Author Archives: Ellen

Arizona Getaway

We flew away from Washington State to Arizona for a family birthday getaway. For the record we wore masks at the airport and masks on the plane. Here we are flying over the Grand Canyon. So much going on with our family bubble.

Our son and his partners have this fabulous Arizona getaway that we are enjoying.

Our daughter and daughters in law enjoying the poolside.

Today we visited the Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium in Litchfield, Arizona and we got to feed some giraffes! Amazing. More animal photos to follow soon when time permits! Masks were worn at the Wildlife center.

Lunchtime at the Wildlife park.

Today is our daughter-in-law’s birthday, tomorrow is our middle son’s birthday and Tuesday is our oldest son’s birthday. Many celebrations are afoot!

Truth from A to Z Bible Verse Challenge~ P

This Thursday we are on the letter P. Looking forward to seeing what verses in the Bible you choose to share. As usual I will add your verses as you share them in the comments. Thank you in advance.

The letter P has so many possibilities and options. I might add more later but here is the verse I will begin with. Please note that we are traveling this week and I probably will be late in seeing the verses you post and late in adding them here but I will do it as soon as I am able. Thank you for your understanding.

P is for Poor and Poverty:

2 Corinthians 8:9 (ESV)

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. 

From Vera: P is for PLANS and PURPOSE
“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭19:21‬ ‭ESV‬‬

From Linda P. ~ P is for Peace and Power

Romans 15. v. 13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and PEACE in believing that you may abound in hope by the POWER of the Holy Spirit.

From Maristella: P is for PRAYER:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7
And
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
Colossians 4:2

From Gatorandshegator: P is for patience
1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant.

From Patsystitch: P is for Poverty and Poor

Proverbs 30:7-9 O God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die. First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the LORD?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.

Bethany posted on her blog and her word is Promise! https://raindropsrainbows.blogspot.com/

Click over to read her post!

From Happyone: P is for Pasture.
John 10:9
I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and find PASTURE.

Thank you everyone for your contributions this week. What an encouragement to read the verses you have chosen to share.  Our family is having a time away in Arizona so I am a little late in adding all the verses to this post. Thank you for your understanding!

 

Be My Guest Hodgepodge

1. When were you last a guest at an event or in someone’s home?
The last time we were guests was in December.
Tell us about it.
It was a fun informal dinner and card night. Three couple, six of us for pizza and salad and then a great game of Hand and Foot.
Do you enjoy having guests in your own home?
We do enjoy having guests in our home. Despite what’s going on we have had overnight guests and week long guests and one family were our guests for a few weeks. Great times!
2. What has you ‘tied up in knots’ currently or recently?
Thankfully I can’t think of anything that has had me ‘tied up in knots’.
Are you any good at tying actual knots?
I am not good at tying knots but Dear is and I let him tie the knots that we can depend on.
3. What’s something you’ve been wanting to do and have decided 2021 will be the year you ‘take the plunge’?
Trying to sell off some of my dish collections.
4. Something in your home that’s old?
We have a lot of old things that got passed down from Dear’s parents. This baby grand piano is a 1906 Chickering.
Our kids enjoyed it in years past.
And now a new generation is enjoying it.
Something new?
Dear’s shop is something new.
Something borrowed?
The one thing we borrow now that we live in the country is our son’s tractor about twice a year.
Something blue?
Lots of blue in our home. It is hard for me to walk away from a pretty blue plate. Both of our guest rooms have some blue in them, too.
blue-danube-002
5. Share a favorite quote, a verse of scripture, and/or a bit of wisdom for couples getting married in this challenging and seemingly unpredictable season we’re currently/still experiencing.
Even Jesus came to serve and not to be served and in marriage it would be good for both the husband and wife to have an attitude that is ready to serve each other and not have the expectation to be served. With this attitude gratitude for the selfless acts each one will do for the other will be genuine and this will contribute to a joy filled home.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
We are traveling today and I might not be able to get around to all the hodgepodgers until tomorrow.
Thank you Jo From This Side of the Pond for coming up with the Hodgepodge Questions each week.

