The Abbott Almanac

Resolutions vs. Goals

2010-01-07T11:15:00.000-08:00

I'm not making New Year's resolutions anymore because I never keep them very long but I am setting some goals for myself. I'm starting to keep a journal again. I'm embarrassed to say it's been years since I've kept a journal and a lot has happened in my life that I should have been recording. Keeping this blog has helped record a few things but I really do want to keep a personal journal so that's a major goal for me.

I'm going to continue to work on my food storage and I want to set a goal to can at least 10 pints of meat a month. That doesn't sound like much but I just canned 4 pints of steak and 6 pints of pork chops which represents quite a bit of money so, financially, that's about all I can afford to do in a month. It'll take a long time to get all the meat canned that I need for a year's supply, but at least I'm working on it.

Don and I are also going to try to do better with studying the scriptures and the Sunday School lesson ahead of time.

Of course, I have the standard goals of trying to eat better and exercise more. That will always be a challenge for me, even with my surgery. I've gained a little weight back which is probably a good thing because I had gotten too thin (can't believe I'm saying that) but I certainly don't want to gain anymore back and now it's easier to eat the wrong things so I do have to be more careful.

Another goal is to really try to stay on top of things and not wait until the last minute to do things. I used to be so good about staying organized and preparing ahead, etc. but lately I've become a bit of a procrastinator. I'm also finally getting the hang of this Relief Society President calling and trying to be on top of everyone's needs and situations. That's been hard for me at times because I feel like I'm being nosy always asking people personal questions (at least to me they're personal), but I've learned that I do have to know these things in order to help them.

I should be setting a goal to get up earlier in the morning but I've developed a habit of staying up late and getting up late and I kind of like it and it's working pretty well for me, so for now I'm not changing that. As long as I get done what I need to in the day, I think I'm fine there. And, of course, I do get up earlier when I need to for something (church, appointments, etc.).

I'm enjoying our little kitten Daphne so much and she and Milo are very entertaining to watch play and wrestle together. She's so fun-loving and affectionate and is great company - it helps me not miss Chloe so much. I've accepted her loss now and am feeling a lot less sad about it. Just have lots of happy memories about her.

Rest in Peace Chloe

2009-12-29T12:57:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-26T14:51:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-30T12:15:00.001-08:00

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

2009-08-22T17:57:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-06T14:29:00.000-07:00

Wedding ceremony

Me during ceremony

My handsome husband

Wedding attendees

Lily

Joshua

Traditional Celtic handfasting ceremony

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

2009-05-02T13:03:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-04T19:15:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-01T09:42:00.001-07:00

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!!

2009-03-20T18:44:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-05T16:12:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-18T10:13:00.000-08:00

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.

Joshua's Wedding

2009-02-04T17:50:00.000-08:00

I had lunch with Lily's mom last week (we ate at the new hospital's cafe which is pretty fancy, has great food and overlooks the river) and we discussed a lot of the details of Joshua and Lily's wedding. It's getting exciting now that I know more about their plans. It's going to be a lot more casual than what I was expecting but I think it will be perfect for them. We talked about the food but that could change a little. Anyway, it'll be relaxed and fun, I think. Marilyn (Lily's mom) said she'll probably wear a sundress and sandals (that's how casual it'll be) so I'm going to look for a cute sundress for me too. Tonight I'm going up to the church to count and measure tablecloths that I'll be borrowing for the wedding. We have tons of them so I have to sort sizes and see which ones have stains, etc. This is a good excuse to organize them.

We had the 3 missionaries to dinner last night along with one of their investigators and her fellowshipper. Dinner was great (I made chicken corn chowder, salad and biscuits with apple raspberry pie for dessert) but the missionaries wanted to teach the investigator some gospel principles after dinner. This investigator is a young woman of about 30 who is bi-polar and has Asperger's Syndrome, A.D.D., anxiety disorder and a couple of other mental illnesses I'm not familiar with. She also intimated that she's suffered some pretty severe trauma or abuse and is dealing with memories she wants gone. Anyway, the lesson didn't go very well. Her responses were inappropriate to the discussion and it was obvious she has some pretty serious problems. I know the missionaries are trying so hard, but they've already got a baptism date for this investigator and I think they need to slow down and take their time with her - she doesn't even believe in the atonement really (and that is crucial, I think). She does say she wants to be baptized, but I'm just not sure she's close to ready yet.

Don's birthday was last Friday - he turned 69! We went to dinner at Red Robin and then to a movie (Taken) which was good. We got a treadmill for his birthday present but I'm using it too. I'm up to 50 minutes on it at a pretty good pace. By next week I'll be doing an hour a day. He's a lot slower and can't go too long yet, but he's working his way up. We both need the exercise. Joshua was over Sunday for the Super Bowl and then came over again on Monday because he wasn't feeling well and Lily and her mom were cleaning the apartment and he needed to rest. I'm afraid he's got the flu. It was nice to see him 2 days in a row, though. We don't see much of him anymore.

Heather got the keys to her new house today. She's so excited. She called last night but we couldn't talk long because the missionaries were here. They're waiting a month to move in so they can paint and do some work on it. I'm really happy for them. Buying a home is exciting and your first home is really exciting. Jennifer has lost 85 lbs. now. She looks wonderful in the pictures we've seen of her.

That's it for now. Next post I'll try to have pictures of us. Hayley has asked for some and I guess I should take more "people pictures."

Almost healed

2009-01-27T11:50:00.000-08:00

Don admiring a beautiful view

Heceta Head Lighthouse near Florence

Yaquina Head Lighthouse near Newport (tallest on Oregon coast)

My shoulder is feeling almost normal. I'm done with physical therapy 3 weeks earlier than expected. I bought some light weights yesterday to continue exercises but the soreness is mostly gone and I'm doing great. I found out yesterday that they cut off part of my collarbone as part of the surgery. That sounds weird but I guess it was necessary. My stomach hasn't felt exactly normal since the surgery and that's a little concerning. It's actually better today (I bought some infant gas relief drops and maybe that's helping). I don't know why the surgery would have messed up my stomach. I'm going to my support group tonight so I'll ask about it. I've felt pretty sick after eating really "safe" stuff and forget about taking a bite of a cookie or bread.

Don wants to get a treadmill so he can start walking consistently. Of course, I would use it too. With the cold and rainy weather and living on a steep hill it's not so easy to just walk out the door and walk everyday. We could drive somewhere but that takes too much motivation so we both think getting a treadmill would be a good alternative. We're going to go look at some today but don't know when we'll buy one - we might wait til we get our tax refund. It'll be Don's birthday present since his birthday is Friday.

