All Work and No Play…

…makes Jack a Dull Boy.

We gave a lot of good energy to our back acres on Friday and Saturday morning. I am so happy to have learned about the tarp trick for gathering and moving weeds and brush!

We found new places for some of our wall art that we brought from our home in Kenmore.

As the saying applies…we are all decked out.

Birds have been flying hard into our slider and practically knock themselves unconscious. Dear helped revive one with a warm cloth as it shivered.

On Friday evening we played with Addy while her folks went out on a date.

Don’t worry they had a nice dinner before they headed to Wal-Mart.

While we were playing on the east side of the state our Coast kids were out celebrating our favorite son-in-law’s 30th birthday! They went out for German food and Axe throwing.

Looks like they played bocce ball, too.

The Birthday boy deserves one photo all by himself. He landed both those axes in the center circle, throwing them both at the same time!

The Eastsiders sent a selfie wishing Andrew a happy birthday on the Coast.

We are thinking of forming a singing group called Crowns and Axes.

This celebration on the Coast made my heart sing.

Katie, Laura, and Josh fly in Monday night to be here for BBB’s birth. Andrew will drive over on Thursday to welcome BBB. Time will tell on what or when I’ll be posting next.

In other news: Our pastor is stranded in Dallas trying to get home from Florida where he was doing some teaching. His connecting flight was cancelled and he didn’t make it home Saturday as planned. Now we hear he might not be able to get a flight until Tuesday. The weather has been the problem. Two of our Deacons had to step in last minute and deliver a message this morning for Palm Sunday. They did a good job encouraging us to spend some time this Holy week in thought and preparation for our Easter Celebration.

Are you doing anything in preparation for Easter?

One of my readings by Spurgeon hit the mark with my heart…Even in the Face of Mockery…

O Jesus, “despised and rejected by men,” how could You die for men who treated You so badly? Here is amazing love, love divine, love beyond degree. We despised You in our pre-converted days, and even since our new birth we have given the world a place in our hearts, and yet You bled to heal our wounds and died to give us life. O that we could set You on a glorious high throne in all men’s hearts! We would ring out Your praises over land and sea until men would universally adore you just as they once unanimously rejected You.

Linking up with Angie for Mosaic Monday.

Spring in Colville

We watched Addy this afternoon and early evening so Daddy and Mommy could have a last date for a very long time. Their words not ours. This is the view from their driveway on our way home.

Dear and I worked hard in our back acres today. Our riding mower started right up after it’s winter rest. We also cleared some brush and cleaned out some planters. We tried to start our burn pile but things still haven’t dried out enough for it to stay lit. We are hoping our piles of limbs and brush will burn before we have any burn bans put in place. There is no doubt we live in the country.

We’ll be working in our back acres again tomorrow before we wrap things up for a very special week coming up. It’s Holy Week and grandson is being delivered on Tuesday.

What’s happening in your corner of the world?

 

The Rest of the Tour

After we left the University, Laura and I took Flat Stanley to see The Fremont Troll, some floating houses, views of the Space Needle and a statue of Chief Seattle.

Here’s a link if you want more information on the Troll. The sad thing about this fun Seattle sight is that drug addicts have chosen to use this sight to shoot up and discard their needles here. When we were there a concerned citizen had already picked up over 30 discarded needles. He was warning people with children to watch out.

Some of the floating houses on Lake Union in Seattle.

Views of downtown Seattle from Queen Anne’s Kerry Park.

This statue of Chief Seattle is in the Belltown area of Seattle between 5th Avenue and Cedar Street in the shadow of the Space Needle. I’ll add a link for anyone who wants to read more about the man Seattle was named after here. I found this quote about him interesting:

“What we know of Sealth (pronounced SEE-elth, with a guttural stop at the end) and his life is mostly conjecture based upon myth with a little bit of extrapolated fact. That he was a tyee, or chief, has never been disputed. His father, Schweabe, had been a tyee, and the title was hereditary, though it conferred no power upon the holder. The Suquamish listened to the tyee only when he said what the people wanted to hear. The remainder of the time, a tyee was expected to share his largess with the rest of the tribe during a potlatch.”

Seattle, Chief of the Suquamish, A Friend of The Whites. For Him the City of Seattle was named by it’s Founders.

This week I’m adding three quotes from my readings that I want to remember.

“Loving, not being loved, is essential.” John Piper

A line from a hymn by John Newton, 1779, that Alistair Begg shared on an interview about Prayer:

“Thou art coming to a King, large petitions with thee bring”

I’ll be sharing the full hymn on a Sunday in the future.

This last quote and the longest is from The Gospel According to Jesus by John MacArthur, page 46.

“The call to Calvary must be recognized for what it is: a call to discipleship under the lordship of Jesus Christ. To respond to that call is to become a believer. Anything less is unbelief.

The gospel according to Jesus explicitly and unequivocally rules out easy-believism. To make all of our Lord’s difficult demands apply only to a higher class of Christians blunts the force of His entire message. It makes room for a cheap and meaningless faith – faith that may be exercised with absolutely no impact on the fleshly life of sin. That is not saving faith.”

Have a Thursday filled with good thoughts!

Before She Hides…

When our daughter-in-law and I arrived at the University of Washington a couple of weeks ago to see the cherry blossoms we first looked towards the Drumheller Fountain and the Rainier Vista beyond it. We were very excited to see that Mount Rainier was not shrouded in clouds as is the case on many days.

I’m glad we stopped to take photos before we continued to the Quad to see the blossoms.

When we were done with the blossoms and headed back to the parking garage, Rainier was hiding but all the students were out in full force! I took a couple more photos on the way to the parking garage.

