A WEEK-END WRAP UP

 

It's the start of our most Holy Week as Christ-followers.  Even non-Believing Christians  (those who aren't Christ followers/saved/born again) but who identify as Christian vs Jewish, Muslim, etc) tend to celebrate and go to church on Easter Sunday.  It's hard to believe it's only 1 week away!  This past year has flown by for me.  Last year, Dave, Courtney, and I were in the Easter choir and were so busy getting our music learned.  This year, because we sang on Christmas Eve,  we don't have choir for Easter but Courtney and I were selected to sing in a women's vocal ensemble with 4 other women for our Good Friday service. We are busy working on our harmonies! In fact, that is what I spent most of Friday afternoon doing. 

FRIDAY:  Friday was my mother-in-law's 91st birthday!  My sister in law Kathy sent us this pic of Betty celebrating with Dave's bro Peter and Kathy during lunch at home. They bought her her fave fish and chips and chocolate!  My mother in law has been the best mom in law ever. She's never come between Dave and i and our decisions regarding her 2 granddaughters.  She's treated Kathy and I (her 2 daughters in law) very well over the years and her own 2 daughters used to tell me she treated us better than she treated them! 😊  Seriously, she is the best. We've had some good talks over the years and although we differ on many things, including certain aspects of child-rearing, she has never made life difficult for me or Dave and has always respected us and the way we parented the girls.  

Happy Birthday, Betty!

Friday evening, Dave was tired. He packed an overnight bag as was leaving the next morning to head out to his mom's with a birthday gift (a cross necklace made out of Guatemalan jade that he bought for her on his missions trip) and to discuss some plans regarding her care with his brother Peter. I did some reading and then had a marco polo conversation back and forth with my friend Deb from TN. Then I packed my hiking backpack for a hike the next day and got my winter hiking clothes all set out.  We both went to bed early as we both had to be up early on Saturday. 

SATURDAY!  A COLD but clear day with sunshine and beautiful blue skies. Dave and I had breakfast/ coffee together and then he left for MA after his shower. I left the house around 9:30 to meet the people riding in my car for the hike. One guy was going to meet us there. The hike is in the southern region of the Adirondack Mountains near Caroga Lake and it was like a different world out there. It's only about 80 minutes northwest of where we live but there was still a lot of snow on the ground, much colder temps and frozen mud/ice. 

This is at the end of the first .4 miles into the woods
We chose to hike the Red Loop trail which is a 2.5 miles trail around
Willie Wildlife Pond/Marsh

When we got to this point, we went left and that's when we saw all the post holes (not  ok! this means someone(s) hiked in snow over 6 inches without snowshoes  or cross country skies on which leaves deep holes and then is dangerous in late winter/early spring for hikers. Mainly because the snow then freezes leaving these huge holes.  People who post hole really don't understand winter hiking. Most of the trail was icy and snowcovered but we did well.  I used one pole as did most of the hikers except Jill who had her microspikes on (I chose to leave mine in the car) and Evelyn and the guys didn't use poles. 

Here's a few pics of our hike: 

Willie Wildlife Pond and Marsh
in all its frozen beauty

SoulSteps Hikers!
l-r: Evelyn, Mark, Tyler (E's son), my oldest girl Courtney, Jill
Courtney and Tyler are dating and Courtney now enjoys hiking again
which Dave and I are secretly glad about and we just knew it would take a guy
to get her back to it.  Her first hike was when I wore her in a baby sling at 6 weeks old. Our 2nd daughter (Claire) was 8 months old for her first hike. Yes, we start them out young! 

Evelyn in the pines
 with no post holes on this part of the trail!

After the first 1.5 miles, we were on the other side of the pond, through the woods, and in an open sunny area.  The sun was warming us up, the sky was a beautiful blue, and we had 3 benches to sit on and eat some protein and drink water. Everyone was very well prepared. Did you know that when you hike in the cold weather, you actually burn more calories? I never really knew that!  I"m not a true winter hiker but in early Spring here in the Northeast, the mountains are more like  early Winter, with conditions rapidly changing. And then the two guys decide to do planks and have a crawling race on the pond. Thankfully the ice was thick! 

Ready, set....crawl!!

After getting around the pond, we decided not to go back to the cars via the longer ridge trail and instead opted to go back across the pond at the 2nd longer bridge and return to the junction where the signs are located in the first pic above. By now we had gone just under 2 miles, were cold, two of us had feet plunged into muddy water and the wind was picking up.  It was also lightly snowing.  We got back to the junction and then it was just another .4 miles back to the car. All in all, we hiked 2.2 miles.  We were home by about 3 pm!

