Mid-January Faves

 

It's been a rather dreary, grey week with temps in the 30s and 40s so not horribly cold, but all of our snow is melted and personally, if it's going to be Winter, I want some snow. I'd like to go snow-shoeing and explore some wooded trails on them. But for now, I'll be thankful the temps haven't been in the single digits or even below 20 degrees F.  (Until today)I'm also thankful for some other blessings that came into the week.  

Join in with us if you want to be intentional about giving thanks.  You can head over to this site to learn more and link up your FAVE FIVE.

Patti, my african violet

• BLOOMS!  My African Violet is doing so well this winter!  Last January there were hardly any blooms but this year, it's doing so well and has gotten so big. I need to learn how to either divide it or put in a bigger pot. I just don't want to kill her. I'm so thankful for the purple color in our  family room to brighten it up on these grey, winter days. 

the living room from the kitchen doorway
on a bright Monday morning

our fave reading chairs

living room from the front  door entranceway

the view from standing in front of the piano
and yes our staircase still has gold garland on it
which will stay up until after Valentine's Day

• THOROUGH CLEANING!  Our living room, which really only gets used by me, although sometimes my husband joins me in that room in the winter evenings to read....it's the warmest room on the main floor....needed a thorough cleaning. Courtney and  Tyler came over after  church for lunch (they brought Popeye's chicken sandwiches!) and Tyler and Dave moved the piano for me to go back into its original place in the corner. It will take a  couple weeks to get acclimated and then I need to get it tuned. Since  they moved it, I then gave the living room a good dusting and rearranged the furniture.  I spent some of Sunday afternoon on this (Saturday was my Sabbath) and I finished the job Monday morning before dashing out the door for a meeting with an organization I volunteer with.  I'm so thankful I got this chore done!

Small group Scripture study I will be leading
for women every Tuesday evening in my home for the next 8 weeks

the "logo" I use for the  co-ed hiking group I lead 

• CONNECT!  Sunday was Connect Weekend at our church where all small groups, classes, and activity groups/ministry leaders have tables in the lobby and congregants can wander from table to table to sign up for the Winter/Spring semester classes, groups, or studies after each service.  Sign ups are done with a QR code and all went smoothly!  I had 8 spots to fill for my hiking group and I  was able to do that!  I have 8 new members, with 6 names on a waiting list! (I keep the group to 50 members including spouses and children). For my ladies Scripture Study, I have 9 of us so that group is officially closed as of Thursday morning.  I love the convenience of the online app we have to manage groups. I'm thankful the whole process was smooth and I'm very thankful to be in a church with so many options for groups, classes, ministries. My husband  signed up for a mens group that will be studying Titus and I signed up for a Monday morning class that will be studying the book of Job (workbook style, similar to the one I'm leading). I'm looking forward to leading my groups as well as being in a class again. 

• TO-DO LISTS DONE!  I had a long "to do" list for Monday-Thursday. We are switching banks where we have a combined  checking account and we divided up the tasks for that. I had ordered new  checks for myself and they came with the wrong info so I had to call the company and re-order them and because it was a mistake on their end, they are giving me the rush delivery for free. I also had 2 bags of donated clothes to bring to the local Episcopal church here in town so got that done; I had to deal with the car insurance company to get our auto pay switched (that was a ridiculous amount of time and took forever to get a human on the phone); I was also in charge of calling our Waste removal company and getting them to switch our autopay and bring us a new, smaller trash bin. We recycle more items than we put in a landfill so we are keeping our 65 gallon recycling bin. Because we are going down to a 35 gallon trash bin, our bill will decrease by about 15$.  That was also a much easier phone call than the car insurance. I also had to schedule my annual eye exam, dental exam and physical/blood work. I also had "clean out my desk", "clean out the file cabinet", "organize the kitchen cupboards", "shred old documents" "pay off new car". Everything is done! I'm so thankful I did everything on that list and I'm most thankful that we paid off my new Kia Soul which I bought at the end of October. We decided we did NOT want a 3 year loan and although it cut into my savings, I'm thankful we  could do it and now the car is mine! 

