No + One Yes

No~
I didn't drop off the face of the earth.
(although it seemed like it at times without Internet access).

No~
I wasn't at home.
(but I was at one of my heart's homes and a place we have family history at).

No~
I didn't log on the minute I regained Internet access (my family is probably in shock with that confession). Why? Well, I was too busy taking photos of snow covered mountains, blue rivers and a whole lot of other beautiful things.

No~
It wasn't my blog, e-mail or even Facebook I checked first...even those things are important to me. It was to check on one little girl.

No~
I did NOT eat the treat I brought back for family (there I go shocking them again).
But now that I am home, yes~
I am about to bite into one:)

Hope you've all been well + enjoying the wonderful season of spring!
I will try to catch up with all your blogs ASAP:)
Blessings,
Aimee

The WORD on Wednesday

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.   Philippians 4:6-7 NIV

　
I sometimes wonder how my life, and the life of my family, would have been different had I followed the clear instruction here whenever I was faced with a challenge...

We all have things that occur in our life that can cause uncertainty and fear, but sometimes this can become a way of life. How do you respond when facing something that makes you afraid?

Blessings, Aimee

Scripture source: THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Photo: my new mountainside discovery:) More about it later.

Holy Week 2012

 Surrounded by God's creation our Holy Week was quiet at times

and at others...

 filled with the excitement of journeys up beautiful mountain roads.

 It was a good week...

 but I am hoping that next year will be even better in terms of my walk with God...

How was your week?

Blessings,

Aimee

~

Photos:  

some of our newly opened (as of Easter) daffodils,

wintry mix on mountain road

 (yes, this last week)

our spring flowering camellia

low clouds on the mountain we were on

and

flowering plant in that area

Note:

New photo software=new challenge:)



Lenten Reflection

My robes have become muddied again.

They are heavy with angry words and bitterness;

they are dirty from wrong priorities...

they no longer shine with the brightness of God's love.

I drop to the ground; it is cold and hard.

Kneeling is not easy--

it is hard to humble oneself;

 it is hard to admit one is wrong.

It is hard to get beyond human pride.

 It is stormy outside...the ground is wet, the wind blowing.

I feel alone, abandoned in the storms of life.

I ask forgiveness from the Father; I ask for Him to cleanse me from all unrighteousness--

for Him to wash my robes once again.

And then I see...there is another beside me; One who has been there all along.

One who was there during the angry words and bitterness that I spoke;

One who was there during the hurt that poured out from two human souls;

One who was there when I again chose the wrong priorities...

One who was always there waiting and calling me patiently.

The One?

 Well it is Him; He who died for my sins over 2,000 years ago.

He who died to cleanse me and to bring healing to my soul.

I couldn't see Him before--when my robes were muddied--but now Heavenly Grace has opened my eyes and I see He was there all along, touching my shoulder gently;

calling me to live a life of true love, complete peace and deep joy.

I smile and then I rise, robes clean and white again.

I rise forgiven and cleansed; a child of the King.

I rise because He is the reason this Friday is a Good Friday.

May you be blessed.

Aimee

Did you know that a kneeling position "provides more stability due to (a) lower position of gravity" and that "a kneeled person is much less visible from a distance"? I think there is a spiritual application here...if we were to humble ourselves before our Maker more, would we find that we have greater stability in life? Would we find that the darts of the enemy of our soul more often miss us? (source of quotes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kneeling)

Photo taken at Mt Cavalry Catholic Cemetery, Portland.

Another Week--Another Spring Cleaning Challenge

Last week stats: Aimee, 1 vs the house (specifically the 'Dreaded' pantry), 0

Yes, that is correct! My kitchen pantry is finally (as of last Thursday) being used for what it was meant for (well at least at our house where there's just my Farmer Boy and I)...

• Kitchen appliances
• Wood serving tray, bowl, etc.
• Tablescapes, table linens (by season)
• Seasonal dinnerware: right now that is mom's Friendly Village dinnerware, some Fiesta dinnerware, and one other pattern. Our everyday patterns -- Corelle--are in a regular kitchen cabinet along with an Oriental pattern from England and some glass dishes; another white set is in the hutch. (dinnerware is my weakness...)

There is still some fine tuning to do in the kitchen but I am :) about my progress there so far.

So now we have come to a new week and I've chosen a new challenge. Actually, I should say it was chosen for me...because with three rooms being repaired and remodeled, my youngest son's former bedroom has become a storage unit.

You think I'm kidding---sadly NOT:(

With more plans to complete cleaning, sorting and organizing

 the entry closet,

the bathroom storage areas,

our bedroom closet 

and the living room that is on its way to becoming another storage unit

AND with NO garage (BIG sigh) to use as a staging area...

PLUS with sorting all of mom's stuff still...

AND realizing we have way too much stuff and

 I don't want my kids to have to go through the stress of sorting  through it all someday...

I am attacking the 'dreaded' storage unit (formerly known as my son's room).

Wish me luck...his room has a reputation.

What's on your list for spring cleaning/decorating/organization today?

Blessings, Aimee

And yes, I took photos...just not ready to post them yet:)

Exploring in the Oregon Foothills: Pt 3

I am supposed to be cleaning.

I really am.

But before I dig in to the dreaded pantry

(which I have put off for 3 days)

here's some more photos taken in the foothills of Oregon.

Enjoy!

 Another mural in a small community.

LOVE this--the trees, the river, the horses

would love to give credit to whoever put in all the hours that it takes to make a mural like this.

You find these patchwork quilt squares in various places in Oregon.

I have seen a lot in the Tillamook area and a couple in two foothills communities.

I LOVE these too---I am falling in love with quilts these days.

Pretty! Wish I could have gotten another angle on it though to see how tall it was.

Look at the color of the lake! Just cannot get over that incredible color:)

Love this and...

this (and that hand too cuz' it belongs to my sweetie) 

Love this waterfall...

this one was by the river where we saw the fish caught.

Actually there were two by the river.

The river--the beautiful, incredible, fast flowing river.

LOVED this place--

want to go back there

and to all the other places I have researched nearby.

And now...

to work:)

Wish me luck

(please).

Blessings, Aimee

Photos:

all taken in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains.

Note:

After having worked with the new blogger for several days now...

I have to state that it is working SO much better for me

and some of the problems I had with the old blogger are gone:)

YEA blogger!

Oregon's Foothills: pt 2

Outside the wind is blowing and the clearing we had earlier this morning is disappearing. In other words...it will be a great day for more spring cleaning:) But before I can continue with the dreaded pantry job, I need to keep a promise...

This photo was taken in a small valley in the coastal foothills.

I had seen it before, from a road up above it and decided it was time to see it close up.

As you can see, Oregon just keeps getting snow.

After spending a bit of time here we headed to our next destination...

the foothills of the Cascade Mountains.

On our outing we saw a lot of moss---green, green moss. 

I LOVE moss and lichens.

I LOVE green. 

And I LOVE sunny, warm days like this turned out to be.  

This lake (man-made) is fed by a river which originates in the mountains.

The color of the water was absolutely incredible and reminded me, a little, of Lake Louise

in Canada. Ah---that statement makes me yearn to go back for a visit up north.

I LOVE Canada---its 'high teas', mountains, inland valleys, rivers, grand hotels and gardens.

Someday...

We also visited a fish hatchery not too far from the lake.

I would tell you how many photos I took there,

to make sure I got a shot of fish jumping up into these pipes,

but it would be embarrassing--very embarrassing:)

(On another note here--I am really liking some of the new improvements in blogger)

Besides the coastal foothill valley, the lake, the river, the fish hatchery, the forests we passed through...

we also stopped by Jonsrud Viewpoint in Sandy. On a positive note, there were no clouds obstructing our view--as there was earlier when we came this way; on a not so positive note, the sky hadn't completely cleared yet so the contrast wasn't spectacular. Oh well---we will just have to make a trip back there soon.

And last, but not least, I shall leave you with a mural from one of the small foothill communities we stopped to eat lunch at. I am a HUGE fan of public art, and besides being crazy about sculptures, I absolutely LOVE murals--especially the ones you find that represent the history of that area.

This town's history was tied to logging, as a lot of the towns in the PNW was

and the railroad played a part in its past too.

Hope you enjoyed today's little tour...

Blessings,

Aimee

Spring Cleaning + Organization

Am tackling spring cleaning and organization here in our house. Today is day #2 of working in the kitchen, with 9 more rooms to go...will post the other photos from our weekend foothills trip soon. And now...well now it's time to 'attack' the remaining kitchen cabs and then---the dreaded pantry:)
Wishing you all a great day.
Blessings, Aimee

Today Let's...

Today was a great day.

It was a sandals and no jacket day.

It was a 'if I had a pony still', I'd be riding it day.
But since I don't still have one...

it was a let's go explore both the coast and Cascade foothills day.

Let's spend time at a lake day.

Let's watch the fishermen on the river catch fish day.

It was also a let's take a hike by a creek and over a bridge day.

Can you tell it was a wonderful day?

Hope yours was great too!

~

More photos to follow after the weekend ends.

AND

now...

it's time for my treat of the week:)

Blessings,

Aimee

~

Photos: foothills of the northern Oregon Cascade Mountains

After the Spring Snow

Small patches of snow still cover the land here and there

but a beautiful blue sky is overhead and the temperature is rising.

Did several walks in the garden today--so much is blooming!

Seems like daily there are noticeable changes;

this season is SO exciting!

The colors are such a welcome change after the gray of winter.

The lighting in the early morning and late evening a delight!

With all the signs of spring that are filling the garden now,

I am thinking that BBQ season isn't far off now

(last year our first one was in mid April).

Now that thought makes me hungry...

hungry for my youngest son's awesome barbecued salmon and asparagus.

But back to the garden...

one of my favorite daffodils is blooming now.

I love the nice sunny color and fancy petals!

Do you?

Next to it is one of our early blooming blueberries.

YUM, blueberries...garden walks can cause one to get quite hungry you know.

The daphne has started to bloom now (not shown in bloom here)

I had been checking it frequently and not seen an open flower yet.

I walked near it today--

the fragrance left no doubt that buds had opened and soon I found several.

And while sitting on the deck,

admiring the beauty and fragrance of the daphne,

I saw that the rosemary is starting to bloom now too.

Rosemary and lamb,

rosemary, garlic and chicken...

you know where this is going, don't you?

Nope--you're wrong.

I like to leave most of that to my cooking blogging buddies:)

Although on occasion I do go there with a recipe or two.

Did you hear we might have at least some sun here in the PNW for 2 days?

I know...I'm smiling about that too.

Blessings,

Aimee

A sad note here for garden loving me...

our Oregon Spring viburnum did not survive the spring snow unscathed.

Yesterday afternoon it had major surgery and isn't its old self anymore:(

We consider ourselves lucky though-

at my sibling's home they lost a fully mature Japanese maple

(now that hurts).

Luckily for them it didn't hit their home.

Notes:

primroses, pieris, bleeding heart (a type of), daffodil, daphne, rosemary, plum

(shiro, satsuma blood and our wild plum all now have blossoms).

On Being Wrong: I

I've been wrong before

and I know I'll be wrong again.

But when I said I didn't want anymore snow...

I was most definitely WRONG!

Because when I saw the lovely, fluffy white, bright snow this morning...

I knew it was what I really deep down wanted and had hoped for:)

And when I stood on our deck,

taking photos in sox and pajamas only;

then later when I threw on a pair of boots

and a light jacket and happily made my way through the snow;

and finally when I listened to the serenade of a solitary bird in a tall tree,

I thanked God that He,

once again,

knew I was wrong

and made it right.

