Sunlit and InSPIREd Sunday…

On our sister weekend as we were leaving Coupeville on Whidbey Island we stopped so I could take photos of this church.

A well kept church with a great belfry!

And my shot to welcome Spring and the beginning of Holy Week taken at Stanley Park in Vancouver B.C. yesterday.

Linking up to InSPIREd Sunday and I believe the last week of Sunlit Sunday.

This coming week will be a busy one as our household prepares for our Easter observances. Cleaning, decorating, getting the guest room ready for our son and daughter in love from Eastern Washington, baking our traditional Easter bread Kulich/Paska, our sweet cheese topping, Seernaya Paska and decorating eggs. Haven’t decided on the main course for our Easter meal but it will most likely be rack of lamb. Are you getting ready?

InSPIREd and Sunlit…

On our way to the daffodil fields during our sister weekend my sister Lana said I should turn around and go back to this church that I zoomed by. I have posted photos from this church on my blog but my sister Lana hadn’t seen it before and wanted to get a closer look and take some photos. She pointed out something that I had totally missed on my previous visits.

Fir-Conway Lutheran Church. You can read it’s history here.

She said, “did you notice the crown on the cross on top of the spire? I said “no I didn’t” and I hopped out of the car to zoom in.

How very cool is that. Jesus is my King.

The moral of the story is to keep looking up and take your sisters on more road trips!

I’m linking up to InSPIREd Sunday and Sunlit Sunday.

O God, Whose Smile Is in the Sky ~ Hymn

O God, Whose Smile Is in the Sky

O God, whose smile is in the sky,
Whose path is in the sea,
Once more from earth’s tumultuous strife
We gladly turn to Thee.

Now all the myriad sounds of earth
In solemn stillness die;
While wind and wave unite to chant
Their anthem to the sky.

We come as those with toil far spent
Who crave Thy rest and peace,
And from the care and fret of life
Would find in Thee release.

O Father, soothe all troubled thought,
Dispel all idle fear,
Purge Thou each heart of secret sin,
And banish ev’ry care.

Until, as shine upon the sea
The silent stars above,
There shines upon our trusting souls
The light of Thine own love.

Words: John H. Holmes, 1907.

I’m linking up to Sunlit Sunday at My Little Home and Garden

Sunlit Sunday

I was so pleased to be able to have a couple walks this week with a little bit of sunshine. We are seeing more and more signs that Spring is coming. It’s always so encouraging to see these signs!

One of the yards we pass on our walks is this well manicured one. The little older gal who lives here tends it well and soon there will be lots of tulips and other blooms to enjoy. The daffodils are coming up all over our region.

I’m linking up with My Little Home and Garden for Sunlit Sunday!

It was a semi productive week at this old house. It was one of those weeks where you get odd things done that aren’t weekly things and because of that it throws the weekly things out the window. Today it was a wonderful cold sunny day so we got our walk in and I pruned the pear tree! Hopefully this coming week I’ll get caught up with the routine stuff!

Hope you have a beautiful sunlit Sunday!

Sunlit ~ InSPIREd Sunday!

Later today I’ll link up with Sunlit Sunday hosted by Karen at My Little Home and Garden and InSPIREd Sunday hosted by Beth and Sally. Here are more churches from San Francisco and some other sunlit inspirations.

St. Agnes Catholic Church in the Haight Asbury neighborhood of San Francisco.

Another church I saw on the upper deck bus tour I took. Wish I knew what church is is.

The First Congregational Church in Downtown San Francisco that is now the Academy of Art.

A recent sunrise out my stairwell window beyond my neighbors huge maple tree.

A timely sunlit photo for this particular Sunday. This sculpture in Kirkland Washington always is decorated according to what’s happening in our world or for holidays.

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

Sunlit and InSPIREd

When Dear and I arrived in San Francisco January 20th we checked into our hotel and then braved the walk uphill to the Mark Hopkins hotel on Nob Hill. On the way we passed Grace Cathedral. Grace Cathedral is a beautiful church that I’ve posted about before when I did a more thorough visit in 2008. I’ll leave a link to my full posts at the end of this one. We continued on to the “Top of the Mark” for some small bites and a drink. This next photo shows a view of Grace Cathedral from above.

On our way back to our hotel (all downhill this time) we stopped in at the Cathedral for a quick view of the inside and then I took some photos from the outside during sunset.

To see more from the inside and outside and to read some history of Grace Cathedral click here and here.

Later today I’ll link up with Sunlit Sunday hosted by Karen at My Little Home and Garden and InSPIREd Sunday hosted by Beth and Sally.

I’m having a carefree Saturday with just a little shopping excursion planned to pick up a few last minute items for our Lunar/Chinese New Year Super Bowl party tomorrow. Dear vacuumed for me yesterday and I dusted and sorted out a lot of junk piles so our house looks crisp, neat and ready for fun. While I prepare this post I’m enjoying some Barclay’s Premier League Soccer on the telly. Yes, I’m a fan of soccer. Dear and our son-in-law are off to our near son’s home to do some hard labor with a jackhammer! I suppose I better have a hardy meal ready for dinner for the workers! Hope you have a good weekend.

