Linking up with Amy for Five on Friday and with Susanne for Friday’s Fave Five!
1.This is the time of year that we I prune the apple tree. See all those branches growing straight up. They all need to be cut. It took me a few weeks to complete this task as I do a little on dryer days because it is hard on my neck and shoulders. I’m happy to say that I finished this week and I’m patting myself on the back. It was hard to get a good photo but in the photo on the right you can see that all the branches that were growing straight up are gone now. I’m thankful to have the strength to still do some yard work.
2. This week my Lenten Rose is making a great showing. I love this humble plant and the fact that it blooms during the season of Lent.
I’m thankful for my Lenten Rose and that it reminds me of my savior who humbled himself for all of us and died in our place.
3. The Primroses are blooming. So nice to see them appear and our littlest and youngest rhoddy looks like it will have more blooms this year than last. I’m always surprised and thankful when they pop up all on their own again and again.
4. and 5. On Wednesday I went to See’s, Macy’s, Costco and Hobby Lobby to do a little shopping for myself and others. At See’s I bought 3 small boxes of candy handpicked from lists of our families favorites. Our oldest son’s office is across the street from the mall so I delivered his and our dil’s box early. I went to Macy’s because I was ready to replace my purse. My everyday purse has to be light to start with, not beautiful heavy leather. I like pockets on the sides that my sun glass case and phone will fit in. Two main compartments to keep my wallet separated from other stuff. I had this exact purse in black and this time I went with this lighter color combination. By the time the sales person gave me some extra percentages off it ended up being half price. I also bought some items for Dear that he requested. At Costco I was happy to see they have my favorite jeans so I bought 2 pairs. They were $14.99 each! The sweater was $12.00. Then at Hobby Lobby I found three puzzles for my dear old pop. At almost 93 he enjoys his puzzles. They help his days fly by instead of drag on. I was on the hunt for bright and light pictures because the darker backgrounds are hard on his eyes. I’m thankful for such a productive outing and that I have the shekulkie (money) in my pocket to make these purchases.
Dear and I are having an early Valentine meal together on Friday. Rain is forecast for many days in a row now so we aren’t going far from home but far enough to get to a good steak house for our midday meal. Hope you all had a good week. On this Valentine weekend may you feel the unconditional love of God and pass it along to those around you…
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 
I need to take you shopping with me!! You had a successful day out! Do I also see some pretty Valentine tableware?
Happy Valentine’s Day to you and your hubby! A steak dinner sounds like a fine way to celebrate!
Good eye Cheryl. Just a couple pieces that I put out. I didn’t get the Valentine container down this year…
Love your helebores, they are much further on than mine , my snowdrops are just blooming but at least spring is on its way
Jill
Your Lenten Rose hellebores are pretty and indeed a plant worth having. I was thinking along the same lines, to get a couple of steaks for VD, light a candle and enjoy my husband’s company.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
What a lovely post! The Lenten Rose is beautiful – I’ve never seen one before. And great score on all the loot! A purse with outside pockets is a necessity in my book!
I’ve tried and failed at hellebores more times than I’d like to recount and will resign myself to enjoying your lovely specimens. Great finds and fits on your shopping trip, Ellen!
I’m so glad your shopping went so well. I usually don’t find all the things I’m looking for on one trip …
Love the primroses! So pretty. Good job on the tree trimming – I can see where that would be very uncomfortable!
Happy valentines to you and yours!
Your flowers are so beautiful and so cheery and must make you smile when you see them. Your tree pruning looks great too, you should get a great crop this year. Thank you for joining Five On Friday, Happy Valentines! xx
Love your flowers. My husband insists on doing all the outside stuff himself, so I don’t get to work in the flowers as much as I would like. Yours are beautiful. The shopping sounded great also.
How interesting that the branches grow straight up like that. The Lenten Rose is really unusual and very pretty. A successful shopping trip indeed. Really wonderful that your dad keeps busy with puzzles. happy weekend, Tammy
Such a lovely blog header! My oldest got married a year ago and is in the PNW now. Her hubs is doing his residency at Madigan. I read through your profile and see you have a military connection as well. We visited for the first time last May and I loved the area. So much natural beauty! Looking forward to another trip this spring. Visiting from the Friday Faves today…enjoy your weekend!
Washington is a beautiful state. Hope all goes well with son in law’s residency. If you are here in April you should drive north to Mount Vernon to the tulip fields!
