If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.Romans 10:9 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.John 3:16
I'm currently loving the book I am reading called Sophie's Heart by Lori Wick. I have read this book several times over the years and I love it every time. I'm sure somewhere on my blog I've mentioned this book a time or two. Actually, I searched and found that I had read it for the third time in 2015. I enjoy a good book that I can read over and over every couple years or so.
Photo from the Internet
I've been craving anything sugar/chocolate lately, even more than normal. I'm trying hard to cut back and not eat this too much. I'm getting more fruit and hoping that will help cut the sugar/chocolate cravings.
I don't have anything to post on the pinnings as I don't do Pinterest any more. But if I did, I'm sure it would be all about yarn and crochet.
I'm planning on picking up lunch from the Outback because I want a salad from there. The last couple of days I've been wanting salad for some reason and I think this is where we're going (this is surely a better craving than the sugar/chocolate things).
I'm appreciating my husband very much. He is always my supporter and yesterday he talked me down off the wall several times. Funny, I had such a good report from the doctor, but there were other really stressful things going on and between God and my hubby, they calmed me down before I went too far. After a decent nights sleep and some time with the Word this morning, I'm in a much better space today.
Thanks for visiting and I hope you are having a really good day.
On Friday, I did some Bible study and finished a book I started the day before called "I Don't Work Here", which was enjoyable.
I picked up lunch for hubby and I from Texas Roadhouse. Hubby got a ribeye and a double salad and I got the Dallas Filet, baked potato and a salad. Loved it so much. I then met up with my sister and we ran to T J Maxx and Homegoods. I ended up getting a bottle of clear OPI polish and some new emery boards that I have been needing. My sister bought a new pair of shoes. After that we went to Menard's because I broke my shower head on Thursday. So I picked up a new one and we headed on home after that. I also ordered another book for my Kindle and started it.
That evening hubby and I just pieced around for dinner and we watched some of the shows we've been binging on lately.
On Saturday, we spent the day at home, which was really nice. I did 4 or 5 loads of laundry and cleaned up the kitchen and read the new book I bought on Friday. It was another good one. Then I bought another good book and started it last night. My plans are to finish it sometime today. As I finish my books, you can see them in my side bar.
On Sunday we went to church and had a really good service. Picked up something from Arby's for lunch and then took a nap and I read some and finished the book I bought on Saturday. I know it seems I've read a lot, but these books are pretty short and don't take a lot of time to read. We went back to church and then enjoyed binging some TV again. Below is the pre-recorded video of the morning sermon.
That was pretty much our weekend. How was your weekend? I'm also linking up with Hollyand Sarah at Hello Monday.
We had a nice weekend. Mostly quiet, but good. I'll start with Saturday morning. We took Lucy to the groomer's at Pet Smart. We left there and went to church so hubby could pre-record his Sunday morning sermon, which I'll share near the end of this post. We received a call from Lucy's groomer that she was ready to be picked up. We picked her up and headed home. Our groomer, Kelly B does an awesome job. It had been 2 months since her last grooming.
Before
After
We spent the rest of the day at home. I did some laundry, watched some TV, read some, read some blogs and just had a good day.
Sunday we went to church and had a good service and then picked up some lunch and had a nice nap, and I finished the book I was reading and then we headed back for the evening service.
After evening service we came home and watched a couple of shows that we are binging. I made myself sort of a charcuterie plate for dinner. Sliced banana, apple slices with some peanut butter, and crackers with some vegetable cream cheese. Delicious and so easy!
That was our weekend. So many might think it was boring, but it was just the way we like it. How was your weekend? I'm also linking up with Holly and Sarah at Hello Monday.
This is my November post of Share 4 Somethings, where I'll talk about the things I loved/disliked, accomplished, improved upon/needs improvement and something I noticed. Link-up is here.
Loved or Disliked: I'm loving watching all the Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channels and Great American Family Channel. I'm also enjoying working jigsaw puzzles.