We had a fun ward activity last Friday. It was a Mexican Fiesta. It was supposed to have been our ward Christmas Party but it had to be postponed because we had the big snowstorm the week it was originally scheduled. The woman who did all the cooking (and it was delicious) is Japanese so we thought that was kind of funny.

We had an "interesting" week last week. Monday night was Empty Nester's Family Home Evening. There were a lot of people there and we were in the middle of a wonderful, spiritual lesson when the missionaries showed up with an "investigator" they had just picked up in the grocery store. They are so sweet and really meant well but the guy was crazy (sorry, but there's no other way to say it). He was saying all kinds of very weird things and it really disrupted our evening. Then, after we got home, the missionaries called Don and asked if he could take the crazy guy to some social services places around town the next morning. Don never said yes (he never says no) and spent 5 hours taking the guy all over the place. He also made the HUGE mistake of giving the guy our phone number so the rest of the week the guy was calling us all the time wanting Don to do things for him. Basically, he was a user - a friendly, completely crazy user. Finally, on Friday Don spent 6 hours with him taking him places again and packing his stuff to have someone move him to Florence. I was afraid Don would get stuck actually moving him but he did have someone else lined up to do it. We've had a little talk with the missionaries since and advised them to use a little more discretion when getting involved with people. They meant well but I think they've learned a lesson and we certainly have too. We've always been pretty open to doing things for their investigators and having people over to our house, but I think in the future we're going to be more cautious.

Saturday we drove over to the coast and up to Newport (our favorite central coast town). We toured the Yaquina Head lighthouse (the tallest on the Oregon coast). It was quite a climb - I wasn't sure Don would make it but he did and got a button that said "I survived the climb." We had lunch at Mo's (which is a famous seafood restaurant on the coast) and I had slumgullion (clam chowder with shrimp) and a shrimp salad served in an avocado. I could only eat a few bites of each before I was full so I brought the leftovers home. It was all so delicious, though. While we ate we watched the fishing boats come in and watched a woman filet the fish right on the dock - kind of gross but boy, was she fast! I saw some great birds (no new ones, though) but there were some brown pelicans right on the rocks next to the Sea Lion caves and that was unusual. We also saw Surf and Black Scoters, Buffleheads, Red-breasted Merganser, Cormorants, 2 kinds of Grebes and a Kingfisher.

Saturday before last I went to the 2009 Bridal Show at the Lane Events Center with Lily and Joshua to look at all the exhibits. It was so much fun. We got to taste the wedding cakes and caterer's food and see beautiful flowers and displays. Lily's mom went with her the next day and I know they got a lot of good ideas for the wedding. I'm having lunch with Lily's mom, Marilyn, this Thursday so we can discuss a lot of the plans they've been making. It's so exciting! I'm really happy that so many family members are planning to attend the wedding. I can't wait to see everyone. It'll be a wonderful, happy time.

New bedding

2009-01-14T10:48:00.000-08:00

I'm excited because I found a wonderful comforter ensemble for a real bargain and if you saw our old bedding you'd know why I'm so happy about getting new stuff. I had bought a cheap down comforter years ago and new duvet cover, shams, bed skirt, pillows, etc. when we moved here. Well, the old comforter has somehow become completely misshapen and bunches up inside the duvet cover. Don has ended up with nothing on his side and it's a total mess to try to make the bed. The duvet cover has torn (it's very soft but not too sturdy) so that's another problem. I've been pricing new comforter sets but when you start adding up the shams, pillows, bed skirt, etc. it gets pretty expensive. So I came across this set on Overstock.com and priced it elsewhere and found out it was quite a bargain. The reviews for it were good so I ordered it. I can't wait to be able to make my bed decently again and for Don to have covers on his side so he doesn't keep pulling mine off me.

I went to the physical therapist yesterday. She pulled and stretched my arm and shoulder and it wasn't too bad. I had taken pain meds before I went and that helped my shoulder but made me very sick to my stomach so I had a pretty bad morning. We had taken the catheter (the block for my shoulder) out the night before so my pain level had definitely increased. I'm trying to take less pain meds but it's hard to balance getting enough pain relief and not making myself sick. I'm not sleeping well since the catheter came out but I'm sure things will improve with time.

I'd hoped I'd be able to have a couple of weeks off from Relief Society but there are a lot of things that have come up that I've had to deal with. My counselors are helping but I still have to be involved.

It's all over

2009-01-10T16:26:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally feel well enough to catch up my blog. My shoulder surgery went much better than expected - turns out I didn't have a torn rotator cuff at all so my recovery should go much quicker. I just had the calcium deposits and bone spurs cleaned off and a few other minor repairs made and now, 3 days after surgery I'm feeling pretty good. I have a temporary catheter in my neck which is administering a local block to my shoulder so that's helping with pain control. I also had a shoulder pad that had recirculated ice water running through it - I kept that on for 2 days until the swelling had gone down. I can move my arm and shoulder (with some discomfort) and am up and around. I'll have physical therapy for 6 weeks and I'm assuming after that I should be doing pretty normally. Don's been very helpful, he's waited on me hand and foot and has done everything I asked of him (except maybe making the bed right). I'd been pretty nervous about the surgery and recovery but everything turned out fine so I guess that should be a lesson to me not to worry so much.

My friend, Michelle, brought me a big basket of all kinds of fruit (which I've been devouring) and my friend Sandy brought me tulips and sugared nuts. Another friend is supposed to stop by today too and the missionaries were over a little while ago checking on me. I've had a lot of calls from friends and family asking how I'm doing - it's nice to know so many people are thinking of me. I've appreciated all the well-wishing on Facebook, too.

Anyway, I'm on the mend and should be back to normal soon.

