Rest in Peace Chloe

Yesterday morning we took Chloe to the vet to see if it was time to put her down. The vet examined her and asked us a lot of questions about her behavior. She concluded that her kidneys were failing, she was severely dehydrated and had lost all muscle mass. She said there was little we could do to try to help her, if we tried to inject fluids, there was no muscle mass to absorb them. Even though she's been eating and drinking a lot, she wasn't getting any nutrition or hydration, everything went right through her. She was evidently always very hungry and thirsty but never feeling satisfied no matter how much she ate or drank. I felt horrible when I found that out. We had not thought of her suffering in that way and when the vet explained it to us, we knew it was time for us to let her go. The vet put a catheter into her leg and brought her back in to us wrapped in a blanket. I held her while the vet administered the medication through the catheter. It only took a few seconds and she was gone, quickly and peacefully. It was really one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I didn't know how hard it would be. I'm glad we were there with her at the end but I cry every time I think about it. I cried a lot yesterday. And still today, everywhere I look, something reminds me of her and makes me emotional. 15 years is a long time to have a pet with you everyday so it's going to take awhile to get used to not having her here. Chloe was the first cat I've ever owned and it's due to her that I love cats so much now. She was also the first real pet my kids ever had. This is hitting Joshua particularly hard, he wasn't ready to let her go. Jeremy's sad too, but understands and wants to have a picture of her framed to keep on his wall. The vet gave us a little clay disc with her paw prints on it. I baked it so it would be hard and I'm going to frame it with her picture and tag.

I'm glad we still have Milo and Daphne. They're becoming good friends and they play together a lot now. They're keeping Don and I entertained and are good company, but they can't replace Chloe.

Rest in peace, Chloe, we love you.

A Wonderful Christmas

We had a really nice Christmas. It's been different since Joshua and Jeremy left home - Christmas morning is much more laid-back and quiet, but it's still very nice for Don and I to celebrate together. The kids came over late afternoon and stayed several hours. We had a turkey dinner and Lily really appreciated my Raspberry and Lemon parfait salad. It's so nice to have another woman in the family to share and appreciate the things I like.

Don and I got a laptop for each other and I also bought him some small tools and peanuts (of course). He gave me 2 bottles of perfume (really good stuff), my traditional Christmas book (this year a beautiful pop-up for my pop-up book collection), some slippers and macadamia nut clusters. Joshua and Lily got me a wireless mouse for the laptop and Don some nuts and a book on Aviation. I was so excited to give Joshua and Lily the camera we'd gotten them, but they didn't seem very surprised when they opened it. I found out Jeremy had accidentally told them they were getting it. Joshua had said to him, "you know what Mom and Dad are getting me, don't you?" Jeremy, thinking that Joshua somehow already knew said, "yeah, a camera, right?" Then he realized that Joshua hadn't known and felt horrible. Anyway, they were really happy with it, so I guess it's fine but I wish it would have been a surprise.

I'm sorry Christmas is over only because I really don't want to take down the Christmas decorations yet. I love having the house decorated and I'm not ready to take everything down. I made new stockings this year for Joshua, Jeremy and Lily. Don and I had matching stockings and I really liked them but the ones we had for Joshua and Jeremy were completely different and we didn't have a stocking for Lily yet. So I bought fabric that coordinated with Don and my stockings and copied the pattern so now all our stockings go together and go with the Woodland theme of our family room.

A week ago I hosted a Christmas ornament/decoration exchange and luncheon here for a group of friends. We also had a "most outrageous Christmas attire" contest. It was so much fun - it's been a tradition here for years and there was no one to host it this year so I volunteered. I look forward to it every year.

I found out this morning that a sister in our ward passed away last night. She was 103 years old so it wasn't unexpected but her son is having a very hard time, he was very devoted to her and took wonderful care of her over the years. I'm very involved in helping with the funeral plans being Relief Society President so I've been making a lot of calls trying to coordinate everything. Difficult timing with Christmas and New Year's and the Bishop and one counselor being out of town but it will all work out.

I have an appointment Monday to take Chloe in to the vet to see if it's time to have her put down. I'm really dreading making the decision. It's a very difficult one, and I'm really hoping the vet can give us good advice about it. In some ways, she's really deteriorated, but in other ways, she seems OK, so it's hard to know. We love her and I don't want to lose her but I hate watching her go downhill and I worry that she's suffering in some way we can't tell. She's not making it to the litter box anymore, she's skin and bones, she's losing some of her hair and drooling a lot and she'll just come up to me sometimes and meow at me like she's trying to tell me something important but I don't know what - it sounds sad, though. Things that used to bother her, she's now oblivious to (like the vacuum cleaner and garage door opener). She still gets around OK, though and eats well (too well, really - she begs for food constantly).

Hoping for a great new year for all of our family and friends.

It's The Hap-Happiest Time of the Year

Thought I'd start by posting some pictures of the newest addition to our family, Daphne. We got her from the litter that came from the stray cat that Joshua and Lily took in. We kept all the kittens and mother for a few weeks and fell in love with her. I was determined not to keep any of the kittens, but just couldn't help myself and now we don't know what we'd do without her. She's so sweet and funny. She's even gotten old Milo to play with her. Her favorite "toy"

Werther's candy wrapper which she carries around in her mouth and deposits wherever she wants to play with it. Usually that's on my bed or on the couch - wherever we are. She's become our little princess but is quickly learning the meaning of the words "No" and "Get Down." On a sadder note, our dear older cat, Chloe, is in declining health and we fear we won't have her around much longer. Chloe is the first cat we've ever had so losing her will be very difficult for our whole family. Joshua seems to be the most upset about it.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Heather, Mark, Paige, Jennifer, Alison and Christopher all came and were able to stay for several days. We loved having them and the house feels pretty quiet and lonely without them now. While they were here, Mark fixed our computer and now I can blog again. It was running so slow, it was impossible to use it for much. I've been doing everything from my iPod for months. It's nice to have the computer back. Heather and Mark also gave us a 500 gb hard drive so now I can back up everything and have plenty of storage.

I never do Black Friday because I HATE the crowds, lines, and early hour, but this year Don and I decided we'd really like to get a laptop and Office Depot and Staples both had an HP for $299. I decided to go to Office Depot because they were giving out vouchers at 5:00 a.m. even though they didn't open until 6:00 a.m. As I drove by Staples at 4:45 a.m. I noticed their line had only 4 people and when I got to Office Depot I saw their line (very long) and headed right back to Staples. Staples didn't hand out vouchers and didn't open until 6:00 a.m. so I stood out in the cold for 1 1/4 hours but once I got in I got one of the 9 laptops available and was out the door at 6:05 a.m. and back in bed at 6:20 a.m. I was pretty proud of myself for getting just what I wanted and nothing else (although they tried very hard to talk me into the more expensive laptop and their extended warranty).

I'm all decorated for Christmas (we decorated before Thanksgiving this year - the first time I've ever done that and something that, in theory, I'm against). Don's kids and grandkids were happy to see all our decorations and want us to make it a tradition to decorate before they come. I've also got my Christmas cards in the mail and most of my shopping done.

Don got a new calling Sunday. He's been in the High Priest Group leadership since we moved here but was called Sunday as Membership Clerk. I think he'll miss working with the High Priests but he's excited about his new calling too. He'll be very good at it.

We met my parents in Bend a few weeks ago and spent the night in a Comfort Suites where Joshua got us a discount. My mom gave me her beautiful Christmas village (I've never had one but always wanted one). She also gave me our old Nativity Scene from our childhood. It's cheap and worn but holds a lot of memories for me and I'm thrilled to have it. We had a nice, if short, visit with them and stopped in Sisters and did some shopping. We love Sisters, and would also like to go back to Bend and see more of it. Seems like there's a lot to do there.

Sometime within the next week or two (we're watching the weather), we're going to go to the coast (Coos Bay) and spend the night so we can see the Christmas lights at Shore Acres State Park. They call it "a million points of light" but in reality there are at least many thousand lights decorating the beautiful garden there. It's supposed to be pretty spectacular so we're anxious to see it.

Well, Daphne has joined me at the computer and is making typing very difficult for me. She's trying to attack the screen and walk across the keyboard so I'm going to quit for now. Guess it's like having little kids - you have to work while they nap. Here's a cute cartoon -- and so true -- this is exactly how I eat now that we have Daphne.

Back from Vacation

The OK Corral where we had lunch overlooking the Rogue River

One of the Hellgate jetboats (not ours)


Don riding the jetboat with the wind in his hair, I was trying the hold my wig on

Jetboating on the beautiful Rogue River

More Rogue River jetboating

We had a wonderful, but not long enough, vacation last week. We headed down to California to visit family and friends but stopped on the way down for two nights in Medford (I had 2 free nights at a Marriott there). While there we toured the Harry & David factory which was soooo interesting and did a little shopping at their big store. But the most FUN thing we did was ride the Hellgate Jetboats down the Rogue River from Grants Pass. It was a 36 mile round trip with a stop on the way back at the OK Corral (a beautiful rustic outdoor restaurant) for lunch overlooking the river. The ride was way more fun than we expected. It was so fast and exhilirating and WET!!! We really loved it and can't wait to go again. We'd like to take the jetboats from Gold Beach the other direction on the Rogue River and also the jetboats in Portland that go down the Willamette to the falls. Don and I decided that since we had so much fun and also enjoyed our trip through the Columbia Gorge in April so much that we needed to make a list of all the great things to do in Oregon and start taking our vacations throughout the state. We've already done quite a few "Oregon" things (Crater Lake, Sea Lion Caves, Columbia Gorge, Covered Bridge tour, Jetboats, Lighthouses, etc.) but there's still so much to do and see in Oregon.

This has been a summer of family and friends. Having so much family come to see us for Joshua's wedding was wonderful and we've also had the Allreds and Burts come visit. Then going to California was great because we spent lots of time with Don's kids and grandkids, saw Jana's family (it was wonderful seeing Kenji again), saw Rebecca's family and went to church in our old ward and saw almost all of our old friends. It was very nostalgic and brought back wonderful memories. I got to spend a little time with my best friend, Janine, and I had lunch with another great friend, Leah. We stayed 4 nights at Heather's new house and swam in her beautiful, huge pool. She was a perfect hostess and we celebrated Jennifer's birthday there with a great meal and birthday cake. Don and I spent one day driving around Napa seeing all the changes there. There are new hotels, apartments, houses, restaurants and shops all over. It was a little strange to see my hometown seem so unfamiliar in some areas. The only thing that made me feel truly homesick, though, was going into my old supermarket, Raley's. How funny to get homesick over a store of all things, but I did. Our old house had evidently been foreclosed on and had sat empty for awhile and so the lawn was dead and so were most of the plants. Also there were lots of weeds growing in the yard. It was very sad to me. It looks like someone has moved in now so hopefully they'll fix it up again. The Saturday morning we were there Heather wanted us to all go out to Suisun to the farms and pick produce. She loves to do that so we went to a couple of farms and picked heirloom tomatoes and peaches. Actually, everyone picked the peaches except Don and I. We decided we'd just buy them already picked so we sat in the shade and ate some while they picked their's. Then we found out they didn't even get a discount for picking them, but they enjoyed themselves.

Speaking of produce, today I went out to our farm stands here in Eugene (I like them MUCH better than Suisun's) and bought some peaches, nectarines, corn and sweet onions. Then Don and I went down the hill (on Timberline) and picked blackberries. I'm pretty scratched up from picking them but it'll be worth it when I make berry pie with them tomorrow.

I'm kind of excited about working on my food storage lately. The Stake gave our ward a booklet and DVD about food storage and there was a lot of information and advice in them that I'd never heard. I found that I've been focusing on getting the wrong things. Now I have an exact menu for a year and have figured out all the ingredients I need to make the things on my menu. I've made a chart that shows me how much I need of each ingredient, how much I have and how much I still need to buy. So instead of just guessing that I should buy more rice, beans or dried milk, now I know exactly what I need to make things we'll really eat. In making my menus I've realized that I need to start bottling meat (it sounds gross but I'm assured it's really delicious) so I have to buy a pressure canner cooker. That's my next big purchase (the good ones are quite expensive). I also want to get a vacuum jar sealer. I'm in charge of presenting the material in the booklet and DVD to the ward next Sunday for our combined Relief Society/Priesthood meeting. The first Sunday of August I taught Relief Society. The second Sunday I gave a talk in Sacrament Meeting. Last Sunday I was in Napa and had a part to do in Janine's Relief Society lesson. This Sunday I'm just conducting Relief Society. It's a busy month for me - I think the ward will be sick of hearing from me.

It's always good to get home after a vacation but I must say this one sped by and Don and I both wished it would have been a bit longer. I'm thinking of asking him if he'd like to go camping next month. We haven't gone this summer and it shouldn't be crowded in September - just have to hope it's still warm. There's a beautiful lake about 2 hrs. from here, Odell Lake, that we've wanted to camp near. It's first come, first serve so you take your chances going there, but I'm tempted to try. We'll see.

I'm posting pictures of my beautiful hydrangeas too. They're almost done blooming now but they were soooo pretty this year.

The Things That Matter Most

Wedding ceremony

Me during ceremony

My handsome husband

Wedding attendees

Lily

Joshua

Traditional Celtic handfasting ceremony

Exchanging vows

Exchanging vows

The beautiful Bride

Lily and her dad, Tom, walking down the aisle

The Flower Girls - Alison (in back), Gabriella (in front)

My great-nephew, Alex, the Ringbearer

Well, it's been quite a while since I've updated my blog but I finally feel like I have a minute to breathe so here goes.

Joshua & Lily got married on Sat., June 20th at 1:30 p.m. at Lily's mom's farm in Pleasant Hill, Oregon in the middle of a beautiful meadow under a flower and ribbon bedecked arbor. They had a Celtic Country themed wedding and Joshua wore a kilt, tunic and vest and Lily wore a beautiful custom-made dress embellished with ribbons and roses. All the little girls who attended the ceremony were enlisted as flower girls and carried baskets of rose petals that they sprinkled as they walked up the aisle and my little great-nephew, Alex Wood, was the ringbearer. Joshua & Lily walked down the aisle to Celtic music performed by a local band, wrote their own vows and had a traditional Celtic handfasting ceremony where their wrists were bound together (not too tightly) with a ribbon to symbolize their becoming bound together in marriage but not so tightly that they still don't have their own personalities and individuality. My niece, Mandi Wood, made their beautiful 3 tiered wedding cake (2 of which survived - more about that later) with a Celtic design and Celtic knot on top. The wedding reception took place under a huge tent in the meadow with lots of good food and more Celtic music. I have to thank my friends Michelle (who ironed zillions of tablecloths), and Bonnie & Patti (who bought, prepared and served most of the food). What a blessing they were to me. Lily's mom, Marilyn, worked so hard to get her property looking absolutely wonderful and planning and arranging every detail from food, flowers and reception to even a children's play area. It was one of the most beautiful and unique weddings I've ever experienced and I know that's largely due to all of Marilyn's hard work (and Lily & Joshua's imaginations).

Back to the cake. Mandi spent 2 solid days making the wedding cake. She researched and practiced the design so she would get it just right. Things went quite well every step of the way until time to transport the cake to the wedding. As most of you know, we live on a pretty steep hill and so the cake had to go down the hill to get to the wedding. My niece, Megan went with Mandi to help hold the cake in transport, but before they were even to the bottom of the hill, the bottom layer of the cake had slid apart and had pretty much destroyed itself. Mandi was very upset (understandably after all her hard work), but carried on and delivered the surviving top 2 tiers to the wedding. The cake still looked beautiful (just not as big) and I'm sure most people never would have guessed it should have been a 3 tiered cake. But it was a shame. The filling of the cake was a peanut butter filling and was pretty greasy and that, combined with driving down a steep slope, caused the cake to just slide apart. Oh well, it makes for a interesting wedding mishap story that will be told for years to come. But, poor Mandi - I felt sorrier for her than anyone else.

We had lots of family come for the wedding and that was the best part (well, I guess the actual wedding was the best part but all the family being here was a close 2nd). These are the family members who came for the wedding: My parents; my sister, Sue and her husband, Phil; my sister Rebecca, her husband, Bill and her kids, Leslie, Megan, Andrew & Spencer; my niece Mandi and her kids, Alex & Derek; Don's kids, Heather, Jennifer and Jason; Heather's husband, Mark; Jennifer's kids, Alison & Christopher; Jason's daughter, Gabriella; and Don's brother, Sid and his wife, Mary. Of course, Jeremy was there too. We had a wonderful evening together the night before the wedding at our house. Everyone was so happy to see each other and it was just the best of times. Mandi and her kids stayed 10 days so they got to do a lot of things with us before the wedding. My parents stayed 2 weeks and were a huge help to us. Rebecca and her family stayed 4 days so we got to take them over to the coast which they really enjoyed. Heather, Jennifer, Jason & families stayed 3 1/2 days and got to be with their dad on Father's Day which was so nice for him. Everyone else came and went rather quickly but at least we got a little time with everyone and they all got to share in our joy at the wedding. I really gained a renewed appreciation for family during this time. It reminded me of our eternal relationships and how much each of my family members means to me. I know it was a sacrifice for them to come and I truly appreciate it. Their presence will be a precious and lasting memory for me.

