Once again as I look back on my week, my heart is filled with "Thankfuls". My list includes:
- This tree that I saw at church last Sunday. I took several pics, and this one has been my wallpaper for the week. Such a joy to delight in His beautiful creation.
- Our Blue Moon rose bush has at least 29 buds on it. This is the second year for this bush, and I am waiting for them to burst open with color.. a lovely purple.
- Participating in Liane's photo week.
- Grilling chicken on Tuesday and having it come out so moist and tender. What fun.
- Enjoying hubby's dinner last night: chocolate chip, raisin, pecan, cinnamon pancakes. Yummy.
- Making it through an 11 and 1/2 hour work day on Thursday. It was my only day this week, but it sure was a long one. I had to go in early, and of course we had to stay late. Usually we leave at 10, and the last hour or two is nice and quiet. Not that night. I clocked out at 10:38. Sigh. But, the Lord is good, I am thankful for the job, and that He gives grace and energy to these "mature" bones.
- Making reservations to fly north in a couple of weeks to see my mother, and also fit in time at the Women's Retreat.
- Knowing that my Heavenly Father loves me, and hears my every heart cry.
- Finding out that the geranium I planted in my "Jan Garden" last spring did not die from the frost this winter as I had originally thought. I found some new leaves poking up out of the pine straw when I was watering on Wednesday. What a bright spot in my day.
OK, here is my "stranger"...little Marq Alexzander Aldrich, born March 21. He was a week old in this picture when I met him for the first time. Bryan and Sarah are enjoying this newest member of their family.
I will admit it took a certain amount of creativity to come up with this challange for photo week..I had decided early on I was not even going to try, but then I met Marq!
And, many kudo's to Liane for instigating this whole thing...it has been so much fun to participate, and to see contributions from others. Thanks Liane.
Max and I were both inside looking out yesterday, enjoying the view. I was delighted to see the Chipping Sparrow on the feeder as it was the first I had seen since we moved. The variety of birds here is not that many yet, so it is fun to add another one to the list.
Max probably had different reasons for enjoying the birds.
And, thanks to my son who explained to me how to tweak pictures on the computer and make it possible to publish them. Now I know.
OK, here is my "black and white" offering. My digital camera does not take black and white, and I haven't yet figured out how to change one of my color pictures to black and white using programs on the computer...so, here is a black iron, a white bear, residing on my black kitchen table.
And, FYI...this is my 100 post!!!! Exciting.
Self portrait that also shows another of my favorite corners.I wasn't at all convinced that I would post today's topic. But, I decided to be brave.
I am semi participating in Liane's photo challange (see here) This "corner" is a good reminder to do what the picture says.
Our azalea's have been extra lovely this year...course this is only the second year we have seen them....but who is counting. This one that is just outside our kitchen window is a joy to look at.
Other blessings of the week:
- Enjoying grilling again. I haven't done much for several years and it is a delight to get back into it again. (and for the splendid expertise of our daughter who assembled the new grill for us...as well as delivered it to us. Thanks Penny.)
- Besides my usual Thursday stint at work I picked up two more days...or to be more precise half days. And I find that half days of working only 4 and 1/2 hours is much easier than 10 hour days. Hmm....
- Going out to dinner at Cracker Barrel with hubby this week. An unexpected treat.
- Some good telephone chats with my mother...and looking forward to seeing her in April.
- Spending some time enjoying the company of Phoebe...our "granddog".
- Reveling in spring. The air smells so good, the birds are singing, it is not too hot or humid yet, the flowers are blooming, there are buds on one of our roses....the list could go on. God is indeed Good.
It is spring...windows are open...birds are singing and there are wonderful scents in the air. This morning we were sitting here at this table in our breakfast nook, enjoying the sunshine, and so thankful for this lovely sunny warm spot.
And, as you can see, Max also enjoys this spot. He does spend quite a bit of time here. Can't blame him.
And, we are so thankful for this stage in our lives. Living semi-retired we actually have time to sit and relax over breakfast. The Lord is indeed Good.
