Weekend Roundup “D”

It’s just about time for Tom’s Weekend Roundup and the prompts for this week are.

1. Starts with “D” 2. A Favorite 3. Details

Starts with “D.”

Deer or…

my Dear.

A Favorite (or Favorites)!

Daughter, Daughter-in-laws, granddaughter and…

Our son Dan who is now a daddy with our granddaughter.

Details.

Dinner table decorated. It’s all in the details.

Our table is set for a belated birthday dinner on Saturday evening. Our sons and one of our daughter-in-laws had birthdays in January but we only get to set a table for Josh since Dan and Jamie can’t travel over the mountains at this time to be included. I love the DETAILS when setting a table and seeing how things come together. Josh, Laura, Andrew, Katie, Dear and I will be sitting at this table.

Here are the details: I wanted something a little more masculine so I chose the English Transferware dishes with English scenes on them. They are Royal Stafford, made in England. Pewter seemed like a good choice to add and I was able to scrounge up 6 Pewter tankards, which are manly. Dear and I purchased two of the tankards in London in 1974. The rest of the tankards although purchased here and there over time are all made in Sheffield, England. The sterling is 1810 International, a wedding gift from my parents back when sterling was less than stainless is now. Each of the napkin rings has a story. Two matching were souvenirs from a trip to England in the 70’s. The one with my name engraved on it was a birthday gift from Dear many years ago. One is from a set of 8 sterling rings (Gorham) gifted to us as wedding gifts from Dear’s parents. Two others I found at Goodwill. The metal candle holder in the center was something I picked up at Goodwill. The little flower pot name place holders were purchased at a junk trunk show in Monroe a few years back. Pewter salt and pepper sets have been around a long time and I can’t remember where we purchased them. The napkins, tablecloth and tablerunner all came from thrift stores. That’s probably way more details then you wanted to read.

One more thing, I hope I remember to take a photo of all of us sitting at the table enjoying the birthday meal we prepare for Josh.

Next week’s prompts.
Starts with “E.”
A Favorite
Evening.

Thank you Tom for hosting.

He’s Another Year Old Today…

Technically he was another year old yesterday.

My dear old Pop turned 94 years old on Thursday. This photo is from last year when he was 93 at his great granddaughter’s birthday party. Vera and I drove to Kathy’s yesterday to wish him a happy birthday and to have dinner with him and Kathy’s family. Before dinner we all prayed individually to our God to bless our dear Pop in his final days on this earth with peace and joy.

This is my pop and me in 1973 and 2017. We both have aged a bit. I’ve put on weight and he’s lost a lot of weight and muscle.

Last year he got cherry pie which he really enjoys.

This year Vera and I baked my mom’s signature nut roll called Roolyet. My pop talked about the fact that my mom’s Roolyet was the best. He said no one made roolyet like mom. We were hoping ours would measure up.

We put the candle in his birthday roolyet and he enjoyed blowing it out. He did say, “I’m 94 why only 1 candle?”

Pop loved our attempt and he teared up because it brought back good memories of his bride. He told us to make it again on Saturday when we have another party on the books. I’ll be posting the recipe on Mennonite Girls Can Cook on May 31st.

This is my sister Kathy’s family minus their son-in-law Ryan who is busy wrapping up his teaching year. Vera and me are flanking our pop with Avery. Pop got calls from his other kids and even got a call from our younger sister who is vacationing in Iceland to wish him a happy birthday. After dinner and all the excitement of the day he sat down to watch Jeopardy and then excused himself and retired to his room to read his Bible and pray for all of us like he does every night. Vera and I hit the four freeways we needed to take to get back home. There are a lot of freeways in Southern California!

Friday is sister day and the three sisters that are here right now will have some fun. Lana is on her way to Scotland with her hubby after spending time in Iceland which is an okay trade-off for not being here for sister day.

The Celebrations Continue…

We decided it was good to celebrate Easter again while we celebrated our son-in-law Andrew.

