I Like Thursday #172

Welcome to my I Like Thursday post. This is where a group of us share things that have recently made us happy, gave us a smile, and/or just puts a positive spin on day-to-day life. After reading my I Like blog, please visit the others over HERE where LeeAnna rounds us up. OK? Got it? Let's go!

Last Thursday was the first Thursday of the month and that meant the three of us were headed over to the Senior Center for our monthly luncheon. March once again brought us the Irish dancers. Between performances, we were also entertained with Irish ballads.

Corned beef, cabbage, mashed potatoes, roll, and a fruit cup
Fancy cupcakes for dessert!

My west-facing dining room window is loaded with beauty. Three of the amaryllis plants are blooming!

Two of the blooming plants

See the other buds coming?

This starry-faced beauty is called Minerva

Hadeco was the first to start blooming
It's an orangy red

Meet Bolero who started blooming this week
She's a pinky-red

There is one other amaryllis in "the collection" that has a bud shooting up. I lost the tag so I have no idea what the name of it is but I'll bet it's pretty!

And speaking of flowers, Spring has started springing up in the yard!

Blooming purple & white crocuses

Twinkly purple crocus

The promise of my biggest show of hyacinths to come!

Flowers were not the only things making appearances in and out of the house. Look who stopped by for a visit!

I finished "The Quality of Silence". It really stretched out too long. I'd give it a 6 out of 10 stars so don't drop everything to read this one. I picked up my next book which was a recommendation from my daughter. Her book club read it. I'm about 70 pages in and it's interesting so far. This is a true story. Read about it HERE.

"Agent Sonya: Moscow's Most Daring Wartime Spy"
by Ben Mcintyre

In the kitchen this week, I made a strawberry pie for Fred. He loves pies! I followed this recipe since I've made it every Spring for years and it's a winner. Sorry no picture.

With St. Patrick's Day coming up soon, I'll be making Ina Garten's Irish Soda Bread. It is also a winner and I've made it in the past. Mom loves this one with a subtle taste of orange in the background. I don't use the called-for currants and instead substitute raisins. Scrumptious!

I hope you're still with me because I saved the best for last. Our family is growing! My niece announced that she and her husband are expecting a baby later this year!!!

We are all so happy and can't wait for the baby's arrival. Our family feels so blessed!

I hope you all have a blessed week and are able to keep a positive attitude. There are plenty of things around to appreciate ... sometimes you just have to look!

Thank you, LeeAnna, for continuing to host this weekly post where we can remind ourselves and others that sometimes you sometimes have to actually look around to find appreciable things.