January Faves

 

This has been a nice, quiet and easy week with no major obligations and I'm reflecting back on it with thankfulness and also  pausing to share five of the blessings that made me smile and thank God for.  I do this with other like-minded bloggers and we all link up at Susanne's blog.  There is always something to be grateful for and these are my top 5 of the past week. 

FIVE FAVES

• HEALTHY MEALS: I've been enjoying getting back to more healthful eating with more plant based foods/whole foods and way less sugar and animal fats unlike the holiday season. I've enjoyed steel  cut oats with cinnamon, blueberries, walnuts,  and pomegranate this past week.  When I can't get blueberries, I chop up a granny smith apple.  I'm thankful for whole foods! 

s'mores and oreo cookie Martinis
that my brother-in-law and his wife ordered

Dave stuck to zero beer

my cocktail was the snowbird
and absolutely refreshing

• DINNER DATE!  Dave and I had a dinner date late last Friday evening with Dave's brother Peter and his wife Kathy who is also my friend. We were in Massachusetts for a few days as it was our turn to help out with my mother-in-law who is still living alone at age 90 and doing very well but for her dementia. She does have an "angel helper" come in each evening except Sundays from 4 pm-7 pm to make sure she has eaten, taken her meds and do the laundry and cleaning.    We saved Friday night for going out with Pete and Kathy  and Saturday evening we ordered pizzas and salad and we all got together at my MiL's house.  I'm thankful we took the time last weekend to go out and help. Dinner and drinks were delicious too!  (I had the fish tacos which are absolutely amazing at this place). 

• HOT TEA:  I'm not a huge tea drinker and don't like most flavors. But every once in a while, especially on a cold winter afternoon or after dinner, I like a steaming mug if it's a flavor I like and am not allergic to (I'm allergic to eucalyptus and lavender and don't like most orange teas for some reason).  I found this new-to-me caffeine free herbal tea and it's like a splash of orange juice and sunshine minus the sugar. It's so very refreshing and comforting all at the same time. I enjoy it while reading in the evenings. It's got hints of oranges, floral rosehips, blackberry, and hibiscus. It claims to be a good dose of Vitamin C and says it helps to support the immune system. I honestly think it does as I was exposed to two people who had severe colds, and I have been fine.  I'm thankful I found this tea! 

• POP IN VISIT!  Our youngest girl, Claire, popped in for a very quick visit on her day off yesterday. She had an early morning physical/blood work and was returning a container she borrowed from me after her exam. She and I had a lovely time chatting about her new schedule beginning next week and I told her I'd pray for her regarding the 2 hour NYS exam she has to take today to obtain her optician license. So far,  she has done super well on all of them. Next week she begins Organic Chemistry which she didn't need for her BS degree in Sociology. She said it will only involve two evenings  of going to this campus so she's happy about that. I'm thankful she's able to hold down a full time job and take a class working towards getting into Optometry School. 

• MOVIE:  On Wednesday evening, I watched a super good, clean, family-friendly movie with one of my fave actresses in it. It's available on Netflix.  It's based on a true story about a high school girls volleyball team in Iowa and what happens when one of their best and most beloved team members dies. I'm thankful for good movies and the time to watch them. I highly recommend this if you like Helen Hunt and/or William Hurt. 

Those are just some little blessings that made up my week. 

I hope you have a good weekend!