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

More November Goodness and Gratitude

November is a month of Gratitude, and I am stopping, once again, at the end of this busy and eventful week, to think back on all the things I am grateful for.  I'm joining with Susanne over at Living to Tell the Story for Friday's Fave Five. 

😊 Our condo was relisted for sale on Monday, and we had an offer on Wednesday.  We countered the offer with a price that our realtor suggested, and by Thursday evening, the counteroffer had been accepted by the buyers, and we were under contract. I am very grateful for this, and I'm praying that everything works out and goes smoothly, so we can close the sale by mid-December..  

😊 This is the classroom I have been teaching in this week, but I have been assigned to a classroom at a different school for the rest of the school year.  I will start at the new school on Monday and, hopefully, will stay there until the end of the school year.  I am grateful for this new assignment for the rest of the year, and I pray that it will go well and take me into retirement.  

😊 I'm grateful for more gorgeous fall weather. We are supposed to get some snow soon, but this week was awesome.  

😊 I'm grateful for so many beautiful trees like this one in my neighborhood. We have a lot of them and their vivid color makes fall one of my favorite times of year. 

😊 The other day we went to Sam's Club.  It seems like I always spend more than I intend to at stores like Costco and Sam's Club.  Still, when so many have been worried about being able to buy food lately, I am grateful that we have always been able to buy the things our family needs and pay for them on our own. We have had lean times when things were financially tight, but we always got by somehow. Being self-supporting is a blessing.   

😊 I think we're all grateful that the government shutdown is over.  I have family members who are government employees, and I'm grateful that they can get back to work and collect back pay.  I'm also grateful that all of the important, vital government services people depend on will be operational once again. 

😊 My coat closet has been too full for a while, so I am grateful for the opportunity to find some coats I haven't worn for a while and donate them to help those in need. 

That's it for now. Thanks for stopping by.  Have a good weekend.

Until next time, 

😊Deb💖

"No matter our circumstances,

no matter our challenges or trials,

there is something in each day to embrace and cherish. 

There is something in each day

that can bring gratitude and joy 

if only we will see and appreciate it."

~Dieter F. Uchtdorf

The Final Weekend of September

It was a busy, but enjoyable weekend.  Here are some highlights. 

On Friday, I finished my one-week assignment at Wasatch Junior High.  I liked this school. The students were nice and respectful.  It is one of the nicer parts of Salt Lake City on the East Bench near the mountains.  This school was about five miles from my house and it only took me about 15 minutes to drive there in the morning. Beginning Monday, I will be at another junior high about twenty miles west of my home.  As the old saying goes, "variety is the spice of life" and I am sure getting a lot of variety this school year.  Some people have asked me if I miss teaching at the high school where I taught for five years - the answer is not at all.  I am happy to be away from that toxic environment. 

Friday night, Charly and I went to worship at the temple.  I love going to the temple at the end of a busy and sometimes stressful week. 

Saturday morning, we walked at the mall before the stores opened, as usual. 

We then went to Utah County to take our son-in-law to lunch for his birthday which is next week.  He wanted to go Zupas, and we all really enjoyed the excellent food they have there.  Our son-in-law is a great guy and we really enjoyed having lunch with him. We also got to see and visit with our daughter and some of the grandchildren who were home.  It was a great afternoon. 

Later, we went to Costco, out of necessity, because I never enjoy going to Costco.  It was super busy and crowded.  I decided that a Costco pizza would be a "quick and easy" dinner.  We haven't purchased a Costco pizza in years, and I forgot how huge they are.  We waited, what seemed like forever, for our order to be ready, but at last we left the store with our dinner in the pizza box.  We couldn't eat anywhere close to all or even half of it, so we decided to have pizza leftovers on Sunday, which would be a nice Sunday cooking break as well. 

When we were at our daughter's house earlier on Saturday, she gave us this cute little round watermelon that she grew in her garden this year.  We had the watermelon for desert and it was pretty good!

After dinner, Saturday evening, I went for a walk around the neighborhood.  I didn't get back to the house until sunset, which is shown in the picture.  It was a beautiful sunset, and the picture doesn't really do it justice.  It was a nice, cool evening - definitely fall.

Sunday morning, I woke up to a news alert about the death of the current prophet of the church I belong to, Russell M. Nelson.  He just turned 101, so his death was not really unexpected, but it is always sad when a beloved, inspired leader dies.  Our prophet is much like the Pope is to the Catholic church. 

