Miss Hope’s First Visit to Disneyland!

Miss Hope’s mom Mandy, Me, Michelle, Melissa, Lana G!, Jackson and Kathy met at Disneyland on Wednesday to enjoy Miss Hope’s first trip to Disneyland.

 

We started with lunch at the Carnation Corner Cafe.

 

We decided to start the fun with the “It’s a Small World” ride.

 

 

 

On to the Carousel. This was Miss Hope’s first ride on one. She was so interested in everything and when the ride came to the end she cried when Aunt Lana took her off her horse!

 

 

Sisters …so cute!

 

We headed for Toon Town next and let Miss Hope travel on foot for a while…

 

We enjoyed so many culinary favorites while at the Big D! Frozen chocolate covered bananas were a big hit with everyone including Miss Hope!

 

 

Time to head to Pooh Corner…

 

Miss Hope was thrilled with Winnie the Pooh. Jackson watched over her to make sure she was O.K.

She wasn’t as familiar with Tigger!

Okay! This is my favorite expression so far. Doesn’t it look like she got caught with her hand in the cookie jar?

 

We ended our time on the Tea Cups!

 

And left the park with Aunt Lana’s souvenir gift for Miss Hope…

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

Debbee’s Birthday Dinner ~ Laguna Beach

On Tuesday 19 of us got together in Laguna Beach for our niece Debbee’s Birthday Dinner. Laguna Beach is a beautiful coastal city South of Newport Beach. I will be posting many of my beach photos from this beautiful area but for now I’ll pick this one…

 

I got to Laguna Beach earlier than everyone else and ended up taking a few hundred photos!!

 

Las Brisas is an upscale Mexican Restaurant without your typical combination platters or prices that you’d find at most other Mexican Restaurants. The view is gorgeous and the food was delicious.

 

Debbee, the guest of honor. Svetlana and Cvetlana (better known as Lana G!). The 4 sisters, Lana, Ellen, Kathy and Vera. The young people Michelle, Caleb, Levi, Jackson, Debbee, and Melissa. These are some of my nieces and nephews and my grand nephew.

 

The many faces of Miss Hope! She enjoyed the chips and some asparagus.

 

 

We left the restaurant making plans for some of us to meet up at Disneyland the following day. I’m getting that post ready and will hit publish soon!

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

Tablescape Thursday ~ Twofer…

Welcome to Tablescape Thursday. I’m sharing two settings today with slight variations in pink green and white. These settings are from my livingroom in Washington in early Spring. I’ve been away from the computer a couple of days and had this post ready to go. I hope to share some photos from family festivities in Laguna Beach, California and The Happiest Place on Earth soon!

 

 

 

 

To see more Tables visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch.

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

Travelling South Along the Coast…

Ellen b. is headed down the coast to Laguna Beach today. I hope to explore some beaches and anything else that strikes my fancy.

 

Then 20 of us are meeting at this restaurant for dinner for my niece Debbee’s birthday…

I’m crashing at my sister’s house in Huntington Beach for the night because on Wednesday some of us are meeting at…

 

The Happiest Place on Earth.

All regular blogging will resume (Lord Willing) later in the week…

Blessings to you all…

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

And the Fun Begins…

The fun has just begun! This will be a week of festivities that I’m sure will prove to me that I’m not getting any younger! Warning: This post is going to to be packed full with photo collages. Get your scroll fingers ready!

My kids sent me this lovely bouquet of flowers for Mother’s Day. I also received a phone call from each of them which always makes my day! After church on Mother’s Day we headed to Whittier for lunch at my sister Kathy’s house. We managed to have 6 of us siblings, our parents, 4 nieces, 3 nephews, 3 SIL’s, 3 BIL’s, and our grandnephew all together.

My parents were thrilled when Miss Hope arrived. She lives in Dallas and we don’t see her as often as we’d like.

Miss Hope’s parents were there, too! Isn’t it funny how the youngest one always seems to steal the show? I mean Hope not my brother Leonard, although…come to think of it, he’s the youngest sibling and he steals the show, too!!

Before we head into Hope overload here are a few shots of some other family members :0). My sister Kathy, my brother Tim and Dear, my brother Leonard and Mandy, my sil Letty, and nieces Melissa and Debbee.

My dad followed Hope around till he ran out of energy.

Hope enjoyed following our Grand nephew Jackson around.

Hope sat still for about 20 seconds while she opened this gift from Baba and Deda. Then she was off …

…. to do some shopping…

It was warm on Sunday and what a treat these homemade tangerine popsicles were! My sister and BIL Len have a tangerine tree in their backyard.

We are trying to see as much of Leonard, Mandy and Hope as we can while they are in Southern California. Tuesday we are celebrating our niece Debbee’s birthday in Laguna Beach and then on Wednesday some of us are headed to Disneyland. If I’m absent from Blog Land you’ll know why..

