Author Archives: Ellen

Nineteenth Bloggy Anniversary!

The photo above is of my brother Steve working on setting up my blog. We were all gathered at Greg’s brother’s home in Anaheim Hills.

Way back in March of 2007 my brother Steve strongly encouraged me to start a blog and he helped me to set it all up. When things didn’t post right he’d help me sort out the glitches. We were living temporarily in Camarillo, California at the time and it was a good season for me to have something extra in my life like blogging. It has been a fun journey and has morphed over all the years.

In February of 2008 I met my first Blogging friend, Willow. Here’s what I wrote about it 18 years ago.

God is so good to me. He gave me two desires of my heart today! I’ve said over and over again how sweet it would be to meet one of my bloggy friends and how I’d love to have a walking buddy in Southern California after I left my walking buddies in Seattle, Washington. Today Willow and I met and had a walk and plan to walk on a regular basis, keeping each other accountable. How sweet it is! We found each other through blogging and realized we both live in the same city. We’re in the same stage of life and have a lot in common. Check out her blog, she has very exciting news today! She became a grandmother!

In April of 2008, Willow, Sara and I met up at the Getty Villa. Here’s what I wrote way back then.

On Monday Willow and I met Sara from Much ado About Something at the Getty Villa. This was the first time I met Sara face to face. Sara in person is true to who she is on her blog. She’s gracious, thoughtful, and kind. What a fun experience to meet bloggy friends in person. I’ll be posting more about the Getty soon.

Here we are at lunch at the Getty Cafe. Willow from Willow’s Cottage, Sara of Much Ado About Something and ellen b. from the Happy Wonderer. See ellen b. leaning over without wincing with back pain. Whoohoo!

I met the lovely Cori G. in Southern California just before Greg and I moved back to the Seattle area. We met up in January of 2009. Here’s what I wrote…

On Tuesday I drove to Orange County for a family dinner at my parents’ apartment with my sisters, SIL’s, and nieces. Cori G. form Gingerbread Crumbs & Co. and I have been regulars on each others blogs and she happens to live in Orange County so we arranged a face to face meeting close to my parent’s apartment. We had a very short time to meet and “talk” but what a joy it was to spend this short time asking questions and sharing a little bit more of our lives in person. I was surprised how fast our time went.

Cori G and I met up one more time before Greg and I moved back at a restaurant in San Marino.

The Monday before we left California Cori G! met me in San Marino for breakfast at Julienne. I was a distracted blogger that day and forgot to get a fresh photo of the two of us at Julienne.

In March of 2010 Greg and I met up with Sandy and her husband. We were driving from Camarillo back to our home in Kenmore after selling our condo in Camarillo.

On our trip back to Washington from California, Dear and I had dinner with Sandy from The Reluctant Entertainer and her husband. We had our fabulous meal and time of fellowship at the Winchester Inn in Ashland, Oregon. I knew Sandy lived close by and it worked out that she and her husband were available to meet us. We didn’t run out of things to talk about. Sandy shares my passion for food and fellowship around food. Her blog is about simple entertaining and creative hospitality. If you haven’t visited there yet click on over. This is Sandy’s photo that I asked for since my photo was blurry. Thank you Sandy! Look at those great salads! I’ll be posting more about this great Inn later…

This epic meetup with 5 of the Mennonite Girls Can Cook was life changing and it all grew out of blogging! This was in April of 2010 after Greg and I had moved back to Kenmore and left our sojourn in Southern California behind for good.

Whoohoo! I finally got to meet some of the Mennonite Girls from MGCC face to face on Tuesday. Five of the Canadian Mennonites had a field-trip down to the Skagit Valley to see the tulips and we all met up for lunch in La Conner. It was like we were old friends. Each gal is so unique yet so cohesive in the group. I don’t know if that’s the right word but I hope you understand what I mean…

I feel so blessed to have been adopted into the fold even though I’m not Mennonite. Many of our Russian recipes are similar to the Mennonite favorites.