Once I was home, I got the mail, unpacked my backpack and emptied the hydration pack.  Cleaned up and changed into regular  clothes.  I had some dinner around 6:30 pm and watched a movie on Netflix that was on the edge of your seat gripping.  It's called The Captive. Is similar to true crime but fiction.  Based on a  s*x trafficking ring and set in western NY.  It's very well done!! The ending is well done.  The guy on the DVD cover plays the dad of the kidnapped little girl. He was an excellent actor! 

I also listened to the MP3s on Church planning center app and practiced my alto part for Good Friday. The rest of the evening was spent reading.  I'm reading two good books: a fiction that is part of a detective series I enjoy set in Sweden, and Harris's non-fiction book on her run for President. It's SO good! I would love to meet her Baptist pastor!! She includes a prayer he prayed for her.  I'm only on chapter 4....it reads like a novel so is an easy non-fiction. 

SUNDAY: I was up by 7:30 so had a good night's sleep and although I first woke up about 4 AM, I was able to  fall back asleep after I opened a window a little bit for fresh, cold air. After  coffee and the day's meditation and prayer from the Lectio 365 app which was all about Jesus riding in to Damascus on the donkey (Palm Sunday), I took a shower, ate breakfast and got ready for church. I rang through the music one more time as I had rehearsal at 12:30. Then I had a phone conversation with my youngest daughter Claire for about 15 minutes.  It was good to hear from her as she had had a busy week and we didn't chat at all during the week. 

 Church was awesome....the worship was powerful, the communion time was inspiring, and Pastor Rex preached on the Cross and what it means.  His title was "What do you see" (when we see the cross). He had 3 main points of what the Cross reveals to us. It was SO good. He also gave people a chance to pray the prayer of salvation. At 12:15, which is when  church ended, Courtney and I had vocal ensemble rehearsal for the Good Friday service.  We practiced until 2 pm and then I had to go get gas in the car. By the time I was home, it was 2:30 and I made my self some dinner. (leftover pasta, broccoli, plant-based chicken and sauce). I then had a phone call with my friend Cheryl from my childhood hometown.  After that, I did some light housework and sat down to read. I had just started when Dave arrived home. We chatted about his mom, etc and then I read some blogs, and will spend the evening talking with Dave, and reading. Today I am fighting one of the cervicogenic headaches although I did do the neck stretches so....not sure why it's flaring up. 

Overall, it's been a good weekend with some good activities and also some down time. 

How was your weekend?? 

Sunday Stealin'

I'm loving the Sunday Stealin' Questions today so am playing along.

Join in by heading to this blog. 

Random Revelations

1. Is your phone Apple or Android? What about your laptop? 

My phone is an Apple iphone 14. My laptop is an Apple Macbook Air. I love both.

2.Can you say "thank you" in more than one language?

Yes, I can say it in French, Spanish,  Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Italian, German and sign language

3. What do you draw when you doodle?  

If I doodle, which is rare, I typically draw mountains, a forest, a sun, a cross or flowers. 

4. Which do you enjoy more: Scrabble or Bowling?

I used to enjoy bowling when Dave and I and the girls would be on Cape Cod as they do candle pin bowling there. We haven't played in many, many years. I guess nowadays it would be Scrabble. Every once in awhile, Dave is willing to play Scrabble with me, and I do the  daily challenges on Words with Friends. 

5. Can you juggle? 

no. But Dave can!

6. Have you ever worn pajamas in public?

Absolutely.not. EW! can you say tacky and low class???? BUT...I have often dashed down to the mailbox to stick some mail in first thing in the morning in my Pj's depending on which ones I'm wearing. And I've been known to sit on my very private  deck on a summer morning in my PJs to have my first mug of coffee. 

7. Was your best subject in school the one you enjoyed the most?

I have no idea who the creator of these questions is, but what does (s)he mean by "school"?  

If grade school:  English. 

If Junior High: Advanced English and Vocal Music

 If HS: French, Musical Theater, Drama Literature, Typing, Advanced English,  and Music Theory. I took Bible Literature and although I enjoyed it, it wasn't my top grades. (it was hard!) and I also took a Law and You course which was fun but not my best grades. I took Native American culture and that was a fun one too and come to think of it, I did get an A! 

