Category Archives: Birthday

Tea ~ Madam Fifi’s

Welcome to Tea Time 2025. These posts will be about Tea Rooms we’ve been to, Teas we’ve given for friends and family, Church Tea events, and High Tea in restaurants from 2008 to the present. Tea in the U.S.A., Tea in England and Tea in Canada. Many of the Tea Rooms are no longer in business, which is sad.

I recently posted a Tea Room we enjoyed with our mom in Northridge, California in 2008.

Today’s Tea Room is Madam Fifi’s which was in Country Village, Bothell, Washington. This Tea Room didn’t last long and now Country Village is also gone and replaced with condos.

In August of 2008 I took my little sister Lana G! to Madam Fifi’s in Country Village for her belated birthday lunch.

The following was written in 2008…

We went to Madam Fifi’s Tea Room in Bothell at Country Village. I was wanting to share this Tea Room with Lana and since this is a rare day when we are both in Washington at the same time we took the opportunity. We were both delighted with the Grand Tea.

Madam Fifi’s Grand Tea
Pot of loose leaf tea or iced tea of the day
Cup of soup or garden salad
Fresh seasonal fruit
scones with cream & lemon curd
Generous tea sandwiches—
Smoked salmon cream cheese with cucumber
Crab salad
Chicken curry salad
Turkey with raspberry cream cheese
Grand assortment of decadent tarts, cookies and pastries.
~
We had the soup of the day and it was wonderful. We also chose the Lady Londonderry Tea. We really enjoyed it and both ended up buying some to take home to savor. It is really hard to treat Lana to a meal. She is very sneaky about picking up the tab. Today I was going to finally win but Madam Fifi thwarted me and insisted on giving us her Grand Tea on the house! Thank you Madam Fifi. We love your establishment and we will be back.

Six!

For JJ’s sixth birthday party the theme of Batman was chosen.

Today is his actual birthday but the family celebration was on this past Saturday, the 12th of April.

Thank you, Lord, for our grandson, JJ. He is such a delight. We love how you created him and how his mind works. He has a kind heart towards his sister. He is observant and curious. We pray that you will save him and lead and direct his life to always follow You. Thank you for all the loving and caring people he is surrounded by! 

The pizza party lunch was at noon and all the festivities began with a prayer.

Besides pizza, we had veggies and Super Batman Fruit!

We had some indoor games and outdoor games along with some Batman rescues!

Batman to the rescue! He rescued Aunt Katie and had to turn around and rescue Addy, too!

After all the rescuing it was time for presents and cake!

The Six and Thirty-Six year old birthday boys!

The Batman party came to a happy conclusion.

We changed venues and enjoyed a steak dinner and birthday pie in honor of Andrew!

Our long weekend family time was bookended with playing SkyJoe at both homes!

On Sunday we met at church for our Palm Sunday service before our ‘Westside’ crew drove home.

Thank you, Lord, for all your goodness to our family, for safe travels, joy in being together, loving support of one another and continued growth in You. We love you, Lord.

F is for…

While searching my archives for A to Z photos I found this photo I took at the Postal Museum in Washington D.C. back in May of 2011.

For April I’m challenging myself to an A-Z photo a day excluding Sundays and in addition to any regular posts that come to be.

Today is Monday April 7th and today’s letter if F.

F is for Farmer’s Market

Pike Place Market back in March of 2007 with Josh and Laura.

 

And then another trip to the market in July of 2007 with my brother Leonard and Mandy.

F is also for Flowers…

These are store bought but pretty soon daffodils will make their blooms known in our yard.

Have a great Monday!

It’s No Mystery…

…we love her to pieces!

On Saturday we gathered to celebrate Addy turning eight. She requested a Hardy Boys Mystery Themed party. We were each given a character from the books to be on this day. Wigs, scarves, and other costume choices were made.

Mr. Hardy, Mrs. Hardy, Frank, Joe, Iola, Calli, Belinda, Biff, Ethel, Chief Collig, were all present and accounted for. A few more characters were due to arrive.

Eight is Great!

Mysteries were solved and clues were followed. Which shoe made what print?

I’m sorry I didn’t take a photo of the 3×5 treasure hunt clues we found all over the house that Addy’s dad wrote out for us to follow to find the treasure!

When all the characters arrived, we enjoyed baked potatoes with many toppings for lunch.

Orange Creme soda and root beer right out of a bottle will be a fun memory.

After lunch it was time for presents before we enjoyed the cake.

It’s getting easier each year for Addy to read the cards on her own.