It's Been Awhile

Me in front of the Flying Tiger at the Evergreen Aviation Museum

Me in by one of many beautiful waterfalls along the Columbia Gorge (can't remember which one)

Don & I in front of Multnomah Falls along the Columbia River Gorge

Dad, Me, Mom, & Don in the cockpit of the Spruce Goose at the Evergreen Aviation Museum

I haven't posted anything in forever and there's no way to catch up, but Mom and Dad just left this morning and we had a wonderful time with them during their visit. We went to the coast twice, went up to the Evergreen Aviation Museum and IMAX Theater in McMinnville, went to dinner and a concert with two other couples from our ward, went to dinner several other times, once for Joshua's birthday and one other time with the whole family and did lots of shopping, birding and sightseeing. We also did some dry-pack canning with their portable dry-pack canner and my mom gave me 3 beautiful sunstones which I hope to make into a ring and some earrings. She also gave Lily a couple of sunstones. In the middle of their visit I came down with the stomach flu which lasted a few days but I was really only in bed most of the first day and, thankfully, no one else caught it.

We got a new bishop last Sunday. I loved working with Bishop Tittelfitz and I'll really miss having him as our bishop; he is wise, compassionate, understanding and was patient with me as I learned my calling as Relief Society President. Our new bishop, Bishop Salisbury is going to be wonderful too. I've already had occasion to talk with him about ward issues and I know he will serve the ward well.

Jeremy seems to be doing much better and it's been wonderful to see him laugh and joke again. Seeing my parents made him very happy; he loves them so much and they are so good to him. He's back at work part-time, hoping to get more hours as time goes on.

It's raining today and I want it to stop. I'm really ready for sunshine and to get out in my garden and weed and plant and clean up. The few sunny days we've had recently have been the days we went to the coast or did other things with my parents.

A quick word about the swine flu pandemic. Looks like this isn't the "big" one they think is coming eventually but I hope this has been a wake-up call for us all to be prepared for at least a 3 month period because the next time it could be deadly. Stock up on food, water, bleach, Purell, and even some gloves and masks. I have and now I'm ready just in case. Also ask if your place of employment and city/county have pandemic emergency plans in place - they should! I'm big into preparedness, can you tell?

Well, Joshua and Lily's wedding will be here before we know it and I'm so excited. The invitations are going out within a day or two. I can't wait to see all our family and friends who are coming. We'll have a houseful of guests and it will be chaos, but fun chaos. I'm figuring there will be 9 people staying with us for 2 nights and 5 or so for several more nights. Anyway, the more the merrier.

I nearly forgot to mention our 3 day trip up to Vancouver, WA to explore the Columbia River Gorge. We drove along the old highway on the Oregon side and saw all (about 5) of the beautiful, huge waterfalls along the gorge and drove up to Hood River. We hoped to visit a big carousel museum there but found out it had closed which was a shame. We did go across the Bridge of the Gods (over the Columbia River) to a wonderful Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center which we really enjoyed, then drove along the Washington side of the gorge and saw Mt. Hood. We also wanted to go up to see Mt. St. Helens and made it almost there and saw how the landscape has been changed dramatically by the eruption, but the road was closed (due to snow) 6 miles from the top so we didn't make it all the way up. We went to another museum that had lots of pictures, exhibits and a movie about the eruption and learned a lot and realized how devastating it was. We'd really like to go back and go all the way up next time.

Jeremy

Just a quick post to ask for your prayers for Jeremy. He admitted himself to the psychiatric ward of the hospital today to try to get some help for the increased severity of his bi-polar condition. He had a breakdown at work this morning and realized he needed to get to the hospital. I know he's in a safe place and am praying they will be able to get him stabilized so he can get back to a better quality of life.

Bargain Shopping

I'm totally into bargain shopping lately. I guess with the economy the way it is, I've been thinking more about being frugal and it's opened up a whole new world for me. I've never been a thrift store shopper, although I've always liked a bargain. Because of my weight loss, I've needed a lot of new clothes and that can get expensive. So I finally broke down and started checking out St. Vinnie's and Goodwill as well as a couple of used clothing stores and feel like I've hit the jackpot. I've been finding designer clothes for just a few dollars. Yesterday I bought three tops, a DKNY, a Liz Claiborne and a beautiful fitted white blouse - all for under $10! A while back I bought a great pair of Coldwater Creek shoes for $6 at a used clothing store which I wear nearly every Sunday and a Coldwater Creek Tencel denim shirt/jacket for $4 at Goodwill. I only buy used books now which I get either at St. Vinnie's or Smith Family Bookstore and then I sell them back if I don't want to keep them. Lily's mom told me she bought 3 cashmere sweaters really cheap at another St. Vinnie's in town so I'll be checking that one out.

