End of January Faves

 

Here it is the end of January and a bitter cold one but hey!  The Capital Region of NY got some significant snowfall last weekend and we are happy as we need the moisture and it's nice to have a real winter. Now if the temps could just get up past 25 degrees F, I could go and snowshoe!  But way too cold for me for that activity.  

Since it's Friday, I'm here to share FIVE of my FAVE blessings from the week. Susanne continues to host this important meme and I'm thankful she does as it gets me into  the habit of finding blessings in the every day.   Head here to learn more. 

now streaming on Netflix 

based on the book by Leo Tolstoy 
the original from 1948

• MOVIE NIGHTS:  Since we were snowed in from Sunday to Monday and Saturday night was also a stay home day due to the frigid temps, I watched the entire Season 1 of Finding Her Edge in about 3 days (it's excellent and I highly recommend).  It's a good, clean, family friendly mini-series.  And on Saturday evening, we had a "Date night" in the family room.  Because we still have a good blu-ray player, Dave pulled out some old DVDs we hadn't yet watched.  We collect  movies and musicals from the 1930s-1960s and this one about AnnA Karenina was a version we had never seen.  I much prefer Doctor Zhivago to this story but it was pretty good.  Vivien Leigh of course was the big draw back then. I'm thankful for cozy nights in with my husband watching some good quality flicks. 

• CUTE CANDLE: I found this cute candle for my kitchen corner shelves at this place. It was only $5! When you light it, the snowman appears and the stars seem to sparkle/dance in the light. The scent is a bit too "perfume-y" for me so I can't have it lit more than an hour but it's so pretty in the evening when I'm cooking dinner. I'm thankful for inexpensive winter decor.  I don't have much, but I thought this was a cute addition to the kitchen. 

Tuesday morning after 1.5 days of falling snow!

• SUN ON SNOW:  We are finally having a real winter here in eastern New York State! YAY!  To me, if it's gonna be cold, I want snow and sunshine. God delivered both this week. We had more sunny days than grey and my heart was thankful. And for those of you who sent me texts or emails asking how much we received: we measured 14 inches on the deck. Light and fluffy so Dave's small snowblower was able to do the job plus we did the first 7 inches on Sunday evening.  I pushed the snow off part of the deck so I could get to the bird seed that's housed in a metal can during the winter months on the deck. I'm thankful for a real winter with snow for the water tables and for the beautiful sunshine. I'm also thankful I'm retired and don't have to go out at 7:15 AM to drive to the classroom. 😃

image courtesy of unsplash

• PRAYER POWER:  there is power in prayer and meditation. I don't know if you're a Believer but I am convinced that my week would have been emotionally draining if it wasn't for the power of prayer. One young member of my hiking group had to have a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery (her husband has given permission for me to share) due to her first ever mammo revealing cancer. (family history so she had to have one younger than the norm). Her surgery went well on Tuesday (5 hours) and she is now home and recovering well so far.  Another friend who is close to my age, my very dear friend C lost her oldest son to suicide on Sunday. My heart breaks for her and her husband and the other young adult children.  It is a tragic loss but A and K, the young couple, reported that they felt everyone's prayers and although I haven't heard yet from C I know that our body of believing friends are praying for them to have strength to get through the next few weeks which will be so difficult with all kinds of emotions. I have another college friend(Paul) who lost his oldest son to suicide and he said I had his permission to share his contact info with my friend C in case she and her hubby want to talk. Paul speaks to colleges around the Rochester area about suicide and the mixed emotions that come with it. I'm so very thankful for being able to get some peace through prayer. 

 

almond milk latte

• BREAKFAST DATE:  Yesterday morning, my cousin Trisha and I had a breakfast date per her request.  She wanted to run some things by me on a personal level and I was happy to listen.  Folks, all I can share is:  Marriage is hard work.  After she shared her heart and concerns, we also talked about the various things we have been doing in regards to the small groups we both lead (she attends a different  church from me) and what our young adult children are up to.  It was great to get together with her and introduce her to my fave coffee/breakfast place. I had an avocado on an everything bagel and it was delicious, along with my latte. Now that I'm retired, I head here once a week. I'm thankful my cousin lives close enough to me that we can get together a few times a year. I'm also thankful for the great coffee and food at Mocha Lisa's. I love supporting local businesses over chain stores. 

That wraps up my fave blessings for the past week.