Faves that Start with S

Friday! 

 and we have a 3-day weekend ahead of us here in the United States. (Memorial Day is Monday....we honor our veterans, past and present).

All of my faves this week begin with the letter S.  Perfect for the  Spring season!

and last week I mentioned a big surprise I was going to reveal this week that is related to my dad and our visit out to see him in Central NY. So....keep reading.....it's the last fave!

I'm linking up with other grateful bloggers this week over at Susanne's to share FIVE FAVORITES from the past week.  Please consider joining in and leaving a comment...I"ll come visit you!

• SPELLING TEST!  Every Thursday morning I give the little guy I work with a spelling test. His gen ed 2nd grade classroom peers get 10 words and he gets 5 functional words.  Yesterday, for the first time all year, he received 100%. I was so surprised!  I didn't even need to give him any verbal cues or prompting.  This is HUGE.  (he is on the autism spectrum and is a couple of grade levels delayed in most academics). It make the frustrations of special education all worthwhile to have these shining moments!

image courtesy of Taste of Home website

• SWEETS! Wednesday was Dessert Night for my small group. Unfortunately, only 2 of us were able to make the meeting. But oh what yummy treats we tried!  I made Quick Cherry  Turnovers (pictured above minus the sugar glaze. I used Dark Chocolate melted and drizzled on top and sprinkled just a small amount of powdered sugar on top). My friend Carla made decadent oreo chocolate brownies. Oh my.  We splurged!!  To top it all off I made one of our favorite coffees:  Wild Blueberry by Green Mountain.  Mmmm.........a fun and tasty  way to have small group!

image courtesy of Delia's website

• SHOPPING!  On Sunday afternoon, my oldest daughter and I took the youngest (Claire) shopping at this place for a new dress for the 8th grade Awards Ceremony and Formal Dance Night. (held in about 2 weeks). Claire is easy. Much easier than her big sis. She knows what she wants, tries it on, and boom we are DONE!  Loved it.  AND...the dress pictured above (couldn't find a bigger pic of it and didn't have time to take one of my own, upload, etc.) was not much money so I allowed her to buy a 2nd dress that was on sale and it's adorable!!  Unfortunately, I couldn't find a pic of that one online.  It's a mint green with cap sleeves and form fitting that falls just above the knee.  Really cute!

photo courtesy of NYCFoodtrucks.org

• SEASON FINALE!  No, the fact that my favorite show has ended for the year is NOT a fave but the actual episode makes my fave list.  Small group ended and i turned on the TV.  It's the only thing I watch all week unless NCIS is on and I have time that evening.  But Wednesdays at 9 pm, for one hour, I am enthralled with the story lines.  And the season finale really threw a punch!  Now I need to wait til September to find out what happens!!!  I love a good season finale!

image courtesy of  wikipedia

• SURPRISE!!  Our oldest daughter walked into the kitchen asking me "whose car is that? dad says to move it so he can get in the driveway".  (Dave and I had concocted this plan to implement once he got her home last Friday evening from Gordon College).  I pretended not to hear her.  She repeated "Whose car is that? it has to be moved". I walked over to the key hooks, removed the key and said "Yours! You can move it". The look on her face was priceless.  Then she said "What? I'm confused. All I wanted for my birthday was an i-phone." (her bday is in July). Here's the back-story:  after my mom died last autumn, my dad put his 2006 Ford Taurus up for sale and drove my mom's.  They are, and will forever be, Ford drivers. Dave and I prefer foreign cars like our Honda and Nissan.  Courtney thought she was gonna get Dave's Honda and he'd get a new CRV. We couldn't swing it financially but we COULD afford my dad's Ford. I was worried because I owned a Ford once during grad school and....well....let's just say I don't like American made cars. They tend to need LOTS of work...I was worried.  BUT...I thought about it and said "she's a college student. Dave and I had old clunkers and this Ford that Dad is selling is NOT a clunker. (it looks like the one in the pic except his has the sun-roof).  We decided to buy it.  We didn't tell her.  Meanwhile, Dad called us a couple of nights after I told him we had the money, and he said he wanted to GIVE it to his granddaughter because "What do I need the money for?? I'm an 81 yr old man who doesn't need anything". He said he wanted her to have it.  PRAISE GOD!  What a huge blessing my dad has been to us and to Courtney. She now has a decent car for her summer job and for internships while in Boston.  We are so very thankful and it was a huge surprise!  It only has 50,000 miles on it, is only 1 yr older than my Nissan, and has 4 brand new tires.  It also has a sun roof. Hey....I don't have a sun roof but my almost 20 yr old does! A blessing.  and a definite fave.  God is faithful.  Praise God for my daddy!

That wraps it up for me.

I want to plant some more flowers this weekend if the weather cooperates..we've had humid and wet weather this past week. UGH....not sure if we can get the kayaks in the water this weekend like planned.....that might have to wait until the end of June.  We have some painting to do, and a get together with friends plus I might hike with a friend on Monday.  I'm hoping and praying for some sun this weekend.....

whatever your plans are, let's take a moment to pause and remember the many veterans who gave their lives or are serving our glorious country to protect us and our freedoms.

Have a wonderful weekend!