May Catch-Ups…

Looking back to Mother’s Day weekend and Addy’s dance recital with the Great Potato play. She had the part of one of the leprechauns. None of us got good photos of her in costume but her mama saved the day after the fact. The costume was pulled out of storage at the dance studio and Addy played the part in the still photos!

Thank you, Jamie and Addy, for filling in the gaps.

Towards the end of the month Addy and JJ attended a Shakespeare in the park event.

Throughout the month of May several deer came through our acreage looking for tasty nibbles of this and that. When they start nibbling on the clematis, I shoo them away.

June has started sunny and warm on the Westside of our state and on our side of the state, too. Josh and Laura, loyal fans at the Sunday afternoon Sounders Soccer game.

Our Colville ‘kids’ working hard in the garden and in the background you’ll see the lawn being mowed all on the first day of June 2025.

I tried to catch the aurora borealis on Sunday night but it wasn’t the right time. If I would have stayed up till 2am on Monday I might have seen some better color but I was fast asleep while the lights danced in the sky.

Hello June…

…and a look back at May blooms.

The Red Peonies are at full bloom and we are still waiting on the white and pink to open up.

My camera does not get the true color of this clematis.

A bumble bee was enjoying this columbine.

We are enjoying the variety of color on our property right now.

Our weekend was a bit of this and that, weeding, watering, and organizing some shelves in the Garage. On Saturday we had our cars washed by the teens from church who are raising money for camp. After church on Sunday we made an impromptu trip to Spokane for a meal and some shopping.

We’re welcoming June here with sunshine and warm temperatures.

Jesus Shall Reign ~ Hymn

Jesus Shall Reign

Jesus shall reign wher­e’er the sun
Does his suc­cess­ive jou­rneys run;
His king­dom stretch from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.

Behold the is­lands with their kings,
And Eur­ope her best trib­ute brings;
From north to south the princ­es meet,
To pay their hom­age at His feet.

There Per­sia, glo­ri­ous to be­hold,
There In­dia shines in east­ern gold;
And bar­bar­ous na­tions at His word
Submit, and bow, and own their Lord.

To Him shall end­less pray­er be made,
And prais­es throng to crown His head;
His name like sweet per­fume shall rise
With ev­ery morn­ing sac­ri­fice.

People and realms of ev­ery tongue
Dwell on His love with sweet­est song;
And in­fant voic­es shall pro­claim
Their ear­ly bless­ings on His name.

Blessings abound where’er He reigns;
The pri­son­er leaps to lose his chains;
The wea­ry find eter­nal rest,
And all the sons of want are blest.

Where He dis­plays His heal­ing pow­er,
Death and the curse are known no more:
In Him the tribes of Ad­am boast
More bless­ings than their fa­ther lost.

Let ev­ery crea­ture rise and bring
Peculiar hon­ors to our king;
Angels des­cend with songs again,
And earth re­peat the loud amen.

Words: Isaac Watts, 1719.

Tea ~ George Washington Inn

Welcome to Tea Time 2025. These posts will be about Tea Rooms we’ve been to, Teas we’ve given for friends and family, Church Tea events, and High Tea in restaurants from 2008 to the present. Tea in the U.S.A., Tea in England and Tea in Canada. Many of the Tea Rooms are no longer in business, which is sad.

This post was from February 22nd, 23rd and 24th of 2012

Between Sequim and Port Angeles on a bluff above the Strait of Juan de Fuca is a beautiful Inn dedicated to reflect the spiritual legacy that was the foundation of our country. Here’s a little recap of our journey for High Tea at the George Washington Inn.

We woke up to a significant wind storm on the morning of George Washington’s Birthday. We were hoping our ferry crossing on the Puget Sound would go well. We crossed with rocking and rolling and white caps in view.

We picked up Beth in the historic little town of Port Gamble and crossed the Hood Canal bridge without incident. When we turned the bend into Sequim we were hit head on with some gale force winds that made me keep a tight grip on the steering wheel. We were visually impressed when we turned up the driveway to the George Washington Inn.

How fun to have to be squinting in the bright sunshine! Despite the wind the weather treated us kindly.

What a wonderful surprise when we walked into the front door and George Washington greeted us!

He was kind enough to take a photo with us.

We were early so we toured the Inn before our tea time.

The Inn has great comfortable spaces and we enjoyed this sitting area before we headed into Tea.

The tables were set on the ocean front piazza, also known as a veranda.

First course included Black Forest and Lavender Cheddar Scones, Dried Cherry and Orange Biscuits, Fresh Lavender Biscuits and assorted flavored Butters and Jams. Beth reads my blog and she’s a real fast learner. After the first course she knew to pass me the service plate for photos before any of us took a bite. The drawback to eating with a blogger!!

Second Course included Petite Spinach and Swiss Quiche, Smoked Salmon Mousse-Filled Cucumber Cups, and Lavender Cream Cheese Turkey Finger Sandwiches.

Third Course included Chocolate Dipped Strawberries, Assorted Petits Fours, and Rasberry/Lemon Lavender Cheesecake.

