Loaded Nestle Toll House Cookies!

Our Canadian Friends celebrated Canada Day on Wednesday and today our U.S. friends are celebrating the 4th of July, Independence Day! Happy 4th of July everyone.

Because they are an American Favorite I’m posting these Chocolate Chip Cookies with a loaded twist  in honor of the 4th of July on the Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog!  Click on over to the MGCC blog and check it out.

Today we’re having a nice crowd over to celebrate the 4th with us. The weather is hot for Washington and we’ll be working on keeping cool on the deck. Dear is barbecuing Tri-Tip for sandwiches and we’re having some great sides contributed by our guests! The best thing is having good friends enjoying each others company along with good food and drink! We hope all our U.S. friends have a great celebration.

Happy 4th of July!

God bless the U.S.A. and Canada!

Friday’s Fave Five ~ July 3rd

Welcome to Friday’s Fave Five hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story. This weeks favorites come from the State of Washington.

1. My first favorite was crossing the Columbia River into Washington from Oregon and knowing we had just 3 more hours to be at our home. We made the road-trip from California to Washington on Sunday. I will be in Washington for the next 6 weeks.

2. Having all our kids around the dinner table. It’s always fun to enjoy a meal together.

3. Getting the patio put together and ready for our 4th of July party.

4. My old double oven was getting questionable so we ordered a new one. It arrived on Thursday and Dear installed it. I’m going to bake some cookies on Friday to break it in and test it!

5. I love summer fruit. My favorite is a Nectarine. I’ve been enjoying some this week.

If you are living in the U.S.A. I hope you have a wonderful 4th of July.

No Internet Today!

Well we hit a snag with our internet service and were down for most of the day. The kind Comcast man came and fixed our problem and we’re up and running again. It was a good day to be off-line…

I went outside early (to beat the heat we’re experiencing) and worked on my patio containers. Dear and our son Dan had already put the cover on our gazebo and brought out all the patio furniture. My new oven was also delivered today and Dear installed it. He is such a handy guy. I’ll try to get some good photos of my new oven but right now with all the sunshine streaming in the windows there’s a lot of glare :0) I plan to break in the oven by baking some cookies tomorrow. Here’s hoping the temperature is calibrated a whole lot better then the old one…

Tablescape Thursday ~ In Honor of the 4th!

Well I’m thinking we are going to see a lot of Red, White and Blue this week on our tables. It’s time for Tablescape Thursday so visit our hostess Susan at Between Naps on the Porch to see a variety of tables decked out for our viewing pleasure!

Dear and I arrived to our home in Washington on Sunday night after 15 hours on the road. We drove from California. I will be in Washington for the next 6 weeks. Dear flies back to California on Sunday. Boohoo! On Monday evening we had all our kids around the table for a meal. Now that is a wonderful thing.

I decided to bring out the red, white and blue for the week. On Saturday we’re having a gathering so this will serve as the buffet table for that event.

For those of you who live in the U.S.A.,  hope you all have safe and sane 4th of July celebrations. Thanks for stopping by…

Window Views ~ Heritage Square

These windows are from one of the historic buildings at Heritage Square in Los Angeles, California.

The barn was built in 1899 on the grounds of what is now Pasadena’s Huntington Memorial Hospital for Dr. Osborne, a member of the hospital’s staff. Originally used to stable horses and store a carriage, the building was subsequently converted into a dwelling and garage. Its architectural style is Queen Anne Cottage with Gothic influences. It has three gables and a distinctive pitched roof.

Moved to the Heritage Square Museum in 1981, the barn now houses the museum’s restoration and maintenance. In time, it will be returned to it working condition as a carriage barn

To see more windows visit the Window Views Blog.

The Box From Mighty Mom!

So my bloggy friend Mighty Mom from the great state of Texas received a bunch of stuff from her grandmother and after sorting through it decided to send some of the stuff to a few of her bloggy friends. These were items she wouldn’t be using but she couldn’t just toss them and wondered if and what we might enjoy from the stash. She gave instructions for us to tell her…

1. What made us laugh. 2. What we will throw away because she couldn’t. 3. What we will use and enjoy. 4. What we will look at and say “What the Heck!?”

Oops I forgot to put the what made us laugh category on the collage.  That little triangle thingee did and the whole condition of the box from the post office, and of course the unique padding also got a little chuckle out of us.  I’ve used that same padding packing some of my MIL’s stuff in the past. Oh and thanks for that clue in the glass thingie. The candle is melted and stuck to the inside so I’m guessing it is a candle holder!

Thanks Mighty Mom!

