Who am I? A wife for almost 40 years. A mom for over 36 years. A sister and a friend, of course. Each of these help describe me. But, even more, I have been a Christian since accepting Him as my Savior when I was 12 years old and, this truth defines each area of my life. I have enjoyed some mountain top experiences but have been through some very deep valleys as well. Valleys of incredible grief and even pits of depression. However, most of my days are ordinary, routine kind of days. But in every one of my days, God has been faithful. He has walked with me whatever the day. He strengthens, comforts, encourages and blesses me with life "most abundant."

A favorite life verse: The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10

Why do I write? Though not quite as private as my dad, I am definitely my father's daughter. I find it difficult to share. And to let others in. But I do love to write. I love to put words into sentences and sentences in paragraphs that help express my thoughts. I hope my words help me share my heart. Share the life that God has given me and all that He has done for me and through me. I write with the hope of giving Him at least a bit of the glory He is due.

A verse to guide my writing: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. I Peter 1:7

Good Monday Morning 12.2.24

Posted on By jennifer

Happy Monday! And I like the look of that date in the title…. 12.2.24 Would be a fun day for…well, anything I suppose:)  I hope everyone’s Monday is already off to a good start.  I know for many, it is “back to grind stone” or back to school/work/the everyday routine after the holiday weekend.  Another perk of this retired life, there really is no grindstone!  And, I will admit, that is a nice feeling.  Mondays have (almost) always been a favorite of mine but they are especially nice these days.  I love the week’s new beginning.  But, a quick look at the weekend is nice as well.  Here are a couple of thoughts about the few days after Thanksgiving.  And, of course, one thing I would change.

black Friday shopping – is not for me!  Just mentioning here in order to see how many of you joined the masses on Friday?  We did run some errands (UPS store, book return and other small bits to check off the to-do list) and even those parking lots were full to overflowing.  I don’t know “officially” but I would say black Friday (or shopping to put stores in the black) was a huge success.  For me?  There was (is) nothing I needed on Friday that could not wait until one day this week.  Or beyond.  Just curious – how many are finished shopping?  Haven’t even started?  Or maybe somewhere in between?

Christmas tree shopping and lots – seem to be quite popular this year.  There are a couple tree lots close by that I drive past regularly.  One, in particular, seems to be almost half out of trees.  In three days.  Setting up every year in a far corner of the neighborhood (quite large) Catholic church seems to be a winner!  But other lots (particularly the one in front of our grocery store) don’t seem to do as well and always have lots (quite a lot) of trees leftover each year.  I don’t know why but this really bothers me.  I have a real love/hate relationships with Christmas tree lots.  Just sayin.  As for Christmas trees, in general, this past weekend seems like a very popular time to put up the tree.  We have not yet followed the crowd but many, many of our neighbors now have decorated trees in their windows.

leftovers – were minimal this year.  Just as we had hoped for/planned.  There was a time when my husband would not touch a leftover.  He has gotten better but they still are not his favorite.  I refuse to waste food so I typically end up eating whatever remains in the refrigerator after day two.  This year, there were no leftovers for him and only a couple of my favorites for the day after Thanksgiving.  The refrigerator is tidy and leftover free.  Ah – that makes me happy.  Are you a fan of leftovers?  I know many who love them as much, or even more than, the original meal.

peppermint in my coffee – has quickly become a favorite!  It is surprising even to me.  I kept hearing about this Chobani creamer and, for some reason, decided to give it a try.  (The power of influencers…lol!)  Yes, it has plenty of sugar and is, no doubt, not healthy at all but that is what makes it a treat, right?  And a delicious one.  I try not to enjoy one every afternoon.  Self-discipline and all – ha.  But, who knows, I just might every day in December!!:)

winter weather – has arrived.  Our lovely weather on Thursday seems to have been the official end of any weather remotely autumn-like.  Winter swept in and it has been not only coat weather, but coat, hat and gloves weather.  There were even very tiny flurries on Friday.  Please, no.  I hope this is not the harbinger of a “miserable” winter!!  Have you already had snow??  And, you guessed it, this is the one I would change!!

Other than that, it was a great finish to the holiday weekend.  This week has several things on the calendar.  Bible studies resume. We will join our friends for a birthday lunch for the two guys. Holiday bazaar season begins this week and two friends and I are looking forward to our favorite one later this week.  And, of course, there is a birthday surprise for my husband!  His big day is on Friday!!  I hope you have a bit of fun in your week ahead as well.  Have a good one –

Good Monday Morning

Comments (4)

  1. Winter weather has arrived here as well. Baby, it’s cold outside! We have had a tiny bit of snow though I don’t believe there’s any more of it in our near future. I love leftovers! When at a restaurant, one of my considerations in ordering is what I think I will want to eat the next day as well because I almost always just eat half of what I order at a restaurant and eat the rest the next day :). Black Friday shopping in person is a hard no for me but I am not opposed to the shopping that I can do at my fingertips, with a blanket on my lap and the Christmas tree in my peripheral vision… Have a great Tuesday!

  2. I have never been a Black Friday shopper either. I typically plan to get all my shopping done my Thanksgiving and anything that I might still need I happily turn to online stores at that point. I try really hard not to go to any of the overcrowded stores between Thanksgiving and Christmas if I can help it.

    I understand Christmas tree lots in cities and places that don’t have easy access to tree farms but where we live we are surrounded by both and I would imagine that many of those precut trees go to waste. At least at a tree farm that tree can keep growing for another year.

  3. Like you, I’m not a Black Friday shopper.

    We have 2 artificial trees, both of them table-top size. This just works better in a house with less storage space.

    Yes, I eat leftovers. Not a problem. Less cooking that way.

    The only snow we have here at my house is on the TV shows.

  4. Good day to you Jennifer and what a lovely post this was, photos and happenings. I have never been a fan of Black Friday shopping, or any kind of big day sale shopping. I know what you mean about tree lots. We had leftovers this year but not as much as we cut it down to about half. Peppermint in coffee sounds wonderful! Weather has turned and I might be having a hot cup of tea any time now. If I feel chilled to the bone from being outside, it warms me up quickly. Self-discipline? What’s that says I smiling. I figure we are entitled to our treats and here I go, another smile. We have had no snow yet but it feels like it could even though there is none in our forecast. So glad you had such a lovely holiday weekend. Looks like you have a super week coming up also. Happy December to you and your family and thank you for such a lovely read..

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