I should have videoed this series because this little guys determination to take the lids off the pens was hilarious. He would yell when he finally gave up and wanted one of us to get the lid off for him.
Auntie Katie was a great helper.
Prayer for our sons and grandson and other young men in our lives from the third chapter of Proverbs:
The Rewards of Wisdom
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; 2 For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you. 3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones. 9 Honor the Lord from your wealth And from the first of all your produce; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine. 11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord Or loathe His reproof, 12 For whom the Lord loves He reproves, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.
13 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding. 14 For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast. 19 The Lord by wisdom founded the earth, By understanding He established the heavens. 20 By His knowledge the deeps were broken up And the skies drip with dew. 21 My son, let them not vanish from your sight; Keep sound wisdom and discretion, 22 So they will be life to your soul And adornment to your neck. 23 Then you will walk in your way securely And your foot will not stumble. 24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; 26 For the Lord will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught.
For the summer lumberjack redo party the sleeves were cut off the flannel shirts. Jaymison Joshua turned one on April 16th right in the middle of COVID-19’s isolation restrictions. On Sunday since the family were all together in Colville a party redo was scheduled for JJ. We had Addy’s on the day before. For Addy’s party we were served lunch and for JJ’s party we were served brunch.
Jaymison warms up slowly to people he doesn’t see often so Katie and Andrew had their work cut out for them to win him over.
Uncle Joshie and Auntie Lolo have been able to travel more and spend enough time with Jaymison so he is more comfortable with them.
Granny Great, Mommy, JJ, and Granny, four generations on Jamie’s side of the family.
Great Uncle Scott and Aunt Rhonda have not been able to be around enough for JJ to be on his best behavior with them. We called in the stabilizer…mommy for the next photo.
Baba and Gramps enjoy seeing our little lumberjack as much as possible. It’s been so good to live in the same town!
Jaymison loves music, singing and dancing so he was very engaged and moving back and forth while we all sang Happy Birthday to him!
For Jaymison’s re-do party his parents served brunch with pancakes, waffles, bacon, little smokies, and his Granny and Addy made a pull apart Monkey Bread for his birthday cake.
Jaymison loves anything with long handles like brooms and mops so Gramps and Baba bought him some garden tools and he’s enjoyed them.
While he wasn’t using them this boat crew used them to row row row their boat and we all joined in with a round in song. Fun!
The boat crew could pretend while JJ used his gifts elsewhere.
Jaymison Joshua and Joshua enjoying chillin on the porch swing.
It was such a full weekend enjoying these celebrations and time with loved ones.
We have a 4th of July event with Jamie’s family that we are looking forward to. What are your plans for the 4th?
Be forewarned that there is a photo overload in this post. Not apologizing just forewarning.
This time around Addy’s aunties and uncles could attend her party redo!
And we could all be close and personal with hugs galore.
Addy helped to decorate her second birthday cake. I think she helped with her first cake, too.
Addy’s re-do party landed on Dan and Jamie’s 5th Anniversary, June 27th, 2020.
Addy’s friend was able to attend her party re-do. The party was in Addy’s front yard which looks like a park.
Addy’s Granny and Granny Great made this 4 generation party great!
Addy is surrounded by those who love her and those she loves, too, like…
…Great Uncle Scott and Rhonda.
Little brother had a blast as long as he was in the arms of those he knows best.
Expressions galore…
For the most part there was good social distancing.
After a while more chairs were moved to shady spots.
We remembered the party game after all the guests left.
Our daughter in law was very creative with all the Daniel the Tiger party accessories. The Daniel the Tiger Trolley has given Addy and Jaymison lots of great creative play opportunities.
Lots of good Daniel the Tiger themed food for us to enjoy.
All in all our birthday girl was happy and pleased with all the festivities before, during and after her party.
We all were so happy to finally be together for the proper celebration of your 3rd birthday dear Addyson May! You are loved by so many and cared for in wonderful ways by your mommy, daddy, brother and family. Baba and Gramps love you dearly.
This was one full Saturday and our Sunday would be the re-do of Jaymison’s 1st birthday. It was a party animal weekend. Next up will be the photo overload of our Lumberjack Jaymison’s party part 2!
We’ve enjoyed some nonstop fun since Friday afternoon and I’ll need to catch my breath before I can share all the activity. So good to have our little family reunited for the first time since Christmas.
(Not in any particular order for this post)
Seeing Auntie Katie and Uncle Andrew for the first time in 6 months.
Enjoying a Baba and JJ tradition of singing Row, Row, Row Your Boat with hand motions.
Three generations.
We had a mix of weather this weekend, cloudy, wet, bright, dark, sunny, showers, thunder, warm, and dry. So far we are lower in Yellow Jacket and Wasp swarms and higher in mosquitoes.
Hopefully I can come around and see what you’ve been up to soon.
What a treat to enjoy time at Josh and Laura’s home on the west side of the Cascades. It had been 6 months since we visited on the “Coast”.
My sister and her husband joined us on Saturday afternoon for a meal and early Father’s Day celebration for Dear.
