Author Archives: Ellen

22 Years Ago…

 

When we were at Descanso Gardens on Saturday I told Melissa, Michelle and Katie that I had a photo of them with their cousin Timothy at Descanso Gardens from 1988. I thought I kind of knew the backdrop of the photo. We found the spot and they posed for a photo 22 years later. We were with Timothy earlier that day and told him he was going to miss out on the new photo op! What a blessing that these cousins still enjoy being around each other!!

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.

World Concern 5K Fun Run/Walk

Free Them 5k Fun Run

On Saturday I’m participating in a 5K Run/Walk to raise money in an effort to stop Human trafficking and to raise awareness for women and children in grave danger. This walk is in the Seattle Area. The start is at the Christa Ministries Campus at 19303 Fremont Ave. N. , Seattle. Registration is at 8:30 and the Race/Walk begins at 9:30. If you can’t walk you can still send in your donation. Click here or on the badge to find out more from the website.

Outdoor Wednesday ~ Descanso Gardens

Last Saturday my daughter and I were in the Los Angeles area and we met some family members at Descanso Gardens in La Canada. It was a beautiful day in Southern California and not too hot. Please visit Susan at a Southern DayDreamer to see more of the great outdoors.

 

Our Daughter Katie

My niece Melissa, Katie and my sister Kathy

Niece Melissa and daughter Katie

My niece Michelle with her husband Ryan

Their son Jackson

 

Their daughter Avery

My sister Kathy and me

Kathy with her granddaughter Avery

Hope you enjoyed Descanso Gardens and I recommend a visit when you are in the Los Angeles area. I think March is one of the prettiest months there or early April.

Meeting For the First Time…

 

Katie met her cousin once removed for the first time this past Saturday at Descanso Gardens. After Avery gave Katie the initial critical look she decided this cousin was OK to be around.

Avery thought Great Aunt Ellen was OK, too, for short periods of time, if I kept moving, and there was something for her to grab, and if her mom or dad weren’t too far away…or her brother…or Nana.

We had so much fun. Isn’t that a cute skirt Avery is wearing? :0)

Brunch at Mom & Pops

My mother went all out for us again. Katie and I were in the greater L.A. area on Saturday and Sunday and told my mom we’d pop in for breakfast. We weren’t surprised to be greeted with a morning feast. I’ve said before that my Mother’s Love Language is preparing food for people. I missed photographing the cantaloupe and strawberry plate that looked like a flower. She made Vareniki stuffed with potato this time and served them with asparagus with zest of orange and topped with grapefruit. My sister Vera and nephew Tim and his wife Jessica joined us. It was nice to enjoy a smaller group for a change.

Katie, Jessica and Tim

Katie with my mom and dad

From brunch Katie and I traveled north to the La Canada/Flintridge area of Los Angeles to meet up with other family members at Descanso Gardens. I’ll be sharing those photos soon. We packed so much into two days my head is still spinning.

Ruby Tuesday ~ Descanso Gardens

On Saturday my daughter and I were in the Los Angeles area and we met some family members at Descanso Gardens. What a beautiful garden to stroll through. The roses were beginning to open up nicely…

To see more Ruby Tuesday please visit Mary at Work of the Poet.

I decided to add this photo so you could get an idea of what part of the Rose Garden at Descanso looks like…

Mosaic Monday ~ Lilacs!

I’ll be linking up late with Mary at The Little Red House with my mosaic this week. I’ve been in Southern California and am flying home on Sunday evening. On Saturday my daughter Katie and I joined some family members for a stroll around Descanso Gardens in the La Canada/Flintridge area of Los Angeles. It was a beautiful day for the gardens.

Early Monday I’m headed for my Jury Duty. Hope to get around later in the day. Have a wonderful Monday everone!

O Blessed Home Where Man and Wife ~ Hymn

O Blessed Home Where Man and Wife

O blessèd home where man and wife
Together lead a godly life
By deeds their faith confessing!
There many a happy day is spent,
There Jesus gladly will consent
To tarry with His blessing.

If they have given Him their heart,
The place of honor set apart
For Him each night and morrow,
Then He the storms of life will calm,
Will bring for every wound a balm,
And change to joy their sorrow.

And if their home be dark and drear,
The cruse be empty, hunger near,
All hope within them dying,
Let them despair not in distress;
Lo, Christ is there the bread to bless,
The fragments multiplying.

O Lord, we come before Thy face;
In every home bestow Thy grace
On children, father, mother,
Relieve their wants, their burdens ease,
Let them together dwell in peace
And love to one another.

Words: Magnus B. Landstad, 1861; translated from Norwegian to English by Ole T. Arneson, 1908

Boxes, Boxes, Everywhere…

…I’m glad I had a place of retreat away from the Box Chaos…

And of course besides a nice retreat, good food with good company is comforting…

The condo was all emptied out by noon. Willow arrived with a hairdryer so I could speed dry the toothpaste I used to fill some holes. We went to the Panini Place in Camarillo for lunch then said our goodbyes. sniff sniff…

I headed to the Home Depot to pick up some super duper glue (clear) to fix some flooring issues and got a throw away paint brush to dab a little touch up here and there. I swept and cleaned up all I could without a vacuum. Before I left I lifted my hands in a prayer of gratitude to my great God who blessed me and Dear so richly during our stay in Camarillo. I didn’t lower those hands without asking that God would bring us a buyer for our condo soon.

I’m now in Fullerton at another hotel waiting till 9:30 to drive to LAX to pick up Katie. Tomorrow at 9:30 we’re headed to my mom and pop’s  for breakfast… Vareniki…yum. My Mennonite friends will know what those are! :0) After breakfast we’re meeting up with more family members to take a little trip to Descanso Gardens. The rest of the day we will play by ear.

Hope you all are having a great weekend wherever you are.

Goodbye Camarillo…

Today I supervise the movers loading the moving van. I’ll be meeting up with Willow for lunch and then I’m off to Orange County to spend the rest of the weekend with my family. I’ll be picking up my daughter Katie tonight from the airport so she can join in the family fun. We’ll have breakfast with my mom and dad on Saturday and then head to Descanso Gardens with some of my extended family. Fun times. We fly home Sunday night.

Have a great weekend everyone!