Home to the World

Snow Shots by Murtaja

2012-01-20T23:36:00.000-08:00

Meet Murtaja, one of my newest homestay students from Saudi. He's an avid photographer and very creative with the camera.

Here are a few of my favorite shots that Murtaja took of our January snow:

Parallel Tracks

Hail on the Azalea

Needing a Shovel

A Delicate Balance

A Real Balancing Act

And to think, not one of those billions of snowflakes is alike!

Love,

Homestay Mama

Happy New Year!

2012-01-18T18:28:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

OK, I know the month is half over, but I'm wishing you all a happy new year, anyway!

Toshi, one of my former homestay students, surprised me with a gift from his mom and him. These are the traditional new year's gift crackers that are given among friends in Japan. Thank you, Toshi!

I'm sure there is a significance in each of these crackers, but before I could text Toshi to ask him, I hit the 'publish' button by mistake! Not a good way to start out the blogging year, eh?

SNOW!

We got snow this week--quite a bit by Pacific Northwest standards. This is Murtaja, a new student from Saudi. This was the 2nd time he'd experienced snow!

This is Ahmed who just came from Saudi a couple weeks ago. He's still acclimating to our cool, wet weather, and then we surprise him with snow--his very first experience with the fluffy white stuff. He was all smiles!

You gotta admit, snow has a way of turning bare trees into a real work of art.

Last night the sky was pregnant with a new storm about to break over us and it captured my gaze.. I just had to get a picture, and took this one around 6:30 p.m.

It was snowing when I got up this morning. I think we got around 6 inches. But by the time I actually got around to measuring it, it had melted a little and had begun to crust over.

There is a certain ethereal beauty that snows leaves in its wake, don't you agree?.

It's not often that I get icicles from my eaves!

School was cancelled today, and all my homestay students got to sleep in this morning. Even my boss called and told me to stay home! So, it's been a lazy, fun, relaxing day. We should have made a snowman, but one of my homestay students woke up with a sore throat, and the other didn't have the warm clothes for it!

Staying warm,

Love,

Homestay Mama

The Lights of Christmas

2011-12-18T23:32:00.000-08:00

Last night I took a small group to The Lights of Christmas in Stanwood, an hour north of my home. We were there for over 4 hours and still didn't see and do everything! There are over a million lights on 15 walkable acres, plus live entertainment, activities for children, food, etc.

Here is our group.

"Peace On Earth"

In this lake scene (above and below), the lights changed to depict the cycle of the setting sun,

and then the sunset..

This tree alone must have had several thousand lights!

Murtaja in front of the toy train depot. (He took over half of the pictures I've posted. He has an excellent camera and a good eye for composition.)

Kettle Korn for Sukinah and her daddy, Hussein.

DJ and Sue riding the Polor Express.

Dreauna and DJ in the candy cane tunnel.

Petting a little llama.

Listening to a local concert band perform.

Murtaja with acres of lights behind him.

I call this the gumball tree.

Fat penguins.

Not one bare branch on this tree!

Snow covered mountains and foothils made entirely of lights.

A model of a water wheel.

The Nativity

More mountains.

Acres and acres of lights.

This shows how the mountain lights are hung on the trees.

"Go in Peace, and the God of Peace go with you."

And this was just a fraction of the pictures we took! As you can imagine, it is a hugely popular event --the largest of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. An average of 50,000 people come to the 20-day event each year. Over 800 volunteers donate more than 15,000 hours starting in September to get this event ready each year. They also volunteer during and long after it is over taking down all those lights and carefully packing everything away for another year. What a work of love!

Still marveling over The Lights of Christmas,

Love, Homestay Mama

My Persian and American Friends

2011-12-14T00:48:00.000-08:00

We are an informal group of local Persians and Americans who potluck together once a month at each other's homes. What we have in common is first, a love of our Savior, Jesus Christ; secondly, a love of fellowship together; and last, but not least, a love of eating a delicious variety of healthy Persian, and American foods. Four of us are single, and the rest are married--and, I might add, to their first, and only, spouses. That's quite an impressive record for married couples these days! I'm next to the oldest in our group (our ages span from the early 40's to the mid 70's), but age doesn't make a difference to any of us. My friends are such a blessing to me, it's like having a wonderful Christmas present all year long!

This month we met at Mitra and Esmaeil's home. Mitra always puts on those extra special touches that make everything look so pretty. I don't have her gift. When it's my turn to host, I'm lucky if my house is clean! Just look at all the beautiful Christmas touches Mitra added to her dining room.

She also froze pomegranate seeds in ice cubes and added them to a simple pitcher of water making it look so pretty and festive! What a clever gal, she is!

Just look at this array of interesting (and beautiful) dishes. Mitra made the bowl of yogurt in the front--it's a good accompaniment to the chicken. Farzaneh made the bowl of tabbouleh in the back, one of my favorite salads.

Have you ever seen chicken drums this pretty? Mitra removed the skin for all us cholesterol-conscious folks before seasoning and baking them. They were uber delicious!

Mavosh formed these cutlets with rice, onion and ground beef before dipping them in bread crumbs and frying them. Mmmmmm--so tender and tasty!

Mitra made this fancy platter of rice--by adding lima beans, dill and saffron for flavor and color.

Mitra also experimented with quinoa--she added raisins, currants, and spices to give this dish a wonderful flavor. If you haven't already guessed by now, Mitra is a gourmet cook! She's been trying to teach me how to cook some of her culinary delights, but I'm a slow learner.

And what did I contribute? Just a plain ol' platter of fresh vegetables and dip that weren't even worthy of a picture--trust me!

Grateful for my Persian and American friends,

Love,

Homestay Mama

It's Starting to Look a Lot Like Christmas

2011-12-04T10:12:00.001-08:00

Santa's helpers: Ezra (Indonesia) and Tae (South Korea).

First you feed them...

...then you get them to build the tree!

In the past I'd take my students an hour north to Arlington where there's an excellent choice of Christmas tree farms, and we'd cut our own. But every year little critters managed to hitch-hike home with us. Three years ago one of those critters spun its own Christmas decoration between the angel atop the tree and the ceiling, and that did it for me! The very next year I switched from cut your own to build your own!

Ezra hangs the last decoration on the tree.

Then Tae exclaimed, "I've always wanted to hug a Christmas tree!"

Tae and Ezra even strung Christmas lights outside for me!

Santa's helpers were awarded chocolate brownies, ice-cream and sparkling cranberry juice

for all their labors.

Tae: "Yes, Santa, I've been a good boy all year!"

Oh, it's starting to look a lot like Christmas....

Love,

Homestay Mama

Natives Rival Transplants

2011-11-12T13:00:00.000-08:00

Sometimes steady autumn rains turn our foliage into a soggy-brown mishmash, but this year our weather has been perfect and color abounds. One might even suspect a coloring contest going on here: Natives rival transplants! (Natives--those trees indigenous to Washington. Transplants--those showy specimens we buy from nurseries.)

Of course our native Washington trees will never equal their colorful eastern cousins in states like Vermont, Massachusetts, New York or Pennsylvania, never-the-less, I've been impressed with our natives this year. If you click on each photo below, the larger size might better portray what I'm trying to show.

There is a stretch of freeway that I take to work where native maples flank both sides of the road. Their magnificent beauty this year has been a daily distraction making it hard to stay focused on my commute! This photo doesn't begin to do them justice! If I could have found a safe place to stop, I would have framed a better view.

This morning I took my simple point-and-shoot camera with me on my morning walk. Below is a view of the native trees in my neighborhood. Those colorful trees at the end of the street are transplants.

Yes, I'll admit our yellow natives don't have quite the 'zing' of those red transplants, but this year I give them an 'A' for effort!

Even on this grey November day, splotches of native color brighten the shady woods near my home.

Here native maples drop their color over a tangle of ivy.

In this contest of color, a maple transplant grows beneath a trio of native birch. And yes, I will admit in this photo the transplant wins--hands down!

Yet, even though their color is more subdued, I still believe there is a subtle splendor in our native species that rivals the colorful transplants.

Appreciating our autumn this year....

Love,
Homestay Mama

Summer in the Pacific Northwest...

2011-07-20T23:29:00.000-07:00

INSTALLING Summer…

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…..Season “Summer” cannot be located.

The season you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable in the US states of Washington and Oregon.

Blossoms and Bumblebees

2011-06-07T04:56:00.000-07:00

What a lucky shot with my simple point and shoot camera!

A 'Peace' of Solitude

2011-06-07T01:03:00.000-07:00

Once in awhile a busy mama needs the peacefulness of solitude. I am thankful for this little piece of creation near my home where I can go to commune with God and come away refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to face the day.

Peace and Blessings,

Love,

Homestay Mama

May's Mish-Mash

2011-05-31T02:46:00.000-07:00

Here's a mixture of miscellany from the month of May!

Hyun Wook, my former homestay student from South Korea, and his mother visited for a couple of days en route to his brother's graduation from Berklee College of Music in Boston. It was wonderful seeing them again! Hyun Wook has the distinction of staying the longest in my home--six years--while he completed the intensive English program and then his associate's and bachelor's degrees. During that time his family made several visits and his brother also lived in my home for a year. Yes, the Cho family is very special to me!

* * * * *

This is what happens when you have a soggy spring and an old, kaput lawn mower! If you're thinking that looks pretty pathetic, I totally agree!

So, I splurged this month and bought this fancy little machine! The old mower had left me frustrated and cranky, not to mention totally humiliated more often than I wanted to remember. Repeated yanks on the cord extracted mostly whimper-whumpfs from the mower, and I'd end up dragging it down the street until I found a neighbor with some muscle. This new, self-propelled mower starts with a key--let's me save face AND my sanity.

* * * * *

I've got lots of pretty flowers in my yard, but my yard is not pretty. The weeds have been growing gangbusters and it's been too cold and rainy to do anything about it. Well, that plus I've been too tired.

Does anyone know the names of these flowers? I think the yellow is called candy-tuft, but what are those blue flowers? Weeds? They just voluntarily planted themselves in my yard and I just kindly let them!

* * * * *

I'd like to pick a bunch of these gorgeous lilacs to bring into the house, but this bush has completely gotten out of hand! All the blooms are way up at the top--about 15 feet or so!

My golden chain tree looks quite nice in this photo, but it is really sprawling out of control and needs some serious pruning. Obviously, I have some major yardwork to do this summer!

* * * * *

And finally, here was tonight's dinner. It's been eons since I made taco salad! I couldn't remember what ingredients to use, so I did a quick Google search, but none of those recipes sounded like the taco salad I remember my mom making, so I combed the recesses of my memory and came up with the following:

1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces

2 ears of corn, lightly steamed, then sliced off the cob

1 basket of cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 bunch scallions, chopped

1 can olives, sliced

1 avocado, diced into 1/2 inch chunks

1 pound hamburger, cooked, crumbled, fat rinsed off with hot water and then seasoned with 1 rounded teaspoon each of cumin, chili pepper and paprika, plus salt and pepper to taste.

2 cups ( approx) of corn chips broken.

For the dressing I mixed a little mayonnaise and salsa together.

I put everything into a very large bowl and mixed it all together. It turned out to be simple, yet very filling . Actually, it tasted quite good. Some shredded cheddar cheese would have made it even better.

Well, that's the mish-mash. for May.

Love,
Homestay Mama

Mount Vernon Tulips

2011-05-06T01:36:00.000-07:00

For my birthday this year (in April) we went to the tulip festival in Mount Vernon. I love tulips!

There are always acres and acres of tulips in a rainbow of colors. The tulips draw people from around the world.

Toshi and the crowds of people in the background.

I love this color combination.

Tae and Toshi out in the fields.

Red tulips are my favorite. I especially like this photo.

More colors with the Mount Vernon hills in the background.

Tulips with an unusual shape.

Patriotic tulips and grape hyacinths.

Love this colorful tulip bed--just look at that shimmering florescence.

I'm awestruck with the huge variety of colors, shapes and sizes.

Toshi and Tae by the windmill.

Our trip to the tulip festival was part of my birthday present. Tae and Toshi also bought a cake from the Korean Bakery near my home. Their cakes are just the way I like them--not overly sweet--

and they are so pretty.

Toshi bought my birthday card and made sure all my homestay students signed it.

I had no clue he was doing this. What a wonderful surprise!

Just look at their sweet messages! They make this mama's heart sing!

It was a most wonderful birthday!

But that's not all! For the rest of my birthday present, Tae organized a kitchen clean-up. He emptied the trash and cleaned the kitchen with a little help from Toshi. What a thoughtful young man!