Tea served with each course was raspberry lavender black tea.

George Washington spoke to us during tea, sharing many interesting stories of his life leading up to his presidency.

President George Washington in portrayal is available for events and can be reached at vfrykholm@olypen.com

Katie won a bar of soap from Mt. Vernon for asking the president the best question of the day.

We were blessed during our tea time with views of more than one rainbow over the Strait of Juan De Fuca.

A stop at the gift shop on our way out for some lavender goodies to take home.

We also couldn’t resist sitting in the great rockers and squinting in the sunshine before we headed to our ferry crossing home.

It was a lovely day for High Tea at the George Washington Inn with Katie and Beth and of course with our first President.

Alas, this Inn is also temporarily closed as per their website.

Tea ~ Queen Mary

Welcome to Tea Time 2025. These posts will be about Tea Rooms we’ve been to, Teas we’ve given for friends and family, Church Tea events, and High Tea in restaurants from 2008 to the present. Tea in the U.S.A., Tea in England and Tea in Canada. Many of the Tea Rooms are no longer in business, which is sad.

This post was originally from April 28th 2011.

Since Friday is the big day, my Friday’s Fave Five are all about the Royal Wedding! I know some people are yawning or even mocking the event but I choose to embrace it with hopes and prayers that things will go differently for this young couple and that their marriage will last as long as Queen Elizabeth’s reign. She’s been around a long time people!

On Wednesday after booking Katie and Andrew’s wedding venue we decided to have tea at the Queen Mary Tea Room to get in the mood for the upcoming wedding of William and Kate. The Tea Room is getting ready for the big event and is hosting a viewing party from 1:00 A.M. till 4:00 A.M. They have a special Royal Romance Tea for the occasion and a signature bubbly.

Katie wore her Princess Di ring. Well it’s not really a Princess Di ring but it is very similar and it’s fun to see Princess Di’s ring on Kate Middleton’s finger. Our Katie got her ring several years ago passed down from her Aunt Lana.

We enjoyed Cornish Pasties with salad and a very lovely carrot ginger soup with coconut.

Of course there were souvenirs that you could purchase commemorating the Royal event

I was tempted to get this mug to commemorate my Royal event this year!

I hope your week was a calm one instead of one filled with panic!

Are you going to watch Prince William and Kate’s wedding? We just gathered up a few of our British souvenirs and set them out for the wedding day. We even included the Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The Beanie Baby is the Princess Di Bear called Princess.

Back to the Present:

This post is a fun memory of many things, the Royal wedding, Katie and Andrew’s wedding and our time living in the Seattle area. Today is Friday May 30, 2025. It’s been mostly quiet this week. On Tuesday of this week my heels were injected with cortisone so we’ll see what relief I receive from that treatment against my Plantar Fasciitis.

In case you are wondering: Plantar Fasciitis is an inflammatory condition involving the plantar fascia, a thick band of connective tissue found on the bottom of the foot. This thick band of tissue extends from the heel to the ball of the foot and aides in support and stabilization of the foot (especially the arch) during walking and running.

Have a great weekend!

Truth for Today #146

Thursday May 29th

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! 

Job 9:2-10

Truly I know that it is so: But how can a man be in the right before God? If one wished to contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand times. He is wise in heart and mighty in strength –who has hardened himself against him, and succeeded?–he who removes mountains, and they know it not, when he overturns them in his anger, who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble; who commands the sun, and it does not rise; who seals up the stars; who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea; who made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the chambers of the south; who does great things beyond searching out, and marvelous things beyond number.

From Dianna:

“Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Psalm 37:3-4

From Vera:

“Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭61‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

From Leonard:

Isaiah 55:8

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.

From Karen:

John 11:26

And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Brain Fog Hodgepodge

And just like that May is coming to a close.

Another week, another Hodgepodge. Thank you, Joyce!

1. What’s your favorite room in your house and why?

I’m not sure I have a favorite. There are favorite things I enjoy in most rooms of our home. The dining room is special with great times sitting around the table enjoying food, conversation with loved ones and it’s where we play games!

2. What’s something that will instantly annoy you?
Eeeeek, be sure your sins will find you out. People who have to be the center of a conversation and one uping you. Sally is telling us about her recent trip to Paris and Lucy hijacks the conversation and tells us how she’s been there and knows all about it cutting off Sally and Sally’s sharing with an extended account of her own experiences in Paris. 
I want to guard against this kind of behavior in myself and focus more on others and what they have to say. I’m sure I’ve been guilty a million times of trying to make it all about me!
BTW: I’ve never been to Paris…LOL.
~
3. May 28th is National Hamburger Day…will you celebrate? Maybe
~
How do you like yours? With a bun that holds together and added lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, mustard and ketchup. Grilled onions are a treat.
~
If you’re not cooking at home is there a favorite place you like to go for a burger? No where in our town but we do enjoy burgers at The Masters Brewery in Deer Park. A favorite when we lived in California was In- N-Out.

Did you ever work in a fast food  restaurant? I never did.

4. What are three scents you like?

I enjoy lemon scents, lavender and lilac.

