Good Bye 2008

And so December is almost over.......We are counting down to the new year and counting our blessings at the same time!! We had a very snowy Christmas which is a very rare occasion for us. The time we spent together was fun and simple and enjoyed by all!!

Snow and Birthdays!!

The good news is that my husband did get to and from work yesterday.....Thanks to my son and the city transportation system!! And I got to get out....after trecking out our long snowed in driveway to the road....my son came and got me and took me to his house for the day to hang out with my daughter in law and the 2 year old birthday girl!!

The roads had huge snow drifts.... some as high as 10ft!!

This bridge reminds me of the

one in It's a Wonderful Life??

Can you ever have enough snow pictures!!??

Addison enjoyed her birthday........she had several visitors that ventured out in the snow to come by and shower her with gifts!!! We had a pizza party in the evening with grandparents and aunts and uncles!!
It was fun to see that she was really into opening her gifts....

the whole time saying...what is it what is it??

Can a NANA ever take enough pictures and share them!!!?????

Today Jeff started out to work but the roads did not allow him to get far today..........he ended up back home..........and so we will have a nice quiet snow covered Christmas Eve together and HOPE that the family will be able to make it here tomorrow!!

Merry Christmas!!

STOP THINKING SNOW!!

Ok, so if you know anything about the Pacific Northwest you know that we dont get that much snow....so when they report that we are going to get some snow........we all get excited and say "THINK SNOW"!! YIPPEE!! NO School.........a day at home..........pretty............how fun!!

Well..........That's what we all thought over a week ago when they said we were going to get some snow......NOW.........WE ALL WANT IT TO STOP!!! This is CRAZY!!!

We had a little snow a week ago.....and freezing temps.....

then some more snow and we got through the week.

Next came the weekend and we had more snow....and some freezing rain.......and more snow......then blizzard warnings........major freeways closed..........airport open but no flights going out or in...........all day news on.....power went out and back on.

So the weekend is over....MONDAY is here.....

The big question was what to do about work!

Not just any work....a faithful UPS MAN!!!

WE cannot drive our cars out of where we live......We live in Troutdale in the gorge.... THEY CLOSED I84 east...we live just up in the hills above that freeway!!

so my husband just could not call in and say he could not make it.........

he got all bundled up and said he was going to walk down hill 3 miles to the nearest bus stop and take the bus to take the

max (TRAM) to take another bus to work!!

So off he went....and an hour later he was 1 mile down and called his boss and told him that he just could not even get there that way....the snow drifts were too big to walk through!!

Back he came....he hates that he couldn't make it......but feels better that he at least tried!!!

I imagine he will do the same tomorrow if things don't change!!

We were supposed to have our granddaughters 2 year birthday party this past weekend and it had to be canceled too!!!

SAD FACE!!!

SO...........PLEASE STOP THINKING SNOW!!!

WE don't want anymore....so many people are not getting anywhere............so many people stuck at the airport!!!

They are expecting us to have this snow

THROUGH CHRISTMAS!!! STOP STOP STOP THINKING SNOW!!

Find Joy and Believe

Do you ever feel like "BOB the snowman".....since he came to visit us he has lost some of his weight....fallen over....broke his arm....... stood back up..... gained some weight back....... been snowed on.....hailed on....and now the sun is shining on him!!

Just a reminder to always count your blessing

through good and bad....thick and thin!!

Find the Joy in everyday things......and Believe in what is good!!

Snow days are good for SEWING!!! I have been working on a little present for someone but dont want to show it she may see....so I will save the pic to show later!!

A busy week coming up for everyone....This weekend is Addison's 2 year old birthday party!! That will be fun!!

Followed by all the fun Christmas gatherings and activities!!

Wishing you all lots of fun, family, friends, and food!

Meet BOB!!

Meet "BOB the Snowman"! He came to visit us LAST winter when Addison was just over a year old!!

Well.......LOOK who came back to visit again this year....."BOB the Snowman!"

Addison has not been up here to see him yet but I know she will be so excited to see him!!

Bob does not have much to say this year!!

Better give him a mouth!!

If you have snow I hope you can find time to make BOB a friend!!

BRRRR!!!!

You are looking north from our living room window at Mt Adams which is located across the Columbia River in Washington State.

BRRR!!!! I know that so many people are having very cold weather right now!! Here in Oregon we are having very cold temps for us! We did have a little snow......very dry and the wind blew it all around!!Just enough to cause problems for traffic and some school closures.

Mostly it just got really cold.......right now it is 25 degrees with a wind chill making it 17 degrees!!

