Holy Week Faves

 

Today is Good Friday. A day where I sit and contemplate what Christ did for me on the Cross...what He did for all of us!  He paid that debt of sin so we can be redeemed and live forever with Him in heaven!  

Besides that amazing blessing of grace and mercy and redemption, I'm here to share FIVE other FAVES from my week.  I join in with other bloggers over at Susanne's at Living to Tell the Story.   Join us and share your top blessings from the week. 

FIVE FAVES 

SoulSteps Hikers
l-r:  Evelyn, Mark, Tyler, Courtney, Jill
(Evelyn is Ty's mom. Ty is Courtney's bf) 

• SATURDAY HIKE!  On Saturday, I had scheduled a SoulSteps hike for the southern Adirondacks and I had 9 hikers signed up.  One new couple dropped out (I think due to the cold temps) and the other hiker texted me that she woke up not feeling well.  So that left just 6 of us to go to Willie Wildlife Marsh about 80 minutes to the northwest of us.  One of the guys wanted to meet us at the trailhead and the rest of us piled into my car.  We had a blast but it was COLD.  It was only 18 degrees F when we arrived at 11 AM and by the time we were done with the 2.2 miles (we chose not to do the ridge which makes it a 2.5 mile hike,  due to ice) it was only 28 degrees F.  BRRR.  As you can see in the photos, we were all wearing Winter hiking gear.  We had some sun and snowflakes, mud, ice, more mud, and lots of frozen ground. All in all, it was a great outing and I'm thankful that even though 2 of us fell through what we thought was frozen mud, and Tyler  literally fell through the ice on the pond (one leg), we made it back to the cars safely.  I'm thankful this hike went well and that the feedback was everyone loved it!  Here are some highlights in pics: (and yes, everyone in the photos has to give permission to appear on social media/blogs.the reason I'm not in the pics is I was taking them!) 😀

from front to back: Jill, Courtney, Evelyn
this is the back side of the pond through the forest

This was deceptive. Yes, we had to schlep across this mud
Yes it was wet in spots. I stepped to the left that looked frozen and sank up to just above my ankles
Thanking God for waterproof winter hiking boots. 
See the big holes? that's called Post Holing. google it.
Rude people post hole..this means they needed snowshoes and didn't  use them
making it  dangerous for us now in the early Spring. 
Snowshoes are needed when snow depths are 6 inches or deeper. 

Willie Wildlife Pond....still with thick ice 

Ready...set...crawl...
Tyler and Mark have  crawling races down the length of the pond. 
Yes, Tyler  got too close to the edge at one point and in he went. 
even though us "older" folks did warn them the ice is thinner on the edge!

This stream is one I've hiked over twice in years past.
In Autumn. When it's just a trickle.
This was high and swift flowing and we thanked God
the footbridge was stable making for an easy cross. 

• RESTORED!!  I had seen a product advertised on Instagram and did some investigating to make sure it was legit. It is!  I bought a bottle and restored (by polishing) our hardwood oak flooring in the dining room!!  No sanding needed!  I loved how it came out. It's still got  a  couple of worn spots but over all the polish really did restore the wood!!  I'm so thankful this was an inexpensive fix. You just squirt into a S pattern, use a microfiber Bono pad and voila......2 hours later.... you're floor is restored. I did a 2nd coat which requires drying period of 24 hours. I'm so thankful I took the time to do this. 

This area was worn down to almost a white color
The polish really restored it! 

• CLASS DISCUSSION:  I take a class at church every Monday morning with about 35 other ladies.  At the table where I usually sit there is a wide variety of us.  One of the women is in choir so I know her from that. 3 of the ladies are in the SoulSteps hiking group.  This past week we had such a good discussion based on Job 26 and our Redeemer and what that looks like for all of us. We all had a turn to speak about a time when we needed to feel held by God...or heard by God...it was a very powerful and deep conversation.  I'm thankful for good studies like this Job one and the discussion questions that lead to  some thought provoking conversations and prayer time. 

• BETTER SLEEP:  Ever since menopause about 12 years ago, I rarely sleep all the way through the night for 7 hours. When I was teaching, the most sleep I'd get was 6.5 just because of needing to do all the things. Now that I'm retired, I tend to go to bed around 11 pm and  get up around 6:30 or 7 depending on the day. If I'm leading a hike that's going to be more than 3 miles, I tend to go to  bed around 10 and get up at 5:30. At any rate, since I've upped my cardio workouts I've been tracking much better and more effective sleep!  I've gotten all "High" scores on my Smartwatch this week so I'm thankful for that. I'm also thankful that I'm finally seeing results from adding Magnesium Glycinate to my evening routine. This is known to help sleep and my getting up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom as dramatically decreased. 

