Category Archives: Fave Five on Friday

Friday’s Fave Five…

This week for my favorites I’m showing 5 photos that are my favorites from this past week…

I’m already excited for next week. Easter is my favorite holiday and I love Holy Week and looking forward to Easter Sunday. I’m  looking forward to Good Friday’s Fave Five!

And lastly this sign I drove by this week made me laugh out loud and call my sister right away cuz we always share weird things we read on bumper stickers, etc!

 

I’m glad we believe in Eternal Security…

For more Fave Fives please visit Susanne at Living to Tell the Story! Thanks Susanne for hosting this great weekly exercise…

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.

Friday’s Fave Five!

This past week has been full of some memorable events. Seems most of these events centered around food. Makes me wonder if I should just give up on losing weight, but this is a post about favorite things so onward and upward.

Topping the list of favorites was the fact that our daughter was here with us for several days. We walked on the beach, did some vintage shopping, attended her good friends wedding, and ate a lot of good food.

Worship on Sunday was really powerful with a challenging sermon about the Holy Spirit. There was a wonderful sense of unity in the Body that was really cool.

Katie and I made a trip to Glendale Forest Lawn and it was stimulating to see so many beautiful works of art. The grounds are so well kept and the little churches are filled with beautiful stained glass.

This is the Wee Kirk O’ the Heather at Glendale Forest Lawn

One of the favorite food items this past week was this hot fudge sundae Katie and I shared at the Tam O’ Shanter after our trip to Glendale Forest Lawn. It is served with the original fabulous C.C.Brown’s hot fudge that seriously tastes like very good candy! I can’t remember the last time I had a Hot Fudge Sundae! I’m salivating just thinking about it!

On Wednesday I met my Women’s Bible Study ladies at Cheesecake Factory to celebrate Fran’s birthday. We had such a great time laughing and enjoying each others company and celebrating Fran! Ok I’ll go ahead and show you what I ate…

So anyone want to place a bet on whether or not I gained weight last week??

Please visit the lovely Susanne at Living to Tell the Story to join in the fun or to see other Fave Fives!

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.

It’s Mostly About Food Glorious Food…

 

So here we are at the end of another week looking back at some favorites we all experienced. Susanne at Living to Tell the Story is the hostess for this weekly event.

Funny but most of my favorites this week are food, food, food. It’s a wonder I can still fit into some of my clothes.

 

1. Oh how I love it when the Fresh from the fields Strawberry Stands open in Southern California. I got a box from my favorite stand this week and they were so fresh and delicious…

2. My family really enjoys artichokes! I made some for my kids when I was in Seattle and decided to treat Dear and I to some when I got back to Southern California. Oh so good! Dear likes to dip his in traditional Mayonnaise. I like to dip mine very gingerly into Ranch dressing. My kids like to dip them into Italian dressing.

3. A new favorite I’ve bought a couple times now from Trader Joe’s is their Chimichurri Rice with Vegetables. Oh how I love the flavor of this dish and the spicy zing!  We had it as a side with our Barbecued Salmon last night and my taste buds were so happy.

4. When I was at Costco this week I was excited to see Clam Chowder in their frozen section from The Splash Cafe in Pismo Beach. Dear and I had some at the cafe when we were in Pismo Beach and this brought back some good memories. I couldn’t resist and bought some for a meal soon.

5. The last item is not food. I have been looking for a container of some sort to put my different tea-bags in so I don’t have to open 6 boxes every time I’m serving tea for Bible Study. I found this cute ceramic napkin holder at T.J. Maxx that works just right for me!

Ok I have an extra favorite and it’s not food!

I have really enjoyed The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter series by Susan Wittig Albert! The library found me the latest in series and I’m excited to read it.

To see more favorites or to join in visit Susanne at 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.

Friday’s Fave Five ~ Seattle Style

It’s time to consider the past week and to record some of our favorites!

Susanne at Living to Tell the Story is our trusty hostess for this weekly event.

 

My favorites are all about family, friends, food, fun and the Father.

Since I’m in Seattle this week instead of Southern California I’ve been able to spend time with my adult children. We’ve enjoyed meals together, conversation, laughter and work. They are really into playing Rock Band and it’s been fun watching and listening to them enjoy this interactive game.

I’ve run into friends this week and it’s been fun catching up. On Saturday I’ll be walking with my buddies on our 6 mile Burke Gilman walk. Maybe I’ll have a picture to share next week.  Willow ~ Saturday will be my first walk since last Thursday when we walked…yikes!