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T12:53:00.000-08:00

I've been neglecting my poor blog - but I've had a million things to do before my shoulder surgery next Wednesday. I had to get my Christmas decorations down and the house cleaned and to arrange so many things for Relief Society and type up new schedules for our lessons, conducting, etc. Thank goodness I delegated our 2008 Relief Society History to my secretary - that would have taken many more hours. I had 14 thank you notes to write and I'm still trying to get new Christmas stockings made for Joshua, Jeremy and Lily to match the ones I bought at a craft fair for Don and I. I did some big after Christmas shopping and got all my wrapping paper, Christmas cards and even Relief Society Christmas gifts for next year. Actually, I found some wrapping paper I really liked so I probably got enough to last 6 years. I also found a beautiful red silk top (very dressy) at Ann Taylor Loft for $9.99 - it was regularly $46.00 so that was quite a bargain. And my best friend, Janine, gave me a $50 gift card to Ann Taylor so I ordered online a tweed jacket and pencil skirt that came 2 days ago and are so cute. They're size 4's and the jacket fits perfect but the skirt's a little big. I don't want to send it back, though, so I'll live with it. I can't believe a size 4 can be too big on me. They were both on sale for 75% off. Tomorrow we're having Joshua, Jeremy and Lily over for a big turkey dinner so I need to make a couple of pies today. Saturday night we're having the missionaries to dinner and then going to a baptism with them. These guys are working so hard and have 2 more baptisms lined up this month. They've also been helping a lot with activation.

Joshua, Lily and Jeremy all came over for Christmas Eve. We opened presents (which we've never done on Christmas Eve but may become our new tradition) had our usual hors d'oeuvres (which I made wayyy too much of) and then went out to look at Christmas lights. Joshua and Lily gave me an iHome clock radio docking station for my iPod and some candy.

We had a very quiet but very nice Christmas. It was just Don and I for most of the day, but it gave me time to contemplate the meaning of Christmas and read some Christmas stories. Jeremy came over in the evening and he'd had a nice day so that made mine good. Joshua and Lily tried to come, but they thought our hill was slick and decided not to try to make it up. They ended up coming over the next evening and so did Jeremy so we had a fun time eating pizza and playing games. I didn't take a single picture on Christmas so I have nothing to post. When all the kids were here the day after I meant to take pictures but forgot. I'm going to try to take some of everyone tomorrow.

Heather, Mark, Jennifer and the kids were supposed to come the day after Christmas and stay a few days but the snow in the Siskyou's scared them away - turns out they could have made it but they didn't want to risk it. I don't blame them, but we were sorry not to have them come - we'd really been looking forward to seeing them. Heather is buying her first house. It's in Vallejo just off Columbus Parkway not too far from Benicia. It needs some work but will be really nice when they finish. It was in foreclosure so they got a great deal. It has a pool and spa which we'll enjoy when we go to visit. She assures us that there's lots of room for us to come and stay whenever we want so maybe we'll get down to California to visit more often.

I had my pre-op and anesthesia appointments on Monday (it took 4 hours) and now I'm more scared of this stupid surgery than I was before. I'm not looking forward to them putting a needle and catheter in my neck before they put me out and the recovery sounds like hell but I guess I'll get through it.

Don and I went out to dinner last night at Sweetwaters on the River (a really nice restaurant). We had a table right by the window and the river was beautiful with the light bouncing off of it. I had a wonderful avocado salad (looked really fancy) and a crab chowder (which was delicious but I couldn't finish). Afterward we went to see "Doubt" at the mall across the street. It was very good but Don and I felt the exact opposite about the characters in it - interesting!

Have a Happy New Year everyone. It started out great with the birth of our new little Trevor Noah - Congratulations to his happy family.

Those Missionaries

2008-12-23T16:46:00.000-08:00

Well, our snow is all gone - we woke up Sunday morning to rain which had melted all the snow. YAYYY! It was very pretty but it got old fast. We've been having the missionaries over a lot. They are a funny couple of kids. They're very serious about the work, but they do like to joke around and I think they've kind of adopted us as surrogate parents. They've been over 4 times in the last week. Today they came with a new member to watch a DVD and they brought us lunch - Fish & Chips. Yummm! But Don HATES fish so all he got to eat was the chips. I thought it was pretty funny because I LOVE fish and when the missionaries called to ask if he liked fish and he told them "No" they thought he was joking so they went ahead and bought it. While we watched the DVD the missionaries took turns sitting in our massage chair (I think that's really why they like to come). Oh, and they ate my fudge.

Last night our ward council met at the church to put together gift boxes for members of the ward. We did 21 boxes. Unfortunately, it's always a member of the bishopric who does the shopping for the food for the boxes and they buy the weirdest stuff. Nothing Christmasy at all. Things like fruit snacks, granola bars, crackers with peanut butter, and non-Christmas candy (Starburst, Laffy Taffy, Smarties). I can't take it one more year - I'm volunteering to shop next year and put together something much nicer and more festive. Also, we wrap boxes with Christmas paper and the men do it so sloppy and the inside looks awful. We have to do something about that next year too. We delivered 3 boxes and still have 2 more to deliver. We gave the missionaries 3 to deliver too. Some of them are going to investigators. I'm actually kind of embarrassed to give them out. Oh, and there really wasn't as much food for them this year because the counselor who bought it didn't bother to figure out how much he needed to buy so they look kind of pathetic.

We did a little food shopping yesterday to make sure we had everything we need for Christmas Eve, Christmas and when Don's kids come. I think we're ready now. We're actually going to have pizza for Christmas dinner because we're saving the turkey and fixings for when Don's kids are here and Joshua personally requested pizza. I'm OK with that - it's easy!

I'm having trouble with this post because Chloe is sitting next to the monitor putting up her paw at me to get my attention. Then she sees movement on the screen and tries to paw at it. The joy of cats.

Well, we have to go deliver those boxes and I'm going to try to make some berry thumbprint cookies and maybe one other kind. We'll see what I get around to - I'm trying not to put too much pressure on myself or have too many specific expectations for Christmas. I'm just going to be happy for whatever happens and whoever is here.

Glad to be Alive

2008-12-19T13:21:00.001-08:00

Well, like a dummy, I thought I might be able to get down the hill to the store today. I think I might need a mental health check-up because it snowed again last night and looked worse than ever. But here was my reasoning: I thought the underneath part had melted and it wouldn't be too bad to drive in fresh snow. OK, that was super dumb. I actually made it out of our development and a short way down the hill. I was planning on going straight down the hill instead of turning and going down our usual route (there are two routes and I thought the straight one might be less steep). Well, my car decided to slide and turn at the corner of the usual route so I headed that way. Just as the hill started getting steeper I started sliding again and this time ended up facing back up the hill. I saw another car putting chains on just below me. I figured out at that point I'd be lucky to just get back home and a snow plow coming up the hill pointed me to another road next to me that had been plowed and sanded. So after much slipping and sliding I finally got onto that road and it was fine until I got to the place they'd stopped plowing, but to get back home that way I had to keep going. It was soooo scary. I got to a place that curved while going downhill and I just kept sliding. Little by little I tried to control the slide around the curve and down the hill and then back up to our street. Getting back into our garage was very hair-raising but miraculously I made it all the way back without an accident. I'm not going out again until the spring thaw (which I hope is next week). Don, to his credit didn't say "I told you so" even though he had. As soon as we can get out I'm making Don buy chains.

