Friday's Fave Five #856

Hello everyone! Thanks for joining us again for Friday's Fave Five. It's such a good habit to be developed, that of looking for and noticing one's blessings in life. And then top it off with being grateful to God for them. If we take the time to train ourselves to look for those things, big and small, that God blesses us with on a daily basis during the good times then when we have our difficult days, because the practice is already developed then we can also be grateful and see blessings in the tough times. If you are new to Friday's Fave Five, the guidelines are linked in the sidebar.

~ fave police show now on Netflix ~  my all time favorite police show has just hit Netflix and I'm thrilled.  Flashpoint follows the elite and highly trained Strategic Response Unit (SRU) members in the Canadian city of Toronto as they are called out when negotiation and/or special skill sets are required in everything from hostages situations, gang related incidents, domestic stuff, weapons, etc.  I remember when I first saw Flashpoint, I'm sure I cried in every single episode.  The writing is so good.  Each episode starts with the incident and then rewinds to what led to the incident happening and how it's resolved.  It's an emotional journey as the writers had a real knack for letting the viewer in on what the SRU faced and went through but also the victims and the persons engaged in the crime.  It's been on various channels over the years but the episodes are never played in order and there are storylines for all the members that progress through the seasons so it's not quite the same as seeing it run it's course from beginning to end.  So I'm very happy Hubby and I have it to watch in the evenings now that colder weather will be setting in.  Highly recommend if you like police shows.  

~ from summer bloom to fall blooms ~  the summer blooms are starting to fade though there is a few still hanging on and giving it one last hurrah.  My planters (shown in this post) are still doing amazing but now the potted mums are starting to put on their show for the fall.  I'm soaking in the color because in these parts we've occasionally had crazy rogue snowstorms at the end of September.  

~ tomatoes ~ my neighbor gifted me with the best tasting tomatoes I've had this year.  She was blessed by someone giving her more than her family could use so she passed some on to me.  I've been enjoying toasted tomato sandwiches daily.  Yum!

~ helpful hubby ~ every way he helps out around the house on the daily is so appreciated.  From keeping the lawn cut for the dayhome kids, to scrubbing the pots and pans every night after dinner, to doing the Costco runs so I don't have to.  I'm thankful for all the little things that I don't want to let go unnoticed.

~ a good night's sleep ~ I haven't been sleeping the best the last little while so when I did get a great night's sleep it was heaven.  Hopefully I'm over that bump of restless nights and back on track for a good night's rest.

What are the blessings you are grateful for this last week?

Friday's Fave Five #855

Hi everyone and welcome to Friday's Fave Five.  In what has been a shocking and sad week with the public murder of a public figure, a family man with a wife and two little girls.   I have to admit it hit me hard.  I don't know him, have never been to an event of his. While I don't necessarily agree with absolutely everything little thing he might have said, I did like his strong stance on family values and honoring God and his heart for the youth, freedom of speech and debate of ideas, willingness to talk with anyone and everyone, his passion of having people thinking critically about why they think the way they do rather than just accepting the idea of the moment.   But what I do know is he was a fellow believer, a member of the family of God, a brother in Christ and therefore I grieve for his horrific passing.  I hurt for his precious family left behind.  All because someone didn't agree with his viewpoints.  What is democracy if we can't have freedom of speech about our differing viewpoints?  It's so easy for me to get caught in the endless scrolling that can be a part of a monumental event such as this.  Therefore it is especially important for me to have Friday's Fave Five to refocus my mind and heart on what good blessings have touched my personal life this week.  

~ beautiful early fall days ~ this week has brought some absolutely gorgeous weather into my neck of the woods.  Cool evenings and mornings with warm, even hot days.  But the hot is a different kind of hot than August.  It just feels different in the fall.  We've had plenty of outside time soaking in the Vitamin D.  

~ massages ~ After not going for a massage since c*vid, I have started going once again to see if it helps with the arm issues I have been helping.  I'm thankful for the lady I am going to.  She is doing a lot of extra work and research trying to figure out what it could be and what nerves and muscles to pinpoint in a massage session.  Though right now it is painful at times as she hits trigger points I am really hoping this is going to help improve the symptoms I am experiencing.

