Friday's Fave Five #843

Happy Friday, everyone and welcome to Friday's Fave Five.  I'm am going to put Mr. Linky up for you as my post will have to come a bit later today.  But don't let that stop you from linking up your own posts of blessing and thankfulness! See you in a bit!

Oh my goodness that took a hot minute to find a moment to get on here.  Thanks for your grace.  It's been a week with a very busy work week and all my spare time being taken up.  I've had some gov't error stuff to get corrected that has literally robbed me hours of time both during work hours and my off hours.  Bureaucracy!   The left hand don't know what the right hand is doing.  I am so ready to pause all that and look for my blessings!!  In spite of all that there were some great gifts and blessings from God to enjoy!

~ anniversary ~ This week we celebrated our 42nd anniversary!  I am thankful for the gift of my Hubby!  We celebrated by going out to one of our favorite restaurants and enjoying a lovely meal together.  And bonus blessing was we used a gift card that our kids had gifted Hubby for Father's Day.  A lovely meal with the man I love celebrating a good many years together is definitely a blessing.

~ Riverdance ~ oh my word, what a wonderful show.  The dancing, the music, the rhythms, the visuals.  Totally mesmerizing.  It's no surprise they are still going strong after 30 years.  Totally worth seeing.  

~ goats ~ on our walk last weekend in the river bottom, we ran across the famous goats.  The city brings them in a few times a year to graze down the noxious weeds.  They are watched over by a herding dog.  You are not allowed to pet them and are asked to keep your distance when they are "working".  They've been faithfully munching away down there for 7 years and this is the first time I've run into them.  A fun, unexpected surprise to our hike.

~ more river bottom wildlife ~ also on our trail walk in the river bottom we ran across this doe casually keeping an eye on us while having a drink.  And the pelicans were plentiful as they were fishing by the weir.  I love all the varied wildlife we have right in the middle of the city. 

~ blooms ~ well the lovely peonies are done after a crazy wind decimated the blossoms this week, but in it's place my Banana Creme daisies have budded out in profusion.  I can hardly wait until they open and go from bright yellow to a creamy yellow.  Daisies are such a happy kind of flower and I love the color of these ones.

  

A lot of my list is the simpler things of life but no less a gift and I'm thankful for them.  

Friday's Fave Five #842

Hello to Friday and to you!  Thanks for once again joining me in intentionally being mindful of the blessings God brings into our ordinary days.  This week has just zipped by and if I didn't have this mindful pause I think I would just be racing through my days with nary a thought to blessings or God's everyday touches in my life.  One of my favorites shows is The Amazing Race.   I watch the American and Canadian versions and just recently discovered the Australian version on line.   I notice there seems to be two types of people on the race and even within a team.  While everyone's main goal is to win the whole thing in the end, there are those who are so on a mission to get tasks completed, are laser focused on what the next goal is, heads down going as fast as they can through all the various countries and locations doing whatever they have to get to the mat first on any particular leg of the race.  And then there are those who in the midst of the craziness are able to take a pause, to actually notice their surroundings and the beautiful countries they are in and to be thankful that they have the opportunity to be there.  It so relates to how we take on life.  Which person am I?  Which person are you?  I'm not in a race on tv, but do I act like I am, running from one task to the next with no time to notice the good and beauty and be grateful? I want to be the one who consistently notices all the beauty and good blessings of my day and stop and thank God for bringing it into my life.  

~ blooms galore ~ This makes me so incredibly happy.  When we sold my Mom's home, I took her peony bush from the back yard and specifically made a flower garden in the front lawn just to display them.  I'm sure my neighbors thought I was nuts putting a flower garden in the middle of the lawn but it was the only very sunny spot to be had and I can look out my front window and have a lovely view of the flower bed.  The first 3 years I wondered if I would ever get a nice bush.  I'd get one or maybe two blooms and that was it.  But this year, just 6 months after her passing, the bush has honored her with a profusion of blooms.  Every time I look out my front window, it is a beautiful memory of her.  She loved flowers and had beautiful gardens all her life until she couldn't care for them anymore.  And bottom line, God is an artist and I'm thankful for the gift of vision to see this beautiful display in memory of Mom.  

~ gosling family sighting ~ and no, I don't mean this Gosling:

I mean the feathered kind.  It's always fun to go to the lake and see the parents leading their young around.  This little family entertained me and my young friend during a fundraiser walk around the lake that I attended on Sunday.  New life is a wonderful blessing.