• LUNCH OUT:  After a very long meeting on Monday mid-day, my younger friend Shawna wanted to eat at Appleby's for lunch and I decided to join her. I had the asian salad and it was delicious. We had a great  conversation and I'm thankful this young Christian woman is a part of my hiking group and that she signed up for my small group. Although most of my close friends are nearer to my age (66) and I'm literally 20 years older than Shawna, I love that I can be friends with some younger people and hopefully share some words of wisdom. She's dealing with a lot and is new to the faith, so we invited her over for Sunday dinner this weekend as she likes to get some of her spiritual questions answered by Dave and I.  I'm thankful for friends of all ages and that we can minister to this younger woman. 

BONUS FAVE:

because of the milder weather this week, until yesterday afternoon, I was able to get outdoors and do some really good power walks for 35 minutes a day.  It felt very good.  And one of those days, I did my walk at our park in the south part of town as I had an errand to run down that way.  I'm thankful for good walks in the fresh, winter air. 

walking The Ramble at Crossings

as you can see, the Capital Region of NYS 
has no snow! 

I hope you take a moment this weekend to pause and reflect on all the blessings that can be found in the Winter months. 

2026 Book Review #2:Unnatural Death

 

This author is one of my very faves and I have read every single one of her Kay Scarpetta Mystery novels, in order, except for the latest 2.  This one I'm reviewing today is her 27th Kay Scarpetta book. The 28th is on my nightstand and the library said I can have it for  3 weeks. But before I get to #28, a book I requested back around Xmas time is finally able  so I'll read that one next. Winter is a good time to do a lot of reading.

STORY SUMMARY

Dr. Kay Scarpetta, chief medical examiner in Alexandria, Virginia, is in the northern part of the state's wilderness region to examine the remains of two bodies found in a lake and in a mineshaft.  The two bodies were campers who were wanted by federal law enforcement!  The victims have been beaten beyond recognition.  Other evidence is pointing to something terrifying and very puzzling and this includes a larger-than-life footprint.  It is truly one of the scariest body retrievals Kay has ever experienced in her very long career.  Now she has to discover who would commit such heinous murders....and why. 

And to top it all off.....someone from her past....and the past of her beloved niece Lucy, comes back to haunt them. Lucy is a computer genius, an expert in all things firearms, and works for the federal government often consulting for the ATF and the Secret Service. She works with her uncle Wesley Benton (Kay's husband) who is also brilliant and currently working for the Secret Service. He is also a past FBI Profiler and is excellent at that. Pete Marino, private investigator who has always worked closely with Kay and Lucy,  is also involved in this current case and has made a cast of the very large footprint which he thinks might be Bigfoot.  Benton and Lucy know about the evil person from the past.......but Kay and Pete have just found this information out and are shocked, angry and determined to find out the truth of these murders and the connection between some other apparent homicides.  Are they all connected to this person from the past? 

What is going on?? 

MY THOUGHTS

This was one of the better Kay Scarpetta books that I've read.

The characters are endearing, complicated in some ways, and almost like friends in other ways. The author does such a good job in keeping them going and interesting through this entire series.  We see Lucy grow up in the pages of a Scarpetta novel. We see Kay and Benton's relationship grow and change and endure. We see that Marino is still....Marino. And Dorothy is still....Dorothy.  If you have read any of the Kay Scarpetta books, you know what I mean. I do highly recommend this series. I like it because there's not a lot of explicit s*x scenes and she keeps the swearing down. 

The setting was diverse in this book and I liked that. There were woods, a farm, the city, the morgue, a mineshaft....and somehow they all connect...I won't reveal how as it would ruin the story for you. 

Once again, we see an evil character rise up whom we thought was dead from about 7 years ago.  It was so well crafted! 

The ending leaves us wondering about that evil woman and I'm looking forward to books 28 and 29 to see if she reappears in them. 

This particular story had some AI technology but it was well explained and easy to comprehend. Probably because this author herself is exploring AI technology and combine that with her talent for writing and you have a fantastic story. 

In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 17 and older (due to some mature content).

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 9. 

January Faves

 

This has been a nice, quiet and easy week with no major obligations and I'm reflecting back on it with thankfulness and also  pausing to share five of the blessings that made me smile and thank God for.  I do this with other like-minded bloggers and we all link up at Susanne's blog.  There is always something to be grateful for and these are my top 5 of the past week. 

