Today Isn't Just Your Usual, Ordinary Friday...

Well the countdown to the big day is over
(and we even have a little blue sky over our heads--yippee)!

Today is important to me for three reasons...
the first, someone VERY, VERY important in my life will be celebrating their birthday today
Happy Birthday!

Secondly,
many, many (am I aging myself enough??) years ago I was baptized on this very day
(Thank you Lord for your many blessings).

And finally, today is important for -- at least -- one other very important reason...

 

Does this photo of my fav doll Kristin Liv give you a hint?
Yes? No?

Ok, I'll tell you...
It's Syttende Mai -- a day similar to America's July 4th.
A day I choose to celebrate too because of my deep love for the beautiful country of Norway.
Now,
I've celebrated this day in various places...
one year in wonderful, glorious Poulsbo, Washington...

(sorry--old camera)

 

(oh how I miss you and wonderful Liberty Bay).
And last year I celebrated with these beautiful fjord horses
(yep, they are totally AWESOME and SO MUCH fun to ride,
 as I found out one year at a farm that had fjords).
 

 

and, last year, I ate my FIRST (but definitely not last) most YUMMY bløtkake!

 

 

I also ate some delicious lefse wraps last year too made from the most PERFECT lefse!

 

 

OK I'm starving now!

 

This year I was hoping to be a 'bit' north of here...

but the weather didn't cooperate yesterday when a friend was able to go with me.

Maybe later this year I'll make it there...

 

But since I can't be where my heart would like to be,

along the river or the bay,

or in Norway

(even better),

I am celebrating at home by making Norwegian recipes all day...

 

 

Mmm!

lemon vafler or Pannekaken

(with lingonberries--yum)

and

for lunch a lefse wrap...

maybe with some awesome gjetost

(a totally yummy brown Norwegian cheese)

 

And then,

if all goes well and I stay healthy

(I woke up in a LOT of pain but it has lessened for the most part),

at the end of the day my hubby and I will share

a little Nordic feast...

 

 

Yep, that's what I'm doing today...

what plans do you have for this Friday?

Blessings,

Aimee

 

 

Links of Possible Interest:
Viking Soul: http://www.vikingsoulfood.com/Viking_Soul_Food/Home.html
(totally yummy lefse wraps and more, located in Portland)
Norse Hall: http://norsehall.org/
(love this place, also in Portland)
Viking Fest: http://vikingfest.org/
(on gorgeous Liberty Bay--not too far from where my Swedish great-great uncle lived next to his Norwegian neighbors)
Ballard Syttende Mai: http://www.myballard.com/2013/05/13/get-out-your-norwegian-flags-syttende-mai-is-on-friday/
(how I miss you my beloved Seattle with your beautiful bays, lakes and canals...sigh)

And if you're in the need for something Nordic today....
Scandia Imports:
http://scandiaimports.com/
(Love this place! They carry many items, including some food items, from all the Scandinavian countries)
There are also wonderful Scandinavian shops and bakeries in Poulsbo, Astoria and other places that I have been to...
(fattigman, Finnish pinwheels...YUM!)

Or if you just want to try some of the Norwegian food at home that I'll be attempting to cook today:
Lemon Vafler (waffles):
http://www.sofn.com/norwegian_culture/showRecipe.jsp?document=LemonWaffles.html
Pannekaken (Norwegian pancakes):
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Norwegian-Pancakes---Pannekaken/
Agurksalat (Norwegian cucumber salad):
http://www.sofn.com/norwegian_culture/showRecipe.jsp?document=CucumberSalad.html
Kjøttkaker (Norwegian meat cakes)with some side dishes:
http://arcticgrub.wordpress.com/2013/01/04/kjottkaker-a-rival-to-swedish-meatballs/
and...
http://www.gooseberrymooseberry.com/2012/05/norwegian-meatballs-and-syttende-mai.html
Bløtkake:
http://transplantedbaker.typepad.com/the_transplanted_baker/2010/05/norwegian-bl%C3%B8tkake.html  

And...
of course you will find some Norwegian blog links to the right of this post...

All in all it looks to be a very yummy day...
that is if I can get off this computer, stay more or less well and get busy cooking!
Wish me luck:)

Blessings,
Aimee

Into the Forest: Part II

So when we last visited,

 in this beautiful forest setting,

I left you near the falls...

or thereabouts.

 

 

And I will get you to the falls soon,

so I can show you my latest attempts at a good the perfect waterfall photo (LOL),

but I have a few more things to show you first...

a few more treasures,
a few more jewels in this magical woodland.

