A Fresh Cup of Coffee

Thursday, April 9, 2026

Everyday Images #85

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/April Prompts - Everyday Images #85

~~~~~

evening and/or morning

current season (quarterly)

beside me

bloom

table

bridge

sparkle

~~~~~

evening and/or morning - I usually end the day similar to how I start it, with a cup of coffee. In the evening, it's more likely to be flavored coffee, or possibly an Irish coffee. In the morning it's regular coffee with just cream.

this is evening - don't mix them up!

morning coffee

current season (quarterly) - the forest over at Blendon Woods is coming back to life for spring!

beside me - hubby agreed to stand beside me for a photo op at church on Resurrection Day. But I didn't take that photo myself, obviously, so I also included another one - his car parked beside me - because I just liked the colors of the sky and the reflections on the car.

bloom - I believe this is a trout lily blooming, but facing away from my camera.

table - I made a caprese salad grazing board for our Resurrection Day meal

bridge

sparkle - lots of sequins and sparkle to be seen anywhere there's a Sweet Adelines chorus performing!

And a few bonus photos:

I was in Covington for Sweet Adelines Regional on the last weekend of March.

view from the convention center

so proud of our friends Y-NOT on the quartet medals!

This past Saturday, we went to Blendon Woods to hike and in particular to see how the eagles were doing.

A couple other families were there and had a nifty phone/binocular/tripod setup that made it easy to see the eagles. They were kind enough to share their view.

Went out for dinner afterwards. Felt lucky to be able to get into the restaurant at all since this Canada goose had appointed itself as a guard. LOL

He is Risen! Hallelujah!

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.

April Prompts - Everyday Images #86

~~~~~

purple

out for a walk (quarterly)

grow

at home (monthly)

trees

big and/or small

birds

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Wednesday, April 8, 2026

A Springtime Wednesday Hodgepodge

A hodgepodge is a jumble or assortment of things that might not appear to belong together. Joyce at From This Side of the Pond hosts a weekly link-up called Wednesday Hodgepodge that is a little collection of questions for bloggers to answer just for fun and to get to know each other. I always look forward to chatting with friends over coffee, so pour a cup of your favorite and let's visit for a few minutes!

Here are this week's questions - and my answers - for this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1. Egg on your face, putting all your eggs in one basket, a good egg, walk on eggshells, nest egg, or a tough egg to crack . . . which eggy idiom currently applies to your life in some way? Explain.

I'm going with "nest egg" because we are planning to tap into our nest egg to help us with our upcoming home purchase, and we are at the point where we are trying to think very strategically about that retirement nest egg and how we handle related financial decisions.

2. April 7th is National Beer Day . . . are you a beer drinker? If so do you have a favorite? Beer battered fish, beer bread, beer can chicken, beer brats . . . which one sounds good to you? Have you made any of these?

I'm not a beer drinker. I've had beers that I do like, IPAs or brown ales, that don't have as much bitterness. I'm much more likely to go for hard cider or a hard lemonade than any kind of beer. Beer battered fish is one of my go-to items to order at a restaurant, and almost always sounds good to me. I've made my own, but it's a messy process, so that's why I so often get it at a restaurant. Haha. I used to make beer bread quite a bit, but haven't done that in a very long time. I like beer brats and we have them fairly often in the summer and fall.

3. Do you have siblings? What's the best thing about being your sibling? If you don't have siblings, what would you say are the pros and cons of being an only child?

I do have siblings, two brothers and a sister, all younger than me. I honestly don't know what any of them might say about the best thing. I live a long way from my family so we don't communicate that often, and yet I'd say I have good relationships with all of them. When we do see each other, we tend to pick right up where we left off and it doesn't feel awkward, at least to me. I just don't get to have them over for dinner or socialize with them or babysit their kids (well, when the kids were young enough to need babysitters), which I wish I could do! I hope the best thing about being my sibling is something like me trying to stay in touch, being suppportive as much as I can from a distance, and remembering everyone's birthdays.

celebrating our parents' 60th anniversary

The "mid-drink" or "mid-bite of food" photo is a long-standing tradition in the family. Here we are doing the same thing at our parents' 50th anniversary:

We can take a nice photo too. And we like to include our spouses who are amazing additions to the family. One of my favorite things is how well we get along. Which sounds easy for me to say when I don't live near any of them, but I say it because it's true.

4. How do you feel about floral scents in products? Do you have a favorite?

I don't mind floral scents, depending on the product, I suppose. In general, I don't care for lavender, and I don't like rose-scented anything. I love the smell of roses, but not rose-scented soap or candles or anything else. The ones I like best are usually the lighter, sweeter floral scents, like orange blossom or honeysuckle.

5. What's one thing in your home that begins with the letter G that you would say is a keeper, something you'll hold on to? Tell us why.

I had a really tough time with this! Anything green? Grey? Glass? I don't know. How about this ― "Grandmum's washstand". And by Grandmum, I mean my mother-in-law, because the kids called her Grandmum. We brought this little washstand dresser home with us years ago when we helped Grandmum and Granddad move. We use it as an occasional table in our living room or dining room, and I love it for its old-fashioned simplicity.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

House hunting is in full swing! We viewed four possible properties yesterday and are going to see some more tomorrow. It's hard to make a decision! Because of course, nothing is "perfect" and the ones that are, well, they'd be out of our price range. Haha. One might have the fireplace I was hoping for and a fabulous kitchen, but a wierd backyard and still be priced a bit high. Or maybe all the features we want except there's one thing we really dislike or are concerned about that we can't quite get past. Just last night I browsed listings and found one that I think would be pretty great except it doesn't have a dishwasher and I don't know where I'd fit one; and another that is so nice but it's priced a little higher than we'd wanted and it's located on a busy corner and I'm not sure that would be acceptable. Wish us luck, because the timeline we're on means we should get started with inspections and negotiations on something next week, and hope everything goes smoothly so we're not rushed when it comes time to close and move.

What are some highlights of your spring so far? Leave a comment and let me know!

I'm sharing in this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond.

I host the Wednesday Quotes link-up every other Wednesday. Stop by and share a few thoughts and quotes on the current topic here: WQ - Simplicity. I host the Everyday Images photo link-up every other Thursday. And find the Scripture and a Snapshot link-up here every Sunday.

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Sunday, April 5, 2026

Scripture and a Snapshot - Glory To the Righteous One - He Is Risen!

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. there you will see him.' Now I have told you."

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.

~Matthew 28:5-8~

They raise their voices, they shout for joy;

from the west they acclaim the LORD's majesty.

Therefore in the east give glory to the LORD;

exalt the name of the LORD, the God of Israel,

in the islands of the sea.

From the ends of the earth we hear singing:

"Glory to the Righteous One."

~Isaiah 24:14-16~

Thank you for joining Scripture & A Snapshot. Leave a link to your own post sharing a Scripture and a Snapshot. Take time to visit some of the other links and bless each other with comments.

I also link up at the Sweet Tea & Friends Monthly Link-up Party hosted by Grace-Filled Moments

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Thursday, April 2, 2026

Currently . . . April 2, 2026

The "Currently" link-up at the beginning of each month is hosted at Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa. Our hostess Amy posts a set of action verb prompts for the month and writers respond. So, without further ado, here are this month's prompts and what's happening currently . . .

***********

Planting or Hatching - Well, I'm not a gardener by any means. I do like having some plants and flowers outside the front door, but I'm not planting them myself as I prefer to have planter pots right now. In a more metaphorical sense, I'm trying to hatch ideas of which house to buy. Who knows, maybe I'll plant something at the new place once we're moving in. Or more likely, I'll ask my husband to plant something he thinks I'd like.

Cleaning (spring) - I'm so behind schedule with my spring cleaning already. I'm going to try and give my bathrooms a seasonal deep clean in the next couple days, and my fridge and pantry need a purge. I just started working on a list breaking down everything into small steps because I guess I should be packing as I go this spring in order to make the upcoming move go a little more smoothly. Again, when I'll find or make time for all of it is anyone's guess!

Eating and Drinking - I have been doing a pretty good job of making healthier choices with eating over the past couple of weeks. I started meeting online with a nutritionist who is helping me with weight loss and health goals, and the accountability is helping me already. So my work lunches have been more like sandwich wraps, carrot sticks, yogurt, and cheese; and I've added a simple side salad to my dinner most nights.

On the weekend I kind of took a break, since I was out of town at a Sweet Adelines convention, and I enjoyed a margherita flatbread for dinner one night, and tempura battered sweet potato fries for a late night snack! Other than that, I did pretty good there too, even sticking to cheese omelet and oatmeal for my breakfasts, despite there being pastries and waffles and more available. Yay me! And yes, I enjoyed some adult beverages as well.

Reading and Watching - Currently reading these:

A Tarnished Canvas by Anna Lee Huber

Oracle of Philippi by Catherine Ensley (ARC)

I got very little reading done in March, far less than I'd planned, and since Oracle of Philippi is an ARC I'm planning to review, I'm concentrating on that at the moment.

Currently watching . . . I don't want much in the way of TV or movies, so I can't think of anything I've sat down and paid attention to recently. We've had hockey on the TV quite a bit lately as we're watching the last bit of the regular season and how those playoff spots will settle.

Loving - Things I'm loving right now include:

Apple blossoms, cherry blossoms, pear blossoms, dogwood blossoms . . . all the trees that have blossoms right now! And just signs of spring in general.

I am loving the dreaming and browsing listings part of house hunting. The hard work part really begins next week, and then I'll be a bit more stressed, I imagine.

I'm loving that I have just a teeny bit more time in the mornings, since I don't have to worry about weather related traffic slowdowns or having to warm up my car or those things. Granted, I usually take a bit too much time!