Best of April's Final Week

It's the last Friday in April.  The weeks and months go quickly. It's always good to look back on the week and remember the good and positive things, so I am joining with Susanne and other grateful blogging friends over at Living to Tell the Story for Friday's Fave Five.  

Weekend hike - I mentioned this in my weekend post. Any hike in our nearby mountains will makes my list of favorites every time.  I hope to get up to this trail to hike it again soon.   

Rain - Monday was a rainy day - all day long. This was my windshield when I came out of school Monday afternoon.   Rain is a good thing because after a mild winter, we need all the rain we can get around here. 

The return of blue skies - The pictures on the left were taken on Tuesday, and the pictures on the right were Wednesday. As the week progressed, sunshine, blue skies and spring-like temperatures returned.  

As you can see from this picture, Thursday was just lovely.

Lilacs - I love lilacs and these newly bloomed lilacs near our home look and smell like the best of springtime.  Lilacs are some of my favorite flowers, and I enjoy seeing these every day on my walk.

April reading - I was able to finish all of these books in April.  All of these April books were worth reading. The last one I finished was All Things New, which contained deep Christian doctrine and philosophy, but was well-researched, documented and eye-opening.  I love a book that really makes me think and also increases my faith.   I have read 19 books so far this year - a record for me.  I attribute much of the extra reading time to my decision last February to severely cut back my use of social media. 

I also finished The New Testament last week.  I have read the King James version of the New Testament multiple times, but wanted to read a different translation this time, so I read The Amplified Bible version.  I am now going on to the "minor prophets" in the Old Testament.  

Free Classes - Teachers usually have to go through training every year to keep current licenses.  In the district where I teach, we can also take additional education hours and classes to increase our pay.  I found out last week, that our district is now accepting free Coursera course hours toward pay increases.  That's great news, because not only are these courses free, they are online and self-paced, so I should be able to complete a significant part of the requirement to get a raise, by this time next year! 

Thanks for stopping by to share the best parts of my week.  Have a wonderful weekend.  

😊Deb💙

"The heart that gives thanks is a happy one, for we cannot feel thankful and unhappy at the same time."

~Douglas Wood

Weekend

Friday was a lovely day - sunny and warm.  After I got home from school, I immediately took my walk outside. This beautiful tree is near the front of our home.  The air in my neighborhood smells so sweet with all the blossoms on the trees. 

After dinner on Friday, Charly and I headed up to Home Depot to get these large (4' x 8') lattice panels that we are planning to use in our backyard patio/courtyard area.  The lattice panels were too big to get in our vehicle, so we had to tie them to the luggage rack of our Honda CRV and drive home from Home Depot along several major roads going 15-20 miles an hour so the panels would fall off.  We got everything home OK, but the drive was pretty anxiety-producing.   I am excited about what we going to do in our back area ~ putting up these panels and also installing yard lights.  

This was the scene in our office on Saturday. Josh has a rather challenging math class this semester and Charly, who taught math for several years,  was able to sit with Josh and help him figure out some of the homework.  I am grateful to have a husband who is also an excellent father.  While Charly was helping Josh, I was running errands, doing laundry and finishing up the weekly cleaning chores.  I also washed both of our cars, which were dusty and dirty from last week's rains. 

In the afternoon, Josh wanted to do something besides homework, and I wanted to try a hiking trail about fifteen minutes from our home that I had never been to, so we went to the Neff Canyon Trail.  We were supposed to do a loop trail but somehow lost the trail where the loop was supposed to start back to the trailhead. We continued on the canyon trail until snow, ice and mud on the trail made us decide to turn back. 

Even though it was a cloudy afternoon, we enjoyed this mountain trail, and plan to return and hike it again.  Josh is hoping that next time, there will be more green leaves on the trees.  It is a good trail and we are determined to find the rest of loop trail next time. 

Sunday was another cloudy day. Josh went off to church and Charly and I watched our church service on Zoom.  I read scriptures and did my Come Follow Me study.  I indexed some military records from 1929. I also laid down and took a little nap after church and lunch, then Charly and I took our walk.  Josh went out to do his ministering assignment.  He enjoys visiting the homes of some of the older people in our congregation as part of his ministering. 