~ raspberry brownie ice cream ~ One of the flavors of the month from my favorite ice cream shop.  Oh my.  An absolute delight.  Raspberry ice cream with chunks of chocolate brownie.  And everything is made from scratch.  Yum!! I may have to go get another pint before the end of the month.

~ rain ~ We had a couple days of rain this week which is desperately needed right now all over Canada.  While I do love my sunshine, I do love rain to break up the hot days.  

~ tickets to Riverdance ~ I've watched on tv and have wanted to see the show live for years and years!  I just found out this week they are here this month for one night.  Going to the arena website, they are almost sold out but there was still a few decent seats left.   So a quick phone call to a friend who enjoys going to shows too and we were able to get the tickets.  I'm so excited.  I'm thankful I found someone to go with me at basically the last minute and that I finally get to see this show live.

What were your favorite blessings this week?

Friday's Fave Five #841

Happy Friday, everyone!  So glad to take this pause in the way too busy week so that I can notice some of the blessings that God brought my way.  Busyness sure tries to distract me and cares of this world really try to blind me to the everyday goodness that God tries to bless me with.  Having an "appointment" each week to take pause and think and take note really helps with resetting my perspective.  Please join in with us as we develop eyes that see the blessing and hearts that are grateful to God.

As usual there is never any particular order to mine.  It's just how they are brought to my remembrance.

~ fundraising afternoon tea ~ my  friend treated me to a fundraising afternoon tea event that supports a local women's ministry who houses and runs programs for women recovering from addiction.  It was a lovely afternoon getting to talk to people I haven't seen in years and having yummy sandwiches and  desserts and of course tea (or coffee for us die hards).  There was a silent auction, and lots of lovely planters filled with flowers the women had planted to purchase and varies other items you could buy with all proceeds going to the charity.  Our Member of Parliment made a short speech and three of the women who currently live in the home shared their stories of how God moved in their lives.  It was very touching.

  

~visit from youngest~ Our youngest popped down for an overnight visit.  She was taking her cousin out for her birthday but there was time for us to have a visit and dinner with her also.  It's always a blessing when the kids come home even for a short while.

~ shaved ice truck ~ well once again the shaved ice truck was hired by the school across the street and parked right in front of the house.  And as soon as the kids laid eyes on it, excitement vibrated right through them.  One of them came running up to me to say "The ice cream truck came back just for us!"  Well how could I disappoint that hope.  So we quickly donned our shoes and coats before the school kids came out and crossed the street to get a shaved ice.  I wish I could show a picture of their happy faces enjoying the treat.

~ spontaneous "picnic" and walk ~ Sunday was such a gorgeous day that after church, which took longer because of the Annual General Meeting, we went home, changed, grabbed the dog, picked up burgers and went to our favorite place in the River Bottom for an impromptu picnic and walk.  What a lovely break that was enjoying the outdoors.  

 

~ strawberry tomatoes ~ Hubby brought them home from C*stco last week.  I'd never heard of a strawberry tomato and I think they are the best one bite tomatoes I've ever had.  They were so juicy and sweet and very flavorful.  Like home grown.  It's not often a store bought tomato tastes that good.  

What were your favorite blessings from the week.  

Ribbon of Years by Robin Lee Hatcher ~ Book Review

Julianna Crosby finds herself at an estate sale in Boise, Idaho.  Usually she loves these sales but she feels restless and discontented with her life.  As she roams the old Victorian house she finds herself in a room with a few chairs and a box on table.  As she realizes the room was set up for a meeting, she cannot resist the pull to look through the box that curiously has the label "My Life" written on it.  Reasoning that the woman downstairs had said everything in the house was for sale Julianna starts to peek through the odd assortment of items.  As she a few people start to enter the room at various times and she finds herself immersed in the story of the life of "Miriam" as each person explains what each item means and how it relates to them.  What she finds is the story of a young girl with big Hollywood dreams who never made it past Idaho, who didn't always find her path in life an easy one and yet how her eventual walk of deep faith in God touched each person in that room in a profound way.  Now Julianna finds Miriam's life, even after her passing, touching hers.

