Author Archives: Ellen

Out Our Doors

Our Iris is getting bigger every year.

This is the first clematis to open some buds.

The Columbines are spreading out all over!

It’s a nice time of year for color out back and out front. The most intense color right now are the deep red/burgundy peonies that bloom first before the white and pink varieties we have. I was able to use the red peonies for simple center pieces at the memorial reception of our friend this past Sunday. We have 6 bushes of the red peonies. I’m happy that they could be enjoyed by others.

Our outdoor furniture is coming out little by little. We will be selling a couple of the larger tables that were just too bulky for our deck. We replaced them with simple foldable tables. We have a group garage sale coming up starting next Thursday and hopefully they’ll sell quickly.

Hope all is well these last days of May in your corner of the world.

Truth for Today #103

Thursday May 30th

On Thursdays my posts will include verses that stood out in my readings from the Bible during week. One, two, three or maybe more. If you have a verse/verses that you read during the week and would like to share, leave it/them in the comments and I will add it/them to the post. Let’s dig deep in God’s Truth again this year!

The verses that you share are appreciated and so encouraging, I’m thankful for them and for each of you! 

Romans 6:16-18

Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once  slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

From Vera:

“For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? This God is my strong refuge and has made my way blameless. He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.”
‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭22‬:‭32‬-‭34‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Being An Adult Hodgepodge

Joyce From This Side of the Pond has a fresh set of questions for us to ponder for Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1. Growing up, at what age did you think you’d become an adult? At what age did you actually become an adult? 

If I thought about it I didn’t call it being an adult. The older siblings in my family had some responsibilities that were adult like earlier in life. Our parents immigrated to the U.S. just after World War II, legally. Our mom never drove and our pop had to work hard to support a family with 8 children.  Sometimes my older sisters and I walked into town to pay bills in person with cash from our parents. We got ourselves to swimming lessons, the library, and to school. When I got my license there were times that I took my younger brothers to their baseball practices and games. When many of my friends were at senior prom, I was at my younger brother’s baseball game.  In my senior year of high school I had enough credits to graduate with morning classes. I found an afternoon job at a local company and got rides to and from work. I saved up for college with that job. I earned scholarships for most of my college costs. My older sister drove me to the University of Redlands for my freshman year and helped me settle in. We didn’t have and didn’t expect input from our parents on which college to go to. If they could they would help with college costs but mostly we paid our own way. We purchased our own cars and they were mostly used cars. After college I was able to finance my Volkswagen at a school credit union and when I paid that off, like an adult, I earned some good credit.

2.  What’s a favorite item you’ve bought this year?

At our church my area of service is the kitchen and the hospitality branch. We had some money left in the budget so I was able to purchase a coffee system that got plumbed and makes providing coffee at functions so much easier. Instead of those big old coffee pots that you have to fill with water, add the coffee in the baskets and plug in two hours before an event, we can now fill a basket with coffee grounds push the button on the new system and have 2.2liters of coffee in 5 minutes. Yes, and amen!

3. May 28th is National Hamburger Day…are you a fan? If so, how do you like yours? When was the last time you had a hamburger? Besides the backyard grill, what’s your favorite place to go for a burger? 

We do enjoy a good burger. We hadn’t had burgers for a long while but Saturday of Memorial weekend we had a good burger on the way home from shopping in Spokane. We enjoy the burgers at Masters Brew House in Deer Park. Their onion jam that you can have on a burger is delicious. Sorry to say we haven’t found a good burger in Colville. We have fond memories of In N Out burgers.

4.  How have your priorities changed over time? 

The closer I get to heaven the more concerned I am about friends and family and people in general who haven’t had their debt to God paid by Jesus Christ. We all have a debt of sin on our accounts. You can trust Christ who suffered and died and rose from the dead to provide that debt payment.  You need to ask forgiveness (repent) for your sin and put your faith in him and His sacrifice. What Jesus accomplished will pay your debt in full or you will have to pay that sin debt to God yourself in hell. Only Christ’s sacrifice provides the way. You can not earn it by being a ‘good’ person or a ‘religious’ person. It’s a no brainer to me. I’m getting too old to sugar coat this message. Heaven is real and Hell is real. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but by Him.

5. What’s one thing on your June calendar you’re really looking forward to? 

The very last weekend in June our family of 10 will be enjoying time together in Walla Walla at a VRBO.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Our son gifted his dear bride a long weekend away over Memorial Weekend. He took time off of work and cared for our Grands while mommy was gone. We enjoyed feeding them a meal on Friday night of the weekend.

