Author Archives: Ellen

Sunday Drivers

We took a drive on Sunday afternoon after church since it was a day with some sunshine and no rain or snow. I tried to upload my photos from the drive but our satellite service wasn’t cooperating.

We went north through Kettle Falls across the Mighty Columbia river on highway 395 and continued north on the west side of the Columbia all the way to the Canadian Border. The Border is still closed to run of the mill travelers so once we saw the crossing we turned around and came back home. It was a very nice scenic drive and I will share more of the photos when our internet cooperates. The sign above was at a gas station/store/post office in Laurier, Washington. Isn’t the sign clever, eh?

If we could cross the border and keep traveling north we would reach Christina Lake and the Gladstone Provincial Park in British Columbia. If we make a left after the border crossing we would get to Grand Forks.

We were alone on the road all the way to the border. On our way home as we moseyed along one vehicle passed us on the road. If the border was open I’m sure we would have encountered many more vehicles.

Here we are in the last week of February. Last February 28th I was flying to Orange County for our sister’s Leap Year Birthday Party. That was just before things changed for all of us in regards to travel and many other things.

Today will be the warmest day this week and it is supposed to possibly reach 50 degrees! We are excited. Maybe I’ll be able to do some more pruning that I should have done last Fall! Hope you all have a good week ahead.

 

Let Every Lamp Be Burning Bright ~ Hymn

Let Every Lamp Be Burning Bright

Let every lamp be burning bright,
The darkest hour is nearing;
The darkest hour of earth’s long night,
Before the Lord’s appearing.

Refrain

Then trim your lamps, my brethren dear,
Then trim your lamps with godly fear;
The Master’s coming draweth near,
Let every lamp be burning.

Though thousands calmly slumber on,
The last great message spurning,
We’ll rest our living faith upon
His promise of returning.

Refrain

His Word our lamp, His truth our guide,
We cannot be mistaken;
Though dangers rise on every side,
We shall not be forsaken.

Refrain

Then let good works with faith appear,
To help the world around us;
Obedience brings the blessing near
When faith has firmly bound us.

Words: Franklin E. Belden, 1886.

Chicken Quesadillas

I’m re-visiting my chicken quesadilla recipe/method and adding it here. This is a great quick meal when you have a few key ingredients on hand.

  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 1/2 onion diced
  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1-7oz. can of chopped green chiles
  • 1-4oz. can of chopped jalapenos (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 8 oz. bag of shredded Mexican blend cheese
  • Chopped Roma tomatoes (optional)
  • Chopped Avocado (optional)
  • Chopped Cilantro (optional)
  • Salsa of your choice
  • Sour cream

Method:
Saute onion in heated vegetable oil until translucent.
Add the ground chicken, chilies, and seasonings.
Cook until chicken is no longer pink.
Photo 1, Prepare 2 large pans by sprinkling shredded cheese on the bottom over medium heat.

Photo 2, Add tortillas of your choice on top of the melting cheese.
With a spatula turner shift the tortilla a little in the pan making sure the cheese is sticking to the bottom of the tortilla.
Photo 3, When the tortilla moves easily add a small layer of cheese on top of only one of the tortillas and then the cooked chicken mixture and other ingredients you desire to the same tortilla in the pan.
Now add cheese as the final layer.

Photo 4, Flip the 2nd tortilla over in the second pan to warm it a little.
Photo 5, Now place that tortilla on top of the tortilla with the all the ingredients.
Photo 6, Slide the tortilla onto a cutting board or plate and slice into serving sized pieces with a knife or pizza cutter.
Top with some avocado, sour cream and salsa and enjoy.
We had a Southwest salad to go along side, too.

The melted cheese in the pan that adheres to the tortillas gives the tortillas a nice crispy layer of goodness.

Sunny Snow Day

We had a sunny day on Wednesday. It was a good day to venture out and enjoy some vitamin D! Temperatures were going to reach 40 degrees on this day which was a treat from the below freezing temps we’ve been experiencing. Our daughter in law sent us the photo above via text on Wednesday.

After working in the shop and running some errands we decided to drive to Chewelah which is 27.5 miles south of us. A beautiful day for the drive and worth the gas and time to get to our favorite Mexican Restaurant this side of the Cascade mountain range. It’s been three and a half months since we were able to sit down and enjoy a meal here. Some restrictions were lifted as of Monday and they could open at 25% capacity. We gave our favorite server a hug and had our own mini celebration.

Do you have a favorite restaurant that you miss being able to enjoy a meal in?

We are supposed to get another inch or two of snow Thursday evening into Friday morning here.

Truth from A to Z ~ U is for…

Another Thursday has come along and we are now on the letter U. This will be an interesting letter for our challenge. Thank you so much to all of you who have been adding your verses to the comments here. It’s been rewarding to read the verses you have shared. As you share I will add your verses here.

