Lent Week One

I love Christmas season.  And I love Lent season.  Lent arrived very early this year--in the end of February.  I have had to jump in, ready or not.  I have felt like that about my whole week, too.  I really needed to stop this week and consider the blessings.  Here are my Friday Fave Fives. The link is to Susanne's blog where you can join if you want to do your own FFF.

1.  I am thankful for The Professor who was a prof in computer science.  He knew what went wrong with the scroll pad on my laptop and diagnosed it as a hardware problem.  And he convinced me to get a mouse.  He even showed me how to fix that 'little rodent' so it works with my left hand (backwards)!  Now, I'm learning to use it.

2.  I survived Sunday.  It was a loooong day.  All morning at church, of course.  Then a luncheon meet and greet with a missionary our church supports.  THEN a baby shower for a friend's granddaughter.  THEN...an evening with friends.  Yup.  It was amazing that I didn't fall asleep. (And we had company on Saturday--two young men we call our 'grandsons' who drove up from LA to have The Professor show them step by step how to do their taxes. And then we enjoyed s meal with them at our favorite burrito place.)

3.  Here is the little outfit I knitted with the new baby.  It's a girl!

I am also making a kimono and matching hat and a blankie which I will show here - when it's finished.

4.  I love it when the birds randomly show up.  I glanced out my front window and discovered this egret posing on my neighbor's driveway!  I am thankful for God's beauty all around me!

5.  It is Lent season.  My artist friends and I are reading a book and meeting each Friday morning (early!) to discuss it.  We chose Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson. We met today and I think I'm going to like this book.  At first, I wasn't sure, but as we talked about it together, I began to see so much more in what Peterson wrote.

Bonus:  A quote (one of many!) from the book:  "Since we were made to glorify God, worship happens when someone is doing exactly what he or she was made to do."  If I am made to create things out of yarn, that is worship.  If I am compelled to grow a bountiful garden, that is worship.  If the Professor is made to solve all those technical problems, that is worship.  And "The spark of the idea (for creating) was HOPE; the work that led to (the creation) was FAITH; the completion of it leads to WORSHIP."

Stop, Think, Be Thankful

Wow!  What a week here at Willow's Cottage!  It was busy, just plain and simple, busy.  But in the busyness, I stopped every once in a while to think, "I'm thankful for this" and "I'm thankful I can do this".  This is why I post my Friday Fave Fives every week.  It's a way for me to remember to stop, think and be thankful.  Here is the link if you want to join in:  Friday Fave Fives.

1.  On Sunday, we attended a conference.  The WHOLE conference is one that is focused on health.  This is the fifth or sixth year I have attended and The Professor went with me this time.  Excellent speakers on how to prevent dementia and other diseases through diet (whole food plant based) and life style choices.  We came home with renewed focus on what we can do to remain healthy.

2.  Usually, we don't host the sermon-based small group we attend because there are seventeen people in it and our little cottage simply won't hold that many people  But since three people were sick and six people were out of town, we were able to invite the remaining eight people to our home.  It is good that we have to keep our home 'show ready' for potential buyers and that means it's company ready, too.

3.  Lunch at Ventura Harbor with long long time friends.  I've mentioned them before because he is The Professor's oldest (as in longest time) friend.  They are moving in less than three weeks and wanted to have lunch at their favorite seafood restaurant at the harbor.  So we met them there.  Then after lunch, we wandered along the harbor a bit and ended up at a little French cafe for coffee and a bit of dessert.  We know we'll see them again soon as they are moving only a day's drive from where we will be living (when we move).

4.  A Day to remember!  Our son, Dr. Mike, was at the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. conference this week in Orange County, CA.  For those people not from the West Coast, think Disneyland.  In fact, the convention center is next to Disneyland, so we waved at Mickey as we drove past.  Anyway, we spent a wonderful day with Dr. Mike following him around as he visited the exhibitors and posters in one hall.  That was information overload for me, but it was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!  We were able to meet some of his colleagues and also learn a bit more about his work. (No, he is not Dr. Bones.  He consults with forensic scientists.)  It was a day that will remain high on my list of 'best days of my life'.

Horrible photo of the three of us taken in the covered hotel driveway with the light above us.

5.  That day when NOTHING was on the calendar. Smile. Sigh. Rest.

What happened in your life this week that made you Stop, Think, and Be Thankful?

Coffee and Three Bench Hike

After a busy weekend and busier than I like week, here we are on Valentine's Day and a Friday so I am posting my Friday Fave Fives. (follow the link to join others in posting our weekly blessings)  Here is Willow's Week:

1.  There is a new French(ish) cafe/coffee shop in town.  The owner's grandmother is a close friend of ours.  I met another friend there for afternoon coffee.  Lovely place and lovely time.

2.  Our Mom to Mom group had its monthly meeting this week.  The speaker was a friend from church and wow!  She hit the ball out of the park speaking on "How to Thrive in Your Parenting".

3, 4, 5.  Three Bench Hike.  Since it is Valentine's Day, we did something we enjoy doing together.  We hiked four miles.  First, it's a mile of mostly level trail in Hill Canyon.  This is the first time we have been able to hike in Hill Canyon since the fire (Hill Fire) more than a year ago since the trail has been closed for repair.

Then, we chose the Western Plateau fork and up the side of the mountain.  We called it the three bench hike because, well, we passed three benches at vista points.  It was a beautiful day and a beautiful hike.

3.  First Bench

First Bench View

4.  Second Bench

You will notice that there is no view photo.  That second bench is situated right on the edge of a precipitous straight down drop on a cliff.  We sat on the bench, but I didn't venture anywhere near the edge to take a picture.

5.  Third Bench

You can see the water treatment plant in Hill Canyon and that shows how high up in the hills we were.

The trail in the bottom right corner of the photo is the one mile trail we hiked near the creek in Hill Canyon. 

We love to hike and it was a perfect way to spend the afternoon together.

Bonus:  The lupine is blooming!

Hello, February!

I am just not ready for February.  It has come too soon.  Do you feel like that, too?  This week flew by!  And here it is Friday and I didn't write any posts.  But I always make sure I write my Friday Fave Fives.  It's important to remember to be thankful every day and every week. (Follow the FFF link to read others' faves and join in.)

1.  February 1st.  On January 1st, the Professor and I drove to Ventura Harbor and walked around it.  On February 1st, we met our friends for a walk and coffee, and at their suggestion, we walked at the harbor.  There might be a pattern emerging.  March 1st?

2.  It was cold(ish) this week where I live.  Yeah, I know.  Southern Californians are wimps.  But 'for us', it was cold.  I'm thankful for extra blankets, warm jackets, hats and gloves!

3.  I have a Kindle.  For a long time, I resisted reading books digitally.  But there has been a series of cozy murder mysteries that we have wanted to read but couldn't find paper copies; so The Professor convinced me that the Los Angeles City Library (yes, we are card carrying members) would loan them to us and I could read them on my Kindle.  So I've been reading through the whole thirty-two books in the series on my Kindle.  I guess I'm thankful for having one (although I still prefer 'real' books.

4.  The decorative pear trees are in bloom!

5.  The New Boy turned TWELVE this week!  It's hard to believe he is growing up so fast.  I am thankful for this grandson!  And he actually answers my texts.  How could this little guy be twelve!?!