Celebrating Katie

Everyone gathered at our country bungalow for Katie’s birthday on the 27th of December. Be forewarned that this post has an overload of photos.

We started the day with Dear’s traditional Swedish pancakes that shifted from Christmas morning to Katie’s birthday morning. Dear is the partial Swede who cooks the pancakes perfectly and the accompaniments are always the same. Besides the pancakes you’ll find little smokies (all beef), sour cream, real maple syrup, fake maple syrup, boysenberry syrup, and non dairy yogurt and coffee.

Addy and JJ found the leftover ‘Christmas Crackers’ to pop!

Auntie LoLo and the littles ready to layer up and go outside and enjoy some snow.

We put on all our layers and headed outside for a little snow time. It didn’t last too long because we were in the single digits and teens for temps. That didn’t stop some of us from making snow angels!

It’s fun having a winter wonderland out your back door.

JJ needed help navigating the deep snow.

Dan worked on blazing a trail.

This snow was not compatible to sticking together to create a snowman.

Time to go back inside for a warm-up and some lunch. Errands, a nap for JJ and it was time for dinner and birthday cake!

We had Raclette for Katie’s birthday dinner. Everyone enjoyed cooking their meat and veggies and melting their butter and cheese.

Time for the family favorite Applesauce Spice Cake and some Creme Brulee.

“Happy birthday dear Katie, Happy birthday to you!

It was a Happy Birthday we all enjoyed.

Katie and Andrew hit the road for home early on Tuesday and we were grateful to get the texts along the way letting us know about their journey and the text that said they were ‘Home Sweet Home’.

Joy

Joy in all that Christmas means to humanity.

It’s a joy to hear from friends and family with cards and letters at Christmas.

Joy Bells Are Ringing

Joy bells are ringing,
Christmas is bringing
Tidings of Jesus’ birth.
Candles are gleaming,
Gladness is streaming
Out over all the earth.

Light is ascending,
Nighttime is ending,
Sunshine from God appears.
Hope of the ages,
Foretold by sages,
Comes to dispel all fears.

O what a treasure
God in His pleasure
Lovingly gives today.
Grace to the lowly,
Peace, pure and holy,
Angels to men convey.

Come to the manger,
Kindred and stranger,
Hail now the newborn King!
In adoration
With jubilation
Peoples and nations sing!

Banish all sadness,
Fill me with gladness,
Jesus, whom I adore!
All else may perish,
Thee will I cherish
Now and forevermore!

Words: Nils Frykman, 1881.

So my peppermint bark was a fail. The white layer did not adhere to the chocolate layer, oops. The Peanut Butter Balls turned out like they should but I’m not sure if I’d make them again. I’ll let the kids weigh in when they arrive later this week. We are waiting to see if we get more snow overnight.

Happy Winter everyone!

Some Snow Scenes

It’s always nice to be able to sit in a warm home and watch the snow fall through the windows.

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
    remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
    learn to do good;
seek justice,
    correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
    plead the widow’s cause.

 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
    they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
    they shall become like wool.

Isaiah 1:16-18

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
    wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Psalm 51:7 (ESV)

Between snow fall we put up some lights in our backyard and it’s nice to have them shine in the darkness.

We have more snow in the forecast and it’s safe to say we will have a White Christmas.

Whiter than snow

Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole
I want Thee forever to ransom my soul
Break down every idol, cast out every foe
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow
~
Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow
~
Lord Jesus, for this I most humbly entreat
I wait, blessed Lord, at Thy crucified feet
By faith for my cleansing, I see Thy blood flow
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow
~
Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow
~
Lord Jesus, Thou knowest I patiently wait
Come now and within me a new heart create
To those who have sought Thee Thou never said’st no
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow
`
Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow
~

Snow makes for a beautiful landscape everywhere but roads and parking lots. Oye, the slush and sandy grit and dirt in the parking lots make walking into stores treacherous. I’ll need to take some photos to show our readers who don’t ever deal with snow see what I’m talking about.

On Monday the presents all got wrapped and put under the tree. After the presents got wrapped I braved the temps in the 20’s and headed to town to get some ingredients. Wal-Mart was out of Peppermint Extract but had the almond bark I needed. Super 1 was out of Peppermint Extract in the cooking aisle but had some Organic Peppermint Extract in the Huckleberry section of the store. Whew! They also had the Cocoa Krispies I wanted for Joanna Gaines Peanut Butter Balls. Now I’m reading through recipes and seeing which Christmas goodies will win my attention this year besides the Peanut Butter Balls and Peppermint Bark I’m trying from here.

