Our youngest brother and sister got together with our oldest cousin and his daughter who also live in Texas a couple Saturdays ago. I wanted to document that here. Cousins, the oldest to the youngest on our Father’s side of the family. Our cousin Alex is a widower. He is our oldest cousin. Alex is 91. Leonard and Lana, the youngest, are 60.
Our cousin Alex is seated in the chair on the right. His mother, our pop’s sister Oxahnya, is standing behind our paternal grandparents. This photo was taken in Persia. Our Aunt remarried the man to the left of her in Persia. Her first husband didn’t leave Russia with her. After marrying Ivan Voloshin she had 3 more children. She died from complications during the birth of her third child with Ivan. Her son by her first husband, our cousin Alex, was then raised by our grandparents. Alex was 11 years younger than our Pop. They remained close after immigrating to the USA and settling in the Los Angeles area. Alex found his bride, Vera, in the Los Angeles area and our parents were their ‘best man and matron of honor’. We all shared many family times with them. After their girls were raised and married with their own families, Alex and Vera moved to Texas close to their younger daughter. Vera unexpectedly died from an aneurysm in 2007. Alex faithfully kept in touch with our mom and pop after moving to Texas with a weekly phone call. When he traveled back to the Southern California area he always visited our parents.
It was fun to set this table and a lot more fun to enjoy most of our family around it for a belated birthday dinner. I wanted it sparkly. After I lit all the candles Addy and JJ wanted the other lights off so we could just have the candles give us light. We had a wonderful candlelit dinner.
Monday got away from me because of some further work Greg and our son had to do on our Water Heater. They had to empty the water tank and replace the elements which were in horrible shape. New ones are in so we should be good for a few years or at least we hope for that. Our grands were here during the work on the tank and they kept me very busy. Hoping for a quiet day today so I can catch up!
Josh and Laura arrived to our side of the mountains on Friday afternoon and we enjoyed a belated birthday dinner for Josh in candlelight. After we lit the candles JJ and Addy asked if we could turn off the other lights and just have the candles giving us light. It was a special dinner and weekend together. Friday night after dinner and cake, checkers and Legos and ‘Don’t Break the Ice’ were the entertainment.
On Saturday we gathered on the ‘Mountain’ and had a delicious lunch of Beef Stew with Jamie’s amazing sour dough bread creations. This time she baked regular and one with siracha.
After lunch Addy had her nails done and then wanted to polish our nails, too. She did a fine job.
Saturday late afternoon and early evening it was time for the Awana Grand Prix. Addy was pleased with her car the Silver Star.
We were all there to cheer everyone on. We weren’t winners this year.
On Sunday we filled a row at church. It was good to worship together. We had lunch out and too soon it was time for Josh and Laura to travel back over the mountains home. We love you, We love you, We love you. Thanks for making the trek and spending good times with us!
Thank you, too, for sharing your photos!
Tomorrow I’ll post photos of the Birthday Candlelight Tablescape.
Our weekend was full and I did not spend time on the computer or make any blog visits. I’ll get caught up soon.
A very happy birthday to our firstborn son Josh. He is a wonderful son, husband, brother, uncle, cousin, boss and friend. So thankful to God for Josh and all he means to our family. Praying God blesses your new year with joy, strength, courage and more love for Jesus.
We’ve been enjoying the birds showing up for birdseed.
We had another 5 inches of snow this week and when we looked out the window we thought this looked like a walrus so we are calling him, Wally the One Eyed Walrus Snowman.
On Friday night we enjoyed an early birthday dinner for Dan and Jamie who have birthdays today and tomorrow. Josh has a birthday this week, too, and Laura sent a couple photos of them enjoying an amazing sunset on the other side of our state.
On Friday we served Lovella’s Arroz Con Pollo which was enjoyed by everyone. It’s a dish that Jamie orders most often at any Mexican restaurant. We enjoyed it with brown rice and both corn and flour tortillas. We also enjoyed Pico de Gallo with added chunks of avocado. For dessert we had a family favorite, Applesauce Spice Cake.
We have been below freezing here for a few days. We stayed inside all day Saturday and I worked on my latest puzzle. I’m getting close to finishing.
On the way to church on Sunday our car was registering -5 degrees F outside.
We had a great Vision Sunday with a ministry fair. Our church theme for the year is Take The Next Step.
Colossians 2:6, Therefore as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him.
