End of August

Here it is Friday again and I am running in quickly to post my Friday Fave Fives before it's Saturday. (follow the link to join us) Life is so busy right now, but it is a good busy.  Chaplain and his family are settling in and looking for a permanent place to live.  In the meantime, life is filled with lots of activities.  Here are things I am noticing today and am thankful for.

1.  I have been gone most of the day today because I drove The Professor an hour's drive away to have an evaluation done to check if he can return to driving.  The answer (after two hours of testing!) is YES!  Exactly three months ago today, he suffered that mild stroke, and now he is back to almost completely normal!  That's a HUGE fave!

2.  Having an energetic almost eleven year old around helps us increase our activity.  In the past nine days, I have taken walks eight of them.  In fact, today we walked three and a half miles.  The granddogs joined us on that walk.

3.  The weather has cooled down and we are able to get more yardwork done.  I am truly thankful for a respite from the heat and humidity.

4.  It's fun to see the local wild life when we are walking...

Heron

5.  Fun with PAL.  Besides our walks, she is keeping busy.  This week, she created a cage house for me.  I am thankful for special times with her!  And with the other grands, too.

And, again, in honor of Tall Boy being a high school senior...

May Day!

 I am writing this on Thursday evening, May 1st, even though Friday Fave Fives is usually written and  posted on...Friday.  I will post this as soon as I wake up in the morning.  Anyway, here are my Five Faves, my Blessings, from this past week.

1.  We had a wonderful visit with Chaplain Dan and Jeffie and PAL.  It was not easy to say goodbye and know that we wont' be with them again for several months.  We treasure every moment with them.  Driving out of Phoenix, we stopped to have breakfast with another couple who we were close friends with during our years of living in Oregon.  Our daughters were close friends, too.  They now are retired and living in Arizona. It was great catching up with them.  And then we were on our way.

2.  As we were driving through Oklahoma, we stopped and met up with a friend we knew in our church in California.  She moved back to Oklahoma when her husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer.   Now she is remarried after he passed away and we were able to meet her new husband.  We had a delightful time renewing our friendship over lunch in a classic Route 66 cafe.  I loved how she described us as life-time friends.  (We talked so much that we totally forgot to take any photos!)

3.  We arrived home safely.  That is a huge fave because driving all those thousands of miles from Ohio to Arizona and back again is not for the faint of heart.

4.  The next day, we picked up the grandboys from school and enjoyed their reactions of 'well, yeah, maybe we missed you a little bit' and 'yeah, we are glad you're home again'.  They came over to our house and Tall Boy mowed the lawn (long over due since we were gone more than two weeks), and his mom showed up with special ice cream treats for us all.  I love living near our girls and grandkids.

5.  And after less than forty-eight hours at home, we drove about an hour and a half to attend a health conference we had bought tickets for over a year ago.  I am thankful for this opportunity to attend sessions with some very wise and experienced doctors and clinicians.

A busy weekend again... I'll do my best to read and comment   And after this weekend, life should calm down for a bit.  I promise :) 

PS:  Will I ever get my photos onto my computer??

On the Road Faves

 Hello!  I'm writing this very late on Friday night.  I just wanted to check in and let everyone know we are  okay.  Our trip is going well.  In fact, we have just spent five wonderful days in Arizona visiting PAL and her parents.  Oh the memories we have made.

I really don't have time to write down all the blessings of this time with Chaplain Dan, J's and PAL (and many other family and friends here). Let me just say that  many many more than five faves should be mentioned.  But here are five fast faves.

1.  Safety in all the hundreds of miles we have traveled.

2.  Watching PAL's theater rehearsal.

3.  Listening to PAL sing during practice time in Arizona Girl Choir.

4.  Lunch with long time college friends.  Coffee with J's parents.

5.  Singing many hymns and other songs with the family.

No photos.  Sorry.  I'll be back on regular schedule next week.