The last present to open was her new scooter and she was thrilled! Uncle Andrew, the aeronautical engineer, was given the task to put it together!

Time for Cake!

 

The cake was another masterpiece by Addy’s mom. It was a delicious S’mores cake!

When you are eight, you get to light the candle on the cake!

 

Another great birthday celebration in the books.

And for the record this wasn’t the only celebration on this day. After Addy’s party was done, we gathered again at Gramps and Baba’s for a Chinese themed dinner of Hot and Sour Soup (homemade). Our kids put this meal together while Baba watched a movie with Addy and JJ. We gather the moments when our kids from the Westside are in town! After dinner we introduced SKYJO to everyone.

Our family highly recommends this game and it can entertain a wide range of ages! Tested at our home for 8 year olds and up!

On Sunday we all gathered at church for the early service and we were surprised with a special number by Addy on the piano. Our country church includes from time to time special numbers that anyone from the congregation can share with the church. Addy chose to play It is Well with My Soul as a special gift for me. Yes, there were tears.

Thank you, Addy. Baba loves you and is so happy that you love Jesus. Baba and Gramps pray that you will grow closer and closer to Our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ each new year of your life.

Because of Jesus, It is Well With My Soul.

Birthday Getaway

First things first…Happy Spring everyone!!

The Roosevelt Inn on Wallace in Coeur d’Alene.

Our room included the bell tower with beautiful views. The three windows on the right side of the building on the third floor were part of our room and then there was a flight of stairs to get up to the bell tower sitting area with telescope and great views of the area.

Welcome to The Roosevelt Inn,  a stunning Coeur d’Alene inn.  This grand brick building was the first permanent schoolhouse established in 1905. Now, experience historic elegance at The Roosevelt Inn a romantic and relaxing bed and breakfast located in the heart of beautiful downtown Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

The above is the webpage write up for the Inn. The last time we spent the night at the Inn was for my 70th birthday and at that time they had ‘sold the Inn’. We found out that that sale fell through and they’ve had 7 subsequent sales that all fell through. This time, 4 years later, it is sold again and will be final by May. It is a relaxing environment and the rooms are nice but the elegance is waning  and stunning as a description is a stretch. We enjoyed our stay and the owners are welcoming.

On Tuesday morning we were able to order our breakfast as we wanted it and it was prepared well. The other breakfast items stocked in the breakfast room gave you a great variety to choose from.

We enjoyed our shopping stops in CDA. On Monday after we had a nice lunch in Rathdrum, we stopped at the Union Gospel Mission Thrift store, a couple vintage shops and a local grocery store called Pilgrim’s Market. Pilgrim’s Market is a lot like Whole Foods. Home Depot was our first stop after breakfast on Tuesday and where I chose a shorter hedge trimmer and new blower for yard work coming up soon. The new Sierra store was our second stop and we made some purchases there. Sierra is part of the HomeGoods, TJMaxx, Marshalls group. On to Costco where we got gasoline for $2.89 WOW! A used book store was our last stop in CDA before heading back across the state line to Washington. Sales tax is only 6% in CDA so when we are visiting we like to make any purchases that we need to take advantage of that. In Washington we stopped at another Union Gospel Mission Thrift store and found some good books, tools and a clothing item.

We made it back home before dark. It was a good overnight. Our weather range over the two days was decent enough to glorious.

Today is Friday and sometime later today our ‘Westside’ kids will all be here along with our Colville kids to start the beginning of a birthday weekend. Addy will be celebrated on Saturday and there will also be one more family celebration for my birthday. The fun just keeps rolling in.

A Grand Birthday

Both Addy and JJ created happy birthday greetings for me with a candy cane treat attached. JJ also included a finger knitting bracelet and necklace. Addy got creative with a musical greeting, ‘It is well with my soul’.

A very lovely birthday celebration with our Colville Kids and Grands. Addy nailed it, It is well with my soul. Thank you, LORD!

On Friday, my actual birthday, I received these greetings from near and far.

Thank you to all my friends and family for your sweet birthday greetings, yesterday.

Thankful for Seventy Four

Celebrating my 74th birthday today with some Friday Flashbacks to my 60th Celebrations.

Back in 2011 our kids and Greg surprised me with more than one celebration. The first one was that Dan made the trip across the mountains to be at my 60th brunch and dinner party, too. I was totally surprised when he walked into Josh and Laura’s kitchen. After brunch on Sunday March 13th, the day before my actual birth-day, Greg and I drove north to Chuckanut Manor Restaurant to meet some of the Mennonite Girls and their husbands for a birthday dinner.