I think I'm one very lucky (and a little spoiled?) homestay mama!

Come See Me, Gramma Sue!

2011-04-12T01:05:00.000-07:00

Nothing can top being a grandma!

My first granddaughter is a gift from God. You can read my first post about her here.

Malak is a happy little 2 1/2 year-old who bubbles with energy and laughter. Today she called me all the way from her home in Saudi Arabia. I was on my lunch hour; she was ready for bed. I asked her how she was in English--she told me all about her day in Arabic. I don't know Arabic. But, the excitement and enthusiasm in her voice made my day--especially when she sang the ABC song that I had taught her back in October.

Before she hung up, [with her mommy's help], she said in English, "Come see me, Gramma Sue."

"I'm coming, my darling. Only eight more months and Gramma Sue will come see you in Saudi."

Love,

Gramma Sue

[aka, Homestay Mama]

Cooking is Innate in Men!

2011-04-02T18:41:00.000-07:00

Cooking is not my 'thing.' I do it because I have to.
Men are better cooks. I swear they are. It's innate in them.

I will admit that I can make some pretty good pancakes, but my omelettes burn on the bottom. Every time.

Toshi doesn't cook--doesn't even make sandwiches. The most I've seen him do is put a bag of popcorn in the microwave!

So anyhow, this morning I was late getting breakfast on the table. Toshi was starving--well, not literally--but he stood staring into the refrigerator. I could tell he was very hungry.

"Toshi, if you'll help me, we can have breakfast real soon."

"OK," he hesitated, "but what can I do?"

"Break 6 eggs into this glass measuring pitcher, then get the egg beater out of the drawer and beat them until they are well mixed and a little fluffy." I seeded and chopped a plum tomato, a couple tablespoons of an orange sweet pepper and three green onions.

"OK."

"Now put the skillet on the stove and turn the burner to medium. Pour in about a tablespoon of oil. Sprinkle a couple drops of water on the oil. When it starts to sputter, the skillet is ready." I stirred the pancake batter.

Pop, sputter, crack! "I guess it's ready now."

"Yep, sounds like it. Now pour the eggs into the skillet and sprinkle the chopped veggies over them. Then shake some salt, pepper and a little onion powder over the top." I flipped a couple pancakes.

"Like this?"

"Yeah, that's good. OK, now put the lid on the skillet and turn the heat down to simmer." I flipped more pancakes. Toshi warmed some maple syrup in the microwave and set the table.

When the pancakes were done, I lifted the lid to check on the omelette. It was ready. I cut it into wedges and loosened it around the edges, then gently lifted out the first couple of pieces. They came out too easy. Nothing was sticking to the pan. Nothing was burned. The bottom of the pan was clean as a whistle!

Amazing! My omelettes never turned out like this! Never!

See? I told you cooking was innate in men and now I offer these pictures as proof!

Toshi was pleased. And, I was humbled. Next time I'm going to watch how he does it and learn from him!

Bowing to the next great chef...
Love,
Homestay Mama

Helping Japan One Pin Badge at a Time

2011-03-26T02:43:00.000-07:00

March 11, 2011 at 2:46 p.m. will forever be etched in my memory! Sadness engulfed me as I learned about the earthquake, tsunami and radiation leak that devastated the northeastern coast of Japan on that day.

What about Toshi's family? Were they alright? And what about all my former Japanese homestay students--all thirteen of them? Where were they when this triple whammy slammed Japan? Were they alright? Or, were they--God forbid--among the tens of thousands who perished?

We quickly learned that all of Toshi's family were safe--their house received a few cracks from the earthquake, but nothing major. They live far enough inland that the tsunami didn't touch them. Thank God!

I've also heard from two of my former homestay students. One lives in Tokyo and the other lives in Kyoto and neither were affected. Praise God for that good news, also!

But, I continue to worry about my other eleven homestay students. And, my heart still aches for those I don't even know who lost their family, their homes, their livelihoods--literally everything! Their needs are staggering! I want to help. But how?

One of my former homestay students is married, living in New York City and working on his medical degree. His wife (from Japan) has a master's degree in art. Today I received this e-mail from him....

"My wife is helping a non-profit designer group to support the aftermath from the Earthquake, Tsunami and Radiation disaster in Japan. Each artist has designed and produced a pin badge at their personal expense. The designers will donate profits from the sales of their pin badges to the American Red Cross for the casualties in Japan.

Their web store launched this week, and about 40 buttons were sold yesterday. We hope to continue raising funds to help the people of Japan in need.

Please, visit our site to support our cause by pasting the following into your browser or clicking the link: http://hopejp.wazala.com/

If you could spread the word to your family, friends or colleagues through any type of communication medium like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Personal Blog or e-mail; we would be grateful. Thank you for taking the time to read this email and for your contribution." Ryan and Kanako

I was thrilled with this unique way to help! By buying these pins badges, I'm helping the people affected by this disaster. By wearing these pin badges on my lapel, I can bring attention to this unique & worthy effort and be reminded to keep hope alive as I pray for my homestay students and the people of Japan.

There are many more designs on their website. I hope you will check them out and place an order if you can. Every little bit will help.

Also, I hope you will continue to pray for the people of Japan as they face the daunting and overwhelming task of rebuilding their lives!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Love,

Homestay Mama

Cause for Celebration

2011-03-22T23:54:00.000-07:00

May I brag a little?
My homestay students are very smart young men! They are the creme de la creme! They study long hours. They ace their exams. And, at the end of each quarter, they come home with top grades.

This is Toshi from Japan. He is a junior at our local University majoring in psychology. With a major like that, you can imagine his classes are pretty tough. On top of that he's studying in a class full of Americans and English is his second language. He burned a lot of midnight oil this past quarter, studying and writing 'umpteen' papers. Many nights on my way to bed, I noticed the light in his room still shining out from under his door. Today he got his grades for last quarter--straight A's in all his classes!

This is Abdul from Saudi. Three months ago he came to Seattle to learn English at the local University. When he first arrived, I used simple English words and he used his translator a lot. But he's been learning by leaps and bounds! We can now carry on a normal conversation and he no longer needs the translator. He has just graduated from ESL level one to ESL level two. I am truly amazed at his progress!

So bring on the ice cream! This is cause for celebration!

Congratulations, Abdul and Toshi, you are the best!

Love,

Your very proud Homestay Mama

A Big Hindrance

2011-03-20T21:47:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to blog. Honest, I have.
Scout's honor.

But, I've run into a big hindrance....

a black, hairy, twelve-pound hindrance!

Notice Teddy Bear's head and left paw in the next three pictures....

as he adjusts his position....

to find a more comfortable spot!

"Hey, where are you going?"

I'm giving up. I'll try again next week... or next month....or whenever I get another break in my busy schedule.

Love,

Homestay Mama

The Hurrier I Go...

2011-02-12T02:02:00.000-08:00

It doesn't seem possible that eight months have passed since my last post!
So much has happened--so much to write about--so little time!
No, make that NO TIME!

And, still I have no time, but I'll leave you with a few pics.
I wish I could write more.
Maybe in another month, or two, or.....

'Gramma Sue'

"Gramma Sue"--that name is music to my ears. This picture was taken November 1, 2010, the night I returned home from a week in Houston helping my former Saudi homestay student and his wife after the birth of their second daughter.

This is Malak, their firstborn. I also helped them when she was born in Houston back in 2008. Now she is two years old and sooo cute! And smart! We had a lot fun together!

This is Areej at 4 days old. She's so calm and laid back. What a little sweetie. I only wish I could have stayed longer!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Now go back to the first picture and check out the plaque on the wall behind me. I bought that back in 1970, from a little country store in Pennsylvania. It's an old Amish saying:

"The hurrier I go, the behinder I get!"

....which describes my life to a "T"! [sigh] and is the real reason why I haven't posted in eight months!

I hope it won't be eight more months before I can post again, but if it is, I hope you won't forget me!

Hurrying off to my next task.........

Love,
Homestay Mama

Please Don't Forget Me!

2010-06-10T22:35:00.000-07:00

I haven't been visiting my friends in Blogland lately--much to my dismay! And sadly, neither have I been posting anything in my own two blogs. Not that I don't want to. I really miss all of you! And, I have lots to tell you. But either I've slowed down considerably in my old age, or I've heaped way too much on my plate! Actually, it's probably a combination of the two. All I know is that there are never enough hours in the day to get everything done. So, I've hired one of the girls in my neighborhood to come help me every Saturday for the next three months!

The slightly warmer weather plus the abundance of rain has precipitated prolific weed growth in my flower beds this Spring. It's also encouraged my lawn to grow from 'newly mowed' to 'past my ankles,' in less than 48 hours! OK, so I exaggerate a little, but not by much--as you can see in this photo.

Yes, it's been an unusually rainy Spring, but we hope some positive thoughts, a clean deck/lawn furniture and some potted flowers will attract some warmer, sunnier weather!

One of my neighbors has asked if he can rent half of my two-car garage. The extra income will come in handy, but clearing out half of the stuff in my garage is going to be the 'mother' of all challenges!

Where does all this stuff come from anyway? I just cleaned my garage a year ago, didn't I?

Anyhow, that's why I haven't visited your blogs lately, and why I probably won't be coming around for awhile longer! But, I promise I'll be back. So please don't forget me.

Love,

Homestay Mama

I got tagged!

2010-05-09T23:49:00.000-07:00

I got tagged by Katie at Tatersmama's Take on Things in the Photo Tag Challenge. The directions were:

1) Go to your photo files, select the 8th photo folder.
2) Select the 8th photo in that folder.
3) Post that photo along with the story behind it.
4) Then challenge 8 blogging friends to do the same!

Easy peasy!

Maybe that's "easy peasy" for Katie, but it's downright embarrassing for me! You see, I have photos in my computer that are for my eyes only. Well, I might let very close family members see them. But not the whole world!

Unfortunately, I'm no spring chicken anymore.
Sigh.
The big 7-0 is approaching ever so fast. And it's scary!
That's a hard thing to admit, but I'm admitting it now so you won't judge me too harshly when you see the photo I have to post to meet Katie's challenge!

Please promise you won't laugh, or snicker!

And now the story behind this photo.........

This is my youngest sister and me taken on Labor Day four years ago in her backyard swimming pool. She owns a farm in Oregon. They get more "vitamin D" where she lives than where I live up here in the city of perpetual rain--which is rather obvious from the color of my skin! I am so white, I glow in the dark; I glow in the light. Heck! You'll notice I even glow under water!

Also, be glad, be very glad this isn't a video--because you're spared from seeing buffalo wings in action! (True confessions are so painful!)

But the most painful part? My legs! You won't catch me in skirts. I wear long slacks or jeans all of the time, so it's easy to go days without shaving. Or weeks! Or even m.....
(Dang it, Katie! This is downright mortifying. It ranks right up there with my most embarrassing moment!)

The reason I even donned a swimsuit and jumped into my sister's pool that day was because it was unusually hot for September and it felt so good to cool off. I knew no one would see me except my sister and her daughter. And, I knew they'd still love me, hairy legs and all!

So, now that I have no ounce of self-respect left, I'm going to tag these eight people:

1. Gramma2Many at Yes, They Are All Mine
2. Karyn at CanDarBry Garden
3. Cee at Cee Lew
4. Bridget at Bridget Beaver is in Japan
5. Robynn at Robynn's Ravings
6. Libby at Neas Nuttiness
7. Mountain Woman at Red Pine Mountain
8. Karen at My Funny Dad, Harry

Just follow Katie's "easy peasy" rules above; then cross your fingers and hope your photo isn't as embarrassing as mine!

Crawling into a hole now,

Love,

Homestay Mama

Ree's Here!

2010-04-17T19:54:00.000-07:00

There just had to be a happier ending to my week. After losing my little Athena on Tuesday and getting the flu on Thursday, I needed some good news! Thankfully I was feeling much better this afternoon, so I got on my computer and started catching up with my blog reading.

Oh. My. Gosh!

Ree's here! In Seattle. She's signing books right now!

It was my chance of a lifetime. But was I well enough to go? I had taken my temperature at noon and it was normal. It was now 5:00 pm. I checked it again--still normal. Good! I figured I couldn't be contagious. Ree was just a couple miles away; I would kick myself forever if I didn't go!

When I arrived, a rainbow hovered over Third Place Books. That was a good sign.
The parking lot hadn't been this full in years!
I went in, bought my book and got my ticket--"J."
Uff-Da! It was going to be a long wait!

Then I saw Ree's daughter and her mother-in-law and asked if I could take their picture. They were both so nice and friendly! And relaxed, too. They were sitting at one of the tables in Third Place Book's Cafe.

