December 22 & 23, 2010

Wednesday 22~~~~Kent went to Portland and I spent the day wrapping Christmas presents and doing laundry. Our friends Lou and Kathy who we worked with at Fisherman's Bend last summer are in town today, shopping and going to the Mission Mills Christmas light showing this evening. We made plans with them to go out for dinner when they were done at the Mill. We went to Applebees and we had a lot of fun catching up on each others time since we were last together. They have stayed at the park all winter, I don't think Kent could do that, he would get cabin fever real fast with nothing to do. They really enjoyed the beautiful Christmas lights and seeing all the activities at the Mill. Kathy said they took a couple hundred pictures or more. We are going out there tomorrow night with Tress and the kids, we have never done that before and it should be fun. Thursday 23~~~~Tress and the kids came over for dinner before we went to Mission Mill . The weather couldn't have been better for walking around to view the workers doing the work of the lives many years ago and going through the old houses they toured us through. Bodie had fun using one of the weaving looms they had for people to try weaving. They also had a blacksmith making things from his forge that drew a big crowd. We went to our house for dessert before Tress and the kids had to go home. Tress had some Christmas presents to get wrapped after the kids went to bed. I remember those days having raised 5 children. LOL Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and I still have things to do. My family cut down a lot on our exchanging this year, so thinking I didn't have much to do, I did nothing until this last week, plus I have Kent's presents to wrap which I don't mind doing, as he does so much for me. I have really enjoyed the real spirit of Christmas this year more than I ever have.

December 20, 2010

Monday 20~~~~ Where have all the days gone with Christmas only 5 days away?? I have been making carmel corn and chex mix snacks, Kent really likes them and so do I. They are good snacks to eat our way across the country. Kent's ex-wife Pat gave me her recipe for the carmel corn, but hers is a lot better than mine I think. She always makes us a huge tin full of it and a small tin of toffee candy every Christmas. Today my two daughters and their boys are bell ringers for the Salvation Army at the Fred Meyer store in Keizer from 4 PM until 6 PM. My son Bill and his daughter Breanna and I did the next shift of Bell Ringing from 6 PM until 8 PM. We had a great time ringing the bell and greeting all the shoppers. We wanted to get more money in our pot than my girls and their boys did. It was getting a little chilly before we finished, but we enjoyed it so much we hope to do it again next year. The Salvation Army had so many shifts they didn't get filled with volunteers, so if you are interested, check it out next Christmas, it is a very rewarding feeling and the kids loved helping. Kent was over to the 5Th wheel getting things ready there for us when we leave, he joined us when we finished and we all went over to my daughter Lisa's house for hot chocolate and cookies and some fun and laughter of what we did and who got the most money in their bucket. LOL

December 16 &17, 2010

Thursday 16~~~~~The time is going by so fast, it will soon be time to hit the road again heading south. I had so many plans to see so many people while I was home and I hardly got any of it done. I gave my grand daughter Breanna a haircut this week while she is home from College visiting her father, this is one way I get to see her is by cutting her hair and she has to come over and visit me. I love it when they first leave home and are in college, everything is so new and fun to them and I love hearing all about it. This evening I went to my Grandson Bodie's Christmas concert at his school.(PICTURES) Kent is in Portland with his kids and I am with mine. There is so much to go to with so many grand children. Friday 17~~~~~ Today is the BIG DAY!!!!!! My birthday!!!!!!!!! I love my birthday, as it is my day and I let the whole world know it too. I tell all the clerks in the stores and anyone who says hello, crazy huh?? but I do love my day. I had a lot of face book greetings to read and a lot of phone calls. My kids brought over dinner tonight and after dinner we watched the movie "Christmas with the Kranks". It was a real house full, but we all squeezed around the TV and we had a merry old time. Kent gave me the most beautiful stand up jewelry chest with doors and so many drawers. Now I have something to put my jewelry in when we are on the road. (Tress has the cloth for warming up flour Tortillas in the microwave on her head made by Jean Marie.)

December 15, 16, 2010

Thursday 15~~~~ Kent and I went to the beach this morning, stopping at the casino on the way for lunch. It was a nice sunny day and the beach had quite a few people on it. We went over to the Bayview Tavern at Nehalem for chicken, Joe's and cold beer for dinner. We go there every time we go to the beach to see Susie the owner and enjoy the food. We are going back home tomorrow afternoon, we just wanted to check on the house and Kent needed to pick up the mail. We both miss going to the beach and fishing in the ocean right in front of our house, maybe one day we will be off the road and we can start going to the beach more. Friday16~~~~The day is brisk outside this morning, but the sunshine is beautiful. We walked on the beach and we took some pictures of a coal carrier ship that wrecked back in the early 1800's and the winter storms uncovered the ribs of the ship. (pictures) It has been uncovered one other time in the past 30 years. We walk the beach all the time and it seems impossible so much sand could be hiding it and a storm washes the sand away and there it is. I am also posting a few pictures of our quaint little town of Rockaway Beach and the beach house.

