Signs of My Summer…

It’s that time of the week again when I scramble to find photos that will fit the Alphabet letter of the week. This week we are up to the letter S. I know it’s Wednesday and not Thursday yet but I’ve got something special to post tomorrow…

Jenny keeps us all on track with Alphabe-Thursday so click on over to join in the fun.

Signs are my choice for the letter S!

Sisters by marriage at Julienne.

I was happy to even find some signs in my archives that had words that began with the letter S.

This is the original Starbucks in Downtown Seattle across from Pike Place Market.

This next sign is from a couple summers ago from Central California. It just made me chuckle.

Summer made a slow appearance here in Western Washington but these last weeks of August have been very nice. Even though Fall is one of my favorites I’m happy that the sun and warmer temperatures finally blessed our region. Next week Dear is off and we are going to head to the Oregon Coast and then inland to Bonneville Hot Springs. I probably won’t have a chance to participate with the letter T. Hope you all are still enjoying your summer…

Pasta Carbonara ~

Head over to Mennonite Girls Can Cook for the recipe.

I’m happy to report my son got Katie and me off the couch last night and we walked over to the local high school and had some exercise. Mostly I walked while Katie and Josh did some jogging and running around the track. After the football squads ended their practices we played a little soccer. I managed to record 7245 steps.

 I hope to get walking back into my normal routine. I have already changed up the way I eat and since June 12th I’ve manged to drop 13 pounds and boy does my body appreciate it. I’ve got another 10 pounds to lose before I shop for a Mother of the Bride dress.

Sometimes It’s Fun to Be a Princess…

…or a Queen!

I’ve lived long enough to know that things can change and sometimes the change is abrupt. A good rule of thumb in life is to enjoy the days you are given. If things are especially nice why not just bask in it. When I consider things I can’t wrap my mind around like “the love of Christ, which surpasses knowlege” I am blown away. Considering what Christ has done for me is the best antedote to whatever comes my way. So I’ve had my Princess days and they are very nice. I’ve also had my dungeon days. Thankfully I knew they wouldn’t last forever.

On Saturday night my laptop got a nasty virus that took over and damaged many of my files, mostly my photos. Boohoo! Truth be told I’ve been thinking I needed a new computer with longer battery life and more room for my photos for a while. Anyhoo, on Sunday after church we went to Costco and bought me a new computer…yes I felt blessed that we could do that. Sunday afternoon we found someone to repair the old one so now Dear can use that one. He doesn’t store photos etc. so it will be great for what he does. There have been many seasons in our past where we wouldn’t have been able to replace a computer this easily.

My new computer has fingerprint technology that allows me to log into all my stuff including remembering my passwords with a swipe of one finger. Pretty weird and cool all at the same time. Dear says if I die he’ll have to cut off that finger so he can use the computer. If I die he can clean off my desk, too.

So I’m in a new learning curve around here with all this new technology. I also need to take some photos because my picasa is very very low on photos since my other computer ate them all up!

Hope all is well where you are…

The Weather Was Perfect…

…for an outdoor wedding.

Joe and Mica decided on a casual ceremony with some Mexican traditions from Mica’s heritage. Our daughter Katie was in the wedding.

The bride and groom decided to include the Lasso Ceremony during the ceremony. Lasso (sometimes called, “lazo”) or rope is placed around the bride and groom’s
shoulders (groom’s shoulder’s first) in the form of an “8” (the infinity symbol) – after they have exchanged their vows – to symbolize their everlasting union.

We enjoyed a delicious barbecue of pulled pork sandwiches after the ceremony with homemade Pico de Gallo that the bride and her mother made. I was too busy eating to take pictures of the food. I did manage to take a photo of the cupcakes in lieu of a wedding cake…

Thanks for stopping by…

Songs of Praise the Angels Sang

Songs of Praise the Angels Sang

Songs of praise the angels sang,
Heav’n with alleluias rang,
When creation was begun,
When God spoke and it was done.

Songs of praise awoke the morn
When the Prince of Peace was born;
Songs of praise arose when He
Captive led Captivity.

Heav’n and earth must pass away!
Songs of praise shall crown that day!
God will make new heav’ns and earth;
Songs of praise shall hail their birth.

And can man alone be dumb,
Till that glorious kingdom come?
No: the church delights to raise
Psalms, and hymns, and songs of praise.

Saints below, with heart and voice,
Still in songs of praise rejoice,
Learning here, by faith and love,
Songs of praise to sing above.

Borne upon their latest breath,
Songs of praise shall conquer death;
Then amidst eternal joy,
Songs of praise their powers employ.

Hymns of glory, songs of praise,
Father, unto Thee we raise;
Jesus, glory unto Thee,
With the Spirit, ever be.

Words: James Montgomery, 1819.