• MAJOR SALES!  I haven't needed to shop for clothes since last Autumn but I was going through Spring clothing and realized a lot of it I had donated to the local thrift store!  I had also donated quite a few "teaching clothes" (skirts, dress pants, spring shirts/blouses, and dresses) to the local Episcopal church when they were collecting for some homeless families.  I rarely shop at JCP and hadn't in a while, other than to buy some baby clothes for a service project I was involved in, so I went up to our local one and discovered they were having a huge 50%-80% off sale. I bought 2 nice spring shirts/short sleeved sweaters, 2 cotton tee shirts, and a dressy top and everything came to less than $80.  I had saved over 25$ according to the cashier. Then I found a bathing suit online at a store I like to do business with and that was also on sale.  For Dave, I noticed he had an LLBean shirt that was very frayed and faded so I replaced it with a new one and because of our Bean Bucks, I got him a $69.99 shirt for free!!  I'm thankful for good deals!!

Tonight I will be singing in a ladies vocal ensemble at our church's Good Friday service. My oldest daughter Courtney is also in the ensemble. It will be a time of some traditional hymns, reflections and Scriptures all centered around the Cross and Jesus' victory over Satan. More rejoicing in a more upbeat service will be done on Easter Sunday where we celebrate our Risen Savior-Redeemer!

However you celebrate Easter......may it be a special time of remembering Who paid the penalty for our sins.....

B is for Bountiful

 

Today is the 2nd day of the A-Z Challenge. My theme for this writing challenge is "Attributes of God/Nature".  Today is letter B and I chose Bountiful. 

God is bountiful in His mercy and grace towards humans. It began in the Garden of Eden when He didn't kill Adam and Eve for sinning but instead, they were banished from the Garden and made to work the land. He showed mercy and grace towards them even though they disobeyed and ate of that fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.   He gives us second chances!! 

God's abundance is also seen in creation.....in nature.....we see this at harvest time when the crops are ready....we see this in the Spring when the first flowers and trees begin to bloom after the long, hard winter. 

As Americans....at least here in the Northeast....we celebrate His bounty and goodness at Thanksgiving time.....just like the Pilgrims did with the Native Americans. 

You might have to zoom in to read the prayer

and this is one of my fave Scriptures about the Bounty of God

What about you? Where do you see the bounty of God in your life? 

A is for Almighty

I'm doing something  new this April. 

I decided to jump in on the Blogging A-Z Challenge.  I don't know if I'll be successful as it involves writing every day.  But....I'm retired now and I don't have a whole lot of hikes to lead in the month of April due to Mud Season....so.....I'm giving it a try!  It's good to challenge ourselves, mentally. 

The theme I chose for the month is the Attributes of God.   One attribute for each letter of the alphabet.  I'll probably tie in some nature as well as my spiritual temperament is Naturalist....meaning I feel closest to God when out in His Creation.  

So today is Letter A: ALMIGHTY 

God is Almighty. His creation practically screams it aloud. Looking at a glorious sunset.....that's the Art of God!  It's His Handiwork. 

The majestic mountains I climb.....the green, lush valleys I walk through.....

the swoop of the eagle's wings, the cry of the loon, the cackle of the crow.....

the arc the dolphins make when chasing the waves, the rise of the humpback whale....

All of  creation displays the power of the Almighty God.

And what's even more awesome is that Almighty God holds the power of  creation in His Hands...He keeps the universe in motion. 

and this is the week we celebrate the Almighty work He did on the Cross.....died...for us.....so we can live eternally with our Almighty God in Heaven. 

The power of Almighty God is too vast for our human minds to fully comprehend.  

The Tuesday Four Meme

So, it's Tuesday of Holy Week and I'm waiting for a phone call from a friend.  It's still rather early in the morning so I opened up my laptop to read blogs and saw this meme. I don't think I've ever participated in the Tuesday Four meme so while I wait, I'll play along.  To join in, head over here. 

living room coffee table

 1. What will we find on top of your refrigerator?

I cannot stand when there's crap.....er...things on the top of someone's fridge. It's so very messy looking usually.  I have a stainless steel fridge and it's under a top cupboard that holds extra mugs, water bottles, and travel coffee mugs.  The top of my fridge is bare. I don't count the dust. 😃

2. What will we find on your nightstand?

On my nightstand I have a lamp that has a soft glow lightbulb that matches the lamp on Dave's dresser. They match the color of our walls although a bit lighter. I also have a Norman Rockwell mug my parents gifted me years ago that holds  a lip balm, a small bottle of essential oil (DigestZen), a small bottle of essential oil (Frankincense...very effective for neck tightness), and a mini flashlight.  I also have my peppermint  foot cream, my smartwatch  charger and my iphone charger.  On the 2nd shelf down, I have a pretty wooden box which contains a callous lotion for feet (I'm a hiker and when you wear wool or wick away socks, the moisture stays away from your  feet resulting in dry feet!), a foot pedicure set/pumice stone, and an emory board.  I also have my DoTerra Deep Blue Cream (extremely effective for sciatica pain/low back pain/upper back pain) and 2 library books waiting to be read. 

On the bottom shelf, I have a bigger box (one of those pretty decorative boxes) which holds birthday cards that I buy in bulk from Current, Co. that I like to send to friends and family and I think there are some notes in there from an organization I volunteer with). Oh, it also holds a folder with a copy of our end of life plan (mainly financial info for our daughters if something should happen to Dave or I unexpectedly.  The original forms and our will are kept in a secure place that I won't write about 😊  

Dave's nightstand holds a wedding photo of me, a tissue box, and his alarm clock. Yes, he still wakes up to a real alarm clock. The three drawers in his are full of junk....i can't begin to write it all down. That's his space and at least it's not visible!