 If College: Piano, Voice, General Psych, Developmental Psych, Abnormal Psych. I enjoyed Life of Christ but it was HARD and wasn't my highest  grade. I loved my student teaching in Vocal Music grades K-6 and did well. I also loved loved loved 17th Century Literature and Ethics but those were tough classes and my grades were ok. Not my best. 

Grad school: I loved all of my classes (Educational Psychology with an emphasis on Special Education birth thru geriatric).  but the one I enjoyed the most was Reading and Literacy for  Young Children.  Grad school was super intense. But I got all A's except in Sociology of Education which you have to take in NYS if you're getting any kind of education degree. It had good parts but was tough.  I earned a B+. 

8. When you're offered the senior discount before you ask for it, are you offended or grateful? 

Grateful. I'm all about freebies and discounts!

9. Do you agree that with age comes wisdom?

Sort of.  I know many older people....older than me, and I'm 66....who are NOT wise. at all. Our current "leader" of this nation is one of them.  I also know many younger people who are very wise. I think it  depends on the person, how they were raised, and their life experiences. But yes, with age comes certain knowledge of things. That is not the same as wisdom! 

10. Do you consider Sunday the first day of the week or the last day of the weekend?

The last day of the weekend, although it bugs me that the paper calendar I have  and my personal daytimer, think it's the first day. 

HAPPY PALM SUNDAY!

Spring Faves

 

It's almost the end of March and Sunday is Palm Sunday which begins our Holy Week as Christians. 

I'm loving that April is almost here and that we are finally starting to see real signs of Spring.  I'm going to share FIVE of my FAVE blessings from this past week and most of them center around Spring!  Join in to share the things you're thankful for, by heading over to Susanne's site. 

FIVE FAVES 

our first 2026 SoulSteps hike! 
Big Bend Preserve in the ADK foothills
l-r: me, Shawna, Karen, Jay, Kathy, Joan, Jill
photo compliments of Maggie

our destination: Hudson River with a view of West Mt
Big Bend Preserve 

A lovely trail through the woods 
after the wetlands area

First day of Spring hike! 
l-r: Maggie, Faith, Karen, Shawna, Jay, Kathy and in front Jill, Joan

• SPRING HIKE!  The group I lead, SoulSteps, had its first of the year hike last Friday!  I had 8 people sign up and all 8 of us went. It started out at a brisk 28 degrees (the preserve is about 35 minutes north of my house).  It quickly warmed up to about 45 degrees and the rain held off until we were home. We had some sun but for most of the 4.6 miles hike, it was cloudy.  I'm so thankful for this group and that I have fun people to hike with. 

Wednesday morning sunrise 
photo taken from our deck 

• SPRING SUNRISE:  Dave goes into work on Tues-Wed-Thur (works from home Mon/Fri) so gets up earlier on those 3 days. For some reason, I was also awake earlier than 6:30 so I snapped this pic of the sunrise while having my first mug of coffee. It made me smile to know we would have a sunny, warmer day...and we did!  I'm so thankful for the beauty of God's handiwork. 

Spring set up

Easter flag in the front flower bed

Easter flag in the backyard near the fire pit

• SPRING CLEAN UP! Because Wednesday was such a nice, early Spring day, I did some clean up in the yard after my power walk. I only needed a thick sweater on and it was so lovely to pick up all the branches that had fallen from the cherry and maple trees after the last wind storm last week. The ground is slowly drying up from all the rain and mud and I even  took down my St Patrick's day flags and put up the Easter ones.  Both of them say "He is Risen!"  I also started to get the deck swept and put out a rug anda couple of the chairs for now. I still need to purchase another rug and a new side table and possibly another solar lantern.  But it's a start and it will be a couple of weeks before it's warm enough to sit out there with my morning coffee.  I'm thankful for the time to get little things done around the yard. 

• SPRING SERIES:  Dave and I don't watch F*x network at all but when we saw this new mini-series was featured on Hulu, we decided to watch Episode 1. The series centers around the following Biblical women:  Sarai (Sarah), Hagar, Rebekah, Rachel and Leah.  It was good. Mainly because Minnie Driver is the "driving force" (no pun intended) and the draw.  She's an amazing actress and I've seen her in just about every movie she's acted in.  However.  This is HUGELY  fictionalized and yes, at the beginning, there's an announcement in print that this series is loosely based on the historical Biblical content/characters. It's extremely fictionalized. BUT...there are parts that match what we read in Genesis and because we enjoy Minnie Driver we decided to give it a chance. Episode one was excellent.  I'm thankful Dave and I could just relax and spend the time together watching this show after dinner on Monday evening. If you watch it, and you know how it's presented in the Old Testament, keep in mind that Hollywood definitely fictionalized this. The thing it has going for it: the authentic costumes, setting, and some cultural (but not all!) content. And of course the actors are doing a great job. 

