A Fresh Cup of Coffee: October 2023

Sunday, October 29, 2023

Share Four Somethings and Monthly Musing - October 2023

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I decided I needed to combine my Share Four Somethings and my Monthly Musing post this time around if I wanted to do both, otherwise I'd simply run out of time! As it is, I am scrambling to get it done, and stayed up way too late to finish getting this ready to go! Nevertheless here is Something I Loved, Something I Read, Something I Learned and Something I Ate in October, and a few other somethings as well!

Something Loved

As usual, the number one thing on my list of loves has to do with family. This time, though, it is my parents and siblings that we spent time with. I loved visiting my family in Alberta and spending some time with them after way too many years!

(Yes, these are the same family photos that I used in the September SFS, because this gathering was on September 29th and we didn't take photos of us together later in the week.)

While in Alberta, I also loved being able to spend a day getting reacquainted with Banff National Park, one of my favorite places!

We loved getting together with friends that we've known since high school or college days, but haven't seen in a decade!

Our kids share photos of their lives with us, so I can fall in love with cute pictures like how happy Aubrey is with the little pumpkin she took home from the pumpkin patch. Yes, I cry at how much I miss them, but I absolutely love these photos.

We went to Boo at the Zoo with our Ohio family and I loved this photo of Spider Gwen (aka Veronica) and the sea lion.

Something Read

I'm doing a bit more reading and hope I can keep up with my own expectations!

Here are the books I'm currently reading:

The Vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jaime Jo Wright

Garden of the Midnights by Hannah Linder

Ticker by Lisa Mantchev

I've been trying out hosting a monthly link-up for review posts and I'd love for you to drop by and share a review or two, and comment on someone else's review. The hope is that we can comment on actual reviews and share them. Find the current Book Review Bulletin, and of course, all the rest of my reading news at Just A Second.

Something Learned

I learned that magpies are very unpopular with the folks in Alberta. I like them and I think they're pretty, but I guess I don't have to deal with them as a daily nuisance either. I also like crows, in case you're wondering what level of weirdness I'm at.

I wish I could say I've learned better time management, but I still have not. I'm terrible at it.

I know I learned some useful things during the month as well, but I can't remember any of those things right now, or can't figure out a sensible way to explain what they are.

Something On My Plate

So much good food this month! We ate what we felt like while on vacation instead of sticking to low-carb, so we could enjoy things like brisket poutine while in Banff.

And one of my favorite breakfasts, Waffles and Awesome Sauce.

We stopped to get some takeout for lunch one day and chose shawarma. We'd never had it before, and it was amazing. Absolutely amazing. Hopefully I'll be able to report in an upcoming SFS that I've learned how to make it, because I've decided I will.

Turkey dinner for Thanksgiving, of course! And butter tarts and Nanaimo bars for dessert!

We had these really delicious pierogi last night. Not exactly keto-friendly, but whatever. This weekend is not a keto-friendly weekend. We went out to The Melt the day before with friends, and blew the low-carb plan anyway. So worth it though - I had the Chicken & Waffle grilled cheese, which is my new favorite dish there.

I love these sesame coated cashews. These and pork rinds are now my go-to snacks. Not together, though.

What's Been On My Calendar? #WBOYC

The whole Alberta trip was the big thing on the calendar and took up the first week of October. The trip home was an interesting one. We flew from Calgary to Minneapolis, then the plan we got on in Minneapolis had a mechanical problem, so after a long wait we had to get off that one and get on a different plane. Which also had an issue that needed fixed, which delayed takeoff even more. We finally got into Columbus at almost two in the morning, and got a Lyft home. On the plus side, the delayed flight was not on the way TO Calgary, or the first of the two flights on the way home, which would have been a lot more disruptive!

We celebrated the birthdays of our two oldest sons. Of course we could only get together with one of them, and take him out to dinner, but we're looking forward to seeing the other birthday boy and the other Maryland kids next month.

Thanksgiving (Canadian date) was on the Monday right after we got home from Alberta, so we put off our Thanksgiving dinner until the following weekend, when we invited some work colleagues of my husband's and had a Thanksgiving feast.

We went on a date night to see the visiting Calgary Flames (my team) and the Columbus Blue Jackets . . . lots of fun even though the Flames lost. It was Stars Wars night (although we don't know why) so that was fun too.

We went to Boo at the Zoo on a Sunday afternoon and had perfect weather for it! The pumpkins carved with all the animals were amazing!

We were able to get to the zoo that day because the send-off concert for the chorus had to be cancelled. That was really disappointing, and makes me nervous because it was basically the dress rehearsal for the Sweet Adelines International next week, and all of it is still new to me so I would have liked the chance to do a performance before the big stage.

A planned walk at Alum Creek State Park was cut short when it started raining.

But we had much better luck at Rocky Fork Metro Park yesterday.

Friends from Maryland made a quick trip to Ohio this past weekend and took us up on our offer that they could stay with us. That was quite a treat, and a nice surprise too. We couldn't have predicted that they would be our first overnight guests other than family!

What's Coming Up Soon?

The big thing coming up, at least for me, is Sweet Adelines International Convention & Competition in Louisville! I'm headed out on Tuesday morning and will be there all week, and I'm really excited!

And also, Thanksgiving is coming up soon! And so I'm answering the Monthly Musings questions here to just combine things a bit! Holly at Pink Lady and Patty at Good Better Best co-host this monthly sharing of tips, tricks, and conversation starters.

1. What are your Thanksgiving plans?

We are planning a weekend trip to Maryland to spend Thanksgiving with our kids there. Hoping to get there on the Wednesday in time for hubby to play hockey with his buddies.

2. Favorite Thanksgiving dish? Please share recipe.

I love corn pudding, and that might be my favorite 'traditional' thing that's usually on the Thanksgiving table. This is the recipe I've used for the past several years, Holiday Creamy Corn Pudding from This Old Gal.

3. Best food prep tips?

My favorite thing is to deep fry the turkey, because that frees up the oven for a lot of other things! But that's not always possible, of course. No matter how we are cooking the turkey, I write down everything on the menu and how long prep takes, and then make myself a timeline for the day so that I can get everything on the table and hot when it's time to sit down to dinner. And anything that can be made or prepped ahead of time - do that!

4. Favorite Thanksgiving traditions?

Just being together with family. And traditionally we start decorating for Christmas on Thanksgiving Day.

5. Turkey? Ham? Other? Both?

Definitely turkey, and preferably deep fried turkey!

6. Apple pie? Pumpkin pie?

Pumpkin pie for me, every time!

7. Football or family movie?

Some of my guys like to watch football, but it's usually not a big deal. We're probably more likely to watch a movie.

8. Stuffing or dressing?

I call it stuffing.

9. Turkey trot or Thanksgiving parade?

If I had to choose, it would be the parade, but we don't usually do either one.

10. Have you ever done a Friendsgiving?

My kids have done Friendsgiving, and actually called it that! We have gone to Gobble In The Lot on the evening before Thanksgiving for many years running, and it's not too different from Friendsgiving. The guys play a game of hockey and then we have a huge potluck Thanksgiving dinner afterwards. It used to be out in the parking lot until it was super cold one year and the rink said we could eat inside. So we've been doing it inside ever since, but the Gobble In The Lot name stuck.

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

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

This post will be linked at Overflowing With Thankfulness in the Share Four Somethings link party.

This post will also be linked at What's Been On Your Calendar #WBOYC hosted by Deb's World.

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Scripture and a Snapshot - Do Everything

Do everything without kvetching or arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure children of God, without defect in the midst of a twisted and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the sky, as you hold on to the Word of Life. If you do this, I will be able to boast, when the Day of Messiah comes, that I did not run or toil for nothing.

~Philippians 2:14-16 (CJB)~

Well, if the wording of this translation doesn't make you take notice of this verse, I don't know what to tell you. It brought me up short. I think we like thinking of ourselves as being those shining stars of right living and sanity in a day and age that could certainly be described as "twisted and perverted" but we skip past the first part of Paul's statement. In order to really shine, we also have live joyfully and not kvetch about anything and everything. I admit I actually like kvetching. It can be really funny and a helpful release of tension to kvetch with a good friend about the silly things that annoyed me during the day. (And it's just a fun word to say!) But I need to be careful that it doesn't cross the line into grumbling and complaining and slandering others, or lead to an ongoing bitter or negative attitude. It's much more important and rewarding to be an encourager and someone who is ready to share gracious words and the hope of Messiah, and so shine like a star.

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.

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Friday, October 27, 2023

Five Minute Friday - Strive

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One word. Five minutes to write about it. This is the idea behind Five Minute Friday and this is today's free-writing post.

strive for five

strive for peace

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How interesting. Just yesterday I was pondering the phrase "strive for peace" and wondering if it was a contradictory statement or not. Striving and being at peace seem like opposites. Striving and rest seem to be opposites too, but these are the Scriptures I had in mind:

Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

~Hebrews 12:14~

Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.

