It's Thursday!!

(playing offering for church last Sunday)

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...  It's beautiful.  In the 80's for temperatures.  Clouds in the morning and sunny during the day.  I had someone tell me today it was too hot here.  That's okay.  I love it.

I am thinking...  I'm always thinking.  Thinking about stuff to do.  About summer.  About family time.

I am thankful...  I am grateful to the Lord for providing for the needs of my family.  I am thankful for my church and my friends.  Thankful for my health.  Thankful for my house.  Thankful for my family.

In the kitchen...  Lots of zucchini and lettuce from the garden lately.  On Sunday, we took 35 POUNDS of zucchini to church.  I felt really bad about taking that much and dumping it on our friends.  I included recipes for several dishes incorporating zucchini.  By the end of the evening service, all the zucchini was gone!

 zucchini and green beans

We've got leftover spaghetti for dinner tonight.  I've got lots of salads on the menu.  It gets to be this time of year and I crave some good grilling food too.  Steaks, hamburgers, marinated chicken thighs. YUM!

I am wearing... I've got on green shorts and a blue tee shirt.  My feet are bare.  My hair is pulled back out of my face.

I am creating...  My little student has his last piano recital tomorrow.  Piano lessons will continue through summer break but no more recitals until fall.  Today we made candy bouquets for achievement prizes for the piano students.  I also managed to haul to loads of mulch in my truck and spread them last Monday.  Then my truck broke.  The power steering went out.  But we've got a part on order and it should be repaired shortly. 

 candy bouquets

I'm wanting to get started sewing the crib set for my granddaughter.  I was wanting reliable transportation before I go look at fabric. 

I am going...  We're down to using the Toyota as a main vehicle and it's not running properly.  Because of that, I've been sticking close to home, unless one of my friends wants to come and get me.  It's not so bad.  I LOVE being home.

I am praying...  Praying for my friend Tonya's husband Paul.  He is Army Reserve and currently deployed in Afghanistan.  The base he is on, Bagram AFB has been hit pretty hard recently by the Taliban and four soldiers were killed day before yesterday.  Praying for Paul's safety.

Praying also for our little friend Anna.  She got to return 'home.'  Everyone in the family is excited to have her back.  I'm praying for being cancer free and for a speedy recovery aided by the love of her 11 siblings!

Praying for my grandbaby and her parents.  Praying for far away family.  Praying for the Lord's blessing on our little family.

I am reading/watching...

I am reading By Reason Of Insanity by Randy Singer.  He is an interesting author.  His writing style is similar to John Grisham.  He characters usally have some kind of Christian background and/or testimoney.  He writes clean.

We're watching Emergency and a few other things.  Love that Netflix!  I also found several made for t.v. movies about Emergency on Youtube.

I am looking forward to...  My girlfriend Tonya and I are planning a childless girl date next week.  A bit of window shopping, fabric purchases, lunch and maybe an iced coffee.  It will be fun!

From the learning rooms...  It's officially summer break.  My student took his achievement test last Friday.  He passed with flying colors.  His overall grade average was 5.6 (fifth grade - six month)  His highest two scores were Language/Spelling at 6.8 (sixth grade - eighth month) and Reading Comprehension at 6.0.  His lowest score was Mathematics Concepts and Problems  at 5.1 (fifth grade- 1st month).  He just finished 3rd grade!  I'm pretty proud.  I am very pleased with the curriculum we use, Landmark Freedom Baptist. 

Around the house...  We're smelling a smell coming through the vents around the foundation and floors of the house.  It's like a gray water, weird smell.  So my husband called one of the landlords to alert them.  Now he's suited up in coveralls headed under the house for them to see what he can see.  (IF) a landlord comes over. . . I will feel the need to be OCD and clean house, dust, vacuum, wash windows, polish floors. . .  Ahhrrrggghh!!  

But actually my house is pretty clean.  We had a young, missionary to Australia stay with us the last 2 days.  

I've got more company coming over 4th of July when a friends daughter, Kelly,  arrives to visit her boyfriend. 

A favorite for today...  I pinned this on Pinterest recently.  It is sooo me!

A peek into my week... Tonya, the girls, my student and I traveled to the fair this week.  We had a great time!  The food was greasy but filling.  The company, spectacular.  It was great fun to do all the people watching!

 sammy and sully posing

 Tonya and Catherine

 face painting

 giant, fast slides

 Catherine

 Ferris wheel rides

 top of the ferris wheel looking down.  you can see all the crowds entering at the center of the picture.

 funny posing!

That's all dear friends.  Have a great weekend!

Thank you again Simple Woman for giving me inspiration when I can't find any on my own!

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Hello Friday

It's Friday

Outside my window...  We have our June gloom here in the mornings.  It's cloudy in the mornings and by 10 a.m. the clouds have burned off and temperatures start increasing.  The past few days we've had highs of around 80 degrees.

I am thinking...  I am thinking I have a bit busy the last few weeks.  Doing things such as yard work and running around.

I am thankful...  I am always thankful to God for what he has given me over and above what I could ask or even think of.  I am so thankful.

Luke 6:35  " But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil."

In the kitchen...  Oh. . .  from the kitchen came good things.  Last night we had Cheesy Taco Soup with homemade corn chips sprinkled on top of each serving.  From the kitchen tonight we had vegetable pizza with garlic ranch sauce on the crust.

 

Those are my zucchini fries.

I am wearing...  I'm dressed cool today with a pair of tan shorts and green smocked tank top.  I've been working outside a lot this week and have had to change clothes several times.  This has led to a little more laundry.

I am creating...  It has been requested that I make the crib set for my new granddaughter.  I've got to get started on it.  I have yet to pick out the fabric but have some things I like.  The color is PURPLE!

I am going...  I am not planning on going anywhere that I can predict in the next few days.  Our big FAIR is scheduled to start soon and I want to go and spend a day there.  I'd also like to use our Legoland tickets and take one more trip there as an end of school celebration.

I am praying...  Continuing to pray for my little friend Anna-Renee.  She's had some good reports lately.  She does have a wonderful PHYSICIAN!  Praying for travel mercies for far away families.  Praying for my married children and my granddaughter, yet to be born.  Praying for my witness and spiritual growth. 

 

(Anna-Renee)

 

 I am reading...  I'm reading a silly book therefore not worthy to be mentioned.

We started a new series on that my boys really love.  But it does have a fir amount of witchcraft in it.  It's called Merlin.

 

 I am looking forward to...  Praying that one of these days I'll get to go camping, before it gets too hot around here.

From the learning rooms... My student worked ahead and has had the last two days off.  I'm going to try an work in an achievement test next week.  The test is not required, I'm just curious.

Around the house...  I bought a pair of 'satin' sheets made from polyester yesterday.  Not sure that I like them.  The blankets and pillows keep falling off the bed!

A favorite quote for today...  

 "When you focus on being a blessing, God makes sure that you are always blessed in abundance."~ 

 Joel Osteen

One of my favorite things...  I love the smell of Baby Magic Baby Bath.  And Pampers baby diapers. Really. . .  I'm weird.

 

 A few plans for the rest of the week:  We're picking in the garden in the morning and passing out lettuce and zucchini to the neighbors.  Not sure what our family activity will be for the day.

A peek into my week...

We attended a wedding on Sunday afternoon.  A young couple in our church got married.  Her colors were purple and teal.  Many of the ladies that attended the wedding were also wearing a dark apricot color.  All the colors were pretty together.  It was a Mexican wedding with lots of traditions thrown in.  

 

 This is the centerpiece I made for the wedding reception head table.

I took my husbands TOY over to my friend Tonya's this week and helped her do yardwork.  We used the TOY to pull some big bushes out of the yard.  It was sooo FUN!

 I was able to bring some of the bushes home.  I think they are Bird of Paradise, Banana Palm and another type of palm tree.  Yesterday and today I planted my 'free' trees out by my garden.

(My many thanks goes out to Simple Woman's Daybook who hosts a gathering over on her blog.)

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