The annual Memorial Day Cousin’s weekend in Arizona was another special time together. Half of our kids and several of my nieces and nephews were able to gather again in Surprise, Arizona. My sisters and I love to peek in and see the fun our kids have together. We praise God, from whom all blessings flow, that these relationships are strong and helpful and encouraging.
Joyce From This Side of the Pond has a fresh set of questions for us to ponder for Wednesday Hodgepodge.
1. Growing up, at what age did you think you’d become an adult? At what age did you actually become an adult?
If I thought about it I didn’t call it being an adult. The older siblings in my family had some responsibilities that were adult like earlier in life. Our parents immigrated to the U.S. just after World War II, legally. Our mom never drove and our pop had to work hard to support a family with 8 children. Sometimes my older sisters and I walked into town to pay bills in person with cash from our parents. We got ourselves to swimming lessons, the library, and to school. When I got my license there were times that I took my younger brothers to their baseball practices and games. When many of my friends were at senior prom, I was at my younger brother’s baseball game. In my senior year of high school I had enough credits to graduate with morning classes. I found an afternoon job at a local company and got rides to and from work. I saved up for college with that job. I earned scholarships for most of my college costs. My older sister drove me to the University of Redlands for my freshman year and helped me settle in. We didn’t have and didn’t expect input from our parents on which college to go to. If they could they would help with college costs but mostly we paid our own way. We purchased our own cars and they were mostly used cars. After college I was able to finance my Volkswagen at a school credit union and when I paid that off, like an adult, I earned some good credit.
2. What’s a favorite item you’ve bought this year?
At our church my area of service is the kitchen and the hospitality branch. We had some money left in the budget so I was able to purchase a coffee system that got plumbed and makes providing coffee at functions so much easier. Instead of those big old coffee pots that you have to fill with water, add the coffee in the baskets and plug in two hours before an event, we can now fill a basket with coffee grounds push the button on the new system and have 2.2liters of coffee in 5 minutes. Yes, and amen!
3. May 28th is National Hamburger Day…are you a fan? If so, how do you like yours? When was the last time you had a hamburger? Besides the backyard grill, what’s your favorite place to go for a burger?
We do enjoy a good burger. We hadn’t had burgers for a long while but Saturday of Memorial weekend we had a good burger on the way home from shopping in Spokane. We enjoy the burgers at Masters Brew House in Deer Park. Their onion jam that you can have on a burger is delicious. Sorry to say we haven’t found a good burger in Colville. We have fond memories of In N Out burgers.
4. How have your priorities changed over time?
The closer I get to heaven the more concerned I am about friends and family and people in general who haven’t had their debt to God paid by Jesus Christ. We all have a debt of sin on our accounts. You can trust Christ who suffered and died and rose from the dead to provide that debt payment. You need to ask forgiveness (repent) for your sin and put your faith in him and His sacrifice. What Jesus accomplished will pay your debt in full or you will have to pay that sin debt to God yourself in hell. Only Christ’s sacrifice provides the way. You can not earn it by being a ‘good’ person or a ‘religious’ person. It’s a no brainer to me. I’m getting too old to sugar coat this message. Heaven is real and Hell is real. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but by Him.
5. What’s one thing on your June calendar you’re really looking forward to?
The very last weekend in June our family of 10 will be enjoying time together in Walla Walla at a VRBO.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
Our son gifted his dear bride a long weekend away over Memorial Weekend. He took time off of work and cared for our Grands while mommy was gone. We enjoyed feeding them a meal on Friday night of the weekend.
First corn on the cob this year!
Awana Awards were at the beginning of May. Both Addy and JJ did well and completed their books. Addy completed some extra credit books, too. JJ graduates from Cubbies and will be a Sparky with Addy next year.
A fieldtrip to the local small airport was a hit!
Our church had a fun Mother Daughter Pajama Princess Party.
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Popcorn and licorice at the movie at the party.
Saturday of Mother’s Day weekend we got ready for a Mother’s Day Fun 5K at our local Rotary Trail.
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A run to the finish line!
After our 5K this little guy got a nice haircut!
Our dear Addy had out-patient surgery on May 17th and all went well and her recovery went smoothly enough that she was able to be at her Piano Recital on May 20th. We made it back from the Westside in time to enjoy her piano pieces.
A great smile the day after her surgery!
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She played two songs, Stand Up Stand Up for Jesus, and Holy Holy Holy. Well done, Addy!
One more catch-up post for May will come soon.
