T.G.I.F.

Dear ones, I will reserve Fridays for keeping current with all the happenings with us. I have had several friends say that they miss my newsletters. So, I will starting doing a weekly letter. The big news is that we finally got our yard completely fenced. It was partially fenced when we moved in but after we had Mary we wanted to fence it all the way so that she could play out there without escaping and dogs couldn't come running into the yard. Our landlord came over on Saturday and Sunday and put it up. Here are a few pictures of it:

The really neat thing is that I got to talking to our landlord when I came home from my garage saling last Saturday and he was putting up the fence. In the conversation I found out that he and his wife are Christians and they are Spirit filled! They used to pastor a small Foursquare church in the valley! He told how he built our house from the ground up and the whole project was prayed over and that the Lord helped them in many, many ways during the construction. Rich and I have always really liked our landlords and commented many times how the Lord has blessed us with living in this house and how good they have been to us. It is a very well made house, really cool in the summer and warm in the winter and the utilities are really low. It is in an older neighborhood but our house is only 9 years old. It is the perfect size for us. Some day we might like to buy it. We have told the landlord this and we will see what happens. As for now we know the Lord lead us to this place and it has been a great home so far:)

My garden is doing well. It is in full bloom and the summer heat is starting to pour on. So, I am watering it and the lawns every day. We bought a canopy to put up so Mary will have shade for her little wading pool in the back yard. We hope to get that set up over the 4th of July weekend. Mary had a lot of fun playing in a Pampers box today. Kids just love the simplest things and get so much joy out of them. I have included a picture of daises from my garden and Mary with the pampers box.

I Have Grandpa's Hat

Rich's dad likes to wear ball caps. Mary just loves to play with his hat when he comes to visit. Yesterday she started wearing it. She just started to like wearing hats. She now wears Rich's ball cap backwards and runs up and down our hall kicking her ball and saying, "Geet the ball!"(translation: Get the Ball). Here is a slide show of the pics I took yesterday. (If is doesn't look like a slide show in the e-mail, just go to my blog to view it)

I Love Garage Sales!!

Now that the weather has warmed up here in Oregon, garage sales are every where. So, for the last few Saturday mornings, Rich has watched Mary and I have gone driving around our neighborhood and other subdivisions near by. Mary has a lot of toys but most of them has come from garage sales. I keep weeding out ones she has outgrown and I give them away so she is not overwhelmed by too many toys. I also rotate them so she doesn't have them all at once. The first picture is of a Fisher Price electronic book. I got the electronic book plus extra book and cartridge for the big price of $2.00. I looked on line through Amazon.com and this combo was listed at around $40 and the next pic is of a Leap Frog music table I got for a $1.00 and that was priced new at $39.00 on the Leap Frog website. Then the last pic is from this Saturday. It shows a few toys I got for Mary. I also got 2 pairs of shoes for her, 6 items of kids clothes, 2 cookbooks, 2 children's books and 3 more toys for a grand total of $12.00! I guess it is the treasure hunter in me that finds garage sales to be so much fun:)

Foody Friday Strawberry Jam

I have planted some strawberry plants in my flower bed. My sister, Denise, did this and it looked really cool with the dark green strawberry leaves mixed in with the flowers plus you get something yummy too! I am going to share my sister, Linda's strawberry jam recipe. She gave us several pints of her jam for Christmas and it is so yummy. She said part of the secret is that she uses the smaller strawberries that are dead ripe. The smaller strawberries have a more vibrant, intense flavor. My favorite thing to do with her jam is mix it with sour cream (equal parts of both) and spread it on bagels or waffles. My daughter just loves it. She just hums and hums when she eats it. We call it her "yummy song." She always does that when she really, really likes something!

Ingredients
2 qts. strawberries--cut and crushed to yield 5 c. of crushed berries
1/2 tsp. of butter
1 box of powder Sure1-Jell
7 c. of sugar

Directions
Pour crushed berries into large boiler.
Measure sugar into separate container and set aside.
Stir package of Sure-Jell into strawberries.
Add butter.
First you wan to bring berries and Sure-Jell to a full boil (a boil that does not stop bubbling when stirred) then you can add in sugar.
Remember that this must be stirred constantly.
Next add in sugar, stirring quickly.
Then return mixture to a full rolling boil and boil approx. 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Then you can move from heat.
Now skim foam from top with metal spoon.
Then ladle quickly into jars that have been cleaned and preheated.
Next you need to clean rims of jars with clean hot cloth.
The place heated lids (lids that have been placed in simmering water for 1 minute) on jars and tighten rings.
Then urn jars upside down for 5 minutes.
Finally, return jars to upright position and let cool completely before storing

For more great berry recipes go to A Latte Talk check it out!