FIVE FAVES

• HEALTHY MEALS: I've been enjoying getting back to more healthful eating with more plant based foods/whole foods and way less sugar and animal fats unlike the holiday season. I've enjoyed steel  cut oats with cinnamon, blueberries, walnuts,  and pomegranate this past week.  When I can't get blueberries, I chop up a granny smith apple.  I'm thankful for whole foods! 

s'mores and oreo cookie Martinis
that my brother-in-law and his wife ordered

Dave stuck to zero beer

my cocktail was the snowbird
and absolutely refreshing

• DINNER DATE!  Dave and I had a dinner date late last Friday evening with Dave's brother Peter and his wife Kathy who is also my friend. We were in Massachusetts for a few days as it was our turn to help out with my mother-in-law who is still living alone at age 90 and doing very well but for her dementia. She does have an "angel helper" come in each evening except Sundays from 4 pm-7 pm to make sure she has eaten, taken her meds and do the laundry and cleaning.    We saved Friday night for going out with Pete and Kathy  and Saturday evening we ordered pizzas and salad and we all got together at my MiL's house.  I'm thankful we took the time last weekend to go out and help. Dinner and drinks were delicious too!  (I had the fish tacos which are absolutely amazing at this place). 

• HOT TEA:  I'm not a huge tea drinker and don't like most flavors. But every once in a while, especially on a cold winter afternoon or after dinner, I like a steaming mug if it's a flavor I like and am not allergic to (I'm allergic to eucalyptus and lavender and don't like most orange teas for some reason).  I found this new-to-me caffeine free herbal tea and it's like a splash of orange juice and sunshine minus the sugar. It's so very refreshing and comforting all at the same time. I enjoy it while reading in the evenings. It's got hints of oranges, floral rosehips, blackberry, and hibiscus. It claims to be a good dose of Vitamin C and says it helps to support the immune system. I honestly think it does as I was exposed to two people who had severe colds, and I have been fine.  I'm thankful I found this tea! 

• POP IN VISIT!  Our youngest girl, Claire, popped in for a very quick visit on her day off yesterday. She had an early morning physical/blood work and was returning a container she borrowed from me after her exam. She and I had a lovely time chatting about her new schedule beginning next week and I told her I'd pray for her regarding the 2 hour NYS exam she has to take today to obtain her optician license. So far,  she has done super well on all of them. Next week she begins Organic Chemistry which she didn't need for her BS degree in Sociology. She said it will only involve two evenings  of going to this campus so she's happy about that. I'm thankful she's able to hold down a full time job and take a class working towards getting into Optometry School. 

• MOVIE:  On Wednesday evening, I watched a super good, clean, family-friendly movie with one of my fave actresses in it. It's available on Netflix.  It's based on a true story about a high school girls volleyball team in Iowa and what happens when one of their best and most beloved team members dies. I'm thankful for good movies and the time to watch them. I highly recommend this if you like Helen Hunt and/or William Hurt. 

Those are just some little blessings that made up my week. 

I hope you have a good weekend!

Quiet Confidence

 

My "word of the year" is confidence. The scripture I'm basing it on is from Proverbs 14 (see sidebar), but today I'm meditating on the Scripture found in Isaiah 30:15 from the New Living translation:

"In quietness and confidence is your strength" 

I have seen so many secular quotes about confidence through the years.....some on social media, some in books or magazines.  Here's one I like but it's not totally true, is it?? 

Yes, it's important to "believe in yourself" but......how much better to believe in God, give your plans to Him so He can order your steps and then anything is possible with Him. When we do this, we can have that quiet confidence in ourselves. 

The above quote reminds me of Audrey Hepburn's quote (our family's favorite actress)

 

" Nothing is Impossible..the  word itself says I'm possible"~Audrey Hepburn 1929-1993~)

When we place our lives in Christ, He gives us the confidence we need to do the things He asks of us.  He is the Source of Strength.  With God all things are possible. There's nothing too hard for Him. When I'm living for an Audience of One, I'm confident. This is more true when we are living in His will and doing the things He purposes for us. 

I love these Scriptures that remind me of just Who God is and how He affects my life...my plans...my dreams....

 

 

and this

Those are the Scriptures I'm meditating on this week. 

As I move into January and the new year of 2026, I am hoping to gain confidence in sharing my story.....in sharing what Christ has done for me.....mainly with family members who don't know Him in a personal way.....who don't lean on God through the  difficult times....who sometimes have even cursed God.....

I have the tools.......

now for that quiet  confidence.