 

 

So LOVE the 'fringe', the colors...

 

 

The wonderful creek you walk along for much of your journey.

and more of that lovely green foliage.  

 Hum...I wonder if a certain green 'frog' would be happy here:)

 

 

Love, love, love!

 

 

Another location along the creek.

I am thinking that our yard would be JUST perfect if we

built a creek to go with our ponds...

and then planted a hundred trees or so,

added more ferns, boulders and native plants...

Oh and aged everything for a few hundred years or so.

Nah,

I'll just have to go hiking more often:)

 

 

The falls...

you can really see how little rainfall we've received this spring.

The falls is a lot different than the photos on the web,

but still pretty as all waterfalls in the forest are.

Just to let you know,

because of fallen trees, etc. you are not able to get really close to the falls--

well you can but I wasn't willing to get wet or risk a fall...

or should I say a fall by the falls.

 Giggle, giggle.

 

Actually in all honesty,

there is another way to see the top of the falls...

but that will have to wait for another post.

As far as the 'perfect' waterfall photo--

nope, not yet...

although I think there's some improvement.

Guess that means more hikes for me, the man, the onery one

and possibly a friendly tripod.

 

 

And now,

I leave you as we started this trip,

with a boy and his dog

(notice the position of the leash...sigh)

:)

 

Hope you enjoyed the journey!

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Photos:

Lee Wooden County Park,

near Jewell.

 

The WORD on Wednesday: Forgive

 

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,

even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Ephesians 4:32 KJV

 

 

A new commandment I give unto you,

That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

By this shall all men know ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another.

John 13:34 KJV

 

 

And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary,

 there they crucified Him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do...

Luke 23:33-34a KJV

 

 

The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy...

He hath not dealt with us after our sins:

nor rewarded us according to our iniquities,

For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him.

As far as the east is from the west,

 so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

Like as a father pitieth his children,

so the LORD pitieth them that fear Him.

For he knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust.

Psalms 103:8, 9-14 KJV

　

　

 

Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children.

Ephesians 5:1 KJV

 

Blessings this day,

Aimee

 

Photos:

Northern Oregon coast

(another part of my Mother's Day trip)

Part 2 of Into the Forest soon...

Into the Forest: Mother's Day 2013

I knew exactly where I wanted to go on Mother's Day.

 It was a place I had been before,

but had not dared to enter the fullness of its treasures because I was alone

 (and having visions-LOL-of cougers and bears in the woods).

This time I brought reinforcements protection,

AKA my DH and, of course, our very charming but 'fierce', fearless 

and snake fighter Eskie.  

I think some of you already 'know' her.

 

After a brief attempt at freedom by this very onery, sometimes hormonal dog

we headed into this magical world

of mosses, ferns, foliage, wildflowers, trees, boulders, a creek and waterfall...

 

 

 

 

There is NO way to describe the green you see in the midst of this woodland...

my photo editing program can't even believe it and

keeps trying to adjust each photo away from the shades of

 greens that really are there...

that's OK I just keep returning the color to its natural state as I smile because I want you to feel as surrounded by green as I felt...

call it a green immersion if you will:)

 

 

And then, before too long, you see it through the trees

the waterfall we had come to see; the falls I had SO longed to see on that day

 when I 'saw' cougars and bears instead of the treasure I had wanted to see.

Little confession insert here please...

 you actually see the waterfall a bit before this.

But you see, I liked this photo the best

AND

that way you can be truly surprised should you ever enter this perfect paradise.

 

 

And then we reached...

 

 

the END...

well at least for this post.

 

FOUR more days to go...

and I found more treasures in the freezer to help me celebrate:)

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Photo Notes:

Where is that hubby man when I need him?

He is a walking, talking, totally interactive encyclopedia of bird, wildlife, plant,

constuction, repair, etc knowledge. Perhaps I will be able, after a suitably delicious meal tonight, to share his great knowledge with me and then I can put names to the above blossoms and such...

or perhaps YOU can?

:)

For My Mother With Love

On the day before Mother's Day~

 

 

 

  

 

"Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her...
Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised." Proverbs 31:28,30 KJV
 

 

Remembering you with love this Mother's Day & everyday,

Aimee

 

Morning Garden

A knock on the door and barking dogs changed my rising time this morning...

a blessing because it got me outside before the heat of the day.