It was a photo fun day at the University of Washington.

It’s time for me to admit that the days are getting away from me in this Easter season and with the short amount of days until our wee grandson makes his appearance. We’ve had a few more babysitting times so Mommy can get all her doctor visits in and mommy and daddy need to go out for a special date before they have a toddler and a newborn. Our Coast kids are arriving soon to be here for BBB’s delivery. And then there’s Spring cleaning, especially on our property. So if you don’t see much from me or you don’t see comments on your blogs from me you will know why. The times they are a changing and it seems changes are something we can depend on more and more at this stage of life.

Some things don’t change and the one thing I depend on a lot and one of my favorite verses in the Bible is this one:

Hebrews 13:8 (ESV) ~Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

And then speaking of changes…

Daniel 2:20-22 English Standard Version (ESV)

20 Daniel answered and said:

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
    to whom belong wisdom and might.
21 He changes times and seasons;
    he removes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
    and knowledge to those who have understanding;
22 he reveals deep and hidden things;
    he knows what is in the darkness,
    and the light dwells with him.

Tuesdays With Moisi ~11053 Arroyo Drive

Our family moved to La Mirada from Montebello in 1971. We had 5 weddings while we lived here. Our sister Vera was already married. Our brother Fred got married in 1972. Kathy and I got married in 1974. Tim got married in 1978. Steve got married in 1981. Our parents owned this home until 1983. Moisi and Nadia became Babushka and Dzedushka in this home with 10 grandchildren being born between 1974 and 1981. More grandchildren were added while they lived in Wildomar and Yorba Linda, their next two moves after La Mirada.

My parents were able to add some new furniture to their home.

We had one of our first big celebrations in our new home in May of 1971 for our sister Kathy’s birthday.

This was the first car I purchased on a payment plan. It was so nice to finally have a car that ran well.

Our little maternal babushka lived with us for a short time before she passed away in 1980.

Our first Christmas in our new home with our mom’s side of the family. Aunt Nina and my mom preparing food in the kitchen.

Two of our four cousins on mom’s side of the family with our little grandmother and our Pop and Uncle Paul at the head of the table.

Our little babushka, mom and me at a Southern California beach in 1972.

The first six grandchildren in the backyard in La Mirada with Moisi and our sister Kathy. This was 1979.

Judging from the ages of these cousins, this probably was the last Christmas on Arroyo Drive in 1982.

More photos will be added to this post when I can scan them onto my latest computer.

 

University of Washington Gargoyles

The University of Washington in Seattle was established in 1861. The gargoyles I zoomed in on are located on buildings in the Liberal Arts Quadrangle, commonly known as the Quad. The Quad is also where multitudes come to see the cherry blossoms in Spring. Our DIL Laura and I were in the Quad last Monday and I took some new photos of some of the gargoyles. If you want to see the Cherry Blossoms click here.

Gargoyles are figures often carved into the architecture of old churches, usually in the form of a grotesque animal or human. Many times gargoyles in Gothic churches were attached to the gutter system of the roof, with the mouth of the gargoyle acting as a spout for rainwater, helping keep the masonry from being destroyed.

I have a another post about the gargoyles on the buildings in the Quad here.

I’m linking up with Angie for Mosaic Monday.

We are enjoying any sunshine that peeks through the clouds these fickle Spring days. We worked on our front planters until we both needed a few good doses of Ibuprofen. They are mostly cleared and now staked out for new borders and shape before we replant anything in them. We have many projects to complete at our Country Bungalow. We’ll have to pace ourselves and spread things out in the next 5 years!

Before the Throne of God Above ~ Hymn

Sisters wknd 016

Before the Throne of God Above

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong, a perfect plea
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me
My name is graven on His hands
My name is written on His heart
I know that while in heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end to all my sin
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me

Behold Him there the risen Lamb
My perfect spotless righteousness
The great unchangeable I am
The King of glory and of grace
One with Himself I cannot die
My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ my Savior and my God!
With Christ my Savior and my God!

One with Himself I cannot die
My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ my Savior and my God!
With Christ my Savior and my God!’

Words: Charitie Lees Smith (1841–1923)

Cherry Blossoms

Laura and I had such a great day out and about catching some of the spectacular sights in the Seattle area. Our stop at the University of Washington was a highlight of the day. In later posts I’ll share some other views on the campus and many of the gargoyles the old brick buildings have.

This is a magnolia that I always like to get a photo of when we visit the quad this time of year.

The crowds we experienced on Monday were nothing comparted to the crowds that gathered on the weekend. A sea of humanity!

I’m slowly adjusting back to being at home and I’m slowly getting around to blogs and catching up with emails. Hope April has started off well for all of you.

Who is Flat Stanley?

And what is the Flat Stanley Project? Many of you are unaware of who Flat Stanley is and why he visits different parts of the world. Click on this link to get more information Flat Stanley. Some elementary school teachers have their students color and cut out a flat figure of Stanley. They then choose victims willing participants to send him to and ask for the willing participants to take Stanley around with them and document interesting sights in their locale. When it’s time to send him back you include information, history, photos of where Stanley has been. Laura and I had a lot of fun with Flat Stanley. He will have a few more adventures with Josh and Laura before he gets sent back to Skylar, our Grandniece in New York.

We took Flat Stanley to see the beautiful blooming cherry blossoms on these great trees in the Quad at the University of Washington.

Many more photos from the Cherry Blossoms at the University of Washington’s Quad will be in my next post.

We are home again and getting ready to attack our Spring clean up on our acreage. All the snow has melted off our property revealing all the work that needs to be done. I hope to catch up on visits to your blogs in the next several days.