Friday's Fave Five #439

Friday has just snuck up so fast and it's time for Friday's Fave Five.  It's been a very busy week and I think that's why I feel it has flown by.  All the better to look back and find some favorite blessings before they pass me by without notice.  Please join in!


1.  Summer visit with these two wonderful people... 

Saturday we took a road trip to go see my  oldest daughter and her hubby.  We had not been to visit them since we went last year for their little wedding celebration in their own city with the friends and church family who didn't make the wedding last year.   They've been here a few times over the year but we decided it was high time we took the drive to go.  It's not a drive I love.  There is not much scenery and the view is so flat and it is a long drive of approximately 7 hours.  But I love once we get there!  We stayed for 3 nights and had a wonderful visit.  If we all look exhausted in this picture it's because we are!  LOL.  And it was hot out which added to feeling tired.  But who can resist a picnic at a beautiful park?  

2.  Virtual Reality Fun...  

Part of our visit included going to a Virtual Reality games place.  So. much. fun!  Kim was going crazy killing zombies in this picture.   It is so crazy, it feels and looks like you are right there.  Those of us waiting our turn could see on the tv screens kinda what she was seeing except in a flat one dimensional way but when you are wearing that headset it's like you are right in the game with views in all directions.  The zombie one was not to my tastes in games but I sure knocked it out in the space game.  I would totally go again!

3.  The food...

Oh my goodness, the food we ate this visit!  The night we arrived we did our traditional "Nachos" night.  We usually always end up at a Boston Pizza but this time Mitch, our son in law, suggested we go to a pub/pool hall place that had good nachos.  Wow, they were some of the best we've had in a restaurant.   Then on another night Kim and Mitch took us to the Kitchen/Wine Bar she works at.  This is a local fancy schmancy chef type place.  I'm talking the kind of place that uses fresh local ingredients when possible and even makes their own ketchup!   I've never eaten at a place like that.  Great atmosphere, and the food was amazing.  The picture above is what we had for an appetizer, one of their Charcuterie boards.  The kitchen chose what was on this one for us, but you have a choice of all sorts of meats, cheeses, breads, crackers, spreads, etc.  So good!  And for supper I had Duck Confit with Parsnip/Pear Puree, blueberry compote (I think it was called), brussel sprouts and cauliflower.  It was melt in your mouth and so perfectly seasoned that they didn't even have salt on the table and none of us needed to ask for it.  For dessert I just had to try their Creme Brulee that was voted best in Canada by the Globe and Mail.  Yum!  And the morning we left we had a delicious breakfast at another local place that was amazing food with a wonderful view.  My tastebuds were singing for days.  The only downfall to all that great food is now I have to work doubly hard at the gym.  LOL.

4.  Safe travels there and back...

Always, always thankful for this.  

5.  To do list being checked off...

This is also my maintenance week with my dayhome.  I close down and get all those things done that you just can't do when kids are around all the time.   It's busy, busy but once I put my head down and get to it, it's amazing what gets done.  

Toys sorted, broken ones thrown out, unused ones donated, boxes and shelves cleaned...check

Walls, baseboards and stair railings washed or dusted...check

Playroom carpet deep cleaned and washed...check

I just have the craft room to sort, organize and deep clean and the stair carpet left and I can relax.

What have been the things you are thankful for this week?

Stars Over Sunset Boulevard by Susan Meissner ~ Book Review

In 1938 Violet and Audrey meet in Hollywood working in the secretarial pool for the making of the movie Gone With the Wind.   Violet is from a small town and looking to start life over in a new place.  Her deepest desire is to become a wife and mother and have a happy home. Audrey is a bit older and more experienced.  Having gotten a big break a few years back in a silent film that fell to the introduction of talking movies, she is looking to get re-noticed and be made into the star she knows she can be.  When she finds out Violet is looking for a place to live, she offers a room in her home and the two, though so different, become extraordinary life long friends.   But the things each woman does to hide the fears from their pasts and to achieve their deepest desires could come to a head and put their very friendship at risk and change the course of their lives.

Meanwhile in present day, Christine McAllistar comes across the find of a life time when a hat from the movie Gone With the Wind mistakenly surfaces in a box of donated clothing to her vintage clothing boutique.  As she returns it to the owner at their request the mystery of how it ended up there intrigues her.

