Author Archives: Ellen

More From the Road…

Although the eagles and mountains we saw on our roadtrip were the most majestic of our views we saw other lovely sights. This robin sat still long enough for me to capture with my lens.

The sun played nicely on and through the moss on the trees we passed along the road.

The last photos I took on this trip were of this Orthodox church in Arlington where we returned to Interstate 5 to head home. Love the design of the crosses.

What’s up for you today? We are having a meal tonight with 3 of our 5 kiddos. I’m thinking I’ll set the table with pink, red, and white…

Sun and Eagle Chasing…

Our trip on Sunday up highway 530 in Northwest Washington was one of trying to find the sunshine and spotting some eagles along the Skagit River.

We found both and enjoyed the sunshine and the eagles we spotted. Some of our Mennonite girls get eagles right on their own properties and others don’t have to travel far to enjoy viewing them. Maybe next year I’ll just go squat on their properties to see many eagles all together.

The Skagit River area between Concrete and Marblemount off of highway 20 in Washington is a good spot to see eagles in January. We were a little late to see a good number this year.

The Skagit river was flowing nicely with some interesting swirling that we enjoyed watching.

Tomorrow I’ll be picking up our daughter from the airport for her 1 month stay with us while our Son in law is doing some training off the base. We’re happy to have her here with us instead of on base by herself for the month. We are looking forward to some fun events together. She’ll bring a different kind of sunshine to our home.

Off the Beaten Track…

We had a choice or two on how we might reach our destination for our Sunday drive. We chose the back way. We decided we had enough of the interstate and wanted to see interesting scenes along a smaller highway. We were happy with our choice to take highway 530 to Rockport. We had some good views of Mt. Pilchuk.

How’s this for a tree lined road?

Here we have a little peek of snow covered Mt. Pilchuk. We enjoy roads that wind along rivers.

We arrived to our destination and spotted what we were hoping to see. Can you see it? I’ll have more photos in the days to come.

This week begins a very busy time around this old house. How’s your week shaping up?

A Sunday Drive…

Dear and I decided on a Sunday drive to the North of us on a small highway to see if we could spot some eagles. We were socked in with fog at our house and it was so nice to travel out of it and come into the nice bright sunshine. Funny that we had to go North instead of South to get to the sunshine. I’ll be sharing more photos tomorrow of our outing and the 3 eagles we did spot.

This is the Skagit river at Rockport, Washington, looking East. A different part of our beautiful state. Blessings on your week!

Wrapped in Love…

It’s that time of year when the signs are all around us. This week for Susanne’s Friday’s Fave Five I’m concentrating on love. Some deep thoughts and some not so deep.

1. I love Jesus who gives me hope for today and my future.

2. I love fresh flowers and how they brighten up a room.

3. I love my family and friends.

4. My palate loves chocolate, especially mixed with nuts!

5. I love to watch for birds flying to the feeder. This is especially enjoyable in the sunshine!

And for the record I don’t think that “love is all you need”.

Hope you have opportunities to show love to those around you this week.

Primrose Delight!

On the first Tuesday of the month Fred Meyer Stores offer a 10% discount to anyone 55 and older for a variety of products sold in their store. I enjoy taking advantage of these simple perks. Pretty primrose varieties called out to me  with thoughts about a Valentine Day tablescape. I also bought some bird seed  for the upcoming GBCC ~ Great Backyard Bird Count. I think I found a purse that will hold my camera and travel documents for our upcoming trip to Milan, too.

When I got home I decided to take photos of the flowers in the lovely sunshine. An hour after I took these photos the clouds and rain rolled in.

Our little piece of property used to be part of a larger piece of property with a nursery on it called Primrose Acres. This information is from word of mouth (not documented) from an old gardener down the road from us. I choose to believe it and like the idea that my little part of the world had such a charming name in the past.

What’s going on in your corner of the world? This is a quiet week here except for our tax prep appointment but we never know what each new day may bring our way…

Signs of Spring…

On Monday when I stepped outside I had a nice surprise in our front planter. My Lenten Rose is showing promise of blooming just in time.

Such a nice day to be out in the yard. I was able to do some long overdue raking of leaves and cleaning out some of the planters. It was wonderful to see little evidences of new growth here and there. After filling our yard waste bin my only regret was that I did the work outside after my shower instead of before. Oh well, at least I looked more presentable as I labored in the yard!

Where man sees but withered leaves,
God sees sweet flowers growing.
~Albert Laighton

Hope your week is starting well. I’m preparing for a trip to see Mr. Taxman tomorrow. Blessings!

Transformed…

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…and ready to support our family and friends for many more years!

 

Heading out the door to the upholstery shop. Poor chairs were pretty sad looking after over 30 years of service at family dinners, many birthday parties and other celebrations.

 

Home again with more support, covered with leather and decorated with lots of upholstery nails.

This one is to prove the sunshine came out on Friday after we picked up the chairs! As I look back over this post I see the sun was shining brightly on the day we took them to the shop also!

We’re happy with the new look and the new feeling of comfy support and soft leather.

We had a very good experience and would recommend Doran Patrick’s Custom Upholstery LLC in Seattle on Lake City Way!

After we brought our chairs home we went out to celebrate the sunshine and the chairs. Here are some sunlit scenes we saw on our way home from dinner. It was a lot brighter on the way to dinner…

Hope the weekend is going well. I’ll be watching that big game soon are you/did you watch, too? Mostly I’m interested in seeing the commercials! As I type that I find it ironic that the commercials are usually what I fast forward through on any other show we watch…

I’m linking to:

Sunlit Sunday at My Little Home and Garden

Mosaic Monday at Little Red House

Photobucket is holding many of my photos hostage with their mark across my originals. It will take me a long time to remedy this. 

One Way God Said ~ Chorus

One Way God Said

One way God said to get to Heaven,
Jesus is the only way.
One way to reach those pearly mansions,
Jesus is the only way.
No other way, no other way,
No other way to go.
One way God said to get to Heaven,
Jesus is the only way.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14:6 (ESV)

The 1st of February!

Today is a great day to reflect on the good things in our lives. I’m joining Susanne at Living to Tell the Story for Friday’s Fave Five.

1. Being able to read and study. Currently we are studying the gospel of John in our Women’s Bible Study and it has really been good. I’m reading a biography on Bonhoeffer that is teaching me a lot about Germany in the 30’s – 40’s and Bonhoeffer’s growth in faith and what that meant for him in Natzi Germany. I’m also reading several different travel guides for Milan and the Lakes in Italy to prepare for our trip in March.

2. Family and Friends to support and enrich our lives. The rich heritage I enjoy and having a family and friends that support me in so many ways can never be taken for granted.

3. Ingredients in abundance that we can buy and put together to make a satisfying dish. It’s great to have taste buds that are willing to try something new. I’m enjoying the adventure of cooking. Sharing what I’ve cooked with others is the cherry on top!

4. Products that make life easier. A few of these many products have gotten enough wear and tear around this old house that they are giving up on us. There are those that we don’t hesitate to replace because we just aren’t willing to live without them. One of those items was my wireless mouse! I’m still attached to a mouse even with my laptop. My fingers just don’t want to do the scrolling on the pad…

5. Shows that entertain us and even teach us something new. I enjoy period pieces like Downton Abbey where you are entertained while getting a picture of what life was like during different periods in history. I also watch shows like Biggest Loser and find it rewarding to see the progress of the contestants. Sometimes I’m inspired to add some healthy alternatives to my life.

What good things are you thankful for today?