MAY FAVES

 

It's the end of the first week of May and wow is Spring flying by!

I'm here to share FIVE FAVE blessings from the past week.  Susanne is our hostess for this weekly gratitude meme and I'm thankful she has us doing this each week because I feel like being grateful keeps us joyful. 

image courtesy of Et*y

• DINNER PARTY:  A woman and her husband, who just joined our church in the last year,  invited Dave and I and 3 other couples to their home for a dinner party last Saturday evening.  One of the other couples (Diane and Scot) are already good friends with Dave and I and the other 2 couples (Denise and Patrick; Loretta and Ken) we know from being involved in Missions and the women's weekly class.  We all had a blast. Bettina (who is from Brazil) made amazing Brazilian rice and beans and had grilled chicken on the side along with salad.  We all brought a dish to share. Diane and I brought dessert. I had made oatmeal chip cookies and Diane's husband made an amazing peach pie. There were various wines and liqueurs to choose from. I first met Bettina when she joined my small group study last spring 2024.  We all had a really good time and played a Baby Boomer trivia game that my husband won (and he's a Gen Xer!) and then we played Penny Drop which I won first, and then Dave won.  After that, it was getting very late so we all bade Bettina and Frank farewell. It was a great way to get to know this couple and I thank God for the fellowship, food, and fun we all had. 

image courtesy of N*tflix

• MOVIES:  Sunday evening was rainy and chilly so Dave  wanted to spend time on one of his computer games in the upstairs office which left the television free in the family room.  I decided to watch this heart warming movie about a boy and his dog.  It's a very family friendly film and I'm glad I took the time to relax and watch it while sipping a mug of my fave cinnamon and vanilla tea. I'm thankful for cozy, relaxing Sunday evenings. Here's the link to the trailer. I highly recommend this movie. Then on Wednesday evening, Dave was busy doing other things and I was just wanting to relax on the couch so I watched this movie. WOW. It was very powerful.  Again, a family friendly movie.  I just adore Tom Hanks so loved watching this. 

• GOOD NEWS!  Dave and I received some very good news from Dave's work  colleague and "best friend", P from church.  P has been a widower for many years now as his wife died when their adopted daughter was just 11 or 12 yrs old. Their daughter A was born with Down Syndrome and although she is now in her early 30s, is more like being a mid-teen.  She has always lived at home of course and received special education throughout her entire life to age 21. P has been a great dad! P has been wanting to get her into a good group home for people with disabilities and she was on a waiting list for the last 3-4 yrs. She finally got into one!!  She even knows some of the other residents there and has a friendship with one of the other women.  P is now free to be more active at church and is actually joining my hiking group.  We are so thankful God has answered our prayers  for this dear brother in Christ. P's wish has been that A would be in a safe environment as he ages and that she would be more active with other people and this placement is providing all of that!  God is good. 

twins!

Mama

• BUNNIES!  We have a family of bunnies living either under our deck, pine tree or shed area.  Mama has been close by her two babies all week.  The babies tend to hang out by the kayaks and shed while Mama is all over the place.  If I open the deck door, she freezes and babies run. I was able to get these pics one morning this past week, in between rainstorms. I'm thankful for all of God's creation and we do have fun watching their antics while sitting at the dining room table in the evening when they tend to chase each other all over the yard. 

image courtesy of T*lenti website

• LAWN WORK:  I'm very thankful for my husband and after working all day yesterday at the office, he had to come home and mow the backyard.  I can no longer push the mower and it's a chore I actually miss doing.  I'm thankful he deals with most of the yard work and all the little things that the house needs from time to time (new light bulbs, electrical issues (we had two this week!), carrying heavy loads of laundry upstairs for me).  He also replaced a board on the deck that I needed him to do and after I painted it, he nailed it back in place. He also surprised me with new glass containers for leftovers I had been wanting for the kitchen but hadn't bought yet.  He chose the perfect ones, too! AND he surprised me with a pint of coffee flavored sorbetto (non dairy gelato) this week as a "just because I love you" gift. He's a keeper! I never want to take his help or his love  for granted. 

Those are just some simple blessings God brought into my life this week.

What about you? what's something small that came into your life that made you smile and say "thank You, God" ? 

HAPPY WEEKEND  and HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all you mom bloggers!!