A Fresh Cup of Coffee: April 2024

Sunday, April 28, 2024

Scripture and a Snapshot - Passover

And they left and found everything just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

When the hour came, He reclined at the table and the apostles with Him.

And He said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."

And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, "Take this and share it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes."

And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying "This is My body, which is being given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup, which is poured out for you, is the new covenant in My blood."

~Luke 22:13-20~

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Saturday, April 27, 2024

Share Four Somethings - April 2024

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Just remembered that my blogging plan for today included sharing Something Loved, Something Accomplished, Something Improved Upon, and Something Noticed. I'd better get it done! I'm going to continue adding my Something Read and What's Coming Up Soon as well.

Something Loved (and/or Disliked)

Loved doing a little more exploring at the nearby parks.

Also loved exploring the Groovy Plants Ranch one weekend, and seeing the Timbuk Farms Tulip Festival on another weekend.

I greatly disliked everything about filing and paying taxes. It's a miserable and confusing process, made worse when we didn't get things explained well to us last year and were hit with unpleasant surprises when it came to city taxes.

Something Accomplished

Our church participated in a big service weekend, and hubby and I helped on the team that served a meal at a church center one night, and on another team that collected donated groceries for the local food bank.

Something Improved Upon

I'm still working on my sleep habits from last month, with some successes there. Trying to improve upon my meal planning system as well.

I'm hoping that having new glasses specifically for reading and looking at the computer screen will reduce the discomfort from strained or tired eyes.

Something Noticed (In our Lives or Around Town)

Jemima Puddle-Duck has been patiently sitting her eggs for a couple weeks now - all ten of them! We've noticed that she isn't scared of us, really, and she does have a nice spot right near our door. We're hoping to see ducklings soon!

Something Read

I finished and reviewed:

The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai

The Vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jaime Jo Wright

Here are the books I'm currently reading:

Wimpy Weak and Woke by John L. Cooper

Silencing the Siren (Ever After Mysteries) by Denise L. Barela

Voice of the Ancient by Connilyn Cossette

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

What's Coming Up Soon?

We're planning to go to a baseball game with our son and his family this coming week, and I hope the weather will be good. It will be a great way to kick off May!

Just a couple more weeks of co-op class and then I guess I'll close the books on my tutoring "career". I will definitely miss teaching, but it wasn't the same doing it virtually anyway. It will make my work schedule the same every weekday, and I am planning to start a half hour later each day, once I don't have to make up that Thursday morning time every week.

We are planning a trip to Maryland for Memorial Day weekend, and hopefully a trip out to the northwest soon to spend a weekend with friends from our Calgary days. Don't have anything firmed up for that yet, but we are working on it.

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.

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Five Minute Friday - Almost

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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.

it's almost time

almost over

almost home

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I almost wrote this on Friday. I started, but didn't finish. I almost didn't write it at all. Or . . . I started writing and now it's almost ready to share.

Sometimes "almost" is bittersweet or even somewhat tragic, like when an athlete almost made the Olympic podium but didn't score quite enough. Or when a character in a movie almost escaped the danger situation . . . but didn't. Sometimes the "almost" is the escape, and then it brings a feeling of relief. I almost missed my flight, but thankfully I got there just in the knick of time! Or, I was almost fooled by the scammer but I figured it out before he got my money - whew!

I thought of a line from one of the Psalms ― "my feet had almost slipped" ― and looked it up, to decide if I wanted to quote it, and found myself drawn into the scenario the psalmist was describing. I was surprised, in a way, that it was comparable to what happens in my thought life sometimes. Here's how it starts:

Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;

I had nearly lost my foothold.

~Psalm 73:1-2~

He's saying, "Yes, I know God is good, but I was about to lose my grip." What caused him to slip and almost fall?

For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

~Psalm 73:3~

Okay, I get that. It's very tempting to be envious or just discouraged or frustrated that the worst people seem to be doing really well in life. That's not fair!

Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure

and have washed my hands in innocence.

All day long I have been afflicted,

and every morning brings new punishments.

