Author Archives: Ellen

One Misty Moisty Morning ~ Ладушки, Ладушки

On mornings like today this old Mother Goose nursery rhyme pops into my head and I say it again and say it again and say it again and again…

One misty moisty morning,
When cloudy was the weather,
I chanced to meet an old man,
Clothed all in leather.
He began to compliment
And I began to grin.
How do you do? And how do you do?
And how do you do again?

When I was a school teacher we had a training session on how important nursery rhymes were to a child’s language development and future reading skills. So take that baby on your knee and have fun with all the nursery rhymes out there. Sing them instead of just saying them. I remember bouncing my kids on my knee with this one, too.

Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross
To see a fine lady upon a white horse
With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes
She shall have music wherever she goes

There’s also a rhyme we would repeat in Russian that goes something like this…

Ладушки, ладушки
Pat-a-cake
Clapping Song
(Russian)
Ладушки, ладушки
Где были?
У бабушки!
Что ели?
Кашку!
Что пили?
Бражку!
Кашка масленька
Бражка сладенька
Бабушка добренька!
~
The loose translation into English
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake,
Where were you?
At granny’s!
What did you eat?
Porridge*!
What did you drink?
A little home-brewed beer**
The porridge is buttered,
The home-brewed beer is sweet,
Granny is kind!
~
The version we sang was a bit different at the end. I’ll need to talk to my mom today and update how we ended this rhyme.
~
*In Russia porridge is very famous, it can be made from wheat (millet), oatmeal, buckwheat, rice, fine-ground barley, etc.**This probably means kvas, a Russian home-brewed non-alcoholic drink, or it means that Granny gave the children some beer to try, she indulged her grandchildren. (and actually if it sits long enough Kvas turns into an alcohol drink)
~
I updated this post with photos from our trip to Banbury, England in July of 2014.
ht: Mama Lisa’s World for the Russian Rhyme.

Sky Watch

 

You can glimpse the clouds and the Puget Sound through my friends trellis in her garden. This was taken on Easter Day in Edmonds, Washington.

For more Sky Watch Photos head across the pond to Wiggers World.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage and they have blacked them all out. I’m slowly working at restoring my posts without their help. Such a tiresome bother!

Thursday Thirteen ~ Hebrews

Last Thursday Leslie at Lux Venit had thirteen hard sayings of Jesus in the book of Mathew. I wanted to follow her lead this Thursday. I’m wrapping up my reading of the book of Hebrews so here are 13 or more reasons to keep our eyes on Jesus and follow Him closely.

 

Hebrews 1:3 ~ “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

1 ~ God speaks to us through His Son.

2. ~ Jesus is the Heir of all things.

3. ~ Jesus is superior to all created beings.

4. ~ Jesus tasted death for everyone.

6. ~ Because Jesus has gone before us and prepared the way for us.

4. ~ So that we do not drift away.

7. ~ So that we do not become bitter.

8. ~ Jesus is the guarantee of a better covenant.

9. ~ Jesus always lives to intercede for those he saves completely.

10. ~ Jesus sacrificed himself for our sins.

11. ~ Through Jesus we can draw near to God.

12. ~ Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith.

13. ~ When we fix our eyes on Jesus we will not grow weary and lose heart.

There are so many more reasons. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.

This is a rich book that is filled with the supremacy and the completed work of Jesus. I pray that some of the deep truths in this book will stick in my heart and mind…

Jeremiah 31:33 ~ …”I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people.”

Gracious Hospital-i-Tea Blog-a-Thon ~ Decor-a-Tea #3

For my next Decor-a-Tea post I’m sharing my random sugar and creamers that I have displayed here and there in my house.

 

Every time I see a complete sugar and creamer set at Goodwill or any thrift store I’m tempted to buy them.

I keep some of my tea and other entertaining goodies in this old cabinet from Dear’s parents.

An old pink depression glass sugar and creamer.

More Royal Albert Moss Rose accessories and a Homer Laughlin plate.

For more Decor-a-Tea posts head over to LaTeaDah’s.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage and they have blacked them all out. I’m slowly working at restoring my posts without their help. Such a tiresome bother!

WFW ~ Psalm 20:7

 

Psalm 20:7 ~

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

For more Word Filled Wednesday head over to 160 Acre Woods.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage and they have blacked them all out. I’m slowly working at restoring my posts without their help. Such a tiresome bother!