I guess we probably won't make it to church Sunday which is a shame. The Sunday before Christmas is always my favorite Sunday of the year. The choir has practiced for weeks and every voice is needed. Maybe they'll have to cancel church, we'll have to just wait and see. The weather report looks like we'll get a little break sometime next week. I hope things start to warm-up by Christmas Eve so the kids can come and so Don's kids can come the day after (which is the plan right now). Can't count on it, though. On the plus side, it's really beautiful outside. Very picturesque!

Snowbound

2008-12-15T15:23:00.000-08:00

Backyard after snowstorm

Front yard after snowstorm

View from Living Room window

Front of our house after big snow

Well, our big storm came and we have about 4 inches of snow on the ground with more to come. They have about 2 inches in town and all the schools are closed and there are ice warnings. It's BRRRR cold (low 20's and teens at night and not above freezing in the day). We're home bound right now and I'm canceling everything coming up this week. I'm hoping we'll get out by Friday to go to our ward Christmas Party (it's a Mexican themed party and I love Mexican food). Wednesday is Jeremy's birthday and we have his gifts but I don't think he'll be able to get up the hill so we may have to postpone it.

Since we had to stay home today I baked some wonderful ginger cookies (Lily's mom gave me the recipe) with a lemon glaze and then Don and I wrapped presents. I'm glad that's finally done - I kept putting it off. I think Don was more eager to help than usual because it was that or go shovel snow (which he still better do). I also did some more sewing on the sails for Don's model of the Mayflower (he's almost done now).

Joshua and Lily came over Friday evening and Lily brought me a beautiful fresh wreath that her mother made for us. It's so much prettier than any store bought wreaths. She told me she'd show me how to make them next year. Evidently she has equipment that wires them together and she makes lots of them every year. She's really talented - she also makes beeswax angel ornaments.

I got a speeding ticket last Thursday. I was driving down the hill and the speed limit is only 25 mph which is ridiculous (but the speed limits in this town are all really low for the roads). Anyway I was speeding and I got caught. So I went right down to the courthouse and paid my fine ($115) . OUCH - that hurt! But I won't be speeding down the hill again, I learned my lesson the hard way. And, now we can't afford to go to see the lights on the coast and spend the night so that little trip got canceled. Oh, well - live and learn.

We had fun yesterday afternoon at a birthday party for a lady in our ward who will be 82 on Christmas day. She's from Switzerland and never married and she's an absolute riot. We really love her. Some other friends hosted the party and everyone brought little gifts. We sure love our friends in this ward.

We've invited our home teaching families over for a little party next Saturday night. Hopefully the weather will be cooperative by then. We did it last year and everyone liked it and it's easier for us than having to go visit everyone this busy time of year.

I'm posting pictures of our snow. It's still a big deal to us and it's so beautiful.

Twilight

2008-12-11T10:52:00.000-08:00

I can now officially give my long-awaited review of the movie "Twilight." I know everyone's been waiting with bated breath for my revered opinion. Anyway, I went with my Book Club group last night to see it (kind of a fiasco getting there because the theater changed it's times so we ended up going to another theater and trying to call everyone to tell them of the change). I had lowered my expectations quite a bit after hearing a few things about it and, of course, books are always better than the movie made from them. But I must say I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. It took me most of the movie to really think Edward was handsome enough but I think his personality won me over eventually. I must say Dr. Cullen was spooky looking and his makeup looked pretty fake, but he played the part well enough to make me believe he was the good guy he's supposed to be. Jasper was freaky too. Those weird staring eyes and "on the edge" expression were creepy. Of course, that's the way he's supposed to act, I guess. But, overall I think they pulled it off. Most of the characters were either as I imagined or at least I could accept them without a problem, and the setting was exactly the way I pictured it. The effects were good too and I think they stayed very faithful to the story and somehow were able to condense it into the time frame of the movie without losing anything important.

Tuesday night was our "Night in Bethlehem" Enrichment Night. It was sooo wonderful. The committee had lined the room with a beautifully painted Bethlehem backdrop and set up tent booths for food. We dressed in robes and scarves and ate dried figs, dates, olives, grapes, pita sandwiches with chicken salad made with grapes and apples, and for dessert we had homemake Baklava (so delicious!). We sat on sofas, soft chairs and floor cushions while we ate and talked and then shared stories about our service swap from our previous Enrichment Night. We also shared our Christmas traditions. Afterward, an angel came out and announced the birth of the Savior and then more angels joined him and they sang some Christmas songs. After that we were led to another room where a group of women had set up a nativity scene and Mary told the story of the Savior's birth from her visit by the angel Gabriel through Christ's presentation at the temple after his birth. It was very beautiful and spiritual with more Christmas songs. It was such a special evening. I wore Don's robe and one of his scarfs around my head and as I was leaving, my friend (who's kind of tall) looked at me and said, "Oh, you look like a little hobbit." We all looked pretty unusual (one lady looked like she was dressed like a flapper but she kept explaining she was a lady from Babylon and another folded a quilt in half and wore that over her shoulder with a belt around her waist).

I finally have a night at home tonight, but I do have to go take Joshua to Lane Community College to take his final this afternoon. He's now questioning whether he really wants to get a degree in Graphic Arts & Design. I thought he'd finally decided what he wanted to do, but I guess not. I wish he'd decide and get on with it. He's got enough credits for his AA and quite a few towards his BA but still doesn't really have a focus. He wants to write and has to figure out what to do with that desire and ability.

It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2008-12-09T12:40:00.000-08:00

It's looking pretty Christmasy around here. Nearly every house in our neighborhood has outside lights and decorations and I love the mall and stores this time of year with the trees and decorations and lights. The whole town is lit up and sparkling.

Friday night I went with 2 other women on the First Friday Art Walk (I said before it's once a year but found out it's the first Friday of every month). We walked around downtown to 6 art galleries and some other shops. There were lots of people, live music and free food. There was some incredible art and one gallery in particular was filled with amazing paintings, sculpture, jewelry, pottery, glass, etc. Afterwards we went to a little cafe for gelato. It was lots of fun and very "Eugene."

