This was last January (2025). Today we begin celebrating these three. Today is Jamie’s birthday. Tomorrow is Dan’s birthday and then on Monday it is Joshie’s birthday.
We celebrated these three early in December but that doesn’t mean we’ll ignore their actual day!
We are meeting for a birthday lunch in Spokane tomorrow with Jamie’s family to celebrate Jamie and Dan’s birthdays again. It is the big 4-0 for Jamie. We’re trying a new to the group restaurant near the airport, the Rusty Moose.
Today is Jamie’s Day. A very happy birthday to the wonderful mama of our Grands! We thank God for his goodness to our son in bringing Jamie into his life. She’s a good mama, wife, daughter, granddaughter, sister in law, daughter in law and friend.
We are still snowless here at our country bungalow and things outside look more like the beginning of Spring. The grass is green. We’ve had dense fog and rain off and on. So far this has been a mild winter in our parts.
Saturday the 27th, the girls arrived home from our Tea Party in Idaho to the aroma of ribs cooking on Bayles Mountain. Dan was in charge of dinner for our birthday x4. There was a happy birthday sign up and a helium balloon for each of the 4 along with presents for each. Laura and I got busy decorating the little bundt cakes that were baked the day before. Each cake had it’s own unique twist.
Applesauce Spice cake for Katie who turned 40 on this epic day, the 27th of December.
Jamie’s birthday will be the first of 3 family birthdays in January. Her cake is lemon with lemon frosting.
Dan’s follows the day after Jamie. His cake is Applesauce Spice cake.
Three days after Dan comes Joshie’s birthday. He is our firstborn. His cake is chocolate with chocolate frosting.
Lots of birthday love all around.
Our birthday girl with dad.
After dinner and before cake we had each one open their gifts. Josh is reading a hilarious card he received from Andrew and Katie. We were all laughing.
Photo Fail: I did not get photos of each of the birthday kids sitting in the birthday gift chair.
The brothers got matching jogging suits. The girls were each treated with a very special gift from Tiffany’s from Josh and Laura. Fortieth birthdays are treated with special flare in our family and I’m sure in other families, too. There were other gifts for the four like, hoodies, coats, a massage certificate, and a Buck Skinning knife. There is one other special event planned for our two fresh forty year olds, a trip to Maui in October of 2026. There will be 12 of us making that trip, Lord Willing, our ten and Jamie’s mom and granny.
The four with their individual cakes and balloons.
When it was time for the oldest in the group to go home, another surprise was lit!
We all went on the front porch for some unknown reason and there to our surprise was an epic fireworks display preplanned by Dan! What fun that was. I wish I was able to share the video here.
It was a wonderful day from beginning to finish.
After all our birthday celebrations on Saturday we were all in church taking a full row for the last Sunday of 2025. Addy played a special number, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, on the piano.
Addy does not have that common fear of performing in front of a crowd. It will be interesting to see how that plays out in her life.
The last sermon of 2025 was excellent and we all were challenged and encouraged.
After the service, Andrew and Katie started their long drive home. The rest of us gathered again on Bayles Mountain for the day. Table games, Prime rib sandwiches for lunch, hearty soup for dinner that the two oldest of the crew had ‘to-go’.
The Grands helping gramps get up off the couch. He made it more fun by being a ‘dead weight’!
On Monday morning after Josh and Laura left for home, I changed up the table linens and pulled out this puzzle gift from Josh and Laura. I finished it on New Year’s Eve. It was a fun one to put together.
The last days of 2025 at our country bungalow were quiet with little accomplished and that was okay.
New Year’s Eve we spent at home. We got a photo of our local kids enjoying the fireworks in town.
Those sun roofs come in handy!
Moving on to 2026 and trusting God for what He has in store for us.
Back in November, Laura threw out the idea for a special tea to celebrate Katie and Jamie turning forty. I concurred and the Tea Room that would be available for our party of seven was in Post Falls, Idaho. The tea was planned for the actual day that Katie turned forty. Even though Jamie does not turn forty until the middle of January this was the opportune time to celebrate since we’d all be together at Christmas time.
On Saturday morning, December 27th, our two vehicles started our drive to Post Falls at 10am. It was a 90 mile journey. Our vehicle spent some of the time having Katie try to recall her forty birthdays. She did incredibly well remembering almost all of them. Greg and my three children are now all in their forties!