I loved this book.  It's a story of deep friendship and what the definition of that is.  It explores what one does and justifies to oneself as one seeks after their dreams and desires.   What secrets would we hide, what we would expose?   It explores the concept of love and fear sometimes feeling like the same thing and how we hang onto things thinking we love them but in reality we are afraid to let go and that is exactly what love would have us to do.  Both women made choices in their lives motivated by the wrong reasons and were broken characters that ultimately just wanted to be happy.  I thought the characters were well written, though that doesn't necessarily mean that I always liked them, in fact at times they were infuriating, but that is part of the draw for me.  Characters who are flawed and can draw out emotions in me. I thought the author brought the set and making of Gone With the Wind and old Hollywood to life and also touched on  how World War II affected Hollywood and the making of films.   I love this author's ability to tie a historical story into a present day story.

I enjoyed the concept of this story thoroughly and how it played out in the character's lives.  It made me think about some of my own choices in life and the motivations behind them long after I closed the book.  Worth reading are the interview with the author and thinking about some of the reader's group questions.  I gave it a 10/10.

Friday's Fave Five #438

Welcome to week two of the Heat Wave!  Oh my goodness, we are wilting here in Southern Alberta!  it is 10 o'clock at night as I type this and it is still  30*C (86*F).  Saturday is supposed to be 35*C (that is 95*F).  Hot, hot, hot.  Some of you might not think so but to us that is hot especially for this extended period of time!  We might have a day or so of 30 - 32 but then our average is usually the high 20's.  But anyway, enough of weather talk.  Let's talk blessings and being grateful!  If you are new, guidelines are linked in the sidebar then please join on in!

 In no particular order here are some of my favorite blessings from the week:

1.  Two day reprieve from the heat.  A couple of days this week the clouds rolled in and the temperature dropped and a good breeze blew.  It was wonderful.  We could actually turn off the air conditioning and open up the windows and just let the breeze cool the house.  Going to the playground with the kids was way more comfortable and I am very thankful that there was those 2 days for those who don't have air conditioning to help out.

2.   Celebrating my mom's birthday.  Mom's birthday was last Sunday and we had a nice time blessing her and taking her out to dinner for ribs.   I'm very thankful that we still have these times.

3 & 4.  Help in a time of need.  Even as I was making this post, my daughter called to say she was having car issues as she was driving home from visiting her sister in another province.  The 1st thing I'm thankful for here is that she made it to a city and didn't break down all by herself in the middle of nowhere on the highway.  I praise God for that.  I try not to worry too much and try to put my kids (young adults) into God's hands when they are on the road but I tell ya, this kind of stuff always nags in the back of my mind.  It's also a blessing that the phone was to tell us that and not that she'd had an accident!  So very grateful for that.

And the second thing concerning this is that she happened to be in the city where our nephew lives and he knows cars.  But when we tried to get a hold of him I could only leave a message and wait for him call back.  Then we found out he'd moved here.  Oh no.  But when he called me back, lo and behold, he "just happened " to be in the city where my daughter was still.  Hadn't quite finished moving and he went immediately to help her out.  So thankful and appreciative that he was so selfless.

So now my girl is tucked away in a nice little hotel room so she wouldn't have to drive in the dark.  She'll head out in the morning.  And like she said, once she got over the frustration, she thought she'd just go with the flow and adventure, " because you never know, Mom, it very well could be God keeping me from some tragedy or happening farther down the road."  Loved that thought and attitude.  

5.   Wading pool.  With this heat I'm so glad I have a wading pool that's big enough to fit the older dayhome kids so they can beat the heat and have some water fun.  I can't leave it up all week 'cause it kills the lawn underneath but for 2 - days a week that thing is busy doing it's job.  Money well spent!

Well I'm looking forward to a lazy day Friday with some more pool time with the kids and a movie afternoon.  Have a great weekend everyone!

What were you're favorites this week?

Friday's Fave Five #437

"Gratitude.

More aware of what you have than what you don't. Recognizing the treasure in the simple - a child's hug, fertile soil, a golden sunset. Relishing in the comfort of the common.  "     -Max Lucado

 Ahhh, love that quote above by Max Lucado.  He sums up so nicely what this Friday Fave Five is all about.  Welcome to one and all on this smoking hot Friday.  We in Southern Alberta are in the middle of a "Heat Event",  2 weeks of temps being between 30*F (86*F) up to 36*C (96.8*F) and maybe even higher and it's not cooling down as usual at night either.  Now I know to some of you that is nothing but to those of us whose usual temps are in the higher 20's that is hot.   Whew.    But moving along to the real reason for this post, the favorite blessings of the week.