Ree's daughter is very tall for her age. It runs in the family, they told me. She is so cute, so mature, so wholesome-looking! She has a famous mother, but she didn't act stuck up in the least. Now that's a real testimony to the great parenting of PW and MM!
MM's mother was so easy to talk to! I could have chatted forever, but I felt that would have been a tad presumptuous and bad-mannered on my part, so I didn't.
MM's Mom's cousin and her husband came up from Tacoma to see their relatives. I should have asked their names, but my mind was so giddy just being there, that I couldn't think rationally! While I was there another young lady at the same table gave me an extra ticket that had been given to her. It was an H! God was looking favorably upon me!
The lines snaked through the book shelves. Some people had waited a very long time.
I don't know who these gals were, but I took their picture anyway. I wasn't sure whether I'd be so lucky later on and took as many pictures as I could. This was a little past 6:00 pm.
I knew I had at least a two-hour wait before it was my turn, so I started to head home. But then I discovered my friend, Gramma2Many and two of her daughters. They had been there since 4:30 pm! They had the letter "I" and were playing Phase 10 to pass their long wait. We chatted awhile, then I went home and started writing my post.

At 8:30 pm I went back. By now it was dark. Gramma2Many and her daughters were still playing Phase 10. I joined them and played a few rounds. And then they called my letter -- H.
My heart started racing! My spirits soared. I was going to meet the Pioneer Woman in person! Ree, the most famous blogger in the world who is young, beautiful, gifted at writing and always composed!

Then to my horror, I discovered I had left my camera card at home in my computer! I raced back home!
When I returned, the I's were in line. The bookstore lady most graciously let me in with the "I" group. I found Gramma2Many and her daughter and joined them in line.
Then it was my turn! It was 10 pm. I felt tongue-tied, but I'm sure I babbled like an idiot. On the other hand, Ree was very composed, gracious and charming! You'd never know she had been smiling and signing for five solid hours! She's an amazing woman and I had the privilege of meeting her! Wow!

What a wonderful blessing at the end of a very hard week!

PW, you're the best! I'm so glad you came to Seattle and that I got to meet you! Today you saw our rain. I am wishing sunshine for you tomorrow--with a view of our beautiful mountains.

Have a wonderful and safe journey.

Love,

Homestay Mama

ATHENA

2010-04-15T20:19:00.000-07:00

Athena, 1999 - April 13, 2010

Athena and Mommy, 2001.

Naughty Athena! 2003

Fooled by a Faux Lizard

Spooked by the moving box!' 2004

You don't see me! 2005

Ki-Bum, Hiro and Athena, 2007

Athena and Hyun-Wook, 2007

Contentment, 2008

Athena and Mommy, 2009

Portrait of Athena

Under the Deck - Final Resting Place, 2010

PW's Cat Photo Assignment

2010-03-12T16:55:00.000-08:00

3-15-2010 Sad update--please read the paragraph at the end.

The Pioneer Woman had a cat photo assignment recently and I felt like submitting a photo of my Athena, but when I found out it would require signing up for a Flickr account which in itself required opening/having a yahoo e-mail address, I decided it would be easier to post Athena's picture here! Fewer people will see it, but that's OK with me!

I love this picture of her. Look at those eyes!

I thought you also might like to hear Athena's story. She was born in Washington state (I'm guessing) in the summer of 1999. She had just weaned what was probably her first litter of kittens when she came to live with me. But I'm getting ahead of my story.

My previous cat had been a beautiful Himalayan with the coloring of a Siamese. Puff had the silkiest of fur and the most gorgeous blue eyes. But at 13 years of age, she started getting sick--kidney failure--and I finally had to put her down, which broke my heart! It was December 1999,when one of my homestay students dug a hole for me in the frozen soil under the deck and we laid Puff to rest. I put a paver to mark her grave and when spring came I planted primroses over her grave. Then I vowed I would never own any more pets.

But one day in May of 2000, Barbara, one of my dear friends who lives out in the country about an hour north of me, called and begged me to take a stray cat who had taken over her carport. Putting two and two together, Barbara guessed that someone had gotten this cat as a cute kitten, but when she ended up pregnant, they no longer wanted her and dumped her along side the road. She'd had her kittens in the woods, and then being a smart mother, knew she was going to need to find food for herself in order to sustain her little ones, so she went foraging and found a 'gold mine' in Barbara's carport--a big dish of cat food that she soon commandeered for herself, and a place for a new nest for her kittens where she brought them one by one. Then she posted "keep out" signs around the whole carport and wouldn't let Barbara's cats even come near their own food dishes! What audacity!

"As soon as she weans her kittens, please take her," Barbara begged me. "She is terrorizing my cats and I can't keep her!"

I didn't want another cat, but I couldn't say no to my dear friend. So a few weeks later, one of my homestay students and I went to Barbara's home to pick up this unwanted cat.

"What shall we name her?" I asked him on the way home.

"How about Athena," he said. "I think Athena means the goddess of love."

However, we soon found out that Athena's temperament was anything but loving! She was small for her age, and she was feisty! After looking up her name on the Internet, I found out Athena was the Greek goddess of war! So my Athena had been aptly named after all!

Now fast forward to today. Athena is 11 years old. She is still stubborn, still rules the roost and sometimes drives me crazy! For example, she insists on eating her wet cat food with her right paw (she refuses to eat dry food!). She scoops it out of the dish, and brings it to her mouth. When she's through, she does several quick flicks of the wrist to get the remaining food off her paw, then walks away leaving gravy footprints across the hardwood floor onto the area rug where she finally sits down to clean her paw. There is always a big mess around her dish and little flecks of gravy in a 6 foot radius--on the glass patio doors, on the front of the refrigerator, on the basket holding the potted Chinese money tree, on the bar stools.....

So, last summer I moved her downstairs to my home office just off the back of the garage. It is nice and warm in my office. It has a large window with a sunny southern exposure. She preferred to be upstairs in my bedroom, but she eventually adapted. Now the kitchen stays clean, but my office has become crowded with cat bed, cat toys, litter box, food and water dishes, and of course the perpetual mess around her dish.

So, last week I finally got the brainy idea to have my nephew, Josh, install a cat door in my office door, a high shelf at one end of my office for her bed, and a permanent shelf under the window. I figured that should make both of us happy. She could sleep in her comfy bed up on the shelf, or she could sit by the window and watch the goings on outside. Or, she could exit through the cat door into the garage to eat and poop. Finally, my office would stay clean and Athena's mess would stay in the garage. A win-win solution for sure!

Not!
Athena hated the cat door--refused to have anything to do with it! When I tried to teach her to use her head to push the plastic flap open, she braced her paws against the sides of the door and wouldn't budge. So I pushed her through the door into the garage. She ran and hid, and no amount of calling would entice her to come out.

The next day I noticed she was limping. Oh, no! What had I done? Guilt and remorse washed over me like a quick drenching rainstorm. I took her to the vet who examined her but couldn't feel any broken or misplaced bones, so she prescribed a low dose of pain medicine. But when Athena didn't get better and refused to eat for 3 days, I took her back. The vet took x-rays and did blood work. No broken bones, nothing out of joint, her thyroid, kidneys lungs and heart were fine. But there was indication of soft tissue inflammation in her right elbow. The vet ordered complete bed rest. Very little walking, absolutely no jumping and no going outside! She wanted her confined to a cage for two weeks--a soft-sided cage so she wouldn't try to get out--where she had her food, bed and litter box close by.

So that's where she is today--in her hospital bed back in my bedroom so I can keep an eye on her. Athena is happy with this arrangement and she's loving all the pampering. Maybe it's my imagination, but she seems to be milking this for all it's worth!

She's a smart one, my Athena!

UPDATE: Yesterday Athena wouldn't eat or drink anything. She was also walking with even more difficulty. But now it was her right hind leg giving her problems. So back to the vet we went again today. What they were seeing now, they said, was not a soft tissue injury at all. They are pretty sure she has cancer--and it's affecting the nerves on her entire right side--the nerve impulses aren't able to connect between her brain and her leg muscles, so when she tries to walk, the right side won't coordinate/cooperate with her left side. I think it's just a matter of time now. They hydrated her and gave her a steroid injection. That did improve her appetite and she ate a can of food tonight. She's sleeping in her favorite spot in my office right now while I'm on the computer. I'll take her back upstairs to my bedroom when I go to bed. I'm praying that God will take her quickly so she doesn't have to suffer through a lot of pain. My emotions are too raw right now to put her down. But if I sense she is in a lot of pain, I'll have to. As you can imagine, things are kinda hard for me right now!

Love,

Homestay Mama

In the Pink

2010-03-10T22:35:00.001-08:00

Pink is popping up everywhere in Seattle this month, and it is beautiful!
It's popping up at the park...

and lining the streets...
It's cascading from branches...
clustering in bushes...
playing hide and seek among the leaves...

and, creeping along the ground...
Pink is popping up in flower beds...
in everyone's yard, but mine! I'm out of touch with my neighbors. My yard is yelllow.
But my kitchen is in the pink!

Enjoying our early spring,

Love,

Homestay Mama

Meeting Lacie

2010-03-04T23:16:00.000-08:00

You may remember this photo of my nephew and his wife, Josh and Bridget and my friends, Cheri' and Ron. Josh and Ron remodeled my kitchen several years ago and I wrote about it in this post.

You may also remember this post about Bridget's baby shower.

Well, this week they came back to visit me and I finally got to meet my new little grand-niece, Lacie, who is now nearly seven months old!

Lacie is a real sweetie. She's got a genuine sparkle in her eyes and the cutest of grins! She laughs a lot and cries only a little when she's hungry. What a good baby she is! I think it helps that Bridget is a stay-at-home Mom and that Josh spends a lot of time with Lacie, too.

Josh also did a few handyman jobs around the house for me while they were here this week, and for that I am most grateful!

We had a wonderful visit!

XOXOXOXO

Love,

Homestay Mama

Korean Supermarket

2010-01-25T20:51:00.000-08:00

When he returned from Christmas break, Tae Woong, my South Korean homestay student, decided he would learn how to cook and make his own meals from now on. I didn't blame him. When you're in a foreign country, the stresses of learning a second language are easier to deal with when you can eat your own comfort food. For South Korean students that is easy to do because a large Korean-American population lives here in the greater Seattle area and there are plenty of Korean food stores to choose from.

So Tae-Woong and I drove to a local Korean supermarket. Now I've been in Korean markets before, but this one is new--and huge! They have everything imaginable, and more!

Dried squid for snacking. (Probably healthier than American potato chips.)

Spicy pepper sauce--a staple in Korean cooking--as in Kim-chi.

A wall of soy sauce--every kind imaginable for the discerning chef.

More dried squid.

Dried seaweed--for wrapping around a spoonful of cooked rice and eating as a side dish to meat.

Dried Korean chi-namul (dried wild aster). You'll not find this vegetable in many, if any, American supermarkets.

Cooked and seasoned dried squid--a snack that is popular when drinking beer.

And alcohol made from rice--both the alcohol and the bottle are white!

Wait a minute! Did you say alcohol? Hmmm, yes, that is a pretty bottle, Tae-Woong, but I'm sorry--no drinking alcohol in my house.

Ah, finally! Here's something I recognize--mochi--it's a Japanese treat! I guess Koreans like mochi, too! (My favorite is mochi with sweet bean paste inside.)

Gourmet 'sticky' rice.

And, of course, the 'Cadilac' of rice cookers!

This one is identical to the one that Ki-Bum and Hyun-Wook's parents bought for me a couple of years ago. We use it all the time! You can use it, too, Tae-Woong.

"OK, Mother, I'm ready to cook. How do I make bi bim bop?"

Bi bim bop? It's a staple Korean dish--best described with a picture. Here's one I got off the Internet. Tae-Woong hasn't actually made bi bim bop yet, but he says he will, soon.

Learning how to cook doesn't happen overnight, you know!

Good Luck, Tae-Woong!

Love,

Homestay Mama

Long Layover

2010-01-17T21:02:00.001-08:00

It always warms this homestay mama's heart when she can see her former homestay students again. On his trip back from spending the holidays with his family in Seoul, Ki-Bum had a long layover in Seattle before his next flight left for Berklee School of Music in Boston.

His two friends Seok-Jin and Lim, (who are still students here in Seattle), and I met him at the airport.
Then we all went to a Korean restaurant several miles away for lunch. We had bubbling-hot tofu soup...
...and barbecued beef...
...that we cooked on the grill built into our table.
When they were done, Seok-Jin used scissors to cut the long strips into bite-size pieces.
It was delicious!
Before heading back to SeaTac, we took time to enjoy some coffee at Starbucks. When I stood up to take a picture of our group, a lady at the table next to ours offered to take the picture for me so I could be in it, too. The locals are friendly like that here in the greater Seattle area.