Looking Back…

…translated to, I have nothing new to share today.

The photos I’m sharing today are from one of our early morning walks at Emma Wood State Beach in Ventura California back in 2009. We lived in Camarillo which is south of Ventura from 2006 until 2010. We would get to the beach before or just at sunrise.

I’ve said it before that I enjoy visiting beaches in the Winter. We enjoyed high tides and low tides.

So much to discover during low tides!

It would be good to get away and enjoy something different right about now.

Early Celebration

I set the table, I made the meal, made sure the presents were all ready for them, made the cake, but did I take a photo of the birthday guests? The answer is no. My photo taking has taken quite a hit these past 12 months.

Applesauce Spice Cake baked in a star cake pan this time around.

Presents from near and far were all wrapped and ready.

We had corned beef and cabbage with potatoes and carrots and some yams, too. Pumpernickel bread and a cucumber tomato salad. We made one of the corned beef briskets in the crock pot and the other one in the Insta Pot and we decided the Insta Pot meat was more moist. It also only took 70 minutes in the Insta Pot.

These are our three who have birthdays this month all within 5 days of each other. We’ll be celebrating with all of them later this week and I’m going to make sure to get photos this time around!

I Am His, and He is Mine ~ Hymn

I Am His, and He is Mine

Loved with everlasting love,
Led by grace that love to know;
Gracious Spirit from above,
Thou hast taught me it is so!
O this full and perfect peace!
O this transport all divine!
In a love which cannot cease,
I am His, and He is mine.
In a love which cannot cease,
I am His, and He is mine.

Heav’n above is softer blue,
Earth around is sweeter green!
Something lives in every hue
Christless eyes have never seen;
Birds with gladder songs o’erflow,
Flowers with deeper beauties shine,
Since I know, as now I know,
I am His, and He is mine.
Since I know, as now I know,
I am His, and He is mine.

Things that once were wild alarms
Cannot now disturb my rest;
Closed in everlasting arms,
Pillowed on the loving breast.
O to lie forever here,
Doubt and care and self resign,
While He whispers in my ear,
I am His, and He is mine.
While He whispers in my ear,
I am His, and He is mine.

His forever, only His;
Who the Lord and me shall part?
Ah, with what a rest of bliss
Christ can fill the loving heart!
Heav’n and earth may fade and flee,
Firstborn light in gloom decline;
But while God and I shall be,
I am His, and He is mine.
But while God and I shall be,
I am His, and He is mine.

Words: George W. Robinson, 1876

Family Photo Shoot

We were gifted a professional photo shoot of our family from our kids Christmas of 2019. We were going to try to schedule the shoot in the Spring but then COVID19 struck and it didn’t work. We finally got a date on the books during our annual Family Hunting Weekend in October. What we didn’t count on was snow on that weekend and temperatures in the 20’s!

I think we did a great job at not looking like we were freezing! This was the photo we sent with our Christmas card and letter this year.

Gramps, Addyson, Baba, and Jaymison.

Oh how we love these two little grands!

Our firstborn son and his love.

Our second born son and his love.

Their beloved family.

 

Our youngest and our only daughter and her love.

The original three who married three exceptional human beings that we love dearly.

God has been good to us despite ourselves! We are grateful and thankful to Him.

Truth from A to Z Bible Verse Challenge ~ O

A new year and the first Thursday in January 2021 brings us to the letter O in our Bible Verse Search and Challenge. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with for O. Add your verse to the comments and I’ll share it on this post.

O is for One:

Ephesians 4:4-7 (ESV)

There is one body and one Spirit-just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call-one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

From Vera: O is for overcome

“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world— our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭5:4-5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

From Patricia: O is for One

Romans 12:10 Be devoted to one another in love, Honor one another above yourselves.

From HappyOne: O is for Open

Ephesians 6:19 KJV
And as for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may OPEN my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel.

From Maristella: O is to OBEDIENCE:

“Blessed are all who fear the Lord,
who walk in obedience to him.”
Psalm 128:1
And:
“For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.”
Romans 5:19