We had good walks, good talks, watched an online church service together, ate a lot of good food and played cards. Josh and Dear enjoyed shopping at Cabella’s and another favorite store of theirs. The Girls were able to shop at Business Costco and Hobby Lobby.
Laura found the recipe for this cake and she and Katie baked it on Saturday. Cake recipe coming later this week.
Our kids on the East Side sent us a photo from their walk, too.
We made it home safe and sound from the Coast on Monday taking a new route home. I’ll be catching up with blogs soon. Lots of scenes from the road to share. Hope you are all well.
Be back soon to visiting your blogs. Enjoying quality time with our family on the west side of the Cascade Mountain Range. This side of the mountains is still in Stage Two of the COVID-19 re-entry guidelines. Our town in the northeastern corner of Washington State is in Stage 3. Uploading photos has been so wonderful here in broadband dream land. See you soon!
Photo taken somewhere along highway two in Central Washington heading east towards the Cascade Mountain Range.
1. The US of A celebrated Memorial Day this past Monday. Does your family have any military ties? If so, tell us about them.
We do not have any family member who died in combat but we do have Veterans. Our daughter has educated us on the difference between Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day. Memorial Day is not a day to honor anyone who has served but it is for military members who have died in combat. Our son in law is a non-active Marine who served two tours of duty in Afghanistan. He saw some of his Marine buddies die. The collage above shows Marines who were serving the same time as Andrew and who died while serving. These are those who we honor on Memorial Day. My father in law served in World War II. My brother in law served in Viet Nam and it took a toll on his life. My father-in-law and brother-in-law are both buried at the same cemetery, Riverside National Cemetery in California. They were buried 30 years apart.
2. Cole slaw, potato salad, baked beans, potato chips, mac and cheese, macaroni salad…your favorite BBQ side? How many of these do you make from scratch vs. buying from the deli?
Does opening up a can or a box qualify as scratch? 🙂 I enjoy potato salad from scratch but I’ll go for Coleslaw from the deli. I have never made potato chips. I’ve doctored up a can of beans.
3. I enjoyed asking this question back when the Hodgepodge was a regular thing…Lake Superior State University posts a list each year of words they think should be banished from the Queen’s English for misuse, overuse, and/or general uselessness. The 2020 list includes-quid pro quo, artisanal, curated, influencer, literally, I mean, living my best life, mouthful (word used by foodies to describe texture of food in their mouth), chirp (basically an insult, you can read more on the website), jelly (short for jealous), totes (short for totally), vibe, and OK Boomer (internet response from millenial to older generation).
Of the words/phrases listed which would you most like to see ‘banned’?
Well I’m happy to say I haven’t heard most of these. Something about Living my best life doesn’t ring true to me. It seems like something that comes out of the mouth of health and wealth false teachers/charlatans.
4. I’m sure next year’s list will be filled with words springing out of this weird season we’re all in currently. What word or phrase associated with the Corona would you be happy to hear less often?
“Social Distancing” “Self Quarantine”
5. The month of May wraps up in just a few days. Bid her adieu in ten words or less.
May, thank you for opening welcome doors back to normal.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
Here in Northeastern Washington where the population is low and the COVID-19 numbers are low, too, we have some normalcy returning. Dear and I went to a local eatery on Sunday for a burger and it felt as if things were normal in the establishment except for a table here and there that they had a sign on that said “Governor’s Table”. Made us chuckle. Something that is not normal yet is my COVID-19 hair. Oye and ouch. My mop needs a lot of help!
Photo from Mother’s Day with some gifts from our kids.
Thank you to Joyce for asking the questions and managing Hodgepodge.
Yesterday May 25th, 2020 would have been Moisi’s 97th birthday. I threw together these collages from photos I could access off my current computer. They are not in any particular order from the Nineteen Forties thru 2018.
This was Moisi’s last birthday on this earth. He was 95 in 2018 and he died in June of 2018.
The Fellowship of the Unashamed
I am part of the “Fellowship of the Unashamed.” The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure.
I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I now live by presence, lean by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power. My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed.
I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until Heaven returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear.
~
The Author of this work is a Rwandan man in 1980 who was forced by his tribe to either renounce Christ or face certain death. He refused to renounce Christ, and was killed on the spot. The night before he had written the commitment “The Fellowship of the Unashamed” which was found in his room. Bob Moorehead had written this in his book “Words Aptly Spoken” c. 1995
Paul said: For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…Romans 1:16
Our pastor quoted this piece at the end of his sermon for Memorial day this past Sunday. I thought it was appropriate to post on this Tuesday With Moisi. Moisi never looked back after becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ his Lord. He was not ashamed of the Gospel.
Mother’s Day weekend was such a treat with not only weather but a chance for some of our family to finally be together again. We soaked up every minute! After tea time and brunch we had some sunshine playtime.
This collage above was from Saturday evening not Mother’s Day.
All hands on deck to entertain the little ones!
All the family but two were able to gather on Mother’s Day Weekend. Such a good sweet time for all.
1. In a single sentence tell us something about your 40’s. If you haven’t reached that milestone yet tell us (in a single sentence) something about whatever decade you’re in now.
