3611 Terminal Court, Seattle

Today the house is the same,
               though the address is not

But for me, growing up,
       3611 Terminal Court was my home.

Photo taken Oct 22, 2003- Basically the way it looked when I was living there.  The light through the right front window comes from the enclosed patio, just beyond the living room.  Photo taken Oct 22, 2003 -Our separate garage - those windows were Grandpa and Grandma's bedroom in 1965, the sign was O'Brien...later, someone stole that right off the post.

And this is how it looked when we moved in.  Shortly after that, Grandpa had the tile roof put on and  the porch changed to accommodate.  

So, the story of my childhood begins here, at 3611 Terminal Court, Seattle.  

 And that is another story. 

            A story to come 

Party Number Two

Our second tradition for the holidays is our Christmas Eve dinner.
    This is when we invite friends who do not have family close by
          and this year we invited our new friends, 
                       Roman, Anna and Danylo.
                              

How did I happen to neglect taking pictures?
    Well, we were enjoying the moments. Every moment and not jumping up to get my camera or phone to capture it digitally.  
 And I am sure I will always remember tonight


Menu:
Stuffed flank steak
Turkey
gravy
sausage dressing
cranberry sauce
roasted brussel sprouts
grilled beans
arugula
tossed green salad
ambrosia
deviled eggs
dill bread
Sparkling cider

Pecan pie
Kiev Cake
Ice Cream
Coffee

A little too much ? ( I don't want to talk about it )

Our guests also remembered that hubby had a birthday just a day before and brought treats, also from Kiev. 

upside down, but you get the idea.
and since we are not going to share them, this all you get


They also brought Christmas gifts for everyone and the Kiev Cake
This is a beautiful and delicious, melt in your mouth delight .

This is what it looks like and it tastes as good as it looks 

We played a few games
Pit
Some word memory games
laughed and visited

We had a night to remember 

Party Number one. PS

Yes, there is a P.S.

You see,  the following morning, we heard the rest of the story.

Tiffany, Sebastian and Damon came down the elevator together and Tiffany went to get the car. Sebastian stayed with Uncle Damon, just outside Horizon House.
Tiffany came around with the car and she and Damon made exchanges of packages ( Christmas tomorrow ).
Suddenly, Sebastian is nowhere to be seen.
Panic.
There is searching outside and inside and still no Sebastian  He is 5 years old.
Family in the car across the street, waiting for Damon, saw Sebastian go inside.
Tiffany thinks that maybe he has gone back to the elevator
She hurries to make the trip up...19 floors where the party had been going on.
Sure enough, there was Sebastian  " You said we forgot Uncle Roger and Auntie Bobbie, so I went up to get them", he says.

Lots of emotion..... you can only imagine....and I will let you !

Party Number One

Every Christmas Eve, for years,
 we have celebrated with our cousins  
        The date has been moved to Christmas Eve Eve
              And the location has changed a few times
                 This year we met where my Aunt lives     

The Table decorations 

Cousins and great food 

And always, dessert and coffee 

Watching one of the entertainment traditions
Sometimes a piano piece. sometimes a poem, always fun and always different ,
 except for the tradition.
( yes, they had been hiding under the table, and prancing around the room,
 but they settled down for the "program" )

Cousin Kris and Lorraine playing a duet 

 Sorry the video might not work...but they played great, as usual

Then  my 4 sang  ...

and next.
The grandchildren, under the table, began to sing Jesus Loves Me
and then again....

Yes, a real Steinway 

But the real gem, is my Aunt Pat.
Always smiling , Always gracious.
Love you Aunt Pat. 

Damon, Me, Mimi
Tiffany, Aunt Pat, Anita 

a family friend tradition

it starts like this.

Aprons, ingredients, fun 

Every project needs a leader.....Tiff is the best ! 

The excitement has begun 

two chiefs...one indian 

Some come just for fun

Some come for tasting 

Some come for tradition 

Some come for finger licking 

and more finger licking 

Starting a new recipe 

This is an old recipe
Sour Cream refrigerator cookies

ooops  

YIKES 

The younger the better for this one 

You can guess the next step for him

Then comes the rolling

The finish line 

The finishers 

The finishers with the finish line 

The end of 2016 Tanner and Friends Baking Night  Tradition 

Not just a walk in the park

much more..

It was a walk to remind us of someone we love, who is no longer with us

Remember something special about her

and continuing a project, a scholarship to benefit others with the same dream, becoming a nurse. 


Green Lake, Seattle Washington.  Rain or shine folks  walk and run and bike the 2.32 miles  around this lake. 

 But for me, it has been years since I have been here and definitely the first time to walk with a purpose.  
                                         Onward....