ABC Wednesday ~ K is for

 K is for Katie

 

K is for our Katie. Katherine on her birth certificate.

 

Our Katie has an amazing amount of knowledge stored in her brain and I will show you some photos that might explain where some of that knowledge comes from.

 

At a very young age if Katie went missing this is where you would find her.

 

She was most drawn to books with words, not picture books. We had a few old school reading books and these are the ones she’d pull off the shelf and carefully go through.

 

As you can see she did not have a shortage of toys but she always seemed to go for the books.

 

We didn’t realize how well she could read until a trip to Meadowdale Beach Park with our friends the Spiro’s. Jody was walking hand in hand with Katie when they came to the tunnel under the railroad tracks that took you to the beach side of the park. As they approached this tunnel with this sign Katie said quite clearly to  my friend Jody, “Caution Low Head Clearance”

 

We realized then that we had a little 4 year old who definitely knew how to read. Who knows how much she was reading without us knowing before this experience.

Well this is all about Katie so for my last photo to throw in another “K” word, here’s Katie in a Kilt that I bought in Scotland in 1973! It fit me once too 🙂

For more ABC Wednesday take a trip across the pond to Mrs. Nesbitt’s.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage and they have blacked them all out. I’m slowly working at restoring my posts without their help. Such a tiresome bother!

Decor-a-Tea ~ More Pink…

This is a follow-up to my Pink Tea collage with some larger photos. I’ve posted these before in 2007 but wanted to re-post them for the Decor-a-Tea theme.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage. I’m working on updating my blog posts very slowly.

 

 

 

 

 

My next Decor-a -Tea post will be Blue!

Oops! Sorry ladies I just read LaTeaDah’s weekly themes a little more carefully and see that my tea tables could have waited till May. I’ll share my Vintage Blue tea table then and my Tea for One in that week, too. Now to follow the directions and stop jumping the gun! 🙂

For more tea posts visit our Gracious Hostess LaTeDah.

Fun Monday ~ Quotable quotes and words that inspire

Robin at Pensieve has chosen this theme for today’s Fun Monday.

Quotable quotes and words that inspire.

Here are a couple of quotes for you. One from a Russian and one for an admired American.

“How easy it is for me to live with you, Lord!
How easy it is for me to believe in you!
When my mind is distraught and my reason fails,
When the cleverest people do not see further than this
evening what must be done tomorrow
You grant me the clear confidence
that you exist, and that you will take care
that not all the ways of goodness are stopped.
At the height of earthly fame I gaze with wonder at
that path through hopelessness-
to this point from which even I have been able
to convey to men some reflection of the Light
which comes from you.”

-Alexander Solshenitsyn

Solshenitsyn: A Pictorial Record, 1974

“All the masterpieces of art contain both light and shadow. A happy life is not one filled only with sunshine, but one which uses both light and shadow to produce beauty.”

Billy Graham

Day by Day with Billy Graham, 1976

To read more Fun Monday Quotes click over to Robin’s.

 

Tea Blog-a-thon ~ Decor-a-Tea

This weeks theme is decorating with tea items, or tea collections etc. I’m getting ready for my posts and wanted to remind you that’s it’s not to late to join in. Head over to Gracious Hospitality for the themes each week. Then you can click on the link below my collage to see other posts for this weeks theme. Here’s my first contribution to Decor-a-Tea.

 

The tea set and dishes are Royal Albert Moss Rose. The napkins and napkin rings are Target clearance. The glasses and clear glass plates on top of the Moss Rose plates are from Goodwill. The tablecloth is a quilt I bought at T.J.Max. The runner is a piece of dotted swiss fabric with lace that I found at Goodwill, too. The salt and pepper shakers are a gift from a friend who purchased them in Victoria, B.C. I love to find things here and there to add to my different ideas for place settings. When I find bargains it’s easier to justify adding them to my collections. I’ve gotten a lot braver in throwing odd things together and most of the time it works out well. Enjoy…

I’m headed to the airport now to return to Southern California. I will add some more Decor-a-Tea posts from there. Have a wonderful week everyone.

To see more Decorating Tea posts click here.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage. I’m working on updating my blog posts very slowly.