For deep, deep down I had hidden a wish that our garden would turn into a winter

(spring) wonderland, at least once more,

just like the wonderland I had experienced at Mt Hood not so long ago.

And then I came indoors where I drank two mugs of wonderfully hot sweet orange tea
and enjoyed the snow blessing from the warmth of our home.

And now, since I've been up all night, it's time for a long nap.

~

Thank you God for your blessings!

Aimee

~

Note:

As you can see we have a few things blooming (or just about to bloom).

They are: the plum trees, daffodils, pieries, the magnolia, the forsythia.

Just heard today on the news that the latest spring snow we've had is in early April...

do you think?? :)

Welcome Spring!

Tonight, a little after 10 PM,

God opened the door to a new season...

the season of spring!

May it bring you lots of blue skies

beautiful blossoms

warmer temperatures

and hopefully NO more snow (pretty please).

Wishing you a season of many blessings, Aimee

Photos: Astor Column, Astoria, OR
Cherry blossoms, Salem, OR
Wooden Shoe, Woodburn, OR (sorry about the quality--old photo)

The City of Roses (Before the Roses)

So many things I could say about Portland, Oregon's largest city,

but I'll let the photos do most of the talking...

Portland is known for being bicycle friendly;

many of its residents use their bicycles to get to work.

Some even commute from their homes in the suburbs to their jobs in the city on bike. We saw several bicylists during our time there, including this group of 'bicylists' found on top of a building in SE Portland. I do LOVE public art and Portland has a lot of that:)

Portland also has a mass transit system including buses, MAX (lightrail) and streetcar should you not want to ride a bike or walk. (IMHO it is a bit challenging to drive in downtown Portland, hence I let my wonderful friend, who is quite familiar with the downtown district do all the driving).
Oh I should say Portland has an aerial tram too--

Here is a photo I took of it in 2010.

Speaking of public art...

Portland is known for its bridges...there are 10 bridges that cross the Willamette River, the river that runs through the middle of Portland. The oldest, the Hawthorne Bridge, was built in 1910. Today we used the Burnside Bridge, built in 1926. I am particularly fond of its towers and think it is much prettier than the Marquam Bridge built in modern times.

The city has many historic churches-on both sides of the river. In the downtown section of Portland it seemed like their towers were everywhere I looked; some day I would love to spend time exploring them. Meanwhile I keep adding more photos to my collection of PNW historic churches...do you think it has something to do with the fact that I have some ministers in my ancestry? Maybe. But it could also be that I just adore the architecture of historical churches and imagining what it was like when they were new.

Did you notice the wind turbines on top of the skyscraper? The one behind this old church?And what about that combination of historical and modern; yes that is Portland too. We have historical buildings in the more rural areas of Oregon, where I happily reside, but it was quite exciting to see so much history in such a small area. I LOVE it!

This is the Keller Fountain; this is the dry Keller Fountain. I know this one well from having spent a lot of time in Portland when I was younger (during the so called hippie era) when we attended a church there. This is the first time I've seen it not running--but then I don't go to this area of Portland a lot anymore. It is quite popular when it is flowing during the summer; pretty too.

Portland is home to several colleges--both private and state. One of them is PSU (Portland State University). These spring blooms were on their campus.(BTW, the roses Portland is famous for start blooming later in spring--around May or so. Portland celebrates this with a big Rose Festival held in June. One year a friend of ours took us on his boat while it was going on. Quite a different view from streetside).

I should be in bed...that is if I want to get anything done today plus html is NOT cooperating with me so I will close with this photo that is SO Portland: a bike rack, electric car charging station, an eco (green) roof at a downtown office building...I LOVE the eco roof, don't you! If ever I get my dream of having a stabbur, it will have a green roof:)

Night all!

Blessings, Aimee
(SO sorry about the horrific formatting)

Links for more info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland,_Oregon

(wikipedia was one of the sources for some of the info in this post)

http://wikitravel.org/en/Portland_%28Oregon%29