Twice is Nice

On Saturday while the guys held the fort and watched over the turkey on the Traeger grill my girls and I took a quick shopping trip to World Market and then to Molbak’s. Molbak’s is a local garden and gift shop that has an amazing array of poinsettias this time of year.

Katie chose a small variegated variety to take home.

There were many displays of Christmas trees decorated in different themes.

There is always a huge poinsettia tree for photo ops. Our girls…Laura, Jamie and Katie.

After we got home from shopping the kids had time to play a board game together before the rest of our dinner guests arrived for our 2nd Thanksgiving meal.

We took the ottomans out of the family room to add a round table for the older ones of us to sit. The younger ones sat at the dining area table.

The turkey on the Traeger grill was a hit. It was moist with a subtle smoky flavor. We had the regular sides our family enjoys, mashed potatoes, ~~stuffing~~ dressing (we usually have stuffing but since the turkey went on the grill we stuck with dressing), candied sweet potatoes and Sarly brought a delicious spinach salad. My sister Lana brought an appetizer tray. Our DIL Jamie made a pie with her delicious home canned apple pie filling.

Raelynd, Sarly, Jamie, Laura and Katie. There’s a 6th little girl who is not visable in this photo, yet.

Rayna (Dan & Jamie’s dog) Katie and Andrew.

Our dear friends Jamie, Sarly, Raelynd and David Daniel. Many of you have been praying for our little warrior, David Daniel. He is now 16 months old and getting stronger every day. Please keep praying for his development. We enjoyed watching him crawl and pull himself up. We enjoyed a group game of hangman with Raelynd, ending with a rip roaring Sunday School song “I’ve got the joy joy joy joy down in my heart!”

We tried a huge group selfie with all our guests for the evening. Friends and Family all together.

This morning Dan, Jamie (with our developing granddaughter), and their dog Rayna packed up to head back over the mountains and onward to the far eastern part of our state.

We are now laying low after emptying the dishwasher and putting away the extra chairs and tables. We also put away all the Thanksgiving decor. Dear vacuumed for me and I’m grateful for that. This week I’ll start thinking about bringing all the Christmas boxes down to make this old house look a lot like Christmas…

Linking to Mosaic Monday with Maggie at Normandy Life.

Young at Heart…

So this happened this past Saturday. My 93 year old pop got his turn to hit the pinata at his great granddaughter’s 7th birthday party! I’m glad they didn’t blindfold him! He was really tuckered out after the long drive and all the fun of this day.

Happy Birthday dear Avery!

Photo credit to my nieces and nephews.

Pop in Five or More…

These two…always the best when they were together. Together for 70 years before our mom died. My Pop has been fragmented ever since our mom died on their 70th wedding anniversary, September 13, 2013. They could communicate well in Russian with each other. None of us kids are fluent so he’s lost that aspect of his daily life. We’ve all tried to support him in his sorrow. He would love to be reunited with mom and His Savior. But…until then we try to keep him looking up and staying in the light. Can you imagine sharing life together with someone for 70 years and then trying to live on your own?

Pop lives with our oldest sister’s family now. God bless her and her family for being there daily for our Pop. He has a special buddy in our dear niece Miss on the right in the photo above. Our sister Lana tries to visit regularly while she is in Southern California. I love the photo above of the 3 musketeers.

My Pop loves eating breakfast out but nowhere fancy please! He likes Denny’s or a similar spot where he can get his 2 eggs sunnyside up, with hashbrowns, sausage links and a cup of coffee. Oh yes…white toast only!

For lunch if you are going to take him out he enjoys a hamburger at the Habit. If you order or bring in a pizza he does not want thin crust healthy nonsense. Bring on the dough and all the good toppings, please.

Our best purchase ever was this recliner that he tells me every time he sees me in person that he loves. Thank you Lyena for my chair.

His latest sweet great granddaughter Eleanor. He thinks she’s the best.

No birthday cake just bring him a cherry pie!

His last sibling that is alive today. Aunt Anna and Pop live a few miles from each other. She lives in a senior care home. They talk most every day for about 30 seconds top. That’s another thing about Pop all you need is about 30 seconds a week to stay connected. He does not talk long on the phone!

These are some of Pop’s grandchildren with their spouses. He has many others and a very cool thing I’ll share about my Pop is that he gets down on his knees every night and prays out loud for each of his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

My niece captured this image of our Pop on his knees praying. Although my Pop and Mom had a language challenge in communicating with us children and grandchildren they showed us all love in different ways. My mother expressed her love through her cooking and preparing meals for us. Our Pop expressed his love in working hard all his life to provide our basic needs. Both my Mom and Pop prayed for each of us every day. These days if our Pop feels his bank account has more money than he needs he gives us some extra cash. My parents always lived with the bare necessities. Another thing my Pop would want you to know is that he is a sinner like the rest of us and that he has been saved by grace. He’s not perfect but he loves God and is grateful for all that God has done for him.

My Pop turned 93 in May of this year. We thank God for Him and how God has blessed him and kept him all these years.

Although my post is not a clear 5, I’m linking up to Five on Friday with Amy at Love Made My Home and for Friday’s Fave Five with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.

A Full Weekend…

So much to share from the weekend and I need some time to put my thoughts and photos together. Our kids from the east of the state have been with us this weekend and are leaving sometime today so I won’t be joining in memes since I don’t have time to visit.

We’ve had a change in our hot weather pattern and I’m enjoying cooler days. I’m a heat wimp. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

While we were in the Country…

…our oldest kids flew to the big city of Los Angeles.

While they were there for a quick weekend with friends to enjoy a special concert together they managed a getaway to see my pop, their Dzeda.

They also managed to get all these cousins together for brunch.

Beautiful girls. Two of my nieces with our dear daughter in love, Laura.

We are all back in our own homes again. Home from the big city and home from the country.

This country scene is from our middle son’s neck of the woods.

On our way home today we stopped at the scenic overlook of the Columbia River just before you get to Vantage. A selfie was in order. This is about halfway in our trip.

It’s good to be home after six days away. Watering was the first thing on my list to do and now I will relax till tomorrow. We are finishing up listening to a Bruno Chief of Police novel. On our trip to the country we finished Louise Penny’s The Cruelest Month.

Hope all is well whether you are in the big city or the quiet country.

The Weekend

This last weekend we enjoyed good times together with our kids.

Our kids from the east arrived shortly after 2 pm and we had a snack of Pishkey-Russian Fry bread or (Rollkuchen-Mennonite Version) and watermelon. Next up was getting our son Dan’s Blazer on a car carrier so he could take it back to his own shop in Eastern Washington. Lots of discussion went on amongst the 4 men on the best way to do things. The ladies sat on patio chairs far away from the danger and kept Reyna (Dan and Jamie’s dog) entertained. Katie ventured over to the danger to take a GoPro video of the action.

Reyna enjoyed fetch while the guys worked and then had a little rest under the apple tree.

When the vehicle was safely on the carrier and strapped down we enjoyed dinner together. Brisket off the smoker, barbecue beans, and a fresh slaw of mango, jicama, and cabbage. Apple Cake for dessert. I didn’t get a photo of Laura before she had to leave.

On Sunday Dan, Jamie, Josh and I enjoyed the Sounders game together. This was an anniversary treat for Dan from his bride of one year! It was such a good game even though we didn’t win but left with a tie.

On Monday morning more things were loaded up and Dan and Jamie carefully drove home. We picked pears off our tree for them to take home for canning. They also took the balance of our apples to prepare for canning. Reyna hopped in the back seat excited to take off with Dan and Jamie.

It was so good to see these two face to face. A happy anniversary weekend to them a month after their one year anniversary! We enjoy each of our children with their spouses. They are three very different couples with their unique qualities that blend well with each other. We love their uniqueness. We are so blessed to know that they have a common bond in the Spirit with our God and Creator. Unique but the same, bonded in the Spirit of the Lord. We thank God for his loving hand on them and pray for their marriages which are constantly under attack in our current world.

V is for Vera…

Vera is one of my older sisters. She was recently widowed and has moved into a 55 and over community not far from her old home. While I was visiting she had an open house to share her new home with friends and family.

Her manufactured home is open concept with 9 foot ceilings that give it a spacious feeling.

There are 3 bedrooms which include a large master suite with a walk in closet and large bathroom with a separate tub and shower. My younger sister Lana lives with Vera part-time when she is in Southern California working. Lana got to decorate her own room. Since Lana was in Washington while I was in California I got to crash in her room. My brother Leonard from Texas was also staying with Vera and he got the bedroom/office and the blow up mattress.

It was good to see some of our cousins and old friends during the open house. Vera used an old email list for her invites so if she missed you she apologizes.

It was a nice day and we set up tables and chairs in the carport. I did not get photos of everyone, oops.

On Sunday Leonard, Vera, and I met some of our family for brunch in Newport Beach at Sol Cocina.

Leonard and I got to meet our newest grand niece for the first time.

Ellie with her Baba, my SIL Kelly.

Later in the day some of my family gathered at Vera’s again for more food and fellowship.

I’ve posted this photo before but I love it enough to post it again, Pop (dzeda) and Ellie. My dear old pop made it out to Vera’s twice and he lasted for several hours which was good for him.

My pop with 5 of his 8 children.

