SEPTEMBER TIME FAVES

 

Well here it is September.  Yesterday was the first day of school here in eastern NY for most of the public schools, including the one I live in. I heard the bus for the high school come down the street at 6:40 AM and said to my self: Wow.....it's been 8 years since I had to have our youngest out the door and 3 yrs to get  myself on the road to my own  classroom in the special ed PreK. Do I miss it?  sorta. 

But today I'm taking time to reflect on the past week and share FIVE of my FAVE blessings.  It's been a week of some big blessings and some little ones. Join in with us and then link up at Susanne's blog to read more faves from thankful bloggers. We give God thanks!  He is so good to us, even when life is hard or busy.  And if you can't think of any, begin with "I'm thankful I woke up today". 😊

• COUSIN TIME:  My cousin Ken, who has been single his entire life, finally made his way down from his home in the southern  Adirondacks (same road that my childhood camp was on in the 1960s/1970s!) to our place here in the Capital Region.  He arrived around noon and stayed until about 5:30.  We had a really good time and he got to know my husband a bit better.  We had grilled chicken, potato salad, cucumber salad and I had also made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies in honor of his mom (my aunt Martha) who used to give me her recipes.  She was a good cookie maker. Then I drove over to the falls that he hadn't ever seen (we live about 6 miles away) and then we all went and played mini golf and had ice  cream afterwards.  I chose the oat milk chocolate peanut butter cup as that ice cream stand actually had a few dairy free options!  We all were really thankful for this day. 

me with my slightly older cousin Ken 

Cohoes Falls
aka "the Niagara Falls of eastern NY"
30 August 2025 

Dave and Ken taking their turns
I won the game by 1 point, Dave came in 2nd
Ken was thrilled to play as it had been years since he did so

• DAUGHTER TIME:  I got to see and spend some time with both daughters this past week and I was so very thankful!  On Monday , Claire came over for dinner as she got out of work an hour early due to Labor Day and as Dave was cooking his famous Rice n Beans, a total vegan dish he makes super well that she just loves. Dave and I had taken advantage of a Labor Day sale at  a fave furniture store that morning, and although it won't be delivered until next week, we were able to give Claire the armchair and ottoman from the living room that the new chair will replace. She already had taken the matching sofa (it's an indoor wicker set from Crate and Barrel circa early 2000s and she really wanted it although the  cushions are faded).  I was thankful we  could bless her with the furniture.  Then, I was able to spend the day on Tuesday with my oldest daughter Courtney as she had the day off and wanted to go to these outlet stores with me. We had a good time shopping some great deals (I found a new pair of New Balance sneakers for less than $70!!) and having lunch together at the super good salad and wrap place there.  I also scored a good deal on a new pair of black jeans, 2 shirts for Dave for less than the cost of one of the shirts, and 5 Bath and Body Shop handsoaps with their annual autumn scents sale. The scents I bought were 2 Harvest Gatherings, 1 Kitchen Lemon, 1 Day at the Cafe (A gift for my sister Jill), and 1 Frozen Lake.  I love a good sale. I rarely spend full price on anything. I'm very thankful both girls still live in the Capital Region and that we can take time to see them. 

Courtney and Claire: SISTERS! 
pic was taken at UNH on a visit when Claire was 20
so this is about 6 years old. They pretty much look the same although Claire's hair is a bit shorter now as is Courtney's. 

Dave and I in our family room on a sunny Saturday
photo compliments of cousin Ken 

• HUSBAND TIME:  This past weekend, Dave and I had so much time together.  Before my cousin arrived, we had breakfast and coffee together and while I prepped the salads, Dave did the mowing, etc. After Ken left, we were so full from the big lunch (more like a dinner at 1 pm) followed by the late afternoon ice cream, that we opted to sit and  watch a comedy mystery together.  The movie was on Netflix and was titled The Thursday Murder Club starring Helen Mirren. Oh my. It was hilarious!  Highly recommend! Then Sunday, we had church, choir rehearsal and just hung out together in the evening reading side by side and talking. And on Labor Day, we went together to choose the armchair. It was actually fun!  I appreciate all the things Dave does around the house and yard and I just am so thankful we are still friends as well as marriage partners 35 years later! God is the  center of our relationship and I'm thankful for that, too!

a Moreau morning
Moreau Lake State Park
Wednesday 3 September

• LAKE TIME: Wednesday was such a nice day and the forecast was for cloudy on Thursday so I thought "I better get up to the lake and hike the nature trail and plop on the beach and swim in the lake at least once more before the weather turns colder and Autumn is here."  (Well Thursday ended up being sunny and warmer than Wed!) I packed my devotional and prayer journal, a fiction book, and my sneakers, plus a protein bar, some nuts, and a bottle of water. The plan was to be there from 10:30-2:30.  Well, halfway through the morning, oldest girl texted that she was taking the shuttle from her car dealer to her apt as they found some recalls that needed fixing on her Kia Soul after they changed her oil. She would need a ride back to the dealer in the late afternoon so this cut my beach time by an hour. But I was ok with that, because around noon the beach started getting crowded and noisy with moms and children of all ages since school hadn't started yet for most districts.  I thoroughly enjoyed my swim, my time with my toes in the sand, and a 1.5 mile hike.  Pics are below of my hike. I'm so thankful I live in a state where summer lingers into September and the plethora of lakes we have. Besides the two Great Lakes (Ontario and Erie), we have about  7500 lakes, rivers, streams, and reservoirs in the state.  I have been to many of them in the Adirondacks and southern tier of NYS. The one I went to Wednesday is in the foothills of the eastern ADK.  I'm very thankful for times like this. 
  

about 1/4 mile into the woods on the Nature Trail
Moreau Lake State Park loop trail 

a Little Library near 3 campsites 
and at the intersection of the camp road and the nature trail
where it loops back to lake
there is also a Little Library right at the entrance to the beach!

the trail on the back side of the lake
and almost to the end of the trail

The unguarded side of the lake....a beach
that we used to get to by kayak but
 also towards the end of the loop trail.
After Labor Day, the large main beach is also unguarded.
Many of the NYS campgrounds and parks with lakes are now swim at your own risk
even between Memorial Day and Labor Day. 

• TRUTH TIME: I'm really very thankful that a writer for this Christian magazine took the time to tell the truth.  The truth about how we get into heaven. This is a wonderful article. I hope you take the time to read it.  One day, we will all need to answer to God and our knees will bow to Jesus. Woe to those who are not ready. I'm so thankful I follow Christ and that my citizenship is in Heaven. 

Those are the things that really made me smile and give thanks to God this week. 

What about you? What are you thankful for...what blessings came your way this week? 

ENJOY THE WEEKEND!