Tuesday 4 and More.

Tuesday 4 is below the update.

The days just fly by, and it has been cold and wet for So. California. We have been in the 50's and have had a lot of rain. All our mountain resorts are covered in snow. Even our own city mountains have received snow, but none in the city. We had one day with strong winds and it blew off our patio cover. Luckily it did not damage our new solar panels. We have someone from the solar company coming out. It also looks like there is some leakage that we did not see before on the ceiling, in the area where the solar panels are. We are way above rain levels which is good because of the drought. But it has caused a lot of damage. We planned to go to one of the mountain resorts on Friday, but they are only letting in residents. Once they are able to stock markets and clear roads, they will open up. This is just all unusual or th smaller mountain communities. Overall, I am enjoying the weather. I sleep much better when it is cold. I am trying to run the heat at a minimum and we just bundle up more and drink warm drinks. The warm air kills my sinuses. 

Meanwhile, I have been snuggling up and reading or watching The Crown with hubby. I am getting ready to start a new Bible Study called Return to Me. I am also getting my next Bible journaling lesson ready for March 7. We will be going over a few verses on house/home. Here is a sample page I did a few years ago.

Last Friday my friend and I went to see the Jesus Revolution and hubby and I plan to see it together too. Great movie. I went to Calvary Chapen Costa Mesa a few times when it was in the tent and the first building. Then again when they moved to the larger facility. Met Pastor Chuck and been to Greg Laurie's church for a year before finding mine. Pastor Chuck and I went to the same high school. Loved his teaching and Maranatha music! Witnessed some of the baptisms at Pirates Cove. His timing is always right. God is in control!

It's time once again for Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.  Let's talk about cowboys this week.

1.  Do you like western style chuck wagon cooking?  Stews, chilis, beef steaks, BBQ  etc.? Yes I do like all of that but don't have it often. My mom made some great stew.

2.  Do you make a good chili, or do you know someone whose chili is the best ever? Beans, meat or both?  We do it eat a lot of pinto beans, fresh out of the pot. My husband makes it from scratch at least once a week and much healthier than canned. I like to add cumin and cheeses when I want it that way. I can't eat a lot of spicy food because of acid reflux. My daughter makes turkey chili that is very good.  Yesterday she brought us chicken soup. One of her kids prefers rice in the soup and the other noodles so she brought over both. Perfect for our rainy weather.

 

3.  Who is your favorite cowboy movie star? Michael Landon.

4.  Do you have a favorite western TV show or movie?  I am not much of a western movie fan. I did see some Bonanza. I liked Little House on the Prairie, though I am not sure that would qualify for a western.  I did read all the Wagon's West series and that was interesting. I am more interested on people lived on the farms and traveled than all the killing going on.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9 -- Mahler: Symphony No. 8 (1968)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Mahler's No. 8 is sometimes referred to as "Symphony of a Thousand" because it was scored for a large orchestra and choral force. Do you often listen to classical music?  

Not often, but I do enjoy it occasionally. I played classical music on the piano for many years. My favorite is Tchaikovsky. I had to play Waltz of the Flowers for a recital. I also like Bethoven's Moonlight Sonata. I had performance anxiety and hated recitals. I used to play the Nutcracker for my kids when they were small. My eldest son still likes it. I enjoyed the music from Disney's Fantasia, but not some parts of the movie. 

I did not care for my first piano teacher. I did like my second teacher. She took some of her students to Los Angeles to see/hear a full orchestra. It was so cool to see everyone playing their instruments. Movies would not be great if they did not have the great musicians, composers and directors.

2) This piece has solos for each of the main vocal ranges: soprano, alto, tenor, bass. Do you know which range your voice is in? 

When I was in choir at school, I was put in the alto section though I am not a true alto.

3) Historians tell us Mahler kept fit by swimming and riding his bike along the Alpine trails. What's your favorite form of exercise?

If I was able, it would be hiking. Right now, I am doing strength training/Pilates.

4) Mahler could be difficult to work with because when it came to his music, he was a stickler over even the most minor details and wouldn't give an inch. Would you rather work as part of a team or on your own? Just depend on what I am working on. A team when it is for a social event. I like Bible journaling with my friends. But I do need my quiet time alone too.

5) This week's featured artist, Leonard Bernstein, said his father didn't want him to pursue music. Instead the elder Bernstein wanted his son to either join the family business (a beauty supply company) or become a rabbi. Did your family try to influence your choice of career? Yes, my parents wanted me to go into the medical field. I got a degree in Social Ecology which is a combination of social and bio sciences. I worked in the social field for a year, while working part time at the post office. I end up with a part time job at the PO, make good money with benefits. I decided to stay there while I raised my family. I end up at the US Postal Service for 36 years.

6) Bernstein's best-known work is West Side Story. Without looking it up, can you name a song from this beloved Broadway classic? Tonight

7) Born in Lawrence, MA, Bernstein "went home" when he performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood in Lenox, MA. Tanglewood has played host to a variety of musical artists. In 2022, Ringo Starr, Bonnie Raitt, and James Taylor all performed there (with James Taylor scheduled to return this summer, as well). What's the first concert you ever attended? I mentioned going to hear an orchestra which was a concert. My first band concert was Tower of Power and Average White band, 1973 or 74? I went to hear Gloria Esteban and Miami Sound Machine in the 1980's. I also heard Linda Ronstadt in Canciones de mi Padre(Songs of my Father) in the 87.

8) In 1968, when Bernstein released this album, a sitcom called Mayberry R.F.D. premiered. It was a spin off of the highly successful Andy Griffith Show, which ran from 1960 to 1968 and is still broadcast and streamed today. Were you an Andy Griffith Show fan? I did watch it in the 60's. Barney 5 was so funny!

9) Random question: When people ask for your advice, what do they usually ask you about? Now days it is either
parenting advice or sometimes spiritual. I was a lay counselor for my church for several years.  I counseled with going through depression.

Friday Fave Five

Connecting with Susanne for today's post.

A whole week has gone by and I finally get to post. Life has been busy. I have been decluttering, 

Bible journaling, spending time with the family and reading. 

I am thankful for....

1. Sunday: Spending time with my daughter and my grands at their new apartment. So happy for them!

TV time with hubby. We continue to watch The Crown on Netflix. 

2. Monday: Spending shopping time and lunch with my daughter in law and granddaughter.

3. Tuesday: A great time of fellowship and discussion with my life group. We always have food. I took turkey and avocado mini sandwiches. Discussion was on Acts, Chapter 19. 

4. Wednesday: Wind and rain. Our patio cover came out but thankfully did not damage our new solar panels. We will be getting estimates to repair the patio. We have cold weather and rain expected for a few more days. California really needs the rain and snow to help the declining water tables.

5, Thursday: Lots of craft organization and prep for a new study that starts March 1. Thankful that my friend Linda took me to worship night.  It was great! They sang one of my favorite songs called Shout to the Lord. It always makes me thing of the time I was at a Women of Faith Conference at the Anaheim Pond, a huge arena about 25 miles from me. Our Women's Ministry would go as a large group. There was various guest artist each year, but the Women of Faith singers were also there and they sang Shout to the Lord. What made it special is that they also sang a portion of it in Spanish. It was awesome to hear the whole stadium of women singing this song. It was such a blessing. The song just brings me to tears. So thankful to share this song here!

I am posting this Thursday Night because I am going to the movies tomorrow to see Jesus Revolution.

Kelsey Grammar plays Pastor Chuck Smith. We visited his church in the early years. We also went to final church in Costa Mesa CA. I worked right behind it and would so to special events after we moved away. My husband would deliver mail to him. He was a great Bible teacher! We went to Greg Laurie's church in Riverside for a year before finding ours. He puts on the big Harvest Crusades.

If you missed my last post, I shared pictures from our Lifegroup's Valetine Tea.

 

Friday Fave Five

Another week has flown bye! Thankful for so many things. Joining Susanne for the Friday 5.

1. Church, good message and then lunch afterwards. We relaxed and watched the Superbowl.

The game was good, but I was not into the Halftime show. I was working on the bags for our Women's Valentine Tea.

2. Thankful that hubby and I got several errands to so. All grands stayed at their own homes.

We did stop by the younger grands home and gave them their Valentines cards and gifts. Older ones got their gift cards Monday evening.

3. Hubby gave me a special Valentine card on Tuesday morning along with flowers from our garden. I left him a card and a few goodies he likes. We decided we would go out next week when it would not be crowded. Plus, our fur baby needed a vet visit and after that, we decided we just wanted to stay home.

4. Thankful for my Life group Tea. Everyone brought an item to share. I brought chicken salad sandwiches on mini croissants.  There was also tuna, egg salad, and cucumber and cream cheese.

5. Thankful for blankets to keep us warm at nights and bedtime prayers that help me sleep. As I was drifting off, I realized I had not posted this. Better late than never!

Tuesday 4 Valentine's Day

 

$24 billion dollars are spent on Valentines Day gifts!  145 million cards are sent out and the average spent on gifts is $197.50 per person.

1. As a kid did you exchange Valentines at school with the other children? Yes of course! It was always a fun day. We wrote each classmate's name on the envelope. I am sure we made cards for our parents a teacher too. My younger grands are in a Christian School at our church, and they are having a Valentine's party. 

2. Do you have special traditions for the day, or does it pass on without much hoopla? My husband and I always exchange cards. We usually go out for lunch or an early dinner. We will be going out to Olive Garden on Wednesday. We went for lunch on Monday and want to and skip the business of today. We celebrated at our church's Valentine party this past Friday. We gave cards to our grandkids. The younger two got stuffed animals and candy. The older two got gift cards and candy. I noticed that Easter things are out. I will be getting things for the grands's baskets.

This morning I will be with my women's life group. We are having a Valentine Tea/Brunch. I am taking chicken salad on croissants. I also made card and a goodie bag to pass out. This was on one of the cards. I gave them a word search based on Corinthians 13, Love is.... A teacup card with their name, a paperclip bookmark and some chocolate. I am sure it will be a fun day.

3 Today is the number one top day for flower and candy gifts.  The only other holidays that approach it are Christmas and Chanukah.  Do you ever receive candy, jewelry or flowers for the day?  Which is your favorite? I do not ask for anything other than a card. We grow roses and hubby cuts them and brings them in when they are in season. I do not like him spending money on them. We had a gift card for Sees and went after we had lunch on Sunday. We both chose chocolates we enjoy. 

4. Zoos and Pet rescues will name cockroaches or unpleasant animals after your ex and issue you a certificate.  They will even write your ex's name in cat litter for you. What do you think of this "tradition"? Never heard of it and not sure how this is related to Valentine's Day. 

Sunday Stealing, 7 Layer Dip

LAYER 1: Tell us your...

* Eye color: Brown

* Hair color: Dark Brown/grey

* Height: 5 feet

* Righty or lefty: Righty

LAYER 2: What's...

* Your heritage: Legacy says 38% Spanish/8% Italian/6% Portuguese/4% Euro/ 2% Jewish..

 42% Hispanic-Americas/

* The shoes you wore today: Black tennis

* Your weakness: Collecting too many crafts.

* Your fears: Dying, not where I am going, but the process.

* Your perfect pizza: This crust, light sauce, extra cheese, pineapples and ham.

* Goals you’d like to achieve: Stay healthy

* Your first waking thoughts: I wonder how I slept and thank you God for another day.

* Your best physical feature: My hair, it is still full and has body with the curl.

* Your most missed memory: I miss my parents and grandparents

LAYER 3: Do you...

* Smoke: No

* Cuss: No

* Sing: Yes

* Do you think you’ve been in love: Yes

* Did you go to college: Yes, University of California at Irvine, Santiago College and Goldenwest College.

* Liked high school: Yes

* Believe in yourself: Somewhat

* Think you’re attractive: Okay

* Think you’re a health freak: To some extent.

* Like thunderstorms: Yes

* Play an instrument: Piano

LAYER 4: In the past month have you…

* Drunk alcohol: No

* Smoked: No

* Done a drug: Prescription 

* Made out: Kissed, yes

* Gone on a date: Went to the Sweetheart Dinner at church last night

* Gone to the mall: No 

* Eaten an entire box of Oreos: Never

* Eaten sushi: Yes

* Been on stage: Yes

* Been dumped: No

* Gone skating: No

* Gone skinny dipping: No

LAYER 5: Have you ever…

* Played a game that required removal of clothing: Yes(with hubby)

* Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: No

* Been caught “doing something”: ?

* Been called a tease: Yes

* Gotten beaten up: No

LAYER 6:

* Age you did get/hope to be married:2 days before turning 19. 

* How do you want to die: Peacefully, asleep or unconscious.

* What did you want to be when you grew up: astronomer, doctor, nurse, psychologist, Mom

* What country would you most like to visit: Spain and Israel

LAYER 7: Now tell...

* Name a person you could trust with your life:

* Name a favorite CD that you own: Amy Grant The Collection

* Number of piercings: 4 on each ear.

* Number of tattoos: 1 plumeria flower on my ankle that I got in Hawaii.

Makes me think of my time Hawaii with my family, specifically my dad, he died 8 months later.

* Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper: Local paper, School award/Engagement/Wedding

* Name a past experience that you regret: Not going into the medical field. 

Saturday 9 My Funny Valentine

Saturday 9: My Funny Valentine (1953)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this song, Frank sings that his lover is his favorite work of art. Tell us about a piece of artwork you can see from where you're sitting now. (Yes, that crayon drawing by your 5-year-old nephew counts.)

I am in bed and was looking at pictures on my cellphone. I am in a pocket letter exchange with my craft group. These are the two pages I put together to exchange. All the items are meant to be used for crafting. The color theme this month is pink!   These are baseball card pockets.

   

2) He asks her to not change her hair. When will you next find yourself in the stylist's chair? Probably in two weeks. I just colored my own hair last week.

3) Sinatra is often photographed in hats because he began losing his hair while in his 30s. He wore "a rug" for TV, concert and film appearances but really didn't like it, considering the toupee merely part of his work attire. What do you wear when you wish to appear professional? I am retired and don't need to look professional. Tonight, my husband and I are going to a Valentine's dinner party at our church. I am wearing black pants, a white top with hearts on it and a longer black sweater. I will also use a nicer purse and shoes. I might wear a little more makeup than usual and curl my hair.

4) Sinatra is best known for his singing and won an Oscar for his acting. But not many people know he liked to paint until his widow sold his paintings at auction. Do you have a secret talent? No.

 

5) As a kid, he was a paperboy in his hometown of Hoboken, NJ.  Tell us about one of your early jobs. I just went through a box of paperwork and found a resume stating the jobs I had before working for the postal service. One summer I worked as a day camp counselor. I worked 9-4 at a nice park. There were six of us and we each had about 12 kids we were in charge of. We did a lot of walking. We went to the skating rink every week and that was the best! Everyone brought their own lunch. At the end of the summer, I was tanned and fit. My sister was also a counselor. We made enough money to take a weeklong vacation to Reno NV, and Tahoe, Yosemite, San Francisco, Big Sur, San Simeon and Santa Barbara. My sister and I still had our part time evening jobs while working the day jobs. This was before we had kids.

  

This is the last Saturday 9 before Valentine's Day and so this morning we shall focus on the upcoming holiday. 

6) The holiday is also known as The Feast of St. Valentine. Do you have a special meal planned for Tuesday? My women's life group is having a Valentine's tea and there will be a lot of food. I am taking chicken salad on mini croissants. Later hubby and I plan to go to an early dinner but nothing fancy since we are celebrating tonight.

7) The phrase "wear your heart on your sleeve" began in medieval times. On Valentine's Day, men would celebrate the holiday by displaying their lady love's name on their sleeves. If you were going to adopt this custom, whose name would you wear? Jr. my hubby.

8) Women buy and send more Valentines than men do. Who received the last greeting card you sent? We are going to my grand niece's first birthday today and I have a cute Minnie Mouse card for her.

  

9) Sweethearts, those candy hearts with sayings like "BE MINE" stamped on them, began as throat lozenges. Are you fan of these little candies? No, I prefer chocolate.

Friday Fave Five

Click on the title to join in the fun!

1. Thankful for sleep! I have not been sleeping very well lately, but I did get to sleep in this morning. Our 4 grands were here overnight, along with two grand dogs and our dog. I still was able to sleep in.

Rey is momma to Minnie on the left. Minnie is ours.

Coco in 5 months and belongs to my son's family with Rey.

2. Thankful for my Bible journaling group. We have been journaling together for a year now.

I have ben journaling 7 years this month. I also journal with my grands.

We journaled the story of Ruth, Lydia from the book of Acts 

and Jerimah 31:3 (this is my page from 2017

3. Thankful for sunny weather. Today it will be 76 and I plan to sit outside to get vitamin D.

4. Thankful that my daughter is able to move into a larger apartment. Hubby and son are helping her move as I write this. She is a single, working full time and going to school. That is why her kids stay with us during the week. Thankful that we retired early and can help out with all the grands. Our younger grands stay with us on Friday. 