Seok-Jin, Ki-Bum, Lim and Homestay Mama

After she took the picture, we started talking--as ladies are prone to do. She too, had been a homestay mama several years prior, and I immediately felt a kindred spirit with her. Her name was Kris and she was up from Olympia visiting with her friends.

Diane, Kris and Rosie

All too soon it was time to say goodbye to Ki-Bum.

He had given me a package from his family to open when I got home. What could be in this beautifully scarf-wrapped package?
Oooohhhh! My favorite! Sang-Ju Dried Persimmons...
...that come wrapped in a sturdily-constructed box...
...and arranged on a woven bamboo tray that can be used again and again for other things.
Thank you, Joon-Yul, Myung-Soon, Hyun-Wook and Ki-Bum. You surely know how to 'spoil' this homestay mama! I think gourmet Sang-Ju Dried Persimmons are heavenly!

Blessings to you!

With love from,

Homestay Mama

I Won Cee's Giveaway!

2010-01-13T14:22:00.000-08:00

Look what I won--Cee's very own creative, hand-crafted cover for all the lists I make and misplace. Now I can keep them in one handy little cover and carry it in my purse everywhere I go!
Hooray! I'll finally be an organized woman!

Look at the inside. Even the list has been embroidered--which is too beautiful to use, so I'll just tuck some plain paper behind it to write on--paper that I won't mind throwing away when it's filled up!

Cee is a very creative gal in Australia. You must go to her blog, Cee Lew, and see all the things she has made. You will also delight in her posts for she has a special way of writing that beckons her readers right into her enchanting world of singing, playing, exploring, learning, growing and gracious living with her husband and two young daughters. If I could turn back the clock and raise my own again, I'd do it like Cee!

I stumbled upon Cee's blog nearly a year ago. I think she made a comment on my blog. How she ever became interested in reading about my life, I'll never know, but I'm so glad our paths crossed. I have discovered that she, too, is a Christian, but there is nothing preachy about her. She just quietly, yet unashamedly lives out her faith. She's like a magnet, drawing you in because you feel so safe and welcome in her world. Oh, to be graciously tactful like Cee!

She's also into simple living and healthy eating. So am I. And, did I mention her photographs? Her close-ups are an art form in themselves! Go check out her current post. Then go back and peruse her past posts. I'll be surprised if you don't pull up a chair and stay awhile!

Love,

Homestay Mama

2010

2009-12-30T22:10:00.000-08:00

Looking Back on 2009:God has been good to me—he's blessed me beyond what I ever expected or hoped for.
I started a new part time job this year. It’s so close to where I live I can walk to work! I love my job and the people I work for.
I've had a full house of international student renters this year and they are all very good kids!
A friend told me about a supplement called d-Lenolate and I started taking it 5 months ago. It has restored my energy and I’m feeling wonderfully normal again!

Looking Forward to 2010:
This year I will become a morning person! No more going to bed at 1:00 or 2:00 a.m.
This year I will become organized!
This year I will start walking again and will lose these extra 40 pounds!
This year I will start accelerated payments on my mortgage so I can be debt free by 2014!

So, there you have it! These are my New Year's Resolutions and I'm stickin' to 'em!

TO ALL MY FRIENDS IN BLOGLAND...

Love,

Homestay Mama

Merry Christmas...

2009-12-25T02:09:00.000-08:00

...to all my current and former homestay students, my family in Oregon, Colorado and Hawaii, my friends, my church family, and all my cohorts in Blogland! I love you all!

As we celebrate Christmas this year, let us never lose sight of the real reason for Christmas--that night over two thousand years ago when God became man. Yes, Jesus was born in a little stable in Bethlehem, so that some thirty years later he could offer himself as the perfect "lamb" of God--that final sacrifice which takes away our sins and restores our personal relationship with God. That is God's Christmas gift to all who will accept it. I hope you have!

Love,

Homestay Mama

Reunion!

2009-12-23T13:57:00.001-08:00

It's been more than a year since Ki-Bum (South Korea) left to attend Berklee School Of Music in Boston. You may remember reading about our guitar virtuoso in this post. Well, on his way home to Korea for the Christmas break this year, he took a two-day layover in Seattle and we had a wonderful mini-reunion this weekend!

So, who was the first person Ki-Bum asked about?

Why Teddy Bear, of course!
Teddy Bear loved hanging out with Ki-Bum and before that with his brother Hyun Wook. Teddy Bear thought he belonged to THEM!

"Do you remember me, Teddy Bear?"

"I really missed you!"

Ki-Bum, his friend Seok-Jin and I went to the local Thai food restaurant for dinner. I love Thai food--especially red curry with chicken, bamboo shoots and coconut milk.

Then we came home and had Sweet Potato Cake that Ki-Bum bought at the local Korean Bakery. I love their cakes because they are not sickeningly sweet like American desserts!

Lim, another friend of Ki-Bum's, joined us later in the evening.
We had a wonderful visit!

It warms a mother's heart when her kids come home for a visit. Seeing Ki-Bum was as good as opening a gift under the Christmas tree!

Love,
Homestay Mama

Today I had a wonderful visit with Gramma2Many.

2009-12-12T21:17:00.000-08:00

I've known Gramma2Many for a dozen years or more. We met back in the late 90's when one of my former homestay students started dating her youngest daughter.

Gramma2Many and I have a lot in common--our Christian faith, our political bent, and our love of interior decorating. But there are differences as well--I have a son, but she has a son and 5 lovely daughters. I have no grandchildren, but she has 19 beautiful (and smart!) grandsons and grandaughters! My marriage ended years ago but she is still married to her high school sweetheart! Yup! My hat's off to Gramma2Many. She is one classy lady and a very dear friend!

We used to see each other every Sunday when I started playing the piano for the little country church that she and her family attended. But after ten years of being pianist for that church, I gave up the long, 70 mile round trip and started attending a church closer to my home. So now Gramma2Many and I mostly keep in touch through our blogs and Facebook.

By the way, it's because of Gramma2Many's inspiring blog that I decided to take the plunge into Blogland myself! I'm glad I did for I have met some very talented, humorously funny and wonderfully supportive friends here in Blogland--including her youngerst daughter who ended up marrying my former homestay student. You can read about their life here. You can also read Gramma2Many's blogs here and here!

I had a wonderful visit today. Thank you, Gramma2Many!

Love,

Homestay Mama

Multi-Talented Cousins

2009-11-15T22:47:00.000-08:00

Last month I wrote about my cousin, Mumsie (who lives in Nova Scotia), and I showed pictures of a few of her many talents.
Here Mumsie and I are visiting my cousin, Beth, and her husband, Art. Beth makes beautiful quilts and I'll write about her in my next post. Today I want to introduce you to Art.

Art is notorious for his large repertoire of jokes. Frankly, I don't know how he remembers them all, but the jokes just keep coming. For example...

See all these violins? Art made them. He plays them, too. He's a multi-talented man.

Making a violin takes the right kind of wood...

...and skill and lots of time. Art has all three!

Here is the end result. Beautiful isn't it? Art made the guitar, too.
All of Art's instruments have a lifetime guarantee. If you want to know more, you can contact him in Centreville, Nova Scotia at 902-678-7423. Tell him I sent you, OK?

Love,

Homestay Mama

I'm Back!

2009-10-18T13:44:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful and relaxing trip to Nova Scotia in Canada, staying with my cousin, June. Actually she feels more like a mom to me and I call her Mumsie. I also visited with many second cousins that I'll tell you about in later posts.

At Mumsie's home, she made sure I stuck to a regular schedule. We got up early, went for a walk, fed the goldfish...

...had our morning devotions and ate breakfast all before 8:00 a.m. We had our biggest meal of the day (dinner) at 11:45 a.m. and a small supper at 6:00 p.m. By 9:30 p.m. we were heading to bed. With Mumsie's help I didn't cheat on my diet, and actually lost a little weight while I was there--even had to buy a size smaller jeans!

In between meals we went shopping, visited places that held family memories (my grandfather was born in Nova Scotia), and...
...played games of Sequence and Hand and Foot.
The change of pace was therapeutic. It was a total contrast to the life I lead in busy Seattle!

It was a blessing to be totally relaxed. I played the piano a lot, and had time to read three novels! See all those dolls surrounding me? Mumsie made them all. See the picture of Jesus on her wall? She painted that. She is one very talented lady. In future posts I'll show you more of her talents.

But, as soon as my feet touched Seattle soil, I was back into the rat race. I got home at midnight and by 8:00 a.m. I was back at my job.

Never-the-less, I'm thankful for my extended family and the wonderful time I had in Nova Scotia.

Love,

Homestay Mama

I'm Leaving!

2009-09-28T18:01:00.000-07:00

But only for 2 weeks! I'll be visiting extended family in Nova Scotia. I won't have access to a computer, so will have to wait and share pictures with you......if I have time........ after I get back on October 14th.

I'm sorry I haven't written in a long while--the blame lies squarely with my work schedule which has ramped up to more than 30 hours per week. I used to read and write blogs in the evening hours after cooking dinner for my Homestay students--after I'd finished cleaning up the kitchen. But now I've had to become a morning person, so no more staying up late! Then on weekends I play the catch-up-game. I can see all you working moms nodding your heads. Yessiree! You play that game too, don't you!

I've also become more involved at church--playing the piano for the morning service once a month, plus playing for the services at a local nursing home two Sundays per month. Then add in weekly Bible Study, Prayer Meeting and the Christmas program practice. Seems like I'm never home anymore!

So much for being retired!

But, I am missing all of you very much! So when I get back, I'll keep trying to find snatches of time when I can read your blogs, make comments and, if I'm lucky, write something in my own blog.

But right now I've got to get back to packing.

Love,

Homestay Mama

Something Stupid!

2009-08-05T23:57:00.000-07:00

I've used this contraption for many years! It works great. You put your briquets in the top section. You crumple and stuff newspaper in the bottom section. Then you strike a match and light the newspaper. Soon you'll have hot glowing coals. Ready for the steak that's been marinating in the fridge all day. Yum-yum!

Unless you do something stupid! Like being lazy and putting the contraption on the top rack of your grill. And then pounding a loose board back into place while you wait for the coals to get hot. And, making the whole deck vibrate in the process!

I swear I didn't pound that hard! But darned if that contraption didn't bounce right off the grill and flip upside down on the deck, spilling hot coals everywhere! It happened so fast!

We haven't had rain in a coon's age. Temperatures have been in the high 90's. The deck was tinder-dry and it took mere seconds to start burning!

I dashed down the stairs, grabbed the garden hose, dragged it back up and doused the hot coals--only to turn around and notice one stray briquet burning away behind me! Yikes!

So I doused the entire deck! Several times!

And I learned my lesson! Put the contiraption on the lower rack INSIDE the grill. Hang the hose next to the grill BEFORE lighting the briquets! And for crying out loud--save the deck repairs for LATER!

I shudder to think what could have happened.

Thankfully it didn't!

Love,

Homestay Mama

TODAY IS HYUN WOOK's BIRTHDAY!

2009-07-18T21:12:00.000-07:00

Hyun Wook is back in Korea now, but he has the distinction of being the homestay student who lived in my house the longest--6 years--from 2002 to 2008. He came to Washington, learned English at a local community college, went on to get his A.A. degree from that same college, then transferred to the University of Washington and finished his B.S. degree in computer science.

Here is a picture of him soon after he moved to my home.

Hyun Wook and Teddy Bear. Teddy Bear adored Hyun Wook and thought he belonged to him

Here is a picture taken the day I said goodbye to Hyun Wook at SeaTac Airport six years later. If you wonder why my smile is pained, my nose is red and my eyes are brimming with tears, well, quite frankly, I felt like I was losing my son!
Six years is a long time and I have so many pictures and so many memories, I can't even begin to share them all. However, the highlight was his parent's first visit in 2005. They stayed in my guest room and we had a wonderful time visiting and getting to know each other. They are among the best international parents I think I have ever met!
His mom enjoyed making Korean meals for her son, and Hyun Wook was as happy as a lark eating his mom's home cooking again. I quickly understood why. She was an awesome cook. Kim Chee? If his mom makes it, I'll eat it! Store-bought kim-chee absolutely pales in comparison to hers.
Here is a Korean meal Hyun Wook's mom made for us. I don't remember the names of the different dishes, but I do know it was all very delicious. Quite frankly, I enjoy eating food from other countries much more than I enjoy American food.
Hyun Wook was an amazing student. When he transferred to the University of Washington, they were turning away a lot of students who wanted into the computer science program. Only those with very high GPA's could get in.
Hyun Wook, his mom withthe University of Washington mascot--the Husky. (Go Huskies!)

