Category Archives: Grandchildren

Doors

Our prayers are with all the people affected by Hurricane Harvey and the rains that continue to cause flooding in so many coastal areas in Texas. So many people are in crisis. Praying for strength for all the First Responders and all the good Samaritans that are helping out, too!

I promised to show our new closet doors and the improved inner part of my closet, too. We used to have sliding mirrored doors on these closets but are enjoying being able to throw both doors open and see the whole closet all at once. Too bad I failed to take a before photo.

I’m brave enough to share the interior of the closet since it’s nice and tidy and just got refilled this weekend.

Dear installed a new shelf and new clothes bar. We had wire shelves and bars before with a smaller shelf with little depth. It’s interesting how few dresses I own but that gives me more storage options below my blouses, tops, and sweaters.

This last week I found this swiveling organizer at Goodwill and I put my necklaces on it. I was surprised at the necklaces I had totally forgotten about while they were tucked away in drawers. I don’t wear jewelry every day but when I want to it’s nice to see all there is to choose from in one spot.

Very soon we’ll be spending a few days with this little sweetie in her neck of the woods. Her mommy and daddy sent us the cutest video of Addy trying to get a hold of a cheerio and put it in her mouth. So much growth and fun in the first year of life!

We are entering the last week of August and Labor Day Weekend is coming up already. Do you have any plans?

Heavenly Hodgepodge

1. Did you watch the solar eclipse? Your thoughts? Sun Chips, Moon Pies, Starburst candies, a Blue Moon beer, a Sunkist orange, or a Milky Way candy bar…what’s your favorite eclipse related snack on this list?

Yes we did watch the solar eclipse. We did not have the full deal but it was cool. I had a post up yesterday on the great eclipse shadows we enjoyed. A Sunkist orange is the favorite from that list.

2. What are you ‘over the moon‘ about these days? What’s something you enjoy doing every ‘once in a blue moon‘?

This little one is what I’m over the moon about these days, sweet little Addy May!

Once in a blue moon I will try a craft project. I find crafts and sewing frustrating and generally I don’t get a great result.

See these cute little Matryoshka dolls my sister Lana, daughters Katie, Laura and I created in 2011. Mine is the angry one on the right side. Just wanted to show y’all proof that crafting isn’t my gift.

3. Tell us about something in the realm of science that interests you. How do you feed that interest?

Tides and the ebb and flow of water. Whenever I’m close to the ocean I’ll make sure to have a walk along the water or to the end of the pier.

4. What are a few things you remember about going back to school as a child?

I was always very excited to go back to school. My mom made sure I had a new dress which I was proud to wear. I’m olden and girls were required to wear dresses or skirts and blouses to school all my schooling years from K-12 except for physical education in junior high and high school where we had gym uniforms issued to us.

The photo above is of my niece Hope walking to school a few years ago with the Matryoshka back pack I bought her in Poulsbo where I was visiting and shopping with my friend Beth. (Hi Beth!)

I’m on the top row on the left. Looks like I’m the happiest kid in kindergarten!

5. I’ve seen several versions of this around the net so let’s make one of our own…share with us five words that touch your soul and briefly tell us why.

Grace: Greater than all my sin.

Forgiveness: Undeserved but so grateful for it.

Peace: With God through Jesus.

Joy: Down in my heart.

Family: Accepted, loved and appreciated.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

Addy’s mommy and daddy surprised us with a special overnight stop at our house last Friday even though it took them well out of their way on their way home from vacation on the Oregon Coast. We were so surprised and overjoyed to enjoy them and our other kids who live close by. They made sure to hang out for as many hours as they could. We ate meals together, took a walk and had turns holding and entertaining Addy. It was Christmas in August for all of us!

Linking up with Joyce From This Side of the Pond for Hodgepodge Wednesday. Joyce provides the questions and we answer them.

We Interrupt Our Normal Programming…

…for a major event!

The 2017 Solar Eclipse! We didn’t get the full show here but it was a good show. We really enjoyed seeing the interesting shadows cast by the Eclipse! We also enjoyed watching the NASA coverage on T.V.

And here for historical perspective for our dear little Addy is her 5 month photo collage that her mommy took yesterday on August 20th.

We love you Addy May! Look at you grow!

Surprise!

Dan, Jamie and Addy surprised us royally with an unexpected stop at our house on their way home from a vacation on the Oregon Coast. All our kids knew about this surprise that was on it’s way. They kept Dear and me in the dark until they pulled up in our driveway. We were shocked in a happy happy joy joy way! We enjoyed them under our roof for 20 hours before they made the final leg of their journey home.

We gave Addy time with mommy so she could get used to her new surroundings after spending 8 hours in the car traveling up from the Oregon coast.

I got lots of snuggles and kissed those cheeks and when I wasn’t holding her I was snapping some photos. She spent some time getting reacquainted with Gramps.

Aunt Katie blocked Addy’s escape route off the blanket while Addy stretched and scooted getting some good exercise before it was time to go to sleep.

Time for jammies with a little prayer that she’d be able to sleep through the night after a few rough nights in Oregon. Thankfully Addy was able to sleep through the night and was ready for lots of visiting and attention on Saturday.

Aunties and Uncles arrived for our Swedish Pancakes breakfast and we took turns being entertained by Addy. Addy was very interested in her aunties and uncles. Auntie Laura got some extra noises and raspberries from Addy.

She can really move and scoot and push herself up on all fours.

Uncle Josh got some good snuggles in and Addy was very interested in his beard.

She is active and curious and strong.

It was like Christmas in August. We traditionally take a walk after Swedish Pancakes on Christmas morning. We took this selfie after our morning walk to burn some of the calories we added up at breakfast. Addy is under the white hat in her baby carrier having fallen asleep during our walk. I borrowed some of these photos from Laura.

She looked a bit dazed when we pulled her out of the front pack waking her up. Addy loves to stick her tongue out, blow raspberries and work those eyebrows of hers.

Expressing herself with Auntie Katie.

She’s also on to all of us and knows when we are taking photos with our phones or cameras!

A friend of Jamie’s handed down this Johnny Jump-Up which has proven be be enjoyable for Addy. We had one years ago for Josh and Dan. We never tried it for Katie. They really have improved the design with extra padding and comfort.

It was a quick overnight visit and the kids were in some horrendous traffic heading home over the pass. Thank you Dan, Jamie and Addy for going the extra miles to visit us and enduring the horrible traffic you encountered going home! See you in two weeks! This time we’ll do the driving.

Hoping for God’s Peace to all who visit my blog!

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27 (ESV)

Are you going to try to see the eclipse tomorrow with the proper eye protection? We will get a partial eclipse in the Seattle area from just after 9am until 11ish. It kind of makes me nervous. We are going to don two of Dear’s welding helmets and sit on some lawn chairs  in our back yard and see what we can see. Time will tell how long we last…

Dog Days of Summer Hodgepodge

1. Do your actions match your words? Elaborate.

“They are both approaching the same level of confusion” says Dear. We’re having some issues with the word match in this sentence. My actions are in harmony or in agreement maybe not so much matching. Seriously though, I do think I speak and act consistently.

2. Sick as a dog, go to the dogs, dog days of summer, dog tired, it’s a dog’s life, every dog has it’s day, can’t teach an old dog new tricks…now doggone it which saying could most recently be applied to your life?

Probably the Dog Days of Summer. Summer makes me lethargic. Truth be told…it’s not my favorite season.

On the whole subject of dogs we have never had a pet dog in Dear and my house. Our son Dan now has a dog he inherited when he married Jamie. Rayna is the golden in the photo above the photos in the collage are of the dogs coming to the self-catering cottage we rented for a week in the Cotswolds when the sausages we were cooking reached their noses.

3. Your favorite book featuring a dog in the storyline? What makes it a favorite?

I’m going with Spot in the Dick and Jane series. I can still remember how excited I was to learn to read and I just couldn’t get enough of reading in my elementary years. Spot was the first dog in the first books I read and now I just found out in the original books from 1932 that Spot was a cat to begin with and then they changed Spot to being a dog! I cherished my time in the bookmobile when it came to school. The only books we had in our house growing up were the Encyclopedia Britannica and a Bible…written in Russian. We eventually got Bibles in English, too. My older siblings and I would walk a couple miles to the library every month to return and check out new books. We would always check out as many as we could carry home. The above photo are of the original 4 of us who walked to the library together before my mom and pop had 4 more to make our sibling count eight!

4. What’s something you hope to one day have the confidence to do?

Make bread. Yes, I’m part of the Mennonite Girls Can Cook but I don’t make bread and I’d like to change that. I have mastered the roulette above that was a favorite that my mom made growing up and I’m pleased about that.

5. August 16th is National Tell a Joke Day. So tell us a joke.

Just changed my name on Facebook to “No One” so when I see stupid posts I can click on it and it will say ‘No One Likes This’.

Hope you are laughing…

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Here’s something I really like, love and can’t get enough of, Addy May!

Love the eyebrows on this little one and all the expressions she makes. Counting down the days when I can kiss those cheeks…

I’ll be linking up with Jo From This Side of the Pond for Wednesday Hodgepodge. She comes up with the questions and we come up with the answers.

Dear and I had a great road trip on Tuesday to Mount Baker Scenic Highway. We enjoyed beautiful vistas and a lake and waterfall. I’ll post about it soon.

A Strong Hodgepodge

1. We’ve reached edition number 315 here in the Wednesday Hodgepodge. So tell us, what were you doing at 3:15 yesterday? Is that typical? On a scale of 1-10 (with 1 being low and 10 being high) what’s your energy level usually like at 3:15 PM?

Most Tuesdays at or close to 3:15 you’ll find us enjoying Tequila Tuesday at our local Mexican Restaurant. We’ve been enjoying this tradition for a few years now. When our favorite waitress, Liliana, sees us drive up she heads to the bar to make us a Cadillac Margarita (no salt). Yesterday was no exception and we enjoyed our early dinner/late lunch close to 3:15ish. Things are usually slow at the restaurant so it gives Dear and me a nice stretch of time to talk and get caught up.

Energy level at 3:15 is probably about a 6.

2. A frisbee, a tantrum, a towel, a party, a punch, or a curveball…which have you most recently thrown or had thrown at/for you? Elaborate.

Most recently a party since we had guests for 6 days and we had as many meals and outings as we could fit in over those days. My dishwasher was in constant motion. Thankfully one of the full party days was at our oldest son’s and dil’s so my dishwasher had a day of rest.

3. What are three things that would help you right now. Tell us how or why.

  1. Healing of my carpal tunnel syndrome in my left wrist. It is slowing me down in the scrubbing and weeding departments. BUT just today I was reminding myself that my dear little babushka lived most of her life with just one hand and she accomplished incredible things like raising kids, cooking, cleaning, embroidering, etc. etc.
  2. A contractor or plumber. We have a leak in our water pipes somewhere between the house and the meter and having someone come in to do the repairs would be great. But, Dear will have to be in charge of that since he’s unemployed right now and the extra expense of hiring someone is not in the budget.
  3. A walking partner. Someone who is motivated and won’t let me off the hook. I need to burn more calories than I put in my body.

4. Do you think you’re strong? Why or why not? What makes you strong?

Strong enough physically, except for my carpal tunnel issues right now. I’m strong in my beliefs and this protects me from straying from the Truth. I react strongly to trends that are a load of lies, spiritually. My Dear is a wise man spiritually with good discernment and he helps me stay on tract, too. Staying connected to God and His Holy Spirit makes me strong.

Ephesians 6:10-12 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

5. Do you enjoy reading historical fiction? What’s your favorite book set sometime in the past?

One of my favorites is Byzantium by Stephen R. Lawhead

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Time is flying with our little Addy May. She’s four months already. Babies change so quickly during their first year of life. We need to plan our next trip across the mountains to see her soon.

3 days,  1 week, 1 month, 2 months, 3 months and 4 months.

Linking up to Wednesday Hodgepodge, where Jo asks the questions and we come up with the answers.