Joys of February

 I took a few days off after my tsunami of January posts. But now it's Friday Fave Fives time, so I'm back. The link will take you to Susanne's blog and you can join us in finding five blessings from your week to share with us.

A friend posted a Dolly Parton quote about thankfulness on her blog yesterday.  I loved the last part... "Keeping my eyes open for the unexpected joys..."  YES!  If we focus on finding the joys, we find more joys.

1.  I finished the sewing project I have been working with for a couple of weeks and mailed it off to PAL today!  A pioneer dress.  I can't wait to receive some photos of her wearing it when she attends the Pioneer Museum with her homeschool group later in the month.

2.  On Saturday, we joined extended family for the first birthday party celebration for little M.  Chuck.E.Cheese was the location.  Little M had fun but his two big sisters probably had the best time.  The fave in this?  We got to be there and watch the little ones having such a fun time and having their photos taken with Chuck.

3.  What were we doing seventeen years ago?  Celebrating the birth of our first grandson!  Yes, Tall Boy's birthday was yesterday!  He's seventeen!!  How is that possible?

Well, he sure doesn't look like that anymore...  Happy Birthday, Tall Boy!

4. It must be birthday week.  Yes, another birthday to celebrate.  S, of S and T our Coffee Couple.  Her birthday was Wednesday.  We celebrated at the coffee shop where we met them four years ago. I am so very thankful for our friendship with them.

5.  We had ONE day of warm weather this week.   In fact, it was so warm outside that we took a three miles plus walk with Younger Daughter and her friend and the dogs along the same path and in the same woods as last week.  The snow was gone.  After our walk, we ate lunch outside on the patio of a local restaurant.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Outside.  In the elements.  But, the rest of the week we have had rain and ice and temperatures below freezing.  I am thankful for that one day to encourage us that spring will come.

I hope you are having a good month of February so far.  Keep your eyes open for the blessings!

Another Busy But Blessed Week

Hello to Friday Fave Fives for the Third Week in October 2024.  It's been another busy week.  But now I am finally home from dropping The Professor and Tall Boy and Warrior Boy at their location for a Trail Life Campout.  Their troop is on parking duty for all the troops arriving from several states surrounding Ohio.  It's the biggest event of the year, and they are all looking forward to a great weekend.  Now I'm home alone with my books and yarn.  Happy time for me, too.  So now I have a few minutes to focus on how God has blessed me this past week with mostly small things.  Susanne is our host over at Living to Tell the Story.

Younger Daughter and I found a new local knit shop!  Before this cute shop The Yarnologist opened, we had to drive into west Columbus to visit a shop with quality yarns.  On Saturday we dragged The Professor and her fourteen year old son (at his request) there.  The guys found a new coffee shop! (Does this make it TWO faves in one?)  I might have bought a bit of yarn...   Since we loved that new coffee shop, we invited T and S to have our coffee time there this week.  All agree-- it was great, and T declared that Leonard's has the best breakfast sandwich.

Our area has had a fire ban imposed for a couple of months.  We were really missing our family bonfires.  Finally, last week it was lifted!  Yes, we had a bonfire!

Walks on the county paths are always a fave with us, especially in the autumn when the leaves are turning all the fall colors.  We walked with Younger Daughter and her dogs.  The weather was great in the morning while we were out.  Fortunately, we made it home before the rain and hail started.

yes, we had hail (after we were home from the walk, fortunately)

A local young woman is a professional harpist.  Olivia Claggett often plays at banquets and fundraisers in the community.  On Sunday afternoon she performed at a local church.  She rotated around playing four harps.  Her sisters also sang with her.  It was amazing.

Then last night, we attended a banquet for Nightbirde Foundation.  If that name Nightbirde sounds familiar... yes, Nightbirde was a contestant on America's Got Talent and won a Gold Buzzer for the season for her performance of It's OK even as she was battling breast cancer.  She was a local girl and attended the church we are part of.   Her family started a foundation in her memory to help women who have cancer.  What an amazing evening that was, to see the impact she still has on the world because of her bravery and strength in her battle with breast cancer.   This is the youtube link to her performance on AGT.

