Weekend Coffee Share....Come Sit with Me

It's another week of Weekend Coffee Share. I always love everyone's posts. Are you like me and try to visit everyone? It doesn't always happen but I try. I have loved getting to know different bloggers and I figure if they take the time to write a post, I'll find the time to visit, even if it's a week later. I truly enjoy what you all share and I often learn so much. 

Check out all the other posts on Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer. I'm off to go visit some now. #weekendcoffeeshare.

If we were having coffee or tea we'd probably talk about:

The Weather: Finally it's feeling more like spring/summer...so far the weather forecast has been correct, let's hope it holds up. I actually wore shorts outside yesterday and have them on today to go babysit. Of course I also have a tshirt and sweatshirt on and have brought a tank top and pants, cuz you just never know. The weather for the remainder of the week/weekend is supposed to be in upper 70's/low 80's, but I did just peek and. it looks like rain is back next week but only at 30-50%. 

What we're thinking about: Yesterday, I had two customers that just were not the nicest. One was kind of snarky and rude. It was more annoying than anything. The other, who I was doing a notary for was not nice at all and I just tried to get him out of there as fast as possible. I probably could have refused to help him, but in quickly analyzing things, I felt like it would just make things worse. We never know what people are dealing with, but at the same time, what he was upset about was so minor it made me sad that something like this could make him so upset. It got me thinking about the daily choice we have to choose how we will respond to any given situation or to the things life throws our way or the things that come as a result of our daily choices. 

What we're thankful for: On the flip side of those two customers, we had two other customers who came in randomly just to bring us something for our kindness to them when they come in. One brought us mochas, and the other brought us donuts. So sweet. I'm thankful for those moments, for the reminders that what we do matters and that there are those who are so thankful for what we do. 

Around the house: Yesterday was so nice, I got out and planted those bulbs. I don't know how many will take. I planted some in pots and then the rest, I actually just tossed out into the area I was going to plant them, but as I stood looking at the sheer number of them, knowing there was a very high chance they wouldn't even take, I decided I didn't want to spend hours putting each one in the ground, so I just tossed them...lol. If they miraculously take, awesome, if they don't, no worries...I know, I know, bulbs are not like seeds, but after I opened them, I'm about 98% sure they weren't healthy enough to sprout and I just didn't want to take all that time. Plus the spot needs weeding badly, etc. Today(Thursday) a friend brought me in 3 tomato plants. She started way too many and then had an overabundance. I will plant them this weekend. 

We're also heading to the Home and Garden Idea fair this weekend so I'm sure we'll get some great ideas for our yard and porch. I'm hoping to go to the Lilac Gardens soon and get a dwarf lilac to put in a pot on the porch. I think I'm also going to try to get a few containers going with some vegetables. Not too many, but just a few. 

What we're reading or wanting to read: We choose our next book club book tonight so I'll be starting that soon. I have a feeling I know which one it will be so I actually put it on hold at the library. I'm pretty sure we'll be reading Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney. I am about 75% done with the book American Marriage.I need to finish it this weekend because I think it's due on Monday. 

What we've watched or listened to: Awhile back I had signed up for a free live event with Matthew McConaughey and a few other people. Well, it turns out it was on a day I had to work and I didn't want to pay $80ish dollars for a VIP pass. They offered a replay for free so I was able to watch it. Funny story is, one of my aunts, and a cousin also signed up for it. On Tuesday I was able to watch it throughout the day and I thought it was good. I wrote down some good takeaways. Sure they offered a course at the end for a dollar amount I wouldn't spend, but, then again, who doesn't do that when they offer something for free. The number of people on the FB page who complained about that rather than just taking what good stuff was offered made me shake my head. Anyways, so I watched that. 

I also listened to a few podcasts that were really good. I enjoy Ed Mylett and he's started doing a few shorter podcasts each week that are about 15 minutes long. They've been really good. The two I listened to were How to Manage Success and You are Qualified for Greatness. There were a few others as well. You usually can't go wrong with his episodes. 

I just started a new audio book called Your Second Life Begins When You Realize You Only Have One by Raphaelle Giordano. I'm only 12% in but it's good so far. 

For the love of food: This last week I made a white chicken chili, a new recipe, it was good, but not the best one I've tried. Several nights we just did leftovers. Fridays are the day I make my menu for the following week. I usually look at what we have coming up, ask everyone if there's a night someone won't be home, etc. I also signed up again for what is called Imperfect Foods. It's a food box subscription. I signed up for every other week and it's kind of nice to find things that are different, to supplement my big shopping trip, etc. In fact I need to get on there today and put my order in for Tuesday. 

Last Saturday I threw a pork loin in the crockpot with some BBQ sauce and we had that for dinner over baked potatoes with coleslaw on the side. It turned out really good. The grandkids were here and they loved it. 

Since the grandkids were here, we had a cookie baking contest and made some homemade, dairy free ice cream. They had a blast. Indy's cookie won. We made the same cookie but altered the recipe a bit. It's a simple recipe that typically calls for 1 c. peanut butter, 1 c. sugar and 1 egg. Yep, that's it. They're so good. Ours differed in that his used coconut sugar, and I used date sugar. He put sprinkles on top and I added chopped macadamia nuts to mine. Pepper was the judge and chose Indy's. I think she's biased. 

A favorite photo: My daughter sent us this picture the other day and it made me laugh. Every other week she takes the kids to a friends swimming pool. They love it.

Favorite quote of the week: Last weeks #WQ Theme was Abstract...something I'm not always a fan of when it comes to art, but I had forgotten how much more it refers to. Here is my post. Below is one of the quotes I found to ponder. Since I love photography it jumped out at me.

Random or not so random things: I've been trying to write this post for 3 days thinking I'd get it done early. So I'll keep the rest of this short. On Tuesday I dropped our car off again to have something else looked at. The shop is about 1.7 miles from my house and since it was nice, I decided to walk home after I dropped it off. On the way, I spotted this awesome set up on the front lawn of a house. What a great idea!

On Wednesday, Pepper and I visited a thrift store we go to every week, and I spotted this cute mug. It just reminded me of something I'd find at my grandma or great grandmas house. I just had to bring it home. I looked it up and I think it's Takahashi stoneware and they were made in the 1970's/80's. 

The rest of the week went by without anything out of the normal. We are loving the weather and taking advantage of it. I'm starting to see garage sale signs and can't wait to go to some this spring/summer. 

My daughter worked the Lilac Days Festival last Saturday so the kids were with us. We had a fun day and even got to play outside for a little bit. We also played one of Indy's favorite games called Spot It. It's great for kids and adults. 

It's hard to believe that May is in just a few days. It all goes by too fast. 

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin