Author Archives: Ellen

The Cross of Jesus ~ Hymm

The Cross of Jesus

I saw the cross of Jesus,
When burdened with my sin;
I sought the cross of Jesus
To give me peace within;
I brought my sins to Jesus,
He cleansed me by His blood;
And in the cross of Jesus
I found my peace with God.

I love the cross of Jesus,
It tells me what I am—
A vile and guilty creature
Saved only thro’ the Lamb;
No righteousness or merit,
No beauty can I plead;
Yet in the cross of Jesus
My title there I read.

I clasp the cross of Jesus
In every trying hour,
My sure and certain refuge,
My never failing tower;
In every fear and conflict,
I more than conqu’ror am;
Living, I’m safe—or dying—
Thro’ Christ the risen Lamb.

Words by George Muller

It’s in the 90’s and We’re Going to Tea!

The Sisters…

 

Southern California is having a weather event and we are HOT HOT HOT. Back in April my family planned a nice afternoon at the Rose Tree Cottage in Pasadena for my mother’s 85th birthday. It was a disappointing day for my mom because she fell on an uneven sidewalk when she arrived and had to spend the afternoon and evening at the hospital instead of having tea.

My mother giving us some words of wisdom at her birthday tea two years ago…

We decided it was high time to get together for tea again and thought we’d have some nice Fall weather for our get together. Well it’s Fall but we are having some summer weather. This time my mom, all my sisters, a SIL, nieces, and little grand niece are gathering in Fullerton. We’re praying for an accident free day!

“Such items, if properly prepared and portered, jingle and tinkle, twinkle and shine, as if to announce their approach, and all the cups and saucers, the silver spoons and the sugar bowl, the steaming hot water and the shining strainer, the teapot and the plate of delicate sandwiches – all seem to combine and say as one, “Let your worries cease for now; the world is aright again!” And in the welcome pouring of the tea and the delightful crunch of the cucumber and cress sandwiches, not to mention the promise of the coming cakes and the possible surprise of strawberries and cream to follow, all else is held at bay: the past is forgotten, the future does not exist, and all is peace. ”

Toad Triumphant ~ by William Horwood

William Horwood has written sequels to The Wind in the Willows called The Willows in Winter and the book this quote is from called Toad Triumphant.

 

Do You Have Favorites?

So do you have favorites? Favoritism can have a negative connotation but not on Fridays. On Fridays we look back and think about all the good things we’ve experienced and try to narrow it down to 5. Visit Susanne at Living to Tell the Story to join in the fun.

1. On Saturday at dawn Dear and I returned to one of our favorite Saturday beach walks at Emma Wood State Beach in Ventura. It had been several months since we had been there.

2. When you live in a little condo there aren’t a lot of “projects” to do on the weekends so on Sunday after a wonderful service and message on “Waiting on the Lord” we headed to 2 little farm communities to see what we could see. We had lunch in Santa Paula at Smokin Joe’s and then spent a little time in Fillmore where we saw this great old church.

3. On Tuesday Willow and I returned to the Blueberry farm for a walk before the rains came. We huffed and puffed and then got to taste test a few different varieties of blueberries….yum.

4. On Wednesday I sat at home in the condo and enjoyed the sights and sounds of a steady rain.

5. Last but not least was a surprise in my mailbox this week. Remember Susanne had a FFF giveaway? I won and the package arrived this week. Thank you Susanne. There was a devotional book, note cards, 3 healthy candles, a Starbucks gift card, and a candy bar. Well there were 2 candy bars but I don’t know what happened to one of them before I was able to take this photograph…

but clearly it was enjoyed with only a few crumbs remaining…

Thanks again Susanne.

Tablescape Thursday ~ Tea Anyone?

I’m digging this up from my 2007 archives for this week. This setting feels more like Spring then Autumn so just pretend we’re in Australia and g’day mate!   Visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch to see some fresh scapes!

Welcome Ladies to Ellen’s

Moss Rose Tea Room

Come have a seat and enjoy some delicacies and delightful conversation.

The Tea has been steeped and is ready for you…

Sugar? One lump or two?

A few sweet delicacies and lots of pink roses not blue.

We hope you will sit awhile and speak kindly of your hostess…

We’re thrilled that you’ve joined us in our little fun.

and that you will leave here remembering everyone.

So relax, enjoy, be still for awhile.

The world will go on without us for now.

We’ll chat, laugh, sip to our heart’s content.

And when it’s all over we’ll be happy we met

So much beauty to enjoy.

So many people to meet

So glad you stopped by to enjoy my pink and moss treats!

