Author Archives: Ellen

FFF ~ Friends, Food, Felicity…

Looking back over this last week again reminds me that I have so much to be thankful for. On Fridays we join Susanne at Living to Tell the Story with our 5 favorites.

1. Last Friday we went to our son’s open house for his new business. Dave, Jody, Bob and Jan were at the Open House the same time we were so Dave and Jody invited us all over for an impromptu dinner along with my sister Lana and her husband Steve. We had a wonderful time. The photo is from our trip to England in 2006 with Dave, Jody, Bob and Jan. Bob is taking the photo.

 

2. On Sunday night Dear and I met Bev and Harv for dinner at a local Mexican Restaurant. Bev is part of our Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog. Bev and Harv hosted me while the Mennonite Girls had their summit in Canada. They were in Seattle for the weekend. It was fun to have our husbands meet each other. During the evening we found out that our lives intersected more then we thought with Bev, Harv, one of their sons and DIL and our good old friends Dave and Jody that we had dinner with in #1.

 

3. Bev was very thoughtful to give me two bundles of beautiful hand made cards that she created. I will really enjoy using them. Thank you Bev!

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4. Valentine’s Day was a very nice day around here. I got beautiful red tulips from Dear with a card that really touched my heart. He also decided to cook a Valentine’s Day dinner for us which was wonderful. Steak & asparagus with a Bearnaise sauce, baked potato, and salad with a Persian dressing were on the menu. Katie helped with the salad dressing and sauce. It was all very yummy. After dinner the power went out for a few hours and we enjoyed each others company in the dark with candles and Katie reading to us.

5. All of a sudden it seems too many of my favorite shows are on T.V. again. Survivor started last night and the fun new twist with this show is that my sister Lana knows one of the contestants! We’ll be watching just to see how he does. He’s the nice looking older guy, Steve. Amazing Race starts on Sunday and I’m still watching Top Chef which is down to 6 contestants. Then there’s American Idol. Sheesh! Good thing some of the shows are on demand and we can watch at our convenience.

I’ve started a house cleaning routine on Fridays so I’ll be around to see your favorites later today when I’m sitting with my feet up after my cleaning workout!!

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

You Asked For It!

My Metamorphosis…

From gray roots to covered up with subtle highlights and not so subtle new identity. Meet the new Ellen b. Elle Kadriya!

 

It’s amazing what covering up your gray can do! I might have mislead some of you into thinking I was going in for a real change with my hair. I am a hair wimp. I can’t handle anything too fancy so it will be the classic bob for me until I die. I might be real bold and go a little lighter in highlights for the wedding next year…time will tell.

Today is a day off for me. That might sound funny since I’m pretty much retired. Even when you don’t have a job outside the home there are weekly schedules you are committed to. So when I say day off I mean I have no commitments on the calendar today. It feels refreshing just thinking about it. What are you doing today?

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Butterfly House

I think I’m ready for Spring. How about you? Do you have any Spring plans?

I got a lot accomplished yesterday and today my hair will get a metamorphosis of sorts. Nothing as dramatic as this butterfly but a positive change nonetheless. Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday. Happy Birthday to my SIL in Dallas!!

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Lest I Forget…

…what wonderful evenings we’ve had.

 

Dear announced he was making a Valentine’s Day meal. He surprised me with the lovely tulips and card on Sunday morning and then put together a wonderful meal on Monday night with the help of our daughter Katie. Shortly after the meal the power went out because of high winds that knocked down a tree onto power lines. We were without power the rest of the evening so we gathered up some candles and got together in the living room where Katie read to us from The Bird in the Tree by Elizabeth Goudge.

 

We’ve come full circle. Now our youngest is reading to us. She said it felt so Jane Austenish…reading by candlelight.

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Ruby Tuesday ~ Kirkland & Seattle

 

A leftover Valentine Photo I forgot to post taken in Kirkland, Washington.

 

 

These last two shots were taken at the Seattle Center.

 

To see more rubies head on over to Mary’s at Work of the Poet!