We are now heading into another week of very cold temps and snow promised from Tuesday evening through Thursday morning. We always wait and see if the predictions are accurate. We have seen that many folks in many parts of the country are experiencing severe cold. How is it where you live?
It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Beatrix Potter and The Tale of Peter Rabbit and all his friends. For Christmas I received the sweet print above and the tea towel below from Josh and Laura.
Right now on our dining room table this puzzle is slowly, very slowly coming together.
It is very tough and I only have me to blame because I ordered it from my year long puzzle club Dan and Jamie gifted me for my birthday last year.
My collection of Beatrix Potter Figurines are here and here.
We had more snow and now we are having some frigid temperatures. We are celebrating our Dan and Jamie’s birthdays tonight. Making something new to me and I hope it turns out good for everyone! I’ll have to move that puzzle since it is on the dining room table at present.
On Christmas morning Katie, Andrew, Greg and I enjoyed Eggs Benedict for breakfast before the rest of our crew arrived for our Christmas Day festivities. Josh and Laura left the Seattle area 8ish in the morning for their trek across the mountains to our country bungalow. We were so thankful it was clear sailing for them all the way to our place. After they arrived our Colville kids packed up their truck and headed over.
Before we opened gifts, Greg (Gramps) read from from Hebrews 1 which speaks of who Jesus Christ is and Luke 2 in the Bible which speaks of the birth of Christ in Bethlehem.
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. Hebrews 1:1-3a
Addy and JJ made the wrapping paper for some of the gifts they gave.
This little guy was impersonating a Bah-bush-ka!
The Yorkshire pudding popped up well!
The meal (which I didn’t photo) was Prime Rib roasted to perfection, Yorkshire Pudding, Creamed Corn, roasted brussels sprouts and asparagus. After the meal was enjoyed we popped the poppers and enjoyed the crowns and gifts and jokes!
Since Andrew and Katie had to leave early on Boxing Day, Katie shared a cake with Jesus. Our Grands mommy made a two tiered cake that was chocolate and vanilla for Katie and Jesus. Addy requested both flavors. After we sang happy birthday to Katie and she blew out her candles, we closed our eyes while Addy and Jamie redecorated the top of the cake.
We all marveled at the wonderful cake topper for our celebration of the birth of Jesus. Great creativity Jamie and Addy!
What a wonderful treat to be able to be together on this special day to celebrate the birth of our Savior. We are thankful for the joy we can share with one another.
Katie and Andrew’s sleigh left on Tuesday, Boxing day. Josh and Laura are here for a few more days of fun and adventures.
Today is Katie’s actual birthday. Happy Birthday dear Katie. Dad and I love you and are so thankful for you and what you mean to our family.
While I was decorating our home and listening to our Christmas CD’s it was fun to get texts and messages about what our kids here and there have been up to so far this Christmas season.
Our oldest were able to fly down to Southern California for a quick trip to enjoy the annual ‘Cousin Christmas’ party and they fit in a day at Disney with several of their cousins, too. Our local kids had their annual Christmas tree hike on their own property and found this year’s tree.
Our youngest and hubby have been trying to keep their cat and kitty out of trouble. The curiosity and skills of the newer kitty have necessitated safety locks on all their cupboards. That sneaky kitty can open the cabinet doors and has even figured out how to work around the basic child proof locks!
We’ve been pondering again the passages about our Emmanuel and the wonder of it all.
In the midst, Greg and I finished this eye straining puzzle of a historic Story Map of Ireland. Thankfully it was only a 500 piece puzzle. It was actually easier than the tea cup puzzle we finished last week. We did have to get out our magnifying glasses for parts of it. Taking the time to put this together while listening to Christmas music is relaxing for us as we ignore other distractions.
I’ll add posts next week of our tree and the rest of the decorations at Our Country Bungalow.
Our travel journal will come to an end with this post, our last several hours in Dublin on Monday, September 25th.
Our tour guide was great and the tour at Jameson was well done and we all enjoyed it.
After our Jameson Tour it was a straight shot along Mary’s Lane to the Church Cafe. We had a great table for the 6 of us right up front in the balcony with the Irish music and dancing right below us.
We had a lovely view of the Stained glass window.
Saint Mary’s (former) Church of Ireland was begun c.1700 to the design of Sir William Robinson and was completed by his successor, Thomas Burgh. It was the first classical parish church in the city and was the site of Arthur Guinness’s marriage in 1761. Wolfe Tone was baptized here and the church also witnessed John Wesley’s first Irish sermon.
