Author Archives: Ellen

Frozen Randomness

It started snowing a little on Wednesday night and into the very early morning. No new snow the rest of the day. We don’t get snow very often in the Seattle Area but when it falls it has an interesting effect on me. I go right into hibernation mode. I did manage to do some indoor things like a load of wash and made a couple of meals for the two of us. I’m going to have to change my ways when we move to Northeastern Washington and experience more snow.

Someone recommended this book but I can’t remember who. Was it you? I started it and I was engaged from the beginning.

Look who is 11 months already! Yikes I was warned grand babies grow fast and now I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Today her mommy shared that she stood up from a sitting position with no help. Nothing to lift her up but her own strength and balance.

Just like we hoped we are beginning to see some dimples to match her mommy and daddy’s.

I’ve enjoyed reading so many great remembrances, tributes and personal stories from people all over the world whose lives were impacted by God through the evangelist Billy Graham.

The photo above is from the Los Angeles Billy Graham Crusade in 1963. My father took us to the crusade every night. My father started his life of following Christ at this crusade. My life as a follower of Christ started in 1963, too. The song, Just As I Am always reminds me of the Billy Graham Crusades and our time at the crusades and what this time meant for the future of myself and my family.

Just as I am – without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
– O Lamb of God, I come!

My mother was home with my newborn siblings, twins, a boy and a girl born on July 29th. I like the illustration above since it has the dates of the crusade. Now I’m wondering how my poor mother managed at home alone with twins!

Here’s a quote from Billy Graham…

“By the time you read this, I will be in heaven, and as I write this I’m looking forward with great anticipation to the day when I will be in God’s presence forever.

I’m convinced that heaven is far more glorious than anything we can possibly imagine right now, and I look forward not only to its wonder and peace, but also to the joy of being reunited with those who have gone there before me, especially my dear wife, Ruth. The Bible says, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:12).

But I won’t be in heaven because I’ve preached to large crowds or because I’ve tried to live a good life. I’ll be in heaven for one reason: Many years ago I put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to make our forgiveness possible and rose again from the dead to give us eternal life. Do you know you will go to heaven when you die? You can, by committing your life to Jesus Christ today.”

Billy Graham 1918-2018

Inspiration Hodgepodge

1. Where do you go when you need some inspiration?

It all depends…

For Life: It’s man’s chief end to glorify God… for the inspiration I need for living a life that does that, I go to a good Bible Gospel preaching church and I listen to good teachers and read books from authors who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, God’s truth.

For Cooking: I glean from the other gals from the MGCC Blog. When I have to post a new recipe I look to magazines and cooking shows for inspiration.

For decorating: Fixer Upper, magazines, Instagram and blogs.

2. What’s under your bed?

I went and looked and at this time there is nothing under my bed except for most likely dust. The guestroom beds are another story. The guestrooms have those bins that fit under beds. A ribbon bin, a gift bag and tissue bin for packaging gifts, a Christmas bin with bags etc., linens in those space saver bags, and Katie and Andrew’s collection of swords. (I also found a stack of Chinese take-out boxes) I use those to send home leftovers with our kids and company when I cook too much food.

3. Thursday, February 22nd is National Chili Day, National Margarita Day, and National Cook a Sweet Potato Day. Of the three which would you most like to celebrate? Is that likely?

Hmm…who comes up with these days? Most likely we would be celebrating having a good pot of chili. It’s really cold this week in the Seattle area and chili is always a good choice in freezing weather. What kind of chili to enjoy? We enjoy chicken, turkey or beef. Our Margarita day is Tuesday…every Tuesday. In fact, our favorite waitress at the local Mexican restaurant sees us drive up and she heads to the bar to make our Margaritas. It’s telling on my state of healthy that I’m ignoring the sweet potato.

4. What are you ‘snowed under’ with right now?

I’m snowed under with stuff. Stuff, stuff and more stuff. Many years of accumulated stuff. We’ve been in this old house since 1998 and we moved a lot of stuff to this old house. Because we are moving and contemplating the wisdom of paying too much to move all that stuff we need to serious about what we can live without.

5. Tell us three to five things that make you feel balanced?

  1. Trust in God.
  2. Being at peace in my relationship with Dear, my husband.
  3. A good blend between learning and playing.
  4. Getting away from the day to day with a road trip now and again with my camera.
  5. A clean kitchen.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Speaking of snow or snowed under here are some photos of our kids in the snow from President’s weekend.

Linking up to Hodgepodge Wednesday with Jo From This Side of the Pond. She asks the questions and we answer them.

Twenty seven-ish more days until Spring and little Miss Addy’s first birthday. She’s the sweet gift of Spring to our family!

Update: I woke up to hear that Billy Graham has been ushered into heaven today. I’ll be posting a tribute to him later this week. Finally this great evangelist is in the arms of Jesus.

 

From Afar…

…enjoyment through photos. These are photos our kids took (Laura) while spending time together in snowy Colville. I loved seeing the fun in the snow and happy faces from this side of the mountains where rain persists with no snow.

