Ending August and Beginning September with Happiness

 

I have enjoyed participating in the August Happiness Challenge along with The Gal Herself.  August is over, but I wanted to remember the happy things that happened as August ended and September began.   I'm also joining, again, with Susanne and other blogging friends over at Living to Tell the Story for Friday's Fave Five! 

😊 We had more rain and cooler temperatures this week.  Our state had an extremely dry winter and summer, but the past week or so, we have been having some good moisture by way of some monsoon rain storms.  There has even been flash flooding, hail and damaging wind in some parts of the state, but around here where I live, we had cloudy skies, cooler temperatures and some rain storms that helped helped with our water situation.   Cloudy, rainy days have been a pleasant change that made me happy!

😊 Our favorite local, independent used book store had a buy-one-get-one-free sale.  Charly and I had a box of books to turn in at the store for credit, but we only came home with one book a piece.  Browsing at this bookstore makes me happy, as does paring down my book collection.  It also makes me happy that we traded an entire box of books for just two new titles.  

😊 Our old house is not longer our house!  The paperwork was signed and the money is in the bank and we closed a ten year chapter in our lives.  The house is sold.  I am so relieved and happy about this.  Now we are in a position to go forward with a comfortable retirement. 

😊 Josh, who has now moved into a townhouse in the Salt Lake City area, was finally able to sell his lease for his old apartment, in the complex shown in the above picture.  As a mother, I always worry about my children, and now that Josh won't have double rent payments to two different places, I'm a happy mama.  

😊 We saw our granddaughter and said our goodbyes before she leaves to serve as a missionary in Norway. We will miss her, but we are proud and happy that she has chosen to go to Norway and share Jesus and His Gospel with the people of Norway.

😊 I put my fall decor up.  September and October are two of my favorite months and I love scarecrows and other fun fall decor because it makes me happy!

😊I listed our electric lawnmower on Facebook Marketplace and with a couple of days it was gone. We don't need a lawnmower now that our old house is sold, so it makes me happy that someone who needs a mower has it now. 

😊 Our backyard deck and patio cover project is finally finished. The contractor got super busy, but he put the final finishing touches on everything yesterday, and we are very happy with the way it turned out.  Our next project is some shelving in the garage for storage.  That will start in mid-September.  

Thanks for joining with me over the past several weeks to look for the good and happy  things in life.  I haven't managed to post every day, but I did find myself focusing more on the the positive things in my life every day.   Thanks for stopping by!

What made you happy as August turned to September this past week?

Until next time, 

😊Deb💖

"Some people work at being miserable.

I work at being happy."

~Dolly Parton

Good Things and Gratitude

Here are a few of the bright spots in my world the past week.  Once again, I'm joining with Susanne and friends over at Living to Tell the Story for Friday's Fave Fives.

😊 I received this fun retirement card from my long-time blogging buddy, Mari over at My Little Corner of the World.  It made me smile!  I am so grateful for Mari and the many sweet friends who I have come to know through blogging.  

😊 I received  another cute picture of three of my grandchildren having fun fishing at the lake.  The two older boys took their little sister fishing and she had the first catch of the day!   It looked like so much fun, I asked my grandsons if they could teach me how to fish, so we are all going to the lake together Friday night and grandma is going to learn to fish!  I haven't been fishing since I was a very little girl and I went with my parents.  I'm always grateful for time with my grandchildren!

😊  For years, I have wanted to get some yard flags, and with our nation's 250th anniversary coming up, this seemed like the right time to put some in my yard.  I got two patriotic flags and put them out in front yard.  I also ordered some flags for fall, because fall will be here before we know it!  I'm grateful that I have a nice little yard for plants and other yard decor. 

😊 Speaking of my front yard, this lovely orange sunflower just came out in bloom there, and I love it.  Charly planted the sunflower seeds several weeks ago. I've never planted sunflowers in my yard before, but this one is beautiful, and I hope to plant more in subsequent years.  I'm grateful for flowers in my yard because I love all kinds of flowers! 

