Thursday, March 05, 2020

Thursdays....Friday is coming....

It seems fitting to discuss hungering and thirsting for righteousness while one is eating out.  I am enjoying Stacia's insights.  It was a good thing to have our study, Gather, and Bible Babes all move to the same study.  This was a good week of focus....so much to consider. I continue to ask God to "increase my appetite for Jesus," quite often...and the 20/20 challenge is in full swing with the ladies of our church. 20 minutes of a spiritual discipline and 20 moments throughout the day to focus on God.  Both practices have been helpful in increasing my hunger for Jesus.

We were running late today for our Bible Study....we were made later when we pulled into the parking lot and realized I didn't have my purse with me. Um....not only did I not have a license,but no way to pay for drinks...we drove back home, grabbed the purse, and started again. We decided instead of driving out to Sophia's we'd find a place downtown. We like Vagabonds - but it is not the best place to try to have a Bible study....there are times people hover around the table waiting to snatch it. At Sophia's, we are always welcomed with smiles and given just the right balance of service and privacy. LOL 

We opted for Turkey Red - Stacia's choice.  It's much closer. Dad's comment when I took him there for pie and coffee last summer was, "It takes more than high prices to make a fancy restaurant." ::snort:: Michael doesn't like it as the one time we went we had two ladies sitting arm distance away from us griping about their church, children and husband through our entire mealtime. C'mon ladies!!!!

We discovered today the prices for the food and drinks really aren't different than anywhere else around here. The expensive items are the desserts - $6-8 an item...but WE aren't eating sugar. We decided they do this to encourage the idea that sweets are a luxury. ::wink:: It IS nice they use local produce, local Kombucha, have many vegetarian and vegan options, and have good meat-lover options too. 

We arrived at 10 - after the breakfast rush, before the lunch rush - and we were the only ones in this section. It worked for today. 

I do think Stacia had the better meal option...but I don't want to do syrup...or a lot of carbs.  The Vegan crepe below had carbs..but it was made from beans and rice and I didn't have any urge to put syrup over it...the veggies are all 0 points...I chose to eat 1/4 cup of the potatoes and counted those....a filling, low point breakfast. Stacia didn't like her non-fat Greek yogurt and it was exactly what I needed to spice up my meal. It's another 0 point food on WW.

It didn't seem  very cold today. The sun was shinning bright! However, once we got down to town...it was WINDY...like 50 mph gusts, snow swirling in the road, and stinging your face and eyes. It was difficult to run errands.  The door slammed shut twice as I tried to get into the car...that kind of wind. Miserable. I turned down a side road directly into big piles of snow the wind had deposited in the middle of the road...when I turned the other direction the roads were clear. It was fascinating to watch (and feel)  the wind patterns.

I was amazed once again to get home, open the car door and discover NO WIND up here. We do get wind - but nothing like the towns.  In fact, it was toasty warm inside our home. Check it out. 

Michael has perfected the use of the wood stove. He has little thermometer that helps him keep the heat where it needs to be to efficiently heat our home. He keeps it close to 70*...I have noticed it getting warmer and warmer lately and finally realized Dad is also feeding the fire. We were up to 82*, Dad was in shorts and taking off his shirt, Michael was opening the window and I gleefully pointed out it is not just "me" who was hot. LOL  For those who worry about us being cold, there is nothing as satisfying as wood heat on a cold winter day. I appreciate all the work Michael, the boys, and Dad do to keep it stoked.

Thursdays are BUSY....our Bible study, piano lesson for Stacia, Japanese lesson for both kids, prepping for Life Group, dinner is always by 5 these days as most evenings have something going on, and Life Group begins at 6:30.

I only had time for 45 minutes of a workout this morning and really wanted to fit in at least another 15 minutes.  Alex finished cleaning up dinner dishes so Stacia and I could run Cody out for a quick walk before Life Group.  20 more minutes....slower than our best times, but ok with slippery roads and wind.  It was a win simply to fit in more active minutes. We don't get much vitamin D on these walks - certainly aren't exposing 30% of our bodies. We do love having sun at this time of day! Gone are the 3 p.m. sunsets.

The Husky in Cody comes out on these walks. He does NOT want anyone to catch up to him - he must be the lead dog...we're happy to let him lead.

This morning there was one long piece of grace in our Resurrection Garden.  By dinner time we had THIS. This is the first one of the three to start sprouting. The directions said to spray it every morning, but we found it impossible to keep the ground moist that way.  Michael suggested soaking the rocks and spraying the top mound with the bottle.

I still haven't found twigs to make crosses...or large stones...but I plan to find time in the near future to dig under the snow and find such things so we can finish this. For now, it's enough to have the something green growing. LOL