I went to the Gem & Bead Faire at the Lane County Events Center last Friday and Saturday and, boy did I have fun. The prices were wholesale so I went a little crazy because of the bargains and stocked up on lots of semi-precious stone beads, glass beads, freshwater pearls, seed beads and silver clasps, chain, spacers and other findings. Then I found a great price for 500 Swarovski crystals (variety of colors) on Ebay so I should be receiving those soon. I'm loving learning new techniques and finding new jewelry patterns to try. I just made a silver chain and turquoise necklace, with matching bracelet and earrings.

I had lunch at Ruthie B's (a unique and fun antique shop in Springfield that has tables for lunch hidden in little alcoves around the shop) with Lily and her mom last Monday. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed talking about the wedding. Things are coming together and getting finalized. My biggest issue right now is trying to find the right dress. I had ordered a sundress but the shade of green wasn't exactly what I was looking for. I'm keeping it, but probably won't wear it to the wedding. I just ordered another dress from Target (Isaac Mizrahi) that was on clearance for $9.99 so I figured it was worth a try. I haven't gotten it yet, it's kind of a 20's flapper-style in mint green with a sheer overlay. I'll just have to see how it looks on me. I need more dresses anyway.

Our ward recently heard about an opportunity to get free leftover bread rolls from a Big Town Hero sandwich shop near us. They make their rolls fresh everyday so they've been throwing away the day-old bread. I've started going over there every morning and picking up a BIG bag of rolls (onion, white and wheat), packaging them and freezing them. I took them to church on Sunday and people were thrilled to take them. I got rid of all of them. This week, the Activities Committee Chairman is picking up some of them to use for our upcoming ward dinner - they were already planning to make sub sandwiches so this will save them lots of money. I ordered bread bags today, because buying gallon size storage bags was getting too expensive and didn't work very well anyway. I think I'm going to try to get people to help me pick up, package and freeze because my freezer won't hold a week's worth of rolls and it's a big commitment to have to do everyday. The rolls are really good, though and we're happy to have them.

Joshua & Lily got the cutest, sweetest kitten Sunday. She's a little black cat named Flicker. I guess she's pretty energetic and driving them a little crazy at night scratching on their door and meowing. I remember when our cats did that, thank goodness they don't anymore. Although, we've found we can't cook without locking Chloe in the bedroom because she meows constantly wanting food, gets underfoot and tries to get up on the counter. She's become so skinny but eats a lot and wants more food all the time. I think she has a thyroid problem and I know I should take her to the vet, but that'll be several hundred dollars so I'm putting it off for now and just feeding her extra food.

What a Girl Wants, What a Girl Needs - Jewelry!!

This is my favorite necklace - it's jasper, swarovski crystals, seed beads and silver

I've been busy making jewelry again and really getting a bit obsessed. If I had more money I'd be more obsessed. It's just addictive and makes me feel a great sense of accomplishment when I create something I like. I'm finally starting to do that - create things I like and I'm remaking some of my early attempts. I'm learning some new techniques and have a friend who's going to teach me some needle work. She makes wonderful seed bead creations with sterling beads so I'm going to give it a try. I'm worried my vision isn't good enough to do that fine of work. I'm posting a couple of pictures. Most of the pictures I've taken of my jewelry haven't come out very well so I'm only posting my three latest creations.

We had a fun RS Birthday Party last night. It was RS Around the World and we heard from sisters who've lived in other countries and we tasted food from those countries and saw their displays. I brought some dolls to decorate the tables. The countries represented were Hong Kong, Japan, Greece, Ukraine, St. Vincent, Costa Rica, Peru, New Zealand, England and Sweden. It was very interesting! One of the women lived in Ukraine until she was 16 and then moved to Greece and now lives here (and she's only in her mid-20's).

We went to another concert at The Shedd last week with our friends, the Nielson's. It was a Bluegrass/Folk group, Jay Unger and Molly Mason (their daughter and son-in-law joined them). They wrote the music for the PBS series, The Civil War. They did some really beautiful tunes and I ended up buying 2 CD's because I loved their music so much. We always enjoy these concerts but I usually don't buy their CD's, but I had to have this music.