Outdoor Wednesday ~ My Yard June 30th

For the next several weeks I’m in the state of Washington so my Outdoor Wednesday Posts will be from the Western Washington area.

Susan at A Southern DayDreamer is our kind hostess for this weekly event. Click over to her blog to see Outdoor Posts from around the world.

I took a walk around the yard today to see what might be blooming. My hydrangeas are just getting some color.

I was happy to see my Lavender survived the dry weather the Seattle area has been experiencing seeing how my tenants (two of my adult children) don’t consider watering part of their routine upkeep of the house.

The wild rose bush is flourishing and we have a very few pears growing on the Pear tree and a good amount of blueberries plumping up.

I’m still getting my bearings here in the Northwest. I’m not up to my usual bloggy speed. We are replacing my old double oven this week and I’m scrambling to get things in order for our July 4th Barbecue. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods and if you are in the United States enjoy the 4th!

Jeff & Heather ~ June 27, 2009

On our road-trip to Seattle we stopped in Clovis for Jeff and Heather’s wedding. Jeff is my cousin Jim’s youngest son. It was a wonderful ceremony and reception. I appreciated how relaxed and unpretentious the whole event was. The couples youth and college pastor performed the ceremony and it made it very personal as he had many great experiences with the couple as they’ve grown and matured. We laughed  a lot, even during the ceremony. The recessional was to the Indiana Jones theme…

The colors the bride chose were vibrant summer colors. The reception hall was a gymnasium but the elaborate ceiling feature with the flowing fabric and string lights softened the room beautifully. Thank goodness for air conditioning because it was 102 degrees in Clovis during the wedding.

That’s a lot of yards of fabric! The centerpieces were individual mini cakes. Each table had a different flavor layered cake. Fun idea. After Jeff and Heather cut their cake and had a bite we all were able to serve ourselves at our individual tables.

My cousins with their spouses and kids. One of Jim and Jeanie’s sons isn’t in this photo.

The Father and Mother of the groom. My cousins and sister Kathy. The bottom left photo is of Jeanie, her sister Kathy, (who is Kathy B. from Count it All Joy) and me. The last photo is of my long time friends.

My parents. My cousin Katrina and her daughter Kristen. My long time friend Heidi and Ken. In the last photo we managed to get a shot of the Ben who was missing in the other family photo with my parents, the bride and groom and my sister Kathy.

Fun times. You should have seen the dance moves the groom and his brother Ben have…quite impressive! They were really cutting the rug! Congratulations Jeff and Heather! May God bless you richly and protect your marriage!

And in the world of the mundane… my time at the computer is limited these days. Today Dear and I are off to the hairdresser and then we have to buy a replacement oven and get it installed. I hope to get some free time soon to visit…

Mosaic Blue Monday ~ Red,White & Blue!

I’m joining Sally’s Blue Monday a little late this week. Visit her to see more blue. I suspect you’ll see a lot of 4th of July blue this week.

And on a personal note. We arrived to our home in the Seattle area at about 10:15 last night. As usual it will take me a couple days to get my brain back. It’s hard sometimes switching from my Southern California Brain to my Washington State Brain. The trip took us 15 hours but listening to The Prisoner of Azkaban made the hours go by quicker. The book on cd was 11 hours long. I’ll be uploading photos from the wedding and other random shots soon.

Hope all is well with everyone…

The Soul Cheering Promise ~ Hymn

The Soul Cheering Promise
(words by Fanny Crosby)

We know not the trials before us,
But Jesus takes thought for them all,
And trusting the aid of His counsel,
We never, no, never can fall;
We know not the trials before us,
Or what on the morrow may be,
But sweet is the soul cheering promise,
“My grace is sufficient for thee.”

Refrain

Then cleave to the Savior, cleave to Him,
Whatever the conflict may be,
Remember the soul cheering promise,
“My grace is sufficient for thee.”

We know not the trials before us,
But why; should we tremble or fear?
The arm of the Lord will protect us,
The ark of His mercy is near;
We know not the trials before us,
Or what our temptations may be,
But stronger than death is the promise,
“My grace is sufficient for thee.”

Refrain

We know not the trials before us,
The sorrows and cares we shall meet,
But O there’s a refuge in Jesus,
Though surges may break at our feet;
How blessèd that refuge forever
Where safe from the storm we shall be,
The password to life is the promise,
“My grace is sufficient for thee.”

Refrain

II Corinthians 12:9 ~ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

I’m on the road somewhere between Clovis, California and Seattle Washington today so I’m doing a re-post of this hymn. We should arrive in Seattle sometime tonight…