Accomplished: I finished crocheting and gifting the baby blanket I made for our nephew's new baby.
Improved Upon/Needs Improvement: I've been pretty behind on my reading goal for 2024. I improved on this by reading several books in October and November. I still need to read 9 more to reach my goal. I probably won't reach that goal, but I'm happy with what I've read.
Noticed: Winter is here. We've had some snow a few days ago and now the temperature has dropped a lot and it appears it's going to stay this way for a bit. It's Friday night as I'm editing this post and it's snowing (really just flurries, but it looks like it's sticking). We didn't expect it. But on a Friday night when I don't have to go anywhere, I can certainly enjoy it and say, "Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!
That's the end of my Share 4 Somethings for this month. Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great weekend. Again, theLink-up is here.
From GoodReads: "Lena Stevens has lived through more than her share of troubles. After losing her mother and father when she was young, Lena learned that every kindness came with obligation. Now a widow with a small child, Lena has lost the one thing she had left: her house. She has no desire to be a burden on her neighbor, even if the man was foolish enough to promise her late husband to watch out for her. But when propriety demands a marriage, Lena makes Anker vow to annul it come spring.
Anker has longed for a wife--but not like this. A forced marriage. A pretend marriage. HeH will do what he must to protect Lena and Charlie throughout the winter. But as days stretch into months, his admiration for the spirited young woman begins to turn to something else. Something more...
Anker and Lena both had their reasons for wanting a temporary marriage. But when spring arrives, will they regret their vow to end the union?"
"The Homesteader's Sweetheart" by Lacy Williams
From Goodreads: "Homesteader Jonas White is a single father to a passel of orphaned boys--and the tiny girl whose birth changed his life and got him banished from the only home he'd ever known.
Penny Castlerock is the daughter of a wealthy banker. Far out of Jonas's reach. And the only person in the small Wyoming town who knows his secret. When a sinister threat chases Penny out of town and to the refuge of Jonas's ranch, she finds herself completely out of her element on the isolated, rustic homestead. And drawn to the handsome rancher and his patchwork family.
*single dad raising orphans *matchmaking kids *from different worlds *heroine on the run"
"An Amish Heart Awakens" by Ruth Troyer
From GoodReads. "After tragedy strikes, Lydia Miller returns to her Amish roots, seeking comfort in the simplicity of her former life. But when her young son, David, befriends the aloof and brooding farmer Jacob Fisher, Lydia finds herself drawn into a relationship she never expected.
Jacob, scarred by his own past, slowly begins to thaw as Lydia and David bring light into his life.
Together, they must confront old wounds and decide whether they are willing to embrace the possibility of new love.
Will their shared sorrows lead to healing and a chance at happiness?"
I enjoyed all three of these books. Christian Romance is my favorite genre to read..
Our oldest daughter came to town this week. She flew in on Monday and her friend picked her up at the airport and Kelli spent the first part of the week with her and her family. On Thursday, we met them in Dayton at a Cracker Barrel and had brunch together and then Kelli came home with us for the rest of her trip. I hate to say it, but I did not take one single picture of us and all the family we visited with. But here's a picture she just shared with me from her trip to Italy.
We had so much fun and good talks and visits with family. It was a wonderful weekend for sure.
Thursday afternoon after we got home, we just all sat and relaxed and enjoyed being together. Then Kelli and I left as we had tickets to go see "Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot" and she wanted to go to the Half Price Book Store first. Half Price Book Stores were our favorite family place to go almost every Saturday for many years. Great memories going there. Then we headed to the movie and checked in and then went next door to the Rusty Bucket for dinner as we still had an hour before the movie. Food was good and so was the service. The movie was very good and even opened some good chats afterwards about adoption. I don't know if all of you know our girls were adopted. They are half-sisters and came to live with us when they were 2 and 5. It was a year or so later that we actually were able to adopt them officially. Best choice hubby and I ever made!
On Friday, we spent the morning at home and Kelli and I actually got to do a week of our Bible Study in person. Here's a picture Kelli took that I stole off FB.
