“Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens.
Brown papered packages tied up with string.
These are a few of my favorite things.”

Everyone has favorite things. Mine change from day to day, week to week (well – except for the really important things, like my husband and kids). Seems to be a “thing” to blog about favorite things…so I’ll jump on the bandwagon.

Sweet and Spicy Tea. Since I’ve given up caffeine drinks for Lent, I’ve embraced herbal tea. I love sipping a hot beverage morning, noon or night, so it was imperative that I find a tea that I could enjoy at any hour. I found this one at HyVee and fell in love. I’ll probably drink this even after I take up coffee drinking again (ON FRIDAY!). The title describes this tea perfectly – sweet orange tangles with spicy cinnamon. Not too harsh, like some darker herbal teas. And no after taste either. Just really great flavor and I can get a couple of cups of good tea from one teabag. Score one for frugality.

Two of my current favorite things: Sweet & Spicy tea and “Peace Like A River”

Peace Like a River. A friend from work loaned me this novel by Leif Enger about three months ago and I have dinked around getting through it. It isn’t because it’s bad. It’s very, very good. This best seller from 2001 is “a heroic quest, a tragedy, and a love story,” the story of 11-year-old Reuben Land, who joins his younger sister and father in a cross country search for his outlaw older brother. The writing flows, the story is captivating, the premise is unique. I really like it – and I promise I”m going to get through all of it by next Monday. I promise. If I could only stop everything else I need to do and just read…

Brussels sprouts. (yes – it’s plural “Brussels” not brussel – I looked it up.) I’ve loved these little cabbages for years. But somehow now it’s “cool” to love Brussels sprouts so I order them as appetizers and no one looks at me in horror. In the last month, I’ve eaten them in three separate restaurants – all were great, though they were prepared differently every time. Don and I roast this veggie at home – trim off the bottom, cut in half, toss with olive oil, salt and paper and lay out on a foiled-lined sheet pan. Roast in a 425 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Delicious!

C25K app. Yes – I’m back to training again for a 5K. I do it every year. I always take the cold winter months off. I have no treadmill and I will not run outside in snowy or icy or freezing conditions. It’s not that important to me. But once spring rolls around, I like to get back out on the trail. I’m not fast, but this app helps me slowly get back into enough shape that I don’t embarrass myself at an organized race. This year I’ll be tackling a 10K also so I especially like that the 5K app will progress right into a 10K app.

Jennifer Dukes Lee. A couple of years ago I discovered a book called “The Happiness Dare, ” written by an Iowa farmer’s wife named Jennifer. Soon I started searching my house for cameras because it felt like she had overheard my conversations, read my mail, and sat at my kitchen table. Though we’ve never met in person, I’ve been privileged to interact with Jennifer multiple times via social media and if there is anyone I’d like to live next door to, it would be this special woman. She’s vulnerable, talented, relevant, devoted, gifted, funny and beautiful, inside and out. I hope you’ll sign up to receive Jennifer’s blog or buy one of her books. She’s a best friend I haven’t met yet.

I know the title of today’s blog is Five Favorites, but I want to end with one of my favorite Scriptures. My husband is notorious for calling every Scripture he preaches on his “favorite,” but it’s true – the Word of God is so rich, it’s hard to narrow it down to just one. Lately I’ve been taken with Psalm 62, especially verses 5-8.

“My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. 
In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.”