😊 I have been working on hanging pictures in our home again this week.  I'm the kind of person who has to think about the perfect spot for each picture and wall hanging.  One day this week, I felt inspired with where I wanted to put several pictures, so I got busy hanging them.  I'm very pleased and grateful with how everything inside our home is coming together.  I am thankful for our new home and how much we are enjoying making it our own!

😊 We worshipped at the temple one afternoon this week.  I always grateful when we had time to worship Jesus (in addition to our Sunday worship) and and feel His peace there in the temple. 

😊 Thursday was Josh's birthday and we took him out for birthday brunch at The Brunch House.  I'm grateful for Josh and that he lives close enough that we can celebrate his birthday by taking him out to eat.  (The trip to Idaho earlier this month was his birthday present). 

😊 It was pedicure time for Charly and I this week. We wanted to find a new nail place close to our new home.  We have found that some nail salons are not the greatest, but we were so pleased with the one we went to this week. It is owned by a couple from Hawaii. This is their college age son who did my toe nails. They were the nicest people and did a great job on our feet.  Charly and I have been having pedicures for a while now and have found they are relaxing and help us avoid foot problems like ingrown nails.  I am grateful that we found a great new nail salon to help us with our foot health!

😊 I've been taking evening walks in our neighborhood almost every evening, and I am grateful that our new home is in a very walkable area, where I feel safe.  There are also lots of nice families and friendly neighbors!

There is always more to be grateful for, but I will stop there for now.  Thanks for  stopping by.  Have a good weekend!  See you again soon!

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

"Cultivate the habit of being grateful 

for every good thing that comes to you, 

and to give thanks continuously." 

— Ralph Waldo Emerson 

 

Things I Am Thankful for This Week

Here are some of the simple things that I am thankful for as this week closes.  I am joining with Susanne and friends over at Living to Tell the Story for Friday's Fave Five.  Let's get started. 

😊 If you read my last post, you know that Charly, Josh and I took a road trip to Yellowstone National Park.  We had lovely early summer weather for our day at the park.  It was a perfect day, as you can see in the top picture.  This week, storms moved in to Wyoming and Montana and there was snow at Yellowstone, as you can see in the bottom picture.  Some roads were even closed due to the snow in June!  I'm grateful that we had such great weather for our day at Yellowstone, and that we didn't have to deal with winter weather in June. 

😊The other evening, my son-in-law texted us these pictures of my grandsons who were fishing.  These boys LOVE to fish and they had gone to a nearby lake with their dad.  I am always grateful to see my grandchildren, even in pictures, and it's a joy to see them happy and having a good time. 

😊Thursday, we donated some remaining items from our old house to The Other Side Thrift Store, which is an organization that helps men and women recovering from addiction and incarceration.  This is a great organization. We have bought furniture at their thrift store and we have used them to move to our new home.  We have also donated items to them in the past.  I am so  grateful for this organization that helps others because they helped us by taking some items from our old house that we no longer need.  They sent a truck to our house and took our old washer and dryer, bed, and microwave cart.  Now the old house is completely empty. 

😊Now that the old house is completely empty, I am grateful that we have another showing of the house scheduled for tomorrow.  This is a screenshot of the texts we received about the showing.  I am also grateful to all those who are praying that we can sell the house quickly and for the price we need.  

😊 A few weeks ago we bought two small bare-root trees for the backyard at our new home.  I haven't had great luck with bare-root plants in the past, so I didn't have a lot of hope for the little trees, but they were only $10 each, so we thought we would give them a try.  One of the trees, an apple tree, seems to be doing quite well.  It came out with new leaves right away.  The second tree, a peach tree seems to be nothing more than a dry stick in the ground.  I thought it was obviously dead, and so I decided to dig it up.  I am grateful that as I was digging around the tree, I found that it is not dead at all, and there were little leaves coming out at the bottom, by the roots, as shown in the picture.  Now, I am praying that all the trees we planted will grow and thrive in our backyard. 

