Category Archives: Blog Carnival

Farewell to February Hodgepodge

March is coming, Hodgepodgers, and Joyce From This Side of the Pond is giving us a little tease. I’m posting this a day early because I’ll be busy until the evening of the 25th. I’ll be visiting y’all then.
My photos from Washington D.C. are all from a visit in May of 2011.
1. America celebrates turning 250 years old this year. Primary cities set to lead the celebrations on July 4th are Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and Washington D.C. Other significant locations for celebrating will be Charleston SC and the ‘historic triangle’ which includes Jamestown-Williamsburg-Yorktown Virginia. 

Of the cities listed how many have you seen in person?

I’ve had the privilege to visit Boston, New York and Washington D.C.

Of the cities listed which would you most like to visit this year?

I’d love to visit Charleston S.C. or Williamsburg some day.

Any plans to do so?

Not at the present.

What’s one place in America you think everyone should see?

Washington D.C. because there is so much history documented there and so much to see and enjoy.

If you’re not American what’s one place in the US you’d like to see? 

2. Three sounds you love to hear? 

I love to hear “hello mom” or  “baba!” I love the sound of any music that is honoring to God and lovely in general. I also enjoy pure natural nature sounds like birds and other animals or water flowing, etc.

3. Three sounds you hate to hear? 

Loud nonstop cussing. The screeching of brakes. Smoke alarms.

4. February 24th is/was National Tortilla Chip Day.

Are you a fan?

yes

With salsa, guacamole, queso, or just plain please?

Salsa and guacamole, please

Do you like nachos? With what on top?

Nachos are okay but not what I prefer to order or make.

Is there anything (besides nachos) you make that calls for tortilla chips? 

Taco salad is good to have with chips.

5. We March into March with next week’s Hodgepodge…what’s one thing on your March calendar that makes you smile? 

I cannot choose just one!

The following selfie is from this past Sunday, the 22nd of February.

Two March birthday girls, the oldest and the youngest girls in our family!

We have so much to smile about in March. In March we will visit Budapest and embark on a river cruise with stops in  Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, and a bus trip to the Czech Republic, too,  and then we will end our international trip in Cambridge U.K.

We travel home from London on my birthday and then our family will gather to celebrate our granddaughter’s birthday which is in March, too. Whew!

And for the record the 14th of March marks my 75th birthday on this earth! We will be at airports and on airplanes for all of my birthday. I will count it all joy!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I didn’t think I’d be able to participate this week in the Hodgepodge but we’ll be hunkered in a hotel room this evening and I’ll have the time to participate. This won’t be the case for the next two Wednesdays. Cheers!

One more photo from Washington D.C. This is the Washington National Cathedral.

Pancake Hodgepodge

Rise and shine, it’s pancake time!

Thank you to Joyce From This Side of the Pond for our Wednesday Hodgepodge questions.

1. The Hodgepodge lands on Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of Lent. Do you mark this season in some way? Will you be giving something up or adding something to your life in this Lenten season?

This will be an as per usual time during Lent as in… morning devotions, reading through the Bible, Women’s Bible Study, Daily Spurgeon, and Daily Doctrine.  Growing in my love and devotion to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is an everyday thing and includes the 40 days of Lent.

From Spurgeon: ‘God, you see me.”  “May the Lord be as a well to us, delightful, comforting, unfailing, springing up unto eternal life.”

We have 17 days of travel during Lent this year which is very unusual for us. I will be absent from the Hodgepodge for at least a couple of Wednesdays.

2. Pancakes…are you a fan?

YES! All kinds of pancakes are enjoyed. These are yogurt pancakes. Potato pancakes at the top of this post.

Every time our whole family gets together we enjoy Greg’s Swedish pancakes. It’s a long standing tradition at our house and we always serve them with Little Smokies.

Greg has also made Aebleskivers, Danish spherical pancakes.

Syrup or no syrup?

Yes, please, real maple and fruit syrups.

Plain, blueberries, chocolate chips, bananas, or some other add in? 

No to chocolate chips or bananas. Yes to blueberries or strawberries and always sour cream!

Are pancakes on your menu this week? 

Yes, in the blintz form, we had them last night for dessert since it was Pancake Tuesday/Shrove Tuesday!

3. Tell us about a time recently when you felt ‘spread too thin’. 

I haven’t felt this way recently. I might feel that way after today as we are getting ready for an international trip so I’m getting all our ducks in a row starting now!!

4. What’s your favorite jewel or gemstone?

If I have to pick a favorite, I’ll choose a Ruby.

In terms of your wardrobe would we find more gem tones, pastels, black and white, or primary colors? 

My wardrobe isn’t well planned and is a combination of all of these.

5. What responsibility do you think is hardest about being in charge? 

Being a mom is a very hard responsibility, one of the hardest. Being a grandmother is so much easier.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I finally finished this most difficult puzzle just before Valentine’s Day. The pressure was on to get-er-done since we would be using the dining room table for company on the night before Valentine’s day and then again on the 17th of February. This was one of the hardest puzzles I’ve ever completed because of the very random shapes of the pieces.

See you in the middle of March, Hodgepodgers! I will try to post daily postcards of our journey here on my blog.

Hodgepodge Love

All about love for Hodgepodge this week. Thank you, Joyce!

1. What’s something recent that had you ‘tickled pink’?

I’m old and it’s the little things that can tickle me pink. I was able to add a couple apps to my phone recently that will help us in our upcoming travels. The fact that they are there and they are working tickles me.

2. A bed of roses, everything’s coming up roses, every rose has it’s thorn, stop and smell the roses, rose-colored glasses, a rose among thorns…which rosy expression might currently be applied to your life in some way?

I’m going with stop and smell the roses. Spending time with our grandchildren helps. It makes us step out from the daily grind and spend time with them or at their events.

Taking trips is a great way to stop and smell the roses, too. We’ll be smelling new roses soon.

3. What makes you feel loved and appreciated?

Spending time with loved ones, getting snail mail, and words of encouragement.

4. A box of chocolates or a bouquet of fresh flowers-what’s your pleasure?

A few years ago I bought myself this heart shaped box of chocolates from Sees. I picked each of the pieces to go in the box.

I’m a little picky about chocolates so I’ll say a bouquet of fresh flowers! They don’t have to be roses. I like the more humble flowers.

Any special plans for Valentine’s Day?

Our Colville kids and grands will be here for dinner the night before and that is special. Nothing planned for the actual day, though. We will be open to impromptu plans.

5. Share a favorite quote, scripture, or song lyric relating to love.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Have you seen these conversation starters. Our kids bought us this set for Christmas. They have the Parents and kids edition and have enjoyed it so much they bought us the Grandparents & Kids set.

Here is a sample of two of the questions.

Hope you can share some lovely moments the rest of this week!

A Cheesy Hodgepodge

The first of the short month hodgepodge is here. Thank you, Joyce!

1. The Winter Olympics kick off on Friday, February 6th…on a scale of 1-10 how excited are you? (1= eh and 10=watching every event all day every day).

I’ll say a 5 as in I’ll enjoy what I stumble upon but I’m not carving out a lot of time to watch.

What’s your favorite Winter Olympic sporting event? 

Ice Skating is probably the favorite but downhill ski events are exciting, too.

The most exciting of all time was the 1980 US Hockey teams defeat of Russia. Then two days later they defeated Finland coming from behind to win the Gold medal in Hockey.  We kept stalling leaving for church to watch that one!

2. In other sporting news, the Super bowl (American football’s championship game) will be played on Sunday, February 8th.

Since you mentioned the Super Bowl, we will be watching this year since our home team, the Seattle Seahawks are playing. We will switch off the half-time show and watch TPUSA’s half-time show instead.

So tell us…what’s your superpower?

Blogging. I started blogging in 2008 and it is still something that I enjoy and comes easy for the most part.

3. Are you a romantic? 

Nope

4. Blue cheese-yay or nay? Yay

How about feta? Yay

If you said yes to one or both, what’s a dish you like that calls for one of these? 

With Feta in mind, Gyros! (photo at the top of this post) Greek Salad. With Bleu Cheese in mind, Wedge Salad. Bleu cheese dressing. In the past we’ve enjoyed focaccia bread brushed with olive oil and topped with red onion and bleu cheese, then toasted. It is a tasty treat. There are some great sauces with Bleu cheese that are delicious with steak.

5. What’s more important-doing what you love or loving what you do? 

These two are the same in my mind. I’m sure I’ll read some better answers that clarify this thought.

A verse did pop up in my memory bank.

Colossians 3:17

17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Yesterday I posted some photos on my blog of some changes we made in our family room that has improved our prospect. Do you watch British programs like ‘Escape to the Country’? I’ve enjoyed the comments made about a room’s ‘prospect’ on that show. Usually they are talking about windows like a double prospect or triple prospect.

A good prospect offers an expansive, open, or clear view, enhancing the perceived, or actual, aesthetic and comfort value of a space.

That is how we feel about the minor changes we have made in this much lived in space. Our prospect is improved.

In the daylight hours…

 

Year of the Cabbage Hodgepodge

Weather or not Hodgepodge, thank you, Joyce!

Warning: You might end up hungry when you are done with this post.

1. I live in the south so we’re pretty much only talking about the weather right now. Give us a weather report from where you live.

We are in Northeast corner of Washington State very close to Canada. So far we are still cold and we still do not have any measurable snow. Forecast for Wednesday/today is for a 30% chance of snow with a 37 degree high. It’s warming up. 🙂

Does the kind of weather you’re having today affect your mood in some way? 

Not at the present.

2.  Avocados, kale, cauliflower and cottage cheese have all had their time to shine. 2026 brings us the year of the cabbage. Is this a vegetable you like?

When I was young I hated cabbage. I could sit in front of a bowl of borsch for hours trying to wear my mother down so I wouldn’t have to eat it!  Nowadays I really enjoy cabbage in many forms and it is in a lot of our traditional Russian dishes we grew up with.

If so, what are some of your favorite dishes that call for cabbage?  


We grew up enjoying Golubtzi, Голубцы, a Russian version of cabbage rolls, above, and borsch, pictured below.

Click on any of these below to get the recipes.

Borsch, Golubstzi, Cabbage filled piroshky

Piroshky with cabbage, potato and ground beef fillings.

3. Was a Cabbage Patch Doll a part of your childhood?

Not in my childhood.

Or maybe your children’s childhood?

All three of our children did own a Cabbage Patch Doll. It was quite the hunt to track them down back then.

What’s a toy trend from your childhood you remember wanting for your own? 

I really don’t remember anything from my childhood that was trendy and wanted. In Junior high for some reason suspenders became a ‘thing’ and I really wanted a pair of them!

4. Something you’ve spent a lot of time doing lately? 

Researching Budapest history and points of interest. Also learning about other towns/cities we’ll be making stops at on our river cruise like Bratislava, Krems, Linz, Cesky-Krumlov, and Vienna. After the cruise we’ll be in Cambridge so I’m studying up on this college town, too. I have a Cambridge Reformation Walking Tour book to take along. I watch YouTubes and ask questions on forums to make sure I don’t miss things I’ll kick myself for missing after returning home.

Speaking of Cabbage, one of the YouTube virtual guides I’m following has named his site, Stuffed Cabbage-Adventures. He is a great resource for Budapest!

5. Somehow it’s the last week of January…sum up your month in just three sentences. 

January was filled with family birthdays, some that were milestones like a fortieth and an eighteenth. We had no snow to speak but we did get rain and fog. It’s been a month of discipline for a good end.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

On the subject of cabbage let us not forget sauerkraut in a good Reuben and my take below which we called Rebekah not to be mistaken for a Rachel. Are you following? Click here to get more clarification.

A Deep Hodgepodge

This photo from January of 2016 (10 years ago) was from a few days spent in San Francisco while Greg was at an Oncology Conference. The words below the first photo are about that day in 2016.

Alice day S.F 030

Today was a full day of sight seeing with an old friend from my college days who grew up in San Francisco. She happens to be Russian/Chinese and knows the city well. We had several stops and enjoyed lunch and shopping in China Town where everyone is getting ready for the Chinese New Year. I don’t think I need to tell anyone what bridge they are looking at in my photo…

mohai34

My friend, Alice, at our delicious lunch in Chinatown. She did the ordering. My friend passed away in 2018.

Back to…

…Another winter Hodgepodge with a flashback to ten years ago thanks to Joyce From This Side of the Pond.

1. Ice skating, skiing, sledding, snowshoeing, playing in the snow, or a snowy walk…which winter activity do you choose? Have you done any of these activities so far this winter? 

Nothing this winter. We have not had any measurable snow this season.

At this stage of life, the only winter activity I would choose are the walking kind.

When we have a good dump of snow I have gone out our door to snowshoe. This is from 2019.

This one is from 2022.

2. Everyone is posting pictures from ten years ago on their social media sites so let’s jump on the bandwagon too. Share one photo and one thought to go with said photo from the year 2016. And maybe everyone isn’t doing this, but many are and we’re going to be part of the fun. 

This was one of the best memories of 2016! This is the photo that was shared with us and I shared it on the Hodgepodge with the words below the photo.

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We have the best of news that we have permission to share now with the world. Dear and I are grandparents for the first time and will  be able to see our new little granddaughter for the first time in person sometime in March or April of 2017 depending on when she pops out. Even though our little granddaughter is not born yet we consider her our granddaughter already as God is wonderfully forming her right now.
~
At the end of 2016, this review of the year from July to December was published on my blog. What a year!
~

3. What’s a trend you hope disappears in this new year? 

Stalking, attacking and verbally assaulting Law Enforcement.

4. ‘They’ say there’s a day for everything and January 21st proves it. National Granola Bar Day. Do you like granola bars? How about just regular granola? Do you like bars of other kinds? 

I’ll have one if I’m desperate but they aren’t something that is purchased and available in my pantry. I do enjoy granola as a cereal with milk.

5.  A frozen lake, a trickling stream, a raging river, or a deep well…which one describes something about your life right now? Elaborate as much or as little as you like. 

A deep well. There is so much to learn that I do not know. So much to see that I haven’t seen. So much about God that I do not know. I believe the ache to know more, see more and do more comes from a deep longing from our inner being that wants to see God as He is. It is a hard thing to explain. Someday that will be a reality. Until then I’ll keep digging in God’s truth and in the world God created for us to enjoy and give glory to God in the discoveries along the way that show me more of Him. My deep desire will become reality when I graduate to heaven.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Speaking of 2016, this is another amazing memory and experience we had in September/October of that year.

shipshe-laughing

The “Girls” and most of our husbands have just returned from a seven day trip to Indiana and Ohio to see a production using our name in Amish/Mennonite Country. The Blue Gate Productions hosted us and treated us as VIP’s. All ten of the girls were together at the Blue Gate Garden Inn where we enjoyed “Faspa” on Sunday night before we had our cooking show and saw the production for the first time. As you can see from the first photo above we have fun together.

heritage-tour-179

We took this opportunity to get some photos of all ten of us since Betty and Charlotte live in Manitoba and miss many of our get togethers in British Columbia and Seattle.

blue-gate

I shared many posts about our time in Amish Country. This is the initial one here.

Happy Wednesday, Hodgepodgers and all who stop by here.

Winter Hodgepodge

I’m keeping up our Christmas and New Year cards for a little while longer.

If it’s Wednesday it is time for answering a new set of Hodgepodge questions that Joyce From this Side of the Pond is asking.

1. What kind of winter person are you-snow lover, fireplace snuggler, winter adventurer, or indoor hibernator? Elaborate.

I’m in the winter of my life here on earth and need to adjust to that reality. When we lived in southern California winter walks on the beach were my favorite. Living in NE Washington State my winter adventures are more in the fireplace snuggler or indoor hibernator realm. Slipping on ice is something that we really need to avoid at our age. I’ll still walk on the beach in winter if given the opportunity.

2. The Pantone color of the year is cloud dancer, described as a gentle, billowy off white shade. The color symbolizes ‘peace, clarity, quiet reflection, renewal, and a soft reset’. Of the terms just listed which do you need most in your life this winter? 

I’ll go with renewal, to restore to a good state.

3. Every cloud has a silver lining, on cloud nine, head in the clouds, storm clouds gathering, or cloud of suspicion...which ‘cloud’ idiom do you most relate to currently? Explain. 

Personally, ‘every cloud has a silver lining’, is my choice. My present and future are secure in my relationship with the God of the Universe so I can rest and see that He will keep me to the end not matter what storms brew.

State of the world, ‘storm clouds gathering’. So much evil intent and noise going on. Law and Order is being challenged like it never has before. Hats off to Ice, Border Patrol, Police Officers and National Guardsmen for keeping their cool as they do their jobs while subversive lawless individuals try to impede, attack and even kill them.

4. coconut, cauliflower, cottage cheese, mayonnaise, onions, ranch dressing…of the white foods listed, which would be the hardest for you to give up? Do you like all or any of the foods on the list? 

I can enjoy all of these white foods but the one that would be hardest to give up is onions. I love the flavor that onions add to meat, vegetables, salads, sauces. I could go on. I enjoy raw onion on a burger. Caramelized onions are so good!

5. Thomas Wentworth Higginson is credited with this quote-

“How many lessons of faith and beauty we should lose, if there were no winter in our year.” 

Agree or disagree? Tell us why. 

There are lessons of faith and beauty in every season including winter. I’m so happy for having all four and learning and growing in each season.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Our Spider Plant has really taken off and it started tiny.

Have you seen these flower arrangements made out of wood? There is a gal in our area who makes them and sells them at one of our local stores and at Craft fairs.

This one is in one of our guest rooms.

Happy Hodgepodge y’all. See you soon.

 

Hello 2026 Hodgepodge

A new year for Wednesday Hodgepodge.

Here’s to aiming higher in 2026!

Starting off the first Wednesday of 2026 with a new set of questions that Joyce From This Side of the Pond wants us to ponder.

1. What are three words you would use to describe your 2025? 

Feet: In January I developed Plantar Fasciitis for the first time in my life so a lot centered around my feet and getting around the pain. Purchases of shoes, socks and inserts were contemplated. I did not do any walking trails, hikes, to speak of in 2025.

Plans: Lots of plans for travel and parties and carpooling and gifting in 2025. A lot of those plans are for 2026, too. I keep sane with my lists.

Yo-Yo: Up and down and up and down and up when it comes to my weight…again. I’m working on the down trend as I type.

2. I ask this question every January, and I always get comments about how we shouldn’t be banning words. This is fun and games so just play along : ) 

Every January 1st since 1976 Lake Superior University has published a list of words they’d like to see banished from the Queen’s English. Words may be banished due to misuse, overuse, or just general uselessness (go here to read about how the words are chosen). Here’s the list for 2026- 

67 • demure • cooked • massive • incentivize • full stop • perfect • gift/gifted  • my bad • reach out 

Which one (if any) do you use most often? Which one of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Is there a word you think should have made the list? 

I did a word search on my blog to see what if any of these words I used. Since I talk about the Lord Jesus Christ on my blog and share verses and hymns that center on Him there were a lot of posts with the word perfect in them since He is the only perfect person that has ever lived on this earth. It was not the same kind of perfect people use these days, though. Just this last week I got a response to a text message that said ‘perfect’. When we’ve made restaurant choices the wait staff have responded with ‘perfect’. That’s not the form of perfect that I’ve used.

Gift and gifted have popped up in my blog posts, too, but they are appropriate to what I was expressing.

I have talked about what was cooked but again I don’t think that’s the ‘cooked’ they are talking about here.