First Time at Gramps’ and Baba’s House

While niece/cousin Jenna visited with two of her kids and with their grandma we had as much family time as possible. Our kids from Eastern Washington traveled the five plus hours with our little Addy to enjoy the time, too. Saturday at Gramps’ and Baba’s house there was lots of activity and Addy was happy to sit with her Auntie or cousins when she was fed and awake.

Games and discussions were enjoyed. Little T-Rex has lots of questions that need to be answered.

When it was time for a little nap Baba’s lap had just the right cushion for comfort and when Addy woke up she had some words and love squeezes for Gramps.

Later in the day after we had yummy taco salad and pica de gallo we started a fire to enjoy S’mores.

Addy expresses herself well without words.

Love this expression with her mommy and daddy and the way she has her hand resting on Sky’s head in the grandparent with grands shot.

More shots with mommy and daddy.

Addy laughed out loud with her cousin once removed, our niece Jenna. The expression in the center photo cracks me up. Mister (T-Rex) was quite proud of being able to walk along our wall and our tree stumps.

Cousins!

These are 3 of the “B” grands all together at our house 2017.

And here’s a flashback to when Dear and I were able to enjoy our first little niece, Jenna, back in the 70’s. So happy that we could get the chance to enjoy her and two of her kids at our house in 2017. We need a proper “B” reunion with all the B’s together soon.

Blest Be…

…the Tie That Binds.

On Friday we all gathered at Josh and Laura’s and enjoyed some bonding time with aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmas and grandpas. Uncle Andrew finally got to meet Addy in person. Our grandniece was at Katie and Andrew’s wedding (a wee babe) but little grandnephew was not born yet. We all were meeting little “Mister” for the first time.

Addy enjoyed watching “Mister”. He was entertaining the adults with his knowledge of States and Capitals. We yelled out a state and he gave us the capital. He’s three and he knows capitals better than us adults.

Sister-in-law, Christina is married to Dear’s only brother and they have 3 daughters. Jenna was their first daughter born and she has two children that we got to know during their 5+ day visit from New York. Jenna is Dear and my first niece and we spent lots of quality time with her in her early years since we all lived in Southern California. It was nice to see her as a mommy.

“Sky” is five and she got a kick out of little Addy. Addy likes to stare at her, too.

Uncle Josh, Addy, and “Mister” with the cool reflections I didn’t know I was capturing in this photo.

Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.

Before our Father’s throne
We pour our ardent prayers;
Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one
Our comforts and our cares.

We share each other’s woes,
Our mutual burdens bear;
And often for each other flows
The sympathizing tear.

When we asunder part,
It gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in heart,
And hope to meet again.

This glorious hope revives
Our courage by the way;
While each in expectation lives,
And longs to see the day.

From sorrow, toil and pain,
And sin, we shall be free,
And perfect love and friendship reign
Through all eternity.

Words: John Fawcett, 1782.

This hymn was sung in the 1940 mo­vie Our Town, which was nom­in­at­ed for sev­er­al Acad­e­my Awards.

And here’s Baba reunited with her sweet grandgirlie, Addy.

I’m busy catching up with many of your posts that I’ve missed over the last several days so I’m not joining memes today since I won’t get a chance to visit other participants. Can you believe we are halfway through 2017 already! Praying for some of our blogging friends, bj at Sweet Nothings who just lost her Mr. Sweet, Cuisine Kathleen who lost her dear husband suddenly the end of May, and others who are suffering from long term illnesses. May you be revived by God’s “glorious hope”.

She Can Move…

All of these photos are from our last couple days with our kids, June 26th and 27th. I’m catching up with my photos from our time in Eastern Washington. After we got home we got a video showing Addy roll over from her back to her tummy. She is a strong little one.

This week has really thrown me for a loop with a Tuesday holiday. I’m checking each day to see what day of the week it really is. I’m slowly going through my 4626 posts and cleaning up the blacked out photos that are the curse of Photobucket. In the process I am deleting some posts that I find aren’t a great loss to me. Hope your summer is going well.