FFF ~ Fast Forward Summer

Susanne at Living to Tell the Story is our hostess for Friday’s Fave Five. Think back over this last week and come up with 5 favorites. For us in the Pacific Northwest Summer arrived with a vengeance this week. We had cool rainy weather since the 1st day of summer and then after our outdoor barbecues to celebrate the 4th of July we finally got sunshine and record breaking heat. I for one am hoping we return to our mild nice sunshiny summer temps of 75-80 degrees soon. But I’m getting way too wordy so here’s my five…

1. Walking the trail with my sister Lana and seeing great flowers growing wild and spotting the first Blue Heron I’ve ever seen on the trail. I’ve been walking the trail for over 6 years! Saturday was Lana’s first time on the trail.

2. Putting out the Patio furniture. We put the furniture out on July 4th a few hours before our guests arrived.

3. Having our traditional 4th of July barbecue with friends and family.

4. My hydrangea blooming it’s color for me to enjoy from my kitchen window.

5. Soccer, soccer, soccer! I love my morning CUP of World Cup Soccer. I’m going to miss it since the final is this Sunday. Sunday will be a full soccer day with watching World Cup and then heading to Qwest field for a Seattle Sounders game against FC Dallas at 7:30.

What were some of your favorite events or things from this last week?

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.

FFF ~ The Freedom Edition!

Time for Friday’s Fave Five. Please visit Susanne at Living to Tell the Story to join in.

My Favorites this week will all revolve around the 4th of July or Independence Day here in the U.S.A. Here’s what I like about the 4th.

1. Having friends and family over for a barbecue. A tradition we’ve enjoyed for a few years now. We always have a lively discussion over what meat we should barbecue this year. Well the decision is made and the Pork Shoulder and Briskets have been purchased and will be cooked low and long on the 4th.

2. Planning a gathering is great motivation for getting projects completed in time for the party. I enjoy the results of the build up to a party. Our deck is painted and flowers are blooming in pots on the deck.

3. Everyone is ready to pitch in and bring a dish to add to the buffet. It’s always a treat to eat something you didn’t make!

4. Dear gets Friday and Monday off from work. Whoohoo! That’s worth a celebration.

5. A good time to thank God again for our freedom to worship Him in the land of the free and home of the brave. To God be the Glory.

We saw that corvette on the 405 Fwy last night. Quite a rear end paint job. Made us wonder if he just loves the U.S.A. or if he’s retired military or something else…

So our Canadian neighbors were celebrating yesterday and we have our long weekend ahead. What are your plans for the 4th!

FFF ~ Summer Arrives…

It’s time to think about the past week and come up with some favorites to share with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.

We weren’t sure on Monday if summer was going to arrive but by Tuesday we had a nice sunshiny dry day and all was well with the world.

I should have mentioned this is not my garden. This is a summer garden in Cambria, California.

Then on the very same day that we had our hope for summer renewed our hopes in the U.S.A. soccer team were kept alive in the 91st minute of the game when Donovan was able to put in the winning goal against Algeria leaving us the winners of the group and advancing to the round of 16 playing Guana on Saturday. Here’s a link to some great videos capturing the moment that the goal was scored.

I’ve really been enjoying my fine feathered friends this week. They have been singing, chirping, and squawking away all week.

I have a hard time keeping up with them while they empty out the bird feeder!

My computer is back in the guest room now that our guest has departed and I can enjoy my little hummingbird friends again. A Ruby throated one has evaded my camera with it’s quickness. I hope to capture a photo of it soon.

Hope your first week of summer is going well and that you are enjoying the sunshine, summer fruit, and longer days while they last.

FFF ~ Enjoying the World…

This was a week filled with so many fun experiences that made me thankful. Please visit Susanne at Living to Tell the Story to join in the fun of Friday’s Fave Five.

What a week filled with so many wonderful experiences.

1. We met at the Brown Lantern Pub in Anacortes, Washington to eat and watch the U.S.A. vs. England World Cup Soccer game last Saturday. We were happy to come away with a draw. We met here because our afternoon Kayak tour started at 2:00 out of Bowman Bay near Anacortes. I called around to all the Pubs/Restaurants in the area to see who would be televising the game and who knew what I was talking about immediately instead of having to explain that World Cup Soccer was happening! It was fun to experience the game with our family and the crowd of soccer fans in the Pub. Oh…and the food was really good, too.

2. Our Kayak trip was the next favorite. A brand new experience for me and it was great. My fears of rolling the kayak were soothed when I got the feel of the boat in the water.

3. Katie’s graduation on Sunday was a milestone to be thankful for. I cannot tell a lie, though, the ceremony was boring and long and we were glad when it was over. The best part was seeing Katie walk across the stage and going out to celebrate afterwards.

