For my flashback this week I’m going back to England in 1973/1974. When we travel to England this coming July we hope to duplicate some of our visits from the 70’s.
Chalk Church Gravesend
This might be Canterbury.
Stonehenge
Windsor
Anne Hathaway’s Cottage
Maybe I’ll get tea in bed, too.
If you could travel anywhere for 2 weeks where would you choose to go?
We had a full day of celebrating this past Saturday and we didn’t let the pouring rain dampen our spirits or our celebrating.
The opening game for our Sounders Soccer season was at noon on Saturday. The first thing I noticed as we entered the Club level of the stadium was this great new vendor addition. They really know their team colors. This is good marketing.
Opening the game with the National Anthem and all the branches of the military represented is one of my favorite parts of being at the game instead of watching it from home. Our soccer crowd sings along and it’s great to hear close to 40,000 people singing.
There are lots of creative ideas to get the fans behind the team and to keep us cheering. The blue and green plastic squares were in our cup holders and they had blue sections and green sections and had us all hold up our squares at once. Fun times. At every kickoff the green streamers fly. Our most expensive player, Clint Dempsey, has lots of fans and someone created a Dempseyland banner using Disneyland printing. Fun times.
We are fortunate to have our season tickets under some cover so the rain does not fall freely on our heads. If the wind picks up we can get some rain blown our way but for the most part we stay dry when others in the stadium get soaked.
Of course it would have been a bummer if after all this we would have lost the game but I’m happy to say we won. It took till the very last minute of the game but we won and we left elated and ready to face the horrible downpour and slick roads home. Once home we got ready for our next fun event.
Our Laura’s grandmother, Wilma, turned 90 this week and we all got together to celebrate her 90 years at her favorite restaurant.
Wilma is such a sweet lady and we are so happy to have gotten to know her since Josh and Laura got married.
Isn’t the cake great?
These two events on the same day really brought a lot of sunshine into my world.
I’m linking up with Sunlit Sunday at My Little Home and Garden and Mosaic Monday at Little Red House.
What is brightening up your world these days?
O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s a light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!
Refrain
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conquerors we are!
Refrain
His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!
Refrain
Words: Helen H. Lemmel, 1922.
I’m joining Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story for Friday’s Fave Five. Five things that I can look back on that help me remember to be thankful.
1. Dear has been down and out all week with a head cold and cough. I’m thankful that things are looking up for him. I’m also thankful that we are relatively healthy around this old house and we don’t go through many weeks like this.
2. Signs of Spring are popping up all over and that really makes me smile.
3. My pop is doing well. We thought he might have shingles and he got the word that he doesn’t. I’m so thankful he doesn’t have to deal with that on top of his continued loneliness without my mom. I’m also thankful that my sister Kathy and her family have moved within 5 minutes to my dad’s apartment and they are willing to be there when he needs anything.
My pop always travels with his checkbook in his shirt pocket. This habit of his makes me smile.
4. We had a wonderful time with our adult kids this past weekend. Lots of great together time eating and laughing and playing games. Dan and his girlfriend made it here and back across Snoqualmie Pass and I’m always thankful when I hear that they made it home safe and sound. The pass and the roads in Eastern Washington were treacherous for them and they saw lots of spin outs and rollovers on their way home. The day after they traveled the pass was shut down for most of the day.
5. I’m continuing in my quest to scan many of our photos. As I scan the photos the memories of times and people that added so much to our lives make me thankful to God for family, friends and life changing events.
This is a random photo from late ’76 or early ’77. My niece Debbee was born in May of 1976 and that’s how I can guess the timing of this photo. Love that my little babushka is in the photo. This was Dear and my second home in Huntington Beach, California. Dear, my best friend Heidi, my brother Steve, my pop, my mom, my sister Vera. Next row my brother in law Nick, niece Debbee, my sister Kathy, my sister Lana, my little babushka, and my brother Leonard.
I hope to be around to see what you are thankful for this week. You could share in the comments, too.
…if I have to say so myself.
For a close up of this Avocado Mango Salsa and the easy recipe head over to Mennonite Girls Can Cook.
We had to cancel our small group meeting tonight due to the lingering bug at this old house. I feel quite unmotivated to do much of anything. Hope you are all well and the weather is improving where you are. We are in a steady rain pattern with threats of flooding and mudslides.
We are at the letter H with Denise Nesbitt’s ABC Wednesday Meme.
How timely since my Helleborus, Lenten Rose is blooming. I’m not sure exactly what variety mine is. It looks similar to a Spring or Angel variety that I’ve seen on line.
I had to get down on my knees to take the photos because this is a humble plant whose blooms bow their heads to the ground for the most part.