I Follow the leader, arm  in arm with the Mother of  our loved one 

This is Molly.  She was in charge of all things official.

This is Tauni  ( she remembered to wear green )  She is one of the 4 sisters that are the reason for my participation.
Cousins.
The four girls of my cousin Billy.




There is a much bigger story to tell, but not today.
Today honored Tammi who lost her life to a rare lung disease 8 years ago.

Proverbs 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day will bring forth.

Romans 12:10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

 

BSF today

After class, I was walking into the children's department when one of the staff approached me.

(we know each other pretty well since I have been involved with the program for a long time.)

She was talking softly and said.

             " Today when Linda was taking your little guy to the bathroom, on the way back to class he was singing,  Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus . By himself, unprompted "

              Today this grammy's heart is singing !

A big day

yes, another big day.

Mainly preparation for a really big day, but  still, a big day

The really big day is tomorrow, when my friends come and help me trim my Christmas tree.

The tree is up.  And that is just about all so far.

But  when they come I have a pretty table, party favors and food !

Today  started with snow. So hubby took me to Trader Joe's for last minute fresh things
            ( quick stop at the bank )
     Then to Bartell's for meds
            ( I have that feeling in my head like you get on the plane, but I have not been on a plane)
         Then the market for the rest of the list
              (  ok, and a few things not on the list, but all good bargains)

Back home and what do you know?  It is almost time for lunch.  So along with lunch I take that medication for my head issue.  

You probably know that I take a little power nap most days, around 1 or 1:30.  Usually for 10 minutes or 20.  That is all I need and then I am ready to go again.

But you know what?  That medication for my head, well it did what the label said. Made me drowsy. That is putting it mildly.  The truth is, I usually have the opposite reaction, so I was not concerned or even thinking about it until about 3:15   when  I woke up !!!

Then I jumped into action.  Got more laundry going, food prep for tonight and tomorrow and back to the computer for things hubby needs ( he does not know how to turn on the computer, I do not know how to start the lawn mower ). 
 Busy, Busy.  And just when I thought I was in control of this three ring circus,   I spotted a young neighbor girl coming down our path.  
I called to hubby to get the door. He did not hear ( He has that problem ).  I could see her throwing her arms in the air and saying something.  So I ran to the door.

I do not remember  her name, ( that happens often ) but I know her pretty well. A very active little gal and not shy and well, dramatic . She said she was freaked out because she got home and there was no car in the driveway and no one answered the door and she left her phone at home so she could not call anyone. She is in middle school.  

So, she made a few calls and was waiting to be picked up. "Oh, I smell bacon, I love bacon, I have not had bacon in a long time"  ( I am cooking bacon for my company )  She accepted a glass of milk and busied herself reading my frig posts , out loud.  

Hubby came into the kitchen and got a knife out of the drawer and was  about  to  start slicing two loaves of bread     ( from Trader Joe's ) for the freezer.  He looked at me and I did not say a word, but then he asked  " Would this be a bad time?".   Yes, I told him, it would be.
The knife went  back ( with a little bang ).  

Pretty soon Jane, the Nanny came for her girl and solved the problem.  On Monday, she should stay at school and Nanny picks her up for sewing class.  So Nanny was waiting at the school for 45 minutes.

With many thanks, they are saying goodbye.

Just about time to pick up little man from preschool. 

and here he is

Now I am getting some help from little man.  He helps me pick out napkins


He helps to carry party favors into the dining room 

Things are looking up.


His mommy comes after a catered business dinner and has a lot of very amazing treats....to share...

tomorrow is looking better and better

Getting into the spirit

Starting off the holiday season 

I'll just say, this is the first and last time I pay $6.53 for a small latte
ok. it was presented well
the foam was superior


This might explain 

THE MUSIC WAS LOUD
but it was the best place to meet our friends before
Jul Fest
58th Annual Swedish Advent service

1st Covenant is beautiful 

Lead violinist plays through entire program without music
( daughter in law of our friends ) 

There was a moment when I was distracted
Much of the singing was in Swedish
But a few lines in English 

Just a glimpse of the pageantry
real candles
Lucia wears a crown on her head
the rest carry their candles

I was also distracted by the family in front of us. The father held one
and sometimes two daughters on his lap. He was so natural in his
movements. Like he was very used to hugging his girls. It was
the example I wish I could say I grew up with, but at least
I can vouch for our next generation. 

The Swedish always have coffee
good coffee
and treats
They are close cousins to us Norwegians

My friend looks so cute in her hat 

me, Bonnie, Joanie 

(

Parting scene

(neglected to get a picture of Bob & Alice
she is  the one in the cute hat )