Christmas Past Mosaics

2013 Nativities. I’ve gone a little overboard adding 5 more nativity sets since 2013.

2014 Joy is always a strong theme at Christmas time.

2015

2016

2017: Our most delightful Christmas addition.

These are all mosaics made with Picasa on my good ole laptop that died in November. I’m still looking for a program to create mosaics/collages on my new computer.

Our little Addy has changed so much since last Christmas.

December 2018

And for context, below was our view on our way to church this morning. We had a couple of inches of snow overnight that turned to rain while we were in church so now everything is pretty slushy.

Linking up with Angie for Mosaic Monday. Thank you for hosting, Angie!

Only 9 days until Christmas! Are you ready? We don’t have our tree up yet.

Farewell to April ’17

A view from my kitchen window on Saturday April 29th.

The apple tree is in full blossom and several other plants are greening up nicely and pushing forth their buds.

It’s a very green time of the year here. This is a view from the back of our home looking towards our old pear tree in the distance beyond the chain link fence.

The steps into our home from the deck.

Some of the apple blossoms close-up.

The Pink Dogwood is just now getting ready for it’s full glory with it’s pink blooms unfurling.

We’ve had a quiet weekend except for me going to a Sounders game with our daughter and son-in-law on Saturday evening. We went down early in the game and in the 2nd half at the 74th minute we were down by 3 goals to none. In the last fifteen minutes of the game we scored 3 goals to tie the game. The last few minutes were amazing. Too bad about the folks that left early thinking we would lose. Weather wise we had some dry stretches in the morning and into the afternoon the rain began as we headed to the game and after the game it was pouring as we drove home. Sunday has been a mix. The weather people are talking about the possibility of us getting up to 70 degrees this next week. We hope so!!

Linking up for Mosaic Monday with Maggie at Normandy Life.

Chewelah Murals and Spokane Mosaics

It was hard to get the whole of this mural in one photo. This mural is on the side of a building along highway 395 in downtown Chewelah, Washington. Chewelah is a one traffic signal town in the northeastern corner of the state of Washington.

Dear and I are spending several days between Chewelah and Colville with our son and daughter in law. It’s a nice change to be out in the country, in small towns.

From HistoryLink.org:

The early settlers named the town Chewelah (spelled various ways). According to some sources, this was an Interior Salish Indian word for small, striped snake, which refers either to snakes in the area or to the narrow, serpentine appearance of the river. Alice Sherwood Abrahamson, a member of one of the Indian families still living in the Chewelah area around 1900, offered this explanation in a memoir: “The name Chewelah comes from the Indian word ‘S che wee leh,’ meaning water or garter snake. There was a spring in what is now the southwest end of Chewelah. The old McCreas lived there and their homestead was called ‘S che wee leh ee,’ for the spring that bubbled up there. The motion of the water gave the illusion of snakes moving about in the water”

Another mural on the side of a building that I spotted along highway 395. On this portion of the highway the speed limit is 25 miles per hour so it’s a little easier to spot gems to photograph.

I’m linking up to Monday Mural with Oakland Daily Photo.

This Sunday was a full day for all of us. Dear and our son continued work on the pump house and our daughter in law and I traveled down to Spokane for the Bubble Run on the Spokane Riverfront. In the late afternoon we joined in for a birthday barbecue for our daughter in law’s aunt in Colville.

I’m also linking up to Mosaic Monday with Maggie at Normandy Life.

We have one more full day in the country before we head back home to the city. Hope you all have a great start to your week.

Rain Won’t Stop…

…our parade!

We had a full day of celebrating this past Saturday and we didn’t let the pouring rain dampen our spirits or our celebrating.

The opening game for our Sounders Soccer season was at noon on Saturday. The first thing I noticed as we entered the Club level of the stadium was this great new vendor addition. They really know their team colors. This is good marketing.

Opening the game with the National Anthem and all the branches of the military represented is one of my favorite parts of being at the game instead of watching it from home. Our soccer crowd sings along and it’s great to hear close to 40,000 people singing.

There are lots of creative ideas to get the fans behind the team and to keep us cheering. The blue and green plastic squares were in our cup holders and they had blue sections and green sections and had us all hold up our squares at once. Fun times. At every kickoff the green streamers fly. Our most expensive player, Clint Dempsey, has lots of fans and someone created a Dempseyland banner using Disneyland printing. Fun times.

We are fortunate to have our season tickets under some cover so the rain does not fall freely on our heads. If the wind picks up we can get some rain blown our way but for the most part we stay dry when others in the stadium get soaked.

Of course it would have been a bummer if after all this we would have lost the game but I’m happy to say we won. It took till the very last minute of the game but we won and we left elated and ready to face the horrible downpour and slick roads home. Once home we got ready for our next fun event.

Our Laura’s grandmother, Wilma, turned 90 this week and we all got together to celebrate her 90 years at her favorite restaurant.

Wilma is such a sweet lady and we are so happy to have gotten to know her since Josh and Laura got married.

Isn’t the cake great?

These two events on the same day really brought a lot of sunshine into my world.

I’m linking up with Sunlit Sunday at My Little Home and Garden and Mosaic Monday at Little Red House.

What is brightening up your world these days?

Flower Girl & Ring Barrel

My niece Hope coined a new name for a Ring Bearer and we’re sticking with it. Here are some adorable photos of the children at Katie and Andrew’s wedding which include Hope, the flower girl and Jackson the “Ring Barrel” or Ring Bearer.

Practicing…with our Texas boots on.

Our third sweetheart is Jackson’s little sister Avery!

My parents with Hope their granddaughter and Jackson their Great Grandson.

Beside the flower girl and ring barrel the wedding party included Katy K. a friend since junior high, Katie’s brother Daniel, Katie’s lifelong friend Jamie (Maid of Honor), Katie and Andrew, Kristen a friend from church growing up, Katie’s brother Josh, and Andrew’s Best Man Schaub who flew in from North Carolina for the honors. The flower girl flew in from Texas and the Ring Barrel flew up from California.

Later I’ll be sharing the little ones dancing the night away. This is my 7th wedding post and there are many more to share.

I’m linking up with Mary for Mosaic Monday.

Before and After ~ Guest Room #2

This used to be our daughter Katie’s room before she got married and moved to North Carolina. We decided to re-decorate it making it into our second guest room. I’ve promised too show the process and results.

We started moving things around and moved some things out. We took our queen poster bed out of storage and bought new queen size mattresses to set it up. I had the quilt in the cupboard and since the colors of the walls in this room were blue and yellow we decided to decorate around the quilt. I bought a bed skirt, sheets, and quilted shams to complete the bed and moved the blue pillow from our other guest room. The white pillow shams were a steal at Goodwill in perfect shape for $1.99 each. The short bookcases went up into our master bedroom.

The bedside tables were part of the Queen Anne poster bed set that we purchased in the late 70’s. We moved the lamps from our master bedroom to this room. We washed the windows…oh so wonderful and crystal clear.

We brought in the two taller bookshelves that we moved from our condo in California. Next we started measuring and leveling for wall art. We switched this small desk with our larger home office work desk. We put this small desk in the other guest room which really opened up the space in there, too. We put the mirror in a horizontal position.

We aren’t interior decorators. Our decor has always worked around our comfort and re-purposing what we already have. Every now and again we buy something new that will work in with what we already have.

We moved more framed photos and art into the room from other rooms and storage.

We really are enjoying the new updated room and are looking forward to wedding company using the new space.

Katie arrives tonight for the 3 weeks we have till the wedding. We’ll be taking care of all the last minute details. I’m relaxing today because I know I’ll have very little time to sit around in the next 21 days.

Hope you are enjoying your weekend and that you have a good week ahead of you. I’m saving my President’s Day Post for after President Washington’s birthday because Katie, my friend Beth and I are going to High Tea at the George Washington Inn in Sequim to celebrate and I’ll be sharing photos from our time there later in the week.

I’m linking up with Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday and I might link up with Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphasis Monday.

Night and Day…

When the golden day is done,
Through the closing portal,
Child and garden, Flower and sun,
Vanish all things mortal.