Family on the western side of Washington got together this morning for brunch. Dear and I attend our 8am service at church so a brunch at 11:00 works out well for us. We had Eggs Benedict with hashbrowns and fresh fruit.

Andrew’s birthday was on April 12th while we were in Eastern Washington. Today he got a small slice of coffee cake with a birthday candle in it. We sang and he managed to blow out the candle. He looks pleased with himself.

Dear, Andrew, Katie and I also celebrated on Friday April 21st at a new place close to us called Korachka, a Russian Tavern. We gave Andrew his birthday gift and enjoyed some Russian food…delicious. Friday was a glorious sunny day…all day and into the evening! On the way home from the tavern I took some shots from the moving car of the sunshine on Lake Washington.

And because this is a post of mosaics here’s one from the day we left eastern Washington of the many faces of our dear little 1 month old Addy. These photos of Addy were taken on April 18th in the morning before we said our goodbyes.

Linking up with Maggie at Normandy Life for Mosaic Monday. Thank you Maggie.

Miss Hope Turns 7!

It’s not every year that we get to celebrate a birthday with our Texas niece. This year Hope’s family decided to celebrate in California and add a trip to Disneyland for the cherry on top! I was so grateful I could travel down to California for the fun.

Hope’s new little brother Andrew got some gifts, too, since a lot of our family and friends were meeting him for the first time.

My niece Hope and my grand niece Avery.

My nephew Anthony with my grand nephew Thomas. He was the youngest guest on this day.

Hope’s birthday cake was 7 cupcakes with a candle in each.

I think she was pleased with the cupcakes her older cousins Debbee and Melissa made and decorated for her.

May God bless you and keep you dear Hope. May he make His face to shine upon you and give you peace!

Love you dearly…

Coming Up for Air…

…to wish our Katie a very Happy Birthday today.

It’s hard keeping track of what day of the week it is. I’ll be back to normal, whatever that is, in 2015! How are you doing?

Here and Now…

We’ve been home from England for 10 days now and all I’ve been sharing are posts from our time in England but it’s time to show what’s happening in the here and now…

The bathroom renovation is moving along. What that means for me is that I’m pretty much home bound while the workers are here. The workers show up sometime between eight and eight thirty in the morning and then leave anytime from two and four in the afternoon. That great big bathtub delayed work for a day because there was a glitch in the ordering of it. When it finally came the plumbing work could proceed.

Last Sunday my niece’s family arrived for a little vacation here in Seattle from Southern California for a week. They have been keeping me company some days while the workers have been here. We’ve tried to fit in as many meals around the table together as we can. They are staying at my sister’s house since all her bathrooms are intake. After a very rainy Wednesday and Thursday, Friday dawned dry and sunny!

On Friday my niece Michelle, my dil Laura, my grand niece Avery and I went to Country Village in Bothell for a little shopping and fun.

Avery and I first concentrated on ponies that needed our help to make them move. Boy did I get my exercise and I think I might have earned my “Great” Aunt status.

When we were done with the not real horses we got free tickets to ride the little train that goes all around Country Village. Avery really enjoyed the train ride. I was amazed I could get in and out of that little car we rode in. While on the train Avery spotted the REAL ponies.

Yep! We had to have a real pony ride, too. At least on this ride I could just stand and watch and click some pictures. No running and pushing or climbing in and out required.

We also got to sit in the shade and watch all the ducks in the pond. Avery’s mom and my dil Laura found some fun items to buy while we were busy and we made it home just as the guys returned from their afternoon adventure at an indoor shooting range. It was a win win day for the guys and the gals.

On Saturday we made reservations for 10 at Cactus Restaurant in Kirkland to celebrate my sister Lana’s birthday. What a beautiful day.

Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Nieces, Nephews, Moms, Dads, Brothers, Sisters, Husbands, Wives, enjoying time with each other.

