Tuesday 4 What will we find?

1. What will we find on top of your refrigerator? Charger plates for Fall, Christmas and spring.

I also have some with snowflakes on them.

2. What will we find on your nightstand? Lamp, tray, small ceramic that holds my hand lotion, nose spray and eye drops. I have a container of water on the ceramic tray. I also have a small diffuser and fill it with lavender essential oil or a cold blend. I also put my glasses on the tray at night.

3. What is in your purse or handbag? wallet, lipstick, date book, tissues, eyedrops, tweezers, and cell phone when I leave the house.

4. What will we find on your coffee table or side tables? How about your kitchen or dining table?

We don't have a coffee table. We have an ottoman to put our feet up. I have a lamp on my side table. My whole kitchen table if full of things I am sorting as I go through boxes. There is a craft pile, a save to file pile, a shredding pile and think about it pile. I have a trash can on the floor that is filling up. When I am not sorting, there is usually a vase with flowers or a seasonal decor.

My neighbor gave us a large filing cabinet for our garage. I am going to sort things and file it into that instead of file boxes. I can keep my Bible journal and craft projects according to seasons. I will be able to sort gift bags and cards too. It will be easier to roll open each cabinet drawer instead of lifting boxes.

Friday's Fave 5 & Saturday 9

It's time to post for the Friday's Fave Five with Living to Tell the Story.

Thankful for my family. So many good things going on. My cell phone fell behind me at church on Sunday and my grandson picked it up and gave it back to me. We went out to lunch after our granddaughter finished singing for 3rd service. Later in the day I found this picture on my phone. This guy will be 12 next month and I can see that change from boy to teen. Thankful that all my grands are doing well.

 

I am thankful that the pain in my back has subsided a bit today. All was going well until Wednesday afternoon. I felt great but I think I twisted while reaching and that was not good. So after a strenuous work out, I should have rested. It is not a new injury, but ongoing bulging disc in my lower back. I have to be careful with lifting and movement that aggravates it. Could be worse!

Thankful that have made progress in the declutter department. A lot of crafts can accumulate in ten years. I plan to donate stuff to our church for the Foster Kids camp this summer. My grands no longer want to craft anymore. That's just a part of life.

Thankful for health insurance. I have the Kaiser Permanente health plan and it has covered a lot of things. They are just so busy now and some appointments take time. I have an eye appointment in 3 weeks and that is fine since I was last seen last June. My right eye is getting worse and will eventually need cataract surgery. I need a mammogram and that is set for May 1st, unless they get a cancellation. Hopefully everything will be okay so I can go on my trip to Israel in the fall. 

Thankful that I was able to meet my friend at the local Christian Coffee House this week. We work on our Bible journals and catch up with each other's life. We are both doing Max Lucado's study In the Footsteps of the Savior. She is one of my friends that I going to Israel. We are both praying the war end soon. The trip is in God's hands. She also treated me to lunch. Avocado, tomatoes, feta and arugula on a piece of thick sourdough bread. I only ate half and saved the rest for the next day.

Saturday 9: Indian Lake (1968)

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

1) In this song, a family gets on a bus and heads off on vacation. Think about the last trip you took. Did you travel by car, bus, train, boat, or plane? We went on a cruise ship to the Mexican Riviera You can see most of the days listed above. I just realized I forgot to finish the last days.

2) Once they get to Indian Lake, they swim, have a picnic and go canoeing. Are you looking forward to any of these activities this summer? Yes, we are going to a big park in June for a family reunion for my husband's side of the family. We can go on boats while there. I hope to get a little pool time. I also have a few more Disney days before June. I am blocked June and July.

3) "Indian Lake" became familiar to TV audiences because it was used in commercials for the Dodge Charger. In the 1960s, most households didn't have remote controls to enable viewers to mute or skip commercials. Today, we do. When a commercial comes on, do you watch or do you turn down the sound or, if possible, fast forward past it? We tend to record most of the things so we can fast forward past the commercials. There is once commercial I like. It is a Progressive insurance one. It is Dr. Rick that is trying to deal with clients that are acting like their parents in a dumb and predictable way. It makes me laugh. I do not like the mayhem commercials.

4) The Cowsills were a family singing group who had four Top 10 hits between 1967 and 1969. The brothers were self-taught musicians who enjoyed playing at church and school events. When their father, Bud Cowsill, became their manager, he insisted his wife Barbara and their youngest, Susan, join the band. He wanted the Cowsills to become "a latter-day Von Trapp family." Without looking it up, do you know who the Von Trapps were? Yes, they made a movie about them called The Sound of Music. 