Hyun Wook easily made the grade and was accepted without any problems. And, he graduated with honors!
We all still miss you very much, Hyun Wook. It just hasn't been the same here without you.
Hyun Wook and Athena.

We hope you are having a happy birthday in Korea this year.
Happy Birthday, Hyun Wook!

Love,

Homestay Mama

What the...??

2009-07-04T23:24:00.000-07:00

Who, what, where??

Oh, that's just ~~Teddy Bear~~ Scaredy Cat-- in the darkest, quietest place he can find!

(Downstairs in my office.)

He hates loud noises. They scare the 'spit' out of him.

Firecrackers are the worst.

Happens every 4th of July and New Year's Eve.

He's not a happy camper.

I'm sorry, Teddy Bear!

You can come out now.

It's midnight and all the noisemakers went home.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

2009-07-04T11:04:00.001-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, UNCLE SAM!

(233 years today!)

LONG MAY YOU LIVE!

GOD BLESS AMERICA,

THE LAND OF THE FREE

AND

THE HOME OF THE BRAVE!

An Essay by My Iranian Friend

2009-06-29T02:34:00.000-07:00

from www.tnr.com

A supporter of defeated Iranian presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi protests June 16, 2009 in Tehran, Iran. Getty Images

Fourteen years ago my friend from Iran sought religious asylum in the United States. Now he is attending college and working toward his degree. As the celebration of our Independence Day approaches, I want to share with you parts of my friend’s essay that he wrote for a recent assignment in his English class. May we never take our freedom for granted. May we be diligent in protecting it! Then may we be willing to help others gain their freedom as well.

The Election in Iran

The bus stopped in front of me. “Do you want to get in?” the driver asked. That’s when I realized I was finally free.

Three years earlier in 1979, the Shah of Iran was deposed and Khomeini rose to power. After that anyone suspected of anti-government viewpoints was arrested, thrown into jail, interrogated endlessly and tortured. I was one of the many young men and women who were arrested and thrown into Evin. It was the only political prison in Iran at that time. After Khomeini seized power, hundreds more political prisons like Evin were built. Anyone daring to express anti-Khomeini views was arrested and put into prison. Evin became a living hell that I endured for one entire year. But now I was free! Or was I?

My life would never be the same. For three months I suffered a deep depression. It took a long time to become a normal person. But it was a ‘new’ normal. I was no longer the free young man I had once been. In all my records I was a marked man—a criminal. A stain was against my name simply because I held a different viewpoint than the new government. Yes, I was free! But I soon realized that I was not really free! My new ‘prison walls’ were the borders of Iran and I couldn’t leave.

Because of the actions of Iran’s new government, all Iranians were labeled as terrorists by the rest of the world. We weren’t, but other countries were fearful and would no longer give Iranians a visa. Even though I could still walk freely between Iran’s borders, I was never-the-less a political prisoner within my own country.

In order to survive I had to learn self-censorship—not ‘seeing’ what I really saw; not ‘hearing’ what I really heard and crafting my words very carefully when I spoke to anyone. If only there was someone who could be my ‘voice’ to the rest of the world. Someone who could understand and help me and the millions of my fellow countrymen break the political chains that bound us.

Finally I was able to escape my ‘prison’ (my country) fourteen years ago and I came to the United States of America. Being accepted into the ‘land of the free’ and given the privilege of becoming a U.S. citizen gave me my first and sweetest taste of real freedom.

I am free now and this freedom is priceless! However, the recent political events taking place in Iran, remind me of my days of imprisonment. On June 12, 2009, over forty million Iranians cast their ballots to elect their tenth president. It was predicted that the current president, who for the past four years has harassed other nations, would lose to his main opponent—a reformer who wants and campaigned for change. Soon, this hope faded away and the government-run broadcasting agency announced the incumbent, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the winner of the election with 63% of the votes. Then the ‘supreme leader,’ Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, confirmed at a Friday prayer and political meeting that Ahmadinejad was indeed the winner.

The Iranian people reacted with major protests and riots. Now the government is using batons, tear gas, and sniper shooting to quell and quiet the people. But the people are holding up signs saying, “Where is my vote?” and the protests are growing. At night the people with new boldness are crying out from their rooftops, “Allah O Akbar!” (God is great.) This is their way of declaring their unity with each other during their protest against the present dictator government.

The people want change. It is hard to believe that this election was done in a democratic way. Many believe this was an announcement of a ‘selection’ and not a true election. In the past several weeks, millions of people rallied in the streets in silence seeking justice and freedom from their prison within country-wide walls. At least eight individuals have been killed; four of whom were university students. University professors have resigned and joined the sit-in by students at Tehran University. They are standing in solidarity with the crowd who feels their votes and opinions were not considered legitimate.

The ‘supreme leader,’ Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has taken sides against the opposition groups by calling them “enemies” of Iran who deserve imprisonment! He says it is the “cruel” Western governments who are really behind the scene of the recent reactions to the election. He believes that the Western Media are agents of the Western Empires indoctrinating the world with false pictures of Islamic Iran.

Many international broadcasting agencies were invited to cover the presidential election. They were granted nine-day visas which would allow them to cover both the election and post election events. The day after the election, many cell phone recorded movies showed members of the revolutionary guard opening fire on people--killing several including a pregnant woman. This is not what Iran’s dictator government wants the world to see and the members in the international media were suddenly confined to their hotels until they left the country.

Now there are no international reporters to echo the voices of the voiceless Iranians to the world. But despite phones being controlled, and internet access being limited and filtered, many smart Iranian people are finding ways to allow the world to hear their cries. Even though a few international reporters were silenced, millions of amateur journalists have evolved to cover the events, but they are still bound by the chains of the present regime.

Just as the doors of a jail can only be opened from the outside, so too, must the doors of Iran be opened by the ‘outside world.’ Now that the world can hear and witness what’s happening in Iran, it is our turn to act on behalf of the seventy-two million ‘prisoners’ of that country. Iran’s citizens have found ways to project their voices against their oppressors, but they are powerless to open their own door to freedom. Now it is the responsibility of the free world to open it for them.

Honest Scrap Award

2009-06-25T23:26:00.000-07:00

I've just received an award from Cee over at Cee Lew.

Thank you, Cee, for your kind words about me. (Blushing here)

I discovered Cee's blog by reading her comments on other's blogs. What she wrote was simply stated, yet so eloquent and I wanted to find out more about her. In reading her posts, I have found her to be full of wisdom and creativity and to have many talents--at a young age! A rare gem wrapped up in a beautiful package!

Cee won my first giveaway. We sent many e-mails back and forth and I found that the way she is on her blog, is the way she is in real life. It made me wish I could go to Australia just so I could meet her in person!

Now here are the rules that go with my accepting this award and then passing it on to others:

1) Say thanks and give a link to the presenter of the award.

2) Share "ten honest things" about myself.

3) Present this award to 7 others whose blogs I find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged me.

4) Tell those 7 people that they've been awarded HONEST SCRAP and inform them of these guidelines in receiving it.

10 Honest Things About Me:

1. Jesus Christ is my Savior and Lord of my life. I can't imagine--don't even want to imagine--what my life would be without Him!

2. In God's eyes, I'm a 'diamond in the rough' and He is still grinding, faceting, and polishing off all my rough edges. Unfortunately, He still has a long ways to go!

3. Hospitality is my "gift". Not so much the cooking part (which I'm not very good at), but more the part of welcoming people from all around the world into my home. I love getting to know them and I have many, many wonderful international friends. I also love trying their foods--which directly ties into #3...

3. I need to lose weight!

4. I'm a late night person by nature, and though I make new resolves to go to bed with the chickens and get up with the roosters, I start slipping back into my old ways and find myself finally going to bed just as everyone else is waking up! It's a constant inward battle with me!

5. I enjoy playing the piano, although I'm just an amateur having had only a smattering of lessons from different teachers here and there (about 2 years total) when I was between the ages of 9-19.

6. I love to read just about anything. I used to read books, but now I find myself reading blogs much more often (maybe too often!).

7. I love to go hiking in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. (The mountains and lakes are why I love living in Washington State). But unfortunately, I haven't been hiking as much lately and that is a problem I need to correct real soon!

8. When I was much younger and living in Hawaii, I owned my own sewing school and taught ladies and teens how to sew. I enjoy sewing but don't sew as much as I used to (same reason as in #6!)

9. I have many friends who are politically liberal, but I tend to be politically conservative.

10. I try to be a good steward of the earth. I recycle, re-use and try not to waste. I don't use pesticides, herbacides, or insecticides. Hence, my lawn is full of moss but the fruit on my cherry and plum trees and blueberry bushes are all organic.

And now, in no particular order are the 7 People I have Chosen because their blogs are brilliant in content and/or design, or because they have encouraged me:

1. Candarbry Garden by Karyn Rosebrook-Morris! (For her cleverness, creativity and interesting posts)

2. The Old Dairy by Mandy (For being an inspiration in the way she lives and writes )

3. Tatersmama's Take on Things by Tatersmama (For keeping me in stitches with her humor)

4. Red Pine Mountain by Mountain Woman (For her interesting, thoughtful posts)

5. Gizzards and Calf Fries by The Wife (For her design and outstanding photography)

6. Yes They Are All Mine by Gramma2Many (For her political rants from a heart that really cares about our country)

7. Bridget Beaver is in Japan by Bridget Beaver (For her interesting photos and posts about Japan)

Passing the award on to greater bloggers than I.

Love,

Homestay Mama

Block Party

2009-06-20T23:18:00.000-07:00

I'm positive I live in the best neighborhood in the whole state of Washington. There is a mixture of senior citizens and young families with kids. There are singles, couples and families.

Some neighbors were born here, others have come from all around the world--Viet Nam, Korea, Bosnia, Bangladesh, El Salvador, Mexico, Ethopia, Etritea.

Ours is a safe neighborhood. Everyone is friendly. There is little, if any, bickering, complaining or bad feelings between neighbors.

The kids are well behaved and play well together. When people move to our block, they put down roots and stay for a long time. I have lived on this street for 31 years, and there are three families who have lived here even longer than that!

We used to have block parties every year--they took a lot of planning and work, but they were a lot of fun. Then life seemed to get very busy. Some of the key party planners moved away and the block parties fell by the wayside.

A couple of weeks ago I decided it was time for us neighbors to reconnect. So on the spur of the moment, I invited all 33 families who live on my street for a backyard potluck.

Not everyone could come on such short notice, but the 11 families who came had an enjoyable time.

My wonderful next door neighbors helped me pass out invitations, set up the tables and clean up afterwards. They also shared their back yard. Since there is no fence between us, the party was able to spread out. The grown ups visited in one yard while keeping an eye on their kids playing in the other yard.

Everyone agreed that the potluck was a success and that we should have another get-together this summer.

Looking forward to our next block party.

Love,

Homestay Mama

My Weekend in Oregon

2009-06-09T23:40:00.000-07:00

I was born in Oregon, and that's where most all my family, including my ex-husband's family, still live. So it is always a treat when I can make the trip down to see them, like I did this past weekend.

First I attended a baby shower for my niece, Bridgette. Her husband is my nephew Josh who helped remodel my kitchen and bathrooms.

Josh's mom made this adorable cat bag that can hang on the wall next to the baby's changing table to keep all those small baby items right where the new mama can quickly find them. As the child gets older, the pockets can hold their shoes, toys or other treasures.

These women are on Bridgette's side of the family. Her Mom is on the far right.

We women are on Josh's side of the family. Josh's mom is on the far right. Actually, these are my ex-husband's sisters and nieces, but I also claim them as mine for we are as close, if not closer, than when I was still married. We share the comman bond of being 'sisters in the Lord,' and that makes all the difference in the world.

Next I visited my youngest sister, Ruth, and her daughter, Shayla, who are very talented artists.

My niece is 18 now, but when she was 14 she drew this pencil drawing of a tiger.

My sister paints with oils. Here is a painting she did five years ago.

Their talent comes from our grandmother on my Dad's side of the family who was a professional artist. This is one of Grandma's paintings that is nearly 100 years old. Unfortunately, I didn't inherit any of Grandma's talent.

