Giving Thanks

It's time again to look back with gratitude at all the good things that transpired during the past week.  To do this, once again, I am joining with Susanne and friends over at Living to Tell the Story for Friday's Fave Five. 

😊 We were able to get tickets for an upcoming performance of Henry V at BYU.  This will take place in February, but tickets were almost sold out and we got some of the last ones. I am super excited about this because I know that BYU (where my daughter Tiffany went to college) offers high-quality events and performances.  Best of all, two tickets were only $20. What a deal!  I am grateful for the opportunity to attend plays and other events like this. Charly and I both enjoy them!

😊 The family memory book I ordered a while back came in the mail this past week and we are very pleased with the result.  I am grateful for this nice and easily accessible way of preserving family memories.  I think I am going to order a book like this every few months. 

😊 Charly got his new desktop computer a few days ago and finally got it all set up and operational (excuse the messy office).  You can tell that he got all the "bells and whistles" including a lighted tower and keyboard. Charly has needed a new computer for a while, and I am grateful that he will no longer have to share the desktop that I use.  

😊 The other day, I came home to some happy mail which was these three sweet thank you notes from our granddaughters for the gifts we gave them at Christmas. I sure love our granddaughters (and our grandsons too) and I am always grateful when I hear from them.  

😊 The university Josh attends (BYU-Idaho) has a campus-wide "Date Night" each semester to help the students meet people and socialize. The event is completely free, very popular and, I am told, lots of fun. Josh has gone in the past and really enjoyed it.  This semester, he was having a hard time finding a girl to ask to date night.   He asked several but they had already had dates.  A couple of nights ago, however, he met a nice girl while relaxing in the hot tub at his apartment complex with some friends.  They started to talk and now Josh has a date for Date Night.  I am grateful that Josh is making friends and dating and that he will get to go to this event that he has been looking forward to. 

😊 I loaded the cart with the ACT Practice Test books for the final time Thursday morning.  My part of the ACT Prep class (the reading portion) is now complete.  Starting next week, the students will meet with science and math teachers to prepare for those portions of the test.  I am grateful for the opportunity to help the students prepare, and I am also grateful that I can now sleep in until 5 a.m. instead of getting up even earlier (my brain has been waking me up at about 4 a.m.)  to make it to the early morning prep class. 

😊 Finally, while I don't want to wish my life away, I am grateful that January is over.  It seems like there were so many troubling things that happened this past month - fires in California, the plane/helicopter crash in Washington D.C., political strife, turmoil and other troubling events.  I am praying for all those who have known so much pain during this past month, and I am grateful that we can turn the page on January and move on. Hopefully, the rest of the year will be more upbeat.

That's all for now.  I hope you have found some good things to give thanks for this week. Thank you for stopping by to visit. See you again soon.

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

Currently on the Final Weekend of January

The weather here was gray and cold for the first part of the weekend.  I took this picture when I went out for a walk after school on Friday afternoon.  We didn't get above freezing all weekend. Just a few miles to the south of us, it snowed all day on Saturday. 

By the time we went to church on Sunday blue skies were back but it wasn't any warmer.  We also had a cold breeze blowing Sunday afternoon.  Next week should be just a little warmer.  Sunshine and temperatures in the 40s are in the forecast for the coming week. 

I'm reading a nonfiction religious book - A Saint's Journey on the Narrow Path by Clark Rich Burbidge and the classic novel Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I am about half-way through both books, but don't know if I will finish either book by the end of the month.

I'm listening to various podcasts - mostly theology/religious and current events/political.  My latest newly discovered podcast is Dad Saves America.   It is a podcast about education, culture and politics. Very interesting.

I've been watching Churchill at War on Netflix. It's a Ron Howard production and is a high-quality and interesting show. 

I'm looking forward to visiting our daughter and her children next weekend.  I have some Valentine's treats and crafts that I think the grands will enjoy.  

I'm enjoying walking outside whenever I can - even when it's cold like it was Sunday afternoon. 

In the kitchen, we had breakfast for dinner (Pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs and hash browns) on Saturday night.

 

For Sunday dinner, I tried a new recipe - hamburger rice casserole, which honestly was not my favorite.  I doubt I'll make it again.  We had green salad and fresh steamed green beans with it. 

I've been working on this puzzle and I finished it Sunday evening.  I recently bought it at a thrift store and there was one piece missing, so I probably won't keep it, but it was quite a nice picture. 

I'm thinking about some options we have when we move from the house we live in now after I retire.  This little condo we went to look at on Saturday in a town of about 24,000 in southern Utah County (Payson, Utah) is one option we are thinking about.  Last summer purchased a larger home in Southern Utah (Ivins, Utah) which we are planning to move to when I retire.  We are now thinking of buying the smaller condo as a second home and place to stay on frequent trips to see our children and grandchildren who live in Utah County. Another option we have is using the home we bought last summer as a rental property and either building or buying another home in St. George. That would mean staying in hotels whenever we come up to see the grands. Right now, we  are in the trying to figure out what would work stage.  No final decision. 

I'm grateful that we had safe travels over the weekend.  When we drove to Utah County on Saturday afternoon, the freeway was wet, slushy, and slick in places. We encountered several accidents and we were so glad to get home safely. 