 

Outdoor Wednesday ~ Cloudy Walks

Early Saturday morning Dear and I had a cool cloudy walk at Emma Wood State Beach in Ventura, California. Then on Tuesday morning Willow and I joined 3 gals for a walk at the Blueberry Farm.

 

What a difference a week makes. Last Tuesday Willow and I walked on her friend’s Blueberry Farm and the Skies were clear and blue. This Tuesday we walked the Blueberry Fields again this time hurrying before the rains came down.

There’s Willow way back there. We had a fun little crowd walking this day.

I thought this mushroom was very cool…

At the end of our walk we tasted 3 or 4 different varieties of Blueberries. Yum!

To see more of the Outdoors visit Susan at A Southern DayDreamer!

Rain in the Forecast…

There is rain in the forecast for California. Rain effects Southern California different then the Pacific Northwest. Things get cancelled because of rain in California. Rain is to Southern California what Snow is to the Pacific Northwest. When we first moved to the state of Washington from California where we were born and raised we were shocked with what people did in the rain. Roofers would be roofing, concrete was being poured in the rain, parties in parks went on in the rain, people barbecued in the rain. After living in the Seattle area for 20 years we got real used to doing everything in the rain. The only sport that gets cancelled because of rain is baseball. Here in California everything slows down because of the rain. Thankfully people slow way down to 65 miles an hour on the freeway instead of going 80. So I’m looking forward to a couple of slow days here in California. We’re hoping that the rain doesn’t cause too many mudslides on our freshly burned hillsides. People here in the Southern California area are also hoping for a Freeway Series….L.A. Dodgers vs. the Angels!

Hoping to get a walk in this Tuesday Morning before the skies open up! Have a good Tuesday everyone…

Hallelujah, ‘Tis Done! ~ Hymn

Hallelujah, ‘Tis Done!

’Tis the promise of God, full salvation to give
Unto him who on Jesus, His Son, will believe.

Refrain

Hallelujah, ’tis done! I believe on the Son;
I am saved by the blood of the crucified One;
Hallelujah, ’tis done! I believe on the Son;
I am saved by the blood of the crucified One.

Though the pathway be lonely, and dangerous, too,
Surely Jesus is able to carry me through.

Refrain

Many loved ones have I in yon heavenly throng,
They are safe now in glory, and this is their song:

Refrain

Little children I see standing close by their King,
And He smiles as their song of salvation they sing:

Refrain

There are prophets and kings in that throng I behold,
And they sing as they march through the streets of pure gold:

Refrain

There’s a part in that chorus for you and for me,
And the theme of our praises forever will be:

Refrain

Words and Music: Phillip P. Bliss

Back to Emma Wood!

We realized it’s been about 4 months since our last walk at Emma Wood State Beach in Ventura, California. This morning we arrived shortly before dawn to revisit our favorite beach walk. The tide was low but not low enough for us to walk along the sand for long.

As the light increased I enjoyed the subtle pastel colors in the sky and the iridescent colors on the water. Wish I could capture that iridescence in my photos.

You have to look closely to see the cute beach birds (Sanderlings) on the rocks…

Clearly this guy can’t read!

Hope your weekend is going well…

 

Friday’s Fave Five

Friday already and time to look back and choose our favorites. Susanne at Living to Tell the Story is the hostess of this event. She’s also Canadian and will be celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend. Happy Thanksgiving to all our Canadian Friends…

Now for my favorites from this past week.

#1. We returned home to our little condo last Sunday happy to feel the cooler weather. It has remained cool all week and that is definitely a favorite of mine.

#2. On Tuesday Willow picked me up and drove us to her friend’s Blueberry farm for our walk. It was fun meeting Willow’s Blueberry Farm girlfriend and walking along the property. Some of our walk was more elevated then it looks but my huffing and puffing let me know we were climbing. It was a beautiful morning here in Southern California.

#3 and #4 ~ I finished the Anne of Green Gables Series of books this week. The last one in the series was Rilla of Ingleside and the story was told during the time of WWI. I really enjoyed all 8 books and it was the first time that I’ve read through them all. I would recommend them to fans of Anne. I was sad to be done with the series but then I found this sequel to The Wind in the Willows at the Friends of the Library. This is my #4 favorite this week. Don’t you love the cover and the here’s an illustration from inside the book.

I’m looking forward to dive in to this book. Have I mentioned before that I’m a huge fan of Children’s Literature?

#5. Before we returned to Southern California we spent fun times playing Beatles Rock Band with our kids. It was fun to sing along to those favorites of mine from my junior high and high school years.

I’m at Bible Study this morning and then I’m making and delivering a meal to someone who had surgery so I’ll be coming around later today or this evening. Have a good weekend everyone…