Seeds of Friendship

I planted some seeds of friendship
All nice and neatly in a row
I tended to them with love and care
Then watched them sprout and grow

All ten of us when we gathered in British Columbia to sign contracts for our first cookbook in September of 2010.

So what makes it easy for 10 women all together for the first time ever to be relaxed and enjoy each other? I think it begins with our  faith in God, our savior Jesus Christ, our common comfort food experience, our heritage, and our openness to new adventures. I am aware of what a gift it is to have made this wonderful connection with these beautiful girls.

And then Herald Press came knocking at our door. This is a link to our October 2010 announcement.

In July of 2010 Dear and I met the Scrabble Queen from Scrabblequeen Knits for breakfast while we were in the Sacramento area for a funeral. She gifted me with some wonderful loose tea from England!

In April of 2011 during a ‘sister’ trip to Victoria on Vancouver Island my bloggy friend, Pondside, who lives on the island offered to pick me and my sisters up and give us a mini tour of some of her favorite spots. What a treat that was!

The last stop on our Victoria tour with Pondside was Hatley Castle. I can imagine how beautiful this location would be for a wedding when everything is blooming.

I really do thank God for many wonderful people I’ve met through blogging and blossoming friendships that continue. Pondside is one of those people who I thank God for bringing into my life.

On a weekend in July 2011 Jill a bloggy friend from Utah flew in for a visit at our house. We treated her to the usual tourist spots including the Lavender festival in Sequim. (pronounced squim). Andrew was in Afghanistan during this time so our daughter, Katie, was living with us and she was a great addition for our time at the lavender fields.

It’s a lot more fun with my navigator and a bloggy friend who understands that we take photos of everything! Jill and her camera are great companions for me. Here’s a link to Jill’s post about our time at the lavender fields.

And here’s another link to our Saturday shenanigans.

At a book signing in Winnepeg/Manitoba I was able to meet Millie from Wreathmaker. What a fun surprise to see her and her hubby at McNally Robinson bookstore.

In 2014 on Katie and my roadtrip from Seattle to North Carolina we arranged a meeting over lunch in Kansas City, Missouri with Pam from Abiding With Love. We had a wonderful meal paid for by Pam’s husband and great conversation with Pam and her daughter.

Pray for dear Pam as she has had health crisis after health crisis stemming from Lyme’s disease and now from a brain tumor her and her family call Georgia on my mind.

Several of these gals do not blog anymore. There are other gals who stopped blogging that I never met in person but would have liked to meet. Let’s see if my brain can remember them, Rosemary, Kim at Hiraeth, Gumbo Lily.  There are some bloggers that I miss who have left this earth like Vee, and Sally from Blue Monday.

To those of you who are still blogging, thank you and It would be a treat to meet you in person!

All in all, blogging has been a joy to me and I’ll keep going as long as it is reasonable for me to continue.

I’m coming to you today from somewhere on the Danube river! I prepped this post for my anniversary before we left on our trip. Hopefully by now I’ve posted some postcards of what we have seen so far! Thank you for following along!

Budapest!

What an amazing city!

More to come once I can plug my computer in on the river cruise which began on March 1st. Since being in Hungary I haven’t been able to plug my computer in at the hotel. The outlets are a little weird and our converters don’t fit. Oye. My computer is below 10% so I’m quickly getting this ready to post on Monday March 2nd. We’ve seen so much and enjoyed some great food.

Hopefully by now my computer is plugged in successfully and charging away.

We’re having great weather, too! Happy March everyone!!

Before Thy Mercy Seat, O Lord ~ Hymn

Before Thy Mercy Seat, O Lord

Before Thy mer­cy seat, O Lord,
Behold, Thy serv­ants stand,
To ask the know­ledge of Thy Word,
The guid­ance of Thy hand.