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Happy Valentine’s Day ~ 2011

 

A very Happy Valentine’s Day to you and a very Happy Birthday to my dear friend Beth! Happy to be celebrating our milestone birthdays in the same year!

John 13:34 (ESV)

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

Mosaic Monday ~ Northwest Happenings…

 

On Thursday my daughter and I spent a few hours at the Seattle Center and enjoyed the Harry Potter Exhibit and lunch at a Thai Restaurant in the area.

 

Then On Friday evening we attended our son’s open house for his new business. That’s our daughter and son in the photo. We are very proud of his business ethics and hard work.

 

Please visit Mary at Little Red House to join in the mosaic fun.

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

O Happy Day, That Fixed My Choice ~ Hymn

O Happy Day, That Fixed My Choice

O happy day, that fixed my choice
On Thee, my Savior and my God!
Well may this glowing heart rejoice,
And tell its raptures all abroad.

Refrain

Happy day, happy day, when Jesus washed my sins away!
He taught me how to watch and pray, and live rejoicing every day
Happy day, happy day, when Jesus washed my sins away.

O happy bond, that seals my vows
To Him who merits all my love!
Let cheerful anthems fill His house,
While to that sacred shrine I move.

Refrain

’Tis done: the great transaction’s done!
I am the Lord’s and He is mine;
He drew me, and I followed on;
Charmed to confess the voice divine.

Refrain

Now rest, my long divided heart,
Fixed on this blissful center, rest.
Here have I found a nobler part;
Here heavenly pleasures fill my breast.

Refrain

High heaven, that heard the solemn vow,
That vow renewed shall daily hear,
Till in life’s latest hour I bow
And bless in death a bond so dear.

Refrain

Words: Philip Doddridge (1702-1751), pub­lished post­hu­mous­ly in 1755; re­frain from Wes­ley­an Sac­red Harp, 1854. Prince Al­bert of Bri­tain re­quest­ed this hymn be sung at his childr­en’s con­firm­a­tion.

We sang this song at Baptism services growing up.

FFF ~ Five in One

It’s Friday and time for counting blessings one by one. Any day is a good day to do that but we have the privilege of joining in together with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story and documenting them on Fridays.

All five of my favorites are from one day. There were lots of blessings on the other days of this past week but I’ll share 5 from yesterday.
1. The sun was shining and the time was right for an impromptu jaunt to the Seattle Center. Katie and I had tried to go to the Harry Potter Exhibit in January but it was sold out on the day we happened to be at the Seattle Center so we decided to give it a try yesterday. We decided at 10:30 a.m. that we’d go and by 11:20 we drove up to the Space Needle for valet parking and walked the short distance to the Science Center.
2. The exhibit was fun with lots of great props from the movies. There were very few people in the exhibit which made it easier to get around and see everything. No photography was allowed in the exhibit. One lady was caught taking a photo with her phone and they made her delete it!
3. After we were done with the exhibit we walked across the way to the hands on section of the Science Center to see their butterfly exhibit. We went through double doors and into the 80 degree butterfly habitat. It was fun to have so many beautiful butterflies flying around us. You had to be very careful where you stepped and before they let you leave you had to be checked to make sure no butterflies decided to land on your clothing. I’ll be sharing more of my butterfly photos next week.
4. I mentioned what a wonderful clear sunny day it was right? Well this view was fun to see. Those are the Olympic mountains showing their glory across the Puget Sound.
5. We were treated to this view as we walked to our lunch destination and my last favorite, enjoying lunch at a new Thai Restaurant with my daughter.
All that fun and I still had time to prune a few branches off our apple tree when we got home from the Center.
What are some of your blessings from this past week?
Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Tablescape Thursday ~ Valentine’s Day

Soon you’ll be able to click on over to Susan’s at Between Naps on the Porch and be treated to tablescapes of all shapes and sizes.

On Friday you need to click on over to Laurie’s Valentine’s Day party!

 

I’m sharing this years Valentine’s Day table at my house and a wonderful dessert. Enjoy…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So glad you took the time to stop by. I hope to visit you soon.

Hope you all have a Valentine’s Day filled with love.

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.