7 For Seven

This is the Monday ritual (originated at key + arrow) of counting seven delights for which to be grateful from the past seven days. Please enjoy!

My sweet, little nephew Sam. He was born on Friday the 13th and I met him Sunday. He is a peaceful, handsome bundle of joy. I’m now the proud aunt of three nieces and one nephew!

Today I made banana bread and muffins from my mom’s recipe and my house smells scrumptious! You can too, here’s the recipe:

Autumn weather has finally arrived in Nebraska. The sunny, cool-temperature days put me in a grateful mood. Plus, I have a beautiful pot of mums on my front porch which greet me every time I pull into the driveway.

Last Thursday Simone and I spent a gorgeous afternoon at the zoo. She laughed out loud while watching the Orangutans play and we both had a fun ride on the tram.

If you read last week’s 7 for Seven, then you already know I have a beautiful new roof. Our insurance company paid for the roof but that doesn’t mean it came at no cost to us. Our house was built in the 1920’s and its original roof was Asbestos Slate Tile. Its removal required a special Abatement Crew. The Abatement Crew finished removing our entire roof last Tuesday evening just as a major storm rolled into town. The workers had covered our house with several tarps but they didn’t cover the back well enough and a lot of water flooded into the rear walls of my home. So far the damage is estimated at $20,000+. We won’t have to pay for the repairs. So, to look at the bright side, I will soon have a remodeled rear end. As promised, here’s a picture of my new roof. Please don’t pay attention to the dead spot of grass the roofers left behind.

Our house in the middle of our street.

My sister came to town for a visit last week. It was wonderful to see her! On Saturday evening she came to my house to see the kids. She ended up staying for awhile and it was fabulous because my nieces ended up stopping by, too. Spending time with my family makes my heart happy!

Jake via spin.com

Speaking of my nieces, last week I got a free copy of New Ocean, my friend Jake Bellows’ new album. A free CD is always cool but it’s especially so because my nieces, Tabitha and Kendall, sing back-up on a few of the songs. Did I mention that I’m such a proud aunt?!