Jamie’s mom, Katie, Addy, Jamie, Jamie’s Granny, Laura and me.
The birthday girls.
Four generations strong.
Me and our youngest, Katie.
Katie and Laura.
Our most wonderful daughters-in-law. It brings tears to my eyes to see how God has brought us all together and the deep friendships our ‘girls’ share.
Addy had a special seat because her servings would be a little varied from the adult servings. She was quite pleased.
Ready for our soup course, which was a surprise part of our tea along with an Amuse Bouche.
A pinkie finger photo collage.
Addy got a pot of hot chocolate besides some herbal tea.
Amuse-bouches are small, single-bite dishes meant to “amuse the mouth” and offer a glimpse into a chef’s style before the meal begins. We actually enjoyed these bites before the soup course. The one in the center was for Addy, a mac&cheese bite.
Her soup portion was in a smaller cup than ours.
Addy got her own two tiered tea offering and she thought that was very cool. Her sandwiches were peanut butter and Jam, Ham and Cheese, and a Cucumber Cream Cheese Christmas tree sandwich. (The Peanut Butter-Jam sandwiches were her favorite)
The other three tiered offerings were shared between two of us.
The sandwiches and scones are always my favorites. I think we all especially enjoyed the Chicken Salad Croissant.
The snickerdoodle scones were also a favorite!
Since this was still part of their ‘Special Christmas Tea Time’ the bread for the cucumber tea sandwiches were Christmas trees.
It is a good thing that the sweets are small portions.
The tea hostesses did all the tea pouring. There were two bells on the table and if there was anything we wanted or needed we could ring the bells to let them know.
There were several tea table areas besides ours and this one, above, is the only other one I took a photo of.
We had a lovely time being served and celebrating our girls in this special way.
I need to mention that the temperature on this day was 28 degrees and there was also a biting wind!
On the way home we took advantage of the lower gasoline prices in Idaho and filled up our vehicle before crossing into Washington State.
The drive back to Bayles’ mountain was smooth sailing and we got ready for our next birthday party for Katie, Jamie, Dan, and Josh! The Bayles Birthday Bonanza finale was epic. That will be another post.
Christmas day started quietly with just the two of us enjoying a Fancy Egg Scramble. I was able to set the table and make a few of the food preparations before the two sleighs from across the mountains arrived 3 minutes apart. Soon afterwards the Colville kids arrived and quiet was replaced with joyful chatter and anticipation of what Christmas day holds at Baba and Gramps’.
(A fair warning: This is a many many photo full post)
The centerpiece.
No white Christmas for us this year.
The birthday cake for Jesus arrived with the Bayles Mountain crew. Designed and planned by Addy and JJ and brought together by their mom. The stable, the star, Joseph, Mary, Baby Jesus, sheep, shepherd, 3 wise men and a donkey were all included!
Use your imagination and you’ll be able to see all the main participants. It took me a while to figure out that the marshmallows with the little bit of pretzel were the sheep!
This little guy was hungry and excited to see it was time to carve the Prime Rib Roast. He said, “that smells good!”
(A shout out to our local grocery store, Super 1, who offered their prime rib roasts at only $9.99 a pound, cut and tied. )
The menu consisted of Prime Rib, Yorkshire Pudding, Roasted Vegetables, and Creamed Corn (not from a can).
This year the readings were from Luke, Hebrews and Philippians.
Christmas Crackers ready set Pull!
Presents and time for belly-laughs! Even though this was a ‘stocking gift’ year, the gifts seemed endless.
Time for comfy jammies or putting feet up watching a video sent to Addy and JJ from Great auntie Christina.
A Marco polo. Do any of you or your kids participate?
Here are some of our photos for our Christmas card greetings that we took over Thanksgiving weekend.
And that is a wrap of our preparing for and enjoying the day of celebrating the birth of Jesus with Angels watching over us all.
Boxing day and our For-Tea will be separate posts coming in the New Year!
