Ami the Amish Snowman

Snow!

It started snowing Christmas night and into Boxing day morning. We got between 2 and 3 inches. We bundled up and went outside and tested the snow to see if it was snowman worthy. YES!

Josh had help rolling the snow into the 3 portions we wanted for the snowman. He was placed in the back yard so that we would be able to see him from the family room.

How’s this for a fashion statement. I still had my festive jammies on!

Here’s Josh with Ami the Amish Snowman!

All the helpers.

We think Ami is going to be around for a long time…

Yesterday we celebrated Katie on her birthday. We ate tacos at a snowflake table. That will be a separate post.

Our travelers leave on Tuesday before the next snowfall that is predicted for Wednesday. That one promises several inches of snow.

Know Your Rights Hodgepodge

1. What’s something about Christmas that most people like, but you don’t? Elaborate.

Yearly Santa Photos. As a child I wasn’t raised with the notion that Santa was real. When we had kids we talked about Santa as a fun participant but we didn’t make them think he was real. We don’t have one photo of our kids with Santa through their growing up years. We do call the gifts in the stockings as being from Santa…again for the fun idea of it not reality.

My parents were Russian immigrants arriving in the USA shortly after WWII from Iran. Their families escaped out of Russia in the early 30’s into Persia. Russians have Dzed Moroz instead of Santa Claus.

Ded Moroz or Father Frost, the Slavic version of Santa Claus, long ago became the symbol of Russian winter, New Year’s and presents. He is usually accompanied by his granddaughter Snegurochka riding with an evergreen tree in a traditional Russian troika, a sleigh drawn by three horses abreast.

All that being said, we have some fun vintage Santa Christmas decor from Dear’s mother Verna.

2. Tell us about one cherished tradition from your childhood and if you’ll make it happen this year?

Cherished tradition from my childhood is going to my maternal babushka’s apartment for Christmas breakfast before church. We were in church every Christmas morning. Our little babushka lived in an apartment building a few doors away from our Russian Baptist church. Babushka has the yellow apron on next to our mom. Of course that can’t happen because those days are gone.

We added a cherished tradition in our home that we all count on for Christmas morning after stockings. Dear makes his Swedish Pancakes for all of us to enjoy with little smokies on the side. We’ve had to change this up as our “Coast” kids travel to us on Christmas Day so we have Swedish pancakes on Boxing day now.

3. In 1941 FDR declared December 15th Bill of Rights Day. Citizens were encouraged to fly the flag and gather for prayers and other ceremonies as appropriate. Did you know this?

I didn’t know this.

Will you fly a flag?

No we aren’t flying a flag today. Our flag pole is put away for this snowy season we are in.

Can you name all the rights and protections guaranteed in the first ten amendments of the US Constitution?

No I cannot.

Of the ten, which two do you value most? If you need a list you’ll find one here.

The first and second amendments are the two I value most. In the first amendment I value freedom of religion which we are putting to the test during these times. The right to bear arms is important to us.

4. Do you know someone named Bill?

We had a cousin Bill on our Pop’s side of the family.

Tell us something about him?

Our cousin Bill was a troubled young man and died young from injuries in a bar fight. If any of my siblings read this and remember something different correct me.

Is there a famous ‘Bill’ you’d like to meet?

I’ll meet him in heaven but it would have been nice to have a fireside chat with Billy Graham. He played a role in the salvation of our Pop.

5. A step in the right direction, on the right track, bragging rights, be in the right place at the right time, get off on the right foot, right as rain, right side up, give your right arm for, have one’s heart in the right place…choose a ‘right’ that applies to your life in some way in recent days and tell us how it’s so.

I’m going to say a step in the right direction. At the beginning of 2020 Intermittent Fasting became a new eating lifestyle and I’m happy to say that it works for me. I’ve dropped some pounds and my face is not as puffy as it used to be. It’s something that I can do forever and even when I can’t adhere to the plan during a period of time it’s easy to jump right back in.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

We had a few inches of snow fall on Tuesday. Time will tell if we are in for a white Christmas.

Thank you to Joyce From This Side of the Pond for asking the questions each week.

Happy Days in December…

So happy to report that with the help of our son, Dan, the siding on the front of the shop was completed this past Saturday and Sunday. Now all that is left of the siding is the back end.