That's what is going on around here this weekend. Thanks for stopping by.  Have a good week.  

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, 

and faithful in prayer."

– Romans 12:12

 

Warming the Heart With Gratitude

It has been a bitter cold week here where I live, although reading some other blogs, I realize that it wasn't nearly as cold where I am as it has been some other places.  No matter how cold it is outside, looking for the good and expressing gratitude always warms the heart, so I am joining again with Susanne over at Living to Tell the Story for Friday's Fave Five. 

😊 I had Monday off for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day off, and I am always grateful for an extra day off. 

😊 We have had a cold week here, although I know it hasn't been as cold as some other places in the country.  I much prefer to walk outside, but when it's so bitter cold, I am grateful that we have a nice community recreation center where we can get some exercise walking the track and using the fitness equipment.

😊 In my last post, I mentioned how much I am enjoying my new Kindle.  I am grateful for my Kindle which literally puts an entire library at my fingertips and allows me to read more with less eye strain.  

😊 I am so grateful for my sweet husband who brought these beautiful flowers home to me this week to brighten up our home.  

😊 With Monday off this past week, Charly and I decided to go to Utah County. While we were on the freeway, I heard an odd sound coming from my tires and then my low air light went on.  We got off the freeway at the next exit and fortunately found a tire store that could help us.  This is the spike the mechanic got out of our tire.  It is amazing that we didn't need a new tire, but the tire was successfully repaired and we were on our way in less than an hour.  I am so grateful that we didn't have a blowout on the freeway.

😊 I'm also grateful for the professional and efficient technicians at this place who repaired our tire in about 30 minutes after another place told us it would take them over two hours before they could even look at our tire.  

😊 I will be honest in saying that I have mixed feelings about the change in U.S. presidents we saw this past week.   I have never been a big fan of #45/47, but as I listened closely to some of his speeches, I realized that I agree with some of the policy changes that have already started taking place.  Others policies not so much.  No matter the politics, I am still very proud and grateful to be an American, and like the song says, there is no doubt I love this land!  God bless the USA! 

😊 I am always grateful for beautiful sunrises, and I am grateful that I get to enjoy this amazing beauty from my classroom window.  

That's all for now.  Have a good weekend and always be grateful!

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

"When you feel discontented, 

think over your blessings, and be grateful."

~ Louisa May Alcott in Little Women

Another Cold, Gray Weekend

This weekend was cold and gray with a little snow, but then it is January and that's what January is.  Here's a little about how this weekend went.

Friday was gray, cloudy and cold. This is the view from my classroom window at mid-morning.  After I got home from school, Charly and I went to the rec. center to walk.  It just felt too cold to walk outside.  After getting home from the rec. center, we ate dinner and had a cozy night at home.  I did some reading and finished another book - You're Doing Great by comedian Tom Papa.  It was an overall good book, with some portions being laugh out loud funny.  I enjoyed it. 

Saturday morning I slept in until about 7:30 a.m.. I guess i needed to catch up on some sleep.  We got a small amount of snow Friday night and early Saturday morning.  The snow wasn't deep, but with the bitter cold temperatures, the surfaces, including many roads, were very icy. There were two big mult-car accidents on the freeway due to icy conditions, so we opted to stay close to home for the day. We went to walk at the mall in the morning. We managed to get there just about 10 a.m. when most of the stores were opening, but there still weren't many people there. 

Later in the day, we went to a birthday open house for a woman we have known for many years whose 90th birthday was yesterday.   It was a "no gifts" open house, but I saw this cute little vase of flowers at the grocery store and it just seemed the perfect thing to bring to this very kind and lovely woman, who is also the mother of one of Charly's best boyhood friends.  We had a nice time at the event. We saw Charly's friend and his wife, as well as others we have known for a long time. We had a nice visit with everyone.

Saturday evening, I worked on finalizing the 2024 family memory photo book I have been working on.  It took a while to get everything just right, but the project is now finished and the photo book ordered. When I finished, I was very pleased to see that there was a 50% sale at the website I used, so I saved a little money.   

Sunday, our church was having a conference of several congregations, and with the flu and other viruses being so prevalent in our area right now, we decided we would stay home instead of going to the crowded meeting.  It was nice to have a relaxing day at home.  In the afternoon, I took a walk around the neighborhood.  It was 28 degrees and mostly gray and cloudy, although I could see blue peeking through the clouds in a few places. 

I did quite a bit of reading on Sunday it was so nice to have some free time to do that.  I am loving the new Kindle Paperwhite that I got for Christmas.  Charly and I both gifted ourselves Kindles this past Christmas and we both like them. They are so easy on the eyes!  The older I get, the more I am finding that reading a lot of small print gives me eye strain and a headache. 

Sunday dinner was Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole with corn, baby spring mix salad and a twice baked potato rosette.  The recipe was a new one for me and it was quite good. 

After dinner, I started a new puzzle, which I got yesterday.  While I was working on the puzzle, I listened to and finished the audiobook of Britney Spears book The Woman in Me.  