Our pink roses made me smile;

the color pink in the garden always makes me smile:)

In the miniature rose garden colorful roses of white, orange and more

also made today all the more blessed.

An extra treat was finding the Lady's Mantle rimmed with dew..

in the light it looked like tiny ice crystals--

so BEAUTIFUL!

(I rewarded that garden by a morning watering)

An early Mother's Day gift from my DDIL and family

found a new home on top of a lacy tablecloth on our east deck.

I feel the call to have tea out there now...

Two familiar birds greeted me and the morning light with their melodies of perfection...

so wish I knew what the lyrics to their song were.

And now, time to get back to my tasks...

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Photos:

simplicity rose

lady's mantle

miniature rose

(to be transplanted into the main mini rose garden later)

one of our morning visitors on the bridge near one of the evergreen huckleberries

(anyone know what kind of bird this is?)

rhododendron--possibly a white catawa

 

The WORD on Wednesday: Time

So teach us to number our days,

 that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom...

And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us:

and establish Thou the work of our hands upon us;

  yea, the work of our hands establish Thou it.


My prayer today should be my prayer everyday.  

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Notes:

Scripture from Psalm 90:12, 17 KJV

 

Early May Garden

Seems like spring is acting much more like summer these days!

Temps in the 80's,

clear blue skies,

windows open to let in a breeze,

weeds growing--well, like weeds,

 capri's, shorts, sandals, tee shirts in place of jeans and sweats,

and in our garden...

one of my favorite rhodies is starting to bloom.

Since I got it from my second dad,

a former nurseryman,

its bloom is extra special to me...

Each of my plants has a history and each of them brings back memories of trips to the coast,

my 'second' dad's farm, nurseries here and there, and more.

OK, before I get a little mushy here...

In the back yard, on the arbor, the kiwi is getting ready to bloom too...

last year's harvest was abundantly amazing!

I'm hoping this year's will be the same because then we have plenty to giveaway again.   

Also in the back, our blackberries

(marion and waldoberries)

are filled with blossoms.

I am thinking smoothies,

made with yogurt and homegrown fruit,

for this summer. 

I have some other ideas for our fruit too...

do you have any favorite recipes?

Hope you aren't tired of columbine photos yet,

because every spring I find more...

Another thing I am finding more of this year is birds...

every day they sing me sweet melodies

and today,

two hummingbirds were flying up on our north deck!

In case you didn't know,

I am a BIG fan of birds and I am really fond of hummingbirds.

By the way,

Farmer Boy tells me that 'our' hummingbirds are very fond of the blueberries

 that are blooming right now:)

And the BIGGEST news...

we now have roses!

Actually from the look of things,

we have had them for awhile now...

 

We also have Irises,

a beautiful show of dogwood bracts,

several azaleas with more to come...

and daffodils

(yes, you 'heard' me correctly). 

What's growing in your garden these days?

 

Blessings,

Aimee

Springtime in the Coast Range

Tell me we're going on a drive in the mountains and

 I can be ready to go in about 15 minutes or so no matter the season.

I LOVE them that much!

But one of my most favorite seasons to be in the mountains is springtime--

because of the waterfalls, fresh green of the foliage and, well, so much more!

One of the waterfalls we passed...

can I just say my love of waterfalls and desire to get a nice photo of them

vastly overcomes ANY fear of coming in contact with poison oak.

So far I've been lucky:)

By the way,

this is a great time of the year to see waterfalls

and I have some more travel plans in mind:)

After a rather scary scramble downhill, we arrived on the bank of a river...

it was beautiful down there!

The lake we saw a bit earlier was really pretty too--  

I LOVE to explore new areas on any of the trips we take...

but when my hubby turned left way before we were supposed to,

my heart got a mini 'workout'...

fortunately he had no intention of going too far on that particular road:)

Up on one of the 'viewpoints' we hiked too...

I would love to know the name of this particular flowering bush...

although this photo doesn't quite do it justice:(

One complaint here...

why, just because it's public land,

do people think they have the right to do anything they feel like?

It doesn't take long to pick up your litter and those coming after sure appreciate not finding trash while they take in all the beauty up there!

BTW, please feel free to insert your own deep sad sigh and irritated growl here

as I do everytime I see this.

On the road again...SO much green!

 And with that I will bid you adieu for today as

I have a somewhat shorter journey to make today...

it's time to check my laundry drying outside and hope I see another hummingbird:)

 

Wishing you peace and love...

Blessings,

Aimee