February Faves

Well, we made it to February and it's still bitter cold here in eastern New York State and actually all of the state is experiencing colder than average temps.  Maybe this means we won't have a wicked hot and humid summer like last July was! Either way, I'm thankful it's February which is a short month and it's now past the mid-winter mark (which is the mark half-way between the Winter solstice and the equinox) which was Tuesday 3 Feb!!  (Yes,  I tend to go by the astronomical calendar.. I think because I was a teacher my whole career)😉

I'm sharing other things to be thankful for this week.....FIVE things that make my FAVE list.  Several bloggers engage in this writing meme and we all link up at our host Susanne. Her website is here. 

image courtesy of American Film Institute
12 Years a Slave

image courtesy of imdb

• MOVIE NIGHT:  Dave had something to do on Saturday evening, so I watched this movie that is based on a real man born in the little town of Minerva here in our beloved Adirondack Mountains where I hike a lot during the warmer months. He got married and had 2 children and moved to Saratoga Springs, the small city just to the north of my home where I hang out a lot. The film was actually made on 4 different plantations in Louisiana. It's a powerful look at a horrible crime: kidnapping and slavery.   This movie is pretty graphic but oh, so powerful. May we never forget. I'm super thankful for good quality movies that give us a glimpse of what life was life for many people.The movie is based on Solomon's memoir. I highly recommend it if you like pre-Civil War era stories. (it's definitely not for children under the age of 14 in my opinion), and then on Monday night we watched the Agatha Christie mini series (3 episodes) on Netflix.  Highly recommend! I was so happy when I guessed the "who dun it"...how can you go wrong with a good Agatha Christie story? I'm thankful for good, clean shows on Netflix as it sure seems like they are few and far between on regular TV. 
  

• CHIA PUDDING:  I finally made chocolate chia pudding for Dave and I to have a dessert last weekend. It came out great and makes enough for 4-6 servings.  I liked it better than Dave did.  It's a very vegan friendly dessert with all natural plant based ingredients. I used unsweetened almond milk and the pure baking cocoa as I was out of cacao. The chia seeds make it similar to a tapioca. It's a nice treat for our one dessert a week. I'm thankful for easy, healthy recipes. 

• MUSIC:  I found a good recording on YouTube of Mendelssohn's 4th Symphony  also known as "The Italian" symphony. It had been a long time since I heard it and it's about a half hour so I did chores while listening to it.  I'm thankful for access to good music that I don't own myself. 

• FRESH CUT:  I was trying to grow my hair out longer than my shoulders.  Nope, it no longer works for me like it did in college.....I actually got it down to where it was touching my chin which is the longest it's been in 20 years.  I didn't want to go back to super short yet so chose a French bob with the back stacked a bit and the side bangs thinned out and texturized. My hair is very thick and heavy so shorter is best for my age and face. I am so thankful my stylist got me in for yesterday and that the cut is one I love. 

• MOONLIGHT:  there's just something about the moonlight on the snow that I love. I'm thankful I  caught the full moon this past Sunday night on my iphone.  It was so pretty! And no, the deck lights were not on...that's how bright the moon was! I'm thankful for all of God's creation! 

That wraps up five of the blessings that made me smile this week.  Another blessing was that we received a reimbursement  check from the Kia Fiance people because when I paid off my car last month, apparently I paid too much. That was a nice surprise. I'm also thankful I heard from both daughters via texts this week.  I'm also thankful for the body of Believers who are keeping Savannah Guthrie and her family in prayer. She is one of my fave journalists (along with Hoda Kotb and Katie Couric) and is a Christian her self. I own her book and I loved it.  What Savannah and her family are going through is heart-wrenching. I have told my ladies small group to keep praying and I'm thankful there is power in prayer. 

What about you? How has your week been?