Another Friday, another five people/places/things/ideas saving my life this week! (And there have been more than five. Just want to make that clear.)

1. The Great British Bake Off. Guys. Have you seen this show yet? Please tell me you've seen this show. (Over here it's called The Great British Baking Show, because apparently the term "Bake Off" is too difficult for Americans to understand...) Brief summary: a group of amateur bakers spend the summer in a tent in the lovely English countryside with episodes called "Cake," "Pie," "Pastries," and "Advanced Dough," to name a few. With titles like that, who wouldn't want to watch? These are cakes and pies and pastries that I could never attempt in my wildest dreams, but would gladly eat all day long. The hosts are clever, the judges are just judgy enough to take seriously, and the contestants actually like each other. They encourage each other on their "bakes," and hug each other at the end of every show! Sean and I first watched it right after Christmas on Amazon Prime, and when he went out of town earlier this week I re-watched pretty much the whole season. Pure comfort TV - now if only the desserts themselves could float out of the television into our kitchen...

2. Homemade bread pudding. Dessert on the brain! My mom and I had dinner together at the start of the week, and after a good winter soup, she brought out two small ramekins of chocolate chip bread pudding that she'd made. Oh man... perfect for a cold night after a long Monday. I'll have to check with her on the recipe and link it for y'all.

3. My heated throw. I don't know about y'all, but my office is chilly (to put it lightly), so I asked for a heated throw for Christmas. I hang it on the back of my office chair or wrap it around my lap if the cold gets really bad. It makes workdays so much more comfortable. (Don't worry, I unplug it before I leave every day.)

4. Writing group. I've been facilitating a small writing group for over a year now, and this week's gathering was a reminder of how close we've gotten and how enriching our time together is. It also made me feel good and grateful that everyone wanted to attend instead of watching the first half of the Super Bowl!

5. Seeing an old friend. I'm lucky enough to work in a place near where I grew up, and from time to time, wonderful folks that I haven't seen in awhile show up at the office. That was the case today, as our school community celebrated the life of a graduate who passed away several years ago from cancer, with new chapel furnishings dedicated in her memory. Her daughter and I were in school, youth group, and choir together, and I always think of her as a dear kindred spirit. Now we're both married ladies with full-time jobs, which is hard to believe! I didn't know she would be here until today, and it was good for my soul to see her walk in the room and give her a hug. Hannah, I hope that one of these days we'll have time for a long coffee catch up!

Honorable mentions (because I can't stop at five!): Children's Sabbath Sunday at church, my Gaelic Storm Pandora station, Ash Wednesday worship, and imagining a girls' vacation to Julia Child's home in France with my college ladies.

Your turn: What were your Friday Five this week? (Or six? Or seven?)