A Quarter of a Century Celebrated…

Poof went the Powdered Sugar when the 25 candles were blown…

 

We’re moving backwards here today…

 

We started with tacos…

 

 

Katy K. brought Katie some roses and she brought me these tulips. It was a nice reminder that Spring is around the corner. Thank you Katy K.!

 

The morning of this party we had snow so I decided the theme for the table would be snowflakes. Here’s the snow covered spice cake I made with a new wonderful ingredient that I’ll tell you all about later along with the recipe. I’ll also show the snowscape later.

 

Earlier in the day I was at the grocery store picking up ingredients for the party. I rounded a corner and stopped in my tracks when there it was… a full display of Valentine Day goodies. Yikes!

 

After the food was eaten, the birthday song sung, and the cake eaten my sister and her husband arrived from the airport with goodies from my mom and dad in California. This next treat is one of my very favorite that my mom makes and I’m hoping to get the recipe soon. Rulyet is what it is called in Russian.

 

We are all done with our Birthday Celebrations of 2010. We won’t be getting a big break though because both of our sons have birthdays in January. I guess we just were bent on having winter babies.

Hope your last days of 2010 are going well. I’m hoping to have some time to reflect on the coming year and contemplate things I won’t want to accomplish in 2011!

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

The Ghost of Tablescape Past…

Time for Tablescape Thursday hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. Click on the link to see tables set for your viewing pleasure. I decided to go back and share scapes that have gotten the most hits on my blog this last year.

I created this for St. Patrick’s Day called Simple Spring.

 

Bridal Shower

 

My manly table for Josh and Dan’s birthdays in January 2009

 

Apple Blossoms

 

Fun New Gifts. After Christmas last year this was a table I set using gifts I received.

 

Barscape…

 

My Birthday Dinner…

 

Checkers Anyone?

 

Pink and Silver…

 

 

Ottomon Scape…

 

Memorial Day…

 

Red, White and Black for my brother Tim’s birthday dinner.

 

Taco Night…

 

French Duvet and Blue…

 

A table for Miss W…

 

Red and Gold table inspired by a Moroccan bridal shower we gave.

 

This next setting is the one where I got bit by the Tablescaping bug. From my Moss Rose Tea Room Post in September of 2007.

 

Today I’ve been busy getting things ready for a taco birthday celebration our daughter is having with her bridesmaids. Katie’s birthday was on the 27th. Since it snowed today I was inspired to set a snow flake table. I’ll share it next week. If I don’t get around to see your tables tonight I’ll be around tomorrow. Tonight I’ll be busy at the stove frying up taco shells for the party! Blessings…

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Katie Strikes Again!

 

The Birthday Girl is a good bowler. She even has her own ball and shoes. The Fiance beat her in one game by 3 points.

 

 

It was a fun birthday celebration and everyone improved on their scores here and there and everyone managed a strike or two. Katie had several strikes. Andrew had several, too.

 

The bowling alley was really hopping with almost every lane filled.

 

Two hours of bowling fun at Tech City Bowl.

Today I’m enjoying an off day with nothing planned. You need those every once in a while. The tree is headed outside today!

Tomorrow Katie is having her bridesmaids over to celebrate her birthday with dinner and a movie.

Thursday is another off day! Whoohoo!

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

It’s Not Over Yet…

…we’re still in the midst of celebrating here. Monday is our daughter Katie’s 25th birthday. Really? How can it be that she is 25?

To celebrate we are going out for Italian and then headed for some fun at the bowling alley. I’ll be sitting and watching and taking photos since my tennis elbow which seems to be a shooting elbow is keeping me sidelined. In the meantime here are photos from our glorious Christmas day.

 

Santa was very generous with all of us. We start our Christmas morning with opening the gifts in our stockings. Then we head to the breakfast table. This year we went around the table reading the Christmas story from the Bible in Luke chapter 2. Next Dear cooked up his famous Swedish pancakes that are a Christmas morning tradition we will not give up! Dear is half Swedish from his mother’s side. It’s fun to know that Dear’s only brother is also busy cooking up Swedish pancakes at his home in Southern California for his family.

 

Now we head to the tree to open all the bounty. We all said we were cutting down this year but when you have 7 adults exchanging gifts cutting down is still a lot! Everyone was grateful, surprised, and overwhelmed with the love shared.

 

While Dear and I prepared for our meal together, the kids had a few rounds of their new game, Blokus.