U is for Unless:

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. Psalm 127:1 (ESV)

For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:20 (ESV)

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3 (ESV)

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. John 15:4 (ESV)

From Patsy: Uttered and Unless

Numbers 24:23 Finally, he uttered this prophetic statement: “Ah, who can live, unless God makes it happen.

Psalms 27:13
I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

From Vera: Under

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5:6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Click over to Bethany’s Blog, Raindrops and Rainbows to see her verse. Universe is her word.

From Maristella: Understanding

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own *understanding*;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 3:5-6
And
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is *understanding*.”
Proverbs 9:10

From HappyOne: U is for UNAWARES

Hebrews 13:2 KJV  Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels UNAWARES.

From Cheryl: U is for Underneath

“The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” Deuteronomy 33:27

Common Cents Hodgepodge

Bible 002

Wednesday has popped up again so time for the Hodgepodge. Jo From This Side of the Pond asks the timely questions and we take a stab at answering them. Thank you Jo!

1. This week’s Hodgepodge lands on Ash Wednesday which signals the beginning of Lent. Do you mark this season in some way? If so tell us more.

We are aware of the season of Lent but we typically do not mark this season with ash on our foreheads or choosing something to give up for 40days. In the last few years I have used a few Lenten devotionals during the season but mostly stick to my daily Bible reading and meditation on what I’ve read in the Bible. 

Did you grow up ‘celebrating’ Lent?

My first exposure to Lent was at the schools I attended in Southern California. There was a high population of Catholics and I was intrigued when I first saw some of my classmates come to school on Ash Wednesday with ash marks on their foreheads. Then to hear they couldn’t have gum or candy or cuss for 40 days gave me pause.  The religion I grew up in distanced themselves from liturgical and Catholic traditions. 

Is attending church part of your weekly routine?

 Meeting together with fellow born again believers of Jesus Christ has been both my husbands and my practice since childhood which we have continued into our married life. The fellowship with other believers is an encouragement that we don’t want to miss. Worshipping God together corporately is a very important dimension of the Christian life. 

Are churches open for in-person worship where you live? 

Our church has been meeting since June of 2020. We still offer online services and we have a ‘mask only’ room at the church during services and we have a ‘social distancing’ room available, too. In our main sanctuary you will find those who wear masks and those who don’t. 

We ceased meeting together from March until June of 2020 when the first mandates were instituted. When we returned to meeting again in June you could feel the corporate joy. It was overwhelming and good. 

2. When is the last time you sat beside a ‘real’ fire?
In our son’s backyard sometime in the last year? Most of our fire experience since we moved to the country has been tending our burn piles in Spring and when the local fire danger is low and burning is permitted. 
Do you have a fireplace in your home? Wood or gas logs?
Our country bungalow does not have a fireplace. 
Favorite thing cooked over a fire? 
I’m not a fan of smores so I’m going to say a hot dog.
3. Something that’s currently got you fired up? 
All forms of wickedness. I’ll leave it at that because I don’t want to get anyone else fired up. 
4. February 17th also happens to be National Cabbage Day. Who knew? Do you like cabbage?
Is cabbage on your menu Wednesday? Of the following cabbage dishes which is your favorite-coleslaw (mayo or vinegar?), sauerkraut, cabbage rolls, cabbage soup, kielbasa and cabbage, grilled cabbage, bubble and squeak, kimchi, or haluski? 
Cabbage is not on the menu but if it was it would be Golupstzi (Russian Cabbage Rolls), or Borsch (Russian Cabbage Soup). I love these dishes now but growing up I’d pull the cabbage off the cabbage rolls and I hated the cabbage part of Borsch. 
  • borsch-snoqualmie-001
5. Do you hang on to pennies?
Not recently but back in Dear’s early years he started coin collections and we still have those.
He has pennies from 1918 to 1993 in this collection.
What do you do with them?
Nothing. Funny coincidence is that we just retrieved Dear’s coin folders from the filing cabinet in the garage on Monday before these hodgepodge questions were posted on Tuesday. 
Last thing you purchased for $1.00?
A Valentine’s day card at the Dollar Store.
Last thing you purchased for $5.00? 
A Costco rotisserie chicken for $4.99 last Thursday. One cent shy of the $5. 
6. Insert your own random thought here. 

GOTW-practice035

It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.

Even though we don’t observe Lent with ashes or fasting we do read and meditate on God’s Word and read sections of scripture that lead up to the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus to fix our minds on what Jesus did for us and why we celebrate Easter, Christ’s Resurrection Day. Our Easter celebration is one of our grandest along with Christmas. 
My photograph of the sculpture above (Jesus washing Peter’s feet) was taken at the Gardens of the World in Thousand Oaks, California back in 2011. 

