Category Archives: Blog Carnival

And the Blog Goes On Hodgepodge

Joyce From This Side of the Pond asks the questions for us to answer and get our brains engaged with Wednesday Hodgepodge. Thank you, Joyce.

Camarillo is where I started blogging. We were close to the Pacific Ocean and enjoyed many hikes along the coast. The photo above is from Sycamore Canyon just south of Point Mugu and north of Malibu in California. This was in the Santa Monica mountain range.

1.Why do you blog? Have your reasons changed over time? 

I started blogging in March of 2007 when we lived in a very small condo in California for a couple of years and I had lots of time on my hands. I enjoyed the weekly challenges like Blue Monday, Ruby Tuesday, ABC Wednesday, Tablescape Thursday, Friday Fave Five and many others. It was also good to journal the events going on in our lives and our family life. Through blogging I’ve met so many good friends over the years. Some I’ve been privileged to meet in person and others I cherish without ever meeting them face to face. Through blogging I became one of the Mennonite Girls Can Cook. What a joy that has been. It’s a creative outlet for me and lately has turned out to be a great tool for recall in my lapses of memory.

2. What’s a typical Friday night look like at your house?

Typically it is pretty boring unless we have our local kids over for dinner or if it’s a weekend that our Westside kids drive over.

3. Do you like donuts? Yes.

Your favorite kind? Cinnamon twist or maple bar or Jelly or Glazed or….

How often do you treat yourself to a donut? Not often but every time I step into Super 1 (one of our local grocery stores) and the donut aroma hits me I’m tempted.

Have you ever made homemade donuts? No

4. How do you feel about shopping? I like to shop when I have something in particular that I’m looking for.

Are you an online shopper? Only because I have to, not because I enjoy it.

Catalog shopper? Rarely

Brick and mortar shopper? Yes, because I like to see something and hold it in my hands before I buy it.

Do you order groceries online or prefer to select items with your own two hands? No online grocery shopping. I like to check dates on the products and make sure I’m getting the freshest loaf of bread, etc.

5. Next week’s Hodgepodge finds us somehow in the month of April, which just so happens to be National Poetry Month. Sum up (or tell us something about) your month of March in the form of a limerick. You can do it!! 

We celebrate March with cake
Not too early or late we bake
One young, one old
With joy behold
We celebrate March with Cake

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Our two family birthdays in March are 6 days apart, one in Winter and one in Spring. I’m the old one and the oldest one in our family of ten. Addy is the young one but not the youngest in our family. So thankful that we can celebrate each other. So much joy to behold. We’ll celebrate two more in April, the youngest of the males in our family. Birthdays celebrated four days apart and birthyears 30 years apart.

“I’m An American” Hodgepodge

It’s Wednesday so it’s time for the Hodgepodge with thanks to Joyce From This Side of the Pond who delivers the questions.

1. Pantone’s color of the year for 2023 is Viva Magenta. Etsy’s color(s) of the year are indigo and honeycomb. Your thoughts? Would we find any of these three shades in your home or wardrobe? Is there a room in your house that needs painting this year? Will you do it yourself or hire out? 

Yes to these colors in clothing. Maybe on one wall as an accent. I really love indigo on dishes, as in the photo at the top of this post.

There are no rooms in our home that need a total paint job because in the four years we’ve lived here all the walls have been repainted by Dear. He also painted the exterior of our home in 2022. Dear was a house painter in his younger years so we do not hire out. We own all the ladders, etc. needed for any paint job. We just have to buy the paint. He has some trim to still complete in some rooms.

2. Something you had to do recently that could be described ‘as exciting as watching paint dry’? 

My phrase while Dear was in the hospital after his stroke was, “hurry up and wait”. Hours of waiting for a room to open up in the surgical ward, a surgeon to come in and discuss the surgery procedure, someone to bring the discharge paper work, etc. etc. All the waiting was done with no comfortable chairs for a loved one who was advocating to sit in.

3. Who would you most like to sit beside on a 10-hour flight? Tell us why? Have you ever taken a 10-hour flight? 

Not chatty Kathy but someone I could enjoy a meaningful conversation with like my sister-in-law, Mandy, who knows how to purposefully lead a conversation to what matters. That said, on a 10 hour flight it is helpful to be able to sleep for some of the hours.

We have taken 10 hour flights.

4. What’s something you did growing up that would get you into trouble? 

Hiding from my parents when it was time to leave for Russian school on Saturday mornings. When they found me I’d stomp my foot exclaiming, “I’m an American”! In hindsight I wish I would have been more diligent in learning Russian. Below is one of my school books that I still have. My name is written lightly with pencil in Russian.

Родная Речь ~ Native Speech

Book for teaching second level class beginners school

If you know Russian feel free to correct my translation.

5. According to Google the top searches in 2022 were- Wordle, election results, Betty White, Queen Elizabeth, Bob Saget, Ukraine, Mega Millions, Powerball numbers, Anne Heche, and Jeffrey Dahmer. Hmmm…what does this say about us? How many of these words did you search last year? What would you guess was your most ‘googled’ word/phrase/question.

Queen Elizabeth is the only one off that list that I googled and my most googled phrase was probably Colville Weather or WSDOT (Washington State Department of Transportation) conditions on Snoqualmie Pass.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I posted this on Facebook this week and decided to share it here, too.

“Let’s be cheerful! We have no more right to steal the brightness out of the day for our own family than we have to steal the purse of a stranger. Let us be as careful that our homes are furnished with pleasant and happy thoughts as we are that the rugs are the right color and texture and the furniture comfortable and beautiful.”

~~Laura Ingalls Wilder

Driving Like Nuts Hodgepodge

 

Time for Wednesday Hodgepodge where Jo From This Side of the Pond comes up with the questions and we accept the challenge to answer them.

1. Last time you drove more than 100 miles from your home? Where did you go? 

In May, we drove to Western Washington for a long weekend with our westside kids, 325 miles each way.

The photo at the top of my post is me on our lawnmower that I drive around our property every week from about May to October. I’ve logged 160 hours on it in the last 4 years.

2. Something that drives you batty? 

All the twisted reasoning given to justify evil.

3. Do you feel like you’re ‘on track‘? For what? 

We, the royal we, Dear and me, are on track with finishing the exterior painting on our country bungalow. Dear is doing the painting and I supply beverages when he needs them. Sometimes I hold the ladder. On Tuesday we made a trip to Spokane for the usual shopping and picking up one more gallon of paint. Soon I’ll be able to show the before and after shots on all sides of the house.

4. Your favorite car snack(s)? 

If I was going to snack in a car I would probably have nuts, or M&M’s. When we travel we don’t usually need a snack in the car. We just time our stops for a good meal when we drive a long way or all day. Bottled Water is something we like to have in the car all the time.

5. Something you’ve done recently ‘on the fly‘? 

We left our home at 5:45am on Sunday and walked the Rotary Trail (2.9 miles) and then came home for breakfast and showers with plenty of time to attend Sunday School and our Main Worship Service at Church.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I’m loving our July yard with all the green and other blooms that are thriving because of our early Summer rain this year.

Thank you for stopping by…

The Left Coast Hodgepodge

Jo From This Side of the Pond has some beachy questions for us today.

1. Do you like the beach?

Yes, I like the beach. I like to walk at the beach, especially in the winter. I’m not a fan of heat and being overheated. I like to walk the pier, watch the waves and enjoy the cool breezes. We lived in Huntington Beach from 1975-1984. We lived in Ventura (which is a beach town) from 1984-1988. We lived in Camarillo, 8 miles from the beach from 2006-2010. While we lived in Camarillo we drove to Emma Wood State Beach most every Saturday morning to walk the beach at dawn. The collage at the top of this post include photos from Emma Wood.

How far do you have to drive to get to the nearest beach?

Since my definition of beach is related to an ocean we would have to drive over 450 miles to get to the Pacific Ocean.

If you are talking about a sandy or pebbly shore we could get to one of those in under 10 miles. We live close to the Columbia River, Lake Roosevelt and other lakes and rivers.

Your least favorite thing about the beach?

Getting sandy or sunburned.

Last beach trip you took? 

I flew to Southern California in June and stayed with my sister in Huntington Beach and enjoyed walking at Corona Del Mar and Huntington Beach.

