Bits of This and That

 

It's Monday! I hope you had a great weekend. We did, though it was a very laid back, quiet kind of weekend.

On Friday morning we both had a chiropractor appointment that had been postponed twice. All is well on that front. 

After that we stopped by the church and hubby pre-recorded his Sunday morning sermon for YouTube and then we grabbed some lunch from Panda Express and took it home. I read a whole, short book and that made for a great day.

Saturday, we slept in and I did some yard work. We had lunch at Red Lobster and then came home.

Sunday, we went to Sunday School and church, took a nap at home and did a little more yard work and then back for Bible Study that evening. Watched some TV after church and I started a new book.

So what did you do this weekend?

Cathy

Linking up with Holly & Sarah.

Share 4 Somethings - April

 

Good morning!

I'm linking up with the April edition of Share 4 Somethings. We'll be talking about things we've loved or disliked, accomplished, improved upon or something that needs improvement, and noticed. 

*Loved - I've finally started using my air fryer some and I have to say, I'm starting to kind of like it. We'll see if in time I can say that I actually love it.

*Accomplished - I've finally got my reading mojo back. I've read 6 books this month, which is quite a lot for me. I've really been enjoying it too. You can check what I've been reading in my sidebar if you'd like or go to my Goodreads account.

*Needs Improvement - It's time to go through my closet and put the winter clothes away and bring out the summer ones. I also need to get rid of the clothes I haven't worn in a couple of years. I do not enjoy this task, but I do love a freshly purged closet.

*Noticed - I took Lucy out for a walk this morning and saw a beautiful hawk hanging around. I don't think he liked me taking his picture. He flew away right after taking this. Not the best picture, but the best I could get at the time.

Well that's it for April. You can link up here if you'd like.  Thanks for visiting and I hope you have a great weekend.

Cathy

Thankful Thursday

 

Good morning:

Things I am thankful for today.

*  Hubby and I are both starting to feel better.  He's still pretty racked by coughing, but most other symptoms are gone.  I also still have the cough (not quite as bad as his). Yesterday, I had my 6 month oncologist appointment and while there she decided she wanted me to have a chest Xray as she thought she had heard some rattling in my lungs. So, I had an Xray before I left the bldg. Got the word back that my lungs are all clear...Thank you God.

*  We are spending time at home this morning and then may be going out to get some lunch later. 

*  Eating a bowl of cereal this morning with fresh blueberries added. I love getting fresh berries and adding them to my morning cereal or overnight oats.

*  Bible Study - we've had to cancel a couple of our Bible Study meetings. We've had a death and also storms one night. I felt like we had lost a lot of momentum, but we met Tuesday (and we were missing at least 5 of us due to sickness and other things). But God was faithful and we had an awesome time together. I hope everyone will be back next week.

*  Frndly App - I have really enjoyed watching a couple movies this week. One was "An Uncommon Grace" and another was "Blind Date Book Club". Both are very good. Jennifer is the one who shared about "Blind Date Book Club" and I'm so glad she did. Thanks Jennifer. She is also the host of Thankful Thursday.

*  Pink clouds - I took the dog out for a short walk last evening before the sun set and I had to run back and get my phone when I saw the pink clouds. God's artistry in the sky never ceases to amaze me.

*  Reading - I always enjoy reading on my Kindle, but right now it seems my eyes do better using the Kindle App on my iPad. I think the black background with white letters is a little easier on my eyes.

God, your mercies are new every morning and I am most thankful for that.

Thank you for visiting my blog and I hope you have a great day.

Cathy

Wednesday Hodgepodge

 

1. When did you last have cancelled plans? Were you happy about that or disappointed? Since I've had this cold or whatever it is, I've been missing out on our crochet group.  I really miss being there.

2. On a scale of 1-10 how much of a planner are you? I'm probably about a 4

3. Do you have a menu plan for the week? If so tell us one or two things that are on it. If not, what's your plan for not having a plan lol? I do not have a menu plan this week. We usually decide in the morning or the night before what we'll have for dinner.

4. The Hodgepodge lands on National Bucket List Day. Do you have a bucket list? Is it written down or just in your head? What is one thing on your bucket list? If you don't have a list, what is one thing you'd add to a list if you did? Yes I'm going to make you think about it. No, I do not have a bucket list. I would like to go to Disney World with my grandson some day.

5. Rain buckets, a drop in the bucket, couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, sweat buckets, cry buckets...which 'bucket' idiom applies to your life in some way currently? Rain buckets because it seems we have had a lot of rain this year.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Thanks for visiting.  Click on the button at the top if you'd like to join in with Joyce and the Wednesday Hodgepodge.

Cathy

Bits of This and That

 Good Morning:

We've had an okay weekend. We both are still fighting whatever it is we have, but we are getting better. We spent the majority of the weekend at home. We've been allowing ourselves to rest, read, watch TV, do laundry, and just be home together. 

Little Lucy has been a little fearful for the last 2 weeks. Mostly she's been hiding out in the bedroom. Finally, she's come back out and spending time with us in the livingroom as we're watching TV or whatever. We think because we have both been coughing so much, that our loud coughs have scared her. We cannot think of any other reason why she was scared. I won't say she's completely over it, but she's much better. Lucy and I also spent time outside enjoying the beautiful weather.

Lucy out in the front yard.

I'm sitting on the front porch then this is the view across out front yard,

We did go out each day for a short time to run some errands and get something to eat. We also made it to all services on Sunday. I'm not sure how he did it (except through prayer) hubby was able to preach. I'll post Sunday's pre-recorded sermon below.

Thanks for visiting and I'd love to hear about your weekend.

Cathy

Wednesday Hodgepodge

 

1. What's a skill you think everyone should have? I believe everyone should be able to read.  I've always believed that if you can read, you can accomplish anything

2. Do you have a special place or organizational system for gift wrapping? No, not really.   Do you still buy 'real' cards to send for birthdays, anniversaries, get-well, etc? Yes, I do.

3. It's National Banana Day...are you a fan? Yes, I love bananas.  What's your favorite thing to make with bananas or, if you're not a cook, your favorite thing to eat that contains banana? Banana Pudding.  I use Paula Deen's recipe.  But I rarely make it, and normally I just eat a banana as they are...hopefully, not too green nor too ripe. 

4. Do you believe in second chances? Yes.  Elaborate. I was talking to hubby about this and he was right when he said, that we like second chances when we need them, but not always when we need to give them to others.  That's so true.  I try not to hold grudges, but sometimes it takes me a bit to get all the way there.  I'm so glad God forgives me every time I ask.  

5. What is your idea of fun? Being with friends, reading a good book, completing a crochet project, watching TV or really doing or not doing anything but just being with my hubby.

6. Insert your own random thought here.  We've had 2 funerals this week. Both were ready to meet Jesus.  But this song was played at the funeral last night and it's a favorite, so I thought I'd share it here.  If you interested, just turn up your speakers and sit back and let's praise God!

Cathy

Tuesday 4 - Let's Talk about Animals Today!

 

Animal Friends

 

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.

Let's talk about animals today!

1. What pets do you have or have you had? Do you have any now or if not, why not? Currently, we have one dog. She is ten years old. She is a lharkie which is half yorkie and half lhasa apso. Growing up, I know we had a german shepherd when I was born and then the first one I remember was named Poochie (we lived out in the country and she had free reign, when we moved to town she had to be pinned up, so dad gave her away to a neighbor that lived in the area we had lived in so she could be free again. At Christmas that year, dad brought home a miniature dachshund and that is the first dog we had inside. There were many other dogs in our lives growing up. Most of them were outside dogs. Since I've been married we have had 4 dogs (one at a time). We had a Lhasa Apso named Katie, and small mixed breed name Sophie, a larger mixed breed named Lily and then of course, Lucy.

2. How did you find names for your animal friends? What are their names? We just pick out a name that we like at the time. When we got Lucy she had a sister that was available too. I kind of wanted to get both of them and call them Lucy and Ethel. However, we ended up getting just Lucy. 

