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

It’s time for another pause in the week to reflect on the good God has blessed us with. Here are five favorite things from the week:

1. Clean windows, curtains, and help. Our shower curtain and bathroom curtain needed to be washed, and I threw in the bedroom curtains for good measure. I planned to clean the windows and blinds while they were bare. I found a lot of mildew on the bedroom windowsill plus a little on the frame, so I asked my husband if he would take care of that part while I went to the store. When I came back, he had completely cleaned both bedroom and bathroom windows and later dusted the blinds. That was a tremendous help in itself, but I especially appreciated having that done since all of the curtains needed to be ironed as well. Plus there’s always a sense of satisfaction when that kind of task is completed for a while.

2. A little more organizing. I have a catch-all basket on the kitchen counter and another on my desk. They were both full, so I cleared them out and cleaned off my desk as well. I’m always surprised by a couple of things buried in them.

3. Frozen meals. I try to keep a couple on hand for those busy days when I am tired by dinnertime. I’m thankful we have such a variety of good quality meals to choose from these days.

4. A warm coat. I don’t like to wear it often because it’s so heavy and bulky. But it’s been quite cold out this week (in the teens a couple of times), and I was glad to have a warm coat. Sometimes I’ve wondered if it’s extravagant to have a couple of jackets in different weights plus a heavy coat plus a couple of sweaters. But they are all used, as our temperatures vary so much here. I’m thankful for all of them.

5. Sunshine has been obscured a lot this week, making it even more valued when it can be seen and enjoyed.

Updated to add a bonus: I can’t believe I forget this! We had a small (3.8) earthquake about 45 miles from us, which is not a favorite. It was pretty scary. But I was grateful that it was small and the effects we felt only lasted a few seconds (though they seemed long at the time). And I am grateful Jim was home and Facebook friends had updates and reports within a very short time.

That’s my week! What’s one good thing from yours?

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 don’t know where this week has gone! Without these few moments to reflect on it and remember some highlights, it would be gone from memory, too.

1. Grandparents Day last Sunday. Jason, Mittu, and Timothy brought over a cake, flowers for great-grandma and me, snacks and a personally-drawn, one-of-a-kind piece of artwork made by Timothy for Granddad. 🙂

Granddad on his tractor, by Timothy.

2. Three nights off from cooking is unusual! I asked for one and my husband offered the other two.

3. Getting plants shaped up. Jim does the yard work, but I try to keep up with the planters and roses. They were badly in need of deadheading and a little snipping. I think our hanging baskets are about done, but a couple of petunias there are staging a final showing.

4. Small victories and answers to prayer, just between God and myself.

5. Using gift cards at Hobby Lobby and starting a new project. Just when I am going to work on it, I don’t know. Here’s a sneak peak:

Happy Friday!

Appetizer
How do you usually celebrate on New Year’s Eve?

We usually stay home and flip back and forth through the various New Year’s programs on TV. With New Year’s Eve being on Sunday night this year, I am sure we will have a church service, but Pastor doesn’t like to keep us out late then — he doesn’t want to send us out on the streets right when the drunk drivers are heading home, too.

Soup
Name one thing unexpected that happened to you in 2006.

No major big surprises, but one unexpected thing was starting a blog. I don’t know how long I had been thinking about it before I finally took the plunge, but I have enjoyed it immensely!

Salad
Where was your favorite place that you visited in 2006?

We didn’t really go anywhere this year — which is fine by me! I’m don’t travel well and prefer to be like Beth in Little Women, the cricket by the hearth. Everyone else can travel and come tell me about it and show me their pictures. But I did enjoy visiting a little with my good friend Valorie. When we moved to a town 40 minutes or so away, I thought we’d see each other all the time. But we don’t, sadly. Whenever I do go to that town and call her on my cell phone on the way to see if she has time to get together, she’s always very gracious. 🙂

Main Course
What resolution is your top priority for 2007?

I don’t really do resolutions per se, but I do like to sit down and take stock and make goals. The first goal would be to maintain one goal I have had for years: to read the Bible every day and grow more into what He wants me to be. One new goal I really, really need to make is to incorporate some kind of regular exercise into my life

Dessert
Using just three words, describe 2006.

Peaceful, normal, uneventful. That may sound boring, but we experienced an upheaval right at the end of 2005 with my mom’s death, and other years have had other calamities, so yes, I’ll gladly take peaceful, normal, and uneventful this year! 🙂

You can read more Friday’s Feast entries (or participate youself! It’s fun!) here.

(Photo above courtesy of the stock.xchng)

Friday’s Feast: A buffet for the brain to “feed your mind by asking thought-provoking, mind-stimulating questions.”

I’ve missed these the last couple of weeks!

Appetizer
What is one of your Christmas traditions?

Reading the Christmas story from Luke 2 Christmas morning.

Soup
Who is the easiest person on your list to buy presents for?

My youngest son, Jesse. He usually has some “wants,” and most of the time they are easy to find, but he is pretty much content with anything.

Salad
What is your favorite Christmas scent?

The Christmas tree.

Main Course
If you could give a fellow blogger a Christmas gift, who would it be and what would you give them?

Wow, this one is hard. My first thought for the “who” goes to Barb — she always has sweet, generous, thoughtful, personal comments and is just generally a kind and gracious spirit. I want to be like her when I grow up. 🙂 As for the “what” — I don’t know. I’d love to encourage her as much as she encourages me.

Dessert
What’s something on your Christmas wish list this year that you need (not just want)?

Well, that’s been the trouble this year when my family has asked what I want for Christmas. I can’t think of anything in the world I “need.” I always have books on my list and just found some to ask for. I also asked for Microsoft Publisher for this computer, the main family one. We have an older computer in our bedroom which has an older version. It was for a ministry-related function and we’re restricted to having it on just one computer. I love it because I can just stick a text box and a picture box wherever I want them and not have to deal with text-wrapping and all of that. But I don’t really need it.

You can participate in the Friday’s Feast yourself or read others’ entries by going to the Friday’s Feast site.

(Photo courtesy of the stock.xchng)