Author Archives: Ellen

Tablescape Tuesday ~ Bar Scapes for Two

Time flies when you are having fun! It’s almost Tuesday again and time for some more Tablescaping fun. Today I’m showing two variations on table settings at our bar in our little condo. Susan at Between Naps on the Porch is the hostess for this fun event. Click on over and see the variety of fun, romantic, elegant, practical table settings that have been created.

I’ve been away from the computer for a couple days so I’ll be playing catch-up on Metamorphosis Monday and Blue Monday.

 

The chargers are from TJ Maxx clearance. I used my everyday white dinner plates and then added the salad plate that I found at Marshall’s on clearance. I love plates with country scenes on them. The martini glasses, that I use for pretty desserts, too, were from target a couple years ago.

 

 

I changed up the tablesetting at the bar with these square grey chargers and square white plates and a small decorative plates that are “White Russian” plates. I love the little cocktail glasses I found with the Russian Cossack dancers on them. The napkin rings were a gift from my DIL and Son last Christmas.

 

 

My true confession for this week is that we did not eat at these settings. Don’t judge me too harshly, though.

Now head on over to Susan’s for more Tablescape inspiration.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother as I go through each post to delete the ugly boxes.

Happy Birthday Josh!

Our first born son Josh turns the big 3-0 today! Happy birthday to you, Josh. We are so thankful to God that he has blessed you with the perfect wife in Laura. Your love for people has always been such a blessing in our family’s life. God is good to you and we thank Him for that. We are amazed that 30 years have flown by so quickly. May God continue to richly bless you and Laura all the days of your life.

Okay, since I did a delivery story for Dan I’ll add one for you, too. You were a little late in deciding to enter the world so you put on a few pounds. In the delivery room while I pushed the nurse had to push down just below my diaphram to help you exit into the world. Considering your size it was amazing that it only took 30 minutes of pushing to have you out and breathing air! When they weighed you and announced you were 10 pounds we were all amazed. What joy we had and what a spiritual moment it was when we experienced the miracle of birth for the first time.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother as I go through each post to delete the ugly boxes.

Blue Monday

Welcome to Blue Monday hosted by Smiling Sally! I’m digging into my archives for my Blue this week.

 

These photos were all taken in Great Britain in May of 2006. We travelled with two other couples who are very good friends and we hiked, and walked, and ate our way from Wales, to the Lake District, to Scotland and the Hebrides, and finally to York. What wonderful scenery we experienced on our treks. I’m so glad we wore a lot of blue!

Top left: Bob, Jan and me climbing a stile on our hike up Mt. Snowden. Bottom Left: Bob, Jan, Jody, me, and Dear at the halfway point up Mt. Snowden. Top Right: the beautiful sea between the Isle of Mull and Iona. Middle Right: Shale cottage along the River Derwent. Bottom Right: A stone bridge across the River Derwent.

For more Blue visit Smiling Sally.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother as I go through each post to delete the ugly boxes.

Metamorphosis Monday

Welcome to Metamorphosis Monday hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. I really think this is going to be fun. I’m in different stages of metamorphosing some things so for today I’m digging one up from the past. Now don’t be too shocked when you see the “before” shot.

My daughter’s room before…

My daughter’s room after I helped her clean up (What a nice mommy, I am)

Now all we have to do is re-decorate!!

For more transformations visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother as I go through each post to delete the ugly boxes.

Belonging to God ~ Spurgeon

 

 

“Go forth today, by the help of God’s Spirit, vowing and declaring that in life—-come poverty, come wealth, in death—come pain or come what may, you are and ever must be the Lord’s.  For this is written on your heart, ‘We love Him because He first loved us.”

~ Charles Spurgeon

O Father, We Would Thank Thee

O Father, we would thank Thee
For all Thy love has given,
Our present joy of sonship,
Our future joy in Heaven;
The life which sin had blighted
So wondrously restored
By our mysterious union
With Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Rich gifts of life and gladness—
A new and heav’nly birth,
Baptismal waters flowing
To cleanse the sons of earth;
The strength in which to follow
The steps that Jesus trod;
And love beyond all knowledge
Which calls us sons of God.