4. Dear put up a hummingbird feeder and I’ve really enjoyed seeing these little birds out my computer window.

5. Enjoying the World through soccer is my last favorite. I’ve watched most of the World Cup games. The games that start at 7am and 11:30 am have been easier to catch but I have managed to see a little of the 4:30 am games, too. Dear gets up really early and he was walking out to the shop at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday and he saw lights on at our Korean neighbors house then he heard loud cheers and realized they were watching the South Korea game and that a goal was scored. We really caught the World Cup Soccer Bug in 1994 when the U.S.A. hosted and we were able to attend some games and meet the U.S.A. players.

FFF ~ What’s Normal?

It’s Friday and time to consider the week gone by and highlight my favorite things. Please visit our gracious hostess Susanne at Living to Tell the Story to join in.

I’m beginning to wonder if life will ever be normal around here. What is normal? Maybe the word I’m looking for is routine. Other then Dear going to work Monday through Friday nothing is routine here yet. Seems like each week there is some major event that is different then the last weeks major event. Hmmm…maybe this is my new routine.

But onward and upward to my favorites.

1. Being done done done with our garage sale is definitely one of my favorites. Sighs with relief. I’ve enjoyed having cash in my wallet from the sale and paying for stuff with it instead of pulling out a card.

2. Enjoying time and food with loved ones on Memorial Day was good. The sun even broke through the clouds and Dear was able to barbecue on the deck!

3. In my yard…. Seeing my first ever Peony almost opening up. I really should plant more and if I don’t kill this one off I will. See that nutty duck on our barn/shop roof. He really keeps us entertained around here, too. And no Mr. and Mrs. Duck did not listen to me and they are still leaving squishy deposits on my deck!!

4. Yesterday was another dry day here in Western Washington so I stopped at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens and saw some pretty plants blooming. I really enjoy Dogwoods. That very round purple bloom caught my eye but I was too focused on photographing that I didn’t think to ask what the name of it is. Duh!

5. My last favorite this week is my new view from my computer desk. When we re-decorated our spare room the desk had to go up against this window so I now have this view instead of a view of the wall. I really like it. One of the nicest things about it is that birds come to visit this plant throughout the day and I’ve even had a hummingbird come late each afternoon for a visit. So far it’s been too quick for me to catch a photo. Yesterday I took the screen off the window and washed it inside and out so my view would be nicer. I only fell off the ladder once while washing the outside of the window. Tip: Do not put one of the ladder legs on top of a sink hole!!

So what has your week been like? Are things routine where you live or is life crazy?

FFF ~ All Things Beautiful…

Time to think about the last week and come up with 5 favorites! Visit Susanne at Living to Tell the Story to join in.

1. Mother’s Day was a wonderful day from the food to the weather to having most of my kids around for some part of the day.

2. Buying new plants and planting them in the ground or in pots was an accomplishment I feel good about. I’m not a great gardener but I love pretty plants around to enjoy. For years I’ve been wanting a Dogwood and this week I splurged and bought a Cherokee Chief Dogwood. Dear planted it on thursday and I can see it from my kitchen window and from our deck!! Update: The flower in the center of the collage is a Columbine!

3. Old established plants that are blooming in the yard. Boy I love this time of year when everything seems to burst with color.

4. A quick stop at the Japanese Gardens in Seattle to see if the Wisteria was in full bloom. Ahh, yes beautiful!

5. New visitors to my bird feeder. Oops that isn’t a bird!

Hope your weeks are going well. Have a great weekend everyone…

FFF ~ There’s Light…

…at the end of my box tunnel!

I’m escaping the organizing and sorting and repacking long enough to throw this post together while I drink my coffee and hope it has some great reviving of energy effects on me! Boy, that was a long sentence! Here are my favorites in no particular order.

1. Seeing all the beautiful spring blooms around the Seattle area. Dogwood is so bright and pink this year. The wisteria is just getting nice. The lilacs are growing in everyone’s yards but mine.

2. Hearing that my daughter and her boyfriend are having a good time with my family in California. They were able to spend some time with the cousins and go to lunch with my folks and that makes me happy. They’ll arrive back here tonight sometime.

3. Reading this post about Nezzy and Nina’s hats at Jill’s World of Research blog. Nezzy and Nina were sisters and spinsters and friends of our family. Here I am sporting one of the hats at a Mad Hatter Tea Shower I attended where hats were mandatory!

4. Enjoying the birds singing in the wee hours of the morning.

5. There are only about 5 more boxes to go through in the garage!! The end is in sight and my house is getting more organized in the midst of the chaos. Just as a note of explanation…many of the items we had in our one bedroom condo were duplicates of what we have in our home in Washington. We honestly did not need any of it to survive nicely. So I’m opening every box and re-packing all our duplicate stuff (blender, coffee maker, utensils, pots & pans, everyday dishes, glasses, etc. etc. into boxes for our son Dan to set up in his own place at the end of this year or early next year. We keep telling him he has got it “made in the shade”. He chuckled when I asked him if he wanted a Christmas Wreath! I also told him it would be really good if he had at least 2 bedrooms!

Please visit our lovely hostess Susanne at Living to Tell the Story to join in the fun!

Well I hope to visit your blogs during my box and organizing breaks today. Thank you for visiting me.

FFF ~ Family, Flowers, FDA, Funnies…

Time once again to consider the past week and choose 5 favorites. Visit Susanne at Living to Tell the Story to join in or see more Faves…

Here are my favorites and it was hard to narrow it down because of everything that happened last weekend…

1. Spending time with my family in Southern California. We packed so much into 2 days. Brunch at my mom and pops, Descanso Gardens with my sister and her family, Dinner at Tam O Shanter with the same crowd, rendezvous with my nieces and daughter at the hotel. That was Saturday! Sunday we met at Golden Skewer in Montebello for a wonderful Armenian lunch together.

2. Having my daughter Katie with me in Southern California for 2 days so she could spend time with her grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins. She also got to meet little Avery for the first time.

3. Enjoying the Rhododendrons blooming in my yard and other blooms that are a mystery to me.

4. Hearing the announcement and the cheers and happiness over Dendreon’s drug Provenge being approved by the FDA. It’s a cellular immunotherapy for men with advanced Prostate Cancer. It uses their own immune system to fight the disease. This is the company Dear is working for here in Seattle. This approval means he will still have a job on Monday. :0)

5. This next photo is something that made me laugh. We saw these signs on every tree on a street in Whittier, California this past weekend

Makes me wonder if the city got sued for sap dripping on cars or what???

My morning will be very busy because the moving van with all our stuff from the condo is arriving Friday morning bright and early. Here’s what I’ll probably be saying…no put that over there, those go in the basement, that goes upstairs, put that in the kitchen please, that needs to go in the garage…the joys of having more crap stuff then you need!!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone…

Friday’s Fave Five! ~ Easter Edition…

Time to sit down, take a deep breath, and consider the blessings of this past week. Now visit Susanne at Living to Tell the Story to join in or to see some favorites. Thank you Susanne for hosting this great exercise…

Easter, Easter, Easter! I love Easter. I love that our Faith is defined by what Jesus did on the cross on our behalf. The whole Lenten Season culminating on Resurrection Sunday and now the days leading up to Pentecost are great days to focus and be refreshed. So here are my 5 favorites from this past week…

1. Getting together with my sister Lana G! and keeping our Russian Heritage traditions going by baking the Russian Easter bread and making and molding the traditional sweet cheese spread. I have to get more cans to bake the bread in by next year. Someone at our Easter table let it slip that she might have some in her garage. Along with these traditions watching my daughter color the Easter eggs is always a fun time.

2. The night before Easter I went to the opening Sounders Soccer game. I went to a nearby park and ride that was offering special buses to take fans to Qwest field. My bus ended up being real special as I was the only one on it!! The bus driver and me. I thought of you Thom! This was one of those really big metro buses, too. I had to chuckle. Too bad our team lost…ugh. On the bus trip home there were more people but the bus driver recognized me right away…

3. Easter was such a nice day of celebration for us. We went to a baptism of 2 little sisters we know. So sweet. We came home to get ready to host our Easter meal with my DIL’s family. There were 12 of us and we had a good time eating, sharing and laughing.

4. Whoohoo! I finally got to meet some of the Mennonite Girls from MGCC face to face on Tuesday. Five of the Canadian Mennonites had a field-trip down to the Skagit Valley to see the tulips and we all met up for lunch in La Conner. It was like we were old friends. Each gal is so unique yet so cohesive in the group. I don’t know if that’s the right word but I hope you understand what I mean…

5. Tulips, tulips, tulips! I love tulips. To see these lovelies like the sea before your eyes is absolutely amazing. I praise God for creating tulips and I’m so glad those immigrants from Holland settled in the Skagit Valley and grow them for our pleasure and for their livelihood!

Keep scrolling down to the next post if you’d like to see some tulips in the fields…

Have a great weekend 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.

Friday’s Fave Five ~ Tis the Season…

…for the beginning of MLS Soccer 2010!

I was so pleased to get my Season Ticket Holders 2010 Package. I’ll be sporting the new scarf to all the games. Last night was the season opener and my son, DIL and I went together. Our friends Beau and Bridget met up with us there, too.

And the best way to start a season off is with a win and I’m happy to say we beat Philadelphia 2-0! Way to go Sounders!

I just have to share one more photo from the game last night. This was a Seattle Motorcycle Policeman that we spotted during the “March to the Match” Love the fact that he’s sporting a Sounder’s Scarf!

And now to the other favorites!

~My pear tree blossoming.

~Strawberries being in season.

~ Duplicating at home the Fried Polenta in Creamy Gorgonzola and mushroom sauce that we had at Nell Thorn Restaurant in La Conner. I’ll share my recipe soon.

~ Making my mom’s rice with raisins. It’s been so long since I had made it and it was good to have that taste treat again. Recipe will be at the Mennonite Girls Can Cook Blog soon.

~ Finding a great purse at Goodwill, a $45.00 baggallini for $5.95. It was perfect for the Sounders game.

Now please visit Susanne at Living to Tell the Story to join in with your favorites or to see more. Thank you Susanne!

The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b.

To honor and encourage

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