Pancake Day ~ Cottage Cheese Pancakes

My sister Vera has been making these pancakes for years. They are always a welcome breakfast treat!

Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Ingredients:

  • 6 eggs
  • 1 cup cottage cheese
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Method:

  1. Add all ingredients in a blender and blend at high speed for one minute.
  2. Stop and scrap down the sides of the blender.
  3. Continue blending until ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
  4. Pour onto hot griddle or pan that is lightly greased.
  5. Flip when browned on one side and continue cooking until cooked through.
  6. Serve any way you like with syrup or powdered sugar.

Add some breakfast meat of your liking and some fresh fruit.

This recipe serves 4 people.

*You can also add one ripe banana to the ingredients in the blender for Banana Cottage Cheese Pancakes.

*If you don’t have a blender just mix with a hand held mixer or by hand.

The Little Things

I bought a couple of these pillows to add to our couch. Good reminder.

It’s been freeze your face cold here. The Quail are huddling.

And with the wind comes an added chill!

Do Not Be Anxious

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

…“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 6: 25-27, 34

These bunnies are looking forward to Spring but are taking the Winter in stride enjoying whatever the weather hits them with.

We had a nice time with my sister and her hubby on Friday evening and Saturday morning. We had a good time at our dinner out. On Saturday morning our kids came over to see aunt and uncle before they took off to Idaho for a couple of nights. On Saturday evening we babysat the grands so their mommy and daddy could have a quiet dinner out by themselves. Our kids on the Coast are digging out from a major snowfall for that side of the mountains. Snow photos popping up all day Saturday in texts and on social media. It continued snowing on Sunday there, too. We didn’t get any snow just temperatures in the single digits and the teens. No outside work. My sister and her hubby will be driving back to the Seattle side of the mountains from Idaho and it sounds like they will have snow all the way home. Praying for their journey. We are supposed to  get 3-6 inches of snow on Monday.

Hope you all have a good President’s Day here in the USA and a good Family Day to our neighbors to the North!

O How I Love Jesus ~ Hymn

O How I Love Jesus

There is a name I love to hear,
I love to speak its worth;
It sounds like music in mine ear,
The sweetest name on earth.

Refrain

O how I love Jesus,
O how I love Jesus,
O how I love Jesus,
Because He first loved me!

It tells me of a Savior’s love,
Who died to set me free;
It tells me of His precious blood,
The sinner’s perfect plea.

Refrain

It tells me of a Father’s smile
Beaming upon His child;
It cheers me through this little while,
Through desert, waste, and wild.

Refrain

It tells me what my Father hath
In store for every day,
And though I tread a darksome path,
Yields sunshine all the way.

Refrain

It tells of One whose loving heart
Can feel my deepest woe;
Who in my sorrow bears a part,
That none can bear below.

Refrain

It bids my trembling heart rejoice;
It dries each rising tear;
It tells me, in a still small voice,
To trust and never fear.

Refrain

Jesus, the name I love so well,
The name I love to hear!
No saint on earth its worth can tell,
No heart conceive how dear.

Refrain

This name shall shed its fragrance still
Along this thorny road,
Shall sweetly smooth the rugged hill
That leads me up to God.

Refrain

And there, with all the blood-bought throng,
From sin and sorrow free,
I’ll sing the new eternal song
Of Jesus’ love to me.

Refrain

Words: Frederick Whitfield, 1855.

This hymn also goes by the title, There is A Song I Love to Hear.

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

Valentine’s Weekend

Not only is Valentine’s Day on Sunday this year but today (Friday) is Chinese New Year (Year of the Ox) and on Monday we are celebrating Presidents Day. When I was in elementary school and beyond we celebrated Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday on February 12th and George Washington’s Birthday on February 22nd. We had both days off from school.

Sending love here there and everywhere.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Happy Presidents Day which now covers Washington and Lincoln and others. The above collage is of the statue of George Washington in the National Cathedral in Washington D.C.

We have a devotional from Lincoln that I found on our bookshelves today. Here is an excerpt from it;

The True Believer;

The Believer the Object of Divine Love

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 1 John iv. 9.

Pause, my soul, adore and wonder,
Ask, Oh, why such love to me?
Grace hath put me in the number
Of the Saviour’s family:
Hallelujah!
Thanks, eternal thanks to thee.

Today our morning started at 6 degrees f. Right now it has only gone up 1 degree. It is cold. Freeze your face cold. We are doing some indoor things. My sister and her hubby are due to travel over the mountain pass and arrive at our place sometime before five. We have dinner reservations at 5 so we’re hoping they have an uncomplicated drive.

In other news, our King Governor of Washington State has granted Eastern Washington a move to Stage 2 for reopening businesses. Our small businesses especially restaurants are breathing a sigh of relief.

Have a great Friday and weekend everyone!