~Hebrews 4:11~

What we strive FOR matters, and it also matters who we strive alongside. If we don't have the peace that passes understanding, the peace that is a fruit of the Spirit, all our attempts to "strive for peace" will be pointless. We can't force others to get along with us, and if we do everything in OUR power to get along and not rock the boat or cause trouble, we'll eventually compromise or let ourselves be pushed around, and then we certainly won't be at peace. We need the Holy Spirit working in us in order to be peacemakers in a contentious world, and even to be in harmony with our Christian brothers and sisters! This is how the Christian Jewish Bible words the verse:

Keep pursuing shalom with everyone and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

Shalom and holiness are gifts of the Holy Spirit to us, but we must reach for them, and perhaps the striving we do is not grasping and clawing to fit everyone into a neat box, but the daily effort of choosing to cultivate the fruits of the Spirit and be disciplined.

What about striving to enter rest? I thought we weren't supposed to be striving if we're Christ-followers, like the hymn says: Let strivings cease. And it's true that the Teacher in Ecclesiastes says over and over again that all the things he tried to find fulfillment in were "striving after the wind". We can't find purpose and fulfillment in ourselves, and if we try we will be striving for the wind. It will be pointless and frustrating. We can only find the fulfillment we long for when we follow Jesus, but it's not a cushy and mushy rest. It's a shalom rest - a completeness and wholeness - and it involves work and discipline.

But it matters that we are striving alongside Christ. We are not having to do it on our own.

"Come to me, all of you who are struggling and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

~Matthew 11:28-30~

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This post is linked at Five Minute Friday for the word prompt "Strive".

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Wednesday, October 25, 2023

What's Up Wednesday - October 2023

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Fresh Cup of Coffee helps continue the coffee breaks and conversation.

On the last Wednesday of each month, Shaeffer & Shay host a link-up to talk a bit about what's going on in our worlds - food, entertainment, plans, fashion, work, whatever - in the What's Up Wednesday linky party.

What We're Eating This Week . . . Last night I made Turkey Split Pea Soup and it was really good, even though I didn't season it enough. I think I'll make Chili tomorrow. We're planning to eat out on Friday night. I have not done a good job of menu planning lately!

What I'm Reminiscing About . . . We're coming up on one year since our move to Ohio, so I've been reflecting on that a little bit. How it's hard to believe it's been a year already, but at the same time it seems like an incredibly long year. Yesterday I published this post about hometowns which also reminisced about the places I've called home: Tell Us About . . . Hometowns: People and Place to Love

What I'm Loving . . . autumn colors, coffee, family outings, and that we can share photos instantly. It's not the same as being together but it sure helps!

What We've Been Up To . . . We started the month off in Alberta visiting my family. It was a big deal because we hadn't been there in ten years! In addition to family get-togethers, we spent a day in Banff and we got to visit with a few old friends.

After we got back here, we celebrated Thanksigiving (the Canadian date!) by having guests from my husband's work, and we also got together with our son and his family to celebrate his birthday.

This past weekend we went to a Blue Jackets hockey game on Friday night and went to the zoo with the family on Sunday afternoon.

What I'm Dreading . . . another likely round of frustrating phone calls and nonsense trying to sort out things with our medical and dental insurance. It's been a nightmare that's been ongoing since February and I know the dental still is screwy. I'm hoping the medical didn't get messed up by a recent change but I'm not optimistic to be honest. I gave up on the whole mess and told myself I wasn't going to think about it while we were on vacation at the beginning of this month, and now I'm going to have to reopen that can of worms. Ugh.

What I'm Working On . . . tidying up my guest room since we have company coming this weekend. Getting all my plans made for the Louisville trip, especially all the little details like items I still need for makeup and costume. I still need to get my hair cut before I leave and I don't know when that's going to happen!

What I'm Excited About . . . my upcoming trip to Louisville and being part of the Scioto Valley Chorus 'Run for the Roses' at the Sweet Adelines International Convention & Competition! I joined SVC early this year because I needed something to do that got me out of the house and interacting with people, and a women's chorus was the perfect choice. Little did I know when I visited my first rehearsal that the chorus I'd chosen was championship level and that I'd be headed to an international competition with them! I've had to work hard to 'catch up' and I hope I'm ready!

What I'm Watching/Reading . . . I've been watching some hockey lately as the NHL season got underway. I occasionally watch a bit on TV at home, and we attended one game in Columbus just last week, with plans to get to at least one more in about a month.

I'm trying to get back into a groove of reading a bit more again, after being in somewhat of a slump for awhile. For all the details on what I'm reading, see my book blog at Just A Second.

