Author Archives: Ellen

Friday’s Fave Five ~ Pacific Northwest…

Time to look back over the last week and remember things we are thankful for. Please visit Susanne at Living to Tell the Story to join in with this great exercise.

Wow it’s hard to believe I’ve been in the Seattle area for almost a week already. So many favorites to share from this past week.

1. Spending time with 3 out of 4 of our children. Our daughter Katie picked me up from the airport and we stopped for lunch at the Corner Cafe in Bothell where my sister Lana G! met us for lunch. Then on Sunday I met up with our son Josh and our DIL Laura at church. What an amazing service…I needed my hankie the whole time. Later in the day Josh and Laura came by for a couple hours. I got to speak on the phone with our son Dan and hear he’s doing well at Academy. He graduates on November 30th. Good times…

 

2. Getting some things done around the house that really needed to be done. Katie and I got the lawn mower started and I was able to mow most of the lawn before the big storm rolled in. Got soaked the last 15 minutes of mowing :0). I’m tackling one room a day inside to get a much needed deep clean done around here before Thanksgiving company arrive. I’m pleased that the guest room is ready and on Thursday I got the living room done which included dusting all these books and bookshelves!!

and the Guest Room. The couch has a very comfortable full size pull out mattress.

 

3. Walking in the sunshine along the Sammamish River trail with my friend Beth. Beth and Dave became our good friends through the friendship of our son Dan and their son Jamie that started in 2nd grade. That was over 20 years ago!!

 

4. Finding the recipe for this soup on a bloggy friend’s site and making it for dinner on Thursday night. This is a tasty soup and so easy to make!! Just scroll on down to the post after this one for the recipe and instructions.

 

5. Looking forward to seeing more of my Northwest friends. Hopefully walking with my buddies Jody and Jan on Saturday. Then looking forward to Dear joining me here on Tuesday along with our Thanksgiving company my brother Tim and his wife Letty. The room is ready Tim and Letty!!

And a bonus looking forward to…

My son Josh invited me to tag along with him to the MLS Championship Cup Game at Qwest Field on Sunday night! L.A. Galaxy is playing Real Salt Lake for the title. We’ll be sporting our Seattle Sounder Colors and making these teams feel welcomed in the Great Northwest! Since my other home is in Southern California and I was born in East Los Angeles I’ll be cheering L.A. Galaxy on to the victory!!

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

Tortellini, Meatball, Spinach Soup!

Wanted to share this yummy easy soup with the Foodie Friday Crowd. Visit Gollum at Designs by Gollum to see more great recipes and food.

 

When I saw this soup on Connie’s blog Practicing Theology I knew it was going to taste good. I made it tonight and umm umm good it is! Thank you to Connie for sharing the recipe here.

 

Ingredients: 2 quarts of chicken broth, 1 jar spaghetti sauce, 1 package frozen meatballs, 1 package frozen spinach, 1 package frozen tortellini, 1 can chopped tomatoes.

Bring broth and spaghetti sauce to a boil and then add remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes.

I used fresh chicken rosemary tortellini so I put them in 15 minutes into the simmer stage. I used a can of chopped tomatoes with green chilis and it added a nice kick. I bought some nice fresh bread to go with the soup and really enjoyed it to the last drop!!

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

Through Sunshine After Rain…

 

My friend Beth and I walked along the Sammamish River Wednesday morning after a rainy blustery night and before a rainy blustery afternoon and evening. We felt blessed to have this window of time to walk in the sun and enjoy some remaining fall color while catching up a bit on our lives. The sun cast some beautiful reflections on the water. God truly has created wonderful things for us to see and enjoy.

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

Outdoor Washington State!

Time to travel around the Blogisphere and see the great outdoors!  Susan at A Southern DayDreamer is our hostess for this weekly event.

On Saturday I flew from our Condo in California to our home in the state of Washington. It’s been good to be home.

 

Here’s a view of the Maple tree that drops all it’s leaves on our lawn in Fall. It’s our neighbor’s tree but we get to enjoy it and suffer from it! On a really wet day I took the photo on the left. The window was dripping with raindrops so the tree is blurry. Today the sun peeked through and gave a different view.

 

My daughter’s 2nd class of the day was cancelled so she and I took advantage of the extra hours and went shopping on the Eastside of Lake Washington and also went in search of some remaining fall color.

 

It really was a beautiful day. We arrived home and I decided it would be good to take advantage of a little dry spell and mow the lawn for the last time this Fall (or we hope it will be the last time). We were wondering if we’d be able to get the lawn mower started since it hasn’t been started for quite a while. Well…between the two of us we got it to roar and then we said “I am woman, hear me roar!” You see until next week it’s just the two of us ladies around the homestead. I managed to get most of the lawn done before the raindrops came falling on my head. By the time I was done I was soaked but happy to have gotten the job accomplished! When I came inside I told my daughter that I felt like I had just finished my “last chance workout!” If you watch The Biggest Loser you’ll understand what I mean.  Here’s a little bit of unexpected color I still have in my yard…

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

Tea Things Tuesday!

We started a little tradition last year during Thanksgiving Weekend. On Friday after Thanksgiving the girls head to Goodwill to shop the sales in hopes of finding some little treasure for real cheap and then we go out to eat. Last year we decided on tea at a favorite spot of Lana G.’s and mine but since that time our sweet tea shop changed hands and we’re not impressed with the new establishment. We were hoping to continue the tea tradition after Goodwill shopping. Well I’m so happy to say a new Tea Shop has opened in Downtown Bothell and we have reservations for 11:45 on Friday after Thanksgiving and Goodwill. Yippee! We hope all the usual suspects will be able to come!

 

 

My girls Katie and Laura. Aunt Letty and Katie. Aunt Lana G! and Katie. Lana G! and Ellen b. My DIL Laura and her mom Pat.

 

I’ll take lots of photos from the new spot Three Cups of Tea and show you all in December…

Happy Tea Things Tuesday to you all. Please visit Kim at Shabby, Pink and Pretty for more Tea Things…

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

 

Ruby Tuesday ~ Raspberries

 

Taken last week in Camarillo, California on a Raspberry Ranch. To see more Ruby please visit the lovely Mary at Work of the Poet!

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

Leaves…

My house in Washington is surrounded by wet leaves.

 

I had to surrender and don my trusty Gortex shoes and my Gortex jacket and brave the wind and wet to rake.

 

While raking I found some pretty color. I filled a large yard waste bin and 3 extra trash cans with leaves and some bush clippings. Hope the yard waste truck gets here before they all blow away!

 

This bush in my yard is sporting the best fall color. Have a great Monday everyone…

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

Mosaic Monday ~ Sunset

 

Sunset looking towards the Pacific in Camarillo, California on Thursday November 12th.

On our way home from dinner last week Dear stopped the car so I could get some shots of this grand Sunset. The colors were really amazing.

To see more Mosaics visit the recuperating Mary at The Little Red House. I hope you are feeling well soon, Mary!

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

O Give Thanks To Him Who Made ~ Hymn

 

O Give Thanks to Him Who Made

O give thanks to Him Who made
Morning light and evening shade;
Source and Giver of all good,
Nightly sleep and daily food;
Quickener of our wearied powers,
Guard of our unconscious hours.

O give thanks to nature’s King,
Who made every breathing thing;
His, our warm and sentient frame,
His, the mind’s immortal flame.
O how close the ties that bind
Spirits to the Eternal Mind!

O give thanks with heart and lip,
For we are His workmanship;
And all creatures are His care:
Not a bird that cleaves the air
Falls unnoticed; but who can
Speak the Father’s love to man?

O give thanks to Him Who came
In a mortal, suffering frame—
Temple of the Deity—
Came for rebel man to die;
In the path Himself hath trod
Leading back His saints to God.

Words: Josiah Conder, 1836

ht: Cyberhymnal

Up, Up, and Away…

 

UP

 

UP

 

AND AWAY!

Have a great Saturday everyone and you’ll be hearing from me from the Great Northwest soon!

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.