Late Winter Faves

It's late Winter.

Almost Spring!

I am ready for longer days, milder temps, boat shoes, a light jacket, tulips,  and green grass.

For now, while we count down the days until that first day of spring, I am looking back on the week and finding five faves.  Sometimes it's tough....especially when the days just plod on during the work week.  But if we are intentional about looking, we see God's Hand in every moment and what we thought was just a regular thing might just be a blessing.

Feel free to join in and link your post up with Susanne.

• FREE BAGELS!  Last Saturday morning, for some reason, Dave and I woke up early like it was a work day.  So he decided he'd go out to our fave bagel shop and he'd buy a dozen.  He usually gets a good variety.  I rarely eat them due to the high calories but I decided I'd eat one  for breakfast with my large mug of coffee and grapefruit.  While he was gone, I made the coffee and read my morning devotional.  When he got home, he said the entire dozen was FREE!  He was even given a free container of honey walnut cream cheese.  (I no longer eat cream cheese).  He said because the store was making bagels for another store in the area, he had to wait for his order, and since he waited more than 10 minutes (he never complained, he just sat and waited) the manager gave him a dozen free bagels of his choice!!  That is a true blessing!

• DATE NIGHT!  Dave and I hadn't had a date night by ourselves in a very long time.....since his company Christmas party!  So we used a gift certificate I had for the movies last Saturday evening (we rarely go to movie theaters since we have instant streaming with Netflix) to see Hidden Figures.  What a delightful, fact-based movie and wholesome,too!  I find it sad that our children (and us parents!) never heard of these very intelligent and mathematically gifted black women who helped NASA play an important role in the American space movement.  We followed up the movie with pie and coffee at our fave local diner.  I loved being out with my husband even though the temps were only in the single digits!!

• PROGRESS.  The student I teach at the special needs preschool (I'm a 1:1 special educator for an emotionally disturbed 4 yr old), is beginning to make progress with some social skills I've been teaching him.  He literally cannot spend time (other than snack and lunch) in the main classroom due to auditory issues and lack of social skills/play skills/turn taking skills.  His hitting and kicking are decreasing as is his swearing and screaming.  I've used some play therapy techniques on him that I used to use with abused children ( he is not an abuse victim) and he is starting to show a bit of progress.  One day this week, a peer pushed him, and as he started to raise his leg to kick the peer, I signed to him 'Think, Stop" and he tucked in his head and took deep breaths and used his words to say "Leave me alone".  Baby steps but progress.  Glory to God!

• PILATES CHALLENGE!  I joined the 21 Days Pilates Challenge.  It's only 10 minutes a day so I've been doing it right after work, or about an hour after dinner and I love it. It started Monday. I'm actually really enjoying the workouts so far.  There's even a little calendar with all the workouts for each day listed.  It feels so good to cross out the day's workout and have my body a bit more balanced and stronger.

• GOOD NEWS.  I received a message from one of my younger sisters this past week that is really, in my opinion, good news.  The nursing home where our dad is living called and said the psychiatrist was taking him off one of the pyschotropic drugs he was prescribed last year for dementia as it was making him too drowzy.  I've been praying that there would be some changes in his meds so I feel very thankful for this!

That wraps up my week.  Nothing earth shattering or exciting but little blessings that God brought to our lives.

It is good to give thanks to the Lord for all things!

Have a blessed weekend!