A Fresh Cup of Coffee

Wednesday, April 1, 2026

WQ - Simplicity

Many of us look back with nostalgia on "simpler times" or talk about how good a more simple life would be. And it is probably true, but ironically, it seems that it isn't quite that simple to get there! In many ways, simplicity does remain my goal.

Our life is frittered away by detail . . . simplify, simplify. ~Henry David Thoreau

Simplicity is making the journey of this life with just baggage enough. ~Charles Dudley Warner

Straightforwardness and simplicity are in keeping with goodness. The things that are essential are acquired with little bother; it is the luxuries that call for toil and effort. To want simply what is enough nowadays suggest to people primitiveness and squalor. ~Seneca the Younger

Yes, on one hand we do sometimes think negatively of very simple no-frills living, but when it comes to elegance, it's also true that . . .

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. ~Leonardo da Vinci

It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all. ~Laura Ingalls Wilder

The ordinary acts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest. ~Thomas Moore

It is the simple things of life that make living worthwhile, the sweet fundamental things such as love and duty, work and rest, and living close to nature. ~Laura Ingalls Wilder

When I have a childlike faith and a humble, teachable heart I am able to trust God and be joyful and at peace in any circumstance. This is the good and simple life.

The teaching of your word gives light,

so even the simple can understand.

~Psalm 119:30~

These are the proverbs of Solomon, David's son, king of Israel.

Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline,

to help them understand the insights of the wise.

Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives,

to help them do what is right, just, and fair.

These proverbs will give insight to the simple,

knowledge and discernment to the young.

~Proverbs 1:1-4~

The way to happiness: Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, give much. Scatter sunshine, forget self, think of others. Try this for a week and you will be surprised. ~Norman Vincent Peale

Teach us delight in simple things,

and mirth that has no bitter springs.

~Rudyard Kipling

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Wednesday Quotes is a bi-weekly opportunity for bloggers to share their writing, poetry, photos, or stories inspired by our theme. We've chosen the themes as a starting point for your creativity, and the only requirement is that your post include at least one related quote. Feel free to combine or "double-dip" with other writing or photo challenges as well. Of course, we'd appreciate a link back to us, if you'd be so kind. Add your link and please visit others and leave a comment! The link is open for two weeks.

Thanks to Marsha at Always Write for introducing us to the Wednesday Quotes challenge, and for passing the hosting duties along so we can continue sharing great quotes! Wednesday Quotes is co-hosted by Kym at A Fresh Cup of Coffee and Sadje at Keep It Alive.

Quoting reminds me there are other people in the world besides only me.

And other thoughts besides mine, and other ways of thinking.

~Gregory Maguire~

Wednesday Quotes 2026 Themes

January 7 - Resolutions

January 21 - Motivation

February 4 - Eating Out/Restaurants

February 18 - Being Responsible

March 4 - Libraries

March 18 - Perseverance

April 1 - Simplicity

April 15 - Conquering Fear

April 29 - Making a Difference

May 13 - Family Ties

May 27 - Courage

June 10 - Teachers/Mentors

June 24 - Connecting with Nature

July 8 - Milestones

July 22 - Sunrise

August 5 - Patience

August 19 - Taking a Break/Rest

September 2 - Learning from Mistakes

September 16 - Best Friends

September 30 - Elegance

October 14 - Reaching Goals

October 28 - Dreams/Nightmares

November 11 - Integrity

November 25 - Generosity

December 9 - Beauty in Nature

December 23 - True Love

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Tuesday, March 31, 2026

Share Four Somethings - March 2026

Each month we're each invited to share things in these categories: something we loved, something that sustained us, something we're carrying forward from this month to the next, and something we're making space for. I usually like to include a little bit of a bonus: Some Things I Read and a little of What's Coming Up Soon.

Some Things I Loved:

I can't say I loved ALL the weather this month, but with March being the "in like a lion, out like a lamb" month, I feel like I need to mention the weather. I did love the warmer spring days and the promise of nicer weather to come, and I also loved the foggy days we had. The destructive high winds and hail . . . not so much.

We were able to attend a couple of Blue Jackets games - which they won decisively! - so I loved that. We had club level tickets for a couple games too, which was fantastic. I love that they are still in the hunt for a playoff spot and keeping all my fingers crossed that they make the playoffs and continue to do well!

One weekend we went out to Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve with the kids. Hubby and I had been there once before and hiked some of the trails that were open at the time. This time we were able to hike trails that had been closed previously, and were pleasantly surprised to find a historic cabin, and that they were exhibiting colonial era surveying equipment. Really interesting! And a great day hiking with the family.

Afterwards we went to one of our favorite diners, Tom's Ice Cream Bowl in Zanesville, for dinner. I had a Barnyard Burger and fried cheese curds. They have some of the very best fried curds anywhere!

Since we were there anyway, we had to look at the famous Y-Bridge.

This past weekend I was in Covington for the Sweet Adelines Regional Convention. I love these fun weekends full of music and friends!

Something That Sustained Me:

Well, a little bit of a repeat from last month, but having upcoming things to look forward to definitely kept me going. And I started getting pretty excited about looking for a house and that kept me going too, just thinking about the possibilities as I scrolled through listings and wondered which houses I could picture us living in.

Something I'm Carrying Forward:

I've been doing pretty good getting through my checklists of things to do, but quite a few household organization tasks are being carried forward as they didn't get done. Or I didn't get as far as I'd hoped. I did finish doing the tax returns (except city) but they aren't filed yet, so that is getting carried forward.