One my way back home to Washington, I stopped in to see Aunt Clyo--the amazing woman I told you about in an earlier post. Actually, Aunt Clyo is my ex-husband's aunt, but I love her as though she were my own. She's 90, but doesn't look a day over 70! Click on the picture to make it larger. Notice her face. Her skin is as smooth and soft as a newborn's. And her mind is sharper than a tack! Her memory is better than mine! She never ceases to amaze me!

Thanking God for my wonderful family and my enjoyable weekend in Oregon.

Love,

Homestay Mama

Go Visit Gramma2Many!

2009-06-08T23:06:00.000-07:00

She is celebrating her blogiversay by giving away that sumptuous bag in the picture above that she made herself! I really hate to send you there because that just makes more competition for me--and I'd really like to win that bag! I've seen Gramma's handiwork and it is to die for! So hurry on over--you only have until June 1oth! Just click here.

And, don't forget to tell her I sent you!

Go Visit Tatersmama!

2009-06-08T21:59:00.000-07:00

She's having a giveaway to celebrate her 200th post! We don't know what the 'prize' is yet because Tatersmama promises to tailor make it to fit the winner! Woo Hoo! You can't get better than that!

Tatersmama's giveaway ends on June 11th (Australian time), so hurry!

Oh, and tell her I sent you!

Finally Finished!

2009-05-30T22:45:00.000-07:00

Back in August to December 2006, I remodeled my kitchen. But I ran out of money before I could buy new appliances. Now 2 1/2 years later, I finally had enough money to purchase new appliances, so I guess you could say the kitchen remodel is finally finished!

I thought you might like to see some before and after pictures.
Here are the old bisque appliances. Notice the refrigerator is on the left, the stove is straight ahead. The floor is vinyl.

Here is the same view in the 'new' kitchen. I had them switch the refrigerator and stove which opened up the kitchen making it feel much larger. And I had hardwood floors (installed by my friend, Gramma2Many's son) which look way nicer than vinyl and are so easy to keep clean.

Here is the 'before' view of the kitchen taken from the hallway.

Here is the 'after' picture taken from the same hallway.

Here is the sitting corner in the 'before' kitchen.

Now there is a hutch in that corner.

Here is the eating area in the 'before' kitchen.

Now we eat at the bar and the sitting area replaces the former eating area. You'll note the old bisque refrigerator on the left. The new refrigerator is for me and the 3 students I cook for. I love my new french door refrigerator. It holds a lot. But I also have another renter who cooks for himself, so the old bisque refrigerator now holds his food.

This picture is for Tatersmama. Back at the beginning of March she posted pictures of her refrigerator and challenged the rest of us to do the same. OK, Katie, I'm finally accepting your challenge!

And last, but certainly not least, are the two men who did the work on my new kitchen back in 2006. From left to right are my nephew, Josh and his wife, Bridget, and my friends Cheri and her husband, Ron who I've known for 25+ years. I invited them all to dinner last weekend to celebrate the new appliances and also to celebrate Josh and Bridgette's first wedding anniversay. (Pssst, Bridgette and Josh are expecting their first child this August!) I think these two men did an outstanding job on my kitchen and now that the new appliances are finally in, I am really enjoying my new kitchen!

Graduation

2009-05-30T00:17:00.000-07:00

This is Toshi, my homestay student from Japan in 2007, (not to be confused with Toshi, my current homestay student from Japan). Toshi arrived in September 2007, for a one-quarter cooperative course of study between the University of Washington in Seattle and Ritsumeikan University in Japan. Toshi is an outgoing, friendly young man who was an excellent student. He has a positive outlook and a zest for life and wasn't shy about learning and speaking in English. Athena doesn't usually let my homestay students hold her, but she liked Toshi! They say that when an animal likes you, it's proof positive that you're a good person! The quarter went all too fast and before we knew it, it was December and time for Toshi's farewell party. My Korean students (brothers, Hyun Wook and Ki-Bum) cooked a special Korean meal for Toshi. And soon after Toshi was boarding the shuttle bus to the airport!

But in July 2008, Toshi came back for a visit.

This spring Toshi sent me these pictures of his graduation from Ritsumeikan.

The other great news is that he has already landed a job in Japan!

Congratulations, Toshi! You did well and you deserve life's best. Your American 'mama' is very proud of you!

Love,

Homestay Mama

Where Can I Go to Clone Myself?

2009-05-28T03:18:00.000-07:00

If there were two of me, one of me could be blogging while the other me could be working.

Wait! That's not enough! I need four of me!

One of me to clean the house, cook all the meals and do the laundry;

One of me to wash my car, take it to be serviced, keep all the yard work done and take care of my cats;

One of me to work at my part time job plus take care of my personal banking, bill-paying and shopping;

And, finally one of me to stay in touch with my homestay students (past and current), to correspond with all my friends in Blogland, in Facebook and in e-mails and, to spend time visiting my face-to-face friends.

Wait! That's still not enough!

I need another me to practice the piano, volunteer at my church and attend Sunday services.

And another me to help my homestay students with their English assignments!

And another me to go for my doctor, dental and eye exams and to exercise and stay healthy,

And another me to...

H...E...L...P...

Chapter 8: A New Roof

2009-05-21T17:22:00.000-07:00

From Amazing Journey, Amazing Grace

Sometimes bad things happen. Sometimes God allows us to experience difficulties to test and strengthen our faith. One of those faith-strengthening experiences happened to me one Saturday afternoon in February, 1994. I had just stretched out on the living room sofa to relax for a minute. Looking up I discovered the tell-tale dirty ring on the ceiling--a ring that could mean only one thing. My roof had sprung a leak! In rainy Seattle, that was not a problem to ignore!

Roof repairs, car repairs, yard and garden maintenance—all those chores had been my ex-husband’s domain. Unfortunately, I hadn’t bothered to learn about those things, preferring to leave them all to him. But now I was a single mom and I could no longer ignore those 'manly' tasks. Now everything--both inside and outside the house--was my sole responsibility. And now I had a major problem that needed immediate attention.

What should I do? Climb up a ladder and crawl around my roof hunting for the leak? And if I managed to find it, then what? Go buy some tar and smear it over the offending spot? Maybe I could spread a plastic tarp over the general area. But how could I secure it from the wind? Wouldn't a bunch of nail holes just make more leaks? I am not fond of heights and my roof is two stories tall. Just thinking about going up there makes me dizzy! So it was easy to nix both of those less-than-desirable solutons. "Maybe I could pray for endless sunshine," I wistfully mused. "But in rainy Seattle? Not a chance!"

However, I remembered how God had promised to be my 'Creator-Husband.' My protector, my provider, my comforter and my problem solver. So solving leaky roofs was His job. Therefore I just needed to exercise faith and trust Him for the answer, and that's exactly what I did.

The next morning I decided to go to church early and attend the adult Sunday School class before the regular church service began. There were about 30 people in class that morning and visitors were given the chance to introduce themselves. I am shy by nature, so I just gave my name and said I had homestay students living with me.

After class one of the men came over and introduced himself to me. His name was George; his wife’s name was Karen. He owned an auto-repair shop. Then he asked me a question that seemed so out of context that it gave me goose-bumps! George’s exact question was: “So, how is the roof on your house?”

Now if George had asked how my car was running, I wouldn't have been so surprised. But how likely was it for him, or anyone else for that matter, to ask a first-time visitor about the roof on their house? The odds of that happening must be at least one in a million and that’s why I got goose-bumps. I knew immediately this was a ‘God thing!’ So, I answered truthfully. “My roof is leaking!”

“It is? Well, then let me introduce you to our Sunday School teacher, Dee-Jay. He owns his own construction business and has put roofs on many homes,” George stated. Obviously God was orchestrating the solution to my problem.

Dee-Jay came over the next day and while walking around the roof, he found spongy spots--sure signs of rotting wood. My roof definitely had issues. I was going to need a new one. But how could I afford it? Within the week Dee-Jay brought his crew to tear off the old roof, replace the sections of plywood that were rotting, and put on a new, 20-year roof. He donated his time, and charged me only for the materials at his cost.

There have been many more miracles like this in my amazing journey and through them all I've learned that when we belong to God and live in obedience to Him, we can trust Him through good times and bad. The good man does not escape all troubles--he has them too! But the Lord helps him in each and every one. Psalms 34:19 (Living Bible)

Another miracle happened the time I needed to buy groceries so I could feed my homestay students, but I only had $1.00 left to my name and pay day was one week away!

To be continued.

Emerald City Salad

2009-05-19T22:56:00.000-07:00

This salad is a real favorite with my current homestay students. It is named after Seattle--the Emerald City. Both Seattle and the salad are 'dark leafy green.' (Must be from all that 'liquid sunshine' we get--especially this time of year!)

I first tasted Emerald City Salad at the deli in my favorite organic food store in Seattle--PCC (Puget Consumers Coop). To see the original recipe, go here.

When I make this salad, I cut back on the wild rice and olive oil/lemon juice amounts, but I stick pretty close to the amounts for the other ingredients.

Here's how I do it:

I gently boil 1/2 cup of wild rice in plenty of water for about an hour. While the rice is cooking I prepare the salad dressing and greens.

Squeeze the juice of one lemon (about 1/3 cup) and add to 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil.
Add 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper to taste.
Add two cloves of garlic squeezed in a garlic press.

Whisk together and set aside.
When the rice is cooked, drain, then add it to the salad dressing.
Meanwhile, wash 1/2 bunch of swiss chard and remove the center rib.
Stack the leaves on top of each other and chiffonade.
Wash 1/2 bunch of kale and remove the center rib.
Stack the leaves on top of each other and chiffonade.
Wash about 1/3 bunch of parsley (1/2 cup) and cut off the stems.
Chop the parsley until fine.
Slice 1 bunch of green onions.
Thinly slice 1/2 of a fennel bulb.
Thinly slice 1/2 red pepper and 1/2 yellow (or orange) pepper.
Put all vegetables into a bowl.
Add the rice/salad dressing and toss until thoroughly mixed.
What a beautiful salad--and it's super healthy as well! Did you know that kale, fennel and swiss chard are high in calcium, potassium and vitamin A?
Tonight, I served this salad alongside swiss steak over rice. It was delicious and filling!
I think Emerald City Salad tastes even better the second day, after the greens have marinated in the dressing overnight.

If you try making this salad, let me know how you liked it.

Love,

Homestay Mama

Awards Night

2009-05-18T22:12:00.001-07:00

Tonight, Tae Woong, my homestay student from Korea, was one of six students (two from each grade level) to win a "History Scholar Award." King's High is a private school--and a tough one at that! They demand excellence from their students. Tae Woong has maintained an A- all year long in World History, which is amazing when you realize that English is his 'second' language, and this is only his second year of studying in the USA. It just goes to show how smart he really is!
Tae Woong with his World History teacher, Mr. Fretz.

In the following video, Mrs. Stubbs, another history teacher at King's, is announcing the winners of the History Scholar Awards.
About Tae Woong, (at school they call him "William") she said this:

"William loves, lives and talks history!"

(I'm sorry this video isn't better, but I include it so Tae Woong's parents can see a little bit of the ceremony.

A desert social followed the ceremony. Here Tae Woong talks with his choir teacher, Mr. Pumphrey.

For the social, the students in the culinary arts class made these sinfully rich desserts. (Unfortunately I sampled too many of these tempting delicacies and it will likely be Thanksgiving before I come down from my 'sugar high.')

Congratulations on your award tonight, Tae Woong. Your Homestay Mama is proud of you, and I'm sure your parent's are too!

A Friendly Challenge

2009-05-07T10:18:00.000-07:00

Homestay Mama loves a friendly challenge! So at the dinner table when Tae Woong asked if I'd ever arm wrestled, I remembered wrestling with Ali about 15 years ago. Could I still do it? The proof is in these videos.

Ezra and Tae Woong were equally strong!

Tae Woong was kind--at first. Then...

No contest with Ezra!

Oh the pain of defeat!

Gotta start lifting weights immediately!

Love,

Homestay Mama

MY Excuse!

2009-05-07T09:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I didn't get much done in my garden last weekend, or anytime this week for that matter. What's my excuse?

Yah, it's been raining again--and not the usual drizzle. It's been raining 'cats and dogs!' And, the wind has been whipping tree branches around like cheerleader's pom poms at a football game! I see several have landed in my yard.

Ah, I think you have to be born here to enjoy springtime in Seattle. I'm afraid non-natives would wrinkle up and die.

Taking the good along with the bad,

Love,

Homestay Mama

'Signs' of Spring in Seattle

2009-04-30T21:33:00.000-07:00

Sign # 1 Mama is out with her teenager.
Sign # 2 The rhododendrons are blooming!
Sign # 3 My cherry tree is ready for the bees.
Sign # 4 The weeds are growing like, uh, weeds!
Sign # 5 My tools are ready!
Three guesses what I'll be doing this weekend!

