St. Patrick's Week

 Friday Fave Fives!  (follow the link to join us)  It's all about green and Irish and St. Patrick this week!   Yes, I am focusing on what I can do, not the situation in the world.  If I show love and am loved, maybe that will spread to others and encourage them and maybe love will flow around the world.

1.  I should have been named Pat.  Why?  March 17th is my birthday!  All my life, I've loved that people celebrate my birthday with much joy.  And everything green.  And parades.  And shamrocks.

Me, about two weeks old.

2.  So many messages, cards, and phone calls.  ALL my kids (and daughter-in-law) and grandkids chimed in as well as my brother and sister-in-law and The Professor's siblings.  Talking to my far away sons and Chap's wife was a highlight of my day.

3.  People asked what I did to celebrate.  Well, we drove into the city so The Professor could have two dr appts.  But between the appts, we enjoyed coffee and we picked up a couple of pies.  I would much rather have pie than birthday cake.  Yum!

4.  AND the weather was wonderful so we joined Older Daughter, The New Boy, and another pre teen boy who is nearly family on a hike. 2.6 miles along a river.  Coffee.  Pie.  Hike.  What could be better for my birthday?

5.  That pre teen boy?  He is visiting Older Daughter this week from Texas for his spring break.  His mom is one of her BFFs and he asked if he could spend his vacation with her and New Boy.  We've enjoyed having him here for dinners and walks and even a backyard bonfire.

All in all, St. Patrick's Week was a success!

Cool

 That's how I would describe our weather.  COOL.  Or rather, cold. Or frigid.  We are having a 'winter storm' here.  That means there is lots of snow and ice.

So that also means The Professor and I are COOLing our heels here at home. The farthest we have ventured from the house today is the compost bin.  We may not go that far tomorrow as the forecast is for four to six inches of snow tonight on top of the snow and ice already on the ground and in the streets.

My Friday Fave Fives are certainly going to be different this week.

1.  I am thankful for power.  So far, we have not lost our electricity.  Knowing we could lose it means that we appreciate every hour we have it.

2.  I am thankful for other options.  We have our lanterns, flashlights and candles ready.  We have snuggly blankets.  We have boots, gloves, and jackets.  We have food and water.

3.  I am thankful for things to do to keep my mind occupied.  Books.  Obviously.  Projects to focus on.  This afternoon, I finished a project I had procrastinated--hemming a tablecloth.

4.  I am thankful for yarn.  After finishing a pair of socks for granddaughter PAL,

I rummaged around in my stash and finally decided to do something with this nubby handspun yarn.  I didn't spin it.  All I know is that it is combined wool and silk noil (raw silk) and hand dyed probably with indigo but maybe woad (no way to be sure).  Anyway, I have started a very basic shawl since the yarn is certainly texture rich and striking enough to stand on its own.

5.  Before all this weather excitement happened, we did get some fun walks in.  This is along a trail near Older Daughter's home.  I love the river!  Even in COOL weather.

So this has been Willow's COOL Week.  I hope you are all staying safe, warm, and well and able to cool your heels and relax a bit.

Cold Yet Warm

 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)

I hope you have a gratitude filled warm weekend.

Oh, and Susanne!  Our weatherman used this term for your wind and weather last night:  Saskatchewan Scream! 

Recapping 2021 Blessings

 Ringing out the year.  How are you doing it?  New Year's Eve party?  Staying home cuddled up in blankets watching the ball drop in London so you can go to bed early?

One way I want to celebrate saying 'bye to 2021 is to reflect on the blessings from this past year.  Willows' Week Year with Friday Fave Fives.

1.  Our family has survived the big bad virus.  Some of us have had it, but we are all ok.  Right now, we are home because The Professor tested positive with very mild symptoms, but we don't want to expose anyone else.

2.  This year, The Professor and I have made progress on making our house our home.  Projects have been putting on a new roof, building a pergola on our back patio, removing the above ground pool and prepping the area for a new use (coming in 2022), installing a fence around our back area, establishing a vegetable and herb garden area.

3.  We have spent every holiday with our family and celebrated every birthday.  For us, this is the reason we moved 2,400 miles across the US in 2020.

4.  We've been sinking our roots in to the community, getting to know people and places.

5.  My love of knitting continues.  I've created baby sweaters and hats for two new little ones in our new circle of friends.  I've made a couple of warm blankets to add to the stash here at home.  My favorite project, though, was the vest I knitted for a friend, the couple we call our coffee buddies because we try to meet every week for coffee and conversation somewhere in the county.

On to 2022 and new adventures!  Happy New Year, friends!

Third Friday in December

Happy Friday!  And Happy Fave Fives Day!  Christmas is fast approaching.  Are you ready?  I am pausing and taking a deep breath to focus my attention on the blessings of this past week.  Here are just Five.  (Friday Fave Fives link.)

1.   Third week of Advent.  Joy.

2.  An older missionary colleague asked me about photos I might have of the national missionaries we worked with in our tribal area.  She and her husband had been mentors and teachers to the Hatam pastors before sending them to the Moskona tribe where we were assigned a couple of years later.  I have scanned many of the photos and was able to send them on to her.  Here are three of the Hatam missionaries praying for a newly appointed Moskona church leader.  These men (Bahar, Pete, and Abner) were mentored and then passed on their learning to others.

3.  Browsing the pictures brought back so many wonderful memories-- my younger son and his friend Simson (the son of one of the Hatam missionaries).

Our first village, Meyokda

Wow, this picture brings back memories!  Our Christmas card!

Yes, we are sitting in front of a MAF helicopter--our only means of transportation in and out of our village.

4.  Christmas cards and letters have been arriving in the mailbox!  I love receiving and sending those greetings and updates.

5.  Is it true that it isn't really Christmas until you post a picture of your Christmas tree?  Just in case, here is our tree this year.  Just lights.  No ornaments.  We looked at the tree and decided we liked it the way it is.  (the fave?  super easy)

May you continue to have a JOYous December!