As the blinding shadows fall
As the rays diminish,
Under evening’s cloak they all
Roll away and vanish.

Garden darkened, daisy shut,
Child in bed, they slumber–
Glow-worm in the hallway rut,
Mice among the lumber.

In the darkness houses shine,
Parents move the candles;
Till on all the night divine
Turns the bedroom handles.

Till at last the day begins
In the east a-breaking,
In the hedges and the whins
Sleeping birds a-waking.

In the darkness shapes of things,
Houses, trees and hedges,
Clearer grow; and sparrow’s wings
Beat on window ledges.

These shall wake the yawning maid;
She the door shall open–
Finding dew on garden glade
And the morning broken.

There my garden grows again
Green and rosy painted,
As at eve behind the pane
From my eyes it fainted.

Just as it was shut away,
Toy-like, in the even,
Here I see it glow with day
Under glowing heaven.

Every path and every plot,
Every blush of roses,
Every blue forget-me-not
Where the dew reposes,

“Up!” they cry, “the day is come
On the smiling valleys:
We have beat the morning drum;
Playmate, join your allies!”

~Robert Louis Stevenson

Joining in on Mosaic Monday with Mary at Little Red House.

City Scapes taken in San Diego, California. The Sunrise photo is taken at my house in the Seattle area.

Fraternal Order of Real Bearded Santas!

Did you know that there is a Fraternal Order of Real Bearded Santas? While we were touring the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier in San Diego we kept seeing Santa look a likes. Of course I had to take some photos and we found out there was a Santa Reunion just down the street.

Here’s what the website of the Fraternal Order of Real Bearded Santas had to say about their event.

“Here it is! The tradition is alive and well in San Diego this coming January 26, 27, 28 and 29 2012 as the Fraternal Order of Real Bearded Santas host the Santa Reunion XVIII / San Diego 2012! ”

Now you know…

I’m linking up with Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday with my real bearded Santa mosaic!

I’ll be away from my computer all day tomorrow as I’m traveling to Canada to celebrate a milestone birthday for 2 dear friends. I’ll be in a bathing suit for part of the time and I hope no photos of me in all my glory make it onto the world wide web…time will tell. I’ll catch up on visiting later in the week. Blessings!

Messiah…

and other beautiful Christmas music is playing in the background as I sit and enjoy twinkling lights and a tree all trimmed and waiting for wrapped presents. For now I’ll savor the moment with some Egg Nog in a pretty glass.

On Saturday our mystery tree was brought in from the cold and unwrapped. We were pleased with it’s fine shape and it’s great price of $19.97.

Dear strung the lights on the tree and the decorating continued with the Angel tree topper added first.

It was fun to pull out my favorites with memories attached and enjoyed.

Baby’s first Christmas ornaments are getting a little tattered.

After the tree was trimmed it was time to set out our favorite things from Christmas’s past.

The kissing Santa salt and pepper shakers and 2 sets of angels are from Dear’s mother. The Santa Matryoshka is from my brother Leonard.

These mugs belong to our 3 kids. I might have mentioned before that this will be our first Christmas since our kids were born that we won’t all be together on Christmas Day. Katie will be in North Carolina and our son Dan has to work on Christmas day in Eastern Washington. Josh, Laura, Dear and I will enjoy the day together. I’ve had some “moments” since getting back home from North Carolina. Those out of nowhere teary moments that last for just a spell when it strikes me that things have changed. It’s OK that they change but I still get caught by surprise by the emotions associated with the changes. When I pulled these mugs out of the attic I stood on the attic stairs crying to think they all wouldn’t be used this year. Ahh…but then I move on.

This is my Christmas Card ~~clothes~~ card line. I love it because I can hang each card that comes our way and keep them where I can continue to see and enjoy them.

And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

You can read the whole Christmas story from the Bible in Luke chapter 2.

Hope your week, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day are filled with joy!

I’m linking up with Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday.

Mosaic Monday~

A new weekly blog carnival starts today called Mosaic Monday. Mary at Little Red House is the hostess for this event. Click over to join in the fun!

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.

The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b.

To honor and encourage

Tag Archives: Mosaic Monday