While we were in Scotland life was busy on the mountain. Our Colville family went out to their favorite forest location to down and prep firewood for the winter. The most exciting thing is that while getting more firewood they found the axe that they left behind/lost last season!
Awana had a beach night and the Grands dressed in style for the theme!
This little guy got a haircut. He’s always ready for a snack!
It is so good to receive photos and updates in real time while we are traveling.
Time for the new school year!
It’s always fun to see their favorites. Busy days ahead with homeschooling and with Co-op.
We had twin fawns visit and I only managed to get one of them in a photo.
I will be hit and miss on the internet and with posting for the next little while. I’ll pop in when I can.
The last game of the summer soccer season for the Bobcats! Jamie captured this great photo with Addy doing her little kickback move with her dad in the background being the coach and the referee. Great season Bobcats and coach Dan!
I have the cutest video of JJ and his end of season scrimmage but I wasn’t able to share it with my photo platform.
These next photos are of the roads we travel back and forth to get to the play fields and to the high school for our Stair climbing fitness times.
We had some sprinkles on the morning I took these.
I love the layers of mountains that we get to enjoy. We are so thankful for our peaceful country views with most of our traffic pauses because of animals crossing the road!
Here in the USA we have our Labor Day Weekend with the Monday holiday. The last hurrah of summer for many. Our schools start next week here in Colville. Our Fall programs at church begin next week, too.
Have a great weekend everyone!
We made it to our little Country Fair Parade on Saturday morning. We were only sprinkled on and didn’t get wet…just sprinkled. ‘Every cloud has a silver lining.’ Our Grands were able to gather a bunch of candy as the different participants in the parade threw the treats to the sides of Main street. Our Fire department starts the parade off with their sirens and such and that is why Addy and JJ have their ear protection on! ‘Better Safe than Sorry’
Onward to our questions of the week…
Yikes! It’s the last Wednesday Hodgepodge for August! Thank you to Jo, From This Side of the Pond, for the questions that ‘give us a run for our money‘.
1. What is one cliche you think is nonsense?
‘Easy as pie’, for me, is nonsense. Getting the pie crust just right and making a great pie without a ‘soggy bottom’ is not easy for me. I wasn’t raised with a pie baking mom so making a pie has always been intimidating. That said, I do appreciate my pie making friends and their great pies with the crust being just right!
What’s one you think holds truth?
‘Ugly as sin’ Sin is ugly and has caused all the trouble we’ve ever seen in our world or will ever see. So thankful that God made a way for us to be out from under it’s condemnation! That way came through Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross for our sin. Colossians 1:13-14: For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
2. What’s the last thing you broke and how did it happen?
Recently, I knocked a stemless wine glass off my little side table and it shattered and traveled to many places unknown. The glass did not have wine in it, it was empty which was a good thing! It was a cheap variety of glass, too, not a Riedel, (if you know, you know). ‘Don’t cry over spilled milk’
3. Are you a fan of s’mores? Have you had a s’more this summer?
Not a fan and no I haven’t had a s’more this summer.
Last thing you ate that you wanted to ask for ‘s’more of’?
A Scone with lemon curd. ‘One Man’s Meat is Another Man’s poison’
4. A mode of transportation you’ve never tried? Will you someday?
I’ve never tried a Hover board and I will never try them. I’m at the ‘it’s too easy to break a hip’ stage of life! ‘Don’t Play With Fire’
5. Believe it or not, next week’s Hodgepodge lands in a brand new month. What’s your happiest memory from the month we’re bidding adieu?
My favorite part of August was when Josh and Laura came for a 4 day visit in the middle of the month. All the gathering moments together were sweet and it’s always good to spend time together ‘face to face’.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
Speaking of Josh and Laura, they celebrated their 23rd wedding anniversary this past Sunday.
On Saturday the 17th of August an afternoon boat adventure became reality. The younger set filled up all the seats on the boat for a cruise and landing on a beach. Gramps and Baba relaxed and recuperated at home.
Enjoying the best that summer offers in our own backyard! The weekend and Uncle Joshie and Auntie Lolo’s visit was coming to an end.
We all gathered at church on Sunday morning and Josh and Laura hit the road for home right after the service ended. Till next time, adieu!
