Thank you to Joyce From This Side of the Pond for our weekly Hodgepodge questions.
1. Do you like your name?s
I have grown into it. I do not have a middle name on my birth certificate.
Are you named after someone (grandparent, etc)?
No. After my older sisters got the more traditional Russian names, my mother decided I’d get a name none of her friends would choose for their children. Ellen is not a typical Russian name.
If you have children how did you choose their names?
For our sons we chose strong Biblical names, Joshua and Daniel. For our daughter we chose a name from Greg’s heritage and also a strong name, Katherine.
2. A piece of red velvet cake, a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a slice of blueberry pie? You can only have one…which will you choose?
I’ll go with red velvet cake.
If you could pick any red, white, or blue dessert other than those listed here, what would you choose?
I love a good patriotic berry trifle.
3. What’s a job you’d like to try for just one day?
I’d like to try being a detective and solving a murder.
4. Any patriotic decor in your home currently or coming up this summer?
Yes! And I’m on the lookout for more since this is the 250th year of freedom!
5. It’s the end of May, so let’s exercise our brains. Sum up your month with an acrostic using the word MAY. We can do it!!
M emorials beginning and ending the merry month of May with
A wakening buds and weeds displaying a springtime
Y ard that needs attending to!
6. Insert your own random thought here.
Memorial weekend scattered many of our family to Texas and Montana, far south and far north! The travelers originated from California or Washington State.
Kathy is our oldest sister and turning 80 over Memorial weekend she deserved a celebration all her own. She was in Texas on her day so our sister, Lana, threw a birthday party for her. Our youngest sister, Lana, lives in Texas. Both my older sisters (Kathy and Vera) were in Texas to attend our youngest niece’s graduation from high school. The graduation ceremony was on Friday. Our youngest niece is the daughter of our youngest brother who also lives in Texas. Are you following? Anyhoo, hats off to Lana for giving Kathy a very special celebration.
In Texas our friend, Heidi, sat in for me for this ‘sister’ photo above since I couldn’t be in Texas for the events this past weekend. Lana, Heidi, Vera and Kathy on Kathy’s 80th birthday.
Kathy’s kids and grands were all in Montana for a wedding. Our kids and Vera’s kids were in Montana, too, for the annual ‘cousins memorial day weekend’. This group of cousins sent their mom, nana, auntie a special photo greeting for her 80th. There was some face timing, too.
Meanwhile back in Texas…
Our niece, Hope’s graduation ceremony.
Graduations, weddings, cousin’s annual gathering, it was a full weekend! Why were we absent? We enjoyed taking care of our Grands while their parents had fun with the cousins in Montana!
Each of these loved ones got a t-shirt with a photo of a special moment in their history with their cousin Debbee. She turned 50 in May and our DIL Laura was inspired to celebrate her at cousins weekend in this special way.
The original ‘band of cousins’.
Whew! That was a very busy weekend. Our Colville kids made it back Monday evening and our ‘sitting’ duty was over. We shared our time watching over our Grands with our DIL Jamie’s dear mom. She got the evening/overnight duty while and we got the daytime duty. I’m sure our Grands had stories to tell about their caretakers and didn’t hesitate to throw us ‘under the bus’. 🙂
And just like that, May is almost over!
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 
…for my first name I received my father’s name and for my middle name, my material grandfather’s. Unlike you, I have no aunts, uncles or. cousins.
I enjoyed reading about your name! I love how close your family is. Aren’t large families a blessing? All those siblings, cousins, and others who mean so much even if you don’t get to see them often. It was kind of you to watch your grandkids- I know you loved it but it’s still a lot of work. The picture of your yard is stunning!
I love that the cousins have a get together every year. That sounds so special and I hope mine can do the same someday. Also I love the name Hope, I’ve always thought it was such a pretty name. I enjoyed reading about your name and the differences in the language. I know a few Ellens but don’t hear it often with little ones these days. Have a great week!
My mom does not have a middle name.
I love that you share your family with us, I just love, love your bond. We do not have a large family. My boys do not have any cousins!!!
Have a great rest of the week.
xo
Carla
How interesting to learn about your name and that berry trifle looks good! Happy birthday to your sister! What a great party and congrats to your youngest niece with her graduation. It sure does look like a full weekend!
Great birthday photos, your garden looks beautiful.
Take care, enjoy your day!
Lovely family photos! Those desserts look fabulous too 😋
My middle name is Ellen and I hated it because my parents (especially my mother) wanted me to be called Faith Ellen and once I got to first grade I told my teacher i DON”T want to be called that. I want just Faith. in college my roomie decided i should be Faithe (putting the E from Ellen onto my first name for fun). Thus the blog signature. but officially it’s Faith no E. haha
LOVED all your family photos.
How beautiful your backyard is!
You’ve given me an idea for my front flower bed and July!! Hobby Lobby has those exact same stars. Now i need to pop over and buy some!! 🙂
Enjoy the rest of the week.
So wonderful to see all the joyous family celebrations happening, Ellen with an E 🙂 Loved your story and history of your name and name choosing. Happy 80th birthday to your sister!
I know I’ve said this before, but I love the close relationships of your family. What a great idea to make those photo tshirts for the birthday girl!!
That is interesting about not having a middle name. Do you know why? Interesting facts about the name Ellen and that they called you Ellen, Ellen, Watermelon. Enjoy your red velvet cake. I like your red, white and blue stars. I like your acrostic. Your random thought is so full of amazing moments and get together’s. Always enjoy your photos.
A great gathering and a wonderful hodge podge. My mother didn’t have a middle name either. My brother-in-law had just a letter, never did figure that one out. I don’t think he knows either.
May was certainly a very busy month for your family! My mother’s name was Helena –her ethnicity was Ukrainian–but everyone called her Helen. She never like her name. Her sister, my aunt, was Anastasia, but everyone called her Nancy. Your patriotic trifle looks so delicious!
Thank you for sharing your family and your times together. I only have two sisters and we have always been close, but following our mother’s death in 2005, we vowed to get together at least twice a year. We so looked forward to our “Sister’s Gathering.” Since our youngest sister was killed in ’23, it is not the same. Gin and I still stay in touch daily, but we are 6 hours apart and she doesn’t get out much. The cousins never see each other either, so I enjoy reading about your gatherings.
I do like my name. I’ll take a piece of that red velvet cake too.
That was a very full weekend! Your family is amazing! A shirt with a picture of a memory with their cousin, what a fantastic idea! I hung our flag out last weekend but that’s the only ‘decor’ we have. Have a great rest of your week!
May was full of celebration for you! I love your photos…so much happiness in them! I enjoyed reading the story of your name! And, goodness, that trifle looks delicious!! Have a wonderful Friday!
Oh my, those patriotic desserts look wonderful and delicious!
You had a very exciting long weekend with so much to celebrate! I love how creative everyone was with stand-ins and photo t-shirts and fun ways to include those who couldn’t be in two or three places at once. You have a wonderful family!
Great desserts, great cousins = the best of times!
What fun celebrations. Loved the t-shirts with the photos on them
It was quite a busy weekend . . . including yours as you hung with your dear grands! (Grand days are so much fun, but they are also tiring!) Happy birthday to your sister! It’s a good thing that there was someone to stand in for you for the sisters photo! 🙂
I like “Ellen with an E.” 🙂