First Week of December Faves

 

It's December!  I'm loving it. 

Today I'm so grateful for all the blessings God brings to us throughout every day, every week, all year long. I'm sharing FIVE that top my Blessings List for the past week. Join in with us over at Susanne's blog. 

the MassPike heading west
Saturday after Thanksgiving about 12 pm

• SAFE TRAVELS:  I am very thankful that after what should have been just a 3.5 hour trip (we left at 11 AM on Saturday morning from Plymouth Co MA and should have arrived in our home by 2:30 pm) which turned into a 5.5 hour trip instead, that we arrived safely and were safe on the roads. If you've ever been on the Mass Pike, you know that just west of Boston heading west towards Albany, the traffic gets insane around Worcester and typically stays that way until the NYC/Ct interchange. Well last weekend was just horrendous. There was no accident. It was just insanely packed. We spent 45 minutes just going about 3 miles. 20 mph for most of it. We finally made it to western MA where we popped off the Pike for a half hour lunch break and made it home by 4:30 pm.  Both girls were home by 6 but they left later than us and didn't have the parking lot situation on the Pike.  Although they drove in the dark, they had a much easier drive. I'm just so thankful everyone made it home safely

Nature Trail/Turquoise Trail

Mud Pond
along the Nature Trail

Moreau Lake
on the Nature Trail

last half mile of Nature Trail
at Moreau Lake State Park 

Maggie and I
Tuesday 3 December 

• DECEMBER HIKE:  I had scheduled 2 SoulSteps Hikes this month for my group and Tuesday's was one in my favorite state park just to the north of us. My new friend Maggie, who just joined my Walking Group in September and the Hiking Group in November, was the only one who signed up right away. Another woman signed up but then her mom who is elderly had a medical emergency so she had to drop out. These are my 5 fave photos from 15 that I took. Maggie and I saw that although there was some ice on the trail, it was doable as long as we had our hiking poles. We hiked the 2.5 mile loop to Mud Pond, over the ridge and then down to the lake and back to car. It was a lovely 33 degrees and the sun even came out briefly with some patches of blue sky. I'm thankful we had a nice mid-day hike and safe travels on the road. 

• BIRDS!  I'm thankful that our bird feeder and the suet hanging from the pear tree have had a lot of use this week. I've seen cardinals, nuthatches, black capped chickadees, bluejays, a downy woodpecker and a red headed woodpecker at the feeders. My husband says the red headed one is a Hairy. It's big at any rate!  We know it's not a pileated one because those are rare at our feeders and we usually don't see him until January and February. The birds typically come just after dawn and then around 4 pm before it gets dark. Although I didn't get any photos of the beautiful birds, I'm thankful we can provide food for them. 

image courtesy of Qu*nce website

• SALES!  I wanted to place an order for my husband's Christmas gift this week. I was looking for a specific type of men's sweater and discovered this website. I was smitten! How is it possible...me..who loves a good sale, good quality clothing, and fair trade practices, never knew about this  company? I looked them up and they get glowing reviews from several reputable sources, one of them being Cosmopolitan. I found exactly what I wanted for Dave and then I found the above sweater for my self to replace one that is very old and getting worn in the elbows. The prices are wonderful and the quality seems high. I'll soon find out as the items are on their way to me. I'm thankful for good sales! 

Christmas Salad
so healthy....so delicious....had no leftovers!

Some of our decorations in the church gym
where the brunch was held

A brunch favor: everyone received an ornament
with the different names of Jesus on it. 
Mine was "Bread of Life". 

a cute tree shaped fridge magnet pad and
a Loodle Doodle pen....I won this in a raffle

• CHRISTMAS BRUNCH: The class I take every Wednesday officially finished the week before Thanksgiving but the director of the class decided to have a Brunch this past week.  We all brought something to share. I made a new-to-me recipe "Christmas Salad" which I will post later this weekend. It was a hit. I'm glad I made a big deep bowl of it. It's super healthy and chock full of different berries. I also brought my homemade Chocolate-Orange Fudge.  Everyone at my table all had a great time. We watched a special video of 5 women, all who attend the class, give a short talk about what Christmas is like in their homeland.  We had women from:  China, Pakistan, Singapore, Equador and Germany. The ladies from China, Pakistan, and Singapore all sit at my table when we have class discussion.  It was fascinating to listen to their holiday traditions. They talked about family traditions, church and cultural traditions and some of the foods.  We also had a short time of singing Christmas worship songs and there was a raffle where 8 women won prizes.  3 of us at my table won a gift! At the Brunch there were about 45 women. It was a great time. I'm so thankful for my church, the various classes we can take, and the unity in Christ. 

BONUS FAVE:  BIRTHDAY SURPRISE

I came home yesterday from the chiropractor to find a package for me from my blogging friend Deb from over here. She had sent me a card, devotional book, a pair of  cozy socks, a "faith" necklace, and an ornament for my upcoming birthday. I thought that was very kind  of her! It totally made me smile and say "Thank You, God, for blogging buddies!". 

That pretty much sums up my week. 

I hope whatever plans you have for this weekend, that you pause, say Thank You God, and turn worshipful eyes towards Christ...the reason for the season.....