Let Thy eter­nal truths, we pray,
Dwell rich­ly in each heart;
That from the safe and nar­row way
We nev­er may de­part.

Lord, from Thy Word re­move the seal,
Unfold its hid­den store,
And as we read, teach us to feel
Its val­ue more and more.

Help us to see a Sav­ior’s love
Shine forth from ev­ery page,
And let the thoughts of joys ab­ove
Our in­most souls en­gage.

Thus, while Thy Word our foot­steps guides,
Shall we be tru­ly blest,
And soon ar­rive where love pro­vides
An ev­er­last­ing rest.

Words: William H. Bathurst, 1841.

Creamy Poblano Soup

In the past I’ve found good recipes that are included with store flyers. This recipe came from a flyer that Fred Meyer sent out some years past, recipes with a Latin flair. I tried two of their soup recipes. The first one I tried and the whole family enjoyed was this Creamy Poblano Soup. There are no credits given in the magazine for the recipe so I’ll give Fred Meyer the credit.

Creamy Poblano Soup

6 poblano peppers
1 lb. ground beef (80% lean)
2 cups sliced leeks (from 2 large leeks, white part only)
2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup whipping cream
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the broiler in your oven.
Arrange Poblanos on a sheet pan and place 4-6 inches under the broiler.
Cook until charred on all sides, turning every few minutes, about 8-12 minutes or more.
Transfer the charred peppers to a bowl and cover them tightly with plastic wrap.
Let them steam for 10 minutes then peel and chop the peppers, discarding the skin and seeds.
Set aside.

Add the ground beef to a large pot over medium heat.
Cook, stirring often, until the fat is rendered and the beef has begun to brown.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the beef and set aside, leaving the fat in the pan.
Add the leaks and cook, stirring occasionally until they have softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the reserved poblanos and corn, and continue to cook until the corn has cooked through, about 5 minutes. (add some olive oil to pan if it seems dry) Add the chicken stock and simmer until the flavors incorporate about 5 minutes. Stir in the cram and reserved cooked ground beef. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer until the soup is warmed through then serve at once, refrigerating any leftovers.
This will serve 4-6 people.

Notes: I salted the raw beef lightly while it was cooking and I also salted the leeks and corn lightly while they cooked. You could prepare the poblanos a day ahead to speed up the cooking process on the day you want to eat the soup. If you have a gas stove top you can char the peppers over the flame but it’s easier to char them under the broiler.

We really enjoyed this flavorful soup! Poblano peppers have a more gentle spiciness than jalapenos or Anaheim chilies.

Thank you, LORD.

Some of the women at our church are going through a Bible Study book on Heaven. This was one of the exercises in Session two that I wanted to be able to access on my blog. We looked at the following Scriptures to identify the path to the Father. We rephrased each verse using first-person pronouns. It was a good exercise for me.

The Scripture references in order are; Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8, John 3:18, John 3:16, Romans 5:8, Acts 4:12 and Romans 10:9-10.

I have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The wages for my sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus my Lord. By grace I have been saved through faith that is not my own-it is a gift of God. If I believe in Him I am not condemned but if I do not believe in the name of the only Son of God I am condemned already. For God so loved me that He gave his only Son that if I believe in Him I will not perish but have eternal life. God showed his love for me in that while I was still a sinner Christ died for me. There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to me by which I must be saved. If I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead, I will be saved. With my heart I believe and am justified and with my mouth I confess and am saved.

Thank you, LORD!

 

Farewell to February Hodgepodge

March is coming, Hodgepodgers, and Joyce From This Side of the Pond is giving us a little tease. I’m posting this a day early because I’ll be busy until the evening of the 25th. I’ll be visiting y’all then.
My photos from Washington D.C. are all from a visit in May of 2011.
1. America celebrates turning 250 years old this year. Primary cities set to lead the celebrations on July 4th are Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and Washington D.C. Other significant locations for celebrating will be Charleston SC and the ‘historic triangle’ which includes Jamestown-Williamsburg-Yorktown Virginia. 