Just before we went to church on Sunday, we found out the horrendous news that there was a mass shooting at one of the chapels of the church I belong to in Michigan.  Four people were killed, a number were injured, and the church was burned to the ground.  It was another horrible, senseless act of violence.  It is all so sad.   So many very troubling and evil things have taken place recently.  

Sunday dinner was leftover Costco pizza, two kinds of green salad, and fruit.  

I took a walk after dinner.  You can see how cloudy it was.  Rain is in the forecast.  We sure need some.  I must admit that my mood today, with the horrible attack on the church in Michigan, has been just about as gray as the clouds during my walk.  Today has been a very heavy day. 

Weekend Gratitude:

• Spending time with our daughter, son-in-law, and their family. 
• Worshipping at church. 
• Receiving a lovely email of prayers and condolences from a blogging friend after the terrible church shooting in Michigan.  She knew I would be upset since the shooting took place in the denomination I am a member of. 
• Accomplishing some things on my "to-do" list.

Praying for:

• A couple of family members who are having a rough time.
• Those injured in the church shooting and arson in Michigan and their families.
• Our nation.

That's all for now. Thanks for stopping by.  Praying that this week can be a good and hopeful one.  

💔Deb💔

"Each day is a day of decision,

and our decisions determine our destiny."

~Russell M. Nelson

Pioneer Day Gratitude

I am posting a little early this week due to a little late July getaway we have planned. Here in Utah, it's a state holiday known as Pioneer Day! July 24, 1847 is the day that the first group of Mormon Pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, and their leader, Brigham Young proclaimed, "This is the right place!" Pioneer Day is a big deal here in Utah.  State offices and many other businesses are closed and there is a huge parade through downtown Salt Lake City, and fireworks at night. Today, as I celebrate the arrival of the pioneers and settling of the Salt Lake Valley, I am looking back with gratitude on what went right during the last seven days.  To do this, I am once again joining with Suzanne over at Living to Tell the Story for Friday's Fave Five.

😊 In the spirit of Pioneer Day, I will start by saying how grateful I am to live where I live.  Utah is not my home state (I was born in Colorado) but Charly and my two oldest children were born here in Salt Lake City.  I have lived across this awesome country in seven different states and I am truly grateful to now call Utah home, and I hope to do so for the rest of my life!  There are many beautiful places across the country and many great states, but Utah is the place for me and I am thankful to be here.  (U.S. News and World Report agrees with me.  You can see why Utah is ranked as the #1 place to live in the United States by clicking here.)

😊 I began the week in a sleep deficit due to staying up too late a couple of nights.  My brain tends to wake up between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. no matter how much sleep I've had, so I was tired for the first several days of the week.  Finally, one afternoon, I went into my bedroom, closed my door, and took a lovely, long, deep nap.  It felt so good, and I woke up refreshed and feeling so much more upbeat.  I'm now trying to go to bed earlier, because I don't want to get into another sleep deficit with all that we have going on this coming week. I am grateful for the opportunity to get some extra rest that my body really needed.  It helped me feel much better!

😊 We had to go visit our insurance agent this week to review our coverage and make sure that everything is as it should be.  Our agent is so kind and helpful. She really goes above and beyond in her job. She has excellent information, ideas, and advice based on her knowledge and experience. Because we have several properties and some specialized insurance needs, I am grateful for the help of a good, honest, knowledgeable insurance agent.  

😊  Last fall, I had several sessions with my physical therapist after I injured my back putting up tables for a church activity.   My excellent physical therapist got me feeling much better until I recently aggravated my arthritic back again by pulling weeds and helping to move furniture that we had sold on Facebook Marketplace.  I went back to see him this past week, and once again he reassured me that my back and knee troubles are due to arthritis, He gave me some strategies and exercises to deal with the pain and discomfort when it comes up.  While I don't like having arthritis, I am grateful that I can combat the pain by staying active, and I am thankful for a good physical therapist who is helping me do just that!

😊 Charly and I wanted (and needed) end-of-summer-break pedicures.  I never thought I was a pedicure-kind-of-gal, but both Charly and I were having some problems with our feet and we decided that we to take better care of these important body parts that literally keep us going.  About Christmas time, we started getting pedicures every six weeks or so.   There are nail salons all over, but some are definitely better than others.  Last week, we found a new nail salon three blocks from our house, and the technician did a great job!  She also charged less than the place we had been going.  I am grateful that we found a good nail salon so we can keep our feet healthy and pain-free. 

😊 I received my LAST Welcome Back to School email this week.  As much as I am looking forward to retiring, I wanted to go back and work for a few more months (4 - 9 months) so that we can get our finances all ready for retirement.  There was some concern that I would not be "welcomed back" after a problem that arose last spring, when I got in trouble for reporting a s*xually inappropriate website that another teacher had.  Without going into more detail, I will say that the LBGTQ teacher crowd and the teacher's union were not happy with me at all, and I was afraid that I would not have a job this school year.  Teaching in a public school in our current societal culture is a true minefield, but I will continue to stand for right and true Biblical/Christian principles no matter what- even if I lose my job.  I am grateful for the prayers of blogging friends and others, and I am grateful that it looks like I will be able to retire on my own terms, instead of being pushed out.  I am grateful that the cultural tide seems to be going back to conservative common sense (at least for now). I believe that everyone deserves love and kindness, but I will not condone what is clearly wrong, and the s*xualization of children is wrong. I am grateful that I didn't lose my job for doing the right thing, and I am grateful that this coming school year will be my FINAL year in the classroom.  

😊 At risk of repeating myself, I love flowers, and I love having flowers everywhere in my yard!  I am grateful for all of the colorful beauty I have out in bloom in all parts of my yard right now.  Flowers of all kinds make me happy!

What are some things you are thankful for?  Thanks for stopping by.  Have a good weekend!

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

"Not every day is perfect,

but every day has something 

to be thankful for.  

Gratitude turns ordinary moments 

into golden ones."

~Anon.

Gratitude Inside and Out

It's the end of another week.  I have a lot to be grateful for, as always, so I am linking up again with Susanne and friends over at Living to Tell the Story, to remember the things that put a smile to my face and gratitude in my heart during the past week. 

😊 Josh has finished his capstone research paper for his Bachelor's degree.  He now needs only to make a few corrections and he is finished with his undergrad course work. I know he has worked very hard on his paper and I am grateful that he is nearing the finish line!

😊 We had some beautiful spring-like weather this past week, with blue skies and warm temperatures up into the 70s and near 80 one day.  I am so grateful that spring is here! 

😊 One morning earlier this week, I went outside to get in the car so Charly could drive me to work.  It was about 6:45 a.m. and still dark, although the picture does not show the sky as being as dark as it really was. If you look closely, you can see the quarter moon in the bottom right fork in the tree. It was a warmer morning than we have had in a while and the air was filled with the sound of birds chirping.  It was such a pleasant sound.  I am grateful that spring is here and the birds have returned.  

😊 I'm grateful that the early spring flowers are blossoming.  I love flowers of all kinds and enjoy having as many different kinds as I can in my yard. 

😊 Tuesday was the ACT test at school, so we did not have regular classes.  I had hall duty during the test and ended up with about a four-hour block of time to read.  I am grateful that I enjoy reading and that I was able to take full advantage of this reading time and finish another book!

😊 Charly and I attended a pre-retirement meeting about Medicare and Social Security that was held at our school district office Tuesday evening. We got some good information and plan to follow up and schedule retirement planning meetings with a couple of the presenters at the meeting.  I'm grateful that we were able to attend this meeting and get some good retirement planning information. 

😊By the time the meeting was over, it was well past our usual dinner time, so we decided to stop at Arby's.  Charly wanted to stay and eat there at the restaurant, so we did.  We really enjoyed eating and talking about what we had learned in the meeting.  I am grateful that Charly and I could have an impromptu mid-week date.  

😊 As we come to the end of another month, I am also grateful for the books I was able to finish in March, the enjoyment I got from them, and the good stuff I learned.   My three favorite books from the last month were People Pleaser by Jinger Duggar Vuolo, American Madness by Ron Wallace, and Not Our Daughter by Chad Zunker. The first two are nonfiction and the last one is an excellent mystery/suspense novel that I really enjoyed. 

That's all for this week of gratitude.  Thanks for visiting. I hope you  have much to be grateful for too!  Now, relax and enjoy the weekend. 

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

"Gratitude makes sense of your past,

brings peace for today,

and creates a vision for tomorrow."

~Don Staheli

Best Parts of a Busy Week

This week was another busy one!  I had two 12-hour, back-to-back, parent-teacher conference days, and tonight, as I begin this post, I feel like my brain is a little fried.  Still, it's always good to take a few minutes to remember the good parts of the past week, so I am linking again with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story for Friday's Fave Five.

😊We had some rain this week, which was good because we needed the moisture after a dry July and August.  This storm brought the first snow to the ski resorts in the mountains and lowered our temperatures to a more fall like range.  I am grateful for the rain and cooler temps. 

😊 We got this sweet, heartfelt thank you card from our daughter and grandchildren.  Each one wrote a personal note on the card.  I loved the messages and I am so grateful for the people who wrote them!

😊 Josh started what will probably be his final semester at BYU-Idaho last week.  He is on track to graduate in December, so this will probably be his final semester there.  He said that everything is going well, and when he paid his tuition, he was surprised to find that he had been awarded a BYU Idaho Scholarship!  He was pleased and so were we!  I am grateful for the wonderful educational experience he has had at BYU Idaho over the last two years! 

😊 I got this lovely thank you card from my blogging friend Faith over at Gold in the Clouds.  She was thanking me for giving her a few tips on signing up for Medicare, something I did last summer as I anticipate my 65th birthday, now less than a month a way.  Faith made a donation in my name to the Arbor Day Foundation as an early birthday gift.  A tree will be planted in my name in a national forest.  What a neat, thoughtful gift! I am so grateful for wonderful, kind, thoughtful blogging friends like Faith!  My blogging buddies are some of the best people I know!

😊 About a year ago, I found this little antique rocking chair at a thrift store for a bargain price.  It fits me perfectly and is super comfortable, especially with the back issues I have been having.  A couple of weeks ago, a screw came out of one of the support pieces, so I couldn't use it.  My sweet husband found a skilled furniture repair craftsman and took the chair to him for the needed repairs.  Charly went and picked up the chair this week and I am so grateful to have my comfy little rocking chair back.  I am so grateful to my husband and the repairman who skillfully fixed my antique rocking chair. 

😊Our school always provides dinner for us on parent-teacher conference night.  I am grateful for that because it is so helpful not to have to run out and get fast food in the hour between when school ends and parent-teacher conferences begin.   Usually the food is catered and quite good, like this lasagna, pasta, salad and bread stick from the Olive Garden.

😊 Fall parent-teacher conferences are finished as of tonight at 7 p.m. and I get tomorrow off as a comp day.  For that I am truly grateful!  

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you have also had much to be grateful for this week!  Have a good weekend!

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

"There shall be eternal summer

in the grateful heart."

~Celia Thaxter

Random Happy Things for Days 27 & 28

The things that made me happy during the past couple of days were small and random, but they added up to equal several good and happy days. 

Our church congregation is participating in a service project commemorating September 11.  We are putting together some "care packages" for low income new mothers.  I signed up to donate several tubes of toothpaste for the packages, so I went to the store and bought toothpaste.  It makes me happy that I was able help others in need in even a small way.  

Back in mid-June, on our way to Rexburg, Idaho to see Josh, we met up with my long time blogging friend Barb over at Barb's Blog. We enjoyed a lovely lunch and visit with Barb and her husband. As we were leaving, Barb gave us a gift back filled with honey and honey products from a farm near where she lives. For some reason, I never tried the candy that was in the bag, until this evening.  These little honey candies are absolutely delicious!  I told Charly, we may have to make a trip to Idaho to get some more.  These sweet treats reminded me of a lovely afternoon spent with our friends from blogland Barb and Bob and that made me happy!

Today was picture day at school, and there were technology problems that meant taking student photographs took much longer than it has in past years.  It made me happy that I had some very nice colleagues to chat with while waiting for each student to get through the long line to get pictures taken.   Usually, teachers don't have time for friendly chit chat during the school day.  

I finished this book, Best Day Ever, by Nathan Glad, a 17-year-old student at the school where I teach.  He has Brittle Bone Disease - the worst case of the disease of anyone who is still living.  Nathan wrote this book about being happy, and it is an excellent little book.  Reading it, gave me a lot to think about.  If this young man, who lives in almost constant pain and may not live to be an adult, can find things to be happy about, then so can I.  Finishing this little book helped me make the choice to be happy. 

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

"Unhappiness is boring."

~Nathan Glad