Friday Fave Five

 

We have four more days left in April! Can you believe it? As the days are rushing by, I'm taking time to list some of the blessings I've had this week. A bunch of us do this every Friday and Susanne at Living to Tell the Story is our "hostess with the mostest". Come join us!

1. New book: Some of you may have seen me mention this book. It's written by Douglas Gresham, the son of Joy Davidman and wife of C.S. Lewis. I always get excited to get an Amazon package, especially when a book is involved. I was very happy to get this yesterday. I'll begin it this weekend.

2. New vacuum: My original vacuum was a Dyson and when I lived in a carpeted house, it was wonderful! But here, in a small apartment, it's been a constant state of aggravation. It's big and clumsy for those hard-to-reach spots. I donated it to the yearly yard sale at our local Humane Society and bought this little gem.

It's a Dirt Devil Power Stick and it is awesome! It does everything I need and is so light weight. And only $39.99 at Walmart. 

3. Lunch with a friend: This past Wednesday Barbara and I finally got together for our "every month or there abouts" lunch. I always look forward to these lunches when we can catch up with each other's lives. We also email back and forth but that's not the same as being face to face, munching on Cheddar Bay biscuits at Red Lobster! 

4. An exercise DVD: I saw this advertised on Face Book on many occasions and so decided to order one for those days when it's raining or blistering hot, and I can't walk outside. It's called Easy Fitness Over 50 and I highly recommend it. Karen is around my age and the workouts look like they are filmed in her own home. Her dog even shows up in some of them. DVD #1 has 4 workouts that are 10 minute each and consist of walking with leg and arm movements. No having to get up and down off the floor! She has 4 other DVDs as well. You can also find her on You Tube. 

5. A new ice cream: Now that we've talked about fitness, let's talk about ice cream! I found a new low carb ice cream at our local Food City. I've tried other "keto" ice creams and didn't care for the texture or the artificial sweeteners they contained. This one has some good ingredients and the only sweetener used is Monk fruit and it's listed as the very last ingredient. The coffee flavor is very good. The texture is still a bit off - not like regular ice cream but for the occasional treat, it will do.

Well, that's about it! I hope your weekend coming up is lovely with sunshine and flowers. 

Weekly Chat

 

DATE:  April 23, 2024

WEATHER: 59 degrees at the moment. It was 40 when I first got up. Sunny skies and it's pretty out there. 

READING: I began to read "Summer in the Scottish Castle" and quit by the end of chapter 2. Too much profanity for my liking. I'm expecting an Amazon delivery tomorrow - "Lenten Lands - My Childhood with Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis buy Douglas Gresham. Ever since reading "Becoming Mrs. Lewis" I've been fascinated with their story. Meanwhile I'm still in "The End" by Mark Hitchcock. Reading about prophecy and the Apocalypse is heavy stuff!

FUNNY OF THE WEEK: I might have shared this before, but this describes my brain right now!

THANKFUL FOR: Less knee pain and a daily walking program that my daughter has suggested. I'm even more thankful that so far, I'm committed and haven't missed a day.

KNITTING:  I'm in a stall here. I'm not really liking the shawl I was working on and am thinking of something else - beginner-like, that I can use this beautiful yarn. A while back, one of the hanks of yarn snarled pretty badly when I tried to wind it into a ball. I tried but got frustrated and put it in a ziplock bag for later. When my daughter was visiting, while we chatted, she un-snarled. Such patience! You can see the 'before' and 'after' in my previous post.

PRAYING FOR: For Israel and Jerusalem. For various family and friend needs. For our country and the upcoming elections. 

A QUOTE:

"Human history is the long, terrible story of man trying to find

something other than God, which will make him happy."

C.S. Lewis

SCRIPTURE:

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May they prosper who love you."

Psalm 122:6

Friday Fave Five

 

It's Friday already! The time flies by, it seems. We have intermittent, sunshine, rain and pollen. It's spring! Here are the blessings of this past week. A special thanks to Susanne at Living to Tell the Story for giving us this spot. Come join us!

1. A special visit: My daughter from Florida spent 4 days with me and it was wonderful. We had good weather and a wonderful time of chatting and relaxing and just being together. She had to return much too soon but at least we had this special time.  

2. A ball of yarn: It's a long, frustrating story about a hank of yarn and a ball winding attempt gone terribly wrong. I was given two beautiful (and pricey) hanks of yarn for my birthday. The first one behaved as I used my ball winder to make the hank into a ball. The second one was a disaster. I tried my best to try to unravel the mess with only very minimal success. My daughter, however, who was the giver of the yarn and is patience personified told me to put it away until she got here. So, during lots of kitchen table conversations, while we chatted, she unraveled.

She went from this:

To this!

She assured me that this happens to everyone at some point. 

3. Family time: On Sunday afternoon, we had a mini family reunion at a local Italian eatery. It was the first time in a very long time that I had all three of my offspring together and it was glorious! Altogether, we had 13 at one long table. Our patient waitress was awesome and very accommodating. Lots of laughter and catching up. 

Here are the 13 although some are a bit buried in the back.

And here I am with my three:

Two guys and a girl - kids I'm so proud of!

And finally, my daughter taking a selfie with the gang:

My crazy kids and grandchildren! I love them all!

4. C.S. Lewis: After finishing "Becoming Mrs. Lewis" - a historical fiction about Joy Davidman's and C.S. Lewis's love story, I began to look more closely into the life of C.S. - known to his friends as Jack. I've watched You Tube interviews of Douglas Gresham - Joy's son and I'm really enjoying learning about the author and Oxford don as well as the woman he fell madly in love with. I'd read portions of the Chronicles of Narnia and now I'm beginning to discover his other works. I thoroughly enjoyed "Becoming Mrs. Lewis" and have included two very good reviews here., 

Joy in His Presence  and  Stray Thoughts

5. A walking program: For years, I've suffered with muscle pain from fibromyalgia as well as arthritic knees and hips. I've let myself become so sedentary due to the discomfort that it is greatly affecting my mobility. While she was here, my daughter gave me a pep talk and helped me set up a gentle, and slowly progressive walking plan. I'm proud to say that I've stuck with it every day. I report to her by text, and she texts back a gold star. 

It's so lovely to see green all over now. Plants are blooming and I'm considering getting a bird feeder for our local birdies. I hope you all are doing well and enjoying the warmth and beauty of spring.