This is the first plant to bloom in the middle or late winter at my house. I love that it is blooming during the Lenten season.
Hellebores are perennial and largely evergreen. They are deer resistant for some of you who have asked in previous posts.
Noteworthy characteristics: Year round foliage persists through shade and snow and is fairly deer and rabbit resistant. Flowers in early spring with daffodils and tulips.
Hope you enjoyed seeing my Hellebore as much as I enjoyed showing it. I’ll be coming around to see your ABC offering for H.
I’m also linking up to Outdoor Wednesday with A Southern Daydreamer.
Our outdoors have been cold and rainy since Saturday. I know a lot of you might still be covered in snow so who am I to complain. Looking forward to this weekend and the opening of MLS Soccer season in the U.S.A. I’ll be at the Seattle Sounders opener against Sporting Kansas on Saturday. What’s new in your neck of the woods?
Although we were short on sunshine this past weekend we had some nice sunshine last week. I bought some daffodils that always have a way of adding sunshine to a table. They also make me smile. Today is Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras. The day before the season of Lent begins. Lent is a time of abstinence, of giving things up leading up to Easter Sunday. In the U.K. this is Pancake Day. Shrove comes from the old word “shrive” which means to confess. Will you be eating pancakes today?
We had a great visit with our middle son and his girlfriend this weekend. I did not take one photo. We ate, played games, ate some more. Now that Dan has his own house we are slowly sending over his leftover belongings from our house. You know how that goes if you have adult children. This time around he was able to load 2 motorcycles in the bed of his truck to take back with him. I really do hope he didn’t take Dear’s head cold back with him. The roads were quite nasty on their trip home and on Monday the pass that they took was closed to traffic most of the day.
Everyone was talking about March challenges this weekend. Maybe I’ll challenge myself to do something in March, too. I’m thinking along the lines of exercise. How about you?
Those daffodils are now 13 inches high. It’s amazing how fast they’ve grown.
My flashback this week is all about friends and family in Persia in the late 30’s and in the 40’s. These two friends got into trouble for applying lipstick before they took this photo. My mother on the left and our friend who we always called Aunt Zena on the right.
The same friends over 60 years later in California. Aunt Zena on the left and my mom on the right.
Most of the people in the following photos immigrated to the U.S.A. from Persia. Unfortunately my maternal grandfather died before he could immigrate. My maternal grandmother came to the states as a widow.
My mom is sitting down on the left. I need help identifying the other girls in this photo. I think some are Katkovs and the girl on the left is Vera (Leleland). Hopefully someone who sees my post that knows our extended family and friends can help me out with some names.
This is my mom on the left, her sister who died young, and her brother Paul.
My mom and my Uncle Paul
My mom and her cousin Luba
My mom on the right with her cousin Luba on the left and the two gals in the middle are Vera Leleland and Lyda Hamzaeff (married last names).
Nicolai, Aunt Nina, my mom and Uncle Paul
The Katkov and Shvetzov families in Persia. My parents and sister had left Persia already for America. My maternal grandfather is sitting on the right next to my maternal grandmother with my cousin Alex standing between them.
My Uncle Paul’s wedding day with my Aunt Nina and her family and friends. All the people in this photo are single except for my aunt and uncle. It was a tradition for the bride and groom to take a photo with their single guests and family.
Here we are in March already. We’re fighting off a cold bug at this old house. Dear is down for the count and I hope I don’t have to join him.
Have a good week everyone!
…in praying for the troubling situation in the Ukraine. Personally the Mennonite Girls Can Cook have an ongoing relationship with The Good Shepherd Shelter that is located in the Ukraine.
All of our author royalties from our first book have been designated for the shelter and we’ve been able to build a greenhouse where they are already growing food year round for the shelter.
We also are waiting news of a pending adoption of an orphan from the Ukraine. We just don’t know how the tensions and uprisings and invasions will effect the shelter or the adoption process but we do know the God who loves orphans. We know that He knows and He is sovereign. Praying for a peaceful resolution and that the country will be able to move forward without more bloodshed.
’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
And to take Him at His Word;
Just to rest upon His promise,
And to know, “Thus says the Lord!”
Refrain
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust Him more!
O how sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to trust His cleansing blood;
And in simple faith to plunge me
’Neath the healing, cleansing flood!
Refrain
Yes, ’tis sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just from sin and self to cease;
Just from Jesus simply taking
Life and rest, and joy and peace.
Refrain
I’m so glad I learned to trust Thee,
Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend;
And I know that Thou art with me,
Wilt be with me to the end.
Refrain
Words: Louisa M.R. Stead, 1882.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 