Speaking of scents, I bought this beautiful bouquet of flowers from the Farmer’s Market in Chewelah this past Friday.

5. What do you miss most about being a kid?

I miss the clear and bright brain of my youth.

At my age it’s hard to find the words I need to complete a thought or a sentence. I call it brain fog. I miss the fresh productive brain of childhood!

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I should have said that what really annoys me is to finish a puzzle and discover there is a piece missing. My latest puzzle did not have a piece missing, it had an extra piece! That has never happened to me before!

Enjoy the handful of days left in the Merry Month of May!

Gathering the Long Weekend

The Long Memorial Day weekend gathered many of our family together in different environments in person and with the help of media. We enjoyed seeing loved ones near and far enjoying each other and growing together. Relationships grow intentionally with the help of God. We love each other, correct each other, sharpen each other, forgive each other and encourage each other. God builds these relationships on the foundation of His saving grace and His forgiveness. Because He has forgiven us much we can forgive and love others.

Some snapshots from Arizona where cousins got together for their annual Memorial Day Weekend in Surprise.

Our son Dan gifted Jamie with the weekend away while he stayed home and was Mister Mom. Our DIL’s enjoyed lots of ‘girl’ time with our nieces from California and Arizona.

Our oldest son and some of our nephews from California and Arizona had their annual golf tournament and for the first time it ended in a tie!

The cousins, original and by marriage! These are our kids, my sister Vera’s and my sister Kathy’s.

On Saturday our son Dan came over with Addy and JJ for fun and dinner with Baba and Gramps.

There was an inspection of the hole dug for the new hydrant.

A vehicle got washed and a couple kids got soaked.

Big Wheels were brought out of storage.

This year all the effort to get those wheels moving were up to Addy and JJ. We did not have to give them a push or carry the Big Wheels up to the top of the walkway.

There was a lot of exploring on our acreage.

Some searching of unsuspecting bugs commenced.

They know to not disturb the Bumble Bees.

After all this outside fun we all came in and enjoyed a crock pot roast beef dinner with mashed potatoes, carrots and broccoli, more conversation, reading a story book and time to head home for bed. We are proud of our son for giving his dear wife the gift of a much deserved break from her constant excellent mothering.  He is a great hands on dad to Addy and JJ.

Our daughter and her hubby enjoyed some outside time on the weekend, too. We love seeing their smiling faces and that beautiful rhododendron in their front yard.

We were blessed with amazing weather over the Memorial Day Weekend. That is something we do not take for granted here in the Pacific Northwest!

On Sunday after church we took an hour long drive to Curlew Lake State Park to enjoy some time with several families from our church who were camping together. We had some long conversations, enjoyed dinner together and then headed back home. We crossed the beautiful Columbia River at Lake Roosevelt going and coming back home.

On Monday, Memorial Day we had some rain and thunder in the morning and I thought I’d have to move my mowing to Tuesday but the sun broke through and dried things up enough for my weekly mow. I’m happy for God to water my Spring planters! Our deep red peonies are the first to pop here so I’ll show them sometime soon.

Memorial Day 2025

Blades of grass and pure white stones
Shelter those who’ve come and gone.
Just below the emerald sod
Are those who reached the arms of God.
Buried here with dignity
Endless rows for all to see,
Freedom’s seeds in sorrow sown,
‘Neath blades of grass and pure white stones.
Blades of grass and pure white stones
Cover those who left their homes
To rest in fields here, side by side,
Lest we forget their sacrifice.
Buried here with dignity
Endless rows for all to see,
Freedom’s seeds in sorrow sown,
‘Neath blades of grass and pure white stones.
~
This was written by Lowell Alexander, Orrin Hatch, and Philip Naish.

The Viet Nam Memorial in Sacramento, California.

Korean War Memorial in Washington D.C.

Memorial Day, a solemn day to remember those who died serving our country.

By Faith in Christ I Walk with God ~ Hymn

By Faith in Christ I Walk with God

By faith in Christ I walk with God,
With Heav’n, my jour­ney’s end, in view;
Supported by His staff and rod,
My road is safe, and plea­sant too.

I tra­vel through a de­sert wide
Where ma­ny round me blind­ly stray;
But He vouch­safes to be my guide,
And will not let me miss my way.

Though snares and dan­gers throng my path,
And earth and hell my course with­stand;
I tri­umph ov­er all by faith,
Guarded by His al­migh­ty hand.

The wil­der­ness af­fords no food,
But God for my sup­port pre­pares;
Provides me ev­ery need­ful good,
And frees my soul from wants and cares.

With Him sweet con­verse I main­tain,
Great as He is I dare be free;
I tell Him all my grief and pain,
And He re­veals His love to me.

Some cor­di­al from His Word He brings,
Whene’er my fee­ble spir­it faints;
At once my soul re­vives and sings,
And yields no more to sad com­plaints.

I pi­ty all that world­lings talk
Of plea­sures that will quick­ly end;
Be this my choice, O Lord, to walk
With Thee, my guide, my guard, my friend.

Words: John Newton, 1779.