~Psalm 73:13-14~

Have you ever felt like this? I have. Like, what good has it done me to work hard and do the right thing when I keep getting kicked in the teeth? Why is there no reward at all for being honest? Good guys never seem to get ahead and that's not fair! Why is everyone else experiencing success and I'm stuck in a rut? Why am I the one that keeps getting sent back to square one, without even collecting the $200? That's not fair, and I'm sick of being on the losing end!

And that's when he ALMOST gave up.

When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply

till I entered the sanctuary of God;

then I understood their final destiny.

~Psalm 73:16-17~

We're often not going to understand how it is that evil people get away with evil and seem to be winning at life, and how it is that following God's way really is best. We need God's perspective on justice and on success to help us.

Like the psalmist, I sometimes get dangerously close to discouragement and despair. Almost giving up, or almost getting sucked into doing or thinking the wrong thing. I've slipped many times, and I've almost fallen. The only reason I haven't gone right off a cliff is that God is faithful and strong, and has saved and protected me, and he's helped me adjust my attitude, which is usually the real problem!

Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel,

and afterward you will take me into glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you?

And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

~Psalm 73:23-26~

Whenever I'm almost ready to give up, almost at the end of my rope, and it seems like things are almost over in a bad way . . . God is still there, and still holding my hand. So I won't give up. It's almost morning. Trust him and hang in there, because we're almost there, almost home.

********************

I almost chose the song "Almost There" from The Princess and the Frog, but this one from Twenty One Pilots was the first one that came to mind.

********************

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

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Thursday, April 25, 2024

Monthly Musings - All Things Spring

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I've skipped a couple of rounds of Monthly Musings, but I'm taking a few minutes to answer this month's questions. Hopefully I'll find time to visit everyone and get to know the blogging friends that participate! Holly at Pink Lady and Patty at Good Better Best co-host this monthly sharing of tips, tricks, and conversation starters.

1. Favorite thing about spring?

Birds and flowers and the promise of warmer weather! Spring flowers and tree blossoms make me happy, and so does seeing and hearing so many birds.

2. What are your spring traditions?

Sticking with the same answer I gave last year - our family's Stanley Cup playoff pool. Participants include my husband and myself, our kids and their significant others, our granddaughters, and my husband's sister and her husband. We all enjoy hockey, so even though our teams may not be in the hunt for the Cup, we have some fun seeing who can most accurately predict the playoff outcomes. We all follow baseball to some extent as well.

I don't know if it's a spring tradition, but it's a very busy time of year at my husband's work, so we always need to keep that in mind when making plans, and I do like paying a visit to the greenhouses this time of year especially, when it's so colorful and full of plants and flowers.

3. Favorite spring outfits?

I don't really do fashion, at least not following trends and such, so when I think of spring outfits, I'm happy when I am fine with just a light jacket - or don't need a jacket at all! - and it's warm enough to wear capris and skirts when I feel like it.

4. Favorite springtime meal?

It's time to fire up the grill and the smoker! Burgers, hot dogs, brats, kebabs, and corn on the cob are all great on the grill, and when we have the time, we like to smoke a bacon-wrapped meatloaf, a pork shoulder, or a beef brisket. I guess all of those things sound kind of like summer cookout meals, but I think we'd be happy to grill or smoke every weekend.

5. Spring rain . . . love or loathe?

Oh I love rain! As long as I don't have to drive in heavy rain, anyway! Last week I was driving home from work when we got hit with a bad hailstorm and that was horrid. But from the vantage point of a covered porch or a window with a nice view, I love rain. We used to sit out on our covered front porch and watch storms roll in, or just listen to a gentle rain.

6. Favorite spring flower?

As with most things, I have trouble picking just one favorite. Tulips and lily-of-the-valley have long been my favorites in spring, but I also love daisies, gardenias, and pansies.