This is one of my all time favorite Christian books.  I've now read it probably four times since purchasing it in the early 2000's.  It follows Miriam's life from the 1930's to the 1980's.  From a headstrong, starry eyed teenager to a woman firmly grounded in her faith who walks out that faith in her everyday life no matter what life throws at her and in a way that touches the lives around her.  The author has said her own Mom was the inspiration for the character of Miriam.  Though an easy read and one that always compels me to keep reading it, also touches on a myriad of hard life topics, ones where one may wonder where God is in them,  each of which is handled in a very real way with real feelings and fears.  The author doesn't shy away from addressing them or letting the reader know that the Christian life is not a walk in the park but at the same time showing how a progressive, abiding faith in God walked out daily can carry one through the hardest of times and touch the lives of those around us in profound ways.  Though not a fluffy read I always find this story encouraging to keep to my own walk of faith.   

I will note that this book has now been republished with a different cover but this is the one I have so hence this picture.

I rated this a 10/10

Friday's Fave Five #840

Welcome to Friday's Fave Five.  It's our little space in this digital world to look for our blessings with the intent of being thankful to God for them.  Please join us.  If you are new the details are in the link in the sidebar.  

~ flowers finally planted ~ finally potted up all my flowers and I can't wait for them to grow and fill in.  These are a few of them.  I can't wait till they start growing and filling in.   I love flowers and see them as a lovely gift from God to indulge the senses.

These two pots were the ones I got with a gift card my son have blessed me with for Mother's Day:

~ stunning sunsets ~ this week we've seen some lovely sunsets but Tuesday's was a stunner.  I noticed it through the windows because it was so bright and rich in color.  Grateful I have eyes to see God's gorgeous artistry!

~ friend check ins ~ this week I received a txt from a friend just telling me she was thinking of me and checking in to make sure everything was going well.  What an blessing that was. 

~ re-watching the Chosen ~ Hubby and I have started re-watching The Chosen together in the evenings and we are amazed at how much more we are getting out of it being able to watch it on a steady basis rather than waiting a year for each season.  It gives us some good discussions each and every episode.  

~ lovely evenings ~ I've been enjoying some relax time on the deck in the evenings after the kids go home for the day.  The trees provide some cooling shade and it's been so peaceful and calm this last week.  Just sitting in the quiet and finishing a coffee or reading a few pages from my book before starting supper is a refreshing end to very busy days.  I'm thankful for those moments of calm.

What were some of the blessings in your everyday this week?

Across the Ages by Gabrielle Meyer ~ Book Review

In 1727 Caroline is living the life of a granddaughter of a huge plantation in South Carolina.  Her mother left her to be raised by her grandfather, who now, as is the custom of the day wants to choose whom she will marry.  But Caroline feels stifled by all the rules and she definitely doesn't want to marry her grandfather's choice.  Adding to that is the deep secret that Caroline holds.  She also has a life in 1927 as the daughter of a very famous preacher whose fame is becoming international.  She is confused by what is happening to her and in an attempt to find answers she comes across a letter hidden and written to her by her mother in which her mother also seems to be living a double life.  In a desperate attempt to find the truth and her mother, Caroline runs away from the plantation and disguises herself as a cabin boy to gain passage to the Bahamas where she thinks her mother is.  But when pirates take the ship Caroline finds herself sidetracked from her quest.  

In 1927, Caroline is busy trying to live the life of a famous preacher's daughter.  Though her brothers secretly have lives that would shame her parents Caroline is very much trying to be the dutiful daughter giving no one a chance to gossip.  But trying to hold her brothers' involvement in corruption during prohibition is becoming harder and Caroline is feeling the pressure.  As Caroline tries to find answers to her time crossing in this age, she asks her best friend from childhood who is now a police officer to help her but it will require telling him her biggest secret.  As she tries to find answers in the hidden corruption of the speakeasies of Minnesota, Caroline is faced with the choice of knowing the truth or possibly adding to her father's loss of reputation.  

Another very fun take on the time crossing series from this author.  The juxtaposition of a life of following the strict rules of a preacher's daughter and the life she finds herself in on a pirate ship is interesting as she tries to navigate the two.  Unlike the previous books in the series the main character doesn't understand she has a timeline where she must make a decision as to which life she wants to live in when she turns 21 and it adds to the element of urgency and intrigue as I kept hoping she would figure it out and not just end up in the timeline not of her choosing.  As usual the author really researches the time periods so well so I really got a sense of the Caribbean pirate life as well as the prohibition era.   This installment seemed to lean a little heavier into the romance end to me which was the least appealing part of the story for me but it stays clean and didn't take away from the adventure of the story.   In the end, it's a story of forgiveness and redemption and desiring God's plan for life and I always appreciate how the author weaves the two seemingly disconnected timelines together into a wonderful journey of a story.  

