Category Archives: Grandchildren

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?

The Skies on Sunday

The skies on Sunday got more interesting as the day progressed. This first shot was on our way to church.

After church our crew came home to our place for a chaotic meal prep for the seven of us. We pulled together Eggs Benedict, hash browns with a trio of berries besides. Delicious.

The decision was made to go out to dinner on Sunday to the Mexican restaurant in Chewelah. These next photos are of the clouds we saw on our way.

 

Hope you all had a good long weekend. Ours was good and busy from morning to night. We are going into several days of very cold weather here. Brrr….

Choose Joy!

Photo Credit: Auntie Lolo!

Note to self; Don’t grumble or murmur. The Holy Spirit has been working on my heart and mind through God’s Word about that habit of complaining. In my daily readings in reading the Bible through in a year we are in Exodus reading about the Children of Israel and how Moses had to deal with Pharaoh. I’ll share the last paragraph for February 19th in Allistair Begg’s new devotional called Truth For Life. Guilty as charged! If you are a Believer you’ll understand…

“We have faith in Christ, we’ve been set free from slavery to sin- even our complaining! We’ve been liberated by a sacrifice: the shedding of Christ’s blood on the cross. And we too have set out on a journey, not to Canaan but to Heaven. In light of that, God has given us both wonderful promises and necessary warnings. Do not presume upon His provision or grumble about the route He leads you on, but instead be filled with gratitude for all He has provided materially and spiritually. The cross lies behind you, heaven lies before you, and the Spirit dwells within you. There is not need, or excuse for grumbling.”

Asking forgiveness and for the help I need to identify, recognize when I’m slipping into murmuring. Read that word out loud and listen to your speech and see if it sounds similar. Ouch. Mur…mur…ing…

Hope this helps you like it has helped me. Looking forward to what lies ahead!

Happy Saturday.

We are getting ready for breakfast for seven of our family that will be together on this side of the mountains until Monday. Uncle Joshie, Auntie Lolo, Jamie, Addy, JJ, me and Dear will enjoy Dear’s labor of love, Swedish Pancakes. Adding some little smokies and sliced oranges to the breakfast table!

Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut…

…sometimes you don’t! I usually choose Almond Joy over Mounds!

It’s time for a nutty Hodgepodge. Thank you to Joyce From This Side of the Pond for the questions!

1. February 16th is National Almond day…are you a fan? If so what’s your favorite food item or recipe that contains almonds? 

I am a fan of almonds and love the crunch and interest they add to a dish.

Favorite savory dish would be rice pilaf with butter sauteed raisins and slivered almonds.

On the sweet side of things Haagen Daz Vanilla Swiss Almond ice cream.

2. Something you are currently ‘nuts’ about? 

I think I’ll always be ‘nuts’ about these two…

3. Something currently driving you ‘nuts’? 

Okay…you asked and I’ll be truthful. It drives me nuts to see children in masks. Unmask our children! Stop the madness!

4. Something you recently bought for ‘peanuts’? 

Greeting cards at the Dollar store, which by the way is not the dollar store anymore but the $1.25 store! They still do sell some of their cards at two for a dollar. It’s hard for me to purchase a $4.95 card that will probably get thrown in the trash after opened and read.

5. Share a favorite quote uttered by any U.S. President ( if you’re not an American, a quote made by the leader of your own country). 

Since we used to celebrate Lincoln’s (12th of February) and Washington’s (22nd of February) with a day off for each of these birthdays way back when I was in school I found a quote I can stand behind from each of these Presidents.

If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter. 

~George Washington

So my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.

~Abraham Lincoln

The photo at the top of my post is a collage from the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. The statue of George Washington gets such great light reflection from the stained glass window during certain times of the day. I was happy to be able to capture it when we were there in May of 2011.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

On Valentine’s Day we received about 3 more inches of snow. The forecasters underestimated the amount by 2-1/2 inches, so it was a surprise to see the large fluffy flakes keep falling, and falling until we accumulated three or more inches.

Happy Day to all of you!