A Table for Miss W…

Some of my family was visiting and my niece had a birthday coming up so we decided to celebrate in the Northwest before she celebrated in the Southwest!

There were 10 of us for dinner. We had roasted leg of lamb, potatoes & carrots, and salad. For dessert we had a Creamy frozen Raspberry pie. I forgot to take pictures of the main course but did take a photo of the dessert.

My sister Kathy and I picked these wild Sweet Peas on the river trail earlier in the day on a walk.

Here’s the dessert we enjoyed.

I’ve been away from Tablescape Thursday for a while. Hope you all are doing well. Please visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch to see more Tables from around the blog world.

TRUE CONFESSION # 9 or 10, I’ve lost count. I had to be very particular where I aimed my camera for these photos. This was the last day of two weeks of overnight company and we were busy everyday so….my kitchen/dining area was a mess wasn’t very tidy. I usually clear the decks when I do a tablescape but I just didn’t have time between playing with company and cooking so that is why you see very focused photos that show only the table. I also need to say that my brother totally cleaned up the space they used for the two weeks. He vacuumed their room, washed the bedding, put the bedding back on the bed, cleaned the bathroom, and washed my family room rug while he was here. AND he made breakfasts, too. He can come back anytime he wants!

A Hiking We Will Go…

During the time our company was here we decided we needed a heart pumping hike to take care of some of those yummy doughnuts we had been eating. We headed to St. Edwards Park and hiked down the North Trail to Lake Washington.

The way down was easy but it was downhill and we knew we’d have to come back uphill soon.

My niece Michelle and sister Lana stopped for all the obligatory Blogger shots.

Jackson needed a little piggy back ride on the steepest part coming back up the trail so daddy got double duty!

Thankfully the non-hikers barbecued steaks for all of us that evening.

Josh and Laura had not met little Miss Avery before this trip so they had fun getting to know her and she thought they were pretty cool.

Lavender Hills Farm

Our company split up last Friday for the day. The guys went to a Putt Putt Golf course and the girls headed to Marysville to  Lavender Hills Farm. The girls made a stop on the way to the fields.

Frost Doughnuts made some good business off our company. I’m not mentioning the one person who had the most Frost Doughnuts but his initials are R.A.

My sister Kathy with her granddaughter Avery.

Melissa and Avery

Kathy, Melissa, Avery and Kelly

Michelle, Laura, Lana

Lana, Laura, Michelle, Avery, Kathy

Miss Avery

Sisters

A photo that bloggers everywhere can appreciate!

My DIL Laura and me

Cousins that are friends…it’s a beautiful thing.

On our way home we stopped for lunch at Three Cups of Tea in Bothell.

Hope you all have a good week ahead. I have some projects to accomplish before Dear has vacation next week.

The King of Love My Shepherd Is ~ Hymn

The King of Love My Shepherd Is

The King of love my Shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never,
I nothing lack if I am His
And He is mine forever.

Where streams of living water flow
My ransomed soul He leadeth,
And where the verdant pastures grow,
With food celestial feedeth.

Perverse and foolish oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me,
And on His shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me.

In death’s dark vale I fear no ill
With Thee, dear Lord, beside me;
Thy rod and staff my comfort still,
Thy cross before to guide me.

Thou spread’st a table in my sight;
Thy unction grace bestoweth;
And O what transport of delight
From Thy pure chalice floweth!

And so through all the length of days
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise
Within Thy house forever.

Words:  Henry W. Baker, in Hymns An­cient and Mo­dern (London: 1868). This hymn was sung at the fun­er­al of Di­a­na, Prin­cess of Wales, in West­min­ster Ab­bey, Lon­don, Sep­tem­ber 6, 1997. Music: St. Columba, an­cient Ir­ish mel­o­dy

verdant: 1. Green with vegetation; covered with green growth.

Family Together…

can be a lot of fun!

Some fun moments captured by my DIL Laura! Thanks Laura!

Grand Nephew Jackson with our daughter Katie

 

Katie with our Grand Niece Avery

Love this one!!

Josh, our nephew Joe, and my brother Steve (Joe’s dad)

Josh and Jackson at Snoqualmie Falls

Joe, Ryan, Jackson, Josh, and Steve at Snoqualmie Falls

Cousins on Whidbey Island

Our company all hail from Southern California. It was nice to have them here and show them some of our great sights. We had many good meals together. My brother Steve made omelettes to order for breakfast one day.

Dear made Swedish Pancakes one day.

We barbecued steaks, hamburgers, hot dogs. We had leg of lamb. My niece and her husband made an amazing Creme Brulee French Toast for my sister for her birthday. We finally made S’mores using our fire pit. I’m still recovering from all the fun. I’m thinking I might have gained one pound for each one of my company…

I continue to thank God for our extended family and the joy we have in spending time together.

Breakfast on Main St., U.S.A.