I rated this a 9.5/10

Friday's Fave Five #839

Friday is here and it's time to pause and reflect on what blessings have touched our everyday lives over the last week.  Won't you join in on this journey of perspective and gratefulness?

Some of my favorite blessings from the last week are pretty simple ones but no less important to be thankful for them.

~ children's innocent comments ~ Last week we got our lawn aerated and the next day when the dayhome kids walked out the back door for play,  one of them with their eyes big as saucers, couldn't hold back with the comment:  "Look at all the dog p**p on your grass!"   I laughed all day over that one.  The laughter their innocent comments brings cannot be underestimated and I'm thankful for them.

~ flower shopping with Sis ~   "What happens at the garden center stays at the garden center" is our mantra as we go for our yearly flower shopping.  We both love planting flowers each spring and look forward to our sister day of shopping for them.

~ lilacs ~ Oh what can I say about the lovely blooms and the incredible fragrance?  It's a blessing to have a bouquet grace the table.  God is an artist and the best perfumer!

~ morning sunshine ~ I am so not a morning person, so to be able to be getting up to brighter or sunny mornings is a real blessing.  It just wakes me up better and gets me going quicker.

~ peaceful, relaxed Sunday ~ we decided, seeing it was a long weekend here in Canada, to have a really relaxed Sunday.  I watched the church service online with a nice cup of coffee and in my jammies, read some of my book.  It was raining outside so we just hung around the house and did a few things here and there.  It was a perfect rejuvenating type of day.

What were your favorite blessings from the last week?

Friday's Fave Five #838

Welcome to Friday's Fave Five!  Time to take a pause and take note of the blessings in our lives from the past week with the intention of developing hearts of gratitude.  Sometimes the blessings are big and life changing but more often than not they are found in the simple joys of life.   Please join us as we share five of our favorites from the last week.  

~ bank appointment checked off the to do list ~ finances and banking is not something that comes with easy understanding for me so I finally made that appointment at the bank to ask a few questions. I'm so glad I did. The appointment went well and I surprised myself at my being able to understand quite a bit of what they were a explaining to me.  They associates were friendly and patient as I asked questions and they had to explain some things a couple of times until understanding came.  I left that appointment feeling good about what I had learned and much more comfortable making some decisions. 

~ Mother's Day ~ this Mother's Day was a hard one for me.  It was the first without my Mom.  And none of my kids were able to come for the day.  But it still turned out to be a lovely day.  Hubby did his best to make the day special and he did a wonderful job of it.  Church, a Chinese food lunch, and a little shopping together for a trellis, and an ice cream treat from my favorite shop.  I had phone calls or messages from all the kids along with gift cards from each.  The day ended with some nice relaxing and reading time.  

 

~ thoughtful business ~ when our siding was completed it took us about a day to realize that we should really just bite the bullet and get out gutters and downspouts replaced.  We've been in this house about 33 years and who knows how long before then they were put on. To say they were starting to leak is an understatement.  So we hired the same company and were told that it would be about a week before they could do the job (which would have made it sometime this week).  But last Thursday we got a call from them saying they would be there the next day because they saw rain in the forecast for this week and they knew our current downspouts were barely sitting in place because we didn't get them attached to the house as we discussed whether we should get the new ones.  I was really blessed by the thoughtfulness of this company that they would do that for us.  

  

~ dinner with our Pastors ~ it has been awhile since we were able to connect with out Pastors so it was really nice when we were finally able to lock down a date to have dinner.  They are such an encouraging couple and we always feel lifted up after spending time with them.  

~ upside down pineapple ice cream ~ one of the fun flavors of the month at my favorite local homemade ice cream shop.  Like an upside down pineapple cake, but ice cream.  So good!  

What were your favorite blessings from the week?

Happy Mother's Day to all you beautiful moms out there!

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston ~ Book Review

Frederick Fife is 82 and on the edge of homelessness.  Since his beloved wife died of cancer, his life has just dissipated to nothing.  Using up all their savings for her medical care, Frederick is now being evicted after not being able to meet his rent payments for months.  Though they tried, Frederick and his wife were childless so there is no one to borrow from, no one to turn to.  When out trying to figure out if he should go to a homeless shelter or where he is to sleep that night, odd circumstances cause a case of mistaken identity that Frederick tries to correct but can't seem to get anyone to listen to him.  As he finds himself all of a sudden having a roof over his head complete with meals at a nursing home, it becomes harder and harder to get anyone to listen to him.  And as he makes friends with other residents who can't believe the change in him from a grumpy old codger to a kind, caring gentleman, he begins to wonder if he can get away with borrowing the other man's life and can he live with himself doing it.  However, one of the nurses is suspicious. But with major problems in her own life she is dealing with, Dennis Simms just doesn't deal with it.  Sometimes walking on egg shells trying to sort out his new life, Frederick learns to navigate the landmines blending who he really is with the man they think he is.  But always in the back of his mind is the fact that there will be a day of reckoning.  