Sunlit Sunday…

San Francisco afforded me so many photos to share I’m joining Sunlit Sunday at My Little Home and Garden today.

Looking up at Saints Peter and Paul church in San Francisco.

This was my second time to see this beautiful church. This time around I hopped off the bus for lunch in North Beach/Little Italy. My bus tour this day was rainy from beginning to end. So I didn’t take as many photos as my visit in 2008.

This Romanesque splendor is often called the Italian Cathedral. Completed in 1924, the church has stone-white towers that are local landmarks. Mass reflects the neighborhood; it’s given in English, Italian, and Chinese. (This is one of the few churches in town where you can hear Mass in Italian.) Following their 1954 City Hall wedding, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio had their wedding photos snapped here. On the first Sunday of October, a Mass followed by a parade to Fisherman’s Wharf celebrates the Blessing of the (Fishing) Fleet. Also in October is the Italian Heritage Parade in North Beach. The country’s oldest Italian celebration, it began in 1869.

The first time I saw Saints Peter and Paul was in December of 2008. Click here to see my full post from my first thorough visit.

Sunlit Spires

Dear and I were able to get away on an overnight trip to Bainbridge Island and we decided to drive up to the Kitsap Peninsula through the Nordic town of Poulsbo on our way home. We were pleasantly surprised by a very nice and sunny mid-morning to evening on this Saturday after being soaked by rain Friday night and early Saturday morning. I have lots to share from our wonderful getaway.

We had a wonderful Sunday morning at our own church, not this church I pictured. We were able to witness 15 or 43 total Baptisms. We have 3 services so the Baptisms were spaced out between the services. From elementary age children, high school, college, and older adults including a married couple we witnessed obedience to the Word of God to believe and be baptized.

I’m linking to InSPIREd Sunday with Beth and Sally and Sunlit Sunday at My Little Home and Garden.

InSPIREd Sunday – Skagit Valley

There’s a little white church in the valley
That stands in my memory each day
And it seems I can hear the bells now ringing
Though I am many miles away

And many times in church on Sunday morning
That whole countryside would gather there
They would all kneel down by the altar
As they lifted up their voice in prayer

Oh the church in the valley that little white church
Is the place I love so well
Now I’m sad and lonely yes I’m sad and lonely
For that little white church in the dell

They would sing the old song Rock of Ages
Oh Christ let me hide myself in thee
And I know some of them are now waiting
Just o’er the dark and stormy sea

I know that troubles all are ended
And happy forever they will be
They are waiting and watching up yonder
For the coming home of you and me

I took these series of photos in April of 2012. When we travel to La Conner or to Mount Vernon, Washington State to see the tulip fields we take the road that runs right next to this church. Fir-Conway Lutheran Church met first in a smaller building built in 1896. This larger building was dedicated in 1916. You can read it’s history here.

I’m linking to InSPIREd Sunday hosted by Beth and Sally. I’m also linking to Sunlit Sunday at My Little Home and Garden since this little white church is enjoying the sun.

It’s a Wrap for Sunlit Sunday…

…but only a finale in the posting not of our sunshine. Since we are entering seasons that boast more sunshine Karen is setting aside this weekly meme. I’m not a regular by any means but I say adieu to this light filled meme with a post today.

Thank you Karen for hosting Sunlit Sunday.

This little patch of Primroses surprise me every year. I didn’t plant them (they came with the house) but they pop up faithfully every year at this time.

I heard unofficially that the land our house sits on was once a rustic nursery called Primrose Acres. I like that and I’m still thinking that I should get to planting a lot of Primroses in honor of that.

This plant gave me more grief than joy so this past week I trimmed it back and pulled it out of the planter. I also weeded this corner that had weeds with the thickest, longest, most stubborn roots. I’ll share the plants I’m replacing this with in the future.

I’m so excited for the purple peeking through here. My lilac bush promises more blooms this year than last. It’s not hard to exceed last year’s yield as I only had one…just one bloom.

My Lenten Rose is winding down but is still a nice sight in the front planter. Our sun breaks have been few and far between the last several days. When it breaks through the clouds we are thankful.

Besides the sun some things that are lighting up my world are the chance to work side by side with my girlfriends in Canada for a good cause, time together with our daughter who is living with us while our son in law is serving in Afghanistan, spending time with our middle son over a weekend in Eastern Washington, time with our oldest son and our dear DIL here on this side of the mountains, and planning trips for Dear and me that are coming up in May and July. This week I’m planning and gathering fun things for a tea table I’m hosting at my church’s annual friendship tea coming up on Saturday. This evening we are having one more celebration for my birthday (March 14) with our kids on this side of the mountains.

What’s lighting up your world these days?

The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b.

To honor and encourage

Tag Archives: Sunlit Sunday