They are forcasting for more snow in the next day or so....we will see if it arrives!!

I've got some hot chicken soup on the stovetop to serve to my VERY COLD husband when he gets home from his UPS route tonight!!

What better way to keep warm than to get the dye pots out!!

Look at these yummy colors!!

Some of my favorite!!

Stay Warm!!!

Going GRAY!!??

SO here I am!!

I usually don't post pics of myself online.......but today I took this picture to send to my east coast friend so she can check out my new hair cut and color!!

My hair usually has been very dark......over the years it is changing to GRAY!!! When I was younger I always said that I would NEVER color my hair...... but about 10 years ago when everyone told me I was too young to be looking gray I started coloring it!!

Well I have decided that I am tired of coloring it......watching the gray roots appear each month and spending the money for it..............so my plan is to let it just go GRAY!! Plus I'm a NANA now......so it's ok to have gray hair right!!??

For this long process I have changed to a semi permanet dye so the dye starts fading between my appointments. Yesterday, my hairdresser and I decided that it might be easier to make the tansition if I got highlights........so here is my new do.....and lighter hair!! My husband is so sweet.........he keeps telling me how much he likes it.......so maybe I will keep highlighting it like this for awhile!!?? What's a GRAY NANA to do!!??

Now if I can just figure out how to make my double chin disappear!!

Still waiting for snow!!

THINK SNOW!!

Snowmen are making themselves noticed around the house and if the weather man is right

we might even get some snow in the next few days!!

Wouldn't that be fun!!

This weekend I will start some baking and making the fudge.........
some with NUTS and some WITHOUT!!

The holidays will soon be a memory........make some fun in the days to come!!

Think SNOW!!

Hunting Season is OPEN!!

Sunday afternoon the whole family loaded up and went for a drive out to Sleighbells Tree Farm in Sherwood, Oregon!! It is the first time we have all gone together on a Christmas Tree Hunt!!
I am not a hunter but I do know that when hunting it requires one to be very quiet......well thank goodness TREE HUNTING is not this way!! Hey....OVER HERE!! LOOK AT THIS ONE!!

WHAT ABOUT THIS!!......NO OVER HERE!!! CHECK THIS ONE OUT!! TOO SMALL.........TOO BIG.........TOO FAT...........NOT STRAIGHT.........TOO SKINNY..........and the laughing and chatting go on until everyone finds just the right tree that they will take home!!

I hope you all have a fun time on your TREE HUNT for the perfect tree for you and your family!!

Hope

December 3, 1892 was the day that my Great Aunt Kathleen Mendenhall Yeoman was born, although she was more like a gramma...we called her Aunt Kaddie (pronounced Caddy). She was my dad's aunt who raised him and his siblings from the time he was about 4 years of age, his parents both died from tuberculosis.

My first memories of seeing a quilt came from visits to my Aunt Kaddies house. She was always working on a quilt and when she wasn't there was always one hanging up at the ceiling on a large wooden frame connected to large hooks with rope. I am blessed to have a quilt that she made for me when I was a little girl. A pink and purple hand appliqued butterfly quilt.

I remember her hands in great detail!! She had large hands....they were rough due to the amount of work she had done in her lifetime. She was a single woman who worked, gardened, raised more than her share of kids, canned and did anything else that needed to be done. She rented out rooms in her large old house to single men and did their cooking and laundry for them. I remember she always had tape on her fingers..........from all the quilting.....she wore the tape in place of thimbles. She loved God and singing hymns.

Fond memories for me are standing in her room watching her sit at the old dresser vanity brushing out her very long silver hair, braiding it, and pinning the braids across the top of her head with large silver hair pins and finishing it off with a silver hairnet. I never saw her in pants until she was probably in her 80's that I can remember and mostly always in an apron.

Just through the curtains that were the doors to the pantry were my favorite treats she would serve us.....home canned pears that she had colored! My favorite were the bright green ones!!

My Aunt Kaddie lived until 1993....to the age of 101 years!! So today I remember her and only HOPE that I can live even partially as long and fill my grand kids', nieces', and nephews' hearts with memories like I have of her!!

Seasons Greetings

Well it is here!! December has arrived!! It was such a nice day here today........some nice blue skys and mild temps!!

I dug out the totes of Christmas decorations today and will start unpacking them tomorrow to fill the house with holiday cheer!!

Have been working on a little sewing......some new christmas stitchery blocks to make a small lap blanket!!

There are so many choices to make this month with our time and money!! So many special events we could attend and projects we could be involved in that it can be overwhelming!!

Whatever you choose to do during this special holdiay season remember that the most important gift of all is LOVE!!