Category Archives: Meme

Mid September Hodgepodge…

1. What’s changed in your life, home, or community since your last birthday?
A lot…
One of the biggest thing is that Dear is either unemployed or retired. We don’t know which one quite yet. This of course makes a huge impact on life at this old house.
Another one is that with my last birthday I am now at Medicare age.
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Not quite at this stage yet but I hope we can still walk about and we’re still holding hands when we are this old.
2. September is Classical Music Month. Do you like/listen to classical music? If so what’s a favorite piece and/or who is a favorite composer?
We do enjoy classical music at this old house. We enjoy Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and others. We enjoy string quintets. Another favorite is Mozart’s clarinet concerto.
3. Besides The Bible, what’s a book that has positively changed your life, relationships, career, or perspective? How so?
Hedges: Loving your Marriage Enough to Protect It: Jerry B. Jenkins
This book has great safeguards that will help to protect a marriage from the pitfalls that can lead to adultery.
4. I read (here) these ten hobbies will make you smarter…play a musical instrument, read voraciously, meditate regularly, work out your brain (puzzles, sudoku, board games, etc), exercise often, learn a new language, write your feelings down (blog, journal, just write), travel to new places, cook different kinds of meals, participate in sports actively
 Are any on this list your current hobbies? Which hobby on the list would you be most inclined to try?
Cooking and traveling to new places are current hobbies both of which do not help me in my goal to lose some fluffiness!
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I’m inclined to try meditating more but the kind of meditating I’m talking about is clarified in this quote:
“Biblical meditation, unlike the popular varieties, is not a relaxation technique for emptying the mind but rather one that fills it with truth, using thought and memory to set your heart on fire.” ~Timothy Keller
homemaker monday 0025. What sports traditions does your family have?
The sports tradition that I share with my children (not my Dear who isn’t a team sports fan) is soccer. We have season tickets to the Seattle Sounders soccer games and enjoy these games together. If our football team makes it to the playoffs we’ll host a Seattle Seahawk Party to watch the game. Our family also enjoys hunting and shooting.
P10305676. In a few words, weigh in on the current football/National Anthem brouhaha. Keep it family friendly please.
My feelings are that the football field is not the place to show your angst since you are not the primary person on the field but part of a team and part of a tradition that honors the flag and country. It’s a sport’s field not a soap box. You should find another place that is more personal to share your feelings. You are being paid to play and paid well to play. Do your job and leave your platforms for another venue. I feel the same way about actors and actresses sharing their platforms on the Academy Awards Stage. I choose to honor the flag and those who have died protecting our freedom with these young men and others…
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Marine Birthday Ball
Our very own Marine and our daughter.
10556234_10204401701630899_6178563336099564642_n7. Where do you have loads of patience, and where do you most lack patience?
Loads of patience with my children. A horrible lack of patience with other drivers on the road!
Bow-Edison 0268. Insert your own random thought here.
 I’m enjoying the little and big hints that Fall is just around the corner. There will be lots of leaves falling to deal with but I like the changing seasons and what each season holds. Growing up in Southern California we didn’t have the same distinct passing of seasons. I’m still not sure if Fall or Spring is my favorite. Here are images from each season in our state of Washington.

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Linking up with From This Side of the Pond for Hodgepodge Wednesday. Thank you Joyce for coming up with the questions and inviting us to join in.

Lavender and Pewter…

I’m joining the Tiered Tray Extravaganza hosted by Thoughts of Home. I used a metal tiered tray that I’ve had for a few years purchased at a thrift store. The tray and pewter make me think of fall so I decided to use some of my pewter pieces on the tiers.  My lavender is still blooming so I cut sprigs of it and added them on the tray.

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The sugar and creamer on the top level of the tray are part of set with a coffee server, too. The photo below shows the coffee server.

p1060691The next level has an older pewter creamer that I purchased at a thrift store and a pewter wine bottle coaster that I have some old nails and clock winder in.

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On this next level I have my pewter napkin rings and Salt and Pepper Shakers. The shell rings are from the U.S. and the more ornate pair of rings are not pewter but silver plate bought in Canterbury England.

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I’m sharing two other tiered pieces I have at my home that aren’t trays.

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My attempt at a little fall decorating outside our front door.

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This is my Russian Heritage 3 tiered piece with some of my Matryoshka Dolls and wooden spoons. I have samovars, laquer boxes and other Russian treasures in other parts of this old house.

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tiered-tray-image-001Thanks to the ladies that host Thoughts of Home on Thursdays for this extravaganza. Click on the logo above to see more!

