…and the Home of the Brave.
Nothing in the United States symbolizes democracy more than the U.S. Capitol Building. For nearly two centuries, it has been home to both chambers of Congress and has evolved and expanded as times changed and the nation grew. The building itself has more than 16 acres of space and 540 rooms. The Capitol Grounds cover about 274 acres with sloping lawns, splashing fountains and beautiful terraces.
Gotta love a guy that will paint for you after he’s put in a full day of hard work in the office. Did I mention he was dodging rain drops?
It wasn’t raining hard enough to bother the newly painted wall since it’s pretty well protected by the overhang.
I also bought a few more plants to add to the deck. The planters that could also be used as large candle holders were on clearance at 75% off.
This white hydrangea was calling my name, too. I have to decide now where to plant it. I was happy that the weather cooperated for me this morning and I was able to get the lawn mowed. We’re promised rain again on Tuesday and then they say we could have good weather for the 4th.
Tuesday is shopping day for the food for our 4th of July barbecue.
In between the raindrops here in the greater Seattle area I decided to take some shots of what’s growing in our yard.
Raindrops keep fallin’ on my head
And just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed
Nothin’ seems to fit
Those raindrops are fallin’ on my head, they keep fallin’
So I just did me some talkin’ to the sun
And I said I didn’t like the way he got things done
Sleepin’ on the job
Those raindrops are fallin’ on my head, they keep fallin’
But there’s one thing I know
The blues they send to meet me won’t defeat me
It won’t be long till happiness steps up to greet me
Raindrops keep fallin’ on my head
But that doesn’t mean my eyes will soon be turnin’ red
Cryin’s not for me
‘Cause I’m never gonna stop the rain by complainin’
Because I’m free
Nothin’s worryin’ me
So we do have apples, pears, and blueberries growing. My hydrangea is going to have more than one bloom this year and that makes me happy. That rose bush blooms like crazy and my lavender is blooming but not as lush as years past.
The birds are enjoying my new bird feeder and have almost emptied it of seed.
I finally planted the new rhododendron plant we bought at the end of April.
And here’s my last shot of part of the yard on July 1st…just keeping it real folks. Hopefully I’ll have a dry enough spell to mow these weeds before our 4th of July barbecue!
Our lawn definitely is not the envy of the block and is mostly weeds and moss!
I’m linking up with Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday.
Let us break bread together on our knees, (on our knees)
Let us break bread together on our knees. (on our knees)
When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun,
O Lord, have mercy on me.
Let us drink wine together on our knees, (on our knees)
Let us drink wine together on our knees. (on our knees)
When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun,
O Lord, have mercy on me.
Let us praise God together on our knees, (on our knees)
Let us praise God together on our knees. (on our knees)
When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun,
O Lord, have mercy on me.
…for all our friends across the country suffering in temps above 90 degrees! I hope just looking at these shots will cool you down a bit…
And for our neighbors to the North…
It’s been a while since I’ve participated in Susanne’s Friday’s Fave Five but I’m happy to chime in this week. The next few weeks of my summer are going to be really busy so I don’t know what my Friday’s will hold in the world of blogging. So here are some of my favorites from this last week.
1. Field of Dreams fund raiser auction for Medical Teams International. Click on the link to find out what great work this group does. Our son invited us to join their table at the event and we were so glad that we attended and found out the scope of this great organization in helping the hurting around the world and in the USA.
2. HomeGoods grand opening was a long awaited event for me. I grew to enjoy the shopping experience at this store when we lived in California and was hoping they’d make their way to Washington State. Their grand opening was this past Sunday and I made my first shopping trip on Monday morning. On my initial trip I bought some goodies for the yard, a bird bath and some iron wall decorations. I’ll share a photo when they are mounted properly, too.
3. Spending time in person and talking with our adult kids on the phone. It’s always so good to hear their voices and to get up to date on what’s going on in their worlds…
4. Starting my first Christmas project. A first for me trying this German traditional treat. I found some little jars at HomeGoods for my Christmas gifting of the end result, too. Of course instead of calling it Rumptopf I might have to change the name to Vodkatopf or Smirntopf.
5. Enjoying a new mystery writer to me. I’ve started the Inspector Monk murder mystery series by Anne Perry staged in Victorian England with all the manners and tensions and history of this period. It’s been a good escape for me.
My sister Kathy sent my family the text of Psalm 145 this week and it was such a great Psalm to read and consider. I’ll leave you with just 2 of the verses.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone and to our Canadian friends a very happy Canada Day weekend to you!
…of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Since the 4th lands on a Wednesday next week and we are hosting a barbecue I decided to set a red, white and blue table early.
Next Wednesday this same table will be cleared of settings and filled with food for our annual 4th of July barbecue.
The round placemats are from HomeGoods. The dishes say Denmark English Ironstone made specially for Franciscan, made in England. I found them at Goodwill. The glasses are from an antique mall on Whidbey Island. The little bowls are from Target’s $1.00 section. The acrylic star napkin rings are from Goodwill. Other accessories collected from here and there over the years. The fresh cherries are from Safeway, chuckle!
I’m joining in with Kathleen at Cuisine Kathleen for Let’s Dish on Wednesday and on Thursday I’ll link up with Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.