It was PAL's birthday this week!  I can't believe our youngest granddaughter is ten years old!  Happy Birthday, PAL!  (in case you don't know, PAL are the initials of her name which I think is awesome)

A few years ago...

Arizona Girl catching her first snowflakes

Bonus!  This week, I celebrated nineteen years of blogging!  I can't believe it.  My first post was October 12, 2005.  Things have changed A LOT since then.  Four homes, two states, four grandchildren.  And a whole lot else.  Happy Birthday to Willow's Cottage!  Do you want to read my very first post?  Here's the LINK.  My reference to 'inner city' is Los Angeles inner city where we were living at the time.  The next few posts are focused on what things were like living there.

A Week Home

 hmmmm.... it's Friday afternoon!  It's time to focus on what has happened this past week.  Mostly I've been skating along, trying to catch up after being on that road trip for more than two weeks.  What has blessed me this beautiful week in mid October?  These five things which I am naming my Friday Fave Fives (the link takes you to Susanne's blog where you can read about many more blessings from other people)

1.  Beautiful weather.  There was even a rainbow!

2.  Walks in nature, mostly under the changing leaves of autumn

3.  Evening by the firepit

4.  Dinner with friends here at Willow's Cottage

5.  A finished afghan

Bonus:  This we celebrated birthdays for both grandgirls!  Happy Birthday to ZG and PAL!

Seventeen candles!

Arggh!  PAL was a pirate at her homeschool co-op park day on her birthday.

Five Faves From the End of a Road Trip

Friday Fave Fives.  Again, I'm on the road, but we're almost home!  Whether I am traveling or sitting at home sipping my coffee, I always stop and think about my week and then post Five Faves of how I am blessing and am thankful for what has transpired in my life during the week.  (The link takes you to Susanne's blog, our host for Friday Fave Fives.)

1.  The Professor caught that nasty virus the day after we arrived, so he was incapacitated and isolated most the time we were in Phoenix.  That is certainly not the fave here.  I am thankful that he was not particularly ill.  I am thankful I stayed well.  I am thankful that we were not staying at Chaplain Dan's house but were in an Airbnb, so it was easy for him to be separate from others.

2.  I am thankful that I was able to attend PAL's choral concert.  (photos did not turn out well; this is the only reasonable one I got)  Waiting for the concert to begin...

3.  The birthday gift we gave PAL was a hit!  A pioneer era sun bonnet which we found at one of our stops on the Santa Fe Trail.  Plans are being made for a dress to go with it.

4.  The last evening we were in Phoenix, Chaps and the family brought a meal to share outside in the back area of the Airbnb.  It was truly a blessing to celebrate dinner with them.

5.  I am thankful that we have been able to finish our goal of following the Santa Fe Trail.  On the way home, we drove the auto route for the Cimarron Trail Cut Off (the more southern route).  (and one of these days, I'll get all the photos uploaded!)

Bonus:  our last morning in Arizona, we had breakfast with an old college friend and his wife whom we had never met.  Bill and I sang together in choir and small group called Reflections.  It was great to catch up!

Bonus2:  we'll be home sometime today!!

Five Fun Things on a Road Trip

Happy Friday!  Friday Fave Fives always kicks me into thoughtful memories of all the wonderful things large and small that have happened to me in the past week.  Since we have been traveling, there have been so many opportunities to count my blessings.  Here are FIVE.  (the link in blue will take you to Living to Tell the Story where you can read more)

1.  Continuing on our road trip, we enjoyed a quick visit with a family we knew at our church in California.  They moved to the midwest just after we moved to Ohio.  The guys had served together on various committees and the church elder board.  It was great to reconnect with them, even for a short time.  Of course, Eleanor always enjoys coffee time with friends, too.

