A Fresh Cup of Coffee

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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Everyday Images #84

Welcome to my ongoing challenge and reminder to myself to take photos somewhat regularly. I'm not a photographer, but I enjoy taking everyday photos of things I find interesting or want to remember later, and I'm more likely to notice interesting things when I'm intentionally watching for them. Having some prompts that are open to interpretation has helped me pay a little more attention to what's around me. Here's how it works: Every two weeks I have a few words and phrases to focus on, and I try to find opportunities to take pictures of these things each week. The link-up post will be here every other Thursday, sharing my photos and offering a link-up for participants to share theirs. Right below the link-up is where you'll find the next set of prompts.

March Prompts - Everyday Images #84

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scenery

on top of it

arched

fresh

Sunday Simplicity

at home (monthly)

spring

~~~~~

scenery

on top of it - our granddaughter is always on top of things, it seems!

arched - the top of the chimney on this historic cabin

fresh - getting a little fresh air at work

Sunday Simplicity

at home (monthly) - please enjoy the very untidy kitchen this month!

spring

And a few bonus photos:

The weekend before St Patrick's Day, we went to the parade in Dublin, Ohio . . .

. . . and then joined in the effort to set a world record for the largest human shamrock. We were given these cool green rain ponchos, and stood in the outline of the shamrock in the riverside park.

Once we were all in place we waved to the drone flying overhead to record us for posterity . . . and I guess I'm now in the Guinness Book of World Records?! Well, our names aren't included, but we were there!

We went to two Blue Jackets games that week, including the St Patrick's Day game.

This past Saturday we went to Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve and did some hiking. Did sections of the rough trail up on the rim of the gorge, and some on the paved path beside the river. Very nice park with lots of interesting sites and trails.

After that, we went to Zanesville for dinner at Toms Ice Cream Bowl, and we were curious about the Y Bridge too.

not many Y-Bridges around so this
is pretty interesting

And of course, the couple selfie, serious and goofy.

Too bad I didn't have "weather" as a prompt this time around - we had thunderstorms and hail on Saturday night.

I am sharing my photos every other Thursday, along with my prompts for the next two weeks. You can use all or some of the prompts for your own photo posts, or none of the prompts and just link up a post featuring your photos. Simple rules: Your posts must be family-friendly; the photos must be your own; and the post must be mostly photos. If you do share I'd appreciate a mention and link to A Fresh Cup of Coffee on your post.

The Everyday Images link-up is posted every other Thursday, and is open for two weeks.

March/April Prompts - Everyday Images #85

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evening and/or morning

current season (quarterly)

beside me

bloom

table

bridge

sparkle

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