Cold. It's. Cold. The weather, not my heart. Truly, my heart warms as I think on how I am blessed this week. When gratitude becomes a habit, it warms one's heart and the hearts of those around one. Friday Fave Fives with Susanne is an excellent way for us all to warm our heart and practice making gratitude a constant part of our week.
Here are five wonderful reasons for gratitude this week in my life.
1. A weekend spent with Younger Daughter. There was a ladies retreat organized by women from my church. It was hosted in a hotel in Amish Country. My younger daughter was available to attend, so she accompanied me. Oh, my, we had a wonderful time. What a blessing.
2. It was fun to also explore Amish Country a bit. We saw several horses and buggies. We enjoyed grabbing coffee and chai at a local coffee shop. We had fun choosing a handmade soap to try. And then we had to choose what popcorn and fudge we wanted to sample.
3. Our drive home was a fave. It was snowing and the roads were a mess. Thankfully, we happened to be driving along a country two lane road directly behind the snow plow truck which was also dropping salt onto the road just ahead of us.
4. I finished a knitting project. Last year, I made this red shawl, but I delayed blocking it. So, finally, I stuck it in vinegar water (think: don't want that red dye to bleed everywhere) to soak and then wet blocked it on dark blue towels (think: if it's going to bleed any color, it won't show on a blue towel). I'm quite pleased with the result.
5. Little Warrior, our younger grandson, spent the evening with us Wednesday. Dinner and hanging out with The Professor in the basement messing with the new model train set. For me, the sweetest part was when he informed me that he regularly reads this blog. 💓 oh my heart!
Bonus! Yes, I love old barns! (you can check out my Monday blog post if you like barns, too)
13 comments:
OOH....my sister HOpe and I LOVE old barns.....and I have a thing for tractors...old ones...that are abandoned in fields in central NYS...and old country churches. In fact, one of my personal goals this year is to find more old churches and take photos then get them onto a canvas for my living room.......they have to be old churches in the Adirondack mountains. So far I only have 1. :)
LOVE your shawl. Just stunning and perfect for Valentine's Day coming up with that deep red.
How fun to go on the retreat and explore a bit of Amish Country. We did that when we were visiting a cousin in PA down near Lancaster. LOVED all the little shops and all of their wares.
How fun for your grandson to hang out with your husband and play with trains.
I hope you have a cozy weekend.
The shawl is absolutely lovely. The color of the barn is pretty close to the shawl’s. Red is a wonderful warm color for these cold days. A friend’s husband has an amazing model train set-up in their home. Maybe an idea for June? I wonder if your grandson will become very interested. Mary
What a lovely week. Going to the women's retreat with your daughter sounds lovely, and to get to explore Amish country too sounds like a perfect trip. That is so neat that your grandson reads your blog! So cool. I love the shawl. It is really beautiful. Stay warm in all that snow! Have a good weekend.
Woohoo! So glad you made it to Amish country to enjoy. Glad you had fresh plowed roads to drive home in. Lovely shawl. Enjoy the warmth of your home! :)
So glad you and your daughter got to go to the retreat. How fun to visit Amish country. What a blessing to be right behind the truck clearing and salting roads.
The shawl is beautiful. Yay for fun time with the grandson.
I'm loving the pops of red in your post - that gorgeous shawl, just in time for Valentine's Day, and the red barn in the white snow. I'm glad you are enjoying your life out there in the middle (more or less) of our country . . .
The shawl is lovely. What knitting skill you possess! Holmes County will remain one of my most favorite places to visit. After Jim died I seriously considered moving there. I just love the natural beauty and the Amish influence. Somewhere in that area there is a place that offers winter rides in horse drawn sleds. I always wanted to do that. There is a Youtuber names Mary who lives in Berlin, OH. She grew up Amish, and then her family left the Amish and now they're Mennonites. She has a home business with her husband called White Cottage Company. She sells on Etsy and in a booth. And now they're going to put little homes on their acreage for vacation rentals. I mean, seriously, she has her hands into everything. Her vlogs are all about her life in Holmes County, and she shares things she creates for her shops. She does furniture redos, thrift store hauls, cooking, home decor and renovation projects, and so much more. Oh, my! I think you would enjoy her channel. Watching her always makes me long for Ohio. That beautiful state will always be home for me. And another reason for me to love your blog. Oh, those barns! I've traveled all over the country and I don't think there's any state that has preserved as many barns as Ohio has. Love it! Hugs!!!!
Wow, tough decision because they're all wonderful, and diverse. But I think I have to go with #13. That, to me, is the quintessential American barn. Red with an attached silo. Yup! I love country road trips. Always something to discover. xx
Saskatchewan Screamer. I've never heard that term. Yikes! Sounds like it perfectly describes your cold and snow and blustery weather. Saskatchewan is to the east of us so we don't get this screamer of theirs and I guess I can be thankful for that! That shawl is absolutely lovely! How wonderful that you and your daughter went to a retreat together. I haven't been to one for many years. Miss them. Love the red barn in the snow too!
Your retreat sounds so nice. I miss going to them but I know I could not do a bunk anymore.
Yor shawl looks so pretty!
That must have been interesting to live in an Amish village ! I couldn't live like that I would escape in the next minute ! We hadn't any snow this year yet and it doesn't look like it will come the temperatures are too high. But windy it is and grey skies too ! January is an ugly month nothing going on people recover from the December festivities ! You shawl is beautiful !
My mental image of "barn red" as a somewhat brickier color than your last photo, but it's a near perfect match for that intricate and gorgeous shawl you made.
Glad you had a wonderful time with daughter at the retreat.
The retreat with your daughter sounds wonderful and that shawl is beautiful. Glad you got home ok in the snow. Following a snow plough is a good tactic lol. Having 1 to 1 time with grandchildren is definitely a blessing.
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