2.  Along the way, we visited several National Parks and Historical Sites on the Santa Fe Trail.  One of our favorites was Ft. Larned, in Kansas.  The museums were very well done, interesting and informative. [no photos uploading]

3.  Santa Fe, New Mexico.  We made it all along the Northern Route of the Santa Fe Trail!  [hmmm, my computer is still not allowing me to upload a photo...I'll try later]

4.  We are at our destination point on our road trip.  Arizona, where Older Son (Chaplain Dan) and his family live.  This is the first time we have seen our son since he returned from his most recent nine month deployment with the Army Reserve.  We are loving every minute spent with him, his wife and our granddaughter!

5.  Of course, PAL is full of ideas on what to do while we are visiting.  Diamondbacks game.  Shopping for materials to create things with yarn and fabric.  Ice cream dates.

So. Many. Blessings.  How about you?

Almost Christmas!

 Fourth Week of Advent. 

We are almost ready to celebrate Christmas.

We also just passed the Winter Solstice.

The days will be longer.  However.  As I learned from one of my best friends who now lives in Iowa, midwestern people have a saying, "As the days get longer, the cold gets stronger!"  We are finding this to be especially true this Christmas weekend.  Right now, our temperatures are in the negative numbers.  There is snow.  There is ice.  There is wind.  It's frigid!

It may be cold outside, but there is warmth in our hearts as we contemplate the reason we celebrate Christmas.  "I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord."

And in keeping with warmth, I also focus on my weekly exercise of expressing gratitude and thankfulness with Friday Fave Fives hosted by Susanne.

1.  Obviously, I am thankful that I have a warm house with heat source.  Cozy blankets.  Warm sweaters and coats and mittens and hats.

2.  Our granddaughter PAL sang in a Christmas concert with the Arizona Girls Choir.  We were able to watch the entire concert after it was put up on you tube.  She is following in a long generational line of choral singers.

3.  My other granddaughter (I should call her Tall Girl) and Tall Boy came one afternoon and helped me bake cookies using my grandmother's sugar cookie recipe.  They chose the cookie cutters, so we have many dog, fish and cat cookies as well as trees and bells.  Then Tall Boy returned yesterday to frost them and to make the dough for HIS chocolate cookie recipe.

4.  Tall Girl and Tall Boy also accompanied us on our weekly visit with our friends at a local coffee shop.  How many teenage grands are willing to go to coffee shops with their grandparents and friends?  I was so happy they were interested--granted, the interest was probably partly mostly due to a promise of food...

5.  And of course, I am grateful for another year to celebrate ADVENT and CHRISTMAS!  Merry Christmas, everyone!

Falling for the Season

Autumn is in full swing here.  Brilliant colors.  Falling leaves.  Cooler temperatures.  Here in my new(ish) state, fall is my favorite season.  I hope it lasts a long time this year.  Each week of autumn seems to be filled with so much color and many many blessings.  Here are five (well, seven, really) which I am sharing for Friday Fave Fives (follow the link to join).

1.  On Saturday, I joined a group of ladies on a day trip to Amish Country.  My friend's church sponsored it and we drove up in a van.  The weather was perfect autumn.  Of course, that meant the town was very very crowded with tourists and visitors.  Mostly, we wandered around and checked out all the stores.  Because it was so busy, we were fortunate to have reservations at a local restaurant.  The best part was just spending time with my friend and one of her family members.

2. Of course the trip there and back was filled with old barns and farm land.

3.  Sunday was another stunning fall day.  We took eight of us and two dogs to the local arboretum and hiked 3.5 miles.  There is an area that does not have paved trails and we thoroughly enjoyed walking under all the trees.

4.  We thought we were going to have our first bonfire on our new patio.  But, literally, just as The Professor was cutting the kindling to start the fire, guess what.  It started raining.  I guess we'll just have to wait a few more days.