Lest you Northerners get jealous, remember that before long you will be enjoying your warm weather as well, and we will be tightly sealed inside our air conditioned havens trying to escape the humidity.
This just gives you a hint of the beauty of the Bradford pear trees in our area that are in full bloom right now.
Pictures do not do justice to the beautiful white blossoms, and what a delight it is to ride down this particular road that is lined on both sides with these incredible trees.
Take heart, those of you who live in snow country....spring really is coming!
God Is Good! PTL for:
- Two 10 hour days of work...though one turned into nearly 11 hours, with no break. These old bones can't do that very often! But, His Grace is sufficient.
- The enjoyment of watching the new growth on our rose bushes.
- The blessings of warmer weather, and trying to feel not guilty about it as I think of family and friends "enjoying" the snow in NH.
- The Lord's faithfulness in meeting our needs for another week.
- The delight of listening to the Mocking birds. They sometimes sit on our chimney which makes it sound like they are in the house! Lovely!
- White pansies and petunias in planters in the front of the house.
- Prospects of heading north in April to spend some time with my mother.
- Good co-workers.
- A day to rest.
God is Good!
God is good! I am so thankful for His faithfulness through another week. PTL for:
- Two days of work...even if one of them was way to busy and stressful. His grace made it possible for me to make it through the day.
- Wonderfully warm sunny weather for most of the week. What a delight to be outside soaking in the warm sunshine. It did turn cooler yesterday though...I had to wear a sweater when I was outside doing some work in the yard!
- Watching the progress of the blooming of Bradford Pear trees. They have a beautiful white blossom and it has been great fun during the last week or two to watch the progress of the opening of the buds. Next week they should be in full bloom. What a delight to the eyes!
- Enjoying planting flowers in a nice big pot that is sitting in front of our house. I like gardening in containers!
- Enjoying Hubby's dinner last night that was yummy. Raisin pancakes! And decaf coffee! Perfect.
- Having such a convenient craft area where I can work on Scrapbooking and making cards. What a blessing to have all that space and the blessing of having an abundance of supplies to work with.
- Chocolate flavored coffee beans to grind for a special Sabbath morning coffee.
- Being able to talk with my mother on the phone nearly every day.
- The joy of anticipating the return of my Lord and King. It won't be long now. What a glorious day that will be. Amen, come Lord Jesus.
I am thankful for many things from this past week. God is Good!
- Our roses are planted....and I have noticed new growth starting on some of them.
- Trying out a new hairstyle, and getting some positive feedback!
- Safety during the wild weather in our area on Thursday. I had to work that day which made it very interesting to say the least. We were under a Tornado watch for most of the time I was at work, but all we got was heavy rain, PTL. And thankfully when I left at 10 that night to come home, even though I got soaked getting to the car, the rain lightened up enough so that I didn't have much of a problem getting home.
- From my desk at work I can look out our big front window and enjoy seeing Forsythia blooming!
- Surviving a staff meeting at work this morning, starting at 8. Sigh. But, it was the only time my manager could get us all together to go over some issues. We are open 7 days a week, and usually during staff meetings one or two people are busy up front. But, on Saturdays since we don't open until 10, everyone could be there. At least now I can relax and enjoy the rest of my Sabbath.
- Spending time shopping with my daughter.
- Celebrating my s0n-in-law's birthday at a nice local eatery. Good breakfast and conversation!
- Hubby having a good appointment with his endocrinologist. (IE, his diabetic Dr.)
- Watching a mocking bird enjoy the suet I put out this week. A friend gave me a suet feeder and some suet to see if I could attract more birds. At least the mocking bird is enjoying it!
- Very thankful that the Lord gives us wisdom and direction. So many times this week I cried out for understanding and wisdom to know what to do...in things little as well as big. And He faithfully guided and led, and worked out details and attitudes. He is good.
- Discovering dark chocolate covered Altoids. Oh, my.... yummy.