First corn on the cob this year!

God’s Amazing Handiwork

On May 10th I stayed up late to see if I could see the Northern Lights which were predicted to be visible in our area and many other areas around the world. I looked up and could tell there was something different happening but no color was visible to the naked eye. When I saw other people posting on Facebook the pinks and greens in color I was confused as to why I couldn’t see the same thing. When I looked at the image of the sky I just had snapped on my phone I could see the colors in the sky. How odd that was. I just kept snapping away and here is what my phone captured.

 

At the end of my time on our deck taking photos, these lights below which were more on the horizon and not looking straight up, were visible to my naked eye.

It was amazing to witness and a bucket list item that I could check off my list.

In the stars His handiwork I see…

“The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to Day pours forth speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.”

Psalm 19:1,2

We are running out of May days. Over the weekend some of our kids and nieces and nephews were together in Arizona for their annual ‘Cousins Memorial Day Weekend’. On Monday our flag pole was taken out of it’s Winter storage and back in it’s worthy spot in our front acres. Long may the Red, White and Blue wave!

We have lots of pretty color popping up along with so many weeds that we have not kept at bay. I’ll share some of those colors, soon. What’s popping up at your place?

Memorial Day 2024

Blades of grass and pure white stones
Shelter those who’ve come and gone.
Just below the emerald sod
Are those who reached the arms of God.
~
Buried here with dignity
Endless rows for all to see,
Freedom’s seeds in sorrow sown,
‘Neath blades of grass and pure white stones.
~
Blades of grass and pure white stones
Cover those who left their homes
To rest in fields here, side by side,
Lest we forget their sacrifice.
~
Buried here with dignity
Endless rows for all to see,
Freedom’s seeds in sorrow sown,
‘Neath blades of grass and pure white stones.
~
Written by Lowell Alexander, Orrin Hatch, and Philip Naish.

Stand by the Bible ~ Hymn

Stand by the Bible

We’ll stand by the Bi­ble,
God’s mes­sage to man,
Revealing His love in
Redemption’s great plan;
It tells how death en­tered
With sin and the fall,
Of life free­ly of­fered
Through Je­sus to all.

Refrain

Stand by the Bi­ble,
Walk by the Bi­ble,
Teach by the Bi­ble,
Revealing God’s plan;
Stand by the Bi­ble,
Study the Bi­ble,
Live by the Bi­ble,
God’s mes­sage to man.

No book so abound­ing
In won­der­ful truth,
No guide so un­err­ing
For child­hood and youth,
No coun­sel so need­ed
By man in his bloom,
No com­fort so sweet
On the verge of the tomb.

Refrain

Through ag­es when faith spurned
The fet­ters of might,
It shone like a star on
The bo­som of night;
Its word was the rule of
The mill­ions who bled,
Its hope was their stay when
The last pray­er was said.

Refrain

We’ll fol­low thy teach­ings,
Blest word from above,
We’ll live by thy pat­tern
Of in­fi­nite love,
Believing, ob­ey­ing,
And watch­ing with pray­er,
Till grace shall for Hea­ven
Our spir­its pre­pare.

Refrain

Words: Franklin E. Belden, 1894.

Looking Back at May

Awana Awards were at the beginning of May. Both Addy and JJ did well and completed their books. Addy completed some extra credit books, too. JJ graduates from Cubbies and will be a Sparky with Addy next year.

A fieldtrip to the local small airport was a hit!

Our church had a fun Mother Daughter Pajama Princess Party.

Popcorn and licorice at the movie at the party.

Saturday of Mother’s Day weekend we got ready for a Mother’s Day Fun 5K at our local Rotary Trail.

A run to the finish line!

After our 5K this little guy got a nice haircut!

Our dear Addy had out-patient surgery on May 17th and all went well and her recovery went smoothly enough that she was able to be at her Piano Recital on May 20th. We made it back from the Westside in time to enjoy her piano pieces.

A great smile the day after her surgery!

She played two songs, Stand Up Stand Up for Jesus, and Holy Holy Holy. Well done, Addy!

One more catch-up post for May will come soon.

Lake Washington Celebration

We arrived in Western Washington on Thursday the 16th of May. When we make it to that side of the mountains we like to stop at our old faithful, La Corona in Kirkland. It was was our weekly Tuesday hangout when we lived on that side. The owners still remember us and it is nice to be recognized by them. Our good friends met us for a meal and catch-up before we made a few more miles to Josh and Laura’s for the weekend.

