Friday Fave Five

1. Easter. He is risen. He is risen indeed.

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. Luke 24:1-3

My church saw 1000 people come and celebrate Jesus' victory over the grave. It was a nice day for our huge production. It all went smoothly - from the Sunrise Service, to our main service, to the fun for kids, the bbq and baptism. Fantastic.
2. It's strawberry season. Grom loves them. They are a treat I'm happy to give him. Now is the best time to get 'em. Big, sweet, flavorful and packed with vitamin C.
3. My favorite shirt. You can barely see it in the picture. It's blue stripes and has a neckband that's a lovely shade of orange. I haven't been able to wear it for a long time, but I wore it today! The picture is from when Grom was about a year old. It's fun to pull "new" clothes out and finding they fit.
Similarly, when we were packing and moving our stuff for the remodel, I found a pair of jeans in a box. I'm sure I had put them away as my "fat jeans" - you know... that pair that I'd put on when I've lost all my weight to show how huge I used to be. Scarily, I got even heavier and now I have a bigger pair of "fat jeans". Here comes the good news... those jeans I found... they are too big!
4 and 5. My spa day... especially the facial and the massage with hot rocks. I'm relaxed and ready for anything. I'm thinking everyone should get a spa day after E-week. I'm going to start saving some money for next year.

It's great to look back on the week and think about my favorite things. Big thanks to Susanne at Living to Tell the Story for encouraging me and others to do it through Friday's Fave 5.

Friday Fave Five

1. Palm Sunday - And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives— the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" (Luke 19:36-38 ESV)

2. Flatbread - My church celebrates Passover with a 1st century style feast. This year, I gathered with some wonderful women and we were a flatbread factory. We made over 300 pieces. It's really easy and tasty. We had a lot of trouble with blowing electrical circuits, but once we got started... we were done before we know it. I'll post the recipe soon. I was so blessed by Dorothy, Stacey, Kristina, Lauren, Jenny and Trish.

3. We've been moving stuff all around our house. Grom has a new bedroom with his own bathroom. His new room doesn't have a closet. We are working on getting him a closet system, but until then we are making do with an armoire that we have. Grom thought it would be a good place to sleep. He had us close the doors and would've slept there all night. We moved him to his bed when we went to bed. There just something not right about your kid sleeping in a closet.

4. Dog is gone. Dog was a great Westy. At one point in our lives, Surferman was buying VW Vanagons so often that we were getting them confused. We couldn't identify them by color because we had 2 blue ones at the same time. We started an alphabetic naming scheme. Amazingly we didn't get past "D". Dog, the only surviving camper van, left our home last week. It was just time. The hardest part of selling it was letting go of all our romantic dreams of camping and traveling and surf trips and...

He's shopping for a Sprinter van now. So don't feel too bad for the man.

5. Gladiolus or Gladiola or if you have just one - Gladioli. Another of my favorite flowers. I have a big tall vase that is perfect for keeping these tall beauties from tipping over. What I love about them is that you buy them closed and they slowly open all the way up the stem. They will last two weeks; as the lower blossoms fade and wilt the upper blossoms continue to pop open. Beautiful.

I'm a little late with this week's favorites. It was a busy week, E-week (the week before Easter) always is when you work at a church. It was a great week. I pray you have a blessed week full of favorite things.

Friday's Fave Five

Friday's Fave Five is hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.

Here is how Susanne describes it...
It's a place to come on Friday's and think back over your week and just post about 5 favorite things from your week. It can be anything that tickled your fancy over the week. Favorite quotes, posts, happenings, scriptures, recipes, pictures, great internet finds, etc., etc.

1. Free vintage clip art from The Graphics Fairy. Browse around to find over 1,000 Free Clip Art images, that you can use for craft projects, collage, DIY, scrapbooking etc! The Graphics Fairy has been adding adorable images everyday since 2007. She even takes requests. I haven't used much of her stuff... yet. I love this tea cup graphic. Her terms of use are very generous. It's fun to see what she'll come up with every day.
2. Our local Apple Store and specifically their One-to-One training. For just $99 a year I can go and get all my dumb questions answered. The trainers are really good and very patient. This week I went and got help with syncing Surferman's and my calendars. I keep a running list and bombard them whenever I go.
3. Zevia Cola. I don't like artificial sweeteners. Sucralose scares me. Aspartame gives me a headache. Stevia works for me. I don't drink a lot of soda, but sometimes it hits the spot. It's spendy stuff, $1/can. It's on sale at a local health food store so I've been enjoying it a little more this week.
4. Know what else goes great with a Zevia Cola? A juicy, yummy, grilled Buffalo Burger. Trader Joe's sells them. Surferman grills them. I eat them. I wrap them in lettuce and scarf them down. On Medifast, Buffalo burgers are a great choice. I get 2 burgers as my lean for a day. That's a lot of deliciousness.
5. My Job Chart is an online Chore Chart that teaches kids to work in a fun and productive way. We have tried lots of things from printable chore charts, stickers, and magnet boards but have always had trouble with follow through. So far... Grom loves this website and it's really working. He can't wait to get his jobs done. And keeps asking me to give him more jobs.
It’s simple, it’s fun, and best of all it’s FREE! Grom get excited when he sees his points adding up. It's really exercising his recognition of large numbers. He earns points and can use them to buy rewards. He's saving right now to get to stay up 1/2 hour later. Who would've thought that's what he'd pick first.