The decade in my 40’s (1991-2001) was the most tumultuous of my life.
(Photo above taken at 2nd rental home 1998ish)
2. Life begins at forty. Agree or disagree? Tell us why. And if not at forty, when?
I don’t agree. I’m too black and white. Life began for me in my mother’s womb. From birth on life has been shaping who I am now. I was born again in 1963 so I’ve been in the sanctification process for 57 years. I wish I had been more obedient in this process.
Sanctification: When you were justified, you were declared righteous by God. Now that you are justified, there is a process of growth and transformation in which you are enabled more and more to grasp the reality that you are dead to your old sinful life and that you actually become more and more like Christ. There are three aspects to our sanctification: definitive sanctification, progressive sanctification, and ultimate sanctification.
3. Share a favorite book, song, or quote with a number featured in it somewhere.
I didn’t remember this great song with a number in the title but Theresa posted it on her post and it really has meant a lot to me over the past several years so I’m adding it in here. Thank you, Theresa!
This quote from the Bible is one I wrote down after reading it.
Jeremiah 32:39 ~I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever for their own good and the good of their children after them.
~
And this quote that I forget who said it…maybe Steve Lawson: “Don’t let your feelings get captured. Your feelings can suffocate your understanding of God. Gaze on the Lord 10x more than you concentrate on your feelings.”
4. A picture’s worth a thousand words, a stitch in time saves nine, back to square one, catch-22, on cloud nine, my two cents…pick a number phrase and tell us how it applies to your life currently.
I will pick “A picture’s worth a thousand words” or 1,000 pieces and 500 pieces. One of our COVID-19 stay at home activities has been putting together jigsaw puzzles. Some of these puzzles we’ve had for years and others were acquired before COVID at garage sales. The Fireside Embroidery one was a purchase during COVID-19. I was happy to see our local grocery store had a rack of puzzles a couple weeks ago and I grabbed this one.
Buying a threefold poster board has really aided our puzzling endeavors. We can move it off the dining room table easily if we are having the kids over for a meal. It also gives a nice flat surface.
5. Last time you drove more than 40 miles from home? More than 400 miles from home? Where were you going? Was it before or after this current season of social distancing?
Today bright and early we are driving to Spokane for a follow-up eye appointment. My surgery was last August. This will be a 70 mile drive from home. This one is during social distancing and Dear will have to wait in the car when I go in for my appointment.
The last time we drove closer to 400 miles from home was December 2019 when we drove to the Seattle area to stay overnight with our “Coast Kids” and then continue on to Chilliwack, British Columbia for our annual MGCC Christmas Party. This was before we knew about this Pandemic.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
I’m going to go deeper into that decade in my forties. Dear’s mother was living with us in a Mother-in-law apartment in our basement. In that decade Dear completed his Pharmacy degree at the University of Washington, had a year of residency, got a job at Immunex Corporation in Seattle Washington. While he was in school I started a house cleaning business and added a medical clinic and dental clinic at night as part of the job. Dear and I worked together in the evenings at those clinics. Because Dear’s mother was living with us we could leave at night after the kids were in bed. I was the skinniest I had ever been with all that aerobic scrubbing.
When Dear’s new career was going well I retired my cleaning business just in time to pull our daughter out of public school and home school her for 4th, 5th and 6th grade. She was experiencing heart wrenching persecution at school. During those homeschooling years with our sons in high school we had a major landslide on our back slope and long story short we walked away from our dream home and started the very new to us need to rent homes while still having all of Dear’s mother’s stuff in our possession. When the major slide forced us to walk away from our home, Dear’s mother moved out of our home to Yuba City, California to live close to her younger sister.
In May before our oldest son graduated from high school, Dear’s mother passed away and we were in Yuba City for the funeral and then having to divide up her stuff between Dear and his older brother and haul it back to our place. In August I drove Josh to Westmont College in Montecito , Califonia. (Santa Barbara), on my own. An emotional time for this mom. We were in our 2nd rental home at this time.
In Dan’s senior year we moved to our third rental home in October of 1998. In November of 1998 just one month after moving all our stuff to this third rental home the owner of the home told us he had to sell the home. We were devastated with this news not knowing where we could move next. We decided to try to buy this rental and were amazed to find out that there was nothing on our record showing we had defaulted on our landslide house loan! We bought our home in Kenmore not because we chose it but because we couldn’t face moving again. We enjoyed 20 years in that home and made some amazing upgrades to the property. Dan graduated from high school in 1999. We had Josh and Laura’s rehearsal dinner at this home in August of 2001 and then in September of 200l life changed for all of us because of 9-11. And that my friends was my decade in my forties.
That’s just a little of the story of my 40’s! I’m happy to say my fifties and sixties have been less tumultuous and filled with some wonderful adventures and travel. In my late fifties I was connected to the Mennonite Girls. In my sixties we enjoyed the weddings of our daughter Katie and our son Dan. We made a major move again this time to the country from the city. Blessed with two grandchildren in our sixties. And now Dear is officially retired.
But…we press on to the upward call…
Philippians 3:13-14 (ESV)
13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Thank you to Joyce for coming up with the questions for Hodgepodge!
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 