Last Friday when I started our car to head out for work, this warning light stayed lit. Oh, dear. Now what do I do. There really wasn't time to do much at that point, or I would be late to work. But, driving home after 10 at night would not be a good time to have car trouble. So, I prayed. And, the Lord brought peace that it was OK to keep going...after all, it just said "soon"...not immediately. So, off I went, didn't fret about it at work, and got safely home that night.
But then I started imagining all sorts of horrible reasons why that light was on, all involving lots of money, going with out a car for days, etc. At that point the Lord reminded me that it was His car, and He had abundant resources to care for the need. Again, an incredible peace came over my spirit.
Tuesday hubby took the car in to our local friendly auto "fix-it" guy. He hooked the car up to his computer to figure out what the problem was and found.........the gas cap was loose. What??? Yup, the light came on because yours truly had not completely tightened the gas cap the last time she got gas! Oh, my....blush. But at least hubby had a good time visiting with the auto "fix-it" guy, as well as J.. A....... who stopped in at the same time.
Also, there was no charge to dispense this diagnosis. What a blessing!
Note to self: Please tighten gas cap securely ...at least 3 clicks. OK self, will do.
New rose bushes! For Christmas we got 5 new rose bushes. That is, we ordered them, or had them ordered for us, but had to wait two loooooong months for them to arrive.
Well, yesterday they arrived! What fun it was to plant them in the pots we had all ready and waiting for them!
They don't look very special at the moment, but before long these pots will be filled with some marvelous bushes, with lots of gorgeous roses!
Promise of Good Things to Come!
Will keep you posted on the progress!
This morning I decided it was high time to clean my oven. I hadn't done it since we moved in nearly a year and a half ago, and I noticed over the weekend that it was starting to look dirty!
Since it is warm enough outside to have windows open, and since Hubby was going to be gone for awhile and thus would not have to endure the odors that didn't waft out the windows, it seemed like a very appropriate time to get the job over with. So, I went to my files to get the instructions for the stove so that I could figure out which buttons I should push etc. I did realize I could figure this out by myself, but it would be so much easier with clear instructions. But, when I looked in the "S" file for stove, lo and behold, the instruction booklet was not there.
Then I figured that maybe I had filed it with some of the other instructions. I looked under dryer, washer, freezer, refrigerator, dishwasher...no stove appeared. By this time I figured maybe I was losing my sanity. I KNEW I had the instructions when we first moved into this place. So, I started thumbing threw different places in the files...and stumbled accross, in the "G" section, the instructions to my stove! I never would have thought to look there! ( to sort of justify myself, the booklet did say "gas range", so that is why I labeled the folder as such and put it there. But why I thought that was a logical label......I will never know.)
The folder with that booklet is now safely labled as stove, and filed appropriately. Sigh.....And, the oven is being cleaned as I write. And the fresh air coming in the open windows is wonderful.
- New sandals. I have a hard time finding shoes that fit, so I am really grateful for finding some new sandals that are sooooo comfy.
- Extra work hours this week. LOTS of extra work hours. As in 40 hours of work in 4 days. One of my c0-workers was in a car accident Tuesday on her way to work (she is fine, just sore and a few bruises) so I had to fill in for her the rest of the week. Now I am really thankful that I only work one day a week most of the time!
- The knowldege that my Heavenly Father hears and answers.
- A Sabbath rest after the work week.
- Listening to the meadowlarks. They have such a wonderful song! And what a joy it is to see them up close right underneath our kitchen window!
- Going barefoot outside to fill the bird feeder.
- Flowering cherry trees.
- E-mails from friends.
- Knowing that God cares, and that He is in control.
- Books to read.
Basically this has been an uneventful week, which is a good thing. My grateful list includes the following:
- Another meal of yummy burritos made by hubby last night. He used Allspice as one of the seasonings, and they were so good. I am planning on having one of the leftover ones for breakfast later this morning.
- A nice supply of mini peanut butter cups from hubby for Valentine's day. He knows my love of chocolate and peanut butter!
- The trauma of breaking my glass coffee carafe, and finding out I did break it when I was washing the inside of it and wondered why there was something sharp against my finger. And when I found the size of the hole, I was really grateful that I only had a small cut on my finger...it could have been much worse. And, because the carafe was a unique size, I "had" to go get a new coffee maker. It is much smaller, easier to clean, takes up less space on the counter, and makes a better cup of coffee. Yeah!
- Finishing my scrapbook of pictures from 2006. I printed up about 100 pictures, so it is a small album, but it was fun to put together, and relive the memories and blessings of the past year.
- Having the energy to work 10 hour days! I only worked one day this week, and it went well. I am so grateful for the Lord's help. And, it is an extra blessing that I get extra money for working evenings!
- The Lord has faithfully met our needs for another week.
- Reminders that I serve a Heavenly Father Who is responsive to my needs. He inclines His ear, listens to my cries, and sends all the help He sees that I need. I am so grateful.
Max, who is an inside cat, occasionally has visits from his neighbors. This was the first time I had seen this one come calling.
His most common visitor is a lovely black cat.
So convenient that the window on the door is just the right height for Max to enjoy the views!
Sometimes it is so easy when reflecting back on a week to remember the hard things- they are always there! But, the Lord does richly bless us in so many ways, it brings fresh courage when we take extra time to reflect on the good things.
My list for this week:
- Hubby's delicious vegetable soup that he made for dinner last night. He is such a good cook! It is so much fun to see what he comes up with each week.
- Sunshine today after rain yesterday.
- Three days of work. And going through the roller coaster of emotions on Monday when I was informed in the morning that because of reducing the hours that the clinic was open I would no longer be needed for my usual 10 hours on Thursdays. But, then in the afternoon, we were told that the hours were going back to the old schedule , and that I would still be needed on Thursdays!
- Dark chocolate M & M's
- Having it warm enough on Wednesday to sit outside to eat my lunch and read for awhile. What refreshment that brought! I loved listening to the birds and enjoying the fresh smells in the air. Spring is coming.
- Pretty pink blossoms on our flowering cherry tree.
- Special encouragement at church last Sunday to "Sail On". In other words, don't quit, keep on going on. I have been blessed all week long as I have reflected on that message, and finding blessing in going on.
- Enjoying hot drinks yesterday as it turned colder again.
- Knowing that despite the differences in temperatures outside, whether it is hot or cold, the Lord stays the same, constant and loving and in control. I am so grateful for His steady faithfulness.
PTL for:
- Several days of celebrating hubby's birthday...including eating out 3 times!!!!! That doesn't happen very often! I know he appreciated all the prayers and love sent his direction.
- Only minor excitement on Monday when we woke up to 17 degree temps, and remembered that we had forgotten to turn off the water to our outside faucets. One was frozen, but with a few minutes of heat applied from my hair dryer, the water started flowing again. At least now the water is turned off to both faucets!!!
- No ice or sleet or snow from the latest storm that hit our area on Thursday.
- Flocks of mourning doves and meadowlarks enjoying our back yard. I love to hear the meadowlarks!
- Where I am working now closes at 9 instead of 10 at night. Course that means an hour less of work each week, but I like the earlier hour! Except that this week we didn't really leave until 9:40 as we still had patients to see!
- Enjoying the scents of Yankee Candles. Specifically "Fresh Cut Roses" and "Spring Blossoms". Both are wonderful! (and no, I do not have both burning at the same time! They are actually in two different rooms!!)
- The Lord's continued protection for my mother, who fell again this week, but is fine. ( getting a call from the nursing home at 7 am in the morning is one way to get the adrenaline moving. I do not recommend it for starting out a new day.)
- Having the Lord meet our needs for another week. What peace it brings to fully trust in Him, knowing that He is in control, managing all the details of our lives.
Once again as I look back on my week, my heart is filled with "Thankfuls". My list includes:
