Friday's Fave 5

It's Friday! I can't believe another week has gone by, nor can I believe we are well into March already!
This has been a good week overall and I'm thankful for so many things. I have no idea how I found this blog, but I'm so glad I did. I really need to focus on the many blessings in my life and Friday's Fave 5 is a fun way to do that. Five of my favorite things this week have been:

1. Coffee! But not really. I've managed to sneak out of the house 3 times this week for coffee with friends! It is so fun to be able to get together with friends and talk until we actually want to go home. It's not very often, especially in a family full of men/boys, that I have the chance to do that.

2. Apologia Science. I love their curriculum! My 7 year old son and I have been using their book Exploring Creation with Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day this year for science and have been having a blast with it! I'm learning as much as he is and have even started my own nature journal as a result.

3. Philippians 1:6 I've been feeling very discouraged lately with where I'm at spiritually and who I am. I've been praying that the Lord would "revive my heart" and my passion for Him. This morning I decided to read the book of Philippians. It is a book filled with reminders of what our thoughts should be on and where our focus should be. Philippians 1:6 encouraged me because it reminded me that my spiritual growth is not dependent on me or my efforts. Jesus is working in my life (and boy does He have His work cut out for Him) and won't ever quit. In case you're not familiar with what that verse says, here it is:

....being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

4. Good cook books. Yesterday I found a short clip on Youtube by a 93 year woman who had lived through the great depression. She had made a series of videos in which she shared her depression era recipes and how to prepare them. I watched a few and then thought, pffft! I've been cooking like that for years! I'm so thankful for the cookbooks I've collected over the years. I've learned how to feed our family without spending a fortune on groceries-healthy, tasty meals that are even cheerfully consumed by our 7 year old. I wouldn't be able to cook like that on my own. I have to "follow the recipes" or else.

5. Hungry deer. No, I'm not really glad the deer were hungry. I'm just glad they were hungry enough to find our yard and our bird feeders! The other day 6 deer meandered into our back yard and proceeded to consume all the birdseed they could sink their little teeth into. It was so fun to see them standing there in the softly falling snow....I wanted them to "freeze" so I could get out a pencil and sketch a picture. I had to satisfy myself with a photo.

Here's the link again if you'd like to participate in Friday's Fave 5.