May Fave Five #4

It's Friday! 

I have some very special favorites that God blessed me with.

THANK YOU to Susanne for hosting this......go visit her at Living to Tell the Story...you will be glad you did...she has a delightful blog!

Here's my 5:

Our peonies have bloomed and are BIG!  This is the white bush.  I also have a pink bush right in front of the white that didn't do well last year, but this year, so far, so good!  Love these large flowers. I put them in a large vase on the deck when we eat out there.  The one thing I do not like about them, is that they seem to attract ants...any ideas, anyone on how to get rid of the ants on the blossoms??

Finally found an excellent hair conditioner!  Most conditioners leave my hair feeling weighted down, or like it has a sticky film on it.  Even some of the "designer" ones.  So...when I noticed this in Paris, I decided to look for it here at home.  Sure enough...I found this right at Target.  It is sulfate-free which means it is safe for color-treated hair, which at the age of 50, I have been doing for 12 years! (yes, I started coloring at age 38....just before I became pregnant with my 2nd daughter).  My hair is thick and heavy.  I keep it textured and long layers cut through the bob that is just below chin-length.....however, I have never had such soft, smooth hair as this past week.  I bought this tube last weekend and LOVE it.  I highly recommend it if you color your hair and it is thick.  The scent is light and doesn't clash with my shower gels or body sprays. It is not supposed to fade out the color like other conditioners...I'll find out in 4 weeks as this weekend I go back for a touch-up color!

Lunch with my close friend, Lynn!  She and I have known each other now for almost 5 years.  Her adopted daughter, and my youngest, are good friends from Sunday School.  We hang out with them often. Lynn and I have lunch about once every 6 weeks.  This is where we went Thursday after I left work at 11 a.m.

It's located in downtown Albany, which I love and we found parking close by...always a plus!  The lunch menu is delightful!  I enjoyed the Chopped Salad with Curried Chicken.....and 2 large glasses of my favorite mineral water, pictured above.  Lynn had the Caesar Salad and Iced Tea.  We prayed, shared, made plans for a summer hike, and chatted about our upcoming involvement in new ministries.  I am blessed to have her as a friend.....and I love that she is a planner like me!  Thanks to my friend Erin, who first introduced me to this restaurant. It is so relaxing getting together with good friends for a light lunch.  It really tops my list of favorite things......and....

Lunch with my friend Monica.  (I mentioned this in a previous post). Monica is a part of my Moms in Touch group that meets today so we see each other once a month for that prayer group. This was the first time we had had lunch together...and we plan on many more! We enjoyed this place!

This is our high school's symbol.  I have shown this because Courtney, my 11th grader, received her yearbook. And PRAISE THE LORD!  The Christian club, LIFE (Living in Faith Everyday) was featured.  Not so unusual, because every.single.club. is featured in the yearbook.  And we have many clubs.  The thing I am praising God about is that this year, the yearbook staff actually put a descriptive paragraph about what the club does.  Here is what is printed: "Life club is a group of students that meets weekly to discuss the Bible, worship, and pray for our school.  It focuses on the Christian faith; however, it is open to any student who wants to participate."  THIS IS GOOD NEWS!  Last year, there was no description.  We have been praying that the school district would take it a little more seriously.  My daughter is the secretary and one of her best friends is the vice president. Both of them are highly involved in our church's youth group and are so special to me for taking a stand and making a presence in the high school.  It is still a small group (about 10 students if everyone attends) but get this:  one of the Indian kids who follows the Hindu religion has been coming to the club because he says the kids are safe, friendly and real!!  THIS IS AWESOME!!!!!

This blogging award!

A woman named Dena gave this to me.  I have just started visiting her blog. You can find her by clicking here.  She is an artist and has a lovely blog.  I was thrilled when she informed me!  So...thank you, Dena!!

A 3-day weekend is upon us here in the USA where we celebrate Memorial Day on Monday. Most businesses and schools are closed to give honor to the war veterans, past and present.  
Here in NYS, this weekend is considered the "official start to summer" even tho the calendar says summer begins on June 21.  And we still have about 4 more weeks of school then finals and NYS Regents exams (high schoolers).  So....enjoy whatever you are doing this weekend....I plan on getting stuff done around the house since we are not going away, and saving Monday for hiking or kayaking!!

What are your plans?  and....what are your fave things from the past week??