A Curious Hodgepodge

Anyone for pie from Leoda’s Bakery Maui? We have Leoda’s Banana Cream and Chocolate Macadamia.

Hello mid-October Hodgepodge. Thank you, Joyce!

1. Do you think you’re driven more by curiosity or comfort? Explain. 

Oh boy, this one is tough. I am a very curious person but I choose to seek things out in comfortable settings. I love to discover new places and historical sites etc., but I’m not traveling to unstable regions of the world to see those places. I won’t walk into dangerous situations. Enough of my curiosity can be satiated in comfort and safety.

2. What non-food item is in your refrigerator or freezer? 

Cold packs for our shopping trips to Costco which is 90 minutes away from us.

3. Are you comfortable with silence? If you’re home alone, do you like silence or do you need regular background noise? Do you seek out times and places to be silent? What’s your favorite place to find silence/be silent? 

I do enjoy worship music being on while I do household things but I don’t consider that noise. I’m not a fan of background noise in general.  After very noisy functions I let out a sigh of relief as we get in the car and head home. I like quiet in the morning while I read my Bible and other books and make my lists for the day.

4. Carpentry, electrical, plumbing, landscaping…which skill would you most like to possess and how would you put that skill to use today?

Landscaping with a lot of muscle included so I could clean up my planters and know what to prune, what to pull and what to leave alone.

5. Do you lean more towards being too needy or too independent? Which do you find harder to deal with in others? 

I lean more toward independent and less needy. Sometimes being independent doesn’t serve me well in ministry, though. I’ve had to learn to ask for help more and more the older I get. I’m not a great recruiter. I admire people who are good at it! Genuine neediness is okay with me. Professional neediness drives me up the wall and what I mean by professional neediness is those who think the world and those around them owe them everything without a hint of gratefulness for what they are handed.

6.  Insert your own random thought here. 

We just got back from a trip to Maui with our family plus our DIL’s mother and Granny. I’m starting my posts of our time there. As usual there will be a lot of photos from our days and our adventures while there.

 

Maui 2026~Part Two

 

Do you see the window washer?

Our son Dan did all the preliminary planning of the more involved events like snorkeling, zip-lining, pineapple farm, etc. so the drives would be coordinated instead of zig zagging all around the island. Thanks, Dan.

On Friday October 2nd he planned a relaxing free day with no special events.

We had pool time and beach time and lots of photo time. We ended the day with dinner at Duke’s Restaurant which was right on our resort property.

Greg and I were captured on the path as we walked to Duke’s for an afternoon refreshment.

Granny Great got hit by a wave! Walking to find some famous Hawaii Shaved Ice…

A Wheelchair was rented to save Granny Great from the extra long stretches of walking.

There be three gentle and goodlie things
To be here
 To be together
And to think well of one another
~
L.M. Montgomery (from Pat of Silver Bush)
~
Thank you, to Lorrie (Fabric Paper Thread) for posting this quote I lifted for our time in Hawaii.
~
I was reading an article from Paul Tripp Ministries while in Maui and the title of a new teaching series (Mercy Triumphs over Judgement) where he shared his favorite verse of 2026,
James 2:13:
“For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
~
As I sat amongst the twelve of us in Maui with different quirks and different personalities I thought this was a perfect verse to dwell on and consider…
Our third day was a full travel to experiences day. Saturday will take a few posts to cover.

Maui 2026 Part One

Our travel journal begins early on Thursday October 1st as we picked up our Colville family for our ride together to the Spokane Airport at 6am. The ride to the airport is about 2 hours from our homes. Our son dropped us off at the Alaska terminal with all our luggage that he tetrised into the back of our vehicle masterfully. I should have taken a photo!

We established our base camp and waited for the first leg of our flight to Maui which included a change of airplanes in Seattle.

Our kids from the Seattle side of the state were on a flight from Seattle earlier than our flight would be.

They arrived at our resort before us and paved the way for our easy entry.

We had the last two rows on the short ride from Spokane to Seattle. The flight attendants gave us some good laughs before we took off.

Mount Rainier was visible on our flight into Seattle.

The Puget Sound on our descent. We had enough time at Seatac airport for a quick bite before we boarded our next flight that would be approximately five and a half hours to Maui.

All aboard and ready to go on our final leg to Maui.

We saw a lot of the Pacific ocean before we finally saw land!

What a welcomed sight!

I took this photo above from the airport in Maui. Our Seattle crew of four secured two vehicles for our time in Maui. Our vehicle was waiting for us in the parking lot just across from our terminal exit. Another tetris job by our son and we had luggage for 8 and seating for 8 all set and ready for our hour+ trip to our resort.

Our daughter and daughter-in-law met us as we drove up to the resort with our room codes and to show us the lay of the land. Our first glimpse of our view from the condo was jaw dropping. The twelve of us enjoyed two condos side by side for the duration of our stay.

After we settled into our rooms, a walk down to the beach was on the agenda.

Looking back at our lodgings, Honua Kai Resort and Spa.

Looking north.

Looking South…

 

One of our side by side decks with some of our crew.

Our Seattle crew of four had already made the trip to Costco to stock up on water, snacks, breakfast and lunch items for the week. Our dinners would be eaten out at restaurants or the nearby food truck court.

Thursday was done and we were all looking forward to a relaxing Friday with nothing on the agenda.

Mahalo for stopping by today. More adventures coming tomorrow.

Happy Columbus Day here in the U.S.A. and a very Happy Thanksgiving Day to our friends in Canada! 

Read to Me the Blessed Bible ~ Hymn

Read to Me the Blessed Bible

Read to me the blessèd Bible,
On its sacred pages shine
Grace and truth and tender mercy,
And a Savior’s love divine.

