Brought a Smile Faves

FRIDAY!!

And once I get home from work, I have a lovely.....although I think a very cold......3-day weekend ahead of me!!  Due to the USA celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr day, we don't have school on Monday which means Claire and I get to stay home for an extra day. I can't wait to sleep in a little bit and relax that morning to get caught up on some reading! 

For now, how about joining in with me and sharing FIVE FAVES from the past week.....then link up with Susanne from over here.

My faves all brought a smile to my face......they were fun, nutritious, demanding but exciting, thought-provoking but educational and one was an answer to prayer!!

to replace white flour!

• NUTRITIOUS!  This item pictured above is new to me. I buy flax seed bread, granola/cereal with flax seeds and take Omega-3 with Flax Seed Oil. But I had no idea you could bake/cook with flax meal! I LOVE this item.  It's gluten free and GMO free. It's finely ground which makes it great to replace half the flour in your homemade baked goods. You can also use it to replace one egg and to replace the fat/oil in a recipe.  Just follow the directions on the back of the box!  I used it to replace half the flour in a Baked Taco Chicken recipe I made for dinner last night.  It is wonderful and has all the benefits that flax gives to your body. It's a new fave for me! I plan on baking muffins with it this weekend which will definitely put a smile on my youngest daughter's face!

image taken from ceramic canvas website

• BLACKBERRIES!  More nutrition....another fave.....I have always loved berries!   I've been enjoying them as part of my lunch at work. I just pop about 1/3 cup into a small container and eat them raw.  I love them! They have many health benefits too, particularly for women as they contain many antioxidants that help prevent cervical and breast cancer! They also help to build strong bones and help fight off chronic diseases and infections! Eating berries in the middle of winter is definitely a fave of mine as they remind me of long, hot summer days..........

Female and Male Mallard Ducks
Stream to Gull Pond
Gordon College Campus

• FUN WITH COURTNEY!  On Sunday I had to drive my oldest daughter back to college. It was great having her home for the holidays but she was ready to get back and start her 2nd semester, 2nd year.  It was my turn to drive and it was just she and I.  We had a lovely time!   After a quick lunch in a lovely town off the interstate, we got back on the highway to Boston and north. The drive wasn't too bad around Boston and we made it to campus by mid-afternoon. After we carried her stuff into her dorm room and turned on the heat, she offered to take me on the walking trails to Gull Pond which I hadn't seen yet.  It was beautiful.... and muddy!!  She had her new camera and I had my cell so I snapped this pic of a pair of mallards. It was so nice and peaceful in the wooded area and I loved watching her use her new camera for her Photography class. We had so much fun that day and I will treasure it always.

image taken from pinterest

• NEW SENSORY APPROACHES!  The special little people I work with vary in handicapping conditions from autism spectrum disorders to Down's to multiply-physically challenged to speech and language delayed.  The last group is the one I am most familiar with from when I was a Master Teacher of language delayed and emotionally disturbed preschoolers.  This job with our school district is challenging in that we have MANY children on the autism spectrum and I am not experienced with that population. I am especially not experienced with the sensory approach. BUT..this week, after much imploring to the supervisor, OT's and PT's on the team, I received specific sensory strategies to use with little P..the 8 year old boy I am with for most of the day. AND THEY ARE WORKING!  One thing that really helps him when he becomes agitated by loud noises is the above body sac.  He literally climbs inside and cocoons himself. He will reappear when he is ready to work.  I love it....he loves it...we all are happy! There are other strategies I am implementing as well such as putty with hidden beads, a lighted ball that he can "squish", a brush he can use for his arms, a rubber band kind of like the ones you see for rehab work that he can stretch between his hands, and other items that give him sensory feedback. These items help him before he has to sit and do work that require focus, listening and reading/writing skills. He completed an entire math worksheet for me this week and that is RARE! He also did an entire spelling test with no breaks...again a rare thing for him. This has definitely brought a smile to my face and has relieved him of some anxiety in the general ed classroom. This was demanding work for me but exciting as well!

image taken from truthbook website

• THOUGHT-PROVOKING!  In the lesson I'm preparing to lead my small group next week, the topic was when Jesus KNEW who was going to betray him later that night and the lessons we can learn from that. I actually just realized that Judas sat in a place of honor....next to Jesus at the last supper.  And Jesus dipped a piece of bread into oil and handed it to him..the one who would betray him. That is an intimate act for sure.....handling a piece of bread, with dripping oil to a beloved friend who would later betray Him. And then the gospel of John records Judas as going out into the night. The night being imagery for darkness. Darkness (Satan) entered Judas' soul. He went from light to darkness. This struck me as being a very powerful picture of what can happen when we reject Christ. I have more to share on that but for the fave fives......I am just meditating on that fact...that we need to stay with the Light to keep out of the darkness....and to extend grace and mercy to people who  have betrayed us in one way or another. Jesus KNEW who His betrayer would be and still he supped with him.  Amazing Grace.....

BONUS:  ANSWERED PRAYER!  Courtney texted me from her dorm the other day to tell me that she has acquired another part time job on campus. This is an answer to prayer!! I was praying she could get weekend hours in the campus dining hall as that is a place where non-work study students can get employment. She will be working the Friday dinner shift, Saturday lunch shift, and Sunday dinner shift...perfect for her busy academic schedule! She is keeping her Events Ambassador job which requires  just a few weekends/evenings every semester. I am so happy she received this job and build up her bank account again! God is faithful.......

How was your week? Can you share at least one fave that God blessed you with?