Then on Monday the 14th of March the surprises continued when a limousine showed up to take us to dinner in downtown Seattle.

 

Our daughter Katie was in Jacksonville, North Carolina, getting married to Andrew by the Justice of the Peace before Andrew took off for his first tour of duty to Afghanistan. That is why she wasn’t at this birthday celebration. One year later on March 11, 2012 we had a formal wedding for them in Seattle. They just celebrated their 14th Wedding Anniversary! Here they are 14 years ago….

My 60th birthday celebration continued into April of 2011 with a Sisters Weekend in Victoria, B.C.!

This was the trip that I met Honora face to face and she was so kind to drive me and my sisters around to some lovely spots.

Back to the present and 74 years…

On Wednesday our Colville Kids and Grands had a birthday lunch for me at their home. It was a delicious meal and lovely dessert. Addy and JJ each gave me handmade cards. I’ll share those on my post tomorrow.

Tonight we have a Marriage Conference at our church with a catered meal to kick-off the two day event.

Monday Greg and I are going for an overnight in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho to celebrate St. Patrick and me.

Being in the Mid-Winter of my life on earth I don’t take for granted each new day. God has my days numbered and He leads me on until He calls me home. I can rest and be at peace in this reality. I’m a wonderer and I’m wondering what new things I’ll see and learn this new year of my life.

Birthday Week Hodgepodge

Put another candle on my birthday cake, I’m another year old today Friday. It looks like there are 7 candles on my birthday cake above so I’m going to say this was my 7th birthday.

Beware of the Ides of March but not Joyce’s questions for the Hodgepodge this week.

1. March 15th is known as The Ides of March, the date on which Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 B.C….have you ever been to Rome? If so what did you love most about the city? If not, is this a place you’d like to visit? 

I have never been to Rome. Rome is not on my bucket list even though it has fascinating history associated with it. Coincidentally as I type this my youngest niece is in Rome on a school trip. Sheesh, the only school trips we had living in Southern California was a trip to Disneyland!

I have been to Italy, to Milan, and that was an Italian enough experience for me to savor.

2. ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day.’ What project/activity/improvement (of any kind) do you have going on right now to which this saying might be applied? 

Physically…

Well here we are again trying to get a lot of extra pounds off. Time will tell if this new long term effort pays off.

Spiritually…

I’ll be in the Sanctification process (becoming more like Jesus) all my days on this earth. God is faithful in this process even when I am not.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 ~Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

3. Let’s do a little this or that with some Italian foods…

  • Caprese salad or Prosciutto with melon? 
  • Bruschetta or Antipasto? 
  • lasagne or ravioli?
  • bolognese or Carbonara?
  • Risotto or gnocchi? 
  • tiramisu~gelato~cannoli? 

Prosciutto with melon, bruschetta, ravioli, carbonara, gnocchi and tiramisu, thank you.

4. Of the colors red, white, and green which would I find most prevalent in your home?

I have a lot of red highlights in my kitchen.

Which one do you think is most flattering to you in terms of your wardrobe?

Red and green and white are colors suited to me as per my color chart.

Have you ever had your colors done?

Yes, many years ago and I still have my color chart. Recently I stumbled across that chart and showed it to my ‘daughters’. The fold up chart is pictured above with my colors rated from 2 – 4+. Four plus are my strongest colors with colors that are just a 2 being my weakest colors.

Is that something you’d be interested in doing? 

It was a fun experience.

5. Life would be boring without____________________?

Life would be boring without all that God has done in my life because of Jesus. All the good things in my life have come from Him. Some of those good things were hard and painful. Many were the most worthwhile experiences in my life.

James 1:16-18

16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. 18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

My birthday is Friday March 14th and my license is expiring this year so I got to go to the DMV on Monday. All their systems were down when I got there. I bummed around Wal-Mart for a while and decided to go back after an hour to see if they were online again. Hooray, they were. I just walked in and in less than 5 minutes had my license renewed for another 8 years. In two weeks I’ll see how awful my photo is this time around!

Another birthday photo from years ago.

Texas

This Monday evening we were celebrating our Sister-in-law, Mandy who had a milestone birthday in late February. We were able to assure Many that this decade she is entering is a good one.

Lana and I ordered the lamb. Everyone’s choices were delicious.

We sang and enjoyed dessert!

Strawberries Romanov for me and Lana. All the desserts were enjoyed.

It was a great treat to enjoy this celebratory meal while we were in Texas.

We give this restaurant high marks for hospitality and quality.