I've been tagged....

I was tagged yesterday by mamachristina. I'm new to the blog world and my first time to be tagged. So, I thought it would be fun and I would give it a shot. This one is all about "eight". The only thing I don't have 8 of is blogs. I do have friends that do e-mail so I will include them to bring me up to 8. OK, here it goes...

Eight things I am passionate about:

1. My relationship with the Lord. I could not navigate and operate in this life without the Lord. He is my foundation and compass to make it through this fallen world and get to my true home, to be in heaven with Him.

2. My husband is next. I have loved getting to know him and what he is passionate about. I have waited over half of my life for him and he has so been worth it. I want to be the best wife, friend and lover that I can possibly be.

3. My daughter. It is so much fun to see her little personality unfold. I pray each day that I will be the best mom and I can be. That I will lead her into the knowledge of the Lord and be a good example for her.

4. My extended family members. That I will be a good friend and relative. To always speak the truth in love and remember them in all the holidays and special times in their lives.

5. My friends. That I will always keep in contact with them the best I can and remember to pray for them. They are a true treasure.

6. My garden. I love to see things grow and do all the little things to make my plants happy:) It is a great source of satisfaction and joy to me to sit and look at my flowers and harvest fruit, vegetables and herbs from my plants.

7. Cooking. I love to cook and make things that people enjoy. It is so fun to have friends and family over for a good meal and time of fellowship.

8. Photography. I love the emotion that is captured in a picture. I love sharing pictures on the Internet and doing scrapbooks. I have 5 scrapbooks that I work on when I get a chance.

Eight things I would like to do before I die:

1. Raise my daughter and see her happily married.

2. Cruise around the Hawaiian Islands with my family.

3. For Rich to get out of HVAC work and get his ceramic lamp business up and going.

4. Teach my daughter to play the piano.

5. Publish a poetry book.

6. Successfully home school my daughter.

7. Visit the North East in the fall and find the grave of my fore father that came from England.

8. Visit Alaska

Eight Books I have read:

1. The Bible

2. The Hobbit

3. The Chronicles of Narnia

4. The Lord of the Rings trilogy

5. St. Elmo

6. The Count of Monte Cristo

7. My Sergei

8. The Light and The Glory

Eight people I tagged:

1. Tirzah

2. Vanessa

3. Selina

4. Kristine

5. Linda

6. Wendy

7. Denise

8. Enda

Wordless Wednesday

For more Wordless Wednesday go here.

Daddy and Me!

Rich is such a wonderful Father. He loves the Lord with all his heart and he is so dedicated to his family. He became a daddy for the first time when he was 51 years old. He had given up on the dream of being a father many years earlier but God had a different plan! He is so thankful each day for the precious life that God has put into our care. Each evening before dinner we clasp our hands on Mary's high chair tray and pray while her little hands pat and play with our fingers. After the prayer, Rich lifts his hands in the air and smiling at Mary he says, "Thank you, Jesus!" Mary's eyes light up and she raises her little hands too. I am so glad Mary has him for a dad because she will learn of the Lord's tender love, discipline, and kindness through his example. We are also thankful that Mary has two grandfathers that love the Lord.

Father's Day

This is a poem that I wrote and gave to my husband when we were dating. He truly is my hero.

My Hero
You are my hero, woven in my dreams
and in my thoughts, when the telephone rings

You are the man that sings those songs
woven in you heart
songs to God, sung in the dark

You are a man I know so well
and I think about it when I see the sea shells

You are my hero, my wild stallion
lover of garden salads with scallions

So complex, yet a man of simple joys
like Christmas lights and getting the lids on tight

You are a man of memories all bottled up tight
and when love draws near, they come to light

You are a man of dreams and schemes
and you have come to me
my hero woven in my dreams

Garden tour

This is my garden. It is small but a wonderful retreat for me. Click on the screen below to see my special place.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Wordless Wednesday

For more Wordless Wednesday go here.

