End of February Faves

 

It's the end of February and that is a HUGE thing to be thankful for. Besides that, I'm here to share FIVE of my FAVE blessings from this past week. Join in with us by linking up at Susanne's site. 

FIVE FAVES

• SURPRISE NEWS! After church on Sunday, the young woman whom we think of as a third daughter, and who is our church choir director, approached me and said my oldest daughter (Courtney) and I along with 3 other women, have been chosen to be a vocal ensemble for the Good Friday service this year!  We will be backing the worship team! There will be me and another alto (Melissa) and Courtney, Emily (Melissa's twin!) and another soprano.  I'm so thankful for this opportunity to glorify God with our singing.

Hope and Donny's driveway
central NYS 
Saturday 21 Feb

Courtney's cursive writing
a letter she wrote her Aunt Hope
when she was in 3rd grade and just learning cursive!

• GAME DAY!  Saturday was a day to head out to the central part of NYS where there is a lot more snow and spend the afternoon with my sister Hope and her husband Donny. They live in the woods. Literally. She made a delicious tortellini soup and cheddar muffins.  The soup was meatless and had veggies from their garden.  I had brought some peanut butter chocolate chip brownies to share and she had made peanut butter cookies!  We play Splurt (Hope won),  Shut the Box (I won) and Apples to Apples (Dave won). Before we played the games though, Hope showed me a letter Courtney had written to her in third grade! She was going through a box of old things and came across it.  How precious it is!  In our school district, you begin learning cursive in 3rd grade along with proper letter writing as a precursor to beginning to learn to do research and essays in 4th grade. Courtney had written to Hope about a dog she made out of paper and that she included in the letter. Courtney was in 3rd grade during the 2001-2002 school year. She was 8.  I texted Courtney the pic I took (shown above) and she couldn't believe her Aunt Hope kept it all these years! I'm thankful we had a fun day and the walk down memory lane.  

Salmon salad dinner
with basil-herb cous-cous
and steamed beets

chicken chili and cheddar biscuits

• PORTION CONTROL:  My husband needs to lose about 25 lbs for his optimal weight. My doc says I'm fine with a normal BMI but I want to lose about 5-8 lbs anyways. We've realized this winter that we were taking seconds at most dinners. We eat dinner around 6:15-6:45 depending on the day and realized we need to do better at portion control like the meals we had in Europe. So this past week I made meatless meals twice and meals with meat twice. The meat meals are shown above. We did really well with the amounts you see.  The salmon was a piece I had bought at the fish market we like and it was already seasoned. We split it in half and each had a half.  That's more than enough meat for a meal!  I'm thankful we are on the right track for Dave to lose some weight. I'm also thankful he's joining his work gym.

• SUNSHINE!!  I'm so very thankful that we had a couple of days of full sunshine for outdoor brisk walking. One day, after I had done my treadmill cardio workout for 1.4 miles, I then went and walked another 1.7 miles outdoors, later in the day.  I'm thankful for the late winter sunshine and it's helping to melt the snow off the deck and driveway! 

• NYCB TICKETS!  The amphitheatre tickets at this place opened up to the public on Wednesday so I went on the website first thing in the morning. I managed to get Claire and I tickets for the middle section balcony row D!!  If I was a higher tier member, I could have ordered the tickets a couple weeks ago and gotten seats in rows A, B or C.   ( for those of you who are new here, Claire is our youngest daughter who studied classical ballet from age 3 to 22 and was in the UNH Ballet Company for 4 years during her college years. We've been attending the NYCBallet at SPAC since she was 8 years old) We've always splurged on the balcony tickets, mid-section.   We chose to go the night that they are featuring their Innovators and Icons ballet. I'm so thankful I have the money to buy these tickets AND that this is a mother-daughter event she still wants to participate in. One of our fave ballerinas will feature one of her choreographed pieces and it's her premiere! 

That wraps up my faves for the week. 

Have a wonderful weekend and only 3 more weeks until SPRING!!!

Wednesday HodgePodge

 the famous swan boats
in the Boston Public Garden
Summer 2014

I really liked the questions for today's HodgePodge meme so I'm linking up at this site to play along. 

