On Tuesday November 11th I was able to capture some of the colorful night sky with my phone camera.
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.” Psalm 19:1-2
During this past week we got some photos of our loved ones via text. I am so grateful this kind of communication is available at our fingertips.
Addy getting a kick out of herself and her Skyjo skills! She was “getting ready for her victory dance”.
Katie and Laura on the other side of the mountains at ‘nail time’ that they enjoy together. Our westside beauties!
Woohoo! Look at who is Clubber of the month. Great job, Addy, memorizing all your verses! Baba and Gramps are thankful you enjoy learning about our God and Savior and storing up Scripture for your heart and mind.
Leaving off with a beautiful sunset viewed through the window at Addy’s Irish Dance studio on Thursday the 13th.
What are some of your ‘thankfuls’ this time of year?
It means honoring and obeying the laws of my country and doing whatever is in my power to insure the freedoms our founding fathers established. I love singing the National Anthem at sporting events. A little flag waving is good, too. Displaying the flag on holidays and other key times during the year.
2. September-October-November…your favorite fall month? Tell us why. If you live in the southern hemisphere use these months but sub spring for the word fall.
I’m cheating and naming something that is special to me for each of these months.
September ~ it always seems like the fresh start back to routine activities that make me feel grounded and we get to celebrate Greg’s birthday in this month.
October ~ where Fall colors shine the best and we enjoy the annual corn maze.
November ~ the Thankful month. gathering with family on Thanksgiving.
3. A song you love with the word thanks (or some form of that word) in the title or lyrics?
I’m sharing one of many songs that make me say thank you, Jesus!
My hymn of Praise shall always be forever Jesus! In Jesus I have sooo many reasons to say Thank You!
4. November is National Peanut Butter Month. Are you a fan? What’s the last peanut butter bite you had? Fill in the blank: peanut butter and _____________________ .
Oh, and you can’t say jelly.
It is peanut butter and honey for me. I had a piece of toast with peanut butter and honey for breakfast on Monday.
5. This week’s gratitude question-What event from this past year are you most grateful for?
The year started out with an epic surprise visit from Josh and Laura. We were having our local kids over for a birthday dinner on a Saturday. Dan and Jamie have birthdays 1 day apart and Josh has a birthday 3 days after Dan. Dan and Jamie arrived and 5 minutes later Josh and Laura came in the house with shouts of surprise!! It was such an epic surprise and so much fun to be able to celebrate all our January family birthdays together! I’m so grateful to God for the love he extends through our family.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
Speaking of patriotism I’m copying a post here from 2011. This is from the Orange Circle Flag Ceremony, a weekly event, in Orange, California.
Before they lowered the flag and folded it properly Mark Wayland acknowledged 5 veterans in the audience that had served in World War II. One of the veterans was celebrating his 90th birthday and his family brought cupcakes for everyone at the ceremony. We got to sing Happy Birthday to him. This vet with Mark in the photo above, served in WWII, Korea, and the Vietnam War. He comes to the ceremony every week. It was great to meet him.
Mark also acknowledged a young bride in the audience who’s Marine husband was serving in Afghanistan right then…our Katie. He made her cry but the tears were good tears and then when the big burly Vietnam Vets came over to give her a hug with tears in their eyes we knew they understood and we cried some more. It was great to hear these Harley riders tell her they would be praying for her and Andrew.
Dear’s brother Terry and wife Christina with one of their 3 daughters with Katie and me. Christina got to know Mark while working with the Orange County School Board. She invited Katie and me to attend this ceremony.
I got the following information from an Orange County Register article written by David Whiting although my sister-in-law who knows Mark from working with him at the Orange County School board also filled me in about Mark and his giving heart, a Purple Heart retired Marine.
“Mark Wayland, Marine Vietnam vet, retired firefighter and Orange school board member, looks like a biker with his denim vest and bushy mustache. And he is. So are many of the men in the Circle.
Most are members of the Patriot Guard Riders. In particular, they ride to remember fallen military brothers and sisters and to ensure things go smoothly at military funerals.
With his black Harley Electra Glide decorated with Marine logos parked just 50 yards away, Wayland explains tonight’s mission.
Every Wednesday night, Wayland, his buddies, their wives, friends and supporters gather in the Orange Circle. They come to lower the flag at 6 p.m. and honor, as Wayland puts it, “those who are in harm’s way.”
What an honor to be able to meet these folks and to honor them and others who have sacrificed so much for all of us. Thank you Mark for all you do and may your sacrifices return to you tenfold.
ht: Orange County Register, David Whiting.
The Patriot Guard Riders honored our brother-in-law at his burial on Veterans Day in 2015.
Thanks for the time you took to visit this very long and wordy Hodgepodge. I’m grateful for all who stop by here.
Our friend’s flights from Southern California came through without a hitch and we enjoyed a few days together. They arrived on Saturday afternoon and we were treated to dinner at our Colville kids’ home. It was a delicious gyro meal (all homemade) and homemade ice cream and huckleberry topping for dessert. Our kids grew up with Ken and Heidi’s kids in Southern California until we moved to Washington State in 1988.
On Sunday we all attended church together and split off after church for varied destinations. We spent a quiet evening at home on Sunday. I’ll share our full day of adventures on Monday in a separate posts. We drove around Colville and then up into Canada for lunch.
Heidi and I had many adventures together before we met our husbands and we’ve had some fun adventures since married, too. We can now add a Colville and Canadian adventure to our memories.
The last week of October was a very busy one for us. Soon the golden beauty of October will fade.
While JJ was here in the afternoon, last Monday the 27th of October, he was able to make friends with this neighborhood cat that we are calling Stubs. Gramps actually named him because of his lack of tail. He’s friendly but we found out that he also likes to nip.
Stubs came for another visit during the week to say hello. Then another neighborhood cat came on the scene.
Friday we had the well drilling company in town come and replace a brass fitting. We noticed water on the ground in the well pump house and they determined that the fitting was cracked and needed to be replaced. It’s all fixed and we are happy to have that taken care of before winter.
Friday night was Halloween and time for our Colville family to come and Trick or Treat. They are our only trick or treaters. They came after their stop at our church Trunk or Treat Harvest Festival.
The hunting family with all their gear. Addy and JJ are enjoying one of the treats that Gramps and Baba found for them, creepy gummy eyes!
I trust your last week of October was a good one. Onward we go into November and adjusting to the time change, again!
I’m sharing the next installment of Kym’s Everyday Images Prompts and will link up with her blog this coming Thursday. The prompts this time around were, spooky, black and white, trees, blaze, selfie and ornate.
Thank you, Kym.
~~~~~
spooky
black and white
My Pop
Greg’s Dad
trees
The tree above is from our Grands’ Granny’s home.
blaze
selfie (quarterly)
ornate
Edinburgh, St. Giles Cathedral.
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Happy November everyone! Is it just me or did October fly by? Today we are heading to Spokane airport to pick up my best friend from the Russian Baptist Church days in L.A. and her hubby. They are flying in today and will be with us until Tuesday. They are city mice and will see what country living is like here with us.
The last time they were in Washington state was at Josh and Laura’s wedding in 2001!
Ken, Heidi and Christina (my sister-in-law) from 2001 on our friends’ deck for an after wedding barbecue. Our friends were gracious to host our guests (family and friends) from out of town after the wedding.
Fresh photos from the country instead of the Western side of Washington coming soon.
Before the Corn Maze we enjoyed watching Addy play basketball. She had a great cheering squad with grandparents, great grandparent, parents, auntie, uncle and brother.
Auntie Lolo got some great action shots!
Addy scored twice!
After Basketball we headed across the street to our church gym to support the homeschool craft fair. We then had lunch before we headed to the Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze.
Sunday we were all seated in a row at church and after church we headed to our place for brunch before Uncle and Auntie headed home.
Gramps cooked up Swedish Pancakes that we all devoured.
A pause in our game of Skyjo to see if Josh could help JJ by pulling out his loose tooth. We all decided although loose, it was not ready to let go.
Addy serenaded us with Amazing Grace on the piano. She’s practicing for a presentation about piano at homeschool co-op this week.
Early in the afternoon the cars left our driveway for home and we put our feet up. We were so thankful to God for the time we could spend with one another.
When we sent out a text to let our family know we were disappointed that our guests from Southern California wouldn’t be visiting for the weekend because their flight was canceled last minute by an Alaska Airlines IT debacle, Josh and Laura made an impromptu decision to jump in their car for a visit to our side of the mountains. There were some issues on I-90 after a bridge was damaged by an oversized semitruck earlier in the week so they chose roads less traveled to get to us.
On the roads they traveled they were rewarded with some beautiful views including this amazing moose! This was their first time seeing a moose up close.
They arrived later than usual on Friday evening. Soon after they arrived from their 6 hour journey the doorbell rang and our Colville kids dropped in to greet them, too. Our Colville crew was so excited to see Uncle Joshie and Auntie Lolo.
Saturday was a full day with Addy’s first basketball game this season, a homeschool craft fair, lunch on Bayles Mountain, a rainy trip to the Corn Maze and then back to Bayles Mountain for dinner and Skyjo.
It was so good to continue the tradition of conquering the corn maze together. Josh and Dan stepped in to keep us on track since our usual trusty guide, Katie, was not here this year. We found all 10 stations!
Once again, I have dear Auntie Lolo to thank for all the photos!
We made it! Before they picked out a couple of pumpkins, JJ and Addy fed some horses some grass that was greener on our side of the fence.
Thank you, Josh and Laura, for your trip to Colville. It was a full and fun family time with you here!
Basketball and Sunday photos will show up soon.
Oh, and we are happy to report our friends were able to get their flights changed for this coming weekend and we hope that there are no more issues and that they’ll arrive and depart smoothly!!
If it’s Wednesday it must be time for the Hodgepodge. Thank you, Joyce.