That's all for now.  Thanks for stopping by to share the good.  Have an awesome weekend!

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

"Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions."

~Zig Zigler

End of the Week Gratitude

Although it has been another busy week, I have been determined to take time to look at for the things that have made me feel happy and grateful. Here are some of the things I came up with.  I am joining with Susanne over at Living to Tell the Story for Friday's Fave Five. 

😊 Although our week started out windy and cold, but the middle of the week, our temperatures were up into the 80s! We've had a crazy winter with almost no snow, and now summer-like temperatures in March!  I went out for a walk one afternoon and saw this bush covered with little red flowers.  The flowers were lovely and made me smile. With our very warm temperatures, we are now seeing flowers everywhere!  I love flowers and I am always grateful when they come back in the spring.

😊 I'm grateful that it's now light and warm enough to enjoy evening walks almost every day after dinner.   I have found that I sleep better and can deal with daily stress much better when I take an evening walk. 

😊 That's our freezer in the back of my Honda.  It's not a huge freezer and it fits in the car, but it was too heavy for Charly and I to get up from our basement to move it to our new home.  We had three strong young men from church agree to come and help us move it out of the basement in exchange for lunch at Arby's.  It was a win-win, and both Charly and I are very grateful for their help!

😊 We have had this book shelf unit literally since we got married in 1979.  Charly's mom had it in her basement family room, and gave it to us for our first apartment. We've used it ever since, but it doesn't really fit or go with our new place, so we decided to part with it.  I put it on Facebook Marketplace, and within twenty minutes, a woman reached out and said she wanted it. She came to pick it up the next day.  I'm so grateful that we were able to "rehome" these bookshelves, to a young woman who told me she wanted them to start her own home library. 

😊 Our fourth quarter of the school year, and my last quarter, started this past week. So far, so good.  I've assigned my students a book project and some of them are actually doing it!  I am grateful that this is the final quarter of school in my career!

😊  We had a consultation with our realtor about selling our current home, shown in the picture above.  We are on-track to get this place listed by mid-April, and our realtor already has a potential buyer interested.  I am thankful for a good realtor, with whom we have a long-standing relationship.  This will be the fourth real estate deal he has helped us with.  I joke that he is my real estate therapist, because he can help calm the anxiety I experience with buying and selling properties.  

😊 As we were leaving to come back  up to Salt Lake City after delivering our freezer to our new home, I saw this sunset.  It was another stunner, and while the picture might not do it justice, I am always grateful when I see God's handiwork in gorgeous sunrises and sunsets like this one. 

That's all for this post.  Have a good and memorable weekend. 

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

"At the end of the day

I am thankful that my blessings

are bigger than my problems."

~anon.

A Week's Worth of Good Things

It's been another full and busy week, filled with blessings and goodness.  Here are some of the things I am most grateful for as another week closes.  To remember the good, I am joining again with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story for Friday's Fave Five. 

😊We were finishing up testing for English language learners at school this week and one day, I was assigned to take a small number of students to the library to complete the test.  Because I was a "certified proctor," I got to spend the whole day in the library with no more than five students who were quietly taking an online test.  It was the closest thing to "teacher heaven" I've experienced for a while.  I'm always grateful for "easy" days at work.

😊 We are still praying for rain and snow out here in Utah, but so far our weather has been warm spring- like (although there is now some rain and snow in the forecast for next week).  I was able to walk outside after dinner.  The branches of several trees silhouetted by the sunset was beautifully stunning.   I am always grateful when I get to experience God's artistry. 

😊 Although we really need snow and rain, the lovely, spring-like weather we've been having has made all the trips we've been making to our new home much safer and easier, so I'm grateful for that.

