MGCC Christmas 2023

We drove to Abbotsford on Thursday November 30th a day early for our Mennonite Girls Can Cook annual Christmas party. We were graciously invited to stay an extra day with Terry and Lovella who were hosting the party this year. We arrived late afternoon and had some test runs on different drinks we might be serving at our party. Wonderful conversations were enjoyed in their home and at the restaurant where we had dinner that evening.

On Saturday morning we were invited to Anneliese and Herb’s for breakfast and again enjoyed gracious hospitality. Lovella and Anneliese live just around the block from each other. We were back at our hosts by noon to help set things up for our Appetizer and Dessert evening.

As each of the other girls arrived the ‘buffet island’ was filled to the brim.

The guys chatted as we finished up setting out the appies.

The ‘girls’ loaded up their plates and enjoyed time in the living room.

We all brought one gift and then got to choose one to take home with us. Soon it was time for dessert.

In case anyone is wondering…these girls can still cook. We enjoyed our dessert in the family room. Good times together and we talked well into the night.

After a quick sleep it was time for our car to head back over the border into the USA. We are thankful for our ongoing friendship with the Mennonite Girls and their husbands. God is good to us.

Advent Begins 2023

We traveled to the West side of the Cascade mountain range last Wednesday and spent some time with our kids and then traveled north from their home into Canada to attend the annual MGCC Christmas party. I’ll be sharing more about that when I gather all the photos. Our travel was slow and interesting because of the weather.

On the way last Wednesday we encountered Hoarfrost and freezing fog which was very treacherous. We stopped at a couple stores in Spokane and the parking lots were ice skating rinks. We decided against going into Costco because of the danger walking posed and just hit the road to the Seattle side of the mountains. Along the way there were crews cleaning up after accidents with semis who spun out of control because of the slick roads.

We made it safely to Kirkland to our favorite Mexican restaurant and met up with our good friends for a couple hours of catching up. After that on to our kids’ home for the night.

On Thursday we traveled up to Abbotsford, B.C. for our Mennonite Girls Can Cook Christmas party. (A post will be coming soon) We had great interactions with the Border agents on both sides of the line!

On Saturday we had safe travels back to Bothell and had a meal out to celebrate our daughter-in-law’s birthday.

It was so good to be with our ‘westside’ kids to celebrate Auntie LoLo!

On Sunday we packed up the car bright and early and went to the 8am church service with Josh and Laura before hitting the road back to Colville at 9:15 am.

On Sunday Addy sent this message to Auntie Lolo from church in Colville where she would be performing with the children’s choir to start off the season of Advent. I was able to watch the performance on our church’s livestream while on the road heading back to Colville on Sunday since Greg was driving. Addy did an exceptional job with singing and hand motions.

Snoqualmie Pass had accumulated some snow and the driving was treacherous with 35 mile an hour reduced speed limits. Chains were required for cars without 4wd and for the large trucks.

Once over the pass the roads improved and the plows were doing their job nicely.

We made it off the freeway in Spokane with a sigh of relief and only 75 more miles to go.

Colville had a good drop of snow while we were gone and our grands were taking advantage of it.

We finally made it home after 5pm.

Our stars on our deck with our small outdoor manger scene greeted us in some fresh fluffy snow. It was a nice ending to our trip and the first Sunday of Advent. We had so many praying for us on our hard journey and we thank God for his care and for our prayer warriors, too.

Ah, Dearest Jesus ~ Hymn

Ah, Dearest Jesus

Ah, dearest Jesus, holy Child,
Make Thee a bed, soft, undefiled
Within my heart, that it may be
A quiet chamber kept for Thee.

My heart for very joy doth leap,
My lips no more can silence keep;
I, too, must sing with joyful tongue
That sweetest ancient cradle song.

Glory to God in highest Heaven,
Who unto man His Son hath given;
While angels sing with tender mirth,
A glad new year to all the earth.

Words: Martin Luther, 1535.

Pecan Pinwheel Cookies

These cookies started with a basic Butter Cookie Dough that could create a variety of cookies.

Ingredients:

1-3/4 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons soft butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method:

In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth but not fluffy.
Beat in egg.
Add flour and mix until incorporated, using hands if needed.
Chill dough for one hour.
On floured parchment, roll half the dough into a rough rectangle about 10 x 8 inches.
Repeat with remaining half of dough.
Slide rectangles on parchment to baking sheet.
Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile mix 3 tablespoons soft butter, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon in small bowl.
Spread half of this mixture over one of the rectangles of refrigerated dough and distribute well.
With long side facing you, use parchment paper to help you roll into log.
Repeat for the second rectangle adding the rest of the filling.
Chill until firm.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut logs into 1/4 inch slices.
Place on parchment-lined baking sheets.
Bake until lightly browned, 12-17 minutes.
Let cool on wire racks.

Makes 5-6 dozen cookies.

You can freeze one of the logs for future use if you don’t need this many cookies at once. Just wrap them in parchment and put the log into a freezer safe zip loc bag until ready to bake.

Dublin Finale

Our travel journal will come to an end with this post, our last several hours in Dublin on Monday, September 25th.