Weekend Gratitude:

• Having a long weekend - I get tomorrow off! 
• Visiting with old friends at the birthday open house on Saturday.
• Enjoying a cozy weekend - mostly at home. 
• Finishing another audiobook. 

Coming up this week:

Monday - Martin Luther King Day - no school/work

Monday - Inauguration

Tuesday - Appointment after school

That's all for now.  Have a good week. See you again soon!

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

"What good is the warmth of summer,

without the cold of winter to give it sweetness."

~John Steinbeck

Currently This Week

The weather has been cold but clear, until Friday.  On Friday, it got increasingly cold and gray.  I took this picture on an afternoon walk on Tuesday, and this is is pretty typical of what the whole week was like until Friday.  More snow is expected on Saturday. 

I'm reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. My daughter has been reading it to her children and we are all going to a theatrical production of the book in March.  On Friday, I finished a humor book by comedian Tom Papa called You're Doing Great!  

I've been listening to The House of My Mother by Shari Franke. It's sad, troubling and fascinating.  I finished it on Wednesday.  I am now listening to the audiobook of The Woman in Me by Britney Spears.  Parts of it are interesting, some not so much. It isn't very well written.  I'm about halfway finished. 

I've been watching a documentary about Winston Churchill called Churchill at War, on Netflix.  My husband and I both enjoy history and this documentary is well done and interesting.  Early in the week, we finished a true crime documentary called Homicide: Los Angeles. 

I'm working on a photo book of family pictures from 2024.  The company I have used for years to create and print my blog into books has gone out of business, so I have decided to print photo books with special pictures I take of my family each year. 

I'm loving the continued flowering of my Christmas Cactus.  

I'm grateful that the first week of the ACT Prep Class that I am facilitating, is over. I'm grateful that I can help students get ready for this important test, but getting up before 5 a.m. to be on time for the early morning study sessions has not been easy for me.  I've felt exhausted all week. The prep class will go on for two more weeks. 

I'm enjoying staying warm and cozy at home on cold January evenings. 

I'm celebrating a long weekend.  I have Monday off for Martin Luther King Day.  We don't have many plans for the weekend, so it will be very nice to have three days of downtime to rest and relax.  We will go to a birthday party for a 90-year-old lady in our church congregation Saturday after and I plan to watch the inauguration on Monday because it is a historic event that I don't want to miss.

That's all for this cold Friday night. Enjoy the weekend. 

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: 

if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, 

prosperity would not be so welcome."

~ Anne Bradstreet

A Cold & Snowy Weekend

Our weather this weekend has been cold and snowy.  The past week was not a warm one. We had a little bit of snow Friday night and Saturday, but the accumulations in the valley, where I live, were not great.  

After clearing the snow off of our driveway, we went to the mall and walked about a mile and a half before any of the stores opened. 

After lunch on Saturday, the roads were clear enough that we decided to drive to Utah County to take a look at the townhouse in this picture from the listing on Zillow.  Now that we have purchased a home in Southern Utah, we are considering buying a smaller condo or townhouse in Utah County to stay in when we come to visit our daughter and grandchildren.  No concrete plans yet.  We are just thinking and looking.  We liked this townhouse and it would be within our budget, but we aren't making any final decisions until I retire.   It was fun to go to Utah County and check out this little home, then go to a store we like there, and then stop for dinner on the way back home.  We had a very nice Saturday.  

We had more snow on Saturday night. Again, it wasn't a lot of snow - less than an inch at our house - but there was a layer of ice underneath. Charly and I went out before church to clear our driveway and sidewalk and also the driveway of our next door neighbor. 

By the time we got to church at about 10 a.m., the sun was out and the sky was blue.  It was still very cold and icy though.   We went to the main worship service, then stayed for the separate men's and women's classes afterward.  Later, Charly and I again helped with the worship service at the care center/nursing home.  We didn't get home from that until about 3 p.m., so it was a full and busy Sunday. 

I made lasagna for our Sunday dinner. I had not made lasagna for a long time and it was very good. We'll have the leftovers tomorrow night. We had a baby spring mix salad on the side. 

After church, I purchased the tickets to this production of Little Women which we are going to with our daughter and her family in March.  My daughter recently finished reading the book to her children and we thought it would be fun to get together and go see the play.  I'm pretty excited about this. We are going to the Hale Center Theater which always puts on an excellent, professional quality production. 

Before I end this post, I wanted to acknowledge the horrendous fires in Southern California. The picture above shows the proximity of the fire to the Los Angeles Temple, where our family worshipped on occasion when we lived in Southern California for five years in the late 1990s and early 2000s.  We love that beautiful area and the people who live there.  We are praying for everyone who has lost so much.

Weekend Gratitude:

• NOT getting a lot of snow here in the valley this weekend.
• Having a nice trip to Utah County with Charly. 
• Seeing a townhome that would work as a "second home" for us.

Coming up this week:

Monday - ACT prep starting. I will need to be at school by 6:45 a.m.  This will go on for three weeks. 

Thursday - Doctor appointment for Charly.

Saturday - 90th Birthday Open House for a friend from our church congregation.

That's all for this weekend.  May the coming week go well for all. 

Until next time,

😊Deb💖