5) The Cowsills were the inspiration for the sitcom The Partridge Family. It ran for four seasons and the fictional Partridges had three Top 10 hits, were nominated for a Grammy and made David Cassidy a star. Are you familiar with The Partridge Family? Yes. 

6) The Cowsills starred in an advertising campaign for the American Dairy Association. On TV and in magazine ads they proclaimed that "Milk is the lift that lasts." Decades later, oldest brother Bill recalled that he seldom drank milk. How about you? Do you often drink milk? Yes, I drink about 2 glasses a day and have either cottage cheese or yogurt daily. I have osteoporosis and I need the calcium and I don't want to take another pill. I do have to take Magnesium that help the absorption of the calcium.

7) While Bud Cowsill engineered the family band's success, he also contributed to their demise. The Cowsills were scheduled to appear 10 times on the influential Ed Sullivan Show but were fired after the second because Bud was too confrontational backstage. He also had a reputation for being abrasive with record company executives and concert promoters, and this affected the band's ability to find work. Do you have a hard time biting your tongue or controlling your temper? I am pretty good at keeping my self in check. But I do lose it at times with the hubby. But it does not last long. We both say it is from not enough sleep. We talked about this in our married group and we end up laughing about it. Most of us have been married 30 years plus and have learned to deal with emotions.

8) In 1968, when this song was popular, Leonard Bernstein released his award-winning recording of Mahler: Symphony No. 8. Do you enjoy classical music? Yes I do. I played it for several years when I was taking piano lessons.

9) Random question – Here we are in March. If you made any New Year's resolutions, have you kept them? Yes and I made two. Eat more healthy and declutter. I am doing well in both. I could do so much better if my back did not bother me.

 Thanks to Susanne and Sam for the memes, links are on the  left.

Tuesday 4 & Wednesday Hodgepodge

They say March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.  

March 29-31 are the "borrowing days" when weather is traditionally rough or stormy and the month was named for Mars the god of war because March was the time for the start of wars.

1.  What brings out the lion in you? What brings out the lamb? My kids have seen the mama bear in me when it comes to protecting them and my grands. I am sure they have seen the lion when they were in big trouble. They probably see more of the lamb in me now. I think they can look back and see the lamb that was me when they were younger but focused on the lion.  Not they are parents and understand. The news makes me feel like a lion, but the Lord reminds me I am one of His lambs and listen to Him.

2. What are you enjoying in terms of TV, movies or books right now? I am reading two books right now. First Light and Footsteps with the Savior.

Hubby and I enjoy watching several tv shows together like NCIS, FBI, Chicago Fire, and Boston Blue. We have been watching Survivor for 25 years. I like to see anything medical. I like to see American Idol. I have been watching When Calls the Heart on Hallmark and Call the Midwives on PBS. Season 15 of the Midwives was on last night. You can find the series on Netflix.

3. It's Spring now... are you happy to see it come?  Will you be going out more? Seems like we skipped spring and went right into summer. It was in the 90's last week and it will be in the mid to high 80's this week. But We have had cold weather hit at times as late as April. I sure hope we get some rain and cooler weather.

4.  Create an ideal weather scenario for each season.. the perfect weather for summer, spring, autumn and winter. 75 year round would be nice. Then I would not have to bring out warm clothes for a few months. I would actually like cooler weather so I did not have to run the air.

1. It's officially spring in the northern hemisphere. Does it feel like spring in your part of the world? If you're in the southern hemisphere it's officially autumn where you live. Does the weather say autumn? Which do you prefer-spring or autumn? Why? We went straight to summer here in So CA. I like spring and fall and wish they would last longer here. The only season that last too long is summer. From June-late October.

2. What's your favorite thing about spring? I like to see the flowers come back and the birds chirping. I do not like crickets and spiders that come back with the warmer weather.

3. Spring into action, spring in your step, spring to life, spring to one's feet...which spring idiom currently applies to your life in some way? Explain.  

Spring into action - I am working on decluttering several boxes in the garage.

Spring in your step and spring to ones feet: I have been doing strength training exercises and now I need to start walking at the gym.

4. Which spring food from this list is your favorite? What's a dish you like that includes your favorite spring ingredient? asparagus, strawberries, salad greens like mesclun, artichokes, spinach, eggs, peas, spring onions. I enjoy salads. I also enjoy eggs. I like most veggies. Not sure if I had mesclun. I had fresh artichokes a few years ago when were in Monterey CA. Salinas valley in known as the salad bowl capital of the US. What we are had just been picked a few days earlier.

5. What's one task on your spring-cleaning list? Do you actually have a list? I don't have a list written down, but cleaning the blinds is on my list. I also plan to paint the trim on the baseboards and trim around the doors.

6. Insert your own random thought here. Hoping the war is done soon. I am old enough to remember the Viet Nam war. So many young men died. I am supposed to go to Israel with a large group from church in October. God willing, we can still go. My son leaves in 3 weeks for Japan with his wife. I am hoping all goes well with check in and their flight.

Friday's Faves 5 & Saturday 9

It is Friday evening and the house is quiet.

I am joining Susanne and Sam for the memes below. 

Links are on the left.

Thankful for a great weekend. Our granddaughter sang again on Sunday. She loves to sing! Also thankful for the kick off to the next women's Bible study on Exodus. It was a good introduction to my Bible journaling for Tuesday.

Thankful for my Bible journaling group that met on Tuesday. All the women brought snacks, and I made roast beef sandwiches while the women had chat time before we started. I recapped last month's study and about talked about the Wise Men and the journey to Egypt. I also went over the 10 Commandments and talked about how Jesus quoted Deuteronomy and tied that to the 10 Commandments. One of the girls made each of us a bracelet. I made myself one to this week.

Thankful for our marriage group that met on Tuesday. We have lots of food there too! I am glad we can discuss the sermon and the verses covered. 

Thankful that the rest of the week was quiet and I didn't have to go anywhere. Especially since it has been in the 90's I got to watch a video for a study I am doing with Max Lucado called In the Footsteps of the Savior. It is through Faithgateway.com. I hope to get caught up this week. I got three books to do with this study. God willing, the war will be over and we can still go to Israel in October!

Thankful for study and rest on Friday. I was supposed to go to Disneyland, but it was just to hot to go and I got a lot of study time and hubby and I caught up with our shows.

Saturday 9: London Town (1978)

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

1) Have you ever visited London? No

2) In this song, Paul sings of encountering a London street musician playing the flute. Are there street musicians in your town? Not that I know of.

3) It's raining as he wanders around London. How is the weather where you are today? Hot! mid 90's.

I didn't get to go to Disneyland on Friday because of the high heat.

4) "London Town" is one of a handful of songs credited to Paul McCartney and Denny Laine, his bandmate in Wings from 1971 to 1981. They became fast friends in the mid-60s when Denny was with The Moody Blues, the band who opened for The Beatles on their final UK concert tour. Paul has acknowledged Denny's outstanding vocals and guitar playing, as well as his humor and generosity. Share the good qualities of one of your close friends. She is very generous, with her time and finances.

5) Wings broke up in 1981 when Paul decided he was weary of touring. His kids were in school, his Beatle bandmate John Lennon had been murdered, and he simply felt more comfortable staying put and working in the studio, rather than performing live. Denny believed this would mean his role, and his financial compensation, would diminish so he quit Wings. Tell us about why you left one of your jobs.

I left my job at the Treasury because I got hired at the postal service.

6) Linda McCartney also wrote and performed with Wings. In addition to music, she is known for her photography and cookbooks. Of these three – music, photography and cooking – which do you enjoy most? Music!

7) Paul's first car was a 1964 Aston Martin DB5. He selected it himself before The Beatles went off on their first world tour and it was waiting for him when he got home to London. He drove it when he shouldn't have, as he didn't get his license until spring of 1965. When did you get your driver's license?

A few weeks after I turned 16 and I am 70 now. I can't drive at night because of cataract.

8) Speaking of driver's licenses ... Last year someone bought one of Paul's expired driver's licenses at auction for $20,000. When you get a new license, passport, or state issued ID, what do you do with the old one? I got a new passport a couple of years ago. My husband had the old one put away.

9) Random question – Which do you have more of: dirty dishes in the sink or dirty clothes in the hamper? Dirty clothes. I only wash clothes once a week. Dishes are washed daily. We wash dishes as we go. If I leave dishes in the sink to get back to, they are usually washed by my hubby. 