September 13th is the day we have always celebrated my parents wedding anniversary. My pop is still alive but my mom died 3 years ago on her and my pop’s 70th wedding anniversary. I’m happy for all the years they had together.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

HodgepodgebuttonI’m joining in again for Wednesday Hodgepodge with Joyce from This Side of the Pond. She comes up with the questions we find the answers. This week it’s all about the Hodgepodge blues…

1.  Are there any men or women in blue on your family tree?

We have a cousin who was a police officer in Huntington Beach. Our son in law is a Marine who wore dress blues.

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2. Are you someone who suffers from the Sunday night blues? What helps you get over it?

No Sunday night blues at our house since we are unemployed and everyday is a holiday. We are hoping for a few more years of employment for Dear before he is truly retired. Waiting to see…

3. I read the color blue is an appetite suppressant since there are very few naturally blue foods out there. How do you feel about blue cheese? Love it or blech? If you’re a fan, what’s something you like that’s made with blue cheese?
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Dear and I enjoy Blue Cheese, Roquefort or Gorgonzola dressings. We also enjoy these cheeses on a cheese platter with fruit or on flat breads as appetizers. Another way we enjoy blue cheese is in cream sauces with mushrooms. This has been an acquired or matured palate for me. In my youth I wouldn’t touch these cheeses with a ten foot pole!

4. We can’t head in to the Labor Day weekend without a related question, can we? Complete this thought: I work best when____________________.

I work best when I’m on my own and when the end is in sight. Sometimes to achieve the end in sight part I have to cut off big chunks of work into little chunks. I also work best with encouragement.

5. ‘Everything yields to diligence.’ Antiphanes Your thoughts? (on this particular quote or on diligence in general)

First I went to the definition of diligence:  constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken; persistent exertion of body or mind.

My Dear is a great example of someone who is diligent. He completes whatever he undertakes and is constant and earnest in his endeavors. I appreciate the end result but sometimes I have to leave for many hours and come back to the result of his labors instead of seeing all the earnest effort and what had to yield in the process!

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6. The National Park Service turned 100 years old on August 25th. Have you been to many of America’s National Parks? If so share with us a favorite or two. Which National Park would you most like to visit before the next birthday rolls around?

Dear and I visited Yellowstone National Park in June for the very first time. It was amazing. We’d like to see many more or our National Parks but the one that is on our bucket list right now is Glacier National Park.

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Here’s a flashback from the 50’s. My family at Crater Lake in Oregon which is a National Park. I’m the one in my mom’s lap with my sister Kathy holding my brother Tim and my sister Vera on the right. We also visited Yosemite National Park in my youth with my family in the 50’s.

7.  Bid farewell to August in seven words or less.

Celebrations, anticipation, launches, and goodbyes…adieu August.

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8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Speaking of blue I have to share that I love blue and white dishes. It’s hard for me to leave any blue dishes behind especially if they are made in England.

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I also like blue jeans…

Hope you aren’t suffering with summer blues. We are cooling down right now with some rain in the forecast.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

I’m joining Wednesday Hodgepodge again this week with Joyce From This Side of the Pond.
1. I read here four creative activities to try this month. They were-calligraphy, make your own cookbook, dance or learn a new type of dance, and letter writing. Which activity on the list appeals to you most? Will you add it to your August?
I’ve already had my hand in a few cookbooks and since we are having a hotter than usual August the only thing that sounds appealing in this list is letter writing. 
2. Bertrand Russell is quoted as saying, ‘To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness.‘ Agree or disagree? Explain.
Disagree. Having or not having things does not determine my happiness. I think happiness is overrated. Gratitude and contentment are things I’d rather focus on.
3. August 17th is National Thriftshop Day…are you a ‘thrifter’? If so, tell us about one of your best or favorite finds.
I did a lot of thrifting in the past but not as much these days. I’ve found many great treasures over the years. Here are some stand out favorites from years past.

P1040310Lomonosov China for $29.95

 

Oscar de la Renta for $19.97. This dress has ostrich feathers on the trim. We didn’t find a perfect match on their site but the dresses that were similar were in the $3900 dollar range. The dress fit Katie perfectly and she wore it out to her celebration dinner when she completed her studies at the University of Washington.

 

 4.  On a scale of 1-10 (with 1= almost none and 10=loads) how would you rate your sense of wanderlust? What kicks your wanderlust into high gear?
I think I’m going to have to go with a 10 on this one. Any thoughts of seeing something new gets my senses into high gear. I love to travel.
5. Has life felt more like a marathon or sprint so far this month? How so?
More of a sprint with several small projects started and finished and many small events that have nothing to do with each other.
6. What do you need to get a jump on before fall officially arrives?
I’d like to do some de-fluffing (dropping some pounds).
7. What’s the last thing you did with friends or family where you lost track of time?
Enjoying a meal and conversation together.
8. Insert your own random thought here.
We are going to be on the road today and I’ll not be able to come around and see posts till later in the evening.