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

Blue Monday ~ Creamer

Welcome to Blue Monday! Visit our hostess Smiling Sally to join in or to see more blue from around the sphere!

When I was at Goodwill this last week I found this cute little creamer and couldn’t leave without it .  It says Williamsburg on the bottom…

Happy Monday everyone!

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

Happy Mother’s Day Mom…

Mother Knows

Nobody knows of the work it takes
To keep the house together,
Nobody knows of the steps it takes-
Nobody knows but mother.
Nobody listens to childish woes,
Which kisses only smother;
Nobody’s pained by the naughty blows-
Nobody, only mother.

Nobody knows of the sleepless care
Bestowed on baby brother;
Nobody knows of the tender prayer-
Nobody knows but mother.
Nobody knows the lessons taught
Of loving one another,
Nobody knows of the patience sought-
Nobody, only mother.

Nobody knows the anxious fears
Lest darlings may not weather
Storms of life in coming years-
Nobody knows but mother.
Nobody knows of the tears that start,
The grief she gladly smothers;
Nobody knows of the breaking heart-
Nobody, only mother.

Nobody clings to the wayward child,
Though scorned by every other,
Leads it so gently from pathways wild-
Nobody can but mother.
Nobody knows of the hourly prayer
For him, our erring brother,
Pride of her heart, so pure and fair-
Nobody, only mother.

ht: Poem from Moral Lessons of Yesteryear

To all the mom’s out there who come by here I wish for you a wonderful Mother’s Day filled with thanksgiving to God for giving you the privilege of being a Mom.

I posted this last year and decided to post it again. I’ll be posting more photos from our actual Mother’s Day get-together later after the festivities this afternoon. Blessings…

Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above ~ Hymn

Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above

Sing praise to God Who reigns above, the God of all creation,
The God of power, the God of love, the God of our salvation.
With healing balm my soul is filled and every faithless murmur stilled:
To God all praise and glory.

What God’s almighty power hath made His gracious mercy keepeth,
By morning glow or evening shade His watchful eye ne’er sleepeth;
Within the kingdom of His might, Lo! all is just and all is right:
To God all praise and glory.

The Lord is never far away, but through all grief distressing,
An ever present help and stay, our peace and joy and blessing.
As with a mother’s tender hand, God gently leads the chosen band:
To God all praise and glory.

Thus, all my toilsome way along, I sing aloud Thy praises,
That earth may hear the grateful song my voice unwearied raises.
Be joyful in the Lord, my heart, both soul and body bear your part:
To God all praise and glory.

Let all who name Christ’s holy Name give God all praise and glory;
Let all who own His power proclaim aloud the wondrous story!
Cast each false idol from its throne, for Christ is Lord, and Christ alone:
To God all praise and glory.

Words by Johann J. Schutz 1675

ht: Cyberhymnal

The Birds! The Birds!

Even though our 6:00 AM beach walk was socked in with a marine layer we were very happy because this change in our weather is helping out the fire fighters who are battling the Jesusita Fire in Santa Barbara. The fire was 30% contained the last we heard and 38,000 people have been evacuated so far. Our nephews college, Westmont, has been evacuated for the second time this school year. There is some optimism today that things are getting better. They estimate containment on May 13th. Our nephew won’t be able to move his personal belongings out of his college dorm room until the evacuation orders are lifted. The last day of school was Friday.

Our walk today was all about the birds!

Can you see all the holes in the sand that these little birds have made looking for breakfast?

It is so much fun to see these birds move up and down the sand as a group.

I was practicing catching birds in flight today.

Enjoy your weekend everyone. For all the mothers out there, a very Happy Mother’s Day to you with all God’s blessings!

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

Our Niece’s Wedding…

I was able to pirate these photos off my niece Annie from the wedding in Orlando. The wedding was supposed to be in Cancun this last Saturday but because of the Swine flu it was cancelled in Cancun and within 24 hours rescheduled in Orlando for the same Saturday. Truly amazing what they were able to pull off  changing the venue in 24 hours time!!

Jenna is our oldest niece. She is the daughter of Dear’s brother Terry who is married to Christina. They have two other daughters. Annie was born the same year our first son Josh was born and Kacie just turned 18!

The bride, our beautiful niece Jenna…

 

The three sisters…

 

The parents of the bride, Dear’s brother Terry and Christina…

 

The new family…

 

 

Our son Josh and his beautiful wife Laura. They were the only ones in our family who could attend the wedding.

 

Cousins minus the bride…

 

Cousins Annie and Josh both born in 1979! Josh already had his birthday in January and Annie will be celebrating hers on May 16th!

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.