Summer time is usually a slowing down time.....and today I'm taking time to look at the blessings from the past week and share FIVE of my FAVES. I do this with other bloggers; we link up at Susanne's...head on over to join in!
FIVE FAVES
- FRIDAY FARE: Last Friday evening, Dave and I were craving grilled burgers and I, for some reason, was craving french fries. He had to run an errand so agreed to stop and pick up a bag of fries so I could roast them in the oven (we don't do deep frying as it's so unhealthy). Dave and Courtney had a grilled beef burger and I tried a new plant-based one which ended up being delicious with all the toppings. Plant based burgers are what I've been eating since about 2014 and even though they aren't as juicy (due to no animal fat!!) they are wonderful when grilled and only take about 5 minutes! We added all the toppings: ketchup, lettuce, fresh tomatoes, pickles. I'm so thankful for easy grilled meals and eating outdoors on nice evenings.
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| Claire and I before we step out for the NYCBallet! 17 July 2021 |
- MOTHER-DAUGHTER DATE: Saturday evening was a most exciting one for Claire and I. For those of you who have been visiting this blog over the years, you have seen Claire grow up (I started the blog when she was 9 and our 2nd year going to see the New York City Ballet at our local venue, SPAC). Well, because of Covid19 last year, of course the Ballet Company couldn't perform. This year, they chose select principal dancers and a few other dancers from the corps de ballet to perform shorter selections on stage. Back in February, when tickets went on sale, I was able to snag two for the ampitheater for the All Balanchine evening. Oh what fun it was!! And because we had gifted our ticket money from 2020 back to SPAC, the artistic director invited us to free appetizers and drinks on the new Pines Terrace as a "thank you". The food was outstanding and yes there were plenty of plant-based options and excellent wine. I'm so thankful we could go to the ballet after a whole year off!
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| Saratoga Performing Arts Center at Saratoga Spa State Park as seen from the Terrace |
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| a night time view of SPAC and the walkway leading to the balcony from the great lawn |
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| the brand new Pines Terrace for Patron members with the Pines Pavillon below to sit and eat local food/drinks before the show |
- BABY LOVE: On Monday after work, I headed over to the home of church friends whose oldest boys (a set of twins) were in my classroom a couple years ago. They are 7 now and the parents also have a 5 yr old, an almost 3 year old and finally, a girl: baby H who is about 8 weeks old. I had bought the baby some fun clothing and wanted to give it to them. The twins were so excited to see me and we had such a blast talking. I was thrilled to be able to hold the baby and the boys are all thrilled to finally have a baby sister. I had so much fun that afternoon and am thankful for this family and the miracles the parents have been blessed with.
- HOUSEWORK HELP: One day this past week, I came home from work only to discover a super messy kitchen which I definitely didn't leave that way when I left at 7:30 am! (my husband's STILL working from home and is kind of a slob when it comes to making his lunch). Claire, who was home from work that day, offered to vacuum throughout the downstairs while I wiped counters and loaded the dishwasher. I'm so thankful for the help!
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| Moreau Lake at Moreau Lake State Park foothills of the Adirondacks 22 July |
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| raw veggies with limoncello hummus |
- LAKE LIFE! We live only about 35 min south of one of our very fave state parks. In fact, when the girls were very little, we would camp there. As they grew, we would have swimming and kayaking days there and more recently, we tend to just run up when the weather is awesome and we have some time. Claire had yesterday off and I get to leave the classroom at 1:30 on Mondays and Thursdays this summer, so she packed us a nice late lunch/snack and when I got home, we loaded up the car and spent from about 3:15-6 pm on the beach. The water was COLD as a cold front came through after the last thunderstorm on Wednesday evening, and brought with it nice fresh air instead of this high heat and humidity eastern NY has been having for 2 weeks along with so much rain. Yesterday was perfect. Temps in the high 70s and full sun and NO humidity.....a perfect NY summer day. I'm thankful she took care of the snacks and that she wanted me to swim with her a bit. We had a lot of fun.
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| Claire gets some sunshine |
That wraps up another week of glorious Summer.
What were your blessings this week? I'd love to hear from you!
HAPPY WEEKEND!!
4 comments:
Hi Faith. What a nice week you have had! I love that picture of you and Claire dressed up and ready to go to the ballet. Sounds like you had such a nice time. I have been thinking about trying to go more plant-based in our diet. You are such a great example of healthy eating and after the pictures I took of Charly and I this week in Sedona, it becomes clear we both need to lose a few pounds. I am going to be checking this out in coming weeks. I don't like chicken much, but Charly does, so I am going to look for some plant based alternatives, like the stuff I used to used a lot before the store quit carrying it. We shall see. Hope you have a great weekend. I will be absent from FFF today due to vacation but will post next week for sure! See you again soon!
Oh it sounds like you had a great week. Your two outings with Claire were very different but great in their own ways. My hubby does most (virtually all) of the cooking in our house but the deal is whoever cooks does not have to clear up. So I am always clearing up the kitchen lol. Have a great weekend.
I love the two outings you did with Claire. Fun!
My hubby does most of the cooking and does dishes since I have allergies to dish soap. But I load the dishwasher and put dishes and food away. Teamwork!
Enjoy y our weekend. I hope you have perfect weather.
So glad you and Claire got to go to the ballet again! It does help a lot when family members pitch in to help clean up. Sounds like a wonderful day at the lake.
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