😊 Josh moved into his own place in Utah County early in January, and he decided to looks for another job closer to his apartment.  After several weeks of applying and interviewing, he was offered and accepted a job with Nestle/Stouffers.  He will be working at one of their facilities in Utah County, and will be making more than he was at his last job, so win-win.  We have been praying for Josh to get a good job, and we are very grateful for this development. 

😊 Thursday, I took the day off, and Charly and I took Josh to lunch to celebrate his job offer. We went to a great buffet place which is near our new home.  We enjoyed a great lunch visiting with Josh as he told us everything he had learned about his new job.  I'm grateful for a nice lunch celebrating Josh. 

😊  The furniture that we bought from the thrift store boutique was delivered to our new home Thursday afternoon.  We got a daybed/trundle bed for a downstairs bedroom, and a display cabinet for our living room. The furniture was delivered by two super nice guys who also assembled the bed.  I am grateful that we were able to get this furniture for our new home at a super good price, that included delivery and assembly. 

That's all for now.  Thanks for stopping by to share the good of the past week.  I hope this week was a good one for you and that you have a good weekend. 

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

"Gratitude is cultivated

one moment at a time."

~anon. 

 

Mid-January Gratitude and Answers to a Few Questions

The past few weeks have been super busy for me, and I haven't been able to participate in Friday's Fave Five with Susanne and Friends over at Living to Tell the Story.  Even though I have been absent from the "Faves," I still have much to be grateful for.  Here are some of the things I am most grateful for this week.  

😊Josh moved out of our basement and into this apartment complex last week.  He said he loves it, and he has already met many nice people.  This place is located about 15 minutes or so from the new place we bought and are moving to, so I am sure we will see Josh often.  I am grateful that Josh is settling in and likes his new apartment and roommates. 

😊 Our new home failed its radon test. The radon test we had with our home inspection showed that our radon was .1 above safe levels. Because I don't want anything unsafe or unhealthy in our home, we had a radon mitigation system put in. Charly spent several hours at the home with the radon abatement specialist as the system was installed.   I am grateful that we got this system put in our new home.  

😊 We are replacing the carpet in the entire basement and master bedroom of our new home. Wednesday afternoon, Charly and I went to pick out the carpet.  We were very pleased and grateful that the carpet we want is going to cost several thousand dollars LESS than we had anticipated.  The carpet will probably be installed on  Tuesday, which is sooner than we expected, and we are grateful for that as well. 

😊 After picking out carpet, Charly and I decided to stop for an impromptu dinner date.  Of course, if you have been reading this blog for a while, you know that Charly loves KFC.  I'm always grateful for an impromptu date with my sweetheart at the end of a busy and stressful day. 

😊 Wednesday night at bedtime, I noticed that our house seemed cold and our furnace had not gone on for a while.  Yes, our furnace had gone out.  Since our furnace is more than ten years old, I feared we would be buying a new furnace.   Thursday, Charly was able to get an HVAC company to come out immediately, and the technician found the problem right away and we did not need a whole new furnace. With the faulty parts replaced, our furnace was up and running again before 12:30 p.m.. I'm so grateful that we were able to get the furnace fixed so quickly and for just over $400.

😊 When the furnace went out, we were sure grateful for having some space heaters in our home, so we were able to stay warm while waiting for the furnace repairman. 

😊 This is a screenshot of the confirmation I received after completing and submitting my Early Resignation/Retirement Notification to the school district where I teach.  I am grateful that with the submission of this form, my retirement at the end of the school year is official.  The school district will also give me an extra $500 bonus for turning in my resignation early, so they can better make staffing and hiring decisions.  It's not a lot, but better than nothing, and I'm grateful for it.