Sunday dinner at our house was Taco Soup with Pizza Sauce, a new recipe from an old favorite recipe book.  I topped the Taco Soup with cheese and sour cream, and there was green salad and breadsticks on the side.  It was really good.

Here is the original recipe.  I added a can of black beans and a can of chili diced tomatoes.  

This is the cookbook the recipe came from.  I have had it for years and use it a lot. 

After dinner, Charly and I made a Happy Birthday Marco Polo video for our grandson Clay who is 10-years-old today.  He sent us a Marco Polo in return. We sure do love this guy and his brother and sisters, and all ten of our sweet grandchildren.  :-)

Those are some of the highlights of my weekend.  Hope yours was as good as ours.  Thanks for stopping by. Have a good week.  :-) 

😊Deb💚

"You make a life out of what you have, not what you're missing."

~ Kate Morton

 

Friday Favorites - Best of the Week

Gratitude always makes a week better, and here are some of the things I grateful for as this week ends. I am joining once again with Susanne and other grateful friends over at Living to Tell the Story for Friday's Fave Five. 

Sunshine and flowers - We had some cool, wet days this past week, but by Thursday, the sunshine was out and there were more spring flowers everywhere.  

Great hiking shoes - I went on a couple of hikes last weekend. For the first hike, I grabbed a pair of cheap hiking boots I bought right before our trip to Yellowstone last summer. The boots were one size too big because the store where I got them didn't have my correct size, but I figured they would be fine if I double-socked with thick hiking socks.  The problem was that last Saturday, I was in a hurry and forgot to double sock.  When I got home from the hike, I had a large and painful blister on my big toe.  I thought I would not be able to go on the hike Josh and I had planned for Sunday afternoon, until I remembered I had these wonderful hiking shoes, that my blogger friend Karen (a.k.a. Happy One)  had gifted me last summer because they didn't fit her.  I got the shoes out of the closet, and put them on and could immediately feel the relief in my feet. I enjoyed the hike, without being aggravated by the blister.  Thanks so much Karen!  The other hiking boots are history and from now on, these are my go-to hiking shoes.  When they wear out, I will buy more of this same kind.  

A new house plant - a neighbor randomly showed up one day as I was getting out of my car after coming home, and said she wanted to give me this little potted plant.  It's a nice plant and addition to my other house plants.  It was nice of my neighbor to think of me.

I have a great west-facing window for plants in the office.  I do enjoy having greenery in the house. 

Josh's second Covid vaccine dose  - This happened Tuesday afternoon.  Josh came home from getting his shot all smiles, and said he was very grateful to have gotten it. He was a little achy and felt feverish the next day, but was back to work and school all day on Thursday and felt just fine.  I am so grateful everyone here in our household is now completely vaccinated.  

Back to school - speaking of Josh, he was back in class for the start of a new semester this week.  All of his classes are online once again, but with so many getting vaccinated, he is hopeful that he will be back to in-person classes by next semester.  He did well in his classes last semester and is excited to keep progressing toward his degree. 

These are some of the best things in my week. I hope you also have much to be grateful for.  Have a good weekend.

😊Deb💗

"Gratitude is appreciation of the positive aspects of our own situation.  Gratitude is a form of love."

~Patrick King

 

Hiking Weekend

Friday was gray, cloudy and rainy most of the day.  It was online learning day at school.  I got home about 2 p.m. and the rain had stopped, so I went for a walk right away, just in case the rain started up again.  You can see from this picture how low the clouds were on the mountains.  

Saturday, Charly and I went to a couple of thrift stores, and I was looking for some specific books, and I found them!  I wanted some books by Jodi Picoult, and I found these four.  I also wanted The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn, and guess what!  I found that too!  Sweet! The last book I found is the sequel to a powerful book called Left to Tell by Immaculee Illibagiza which is about the Genocide in Rwanda which took place in 1994.  Left to Tell is the story of how the author survived the genocide and the book I got yesterday, Led by Faith is about the author's experience after the genocide.  I was excited to find all of these books for just $1- $1.50 for each one!

Saturday was a beautiful day, and after so many gray and rainy days last week, I wanted to get outside.  I asked Josh if he wanted to go on a hike, and we decided to hike on a trail that goes along a river that runs right through the center of the Salt Lake Valley.  

It was such a lovely afternoon.  Here are some of the views from our hike along the Jordan River Trail. The entire trail is over 48 miles long and goes from Utah Lake in Utah County up to the Great Salt Lake.  We hiked only a small portion of the trail, but we will definitely be back to hike another portion of this trail again.  

Sunday, Josh went off to church in person, Charly and I watched on Zoom.  I also did my scripture and Come Follow Me study some indexing of military records from 1919 while listening to our Zoom Sunday School class.  Later, I did some reading and even took a short nap.  

Sunday evening dinner was chicken, scalloped potatoes, macaroni and cheese,  refrigerator biscuits with butter and honey and fresh green beans.  

After dinner, Josh and I went on our second hike of the weekend.  We went to one of our favorite places, Ensign Peak, which has lovely views of the entire Salt Lake Valley.  Josh said this is his favorite hike.  It is a good hike with stunning views and an excellent way to end the weekend.    Back home, after the hike, Charly and I took our walk around the neighborhood, then we watched a show on PBS and we read before bed. 

Coming up this week:

Monday - Doctor appointments for both Charly and I.  Charly's appointment is in the morning, and mine in the afternoon. Routine stuff. 

Monday - The dishwasher repair tech is coming to replace the electrical panel on our dishwasher.  It went out a few weeks ago. The tech had to order a new panel, and that finally came in last week.

Monday - Josh's spring semester classes begin.

Tuesday - Josh gets his second Covid vaccine after work.

Friday - My younger sister's birthday.  I will text her that day, but her card and gift are already in the mail.  :-)  

Hope your weekend was a good one and that the coming week will bring many positive things.   Thanks for stopping by. 

😊Deb💜

"Put on therefore...kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering:  Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.  And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.  And let the peace of God rule in your hearts...and be ye thankful." 

~ Colossians 3:12-15 KJV

Rainy Week Favorites

Another week has come and gone. The days and weeks go so quickly.  This has been a very challenging week in some ways,  but even when there are clouds in our life, gratitude brings rays of sunshine.  That's why I join with Susanne and other grateful bloggers who link over at Living to Tell the Story for Friday's Fave Five.  Here are some of the things I am grateful for this week. 

Rain - It has been a cool, windy and rainy week here.  these were the clouds in the Western sky during my walk Wednesday afternoon.  I just barely finished my two miles, and the rain started and really came down for a while.  Thursday, we had rain most of the day, and during the morning hours, the rain changed to snow, but it didn't stick. It has been a dry winter here, so rain is a good thing. 

Spring flowers - Even though is was a gray and cloudy week, there were bright spring flowers and blossoms everywhere. 

My favorite spring flowers are these bright and cheerful tulips I planted by the sidewalk leading up to my front door. They are all out in bloom now and they are so pretty.

Unexpected phone call - I was feeling a little down earlier in the week about a situation with one of my daughters. We were supposed to get together this weekend with her and her family, but she cancelled without much of an explanation.  That had me feeling a bit depressed, but Wednesday night I got an out-of-the-blue call from my big sister, who lives in New York state, pictured above with her daughter and granddaughter.  My older sister is one of my favorite people and we chatted and laughed, and in no time I was feeling better and reconnected to family.  Although we were not raised together, she has been a blessing in my life for many years. 

Texts and emails from friends - In addition to hearing from my sister on Wednesday, I had a nice email from my good friend who I met through blogging, as well as a couple of messages from friends I haven't seen for a while. 

More comfy shoes - A while back, I blogged about these Slo-Man shoes that I found on Amazon last fall and fell in love with. I now wear the pair I purchased last fall to school almost every day.  I have a blue and black pairs and last week I decided to order this salt-n-pepper gray pair.  They are great shoes for anyone who spends a considerable amount of the day on her feet.  