This week the theme for my 40 day Journey with Jesus is my relationship with God the Father. It’s amazing to be reminded about what love the Father has for us and to respond to that love. I also treasure the beautiful things He’s created for us to enjoy like this scene on Lake Washington from Kirkland, Washington.

 

I have my yearly this morning so I’ll try to get around to your favorites later today. Have a wonderful Friday everyone.

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.

Friday’s Fave Five

Welcome to Friday’s Fave Five hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.

 

1. On Saturday Dear and I opted for a hike instead of a beach walk because of high tides. We drove to Sycamore Canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains to hike up to Scenic Point. On the way we stopped on Pacific Coast Highway to watch some Dolphins swimming and breaching the surface of the water. So cool. This hike really gets our hearts pumping and it’s good for us.

2. The skies have been less than boring this past week in Southern California. I always love to see cloud formations and I was rewarded this week with fun skies.

3. I added the photo of the path from our hike to single out another favorite this week. Our church, Bible Studies, Small Groups are all on a 40 day journey together that we started on Ash Wednesday. We are setting aside 15 minutes a day for 6 days a week to reflect on what it means to follow Jesus. It has been a blessing already. Dear and I are hosting a small group every Sunday where we discuss what we’ve learned and encourage each other to continue our journey with Jesus.

4. So I was brave enough to show a photo of me working out on the Bowflex. I have a love/hate relationship with exercise but I always feel so much better when I put in the effort.

 

5. You have to look really really close and even with my prompt you might not see the sweet Hummingbird that Willow and I saw on our walk yesterday. So what does that have to do with favorites? My favorite thing any week is seeing and appreciating what God has created for us to enjoy. When I’m out walking or hiking I love that God has opened my eyes to appreciate His wonderful creation.

Oh and next Friday…my favorites are going to be all about the great Northwest because I travel to Seattle on Saturday to spend a week with my kiddos!

Click on over to Susanne’s to see or join in on posting your favorites from the week.

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.

From Flowers to Reality T.V. Friday’s Fave Five…

Whoa…where has the week gone? It’s time to look back and pick some favorites. There is so much to choose from. Susanne has room for you to join in if you’d like to post your Five Favorites from the past week. Click over to Living to Tell the Story to join on in or see some Favorites.

One of my favorites are these new bookcases that Dear put together and I filled in our Living Area. We are really enjoying the new look this achieved and I’m enjoying seeing some of my pretties out from their hiding places.

 

My next favorite is being surrounded by live flowers this week. We bought a few Gerber Daisies at the Farmer’s Market and then on Valentine’s Day our kids sent us the beautiful bouquet of Lilies. (Of course that bouquet is my very favorite because they came unexpectedly from our kids) Then I got 2 dozen free roses from the little Thrift store I frequent. I think that God is so good to us to have created flowers of so many colors and varieties for us to enjoy. Don’t flowers just make you smile??

Call my next favorite a confession of my not so secret obsession. I love Reality TV. Not all Reality mind you just Biggest Loser, American Idol, Top Chef, Amazing Race, Project Runway, and Survivor. Can you still be my friend after I’ve made this confession? Good thing we have DVR so I don’t have to be home every night to watch these shows! For those of you who watch Top Chef, Fabio’s restaurant in Moorpark is not that far from us so Dear and I plan to go soon…

 

Onward and Upward…my next favorite was weather in Southern California this past week. Look at the contrast over a 24 hour period in Southern California. Tuesday Evening we had those great clouds that had brought rain earlier in the day and then the next afternoon not a cloud in the sky. It’s been cooler, too, which is a nice change for us in Southern Cal.

Last for this week are Willow and my walks and the fact that Dear and I continue to work out on the Bowflex and try to get our walking in too. We are starting to see and feel some results which are motivating us to continue. Us older folk need to keep our muscle tone up… Willow and I took photos of each other this week on a fun little path behind her neighborhood. We promised each other not to take photos of our behinds going up the path and steps. Little favors go a long way with body self esteem :0)

Maybe next week I’ll be brave enough for Dear to take a photo of me grimmacing on the Bowflex!

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.

Friday’s Fave Five~

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.

Friday’s Fave Five

Our first Friday in February. Time to think back over the last week and choose 5 favorites. Our hostess Susanne provides Mr. Linky for you to join in if you’d like. So head on over and join in on the fun.