1. America celebrates turning 250 years old this year. Primary cities set to lead the celebrations on July 4th are Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and Washington D.C. Other significant locations for celebrating will be Charleston SC and the 'historic triangle' which includes Jamestown-Willimasburg-Yorktown Virginia. 

Of the cities listed how many have you seen in person? Of the cities listed which would you most like to visit this year? Any plans to do so? What's one place in America you think everyone should see? If you're not American what's one place in the US you'd like to see?

Lots of questions within this first one!  First:  Of the cities listed, I have been in person to NYC (and I'm not a huge fan....have been 3 times as an adult (twice in the 80s and once in 20008 with our daughters...none of us are huge fans...they've been back but it's not a place I enjoy).

I've also been to Philadelphia although it was only for a day and for youngest daughter to visit a college there.  She thought it was too touristy when she went with a school group and was super disappointed in the Liberty Bell.  Probably like I was disappointed when I first saw Plymouth Rock 😉.  She thought the  city was pretty  dirty.  Oldest daughter went with friends on a long weekend and they liked it but everyone said BOSTON is way better!! 

And yes, of course we've been to Boston numerous times...too many to count.  We go often. I first went when I was single and I stayed on the north shore with my aunt.  A childhood friend went with me.  It was my spring break from teaching in 1986 and we had a blast.  We did all of the touristy things including walking almost the entire Freedom Trail. The parts I didn't do in 1986 I finished with Dave and the girls in 2014 and then again in 2016 when we took Claire on college visits in the city. 

Which one would I most like to visit??  Williamsburg, VA.  It's been on my bucket list for years.  One day, we may get there! We have no set plans to visit this year BUT we do plan on visiting Boston for the Independence Day celebration. We'll probably stay on the north shore and take the T in for the celebration. Boston KNOWS how to celebrate the fourth of July.  We were there then in 2014 too and the girls loved it. 

One place in America everyone should see??  Where it all began of course!!  Plymouth, MA including the Mayflower (Dave is a direct descendant!) and of course you must at least (we've done it four times and are done now) visit Plimoth Plantation aka Plimoth Patuxet Museums.  The last time we were there as a family was when our youngest was 10 and we had THanksgiving dinner there compliments of my sister in law Karen. Dave and I vacationed again in Plymouth just a couple of summers ago.  

And of course I'm a firm believer that everyone at least once in their lives, should see our beloved Adirondack Mountains.  It's a 6 million acre state protected park and the largest one in the contiguous United States. Unlike national parks and state parks, there is no entrance or gate fees and it features about 102 villages with over 200 named lakes.  It is actually larger than Yellowstone, the Everglades, Glacier and Grand Canyon combined!  I could show you a great time of hiking, kayaking and swimming along with amazing little restaurants and quaint stores. There is more wilderness and animals than people. Some people do live in the Adirondacks year round. I am about 45 min south of the eastern peaks. Come visit!!

Fenway on a beautiful July day!

The Constitution Ice Sculpture
First Night 2023 downtown Boston

Park Street Church in downtown Boston
where we attended a concert on New Years Eve
First Night 2023 

2. Three sounds you love to hear? 

the call of the loon in the Adk; my daughters' laughter; Symphony #7 by Beethoven

3. Three sounds you hate to hear? 

rap music; dogs barking in early morning/ evening; fingernails on a chalkboard

4. February 24th was National Tortilla Chip Day. Are you a fan? With salsa, guacamole, queso, or just plain please? Do you like nachos? With what on top? Is there anything (besides nachos) you make that calls for tortilla chips? 

Yes, I'm a fan of certain tortilla chips. My current fave is the Lime-Sea Salt ones or the Quinoa-Flaxseed ones.  I'm also good with blue corn chips.  Those are the only ones I eat...one of those 3. 

I like all three with slices of cheddar cheese or my homemade guac.  I don't do nachos but way back in college we ate those all the time!   The only time we really have them is for a party as we don't do regular potato chips or I buy them to crush up on my bison chili or tortellini soup. 

