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?

This has been an up and down kind of week. I was in atrial fibrillation for about fifteen hours one day. And I am on my third round of antibiotics for a stubborn case of cellulitis. Today I am focusing on the good things with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story.

1. Pi Day. 3/14–the number of pi–is as good a day as any to have pies. 🙂 We started the morning with a breakfast quiche Mittu has sent over with Jason and Timothy when they came to watch the lunar eclipse the night before. Then I made spaghetti pie (thanks to a link from Susan) and Brazi bites while Mittu made hamburger pie, vegetables, and chocolate pretzel pie.

At some point during the night, I heard Mittu say she was glad she married into a family of nerds. 🙂

2. Winning a gift card. Speaking of Susan, I won an Amazon gift card from a give-away she had.

3. Safety in storms. One night this week, our area was predicted to receive severe storms and possibly tornadoes. Thankfully, all we got was some rain. But at one point when we had the TV on, we saw the local news channel had preempted all scheduled programming to cover the storms. They said a possible tornado was heading to the town where my youngest son lives. We called him to let him know and discussed the best places in his house to stay if a tornado did come. He only got hail. None of us lost power. We were very thankful.

4. Snail mail. With digestive issues from the antibiotics I’ve been taking, I haven’t been to church in a few weeks. A couple of sweet ladies sent me cards. Then my friend Dianna and I both mentioned liking a particular author (Michele Phoenix), and Dianna asked if I’d like to have some of her books by that author. I got her package and a lovely note last Friday.

5. Friends who pray. I’m so thankful to have friends I can email or text with prayer requests.

Bonus: The first day of spring. I’ve been looking forward to this for weeks. 🙂 Even though it was overcast and cool, it’s a promise of better weather to come!

How was your week?

It’s been a fairly low-key week, but a pleasant one. I’m joining Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story, not just to “look on the bright side,” but to cultivate gratitude in large and small happenings on good and bad days.

1. First daffodils of the season! They’re not my favorite flower, but they’re the first ones that bloom in our yard. They’re a sign that spring is almost here! For that and their cheerful look, I love them.

2. Dinner and flowers. Jason and Mittu brought over some barbecued chicken, macaroni and cheese, and salad as well as miniature pink roses one night.

3. Health Progress. Thanks so much for your prayers and kind words last week. I’m on a second round of antibiotics for the cellulitis. I saw the doctor for a follow-up visit Thursday, and he was pleased with how it looked. It’s hard for me to tell, because it looks better one hour and worse the next. So it was reassuring that he thought it was headed in the right direction. My prayer is for continued healing and that I won’t have to take a third round of antibiotics.

4. File organization. My desk has a built-in file drawer, and I realized that much of its content was not the kind of thing I needed close at hand. Plus, I wanted to make room for other things I did want close by. I was finally able to work on that this week, sorting through the files, throwing some things away or finding another home for them, and clearing some things off my desk into the newly created space..

5. The lunar eclipse. I figured my husband and I would wake up from our pre-bedtime naps on the couch in time to see something of the lunar eclipse. But then Timothy asked if he and Jason could come over and watch it here and then sleep in the RV. So the guys had kind of a watch party, complete with Jim’s telescope, portable fire pit, and s’mores. I went out around 2 a.m., when the moon was about 3/4 eclipsed.

How was your second week of March?

Though it’s not quite spring yet, and we still have some cold temperatures ahead, I’m ready to put aside the winter graphics and use spring-like ones. No matter what the season or weather, there are always blessings to be found along the way. Some of us share weekly with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story. Feel free to join in!

1. Men’s prayer breakfasts have been one of Jim’s best ways to get to know other men in some former churches we’ve attended. Some men will come to something like that when they won’t come to other things. Plus there’s more time for conversation and getting to know each other in that setting. It’s hard to “go deep” in Bible study with people you hardly know. He suggested starting one here. They had their first get-together this last Saturday, and around 25 men came.

2. Dinner brought over by Jason and Mittu. They had found some pre-seasoned carne asada beef, I think at Costo, and served it over Spanish rice. It was very good! Plus it was nice to see them and not have to cook dinner.

3. Sunrise. I don’t usually catch a glimpse of the sunrise, but I did one morning when heading to my desk. I didn’t want to go out in the cold, but wanted to get a photo. Even through the blinds and screen, it was lovely.

4. Jim’s birthday. It’s always a joy to celebrate my dear Husband. I am so thankful for him. We had lasagna, salad, and chocolate cake.

5. Encouragement. I’m battling another round of cellulitis this week. Some of you may remember I had an ordeal with that last year. I was discouraged that it happened again, especially after seeing early signs and praying it wouldn’t develop. And then I did something to my back one day. There are people dealing with much worse things, I know. One morning when I was particularly down, Daily Light on the Daily Path was particularly encouraging, as well as various things online and on the radio. God doesn’t always answer prayer just the way we would like, but He does care and walks with us.

It’s the last day of February! Twenty days until spring! It’s time to once again reflect on the last week and look for the highlights and blessings God places in our path along with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story.

1. My daughter-in-law’s birthday was actually the week before, but they took a short trip to Chattanooga, saw Ruby Falls (a waterfall in a cave), and took a train ride that week. We celebrated her birthday Sunday by going to lunch at Kern’s Food Hall–a big food court with a lot of ethnic cooking to choose from. Not being an adventurous eater, I stayed with pizza. 🙂 But Mittu, Timothy, and Jim got Indian food while Jason got Mexican and Jesse got sushi. Then we went to their house for presents and cake. Mittu made her own cake–a black forest cheesecake. Jason or I have made her cakes in the past, but she wanted to do this one. We Face-timed with Jeremy while there and enjoyed the afternoon.

2. A schedule adjustment. With an empty nest and a retired husband, I don’t have to get up at any set time most days. I’ve been sleeping later and later until it feels like I don’t have a lot of the morning left to accomplish anything. Though I’ve loved not having to set an alarm, I’m starting to time it for about half an hour earlier than I’ve been getting up. So far, that’s going well. Once I get used to that, I’ll set it back another half hour. The key–and the hard part– is getting to bed earlier. I’m naturally a night owl, but I get more done during the day than I do at night.

3. Nice weather. A lot of our winter weather has looked like the picture at the top. But we’ve had some lovely days this week–sunshine and afternoons in the 60s and 70s.

4. Lunch with Melanie. We talked about trying someplace different, but we ended up at one of our favorite places–Cracker Barrel. I always enjoy the time together, and I had enough leftovers for lunch the next day.

5. Daffodil leaves peeking through the soil. They’re not my favorite flower, but I love that they signal spring is coming.

Happy last day of February!

It’s been another very cold week. But we’re one week closer to spring! I’m cultivating gratefulness with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story by sharing five favorite things from the week.

1. Valentine’s Day is probably my favorite holiday, maybe tied with Christmas. We had our usual “meat hearts,” chocolate cupcakes, flowers, cards with the family.

2. Sleep. What I call “good sleep” can sometimes be elusive. One night I fell asleep on the couch from about 8:30 to 11:30. I thought I’d have a hard time getting back to sleep, but I got another six hours in after I went to bed. It’s amazing how seep chases the mental cobwebs away.

3. Hobby Lobby is one of my favorite places to just wander around. This week, I didn’t find what I was looking for and didn’t buy anything, but I still enjoyed the excursion.

4. Good news. My oldest son had a scan we were concerned about a couple of weeks ago. He got the results this week. He had some damage, but there’s a new medicine that has good results reversing the damage.

5. A couple of especially productive days, one of which came after the good night of sleep. Imagine that! 🙂

How was your week?