Our tour guide was great and the tour at Jameson was well done and we all enjoyed it.

After our Jameson Tour it was a straight shot along Mary’s Lane to the Church Cafe. We had a great table for the 6 of us right up front in the balcony with the Irish music and dancing right below us.

We had a lovely view of the Stained glass window.

Saint Mary’s (former) Church of Ireland was begun c.1700 to the design of Sir William Robinson and was completed by his successor, Thomas Burgh. It was the first classical parish church in the city and was the site of Arthur Guinness’s marriage in 1761. Wolfe Tone was baptized here and the church also witnessed John Wesley’s first Irish sermon.

The triumphal east window was designed at least in part by Robinson and has a grace and vivacity unusual in a city largely bypassed by Baroque influences. The style is supported by the tracery windows and represents the only extant exterior Baroque flourish in Dublin city. The plan form adds further to the site’s unique identity, with the convex quadrants being a departure from the usual rectilinear shapes found in similar churches, contributing a distinctive design and striking presence.

Lord how I love the habitation of thy house and the place where thine honour dwelleth.

I was glad when they said unto me let us go into the house of the Lord

Holiness becometh thy house O Lord forever.

I felt torn that this church didn’t survive for whatever reason but am pleased that it wasn’t torn down. The Stained glass window still echoes some of God’s truth for those with eyes to see.

We all enjoyed our dinner here and when it came to dessert, Sticky Toffee Pudding was on our minds. The Church Cafe did not have it on the menu so Andrew googled and found a restaurant in the Temple Bar area of Dublin that had it on the menu. We decided we would enjoy that to top off our last full day in Dublin so we walked across the river to the Temple Bar area.

How great it was to see this particular bar that was one of the jigsaw puzzles I completed before we traveled to Dublin.

The restaurant that was serving Sticky Toffee Pudding was packed and getting a seat for six didn’t look promising. With some gentlemanly coaxing, Andrew convinced the staff to fix up two servings for us to enjoy outside around a bench along the way with promises that we would certainly return the plates and utensils. It was a nice way to end our time before we ordered the last Uber of the day to take us back to our hotel for the night. Slainte!

This wraps up my travel journal for our time in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Dublin and England. On Tuesday the 26th of September we had our buffet breakfast in the hotel, checked out and traveled by Uber to the Dublin Airport for our 9-10 hour flight home. We went through customs in Dublin so we did not have to be delayed at all after landing in Seattle. Andrew and Katie drove straight home from the airport in Seattle and we drove back to Josh and Laura’s for the night with a stop for dinner at their local Mexican Restaurant. We settled in for the night to try to sleep before our next day departure by car over the mountains to our home. When we woke up earlier than expected due to Jet Lag we loaded up and drove home. Thankful for God’s providence in reaching our driveway safe and sound or half sound. Jet Lag is real!

Thank you for coming along on our journey.

Truth for Today #79

Thursday November 30th

On Thursdays my posts will include verses that stood out in my readings from the Bible during week. One, two, three or maybe more. If you have a verse/verses that you read during the week and would like to share, leave it/them in the comments and I will add it/them to the post. Let’s dig deep in God’s Truth again this year!

The verses that you share are appreciated and so encouraging, I’m thankful for them and for each of you!

Note: We are traveling today so I might be slow in adding your verses here. I will add them as soon as I can. Thank You!

Colossians 1:15-20

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

From Lauren:

Joshua 1:9

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

From Vera:

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬-‭7‬

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

From Maristella:

Psalm 43:3

Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.

From Nikkipolani:

Mark 16:6-7

And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’”

From Karen:

Hebrews 10:23

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
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Back to Dublin ~Day 11

Day eleven of our trip to Ireland and England was Monday September 25th. We walked across the road to the John Lennon Airport from our hotel early for our 9:20 AM flight back to Dublin. We didn’t realize how important adding the extras on our reservation were for this flight. We purchased priority boarding and it was money well spent as they divided everyone up into the ‘goats’ and ‘sheep’ at the gate. Our seats were guaranteed while others had to wait and see if there would be room for them. YIKES. Thankful again for the providence of the Lord we encountered all through our trip.

Another taxi ride from the Dublin airport to our last hotel on this trip, The Ashling. Andrew and Katie were already at this hotel and we were excited to meet up with them for our last day in Dublin. True to form the day was packed full with adventures.

After checking into the hotel and dropping our bags Josh ordered another Uber to take us across the river to our lunch destination, The Stag’s Head.

Our hunger satisfied we checked our GPS and walked to Trinity College.

No tours were available for us so we booked entry into the Book of Kells and strolled around the campus waiting for our entry time. The campus was packed solid with students and parents.

It was finally time for our tour and we lined up in the queue.

Welcome to the Old Library and the Book of Kells – a “must see” on the itinerary of all visitors to Dublin. Located in the heart of Dublin City, a walk through the cobbled stones of Trinity College Dublin will bring visitors back to the 18th century, when the magnificent Old Library building was constructed. Inside is housed the Book of Kells – a 9th-century gospel manuscript famous throughout the world.