Tuesday 4

1. Do you celebrate in any significant way? Today was my Bible journaling meet up. I did make a bookmark to pass out to the ladies with their kits I made roast beef sandwiches, and the women brought salad, deviled eggs, fruit, crackers and hummus and cookies. One of the girls made us green colored bracelets. I wore green today but forgot to take a picture. I wore green pants, a lighter green shirt that had the saying, In the morning, give me Jesus.

2. Is it religious to you or secular? It is secular.

3. Is there any green in your wardrobe? I have several shirts that are green and have a Christian saying on it. Your home? Green plants. Is it a good color for you? Its okay.

4.March has a lot of things associated with it... The Ides of March on the 15th, St. Patrick's Day and the old saying that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. How is your March going thus far?  Is it quiet? Is the weather good, bad or ugly?  Is it a lion or a lamb? It has been nice, but way to hot. We are having a heatwave in the 90's. We should still be in the 70's. But California can have crazy weather. We have had snow in May.

Friday's Fave 5+ & Saturday 9

It is Friday evening and never too late to be thankful for this past week.

It was nice to be back at our home church after visiting a satellite campus the last two weeks to hear our granddaughter sing. It was our turn to greet too. It was nice to see people get baptized and granddaughter sang Back to Life.

I was able to sleep in on Monday and Tuesday and I always appreciate sleep that is longer than 6 hours. I have been reading before bed and that really relaxes me. I am reading First Light from the AD Chronicles. It takes place around 33AD. It is historical fiction and it is a good way to learn what was happening during the time of Jesus. So thankful for a great book series!

My friend picked me up on Wednesday morning for senior fellowship. I found out my grandson was getting an award that time too. So I dropped off my dessert and headed to the school next to the church. The school meets on Wednesday mornings for chapel. The 10th-11 graders did the worship and devotion. Then they passed out the awards. My daughter in law was the moderator that day. After he got his award, I went back to the church side to join my friends for the potluck lunch before the bingo games started. Thankful that my grands can go to Bright Beginnings Academy. Thankful that our church has a fun day for the seniors and thankful for my friend Linda, who drives me around.

I am going to Israel with the three girls in the front.

Thankful that most of the family could watch my grandson's volleyball game. Thankful that my daughter could take me and then we went to my son's house for dessert. My husband brought my granddaughter over after she came home late from school.

Thankful for an awesome all campus worship night on Thursday evening.

Thankful to watch our grandson play again at their campus on Friday and they won again!

Thankful for Facebook memories, this picture came up today from 2016 ♥♥♥♥

Saturday 9: I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover (2001)

Selected in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.

1) This is one of the songs included in Willie Nelson's Rainbow Connection album. He named it after his daughter Amy's favorite song when she was a little girl. She'd been asking him to record "The Rainbow Connection" for 20 years and finally, in 2001, he came through for her. Think of something you had to wait for. Was it worth the wait? It took me 4 years to have my first baby after 3 miscarriages. It was a rough pregnancy and labor. He was worth the wait and I was blessed with two more.

2) Willie can trace his family tree back to the Revolutionary War. Are you interested in genealogy?

I was a part of Ancestry but I did not want to pay more money to learn more. I got to 5 generations past. More important to focus on the current generations.

3) Today Willie is legendary performer, but as a child, he was very uncomfortable in front of crowds. He recalled that during his school days, reciting in front of his class made him so uncomfortable he suffered nose bleeds. When did you most recently have a bloody nose? I can't remember. Maybe in high school when I got hit while playing field hockey. That would be around 1973

4) During the 1990s, Willie had problems with the IRS. His management team set up illegal tax shelters and he ended up owing millions in back taxes and penalties. This year's IRS filing deadline is Wednesday, April 15. Will you be early, on time, or will you need an extension? I hope we are on time!

5) In "I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover," Willie sings about appreciating something he has previously overlooked. Is there anything positive in your life you feel you may take for granted? At my age, I don't take anything for granted.

6) Four leaf clovers and shamrocks are considered good luck. Do you have a lucky charm? No

7) "The wearing o' the green" is one way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Will you wear something green in honor of the day? Yes, I have several shirts I can wear.

8) According to Irish folklore, if you catch a leprechaun he must either give you his pot o' gold or grant you three wishes. Would you choose the gold or the wishes? 3 wishes.

   

9) Traditional Irish stew is made with mutton or lamb, though here in the US beef is also very popular. What's your favorite soup/stew? Homemade chicken soup is my favorite. Then albondigas(meatballs) with veggies and rice. I do like shepherd's pie and I prefer lamb.