On Friday the 17th of May our Westside kids took us out for dinner at El Encanto in Kirkland for a belated Mother’s Day celebration. It was a good time to be together. It was a cool evening with moody skies. This is a relatively new restaurant in Kirkland. I enjoyed an upscale Chile Relleno that was delicious. Kirkland is on the shores of Lake Washington in Washington State.

Before our dinner gathering Laura, Greg and I shopped at a few spots for mostly shoes. We had an appetizer lunch so we wouldn’t be too full for our main event on Friday night. We had those appetizers at another Westside hangout of ours and it was fun to be there again, Gratzie in Bothell.

Truth for Today #102

Thursday May 23rd

On Thursdays my posts will include verses that stood out in my readings from the Bible during week. One, two, three or maybe more. If you have a verse/verses that you read during the week and would like to share, leave it/them in the comments and I will add it/them to the post. Let’s dig deep in God’s Truth again this year!

The verses that you share are appreciated and so encouraging, I’m thankful for them and for each of you! 

1 Corinthians 1:18

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Revelation 3:1-6 To the Church in Sardis

…I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

From Vera:

“I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands. Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭143‬:‭5‬, ‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

From Karen:

II Chronicles 16:31

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The Lord reigneth.

From Willow:

Proverbs 14:15. The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps.

Proverbs 16:16. How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight than silver.

If the Shoe Fits Hodgepodge

On the Kirkland waterfront at Carillon Point for dinner on Friday night the 17th of May.

Another Wednesday has rolled around and Joyce has a new set of questions for Hodgepodge.

1. What are you currently juggling in your life? 

I’m juggling exercise, eating, yard care, trip planning, garage sale preparations and understanding apps and catching up with events on my blog now that I have a way to post photos again.

2. How often do you buy new clothes?

When I see something that I know will work on my current body size and is a reasonably priced item I purchase it.

What was the last piece of clothing you purchased? 

This past weekend was all about shoes! We were visiting our kids on the Westside of the mountains. There is a Brooks Shoe outlet that is convenient to where our kids live. I like a particular Brooks brand that works well on my feet. I bought a pair, Dear bought a pair, and a pair was purchased for each of our Colville kids. They gave Laura their sizes and pictures were sent back and forth and purchases made. I found a pair of Merrill waterproof shoes in my size at REI on the clearance table so those were purchased, too. Dear found a pair of dressier/casual Clark shoes at Nordstrom Rack. We had lots of shoe boxes to juggle! 🙂

I’m defaulting to shoes as a form of clothing. 🙂

3. What food festival would you most like to attend? If you need help here are links to some of the bigger and more popular food events around the world-

For many reasons food festivals do not call out to me.

4. May is the 5th month of the year. Tell us something you remember about your 5th grade year. 

Oh boy…fifth grade was a can of worms for me. There are only two teachers in my schooling experience that I had reasons to believe did not like me. One of those was my Junior High Geometry teacher (he’s the one that gave me a D even though my tests, etc. were a solid C) When I questioned him and tried to show him my test results, etc., he blew up in front of the whole class and said quote, “Are you calling me a liar?”. Then he sent me to the girls vice principal. She was sympathetic but I still received the D.

My fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Helm, was the other teacher that gave me the impression that she did not like me. I was an avid reader in my elementary years and beyond and a quote that came into my head one day in her class when she told me to sit down was, “I might be sitting down on the outside but I’m standing up on the inside.” 

In 5th grade running out to the playground the girl right in front of me stopped and bent down to tie her shoe abruptly. I fell over her and ended up chipping a bone in my wrist. The office called my mother and they had to order a cab to take us to our doctor who x-rayed and put my wrist in a cast. Our mother never learned to drive. Our father was unreachable when he worked on different sites around the Los Angeles area.

The good thing I remember about 5th grade is that a girl from Scotland moved to our school and came to our class later in the year. I was fascinated by her and struck a friendship with her and enjoyed her friendship.

5. What are your favorite five words right now? 

Jesus ~ Truth ~ Lovingkindness ~ Rescued ~ Maranatha

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We enjoyed a long weekend on the Westside of the mountains with our ‘Coast Kids’. I’ll be posting about that and the other events I couldn’t add photos for in the month of May. Blog catch-up including this event…