The Book of Kells “Turning Darkness into Light” exhibition has displays of large screens showing copies of the pages from the Book of Kells. The actual volume of the Book of Kells is housed in the Treasury inside a glass case opened to a page that is turned every so often. No photographs permitted.

When we were on the Isle of Iona back in 2006 we were able to read about and see a copy of a page of the book of Kells which is most likely the location where the Book of Kells was created. Here’s a link with some good information.

These next four photos are needlepoint kneelers from St. Mary Magdalene church in Woodstock that we visited in 2022.

From the Book of Kells exhibit you proceed upstairs to the magnificent Long Room which usually houses 200,000 of the Library’s oldest books in its oak bookcases.

We were disappointed that all but 10% of the books were removed for cleaning and restoration from this magnificent library during our time in Dublin.

The Trinity College Harp (also known as ‘The Brian Boru Harp‘), dating from around 1400 AD, is an extraordinary instrument. Anywhere you look in Ireland, you cannot avoid the Trinity College Harp. It is used as the official emblem of Ireland.

From our time here we did some walking and shopping before we ordered another Uber to take us to Jameson Distillery where we had reserved a tour. The rest of day eleven will have to wait for another day.

Back to the Present: Our company over the last several days left on Monday morning. These last few days of November and into the beginning of December are very busy days for us. We have several events this week that require planning and thinking and organizing. We are starting our Christmas decorating slowly. I’ll have to wait for the majority of that decorating until next week. Choosing joy in the midst of busy! Hope all is well in your corner.

Thanksgiving Long Weekend 2023

We had nine at our Thanksgiving table this year before three more family members made the drive on Friday. My sister and her husband traveled from Texas to be with us locals from Colville. I’m happy to announce that we were pleased with cooking the turkey in the convection oven. It took half the time and the results were good. We’ll make a couple tweaks next year…if we remember.

On Friday, later in the afternoon, this carload of three arrived from their six hour drive and we were eleven for a pulled pork dinner. Our daughter’s hubby unfortunately was under the weather and stayed home.

On Saturday our group split up and spent the morning and afternoon with separate adventures.

The older folk ventured across the line into Canada for some fun in Rossland and Trail, B.C. We had good interactions with the Border Agents again.

The sun was out for another glorious squinty day! Rossland is at a higher elevation and known as a skiing destination. The shaded sidewalks were icy. We tried to walk on the sunny side of the street.

We enjoyed the artwork around town and made some purchases before we traveled a bit further to enjoy lunch in Trail.

Persian food is a favorite in our family and we were happy with the quality of food at Kootenay Kabab in Trail.

Our carload made it back across the border to our Country Bungalow in time to watch the second half of the Cross state rivalry between the University of Washington and the Washington State Cougars, known as the Apple Cup. Having three University of Washington alumni in our family we are Husky fans. We are outnumbered on the side of the state that we live in now. Our Huskies waited until the last second of the game to win! With that win they are undefeated this season.

While we were in Canada our kids enjoyed time in Colville on our local kids’ property.

We all gathered together again for dinner and fun on Saturday evening.

Addy enjoyed time with her aunties and great auntie and JJ enjoyed his Uncle JOSH-SHU-WA. This weekend for JJ, Uncle Joshie was Uncle Josh shu wa.

Ember enjoyed the visiting hands that stroked her head. The large Thanksgiving banner was a great project for everyone to contribute their coloring skills to. Mexican Train was the game of the weekend.

We are thankful to be able to spend extended time together any time of the year but it is always a special time at Thanksgiving. So grateful for all who traveled a long way to get here! We don’t take that for granted.

As you can imagine the last several days have been very busy and I’ve had little time on the computer and for visiting. Hopefully I’ll catch up soon before the next grand adventure the end of this week!

Thank you to all for your visits and your comments. I appreciate every one of you!

My God, I Thank Thee ~ Hymn

My God, I Thank Thee, Who Hast Made

My God, I thank Thee, who hast made
The earth so bright,
So full of splendor and of joy,
Beauty and light;
So many glorious things are here,
Noble and right.

I thank Thee, too, that Thou hast made
Joy to abound;
So many gentle thoughts and deeds
Circling us round,
That in the darkest spot of earth
Some love is found.

I thank Thee more that all our joy
Is touched with pain,
That shadows fall on brightest hours,
That thorns remain;
So that earth’s bliss may be our guide,
And not our chain.

For thou who knowest, Lord, how soon
Our weak heart clings,
Hast given us joys, tender and true,
Yet all with wings;
So that we see gleaming on high
Diviner things.

I thank Thee, Lord, that Thou hast kept
The best in store;
We have enough, yet not too much
To long for more:
A yearning for a deeper peace
Not known before.

I thank Thee, Lord, that here our souls
Though amply blessed,
Can never find, although they seek
A perfect rest;
Nor ever shall, until they lean
On Jesus’ breast.

Words: Adelaide A. Procter, 1858.

Brie, Pear, and Arugula Pizza

This Brie, Pear and Arugula pizza would be great for an appetizer. I used a pound of store bought fresh pizza dough found in the deli section which really made this easy to make. If you want to make your own dough here’s a link to one of Kathy’s recipes for pizza dough.