Puzzles

While in Texas my sister and I enjoyed puzzle time. This was the first puzzle we completed and it was the first puzzle with letter codes on the back of the pieces to determine what section of the puzzle the pieces belonged in. We found it very helpful especially with the black areas.

I always appreciate a puzzle company that includes a poster.

The second puzzle we started and didn’t finish before I left Texas was a very tough one without codes and with so many similar color themes. It caused quite a lot of grumbling but still nice to find those pieces that fit together. My sister sent a photo of the almost finished puzzle she’s progressed on since I left.

It was fun to work on these puzzles with Lana.

Meanwhile here in Colville we are in mud season.

JJ enjoyed that mud.

Addy had an Irish Dance performance while we were gone and we were sent a photo of her before her performance.

On Friday the weather was good enough to do some work outside. I finally got to a couple planters, only about 5 more planters to go.

Have a great Saturday everyone!

Sunday in Dallas

After meeting up at Watermark church in Dallas for the 11:15 church service we gathered at Leonard and Mandy’s for lunch. We enjoyed chicken fajitas with all the trimmings. We had some good conversation around the table with a good recap of the sermon.

My brother Leonard and his dear wife, Mandy.

Our hostess and host and chauffeur for our days in Dallas, Lana and Steve.

Our niece, Hope. (Leonard and Mandy’s daughter)

Our nephew, Andrew. (Leonard and Mandy’s son)

We finished off the day with a stop at Half-Price Books. It was the largest Half-Price bookstore we had ever been in but we were in Texas after all, where everything is bigger!

More from Texas coming soon.

While we were traveling we had Spring weather back in our corner of the world and our grands were happy to get the bicycles out of storage.

Is Spring coming early in your corner?

Truth for Today #134

Thursday March 6th

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! 

1 Peter 2:21

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

1 John 2:5-6

By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

2 John 6

And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.

John 14:15

If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

From Karen:

James 1:17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Family Time in Dallas

Dinner at the Rusty Moose in Airway Heights on our way to the Spokane airport.

Our flight to Dallas left the Spokane airport at 5:30 am. Since we live about 2 hours from the airport we decided it would be wise to spend the night at a hotel at the airport on Friday. That worked out well. We were able to walk to the airport on Saturday morning in good time to check in and go through security. Our brother-in-law and sister picked us up at Dallas-Fort Worth airport when we arrived before noon.

This was our first time to see Steve and Lana’s new home. It is beautiful and comfortable. Lana prepared Cottage Pie for dinner and soon a few of Steve’s family members arrived along with our brother Leonard’s family. It was a nice relaxed evening getting caught up with everyone.

On Sunday morning we met up at Leonard and Mandy’s church for the 11:15 service and then enjoyed lunch at their home. Yummy fajitas with all the fixins hit the spot.

We had a good discussion about the sermon around the table.

Our sister Lana and her husband, Steve.

Our brother Leonard and wife, Mandy.

And here are our niece and nephew.

The day ended with a good rain storm.

Tomorrow we are planning a trip to the Fort Worth Stockyards.

Hope your March is starting well.

The Only Son from Heaven ~ Hymn

The Only Son from Heaven

The on­ly Son from Heav­en,
Foretold by an­cient seers,
By God, the Fa­ther, giv­en,
In hu­man shape ap­pears;
No sphere His light con­fin­ing,
No star so bright­ly shin­ing
As He, our morn­ing star.

O time of God ap­point­ed,
O bright and ho­ly morn!
He comes, the King anoint­ed,
The Christ, the vir­gin born;
His home on earth He mak­eth,
And man of Heav­en par­tak­eth,
Of life again an heir.

O Lord, our hearts awak­en
To know and love Thee more,
In faith to stand un­shak­en,
In spir­it to adore,
That we still heav­en­ward hast­ing,
Yet here Thy joy fore­tast­ing,
May reap its full­ness there.

Words: Elizabeth Cruciger, 1524.

Hello March!

Today we are traveling by air to another state for a visit with loved ones. Here are some clues as to who we will be visiting and the state they live in. I think you’ll be able to guess with these clues. All these photos are flashbacks taken many years ago and a couple years ago.

We are going to be in one of the states above from the second row of quilt squares.

We will be visiting two households.

The kids in these photos are now teens. The adults are all in new decades of their lives.

Any guesses? We’ll see y’all on the other side of our trip and hopefully we’ll have lots of blog fodder to share.

Truth for Today #133

Thursday February 27th

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! 

Genesis 28:15

Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.

1 John 2:24-25

Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise he made to us—eternal life.

From Dianna:

Psalm 100:3

“Know that the Lord Himself is God’

It is He Who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

From Vera:

‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭29‬:‭10‬-‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.”

From Leonard:

Deuteronomy 30:11-12

“This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you, and it is not beyond your reach. It is not kept in heaven, so distant that you must ask, ‘Who will go up to heaven and bring it down so we can hear it and obey?’ It is not kept beyond the sea, so far away that you must ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to bring it to us so we can hear it and obey?’ No, the message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so that you can obey it.”

From Karen:

Romans 5:8.

But God commendeth his love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

From Cathy:

Psalm 8:3-4

“When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?”

Once Upon a Hodgepodge

Speaking of Fairy Tales, I’m sharing some of my Russian Fairy Tale lacquer boxes above and below.

Winding down February with Jo’s Wednesday Hodgepodge questions.

1. February 26th is National Tell A Fairy Tale Day…have you read a fairy tale lately?

No, I have not read a fairy tale lately.

What’s your favorite fairy tale?

I’ll go with Cinderella.

Do you believe in ‘happily ever after’? 

It definitely is not a given. Life gives us more than happy. It gives us grief and suffering, too. I think a better ending line would be ‘joyfully ever after with contentment and peace through it all’.  Reminds me of that great song by Andrae Crouch, “Through it all, I’ve learned to trust in Jesus, I’ve learned to trust in God. I’ve learned to depend upon His Word”

2. Complete one of the following sentences with a thought relating to your life currently-

  • Once upon a time___________
  • A long time ago________________
  • In a place far far away__________

I’m getting ready to travel and be In a place far far away for a few days. Hopefully I’ll have lots to share when I get back, Lord willing.

3. Which of the following ‘fairy tale foods’ is your favorite?

Which have you made/eaten most recently? 

porridge/oatmeal (Goldilocks and The Three Bears), an apple (Snow White), a gingerbread cookie (The Gingerbread Man), pumpkin soup/pie/bread (Cinderella), peas (The Princess and the Pea), beans (Jack and The Beanstalk) or a cup of tea (Alice in Wonderland) 

I have not had any of these fairy tale foods recently except for a cup of tea. I do enjoy a bowl of Oatmeal with cream, walnuts, brown sugar and raisins.

4. What’s your idea of fun? 

Seeing my Grands interact with their aunts and uncles is a lot of fun. Listening to their descriptions of experiences is fun, too. I think it’s fun to plan a trip and then to take that trip.

5. Next week’s Hodgepodge lands in March. Is that right? I guess so.  Give us one noun, one verb, and one adjective that tell us something about your February. To make you think a little harder, you cannot use the words cold or snowy. 

A month where I needed my Brain to work calculations. (noun)

There was a lot of dusting in February. (verb)

The freezing temperatures increased my electric bill by 3x. (adjective)

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

This little guy is moving along in Taekwondo.

We enjoyed a brief hello as we exchanged some Costco items in the church parking lot last week.

Speaking of fun, it is always a treat to bump into these two in parking lots, stores, church and to see them at our front door!