Jeremy was in a car accident last Friday. He hit a parked car. He's fine physically and his car wasn't damaged much (just a dent) but the other car evidently suffered a fair amount of damage. Jeremy's been going through a particularly tough time anyway, and this was awful for him. He was pretty hysterical that night. I've gained a stronger testimony of the power of prayer and also a better understanding of what to pray for during the last few weeks. He was supposed to work the day after the accident and he and I both knew he was in no condition to go to work. We also knew he needed to work or his job would be in jeopardy. I prayed that night that he would be able to work the next day. Sunday he came over and was doing quite well. I asked if he had worked Saturday and he said yes. He said he'd felt horrible when he went to bed and was sure he wouldn't be able to work the next day but when he woke up on Saturday, he felt fine and was able to work. It was a direct answer to my prayer and to me was a miracle. The week before I had prayed for him to be able to find an extra key to his car that he didn't even know he had and he hadn't been looking for. He "accidentally" found it looking for some change. It was important that he find the key because he'd locked his other keys in his car and couldn't afford a locksmith. Another miracle! I've realized that praying for him to miraculously be "cured" of his illness is the wrong thing to pray for. There is a reason that he has this trial in his life. I don't know what the reason is, and I wish he didn't have it, but I have to have faith that someday we'll understand and it will all make sense. In the meantime, I will pray for the little things that will help him along the way.

I'm getting more and more excited about Joshua's and Lily's wedding. It'll be here before you know it. They have a wedding website: http://www.weddingwire.com/lilyandjosh. Check it out - it's a great idea! I'm so happy that we have so much family coming for the wedding and also some friends from California. It'll be a very happy event! You'll all love Lily too.

I made two of these necklaces, one for me and one for Lily

I learned some new techniques making this bracelet

The Mayflower

Don's model of The Mayflower

Don's model of The Mayflower

Don's model of The Mayflower

Don's model of The Mayflower

Don finally finished his model ship, The Mayflower. I'm so proud of it - he did an incredible job. I'm posting pictures but you really have to see it in person to appreciate the detail and how difficult it was. He's getting ready to start his next model, The Rattler. It's a little more difficult, although slightly smaller. He's learned a lot doing these and wants to eventually build scratch models - we'll see if he ever gets that advanced.

Our Relief Society Discovery Group went to "Dance For a Reason" at the Hult Center last Friday night. We had great "box" seats and it was a lot of fun. It's an annual event comprised of dances by all or most of the dance studios (students, choreographers, etc.) in Eugene and Springfield with the money going to a different cause each year. The dancing was quite diverse and I enjoyed most of it, although there were a couple of performances I didn't care too much for.

Joshua and Lily have hired the band for their wedding reception and we're going with them this Saturday to hear the band perform at a concert in town. They play Celtic music, which I love so I'm really looking forward to hearing them.

Our favorite missionary, Elder Leet, went home last week and we miss him, but we've had the other 2 missionaries over a couple of times since then and they're coming over for dinner tomorrow night with an investigator.

Last Sunday I gave my Relief Society lesson (Presidency Message) on the Constitution, how it was inspired of God and how our founding fathers were raised up by God for the purpose of forming our Constitution. I used Pres. Ezra Taft Benson's talk from 1987 and several scriptures from the Doctrine & Covenants and a few quotes from other prophets and general authorities. I really feel like it is important for us to understand the significance and inspired nature of our Constitution and that it's our responsibility to defend and protect it and keep our nation free until the Savior comes again. I see our liberties being taken from us little by little and I think we don't always have our eyes open to it. We're drifting (rather quickly) into a more and more socialistic form of government and that goes against the eternal principle of Agency.

I just finished reading two really good books - "The Goose Girl" and "Marley & Me" - I highly recommend them. I'm back into my jewelry making again and I'm having fun trying some new techniques and designs. I have to rein myself in, though, it's easy to get carried away buying beads, charms, findings, etc.

I've also got a great recipe to post. It's for Banana Bars and they're delicious!

Bars

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (2 medium)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (I used a bit more than that)
1/4 tsp. salt

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 pkg. (3 ozs.) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
a little milk to thin, if needed

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of 13X9X2" pan. In large bowl, mix sugar, bananas, oil and eggs. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Spread in pan.

2. Bake bars 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

3. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, mix cream cheese, butter and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until blended. Gradually beat in powdered sugar (and add milk if necessary) until smooth and spreadable.

