Happy Day 31

Today is the final day of the Happiness Challenge. My happy thing today will most likely have some questioning my sanity and/or intelligence, but that's okay. We live in a great country that gives us all the freedom to believe as we choose and express those views. We don't have to agree. We just have to treat each other with respect. That said, today's happy is that I snagged tickets to hear President Trump speak at our local airport Thursday evening!

Happy Day 30

We've made it to the end of August and there's only one more day of the Happiness Challenge.

Today was a lazy day. Tim and I spent most of it watching movies and binging on NCIS...we've finally jumped on that bandwagon. It was a good day of rest for Tim.

Happy Day 29

I babysat the grands today and while the baby was napping, Colton and I watched the remake of The Lion King on Disney+. I didn't think I'd like it as much as the original, but it was very good! I saw some other movies on there I want to watch...old ones from back in my day. I'm glad our daughter hooked us up to their account.

Happy Day 28

Rain. We got lots and lots of rain. We're still getting rain.

We were very much in need of it.

This, That & the Other

I never had a chance to post yesterday so today is mishmash of things. Happiness Challenge, Thankful Thursday, books....

Happy Day 27:  I took a walk around the neighborhood with my daughter and the grands. It was just a nice time together.

THANKFUL THURSDAY

This week I am thankful...

** that all family and friends came through Hurricane Laura okay.

** for lots of rain and more on the way. We really need it. This has been the driest summer in years.

** for a friend who blessed me with a late birthday gift, but more importantly, a heartfelt note.

** for a visit with a former member of the bible study group I belong to. She remarried and moved away a few years ago and this week came back to visit with her kids. Gosh they have grown!

** the "singing" of the tree frogs at night.

** for a life largely untouched by tragedy.

** to have been born in the United States.

** for our President and lovely, gracious first lady and all they endure to try to make life better for all of us.

** as always, for each one of you!

BOOKS

Finished Reading: 

Dead Men Don't Eat Cookies by Virginia Lowell.  

It's a cozy mystery that was quick and easy to read. I mostly enjoyed it, but there was one thing that ran throughout the book that drove me nuts. She mentioned time references a lot, but those times rarely added up or made sense. One example, the characters attended a dinner party at 8:00, which you'd think lasted at the very least an hour. That would make it 9:00. After dinner they did some other things for a time...we'll say an hour or two...making it 10-11:00. Then they worked in their store for a couple of hours and Lowell specifically wrote that it was 11:00 when they finally looked up at the clock. Like I said, it was all the way through and it bugged me to no end.

Currently Reading: 

Get a Clue by Jill Shalvis.  The mystery part isn't bad, but the rest of it is very racy.

From the Cover:

When Breanne Mooreland gets left at the altar, she decides the best thing to do is to go on her honeymoon alone. Of course, she loses her luggage along the way and ends up snowed in at a Sierra mountains lodge run by a noticeably quirky staff. And before she can order room service, she finds a naked-and gorgeous-man taking a shower in her suite who refuses to leave.

Vice cop Cooper Scott is in serious need of a vacation. He's not about to give up the only available room to a stranger because of a mix-up. They'll just have to make the best of it by sharing the bed. They're mature adults after all. But when Cooper wakes up kissing the long, leggy Breanne, he wants to show her exactly what the honeymoon suite is intended for. That will have to wait, though, because a screaming Breanne has just stumbled over one very dead body.

Reading Next:  

No idea.

Happy Day 26

This is more like relief, but it does make me happy to be able to say that all of our family (and we have family in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle) appear to be safe from the worst of Hurricane Laura according to the latest predictions.  They might get some wind and the heavy rain will likely cause flooding, but all are far enough inland that they won't see the hurricane force winds or the storm surge.

Happy Day 25

My bible study group met tonight, but we didn't have class. We enjoyed a delicious dinner and an evening of fellowship and reunion. The reunion being with a young woman and her 4 children that used to be part of the group until she remarried and moved away. It was wonderful to see them...the kids are so grown up and they remembered us. The daughter, who is as tall as me now, and a lovely young woman grabbed hold and hugged me tight, crying on my shoulder that she had missed me so much. It was such a happy night!