2. Are you known for making waves or are you more of a ‘go along to get along’ kind of person? Explain.

Hmm, if I have to make waves I will but it’s not my first choice. When something goes against my beliefs I won’t compromise. I don’t nod my head or keep silent when someone presumes to speak on my behalf and what is said is not part of my convictions. I will challenge things said that aren’t the truth in proper settings, when it’s within my boundaries to say something and could make a difference.

3. A favorite song that in some way references the beach?

I’ll give the beach nod to our Marine son-in-law and all Marines!

A favorite book and/or movie with a beach-y setting? 

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader from The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

4. Tuesday is National Simplicity Day…what’s a simple pleasure you’ve enjoyed this week?

The simple pleasure of enjoying my cup of coffee each morning and the pleasure of the morning unfolding.

What’s something you could eliminate from your life to make things simpler? 

Extra weight on my body. My current clothes would fit better and my movements would be easier. It’s harder to move excess weight around,

5. What’s something you love to do? Do you do it often? Why or why not? 

I love to plan a trip. I don’t do it often, maybe once a year or every two years. It’s fun to anticipate a journey or a destination that will be fun to experience. I find the more I research the destination the more enjoyment it gives me when we get there.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Two months from today, Lord willing, me and Dear will be in Oxford, England for about 12 days. I’m doing what I love and making plans for our days there. We will be staying in an apartment in Oxford (central) for 9 of the nights, 2 nights in a hotel in Woodstock, and our last night back in Oxford in a hotel.  When we had our trip planned in 2020 that got cancelled for obvious reasons, we were reimbursed for everything but a day tour we had booked with Go Cotswolds, a small touring company. We asked them to keep our money just in case we were able to return to England in the future. They were appreciative as they had to cancel so many tours and the more people that kept their reservations on hold allowed them to stay in business during the tough season everyone was in. We contacted them and they were so gracious to honor our two year deposit for a day tour. They are flourishing again in their business. We will hop on the train in Oxford to Moreton in Marsh and get picked up for a day in the small villages of the Cotswolds. Another tour we have on the books is The Kilns, the home of C.S. Lewis just outside Oxford. We will ride a bus to Headington for that tour. We are not renting a vehicle for this trip but depending solely on public transportation and our own two feet . Most of our sight seeing will be right in Oxford. There is so much to see in this compact city that we will be able to enjoy on foot from our apartment.

Free Range Hodgepodge

Time for Wednesday Hodgepodge with thanks to Jo From This Side of the Pond for coming up with the questions.

The internet has been touch and go at our country bungalow so I’m behind on my visits to your blogs. Hopefully things will speed up and I’ll be back soon.

1. July 6th is National Fried Chicken Day…are you a fan? Do you make your own or have a favorite place to buy from? Do you own chickens? If not chicken what’s your favorite fried food?

Chicken is not my favorite fried food but we do enjoy fried chicken and buy it once in a while from Colonel Lickie Quickie Chickie. We do not own chickens but our local kids do. I like Tempura Vegetables and they are probably my favorite fried food.

2.  What’s something you’re too chicken to try?

Sky diving, bungie jumping, backpacking just to name a few.

3. When did you last find yourself running around like a ‘chicken with its head cut off‘?

I’m drawing a blank with this one.

4. Something you’ve done recently that makes you think ‘I’m no spring chicken’? 

Oh boy, here we go. Trying to get up off the floor when I get down to play with the grands. Getting down on the floor isn’t easy either. Weeding is another thing that reminds me of the natural progression of my age and how it affects my body. Trying to get out of cars that sit low to the ground.

5. ‘Winner winner chicken dinner‘…tell us about something good that’s happened in your life lately. 

So many things…

Time spent with loved ones that I hadn’t seen for ages. Visits from our kids and grands. Finding a friend to walk with. My dear husband and his care for me. Speaking of Dear, he’s painting the exterior of our home and it is looking fresh and good. Generally relationally I am blessed with very little conflict, with good relationships and I don’t take that for granted.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

The many faces of our grands reacting to their at home Fourth of July fireworks! Thank you to our daughter-in-law for capturing these moments.

Do You Fondue Hodgepodge?

It’s not a Groundhog but it is a Moose! We saw our first Moose in Colville this past Sunday. We were very excited!

Wednesday’s Hodgepodge Groundhog version is today! Thank you to Joyce From This Side of the Pond for asking the questions!