I'm currently working on:

The Vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jaime Jo Wright

Garden of the Midnights by Hannah Linder

Ticker by Lisa Mantchev

Recently completed:

The Starlet Spy by Rachel Scott McDaniel

A Louisiana Christmas To Remember - novella collection

Up next:

Voice of the Ancient by Connilyn Cossette

Queen of Exiles by Vanessa Riley

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

What I'm Listening To . . . recordings of the chorus sets so I can rehearse! Also enjoying podcasts and lots of other music. One of my favorite podcasters, Cooper Stuff (John Cooper of the band Skillet), started a new series of shorter podcasts called "Sword & Shield" that is more of a Scripture and faith lesson. I also got a new to me app called First 15 which is a devotional and prayer guide, and I can listen to it instead of read it, so I love that.

What I'm Wearing . . . same as usual - t-shirts and jeans most of the time, but now that it's cooler weather, I'm choosing long-sleeved tees and sometimes even a sweater.

What I'm Doing This Weekend . . . Nothing definite planned, but we will have friends from Maryland visiting on the weekend, and the current plan is that they'll stay overnight with us.

What I'm Looking Forward To Next Month . . . That Louisville trip, which is the first week of November! And of course, Thanksgiving, which is our next trip back to see our Maryland family!

What Else Is New . . . my coffee maker started acting really wierd and I think it's getting ready to konk out completely, so I started shopping for a new one. I've got one sitting in my Amazon shopping cart ready for me to pull the trigger. I think today might be the day I do that! Even though I have the Keurig, I can't be without a coffee maker!

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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. October 25th is International Artists Day . . . do you have a favorite artist? If so, tell us who and why.

I don't have one favorite above all others, but my list of favorites includes Van Gogh, Monet, Matisse, and O'Keeffe. Then as I was answering the next question I realized maybe my favorite artist is my daughter Kennady. Hmmm. She used to do a lot more drawing and painting and created so many things I loved, and after all, she's my daughter . . . so I'll say she's my favorite. What's sad is that I don't own much of her work, despite being her patron (matron?) for all these years! Here's a sample of her work:

2. Would you describe yourself as artistic? Elaborate.

My first reaction is no, I'm not artistic, because I really can't draw, and I don't do artsy things like painting or sculpture. I don't even do needlework type creative things any more. I used to do cross-stitch, sewing, quilting, and knitting at various times, so I can do all those things - I just don't these days. I like taking photos and sometimes I surprise myself with how they turn out, but I don't even have a working camera - I just use my phone. All that said, I am artistic enough that I enjoy paint day parties and have always been really happy with how my projects turned out . . . which basically means I can follow instructions and have a decent enough eye for the colors and effect I want.

A big part of the appeal of paint days was that
I'd go with my daughters - and they are both
more artistic than I am!

3. What's a skill, task, hobby, or job you've done so often you now have it 'down to a fine art'?

Baking bread? The morning routine of getting coffee brewed and lunches ready for us to go to work? In a way, teaching the co-op classes are down to an art.

4. How often do you dine out? Fast food, fine dining, or somewhere in between? Tell us about a less than stellar restaurant experience you've had recently (or not so recently if that's easier).

On average, we eat out once a week and it's most often somewhere in between. Dine in restaurants, but more casual. We love barbecue joints, pub-style restaurants, and diners. Places with character. I can't think of any really bad experience we've had at a restaurant. Minor things go wrong, of course, but never a big deal. Going back many years I can remember a certain chain restaurant that lost me as a customer after we sat in a booth with my young kids and I realized that it had obviously been a really long time since the little 'ledge' behind the booth back had been cleaned. Very gross. Another time I was out with girlfriends and our young kids, and the waiter that had been looking after us quit. Like in the middle of his shift. We had ordered our food, and were waiting FOREVER, and finally we flagged down another waitress to find out what was going on. That's when the manager came and told us our waiter had up and left and hadn't put in our order or something. They assured us it was NOT because of us he'd quit! It was just really weird, and the manager did a good job of making it up to us.

5. Do you celebrate Halloween? To what extent? Are there trick or treaters where you live?

I don't celebrate Halloween myself, but I do a little seasonal decorating (nothing occult or gory). When I taught at co-op, I tried to dress up for the class day that was closest to October 31st and brought treats for my students. Our church had a huge Trunk or Treat event and our whole family participated in that for many years. This year - well, I don't know if there will be trick or treaters in our neighborhood, but I won't be home anyway.

Trunk or Treat 2021

I was Cruella in 2021

Trunk or Treat 2020

6. Insert your own random thought here.

What's up in your world this week? Leave a comment and let me know!

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

And this post is linked at What's Up Wednesday for July, with Sheaffer & Shay.

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