I so enjoyed reading your post today and seeing the photos. I’ve never heard of a lenten rose but it is so pretty. And, it looks like you found some great bargains, too! I was intrigued by your header as it looks like it’s from my home state of Washington. I lived in Washington for most of my life before moving to southern California 6 years ago. Wishing you a wonderful Valentine’s Day, Pat 🙂
Pat, The header is from our son’s wedding at a ranch a little north of Kettle Falls in N.E. Washington. We live northeast of Seattle. We moved to Washington from Southern California!
You did a good job with the pruning and had a good shopping trip. The hellebores/Lenten roses are so pretty. My husband and I will have a quiet meal on Sunday evening. He has already bought me some beautiful white tulips and carnations. Enjoy your Valentine’s meal and may you have a weekend of blessings.
wow!!! where do you live that you have flowers blooming already? although we have had a VERY mild winter here in eastern NYS we def dont have flowers yet. although my indoor bamboo plant is doing well😀
what a great list of faves! enjoy your Valentine meal!! I will be traipsing around very cold and windy Boston on my youngest daughter’s first college visit……brrrrr……
happy hearts day!! God bless!
Ellen, I want to pat you on the back too! Pruning is hard work, but so nice to have the end result of a nicely shaped tree that will bear lots of fruit and not just wild shoots. I like the color of your Lenten Rose and successful shopping day for you! It’s nice to have your favorite places to stop and know you will find what you like.
I had no idea there was such thing as a Lenten rose. It’s absolutely beautiful. And I have to compliment you on your pruning. That is quite a job and it looks great. Purse shopping is one of my favorite things to do, even though I am extremely picky. I like pockets on the outside, too.
Blessings to you this Lent, Ellen.
Macy’s and See’s two great stores. Shop at Macy’s frequently, though online and unfortunately we don’t have See’s here in Georgia, but I remember them fondly from California.
Shekulkie, eh? Fun word. Russian? I have not had such a successful shopping day in a long time. I think it is good to not always have a rigid list so that when a bargain shows up it can be purchased. The puzzles are very nice. Your dad will be pleased. Enjoy your weekend after your early Valentine start.
Lenten Roses are such pretty things. I enjoy them so much just now. Great shopping buys. I hope you had a fun dinner with your husband and enjoy the rest of the weekend!
Your Lenten rose is blooming beautifully. Mine has put out one little wimpy flower so far.
Your shopping trip was great and productive. Any time you want to come do my shopping for me, let me know 🙂
You are lucky you have already flowers ! Here all is still naked and we even had frost this night ! Nice to do some shopping from time to time !
Happy Valentines weekend to you, Ellen! Hope you enjoyed your steak dinner! We will be having our favourite Chinese meal tonight.
You’ve had a very productive week & found great bargains shopping !
My mom loves jigsaws too & each year we buy her a new Charles Wysocki puzzle. Love his paintings of early American life!
Happy Valentines!
I think hellebores ( Lenten roses) are one of my favourite flowers . They are so beautiful. It’s definitely the time of year to get out in the garden. Enjoy . Barbara x
You did a great job on your tree! It looks so nice again with its spring haircut. I planted some primroses with the grandkids this week while we had a couple days of sunshine. They are very cheering but they never last long enough to suit me! My big pruning project this week was dead-heading the hydrangeas. They look so much better. My daphne is in full bloom and smells heavenly.
You sure scored on the shopping!
Happy Valentine’s Day! Holly
You have so much colour in your garden that I am envious, I have nothing but rotting green 😦
Happy Valentine Weekend to you.
What a super five. You achieved great things with your tree pruning and shopping. The lenten rose is beautiful. I hope you enjoyed your special meal out:)
Isn’t it satisfying to find all the things on your list! I haven’t been to Costco for a few weeks so I think a visit is in order. I always laugh when someone admires my sweater/jacket/blouse as much of what I wear for work comes from Costco – my corner/fashion/hardware/grocery store!
I love your hellebores (lenten rose). I don’t seem to be able to keep them alive in my garden – I have no idea why. So it’s good to see your photos.
How nice to see some blooms! I was unfamiliar with the lenten rose – will have to see if I can find one! Wow, what a lot of good deals you found. Love when a shopping expedition is so productive. I am the same way about purses – I want pockets on the outside as well as divisions inside, but not very heavy.
Oh Ellen – I’m so late at commenting on your posts this past week. We were away skiing in Quebec and I just can’t seem to get caught up! Your lenten roses always amaze me and also at how early they are compared to over here! I love your new purse – the colour is beautiful. Glad to read that you had a nice early Valentine dinner and the skies cleared!!!
Love the flowers! Oh my – you already have flowers?! I also love reading about your very productive shopping adventures.