Sunday was my Relief Society lesson on joy. I've never had a lesson come together so easily for me or go so successfully. Everyone wanted to participate and one woman bore her testimony afterwards, crying about how much she needed this lesson because she should have joy in her life but doesn't (someone I never would have expected to say that). The sisters really loved the angel ornaments we gave them too. Sunday afternoon we went over to the Creche Exhibit and saw over 900 creches. Unbelievable!! Nativities from every country you can think of and made from every kind of material imaginable. Also depicting every kind of animal as nativity participants. There was a live nativity there and singers and other musicians. Then Sunday night we watched the First Presidency Christmas Devotional which was so good and so inspirational. It was a wonderful day.

Yesterday we found a good used mountain bike for Jeremy for his birthday. He just needs it for occasional backup transportation so he didn't really need a brand new expensive bike, but actually, the one we found on Craigslist is pretty nice, just needs a little tune-up. And it was only $50 - a bargain!

Tonight we're having the missionaries to dinner (they requested Don's "Mexican Feast" which consists of chimichangas, tamales, spanish rice, and refried beans). We also invited over the new member whose baptism I just spoke at. I'm not eating with them because tonight is also our Relief Society "Night in Bethlehem" Enrichment Night so I'll be eating there. I'm really looking forward to it. Our enrichment committee has been working hard for a month so I know it's going to be wonderful.

Tomorrow night our Book Club is going to see "Twilight" - finally!! I'm really excited to see it and as soon as the movie is over I'm going straight to the store that sells Twilight t-shirts and get one. Lily got one after she saw the movie and I want one too.

Don and I are planning to go see a beautiful light display at Shore Acres State Park (they have thousands of lights in a beautiful garden) on the coast just below Coos Bay. The Shore Acres display is kind of famous around here because it's so spectacular and we've wanted to go since we moved here. It's a 2 hour drive so we'll spend the night because we don't want to drive back after dark (it's kind of a dangerous drive after dark - at least to us). Joshua's going to try to get us a good deal at a Comfort Inn in North Bend (just above Coos Bay).

Our Christmas House

2008-12-05T10:32:00.001-08:00

Above the Kitchen

Dining Room Window

Living Room Christmas Tree

Woodland Nativity

Bookcase in Family Room

Shelf at Staircase Landing

Bird Alpine Trees at Staircase Landing

Closeup of Family Room Woodland Tree

Family Room Woodland Tree

Family Room Fireplace

Thought I'd post some pictures of some of my Christmas decorations. I'm finally pretty satisfied with my decorations. I changed some lights over my kitchen, had to buy new lights for the deck after Don spent 1 1/2 days trying to fix the old ones and I bought 3 new little Santas for a display shelf. Next year I want to make a few more changes (upgrades) but I have to do a little at a time.

Last night was the baptism I was asked to speak at. It was very nice and I guess my talk was fine. Then I had to rush over to another building to take two of my Nativity scenes for a Community Creche display our church hosts every year. There will be over 900 Nativity scenes there this year. It's quite spectacular.

Tonight our Relief Society Discovery Group is going on the First Friday Night Art Walk downtown (held every year on the 1st Friday in December). There will be lots of art galleries open for viewing so it should be fun. Then we're going to a place called Perugrino's for gelato. Don't know if I can eat that - could make me sick. Next Tuesday night is our RS Enrichment Night (Night in Bethlehem) and then Wednesday night our Book Club is going to see "Twilight" since we read the book series.

We did our Costco shopping yesterday and need to get to Fred Meyer for the rest of our grocery shopping today. Got my budget and calculator on my iPod and I'm committed to stick to it. I'm loving all the uses for my iPod. I keep my weight chart and calorie count on it, as well as shopping lists, Christmas lists, check Facebook, email, movies and weather on it and have my scriptures, other books, recipes, medical and first aid information and lots of games on it. Also music and photos, of course.

My physical therapy seems to be helping my left shoulder. The therapist finally discovered that my AC joint is the primary problem but the muscles in my upper back are very tight and contribute to my pain and immobility. He stretches the muscles and manipulates the joints which is helpful. I also have a few exercises to do.

Tomorrow is December

2008-11-30T17:26:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas is coming and I'm finished decorating (although my deck lights are acting finicky) and my shopping and Christmas cards are done but I still have to wrap the presents and that's my least favorite Christmas "chore." I'm feeling semi-organized but that could change at a moment's notice depending on what else comes up for me to do. Right now I'm preparing a talk on the Holy Ghost for a baptism this week and my Relief Society lesson for next Sunday. It's on "Finding Joy in our Lives" with an emphasis on joy through service. I'm giving each sister an angel ornament to remind them to be angels to others.

We had an unexpectedly nice Thanksgiving even though both the boys went elsewhere (Joshua to Lily's mom's and Jeremy to a friend's). We invited two single sisters (one an investigator) over for Thanksgiving and really enjoyed spending time with them. One of them brought a "Frozen Lemonade Pie" which was absolutely yummy! It's made with frozen lemonade, sweetened condensed milk and whipped cream in a graham cracker crust and frozen. Try it, you'll like it. I made a really good layered jello/fruit salad (more like dessert) - Bottom layer: lemon jello mixed with pineapple juice, crushed pineapple, cream cheese and melted marshmallows; Top layer: raspberry jello mixed with raspberries. I also have found a wonderful recipe for brussel sprouts (if you like brussel sprouts and I do). You fry some bacon, take it out of the pan and chop it up. Then you saute the cut in 1/2 brussel sprouts in the bacon grease for a few minutes, add chicken stock, cover and let cook a few more minutes. You take the lid off and let the stock reduce and then add heavy cream and let that reduce. You serve with the chopped bacon. Just reading the recipe will make you gain weight, but man is it good!

Last week was very busy, rewarding, but also frustrating. We had 3 families in the ward that needed food orders so I got them prepared and to the bishop to approve and sign on Monday. Then, because none of the sisters have cars, I picked them all up on Tuesday to drive them over to the bishop's storehouse to pick up their orders. Two of the sisters (one was the investigator we had to dinner) were great but the other one wanted more stuff once we got to the storehouse so they kept asking me to approve one more thing. I didn't really want to because her order was already big and I knew the bishop didn't want her to get too much but it was hard to tell her no in front of all the people there (she probably figured that out) so I let her have what she wanted. And, although, her previous food order had been huge, she had made it last a long time so I figured she'd do that again. Anyway, I found out on Thursday that she and her husband had left town Wednesday morning to return to Utah and go "back to drugs." I don't know what she did with all that food (sold it, probably). It's very disheartening to try to help someone and have them take advantage of your generosity. I don't even know if it's the food that's bothering me as much as the time, energy, emotion and support the bishop and I spent on her. I know these things happen and I have to try not to judge the next person who comes along by what the last person did, but it's easy to get jaded.