O mercy all abundant
Bestowed on us today!
O hope of future glory
Which fadeth not away!
By God’s great love begotten
To living hope and sure,
May we at Christ’s appearing
Be pure as He is pure.

For all Thy gifts, O Father,
Our hymns of praise arise—
The love which calls us children,
The hope which purifies;
The grace by which we offer
A service glad and free;
The earnest of perfection,
Of fuller life with Thee.

Words: Ada R. Green­a­way, in Hymns An­cient and Mo­dern, 1904.

ht: cyberhymnal

Pink Saturday ~

Welcome to Pink Saturday hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

 

One of the blessings of living in Southern California is that roses are still blooming in the winter. I took this photo on one of my walks with Willow in Southern California in January.

 

This next collage is a tease. I bought some thrift store items this week that I’m going to use for a completely different purpose than they were intended for. I will show you in the future what that purpose was and how I used them. Dear and I are off for an overnight getaway to Pismo Beach, California tomorrow and I hope to find some pink to post for next week and a “show and tell” on what I do with these purchases. Have a wonderful Pink Saturday everyone.

To see more Pink visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound!

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother as I go through each post to delete the ugly boxes.

Happy Birthday Dan!

Happy Birthday to our son Dan. Dan was born 28 years ago today, on a Friday, at 12:30 in the afternoon. We barely made it into the delivery room and were just inside the doorway when he had to be caught. The nurses just didn’t believe how fast I tend to dilate from 5 to crowning. It’s fast people.  This wasn’t the first doctor I shocked. (JUDITH!!) Daniel’s doctor was so upset that the nurses didn’t call him on time that he hit the hospital floor yelling and cussing at them. When he continued his diatribe through the very quick delivery and with Daniel on my tummy, Dear leaned over, covered Daniel’s ears, and said “Don’t listen to him”. I thought that was so great on Dear’s part and it made the doctor finally shut up!

Our son Dan is a hard working strong man who can make us all laugh with his wit at the most unsuspecting times. We love you Dan!

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother as I go through each post to delete the ugly boxes.

Friday’s Fave Five

If you haven’t already why don’t you join us in thinking back over this past week and picking out your 5 favorites. It’s a great exercize of counting your blessings. Susanne at Living to tell the Story is the hostess for this weekly meme.

 

1. On Saturday Dear and I returned to our favorite early morning walk and were rewarded with wonderful crashing waves.

2. After our walk on Saturday, Dear re-did the shelves in our condo pantry giving me an extra shelf. Oh the joy of an extra shelf in our little condo. Whoohoo!  Shhh, don’t tell dear I’m thinking I have more room for pretty dishes!

3. We’ve been eating “in” more to coincide with our daily exercise program we’ve started. Dear and I added resistance training this week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday instead of walking. We already are benefiting from our extra efforts.

4. I’m still walking with Willow every week day but Friday and with Dear on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Willow and I  blazed a new trail this week in her neighborhood and that was fun. Sunday is our day of rest…

5. Thrift store shopping continues to be something I really enjoy and I found a few goodies this week that I will change the original function for and show you in the future what I came up with.

We are having a heat wave here in Southern California. Dear and I are headed north on Sunday for an overnight and hope to enjoy cooler weather, at least down into the 70’s.  Have a wonderful weekend…

For more Favorites visit Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother as I go through each post to delete the ugly boxes.

Sky Watch ~ Seattle Area

We were in the Seattle area over Christmas and these photos are from our time there. This first shot is taken at our friend’s home on Christmas Day. They live across from Puget Sound. I didn’t realize when I took it that the sky was reflected in their pool! That garden next to the pool is amazing to experience in the Spring and Summer!

 

The next shot is taken from my yard early in the morning with some storm clouds brewing…

 

For more Sky Watch photos from around the world visit the SkyWatch Blog.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother as I go through each post to delete the ugly boxes.

ABC’s of the Word ~ The Winds and the Waves…

 

This weekend we experienced the power of the winds and the waves. The power of both were amazing. The truth that God created both and has the power to subdue them is amazing…

For more ABC’s of the word visit Pam at Grey Like Snuffie…

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother as I go through each post to delete the ugly boxes.