5. We March into March with next week's Hodgepodge...what's one thing on your March calendar that makes you smile? 

There are actually many things on the March calendar so far: my husband's week long missions trip to Guatemala which means I'll have the house to myself; a Girls Game Night I'm hosting with 5 of my closest friends; SoulSteps (the hiking group I lead) begins its season on March 20th and we have 2 hikes scheduled for end of March; my youngest girl and I have plans to go out to lunch on one of her days off; I'm attending a panel discussion with my church leaders on the topic of gender issues and children/teens and how to respond to the many questions that arise. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I'm so ready for SPRING so I bought a new shirt to wear with my high waisted jeans/pants.  I love that this is simlar (although more cropped) to shirts we wore in HS in the late 1970s. Because I'm in my 60s and not my 20s, I plan on wearing a cream-colored cami underneath.  And because it's from T*rget, it was super inexpensive! 

image courtesy of T*rget

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!!

2026 Book Review #7: In the Bleak Midwinter

 

I've seen this author displayed on my towne library shelves throughout the years and the titles always capture me but I had never read any of her books. Goodreads was recommending her latest and so I decided to do some digging into this author.  This book is the first in her Clare Fergusson (pastor of St Albans, a fictional Episcopal church) and Russ Van Alstyne mysteries.  Russ is the chief of police in a small eastern NY village named Millers Kill (totally fictional but set near where I live!).  The series takes place between Albany and the Adirondacks so of  course I'm enthralled.  My sister Joy told me she's read several of her books and loves them.  So I started a new to me series and I am hooked!!

STORY SUMMARY

It's December in Millers Kill located in Washington County, NY.  It's  cold, snowy and it's Clare Fergusson's first winter in NYS. She has just accepted a position as the first female priest at the local Episcopal church called St Albans. It's a small, tightly knit community of people, just like the village is a small community. 

Russ Van Alstyne, the chief of police, thinks of Clare as a "do-gooder" and doesn't really appreciate her blunt ways. 

But when a baby is abandoned on the steps of St Albans and a young woman is found murdered, Clare and Russ begin to work together on the case. Clare is the one who found the baby.  After the young woman's autopsy, which showed that she had just given birth a few weeks before her brutal murder, they begin to suspect that the baby is the dead girl's and someone is out there who knows the secrets. 

The only thing about the baby that they know is that he was named Cody per a note that was found under him in the box where he was lovingly placed among some blankets. The note also said to give him to one of the St Albans couples: Karen and Geoff Burns, both lawyers in town and who have wanted a baby of their very own.  Karen has had trouble conceiving so they have thought about adoption.  Did one of them kill the mother (Katie) or are there other suspects? When Katie's father is found murdered from a gunshot, both Russ and Clare get involved in solving this mystery. 

Russ and Clare begin to form a solid friendship through the case,  and although Russ is happily married, he begins to really like Clare and comes to respect her. 

Will they be able to figure out who the killer or killers are? and who will Cody end up with? 

MY THOUGHTS

The  character development in this book really makes the story come alive. I felt as though I knew these characters.  There's a diverse group and all of them are interwoven so nicely in this plot. 

The other thing I liked was that the characters are very believable.  Clare is a priest but she also used to be in the military and is a tough one....you don't want to mess with this pastor!  She's blunt, sees the good in people, and says everyone needs forgiveness.  

The chief of police begins to fall for her but being married, he knows he  can't act on his feelings.  I loved that about this author. It's a clean story with just a little bit of curse words. 

It's a fast paced mystery with some underlying important themes:  unwed pregnancy, the need for unwed mothers and babies to have support, alcoholism, poverty, wealth, the father-son relationship,  grace, and mercy.  

The dialogue is excellent and there are humorous moments as well as tender, sad ones. 

I had guessed who the perp was and thought I was correct.  Nope. It ended up being someone I didn't suspect at all until towards the very end.  It's so well written!

Some parts....like when Clare is alone in the mountains on a very snowy night inadequately prepared and up against a man who wants to kill her....is a tad bit far-fetched but it is fast-paced and although a bit predictable, it warms your heart to find out what happens. 

I'm already looking forward to finding the second book in this series.  