Love,

Homestay Mama

Athena

2009-04-23T23:50:00.000-07:00

My Mommy sure spends a lot of time on her computer! Sometimes I have to get right in front of her to get her attention!

Well, that didn't work very well. Guess I'll try a different tactic!

She's telling me I'd better behave. Ho Hum. I'm a cat. I'll do what I please!

Well, this is getting boring. What else can I do? I wish she'd leave so I could have MY chair back.

Ahhh, this is more like it!

Gotta catch me another cat nap now.

See ya later, dude.

Athena

The Birthday Celebration Continues...

2009-04-22T23:36:00.000-07:00

I am so blessed!

My good friends, Mitra and Esmaeil with two of their sons came over tonight after dinner to bring me a birthday present.

Mitra is tremendous cook and a wonderful hostess! I can't even begin to hold a candle to her cooking! I've had their family over for meals several times. Most of the dinners would have ended up a disaster if Mitra hadn't come to my rescue!

So I see she has finally taken pity on me--she has given me a warming/serving dish for my birthday. It is just like the one she uses when we go to her house for meals. She is the best hostess. Her meals are always perfect. Always! I keep hoping that maybe someday her talent will rub off on me!
In this picture: Daniel, Mitra, Jonathan, Ezra, Sue, Tae Woong (hiding), Toshi, Esmaeil

My very good friend, Jean, also came over tonight with a birthday gift--a pot of flowering pens that she made for me. Aren't they just the greatest? Jean and her husband, Greg, are my dear friends from many years ago. Jean is just the most bubbly, vivacious, person I have ever known, and I love her to pieces.And, here is the perfect place for my cheerful bouquet--right beside the phone and message pad.

Thank you, my dear friends. I am so blessed by having all of you in my life!

Love,

Homestay Mama

Another Milestone

2009-04-21T17:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday when I was planning this post, I thought I'd title it 'Medicare.' And, then to match the negative funk I was in, I thought I'd throw in a collection of "you know you're old when..." jokes.

But this morning when I opened my Bible to read the next chapter, I sensed God chiding me for thinking so negatively about my age. If Abraham could become a father at age 100, then I certainly wasn't too old to be a homestay mama at 65!

God also reminded me that I should be thankful for everthing I have--my health, my home, an enjoyable part time job, a steady income, wonderful family, faithful friends and of course, terrific homestay students! So, why was I moaning about my age, my imperfections and other negative things?
God was right, of course!

When I opened my mail this afternoon, I was greeted with birthday cards from friends, near and far. And, when I opened Facebook this evening, birthday wishes came tumbling out from all around the world! THANK YOU ONE AND ALL!

Tonight after dinner, my students and my neighbor surprised me with a birthday celebration. They had picked out chocolate mousse cake (to die for!) and rocky road ice cream (my favorite!)
Note that 6 candles around the edge and a shorter (1/2) candle in the middle equals 65!
So here's a big THANK YOU to my family, all my friends, my neighbor and my homestay students--Toshi, Ezra, and Tae Woong--for making my 65th a most memorable birthday!

And, to God, THANK YOU for loving me and blessing me with another wonderful year!

Getting older, but wiser, and (I hope) learning to age more gracefully...

Love,

Homestay Mama

WE HAVE A WINNER! (finally)

2009-04-15T23:15:00.000-07:00

Why is it that nothing goes according to plans? Has that ever happened to you? Well, this post is way past the 10:00 p.m. deadline I promised you, but I'll spare you all the 'Murphy' details, and hopefully you'll forgive me for the lateness of this post!

I tried to make it as scientific as possible using less than scientific means. I printed all your comments on the exact, same-size, slips of paper.

Then I folded each slip of paper into the exact same size and put them into this basket.

Next, Toshi and Ezra helped me by drawing out three names! Yes, three--I decided to add a little twist to the suspense! And a surprise!
At this point we still had not opened any of the slips of paper so we didn't know whose names had been selected. Then we put the three slips of paper back into the basket. (Woops, I forgot to take the price tag off the basket! How embarassing!)

Then my very efficient helpers drew out one slip of paper at a time.

The first slip of paper they drew is the second runner up. The winner is: Jane. Congratulations, Jane. Send me an e-mail with your address and I'll get your prize right out to you--an exciting pedicure set from my favorite health & vitamin store (Super Supplements). Then relax your pampered feet on the sofa while you sip a soothing cup of tea!

The second slip of paper they drew is the first runner up. The winner is: Aunt Clyo. Congratulations, Aunt Clyo! Hey, I know you! But you can send me an e-mail anyway, and I'll send this book to you, written by my favorite author, Jan Karon. I'll include some tea also, because there's nothing better than sipping a cup of tea while reading a wonderful book!

OK, everyone, did you like that little surprising twist? I thought it was fun, and I just might do it again at my next giveaway!

And now...

Drum roll please.......

The last slip of paper is the First Prize Winner of Homestay Mama's First Ever Giveaway.
(This is so fun! I just love giveaways, don't you?)

And the winner for the $25.00 gift card is...

another drum roll, please...

Congratulations Cee! Send me an e-mail with your address, and tell me your choice of stores. Hmmmm, since you live in Australia, $25.00 in American dollars, should be about $34 in Australian dollars, right? Anyway, you are such a creative woman, I think you will have no trouble deciding what to buy!

My humble thanks to all the rest of you for participating in my first giveaway. I wish I could have given prizes to all of you for being such wonderful participants!

Happy April 15th!

Love,

Homestay Mama

Tomorrow!

2009-04-14T22:13:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow is the BIG day! Tomorrow I'm having a giveaway to offset the take-away the IRS usually does on April 15th here in the USA!

Tomorrow we'll put all the entrants' names in a basket. Then my homestay students will draw one lucky person's name for my first-ever giveaway--a $25.00 gift certificate to Amazon, Staples, Office Max or Office Depot--winner's choice.

So, did you leave me a comment here? If so, you just might become tomorrow's lucky winner. If you didn't leave me a comment, what are you waiting for? Go here now! Hurry! Tomorrow is almost here!

The giveaway closes at 5:00 p.m. Pacific time tomorrow (April 15th). I will post the winner's name by 10:00 p.m. Pacific time tomorrow.

So don't let the IRS or those taxes get you down! Tomorrow will be a better day. Lately it's been grey and cold here in Seattle, but the sun is coming out tomorrow. I hope the sun comes out tomorrow where you are, too!

And, I hope you'll be the lucky winner!

Tomorrow!

Love,

Homestay Mama

Strong Men!

2009-04-09T18:47:00.001-07:00

Iranian men exercise using carved blocks of wood, called a mil, in a Zurkhaneh "House of Strength" in Karaj 45 km west of Tehran August 20, 2007. Reuters Pictures

Recently Tae Woong and I visited an Iranian family who came to America many years ago and who are now among my dearest of friends. Esmaeil had just finished making himself a pair of 'mils' out of some scrap wood that was leftover from a building project he'd completed for one of his neighbors. Here is a close-up showing the layers of wood he glued together to form a mil. (Esmaeil is the most ingenious man I've ever met. I am always amazed at what he creates out of discards!)<

Mils are not lightweight by any definition--one mil can weigh anywhere from 20 lbs and up! Notice the mils are resting on my shoulders. I could not lift them. I'm a real weakling!

But Tae Woong has got some impressive muscles!

Now here's Esmaeil showing us the correct way to exercise with these mils! When he's at his prime, he can do 1,000 revolutions with a pair of mils. I took a video of Esmaeil in action, but unfortunately I can't get it to load to the blog, so this picture will have to do for now.

Not only is Esmaeil strong, but he's also one of the nicest men I've met! And his wife cooks Persian food to die for--my favorite is ghormeh sabzi--but that will have to be a future post!

In the meantime I'd better start exercising my flabby, wimpish arms!

Love,

Homestay Mama

P.S.
Don't forget--my first giveaway next week--April 15th. If you haven't already done so, go here and leave me a comment.

The Rest of the Story

2009-04-07T21:32:00.000-07:00

If you read my previous post, you know that one of my homestay students and I took advantage of the beautiful weather and did some sightseeing on Sunday.

Well now, here is the 'rest of the story.'

We had been traveling north on I-5 for about 20 minutes when the car in front of us swerved suddenly to avoid hitting some metal junk on the freeway. I tried to miss it too, but, "wham, bang!"

Ouch!

Hoping it hadn't damaged my gas tank, I kept glancing in the rear view mirror to see if there was a trail of liquid on the pavement.

Nothing. It appeared everything was OK. So I relaxed.

We put a lot of miles on the car that day and didn't get home until 10:00 p.m.

On Monday afternoon I got into my car to go to the grocery store. Something felt very wrong as I backed out of my driveway, so I pulled back in.

Uh-oh. A flat tire!

I pulled the spare tire out of the trunk and found the wrench. But, I felt pretty helpless. I have never changed a tire in my entire life! (Amazing, but true!)

About a minute or two later, my neighbor came home from work, saw my dilemna and, bless his heart, took off the flat tire and put on the spare for me.

Today I took the flat tire to Les Schwaab Tire Center. They discovered a broken piece of metal imbedded deep into the tire--and they fixed it for free!

You may be thinking, "That was lucky!" But I say, it wasn't luck at all! It was God protecting my student and me on Sunday. And it was God providing help when I needed it yesterday through the kindness of my neighbor, and today through the folks at Les Schwaab.

Thank you God!
Thank you, neighbor!
Thank you Les Schwaab people!

Praising God for all his goodness,

Love,

Homestay Mama

Spring Break

2009-04-05T23:50:00.001-07:00

My homestay students have been on spring break this past week. Toshi headed south to California; Ezra headed East to Lake Chelan. Tae Woong stayed home and studied for his PSAT test that he has to take next month.

It's been grey skies, drizzling rain and shivering cold all week. But today it seemed as if some magical fairy dust had been sprinkled over everything during the night because, we awoke to a beautiful, sunny, cloudless sky.

A day like this is not to be wasted, so Tae Woong and I set out to do some exploring. We headed north on I-5 and then exited off to Chuckanut Drive--a road built in the late 1800's--that winds along the forested hills next to the Puget Sound.

Tae Woong at one of the lookouts along Chuckanut Drive.

Our destination was Fairhaven--a quaint but thriving town near Bellingham, Washington.

There were many sailboats out in Bellingham Bay...

...and people in Marine Park.

The afternoon sun danced in silver sparkles on the water.

We ate our picnic lunch at the park.

Then we took our time heading back home. We stopped at RoozenGaarde in Mt. Vernon, Washington. They are famous for their tulips and daffodils. Today the daffodils were in bloom. The tulips will be blooming in another week.

The RoozenGaarde windmill.

There is nothing more beautiful than acres of gold shimmering in the sun.

They have many varieties of daffodils. I think this one is my favorite.

But I like this one, too.

Enjoying our break from the rain, the warmth of the sun and God's beautiful handiwork,

Love,

Homestay Mama

Socialism

2009-04-02T02:42:00.000-07:00

We interupt our regular posts for this important lesson:

An economics professor at Texas Tech said he had never failed a single student before but, had once failed an entire class. The students in that class had insisted that socialism worked--that under socialism no one would be poor and no one would be rich--that socialsm is a great equalizer.

The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism. All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so that no one will fail and no one will receive an A."

After the first test the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.

But, as the second test rolled around, the students who'd studied little had studied even less and the ones who'd studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too, so they studied little. The average for the second test was a D.
No one was happy!

When the 3rd test rolled around the average was an F!

The scores never increased because bickering, blame and name calling all resulted in hard feelings and, no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

To their great surprise, all the students failed. The professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great. But, when the government takes all the honestly-earned rewards away, no one will want or try to succeed.

There could not be any simpler explanation of socialism versus capitalism than this!

OK, back to our regular post writing.

Giveaway Reminder

2009-04-01T00:21:00.000-07:00

Don't forget my giveaway ($25 gift card of your choice) on April 15th. If you haven't already done so, go read this post and leave me a comment. That will automatically enter you as a contestant. I hope you win!

Not Your Ordinary Love Story, Part Two

2009-03-31T00:37:00.000-07:00

From: Amazing Journey, Amazing Grace

As the reality of singleness set in, I became acutely aware of how many things I was now responsible for. I needed to earn enough money to keep a roof over my head; I needed to keep that roof, and everything below it, clean, maintained and repaired; and, I needed to keep all the inhabitants under that roof well-fed and healthy. Wow! How could I ever manage all of these responsibilities as a single mom?! As a single homestay mom?! I needed superhuman strength--and wisdom, too.

