Happy Valentine's Day to everyone and welcome to Friday's Fave Five. Hope your day is going well so far. We are still sitting in a deep freeze so I'm wrapped in a nice warm shawl as I'm typing this trying to stay cozy. We haven't been out and about much due to the cold but there are still blessings to be found. Please join in with us.
~ valentine's with the kiddos ~ kids always make a holiday that much more fun. As we get older we can get a bit jaded about this stuff but the kids always adore it. We've been having fun in the dayhome crafting and coloring in an explosion of pink, red, purple and white all week. They are so excited to take all their creations home and show them off to Mom and Dad. And it's a good thing we had a holiday of this kind to do all this crafty stuff for as we have not been able to go out and play all week due to the bitter cold. Later today we'll have fun snacks and a movie in the afternoon. Holidays and kids go well together.
~ shift in bible study ~ Last week we started a new study of our True Identity in Christ. It's based on the series of sermons and teachings we are hearing this month on Sundays. I enjoy when we do this in small group studies as it gets us to really delve even deeper and make it more applicable. It allows for discussion and questions to be asked and answered which the Sunday sermon does not.
~ some more decluttering ~ I have severely been lacking motivation to take on any bigger projects around the house but did manage to declutter my spice cupboard in a burst of inspiration. It all started with digging through it trying to decide what to put on my potatoes. LOL. As I shifted and moved the various jars around trying to see what had been pushed towards the back of the shelves, I found a jar of something or other that I looked at thought "How long has this thing been sitting in here?" When I saw the expiration date I was shocked. This led me on a quick purge of everything that looked or smelled remotely ancient. Five minutes and I had purged quite a few things and now have more space in the cupboard to actually see and use what is there.
~ early to bed ~ I've been trying to get to bed a half hour earlier than is my usual habit on a work night. I've developed a bad habit of getting to bed too late lately and I've found myself starting the day still tired or being totally worn out by the end of the work day. But it's a hard habit to break. I like the peace and quiet after hectic, loud days so it's hard to make myself go to bed. I'm happy to say that 3 nights this week I've met my goal. That's huge for me. The blessing is feeling rested to start the new day.
~ weekend visit with my son ~ we didn't get to see him a whole lot as he came down for a celebration of life service and went skiing the next day but we did manage to have Friday night supper with him and Sunday lunch. It's always a blessing when any of the kids come home.
~ surprise visit with a friend ~ I'm totally throwing an extra one in the list today. I had a lovely visit with a friend who had moved away a couple of years ago. She also was in town for a celebration of life service and called to see if I had some time in the evening. It was so nice to catch up with her and hear of all the wonderful ways God is moving in her new life. It's always uplifting and fun being with her.
What have been the blessings in your life this last week?
11 comments:
I love that you were able to see your friend AND your son although their circumstances for visiting your area were sad. It's blessing to spend time with our young adult "Children" and long time friends we don't get to see often.
You're an awesome daycare provider! I used to love it when my youngest (she was in a home daycare from ages 8 months-4 yrs old) would bring home special cards/crafts that "miss angie" made with her. And then when they were in preschool, their preschool teacher always had them make something to do with God's love for Valentine's Day. I used to love that and probably still have some of their creations in a box in the basement. (they both went to a Christian preschool).
SPICES! Susanne I started laughing because we had this beautiful bottle of curry that we received in our wedding gifts: 1990!!! i JUST tossed it (it was half gone) When I did that, I did like you: and found many spices were more than 2 yrs old so I chucked them because i watched a nutrition podcast once and it said all spices should be either used up or tossed after 24 months. So I did what you did but THEN I put mine in the cupboard in alphabetical order :) true story. Drives my husband mad but it IS easier to find what you want/need!!
Happy Valentine's Day Susanne.
How fun for the kids to make Valentines for their parents! That sounds like a good Bible study. I've seen one on the subject of our identity in Christ that looked good. One time I found a spice in a tin can that still had a price sticker on it from those sticker guns they used to use. I was astonished! We don't think of those things expiring.
I know what you mean about bedtime. It seems like the older i get, the more sleep factors into my physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. But I also love the quiet of the evenings when the day's work is done and usually stay up too late. I have taken small steps in this area but need to do better.
Glad you had good visits with your son and friend!
Celebrating Valentine's day with the younger ones is a treat. Our Grands are coming for dinner and a movie later today so their parents can have some quieter alone time. You had some nice visits this week. We've been in that same deep freeze here. Happy Valentine's day to you and yours.
Hi Susanne. It's great that you were able to spend some time with your son when he came down to your area. Your new Bible study sounds interesting. I am sure you will enjoy and learn a lot from it! I am trying to get into bed earlier too. Getting enough sleep is vital to our health as we age. I hope you have a very Happy Valentines Day and a good weekend. See you again soon!
Kids really do make the holidays fun. It's still all so new for them. How nice to have your son home for a visit. I'm working on decluttering (again) and find organizing the smaller areas can be as satisfying as the big projects. Happy Valentine's Day!
I can imagine the fun of doing crafts with the children although the clearing up afterwards is probably a challenge. But so much fun the kids.
Your Bible study does sound interesting. I love small Bible study groups where you can share and discuss. I'm looking for one for myself.
That's great to be able to meet up with a friend. Those times are so special because they are unexpected.
I tend to go to bed early with a book. Then as I read, I get sleepy, so I turn out the light. Then I'm awake again. Good sleep hygiene is so important. I'm still looking for mine!
I know how it is with decluttering and getting distracted. You discover so many things as you go along that you also need to declutter. You have to keep your focus - but for me, that's usually doesn't work.
Wishing you a blessed Valentine's Day.
Seeing our adult kids is always a blessing. And visiting with a friend from out of town is great, too.
Good on you for getting to bed earlier--I'm really bad at that.
My sister-in-law shared some photos of her grandson painting valentines for his classmates-- kids are so creative and love to make them.
Happy Valentine's Day!
How nice to be able to catch up with your son and your friend this week. It's hard caring for little ones when the weather keeps you all inside. I'm sure the holiday activities helped this week. My granddaughter took home a lovely heart picture with her handprints on to my daughter and DIL from her nursery today. Yes a good sleep routine is important. I have a routine but like you the going to bed is too late most nights. I need to follow your example. Have a good weekend Susanne.
Appreciate your reminding us of kid's perspective on holidays and activities. Those kids have such a blessing to spend time with you!
There's something about spice racks that get ignored for far too long. You know the spice is super old when the manufacturer hasn't used glass jars in ages.
Congrats on identifying the problem and building good habits to get yourself to bed earlier.
I did the same thing with some spices! I was just looking for one thing and an hour later I was still working on that cabinet! I still have the same problem with going to bed too late. I am working on it. I did the same thing with my grands and kids. Now I am making goody bags to pass out to my ladies at our Bible journaling meet up on Tuesday.
Here it's also an awful weather and for 3 weeks I could not go out, it was to humid. fortunately I don't need anything and I really have a holiday life ! I had to laugh that you suddenly had a burst of energy and cleaned up the spices. That happened to me too, the expiration date was 12 years ago !
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