Best of the Week - Friday Favorites

Here are some of my favorite parts of the past week.  I'm joining with Susanne over Living to Tell the Story for Friday's Fave Five to share good things and gratitude. 

😊We got a nice newsy email from our granddaughter, who is now at the MTC (Missionary Training Center) learning Norwegian.  She will be leaving for Norway on September 30.  This is a picture of her and some of the new friends she has made.  I am so grateful that she is have a good experience and is so happy to be serving a missionary and helping others come to Jesus.  

😊 The shelves we had built in our garage were finished this last week, earlier than expected.  We are very pleased with the new shelves and are grateful that the contractor who built them did a great job and was finished ahead of schedule. 

😊 With the shelves finished, Charly and I have been reorganizing the garage and putting things we need to keep on the shelves.  I'm grateful to have all of this extra storage room so we can keep our garage neat and organized. 

😊 With the new wood shelves complete, we didn't need these smaller shelves we had been using for storage.  I listed them on Facebook Marketplace, and they were sold literally in less than an hour.  I'm grateful we were able to sell these unneeded shelves so quickly. 

😊 We've had cooler weather and rain this past week.  I'm grateful that the hot summer weather is apparently behind us for this year. 

😊 Thursday night, Charly and I attended a lecture by the author of a series of books on Apocryphal texts and how they relate to scripture.  It was a fascinating topic and an excellent presentation. Charly and I love things like this. The lecture was well attended as you can see.  We learned a lot and we both got one of the author's books as part of the price of the ticket.  I am always grateful when I have the opportunity to learn new things, especially things that reinforce my faith!

That's all for this week's favorites.  Enjoy the weekend and I'll see you again soon!

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

"If you want to find happiness,

find gratitude."

~ Steve Maraboli

 

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

More Happiness - August Happiness Challenge Days 24 -27

 

I've have been participating in the August Happiness Challenge this past month, and while I have not posted every day, I have consciously thought each day about things that make me happy and I have felt gratitude for those things.  I enjoyed  joining with The Gal Herself over at One Gal's Musings to look for good and happy things each day. Because it's Friday, I'm also linking up with Susanne over at Living to Tell the Story for Friday's Fave Five. 

😊 We had some rain this week, which made me happy.  With as hot and dry as the U.S. Southwest (including where I live in Utah) has been this summer, rain is always wonderfully welcome.  This was the scene from my front window Thursday afternoon and more rain is expected today (Friday). 

😊 Despite the rain, I have been able to walk almost every morning and evening this week. My goal is to walk 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening.  I only missed one day, and that was due to rain. 

😊I love flowers of all kinds and this large Hibiscus bush, which has blooming right in front of my front living room window makes me very happy!

😊 It always makes me happy when the plants in my backyard garden have good things growing on them. These are little figs growing on the fig tree in my backyard.  I am looking forward to enjoying this sweet fruit in a few weeks! 

😊 We have been helping Josh move into his new place this week.  His new job starts on Monday, so he checked out one apartment Friday and moved into this townhouse, where he will live with three others guys.  It makes me happy that Josh has a good place to live and also that now I have the time to help Josh and all my family more than when I was working full-time. 

😊 The furniture Josh got for his new place from the furniture thrift store last Saturday arrived right on schedule Friday afternoon.  It was delivered and set up and fits perfectly in his room. I'm happy that Josh got everything moved into the new place and will start his new job on Monday. 

😊 It makes me happy that I was able to finish two books last week - one a physical book and one an audio book.  My reading is way down this year, so I am glad that I was able to finish two more books to move me closer to my reading goal for the year. 

That's all for this Happiness Challenge post.  Only a few days left in the month, but I'll keep playing and looking for the good until the very end.  See you again soon!

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

"Happiness consists not of having, but of being; not of possessing, but of enjoying. It is a warm glow of the heart at peace with itself. A martyr at the stake may have happiness that a king on his throne might envy. Man is the creator of his own happiness."

