Category Archives: Addyson May

A Fortnight Ago

The guys were out of the house before dawn to get to the location they would be hunting in. The girls got ready for a sign painting party leisurely.

All of Addy’s grandmothers and her great grandmother were at the party. This photo is of Jamie, Granny Great, Granny Linda and Addy. I forgot to get photos of everyone’s sign. This one is mine.

Jamie, Laura, Katie, Addy and I went out for a snack after the painting party.

When we got home the men were back from hunting with their first buck. We tuckered Addy out.

Addy woke up happy and had snuggles with her mommy and then she was ready to be entertained by her two aunties.

I’ll spare you too many details but when the men got to a certain point in their venison preparations they got all cleaned up and we had leftovers for dinner. Look away before you get to this last photo if you are queasy around raw meat.

We were all tuckered out after a full day of entertainment. Sunday would be the second day of hunting for the guys and it would be Pumpkin Patch time for the girls.

Back to the present: Today was such a glorious sunshiny day in the Pacific Northwest with beautiful color all around us. Glory to God for creating the seasons for us to enjoy.

Hope you all have a wonderful last weekend of October!

Fishing

Each of our family members arrived at Dan and Jamie’s home at different hours on Thursday the 12th of October. The last to arrive were Katie, Andrew and Laura after Dear and I were fast asleep. Dear and I arrived first, Josh drove by himself arriving later in the afternoon. Katie and Andrew hit the road from Seattle after Andrew’s last class at the University of Washington. On their way through Spokane they picked up Laura who flew in after her work day. Hunting Season opening day wasn’t until Saturday the 14th so Friday was deemed fishing day. Dear and our original three loaded up their gear and headed to Lake Roosevelt (part of the Columbia River) to launch Dan and Jamie’s (new to them) boat for a day on the water.

Jamie, Laura, me and Addy enjoyed the morning getting re-acquainted. Andrew worked on some homework so he would be free to hunt on Saturday. Aeronautical Engineering involves lots of hours of homework. Close to noon Jamie packed up some lunch items and the stay at home crew drove to Colville Flats on Lake Roosevelt to meet up with the fishing crew and enjoy a picnic lunch together. The morning family time tired little miss Addy out and she slept through the drive and the lunch and all the way home again!

The views of Lake Roosevelt from one of the day use areas on the lake.

We had the area all to ourselves.

We enjoyed the views and the reflections. Andrew skipped some stones along the still water surface.

It was fun to watch the boat approach the flats where we had set up our picnic lunch.

Everyone made it out of the boat without getting wet.

The boat took off again with one more passenger, Andrew. The rest of us headed home for the late afternoon and evening. We enjoyed a meal together, fish and chicken tacos and then preparations were made for an early start for deer hunting on Saturday. The ladies and Addy had a Sign Painting Class to attend on Saturday. Speaking of Addy…

She is on the move with many skills. Crawling, holding herself up, pulling herself up to standing, side stepping while holding onto the sofa and increasing her balance. She’s a strong little babe. More to come.

So thankful for our family time all together under one roof for several days.

We are busy back here at home getting the kitchen ready for new quartz counter tops. I have taken some before photos so I’ll have a before and after post in the future. We are scheduled for templates to be made next Wednesday. With the quartz chosen we now will choose the backsplash product.

Hope all is going well in your corner of the world!

My Surprising Life Hodgepodge

1. What’s surprised you most about your life or life in general? 
Looking back the things that have surprised me most in life are the people God has put in my life, the places and adventures I have enjoyed and the protection from God that I benefited from on these adventures.
Here’s a short list of some surprises in my life:
That God brought Dear and I together during our time as part of a Christian Rock Band performing in the U.S. and Great Britain.
That we had three children.
That we moved to Washington State away from all our extended family for Dear to pursue a whole new career.
That our three children married helpmates who love God and we’ve enjoyed so many adventures with all of them.
That through my blogging experience God blessed me with the Mennonite Girls Can Cook. Who would have guessed I would be part of this group of women who love God, their families, are growing disciples of Jesus and who love to feed orphans and widows with our royalties? The adventures I’ve had with this group alone is mind boggling.
That we are now enjoying our first little grand.
That it looks like we’ll be moving away from the City to the Country. I’ve been a city mouse all my life…
That God is good to me and has surprised me my whole life long.
2.  Sweet potato fries, sweet potato casserole, a baked sweet potato, a bowl of butternut squash soup, a caramel apple or a slice of pumpkin pie…you have to order one thing on this list right now. Which one do you go for?
It’s a toss up between butternut squash soup and sweet potato fries.

3. What’s a famous book set in your home state? Have you read it? On a scale of 1-5 (5 is fantastic) how many stars does it rate?

