Friday, March 20, 2015

Friday's Fave Five #322


Happy Spring everyone!  It makes me so happy to say that!  I know around here spring comes in stops and starts, we are expecting snow this weekend, but it is spring snow and the end of winter is in sight.  I hope my friends down east can find some relief from the crazy winter they have had and start to see the light at the end of a very long wintery tunnel.  But even in the midst of weather woes, there is blessings to be found.  Let's look for them and share 5!

1.  A perfectly relaxed Sunday providing lots of reading time.  I love these Sundays where I don't have a bunch of chores and running around left over to the last of the weekend.  Church in the morning, my mom over for lunch and then putting my feet up with a cup of coffee and a wonderful book.

2.  My dishwasher.  My goodness, this has been a favourite this week.  I don't know what happened this week but between my own family and a dayhome I swear those dirty dishes are multiplying somehow so I am very thankful that I have a dishwasher.  Otherwise I think I'd be standing at that sink for a good part of my day!

3.  Taking extra time with a dear friend who will be moving a province and over a mountain range away.  Oh how I will miss this girl! It absolutely breaks my heart.   We've been having lots of extra coffee time and shopping time and just doing things together time.  I'm very thankful that because I work at home she has been able to pop by, that we've been able to share some time on the weekends. So thankful for the friendship we share.

4.  Date night with my honey.  And he took me to a specific restaurant just so that I could get a favourite meal off of a feature menu.  I sorta suspect he really wanted to go another restaurant that was a wee bit less expensive but he put me first.  I'm very blessed to have a hubby who thinks of me.  Next time he'll definitely get the pick of where he wants to go.


5.  A great quote that really makes me think.  I found this  over at my friend Laura's great blog in this post.  Really made me think!


"Simplifying isn’t just about removing the things in our lives that we don’t love or use,
 it also means removing the things that affect us negatively
 even if those are things we love and use."



And those "things" can be ANYTHING.  In many ways, my life is way less busy and complicated than it used to be. All my children are now young adults and no longer need me driving them around to activities and jobs. That uncomplicates my schedule immensely.  But that being said, I have to intentionally take note of what I commit myself to now as I can tend to be overly involved myself. I think it's because I work at home with preschoolers and it's a stress reliever to get with other adults and away from the house for a while. And my inclination is also to love shopping and "stuff". But all that "stuff" needs cleaning, organizing, and maintenance. Which itself creates it's own kind of stress. Lots to mull over in that quote for me.

 What are your 5 favourite things that brought a blessing to your life this week?







14 comments:

Gattina said...

The first thing as wedding gift I asked for 46 years ago was a dishwasher !! It was the most important thing in my kitchen as we always had a lot of friends for meals ! That was the best invention a man ever did ! Friendships also survive distances, and now with Skype you think you are with your friend in the same room ! That's great too !

Tori Leslie said...

What a nice list! I'm with you, can't believe Spring is already here and while it's not all the way here it's on it's way and that's good enough.
You're Sunday sounds lovely!
Dishwashers, wonderful!!
I love that quote, so true. How often do we love things that aren't good for us and those are the hard things to toss. Lovely read!

Faith said...

So funny that you mention the dishwasher because my husband noticed how much we had to use it (TWICE a day one day last week!!) while our oldest was home from college! I told him thank the Lord we have one otherwise he and I would be taking turns washing/drying! :) Love your fave list.....how bittersweet for you to have your good friend move away but it's nice to have the time leading up to her move AND that we have texting, FB, etc to keep in touch. Oh i am ALL about simplifying these days. Last weekend I took FOUR boxes of "stuff" and 2 prom gowns to the consignment shop. Felt SO good and I will have more after my spring break next month when I thoroughly clean and purge. Enjoy the start of Spring!! ALL the snow is gone from the front yard!! (minus one patch where it was a bit deeper). YAY!!

Barbara H. said...

Oops - when I went to put my link in, the last book I linked to for Semicolon's Sat. Review of Books was in the Mr. Linky box, and I put the right link in for FFF but forgot to amend the name, so the title is still showing up (if that makes sense). Anyway, the link is the right one to this week's FFF.

I am rejoicing that this is the first day of spring! Yay!

Your Sunday sounds perfect.

I love my dishwasher, too. Before I got one, I told myself if I ever did get one, I would never complain about doing dishes again. Well, sometimes I still feel comlainy about it (to my shame), but I try to remind myself it's much easier now than it would be without a dishwasher.

It's hard when a friend moves away. I'm glad you've been able to spend some time together. And your date night sounds fun!

Ann said...

Always hard to see a friend move away. God bless you during this time.

Paula said...

I, too, am so thankful for the arrival of spring! I'm sorry that your friend is moving away; kindred spirits are hard to come by. How sweet of your hubby to show his love by treating you to a meal where you wanted to go-- "in honor, preferring one another."

Paula said...

I, too, am so thankful for the arrival of spring! I'm sorry that your friend is moving away; kindred spirits are hard to come by. How sweet of your hubby to show his love by treating you to a meal where you wanted to go-- "in honor, preferring one another."

nikkipolani said...

Hurray for spring! Relaxed Sundays are the best. I love your fives of simple and yet rich blessings.

Chris said...

Just so you know, this is one of the favorite parts of my week...reading all the good things. Thank you!

ellen b said...

Dishwashers really come in handy when you've got a crowd! Glad you could have a date. Sorry about your friend moving away...
Have a great weekend.

Monica said...

I totally agree with that quote and am currently working on getting the complicated things out of my life. :)
Love your Sunday afternoon. Sounds divine!

Snowbird said...

That is a wonderful quote! I too need to dwell on that one.
Dishwashers....where would we be without them? Mine has been broken for a while and it's driving me crazy!
I hope you and your friend get to keep in touch, thankfully there is skype and a host of other social media to help.xxx

Willow said...

Dishwashers are a true blessing as are clothes washers.
I'm so glad spring is here! I know my winter is nothing compared to yours but I do love spring! Is all the snow gone now?
I hope you have another Sunday just like last week's.

Susan said...

I loved reading about the faves on your list this week, Susanne.

Having a dear froiend move away is hard; so I am glad you two have been able to spend some extra time together.

My heart smiled when you told us how your hubby let you choose the restaurant. He definitely loves you in action.

I hope your Sunday today was as relaxing as last Sunday. Those kinds of Sundays help prepare me for a busy week.

And before I go, I must say that the quote you shared is quite impactful. I never thought about needing to be careful about things I love and use but have a negative influence on me. Thanks for the new thought.