Last Days of Summer Faves

The first full week of school always flies by so fast....as do these last days of the summer season....and this past week was no exception. We have now had 6 full days of "back to school" and what.a.week. 

It's been a hectic but good week and next week promises to be even busier because my youngest daughter's 3 ballet classes begin in the evenings next week. And my husband is going to be out of state on a business trip for 4 days. And my small group of moms that I lead is starting the Esther study.

For now, I'm finding Five Faves from the last week and sharing them with other bloggers who participate in Susanne's writing exercise.  To learn more, you can go here.

FIVE FAVES FROM THE LAST DAYS OF SUMMER

Claire with Mona, my sister's dog

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•  ROAD TRIP! I have a younger sister (Hope) who lives out in the Mohawk Valley area of NYS, about 1 1/2 hours from us.  Her husband Donny and my husband get along great but both guys had to work that day so Claire and I decided to do a road trip to visit Aunt Hope and her dogs.  Claire especially loves Mona, the dog in the photo above. The 3 of us went out for lunch at a cute little cafe in a town nearby and then browsed around some antique shops that were across the street. I bought a Christmas gift that day.  We had so much fun browsing, discovering old gems from the 1960s and 1970s when Hope and I were growing up, and then we topped off the day with ice cream at a favorite ice cream place near Hope's house. It had started to rain by then and was chilly so we went back to her place for hot coffee and to chat for a bit.  It was a fun road trip! I think it is such a blessing to get together with my sister as we aren't able to get together much during the winter months.

• A SURPRISE MEETING! While Claire, Hope, and I were waiting for the waitress at the lunch cafe, I happened to look out the window and saw some very old friends coming in!  The 2 women in the group were actually friends of my mother's and I was friends with their children back in the 1970s when I was a teen growing up in the Free Methodist church. I hadn't seen the one woman (who used to be the pastor's wife of my hometown church for a few years) since Claire was 4 months old....and now she is almost 15!  The other woman was one I saw at my mom's funeral last autumn but it was soooo good to see them both. They have something in common now as the pastor's wife's daughter married the other woman's son!  The daughter, Maribeth, was actually good friends with my sister Hope, as they are the same age.  And Maribeth had HER daughter with her who is now a college graduate and I had never met her.  It was just so much fun to stand and talk to these ladies and get caught up a little bit in each other's lives.  Sadly, both older women lost their husbands  a little before my mom died.  But the good news is, that both men (and my mom) are with the Lord.  I am so thankful I ran into these lovely ladies who are real saints in the Lord. Being united in Christ never changes even after years of not seeing someone.

• HUBBY's HELP!  Dave totally surprised me by doing some vacuuming on Sunday morning before church. I had housework to do on Sunday as I took my Sabbath the day before to visit my sister.  Well, when I got out of the shower and heard Dave vacuuming the kitchen, dining room, family room and half bath, I was so thankful!  That left me with time after church to do some baking, menu planning, working out, bill paying, and small group prep.  I am so thankful for a helping husband!

• GREAT WORK-OUT!  There's nothing like a good work out after a day in the classrooms.  I had an excellent work-out on Monday afternoon.  I did some interval training:  power-walked/ran/power-walked/ran. I am not a runner but I wanted to get my heart rate even faster and get some weight bearing in so I did what an article in the latest Natural Health magazine said to do, and I upped my walking workout to include running. I would run for 8 mailboxes and then slow to a fast walk for 8, then run again for 8 more, etc. I did this for the entire circuit in the neighborhood.  It equaled 1.6 miles although usually I power walk for 3.1 miles. But I thought with the added running, I would start out with a shorter distance. I felt great afterwards!! and it really does give you more energy to face your evening and housework chores. I am thankful I can work out after work most days.

• FRESH FLOWERS!  This photo doesn't look very good....I couldn't use my camera as the battery was charging so I used my cell phone.  These flowers were given to me, for FREE, by the delivery lady on Tuesday evening. I ordered my groceries online Monday night and the confirmation note said I would get them delivered between 5-7 pm on Tuesday.  Well, at about 4:45, the phone rang and the store said they were running late. No big deal as I was going to be home. Well, at 8:00 pm the phone rang again (I was getting annoyed because typically, "late" means they are just a few minutes past the 2nd hour time frame.). The woman on the phone said she was just starting my shopping and had a couple of substitutions she wanted to offer me. I took one but declined the other. She then said the driver would be there soon.  At about 9 pm, the driver finally showed up. She delivered the bags into the house and then said she had a fresh bouquet for me as an apology from the store. I don't shop there much other than to order online during super busy weeks and often in the winter......I hate food shopping during the week after work as it makes for a long day, and I really don't like going on the weekends as they are most busy. So......I was thankful that the store apologized for their lateness and the fresh flowers are very pretty in my family room.  It was a nice surprise as I am not a regular customer and I AM thankful for grocery delivery from this particular store!

That wraps up my faves.

What was something you were blessed with this week??

Leave a comment and I'll be sure to read it and will stop by to read your FFF.

Enjoy the weekend!!