This book, I'm sure, is going to go down as one of my top 10 reads ever.  I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it.  It's sweet and heartfelt touching upon every emotion.   There were laugh out loud moments and times where I cried.  The author actually was a social support worker in a senor home in Australia so the story was very insightful and respectful of what living in a senior home is like and I found myself hilariously thinking who in my Mom's senior home matched up with which character.  I loved the characters and their development throughout.  It touched on all the things I love in a story:  great characters, witty, real emotions, found family, forgiveness, redemption and just a feel good story all around.  I quite a few times paused in my reading just to say out loud or to my husband what a good book this was.  Kudos to the author for this great debut novel.  

I rated it a 10+/10

Friday's Fave Five #837

Happy Friday and welcome to Friday's Fave Five.  We are intentionally learning to focus on the blessings God brings into our lives and developing hearts of gratitude.  It's not just a matter of "being positive".  It is working towards having hearts and minds that are aware of the touch of God in our lives whether we are in a great season or whether it's a challenging one.  It's one of actually changing our perspective of how we approach the everyday and all that it brings and being deeply thankful for all the good.  It's about coming to the point of seeing the blessings over and above whatever else is going on.  And that takes discipline and sometimes it takes work.  Here, on each and every Friday, we give opportunity to become part of a community that is supportive to each other in doing just that.  Please join in with us.

~ great Sunday service ~  Sunday morning church was a huge blessing all around.  I got there early and was able to talk to some friends I haven't seen in awhile.  Our church has gone to two morning services so I've missed seeing some people who attend the service I don't.  The worship was wonderful and the Pastor has started a series entitled "Fear Not" with the first session being "We are no longer slaves to fear".  It was so good and many parts of it seemed like it was specifically for me. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

~ Ladies study ~ Wednesday was a smaller group, only 5 of us which is about half of whom normally attend.  But the smaller group made it so that we could really delve into the questions and points from the Sunday sermon.  I really enjoy when the church runs the bible studies this way for a time as it allows questions to be asked and deep dives being taken into what was taught over the pulpit and then in turn, looking at ways to apply it to every day life.  It's a blessing to belong to a group where questions and conversation is encouraged but emphasis remains on biblical truth.

~ special crafts ~ I love doing crafts with the kids for special occasions and this Sunday is, of course, Mother's Day.  So this week we've been busy, busy, busy.  I find it especially fun to see how excited they are and find it amusing how some just can't wait to let the cat out of the bag before the gifts are ready to go home.  And I love how they so excitedly show off all their hard work to their parents.

~ stunning views with memories ~ I was looking for something in my camera roll and came across this picture of a gorgeous walk on an equally gorgeous day that I forgot I had taken.  It was from a couple of weekends ago but it blessed me seeing the picture because of the good memory of the day that it evoked.  Everything was perfect that day:  the temperature was warm but not uncomfortably hot, the sky was a beautiful blue, no wind and when we took the bridge over the river on our walk the water was just this stunning color which is rare.  It's usually clear to a muddy bottom or running muddy depending on how swift it's running.  It made for a beautiful picture with the train bridge in the background.  

~ recipes that make me think of Mom ~ my Mom was such a good Hungarian cook though she always thought she was just average.  I love when I make a Hungarian dish and it takes me right back to my childhood and memories of her in the kitchen always making us a good meal for supper.  This week I made Gulyas Leves, a traditional Hungarian soup consisting of Stew Beef, potatoes, onions, carrots and lots of sweet Hungarian paprika.  Sometimes parsnips are added.  And sometimes caraway seeds, though never in my house.  I can't stand caraway seeds.  The beef is slow simmered until super tender and then the rest of the ingredients and cooked until the veggies are cooked.  Served with bread or buns and butter it evokes warm  childhood memories for me. 

What are your blessings from the last week that you are thankful for?