Now, to address a few questions I have been asked about the new home we bought and are moving into:

1. Where is the home?  It is in Orem, Utah, which is in Utah County about 40 miles south of where we currently live.  You may have heard of Orem, Utah.  It is the location of Utah Valley University where the horrible assassination of Charlie Kirk took place back in September of last year.  The home we have purchased and are moving to is quite close to Utah Valley University.  We are about 10-15 minutes from where Josh will be living and about 20 minutes or 17 miles from where our daughter and grandchildren live.  Right now, we are 50 miles away from our Utah grands, so living closer to them will be a positive thing for us. 

2.  Didn't we just buy a different home last year?  Yes, about 18 months ago, we purchased a home in Southern Utah near St. George.  We are currently renting that home out, but when I retire, we may use that as our second, winter home.  It's in a beautiful area, as you can see in this picture. 

3. Why are we moving and what will we do with our current home? We bought our current home in 2017 when we moved to Utah from Arizona.  It is 73 years old, and while it is a very nice house with plenty of space for us, it also has too many steps and stairs for us as we get older.  Also, we don't like the location and neighborhood.  We plan to put our old house on the market in March or April.  If it sells right away, I may have to move into an extended stay hotel for a month or two to finish the school year.  I don't want to have to commute to school from our new home because that is a 40 mile drive.  Right now, my daily commute from this house is 1.6 miles, so I plan to stay here in this house or at least in the area around here until the end of the school year. 

That's all for this post. Thanks for stopping by, have a good weekend. 

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

 

A Little End of the Week Gratitude

Here are some of the things I am thankful for as I look back over the past week or so.  I am once again joining with Susanne and friends over at Living to Tell the Story for Friday's Fave Five. 

😊This week, our weather has been warm and mild for December, so I decided to take my afternoon walks in the neighborhood instead of going to rec center to walk the track.  I am grateful that I could walk outside and enjoy some fresh air and beautiful sunsets.                  

                   

😊 A couple of years ago, I found this large folding clothes drying rack at a thrift store.  Though I didn't need it at the time, I decided to get it.  I wasn't really sure when or if I would ever use it because I always use my dryer to dry my clothes after I wash them.   This week, however, our dryer went out, and was I ever grateful that I had this big drying rack.  It has enough space to hang and dry a medium size load of wet clothing.  My week was better because we didn't have to schlep a clothes basket of wet laundry over to a laundry mat to use a clothes dryer there. 

😊 We were able to get the dryer fixed within a couple of days after it went out.  The thermostat had gone out, which in turn burned out the element.  It actually could have caused a fire before we realized anything was wrong, and I am grateful that we didn't have a fire, and that we were able to get the dryer fixed quickly.

😊 Another thing I am grateful for every time I drive to or from the school where I now teach is that it is only 1.7 miles from my home.  You can see on the map that my commute time is a grand total of six minutes. It is the shortest commute I have ever had and that's definitely something to be thankful for. 

😊 I admit that it has been an adjustment for me to go back to teaching junior high after so many years in high school.  I have had to lower my expectations of student emotional and intellectual maturity quite a bit. I have a 7th grade class that is very energetic and not always anxious to do their assignments.  This week however, I decided to try something new, and completely locked away the student laptops and told students they would have to do the assignment with paper and pencil.  After some initial whining, many of them actually came through and wrote some pretty decent paragraphs.  I am grateful to have made a little headway as I try to work with and teach these younger students. 

😊 I'm also grateful that I had time this week to get some of the gift wrapping and bagging done.  We scaled back on Christmas quite a bit this year - at least I think we did (I'll have to wait for the January credit card bill to be sure). I am still waiting for a delivery from Amazon and then I will be finished with shopping.  I'm grateful when the busy chores of the season are finished and we can just relax and enjoy.

While there is always more to be thankful for, I'll stop there for this week.  Thanks for stopping by.  I hope your week has held much to be grateful for as well.   Have a good weekend. See you soon!

Until next time. 

🎅Deb🤶

"Feeling Gratitude and not expressing it

is like wrapping a present and not giving it."

~William Arthur Ward