When he wasn’t helping his dad Dan was taking his kids on a little snow hike.

This next photo is of a snow hike they took at the end of January 2020.

What a difference a year makes. Jaymison can ride in the sled now!

Earlier last week Dan had some helpers in putting up the Christmas lights.

Our temps have been below freezing for several days in a row which makes these outdoor projects a challenge. We are supposed to have a round of snow blow in tomorrow. I have a luncheon to attend and I’ll have to take the roads slow and steady. Thankful for good snow tires and all wheel drive!

Through the Eyes of A Child…

Yes, it is still Fall but here in Colville we are enjoying snow through the eyes of our little ones.

Can you see Addy looking through her snow wall?

Here she is.

We did some shopping at our local Wal-Mart and at a special artisan pop up in town. We found some special items and will return for more items supporting our locals.

Our snow turned to rain and we ended the afternoon with a wonderful stretch of sunshine.

We drove to Chewelah to enjoy a Mexican meal.

As usual our favorite waiter treated us too well with lots of extras that we didn’t order.

We are getting some sunshine on Saturday so Dear will be able to move ahead with some progress on his shop.

Do you have any special plans for the weekend?

Still White

We still have snow on the ground in our yard. Some has melted off. The roads are clear. We are expecting more snow, though, late on Thursday night into Friday morning. The snow is supposed to turn to rain on Friday as the day progresses.

I’ve heard that some of you are having warmer than usual temperatures right now.

Hope your Friday the Thirteenth is full of good things!

‘The Few, The Proud’ Veterans Day Hodgepodge

Happy Veterans Day!

Thank you to all our Veterans who are serving or have served in any of the branches of the military.

1. It’s the 11th day of the 11th month and bloggers often make lists on days like today. Let’s go with a list of eleven things you’re feeling grateful for today.

My God and Savior Jesus Christ.
My Bible or several of them.
My dear Hubby, 3-1/2 weeks shy of our 46th wedding anniversary.
Our three children, Josh, Dan and Katie.
Their three beloved spouses, Laura, Jamie and Andrew.
Our two grandchildren, Addyson and Jaymison.
Parents who loved the Lord and trusted Him during their lifetime.
A Bible believing and Bible preaching church and tried and true Bible teachers who I can access online.
Like minded friends who spur us on in our faith.
A comfortable home with all the creature comforts.
Good food around a happy and grateful table full of people.

2. What’s something you decided to do or act on at the ’11th hour’?

During our move across the state of Washington there were a lot of 11th hour decisions to get rid of stuff instead of packing them up and moving them.

3. Apparently the Kentucky Fried Chicken recipe contains 11 herbs and spices. What’s a dish you make that calls for exactly eleven ingredients? Feel free to share the list and/or recipe.

Here’s a Classic Macaroni Salad recipe with an added twist.

4 cups uncooked small elbow macaroni
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
2/3 cup sugar
2-1/2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 large onion chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
1 bell pepper seeded and chopped (I prefer a red, yellow or orange pepper)
1/2 cup jicama chopped (the twist)

Prepare small elbow macaroni as per package instructions, drain and rinse under cold water
In large bowl combine mayo/mustard/vinegar/salt/sugar and pepper.
Stir in onion/celery/bellpepper and jicama.
Add macaroni and combine well.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
If you’d like this to be a meal in itself you could add in a couple cans of Kirkland brand canned chicken breast meat or your favorite.

Cut recipe in half for 2 people

4. Something you remember about your 11-year old self?

When I was eleven I was a 7th grader in Junior High School. ( I skipped a grade) Sometime during that school year I convinced my mother to let me shave my legs. I come from a hairy stock of ancestors. When I arrived at school with my freshly shaven legs the news spread like wildfire all across the school halls. Yikes, how embarrassing. Back in those days (the 60’s) we were only allowed to wear dresses or skirts to school so the end to my hairy legs was news!

5. The 11th of November is Veterans Day in the US of A. This is a day to honor those who have served their country in war or peace-dead or alive-although according to the government’s website it’s largely intended to thank living veterans for their sacrifices.

Memorial Day is when we honor military personnel who died in service to their country.

Our brother-in-law Nick was buried on Veterans Day in 2015 at the Riverside National Cemetery.

Share a thought relating to Veterans Day or tell us something about a Veteran you know-love-admire.

Our son-in-law Andrew actively served with the Marines and had two tours of duty in Afghanistan. The photo above is of some of his Battalion in Afghanistan. The photo below was taken at the Marine Birthday Ball a few years back.

The next photo was taken at winter training on the border of California and Nevada.

We are proud parents (in-law) of our Marine. We are thankful for his service and that he came home to us and especially to our daughter. Even though he was honorably discharged from active service, once a Marine always a Marine.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

This happened early Tuesday morning.

Thank you to Jo From This Side of the Pond for asking the questions each week.

Before the Snow

So happy to report that we have one more side of the shop siding installed. Two more sides to go before Winter sets in. We are expecting some snow tonight and time will tell just how much falls. For now my vehicle is enjoying the covering of the shop. We are so thankful for this progress on the shop!

Did you know that Wal-Mart is staggering their Black Friday savings every week. When I was there on Monday I found a lot of fun savings in the aisles. Fun toys for $5 and $10 dollars. Nice Hotel quality towels for $5. I’m happy to say I restrained myself from buying too much!

Friday Snow Day

On Friday Katie, Laura and Addy built snowmen while JJ napped. They went to the garden to dig up the carrots for the noses!

Daniel put on the snow plow attachment and plowed the mile long drive for our travels to and from their home at the top of their mountain.

Our kids are more than halfway on their journey home expecting arrival before dark. I’ll have a few photo loaded posts to memorialize our 4th Annual Hunting Weekend.

The guys had a new experience this year hunting in the snow…

Last year Josh got his buck and this year it was Dan.

Looking forward to seeing what been going on with your blogs these past few days. I’m way behind…

Catch Up Day

On Friday the twenty third of October we got enough snow for Laura, Katie and Addy to build a couple snowmen while Jaymison napped.

At home the morning after I took this shot of our backyard to document the fact that we got closer to 6 inches instead of the 4-1/2 inches predicted.

A lot has melted already and soon all the white layers will be gone till the next snowfall. Our kids will be on the road heading back West later this morning or early afternoon. It’s a catch up day for me. Hope all is well where you are…

Departure and Arrivals

After being in Washington state for 3 full weeks it was time to put the Washington State sticker on Wholly Rollin’s travel map.

Thursday morning the 22nd of October was departure day for this dear family and their rig.

Thursday was a beautiful Fall day but our grass area under the truck tires was soggy and soft and the back wheels of the truck were spinning in the mud. Oye.

Dear came to the rescue with his 4 wheel drive truck and a heavy duty chain.

Success!

The truck and rig were free to continue on the Wholly Rollin adventure on to Kennewick, Washington and then into Oregon.

It was a privilege to enjoy my brother’s family for an extended period of time.

Until we meet again may God continue to direct your paths and bless your journey.

On this same morning Josh and Laura departed from the west side of the Cascades on their journey to Colville for our annual Hunting weekend, a 5-1/2 hour trip. Little did any of us know that Providence would allow an intersection of our eastward travelers with our westward departed travelers! On their way on I-90 Wholly Rollin pulled off at the Sprague Rest Area just as Josh and Laura were passing Ritzville which is 20 miles west of Sprague. Leonard and Mandy decided to text Josh and Laura to see where they were on their journey and to both traveling groups delight they were able to meet up at the Sprague Rest Area.

A photo op some conversation and then both groups hit the road again for their final destinations.

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye!

Josh and Laura arrived to our place a little before four and these two couldn’t be happier to see their Uncle and Auntie. And then at 6:30 pm Uncle Andrew and Auntie Katie arrived and there was more excitement. We are anticipating a full weekend of fun and fellowship.

As I type on this Friday morning the snow is gently falling here in Colville. This was a surprise forecast this week and it will make hunting and family photo taking a little more interesting than usual. Our hunting crew were up on the mountain by six thirty AM this Friday morning.

I took the above photo yesterday in the morning.

And here’s the view this morning Friday October 23rd!

Happy Friday everyone!

The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b.

To honor and encourage

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