7. Do you get seasonal allergies? Best remedies please?

I used to have a terrible time with sniffling and sneezing, and with itchy eyes during the spring and for a bit during the fall, but oddly enough it doesn't bother me nearly as much any more. I relied on claritin to get me through because while benadryl would stop the sneezing and sniffles, it also about knocked me cold so it wasn't safe if I was driving! Many years ago I committed to buying local raw wildflower honey and I take a spoonful almost every day pretty much year round. I rarely need to take allergy meds any more, and I honestly can't say whether I've simply "outgrown" the allergies or whether the homeopathic honey remedy has solved the problem. Or some combination. I just know that I don't have much trouble other than days with itchy eyes.

8. Favorite springtime beverage?

Sweet tea or lemonade.

9. Do you change your home decor for spring?

Not a whole lot. I have spring flowers in the house, either plants or cut flowers. Or both! And the decor I use for Easter is more generally spring-themed so I can use most of it until it's time to start with the red, white, and blue for Memorial Day.

10. Lemon meringue pie or strawberry shortcake?

Oh, both!! If I have to choose, then lemon meringue pie.

What are your favorite things about spring? Leave a comment and let me know!

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

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Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Wednesday Hodgepodge - In This Week's Bucket

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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. When did you last have cancelled plans? Were you happy about that or disappointed?

I had to look at my calendar to figure this out. We've had plenty of changed plans recently, but not actual cancellations. But a couple weeks ago, my chorus rehearsal was cancelled because of the eclipse. Many of our members were going to be traveling or doing something special to view the eclipse so they just gave us a night off. I was a little disappointed, of course, but I had to also admit that it was kind of nice to be at home that night.

2. On a scale of 1-10 how much of a planner are you?

It really depends on what I'm planning! In general, I'd put myself somewhere in the middle, maybe a 6. There are some things I like to plan, and I always have plans to make better plans (haha), but I don't plan anything in detail. I make lists of things to do, to pack when I'm traveling, restaurants to try, and that sort of thing, but my lists are pretty general.

I have been using the website Remember The Milk to keep all my to-do lists for a few years. I haven't got the RTM app yet, but I think I probably should. Adding that to my to-do list now . . .

3. Do you have a menu plan for the week? If so tell us one or two things that are on it. If not, what's your plan for not having a plan?

I do try to have a weekly menu plan, although I usually plan just the main dish and figure out the sides as I go. Most weeks Monday is leftover night or something similar, since I have very little time between work and chorus. Wednesday nights we eat at church. This week I have roast pork tenderloin (or, as we like to call it, Kangaroo Tail) planned for Thursday night. Crispy Cheesy Chicken makes it onto our menu quite regularly. I use Plan To Eat to help me keep track of recipes, meal plans, and even shopping lists.

4. The Hodgepodge lands on National Bucket List Day. Do you have a bucket list? Is it written down or just in your head? What is one thing on your bucket list? If you don't have a list, what is one thing you'd add to a list if you did? Yes, I'm going to make you think about it.

I do have a couple of bucket lists. The "things to do before I kick the bucket" type list is vaguely in my head, with things like "go on an Alaskan cruise" on it that I think of from time to time. The bucket list I actually work on is more immediate. I wish I had a different name for it - I used to call it "40 things while I'm 40" and so on, because it was the list of things I wanted to do before my next birthday, but it got harder to come up with enough specific items to match my age! But that's what it is, a list of things I want to do or work on before my next birthday. The current list includes a couple of vacation ideas, setting up our patio with at least some basic outdoor furniture so we can use it, and visiting all of the Columbus Metro Parks. And someday, I will go on that Alaskan cruise! It's been on my wishlist for years!

5. Rain buckets, a drop in the bucket, couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, sweat buckets, cry buckets . . . which 'bucket' idiom applies to your life in some way currently?

Hmmm. A drop in the bucket. It doesn't feel like much changes or that what I'm doing makes much difference most of the time, but each day and each positive thing adds another drop that eventually adds up to make a full life.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I'm writing this late Tuesday and I'm too tired to come up with anything. Plus I need to go to bed! So please enjoy these two cartoons that really made me laugh this week!

What are your thoughts on planning and bucket lists? Leave a comment and let me know!

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

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