Category Archives: Spring

The Merry Month of May Hodgepodge

1. April showers bring May flowers or so the saying goes. Is there a flower you associate with a particular memory? Explain.

We live in the Rhododendron state. Every May these beauties in the photo above bloom all over our state. They come in different sizes and colors. We have five different plants in our yard. They grow with extra care and they grow wild with no care. The yellow one below is our newest one. I’ll always associate Rhodies with our move to Washington state way back in 1988.

2. Last time you helped someone? Tell us how.

These two just attended the Aeronautical Engineering “Space Ball” last weekend. Andrew will be graduating soon and he has been offered an intern to hire job after graduation. And yes, Katie’s hair is a rich shade of purple. They needed to search for a new apartment and I helped them by driving them to five complexes to check them out. These two brilliant young adults hate to drive. I like to drive so I was happy to help them in this small way. I also needed to be out of the house since there was an open house going on at our home so it filled the time nicely.

3. It’s National Salsa Month (the food, not the dance) so tell us, do you like salsa? Hot, medium, or mild? Homemade, store bought, or from your favorite restaurant only?

We like the salsa at our local Mexican restaurant. It’s medium. Other than good restaurant salsa we enjoy homemade.

4. When I was twelve years old…

This is the junior high school I was attending when I was 12. When I was 12 I attended Hume Lake Christian camp. What I learned at Bible Camp was that the only connection I could have to God was through Jesus Christ and what He did for me on the cross. Being Russian and being a part of my father’s religion did not give me a direct link to God that I believed I had. In 1963 at Hume Lake while listening to a speaker talk about Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross to save sinners I was moved to step out and become a follower of Jesus. God’s plan of salvation was exclusively through his perfect son Jesus, who is fully God and came to earth to live a perfect life among us and be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. I knew I was one of those sinners and I needed a Savior. This decision began a journey of ups and downs, highs and lows, but a journey forward with my God and Savior.

Nestled close to Kings Canyon National Park in California’s Sierra Nevada is the Youth Camp that I was able to attend in 1963, 1965 and 1967. I was 12, 14, and 16 during these wilderness adventures.

5. It’s the first of May so let’s run with it-first things first, don’t know the first thing about it, first dibs on something, first impression, first rate, first cousin, first string, first come first served, at first light-which phrase can best be applied to something in your life currently or even recently?

Currently I’d have to choose at first light. Seems Dear and I are up before first light each day. We should have been farmers or milk deliverers.

6. Insert your own random thought here.
It’s the Merry Month of May and I’m happy that it’s here.
Joining Jo From Across the Pond for Wednesday Hodgepodge.
 

They Bloom…

…as if overnight!

Addy warmed up to Gramps and Baba with no problems. We are always pleased that she remembers us and lifts up her arms for us to pick her up. We were able to see first hand all the new skills that she has mastered.

She moves and entertains in motion.

Eating cheerios while walking.

Scooting on her (what animal is that?) giraffe?

Building…

She has the cutest way of saying she is done eating.

Trying to gather all the numbers from her number puzzle right side up and upside down.

We enjoyed our time again with our kids in northeastern Washington.

Meanwhile Spring is blooming in our western Washington yard!

Lilacs, Pear blossoms and apple blossoms.

What’s blooming in your corner of the world?

Stop to Enjoy Spring!

Enjoying the photos I was able to snap of Addy and this next one that our Daughter-in-law took of Addy with her trusty furry friend.

We are in the thick of it at home again. With our house on the market we don’t have a lot of down time at home and that means my time on the computer is limited, too. We have no offers on our home yet and we have not found a home in northeastern Washington to make an offer on, either. Asking for an extra measure of trust from the Lord. Our weather has been glorious since we’ve come home. It’s so nice to have sunshine and to see all the Spring blooms.