1.  Canada Day.  This year was Canada's 150th birthday so there was lots of special things going on.  We, however, decided to skip the crowds and went on our traditional bike ride and Starbucks stop.  The weather was lovely and because so many were in certain parts of town where all the action was, it made for a peaceful bike ride on the side of town where we like to ride the most.  Then in the afternoon we were treated to a delicious bbq at our friend's place.  We love to go there because not only is he a wonderful cook but we all like each other's company because we can relax and be ourselves.  There is not too many people we share that with so it's always nice visiting with them.  Then at dark I went with my youngest and my sis to the fireworks.  This year we got seats very close to where they were firing from and were right under the high ones.   The show was especially spectacular this year and went about 10 minutes longer than usual due to the special Canada Day.  Glad I went.

2.  Mountain Day trip.  I took Monday off in lieu of Canada Day being on a Saturday and hubby suggested we go to Waterton.  All the national parks in Canada are free to get into this year due to Canada's 150th so you didn't have to ask me twice.  My sis and her hubby came with us and we roasted hot dogs at our favorite spot, relaxed, took a nice hike to a lovely falls and then went for delicious ice cream to cap off the day.  We are really blessed to have a gem of a park in the mountains only an hour or away.  A lovely mountain village, miles and miles and miles of trails from super easy to a seasoned hikers dream, creeks, waterfalls, red rock canyons and so much more.  It's my happy place for sure.

3.  Beautiful Sunsets.  No flowery words needed.

4.   Air conditioning.  This week I am especially grateful for air conditioning.  Though usually I don't like it running frigid cold and usually do turn it off at night due to the night's cooling off nicely and because I prefer sleeping with an open window, this week I am so thankful for ac.  Because I work at home and with kids it's nice to have the cool house to escape the heat for all of us.

5.  Iced Coffee.  I've been trying not to drink too much coffee in the afternoon but this week I've been treating myself to a tall glass of homemade iced coffee.  No sugar just milk with a splash of vanilla or a dash of cinnamon.  

BONUS and most favorite fave of the week...my son passed his licensing exams and is now a paramedic!  I'm a proud mama and so happy for him.

What have your favorites been this week?  

Happy 4th of July to all my American friends.

Have a fun and safe holiday!

Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian friends and family!

Stay safe and have fun celebrating Canada's 150th!

Friday's Fave Five #436

I can't believe it is already the end of June!  This month has just flown by so fast.  It's hard to remember what has actually gone on.  Which is why FFF is so important for me to do each week.  It makes me slow down and notice good things in life.  And boy have I needed it this week.  I'll not lie it's been a tough one.  But there are good things there for the noticing, so I choose to do that and be thankful rather than focus on work related stress!  So this week I'm being thankful for those little things that help me pull through that kind of stuff.

1.  Good books.  I love a good read but on a stressful week such as this was, I especially appreciate the escape that a well written story provides.   I've kinda been going from one book right to another, not even really stopping to review them.  I'm now kind of about 3 reviews behind, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.  At least it's helping me get through my huge stack of books I've got to read through.

2.  Pool time for the kids.  There was 2 days this week that the weather was great for pool days.  And when the kids have pool time, it's comfy chair, cup of coffee and book time in the sunshine for me while I watch them.

3.  Prayer.  There are so many scriptures involving praying about our concerns but one of the ones that constantly comes to mind in the stressful times is the one from 1 Peter 5:7 in the Amplified Bible:

"casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns 

once and for all] on Him;

for He cares about you 

[with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]"

Love that!  I picture myself throwing those old cares as hard as I can towards God.  I'm still, however, working on the once and for all part.

4.  Online grocery shops.  Real Canadian Superstore in Canada has started what they call "Click and Collect".  I go online with my grocery shopping list, search each item, click how many I want, checkout, choose my pick up time and for a measly $3 charge ($5 in the real busy hours) they do the shopping for me.  I just drive up to the marked stall any time during my time slot, call the number and they wheel out my groceries and help me bag them and off I go.   I LOVE IT!!   $3 was so worth the time it would have taken me to do that shopping because in store I get super distracted and end up spending way more.  This way I stuck right to the list.  Did it while the kids had quiet time and picked up right after work.    I even tried a couple items of produce just to see how nice (or not) it would be and they were just like what I would have picked.  Score.  Meat I'll leave to shopping in person but for the bulk of the groceries I'm sold on this and will use it again.