I went to Goodreads and looked at their list of top 200 books from Washington State and I haven’t read even one. My daughter read all the Twilight series. The top votes went to Snow Falling on Cedars. The only book on the list that looks interesting to me is The Boys in the Boat.
4. There are 60 days until Christmas…have you started your shopping? How do you stay organized for the holidays?

No, I have not shopped at all yet. We have just had our family discussion on what Christmas will look like this year. The only thing that is organized for the holidays is the fact that I have everything in the attic in it’s proper containers. The holidays that I choose to gather decor for have their own bins, etc. I hope our kitchen will be completed before Thanksgiving or before Christmas.

5. October 26th is National Tennessee Day. Have you ever lived or spent any time in Tennessee? Is this a state you’d like to visit one day? The top rated tourist attractions in Tennessee are-

SeaJack #6 010The Great Smoky Mountain National Park (Gatlinburg area), Elvis’s Graceland (Memphis), Birth of the Music Biz (Memphis and Nashville), Dollywood (Pigeon Forge), Tennessee’s Military Heritage (many battlefields), The Hermitage (Andrew Jackson’s home), The Parthenon (Nashville), Oak Ridge American Museum of Science and Energy, Chattagnooa and the Tennessee Valley Railroad, Downtown Knoxville, Lookout Mountain, The Titanic Museum (Pigeon Forge), The Museum of Appalachia (Clinton), and The Lost Sea Adventure (Sweetwater)

 How many on this list have you seen? Which one on the list would you most like to see?

SeaJack #6 025Back in May of 2014 our daughter and I drove from Seattle to Jacksonville, North Carolina to set her up in an apartment just before her Marine husband returned from a long tour of duty in Afghanistan. We drove through part of Tennessee to get to North Carolina. Our first stop was Hendersonville to spend the night at the home of one of Andrew’s Marine buddies who was in Afghanistan with him. The next day we drove through part of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and had a sandwich in Gatlinburg. We drove through Pigeon Forge to get to Gatlinburg. That is one weird town. Click here and you’ll see my post from our drive through Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.

I’ll have to pass on traveling to Tennessee again.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

Mommy and Addy. We had 7 days enjoying her and watching her every move from October 12-19. She cut her first tooth upon turning 7 months old.

Thank you to Joyce From This Side of the Pond who asks the questions for Wednesday Hodgepodge. And thank you to everyone who took the time to read my answers. I appreciate your time and comments.

 

Home Again…

We had a lot of joy being with this little one for several days in a row. Lots to share from our family time in northeastern Washington. We drove home today and we were happy it only poured down rain when we approached Snoqualmie Pass and descended on this side of the Cascades. The vibrant Fall colors out the windows as we drove entertained me as well as a book on cd by Louise Penny.

Lots of fallen leaves welcomed us home on our driveway and yard. Do you deal with lots of leaves in the fall where you live?

Happy Fall Y’all!

On Saturday we went to a Sign Making Party and this is the sign I made. It’s fun for me because you use stencils and all you have to do is pick the wood you want and the colors. Addy May and all her grandmothers, her great grandmother and aunties were there.

These are the four generations on Jamie’s side of the family. I’m sure my mom would have gotten a kick out of our little Addy May. One thing for sure this little one does not lack for love and attention.

We are still busy busy here in northeastern Washington and enjoying some fine weather that is about to change. Hunting expeditions have been successful. Next up is wood gathering for the winter. Hope you are enjoying fall where you are.

Directional Hodgepodge

1. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate your sense of direction? 1=can’t find my way out of a paper bag and 10=if I’ve been somewhere once I can find it blindfolded ten years later.

When I drive somewhere I’ll never forget how to get there again. When I’m in the middle of a large city I need help knowing which way is what when looking at a map. I always depend on Dear or our daughter Katie to point me in the right direction. I’m not afraid to ask directions. So I’ll say 5!

I would be lost in the London Underground without these two getting me on the correct train!

When was the last time you looked at/used a map you could hold in your hand? (phones don’t count!) 

I love maps and look at them frequently, especially when planning a road trip. I looked at a map last week.

back east, down south, out west, up north

Choose one of these directional expressions and tell us why you chose it.

I’ll choose “Go West Young Man” even though it’s not on the list because I wrote a paper about Horace Greeley when I was in junior high school and he was credited with popularizing this phrase. He was a newspaper editor and author. Greeley favored westward expansion. (1811-1872)

2. Did you do more talking or listening yesterday? Is that typical?

Hmmm…I think it was 50-50. When I wake up in the morning Dear has been up for a few hours already and he is ready to have a listening ear and then I have to remind him I really can’t listen to a technical description of how the gears work in a starter and why the car didn’t start up this morning before I’ve had my morning coffee. When I’ve been up for a while I might take over on the talking.

Describe your yesterday in one word.

Staging: We have a realtor coming over Wednesday morning to check out our property and give us an assessment and suggestions on selling our home.

3. Time, money, water-power-resources, opportunity…which one on the list are you most guilty of wasting? What might you do to change that?

Oh boy, you are hitting us hard this week. I’ll say water-power-resources. I have a long way to go to be a conservationist.

4. Did  your family take regular vacations when you were a kid?

The simple answer is no. I was in college before I took my first plane trip with a friend.

Tell us something you remember about a family road trip from your own childhood.

We did take a few road trips and those were always north from Los Angeles to Central California, San Francisco and Oregon. The black and white above is from Crater Lake. We always visited friends or family and stayed in their homes when we traveled unless we were camping. We had a few camping trips to Big Bear and a camping trip to San Clemente State beach.

I remember getting up in the “rear package shelf” of the car to look up at the sky as we drove along. When in 6th grade my teacher noticed I had trouble seeing the black board and suggested to my parents to get my eyes checked. I was nearsighted. When I got my first pair of glasses I was amazed at how clear things were when driving in the car.

5. If you could grow anything you wanted, what would you grow? Why?

I would love to grow avocados (tree). I enjoy a variety of dishes that are great with avocado and a favorite treat is avocado on toast.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Speaking of road trips, we are tripping over to this little girls house soon.

Looking forward to some cuddle time and seeing all she’s learned since our last visit together.

Linking up with Joyce From This Side of the Pond for Wednesday Hodgepodge.

Thank you for visiting here today and for your comments. I do appreciate each one.

Berry Pickin Hodgepodge

 
1.  Have you ever spent time on a farm?
Yes.
Tell us a little bit about it.
When I was young my family stayed with Russian farming friends in Central California. I did not enjoy the fresh milk from their cow. My family would also drive to different farms in southern California to pick fruit for my mom’s canning endeavors. The black and white above is of the whole family picking something, maybe berries of some kind. I can also remember picking sour cherries, about 40 pounds total when we were done. She would cook and can the cherries for a sweetener for tea. A favorite with my Russian relatives. As an adult when we were in England we enjoyed an afternoon on a farm picking raspberries, picture below.
This was in 1973 or 1974. In 2006 we stayed on a sheep farm in England (bed and breakfast) for a couple nights. We enjoyed the farm noises and the walks along the Derwent River that the farm was adjacent to.
Since being part of the Mennonite Girls Can Cook I’ve enjoyed times on a couple farms and at Farm markets in Abbotsford, B.C.
Have you ever grown your own pumpkin? Been on a hayride? Driven a tractor? Milked a cow?
no, yes, no, no…
I’m pretty sure I’ve been on a hayride somewhere but I can’t pull up the time and place.
2. What’s something younger you would like about you now?
 That I’m still smiling even though I don’t look like I did in that Berry picking photo with those cool shades.

3. What are three things you’d like to do more often? Three things you’d like to do less often?

Walk, read, and pray more often. Eat, b***h, jump to conclusions less often.

4. What’s on your nachos?

When I have them which isn’t very often, cheese, jalapenos, and diced Anaheim peppers.

5. What’s the most random thing in your purse or wallet? Does it need to stay there?

A tape measure might be the most random thing and it doesn’t need to stay there but it comes in handy when shopping for certain items that need to fit in defined or tight spaces.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

Too cute not to share! She’s 6-1/2 months and this is her trusty furry friend Rayna.

Linking up to Hodgepodge Wednesday with Joyce From This Side of the Pond. She comes up with the questions and we answer them.

We are resuming our small group at our home on Wednesday night. It will be fun to see who shows up. Hope you all are having a good week.

Hello October

Update: So so sad and sorry to wake up to the horrible news about the shooting in Las Vegas last night. May God comfort those who lost loved ones and may He heal those who are injured. May he also heal those who have been traumatized even though they survived the carnage.

The trees and plants at this old house are beginning to show their autumn colors.

The blueberry bush…

The Forsythia

I saved the best for last. Our little Addy is enjoying new things this fall. She’s enjoying some solids like rice cereal, applesauce and just this past week she tried zucchini and gave it a thumbs up. She did not like banana. It made her gag. She is 6-1/2 months old and getting some good use out of her many bibs. She soon will be too big for her current car seat.

We had a quiet weekend. Our new senior pastor preached his first sermon this morning. We are looking forward to this new chapter in the life of our church. Our church will be celebrating it’s 50th anniversary in 2018 and in almost 50 years this is only our fourth pastor. That’s an impressive pastor history.

Speaking of 50 years, my graduating class from high school will be celebrating 50 years next October. A committee is planning the event and trying to locate as many Montebello High School class of 1968 graduates as possible. If you are reading this post and are a MHS class of 68 graduate there is a special email address for our reunion and you can give them your contact information there. mhs50.1968@gmail.com

 I’ll be linking up to Mosaic Monday with Maggie from Normandy Life.