It was a great week. Read more Friday Fave Fives at Living to Tell the Story.

p.s. Don't forget my giveaway. I'd love it if you won.

Friday Fave Five

1. Jeans! I've been wearing stretchy pants for quite a while. I have a bunch of jeans that I thought I should be able to wear at my current weight, but so far they are still a bit small. I couldn't wait so I bought 2 new pairs. I had to guess the size, and was stoked when they fit. I'm looking forward to when I can exorcise the rest of the stretchy pants from my closet.
2. Crazy Hair Day at SKC. It's hard when you're a boy and there isn't a whole lot you can do with your hair for crazy hair day. We gelled it and did our best to craft a Mohawk. It actually looked pretty cute at the end of the evening when it had wilted a bit. Fortunately no one got a picture of my crazy hair-do. Can you say pony tails? Lots of pony tails and ribbon bows. It was... very crazy.
3. Daffodils are one of my favorite bulbs. Actually I like most of the bulb flowers. In fact, I can't think of one that I don't like. Tis the season when you can buy them by the bunches at Trader Joes. Multiple bunches cost less than your typical bouquet. When they come home they are tightly closed, but as the week goes on they open up and sing their songs of spring. These kept singing, "You are my sunshine..."
4. My alarm clock collection. Don't notice all the dust. I was grabbing my phone out of the big one this week when I noticed the other two sitting right next to it. I thought it was funny that none of them read the same time and that they are all pretty useless at waking me up. I did find out this week that I wake up best to talking voices instead of beeps, buzzes or music. Surferman's alarm clock sounds like a garbage truck is coming through our bedroom wall.
5. Abraham, Isaac and the burnt offering. I taught at SKC this week. I was given the story of Abraham and Isaac. Go read Genesis 22:1-13 if you need a reminder. YIKES! I teach kids from 3 years old to 6th grade. It was challenging, but if I can teach preschoolers about Rahab, I can teach them about a Dad tying up his son to kill him and set him on fire (thankfully, that's not the end of the story). We learned about the fear of the Lord - loving God, trusting God and wanting to spend time with Him, knowing that He always loves us even though we don't deserve it or understand why.

Friday Fave Five is a meme that encourages bloggers to blog about the best things in their weeks. Join us. It's hosted by Susanne at Living to tell the story.

Friday Fave Five

1. Happy Birthday Eli! Grom's friend buddy turns 5 tomorrow. His parents threw a marvelous party for him and his little brother last Saturday. Yummy lunch, beautiful cupcakes AND a bounce house. It was a great time.
Eli is great kid. He's funny and bright. He's the brother Grom doesn't have. We nabbed him from his house today and brought him home to play. They (usually... they are boys after all) get on great and have so much fun playing each others games. Grom wants to be a robot or a hero. Eli usually wants to be an animal. Today on the way home, they were talking about how great it would be if they were attached to each other. Of course I asked questions. They both thought the best place to be joined was the feet. They also agreed that they'd have to move back and forth between houses. I am so glad they are best buddies.
2. Dream Dinners! I did a session last night. It's great to have the freezer stocked with easy food for my family. Surferman and Grom have enjoyed most of the meals. It's a lot easier for me to get dinner on the table and avoid temptation. My guys get to look forward to all kinds of yummy things.
3. Sick Kid. This one is going to sound a little strange. Grom caught something towards the end of last week that became a nasty barky cough, phlegm globbers and a fever this week. He missed school Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. He was droopy, but not crabby.
It was sweet to have extra time with him because he wasn't at school and because he was quarantined in the house. We read lots of books, cuddled more than usual and just plain had some nice time together. Chores waited.
4. A great trip to the Dentist. The news was terrible. I'm too embarrassed to tell you the results. If I could some it up... Flossing IS really important. Anyway... back to the great part. Grom's first trip to the dentist was a disaster. The kid wouldn't open his mouth for anything. It was frustrating and discouraging. Then I mislaid our dental card. I finally made him an appointment and I think we've found the best Pediatric Dentist ever. They were all so patient and did a great job of explaining and educating. Grom even got cool shades to protect against that evil light they shine in your eyes (well mouth, but you know...) And if you look at the picture, you'll see a WIDE OPEN mouth.
5. Rain. We are still getting rain. This winter has been nice and wet. I don't know how we are doing for totals, but it sure seems like more than last year. We've had some great weather patterns where it rains for a day and then clears up. We even had a 7oF day earlier this week where I was able to pull out a pair of capri pants that I hadn't been able to wear. I can hear the gentle rain falling on the roof right now.
If all of the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops, oh what a rain it would be eeeee. I'd stand outside with my mouth open wide. aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa

These are a few of my favorite things for the week. Join the fun at Living to tell the Story as she hosts Friday Fave Five every week.

Rain photo by spratmackrel

Friday Fave Five

1. Pasta and Meatballs - This is quickly becoming a go to meal for potlucks and Helping Hands meals. It's really easy. It's really yummy. And frugal. I use Party Meatballs (a little smaller) from Trader Joe's and sauce and pasta bought on sale. I add a can of cut tomatoes for that something that makes people think it was more work than it was. Some Parmesan cheese on top and you're ready to go. I took it to dinner before Bible Study this week.

2. New Socks - I've been wearing new socks this week. Love them. They are so white and soft and fit perfectly. I wonder why I don't buy new socks more often. And best of all... they match!

3. Forts - We haven't had a lot of rain this week, but still things are all wet outside. Indoor forts are the perfect activity for such climate. Grab a few tablecloths, a few clothes pins, a few clothes bins (Grom misunderstood me and brought in all of our laundry baskets) and a couple of chairs and you're good to go. Throw in a snack of multi-colored goldfishies and you're the best mom ever... at least for a little while.

4. LOST - Unless you live under a rock or don't have cable, you know that the final season of Lost started this last week. I love where they are going and it feels like we are starting to get some answers while they keep my head spinning.

5. Inventions - I found this cool website, Think! a while ago. Grom was too young at the time for any of their projects. He's not anymore. I gathered up a bunch of stuff, essentially garbage, and let him go. He made Wall-E's eyes from some TP rolls, Popsicle sticks, paper cups and a bunch of tape. I showed him some of the challenges from the blog and he wants to start giving them a go. It's fun to watch his creativity. He wants to try to make a fishing pole next.

It was a great week! Friday's Fave Five is hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story. What were you're favorite things this week?

Friday Fave Five

Friday's Fave Five is hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.

Here is how Susanne describes it...

It's a place to come on Friday's and think back over your week and just post about 5 favorite things from your week. It can be anything that tickled your fancy over the week. Favorite quotes, posts, happenings, scriptures, recipes, pictures, great internet finds, etc., etc.

1. QBs - gathering with my group of quilting friends for our monthly meeting... getting to see some quilts we made back when we made quilts... being able to help friends who aren't so good with their computers and things digital.

2. Dark Tort, another Goldy Baer mystery- One of my guilty pleasures is listening to mystery books. I don't like reading them. Barbara Rosenblatt has read all of the Diane Mott Davidson's caterer crime-solver series. She does a great job with the voices and the characters are like old friends. I listen to them when I'm alone in my car. If you ever see me sitting in my car and can't figure out why I'm not getting out, it's probably because I'm at a good part.

3. Water War Wednesday - It's a silly competition I participate in with some of the gals at the Medifast community boards. I drink water like crazy all day and report back to them how much. Last Wednesday, I was the winner. I drank over 200 ounces - if you don't want to do the math that's 25 cups! I had to get up twice during the night. I usually don't have to get up at all.

4. Laundry - or actually the lack of laundry. Surferman has been doing the laundry. WOO HOO! for Surferman. He's not so good at matching socks (I don't think I've every blogged about how much I hate wearing socks that don't match) and everything ends up on a hanger, but I'd rather fix the laundry than do the laundry any day.

5. Tobi - My good friend Tobi is heeding the call of the Lord and moving to Greenwich, London to help with a church plant. I have the privilege of being a part of her Care Team. I met tonight with a lovely group of ladies who love the Lord (and Tobi). We talked about her move and how we can support and help her. I helped her design her info card this week. It was a really cool experience. As I was working, everything just came together so easily. The font we chose was even called London. God is so good. Pray for Tobi. She plans to leave in April and has some details and loose ends to attend to.

What were your favorite things this week?

Mulligan please...

On Sunday I posted my Friday Fave Five for last week.

I guess I shouldn't write after long road trips because I managed to forget a bunch of my truly favorite things from last week. All way better than my Chuck sneakers!

Surferman and I had an overnight away together! What could be better than that?

Here's what should've been included...

1. A beautiful and plush room at the Cambria Pines Lodge complete with fireplaces, jet tub and anything we could need or want. Our stay was a gift for my birthday... a very generous and welcome gift.


2. The excitement and uncertainty of a power outage. We had power until early the next morning. We didn't have a lot of candles, but wouldn't that have been even more romantic?

3. Our stay included dinner (I had a juicy and on plan filet mignon and steamed broccoli). It was delicious. We expected breakfast the next morning, but due to the power outage I thought we'd miss out... well Surferman would miss out. I was wrong. We had a nice candlelight breakfast before we drove home and I was off to work.

Since I really like my Chucks, I guess I had 8 favorites last week.

We took some silly pictures... actually I took them and Surferman was gracious enough to pose for me so you could see our beautiful accomodations.

Surferman was really tired from the super long drive.



He had a little trouble getting comfortable on the short sofa.



so he moved to the bed.



Here's his GQ pose by the fireplace.



The tub was plenty long, but



he got thirsty before



practicing for his American Idol audition.



His crime scene photo.
I think he was trying to decide if he wanted to risk turning on the TV.
He decided against it. Smart man.

I hope you can tell we had a great time.