We went to a financial advisor here in Eugene last week to have him analyze our investments. He suggested some changes that would be safer for us and make more sense for our stage in life so we've decided to take his advice and also let him handle our investments from now on. Tom Mills was great but we need someone closer so we can sit down with them and discuss things from time to time.

I didn't make it to church today because I woke up feeling pretty sick to my stomach. Once in awhile I have had that happen since my surgery, usually because of something I ate the day before (it was probably that "Lemonade Pie"). Anyway, I haven't felt too good most of the day - maybe it's just all the Thanksgiving "extras" I've been eating. I have to get back to my normal diet again. What's weird is, I always lose more weight when I eat like this. Thankfully most of the "bad" leftovers are gone now. Don ate 1 1/2 of the 2 pumpkin pies I made single-handedly in 2 days. He's the one that should have the stomach ache.

I'm going to take pictures of my Christmas decorations to post soon.

Change of Plans

2008-11-24T10:28:00.001-08:00

We've decided to have Thanksgiving at home after all. I was watching Food Network (a very bad idea late at night when I'm already hungry) and decided I wanted all the yummy Thanksgiving leftovers so we went out and bought a turkey and all the trimmings. Then we found out about a couple of single sisters who didn't have anywhere to go for Thanksgiving so we invited them over.

I was at church from 8:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. yesterday. Church then 3 meetings and choir practice. Long day, but the poor bishop still had hours to go before he got to go home and he'd been there hours before me so I shouldn't feel bad.

I finished my Christmas shopping Saturday. We cut way back this year and it's kind of hard not being able to buy everything I'd like to for my kids but they're old enough to understand and they're really not that demanding. I'm just used to being able to do more. My Christmas cards are finished and ready to go out and I'm pretty much on top of all the Relief Society end of year and holiday stuff (gifts for sisters, 2009 budget, 2008 RS history, orders for Bishop's night at DI, food orders for Thanksgiving, Enrichment dates for 2009, Dec. Enrichment Night, etc.). I'm feeling pretty organized at the moment but that could change quickly. I was going to start decorating for Christmas this early this week but since I'm having people over for Thanksgiving, I guess I'll wait til the day after.

I'm so happy that my favorite radio talk show host, Glenn Beck is moving to the 3-6 p.m. slot instead of 6-9 p.m. He was always getting preempted for stupid basketball or baseball and besides, I don't usually have time to listen in the evening.

Joshua and Lily came over Sat. night. I gave them all Joshua's old Christmas ornaments but I'm not sure Lily's going to want to use them. I think she may want to decorate in a more elegant way. Joshua gets one free night at his hotel a year so Lily spent the night in the jacuzzi suite last night - today is her birthday.

Giving Thanks

2008-11-17T15:19:00.001-08:00

I've been thinking about all the things I have to be thankful for lately. Tis the season, I guess. I am so blessed with such a wonderful family, beautiful home, great friends, good health (except my shoulders), and most of all my testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Being Relief Society President has really been a blessing because it has helped me appreciate all I have when I've seen so many with so little. It's also helped me be more compassionate and giving. With the tough economic times, we've decided to cut out some less essential expenses (Netflix, my nails, Glenn Beck insider subscription, etc.) and I was feeling pretty sorry for myself for having to sacrifice some things I really liked having, but I realize how blessed I really am and how much I take for granted most of the time. There are a lot of people in this area who are homeless, mentally-ill and/or drug-addicted and I feel so thankful that I don't have those problems.

We had the missionaries to dinner Friday night and I gave them some names of less-active sisters in our ward to go visit. They were anxious to get as many names as they could and I was glad to have them help. Already they have two sisters and their families they're teaching and working with - I'm so excited about that and so are they. They're giving me the credit but they're doing the work. We love having the missionaries over - they're so enthusiastic and fun and they actually like my food and think I'm a good cook - that's a first.

I went to physical therapy Friday and found out I have very little chest expansion when I breathe (which isn't good) and that I have some very tight muscles on my left side neck and upper back which may be affecting my shoulder. He worked on the muscles for awhile and will continue to each week when I go.

I had our Relief Society Book Club here Thursday night. We have so much fun - Don asked if we ever talk about the book - all he could hear was lots of laughing. I told him we talk about it a little but I have to admit that we mostly talk about other stuff and just have fun and eat goodies.
We're planning to go see the movie "Twilight" in December (after the crowds die down a little) instead of having a book club night in December.

I made Cider Pumpkin Bread last night from a recipe I had that sounded really good. I was going to serve it tonight for Empty Nesters Family Home Evening. It smelled really bad while it was cooking (bitter or something) and tasted the same. I guess it was the apple cider in it that made it taste so bad, so today I made some regular pumpkin bread which tastes great so I'll serve that with spiced cider tonight. Don't know what I'll do with that other bread - it looks good and is nice and moist, but just has a bad taste - what a shame!

Since Joshua's going to Lily's mom's for Thanksgiving and Jeremy's going to a friend's, Don and I are going to go out to eat. Probably to a great restaurant we went to for my birthday.

End of busy weekend

2008-11-09T12:13:00.000-08:00

Well, the election is over and although, most of the candidates and issues I voted for didn't win, I'm thankful for democracy and our right to vote and have our voices heard. Unlike some, I will do my best to support our new president and pray he is the kind of leader our country needs and will make the right decisions for our country. I think we need to continue to speak out for what we feel is right and against what we feel is wrong but hate and anger will get us nowhere. My biggest concern is that we stand fast and firm in defending our Constitution - the rights of free speech and to bear arms. I believe we need to continue to promote capitalism and not let our country slowly drift into a more socialistic form of government. These are vital to our nation's survival, so as I said, I'll pray fervently for our new president and other government leaders that they might be guided and directed by God.