One day I felt particularly overwhelmed by the enormity of my responsibility and my inability to get everything done. How could I keep up? I was sooo tired. All I could do was pray and wait for the answer. It came soon enough.

Have you ever read something that really resonated with you? That while you were reading, you just knew those words were meant for you? That while you were reading, the words were almost popping off the page at you?

Well, that’s what happened to me one morning as I sat reading my Bible. I had a strong sense that God was telling me to take particular notice of the words:
“Fear not; you will no longer live in shame. The shame of your youth and the sorrows of widowhood will be remembered no more, for your Creator will be your ‘husband. The LORD Almighty is his name! He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth. For the LORD has called you back from your grief—a young wife abandoned by her husband.” (Living Bible)

Wow! The message couldn’t have been plainer!

In the past God had repeatedly told me not to worry about anything. Now as I read and re-read those verses in Isaiah, it slowly dawned on me that here was the reason why! It was because HE would fill the role of a ‘husband’ in my life. HE would be my protector, my provider and my comforter. HE would make sure there was help when I needed it. I would not be doing everything alone! Once this realization sank in, I was in awe of how freeing is God's love.

First of all, His love frees me to be the real me that He created me to be. I no longer have to ‘walk on eggshells.’ With God I can just relax and be myself. When I pray to Him, I don’t fear he will reject what I'm feeling and saying. He will be patient with me. If I'm wrong, he will gently correct me.

Secondly, His love frees me to be the new me that He is helping me to become. Less insecure, less self-centered, less worried, more loving, more accepting, more patient, more tactful and definitely a lot calmer. Don't get me wrong. I'm no saint, and never will be this side of Heaven. But, at least I'm heading in the right direction.

From that day until the present, as I have looked for answers through daily Bible reading and prayer, God has never gone back on the promise to be my Creator-'husband.' Numerous times, help came in at just the right time for house cleaning, repairs, painting, etc. When I've needed extra money to pay for unexpected expenses, it has always come in--sometimes from the most unexpected sources. In future chapters I will write in more detail about specific incidences.

God has never left me, nor has he ever given up on me. He has always exercised patience and kindness toward me. He has never quit loving me. What an awesome God! I know this is not your ordinary love story, but, I hope it gives you a glimpse into why I love God with all my heart, my soul and my mind!

Now, sometimes God does allow times of testing. But when bad things happen I know He is allowing it for a reason, although that reason might not be clear for awhile. For example, one Saturday afternoon in February 1994, I was relaxing on the sofa when my eyes suddenly focused on a telltale “brown” ring on the ceiling above me. My heart sank. The roof over my head had sprung a leak!

To be continued.

Chapter 6: Not Your Ordinary Love Story, Part One

2009-03-29T19:02:00.000-07:00

From: Amazing Journey, Amazing Grace

Before I contine writing about my experiences as a homestay mama, I want to backtrack to June 8, 1985. My marriage was teetering on the brink of collapse. Marriage counseling was not working. I didn’t know what else to do or where to turn. As I crawled into bed that evening in June, I felt helpless and hopeless. I couldn’t sleep and just laid there staring at the ceiling. My feelings were a jumbled mess. My mind refused to think--refused to deal with the problem any longer. I was at the end of my rope.

Then I saw Jesus. His arms were outstretched toward me, palms up--inviting me to come. It wasn't a distinct image, yet it was intense and powerful just the same. I knew it was Him. I could feel His presence in the room--a presence that emanated the most amazing love I have ever felt. Even though this experience was most unusual, I felt no fear. The love I felt from Him was so peaceful, so comforting, so compelling that I wanted to surrender. But, there was a barrier between us!

My sins.

They had to be dealt with once and for all!

Some sins are obvious, but the worst kind lurk just beneath the surface of one’s spiritual heart. One by one as God brought my arrogance, critical spirit, self-righteousness and a host of other sins to the surface, I saw how ugly they were in His eyes. Especially my pride! That seemed to be the major problem in everything He was bringing before me!

I had grown up in a Christian home. I had been a relatively obedient child. I believed in God. I went to church every Sunday. I didn’t do those obviously ‘bad sins,’ which other people did. I tried to live and work ethically, honestly and in harmony with those around me! I gave to the poor and tried to help the less fortunate. Surely all of that counted for something!

But in God’s eyes my goodness counted for nothing. In front of Him the playing field is level. I was no better than the worst of sinners! Seeing myself as God saw me, reduced me to broken humbleness. All pretense was stripped away. There was no place to go but down on my knees, and so I slipped out from under the covers and knelt down beside the bed.

As God brought first one sin after another to the surface, I asked Him to forgive me and remove it from my heart. I don't know how long I was there on my knees, but it seemed like a very long time. When He was finished, I felt like my heart must surely resemble a block of Swiss cheese—full of holes from all the sins He’d carved out! “Oh, Lord,” I prayed. “Don’t leave me like this! Please fill all those holes with your love!”

And He did!

Oh, what a difference! I felt clean inside! I felt peace and joy. But most of all, I felt love--pure love--for the first time in my life! And, I had renewed hope because I knew I now had God's love and his Spirit living inside me. I desired reading the Bible like I'd never desired it before and so I read, and read, and read some more. I felt like a parched desert after a drenching rain! It was wonderful!

Now fast-forward to 1992. Even though I had fervently prayed for God to heal my marriage, my husband left. At that point I could have become bitter, thrown in the towel and turned my back on God. But, I chose to hang on. And, I’m so glad I did!

Tomorrow: Not Your Ordinary Love Story, Part Two.

Melodramatic!

2009-03-26T23:48:00.000-07:00

I'M BACK!
MY TAXES ARE DONE! HOORAY!

And, I feel like kicking up my heels and celebrating with a contest! (More on that below.)

Some of my local friends (who read my blog) suggested that my temporary 'goodbye post' last week was leaning a bit toward the melodramatic. So, I'm sorry! Okay?

But, I HATE doing taxes! And last year was a real doozy because of losing my job, going back to school to retrain for a new career, breaking my wrist, having surgery to restore that wrist, having to repair the leaking/molding shower in the bathroom downstairs and finally deciding to quit looking for work and signing up for social security, instead! All of these incidents had to be figured into the equation because every single one of them affected my taxes. So, I was dreading taxes 'worser' (yeah, I know! ) than if I were facing a root canal! So, I hope you can forgive me for succumbing to a little melodrama (and bad English) just this once. OK?

BTW, all that 'grief' from last year added up to a refund from the IRS! So, I'll say it again, "HOORAY, HOORAY, HOORAY!"

So now, because all of you were so patient with me while I ventured into that little melodrama last week, and because I'm feeling so happy right now, here are the rules for the contest:

Just leave me a short comment (or a long one if you'd rather) and tell me whether or not you figure your own taxes, or take them to a tax preparer, or any other comment you'd rather leave.

If you do not live in the USA, you can still enter the contest. Just tell me something about the taxes in your country, or any other comment you'd rather leave.

Then on April 15th (that's tax-reckoning day here in the USA), I'll put all your names into a basket and have one of my homestay students draw out a winning name. I'll announce the winner by 10:00 p.m. PDST (Pacific Daylight Savings Time). The winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to Office Depot, or Office Max, or Staples, or Amazon--the choice is theirs.

HOORAY! Let the celebration begin!

Goodbye, My Friends!

2009-03-20T22:28:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry to have to break the sad news, but I'm leaving. You have all become such good friends, which makes leaving all the more difficult. I have enjoyed getting to know each and every one of you--to have laughed with you, cried with you, and even e-mailed some of you. But the truth is I just can't stay any longer.

I don't want to worry you, but life is a little tough right now. No, I'm not dying or anything morbid like that. But the fact is I have responsibilities that are not being met! And being the responsibile person that I am, I can't continue slacking off any longer. I cannot continue shirking my duties. I can't allow myself to be addicted to your blogs any longer!

I'm sorry it had to come down to this--to a face off! But, it's either you or them and, unfortunately, I've got to choose them! My parents taught me to be a woman of honor--to do the right thing. And so, that's why I have to leave.

If I don't look my duty square in the face and leave now, then I am in danger of ending up here! Shudder!

So I must choose the path of responsibility. I can't take this path lightly. It is serious business.

I know all of you would do the same thing if you were in my shoes. Heck, maybe some of you have already been there and you understand exactly what I'm facing!

So, goodbye, dear friends. I'm going to miss you, but I have to go now.

But I'll be back....

....after they're finished with me.

What?!
Did you think I would leave you all forever?
Not in a heartbeat!

Hoping you won't forget me while I'm gone.

Love,

Homestay Mama

...if only it were that simple!

I Love Your Blog Award!

2009-03-18T23:51:00.000-07:00

It's been more than a month, and I'm ashamed of myself for taking so long to follow up on an award that my dear bloggy friend, Robynn, at Robynn's Ravings gave to me. She said such sweet things about me that I blushed like a school girl! She called me wise and caring and added a bunch of other thoughtful compliments. She also said, "I want a mama like her only she's too young to be my mama." (If only I really were 'too young!' But, alas, my son turned 40 this year and I was no child bride!)

I hate to spoil Robynn's image of me, but you've got to know the ugly truth! I am no angel! My blog is not witty, or clever or even *noteworthy like hers, but, thank you Robynn for thinking otherwise and for giving me this wonderful award. *Noteworthy as in having The Pioneer Woman read and make a comment on her post!

And, now I'm passing this award on to other blogs that are much more deserving:

1. To Tatersmama at Tatersmama's Take on Things. This lady keeps me bursting with health from her daily posts that evoke deep belly laughter, the best medicine in the whole world! It takes real talent to write about simple topics and turn them into a ROFL post! But, Tatersmama does it all the time! I'm glad I got in on the ground floor--so to speak--before she becomes famous. Because I've come to know how sweet, helpful, kind and encouraging she really is! Once she has the huge following that is bound to come, she'll have no time left to read and leave her witty comments on other people's posts.

2. To Christine at Smiles And Trials who truly inspires me with her posts about her life with 11 children--soon to be 12. Some of their children were born right in their home, while others (some with special needs) have come from as far away as Russia and Ukraine, and have joined them through the miracle of adoption. My hat is off to Christine for sharing her family's smiles and trials with the rest of us! Reading her past posts have brought both laughter and tears to my eyes and I'm in awe of this remarkable family.

3. To Mandy at The Old Dairy for her gardening and sewing skills and her pictures that have inspired me to try gardening again. I actually bought vegetable seeds the other day and am waiting for the weather to warm up! She also inspires me with her ability to get so much done in a day plus take care of seven children, a handful of international exchange students and a husband who is battling cancer. And, still squeeze in time to write interesting posts with neat pictures. How does she do it?!

Wishing everyone a wonderful day,

Love,

Homestay Mama

Come Join the Celebration!

2009-03-15T22:10:00.000-07:00

My dear friend, Gramma2Many, is celebrating her 200th post by having a giveaway. She's giving away a pair of socks she has knit with her own two hands. If that's not special enough for you, there's more! They are made with Panda Silk by Crystal Palace Yarns. 52% Bamboo, 43% Superwash Merino Wool and 5% combed Silk. Who wouldn't want to slip their feet into the softest pair of socks this side of Heaven! So head on over , see a picture of these designer socks and leave her a comment. You just might be the lucky winner!

The Mountains are Out! Day 2

2009-03-12T23:09:00.000-07:00

When the mountains are out, they don't stay out for long. So I spent most of today chasing them with camera in hand, because, the rain clouds are already forming out in the Pacific Ocean and will be rolling in tomorrow, obscuring all this beauty again, for awhile.

So, here are a few more pictures to entice you to come visit our Evergreen State.

The following pic was taken from a residential area facing the Olympics and Puget Sound to the west.

The neat thing however, is that I don't have to drive down to the water to get awesome views of the mountains. They are visible right in my hometown when I'm out running errands. For example, here is a view of the Olympics from one of our main streets.

This next picture is taken in the city where I do most of my shopping. From this overpass, I can see the Olympics to the west towering over the main street in town.

Now by simply pivoting in the opposite direction, this is the road to the mall and the Cascades to the east. Believe me, it's nearly impossible to keep your eyes on the road when the mountains are out!

And finally, I drove to a city farther north to get a sweeping vista of the Cascades. It took 6 photos end to end to capture the range as far as the naked eye could see. But the total range stretches even farther in both directions. Here are just 3 photos out of the 6.

Feeling certain that I'm living in God's Country!

Love,

Homestay Mama