Mary's Flower Book

I went to Barnes and Noble Saturday morning to get a gift certificate and I got lost in the children's book department! I bought Mary several books. My favorite one was called, "Planting a Rainbow." I can't wait until she is old enough to help me plant my flower garden. She loves being outside and looking at the flowers. While reading the book she learned to say, "yellow" and "red". She is talking really well now :)

Foody Friday Tuna Cakes

Rich and I have served Tuna Cakes twice for company now and both times it was a big hit. One advantage of the recipe is that it makes a lot. You can also use canned Salmon and serve both tuna and salmon cakes so your guests have a choice. For more company food go to A Latte Talk and check it out!

Tuna Cakes
2 cans (6 0z. each) light tuna in water, drained, flaked
1 pkg. (6 oz.) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1 cup shredded carrots
1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese

2 Tbsp sweet pickle relish

1/2 can of creamed corn

3/4 cup water

Mix the tuna, stuffing mix, cheese, carrots, mayonnaise, relish, corn, and water in a bowl.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate it for 10 minutes.
Heat a large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat. Scoop tuna mixture using about 1/3 cup for each cake into skillet in batches. Try using an ice cream scoop to make evenly portioned cakes. Gently flatten cakes using a spatula.
Cook 3 minutes on each side or until they're golden brown on both sides, turning cakes over carefully. Makes 6 servings, 2 tuna cakes each.

Six, Six, Six

Those 3 numbers in a row mean a lot to me. It reminds me of the day my whole life changed. The first time my life changed was the day I married Rich. This day, June 6, 2006 I found out I was pregnant, not only pregnant but half way through my pregnancy with no obvious symptoms. You might say,”How could that happen?” Well.... I was 46 years old and at that age you begin to think about going through the change of life. Thinking about this had left me very sad, for I was childless. Something I had not faced because my dreams were always full of family and thoughts of children. A very dear friend had come to visit me. She had not seen me in a year and when she saw me, she knew I was pregnant. Later in the evening of her first day here, she asked me if I was and I said no. I am going through the change. During her visit she encouraged me to get a home pregnancy test but I resisted. I was afraid of the pain of disappointment if it came out negative. It was a pain I felt I could not endure. The day she flew out she slipped me some money and asked me to purchase one. On the way out of the airport, Rich asked me what the money was for and I told him, “Oh she thinks I am pregnant but I think she is wrong.” A small still voice spoke to me the next day on my way home from work. Elena, go get a test. So, I did. Shock was my first response when I saw the positive result, then waves of joy flooded my soul. It was like a river flowing into a dry and barren land. God had remembered me! He did not forget! Six, Six, Six also reminded me of the six days of creation. The Lord told me that this baby was special, it was His work. I continued on in my pregnancy without any complications. My doctor told me that he was doing all the extra tests and appointments because I was 46(not because of my health). He said if you were 25 I would not be doing all the extra sonograms and such. Rich and I decided not to have an amniocentesis done because we felt it was not necessary. Mary was not only God’s work physically but also spiritually. She is a gift to Rich and I. We look forward to the days of her growth and maturity. She is a small flower bud coming up and one day she will be a beautiful flower, pleasing to the Lord and all grown up before we know it.

Me in my garden (5 1/2 months pregnant)

Bye Bye Dee Go Wuk!

"Bye bye Dee go wuk" are the 4 precious words that my 19 month old daughter strung together for the first time as she tapped the window enthusiastically as her daddy walked down the front steps out to his work truck this morning. It brought so much joy to my heart to hear her little voice expressing herself. She is learning so many words that I can hardly keep track of them. This is her list, the best I can remember:

Mama (her first word at 7 months)

Daddy

Work

Hi, Hello

Bye Bye, Good-bye, Go bye bye

Uh-oh, OK, Out

Cake

Ball

Book

Bottle

Two

Cow, Moo

See that (while pointing her finger)

Before long she will be carrying on all kinds of conversations to us, her toys and books and anyone she meets in the store or comes to visit her!

My Sister's Garden

I went to my sister's house in town on Saturday and she has a beautiful garden. Her and her husband are remodeling an older home they bought 2 years ago. They are doing a great job.