5.  Infused water.  I've been making my own infused waters at home with a special jug I bought and boy, it has got me drinking more water.  It's so refreshing.  And the dayhome kids even like it.  So far I've tried cucumber (really good), orange/lime/mint (refreshing) and right now I've got Strawberry/basil/mint chilling in the fridge.  Smells yummy.

Well this weekend is a long one for me as I took Monday off in lieu of Canada Day being on Saturday.  It's Canada's 150th birthday so there is lots of stuff going on to celebrate all over but I think Hubby's and my traditional long bike ride will be on the agenda and then we're going to good friends for a bbq and I may even go to the fireworks.  Sounds like just what I need this weekend.  Can hardly wait.  Hope you all have some plans for relaxation and fun this weekend, too.

What were your favorite blessings this week?

Friday's Fave Five #435

Welcome to the first FFF of summer 2017.  Did I just write that?  Wow the first 6 months of this year have just flown by!  All the more reason to pause and remember the blessings of the week lest they pass right on by unnoticed.  Please join in.  For first timers the guidelines link is in the sidebar.

1.  Celebrations.  This year our anniversary and Father's day coincided so we went out for a lovely steak dinner on Friday night to celebrate our anniversary saving Sunday to do Father's day.  I can't believe it's already been 34 years but I talked about that last week already.  :)  Sunday we celebrated the Dads with my side of the family going to another restaurant of my dad's choice.  My out of town kids gave their Dad a nice phone call and then later Hubby and I just relaxed together and took a nice walk to Starbucks.  It was a wonderful day all around and I'm very thankful both for hubby as a husband and father and for the other Dads in the family.  

2.  Hot sprinkler day weather.  It's been hot enough for most of the week to turn on the sprinkler and let the kids have some water fun.  Our favorite day was when I just sprayed them with the hose as they ran around screaming and hiding and laughing.  So much fun.

3.  Coconut Curry Chicken.  Over the last year or so I've really developed a liking for Indian food.  Friends of our introduced it to us via local restaurants and the odd taste of something here and there.   I find it wonderfully fragrant and spicily delicious.  Costco has carried this brand of butter chicken cooking sauce for awhile.  I've been using it awhile  because I love the flavors of butter chicken and I thought it would be nice to make a quick meal adding cooked chicken and rice and veggies.  When I went to pick it up last shopping trip I noticed they now had a coconut curry sauce.  So I grabbed that one too (though they don't as of this date have it on their website yet).  Oh my goodness, it was delicious and didn't taste like a jarred item at all.  It was spicy, though it only rated the heat at 3/5, but a really good spicy.  Every one really loved it so it's going to definitely be a go to on the meal plans when I need something quick.   It's nice to have something other than spaghetti sauces to make a quick meal on those busy work days when I don't have time to cook something that takes a long time.  

4.  Study wrap up and resources.  I combined this fave because they kind of go together.  First, Tuesday was my small group's last official study night before summer break.  The last few months we have been studying the book of Jonah using the Right Now Media study resources.  It has been such a great study.  Who knew that there was so much to learn from the book of Jonah?  Not me before this study.  The insight from the lessons was so good and the discussion the questions initiated so rich.  I love that my group participates so well.   And I'm thankful for this resource that adds so much to our studies.  We've now done two of them and I'm looking forward to starting yet another in the fall.  

5.  Clutter clear out.   Hubby and I tackled one of our dresser drawers.  It has been a drawer that has driven me crazy for years and we finally got to it.  And just determined to do a quick sort, make quick decisions on stay or go.  Hubby said looking at it was overwhelming and that's why it's been ignored for so long but once we got rolling it was actually easy and we got rid of a good 1/3 of the stuff clogging it up.   I let go of another 3 pairs of shoes that I finally realized I don't really wear because I either don't like them or they aren't comfortable.  If you know me and shoes you'll know that is a big deal especially in light of all the ones I let go a few months ago too.  Why is decluttering so hard to get too yet feels so good when it's done?

What were your favorite blessings from the last week?