Of the cities listed how many have you seen in person?

I’ve had the privilege to visit Boston, New York and Washington D.C.

Of the cities listed which would you most like to visit this year?

I’d love to visit Charleston S.C. or Williamsburg some day.

Any plans to do so?

Not at the present.

What’s one place in America you think everyone should see?

Washington D.C. because there is so much history documented there and so much to see and enjoy.

If you’re not American what’s one place in the US you’d like to see? 

2. Three sounds you love to hear? 

I love to hear “hello mom” or  “baba!” I love the sound of any music that is honoring to God and lovely in general. I also enjoy pure natural nature sounds like birds and other animals or water flowing, etc.

3. Three sounds you hate to hear? 

Loud nonstop cussing. The screeching of brakes. Smoke alarms.

4. February 24th is/was National Tortilla Chip Day.

Are you a fan?

yes

With salsa, guacamole, queso, or just plain please?

Salsa and guacamole, please

Do you like nachos? With what on top?

Nachos are okay but not what I prefer to order or make.

Is there anything (besides nachos) you make that calls for tortilla chips? 

Taco salad is good to have with chips.

5. We March into March with next week’s Hodgepodge…what’s one thing on your March calendar that makes you smile? 

I cannot choose just one!

The following selfie is from this past Sunday, the 22nd of February.

Two March birthday girls, the oldest and the youngest girls in our family!

We have so much to smile about in March. In March we will visit Budapest and embark on a river cruise with stops in  Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, and a bus trip to the Czech Republic, too,  and then we will end our international trip in Cambridge U.K.

We travel home from London on my birthday and then our family will gather to celebrate our granddaughter’s birthday which is in March, too. Whew!

And for the record the 14th of March marks my 75th birthday on this earth! We will be at airports and on airplanes for all of my birthday. I will count it all joy!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I didn’t think I’d be able to participate this week in the Hodgepodge but we’ll be hunkered in a hotel room this evening and I’ll have the time to participate. This won’t be the case for the next two Wednesdays. Cheers!

One more photo from Washington D.C. This is the Washington National Cathedral.

Weekend Recap

Hello Monday and hello to the last week of February!

I took this selfie on the way home from church on Sunday. We watched the USA-Canada Men’s Hockey game before church and we were happy for the historic win for the USA men. I decided to wear my USA jacket to church as a nod to the Hockey team. I love that Addy leaned over to get into the selfie!

Congratulations to all the participants in the Winter Olympics!

I’m adding a couple of photos from my archives taken in Milan in March of 2013.

The soccer stadium in Milan.

Have a great week!

Jesus, Thy Church With Longing Eyes ~ Hymn

Jesus, Thy Church With Longing Eyes

Jesus, Thy church with long­ing eyes
For Thine ex­pect­ed com­ing waits:
When will the pro­mised Light arise,
And glo­ry beam from Zi­on’s gates?

E’en now, when tem­pests round us fall,
And win­try clouds o’er­cast the sky,
Thy words with plea­sure we recall,
And deem that our re­demp­tion’s nigh.

Come, gra­cious Lord, our hearts re­new,
Our foes re­pel, our wrongs re­dress,
Man’s root­ed en­mi­ty sub­due,
And crown Thy Gos­pel with suc­cess.

O come, and reign o’er ev­ery land;
Let Sa­tan from his throne be hurled;
Let na­tions bow to Thy com­mand,
And grace re­vive a dy­ing world.

Yes, Thou wilt speed­ily ap­pear;
The smit­ten earth al­rea­dy reels;
And not far off we seem to hear
The thun­der of Thy cha­ri­ot wheels.

Teach us, in watch­ful­ness and pray­er,
To wait for the ap­point­ed hour,
And fit us for Thy grace to share
The tri­umph of Thy con­quer­ing pow­er.

Words: William H. Bathurst, 1831.