Wednesday, November 23, 2022

A Thankful Hodgepodge

Well, miracles never cease.  I have not participated in the HP since August 24th.  What!!!! I have been a real blog slacker this year except for participation in Prime Purchases.  Perhaps 2023 will bring me renewed interest in blogging.  We shall see.  For now, I'm excited about answering Joyce's questions this week.............


1. Have you ever been on a cruise? If so where did you go and how did you like it? If not, do you have any desire to take a cruise someday?  

Hubby and I have been on two cruises.  Our first was in August 2008 to Alaska and we thoroughly enjoyed it.  We went with 4 other couples.  We did some really fun excursions and I don't think either one of us would mind going again.

Our second cruise was a St. Lawrence Seaway cruise in 2011.  Again, we really enjoyed it and when we disembarked in Boston, we stayed 2-3 days touring around.  This cruise was with a much smaller cruise line, Holland America and our first was with Celebrity.  We much preferred the smaller ship because that meant fewer people and  more enjoyable in our estimation.

2. Tell us about your Thanksgiving plans...are you hosting? cooking? eating out? turkey or some other main? is it stuffing or dressing in your house? homemade cranberries or cranberries in a can? are pies on the dessert menu? what kind? what are your 'must have' sides? Tell us one thing you're especially grateful for this year.

We will be eating at our country club.  They will have any and everything that one could possibly want on the buffet and it is generally very good.  We show up, enjoy and leave the clean up and left overs to them.  They will be serving dressing and so would I if I were doing the meal and it would be cranberry sauce.  I will be making two desserts today to have, our family favorite, Almond Pound Cake and a Pumpkin Crunch.  

And, hands down, what I am most thankful for this year is this younger brother of mine.   Joel has enjoyed  perfect health all 57 of his years.  This year found him facing two very serious health conditions.  He faced a Melanoma surgery on his Achilles Tendon and then immediately afterwards he faced having to have his Aortic Valve replaced.  There is so much to both of these but, I'll spare all the details and just say, God led him every step of the way down to the best of doctors and complete recovery.  It was such a huge shock to all of us and I spent some very anxious days with much concern. He and his wife will arrive around noon today and it will be our first time seeing him since the heart surgery in August.  I've got a really big hug waiting on him. 

3. If someone approaches you and asks for money do you give it to them? Do you drop money 'in a tin cup' that belongs to a person on the street? Do you have a specific charity you support during the holiday season and/or year round?

 I can't remember the last time someone approached me asking for money but I have certainly passed a lot of folks on on street corners or outside a business.  I have a big giving heart when there is a REAL need and I generally will give, even if I am not sure if it is a genuine need.  I feel I have been abundantly blessed and it is the right thing for me to do. 

Hubby and I have dear friends that do incredible mission work all over the world and we support them year around.  Their ministry has led literally thousands of people to the Lord.  I can't think of a better return on the dollar.

4. Have you started decorating for Christmas? Is your tree up? Shopping done? Wrapped? 

I generally do not put any Christmas decor until after Thanksgiving but I did put out the front porch decor last weekend.  Our tree will go up next week and a few other touches but nothing like I use to do.

Yes, my shopping is done and everything boxed and ready to wrap.  I hope to get started on that next week.  90% of my shopping was done online, the Grans mothers send me the links to what the Grans want, I click on it, pay for it and boom, it's done.  Wayyyy to easy!

5. Create your own acrostic using the word THANKS. 

Just so you know, this stressed my poor brain. ~smile~ 

 T - trust (in God)

H - hope (in God)

A - answers (to prayer)

N - nice (what we all should be)

K - kind (what we all should be)

S - sincere (what we all should be)


6.  Insert your own random thought here. 


Most of you likely know that I went to Israel Nov 2nd - 12th.  I have always wanted to go to the land that Jesus walked and I can now say that I have been.  It was an all ladies trip and my "bestie" and I enjoyed being a part of the group.  There were 34 in our tour and it was a mix of ages and personalities and I'm not sure a mixed group could have as much fun as an all ladies group.  

I wasn't looking forward to the flights, and while they were very long, they were not unbearable.  I did take an air cushion for my back and the absolute best neck pillow collar on the market.  Both of these made for more comfort.

Our first 4 days were probably my favorite because they were a bit slower and calmer.  We visited many places but did not fight crowds.  The last 4 days we spent in Jerusalem and I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that everyone on earth would be there.  Oh, my goodness, it was so crowded! I suppose I thought we would be the only tourists there. ~chuckle~  


This is Darya, our awesome tour guide.  I would put Darya up against any tour guide around and she would win the award I'm quite sure.  She is a Christian Jew that knows the Bible inside out and backwards, knows Israel inside out and backwards and before becoming a tour guide she was a Pediatric Nurse.  Oh, and she speaks 3 languages.  One amazing woman!  A lot of tears were shed when we told her good-bye. 

It will take me months to process all that we saw, did and learned. I have no doubt that I will carry memories of this trip the rest of my life.  I am thankful for the opportunity.




Tuesday, November 1, 2022

PRIME PURCHASES - OCTOBER

                                                             


Okay, it's November and, for the first time in as long as I can remember, I am not finished with my Christmas shopping, in fact, I've hardly started.  But, this Israel trip that I am leaving on tomorrow has consumed the time that I would normally be using to get Christmas ordered.  But, when I return I'll get on it.  And, it will all be okay!
For now, you may see something in my Prime purchases this month that will assist you with your Christmas shopping.  Let's go check them out..............

ORGANIC  BAMBOO  BABY  TOWEL AND  WASHCLOTH  SET



I needed a baby gift and this has been my "go to" gift for the past few years.  This is the softest and best made towel and washcloth set.  It's made out of bamboo and  and comes in 4 suitable colors for babies. If you need a baby gift, I highly recommend this.




3/4  SLEEVE  SWEATSHIRT



This is the cutest casual top, a 3/4 sleeve sweatshirt type top.  It is a midweight and looks really nice and washes well.  I did size up and it fits perfectly.  There are other colors to choose from as well.  I wear mine with a pair of black joggers and it looks real cute.  It may well be in my suitcase when I leave tomorrow. ~chuckle~




DIGITAL  WEIGHT  SCALES


Our scales bit the dust a few weeks ago and I replaced them with these.  Our last ones were pretty much just like these.  They are easy to use, thin and gives you your exact weight in a digital readout.




STERLING  SILVER  HOOP  EARRINGS



Ladies, these are so good looking!  And, as far as I'm concerned they are the perfect size.  These are definitely going with me to Israel as earrings may well be my main piece of jewelry while I am there. They would make a great Christmas gift too!



LARGE  TRAVEL  MAKEUP  BAG
I needed to replace some of my tolietry bags and packing for my Israel trip made me do just that.  I ordered two of these, in two different designs.  I have one for makeup, one for hair items, one for face cleansing and one for bathing items.  Yep! I need individual bags for each of those.  Anyway, if you are in the market for a new makeup/tolietry bag, these are really nice and the perfect size.  Again, might be a great Christmas gift for someone on your list. 



STEEL  INSULATED  WATER  BOTTLE  WITH  STRAW




I needed an insulated water bottle for my trip to Israel.  There are soooo many to choose from!  I wanted a smaller size with a built in straw.  This one seemed to fit the bill for me and comes in an array of colors.  I got one that matches my cute backpack. ~laugh~  They also have several sizes, mine is a 24 ounce.



ROLL  OF  PRODUCE  PLASTIC  BAGS




Yes, you are seeing this correctly, this is a roll of produce bags. I love bags of all kinds!  I use these for kitchen scraps before I put them in the garbage and I use them to keep some of our produce in the refrigerator.  Lots of uses, I promise you.



FAKE  COLLARS


I've had one of these in white for a while but decided I wanted some other colors.  These add such a nice touch to a sweater or sweatshirt, just takes it up a notch.  So many choices in colors or design.



ANARACK  CARGO  VEST


This is such a cute cargo vest and I thought it might go to Israel with me, but decided against it. But, I will enjoy it when I return.  It is a lighter weight fabric and not like the heavy canvas many are made out of.  It comes in about 12 different colors as well and really is a nice touch to an outfit.



ZICAM  COLD  REMEDY


I will begin using these tomorrow and will use them the 10 days of my trip. I have never used the swabs but I have used the tablets.  But, these are so easy to use and if they might help me fight off a cold or other cooties, then I'm all about it.  Between the folks on the airplanes and all the folks we'll come in contact everyday, I thought this was a great idea.


And, that's a wrap for this month.  

Now, I would so appreciate your prayers for our safety and wellness on this trip.  I have had some anxiety these last days over being sooooo far away from all those I love.  But, the Lord has given me peace and I pray I will get out of this trip all that HE has for me.  I  can hardly believe that I'm really going to "the land of our Lord and Savior." 

I will do my best, once I recover, to do a blog post on my trip. ~smile~