Hope all is moving along joyfully as we are just 4 days to Christmas.

A Four Year Old and The Nativity

This was how our four year old granddaughter felt the Nativity should be staged. I love her perspective. This was the very first Nativity set we bought. We found it at Disneyland in their Christmas shop sometime in the 80’s. We wanted a set that our kids could handle without fear of breakage. After a few years there was a mishap with one of the sheep losing a leg, the simple creche was broken, too. We have also lost the Shepherd’s staff somewhere along the years.

This week I’ll be sharing snippets of Christmas at our home with less known Christmas Carols.

O Sing a Song of Bethlehem

O sing a song of Bethlehem,
Of shepherds watching there,
And of the news that came to them
From angels in the air.
The light that shone on Bethlehem
Fills all the world today;
Of Jesus’ birth and peace on earth
The angels sing alway.

O sing a song of Nazareth,
Of sunny days of joy;
O sing of fragrant flowers’ breath,
And of the sinless Boy.
For now the flowers of Nazareth
In every heart may grow;
Now spreads the fame of His dear name
On all the winds that blow.

O sing a song of Galilee,
Of lake and woods and hill,
Of Him who walked upon the sea
And bade the waves be still.
For though like waves on Galilee,
Dark seas of trouble roll,
When faith has heard the Master’s word,
Falls peace upon the soul.

O sing a song of Calvary,
Its glory and dismay,
Of Him who hung upon the tree,
And took our sins away.
For He who died on Calvary
Is risen from the grave,
And Christ, our Lord, by Heaven adored,
Is mighty now to save.

Here was one of our beautiful views on the way to church yesterday. We had a joy filled service with the children’s choir singing and congregational Christmas carols and a sermon filled with hope. We love our church.

O Little Town of Bethlehem

 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Luke 2:7

O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight.

For Christ is born of Mary,
And gathered all above,
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars together,
Proclaim the holy birth,
And praises sing to God the King,
And peace to men on earth!

How silently, how silently,
The wondrous Gift is giv’n;
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His Heav’n.
No ear may hear His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still,
The dear Christ enters in.

O holy Child of Bethlehem,
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in,
Be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel!

We got more snow during this past week. We like to turn the deck light on so we can see the snow out our Family Room Slider. It was fun to capture the outdoor nativity and it’s shadow in the snow.

We are going to see temperatures in the teens and very few days in the next week above freezing. More snow in our 10 day forecast. The county plows our road so I am brave enough to drive into town if I need to.

A Peaceful Day

After a very busy Saturday we had a relaxing Sunday. We had our Colville kids over for dinner Saturday evening. We enjoyed savory blintzes, rice pilaf, and salad. For dessert we had some Christmas cookies. On Sunday after church we enjoyed leftovers and put our feet up for a good portion of the day. Since it was above freezing we took a break from relaxing and washed the windows in our dining room inside and out. Me in, Dear out. We also did the family room slider. We missed our regular fall window appointment so our windows are quite a mess. Most of our Christmas celebrations will be around the dining room table and the family room so those windows are now clean and clear for now. But just like that they are forecasting rain instead of snow today so we’ll see how the wind blows and what those windows look like tomorrow.

Twelve more days till Christmas. How are things shaping up at your house? Hope things are joyful!

Luke 2:10-11

And the angel said to them,

“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord!”

The Halls are Decked…

Deck the halls with boughs of holly,

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

There are a few other spots in our home that are decorated for Christmas but I failed to take photos of them. It’s always fun to ‘Deck the Halls’.

Today I’m happy to say I’m headed to the Post Office in town to mail off our Christmas Greetings for 2021. Next up is considering what to bake and when to wrap.

Fly away little letter, keep the bond of friendship strong,

may the Lord lead and guide you, and keep you from all wrong.

First Snow Fall 2021

On Friday morning November 19th we woke up to 6 inches of snow on the ground. Our first significant snowfall of the season.

Snow is such a delight to our little grands. We received these photos via text.

Any snow in your neck of the woods yet?

Today I’ll be shopping for the things we need for our Thanksgiving meal and other ‘company’ meals. I’ll be off the radar the next few days while our company is here. Hope all of you in the U.S. of A. have a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! 

Psalm 118:1

Miles Apart…

…but close in our hearts.

The month of November and part of October our families were split apart by work responsibilities and other circumstances. Auntie Lolo flew over to be with Jamie while their hubbies were in Arizona on separate assignments. Our grands love it when Auntie Lolo comes to help their mommy.

