Category Archives: Grandchildren

A Valuable Hodgepodge

It’s the last Wednesday in April and here’s a peek into how our backyard is shaping up. We see lots of green growth. I mowed the lawns on Monday and soon perennials will fill in much of the bare spots. We bought some solar lights that Dear installed around the shade structure. What’s fun about them is that we have a remote to turn them on and off.

Thank you to Joyce From This Side of the Pond for asking all the volumes of questions for the Hodgepodge!

1. What does the word values mean to you personally?

Something worthy and true that will guide me on the right path.

Where did your values come from?

My values initially were instilled in me by my parents, shaped by God and then deepened by the Word of God.

What are some of the values that have guided you throughout your life? 

This verse I read at the end of Ecclesiastes sums it up:

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgement, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. 

2. Your favorite vanilla flavored something? 

Haagen Daz Vanilla Swiss Almond Ice Cream.

3. What’s something you’ve seen/done recently that you found to be very difficult, very confusing, very helpful, very interesting, or very special. Elaborate. 

I’ll pick very special.

On Easter day after church and lunch we traveled to the Kettle River for a very special baptism. You can read about it here.

4. Something you own and love that is violet in color? 

Love is a strong word for what I own that is violet. This is the one display in our home that has some ‘violet’ items on it and it’s above our master bathroom toilet. The photo of me and Dear from 1973 is something I love.

5. Do you have vacation plans on the calendar this summer? Tell us more. 

Nothing set in stone of any kind but we are toying with the idea of making it to England come September.

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

Speaking of the word value, I value good relationships that are tried and true. The kind that even when you haven’t seen each other for a long time you can step into easily and be in sync.

I value my role as a parent.

They are adults now and our relationship has changed as it should and it’s good to see them in loving relationships.

I value my role as a grandparent ‘baba’.

So thankful we only live 8 miles away from these two and that we have regular interaction with them.

I value my relationship with God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, three in one. The sacrifice Jesus made for mankind on the cross opened up the door of peace with God and through repentance and calling on the name of Jesus I was born again to a new life in Him. This is the most foundational and important relationship in my life. It’s value cannot be exceeded.

Well here we are in the last few days of April. Our April was filled to the brim with good things and some sad things, too. Looking forward to May flowers.

3 Alarm Fire!

Welcome to Fire Station #3!

Here’s Engine #3! Our daughter in law created another fabulous cake.

Stop, Drop and Roll!

All the usual suspects and more were in the station enjoying each other before lunch was fired up on the barbecue.

The spotlight this day was on Fireman Jaymison.

Some people came dressed to the T with flames on!

We had our lunch of brats, hot dogs, coleslaw, potato salad and other goodies. We cleaned up after lunch and then we were all surprised to hear the fire alarm go off. The fire chief and fireman pulled on their boots and headed outside to see what the alarm was all about. Sure enough there was a fire that needed to be put out!

The Fire Chief supervised as Fireman #3 helped to put out the fire!

Fireman JJ was relieved of duty while the Fire Chief took over and was helped by other guests at the party.

JJ kept an eye on the action from a safe distance.

The fire was put out successfully.

All those from Fire District #3 posed for their photo.

After all that hard work it was time to light the candles and sing Happy Birthday!

Two fires put out in one day!

We had two other April birthdays to celebrate with a candle on this day. Our Andrew and Jamie D. had a dessert made in their honor.

Time for presents!

Fun with his very own Pop up Fire Rescue truck. Room for JJ and his friend David.

Now for all the guests.

Granny Great and Jim

Granny

Great Uncle Scott and Aunt Rhonda

Uncle Josh and Auntie Lolo.

Auntie Katie and Uncle Andrew

The Dickinson family, long time friends.

Mylee and her family. Long time friend of the family.

Gramps and Baba

Brother and sister.

This 3 year old was a real trooper through all those photos and all the action of the day. His birthday this year landed on the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter. Not every birthday will land on Easter weekend, thankfully.

