Friday, August 14, 2015

Friday's Fave Five #341


Hi everyone. Welcome to another edition of Friday's Fave Five.  Please join us as we look for blessings big and small in our week.  This has been a bit of a tougher week for me so I'm really appreciating the discipline of this FFF.  I know as I look it will change my focus off the tougher, disappointing stuff and onto the good things.  Sometimes they just get a little buried in the trials of everyday and need a little intentionality (is that a word?) to dig them back out.

1.  A weekday dinner with friends.  Good friends of ours invited us over on Monday night for a bbq.  That is very much out of our norm...but it was actually very nice.  They made it for right after I get off work and cooked us up a delicious chicken dinner.  The company and conversation was wonderful and we were home plenty early enough in the evening that it didn't interfere with our winding down to get to sleep.

2.  Sparkling water.  Hubby and I have cut pop out of our diet but sometimes plain water just doesn't cut it on a blazing hot summer day.  I want a bit of fizz!  I found this Dansani Black Cherry and Nestle Raspberry Lime  Sparkling Waters.  No calories, no sugar, and no phony sweetener either.  So glad I found something that I actually like to fit into that beverage space.  I still miss my Pepsi Lime every once in a while but not as badly as I thought I would.

3.  Road trip to a Medieval Faire.  My sister asked us to go along and we agreed, though with a bit of trepidation.  Hubby and I really wondered how good it would be and what we had got ourselves into.  I'll tell more in another post, way too much for a FFF, but suffice it to say that it was so much fun!  In fact, there was so much that we missed and we will probably go back next year.  A very interesting culture, indeed!


4.  Cutting Board Find.  This might not seem like a big deal to some but I'm seriously pleased with it.  Hubby had bought me a good knife earlier in the summer (and can I say what a difference using a really good knife!!)  but I had such horrible cutting boards (ones covered in laminate) that even though it was a high quality knife it would still lose it's edge.  The guys at the knife store recommended a walnut cutting board, they said bamboo, which is really popular right now in cutting boards, was way too hard, and I couldn't afford the best which is an end grain butcher block type but their regular walnut cutting boards were crazy priced too.  Well, what did I find at the Midieval Faire mentioned above, but a wood craftsman who was selling cutting boards amongst other items!  And for a fraction of the price I got myself a really nice walnut cutting board similar to the pic below.  It is fantastic.  There is a really nice "bounce" to it.  It's really hard to describe until one works on it.  


5.  A good wasp trap.  Yes this makes my list.  I Hate wasps with a capital H.  And there is a myriad of them because of the hot, dry weather we are having.  Last year we found really good ones and in the first week I put it up it is filled.  So glad I bought a couple last year.  And enough talk about those nasty pests.

What have been your favorite blessings and good things this week?






13 comments:

Willow said...

Yes, some weeks (like this week for me, too) we have to dig deep to find the blessings. But I'm so glad to do it. And thanks for keeping us accountable here.
That medieval fair sounds like so much fun! We used to go to the renaissance festival--probably similar to the fair you attended. Anything with knights in armour has to be fun!

Faith said...

it was a kind of tough week for me too. various plans fell through, an ill ess, ugh.....loke you though i managed to find the blessings!

i have GOT to get a decent cutting board!! i have FOUR and none are great. yours looks wonderful! whats the hole for??

I love dinner with friends especailly those spontaeous kind!

yay for fun fairs. The mountain area to the south of us ( the catskills) has an annual Renassaince Faire and sometimes a Mediieval Faire in the autumn months. I dont know the difference and it doesnt look like my thing but they are very popular from what I understand. So glad you had some fun!!

we had dinner on the deck earlier this week and i was just telling dave how surprised i am that we have had NO wasps or annoying flies this summer.......we think it is because Dave used Hot Shot Spray for wasps, hornets, etc on the deck and porch areas as well as on the shed. it has worked!! you spray it all around whTever areas you need and avoid the area for 24 hours. it lasts for about 8 weeks!

enjoy the weekend!

Barbara H. said...

I have always wanted to go to one of those medieval fairs, but so far haven't made it. My sister and her family in another state go every year and even dress the part. It looks like so much fun!

I didn't know that about cutting boards - good to know! Glad you found a good one at a better price.

I think missing the fizz is one reason I am reluctant to give up my colas. Will have to give these a try.

I have never heard of a wasp trap - definitely must investigate that!

We don't go out much during the weekday, either - that wind-down time for bed seems more essential as we get older. Glad you got to have some good food and fellowship and still get home in time to rest.

nikkipolani said...

Good kitchen tools make all the difference, don't they? Once I learned to sharpen my knives, those chopping jobs became so much easier. What a beautiful board you got to go with your good knife!

Love those dinners with friends. So good that you could get together and relax. And hurray for finding a healthy soda replacement!

Susanne said...

Faith, the hole is for handling, hanging or displaying. Very handy when I'm pulling it out of my cupboard.

Gattina said...

No FFF for this week ?

Gattina said...

Medieval Faires are always fun ! I don't like sweet drinks so to change from water I like to drink alcohol free beer, that's good in this heat !

Jerralea said...

I'm a big believer in having quality tools, so I'm happy for you that you have a good knife and cutting board. I didn't know it made a difference in the kind of wood used for the boards. Learned something new!

How nice for your friends to invite you to dinner! It's lovely to have food and fellowship and not be the one to cook.

Susan said...

Your cutting board is so beautiful. How nice to have something that is useful and beautiful!
What a lovely dinner out with your friends. It sounds like a great time for connecting and not too long of an evening so that your next day was one of fatigue.
I don't have wasp troubles here, but I am saving your idea in case I ever do. They are SCARY!

Love Bears All Things said...

We no longer have Pop, soda, soft drinks, whatever one calls them in our house...on a recent trip with Daughter and Granddaughter we ate lunch in a food court at the mall and I had a soda with my meal as I bought a combo..I really couldn't figure out what I had seen in them all those years because it wasn't that good....it has been at least two years since I quit drinking them.
I always enjoy reading the Friday Fave posts that I see..thanks for hosting it, maybe I'll join in sometimes.
Mama Bear

ellen b said...

Wasps really bug me and if they were a problem here I'd be buying the most effective traps for sure!
I still need to make it to a medieval faire!
That walnut cutting board is beautiful.
Have a great weekend.

Karen said...

I never knew that about cutting boards and the kind of wood they're made from. It's good to know. We have a renaissance faire in our area, but it's been a few years since we last went. It was a lot of fun, very different than I expected. We have cut down on soda a lot. But, I still crave one once in a while:/

aspiritofsimplicity said...

I have a cutting board that I purchased some years ago from a craft fair we were having at the Curves exercise place where i worked. It was made by my pastor at the time, whose wife was a good friend who attended the Curves. Yours is just beautiful. I think it is helpful to oil them occasionally so they won't dry out.