Friday's Fave Five 😍

This week I’m thankful for some very ordinary things.

The photos in the collage are a little mixed up. See if you can match them to my five favorites. 😄

1. Lilies in the house
The lilies in my vase are still  beautiful, and the whole house smells of them. I’ve really enjoyed having them here this week.

2. Walks in the woods
I went for two lovely walks this week. The second one was even better than the first, and I spotted my first porcini mushroom of the season. That always feels like a little autumn moment.

3. Flammkuchen
I made Flammkuchen with salmon and it turned out really well. So well, apparently, that the men have already requested it again next week. 😄

4. My hanging sunflower
One of my sunflowers can no longer hold itself upright and is hanging down. It inspired something I wrote for my Bible study Instagram about 1 Peter 5:6.

5. Tiny raindrops
This morning it was raining very softly. When I went to take the laundry down, I noticed tiny drops of water on the wool of my Spencer. Such a small thing, but I thought it looked so pretty.

Linking to Living to Tell the Story

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And if you’d like, you can also have a look at my five favorite things from last week. I completely forgot to post them! There’s even a little glimpse of my daughter...  including one of her wedding photos. 😊 Click HERE

5 good things from my week

 Five good things from my week…

1. The heath on Monday – purple under a summer-blue sky, just before the wedding took over all our attention.

2. My daughter’s wedding – by far the biggest and most beautiful moment of the week.

3. The white lilies opening one by one and filling the room with their sweet fragrance.

4. That beautiful red-pink evening sky that was only there for a few moments. I would have missed it if my husband hadn’t pointed it out.

5. My little plant blooming again – the sad-looking last one in the shop that nobody wanted. And now it is flowering for the second time.

Friday's Fave Five

Five good things from my week… 

1. Fresh air again

What a hot week we had here in the Netherlands! For days it was well over 35-37°C and by the end of it I was so ready for cooler weather. And then came the rain. Now I keep stepping outside at the back of the house just to breathe in the air. Cool, fresh, a little damp… lovely. After all that heat, it feels SO good to be outside again.

2. Watching the eclipse with my son

Ralph and I cycled out to see the eclipse together.

It was supposed to be about fifteen minutes away. It wasn’t. 😄 We had mosquitoes flying into us along the way and arrived without proper eclipse glasses. So there we were with two CDs and a box with a little hole in it.

Then a couple along the path let us use their eclipse glasses... and because they had an extra pair, they gave one to us!

I loved the whole evening. Families in the grass, couples together, everybody looking up at the sky. And I loved being there with my son.

3. My husband’s birthday

Jaap celebrated his birthday this week. It was his first birthday without his mother, so that was there too. But I’m thankful for him. For another birthday. Another year together.

 4. I finally finished that blog

Yesterday I finally finished a blog post from a walk I made at the end of June. I had written all my notes while sitting under my old beech tree, but the blog itself never got finished. Until now.

I posted it back on the date of that walk, which felt strangely satisfying. 

😄

💜 You can read: THE BLOG

5. The first little sign of autumn

I spotted my first spiderweb covered in tiny drops among the heather. That made me happy. Spiderwebs with dew always feel like one of those first little signs that autumn is on its way. And honestly, after all this heat, I am more than ready for it.

Bring on those cool mornings, damp air, golden leaves and beautiful autumn walks. 🍂

“The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things.”
— Henry Ward Beecher 

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Linking to Living to Tell the Story

Route

I don't mind driving. I just don't like driving somewhere when I am not completely sure of the route. Of course, I have a satnav. But because I had been to this holiday park before, I thought, I still remember the way. I didn't.

First, I turned off too early and ended up in an emergency stopping area beside the motorway. A little later, I missed another turn. Instead of turning around, I carried on and added fifteen minutes to my journey. The detour took me past a beautiful place, but also to a steep junction where I could hardly see to the left or the right. My hands were sweating.

After that, I watched the satnav very carefully.

When I finally reached the holiday park, it tried to send me to my cottage from the outside, where there was no entrance. So I had to drive around once more.

At last, I found the cottage. I sat down on the wooden bench and said, “Thank You, Lord. I made it safely... even though I had made the route much more complicated than it needed to be.”

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This photo was taken a few hours later by my husband and I am looking up at the swallows catching little flies.

Linked to: FMF Writing Prompt Link-up: Route

Friday’s Fave Five – Five Things I Am Thankful For

Today I am joining Friday’s Fave Five again, though it has not been an easy week. My mother-in-law passed away on Monday, and today was her funeral. 

Below is the beautiful condolence bouquet. My husband received it from his colleagues

When I look back, there are a few blessings that stand out.

1. Good conversations with my husband
This week my husband and I talked a lot. About everything that was happening, about how to find our way through it, and about the fact that grief can be complicated. Those conversations were precious. They helped us stay close to each other in a difficult week.

2. My sister’s faithful care
All through these weeks, my sister kept sending messages, voice notes and little signs of care. I felt so thankful for that steady attention.

3. Coffee with a dear friend
I had coffee with a friend who has known me for many years and knows something of our family history. It was good to sit with her in her garden, among the flowers, and speak freely for a while.

In this collage: my diamondpainting (wildflowers), morning coffeer, the stone/rock we received from te hospice, fries on the table, and the farewell at the open grave.

4. Sunshine on the day of the funeral
The evening before, and during the night, there had been thunder and heavy rain. But today, on the day of the funeral, the weather was bright and sunny. It was very hot, but I was so thankful there was no thunderstorm.

5. Diamond painting
I am thankful for my diamond painting. It helps me relax and gives my hands something to do when my mind is tired. Instead of staring ahead and getting stuck in difficult memories, I can let the good memories come too. The dark and the light, side by side.

A little extra blessing: ordering fries from the cafeteria. No cooking, no meal planning, just something simple and easy. On a week like this, that felt like a gift too.

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And a little clip of last night’s thunderstorm to end with. KNMI recorded more than 188,000 lightning discharges, so it really was an exceptional storm. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many flashes behind the clouds... heavy, but spectacular.

Now I’m curious: what were the bright spots in your week?
I’d love to hear a few happy things. 😊

Join Friday’s Fave Five