Everyone made the most of their circumstances.

It’s always better together.

We love it when Auntie Lolo comes to visit, too.

While our sons were in Arizona in different parts of the state they managed to drive the distance and get together for some much needed R & R together.

“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.”

Psalm 133

These two with their work responsibilities keeping us apart are with us in spirit. Here they are at a marathon Lord of the Rings viewing party playing the part with their hair and attire.

Did I ever mention our daughter knows and writes Elvish. It’s a skill that will take her far in life be fun to pull out at the right times in life like a Lord of the Rings party or at the grave of J.R.R. Tolkien in 2004…Katie would not let us leave Oxford till we found Tolkien’s grave. This was no small feat! Here we are at Wolvercote Cemetery in North Oxford at the graveside where he and his wife are buried. His son is buried here, also.  Katie left a note in Elvish, (yes, she learned to write and speak Tolkien’s Elvish).

EDITH MARY TOLKIEN
LUTHIEN
1889 – 1971
JOHN RONALD
REUEL TOLKIEN
BEREN
1892 – 1973

This Thanksgiving our Westside kids will stay on the westside. Our eastside kids will be at our house for Thanksgiving along with my sister and her hubby and Jamie’s mom, also known as Granny to our Grands. Nine at the table giving thanks for all that we have been given and all the love we share.

Speaking of Painting Hodgepodge

It’s time for Wednesday Hodgepodge where Jo From This Side of the Pond asks the questions for all to answer.

This week there are questions about paint/painting so the photo above shows our storage room where we have to store any good paint we plan to use so it doesn’t freeze in our garage or shop. Dear recently painted this storage room and we reorganized it. Our storage room is 10 x 11 with an upper deep shelf of storage space that we utilize, too. This room is right off our Master Suite and was originally planned to be a sitting area but because we don’t have a basement or attic for storage we are using it as a storage area.

1. It’s often said we should be grateful for small blessings. What is one small blessing you are feeling especially grateful for today?

Our electricity stayed on through the windy storm event we had on Monday! I’m always grateful if our power stays on!

2. How do you feel about leftovers, not just on Thanksgiving but after any meal? Favorite thing to make/eat using your Thanksgiving leftovers? 

I find leftovers enjoyable and convenient. My favorite thing to have with Thanksgiving leftovers are turkey sliders using the leftover rolls, turkey and stuffing with a little cranberry sauce.

3. Sherwin Williams unveiled it’s 2022 Color of the Year-Evergreen Fog.

Are you a fan? Yes, it’s a decent color I could live with.

Would I find this mid-tone gray green shade anywhere in your house?

No, the interior of our home has all been recently painted and we went with a medium brown tone everywhere except for our Master bathroom and laundry room. Those rooms have a pewter tone. The whole house has white ceilings and white accents against the brown.

Does your house need painting? Inside or out?

Outside needs painting which we plan to do next summer and Evergreen Fog could work nicely but time will tell what we pick. Dear recently painted our front and back door in Dress Blue. Whatever we choose for the whole of the exterior will be complimentary to the Dress Blue doors.

What one space is most in need of a paint job?

Our exterior is most in need of a paint job. This past few weeks Dear has finished all the spare rooms of our house with fresh paint including all the closets except for the Master bedroom. We are going to install new doors on our closets so he will finish them up after the new doors are installed.

Are you a do-it-yourselfer or do you hire a professional? 

Dear is a professional painter, taught by his father who was a professional painter in Los Angeles County area in California. It was his job into the first years of our marriage before he worked in the mining/quarry industry running a front end loader and then in his mid 30’s he went back to school to become a Pharmacist. He is now a retired Pharmacist who is my resident painter. Woohoo!

I’ll do a little name dropping about Dear’s Father’s painting business. He was featured in an L.A. magazine as a recommended painting contractor. Here’s the name dropping…he painted many homes in Beverly Hills, Brentwood and Belair, including Peter Falk’s home (Columbo). Dear and his brother worked with their dad at these homes. They also painted at L.A. Baptist College which is now the Master’s University.

4. What is one aspect of the way you were parented that you are grateful for today? 

I am grateful to my parents who modeled repentance in seeking after God and walking with God. This was a priority with them. They knew that was the most important heritage to model for their children and grandchildren.

5. Write an acrostic for the word-thankful

Trusting
Him
Always
Not wavering
Knowing that
Father God faithfully
Upholds His own with
Loving kindness that endures forever.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Had to throw in a photo of my resident professional personal painter. I am a fortunate gal.