Thanks to Sam and Susanne for the memes. Links are on the left.

Friday Faves 5 & Saturday 9

Here are a few blessings for the week.

On Saturday we met up with my brother and sister-in-law at the cemetery. Then we went out to lunch at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. I am the oldest of 4 sibling and my brother is the youngest. But I look up to him for his love and wisdom. We took a picture before we parted and I posted it to our family group. Thankful for my family!

Thankful to be able to hear my granddaughter sing at the Riverside campus. After service they provided a sandwich lunch out in the patio area. This is a small satellite church and reminds me of the early days of my church. Hubby stayed home because our nephews dropped some furniture off at our house. I was sorry to hear I missed my sister. We siblings plan to meet up in the next couple of months.

Hubby and I ran a few errands on Monday and got lunch at In and Out. We relaxed and watched a few shows on tv. I am always thankful that we have a day to do errands together and time to watch our shows together.

I went to bed and prayed for the day and was tanking God for the show in the sky like the blood moon, even if I could not stay up to see it. I got up at 3:15 to use the bathroom which I rarely do. Then I remembered the blood moon. I guess God wanted me to see it too. It was hard to hold the camera steady on a closer zoom. I am thankful allowed me to see it!

I met up with a friend for coffee on Tuesday before running another errand. It was nice to get together and catch up. It is good to be able to have one on one time with a friend. We are thinking of doing Max Lucado's study on Jerusalem. My friend is going to Israel too, God willing.

Thankful for another great marriage group meeting. I took eggs sandwiches and chips and several other people brought goodies too. Hubby could not go because he had to take care a sick grand dog. Our group decided that if one person could not go, the other could still go. I finally decided to leave my other lifegroup. I kept missing meetings for various reasons and felt it was best if I left it. I still will run my Bible journaling group and some of the girls in the lifegroup are in my BJ group.

Thankful that my son and his wife could see our grandson's volleyball game with us and the won!

Saturday 9: Linger (1993)

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

1) In this song, Dolores O'Riordan of the Cranberries sings that her lover has her wrapped around his finger. Do you feel that anyone has you wrapped around their finger? No

2) This was one of the first songs Delores and Noel Hogan wrote together. They performed it often live and perfected it before going into the studio to record it approximately two years later. Because they had polished the performance and arrangement, it's not a surprise that it was the biggest hit off their debut album. Tell us about a time when your preparation paid off.  I can think of a number of things. I helped my daughter in laws with the table seating assignment for their weddings. I had the experience from making room assignments and table assignments for various women's events. I have had the chance to prepare for many things with church events and even at work. Now I try to do the same with my Bible journaling.  

3) The Cranberries believed the moody black-and-white video (linked above) playing on MTV contributed to the song's popularity. MTV and VH1 were highly influential when they showed music videos and interviews 24/7 during the 1980s and 1990s. Do you recall watching music videos on MTV and/or VH1? Yes, I did during the 80's. I would exercise with the music. Some of the videos were weird, but the music was good. I also watched BET. I stopped watching it in the early 90's. 

4) The Cranberries were founded by brothers Noel and Mike Hogan in their hometown in Limerick, Ireland. The River Shannon runs through Limerick. Do you live near a river? The Santa Ana River runs through are city. It is about 7 miles from me.

5) Fergal Lawler soon joined the brothers and became the Cranberries drummer. Today he says he enjoys listening to his early work with the group because, "Songs are like a snapshot in time." Do you often flip through photo albums and look at snapshots? I don't look often unless I want to see things from my kids. 

6) Dolores O'Riordan showed up for her Cranberries audition dressed casually in a black tracksuit with her own Casio electronic keyboard tucked under her arm. The Hogans were impressed not only by her vocals but her no-nonsense, "let's get to work" attitude. Share a memory from one of your job interviews. The last interview I had was back in 1975. I just remember being told, that postal inspectors were always in the building. 

7) In 1993, when "Linger" was released, The Nanny premiered on CBS. It's remembered today for it's catchy theme song, which tells the story of "the nanny named Fran." Can you recall the lyrics to theme of one of your favorite shows? Some of the lyrics to I Love Lucy. I love Lucy and she loves me

We're as happy as two can be.

8) In 1993, gas was $1.11/gallon. Could your vehicle use a fill-up right now? Hubby just filled it up.

9) Random question: How many pairs of shoes do you own? Maybe about 20.

Thanks to Susanne and Sam for the memes. Links are on the left.