Refrain

Read the Bible,
Now the lamp of life burns low,
These will cheer me,
When the agèd feet move slow.

’Tis a fount of living water,
Where the soul its thirst may slake,
Bread of life it freely offers,
Unto all who will partake.

Refrain

Read to me the blessèd Bible,
Read it carefully and slow,
’Tis a refuge and a shelter,
From the stormy winds that blow.

Refrain

It is comfort for the troubled,
To the lonely ’tis a guest,
For the penitent, ’tis pardon,
To the weary it is rest.

Refrain

When you read about the City,
Whose fair day ne’er ends with night,
Death is not the king of terrors,
But a messenger of light.

Refrain

Words: Mary I. McClean, 1894

Tropical Escape

This has been our view from our home away from home for the last 8 days. Our travels home started on Maui time Friday October 9th and we arrived in the wee hours of Saturday October 10th. I’ll be recuperating before I flood my blog with our Maui adventures. Aloha and Mahalo for stopping by today.

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Ellen B. is still away from her computer until next week but wanted to leave you with this recipe since we have entered pumpkin season.

My family has a favorite easy Spice Cake that I’ve made over the years and I decided to switch it up a bit for pumpkin season. Instead of using applesauce that the original recipe called for I used 100% pure canned pumpkin and pumpkin spice instead of nutmeg.

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Ingredients:

  • 1 pkg. yellow cake mix
  • 1 pkg. 4 serving size Jello instant vanilla pudding (3.4oz.)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup pure pumpkin filling (not sweetened)
  • 1/2 C. water
  • 1/4 C. oil
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. pumpkin spice

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl of electric mixer and blend then beat at medium for 4 minutes.
  3. Pour into well greased and floured 10 inch tube or fluted tube pan or angel food pan.
  4. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
  5. DO NOT UNDER BAKE.
  6. Cool in pan for 15 minutes then remove and cool on rack.
  7. When the cake has cooled and before serving give it a dusting of powdered sugar.
  8. It’s good by itself or served with vanilla ice cream.

Blessed Bible ~ Hymn

Blessed Bible

Blessèd Bi­ble, Book of Gold,
Precious truths thy pag­es hold,
Truths to lead me day by day
All along my pil­grim way.

Refrain

Blessèd Bi­ble, pure and true,
Guide me all my jour­ney through;
Heav’nly light with­in me shine,
Help me make thy pre­cepts mine!

Lamp of faith, my feet to lead,
Bread of Heav’n, my soul to feed;
Living wa­ters pure and free,
Book of books thou art to me.

Refrain

Word of God, thy love im­part,
Fire my zeal, and cleanse my heart;
Keep me ear­nest, keep me true,
Ev’ry day my strength re­new.

Refrain

Words: Fanny Crosby, 1898.

Lost and Found July 2007

In July of 2007 my brother and his wife who live in Texas came for a visit to Seattle. They had been married for almost 1 year. We had fun doing all the touristy things we love to do with visitors, Pike place market, the troll, Kerry Park, Whidbey Island, etc.

One of the evenings they were in town our friends who live on the Sound in Edmonds invited our clan over for the evening. The post about this event has disappeared from my blog and I’m reinstating here. The photos aren’t the best but the memories are.

Our dear friend Jody was the hostess with the mostest and knew how to feed a crowd.

We enjoyed a fire pit in Jody’s beautiful English garden. Jody is married to Dave who was our doctor for years! He’s the fire starter in the orange shirt.

I did mention that they live on the Sound.

Mandy would have been meeting Dave and Jody for the first time. Our brother Leonard knew our friends well.

I wonder who is in the Dunn Lumber sweatshirt behind Josh and Laura?

Leonard, Mandy, Greg, Lana, Josh, Laura and I think the profile is Bridget, another one of Dave and Jody’s daughters.

Me and my sister, Lana, who happens to be Leonard’s twin. I see Jan in the background.

One of Dave and Jody’s daughters.

Another missing piece of Leonard and Mandy’s visit for our dinner gathering in Kirkland on the waterfront.

There will be a few more Old Lost and Found posts appearing fresh on my blog in the coming year.

The Age-Long Minute

The Age-Long Minute
by
Amy Carmichael
~
Thou art the Lord who slept upon the pillow,
Thou art the Lord who soothed the furious sea,
What matter beating wind and tossing billow
If only we are in the boat with Thee.
Hold us in quiet through the age-long minute
While Thou art silent, and the wind is shrill:
Can the boat sink while Thou, dear Lord, art in it?
Can the heart faint that waiteth on Thy will?

A Little Blog Break

I’ll be back before you have time to miss me, Lord willing.

In the meantime my Sunday Hymn and a few other posts will pop up but I will be away from my regular postings and I won’t be visiting blogs.

I’m just about done with the huge project of cleaning up my blog from 2007-2013. Here are some images from posts that disappeared from 2007.

Katie was in her friend Heidi’s wedding in May of 2007. This is Katie and me at that wedding. This wedding was in Washington State. Greg was working in California during this time and he and I were living in Camarillo.

Community volunteering project with our church in Thousand Oaks in May of 2007

Josh and Laura at Laura’s brother’s wedding in September of 2007 in Washington State.

Me with my kids at the same wedding. Greg was in California. Ha! I’m wearing the same dress as I wore for Heidi’s wedding earlier in the year, oops. 🙂 Come to find out that dress showed up in one more wedding in 2007 in California. Photos don’t lie or that was the case before AI.

This wedding was in October of 2007. That dress really made the rounds. Makes me chuckle.

Happy last day of September!