The triumphal east window was designed at least in part by Robinson and has a grace and vivacity unusual in a city largely bypassed by Baroque influences. The style is supported by the tracery windows and represents the only extant exterior Baroque flourish in Dublin city. The plan form adds further to the site’s unique identity, with the convex quadrants being a departure from the usual rectilinear shapes found in similar churches, contributing a distinctive design and striking presence.
Lord how I love the habitation of thy house and the place where thine honour dwelleth.
I was glad when they said unto me let us go into the house of the Lord
Holiness becometh thy house O Lord forever.
I felt torn that this church didn’t survive for whatever reason but am pleased that it wasn’t torn down. The Stained glass window still echoes some of God’s truth for those with eyes to see.
We all enjoyed our dinner here and when it came to dessert, Sticky Toffee Pudding was on our minds. The Church Cafe did not have it on the menu so Andrew googled and found a restaurant in the Temple Bar area of Dublin that had it on the menu. We decided we would enjoy that to top off our last full day in Dublin so we walked across the river to the Temple Bar area.
How great it was to see this particular bar that was one of the jigsaw puzzles I completed before we traveled to Dublin.
The restaurant that was serving Sticky Toffee Pudding was packed and getting a seat for six didn’t look promising. With some gentlemanly coaxing, Andrew convinced the staff to fix up two servings for us to enjoy outside around a bench along the way with promises that we would certainly return the plates and utensils. It was a nice way to end our time before we ordered the last Uber of the day to take us back to our hotel for the night. Slainte!
This wraps up my travel journal for our time in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Dublin and England. On Tuesday the 26th of September we had our buffet breakfast in the hotel, checked out and traveled by Uber to the Dublin Airport for our 9-10 hour flight home. We went through customs in Dublin so we did not have to be delayed at all after landing in Seattle. Andrew and Katie drove straight home from the airport in Seattle and we drove back to Josh and Laura’s for the night with a stop for dinner at their local Mexican Restaurant. We settled in for the night to try to sleep before our next day departure by car over the mountains to our home. When we woke up earlier than expected due to Jet Lag we loaded up and drove home. Thankful for God’s providence in reaching our driveway safe and sound or half sound. Jet Lag is real!
We had nine at our Thanksgiving table this year before three more family members made the drive on Friday. My sister and her husband traveled from Texas to be with us locals from Colville. I’m happy to announce that we were pleased with cooking the turkey in the convection oven. It took half the time and the results were good. We’ll make a couple tweaks next year…if we remember.
On Friday, later in the afternoon, this carload of three arrived from their six hour drive and we were eleven for a pulled pork dinner. Our daughter’s hubby unfortunately was under the weather and stayed home.
On Saturday our group split up and spent the morning and afternoon with separate adventures.
The older folk ventured across the line into Canada for some fun in Rossland and Trail, B.C. We had good interactions with the Border Agents again.
The sun was out for another glorious squinty day! Rossland is at a higher elevation and known as a skiing destination. The shaded sidewalks were icy. We tried to walk on the sunny side of the street.
We enjoyed the artwork around town and made some purchases before we traveled a bit further to enjoy lunch in Trail.
Persian food is a favorite in our family and we were happy with the quality of food at Kootenay Kabab in Trail.
Our carload made it back across the border to our Country Bungalow in time to watch the second half of the Cross state rivalry between the University of Washington and the Washington State Cougars, known as the Apple Cup. Having three University of Washington alumni in our family we are Husky fans. We are outnumbered on the side of the state that we live in now. Our Huskies waited until the last second of the game to win! With that win they are undefeated this season.
While we were in Canada our kids enjoyed time in Colville on our local kids’ property.
We all gathered together again for dinner and fun on Saturday evening.
Addy enjoyed time with her aunties and great auntie and JJ enjoyed his Uncle JOSH-SHU-WA. This weekend for JJ, Uncle Joshie was Uncle Josh shu wa.
Ember enjoyed the visiting hands that stroked her head. The large Thanksgiving banner was a great project for everyone to contribute their coloring skills to. Mexican Train was the game of the weekend.
We are thankful to be able to spend extended time together any time of the year but it is always a special time at Thanksgiving. So grateful for all who traveled a long way to get here! We don’t take that for granted.
As you can imagine the last several days have been very busy and I’ve had little time on the computer and for visiting. Hopefully I’ll catch up soon before the next grand adventure the end of this week!
Thank you to all for your visits and your comments. I appreciate every one of you!