Baba and Gramps love you JJ and we are thankful that you are growing strong and healthy. It’s fun to watch you build things with blocks and Construx. Bikes, your jeep, swings, sticks and rocks along with dirt keep you occupied outside. You love being outside and thanks to your mom and dad you are allowed to spend lots of time in the fresh air. Thank you for your cuddles and hugs. You are our favorite 3 year old in all the world!

Celebrating Our Risen Savior

After church we all gathered at Dan and Jamie’s for a delicious lunch of several different soups, chili and homemade bread. Before the day progressed to the Easter egg hunt and opening the treats in the Easter Baskets we stepped outside for our Easter photos.

There were some serious conversations going on while enjoying the soups.

Four baskets full of fun to dig into after the hunt. I found these cute baskets at the Dollar Store, which is now the $1.25 store.

The dad’s snuck out to hide all the eggs. Ready, set, go!

Everyone got a basket full.

There was lots of delight in opening the eggs to see what was inside.

The adults and kids enjoyed Dan’s creations. He is perfecting his macarons masterfully!

The day was not over yet because before dinner we all jumped into our cars and drove north several miles for Jamie D’s baptism. It was the perfect culmination on this Easter Day.

I still will be posting all the photos from our grandson’s 3rd birthday party that we enjoyed on the Saturday of Easter Weekend. That will wait until Monday. Happy weekend to all!

If Memory Serves Me Hodgpodge

Time for the Hodgepodge where Jo From This Side of the Pond asks the questions and we all answer.

1. What’s something you wish you had spent more time doing when you were younger? Explain. 

Memorizing portions of scripture in the Bible since the verses I did memorize when I was young are easier to call up now!

2. Who inspires you to be better. Tell us how. 

The obvious answer is Jesus because He was on earth as a man and lived perfectly. Looking to Him the Holy Spirit helps us to change. Many others at any moment inspire me when they shine in their love and responses. They inspire me to be better, too.

3. Share a money saving tip with us. 

Splitting a meal when you go out instead of taking half home.

4. It’s National Garlic Day…are you a fan? Your favorite dish that includes garlic? 

 

Yes, I am a fan of garlic. Many dishes call for garlic which I enjoy. My husband’s Tomato Rice Soup is a stand out that includes garlic. Hummus is a favorite, too.

5. Would you describe yourself as decisive or indecisive. Elaborate. 

Mostly decisive. If I’m indecisive I’ll do the research to make a decision.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Enjoying recalling all the glorious events over Easter Weekend.

This little guy turned 3 on Saturday and Fireman was the theme!

Our Easter/Birthday company are still with us today. They fly home this evening. I’m guessing my visits will be late.

Easter’s Coming Hodgepodge

It’s time to answer the questions of the week that Jo From This Side of the Pond has gathered for us.

1. Do you celebrate Easter? If so what are your plans this year? Did you have egg hunts as a kid? 

Yes, indeed, we celebrate Easter, our risen Savior and what His death, burial and resurrection means to all of us. We will be in church Sunday morning and then gather at our kids home to watch the littles hunt for eggs and have a meal together. All of our family and our daughter-in-law’s family will be together and this year dear friends will be with us, too.

My growing up family did not have egg hunts. We did enjoy hard boiled eggs and hitting them on top of our siblings heads to crack them before we peeled them.

When our kids were little we had hunts of m&m’s and other candy in cupcake paper sleeves around the house before we went to church.

One Easter when our kids were married and before grandkids we had a hunt in the yard with a golden Easter egg that had $50 in it!

2. What’s your favorite bread to find in a bread basket? 

Any bread that is fresh and soft. I have favorites that go with certain dishes. I love many kinds of bread, French, Italian, Rye, Farmers, Sourdough, Challah, Pita, Lavash, Flat Bread, Kulich, Paska, Pishky, Indian Fry Bread…

So thankful I’m gluten tolerant!

3. Your favorite chick flick? 

Pride and Prejudice, the original BBC version with Colin Firth.

4.Tax day is rapidly approaching in the US of A…what’s something you currently find ‘taxing’? 

There’s a thing I’m in charge of that is mostly out of my control. I just have to be there and make it work at the last minute. I’m in charge of other people who will show up and depend on me to tell them what to do for this out of my control event. That is not my comfort zone. I’m working hard to organize the un-organizable. I’m feeling taxed!

5. Have you ever ridden in a taxi? Do you have a funny-scary-crazy-interesting taxi story to share? Do you use any of the newer taxi-like services such as Uber? 

Yes, I have stories. Dear and I had an awful, harrowing ride from O’Hare airport to downtown Chicago for one of his conferences. You know how you have to stand in line and wait for the next available taxi? Well we got a real doozie. We should have refused his ride and waited for another after he opened the trunk and there was no room for our luggage because he had a molded plastic outdoor chair in the trunk. What? Then the taxi smelled of tobacco. Ugh. Then his driving skills were horrendous. We think he might have lived in his taxi. Oye. We praised the Lord when we made it to the hotel.

When we were in D.C. for another conference I ordered a taxi to take me to a Hillwood Estate a Russian treasures house in the outskirts of D.C. When the taxi driver saw where I wanted to go he wasn’t pleased because it would take too much of his time instead of getting quick easy money making rides from the conference attendees. Short hops from the hotels to the convention center where the conference was being held. He drove me to the convention center stopped and had me get out. I was a wee bit shocked at this treatment. At least I was a little closer to the estate where I desired to go. The attendant they had outside the convention center managing all the taxis found me a willing driver to take me to the estate. I tipped him well.

We have used Uber services.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Last year’s Easter egg hunt at Baba and Gramps’. This year JJ’s 3rd birthday lands on Easter weekend which makes for a very full fun filled weekend.

Apologizing ahead of time if my visits are scarce this week.

Big Steps

This little guy made a big step in the month of March. He joined his big sister at the weekly trusted homeschool co-op that Addy has been part of since last year.

Getting dropped off together they go boldly ahead with no looking back, no hesitation.

JJ has entered a new phase both for Co-op and for Sunday School. “No cry” he told me. He goes in willingly and enjoys himself.

We are so thankful for this step and the growth that each one of them is experiencing. Thankful we can trust the content of what they are learning, too.

Miss Addy’s Tea Party!

We enter Addy’s 5th Birthday Tea Party. Addy requested a Tea Party Theme and her Mama delivered big time!

I’ll mention it now that this post has an extraordinary amount of photos.

 

The Birthday girl’s brother hiding under the gift table.

Auntie Katie arrived to help with the party preparations. She was in charge of the balloons for the photo op!

Aren’t these the cutest paper tea cups and saucers?!

Jamie baked and decorated this amazing cake with layers of different flavors. Addy’s favorite color right now is yellow and she wanted yellow and pink at the party.

This is the teapot piñata (/pɪnˈjɑːtə/) that Jamie constructed. It is filled with treats that will be released once it is broken with a stick or bat. 

Peanut butter and jelly mini sandwiches, rolled tortilla cheese and lunchmeat bites, bagel bites, cucumber sandwich bites, egg salad sandwich bites.

I loved this idea of bacon, lettuce and tomato bites with small cut out slices of bread.

 

West Coast Chicken Salad Croissant sandwiches, veggie cups and fruit cups.

Look closely and you’ll see that the strawberries have pretzel tea cup handles on them!

The birthday girl and friends table.

First we had our savory course.

After savories it was time to break the piñata open. No blindfolds for this age group.

The break open moment caught by Laura with her phone!

Time for cake and sweets!

Dan made the macarons! The lemon macarons were incredible!

Have you seen this Safari book? The animals featured are in motion. Photicular.

I wish I would have gotten a photo of the three pretty dresses that Addy will be able to twirl in from Uncle Josh and Auntie Lolo. The musical jewelry box was also a hit.

 

After the party was over and most guests had left mom and dad remembered they forgot to give Addy the present they bought for her. So much going on…

She was happy to have a new bike that is a better size for her.

Happy 5th birthday Addy. Baba and Gramps love you and we thank our God that you are surrounded by family and friends who love you, too. You are a quick learner and eager to help. We are thankful for all your learning experiences at Homeschool and Homeschool Co-op, Awana, Children’s church, Piano lessons. We pray that God will continue to ‘bless you and keep you, be gracious to you and make His face to shine upon you and give you peace.’ 

March In Mud Hodgepodge

Jo is back this week with Hodgepodge questions. You can join in HERE.

1. Somehow it’s March? Is it coming in like a lion where you live? 

It has come in like a Lion in parts of Western Washington State with heavy rains that have caused mudslides, flooding, and downed trees. Here where we live in Northeastern Washington we are having gentle rains and our snow is melting bringing us into the season we call mud. This next photo of our grandson shows the reality of the mud season. Fun for littles, not so fun for adults. 🙂

Tell us one fun thing on your March calendar. 

Our granddaughter is turning 5 in the month of March which is fun and exciting. My birthday falls in March, too. Our daughter and her hubby will celebrate their 11th anniversary this month. Auntie Lolo’s dear Grandma Wilma turns 98 on Friday and gatherings and celebrations are afoot!

2. In what way(s) do you ‘march to the beat of your own drum’? 

I’m finding this one hard. God has created me in a unique way and my hope is to march to the beat of His drum. It does not pay to kick against the goads!

To “kick against the goads” is nothing less than an exercise in vanity; futile and pointless. The Greeks and Romans used this saying to imply “ruinous resistance.” Paul had to learn the hard way that resistance to Jesus was a losing battle — hopeless. God is sovereign.

3. The Hodgepodge lands on Dr. Suess Day (March 2nd). Do you like eggs? How about ham? Share a favorite quote from one of his books. 

I do like eggs and I do like ham. Make me some Eggs Benedict ma’am, I am!

That’s my quote since Dr. Seuss is not a favorite of mine and we don’t even have one book of his on our bookshelves. His books were never a favorite to read out loud either. I did have to read many out loud when the children in my 2nd grade classroom picked them for me to read in class. I never denied them that pleasure.

4. Have you read Little Women? How about Alice in Wonderland? Did you love them, like them, feel just eh about them? Why is this question in the Hodgepodge today? 

I think I did read Little Women, but I honestly can’t remember for sure and part of my memory is mingled with the movie. I know for sure I have not read Alice in Wonderland.

5. How do you meal plan? How often do you shop for groceries? One homemade meal that was on your menu last week or is on your menu this week?

Oh boy. My meal planning is hit and miss and mostly centers around who is coming over for a meal. I shop for groceries when we are in town. My shopping lately focuses on what I need for a particular meal. Last week we had Taco Salad for a meal when our daughters in law and grands came over for dinner. We had trifle for dessert.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We are counting the days until we celebrate her 5th birthday. The theme she has decided on is Tea Party. Now her mom is busy coming up with all the creative ways to make that theme happen!

Thank you Hodgepodgers for stopping by and leaving a comment. I understand that some of you have issues with commenting on my WordPress blog. I don’t know how to remedy that. Thank you for trying.

Happy March everyone!

February Family Fun

Thank you to Auntie Lolo for most of these photos that capture the love we have of being together!

Auntie Lolo has been in our neck of the woods since Valentine’s day.

Our Grands are not afraid of the ‘elements’, embracing the outdoors in all kinds of weather.

Still enjoying the Igloo that daddy built for them.

Uncle Joshie arrived for the long weekend!

We celebrated Uncles arrival with Swedish Pancakes for breakfast!

Even though he was full already, Uncle Joshie bit into the huge sandwich Addy and JJ made for him from their Deli stand.

Craft time commenced…

Me and my buddy.

Fun times with these cheerio books.

Planning what to plant in the garden. Our daughter-in-law asked each of us to choose something we’d like her to plant in the garden this year. I think Uncle Joshie picked a variety of pepper, JJ wants watermelon.

Our beautiful gardening daughter-in-law and our grands.

The guys soaking up some more time together in the office before Josh flew home on Monday evening.

Good times packed to the gills!

There is no Wednesday Hodgepodge this week because Jo From This Side of the Pond is soaking up some family time, too!

What would you like grown in a garden?