3. What is in your purse or handbag?

In my current  purse (it's a soft buttery leather sling style in a light tan and I love it!) I have a cosmetic bag that holds a compact, lipstick, lip balm, tylenol, aleve, allergy meds, lactaid tablets, tweezers, etc etc. I also keep my wallet in there, my checkbook, a protein bar, a package of nuts (I'm on the go alot!), and one of those mini tissue packets, a pencil and several pens. 

4. What will we find on your coffee table or side tables? How about your kitchen or dining table?

Coffee tables:  the family room one looks like this.  This is mainly Dave's space. I don't like this coffee table and never have. It's pine wood and is horribly scratched up. (all due to Dave using it as a desk.....don't get me started....).  I literally use lemon pledge on it once a week to keep it shiny at least.....i prefer large cloth baskets to hold his stuff.  It also holds the tv remote, his kindle, a couple of his Bibles, a book he's reading. The Bible you see on the table is a Spanish/English Bible that he used on his missions trip to Guatemala a couple weeks ago.  That little dark brown box is one the girls gave him for Xmas many years ago, the year he got published in a sci fi magazine. It holds his pens/pencils and has a quote by Hemingway on the front. We usually keep the iphone speaker there as well although sometimes he brings it up to his office. I don't know why it's currently down here in the family room as we have a really good sound system with mounted speakers in the corners of the walls,  with our tape player/cd player/radio unit we bought years ago and keep in the bottom of the TV cabinet. Yes, it still works. Yes, we do sometimes play CDs vs our playlist on the phone or laptops especially when we have game nights or company for Xmas. 

The bottom of the coffee table is black metal and it holds another basket  full of dave's writing notebooks, more Bibles, devotional books, his laptop charger and a couple of his Science fiction magazines. The bottom also currently has 2 board games which we plan on playing on Easter late afternoon when the gang comes over. 

family room coffee table 

My living room coffee table is pictured at the top of this post. This is my space.  The living room is minimal. That little flower patterned box is my Spring box (I have one for each season). It contains my iphone earbuds, my laptop cord/charger, a bunch of highlighters, pens, pencils, a small notebook, a set of AA batteries, and a few bookmarks. The blue pottery bowl is a gift from my father in law about 10 years ago and it holds my coasters. I also have those 3 candles in an arrangement...i love candle glow...and the other side of the table has my Women of Faith study Bible with a journal underneath that I keep my small group class notes in. Underneath the coffee table on the one shelf is a stack of piano music (Baroque, classical and romantic eras) along with my choir music binder, a Memory Drive thing for my Macbook, my wireless headphones, and 2 folders containing SoulSteps info (the hiking group I own and lead).   As you can see I don't like messes.....most loose items go in a pretty box. 

Side Table:  I only have one side table and it's in the family room. It matches the coffee table. Here's a pic of it: 

Family room between the armchair and the rocking chair. 
The lamp has a tiny bulb in the bottom for when you want just a low dim light.
The top bulb is a 3-way one.  I LOVE this lamp and it's now over 20 years old! The hunter green color matches a small hunter green mini-bookcase we have next to the couch. 
As you can see, it only holds coasters with a small white container of seasonal  coasters in the back
and a photo of my 2 daughters taken about 3 years ago. 
The bottom holds yet another box and it's filled with Snapfish photobooks I've created since 2006!

Kitchen table:  we do not have an eat in kitchen, opting for the bigger design that's more open with floor space. I just have counters in the kitchen plus a trash bin that is like a small stand. The top of that holds our fruit bowl, post it notes in a little wooden box and a jar of pens/pencils. 

Dining room table: currently has 2 plaocements, 2 cloth napkins, and a pot of silk crocuses. 

The corner cupboard holds all of our stemware, mugs, pie plates, a pretty  cake plate, etc.  It's shaker style and pine. 

I also  have a dry sink cupboard that I inherited from my parents. The top of it has an artificial palm tree type plant, a creamer/sugar that is decorative only and comes from my mom's kitchen and is 1940s vintage.  it also has a cloth basket filled with cloth napkins. We do  keep paper napkins in a small basket in the kitchen but we only use those if traveling or hiking.  I much prefer cloth as they're classier and better for the environment! 

On the other side of the room across from the dry sink cupboard, I have a mini little stand that has 2 doors and in the middle 3 little pull out baskets made of wicker which holds odds and ends like tiny battery operated tea lights, small candles, some Xmas cds, extra batteries, etc etc.  The top of it that's visible holds a photo of my daughters with my dad before his dementia set in, a small pottery bowl that has a wooden heart in it that dave bought me years ago, 2 tall taper candles in sage green in bronze holders, and a small green candle that smells like pine trees. 

That wraps up the Tuesday 4.  What about you? are you a basket person and keep your stuff hidden away, or do you like it all out on the tabletops??