What will you be doing to celebrate the 4th? For my Canadian friends, what will you be doing for Canada Day on the 1st?
Christmas inspiration came my way via Rosella at Rhubarb & Roses. Since the Mennonite Girls adopted me as their American cousin I decided to try a German Christmas tradition this year. Now if I truly was from German descent I’d stick strictly to the recipe but since I’m Russian instead of using Rum or Brandy I’m making Rumtopf using Vodka instead.
For 3 cups of strawberries hulled and halved I added 1-1/2 cups sugar, let it sit for an hour and then added it my 2 gallon mason jar crock and added enough Vodka to cover the fruit by 1 inch. Store the jar in a cool place like your basement if you have one.
Over the course of the summer, once a month or so, I’ll keep layering different fresh summer fruits with the same process. At the end Rosella adds pineapple and pomegranate seeds and you can add a few orange slices and cinnamon sticks if you want (I’ll probably stay away from the cinnamon). By Christmas I’ll have a topping for ice cream, pound cake, cheesecake, pudding, trifle, or whatever strikes my fancy.
I think my next summer fruit choices will be peaches and Nectarines and cherries. When our blueberries ripen I’ll use them and when our pears ripen I’ll add them. Do not stir the fruit layers. Just layer the sugared fruit on top of the last layer and add the alcohol to cover.
With my 2 gallon jar I’ll be able to give away my Rumptopf as gifts, too. I’ll need to keep my eye out for cute little airtight containers for my gifts…
Here’s another link that describes Rumptopf.
Ever since we moved back to Washington from California I have been hoping that a HomeGoods store would open in our state. This past Sunday we had 2 stores open in the Puget Sound area, one in Lynnwood and Federal Way. Dear and I were a little wiped out on Sunday so we didn’t leave the house but on Monday I felt alive again and headed north to HomeGoods with a list in my hand.
I bought several things that we will decide about keeping or not. HomeGoods has a good return policy…
These three pieces will be mounted on the garage wall that I face from the kitchen sink. It adds a lot of interest to a big boring surface.
These wall planters will be easier to see once they are mounted.
While I was outside I took some photos of sections of our deck.
As you can see we don’t have real bright sunny skies even though it’s summer. We are hoping for a nice 4th of July this year. Time will tell. We are having our annual 4th of July barbecue so it would be nice to be comfortable on the deck. What are your plans for the 4th?
On Saturday evening we had the wonderful opportunity to attend the 2012 Medical Teams International Field of Dreams dinner and auction. The dinner was held at Safeco field in Seattle, the Mariners baseball stadium. The dinner tables were set up on the infield.
The Mission of Medical Teams International is to demonstrate the love of Christ to people affected by disaster, conflict and poverty around the world. They shipped over $129 million in medical supplies and humanitarian aid to 66 countries. Their mobile dental program volunteers treated over 17,000 needy patients throughout Washington, Oregon and Minnesota, providing $8 million of free or low-cost dental care.
As we entered the stadium we had the choice to get our credit card swiped for any bid we might win during the evening event. We walked through a long very realistic and dramatic display of the types of situations where Medical Teams International travels to serve. Places like Haiti after the devastating earthquake where their help is ongoing. After the display area there was a silent auction area.
Down on the field was the dinner and live auction. There were some really great vacations, sports events, dining events and art to bid on. Everything was way over our heads. Some items went for over $10,000 dollars which was really wonderful. There was a Fund a Need time during the auction where you could hold up your bid card to make a straight donation in the amounts of $50,000, $25,000, $10,000, $5,000, $1000, $500, $250 and $100. There were a few people that donated $50,000 and a lot of people who held up their card for the other amounts, finally I was able to hold up my card with confidence!
Last year at this event they raised $1.36 million. I wouldn’t be surprised if they surpassed that amount on Saturday night.
Our son and daughter in law with one of our son’s partner’s at Axia Home Loans who purchased the table for the evening and is involved with this mission. This next photo is of the 3rd partner and his fiance (on the right) and friends.
There were a couple of items I held my card up for at the beginning of bidding even though I knew I couldn’t win.
There were a lot of celebrities at the event. Mack Strong was the emcee for the evening. He was a fullback with the Seattle Seahawks. John Curley was the auctioneer. He is a radio show host. He really kept things moving and kept us laughing with his energy and wit.
To the left of the table #28 in the photo above is Steve Sarkisian the University of Washington Football coach. He threw footballs out to bidders in the crowd for $2000 dollars and up. Other celebrities, pastors, business owners and politicians were at this event and it was fun to see a face you are familiar with that you usually only see on TV. I was also pleased to see sponsers like Alaska Airlines, ExOfficio, Lifewise Health Plan, Boeing, Wells Fargo and many others.
Contributions of thousands of volunteers’ time and millions of dollars in donated medicines, supplies and equipment help Medical Teams International help make 97% of all donations go toward helping those they serve. That is a very impressive percentage! We felt privileged to be a part of this wonderful event and see the generosity of the people who attended.
Thank you Josh and Laura for inviting us to sit at table #15 at this great event!
I’ll be linking up with Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday.
Have a great week everyone!