That evening she went and visited with her grandma and then had supper with her aunt from her biological family. I know she enjoyed the time with each of them. When she came home, the weather had cooled down quite a lot, so she did some work in the back yard that needed to be done. After a bit, I went out to help her. I think that now, I'll be able to get the rest of it finished.
On Saturday, we finished the last video of our Bible study and then got cleaned up and went downtown to visit some of the antique and specialty stores. And then we found a new used bookstore, that I've never been in before. It was such a cute place and we had a really good time.
This is the store cat. Very friendly.
Then that evening we went to my sister's and our brother and his family all came and we had so much fun together. So Kelli got to visit my whole side of the family at once. It was definitely a great evening. But again, no pictures.
We all went to church Sunday morning and it had been quite a few years since Kelli had been back to the church. It was fun for her to get to catch up with everyone there. Their daddy was installed as the pastor of this church the same month the girls came to live with us...we also moved into our new house (which my dad built) that same month! Needless to say, September, 1996 was a very wonderful and crazy month for all of us! lol
After church, we went to Kelli's favorite pizza place (they don't have them in Florida) and got lunch with Tracy's family. Again, it was a great time of catching up for Kelli. It's been over 2 years since Kelli was in Ohio.
After evening service, Kelli and I sat at the table and played a couple of games of Sequence. Here's another picture from Kelli's FB. She very graciously did not get much of me in the picture as I was already in my pj's and nobody wants to see that! lol
We all ended up going to bed a little early (at least for us) because we had to be up this morning at 5:30 to get her to the airport to go home. She's in the air over Atlanta as I'm typing this. It's been such a truly great time together!
Thanks for visiting!
Cathy
Here's Sunday morning's sermon for anyone who has been listening to this Series on Psalms.
It's Monday morning and I'm linking up with Hello Monday. We had a nice weekend and I'm going to share a little bit with you.
Friday morning hubby and I had a chiropractor appointment and after having to postpone it for 2 weeks, it was needed and enjoyed. After that we picked up hubby's mom and we went to Fazoli's for lunch and some great conversation. After that, I dropped MIL off at home and then dropped hubby off at home and I went to Walmart. We had a rather large list of things to get. I didn't get everything, but I definitely got what we needed. I did some cleaning and some TV watching and some laundry and reading too.
Saturday I finished a book and started another. Hubby had to go to church to pre-record the Sunday morning sermon for FB and YouTube and I needed to run copies of the bulletin and Sunday morning's Sermon Notes. (I'll post the YouTube video of the sermon at the bottom of this post for anyone who may be interested) After that we picked up some lunch from Buffalo Wild Wings and the evening was pretty much a repeat of Friday evening.
Sunday we had church and then grabbed a bite and came home and rested and I finished my book. After evening service we watched some TV and I did some crocheting. Here's a photo of my current WIP.
While we were watching TV and I was crocheting, this is what Lucy was doing.
Just the kind of weekend we like. Oh, and we got our dishwasher delivered and installed on Thursday. I now have a fully operational kitchen again. lol Thanks for visiting.
Books are such a big part of many people's lives. Maybe we should talk about that.
1. Do you have some books in your home? Yes. If so what subjects are they? Varied, as some are mine and some are hubby's and there may be even some of the girls' books there. Which is your favorite? Any I have by Lori Wick
2. Do you enjoy browsing around in bookstores? Yes, I do. Do you have a favorite you like to go to? Not any more really, as mostly I do e-books now.
3. Do you think real books are clutter or do you just love having them around you? I enjoy having books in my home.
4. What is the oldest book you've read and what is the newest book you've read or are reading. I would suppose the Bible is the oldest. I'm currently reading some series by Connilyn Cossette. I have talked about them frequently lately.
Thanks for visiting. Click on the blue book word at the top to link up.
I've been seeing Friday Favorites posts for quite awhile now and decided I would join in today. So, I'm linked up with Andrea and Erika.