Saturday morning the 17th of August we hit the Rotary Trail at 9am.
JJ was determined that Uncle Joshie would get him a Cat Tail from the trail.
The Battle of the Cat Tails!
Father and son #1. Our 2nd son was working this Saturday.
After our walk Greg and I headed home while the rest of our crew headed up to Bayles Mountain. An outing on the water was planned for after Dan’s work hours. That post is coming soon.
The Rotary Trail runs along and through the golf course and it is beside the high school and our little Colville airport. We noticed this huge craft at the air field. We’ve had several air resources around to help with the fires in our region.
Back to the current Saturday we had a nice amount of rain overnight and a lot of wind. There were many power outages around our county. Thankfully we weren’t part of any outages. Hopefully the storm aided instead of created more fire danger. The Fair is in town since Thursday and runs through Sunday. Greg and I went to the Fair on Thursday morning. Boise Cascade, a local company, pays for the first 1200 fair goers on Thursday and we were 2 of those 1200! There is a Fair parade this morning and I’ll meet up with our Grands for that. Other than that it will be a quiet Saturday.
Mornings around here are feeling more and more like Fall. Enjoy your last full weekend in August.
Friday morning the 16th of August we had Greg’s famous Swedish Pancakes for breakfast at Our Country Bungalow.
Our daughters in law were twinsies without planning it.
The three of us took off to do a little shopping while the guys stayed at our country bungalow. We couldn’t resist trying on these beauties off the sale rack. They did not come home with us but gave us a chuckle.
While we were gone the guys and Addy did some clearing of fallen branches on our property for which I was very thankful.
They finished that task and decided it was time to scale the mountain behind our home. We own part of Rattlesnake mountain and it was fun to hear about this trek up the mountain using game trails to traverse the steepness. Here is the team of four who took the climb!
Here are the views looking back down on our home.
It was fun to see these views without having to make the climb!
Friday night we enjoyed hamburgers at the Colville kids’ home.
Earlier a couple chickens got loose and they were tracked down and put back where they belong.
A little basketball and more shenanigans before dinner.
I could have gotten my days mixed up with all these photos.
After dinner and on our way back to our home we couldn’t resist snapping these photos from their driveway.
We all wonder when that great old barn is going to collapse.
Good night, Colville.
Saturday was another good day in Colville filled with fun in the sun. That will be another post or two.
Happy last full weekend of August!
Beautiful early summer morning getting our stair workout.
Wednesday Hodgepodge is here again. Thank you to Jo From This Side of the Pond for the questions we answer!
1. What’s the last thing you completely overreacted to?
I’m trying to drop some pounds…again. I tend to overreact when the scale does not show a loss equal to my sacrifice. The struggle is real.
2. Your top five snacks?
This time of year I love a sweet nectarine for a snack. Snack sized Payday, mini dark chocolate, mixed nuts, Sunflower or Pumpkin seeds are some of my go-to snacks.
3. What smell always brings back some type of memory? Elaborate.
When I make a big pot of borsch that can bring back many childhood memories. The overall aroma especially when I add the fresh dill can stir up memories of our mom in the kitchen or the big church meals. Cucumbers also are a memory trigger. Cucumbers, tomatoes and fresh slices of bread, that combination reminds my senses of times past.
4. What’s something you learned from the last book you read?
I learned so much from the Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges that it still sits on my desk for a re-read. What I learned is that I still have a lot to learn before I die. I’ll add this quote from a Scottish Commentator John Brown that Bridges quoted in the book and a few from Bridges;
“The mind is renewed when, under the influence of the Spirit, the truth is understood and believed, so as to displace the ignorance and error that previously prevailed.”
and one from Bridges;
“We do not transform ourselves although we have a part in the process.” and…
“…we should pray for knowledge of truth that will change our lives rather than simply inform our minds.”
5. What’s the next thing on your to-buy list? Will you make that purchase before the end of the year?
We do not have anything major on our to-buy list. We do wonder about our TV and whether it might need an upgrade, soon. Not a thing, but our septic is on the verge of needing to be pumped out. That will cost a few pennies!!
6. Insert your own random thought here.
How about this shot for a quintessential fun summer evening going up the driveway home with Auntie and Uncle.
