First of April Hodgepodge

 

1. No foolin'! April is here. What's one fun thing on your April calendar?

We have several fun things planned for April. This Saturday, we are going to the play Little Women with my daughter and her family. Next week is spring break - a whole week off from school! We are going to Idaho to see our youngest son graduate from college.  Later in the month, Charly and I are attending a three-day apologetics and theology conference that I’m very excited about.  I hope to learn a lot. 

2. It's often said, 'A fool and his money are soon parted'...what's the last thing you wasted money on? 

I purchased (from Amazon) a smartwatch/fitness tracker I’m not thrilled with.  Fortunately, I didn’t pay a lot ($25) for it, so it is OK that I ordered a Striiv Fitness Tracker. It is the same kind that a friend has been using and really likes.  I’m hoping the new one works out.  I don’t feel too bad because getting another Apple Watch would have cost me $200 - $400 so at $40 for both fitness trackers I am way ahead!

3.  April 2nd is National DIY day. Are you a do-it- yourself kind of person or maybe you're married to one? If so, what's the last thing you DIY-ed. If you're not a DIY-er what's the most recent job you had to hire someone to complete? 

We are not big DIYers.  When we were first married, hubby used to change the oil in our cars, but he hasn’t done that for years.  Neither of us are trained in carpentry or other kinds of skills of that nature, so we pay professionals when we need things done at our home.  The one thing we can do is paint.  Last summer we painted most of the shed and covered patio area in our backyard (pictured above).  We paid someone to replace some rotting wood on the shed and we will paint the rest of it this coming summer.

4. Do you eat lamb? If so, do you have a favorite dish that calls for lamb? 

No, I don’t eat lamb.  My mother may have fixed it once or twice when I was a child, but I have never fixed it. 

5. Do you fit a stereotype in some way? Explain. 

I don’t really like stereotypes, because we are all unique individuals, fearfully and wonderfully made by our creator. That being said, I’ll play along for the sake of the question and say that I am probably a pretty stereotypical 60-something, moderate but conservative-leaning, Christian, Northern-European, white, college-educated, wife, mother, grandmother, ready-to-retire high school teacher. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

"Faith doesn't make things easy,

it makes things possible."

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

Our Quiet Easter Weekend

Our Easter weekend was a quiet one, with just the two of us.  We spent the weekend mostly at home trying to completely recover from Covid, but we also managed to keep quite busy.  

I always begin my weekend posts with Friday. Friday was first day in about a week of having Covid, that I started to feel more like my old self.  I was still very tired and had a headache off and on, but the stomach pain was gone and I did feel much better. Charly and I masked up and went to the grocery store because we hadn't been for over two weeks and needed some things.  The store was busy. Charly, who usually does the grocery shopping by himself, said that Friday is one of the worst days to go because of "all the senior citizens who shop that day," so I guess we fit right in.   We got everything we needed and were home by lunch. 

Friday afternoon, I went for a little walk around our neighborhood to try and get my stamina up.  Thursday's blue skies had disappeared and the sky was cloudy.  

I did quite a bit of reading Friday afternoon and evening.  I finished my first book for April,  Hallelujah Anyway - Rediscovering Mercy by Anne Lamott. I started a new book, The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda.  At night, I watched a little TV - an episode of Dateline.  

Saturday morning, blue skies were back.  Charly went for a little walk with me.   We didn't go our usual distance because we are trying to ease back into walking while still dealing with some Covid fatigue. 

After the walk , I did some laundry and some cleaning.  I washed bedding and finished emptying and packing the drawers of a little desk I am trying to sell online.  I kind of wore myself out, so I sat down to watch an old movie I had never seen before - The Fuller Brush Girl with Lucille Ball and Eddie Albert.  I always liked Lucille Ball - what a talented actress and comedienne she was! 

Charly and I both indulged in a little nap, then later in the afternoon, we decided to mask-up and run some errands.  I will admit that I have been feeling a bit stir crazy while I have been quarantining and just getting out for a few minutes really helps my state of mind.  We went to the gas station, ran the car through the car wash and picked up a few things from the grocery store.  It was a fairly nice warm day.  I wore a jacket instead of a coat for the first time in what seems like many months.

Charly and I have both been lacking in appetite since we have had Covid.  Nothing sounds good, and we both have had a bit of an upset stomach.  We finally decided to stop by KFC on the way home and get dinner. I got a Famous Bowl, which was good, but true to the way I have been feeling since I got Covid, I don't want to eat one again for quite a while. 

I am been wanting to order some Mixtiles of photos from our various road trips and vacations.  My daughter has some Mixtiles of her family in her living room and we decided that Mixtiles would be perfect when we move back into our house.  It is an older house, built in the 1950s, and has plaster walls, so hanging pictures is not easy.  Mixtiles seemed the perfect solution.  I hope so, because we selected and ordered some prints Saturday evening.   I am excited and hope they turn out as well as those we saw at our daughter's home. 

I guess I was in the mood for preserving memories Saturday night, because after I finished ordering the Mixtiles, I spent some time transferring very old family photographs from an old deteriorating magnetic photo album to one that is more photo friendly.  I know that these old pictures should all be digitized, but that is a project for another time.  

Easter Sunday was a lovely day with blue skies and sunshine.  I went for a morning, stamina-building walk and called my birth mom to wish her a "Happy Easter" while we walked.   No church for us because Charly is still finishing up his prescription of Paxlovid.  We have a very elderly church congregation, and we don't want to expose anyone to Covid who might be high risk.

I wrote a letter to a friend and exchanged Happy Easter texts with my daughter, my sisters and my brother. 

Charly and I watched this movie, Dumplin', on Netflix.  Cute movie, especially if you are a Dolly Parton fan. 

I took a short nap, then got up and indexed some immigration records from the 1940s.  While I indexed, I finished this audiobook, From Grace to Charity by Emily Belle Freeman.  

Charly and I watched a couple of episodes of The Chosen while we ate dinner.  That is such a well-done, powerful show.

Our Easter dinner for two was ham steak, long grain and wild rice and roasted asparagus.  It was very good, but neither of us really have our appetites back yet, so nothing tastes as good as it should. 

After dinner, Charly and I walked around the neighborhood. We passed these lovely purple crocuses - one of my very favorite spring flowers.  I guess spring really has arrived!

Weekend Gratitude:

• Having beautiful, warmer weather.
• Having a mostly relaxing weekend.
• Charly and I are both feeling a little better each day.
• Josh finishing this semester strong with good grades in all classes.
• Josh is coming home for a few days this week.
• The end of the school year is coming. 😀

Coming up this week:

• Monday - I am going back to school.
• Monday - Staff meeting after school. 😞
• Wednesday - Josh is coming home for his spring break.

😊Deb💖

"Our Lord has written the 

promise of resurrection,

not in books alone,

but in every leaf in springtime."

~Martin Luther

 

Best of the Week - Mid-May Friday Favorites

How did it get to be mid-May already?  Ready, or not, here we are at another Friday, so it's time again to sit back and count the blessings of the past week.  Again, I am joining with Susanne over at Living to Tell the Story for Friday's Fave Five.  

Rainy Monday - The week started off cool and rainy. This picture was taken while I was waiting for a red light on my way to work on Monday.  I would much prefer the weather to be cool and rainy in mid-May, than hot and dry.  We still need rain here in the West, so I am happy when it comes. 

The return of beautiful spring weather - these pictures were taken when Charly and I were out for our walk on Thursday evening. After the rain on Monday, the sun returned and our weather has been so nice this week. 

Late Mother's Day card -When I got home from school Monday, this card was waiting for me. It was a day late, and still made me happy.

It was signed by my daughter and all her children (except the youngest who is too little to write).  It brought joy to my heart to read the sweet Mother's Day wishes.  

Oldest grandson's birthday - this handsome guy made me a grandma fifteen years ago this last week. We sent him a gift card and also happy birthday message on Marco Polo app and he sent us a thank you message in return.  I can't believe that I have a grandchild this old (actually I have two - this guy's cousin, my granddaughter Emily, will be 15 in December). 

Finishing one class and starting another - I finished one online class for credit toward a raise.  I have started another class, and am three lessons in, so I am going pretty quickly, which is a good thing.  I am also learning a lot.  This is the class I am currently taking - The Science of Well-Being on the Coursera platform. 

A surprise sweet treat - one night this week there was a knock at our door, and when we answered, there stood our bishop (pastor) and a young man from our congregation. They had been doing some baking as part of a youth activity and were taking yummy goodies to members of the congregation. The chocolate chip cookies and chocolate chip bread were excellent. 

Good reading - This week, I am reading these two books (Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg and How Happiness Happens by Max Lucado), and I am enjoying both.  Since my last book was pretty intense (Little Fires Everywhere)I needed to read something rather low-key and uplifting, and these two fit the bill. 

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope that you have found much to be grateful for this week.  Have a good weekend. 

😊Deb💖

"If being happy is important to you, try this:  instead of regretting all you lack, celebrate all you've got."

~Brian Vaszily

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