Yesterday Don and I planned to meet Lily's mom and dad at Oregon Electric Station for lunch to discuss the upcoming wedding. Lily's dad wasn't able to make it so Lily's mom, Marilyn brought her friend instead. Turned out that Oregon Electric Station isn't open for lunch so we stood in the pouring rain trying to decide where to go. We decided to try Ambrosia (Italian restaurant). After we both drove there and paid for parking we discovered Ambrosia wasn't open for lunch either. Finally Don suggested Steelhouse Brewery (a sports bar and grill) so we went there. The food and atmosphere are great but a Ducks game was on so it was crowded and noisy - not that conducive to wedding planning. Don enjoyed it because he could completely ignore our conversation and just watch the game. Marilyn is very creative and talented and under Lily's direction has everything outlined for the wedding, reception and an evening party. I'll be a "worker bee" and help where I can but I don't think I have much to contribute creatively. Marilyn collects antiques and has an extensive collection of antique dishes and snack sets as well as silverware. We'll be using that for the wedding and I know she'll make it very elegant. I'm going to try to borrow tables and chairs from church (don't know if they'll let me, but I'm going to try) and I'm lending myself (from Relief Society) our nice white tablecloths that I would ordinarily not lend to anyone - I'm making an exception for me.

After a two hour lunch, we came home for a few hours then picked up a friend and met two more friends at The Shedd for dinner and a concert. We saw Ian Tyson (cowboy singer). He's a former folk singer and his songs still have a folk sound but cowboy lyrics. It was pleasant except he swore a little and had a couple of political opinions (which I didn't appreciate). His music was very enjoyable, though and it's always fun to be with friends.

Next week is crazy busy with RS Book Club here, physical therapy starting, a Missionary Zone Conference luncheon we're in charge of and we're having the missionaries to dinner the same night. Plus I have to start thinking about putting together our RS history for the year, finding out what I need to order from DI for Bishop's night and getting new conducting/teaching schedules planned for next year as well as finish preparing my RS lesson for December and getting gifts for the sisters. I'm getting them some kind of angel ornament (probably cookie cutters) because my lesson is entitled "The Errand of Angels." Lily's mom makes beeswax angel ornaments which sound like they're beautiful but they're $5 ea. and $200 for 40 just isn't in my RS budget - I wish it was.

I've been going through all my Christmas ornaments and sorting out all of Joshua's to give to him and Lily. I'm not sad to get rid of 11 or 12 basketball player ornaments and several football ones. They're welcome to them.

I bought a cute dress Friday - it was on sale and is the only wintery dress I have so far. I feel foolish wearing summery dresses to church in the cold winter rain but it's tough trying to get a new wardrobe for each season.

Shoulder surgery

2008-11-04T13:06:00.000-08:00

Well, I went to the orthopedist for my follow-up today and I definitely need surgery on my right shoulder. I have a torn rotator cuff - the tendon is hanging by a thread. I'm waiting until the 7th of January to have it (wanted to be able to decorate for Christmas) - then 4 weeks in a sling and 6 months until full recovery with lots of physical therapy in between. That's going to be VERY hard! Don will have to do a lot for me and I'm sure he'll be sick of helping me by the time I'm well. I'm just hoping to be fully recovered by Joshua and Lily's wedding. My left shoulder will need surgery too, but the tendon is still OK so it can wait.

Went to Costco yesterday and Don bought me a new down jacket. I didn't have any warm jackets that fit me and I've been freezing - this one is nice and cozy and it was a good price.

Milo had a little outdoor adventure the other day. I guess he got out and we didn't know it - we thought he'd gone back into the garage. By the time we discovered he was out, he'd been out all night and he didn't come back until later the next day. We were pretty worried for awhile because we looked everywhere and called him but couldn't find him. Don finally opened the garage door and eventually he wandered back in.

Eugene is an interesting town. The other day I was driving by the library when I heard people yelling and saw them pointing. When I looked to see what they were yelling about and where they were pointing, I saw a guy riding a bike with no pants on. What more can I say about that?

I'm posting pictures of some of my fall decorations, my Gingerbread Pumpkin Trifle and our view this time of year.

Here's the recipe for the trifle:

Pumpkin layer

1 box instant vanilla pudding (made as directed) - large box if your bowl is big
1 can pumpkin - large can if you use large box of pudding
1 tsp. cardomom or cinnamon

1 - 2 boxes gingerbread mix (made as directed) - use 2 boxes if using large bowl

whipped cream

Layer crumbled (large pieces) gingerbread, pumpkin mix, whipped cream - repeat. Top with crushed gingersnaps.

The missionaries and our other guests loved this trifle the other night.

MRI, etc.

2008-10-30T11:32:00.000-07:00

I got a call yesterday asking if I could come in last night for my MRI so I did. It wasn't too terrible because I took 2 Valium and they gave me headphones so I could listen to relaxing music and they gave me glasses that had mirrors which allowed me to see out the end of the tube. It helped a lot. Now I just have to wait for the results and hope I don't need surgery. If I do I think it's just an outpatient surgery but the recovery time is very long and my arms will have to be in slings for 6 weeks - that's pretty limiting. We're having the missionaries and an investigator and his son for dinner tonight so I've been making cheesy potatoes and a gingerbread pumpkin trifle. If it turns out as good as I hope I'll post the recipe - it's easy.

I talked to Lily's mom and we arranged to have lunch with her and Lily's father a week from Sat. at the Oregon Electric Station (a really cool restaurant with railroad cars you eat in). I've met her and talked to her before but it'll be nice to meet her father and to discuss some things about the wedding. She wants to involve me quite a bit.

I finally registered and got on the new Family Search and did a little combining of records and requesting temple work to be done. I was a little surprised that there was still some work that needed to be done for some ancestors that have already been found.

We had a little scare with Milo. He must have gotten out of the house sometime on Tues. but we didn't know and thought he'd gone back into the garage. Wed. morning we realized he was no where to be found. We looked and looked and called him but couldn't find him anywhere. Finally Don just left the garage door open hoping he'd come back in and eventually he did. He was happy to be home - he must have had a cold night outside.

Don's almost done with his Mayflower model ship. He's waiting for me to sew the sails for him. I'll probably do them tomorrow. It's a very impressive model - I put a picture up when he finishes.

Joshua & Lily

2008-10-27T16:51:00.000-07:00

Joshua & Lily

My poor shoulders

2008-10-27T12:53:00.000-07:00

Well, I went to the orthopedist today and had some X-rays done. I have calcium deposits and bone spurs on both my shoulders and because I've had them so long and the pain has been going on continually for a year, she's afraid I may have tendon damage so she's ordered an MRI (Yikes, claustrophobic nightmare). If there's tendon damage I'll probably need surgery because physical therapy and cordisone shots could damage the tendons more.