I vote for 67 getting the ax.

3. What are your nightly rituals? Is that different from your ‘ideal’ nightly ritual? If so what’s your ideal? 

If you talk to our grands, they’ll tell you (even though they don’t spend evenings with us) that we sit in front of the tv eating ice cream every night. They might not be too far off.

Ideally, I’d like to read more and be done eating by 6pm.

4. January 6th is/was National Bean Day. Do you like beans? Which one is your favorite? Last thing you ate made with beans? 

Yes, I do like beans. Pinto is probably my favorite and the kind I have most often since Mexican food is comfort food for us. We had refried beans with our Mexican meal on this past Sunday.

5. Are you easily embarrassed? Elaborate. 

Not unless I’m caught naked! 🙂 I’ve done embarrassing things in my life that I’m ashamed of. I have been forgiven for those things. I’ve learned over the years to avoid embarrassment whenever I can. In general, I’m not easily embarrassed.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I was impressed with the way our daughter-in-law, her mom and our grands started out the New Year. They walked the Rotary Trail. Check out that temperature!!

I also need to share this sweet embroidery that our grandson JJ completed and his mom made into an ornament for me. I love it!

A Hodgepodge Happy New Year!

A Very Happy New Year to All! Welcome very soon to 2026!

This is my Happy New Year Post for Hodgepodgers. This post card was sent to Greg’s Great Great Aunt Emma. The card was sent from Chicago to Denver in 1906! It is a hundred year old Happy New Year greeting! The stamp was one cent. The written greeting is in Swedish.

Making room for the last Hodgepodge of 2025! Thank you, Joyce From This Side of the Pond.

1. Did you make resolutions or set goals for the year we’re waving goodbye? How did that work out for you? Will you set any goals for this new year, new season, or new month? Share one or two if you’d like to share. 

The only goal I set for 2025 was to read the Bible through alongside Everyday Gospel, A Daily Devotional Connecting Scripture to All of Life by Paul David Tripp. I found it to be a good combination and encouraging. One other highlight was using our Church History Study Bible with notes stretching back from the first and second centuries and reaching forward to the twentieth century. As the introduction states about the contributors in the notes, ‘these are theologians, pastors, poets, laity, all offering perspective on God’s Word’ to aid us in escaping the ‘tyranny of the present to see wisdom from the past’.

The Puritan John Owen (1616-1683) offers us this encouragement:

If you have any regard to the constancy of your faith, to the comfort of your life, the honor of God, or the salvation of your own soul, labor immediately to get your belief of the Word better founded. Read the Scripture constantly, study it seriously, search it diligently, hear it explained and applied by others, meditate on it yourself, and beg of God an understanding of it and a right faith in it. 

2. When did you have the most fun this year? 

This was the family Christmas card photo this year taken over Thanksgiving weekend.

Hands down the most fun always happened when we were together with family or dear friends! The joy, the belly laughs, the support, the one liners, and the love flowing made for memorable moments all through the year!

One of the belly laugh moments of 2025!

3. What’s a song or song lyric you’ll associate with 2025? Tell us why. 

Phil Wickham’s Hymn of Heaven because it is the hope that encourages me in my daily life. Songs of life that are filled with truth inspire me and cause me to worship God. This is important to me. Artists like The Getty’s,  Chris Tomlin, Phil Wickham, and others who sing what is true to the Bible are my favorites. I’m not a fan of imposters. It is my prayer that these and others stay true.

4. Best (or a favorite) bite of something delicious you tasted this year? 

I grew up on my dear mom’s blintzes but I’ve not made them for several years. This year I made them twice and they are so good to my taste buds and memories. I choose them for my best bite this year!

Before you ask…you can find the recipe for Nadia’s Blintzes here.

5. What do you want to do more of in the new year? Less of? 

I would like to read more good books this year. I would like to decrease my sugar intake this year.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Happy New Year to all my friends who stop by my blog. I appreciate each and every one of you! Wishing you a new year of peace and joy down in your hearts to stay…