In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 14 and older. 

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

He Knows Our Future

This has always been one of my very fave Old Testament Scriptures from that major prophet known as "the weeping prophet" and who has the most words (highest word count) in the book he was inspired by God to write.  (Jeremiah)

One reason I love this Scripture is because once we know God as our Father, Savior, Redeemer...whatever adjective you  connect with....we can begin to trust Him.  We can have confidence in the plans He has for us:

 

Not only can we have confidence in the plans He has for us, but we can have confidence in our future.  Of course He doesn't typically reveal the  future to us, anymore than a psychic can reveal the future to us. But with a psychic, one pays money to have their palm read or whatever they do (I've never gone as I believe it's a form of witchcraft and being a Christ follower I refuse to open up my soul to that), and they are almost always wrong. No human can predict the future accurately! Only God knows our futures....and knowing God's will for us, is free!! 

Sometimes He reveals something to us in preparation for our future, though.  I have many example of this. 

 For instance, in the summer of 1977, when I was 17 and about to enter my senior year of high school, I was dating a boy named David who was 2 years younger than me. He was my sister Joy's age and we were all in youth group together. I was practicing piano in the sanctuary of our little Free Methodist church in the central part of NYS, and David was doing homework or something. I remember I was working on my college audition music.  David had left to go to his house for something...he literally lived a half block from the church and the church was on the edge of the town park so we always cut through the park  to his porch. I was alone in the sanctuary.....a relatively new Christian as I had given my heart to Jesus the summer of 1975 at age 15. But some major crap happened just 4 days after I became a Christian (I won't go into it here) and let's just say I was holding God at  arm's length.  I loved Jesus and totally embraced Him as my Savior Redeemer. But seeing God as Father  and not judge was a whole lot more difficult for me at that time in my life.  

Anyways, I was alone in the sanctuary with the ceiling fans on and all of a sudden I heard this still small Voice....it wasn't an audible Voice.....rather, it was a fleeting thought that said "you're going to marry a man named David". 

Now, blogging friends, let me tell you:  I had no desire to be married any time soon.  I was only 17, was going to an awesome Christian college the next year and hopefully would be a piano major/Music Ed major if I passed my audition.  I had plans!  NO WAY did I want to get married before I was 30. No way.  I kind of laughed and thought, "well the current David is practically like a brother to me, and there's no way I am going to marry him".  Funny thing is, my very first boyfriend in 8th grade (my parents would only let me group date when I was 14) was named David. No way would I have wanted to marry him either. 

So....the weird fleeting words I "heard" in my spirit just sorta floated right by me.  But I did tell an older friend of mine named Carol and she, being an older Christian and someone I really admired, told me if it was really God, then it would come to pass. 

I never really thought about it again.  I dated a guy named Javier on and off my first year of college.  My 2nd year of college I had a couple of dates with a guy named Steve and another guy named Brian. They were both older music majors and super nice guys but just for casual dating.  In my junior year until half-way through my last year of college, I dated a guy named Steven. Again, just casual boyfriend...we knew we weren't serious.  

Fast forward to 1988 and I meet a wonderful young man, a grad student, in a city church I was attending.  I had finished grad school, was settled in the Albany, NY area and teaching full time as a Master teacher of special needs prek children in inner city Albany. I loved life. Spiritually, I was growing a bit by attending a very good small group and getting to know other single people in that church.  The grad student I met??  Dave.  My now husband. 

We got engaged in 1989 and I remembered what God said.  I told Dave.  He said it was definitely God preparing me for the future. 

The cool thing?  I always wondered if I  would actually get married.  As a childhood sexual abuse survivor I didn't think I   "deserved" marriage (those feelings are a whole other, deeper topic I won't go into here right now). 

But God knew.  God knew who I was going to marry before I even desired it. 

The confidence I gained from knowing God did indeed have a plan for me is what helped me get through my lonely late 20s.   

How old was I when I got married?  Six months into being 30 years old.  God even gave me the desire of my heart.

What are you trying to trust God with?

Give it to Him in prayer and know you can have the confidence to trust Him with your future.