Ten years ago the four of us enjoyed tea at the Queen Mary Tea Room in Seattle for Katie’s 3oth birthday. Today the four of us along with Addy, Linda and Florence will be celebrating at a Tea Room in Post Falls, Idaho. We are raising our pinkies to Katie and Jamie who are turning a number they are both shy to mention but you can do the math. Today is Katie’s actual birthday and Jamie’s will be in nineteen more days. There will be a full post devoted to our time in the near future. Ten years ago was Jamie’s first experience having tea in a tearoom. Today will be Addy’s first ‘tea experience’ in an actual tearoom. May the memory making moments continue!
1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 pkg. 4 serving size jello instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs
1 cup applesauce
1/2 C. water
1/4 C. oil
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. all-spice (optional)
1/2 raisins finely chopped (optional)
Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl of electric mixer and blend then beat at medium for 4 minutes. Pour into well greased and floured 10 inch tube or fluted tube pan. (I’ve used a bundt cake pan and angel food cake pan). Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. DO NOT UNDERBAKE. Cool in pan for 15 min. remove and cool on rack. When the cake has cooled and before I serve it I give it a dusting of powdered sugar.
This goes really well with whipped cream or a good vanilla ice cream, too. This has become a favorite in my house and is requested for birthday cakes very often.
We are going to celebrate four birthdays on Saturday evening, our December girl and our January boys and girl. We will have 4 individual mini cakes for the event. Two of this Spice cake, a lemon cake and a Chocolate cake. I’ll have lots of photos and posts in the coming weeks of all our Christmas time and beyond celebrations!!
I hope Jesus was at the center of all the Christmas festivities with your family and friends!
Saturday the 29th of November we shopped small on Main street in Colville.
While we shopped the guys entertained themselves with chopping a lot of wood and then enjoyed table games.
Plans were afoot on this day to celebrate Auntie Lolo’s birthday early since we wouldn’t be together for her actual birthday on December 3rd. The birthday theme was lemon/lemons, a favorite flavor for Laura.
Jamie embroidered this special sweatshirt for Laura with her beloved title, Auntie Lolo! Addy and JJ helped with some of the embroidery.
Laura looked at this purse while we were shopping and she admired it enough that Katie snuck it up to the register to purchase it for Laura’s birthday gift. I didn’t take a photo of the solar decorative hummingbird lights that we gave her for their outdoor patio.
Lemon and pistachio Macarons that our son Dan made were the ‘birthday cake’. Dan has mastered the art of making them!
There is a back story to this drink that Katie had never tasted. While the guys were at the grocery store Andrew found it for her to try.
More Skyjo rounds commenced. The younger ones among us stayed at Bayles Mountain well into the evening while Gramps and Baba headed home.
Sunday morning most of us were in church together filling out a row.
Before the last of the Westsiders left for home after church there was some fun in the snow to document.
Another full and thankful time was spent over the long Thanksgiving weekend.
Our focus shifts now to preparations for Christmas.
It means honoring and obeying the laws of my country and doing whatever is in my power to insure the freedoms our founding fathers established. I love singing the National Anthem at sporting events. A little flag waving is good, too. Displaying the flag on holidays and other key times during the year.
2. September-October-November…your favorite fall month? Tell us why. If you live in the southern hemisphere use these months but sub spring for the word fall.
I’m cheating and naming something that is special to me for each of these months.
September ~ it always seems like the fresh start back to routine activities that make me feel grounded and we get to celebrate Greg’s birthday in this month.
October ~ where Fall colors shine the best and we enjoy the annual corn maze.
November ~ the Thankful month. gathering with family on Thanksgiving.
3. A song you love with the word thanks (or some form of that word) in the title or lyrics?
I’m sharing one of many songs that make me say thank you, Jesus!
My hymn of Praise shall always be forever Jesus! In Jesus I have sooo many reasons to say Thank You!
4. November is National Peanut Butter Month. Are you a fan? What’s the last peanut butter bite you had? Fill in the blank: peanut butter and _____________________ .
Oh, and you can’t say jelly.
It is peanut butter and honey for me. I had a piece of toast with peanut butter and honey for breakfast on Monday.
5. This week’s gratitude question-What event from this past year are you most grateful for?
The year started out with an epic surprise visit from Josh and Laura. We were having our local kids over for a birthday dinner on a Saturday. Dan and Jamie have birthdays 1 day apart and Josh has a birthday 3 days after Dan. Dan and Jamie arrived and 5 minutes later Josh and Laura came in the house with shouts of surprise!! It was such an epic surprise and so much fun to be able to celebrate all our January family birthdays together! I’m so grateful to God for the love he extends through our family.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
Speaking of patriotism I’m copying a post here from 2011. This is from the Orange Circle Flag Ceremony, a weekly event, in Orange, California.