We arrived in Western Washington on Thursday the 16th of May. When we make it to that side of the mountains we like to stop at our old faithful, La Corona in Kirkland. It was was our weekly Tuesday hangout when we lived on that side. The owners still remember us and it is nice to be recognized by them. Our good friends met us for a meal and catch-up before we made a few more miles to Josh and Laura’s for the weekend.
On Friday the 17th of May our Westside kids took us out for dinner at El Encanto in Kirkland for a belated Mother’s Day celebration. It was a good time to be together. It was a cool evening with moody skies. This is a relatively new restaurant in Kirkland. I enjoyed an upscale Chile Relleno that was delicious. Kirkland is on the shores of Lake Washington in Washington State.
Before our dinner gathering Laura, Greg and I shopped at a few spots for mostly shoes. We had an appetizer lunch so we wouldn’t be too full for our main event on Friday night. We had those appetizers at another Westside hangout of ours and it was fun to be there again, Gratzie in Bothell.
On the Kirkland waterfront at Carillon Point for dinner on Friday night the 17th of May.
Another Wednesday has rolled around and Joyce has a new set of questions for Hodgepodge.
1. What are you currently juggling in your life?
I’m juggling exercise, eating, yard care, trip planning, garage sale preparations and understanding apps and catching up with events on my blog now that I have a way to post photos again.
2. How often do you buy new clothes?
When I see something that I know will work on my current body size and is a reasonably priced item I purchase it.
What was the last piece of clothing you purchased?
This past weekend was all about shoes! We were visiting our kids on the Westside of the mountains. There is a Brooks Shoe outlet that is convenient to where our kids live. I like a particular Brooks brand that works well on my feet. I bought a pair, Dear bought a pair, and a pair was purchased for each of our Colville kids. They gave Laura their sizes and pictures were sent back and forth and purchases made. I found a pair of Merrill waterproof shoes in my size at REI on the clearance table so those were purchased, too. Dear found a pair of dressier/casual Clark shoes at Nordstrom Rack. We had lots of shoe boxes to juggle! 🙂
I’m defaulting to shoes as a form of clothing. 🙂
3. What food festival would you most like to attend? If you need help here are links to some of the bigger and more popular food events around the world-
For many reasons food festivals do not call out to me.
4. May is the 5th month of the year. Tell us something you remember about your 5th grade year.
Oh boy…fifth grade was a can of worms for me. There are only two teachers in my schooling experience that I had reasons to believe did not like me. One of those was my Junior High Geometry teacher (he’s the one that gave me a D even though my tests, etc. were a solid C) When I questioned him and tried to show him my test results, etc., he blew up in front of the whole class and said quote, “Are you calling me a liar?”. Then he sent me to the girls vice principal. She was sympathetic but I still received the D.
My fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Helm, was the other teacher that gave me the impression that she did not like me. I was an avid reader in my elementary years and beyond and a quote that came into my head one day in her class when she told me to sit down was, “I might be sitting down on the outside but I’m standing up on the inside.”
In 5th grade running out to the playground the girl right in front of me stopped and bent down to tie her shoe abruptly. I fell over her and ended up chipping a bone in my wrist. The office called my mother and they had to order a cab to take us to our doctor who x-rayed and put my wrist in a cast. Our mother never learned to drive. Our father was unreachable when he worked on different sites around the Los Angeles area.
The good thing I remember about 5th grade is that a girl from Scotland moved to our school and came to our class later in the year. I was fascinated by her and struck a friendship with her and enjoyed her friendship.
5. What are your favorite five words right now?
Jesus ~ Truth ~ Lovingkindness ~ Rescued ~ Maranatha
6. Insert your own random thought here.
We enjoyed a long weekend on the Westside of the mountains with our ‘Coast Kids’. I’ll be posting about that and the other events I couldn’t add photos for in the month of May. Blog catch-up including this event…
This is a photo from May of 2023. We just finished a wonderful few days with this same crew. Today was an all day travel day. I’ll be back soon.
Joyce From This Side of the Pond has come up with an impressive group of questions for our hodgepodge this week. Click over to join in on the fun.
1. What impresses you?
Well behaved children. Considerate people. A good meal. Old architecture. Stained glass windows. Cozy pubs. Good singing voices. Old hymns. Beautiful Worship music. Gardeners. Men with integrity. Faithful mothers. Marriages that stand the test of time. Spring. A good old cemetery. Law enforcement officers. The Military.
2. Where are you in your family birth order? Do you fit the stereotype of that particular slot? In what way?
I was the baby (number 4) of the family for seven years and then our family grew with four more siblings. Supposedly that means I might be more adventurous and rebellious than the three older than me. I was called the black sheep at times and I made my parents worry more than my older sisters did even though unlike one of them I never tried smoking. Some of my teachers in junior high made comments like, ‘you aren’t like your sisters’. I was the first one in my family to bring home a D on my report card. There is a story that goes along with that. I was the first one in my family to ‘marry out’. I married a non-Russian. Such a rebel! I do love a good adventure.
3. What motivates you more-a reward or a consequence? Elaborate.
I think a reward, like walking three miles to a bakery. We had a good discussion over this question. There are bad consequences in doing certain things that motivate me not to do them. I am very motivated not to break the law. I’m also motivated to do things that have a good outcome like mowing the lawn and then enjoying the beauty of it or cleaning the house and sitting down to enjoy the peacefulness of it. Right now I’m motivated to do a walking workout every day (except Sunday) so I’m in good enough shape to do a lot of walking. We are in the planning stages for a trip to Scotland in September, Lord willing. That’s what I call good motivation for a future reward.
4. May 14th is National Buttermilk Biscuit Day. Who thinks biscuits deserve their own day? Do you like biscuits? Make your own? Grab one for breakfast at a drive-through now and then? Which drive-through makes the one you like best? What do you like to put on a biscuit? What’s your favorite food or dish that calls for buttermilk?
Biscuits weren’t a thing in my Russian heritage growing up. The first biscuit I had was probably at Knott’s Berry Farm with their Fried Chicken meal. I’ve made biscuits using Bisquick and maybe from scratch once. I have never had one in a drive through. I have had them at breakfast at a restaurant if I knew the restaurant was known for having great biscuits. Butter and berry jam would be my choice to put on a biscuit. Dear would choose biscuits and sausage gravy. I have made biscuits and gravy at home but not with homemade biscuits. Buttermilk pancakes would be my favorite food that calls for buttermilk.
5. Are there any weddings on your summer calendar? What’s your favorite part of a wedding/wedding reception?
No summer weddings on our calendar. I love a good traditional wedding with the traditional Biblical vows and not made up ones. My favorite part is when the bride enters and everyone stands up. At the reception I enjoy getting to chat with folks I haven’t seen in a long time. I have to admit that I dread the toasts by the Best man and maid of honor because we’ve been subjected to some really strange ones. That said, I appreciate the toasts when they are well thought out and appropriate and short.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
Speaking of weddings, our home will host some special guests for a wedding this weekend at our church. We will be on the other side of the mountains enjoying time with our ‘Coast kids’.
Looking back on our busy weekend before we are full swing into a new busy week. I still can’t upload any new photos but I have many photos that show the state of the yard from years past and things look quite similar for this time of year.
Friday May 10th: On Friday evening we had our Princess Pajama Party at church and it was a hit! I joined Jamie, Addy and Granny at church and we were all in our comfy jammies. I had my Ugg slippers on, too. There was a hair braiding station, coloring stations, nail polish stations, animal face masks that were facials, wonderful snacks and then an hour long movie where the littles plopped down on their blankies and pillows with popcorn and licorice! Those adults who were still young enough to plop down easily and get up again got comfy with the littles, too. I stayed in a chair.
Friday night into the wee hours of Saturday we had a wonderful treat of the aurora borealis. I wish I could show you my photos. Amazing pinks and greens and blues looking straight up and for a time more on the horizon view we got the typical green frosty views. Those were clearer to the naked eye but the views right above were visible from camera photos which was very strange. You could see swaths of something looking up but no color until you looked at the images you snapped! A bucket list item to check off without flying to Iceland!
Saturday May 11th: On Saturday morning I met up with these two along with their mommy and granny and we walked the Rotary trail with an added loop to make it a 5k Strong Mom Walk that the City parks put on.
Saturday afternoon our now not as new Pastor and his creative wife had an open house for our church body to show us how things have shaped up at their new to them home. Many of our church body helped them move their stuff into the garage and get flooring pulled out and new flooring in etc, etc. and they wanted to have a little thank you for helping gathering. Our Pastor’s wife painted most of the walls in the home, used their stuff and gathered new stuff and decorated the whole home in such a lovely way. It was fun to have seen the before so we could really enjoy the ‘after’!
Sunday May 12th, Mother’s Day:
Sunday service was full with moms and their kids and our service was God honoring as usual with some very nice tributes to moms as well.
Sunday evening our Colville family came over for a Mother’s day meal and we had a good time catching up with them. JJ was eager to fill us in on all the things his dad and he did while the girls were at the mother daughter event at church.
As I type I hear the washing machine going. I’m putting fresh linens in both of our guest rooms. Our guest rooms will be used this weekend by our former Pastor’s parents and brother who are traveling here for the wedding of our former pastor’s son on Saturday. We will miss the wedding since we are leaving for a long weekend on the other side of the mountains with this lovely crew below.
Planning: Laundry, a little dusting, mowing and packing is on my agenda for the week.
Organizing:
Things for our guests who will arrive while we are gone and leave before we return.
Continuing:
With the missions prayer challenge.
I didn’t mention it last week but I’ve been doing a workout with a video daily except for Sundays. Today will be my 31st day!
Weeding out photos from past blog posts. Tedious and a little frustrating.
Reading:
Our church handed out a 31 day devotional for Women on Mother’s Day. All ladies 18 and up received one if they wanted one. Gospel Meditations for Women.
My daily Bible readings this week are in 2 Samuel, 1 Chronicles, Psalms and Acts.
I’m still reading through the Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges.
Quotable:
John Owen: “If you have any regard to the constancy of your faith, to the comfort of your life, the honor of God, for 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.”
Thankful:
So thankful for all the love showered on me by our children and grandchildren. God is good to me.
Have a great week ahead everyone!
From my readings in a devotional by John Piper called Taste and See -Savoring the Supremacy of God in All of Life – 140 Meditations. I’m sharing part of Meditation 50 (How Can Elsie Run? How to Run and Box when You are over 80) I’ve highlighted in bold parts that really spoke to me…
…Finishing the race means not giving up the hope of the gospel. It is a race against hopelessness, not against flawlessness.
When we cheer on the diseased or aging runners who run their final laps in hospital beds, what we are really saying is, “Do not throw away your confidence which has a great reward” (Hebrews 10:35) The finish line is crossed in the end, not by a burst of human energy, but by collapsing into the arms of God. And let us not forget: In the Christian race, we do not finish alone. We finish together. It is part of the rules. “Encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called Today, so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13)”
My mother finished her race and “collapsed into the arms of God at the age of 90 on September 13th, 2013. This happened to be her and my pop’s 70th wedding anniversary. Her family came around her in her last days and she did not finish her race alone. I wanted to share this short excerpt from my mom’s eulogy that my youngest brother gave at my mom’s funeral services on the 27th of September.
“Thank you for coming today to help us honor and celebrate the life of our Mother,
Grandmother, Great Grandmother, Aunt and friend, to support her Husband, our Pop –
but most of all to thank the Lord for a life redeemed and well lived and to be reminded
that eternal life means that there is more life to come after we die, a life characterized
by the resurrection life and body of Jesus Christ. God has not abandoned Mom, but He
promises because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ that she will be made like Him,
forever experiencing the fullness of life that is called eternal life and is available to all of
us through faith in Christ. Our Mom is in the hands of God and there is no better place
for her to be.
Until we see her again, we mourn our great loss but celebrate her GREAT gain. As
Proverbs 31:31 says “Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her
praise at the city gates.”
I hope this will encourage someone out there who is having a hard time running. Keep the faith. Keep looking ahead to the Hope we have in Christ. Keep acknowledging God’s goodness to you every day. Blessings on you…
We all gathered on Friday afternoon and evening when all our family arrived from Colville and across the mountains for the beginning of a big weekend to celebrate JJ’s 5th birthday and Addy’s first Irish dance recital. We were able to celebrate Andrew’s birthday, too!
I will post the photos from JJ”s Bowling party tomorrow. Addy’s recital photos will come later in the week. A full happy weekend.
On Friday evening we enjoyed Thai food and desserts which included Andrew’s favorite Pecan birthday pie!
Happy Birthday, Andrew!
The rest of these photos are from Saturday and Sunday between the other major happenings. Thank you so much to Laura for all these wonderful captures!
Addy was very excited to show Auntie Lolo the frog or whatever they are called when they are this small. They may be small but they fill the night air with their songs in Spring. It can be deafening.
Addy and JJ are also excited to show us all their small chicks that they hatched from an incubator.
The weather was amazing with sunshine and temps up into the 70’s.
What is that and where are you going with it?
All too soon the weekend was over and our ‘coast’ kids headed home.
We again have happy thoughts and full hearts as we recuperate from all the fun!
Happy U.S. tax day to all of my friends in the USA. Happy Monday to my friends from other parts of the world!
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 