New bicycle seat - last summer, I got a stationary bike after my doctor said that bicycling had the potential to help my aching knees.  Riding the stationary bike does help, but original bicycle seat was horribly uncomfortable.  I have been looking for some kind of gel-infused comfortable seat cover for a while and finally ordered this one from Amazon. It came last week, and it is great! Oh the relief my posterior feels when I ride now!

With a more comfortable seat cushion, I have been riding almost every day as part of my workout, which helps my knees.

Books - I think books are on my favorites list almost every week, but relaxing and reading will always be favorite things in my life.  This week, I finished the book on the left, which I had downloaded to the Kindle app on my phone a while ago. Once I had finished that book, I decided to read another one, on the same topic (the one on the right). It is also on my Kindle app.  I had downloaded it months ago, but hadn't read it yet.  I'm about a quarter of the way through this book now and it is interesting.  I like reading about the brain and learning strategies for managing stress and anxiety and staying positive.  I find that I am reading more and more books on my Kindle or the Kindle app on my phone, although I doubt that digital books will ever overtake my love of the printed word in a traditional paper and ink book.

I also started this biography, from my "to read shelf" this week. So far is interesting and eye-opening.  The book is the story of a young man who grew up in an abusive, neglectful home with a drunk, drug-addicted mother, and how he got out of that situation.  It is making me grateful for my own upbringing and the upbringing Charly and I gave our children. 

I hope you have found much to be grateful for in your week and that this weekend will be an opportunity for  you to rest and refresh.  

😊Deb💗

A Bookish Spring Weekend

Friday, right after I got home from school, Charly and I took some things from our basement over to the shed in our rental house.  We then went to one of our favorite used book stores that was having a $1 book sale. Yes, both Charly and I did get a few books, because we always need more books.  ;-) 

Saturday was a beautiful, sunny, warm spring day.  We did some running around, going to several different stores. This was the view from the parking lot of one store we went to. I love always having those mountains "watching" over us.  

I finished reading this book and we returned it to the library. 

I also finished this book on Saturday.  I am now at 15 books for the year. 

I had planned to cook dinner Saturday night, but in the late afternoon, we all agreed that getting pizza sounded like the perfect way to end a nice Saturday, so that is just what we did. We got two different kinds of take-out pizza and had a green salad to go with it. I think that is one of my favorite dinners!

We took our walk after dinner on Saturday. There are so many trees out in blossom around here. They are lovely to look and smell so good!

The purple tulips I planted last fall are up and out in bloom now. This is the picture of them I took on Saturday evening after our walk.   I love being outside in the spring time and seeing all the beautiful flowers everywhere. 

Sunday was an ordinary Sabbath for us. I did my scripture reading and Come Follow Me study, then Charly and I watched our church service online, although Josh did go to the service in person.  After church, I did some indexing. This week, I had a big batch of records to index consisting of birth records from 1873 in the state of Virginia. I also indexed some death records from the year 2000 in Monrovia, Liberia.  I met my indexing goal for April this afternoon.  

For dinner,  I made a new to me recipe, One-Pot Enchilada Rice.  You can find the basic recipe here.  It was quite good.  I served it with buttered black bread and fresh guacamole.  After dinner, it was time for our walk, and an additional work-out on my stationary bicycle downstairs.  After I finish this post, I may watch a little TV with Charly, then there will be more reading before bed. 

Some stuff coming up this week:

Monday - staff meeting after school. Ugh.

Also Monday - Josh begins a new semester at school!  He just finished classes for winter semester on Thursday, so he didn't have much of a break, but he got excellent grades in all of his classes! Yay!  We are so proud of him.

Wednesday - Statewide testing for all of our Sophomores at school.  Ugh.  

Wednesday and Thursday - a return to colder temperatures and possible rain and snow. Ugh.

That's all I have for this post. Thanks for stopping by. Have a productive, healthy and happy week, and I will see you again soon. 

😊Deb💙

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth"

~ 3 John 1:2