~ quick appointment ~ I'm also very thankful for an appointment at a neurophysiology lab that was set only less than two months from the time of referral.  With healthcare the way it is in my province right now, these specialist appointments can take months and months so I am very grateful to have gotten one so quickly.  I wish I could say the same for my MRI.  That is a year away!  But I've got myself on a cancellation list so hopefully that will come sooner.

~ fresh garden produce ~ I don't have a garden so I'm always so grateful when someone with a garden shares from their efforts.  My sister has a couple of container gardens and share some delicious tomatoes, celery, green onions and parsley with me.  

~ thoughtful hubby ~ whenever hubby does a c*stco run (asterisk so I don't get people googling that store all landing on here), he brings me a little something he thinks I would like.  His last little treat was B.C. cherries which he knows I love.  Thankful that he thinks of me.

Going into this next week, I am so grateful that in spite of the evil that tries to gain the upper hand that God is still God, that He has a plan, that He is good and merciful and can bring good from every situation.   I pray you experience God's grace this week.  Hug your people and tell them you love them.  We are never guaranteed tomorrow.

What are you thankful for this week?

Friday's Fave Five #854

Welcome to Friday's Fave Five.  The first of September.  Summer is coming to a close on the calendar though in my mind summer is over when school starts so to me we've already moved into fall.  The time is just zipping by and that makes it just that more important for me to be intentional in making note of blessings God brings into my everyday life.  As I take notice it makes me more grateful and the more grateful I am the more I notice the blessings without the effort.  It's a wonderful cause and effect circle.  Please join in with our FFF community developing hearts of gratitude.

~ easing into fall routines ~ September always brings with it fall routines in every aspect of life.  Summer is easy going and somewhat flexible.  But September always sets routines in work, church and life.  I have 2 dayhome kids that are in kindergarten this fall.  Both happen to be attending school on the same days, and kindergarten is full days here,  so that has made my week very nice with 3 busier days when everyone here and then 2 slower days where I'll only have 4 so it gives a bit of a break.  Though with a teacher's strike very likely here in the next few weeks, that will all blow up anyway.  Oh well.  Eventually it will be the routine.

~ crockpot cooking ~ September always sees a reappearance of the crockpot in my house.  I've already made a couple of great meals in it.  I find it so easy and convenient and economical as I can take less expensive cuts of meat and it makes them so tasty and tender.

~ great purchase ~ I've been having some arm issues and my massage person has advised me to prop my books at eye level and avoid actually holding them if at all possible.  Well all the propping with pillows and blankets just was awkward and not so practical.  But when I popped into a local bookstore, I saw this handy gizmo to hold one's books and i-pads.  It's called The BookSeat.  I hummed and hawwed and finally gave in and purchased it.  And what a handy thing it is.  Unlike blankets and pillows it's compact,  holds the pages open, actually can stand on arms of couches and is very comfortable on my lap without overheating me as do blankets and pillows.  Well worth the dollars. And bonus blessing was when I looked on Amaz*n to see if they had it and how much, just to see if I got ripped off, the local bookstore was actually 15 dollars cheaper.  

~ gift of heirloom tomatoes ~ one of the dayhome families gifted me some heirloom tomatoes from their garden.  So delicious.  There is nothing like homegrown tomatoes.

~ homemade salsa ~ our church has an outreach program where they supply needy families in the community with backpacks filled with school supplies specific to their child's school's list.  A lady from church made homemade salsa with produce she grew herself, to sell and raise funds to go towards the project.  So we bought three jars because we love salsa and it was a way to support her efforts.  But we also were blessed because it was really good!  Yum!

What were your blessings this last week?

Friday's Fave Five #853

Welcome to Friday's Fave Five.  Today is Friday, the day we pause and recognize, appreciate and be thankful for what God has blessed us with.  In doing this exercise, my prayer is that we don't just take this pause once a week, but that we start to do this as a natural extension of our grateful hearts everyday.  Please join in with us.  

~ iced hibiscus tea ~ Hubby has been researching the health benefits of hibiscus tea so I thought I'd give it a try when I saw the benefits, especially the anti-inflammatory ones.  I brewed a big pot and iced it. It is delicious and refreshing.  I don't even have to add any type of sweetener to enjoy it.  I'm hoping I can cut down on my afternoon coffee intake and switch it to this tea.

~ dinner out at our favorite Indian restaurant ~ I love Indian food and among the myriad of Indian restaurants my city has we have a favorite.  It's decorated in deep, saturated colors like one would think they would see in India, not fancy but authentic.  And the food is so good.  Our waitress was excellent with a smile that lit up the room.  We took our long-time  neighbors and had a wonderful visit catching up.  

~ spur of the moment road trip ~ Sunday we made a spur of the moment decision to take a road trip to my happy place, Waterton Lakes.  We threw some spare clothes and sunscreen in the car and made the 90 minute drive to one of the most beautiful places.  When we got there we were going to do one of our favorite shorter hikes, Blakiston Falls,  but it was so busy both the upper and lower parking lots were full, we got turned away and we had to drive the 20 minutes back down to the main road.  Though initially really disappointed we found a lovely walk we had never been on before.  We didn't even know it existed.  It was a short 1 km (0.6 miles) stroll around a small lake at the foot of Prince of Wales hill.  It's all paved and has a few benches situated around the lake.  Though we wanted to have a little sit we were a bit nervous as the beginning of the loop had bear warning signs up due to the large amount of berries in the area and it's berry feeding season in the mountains.  We had lunch at a fave restaurant in the town of Waterton and walked a bit around a bit afterwards.  We relaxed at Cameron Falls  and I read a bit while hubby had a snooze.  It was a lovely little getaway and much needed to decompress over a busy couple of weeks.  We're blessed to have such a beautiful place so close to us that we can make an escape to whenever we want.

Linnett Lake Loop with a beaver dam

A couple of trees we saw on the loop.  One that woodpeckers loved and another that apparently a bear loved.  😮

~ beautiful mum bouquet from a sweet little  ~ one of my littles last day was yesterday and her family gifted me a lovely mum bouquet with a nice thank you card but my favorite part of it was the cute hand flower she made that says "Thanks for helping me grow. "  It's always hard to say goodbye after they work their way into your heart over the years but goodbyes are part of the job and it's also exciting to see them take the next step.   

~ front  flowers ~  Now that they are fully blooming and filled out I am loving the planters on my front steps.  There's some flowers I've never tried before like the angel wing begonias, but I'll sure be adding them to the list next year.   And another favorite now that's it's fully filled out is the flower pot in the front that turned out to be gorgeous.  The impatiens were a last minute decision and whatever the spiller plant is I grabbed at the last second because it looked interesting.  I had no idea what it would look like as it grew.  I love how it turned out and I'll be using that combo again next year.  I'm not the best at planning out my planters, I like too many things and get overwhelmed at the nurseries wanting everything!  For once I landed on some stunning combos that did well for where they sit and I'm writing it down so I don't forget!

What has been a blessing in your life this last week?

Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto ~ Book Review

Since solving the murder of the man that turned up dead in her teahouse, Vera Wong's life as been pretty good.  She is no longer a lonely 60 something year old.  Her teashop has been busy from the notoriety, she has found family who she dearly loves and they love her, her relationship with her son has deepened and he has a girlfriend!   Her life is busy but solving that murder has started something in her that she wants more of.   But then Vera is scammed over the phone and while at the police station, she comes across a distressed young girl.  Vera knows she was put in the right place at the right time.  Befriending the young girl named Millie, in her charming Chinese grandmother way, Vera is able to draw out of Millie that she is looking for a missing friend.  And again, when she is snooping where she shouldn't be, Vera discovers that the recent death, deemed a suicide, of a handsome, young social media influencer is actually the the friend that Millie is looking for.  But things don't add up as the influencer known as Xander Lin isn't actually who he said he was and police can't seem to figure out who he really is.  As Vera's sluething kicks into high gear,  once again she puts herself into precarious situations stumbling upon more than she, or anyone else, bargained for.

Book 2 in the Vera Wong series didn't disappoint.  It was a fun ride as Vera digs up way more than she should and in typical fashion bulldozes ahead in spite of the danger she is bringing upon herself.  I love the character of Vera.  She's bold and brash, yet her maternal side rises to the surface with the people who come across her path making for some hilarious moments. Her Chinese upbringing and culture causes her to view life with a very set pair of eyes clashing with the American lifestyle and along with her misuse of American verbiage always had me laughing out loud throughout the book.  As things are revealed there is a very serious topic that the author does shed light on.  It was inspired by a true story involving her mother being scammed and what they learned from the police as they filed the report.  Going into the police station filled with rage at what happened to her mom, she came out with a very different heart and a desire to research these scammers.   What she learned became the story of of Xander Lin and other characters of this book. 

I rated this a 10/10

A Woman Who Trusts God - Finding the Peace you Long For by Debbie Alsdorf ~ Book Review

Do you have insecurity, fear or anxiety? Do you, like me, tend to overthink and replay things over and over in your mind resulting in no peace?  Has life been hitting hard causing discouragement or lose of hope?  Do you want to grow in your trust of God in your day to day life.  Then Debbie Alsdorf invites you on this journey through the book of Philippians with her in doing just that.  This book came into my life when I really needed it.  I meant to read it last year when  my word for the year was Trust but never got around to it so made it a priority this year.  I really liked it.  It's set up so you can do it as a daily devotional or you can really take your time with it, which is what I did.  The author leads you on a journey of learning to trust God in the "meantime place", that place between "a problem recognized and a solution realized."  (pg. 18).  That place between the onset of the life challenge and the answered prayer where each believer finds themselves at some point in their everyday walk with the Lord.  Each chapter starts with a scripture, then  builds upon it with real life examples, more scripture and solid teaching encouraging the reader to spend time with the truths in God's word, even if they are challenging.  Each chapter ends with with the questions "I am learning..." and "God is requiring me to..." with space to write, encouraging the reader to reflect, make personal and give practical application to what they just read.  And then it ends with a prayer.  I found it encouraging and uplifting with practical ways to turn to God in all circumstances, rejoicing while handing my worries to God and living one day at a time in the peace that only comes from Him.  Great to do on your own or to do as a group study as it would foster good conversation.

Rated it a 10/10

Friday's Fave Five #852

Welcome to Friday's Fave Five.  It's been a busy week here at Living to Tell.  I apologize for not getting around to comment on last weeks posts as of yet but I've been taking online courses for a volunteer position and I needed to get that done.  But it's a new week and taking this pause is much needed.  Please join us as we intentionally look for blessings God gives in our ordinary days.

~ lunch with friends ~  Saturday we had lunch with friends we have not seen in awhile.  It was fun catching up with them and hearing all about their European cruise vacation.  They brought me a gift they knew my Hungarian heart, and tastes, would love: a cute pair of bags containing authentic Hungarian sweet and hot Paprika.  

~ library time ~ Sunday found me at the library returning the books that were due.  I love the library and it is a place to destress for me as I browse all the racks of books, both old and new.  Though I didn't let myself take any out this time, I've got way too many of my own at home to read right now, it was still fun to see what was new and add to my want to read list.

~ surprise visit ~ the other night, as Hubby and I were watching tv, we heard a very quiet tap and looked up to see a face pressed against our living room window.  It was our son, the paramedic,  stopping in for a quick hello after doing an ambulance transfer from his city to ours.  That kid always did get his jollies from giving his mother a fright.  Some things just never change no matter how old they get.  But I'm so thankful he takes that minute to stop by and see us, though I'm sure the neighbors wonder why an ambulance is at our house again.  

~ excellent service ~ last Friday, we celebrated our brother in law's birthday.  As is our tradition, the four of us went out for dinner at a restaurant of the birthday person's choice.  The meal was excellent as usual, but the server we had went above and beyond.  She was excellent and really made the night extra special.  

~ Taber corn ~ In Southern Alberta, August means it's Taber corn season.  And it hasn't disappointed!  It is the best corn around and we've been enjoying it often as we know the season will soon end.  Nothing like fresh corn picked that day, served hot with a good dose of butter and salt.  I know.  Not the healthiest veg, but when you're from around here you just kind of forget about that in corn season.   

What are your favorite blessings from the last week?