Oh my life has been busy since last Friday! It’s time to stop and think about our favorites from this last week and also to be thankful for all the good things God causes in our lives. So visit Susanne at Living to Tell the Story to join in or to see some favorites from around the world. Just want to give a shout out to our friends in Paraguay and Belgium that join in…
On Saturday we traveled across town to a friends Aunt’s funeral. You might wonder why a funeral makes my top 5 but funerals have been a natural part of my life from childhood. It was a good time of supporting the family and seeing friends and family that we haven’t seen for years. Reconnecting, encouraging and enjoying the company of loved ones from our past and present. It was especially good to see my parents, that cute couple in the collage.
On Wednesday I hosted a Tea for my Bible Study Group. It was another great time of fellowship with ladies that have had such a different life experience from me and each other. God has brought us together for a time and it’s always interesting to see how we connect and grow together.
Wednesday night Dear and I went to Ventura for a soccer game. We stopped at a restaurant for dinner first that we hadn’t been to since 1988. It was a fun evening. I’m a huge soccer fan and we got to see the Seattle Sounders our new MLS soccer team play a pre-season scrimmage game against a local Ventura team. We found one other fan from Seattle in the stands and I wore my Sounders Jersey that my son and DIL gave me for Christmas. Fun times and we won 6-1!
I really enjoy walking every week. Willow and I spotted our little Dove again yesterday. We couldn’t walk Monday and Tuesday because “Life” got in the way but it’s always great to resume and continue this discipline…
Now for #5. Yesterday I posted some ingredients that I was putting together for an experimental meal. I said I would reveal the mystery ingredient and let everyone know if it was edible. Well here’s the reveal. The not so surprising ingredients were whole grain pasta, pasta sauce, and basil. The surprising mystery ingredient was my leftover chicken salad mix from my tea on Wednesday.
Strange but true it was very good! Dear went back for seconds. It gave a creamy and crunchy texture to the pasta that was surprisingly good. So my 5th favorite thing from this week is experimenting in the kitchen and having good results! :0)
To see more favorites visit Susanne from Living to Tell the Story.
Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage unless I pay them a lot of money. I’m slowly cleaning up many posts from this time period and deleting their ugly grey and black boxes with a ransom request. Such a time consuming bother.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 
Good fave fives! walks, connecting and reconnecting with family and friends, seeing our little dove. I’ve been wondering if that little dove has a sweetheart somewhere…
Way to go…that’ how great chef’s probably do it…there goes that wondering again. Hope you have a grand weekend.
Oh, I just LUV it when kitchen experiments go well! And, you are right – you’re parents are indeed a very cute couple!
Have a great weekend ahead!
Your meal looks fantastic….i love tomatoes and cucumbers together with a little vinaigrette…your week sounds great too.
Food and Friends and Favorites … OH MY!!
Lovely lovely list. A good walk goes a long way to clear a heart and a mind.
Good Morning Ellen,
Loved reading about your “fives”. I had a funeral last week,too. I understand about why you listed yours in your group of good memories for the week. Oh, yes, Soccer! I’ve spent many an hour on bleachers watching my kiddos practice and play that game–in every weather condition (except lightning and they do call it off for that). My son is 32 and still occasionally plays on an indoor team. We have the Kansas City Wizards here in KC as our professional team. I think I have only been to one game–shame on me, too!
Your creative use of left over chicken salad sounds great—I love to combine foods like that! Sometimes great recipes result because of such culinary concoctions!
Hope you get to have many more great walks with Willow this week. My exercise will be confined to the gym for the next few days–it’s been raining this am and is supposed to snow tonight. Rats. I’m ready for some consistent warm weather!
Happy FFF! Dana
Great expierment in the kitchen! And great that it turned out! WOOHOO! Enjoyed looking at your picture collages!
Someone once asked me if my family liked it when I experimented in the kitchen. I said it all just depends on how each one comes out. 🙂 I’m glad this experiment was a success for you!
I know what you mean about funerals — though sad, they also provide some of the best family get-togethers and opportunities to connect.
That pasta dish sounds like a tasty combination!
I remember my great-aunt coming home to the Island for a visit and when she heard that there was a funeral to attend, she exclaimed “oh good!”- and then, of course, had to explain that she meant that she would get to visit with everyone…
That meal looks scrumptious!
Ladies groups are such a blessing. As is family. What a wonderful support you have in both! Your parents are so cute together.
You have had a very full week indeed! I did, too, but not nearly as a picturesque one as yours. And certainly did not involve yummy looking tea and a successful experiment afterwards!
Thanks for the shout out! I consider myself a Californian, but yes, I do live in Paraguay.
Its always fun to host a ladies tea. How nice that you have a close group of friends from your Bible study.
Hi Ellen B.,
Happy Friday!
Chicken salad in pasta. I would never have thought about mixing those two ingredients, but if your Dear went back for seconds it must have been delicious! What fun you must have had creating such a combination and it does look yummy!
Your tea looks so wonderful, but when are we going to get a close up of the table setting? Guess we’ll have to wait for Thursday!
Have a fun day!
🙂 Cori G.
It’s amazing how funerals can become like family reunions. Your pasta sounds very interesting. I need to find a good recipe for chicken salad.
Great list!
I, too, often consider funerals to be a blessing…sometimes it is the only occassions to reconnect with extended family members – and it is always nice to honor the life of the one who has gone on.
That pasta looks yummy!
What a gorgeous and delicious-looking meal, Ellen! I love your pictures and all your faves.
Have a great weekend!
What a nice week you’ve had! Looks like your tea was successful. Chicken salad pasta? You creative genius!
Such a full week … connecting with others no matter what the reason is always a favorite of mine. Your food photos made my mouth water.
Hugs and blessings,
What? It’s the weekend already? Where did the time go? Your week was certainly more interesting than mine. 🙂 Blessings!