Leonard and I managed to be with our pop for dinner at Kathy’s on Friday night, open house on Saturday, Dinner at Vera’s on Sunday and then we drove out on Monday morning to go out for breakfast with him and my sister Kathy and to say goodbye to him until we meet again. He got his 2 eggs sunny side up with hash browns, sausage, white toast and coffee and even though it was at Coco’s instead of Denny’s he said it was good. He also insisted on paying. He says he needs to get rid of his money. From breakfast we headed straight to the airport for Leonard’s flight back to Texas. I still had 24 hours left in California.

The fun just kept coming. After I dropped Leonard off I met up with my BFF from my Russian Baptist days and we had lunch and a few hours of catching up. Would you believe from this meet up I headed to the third restaurant of the day, Zov’s, to meet my sisters for dinner?

Kathy and I split our Kebob dinner and we all shared the dessert tray. Kathy, this could have been your late birthday celebration if my brain wasn’t completely fogged up by then! Oye!

When Vera and I returned home Dear’s brother and SIL stopped by for a brief visit since they couldn’t come to the Open House. It was good to see them face to face. BTW, Dear wasn’t with me in Southern California because he was working at a conference in Chicago.

I’m now home after flying first class and that’s a fun story all by itself. This post is way too long already. It’s good to be home and I thank God for watching over me and giving me valuable moments to treasure with my Pop, family and friends.

Since it’s Wednesday and ABC Wednesday is on the letter V this post will be linked up for V is for Vera! Thank you Mrs. Nesbitt and Roger with his team of ABCers.

An Interlude…

…a brief period of time that comes in the middle of something.

Spent some sweet time with the youngest in our family, my grandniece and with the oldest…

our pop with his youngest great granddaughter.

When I get home I’ll share a lot more of my time away from the regular routine of home.

Five More Hats!

Five more hats that I have worn from college on…

# 1 ~ I was part of a Christian Rock group where I met Dear and we fell in love with each other and with Great Britain in the early 70’s.

“Hymns give way to Jesus Rock in morning assembly at St. George’s Church of England School, in Meadow Road, Gravesend yesterday. The concert was given by the Contemporaries, 14 musicians from the United States who are in the middle of a world tour. They have already completed a number of successful “gigs” in Liverpool. They are all professional musicians but they are giving their services free”…

Dear and I are in the center of the photo on the bottom row. 1974 was the last summer tour Dear and I participated in.

#2 – I was a bride and became a wife to Dear and changed my name in December of 1974.

#3 ~ I was an elementary school teacher in the Montebello Unified School District until our first son was born.

#4~ I’m blessed to be a mother to these three children and my mother in law sheet is complete with two daughter-in-laws and one son-in-law.

#5 I’m an auntie and great auntie to so many lovely human beings! I’m sharing a few photos so I can get all of the nieces and nephews and great nephews and nieces in. I haven’t met two of the latest greats in person yet.

Our family and Dear’s brother’s family from Katie and Andrew’s wedding in 2012.

Dear’s only brother’s family and our family in 2015 at Riverside National Cemetery (missing Jenna, Justin, Skylar and Travis).

My kids and nieces and nephews and grand nieces and nephews surrounding my pop at my mother’s memorial service in 2013.

Our kids plus my nieces and nephews with my youngest niece Hope and youngest nephew Andrew in 2015 at my brother-in-law Nick’s funeral. So let me count. 7 brothers and sisters. 7 brother and sister in laws. 19 original nieces and nephews. Many of those nieces and nephews are married now and I have 9 grand nieces and nephews. I have 4 nieces and 2 nephews who aren’t married yet.

I have one brother (out of my 7 siblings) whose family has estranged themselves from all the rest of us siblings and our families. They are not enjoying the love and support and comfort that the rest of us enjoy when we are together. I’m adding this truth here to let my dear readers know that things aren’t all rosy in my family relationship category. My brother and his wife have 4 kids and we know for sure 3 of them are married. We aren’t sure about our oldest nephew from this family. We have at least 3 grand nephews or nieces that I’ve never met. I also have never met two of my nephew’s spouses and the oldest niece’s spouse. They have chosen to cut off all ties and relationship with us. Haven’t seen my brother since 2009 and haven’t seen my sister in law since 2004. So sad but true. We pray that there will be reconciliation in the future. Gott Kann!

I have a few more current hats to share before I totally bore you to tears.

I’m linking up with Amy at Love Made My Home for Five on Friday and with Susanne for Friday’s Fave Five.

I’ll be on the road for most of Friday and hope to check in once we arrive at our son’s house in Eastern Washington for the weekend later on Friday. Blessings…

A Sneak Peek…

…into part of our sisters weekend. I’ll share more later because we’re still cracking each other up…

My prayers were answered for a nice day on Saturday for our major tour day! Thank you Lord!

I’ll be back in my blogging saddle on Wednesday!

The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b.

To honor and encourage

Category Archives: Family