Welcoming Fences…

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Joining TexWisGirl for Good Fences #76.

This fence makes me smile and invites me in to do a little thrift shopping. It’s been ages since I thrift shopped regularly. Something that was fun while it lasted but good to leave behind for a season or two or three!

Yesterday I worked hard in our yard with all the clean-up after our mighty wind storm on Saturday. I picked up all the tree branches that had fallen and then decided it would just be quicker and easier to mow up all the leaves after I raked them out of planters and away from the fences. It was a bit unexpected to be picking up green leaves. Everything looks nice and tidy again but Fall is coming and soon there will be leaves, golden instead of green and in abundance falling from the huge maple in our neighbor’s yard that hangs over into our yard. Despite the extra work, I do love Fall.

Catching the Light

Trying a new meme this morning called “Catching Light” at Nature Footstep.

1 John 1:5 ~ This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light , and in Him there is no darkness at all.

Hope you all had a nice weekend. We had our kids who live the closest to us over for Dear’s Swedish pancakes which are always a treat for them. We watched a soccer game together which ended up not being a treat since our team lost. Oh well…that’s the way it goes in soccer and life…you win some, you lose some. I’ll be working on “staying in the light” this week and choosing gratitude.

Sign on a Good Fence!

We have a lovely space close to us where you can walk out on these wooden walkways and see nature at it’s best. The fences along the walkway help to keep you where you should be so you don’t disturb the wildlife!

Can you see all the ducklings?

The vegetation is so lush and green this time of year.

We are having another stretch of dry warm weather and I’ve had to water my plants instead of depending on the rain to do that.

Dear was in New Orleans at a conference and I’m very happy to have him back home. We are celebrating at our favorite Mexican dive.

Linking up to signs, signs with Lesley and Good Fences #61 with TexWisGirl!

Fences and Signs!

 

This short red, white and blue fence is in the side yard of a house I pass on my way to exercise class.

On our way to Canada last Saturday I spotted these signs.

 

 

We have a few choices for border crossings into Canada in our state of Washington but Sumas is the one we choose when we are traveling to Chilliwack or the center of Abbotsford.

 

This is dairy country!

 

I’ll add one more fence looking out my basement door. It might be time to trim my Japanese Maple.

 

Linking to Signs, signs with Lesley and Good Fences with Tex-Wis-Girl!

Neighbor’s Fences

I’ve been watching the leaves fall on our side of the fence this week. The huge Maple tree that drops those leaves is on the other side of the fence but this tree feels it’s just fine to drop all it’s leaves on our side of the fence. Judging by the leaves that remain on the tree we will still have two major leaf raking exercises. This time of year I need to remember the blessings of shade that this tree affords us in the summer. I also need all the exercise I can get so I’ll count the raking of the leaves a blessing, too.

Do you have to rake leaves this time of year?

I’m linking up with Tex*Wis*Girl for Good Fences #34

Signs of My Times…

My times these days are filled with a variety of activities that I will share with the following signs.

On Monday, Wednesday and Friday I show up at the Northshore Senior Center at 9:30 and exercise away with some great seniors who are determined to keep moving. This is something new that I just started in September and it really has been good for me. One of the gentlemen that comes to the class is 93!

I’ve been trying to use the library more and buying less books and DVD’s for our viewing and reading pleasure. This is my library of choice and just today I picked up a Doc Martin DVD to enjoy.

Our church that we’ve been attending for about 3 years now just changed it’s name to Northshore Community Church instead of Northshore Baptist Church. It was a good time for the change since one of the goals of our church is to support and help our community.

I shop at a variety of stores like Costco, Fred Meyer and a local fruit market but Safeway is probably the most convenient place for me to shop and I’m here at least once a week.

I am very proud of our son-in-law and his service in the Marines but this sign on my car also works real well in helping me find my car in a big parking lot with lots of cars that look just like mine.

On this past Monday night we were at the Sounders soccer game against F.C. Dallas and I’m happy to report we are moving on in the playoffs and have two more games in November against L.A. Galaxy. We were all given these signs to hold up after the National Anthem. Fun times.

One of my favorite things at our Sounder games is the singing of our National Anthem. Our Seattle crowd really belts it out and we have a great military branch presence that holds the flag while we sing.

Hope you didn’t get bored seeing the signs of my times. In the future I might post some more that involve my history.

We are experiencing a cold snap here in the Pacific Northwest and today I talked with our son and he had snow at his place in Eastern Washington. The leaves continue to fall and I continue to rake. Hope all is well in your corner of the world.

I’m linking up with signs, signs hosted by Lesley!