Friday's Fave Five #796

Hi and welcome to Friday's Fave Five.  It's our place to stop at the end of the week and take note of the blessings that have come into our ordinary days over the past week.  This has been a sad week in Alberta.  There are so many forest fires happening, over 170 active fires with over half of those considered out of control.  One of the out of control fires hit the historic mountain town of Jasper today and there is much loss and devastation of not only Jasper National Park but there are estimates of 30 - 50% of the town being lost.  The whole town was evacuated, 10,000 residents plus about 15,000 tourists yesterday.  Critical infrastructure has so far been saved thanks to all the hard working firefighters but many homes and businesses have been lost.  If you are a believer please pray for those who are risking their lives to try and save as much as they can and for those who have lost everything.  If anyone wishes Samaritan's Purse is helping those who were forced to flee and donations can be made here.

All this just makes me realize how grateful I am for the blessings of this week and how I must build my foundation of thankfulness in good times so that it is there when devastating things might come my way.  So with a heart that hurts for those who lives are turned upside down but also with a heart that is thankful I do my favorites for this week.

~ first responders ~ I am so thankful for first responders, those who put their lives out there to help others in the worst of times.  Where would we be without them?

~ river bottom bike ride ~ Sunday before it got too hot, Hubby loaded up the bikes and we took them down to the river bottom for one of our favorite bike rides.   We rode to the weir and had a little visit with the pelicans who were breakfasting on all the fish and looped back to the train bridge and then back to the car.   I love it down there.  

~ hugs of little arms ~ I have a couple little ones in my dayhome who are huggers and I will take them anytime they want to give them

~ homemade iced teas ~ I think it was Faith last week who had an iced tea on her list but I'm adding it too.  I love homemade iced teas as I find the store bought premixes soooooo sweet.  This way I can ad my own sweetness, monk fruit being my choice if I use a sweet at all.  Last time I was at the Farmer's Market I had bought some high quality teas from a booth and they make perfect iced teas.  I especially like the Apple Chai.  Yum! 

~ my silly pup ~ he's such a character.  He can be quite a tease and his favorite thing is to steal either one of our shoes or whatever is on the back of the couch right out from under our noses.  He's quite the stinker but brings lots of laughs even as I'm muttering under my breath while retrieving said stolen item from under the bed.  

What have been your blessings you are thankful for this past week?

Friday's Fave Five #795

Welcome to Friday's Fave Five.  This is our little spot to share 5 blessing from the past week.  We take a pause in our busy lives and intentionally take note of those things that God brought around to uplift us.  It doesn't have to be a big, dynamic thing, like say a European cruise, but it can be.  Most likely it is something simple like the hug of a child, or encouraging words or a moment you enjoyed.  Please join us as we develop a heart of gratitude.  Please join us.

~stunning sunsets ~ we've had some stunners lately.  I can't get enough of them.  So thankful for eyes to see the artistic handiwork of God.

~ rain ~  it has been a heat wave all week but yesterday some thunderstorms brought some rain which was very badly needed and cooled the night off a bit.  

~ early morning walks ~ because it's been so hot, I've been walking the dog at 6:30 in the morning.  If you know me at all, you know I am not a morning person.  It takes me a bit to get going in the morning but instead of sitting watching a half hour of the news with a cup of coffee I've pushed myself to get out that door with the pooch.  Once I'm out there I've actually enjoyed it.  Will it become a habit?  Not sure but, with more heat warnings out, I'm hoping to get out there daily.

~ free books ~ a local bookstore had their annual book exchange event where you can bring in up to 5 like new condition books and trade them for ones others have left.  They "prime the pump", so to speak, by starting things off with a couple dozen books and it just goes on all day.  I couldn't go until after work, their last half hour, but I still managed to snag 2 books that were actually on my list, and 2 others that sounded good.  

~ air conditioning ~ in this extended heat wave I am so very thankful for air conditioning and I know I am privileged to have it.  

What have been your favorite blessings this week?

Friday's Fave Five #794

Welcome to Friday's Fave Five.  Please join us as we intentional pause the busyness in our days and choose to acknowledge and appreciate the blessings God gave us during the past week.  Doing this practice on a regular basis helps us to stay mindfully aware of the good gifts in our lives.  Practicing it during the good times helps us to get into the habit so that when more difficult times come or those weeks that are so incredibly mundane and routine roll around, we already know how to look for the blessings hidden underneath.  Participating in FFF is a little nudge each week to help that habit develop.  Please join in with us.  