I think she likes her ride.

Hey mom, why can’t I move my legs?!

Our first born with his love.

Our second born with his favorite girls.

Our youngest with her love.

All of our favorites in one photo! Thankful for each one of them.

Awesome mama and our little delightful granddaughter.

The snow angel!

The early morning snow warriors.

I’m a grateful mom and baba for this time our kids had together. Addy got re-acquainted with her aunts and uncles. Now I’m praying for safe journeys home for Josh, Laura, Andrew and Katie.

Meanwhile back at the ranch (this old house) and at Mennonite Girls Can Cook I posted a One-skillet steak meal for two. Enjoy.

Happy President’s Day!

Reaching Back…

…for The Barn Collective

This was taken back in the middle of December on our trip to La Conner. We arrived to Skagit County early so we took a detour along the farm roads close to Mt. Vernon before we continued on to La Conner.

Linking up to The Barn Collective with Tom The Backroads Traveller. Click over to see more barns.

Our Sunday has started out cold with beautiful sun breaks and then some popcorn snow. Not enough snow here to cover anything. Some areas of Washington state are getting a lot. Our daughter-in-law sent us this photo of our son and son-in-law in the front yard of our middle son’s home in Northeastern Washington. They had a nice walk in the snow. All of our children are spending a weekend together in this winter wonderland. Praying for safe travels for them tomorrow.

Do you do anything special on our long President’s Weekend here in the USA?

A Debtor to Mercy Alone ~ Hymn

A Debtor to Mercy Alone

A debtor to mercy alone,
Of covenant mercy I sing;
Nor fear, with Thy righteousness on,
My person and offering to bring.
The terrors of law and of God
With me can have nothing to do;
My Savior’s obedience and blood
Hide all my transgressions from view.

The work which His goodness began,
The arm of His strength will complete;
His promise is Yea and Amen,
And never was forfeited yet.
Things future, nor things that are now,
Nor all things below or above,
Can make Him His purpose forgo,
Or sever my soul from His love.

My name from the palms of His hands
Eternity will not erase;
Impressed on His heart it remains,
In marks of indelible grace.
Yes, I to the end shall endure,
As sure as the earnest is giv’n;
More happy, but not more secure,
The glorified spirits in Heav’n.

Words: Augustus M. Toplady, 1771.

The Weekend Roundup “G”

Welcome to Weekend Roundup…
1.Starts with “G.”
2. A Favorite.
3. Green.

Starts with G: Godwit, a shorebird on the beach.

Favorite: My Lenten Rose blooming now with green leaves and green centers surrounded by pink petals.

Green: You can find green everywhere in the Evergreen State in Winter.

Parting Shot:

Granddaughter Grinning in Gramps’ Green sleeve Grip.

Linking up with Tom The Backroads Traveller for The Weekend Roundup “G”.

We are in another wet pattern here in the Puget Sound area. Hoping for some sun breaks sometime soon. So happy to see Nathan Chen have a successful skate. I’ve also been entertained with some of the curling teams choice of clothing. Hope you all have a good weekend.

Smile, It’s Friday

Hope this makes you smile.

Enjoy your President’s weekend. I’m still a little sad that we don’t celebrate Lincoln’s and Washington’s birthday separately like we did when I was in school so many years ago. Are you doing anything special this weekend? Our Western Washington kids are heading east to spend the weekend with our Eastern Washington kids. This makes me happy.

We are going to try and find a good spot for Happy Hour today.

Heart Felt Hodgepodge

1. When’s the last time you had a heart to heart talk with someone? A change of heart? Experienced figurative ‘heart failure?’

We’ve had lots of heart to heart talks recently around our Pop’s failing health.

A change of heart: I’ve had a change of heart by praying for some folks in my life that I’ve wanted to give a piece of my mind to or punch. Praying for them gives me a different perspective.

Heart Failure: Watching the Olympics and seeing some crashes or falls or amazing spins in the air. Yikes!

2. Champagne, chocolates, flowers…what’s your Valentine pleasure? Any special plans for the day?

A confession about the heart shaped box of chocolates above. I had never in my life received a heart shaped fancy box of candy on Valentine’s day and a few years ago I decided to treat myself to one. I’ve received flowers or chocolates (not in a heart shaped box) or a nice card but that evasive heart shaped box of chocolates was haunting me. It haunts no more! See’s Candy’s are favorites in these parts.

I like all three of those things but I don’t need them on Valentine’s Day. Tonight we are having our weekly small group gathering at our house. No one had plans so they all opted to continue on. I did a little decorating for the day.

3. Are you a hopeless romantic or do you fall more in the category of practical and pragmatic? What’s a gesture you find romantic?

Absolutely more practical or pragmatic. I find kindness, encouragement and service on Dear’s part to be romantic.

4. Do you ask a lot of questions in life or are you pretty content with what you already know?

I wonder a lot and that’s why I named my blog The Happy Wonderer. My wondering leads me to research and find out, to travel and see, and sometimes that involves verbal questions.

