look nice as well, though some rain is on the way. Meanwhile, here are some highlights of the last week.

1. Finding two special recipes. It would take too long and be too boring to anyone besides myself to go into where and how I found them. But I discovered a recipe of my grandmother’s for Chess Pie that I had wanted. I don’t know how useful it will be, though, as it starts with “3/4 stick oleo or the whole stick.” I wonder how you decide which to use? 🙂 It was in her own handwriting, making it doubly special. The other was for a French Silk Pie from a lady I think of as my second mom. I am also unsure of using it because it requires eggs, yet is uncooked. I think back in the day they might not have had to worry about salmonella and such from raw eggs. But I am glad to have both of these.

2. A new-to-us exercise bike. My dear husband has been keeping an eye out for one for several weeks and just found a good one on Saturday.  I’ve put it to good use a few times already. I love that it’s quiet and I can exercise at home without traipsing off to the gym. And, since I’ve been using it first thing in the morning, it gets me wide awake for my quiet time in God’s Word, which comes next.

3. Finally getting my cabinet-dusting and organizing project done – as well as cleaning out the door shelves and drawers of the refrigerator. I followed my friend Dianna‘s example and just did a few sections at a time. My main goal was cleaning crumbs and dust and finding a a place for a couple of items. But I did also weed out a few things to throw or give away. And I reacquainted myself with what I have in some of those darker or harder-to-reach corners. A bonus with this one: rest after work!

4. A couple of easy returns. I hate returning things to stores. I usually try to get my husband to take care of that task. 🙂 I had a pretty negative experience years ago trying to return something, so part of me braces myself for the sales clerk to argue with me. But even though I thought one store in particular might have some resistance to one return, they politely returned my money with no questions asked.

5. Devotional bullet journal. I’ve shared before that I used to journal along with my Bible reading, but dropped it because I was spending more time writing than reading. But lately I’ve been thinking about just jotting a few lines from the different sources I read, so I finally started. It’s hard not to try to outline or list everything, but I wanted to keep it simple and just highlight the main point or thought. That helps cement it in my mind, plus it helps me read with purpose rather than just going through a routine. I’ve only been at it a few times so far, but I am enjoying it.

Bonus: Pizza and movie night with the family.

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.

Here are a few of my favorite things from the last week:

1. Jason’s one-billionth second. Somehow my son Jason had determined a while back that his one-billionth second of life would occur this week. So Mittu, his wife, cooked up a little surprise celebration and asked us over for it. Fun!

My grandson had not known we were coming, and he was out with his dad in the front yard riding his tricycle as we approached the house. As soon as he realized it was us, he started pumping his arms up and down, then started tapping my door after we parked, and gave me a hug as soon as I got out of the car. There’s nothing like being so warmly greeted by a sweet little boy.

2. Good news. My oldest son is looking to buy his first home, and we’ve enjoyed reports that the process is coming along. Especially good was that his credit number was better than when he first looked at it – turns out if you have a dispute over a charge on your credit card, that card isn’t listed in your credit report. Thankfully, on the second check, his number was back up there where it should be.

3. An insulated drink holder. I recently discovered this. My soft drinks tend to lose their coldness too soon. I don’t like to use ice, because it dilutes them. This helps!

4. More out-of-the-ordinary tasks accomplished. I don’t spring clean per se, but lately I’ve noticed my kitchen cabinets looking dusty inside and out. Last Saturday I cleaned the outside of all of them. I’m taking the insides a bit at a time and have gotten most of the upper cabinets done. It’s a nice feeling to be getting that done.

5. Fluffy pillows. I *love* how my pillows feel just after I’ve washed and dried them.

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.

Here are a few of my favorite things from the last week:

1. Lunch with a friend. A joyous time of talking together and a wonderful lunch – an entree I had not tried before and loved. (So much, in fact, that I ordered it again yesterday when my son and I got take-out to bring home!)

2. A church potluck. Good stuff, good times. Added bonus: I’ll spare you the details, but I had to adjust what I was making from the recipe’s instructions to work around the time constraints, and I was concerned about it being not done enough or overdone. But it came out just right! Thank you, Lord!

3. Time with the grandson while his parents went out on a date. Among other things, he and his granddad made slime and put together and flew a balsa wood plane. His parents brought over frozen mini tacos and Mexican rice for an easy dinner (and one that he likes).

4. Getting some “extra” cleaning tasks done – those that are occasional rather than weekly or monthly.

5. Pill sorters. Sometimes it’s the little things. I used to keep a running list of what pill I was taking at what time, otherwise I could never remember. I used one of these containers that divides your medicine into different days of the week for a trip, and I have been using it ever since.

Bonus: The first day of spring! One of my favorite days of the year! Even though this winter was not as bad as previous ones, there were enough bone-chilling cold days and bleak landscapes to make me long for spring. I don’t have my spring decorations out just yet – hopefully this weekend.

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.

Let’s just jump right in to today’s faves:

1. A quiet week after a couple of busy ones. Though I enjoyed recent events, it was nice to have nothing on the calendar this week except lunch with a friend today.

2. Safe travels for family members. My husband had two business trips this week and my son and daughter-in-law traveled several states over to visit her parents. Everything went well for all of them.

3. Pi Day. Because pi is 3.14+, some of us nerdy types use that for an excuse to eat pie on 3/14. 🙂 We had hamburger pie for dinner and chocolate pretzel pie for dessert. I love fun little family celebrations like that.

4. A husband who cleans up the kitchen on Sunday mornings. It started when his mom first moved in. We would never leave her alone with a new caregiver until we were comfortable with them. We had regular help during the week, but a succession of people on the weekends. So whenever we had a new person on Sundays, Jim would stay home from church. Since it takes me the longest to get ready and he didn’t have to get ready, he’d put away breakfast, load the dishwasher, run it if it was full, wipe off the table and stovetop. He has continued to do that on Sunday mornings ever since. I always appreciate help with cleanup, but especially on Sunday mornings. It’s so nice to come home after church, especially if we’ve gotten lunch out somewhere, to a clean kitchen and an afternoon of rest.

5. Meals brought in. Speaking of getting meals somewhere else . . . 🙂 Jim picked up hamburgers for dinner Saturday night and then we got McAlister’s Deli takeout for Sunday lunch. So I had the whole weekend off in the kitchen. 🙂

Happy Friday!