~  celebrating Mom's birthday ~ This week was my Mom's 92nd birthday.  Though it was very low key this year due to her health we still took her some flowers and a sweet treat.  She was able to chat with all four of her adult grandkids thanks to video on snapchat or by phone, which was a real blessing for her and made her so happy.  I'm thankful that we had another year with her.  

~ weekend bike rides ~ Last weekend was the last days of my week off and though the week didn't have such great weather the weekend turned out beautiful.  We managed a bike ride on both days and also had some nice walks.  We bbq'd some burgers and just enjoyed the last moments before we both had to go back to work.

~  flowers finally starting to show off ~  After a cooler and rainy June and start to July this week we were hit with a heat wave.  It was the kick the flowers needed to finally start to bloom properly and the pots are finally starting to fill in.  This is a few of my favorites this year.

~ lazy, hazy days of summer ~ summer days are some of my favorites with work.  The kids and I are outside a lot and summer time is water time which they love and it keeps them happily occupied for hours.  Then because of all the outside time and warmth they are ready for a rest after lunch.  The days go by fast.

~ confirmation of a decision ~ I tend to get really hung up with decision making at times. I tend to rehash the scenarios to death and get frozen with indecision.  Not such a big deal to some people but for me it can be a real stumbling block.   So it's really nice when something happens or someone says something that just confirms to me I was making the right choice or points me in the direction I need to go.  I had that happen this week and it was such a relief to have that.  

What were your favorite blessings of the week?

July Reading Possibilites

How is the first week of July already gone?  I didn't even get a reading possibility post done for June and I have to admit it wasn't a great reading month with only 1 book read.  I just have to much happening with other responsibilities.  But the one I did read was good and it knocked another off my purchased pile.  So new month, new start.

Again, for July, my focus is going to be on the purchased book pile in my closet with a few others thrown in along the way.  Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how I want to look at it, on our vacation last week we stopped in at a book store and 2 books came home with me.   What can I say?  They just jumped in my bag.  Wink, wink. 

For July, I picked a mix of summery sounding ones and a couple I really want to get to.  Four of the six are out of my purchased pile and the other two I found in Little Free Libraries.  Hopefully I'll finish more than one this month!

PURCHASED FICTION

          ~ Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto (finished)

          ~ For a Lifetime by Garielle Meyer

          ~ That Summer in Berlin by Lecia Cornwall

          ~  Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon

OTHER OWNED FICTION

          ~ The Summer Sisters by Sara Richardson

          ~ People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

NON-FICTION

          ~ When You Love a Prodigal by Judy Douglass (continued as a study)

AUDIOBOOKS

          ~ Hello Stranger by Katherine Center (finished)

          ~ Go As A River by Shelley Read

          

What is in your summer reading pile?

Friday's Fave Five #793

Hello Friday and hi to everyone joining us for this week's Friday's Fave Five.  Taking a pause even during some time off helps me to stay in focus of my blessings of the week.  Won't you join us as we share five blessings from the last week and give thanks to God for them?

~ week off ~ Of course my most obvious blessing is some time off.  I've so needed it and have been enjoying every moment this week.  It's been a staycation for the most part but just the fact that I can stay up, sleep in, read and putz around catching up on my to do list in my own time is priceless to me.  

~ chores knocked off one by one ~  and speaking of to do lists, some long awaited chores have gotten knocked off one by one.  Love drawing a line through jobs on a to do list.  And doing them at my own leisure is bonus!

~ big city trip ~  Well a week off not going absolutely anywhere wouldn't be quite the same so Hubby and I took off to visit two of our kids who live a couple hours away in the big city.  Just that short distance still feels like a vacation away.  And the though the weather was quite crummy with lots of rain, clouds, colder temps and even some hail it was a nice getaway.  We didn't get to do any hiking like I was hoping because of the weather but we did get to do some shopping at some of our favorite places, relaxing and spending time with the adult kids.

~ movie in luxury style ~  One evening we went to a new movie theatre in my son's neighborhood and enjoyed a movie night out with him and his girlfriend at a show we all wanted to see.  It was quite the experience with every seat being a recliner.  Son brought blankets and I have to say it was the most comfortable, cozy movie theatre experience ever.  And the movie was really good too.  (A Quiet Place: Day One).  I usually avoid scary and/or alien movies at all costs but this 3 parter has been really good.  It baffles me how they can act so well without barely any dialogue and still have me totally absorbed and every emotion involved.  In fact, I commented to my son's girlfriend that is was just not fair that a thriller movie had me crying at one point and not out of fear.

-games night ~ both nights when we were there we played a new to me game called "Play Nine".  Super fun, family friendly (for ages 8+) fairly easy to catch on to, and really doesn't have a whole lot to do with golf other than lowest score wins.  It was a lot of fun just to be silly & get to know our Son's girlfriend in a casual, fun way.  