Shelf in the family room 

Decorative tray
on DVD cabinet in the family room

• SPRING DECOR: I've been putting out a few "spring" type things around the house.....I don't have a whole lot for Easter but what I do have I really like and each room of the main floor has a little touch of "Easter".  My favorite though is the wall shelf in my family room. You'll probably have to zoom in on the pic to read what the wooden signs say. I'm thankful for the Spring and Easter season when we celebrate our Savior-Redeemer! 

BONUS FAVE

After an online chat with Fitbit due to my Luxe giving me major issues for the last several months, and finding out I can no longer get support from them due to Google taking over (there won't be any more Fitbit products made after June or something like that) and that the Google Pixel watches are only compatible with android phones (I'm an Apple person all the way!), I decided to order the Apple Smartwatch SE as it's affordable and I don't need all the cellular data and fancy stuff like the higher end Smartwatches. I love love love it. It's easy to use, I love being able to have a better record of my sleep score, cardio levels, steps, and there's way more workouts to choose from than the Fitbit Luxe.  I'm so thankful the pick up process was smooth at the Apple Store in our city, as well.  

(This photo is the color of the one I ordered but I chose a different watch face. The cool thing? you can have multiple faces to choose from.  I have 3 I picked out from the app.  I may add a few more that I like. It's fun to change them up. )

Those are the blessings that made me smile and take note this week.  

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and Happy Palm Sunday!!

2026 Book Review #11:Sweeter than Honey Bible Study

 

Since the middle of January, the womens  small group I lead has been working in this workbook about how to fully immerse ourselves in studying Scripture.   This was an in-depth look at all the ways to study a Scripture or a passage of Scripture.   I highly recommend this for new Believers as well as for long time Believers.  

SUMMARY OF STUDY 

This study is centered around how God's word is sweeter than honey and the authors used bees and the honey making process as metaphors for how to study Scripture and why. 

There are six sessions (weeks) and each week has 5 days of homework/Scripture reading/anecdotal readings.  

The  sessions are:

1. Study the Word
2. The Unchanging Word
3. The Good News of the Word
4. Transformed by the Word
5. The Word in Every Season
6. The Word in Everyday Life

Each week, we had to use one of the study methods introduced in the Intro section of the book.

• Gathering Knowledge which includes cultural context, historical context, literary genre, people speaking, people listening, etc. 
• Digest the Big Ideas: this includes digging a little deeper into the finding the main idea or main points; summarizing passages of Scripture, and finding anything new we may have learned about God, Jesus, or some concept being talked about. 
• Grow in Godliness: this included more self reflective questions and a place to write out a Scripture that jumped out at you from the day/week and to write out a prayer (optional).  

The book centered around 4 main passages of Scripture:

Genesis (creation) 

Ephesians 1:1-11 where Paul addresses the people at Ephesus while in prison in Rome, just before his death. 

Ruth

John 15

There were Scriptures for cross reference and we learned how and which commentaries to use for comprehension and interpretation of the more difficult passages. 

We learned that there are different ways to study the Bible:

reading it from start to finish

reading it  chronologically

reading it by theme (I personally lean towards this method using my Soul Care Bible and reading passages in the NIV, NKJV, NLT)

reading it by topic (I also use this method via my Women of Faith Topical Study Bible) 

reading it verse by verse (meditating on one verse at a time). 

We also worked on using different spiritual disciplines to study the Bible daily:  meditation, prayer, worship.

We talked about loving the Word of God and why that's important as well as being in a community of Believers to grow in godliness.

There were Scriptures in other parts of the Bible as well for us to digest:  Psalms, Isaiah, I Timothy, etc. 

MY  THOUGHTS

This is a study with a LOT of writing work so I  chose only a few questions from each day's homework for my group to actually sit and discuss. 

 

I think it's a fantastic study but it's just a lot of work. You really learn to read each verse in the passage and "pick it apart" so to speak. 

I learned alot about using commentaries to help explain what Jesus/God was actually saying or what He meant. 

It's an excellent study for beginners in Christ but those of us who are more mature in Christ can get alot out of this study as well. 

In my opinion, this study is appropriate for ages 21 and older. 

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