 

The kids played with their new toys and Dear and I prepared our main meal of the day.  The red goblets were a gift from our son and daughter in love. I put them to immediate use. Dinner was all very tasty. Dear smoked our prime rib in his new smoker. We had potatoes, creamed corn, salad and Yorkshire Pudding to top it off.

 

Katie, the birthday girl, and her fiance Andrew. Andrew is a Marine and took leave to come to our house for Christmas from North Carolina. Katie is so pleased that she can have him here for Christmas, her birthday, and for New Years!

 

Our son Josh and our DIL Laura.

 

Our son Dan who was able to travel from Eastern Washington for our time together. He had to leave early on Sunday morning to make it back for his work shift that started at 8:00 P.M. on Sunday.

 

Dear and me enjoying the wonder of it all.

 

More sweets then have seen the inside of my house for the whole year all together in this place.

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

The Story That Never Grows Old ~ Hymn

The Story That Never Grows Old

O tell me the story that never grows old,
The story of One whom the prophets foretold;
The horn of salvation, the scepter and star,
The light in the darkness they saw from afar.

Refrain

It never grows old, it never grows old,
The story of Jesus will never grow old!

O tell me the story that never grows old,
The story the angel at Bethlehem told;
The Babe in the manger, of lowliest birth,
The highest archangel excelling in worth.

Refrain

O tell me the story that never grows old,
The story the Gospels repeat manifold;
The love and compassion in Jesus we trace,
The power and patience, the glory and grace.

Refrain

O tell me the story that never grows old,
The story the ages to come will unfold;
The kindness of God in redeeming the lost,
The death of our Savior in paying the cost.

Refrain

Words: James M. Gray, circa 1899.

Merry Merry Christmas to All!

 

From our house to yours we wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

С Рождеством Христовым (S Roždestvom Khristovym)

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

When Darkness Falls…

…light is good.

John 8:12 (English Standard Version)

I Am the Light of the World

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

 

Our winters bring darkness early here in the Pacific Northwest. Last night we were pitch black by 5:30 in the afternoon. I really enjoy lights in the winter. They always have a special brightness.

All that’s left around our house to do for Christmas is to make sure we have all the items we need to make our Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas dinner. Since we are having a rib roast with all the trimmings on Christmas evening I’ve decided to make Borsch for our smaller Christmas Eve time. Christmas morning it is our tradition to have Swedish pancakes that Dear expertly makes for all of us but not till after stockings.

What do you eat on Christmas Eve and on Christmas?

The Stockings Were Hung…

…by the chimney with care.

 

We have had our 3 and 3 matching stockings for several years now but this year Katie’s fiance is joining us for Christmas so I went on a quest to find #7 that would blend with the others. I knew finding a matching one would be a challenge. I think this one works fine. Finding an initial to put on it was another dead end because these felt letters couldn’t be found anywhere. I did find an A that was the right size. It’s not the stocking that counts…it’s what’s inside it that counts. (chuckle) We’re thrilled that the 7 of us can be here this year and enjoy Christmas Day together!

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Filled With Wonder!

Luke 1:46-55 (ESV)

Mary’s Song of Praise: The Magnificat

And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

Thinking about Mary and her encounter with the angel Gabriel fills me with wonder. Can you imagine? Our sermon on Sunday was about wonder. How do we discover the sense of wonder in our daily lives? Here are some ways offered to us;

1. By opening our eyes to the wonders of God’s creation (Psalm 19)

2. By opening our hearts to the wonder of God’s presence (Luke 1:39-45)

3. By opening our minds to the wonder of God’s plan for us (Luke 1:26-38)

4. By opening our mouths to speak to the wonder of our life with God. (Luke 1: 46-56)

ht: Pastor Gary Gulbranson (Senior Pastor ~ Westminster Chapel in Bellevue, Wa.)

Have a wonderful week of Wonder!

The First Noel ~

The First Noel

The First Noel is unknown in origin but is generally thought to be English dating back to the sixteenth century. There is a misconception that the First Noel was French and it is believed that this is because of the French spelling of Noel as opposed to the olde English Anglo-Saxon spelling of the word as in Nowell. After England was captured by the Normans numerous words were adopted from the Norman French language and Noel was re-spelt as Nowell, early printed versions of this carol use the Nowell spelling. The First Noel was first published in 1833 when it appeared in “Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern,” a collection of seasonal carols gathered by William B. Sandys.

 

Hoping you experience the love of God today and everyday!

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.