Happy Days 23 & 24

Day 23:  Tim put the new ceiling fan up in our bedroom. It looks great and is so much better than the fan blowing right on us at night.

Day 24:  There was a thunderstorm this afternoon. I love storms and we really need the rain.

Happy Day 22

I got to spend the whole afternoon with the grands.

I had them all to myself.

I got all the hugs and all the snuggles.

Happy Day 21

Woohoo! Success is mine! I met with my weight loss doctor today...the last time I will see her until October because after today she is on maternity leave, baby to be induced September 2. Anyway, we reviewed what I've been doing, how I've been feeling, etc. Bottom line:  Even with my birthday and eating out several times tucked in there, I've lost 5 lbs. and half a percentage of body fat. Go me! (By the way, she called me an over achiever because they shoot for 1 lb. per week weight loss and I lost 5 in 3 weeks. She was really pleased. Yay!)

Thankful Thursday & Happy Day 20

Better late than never, I hope! I'm linking up with Rebecca Jo @ Knit By God's Hand for Thankful Thursday.

This week I am thankful...

** for a wonderful birthday this past Saturday that didn't wrap up until today. I'm so late getting to this because I spent the day with friends. We went to Pittsburgh (and beyond) to go shopping in all the girly decorating stores, where I got some cute fall decorations. Then we enjoyed a really late lunch (early dinner?) at The Springfield Grille in Mars. Yep, you read that right...Mars. They treated me for my birthday. I had red shrimp scampi...not quite diet friendly, but I've been good so I let myself have it. This one also counts as my Day 20 bit of happiness.

** for a take-out order of the world's best hummus to enjoy at home. (They won't give us the recipe, but did tell us there are artichoke hearts in it.)

** for the sweet innocence of children and dogs and the joy they bring the rest of us.

** for amazing weather all week. Sunny and upper 70's with low humidity. Not great for swimming, but really nice for everything else!

** for a new Legacy planner and a diet journal.

** pumpkin-spice season is gearing up. YUM!

** for the comfy rocker Tim got me for my birthday. Love sitting in it...it just hugs my back like a glove.

** as always, for each one of you!

Happy Day 19

Our daughter mowed our lawn today.

That is definitely a happy thing.

Happy Day 18

Taking a page from Kwizgiver's happy book today.

I had a totally awesome hair day!

Happy Day 17

My new diet/exercise tracking journal came and so did my new planner.

I quit on The Happy Planner. Too much time and intimidation for me.

The new one is simple and great for goal planning.

Happy Day 16

Tim and I took my old oak rocker to his sister this morning to make room for the new one he bought me yesterday. We stopped at a local restaurant and enjoyed amazing burgers, fries, and deep fried green beans on the deck. It was such a perfect weather day and we really enjoyed sitting and watching people and traffic. It was nice spending a second day together just having fun.

Happy Day 15

It's my birthday!

Tim and I spent the day together.

He bought me the bent Hickory 

rocker I've always wanted.

Happy Day 13 & 14

Oops! I forgot to post yesterday.

Day 13:  I got a birthday card from my biological father. I didn't even know he knew my birthday was this week. He blessed me with another ridiculously generous gift, but even better....he told me that he is glad we finally met and that he's pleased with me, the life I've led, the choices I've made...  That means more than anyone will ever know.

Day 14:  Tim remembered that the flavor of the day at a local frozen custard stand was White House Cherry (my favorite) and brought me pint.

Happy Day 12

Megan and the kids came to visit tonight.

The kids like it when Alexa plays music for them.

They love the Frozen movies.

Tonight Alexa played Let It Go...and little Leah went diva on us.

She stood in the middle of the room "singing" her

little heart out and making big, grand, sweeping arm motions.

Laughed so hard!

Happy Day 11

I got a birthday card from my aunt in Arizona today.

Hers is the first to arrive.

Happy Day 10

I started the diet today. And the fasting. I made the 16-hour mark with no problem. I ate no carbs at all lunch and very few at dinner. I'm under the 50g I'm allowed for the day. Quite a bit under. The meds must be working because I haven't been hungry and I'm not craving anything this evening (evenings are my worst craving time). I got a good workout in the pool with the grands again. I feel great!