Yesterday Don and I walked out the front door to come face-to-face with a doe eating my potted flowers. This morning there were 3 deer eating my backyard plants. They're hard to shoo away - they just stand there and look at you. I took some pictures, but the light wasn't good so they're not great but I'll try to post them. I also took some pictures today of the beautiful fall foliage in Eugene and also of our new hospital (again, bad lighting-bad picture).

Yesterday was Stake Conference but it was a regional broadcast with Pres. Uchtdorf, Elder Perry and a couple of other general authorities speaking to all the stakes in Oregon. It was very good - 1st time we've had a Stake Conference like that.

I already finished reading "The Last Lecture." It was very good, inspirational and full of wisdom. Very short book but well worth reading, highlighting and re-reading.

Gas has sure gone down - it was $2.51 in Springfield this morning. Hope it stays down but it probably won't. Why hasn't food gone down too?

I'm Cold

2008-10-24T15:16:00.000-07:00

It's 65 degrees outside but I'm freezing all the time. This being skinny makes you COLD! I'm not used to this.

I went to my RS Book Club last night and discussed "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer. It was a great book - very thought-provoking. Our book club thinks there are a lot of hidden gospel messages in her books, particularly in the Twilight series. Next month we're reading "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch.

Joshua and Lily have set their wedding date - it's Sat. June 20th 2009. Hope lots of family can come, I'm so happy and excited for them. They are good for each other and get along so great.

I just voted. In Oregon everyone votes by mail. Don voted after me and ended up voting different on several of our ballot initiatives, they're so confusing and our ballot information booklet doesn't explain them well at all. I had heard enough about them on the radio that I think I had information about them that he didn't. We should have discussed them together, I guess.

I had some great cookies last night and I can't wait to make them. They're pumpkin-chocolate chip but the recipe is soooo easy. It's just a spice cake mix, a can of pumpkin and a bag of chocolate chips. Yumm!

Enough for now.

Monday Morning

2008-10-20T11:10:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at the Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys concert Friday night at The Shedd. We sat with the directors of The Shedd Institute at dinner and learned a lot about how they book the artists and about music in general. I felt a little ignorant because they know everyone in the music industry, most of whom I'd never heard of, but it was interesting and made me want to attend lots more concerts.

Jeremy's car broke down yesterday and we think it's dead. I don't know what he'll do about transportation because he can't afford another car and the rainy season is starting. I worry a lot about him.

Don and I are attending the "Strengthening Marriage" class in Sunday School now and it's been helpful - we're already communicating better and working on issues we've been ignoring for awhile.

We've got a lot of sisters in our ward that are going through some very difficult times and need help and support. I worry about them and it's difficult knowing that I can't always solve all their problems. I've come to love people who are very different from me and whose circumstances, backgrounds and choices are very different from mine. Being Relief Society President has really helped me grow and become more compassionate and understanding.

I bought some Size 0 jeans on Saturday - Wow, that's amazing, and they feel comfortable and look good. My weight has been stable now for about 3 months - I hope I can maintain this weight forever now. So far, it's been easy.

I've started a blog

2008-10-17T12:16:00.000-07:00

My first blog posting - how high-tech of me. I thought I was getting pretty internet savvy getting on Facebook, but now my own blog - WOW!

Yesterday was our 3 year anniversary of moving to Eugene. A lot has happened and changed in those 3 years and I see more and more the Lord's hand in guiding us here. When we went back to Napa to visit in August it really didn't seem like home there anymore. Home is here and we love it!

I'll write a little family update first to catch everyone up with what we've been doing.

Well, the Abbott family is a complicated bunch. Joshua is working at Comfort Suites as a front desk clerk (soon to start working graveyard), living in Springfield, going to Lane Community College majoring in Graphic Design and engaged to Lily Kintzley. We love Lily and are so happy Joshua has found such a wonderful young woman to marry. We're excited to have her become part of our family. Jeremy is still working at Arby's, taking a writing course and is doing pretty well. Don is busy trying to finish his latest model ship, The Mayflower; working at the Family History Center; inspecting missionary cars; going out with the missionaries; going fishing with his buddy, Skip; helping another friend, Horace, build model airplanes; and doing Sodoku (he's addicted). I'm still Relief Society President so that keeps me on my toes, lots of opportunities for service. I'm loving my new iPod Touch which I'm kind of obsessed with right now, and I'm also an avid reader - sometimes too avid - I'm trying to balance reading with other activities more. I love birding and gardening and spent lots of time this summer in the garden and watching my birds (mostly our backyard birds are goldfinches, house finches, rufus hummingbirds, pine siskins, flickers, and Stellars and Scrub jays). I love all our Relief Society activities; Dining Out, Book Club and Discovery Group (this summer we went canoeing, hiking and rafting down the Willamette River).

Last month Don and I went camping at Silver Falls State Park near Salem, OR. This was our first camping trip alone and we had a wonderful time. We rented a little rustic cabin in the park which was so cute and we hiked and relaxed. There are 10 waterfalls in the park but we only saw the two biggest - spectacular!

Last Tuesday night Don and I went to a Natalie McMaster concert with some friends who get free tickets and invite us to go with them occasionally. The concerts include a catered dinner before the concert so it's a great evening. The music was Celtic with fiddling, bagpipes, flutes, cello, bass guitar, piano and drums. Natalie also does step-dancing. It was so much fun and we had front row seats. Tonight we were given tickets (again front row seats) to another concert - this time Ralph Stanley who plays bluegrass. We're really looking forward to it.

I was diagnosed with pseudogout recently. I was having severe hip pain that prevented me from walking on my left leg. X-rays showed calcium crystals in my joints (pseudogout). The only treatment for me (because I can't take anti-inflammatories) is a cordisone shot - it did eventually help and the pain is gone now. I've been having a lot of shoulder pain in both shoulders for quite some time so my Dr. referred me to an orthopedist - he thinks I may need surgery, but we'll see. My surgeon is watching the breast lump I found a couple of months ago. He thinks it's nothing but is going to keep an eye on it. Guess I'm getting old, all these health problems, but I'm thankful I've got the weight off so it's not worse - at least most of my back pain is gone now. My weight has stabilized now with my total weight loss at 140 lbs., 117% of my excess weight - I'm thrilled!

Don's daughter, Jennifer, had gastric bypass surgery in August and is doing great. We are so happy with her progress.

Our hearts are very sad about the loss of our little great-nephew Ian Jacob Wood. Our niece, Mandi and her family have been in our thoughts and prayers.

Now I'm going to try to figure out how to post photos. Good luck to me.