1. Saturday morning walks with Dear are always on the top of my list. We had a low tide walk this last Saturday and saw lots of birds and collected several shells. We generally start these Saturday morning walks before the sun rises.

 

2. On Sunday after a great church service filled with worship we headed to Agoura to do some antique shopping. We found a nice Italian restaurant to have a snack before the stores opened at 11:00.  Hand Rolled Meatball Sandwich – Topped with Marinara Sauce and Mozzarella (we grind our own beef & pork) Mama’s Italian Kitchen in Agoura.

3. We decided to add a DVR to our Fios service at the condo. I never imagined how simple it is to record programs we want to watch later. No punching in start time or end time. I just click on the show and it takes care of recording it no matter how short or long it is. Then when we decide to watch the programs we get to skip all the commercials. That was a favorite this week.

4.  Eating in every night this week. We’ve had some good eats. Can you tell food is an important part of my life. :0)

 

5. Dear and I are still walking during the week and working out on the bowflex. Those work outs and walking with Willow most days  really makes me feel better. On Thursday we had some real good rain in Camarillo so Willow and I didn’t walk. Even though she grew up in Oregon she doesn’t walk in the rain :0)

For more Favorites visit Susanne at 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.

Friday’s Fave Five ~

Time flies when you’re old having fun. Here it is Friday already and it’s time to list our favorites from this past week. Visit Susanne from Living to Tell the Story to join in on the fun.

 

1. We had two good walks on the weekend. Our first walk was to the Farmer’s Market on Saturday morning while it was drizzling. Then on Sunday we walked to our usual Mexican Restaurant for lunch. We were feeling oh so European.

2. On Saturday my brother Tim and his wife Letty came over for most of the day and we had a special birthday dinner for Tim. We served barbecued Rib Eye Steak, roasted fingerling potatoes, mushrooms sauteed with onions with a cream and white wine reduction, and a salad with persian dressing. For dessert we had a limoncello cream cake. From some of those descriptions can you tell I watch Top Chef? Anything is fancy if you put the right description with it :0)

3. We’ve experienced some “weather” here in Southern California and it was nice to have rain and big fluffy clouds around. Now we are in another Santana Wind pattern which warms things up considerably. Willow and I had quite a windy walk on Thursday.

4. Every couple of months my mom and dad have the “girls” over for dinner. This past Tuesday my sisters, my SIL’s, and my nieces along with grand nephew Jackson met at mom and pop’s for dinner. It’s always so much fun to get together. We laugh a lot.

5. One more of my favorites was to meet up with my bloggy friend Cori face to face for the first time this past Tuesday.

To read more Fave Fives visit Susanne at 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.

Friday’s Fave Five! It’s all about Pismo…

 

All my favorites this week are from Dear and my getaway to Pismo Beach from Sunday to Monday. Very short time filled with lots of wonderful sights, sounds, and food!

1. We got to see the Monarch Butterfly Grove with thousands of butterflies in residence. What an exciting experience it was. It’s been a goal of mine to visit one of these groves in California. I’m so glad we did. I’ll be posting all about them on Tuesday.

2. Beautiful beaches and beach walks and pier walks were another favorite.

3. We took a side trip to Arroyo Grande and did some fun antique shopping. Boy we only went to two antique shops but they were big and filled from corner to corner with so much interesting stuff. We came away with just one purchase. Such self control!

4. Food glorious food! I love food. I love to find unique spots with wonderful food. I like to fellowship over food. I like to cook good food. So there’s the insight into why I’m always trying to take off some extra pounds!! We ate well those 2 days! Wait, was I just talking about self control, “pride goeth before the fall”!?? The clam chowder pictured was oh so chunky and rich and good! Pismo Beach is known for their clams. We ate a wonderful meal with an ocean view. I had lamb shank with risotto, brussel sprouts, and a double chocolate martini for dessert. Dear had a Rib-eye steak, salad, and potatoes. Needless to say, I did not step on the scale when we got back!

5. The last of my favorites was having our own personal hot tub on the private deck where we sat and enjoyed watching the star filled sky while listening to the waves crashing on shore! Glorious! We even started singing “In the stars His handiwork I see, on the wind He speaks with majesty, though He ruleth over land and sea, what is that to me…”  Are any of you old enough to remember that one??

I have a post with lots of photos from the Pismo Beach area here.

To see more Favorites or to join in the fun visit Susanne at Living to Tell the Story!