~David O. McKay

Day 6 - August Happiness Challenge

In the August Happiness Challenge Day 6 - here are two things that made me happy today

😊 I went in for my yearly eye exam this morning.   The whole process went much more quickly than I expected, and the doctor said my eyes are healthy and my prescription hadn't changed enough to even get new glasses!  Eye exams always make me a little nervous, especially as I get older, so it made me very happy to get a clean bill of eye health!

😊 We received an offer on our old house today.  Closing will be later in August, if all things as planned.  I'm happy that we finally got an offer and would appreciate prayers and good thoughts that this deal can move forward to close.  

If you want to join in, each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

Until next time, 

😊Deb💖

Happiness Challenge Day 4

 

I am joining in the August Happiness Challenge with bloggers, like The Gal Herself, who are finding and posting one thing that makes them happy every day during this month. 

Today, August 4, it made me happy to visit an antique store owned by a friend of a friend. The shop was in a historic home built in 1884. It was a fun place to browse.  The owners also had a green house full of house plants next door, so I bought an African Violet, which I hope I can keep alive.   It makes me happy to explore fun places like this in my community. 

If you want to join in, each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

Until next time, 

😊Deb💖

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

Thankful Thursday

Between moving, finishing up the school year, and getting ready to retire, my life is very busy right now.  Still, it's good for the soul to stop, and look at all the things, big and small, that there are to be thankful for.  

😊 Our granddaughter is graduating from high school next week. We received her announcement, which is lovely, and is now hanging on our fridge.  We are so proud of her.  I am grateful that we have been invited to be part of her graduation and attend the graduation ceremony and her graduation party.  

😊 Our daughter invited us to come with her to a plant sale held by a family in her neighborhood, that grows seedlings in greenhouses they have on their property.  This is an annual event, and we got some seedlings for our garden there last year as well.  I'm grateful the we could attend the sale and get a good start on the little garden we will have in the backyard of our new home.   My daughter also bought me some flower seedings at the sale as my Mother's Day gift, which was so very thoughtful of her.

😊 We have a much smaller backyard in our new home, which is fine with us.  We wanted something small and manageable, but with enough space for some plants and a small garden.  I had been looking for a raised garden box, but had not found what I wanted, and the idea of assembling a raised box was daunting to me.  I am grateful that I found the raised box shown in the picture at my local Tractor Supply, which is rapidly becoming my favorite store!  This was the display model, so I didn't have to assemble it, and it was also on sale! Win-win-win!  I'm growing some tomato plants from the plant sale in it. 

😊 We are continuing to move and get settled in our new home.  I have hung some pictures and am pleased with the way our formal living room is taking shape.  I am grateful for our new home, and I can't wait to live there full-time once I retire on May 29!

😊 We are still staying at our old home during the week so I don't have a long commute to school, and we continue to empty the old place out as much as we can while still living there. This past week, I sold this IKEA pantry unit on Facebook Marketplace.  I'm grateful that we were able to sell something else, and I'm grateful that it went to a very nice, kind young married couple who were happy to get it!

😊 I'm also grateful that I was able to get my car in for the routine service and maintenance it needed.  I had a day off for another appointment, and dropped my car off for an oil change.  It was finished in about an hour.  It's always nice that car service can be done with a minimum of hassle and disruption. 

😊 I feel terribly old, but I have officially applied for my Social Security benefits as well as my state teacher's pension.  I am grateful for these benefits that will help us have a good retirement.  I'm also grateful for a very kind and patient young man who walked me through applying for Social Security.

😊 I'm grateful for our new church congregation.  Charly and I have been asked to speak in our worship service this Sunday, to introduce ourselves and share a message.  It's always a bit daunting to me to speak in church, but I'm happy that we are being welcomed to the new congregation. 

Thanks for stopping by to share the good.  I hope you also have much to be grateful for!

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

"It's the little blessings 

that fill our days with love."

~anon.