I read a verse this past week that I’ve been pondering. A familiar passage but something I didn’t notice in my readings in the past.

Matthew 18:10.

   10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.

Sweet Pea Pods?

See all the pods on my sweet pea plant. Have any of you ever harvested the seeds from the pods and re-planted them?

Today our daughter is in an outdoor casual wedding of a friend. I was so happy to wake up to bright sunshine and clear skies instead of the foggy mornings we had earlier in the week. It will be a shades and flip flop event now for sure. I’m really looking forward to the homemade Pico de Gallo the bride and her mother made for the barbecue reception.

What are your plans for this 3rd Saturday in August?

FFF ~ Lazy Days of Summer

It’s time to visit Susanne at Living to Tell the Story and share 5 favorite things from the past week. A good time to reflect on good things in the midst of troubled times around the globe.

1. Laura, Katie and I had a great afternoon at the Sounders soccer game last Saturday. It was good to catch up on what had been going on in our lives.

2. I had to give myself a pat on the back for harvesting the apples off our tree to make some applesauce that I’ll be able to use over the next year for some of our favorite recipes.

3. I’ve also been picking, using and freezing our great harvest of blueberries. I’ve made a couple blueberry dishes in the last week including Blueberry Clafouti.

4. My daughter Katie and I finally took a walk on the river trail. We both needed the exercise and it was a great accomplishment for the week.

5. Enjoying our sweet peas, hydrangea, and lavender blooms in flower arrangements in the home. Lovely!

6. We are finally enjoying sunny dry days that make it seem more like summer here in the Pacific Northwest. This has been a nice relief.

Are you still enjoying your Summer or are you ready for Fall?

Reflections on the River Trail…

On Wednesday early afternoon daughter and I went to the river trail to get some exercise. Along the way I had some reflections.

#1. Why don’t I take more advantage of this lovely trail close by? Answer: I do not like to walk alone.

#2. If I had a dog I wouldn’t have to walk alone but for me the benefits don’t outweigh the negatives in my mind about owning a pet. Before you judge me too harshly I do appreciate the camaraderie between this row boater and his dog. I can appreciate the fact that you might love owning a pet.

#3. The Pacific Northwest is afforded so much green lush beauty. For some of you who might be envious right about now you also need to consider that we get our fair share of rain and gloom to achieve this beauty. For the record…I’m staying here as long as God sees fit to allow that.

#4. There are a lot of plants out there that I have no clue about.

#5. No matter how bad my hips feel right about now I praise God that I can still walk 3 miles or 6 miles. I won’t be joining any 20 mile a day walks, though.

#6. I really appreciate shade on a sunny day and enjoy the light that breaks through. Did you know that God refers to himself as Light?

#7. How can these wonderful blackberries be noxious? They are if they threaten native growth in protected areas because they just overwhelm the land wherever they grow. They spread like weeds…

#8. Herons seem so lonely to me…

#9. I enjoy bridges…

I’m thrilled my daughter had the time and the ambition to take this 3 mile walk with me today. Not only did we get some exercise that we really need, and some vitamin D which has been lacking in the Pacific Northwest but I got an R post for Alphabet-Thursday! My reflections might not be too deep but they R what they R….

I’m linking up with Jenny for Alphabe-Thursday

 

Apples to Applesauce…

At first I thought our apple tree only yielded about 10 apples this year but when I finally got the ladder out to pick them I found I had underestimated the yield. I always ignore my apples (don’t judge me). This year I decided to be a good girl and try to use them. Over the weekend I made about 8 cups of applesauce. My first time ever making applesauce. Because one of our favorite cakes is an applesauce spice cake I thought making applesauce would be worth it. I froze it in containers that would be the exact portion for the recipe.

I’m linking up with Carly at Ellipsis for Monday Photo Shoot since the theme this week is Apples.

 

Julienne

A favorite breakfast destination for my family in Southern California in San Marino is Julienne. Their logo says Fine Foods and Celebrations and it is true. We have had many a fine celebration at Julienne. While in California to celebrate with my family Wednesday morning was set aside for the girls to have breakfast.

This was Laura’s first Julienne experience…

Niece Debbee, Niece Melissa, DIL Laura, Katie, Niece Michelle

We were seated in the Library.

In the mirror…

My youngest niece Hope joined us for the first time here, too.

SIL Mandy, Sister Vera, my mom, and my sister Kathy.

It really is a joy to have all these cousins enjoy each others company. My girls and Little Miss Hope are the out of towners that look forward to any trips when they can all be together. They make the most of these get-togethers. The next time we will all be together again will be for Katie and Andrew’s wedding next March. Miss Hope will be the flower girl, our grand nephew Jackson will be the ring bearer and my brother Steve will officiate. We are all looking forward to it!

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods…