Thankful Thursday

I'm going to Ireland. I think it's finally starting to settle in, which is helpful since I leave in a week. I'm excited about the adventure, I've never been overseas and I'm going by myself, so I hope to come back with all kinds of fun stories and pictures and a list of places to visit the next time I go :) I'm blessed that I am able to go, that I work somewhere that I can take off long enough for a trip overseas, that I know numerous people who have been and loved Ireland and have given me recommendations and warnings. So yeah, it should be good times :)

 

A couple of my friends recently lost their baby at 38 weeks of pregnancy. They had a beautiful funeral earlier this week and hundreds of people came to show their love and support for the three of them. I pray that if anything like that ever happens to me that I will have the grace and faith to face it like these two amazing parents did. I am still and will always be in awe of them. May God continue to bless this them, they are such a beautiful example to the world.

 

I've been sharing a lot of music lately, and yes, I have another group for you today :) This singer has some fun and upbeat songs as well as some mellow music. The singer is Tift Merritt, check her out!

 

 Tift Merritt

Hopes too High

 

It's Holy Week, in case you missed it ;) Enjoy the Easter Triduum, it's a wonderful time to take a closer look at what it means to be a Christian and how much our Lord loves us. On that note...

 

At this moment I am thankful for...

(1) Holy Week. I love the traditions of the Catholic Church. Each Mass or service done in rememberance of what Christ went through. It's a week I should spend more time remembering the rest of the year.

 

(2) Ice cream :) It always makes me happy and despite what some people may say, is fabulous anytime of the year, despite how cold it is outside.

 

(3) Faith. The faith that I have, the faith of my friends and family. A life lived in faith is filled with joy, with hope and love and that's the kind of life that I choose to live.

 

(4) Bubbles. Everyone should have a bottle of bubbles handy, incase of mood/stress emergencies. I watched a friend's 21 month old the other day and he loved loved loved chasing after bubbles. They are fabulous, no matter how old you are. 

 

(5) Strawberry Limeade. They are fabulous, I'm addicted. They make me think of warmer weather. So good!

 

(6) Hobby Lobby. I was there a few days ago with a couple of my fabulous friends and I just love that store. I love that they're closed on Sundays too.

 

(7) Cookie dough. Every girl should keep a container in the freezer, incase of emergencies.

Thankful Thursday!

Yet another Thursday is her and almost gone.  Yesterday was absolutely beautiful here and I was able to bike in to work, which was wonderful! I just received my Amazon order yesterday and in it was a fabulous cook book that I love love love that my aunt introduced me to. It's a little dated (I think the copyright is 1997) but the recipes are great and the ingredients, for the most part, are things that I always keep on hand.  Anyways, you should check it out and pick it up if you ever see it at a garage sale or used book shop.  The title is...Taste of Home Low fat Country Cooking yes, it says low fat and yes the recipes are still fabulous. I made the strawberry iced tea recipe last night and loved it.  It's been a good week here, and hopefully a good week will follow!

At this moment I am thankful for...

(1) The ability to ride my bike, go hiking, canoeing or whatever else I feel like doing. I'm thankful I'm healthy

(2) Ice Tea. It just makes me happy and reminds me of summer :)

(3) Farmer's Markets. Our big outdoor one starts up on Saturday and I will totally be there!

(4) Fresh Flowers. A lovely lady that used to work in my office brought by fresh daffodils this morning and they are just so wonderful and springy. I love have flowers have the ability to make you smile, even if you don't want to.

(5) Friends. I know I say that a lot but I am so thankful for my friends, far and near that help me get through the day to day. That love me just the way I am. That make me laugh and feel loved. I love you all!

(6) Grilling out. Brats, burgers, pork chops. They are all fabulous. And even better when shared with a great group of friends/family.

(7) The Internet. I'm going on a little trip and I don't know what I would do if I couldn't instantly get all my travel questions answered. It's fabulous and we're spoiled :)

Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday

It's Tuesday, almost the middle of April, already. The sun is shinning and it's going to be a beautiful day! My weekend was wonderful, with lots of outdoor time on Sunday, which was just gorgeous! I finished up some of the projects that have been lying around my apartment. All in all it was a lovely weekend and now I'm in the midst of another week and ready to take on the world, or at least my little corner of it :) Since I've been all about fun peppy music lately, so here's something fun get you going through the rest of the week. Enjoy!

Sound of Sunshine

Michael Franti & Spearhead

It's Friday!!!

So Friday is finally here and I'm super-excited for a relaxing weekend.  I'm actually staying around home this weekend (shocker, I know), so I'm hoping to be productive (I know I say that all the time, but this time I mean it!) and if the rain and thunderstorms we're supposed to have ever take a break then I'll hopefully get to play outside a bit and enjoy the beginning of spring!  Next week starts our big outdoor farmer's market around the capital and boy am I excited!  I should probably spend this weekend going through  my pots and figuring out what I want to plant. I've been dying for some fresh herbs, and I'm just no good at keeping house plants alive, so I'm ready for the warm weather to stick them out and watch them grow.  Below is a fabulous Friday video by Elizabeth and the Catapults (which was also in the movie "New in Town" which I love), it just makes you want to get up and dance :) Enjoy and enjoy the weekend!

Chicago and Siblings

It was all about Chicago over the weekend, which I'm ok with every now and then. I got to spend a lovely weekend with my older brother walking the city, visiting the Art Institute (which is amazing and I could easily have spent the whole day exploring), eating fabulous pizza and just enjoying each other's company. It's interesting how sibling relationships change as you grow up but how the love and support never change, but see to grow deeper. The five of us kids are extremely different, yet I love each of my brothers and sisters and couldn't imagine life without them. They help keep me grounded, keep me striving to be a better person, challenge me to take the next step, the next adventure that's waiting around the corner. God gave us siblings to teach us how to love inspite of our differences.



Love as they loved

I found this picture a while ago and have no idea where it came from but I absolutely love it. It's a beutiful portrayal of the Holy Family with a bit of a more modern twist. I love the look between Mary and Joseph. I love the placement of her hand on his arm. You can just feel the love, the uncertinty of things to come, the trust, the strength, the encouragement. There is just so much emotion, it's beautiful, and if I ever find it's origin again I would love to order a print and share the mast behind the work with all of you.

During this Lenten season I think it's good to reflect on Jesus' entry into this world. On the family that brought Him up. On our own families and relationships. We need to remember what a gift life is. What a gift each day is and remember to love as Mary and Joseph loved, as Jesus loved us.