Well I still have 4 days of vacation left.  I'm going to savor every moment.  Hopefully there will be lots of coffee, reading, walking, bike riding and maybe another couple things crossed off the to do list.  What were your favorite blessings this week?

 

Something Worth Doing: A novel of an early suffragist by Jane Kirkpatrick ~ Book Review

Abigail Scott was a young 19 year old school teacher when she married Ben Duniway much to the dismay of her father who wanted to marry her off to an older man whom Abigail did not like.  Ben, for the most part, is supportive of Abigail's dreams which is unusual for a husband of the times.  But though Abigail gave up her school teaching to raise a family and help Ben in his horse training business she knows she was born for more than that.  When Ben makes some bad business decisions and then gets injured, Abigail is forced to become the breadwinner of the family.  While raising their 6 children Abigail starts a private school, runs a millinery which requires her to make buying trips, runs the farm along with trying to write a novel and owning a newspaper.  When she sees how women are treated Abigail believes that in order for women to have better lives they must be able to secure the right to vote.  Her life's focus, writing and eventual public speaking turns to fighting for women's rights and winning that right to vote.  But is the cost to her family too great?

This book was based on the true story of Abigail Scott Duniway who worked for over 40 years for women's suffrage in the state of Oregon.  Her life of persistence and vision in the face of insurmountable odds speaks to how deeply she felt the importance and passion of what she considered her mission. The story is very well researched, documenting how hard it was for women and much admiration comes from me to women like Abigail who fought so hard in those very tough times for all women but I must admit I was just not pulled in.  There was something about the pacing of it that did not make it flow for me making it a bit choppy.  I found the personality of Abigail grating throughout the book and very selfish at times and therefore could not cheer on some decisions she made.  I felt for her family at times who's needs always came second to Abigail's and that of her work.    And because of that I felt conflicted throughout the story.  While admiring and realizing it is because of the work of women like her that I have certain rights as a woman today, I also didn't connect with her or much liked her and the way she at times treated her own family.  The book is definitely worth reading, however, just to gain the sense of the uphill climbs these women faced, the sacrifices they personally made and how hard they worked and for how long to gain the right to vote for all women. 

I rated it a 7.5/10

Friday's Fave Five #792

Welcome to Friday's Fave Five.  How wonderful to be able to gather once again with blogging friends, old and new, to ponder the last week and find blessings in our ordinary days.  Over the years my prayer has been that my heart, and yours, has been able to develop the habit of noticing how God touches our ever so ordinary days with His love and grace and brings blessing in all it's different forms.  Sometimes it's huge and noticeable tangible and sometimes it is just the fact that with His grace we made it through a difficult day.  I pray I have been better at being more thankful more quickly than when I first started this journey.  May the thankful attitude we've worked to develop help us and lift us in the hard times and fill our hearts with joy in the good.  If you've never joined in please do join us!

~ anniversary dinner out ~ we celebrated our anniversary on the weekend by going to have a delicious dinner at this steakhouse.  It's definitely a special occasion place to us, we don't go there often.  I got the Sirloin Oscar (my usual when we go there) and Hubby got the Rib steak.  It was cooked perfectly and the whole meal was delicious.  I'm thankful we were able to go out and enjoy this special meal together to celebrate our 41 years. 

~ encouraging conversation and prayer with a church friend ~ Sunday after church we chatted with some friends we have known for many a year.  They recently walked a very similar road with an aging parent as what I am going through right now and they shared some good insight and prayer with us.  I'm thankful when God puts just the right people in our path at just the right time to uplift and encourage us.

~ rain ~ we've had a bit of rain over the last week and I'm so thankful for it not just for us, but especially for the city where my son and daughter live.  They had a major feeder water main break under a main road and the whole large city (population of over 1.6 million) has been on water conservation for weeks.  No watering lawns.  River water stations have been set up around the city so that at least gardens could be watered. Those in the area have had to get their potable water from water trucks set up in the neighborhoods.  Sure makes one realize what a blessing it is to have water delivered to our homes where we just have to turn on a tap.  

~ ice cold watermelon ~ such a delicious treat on a hot day!

~ new fave summer coffee ~  White Choc Macadamia Cream Cold Brew is my latest favorite.  Though next time I will get it half or a quarter sweet.  I realize what a privilege it is to purchase overly expensive coffees from a coffee shop and I'm thankful my family gives me gift cards as presents so that I can enjoy these treats once in awhile.  

What were your favorite blessings from the past week?