Before they lowered the flag and folded it properly Mark Wayland acknowledged 5 veterans in the audience that had served in World War II. One of the veterans was celebrating his 90th birthday and his family brought cupcakes for everyone at the ceremony. We got to sing Happy Birthday to him. This vet with Mark in the photo above, served in WWII, Korea, and the Vietnam War. He comes to the ceremony every week. It was great to meet him.
Mark also acknowledged a young bride in the audience who’s Marine husband was serving in Afghanistan right then…our Katie. He made her cry but the tears were good tears and then when the big burly Vietnam Vets came over to give her a hug with tears in their eyes we knew they understood and we cried some more. It was great to hear these Harley riders tell her they would be praying for her and Andrew.
Dear’s brother Terry and wife Christina with one of their 3 daughters with Katie and me. Christina got to know Mark while working with the Orange County School Board. She invited Katie and me to attend this ceremony.
I got the following information from an Orange County Register article written by David Whiting although my sister-in-law who knows Mark from working with him at the Orange County School board also filled me in about Mark and his giving heart, a Purple Heart retired Marine.
“Mark Wayland, Marine Vietnam vet, retired firefighter and Orange school board member, looks like a biker with his denim vest and bushy mustache. And he is. So are many of the men in the Circle.
Most are members of the Patriot Guard Riders. In particular, they ride to remember fallen military brothers and sisters and to ensure things go smoothly at military funerals.
With his black Harley Electra Glide decorated with Marine logos parked just 50 yards away, Wayland explains tonight’s mission.
Every Wednesday night, Wayland, his buddies, their wives, friends and supporters gather in the Orange Circle. They come to lower the flag at 6 p.m. and honor, as Wayland puts it, “those who are in harm’s way.”
What an honor to be able to meet these folks and to honor them and others who have sacrificed so much for all of us. Thank you Mark for all you do and may your sacrifices return to you tenfold.
ht: Orange County Register, David Whiting.
The Patriot Guard Riders honored our brother-in-law at his burial on Veterans Day in 2015.
Thanks for the time you took to visit this very long and wordy Hodgepodge. I’m grateful for all who stop by here.
This is the shirt I’m wearing today for the National Day of Remembrance of Charlie Kirk. Today, October 14th, would have been his 32nd birthday. The front and the back is shown above. It’s a small gesture of respect for his short life.
“His life was shaped by his faith and the idea that in America, debate and discussion are crucial to the betterment of our country. He believed in God, the American dream, the value of family, and the principles of our great nation.”
On Monday morning we woke up with the tops of our higher elevations sprinkled with snow.
I’ll be happy for the real snow to hold off until at least November!
On the other side of town, the first fire of the season was lit and enjoyed!
Sunday the 5th of October we made a quick trip to Spokane after church. The scenery was spectacular with clear skies and fluffy clouds.
A neighborhood cat without a tail visited while our grandson JJ was here on Monday afternoon. This was the friendliest cat that has ever visited our yard.
On Tuesday while I pulled some weeds I noticed this garden spider. Yikes!
On Tuesday our Colville kids had us over for a belated birthday celebration for Gramps!
Addy made sure Gramps was the one to blow out the candle.
After our meal and dessert JJ was excited to launch his rocket for us to see.
The first launch was very successful and didn’t land in the trees but the second launch was not as hazard free. They will have to wait for a big wind storm to free the rocket.
On Wednesday several deer came to visit.
We had some nice warm days that started with very chilly mornings.
Friday morning started with a beautiful sunrise.
Happy Columbus Day to all in the United States of America and a very Happy Thanksgiving to our friends in Canada!
I can’t let this day pass without acknowledging this historic day!
UPDATE: Waking up to news that after 738 days all the Israeli hostages have been released. What a glorious day for the hostages and their families and friends and nation!
All living Israeli hostages officially freed from Hamas captivity.
President Trump made a promise on the campaign trail:
“We will never abandon them — and with God’s help, they will come safely home.”
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 