Something I'm Making Space For:

Does this count as "making space"? We have decided to buy a house, and in my last SFS I said we were making space mentally that it was a possibility. So now we are going to have to make space in our calendar to go look at houses and make a decision. And make space in our schedule to pack and organize the move . . . and get it all done on time, because we have scheduled a family vacation for the week before our lease expires. Yikes!

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Some Things I Read:

Finished and reviewed these since my last SFS:

An Unsuitable Job by Bonnie Hardy

Here are the books I'm currently reading:

A Tarnished Canvas by Anna Lee Huber

Life From Scratch: A memoir of food, family, and forgiveness by Sasha Martin

All of my reading news is at Just A Second if you're interested.

What's Coming Up Soon?

Well, this is Holy Week, so Resurrection Day is coming soon! We're not sure what we're doing with the kids yet, but we do have dinner plans with friends for that weekend. We have one quick trip to Maryland planned, but it's for a somber purpose ― attending a memorial service for someone that passed recently. We are considering another Maryland jaunt at the end of April as well, but not sure on that one yet. Additionally, we start viewing houses in a week and hopefully it won't take us long to find the one that's right for us.

Share something in the comments, or share four somethings with the rest of us in the link party!

This post will be linked at My Joyful Life in the Share Four Somethings link party.

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Sunday, March 29, 2026

Scripture and a Snapshot - Palm Sunday

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.

From the house of the LORD we bless you.

The LORD is God,

and he has made his light shine on us.

With boughs in hand, join the festal procession

up to the horns of the altar.

You are my God, and I will praise you;

you are my God, and I will exalt you.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;

his love endures forever.

~Psalm 118:26-29~

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Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

~Romans 5:1-5~

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Thursday, March 26, 2026

Monthly Musings - Celebrating Spring

Patty at Good Better Best hosts this monthly sharing of tips, tricks, and conversation starters. It's time to talk about Spring Holidays and all the other fun things in this season.

1. Does it feel like spring yet where you are?

I just answered this for the Hodgepodge, so I'll steal from that: It's certainly starting to feel like spring, at least during the day. We had some cold days recently, and frost on a couple of mornings. And the early spring flowers I had outside my door didn't make it through the recent cold snap and snow. But yeah, thankfully it's warming up and seems like it wants to stay warmer.

2. What spring holidays do you celebrate?

We don't exactly celebrate St Patrick's Day, but it's my one chance each year to enjoy a bowl of Lucky Charms! And I love the excuse to enjoy some other favorite foods like corned beef or shepherds pie, and a good Irish coffee. We don't formally recognize Lent, but of course we mark Good Friday and Resurrection Day! That's a day to truly celebrate! Mother's Day is a spring holiday, I suppose. We don't make a big deal about it but we do celebrate. And then Memorial Day is, at least for me, the transition from spring into summer.

3. Any spring trips planned?

This weekend I'm headed to Covington, Kentucky for the Sweet Adelines Regional Competition with my chorus. We are not competing, because we won a year ago, but we will perform as outgoing champions. So that's a short trip I have planned. We are thinking about going to Maryland for a weekend in April rather than going for Memorial Day, but we aren't sure yet. It's a pretty busy time of year for my husband at work, and especially busy because we are looking to move around the end of May, so I don't think we'll be doing much traveling this year!

4. Favorite foods to eat and share for spring holidays?

For Resurrection Day, we usually have grilled lamb kebabs, and often beef kebabs as well. I like Greek style potatoes as a side with that, and I like to bake za'atar bread to dip in hummus.

5. Are there any spring festivals in your area?

I'm quite sure there are, but I'm not familiar enough with the celebration calendars around here to know what happens when. I went to the St Patrick's Day parade in nearby Dublin, Ohio a couple weekends ago, which was quite fun. The greenhouse where my hubby works has a Tulip Festival in the spring and I'm really looking forward to that! It seems to me that the festivals really get into gear after Memorial Day.

6. Best spring allergy relief tip.

Local raw honey. Seriously. If you are allergic to local pollens, eating a daily spoonful of honey from a local apiary is a great way to minimize or even eliminate pesky allergy symptoms. I started doing this regularly several years ago and almost never need to take allergy meds in the spring and summer any more. (I used to take claritin daily and still be sniffly and sneezy and itchy all spring)

7. What makes you think, "Okay, now it's finally spring"?

I think for me it's Good Friday and Resurrection Day. That's when I feel like spring has genuinely arrived.

8. Spring rain . . . love or dislike?

Love! Provided I don't have to drive in really heavy rain, of course. I used to love sitting on our covered front porch when it was raining, and I love the sound of a gentle rain on the roof.

9. Special spring holiday dessert or treat?

When my kids were young, we started the tradition of making "Resurrection Rolls" for Easter. They've been asking for them every year, even through their teens and now as they are adults. And I think they are continuing the tradition with their own kids. Resurrection Rolls are made by sealing a marshmallow inside crescent roll dough, then dipping in melted butter and rolled in cinnamon sugar before baking. If you're very careful to seal up the crescent roll, the marshmallow basically melts inside of it, leaving it "empty" like Jesus' tomb, but delicious and carmelized and sticky.

10. Favorite spring cocktail or mocktail?

I don't have anything specific to the season, although I make sure to acquire some Irish Cream or Bourbon Cream in order to have Irish coffee.

How do you celebrate spring? Leave a comment and let me know!

I'm linking up with Monthly Musings hosted by Patty at Good Better Best.

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