December 11 &12, 20101

Saturday 11~~~~Kent went to Portland today to watch his grandsons play ball. I babysat the kids for Tress, you can't really call it babysitting when they come over and have so much fun playing downstairs I hardly see them. After i got my jobs done that I needed to do, I played hide and go seek with them in the house. Blaize loves to play that game and she always hides in the same spot, or in one that we used the round before. We pretend we can't find her and she gets so excited she giggles so we will find her, oh what fun to be so young and innocent again. LOL Sunday 12~~~Kent went to Portland again this morning to more ball games. Lisa came over and I gave her a haircut, it really turned out cute, I love to keep my fingers in hair. Billy and Kallie came over while Lisa was there and we had coffee and spent some time visiting together. After Bill and Kallie left, Lisa and I went and did some Christmas shopping together. Kent and I spend as much time with our families as we can while we are home, the time goes so fast.

December 8,9, 10, 2010

Wednesday 8~~~Verizon came to our house and hooked up high definition to our new television we bought for each other for Christmas. I made hamburger stew for dinner and we watched TV with no company tonight. Thursday 9~~~~ Kent went to Portland and I did some Christmas shopping and I baked a rhubarb pie from some rhubarb I froze this summer from Jean Marie's garden. We went over to Jean Maries for dinner tonight and we watched a television show she recorded for us while we were down south. It was the show where the school for the deaf was remodeled by that Television show. We ate my pie and ice cream for dessert and we had a wonderful time. Friday 10~~~ Kent went to Portland again today and had dinner at Cindy's house, I went to the Historic Elsinore Theatre with Tress and the kids this evening to the play "Click Clack Moo". It was a great play for the kids and for grandmas also. We went to the "Konditorei" for dessert after the play, it is the best coffee-dessert place in Salem. It is Bodie and Tress's favorite place to go to, so it was my treat for taking me to the play.

December 5 &6, 2010

Sunday 5~~~~~We were out doing some Christmas shopping today when we got a call from the West Children that they were on their way home with their Christmas tree and they wanted to know if we wanted to come over and help trim the tree. We have done that for the last few years and it is a lot of fun. I always get the job of putting the lights on the tree while Tress gets the ornaments out of their boxes and ready for Blaize and Bodie to hang. All of my children have ornaments from their parents, grandma's and even great grandma. Tress keeps hers wrapped in tissue paper and in coffee cans to really protect them, the kids aren't allowed to touch them. I bought Bodie and Blaize each a new ornament to hang on the tree and by the time we finished, they were both tired, crabby and hungry. Kent and I started for home stopping to pick up some Chinese food to take home and eat while we watched a movie we had taped. Monday 6~~~~We set up our Christmas tree today and we made a large pot of spaghetti because Bodie and Blaize are coming over tonight to help us trim our tree. While I finished up making a salad and French bread Tress and Kent did homework with the kids. After we ate, the grand kids and myself trimmed the tree, of course there were a few arguments over where to hang things as both of them wanted to hang things in the same spot. Pretty soon Bodie got bored with the job and Blaize did a marvelous job of finishing up the tree. She had so much patience hanging all the things I had in the box, everyone has commented on how beautiful our tree was this year and they can hardly believe it when I tell them that Blaize a 5 year old did most of it by herself. After the tree wasd trimmed, we had dessert and we watched a Christmas show that was on TV before the kids had to go home.

December 4, 2010

Saturday 4~~~~~~After Mass we headed over to Pam and Jeff's house to watch the Civil War Football game between the two Oregon rival teams, the Ducks and the Beavers!!! Almost all of my family are Beavers, but my son Bill and I ride the fence on it and right now, we want to Ducks to win every game, so Oregon will be recognized by all!!!!!!!!!! Ye go Ducks!!!! We got hassled a lot by everyone at the game until our friend Doug showed up, he is a real loud Duck fan. It was all in fun, and we had two boards going for the game, so that was fun to keep you watching your numbers. We all brought lots of food, so we ate drank and was merry.