4. Spread cooled bars with frosting. Store covered in refrigerator.

Sorry, this posting is so disjointed but I'm not updating it enough and I'm kind of trying to "catch up" on my life - boring as it may be.

Our Interesting Anniversary

Don & I in front of the church

Our "boys", Elder Brown, Elder Leet & Elder Livingston

Elder Brown, Elder Leet & Elder Livingston

Don in front of the Mission Mill Museum in Salem

Don at the Mission Mill Museum

Me by an old loom at the Mission Mill Museum

A carousel horse in the process of carving at the Albany Carousel Studio and Museum

Don riding the Riverfront Carousel in Salem

Me riding the Riverfront Carousel

The Riverfront Carousel in Salem

One of the completed carousel horses in the Albany studio

This pose was Don's idea

More completed carousel animals

Don by the carousel fish

We had a very fun and interesting 28th anniversary on Valentine's Day. We decided to visit the Albany Carousel Studio and Museum (our neighbor volunteers there and told us about it). It was fascinating to watch the volunteers carving and painting the animals and see the beautiful animals that are finished. They're hoping to have all the animals finished in 2010 and then build the carousel on the site where the studio is now located. After we'd seen everything there, we drove to Salem to ride the Riverfront Carousel. It was fun - Don was kind of embarrassed but I didn't care - at my age I don't care what anyone thinks, I just enjoyed the frivolity of it. Since we'd never been to Salem, we thought we'd go to the capital and maybe go inside and look around, however, we'd forgotten that it was the 150th birthday of Oregon that day so the capital was jam-packed with people and goings-on so there was no parking anywhere close. Even if there had been, Don hates crowds and couldn't wait to get away from the area. We passed by a museum (Mission Mill Museum) which we knew nothing about but thought might be interesting to see so we stopped there. It's an historic old woolen mill and we took a tour and learned a lot and really enjoyed seeing it. There were neat shops there too and a little cafe. It's nothing we would have planned to do, but we were glad we happened upon it. By then it was late afternoon and we hadn't eaten so we headed back to Eugene and went to our favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner. Then we rented 3 movies and came home. We'd planned to watch the movies but our dear missionaries called and wanted to come over to bring us something. Then they decided they needed Don to go somewhere with them first and then bring their dinner to our house to eat afterward. When they got here they made me answer the door and there they were, one with a rose in his teeth and on his knees and one with Valentine's balloons for me. Then they shared their dinner (BBQ) with us and goofed around for quite awhile. They tell me they're my kids and they definitely act like it. By the time they left it was late and we were too tired to watch our movies, but we've watched 2 of them since (WALL-E and Man on Wire).

I had my final post-op appointment for my shoulder surgery yesterday and the doctor was amazed at how quickly I've recovered. I've been really lucky with that.

I'm using the new treadmill 4 - 5 times a week and am up to 3.8 miles in a hour. Pretty good, I think. Don's increased his time and speed a lot too. It makes it easy to exercise.

I went to the library yesterday and found several books that look good. I finished one of them in a couple of hours and it was great (Grace by Richard Paul Evans). I'm reading another book by him right now and it's really good too.

We're starting a new Enrichment group and they're meeting here tomorrow night. It's a Bring Your Own Project Group. I don't have a project (well, I do, but I don't think I can work on it with them because it's making new Christmas stockings and I need my sewing machine which is in a different room than we'll all be in) so I guess I'll just sit and chat with everyone.

Don finally finished his Mayflower model. I haven't taken a picture of it yet, but I'll post one next time. And, Hayley, did you notice I've got pictures of Don and I posted just for you. None of the boys, though, mostly because I don't see them that often. I'll try to get some of them soon.

Jeremy's going through a rough patch right now. He hasn't been able to work for 3 weeks. He tried a couple of days, but it didn't go well. He's afraid he might lose his job, and of course, not working is making it difficult for him to get by financially. He's started a new medication and is seeing a counselor so hopefully that will help. Then, to make matters worse, his new bike that we got him for his birthday (and which he just took over to his apartment) was stolen a couple of days ago. He had it locked up at the bike rack at his apartment complex but someone must have used bolt cutters to steal it. He's feeling pretty upset about it. Wish we could afford to get him a new one but we've had to help with his rent, car insurance, food, etc. so a new bike isn't in the budget right now.

Well, that's enough for now. I'm looking forward to our short trip to Vancouver/Hood River/Columbia Gorge in April and then mom and dad coming for a nice long visit.