1. The Wednesday Hodgepodge landing on Groundhog’s Day sounds about right. Besides the Hodgepodge what else lands on your calendar just once a week? Is it as much fun as the Hodgepodge-ha!? 

The weekly regulars for me land on Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Most every Sunday we meet with our church body for Sunday School and Morning Worship. On Monday evenings we have a Bible Study in a friend’s home. On Wednesday mornings we have a women’s prayer time at our church. They are worthwhile, encouraging and enlightening times with one on one, face to face communication happening. That’s the one thing the Hodgepodge lacks. Wouldn’t it be fun to do Hodgepodge around a table with coffee and treats, face to face!?

2. The Winter Olympics begin on Friday, surrounded by much controversy. Will you be watching? Why or why not? Have you ever been to China?

We haven’t discussed whether we’ll watch or not. The conditions surrounding the event seem oppressive. I have never been to China. Our oldest son and daughter-in-law have been a couple times.

Speaking of China…The Lunar New Year rang in yesterday, celebrated by millions in China and elsewhere! It is the year of the Tiger for them. A few years ago we decided to host a Chinese meal on Lunar New Year and this was the table I set for our meal. Dear had a conference in San Francisco in January of that year and a Russian/Chinese friend of mine gave me a tour of China Town in San Francisco where I bought some of the items to set the table. I found other things at Goodwill to round things out.

3. Something in your life lately that has felt a bit like an ‘Olympic event’? 

Walking to our garage and back has been like a Winter Olympic Event on Ice! I landed on my backside once and Dear landed on his backside and hit his head, too, sliding off the icy steps! Thankfully we both did not get hurt badly. We walk like penguins very carefully.

4. Do you like fondue? Sweet or savory? Restaurant only or do you own your own fondue set?

Yes, we do enjoy a good fondue. Mostly Savory but Sweet is good, too. We do own a couple fondue sets. I’ve been to the Melting Pot once with my sisters several years ago. I’m attaching a recipe in the random thought area for a Valentine’s day fondueish dessert you can make without a fondue set. This was a post I shared on the Mennonite Girls Can Cook Blog back in February of 2012.

5. Give us five short (2-3 word) phrases to sum up your January. 

Happy New Year!

Happy Birthday X3!

Let it Snow!

Slipping on Ice!

Fun with Grands! 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Chocolate Hazelnut Fondue
  • 1-1/2 cups half and half
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1-1/2 pounds bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped. (I used 2 bags of semisweet chocolate chips that I didn’t need to chop)
  • 1/4 cup Frangelico liqueur (If you do not want to use this you can substitute 1/4 cup of strong brewed coffee)
  • 1/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts (as always you can omit the nuts if you’d prefer)
Method:
  1. Place the half and half and heavy cream in a double boiler.
  2. Heat the creams until they bubble.
  3. Reduce the heat and gradually stir in the chocolate chips 1/2 cup at a time whisking while adding. When the chocolate is completely blended in, add the liqueur.
  4. Keep warm and sprinkle with hazelnuts just before serving.
  5. You can divide the chocolate into individual dipping bowls and serve with dipping fruit and other items or you can put the chocolate into a fondue pot at this time, too, to keep it warm.

Some dipping suggestions: cookies, biscotti, cubes of cake, dried apricots, pineapple, fresh berries, sliced pears, orange slices, and marshmallows.

This recipe easily served 8 people with leftovers. If you are serving a smaller group half the recipe.

Still Early Hodgepodge

Time again for Wednesday Hodgepodge! Thank you Joyce From This Side of the Pond for asking the questions!

1. January 25th is National Opposites Day. ‘They’ say opposites attract…do you agree, and if so is that a good thing? Or do you subscribe more to a ‘birds of a feather’ philosophy? 

Getting really basic, in marriage opposites are a good thing, male and female. Our marriage started with a foundation of being the same spiritually, believing in God and being born again believing in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. After 47 years of marriage we have grown more similar than different in our likes and dislikes. We have different personalities and a different skill set, which works well. Although we don’t isolate ourselves with only like minded people it is nice to have a haven of like minded people in the world of ‘differences’.

2. Something you’re glad to have behind you?

Formal schooling from Elementary through College.

Something you’re glad is ahead of you? 

Continued learning experiences of life on this earth.

3. Your favorite hot food? Cold food? Are you a fan of breakfast for dinner? 

I love food! I’ll go with soup for hot food. I’ll go with a cold cut sandwich with all the extras for cold food. I am a fan of breakfast for dinner!

4. Are you someone who always arrives to appointments/events early or do you tend to run late? Last thing you were late for? 

Early, early, early. Hmm, hard to remember something I was late for. We did make it to a surprise party after the big surprise because the person who was being honored came early!

5. “What good is the warmth of summer without the cold of winter to give it sweetness?” John Steinbeck….Your thoughts? 

Every season has so much to enjoy all on it’s own and sometimes the huge contrasts do make us appreciate each season’s special characteristics more. I’m so happy to live in a part of the country where there are distinct differences in the seasons. Some here say we have a fifth season…mud.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We are in a distinct Winter here with temperatures below freezing, snow still on the ground, and treacherous icy spots to avoid! We are a third of the way through Winter.

Enjoy the rest of Winter hodgepodgers!

A New Year for the Hodgpodge

Hello Hodgepodgers!

It’s Snow Angel season around our parts and…

It’s time for a new year of Wednesday Hodgepodge! Thank you Joyce for coming up with the brain teasers each week.

1. Share one happy moment/memory from the holiday season. 

Seeing each of the three vehicles filled with our most precious cargo pull into our driveway on Christmas day!

2. Let’s be reasonable with our expectations going into this new year, k? What is one thing you’d like to accomplish/improve/complete/do in 2022? 

I’d like to stick to completing a 30 minute cardio workout most days in 2022.  Shoveling off the back deck with Dear on Monday qualifies as a cardio workout! Snowshoeing out my back door is on the agenda this week. After wrapping up this post I’m happy to report I blazed a snowshoe trail in our back acres on Tuesday.

3. 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 more about how the words are chosen). Here are the words/phrases they’d like to see banished in 2022-

wait, what?-no worries-at the end of the day-that being said-asking for a friend-circle back-deep dive-a new normal-you’re on mute-supply chain

Which of these words/phrases do you use regularly?

‘No worries’ is the one phrase I’ve used most regularly, the others more randomly.  I do say, ‘did you mute your phone’ to Dear before the church service begins.

Which of these words would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why?

‘A new normal’ is a phrase that strikes me negatively mostly because much that comes with this phrase are things that shouldn’t be normal, in my opinion.

Is there a word/phrase not on the list you’d like to add? (I misunderstood this question the first time around and added a phrase I like, oops) Here’s one I’d like banished.

‘Pandemic of the unvaccinated’ is the phrase I’d like to see banished because it is false from it’s root up.

4. Best thing you ate in the month of December? 

Our traditional Christmas dinner. Prime Rib, roasted veggies, creamed corn and Yorkshire Pudding.

5. January 5th is National Bird Day.

Are you a bird lover? 

Yes!

What’s your favorite bird to see in the wild?

Eagle is by far the favorite with hawks coming in at second. I have a strong desire to see an owl in the wild and if I ever do it might win the favorite spot!

Choose a phrase from the list that follows and tell us how it relates to your life currently…eat like a bird, bird’s eye view, early bird, bird-brained, free as a bird, a little bird told me, or kill two birds with one stone.

‘Early bird’ is a phrase that relates to my life currently. Sleeping in has escaped me. I’m up before dark these days. Our pop was always early instead of late and I’m a chip off the old block when it comes to arriving at a scheduled event early, too!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

It looks like 2022 will not be a drought year in our parts! As of Tuesday morning January 4th we have about 20 inches of snow accumulated in our yard. More snow is on the way with temperatures that will not allow the snow to melt for awhile.

Only Joseph is still above the snow. We’ll see if he gets completely covered tonight!

To all my hodgepodging friends, I hope 2022 is a year filled with good things that draw you closer to the God who created you!

Retired Benefits Hodgepodge

It’s Wednesday and time to answer the questions Jo From This Side of the Pond is asking.

1. Do you (or did you used to) watch talk shows? Which are or were your favorite? 

I do not watch talk shows and haven’t for probably 40 years now. The closest thing to a talk show that I enjoy would be something like Rachel Ray or other cooking shows like that which I don’t watch now, either. I do not watch TV during the daytime hours.

2. Would you describe yourself as resilient? If so what do you think makes you that way? If you answered no explain why? 

As far as my physical body is concerned I’m at an age where I don’t bounce back as easily as I once did.  Mentally and practically I have gained resilience from all the life experiences I’ve been afforded along the way these 70 years. Having and raising children helps to make you resilient! Knowing you have a future Hope makes the struggles easier to walk through and recover from.

3. What parts of life have surprised you the most? Explain. 

Surprised and grieved that friends who we used to walk side by side with following Jesus have walked away.

4. Why do you live where you live? 

When we decided to sell our home on the Westside of the mountains in Washington State and retire we knew we couldn’t afford to live in the Seattle area. Our middle son and our daughter-in-law were well established in the northeastern part of the state with no desire to move away from that area so we knew this part of the state would be a good option for us to consider. Throw in the fact that our two grandchildren belong to this son and daughter in law and that pushed the scales for us to make the choice. Cost of living, cost of housing, country living, and family were all good things to sway our decision. Our other kids are in a position to travel easily and choose to visit frequently and that makes our decision easier to live with, too. We have been here 3 years now and we do not regret moving here. We thank God for our neck of the woods and the friends and family here. We also are so fortunate that there is a Bible teaching/preaching church that does not sway from the Gospel of Jesus Christ that we are now members of.

5. A memory from this week that made you smile? 

On Saturday we celebrated the 80th birthday of our grands’ Great Granny with a surprise party. Sunflowers are a favorite of Granny so the great granddaughters wore a sunflower hairband. Addy had a sunflower dress on. JJ had a bowtie in the color scheme of a sunflower.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I’m slowly revisiting our 21 day road in order with posts on my blog of things we saw and enjoyed along the way. We left our home on September 21st and arrived home again on October 10th.

Tomorrow will continue on day two arriving in Sheridan, Wyoming.

Farm to Table Hodgepodge

It’s time again for Wednesday Hodgepodge where Jo From This Side of the Pond asks the questions for us to ponder.

Speaking of farmers, on one of our traveling days we took an exit to visit the Mennonite Heritage & Agricultural Museum in Goessel, Kansas. The mural above is from part of the museum.

1. What obligation do you believe you have to your country? 

I suppose as a good citizen we are obliged to follow the laws of our country. It would be good for a citizen to know what is in the Constitution of the United States of America. I also think we are obliged to cast an informed vote in elections. As long as the laws of the country don’t violate my religious freedom in following God’s laws and my worship of Him I’ll keep the law. My allegiance is first and foremost to God the Father and His Law set down in the Bible.

2. October 12 is National Farmers Day. Do you know any farmers?

Yes, I know several farmers from my experience with the Mennonite Girls Can Cook and now living in Colville we’ve been acquainted with more farmers. We have farmers across the road from us.

What do they farm/grow/raise?

Hay, Wheat, Alfalfa, Corn, Vegetables, Apples, Apricots, Pears. Dairy Farms and Cattle ranches abound, too, along with sheep and goats and pigs.

Are there any farm stands where you live? Do you shop there? 

Yes there are great farm stands and farmers markets and yes, I do shop there. Wednesdays and Saturdays we have a Farmer’s Market in town. I like to stop and support our local farmers. Farmer’s Market only runs through October and then opens up again sometime in the Spring.

3. What’s a skill you think everyone should have? Tell us why? 

I think everyone should be taught to read. Reading is foundational to so many other skills. Without this skill you are more open to misguidance and deception and false teaching.

4. Favorite thing you’ve purchased this year? 

I bid on, won, and purchased Tea for Eight in my home. It was so nice to sit at the table and be served all the wonderful delicacies that the Hostess made. The only thing I had to do which I thoroughly enjoyed was to set the table with my hoard of tea things.

5. What’s your favorite place to visit in the fall? 

The Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze at a local farm here in Colville. The maze is always top notch!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We are just back from driving across the country for 20 days. We called our trip, Land That We Love Tour. I’ll be sharing lots of photos from all the things we saw along the way on my blog. So much to share.

When we arrived home we found sweet notes taped around the house that our grandkids left us.

“Welcome home We missed you See you soon Addy” also “I ❤️ u”

The note on the bottom right is Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti. Addy has been mastering and enjoying this song.

Baba appreciated each note and drawing and it made me smile real big.

Hope to come around soon and see how y’all answered the questions this week.