Wednesday evening August 14th Uncle and Auntie arrived just at the end of soccer practice. We enjoyed dinner out at Rancho Chico before resting up for a full Thursday.
Bright and early Thursday morning the brothers had a tee time.
On Thursday after throwing some roasts in the slow cooker we headed to Bayles Mountain for lunch. The guys were there already after golfing 18 holes.
We had home made sourdough pita bread and tzatziki with steak and with the fresh veggies from the garden.
Everyone gathered back to our place in the afternoon after Addy’s dance practice.
We had dinner early and then some outdoor activities.
Mama deer was outside, too, and very interested in this little guy who got a kick out of seeing her so close. The Aronia Berries were ripe for the picking and everyone had a chance to get their hands stained purple.
While outside I got stung by one of these. The Yellow Jackets and hornets are in abundance this summer and they are aggressive. Our traps have been filling up quickly. Lots of chatter on our county sites about how to get rid of them!
Addy’s Soccer games are on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:30. Our son is coaching which makes it even more fun to watch. We piled into our vehicles and headed to the soccer fields.
Turned out that there was not a referee available so our son Josh stepped in for that role. Triple the fun watching Dan Coach, Addy play and Josh referee!
Go Addy!
Great job, Bobcats, Coach and Referee!!
I had to add a few more photos that I missed the first time around!
Thank you to Auntie Lolo for all the great photos!!
And that was Thursday. Friday and Saturday were two more full days that I’ll post about later this week.
Addy’s first lemonade stand in August of 2020.
It’s time again for Wednesday Hodgepodge with thanks to Jo From This Side of the Pond.
1.What was the best (or one of the best) summers of your life? Tell us why.
The best summer of my life was in 1963. The summer of that year I responded to God’s call on my life. I repented of my sins and believed and put my faith on the Lord Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for my sins and began following my LORD and Savior. Why is this the best? Jesus is my guarantor of a future with the Triune God in heaven. I have been saved from the wrath of God, saved from Hell. Now I am a child of God and His love is over me. I was given eternal life and everything I need on this earth to grow in obedience and the knowledge of the one who saved me. Jesus is way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Him.
Repentance is agreeing with God that you are sinful, confessing your sins to Him, and making a conscious choice to turn from sin and pursue Christ and obedience to Him. It isn’t enough to believe facts about Christ. Even Satan and his demons believe in the true God, but they don’t love and obey Him. True saving faith always responds in obedience.
2. When you have a trip coming up do you make a list and check it twice to ensure you don’t forget anything? Or are you a ‘throw whatever you can think of into the suitcase at the last minute’ kind of packer?nd
Lists, lists, and more lists. Sometimes I do throw in some last minute items!
When returning from a trip do you unpack immediately or leave the suitcase right where it lands?
It depends. If I’m suffering from jet-lag it could take a day or two for the unpacking and laundering.
3. What’s your favorite food or beverage made with lemons? Is that a flavor you enjoy?
Lemon curd is a favorite on a scone or in a pastry.
A Kensington Dream for a drink. It has a half a lemon squeezed in it.
I do enjoy lemon flavor.
4. When was the last time you had to make lemonade out of lemons, figuratively speaking I mean?
This was a tough one for my memory bank. When we were in the condo for a couple years in Southern California, I wanted to make a calzone for the first time. I did not have a rolling pin as they were both back in our home in Washington State. We did have a muddler and I ended up being able to use that to roll out the dough!
5. Did you like school growing up? Why or why not?
I did like school growing up. I remember that ‘feeling’ in September when school was just about to start. I can remember holding a book early on and loving the fact that I could read the words on the page. I had some wonderful teachers who encouraged me in their kindness to enjoy school. Mrs. Nicklaus, Mr. Demar, Mrs. Sawyer, My senior American Government teachers, Henke, Simon and Sciandra. Mr. Sciandra signed my annual with this sentiment; “I certainly have enjoyed having a swell Christian in class. Best wishes for your future. “
6. Insert your own random thought here.
I captured a few shots of the northern light show on Monday night but it wasn’t nearly as dramatic as this one I captured back in May of 2024. The cool thing I saw on Monday night was a shooting star! It’s been ages since I’ve seen one of those.
Have a good end of the week everyone!
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 