Dear and I had an unscheduled trip to the Sacramento Area late in July and because of an afternoon flight out from the airport we were able to meet Ruth of The Scrabblequeen Knits, Too for breakfast on our last day there. Ruth and I have hopped back and forth on our blogs and followed each others travels, etc.

It was good to meet face to face and to exchange some of our life story with each other.  Things like where did you grow up, how did you meet your husband, how has God guided you through your life and how did you come to faith. All things I love to hear about. We didn’t have time for a game of Scrabble so we can’t know for sure if she’s truly the queen! :0)

Ruth had just returned from a trip to Great Britain (mostly Scotland) and she gifted me with some loose tea from Harrods. Thank you Ruth for meeting us for breakfast and for your thoughtful gift. I appreciate it.

 

Cock-a-Doodle-Do!

It’s time for another Rooster Party hosted by Barb at Bella Vista

I have very little rooster decor in my home and I shared it at the last party but when I’ve been out and about I’ve come across some fine rooster specimens both in art form and real. Hope you enjoy my contribution to the party!

 

Family was visiting and we made a quick stop at Country Village in Bothell, Washington.  They have some fine Roosters around their grounds.

“The rooster may crow but the hen delivers the goods.”

This one is so interesting. It was funny that he walked up and down this bench and it’s right outside a fun shop that included a hairdresser! Looks like he could use a trim.

This pair are very old and came from Dear’s mother. I decided to use them on this table setting.

This three-some are in a yard in Camarillo where I used to walk with my good buddy Willow. I sure miss those walks…

 

I found this guy in Cambria, California.

Well enjoy your Rooster Party Hopping. Here’s a little refreshment to send you on your way!

You can find the recipe for frozen Raspberry Cream Pie at The Pioneer Woman.

Oh dear me my rooster friends. I’ve had an unfortunate injury to my right thumb that is making typing quite a chore. Please accept my generic comment on your posts knowing that I have looked at each of your roosters and enjoyed what I’ve seen.

 

Yard Art ~ Lavender Hills Farm…

…so should I call it Farm Art? Visit Mary at Work of the Poet to see more yard art or to join in the fun!

My company is all gone now but the memories linger. I have lots of posts to catch up on… where we’ve been and what we’ve seen.

We traveled north to Marysville, Wa. to spend some time at Lavender Hills Farm last Friday. I’ll post the lavender shots from this farm later.

 

 

 

Hope all is well with all of you. I’m getting my bearings back and hope to be organized again soon.

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.

Across the Sound…

…to the Kitsap Peninsula.

(I’m updating my old posts in 2026 and I’m not sure today which of the photos are specific to which farm and for that I am sorry)

The Friday before my company arrived I headed out early all by myself to the Lavender Festival in Sequim, Washington. Sequim is pronounced Skwim, one syllable. I crossed the Sound on a ferry from Edmonds to Kingston on the Kitsap Peninsula. It took me an hour to drive to Sequim from the ferry landing. I crossed another body of water, the Hood Canal, to the Olympic Peninsula and finally arrived in Sequim which sits along the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The Dungeness Spit is close by which boasts home to the very popular Dungeness Crab. This part of the Olympic Peninsula has perfect weather to grow lavender and every year the third weekend of July is set aside for the Lavender Festival.

 

The first farm I stopped at was Jardin du Soleil. I arrived here before the official opening but was still welcomed to stroll about the farm.

“ladies fair, I bring to you
lavender with spikes of blue;
sweeter plant was never found
growing on our english ground.”

Caryl Battersby

 

The second farm I stopped at was Purple Haze Lavender Farm. This one was my favorite.

 

“lavender, sweet lavender;
come and buy my lavender,
hide it in your trousseau, lady fair.
Let its lovely fragrance flow
Over you from head to toe,
lightening on your eyes, your cheek, your hair.”

Cumberkand Clark Flower Song Book 1929

“here’s your sweet lavender
sixteen sprigs a penny
that you’ll find my ladies
will smell as sweet as any”

Lavender Sellers’s Cry, London England CA 1900

 

Each farm had food vendors offering some good eats and this farm even had some creative hard drinks for sale. I tried one and some of you will be able to guess which one I tried.

There were other flowers besides lavender to enjoy.

Before I headed to 2 more farms on my way back home I stopped at the street fair for a pulled pork sandwich and while I ate I listened to Cisco, a Northwest gardening expert.

Cedarbrook Lavender and Herb Farm was in a nice setting and has a Garden Cafe Restaurant on the premises.

Sunshine Herb & Lavender Farm was the last farm I stopped at. It was right on the highway and was my least favorite. There were lots of interesting things to see here besides lavender, though, like this little one…

Every farm had a U-Pick section of their farm where you could come away with a nice bouquet of lavender for $5.

It really is worth the trip to enjoy this heady lavender experience if you ever find yourself in Washington the third weekend in July!

Sequim ~ The Lavender Capital of North America

I’m adding this to Outdoor Wednesday with Susan at A Southern Daydreamer.  Click on her link to see the Outdoors around the world.