5.  This week was our youngest granddaughter's birthday!  PAL is EIGHT!  She called us to thank us for her present which actually arrived on time.  She also received an American Girl doll, so we discussed what kind of sweaters Meema should knit for it.

Bonus:  I had an appointment with the 'hand doctor'.  After examining both of my hands, he suggested two more shots of pain meds in my right hand, and upcoming surgery on my left to deal with the trigger finger issues.  I have been in much less pain!  So thankful!

Bonus2:  My absolute favorite photo from the weekend is this one:

Have a wonderful week full of God's blessings!

Summer Begins with Memorial Day Weekend

One thing I love about Fridays is the opportunity to participate in Friday Fave Fives. (follow the link!) FFF is a group of bloggers who choose five events from the past week that focus on a blessing or opportunity to experience or express gratitude.  Believe me, some weeks I need the reminder when I get to Friday.

1.  Just enough rain so I don't have to water the flowers and the gardens.  Twice this week.  And rain means a respite from the exhausting humidity.  Nope, I'm not used to that horrid humidity, yet.

2.  This girl graduated from Kindergarten this week!  Her mom sent a video of PAL leading everyone at the ceremony in reciting the pledge of allegiance.

3.  And this girl young lady is now a high schooler!

4.  An evening bike ride.  Usually, if we are going to ride our bikes, we plan ahead and do it during the day.  But one evening, when it was still light out, we just decided to hop our bikes and take a quick ride.  Spontaneous fun is sometimes the best type of fun!

5.  I'm not sure who is more excited, the students or the teachers.  Today is the last day of homeschool for New Boy.  Today is also Little Warrior's last day in elementary school.

Now it is Memorial Day Weekend, and everyone (in the US) knows what that means*.  Let the summer times begin!

*  And Yes, Memorial Day is also a sober and somber day of remembrance of all those men and women who have fought for our rights and freedoms as a country.  My father and two uncles, my father-in-law, my brother-in-law, my wonderful husband The Professor, and my son have all served in the US military.  I understand the commitment and dedication and sacrifice of all involved.  THANK YOU for helping to make my Memorial Weekend one of cheer and relaxation.

Mid May Faves

Spring is blooming in full force now.  The California poppies are still showing their orange blossoms; the bougainvillea are blooming in all their vibrant shades.  Roses are opening on the bushes.  I love spring and love the idea of new growth.  I'm thankful as always for the beauty around me.  Here are the things that have popped out at me that made me thankful this week.  My Friday Fave Fives.

1.  I just can't help sharing!  Everything is blooming!  The jacaranda trees!  We had an outing to the grocery store, and because we haven't been driving around town, we hadn't seen that the jacaranda trees are blooming!

2.  PAL graduated from preschool this week.  There was no ceremony, but the teachers came by her house and she put on her cap and gown and received her graduation diploma.  We are able to watch the 'ceremony' via skype.  Then her parents sent us these pictures.

In honor of all the masks I've been sewing, I decided to have a bit of fun and sew a mask for Eleanor.

3.  After I sent a picture of Eleanor wearing her mask to show PAL, I decided that her bunny Beatrix needed a mask, too.  So I made another one and mailed it off to her.  It's important to keep our bunnies safe, too.

4.  We miss spending time with The Professor's sister who lives in town.  So today we got take out from our favorite restaurant, Sharky's Woodfired Mexican Grill, and took it to her house where we sat on her front porch and had a social distance lunch with her.

5.  My wonderful art group friends are special to me.  Every Friday morning at 7:30 am, we get together on Skype and chat and pray and discuss a book we've chosen to read.  Now we are reading Hidden Art by Edith Schaeffer.  I love this special time with my friends.  We share our art projects and it doesn't matter if we're in our robes sipping our morning coffee.  We just love our time together.

I hope even during this very weird time in our lives that we will continue to keep on keeping on.  We can still be thankful for all the blessings in our lives.