1. What do you like most about your family?
The different Gifts that God has given to individual members of our family and how it enhances our times together. We have peacemakers, servants, caregivers, loyal friends. We also have those who display gentleness, wisdom, discernment, faith, generosity, courage, wit, a sense of humor and above all love. We all have ongoing areas that God is sanctifying in us like humility, patience, and forgiveness, to name a few. None of us are perfect but hopefully we’ll cooperate with the Holy Spirit in growing us up in our faith and obedience to be more like Christ.
2. What’s something nice that’s happened to you recently?
I received this special gift from Andrew and Katie from Scotland (Edinburgh). It will have a special post on Friday. The Islander Handbag Workshop invites you to design and craft your very own bespoke Islander Harris Tweed® handbag.
3. Do you like the color orange? Besides a pumpkin and an actual orange, what’s something orange you love?
An orange sunset!
4. What’s something you have now you couldn’t have imagined having five years ago? How does that make you feel? What’s possible now because of it?
I’ll answer this on a temporal level. Five years ago our freedom to breathe, move about, worship and make our own health decisions was threatened by those in power or those who were given more power than they should have had. For me this threat to our freedom was oppressive, harmful and sad. I’m thankful for the common sense and freedom I feel now.
5. Let’s wrap this one up with an October this or that…
pumpkin bread or apple cider donut
cozy sweater or cozy hoodie
apple picking or pumpkin picking
scary movie or Hallmark movie
hay ride or corn maze
twinkle lights or candles
autumn hike or autumn bonfire
My answers are highlighted in Bold.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
These two found a huge boulder while they were digging to China!
Sunday the 5th of October we made a quick trip to Spokane after church. The scenery was spectacular with clear skies and fluffy clouds.
A neighborhood cat without a tail visited while our grandson JJ was here on Monday afternoon. This was the friendliest cat that has ever visited our yard.
On Tuesday while I pulled some weeds I noticed this garden spider. Yikes!
On Tuesday our Colville kids had us over for a belated birthday celebration for Gramps!
Addy made sure Gramps was the one to blow out the candle.
After our meal and dessert JJ was excited to launch his rocket for us to see.
The first launch was very successful and didn’t land in the trees but the second launch was not as hazard free. They will have to wait for a big wind storm to free the rocket.
On Wednesday several deer came to visit.
We had some nice warm days that started with very chilly mornings.
Friday morning started with a beautiful sunrise.
Happy Columbus Day to all in the United States of America and a very Happy Thanksgiving to our friends in Canada!
I can’t let this day pass without acknowledging this historic day!
UPDATE: Waking up to news that after 738 days all the Israeli hostages have been released. What a glorious day for the hostages and their families and friends and nation!
All living Israeli hostages officially freed from Hamas captivity.
President Trump made a promise on the campaign trail:
“We will never abandon them — and with God’s help, they will come safely home.”
1. ‘The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.’ How does this saying ring true in your own family, either the one you grew up in or the one you made?
In the family I grew up in, singing was something my parents enjoyed and that has been passed down to me and most of my siblings. Singing at church and singing when we had company over was a regular thing. Singing in choirs, singing in quartets, trios, duets, singing in Russian and in English, singing for recordings, and for me, singing in a Christian ‘rock’ band. Greg and I met because of that group.
The Russian Sacred Singers of Los Angeles are a group of California young people of Russian background. They sing in English and Russian under the inspiring leadership of director Leonard Wozniuk. The unique bi-lingual choir responded to our challenge to record their selections for radio use. Today, their joyful singing is heard world-wide over several short-wave radio stations and over local broadcasts in North and South America.
I’m on the bottom right, my sister, my cousins, and best friend complete the row. Second row on the left are two more cousins. The director is my brother-in-law. The Russian Choir and the Rock band were active in the 70’s!
Greg and I are on the right end of this photo. The photo was from somewhere in England, possibly Liverpool.
2. Something you’re nuts about these days?
Time spent with family.
How about something that’s driving you nuts?
Stink bugs are in abundance this year! This is a male stink bug. The females are rounder in the body.
Stink bugs, especially brown marmorated stink bugs or BMSB, are notorious for invading homes when the weather starts to cool. And while they aren’t interested in stealing your food or sucking your blood, their offensive odor is just as annoying to homeowners.
3. What does abundance mean to you?
These words from Jesus from the Amplified Bible:
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].
Jesus is my abundance and I thank God for his plan of salvation through Jesus and for the Holy Spirit who helps me have faith and belief in the triune God.
4. Caramel apple-caramel cake-caramel corn-caramel sundae-caramel macchiatto…what’s your caramel treat of choice?
5. What’s a childhood memory that always comes to mind as the leaves start to fall?
Growing up in southern California did not afford me many memories of fall, at all. We moved to Washington state in 1988 and that is when I became more familiar with fall color and having to rake leaves! Our children were young enough that they are now the ones with childhood memories of leaves!
6. Insert. your own random thought here.
Our Grands are growing up with four seasons and lots of leaves! These photos were from a few years back while helping their Granny blow the leaves into a pile for the city to pick up.
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The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 