SPRING BREAK FAVES

I'm savoring every moment this week due to being on Spring Break and reflecting back on the blessings God brought to it.  In participating with this weekly writing exercise, I'm listing FIVE FAVES from my week and linking up with Susanne, our hostess.

FIVE FAVES

• SARATOGA!  Last Friday, our very first day of the vacation, my 16 yr old (Claire) had a pointe shoe appointment at our favorite dance shop.  Once we had the shoes fitted and paid for, we walked down to Broadway and strolled along the shops and chose this fave place for lunch.  After lunch we browsed in this bookstore...another fave...and ended up buying a couple of books.  It was such a fun day with my youngest.  Oh how I treasure these moments.

• EASTER!  Oh how I love everything about Easter...the spiritual significance I mean.  Our church did an amazing job from the praise and worship music to the sermon.  I just LOVE celebrating our Redeemer who took all of our sins upon Himself just because He loves us.  And He is coming back!!  Did you know that in many classic artworks on the empty tomb, the artist depicts a folded napkin on the bench, next to the tousled cloth?  I just learned this year why the napkin is folded!  Apparently, it was a Jewish custom (manners) to leave a folded napkin if you were coming back to the table/meal.  If left unfolded, it meant the servant could remove it and you were done.  Jesus left a folded napkin!!(face cloth). HE IS COMING BACK!!!  For those of us who believe, we will live eternally!!  Halleluia.  That's a definite fave, friends!

• TULIPS!  My husband came home from work on Wednesday and surprised me with this pretty tulip plant.  The flowers haven't opened yet in this photo taken yesterday morning, but I'm guessing they will be by the end of this weekend.  Claire and I had just returned from a long, dreary day...the weather was gloomy and our moods were subdued.  We had had my elderly (age 83) dad here since Easter Sunday and we had to drive him home to his apartment off my sister's house out in Central NY.  Well, the weather was rainy, cold, icky.  We got him safely off and then drove down to my hometown area where his house is, to do some packing, etc. as we need to get his house on the market in the next month or so.  It was kind of sad, seeing the remnants of my mom and dad's life...they were married almost 60 years when she died suddenly.  And although it's already been 2 years, it seems like it just happened, and other times it seems like a long time ago. Hard to explain but these tulips really did lift my spirits.  My husband probably knew how bittersweet the day was to me. I'm so thankful for him. and I'm thankful we got to have my dad here for a few days.  His memory is failing but he is doing well physically.  I'm also thankful he knows Jesus!

• TEACUPS!  While at the hometown house, Claire and I went through the bone china tea cups my mom used to collect.  Dad had said we could choose another one (both girls received one as a Christmas  gift last year) for all of us.  My 3 younger sisters had already chosen theirs and so I chose the one pictured above.  My oldest daughter didn't want another one, my youngest sister's 2 little girls still need to choose one, and Claire took another one. We still have a few after we each get one!  We will probably sell what's left.  Now, I'm not really a tea cup kind of person.  I collect mugs from places where we travel/vacation and I LOVE mason jars for iced drinks (I save old pasta, jam, canning jars to use as glasses and have for years) and I do like drinking my coffee out of large mugs. But yesterday, I decided to enjoy my morning coffee in mom's tea cup.  It was dainty and so pretty......I thought it was a sweet way to remember her by.  I most likely won't use it every day, nor will  the girls use theirs, but just having them to remember her by is nice.  I'm thankful for the good memories. Mom sure loved collecting these!

• SPRING CLEANING!  Because I've been on spring break all week, and was home due to Dad visiting, I managed to get a good chunk of spring cleaning done.  We had 2 days of rain, so my windows didn't get done like in years past, but I will work on those at the end of May.  Once the good weather sets in, I'll have plenty of time after work in the evenings to do a room.  The cleaning I did this past week was a deep cleaning of the kitchen and half bath, as well as the family room.  I also started purging our closets of things we no longer use/wear and my teen did the same thing.  We ended up bringing 3 large bags to Goodwill and now I'm working on yet another bag!  It is a fave with me to get the house ready for the nicer months. I even managed to get a lot of yard work done to prep for sitting on the porch and deck.  And buying a new deck chair and cute pillow added to the fun!

How about you?  what blessings were in your week??

Please feel free to share in the comment section or link up your own post!

Happy Weekend!