A very Happy Birthday to my sister Lana and her twin, my brother Leonard on the 29th of July!

We continue to enjoy some wonderful weather here in the Puget Sound area of Washington.

Monday night Josh, Ryan, Jackson and I are going to a Sounders Soccer Game against the L.A. Galaxy. Then Tuesday morning my niece’s family makes the long trek south to California. We are hoping the bathroom work might be wrapped up by Friday of this week. Time will tell. Hard to believe we are entering the last week of July.

What’s new in your neck of the woods?

Welcome April!

We aren’t big on April Fool’s Jokes around this old house and I’m happy about that. We have friends that have enjoyed quite elaborate jokes on this day.

Here’s how March went out like a lamb in my neck of the woods.

On Sunday Josh and Laura took us out to dinner at The Wild Ginger in Bellevue. We enjoyed a view of the city from our table.

After dinner we stopped by Whole Foods to check out their bakery to choose some sweets to enjoy at home together. On the way home we traveled along the northeast shore of Lake Washington and stopped to take a photo of the sun setting.

I love the gifts Josh and Laura gave me.

Framed photos of some of the highlights of our trip to England in September of 2013 and these great Cd’s from Wells Cathedral. We had a real good chuckle over the title on the Christmas Cd, Jingle Wells. I might not wait till Christmas to listen to it. We really had a memorable time at Wells Cathedral so these Cd’s are very appreciated.

On Monday, the last day of March, it was warm enough to go out in the yard and complete a project I started last Monday. I planted two Rose bud Azaleas in the spot where I pulled out another plant I wasn’t enjoying. I purchased the two Azaleas with a gift card my friends gave me to purchase a plant in honor of my mom, she died last September 13th. My mom loved soft pink flowers and I thought these two Azaleas would be perfect.

My mom’s birthday was April 8th and I was glad I could plant these before that day arrived this year. I have been successful with the other Azaleas in our yard so I felt these would be a good choice. I wouldn’t want to choose something that might not thrive.

April is a very eventful month at this old house. This Saturday I’m hosting a table at a Friendship tea, Easter is coming, and then Katie and I have to be packed up and ready for a road trip across the U.S.A. We leave on Sunday April 27th. I hope your April arrived nicely and that no one made a fool out of you!

In the Midst of Fog…

…there are still favorites. Things to be thankful for that shine through no matter what. I’m joining Susanne at Living to Tell the Story for Friday’s Fave Five.

1. January is a big birthday month at our house. Joshua’s birthday was on Sunday. We celebrated earlier in the month and the photo above was part of our celebration. Our Son Dan’s birthday was on the 16th and his girlfriend’s birthday was on the 15th. This year we celebrated Dan from afar while he celebrated in Eastern Washington. My brother Tim celebrated his birthday and our niece Hope will celebrate her birthday on Saturday. We love to celebrate our loved ones and that’s my first favorite this week.

Our son Dan and his girlfriend Jamie

2. My dear old pop has been having a hard time with a lot of shoulder pain and when he’s in so much pain he misses my mom even more. I was happy to see this photo of him with my niece Melissa enjoying a meal out and looking so alive and pain free. He has been feeling better and the pain with medication has been more manageable. I’m so thankful my father’s pain has been relieved.

3. We’ve been in quite a foggy overcast pattern here in the Puget Sound area. The afternoons where the sun finally broke through were another favorite of mine this week.

4. An early morning walk with Dear on Saturday was a blessing. It’s always good to get out and get some exercise in the Winter when we tend to want to stay inside and be couch potatoes. We were treated to some Eagle sightings.

5. Another favorite is visiting my bloggy friends each week. This week one of my favorite posts was this one from Gumbo Lily. I love seeing how other people live in different environments than my own and thrive “Day by Day”.

What were your favorites this week?

Update: I posted this last night and this morning I woke up to beautiful clear skies and amazing sunshine! Woohoo!

The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b.

To honor and encourage

Tag Archives: Family Birthdays