5, Thankful that to be able to do something with each grandchild at different times. Today Audrina and I are going shopping later today. My grandniece has her first birthday party tomorrow. Thankful that my family has stayed close. 

Tuesday 4,

Maybe we could talk about the internet this week?  

1n 1987 I took a computer class just because I wanted to learn about computers. In 1988 my job at the post office asked if I had any computer experience and I said yes. I learned a lot over the years I worked in the Marketing Dept. Working with graphics and designing posters and Powerpoint pages was fun. 

1. When did the home internet age enter your life? How much impact has it had?

In 1992 I got my first home computer. I used D-base and Excel and Word. In 1994 I started putting together the newsletters for our Women's Ministry at church. In 1999 I got a new computer and AOL. Now I was on the WWW and ready to go. I discovered all these neat homepages. I think I broke every graphic rule there was and I had an email telling me what I was doing wrong. So, I set about to learn how to do things the right way. I used PageMaker at Geocities and from there with the help of some graphic artist, I learned html. At one point I had 3 websites, a blog and an online study group and totally enjoying myself. I still have my website that has over 300 pages. The link is on the right.  I got a blogger page for fun but did not officially start blogging here until 2020 because Blogger friends did not how to work my website blog that had link to different pages. I did lots of layered pages with lots of pretty graphics. I refer to it to answer questions here. The Site Map takes to many of the pages listed. My Homework link has 4 years of monthly questions. My website has a lot and I miss the country Web home community.

2. How powerful an influence if your phone?  For instance, do you feel guilty not answering when you are busy? Do you text back immediately? Does the phone own you? Do you friends feel they should be able to monopolize your time by demanding to know where you were when you didn't answer?  Is it intrusive or welcome? 

My cellphone is important and is a minicomputer. I like to pay Words with Friends(Scrabble) on it. I don't do ay banking on it. I do here on my laptop. I work on Blogger on my laptop. I do enjoy using Facebook and Instagram. I can access my crafting group and life group from apps on my cell phone. Taking pictures, it is so convenient. I do miss using a regular camera. Messaging with my family and friends in the most important thing for me. I mostly message, so I don't use the phone as much anymore.

3. What places do you frequent on the net and by phone or PC etc.?  (pc.. personal computer , laptop, etc.)

I visit my Bible journaling and crafting groups on both, but it is much easier to read on my laptop. I like getting graphics for Bible journaling at IllustratedFaith.com and Etsy. I purchase them, download them to my computer and print them out.  I like to play music on my laptop and watch YouTube Videos.

I do a lot of Bible research online too. I used to play Farmville for 10 years on my laptop. It was fun and I could be creative. It ended at the end of 2020. It was fun but could be very time consuming.

4.   Wikipedia is editable and biased because anyone can edit the articles. Algorithms also determine what you can and cannot find on the interest. So, how much stock do you place in its information?

There is always way to find information. I don't believe a lot of things I read, especially on social media. I do my research and make my own conclusions. I prefer to do my studying in my study Bibles. My best ones have extra-large print.

You can find my post about blogging here.

Friday Fave Five

Thanks Susanne!

1. I am thankful for my grandkids. They are all so unique. I am blessed to spend time with them. Today we are going with the younger grands who we also see at church. The older grands stay with us during the week. They used to go to my church but have found another one. Though I miss all of them being there with us, I am just happy they are going to church.! The picture is from last Easter.

2. Thankful for a warm bathrobe. I have several of them. I have one that was my dad's. He will be gone 10 years on the 8th. I have 2 that were my mom's. She has been gone 12 years. I have one that was my grandmas. Funny how something simple can bring comfort, memories and warmth.

3. Thankful for being able to Bible journal with my friends. I am preparing our next lesson. Last year the topics were based on the season. This year one will be on love and the other two are about Ruth and Lydia. 

4. Thankful that hubby and I can enjoy shows that can see together. Right now, we are watching the Crown. I love things historical. We are waiting for Survivor to start back up. We have watched it for years. We also like to watch Dances with Starts.

5. Thankful for near 60's degrees today. We plan to take the dogs for a walk once we get to their house.  will end now because we are getting ready to leave. Enjoy your week ahead!