There’s a Hole in My Bucket Hodgepodge

1. Three things on your spring bucket list? If you don’t have an actual list that’s fine, pretend you do.

  1. Sell our home 2. Buy a new home 3. Be moved into our new home by the time Spring is over. This is my reality bucket list. Any other time in life it would be filled with things like travel here and travel there…

2. Where do you find rest? What restores your soul? When was the last time you did whatever it was you answered here?

Going to church on Sunday restores my soul, especially communion Sundays. I also need a day in between very busy days to have no agenda. All this moving crunch has messed with my soul restoration time but…it is well with my soul nevertheless.

3. April is National Celery Month. Who knew? Do you like celery? What’s your favorite dish made with celery? On a veggie and dip platter which would you reach for first-carrot sticks, celery sticks, cucumbers or cherry tomatoes?

Celery is okay especially with peanut butter spread on it. A Bloody Mary with a celery stalk in it is good, too. My first go to on a veggie tray would be cucumbers. Mirepoix (celery, carrots and onions) is a great base for lots of dishes.

4. I read here eight things to do before 8 am to make your day less hectic-Start one load of laundry, drink water, empty the dishwasher, read your Bible, know what you’re having for dinner, get dressed, brain dump (two lists-one what you’re thankful for and one what’s weighing on your mind), and after the brain dump make your to-list for the day

How many of these are you currently doing? Which one do you think would help the most if you added it to your early morning routine?

I like this list of things to do but for a retired person this doesn’t have to be done by 8. I think if I do this list by 9 or 10 am it would be sweet! And because we are retired some of the things on the list aren’t critical like starting a load of laundry.

5. Describe the view from your window.

This is the view from my laptop spot on my family room couch.

Patio covers up and my patio furniture all set out with my privacy fence in the background. Leaves beginning to appear on the huge maple that looms above my patio covers. Sweet bleeding hearts blooming in a container just outside our “french doors” that exit to our deck.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I’m apologizing ahead of time for not visiting other hodgepodge posts in a timely fashion. Today is our outdoor work day to get the house ready for open houses before we hightail it out of here to Eastern Washington on Thursday. I mow, Dear weed wacks. So far we only have one house to look at in Colville on this trip. We are hoping for more houses to come on the market that we look forward to seeing. Time will tell. What’s great is that we get to see and enjoy our eastern Washington kids including dear little Addy May while we are in Colville. It’s been a while…

Spring is finally blooming here in our yard and in western Washington in general. How’s Spring doing in your corner?

Linking up to Hodgepodge Wednesday with Jo at From This Side of the Pond. She asks the questions and we answer them.

Easter Monday Update

Saturday was a multitasking day at this old house. The girls prepared Russian Easter Bread, our sweet cheese spread, packed boxes, took photos and paintings off the walls. Dear gathered up items we wanted to sell and Josh took over my phone and managed the photos and listings for us and responded to the inquiries and we sold several items, cha ching! We were exhausted at the end of the day but were satisfied with the successful results of working together.

On Easter morning we were texted this collage of Addy’s first experience with bubbles.

We celebrated our risen savior at the 8 am service and it was glorious!

Our peeps gathered at 11:00 am for our Easter meal together. Yummy.

Our phones alerted us to a text coming in and we saw our little Easter bunny from across the mountains who was zonked out after attending Easter service with her parents.

We missed these three at our celebration but are always happy to get photos via text!

Hope you all had a joyful Easter weekend.

Spring Hodgepodge

The Cherry Blossom Quad at the University of Washington. Katie, Laura and I enjoyed a couple hours at the University with lunch on the “Ave” on Monday.

1. On this first official day of spring tell us something (besides the weather) you’re looking forward to in this season of the year.

Well that’s a great question. This Saturday we are celebrating Addy’s first birthday with family and friends. She was born on the first day of Spring last year and she turned 1 on the first day of Spring this year. She’s our very special Spring gift. We are also looking forward to finding our new home somewhere close to our kids in Colville.

2. When it comes to spring cleaning would you rather wash windows or wash baseboards? Clean out closets or clean out the garage? Dust ceiling fans or dust bookcases? Wipe down the patio furniture outside or wipe down the light fixtures inside? Any of these tasks recently completed?

I’d rather wash baseboards.

I’d rather clean out the garage because Dear will do that and not me.

Dust ceiling fans since I only have one but I have a ton of bookcases.

Wipe down the patio furniture outside because that means the sun is shining.

I’m trying to pack a box a day so my closets are getting cleaned in a manner of speaking.

3. Your favorite thing to make/eat that calls for cream cheese? Sour cream? Whipped cream?

Cream Cheese = Cheesecake

Sour cream = Beef Stroganoff

Whipped Cream = Parfaits

4. I read here a list of commonly mispronounced words. What is a word that gives you trouble when it comes to pronunciation?

Arborvitae

5. What’s a song you love with the word ‘rain’ in the title or lyrics?

Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

We are headed east again for a very special birthday celebration and to look at some more houses that are for sale. Tuesday I clocked more than 20,000 steps…a first for me this year. We did some major yard work. Hello Spring and so it begins, weeds and the grass growing before our eyes. That’s a spring cleaning job that I don’t mind, mowing the lawn. Crazy but true. Happy Spring dear bloggy friends. Hope you find renewed energy and new things every day to thank God for.

Hop over to From This Side of the Pond for Wednesday Hodgepodge. Thank you Joyce!

Pears and Apples…

…or is it Apples and Pears?

So far it looks like we have a bumper crop again this year.

We’ll see how many grow to maturity.

Photos taken on June 16, 2017.

This rabbit thought if it kept still I wouldn’t notice it.

We are heading out on Saturday morning with a summer walking group. Hopefully I’ll get some good photos to share next week. Then in the afternoon we have a Father’s day barbecue with our Western Washington kids. Hope you have a good weekend.

Peonies Plus

Our peony plant had more blooms this year than ever before.

Thankfully the blooms don’t open all at once but when they do I grab the scissors and clip them and bring them inside to fill a couple vases. We now enjoy their beauty and their scent inside our living area.

Something lovely to look at while we are still in the midst of boxes and file drawers of paperwork. Looking, laughing, shredding, recycling and saving what needs to be saved or what we want to see again and smile. Some things have made me cry. Maybe I’ll share some of those things in the future.

We have the system down now and things are going faster.

One quote we came upon today that made us smile and wonder where we originally saw it, “You don’t have to be dead to move toward the Light!” I hope you have moved toward the light.

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Happy Weekend to you!

 

Green, green,

…it’s green they say on the far side of the hill…

Everything is so nice and green in Spring. Some of the green will fade in the summer.

Pears are starting to grow.

Blueberries are forming in their clusters.

Tomorrow I’m posting a recipe on Mennonite Girls Can Cook for a Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake that would be good with pears, too. Later this summer when my blueberries and pears are nice and ripe I’ll have to do a redo of the coffee cake.

Today is a busy torture day for me as I go to the dentist this morning and the doctor in the afternoon. I tend to have panic attacks at the dentist when they want to put a block in my mouth to keep it open. I feel like I’m going to choke and die. Yep…I’m praying already that I don’t panic. The good news is that Dear came home safe and sound from Chicago last night and he brought home some famous Garrett Mix popcorn/Chicago mix. Have you ever had it?

Spring Has Sprung…

The most vibrant of our azaleas has bloomed.

The fern fronds are unfurling.

Everything is green. Our large rhododendron plants are just starting to open their buds. This is the back side of our home.

This smaller rhododendron is in full bloom.

The rosebud azaleas are close to their prime.

This is view of our side yard looking to the front of our property. Our house is on the left and garage/shop on the right.

Yellow Rhododendrons

I’m real excited about all the peony buds this year!

This is one of our Top Hat Blueberry plants on our deck.  Fresh blueberries are in our future.

We are in another rainy pattern. They are talking about some sunshine in the near future.

Addyson is 2 months old today. We were texted some photos the last couple of days.

They’ve been storing breast milk and daddy was able to successfully feed her for the first time on Mother’s Day.

2 months old with Rayna keeping a watchful eye on her! Isn’t she lovely…So happy for the easy way we have these days to share photos. It makes being far away so much easier. Are you near or far from your grandkids?

Linking up to ABC Wednesday for the letter S. Thanks to Mrs. Nesbitt and her loyal team.