3. Any special or funny story concerning pets you would like to share?  It could be someone else's as well as your own. Lucy can be a real crazy girl even still at the age of 10. As I said above, she is half Lhaso Apso which are known for their stubbornness and she is half Yorkie which are known to be very hyper. And guess what! she brought both of those traits with her to our home. When she wants something, she can definitely out-stubborn even me. Hubby and I both know who the queen of our home is, and unfortunately, she knows too.  lol

4.   What benefit do you find having animals in your family? What are the cons of having them? The benefits are someone who loves you no matter what and is always excited to see you. Plus, she keeps me more active as I have to take her out many times a day. The con is they can also take a lot of work to take care of them and even if you are sick, they still need the care.

  

 

Thanks for visiting.

Cathy

Bits of This and That

Friday morning hubby and I went to Dayton to court to watch this little girl being adopted by her stepdad. She was so happy and excited. This is the little girl and her mom who lived with us for about a year when she was about 6 months old. We are nana and papa to her. Her new dad seems to be such a really nice guy. He has been part of her life since 2015 and it's so obvious they love each other. Unfortunately, I have not done very well in keeping up with her, but I hope to change that.  She is the sweetest 11 year old I know.  I intentionally did not show full on face photos as her mom does not put them out on social media too much.  I'm so glad I got to go and she was so happy to see me as I was her. 

Her mom took this as I was getting ready to leave. 
Unfortunately, I already had my coat on. 
I hate not being able to show her face,

The rest of our Friday and Saturday were very quiet and relaxing. On Sunday we had Sunday School, Church and Sunday evening Bible Study. Below is the pre-recorded Sunday morning sermon.

Thanks for visiting.

Cathy

Currently and Wednesday Hodgepodge

and

I'm linking up with Jennifer for the April Currently Post. I'm also linking up with Joyce for the Wednesday Hodgepodge. 

*Loving - The new purse I bought on Amazon. I've been searching for a new purse for months and finally made the decision and I love it.

*Looking Forward To - Hearing all about my daughter's trip to Italy.

*Buying - I just bought a new pair of shoes.  They are just like my old ones that I have absolutely worn out.  Here are the new ones.

*Planting - Nothing at the moment.  But I bought this at Home Goods on Monday and love the little pop of color in my house.

*Cleaning - I'm currently working in my craft room.  I accomplished quite a bit last night.  No photos.

1. What's a talent you wish you had? I would like to play some stringed instruments, such as guitar, harp, ukelele, etc.

2. In one word, what's your state of mind right now? Rested is what first comes to mind...I slept better last night than I have in a while.

3. What's the next major purchase you need to make? Will it happen this month? This year? We really don't have a major purchase to make that I'm aware of.

4. Tuesday (April 2nd) was National PB and J Day...did you celebrate? Is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich something you eat weekly or more? What's your favorite kind of jelly? No I didn't celebrate, however I do like a PB&J and the jelly would be strawberry.

5. Are you easily intimidated? Who or what intimidates you? Sometimes, I'm very easily intimidated, but I'm learning to forge ahead and do what I need to.

6. Insert your own random thought here. A month or so ago I decided to try making Overnight Oats and now I am hooked.  In fact, I'm finishing up my breakfast of Overnight Oats as I'm working on this post.  Below is a photo of the bottle I use to mix them in.  I made this last night before bed.  There are some fresh blueberries, sliced almonds, cranberries, chocolate chips, vanilla, and Stevia along with the oats and milk.  Yummy!  A different taste in every spoonful.

 Thanks for visiting and the link-ups are at the top of the page.

Cathy

Bits of This and That

 

Good morning!

We had a very nice, quiet Easter weekend. It's been good. After church on Sunday, we picked up some lunch and brought it home and then relaxed and tracked Kelli flying to Milan, Italy with her husband and his mom and aunt. They left Tampa around 12:30-1:00 and arrived in Milan about 12 hours or so later. Hubby saw on the app that they had landed and then just a short time later, she texted and let us know they arrived safely. Mom and dad then went to sleep peacefully.

Gorgeous photo from their first day

Such a cute photo

What a beautiful place and a beautiful couple. 
I told Kelli I need a picture like this, but with no sunglasses. lol

Kerri and her family went to church with a friend and then they had lunch together and later a swim. 

Precious Family

My Cutie!

I think he likes his Easter basket!

Here is the pre-recorded sermon from Sunday morning.

Thanks for visiting.

Cathy