Here are a few of my favorite recent photos:
Lucy's new harness. Unless it would come unhooked, I don't think she can get out of this one. But if she would get out the door, it also has her name and my phone number on it. Hope they are never needed.
I love these beautiful flowers on a neighbor's mail box.
Kelli gave me this Bible Study for Mother's Day...we'll be starting it soon. It's a favorite to me to do Bible studies with her.
Roses at church
My favorite tree in our yard and I especially love watching birds building nests in the bird houses.
2. Where are you in your family birth order? Do you fit the stereotype of that particular slot? In what way? I'm the middle child with an older brother and sister and a younger brother and sister. I don't really know if I fit the stereotype. You'd probably need to ask my siblings.
3. What motivates you more-a reward or a consequence? Elaborate. It depends on the task probably, but I definitely prefer a reward.
4. May 14th is National Buttermilk Biscuit Day. Who thinks biscuits deserve their own day? Do you like biscuits? Make your own? Grab one for breakfast at a drive-through now and then? Which drive-through makes the one you like best? What do you like to put on a biscuit? What's your favorite food or dish that calls for buttermilk? I like biscuits but rarely eat them. No I don't make my own. I do order them as a sandwich sometimes, but then I usually just eat the egg and meat and not the biscuit because I don't need the extra carbs. McDonald's makes a decent biscuit. I like sausage gravy on my biscuit. Sometimes I just like honey or jelly on them. I don't recall any recipes I use with buttermilk.
5. Are there any weddings on your summer calendar? What's your favorite part of a wedding/wedding reception? We have no invitations for weddings yet this year. Although, I've heard rumors of some cousins getting engaged recently. Honestly, I'm not a big fan of weddings or receptions. I know, I know, I'm weird.
6. Insert your own random thought here. I started book 2 in this series and I think it's going to be really good. I finished book 1 and immediately got this from Libby. Do you use Libby? Do you like it?
Friday - Hubby and I picked up his mom and then we met my sister and her husband for lunch. We always have so much fun being together. No pictures as all 5 of us do no like having a picture taken. We were probably about 45 minutes from home and out in the country. So we drove backroads going back home. We stopped at the cemetery because we found out that my sister's stone had been put up.
I think it turned out really well. My other sister designed it and I think it's perfect. The words are from a song called "He Who Began a Good Work in You" by Steve Green and the scripture is Philippians 1:8
Here is that song sung by Steve Green. Such beautiful and true words.
After stopping there, I found out my mother-in-law had never seen this cemetery, so on the way home, I drove by some of the homes we had lived in when I was growing up and shared some stories with her. I enjoyed it and she seemed to also. Of course, she was kind of a captive audience, as I was the one driving.
Saturday, we slept in a little and then we went to church so hubby could pre-record the Sunday sermon for YouTube and FB. I ran the copies of the bulletin and sermon notes and folded and put them together. After that, we went to Outback and I had the Cobb Salad and hubby had a combo meal of Alice Springs Chicken and sirloin. All was very good. I think that evening we watched one of the Hailey Dean Mystery Movies on Hallmark.
Sunday we went to church and picked up some lunch from a couple drive-thru's as we didn't want the same thing for lunch.He had Gold Star Chili and I had KFC. Then that afternoon I read a lot and cleaned the hummingbird feeder and got out a feeder from last year and cleaned it and made new sugar water and put them both up. We've seen 2 hummingbirds so far or it may have just been the same one that we've seen twice.
When pulling out of the garage that morning, look who we saw
peaking their head out of the birdhouse.
She's got a big ole nest inside the house.
We went back to church that evening and then relaxed for the evening watching some TV and reading. I'm currently reading another book by Connilyn Cossette. I've read 2 of her series (Out From Egypt, Cities of Refuge) I've read one from the The Kings Men Series and then realized that the The Covenant House Series came first, so I'm reading the first one in that series called To Dwell Among Cedars. I love her writing so much. If you like series and you like stories mixed in with the history of the Old Testament, I think you would really enjoy her books.