5. Your favorite power ballad?

First off, I had to google Power Ballad to see what it was. I’ll have to go with Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers. I went to our Junior/Senior prom at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles in 1967 and my date made reservations for dinner at the famous Cocoanut Grove where the Righteous Brothers sang. Pretty amazing. Then in 1968 I was watching television when presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was shot at the Ambassador Hotel. Talk about a heart failure moment. If I hadn’t packed away my scrapbook from those years I would have taken a photo of some memorabilia from that time. Here’s what I wore for the prom and the Righteous Brothers. My dear mom sewed this dress for me.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Bottoms up! Still basking in the hours I got to spend with this little one who has learned so many new tricks. Our kids will all be together this coming weekend and that makes me smile. It’s been a long time since uncles and aunties have seen Addy face to face. Dear and I will be heading to eastern Washington the end of February.

Speaking of love…

These two are the last of the Bagdanov siblings left who fled Russia walking to Persia and later immigrating to the U.S.A. My Aunt Anna came to visit my pop last week and she walked into the room with her walker and took a few steps on her own to hug him, give him a kiss and then she asked him not to leave her alone on this earth. She said, “Don’t leave me”. The doctors told Anna she had a month to live several years ago. That comment from the doctor made her consider her future and she told our pop that she was ready to listen to him about the gospel of Jesus Christ and was ready to be born again. Such a sweet moment for our pop and mom and all of us a few years ago. My pop and mom witnessed to all of their siblings over the years from 1963 on when my pop was born again.

Linking up for Wednesday Hodgepodge where Joyce asks the questions From This Side of the Pond and we answer.

We’ve had a lovely string of days without rain and with lots of sunshine. It’s good for the soul. It’s been quite cold but the sun warms things nicely.

Shrove, Fat, Mardi Gras, Ash and Valentine’s

Tuesday of this week is Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Tuesday for our friends across the Pond and Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday for some in the U.S.A. Wednesday is Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s day lands on this day this year. That’s a cruel calendar joke if you are giving up sweets or sugar for Lent.

My Christmas poinsettia that I bought for ninety seven cents after Christmas is now a Valentine’s day poinsettia with the glittery hearts I added to it. It’s holding up with no help from me.

I brought out the red and pink for Valentine’s day and I am ignoring the purple/green/yellow of Mardi Gras. I’m considering making a good batch of pancakes for Shrove Tuesday joining our friends across the pond for Pancake Tuesday.

Pigs in a blanket for Shrove Tuesday?

Or Potato Pancakes? I’ll probably try some yogurt pancakes because I got a free tub of plain yogurt this week.

No heart shaped box of chocolates this year but I will buy a couple bags of chocolates for our small group who will be gathering here on Valentine’s day evening. We gave them the option to cancel but no one had plans so we are forging ahead with the group gathering.

The vintage Valentine’s are the best…do you agree?

I haven’t decided if I’ll set something aside for Lent this year. I will do some reading and listening to devotionals that prepare my heart and mind for this Lenten season culminating with Easter.

Head over to the Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog for my Ground Chicken Chili recipe.

Successful Journey

On the Monday after Super Bowl Sunday we traveled inland from Huntington Beach to see my pop. This would be the first time Pop would meet Addy, his youngest great granddaughter. Addy was very concerned about our pop who is not looking well. She had quite a grip on her daddy’s t-shirt.

She loosened up that grip to accept the cash her Great Grandfather pulled out of his wallet for her. Too funny.

She even had a slight smile for him when he handed her the second bill.

After the meeting she enjoyed multi-tasking, walking and holding the ball.

Pop had to spend 20 minutes on his Nebulizer. Addy was very interested in what was going on and her concern showed in her facial expressions. All my sisters were together for this visit, too, which was nice. We enjoyed some Borsch together and Addy liked her first taste of it, too.

My Pop thanked me again for this chair Dear and I bought him. The power control to move the chair to the recline and other positions has really come in handy for him. Before we left each of us daughters prayed for him and then we all sang Great is Thy Faithfulness and God be With You Till We Meet Again. That made me choke up but I’m glad to sing it to him while he’s still alive instead of just at his funeral.

From our time in La Habra with our pop/grandfather (dzeda), Great Grandfather, we headed back to Huntington Beach and met up with Debbee and Lenny for dinner at Ola’s. The next morning we flew home to Washington. Our trip to Southern California was full from beginning to end and little Addy adjusted well to everything thrown at her. Speaking of driving in Southern California, I’m happy to report that we had smooth sailing for each of our comings and goings. That’s a praise for sure!

The four of us sat together going to California and coming home and I was happy to enjoy more time with Addy and giving her parents some breaks in the journey. We parted in Seattle and their trip continued on to Spokane where they would have another hour drive to get all the way home again.

We have had some sunshine which has been great the last couple of days. Some much needed planter clean out has happened and I’m grateful to have been able to accomplish those tasks in that sunshine!

As I type away I’m enjoying the Winter Olympics in the background. Are you watching?