   

Friday's Fave Five #836

Welcome Friday and to Friday's Fave Five.  The week has been busy, it seems to have flown by and here we are at Friday once again.  Time to take a breath, slow down and take the focus off the busy and put it onto remembering my blessings over the past week and taking the time to be grateful to God.  Please join with us in developing lives of thankfulness.

~ siding finished ~ the new siding was finished on Wednesday and I'm so pleased.  The crew worked fast finishing the job in 5 consecutive working days.  That in itself was a blessing since some quotes we had gave us a timeline of 2 months!  I love the color we chose and I'm so glad we no longer have to paint the exterior of this house. 

~ generous neighbor ~ my wonderful neighbor, who also has a childcare, graciously offered to have my dayhome come and play at her house daily this week for our outside time.  The kids had a great time playing with her kids.  It also got us out of the noise for awhile and got us outside into the beautiful weather.  I'm so grateful for her generosity.

~ mini egg ice cream ~ we enjoyed a yummy treat from our favorite ice cream shop, Mini Egg Ice Cream.  They make it for Easter month so we made sure we secured a pint or two as last year we missed out.  It's so good.

~ Sister support ~ I'm super thankful to have a sister whom I can talk things over with and bounce ideas off of.  She lives in my city so she's close by and I don't take for granted the blessing that is.  We don't always see eye to eye and we're very different from each other but I'm so glad we have each other.

~ time spent with friends ~ the last week I've been able to spend a little time with a friend, talk with another friend through texts, and have a supper date planned for this week with another friend.  Friends hold a special place and I'm grateful for the times I have with them sharing conversation and laughter.

What were the blessings in your life this last week?

Friday's Fave Five #835

Welcome everyone!  It's Friday once again and that means taking that pause in our busy days and taking note of the good things that God has blessed us with over the past week.  It's been a very busy past few days, as I'm sure it was for you too with the Easter holiday so that makes being intentional in taking that thankfulness pause that much more important.  Busyness can be such a distractor that causes us to miss or overlook all that God blesses us with over our days and weeks.  We can be so caught up in just trying to accomplish what we need to get done that those good things slip right past us and we miss the chance to be thankful.  Join us as we develop intention in our gratitude.

~ 4 day weekend ~ for me, a 4 day weekend is a huge blessing!  It not only gives me rest time, but removes the hectic out of having basically only one day of the weekend totally devoted to getting chores and to do list stuff done.  Easter put more things on that to do list so having that extra day before the holiday to help get things done for the arrival of family was a huge blessing.  And having Monday to clean up and just be with the family doing fun stuff is a gift before jumping back into work on the Tuesday.

~ the whole family home ~ now that the kids are grown and live out of town with jobs & responsibilities, getting everyone together at the same time is more difficult.  This Easter was the first Easter in awhile where everyone was able to be here.  It was really nice having everyone together again and I'm thankful they all had safe travels here and back to their homes.  

~ Easter dinner ~  even though it's a lot of work and sometimes stressful, I do love having everyone gathered together for special dinners.  This year we had 11 of us here for Easter dinner.  I have discovered it I cook the turkey the day before, cool it, carve it and reheat it with some chicken broth in the baking dish, makes for a whole lot less stress the day of the dinner.  The chicken broth keeps the turkey nice and moist in the reheating.  Then Sunday it was easy to just thicken the gravy and whip up some potatoes and a veggie. So much easier.   I also threw a ham in the oven because I wanted to make sure there was enough meat for that crowd.  My sis brought desserts and buns and we all shared a wonderful and delicious afternoon together.

~ gifts ~ my son bought me a really cute planter for the deck table.  He saw it in a grocery store of all places and thought of me so he bought it.  It's a huge teacup and saucer and I can't wait to go pick flowers for it next month.  My younger daughter brought with her a gift that she had ordered for Christmas for me but it didn't come in on time so she gave it to me now.  It's an ornament with the quote from the book I used to read to them all the time when they were little:  "I'll Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch.  It really touched me.    

~ siding work started ~  it's been a long time coming but work started yesterday on replacing the siding on our house.  We've wanted to do it for years and years but other priorities have always put it on the back burner.  It's a lot of work for Hubby keeping up on the painting and everything else around here and as we get older we are both finding our enthusiasm and energy and even ability for certain chores is waning.  With my hand and arm issues I haven't helped with painting in many years so all the work of both inside and outside painting fell to Hubby who has his own shoulder issue.  I'm so glad that at least painting the exterior of the house will no longer be on his to do list.  

What have been your favorite blessings this week?